Seth Kauffman - Evening Blessing

I've posted some of Seth's work before from "Floating Action." This guys sound is so earthy. Its real music. This album has a unique sound I find refreshing. It's a real musician playing real music. This album reassured me that there are people who still know how to make music out there.

The Chapel Hill, NC-based Seth Kauffman first came on the indie rock scene in the late '90s as a member of the roots soul group the Choosy Beggars. Lo-fi, ramshackle, and raw, the Beggars were everything Kauffman loved, but his musical life wasn't always this unrefined. Classical violin lessons began at the age of four, but when he took up the guitar at the age of 15, the blues came into his life, as did a love of groove. Clueing into the feeling of the music he was coming to love, Kauffman "de-learned" his classical training and began to attack numerous new instruments. With Bryan Cates he formed the Choosy Beggars, playing countless shows and releasing four albums. Outside of the band he was taking solo adventures to the African bush, the Swiss Alps, and Jamaica, enjoying the rhythms each journey offered. Back home, he combined ska, mento, blues, Latin jazz, and blues and began recording an album he classified as "lo-fi North Carolina funk." Writing, producing, and playing every instrument, Kauffman gave listeners their first taste in February of 2006 when he released the Powder EP exclusively through iTunes. Beck, G. Love, Tom Waits, the Wailers, the White Stripes, and others were names used to help describe his sound, but each only touched upon one small facet of this complex yet pure music. A month later he made his full-length debut on the Hightone label with Ting, named after a grapefruit soda Kauffman enjoyed while in Jamaica.

JD McPherson - North Side Gal (Live on 89.3 The Current)

Love this version of North Side Gal....J.D. McPherson ...you're sick bro! Wow.... Check it out!

Poolside performing "Take Me Home" Live on KCRW

Check out this awesome version of "Take Me Home", by Poolside that was done live on KCRW. I dig the sound of these guys. Feel good, dancing music...Enjoy!

Bomba De Luz - Howl At That Moon (Live on 89.3 The Current)

From St. Paul, Minnesota comes "Bomba De Luz." The first album from Bomba de Luz, a mixture of folk, rock, and jazz. From tender love songs to moments of heavy rock, Bomba de Luz's first release has elements of all genres, every mood and countless influences. Lydia Hoglund's vocals from this album would be "positively mesmerizing live."

Notice how young these musicians are.  I love it!

Check out Bomba De Luz performs "Howl At That Moon" live in the studios of 89.3 The Current.
Very good version.
 

The Shore - Waiting for the Sun

The Shore is an American rock group founded in Silver Lake, CA by frontman Ben Ashley. The Shore are heavily influenced by psychedelic bands like The Byrds, The Beatles, Coldplay, and The Beach Boys as well as Britpop groups Oasis and The Verve. They remind me a bit of Stereophonics too. Good sound, hope you enjoy!

Absynthe Minded - Envoi

Absynthe Minded is a Belgian rock band, around frontman, vocalist and guitarist Bert Ostyn. Their tracks contain a mix of thirties jazz, with a touch of funky soul, Balkan beats and Merseyside pop. Here they perform "Envoi", for WatchListenTell.

Floating Action - To Connect

Please go out and buy this album. You will NOT be disappointed. This is a band that is coming up right now. I have had their album on repeat for the last few days. I absolutely love their music.
Floating Action is a band from Black Mountain, North Carolina. The touring version of Floating Action is Seth Kauffman (lead vocals, guitar), Michael Libramento (bass), Josh Carpenter (drums), and Brian Landrum (guitar, organ). The studio version of Floating Action is solely Seth Kauffman, who writes, records, and produces all Floating Action material himself.
This song comes from their recently new album titled, "Fake Blood". Go here to buy it, http://www.floatingaction.com/music/

Named after a vintage Gretsch bass drum pedal, Floating Action is the pseudonym of Black Mountain, North Carolina-based musician, songwriter, and producer Seth Kauffman. Following the 2007 homemade gem Research (released under his own name) and Floating Action's gorgeously understated self-titled follow-up from 2009, Park the Van is proud to release Desert Etiquette, Kauffman's third full-length with the New Orleans based indie label.

