Name some bands/artists that you think people should know about...

But most probably don't.

I was singing the praises of Protest The Hero over here, and lildreamer316's response inspired me to start this thread.

So aside from Protest the Hero, I'd probably have to recommend...

The Lost Patrol - Started out as a solo project from Dennis Lyxzén of (the now defunct) Refused (and if you dig Protest The Hero, you'd most definitely dig Refused as well)/The (International) Noise Conspiracy. The first album, "Songs In The Key Of Resistance" is a really political folk album, basically. They've since become The Lost Patrol Band and are now more of a powerpop outfit, and somewhat less political (I suppose Dennis wants to use TINC as his political outlet) but they're still pretty damn good. "Songs In The Key Of Resistance" is by far my favourite from them though.

Sweatshop Union - Seriously some of the best hip-hop out there right now. Period. Lots of political/social commentary here too (I like music with a message, sue me, haha). Three albums, "Local 604", "Natural Progression" and "United We Fall". Each better than the last, I think.

Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos - A lot of people seem to hate Conor Oberst. Can't figure it out myself, he's a talented guy, but it amuses me. Bright Eyes is Conor's folk/indie pop outfit, and Desaparecidos is his punk/indie rock outfit. Both are great in my books. Bright Eyes have assloads of stuff out, the most recent being "I'm Wide Awake, It's orning" (folk) and "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" (indie pop). Both top my favourites list for this year. Desaparecidos' album, "Read Music, Speak Spanish" has more focus on social commentary (yet again, although Conor also has a fair bit in Bright Eyes' songs as well). And I have to recommend a B-Side from each band: "When The President Talks To God" (which I know a lot of you have heard, since the Tonight Show performance of it was kinda big here for a while) by Bright Eyes and "Popn' Off At The F" by Desaparecidos.

Alright, enough wasting your time, name some music, dammit!

Got all night?

I'll just name a few:

Richmond Fontaine:

Brilliant short-story by-way-of Raymond Carver lyrics by songwriter/frontman Willy Vlautin, backed with alternately screaming, creening rock and pedal-steel drenched cry-in-your-beer traditional country music. My favorite band right now, and it's not close.

"Lost Son" is their masterpiece, w/ "Winnemucca" not far behind..

http://www.richmondfontaine.com/

Richard Buckner:

The best songwriter alive, in my opinion. His music is unclassifiable in my mind, but "singer/songwriter" is a good start. "Devotion + Doubt" is his masterpiece..

http://www.richardbuckner.com/

American Music Club:

Mark Eitzel is one of the few genuises left in music, and although AMC's new record in 10 years "Love Songs For Patriots" isn't a classic like "California" or "Everclear", it's still great stuff.

Look for the live CD Eitzel recorded in Britain in the early 90's called "Mark Eitzel/Songs Of Love: Live" if you want to get a glimpse at how powerful a songwriter and performer he is..

http://www.american-music-club.com/index.html

I downlaoded the samples they have on the sites. I'll try to track down the albums you recommended later.

Strung Out: Southern California metal/prog-rock styled punk. One of the few SoCal punk bands that don't sound like crappy Bad Religion rip-offs.

Strink Anywhere: How to describe? Every song is a political anthem of sorts. I highly recommend their last single "Infrared." Blisteringly fast yet remarkably catchy.

Dillinger Four: Probably the best underrated band out there. Like a cherry lollipop coated with broken glass (and razor wire - listen to the song "NOBLE STABBINGS!!" and you'll understand that). Plus, the song titles themselves are a hoot. Some gems include: "A Floater Left With Pleasure In the Executive Washroom.", "D4 = Putting the 'F' Back in 'Art'", "shiney things is good.", "Super powers enable me to blend it with machinery" and "Mosh for Jesus." Must buy.

I'll have to check them out. I was actually meaning to check out the DIllinger Four recently because Mitch from Notihng Nice To Say was talking about their show he went to recently (and the idiocy of the crowd surfers at said show, haha).

http://www.nothingnice.com/index.php?pageNum_Recordset2=310&totalRows_Recordset2=312

http://www.pattygriffin.com/

She makes some of the most beautiful music on the planet.

she was just here and I couldn't go.

http://www.amaragrace.com

Very soulful, inspiring lyrics plus a great voice.

Juno Reactor is not your typical band. But their music is some of the most energetic and innovative music around today.




From Japan there is an interesting performer named Miyavi. As much about personality as he is about music. Very engaging.

