I hope by now everyone has found a band they enjoy through our Absolute 100 feature (major props to Julia and Blake for pulling extra weight this year). My picks can be found below, and make sure to check out Moonshine Matinee as well -- we were unable to include them in the final list due to some technical difficulties.
Heartsounds - San Francisco, California AP.net Profile | Myspace Why We Like: Quick drum beats, fast guitar strumming, high energy, blaring hooks -- yup this sounds like punk rock. Heartsounds (catchy name, right?) already have a few admirers here at AbsolutePunk.net, and it's time to expand their audience. Ben Murray and Laura Nichol, the dynamic duo who form Heartsounds, remind us why we fell in love with the punk rock genre all those years ago. Buy their new album Until We Surrender and immediately burn a copy for your car CD player. You'll want to sing along with this one. RIYL: The Swellers, The Loved Ones, How Water Music
Slave To a Heart That Strays
Jonathan Vassar & the Speckled Bird - Richmond, Virginia AP.net Profile | Myspace Why We Like: If you were siting at ease in a rocking chair paying mind to only the natural world before your eyes, you'd want Jonathan Vassar and his acoustic guitar by your side. Though artists are always borrowing elements from the past to create their current sound, Vassar sounds like he could have shared a stage with classic country and folk acts on The Johnny Cash TV Show. It's a rustic sound that time appreciates. Vassar doesn't offer big hooks to catch fickle listeners, but instead rewards patient minds who remember a time when a musician's studio was the open air. Triple Stamp Records knew exactly what they were doing when they signed this gentleman. RIYL: David Shultz and the Skyline, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits
Turn Down the Sun
Moonshine Matinee - Dupage and Will County, Illinois AP.net Profile | Myspace Why We Like: It's about time "John Rowland" became a household name. Rowland first caught our attention with his great Limbeck-esque band Dorsey, and he's currently moonlighting as the lead singer of Moonshine Matinee. Though the band is brand spankin' new, the music is an affable kind of folk-meets blues-meets rock 'n' roll soul that sounds pleasantly aged. Become a fan of Moonlight Matinee now, before Rowland starts up another talented band you're missing out on. RIYL: Dorsey, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Good Old War
The Mysterious Disappearance (Jesse James)
The Narrative - Brooklyn, New York AP.net Profile | Myspace Why We Like: When your unsigned band receives the coveted Henderson seal of approval, you know you've got something special. The Narrative are the kind of raw, young talent that makes lesser bands envious. The charming duel vocals of Jesse Gabriel and Suzie Zeldin on Just Say Yes are some of the best you'll ever find on an introductory EP, and the music is alluring in its own right. Stream the EP on the band's AP.net profile and fall in love. RIYL: Lydia, Death Cab for Cutie, Destry
Castling
The Soldier Thread - Austin, Texas AP.net Profile | Myspace Why We Like: It feels a bit redundant adding The Soldier Thread to this list of up-and-coming artists. Many of the Absolute 100 picks are made based on the promise of further maturity, but as of this moment The Soldier Thread sound ready to rule the world with their haunting ambiance. There's an engrossing density to their sound that is made all the more special by the addition of lead singer Patricia Lynn and her viola. Often a band that falls under the "ambient" headline will better serve listeners as background music (for studying, relaxing, what have you), but The Soldier Thread don't make the kind of music that is secondary to anything. RIYL: Death Cab for Cutie, Eisley, Copeland, The Narrative
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