THIRD MONDAYS-April 2011

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1. THAO and MIRAH

This pop-folk duo has been generating pretty good buzz for the past few years. Each musician bringing her own aesthetic and sound to create an interesting balance between folk, pop and rock. They have a new album coming out on the 26th of this month and luckily NPR is live streaming it so definitely take a second and check out their music here.

_____________________________________________

2. SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME

I came across this experimental pop group from Michigan and instantly loved their songs Make a Plan and Mighty Cloud. Check out their music here.

______________________________________________

3. CLYTEM SCANNING

She is a Parisian one-woman band creating house and experimental pop music  Take a listen to some of her music here.

______________________________________________

4. kIM NOVAk

An indie French band of boys  with a woman’s name as their group name, making pop music. Got it? Okay good, now go check out their music here.

______________________________________________

5. MOZEZ

He is a Jamaican UK-bred lounge, electronica and R&B musician. He intially started out in a music group during late 90s but as of late embarked on a solo mission. Take a listen to his music here.

______________________________________________

6. SOPHIE BAKER

Baker is a breathy folk acoustic-guitar playing singer. She has released a few albums since 2004, most recently being this year’s Seagull. Take a listen for yourself here.

______________________________________________

7. BEBEL GILBERTO

She is a Grammy nominated Brazilian singer who comes from a well-known musically inclined family. She has been working on her music for quite some time and although she isn’t Indie in the traditional sense, I think too often in the states we overlook too many great international musicians. So take a second a listen to her music here.

______________________________________________

8. PIERS FACCINI

I came across this indie folk singer and songwriter and instantly loved his song, Your Name No More. He has this bluesy quality to his famous that reminds me of a Amos Lee or Ben Harper. Take a listen to his music for yourself here.

______________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT. Make sure to check out each respective musician’s sites and support their music.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-March 2011

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

SXSW Edition

Here we are again in March and this time I have to yet again miss SXSW in Austin. On the upside, I’ll be enjoying myself in Paris and Turkey so I’m not losing entirely and I’ll also have few new goodies to talk about on here from my trip. And trip or not, The Eclectic Eight list will always be up and just like last year in March, it’ll be more geared towards featuring just artists who are set to perform at SXSW. So take a look and listen…and if you are in Austin during this epic week, make sure to stop through and support these various artists!

1. ZORCH

Psychedelic experimental pop duo. Set to perform Saturday March 19th, 8pm at Malaia Upstairs.  Take a listen to their music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. SECRET CITIES

Trio hailing from North Dakota making psychedelic electro-acoustic music. Set to perform Friday, March 18th afternoon at the REDEFINE Mag first-ever epic house party. Even if you miss that you can still catch them at one of the SXSW official shows at Lamberts on Saturday, March 19th at 9pm. Take a listen to them here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. COUSIN COLE

DJ and half of group Flagrant Fowl. Set to perform Thursday, March 17th at 12:30am at Malaia Upstairs. Downloan and listen to his most recent mixtape, Major Rager, here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS

Soulful multi-member group of musicians and singers. Set to perform Friday, March 19th at 11:15pm at Mellow Johnny’s. Take a listen to their music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. BUTCHER BEAR AND CHARLIE

Soulful electronica group. Set to perform Thursday, March 17th at 9pm at Mellow Johnny’s. Take a listen to the group’s music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

6.SAADI

Pop, reggae, and electro singer. She is set to perform on Friday, March 18th at the Clive Bar. Take a listen to her music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

7. NICOLE ATKINS

Experimental folksy singer-songwriter. She is set to perform on Friday, March 18th at the Clive Bar. Take a listen to her music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

8. THE ECHOCENTRICS

Electro-Soul band with deep Latin-American roots. They are one of the many great musicians set to perform at Wax Poetics SXSW Music Showcase on Wednesday, March 16th. Take a listen to the group’s music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-February 2011

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1. WARPAINT

This psychedelic all-girl quartet came together in 2004, then went on to release their first LP, Exquisite Corpse, in 2007. Their initial LP garnered much praise and attention, eventually landing them a record deal. They followed that up in 2010 with the release of The Fool. Take a listen to one of their songs, Undertow here.
_____________________________________________________________

2. !!! (also called chk chk chk)

This is a dance-punk band from Sacramento, CA. They are comprised of former members of various other local bands from Sacramento who were part of the dance punk scene there during the late 90s. Since their formation, they have released several albums and at numerous festivals, even securing a slot in this year’s Coachella. Take a listen to the band’s music here.