I was just putting together this post when I saw yours:

Juno Reactor
This great outfit features the bizarre blend of acid house/techno virtuoso and guitarist Ben Watkins and the hardcore African drum rhythms of traditional South African percussion act Amampondo (Conga Fury is their first collaboration together). Juno has been a revolving door for a number of contributors and collaborators over the years, but even the pre-Conga Fury stuff is very good. From the tribute album to Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti westerns, Pistolero, to the ambient/techno of God is God, Juno Reactor covers a lot of seemingly disparate territory. Other albums worth checking out are Hotaka and Labyrinth.

I'll have to add my other Best-Unheard-Band: Alabama 3 (sometimes referred to as A3), and their best album, Exile on Coldharbour Lane. So many great songs. Mao Tse Tung Said, Mansion on the Hill, Too Sick to Pray, Woke Up This Morning (Soprano's Theme), Converted, Sinking, and their cover of John Prine's Speed of the Sound of Loneliness. Their later stuff, after the first two albums, is less-than-stellar, but there are several geniuses in that band, and when they get it right, it fucking rocks.

Jem is slowly starting to get a following here in the states. Most of her fan base is on the other side of the pond.
http://www.jem-music.net /

The lead for Aenima has the voice of an angel.
http://www.aetherial.org/aenima/

They were basically a Tool and Deftones cover band, and they sucked. I shall check out this other Aenima though.

Here's one:

Comsat Angels
Most people know the 'Sats for "I'm Falling", their contribution to the "Real Genius" movie soundtrack. But that song is atypical of their overall sound, which some have compared to a more textured, harrowing Joy Division. Their second LP "Sleep No More" is one of the greatest post-punk records ever made.

Unfortunately, due to bad luck, poor marketing and record company politics, the band never broke through like their Sheffield compatriots, the Human League. They languished in semi-obscurity through the 80s and 90s, eventually disbanding in 1995 after a very strong LP, "The Glamour". Various members have gone on to other things: most notably, vox/guitarist Steve Fellows has gone on to manage britpop sensations Gomez.

Man o man, he's great.

http://www.toddsnider.net/

Listen:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000950X6/qid=1131378197/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/103-0174875-2989441?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

after the BBC played "The Ballad Of The Kingsmen" - it's a great album & you've gotta love his politics!

Completely blew me away. Unique performer and so friggin funny.

here's some folks I have been enjoying of late:

1. The Horrorpops - I guess they are "psychobilly" in the current parlance, but to me it's just great old-school punk/rockabilly from Denmark!( where all the great retro stuff comes from) with an a great upright bass playing woman singer who can really belt, costumes, shtick and an all around really rocking performance. Great to dance to. Think this generation's Siouxsie or Blondie, I guess. They also remind me of The Cramps.

2. Shemekia Copeland, blues singer, I think the daughter of Johnny CLyde Copeland, although I'm not sure, great pipes and a killer new song called "Who Stole My Radio?" Can't wait to see her next week when she plays here in Pittsburgh.

3. The Raveonettes. Also from Denmark. Yes, they provided tunes for a K-Mart commercial, but if you love excesssive reverb and the ghost of Buddy Holly, they are the way to go, with very Velvet's type subject matter.

4. Don Byron. Amazing jazz and avant clarinet player. Really versatile. Classy. Talks like Woody Allen with a wonderful sarcastic wit. Thinks Marian McPartland is cool. Has a CD ( there are a lot of cool CD's by him) full of Raymond Scott tunes that he had to decipher and transcribe, incredible. Bug Music (Nonesuch, 1996) I love this guy!

"Don Byron likes to use jazz reperatory to nudge compsers from the fringes into public consideration. His music often arrives in the form of an argument, and on 'Bug Music', he argues for the reputation of the swing band leaders John Kirby and Raymond Scott as underappreciated rebels and genre colliders with a distinct link to Duke Ellington." NEW YORK TIMES, 1996

:thumbsup:

it was a wonderful show! My ears were ringing and I reeked of smoke. My husband laughed at me ( in a nice way) when I got home. (I'm an old-school punk/drummer who lived in clubs in my youth, and I have been discovering a lot of cool new music again. It's been fun.):hi:

BTW. there's a great film festival here now ( we have a few throughout the year), I thought of you when I looked at the brochure.

Does the festival have a website? What's it called? I'm always interested to see what's going on at festivals like that.

http://www.3rff.com/

I meant to do that before, people usually want to see what's going on!

Manderlay is showing there, I really want to see that.

BTW, I liked your website. Forgot to tell ya. Have a great day.

