It’s not often you come across a single person that has an entire band name.  I mean, I guess there’s Prince and Owl City and Moby and Girl Talk.  But other than that, it’s pretty rare.  A Fine Frenzy is actually the secret code name/actual artist name for Alison Sudol, the alternative singer-songwriter pianist from Seattle and, to be honest, the name fits the bill.  Granted the name was taken from a Shakespeare verse (because apparently Ms. Sudol is quite the literary word wizard), but it fits eerily close to what I imagine my description of her music would be if I had to explain it in three words from a Shakespeare verse.  Weird…

She currently has two albums on the market; the first released in 2007 and the second, Bomb In A Birdcage, released  less than a month ago in September 2009.   If I had to compare her music to someone, I’d probably say that she’s a mixture of Ben Folds and Regina Spektor with a splash of Paolo Nutini (see “Electric Twist” off of the new album) and a whisper of Norah Jones.  Her music is generally upbeat and paints a vivid musical landscape that’s easy to follow, but musically complex in its own right.  Whoa, that was pretty deep.

A Fine Frenzy is also currently busy touring across the country and is also extremely busy being good-looking (see caption on picture.)  But even with all that working overtime, she still finds time to have over 1,300,000 Twitter followers.  I guess you could say she’s “Seattle’s Best.”

Best Tracks: “Blow Away”, “What I Wouldn’t Do”, “Electric Twist” and “The Beacon.”

Check out her new single “Blow Away”:

If you like A Fine Frenzy, check out Zee Avi!

Surfing somewhere in between peculiar and catchy lies Zero 7, a chill UK group known for experimental remixes and unique trip-hop compositions like “In the Waiting Line,” the floating downtempo diddy from “Garden State’s” ecstasy scene.  Not that we’re advocating the use of drugs.  Because we’re not.  We’d never let Crime Dog McGruff or our 4th grade D.A.R.E. officers down by doing such a thing.

The new album from Zero 7, “Yeah Ghost,” is the group’s fourth, and it includes a smattering of tracks doing all sorts of interesting things.  No two are anywhere near alike, but all eleven are worthy either of rhythmic head bobbing or thoughtful contemplation.  This is music that’s actually accomplishing something.  The fact that it’s actually worth listening to is a bonus.  Kind of like biting into a delicious jelly donut and having naked Megan Foxes unexpectedly spill forth from the hollow center.

Among these tracks is “MrMcgee,” the most poppy and marketable of the batch, which starts off slowly and then kicks things into party gear halfway through the first verse.  Zero 7 isn’t necessarily known for toe-tappers, but this one is good enough for club play.

Other notables on this album include “Swing,” which is a more traditional slowdown Zero 7 cut highlighted by tinkling carnival bells over an acoustic backdrop, and “The Road,” which is by far the prettiest melody on the disc.  It’s the kind of meaningful ballad that would affect a person almost medicinally late enough in an evening—a lot like John Mayer’s “Wheel” and just about anything by Norah Jones.

Songs like “Pop Art Blue” and “Sleeper” leave their mark on the overall vibe of the album too, and other tracks get a little riskier than one might prefer, but all in all this is a solid purchase.  Certainly more worthwhile than the Barbara Streisand album that comes out today.  And if I offended you by saying so, then you’ve got no business frequenting this website.  There’s no place for Barbara Streisand fans here.  Also unwelcome are fans of Celine Dion and any rapper with the prefix “Li’l” added to their stage names.

But fans of Zero 7 are cool.  They can hang out for a while if they want.  Juice and naked Megan Fox jelly donuts will be provided.

Check out the album below:

Amazon Music

Ingrid Michaelson – “Maybe”

Ingrid has that fun-loving spirit that’s hard not to appreciate.   “Maybe” is another catchy jam from her that holds true to her style.  The chorus is catchy and the video is very dream-worldy.  Like the movie Labyrinth with David Bowie.  In fact, it’s pretty much exactly the movie Labyrinth.

Gary Go – “Wonderful”

Is his real name Gary Go?  I don’t know.  I’m not a doctor.  But what I do know is this song rocks.  Very catchy, very likeable.  You really can’t go wrong.

Miike Snow – “Animal”

He spells his name with two “i”s so it must be good.  Also the video is weirdly awesome.  Did I just see a giraffe’s head?  You sure did.

James Morrison is one of those guys that you just assume is a cool dude.  Kind of like James Dean or the Cheeto’s Cheetah.  If I possessed even an ounce of the pure, un-cut cool that they possess,  women would fall from the heavens and I wouldn’t have to wait in line at Starbuck’s.  But alas, I do not and am forced to wait for my foamy latte like the rest of the coffee commoners.  Damn you corporate America.

