Cameron Mitchell

http://www.youtube.com/user/cameronmitchellmusic

You guys remember in November when I posted about Tanner Patrick? And how he was awesome? Well, I follow him pretty closely, because if you couldn't tell from that post, I totally adore the boy. And he posted a new video this week. Not JUST a new video, but a COLLABORATION video. Oh yeah. So not only was it a REALLY good collaboration (can you tell I'm excited?) but I was like I need to find out who this boy is that he worked with. So I youtube'd him.

Lo and behold, I was introduced to Cameron Mitchell. Now, not being a fan of The Glee Project, I had no idea who he was. (Apparently he was a favorite but dropped out because he didn't think it was for him? Don't quote me on that, that's what I'm getting from this Pop Crush recap lmao) But wow did this boy blow my mind! I can see why Ryan Murphy wasn't ready to let him go when he bowed out of the competition.

His voice is very... smooth. I feel like someone is rubbing velvet on my ear drums. (That's probably really weird to say.) On top of that, he doesn't just do covers, which is refreshing given that the majority of the youtubers I talk about do mainly covers. In fact, as we speak I'm listening to his beautiful song "All My Love." Seriously, I feel like he's singing to me. And just me. It's awesome.

Oh, but that is not all with Mr. Mitchell. He pairs sooooo well with other singers. Like I said, his collab with Tanner is one of my favorites and he and Damian McGinty (that utterly adorable Irish boy who I think won The Glee Project? He was on an episode anyway)just mesh SO well together.

I honestly can't say enough good things about this kid. From his awesome glasses to his little, self proclaimed nerd shoes, I can't really find anything that I DON'T like.

Of course, you know how I do. I can like them all I want, but it's ultimately up to you. But for real, you need to go listen to him. NOW.

GO DOWNLOAD: You can pick up his original stuff on iTunes!!! You can also check out some more covers by him on his Soundcloud. (I think I've covered all the bases lol Youtube, iTunes and Soundcloud. Go at!!!)





And lastly, the video that introduced me to him :)

White Powder Gold

http://www.facebook.com/whitepowdergold

Before I say anything about White Powder Gold, I just want to point out the genres they have labeled on their Facebook. Indie, Punk, Electro, Dubstep, Rock, Reggae and D&B. Now, if you're anything like me, you're kind of confused. I understand Indie, Punk and Rock together and I understand Dubstep and D&B together and Reggae just stands on it's own. So HOW can they possibly mash them all together? Right? In fact, I was so intrigued that when I saw the description they were my main priority as soon as I got home.

And trust me my friends when I say that this is a delicious combination.

Maybe it's because of my love for mixing things together (I was that kid that mixed all the flavors of soda from the soda fountain. I mix ketchup and mayonnaise. You know, that sort of thing.)I don't know, but these guys are nothing like I've ever heard before. Much like with the soda from the soda fountain, a wrong combo would make you gag, the wrong combo of genres could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, but White Powder Gold has managed to find that magical mixture.

What do they sound like? Well.... they sound like White Powder Gold. One song makes me feel like I need to be in a car chase while another makes me feel like I need to be in a club with lots of neon lights. They don't have A sound. They have a lot of sounds. There are so many influences that you can hear in their music, ranging from The Sex Pistols to Jimi Hendrix, that you have to listen to them several times just to wrap your mind around it.

I don't know if you've gathered this yet, but this band is a completely unique specimen. They're a group that hasn't replicated anyone that already exists, and they will never be able to be duplicated by anyone after them.

Last semester I learned about music that is so unique there aren't words to describe what they sound like and they only way to really depict that to someone would be to make them listen, so you my dear readers, are being ordered to give them a listen because my words could never do this band justice.

My prediction? Before this year is out you'll be seeing these boys. Whether it's as part of some music festivals or just that they make the leap from the UK to America for their own tour, these boys are gonna go somewhere.

Go Download: Unfortunately, I can't find any download links :( But that's ok! That's what the Facebook music player is for! So check out "Can't Stop Me Now" HERE.

**EDIT** The boys were kind enough to send me a link to download their EP! Get it for free HERE

You Me At Six

http://www.facebook.com/youmeatsix

I love my men like my tea. British.

So it can't be much of a surprise that I absolutely adore You Me At Six. I downloaded their album "Hold Me Down" a while back because I kept seeing them on my tumblr dashboard but I didn't actually listen to it until much later. In fact, I didn't actually listen to it until after downloading "Sinners Never Sleep," which officially gets released in the US January 24 (AKA tomorrow). (Don't worry, I'll be buying it as soon as I actually can. I just figured I owed them more than just my money. Yay blog post!)

