March Madness
BY BURAK ŞAHİN (IR/IV)
burak_s@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
Although 2012 has started out with lots of new pieces by a number of bands, the anticipated albums from the most essential bands still haven't been released. While we're waiting for them, SPIN Magazine has presented five new names to discover, from totally different genres. Here are the artists and bands you should follow in March, according to SPIN:
Daughn Gibson
Former drummer for Eastern Pennsylvanian blues-rock bruisers Pearls and Brass, Gibson is also the owner of a tremulous, newly discovered warhead of a singing voice, which slithers and snakes through his pulsating take on country-noir. His forthcoming full-length debut, All Hell, sounds like everybody and nobody on the jukebox all at once.
Rich Kidz
Young Atlanta-based singer/rappers who scan like a more swagged-out iteration of B2K or Another Bad Creation. They've been gathering steam, tape to tape, for the past few years, peaking with last month's Everybody Eat Bread, on which their brand of lithe, sing-songy chest-beating feels like it reached its cheery summit.
Charli XCX
This London-bred mood-pop hurricane has been performing since she was seven, releasing her debut album at 14. Now just 19, she's already developed a vision, polish, and inky aesthetic as realized as Zola Jesus' was the moment she first raised eyebrows. Her American debut, an EP, is due in May via IAMSOUND.
Jessie Ware
Outrageously gifted 27-year-old South London soulstress and alumna of Alleyn's School (home to red-headed belter Florence Welch) whose transition from post-dubstep rainmaker (see: her quiet yet staggering, Mariah-like vocal addition to Young Turks labelmate SBTRKT's "Right Thing to Do") to nascent pop supernova hot on the heels of Katy B feels near complete.
Pallbearer
Doom metal quartet out of Little Rock, Arkansas, who flip their genre tag inside-out by weaving together deeply melodic, classic rock-infused anthems that tend to tower and awe and - gulp - uplift, more than the associative imagery and lyrical work would suggest. Their just-released full-length, Sorrow and Extinction, is arguably the mark to meet in metal so far this year.
What Songs Are There in My Playlist?
This week has passed with me listening to cover songs except for one brilliant new track. Here are the songs that I've been looping this week:
Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen - "Sexy And I Know It" (LMFAO Cover)
Neil Young announced at the beginning of the year that he's reunited with Crazy Horse, and said that hopefully they'll release two new albums. While the legendary Young was starting work on this project, he also appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last week. He sprang a surprise by covering LMFAO's "Sexy And I Know It." Bruce Springsteen accompanied him during the song. I can't say it's either good or bad, but it's definitely different.
PS22 Chorus - "Somebody That I Used To Know" (Gotye feat. Kimbra Cover)
New York's PS22 Chorus members, who are fifth-grade students, have become famous by recording cover songs. They have millions of viewers on YouTube after covering Kylie Minogue and Matisyahu. Their last piece of work was Gotye feat. Kimbra's "Somebody That I Used To Know" track. Check it out on YouTube, on their channel.
Sleigh Bells - "Irreplaceable" (Beyonce Cover)
We heard that Derek Miller went into the studio to work with Beyonce last year, but we didn't know that Sleigh Bells had any interest in her songs. The band covered one of the best-known, "Irreplaceable," on BBC 1 last week. It seems that they were able to fit the song into their sound.
The Temper Trap - "Rabbit Hole"
After becoming an international sensation with the debut album "Conditions," The Temper Trap is finally ready to release a second album. Details about its contents haven't been revealed yet, but it's going to be released on May 18. The first track, "Rabbit Hole," was presented on YouTube last week. Don't miss this fabulous piece from the forthcoming album.
