Four Emerging Artists on Music’s Cutting Edge
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If there’s one thing we should learn from the runaway success of Adele’s 21 this year, it’s that regardless of pop music trends, the most innovative, interesting music always finds its way to the top. This year may have seen its share of Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas who seem to leech every ounce of their fame from what moments they get in the media spotlight, but their albums live or die based on the next hot single. Adele’s music lives on its timeless nature; it could have been released any time in the last three decades and it would have found an audience, because the music stands head and shoulders above the mere hype.
And let me tell you, 2011 has been a year filled with amazing releases which prove that, while radio still tells us singles rule the world, audiences are telling radio they’ll gravitate to great albums if the music is there to support their demand. I submit for your approval these four artists who are currently making waves in the underground, all of whom deserve wider acclaim. They come from different musical corners, but all feature challenging elements which make them typical hard sells in the world of radio. Yet they’re producing music beyond the reach of their contemporaries, and those listeners among you who are willing to do some exploring will certainly find plenty to relish here.
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Gabriel Kahane
Orchestral Pop
Merging elements of Rufus Wainwright’s pop flair with Sufjan Stevens’ sense of cinematic orchestral arrangements, Gabriel Kahane seems poised to assert himself as this decade’s first truely avant-garde pop tunesmith worthy of note. He’s emerged as a leading voice among young composers, innovating both classical and pop norms to create a style which, as cliché as it may sound, seems uniquely his own.
On Where Are The Arms, his deft touch is evident on songs like the album’s opener, “Charming Disease,” which features an unnerving description of the effects of runaway alcoholism remarkably melded to a time-shifting melody of piano and strings which proves utterly intoxicating. Adventurous listeners on both the classical and pop sides of the coin are going to find themselves infatuated with Kahane’s vision for the future of the craft, if they take the time to give these songs a thorough listen.
Hear More: http://gabrielkahane.com
you need to check out the band Theodore…on Misra…or was…I think band’s songwriter lead singer is going on his own…Justin Kinkel-Schuster
I hadn’t heard them before but will definitely give them a listen
Thanks for reading!
I’m hooked on Neal Morse (formerly of Spock’s Beard). Powerful prog-rock with a Christian message. If you liked Yes, Genesis or ELP (and you don’t mind Christian lyrics, of course), he’s one deeply talented man!
Definitely nothing wrong with music with a Christian message, especially if they’re tied to a prog-rock core. I’ll definitely have to give that a listen. And being from a band called Spock’s Beard is even more of a bonus.
Another Neal Morse fan? It’s rare to find one anywhere but a Neal Morse site, but you’re right – his music is excellent. You should check out his former band, Spock’s Beard. They are still going strong and as good as ever. The Tangent (no connection to Neal Morse) is another excellent prog rock band more people should be familiar with.
Back to the artists listed on this blog post. I have listened to Adele’s album, and I am at a loss to explain its popularity. In my opinion, it’s OK – but it’s not particularly good indie rock OR pop. It’s actually kind of dull. If other people think it’s great, that’s OK with me – but I don’t share their enthusiasm, and I don’t think her album sales reflect musical quality any more than the sales of a Britney Spears single.
There are a lot of bands out there on indie labels that produce better music who get no airplay at all, so I disagree that quality always rises to the top. On the contrary, it usually labors in obscurity – the aforementioned Neal Morse being just one example.
That’s the thing about subjective music reviews, there’s always room for debate. I personally quite enjoyed Adele’s album, and found it refreshing. But I can understand it’s definitely bordered on overplayed in some situations.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for Stornoway. Color me enchanted.
If you are looking for a new artist whose voice will either send chills radiating up and down your spine or give you goosebumps you should check out Jackie Evancho. This artist has completely captivated me with her voice to the point that I have removed all but three other non-classical artists from my iTunes collection (that’s about forty other artists I have removed). After listening to Jackie those other artists voices sound like fingernails running down a chalkboard and I just can’t listen to them.
