A couple to keep your eye on...

Here are a couple of quick picks of some artists that I've recently come across that sound very good, but I actually know very little about.

The Matthews Brothers' Rob and Cole Matthews are from Kingston, Ontario and their background in classical music training has made them very adept at crafting music that is emotional and steeped in atmosphere. The three songs that they have up on their myspace page display an incredible amount of maturity and contradict the whole idea of an adjustment period. I suppose if you need to place a label on something, then I would put them in the folk / rock area of the musical world, but overall, I would simply label them as a good little band that is very easy to consume and digest. They spend a lot of time at the quiet farmhouse and, apparently, this is where they gain a lot of their inspiration, which gives their music an incomparable warmth that feels especially good on those blustery winter snow days. I'm looking forward to warming up with their CD and a hot chocolate, but it looks like the recording of their full-length is going to take some time as they strive to gain perfection but in a financially feasible way. However, if their demos are any indication, it'll be worth waiting for.

Myspace: The Matthews Brothers

Very very little is known about Jeremy Sparrow. I know his real name is Lasse Smed and he hails from Denmark. His music is heavily influenced by John Cale and The The and it really shows. He has four songs displayed on his myspace page and to say that they show a great deal of promise would be an understatement. "Outrunning Paper Tigers" for example, is restrained and mercurial as it harks back to seminal 80's bands like Flesh For Lulu or late Roxy Music. "The Radiant 5" has Lasse vocalizing a delicious falsetto that still manages to sound slightly dark, a real accomplishment. "Without You I'm Nothing" is equally impressive, a lushly produced song that avoids sounding syrupy, although it could certainly have gone that way if left in less capable hands. It avoids over reaching itself by keeping the instrumentation minimal, keeping only what's necessary. He works along with Tobias Winberg, whose Death Valley Sleepers I had mentioned that I was quite impressed with in another post. Apparently Denmark is becoming a hub of impressive talent these days.

Download: Outrunning Paper Tigers mp3
Myspace: Jeremy Sparrow

The above photo is by Mikkel Balle.

Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets

At this point, Los Campesinos! are pretty much guaranteed to be successful, indie-wise that is! They've used myspace for pretty much the only thing that the irritating social networking site it good for, mainly exposing your music to as many people as possible. That's the very reason why I'm so late joining the Campesino camp. Myspace, although I use it, isn't actually my thing. I've been exposed to a lot of mediocrity on that site. However, Los Campesinos are very deserving of their exposure, and apparently, it's working, since the Cardiff-based band has actually been signed here in Canada to the ultra-hip indie label Arts & Crafts, which is home, of course, to BSS, Feist, Young Galaxy and Stars (to name a few.) They play that highly invigorating style of "music is a celebration of life" that gets the indie kids' heads bobbing nearly to the point of body detachment. The EP "Sticking Fingers Into Sockets" is a 16 minute blast that leaves you wanting more and quickly. It lunges right into things with "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives" an instantly likable song, with a thick male British accent being accompanied by female vocals to create an excellent pop party song. Their sense of humor is also immediately accessible as Gareth sings, "It's your party and I'll die if I want to!" "It Started With A Mixx" sings of "trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop," which the band successfully does. And the myspace hit "You! Me! Dancing!" is one of the best songs of the year, sounding like Broken Social Scene meets Loney, Dear, Yo La Tengo and Architecture In Helsinki. It's true they're not the most original band I've heard this year but who cares when the music is this good.

Downloads:
Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s) mp3
We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives mp3
Myspace:
Los Campesinos!
Videos:
We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives youtube
You! Me! Dancing! youtube