Listen to my favorite music on Spotify
So head over to Spotify to listen to my all-time favorites. This playlist gets updated (almost) every week.
Alternatively you could also still visit my last.fm profile
Monday, September 9, 2019
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Renée
Renée is Belgian singer-songwriter Renée Sys who was born in Sijsele, Belgium. Her debut album "Extending Playground" is filled with dreamy indie pop gems and was released last february on Zeal Records. The first single of the album "Dum, Dum, Dum" had some succes on the Belgian charts. The single is a perfect example of Renée's sultry and colourful vocals what makes the album perfect for lazy summer evenings. But my favorite song on the album is the sensitive piano track "Elegant Elephant"which in a way reminds of "Such A Lonely Soul" by Anna Ternheim, one of my favorite tracks of all time. But the album has much more to offer, be sure to give it a listen!
@ Brugge, Belgium
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Nina Nesbitt
Nina Nesbitt is an 18 year old singer-songwriter. Nina was born in Edinburgh and was raised by pop-loving parents – her Swedish mother loves Abba and Christina Aguilera and introduced her only child to Eva Cassidy; her dad is obsessed with Roxy Music – Nesbitt initially wanted to be an author. She got a guitar when she was 15 and started writing and recording songs in her bedroom and uploading the videos to her YouTube channel and participated in singing contests. After meeting Ed Sheeran, she was invited to support him on his European tour, and was also invited by Example to open his three concerts in December 2011 after hearing her perform his song "Stay Awake". She also appeared in the video for Ed Sheeran's song "Drunk". For nine months, Nesbitt turned down offers from labels to sign her. Determined first to build her own fan base and develop her sound, she ignored advice not to post original songs on YouTube and saw interest in her sweet, feisty folk-pop soar.
By the end of 2011, BBC Introducing had picked up on Nesbitt’s independently released, debut EP, Live Take, and broadcast a session with the singer/songwriter on Radio 1. At the start of this year, she toured Europe with Ed Sheeran. In April, she released her second EP, The Apple Tree, comprised of five self-penned songs about growing up. Nina has briefly announced her second UK Headlining Tour; "BOY UK TOUR". Which is to celebrate the release of her debut single; "Boy", a poppier track she wrote 18 months ago and released under her new record label.
@ Edinburgh, UK
♫ Acoustic, Indie, Pop
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Rae Morris
@ Blackpool, UK
♫ Folk/Pop
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Brooke Annibale
@ Pittsburgh, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Destry
For today's feature I have to give credit to the amazing iPad app BandADay, readers with an iPad should really give it a try! Last week I stumbled upon the folkpop duo Destry. Destry consists of Michelle DaRosa and Tyler Odom, who have known each other for the better part of ten years but it’s only been in the last two years that they have gone from friends to band mates. Both of them experienced success in previous musical acts, Straylight Run and Northstar/Cassino respectively, but their time together in Destry has brought them in a different direction. Old fans and new were introduced to the project with their debut release “It Goes On” in late 2009. The duo believes it is their new record that will showcase their musical direction and capabilities with Destry. The songs are dreamy, upbeat, 60’s pop beauties that are equal parts charming and engaging. If “It Goes On”
was an introduction, the upcoming release "Waiting On An Island" will be a band-defining album of work that will allow Destry to stand on it’s own.
@ Boston, USA
♫ Indie, Folk, Pop
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Free Music: Jenny & Tyler
Jenny and her husband Tyler met at the University of Delaware. They met in a bus on their way to church. They started leading worship together and from there began writing songs and eating omelets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They spent the first year singing together in the stairwells of the student center. The acoustics were incredible. Sometime that fall they started dating and well, as they say, the rest is history. They are really different, but those differences are part of what make us a great team. Tyler pushes me Jenny to try new things and Jenny keeps him somewhat grounded. Their different musical backgrounds inspire us to create new music. If it weren’t for Tyler, Jenny probably would be writing cheesy country songs and Tyler’d be a virtual Jack Johnson impersonator.
