Kid Sister – “Daydreamin’”
A cousin’s neighbor’s uncle’s half brother’s best friend’s study buddy of mine actually knows Kid Sister. True story. Knowing that I could potentially be best friends with a musical genius, I decided to explore Kid Sister’s melodious workings. I decided she’s pretty good. So now you can say a cousin’s neighbor’s blah blah blah knows Kid Sister and you guys are pretty much best friends.
Eliza Doolittle – “Rollerblades”
Do you hear that? It sounds a bit like lemonade stands, swimming pools, and freeze pops. Eliza Doolittle has a few intriguing and enjoyable hits which include this little delight with “Rollerblades.” I’ll support anyone who tries to creatively bring back a token of my childhood. This song even inspires me to lace up the ‘ol inline skates and practice by backwards couple skate maneuvers. Memories.
Iron and Wine – “Boy With a Coin”
Iron and Wine… like liver and Cabernet or shrimp and Merlot OR this singer-songwriter from South Carolina. The clapping paralleling with the guitar strumming in this song inspires for me an immediate reaction of toe tapping and enjoyment. Plus, he plays a banjo. Banjos have and will always be fun. If you dare to argue I’ll thumb wrestle you…to death.
I love The Decemberists. Especially in January. They have that perfect mix of folk and rock that always leaves you wanting more. The sound is contagious, and they honestly have major problems creating songs that are not good. Ok, I guess I wouldn’t say that it’s a “problem” more a blessing, but either way they have a knack for creating pure acoustic gold. With elements of Neil Young and Bob Dylan (as you’ll notice with the first blow of the harmonica), they draw on old-school folk and even some country-blues elements with soulful slide guitar and powerful vocals.
Their latest release The King Is Dead is a soulful delivery of impeccable harmonies and relaxing instrumentation. Like Enya except not. Or possibly like Kenny G, except also not. I’ve always appreciated their incredible combination of traditional folk instruments and styling to create a completely unique sound that’s instantly recognizable as The Decemberists. And with six albums currently out, they are obviously doing something right. If you stood their fan base shoulder to shoulder, the line would wrap around the world six times. That is a completely amazing fact I may or may not have just made up, but I’m sure it’s pretty close. I mean, they have a lot of fans.
Honestly, if you like The Decemberists or even just great relaxing music, you should definitely check out their latest release The King Is Dead. We promise you’ll be satisfied. And it has nothing to do with Enya. We also promise that.
Check out the King Is Dead on:
There are four million people in New Zealand, but only one of them gets to be Brooke Fraser. Once named her country’s Best Female Solo Artist, Fraser is now gracing the entire world with her powerful, smoky tone and emotionally charged music.
“Flags” is her most recent project, released worldwide in October of last year, and it’s been a project of love and growth for Fraser, who says the album is a huge step forward for her and her career.
“I was very sober about releasing this album. I really didn’t know if I was about to have a massive gong show and ruin my career by putting this out, but I knew that I didn’t care,” Fraser said. “I believed in the songs and in the honest way we’d treated them, and I just crossed my fingers and hoped that people would get it.”
Turns out, people do get it. Not only that, but they love it, too.
“I’m very grateful for that,” Fraser added. “’Flags’ feels like a definite step forward for me as an artist, and not a tentative one, but a shoulders-back, chin-forward step. I know what the album is and what it isn’t. What is isn’t is perfect or completely cohesive. What it is, is a story.”
And that story is universal enough to be enjoyed by music fans from every walk of life. The beauty of Fraser’s music is that any lover of any genre of music can pop into onto an iPod and appreciate what she’s doing. Everybody relates to beautiful music, and thankfully, that’s exactly who Fraser has been able to reach.
“People everywhere are the same kaleidoscope of different tastes and wants and needs,” Fraser explained. “At my shows, we seem to have the same very vast cross section of people—everyone from 9 year old girls to senior citizens and everyone in between—college students, soccer moms, working professionals. It’s a great thrill to see so many different types of people connecting with the songs I’m writing.”
Fraser hopes those connections last for the rest of her life, as she feels her music career is only just now getting off the ground.
“I hope that I will have the opportunity to do this for a long time to come, but you never know what life could throw at you,” she said, adding, “Consequently, I try to retain a sense of wonder about this job and be grateful for every opportunity. There will definitely be more solo albums, but I also look forward to turning my attention to side projects and other collaborative fun stuff in the years to come. I do know, though, that I will always write songs, whether they are heard or not.”
We’re hoping that all of them get heard. So does everybody in New Zealand. And so should every other music-lover in the world.
