You know…I think the material I gleaned for last week’s show spoiled me. I kept almost everything. Don’t get me wrong; I liked some of the songs I discovered this week be most of them are by artists you already know, which is fine but I’m about discovery of the new. Well…onward and upward. Let me tell you about this week’s findings.

I kicked off the show with Tiny Victories. One of the difficulties of discovering new bands is getting information on them and Tiny Victories is one of them. They are a pair of guys, Cason Kelly, on the drum kit, and Greg Walters, working the synthesizers and pushing his modified vocals into the microphone. They played at CMJ back in 2010 and got a couple of write-ups, which is how I even found out their names. These boys just released a single in anticipation of an EP being released sometime in February. The single is “Lost Weekend” and I am looking forward to sampling the EP when it drops. Be aware the intro is a tad long, which is something I’m not fond of, but the wait is worth it. (But seriously…I would consider a radio edit version)

I closed off that Electronica opening set with something from The Phenomenal Handclap Band, which is another name I just love. When I first heard that tune it made me think of Eighties bands like New Order or the Tom Tom Club. I know they call themselves a band but really it’s the brainchild of Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand; two underground DJs from the New York Club scene got together and combined production talents and have kind of picked up people along the way. There has really been quite a buzz about these guys, especially from the Musicians World. People want to work with these two; like artists from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, TV on the Radio and the Dap Kings. The track I featured was “Following” and it’s from the new disc, FORM AND CONTROL, which is due out February 13th. BTW, they will be touring in support of this new disc; they are opening for Brian Ferry, who was quite taken with them.

Changing musical direction with an artist I played for you back in November. Her name is Elizaveta. She was born in New York but grew up in Moscow and has seen a great deal of the world already for such a young person. She is a classically trained pianist and has an operatic voice, which she uses like an up-tempo Enya. Last year I played the song “Dreamer,” which was from a five-song, self-titled EP. She is back with her debut, full-length CD, BEATRIX RUNS, and I played “Meant.”

Then I aired the latest from Martin Sexton. (He’s one of those “you know him already;” it’s good stuff; but “you know him already”) (Yes, I wrote that twice…on purpose; to make a point) Mr. Sexton has been at it for over twenty years now and I’m impressed with his latest EP, FALL LIKE RAIN, which I sampled the title track. It’s only five songs long (Four new and one cover) but it’s quality material from a venerable musician steeped in the modern folk genre. BTW, Martin Sexton has a gig set for the House Of Blues for Saturday, March 24th. Check his website for other dates in a town near you.

Let’s keep things moving here with a band I found out about because of a course I’m taking at Berklee College of Music. I’m getting a Master’s Certificate in Music Business and in the course I’m taking now – I had to evaluate a band’s EPK (Electronic Press Kit) on the Sonic Bids website. Purely by happenstance I picked this band Microwave Jenny. (Probably because I liked the name) While I was reviewing the text I had their music playing and it caught my ear. I read they were from Australia so I went to my go-to Australian music site and dug up more information on them, which led me to emailing the band. They got back to me tout de suite! They have an EP that’s in the final mixing and mastering stages and is due out in March, which they are going to send me a copy. (How cool?) and they gave me this MP3, “What You Do,” which will be included in their full-length, debut CD that is due out this fall. Serendipity baby.

I rounded off that two-song set with Ingrid Michaelson. This young woman is really coming on strong. I remember seeing her at a music conference four years ago when she was first starting. She has done well in managing her career. Well Ingrid is back with a new album, HUMAN AGAIN, and it feels to me that it designed with her hard-core listeners in mind. It’s her usual thoughtful material but on steroids. She has brought in a string section for the lead off single, “Fire” and “Do It Now.” I am a fan of the more whimsical side of Ingrid; like “You & I,” a cute little ditty she did with Jason Mraz, which is why I went with the more Pop accessible track on the disc; “Palm Of Your Hand.” Ingrid will also be at the House Of Blues this coming May; on a Tuesday…the 15th.

My lineage subject was Jonquil. Jonquil is an unsigned, indie pop/rock band out of Oxford England. They describe themselves as Experimental Pop. However you choose to classify this group – I would put them in the “I LIKE” category. When I first found them back in November of 2010 they released an eight-song disc and I liked three tracks right off the bat. (I like that ratio) They have now returned with a full-length CD entitled POINT OF GO. The album officially drops on March 5th and the selected single is “Mexico.” I happen to like this song a little better. It’s called “It’s My Part.”

Part two of the lineage feature was “Get Up,” which is from the album ONE HUNDRED SUNS.

My re-issue song of the week was from Jefferson Airplane. In my usual research, I always check the “Just Added” page section of I-tunes and this weekend I ran across ROCK LEGENDS – Jefferson Airplane; Digitally Re-Mastered Recordings; and I thought – why not? It goes back a ways. The song I picked for airplay, “Somebody To Love,” goes back to SURREALISTIC PILLOW, which was released in 1967. I had older siblings that were way into this album and VOLUNTEERS.

