Les Singes

Les Singes, good friends, Rosa Ronsdorf and Julien Staartjes, compose smart popsongs, with english lyrics, but representing a clear love for French chansons. In short, french pop sung in english. Unintentionally, because Rosa does want to sing in French but can't yet. They're from Amsterdam, Julien is 19 Rosa's 20. Les Singes was founded this summer, after both members left their former bands. They love their minimal sound from two guitars and one piano. Resulting in smart and creative songs, ready to hit the musicscene! They're already named as "one to watch" by 3voor12.

@ Amsterdam, NL
♫ Indie, Pop, Acoustic
♥ Addiction (mp3)
♥ Mary (mp3)
▸ Myspace

Erin McCarley

"The beautiful and honest vocals singing the infectious pop-rock songs make this a hit!"

Erin McCarley is one of those artists that was still unsigned the first time I heard their music, a but are now signed with big labels, just like Lenka. So although she's not a new discovery, I still want to share her music with you before she's going to be a (massive) hit.
McCarley grew up in the Dallas suburb of Garland. In a way, her ideal childhood led to an unexpected wake-up call later in life. “It kind of gave me an unrealistic view of everything,” McCarley notes with a laugh. “That’s not how the world is, you know?” In McCarley’s music you can hear her charting the distance between fantasy and reality, as well as the heartbreak that inevitably accompanies its discovery. McCarley’s brand of honesty doesn’t come without the occasional flash of regret. Near the top of the list of McCarley’s favorite artists are names like Fiona Apple, Patty Griffin and Greg Laswell (the latter of whom co-wrote “Bobblehead”). “I just love how true and raw their lyrics are,” she explains. Listening to records by these musicians is more than enjoyable for McCarley—it’s inspiring. McCarley currently calls Nashville home, but she cut her musical teeth in San Diego, where she’d moved after college to pursue a life that didn’t feature music at its center. During her undergraduate days she’d spend weekends singing with a country cover band for extra cash, yet in San Diego, selling clothes in a boutique and hanging out on the beach, she began thinking not just like a singer, but as a songwriter, which satisfied a different artistic jones. Love, Save the Empty, her debut album will be released Jan 6, next year!

@ San Diego, USA
♫ Pop, Rock, Alternative
♥ Pitter-Pat (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website

The Love Willows

The Love Willows caught my interest after seeing their upcoming album on a releaselist. Good stuff for everyone who likes a good pop/rock song once in a while!
An Atlanta duo that wants young audiences to have fun, singer Hope Partlow and guitarist/vocalist Ryan Wilson have crafted a buoyant debut album, Hey! Hey! that is unabashedly upbeat. You might even smell the cotton candy in this collection of enjoyable pop/rockabilly tunes, like spinning through an amusement park where childlike pleasures can be found in even the simplest of rides. Not that The Love Willows doesn’t speak to young adults. In fact, most of Hey! Hey! tracks the evolution of their own relationship. “It’s all about fetishes, love and hate,” says Hope. “It’s a product of what we’ve gone through as a couple, the battles and the glories, everything that’s happened in the past few years.” The accessibility of their songs also belies their inventiveness and, oftentimes, their subtle sophistication. “I feel like we bring something different to the table,” says Ryan, who produced and engineered the album. The pair recorded Hey! Hey! in the attic studio of Ryan’s parents’ home outside of Atlanta, with Ryan playing every instrument and both of them songwriting. The tunes are brightly colored - much like Hope and Ryan when they perform live, with swaths of neon yellows, pinks and greens adorning their clothes and gear. Their debut album Hey! Hey! will be released the 29th January of next year. (after being postponed for the third time)

@ Atlanta, USA
♫ Pop, Rock
♥ Falling Faster (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website

Sarah Russell

The first few times I saw Sarah Russell's name and photo on MySpace, they looked so familiar, that I skipped looking at her page, assuming I already knew her. Fortunately, after all I decided to check her page. What I saw was a new talented singer-songwriter from the southcoast of England, definitely worth checking out!
She sings all her folky selfwritten songs with a very suiting and soft voice enrichened with a nice british edge, and also plays guitar. Her inspiration comes from all around life, love and everything in between including Jeff Buckley, Kate Bush, Nina Simone, Neil Young, Tori Amos, Nick Drake, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Gemma Hayes and Fiona Apple. I wouldn't be surprised when she releases an album on a (big) label next year!

@ South, UK

♫ Acoustic, Indie, Folk
♥ Put Me Back Together (mp3)
♥ You Are (mp3)
▸ Myspace

Fileden account got deleted again...!

Sorry guys, but something is wrong with the filehost, again. My new fileden account got supspended again, that's the second fileden account that get's suspended, and another filehost that's not stable and reliable.
I just bought a PRO account at boxstr (that gives me 25GB bandwith/a day!!), so let's hope that works out! Although I still think it's better to start using a real filehostingservice, (anyone that can teach me how?) I really hope everything gets settled now because this really starts to mess with all the motivation and fun I have by maintaining and updating this blog.

UPLOADING SONGS OF LAST 10 POSTS TO BOXSTR NOW!

Halflight

Halflight write emotionally charged acoustic pop songs about small towns and big cities, lost love and enduring friendship. Having already released 3 self-financed mini albums and supported acts such as James Morrison, Sandi Thom and Gossip, their music has reached a wide audience and gathered a loyal and supportive fan-base. In 2007 a Halflight track was used on a worldwide Hallmark Channel promo. The same song was used on an OC trailer. The band is as comfortable with low budget home recording as they are with more recent bigger budget sessions at Olympic Studios (with top 10 producer/writer Matt Prime). Lo-fi samples of harp, crwth and music box sit along-side lush acoustics and mandolin to accompany Sarah’s beautiful, folk-tinged vocals. Think the Sundays, Suzanne Vega and Joni Mitchell... then think again.

@ Cardiff, UK
♫ Alternative, Pop, Folk
♥ Lifelight (mp3)
♥ Silence Inbetween (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website

Susan Enan

I've seen Susan Enan's picture many times across the internet, especially on the recommendation section of last.fm, or in the similar artists, but always refused to try her music. Two weeks ago, I finally gave it a go, and I still am asking myself why I haven't tried her music earlier.. So please be wise, and don't hesitate to give this woman a chance!

In 2000 Susan Enan released her first solo EP. ..'one' was recorded in a small studio, all played, programmed and mixed by Enan. With a new band in the summer of 2002 she produced the Moonlight/ Skin, Bone & Silicone EP, which was officially released in Ireland in September 2003. Hotpress called the record a late night masterpiece. Enan spent much of 2003 on the road in Ireland and the USA. During this time, she was commissioned to write a group of songs, based on Monteverdis Madrigali guerriere ed amorosi (1638). They were performed by Enan and a four piece ensemble in March at the Cresent Arts Centre, Belfast, alongside incidental music by composer Peter Rosser. Other instrumental projects included string arrangments for Michael Camerons album Fragile and two piano studies as a soundtrack for the art installation Sizing Thoughts by Sam Mckee. Enan has toured extensively in Europe and the US. She has opened for Tony Bennett, Roger McGuinn (in the UK and USA), Aqualung, Damien Rice, Tom McRae, Mike Doughty (of Soul Coughing), and toured the USA for 38 dates with Over The Rhine. After living in Northern Ireland for a number of years she moved to New York at the beginning of 2005. She's working on her debut album right now!

@ Brooklyn, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
♥ Bring On The Wonder (mp3)
♥ Monoplain (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website