And thanks...I really need to finish it soon. I have to fix up the stuff I intend to include in the gallery as well, bring it up to satisfaction. Crap lousy school is keeping me too occupied though, most of the time.

Love them!

RL

with Velvets angst. Love it. :hi:

when the Angst is rising...

RL

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/artist/glance/-/157250/104-1269819-3330340

From his bio....

"One of the great eccentrics of modern English pop/rock, Martin Newell's songs are recommended listening for anyone who enjoys the peculiarly British eccentricities of Ray Davies, Andy Partridge, Syd Barrett, and the like. His grasp of the pop hook has been second to few throughout the 1980s and '90s; his arrangements favor a guitar jangle but are usually infused with a whimsical eclecticism full of goofy sound effects and unusual garnishes of unexpected percussion and string instruments. His voice is winningly quizzical, but his chief assets are his compositions, which reflect contemporary English life with a wry combination of affection and cynicism."

I love their stuff. http://www.typeonegative.net/

I'm surprised they all haven't offed themselves on stage yet :D

:D

awhile back, and I forgot her name.

She is Asian American, from The San Francisco Bay area.
I saw a piece on PBS where she was singing in a club in Berkley (?)

She sang like an angel, and it was the coolist sound...DANG, I wish I could remember her name...

I swear, I could hide my own easter eggs...

http://www.viennateng.com/

I was blown away by this, and I am a old school rock and roller.
Go figure.

If you're into Stevie Ray Vaught/Santana you will like this band.

missed them when they were here at our local outdoor concerts. Did see Los Lobos though, again.

They're hardly unknowns at this point in time.

Very Kind Music....


http://www.mofro.net/

Take your pick...

http://soul-amp.com - official website

http://cdbaby.com/soulamp - CD

http://myspace.com/soulampmusic - Myspace, be our friend...lol

http://soul-amp.blogspot.com - read more than you care to

for my listening pleasure tomorrow morning. Thank you for the links, LeftHander. :thumbsup:

Pelican - Think Tool if they were an all instrumental band and you'd probably get something like this.

The Pogues - One of the best bands ever to listen to while you're completely wasted. Think Flogging Molly or the Dropkick Murphys.

Neutral Milk Hotel - One of the craziest albums ever recorded was In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. It's quite impossible to describe the craziness of this album. Beck would be the closest comparisons I could make to this band.

Katatonia - One of the best Swedish death metal bands this side of Opeth.

Anathema - What you might get if you put Tool and Radiohead in a blender.

Certainly piques my interest.

Anathema sounds interesting as well.

One of their most recent I highly recommend and it's called A Natural Disaster. Some of their other good ones:

- Alternative 4
- Silent Enigma
- Judgement
- A Fine Day To Exit

http://www.myspace.com/thetossers

If you're into those bands as well.

IMNSHO.

Unfortunately all I have is Rum Sodomy And The Lash.

Bridget Regan? :loveya:

they used to have...




err, well I guess that doesn't really compare, does it?

well, about 2 marriages ago! I forget her name. Kate Riordan?

although I have heard only one FLogging Molly CD. The Murphys are fun in that really angry, pro- Union way. They all have their strengths, I guess.

Viva Emptiness is an album that I've liked since the day it was released and I still consistantly rank it in my top 5.

"The criminal castrati and his accordion driven anarchic Brechtian street opera trio performing their unique mix of falsetto crooning, strange gypsy music, cabaret from hell and deranged black comedy all over Europe."



They've come out of relative obscurity in the past few years with Shockheaded Peter - http://www.shockheadedpeter.com - and the Edward Gorey collaboration The Gorey End - http://www.angelrecords.com/Detail.asp?UPCCode=724355751324 . However, neither of these is wholly representitive of their work IMO - particularly the brilliantly obsene lyrics to many of their songs (ie "Murder is easy / Murder is fun / It's better than sex / I always cum" or "Rapist" - http://tigerlillies.com/2003/index.php?main=recordings&trackId=166
). Having said that, I'd love to take a kid to see Shockheaded Peter.

