Free Futurebirds EP

Futurebirds, a septet from Athens GA, write earnest folk-rock songs with plenty of harmonies and then drench them in reverb - sounds like most of my favorite bands.  Yes, recommended for fans of My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, et al.  If you aren't already sold, the band is giving away their great EP gratis --  go here and get it or, click below to stream one of the tracks:

Megachills

FYI - Futurebirds will be at TTs on May 16 with Jessica Lea Mayfield

Upcoming shows: Wilco, Low Anthem, Delta Spirit + lots more!

If it feels like there has been a lull in the barrage of live music hitting Visible Voice, that's because there has been.  With a week of no shows on either side of a week-long trip to California, there hasn't been much music to post.  That changes in the next few weeks.

The visible voice crew will be hitting up a bunch of killer shows over the next few weeks, and for most of them, there will be live recordings, video and/or photos hitting the site.  Over the next 3-4 weeks look for exclusive live content from:

Wilco
David Wax Museum
Movers & Shakers
Delta Spirit
Titus Andronicus
Kingsley Flood
The Low Anthem
Timber Timbre
Josh Ritter
The Morning Benders
SASQUATCH Music Festival
Reigning Sound
...and more

New music: Kingsley Flood - Dust Windows

   

Kingsley Flood's fantastic debut Dust Windows was officially released today - this is a release to take note of.  Dust Windows is a cohesive, consistent album of folk pop gems -- smart songwriting and brilliant execution.  Appalachain and country instrumentation pops up throughout - banjo, mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel - and at their heart these are true folk songs.  But the songs also reflect a pop immediacy that makes this album incredibly easy to listen to - elements of 60s pop, 80s college rock and modern indie rock round out those folk and country melodies, making this the type of album that will appeal to a broad audience.  The nearest songwriting touchstone I can make is Josh Ritter or Being There-era Wilco - but I also hear The Avett Brothers, The Band, Nebraska-era Springsteen, Townes Van Zandt, the list goes on and on.  Finally, the album sounds fantastic - nice production, sounds like the band is in your living room.

If it wasn't obvious, I LOVE this album.  You need to buy it - I'll even provide a link to make it easy:  Amazon

The band has graciously made a few tracks available for free download:

Cul de Sac
Roll of the Dice
Cathedral Walls

The entire album is streaming on the Kingsley Flood website

Lissie covers Lady Gaga (Bad Romance)

Wasn't planning to post anything tonight, but I stumbled across Lissie's cover of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and HAD to post it.  This cover makes two things obvious:  Lady Gaga is a truly talented songwriter and Lissie has an amazing voice.  Kudos to Lissie and band for this killer arrangement...sounds fantastic. 

Mp3 for stream/download + video below:

Lissie - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover)

New music from Harlem, "Hippies" now streaming

"Hippies", the upcoming album from Harlem is streaming now on their myspace.  Go get it

Harlem is @ Great Scott on April 25

New music: Beach Fossils

Summer is coming and you know what that means - time to dial the reverb up to 11!  Daydream, the A Side on Beach Fossil's recent 7", is bouncy pop in the vein of Real Estate and Holiday Shores.  Desert Sand, the standout B Side, takes more of a plodding psych take on the beachy/reverb style.  If Daydream is for the exciting ride to the beach, Desert Sand is perfect for the lazy, exhausted drive home.

Beach Fossils - Desert Sand

New music: Crusaders of Love

Wow, killer garage pop from France!  Sounds like a garage-ier Posies to me.  After listening to the album I would have guessed these guys were from the mid-west or something, so I was surprised to find out their from France.  Excellent stuff here, impossibly catchy -- highly recommend a listen.  Free track is Shot to the Heart, from their fantastic debut album Never Grown Up -- speaking of which, that is exactly what this album makes me want to do.

Crusaders of Love - Shot to the Heart

Unfortunately, the band doesn't have any upcoming Boston dates

New music: Leisure (updated with video)

It isn't too often I get excited about a new Boston band.  To be fair, there are some great local bands - Magic Magic, Pants Yell, Hallelujah The Hills, to name a few - but few hook me on first listen the way Leisure have. 

Leisure is a four piece from Cambridge and have somehow slipped below my radar until now.  They are generously giving away their new 7", It's Alright (On the Suez Canal), free of charge (available here and below).  The A side is a breezy, baroque/british pop-influenced track in the vein of mid-career Kinks or Beatles.  The B side, Outside These Walls also draws influence from the other side of the Atlantic, but fast forwards about 15 years to new wave/post-punk.  Both are excellent, check them out:

It's Alright (On the Suez Canal)
Outside These Walls

Leisure will be opening for Girls on their upcoming east coast tour, which kicks off April 1 at the Paradise.  Tour dates and more music on their myspace.

UPDATE:  Found this killer video of Leisure in action:

Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons: Great Scott Allston 2.20.10

Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons' record, Death Won't Send A Letter, is fantastic - but like most good bands, the songs reach another level when played live.  The band's excellent 45 minute set opening for Dawes at Great Scott in Allston showcased a wide range of songs - some catchy, upbeat songs that recall Petty's Heartbreakers, others bittersweet ballads with some great male/female vocals.  Really gave me a new appreciation for the album - looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.

Full set is available for download/stream below - think the sound on this one is excellent.  If anyone knows the names of the songs labeled "Unknown" let me know in the comments.  Enjoy!

Angel Of Mine
What Do You Need
So Wrong For Me
Curious Thing
Tennessee
My Heart Would Be There
Calm Down
See It My Way
Unknown
Born Again
In The Deep End
Longer Time At Sea

Note:  recordings are posted with the consent of the artist for personal use - do not sell any recordings found on visible voice.  Please support the artists featured on this page by buying their albums and visiting their websites.  Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons official site

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