New discoveries

<a href="http://www.biffyclyro.co.uk" target="_blank">Biffy Clyro</a> - discordant Scots rock with a melodic undertow, sometimes howling noise, sometimes impossibly beautiful acoustics. "Diary of Always" rocks my socks off.

<a href="http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2343188" target="_blank">Greyboy</a> - If David Axelrod was born in Queensbridge, New York and dedicated his life to revitalizing the blaxploitation soundtrack using the methodology of DJ Shadow, he'd be this guy. This was his last full-length record and it's worth every penny.

And I shill non-stop for these guys, but I have to mention <a href="http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2897156" target="_blank">The High Llamas and their new record, Beet, Maize, and Corn</a>. Lead Llama Sean O'Hagen has brings the best of Nick Drake, Van Dyke Parks, and Brian Wilson together in one mesmerizing whole. It's a glorious, yet stripped down record that just oozes placid beauty. Just try "The Click and The Fizz" and try to deny them.

I think i catch your drift, but just in case...elaborate a little.

I really, really wanted to like the High Llamas after Micah's recommendations. Picked up that two-disc retrospective from earlier in the year, and I just couldn't get into it. Too same-y, and too derivative of the Beach Boys sound without any of the melodies. I'll probably listen to it again sometime just to see if I was in the wrong mood for it, but it really left me cold.

As for a new discovery that's blown me away this year, it's Drive-By Truckers. Decoration Day is one of my favorite albums of the year, and they put on one of the best live shows I've seen in a while.

Awesome, glad to see this album get some love. Pick up their live record, Alabama Ass-Whuppin', when you get the chance.

I'll probably get around to it. I got Gangstabilly at their show, and I like their early stuff okay, but it sounds like they improved in leaps and bounds from that to Southern Rock Opera to Decoration Day. Steady improvement from album to album, I'd say, although I guess some prefer SRO to the new one.

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Wow...I can see some getting that impression from an album or two of theirs, but I'm surprised to see you say that about the retrospective. I think each album since Gideon Gaye has had a slightly different color to the sound. The follow-up, Cold and Bouncy, had a pronounced electronic vibe. The next one, Snowbug, featured a lot of vocals from the lady from Stereolab that just got killed in a car accident and the record had a more lounge-y, than Beach Boys vibe to it. Then there was Buzzle Bee, which explored more of the Partridge Family/folk/60s side of the band. Now, Beet, Maize, and Corn is a sublime, quiet, and stripped down record with almost no drums and mere swashes of strings and horns to color everything. More Nick Drake than Brian Wilson.

I could make an INCREDIBLE mix CD of my favorites from those records...which, I'll be honest...the retrospective doesn't have a lot of them.

As for melodies...when you make your second pass at that 2-disc set, just play the following:

Ill-Fitting Suits
The Goat Looks On
Might As Well Be Dumbo
Literature is Fluff
Cropduster
Nomads
Checking In, Checking Out
Janet Jangle

And I would REALLY suggest you download the following:

Go to Montecito
Giddy and Gaye
Track Goes By
Get Into the Galley Shop
Tambourine Day
Dressing Up the Old Dakota

Oh, and to keep things going:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006C77O/qid=1066672123/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-4115484-4278325" target="_blank">Lemon Jelly - Lost Horizons</a> - These guys are pretty much it as far as wacky chillout electronica these days. Kind of remind me of Orbital if they had a sense of humor or a slightly more sedate Luke Vibert/Wagon Christ.

Bright Eyes - Conor Oberst's lyrics are some of the most beautiful poetry I've ever heard.. be sure to check out "A Perfect Sonnet", "Method Acting", "Bowl of Oranges" and a shitload of other great songs.

Cursive- another great band over at Saddlecreek records. Their "Lament of Pretty Baby" is one of my favorite songs.

You can sample some of their music at <a href="http://www.saddle-creek.com" target="_blank">www.saddle-creek.com</a>

Ever since I bought the <a href="http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2853306" target="_blank">"Young Liars" EP by TV on the Radio</a>, I literally cannot listen to anything else. I'm addicted. And that untitled hidden track? A stunning, a capella version of the Pixies' "Mr Grieves". As for the rest, think some strange hybrid of blues melodies as sung by Peter Gabriel circa 1980 over really cool electronic beats and guitar/guitar loops. Utterly compelling.

