great bands since 2003

[miss buenos aires]

I was recently asked to name my favorite bands that have come out in the last five years. I was like, "Arcade Fire... Franz Ferdinand... Arctic Monkeys... " and hit a wall. What are some GREAT new bands that have come out in the last few years? Bloc Party and the Futureheads had excellent debuts, but their second albums were disappointing. And I just picked up Sons & Daughters and the Pipettes, both of which I'm really enjoying, but it's too soon to tell how I'll feel when the novelty wears off.

So... expand my horizons, please...

[so lacklustre]

The Rakes - brilliant first album followd by a decent second effort
Pete & the Pirates - Excellent debut released last month - time will tell
12 Stone Toddler - Weird but wonderful
The Coral are also excellent but may have been around longer. No doubt Westinghse will bleat on about Elbow again, they are quite good though.

[Who Shot Sam?]

A Band of Bees (or just Bees if you're in the UK) - Two excellent, eclectic and very fun albums, Free the Bees and Octopus

Avett Brothers - If you don't mind something in a bluegrass-y style, they have done a string of excellent albums. Emotionalism, their latest, was my favorite album last year.

The National - You probably know them already. IMO Alligator and last year's Boxer are both consistently satisfying. Strong songwriting, with a dark edge to it.

The Clientele - Dreamy, reverberant psychedelic stuff. I like them a lot, though I must confess to not having heard their most recent one. Strange Geometry was great.

[miss buenos aires]

WSS--Didn't the Clientele come out before 2003? Their last one is definitely worth picking up, though.

[Who Shot Sam?]

WSS--Didn't the Clientele come out before 2003? Their last one is definitely worth picking up, though.

I had a look at Amazon, and you're right - 2001 was their first album. Well I've only discovered them recently (in the last 2-3 years).

Grizzly Bear is another band worth checking out. I don't have their latest either, but Yellow House was great.

[bambooneedle]

Good question Miss BA.

[Boy With A Problem]

I like the Deadstring Brothers. Their first record came out in 2003. The first two albums are really Stonesy (Sticky Fingers/Exile era) - their new one is tilted more in the bluesy soul direction - kind of Small Faces like.


http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... qq0ld6e~T1

[Richard]

I am usually the last to hear of the best new bands. So probably not any surprises for you here.

Arcade Fire for sure.

The Go! Team. Thunder, Lightening Strike especially, but their second album continues right where the first left off. Inventive, fun and highly addictive. Rip, Rig And Panic were the band from my youth that The Go! Team are reminiscent. Would love to see them live!

Vampire Weekend are riding a wave of hype, but the album is wonderful. Elements of The Beat and others from the Two Tone/Go Feet catalogue more than the David Byrne/Paul Simon labels that seem to have stuck.

I am going to count The Good, The Bad And The Queen. The album is quite unlike any of the participant’s previous work. All songs written by Damon Albarn, but you can’t discount the others contributions to the sound.
I hope they do more together.

The Postal Service are another combination of previously known performers. In this case the ‘supergroup’ version is far better then the original bands. Still enjoy this album. Intelligent literate pop in the Stephen Merritt vein.

The Magic Numbers debut is one I haven’t grown sick of yet. I have not heard the 2nd yet. Early 70’s bar-room style is refreshing, even for a 80s Post-punk obsessive like myself.

LCD Soundsystem – so maybe not actually a band, and the first single was 2002. I certainly hadn’t heard of them until the debut album in 2005. The influences are all over the map, but enough of The Fall, Public Image Ltd etc in a wholly new guise to keep me satisfied.

The Hold Steady – Like the Magic Numbers they are yearning for the hairy heavy days of the mid-70s. These guys do it better than some of their idols with some of the most literate lyrics of recent times.

The Fiery Furnaces – they have become increasing challenging with each release (not necessarily a bad thing) but their debut Gallowsbird’s Bark still sparkles.

Gnarls Barkley – I love the 1st album.

