Madi Diaz

Madi Diaz is two people in one. Kyle Ryan and Madi Diaz. Don't ask me why they went with her name and not some combination of the two, I don't know. Madi Diaz (the singer) hails from rural Pennsylvania and man oh man does she have a voice. It's not one of those showy, Mariah Carey singing your face off voices, just a pure, soothing voice that's sweet in its simplicity.

The best way to describe her (or them) is to think if Mindy Smith, Patty Griffin, and Kathleen Edwards had a baby and named it Madi Diaz. She is a little bit country, a little bit indie/folk/pop. (Take that Donnie and Marie) A perfect find if you like singer/songwriters with heart.

The song Nothing At All, off their debut album Skin and Bone provides a simple song with a quaint melody that will put a bounce in your step, with horns supplying a lot of the interest. But it's their song Pictures that shows Madi Diaz at her best. It is accompanied by only an acoustic guitar and is about someone who is leaving home and leaving someone behind.With lines like, I promise to send you a postcard, but it's too hard to tell where my road's gonna end, show that Madi Diaz has taken plenty of notes from the storytelling class taught by Patty Griffin. A very excellent group with much more than a pretty face.

Madi Diaz- Myspace
Pictures(Live)-

McFly

With a name like McFly, I had my reservations. I mean who can be taken seriously with band named that. But maybe that is why judging a book by its cover isn't always recommended. So in the same way, you should not judge a band by its name.

Once again McFly comes from the great music land known as the UK. Listening to their sound though, you would think that they have been studying The Beach Boys. McFly are as catchy as they come. They deal with layered melodies, background vocals, bouncy rhythms, and all around great music. They may not have the "cool" factor as Radiohead, but who cares when you can listen to music this good.

Their album Radio:ACTIVE has two of the best songs I've heard in a while. Do Ya has a bouncy, sunny melody that could be on any Beach Boys album. Lies deals with darker themes but still holds on with a great hook. With crunchy guitars and a building chorus, this is one of their best. While some may dismiss them as just another pop group with guitars, I think someone needs to redefine "pop."

McFly- Myspace
Lies-

The Films

This band holds some significance to me because I saw them in concert twice in Athens, GA with a friend of mine. The headliner was Will Hoge and nobody had ever heard of The Films. We didn't know what to expect, but I ended up liking them better than the main attraction. Think of them as a better sounding version of The Strokes. Their songs are very straight forward and all together easy on the ears.

Their debut album Don't Dance Rattlesnake is filled with quick and dirty ditties about love, drinking, and partying. But strangely one of the best songs I heard that night (I'm Not Gonna Call You) isn't anywhere to be found on the album. But they make up for it with the beat driven chorus of Strange Hands and the more polished alt-rock Belt Loops. The Films thrive on that underground club, recorded in the basement feel without all the bad songs that usually result. A very solid effort from a band that is just one song away from hitting it big.

The Films- Myspace
Belt Loops-

Third Eye Blind

Remember that summer of '97 when you would ride down the dirt road with Semi-Charmed Life blaring on the radio, or when you went swimming and it was on the radio, or in the store, or bathroom, or any-freaking-where? Whatever happened to Third Eye Blind? Well they released 2 more albums since that hot debut. (Their last one about 5 years ago) Well they are finally back.

They have put out an EP called Red Star which is to tide fans over until their 4th album, Ursa Major, hits stores June 23rd. Singer Stephen Jenkins, has said in many interviews that this record took so long to make because he could not finish a lot of the songs and that he wanted the record to say something.

Upon first listen of their first single, Non-Dairy Creamer, it would seems like the guys are back making excellent pop/rock with radio friendly hooks. But this song has some of the most unusual lyrics I have heard lately. It starts out talking about KFC not really being chicken and hot cheetos for breakfast before singing in the chorus about non-dairy creamer. I'm sure there is some reason behind it all, but who really needs to listen that close when the song is so catchy to begin with.

Third Eye Blind- Myspace
Non-Dairy Creamer-

Florence and the Machine

You know a girl means business when she builds a song around domestic abuse... AND LIKES IT! Florence and the Machine, does just that with Kiss with a Fist. In this upbeat song about taking a punch (and giving it right back) has a jangly upbeat tempo with the repetition of the great line, a kiss with a fist is better than none. Yep, she plays by her own rules. Her sound is equal parts pop, alternative, and soul. Her voice is unlike anything you will ever hear but altogether very intriguing.

Florence and the Machine can best be described as PJ Harvey meets Lily Allen but with a little bit of Feist thrown in. She especially shines on her cover of Cold War Kids excellent song Hospital Beds. She makes it her own by starting out sans music before it goes all acoustic and brings a new depth to the song. She also knows her way around a great melody as evidenced on Dog Days Are Over, a simple ukulele is showcased along with hand claps and dreamy attitude. Check her out below.

