New Music We Love

It’s been a while since I’ve done a post on new music, which means there are lots of amazing new tunes to share! I’m so excited because this weekend I’ll be seeing some of these artists live at the XPoNential Music Festival.  The festival is put on by the University of Pennsylvania’s public radio station (and my personal favorite) WXPN, just over the bridge from Philly in Camden.  I go every year, and each year the lineup just gets better and better!

Dr. Dog, one of my favorite bands, just released a new song called “The Truth.” They’re known for their upbeat, catchy tunes but this one slows down the pace a little bit and I absolutely love it.  It has an old-school, soulful vibe to it (much like many of their songs) that’s sure to get you swaying side to side.  They’re playing at the Susquehanna Bank Center on Saturday night as part of the XPN festival and I hope to hear this tune live!  “The Truth” is the first track released off their forthcoming album B-Room, due out in October, and it is supposedly indicative of the overall vibe of the album — I can’t wait to hear it!

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros just released their third self-titled album just this week, and will also be playing at the XPN festival this weekend!  I can’t wait to hear some of their new songs like the catchy “Better Days” live — their last album was a bit more mellow, but on this one they pick up the pace again and there’s more of that swinging 60s sing-along vibe that I love so much, with some funk thrown in.  I’ve seen them live a few times, and they always blow me away with their incredible stage presence.  They always seem like they’re having an absolute blast, and it’s impossible not to dance your heart out to their music.

I didn’t know anything about Man Man when I first heard their song “Head On” and was instantly hooked.  I looked them up and found that they’re actually local to Philadelphia, and their forthcoming album On Oni Pond, due to be released on September 10, 2013, was produced by the talented Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk). The band consists of singer/piano player Honus Honus, who is accompanied by a broad spectrum of band members and instruments when he performs live. “Head On” has me hooked and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album!

What are you guys listening to right now? If you have any music recommendations I’d love to hear!

More indie music from the BLDG 25 Blog.

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