I Can Feel The Rise Coming

I heartily apologize to my faithful readers who have been wanting to hear some new, up and coming artists. It has been a busy summer working 3 jobs and moving from Virginia to Austin. But I'm back! And here is my newest obsession: Erin McCarley

This little gem was iTunes' free single of the week and I hopped on it. Because the song "Amber Waves" is where it's at! Take a listen here:

I believe it was paired with the release of her new record "My Electric Stadium." Which itself, is freakin' awesome.

It is a project that screams fun, feel-good, love, growth, and life. This is Erin's sophomore album which has a heavier influence of "mainstream" type sounds, but the singer/songwriter doesn't sell herself out. She remains true to her sound and style from her debut album, "Love, Save the Empty," but is a little more polished. She collaborated with producers and songwriters that worked with the likes of Adele, P!nk, Train, Fiona Apple, and Animal Collective (to name a few). I share this to just give you an idea of where the influences are coming from.

To me, "Amber Waves" is a song about just letting yourself fall into a new relationship. She sees it as a cup "overflowing with gold. It's ours to have, yet to unfold" so you should "wave your hands out to get caught up in the tide" and "feel the rise coming, I can feel the ride." After you listen to it you'll want to find yourself in this situation. But if you're not there, you can totally just roll your windows down and blast this at full volume.

Another notable track includes "Just Another Day" where she describes how she's just going through life and it's super easy to identify with; thoughts we all go through in the day-to-day. I also love "Elevator," "What I Needed," "Rearrange Again," and "Pop Gun."

Take a listen and fall in love! Erin probably won't be rocking out the Top 40, but you'll more than likely catch her on some coffee house and store radios. I would love to see her break through like Ellie Goulding and really get noticed for not being typical pop. Her slightly grainy, but not raspy, voice is beautifully weaved in with some heavy piano, percussion, and indie beats throughout!

Seriously though, take a listen and just "feel the rise."

My favorite lyric: "It's ours to have, yet to unfold."

And THIS could get BIG, so watch out for indie pop songstress Erin McCarley!

Wasted Tears

This is Haley Reinhart. Some of you may have heard of her or are familiar with her from American Idol 's 10th season (and her 3rd place finish). I unfortunately did not get to witness her on there, or I would have been obsessing sooner.

A way that I have been describing Haley Rienhart is that she is basically the blonde younger sister of Amy Winehouse that didn't get caught up in drugs. She has the same soulful voice, throwback sound, and sings a lot of love and heartbreak, but it's got a raspy-ness to it. It is so clear and powerful it just hits you.

Back in March, she released the lead single from her debut album Listen Up!  titled "Free." Click here to take a listen. It has that bouncy piano that I love and talks about that inevitable break-up that needs to happen, and how you should just break free from it and both parties will be better off for it.

But the song that I have been HOOKED on is the song "Wasted Tears":

All of the soul. All of the jazz. All the trumpets. It has a 40s vibe to it. And the lyrics! They got me and I've been hooked. Unless you are happily married to your high school sweetheart, I think you can identify with this song.

The entire album is laced with songs that have an addicting melody made up of so many instruments that will get stuck in your head. Her sound is an overall, mainstream jazzy/soulful sound. And I've been meaning to talk about this shift in pop music. With breakthroughs being made into the pop music scene over the past couple years by songstresses like Amy Winehouse and Adele, there seems to be an opening for shift to what popular music will be down the road. I think in the near future, many more artists like Haley Rienhart, Esperanza Spalding, and Rebecca Ferguson will make up a significant portion of what you'll be listening to. It will lend to a more soul and jazz-influenced music scene. The music scene is currently flooded with a lot of synthetic beats and pulse pounding tunes (which isn't bad); I just think it's happening a bit too much. There will always be need for dance songs or club hits, but I personally believe this is a shift that will be (and is slowly) taking place in the popular music scene.

