The Tupelo Honeys Salute You

Tupelo Honeys- Andy, Are You Sure? MP3

Tupelo Honeys are quickly becoming one if not my favorite band of this year, and with every listen to their debut long player Salute You that feeling just seems to get stronger. The girl/boy twins of Tupelo Honeys are based in Stockholm, Sweden, which with just those two facts should spark your interest. They trade off vocal duties and sometimes share them. Joel songs lean toward the grandeur indie side, and Linn's tunes lean toward the twee side at times. I was describing them to a friend the other day, and I think that I summed it up best to him so I'll stick with this description- if you take everything that you love about indie-pop bands like Belle & Sebastian and Camera Obscura (assuming that you like them because you should) and mixed it with the grandeur of Arcade Fire mixed it all together out would pop the Tupelo Honeys. Off course as long as you don't mind mixing your meat and potatoes together I really just don't think you can go wrong purchasing this record. At the time it is only available in the U.S. on iTunes or by mail order from their Swedish label A Westside Fabrication. The bands first single "Boy You're Alright" has a great video that you can check out on their myspace site.

Myspace/ Tupelo Honeys

Upbeat Outsider Meloncholia

Fanfarlo- You Are One of the Few Outsiders Who Really Understands Us MP3 Let's just go ahead and get this out of the way- this relatively unknown band from London is one of David Bowie's newest favorite bands. Amazingly enough they do share similar qualities to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Arcade Fire both of whom Bowie has expressed great love for as well. The difference here is that Fanfarlo with just a few singles under there belt are already leaps and bounds better than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and if they keep it up might end up being as brilliant as Arcade Fire. Fanfarlo manages to sound uplifting (and that may be the pretty strings and the trumpet), while at the same time keeping that driving darkness that makes Arcade Fire so appealing. In an interview in the British press Fanfarlo said that one of their goals was to make music that had an upbeat spirit that sounded like a combination of Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire. Those are big goals they have set for themselves, and the first few singles just might be pointing them in that direction. For now the first two singles are only available digitally in the U.S. and via mailorder from the U.K.

Myspace/ Fanfarlo

I Can Tell That You Love Her- New Voxtrot is here!!

Voxtrot- New Love MP3 I can't stop listening to Voxtrot. They are not ground breaking, bet the record makes no year end lists (although maybe it should), but I bet if I actually remembered to turn on my Last FM every time I listened this record would be one of the top records. I listen to them a lot is what I am getting at here. Blood Red Blood is the first single from the debut eponymous titled Voxtrot record. Released as a 7 inch in the U.K. b/w a non-album track "New Love". The b-side New Love is every bit as good as the record so if you can track down the 7 inch or get a copy of the song from a friend I highly recommend it- especially if you are a big fan of Voxtrot as I am. Voxtrot have been around for a few years now, and last year caused quite a splash with the bloggers of the world with there two EPs Mothers, Sisters, and Daughters and Raised By Wolves. The band was quickly picked up by Beggars Banquet affiliate label in the U.K. Playlouder Records and then armed with a bigger recording budget the band set off to and successfully made quite a brilliant debut of indie-pop and twee reminiscent of Aztec Cameras or Belle & Sebastian. Blood Red Blood like the rest of the LP is full of lush arrangements, full of strings, saxophones, and great songs. The new record deal also allowed the band to bring in producer Victor Van Vugt who has worked with P.J. Harvey, Luna, and Nic Cave amon others. The record is out and available on vinyl through Insound, and also digitally on Emusic. Unfortunately the single was only released in the U.K. and has yet to make an appearance in the U.S., so for a short time I will have the b-side posted, and you guys can go buy the LP to get the track Blood Red Blood.