A Few Tunes To Warm Up Your Fall Evenings

It’s time yet again to shine some sunlight on some excellent bands that I have discovered.  I know that I haven’t done this for a while, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some deserving acts out there.  So with a big BRP shout out, here are some artists that you should know, and a youtube track for each of them so that you can check them out, too.  Let’s start with:

Alison Brown

I love Americana music.  When I say that, I’m thinking bluegrass, country, blues and the mixed up versions of each that a lot of artists play.  Do you like the banjo?  Hey, I’m from Virginia, and find that music fun and great.  I also have some Irish blood in me, and we all know that American roots music has some traces back to that wet and green island.  Anyway, I think that my man in Maine, Jeff, turned me on to Alison Brown, who is a banjo maestro.  I play Alison’s music when I’m in a mood to hear stuff that isn’t played much on indie and alternative stations, or when I’m feeling nostalgic for the Old Dominion, the Blue Ridge, and Blacksburg.  Alison is wonderful, and I think you’ll like her music, too. Here’s a little biopic with some great playing and some interview material, too. 

The New Pornographers

Great name, huh?  Ugh, it’s so bad it almost makes you not want to even give them a try.  But that would be stupid because this Canadian band has a unique and accessible sound with wonderful songs that will earworm their way into your head (but in a good way).  NP has been around for quite a while, and has significant following and collection of recorded music.  But they don’t have a huge amount of commercial success – you might hear them on XPN, but not many other places.  That’s too bad because they are really good, and they have a great live show, too, which I caught in 2015 at UT.  And they have Neko Case – she has a great voice, unique with a really wide range.  Here’s a great track called Mass Romantic.  Enjoy!

Japandroids

Want to rock a little harder?  I know the feeling.  How about a duo that mixes classic rock influences with punk?  Japandroids have been around for a while, and have achieved a fair amount of critical success.  Spin magazine named them band of the year in 2012.  Still, they are not exactly a household name.  I like a lot of their music, and I absolutely love the song “Evil’s Sway.”  I love it so much that it has added to my tinnitus.  I can’t help it:  I love loud music when I’m driving and that song just has to be played at volume.  You are forewarned.  Here’s a link to the tune:

 
American Sound Limited

New?  No, ancient.  But this song, called Aunt Marie, is just so cool that I couldn’t help but turn you on to it.  I don’t know why all of us don’t know this song as it clearly should have been a massive hit.  The oddities of the music industry always amaze me.  Regardless, enjoy the cut, it’s fantastic.

 
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

What a name for a band!  How can you not give it a listen?  Its indie pop/rock that’s been around for a while, but the band really seems to be coming into its own with its latest LP called The High Country.  Here is the official music video to the track “Step Brother City,” and its pure pop heaven:

 
Is that good for now?  A lot of different sounding bands in there, and you ought to be able to find something to latch onto.  If not, I’ll try harder next time, and I promise that next time is coming soon.  Look soon for a review of Philly’s own Marah, a tremendous band that has tragically not a massive success in this country.  I saw them in Philly last Saturday and they rocked.  And of course, I still have X, Y and Z to do for my rock ‘n roll countdown.  I was chastised for not including the Stone Roses in the S category, but that was undeserved.  I think that their first album is great but their second album is the bollocks.  I stopped listening then.  So I didn’t include them.  Mistake?  Maybe I should revisit?  Nah, I was right.

Until next time, my friends.