Mink Valley

Hyperactive, loud, and infectious are three adjectives that best describe Fred, Tanya and Jeremy; the three headed monster known in Vancouver as Mink Valley. The three friends decided to join forces on a porch in Northern Vancouver after playing in numerous projects apart, feeling the sound they could make together would be one beautiful disaster.

Mink Valley has just completed their first LP and is already back in the studio working on the follow up. The Mink Valley LP, which can be purchased on the band's website, is full of catchy surf rock riffs ("Indiespazzazz", "Pseudo Selector", "Cockfight"), 90's indie rock nostalgia ("Defbed"), and hipster poetics. The selections from the record (that can be streamed on the music section of their site, as well as on the main BandSoup page) were undoubtedly aroused by the classic work of Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, and The Pixies-- three bands with an extreme amount of style influence on the 90's alternative movement-- but Mink Valley puts enough of their own personality into the mix to make it their very own.

Mink Valley is one of the edgiest and creative bands that I have covered on this site so far. Each song has a MV signature, but at the same time, sounds totally different than the song that preceded it. As a child of the 90's and a huge fan of all the alternative/independent music that was made during this era, the dosage of nostalgia you get from MV's jams warms me up inside. It also doesn't hurt that their bassist looks like Kennedy, the once popular MTV VJ.

Make sure to check out Mink Valley and support their fantastic debut! Click here to go to their main hub. Also, be on the look out for Mink Valley and other great BandSoup bands on the first BandSoup compilation album, which will be made available as a free download!

Click Here to Check Out "Indiespazzazz" on BandSoup!

Westwood & Willow

The wide smiles and childlike passion that radiate from brothers Kevin and Sean Sullivan are just as infectious as their pop-folk arrangements. The San Francisco based duo, better known as Westwood & Willow, have proved that unpretentious acoustic music has its place with their debut full length LP, Doorways, Vehicles and Markets. The album, which was written, recorded, and produced by the Sullivans at their own home studio, is both fun and full of emotion. Kevin's stripped down acoustic guitar and vocals mesh well with Sean's light accompaniments, while the subtle hand claps ("You Could Be Yellow") and funny lyrics ("Stay That Way") give an interesting twist to a melancholic genre that has become all to predictable.

Like many young start up artists today, the duo decided to use the power of the internet to fund the release, as well as their own West Coast coffee house tour. Westwood & Willow called upon the Pledge Music website to ask fans to contribute money in exchange for digital downloads of their first EP and debut album, videos, handmade pictures, t-shirts, poetry books, personal songs written by the band, and more. Contributors also received updates, exclusive content, and a portion of their donations went to Musicians On Call-- a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. After a great response from fans to fund the project and tour, and an even better response from local media and critics, Westwood & Willow's debut was a huge success and the foundation for bigger things to come.

You can listen to "The Sweetest Fruit" from Doorways, Vehicles and Markets by clicking below and visiting the main BandSoup website. Check in with Westwood & Willow on twitter and at their homepage.

Click Here to Listen to Westwood & Willow on BandSoup!

13 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Bandcamp

via WM

I’m surprised that more musicians aren’t taking advantage of Bandcamp. After all it is one of the best places to sell your music on the web, and it’s simple to use.

You can basically think of Bandcamp as a personal digital music distribution system for musicians. If you don’t have the money–or know how–to be able to sell your music directly from your website, then Bandcamp is a great option for you. And here’s why:

Kid Architect

Since 2008, Washington DC's Kid Architect have been working hard at constructing a new rock and roll blueprint.

Instead of processed pop ballads and manufactured music, KA focuses on heavy piano driven compositions drenched in airy guitars and passionate, poetic vocals. Lead vocalist and king of the keys Thom Bridgwood is both infectious and versatile. Equipped with a lung reminiscent of Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Thom commands ears and hypnotizes listeners with his heartfelt wails. His vocals, when mixed in the buoyant instrumentation and percussion, blooms like spring foliage, despite the blustery context. It's these types of casual combinations that turn little bands into giants.

After listening to the five tracks on BandSoup, I was shocked to see that the band is brand new. Two short years in and they already carry a sound that belongs to a veteran group that has bled on stage for two decades. It seems that the rest of the DMV is catching on as well.

In March of 2009, KA released their first EP, PhilosoRaptor, and have already distributed over 1,000 copies around the local metropolitan area. Motivated by their instant success, the band went back into the studio and hammered out their first LP, The Great Pretend, which is slated to release sometime this month (September 2010). If the diamonds in the rough uploaded to BandSoup are examples of a newly formed band cutting their teeth, the The Great Pretend might be the unveiling of rock's latest perfect design. Get ready to stand in awe.

Listen to Kid Architect on BandSoup

Stay in touch with Kid Architect on Facebook

Free Album: Black EL & Durkin- Color Commentary

After numerous leaks and a stunning video, Boston MC Black EL is mic'd up and ready to give the hip hop community his color commentary on life and music.

The Dick Vitale of Hip Hop shows his everlasting energy and excitement for music on his sophomore release, even more so than on his debut, A Major Minority, an almost impossible feat.

Black has definitely upped his game and has transformed from a diaper dandy into a PTPer with Ryan Durkin at his side. Tune in.

Download: Black EL & Durkin- Color Commentary // Stream the album here