Sounds Like: the photos you left in your old room after you moved out.
I first heard The Eastern Sea (Matthew Hines) about a year ago in Houston, TX. I thought by now his music would be a little more produced and slightly less acoustically driven. It still sounds lo-fi, which isn’t bad thing but is definitely a road block on the path to greater success. Regardless, The Eastern Sea uses the acoustic guitar and MacBook combo very well, sometimes to great effect by highlighting a well structured chord progression and adding a noticeably “earthy” feel. Occasionally a track on Further Up, Further In Pt. 1 really sticks out, is elevated above good, and works perfectly as an independent melody with earnest lyrics.
Why They Don’t Suck: I’d say Hines work could be described best as two parts lo-fi indie and one part digital mix up. Even though most of their songs are good I think it’s best to appreciate The Eastern Sea’s work not only for what it is but also for what it has the capability to be if the production side of their music was given room to improve.
Sounds Like: how you imagine that girl you never talked to in high school because you got so freaking nervous every time she came around you might sing.
When I hear about an all girl band the first thing I usually think is “that’s cute.” I guess years of hearing pop divas releasing overproduced top 40 trash has conditioned me to dismiss the words girl and music when mentioned together, but Taffy has completely turned my biased notions upside down. Here are three girls who not only look and sound beautiful, they actually rock out. This band has laid gritty lyrics down against an exceptionally well balanced musical composition. It’s refreshing to hear a female lead who doesn’t sound like she’s trying to break a glass window pane or could be mistaken for a man’s; Sofia simply sounds comfortable with her voice and isn’t trying to take her vocals places it shouldn’t go.
Why They Don’t Suck: Before I heard them I wanted to tear them to pieces for attempting to be an all girl band, but now that I’ve heard them I might be in love. Three girls who are excellent musicians, write relevant songs, and who work together even better as a team. The simple fact that a guy like myself who dislikes even the idea of girl bands enjoys listening to them should be proof enough that they don’t suck.
Sounds Like: a living room with a warm fire and old friends.
Koley O’Brien sounds subtle at first yet the vocals slowly gain influence to the point where his voice compliments the music almost perfectly. Although at times his voice goes slightly too high, the beat remains catchy as the steady rhythm keeps you relaxed which means A B & The Sea’s tracks never reach a point of annoyance. This is some of the most genuine indie-pop I’ve heard, and although they’re destined to appeal to mainstream listeners, they seem well grounded in their values, their sound, and the message they want to get across. Heck, the band is still inviting strangers over to their house to play gigs. This demo set was recorded only last month and the band is relatively unknown, but I wouldn’t count on that for much longer. I’m anticipating listening to their album in it’s entirety and am interested to see how these guys handle their growing success.
Why They Don’t Suck: When you boil it down these two guys utilize mixed elements of alt-pop and lo-fi goodness to great effect. I’ve gotta add their description just because it’s awesome; “Sounds more like Dawn of the Dead than anything else but such a description can only complimentarily match the scene of mainstream music in the coming days. Millions of the staggering half-brained march to be swallowed by the dissonant sounds of repetition.” -A B & The Sea (Myspace Page)
Sounds Like: what you should have been listening to outside on a perfect day when you were still just a kid.
Jupiter Sunrise is one of those bands that has already gained some mainstream momentum and could have already signed with a label by now. But at the time of this album’s release (2004) they hadn’t, and thus it qualifies to be posted on Soundsuck. The band is currently working on a new album which I know little about, but what I do know is even though Under a Killer Blue Sky is a few years old, it still has some cool artwork and a handful of good alternative tracks. There’s nothing groundbreaking about Killer Blue Sky, but as the cover art might suggest, most of the songs hold an intangible quality of “wonder” that we often loose in our grown-up lives while commuting to work, paying taxes, or being dumped.
Why They Don’t Suck: If you can appreciate music from artists who are just getting started but show great promise then you’ll like them. In this first album Jupiter Sunrise sounds like a standard alternative band, but their lyrics are what separate them from your average alternative artist and make this disc worth a listen.
Sounds Like: what should be played on a night drive through a foreign city.
This band doesn’t have an album out, they don’t sing in English, and the little information that is available about Mille Monarques is in French. But they’re from Montreal and, more importantly, they’re exceptionally talented. Mille Monarques (Thousand Monarchs) have an uncanny ability to take a song that could have been very boring and reworking it to the point where it has a distinct quirkiness to it. They have an EP slated for release sometime this March in Quebec, but unless a label picks them up soon it may be awhile before anything is released in the U.S.
Why they don’t suck: Mille Monarques doesn’t push the boundary so far that it feels weird but they stay creative enough to make you take notice. And although I have no idea what they’re saying, the lead singer’s voice works well with the band’s style of play.
Hey, glad you’re here. Soundsuck is a blog dedicated to the independent artist. The truth is there are a lot of independent bands that don’t get signed because they suck. But somewhere in the heap of unheard mp3’s on the internet there are a few that really shine, a few that rise above the sound suck of the modern music landscape and are waiting to be exposed if anyone would lend them an ear. My goal is to provide a conduit through which you can find and enjoy great unknown bands without having to wade through all the crap.
Sounds Like: the photos you left in your old room after you moved out.
Sounds Like: how you imagine that girl you never talked to in high school because you got so freaking nervous every time she came around you might sing.
Album: Just demos for now
Album: Under a Killer Blue Sky
Album: not yet released