Archives For Daily Discovery

Daily Discovery: Prince of Spain

Cause A Scene —  October 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

prince

The month of October has proven to be a busy month for new music releases.  With many of my personal favorite bands putting out new tunes, I’ve been more excited about the coming of fall than usual.  Among the many artists that have recently released new projects is the Nashville-based alternative folk rock band Prince of Spain, formerly known as The Scene Aesthetic.  His Majesty, the first of hopefully many projects to come from Prince of Spain, is a full length album that has the familiar feel of groups like Ivan & Alyosha or Fleet Foxes in its harmonic melody and lighthearted sound yet is still quite unique to the music scene.

Frontman Andrew De Torres shared, “For the last 2 years we’ve been working on a collection of songs and ultimately felt like they deserved to be given a new name. Many have asked where we’ve gone. But we’ve been right here the whole time. We proudly present to you His Majesty, Prince of Spain.”

I found this album to be youthful and worldly at the same time with a natural and refreshing vibe.  Having listened to His Majesty in its entirety, I can easily say that this album is a perfect addition to an already amazing month of new music.  Do yourself a favor and drop a couple of bucks on His Majesty.  By doing this, not only are you supporting a wickedly talented local band, but you’re scoring some pretty awesome tracks to help transition your playlists into the fall season.

– Bailey Basham

Prince of Spain- ‘Rising Sun’

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Daily Discovery: Cooper & The Jam

Cause A Scene —  October 15, 2013 — 1 Comment

cooperjam

When you site your influences as Tina Turner, Otis Redding and Janis Joplin, you know that when you step up to bat, you’ve got to hit a home run for the team and Cooper & The Jam’s live show does just that. Cooper, a fiery, free spirit leads her 11-piece band, which includes a horn section, as well as backup singers and dancers, through a rowdy, tenacious set that’s sure to have audiences singing and dancing along.

Cooper’s album has already drawn comparisons to Grace Potter and Amy Winehouse, but she’s really a force of her own. Cooper’s live shows are always firecrackers; each song is powerful but as the show builds you can’t help but anticipate the moment the whole thing bursts into a brilliant, shimmering performance. And Cooper’s deep, rousing voice, with the help of her raucous band, always brings about a moment (or several) of brilliance.

Now, you can experience that same brilliance at home, on Cooper & the Jam’s new album, Motown Suite, which saw its wide, digital release on September 10th. Cooper’s soft, purring voice could do justice to any number of ‘60s hits and the relatable, simple subject matter of songs like “I Wanna Love You,” recall the Motown tunes she’s found so inspiring. But the album still manages to be entirely modern and could easily serve as an accessible bridge to soul music for a pop fan.

Though the album sounds like it came together effortlessly, it’s been a while in the making. In 2011, Cooper drove her VW van from Portland to Nashville, where she lived in a hotel while flipping burgers for money and putting together two separate bands, which became The Jam. Cooper’s first show in Nashville had her opening for rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson at a party for fashion icon Manuel. After being heard at the party, Cooper began recording her album at The Tracking Room, a studio that’s been featured in the TV show “Nashville.”

In April, Cooper’s 7” Cooper Live at the Historic Star Theater was chosen as an official Record Store Day release and to celebrate, Cooper performed at two record stores, across the country from each other, on the same day. Since then, Cooper has had the chance to open for Mavis Staples and Robert Plant at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival.

Motown Suite captures the essence of Cooper’s live shows; it includes upbeat dance songs, Motown-style ballads, rock guitars and rich vocal harmonies. The album stands as a testament to Cooper’s ability to incorporate her influences into a sound that is obviously steeped in classic soul but that is, at the same time, a unique, modern sound just her own.

– Meagan Lawson

Cooper & The Jam- ‘I Wanna Love You’

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Daily Discovery: The Static Jacks

Cause A Scene —  September 27, 2013 — Leave a comment

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The Static Jacks have a penchant for turning pop-punk on its head.  Vocalist Ian Devaney immediately sets the band apart from their colorful contemporaries with a deep croon evocative of Morrissey and James Kerr.  After extensive US and European touring and two formative releases, the New Jersey natives have tightened the screws on their garage past and are poised for broader appeal with In Blue (Sept 30 via Old Friends).

