Your New Favorite Band
because your music collection sucks.Week of March 3, 2010
We’ve all been there. You’re flipping through the presets on your car stereo, shuffling through your iPod on the train or thumbing through your soon to be outdated CD collection and there isn’t one single song you want to hear. Has the recording industry changed? Have you changed? Is this the day the music died?
Allow me to answer these three questions in order….Yes, Yes, NO!
There is hope.
Here’s How it Works: Each week, or month, or whenever I get around to it, I’ll feature a band or two that you should be listening to and I’ll answer the questions you may have about the bands. I’m not interviewing the bands. I’m not giving you their life stories. I’m just going to tell you what you need to know to breathe some new life into your dying music library.
Your New Favorite Band for week of March 3, 2010:
Vampire Weekend
Recommended if you like: Paul Simon (Graceland), Ra-Ra Riot, The Shins, Bedouin Soundclash.
Which album should you get first? Contra (2010)
Great if you’re in the mood to….Hear music that is actually original, fall asleep with some great tunes in your head, or just vibing with some headphones on.
Where are they from? New York City
Why will you like them? Vampire Weekend may just be the most exciting Ivy League band since Rage Against the Machine. Combining African inspired drum beats with very stylized melodies and all around catchy tunes, the band isn’t exactly the music industry’s best kept secret but they are definitely bringing something very new to the table and if you haven’t yet listened to this album from beginning to end, you are depriving yourself of a rare unique listening experience and quite possibly your new favorite band.
What about their live performances? The band’s recordings feature several horns and strings which are tastefully peppered throughout the albums so when the band is able to travel with their full ensemble, it is quite an experience. When the band appears as the core quartet, they are able to fill in the blanks with some vocal acrobatics and what can only be described as natural talent.
5 things you wouldn’t have cared about 5 minutes ago: Vampire Weekend formed at Columbia University in 2007The band’s name, Vampire Weekend, comes from an independent film written by lead singer Ezra Koenig (most of the songs of their 2008 debut self titled were inspired by the film as well). Two of the band’s songs are featured in the soundtrack for the Will Ferrell comedy, Stepbrothers. Lead singer, Ezra Koenig appears on the acclaimed song “Warm Heart of Africa”, performed by the Malawian afro-electronic outfit, The Very Best. Ezra Koenig and drummer, Chris Tomson first collaborated as members of the comedy-rap band “L’Homme Run” (check them out on youtube, it’s actually pretty unfunny). Despite their constant homage to the tribal beats of the motherland, Vampire Weekend was dubbed the “whitest band” by Christian Lander, the creator of the site Stuff White People Like.
Official Website: VampireWeekend.com
Tour Dates: vampireweekend.com/shows
Hear them now at: ITunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Pandora, YouTube, MySpace or facebook.
If you like what you hear, check out these bands: Murder by Death, Phoenix, Arcade Fire, Echo Movement.
Your New Favorite Band Ver. 1.0
We’ve all been there. You’re flipping through the presets on your car stereo, shuffling through your iPod on the train or thumbing through your soon to be outdated CD collection and there isn’t one single song you want to hear. Has the recording industry changed? Have you changed? Is this the day the music died?
Allow me to answer these three questions in order….Yes, Yes, NO!
There is hope.
Here’s How it Works: Each week, or month, or whenever I get around to it, I’ll feature a band or two that you should be listening to and I’ll answer the questions you may have about the bands. I’m not interviewing the bands. I’m not giving you their life stories. I’m just going to tell you what you need to know to breathe some new life into your dying music library.
Your New Favorite Band for week of February 7, 2010:
Echo Movement
Recommended if you like: Sublime, The Police, Paul Simon, Slightly Stoopid.
Which album should you get first? In The Ocean (2009)
Great if you’re in the mood to….take a long drive, catch a session, hear some fresh ideas.
Where are they from? New Jersey (right near da beach, booooooy!)
Why will you like them? These guys should be the soundtrack to every party you go to this year. They write and perform feel-good songs with fun yet meaningful lyrics, noticeably intricate instrumentation, dance-worthy rhythms and passionate melodies.
What about their live performances? Pretty amazing actually, they are obviously talented but they never seem to take themselves too seriously and they know how to move a crowd.
5 things you wouldn’t have cared about 5 minutes ago: Echo Movement was dubbed the hardest working band on Warped Tour 09. They write, produce, and record every note themselves. They have a reputation as being very fan friendly and likely to chill with their supporters after concerts and even personally respond to emails and comments left on their MySpace and facebook pages. Their current tour bus was once owned by Danish psychobilly rockers, The HorrorPops. Their song “Day After Chill” was recorded at the home of surf artist and activist Jay Alders while he painted what would eventually become the cover for EM’s 2009 release “In the Ocean”.
Official Website: EchoMovement.com
Tour Dates: Myspace.com/EchoMovement
Hear them now at: ITunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Pandora, YouTube, MySpace or facebook.
If you like what you hear, check out these bands: The Dirty Heads, Can’t Hang, Bedouin Soundclash and Streetlight Manifesto.
