I tend to consider myself a little obsessive about pop culture. I watch a lot of TV, so I write a lot about TV (which is quite obvious if you look at my blog archive), and I've done a few music reviews. But I've realized that I actually go to quite a lot of concerts and I listen to a lot of music. In fact, I listen to music, of all genres, all day everyday. I definitely do not watch that much TV (which is probably a good thing, at least according to ophthalmologists). So I've decided that I'd like to share my thoughts on music with the wonderful readers of the Huffington Post. Each week I'll write about a few of my new favorite artists, albums, or shows I've seen. Let's call it Molly's Music Mix for the sake of being cheesy. Let me know what you think or if there are any music recommendations you have for me!
This week my music mix consists of:
The Lion's Roar -- First Aid Kit
Okay, so I'm a little late to the party on this one because it was originally released in January of this year, however they recently re-released the album in the U.S. with the addition of a catchy single titled "Wolf," complete with a psychedelic, shape-shifting video featuring a lot of things on fire. It's pretty awesome.
This freshman album, from Swedish sister duo Johanna and Klara Söderberg, comprises soulful harmonies with folksy guitar and fiddle melodies. They've often been compared to Fleet Foxes, which I agree with, but they also remind me of a more contemporary Fleetwood Mac. The vocal harmonies of the Söderberg sisters are reminiscent of Stevie Nick's voice on Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours.
Their lyrics take on a bit of a country quality in most songs on the album, and by this I mean that they tell an actual story rather than stringing together abstract thoughts and ideas, like on the track "Blue."
"And the only man you ever loved/ You thought was gonna marry you/ Died in a car accident when he was only 22/ Then you just decided, love wasn't for you."
This chilled out album is a great way to make your day at work or the grid-locked drive home a little less stressful!
Beacon -- Two Door Cinema Club
While this Northern Irish indie rock band just released their third album Beacon this past September, I've actually been recently obsessed with their sophomore release Tourist History from 2010. It's an undeniably poppy, upbeat album that will have your head bopping while your mouth and brain attempt to work together to keep up with their fast-paced lyrics. My favorite track is one of their singles, "Something Good Can Work." I tend to be very lyrics-oriented when it comes to music, and it's not so much the meaning of the lyrics in this song but rather the effortless flow of them, particularly in the chorus. I like the challenge of trying to sing every word without making a mistake (yes I am easily entertained). There's also an EP remix version of this album (featuring remixes by the likes of Passion Pit and Cassian) in case you're more talented than I am and can simultaneously dance and sing really fast.
The band's newest release, Beacon, has a similar vibe to it as the previous album, but is heavier on the electronics as well as horns, making for a bigger sound on most tracks. Alex Trimble's vocals on this album very closely resemble Jack Steadman's of Bombay Bicycle Club, which isn't totally surprising considering they're both indie bands that hail from the UK. They also incorporate vocals from London singer Valentina on the song "The World is Watching," which has a very misty feel to it and contrasts the other tracks nicely.
I think Two Door Cinema Club would be an awesome live show to see, and lucky for me they're headed to California the first week in December, including an appearance at KROQ's "Almost Acoustic Christmas," in LA on December 8! Hopefully they'll play some originals in addition to whatever hipster version of Jingle Bell Rock they're likely to bust out.
And that's my music mix for this week! Check out these artists and let me know your thoughts!