Share Your 2016 Music Discoveries

Cafe Society
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This year has royally sucked for music fans given all the greats that we’ve lost. But I’ve also come across a few newer musical acts in the past year that give me a lot of hope for the future of music. They may not be “new” in the sense of they just put out a debut album, but hey, they’re new to me. As you’ll see, my musical tastes tend to run toward Blues/R&B, but with a little country and straight ahead rock & roll in the mix.

Samantha Fish - I’d heard a more sedate tune of hers (Go Home) on the radio and liked it enough to track down more of her stuff, which has a bit more bite. Saw her live in a small club last week, she’ll melt your face with her playing.

St. Paul & the Broken Bones - These guys are keeping Southern Soul alive and well. There’s no way that voice should come out of that guy… Here’s a full set showcasing what they do. I really need to see these guys play live soon.

Jamestown Revival - I’d heard of these guys, maybe I’d heard California on the radio, at least I thought it sounded familiar. They had a set at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic this year, and they were one of the big highlights of the day for me. Check out Truth and Wandering Man.

What have you discovered this year?

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Jealous of the Birds - Goji Berry Sunset

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Khruangbin, Dern Kala: Khruangbin - Dern Kala - YouTube

As I have said in other threads, it’s Thai-influenced instrumental pop that just goes down easy.

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I caught part of Diane Coffee’s set at Milwaukee Summerfest in July and was quite impressed. Looking for more from them* I came across this on YouTube and was absolutely floored!

*Diane Coffee is the name of the group. The singer is a guy.

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My band opened for Bummers Eve early this year. I became an instant fan. (spoilered for sideboob) Butterface was my introduction.

I like their label mates, Liquor Store, too. Banned From the Block is a good one. But be forewarned, his nasal style ain’t for everyone.

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The Rose Ensemble, a great Minneapolis-based early music style (medieval and baroque, but also some newly composed stuff, including less-well-known folk traditions) vocal group (sometimes a capella, sometimes with instrumental accompaniment). Talented, and really nice bunch of folks, too – some younger, some older.

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And here I thought kids these days didn’t know how to rock! Thanks for the heads-up.

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Cool. Nerdy white accountant student transforms into Marvin Gaye-like soul god.

It has happened before, to a nerdy white economics student named Michael Jagger…

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I’m loving Khurangbin and Diane Coffee this morning – splurged for the mp3s, even though so can stream 'em for free, in the (perhaps naive) hope that I’m helping support talented folks. Never heard of either one until today. Keep 'em coming, folks! :slight_smile:

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WOW. That voice is just insane. I’m sold.

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New to me:
Alabama Shakes
Walk Off The Earth
Elle King

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Biggest “New to me” was Caro Emerald in that I heard a track or two on Pandora and bought albums almost immediately after.

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I’m a little late to their parties but I spent about 50% of my music listening time this year on Chance the Rapper and Courtney Barnett.

I was so lucky to catch Courtney this summer at a weird little festival in central Ohio. Amazing show!

I saw Elle King at the beginning of the year, too. GREAT show, tons of energy.

Those Broken Bones guys are coming to a different weird little festival here this summer (this time in Northeast Ohio). Trying to figure out if I want to go see them or not…

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St Paul and the Broken Bones are wonderful. There is also Nathanial Rateliff and the Night Sweats: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S.O.B. (Official) - YouTube

He’s more of a belter vs. St. Paul, but I am enjoying the use of full horn sections and full “traditional” orchestration in this music.

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Okay, lemme introduce y’all to a band that I discovered this year; they are as of right now my favorite band, moving Slayer down to the #2 spot (after a couple of decades as the Reigning champ).

This is easily the most brutal music on the planet. There are videos of guys in death metal bands hearing them for the first time and immediately acquiescing that this is much, much heavier than anything they have ever heard before, even their own music.

*** WARNING! *** MOST OF YOU WILL NOT LIKE THIS MUSIC, THESE VIDEOS, THE LYRICS OR ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BAND! THIS IS WAY TOO HEAVY, WAY TOO BRUTAL AND WAY TOO EXTREME FOR ABOUT 99.999% OF ALL LIVING CREATURES! THEIR MUSIC AND LYRICS ARE NOT SAFE FOR WORK! AS SUCH, EVERYTHING BELOW IS SPOILERED!

[SPOILER]The band is called Infant Annihilator. The first song I heard by them was Soil The Stillborn (lyric video).

I was hooked.

Their first album had a song with a proper video that has been watched over 4.5 million times (I’m at least 30 of those). It features quite a bit of hilariously uncomfortable and offensive imagery; here’s Decaptitation Fornication. (Note: this is not the same vocalist as on the new album; he’s good but not as good as the new guy, Dickie Allen.)

So of course the band had to follow that template and up the ante a bit for the new album, and they did so with what may be the single most hilariously uncomfortable and offensive video in music video history for the song Motherless Miscarriage.

I love this music so much I wrote a gushing review for the new album on AllMusic.

I do have a slight problem with the band tho: everything else in my vast catalog now seems a bit tame. Slayer, Bolt Thrower, Upon A Burning Body, YOB, Whitechapel, Iron Monkey, Trapped Within Burning Machinery, Trigger The Bloodshed, SWANS… all (somewhat) tame now. Even the awesomely named Vaginal Penetration Of An Amelus With A Musty Carrot seems kinda tame now.

OTOH, the future of metal, with people being influenced by IA, seems like it will be awesome![/spoiler]

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I spent a couple of weeks in Ethiopia, and discovered a wonderful genre of music:

I was particularly struck by a jazz vocalist. Aster Aweke:

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Oh yeah, I love NRatNS, though I always chuckle when you hear that song in commercials, because you’re never gonna hear that delicious chorus there. Need Never Get Old was my intro to them. It’s more of the same gorgeous stuff.

Ooooooo! Wait! I almost forgot! I’m totally late to this show, but I discovered Big Freedia this year. I didn’t know what New Orleans bounce was before this year, now it’s almost the only rap I want to listen to.

Ok, I exaggerate, but you get what I mean.

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If you like Courtney Barnett, you might like Kate Tempest.
https://www.katetempest.co.uk/

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I don’t mind the music, but I really dislike the electronic distortion of her voice.

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Thank you Chef! Nowadays there seems to be no distinction between technology and talent.