While many people flocked south to Austin, Texas last week for this year’s South By Southwest festival, which showcases more than two thousand artist performances alongside label presentations, technology reveals, and discussion panels, some of us had to settle for attending Couch By Couchwest from home. I spent the past week digging through a spreadsheet of 2,121 artists who were slated to play during SXSW 2015, and after whittling down the list and listening to 622 of them, I have selected 76 independent acts that warrant further attention now that the festivities have ended. Read a short blurb on each artist below along with a prime track among their discography, or skip ahead to the full playlist on SoundCloud by clicking here. Continue reading “76 independent artists to watch following SXSW 2015”
Daughtry
A quiet week both within the top ten – Prince entering at #6 is the only notable activity – and on the chart as a whole, with Haerts leading debuts at #66. Next week’s chart should make things more interesting, with potential debuts due to new singles from Calvin Harris and John Newman, Jamie Scott and Christina Perri, Nickelback, Fall Out Boy, Daughtry, Nick Jonas, and Walk The Moon.
These are one hundred songs that stayed in my heavy rotation throughout 2013. In a year that saw personal advancements including eight weeks studying abroad in France and graduation from college, these songs soundtracked my year, each song appealing to me through instrumentation, lyrics, or just its overall mood. Read on for descriptions of each track, access the whole playlist on SoundCloud to listen, and judge away.
Continue reading “Kurt’s 100 Favorite Songs of 2013”
Florence + The Machine move to #2 with “Shake It Out,” trading places with Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All.” Once again, three songs enter the top ten: Sara Bareilles and Ryan Tedder’s “Gonna Get Over You,” Daughtry’s “Crawling Back To You,” and Graffiti6’s “Free.” Daughtry again has the highest debut, this time with “Renegade.”