ArtistoftheWeek:Carina Round 8/13/12-8/20/12 [Recycled]

I have loved this artist since 2006 when this ad on ArtistDirect (a music site I used to go to for information and new music before I knew about iTunes, Wikipedia and Youtube) caught my eye. I listen to the her album Slow Motion Addict and was hooked by 30-second sample of the first song, "Stolen Car". Her voice is very captivating and her lyrics are so interesting to listen to. Also, the album gave off an energy of anger (that I needed when I was a pre-teen). Her album has been a mainstay of my music collection. It's always been a different style than any other music I have come across from in the past six years of listening to over 1 million songs from all over the world (that might be an exaggeration) I've never encountered another musician with a style like Round, unless it was PJ Harvey. Her Slow Motion Addict album is a great one to have in anyone's music collection.
Especially for 90s kids who grew up listening to the female one-hit wonders like it was their job.
Since the release of Slow Motion, Round has come out with an EP called, Things You Should Know. The EP featured a song on their that was very befitting for new listeners of Round. Backseat, is a sweet love song that touches the hearts of many that look for love and comfort from that special someone, from their family members, their friends or even God. The EP is contains very intimate and slow sogs that Round has wanted to release for a long time.
After hanging around with Puscifer and doing things with Gary Go, she comes back hard with a new single called, "The Last Time". A hard-hitting, and yet seductively rock-filled song. The music video for it is one to see, trust me. After that she did a few gigs and then came out with a new album this year called, Tigermending. The album is a lot calmer and more folk than Slow Motion Addict. The album is a good introduction to new fans of Round's music in 2012. It's that album that you'd listen to if you need a break from all the clubby, upbeat, annoyingly repetitive music that is topping the charts today. So if you're that person in need of a break from radio music check out Tigermending, a chill album for the summer.
Free Downloads
Selective Songs From Slow Motion Addict
Backseat
Selective Songs From Tigermending
You & Me [Acoustic Version]

~Check out Carina Round, she is an Artist that you should watch!~

 

ArtistoftheWeek:Seeker Lover Keeper6/27/11-7/4/11

Seeker Lover Keeper, amazing. There's nothing that I could say that no music lover from Australia who has a blog hasn't already covered about this band and this wonderful album. I love that the group is getting positive feedback and a lot of love from fans of Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann (Sally fan right here!)The only things that I've noticed that no one has talked about is, the negatives. I love the album, don't get me wrong it's just so many people have said things like,
1. I just can't see how these three could have collaborated and made such a good album. They seem so different.
No they don't. Sally, Sarah, and Holly are all content, quiet and shy singer/songwriters. The three collaborating is a perfect match. The only different thing about them is their, musical style and vocal range.
2. Seek her, Love ker, Keep her.
Guys, the name of the group is not a hidden message. It's just a name that Sally thought up for the group. Let it go, and stop making the group more sensitive than it already is.
3. Sara Blasko, Holly Thornsby, and Sally Seltman.
Now, I know you really don't love the group if you can't spell their names right and if you do or if you're just picking favorites by misspelling the artists you don't know/care for names then please don't spell any of their names. Give the girls some respect now.
Aside from those three things I love the fans and the group itself. The Australian Music Scene has proven itself once again with this new album from Seeker Lover Keeper.

Just in case you were wondering,
Sally Seltmann is the Seeker
Sarah Blasko is the Lover
& Holly Throsby is the Keeper

Sorry about that rant, just had to get that out (it's petty).
I can't describe the album to you, it's too amazing to put in words.
Listen to it for yourself here on their facebook page.
Free Downloads
Selective Songs From Seeker Lover Keeper
Here are the Music Videos for
"Light All My Lights," "Even Though I'm A Women", and "On My Own".

~I Hope You Enjoy The Beautifully Sweet Sounds Of Seeker Lover Keeper~

ArtistoftheWeek:Hotel Lights5/2/11-5/9/11

Hotel Lights, real name Darren Jessee, is a folk-singing man at heart. When he premiered on the music scene with his self-titled debut album, Hotel Lights, it exploded on the indie folk world when his song, "Follow Through" was featured on Grey's Anatomy in 2006. After that exposure, Hotel Lights had a following and other television shows asking to license his songs for their shows. His debut album became a hit, (not a huge one but a must-have at least) in 2006. Being in Barnes and Nobel and Target/Best Buy stores in the "Grey's Music" section, (I remember that section). After that album he released an EP called, Goodnight Goodmorning, and a second studio album called, Firecraker People.
Here's some songs if his style has piqued your interest!

