Music Recommendations

For anyone who's looking for some good new music, I have a few recommendations that I have come across recently.  

The first one is a one-man band called Bon Iver.  I came across some rave reviews of his first and only album so far, For Emma, Forever Ago.  And I absolutely love it.  He recorded this cd himself while staying up in his father's cabin somewhere in the woods of Wisconsin I believe, after his band broke up.  You definitely get a sense of his surroundings and solitude.  For those of you who like Joe Purdy, especially his Julie Blue album, it has a similar stripped down and mellow feel to it, and it's an album that you can listen to straight through.  It's definitely not an album to put in when you're looking for something upbeat.  He sings falsetto almost the whole time, which may seem strange, but it sure does work for him.  I can't think of anyone that he really sounds like, so it will be a different sound.  So, check it out...there's a reason it's gotten such good reviews--it's fantastic!  You can listen to the whole album for free here.  

The second band I recommend checking out, you are more likely to have heard of: The National.  

I heard from somewhere that they were really good and so I listened to a few snippets on itunes and was not blown away by any stretch.  However, they were interesting enough to give them a shot.  And so I checked out their album--Boxer--from the library and listened through the whole thing to entertain myself at work while organizing files, blah.  I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed them.  The lead singer's voice is deep and kind of raspy and so I wasn't sure how much I'd like them.  However, it really grew on me quickly (it has a similar sound to Alexi Murdoch, but a little raspier).  They remind me of a few other bands I really like, although they definitely sound very different (Coldplay and Death Cab For Cutie), maybe just similar genre/style.  The melodies definitely stuck with me--I found myself humming them in my head later that evening.  They definitely have a very layered sound so I think I'll enjoy them more and more each time I listen to them.  I think if you give them a shot you'll also be pleasantly surprised.  You can listen to the album on rhapsody.  

Now, anyone have any recommendations for me?