_____________________________________________________________

3. THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN

Thao Nguyen, a Falls Church, VA native, started dabbling in music while she was a young kid learning the guitar. During her college years while working on her solo EP she met drummer Willis Thompson, and soon enough they added two other musicians creating the group as we see it now. The band’s music is classified as alternative folk but they do draw inspiration and sounds from country, early soul and jazz. Take a listen to their music here.

_____________________________________________________________

4. KELE (of Bloc Party)

Kelechukwu “Kele” Rowland Okereke is a Nigerian-English singer-songwriter. He is the lead singer of the band Bloc Party but also performs as a solo artist.  After the band took a hiatus in 2008, Kele released his first solo effort called The Boxer in June 2010. I listened to two of his tracks called Tenderoni and Everything You Wanted and instantly loved them. Watch the video for both here:

_____________________________________________________________

5. NOUVELLE VAGUE

This french music group came to be in 2003, creating music that mixes new wave and bossa nova. They often have various singers collaborate with them on their albums to create unique songs and introduce new styles to their albums. Take a listen to their music here.

_____________________________________________________________

6. AFROBETA

This Miami duo came together in 2006 creating avant-garde dance music. By 2009, they had managed to create quite a strong buzz and this coming year in 2011 they are slated to perform at the legendary Glastonbury Festival. Take a listen to their music here.

_____________________________________________________________

7. Mumford & Sons

This is an English folk rock band that formed in 2007 and since then has gained much critical praise and grown a pretty strong fan base. Take a listen to them here.

_____________________________________________________________

8. LAURA MARLING

She is a folk singer-songwriter. She use to be part of the original line-up in Noah and the Whale but embarked on her own musical journey in 2008. Take a listen to some of her music here.

_____________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-JANUARY 2011

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1. White Denim

Rock band hailing from Texas with psychedelic and dub elements. They actually even remind me a bit of The Strokes but minus the English accents. Check out their music here.

_____________________________________________________________

2.Dom

A trio of twenty-something musicians from Worcester, MA released their first album, Sun Bronzed Greek Gods, a little under a year ago and have garnered quite the buzz from various critics and music heads. Here is an interview they did during the release of their album with Pitchfork. Check out some of the band’s music here.

_____________________________________________________________

3. James Blake

I think it’s safe to say I am a bit late to get on this bus but definitely better late than never. I heard and saw the video for his song, “Limit to Your Love” and fell in love with his voice and words. He has a new album coming out on Feb. 7th which you should definitely go out and get. In the meantime, check out the video for “Limit to Your Love” here:

_____________________________________________________________

4. Mount Kimbie

This is an jazz, dub, electronic duo from England. They met while attending university and began a new movement they called “post-dubstep”. They have garnered a steady following the release of 2 EPs and especially with their first album, Crooks and Lovers (2010). Check out their music here.

_____________________________________________________________

5.Kutmah

I came across him while looking for new Flying Lotus music, as it happens they are friends. They have clearly a similar sound but Kutmah has a more dub-heavy sound. Also side-note, as it turns out after some unfortunate turn of events he now permanently resides in the UK, there’s even a site dedicated to getting him back state-side setup by his fans & friends, check it out here. Check out his music here.

_____________________________________________________________

6. Jamie T

An English singer-songwriter who just won last year’s NME Best Solo Artist Award. His last album, Kings & Queens, received solid reviews and praise. Check out a few songs from that album here.

_____________________________________________________________

7. Y△CHT

This dub, pop duo is from Portland. They have two other musicians who occasionally work with them increasing group to about four members. They not only focus on the sonic value of their group but the visual and aesthetic elements of their music and especially their performances. Check out their video for Summer Song here:

_____________________________________________________________

8. The Chapin Sisters

This folk-pop duo is comprised of sisters, Abigail and Lily Chapin and their half-sister, Jessica Craven (daughter of director Wes Craven). Abigail and Lily’s father is legendary folk singer, Tom Chapin. They gained attention by doing an acoustic version of Britney Spears, Toxic and from there begun their music careers with the release of their first LP, Lake Bottom LP. Take a listen to their music here.