[Otis Westinghouse]

No doubt Westinghse will bleat on about Elbow again, they are quite good though.

I can't as the mighty Asleep in the Back was 2002, but if we can stretch to 6 years, yes, I do think Elbow are a truly remarkable band. Four LPs in now quite a body of work, and although some songs are less memorable, each LP has some jewels that you would want to hear on your deathbed. (Now that I've got an iPod, pre-preparing a few deathbed playlists seems like a pretty good idea). They're often a bit low-key, it takes several listens, but once it really seeps in... I can't imagine people in 30 years time looking back at the noughties and not thinking 'Wow, that's when Elbow released their early LPs'. Bleat, bleat, bleat.

Arcade Fire all the way too. Richard lists some decent stuff. Sufjan Stevens isn't a band, but he is from the last 5 years and brilliant with it.

[invisible Pole]

Having just listened to their second album, I'd definitely add Guillemots as one of the best bands to come up in the last couple of years.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Looks like you just answered the question I posted on the 'listening' thread!

[miss buenos aires]

Yay, a bunch of bands I've never heard of! I will need short (10 words or less) descriptions of the following bands, please:

The Rakes
Pete & the Pirates
12 Stone Toddler
A Band of Bees
Grizzly Bear
Elbow

The rest I have at least a vague idea of what they sound like... Thanks for all your suggestions!

[Who Shot Sam?]

A Band of Bees
Grizzly Bear

I'll give these two a shot. Sorry, not in 10 words.

Band of Bees very difficult to peg down stylistically and that's part of the appeal of it - it's almost as if someone grabbed a stack of sixties records and played the best little bits off each - a little bit of psychedelia, then some farfisa organ, then Motown horns on the next tune. Yeah maybe it's pastiche, but it's damn good pastiche and it's all done with a great sense of fun and a looseness that make it pretty special. Free the Bees, which was (I think) their second album is the one I would check out first. They're basically a bunch of hippies throwing all kinds of stuff up against the wall and seeing what sticks. Most, if not all, of it works. They remind me a bit of Fountains of Wayne in this respect I suppose.

Grizzly Bear is much more headphones listening I'd say. Rather than me trying to describe them, you can check out the review I wrote for Being There:

http://beingtheremag.com/reviewalbum.ph ... 7&issue=21

[Otis Westinghouse]

Pete and the Pirates - (I'm listening to Come On Feet on Hype Machine, absurdly suggested as a Tower of Song song by SoLack) - a bunch of 12 year olds trying to write a song in the garage (sorry, 14 words)

Elbow - arrogantly - slow-burning but stellar, every song a gem, purveyors of extreme beauty (11, even counting the hyphenated one as one)

By the way, Hype Machine is a great place for checking out new stuff. It's all on there. I assume it works the same for you there as it does for me here.

[pophead2k]

I'll throw some love to Gnarls Barkley as well. The first album is untouchable, but I'm a pretty big fan of the second as well. Dark poppy soul.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Enthusiastic 'it's dark but well worth it' review from Mr Bean:

http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/alexisp ... 64,00.html

[so lacklustre]

Yay, a bunch of bands I've never heard of! I will need short (10 words or less) descriptions of the following bands, please:

The Rakes
Pete & the Pirates
12 Stone Toddler
A Band of Bees
Grizzly Bear
Elbow

The rest I have at least a vague idea of what they sound like... Thanks for all your suggestions!

12 Stone Toddler - Fantastic manic indie, mad lyrics and soulful voiced lead singer
The Rakes - Edgy guitar band with dance influence and some great songs
Pete & the Pirates - Catchy indie pop much despised by bigoted ageist music snobs

[cosmos]

I like The Blue Van.

[miss buenos aires]

Having finally watched the videos that so lack so kindly embedded, I think The Rakes and Pete & the Pirates are both highly enjoyable (and that one boy can cut my hair anytime), but 12 Stone Toddler is not for me. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for my verdict...