JB Barnett

When I hear about solo acts what usually runs through my mind is dull acoustic chords being played in repetition for three minute segments followed by one uninspired song after the other. Thankfully SoundSuck has found hope in one JB Barnett, a relative newcomer to the scene but definitely an artist who is here to stay. I got the chance to ask JB some questions and pick at the mind of one of our favorite upcoming musicians...

The Rosewood Thieves In Austin

The Rosewood Thieves, one of the most intuitive folk rock bands around are coming to Austin on May 3rd. What makes this show that much more irresistible is the fact that the New York natives will be accompanied by Frank Smith.



Unfortunately I'm not gonna be able to make it but if you go try to get some pictures of the show we can post up later.

Date: May 3rd, 8:00
Location: The Mohawk, Austin, TX
Tickets will be sold at the door.

Map available here.

The Rosewood Thieve's MySpace

Frank Smith's MySpace

Olin and the Moon

Music today often feels like it's all about image; the look of a band or how "professional" the album sounds have become dominating priorities when recording and marketing an artist. To hear someone like Olin and the Moon, whose music and lyrics are grounded in earnestly, is a stimulating change of sonic scenery...

Black Sheep Boy Revisited

Album: Black Sheep Boy

With Okkervil River's latest release, The Stage Names, the band has received a fair amount of deserving publicity but I feel their greatest album was the one before this. Black Sheep Boy was a concept album revolving around the song of the same name by folk singer Tim Hardin. Front man Will Sheff wrote what is in my mind one of the greatest concept albums of all time. From start to finish Black Sheep Boy poetically describes the tension we we all live in between unchecked passion and depressing discontent. Like a disenchanted dream the album holds an ethereal weight that only grows as the album continues...

Hockey Night

Here's a group of guys from Minneapolis who don't seem to take themselves too seriously but they obviously know how to engineer a solid jam. In an unconventional move the band is made up of two guitarists accompanied by dual drummers. While I don't know how much character this lineup adds to Hockey Night's sound, it definitely doesn't hurt...

Become a SoundSuck Contributor

I love listening to music and I love sharing music on this blog. I've had some great help from guys like Jordan and the site's viewer base is growing weekly. As much as I enjoy posting I just can't keep doing it daily so I'm always looking for potential authors to add to the SoundSuck lineup.

If you love new and independent music and think you could contribute a blog post every once in awhile (anywhere from once a week to once a month) please contact me via email: shoook@gmail.com.

Thanks - Ryan

Tycho

Album: Past Is Prologue

Don't you hate it when a band you like always gets compared to a more popular band and is never "as good as fill in the blank." So it is with Tycho, the moniker under which Scott Hansen creates gorgeous IDM/ambient music which is constantly being written off by Boards of Canada fans...

Sam Amidon

Album: All Is Well

Yesterday Samamidon released this humble folk album and it's one I encourage you to take a look at. Lyrically I like to think he draws from Sufjan Stevens although his musical style is quite different...

The Acorn

Album: Glory Hope Mountain

When I first heard The Acorn's latest album I felt slightly assaulted. I'm usually one who enjoys a fairly predictable song structure, but Glory Hope Mountain kicks off with "Flood Pt. 1" in a bit of discorded chaos...

An Interview With Darcy

A few days ago I caught up with Dustin Aguilar, half of the new band Darcy. I've been keeping tabs on these guys for awhile so I thought what better way to introduce the band than with an interview. I asked them a few questions, let them speak for themselves, and let you decide if they really are SoundSuck material.

Devin Davis

Devin Davis released his debut LP, Lonely People of the World Unite, to a decent amount of fanfare. It got some blog coverage and was featured in some other online publications, but I still feel it didn't get as much publicity as it deserved. Since I didn't have a blog back when it was released, I feel its my delayed duty to share this older album so that you might familiarize yourself with Mr. Davis before the release of his upcoming and currently untitled album due out later this year.

January In Review

Well it's February which means today SoundSuck celebrates its 1st month of existence. We've acquired a few new writers along the way, found some great artists, made a few new friends, and really appreciate the people that have been coming back to the site and who've helped us get this far. We'd also like to thank John Otjen for hosting us.

In celebration of this momentous occasion we're sharing the first SoundSuck Mixtape- a compilation of what we feel are the ten best tracks from the past month:

Download SoundSuck Mixtape 1/08 Now!

