jónsi

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if you're a fan of sigur rós, then you would know that the guitarist and lead vocalist, jónsi birgisson, recently left the band. obviously, i was pretty upset. i mean, sigur rós has been putting out amazingly beautiful albums circa 1994. if you haven't heard any of their songs, search "sæglópur" on youtube or itunes. i literally cannot put into words how good their music is nor could i name one artist/band who sounds similar. but i digress.

a couple weeks ago, while driving to ikea with john, i found out (via sirus radio) that jónsi left the band to pursue a solo career. and he does not disappoint.

on april 5, 2010, his debut album, entitled go, was released. although he has departed from sigur rós, his solo music is still very similar in sound. while the songs are significantly shorter, they seem to be more concentrated than the ethereal songs of sigur rós. to put him into any one specific genre would be foolish.

the album features predominantly acoustic music and string arrangements from classical composer nico muhly, who wrote the music for the reader with kate winslet. it was also producted by peter katis, who has worked with interpol and tokyo police club.

this was the first album i've bought on my own in several years. i just had to have it and it was worth every single penny. it includes nine tracks, including his first single go do. my personal favorite has to be either animal arithmetic or around us. the entire album is chock full of beautiful songs. i highly recommend dishing out $10 for the cd. it's been on repeat for the entire past week.

jónsi is currently on a world wide tour(!) to promote his music. sadly, he's only visiting the big cities, so i probably won't be able to see him live, unless i can con someone into going to boston or new york with me.

and just for the hell of it, here are some fun little facts about him! jónsi, born in iceland, is known for his soft falsetto voice and using a cello bow on his guitar. he is blind in his right eye and a vegetarian! he is also openly gay with his boyfriend, alex somers, with whom he collaborated with to make the 2009 album riceboy sleeps.

check out his website, if you're a fan. it lists all the tour dates and includes a really good blog documenting his travels and events.

neon trees

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Neon Trees is a rock band from Provo, UT. (Something good actually came from Utah? Surprising, I know.) The members include Tyler Glenn (lead vocals/keyboards), Chris Allen (guitars), Branden Campbell (bass), and Elaine Bradey (drums/vocals).

Apparently the band was well known in Provo. However, it wasn't until late 2008 when Neon Trees was chosen as the opening act to The Killers that they gained nationwide exposure. Shortly afterwards, the band signed with Mercury Records in early 2009.

On March 16, 2010 they released their latest album Habits, which includes eight tracks. It's a really good, up-beat collection of songs, but I do wish that there were more than eight. I've kept this CD on repeat for the past couple days. It really is just so good! Very catchy. Way to go Utah!

The first track released was Animal.



"Music is a sacred act of communion for me, offering hope and love,” says Tyler. “That’s the heart of this band. Just like in life, though, you need to have fun, too, you have to laugh and dance and sing. The songs that last and get people to feel something are the ones they can sing along to and really identify with.”

“There’s so much breath to what we do,” adds Elaine. “Every song represents a different aspect of our sound. We don’t stick to a single formula. And we have the goods to back it up live.”

“Our favorite thing is playing live shows, traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people,” adds Chris. “We just want to share that feeling we got from the bands that inspired us, and then We want to pass the torch.”

The band is currently on tour with Mute Math (yay!) and 30 Seconds to Mars (ew). Check out their myspace for the tour dates. Click here to download their song 1983 for free.

I'll be going to their April 25th show in Charlotte with my husband! So excited!!

the xx

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The xx are a trio formed in 2005 at London, England. The band members consist of Romy Madley Croft (vocals, lead guitar), Oliver Sim (vocals, bass guitar), and Jamie Smith (beats, MPC sampler). Rounding out the group was Baria Qureshi (keyboards), who left the group because of the pressures of an intensive touring schedule.

On August 17, 2009 the group released their debut album xx, which was recorded in a small garage and produced by the band. The CD includes eleven tracks. It has actually ranked #9 on Rolling Stone's "best of the year" list.



The band's most popular song is probably crystalised, but my personal favorite is night time. I don't know how else to describe their sound besides very mellow melodies with soft, soothing vocals. Click here for a free download of their track night time.

If you're interested, check out their website or myspace for tour dates. They're currently touring the states and are even listed under performing artists for Bonnaroo 2010 this summer!

Kudos to John for hearing them on sirus radio and pointing the band out to me!