Angus and Julia Stone: A Book Like This

The lyrics and music videos make me want Angus to be my boyfriend, and Julia to be my best friend… The duo is straightforward and blunt in a way that isn’t annoying, or overdone. Their refreshingly original voices complement each other and their knowledge of the laws of simplicity… flawlessly producing deep understanding from their listeners-on, with unmasked tales of lyrical honesty.
Listen to: Mango Tree, Paper Aeroplane
http://www.angusandjuliastone.com/

Blind Pilot: 3 Rounds and a Sound

If their music wasn’t calming and long-drive worthy enough, their story makes their music even more appealing… These guys did 2 west coast bike tours, rolling their instruments behind them in home-made trailers… That would get you a few stars in my book, even if the music was shit, but thankfully it’s not. Whether lead singer Isaac Nebeker is soothing, or soft, or apathetic, or desperate, he always gets it right.
Listen to: One Red Thread, 3 Rounds and a Sound
http://blindpilotmusic.wordpress.com/

Heartless Bastards: The Mountain

The slow drawl, banjo, purposefully fuzzy recording, and deeply piercing words are starting to feel like home. Erika Wennerstrom’s haunting voice may visit me in dreams, because it’s all I want to listen to when I wake up. It’s a sound and a feeling I cannot shake, and it leaves me wanting more. The band in general just sound like they mean it, they authentically mean the music they produce…
Listen to: Had To Go, Be So Happy
http://theheartlessbastards.com/

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes: Up From Below

This band is the hippies we all want to be. They took music and freed it, decided to not follow rules, and included as many people as they wanted along the way. The zeroes capture a classic 60’s sound while remaining fresh and original, throwing together instruments, melodies, words, and ideas that seem to clash, they instead vulnerably come forth and I’m sure certain sound waves reach musical Nirvana.
Listen to: Home, Om Nashi Me
http://www.edwardsharpeandthemagneticzeros.com/

Dashboard Confessional: The Shade of Poison Trees

Always been a fan, probably for more emotional reasons, than good music reasons, but when I heard this new-er-ish album of theirs I fell for them all over again. They take a stroll back to Swiss Army Romance and their more acoustic routes, while lyrically maturing, and losing some whining.
Listen to: The Shade of Poison Trees, Clean Breaks
www.dashboardconfessional.com