BTA receives several emails daily with quality music submissions, unfortunately it's truly impossible to get to them all. This week's edition of Friday Five includes some artist submissions that have tickled my ear.Touring the East coast, J.J. Ipsen dropped off a sample of his album that is in the works. Working with a full band, these tracks come together beautifully. Ipsen's songs have such an interesting structure, making them tough to label and a pleasure to experience on record and especially live.
Appleton, Wisconsin's The Chairs have a sound that will throw you back to the first time you heard Neutral Milk Hotel. Think NMH, but less obscure and a little more optimistic. They have a new release entitled Nine Ways which I've really enjoyed.
The rise in geographical band name references caused me to glance over these guys at first. The Wilderness of Manitoba have such a mature folk sound. Their sound is incredibly authentic and natural. It's easy to imagine the crackling of a fireplace and warm beverages being served with their music playing in the background. The Wilderness' Hymns of Spirit and Love is a soothing collection of tracks that will warm up your cool autumn evenings.
I really like Dinosaur Bones' self-titled EP, it's a little dark, a lotta rock, and very confident. Upon listening to the Bones play live, I was impressed at the sheer size of their sound. The band is in the process of recording a full-length to be released in the new year.
Having really enjoyed their first release, A Nice EP, I expected big things from The O'Darling. Upon receiving their latest self-titled release I was somewhat disappointed, but further listening revealed the masked intricacy of their songs and developed my true appreciation for this group. The O'Darling are representing an interesting side of folk, the tracks on The O'Darling are playfully fun.
Enjoy!
