Andrew Bird, The Wild Colonials, Harmony Gullette

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Here are some of my discoveries for the day of August 13th, 2006.

Andrew Bird

If you love the surreal experimentation of Sonic Youth but also long for the ear-tickling folk-pop of Alexi Murdoch, then its time you gave Andrew Bird a look. Bird plays several instruments, in addition to whistling, yodeling, and, of course, crooning in his smooth, textured voice. All of his albums blow me out of the water, but his true masterpiece is "The Mysterious Production of Eggs". Every song on this album is beautiful, from string-filled opener to the quirky "Happy Birthday Song". Everything in between is simply unbelieve. Andrew Bird deserves your attention.

DOWNLOAD IT: "Masterfade"

The Wild Colonials

This California institution has glossed over their unique sound of late. For a true taste of their world-punk, check out "This Can't Be Life". Full of jittery violins, wild drums, and the indelible Angela Mcluskey on vocals, "Life" is the Colonials at their peak. Beginning with the laid-back pop of "This Misery", the band tries their hand at smoky jazz ("Wake Up Sad"), emo ("If"), coffeehouse acoustica ("Blue), and suceed at all three before closing with the epic electro-ballad "Childhood". In a time of mass marketing, the WIld Colonials can truly be called something new.


TRACK OF THE WEEK: "Not Know"-Harmony Gullette

Ms. Gullette isn't available on Itunes, but if you, like me, favor intelligent pop (ala Ani Difranco or Fiona Apple), you abosutely MUST check Harmony Gullette out on GarageBand.com. The electro-acoustic strumming, soft keyboards, and Gullette's clear, harmonious voice stay in your head long after your first listen.