Magic Kids

Who do these 'Kids' think they are? Not only did they create possibly the catchiest song this side of the Mississippi, but they make no apologies for it. Memphis' own, Magic Kids, sound like they should be a PBS kids show on Saturday morning, but alas they are a rock band with quite the buzz. But shockingly there is little known on the blogosphere about them, other than they have a record coming out sometime this year.

Their sound on the other hand... Think of Beach Boys harmonies mixed with '50s girl group wall of sound. And they do all that while still being completely modern. Now granted the only song available is Hey Boy- a peppy throwback complete with 4 part harmonies about fidelity. Magic Kids have sold me on their vibe and I can only hope that the rest of their music lives up to the excellence I've heard so far.

Magic Kids- Myspace
Hey Boy-

Elizabeth & The Catapult

Elizabeth and The Catapult thrive on quirky pop melodies with whimsical lyrics. The "Elizabeth" in the group, Elizabeth Ziman, takes the lead with a mixture of Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor-esque vocals. The "Catapult" are Pete Lalish and Danny Molad. Together, the band creates songs that bounce and weave and wrap around your ears.

The group formed in 2004 and quickly put out a self-financed EP. They performed in local bars and formed quite a following. Not long after they got signed to a record label. Now, 5 years later they are releasing Taller Children. Much of the album was produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley), but many of the songs come from the homespun demos the band cut in their drummer's studio. Elizabeth & The Catapult offer the indie pop scene a dose of heartfelt lyrics wrapped up in tight bouncy piano melodies.

Check them out on NPR.

Elizabeth & The Catapult- Myspace
Taller Children-
Elizabeth & The Catapult :: TALLER CHILDREN

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons

Rough around the edges would be a great way to pinpoint the style of Ezra Furman & The Harpoons. The three-piece rock band started up in 2006 and has out 2 full length albums. The first, Beat Beat Beat, was self-released after being recorded in college dorms at Tufts University. A year later they put out an official album with a record company called Banging Down the Doors.

Ezra Furman writes heartfelt songs with great hooks. His delivery in singing the songs is unique. Their are touches of Bob Dylan and a dash of The Strokes lo-fi-ness. Take Off Your Sunglasses is a great song to start with. It's a fast-paced, harmonica-fueled ode to taking down your guard. It's a great song that finds Furman rattling off lyrics to keep up with music. Somehow it all weirdly fits. They are currently working on a new album due in September. Ezra Furman & The Harpoons are a unique voice in the indie rock world making a little off kilter music.

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons- Myspace
Take Off Your Sunglasses-

Delta Spirit

Ok, so I'm definitely late to the Delta Spirit party. Their debut album came out last year, I listened to a few tracks and decided it wasn't for me. Then for some reason I checked them out again and now am totally a fan. Much of that might have to do with the excellent (and violent) video for People, C'mon. Delta Spirit is a blues rock band with all its jangly guitars and percussive piano.

Formed in 2005 in San Diego, Delta Spirit is known for its Americana sound with unconventional instruments. (trashcan lids, orchestral bass drums) Their debut album Ode to Sunshine is one great song after another. The Dylan-esque People, Turn Around delivers a lyrical wallop dealing with the senseless nature of war. (The blood we've been spilling will bleed us dry cause the life we've been killing is your life like mine.) Lead singer Matt Vasquez has a voice that sounds like he is singing for his soul. Delta Spirit gets everything right- lyrics, musicianship, and hooks. A band with the potential to become one of the greats.

Delta Spirit- Myspace
People, C'mon-

Two Hours Traffic

Canada's Two Hours Traffic is unabashedly catchy and sincere. (They get their name from a line in Romeo & Juliet, by the way.) With their second release Little Jabs, Two Hours Traffic find themselves blending folksy rock with powerpop. Lead singer Liam Corcoran and guitarist Alec O'Hanley founded the group around 2002 while attending University of Prince Edward Island.

Corcoran's vocals are raspy and soft. The group's vibe is perfect for laid back summers. So it's fitting that the first single off Little Jabs is a track called Stuck for the Summer. Its got a peppy, guitar hook and bouncy chorus that is perfect for driving with the windows down. They've already been featured in many TV shows such Gossip Girl and Castle. Two Hours Traffic isn't really anything new, but create catchy hooks and tight pop songs.

Two Hours Traffic- Myspace
Stuck For The Summer-


Download This- Stuck For The Summer

Crash Kings

Out of the blue, this band hits me in face. From LA, Crash Kings is the love child of Cold War Kids and The White Stripes. They've actually been knocked for sounding a little too similar to some bands out there, but you know what, I could think of worse bands to be compared to. They are a piano-driven, heavy bass, hook-ridden rock band with a lead vocalist who could actually replace Nate Willet from Cold War Kids if something ever happens to him.

One of the best songs 1985, is a peppy, piano pounding toe -tapper. Mountain Man finds the Kings doing their best version of The White Stripes with a grungy, indie stomp. They'll be touring with Chris Cornell this spring so check out the tour dates. One of the absolute best bands I've come across in a while. All of their songs have a melody that sticks with you. I'm actually excited about hearing more from them. Be sure to look for their debut album May 26th.

