Guitars, Trumpets, and Manjos

Let me start out by saying that I am not a hipster.  I've gotten a lot of flack for my musical tastes because I like artists that not many other people know about.  When I say "I really like so-and-so, but not many people know about them," I'm not trying to prove that I'm cooler or better then everyone.  There's an unsaid "So you should check them out because they're great!"  Keeping that in mind, here's a bunch of artists that I really like, and I think more people should know about.

Avalanche City:
I found this band while I was living in New Zealand.  Their song "Love Love Love" became really popular when it was used in a commercial for a TV station.  When I first heard the clip of it in the commercial I thought, "What is this?  It's amazing!"  Apparently other people had the same reaction because it shot to number one on New Zealand charts.  I listened to their other music and fell even more in love with the band. I love (love love) almost every one of their songs, but I'll show you this one since it was the one that got me hooked.  I really like the manjo (mandolin-banjo), the other various stringed instruments, and the tune is nice and catchy.  The music video is adorable as well.

Kimbra:
Kimbra is another artist that I found while living in New Zealand because her song, "Cameo Lover," became popular while I was there.  When I found out that I went to the same school she went to and was in the same SCAT choir under the same director, I freaked out.  It has made me so happy to find out that other people are learning about her (thanks to her collaboration with Gotye on "Somebody That I Used To Know").  Her voice is amazing, she is a good song writer, and I like her sound.  Here is the colorful music video to the first and favorite song of hers that I heard.

Brooke Fraser:
Although she is from New Zealand, I actually found out about her before I got there.  It was one of those rare times when I clicked on the right link in the sidebar and found some YouTube gold.  I immediately fell in love with her sound.  Unlike Kimbra and Avalanche City, she had already been around for a while so she had two full albums out already.  The first song of hers that I really liked was "Something in the Water."  The back up back up vocals are great, I like the guitar and percussion (not to mention her vocals), and the claps are so fun!  Again, the music video is cute, which doesn't hurt.

Youngbloode Hawke:
I just recently found Youngbloode Hawke, again through the YouTube sidebar.  They are a fairly new band; they only have four songs, but I like them all.  I first heard "We Come Running" and it was stuck in my head for the next few days.  I listened to it again, and then heard the rest of their songs.  With every listen they grew on me.  I really like their back up vocals and all of the layered sound, and it was a nice break from all of the acoustic guitar that I had been listening to.  So, here's "We Come Running"

Givers:
This band is yet another one of my YouTube sidebar finds.  Their lyrics are either nonsensical or very deep, I can't tell which.  However, I really like their music.  The girl's voice, the instruments, and the tunes are all great (the guy's voice is okay).  Their harmonies are lovely as well.  So, here is the song that got me hooked, "Up Up Up."

Of Monsters and Men:
Of Monsters and Men is most well known for their song, "Little Talks." However, I really like the rest of their music.  I first heard little talks because I was trying to find a song that I had heard on a commercial.  I was told that the song was Little Talks (when, in fact, it was a different song altogether).  I couldn't get it out of my head, so I listened to it again, and then to some of their other songs.  At first I didn't like the rest of their music, but it quickly grew on me.  They have a similar-ish sound to Avalanche City, although Of Monsters and Men is a bit rougher (Does that make sense?  Do I sound like a crazy person?).  Their diction is horrendous, but the awesomeness of the trumpet makes up for it.  I love most of their songs and think that people would love their other music as well if they heard it, since Little Talks was so popular.  I'll show you two of their other songs, since I cannot choose.  First is "Yellow Light", which is incredibly calming and beautiful.  Next is "King and Lionheart," which is faster-paced and more energetic (but not as energetic as "Little Talks" and "Numb Bears")

I hope you guys enjoyed this music!  If you want other artist recommendations,  feel free to ask me; there's plenty more where these came from!