Florence and the Machine- Myspace
Kiss With A Fist-

Fightstar

You know how you buy a CD because you like one song and then realize that the rest of the album is not very good? I did that a lot before iTunes let me buy just what I wanted. I am thankful for this because of my latest find, Fightstar. Apparently they are some kind of screamo rock group. I was unaware of this until I heard a couple of tracks. Just when I was about to give them up, I played their song The English Way, and was blown away.

This song is beyond great. Let's start with singer Charlie Simpson, who is a big deal in England. He kind of have a Gavin Rossdale quality to his singing style. His voice has such an urgency behind it. In this song, he doesn't scream but sings with a brilliant melody. The lyrics are also great with lines like I will never give up on you for all the times you sat and sang to me trying to make me better.

The English Way is apparently Fightstar's new single off their upcoming third album due in early 2009. Any song that can combine, choir chants, disjointed rounds, and a hook to match is fine by me. Also look out for their song Floods. It is very epic and Muse-esque.Let's hope that this song is a step in the right direction for a band that would do better if it realized the potential in singing and not screaming at the listener.

Fightstar-Myspace
The English Way-

Seabird

Ok, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Sometimes, I get introduced to new bands through Grey's Anatomy. They have pretty good taste in music. (And I am kind of caught up in the story too.) One particular song caught my attention during a very dramatic scene in the operating room. It was Falling For You by Seabird. Sea, who? Seabird. Yeah, not a very great name for a band but don't let that fool you because this is one of the best finds in long time.

Their album, 'Til We See the Shore, dropped back in June to not much fanfare or attention. I just have to ask, why not? These guys know how to rope you in with catchy little ditties like Maggie Mahoney, which is so bouncy and jangly that you'll get whiplash. Their songs are all about love, hope, and believing in something bigger than themselves. (Yes, they are a band of Christians- not a Christian band).

Seabird can best be described as piano driven rock with influences from The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, and a little Ben Folds. They prove on their major label record, that you don't have to sing about pain, heartbreak, and sadness to really make someone feel you. The positive outlook of Seabird is contageous and so are the songs.

Seabird-Myspace
Maggie Mahoney-

The Cooper Temple Clause

The UK has its priorities in order. Some of it's biggest musical acts are actual instrument playing bands-Oasis, Hard-Fi, Muse. Whereas here, if you can sing (and even if you can't), dance, and sell to a certain demographic, you're a pop star. I mean Kings of Leon released their best album yet and it went number 1 in the UK and barely registered here. I'm just saying.

The Cooper Temple Clause hail from the UK, and are an in-your-face rock band with pop sensibilities. They have a rock edge but their songs are still accessible to the public with its catchy hooks. Blind Pilots, arguably their best song, starts off simply but ends with an urgency as if a plane is falling out of the sky. The plane being a relationship gone bad while wanting the other to just hang around and try to land this thing. (It doesn't hurt that the video that accompanies the song has the devil in it.)

Some of their songs are a bit brash, but these guys know how to rock. Promises, Promises finds them trying to do their best Muse. And Waiting Game is a mid- tempo rocker and finds the boys of the Clause looking back with regret singing, why did you trust me with your heart? After listening to them you'll be asking yourself: Why haven't I heard of them before?

The Cooper Temple Clause- Myspace
Blind Pilots-

The Tender Box

What the hell is a tender box? I have no idea, but in the music world they are a quite excellent rock band with some of the catchiest songs you will ever hear. I just happened upon them on iTunes and several 30 second samples later, I was hooked.

Their album The Score, is loaded from top to bottom with one great song after another. Best described as indie pop/rock with a danceable edge, (Like how I cram all that into one?) The Tender Box somehow have mastered the art of getting a song stuck in your head. And quite possibly have one of the best written songs I have heard in a long time. Place Called Home is a low key song with marching band drums and a slow burning guitar. Lead singer Joey Medina, sings I'm going to a place called home/no one here to call my own/waiting for the days I once knew/wondering if you're coming back soon. I really identified with this song after moving off to college. It really spoke a lot for me then.

But they aren't all, meaning and substance. Mister Sister is just a bouncy electronic song with a chorus full of ooh and ahhs. And Shine A Light offers up a more straight forward rocker with a killer chorus and melody. None of the songs are lacking in hooks, which should be great for those looking to be reeled in.

The Tender Box: Myspace
Mister Sister-

Chris Bathgate

Once when I was mining for gold out in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I heard an old prospector singing to himself in the distance. I immediately stopped looking for my treasure to listen to this old man singing his version of the blues; it was the Old Prospector Blues. I never met him though, for when I ventured out yonder, there was no one to be found. My life's work has been devoted to finding this man and his songs, searching high and medium height looking for that sound.

