“What a day to be left here on my own. So much to say, so much you’ll never know.” – Beauty’s Running Wild
If I had to pick one region to get my music from for the rest of my life, it’d be between Texas and the UK. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with the Give Me Something EP by England’s own Scars on 45. They’re currently touring with last week’s featured artist, Marc Broussard and I’ll get to check them out live next month at the Riverfront Festival in Newburyport, MA. I read an article about the guys before ever having listened and I knew pretty quickly I had to hear them when they described themselves as “Fleetwood Mac meets Ryan Adams meets Brit-Pop.” To top it off, the band found its name in an Emmylou Harris story. They’ve had moderate success on American television, most notably their songs “Hearts on Fire” and “Beauty’s Running Wild” (featured on CSI) and the band is now recording their debut full length in LA. Pick up the EP now, and I’ll be sure to blog about it when the full length drops.
Give Me Something
“There’s no guarantees that we won’t be right back where we are tonight. So let me do it over and I’ll get it right.” – Let Me Do It Over Again
If you’ve ever heard Carencro or Keep Coming Back, you probably really like Marc Broussard. If you’ve ever seen him live and at the top of his game, you probably really LOVE Marc Broussard. Few artists are as dramatically different on disc and on stage as Broussard has been in the past. With his newest release, he’s getting closer to capturing what he’s all about though. The opening track, “Lucky” is flawless and “Emily” is just catchy as hell. Make sure to snag the deluxe version because the bonus tracks, “Could You Believe” and “Stay With Me” are well worth the extra 2 bucks. If you’re at all a Broussard fan, this is a must-buy.
If you’ve never really listened to Broussard, start here, go here and then finish up here.
Lucky
Only Everything
“All my shadows form an army. They turn and fall back into line then shine a light down in these darkened times” – My Army
I really should listen to my friends and fellow bloggers more. Danielle over at The Hidden Mixed Tape blogged about Saints of Valory months ago and my friend Krissie has been tweeting her love for them for quite some too. Note to self: pay better attention, especially if the band is from Texas.
It’s as if everything that touches Texas turns to gold these days. Austin’s one of my favorite cities and the music scene there just keeps getting better. Saints of Valory are the newest in my long line of obsessions from TX (Courrier, Taylor Davis, The Soldier Thread, Quiet Company and Sleeperstar to name a few). Their 2010 release, Bright Lights, is flawless (if you ignore the fact that it’s only 8 songs deep) and just last week, they released the Neon Eyes EP. Though the EP has a few carry overs from Bright Lights, the two new songs “Neon Eyes” and “Cover Girl” are well worth the price of the EP.
I’ll be honest, I listen to most albums around 5 times in the first two weeks of owning it. If I REALLY like an album, it’ll get ten or more plays in that time frame. At last count, I’d run the number on Bright Lights and the Neon Eyes EP up to 21 – in four days. Just give it a listen, you wont be disappointed.
Neon Eyes (acoustic)
Dear Ivy
“Don’t you forget that the rope you tied around your neck don’t free you darling.” - Follaton Woods
Ben Howard – where to begin with this dude. Watching him is unreal and hearing him can’t really be described. All I know is I hope more musicians do whatever the hell it is he’s doing, because he’s doing it right. His full length album Every Kingdom is due out in September, and if it’s not released in the US, then I am going to have to head over to Amazon.co.uk – won’t be the first or last time. Howard’s guitar pounding percussion is a unique twist to the folksy singer songwriter. Sure, other guys have done it, but has anyone tied it all together as well – if so, I haven’t found them yet. Start here and watch as many of his live performances as you can then cross your fingers with me and hope that Every Kingdom can capture even half of Howard’s stage presence. If it happens, you can bet you’ll hear a lot more of me going on and on about Ben Howard.
A Hand To Hold/Looking Sideways
Depth Over Distance
Follaton Wood (On The Road)
If I had to pick one region to get my music from for the rest of my life, it’d be between Texas and the UK. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with the Give Me Something EP by England’s own Scars on 45. They’re currently touring with last week’s featured artist, Marc Broussard and I’ll get to check them out live next month at the Riverfront Festival in Newburyport, MA. I read an article about the guys before ever having listened and I knew pretty quickly I had to hear them when they described themselves as “Fleetwood Mac meets Ryan Adams meets Brit-Pop.” To top it off, the band found its name in an Emmylou Harris story. They’ve had moderate success on American television, most notably their songs “Hearts on Fire” and “Beauty’s Running Wild” (featured on CSI) and the band is now recording their debut full length in LA. Pick up the EP now, and I’ll be sure to blog about it when the full length drops.
