Tunes :: Junip

My love for Junip burns with the heat of a thousand suns. There's nothing quite like psychedelic Swedish rock combined with the daydream-inducing magic of Jose Gonzalez's voice.

Let it be known: I like weird music. The weirder, the better. Now, all things considered, Junip isn't too high on the weird spectrum, but there is something so magical about their music that makes me daydream of adventure. 

Also, they were featured in the soundtrack for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a gorgeous film with gorgeous music.

Here are some of my favorites, but really, all of their stuff is great. They are one of my absolute favorite bands, though, so I might be very a little biased. 

After All is Said and Done (x)
Line of Fire (x)
Without You (x)
Far Away (x)
Don't Let It Pass (x)

Tunes :: Alt-J

I am willing to bet that you have already heard an Alt-J song. If you've been listening to Top 40 radio stations within the past year, you have definitely heard Alt-J. But I am so in love with their new song that I literally can't not tell someone about it. So here we are. 

And while we're at it, we'll learn a little bit about an English alternative rock band called Alt-J. 

Originally, when the band was formed in 2007, it consisted of Gwil Sainsbury, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Thom Green. They met when they were attending a university in Leeds, three studying art, and one studying English. 

In their second year, Newman showed Sainsbury a couple of his songs, and the two started recording in their dorm rooms using Garageband. Their unique "sound" is apparently a byproduct of the fact that they could not use bass drums or guitars while recording in their dorms, since there were rules about noise.

After they all graduated, they recorded their debut album and spent two years rehearsing before they signed with Infectious Records. At this point, the quartet was going under the names "Daljit Dhaliwal" and "Films", but ended up changing to Alt-J when they learned of an American band with a similar name. The new name came from the band's symbol, a delta, "∆", which is made with the Alt-J keystroke on a Mac computer. 

Despite the amicable departure of Sainsbury earlier this year, Alt-J continues going strong as a trio, having announced a north American tour following the release of their second album in September.

One of the songs from the new album, "Left Hand Free" has already been released, and I am in love with it. So, in order to spread the Alt-J love, here are some of my favorites:

Fitzpleasure (x)
Left Hand Free (x)
Taro (x)
Something Good (x)
Breezeblocks (x)
Tessellate (x)

And I love Ellie Goulding's cover of Tessellate: (x)

Tunes: London Grammar

Since I'm starting to make music recommendation posts, there is no way I could ignore the glory that is London Grammar. They are one of my favorite bands. Ever. 

Though they're a relatively new addition to my "OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM" list of music that I, indeed, love, they have blasted right up to the top. I first heard one of their songs in a TV show a year ago, and it was love at first listen. I spent the next few minutes not paying attention to the show and frantically googling the lyrics to find out who that was and, voila, London Grammar came into my life.

Aren't they adorable? Dan Rothman, Hannah Reid, and Dominic "Dot" Major. I saw them live at the House of Blues for twenty bucks with my friend Danielle. Can you believe that. Twenty dollars for one of the best concerts of my life! My love and awe for Hannah's glorious vocal chords can only be represented by flailing and abstract gestures, so I won't even bother trying to put it into words.

I honestly like every song on their album, but I'll recommend a couple of my favorites:

Hey Now (x)

Strong (x)

Wasting My Young Years (x)

Shyer (x)

Nightcall (x)

Metal & Dust (x)

... Okay, so "a couple" turned into more than a couple. I wasn't kidding when I said they are one of my favorite bands. I need them to make 123902423420439 more albums, and then I'll be happy.

If clicking links is too tedious, here is a link to their album on spotify. Enjoy!

Tunes: Bear's Den, RY X, and Hozier

I have a couple of artists to share, mostly because they all fell into my ears at once. I love the internet so much for presenting me with new music on a daily basis. It makes my inner music addict very, very happy.

So, here we go. Today, I'm sharing Bear's Den, RY X, and Hozier. Brace thyself for folk, indie, alternative soul, and general acousticness.

(Psst! If you would like to hear them all in a cohesive playlist and avoid excessive link-clicking, feel free to listen to the spotify playlist at the bottom of this post.)

Oh, dear, oh, my. Bear's Den is one of those groups that comes along and makes me want to leap from my chair, fling my arms to the sky and shriek, "Where have you been all of my life?"

Well . . . they've been nonexistent, since they only released their EP last year. Regardless, I am in love. They have a subtle Foals feel to them; a soulful, folky sound that builds and builds and builds as the song goes on. Unf. (Sahara Part II is my absolute favorite; it reminds me of Late Night, by the Foals.)

Sahara Part II (x)
When You Break (x)
Don't Let The Sun Steal You Away (x)
Isaac (x)

RY X is just so cool. And mellow. He reminds me of Ben Howard and Bon Iver, with a little bit of The XX and London Grammar. All of which I love. Ohhhh, lordy. 

Shortline (x)

Berlin (x)

On to Hozier. Hozier is a beautiful combination of Sufjan Stevens and James Blake, an alternative soul singer who gives me hearts for eyes whenever he arrives in my headphones. But I'll save James Blake for another time, for now it's Hozier:

Cherry Wine - Live (x)
To Be Alone (x)
Angel Of Small Death And Codeine Scene (x)
Work Song (x)

So that concludes my music rampage.  If anyone is interested in hearing them all together in a playlist, including other artists like Fleet Foxes, Foals, and James Blake, I have a playlist on Spotify that you can listen to:

"Soulful Folky Indie"

But yes. I am seriously in love with Bear's Den.

Who was your favorite?