Continuing the day’s rather retro theme is this three piece The Bandana Splits, who harken back to the good old Motown girl groups. The resulting single “Sometimes” is as cute and charming as it is catchy with some great harmonies and reverbed vocals. Check out the old school video below and the downloadable link as well. Thanks to the always fantastic Matt Carr from Everybody Taste for turning me on to this gem.
I had first stumbled upon Sonny and the Sunsets when I heard “Too Young To Burn” off of their stunning debut Tomorrow Is Alright, which is showcased rather beautifully here
Sonny & The Sunsets – Too Young To Burn(Unofficial) from Francis Kmiecik on Vimeo.
But Sonny Smith is a man who is not content to rest on his laurels. In a move that would make even James Franco jealous, Sonny went on to create an 100 Records art exhibition where he proceeded to record only 200 songs for 100 fictional bands, and then made it even more meta by releasing an EP by one of them (Earth Girl Helen Brown) before finally coming around to his real band’s second LP Hit After Hit. Despite what seems like an absurd amount of production, Smith’s quality has stayed level. His knack for low-key and laid back songwriting none the worse for wear. On “She Plays YoYo With Mind” enjoy the retro guitar melody and Sonny’s trademark self-effacing smooth vocals. Enjoy the free download below, along with the song that got me started into this great San Francisco band.
She Plays YoYo With My Mind- Sonny and the Sunsets
Too Young To Burn- Sonny and the Sunsets
Yes I know, shameless self promotion is back in full force. "Sin" by yours truly was a happy accident. I had tuned my guitar to Open E so I could play slide (it is a resonator after all) but I couldn’t find any object in my room that would cooperate for the desired effect. When I stumbled upon this song’s opening chord, I immediately felt that there was an emotion behind it that deserved words. It’s still a demo, and the voice may come as quite a shock at first, but I’m really proud of the overall composition.
I don’t think even Snorri Helgason would be offended to know you haven’t heard of him, but he would be if you didn’t immediately fall in love with his song “River” off of his new Winter Sun LP.
If you happen upon a picture of him, you might be surprised to find he looks like a Icelandic equivalent of Bon Iver. He may as well be, except his mellifluous vocal doesn’t quite reach the ethereal falsetto. However Helgason proves immediately endearing with a beautiful melody and some nice background vocal touches. With a natural lyric that’s simple but not simplistic, he’s sure to make a fan out of anybody he comes across. Who knew Iceland could have such musical talent. Enjoy the video below, and if you dig it, right-click the link below and go buy the rest of the album.
(For all you xenophobes out there, the lyrics are in english)
The Art of the Mixtape 