1. "Hot Peppers" by Emily Bear (from the LP "Diversity")
Emily Bear has been playing piano since the age of two. Let me say that again. Emily Bear has been playing piano since the age of two. Two years old, that is. She will turn 12 later this summer, and already has recorded 6 albums. Let's see, what did I accomplish by age 11. OH - I know! I specifically remember hitting 91 of 100 free throws on my nerf hoop during a Bucks/Bullets game. Make your fun, you try it ... either way, it needs to be said that Emily Bear is an amazing talent, and I wish you would have seen my daughter's face light up when she saw the video I'm about to share with you ... mind. blown.
2. "Brighten It Up" by Matt Stansberry & the Romance (from the EP "Let's Brighten It Up")
I got a new iPod recently, and this song has been played more than any song since I broke it in. This is a must EP, and they want to give it to you! These guys are two scoops fun, and one scoop awesome.
3. "Homely Girl" by Scott & Rivers (from the LP "Scott & Rivers")
If you're a fan of Weezer, and have been waiting for their next great album, this may satisfy your cravings. Scott & Rivers is a new collaboration between Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and Scott Murphy of Allister. And here's the twist ... it is sung almost entirely in Japanese. I played it for Gracie, and she said, "Oh my goodness - I don't know what he's talking about". No matter what language the vocals are presented in, the music is spoken in the language of RAWK. This is not available on CD in the states, but you can find it on iTunes.
4. "This Disorder" by The Features (from the LP "The Features")
There is nothing like hearing a song for the first time, and knowing 30 years from now, it will still sound as good as it does now. This will be a record, and a band that I look forward to becoming more familiar with in the future.
5. "Shut Up" by Savages (from the LP "Silence Yourself")
If you're looking for a 38 minute record by an all female English post-punk band to keep you company while you're on the bike at the gym, that's exactly what this record has been doing for me for the past three weeks. A must listen ... and this clip is a must see ...
6. "Sea of Love" by The National (from the LP "Trouble Will Find Me")
I know at least a few of you are thinking, "do The National really need Joey's help, aren't we all aware of who these guys are?", but I need to remind you, while I like to feature newer artists, I also want to celebrate new music by any good musicians. This band is too good not be known by all my readers, and I don't think all my readers are familiar with these guys. SPOILER ALERT : Alligator is one of my all time favorite albums. Where will it rank on Fugazzi Grand III : Albums?? (shameless plug for my top 500 albums countdown, coming to "The Litmus Configuration" on January 1, 2014, and concluding on December 31, 2014). The next time you see me, ask me to do my Matt Berninger impression. And check out the kid in this video ...
7. "Pauvre Coeur" by Jillette Johnson (from the EP "Whiskey & Frosting")
I won't get to cute here, this is a great, great song, and I can't get enough of it. I discovered Jillette Johnson on noisetrade.com, and I implore you to download this EP, and tip accordingly. Her vocals remind me of Rufus Wainwright, if you're a fan (I certainly am). Her debut LP is called "Water in a Whale" and will be available on June 25th. Again, just an incredible song ...
8. "Good To You" by The Riverside (from the LP "The Riverside")
This was the first song I chose for this month's playlist. Sadly, only hours after I had a great conversation with the band, the band's percussionist, Seth Gruber, shared the news that his mom, Diana Gruber, had been diagnosed with cancer for a third time. You can follow Diana's progress on her blog ...
9. "Lean On Me" by Telekinesis (from the LP "Dormarion")
Great album, could have chosen any number of the tracks from this record. I've been wearing this out lately. Really enjoying this ...
10. "High School Lover" by Cayucas (from the LP "Bigfoot")
I love this song, and this will be the next full length record I purchase. Again, for you trivia buffs, this is the 2nd most played song on my brand spanking new iPod, and I've been singing the shit out of it in the shower ...
11. "High Heel Leather Boots" by Baby Bee (from the EP "The Shaker")
If you have $3.36 laying around, don't waste it on fast food, and don't save it (the rates suck). Buy this EP. This song will rock your faces off ...
12. "Hush Hush" by Pistol Annies (from the LP "Annie Up")
Some of you may think that the blog has been hijacked. No, I am not a fan of country music. And Pistol Annies certainly don't need my help with exposure (over 418,000 likes on Facebook). But I'm drawn to this song. I can't explain why. Over 11,000 songs in my iTunes, probably 7 or 8 country songs, but for whatever reason, I'm enjoying this tune. Fun video too ...
13. "Black Belt" by John Grant (from the LP "Pale Green Ghosts")
My favorite lyric from any newgazzi song featured since I started this .... "what you got is a black belt in B.S." Great song ...
14. "Monedita" by La Santa Cecilia (from the LP "Treinta Dias")
Any friends of Elvis Costello's are friends of mine. This is a live performance from a few months back, and it's followed with a super sexy version of "Tainted Love". I can't wait to see this band live.
15. "Billie Jean" by The Civil Wars (from Unplugged on VH1)
The Civil Wars were featured on one of the first, if not the first mPlayer sampler from Paste back in July of 2011. Their song "20 Years" from their album "Barton Hollow" is still one of my favorite songs from any of the mPlayer samplers, and when I saw this, I knew right away this was closin' the show I call newgazzi Vol 4. There have been rumors of a recent breakup, I hope they're not true. Enjoy this cover of a Michael Jackson classic ...
Thanks again for checking out newgazzi ! See you at the end of June for more great tunes !
