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Vincent Neil Emerson
Good natured, catchy country-folk with outstanding vocals and lyrics. Check out "Road Runner," "25 & Wastin' Time" and "Manhattan Island Serenade." Click here for Apple Music playlist
Blaque Dynamite
Supremely original jazz-influenced groove collages with great catch phrases and infectious inventiveness from this drummer and vocalist. Really great beats, and some fun unusual time signatures. Musically and lyrically interesting. Check out his amazing collaboration EP with Takahiro Izumikawa. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Cedric Burnside
Solid traditional blues with a wonderfully crunchy guitar sound. Great vocalist. Check out "We Made It," "Step In," and from his most recent album, "Juke Joint." Click here for Apple Music playlist
Summer Salt
Reminiscent mostly of the Beach Boys, but also 1950's mellow radio hits and touches of other nostalgic forms, Summer Salt consistently deliver highly listenable, intelligent, well produced musical pieces. Great vocals and very chill, well executed compositions. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Carsie Blanton
It's impossible not to like Carsie Blanton - we dare you! Mostly cheeky folk, but she dabbles in many styles. Consistently witty, provocative and lovable. Great production and arrangements too. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Black Sherif
Finally somone with something to say. Compelling African-flavored rap-trance music with strong storytelling and an amazingly fresh point...
Amyl and The Sniffers
Amazingly fresh riot grrrl punk rock band. Taking the best from New York Dolls, Hole, Bikini Kill etc, repackaged in an arresting full-on...
Nduduzo Makhathini
Very cool, creative, listenable jazz from a South African multi-instrumentalist. Very well produced. Mostly instrumental, but some great...
Regina Spektor
Spectacularly original alt pop. Musically rich. Piano based, with frequent staccato. Lyrically deep and evocative. Fresh voice.
St. Vincent
Listening to her songs is like looking at abstract paintings where there's just enough definition to make out shapes or figures but...
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs
Creative & melodic Japanese guitar-based alternative rock. Good singer. Musically excellent. Surprisingly full sound for just a trio...
Kishi Bashi
Excellent keyboard and violin based songs with unique atmosphere. Great vocalist. Interesting lyrics. Very well produced. Kinda copies...
The Felice Brothers
Great storytelling roots folk reminiscent of Leonard Cohen. Musically lush, lyrically excellent.
Koe Wetzel
Contemporary quiet-loud electric guitar based country -- without cliches! Nearly every song has a substance abuse context. Very well...
Imperial Triumphant
Innovative, musically complex, mesmerizing prog black metal. A chaotic mix of heavy metal with impossible chords, jazz improvisations,...
Caroline Rose
Intelligent pop rock overflowing with hooks.
Yussef Dayes
Enveloping grooves across many styles of jazz, soul, rap Click above for Apple, below for Spotify
Stephen Wilson Jr.
If Springsteen did country. Excellent songwriting. Production is fantastic - drum sound is reminiscent of Steve Lilliwhite - but Mr....
Phil Cook
Great solo piano originals - check out the song "Appalachia Borealis" and the album of the same name. He also does full albums of solo guitar, and the occasional full band track with vocals. Excellent background music." Click here for Apple Music playlist
Madison Ryann Ward
Phenomenal singer of downtempo soul. Lots of space in the songs. Well produced. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Men I Trust
Best chill spa music ever! Canadian trio. Etherial vocals, peaceful grooves. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Johanna Samuels
Spare acoustic guitar based folk-pop with compelling lyrics and a sense of humor. Commanding voice. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Watchhouse
Mellow, easy to enjoy acoustic guitar-based folk/Americana duo who leave a lot of "space" in the songs, which is nice. Good writing. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Josh Johnson
Cool instrumental compositions from a saxophonist/composer. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Karate
Boston band! Unusual to find a trio like this these days, committed to a simple guitar-bass-drums sound without overdubs. They leave a lot of space in the songs, and their jams are very interesting. Unique guitar style. Vocalist does OK carrying the songs; the other 2 guys don't help him out with backing vocals very often. They made some albums 20 years ago and have a new album out now. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Alabama Shakes
Spirited singer with a lot of personality. Sort of retro R&B. Some rough edges, which we like. Check out "Don't Wanna Fight and "Sound& Color." Performed on SNL. New material out for the first time in about 10 years. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Improvement Movement
Strong vocal harmonies. Complicated chords and arrangemments. Can be mellow acoustic or psychedelic pop, or prog rock, or something in-between. Echoes of Yes. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Post Animal
Pleasant trippy pop rock from Chicago with prog elements (they can seque effortlessly into Yes-style guitar riffs). Good vocals sometimes get swallowed by the mix, but the effect is good. Retro feel, predominantly 1970's. Check out "Dirtpicker" and "Goggles." Joe Keery is a sometimes member. Click here for Apple Music playlist
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Psychedelic indie rock with great grooves and a distinct 1960's vibe. They've been around for a while. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Mason Jennings
Impossible not to like indie folk-rock. Friendly, humorous troubadour vibe. Great lyrics and melodies. Though each songs is instantly welcome in your ears, you might not be adding a lot of them to your steady rotation. Check out "Fighter Girl" and "Machines." Click here for Apple Music playlist
Wallows
Simple, nonchalant, melodic indie pop. No guitar solos (we approve). Click here for Apple Music playlist
The Beta Band
Now defunct Scottish band on a reunion tour. Masters of the 3-chord chill indie groove, with lowkey chant-like vocals. Great for a mix. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Somos
Post-punk band from earlier 2000's touring again a few years after one of the founding members unfortunately passed away. Lead vocals kinda sound like Ian Mckay in a good way. Earnest honest rock. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Ethel Cain
Lana Del Ray wading through mud. Serious, mostly dark, downtempo indie music not afraid of empty spaces and gothic moods. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Wabie
Chill, honest melodic acoustic based tunes often with an island and/or 1950's vibe. A song or two would be great in a mix. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Colony House
Peppy alternative pop with good hooks, good vocals, and surprisingly good lyrics. From Tennessee. Check out "OK OK OK OK" and "Would Ya Could Ya." Click here for Apple Music playlist
The Hellp
Wonderfully infectious indie rock with lots of electronic percussion and effects. Strong vocals. Intereresting lyrics--L.A. is the backdrop for many songs. Cool production with collage-like sound loops and inventive breaks. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Fu Manchu
Hook-driven distortion rock with almost announcement-style vocals. Catchy grooves for such heavy music. First album came out in 1990, yet they're still rocking. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Oceanator
Very catchy straight-ahead rock, with the unique voice of songwriter Elise Okusami. Lyrics are inconsistent, but when they're good they have a freshness and creativity seldom found. Check out "Part Time" and "Goodbye, Goodnight." Overall great sound. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Molly Tuttle
Awesome guitar player and singer. Mostly folk/country but she dabbles in other styles too. Former member of Golden Highway. Spokesperson for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Pelican
Very listenable, mostly instrumental heavy rock grooves. Not a lot of distracting soloing, so could be used as background music in certain settings. Or soundtrack music. Well produced. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Ora Cogan
Well written indie rock that is often dreamy & atmospheric. Adjacent to Lana Del Rey. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Pearl Scott
Very talented soul singer. Arrangements are nicely spare most of the time. Click here for Apple Music playlist
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