I followed that with latest material from Chairlift. Chairlift was made up of the trio of Aaron Pfenning, Patrick Wimberly and Caroline Polachek. (Pfenning left the group back in 2010 after he broke up with his girlfriend, Caroline Polachek…that’ll do it!)
They are originally from Boulder, Colorado but now have their base of operations in Brooklyn. Now I have heard of Caroline Polachek before; she sings the vocal for Flosstradamus’ tune “Big Bills,” which I’ve played before many times in the show. But I always wondered how they found her and where she came from. And now I know. Chairlift just released their second, full-length album, SOMETHING. Back in October I played the pre-release single, “Amanaemonesia” but I didn’t want to play that again so I went with “Frigid Spring.” (On a side note, the reviewer, Ani Vrabel, from Paste didn’t like this song. She was drawn to songs very different from my tastes. I always find that fascinating about music. That’s why you find a tastemaker you trust and go from there)

“Cruise Night”* is a single from John K. Samson. I don’t know if it’s the selected single but I do know it’s been around for a while. Let me explain. John is also the current frontman for the Weakerthans. I think he’s had this side/solo project in mind for a while because while I was looking for this song I found older versions too. They had more of a demo feel to it. Be that as it may, John has just released the disc, PROVINCAL, which came out about two weeks ago. *This is one of the older versions.

Closing off that set was the latest from Dr. Dog. This six-piece, psychedelic rock group of the Philadelphia have returned with a new album, BE THE VOID, which hits the stores (Nobody says that anymore) on the 7th of February. I played the lead off single, “That Old Black Hole,” and it is really kind of catchy. The Dog team has a gig date set for the 22nd of March at the House Of Blues.

Next up is the indie alt. Pop trio Eux Autres. (Ooz-Oh-Tray). They are a brother and sister; Nicholas and Heather Larimer and they hail from Portland, OR. (Just recently joining them is Yoshi Nakamoto, on drums) They specialize in lo-fi, indie pop. They also like Holiday music. They released, in 2010, a three-song EP of Holiday Songs entitled ANOTHER CHRISTMAS AT HOME, which I really liked and recommend highly. Anyway, the new disc is an EP. A six-track dandy called SUN IS SUNK, which is due out February 28th, and had the lead off single “Right Again.”

Let me slip in one more from Bahamas, which is really Afie Jurvanen. I played a track off the new album, BARCHORDS, on last week’s show but I really wanted to play this one too…so I did. It’s “Caught Me Thinkin’.”

Songs in BOLD are links to videos of that song. Songs that are ITALICIZED are links to Soundcloud Audio Files of said song.

Come listen LIVE on wmfo.org from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. (I could use the support) ;^)

If you are interested in having me produce a designed playlist for you; email me your contact details and we discuss how to make that happen.

If you missed the live version…check out the archived one. Here’s the LINK.

I suggest you follow me on Twitter and get an early taste on new music that comes out each week. (FYI, The Drums, Katie Costello and Smoove & Turrell are now all following me…how cool it that?) (On the Twitter feed this week is Stereo Soul Future…yeah!)

Tiny Victories - "Lost Weekend" - THOSE OF US STILL ALIVE

The Phenomenal Handclap Band - "Following" - FORM AND CONTROL

Elizaveta - "Meant" - BEATRIX RUNS

Martin Sexton - "Fall Like Rain" - FALL LIKE RAIN

Microwave Jenny - "What You Do" - WHAT YOU DO - Single

Ingrid Michaelson - "Palm Of Your Hand" - HUMAN AGAIN

Jonquil - "It’s My Part" - POINT OF GO

Jonquil - "Get Up" - ONE HUNDRED SUNS*

Jefferson Airplane - "Somebody To Love" - ROCK LEGENDS**

Chairlift - "Frigid Spring" - SOMETHING

John K. Samson - "Cruise Night" - PROVINCIAL

Dr. Dog - "That Old Black Hole" - BE THE VOID

Eux Autres - "Right Again" - SUN IS SUNK - Ep

Bahamas - "Caught Me Thinking" - BARCHORDS

*Lineage

**Re-Issue Song of the Week

The show kicks off at 10 AM (Eastern US) and we go until 1 PM. Log on to wmfo.org and listen along live.

It is amazing what a difference a week makes. Our station was inundated with three boxes of CD’s from the Post Office. This makes my quest for new music easier but it also means I might miss something really good. I can tell you though that the material I had for my radio show this week was outstanding. Let me tell you about what I found.

I started the program with Seeker Lover Keeper. They are kind of an Australian super group; but if you’re not from Australia you probably have no idea who they are. They are comprised of a trio of ladies, led by Sarah Blasko, who I have featured before on my show. Sarah formed this band/project with Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby. They all contribute songwriting duties, vocal leads and instrumentation. The self-titled, debut release came out in Australia back in June of 2011 and found itself #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart a week later. (Higher than any former release from Blakso, Seltmann or Throsby individually) The album digitally dropped here in the States earlier this month. The song I selected for you this morning was penned and sung by Sarah. She wrote this song originally back when she was eighteen, while listening to a lot of PJ Harvey material, but never recorded it. When joined by Seltmann and Throsby, Sarah felt that this was the musical vehicle to launch this tune. It’s called “Every Time.”

I completed that opening set with another track from Kathleen Edwards. Her new album, VOYAGEUR (released on Rounder Records) officially came out last week and I thought I’d revisit it. I have been playing “Change The Sheets,” which is the lead off single but I wanted to give you a different taste of the depth of this album. The sample I chose to play was “Sidecar.” It’s got a little more oomph to it than some of her other material. (I wish she’d do that a tad more)

Changing musical direction with an absolutely lovely down-tempo gem from Bahamas, which is Afie Jurvanen. This talented Canadian guitarist has worked with many of his compatriots as a studio musician and tour player; artists like Feist, Jason Collett and Zeus. His new album, his second, is called BARCHORDS. I was quite taken with a couple of tunes; track two – “Caught Me Thinking,” which I will be playing in upcoming weeks; and the lead off track, “Lost In The Light” and it’s the one I pick to air. It’s good stuff.

