Five Bands to Fall In Love With

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've last posted, I just got back home and its taken some time getting back in the swing of things. I haven't been up to much other than laundry and running errands, (you wish you had my life, right?) just the usual for such a glamorous girl. The only other thing I've felt like doing with this rainy Florida weather is listen to music and watch movies, so I figured I could just talk about some of the music I've been loving recently. Note to all of you: my tastes in music are constantly and dramatically changing, so don't get used to just seeing one genre. I will try to focus on more indie and rock bands since thats what y'all voted for most in my last poll. (See, I care about what you all think)

1. The Kills (no, not The Killers)

I've been in love with The Kills for a really long time. I've realized they're not the most popular group around too so I'm trying to spread the word. The Kills is just a two-member band consisting of lead singer Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince. You may know Alison from her other project The Dead Weather (also awesome) with Jack White, but The Kills' music has a much cooler tone. A gritty, honest sound that keeps me coming back to them and has for years. I recommend their album Blood Pressures for new listeners, here's a taste:

2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and company released their second album in May of this year and it absolutely lives up to their debut. This is one of those bands that, no matter what mood I'm in when I turn them on, will have me singing along and dancing in the car during the first song. They're a huge band that seems more like a family with a very unique sound. Their hippie attitude and happy melodies have me hooked and I'll be sure to keep an eye on them for a long time. Here's a tune from their new album Here, Man on Fire:

                     

3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Besides having a totally awesome name, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have a unique shoegaze sound that could only come from this chill quartet from New York City. Their almost dream-pop songs stick in my head for days and I can't help but keep coming back for more! They have released many albums, the most popular being their self-titled debut from 2009. Here is their #1 hit from the album, Young Adult Friction:

4. Santigold

Sometimes its hard for me to find a band with a sound I really haven't heard before, but Santigold definitely has it. This solo act for Philadelphia born Santi White really draws me in with interesting sounds and pleasing rhythms. She toured with Red Hot Chili Pepers earlier this year but has yet to gain a huge following, but you should give her a shot anyways. Besides, I named the blog after one of her songs :)

5. Talking Heads 

Just as a curveball, lets throw Talking Heads out there. This new wave band took us through the 70s and 80s with so many hits like Psycho Killer, Burning Down the House, and Road to Nowhere, you just have to love them. Though they've unfortunately disbanded, the bands music still resinates with many, so let this be one of the bands you and your parents can agree on listening to together on those long summer road trips.

Any thoughts? Some new bands out there I need to know about? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading (and listening)!
Anna

Have Albums Become a Thing of the Past?

In a recent Reuters article, a study was released by Nielsen SoundScan revealing that in the past 6 months, album sales are down and download sales are up.

For the first half of the year, album sales have gone down 3% and digital song sales have risen 6%. These statistics reinforce the idea that listening to full albums may be, in fact, a thing of the past.

The article focuses on the most popular downloads of the year so far, including (not surprisingly) Gotye's single "Somebody That I Used To Know," and Fun.'s single "We Are Young" saying that these songs are breaking records in download sales. Both songs have broken the 5 million download threshold yet their albums as wholes have failed to take off.

So what does this mean for all us album loves out there? It shows that today's bands are focusing on producing number one singles as opposed to great full albums, and this shift may not stop anytime soon. With statistics like these, there is little hope any of today's pop bands will release the next Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall, and I doubt there's anyone out there making another Kid A or OK Computer either. We're all going to have to weather the storm of Call Me Maybe and One Direction and just hope that there's someone out there ready to revive the art of the album.

Here are some of my favorite albums, what are yours? Leave answers in the comments to let me know!