…..Cali, a 21 year old Seattle native who claims inspiration from Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Bassey, Sam Cooke, Lauren Hill (!) and mostly Dusty Springfield. That’s “mostly” Dusty according to her bio (read it yourself HERE) but I hear more Dame Shirley Bassey and even Eartha Kitt, but since this a girl who was 15 when the seminal “Back To Black” was released, so I’ve got my money on Ms. Winehouse being the original inspiration.
Cali
The first single from her soon to be released first LP is called “Yours Always” and is streamable HERE (it seems to skip around 4:57, BTW). I’m expecting better, more uptempo cuts when the LP, “Outta My Mind” comes out…..
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As long as I’m in a mood to nominate, latest Swedish indie breakout artist goes to Nina Kinert.
The 28 year old beauty has been releasing music since 2004’s “Heartbreaktown” on Sonymusic. The big label evidently did nothing for her, as all her subsequent music has been self-released. Seek out 2010’s Red Leader Dream for the beautiful single “Play The World”
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Remember The Hives?? Who could forget “”Hate to Say I Told You So,” which exploded onto alternative radio in 2000 or so along with other entries in the neo-garage revival by The Strokes (“Last Night“), The White Stripes (“Fell in Love with a Girl“) and The Vines (“Get Free“). This was the music that reinstituted my faith in indie rock to rise above the pablum (in case you don’t remember, click HERE). Well, The Hives are back with their 5th (!) LP, titles Lex Hives, out this June. IIRC, these guys were recruited by a songriter/manager/svengali who dressed and groomed them a la The Monkees, not that they don’t rock as authentically as any pop/rock band that grew up on a street corner togetgher.
The Hives
The first single, “Go Right Ahead” is being teased at their website with 5 (I believe) cheeky videos, each highlighting a different lick of the song, as well as an exclusive stream of the whole song at RollingStoneMusic. Well worth seeking out, IMHO.
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All the Young is a British quartet that proudly claims hometown Stoke on Trent (I had to Google it; it’s halfway between Liverpool and Birmingham, which gives them great accents). If these guys didn’t grow up listening to their parents’ Hüsker Dü albums, then Bob Mould himself might have a hand in the control room (that’s a smart-alecky joke that “makes no sense at all.” )
All the Young
Their LP, Welcome Home, came out in April; click HERE for the excellent single, “The First Time.”
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Artists often find themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to growth, development and exploring new styles. Start playing classical lute like Sting or singing with string quartets like Elvis Costello and your original sneaker-wearing fanbase hits the exits. So far that’s not a problem for The Ting Tings. “Sounds From Nowheresville,” released a couple of weeks ago, picks right up where “We Started Nothing” left off, and that makes me look forward to as many Nothing/Nowhere/Nobody title variations that Katie and Jules can think up.
Go to their Soundcloud page and listen to a few of the new cuts (“Soul Killing,” “Hang It Up,” and “One By One,” for example) and you’ll just want to run out and buy the CD, which you should. My favorite? “Hit Me Down Sonny” (make a note of that: djeddieo on the record!)
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Last tip for today is Oberhofer, a band about which I know little.
“New York via Tacoma” is what they clain as home on their Facebook page, where we also learn they’re a four-piece named Pete, Mat, Ben and Brad. My pick song is “Gotta Go” Click HERE for the non-video video.
djeddieo.com 