Then came the latest from Dare Dukes. Now I know Dare Dukes isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but this song really got my attention. I think if you broke down the elements of the song, banjo, nasally voice and an off-kilter tempo; it would never fly. However, Dukes blends these quirky elements into a brilliant product. The song is “Meet You At The Bus,” which I have played before, back in November, and since the entire album just dropped last week, it gave me a good excuse to play it again. The tune can be found on the disc; THUGS AND CHINA DOLLS. (Download it free from here)

Let’s keep things moving here with a band I tweeted about earlier this week, which is why you should be following me on Twitter (It keeps you way ahead of the New Music curve) Anyway, I am smitten with this group; they are Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound. Audra is the great grand niece of Judy Garland. (I don’t know what that does for you but it seems noteworthy) She is from Oklahoma City but has since relocated out to California where she released her debut album, THE HAPPIEST LAMB, in 2010. Well, Audra is back with her sophomore effort and she’s brought some support; in the form of a backing band known as The Almighty Sound. She’s enlisted the help of Deana Carter to produce the album and she’s picked, and penned, some good tunes to fill the release. The lead off track of their self-titled disc is “The Real Thing;” and it is indeed. Oh…BTW, the album releases on February 14th.

Closing off that two-song set was Poor Moon; they are Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls) Casey Wescott (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls) and brothers Ian and Peter Murray. Apparently, the band is named after Wargo’s favorite Canned Heat song, which I think is a great way to name one’s band. This new band formation just signed with Sub Pop records (good catch; but not that surprising that Fleet Foxes are on Sub Pop) and they are going to be releasing an EP; ILLUSIONS, which comes out on March 27th. The song I sampled was “People In Her Mind.,” which I believe can be downloaded for free via Sub Pop’s band page. BTW, Poor Moon will be playing at the Museum Of Fine Arts, here in Boston, on April 13th.

My lineage subject was Nada Surf. Nada Surf originally formed in 1993 and had early success, using Billboard Charts as the measure of that success, but they almost fell into the one-hit-wonder category. However, the two founding members, Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca, kept their vision alive. After a four-year hiatus the boys resurfaced and produced a solid Indie album, LET GO. They’ve never returned to the “chart” success but they’ve managed to produce a quality product and play a good live show. The shows they are planning now are in support of their new disc, THE STARS ARE INDIFFERENT TO ASTRONOMY, which came out January 24th. That is extraordinary that they’ve made it twenty years. Anyway, the song sample I had for part one of this feature was “Waiting For Something.”

For part two of the feature I played “Inside Of Love,” which is from the album LET GO.

My re-issue song of the week was from Stone Roses. Technically, they were only together a little over ten years; with only two albums to their name but that had a huge impact on college radio in the late nineties. Their debut, self-titled album was so successful that it took them five years to do their follow up release; but it just couldn’t live up to the promise. They broke up a few years later. It was only just last year when I featured the Stone Roses as my Re-Issue of the Week due to the 20th anniversary release of one of their albums. But hey, I like these guys a lot so any reason seems good to me. The re-issue project today is an album titled THE VERY BEST OF THE STONE ROSES and the song I had for the show wass “She Bangs The Drums.”

Next came the latest material from School Of Seven Bells. I really find this band interesting. Their music vision is always BIG; with great arrangements partnered with engaging melodies and appealing lyrics. The new album, GHOSTORY, is due out this Spring. They have an engagement booked at The Brighton Music Hall, confusingly located in Allston, set for May 4th. The track I aired was, “Lafaye,” which is the lead off single; however, you can download a deeper track, “The Night,” for free, via their SoundCloud page.

“Blue” is not the selected single from First Aid Kit but I liked it best off their new album, THE LION’S ROAR. They are a wonderfully gifted duo that craft outstanding Folk music with beautiful harmonies and if I wanted to Veg-out or go to sleep; I’d put on this album. However, that is not how I consume music. I want it to inspire or evoke and hopefully make you engaged or possibly moving to the rhythm. I just thought this was the most accessible tune on the album.

I finished off that lovely set with the latest from Jessie Baylin. I just love the feel of this song. Jessie sounds like Dusty Springfield on her tune “Hurry Hurry.” I think is must be the strings that spark that thought. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the remainder of this album but I’m looking forward to it. For those of you who care about these things; I read that Jessie is married to Nathan Followill, who is the drummer for Kings Of Leon. That is an interesting musical partnership. Anyway, the new album, LITTLE SPARK, just came out last week.

Let me slip in one more from Jenny Owen Youngs. She is back with her third album, AN UNWAVERING BAND OF LIGHT, and it’s a great complement to her previous work. If you’re not familiar with Miss Youngs, she does a great job combining Pop, Neo-Folk and Indie, along with some clever lyrics; and you’ll get a good taste of it on the song I selected. The track is “Your Apartment.” Also, FYI, Jenny has an upcoming show at the Middle East in Cambridge on March 24th

Songs in BOLD are links to videos of that song. Songs that are ITALICIZED are links to Soundcloud Audio Files of said song.

Come listen LIVE on wmfo.org from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. (I could use the support) ;^)

If you are interested in having me produce a designed playlist for you; email me your contact details and we discuss how to make that happen.