Taking its title from a legend told to Kauffman by his sister (in the Middle East, it is proper etiquette to leave a drinking vessel for the hypothetical next traveler near a remote oasis) Desert Etiquette is the most stripped-down Floating Action affair to date. Aside from one pedal steel recording on the closing track, every song on Desert Etiquette was written, performed, produced, and recorded by Kauffman himself. His d.i.y. approach is the result of his insatiable searching; chasing the ultimate musical moment: "When an idea comes in directly from above, you can often capture it in it's pure state by eliminating the middle man. Sometimes bottling it at the source is just easier, and nothing gets lost in translation"

There's no such thing as a "typical" Floating Action song. Folk, soul, southern-rock, gospel, surf, and bedroom lo-fi somehow coexist and cohere in the same record—even the same song. There is, however, a distinct Floating Action sound. Kauffman's warm recordings and lushly anachronistic sound is uniquely his. The attentiveness given to production quality is palpable; you can all but hear the vinyl crackle in gently graceful tunes like "Please Reveal" or "Rincon." Like Dr. Dog keyboardist Zach Miller said in a recent interview, "His songs are timeless, effortless, and instantly memorable."

During the process of making his previous records, Kauffman would write and record quite sporadically, usually over several months. With Desert Etiquette, he challenged himself to do exactly the opposite: to write feverishly—literally—and then compress recording and mixing time dramatically.

Heeding Dylan's advice that there's no better time to write than when sick, Kauffman wrote the lyrics for the Desert Etiquette in two days, then recorded the album over a concentrated period of 48 total hours. The process was sudden, pure—an explosion of inspiration that dictated being harnessed in real-time. Kauffman's friend and collaborator, Band of Horses bassist Bill Reynolds, mixed the record in a similarly off-the-cuff vein—live and spontaneously over two days, using a vintage Trident console.

This new batch of songs is his most focused effort yet. These dedications to stillness and solitude transcend into repeat-listens rather comfortably. Desert Etiquette's lonely, shimmering songs were recorded without ornamentation or embellishment—often using less than eight tracks per song—and the imagery of Kauffman's lyrics shines through. Kauffman likens the stark result to Floating Action's version of Dylan's John Wesley Harding. With its pared-down instrumentation, Desert Etiquette is distinctly human-scale, a melancholic elegy to the sublime, violent beauty of the American landscape that aims to "capture the feeling you get when you're in Big Sur." Floating Action is certainly a southern band—tinges of blues, gospel, and country lace most of their songs—but as Kauffman says, "We're southern band whose hearts are in the west coast."

Radiohead - Weird Fishes

Weird Fishes by Radiohead from Tobias Stretch on Vimeo.

Staying along the lines of Radiohead...i think this video needs to be seen by many. Such a creative, weird, off beat beautifully crafted video to go with a hypnotic song....Enjoy!

Radiohead - Nude

JELLYFISH LAKE from Sarosh Jacob on Vimeo.

This is an AWESOME video to a kick-ass Radiohead song....Love this....

Turbo Fruits - Sweet Thang

Turbo Fruits is a garage rock band from Nashville, Tennessee founded by Be Your Own Pet guitarist Jonas Stein. Good energy in this music. Some attitude. I like it. Give it a listen..

Half Moon Run - Full Circle

"What most agreed was the best new band of the week, Half Moon Run. The Montreal trio match songwriting (and harmonies) of '60's folk rock with the atmospherics of Radiohead. I was instantly impressed" - Brooklyn Vegan at M for Montreal, November, 2011 Half Moon Run is a talented young trio from Ottawa, Ontario and Comox, British Columbia. It was in a practice studio situated in Montreal's Mile-End district, through the hardships of time constraints and flatlined bank accounts, that the trio bonded and created their unique sound, fusing together the restless elements of indie, pop and folk with beautiful rhythmic harmonies, delicate guitar lines and a hint of warm electronica. Armed with solid training and raw talent, they mix and combine their different musical backgrounds. Their complex arrangements, inspired by both classical and modern composers, are particularly striking to hear and see during their live shows. Devon Portielje's remarkable voice is beautifully backed up by Connor Molander and Dylan Phillips. Phillips often plays drums and keys simultaneously as Molander and Portielje shuffle between guitar, keys, samplers, and percussion folky three-part harmonies hold down moody, psychedelic arrangements and electronic-infused soundscapes. On the heels of a 32-date in 32 days tour of Europe in May, and 5 months after the Canadian release of their debut album DARK EYES, the international buzz has hit fever pitch. Metric have chosen Half Moon Run to support their current 25 date U.S. tour, and the band has signed in the U.S. with Marty Diamond at Paradigm Agency. The release of the album in the U.S. and Europe is planned for early 2013. Half Moon Run finishes off 2012 with a run of UK dates, Iceland Airwaves festival, Inrocks Festival in Paris and another Northern-American run with Patrick Watson, ending with a headline gig in Montreal at Le National December 7th. They then head off to Australia where their album is out on newly formed label Indica Australia/MGM!