_____________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this month’s THE ECLECTIC EIGHT!

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-DECEMBER 2010

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1. Buke and Gass

I heard the song Page Break (see below) and instantly knew they needed to make this month’s list. It sounded very much similar to the White Stripes but lighter on the guitars and softer vocals. Check out the video:

____________________________________________________________

2. A-TRAK

He is DJ who started out at the young age of 13 in Montreal and has built quite the fanbase even among other music artists such as Kanye West. In addition, music seems to run his blood as he is the younger brother of one of the members of Chromeo. Check out this new track with him feat. CyHI da Prynce called Ray Ban Vision:

___________________________________________________________

3. The Sleepy Jackson

This alternative pop-rock band from Australia has been around since the late 90s but it wasn’t until they released their 2003 album called Lovers that they received international attention. They followed that album in 2006 with, Personality-One was a Spider, One was a Bird . Since then they have undergone a few changes within the band but they are still pushing ahead. Check out their site here for more info on future projects with the band. Also, check out their song, I understand  what you want but don’t agree :

____________________________________________________________

4.Sufjan Stevens

Stevens is a singer-songwriter hailing from Detroit, Michigan. He is truly eclectic in all sense of the word in that he has done numerous songs ranging from folk to electronica to jazz. He just wrapped up a tour in  November showcasing all his new material from his latest album, The Age of Adz. Check out a song from that album here:

____________________________________________________________

5. Jason Moran

Moran is a jazz pianist and composer who has studied piano and jazz since he was a very young adolescent. He has won several awards over the years and featured on several other notable artists works, such as Cassandra Wilson and Ravi Coltrane. Check out his song, I’ll play the blues for you:

____________________________________________________________

6. Bell Orchestre

This is a six-piece instrumental band from Montreal. Several of the members are affiliated with few other music groups, one of which is Arcade Fire. Check out their song Elephants:

____________________________________________________________

7.Ghostpoet

He is a hip/hop experimental artist from the UK. I first heard of him when I was listening to a song he did with Micachu, who is a singer-songwriter from the UK, called Morning. Check out that song and more of his music here.

____________________________________________________________

8. Yelle

I came across this band’s music via Kitsune‘s compilation cds, (which by the way, you all should keep up with their fresh fashion/music label). This French band got quite popular in 2005 due to the myspace release of their song Veux Te Voir. They are currently working on their second album called Safari Disco Club to be released in March 2011. Check out their music here.

____________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed the this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT!

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS–NOVEMBER 2010

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1.Austra

I heard of Katie Stelmanis via The Fader and her song The Beat and the Pulse. She is a classically-trained Toronto-based musician. Check out her music here.

__________________________________________________

2. Vanessa Da Mata

Lately I  have been developing routine of listening to jazz and/or classical music so I was fortunate enough to listen to her via lastfm because of that. Although she sings in Portuguese, her voice is captivating enough to make you sit through any song of hers, even you have no idea what she may be saying. Check out her music here.

__________________________________________________

3. David E Beats

I came across David’s video with White House Band called Bond Song and knew instantly he had to make this month’s list. Also as it turns out he just was in the DMV this past weekend for Rap Rocks DC event.

__________________________________________________

4.V.A.S.

This young UK alternative hip/hop artist and producer has been working quite hard to develop a solid fanbase and reach across Europe and now setting his eyes on the States. He has a new EP called, Eye Paint Words, that just came out, that you can download here. Check out more of his music here.

__________________________________________________

5.Hisham Bharoocha

He is a visual artist, photographer and a musician. He initially started his music career with the group Black Dice but then went on to doing his own project called Soft Circles than released his first official album last year under Post Present Medium (PPM) label. Check out his music here.

__________________________________________________

6.Stac

She is a UK experimental soul singer. She has solid production and vocals on her recent album, Turn that light out. Take a listen for yourself here.

__________________________________________________

7.Jack Cheshire

Cheshire is an English folk singer of songs with intricate lyrics and psychedelic production. He just released an album called, Allow it to Come On. Take a listen to a few of the tracks for yourself here then do yourself a favor and go and buy the album!

