OMG

I find it somewhat amusing that the space-rock group God Is An Astronaut is from the quaintly named town of Glen of the Downs in Wicklow, Ireland. At the heart of the band are the brothers Torsten and Niels Kinsella (guitar/keyboards and bass/guitars respectively). The group formed in the early part of this century (Wow, it sure seems strange to say that), and they added the drummer Lloyd Hanney to round out the band. Some claim that the group is one of the finest Irish indie rock groups of this century. I guess I’d equate that with saying “One of the finest bands to come out of the thumb of Michigan”. Anyway, I’ve never seen the group live, but apparently they put on an incredible show, with spectacular videos accompanying each song. They’ve put out four recordings to date and have numerous youtube vids. Well worth looking in to.

Strings Attached

Balmorhea was founded in 2006 by Rob Lowe and Michael Muller. The group features various string instruments including violins and cello and is often accompanied by the talented pianist Peter Broderick. Their music is relaxing and has a pastoral, country sound but is definitely classically grounded. Much of it is sweeping yet has a toe-tapping quality to it. They remind me a little of Oregon but with a country tinge. Balmorhea has four CDs out to date, and they’re all worth a listen.

For Pete’s sake

Peter Broderick is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter from Portland, OR. There’s almost no information about him—in fact, on his myspace page, he’s asking for help on his bio! His recordings mainly feature piano and guitar and his delicately nuanced voice. Much of his music has a Harold Budd feel without being overly New Agey. In some ways, he reminds me of a stripped down version of Nick Drake. I highly recommend his cd How They Are, although at just over 30 minutes in length, it’s not what I’d call a “good value”. However, it’s one of the most hauntingly beautiful recordings I’ve heard in a long time. There are a ton of his songs on youtube—do check them out.

Wash Up!

Washed Out is the musical project of Ernest Greene. It’s trippy, hazy, dance music and has been compared to groups like Neon Indian and Memory Cassette. I don’t know much about Mr. Greene except that he’s from Columbia North Carolina and released his debut EP Life of Leisure in 2009.