Ben Howard: Only Love

 I've written about Ben Howard before, and I really  like to show what people I've "discovered" have done! I heard this on the radio (gasp) one evening as I was driving from somewhere to somewhere else.

"Darling you're with me,
always around me.
Only love, only love.
Darling I feel you, under my body.
Only love, only love."

The Dodos: The Season

The Dodos are an indie folk duo which formed in San Francisco, California in 2005. They consist of Meric Long (vocals, guitar) and Logan Kroeber (drums).

The Dodos began playing music together in 2005, when Meric Long, who had been gigging steadily along in San Francisco as a solo singer-songwriter, was introduced to Logan Kroeber through a mutual friend and resulted in an amazingly wonderful project.

Little May: Hide

Little May is a Sydney-based indie-folk three-piece band, Little May creates expansive and intricate heart-warming harmonies which showcase the story-telling talents of Hannah Field, Liz Drummond and Annie Hamilton; Little May is the tale of three friends who are quickly making a name for themselves and winning hearts both locally and abroad. Little May is inspired by the likes of folk-loving friends: Fleetwood Mac, Mumford & Sons and Local Natives, the outfit make a notable nod to the likes of fem-folk trailblazers such as Julia Stone and Holly Throsby.

The second single "Hide" is a bit of a sneak peak from their forthcoming debut EP which is set for release in late 2013. Testament to Little May’s diversity, "Hide" is a darker, more intricate offering than the previous "Boardwalks".

Winter Mitts: Le Paradis

Wintermitts is a genre-bending six-piece band from the rain-soaked left-hand corner of Vancouver, Canada. They're bilingual (at minimum), they rock out on trumpets and accordions, they waltz when they need to and they’re as absorbing (and as comforting!) as you’d hope a winter mitten would be.

Daughter: Youth

Daughter (Elena Tonra) is from North London, UK. Tonra's voice and lyrics are lofty and something that you'd imagine bouncing from cathedral rafters. 

Ben Nichols: The Last Pale Light in The West

Ben Nichols is the front-man for the alternative-country Memphis, Tennessee-based gig, Lucero. The Last Pale Light in the West EP was released in 2009, and showcases Nichol's unique voice. The song was recently featured on season 4, episode 6 of AMC's The Walking Dead: Live Bait. 

Rosie and Me: Come Back

Rosanne Machado accidentally started a viral sensation when she released her homemade songs on the internet. Her crisp, clean sound resulted the song "Darkest Horse" being featured on the season finale of OTH, Season 8. The sensation spread into an invitation to perform at SXSW 2012, and she has since been a wildfire across the world, originating in Curitiba, Southern Brazil, using the accelerants of pop-country tunes and heart-filled lyrics to blaze across everyone's hearts and ears. 

Bowerbirds: Crooked Lust

North Carolina is home from the lovely Bowerbirds; the foothills of the Appalachians. This plays out musically, adding in an element that originates high on a hill and echoes down to us flatlanders. This song, along with most of the rest of theirs, have a folk element that is absolutely breath-taking!

I like One Tree Hill, guys, okay?!

"My conscience is an avalanche; majestic, bewildering, and wholly careless." 

DAY JOY: Talks of Terror

Day Joy is comprised of Michael Serrin and Peter Michael Perceval, both of Orlando, Florida. Day Joy began as a friendship, and has grown through writing, recording and ample use of liquor. 

Elvis Perkins: Doomsday

Elvis Perkin's (LA, CA) song blend melancholy and uplifting in the same capsule. With his father's death from AIDS in 1992, and his mother being on 1 of the 2 planes that hit the World Trade Center, it's not hard to see why.

Though I forget your name;
I remember your sweet face.

'Til Doomsday, fiddle, I.

Man, I went wild last night;
Oh, I went feeling alright;

Woods : Back To The Stone

Woods is a Brooklyn, New York rooted band that plays somewhat strange but upbeat indie-rock songs that feature harmonic voices and sounds!

