Feeling Fialta & It's Good!

Chill and poppy, these guys know how to!

Yes..more indie rock-ish pop harmony stuff! Fialta is one of those Californian bands that just hits the spot for me..especially these Summer days!

I think, this band is so great it'd be neat if you could go support their debut album on Bandcamp! Pay close attention to "Fiesta, My Love" as it has that summer catchiness and the sweet melodies that will be sure to make you sway.

So, go get your suit on, don't forget sunscreen, and support this talented Fialta group! I'm stoked because they're recording new music, and it'll be out "soon!"

You Haven't Heard of The Likes Of Us?!

                 It's an over the moon sound!           via

Guess what time it is? Oh yes. Gotta' love these dynamic duos right?! i Know, i know. Before i forget, head to that fantastic tune donating site and download their album "The Likes of Us." Then close this page and listen..and..wish your life was as fun as those sounds.. Oh excuse me! You can keep reading if you'd like...naturally.

On their StageIt.com show, i asked if they want me to say anything specific on this here site. They replied, "Hmm, good question... That we're ridiculously good looking..?" Obviously they have a great sense of humor. Of course that's far from all there is about these two.

Honestly, these two are so far up on my list of Best duos i put them up there with Little & Ashley. The Likes Of Us has got that flawlessly over the moon sound. It only makes sense as they say a big influence has been the 1940s-- a euphoric time period, i think!

Besides being filled with talent, joy, and lyrics inspired by some golden years, their songs contain quite a bit of acoustic guitar pickin'/strummin', some orchestra infusion, light drum smatterings, and more.

i Know they would appreciate your support, so believe me when i say...you don't have to listen to samples of their music before you download that free album. It's just... Worth it! In all the meanings of that word, "worth!" Got me?

Wishing to Travel to the The Gray Havens

                            Their sound is just put Together!                      via

Another duo?? Pretty dang much friends! And there's even more good news. Wait what?! More good news you say? Affirmative. Their EP Where Eyes Don't Go is FREE. So hurry over, go download and dance away..or not...and read this instead.

Now i have to be honest in saying: if you're looking for a duo with a perfect balance of the girl and guy singing, The Gray Havens has more of the guy's voice. However, you can hear harmonies in a few songs, and vocals in the verses of a song with the prettier one (well, come on now, i am quite Straight and she is fine am i right??) in a song called "Let's Get Married." It's soo...cheerful!

Their sound though is so, put Together. In fact, the guy, Dave, kinda' reminds me of Jeff Carl at times! So if you liked him, check these two out as well! They can be acoustic, piano, horns, ukelele, cymbals, etc.!! It can sorta' be all over the place, in a grand way!

In closing, their name is a cool story and you can read about it on their webpage at thegrayhavensmusic.com! Hint: Thoughts of Lord of the Rings is not too far off! Haha..

So yeah, another wife and husband duo, but i think i can't get enough of those, so get used to it (Nono, don't worry i'll continue to review other obscure ones but i like the idea of a husband/wife duet because well..maybe i'm just hoping for that in the future...ahh).

Erase the Marks and Get Scars On 45

           They've got an accent and it sounds terrific!         via

Here we go, yet another upbeat group but with those female vocals that can just..make the band, Great! If the lady, in the back-middle looks familiar it's because she's offered her voice in several different projects and songs. For example, if you've heard of Joshua Radin, she sings with him on a few songs and has accompanied him in a few performances!

Speaking of this Aimee, she can just,.."sang!" She's got this dreamy sort of voice that's quite pleasant to listen to and often is harmonizing prettily. The other vocalist is the guy in the front, and like the rest of them, is from England. So yes, they've got an accent and it sounds terrific. So there.

In listening to them, they've got more of a rock sound but one that sometimes is kind of soft-rock. If you want to hear a song mainly with Aimee, listen to "Change My Needs." It's really peaceful and might be a sad song, but a wonderful one! If you want to hear more of the full band noise, check out "Give Me Something"

What's also neat is that sometimes this band reminds of the old, good Snow Patrol. (Yes, "old, good" because i really like the old Snow Patrol stuff..classic. "Insecurity" has an element or two with an SP sound!) In other words, they've got incredible drums and electric guitar that soar in the songs.

