Diagnosis Music

Since the new year, I have found myself listening to lots of bands I heard about from friends & other sources such as NPR's All Songs Considered with Bob Boilen & NYLON magazine.  Rather than log onto MySpace & feel guilty for neglecting Tom & my "friends" from various past part-time jobs, I was able to listen to them on Grooveshark, which you may remember me singing the praises of in "When the dog barks, when the bee stings."  You remember that one, right, Mom?  Well I'm going to keep singing them.  Who are these great new faves of yours truly?  Well, that's what I am trying to tell you.  Right now.



Mayer Hawthorne
Album: A Strange Arrangement

He is from Ann Arbor, MI, so I like him immediately (since I am originally from a town that's just a short jot up Dexter Trail), but when I first heard him on NPR, I could not believe mine ears.  He's got the retro Motown sound that takes you back (to an era I was not actually a part of), but uses modern references that avoids his sounding dated.  As Boilen so aptly noted, he plays with the idea of this genre and is fully aware of all it entails.  He has a gorgeous voice with no prior training and even wrote and plays all the music himself.  If you dig the old school Motown/R&B/Soul, you will definitely love him.







Tennis
Album: Cape Dory

The story behind this album is heart-warming, I don't care how stony your heart: In 2009, a Denver-native newlywed couple decided to take a sailboat down the East coast for eight months.  They had no prior experience & wrote this album on their journey.  It is beachy & romantic & again, takes you back, this time to 1950s girl group doo-wop.  The lead singer has the clearest most angelic voice backed by dreamy rhythms.  The lyrics will melt your heart and the overall vibe will soothe your soul.  Definitely recommended for the office as an escape, but be warned, it may make you want to find a random patch of sun and take a nap like a baby post-teat.





Neon Indian
Album: Psychic Chasms

Now the hipster/indie set already know about them (and probably everything else I am writing about) but not everyone does.  So go ahead & gimme the bird and self-righteously sip your macchiato while I attempt to explain to this marvelous band: if I were tripping on acid, this is what it would be like.  It is fun & upbeat with funky beats that make me feel like I am in a John Hughes movie. One second it sounds like a Nintendo game, the next you hear some Pink Floyd influence.  And they totally sample "What a Fool Believes" in "Laughing Gas."  Definitely worth a listen.







The Suzan
Album: Golden Week for the Poco Poco Beat

This band is an all-girl indie group from Japan that rocks your socks off as they go against the bubblegum pop grain of their motherland.  Their music creates a spectrum of moods that are inevitably back dropped with aural happiness.  In their mix of instrumentals and haunting vocals you'll find ominous tones that are simultaneously playful.  I love love love them and will be seriously disappointed if you do not give them a try.








Girl Talk
Album: All Day

A skinny white guy that does amazing remixes that can only be rivaled by DJ Dangermouse's Grey Album.  He mixes every genre and every decade from 80s pop to rap to Miley to classic rock, making you want to dance the night away no matter your day job taste.  Seriously in love with him for making me want to go clubbing when I am not one to frequent clubs (I only own one pair of heels and a stack of thigh-worn JCPenney jeans). I'm pretty sure his mixes make me a better dancer too, so if that isn't incentive enough, I don't know what is.







Give these bands a listen and tell me what you think.  If you have already heard some or all of them and have some fun factoids or want to tell everyone how wrong I am, that's cool too. OR if you want to give some recommendations of some new amazing musicians/bands/artists, share that too!  Always looking to expand my music library beyond Johnny Rivers.


good tunes, naps & sunshine,

bunny