In 2007, they released a record called A Prelude. an album with songs that were really just the beginning of what they were to become as a duo. In 2008, they moved to Nashville. In 2009, they quit their day jobs and released This Isn’t a Dream. That spring, they toured for the first time. They traveled consistently for the next year, playing in houses, coffee shops, churches, colleges, and bars. Met all sorts of interesting people, some of whom now feel like extended family, and learned a lot about ourselves.
This past summer, they decided it was time to make another record. Gathered a group of songs and went into the studio (aka our friends’ closets, living rooms, and basements). They're really happy with the result. Faint Not chronicles our journey. "As writers, songs allow us to communicate experiences and truths when we can’t find the words to speak them. Our hope is that the songs will resonate with you. We don’t know what the future holds, but we’re thankful for where we are today. Definitely be sure to try out their FREE album!
@ Nashville, USA
♫ Folk, Rock, Pop
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Jonas Alaska
Today's feature, Jonas Alaska, is a discovery I made through Spotify's "What's New" section. Jonas (born 1988), from Åmli, Aust Agder, Norway, released his self-titled debut album in September on Jansen Plateproduksjon. Despite his young age, Jonas Alaska is an incredibly talented lyricist and songwriter with a characteristic sound and a strong voice. After a series of shows, including by:Larm in Oslo in February, many have their eyes on the talent from the south. As a consequence of those concerts, Jonas has played many of the larger festivals in Norway this summer.
Artists like Paul Simon, John Lennon and Bob Dylan are often mentioned as references for Jonas Alaska’s music, but as southern Norwegian newspaper Arendals Tidende wrote about the 22-year old: Despite his tight trousers, harmonica, boots and guitar, he is no copycat of Dylan. Jonas Alaska has his own characteristics and his own sound, also fit for the present.
The album consists of 11 songs written by the artist, most of them during the past two years. The songs range from heart-wrenching songs, to ballads with captivating harmonies and up-tempo tunes with elements of Americana, folk and pop - all with an original sound, both lyrically and melodically. Alaska’s lyrics often focus on themes such as love, politics and tragedy, but also the simpler things in life that everyone can relate to.
Other than Alaska himself on vocals, piano and acoustic guitar, this incredibly talented team of well-known musicians contribute on the album:
Thom Hell: Guitar, piano, organ, vocals Even Ormestad: Bass, piano, keyboards Martin Horntveth: Drums, percussion David Wallumrød: Organ, piano Marius Graff: Banjo Audun Borrmann: Electric guitar Thomas Aslaksen: Drums Marcus Forsgren: Electric guitar. Don't hesitate and give his music a try!
@ Amli, Norway
♫ Folk, Pop
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Rebekka Karijord
The last few weeks I discovered that my internship is, with its long days, quite time consuming. That's why you haven't seen updates on here for quite a while. But I still am discovering lots of new interesting music, so I'll try to share those as much as possible with you from now on. Today's feature is Rebekka Karijord. Rebekka was born in 1976, in Northern Norway (Lofoten). She lived with her mother her whole growth. Both her parents are artists.
Rebekka went to several musical/performance educations such as the Norwegian Musical Theatre, Academy of ballet and she also went to the Royal Academy of Acting in Stockholm. She has a Swedish family and after four years living in Stockholm she feels she has two homes, one in Sweden and one in Norway. Rebekka composed her first song when she was 3 years old, recorded her first demo with her own songs when she was 8 years old. She also learned how to play piano and the violin during her whole growth. She started composing English songs when she was 12 years old and contributed with her talent to Children’s records and NRK (Norwegian TV) as vocalist, songwriter and actress during her whole growth.
When she was 17 years old she was contracted to a major record company, but left out as they tried to control her artistic visions. Afterwards she immediately procured her own computer to start composing digitally, on her own. Rebekka’s music is probably inspired by Northern Norway, more specially Lofoten, where her family lives these days. Her dream would be living in Lofoten with her computers, microphones and just keep creating these beautiful tunes.Rebekka never intended to only sing beautifully, she wanted to project a story with her voice. She wants people to listen to the recording and understand what she went through earlier the same day. To this date, she has released three studio albums, all under slightly different artist names. In 2003 she released Neophyte (as Rebekka) followed by Good or Goodbye in 2005 with Peder Kjellsby (as Rebekka & The Mysterybox) and her latest album The Noble Art of Letting Go as Rebekka Karijord.
