THIRD MONDAYS 06212010

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

1) Crowded House

I came across this video, “She Called Up”,  and thought it was so cute and clever and by the end of it I found myself singing the lyrics along with the kids. The band has been in formation since 1985 and has gained big following and commercial success out in Australia and New Zealand. Check out the video below and check out the band’s music here.

__________________________________________________________

2) Love is All

This Swedish band made the list mainly because I love their videos and they remind me of how simply fun and upbeat pop music use to be and can be. I also like how you can catch their accents, usually singers can mask them pretty well and make themselves sound very American and I like that it doesn’t sound like that at all. Check out one of their videos below and feel free to check out more of their music here.

__________________________________________________________

3) Bat for Lashes

From the name I assumed this is was a band or rather just a collective group of people, but it is in fact a one-woman show, Natasha Khan. She plays numerous instruments and sings. She studied music and went on to release her debut album in 2006. Check out the video for “What’s a Girl to do” below and check out more of her music here.

__________________________________________________________

4)Delphic

A alternative dance band from the UK with insightful lyrics and fresh video concepts. They released their debut album, Acolyte in January 2010 and did quite well, enough so that Samsung picked up one of their songs to be featured in one of their nationwide ad campaigns. Check out their video for “Doubt” below and also make sure you check out more of their music here.

__________________________________________________________

5)Momus

Nick Currie aka Momus is a blogger and photographer turned musician. His music is reminiscent of  Serge Gainsbourg but a more modernized and of course much much-less french version. Check out the video below to take a listen to his song “I want you but I don’t need you” and also check out more of his work here.

__________________________________________________________

6) Sonnymoon

I got introduced to this duo from Massachusetts thanks to the great folks behind Lunchboxtheory and The Couchsessions as part of a launch party for Soundbridge, a newly formed artist showcase based here in the DMV. Sonnymoon performed during the party and did a pretty great job. They have a pretty eclectic sound and add on top of it the duo’s haunting vocals, they definitely have a good thing going. Check out their music here.

__________________________________________________________

7) Ivy

This New York based indie pop band has been around for just over a decade. With about five albums to their name and couple EP’s they have developed a consistent following over the years. They are currently working on their sixth album to be released sometime this year. Check out the video “Worry about you” below and check out more of their music here.

__________________________________________________________

8)Matt Goss

This easy-on-the-eyes UK pop-soul singer started out his career as member of a boy band back in the 80s and these days he has been performing solo, working with a number of other artists such as Paul Oakenfold and now managed to get a deal headlining in Vegas. Check out the video for one of his singles “Evil” and also check out more of his music here.

__________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed the June 2010 edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT and feel free to drop a comment below and let me know what you think! If you want to make the list contact me at editor.shademagazine@gmail.com

-Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS: 04192010

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

The Kills . I honestly don’t remember how I came across them but doesn’t matter. I heard the song, Black Balloon and I instantly loved it. They are a band comprised of American singer/guitarist Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince. After their own stints with other bands, they came together in 2000 and have had 3 albums and working on the fourth for last couple of months. Check out this video for Black Balloon…it does get a bit gory near the end but just listen to the song, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

_____________________________________________________________________

Jakob Dylan

He isn’t a new guy at all to the music scene. For one, not sure if you remember but, he was the lead in the band Wallflowers and secondly, he is Bob Dylan‘s son. I mean….need I say more? He’s got those same mysterious eyes and ruggedly soulful voice like his father. However, that seems to be only things they have in common. Dare I say it, Jakob has a more “pop-ish” feel to his music and although his latest effort is distinctly country and folk sounding, it still feels a bit pop. Does that make any sense? Take a listen for yourself here and let me know what you think.

_____________________________________________________________________

Paper Tongues

This band formed in North Carolina, after hustling their way over to California, a chance encounter with Randy Jackson led to an actual recording contract and since then they have opened for a number of other big bands. Billboard currently lists their album as the number #1 on the heatseekers albums list (which is pretty big deal for a new band!). Go check out their music here.