Ok, now that I got that out, here are a couple others that I love from Listen Up! - "Oh My," "Undone," "Now That You're Here" <--Live version (aka she can really sing and it gives it a piano bar feel), "Keep Coming Back," and "Hit the Ground Runnin'".

I realize that is a lot (and almost the whole album), but they're all so good. If you only wanna listen to two, I'd recommend "Undone" and "Hit the Ground Runnin'".

THIS could get BIG. So watch out for Ms. Reinhart. I have a feeling she's gonna do some big things :)

Favorite Lyric (from "Wasted Tears"):
"I can see now that the clouds have clear, I've been crying wasted tears."

Is that the lead singer from Coldplay?

The answer to the question is no, but if you took a listen to Stephen Wrabel without any video, one could easily mistake him for Chris Martin.

Stephen Wrabel released this video a little over a month ago and, as a Coldplay fan, was quickly drawn in.

I love the sound, I love the piano...you know what? Why don't you just take a listen here:

It's a very toned down version of a song about having that "I'm on top of the world" feeling thanks to a certain someone in your life.

Another song of his that I think is amazing is "Jupiter." I think it shows that he's got more power to his voice and can rock out on the piano. Here he doesn't sound as Chris Martin-y, but a little more Bublé. It's definitely a little more soulful. Check it out. Also check out "Still Standing."

I don't see him on pop radio, but I definitely think: this could get BIG in his genre.

Favorite lyric:
"I've been trying so hard not to let it show"

Enjoy!

Explosions

This is Coco Morier:

When you look at her, what do you think? Gaga, right? WRONG!! Although when you google her name and look at some pictures of her, you might say, "Oh, she's a Lady Gaga clone." But you'd be wrong!

If you take a listen to her music, it is far from Gaga. It is plain and simple. It's Coco.  And she is on the verge of blazing the trails for an indie-pop synth wave. One possible contemporary could be Little Boots (here is an example), but Little Boots is more in just the pop category.

Even still, Coco is very unique. Many are dubbing her "The Indie Britney." I mean she has aided in vocals for the princess of pop on her last three albums including the songs "Heaven On Earth" and "How I Roll." And no, these weren't lead singles, but Ms. Morier has been developing her own songs and sounds since working on a couple different projects and is now flying solo and released a five song EP, which you can take a listen to here.

My favorite is the title of this post, "Explosions."

It's super catchy! And it's not only synth, it's disco/clap/garage rock. It's an interesting blend and I like it a lot! My fear is that she'll get overlooked in this current music scene. If people can put down their Maroon 5s, One Directions, and Lil Waynes, then she COULD get big.

The other song I like a lot is "My Satellite."

Check them out, check her out!

"I'll light the fire inside of you and we can make an explosion!"

A Recollection + Synonym for Home

Or otherwise known as Memoryhouse is an awesome Canadian duo whose most recent single I cannot stop listening to; especially as the weather is getting warmer and I blare this as I'm driving with the windows rolled down, sunglasses on, arm out the window and thinking about the lyrics of the song, "The Kids Were Wrong":

"Come sleep, nothing's changing, I'll be right here by your side." I love that reassurance, I want that in my life, someone to keep me assured. A person. To see daylight come in through the blinds with. Someone to share life with and care about the things that nobody else would care about.

Either way, these guys have caught my eye, with their chill, indie music, as well as thoughtful lyrics. This song is a little more upbeat than their previous stuff, which is still good, but I like this more upbeat turn they seem to be taking. I also like her voice because it stands out from all the others out there and doesn't necessarily remind me of anyone.

Memoryhouse COULD get big. I think they need to keep away from their mellower past and keep things upbeat!

Diamond in the Rough

Back in 2010, BBC listed Marina and the Diamonds as a sound you should check out that year; she was listed just below Ellie Goulding.


Her name, Marina and the Diamonds, is a bit confusing. It is just her first name, Marina, and "the Diamonds" part is her last name translated from her Greek last name. She mentions on her MySpace page that her fans are "the Diamonds." She released her first album, The Family Jewels in 2010 with the singles: "Hollywood," "I Am Not A Robot," and "Oh No!" All of these are, I believe, very evidenced of her youth and potential as an artist, but not her best. She has great messages, but she sounds like an angsty Regina Spektor.