Edited to add a link to an mp3 of "Staring At The Sun" from the Touch and Go website. <a href="http://www.tgrec.com/mp3s/TVOTR.mp3" target="_blank">http://www.tgrec.com/mp3s/TVOTR.mp3</a>

That Lemon Jelly disc is great. Or at least "Nice Weather For Ducks." The rest of the disc has a hard time keeping up with that song.

And I love Greyboy (he/they/whatever also record under the name Greyboy Allstars). The first time I head the song "Tenor Man," I was absolutely convinced I was hearing a record from the 70s.

Just gotta back up the Lemon Jelly and TV On The Radio reccomendations...

I'll add M83's 'Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts' for some great My Bloody Valentine-esque electronica.

I listened to the TV on the Radio EP last night. Don't see what the hype's all about, but I'll give it a few more listens.

And I really want to find the M83 album.

I'd also like to throw in support for TV on the Radio. "Staring at the Sun" is simply amazing. I can't wait to hear their first LP.

I really love The Wrens' new album The Meadowlands.I hadn't heard of them until recently. After doing some research, I discovered that their 1996 album Secaucus is pretty widely considered an underheard classic. This is their first album since then. The lyrics are very personal and beautiful. Some low quality mp3s (40kbps) are available <a href="http://www.wrens.com/wrens/sevenfive.html" target="_blank">here.</a> I recommend "This Boy Is Exhausted."

The only High Llammas disc I own is Hawaii. Kinda strange, but sometimes I'm in the mood for something like that so I'm glad I got it.

Lately all I've been listening to is Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse and the Interstate '76 soundtrack by Bullmark. Modest Mouse sounds like a more melodic Pixies with better lyrics. Bullmark is straight up instrumental 70's funk. I guess I'm cheating since both of these are records I've had for a while, but maybe some people here will check them out and like 'em.

I dig M83, and I'm gonna check out TVOTR and Greyboy.

Yeppers... another disc thats found itself in my player non-stop. Theres so much damn good music being released these days that its hard to keep up...

I've basically been playing "Live at the Wetlands" by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. This is definitely one of the best American bands in quite a while. Guitar World puts it best:

"Randolph plays like an amalgamation of Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, John Coltrane, Buddy Emmons, and Bo Diddley crossed with gospel contralto Mahalia Jackson."

<a href="http://www.emperornorton.com/mod/artistpage.php3?artist=electrocute" target="_blank">Electrocute</a> - I saw them open for Peaches last week, and immediately went out and bought their EP, A Tribute to your Taste. Their cover of "I Need a Freak" is awesome.

I'll second that. I've been a big Wrens fan for awhile now and I anxiously awaited The Meadowlands ever since I first heard it was finally done. It was probably my most anticipated new album of the year. The Meadowlands is readily available, but Secaucus and Silver are kind of hard to get ahold of. But track them down, you won't regret it. Definatley one of the greatest bands flying under the radar right now. Hell, probably one of the greatest bands right now period!

While it's nowhere as far out there as some of the others mentioned here, I followed Micah's reco and picked up Killing Joke 2003. I absolutely LOVE this bastard. I've been telling my buddies that this needs to be added to their collections, and everyone who has picked it up was not dissapointed.

A little more about the Wrens...

I read an interview with them <a href="http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=680" target="_blank">here</a>. Two of them are associates at Pfizer and one is a senior staff accountant at Loews Advertising. And they live together. I so want that life when I'm in my mid- to late 30s. How cool would it be to have a regular office job by day and be in an indie rock band with a cult following at night? Pretty damn cool, I'd say.

Even more about the Wrens. I saw them twice this weekend (once in NYC and once in DC) and they fucking rocked! These guys are in their mid 30's and work day jobs in corporate America, yet somehow they still find it in themselves to not only record one of the 5 best records of the year, but to come out to a club and put on a show with more energy and passion and zeal then a band 15 years younger. They started off with the opener from the Meadowlands (House that Guilt Built) and from there shredded through a really solid set that was heavy on new material, but featured some really great songs from Secaucus and Silver. They shouted, they screamed, they jumped off of things, and the crowd loved them. They totally blew me away. I've been waiting for years for a chance to be able to see them, and I really had no idea what to expect from their live show. But I was totally unprepared for how great they sounded. I wish I could remember the setlists, but I've never been any good at that anyway. So, if The Wrens come to your town, check them out. Either one of the two shows I saw is right up there with Radiohead on my "Best Show of the Year" list.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Along with Outkast, they have me interested in funky music again. It's not all funk, but it's all good. Go.

