A new regular segment of Out of Tune Soul begins today. Many of my regular readers will know that I take pleasure in finding obscure or less recognized bands. Many of these bands have decent followings, but have not made it 'big' in any sense of the word. As such, I will attempt each Monday to showcase two or three of the bands that I've found or enjoyed recently. Maybe one day this will evolve into a weekly podcast, but as I have some research to do before I can do that I will strive to provide links where available. I make no claims to be the one to "discover" these bands, I am merely attempting to showcase to my readers the bands which I am currently enjoying in the hopes that maybe some of them will enjoy them as well.
If you enjoy this new addition to Out of Tune Soul or have constructive criticism to make it better, please comment. If you have found a band, pleas share as i am always interested in finding new music.
Cheers,
S.P.
This week's selections are Band of Horses and Straw Hut.
Band of Horses - http://www.bandofhorses.com/
This South Carolina based band (formerly of Seattle) has recently released their second full-length album. Cease to Begin is an excellent journey through a fantastic musical atmosphere. The lead off single 'Is there a ghost" showcases the trio's chemistry. The vocals sit beautifully on top of the mix, in a vein reminiscent of My Morning Jacket, another great southern band. The group interweaves interesting down tempo melodic sections with raucous guitars that provide the energy required to drive this type of music. Hardly a "new" band, Band of Horses has not yet received the recognition that it duly deserves.
The group is currently touring the American bible-belt and will make a jaunt to Europe in early 2008. I highly recommend checking them out.
Straw Hut - http://www.myspace.com/strawhut
A recent addition to the Montreal music scene, Straw Hut draws its influences from a wide range of sources including jazz, flamenco, and singer-songwriter genres. Frontman/guitarist Barry Jones spent much of the last decade traveling around Europe, particularly France and Spain, and the influences are extremely evident in the sounds of the guitar. Borrowing from the ancient practices of storytelling through song, Straw Hut's lyrics are long winding affairs that do not follow conventional songwriting methods. Some might call this type of writing pretentious, but somehow the vocals meld together with the guitar, bass, and cajon to create a sublime musical experience.
Straw Hut is currently playing mostly in the Montreal area. If you have chance, go check them out, you won't be disappointed.
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