@ Stockholm, Sweden
♫ Alternative, Acoustic, Folk
Monday, September 5, 2011
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
Summer is almost over, and for me that's when the intensive music listening and discovering starts again. So that might be an explanation for the lack of updates lately! Todays post is a recommendation from a friend. Their first release Diamond Mine that was released earlier this year has been on repeat for quite a while now. Diamond mine is a collaborative album from Domino and Double Six artists, King Creosote and Jon Hopkins. Featuring lyrics and vocals from King Creosote sung over musical backdrops arranged and recorded by Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine is a genuine labour of love, recorded over a number of years without the pressure of deadlines, whenever Jon and KC could get together. Intended to be heard as a single experience, Diamond Mine produces a near classical suite of emotion ranging from cracked despair to patched-up euphoria. Described by King Creosote as a ‘soundtrack to a romanticised version of a life lived in a scottish coastal village’, the record weaves in slices of Fife life, bike wheels, spring tides, tea cups and café chatter to produce a beautiful, unique and timeless album. Don't miss out!
@ London, UK
♫ Alternative, Folk
♥ John Taylor's Month Away (mp3)
♥ John Taylor's Month Away (mp3)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Rachèl Louise
Today's post has been in the queue for at least a few weeks, it never got posted when I was finishing my bachelor thesis. Rachèl Louise was born 20 years ago in the heart of Utrecht. Growing up in a family of professional musicians, Rachel’s dream of making her own musical contribution to the world was natural. Her musical talent became evident when at the age of 5 she sung as a featured soloist in a Dutch children’s choir. During her childhood she sang for numerous Dutch and English CD-, DVD- and television productions. Rachel Louise left at the age of 17 for California to continue her education at the famous Musicians Institute in Hollywood LA. Here she was able to develop her own style, and with the help of industry professionals and an inspirational networking environment, work on her musical talents in writing, performing and recording. Now she is back in the Netherlands and working on her debut album. Rachel Louise is a singer/songwriter with pop influences, comparable to Maria Mena, Adele en Sara Bareilles. Together with international producers from Los Angeles, Hamburg and the Netherlands, Rachel Louise is spending this year on the release of an EP with a selection of her repertoire. She will be promoting her music with a series of ‘living room concerts’, small-scale but intimate gatherings with all the ingredients of a personal party: drinks, snacks and live music in an intimate atmosphere in ‘living rooms’ throughout the Netherlands. Recently Rachel appeared on several radioshows, and has already been referred to as one of the new talents from Holland.
@ Utrecht, NL
♫ Singer-songwriter, Pop
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Amatorski
In the first few years after I discovered last.fm I visited it everyday. But when it became part of CBS and got all the region restrictions and a lot less free playable music I stopped coming to the website so regurarly. A few days ago I discovered they are finally introducing a friend finder, so let's hope it's the beginning for more innovations. What did not change about last.fm is the perfect recommendations for similar sounding artists. As a few hours ago, I discovered today's featured belgium formation Amatorski with last.fm recommendations! Amatorski is a young Belgian band formed in 2008, with a melancholic and narrative style, and some reminiscences of Portishead, Sigur Rós, or Radiohead. Amatorski consists of Inne Eysermans (songs, producing, voice, piano, guitar, accordeon), Sebastiaan van den Branden (guitar, programming, voice), Hilke Ros (double bass, synth bass, voice), and Christophe Claeys (drums, vibraphone, trumpet).Though their name means ‘amateurs’, they reached the finals of the Belgian rock contest Rockrally in 2010. The intimate song "Come Home" hit #1 in ‘De Afrekening’, the alternative hit chart on radio station Studio Brussel. In 2010 they released the Same Stars We Shared (Amatorski debut) EP. Their debut longplayer TBC was released in May 2011. You can listen them in full on their Bandcamp.
