I just recently came across a really interesting Florida based indie band, going by the name of The Oaks. It was founded by drummer Matthew Antolick and guitarist/songwriter Ryan Costello. The later has been living a, some may say, thrilling and risky life in the past years, after he sold everything he owned and moved to Afghanistan for the next two years (this was from 2003-2005), where he thought agricultural techniques and directly participating in…
Originally from Ohio, singer-songwriter Kate Tucker made her way to Seattle where she met the musicians who would later become her band of Swedes. She’s a balladeer considered by many in the Suzanne Vega, Neko Case and Tracy Chapman mold. I’d say these are flattering comparisons, considering her debut self titled album, has just been released; a confident collection of multi-textured and colorful rock based songs full of acoustically intimate, moodily atmospheric tracks. The album…
These past few years have been a bit restless for everybody’s country sweetheart [tag]Sheryl Crow[/tag], a unfortunate encounter with brast cancer, a breakup with longtime boyfriend Lance Armstrong and the adoption of a baby boy, Wyatt, are just a few major events in her life. Such a string of life changing events was sure to affect Sheryl’s music as well, it’s no wonder her upcoming 2008 record is titled “Detour.”
Sam Beam, better known by his stage name of Iron & Wine, is a man of many talents; a multi-instrumentalist, exceptional songwriter and a talented film maker as well, being responsible for the making of all of his music videos. His third studio effort, The Shepherd’s Dog, is a marvelous indie folk arrangement, that provides a more extended palette, compared with his other previous two records, with better percussion and fleshed-out arrangements. His also a…
Artist name: Neil Young Album name: Chrome Dreams II Label: Reprise Records Gender: Rock Release date: October 23, 2007 ZMErating: 9/10 Website: http://www.neilyoung.com Artist such as Neil Young are born to rarely. The Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director is known for the lyrics he makes and his distinctive guitar work. His signature nasal tenor (and frequently alto) singing voice appears to be on the verge of tears. The way he uses his voice and…
Dream folk musician and artist Marissa Nadler brought her slow and melancholic music to the Daytrotter Session, where she performed four exceptional songs, using just a acoustic guitar and her weary and beautiful voice. The tracks played include 3 songs from her Songs III: Bird on the Water LP, as well as an unreleased song. Here’s a description of the songs from Marissa herself: These four songs are from a combination of origins. “Sylvia” and…
If you’ve been living in a cave or something like that, then you should know that a [tag]Bob Dylan[/tag] biopic titled I’m Not There is set to run on the big screens next month. You can’t really make a movie about Bob Dylan without a proper soundtrack and the current excellent cover songs performed by various artists ranging from indie to pop to rave do well in paying tribute to the legendary artist. “I’m Not…
José is back with yet another video, this time for the breathtaking, Massive Attack cover, “Teardrop.” The video is part of the deadly sins series of videos, centered around the ever present Pigman. Director Andreas Nilsson latest approach for Teardrop, this time, is a animated one, showcasing two desert depraved dessert ancient cities (the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah located near one a other. A local bearded biblical fellow is invested with great powers that allows…
Artist name: Jose Gonzalez Album name: In Our Nature Label: Mute Records Gender: Folk/Indie Release date: September 25, 2007 ZMErating: 8/10 Website: http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/ Two years ago, the back then unknown swede goldenboy [tag]Jose Gonzalez[/tag] amazed the entire world with his fabulous acoustic playing and Nick Drake like voice,releasing what was to be one of the finest album of 2005 in the form of Veneer. A Sony Bravia ad, featuring his extraordinary cover of The Knife’s…
Artist name: Mark Knopfler Album name: Kill To Get Crimson Gender: Folk Label: Warner Bros. Records Release date: September 18, 2007 ZMErating: 10/10 Website: http://www.markknopfler.com/ For what concerns music history it’s just hard to talk about [tag]Mark Knopfler[/tag]. But when you think about it is harder not to talk about him. The man is a living legend and probably even more important is that his spirit is so young. He is a distinguished member in…
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