The new single Wallflowers is power pop at Weezer levels.  Producer-mixer wiz Andrew Maury (RAC, Ra Ra Riot) expands and collapses the Jacks’ fever pitch performance with supreme dexterity, adorning the familiar progression with searing guitars, dark resonance, and subtle backbeats.

The accompanying music video is the stuff of golden MTV yesteryears, bringing the bands’ late century inclinations to life in an ode to Weird Science. 

In Blue is available for pre-order via the band’s website and digitally through iTunes.

– Whitaker Elledge

The Static Jacks- ‘Wallflowers’

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Daily Discovery: Fever Fever

Cause A Scene —  September 25, 2013 — 1 Comment

fever fever

Established in 2005 and hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Fever Fever is one group that I find frequenting all of my current fall playlists. Self-described as an ambient indie rock outfit, Fever Fever has a sound similar to that of Young the Giant, Local Natives, and Fleet Foxes. With such a wide range of comparisons offered, Vocalist Andrew Murfin works alongside the other mega-talented guys in Fever Fever to deliver a dynamic range of sound that I and many others can’t seem to get enough of. Their sound, complete with a diverse range of harmonies and worldly melodies, has definitely evolved from what they started out with. Guitarist Wes Black shared, “We started playing together in high school and it was a very classic rock inspired sound, complete with lots of guitar solos. After a couple of years we turned into more of a dance-rock band; it was heavily disco inspired, believe it or not. We spent our off-days scouring thrift stores for polyester suits and whatnot. We mostly blame the bassist of OkGo for those days.” No offense intended to Tim Nordwind.

Lovequest, released in 2009, was the start of their current sound. According to Zach Smith of the Examiner, these tracks can best be described as the “soundtrack to an epic quest,” that listening to it would make you want to “drive out to the woods, strap on a loin cloth, and run as fast as you can.” Sounds perfect, right?

Trust us when we say to go on and give Fever Fever a listen. Their most recent acoustic EP Native Color is currently available for a free download on NoiseTrade, along with their 2012 5-track EP Kingdom and the previously mentioned Lovequest on iTunes. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out their Northeastern tour schedule on Facebook and give them a like while you’re there. Fever Fever told us, “Our next EP, slated for release this November with Slospeak Records has elements of Phoenix, Empire of the Sun, Matisyahu and Coldplay; you’re really going to be impressed I think!”

– Bailey Basham

Fever Fever- ‘Beautiful Dream’
Beautiful Dream (Single) by feverfever

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Daily Discovery: Diamond Carter

Christian Lerchenfeld —  September 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

diamond carter

When California-based Diamond Carter relocated to Nashville, he brought not just his six-piece band but also a commitment to continually play what felt right, exploring new styles of music and not limiting himself to any one genre. With influences as diverse as the Grateful Dead, the Louvin Brothers and Lou Reed, it’s easy to see why Carter wouldn’t want to box himself in. His music runs the gamut from acoustic pop to funk and back again.

In addition to the standard guitar, bass and drums line up, the band’s first incarnation in Nashville featured a sax player and three back up singers, providing an almost church-like feel to the band’s live shows, despite the fact that they were often singing about decidedly un-gospel like subject matter.

Now, sans backup singers, Carter and the band continue to tackle dark subjects, often times in the catchiest of songs. Their new single, “Evil is a Young Man’s Game,” which has already been picked up by local radio and is available for free download via the band’s Facebook, is about sadomasochism.

With such wide influences, so many different styles already mastered and under their belts, and so many short, catchy songs, the band always keeps you guessing about what’s next, but they never disappoint. Their next show will be October 10th, at Nashville’s 12th & Porter, where they’re playing a monthly residency with Sexx and The Gills.

-Meagan Lawson

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