Psh, Twilight? How About Vampire Weekend!

                The artist I hope you all will learn to love this week is called Vampire Weekend.  Now, I know what you all are thinking and the answer is no, this band is not just some teenage dream “Edward and Bella romance hookup”.  Vampire Weekend started off signing to XL Recordings in 2006 in New York City.  The band consists of Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio.  The name Vampire Weekend comes from a movie that Ezra Koenig made in the summer of his freshman year at college.  This band released their debut album “Vampire Weekend” in January of 2008 which ended up being a startling success, and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200.  If any of you viewers out there have ever played the game “Just Dance 2”, you have probably even heard or danced to one of their hit songs off of this album called “A-Punk”.  Many of their songs have pumping beats to dance around to, so it is very fitting that the band would be featured in such a game.  Vampire Weekend’s second album “Contra” was released in January of 2010.  A friend showed me a pretty rocking mix off this album called “Cousins” which I will be showing you today.  A lot of their tracks give you a sort of “tropical” feel, even though the band originated from New York City.  However one may look at it, Vampire Weekend is extremely talented showing off with their many happy-go-lucky sounding guitar riffs and their odd sounding rhythms playing behind their sweet sounding vocals.  This music is hopefully nothing like you have heard before.  Vampire Weekend takes pride in its’ unique sound and is still rising to musical fame.  I hope you enjoy and maybe you will find room in your music collection for Vampire Weekend!

The first song I will be showing you is called “Cousins” off of the 2010 album “Contra”.

The next song is called “A-Punk” and is featured on the current “Just Dance 2” game.  I put the video from “Just Dance 2” on here so you can dance along to the song if you would like!

A City.... Filled With Owls??

            Would you believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies lit up the world as you fell asleep?  Adam Young the maker of the band Owl City thinks that you would not be able to believe your eyes.  And now humorously, many of you probably have Adam’s hit single “Fireflies” by Owl City floating around in your heads.  J  Adam Young started his musical stylings a few years ago when he lived with his parents at their home in Owantanna, Minnesota.  Young suffered from severe insomnia.  Not being able to sleep, he started to spend his nights in the basement at the computer putting different electronica and other techno-flavorful sounds together.  He eventually started recording his music merely by using his computer and a few keyboards. Once completed, Young uploaded the finished tracks to a Myspace profile.  His debut single of “Hello Seattle” which was released in 2007 received more than six million plays on the web.  Adam’s music was a hit.  He kept his fans happy by releasing a mini album of seven total tracks titled “Of June” after the success of his debut single.  Fans wanted more.  Even though Young was unsigned, that did not stop him from making more music.  In 2008 his album “Maybe I’m Dreaming” came out onto the Myspace scene.  Having two albums topping the Top 20 of the U.S. electronic albums chart brought Adam Young’s creation of Owl City to the attention of musical experts.  Early in 2009, Adam Young was signed to Universal Republic.  He then released his album of “Ocean Eyes” in July of that same year.

            On his new album “Ocean Eyes”, Young sings a duet with Matt Thiessen from the band of Relient K.  This track called “Fireflies” skyrocketed to the top of the charts.  It is also funny if listeners take a closer look at the lyrics to Young’s tracks because a lot of the songs mention him being an “insomniac” and how he “cannot sleep”.  Adam Young takes listeners into a place of their imaginations that they have never gone before.  His lyrics are extremely poetic and are almost as sweet as dreaming.  Owl City became such an overnight sensation that Adam Young has had the privilege of touring around the world.  So, what happened to the quiet kid from Minnesota who cannot sleep?  He is a now a worldwide hit!

This first song that I am going to have you listen to is one of my personal favorites, “Hot Air Balloon”.  This song almost feels like listeners are being placed right alongside Adam Young in one of his imaginative dreams.



            The next song I will introduce you to is called “Tidal Wave”. This song takes listeners along on a journey starting off with a sense of sadness and depression, but then towards the end, things start turning up.  One can also hear Young’s religious feeling in the very end of this song as he sings “…then I was given grace and love, I was blind but now I can see.  ‘Cuz I found a new hope from above, and courage swept over me”.  I hope you enjoy Owl City!



London's (Not So Little) Lion Men...

                This week I have a very special band to introduce to you all.  Mumford and Sons started playing music together in December of 2007.  Starting out in London, England, Marcus Mumford, Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane are on the journey of living their dreams.  With each new song released, Mumford and Son’s music gets stronger and more meaningful.  Each song tells a personal story and listeners can hear the powerful passion through the band’s voices with each new lyric.  “What we write about is real, and we sing and play our instruments more passionately ‘cause we feel like we need to. We love honest music,” says Winston.  The harmonies being sung and the various types of instruments these musicians play make for some really entertaining music.  These guys are extremely talented!  Their next show will be in London, but Americans can catch them in Indio, California on April 16^th and New Orleans, Louisiana on April 29^th.  Other concert dates after these can be found on the Mumford and Sons website, http://www.mumfordandsons.com/.  Check them out, and then go buy their album Sigh No More.  Q Magazine once said about this album, “A record that swings from arresting fragility to hearty dynamics.”  You will not be disappointed!

     The first single on Sigh No More, “Little Lion Man,” is already being boasted as “The Hottest Record In The World” by Radio 1′s Zane Lowe, and the band has been longlisted for the BBC Sounds Of 2008 Poll, which features the most promising new music talent.  This single does drop the “F-bomb” a few times in the chorus, but if listeners can get past this use of foul language, I am sure their ears will be pleased.

     Some of my other favorites include "The Cave" and "Winter Winds".  Here is "After the Storm".

A Definite Force to Be Reckoned With...