If you missed the live version…check out the archived one. Here’s the LINK.

I suggest you follow me on Twitter and get an early taste on new music that comes out each week. (FYI, The Drums, Katie Costello and Smoove & Turrell are now all following me…how cool it that?)

Seeker Lover Keeper - "Every Time" - SEEKER LOVER KEEPER

Kathleen Edwards - "Side Car" - VOYAGEUR

Bahamas - "Lost In The Light" - BARCHORDS

Dare Dukes - "Meet You At The Bus" - THUGS AND CHINA DOLLS

Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound - "The Real Thing" - AUDRA MAE & THE ALMIGHTY SOUND

Poor Moon - "People In Her Mind" - ILLUSION - Ep

Nada Surf - "Waiting For Something" - THE STARS ARE INDIFFERENT TO ASTRONOMY

Nada Surf - "Inside Of Love" - LET GO*

Stone Roses - "She Bangs The Drums" - STONE ROSES**

School Of Seven Bells - "Lafaye" - GHOSTORY

First Aid Kit - "Blue" - THE LION’S ROAR

Jessie Baylin - "Hurry Hurry" - LITTLE SPARK

Jenny Owen Youngs - "Your Apartment" - AN UNWAVERING BAND OF LIGHT

*Lineage

**Re-Issue Song of the Week

Please follow me on Twitter and get the early scoop on the new music before it airs on my show.

The show itself airs Tuesdays; 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on wmfo.org.  Please join in on the fun!

Another week’s worth of music into the New Year and it’s still tough to find good, new material. It’s out there…but it just taken more time and effort. The payoff is worth it; so let me tell about what I found for this week’s show.

I kicked off the show with Kayln Rock. She’s an intentionally lo-fi acoustic singer/songwriter that has just released her debut, full-length album entitled PASSENGER. Most of the tracks on the album are just she and a guitar. They sound like very personal songs and have a lovely quality to them but I’m more of an upbeat kind of music consumer and I found an interesting deeper cut on the album to share with you. It’s “Messages.”

I closed off the opening set with a bluesy track from Miss Joan Osborne covering the great Slim Harpo. That track is “Shake Your Hips” and it’s a pre-release single in anticipation of her new album BRING IT ON HOME, which is due out March 27th. Joan is already out on tour promoting the new CD with a stop on February 25th in Natick at the Center for the Arts. Check her website for more tour information to see if she’ll be stopping by your town.(Here is Harpo’s version of "Shake Your Hips")

Changing musical direction with a lovely and talented singer/songwriter. Her name is Rosie Thomas and she actually got her start in Detroit with a pop band called Velour 100 in the late 1990’s. She started her solo career path in the early 2000’s following in the tradition of Joni Mitchell by blending her folk slash singer/songwriter leanings with her acquired Pop sensibilities. So over the past ten years, or so, of her solo career; Rosie has released six albums with the latest being WITH LOVE, which is due to be released on February 14th, Valentine’s Day of course. The lead off single is “Where Was I.” (It’s available for free here too)

That was followed by the latest from Good Old War. Good Old War is indie Pop band out of the Philadelphia area. The band’s name comes from the last names of the three members; Goodwin for Good, Arnold for Old, and Schwartz for War. They are putting the finishing touches on a new album, which is due out in March; but they’ve released this single, “Calling Me Names,” to create some interest. (The YouTube post has a link to download the song for free)

Let’s keep things moving here with Asteroids Galaxy Tour. This band seems totally intentional to me. And what I mean by that is…the look and the sound of the band seems deliberate; as to fit into a record company’s idea of what people want to hear. When they first hit the scene in 2008, they caught the attention of Amy Winehouse and that set them afire. Their debut album FRUIT and the single, “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More” had a more authentic feel to it. I’m sure the album, OUT OF FREQUENCY, will do well; it has the backing of Sony/BMG records to make that happen. The album is due to drop on the 31st of this month and this is the selected single…it’s “Heart Attack.”

Completing that two-song set was La Sera, which is a vehicle inspired by Katy Goodman. Katy’s other job is the bassist for the do-it-yourselfer punk oriented band…The Vivian Girls. If you are familiar with the Vivian Girls, Katy’s new project has quite a different feel to it. She allows her Pop sensibilities to emerge in her solo songwriting. That track you just tasted was “Please Be My Third Eye,” which can be found on her yet-to-be released sophomore effort; SEES THE LIGHT. BTW, that song can be had for free via her record label’s band page. Just go to HardlyArt.com/LaSera and click on the MP3 link to download the track.

My lineage subject was Heartless Bastards. The band was originally a trio comprised of Erika Wennerstrom, as the frontwoman; the group was rounded out by Dave Colvin and Jess Ebaugh. I found them in 2009 with the release of their third album, THE MOUNTAIN. They seemed to be the modern version of a classic Power Trio. They started out in Dayton, Ohio; moved to Cincinnati; and have now settled in Austin, Texas. That third album, THE MOUNTAIN, started to make things happen for the band; they started to play larger venues and garner more attention from the music press. Their latest foray into the music scene, ARROW, is due out mid-February. Also, just an FYI, the Heartless Bastards will be playing the Middle East, in Cambridge, on February 23rd. I am going to try my hardest to get on the guest list; so Erika if you were listening or reading my Blog, please put me on the list. The song I had for the feature was “Parted Ways” and it’s a dandy.

