I am pleased to see my brother is taking efforts to learn about some new music. In respect for his new endeavor and the fact that I should also learn about some new stuff, I will listen to his new bands and this  Tullycraft that he has written about as well. Wikipedia referred to them as a “twee” band which is another name for indie pop. Does it mean like tween genres, like an abbreviation of between?

I don’t know but here is the first band my brother looked at.

1. “Dark Am I” – The Last Bison or Bison?

So first off, is their name Bison or the Last Bison? Both names were on YouTube and both are good because they do bring up the memory of the great roaming beast of the American West. It’s a shame our American pioneers decimated the population for the pelts because it really is a beautiful animal. Furthermore, they are delicious and it’s mad expensive to buy the meat now as a result of their rarity so it’s not something I eat often. So what is their actual name, Brother? I think it’s The Last Bison.

Anyway, I actually kind of dig this band and I particularly liked this song after listening to a few on various YouTube playlists. I like the orchestral aspect of this band (how it has so many different instruments). It’s like Virginian Classical music with some indie rock undertones. I certainly agree with your new music connect’s assertion that it sounds like Mumford & Sons but less commercial, although I think these folks are way more musically inclined then the big boys. They have a cool unique sound and I look forward to hearing more from them. Also, hows the bison prices down south Brother, cheaper than the Great White North?

2. “Keep Your Head Up,” Ben Howard

This guy is younger than me by two years and writes amazing lyrics like he’s been around the block decades longer.  I picked this song out of the list on the YouTube because it seemed like an upbeat title which is not exactly the case, although I think that, ultimately, this is a positive song. Some of these lyrics really strike a chord with me and where I feel my life is at at this exact moment.

The first part seems to describe a general malaise as a result of some type of loss/rejection but then it switches lanes. The second part talks about coming down a mountain and gaining strength while realizing all of the things you miss while you were wrapped up in your defeat. The best line is ” Oh lookin’ out at this happiness, I search for between the sheets/ Oh feeling blind and realize all I was searching for was me.”

To me, this is talking about how we all fall into this trap of thinking we can only be happy when you have someone else. I think you are happier significantly when you are in a positive relationship, but it’s not the end all of existence. Furthermore, I know that I personally have needed a lot of time as of late to really figure out who I am and what I want out of life which will make me a lot more productive in any future relationship. I guess when it comes down to it, you can only control yourself. If you can make yourself happy, it’s much easier to make others happy.

Good ideas from this Ben Howard. However, I refuse to listen to the “Call me Maybe” cover. I hate the original and will not help it to continue to grow by endorsing a cover version. I don’t care how good it is Brother.

3. “Prehistoric,” Now, Now

I had to cycle through a few videos before I found one by this band that I really liked and only then when I read the lyrics.  I love the analogy of a stalled relationship and a prehistoric mammal stuck in ice. I felt this before and it’s not good. I guess you just have to wait for it to melt or say fuck it and move on. Does it depend on what the weather is like where you live and does global warming come into play at all?  I don’t love their sound, although it does remind me of the Silversun Pick-Ups with a full time female lead singer and not as heavy. Did you know Brother that the show they consider their best ever is opening for your band Mates of State?

4. “Featherstone,”   Paper Kites

“We’ll hate what we lost but love what we find”. That is a crazy good lyric that could literally be applied to anything which I think is the best kind. It’s hard to make universal statements that are actually universal.

Case in point: I have a good friend who has one kid and another on way, a good job, a good wife with a good job and is still miserable. It’s mostly related to financial issues which I think everyone I know is mired in at this time. So, last night I invited him over for some free laughs in taking apart an old Sega Genesis and then seeing if we could make it work which we did. It was great fun to have a few beers and play some old school video games and when we got to talking about where we were at in our lives, I straight up quoted this song. The music is alright to me, very pretty but nothing to write home about. The lyrical quality of this tune and pretty much all the others so far is very high and this would be one reason for me to listen to a lot of this indie stuff.

5.”Endless Highway”- The Jezebels

I couldn’t find any songs that I liked from this band until I heard this one. I only clicked on it because I thought it might be a Beach Boys cover to be honest, but I am happy I did. Wikipedia described this band as alternative music which is exactly what this sounds like to me. It’s got some crunchy guitars and the lead singer, who calls her music “intensindie”, can clearly wail. I do love the Australians, from AC/DC to Silverchair, so they got that going for them. I guess we will see where they go next. I will certainly check out stuff as they release it, maybe we will see a Beach Boys cover in the future?

6. “Dance of the Manatee” -Fair to Midland

This may be my favorite band of this whole group of “new” bands, although it seems this one has been around for several years. They are very prog-rock at times which is obviously right up my alley. The complicated nature of the music is very appealing to me and I’d like to know if the same guy sings the high parts and the low part at 2:30. That would be super cool if he did, I have a great respect for vocalists with that kind of range. Singing is hard, so much harder than anyone who hasn’t done it into a microphone can imagine. Or maybe I just suck at it, but I can say that it was much easier  to learn how to play bass then it is to learn how to sing. These guys wail and I intend to listen to a lot more of them.

I was originally going to talk about Tully Craft but I think since my brother has written on them multiple times, I should probably take a little more time with them. It has been a fulfilling experience to step out of my comfort zone and learn about some new music. It’s certainly given me some impetus to get out there and really seek out some new sounds I haven’t heard yet. I do normally do this but I need to try harder, there is so much out there right now and I want to get what I can.

On that note, try this one on Brother. This guy is a very famous multi-instrumentalist who was introduced to me by the fiddle player who jammed with us on our show on New Year’s Eve. He not only jams, but he’s also funny! I just think through his use of non-Western instruments and rhythms, he sometimes really comes up with some wholly original stuff.   Get back to me on it!