Free Downloads
A.M. Slow Golden Hit
What You Meant
Follow Through
Motionless
Let Me Be The One
The Waves
Blue Always Find Me
Wedding Day

ArtistoftheWeek:Tired Pony 3/21/11-3/28/11

Tired Pony is a band consisting of, musicians from bands like, Snow Patrol , REM, and Belle & Sebastian. The band is a supergroup formed by Gary Lightbody. (Lightbody likes to make supergroups...) He formed the band and made this album with the mindset of making a Country album, but by the end of production the style of Tired Pony became more Americana than Country. Their first single, Dead American Writers, is a intellegent and hauntingly beautiful song that focuses on the journeys of American Writers that have passed on. (Twain, Hughes, Thoreau etc.)
Free Downloads
Northwestern Skies
Get On The Road
Dead American Writers
The Deepest Ocean There Is
Silver Atoms*
I Finally Love This Town*

Official Website
Music Video for Dead American Writers

ArtistoftheWeek:Emily Hearn11/23/10-11/30/10

Emily Hearn's music has really touched people's hearts with her songs. She released an EP in 2009 called, Paper Hearts. She started a project on Kickstarter, a way for her fans to fund her debut album that is expected to release sometime either in fall 2011 or Spring 2012.
I found out about Emily when I was exploring Kickstarter and saw all of the amazing artists on the website. When I found out about her when I clicked on her I watched the video and the song that played. I thought that she was pretty good so I looked her up saw her site which was pretty cool and listened to her EP.
If you liked Clara C, then you'll love Emily Hearn!
Free Downloads
Rooftop
Two Feet On The Ground
Paper Heart

Official Website

I hope you like Emily Hearn!

ArtistoftheWeek:Amanda Duncan11/16/10-11/23/10

Amanda Duncan is cool, fun, and awesome! I found out about this artist when she started following me on twitter. At first I was thinking, who's this and then I checked her out and I was thinking, "Oh wow, I should check this girl out some more." So I listen to some more of her songs and I liked what I heard. Then I heard that she was coming to my College and I was excited about this!
On Nov. 13th she came and sang cool songs to me and my college friends and we enjoyed the laughs, talks, and sing-alongs with her. I bought her EP and some buttons, I would've bought a shirt too but they were only girl sizes. So I talked to her and we had a good time.
I even gave her a mix CD (or 2) to enjoy on her time on the road.
I then listened to her EP the day after and I loved it.
One of my favorite songs is, The Words That I Say. It reminds me of the country pop music I listened to when I was little and the tone of her voice in the song reminds me of Natalie Maines.
If you don't know about Amanda you should check her out!

Free Downloads
Love I Have For You
Words That I Say
Fall Into You

Official Website

Hope you love this cool Singer/Songwriter!

P.S. Go buy her EP, it's only 5$ and you get 6 songs from it. It's not hard and it's really cheap too. Take that one day off from the 5$ footlong dinner and spend it on Music!

ArtistoftheWeek:Ben Howard5/11/10-5/18/10

I love feeling in Ben Howard's music. It makes you feel laidback and relaxed. It's really nice. Perfect for the sea.
The song that really stuck out for me the most is, Cloud Nine. That song is, by far, his best song. It's so perfect, it's a song that can be used for the sea, the clouds and for love. The laidback feeling and the build-up at the end really perfect for contemplating and living.
"London", is a great song for love in the big city and "The Wolves",
is a great song that showcases Ben Howard's vocalizing skills.

Myspace
Free Downloads
Three Tree Town|The Wolves|London|Cloud Nine
I really liked Ben Howard, I hope you like his music just as much as I do.

ArtistoftheWeek:Gemma Hayes 4/17/10-4/24/10

I love Gemma Hayes, I remember the first time I heard her when she played on Grey's Anatomy with her song, "Two Step". Great song. I didn't really cheeck out the artist until about Mid-March this year. 4 years after I heard her singing on Grey's.
I had her second album, The Roads Don't Love You, and I finally listened through the whole album (w/o multitasking) and I found my second favorite song of all time, called, "Another for the Darkness". The melody, vocals, and lyrics, all wrapped up into a great song. After listening to the song I looked for more songs from this wonderful artist. The songs on The Roads Don't Love You, reminded me of grieving and getting over a death of a loved one.
Free Downloads
Two Step
Another For The Darkness
Happy Sad|Easy On The Eye
Keep Me Here|Undercover|Nothing Can
Something In My Way|Horses


