Who the Heck Is Amelia?: April 2016

As a forward, I'd like to express that I'm constantly on the hunt for music, and I'm usually impartial to specific genres. In this post, I'd like to share the most interesting songs, artists and albums that break through the standard 4 chord progression the music industry spits out constantly today.

(Did that sound bitter?)

* THE DIRTY PROJECTORS *

This band is definitely not brand new, as they've been active since 2002, but they're really not as popular as they deserve to be. Known mostly for they're hit Stillness Is the Move, these artists go for complicated key signatures, phrasing, and unusual choices of instruments. Every song you hear from them is different from the last, and just as intriguing. Listen whenever you want to be kept on your toes and be provided with something intellectually stimulating without being classical.

Stillness Is the Move

(the hit)

Two Doves

(more obscure)

Other recommendations include Temecula Sunrise, No Intention, Swing Lo Magellan, Useful Chamber, Remade Horizon, Cannibal Resource, Fluorescent Half Dome, and Bitte Bitte Orca

* BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE *

This band kills it for the entire indie rock genre in my opinion. These guys can do anything from "we will make you want to run down the street and scream at 3 in the morning" to "we will make you want to fall asleep on a cloud floating to nowhere", which I'll tell you is an achievement I never knew I needed in a band.

Meet Me In the Basement

(we will make you want to run down the street and scream at 3 in the morning)

Guilty Cubicles

(we will make you want to fall asleep on a cloud floating to nowhere)

Other recommendations: KC Accidental, Sweetest Kill, Fire Eye'd Boy, Major Label Debut, Lover's Spit, Looks Just Like the Sun, and Pitter Patter Goes My Heart

* WASHED OUT *

Ever heard of chillwave music? Neither did I. Prepare to wish you had sooner. The man behind the band, Ernest Greene, is stellar at arranging spacey noises into song that aren't just awesome, but also make you feel the most chill you've ever been.

Paracosm

(probably in my top favorite songs ever)

Feel It All Around

(snobbish laughter from Portlandia fans heard from the distance)

Other recommendations: The Great Escape, New Theory, Entrance, A Dedication, Within & Without, It All Feels Right, All I Know, Don't Give Up, Falling Back, and You & I

* KERRY COURTNEY *

I first discovered Courtney like most have; in an American Idol audition. Initially, my first impression of him was that he was another indie wannabe that wouldn't offer much new to the table that hasn't already been mass produced by The Lumineers. But as soon as he opened his mouth, I was genuinely impressed, which isn't common for me in these sorts of TV shows. Unfortunately, he was soon sent home after about a week of the competition- probably because America wasn't ready for how "scary" his performance style is. I didn't think much of it for a while until I got the song "Black Sun" stuck in my head, and I decided to look up the performance. That was when I found out that he had his own YouTube channel, his own band called Goodnight Neverland, and that he had written several of his own songs. And I freaking loved them.

Black Sun

(American Idol audition)

Fall Fell Silent

Other recommendations: Winter Nights, Mental Illness and Old Tree by Goodnight Neverland.

* THE RADIO DEPT. *

Before I promote the band, I have to promote how I found them. David Dean Burkhart has a YouTube channel that edits old footage from classic movies, etc. to new underground music, and each video of his is honestly a masterpiece. So as you can imagine, he created one to a Radio Dept. song called Domestic Scene, and I absolutely adored it. With some further research, I came to learn I adored most of the rest of their songs as well.

Domestic Scene