The follow up tune to complete the feature was “Out At Sea,” which is from the album THE MOUNTAIN. BTW, the title track was originally the selected single but when you go to their shows; the song that gets everyone moving is the one I selected for airplay.

My re-issue song of the week was from Billy Joel. The guy is a commercial success; no doubt, but he was never appreciated by the critics. I was a big fan early. I had PIANO MAN and TURSTILES; as well as THE STRANGER & 52nd STREET. Well, Billy can still draw CD sales and that is the intent with the re-release of a Best Of collection. It’s called PIANO MAN: THE VERY BEST OF BILLY JOEL, which has been released at least four times already. I went with the Pop oriented “Uptown Girl,” because I was always sweet on Christie Brinkley.

Then came the latest material from Callaghan. I wanted to follow the Pop of Billy Joel with some Modern Pop from a single named artist; Callaghan. She’s originally from London but relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to work with singer/songwriter turned producer; Shawn Mullins. Callaghan has released a number of singles and EP but her debut, full-length album, LIFE IN FULL COLOR, is due out this Spring. The song I sampled, “Best Year,” is the lead off single.

“Love Lust” is the latest single from King Charles. They are from the UK and have a bit of a Vampire Weekend sound to them. The trio is fronted by King Charles and is supported by James Barnett and David Powell; they have released only six songs so far but they are getting a huge amount of attention. Their latest effort, a four-song EP entitled MISSISSIPPI ISABEL, has been signed to Universal Records; that’s a big deal.

That was followed by the latest from The Shins. That was the lead off single, “Simple Song,” and it’s from the album PORT OF MORROW, which is due out March 20th. I was under whelmed by this track and I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the album.

Next up is Kingsley Flood, a local Boston based band making good. This mixed-gendered, quintet has already been featured on NPR and locally on WBUR. They have just released an EP entitled COLDER STILL, and the track I had for my listeners was “I Don’t Wanna Go Home.”

Let me slip in one more from The Vegabonds. They are a modern Southern Rock band, which to me sound similar to Kings Of Leon. Their new album is SOUTHERN SONS, which was just released last week. This is “Georgia Fire,” which can be had for free via Reverb Nation band site. I like these guys.

Songs in BOLD are links to videos of that song. Songs that are ITALICIZED are links to Soundcloud Audio Files of said song.

Come listen LIVE on wmfo.org from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. (I could use the support) ;^)

If you are interested in having me produce a designed playlist for you; email me your contact details and we discuss how to make that happen.

If you missed the live version…check out the archived one. Here’s the LINK.

I suggest you follow me on Twitter and get an early taste on new music that comes out each week. (FYI, The Drums, Katie Costello and Smoove & Turrell are now all following me…how cool it that?) (On the Twitter feed this week is Stereo Soul Future…yeah!)

It’s the new year and the music industry is still moving from a Holiday mind frame into new music/South by Southwest point of view. What I’m trying to tell you that not all of my material from the 1-10-12 show is entirely fresh. Most of it is, however, I had to supplement the program with slightly older goods. Can you see it in your heart to forgive me? Well…let me jump in.

I got the show started with My Tiger My Timing, which I love the name…very clever. They are a indie rock, mix-gendered, quintet out of the South London area. They’ve had a pretty quick rise to success. They formed in 2008 and recorded their first single a year later. Then in 2010, Beck’s Brewery Company sponsors the European Newcomer award; to which the band won. Then in April of 2011 they were recognized at the Glastonbury Music Festival when they reached the finals of the Emerging Talent Competition and were awarded a slot on the John Peel Stage at the festival. They have their debut, full-length album due out in Spring of 2012 and I just happened to have the lead off single; it’s called “Written In Red.”

I closed off that opening set with a young performer from Down Under. Her name is Tara Simmons and she currently resides in Brisbane. This musical talent began playing piano at the age of three and took on the cello at the age of eight; then vocals came shortly thereafter. All the time she was dabbling in songwriting. Now at the age of twenty-seven she seems focused on never being bored with her music. She has tried several different styles with the latest being more electronic and edgier, which if you listened to the show was evident on her latest single “Be Gone.” The album, which is yet to be named, will come out later this year.

Changing musical direction with Rose Cousins. Funny thing about this track is that I never got to hear it in its entirety. It started to play and something would distract me but I could kind of hear it in the background; more subliminal. I’d get refocused and start the song over only to get distracted again but the subconscious melody stuck in my head and that convinced me to put it into today’s show. Anyway, this song from Rose is from the album THE SEND OFF and it was reissued as a precursor to her upcoming album, WE HAVE MADE A SPARK. The track was “I Were The Bird.” If you haven’t heard it before…it’s new to you.

Next was the most recent effort by Ernest Saint Laurent. It is another rehash of a track that was released last year but slipped by me. The tune was “The Moon Is Gone” and it’s from the disc ROLLERCOASTER.

Let’s keep things moving here with Cheyenne Marie Mize. She is an abundantly talented singer/songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky. She grew up in a very musical family and studied music at the University of Louisville. She released her critically acclaimed debut, BEFORE LATELY, in 2010 and she is back with the release of an EP entitled WE DON’T NEED, which is due out the 24th of this month. This cleverly crafted song is called “Wishing Well.”

