Sam Weber

I've just remembered that it's nearly the end of the year, so I ought to do a post on my top ten albums of 2016.  Not feeling particularly motivated to start that arduous process now, I'll compromise with another post about one recently-discovered artist: Sam Weber.  Like some of my other recent posts, this guy has a hint of a country twang, but I would classify his music as alternative rock verging on pop.  The guitar work is undeniably good though.  I believe I have only heard his "Shadows in the Road" EP.  One of my favourites is "Don't Hurt"...it has a super simple guitar riff, but it's fairly catchy.  Give him a listen.  More artists coming soon...

The Tin Man

Some will accuse me of "going country" with this post, but bear with me.  All I've heard from The Tin Man is his self-titled EP.  While his voice does have a bit of a twang, the backing instrumentation is pretty strong, and I would classify it as more rocky than country.  I could actually take or leave his voice, but some of his songs are quite good.  The lyrics tend to be a bit whiney, and break-up oriented.  But I particularly like the song "Too Many Lines", which has a nice, warm, old-school guitar sound.  There are a couple of other pleasantly atmospheric songs.

Brad Armstrong

This guy's music reminds me a little bit of David Bazan's, both in its musical style and its lyrical content.  There are also similarities to one of my more recent discoveries, Work Friend.  The music has a slight western-sounding twang, with prominent guitar riffs.  There's a nice range of moods to the songs, although overall I would describe the style as somewhat "apocalyptic".  The New York singer-songwriter (who has evidently been involved in some other bands that I've never heard of over the last 15 years) released four songs from his 2016 "Empire" record on noisetrade a few months ago, and I enjoyed them enough to download them.

Also With You

This is an older discovery; I actually can't remember how I came across them.  They're a group from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I think they're quite talented.  Their EP is still available to download on noisetrade, or you can buy it on their bandcamp.  I would describe their style as kind of classic alternative rock, although their songs have a definite tendency towards the darker side.  The girl's voice works really well with the backing electric guitar and percussion.  The bass features very heavily; perhaps that's why I like it so much.  The lyrics are excellent, but the level of creativity in the music itself is pretty variable; some songs sound typical of what you might hear in a small-town bar open mic, but others are really compelling.  Give them a listen if you're curious.

afterdawn

This group is evidently an American brother-sister duo.  They've created some extremely chill, atmospheric electropop music.  The chord progressions are excellent, and all of the backing piano and electronic instrumentation contributes to the airy, ethereal feel; it sounds like it would be good to listen to at high volume while driving at night.  I particularly like the song "Blank Page".  I haven't been able to find any additional releases by the group beyond their "Midnight" EP, available for download on noisetrade.

Tycho

I had attributed discovering this band to one of my good Fort Collins friends who has good taste in music.  But as my wife just pointed out, she is actually the one who first introduced me.  They are highly electronic, but they have a really cool mellow sound.  It's all instrumental, no words, and a lot of it is fairly beat-driven.  To me a lot of the songs sound like driving at night.  I recommend giving them a listen as a background soundtrack while you're driving.

Brave Baby

I'm having a hard time putting this band in a category, or comparing them with bands anyone knows.  I guess it is sort of classical alternative rock, but for some reason they are sort of different.  The lead singer has a deep voice, but very tuneful, which gives them a sound a bit like the National, but more poppy I would say.  The blend of instruments is extensive, and works pretty well.  The harmonies are excellent.  I recommend giving them a listen if that sounds interesting.

dillingham

This guy has a cool, indie-rock sound, and his vocals work really well with the understated guitar and backing percussion.  I came across his work on noisetrade (my usual source these days); he has an EP on there.  A couple of the songs on it really resonate with me; it feels like I've known them forever.  The simple but classic riffs are pretty powerful.  I have to say, the songs sound like a road trip sunset, and I found the EP pretty moving when I gave it my undivided attention and played it at high volume.