____________________________________________________________________________

Snowden

While doing my usual music hunting I came across this band called Snowden. They are an indie rock band based out of Atlanta and have been  making music since 2003. They managed to get signed to Jade Tree Records in 2006 but left just two years later. Just last month they released a new EP called Slow Soft Syrupy and expect to release the full length version later in the year. Check out their music here.

_____________________________________________________________________

The Black Angels

The title alone should give you a hint to the dark psychedelic sound their music may have and certainly does. I don’t know if I would listen to them allllll the time, but enough to list them on here especially because their music will remind you of some Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. Honestly, I also think that although the lead vocal does a great job, the band instrumentation is so good that I would definitely buy just an instrumental of their music. Go check out their music here

____________________________________________________________________________

The Ettes

When I first hit play on one of their songs No Home, I heard the heavy bass, drums and electric guitar and was sucked in but then the female lead vocals makes you think its some 50’s/60’s girl group and somehow it works. They sound very similar to the White Stripes but as if only homegirl sang and not Jack (sorry I can’t think of her name now!). I like it and I think you’ll like it too so give them a listen here.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Monsters of Folk

This band I came across while listening to someone else on lastfm…funny how you start out with one thing and leads you to completely different direction. Anywho, this band is a supergroup of sorts that was created in 2004. It’s comprised of M.Ward of She & Him, Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Conner Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes. I heard their song Baby Boomer and really enjoyed and after doing some research on them felt they definitely needed to make this month’s list. How often do you even hear of group members of very different bands joining together to do something really different and interesting? Not that often, or rather it doesn’t work out as well as expected all the time. Check out their music here for yourself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Fanfarlo

While ago I went to borders to buy a music book and some cds and I came across this album. I took a listen and was surprisingly happy. The cover of the album made me think it would be a much more moody and dark album but it wasn’t at all really. It kind of reminded me of The Shins. I enjoyed few of the tracks I did manage to listen to and I think you will to. Take  a listen for yourself here.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hope you liked this edition of THE ECLECTIC EIGHT. Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

Selamawit

BHM: Third Mondays

The Eclectic Eight

1) Angel Taylor is a pop singer/songwriter from Cali who started out by hitting up local coffeeshops with just her songs and a guitar, to landing a record deal with Aware/Columbia Records out in NYC. I saw her on MTV’s You Outta Know and she caught my attention mainly because you rarely see black acoustic singers getting proper recognition. I’d say you should definitely keep an eye out for her and take a look at her latest music video for “Like You Do”

_________________________________________________________________________

2) Lionel Loueke is a Beninese jazz guitarist and vocalist.  He went to Ivory Coast to study music and then went to Paris and after landing scholarship ended up at Berklee College of Music. In early 2000s, he auditioned for Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of Southern California in front of jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock and Terrence Blanchard and managed to get in. Over the course of the next decade he collaborated with numerous people and has now released his fourth album. Check out this clip of him performing:

________________________________________________________________________________

3) Burkina Electric is a music group from Burkina Faso that fuses electronica and Burkinabe popular music. The lead is Lukas Ligeti, a renowned composer and percussionist. I came across them while surfing internet and I definitely glad I did. Yes you will most likely not understand a lick of what they are saying unless you are from Burkina Faso but you will definitely appreciate the sound they are trying to create by bridging traditonal music with electronica, out of all genres of music. Take a listen here and let me know what you think! (If you only want to listen to a song or two, check out Mdole or Bobo Yengue)

________________________________________________________________________________

4) Flying Lotus Those really into music are thinking…em okay c’mon he’s been around but I don’t think many have really been turned onto him still yet or really aware of how long he has been around.  I just learned of him two years ago, but apparently he’s been around for 10 years! I feel like telling you about one or two of his tracks wouldn’t do him or his work justice so check this really great compilation of his work made recently by The Gaslamp Killer. Download here.