Finishing that two-song set was Clairy Browne And The Bangin’ Rackettes and I have to tell you…I love these guys. I found them over the weekend and I immediately tweeted about them because they are that good, which is why you should be following me on Twitter. You get the early scoop on great new music. So…Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes are a nine-piece band out of Melbourne, Australia and tune I aired, “Love Letter,” featured some great R&B and Soul, along with some great girlie doo-wops too. Their new album, BABY CAUGHT THE BUS, is out in Australia right now but I don’t know when it, or who will distribute it in the U.S. If you want to check out more of Clairy Browne; their self-titled EP is available on I-Tunes. Check out “Long Lanky Daddy.” These guys would be great live.

My lineage subject was Sailor & I. Sailor & I are an indie pop octet from Stockholm, Sweden. I found them a little over a year ago when they released their debut EP, JOHN FRANKLIN; but more about that later. Shortly after I started playing their music I was contacted by the band with an email that included other music blog people like Pitchfork, which is great to be included on that list. Anyway, I responded to Alexander Sjödin, the band’s frontman, and he’s been touching base with me periodically. Well, in December he sent me a link to their new single off their yet-to-be released album, THE SCHOLARSHIP, and I thought it was terrific. And that’s what I had for the feature; the song is “Turn Around.”

The Sailor & I follow up song for the lineage feature was “Where’s The Love,” which is from the EP, JOHN FRANKLIN.

My re-issue song of the week was from Modern English. To me, this band epitomized the New Wave sound of early eighties. They had some great hair; an upbeat sound and they seemed perfect for the MTV age. The album that made it for these lads was AFTER THE SNOW that had their monster hit “Melt With You.” (It still gets airplay today) They did record a couple other albums but they were never able to capture that spark again. But, if you’re interested, two follow up songs that I glommed onto…way back when were “Ink And Paper,” from STOP START and “Care About You” from PILLOW LIPS. Of course, I ended up staying with the classic.

I followed that with the latest material from Guards. Guards are Richie James Follin, Loren Ted Humphrey, Kaylie Church, and John Fredericks and they are currently based in New York. Other than that I don’t have a great deal of information on them. I found them via White Iris Records on a 7” released by them. The A-side is “Do It Again” but I happen to like the B-side better, which is what I aired for the program and it’s called “Feels Like That.” (BTW, Richie James Follin is the brother of Cults member Madeline Follin)

“Be There” is the latest single from YesYou. YesYou is production duo Jono Kirkham and Gav Parry. According to their very brief bio they said, “We began writing [songs] in early 2010. Armed with a handful of tracks, we have been collaborating with a range of different artists to put together an eclectic Dance/Pop record.” I first featured this pair in May of last year with their first single, “Half Of It.” They are still in the studio as we speak and working on the full-length, debut album. (At this rate that should be by 2014)

Completing that lovely set was the latest from Christine Leakey. She is another amazingly talented singer/songwriter that expressed her musicology at a very early age. She is from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and has just released her debut album and this is how Christine describes it: "TAPPING TREES IN A TRINKET BOX is what would happen if Karen Carpenter went into outer space with Tom Waits and gave birth to Syd Barrett." (I love it) The track I sampled was “Lovely.”

Next up is Ivan and Alyosha a duo that neither one is named Ivan nor Alyosha and they aren’t even a duo. (They actually took their name from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov) They are a quartet from the Seattle area and put together some nice harmonies. They are currently touring with Aimee Mann and pushing their latest album, FATHERS BE KIND, and this is the title track. (Another older song)

Next it was the latest material from The Maccabees. The Maccabees are a five-piece, neo-folk outfit based in Brighton, England. Their new album, GIVEN TO THE WILD, came out in the U.K. on January 9th but there is no set date of release here in the United States. I played “Feel To Follow.”

Let me slip in one more from Frankie Rose. It’s an upbeat Electronic Pop number. She is also a member of the band Hearts Of Palm. She is getting ready to release her next new album, INTERSTELAR. No word yet on the release date but check out the lead off single; it’s “Know Me.”

Songs in BOLD are links to videos of that song. Songs that are ITALICIZED are links to Soundcloud Audio Files of said song.

Come listen LIVE on wmfo.org from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. (I could use the support) ;^)

If you are interested in having me produce a designed playlist for you; email me your contact details and we discuss how to make that happen.

If you missed the live version…check out the archived one. Here’s the LINK.

I suggest you follow me on Twitter and get an early taste on new music that comes out each week. (FYI, The Drums, Katie Costello and Smoove & Turrell are now all following me…how cool it that?) (On the Twitter feed this week is Stereo Soul Future…yeah!)

Kayln Rock - "Messages" - PASSENGER

Joan Osborne - "Shake Your Hips" - SHAKE YOUR HIPS - Single

Rosie Thomas - "Where Was I" - WITH LOVE

Good Old War - "Calling Me Names" - CALLING ME NAMES - Single

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - "Heart Attack" - OUT OF FREQUENCY

La Sera - "Please Be My Third Eye" - SEES THE LIGHT

Heartless Bastards - "Parted Ways" - ARROW

Heartless Bastards - "Out At Sea" - THE MOUNTAIN*

Billy Joel - "Uptown Girl" - PIANO MAN: THE VERY BEST**

Callaghan - "Best Year" - LIFE IN FULL COLOR

King Charles - "Love Lust" - MISSISSIPPI ISABEL - Ep

The Shins - "Simple Song" - PORT OF MORROW

Kingsley Flood - "I Don’t Wanna Go Home" - COLDER STILL - Ep

The Vegabonds - "Georgia Fire" - SOUTHERN SONS

*Lineage

**Re-Issue Song of the Week

The show airs live on wmfo.org from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Follow along on Twitter and keep ahead of the curve on great new music.