So when her new album, Electra Heart, was released this past Tuesday, I was a little hesitant. But I'm glad I gave her a second chance. Because the entire album is great. I mean it is a big turn around from her first album. If you enjoyed Katy Perry's debut album, One of the Boys, or preferred that more garage-pop-punk sound, then this album is the one for you.

I seriously cannot stop listening to the most recent single, "Primadonna"

And it even sounds awesome in the acoustic version found here.

She has definitely developed her voice more and has a more solid sound. Other songs to note are: "Power and Control," "Starring Role," "Lies," and my other favorite that you might have heard on the dance floor is "Radioactive."

My rating? Marina will get bigger this year.  For "Primadonna" this COULD get big.

"All I ever wanted was the world, I can't help that I need it all, the primadonna life, the rise and fall."

How We Do

I don't know much about Rita Ora yet, but I just wanna call this being a summer anthem:

Official rating: THIS could get BIG!

"We're tearin' up the town, cause that's just how we do"

Lose Control Tonight, Hit the Lights

Ok, so everyone's guilty pleasure from the past couple months was "Love You Like A Love Song" by Justin Beiber's girlfriend, Selena Gomez.

Now everyone is probably thinking, "Oh Disney child star, can't actually produce good music, only that one catchy song."

But doesn't everyone remember Hilary Duff? She played a big part in our musical lives. I mean you have to remember this gem:



Other jams include: "So Yesterday," "Why Not," "Wake Up," and then, if you remember the Hilary Duff Movie then you know all about "This Is What Dreams Are Made Of."

Anyways, back to Selena. She has a song that's been rather catchy for me called "A Year Without Rain" that I've heard a lot at work (which has a very similar piano riff to "When Love Takes Over" by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta).

Either way, the reason for this post is because I wanna say that things are better the second time around. Because Selena initially released a song entitled "Hit the Lights" that sounded something like this.

But then someone (her manager or producer realized that it wasn't cutting it), so she released this version:


And I fell in love. Because I feel exactly what this song is describing right now. Just at that place i my life where things are up in the air and I just need to hit the lights and lose myself tonight!

So take her advice and "let the music move you, lose yourself tonight, come alive!"

I rate this song as: THIS could get BIG!!!

So get on it!

Don't You Leave Me Brokenhearted Tonight

I'm probably jumping on this a little late, but I really can't get this song out of my head:

Brokenhearted

It's fun. It's pop. It's a little bit of rap. And it has the making for a hit. It kicks off with a catchy guitar riff (like other guitar riff-filled songs like "Domino," "Moves Like Jagger," and "Good Feeling"). Amy's voice is different and intriguing and not the sound of every pop princess out there. I feel it is very inviting and makes you want to be a part of the song! And this song is just so relatable. It's about that time from when you first meet someone and you really like them and want to hear from them, but you're not sure how they feel, and your thought process through the whole thing. Ahh, such is life!

Karmin is the dynamic duo of Amy and Nick (who graduated from the Berklee College of Music) that just balance each other so well. They got their start by doing covers. You might have heard/been impressed with their cover of Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now"

Who knew a white girl could rap like that and be so articulate? I was astounded that when she raps, you can understand every. single. word. But when Weezy or Busta Rhymes raps, you cant understand what they're saying. You can click here if you'd like to compare.

They were recently featured on SNL and I think did a stand up job! They performed "Brokenhearted" and "I Told You So" which features Amy's likening to rap. I really enjoy how they are able to produce music in different genres. And still sound good! Real good!

What's even more impressive is that they lyrics aren't strictly about bitches and hoes and drugs and hooking up. It proves that you don't need to be vulgar to make good music.

They're gonna be BIG. As time elapses and they get more comfortable and develop their sound, they're gonna blow up. And in terms of "Brokenhearted," THIS could get BIG!