__________________________________________________

8.James Yuill

Yuill is a UK electro folk singer. He is a one-man band signed to the Moshi Moshi record label. His first album, Turning Down Water for Air was released in late 2008 and has since released several singles and working on a follow-up album. Check out his music here.

__________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-OCTOBER EDITION

The Eclectic Eight

1) VV Brown

I came across this singer/songwriter instantly loved her voice and her catchy pop-ish songs. Listen to two of her songs off her latest album, Traveling Like the Light, called, Game Over and Everybody.

_____________________________________________________________

2) Khadafi Dub

HW is a Philly based musician who initially started out in Hip/Hop and slowed transitioned himself into the world of dub-step. Read more about his evolution as an artist here and check out the video below for one of his latest tracks called, Water, with Mt Eden Dubstep :

____________________________________________________________

3) Noah and The Whale

I came across this group thanks to a friend of mine and it definitely is a fitting band to listen to with all this weather change. I really liked their song, Give a Little Love, and after checking out their site, I found this short film they made called The First Days of Spring:

_____________________________________________________________

4)Stereotori

I heard of this artist after she came across Shade and sent me some of her music. She really has some great music and a really great story too! A few years back she moved to LA from Russia and worked hard on creating a name and fan base for herself. Check out her newest single, G.F.Y. and more of her music can be found here.

_____________________________________________________________

5) The Scribblenauts

Another group who reached out and I found their story, hunger, and love for hip/hop really interesting. Check out more of their music here. Here is one track off their recently released EP, “Low Light Turbulence”:

_____________________________________________________________

6) Eprom

I came across him via The Fader . I heard one specific track called Dirty Diamonds feat. Sleepyhead and ended up listening to it on repeat several times. It’s that additively good.  This Bay Area music has elements of electronica, dubstep and a little hip/hop even…simply put, it’s just a sexy track. Check out his last EP called RobotSexTape:

_____________________________________________________________

7)Neil Landstrumm

He is a Scottish dj/producer who does mainly grime, dub-step and techno music. Few of his tracks are on the psychedilic side too. Check out the track called, Sniff and Destroy below:

_____________________________________________________________

8 ) Paloma Faith

This soulful UK singer has the delicate looks of a 40’s glamor girl but the vocals and draw of a seasoned soul singer. She is currently finishing up a lengthy tour in support of her first album, meanwhile working on her second album slated to be released the first quarter of 2011. Check out her song called New York feat Ghostface Killah:

_____________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT . Here are previous month’s editions and stay tuned for other posts in the future.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-SEPTEMBER EDITION

The Eclectic Eight

1) Blonde Redhead

I came across this trio while surfing online and I loved the marriage between their hypnotic vocals and the trippy instrumentals. Check out more this group’s music here. In meantime, here is one of their videos for Here Sometimes.

______________________________________________________________________

2) MIKA

Mika, also known as Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr., is a young British power-pop singer-songwriter. I came across one of his videos called Lollipop and knew he definitely had to make this month’s list. Check out the video below and also check out more of his work here.

______________________________________________________________________

3)FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE

After the VMA performance yesterday, I was sold. I only wish I had heard of her prior. It was a bit refreshing to see the MTV open up and allow different and more eclectic artists. Check out her music here.

______________________________________________________________________

4)DOVES

This English alternative band was created back in the mid-80s and has grown quite the strong following over the years. Here is a video for one of their videos released in 2009 called, Kingdom of Rust:

Check out more of their music here.

______________________________________________________________________

5) THE TEMPER TRAP

After seeing their video for their song Science of Fear, I knew instantly that they had to make this month’s list. Check out the video below and also check out more of their music here.

______________________________________________________________________

6)COZI

Cozi Costa is UK-based electronica/pop singer-songwriter. She has been working her way through the house scene overseas and had a big hit few years ago with David Guetta called Baby When the Lights . Check out more of her music here.

______________________________________________________________________

7)SKYE

Skye Edwards is a British singer-songwriter who has been doing music since 1996. She released 2 albums over the last few years and collaborated with several other  electronica trip-hop artists. She is often referred to as the “Queen of Trip-Hop”. Check out her music here.