Ah shit, ya beat me to it. Unclassified is a great studio album too. I saw them play live last week, and they blew me away completely. I have not danced through a 3-hour show in NEVER.

Turbonegro - download and judge for yourself, I suggest trying Turbonegro must be destroyed. Simply awesome!

The Polyphonic Spree.

Choral-orchestral pop experiments from a crazy sun-worshipping cult.

The last track on the "Beginning Stages of..." album is 30 minutes of white noise, as long as the rest of the album put together. Probably some kind of statement in there...

Think Belle and Sebastian meets 5th Dimension meets Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles meets The Mamas and The Papas meets Radiohead.

It's that good...

Funk or jazz fans should look into Galactic. I discovered their "Late For the Future" disc and am thorougly pleased with my decision to buy it. Fantastic work all around, from Moore's drumming- he balances incredible splashes and rolls with a strong, steady hand at staying in "the pocket"- to the underused guitarist whose name currently escapes me (CD cover in the car), this band is delicious. Great horn playing, melodies you'll find yourself humming after the first listen, and a truly dynamic song list. They mostly kick out the jams funky, there is also a blues rock guitar solo track and a harmonica solo track. It is certainly not boring, I got their CD through Amazon, you can preview a good number of the tracks on the website.

I thought of them as a happier (if that's possible) Flaming Lips with a horn section and a choir. Everyone I know who saw them at Bonnaroo thought they were great. I planned on seeing them in B'ham but I think the show was canceled or postponed.

I've been listening to someone called 'Jeff Lang' for sometime and although he's not new on the scene, he's been around for quite sometime, he toured with Albert Collins while in his teens. His style is a mix of blues, folk and country but his songs are so well crafted and he plays a lap steel slide and it's the most beautiful goddamn thing I've ever heard. He can rock out like nothing else but also deliver gently crafted songs. He's australian but he tours the US every now and then, I'd recommend checking out his stuff.

John Butler Trio is another good band I recommend, his guitar playing is fantastic and his live band gives just the right amount of support. His songs have a political and environmental bent but he's really good.

Derek Trucks is a fucking brilliant guitarist with more talent than he knows what to do with. Soul Serenade is his latest CD but he's also touring with the Allman Brothers. They're selling live CD's of recent perf. over at their website.

The Unicorns

Montreal-based duo. Grandaddy gone French. Listen to Tuff Ghost.

Nice.

These aren't new discoveries for me, but they may be for you:

Kings of Convenience - a Norwegian duo whose sound is reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel. Good music for relaxing.

Turin Brakes - a UK alt-pop duo with a really cool sound

Josh Ritter - a singer/songwriter reminiscent of Bob Dylan, Loudon Wainwright and Nick Drake

It took a minute to find this thread. This may not be a new discovery for some of you, but it is for me.

I recently heard a guy by the name of Gavin DeGraw do the cover song from his cd Chariot and thought it was pretty great. I'm curious if any of you are familiar with him (or own it) and can give me your take on his music.

Gavin DeGraw is playing at my school's spring concert. I'd never heard of him till we booked him. I hope he's as good as you say.

Really? That's funny. I never heard of him until this week. He was a guest on the Sharon Osbourne show. She claimed that she had wanted him to appear on her show for some time.

She stated to the audience that DeGraw was given the rare chance to perform solely for Clive Davis, which is something he rarely allows. He listened to five of DeGraw's songs and offered him a contract on the spot. I only caught the one song while flipping channels, but it caught my attention. Please let me know how the concert turns out.

I have a new discovery for everyone: Youngblood Brass Band

These guys totally blew me out of the water. I'm music major, and my private lesson teacher introduced me to them.

You can download some of their tracks from their website. The bass you hear is a sousaphone player. A super kick-ass sousaphone player. They do a funk/hiphop fusion kind of thing, and it totally ROCKS.

If you dig a good goove and some guys that can lay down the FUNK, I suggest you check 'em out.