@ Gent, Belgium
♫ Alternative, Folk
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Jesse Thomas
Today, while procrastinating from writing my bachelor thesis, I found a new favorite singer-songwriter, while browsing on coffee and Starbucks. Jesse Thomas was featured as "Pick of the Week" at Starbucks back in February. I immediately fell in love with her distinctive smokey voice, whimsical catchy songs and easy to relate to lyrics. Jesse Thomas is an L.A. based singer-songwriter originally from Covington, Kentucky. Late 2008, after graduating she packed up her bags and moved to Los Angeles by herself not knowing a soul when she arrived. After a few open mics around the valley and home-recorded demos, she met producer Jim Roach. Last year's spring Jesse finished up her debut “Hazel EP” which hit iTunes and stores nationally in September 2010. The album debuted in the top ten of the singer/songwriter charts and was featured on iTunes "New and Noteworthy," as well as the "Indie Spotlight." Both her Hazel EP and the "Hearbreaker Sessions EP" are amazing and made it really hard to choose two songs to feature, because I honesty love them all. Jesse already has opened for John Mayer, Owl City, Lights, and Angel Taylor. And since Jesse is back in the studio recording her debut full length album I am sure we will be much more from her. I cannot wait!
@ Covington, USA
♫ Singer-songwriter
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Daughter
Although I recognized some of her pictures during my quest for a beautiful photo for this post It was really the amazing folk duo "The Civil Wars" that recommended today's featured "Daughter" on their facebook page. I'm glad they did. Daughter's debut "His Young Heart" EP is a real treat for your ears. Featuring four songs, with beautiful vocals and heartbreaking honest lyrics that will make you want more. Daughter's Elena Tonra Grew up in a quiet part of north London and spent her days listening to her parent’s vinyl collections and older brother’s rock CDs. Later she discovered the beauty of acoustic and folk inspired music and started to create stories and poems which formed the skeletons of her songs. While wearing clothes that old people may well have died in, and a bowl-cut the Beatles would be proud of, Daughter tells tales of ghosts, drowning lovers and setting fire to her insides for fun. Don't hesitate and give the EP a listen at her Bandcamp page, or download the free track beneath! As a bonus there is a demo EP available for FREE from here.
@ London, UK
♫ Folk, Pop, Acoustic
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Gabrielle Aplin
The earlier post was accidentally deleted by Blogger in the last few days, sorry for the inconvenience.
No, I did not discover singer-songwriter and internetsensation Gabrielle Aplin through YouTube.. Unfortunately I was not so lucky to discover her so soon. But it was last year when I stumbled upon her "Acoustic EP" somewhere that I fell in love with her voice. Now with the release of her second "Never Fade EP" it's the perfect opportunity to share this gem with you! I just learned that Gabrielle achieved to gather an enormous fanbase just from her bedroom, she's again a perfect example what you can reach with (besides a great voice/and lots of talent of course) with social media nowadays. She for example had iTunes chart success more than five million plays on Youtube and millions of plays on MySpace.At eighteen, Gabrielle Aplin is the self-taught; self promoted singing, piano and guitar playing internet sensation. With beautiful vocals and a raw talent for song writing, Gabrielle's EP's are a great listen. Don't miss out!
@ Bath, UK
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Elenowen
Sorry for the lack of updates on here, but I was in the hospital last weekend for appendicitis so had to get rest this week to recover from the surgery.
There is so much music every I encounter every day that unfortunately sometimes artists go unnoticed until you find them again later. The same happened with today's featured folk-pop duo Elenowen. Quite a while ago I stumbled upon their music somewhere on the net, I actually saved their debut album cover in my "to listen" folder, but I wasn't until today when I saw them perform The Swell Season's "Falling Slowly" on The Voice (which was very succesful here in Holland) that I remembered why I needed to check out their music. Hailing from Nashville, TN, Josh and Nicole pursued individual careers before forming the folk/pop Elenowen duo that sings through the journeys of everyday life and the many battles it brings. After about a year of living from paycheck to paycheck working at the same local coffee shop, Josh and Nicole started pursuing their dream by creating their debut album, Pulling Back the Veil which was released January 2010. On Pulling Back the Veil Elenowen showcase their talents with eight songs filled with beautiful harmonies and honest lyrics. Go get it on iTunes or CD Baby.
