EL OBO. If Sufjan Stevens, Elliott Smith and Loney Dear had a baby.
El Obo inherited the delicate voice of all three hypothetical fathers and equal parts of their arrangements as well!
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TINY RUINS. If Angel Olsen and Leonard Cohen had a baby.
The poetic imagery and phrasing of Leonard and the soft and luminous voice of Angel.
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BABY ROSE. If Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley and ?uestlove had a baby.
The rasp and soul of Nina, the vibrato and progression of Jeff and the groove of ?uestlove. Go get you some.
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THE BRUMMIES. If The Beatles and Dr. Dog had a baby.
I really could have chosen to mate a number of other British bands of the sixties with Dr. Dog and get my point across, which is that these guys are up to cool things. However, it was songs like “Lovers Do” that have that McCartney-esque gene and ultimately swayed me. Check out The Brummies today at Live on The Green at 8:45pm on the 615 Stage!
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WHOA DAKOTA. If Kimbra, Haim and Mariah Carey had a baby.
I was sleeping on this album when it was release late last year but I have made up for it with the amount of times I have played it since discovering it a few months back. Local Nashville artist, Jessica Ott (aka Whoa Dakota) delivers a collection of songs (and poetry) drenched in 90′s vibes with a blended vocal range of all three of her hypothetical parents. Pop music at its finest. Don’t sleep on this one.
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YOLA. If Dusty Springfield and Mavis Staples had a baby.
British songstress, Yola Carter isn’t new to the music scene (see her work in the band Phantom Limb) but her latest “solo” record produced by Dan Auerbach really dialed in the 1970′s vibe she’s be working on. Titled Walk Through Fire, the album is the love-child of Springfield and Staples. I was fortunate enough to see her and her band perform at Live on the Green in Nashville last week and they were phenomenal.
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Better late than never! While life kept me from posting Venn Reviews as much as I would have liked this past year, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a plethora of incredible new music being released. Here are my top 25 releases of 2018!
- Manchester Orchestra - The Black Mile Demos
- The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
- Foxwarren - Foxwarren
- Adrianne Lenker - abysskiss
- Tyler Childers - Purgatory
- Leon Bridges - Good Thing
- Rubel - Casas
- Pinegrove - Skylight
- Michael Rault - It’s a New Day Tonight
- Emma Louise - Lilac Everything
- Fenne Lily - On Hold
- Ex:Re - Ex:Re
- Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy
- Cut Worms - Hollow Ground
- Lucy Dacus - Historian
- Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Sparkle Hard
- Walter Martin - Reminisce Bar & Grill
- Becky and the Birds - Becky and the Birds
- Buck Meek - Buck Meek
- Mitski - Be the Cowboy
- Sam Evian - You, Forever
- The Milk Carton Kids - All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do
- Dr. Dog - Critical Equation
- Great Grandpa - Plastic Cough
- J Mascis - Elastic Days
#best of 2018#new music#top 25#music review#venn review#venn diagram#chart#music#review#blog#the beths#foxwarren#manchester orchestra#adrianne lenker#tyler childers#Leon Bridges#rubel#pinegrove#michael rault#emma louise#fenne lily#ex:re#Car Seat Headrest#cut worms#lucy dacus#Stephen Malkmus#Walter Martin#Becky and the Birds#buck meek#mitski
BECKY AND THE BIRDS. If Sylvan Esso and Frank Ocean had a baby.
Shout out to Vinyl Me, Please for the tip off on this vibey debut by Swedish artist, Thea Gustafsson aka Becky and the Birds. She’s created the electronic-pop feel of Sylvan Esso and the gut-wrenching R&B and real talk of Frank Ocean. Stop what you are doing and watch the full EP video via the link below!
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MANDOLIN ORANGE. If Nickel Creek and The Stanley Brothers had a baby.
Mandolin Orange blends the divide of new and old folk and bluegrass effortlessly. Their latest album titled Tides of a Teardrop is due out February 1.
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THE BETHS. If Rilo Kiley and Courtney Barnett had a baby.
The Beths really came out swinging with their debut full length album, Future Me Hates Me. It has been on heavy rotation for me as of late and has all the hooks and riffs I’ve been looking for since.... well the late 90s/early 2000s.