Crash Kings- Myspace
1985 (Live)-


Download This- 1985

Pilot Speed

Canada's Pilot Speed learned a lot from their last release. Instead of the five to eight minute long epic songs, they decided to tighten their songs and create "art songs with hooks." And that deliberate decision may be the determining factor of commercial success for these guys. But they haven't lost themselves by focusing their sound though. It's the hooks that provide Pilot Speed's new album Wooden Bones with its heart and soul. Lead singer Todd Clark says he felt it important to write songs that could really fit well in any environment.

Pilot Speed's sound is piano-driven indie rock, much in the same vein as Coldplay. Clark's vocals are at times hushed, as in lead single Put the Phone Down, but then can explode on arena sized ballads such as Light You Up. These guys have finally found a sound that fits them. Wooden Bones comes out next week, and from the tracks I've heard so far, Pilot Speed are one Grey's Anatomy montage from really hitting it big.



Pilot Speed- Myspace
Put The Phone Down-


Download This-Put The Phone Down

US Royalty

US Royalty has been Washington, D.C.'s best kept secret for about 3 years now. After one of their live shows, it was written that there was no question if the band was any good, but how long they would stay local. That's pretty good praise and much deserved. US Royalty sounds to me a little like an Americana version of The Killers without the synths. All their songs are staright ahead indie rock. Lead singer John Thornley has a voice that expresses so much with every word.

They released an EP in the summer of last year, and also have some newer tracks posted on Myspace. Some of the best are the laid back lament of Raincoats and the forceful Where Are You Now. On that track, Thornley searches for the love he lost, singing, Sometimes I think of you when we're old and grown. The song starts out simple before exploding and all the while you can hear the emotion in his crackling voice. US Royalty definitely lives up to their name.

US Royalty- Myspace
Raincoats-

Cage The Elephant

Kings of Leon might have a run for their money with Cage The Elephant. Hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky, Cage The Elephant is made up of brothers Matt and Brad Schultz along with some friends who, like the Kings, specialize in down and dirty rock with catchy hooks and a warbling lead singer. But that's not where the similarities end. Both bands come from very religious backgrounds with the brothers from Elephant having to covertly listen to rock music their dad banned. And like the Kings of Leon, they're both bigger in the UK.

The guys got their name from the idea that in the world, people are always trying to lock up the good; they want to show you that you can't cage an elephant. Their debut album dropped in the UK last summer and first single, Ain't No Rest For The Wicked, is currently featured as the Free Single of the Week on iTunes. Lead singer Matt Schultz, delivers lines with a slur and a smile, while the rest of the band, swallows him in a wash of driving guitars. In One Ear, the strongest track off the album, is a verse-spewing ode to their critics. Cage The Elephant combine pure rock with a Southern drawl and an indie spirit.

Cage The Elephant- Myspace
In One Ear-

Miniature Tigers

I'm probably a little late getting on the Miniature Tigers bandwagon, but it took a while for them to grow on me. So if you don't like them right off just know that it took a few listens for me as well. Better late than never I always say. (I never say that.)

Miniature Tigers' sound is very laid back. Lead singer Charlie Brand sounds like he doesn't really care if you like it or not, but he's going to sing it anyway. Their debut album Tell It To The Volcano, has plenty of short, to the point indie rock/pop tunes. First single Cannibal Queen, wins the award for best lyrics in a song. This little ditty begins with a chugging bass line before letting lines about love slice and dice- Coming at your heart like a cannibal/ Oh she lets me right in and I'm fed till I'm full. Another great track is the Weezer-ish The Wolf. With its simple melody and lyrics, this one will settle in your brain and stay.

Miniature Tigers- Myspace
Cannibal Queen-

The Devil Makes Three

So if I'm being upfront, country music isn't really something I'm into. I think once a song was called Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, I gave up. But I do have a soft spot for bluegrass. It must be the banjos that fascinate me. Old Crow Medicine Show is one shining example and I just discovered another-
The Devil Makes Three.

They hail from California, but you would think they've been wallowing in the Kentucky mud. Devil Makes Three perfectly blends bluegrass, rockabilly, and indie rock to form a new deep fried genre. Their new album Do Wrong Right, hits stores on April 21st. From what I've heard, Nashville needs to be finding a place for these guys. Their first single Old Number Seven is a tear in my beer type of song with a chorus that gives praise to Jack Daniels. Bangor Mash releases the banjos to great effect with a plucky soulful tune that really gets down after the first verse.

The Devil Makes Three is a rarity in today's music scene, where excellent musicianship meets catchy from the heart tunes.

The Devil Makes Three- Myspace
Old Number Seven-

Dead Confederate

A band from my old stomping grounds in Athens, GA. Dead Confederate may be one of the best named bands I have come across in a long while, and their music is pretty great as well. Their sound has been compared to that of My Morning Jacket, but I hear a little Kings of Leon in there as well. Dead Confederate have an alternative southern grunge vibe going on, which suits them very well. Lead singer Hardy Morris has a strain in his voice that fits the dark, descriptive lyrics very well.

Their debut LP, Wrecking Ball, is loaded with songs that set a mood every time you listen to them. Their first single, and best song I've heard from them, The Rat, is a moody song with scathing lyrics about betrayal (Shoot from the back/ take good aim/ make sure I'm dead/bang, bang). It simmers on the verses and boils over for the chorus. Dead Confederate's music is dirty, Southern rock at its brooding best.

Dead Confederate- Facebook
The Rat-