Soul swelling, blues peddling, swagger surfer rock (whew!) pretty much sums up Australia's The Rubens. Composed of 3 brothers and their friend, this band excels with their extremely hook ridden songs. Many will compare these guys to The Black Keys, but I think they actually have more of a Depeche Mode vibe.
Lead singer Sam Margin has a laid back vocal delivery but can bring the songs home when he needs to.
The song "My Gun" has a slinky James Bond-style groove about a girl who has done some serious emotional damage. (I gave her the means, she had the will/ I kept on pushin’ for the kill/ I never thought she’d finish me/ As she shot me down and left me to bleed.) Trust me you will be singing this one for days. Their EP My Gun is on iTunes while their full length is only available in Australia...for now.
The Rubens- Facebook
My Gun-
Simply put Striking Matches has spark. Sarah Zimmerman and Justin Davis provide exquisite harmonies on their debut self-titled EP. Many fans will come to know them from their song "When the Right One Comes Along" featured on ABC's Nashville (but sung with such restraint by Sam Palladio), but that is not where the discovery should end. These Matches are at their best when they are singing their hearts out about love lost.
On "When the Right One Comes Along" Zimmerman sings about the ease at which love should happen. ("What they're thinking/What you're feeling/You'll no longer have to guess/All those questions finally put to rest when the right one comes along") Another gem not found our their debut is "Not the One." Another brilliantly written ode to resigning to the fact that you are not the one meant to be with another. Striking Matches not only have the music and talent to make it big, but they also have the songwriting capabilities that will give them longevity.
Striking Matches- Facebook
Not the One-
New York based Swear and Shake is the rocking folk band led by the dual vocalists Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffey. Together they deliver down home, foot stomping numbers that are sure to meld with the Mumford and Sons loving crowd.
Fan funded LP Maple Ridge provides an excellent intro into this band. "These White Walls" is a heartbreaking song about love lost. Spieler and McHeffey deliver lines like "I can hear the ringing still/You said you'd never love me and I know you never will" with such force that you have to wonder if they have lived it. I need much more of Swear and Shake in my life that's for sure.
Swear and Shake- Facebook
These White Walls-
