Some of my favorite bands of the moment
John Frusciante- Song to Sing When I’m Lonely
Oh no he quit RHCP!! I don’t really mind after all they had kind of run their course, their last album was more regarded for its ripoff of Tom Petty than its actual merits, but John Frusciante shows that he has his own artistic merits, this song isn’t recent but its a great one, he proves he’s got good vocals and a good sense of melody, once you hear this song its hard to get out of your head, it’s by no means a bad thing
Dawes is a new band, but only in the sense that their debut album came out this year, their sound is sublimely late 1960’s/early 1970’s California style. My Girl to Me sounds like CCR got together with the Grateful Dead for a jam. Great guitar work, the singer sounds like Bob Weir, and a nice rollicking melody, definitely a song worth putting on repeat.
The arrangement is beautiful on this one, from the old style reverebed hammertack piano, to the ringing guitar guitar work to the ringo like drums filling the background, its got hints of Penny Lane in it, in a good way and Tillmans voice is perfectly understated, and reminiscent of a singer I can’t quite put my finger on
Telekinesis- Coast Of Carolina
Intros can be deceiving, and the build in this song is perfect, the melody is insanely catchy, like Weezer, before they got tiresome and overplayed
Sometimes songs just come off so simple you end up wondering how no one came up with the melody before, the guitar is simply perfect, the singers got shades of David Bowie and Lou Reed in him and the song just keeps building, you can’t help but just get stuck listening wondering whats going to happen next. Definitely worth more than one listen.
There’s a reason Tom Petty has been so prolific in his career, he captured the essence of rootsy rock perfectly. Good news for Megafaun then because they’ve got that down too; great hooks, and great harmonies to boot.
Lush Life – All Falls Down (Kanye West vs. Pet Sounds)
Alright neither of these are new, but this mashup is wonderfully done. All Falls Down had already been one of my favorite Kanye songs already, because it actually had a message damnit, before he got all the ego involved, The strings from Pet Sounds give the song even more depth and a sweet melody to go along with the rhyme scheme
On hype alone this track is worth a listen. DJ Dangermouse, and James Mercer of the Shins working together on a new album, the arrangement is refreshing, a kalaedascope mix of Everlast and Zero 7 with a great backbeat, can’t wait for the actual album to come out.
Cotton Jones- Up This Tree (Went This Heart I Have)
A lot of the bands on this list share something in common, that is they’re all very good at taking old sounds and old styles and making it their own, Cotton Jones is full of the honest to goodness good old stuff, the sound is fantastic; reverbed guitars, tight harmonies and well written lyrics, the arrangement and melody is so old school its hard to believe it came out this year.
Great arrangement, great melody, great song, like Oasis if they had ever dared to experiment a little with their sound, regardless Kasabian deserves more attention.
Golden Silvers- Arrows Of Eros
Another new band out of England, this song is insanely catchy, think Prince/MGMT arrangement and hook, the singer sounds right out of the 80’s but in a good way and the lyrics are clever and the harmonies are well played, and damn that bass just makes you want to move. Think the Jam meets Prince and MGMT and then you’ve got a clue to how this song sounds.
Ok ok, The Slackers aren’t new either, but they are vastly under-appreciated, they’ve got quite the ear for old time melodies and the singer has a nice warm voice, their lyrics are always entertaining and the sax solo is quite a nice touch to the old time blues progression they got going
Paul McCartney- That Would Be Something
Yes Virginia, Paul McCartney wasn’t always cheesy and driven just to capitalize on the current music market. Off of McCartney, this song is great, he’s playing every instrument and having fun with it, the bass is great and his off kilter arrangement is quite endearing, and people thought Paul McCartney had no talent left after The Beatles
Devendra Banhart- Can’t Help But Smiling (Album Version)
Love this song, its so simple in its melody and the arrangement is full of great little touches from old timey piano to maracas, almost sounds like that classic In the Summertime song but sped up a little, gotta love the singing though
I’m assuming its a sample here but it sounds so organic, and the rapping is old school, where they actually had something to say, great message too and very catchy.
Like the Strokes and Rolling Stones had a baby, this band is rocking with swagger.
The Art of the Mixtape 