J acksonville, Florida's JJ Grey & Mofro seem to be a bit of a chameleon. Their record, This River , which released Tuesday, blends sounds of funk, soul, and southern rock. The influence of soul music is all over this single "Somebody Else," a tune that oozes sounds of Stax Recordings and Memphis soul, with a harder edge that begs to be heard. Grab This River on iTunes.
Click here to view the embedded video. I 'm very pleased to premiere this video for the Great American Canyon Band's "Tumbleweed," a particularly beautiful track from their Lost at Sea EP which is available now on Bandcamp & iTunes . The husband and wife duo create I shared the track months ago because of its ethereal sound, reverbed, spacey vocals that feels like a stripped down, Band of Horses. It's got the vast wide open space to the sound, feeling desolate yet totally warm and beautiful. It's a powerful [...]
C heck out this Record Store Day special track from Ra Ra Riot titled "All I Fear," a hard driving amalgamation of synthpop based music with string assortments. The song pushes and soars during it's high flying choruses' and practically begs to be played at a high volume. Look for "All I Fear" available this saturday on the 103 Binary Mind record.
On An On didn't hold back, opening their solid set with "The Hunter" a song that demonstrates why they generated so much attention at SXSW: layerd vocals to haunting effect, pulsing bass, and slashed guitar combine for dream pop magic. What separates their sound from other dancy bands is how each member can take turns at the microphone without any drop in tone or energy. Nate Eiesland, Alissa Ricci, and Ryne Estwing formed On An On out of the ashes from Scattered Trees, and it has resulted in a dynamic energy on stage and on album. Savoir Adore [...]
L ove at first listen! It's not a term to be thrown around lightly, and yes I write about music I love with hope that our extended Music Savage gang (You) fall in love as well. New Jersey native SZA has a brand new EP out titled S and I can tell you that the moment I pressed play on the new single, "Aftermath," the above mentioned term of endearment hit me hard. The track swirls with electronic rhythm-and-blues beats, a touch of dubstep, and just the right amount of dreamy synth-pop. With an opening line like "I [...]
I t seems our music coverage as of late has been focused directly on the City of Angels and with new TORCHES music on the way it won't end anytime soon. The upcoming EP is titled If The People Stare and the band will be releasing it independently on May 6th. Following on the heels of their well-received, debut full-length album, Heads Full of Rust, the new songs deliver on the shoegazing, day dream sound which has made TORCHES darlings of LA's modern rock radio stations KROQ and KCRW. They have also built up an extensive [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. C hchchcheck out the new video for "Sun's Gonna Lemme Shine," from Kingsley Flood's standout record, Battles . The video follows the story of a young boy who wears a dress to school and feels like an outcast, only to be taken by an old man with an eyepatch (played by lead guitarist George Hall) to a Kingsley Flood where he can let his freak flag fly. The video was based on an article lead singer Naseem Khuri read, about the taboo [...]
T his is a righteous collaboration, Frightened Rabbit & Manchester Orchestra teamed up on 1/2 of a 123 single for Record Store Day with this tune titled "Architect." It's a tenderly plucked confessional that begs for more collaboration between these two awesome bands. A nd on the other side of the special 123 is "Make It To Me," a collaboration between between Manchester Orchestra & Grouplove. It's a rock tune with Grouplove's electronic grooves, it really does feel like a smooth amalgamation of the two bands' sounds. Look [...]
A s spring approaches, is here, or is finally springing we're going to need the bright sunny music that shines a light on the day. The type of music that you'll sing all day long, chair dance, or just blast in your car with the windows down. Let a little sunshine in today with Chicago's Fort Frances 2nd single off their upcoming EP, Harbour , out later this month. "I Had Love," mirrors this spring transition, with bright bouncy sunny melodies, and an ever growing sound throughout the song. Good luck not singing along with the gang choruses'. [...]
W ith a new album out June 4th on Dine Alone Records, Dallas Green aka City and Colour is out with a new single — Thirst . It's got all of Dallas Green's signature honesty and heartbreak, but with a real bluesy punch. Based on what we've heard from the album so far, it should be another fantastic release under Green's moniker. City and Colour will be out touring for the album in the fall, dates are below! All tickets come with a digital download of the new album on June 4th, so really, what reason do you have NOT [...]
