The Herd

Genre: Australian Hip Hop

Renowned for their high-energy live performances, Sydney's The Herd is a relatively young and politically-oriented hip-hop outfit. Their fourth album Summerland, released last year, was essentially a commentary on the changing political climate in Australia (PM Howard losing his seat to Rudd). The two videos below are both from that new disc, and the first is one of the best music videos I've seen in a long time. This is catchy, smart, quality music- the kind that should break past borders and heard around the world. Share it!

Oren Lavie

Smooth is a good word to describe the music of Oren Lavie, as well as his very wonderful music video. While I can't say I know much about him, the music found on his MySpace is most definitely smooth, in that way that you stare at a cooly running babbling brook for hours on end. That analogy perhaps only makes sense to me, but that's fine. His music isn't available here in the US other than the stream on the webpage, but lucky Europeans can find his album The Opposite Side of the Sea for sale. It's small, but quite a good listen. 

I found Oren by way of the aforementioned video, the song being titled Her Morning Elegance. Beautifully composited from 3225 photos, I know you'll be amazed by the story that is told. This is why music videos are made. 

Classified

Genre: Canadian Hip-Hop

Luke Boyd, aka "Classified," is an established rapper hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada. His career allowed him to open for megastars including Busta Rhymes, The Game, and Ludacris, but his lyrical talent is more substantial than any of those stars at the peak of their careers. Unfortunately, substance rarely sells. Classified put out his first album in 1995 and has produced another dozen records since- the latest being 2009's "Self Explanatory." His style blends old-school hiphop with modern beats with occasional rhythm guitar. Lyrically, Classified treads a fine line between gritty truths and hopeful musings- something that few artists manage with as much subtlety and accuracy as this artist. His music videos are also creatively produced, most notably the extended "Find Out," seen below.

The McLovins

Genre: Teenage Jamband

They're not always perfect, they hit wrong notes here and there, and their vocals are awful, but these guys are still in high school. In fact, I'm pretty sure one of them is still in middle school. I almost feel like I'm watching Lebron James back at St. Vincent -St. Mary, knowing full well that in a few years the youngster would be making history. I'm pretty sure that the lead guitarist of the McLovins holds that same fate (minus the NBA draft, etc.) So kick back and watch these talented kids rock out in mom's basement. Maybe in a few years you'll spot them at Bonnaroo late night.

Darrin Kohavi

Genre: Contemporary/Classic Pop

Admit it. Everyone wants to be able to say they knew a band "before they were big." With newcomer Darrin Kohavi, here's a very promising chance to do just that. The young multi-instrumentalist and vocalist released his debut 5-track EP entitled Please Believe Me in late 2008, and it's slowly starting to seep into the mainstream consciousness. Darrin started playing classical piano at 8 (who doesn't these days?) and subsequently learned guitar, bass, and vocals. While this EP is his first formal release, he's also working on a full-length album with funk musician Derrick Briscoe to debut later in 2009. But in the meantime, his EP gives listeners a vast spectrum of audiological style to contemplate while they wait. I believe Darrin's appeal lies in his personalized blend of contemporary, fully accessible and radio-friendly pop with a distinctly unique classic pop sound; the easiest comparison is Abbey Road-era Beatles, and it's surprisingly accurate. While the Beatles are perhaps the most referenced "influence" in all of music, Darrin manages to rearrange their groundbreaking style into one of the freshest manifestations in years. His piano musings are controlled and cool, and paired with his surprisingly trained voice it creates a compositional style expected of someone with far more years of experience. So while his sound isn't exceptionally risky, it's still impressive for such a young artist. The talent is obvious here; time will only prove to enrich Darrin's abilities.

Audiogoldfish has been fortunate enough to host one of the tracks off the new EP, free for download here and only here. The track is "Stay Near," a catchy tune that highlights Darrin's breadth. Hit the link below to check it out.

Click here to download "Stay Near."

And click here to stream the entire 5-track EP.

