Spotlight - Christina Maria

Christina Maria's second album release, 2010's Straight Line, is a collection of folk-pop tunes that highlight Maria's distinctive voice that is soft, but full and strong, and shows the darkness of beautiful reality. Born in Vancouver, B.C., Maria recorded Straight Line, with five different producers, in different studios, with varying back musicians to each recording session. Even with the extra lush twinkles of the session musicians, Maria's voice (which at times sounds like early Feist) and heart ring above all. We dig her arty video for "Straight Line," and you should too.



Christina Maria Official Straight Line Video from Christina Maria on Vimeo.
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Call It Folk - The Dutchess and The Duke, Gwyneth & Monko

Thanks to the upcoming national release (July 20) of Good Old Horse from our favorite folk duo Gwyneth & Monko, we stumbled upon the blog Call It Folk - A Home for Good Songs and Ballads. And golly, do they follow through with indie and brand-spanking new bands that dip their toes into traditional mixed with contemporary folk pop. Featuring groups like Band of Horses, The Dutchess and The Duke to complete unknowns, a great feature of this site is that at the end of each "review" or feature of said band, they offer you a list of other artists you may be interested in after reading about said band.

An early review of Good Old Horse by Call it Folk had only great things to say about the beautiful duo.



"Their songs are all good, but they are varied, from lone and sparse ballads like "Pine Box Sailor," to more upbeat songs with full arrangements. Being a sucker for traditional-style storytelling, and vocal harmonies, I found myself weak at the knees listening for the first time to the lovely song "Pine Box Sailor." It's awash with imagery and longing, driven by it's waltz-like tempo and folksy, universal melody. Gwyneth's vocals and lyrics combine wonderfully in this sad lament. This song is from her solo album, but the killer harmony vocals are from Michael Monko. "Lexington Ballad" in the standout from the new EP. Great vocals from Moreland, with stellar mandolin lines from Monko. This is very good songwriting from a duo with lots of talent, and, we hope, at least a few more albums to come." Click Here to Read More..

Indie Twee Pop at It's Finest. The True Jacqueline Release Nice Bird on June 22nd

Based in Northampton, Massachusetts, The True Jacqueline’s debut full-length release Nice Bird set for release on June 22, presents indie-rock twists, breakdowns, and unusual arrangements that always remain melodic. TJ’s songs can be both campy and heartfelt; they write about what they know: real life, pop culture, and historical subjects. “We pull topics from many places,” says Stevralia. “We’re kind of nerds, so academic subjects like science, math, and history--as well as science-fiction --tend to crop up often.”

Nice Bird presents straight up bouncy indie rock reminiscent of late ‘90s Canadian power-pop (“Pon Farr”), sonic jamming dubs (“Citrus Alarm“ and “Mondegreen”), and delicious folk-pop (“Starts With She”). Though each song is sonically unique, what all of Nice Bird’s songs have in common is odd and whimsical lyrical content. They sing about magnets, Barbara Streisand, the 1989 Fred Savage video game movie “The Wizard”, and hating your brother enough to want to kill him.

The True Jacqueline have shared the stage with Bishop Allen, Sam Roberts Band, and Golden Bloom. In 2009, Spin.com tagged the band as one of “7 Undiscovered Rock Bands Worth a Listen.” "...Crunchy guitar riffs and singing tight girl/boy harmonies, a la Apples in Stereo ... lo-fi and loosely constructed but really kind of fun..." declared Jennifer Kelly of PopMatters of The True Jacqueline. Click Here to Read More..