I first heard The Black Keys in 2006 while working at a coffeehouse in Syracuse. A girl that I worked with had a burned copy of their debut album The Big Come Up.The album was raw garage rock-- a totally different direction than most of the music trends happening at the time. Everything I was listening to seemed overproduced and to hear something so raw, taking it back to the nitty gritty of rock and roll, was refreshing.
In the next six years, The Black Keys began to emerge slowly from their cult following, underground fan base, to what they are doing now-- playing large venues and touring internationally. However, through the entire experience, the duo seem relatively humbled and unsure how to deal with it all. And I think I'm pretty much ok with that. There are just too many musicians that let fame get to them. Either way, my current favorite off of their latest album El Camino is one that just simply wont' get out of my head.
Are you a fan of The Black Keys? What have you been listening to lately?
I saw the Dirty Guv'nahs last summer during a First Thursday event in Baltimore. They are a pretty rockin' band out of Tennesee. After seeing them live, the only question that remained was-- How can they go from a pretty rockin' band to a super awesometastic rockin' band? The answer is simple. They can ask their fans what they'd like to see in a music video and then do all of those things. Watch the end result. You won't be disappointed. Especially when it involves things getting blown up.
Oh, and did I mention that their music is pretty good too? ;)
This week I can't get the newest album by Gomez out of my head. The album called Whatever's On Your Mind has been playing non-stop on my stereo, and there is a lot about it to love. Acoustic pop, elaborate orchestrations, glitchy electronics looped over dance beats, some brass band sounds, and a handful of anything else that I failed to mention.
The album's title track has been hard for me to shake.
And Song in My Heart takes on a totally different vibe that I love as well.
It is truly hard to go wrong with these guys. What album or song can't you shake these days?
I grew up with a lot of bluegrass. My dad played a lot of it, and still does, in band that he plays with these days. Bluegrass isn't the only thing that he plays, but that is how I was exposed to it. Needless to say, I love it. And one thing that I love about it is it's versatility. It can be percussive, jazz-like, or carry a bit of a twang.
I've been a bit obsessed with the Punch Brothers lately, a bluegrass quintet fronted by mandolinist extraordinaire Chris Thile. I first heard Chris Thile when he played for Nickel Creek. Myself and a bunch of college roommates had gone to see John Mayer, and Nickel Creek was opening for him. John Mayer is an amazing guitarist, but I was definitely impressed with Thile (consider Thile the rock star of all rock stars of mandolinists).
Most recently, Andrew and I were lucky to see the Punch Brothers open for Bruce Hornsby this past August. And they are absolutely fantastic. After buying their latest album, Who's Feeling Young Now?, I've quickly found that their music is some of the most original and experimental in their genre. It's hard not to like it.
No Concern of Yours has quickly become my favorite song on their album.
One of the bands that Andrew and I listen to a lot as of late is Delta Spirit. We loved this San Diego band's album History From Below and were excited to hear a new album was on the way. Their music is raw, sometimes with hints of blues and Americana. Their songs on each album range from calm and mellow to poppy and raucous. Last week during my Spring Break, I headed down to Fells Point to stop into The Sound Garden to pick up some new music. Delta Spirit's latest album, just released on March 13, was on my mental list of what to pick up. The opening song, Empty House, on their new self-titled album is my favorite so far after three listens.
