New music I love (right now)

**UPDATE AT BOTTOM**

I haven’t done a music post in a while (a very long while) and was inspired to do another one by my friend @BrainLemon (check out his music post).

The other day, I was looking for more “workout music” because I’ve been doing that sort of stuff for a while (check out my running blog). I just happened to come across a few new bands that I think might be of interest to some of you and one I’ve been meaning to show you guys for a while now.

First, Of Monsters and Men. I actually scolded my twitter followers for failing to tell me about them sooner. Their album “My head is an animal” is great! It’s a bit Mumford but not so bluegrassy and it’s kinda whisper-y like Bon Iver. But that’s not really accurate either, they’re sort of hard to explain, they’re an indie-pop-rock group, kinda (does that make it any more clear?). But here’s what I’ve learned so far: They’re from Iceland. Won a battle of the bands contest in 2010. Landed a record deal in early 2011. Released their first album “My head in an animal” later that year in Iceland. They released the album in the US in April of this year.

The first song I heard was “Little Talks”. I believe I first found it on Cities97.com’s Studio C (<– that's a great live performance. Meaning: it sounds just like the studio version, if not BETTER. You don't see that very often). It's catchy and poppy (totally my thing) but it's also kinda sad (not my thing, but I love the contrast).

After listening to the album twice now (remember, that’s the rule, you MUST listen at least twice before making any judgments. Unless that song is “Whistle” by Flo Rida, then you can judge it instantly) I think my favorite song is “From Finner.” The lyrics are a little confusing (is it a giant metaphor or just strange a LSD trip?) but the music is wonderful, especially Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir’s vocals (she looks like a reincarnation of Bjork but prettier, and yes, I C&P’d her name). They’re amazing.

(Favorite part of the video, aside from the performance: “hahaha… spilled your beer…” It made me chuckle.)

You can quote me on this: they’re going to be big.

The Lumineers. I’m torn on this group. I’m just not a HUGE folksy-roots fan. That said, I’ve had a few of their songs literally stuck in my head and I just can’t be upset when I listen to their music. Most of you have probably heard “Ho Hey” on the radio, and while it’s a great song, I think “Stubborn Love” is far better.

My only gripe about that song is the stupid lyric (at 1:15): “It’s better to feel pain… than nothing at all…. The opposite of love’s indifference…” it feels like they tried way too hard to add something profound there, and that’s annoying. But overall the song is wonderful.

little hurricane (not a failure to capitalize properly, that’s actually their name). This is a band that my dad suggested I check out after I made him listen to The Black Keys. They’re kinda White Stripes meets The Black Keys with some more poppy-rock mixed in (same format as WS: female drummer, male guitarist-vocalist). I love this group. Hope they get HUGE!

If you have any suggestions for music to check out feel free to leave a comment, or send me a tweet.

Got this band from my Twitter friend @DIVx0, She Keeps Bees. You guys MUST check them out. They’re like bluesy-soul-rock-awesomeness. I don’t know how to explain this duo, but, just listen (you can listen to all their self-recorded/released music on their website).

(I wish more bands did that ^^)