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Posts Tagged ‘Folk’

why aren’t you listening to…

Snails “Daylight Ends”

…Snails?  Wait, how is it Wednesday already?  This week is flying by so we thought we’d slow things down a bit with this beauty from Snails, a folk-pop duo from Bristol.  Don’t let their sweet, subdued, beautiful music fool you—this is anything but simple.  Snails may remind us a bit of She & Him, but they are definitely doing their own, deeply talented thing and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next…if their debut is illustrative of the band’s potential, we’ve got a real winner on our hands.

why aren’t you listening to . . . To Kill A King

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . To Kill A King (@tokillakinguk)? Wow, we haven’t been this excited about a band in a while. To Kill A King is a London quintet who are making beautiful, soulful music that pairs the folksiness of Mumford & Sons with the raw rockishness of Frightened Rabbit. Their single “Fictional State” was released last month by what is fast becoming one of our favorite labels, Communion. They are currently on tour in the UK but we will keep you posted if they hop over the pond and show us some love . . .

why aren’t you listening to . . . Benjamin Francis Leftwich

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Benjamin Francis Leftwich (@BenLeftwich)? With a name like Benjamin Francis Leftwich, you are pretty much destined to be a folk musician, and BFL goes above and beyond fulfilling his moniker’s prophecy. This twenty-one-year-old British singer songwriter is making beautiful folk rock that sounds like a cross between Bon Iver, Ryan Adams, and Jose Gonzalez. His first full-length, Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm, came out last week and it is true perfection from start to finish—there isn’t a single song Style Etoile even came close to skipping—and that’s pretty rare these days . . . do yourself a favor and take a listen.

why aren’t you listening to . . . Ben Howard


why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Ben Howard (@benhowardmusic)? It’s Friday night and we’re in the mood for some sparse, beautiful music to help wind down the week. Today’s track is from Ben Howard, and it is hard to put into words how beautiful his songs are. Yes, it is indie, acoustic folk. Yes, it reminds us of Jose Gonzalez and Bon Iver. But those descriptors don’t really explain why our goosebumps get higher with each finger pluck of his guitar—there is intangible magic here and we suggest you just go ahead and take listen and let your heart explain what our words can’t.

why aren’t you listening to . . . The Civil Wars

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . The Civil Wars (@thecivilwars)? Maybe it’s the years we spent in Nashville or maybe it’s just our love for all things with soul, but Style Etoile has a serious place in our hearts for country folk . . . and The Civil Wars make beautiful, sincere country folk. The Nashville duo reminds us of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and together they make magic. Adele calls The Civil Wars “by far the BEST live band ‘I’ve’ EVER seen,” and we can’t wait to see for ourselves when they play the El Rey Theater in LA on June 15th. Check out their 2011 release Barton Hollow and explore your inner twang.

why aren’t you listening to . . . Angus and Julia Stone

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Angus and Julia Stone (@angusjuliastone)? Talk about good genes—brother and sister duo Angus and Julia Stone have them in spades. The Australian pair is beautiful, talented, and just plain cool. Julia reminds us of a young Stevie Nicks—ethereal, smokey voice and all—while Angus reminds us of a cross between Bob Dylan and Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes. Together the two make magic—acoustic, sincere, intimate folk-pop magic.   Their 2010 release Down the Way is perfection and we can’t wait for them to finish up the European summer festival circuit and show us some love on this side of the Atlantic . . .

why aren’t you listening to . . . Paula & Karol

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Paula & Karol (@PaulaandKarol)? Style Etoile has stopped being surprised when we hear pure, awesome, Americana folk coming out of countries other than the U.S. So when we heard that the creators of the above bluegrassy, boot-stomping track were from Poland, we thought “of course they are.” Paula & Karol’s music makes us happy, and happy is good. Their debut album Overshare is full of banjos, xylophones, boy/girl vocals, and layered synth and we think it’s pretty darn awesome.

why aren’t you listening to . . . Georgia Fair

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Georgia Fair (@GeorgiaFair)? Style Etoile thinks it couldn’t be more appropriate that Georgia Fair recorded their most recent album in North Carolina with Bill Reynolds from Band of Horses. Because although this duo hails from the land down under, they are making Americana acoustic folk-rock that reminds us of BOH in a major way. Aussies know how to do laid-back right, and Georgia Fair is no exception. This is easy bluegrass done to perfection and we can’t wait to hear what these boys come up with next . . . download their tracks—including their recent collaboration with Boy & Bear—here.

why aren’t you listening to . . . Trophy Wife

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Trophy Wife (@trophywifeband)? Trophy Wife is a trio from Oxford with whom Style Etoile is more than a little obsessed. This is electro-indie at its best and each new track we hear seems to be better than the last. Trophy Wife’s music has been described as “Vampire Weekend playing New Order,” and not to be nitpicky, but we think it’s more like Belle and Sebastian playing New Order. Either way, it is shimmery, minimal, beautiful music and we think you’ll love it. Get their latest album An Innocent Orphan in a Post-Modern World here.

why aren’t you listening to . . . Typhoon

why aren’t you listening to . . .

. . . Typhoon (@weareTYPHOON)? Style Etoile just realized we hadn’t posted on one of our favorite albums/artists of 2010, and for that we truly apologize. Because a day without Typhoon in your life isn’t nearly as good as one with their music tickling your eardrums. 2010′s Hunger and Thirst is pretty close to perfect—it’s the kind of album you can put on no matter what your mood, and it always seems appropriate. This Portland band (which has up to 17 members at a time) is at times reminiscent of Bright Eyes, with hints of Beirut and maybe a touch of Fleet Foxes . . . so it’s basically auditory magic.

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