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Originally Posted by MikeUpNorth
Fleet Foxes were amazing live when I saw them at the Roundhouse earlier this year. Try and get to see them this summer. One of the best voices I have ever heard.
Some other modern bands to check out (not necessarily all in a similar style to Foxes, but good music none the less):
- The National - Some great songs and a very unique sound. Maybe not for everyone, but have a listen to the album 'Boxer'.
- The Black Keys - A blues band from the States. Their early stuff is really raw and they have some great tunes and riffs. Check out the album 'Modern Times'.
- Cherry Ghost - Old school songwriting, sometimes veering towards the contrived, but still good nonetheless. His self titled debut is worth a listen.
- Ray LaMontagne - An unashamedly classic songwriter, his album 'Till the Sun Turns Back' is fantastic. His latest album is not so good.
- Sufjan Stevens - Experimental indie-folk. Sound interesting? It is. His album 'Illinois' is one of my favourite ever records.
- Bat for Lashes - A bjorkesk singer with some really interesting stuff. Her new album 'Two Suns' is fantastic.
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Some great choices there. Sufjan Stevens is a remarkably talented musician; he's taken a sound that artists like Nick Drake made their name with, but given it a twist with the self-indulgancy in the multi-instrumentals, the intervals etc. Illinois is a fantastic album, and Michigan and Seven Swans have some great tracks on them too.
The National are one of my favourite bands, and one that never gets the recognition they deserve. Both Alligator and Boxer are a joy to listen to, as neither seems to have a weak point, they're just consistently brilliant from start to finish.
Another band is obviously Radiohead. Not all of their stuff is going to be to everybody's taste, but I can't imagine how anybody could not instantly like The Bends. Every single moment of that album is amazing and easily accessible. Any other band having Planet Telex, The bends, High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees and Bones as their opening 5 tracks would have been drained of ideas for the next decade of their career, yet these guys finished the album off with an absolute masterpiece in Street Spirit.
That album is almost perfect. Then they bettered it with OK Computer.......