Christmas Series #2: Ivan & Alyosha

 Somewhat of a throwback...re-uploading this with fixed links, and of course...it's CHRISTMAS TIME.

 

                                                      They are just smooth!                                        via

I'm sure you've heard of that now-famous group The Avett Brothers? Well, let me introduce you to something that's similar but with a little more of an indie twist! These guys know how to play some serious tunes with their folksy-indie-rocky sounds. Hailing from Seattle, they've released new music and you better get ahold of it!

They are absolute pro's at what they do and I find it unimaginable that they don't have a bigger following. 
They have quite a neat sound as noted already and it includes some amazing harmonies to great folk-rock guitars and drum beats. The vocalist is very prominent and can be heard easily over the instruments, but all in a way that smooths over nicely.

Enough with the chit-chat. It's time for Christmas. Their first Christmas song I found from I&A was this beauty, "Being Home for Christmas" and I had to track it down on Amazon... Now it's released to the masses, so go snag it and enjoy it.  

The lyrics while personal to the band (I imagine), seem to connect with me. Especially this year. There is going to be a stark difference this year, and I intend to be grateful for the memories I've had and the opportunity to make new ones in the future. 

I really hope you can go support this great group of indie goodness. They know what they're trying to play and they play it impeccably.

Merry Christmas!!

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!"

Hm? What Was That? Hem!

                            Some twang, but it fits well!                               via

Well, reader, as you can see from my previous post...i'm coming at this sight from a different angle. i Don't want to bore you, but i've got to tell you!! There are so many artists out there that deserve more attention, and i want to give you the band name, a song to find, and the link to find out more. Exploring music is what i love, so join me!

Some more pretty vocals for ya' in this post! Hem's album Funnel Cloud is a good one with some sort of a country and folk sound. They've got some twang, but with the harmonies and smooth vocals it works nicely! Check out the song "Not California" to find out what i'm talking about.. Great tune, but....makes me sad because CA is my home, and everywhere else i can blare this song...ahem. Enough about that.

So please, these guys need some help over at the Hem page! And, enjoy a li'l bit of countray!

Bronze Radio Return Needs to Arrive on the Radio!

                      Some energetic sounds, but the Right ones!                      via

Oh this band! i Don't really want to write too much about this amazing band. i Feel you'll be able to fill it all in when you download this free sample. It's called A Bit of Bronze and it's just..too stinkin' good.

Seriously, these guys are a bigger band, but their sound is...so..filling! Not only banjo, but i'm talkin' harmonica too! Acoustic guitar, harmonies, crashing drums, swinging electric guitar, and on and on! What else do you need to know? That i'm hoping to see these guys live because i know it will be breathtaking?

Honestly, you've got the link to the free stuff. If you just can't handle it, like me, here's their new album on Amazon, called Up, On & Over! Go jam to some energetic guys named Bronze Radio Return, who have got the right indie and folk sounds!

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!

A Sister Review with [a] Lowland Hum

This is going to be a little different from my other posts...here's why: i Have no idea who these two are and my sister is the one that found them! Lots of props to her. Please enjoy my sister's post about Lowland Hum! Meanwhile, i'm off to go download some serious..Hum's!!

"When Theo invited me to write a post for his blog, I couldn't decide where to start. Who are the 'undiscovered's' that I listen to? Who would I want to do a review of?

I get most of my music recommendations now from my little brother. It's pretty awesome because I can just sit back and listen to whatever he recommends! I think it used to be the other way around where I was the one finding the good music out there..... ;) [<--She nailed it here. Exactly what happened back in the day. Thanks sis, for starting me off right!]

Lowland Hum is just mind-blowing!    via

I went to a house show recently where a guy named Daniel Levi Goans played -- I had never heard of him before but he was showing up at my friend's house so of course I went to check him out! He played with his wife and the two of them together was an unbelievable combination. Their harmonies and melodies are mind-blowing. It's no wonder they decided this January to form a band together and now are known as Lowland Hum. These two (DLG and Lauren) are from North Carolina and got married in Feb. 2012. They are a "folk" duo with super great lyrics and mellow tunes. The way they get around the US is from house show to house show. You should sign up to host them!! They are so great live. Grab a free download and learn more about them at their Bandcamp page or main site here!

I have their BrotherStranger album which is fabulous and I highly recommend giving "How Long" a shot too.

So give them some love! Like them on Facebook please and track their travels down here. Did I mention Daniel's got the sweetest mustache?"

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.

Good Times With Ivan & Alyosha (Xmas edit-2020)

Somewhat of a throwback...re-uploading this with fixed links, and of course...it's CHRISTMAS TIME.

 

                                                      They are just smooth!                                        via

I'm sure you've heard of that now-famous group The Avett Brothers? Well, let me introduce you to something that's similar but with a little more of an indie twist! These guys know how to play some serious tunes with their folksy-indie-rocky sounds. Hailing from Seattle, they've released new music and you better get ahold of it!

They are absolute pro's at what they do and I find it unimaginable that they don't have a bigger following. 
They have quite a neat sound as noted already and it includes some amazing harmonies to great folk-rock guitars and drum beats. The vocalist is very prominent and can be heard easily over the instruments, but all in a way that smooths over nicely.

Enough with the chit-chat. It's time for Christmas. Their first Christmas song I found from I&A was this beauty, "Being Home for Christmas" and I had to track it down on Amazon... Now it's released to the masses, so go snag it and enjoy it.  

The lyrics while personal to the band (I imagine), seem to connect with me. Especially this year. There is going to be a stark difference this year, and I intend to be grateful for the memories I've had and the opportunity to make new ones in the future. 

I really hope you can go support this great group of indie goodness. They know what they're trying to play and they play it impeccably.

Merry Christmas!!

These Bro's in BROTHERUN!

                                  BROTHERUN is all about chilling and fun!                                        via

Wait, how in the world did i find these guys (brothers to be exact), let alone pronounce their name?! Well shucks, i wish i could give you straightforward answers to both... i Think i found SPELLS on Briterevolution.com or Noisetrade.com and enjoyed it, so i followed up with it and it turns out that guy has a got a brother who is also into tunes.

They had a Kickstarter project goin' on and i jumped in. It was worth it, to say the least. As to how to pronounce their name, i'm still trying to figure it out a bit...but it's possible it's the same concept as the word brethren but with an o and an un sound?..hopefully that's not way off. (Edit: BROTHERUN told me, on facebook, that it is in fact brother run!)

There are so many components to these guys it's hard to know where to start. Harmonies might be a good place. Both of their vocals meld together really well making it quite, relaxing, to listen to! Their music can be very calm or a little upbeat but still maintaining that reflective sort of sound. Their lyrics are certainly contemplative as well and this is always welcome when you know nothing about some group.

Overall, this little band of brothers is all about chilling and having fun. They've got some electric guitar, electronic synthesizers, ambient sounds, and more. i Really encourage you to check out these guys and be on the lookout for their EP which has not had a wide release yet sadly (unless you were apart of their Kickstarter)..but write on their wall, 'like' them, something is bound to happen soon!

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!"