Sadly, there is little free stuff online that I can find. You can buy many of their songs as mp3's so they may show up on filesharing programs. Here's a link to a 30 minute set on NPR which is good, but nowhere near like their full range:

http://wfmu.org/listen.ram?show=13063&archive=16504&starttime=0:31:46

Finally, here's a link to an interview with head-honcho, singer & lyricist Martyn Jacques:
http://suicidegirls.com/words/Martyn+Jacques+of+The+Tiger+Lillies

www.spongetones.com

on a kick this week

it just came out in the uk & i'm looking forward to hearing it

i love the first two, esp black cherry

i like the way each album manages to create a visual/aural landscape, with enough threads to provide a common theme without being redundant

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/card/0,,1048992,00.html?src=search&artist=Goldfrapp

I buy a lot from this site

mute us from distribution in the states

i have not seen a domestic site (including your link) that imports it yet

i like the fact that they don't cover cerrone's original on the album - it would be too obvious

it's rare that an outfit to nails their albums 3x in a row, so i'm not getting my hopes up too much

Troubled Hubble.

The Long Winters.

The Wrens.

The Reputation.

Enjoy. :)

www.umphreys.com

Go to their site, they have a few songs from their album Anchor Drops availible to hear for free.


Also, be sure to check out Bockman's Euphio / Bockman (they were Bockman's Euphio, but changed the name to Bockman).
www.euphio.net

Great band. Solid stuff. I believe they still have stuff to listen to online.

Rosebuds-Birds make good neighbors

Emiliana Torrini-Fisherman's woman

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah

Death Cab for Cutie

Symphonic Hippiedom.....

the tv show Las Vegas its not "underground" any more.

I've never seen the show....

Love these kindsa threads! :D

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4256527

so there! :P

check out flunk :thumbsup:

heard of them before... I'll check 'em out. Thanks! :*

simple things is too sporadic for me

don't get me wrong... it's listenable, but it's just not fluid

in other words, the album as a whole doesn't have a defining sound which distinguishes it from other downtempo stuff on the market... it jumps around all over the place, but doesn't ground itself to anything

royksopp (the other band in that poll i linked to), did a great job of creating a a more visual/cinematic experience on "melody a.m." but i have not heard their second album

was this reply meant for me?

I checked out some of the Royksopp stuff and found it way more uptempo than Zero 7's stuff. I guess I need to look up Air and check them out!

i was just citing some tracks on zero 7's simple things album

yeah, royksopp is more uptempo... but i was using theirs as an example of an album creating something "cinematic" - a term that is often used (imo incorrectly) to describe zero 7's stuff

i should have made that distinction more clear

hehe - i've been meditating on such things lately, and you are just the victim of my random thoughts on the matter

pay me no attention

how have you been dear? :pals:

I only have When It Falls. I love it soooooo much.

Glad to have been the recipient of your random thoughts. :)

Oooh I found a really nice cab. Well, I like it anyway. Rodney Strong 2001... oh and also this Napa Valley. Super tasty!

Seriously, I like the Decemberists right now as well as Blanche and Slaid Cleaves....

but I hate the Beatles.

I knew a woman in college; it was all she'd listen to...for hours on end. All Beatles, all the time. It drove me insane.

And their music has a place...

But I like the other bands in my post, listen to them more...

.... you are insane! :)

She listened to them so much that I just can't listen to them anymore. It got to be like water torture...you know how kids pick up on a favorite song and it's cute that they sing it constantly and after 4 months it's not cute anymore.

Take Maxwell Silver Hammer and try that for 4 years.

... I was messing with you. You can grow to hate anything you are overexposed to.

And "Maxwell Silver Hammer" is one of the handful of truly annoying songs they recorded. I can't listen to it either. :)

:thumbsup: from me. If I have time, I'll gather together a more expansive list.

Adam Gnade Spoken word musician with a band of anywhere from 2 to 15 musicians on any given night used more to provide highlight or filler between thoughts rather than backing music. Highly political but in a suggestive rather than a declarative way (meaning he describes but never "says"), common themes include war, poverty and disenfranchisement. Kinda sounds like what a spoken word Bright Eyes album might sound like, but with grittier lyrics and subject matter.

Pinback Kinda hard to explain except to say they're making some truly original music. For lack of a term I'd call it big band alt-rock, yet that doesn't do it justice. Sounds complex yet ethereal, made up of repetition of multiply-overlaid repetitious simple note patterns played on six instruments, fractured lyrics that sound like dark nursery rhyme (often intentionally unintelligible) and 4 and 5-part melodies that interplay to create music unlike anything you've ever heard. The first time I saw these guys in concert I couldn't believe there were only 6 (7?) of them; they sound like an orchestra on the CD.

