Broken Bells & Phoenix

[Sorry for the old post...its from February...and I never posted it. I suck. Carry On]

So--buried under FEET of snow...with a day off from work....I've decided to take some time to bombard you all with some stuff I am loving right now. I have been cuddled up in bed all morning catching up on the latest issue of Rolling Stone and perusing my usual music sites over a cup of tea and reruns of Sex in the City (could a morning GET any better?!).

Without further ado--we'll start things off with a recommendation. :)

New: Broken Bells--"The High Road"
My boyfriend suggested I check out Broken Bells. I knew the name sounded familiar--and realized that was because Rolling Stone just did a writeup on them. So I will introduce them to you guys as well! :) As the bf noted, they have a little something that's vaguely reminiscent of Oasis. At the same time though they combine a slight psychedelic sound with more of a grounded hiphop feel. If that sounds simply AWFUL to you--just give it a chance. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Rolling Stone described them as "part Kanye West, part Brian Eno" which I feel really hits the nail on the head. (Everyone knows who Kanye is--unfortunately, haha--but for those of you who are unfamiliar with Brian Eno--he is most known for his experimental work with ambient music (synthesizers and the like) in the 70's and 80's. He was part of the band Roxy Music in the 70s before moving on to a solo career.)You might also recognize the vocals as lead singer James Mercer from the Shins. Anyway, if you're anything like me-you get tired of hearing bands that sound the same--so this was a nice little change of pace.

Old: Phoenix--"Lisztomania"
Okay by now EVERYONE has most likely heard of Phoenix. If not--have no fear--its not too late for you to join in the craze!! Haha Okay but seriously--there is something totally catchy about these guys. Its one of those bands...you know the kind I'm talking about...where you just can't help but move to their music. Rolling Stone noted in their writeup in regards to how these hits and a lot of their music "thrives on minimal guitar grooves that emphasize rhythm above all else"--which is where the dancing comes in. This French alt rock band has REALLY taken off lately. Nominated for a bunch of awards...popping up at tons of summer music festivals...and tons of media exposure (commercials, movie trailers, etc.) Personally, I love their song "Lisztomania", which has gotten a lot of airtime along with their other hit "1901". But if you're looking for something not so...popular-and maybe a little less "pop-py and upbeat"...check out "Everything is Everything" and "Rome".