My Tiger My Timing - "Written In Red" - WRITTEN IN RED - Single

Tara Simmons - "Be Gone" - BE GONE - Single

Rose Cousins - "I Were The Bird" - WE HAVE MADE A SPARK

Ernest Saint Laurent - "The Moon Is Gone" - ROLLERCOASTER

Cheyenne Marie Mize - "Wishing Well" - WE DON’T NEED - Ep

Clairy Brown And The Bangin’ Rackettes - BABY CAUGHT THE BUS

Sailor & I - "Turn Around" - THE SCHOLARSHIP

Sailor & I - "Where’s The Love" - JOHN FRANKLIN - Ep*

Modern English - "I Melt With You" - AFTER THE SNOW**

Guards - "Feels Like That" - DO IT AGAIN / FEELS LIKE THAT - 7"

YesYou - "Be There" - BE THERE - Single

Christine Leakey - "Lovely" - TAPPING TREES IN A TRINKET BOX OF TREASURE

Ivan And Alyosha - "Fathers Be Kind" - FATHERS BE KIND

The Maccabees - "Feel To Follow" - GIVEN TO THE WILD

Frankie Rose - "Know Me" INTERSTELLAR

*Lineage

**Re-Issue Song of the Week

 Join me every Tuesday from 10 AM to 1 PM on wmfo.org (January 10th show will be till 2 PM, so there will be an extra hour of Music You Might Otherwise Miss!)

Follow me on Twitter to get the early scoop on some of this great NEW music.

                                                                        TK’s Top 10 for 2011
                                                                        (in no particular order)

Katie Costello – LAMPLIGHT
The Vaccines – WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM THE VACCINES
The Honey Pies – THINK ABOUT ENGLAND (a little edgy at times but a solid record)
Razika – PROGRAM 91
Foster The People – TORCHES
Cults – CULTS
The Drums – PORTAMENTO
Cashier No.9 – TO THE DEATH OF FUN
Gringo Starr – COUNT YER LUCKY STARS
Tristen – CHARLATANS AT THE GARDEN GATE

                                                                        Honorable Mentions

The Strokes – ANGLES
Adele – 21 (This is a great album that should be in most people’s Top Ten. It’s not in mine because you know this album already)
Real Estate – DAYS
Twin Sister – IN HEAVEN
Ocean Carolina – LEAVE ON –Ep
Young Buffalo – YOUNG VON PRETTYLIPS – Ep
Alex Winston – SISTER WIFE (6 – songs but they all have punch)
Smoove & Turrell – ECCENTRIC AUDIO

                                                                           Top Christmas Albums

Chris Standring & Kathrin Shorr – SEND ME SOME SNOW
David Ball – THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS
Beantown Swing Orchestra – A BEANTOWN CHRISTMAS

                                                                             My Own Desire
                                                                                   (singles)

You Can Be A Wesley – “Old In Florida”
What Laura Says – “Porch Indiana”
Through The Sparks – “Chisel And Pick”
In Fear Of Olive – “I’m Sure They’ll Fall”
Laura Stevenson & The Cans – “Master Of Art”
Cloud Control – “This Is What I Said”
Radiation City – “The Color Of Industry”
Typhoon – “The Honest Truth”
Bandana Splits – “Sometimes”
Jupe Jupe – “Olympic Garden”
Loney, Dear – “What Have I Become?”
Voltaire Twins – “Animalia”
Stereo Soul Future – “The Freeze”
Dare Dukes – “Meet You At The Bus”

Song links in BOLD are videos…links in ITALICS are for streams.

This is the second part of the annual Holiday Show. I can tell you this; I spent a lot of cash on songs this year. Way to much cash – but that is the price to pay when it keeps getting harder and harder to find worthy seasonal songs. I’m still listening to Christmas music; by choice and by necessity. Next year’s Holiday CD Compilation WILL be good. I keep setting the bar higher. Let me tell you about the Christmas music I have for you this week.

This first set was an up-tempo rocking based grouping. The show started with an unsigned artist out of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He actually put out this material himself last year but this season he’s discovered the value of I-tunes; because that’s how I found him. His name is Howard Scott Pearlman and the tune I aired was “The Santa Claus Rock.”

I kept things rocking with Andrew Ripp, a singer/songwriter from Chicago, coming off his debut album with a Christmas EP called LIGHT OF MINE and I sampled the title track. BTW, Andrew is featured on a Holiday tune released by Daphne Willis, which can be had for free via Miss Willis’ Facebook page. They cover the classic “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Free is good.

Changing musical direction with a tune that is ubiquitous this time of year. The song is “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree,” made famous by Bobby Helms; but this cover has a different kind of take on the classic yuletide favorite, which is what got my attention. The artist is Audrey Smiles and she starts the tune out in an old-time radio way, which was fun for me…and I hope for you too. The album she released is called CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE YEARS.

Then came the single-named artist – Karling. I aired “Tra La La La La,” which is from her holiday album CHRISTMAS WITH KARLING. It’s a really nice, and different, Christmas album. I downloaded three tracks myself. Karling is from Great Britain and her website describes her style as “Wanda Jackson meets Gwen Stefani.” Karling is currently based in Los Angeles and performs her signature Rockabilly Review there on a regular basis.

