Tag: SXSW

Alternative, Female Artists, Folk Rock, Indie Pop, Rising Artist, Singer/Songwriter

SONG OF THE DAY – “NIGHT LIKE THIS” by LP

May 4, 2014

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Today I am posting a song by an artist that I just find fascinating – LP.

I really love LP’s totally unique sound. This song is from her new album, Forever For Now, scheduled for release on June 3. I am excited to listen to the album in its entirety because I understand there are a lot of new sounds for her and a real focus on her very unique voice.

I was first exposed to LP with her song, “Into the Wild,” which I absolutely adore. Many of you may have heard the song as it was later played on a CitiBank commercial). I also watched one of her live concert performances online and was really taken by her entire performance – her interaction with the audience, her look, her infamous ukulele (an instrument she taught herself to play), her whistle, and that incredibly unique voice. One of my favorite live performances is of Beyonce’s song, “Halo” – watch it here. I am hoping to get a chance to see her perform in person soon; I have heard the performances are electrifying.

LP is a native New Yorker who moved to Los Angeles many years ago in her pursuit of music. She has been on the music scene for many years and, in fact, once had a bidding war to sign her to a recording contract after her performance at SXSW in 2006. Along with being an amazing performer, she is also an incredible songwriter and has written songs for many artists, including Rihanna (“Cheers (Drink to That)“) and many others. Along the way, LP has amassed a loyal fan base and many admirers, including being named as Artist of the Week by Vogue Magazine in 2012, and receiving praise from the likes of CNN, Rolling Stone, and Esquire (see her bio).

Enjoy this new song and keep your eye out for her new album.

Electronic, Indie Pop, Mellow Songs, Rising Artist, Singer/Songwriter, UK Artists

SONG OF THE DAY – “STRONG” by London Grammar

April 28, 2014

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Today I am posting a very different sound from the last post. This song is by London Grammar, a young trio out of (surprisingly) London.Their sound is very ethereal and atmospheric and I find it almost haunting. This song is both beautiful and mesmerizing, and the lyrics are gut wrenching.

London Grammar consists of Hannah Reid (vocalist), Dominic ‘Dot’ Major (keyboards & drums) and Dan Rothman (guitar). Hannah and Dan are both originally from London and they combined with Dot (a Northampton native) while the three were all students at the University of Nottingham. Hannah Reid has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard. Many have likened her voice to Florence Welch (Florence & The Machine) and I also made that comparison when I first listened to the trio. I am amazed at the range that Hannah has in her voice and how she can carry the entire song. Hannah also does the majority of the song writing (in particular, the lyrics), but the threesome is credited with writing the entirety of the music together.

London Grammar released their debut album – If You Wait – in September of 2013 after a long wait by their ever growing fan base. That fan base has expanded into the US, as earlier this year they performed at SXSW, performed on many popular late night shows, and did some touring across the States. I imagine they will just continue to grow in popularity and I think it will be interesting to see what they do next. The trio has received many accolades and, in fact, this song was nominated for the 59th Ivor Novello Awards for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. The Awards will take place on Thursday 22 May.

The Ivors are internationally respected for honouring excellence in British music

 

 

I hope you enjoy this song. I believe the music will just draw you in and you will find it to be the perfect song for those more mellow, reflective moments. Let me know what you think.

 

 

Alternative, Indie Rock, Rising Artist, Singer/Songwriter, Upbeat Songs

SONG OF THE DAY – “YOU KNOW ME” by Air Traffic Controller

April 8, 2014

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When I first started this blog, I was not sure I would be comfortable with talking about myself. I thought that I might just share a song and leave it at that. Did I really want people to get to know me if I didn’t know them? Did anyone really care what I had to say?

A good friend of mine, who is a social media guru and provided lots of consulting as I started on this journey, told me that people had to get to know me. She said that those who were already listening to my “Song of the Day” listened because they had a relationship with me and trusted my opinions. If I wanted to share music with people I did not know, they needed to get to KNOW me; they needed to have a relationship with me. So, I have taken that to task.

You definitely know me because I share a piece of myself and my life every single time I post on this blog. As I discovered today, however, it has also been another avenue for me to share my life with those I already call friends. This morning I received a phone call from a good friend who lives in another state and has been following the tale of my son and his recent wrist injury through my blog. She called to tell me that she had been distantly keeping up to date on what was happening and that this morning she just wanted to to call to let me know that she was thinking about us and to check up on my son. Because I cannot personally talk to all my friends on a daily basis, this has been a nice substitute for sharing with those I don’t talk to often enough. Thanks for the phone call!