Also Amy's just got some really fun hair!

Touch Me

Ok, I found this song by Alexandra Burke two weeks ago:

It's a very simple concept and I don't know much about her, but I'll say that: this COULD get big in the dance scene (clubs and the like).

And I've been a huge fan of the TV show Smash! I just caught up tonight because I was craving more. And I'm so glad I did!

All season I have been astounded with what the writers have been able to come up with in regards to the music of the musical. The songs are great and actually really catchy, so I would encourage you to watch it.

Anyway, one thing that makes the show so great is Katherine McPhee. I never watched the season of American Idol that she was on, and now I'm mad I didn't. This girl has an amazing set of pipes. The song I wanna share from the most recent episode "The Coup" does not give her the justice of displaying her vocal ability. But it's a damn good dance song! If it catches on, I could see if blowing up, which is why I rate it: this COULD get BIG

I really dislike the part where she speaks and doesn't sing, but she makes up for it the rest of the time :) And the song was written by the amazing Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic! But really, this is gonna blow up in the club scene if not pop radio at large!

I'll Find Him Next To Me

What would happen if you mixed Celine Dion, Adele, and Beyoncé?

Answer: Emeli Sandé

Emeli (whose actual first name is Adele, funny enough), has been on the music scene in England for the past couple years. After participating in some songwriting contests (and winning), she joined the ranks of Simon Cowell and wrote for some of his projects, including Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, and Cheryl Cole.

But I guess recently that Emeli got tired of writing for other people and started writing for herself. And I think she made a great decision. She falls under the category of R & B/Soul with a nice flare of bouncy piano pop.

She just released her first solo album (not available in the US yet) titled Our Version of Events this past February and it peaked at #1 on the UK charts. The album will be released in the US this June, so not too long. And because of this, I get those error messages saying some of her stuff is not available in my country. Luckily however, we have access to this gem:

I love when music isn't always sad and about heartbreak like "My Heart Will Go On," "Someone Like You," or "Irreplaceable." This song is about confidence in your significant other. It's so beautiful. And I hope that one day I'll find someone I can sing this about.

THIS could get big. It could be her breakthrough song. She just needs to release it officially in the US; then, I think, it could go far!

Also, she's starting to get some notoriety: she just won a Brit Award for Critic's Choice. This award has previously gone to Adele, Florence + the Machine, Ellie Goulding, and Jessie J. We'll see if she lives up to the success of past winners!

Other songs that's she's released as singles include "Daddy," "Heaven," and was featured on Professor Green (British rapper)'s single "Read All About It," all of which live up to the sound that critics are describing as "richly melodic, classically powerful, retro-futurist soul-pop."

She also has a couple acoustic songs from her upcoming album. This is on of my faves: "Maybe." This acoustic and then this live performance lets me know she can actually sing and isn't in need of autotune!

Watch out for her this year!

Call Me Maybe

Ok. I just heard this yesterday. And I can't get it out of my head. You'd think because this is a teeny-bopper type song similar to "Love You Like A Love Song" that you'd immediately hate it. But when you give it a chance, you'll find yourself trying to stop singing it to yourself, yet wanting to learn all the lyrics. Just take a listen for yourself (and the video is cute and funny):

Her voice is fun, it's sweet and invites you to bop along. I can't get over the violin-sounding riff! Ahhhhhh!

If you didn't catch it, her name is Carly Rae Jepsen. She's a singer/songwriter from Canada. She finished third in the fifth season of Canadian idol. She just got picked up by the same people who signed Justin Bieber. She's got a Colbie Caillat feel, and with a slight accent, she sounds like the best of Hilary Duff, Ashley Tisdale, and Ashlee Simpson combined. I'm saying this not as an insult, but it's just what I think I hear and to give y'all a comparison.

Either way, I think: THIS could get BIG. "Call Me Maybe" will be Carly Rae's breakthrough song, and it's gonna be, as Donald Trump would say, EUWGE!

