An EP is a great way to introduce yourself to an emerging artist, but even with this shorter medium you've got about a zillion choices every month as to who deserves your attention. After all, you're the guy with the money, and you deserve only the best (you cocky son of a bitch you.) So to save you some blood sweat and tears I've taken the liberty of sorting through three new releases in order to point you towards your best bet. No need to thank me; I'm just doing my job.Two Sheds: S/T EP
What's Going On?
Vocalist Caitlin Gutenberger penned these five relaxing folk tunes that'll remind you of either Cat Power or Feist. As both writer and singer, she knew how to play to her own strengths; you can tell she's not just interpreting somebody else's work.
Should I Care?
Probably. Two Sheds show a lot of potential for breaking out onto a Lollapalooza stage near you. The waltz "Perfect" is totally repeat worthy, and the rest of the tracks don't fall short of that very much. The trick is to keep the vocals level with the music in the mix; if Guttenberger wanted to pull off more of a solo singer vibe, she would have mixed herself way further up front. Because she didn't, Two Sheds sounds like a pretty relaxed band instead of A CHICK! plus three dudes. Also, the fact that there's a song called "WTF" in which the chorus is a sweetly sung "What the fuck? What the fuck?" ought to give the EP a major selling point as well.
Track List:
01. You
02. Perfect
03. Undertow
04. WTF?
05. To Be Alive
Listen Here, Kid: www.myspace.com/twosheds
Fiance: Please, Ambitious, Please EP
What's Going On?
A sort of whiny Tom Petty take on alternative indie rock like Arcade Fire, but with Radiohead pianos.
Should I Care?
Well, they're obviously begging you to consider them 'ambitious', so let's go ahead and give it to them. Also, 'catchy' would be a good tag to stick them with, because all of these songs will get stuck in your head for large portions of the day. Groups like Paper Rival and South seem to be big influences on songs like "Pretty Model's Hands", a tune which also scores some cred points for crossing time signatures between piano and bass. Really, you'll find something specific to love about every track. There's plenty of promise on this EP, and I expect awesome things out of this band in the future.
Track List:
01. Super Soft Knife
02. Pretty Model's Hands
03. Twenty-Something
04. I Don't Want You Anymore
05. Quiet Things
Listen Here, Kid: www.fiancemusic.com
Johnny Flynn: Hong Kong Cemetery EP
What's Going On?
A songwriter who takes cues from Iron & Wine and refers to himself as "the British Folk Reclamation", Johnny Flynn packs a bunch of emotion into each of these four acoustic singalongs.
Should I Care?
You should. You should check out Iron & Wine first, obviously, but when you're finished you should care about this. Johnny Flynn isn't doing anything radically new or innovative, not really, but he's very good at what he does – and that's putting together a good simple song. Plus the fact that he is British (and doesn't try to hide it) means he has a cool voice, and that enhances tracks like "Tickle Me Pink." Hong Kong Cemetery is folk the way folk should be: one dude's soul captured in audio.
Track List:
01. Cold Bread
02. Tickle Me Pink
03. Hong Kong Cemetery
04. The Box
Listen Here, Kid: www.myspace.com/johnnyflynn
FINDINGS: Unfortunately, it looks like you're going to have to check out all three of these bands. However, I can advise you as to your order of operations: you ought to hear Fiance first, Johnny Flynn second, and then if you have time Two Sheds. Remember that underground and underappreciated do not necessarily mean untalented!