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

This Wisconsin band caught my ear a couple weeks ago, and I keep coming back and playing their music over and over again. I've been trying to place what I thought they sounded like, which isn't really fair to any artist and yet I kept doing it anyway. In the end I decided the music sounds like Bruce Springsteen meets Nick Drake. If you come up with something else, let me know because I've made everyone I know listen to their songs in my efforts to place their sound. 

The conundrum turns in their favor because now I have a group of people who really like the group. Their webpage is strangely mesmerizing but you can also find their music on myspace if the videos seem to be messing with your head.  The instruments are solid and the vocals are great to just relax and listen to. It's the kind of group I want to just sit by and hear live. So take a seat and enjoy as you can. 

photo courtesy www.corychisel.com

Pat Martino

Genre: Jazz

I saw Martino in a small jazz club a few weekends ago, not because I was a longtime listener or fan, but because I knew he was a legendary player and his work would enrich my life. I don't think I could have been more pleasantly surprised by that weekend. I can't stress enough to all the readers of this site- don't miss your chance to see these giants of jazz while you still can. You'll never regret it.

Pat Martino, for those who don't know, is a jazz guitarist who played with some of the premier acid jazz performers of all time, including Trudy Pitts, Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, and Don Patterson. In 1980, he suffered a severe brain aneurysm which needed emergent surgery; As a result, Martino was left with profound amnesia and was forced to completely relearn his craft. He spent almost a decade studying his old recordings and climbing his way back to the forefront of classic funk/lounge jazz, where he remains to this day. I almost expected him to display some neurological deficits: either motor, language, memory, or executive function. But I was surprised to see that his verbiage was as eloquent as his guitar:

Flight of the Conchords

Genre: Two-Man Novelty Band

Season Two is well underway for the hit comedy duo Flight of the Conchords. This season, the New Zealanders have based many of their musical segments on mainstream hits- with fantastic results. I've paired three of their new songs with the three obvious influences. I can't seem to figure out the last one, but it seems very familiar- any suggestions?

Sugalumps/Missy Elliot:

You Don't Have To Be a Prostitute/Roxanne:

Stay Cool/West Side Story:

Hurt Feelings/???

Ani DiFranco

Genre: Folk Rock

I have a new review published for Ani DiFranco's new-ish album Red Letter Year. Check it out here: http://www.jambase.com/Articles/16359/Ani-DiFranco-Red-Letter-Year

Steve Martin

Did anyone know that Steve Martin played the banjo so well? Vocals are still all Steve, and I myself have a hard time getting past hearing the great comedian singing, but the banjo playing is awesome. His album, The Crow, is available on Amazon. Read the NYT article here. The SNL piece below is pretty clever and fun. 

Peter and the Wolf meet pop culture.

Good music can sneak up on you; I will never complain. I wasn't really expecting any music revelations from last night's Superbowl, but I found some. Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem- beautiful. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band- rocking. Watch them here and here. 

But what really caught my attention was the Coke Zero ad with the bugs. You know, the one with no celebrities, people getting hurt, or creepy dancing lizards and football players. It's just one of those classic ads that can be used again and doesn't offend anyone's senses. I'm glad I recognized the music right away. The ad was animated in a way that catches most people's attention, but the choice in music was perfect. Sometimes different is good. 

It got me thinking about Peter and the Wolf for the first time since I was maybe, 12, so I thought I would share and let the rest of you enjoy as well. I've added a recording below of the whole piece, conducted and narrated by Leonard Bernstein. Very cool. Some fun facts (courtesy of Wikipedia):

• Sergei Prokofiev was commissioned to compose this in 1936 in the attempts of attracting children to music from their earliest years in school. (I guess this has been a century old struggle around the world; good to know.)
  
• English narrations have been read by Sean Connery, David Bowie, Patrick Stewart, Alec Guinness, Ben Kingley, Sting, Melissa Joan Hart, and Boris Karloff.
  
• Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Sophia Loren won a Grammy for their recording with the Russian National Orchestra.
  
• Not only did Disney produce an animated version, but a jazz piece was created by the Clyde Valley Stompers and a comedic dentistry-lesson version was done by Weird Al Yankovic. Evidently Peter captures the wolf with dental floss with the lesson being "oral hygiene is very important."
  
• In 2008, a stop motion animation adaptation won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film.