And I'm actually gonna try this move and see if that someone who recently caught my eye will "call me maybe." ;)

It Takes Me Away

I was introduced to Milo Greene this past December as the opening act for The Civil Wars. They are a fun fivesome straight out of LA comprised of Robbie, Graham, Marlana, Andrew, and Curtis. They had all been working on other projects and had gotten together to pursue a collaboration with each other.

The thing they had in common? Harmony.

And they're friggin' good at it! It is really impressive for 5 people to be on the same page artistically and especially over harmony. What they produce is soothing. It is very easy on the ears, yet it stirs something in you to get you going. And I could just about listen to them all day over and over and not get tired of their sound.

Like The Civil Wars, they are very folky, but since they have more members, they can play more instruments. They have a set drummer, but there is one thing that's really unique about this band: the other four interchange on instruments played. It is quite an awesome performance element to see them transition from song to song and from instrument to instrument during they're set. I spoke with them after the show and they said they have to really think out their sets because of this. Who needs to be where at what time, will it be easy to cross over and under and around microphones? They have to take all this into consideration.

I thought it was just part of their gimmick, but this is just how they wrote the songs. Sometimes someone had a banjo in their hand and had a riff, another two with a guitar, and the one who didn't have an instrument would have to pick up the bass. If they didn't know how to play, they learned so they could fit in and help that song be. It says much of their commitment to their music and each other with being able to just fill in where needed. They're cohesive and do a fantastic job transitioning. If you watch the videos below, you may see where they cross paths from song to song.

I was sad that they only had a 3-song CD that they were selling while touring with The Civil Wars, but they informed me that they were headed up to Washington state this past January to get some studio time in...because after just 6 short months together they were picked up by Atlantic records! That's crazy, and impressive. On their YouTube channel they have released some clips of their new stuff and I cannot wait to hear their full-length project.

They're touring the West coast right now, and are currently in the mixing process of their LP.

Below are a few of my favorites:

This was their intro and the song "Don't Give Up On Me" in Charlottesville:

Often I play this one again and again and again. It easily gets stuck in my head:

"Cutty Love" was my favorite one I heard live:

And then a little love ditty for V-day, "1957":

These guys rock and I cannot wait to hear more from them! If you want more info, check out their Facebook page here.

This could get BIG in the indie/alternative/folk scene!

Take Me to Wonderland

This one has been a long time in the making. This is Natalia Kills. She is an English singer/songwriter. She is chic. She is sexy. She is dark. And has a unique voice.

You may have heard of her recently being featured on label-mates LMFAO's song "Champagne Showers." Sadly this song does not do her any artistic justice. She is very much auto-tuned and really doesn't display her talents. I learned about her this past May from a friend after she released her album Perfectionist in France and Germany, where she has gotten much acclaim. She hasn't yet hit it big in her native UK, or in the US, after it's release early this past fall.

Her first single (at least for the Euro scene) was "Mirrors"

As you can see, it pushes the boundary. It also has a gothic feel. I like to think about Natalia Kills as a darker Lady Gaga. She fits into mainstream pop with her ever so subtle suggestiveness and sensuality. And she writes about what we all know and love: relationships and money.

What was smart of her (or her label) was that they released an acoustic version of "Mirrors"

I mean she's no Mariah Carey, but she actually has a good voice. She's definitely not a Ke$ha.

She released "Free" as a single in correspondence with her album release date in the US with some help from will.i.am (the guy who got her signed to Interscope) who wasn't on the original track on the European version:

I think I like it better without him. But it's got that catchy "Get your 5s get your 10s get your 20s out" and it just talks about that fashionista in all of us and how we all love to go shopping and look super fly, but the reality is the majority of us have anorexic walltes and may even identify when she says, "Wear it once, I don't pop the tag, the next day Imma bring it back." I don't know about y'all but THIS could get big.