Anyway, aside from the completely shallow reasons, You Me At Six is so wonderful because they are so truthful. If we're being honest, listening to "Sinners Never Sleep" is almost like listening to a musical version of my thoughts. Like Josh Franceschi was in my head. Which is also the reason why I think so many people (and by so many, I mean more than usual for a BTNLT, but less than they really deserve) love them. Because they are oh so relatable.

That, and they are also spectacular musicians. I just love Josh's voice, Max Heyler and Chris Miller bring excellent guitar playing to the table, Matt Barnes backs them up spectacularly on the bass, and do not even get me started on Dan Flint's drumming. Together this band has created an album that I personally cannot stop listening. And like I said, it isn't even out in the US yet. (So close.)

Anyway, You Me At Six is one of the finest UK exports that I have found, up there with Young Guns, Earl Grey and Sherlock.

I would give you more reasons to go love them, but really. What more do you need?

Go Download: Ok, here's the deal. As soon as it hits midnight, assuming you read this today (Jan 23) you are going to go to iTunes and search You Me At Six and just buy "Sinners Never Sleep." But my personal favorites are "Reckless" and "Crash," in case you were wondering.

**EDIT** GO GRAB IT HERE!!!!

LOVE & SATELLITES

http://www.facebook.com/loveandsatellites

I know, I'm doing a poor job at posting regularly. If it isn't school (which, let's fact it, with just 10 hours of classes it probably isn't), it's Netflix and their ridiculously amazing selection of shows to choose from. All of How I Met Your Mother? Sherlock? 82 other things sitting in my instant queue? Oh, and when I have free time I'm writing for Rock Edition. (But like I said, Netflix has six seasons of HIMYM up.)

So what was it that got me out of my Netflix stupor? WELL I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! This, my dears, is LOVE & SATELLITES!

If you've read just about any post on this blog, you've heard this story before. Phone chimed which meant I had an email. Checked the email, which was from Twitter telling me I had a new follower. Checked that new followers band out because that's the law of Bands That Need Love Too. Now here's where the story changes. My past couple of followers had made me lose a little faith in my clause to give everyone a chance. Not because they're bad mind you, but because they weren't my cup of tea. So yeah, I was like eeeeeh, are they another band that's just not gonna cut it for me?

Luckily, they weren't. This Australian band has brought me out of the slump (and my Netflix coma) and for very good reason. Though they only have one song up on Facebook, it is a VERY good song. Now, maybe not the best song, but that isn't what makes this band so good.

It's the fact that their debut single is so good. They have just one song and with that one song they've gotten me hooked. I want nothing more than to hear some more and there isn't more for me to hear! So I just let it keep repeating. (Note: By this point the song has played three times.)

I'm also not the only person who thinks that these boys have talent that is gonna get them far as they played with Cartel. Call me crazy, but I think that means they're worth the listen.

Also, from the pictures I've seen, they look like they put on quite a good show.

All I can do is sit here, far FAR away in America and hope that they make it and get over here. (Or that I win the lottery and can get over there.)

But until then, if you need me, I'll be listening to their song :)

Go Download: Their single "Girl I Used To Know" for FREE HERE.

Cold For June

http://www.facebook.com/coldforjune

I was very confused when I logged onto Twitter and experienced the new layout for the first time. All I really wanted to see was who this new follower was that I had gained in the night. Luckily for me, this new follower was WELL worth braving the latest Twitter change. Who was this follower you ask? Alan Reitman, singer of the band Cold For June.

Of course the first thing I did was click the link to his band's Facebook and BOY was I glad I did. This pop/rock group from Detroit is making some great stuff. Not in the same way as your usual rock band (though they do have the crashing guitars, smashing drums and various amazing vocals down) but in a whole new way. Amongst the typical pop/rock instrumentation, there are synths and orchestral instruments that bleed through and take center stage.

I love the way it sounds and how it all comes together and it reminds me of what Set It Off is going for (orchestral pop) only I think Cold For June might be achieving it better. (Sorry SIO. I freaking adore you boys nonetheless.) Anyway, I'm truly digging what their doing. Alan Reitman, along with guitarist/vocalist Matthew Sykora, lead guitarist Nick Reitman, bassist Ace Fowler and drummer Chad *Insert Last Name Here* are like a match made in music heaven.

I very much look forward to what these boys have in store, and you should too. Consider them added to my list of bands that need to get to Austin ASAP.

Go Download: Their latest song "Seeing" is up for FREE download HERE. And the rest of their songs are up for FREEEEE download here.