Her debut album, Night On My Side, really took my breath away. Especially when I saw the music videos for, "Let A Good Thing Go", "Hanging Around", and "Back Of Your Hand". I really liked the feeling of the album, it's like the feeling of a calm night out on the town. The streetlights and the fast cars fly by while you're calming contemplating about your life.
Free Downloads
Let A Good Thing Go
Hanging Around|Back Of My Hand
Work To A Calm

Her most recent album, "The Hollow Of Morning", is an acoustically melancholic album filled with songs for that empty feeling in the morning hence the title, it's a pretty good for that feeling for the early morning out in the wild with your RV and a can of beans.
Free Downloads
Out Of Our Hands
Home|At Constant Speed|


Her most recent release the "Oliver EP", has some really good calm relaxing songs on it. Like the title track Oliver & Ghost.
Free Downloads
Oliver
Ghost

Now, I can't do this article without talking about her B-Sides and Collaborations.
"Summers In Doubt", the B-Side on the Let A Good Thing Go single, is such an amazing song to begin or end of your summertime fun or drama. Whichever way it's great for the season.
Gemma Hayes collaborated with Anti Atlas for a song called, "It's A Shame", a really well done song by an electronic band I've never heard of before and an artist that I've already heard of.
Free Downloads
Summers In Doubt
It's A Shame [m4a file]






-Gemma Hayes' Music Videos-

~Gotta Love Gemma Hayes~

~Gotta Love Gemma Hayes~

ArtistoftheWeek: Gregory & the Hawk 4/1/10-4/8/10

I love Gregory & the Hawk (Meredith Godreau). She's such a great Singer/Songwriter that it'd just be rude not to mention her at least once on the ArtistoftheWeek blog.
Her songs like,
Ghost
Harmless
Doubtful
Grey Weather
& Fin Song 8 (Orange River Remix)
are really great compared to most songs I hear nowadays on the radio. Despite the melody and the feeling being "too calm" the lyrics, vocals, and explorative melodies make up for that. I found out about Gregory & the Hawk by Pandora.com in 2006. (back when it was more about eclectic music instead of commercials and repeating semi-popular songs all day) The song it played to me all the time by her was, A Wish.

I loved the song so much I wanted to find out more about this artist but I lost track of time until about 2008 when I finally looked her up and found even more songs that I love from her first started with the Boats & Birds EP. At first I kind of glanced over the EP and tossed it aside for a day or two. Then I listened to it again and I then heard the beauty that I was not listening to at first listen. Personal note, if you're ever listening to Gregory & the Hawk, make sure to be alone and laying around because if you're multitasking and running around your house at about 1 or 2 in the morning you won't hear the inner beauty of the songs. I then moved onto her most recent album, Moenie & Kitchi. That album really blew me away, personally. Voice Like A Bell, Ghost, Doubtful, and Grey Weather were the first songs that stuck out to me. Then I found out about the iTunes Bonus Track Dare & Daring and I had to buy it because of my love for G&TH.

Overtime, I just loved all the songs on the album.
I explored more and more on G&TH that I found some good unreleased or secretly released songs from Meredith Godreau.

While I was looking up more songs I found goofy songs, heartfelt songs, collaboration songs and many songs from or by Meridith Godreau I also found out that there's a little war going on the internet about G&TH being a band or a solo artist.

To me, it's more of a solo artist than a band. Kind of like the band Blow.

G&TH had Meredith and some guy and then it was only Meredith, same with Khaelea (the Blow), she had some guy in the band and then it was back to Khaelea again.

All in All, I love Gregory and the Hawk, her vocals, melodies, vocal arrangement, lyrics, artwork, everything is great, and I hope she makes great songs for us until I pass.

Here's to you, Meredith Godreau.

P.S. - Meredith Godreau & Andrew Futral collaborated and made a band called, Fotuna Mikou, they released a 4-track EP that (i think) is no longer available through G&TH or Andrew Futral's websites. So I'm offering the songs to you, the public. I hope you like them as much as I did.

Free Downloads
Gregory & the Hawk
Ghost
Voice Like A Bell
Doubtful & Grey Weather
A Wish
Fin Song 8 (Orange River Remix)
Oats We Sow
Two Faced Twin
Dare & Daring[m4a file type]
Harmless
Coco[Demo]
S-Curve[Demo]
Fotuna Mikou
Over My Head (Metrocard) [The Fray Cover]
Talkin' In My Sleep
The Gambler
Waste Of Time

Official Website
Myspace
Youtube

Music Videos
Ghost by Gregory & the Hawk

I hope you enjoy this amazing Singer/Songwriter!