Photos by inger klekacz T wo Minneapolis bands swept through Portland the other night, packing the Wonder Ballroom and sending us back out to combat the gloomy weather with an army of groovy jams. First up were Night Moves ; a trio of curly-haired boys (and the odd flat-haired blonde man) that pooled influences from 70’s soft rock titans like Fleetwood Mac and Chicago to the indie and psych-folk of Band of Horses and Devendra Banhart. They pounded out rich layers of instrumentation and familiar chord progressions with a natural energy and [...]
Photos by Boston Concert Photography Bearing witness to Spirit Family Reunion selling out The Sinclair in Harvard Square furthers the current tide that seems to be rolling through many channels today: work for it, live it, and it will happen. Over the past few years, SFR have become well known for working their modestly sized audiences into foot-stomping, hand-clapping, throat-throttling sweats while belting out tunes that are reminiscent of a simpler time in our culture. Attending one of their shows was kind of like being in on a speakeasy. [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. I literally couldn't resist posting this track from Los Angeles' Stonefeather, "Hipster Girl," off of their new album California Air. The video is hilarious and the song is infectious enough to have you singing all falsetto like within the first chorus. It's got a hard, funky rhythm and a level of immediacy that forces you to listen. Check out the guys of Stonefeather fail at picking up hipster girls, then grab their new record on iTunes .
Caitlin Rose - I Was Cruel T uesday night may have been uncomfortably cold for an April night in New England but the temperature inside TT The Bear's Place was perfectly warm, thanks in part to the Nashville jet stream that brought Caitlin Rose and Andrew Combs through our fair city. Both musicians have been crisscrossing the country, promoting their latest releases separately, but we were lucky enough that Rose/Combs touring schedule allowed for the both of them to be here together. That would naturally mean they would take the stage to play a [...]
L os Angeles musicians Micheal Garner and Dan Chang are Hunter Hunted and they are coming for you whether you're ready or not. The duo just released their debut self-titled EP and sold out their very first live show at LA's Troubadour on the strength of just 5 songs! It's safe to say the writing is on the wall for these guys and we here at Music Savage couldn't be happier to help spread the word. Hunter Hunted is the sound of summer, of running through the woods without a care in the world and staying out till dark. The [...]
Photos by inger klekacz M ajor Lazer is not what you'd call a "sit down" show. It's not even what you would call a "personal space" show. Major Lazer is a writhing mass of young flesh, dancing and jumping and gyrating to carefully crafted beats and explosions of light. Do not bring your mother to this show. Unless your mother loves vertically spooning with excited 18 year olds who have all the love in the world to share at a sold-out concert. In which case, you should [...]
Photos by Carrie Johnston M att Costa is the musical equivalent of a contemporary Hollywood romantic comedy. He makes good kids smile and bad kids cringe. Now, it’s perfectly natural for couples to get cuddly, even make-out-y at a concert, but the critical mass of either (attempted) ballroom dancing, making out, cuddling, and looking longingly into one another’s eyes was enough to make Hugh Grant throw up in his mouth a little. Costa even employed an Anna Karenina lookalike (his wife?) to do little more than play tambourine, making the boys swoon and the girls wish [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. L eeds duo Fossil Collective create the type of music that permeates the senses and lingers in your head for a while. Their debut full-length album, Tell Where I Lie, is set for release April 8th on Dirty Hit and you can expect the songs contained within to dig in deep and not let go. The first video from the forthcoming album is for the single "Wolves," and the stark imagery of being lost and abandoned strikes a recognizable nerve in us all.
Halfway through "Festival," a track that initially waves gently to and fro, Jónsi crescendos an "ooooooooh" then lets it fade away. At Boston University's Agganis Arena, that slipping towards stillness was sung past the point of absurdity. Surely there must have been a peddled effect that extended the note, surely that was the case. Or, some unseen sprite must have echoed the haunting vowel past the point of lung capacity. Yet, whatever Íslenska magic formed this surreal tremolo everyone knew what was about to happen- from this momentary silence, a throbbing bass line punched the ethereal into celebration. I've often wondered if Sigur [...]
F olk rock icon and Grammy award-winning songwriter Patty Griffin is a native of Maine and began her stellar career playing coffeehouses right here in Boston, so of course we love her here at Music Savage. She is set to release her seventh studio album titled American Kid, out May 7th on New West Records , and has just released the first single "Ohio" for our listening pleasure. The song was written and recorded with Robert Plant, her musical partner these past few years, who also provides backing harmonies on the track. Griffin currently resides in Austin, [...]
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