Darlingside - The Ancestor

I really dig the sound from this band. This from their album, "Pilot Machines." If you like the sound of this song...run and get this album. Very nice! Darlingside is a Northampton, MA-based "string-rock" quintet that is exploding onto stages across the Northeast. Together only a year, they have already played to packed houses from Portland to D.C., headlining such prestigious venues as The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Brooklyn Bowl in NYC, and the Paramount Theatre in Rutland, VT. Lush five-part vocal harmonies, classical cello-violin duets, and compelling break-beats characterize the band's sound. Darlingside keeps audiences on their toes with exuberant stage presence, spontaneous a cappella, frequent instrument switches, mind-boggling covers, and a widely eclectic, cross-genre blend of original material. Darlingside's unquestionable originality is borne of an unlikely hodgepodge of musical backgrounds: Harris began playing classical cello when he was six, and appeared twice on NPR with his classical piano trio. Auyon earned a travel fellowship after college to study and write about the traditional music of Brazil, Turkey, and Ireland. Don toured nationally as a boy alto, picked up the guitar in high school, and honed his singer/songwriter talents playing for sunset boat cruises in Maine. Dave began singing and arranging vocal music in college, where he became musical director of his a cappella group, then spent two years learning guitar as a street musician in Boston and abroad. Sam got started on drums at the age of seven, and his intricate style fuses jazz, funk, hip-hop, and rock. Together, the five close friends are "a powerhouse of vocal, instrumental, songwriting, and performing talent," with "a surprisingly rich voice that belies their relative youth."

Elephant Revival - Barefoot Friend

If you get a chance, support their music. Very raw, roots based music...This is from their album "Break In The Clouds"....go get it! Elephant Revival is a folk music group from Nederland, Colorado, formed in 2006. The band consists of Bonnie Paine (vocals, washboard, djembe, musical saw), Sage Cook (electric banjo/guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, viola, vocals), Dango Rose (double-bass, mandolin, banjo, vocals), Daniel Rodriguez (acoustic guitar, electric banjo/guitar vocals) and Bridget Law (fiddle and vocals).[1] Their style of music is often referred to as "transcendental folk," which incorporates elements of Scottish/Celtic fiddle tunes, original folk pieces, traditional ballads, bluegrass,[2] psychedelic country, indie rock, reggae, 40s/50s jazz standards and an occasional hip-hop beat. All members of the band are multi-instrumentalists and contribute vocals and to songwriting.

Madrugada - Prisoner Of The Road (Live at Tralfamadore)

I love this track. The whole album is pretty damn good actually. If you have a lighter...and something to smoke, I suggest doing that while you listen. Hope you enjoy! Live at Tralfamadore is the fifth album, and the first live album by the Norwegian rock band Madrugada. It was released on EMI records in 2005. The album was recorded at various locations, as noted in the tracklisting. The name Tralfamadore is a reference to the name of a fictional home planet of aliens from several novels by the American author Kurt Vonnegut.

Pallers - The Kiss

Swedish duo Pallers offer blissed-out indie electro sounds that belie their melancholy lyricism. Comprised of longtime friends Johan Angergård (veteran of indie pop acts Club 8, the Legends, and Acid House Kings) and Henrik Mårtensson, the two grew up in Åhus, home of the Pallers neighborhood from which the band name is derived. Though they attended the same school and ran in the same social circles, the pair's musical relationship didn't begin until 2008, when they headed to Spain to record the Humdrum EP. Released at the end of that year, Humdrum was praised for its rich instrumental tones and delicate vocals. Pallers once again let foreign vistas inspire their full-length debut, recording over the course of three years in Miami and Cape Town as well as destinations in Spain and Sweden. The result was The Sea of Memories, released on Labrador in fall 2011.

