New interests

A common cliche states there is nothing like the classics. To some degree, I agree with this. There is a great feeling of nostalgia that comes with listening to music from our younger days that is incomparable. I remember earlier last year listening to Third Eye Blind's self-titled and enjoying every single memory of the 90s that came packaged with that album. I wasn't even that big on music in the 90s, but it still felt a great rush of bliss when Semi-Charmed Life came on.

Though nostalgia can be a very pleasant emotion when it comes to music, I don't think anything compares to finding something completely new and falling in love with it right away. I think that knowing that this artist will last with you for years to come is such a fulfilling experience. Instead of revisiting old memories, you're forming new ones, which can be just as, if not even more, rewarding. I'd like to share some of my recent discoveries.

The National

 

The National is an alternative/indie band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They are comprised of singer Matt Berninger and a two pairs of brothers: Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf. The National play a wistful form of indie rock with primary focuses on the vocals and several nuances throughout their songs. Berninger has an excellent baritone voice that is capable of not only a great musical range, but a diverse emotional range as well. Though I try to not to place too much emphasis on one member of the band, Berninger makes The National what they are. Whatever mood The National wish to convey, Berninger has just the right technique to emphasis their overall message and make the listeners feel what he is feeling. The instruments however do have their part to play and they play it quite well. The brothers do not try to show off, but they seem to have the innate ability to place fantastic instrumental moments at just the right time in their songs. Overall, The National supply me a sense of great serenity and allow me to reflect on both the heavy and simple aspects of life.

Moving Mountains

Moving Mountains is an experimental band from Purchase, New York. Moving Mountains is difficult to describe. Critics often describe them as a mix between The Appleseed Cast and Thrice. If you are familiar with those bands, you could see how this is odd mix. The Appleseed Cast is an emo/post-rock band with a focus on atmosphere while Thrice is a melodic/post-hardcore band with experimental tendencies. Though this may sound like a completely incompatible pair, Moving Mountains surprised me by not only combining elements of the two bands, but by doing so in an excellent fashion. Moving Mountains' ability to manipulate auditory perceptions is nearly ethereal. Often, I find that the most enthralling musical environments come from skilled progressive rock bands, but Moving Mountains reaches by the first song on either of their albums. What I find most impressive though is how they implement the "Thrice" elements into their songs. Thrice is not focused on screaming despite being labeled as a hardcore band and neither are Moving Mountains. Moving Mountains borrows from Thrice great vocals and a great potential to experiment with different sounds to compliment their original style. Moving Mountains is a brilliant and young band who I hope to hear more of soon.

 Sigur Rós

It is common to associate the word "intense" with metal, punk, or, at the very least, heavy alternative rock bands. Before hearing Sigur Rós, that was my perception of what "intense" music is. However, upon listening to this amazing band, my definition of intense was drastically changed. Sigur Rós does not initially appear to be all that exciting at all. The instruments are played softly (lead singer Jónsi even plays his guitar with a violin bow) and the vocals are sung in Icelandic with a high falsetto. When I had heard this band a few years ago, I could not be more distant from them. They were just so strange and minimalistic that I could not grasp why people enjoyed them. When I looked into them again late last year, I felt a complete reversal. I could not grasp why I didn't love this band the moment I heard them. Sigur Rós are not intense because they're brutal or abrasive, they are intense because they completely submerge you in the music. They combine multiple instruments to produce as many different experiences as possible. Classical, folk, indie, whatever you want to call it, Sigur Rós has just the song to fight the mood. Their songs are often prolonged, but they are drawn out to provide excellent build ups with astonishing and epic conclusions that leave me impressed every time. Few bands are capable of doing what Sigur Rós does.