Sweet Marissa

I first heard Marissa Nadler on a recent SoundCheck show on NPR and her performance blew me away. Her lush, dreamy vocals, beautiful guitar work, and mature lyrics caught me off guard. Marissa was born in Boston and released her first cd in 2004. Her voice reminds me a little bit of Hope Sandoval and Joanna Newsom—with a commanding, melancholy feel to it. After her fourth release, she was dropped by her record company. Through a Kickstarter campaign, she raised funds from her fans to produce a new, self-titled cd and a video in early 2011. For some reason, she’s more popular in Europe (they have better taste?) than in the States. If you like what you hear, her cd is available directly from her website: http://marissanadler.com It’s well worth it, as every song on the cd is outstanding.

A Real Gem

If you’re into quiet, hauntingly beautiful vocals, and meditative, classically influenced instrumentals, then Gem Club is your kind of group. It consists primarily of singer/pianist Christopher Barnes and cellist/bells/singer Kristen Drymala. The two make some heartbreakingly pretty music together. They remind me a little of Bon Iver, but their sound is truly their own. They’re from Somerville, MA and just released their first full-length debut, Breakers, this year.

Bath Time

Baths is the electronic pop project of the musical genius/producer Will Wiesenfeld. This guy has had musical training from the ripe old age of four and has been recording since his teens. Naturally, he claims one of his main influences is Bjork—the Goddess. But his music only vaguely resembles hers. It’s hip-hoppy, funky and features his wonderful voice. Be sure to check out his youtube vids—they’re not only well produced, but very entertaining. Here’s a guy I’d love to see live. Even though it’s just him and his laptop. His debut album, Cerulean, appeared in 2010.

Shhh…

Secret Chiefs 3 is a side project of; you guessed it, three musicians from the group Mr. Bungle—a group I’m only vaguely familiar with. The music is unlike anything I’ve heard before. Sort of a blend of Middle-Eastern wedding music with a hint of rock and surf music. There’s very little biographical info on the band out there so I’ll just post a couple youtube vids and hope you enjoy it!

Sun Of A Gun

Sunwrae is a nine-piece ensemble lead by keyboardist and composer Rae Howell. The group is based in Melbourne, Australia and was founded in 2001. Their music is a beautiful blend of modern classical chamber music, jazz, and cinematic soundtrack. They remind me a little of early Oregon but is much more accessible. It’s gentle, sweeping, and is absolutely mesmerizing. From what I gather, the group hasn’t done a lot of recording—I only found one expensive import on Amazon, but there are quite a few of their live videos on youtube. (If you know how to convert these to mp3 files, you’re golden!)

A Good Jo-hann

Johann Johannsson is a remarkable find. I don’t know much about him except that he writes incredible soundtracks to music videos and movies. His music is founded in classical roots but definitely has new-age leanings. It’s lush, and sensual and compliments everything he writes for. I do know he’s from Iceland, yet another amazing musician from this dramatic country. Look for his stuff on youtube--there’s a ton of it and it’s all amazing. You go Jo!

I Want To Take You Higher

Rob Barber and Mary Pearson founded the indie duo High Places in Brooklyn in 2006. Their music is quirky, sparce, and features layers of electronic effects and minimalist almost jungle-like percussion. The vocals are dreamy and hypnotic. They moved to Los Angeles a year after forming and have done a lot of touring. They have three releases to date.