Artist:  The Dodos

Hails From:  San Fransisco

Musical Styles:  Indie Pop, Psych Rock, Folk

For Fans of:  Elliot Smith, Magnetic Fields, Animal Collective 

Why you should check them out:
Combining the finger picking guitar styles of Meric Long and the syncopated rhythms of drummer Logan Kroeber, The Dodos offer complex pop narritives so layered you’d swear they were a five piece band. And with their constant touring schedule and charismatic live performances, people far beyond their home base of San Francisco are starting to take notice.

Background Check:

We’re all familiar with the various hype slogans that media outlets readily disperse now-a-days.  Whether it’s “best new artist” or “top artist to look out for in 2008″ far too often all these titles boil down to a whole lot of hot air and very little talent. But every so often that new “it” band of the moment proves to be worthy of all the praise, and in this case, that band is the San Francisco duo, The Dodos. With smooth vocals and intricate guitar and drum rhythms, The Dodos create a mixture of charming folk pop that you just can’t resist singing along to.

Starting out as a solo project title Dodo Bird in 2005, Meric Long soon enlisted the help of drummer Logan Kroeber for the release of their first album Beware of the Maniacs under their new moniker The Dodos. While touring nearly non-stop in support of their album, The Dodos wrote the material for their follow-up, Visiter, released in March 2008 on Frenchkiss Records. Both the misspelled name and the artwork seen throughout Visiter was taken directly from childrens drawings made for the duo after a performance at a special ed class in L.A.  How sweet is that?  For The Dodos, winning the praise of music critics, a classroom full of chrildren, and an evergrowing group of music fans alike, is all just part of a job well done.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

http://www.myspace.com/thedodos

http://dodosmusic.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dodos

Where you can find them on tour:

Jambase.com

Artist: Blitzen Trapper

Hails from: Portland, OR

Musical Style: Indie Rock, Alternative Country, Classic Rock

For Fans of: Pavement, Neil Young, Wilco

Why you should check them out:

Garnering extensive critical acclaim for their 2007 release Wild Mountain Nation, this Portland based sextet has established themselves as one of the most eclectic and hard working indie/alt-country outfits to emerge onto Sub Pop’s current roster.

Background check:

Listen to just a few tracks from Blitzen Trapper’s Wild Mountain Nation, and you might just find yourself questioning whether you accidentally hit random on your itunes. Sure the vocals are seemingly familiar through each track, but with mellow acoustic songs leading into heavy guitar solo freak outs, you might wonder how songwriter Eric Earley, a man who admittedly does not buy records, could attain such eclecticism.

Normally, I would take this time to list a few similar bands to give you an idea of what to expect, but with Blitzen Trapper that list would require far more commas then I’m willing to commit to. Let’s just say, southern rock mixed with banjo laden delta blues, and a little bit of lo-fi Pavment-esque distortion to top it off. And I’m pretty sure that still doesn’t cover it.

Since forming in 2000, the Portland sextet have fully embraced the D.I.Y. ethic, self releasing all three of their albums before signing to Sub Pop in 2007. For a band who has continually worked so hard to get to where they are, 2008 finds Blitzen Trapper in high standings. Gaining critical acclaim with Wild Mountain Nation, and finding themselves on their first headlining tour, Blitzen Trapper’s fourth release, Furr (scheduled for later this year) is an album definitely worth watching for.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:
www.myspace.com/blitzentrapper
www.subpop.com/bio/blitzen_trapper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitzen_Trapper

Where you can find them on tour:
http://www.jambase.com