Gotye

http://gotye.com/

So, here's the thing about Gotye. He wasn't an instant love of mine. You've seen it time and time again where I listen to a band and fall into instant love and have to drop everything to come to BTNLT to write about them. That was not the case with Gotye. I heard Gotye, and yes, I rather liked "Somebody That I Used To Know," HOWEVER, upon listening to the rest of his album, I couldn't decide if I liked HIM or just that one song. That's why it has been longer than anticipated because I couldn't pinpoint what it was about Gotye. Maybe it wasn't an instant love, but for some reason I just couldn't stop thinking about his album.

So after five days of this odd fascination I have come up with this conclusion. While every other post on this blog was an instant love, this one was much more than that. I didn't fall into the sudden frenzy of like but rather it got under my skin. Gotye has done what so many bands try to do, which is not just make you buy their album, but intrigue you. Sure, I can love you, and I can love your band and buy all your music, but there is something to be said about a band that can make me completely enthralled by them. So much so that even when I wasn't sure how I felt about the music, I couldn't help but NEED to listen to it.

Now, of course, I can tell you that I simply adore Gotye. Hailing from Australia, Gotye has managed to make music that is completely indescribable by any genre label that I can think of. Really the only way I can think of describing him is by comparing him to mixtures of other people, and even than it's a stretch. (But in case you were wondering, I like to think of his sound as Sting and M83's lovechild.)

That being said, it isn't often you find music that is a class of its own, especially in this day and age where so much of it sounds the same. (Not that I'm knocking that. Why fix what ain't broke, right?)

I would like to go out on a limb here and say that Gotye is gonna be the start of a new radio era. He has already sold out the majority of his shows in the US, so obviously he has already acquired a strong fan base. I, for one, just wish he would be coming to Texas, because I would be there so quick.

Anyway, Gotye is the sort of musical act that you won't fall in love with by reading about because there aren't words to properly convey to you what Gotye is. Gotye is.... well.... Gotye. So I would highly suggest you stop right now, and listen to him. Yeah? (You can listen to his whole album HERE)

Go Download: I feel like saying "Somebody That I Used To Know" would be a cop out since it's the single, but definitely that one and "Eyes Open" from his album Making Mirrors.

The Soldier Thread

http://www.thesoldierthread.com/

Hello my dear readers! I'm sorry for the hiatus, but after the much needed vacation, bowl trip and reading down time, I am back and ready to introduce you to my first band that needs love of 2012 :)

I won't lie, I've been behind on my band discoveries since my last couple of real posts. (What can I say, it's the holidays.) So I took to my Facebook for this one and asked my friends (whom I rely on greatly when I reach a bandblock) about who should have the honors of being my first BTNLT for this year. I got a few suggestions, all which will most likely appear here, but this is the one that caught my eye.

I'm pretty sure that I've stated before (awhile back) that I'm not a huge fan of female voices. But there is something about Patricia Lynn's voice that is so mesmorizing and completely different that I can't help BUT love it. Maybe it's because it's so strong, and yet still so sweet sounding. Maybe it's because she can sing live as well. Or maybe it's just because it is a completely unique voice that I have never heard before. I don't know. But I think she is FABULOUS. Of course, she isn't the only member of this amazing Austin-based band, and the boys that support Patricia are in no means overshadowed by her. In fact, I do believe that they are perfect and wonderfully cohesive together. While seperately they may be wonderful, when brought together with Patricia, Todd Abels, Justing McHugh, Drew Vandiver and Chance Gilmore create music that I would like to call eargasmic. (See what I did there?)

This indie pop-rock group is such a breath of fresh air and I'm pretty sure I may be in love with them (It's all so sudden!) (Lol, am I funny yet?). Now I guess I'll give you some facts, huh?

January 31. Mark it on your calendars. The Soldier Thread's EP drop that day and, if I may be so bold, you would be stupid to miss it. And if you're in the area (WHY AM I NOT IN AUSTIN!) they'll be doing a free show tomorrow, January 6, at Frank.

Good music. Good FREE music. I really see no reason for anyone in Austin to miss it. Especially if you are loving the new sound growing in the area right now, because The Soldier Thread might be giving Speak a run for their money as the forefront of the Austin movement.

(It should probably be noted though that that is just my opinion and I am in no way qualified enough to be taken seriously lol)

Mark my words you guys, you aren't gonna miss out on TST. I know I won't be.

Go Download: Pre-order their EP here. And then to hold you over until you get it, download "Anybody" and "Matador" for free here.



Check out their acoustic cover of Ke$ha's "Blind". This girl can sing, ok.