The Fleet Foxes - Where Was I At On That One?

Again it's happened and again I can blame Melt Your Face Off for bringing another near-miss back to my radar...thanks Stefania!Hot off the press from the blustery Seattle area, it's no surprise this emerging group decided to let Sub Pop and Bella Union release their full album back in June.

The Fleet Foxes have been hogging my iPod the past week and filling the gap Jim James and My Morning Jacket have left open while rounding out the platform Animal Collective, Band of Horses, and "fill in your whiny-voiced melodic fascination-group that has your finger hitting the 'repeat' button here" have begun establishing over the past few. I just missed their Denver performance due to a music conference...but I'm guaranteeing I'll be catching their second go-around. Don't have their album yet? I know I'm late in warning you, but it's available now and will definitely cause your guests to bob their heads and interrupt your BBQ to ask "is that the new My Morning Jacket?"

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

And...the great video to accompany the beautiful song!

I think I love you. I think I'll wreck you. Oh no.

This blog is a direct result of spying on the MySpace of Mountain Tempo's dear friend whose name "rhymes with 'lasagna'" - her words. She even blogged about KaiserCartel and posted a nice video that is definitely worth checking out...which may have started my obsession with this emerging band. Needless to say, a recent string in me was plucked and when I found out I actually had the whole album, I was blown away by several more KaiserCartel songs. One day later and I think I've logged over two dozen plays of their lead track, "Oh No." Despite the ironic reasons that allowed the song to infiltrate my head, I also dug the building choir-like harmonies and Courtney's voice that has hints of Zoey Deschanel (She & Him, Elf), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), and maybe Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies singing "Sweet Jane").

KaiserCartel - Oh No

Let's get it straight so the picture up top doesn't throw you off. Brooklyn's couple,KaiserCartel, has no relevance (that I'm aware of) to an actual Kaiser or a cartel. Currently, Benjamin Cartel is an elementary art teacher while Courtney Kaiser is an elementary music teacher. I'm curious if the parents of Cartel's and Kaiser's students realize one used to be a backup singer for John Mellencamp and that they have a kick-ass band touring the entire nation during the summer?

KaiserCartel has an album out now from Bluhammock Music titled March Forth. I highly suggest you hike to your local music store and get a copy of your own...it's very rare now-a-days that I can listen to an entire album without my forefinger anxious to skip a song here and there. Plus, with lyrics like "Along the way, the headphones play, I can hear you. You're my favorite song, I wanna sing it again..." how you could you skip it?

KaiserCartel - Favorite Song