DePauw students need to be aware of the beginning of what may be a very long few weeks. Thanksgiving Break has ended, the first snowfall has already fallen (eliminating the excitement of many first official Boulder Runs) and a hectic and stressful stretch of preparation for various frightening final exams continues.
If that wasn't depressing enough, the music world is also entering a very dry season. Most major festivals have concluded, top tier bands have left their North American tours for Europe and beyond and many new albums won't be released until the first few months of 2012.
Until this stalemate of a season ends, some may find it entertaining to search and discover some new bands and artists to entertain them in the meantime. Here, I've listed a few bands that have some recognizable tunes, along with some impressive others to go along with them.
Grouplove: Another Indie Rock product of Los Angeles, the five-member group began its road to success by touring with Florence + The Machine and Young the Giant. The group released its first EP in 2010 and has since released an album titled "Never Trust A Happy Song," which I highly suggest purchasing in its entirety.
This album features numerous songs that have already been exposed by video games and commercials. "Colours," the band's most popular song, has been featured on the 2012 versions of both Madden and FIFA video games.
Thanks to being featured on the Apple iPhone's last "Share the Fun" text messaging commercial, "Tongue Tied" has become more of a sing-along hit every time it resurfaces.
As mentioned, the band's latest album can easily be noted as one of my best iTunes purchases. "Never Trust A Happy Song" truly flows through all 12 songs, featuring many upbeat and happy-go-lucky impressions.
Two Door Cinema Club: Formed in Northern Ireland in 2007, this indie rock trio is beginning to showcase its skills on an international level. After winning the Choice Music Prize for album of the year in Ireland in 2010, the band has been featured in major festivals, including Lollapalooza this summer.
They have had four songs included on the top-150 song charts in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the United States since 2009. Its most impressive song, "What You Know," hit the 22nd spot on the U.S. alternative charts this year.
With a very high-pitched guitar to complement a rapid pace, Two Door Cinema Club sounds like the offspring of Vampire Weekend and The Strokes with the instrumentals played on fast-forward in some instances.
For such a complicated mix, the group comes off extremely entertaining and engaging.
Its songs "What You Know," "I Can Talk" and "Something Good Can Work" will set you off to a productive start.
Freelance Whales: It is difficult to accurately associate this band with a certain genre. It needs to be classified as a cluster. It has been noted as a mixture of indie and pop rock, but with a combined instrument list of banjo, glockenspiel, electric guitar and drums, it's a little bit of everything.
Before performing at the annual Bonnaroo music festival this summer and live on NPR, Freelance Whales was filmed performing on New York subway platforms and in abandoned barns.
What makes this group truly captivating is the way unorthodox instruments such as glockenspiel and synthesizers lead in various songs. In the band's most popular song "Generator First Floor," after starting off with simple accordion, the glockenspiel chimes in and takes control for the rest of the tune, effectively creating an interesting and joyous mood, to say the least.
Other interesting songs by Freelance Whales include "Hannah," led by a synthesizer, and "Broken Horses," led by an acoustic guitar.
With the help of these three passionate bands, the stress of this exasperating end of the semester will hopefully be uplifted. In the meantime, relax, turn on some tunes and enjoy.
—Easterhouse is a freshman from Evergreen Park, Ill., majoring in communications.
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