NOTE: Please feel free to look around (and listen) here, but also check out the new Vibe Detective website
Welcome
...to The Vibe Detective. In this blog I aim to showcase new music on the web. Some established bands / artists will be featured, but the focus will be on bands that are unsigned, or newly signed...and some perhaps that don't want to be signed. So whether it is your bands' latest studio take, gig footage shot on a mobile phone, a singer/songwriter strumming a guitar in their bathroom, or even the latest talent show hopeful - if it sounds good I'll post it here.
Modern technology means that anyone with a pc and a webcam can get their music on the web, and gigs are captured on many a high-res phonecam. Bring it on!
Want to see your music here? Advertise your gigs or music releases? Want to suggest some music?
If you know of any music that deserves to be here, or if you are a musician, send me a link to your music and I will give it serious consideration. Send any info about gigs or music releases and I will publicise them (for free!) Please contact me using the comments section below this post.
Other Stuff
Follow me on Twitter: @VibeDetective
For signed and/or more established bands/artists see my other blog: Nick O Larse
NExEA
Willy Mason, The Futureheads, Field Music and Paul Smith are just some of the incredible artists to have donated a track to North East by East Africa, a charity CD in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee’s East Africa Appeal. After reading and watching horrific news reports about the situation in the horn of Africa - more than 10 million people have been left in need of food, water and emergency healthcare because of one of the worst droughts in 60 years - members of the North East of England’s music community decided that they must help. The result is NExEA, a compilation CD which features a whole host of new, rare and exclusive tracks from some of the North East’s best and most prestigious musicians.
For more details see the NExEA website.
My Current Favourites:
The History Of Apple Pie
Their name might sound as twee as Belle and Sebastian's book club, but this lot are flying the flag for lo-fi noise rock. (The Guardian) They are: Stephanie Min (vocals), Jerome Watson (guitar), James Thomas (drums), Kelly Lee Owens (bass, backing vocals), Aslam Ghauri (guitar).
Lia Nicole
A sample of a new original song from San Jose based Lia Nicole. Check out her youtube channel at www.youtube.com/user/Hawaiianpinay314
Crystal Stilts
Crystal Stilts was formed in 2003 by Brad Hargett and JB Townsend. After releasing one single and an EP, the pair expanded to five members before signing to Slumberland Records in the US and Angular Recording Corporation in Europe and releasing their critically acclaimed debut, "Alight of Night", in 2008. This is "Shake The Shackles":
Kate McGill
Kate has posted a preview of her 7-track album 'Replaced' on her YouTube channel. The album is available pre-release from itunes and will be, unusually, available in branches of Caffe Nero. To promote her album she has secured a deal with Caffe Nero and has announced a national tour of many of their cafes (details here). For the album Kate has moved away from the simple acoustic guitar performances with which her fans will be familiar, and gone for a keyboard-rich production, with lots of voice multi-tracking to give a swirling, dreamy effect.
Faded Cadence
From their Facebook page: "Faded Cadence are a unique acoustic band from the outskirts of Birmingham. Their combination of catchy vocals and carefully crafted violin arrangements break them out of the usual sounds heard from a teenage group, and by moulding folk vibes and pop into their own genre, they manage to captivate their audience every time, gaining positive reviews worldwide."
Future Perfect
I don't know much about this, except that the splendid animation is by my good old friend who I've not seen in many years - Nick Appleton:
Miles Kane
Miles Kane performs Inhaler live in session for the Zane Lowe show, from the BBC's Maida Vale studios.
Dead Models
A track from the self-titled EP by Essex / East London based band 'Dead Models'. They have just completed the recording of their first album - for details, an interview and a preview track click the label on the right.
Kina Grannis
Kina on her latest tour, live at The Loft, a cosy venue in Hoboken, New Jersey:
Mentalmoomin (Lee)
This is from the youtube channel of Mentalmoomin (real name Lee, I think). Her YouTube channel contains lots of original stuff, a mix of guitar-and-voice songs and some electronic mixes like this one:
FBSD
FBSD (Fire Breathing Space Dragons) are Lauren and Colin from (I think) Toronto. As I commented on their youtube channel "I like many aspects of what you do, including 1) nice melodic vocals 2) cool guitar arrangements 3) different and unusual song choices 3) intriguing pre-song banter and inter-personal conversation 4) varied locations.
There are not, as yet, too many comments on their uploads, so at present I appear to be their most devoted follower. They deserve a much wider audience.
Here is their take on David Bowie's 'Rebel Rebel':
Likely Lads
York-based band Likely Lads are: Ross McLeod - Vocals/ Bass; Ashley Harding -Lead Guitar; Ben Porter - Guitar; Jordan Maher - Drums. On their facebook site they announce that they are "Four lads, catchy tunes and an attitude and energy that's hard to find elsewhere", and I agree:
