
Angus and Julia Stone It's been over two years since Angus and Julia Stone began writing and recording A Book Like This . Since then the brother/sister duo have become platinum selling artists and household names in the UK and Australia. In 2007, the album debut at #5 on the Australian charts. I'm excited that the band is finally releasing the album in the States. I absolutely love this record. They do a perfect job of splitting vocal duties, but on tracks like "The Beast" the shine as a [...]

I first met John when I emailed him about Deerhoof's initiative to have their fans chose which charity they would donate 10% of their new album's digital proceeds to. What struck me about our dialogue was John was in the middle of releasing his new album [Offend Maggie] and about to start their world tour, but kept in touch on a regular basis. He gave me one more reason to love Deerhoof. Dieterich, the self-taught guitarist joined the San Francisco-based band in 1999. He was a perfect fit for the experimental group. Deerhoof [...]

Grace Jones Voices of Angels 80's edition observations. *Grace Jones scares the hell out of me. 2nd only to Rupaul. *Grammy-winning " Betty Davis Eyes " lyrics suggest that the song is about a drugged-out Ho (see lyrics). *" Voices Carry " is a guilty pleasure, I actually owned the cassette. Lyrics are almost as depressing as Suzanne Vega's " Luka" (see lyrics). *I don't remember " Girlie Girlie ", [...]

It frustrates me when marginally talented artists garner the public's attention while gifted musicians are overlooked. The primary reason for the dilemma is marketing dollars. More money=more exposure. Alela Diane is one of the most talented female singer-songwriters in the business today. The critics rave about her, but her music hasn't received the attention that it deserves. Alela recently lent her vocals for the Headless Heroes, a new covers project that features musicians Josh Klinghoffer, Woody Jackson, Joey Waronker, Leo Abrahams & Gus Seyffert. She [...]

Ida No Of Glass Candy " Jockomo Feena Ah Na Nay, Jockomo Feena Nay " Download: MP3: Cranberries - Linger MP3: Morcheeba - Tape Loop MP3: Portishead - It Could Be Sweet MP3: Glass Candy - Geto Boys Download: The Cranberries - The Cranberries: Stars - The Best of 1992-2002 (iTunes) Morcheeba - Who [...]

Alanna Lin AKA Fascinoma A couple weeks ago a friend of mine emailed me a song " I'm Walking This Road Because You Stole My Car (Don't Go)" by Los Angeles singer-songwriter Alanna Lin . For whatever reason I've been putting off posting it and then last night I got scooped by Fox's American Dad . The animated series featured the entire song in the "Choosey Wives Choose Smith" episode. I emailed Alanna today to ask her permission to post the song. She informed me that's the only [...]

Laura Marling Two years ago I was reading an article in Dazed and Confused magazine about 16-year-old British singer-songwriter Laura Marling. The article praised the teen for being wise beyond her years. It may have had something to do with her father teaching her how to play guitar at the age of three. I imagine she can relate to Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters. " Candlelight " and " Failure " are fantastic songs. I know that I'm beating a dead horse with Alela Diane, [...]

Dengue Fever - an acute infectious disease that is characterized by headache, severe joint pain, and a rash that is caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. I plan on catching Dengue Fever's set while I'm in Austin for the Fun Fun Fun Fest . The six-member band from Los Angeles is led by charismatic Cambodian singer, Chhom Nimol. She is able to seamlessly mix two languages in their songs, similar to the style of Satomi Matsuzaki from Deerhoof . It's quirky pop, but worth checking out. Download [...]

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah I just booked my ticket for Austin to attend this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest . The event will be held November 8th and 9th @ Waterloo Park. Two-Day passes are available through FrontGate Tickets for $59.99. That's a reasonable price considering the lineup: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National, Z-Trip , Clipse, The Black Angels , Atmosphere, Black Joe Lewis and The Honey Bears , Centro-matic, Deerhoof , Octopus Project, Dan Deacon and many more. For the complete lineup [...]

Disclosure: I'm in love with Joanna Newsom . So in love that I can overlook the fact that her voice sounds a bit like Carol Kane's Spirit of Christmas Present character in the movie Scrooged. If you read the blog regularly you know that my favorite female artists are Feist and Cat Power. But Newsom and Regina Spektor are superior musicians. I highly recommend downloading Newsom's " Book of Right-On " and " Sadie ". Bjork's " Aurora " makes me want to go to church. Her [...]

Astrud Gilberto , known as "The Girl from Ipanema" and often referred to as "The Queen of Bossa-Nova" has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. Her music uses a combination of the sensual rhythms of Brazil and American Jazz. Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Astrud's ex-husband João Gilberto. João is considered "The Father Of Bossa-Nova" . Download (Right-Click Save As): MP3: Astrud Gilberto - Fly Me To The Moon MP3: Ana Caram - Summer Samba (Samba De Verao) MP3: [...]

Catherine Feeny I put London native Beth Orton in the same category as Feist and Cat Power. Her voice is sweet and smooth. I prefer her earlier work over her recent material. Check out "Concrete Sky", "Central Reservation", "Sweetest Decline" and "She Cries Your Name". Philadelphia born singer-songwriter Catherine Feeny is a rising star on the music scene. Keep an eye on Feeny and Alela Diane in 2009, it should be a breakout year for both artists. For further listening download "Mr. [...]

Alela Diane Portland, Oregon (via Nevada City, California) native Alela Diane is a rising star in the music world. She was recently named Paste Magazine's "The Best Of What's Next 263. Her critically acclaimed 2006 album Pirate's Gospel reminds me of Cat Power's voice/music on her 1995-1998 albums Myra Lee, Moon Pix and What Would The Community Think. Diane is currently on tour in Europe. Download (Right-Click Save As): MP3: The Be Good Tanyas - In My Time [...]

Feist and Cat Power should be included on every Voices Of Angels posts. I never grow tired of hearing their voices. Cat Power has a larger library of tunes to choose from. I'm looking forward to hearing Feist's next solo effort. Download (Right-Click Save As): MP3: Feist - Gatekeeper (Black Sessions 2004) MP3: Feist - Intuition (Black Sessions 2004) MP3: Feist - Lover's Spit (Black Sessions 2004) MP3: Cat Power - Naked If [...]

Candie Payne In addition to having beautiful voices, Candie Payne and Holly Golightly have great porn star names. The two singers do an excellent job of channeling their inner Dusty Springfield with a touch of Sergio Mendes in their style of music. When Amy Winehouse dropped out of the running for the new James Bond theme song, I would have been on the horn to both of them ASAP. It turns out that Alicia Keys and Jack White got the nod to record the the title track, [...]

Download (Right-Click Save As): MP3: Bonnie Raitt - Angel From Montgomery MP3: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You (Live) MP3: Mendoza Line - Something Dark MP3: Big Sir - Blutrausch MP3: Beth Orton - Central Reservation (Ben Watt Remix) MP3: Thievery Corporation - Who Needs Forever? (Astrud Gilberto Remix) Rollo & Grady // Voices Of Angels Volume #2 (Click Here) [...]

Download (Right-Click Save As): MP3: Laura Marling - Ghosts (Zane Radio 1) MP3: Alela Diane - Pieces of String MP3: Lauryn Hill - To Zion MP3: Sera Cahoone - Baker Lake MP3: Dawn Landes - Bodyguard MP3: The Watson Twins - I Summon You (Spoon Cover) Download From iTunes : Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim (iTunes) Alela Diane - The Pirate's [...]