__________________________________________________________________________

5)Roska & Jamie George are two artists with two very different background stories and sounds who collaborated on one project together and came out pretty nice. Both UK-ers, Roska dabbles in afrobeat and hip/hop, meanwhile Jamie George is a pretty established house/alternative DJ. Check out their project here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

6) Platinum Pied Pipers is a Detroit-based duo comprised of rapper/producer Waajeed and  multi-instrumentalist Saadiq. They met one another through Baatin, (one of the founding members of Slum Village). Since that fateful meeting in 1992, the two guys have been composing and producing not only records for themselves but for other artists such as Slum Village and Dwele. Check out their music here.

__________________________________________________________________________________

  

 7) Diamond District is a trio of DMV-based hip/hop MCs who came together about 2 years ago, put out a pretty solid album last year, called In The Ruff which mind you was one of top selling hip/hop albums on Itunes.The group is comprised of XO, yU and Oddisee; arguably,  they are some of the top artists of the DMV hip/hop scene as of late.  The single, I Mean Business is a huge fav among  a lot of folks; I know it gets played pretty regularly on my ipod.  The album is not only a hit among music fans but fellow music artists as well. Recently, the DJ  Premier released a list containing his pick of the top 20 albums of 2009 and Diamond District was at number 12. So take a listen to their music here. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

8) Carolina Chocolate Drops is a trio hailing from North Carolina. They are one of the few African-American string bands still in existence. Since their formation in 2005 they have released 4 albums and now this year as of today they released their newest album called  Geniune Negro Jig . If you like trying things that are more on the old school folk and instrumental side then this is the group for you. Take a listen for yourself here.

____________________________________________________________________________

Hope you liked this edition of Third Mondays. Apologies for the lateness, better late than never right?! Right. So leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

-Selamawit

Third Mondays: 01/18/2010

THE ECLECTIC EIGHT

New Year. New sounds. Start it off with lots of electronica, folk, jazz, soul. Let’s go!

1) The Robot Disaster

No surprise here…its another electro something or other band who has stolen my heart. They are group of young guys from UK with fun beats, simple lyrics and cute accents. Can’t go wrong, right? right. Check them out here

_________________________________________________________________________________

2) The Standards

Another gaggle of UK men in an indie pop band. Little more edge and harmonizing than the robot disaster boys up top but just as yummy. If you only want to hear just one song and then decide, well, make sure u listen to Out of the Fire Check out their music here.

Watch The Proposition video here to get a taste of what they are all about:

__________________________________________________________________________________

3) Theo Martins

This RI native is fresh, new and definitely has tons of potential to lead in new wave of hip-hopers…much similar to the kid cudi, drake and JCole of today. Two of my favorite songs of his are Cloud and Sweetest Language. Check out his work here

__________________________________________________________________________________

4)Lauren Schreiber

I remember seeing her at a few cakes & kisses parties, which in case you don’t know are essentially open-mic events held every 1st thursday of the month at Asylum in Adams Morgan. Over time, I saw her name pop up few times at different events and realized maybe I should really check out her singing. So I went to good ol’ youtube and myspace and I realized…I really like her voice and it was just refreshing to see that there are some really great vocalists in the dmv area. The dmv area is very hip/hop and rock heavy. There is not much of a strong vocalist presence or at least as strong as I would like there to be. Sure there are few great r&b, neo-soul artists, but there hasn’t been enough popping up in comparison to the number of MCs or producers. Plus she not only sings but plays the guitar, quite well too! Check her out here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

5)Gang Gang Dance

No surprise here. Another electronica-esque rock band. They are a group based out of NYC, with few of the members hailing from the UK. There’s some rhyming, singing, chanting and really interesting beats. When I say interesting, I mean you hear fusion of electronica, international and rock…slightly similar to MIA but not as few notches down from being that complicated and occasionally overproduced. See for yourself and check them out here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

6) Chromatone

A four-member funk and r&b fusion group from London. They are youthful, lead singer sorta sounds like Adam Levine and definitely have potential to get big not just in UK but here in states as well. They sound like the equivalent of the killers and maroon 5. Clearly those two groups are doing quite well for themselves so I imagine in due time Chromatone will too. Check out their music here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