______________________________________________________________________

8 ) Si*Se

This is a soul, pop and latin band based out of New York City. They have released 3 albums since 2001 and have had their music featured on several network shows and films. Check out their music here.

______________________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-August Edition

The Eclectic Eight

1)Captain

I came across this UK band’s video “Keep an Open Mind” and loved it so much I knew that I wanted to definitely include it in this month’s The Eclectic Eight. Check out the video below and make sure you go and listen to more of their music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

2)Jessica Six

I came across this group while looking up Nomi, who happens to be the lead and singer of this dance trio. Check out their video for the their song, Fun Girl, below and if you want to hear more of their music go here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

3) Anthony Hegarty

I came across Anthony while perusing The Fader and heard this track below called, Thank you for your love, off of his new album, Swanlights. I love the way he sings on the song and the dramatic nature of the record. Imagine a dark moodier version of Boy George. Make sure you check out more of his and his band’s, Anthony and the Johnsons, work here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

4)Hiro Kone

I came across this duo and took a listen specifically to their song, (((((•))))) original natives version by Hiro Kone. This specific song has a psychedelic ethnic dance sound to it that will really have you in a trance.  Check out the track above as well as her other music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

5)BEGGARS

First thing that comes to mind is The Beatles. Definitely a more grungier looking version but the sound and songs remind me of The Beatles, and that accent doesn’t help either. Check out their video for You & Me below and for more of their music go here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

6)GLASS CANDY

This group was formed in Vancouver in 1996 and since then, has developed their own sound and fan base with about 11 albums under their belt. Their music has been showcased in some of the top fashion houses. They had a sound that made me think of Donna Summers meets David Bowie. Check out one of their more famous songs, Digtial Versiculor, below and more of their music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

7)CHROMATICS

This trio hails from Portland formed in 2002 and signed to Italians Do It Better label five years later. Since formation and up until now they have released about three albums and reportedly working on releasing their fourth.  Check out more of their music here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

8 ) GAELLE

She is a New Jersey-born but Atlanta-based experimental soul artist. She has been releasing music for over a decade now and is slowing gaining  a strong following over those years. Check out more of her work here.

_____________________________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this month’s edition of The Eclectic Eight. Make sure you support all of these artists !

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS 7192010

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1)La Kinky Beat

Reggae. Drum & Bass. Latin. Dub. All those found in this group’s music. The group is from Barcelona and started initially as a routine jam session between different smaller musical groups and emerged into one collective band consisting of  about six members.  If you want to read more about the band go here. Otherwise, go here, and listen to their music.

________________________________________________________

2)Onra

A french experimental hip-hop beatmaker. His works have been selected for some major campaigns such as the Beijing Olympics and with several EPs and Albums under his belt, there are surely even more great things to come. Check out this video clip of one of his songs called I wanna go back:

________________________________________________________

3) Fol Chen

Signed to Asthmatic Kitty records, this LA-based indie pop band has garnered a pretty strong following. Check out more information about the group here. Also take a look at one of their videos below:

________________________________________________________

4) Mux Mool

Brooklyn-based musician, Brian Lindgren, originally from Minnesota, through his various travels collected and sampled various records and music and began to mix and sample spreading it to the masses under the name Mux Mool. Check out more of his music here and also make sure to check out this video of one specific song, Night Court.

________________________________________________________

5) Wave Machines

I found this English band while surfing online and found this one upbeat pop song of theirs catchy. Plus I played it so many times trying to figure out what the hell they were saying in the hook. Catchy beat and interesting lyrics. It works. To read more about the band go here. Check out their video for their song ” Go Go Go”

________________________________________________________

6) Friendly Fires

Another band I got hooked onto just off their videos alone. Catchy lyrics and beats that make you want to dance. Read more on the band here and check out their video for Skeleton Boy below:

________________________________________________________

7) The Kooks

Another English band to add to this month’s list; this group was formed in 2004 and got signed with Virgin Records just 3 months after and been working away since. Read more about the band here and check out their video, Always where I need to be

________________________________________________________

8  ) The Dangerous Summer

*DMV* Maryland based band formed in 2006. They had their first studio album released in 2009 and their second one is slated for a 2011 release. Read more about them here. Check out their music here.

________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this month’s THE ECLECTIC EIGHT.

Selamawit