1. Other Lives - Tamer Animals
I've been fortunate enough to see these guys three times already this year. They reside in Stillwater, which is apparently a mecca for great musicians and creativity, because Stillwater is also the home to Deerpeople and Dead Sea Choir, who are amazing in their own right. It's so crazy how big these guys are getting. They just got off tour with, none other than, Radiohead. Tamer Animals is their Sophomore effort and received loads of accolades. Very happy to put a local band on my blog.
2. Fox and the Bird - Floating Feather
This is a band I ran across in Dallas and who call Fort Worth, Texas home. At the core are Dan and Kelsey Bowman, who are a husband and wife team and a constantly rotating cavalcade of musicians. The more I listen to this band, the more I love them. As close as they are to us, I have yet to see them on a roster here in OKC, but that doesn't mean they haven't. They are certainly excellent candidates for The Blue Door and the house concerts going on in the city. Perhaps I will have them come play my house after I move. They play this Saturday at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton
3. The Darcys - The Darcys
Saw these guys at SXSW this year and they just completely blew me away. I bought their recent LP, which is a complete cover of Steely Dan's 'Aja' album. That, in and of itself, was enough to sell me on the band. The Canadian band is shoegaze and have been gaining a lot of acclaim.
4. Brown Bird - Salt For Salt
I discovered these guys by accident and have never turned back. The Rhode Island duo focus on Eastern European folk, but have no problem incorporating other forms of folk from around the world into their music. They just got through playing a mind-blowing show in El Reno last month.
5. Summer Camp - Welcome To Condale
An electo-pop duo from England, Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey produce digital melodies that draw heavily from the 60's surf rock and 80's synth-wave. A great name to remain obscure, because, try typing 'summer camp' into google. Check out the video below.
6. Gardens & Villa - Gardens & Villa
A five-piece from Santa Barbera, these guys incorporate goth sensibilities in with their dream-pop, electro sound. It makes for a wonderful convergence. They have been here twice within the last year and made a big splash at SXSW. Mostly because the lead singer has a flute strapped to his back.
7. Cloud Control - Bliss Release
Another band I found by accident out of Sydney, Australia. They are classified as indie rock, folk and psychedelia. Which basically means, they defy genre and have crafted a unique sound. They have received loads of acclaim in Australia and have been supported by Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend and The Magic Numbers to name a few.
8. Husky - Forever So
Saw these guys at SXSW and they are just, simply amazing. They are branded as folk, but it's not the traditional folk sound you might be accustomed to hearing. Another Australian band out of Melbourne, these guys craft beautiful songs that stick with you. They will release their album in the US in July.
9. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient
An indie rock band from Philadelphia including Kurt Vile and Adam Granduciel. This is their sophomore release and is just incredible. Again, I can't believe I fucking missed this. This is the second album from Secretly Canadian; which means I need to pay more attention to them.
10. Givers - In Light
Givers is a band out of Lafayette, LA and is indie rock with an African worldbeat influence. It's probably what attracted me to it, was the Ladysmith Black Mambazo style instrumentation. This will probably be a new segment for me in years to come, mostly because there are always bands I miss throughout the year that hit my attention in the first few months of the new year. So much music...so little time.
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