Vexed and Glorious

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Emilie Simon

Emilie Simon Looking Cute

Emilie Simon is a classically-trained musician from France. Her music combines orchestral sounds with pop (I know it sounds strange, but check it out!). She plays all of the instruments and sings on her records. She's released a couple of albums in the U.S., but most of her records are import-only. Check out her official site (in French) or her myspace page. Download "Fleur de Saison". Buy "Emilie Simon", "Vegetal", "March of the Empress", or "The Flower Book".

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Mala Rodriguez

Mala Rodriguez is a female rapper from Spain. She has a great sound. She's released two albums (Lujo Iberico and Alevosia) and will release a new one soon (Malamarismo). Buy Lujo Iberico or Alevosia.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Klaxons

Klaxons is a band from London that includes band members Jamie Reynolds, James Righton, Simon Taylor-Davis and Steffan Halperin. Their first album is "Myths of the Future" and was released in January. They have an indie rock sound and are considered "New Rave" by some because they mix dance music with rock-n-roll. Check out their Web site (although it's pretty annoying) or their myspace page. Buy the cd.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse is a singer/songwriter from England. Her sound is soulful and bluesy and she's a bit of a drunk. She's released two albums, but is just beginning to gain some airplay in the U.S. Check out her official site for some tunes and some news. Buy "Frank" or "Back to Black".

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Kate Havnevik

Kate Havnevik is a singer-songwriter from Norway. Her voice and music remind me a bit of Dot Allison's first record "Afterglow". Kate's debut album "Melankton" came out in October. She's friends with Imogen Heap and worked with Guy Sigsworth on the record. Check out her myspace page for current news and new tracks. Go to her official site for more information. Buy the album.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

My Brightest Diamond

My Brightest Diamond is mostly the music of Shara Worden, but there are several other musicians that help to make up the full sound of the band. Shara went to my alma mater, The University of North Texas. There's another alumnus in the band as well - drummer Earl Harvin. Their sound is difficult to describe, but Shara's voice is beautiful and there are lots of strings and piano sounds. I definitely hear a hint of Jeff Buckley's theatrics in her voice. Their album, "Bring Me The Workhorse" came out in August of this year. Check out their myspace page for tourdates, photos, and music. Also check out the video for "Dragonfly" on Pitchfork's site. Buy the album.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Joanna Newsom

Joanna Newsom is a singer-songwriter/harpist from California. Her sound reminds me of CocoRosie with a bit of Toni Childs thrown in. Check out her official website for some tour dates and other info. Her new album "Ys" came out this month and, although it only has five tracks, it runs almost an hour. Buy the album.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Landon Pigg

Landon Pigg is a indie rocker from Nashville. His influences include Rufus Wainwright, Radiohead and The Beatles. His first album "LP" came out in July of this year. Check out his official website for some songs and some news. Buy the album.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Paolo Nutini

Paolo Nutini is a singer-songwriter from Scotland. He's definitely got the blue-eyed soul thing going for him - kind of like James Morrison, but a little raspier. His album "These Streets" came out in August. Check out his official site to download some songs and check out some tourdates. Watch him on Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show on Monday, September 11. Buy the cd.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Nerina Pallot

Nerina Pallot is a British singer-songwriter. She first came onto the music scene in 2001, but released a new album last year called "Fires" and it's excellent. Check out her myspace page which has some songs and her video for "Everybody's Gone To War". Buy the cd.

Monday, August 07, 2006

James Morrison

Check out James Morrison's blue-eyed soul by going to his myspace page. You can also go to his official site and check out some videos and news. His debut album "Undiscovered" came out in July and he's definitely got a great sound. It kind of reminds me of the new Jamie Liddell record "Multiply". Buy the album.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Band of Horses

Band of Horses is from Seattle and only has two members: Ben Bridwell and Matt Brooke. The band formed from the ashes of a band called Carissa's Weird. The band is kind of a combination of The Shins and Buffalo Tom (who are releasing their first album in 8 years next year). Their first album "Everything All The Time" came out in March and it's mostly quiet, sometimes loud, interesting indie rock. Check out their official site. You can download some songs and check out some tour dates. They'll be on David Letterman next Thursday, the 13th, so check 'em out. Buy the cd.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

VietNam

VietNam is a band that originated in Austin, but now calls Philly home. The band members are vocalist/guitarist Michael William, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Joshua Garrett, percussionist Mike Foss, drummer Chris Colley, and vocalist Kim Miller. Their debut EP "The Concrete's Always Greyer on the Other Side of the Street" was released last year and they're currently at work on their debut full-length in LA. Their sound is moody, down-tempo rock and it really reminds me of the defunct Australian band Automatic. Check out their myspace page. Buy the EP.

BTW, I'm going to France for a bit. I'll post when I get back. See ya!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Orson

Orson is an awesome pop band from England. Check out their myspace page for some sounds and info. Go to their official site to get more stuff. I guess the debut album "Bright Idea" isn't out yet. How do I have it already? That's a secret. Buy "Bright Idea" as an import when it's released.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Matt Costa

Matt Costa is from California and has worked with Tom Dumont (of No Doubt) and Jack Johnson. His debut album came out in March and showcases his folky rock sound. Check out his official site to listen to some tracks and watch some video. Listen to "Cold December". Buy the cd.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Wintersleep

Wintersleep is a band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their music is alternative, hard-ish folky rock. Check out their official site for some sounds and some videos. Their first record came out in 2003 and they released another record in 2005. Buy the first or second untitled record.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Joshua Radin

Joshua Radin is a singer-songwriter that's been making the tv rounds lately. His music's been featured on "Scrubs" and "Grey's Anatomy" and he's made appearances on KCRW and Carson Daly. His sound is similar to Elliot Smith and Nick Drake, but a bit more upbeat. You can check out some songs if you go to his official site and launch his player. You can also listen to some tunes on myspace. Priscilla Ahn played with him on Carson and you can check out her myspace page as well. Buy "We Were Here".

Monday, February 20, 2006

Laura Veirs

I caught the video for Laura Veirs "Galaxies" on Subterranean last night. I was looking through the downloads on the SXSW site and noticed the track there as well. Laura's from Seattle and her sound reminds me of Mirah, Citizens Here and Abroad, and Metric. Her voice reminds me a bit of Amy Milian from Stars as well. Her first record on Nonesuch came out in 2004 and it's called "Carbon Glacier". Her most recent one "Year of Meteors" is from August of last year. Check out her official site. You can listen to a sampling of tunes from her albums here. Buy "Carbon Glacier" or "Year of Meteors".

Monday, February 13, 2006

Kate Earl

Kate Earl is a singer-songwriter from Alaska who currently lives in LA. Her sound is reminiscent of Nikka Costa, but with a little less edge. I originally heard her song "Someone to Love" on Grey's Anatomy and fell in love with her sound. Check out her official site to listen to some tunes, watch her live performance with Damien Rice and look at her EPK. Buy the cd.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Lady Sovereign

Lady Sovereign is a rapper/singer from the UK. Her sound reminds me of M.I.A. and Ms. Dynamite. She's definitely funky and cool. Her debut EP is called "Vertically Challenged". Check out her official site for some sounds and videos. Buy her debut EP.