7)Lhasa de Sela

I love folky music. Especially when its really good and comes from an artist who shows depth and soul not only with their lyrics but their voice. The best thing about folk music is that the artist isn’t expected to to do these extravagant vocal jumps all over the track, they rarely  over exaggerate the notes . It’s just the artist, their story, and some simple instrumentals. While perusing NPR one evening I came across an article on Lhasa and it was applauding her great work (according to TIME she had one of the best albums  of 2009) and recognizing how unfortunate her passing was at young age of 37 just at the start of this year. I listened to one track and was sold…and then listened to her other works and thought….damn, yet another artist I wish I knew about way before. Guess that’s the greatest thing about being an artist though, you may pass, but you’re work will always live on. Check out her music here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

8)Somi

Jazzy, foreign songstresses. Although she sings in english majority of the time, I found her singing in Swahili wayyy better.  She has been compared to Sarah Vaughan and Cassandra Wilson. So you know she can really sing and match that with great afro-jazzy instrumentals, you definitely can’t go wrong. Check out her music here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Hope you guys enjoyed this edition of The Eclectic Eight. Make sure to check out all the other posts here at SHADE.

Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS, 12/21/09

The Eclectic Eight

This list is more on the fusion side. Also more hip/hop & soul this time. Lastly, of course as always  there are DMVers on here. By the way, they are listed in no particular order. Just read, listen AND COMMENT! I want to hear what you think!

1.Tommy T – I first came across this artist from a www friend (yes an internet associate if you will). He emailed me information about Tommy and I without realizing it had prior to that already rsvpd via facebook to Tommy’s listening party. You know one of those scenarios where you just skim through invites and think okay this sounds interesting I’ll go check it out. Yea well I’m glad I did get that invite. I’m glad I also got a chance to check out Tommy’s work. He is a local dmver. He is the bass player from group called Gogol Bordello. The Prestor John Sessions is his first solo project and it aims to fuse traditonal ethiopian music with reggae, dub, jazz, funk, and…it works. Quite well actually. It’s the kind of music I can enjoy and so could my parents and really anyone of any age group. Check it out for yourself here.

___________________________________________________________

2. Kafa Beanz – A collaborative group project comprised of Grammy nominated singer, Wayna, hip-hop artists Burntface, B.Sheba, AP and Gabriel Tedros. A good friend of mine had brought this project to my attention well over a year ago and I at the time hadn’t fully started SHADE up to spread the word about what they were cooking up. But everything happens for a reason…because now their project is fully complete, album is done and well SHADE is up and running. What is kafa beanz you ask? Well its actually an ethiopian term for the actual coffee beans. All the artists are ethiopian and with the exception of Gabriel, all are DMV bred artists. The album covers a variety of topics from the politics, love, values, and adversity. Listen to the album for yourself and tell me what you think! Download rough cut of album here (Special thanks to Addis Tunes for the share)

___________________________________________________________

Photo by Boney Starks

3.Ra the MC – Saw her perform at last year’s CASRAM festival. She was doing her own cover of the “Hey Mickey” song from 80’s…but her’s was “Nickey Song”. I remember seeing her and thinking she was fly, young and had this really playful song. It was definitely refreshing to say the least. There really has been a serious void of female mcs for the past…arguably decade. There was a time when they ruled hip/hop…arguably. Nowadays though it seems there is a new wave of female mcs who are weaving in and out and trying to make their mark. I think its safe to say in near future, Ra is going to be DMV’s top female hip/hop artist….and definitely has potential to make it major. She has a different look and sound. And I have seen her at few open mic events, she definitely can and does hold her own among the men…who, lets be honest, dominate the culture here and surely in other cities…maybe she will be the one  who will change that around here.  Check out her latest mixtape, Trending Topic here

_________________________________________________________________

4. Girl Talk – First came across this dj/artist at NPR .Wow. A mash-up of pop, 80s music, hip/hop old & new. It’s great music if you are at work, at the gym, traveling….or really doing pretty much anything. The man behind Girl Talk is Greg Gillis , a 20-somethinger who produces new songs by mashing up songs that we all know (or don’t know) and voilà creates a new song. He’s come under some heat over the years for not following copyright rules…but whatev, he’s doing great work. I mean, look at that picture above…who doesn’t want to be at that kinda party??! Check out his latest album, Night Ripper