Let’s keep things moving here with holiday music with more of Jazzy feel to it. This Christmas oriented song is from Chris Standring & Kathrin Shorr. Now…I have to tell you the story about this duo. I actually found a single from this pair last year; on a compilation called A-TRAIN TRACKS: SHARE THE GIFTS that I played on last year’s New Release Holiday Show. Well, the track must have done so well that this year, Chris & Kathrin released an entire album of Holiday music entitled SEND ME SOME SNOW, which was the title of the track featured in last years compilation. (Solid marketing strategy there) Well…the reason I’m telling you this is because I think this is the BEST Christmas album I’ve heard in a long time. I purchased several discs of it to give to friends and family this holiday season. Anyway…the track I chose for this year’s show was a deeper cut; it’s “Naughty Or Nice.”

I closed off that hopping set with David Ball. The tune was “The Greatest Christmas,” which happens to be the title track. Now David Ball’s preferred musical genre is the old-style Country and that might keep a number of people away but this album is wonderful. It does have a couple songs with that “twang” to it but if you liked what I played; the album will be a delight.

All right, the next song-set starts with Phil And The Osophers. They are a Folk/Rock band out of Brooklyn, New York and they have just released a Holiday album: IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME WITH PHIL AND THE OSOPHERS. It’s a lighthearted approach to the season with tracks like “Brutus The Back Up Reindeer,” (which can be had for free via their website) “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party,” (they are very popular these days) and “Holiday Joyride,” which is the one I picked air.

I followed that up with Opie Gone Bad, which I think is great name. Opie Gone Bad are a Rock/Pop band out of Denver, Colorado. The tune I featured, “Hang Up Your Stockin’,” is from their full-length Christmas album, OPIE GONE CHRISTMAS. They have a strong local fan base and I hope this little Holiday project will help spread the word.

Next up is a Soul and R&B seasonal sample from Fitz & The Tantrums. This band has just taken off; and it’s well deserved. They are a hard-working, talented bunch that is getting some well-deserved attention. I found them almost two years ago now and it is amazing to me how long it takes to make things happen in the music business. So to keep their name in the news, Fitz & The Tantrums have released a Holiday single called “Santa Stole My Lady.”

The second part of that set was J. Catala; he’s a producer, songwriter and performer who is currently based in Spain. He likes to focus his musical energies fusing different genres. He apparently doesn’t sing, so he brings in different artists to provide vocals and to get the sound he’s looking for to compliment his songs. I like the vocal accompaniment on the track I showcased, “Hey, It’s Christmas,” which has been released as a single and can also be had for free via J. Catala’s Soundcloud page.

Next is a band known as, The Pink Flamingos. They refer to themselves as a Rock Outfit and they are from Columbus, Ohio. They released their first album in 2009 and are working now on their follow-up disc. In the meantime though, they have released this single; simply called “The Snow.”

Rounding off that Poppy kind of set was a track from Hey Ocean. These guys just released a new album and now they’ve dovetailed it nicely with a Holiday single entitled “Tonight’s It’s Christmas.” BTW, check out their new EP, BIG BLUE WAVE, which was released just before Thanksgiving; so it’s still really fresh.

The next up is a track from a compilation dedicated to helping young women and girls from abuse. It’s a nice collection and a good cause; it’s called A SEASON OF HOPE WITH THE GIRLS AGAINST ABUSE. I downloaded three songs myself so it’s a great deal and you help someone too. (A win-win) Anywho, this contributing artist is Patricia Jewel and her song is more of unique approach towards Christmas. It’s “Tree Is Still In The Box.”

Concluding that set was Shannon LaBrie with her innovative cover of a holiday classic “Silent Night,”* which was released as a stand-alone project. Just an FYI about my approach to cover songs; I look, and listen, for a different approach to the song. I mean if you’re going to sing the song in the same way everyone else has…what’s the point. All right…I’m done. *This link goes to Shannon’s website; wait for it to load and the "Silent Night" song will kick in.

This next song set is good piano fronted, happy oriented Pop tune from Audrianna Cole. I don’t know a great deal about this artist other than all her other work gets listed under the POP category. The track is from a full-length album entitled WISH YOU HERE – HOLIDAY MUSIC COLLECTION. Even the album title has a POP feel to it. The tune I played was “My Holiday Song.”** (Of course it is) **This link goes to Audrianna’s website, with a player, where you can sample all the songs from her album.

Then I finished that hopping set from Schuyler (pronounced Skyler) Fisk. The track I aired was “More Than I Wished For,” which can be found on her full-length Christmas album SOUNDS OF THE HOLIDAY.

Let me slip in the other old-timey tune. It is from Kenny Vance & The Planotones. They express their Christmas enthusiasm with a fifties style. The whole album is geared that way with many originals and a few covers. The album is MR. SANTA and I aired the title track.

I have to offer my apologies for not having links or streams for all of these songs; some are just too obscure.

Songs in BOLD are links to videos of that song. Songs that are ITALICIZED are links to Soundcloud Audio Files of said song.

Come listen LIVE on wmfo.org from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. (I could use the support) ;^)

If you are interested in having me produce a designed playlist for you; email me your contact details and we discuss how to make that happen.

If you missed the live version…check out the archived one. Here’s the LINK.

I suggest you follow me on Twitter and get an early taste on new music that comes out each week.

Next week I’ll be posting my Top Ten of 2011 and Tweeting about it as well.