Ghost Ghost

Popularized by The Beatles in 1967 with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and then mastered by its predecessors Pink Floyd, The Who and David Bowie, the concept album is one of Rock music's toughest creative quests. Many try, many fail-- only Gods prevail.

Modern bands such as The Mars Volta, Coheed and Cambria and Green Day have had success with their conceptual records, but many present day attempts fall short of their initial ambition; however, this notion was smashed by a recent BandSoup entry from a New York based indie rock band, Ghost Ghost.

The band's ten track concept album, No Clothes on Ragged Island, is based on the life of New York poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. The project was conceived by Kevin Peckham and Karl Ward on February 20, 2010 after reading Savage Beauty, a biography on Edna Millay's life. Each track is a scene from the poet's life, told in chronological order. All songs were written on February 21, just one day shy of Millay's 118th birthday. Arrangement, recording, and mixing were completed within one week.

Edna St. Vincent Millay was the first woman to receive a Pullitzer Prize for Poetry, but is better known for her unconventional, sexually promiscuous, bohemian lifestyle. Ghost Ghost's members are constantly absorbing inspiration from literature and reincarnating it into their music, but Edna's "morphine addiction, sexual trysts and tragic end—when she was discovered dead at the bottom of her stairwell—are the imagery rock music is made of."

Full of beautiful folk arrangements, haunting vocals, and picturesque poetics, No Clothes on Ragged Island is this year's best kept secret. Ghost Ghost has constructed a conceptual classic and the real travesty lies in its abandonment. Make room on your 2010 top ten list, it's almost frightening what Ghost Ghost has accomplished.

You can stream the entire No Clothes on Ragged Island by clicking here. On this site you can listen, read the lyrics and concept of each song by clicking on the song title, and of course, make a purchase. $10  for the Compact Disc Deluxe Package is an absolute steal! It includes: The CD, an immediate free digital download of all 10 songs, a free "No Clothes on Ragged Island" booklet that includes a timeline of the songs in the context of Edna St. Vincent Millay's life, as well as lyrics and guitar chords for all ten songs, a poster and more.

You can stream my personal favorite track, Bizarre Love Triangle, Here @ BandSoup.com!

Fanbridge.com

In the land of DIY one of the toughest things to do is organize. The geniuses at Fanbridge.com have come up with a fantastic idea to help you with just that.

Fanbridge  helps artists build valuable fan relationships.

We do this by making it fun, easy and effective for artists of all sizes from around the world to leverage our Fan Relationship Management platform to engage with their fans.

Powering over 70 million valuable artist/fan relationships and counting!

Any band or solo artist with a substantial fan base looking to grow and maintain their fan connections and communication need to check this out ASAP! Make sure to tell them BandSoup sent you.

Subterraneans Collective

Dextrous, diverse, and downright funky best describe the Hamilton, Ontario Canada based group known as the Subterraneans Collective.

What started out as a acoustic duo in 2003, formed by Jay Baggett & Jon “the Bassist” Busutti, has now turned into a versatile seven piece group that are often supported by "Collective" members ranging from soloist horn players to simple percussionists. This wide range of sound and genre gives their music unexpected, Shyamalan-esque  twists and turns, which adds excitement to the layers that eventually lead to a crisp, full, and stainless body of work.

Led by Jay Baggett  (Vocals, Guitar), David Abbey  (Drums, Vocals), Dave Reed (Keys,Vocals) and Jess Stone (Bass, Vocals), Subterraneans Collective recently opened their doors to new members and added Sam Klass, Tarek Ajak and Aerin Ellison, who lend their talents on Guitar, Sax/Flute and Trumpet respectively. After forming their new multi-faceted power collective, the Subterraneans released their 2010 debut, self produced, full length album, The Sinking Ship.

The Sinking Ship is a schizophrenic record laced with a wide range of musical moods: folk to reggae, shoegaze to pop, spaced out to funky. The band's respect and admiration for Tom Waits, Grateful Dead, and The Television blare throughout the LP, but are comfortably nestled in between the Collective's own genius, giving new life to old legends.

The band is now offering a double vinyl package that includes a free download copy of the album (which you’ll receive while the vinyl’s being pressed-- it might have already been pressed pre-bandsoup article [?]), as well as three brand new, unheard, unreleased and otherwise unavailable tracks. Right now is the best time to jump on this, as the price will go up in the not-too-distant future. You can order The Sinking Ship on the Subterraneans Collective's website here.

If you want a taste of Subterraneans Collective...

Check out "Devil May Not Care" on BandSoup.com!

