Wildlife - "Sea Dreamer" Music Video

Canadian rockers Wildlife, the guys behind the irresistible tune "Stand In The Water," have released their debut music video for "Sea Dreamer"! The hilarious clip shows the band in a series of conflicts with an evil rival gang! Check it out!

Wildlife-"Stand In The Water"

Bowerbirds - The Clearing

Is it too early in the year to nominate an album for my Best of the Year list? Bowerbirds certainly don't think so. With their previous albums, Upper Air and Hymns for a Dark Horse, I was made a fan and it was clear that the group had a huge amount of potential. The Clearing, however, realizes every last bit of that potential. The folk group from North Carolina skyrockets past their previous efforts, and, I think, makes the best album they possibly could have. 

From the first track, I knew things were different. The melodies of "Tuck The Darkness In" have been wandering around my head for weeks and the beautiful instrumentation reveals further subtleties with every listen. The song builds and builds, showing that when the group gets loud, their whole effect is more powerful. The second single, "In The Yard," surprises yet again, with soaring fuzzy guitar lines and yet another catchy melody. 

I could go on and on like this about every single track, but this piece of folk genius is best experienced firsthand. Not a single track stood out as being weak, although "Walk The Furrows" and "Now We Hurry On" were additional highlights. 

With The Clearing, Bowerbirds expand their sound, from almost exclusively slow acoustic ballads, to fuller arrangements with distorted guitars, more present drums, and strings. The vocals are stronger, less hushed, and more powerful. This album is everything Bowerbirds should be. 

Enjoy the video below of the Philip Moore and Beth Tacular discussing the making of the album. 

Bowerbirds-"Tuck The Darkness In"

Bowerbirds-"Walk The Furrows"

The Lumineers - "Stubborn Love"

Look Sessions has released yet another great video of The Lumineers performing acoustically. This time, they jam their way through "Stubborn Love," a track we haven't had the pleasure of hearing yet. As every peek of their upcoming album has done, this excellent track has gotten us even more excited. Enjoy!

Good Old War Behind The Scenes Video

Good Old War, the guys behind the recent single, "Can't Go Home," have given us an inside look into the studio as they prepare to release their album. The video below follows the group as they talk about the recording process for Come Back As Rain, and give us sneak peeks at a few of the new tracks. Enjoy!

Plants and Animals - The End Of That

Canadian rockers Plants and Animals are back with their third full length, The End Of That. With this effort, the group solidly continues along their modern, classic rock path, not straying too far away from their roots. The first track, "Before," showcases the group's soft side, while hard-hitters like "Why & Why" and "Control Me," show the fellows loosening up a bit. The lead single, "Lightshow," is clearly the standout track, bringing all the trio's sounds together. The rest of the album, especially "2010," a seemingly very forced song about the end of the year, stumbles. Propelled by the strong single, the album is worth a listen, but "Lightshow," and the great music video for it, provide the listener with the best four minutes of the disc. Unfortunately, this does not seem like a step forward for the group, yet it is unlikely to drive any fans away. The End Of That isn't actually the end of anything. It is simply a sidestep. 

Plants and Animals-"Why & Why"

James Mercer of The Shins - "Simple Song"

James Mercer of The Shins recently stopped by Portland's KINK FM to perform a few acoustic tracks from their upcoming album, Port Of Morrow. Check out the video of Mercer playing "Simple Song" below. Watch the rest of the session and an interview here.

Bon Iver - "Towers" Music Video

Bon Iver has released another gorgeous, soothing video from his latest record, Bon Iver. The clip, for "Towers," follows an old man on his journey out to sea. The song will be released as a single on March 6th, along with a previously unreleased track, "Bruised Orange (Chain Of Sorrow)". Also, check out the group's tour dates below. Enjoy!

C2C

Between the years of 2003 and 2006, C2C, a group of French DJs reigned supreme by winning the DMC World Team DJ Championship four years in a row. Years later, the quartet has reappeared with their first attempt at producing original music, the Down The Road EP. The EP is one of the most exciting debuts of electronic music I have ever heard. The five tracks all showcase different aspects of their songwriting and feature soul samples, infectious beats, and good old record scratches. The title track, "Down The Road," has been on repeat in my headphones for a solid week now, and I personally challenge any reader of this to listen it without wanting to dance. It is impossible! They even scratch up a harmonica solo! Enjoy the track and take a look at their creative and visually spectacular music video for "F.U.Y.A." below.

C2C-"Down The Road"

Beirut - "Vagabond" Music Video

Beirut have just released a music video for "Vagabond," a track off their latest release, 2011's The Rip Tide. The old school clip looks like a classic 1940's war film but with an even better soundtrack! Enjoy!

