As I drove home today I suddenly realised what a big role music plays in the world, it acts as a unifying force through strife, it can bring tears of joy to people's eyes at the pure beauty of it, music touches souls like no other medium on Earth, that makes me feel so privileged to be able to write about this magnificently beautiful medium for communication and joy around the world! I find it so rad that I am able to go from studying finance at university, where everything is factual and number based, to being creative and writing about what I really love, that is good music for those who don't know it yet (You better learn fast cause you are on the blog where I write a lot).
Well that's just about enough sentimental stuff from me for today
1. Japandroids - The House that Heaven Built
We start off this week's playlist with a future rock anthem, it hasnt left my head for the past few months so I'm passing that burden on to you now. The band that provides us with this epic track is 'Japandroids', contrary to popular belief these guys arent Japanese androids (I have no idea why people thought that). 'Japandroids' is in fact a Canadian garage rock duo who hail from the beautiful city of Vancouver. These lads have been around since 2006 but really caught my attention with the release of their second album earlier this year, they have managed to combine some sweet sounding riffs with vocals that just seem to fit right in, their music just feel's right to me. They seem to know exactly what they want to sound like and they have manged to fulfill their desired sound, which is rather fantastic! It's hard to believe now but these guys really battled to get a gig in their local music scene when they first started, so they put on their own shows...how rad is that?! It's something that a lot of local bands should try to emulate instead of complaining about lack of opportunities all the time! Its time to get some epic garage rock in your life so go have a listen.
2. Haim - Forever
Where to start with Haim?? Suffice to say that they are the sound of summer. Haim are marvelous, they are 3 sisters from Los Angeles who play a self proclaimed blend of "nu-folk-meets-90's-pop". Oh boy do they play it well, I can't help but get a little smile when listening to them spin their musical weaves! The sisters have created quite a buzz this year and have already toured with Mumford and Sons and the king, Mr Julian Casablancas (Of The Strokes fame). They are set to tour with Florence and the Machine in Europe this December so look out for Haim to be dominating the airwaves on a radio station near you soon! 'Forever' is their breakout track, it is a masterpiece of summer music magic with sweeping melodies and upbeat instrumentals. Enjoy!
3. Everything Everything - Cough Cough
The third track this week comes from a British Indie rocker quartet that currently reside in Manchester. Unlike most of their contempories these gents are all highly educated with degrees in music from various institutions around England, I mention this because I too am studying like a complete nerd for my exams at the moment and feel a connection to these guys for that very reason. I more importantly love how these guys manage to change up the script with every track they put together, it is really refreshing to constantly be challenged by a band! 'Cough Cough', (yes that is a song name, these guys seem to like working in doubles), is my favorite track of theirs, it starts reasonably normally and then 30 seconds in it goes mental. It's just so rad what they have done, you have to listen to it yourself, I cannot do it justice with my words, even though I am a poet of high repute (sarcasm for those that missed it). So go enjoy these 'Art Rockers' (Yes I may have made that one up).
4. The Medics - Griffin
Coming in at number 4 we have 'The Medics', don't worry this isn't the band from the TV show 'Scrubs' and it doesn't feature 'McSteamy' (sorry girls). 'The Medics' are in fact another Australian prodigy, they hail from Cairns in Queensland and have been delighting audiences since 2007 with their dynamic dreamy alternative rock and have played some major festivals in Australia. 'The Medics' have managed to create a real anthemic quality to their music which really drew me in, I just wanted to hear more. In this particular track they start off with some crisp and slightly different vocals that lead in to an epic chorus full of synth and driving guitars, its a combination that got them to number 29 on the Australian music charts. I expect big things from these boys in the coming years!
5. Kite Rider - Thump
We end this week with a local band that has been turning heads and making people take serious note of them over the past few months. The band has some big names within their ranks, the band is fronted by ex-Cassette vocalist Jon Savage who leads the band with his amazingly unique and powerful voice. The band also contains another ex-Cassette'ian/ite/stine/er and two gents from HHP. All in all it's a little bit of a South African super-group. They are living up to their hype as they made some music that really gets the hips moving. The combination of clean vocals (well written as well), some smooth guitar work and some rather delectable bass lines makes Kite Rider a band to look out for in SA. I am excited to see what they bring in the coming months and I eagerly await their first trip to Durban!
Thats it for this week's post! Apologies again that it's a little late, we know how much you need your fix of stew on a Monday! Till next week! Don't Forget to vote!