David Bazan Sings Hallelujah

Today I take a slight deviation from our usual featured artist style and instead focus on one song.

Last year while on tour David Bazan was closing his solo set with a cover of Leonard Cohen's famous "Hallelujah." The song is probably one of the most covered in modern history, but David Bazan's version is the absolute best...

Featured Artist: Wintersleep

Album: Welcome To The Night Sky

Sounds Like: The space between how things are and how they should be.


Sorry I'm late to the party guys, I just found out about this brilliant group from Halifax. Wintersleep released their third album, Welcome To the Night Sky, in October of last year and I must say it is one of the best albums I've heard in several months. I was unassumingly looking for new bands when "Weighty Ghost" started to play. Ten seconds into it I thought "this is a great opener," by the time Paul Murphy's vocals had piped in I thought "this track is incredibly well grounded in it's writing," and by the time the chorus was asking "have you seen my ghost?" it was clear that I was listening to one of the greatest songs of 2007. Needless to say, I promptly bought the album and scrutinized the rest of the songs. There are ten tracks; each is unique, most are memorable, and a few are what I consider instant classics. My only complaint about the LP is that on a few tracks I couldn’t make out the lyrics and wished the vocals had been boosted slightly. It’s hard to describe exactly what makes Welcome To the Night Sky so good because it is a disc that has the ability to evoke unique emotions even after repeat plays. What I liked most about it is that the album feels effortless; although not every track is as superb as “Weighty Ghost,” none of the songs make me feel as if the band was trying to create something that makes everyone say “look at how great we are.” Ironically enough, they made an album that you can’t help but take notice of.

Why They Don't Suck: Like an anthem for those feeling displaced and discontent, Welcome To the Night Sky voices the questions and cries of this modern generation so eloquently that it feels as if Wintersleep is trying to speaking for you and you've been invited to sing along.

[audio:Weighty Ghost-Wintersleep.mp3]
Weighty Ghost.mp3 (right click to save)
(Thanks Janesta for letting us share the song.)

Wintersleep's Website

Author: Ryan Shook
Date: January 30, 2008

Sleeperstar

Album: To Speak, To Love, To Listen

Sounds Like: A flag blowing in the wind against a sunset.

Their music is the kind that you play really loud either when you need to be inspired or you just accomplished something and want to bask in the glory of what you did. I wouldn’t say that Sleeperstar has an extremely unique sound, but I would say that they blend what they have better than other bands with their sound. Having only been together for a short time, they are already making big impressions and selling/giving away their EP like wildfire. Touring with the likes of Andy Davis recently, they have made some friends in places and are working on recording more songs to make a full CD but only time will tell when that actually occurs.

Texas Rain.mp3 (removed at artist's request)

Why They Don't Suck: Sleeperstar is one of those bands that seems to consitantly produce songs with catchy riffs and perfect hooks. After listening to one of their songs, don’t be surprised if you get it stuck in your head for a while. I found myself in the same position so don’t worry, it is normal and you will be alright. I promise.

Disengage.mp3 (removed at artist's request)

Starrfadu

Album: And Yes... Our Thoughts Were Elsewhere

Sounds Like: a few hours after it's rained and everything is still wet but the ground is bright in the sun's reflection.

It isn't often that thoughtful lyric show up in a band that almost exclusively utilizes a big sound like Starrfadu often does, but that is exactly what they've done with Our Thoughts Were Elsewhere. It's one of those albums that you could easily listen to without hearing a word and still enjoy it, but if you listen for even a few minutes you realize Austin Hartley and crew have something to say. Commentary on the state of our modern world and the human condition run throughout the album, sometimes with disenchanted lamenting such as in the poetic "Thoughts of Modern Men" while other times there's a hint of hope in the music like in the uplifting "Let It Out."

[audio:Modern Men-Starrfadu.mp3]
Thoughts of Modern Men



Why They Don't Suck: All-in-all, And Yes... Our Thoughts Were Elsewhere makes for a really enjoyable listen which becomes even more rewarding when you take the time to focus in on the inspired lyrics.

[audio:Let It Out-Starrfadu.mp3]
Let It Out

The Soft Drugs

Album: In Moderation EP

Sounds Like: keeping a sense of humor even after you've messed up more times than you can count.