Nick Drake I find it hard to believe that there are music fans out there who have not heard of Nick Drake, yet I find them every one in a while. A folk pioneer who died sadly (ruled to be suicide by antidepressant, a finding which has been been contested in recent years) in 1977 after just 3 albums, Drake's music has seen a resurgence in recent years following the use of "Pink Moon" in a VW Passat commercial and his inclusion on the soundtracks for Garden State, Serendipity, The Royal Tenenbaums and Fever Pitch. Drake's sad, simple folk sound has been cited as a major influence by a wide range of musicians including Graham Coxon of Blur, Lou Barlow, Lucinda Williams, Badly Drawn Boy(Damon Gough), REM guitarist Peter Buck and The Shins frontman James Mercer.

I've mentioned them before, but they bear mentioning again. They're a mix of traditional gypsy music (accodian, violin, etc.) and punk rock.

And for all of you in NY/NJ, they're playing up there soon and I strongly recommend you check them out. I saw them a couple weeks ago and it was hands down the craziest show I've seen in a while. Most shows get about 10-20% of the crowd moving? This show was more like 75%, swinging from the rafters.

By a former DUer, in fact. Really cool band, very unique sound.

Their singer is in the new film Everything Is Illuminated, which I really want to see.

Think Patsy Cline with a raw, smoky voice. "I Drink" is the best alt-country-blues song I've ever heard.

http://www.marygauthier.com/music.html

The Austin Lounge Lizards — They're the ones who did Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage" in bluegrass (they call it "newgrass"). Wonderfully clever with a sociological bent.

http://www.austinlizards.com/

The Foremen — Sadly, they're no longer together, but Roy Zimmerman, the brains of the outfit, still writes and performs. Simply put, he may be the best political-satire musician ever.

http://www.roysongs.com/

Also... The Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Redheaded Stepchild, The Waybacks, Rev. Horton Heat and Cherry Poppin' Daddies.

Oh, and the aforementioned Flogging Molly (featuring the incredibly gorgeous Bridget Reagan on fiddle and tin whistle).

Hasidic Reggae, this guy is awesome. If you haven't heard of him, you really need to do yourself a favor and check him out.

http://www.hasidicreggae.com/
http://www.jdubrecords.org/
http://www.ormusic.com/

Saw him at Bonnaroo this summer .... :wow:

Jay Farrar/Son Volt
Tomahawk
Fantomas
Bonnie Koloc

Incredible finger-style guitar picker. I've never seen anyone play like him. I was totally awed from the first song!

There are a couple samples at his website:

www.doncon.com

Click on the DonCon Cafe and then perfromances for two full length songs.

:loveya: Words can't describe ...

"How come, I cant tell, the free world from the living hell?"

:hi:


:hippie: <---- loves her some RAY !!!! :loveya:

My CD budget is whacked! Mrsfish REALLY likes him too....

Video downloads from Austin City Limits last week ...
(I hope these work for ya)


s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=26EO6Q7ZYV8S42MMCND1PUJDRU

s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=25LY1GLQCNQ4G3LPDUEZNIF0H7

s6.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0GTEHKOFO1E600STZ2IFWZMZIO

s6.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=13IZV94350QB40K8NVZW126T0M

s6.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3BD2SXURA9RF61OD6YQE953ABF

s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=16ZZYLJ0UCXSC0QW190N78HPIS


and a concert from April in The Netherlands
(look in archives for 25-4-2005)

http://www.fabchannel.com/

Lemme know if they don't work and I'll shoot you the links some other way ....


:hi:

:pals: :hug: :hi:

He's a fucking genius. His poems are amazing and innovative and heartbreaking. He's a gay man, who has AIDS, and is a very interesting guy.

http://www.bostonreview.net/BR26.5/powell.html

***oops -- I saw "artists" and didn't realize it was mostly bands. Anyway, I'll let my contribution stand.

Could you give me more info on L.P.?

for free.

http://www.lprock.com/

...David Campbell, John Ashfield.

Jet pilot for a day
Washed his sins away
Loves to see the Rangers play

His daddy has a job in Washington
Thought he raised a Harvard son

Junior liked to let his hair down
Only trouble is word gets around

They're a local Madison band....really good.

Avenged Sevenfold: Punk meets hardcore metal.

Anti-Flag: Hardcore punk meets political commentary (They hate *!)

Fear Factory: Hardcore metal with an industrial music flair.

Soulfly: Max Cavalera's band. Hardcore metal with some Latin spice.

Ill Niño: Hardcore metal with some Latin spice and no Max. ;)

Devildriver: Hardcore metal

Opeth: Swedish death metal

Dimmu Borgir: Swedish death metal

Throwdown: Hardcore American death metal

Zao: Hardcore Amercian death metal with some religious overtones.