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EMMA LOUISE. If Tobias Jesso Jr. and Nico had a baby.
When Australian artist Emma Louise decided she was going to release an entire album with her voice tuned-down, I am sure she received a few strange looks. Nevertheless, she hired musician turned producer, Tobias Jesso Jr. to produce the album and his influence is very apparent but it was the decision to tune-down the vocals (think Nico’s vocal range) that gave it this whole new haunting level of mystery. Perfect soundtrack for some of the cold wintery days ahead.
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THE MILK CARTON KIDS. If Simon & Garfunkel and Dave Rawlings had a baby.
Finally got around to making this somewhat obvious Venn diagram. If you have ever listened to The Milk Carton Kids, chances are Simon & Garfunkel are the first comparison to come to mind. They have the incredible harmonies as if they too were born to sing together. They have the same gift of lyrical imagery. It’s easy to connect those dots. However, these two gentleman carry over more into the Americana realm much like their other hypothetical parent, Dave Rawlings. Their guitar playing style also resembles Mr. Rawlings. Check them out and then once you are hooked, go catch them live at this year’s American Fest in Nashville on September 13!
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MICHAEL RAULT. If John Lennon and T. Rex had a baby.
Michael Rault’s latest release, It’s a new Day Tonight, is soaked with early 70′s T. Rex and Beatles-esque songwriting (John Lennon’s to be specific). I had the pleasure of catching his set at The Basement in Nashville last weekend and have been spinning the record ever since.
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COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS. If Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt had a baby.
First heard of Courtney Marie Andrews via my favorite record club, Vinyl Me, Please. I picked up her Honest Life album on vinyl after their recommendation and loved it. They even included a 7 inch of a few songs from her upcoming release, May Your Kindness Remain. So excited to hear it and pretty bummed I can’t make her show tonight in Nashville due to being sick but if you are in town, you should definitely go!
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GRETA VAN FLEET. If Led Zepplin and Led Zepplin had a baby.
These kids are blowing up and while some are casting stones because of their obvious intentions to sound like Led Zepplin, to me that in itself takes talent and I can respect that. Some serious thought has gone into this band’s sound and image, form the howling Robert Plant-esque vocals to the Zepplin wardrobe (or lack thereof (lots of bare chests)). Give the kids some credit, they nailed it. Look forward to seeing what they do with a full length album now that they have the attention of thousands of die-hard classic rock fans.
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It’s the last day of the year. The time to reflect on all the incredible music that got us through this year of ups and downs. These are the top 25 albums that really resonated with me personally. I have to say, if nothing else, 2017 produced some pretty amazing music. 1. Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface 2. Lilly Hiatt - Trinity Lane 3. Jay Som - Everybody Works 4. Los Colognes - The Wave 5. Big Thief - Capacity 6. Jenny O. - Peace & Information 7. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps 8. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism 9. Tennis - Yours Conditionally 10. The New Respects - Here Comes Trouble EP 11. Bedouine - Bedouine 12. Kevin Morby - City Music 13. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Nashville Sound 14. Sorority Noise - You’re Not as ____ as You Think 15. Nick Hakim - Green Twins 16. Langhorne Slim - Lost At Last Vol. 1 17. Spoon - Hot Thoughts 18. Walter Martin - My Kinda Music 19. *repeat repeat - Floral Canyon 20. Courtney Marie Andrews - Honest Life 21. Tei Shi - Crawl Space 22. Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex 23. Weezer - Pacific Daydream 24. Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog 25. Delicate Steve - This is Steve
#manchester orchestra#lilly hiatt#jay som#Los Colognes#tennis#jenny o.#moses sumney#phoebe bridgers#big thief#bedouine#the new respects#kevin morby#jason isbell#sorority noise#nick hakim#Langhorne Slim#cigarettes after sex#weezer#spoon#Walter Martin#Repeat repeat#*repeat repeat#courtney marie andrews#tei shi#mac demarco#Delicate Steve#best of 2017#top 20#new music#blog
MOSES SUMNEY. If Jeff Buckley and D’Angelo had a baby.
Moses Sumner’s Aromanticism was the loneliest and perhaps the most beautiful album of 2017. The voice of Jeff and the soul of D’Angelo, I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from Moses Sumney.
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