Heres a boston band whos new release “COME
ALIVE”
has raced to #10 on Amazon. Check out Prospect Hill http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005L0KKV8/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=zg_bsnr_324384011_11 new release
There is a ton of great music out there, and a lot of it is of the “indie” variety, much of it from overseas. Two worthwhile listening adventures are: First, a young beautiful Spanish singer named Russian Red (AKA Lourdes Hernandez) has two albums out. Her captivating voice and creative songs are a wonderful, and the more you listen to her, the more you will like her. Second, check out a great Euro/Bossa Nova sound by a group called Nouvelle Vogue. They are very good.
Keep your ears open and tune out the crap that you hear and read about in the mainstream and you will find a lot of great music!
“Adventurous listeners rejoice! There’s plenty to be excited about musically as 2011 roars to a close.”
Really? Ella Fitzgerald has come back from the grave? Count Basie will be fronting the band again?
Great!
A good list, I’ll have to give all these artists a listen. I hope some of them can sing.
That’s “sing,” not whisper, whine, lisp, squeak, squeal, grunt, growl, groan, hiss, mumble, moan (unless they got the blues), yelp, yodel, ululate, try to sound all macho and gravelly, or weirdly torture their diction until they seem mildly brain damaged. In other words, just sing. A person can have enormous artistic talent and still be totally annoying. It is possible to be unique and emotionally expressive without sounding – pardon the un-PC rhetoric – like a spaz.
Playing a mean accordion cancels out all of the musical defects listed above.
Your criteria eliminates close to 100% of contemporary “singers”.
“Playing a mean accordion cancels out all of the musical defects listed above.”
That’s the secret to “Weird” Al Yankovic’s longevity.
Damn straight! Anybody can sing. Al can sing like anybody!
Seriously – enough waifs, enough metrosexuals, enough whiners, enough yodelers. Please grow up and sing like singers, singers.
I mean politics aside, where’s Joan Baez when we need her (to give singing lessons to the squeaky little waif-voice girls)?
Ever listen to Maddy Prior? (She’s been around since Joan’s day, and still going strong!) Crystal clear, powerful voice; English folk music. Astonishing!
Mary Fahl, former lead singer with the original October Project. Check her out. One of the best female voices in the business today. Wish she’d release her next album already.
Love it. Go GGG!!!
A great roots rock group in Decemberadio I think out of south Georgia who sound like a modern Black Crowes. Royal Tailor is quite good as well in the Maroon 5 vein. Josh Bates and Josh Wilson are really good singer song writers.
Aside from the prog rock of Neal Morse, Spock’s Beard, and The Tangent I mentioned earlier, here are some bands/artists I believe get far too little attention:
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – they have 3 or 4 albums out, each better than the previous
Marina & the Diamonds – one album, another due later this year
Stars – a kind of all-star indie group
John Prine (who has been around forever)
And another thing that drives me nuts – “classic” rock artists who release new albums that are ignored by radio, which means hardly anyone even knows they have new music. Deep Purple, for example, has released a few good albums in the past ten years or so. The Who’s Endless Wire album is really good, as well. Sure, neither band has the complete original line-up, but in Deep Purple’s case, at least, the replacements are as good or better than the original musicians anyway.
Oh, my ever-lovin’ God! That’s my #1 gripe! Old artists release excellent new albums and they’re dismissed as “reunion albums.”
Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Black Moon” was incredible and had plenty for the radio stations to latch onto. Nope. “Their day was over. Forget it.”
Al Stewart’s “Between The Wars” (which every history buff here should be listening to!); brilliant acoustic guitar work! Every song a gem!
And just when Jethro Tull got superb, they were dropped from popularity. Ian Anderson could barely play outside of one octave back in his heyday of fame. When he became an expert on the instrument, his fame was over. Check out “Rock Island” and the flute solo on that title track! Holy smoke!
Don’t even get me started on Yes! “Keystudio” and “The Ladder”!
You left out Laura Marling one of the most talented artists to come around in a long time. while it is true that her back up band Mumford and Sons had considerable commercial success it is only a matter of time before she is widely known as well.
Thanks. That’s some gorgeous music you found and shared. Much obliged.