The Middle East - Blood

If you like Local Natives, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, or James Vincent McMorrow, then this band is for you. Check them out... The Middle East were a musical collective from Townsville, Australia, which formed in 2005. Fusing various influences from post-rock to folk to ambient, various members have at different times played in other North Queensland based groups such as Joseph Liddy and the Skeleton Horse, The Forest, and We Are Buildings. After completing several East Coast tours, they released a split EP in 2006 with local Cairns band Sleeping In Trains. Their debut album The Recordings Of The Middle East was released on 24th April 2008, shortly before the band announced their first split. They reconvened eight months later, and in the autumn of 2009 released their album in the United States as an abridged EP, also called The Recordings of the Middle East. Their song "Blood" is featured in the films Accidents Happen, It's Kind of a Funny Story. and Crazy, Stupid, Love, as well as in an episode of the Australian television comedy-drama series Offspring and an advertisement for European bank BNP Paribas. At the start of their appearance at 2011's Splendour in the Grass music festival, the band announced that their set that night would be their last show ever, thanking fans in attendance for making their finale special for the band.

Alt-J (∆) - Breezeblocks

New band out of Cambridge, England. From their debut album "An Awesome Wave". If you dont have this album....GO GET IT NOW! Very, very, very good album. Full of everything.

Atlas Genius - Trojans

Flights - Taller

Flights are a musical duo from Wisconsin, now living in Nashville. On their album 'Anywhere But Where I Am. Very mellow...belongs on your "Stoners' List" Cd. Good album.

Good Old War - Over and Over

Shakey Graves - Roll the Bones

Shakey Graves is the music of Alejandro Rose-Garcia, a native of Austin Tx who has been hand crafting his own special type of Lo-Fi-Spook-Folk tunes for nearly a decade. Please help support true talent. Buy the album here: http://shakeygraves.bandcamp.com/album/roll-the-bones It is name your price! You GOTTA get this album...its amazing...

Whitley - Lost In Time

Whitely is an artist from Melbourne, Australia. Whitley seamlessly blends organic acoustic flavours with electronic overtones creating songs with hushed, whimsical tales of love and loss. This is from his album "The Submarine". Hope you enjoy.

Phantogram - Don't Move

Phantogram is a trip-hop/psych-pop duo which formed in 2007 in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. Their music can be described as a culmination of unique street beat rhythms, psychedelic melodies and organic textures. The band practices and writes music in an out-of-town farm called Harmony Lodge. The group name was inspired by the optical illusion called phantogram. This is from their album "Nightlife". Hope you enjoy.

Darkness Falls - Alive In Us

"Darkness Falls create a dramatic atmospheric sound combining distorted twang guitars, haunting synths, gritty drums and striking vocals. Pop allure turns into noise only to revert back into harmony. Enticing lyrics collide with a drone like base, romance crashes into reality and hope and regret are equal on the scale. The tempo shifts, from sorrow to action, the girls are at the wheel and there is no rest for the wicked. The sound of Darkness Falls is not easily pinned down, traditional rock influences merge with contemporary arrangements, creating a dynamic and varied soundscape. You can revisit Darkness Falls many times and return with different impressions each time. Darkness Falls and you turn to your imagination. This is from their album, "Alive In Us."

Cloud Control - Gold Canary

Cloud Control are an alternative rock band originating from the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia. The band is currently signed to the Australian label Ivy League Records, in which they released their debut album Bliss Release, to Infectious Music in the UK/Europe and to Turnout Records in North America. The band has supported a host of local and international acts, including Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Supergrass, The Magic Numbers, Yves Klein Blue, The Temper Trap, Last Dinosaurs and Local Natives. This song can be found on their album "Bliss Release". Hope you enjoy. Please rate, comment and/or subscribe. Thanks!

Radiant - Way You Make Me Feel

Somewhere around the summer of the year 2000, six guys got together (based on their love for Radiohead's OK Computer), and decided to form a band. They wrote a bunch of songs and put out three EPs and two albums. Radiant has played concerts with Longwave, The Killers, Eisley, Mutemath, Switchfoot, Better Than Ezra, Midlake, The Ployphonic Spree, Lovedrug and many others. Some say that they have a sound that resembles Coldplay or Doves. Any which way you choose....I love this band. This is from the album "The Sound of Spitting Albums." They are from Dallas, TX. Hope you enjoy. Please comment, rate, and /or subscribe

Caveman - December 28th

From their debut album, Coco Beware, this Brooklyn native band has many layers in each song. The most obvious points of reference for Caveman's debut album are Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket, who have made the case that a generous dousing of reverb is all it takes to make '70s rock sound fresh and anthemic again. True to that formula, the songs on Coco Beware tend to sound, well, cavernous. I liked this album. Check it out, and give these guys a listen.

