43. Lissie

43. Lissie - Catching A Tiger

Lissie Maurus is an American folk rock singer. She comes from Rock Island, IL and is steeped in Americana and Appalachian folk and delta blues. Watching her sing (and others like her) only go to prove why American Idol is a joke. Effortless, liquid velvet voice and raw song-writing talent will propel this young songstress forward. She reminds me of Laura Marling in her lyrical and vocal capabilities. While this album may be a tad over-produced, it's the two songs below which garnered her this spot in my top 50. I hope to see her perform live someday.



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Album Review - White Lies - Ritual

White Lies - Ritual

It's finally time to start talking about some new music. I am really taken aback by this new album by White Lies. What really got me into it, though, was the short film they directed to go along with some of the tracks off the album. Genius, just pure genius. White Lies is from London, England and are comprised of Harry McVeigh (lead vocals, guitar), Charles Cave (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Jack Lawrence-Brown (drums). They cite their musical influences as The Talking Heads and The Secret Machines, but their sound has some other dark eighties sound in there as well, like Echo and the Bunnymen and Tears for Fears, or maybe They Might Be Giants. They produce a big sound for only three guys (they tour live with five, which tells me that some of that sound comes from the studio). Still, they have great lyrics and I really like Harry's vocals. It would be fun to see these guys live at a medium size venue. Watch the short film below.



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