Why Music Should Never Be Given Away for 'Free'

The music industry has changed DRASTICALLY. The latest trend: artists giving out their music for free, usually with a zip file link posted on their website, blog, twitter, or facebook account in hopes that the freebie will give their music more exposure or an opportunity to go "viral." MicControl founder Jon Ostrow explains to artists why they shouldn't give their music away for "free" and gives fantastic tips on how to receive e-currency for all of their hard work.  [Via TightMix]

Or, The Whale

Americana is a term that many use to describe red, white and blue nostalgia-- the collecting of flags, patriotic memorabilia, or any other artifact related to our country's storied history; however, to a music fan, it defines the melting pot genre of music that embodies the heart and soul of American ethos. Combining country, folk, rhythm & blues, and rock & roll, Americana (also referred to as Alternative Country) is baseball, hamburgers, hot dogs, Ford Model T's, and Elvis on a toasted bun.

San Francisco based Or, The Whale's 2009 ode to Jimson Weed, "Datura," is a perfect example of the genre and the feeling. Lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Robins struts over a beautiful arrangement full of folk chords, slide guitars, frolicking keys, and infectious harmonies from Lindsay Garfield; a poisonous combination powerful enough to make any listener hallucinate under a  sky of apple pie.

After the release of their critically acclaimed 2007 release Light Poles and Pines, and their 2009 self titled follow up, Or, The Whale continues to woo music enthusiasts around the US with their complex yet polished sound. With the growing popularity of bands like Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper, and The Avett Brothers, it's only a matter of time before San Francisco's best kept secret is revealed...and then treasured like polaroids, stamps, and old family recipes.

Listen to their single "Datura" on BandSoup by clicking here!

Keep up with the band/purchase music here.

How to Really Get Your Music on Blogs

Personally, I find it unbelievable that there are artists out there that still don't know what promotional blogs are. Over the past few years, these little websites have set the world of DIY independent music promotion on the internet on fire, making it easy and affordable (free!) for up and coming artists to promote their new music, album, and videos to a hungry audience of obsessed music fans. I recently read a free e-book by a college student by the name of Chris Bracco called "How to Really Get Your Music on Blogs," and as a long time indie hip hop blogger, I believe Chris' ideas, attention to detail, and ways to organize your campaigns are well thought out and show you exactly how to organize your online blog promotions the easy way.

I highly recommend this quick read to any up and comer that would like to expand their listening audience.

Download the FREE e-book here!

[via. tightmixblog]

Ten Feet Deep

What happens when you play your first show ever in the deep end of a drained pool? You get a sweet new band name of course.

Ten Feet Deep, consisting of four New Yorkers: Alexander Craig (Vocals), Brendan Ryan (Guitar), Pete Chema (Bass), and Mike Leff (Drums),  are an up and coming band that have the pure pop-power to send any college bar full of cuties into a frenzy. Equipped with playful and smart lyrics, infectious pop melodies, and easy to digest concepts, Ten Feet Deep embodies what made Weezer so popular in 1994.

Their latest self titled release, which was produced by John Lissauer (Leonard Cohen, Whitney Houston) and Phillip Maniatty, might be the band's rocket ship to the radio. With contagious songs like "Worry Out," "Without Melinda," and "Hands Down," Alexander Craig proves himself a formidable pop-rock front man that was born with the ability to engage any type of ear or elitist taste-- an almost impossible feat.

I've sifted through a lot of talented bands and solo artists from various genres on BandSoup, but no other group or artist has flaunted the overwhelming radio ready, let-me-make-you-money-now pop fortitude quite like Ten Feet Deep. It's only a matter of time before this New York quartet shows the mundane Daughtry/Scott Stapp cloned rock charts how to crack a beer and laugh again.

Ten Feet Deep's latest full length LP is available now on CDBaby. Below is the video from one of my favorite songs from the record, as well as a link to their hilarious track about a chick that ruins the party (we all know one), "Without Melinda."

Click Here to Listen to Ten Feet Deep on BandSoup.

Black Rose Trick

Trudging through the gloomy afterglow of the late 80's-early 90's noise pop movement,  made popular by droning dreamers like Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, are four Scandinavian shoegazers known as Black Rose Trick.

Trine Berg (vocals) and Jacob Falk (Keys, Guitar) started the project in 2007 and recently completed their pre-debut record EP, How to Handle an Eel, after three years of tears. The new EP bleeds emotion, but is tamed by a steady tourniquet of dreamy, pedal heavy guitar effects and gloomy melodies. Trine Berg's haunting vocals-- half eerie, half heavenly-- are heroin for the ears. One bump is all it will take before you are mainlining the rest of the record, pupils dilating in a drowsy pool of Mazzy Star nostalgia.

Despite the decline of "Shoegazing" artists in the late 90's, this emotionally driven, rainy day genre of music still has a wide range of listeners around the world. While the music often seems to be tailored to tear jerking indie flicks and shocking anti-drug PSA's, the raw emotion, warmth, and despair involved in each note is heavily desired in an industry riddled in corporate pop and manufactured minstrels.  It's only a matter of time before Denmark's nu (gaze) group enters the star stickered iPods of America's youth and teaches them how to feel again.

Click Here & Listen to Black Rose Trick on BandSoup.com

Their latest EP is available to purchase & stream here.