@ Nashville, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
♥ Falling Slowly (mp3)
♥ Falling Slowly (mp3)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Kris Berry
Today was a beautiful sunny day here in Holland, which definitely inspired today's post. While studying in the sun, I listened to today's featured "Kris Berry"; an upcoming soul and jazz formation from my own country. While listening I imagined being on an Caribbean beach, drinking coconut cocktails under palm trees. Kris Berry is perfect for warm summer days or even to dream away a little on rainy days. On their five track debut EP, which was released last february Kris Berry are treating you with a melting pot of Jazz, Country, Latin and Rhythm & Blues with songs, that according to the band itself hides the story of it's origin. Kris Berry is Kris Berry (vocals), Jet Stevens (bass), Claus Tofft (percussion) and Coos Zwagerman (trumpet) and their "Flower Empty Tree EP" is available on iTunes and Spotify! Don't hesitate and bring some summer in your life!
@ Amsterdam, NL
♫ Jazz, Pop
Monday, April 11, 2011
Birdy
Normally I'm not that big on artists getting fame by releasing cover songs, but when I heard this incredibly beautiful cover version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" I had to adjust those views immediately. Loyal readers know I'm a sucker for piano driven music, and this stripped down version with piano instead of guitar managed to grab me from the very first few seconds. It's still a cover, but still sounds very original. Can't wait to hear what her own songs sounds like! Birdy is one Jasmine Van Den Bogaerde, a fourteen-year-old (!!!) singer/songwriter from Lymington, England whose self-released version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" has broken through on the U.K. charts. It already reached the 25th place and got her a deal with Atlantic UK records and an beautiful new Sophie Muller-directed musicvideo. Let's just hope that Jasmine stays true to herself. If so, she'll have a bright future in front of her.
@ Lymington, UK
♫ Acoustic, Piano, Pop
♥ Skinny Love (mp3)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Misty Miller
I still remember that when I discovered Laura Marling a few years ago I was so surprised when that she was only 18 when her debut album came out. With her new album scheduled for a late fall release, Misty Miller, a very young talented singer-songwriter from the UK seems to fill that gap perfectly with her just released self titled debut album. Misty Miller sounds like a younger catchier version of Laura Marling she writes pretty songs with her pure soulful voice accompanied on the ukulele. Misty grew up as the only girl in a large musical family, writing songs as a child with her brother. After being encouraged by friends to take to the stage at an open mic festival it was clear that Misty was ready to go into the studio. At the age of 15 she recorded her first tracks for the ‘Remember’ EP and her debut album ‘Misty Miller’. As a fan of the classic artists such as Elvis and Billie Holliday Misty Miller takes influence from their varied styles which can be heard clearly throughout her debut self-titled album. As a young singer songwriter, she composes all her songs on an ukelele, and performs live with the confidence of a seasoned artist. If you can, go see her live, since performing live is what she loves most!
@ London, UK
♫ Indie, Folk, Pop
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Free Music: Susan Enan
It's been over two years since I featured Susan Enan on this blog. Today I recevied an email from NoiseTrade that her album "Plainsong" is downloadable for FREE from their website for a limited time.With this post I wanted to make sure you were not missing out on this great offer! Be sure to check it out! Susan Enan released her debut album 'Plainsong' in 2009. In 2006, while demoing songs for the record, Enan began receiving worldwide attention after her track "Bring On The Wonder" featuring Sarah McLachlan, appeared on the second season of the Fox show Bones. The song was also featured on the shows soundtrack two years later. It took another 6 months to wrap up the record proper which features Enan's remix of "Bring on the Wonder" along with 9 other tracks. In June 2010 Sarah McLachlan recorded her own version of "Bring On The Wonder" for her seventh studio album Laws of Illusion. Susan is currently embarking on a worldwide house concert tour called "Bring On The Song". The self-produced record was recorded in 5 different countries, much of it in Enan's small home studio in Brooklyn. It was finally released in July 2009 and features co-production from Alan Bezozi, musical appearances from Ashwin Sood (drums), Steve Schiltz (guitars), Graham Maby (bass), and vocal appearances from Declan O'Rouke and Sarah McLachlan. Be sure to check it out!
@ Brooklyn, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
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