While the 'likes' are close to 20,000...they aren't there yet and need a lot more recognition for how great they are! Scars On 45 might have struggled in England, but i hope they can fly up to the top in the U.S. Give this group more than a chance, cheers!

Say Hi to The Oh Hello's!

        They know the direction they're headed in!            via

Hey! Er..hello! Hope you can check these two out real soon, like..today..now.. Over at Bandcamp.com, hit up their free album and EP!! Sound good? Their first full-length is called Through the Deep, Dark Valley and if you don't want to download, just stream away as you read!

These two are brother and sister, come from Texas, and it's easy to tell they find great glee in making music together. In looking for a bio about them, that's about all i could find, but the music is what's important! Right? So on to it!

It's straightforward that these two are quite certain of the direction their headed in with their sound.  They've got the "indie" part down to a science and definitely have some folk-rock in there as well.

Instruments can include the guitar, naturally, but the banjo, accordion, and even viola can be found throughout their music. What's neat is, they claim that Irish music has played a role in their influences and that can really be seen! How many bands do you know that use That in their style?!

All this to stay.. The Oh Hello's are diverse with their slow-lullaby-fast-rock-folk-indie-ness and you should take a listen! The vocals can get one jazzed up or calm one down so well it's..beautiful. Please go say hello to these talented kids, they've earned a whole lot more publicity (even if they have surpassed 10K 'likes' in a few months)!

Add in Some [The] Spring Standards for..Spring!

          They are just Something else!            via

Spring started a few days ago...so i've been thinking, why not share some Spring Standards with you! In the Spring i am thoroughly fond of taking long walks in a breeze, eating outside on a cool patio, somersaulting down rolling hills of green.. No seriously. This group is something else!

They can churn out some great indie chunes! And i would say their sound is certainly indie because of the way they sing. Definitely some good ol' harmonies with male and female vocals, but the way it is put together and how it has that kind of, "old" sound?

Which makes since because one of their influences is The Beatles! It's really neat and i suggest hearing "Only Skin" and "Wildfire Forest!" Of course they've got music over at their Noisetrade page, so turn it up!

In addition to the vocals, they also have some piano, bells, guitar, drums, symbols, and more like mad! i'm quite sure their live show is quite the Show! Speaking of which, these guys were just touring with one of my top favorite indie bands called Jukebox the Ghost. i Would review these guys as well, because they've certainly got The Sound, but, they've got a pretty good following; i just hope they get bigger!

But please check out these Standards! They're such a good change of pace and should have a lot more fans!! i Would love to see their facebook 'likes' to go over 6K! Here's to the Spring and i hope your's includes some of these fun people!

Some Sharp Twin Forks

                         Think: emotional-power-indie                          via

First off, does that guy with the acoustic and the hair and the tatts look a tad familiar? If not, do the lyrics, "Vindicated, i am selfish i am wrong, I am right I swear I'm right...!" ring any bells? If not, does the band Dashboard Confessional sound familiar?! If not...you can stop reading. If you want..

i Guess we can kinda' sorta' maybe pretend you haven't heard of DC, but i'm feeling immensely sorry for you right now if you haven't heard of them. Anyway, that cool dude with the acoustic is named Chris Carrabba and he's fronted several projects including Further Seems Forever, DC, and now this Twin Forks and all of its amazingness.

If you know a bit about Carrabba, you'd know why this is such a brilliant li'l gig. He's moved from harder rock, to emo/acoustic tunes and now to folk!

Basically, to sum up this group, think emotional-power-indie! They've got the mandolin, guitar, harmonies and drums bangin' around! Why I say "emotional" is an excellent question and it can be answered by explaining how these guys are set apart from the others out there. When Carrabba sings, you can hear (and feel!) his passion. It's what i love about his singing capabilities.

If you like some folk with emotion, you've found the stinkin' band! Here's the bad news, there's only two songs out right now! Good news: One of them is free and called "Scraping Up the Pieces." Plus, new music is coming out "soon" so all we've gotta' do is...wait and,..cry. But, pleease go enjoy and 'like' them, because they need the support and deserve worlds more of attention.