Late Nite Cable

This is another recent discovery courtesy of my wife.  This group is classic, delightful 80s electropop.  Evidently they are from New York City.  They have a 7-song EP available for download on their noisetrade site; the best way I can describe their music is by having you listen to it.  The beats are extremely catchy, with atmospheric vocals and synthesizer effects.  Vocals are about equal male and female, and they work very well together.  Warning: their songs will inevitably get caught in your head.  Do yourself a favour and listen to their EP on high volume with no distractions.  I'll be eager to see where this band goes in the next few years.

Francis

Well, here I am three months later.  It's been a busy summer; we relocated to Boulder, and had lots of social stuff going on.  But enough excuses.  I have a lot of music to catch you, my loyal followers, up on.  Francis is a Swedish electropop group that my wife was kind enough to put on a mix for me.  They have a very understated but melodic style, and the leading girl's vocals are quite powerful.  Their 2016 album, Marathon, is the only one I've heard, but it's solid.  There isn't a bad song on there, and many of them will stick in your head for a long time.  I highly recommend giving it a listen.  Stay tuned for more recent discoveries soon!

Grace Joyner

I have definitely dropped the ball on posting.  First my computer lost the ability to emit sound (including music), and then things became extremely busy with work and life.  But this is just a quick post about the latest artist who has been blowing my mind.  This girl, from Charleston, SC, reminds me of a mix between Beach House and First Aid Kit.  The overall music style is the best kind of shoegaze, with super catchy beats and melodies, with ethereal vocals.  Looks like so far she only has one album release, called "Maybe Sometimes - in C".  It's available on bandcamp here, as well as on noisetrade.  Highly recommended.

Trevor James Tillery

This guy has a really cool ethereal sound; it reminds me of a mix between Bon Iver and Beach House, although his songs tend more towards pop than either of those bands.  You can currently download his month-old EP, "In Moonlight", on his noisetrade page.  It's super creative, and the techno-sounding backing instrumentation does a lot to complement his contemplative voice.  At least on the electronic-sounding songs; some songs are more orchestral and non-electronic.  The EP works well as a whole; it's definitely worth a listen.

afterdawn

This electropop band is a recent discovery for me; it was through a free noisetrade of a new 3-song EP from them (pretty much my only source of new music these days).  Their sound is a more modern take on the electropop genre, with more pop/dance-type rhythms and instrumentation, but they also have a darker sound (similar to Ms Mr).  It works pretty well with the leading vocalist's ethereal voice.  Some of their songs sound a bit similar to each other, but overall they are worth listening to.  I feel like they would be particularly good on a really loud sound system.

Brooks Dixon

This guys channels Dave Matthews in the best way.  I'd never heard of him before coming across his music on noisetrade a couple of weeks ago.  His music is straight out of the early 90s, and I love it.  His voice and the backing instrumentation have a strong backing twang, but it's not overwhelming.  The saxophone and harmonica create a distinct western atmosphere, but it almost sounds more old-school and classic than a lot of modern country.  I highly recommend giving his EP "Weather the Storm" a listen (you can download it for free on noisetrade).

Jake Tittle

This guy is a pretty talented songwriter, with a folky sound and a nice, straightforward sounding voice.  His voice, which is pretty deep, actually reminds me of the guy from Army of One.  His songs range from sappy to satirical, but they are a pleasure to listen to.  So far I have only listen to "Casual Lies", an album downloadable for free from noisetrade, but it's quite good.  If you know and like Army of One, I recommend listening to his stuff.

Samecity

This is another great noisetrade discovery that I made recently; the style of their music is really poppy alt-rock.  I'm kind of a sucker for that particular sub-genre.  Think 2000s Mae.  The band is apparently from Nashville (who isn't these days), and has released this EP as a significant shift from their previous style.  I haven't actually listened to any of their earlier stuff.  But on this EP, the melodies are super catchy and they have really good voices.  Definitely check them out, if you aren't sickened by the thought of the musical style.

