new music that rocks
No one has ever accused me of being trendy. Scratch that, no one has really ever even accused me of being current. Ever since I started going to concerts for my favorite artists I was usually one of a handful of people in attendance who hadn’t seen them play the Ed Sullivan Show live… Meanwhile, as I write this, my hipper-by-far younger sister (a musician herself) is attending the Sasquatch Music Festival in the Gorge. She keeps me updated on new bands worth hearing and I keep her grounded in the roots from whence these bands came. That being said, I have made it a personal mission of mine to support new artists who manage to blend classic elements with a contemporary sound. Luckily for me there are quite a few bands out there doing just that. And two of them have brand new albums that I want to encourage you to check out….
The Black Keys’ new album Brothers is an instant classic. It came out the same day as the Exile on Main Street reissue and for a week thereafter I pretty much just alternated between the two albums. That’s saying a lot. If you can hold your own beside not only one of my all time favorite records, but also pretty unanimously one of the greatest albums ever made, you’ve basically got it goin’ on. Recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, the Keys seem to have absorbed all the swampy soul that lives in those hallowed walls. The album is clearly steeped in a classically gritty blues sound but feels completely modern. I’m no critic, but this is an album everyone should own.
“Next Girl” is rapidly climbing my “Most Played” on iTunes. Blisteringly nasty and utterly fantastic.
On the sweeter side of the musical scale is Blitzen Trapper’s latest, Destroyer of the Void. To date the Oregon folk-rockers have put out two solid, and diverse albums (Furr and Wild Mountain Nation – both excellent) Destroyer is no exception. With a lovely 60’s folk sensibility it captures yet another dimension of their dynamic sound that is a perfect summer soundtrack. Side note: I confess to no Portland bias in my love of Blitzen Trapper, although good roots are good roots…
Destroyer drops on June 8th but you can stream it now in its entirety on NPR.
“Destroyer of the Void” beautiful harmonies with a rock edge.
Thanking you on behalf of our hometown heroes Blitzen Trapper – such a necessary shout out.