While he's taking a bit of a break, it's the perfect opportunity to get to know Sondre Lerche's music.
Fuzzy Five: Artists That You Probably Haven't Heard Of (But You Should Get To Know)
With a bit of a gap in between major releases, this is generally the time of year where folks take out that budgeted CD money and get themselves an older cd that might've been recommended by a friend, or even just simply haven't gotten around to. With that in mind, here's a list of five artists that you may not be familiar with, that are definitely worth checking out.
1. Sondre Lerche
Mr. Lerche (pronounced Lur-KAY) won over critics from the very beginning with his excellent debut Faces Down and has continued to build on the reputation of being a superb singer/songwriter. He bends genres extremely well, ranging everywhere from country-tinged rock to folk to even musical-like pieces that create a sound that is practically timeless. At the young age of 22, Sondre still has a lot of room left to grow, which is scary considering how well received he is already.
2002
Faces Down
★★★★½
2004
Two Way Monologue
★★★★½
2. Josh Rouse
Although he's been around since 1998, Josh Rouse still has managed to remain relatively unknown, though with his brilliant album Nashville, it's hard to imagine that his fortunes will not change very shortly. Easily viable to fulfill the role once taken by Elliott Smith, Josh Rouse is exceptional when it comes to writing personal tales, and also benefits from being able to effortlessly change dynamics, as can be seen in listening to his soulful and funky 1972 back to back to the more recent and aforementioned Nashville. Incredibly gifted, he easily deserves the #2 spot on this list.
2005
Nashville
★★★★★
2003
1972
★★★★½
2002
Under Cold Blue Stars
★★★★¼
3. Los Amigos Invisibles
While bands such as Ozomatli and even Kinky have become relatively popular in the mainstream, this super fun band from Venezuela still has yet to break into the same fray of popular audiences. While the band has been together for well over a decade they have only released three US albums, two of which will be focused here. Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space perfectly illustrates how this band is able to have fun (sometimes almost too much), but still be exceptionally talented and quirky, as there are titles such as "Masturbation Session" that while seemingly vulgar, are actually quite playful and light-hearted. The other more recent album, The Venezuelan Zinga Son vol. 1 continues with much of the same although the band grooves a little bit more on this one and in some cases it's a little more discoteque-oriented. Either way you can't go wrong, be sure to check these guys out!
2000
Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space
★★★★¾