Future Thieves

This group is out of Nashville, but their sound is not all country or pop...they like a slightly western version of Coldplay.  The lead singer's voice sounds a bit like Eddie Vedder to me, and it works very well with the creative, chill, but catchy melodies.  They are a pleasure to listen to.  You can download some of their stuff on their noisetrade page.

Behaviours

This new group out of Nashville just released an EP of covers on noisetrade, and I rather like it.  Their musical style is pretty chill and indie-sounding, and I really like what they do with the covers.  Their Wallflowers cover is really cool; they totally change the style of the song, and introduce a lot of dynamics and cool building of the song.  Apparently the band's first album came out just a couple of days ago...I haven't yet heard it.  The selection of covers is definitely worth downloading.

POPFILTER

Another recent noisetrade discovery...they provided just a single song.  Normally I wouldn't write an entire post about such tight-fistedness...but I REALLY like this song (check it out).  Noisetrade always has a list of similar bands to all new artists, and they frequently compare bands to Coldplay and other well-known pop/rock groups.  Well POPFILTER is compared with Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, and for once I think it's warranted.  The song is extremely catchy, and an amazing combination of tuneful vocals and powerful backing instrumentation.  It's very upbeat and positive-sounding.  Do yourself a favour and download the song.

Joel Levi

This guy is another recent noisetrade discovery.  To me, he sounds like a mix between Robert Francis and Luke Brindley.  He has the deep but melodic voice of Robert Francis, but the storytelling and musical style is closer to The Whiskey Switch.  The album I've heard, Rangeline, is a pleasure to listen to...it's excellent songwriting with great, timelessly classic melodies.  Guitar and piano are prominent.  It works really well as a whole...I would recommend giving it a listen if it sounds intriguing.

Anchor Music

Sarah put a praise song from this group on my latest mix (a really solid mix by any standard...same one introducing me to the Feels...it's on repeat in my Jeep and has definitely influenced my decision to drive).  You need to give their new EP a listen (here's the link), even if you don't typically care for this type of music.  It's actually pretty rare that I like worship music, although every now and then a really good group comes up.  Anchor music would definitely be one of them.  Not to show off, but they are (as one would expect) from the UK.  I really appreciate the simplicity of the backing instrumentation, particularly the electric guitar and the percussion.  The lead singer has a ridiculously amazing voice too.  The lyrics are unimpeachably solid from what I have heard so far.  I highly recommend giving this group a listen.

Isaac & Joel

These guys were a recent noisetrade discovery for me...they had a couple of songs available for download.  It's a couple of guys from Atlanta, and their style of music is fun.  It reminds me of early Walk the Moon.  It's pretty stripped-down and simple, but with some cool minimalist electronic effects.  Their voices sound super young, and slightly off tune, but it works really well with the backing instrumentation.  Actually it seems like they only have two songs currently out, but they are pretty good and well worth checking out.  "When We Were Kids" is my personal favourite, it's very well done.

The Feels

This band was introduced to me courtesy of my wife!  They apparently posted some samples on noisetrade, although I haven't been able to find them since.  Their music is a delightfully retro 80s-esque synth-pop with incredibly good melodies.  The leading girl has a ridiculously tuneful voice, and with the backing percussion and eletropop instrumentation it works very well.  I might describe the overall sound as a mix between Wild Ones and CHVRCHES, although it's decidedly American, and generally very happy and hopeful.  I'd classify it the EP "The Feels" as the best new music I've come across in several months.  It's available to download and stream on their bandcamp.  Highly recommended.

John Lucas

I came across this guy on noisetrade.  He sounds like a mix between Gregory Alan Isakov and John Mark McMillan to me, and it works quite well.  The music is generally quiet, but it does build in a nice way, and he has a very calm and relaxing voice.  I particularly like the chill guitar riffs.  Apparently you can download his entire first album on his bandcamp page, and I would recommend it if you like melodic, folky songs.