The Barr Brothers - Give The Devil Back His Heart

The seeds for The Barr Brothers were first sown five years ago when Brad and Andrew relocated to Montreal. Brad's apartment shared an adjoining wall with harpist Sarah Page. The two would hear each other practicing through the cracks. Sarah's gentle melodies began weaving their way into the music that Brad was writing. A friendship was struck and songs were born. This latest endeavor for Brad and Andrew finds them exploring sounds quieter and more ethereal than anything in their previous work. The album was cut in a boiler room in Montreal and includes guest musicians Andres Vial, Miles Perkin (Lhasa DeSela), Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk), Nathan Moore, Jocie Adams (The Low Anthem) and Emma Baxter. This is a GREAT album. Something for EVERYONE. Please buy this album...you will NOT be let down.....

The Barr Brothers - Beggar In The Morning

The seeds for The Barr Brothers were first sown five years ago when Brad and Andrew relocated to Montreal. Brad's apartment shared an adjoining wall with harpist Sarah Page. The two would hear each other practicing through the cracks. Sarah's gentle melodies began weaving their way into the music that Brad was writing. A friendship was struck and songs were born. This latest endeavor for Brad and Andrew finds them exploring sounds quieter and more ethereal than anything in their previous work. The album was cut in a boiler room in Montreal and includes guest musicians Andres Vial, Miles Perkin (Lhasa DeSela), Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk), Nathan Moore, Jocie Adams (The Low Anthem) and Emma Baxter. This is a GREAT album. Something for EVERYONE. Please buy this album...you will NOT be let down.....

Of Monsters and Men - Six Weeks

Of Monsters and Men are a six piece indie/folk band from Iceland. They have been called the "Arcade Fire" of Iceland. Also have been referred to as a lot like Mumford. If you like those types of bands....I think you should give this a lesson. This album came out in September 2011.

Olospo - Franks and Beans

Olospo is an Indie / Progressive / Rock band out of Dallas, TX. They are an amazing show to witness. These guys are talented! I have been lucky enough to catch these guys in Dallas a few times, and in Austin twice. They kind of resemble Phish, but still have a lot of their own originality, and it really comes through in their music. Please if you like this track off of "This is the Pagoda"..please click on their link and purchase one of their albums. They have a GREAT sound. I can promise you that you wont be disappointed. Thanks for listening...

James Vincent McMorrow - This Dark Old Machine

James Vincent McMorrow is a singer-songwriter from Dublin. His sound has been favourably compared to that of Bon Iver. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who started out playing drums in bands. At this stage, he was quite influenced by the rock scene. However, he soon decided to branch out on his own. Over the next few years, he listen to a lot of singers and taught himself how to play other instruments. He released his debut EP, 'The Sparrow And The Wolf' towards the end of 2008. He started the process of recoding his debut album in London but the studio environment did not suit McMorrow and he returned to Ireland. A house by the sea outside of Drogehda was where the album was ultimately conceived. The album, entitled 'Early In The Morning' was released in February 2010 and has been met with critical acclaim.

The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind (Live on KEXP)

U.S. Royalty - Monte Carlo (Live & Unplugged)

One awesome band! This is a great rendition of their hit song, "Monte Carlo". I liked the violin. Nice touch guys!! If you havent gotten their newest album "Mirrors"...then run immediately, don't walk, run..and get this album. It will move you...I promise!

U.S. Royalty - Vacation Vacation

U.S. Royalty - Monte Carlo (2011) 'MIЯRORS'

This is a new band I have been listening to here lately. They are from Washington D.C. I REALLY dig their sound!! Let me know what you think. I hear a lot of Fleetwood influences in this certain song. GET THIS ALBUM!!!! Its called Mirrors. TO MY SUBSCRIBERS: If you like Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, or Local Natives, you will LOVE this band. A lot of good melodies and harmonies.

U.S. Royalty - Equestrian (2011) 'MIЯRORS'

This is a new band I have been listening to here lately. They are from Washington D.C. I REALLY dig their sound!! Let me know what you think. TO MY SUBSCRIBERS: If you like Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, or Local Natives, you will LOVE this band. A lot of good melodies and harmonies.

Menomena - BOTE

This is another band that I have been listening to a lot. They are from Portland, Oregon. I like their vibe. Very catchy stuff...with powerful drums to go along. This is from their album titled, Mines. If you dont have it.....I suggest giving it a listen. It is very good!

Local Natives - Who Knows Who Cares

This is a new band I am listening to a lot here lately. Their harmonies are infectious and driven by very percussive sounds. I love this song. Their whole album "Gorilla Manor" is amazing! If you don't have it...go get it!