Long time readers will know I love sharing my music discoveries. You can read the 2015, 2016, 2017 editions here. At the half-point of 2018 I feel it is time again because of some exceptionally exciting bands!
So here we go.
I’ll start of with a band that is actually twice on this list. They’re just something else. Hailing from Switzerland, with Eraserhead shirts and Duesenberg guitars they popped into my Youtube feed with this instrumental song, which lead me to discover more of their music. One Sentence. Supervisor. (Yes, the dot is deliberate.) They have an amazing sound and are such a incredibly *tight* crew. And the sheer fun they seem to have, just look at it. I love this band and their sound. How can you not?
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If you know me, you know I love 80s music. Burning Skies of Elysium with their song One Afternoon adapt the theme and mood of the very best 80s songs perfectly. Sulking galore.
While we are on the subject of the 80s, I might as well share this next song. Sure, they sound almost *eerily* similar to that ONE 80s band that we all know and love. But still, great artists steal, right? (I wouldn’t be surprised if they also stole their name from the Belle and Sebastian song).
Music programmers for late-night TV shows tend to have good ears. So I always take it as a cue to sit up straight when they announce bands that make their “national television debut”. Mt. Joy is a prime example of a band that might catapult to the next best thing. The singer is gifted with an incredible voice and their song Silver Lining has that undeniable ‘hit’ potential.
The name of this next band is Surf Rock is Dead. Well, I guess that’s a pun. Just listen. (You might notice a recurring theme here regarding soundscapes that I am attracted to.)
My sort of ‘guilty pleasure’ is probably lovelytheband. Of course my first thought was, hey they straight-up stole the hook from Kids by MGMT! But still, it’s a pretty good pop song. And when I saw an acoustic version of the song, there is *something* there. And in trying to figure out what that something is, I’ve listened way too much to this song to not include it on this list. The kind of horrible tacky Hollywood video is here. I’ll take the non-LA version, thank you.
I am very biased towards this next band. Yes, I know them personally. But that is not why I love this music. Like passionate chemical engineers they put together all the right elements to create a unique piece of music: Dutch new wave.
Ok. I hope you are ready. This next band is quite something. City Calm Down. Together with One Sentence. Supervisor they are at the top of my list. The sheer relentless tenacity of this next song is inimitable. This is one of those bands that you really, really want to go see live. Sure Joy Division with a hint of Interpol comparisons are easily made. But how can that be a bad thing?
I’m gonna end this list, how I started it. With One Sentence. Supervisor. They are my favorite band atm. (I emailed their lead singer to get the lyrics to this next song. Which I did.) The visuals of this video which seems to interlace 80s infomercial footage with helicopter shots of nature are a perfect addition to an already perfect song. The pace, intensity and the urgency of this song are all hitting the mark. But maybe what I like best is the tempo change around 1:33, this has to be one of my favorite ‘breaks’ in all of music. Just as the guitars seem to drone out seconds before over the ever relentless rhythm, they pick it up *just* right and HAMMER it home together with the lyrics at this particular part. It’s amazing. They get it.