She also included a new track for the US release called "Kill My Boyfriend." The idea is a bit morbid, but it's hard to think so when the piano is just so light-hearted in the song. And when it came out, I think I listened to it on repeat for like 2 days.

She has some slower tracks that I really enjoy like "Broke," "Heaven," and "If I Were God."

And then this last one talks about that fairy tale-like story that we all want. Well how we want a fairy tale romance, but don't need the fairy tale part of it. Just a real relationship. Now there are two versions of the music video, one is a little more twisted and you can find it here. If not, you can just watch the censored version, both are an interpretation of the Alice in Wonderland tea party.

Rating: THIS could get BIG!

I think she will pop up like Lady Gaga, who got big abroad first and then blew up here in the US. Give her time. Soon the first suggestion you get when you type "N-A-T" in the Google search bar won't be the National Harbor, it will be this girl!

FUN. is. FUN!

I'm sure y'all are thinking I caught on the bandwagon late with this one. Which I did. Just a little. But right before one of their songs was featured on Glee. I was in the library, late at night when a friend asked me via text, "What is fun?" And I thought it was a Spongebob reference to the song about fun:

However he just told me, "fun is fun." So I decided to investigate and then spent the rest of the evening having them be the soundtrack to my final college paper.

FUN. (yes the period, or dot, whichever you prefer) is included. I'm sure for emphasis. Regardless, FUN. is a three man band from the Big Apple consisting of Nate, in charge of lead vocals (who used to be apart of the band known as The Format), Jack, who does guitars and trumpet (formally of Steel Train) and Andrew, who literally does everything else from piano and drums to flugelhorn and glockenspiel (formally of Anathallo). These guys came out with their first album back in 2009, called Aim and Ignite. I'm so sad I didn't find it earlier. Because it is SO GOOD!

iTunes classifies them as "Alternative" and many other sources have used "Indie Pop." And instead of trying to put them in a genre, I'll use other bands and singers you may know to give them a sound. I feel like they are the happy medium between Jack's Mannequin and The Avett Brothers. The difference I feel comes in more emphasis on bouncy piano riffs like Gavin DeGraw would use. Also, Nate (the lead vocalist), sounds like a cross between Mika and Don McLean. It sounds weird...but it works.

What's also helpful is that their music isn't super depressing. They address real life situations, and may touch on sad things, but they won't bring you to tears. I would say they like to take a reflective feel in the story-telling of their songs. But in all honesty if I had someone write and play a soundtrack for my life, I'd pick these guys to do it!

All that being said, my favorites from their first album are:

Light A Roman Candle With Me

I Wanna Be the One

Be Calm

Their song that was featured on Glee is "We Are Young" and it also features Janelle Monáe:

I am eagerly anticipating their sophomore album Some Nights set to be released February 21st! And I'm hoping for more upbeat, piano heavy jams!

Rating: this could get BIG - the band that is, they just need some more exposure! I'm excited to be seeing them live in May!

Shake Them Out

I'm driving all over the Southeast of the US and my current stop is New Orleans. I was just chilling in a local coffee shop (Fair Grinds) and songwriting and decided to take a break and do some musical browsing. And I stumbled upon an amazing group: The Alabama Shakes.

I feel like in order to stand out in today's music scene, you either have to have already established yourself years ago so that when you release anything new, everyone freaks out coughRihannacough, or you have to have a unique sound. And The Alabama Shakes have the unique sound. They're soulful. They're laid back. They're alive. They're bouncy. They're catchy. They're full of rhythm. Heavy on electric guitar. And bass. And I love them.

They recently stopped in Charlottesville, VA (what up UVA) and recorded some live acoustic tracks, I really like this one:

"I Found You"

And I wish the quality was a little better on this one:

"Be Mine"

Go ahead and youtube them. Or facebook them. They've got a lot of stuff. They have an EP out now and are touring exactly where I'm at in the next couple weeks. So if you're interested shake them out.

And this one is my favorite so far:

"Hold On"

And I can confidently say: this could get BIG

(this being the band itself).

Enjoy and listen on!