I've been a fan of Pedro The Lion for a few years now so of course when I heard the band was breaking up I was dismayed. I thought the breakup would mark the near total end of both David Bazan's and TW Walsh's musical careers. Thankfully it's done just the opposite, sparking new independent creativity in both men which has totally blown me away. While I feel that Bazan's EP shines a little brighter, The Soft Drugs produced an excellent EP which deserves all the more credit for being released independently. Walsh's voice is honest and clear, and the band has the ability to create some well-defined rhythm. Even though the album was released over a year ago I feel The Soft Drugs got it exactly right when deciding how to produce and publish their first EP; self-distribute and offer it for free.

[audio:The Pitch-Soft Drugs.mp3]
The Pitch.mp3 (right click to save)

Why They Don't Suck: If you were a fan of Pedro The Lion and haven't yet heard of this band you owe it to yourself to give In Moderation a listen, it's definitely a set of tracks that grows on you the more you listen. They'll be in the studio April so I'm treating this EP as a stopgap till both Walsh's and Bazan's full discs are released.

[audio:Dont Sweat It-Soft Drugs.mp3]
Don't Sweat It.mp3 (right click to save)

Visit thesoftdrugs.com to download the full EP for free.

The Kilians

Album: Kill The Kilians

Sounds Like: If the Arctic Monkeys ever bred with German electro-beats, the Kilians would be dubbed modern-day, musical purebreds.

The kind of band you like to just crank out your car on summer days, this up and coming group has tunes to make your head spin. Their first self-titled EP, “Jealous Lover” punches a drum opening that makes your foot tap like mad until the guitar rifts pummel through. Lead singer Simon den Hartog (straight out of Germany. Don’t worry- they sing in English) has a unique edge to his voice that most bands can’t balance very easily as this group’s lucid sound eases the intense verve Simon exudes. For a more low-key mood try “Fool to Fool” or shake that lethargy off with a dose of energy in “Fight the Start.”

Why They Don't Suck: Whether it be harmonicas, hot British accents, or the occasional reggae upbeats, this band has a versatility to suit any music lover. The inevitable rockstars are destined to reach coasts across the pond someday as their music looks great, feels great, and sounds even more killer. Gutentag.

[audio:Fight The Start-Kilians.mp3]
Fight The Start.mp3 (right click to save)

Tommy Read

Sounds Like: A smooth and well told story that never gets old.

Some people were just born to play a guitar. Seriously I think this kid came from the womb with a Martin clutched in one hand and the other was strummin' away. Not sure how his mother would have felt about that.... but anyways, back to the article. Even though Tommy is young there's a certain aura about him that makes him feel as if he's had much more experience than his 20 odd years of life would suggest. The fact that Tommy effectively mixes a number of different genres into his own blend gives his music a certain degree of variation that still offers the warmth of familiarity. There's also a distinctive level of earnestness associated with these tracks that I haven't seen from such a talented musician in a long time.

[audio:Lit The Autumn-Tommy Read.mp3]
Lit The Autumn.mp3 (right click to save)

Why They Don't Suck: The lyrics in this music are not only well written and entertaining but often very relevant. Tommy has the rare ability to weave a storyline through the music as he plays. Watch for his band, Judas Feet's new album posted on SoundSuck sometime in the future.

[audio:Blue Lie-Tommy Read.mp3]
Blue Lie.mp3 (right click to save)

Professor Murder

Sounds Like: island music and synth pop got into a street fight and Professor Murder was the only one to make it out alive

There are few songs and even fewer indie artists that are so funky you have to restrain yourself from making a fool of yourself by dancing. Professor Murder is one of those bands; hard to pin down to a genre and what I only know how to describe as dance music with a slight island music twist. This is the third artist from New York to be posted on SoundSuck this week, but I've gotta admit I would not have expected this kind of music to come from the east coast but it is interesting to see how irrelevant geographic influences have become in music today. The band's debut EP was featured on Pitchfork awhile ago so they're definitely moving out of the shadows and into the limelight, but they've still got a few steps ahead of them, mainly the releasing a full LP.

[audio:Free Stress Test-Professor Murder.mp3]
Free Stress Test.mp3 (right click to save)

Why They Don't Suck: Super funky tracks with some real diversity; this is ear candy. Talented use of synthesizers in combo with percussion instruments makes for an entertaining listen. Watch for them at Coachella.

[audio:Dutch Hex-Professor Murder.mp3]
Dutch Hex.mp3 (right click to save)