____________________________________________________________________________

5. The New Pornographers Learned of them from NPR as well. This Canadian pop indie band has been around for over a decade. All play instruments, create and write the music themselves. They got well-known Neko Case as one of the main lead vocals. They are working on an album now due to be released sometime in 2010. Check out their first album, Mass Romantic here

___________________________________________________________

6.Priscilla Renea I first came across this girl about a year ago when I had met up with friend of mine to work on my own music. We both were blown away by her voice, its maturity, and her ability to do any genre of music. She’s like a pop version of Jazzmine Sullivan. And what’s great is that she came from doing youtube videos, where she was often seen playing her guitar whilst singing her own lyrics. She managed to get signed to Capitol and recently released Jukebox. Check it out here

_____________________________________________________________________

7. The Sounds Is there anything that sucks from Sweden? Great furniture, beautiful people and dope artists. It’s even been reported this year that apparently it is the best place in the world for women to live. I digress. The Sounds is a band that has a female lead singer while the rest of the guys play various instruments. Their sound is definitely in the pop, electronica and new wave genres. And while you’re at it, google search few of their concert images, homegirl clearly gets wiiiiild on stage. It’s great. Check out their latest album Crossing the Rubicon (if you want to cheat and listen to just a few, then try out: Beatbox, The Only Ones, and Home is where your heart is)

_____________________________________________________________________

8. Alex Malheiros – I first came across Malheiros, a brazilian jazzist, when I was surfing for something new and international on my itunes. I saw the new album he was working on called The Wave. After only two tracks and I was sold. I have a feeling you will too. The kinda music you can listen to at a nice dinner, while on a nice walk, coffeeshoppn, or just lounging around the house. Check it out and let me know what you think!

___________________________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this edition of THIRD MONDAYS-The Eclectic Eight. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

-Selamawit

THIRD MONDAYS-11/16/09

The Eclectic Eight

This list is more on the rock, emo, pop side. Check them all out and let me know what you think!

1) AIR – “Sexy Boy” This group has been around since 1998. I’m mad I’m just now hearing about them. But better late than never. They are french, they use synthesizers and they got fun lyrics. This song is off their Moon Safari album that came out in 1998. A remixed version of same album was released in 2008. You can listen to that here

__________________________________________________________________________________

2) Coconut Records – Nighttiming Whose behind this project? Ever heard of Actor Jason Schwartzman? (part of Coppola-clan, was in several Wes Anderson flicks such as The Darjeerling Limited and Rushmore…among many other films) Well, he has apparently been dabbling in music for years, even has his own indie record label. This 2007 album was his first under this band name. This is a pretty moody and wistful album but hopeful…Like how you feel when you just start liking someone and you are both running toward that cliff in pseudo-agreement, but you aren’t sure if its good idea…but you are excited by it all so you decide..yea yea yea..I’m going to  jump the cliff and so you do..then you look over and see…i’m the only one who jumped! then BOOM you slam head first into the crashing waves. yup, that’s what this album is like. (perhaps that description was a bit of an exaggeration…but listen and you’ll see).

_________________________________________________________________________________

3) The Ethiopians – Everything Crash: The Best of the Ethiopians Yea I know you are thinking…of course she’d add this group named after her peoples…nope.not even really. Just came across it while looking for Ethiopian music. Besides they are Jamaicans. But I guess that doesn’t really matter in the grander scheme of things, as one friend reminded me We all are the people of Kush. The band does 1960-70’s ska; Listening to them makes you wish you had a guaro y fresca in your hand (yea I’m nostalgic for my Costa Rica days.) while you danced the night away with everyone you loved and knew, in an open veranda steps away from the Caribbean Sea. See it? Yea, now play the songs.

