As the year slowly wraps up, there seem to be a good number of artists I’m just discovering released amazing albums in 2008. Some of this, I’m sure is because they were just only released, the rest, well, just never hit the radar. I can promise that some of these artists are going to become huge in 2009, as they have a sound the fans love. So, we’ll see just how wrong I am in about a year *laughs* And because it’s (almost) present time, I’m doubling your dose of MP3s today. Enjoy (and remember to support the artists! :)

Ladyhawke – My Delirium (2008, Wellington, New Zealand) Pip Brown, better known by her stage name Ladyhawke (yes, named after the film), is a solo singer-songwriter. Ladyhawke was formerly a part of the band “Two Lane Blacktop” and the duo “Teenager” with Nick Littlemore of “Pnau”. Interesting fact: She was born with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Grimus – In a Glimpse (2008, Cluj Napoca, Romania) I was only just tuned into Grimus this weekend, thanks to a tip from Flint. I am totally impressed by how much this band rocks. Why they’re not a bigger name in the spotlight, beats me. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact their located in Romania? *shrugs* At any rate, I highly recommend you seek out this band and purchase their album. You won’t be disappointed.

NightWaves – Invincible (2008, Los Angelos, California) Another new band that I don’t really know too much about yet, NightWaves is an electronic/indie band with a promising future. I look forward to hearing and sharing more of their stuff, but in the meantime, enjoy “Invincible” from their “Binary Records” release.

Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (2008, New South Wales, Australia) Empire of the Sun released their debut album, “Walking on a Dream” this past October. I’ve yet to find a picture of these guys that doesn’t feature them in neon blue clothes, gold head-dresses and looking like something out of a royal chinese wedding…only with more electropop music.

Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance (Chromeo Remix) (2008, New York City, New York) Chromeo (Montreal, Quebec) has remixed this Vampire Weekend track, that they released way early this year on their self titled album. This song, however, was released back in October. These french Canadian have released a few of their own full length albums, but this track can be found on the Vampire Weekend single “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance / Oxford Comma”.

Phonat – Ghetto Burnin’ (2008, London, England) I think I’ve got this information right, but there seem to be conflicting stories/multiple bands which confuse me about Phonat. For the meantime, I’ll assume they’re an electro-funk group from London, England. If you know more about them, feel free to comment away. :)

I’m From Barcelona – We’re From Barcelona (2007, Jonkoping, Sweden) Looking of the rateyourmusic profile for this band, it seems that their another band backed by/consisting of a large choir, much like “The Polyphonic Spree”. Unlike “The Spree”, I’m From Barcelona really tie their final sound together a lot better, or at least in a way that I prefer more. It seems like I’ve discovered all sorts of cool bands from Sweden this year…wonder why. *ponders*

Friendly Fires – Paris (2007,Saint Albans, Hertfordshire, England) Gawd, do I love the refrain of this song. Friendly Fires has released only EPs before their self titled full length release back in September of this year. This song just happened to be on both the “Paris” Single as well as their full length album. My only regret is that I probably won’t get to hear the full length album before the year ends, as they’ve had a few other good songs from this same album beat on my eardrums.

Harlem – South of France (2008, Austin, Texas) Another band making a name for themselves in my home town, Harlem is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. If you want to see them, they’ve got a free show with “White Denim” and “The Riverboat Gamblers” at Mohawk (club in Austin, TX) on Jan. 3rd. Let me know if you’ll be there!

Love is All – Wishing Well (2008, Gothenburg, Sweden) While their vocal style might seem a bit jarring to some, I’ve really come to enjoy Love is All. Yet another band from Sweden, they’ve released a few albums and EPs, and this song can be found on “A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night”. If you dig the female vocals, be sure to check out Josephine Olausson solo project “Girlfrendo”.

Tags: Chromeo, Empire of the Sun, Friendly Fires, Grimus, Harlem, I'm From Barcelona, Ladyhawke, Love is All, NightWaves, Phonat, Vampire Weekend

This entry was posted on Friday, December 19th, 2008 at 10:35 pm and is filed under Friday Fix, Song Ramble. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.