Dub Fx

Dub Fx is not your average street performer. The Australian beatboxer/singer does not perform with any instruments, instead making his entire songs with only his voice. By running his voice through an effects pedal and a looping station, he is able to make beautiful hip-hop/reggae tracks that are much fuller than one would imagine.

A few years ago, after I saw a YouTube video (below) of Dub Fx performing one of his tracks, "Made," on the street, I became captivated by this extremely driven, and now hugely popular busker. The other day, I stumbled upon another video (below) that gave a very informative introduction to the mysterious artist. His socially concerned tracks on his debut album, Everythinks A Ripple, blend heavy bass with reggae beats and introspective raps, all done with his voice of course. Check him out!

Dub Fx-"The Rain Is Gone"

The Shins - "Simple Song" Music Video

James Mercer and crew have released a hilarious and inventive music video for their latest single, "Simple Song". The video, from the upcoming album Port Of Morrow, is directed by DANIELS and it available for free on iTunes! Enjoy the awesome video accompaniment!

Download the free video here!

M. Ward - "Primitive Girl"

M. Ward is set to release his upcoming solo album, A Wasteland Companion, on April 10th. We get to hear another track from that disc, titled "Primitive Girl". After a few years of playing with groups like Monsters of Folk and She & Him, he is back to working on solo material, and it sounds like he definitely remembers how. Check out the video for the first single, "The First Time I Ran Away," below.

Hey Marseilles

Hey Marseilles, a seven-piece group from Seattle, WA, blends folk music with orchestral and French influences to produce something soothing and beautiful. With a sound that brings to mind wide open spaces and long journeys, the self-proclaimed "folkestral" group has struck gold with their debut 2010 album, To Travels & Trunks. The acoustic "Someone to Love" brings to mind Death Cab For Cutie, while the title track evokes more comparisons to Of Monsters & Men, or a French-tinged The Head and the Heart. Not a single track is weak, and the first and last tracks act as perfect bookends to the journey that is To Travels & Trunks. Check out a great Look Session of the group performing their new single, "Elegy" below. Also below are their tour dates for SXSW and Sasquatch! Check them out!

Hey Marseilles-"To Travels & Trunks"

Hey Marseilles-"Someone To Love"

Hey Marseilles-"Cigarettes"

Atmosphere - "Became" Music Video

Atmosphere has just released their latest music video, accompanying their song "Became," one of my personal favorites from their 2011 album, The Family Sign. The video features a whole array of styles and is a pretty interesting companion to a captivating song. Check it out!

Bon Iver 4AD/Jagjaguwar Session

Today, 4AD and Jagjaguwar present to us a beautiful session with Bon Iver. Justin Vernon, backed just by Sean Carey, runs through five tracks with just two grand pianos and two incredible voices. The stark, simple performance is absolutely gorgeous and really highlights Vernon's piano skills and his non-falsetto voice. Enjoy!

1. Hinnom, TX
2. Wash.
3. I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt cover)
4. Babys
5. Beth/Rest

Jack White - "Love Interruption" Music Video

Jack White has brought us the visual accompaniment to his latest great single, "Love Interruption". The video features vocalist Ruby Amanfu. His upcoming solo album, Blunderbuss, will be released on April 24th. Take a look!

The Lumineers - "Slow It Down"

My latest obsession, The Lumineers, just recorded a Look Session, playing "Slow It Down," a track that will be on their upcoming album. The video is loads of fun, full of porch stomping and tambourine shaking. Enjoy!

Dr. Dog - "Lonesome" Live

Dr. Dog stopped by the studios of Philadelphia music site InTheMix to perform a wonderful live rendition of "Lonesome," the first track on their brand new album, Be The Void. Also, check out their current tour dates below!

The Lumineers

After first hearing The Lumineers, I noticed that they had seemed to go back in time. The voice of Wesley Schultz sounds as if it comes from another era, a simpler time. The three-piece from Colorado has been making waves with their frolicking, fun, folk rock jams, full of frantic fingerpicking and male-female vocal harmonies. They recently got some attention when their song "Ho Hey" was featured in the TV show Hart of Dixie. They will be releasing their self-titled debut album on April 3rd, and I cannot wait. Luckily, to hold us off until then, they recorded a Daytrotter session a few months ago and they sound amazing live. They have also finished shooting their music video for "Ho Hey" and it will be released soon! They are also going on tour very soon to support the album, and I have a very good feeling that they will be quite fun to see live. Take a listen and enjoy!

The Lumineers-"Ho Hey"

The Lumineers-"The Dead Sea"

Hey Marseilles - "Cigarettes" Tour Video

Hey Marseilles, a Seattle-based "folkestral" group, has released a beautiful and creative video for their tune "Cigarettes". The parts of the track, off their latest album, To Travels and Trunks, were filmed in various locations all along their tour. They are yet another great band to be on the lineup for this year's Sasquatch Music Festival. Be sure to add them to your must-see list!