__________________________________________________________________________________

4) The Black Keys – Attack & Release These two Ohio boys are really onto something. Trippy, folksy, rock-n-roll, 70s-ish…but more. Led Zepplin meets White Stripes meets…The Roots? Look, you just gotta listen to see what I mean. The album has songs about men dealing with crazy bitches, being love-sick, cold-hearted, down-trodden and on-top of the world.Initially, it may sound a bit depressing and confusing but it makes me wanna have a good ass night. The album’s got a pretty good build. Sounds like  it could be a really great soundtrack too. They have caught alotta folks attention from all different genres…even from couple hip-hop heads. So much so, there’s a huge project in the works, with the likes of Q-tip, Mos Def, Jim Jones, Pharoach Monch, Raekwon and more involved. If all goes right, I feel like this project could be just as exciting as when Run-DMC and Aerosmith collaborated back in the day. Yes, I am going out on a limb and saying that. These sortsa projects and artists make me excited about the direction the relationship hip-hop and rock-n-roll is going in..albeit tumultuous one at that…. Check out official site on the project: http://blakroc.com/

__________________________________________________________________________________

5) Serge Gainsbourg – “Sea Sex and Sun” He may no longer be alive, but his music definitely is and will continue to do so. He’s french, he’s raunchy, speaks to you exclusively in french (for the most part) and his music epitomizes that early euro jazzy cafe music. Though I don’t understand what he is saying, I imagine a scene out of some foreign love triangle film. Sounds really odd I know, but I imagine scenes in my mind when I hear music.I like to try to visualize sound, if that makes any sense. I digress, you can and should listen to a nice compilation of his work here

__________________________________________________________________________________

6) Nico Vega “Nico Vega” Yes another rock group. Definitely on pop-side and the lead has quite a nice voice. Catchy songs. By the sound of her voice and the lyrics she does not sound like a woman to fuck with. Enjoy and tell me what you think!

__________________________________________________________________________________

7) Phil Ade– Wow. I have seen mention of his name at various local events and have for some reason or another been unable to see him live. But after hearing his music I have realized, I really should have gone to see him. Confident, Fun, and Witty lyrics over some pretty nice beats. AND he’s a fellow DMVer. I doubt you will be disappointed. Check out his music here.

__________________________________________________________________________________

8)  Carolyn Malachi– The woman who started the Revenge of the Smart Chicks. Jazzy voice. Witty lyrics. AND from the DMV. Carolyn has been on mission to make smart chicks cooler than ever before. She’s been doing music and incorporated that into her community work by starting the Smart Chicks, Inc. After seeing her speak at hip/hop cinema event at the historical society several months ago, I realized this chick is onto something…definitely refreshing to say the least. Listen for yourself! She’s got new album that just came out too called Revenge of the Smart Chicks II: Ambitious Gods. Check out her music here.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this month’s Third Mondays, 11/16: THE ECLECTIC EIGHT . Expect the unexpected each time. Also, I want to hear what you think!

One Last thing:
By TwitterButtons.com

-Selamawit

Third Mondays

The Eclectic Eight

Perhaps this is going to sound as though I am getting really ambitious, but it doesn’t hurt to try this out and then see how it goes.

So, every third Monday of the month, 8 different indie songs and/or artists will be brought to you on www.shademagazine.com . Why 8? It’s my favorite number.  I will do my best to present you with an eclectic assortment of sounds that’ll hopefully please everyone who checks this out (along with the other great articles on here! If you are an artist yourself or know of someone(and/or a group) that should make the cut each time then let me know! (editor.shademagazine@gmail.com) 

1)  The Big Pink “Dominos”

 

 

 

 

2) The FiveOne Band “You were my friend”

 

 

 

 

3) Super Viral Brothers-Flu Shot Mixtape

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) The Very Best “Julia (Javelin Re-Do)”

 

 

 

 

 

5) Anjulie “Boom”

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Cold War Kids “Hang me up to dry”

 

 

 

 

 

7) Nacey & Starks (of Nouveau Riche project) EP

 

 

 

 

 8) Cage the Elephant (Self-titled Album)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed each artist as much as I did. If you know of an artist and/or group that should be on this list, let me know! editor.shademagazine@gmail.com 

-Selamawit