Northwestern and New York

Vampire Weekend

They’ve got a big bandwagon right now but it’s a good one to be on. I first heard these guys a couple months ago by my friend’s recommendation (thanks Chris) and since then they have exploded. From the first note on the album you can really tell you’re about to hear something unique. (expect anything else from a foursome of Columbia grads?) Their music resembles an early Police in how they mix such an array of eclectic styles into a very well bundled package. (The police effectively mixed quintessential 70’s rock with a strong reggae mix, while Vampire blends South African afro-pop with trendy Brooklyn indie rock.) I don’t dare say they are the new Police… just comparing sounds. Check out the track, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” to really hear the South African influence.

Highlights on the album for me are “M79″, “A-Punk”, and “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)”… maybe just because they use my name. If you are in Atlanta, these guys will be at the Variety Playhouse on June 11th, hope to see some of you there.

A-Punk on Letterman

Yeasayer

These guys are quite a gem to find, i have to give a big thanks to Rob for the recommendation. Yeasayer is an extremely eclectic sound coming out of Brooklyn with their 2007 debut release, “All Hour Cymbals. ” They mix a nice blend of middle eastern ethnic sounds, jam band hippie rock grooves, and Ibiza-style chill electronic backbeats.

I don’t think the foursome could have picked a better opening song than “Sunrise” for the album. From the first notes you immediately escape to a middle eastern dawn and you can almost feel the warmth from the sun as it grows over the horizon. Another notable track, and the most popular, is “2080“.

For me, the album slightly dies off as you progress through the track list. I can’t tell if its because a lack of variety in later tracks or if I’m just not letting myself listen to the entire cd. Regardless, I keep going back to the cd. The sound is so new and unique, its hard for me to get to a point where I’m not excited about listening to the cd after a constant week of player rotation.

2080

Bon Iver

Bon Iver, a solo music project from Justin Vernon, is an amazing piece of work. The back story from this website says much more than a simple review:

“Tailing from the swirling breakup of his long time band, he escaped to the property and surrounded himself with simple work, quiet, and space. He lived there along for three months, filling his days with wood splitting and other chores around the land. This special time slowly beegan feeding a bold, uninhibited new musical focus…”

As you can imagine the result is an amazing debut album, “For Emma, Forever Ago”. A very unique sound with colors resembling Damien Rice and Jack Johnson were they to go sit in a cabin for three months and reinvent themselves. Essentially, Bon Iver is the perfect rainy day music, yet amazingly beautiful.

Be sure to check out “Skinny Love” and “Flume”.

Flume