YOU try playing the cello and singing at the same time

Jorane is probably the only pop cellists who sings while she bows in the world. It might sound like an odd combination but it surprisingly works quite well. She’s French-Canadian and was born Johanne Pelletier in 1975. Her voice ranges from soft and soothing crisp and powerful and she sings mainly in French. But that really doesn’t make her music any less accessible. Her music is hard to describe, part classical, part moody indie-rock. She’s worked with the likes of Daniel Lanois and Lisa Germano and has several recordings out. Some of her videos on youtube are rather Bjorkish (unfortunately I can't embed them on my blog). Be sure to check some of them out.

At The Movies

Two Door Cinema Club is a trio from Northern Ireland. It features singer/guitarist/programmer Alex Trimble, guitarist/singer Sam Halliday, and bassist/singer Kevin Baird. The band has a fun, infectious sound—jangly guitars, a strong beat and catchy, danceable electronics. The vocals are good, and feature some fine harmonies at times. Their first album, Tourist History, came out in 2010. Another great band to crank up, while driving around with the top down.

The Deerfield Invasion?

The Deerfield, IL based group The Redwalls definitely have the early 60s British Invasion sound down. They even have the look to go along with it. You can hear the influences of bands like the Kinks, Animals, and of course, The Beatles in their music. They have a couple of cds out and their big(?) break was when they were invited to tour with Oasis in 2005. The Redwalls haven’t put a cd out since 2007, so I wonder if they’re still together.

Young at Heart

There’s a soft spot in my heart for space rock bands, going back to my Pink Floyd and Yes days. It’s seems like new groups in this genre are popping up like crazy these days. One of the newest is the group Young Galaxy. The band is made up of ex-Stars touring guitarist Stephan Ramsay and his girlfriend Catherine McCandless, along with several supporting musicians. They’re originally from Vancouver but have since relocated to that hotbed of excellent new music, Montreal. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2007 and they’ve put out two subsequent albums since then. Young Galaxy’s sound covers quite a range from complex space tunes with lots of production value to stripped down, folkier material. But all their songs feature fine vocals. Their latest cd, Shapeshifting is highly recommended.

Love Is All You Need

The group Love Spirals Downwards has been around for quite a while, but I feel they should have received a lot more attention than they did. They formed in Los Angeles with guitarist, keyboardist, and composer Ryan Lum and vocalist Suzanne Perry. They have an ethereal, electronica sound, not unlike the Cocteau Twins and other 4A.D. bands. But their music has a happier, folky vibe to it than other so-called Goth groups. I’m not sure if Love Spirals Downwards is still together since their last release was back in 2002. However, their music still sounds pretty fresh today.