The Head and the Heart: Rivers and Roads

The Head and the Heart is a band based out of Seattle, Washington. With most of the band members being Seattle transplants, they write and play songs that speak of the newness of a fresh start, of the ghosts which were left behind, of moving forward, all of which are brimming with a soulfulness and hope for a better life than the one we had all been sold.

Scott Matthews: Eyes Wider Than Before

Scott Matthews started off with an ambivalent relationship with music, but obviously reversed that situation. Maybe it is Britain's magic, or maybe it's just situational, but he obviously pulled out of it and has mastered the art of mellow and chill and embodied it in song form, with "Eyes Wider Than Before."

Tarkio: Keeping Me Awake

Tarkio...wait, isn't that the guy from the Decemberists? OH MY GOD IT IS! Active from 1996-1999, the band was a pleasant alternative-country set, with enhancement from Colin Meloy's creative writing. Like anyone who's gone to college, Colin was once a frustrated college student, too.

"Leaving this behind was my first mistake
and I’m not so strong
to be satisfied by all the things I’ve done
by all the things it threw away."

Damien Jurado: Sheets

Damien Jurado is an indie singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington who (like Jason Molina) is associate with Secretly Canadian. His work has been featured in items such as One Tree Hill, which boosted his popularity with the following of the show, as well as made me watch (oh dear, there goes my life) JUST to see the song in action. His indie-folk sound and gorgeous lyrics catch me, every time.

"Is he still coming around like an injured bird needing a nest?
A place to rest his head in a song you'll regret
Lord knows I don't want to compete
But I still sleep in the very sheets he's been in"

Lucy Rose: Middle of the Bed

I had the pleasure of seeing this gal with City & Colour in Nashville last night! Her voice is stellar (her stage presence paled in comparison with Dallas', but come on, she'll grow into it) and her lyrics are spectacular. Lucy Rose (Parton) is a rising British folk singer with a serious set of pipes. She released her first album in September 2012, and has since toured with Bombay Bicycle Club, Noah and the Whale and City & Colour. I can't wait until more people find out how awesome she really is, with her hauntingly melodic vocals and her telling lyrics!

Gregory Alan Isakov: Amsterdam

Gregory Alan Isakov is a native of South Africa, who moved to the states and discovered a passion for music. He now resides in Colorado and writes and performs some of the loveliest lyrics. His mellow voice and choice of topics makes for a mellow (if saddening, for those of us who aren't in love) experience. 

Water Liars: Fake Heat

Water Liars is a Misra collaboration between songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Justin Kinkel-Schuster (St. Louis, Missouri) and the multi-talented Andrew Bryant (Oxford, Mississippi), who convened and with one microphone, recorded Phantom Limbs. This album IMMEDIATELY grabbed Misra's attention, who has signed breakthrough acts like Shearwater, Great Lake and Swimmers. The result of the collaboration is nothing short of hauntingly magical tenor. 

Hem: Half Acre

Hem is an American folk group from Brooklyn, New York with heavy roots in Bluegrass, Traditional Shaker, Jazz, American Folk Music, Gospel, and even classical! Hem is really not label-able, as they fit in so many areas of music, making them suitable for several audiences and settings.

Half Acre is really no exception.
"I am holding half an acre
Torn from the map of Michigan
And folded in this scrap of paper,
is a land I grew in."

Sufjan Stevens: Casimir Pulaski Day

Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter, born in Detroit, Michigan. Drawing freely from the Bible and other sources of traditional beliefs, he incorporates them into his work. This allows for a cult following, as well as a die-hard opposition. He utilizes interesting sounds, and various time signatures, which was one of the hardest things things for me to do as a musician. The song is a gorgeous rendition of a terrible subject, which you hardly even notice: the death of a friend on a holiday.

In case you guys were wondering what Casimir Pulaski Day is, it's a holiday in Illinois, apparently. This holiday commemorates an American Revolutionary War hero who aided American cavalry. This holiday is celebrated in areas where there is a large Polish-American population, such as in Chicago.

"And he takes and he takes and he takes."