Your musical discovery of the year

[SAI]

Much of my year, musically, has been hijacked by the boundless awesomeness of the latest Sons and Daughters album, but I have also been trying new artists out, and one really sticks out.

Susanna Wallumrod
http://a257.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/97/l_a809bdfe0eda8e0a813010d6d9307f48.jpg
What can I say about Susanna Wallumrod's voice? It's the sort of thing that only superlatives can describe, and even those feel deeply inadequate. It is a thing of staggering deliacy and beauty, but there's more too it than that. Wallumrod, both with partner Morten Qvenild as Susanna and the Magical Orchestra and now as a solo artist is a truly extraordinary interpreter of songs. She takes completely unexpected tracks and recasts them in ways so moving, and so natural, that you'd swear that how they always sounded and were always supposed to sound. Most of what I've heard of Wallumrod's music sets her voice to only very minimal backing, to its great advantage. It's not that she lacks vocal power, quite the reverse, but you don't really need anything but her.
It also bears mentioning that Susanna Wallumrod's voice is the sexiest thing I've heard all year (challenged only by the fact that I rediscovered Charlotte Gainsbourg's 5:55 album, and her voice turns me on with pavlovian immediacy) but it's also intensely moving. This is most notable on Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart, which still moves me close to tears whenever I hear it.
Susanna Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/susannasonata)
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra Myspace (www.myspace.com/susannamagical)

So, that's my great discovery, what's yours?

[Badbird]

http://img13.nnm.ru/imagez/gallery/2/7/6/e/a/276ea220033240e6503400238ef80c98_full.jpg

Northern Kings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Northern Kings are a Finnish symphonic metal cover supergroup, made up of four musicians who have already become well known in their existing bands: Jarkko Ahola from Teräsbetoni, Marco Hietala from Nightwish and Tarot, Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto from Charon. Their first single, "We Don't Need Another Hero", is a cover of a song written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, and performed by Tina Turner for the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.


First album, Reborn:

1. "Don't Stop Believin'" – (Journey cover) – (by Marco Hietala) – 5:29
2. "We Don't Need Another Hero" – (Tina Turner cover) – (by all) – 4:48
3. "Broken Wings" – (Mr. Mister cover) – (by Tony Kakko) – 5:32
4. "Rebel Yell" – (Billy Idol cover) – (by Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto) – 7:29
5. "Ashes To Ashes" – (David Bowie cover) – (by Tony Kakko) – 4:39
6. "Fallen On Hard Times" – (Jethro Tull cover) – (by Marco Hietala) – 3:54
7. "I Just Died in Your Arms" – (Cutting Crew cover) – (by Jarkko Ahola) – 5:49
8. "Sledgehammer" – (Peter Gabriel cover) – (by Tony Kakko) – 5:08
9. "Don't Bring Me Down" – (Electric Light Orchestra cover) – (by Jarkko Ahola) – 4:06
10. "In The Air Tonight" – (Phil Collins cover) – (by Marco Hietala) – 4:35
11. "Creep" – (Radiohead cover) – (by Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto) – 5:38
12. "Hello" – (Lionel Richie cover) – (by Jarkko Ahola) – 4:31
13. "Brothers In Arms" – (Dire Straits cover) – (by Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto) – 6:59


Second album, Rethroned:

1. "Training Montage" (Vince DiCola cover; "Rocky IV" soundtrack) / "Wanted Dead Or Alive" (Bon Jovi cover)
2. "Kiss From A Rose" (Seal cover)
3. "A View To A Kill" (Duran Duran cover)
4. "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Sinead O'Connor cover)
5. "My Way" (Frank Sinatra cover)
6. "Strangelove" (Depeche Mode cover)
7. "Take On Me" (A-ha cover)
8. "I Should Be So Lucky" (Kylie Minogue cover)
9. "Killer" (Adamski feat. Seal cover)
10. "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend" (Thin Lizzy cover)


Northern Kings Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/northernkings)

[athf1980]

The darkness on the edge of town-I discovered this album owns almost all. It's another 5 star classic from Bruce.

The key discovery was Dragonforce. I became fond of their music thanks to Through the Fire and Flames useage from Guitar Hero 3.

[Superplasmatron]

i'm found of Guy Blackman, no idea why but noah and i like the dance to his badly sung pop. Also i like Ilya E Monosov and the dodos.

[Tayzlor]

El Guincho

I'm absolutely obsessed with his record; it's my '08 numero uno.

Very underrated imo too, he's signed to XL stateside, received P4K BNM, and has received none other accolades or special mentions.

I would make a thread but no one would reply.

Here's his MySpace w/ 2/3 of album streaming:

El Guincho (http://www.myspace.com/elguincho)

My favorite is "Fata Morgana".

He's also a member of Barcelona-based Coconot, who released an album this year (it's nowhere near Guincho's)...and their entire album "Cosa Astral" is streaming on their MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/coconot).