Donna the Buffalo
Josh Ritter
Josh Rouse
Over the Rhine

OMFG !!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

*puts 2 and 2 together* Thats too funny!

They are a folkish group from England. Check out their disc: "Half Smile"

Not the most photogenic group in the world, but interesting.

Love, love, love The Gourds! :D

I just got off the phone with a friend. He's doing a double album with the Sons of Champlain. I probably shouldn't be talking about it. But I'm kind of excited. They were a fun band back in the day.

:D

He's not just a folk singer but sings a variety of protest songs and current events. His latest is about the katrina flooding. His best is you aint a cowboy. Its shot after shot against the chimp.
www.stephansmith.com the audio link is on the front page. Trust me you'll enjoy it. Especially the Bell. It's the best anti war video I have ever seen.

She is a very talented singer/songwriter.

http://www.inarageorge.com/frameset/

Sort of a blend between folk/rock/pop and blues. He's also done a fair bit of activism back in Australia (especially for Aboriginal causes) and is one hell of a gracious guy to boot. Seen him a few times in concert, both in Australia and the States, including a few small, intimate acoustic venues in L.A. You might have to special order some of his stuff as he's not widely played out here, and only the larger cities have more than 1-2 CDs for sale. Or you can go to www.paulkelly.com.au.

I'll name some I've found out about in 2005:

Hope 7 - great power pop band with very strong vocals from Kristi McClave

Kate Bush - I heard the first CD from Aerial at a full album listening party, and while not melodic, I still liked it. I can see how Tori Amos was influenced

Brandi Carlile - folk crooner from Seattle; her album is a favorite of mine

Veronicas - a fabulous pop/rock duo

The Like - more on the rock side than pop; again it is fabulous stuff

Brie Larson - her album Finally Out Of P.E. is high quality teen pop. Really makes me eager to find out what she comes up with in the future

Alana Grace - the song "Black Roses Red" blew me away! The song played on her website wasn't quite as good, but she has a great voice and I'm anxious for her upcoming album.

Julie Gribble - unique folk/rock that I love

Amy Rigby - clever and humorous

Sufjan Stevens - neo-folk that sounds as good as the old folk

Teenage Fanclub - enjoyable classic rock and indie mixture

Hope Partlow - promising style with a pure voice that should set her apart

Mary Gauthier - is like the country Patti Smith

Alexz Johnson - talented Canadian pop-rocker

The Decemberists - 60s style with their unique stamp

Miss Mary - very lo-fi stuff for people who enjoy that

Eisley - reminds me of Sixpence None The Richer

Tristan Prettyman - like Jewel was at the beginning, only less pretentious

Imogen Heap - of Frou Frou which is also great; electronic pop that appeals to me, who's not a fan of electronica.

Jerra - fun rocker; like a more poppy P.J. Harvey

That's all for now; I bet I missed some.

And the New Pornographers and Cindy Alexander always need more exposure. Both released favorites in 2005.

She does sublimely tasty pop songs.

Of Middle Eastern origin. Influences from all over- The young lady, Azam Ali, is Persian. Greg Ellis is American. Their music is exquisite. Indian, Turkish, Iranian, and on, all mixed into a fantastic sound. I'm listening to Sunyata (1997) right now. Very mellow.

http://www.vasmusic.com/

(ignore Love Beach - please)

Check it out!

Serjical Strike Records will be releasing a new album from Buckethead entitled Enter The Chicken. Serj Tankian has produced the album and it will be released on October 25.

The covertly enigmatic guitarist known to many as the man with the mask and chicken bucket (preferably KFC) on his head, has played with Guns N’ Roses, Primus, Cobra Strike, Deli Creeps, Cornbugs and Praxis, plus has released numerous albums under his own bucket.

What makes Enter The Chicken unique among all other Buckethead albums is the contribution of different singers throughout the body of work. Both producer and guitarist recruited some of today’s brightest musical talents to lend their voice including Saul Williams, Efrem Schulz (Death By Stereo), Maura Davis (Denali, Bella Lea), Azam Ali (Vas, Niyaz), Bad Acid Trip, Maximum Bob (Deli Creeps), Gigi, Shana Halligan and Ani Maldjian. Even Tankian himself lends his vocals on the album.

When all was said and done, a total of 11 different vocalists specializing in musical styles ranging from opera, metal, rap, indie rock, grindcore, world and everything in between found their way onto Enter The Chicken.

Her Lady of Shalott is entrancing.