A Minute Review of the Best Little & Ashley

                      L&A are just right!                               via

So, i'm sure you've heard of Amazon's Kindle, and seen those funny commercials which are normally in stop-motion...does the one on the left look a little familiar? Guess who that is?! Annie Little (now Ashley) who also sings on a lot of the advertisements for the Kindle! Her husband Marcus Ashley, pictured next to her (yes, he's a fortunate man..), also produces the songs with her and they have a sound which can light up any room.

Little & Ashley is a duo fit for kings and queens. Look up the words "cheerful" and "flair" in a dictionary and i'm pretty sure you'll find, "See 'Little & Ashley'" as proof this pair is a synonym of both words. The vocals are nothing short of just right and the instruments chosen are broad, as i'm sure you know if you've seen any of the commercials. Their sound ranges from soft synth beats and loops, to electric guitar rockin' out like in "Thousand Falling Stars" (Hint: no cost, free...)

In recent news, these two are parents! & they have a full length album coming out sooon!! i Know, too much to handle. i'm still trying to contain myself. In addition, this li'l group of merry but busy people are talented actors as well and have been in several commercials (not including Amazon), TV shows, and movies. To learn more, watch this video about their lives together.

i Had the huge pleasure of meeting them (couldn't go see them at their show not being 21 at the time, which stunk royally), and they are the most humble and nice individuals. So, go check these two out and 'like' them as their facebook numbers are too low (less than 3.5K) and start enjoying the best duo that ever was!

Looking for a Great Idea? How 'Bout The Novel Ideas!

                         This a flawless idea                    via

Wait, what kind of idea is this? My fault, i meant, what kind of music is this? i'd love to tell you about The Novel Ideas. But, before we just dive right in, you know, head first and start swimming around with this idea, what if i propose an even better idea. Go download (for FREE, naturally) or stream their entire album Home right now. Good plan? i Thought so.

All right, enough of the silly, lame jokes about their obviously brilliant name.. This band does not have many fans at all according to the numbers on that unknown social media site called "facebook," only over a thousand likes. Bands like this blow my mind because they're extremely talented, yet not many people know about them! In terms of their sound, they have changed a good bit including their lineup, but like Hey Ocean!, this sound is better than ever. 

There is a bit of country twang on some songs, casually thrown in here and there, but please. Please do not get terrified when i say "country," i'm not huge on that genre either but what this band is, is really "folk!" Definitely a great sound with superb lyrics. 

What is also neat, is that the main members of the band all sing! If you're looking for an energized track check out "Promise" (the lyrics hit oddly&sadly quite close to home personally) and if you want a quieter one, have a listen to "Back and Forth." All in all, i hope you can help me, help them, tell the world about these talented souls. They know how to do "the musics!"

Hey Ocean! Exclamation Needed!

                              They're all just sO good!                                              via

Wow, what a group. If you are into some great harmonies with male and female vocals, and poppy yet indie sounds, you have found your band! Their own name and how it is written, "Hey Ocean!" captures the essence of what these talented individuals are up to. They are another phenomenal group of talented individuals from Canada just like Michael Bubl(e), LIGHTS, and Celine Dion. The band members all sing and play at least one instrument in every song which is more than neat. If that does not tell enough about their incredible talent, Ashleigh Ball is actually a successful voice actress as well!

So why did i choose to blog on this band first? There's quite a simple answer, actually! Their new album IS was just released yesterday (Jan. 29, 2013) for Americans, and i hope it becomes all the rage. i've been listening to it on repeat and i can't find my favorite song as they're all just sO good! 

In comparison to their previous two albums, it is a significantly different sound. However, i think it is a much better and more fun type of sound and really should be checked out. If you've never heard of these guys, please check out the songs "Islands," "Give," "Make a New Dance Up," and of course their most famous which is "Big Blue Wave." Their tunes can be quite mellow, but also extremely jazzed-up and might make you want to dance..and make a new one up!