By Don Robertson
Say Goodbye! to hard rock as it writhes in dying pain, and bid Hello! to Americana, the new acoustic popular music. Thank God you have arrived.
In Parts One and Two of "The New Acoustic Popular Music," I discussed the emergence of a new popular music that is widely divergant from the typical commercial offerings from corporate America. It is acoustic music that is based on the roots music of Southeastern America. We find that it is totally innovative, fresh and young, as most of the musical members of this genre are under 30 years of age. In this and the following articles in this series, I will continue to introduce this new generation of music.
"King and Lionheart" by Of Monsters and Men
In Parts One and Two of "The New Acoustic Popular Music," I discussed the emergence of a new popular music that is widely divergant from the typical commercial offerings from corporate America. It is acoustic music that is based on the roots music of Southeastern America. We find that it is totally innovative, fresh and young, as most of the musical members of this genre are under 30 years of age. In this and the following articles in this series, I will continue to introduce this new generation of music.
Of Monsters and Men
This group from Reykjavik, Iceland was formed by lead singer Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir in 2010. They released their first album the following year and it went number one on rock charts in Ireland, Austrailia, Iceland, and America. Watch this video. These kids are great:
"Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men
There is a lot to notice about this band's innovation. First of all, where is the lead guitar that is present in every rock group? Whoops, no such animal. Instead... it's a girl playing a trumpet! Additional innovations are the use of accordion, an instrument long forgotten in popular music, drums that are muted, and the use of drum mallets instead of hard sticks.
"Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men
Check out "King and Lionheart." This group has millions of fans from all over the world.
"King and Lionheart" by Of Monsters and Men
Fleet Foxes
The Seattle group Fleet Foxes features the voice and songs of Robin Pecknold. The band began to gain international attention in 2007, releasing their namesake CD the following year.
"Grown Ocean" by Fleet Foxes at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2011
"Helplessness Blues" on Austin City Limits in 2011
Dry the River
Dry the River is a London-based band that was formed in 2009. Their debut album Shallow Bed was released in 2012.
"Bible Belt" by Dry the River in Amsterdam 2011
The tiny bells in this video are the glockenspiel, used in symphony orchestras:
"History Book" by Dry the River London 2010
In the next episode of "The New Acoustic Popular Music" I will continue to present videos that I hope you will love and enjoy as I do.
Enjoy the music. There is a lot more to come.
So for now, "Good music. Good Vibes." I'm Don Robertson.
© 2016 by Don Robertson
