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.

The Latest Trent

The driving force behind the group Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor has recently been venturing in new areas for his muse—namely writing scores for movies. His music for “The Social Network” garnered him an Oscar last year. And his score for “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is equally brilliant. As you’d expect, his music ranges from dark and moody to driving and raucous. And it contains some interesting prepared piano which I mentioned in my recent Hauschka post. I was never a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails, but I really like the new direction he’s going in.

How do you prepare a piano?

I know, that sounds like a set-up for a real corny culinary joke. But in reality, it describes a technique used by the German musician Hauschka. It involves placing various objects between the strings or onto the hammers of a piano. The technique has been around since the late 19th century and Erik Satie was an early practitioner. Hauschka’s music displays the influence of Satie as well as modern minimalists like Philip Glass and Steve Reich and he’s been releasing a cd nearly every year since 2005. The first video shows how one prepares a piano. Bon appetit!

Magical Madjo

Madjo is a French-Senegalese singer with a wonderful, spirited voice. There’s virtually no info on her on the net, so this entry will have to be brief. She put out her first and only CD, Trapdoor in 2010.and it’s a dandy. The songs are mostly in English, but that doesn’t really matter—her joyful singing transcends language. Her music is mainly catchy pop and will put a smile on your face.

Night of the Living Dead

The Dead Texan is a duo comprised of Adam Wiltzie and Christina Vantzou. Wlitzie is better known for his work with the ambient group Stars of the Lid and Vantzou is avideo artist. There music sounds like it would be perfect for a soundtrack of a science fiction movie. So far, they only have one cd out, 2004’s self-titled release, however they have a bunch of very cool videos on youtube.