Neon Indian - Polish & Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds

I had a rad weekend. It was filled with new friends, sun, the beach, and lots and lots of dancing. New friends brought new music. It's a little different than what I've been listening to lately but it was real good stuff, so it was a breath of fresh air. It's influenced by a lot of electronic/house music so it's great to dance to but it's also really chill stuff. The first song is Polish by Neon Indian and the second is Mouthful of Diamonds by Phantograms. This is good stuff so relax, listen to both, and maybe dance a little.

Ben Kweller - You Can Count On Me

Let's talk about band loyalty for a sec. Ben Kweller became one of my favorite artists back in 8th grade. I've seen him live multiple times and have always been so impressed. BK is special to me. When you like and follow an artist for that long, it's hard to not like something that they put out. I think Ben could've covered Boot Scootin' Boogie on this album and I still would've loved it. Good thing he didn't though. Here's a good one from his newest album "Go Fly A Kite" that came out just last week.

Fun. - We Are Young

If you watched the Super Bowl (or if you just browsed through the commercials online) then you probably heard this song on the Chevy Sonic commercial. Also apparently it was recently featured on Glee? I don't watch Glee so I'm not sure but that's word on the street. Well I'm not a very big fan of Fun. (gasp!) but this is a great song. The chorus has so much energy it's ridiculous. It makes you wanna just, I dunno, smash stuff on peoples heads? Break furniture? Get in fights? All of those feelings are presented well in the video...

(Also this is my 50th post WOHOO! So now you should have at least 50 great songs to listen to. If you like/have liked/don't like any of these songs you should share my blog with your friends and family)

The Middle East - Blood

Very cool songs deserve very cool videos. This is one of those. This song reminds me a lot of Fleet Foxes for some reason. It's called Blood by The Middle East. I feel that the title is misleading because if you were to tell someone to look it up they might expect to end up watching sketchy videos on CNN or Al Jazeera. This is much better and much more enlightening and is a lot more likely to leave you with a smile on your face.

P.S. Thank you Ericka

Lisa Mitchell - Coin Laundry

Lisa Mitchell easily achieved a high spot on my "girl musician crushes" list this week. Lisa gained her first exposure to the music world when she came in 6th place on Australian Idol at only 16 years old. Now 21 years old Lisa has one full album and two EP's. In this video you get a sense of her quirky personality. If you don't enjoy the first video (something is wrong with you), try this one below to hear her playing an acoustic version of "Coin Laundry".

P.S. Thanks again Jocelyn

The Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan

Time for a little culture. As you already know I love girl singers, am a big fan of remixes/mashups, and am fascinated by people who play instruments or bands with instruments besides the classic guitar, base, drums, piano. But one of my guilty pleasures is Latin music. It's got such a relaxing, summer feel that makes all your troubles go away. "Tranquilo". The Buena Vista Social Club embodies everything I enjoy about Latin music on this one. The classic..."Chan Chan"

Mason Jennings - Dr. King

In honor of MLKJ day here's "Dr. King" by Mason Jennings. It's cut up a bit to fit with the video and there are audio clips from the "I have a dream" speech added in but you get the point if you've never heard it before. It doesn't take long to notice Masons unique, swooping voice. For some, that may be a deal breaker. For others, it might just take some getting used to. I think he's great and that the ups and downs just make it more fun to sing along with. Enjoy and happy MLKJ Day!

Andy Allen - The Friend That Saved My Life

Singer, songwriter, friend. Andy Allen is a friend of mine that put out his first album "Diamond Grove" earlier this year. This first song "The Friend That Saved My Life" is my favorite from the album. Be careful of the catchy chorus because it will be stuck in your head all afternoon after you listen to it. In a good way of course. Recently, Andy has been putting out some demos like this one below: "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley. It's a free download if you like it (or even if you don't, it's still free). You can buy Andy's full album "Diamond Grove" on iTunes.

Book On Tape Worm - Shadow Puppets

I saw Book on Tape Worm last night down in Provo. I'd heard of them before but this was the first time I saw them live. I was really impressed by how full of a sound they had. Also I love bands with instruments that you don't usually see in bands, like the cello. In the concert last night there was also a xylophone. They're super mellow but have a really great sound.

You'll notice the same singer here. This is one of his older bands called Night Night. They don't exist anymore but I thought I'd throw this video in just for fun. Same mellow feel with some synths added in there. I'm sure you'll agree that the singers voice doesn't quite seem to fit him.

Lake Forest - Autumn Skies

I don't have much commentary on this one besides that it's good, I love the nappy guy in the shorts standing right next to the lead singer, and I'd like to thank internet radio for helping me discover it (not pandora). The recorded version sounds better but I couldn't even find it on the YouTubes. Live is always fun though.