But before I tell you about how cool he really is, let’s get one thing straight:  He is NOT the lead singer of “The Doors.”  How do I know this?  A couple of reasons.

1. His name is actually James Morrison Catchpole (according to the Internet which is always true) so the stage-name James Morrison is actually a combination of his first and middle names, not his last name.
2. James Morrison was born in 1984, 13 years after the death of Jim Morrison (and consequently the death of “The Doors”) in 1971.  So there.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about why James Morrison is cool.  This guy has one of the most soulful voices out there today and, as mentioned, he’s only 25 years old.  His music is both smooth and energetic and provides the listener with a very big sound, regardless of whether or not he’s singing an up-beat song or a ballad.  His unique voice utilizes a large range and trust me, he never skips a note.   It’s easy to hear his main influences in his music, especially when you find out those influences are Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Van Morrison and Al Green.  Could it get any more soulful-er?

So where have you heard him before?  Well if you’re not an avid James Morrison follower already, you may have heard him on the most recent album of a Mr. Jason Mraz.  Heard of him? Yeah I thought so.  James collaborated with Jason on the track “Details In the Fabric” on his latest album and personally, I think he sounded magical.  Not long after the release of Jason’s album (he and I are on a first name basis), Morrison released his sophomore album Songs For Me, Truths For You with the lead-off single “You Make It Real.”  It instantly became a hit  (a.k.a the song may or not have been featured on an Overstock.com commercial) catapulting Morrison to super-stardom.

However, the next single off of the album, “Broken Strings”, is what really peaked my interest.  Or should I say the guest artist in the video is what really peaked my interest.  I mean, James Morrison is great on his own don’t get me wrong, but add a dash of the ever-so-tasty Nelly Furtado and you’ve got yourself a hit.

It starts out all, “Hey I’m a wheepy guy and I’m super deep and everthing” and then BAM! Exploding TV, shattered vase, broken love, glass shrapnel…complete and udder singer-songwriter meltdown. Awesome.

Best Tracks: “You Make It Real”, “Broken Strings”, “The Only Night” and “Precious Love.”

iTunes

Amazon Music

If you like James Morrison, check out Amos Lee!

Think of Owl City’s Adam Young as a sort of placid, electronica version of Trent Reznor.  He’s nowhere near as badass, but the two are alike in that both men essentially are their band.  That’s right, gang—Owl City is just one dude.

Having seen Moby in concert once by accident, I can guess that a one-man, multi-laptop show doesn’t make for a particularly interesting entertainment experience, as many a message boarder hath complained, but the music itself is catchy, creative, and smart.  See, Young is a legitimate insomniac who started writing music in his parent’s basement to while away the hours spent not sleeping.  They (“they” being doctors and stuff) say the brain is at its most creative in the moments before sleep, so late-night forays into the poetic and musical realm naturally make for a floating, dreamlike sound.

In fact the video for Young’s first major-label single, “Fireflies,” is steeped heavily in insomnia-related imagery, full of the insane yet jovial things that appear to happen when one fails to catch enough z’s.  It’s not only really cool visually, but it’s also super dreamlike and floating.  Like I said.

Anybody who’s into synthesizers accompanied by heavy bass and flip-floppy drum riffs will dig the O.C., as I’ve just now affectionately nicknamed Young’s project.  Plus, the wordplay and multi-syllabic rhymes sprinkled throughout the course of the album, entitled Ocean Eyes, are top-notch.  A few of my favorites:

“With prawns like these, who needs anemones?” (The Bird and the Worm)
“A foxtrot above my head, a soc-hop beneath my bed, a disco ball is just hanging by a thread.” (Fireflies)
“I’ve been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill.” (Dental Care)

Pretty fun, right?  So what if the concert sucks?  The music itself is actually rather lovely—the sort of thing you’d run through your headphones at 1am in bed, half asleep and half awake, tottering between slumber and insomnia.

It’s enough to make you want to start your own one-man band.  With the success of Nine Inch Nails, Owl City, and Dick Van Dyke’s character in “Mary Poppins,” the world really is your oyster.  Personally, I’d name my band “Sexy, Party of One, Your Table is Ready,” and if my imaginary agent said that was too long to be marketable I’d just go with something catchy like “Fire Plaid” or “Iron Mailbox” and save “Sexy, etc.” for my first single.

Good, it’s done.  Glad we got that all cleared up.  Now what were we talking about?

Best Tracks: “Cave In,” “The Bird and the Worm,” “Hello Seattle,” “Dental Care,” “Meteor Shower,” and “Fireflies.”

Check out Ocean Eyes below:

iTunes

Amazon Music

If you like Owl City, you’ll definitely dig The Script!