When all is said and done, people will look back on 2012 and call it the year of Frank Ocean. Just 24, the Los Angeles-based singer possesses a musical knowledge that’s wiser than his years. He was the musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. He received rave notices for his headlining
Blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr. had a phenomenal 2012 with rave reviews for Blak & Blu, which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Albums chart). The Austin, Tex. native finished the year by joining the Rolling Stones on-stage during their recent New York/New Jersey shows, playing guitar on a version of “I’m Goin’ Down.” As
As the year winds down, we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite new bands of 2012. Here are highlights from some the best featured ones from abroad: Ximena Sarinana: The 26-year-old fuses elements of jazz, pop and alt rock into her sound making for the perfect blend of indie music. When we
For years, Jack Davey was known as one half of Los Angeles electro pop/neo soul duo J*Davey. They were featured last year as one of our Artists of the Week and while they’ve brought fans across the country to their feet while opening for known entities such as Prince, no one would have expected that
On the heels of last night’s Grammy Awards announcement, we’d like to congratulate our Newbie Award nominees Alabama Shakes, Frank Ocean and The Lumineers for being recognized by the RIAA. In addition to the praise these artists received, let’s not forget the accomplishments by Lianne La Havas and Michael Kiwanuka, both of whom were finalists
Over the past few years, the genre of indie folk has become more prevalent and relevant in music. With bands like Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes and even Bon Iver defining the genre, it’s easy to see why so many fans have caught on to this brand of really good new music.
Heavy, fuzzy, psychedelic guitar rock can come from the darndest places. Whether it be the mighty Led Zeppelin, who defined the genre, to Black Sabbath, who obliterated it. Now, there’s a new band that can play a similar role, albeit 40 years later. They hail from Perth, Australia and are called Tame Impala. As we’ve
This year has been a revelation with regards to new bands and artists emerging on the musical radar of many. If you could have predicted the success of acts like Alt-J, Michael Kiwanuka, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, Alabama Shakes, Ben Howardetc, then I want your Grey’s Sports Almanac. Though she hasn’t quite reached the level
The one thing 2012 didn’t have was a lack of fantastic albums. Whether it was a hyped debut to an emerging band finally releasing it’s finest work, this year had it all. There were so many great albums to choose from, but only five could be nominated. The 2012 nominees for Best New Album: Alabama
This year has been one of the best years for emerging male artists in recent memory. With hundreds of albums released and countless live shows, the choices were plentiful and there were many worthy of inclusion. However, with so many great choices, we could only pick five as finalists. The 2012 nominees for Best New