If any of that were true, I would have found that man in Chris Bathgate. Think of Mr. Bathgate as kind of Ray LaMontagne-ish. If you're into that kind of sound. His voice sounds like he swallowed nails and pop rocks. His album A Cork Wake Tale is filled with songs that are screaming to be put on a soundtrack to some movie about a cold prairie life.

His song Serpentine has a quite soothing sound filled with enough oooooouuhs to help you find your center when doing yoga. Smiles Like A Fist is a rollicking, horn-laden, down home slow-burner, with a start/stop guitar that keeps going. You wouldn't even know that "down-home" feel Bathgate oozes is refering to his home in...wait for it... Michigan. He even has a song devoted to Ann Arbor.

Bathgate's voice is what carries each and every song. He has a way to make you feel the very emotion he felt when he wrote the songs. Distinct in every way and aided by an ear for unexpected melodies, Chris Bathgate is worth checking out if you are looking for that figurative "old prospector" genre in your music collection.

Chris Bathgate: Myspace
Serpentine (Live)-

Air Traffic

Grab your blender. Got it? OK, add 1 cup of Muse, 1/2 cup of Coldplay, a splash of Vodka, and a teaspoon of rock salt. That last part is more to emphasize the rock part. Air Traffic is not just a problem that faces airplanes on a daily basis, they are a great unknown band from the U.K. Until now.

They perfectly mix the piano-ness of Coldplay with the soaring, pleading vocals of Muse. Their album Fractured Life, is a great mix of catchy pop tunes with a rock edge. Driven by great melodies and lyrics that make sense when you read them, Air Traffic provide music for the person who just wants to sing out loud.

The song Time Goes By, reflects what it feels like to fall in love with someone who doesn't feel the same, as lead singer Chris Wall sings It's you that I need/I'm sure it's always been, with an urgency that you wish more bands would employ.

The most heartbreaking of the bunch is the song Empty Space, written after a friend of the band died in a car accident. Wall sings with just a piano There's a void that I can't fill/An empty space I can't replace/with anything at all. He paints a very realistic picture of the accident and how he dealt with the passing.

Air Traffic provide a change of pace from all the bands who think they have something to say but usually fall short. And even if you aren't into songs with meaning, take a listen to Just Abuse Me which is bound to put a bounce in your step with its ode to letting someone doing whatever they like...to you.

Air Traffic- Myspace
Time Goes By(Live- Acoustic):

House of Heroes

Sometimes the best music comes when you just take a listen to a band you've never heard of before. For the most part, there is a good reason why you've never heard of them, because um, they're terrible. But every now and then luck up. I did just that with House of Heroes.

I found out about them when I read that they were on tour with another band I like, Relient K. Don't let the fact that Relient K has been classified as a Christian rock band turn you off. House of Heroes is signed to a Christian rock label but their music isn't that in your face Hallelujah style.

Their second album The End is Not the End, has a very common theme running through it-war. But not in a way that you might expect. A lot of their songs are about characters from WWII or the war against communism... nothing preachy here. Baby's A Red is about being in love with a communist

Their sound can be described as interesting pop/rock. The songs pivot and turn when you least expect them to. They start and stop with different melodies and always have a driving, forceful beat just in case anything gets too heavy. Their best offerings come with the backup vocals drenched Leave You Now- a poppy song about staying together only because I've got nowhere to go anyhow. Definitely check them out if you like your music hummable with a great story.

House of Heroes: Myspace
Listen to House of Heroes explain Leave You Now:

Benton Paul

Benton Paul offers up catchy piano-pop without leaving behind that sugary aftertaste you get on your teeth. His debut album Grey is loaded with hooks beyond measure and great lyrics to latch on to. His song, Look for the Light, is about always finding the silver lining in a bad situation. There is always something better/when you look for the light on a dark day he sings with a slightly John Mayer-ish voice without the annoying facial expressions.

But Benton Paul isn't exactly a poor man's Mayer. He has a distinct sound for anyone out there who likes Matt Nathanson or Jack Johnson. He voice is simple but effective. It is his ability to write a great melody that sticks with you for days. And some of the songs will break your heart, like the powerful duet Don't Go, which is literally about begging someone not to leave a relationship. But it's not Paul who is doing the begging; Hey baby/don't go/we'll build it back slow, and then Paul countering with How will it be different?/Cause if we don't change/then I'll have to go.

So there you have it; the perfect mixture of lyrics, melody and a great voice that all add up to one perfect unearthed talent.

Benton Paul: Myspace
Don't Go (Live):