Springtime from Erland and The Carnival’s March 2011 long-player, Nightingale, is both beautiful and eerie. Intimating darkness-even death, Erland and The Carnival highlight the darkness by the falling dirt and crawling cockroaches, blending this with a beautiful minor-key melody. Combining disparate pop and folk influences, Springtime, is a story complete with loss, longing and orchestral flare. While Erland and The Carnival have an extensive web site (social links included), there is little information about the band itself. Take a listen to this great…
Read MoreStraight-up party blues-rock is served up in style with Crankshaft And The Gear Grinders and Earthquake Shake from the February 2013 long-player, What You Gonna Do? Blues and rock are only part of the bands repertoire. They borrow heavily from other styles as well to get a totally fun and unique sound. Alex Larson (a.k.a., Crankshaft) has been making tunes to move your feet to for many years, but it wasn’t until 2010, that he decided to quit his construction business…
Read MoreThere is something indescribable about the sound of Philadelphia, PA alterna-odd-folk duo, Norwegian Arms. Here on Tired Of Being Cold from their January 2013 long-player Wolf Like A Stray Dog, the band journeys to a far off land and falls into a bucket of magic mushrooms-or so it would seem. The music that came out after was accomplished, interesting, listenable, psychedelic-and odd. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, this is “odd” in a very good way. On the…
Read MoreI debated awhile on adding Canadian pop band Hey Ocean to the blog. The band makes pop anthems that are decidedly likable but pretty formulaic. That said, it isn’t the first time that I’ve made exceptions for music that for some unknown reason-derivative or not-just has me listening multiple times. Here on I Am A Heart, flutist and lead vocalist Ashleigh Ball, sings “I am a heart that’s hard to pin” while band mates David Beckingham (Vocals/Guitar) and Dave Vertesi (Vocals/Bass)…
Read MoreMay I present to you the beautiful voices and gentle music of Lily and Madeleine’s Back To The River from the January 2013 EP The Weight Of The Globe. These two will cause you to float away on a cloud. Close your eyes and let your mind wander where it will. The instruments are mostly understated, drawing attention to the wonderful vocal harmonies, trills and the underlying stories. I’m looking forward to hearing more from these two in the future….
Read More