The Orchardist

These guys are storytellers.  I’m reminded of the Gray Havens, but with a less rocky, and a more indie-folk flavor.  Actually their stuff is quite heavy on the banjo, and rather reminds me of old Nickel Creek (before Chris Thile started getting into weird and unpleasant chord progressions).  Other parts of the music remind me of the Narrative (particularly the girl’s voice).  The lyrics are pretty creative and quite substantial, in my opinion!  You can download their full album "People, People" on their noistrade.

Long for the Coast

This indie-folk band has been one of my biggest discoveries of the year so far.  There are aspects of the music that are a bit reminiscent of some English artists that I don’t generally care for, such as Passenger and some other popular guys whose names I can't remember right now.  But there’s something about the music that is subtly different, which makes it extremely compelling.  The band is a guy-girl duo from Devonshire.  The minimalist but intricate guitar picking is excellent, and the music builds to include a nearly full orchestra at times.  The song “Ten Years Time” is my favourite, it just about moves me to tears.  “Winter” is also excellent.  But all the other songs have amazing chord progressions and powerful lyrics too.  It’s good wilderness music.  Apparently the band plays in coffee shops around Devon…I hope they get recognised soon for the amazing talent that they have.  We should do our part in the US to listen to their music.