From the first time I heard Matt & Kim‘s single “Daylight”, I was hooked. Their quirky indie alternative pop sound was distinctive and just catchy enough to make you think about it all day long. But how could they possibly keep it up? Surely they can’t continue to create catchy songs that will play on repeat in your mind for days on end? Well surely they can. Because they did. How ’bout them apples?
Sidewalks is the latest release from this Brooklyn duo, and it definitely lives up to their names: Matt & Kim. Synthesizers, hip-hop beats, high energy, dancing, toy pianos, killer drums and horns. All of the things you’ll find at Burning Man. Oh, and also all of things you’ll find on Sidewalks. They are practically interchangeable.
If you’re not fully familiar with Matt & Kim, perhaps this will jog your memory:
It’s not easy playing piano in bed. Or in the bathroom. Or in the car. Trust me. I’ve tried. All I got was six stitches and a moving violation. They got a record deal. How fair is that?
Their latest album is even more up-beat than this single, so if you are looking to push your Matt & Kim love a little further, make sure you pick it up. And don’t delay because it’s going to sell out everywhere. I’m not even sure if that’s true, but I like to create a sense of urgency.
Here’s a commercial-type thing for the first song off of Sidewalks:
Buy the album:
When you get hand-picked by Neil Young to be an opener for a crowd of over 20,000 people every night, it’s kind of a big deal. Whether the stars have aligned or you’re just plain that talented, it’s an opportunity that not many artists can claim. Everest can.
Did you know that Everest is actually a mountain located in the Himalayas AND it’s the biggest mountain in the world? I know, it shocked me too. That’s a little free piece of trivia for you. I guess when this band was choosing a name, they wanted something as big as their musical prowess.
We recently got a chance to check out their live show in Chicago and have to say, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a group as tightly knit as these guys. They blend well together on stage and are completely and utterly absorbed in every facet of their music. These guys believe in destiny and I think their being rewarded for it.
Listening to their most recent album, On Approach, you can easily pick out qualities similar to Neil Young, but also elements of blues, folk, rock, alternative and Indie. I even picked out some Jeff Buckley and Black Keys (whether they were going for that or not) and you can draw some elements of the classic American folk sound.
If you’re looking for a group with a classic sound that sticks to the roots and delivers a solid performance, make sure you check out Everest as your next musical venture.
Check out the video for their latest single “Let Go”:
Buy the album:
I tripped and fell into listening to Buddy Guy way later than I’d like to admit. The man is a blues legend, obviously, and from Chicago no less, yet I grew up knowing the man’s name and little else. Pops raised us on James Taylor and Leonard Cohen, and musical culture in my elementary and junior high circles rarely extended beyond what was playing on the radio.
Plus, ya know, kids can’t appreciate the blues. Nothing crappy has happened to them yet, and even if it has they’re too young and naïve to truly appreciate just how crappy that crappy thing may have been.
As a twentysomething scraping his way through school, broke, and dating the most wrong girl God could’ve crafted for me, I got the blues, baby, and Buddy Guy is exactly where I ended up first. After falling in love with some of the older stuff he did with Junior Wells, I went ahead and bought every damn piece of material the man had ever made.
And now there’s “Living Proof,” the 74-year-old musician’s most recent full-length record, and I don’t love Mr. Guy any less than I did the first time I listened to “Drinkin’ TNT ‘n’ Smokin’ Dynamite.” This guy is still ripping solos like he’s 30.
A few years ago when B.B. King (who appears on the album, by the way) was touring after turning 80 years old, my brother and I went to one of the shows and couldn’t help but notice that he’d lost a few steps musically. Don’t get me wrong, the guy was entertaining as hell, playing all the classics and telling loads of great stories that only B.B. could tell. But as far as tearing off on ol’ Lucille like he used to… well, it just wasn’t the same.
Buddy, though, is still killing it. The first track on the album, “74 Years Young,” is high-energy, high-emotion blues at its finest. “Stay Around a Little Longer,” the track featuring King, is soulful and emotional and cool, while “Where the Blues Begins,” featuring Carlos Santana, is a classic example of Guy molding to the style of just about anybody he plays with.
Look, there isn’t a bad apple in the peck. It’s blues the best possible way blues can be done by the guy who helped define the modern iteration of the genre. You don’t even have to date a horrible woman or lose every dime to appreciate it.
I first met Griffin House, back in 2003, when he was promoting his album Upland. When I arrived at the venue and I heard his name as the opening act, the nerd in me thought, “wait…the Gryffindor’s have a house band?” Forgive me for my nerdy Harry Potter reference, I am who I am. The uniqueness of his name quickly disappeared once he hit the stage. Griffin House’s voice cast a spell on me. Kinda like a Expecto Patronuses charm. Damn, I need to get out more.
Griffin House is a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. His voice is warm, his lyrics are emotive, and his music is organic. For me, he is a modern day troubadour. He is the sort of guy I would want to go camping with, just so I would have music at the ready when it is time to sit around the campfire. If he wasn’t there I would just be singing kumbaya on repeat. When you listen to Griffin’s music, imagine a roaring campfire nearby. He delivers the vocal equivalent of a perfectly toasted marshmallow.
His latest release, The Learner, brings forth the same folk goodness that ran true through his previous works. Griffin House continues to balance on the edge of becoming a mainstream name. If and when that day comes, rest assured in knowing that as a listener, his music will still have the intimate feel of a campfire serenade.
KC’s Personal Picks: “River City Lights”, “If You Want To”, & “Feels So Right”
Check out Griffin House’s acoustic rendition of “River City Lights”
Buy The Learner
Take a look back through our FreshScouts archives and it should be fairly clear that we love blues music. Storytellers that dwell in the pain and joy of life have a way of speaking directly to us. We proudly add bluesman Sean Costello to our archives. Costello was an incredibly talented young blues artist with a passion that flowed through every single note.
Sean Costello
At the ripe young age of sixteen, Sean Costello released his first blues album, Call the Cops. He immediately impacted the industry with his masterful command over the blues guitar. Costello’s riffs can make even the toughest man shed a tear. Costello didn’t stop there, he also dominated stages with gritty vocals and brutally honest song writing. He is often referenced as a true triple-threat in the blues industry. In his short career he worked with B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi, just to name a few. Costello churned out an incredible collection of music from 1996 to 2008.
Costello’s last album, We Can Get Together, was the one that introduced me to his genius. He was masterful on the album. You know, it still stings having to use the word “was” in reference to Costello. We lost a great musician in Sean Costello when he passed away do to an accidental overdose. It was after Costello’s sudden death in April 2008, that his family publicly shared that he had been suffering from Bipolar disorder. Sean’s music lives on, and thanks to his family a great organization spreads much needed awareness on the topic of Bipolar disorder. We here at FreshScouts ask that you check out The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. An eye opening statistic from the site points out that “Bipolar disorder affects more than 2 million Americans - about 3 out of every 100 adults.” Enjoy Costello’s music and do what you can to educate yourself and those around you.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Hard Luck Woman”, “Told Me A Lie” and “Going Home”
Check out Costello’s 2007 live version of “Told Me A Lie”
We Can Get Together