So, for those of you who already know me, I am happy to be sharing more of my life with you than I might otherwise and, for those of you who are just getting to know me, I look forward to sharing a piece of myself with you. I also look forward to getting to know you. I would love your comments and feedback on my posts if you feel the urge to respond. It would be my way to get to know you better.

So, that was the lead in to the song (clever, yes? haha) …

I really like this song from Boston-based band, Air Traffic Controller. The band was started by Dave Munro who started songwriting while he was serving as a real life Air Traffic Controller in the US Navy. From their website bio:

The band features Dave Munro on lead vocals and guitar; multi-instrumentalist Steve Scott on lead guitar, keys, and more; big brother Richie Munro on drums; Casey Sullivan on bass, banjo, and backing vocals; with violinist Alison Shipton and Kiara Perico on viola. The band often performs live accompanied on stage by an entire string section to capture and recreate its brilliant, full sound… one that consistently identifies Air Traffic Controller as one of the fastest rising original acts in the country.  – See more at: http://airtrafficcontrollermusic.com/bio/#sthash.xZz1s6ec.dpuf

Air Traffic Controller does have a very unique sound and this tune is incredibly catchy. This song is from their most recent album, Nordo, and it is an enjoyable album from beginning to end. They are a band that has garnished much attention over the last year. They were on NPR’s Austin 100 List in 2013, as one of the top 100 bands that were worth getting to know at SXSW 2013. This song also won the best Indie/Alternative Rock song in the 12th Annual Independent Music Awards. Enjoy the music and thanks for getting to know me. 🙂

Indie Pop, Rising Artist, Upbeat Songs

SONG OF THE DAY – “HOLD ME” by Royal Teeth

March 18, 2014

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Okay, so I have to be honest as to why I picked this song today. I have had several songs by this band on my list for some time, but I have teeth on my mind today and so I obviously gravitated to this band. Sometimes it is an odd reason that leads me to share a great song! haha

Last week I started having some tooth pain. It was fortuitous timing because I had a regular cleaning scheduled with my dentist on Friday. He took a quick x-ray, did some tests, and immediately referred me to an Endodontist. So, today I started root canal therapy on the tooth. YUCK! It is the very back molar and I honestly did not think I could hold my jaw open one second longer when my doctor said “we will finish for today.” It is a two appointment root canal and “it will get much worse before it gets better.” Well, that’s dandy! You would think if you had a dead nerve you would have no pain … obviously not the case. So, you can see why I was driven to pick a song by Royal Teeth. 🙂

Royal Teeth is a young, five member, Indie Pop band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2010. Nora Patterson is the only female in the group and she uses her incredible voice like a fine-tuned instrument. I am fascinated by the sound she can make – it really could be mistaken for an instrument. Gary Larsen is the other lead singer and he is just fun to watch perform. In fact, the entire sound of the band is fun, lively, and youthful.

The band is really on a run right now. They have been touring like crazy over the last year, they just finished performing to glowing reviews at SXSW, and they will be the guest performer on American Idol this Thursday. Their debut album, GLOW, was released in August of last year and their song, “Wild” has been hugely popular. You can currently get a free download of three tracks off GLOW at NoiseTrade (just don’t forget the tip!). This band is certainly one to watch – I think they are about to explode!

Alternative, Electro, Exercise/Running Songs, Rising Artist, Upbeat Songs

SONG OF THE DAY – “I WANNA GET BETTER” by Bleachers

March 11, 2014

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“I Wanna Get Better!” Don’t we all?

I am really liking this new song by Bleachers, a solo project by fun. guitarist, Jack Antonoff. This is the first single by Bleachers, just released last month with an album scheduled for release in the spring. You can certainly hear some of the sounds of fun. in the music, but it is definitely a little edgier and heavier on the guitar. It makes for a great sound! I also think the songwriting is fantastic – very honest and open. I find it extremely motivating.

This song is catchy and upbeat, but Antonoff describes the song in an article by Rolling Stone on February 19 as follows:

Antonoff sees “I Wanna Get Better” as “the story of my existence so far and a lot of the things I struggled with … A lot of things on the album, including this song, are about loss,” Antonoff says. “It feels joyous, but for me it’s very desperate.”

Bleachers is performing in Austin this week at SXSW and is also scheduled to perform at the Governor’s Ball in NYC in June, along with several other tour dates and festivals scheduled. It seems that Antonoff kept himself busy during fun.‘s downtime and he has come out with something that is worth listening to, and a side project that is absolutely worth watching. As for us fun. fans … not to worry, there are plans for them to begin working again in the near future and I am looking forward to what will come next from them. In the meantime, enjoy this song by Bleachers.

Read more:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/fun-s-jack-antonoff-talks-solo-project-bleachers-20140219#ixzz2vf8evJ9I

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1722499/jack-antonoff-fun-bleachers-band.jhtml