            The next artist that I am going to introduce to you is Family Force Five.  This band definitely does not follow anybody else’s “rules” of what people say music is supposed to sound like.  Family Force Five is extremely unique, and always tries to make their music sound like one of a kind.  The band consists of Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Jacob "Crouton" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, Nathan "Nadaddy" Currin, and Derek "Chap Stique" Mount.  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  What kind of band nicknames themselves names like Soul Glow Activatur, Crouton, Fatty, Nadaddy, and Chap Stique?  I have to admit, that is exactly what I thought when I first heard of these cool cats.  Even after hearing some of their music, I still thought they were a little weird.  The thing is, they are so strange and odd that one cannot help but to love them.  Listeners love them because they are nonconformists and do not follow the crowd.  They are a Christian crunk rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, but have also been described as being rock, hardcore, punk, metal, and even hip hop.  Whenever I try to describe their musical style I just say, “They are basically their very own genre”.  After listening to them you will hopefully be able to understand what I mean.

            Last summer I had the pleasure to see Family Force Five up close and personal at the Christian Sonshine Festival in Wilmar, Minnesota.  Having an insane amount of energy and epic stage presence, their concert was amazing.  Throughout the whole concert everyone in the crowd were filled with adrenaline and jumped around for Family Force Five.  Family Force Five personally see this as praising and worshipping God.  They explained how God wants us to move, get crazy, and have fun here on earth (as long as it’s for Him).  At one point in the show, they told the crowd to “shake yo’ badonkadonk for Jesus!”  However people perceive them, Family Force Five is definitely a force to be reckoned with.  They are currently working on a new album, but have not released the date that the album will come out.

            So with that, get open-minded, sit back, and get ready to rock!  You will learn to love them.  I will show you three songs so you can get a feel of what their style is like.

The song “Love Addict” is one of their most popular songs.  I put the video on here because it makes me laugh.  Their unique style is shown very well through this music video.

            This next song that I am going to introduce to you is called "Drama Queen".  When listening to this song, it may sound like the singer is angry with a girlfriend type character, but that is not the case.  At the Sonshine Festival the band explained that this song was written about how the record label they were working for at the time did not like their style and wanted to change them.  Family Force Five of course would not have it and wrote this song to retaliate.  Hope you enjoy!

            The last song I will show you comes off of the "Family Force Five's Christmas Pageant" album.  I love the versions of the Christmas songs that Family Force Five has put together.  This song is their version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?".  Another favorite of mine on the album is "My Favorite Things", which is a remake from "The Sound of Music" movie musical.

Shhhh... I'm Listening to The Hush Sound!

     The artist I am happy to introduce to you this week is The Hush Sound.  This band consists of Bob Morris on guitar, Mike Leblanc on bass, Darren Wilson with the drums, and Greta Salpeter on the piano.  All four band members help lay down the vocals for many of their different tracks.  They have released a total of three albums since they have been together but sadly, after releasing Goodbye Blues in 2008, The Hush Sound announced they were going on a hiatus.  I know, right?  For all you viewers out there, that is some extremely depressing news!  However, I still think their musical style deserves a fair listen from your ears.  The song I am going to have you check out today is called "We Intertwined".  This song is ironic because at first listen it is a very peppy, happy-go-lucky sounding kind of song.  I definitely feel like getting up and dancing when I hear it!  However, when one takes the time to listen to the lyrics, the song becomes sad.  The artist first explains that in his "dream world" when he is asleep, life is incredible and worthwhile.  Then, the character in the song wakes up and realizes that all of the wonderfulness was just his imagination; it was just a dream.
     I enjoy listening to the Hush Sound because a lot of their songs have hidden stories in the lyrics just like “We Intertwined”.  For example, “Sweet Tangerine” at first listen sounds like a gentleman in the song is politely wishing his lady friend to return to his loving arms.  However, after listening closely and listening to an interview with The Hush Sound, listeners find out that this song is written about a stalker type character who will do anything to be with his “Sweet Tangerine” better half. 
     The Hush Sound puts a creative spin on their records by using jazzy piano riffs from Greta, or even throwing in some peppy trumpet parts like on “We Intertwined”.  My hope is that they sound like nothing you have heard before.  Other favorites of mine include “Wine Red” and “Not Your Concern”.  So what are you waiting for?  Give ‘em a listen!

Three Words That Became Hard to Say...

The first artist that I am going to introduce you to is the Avett Brothers.  I had never heard of these guys until my brother introduced them to me a few weeks ago.  My brother is in the local Bismarck band, Somebody’s Luggage, and often shows me new music he thinks I might enjoy.  When he had me listen to “I and Love and You” by the Avett Brothers, it was love at first listen.  The Avett Brothers have a very gentle, but powerful style.  They have produced many epic ballads that may send chills down your spine.  I love the piano in “I and Love and You” and the sweet harmonies that the singers lay on the track.  The Avett Brothers are a folk rock band consisting of Scott and Seth Avett on banjo and guitar respectively, while Bob Crawford mans the bass.  Jacob Edwards drums out the soft beats, and Joe Kwan sometimes joins the band on tour with a cello.  So give the song “I and Love and You” a listen; I hope you like it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqZZlL0l5Uk

Tired of Pop Fluff?

     Do you ever get tired of the same old, squeaky pitched sounding, current pop fluff being played every day on the radio?  Do you ever find yourself getting sick of a song because it is so overplayed?  I know I do.  So therefore, in the next few weeks I will be blogging right here to hook you up with some new jams and fresh musical hits that you probably have not heard of before. I will be connecting you with new rising musical talent.  You may recognize some of these musical artists, while others you will not recognize at all.  My hope is to help you discover new music that you can enjoy and share with others.  In every blog I will introduce a different artist with a song by that particular artist, and may even have a clip for you to be able to listen to.  I hope you enjoy!