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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....
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
clipping.
Often intense rap with excellent, original backing tracks from this trio. Apparently they do concept albums that tell stories. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Yung Gravy
Funny and entertaining rap-pop with excellent, catchy soul-infused backing tracks. Often explicit and probably offensive to some listeners. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Karina Rykman
A fantastic fusion of funk, pop, and extended trippy jams -- major points for freshness and oginality! Karina is an amazing bass player and most songs are vibrantly bass-forward. Trey Anastasio produced her one excellent album out so far. Her vocals are great and versatile as well. Would rate her awesome except for the (currently) small catalog. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Daffo
Very personal indie folk-rock with excellent lyrics. Well produced. Can be explicit. They/them please. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Blackwater Holylight
All female gothic drone/shoegaze metal band with soft parts scattered in, and beautiful vocals. Remarkable how they can create compelling songs with so few choruses and guitar solos! Click here for Apple Music playlist
Volbeat
Metallica meets Bon Jovi. Interesting blend of hard rock styles from this trio. Good vocals. Check out "Still Counting" and "A Warrior's Call" Click here for Apple Music playlist
Tara Lily
Sleek, sultry pop with unique, jazzy vocals. Like an updated Portishead sound. Good beats. One album out. Click here for Apple Music playlist
New Jazz Underground
Very tasteful and despite their name, fairly traditional jazz, done wonderfully by this trio, with guest vocalists. One album out. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Band of Skulls
You might think they're death metal, but Band of Skulls sounds more like a Jack White project. They have adopted a similar heavy blues-based rock sound and similar riffs. Good Jack White-like vocals. They're probably big fans of Jack White, in other words. Slick production. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Blondshell
Expertly crafted alt pop-rock. Amazing vocalist. Intriguing lyrics. Well produced. Click here for Apple Music playlist
Benjamin Clementine
Piano based songs with strongly poetic lyrics and powerful vocals. Click here for Apple Music playlist
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