EZ EPs II

BRANDI CARLILE
brandicarlile.com ♥ brandicarlile.co.uk ♥ myspace.com
Speaking of ridiculously hot, the first time I saw a picture of Brandi Carlile, I knew I was in love. She had shorter hair back then and had a boyish charm to her looks, reminiscent of Louise Wener (here's an example).

She recently released her iTunes-only EP called Live from Boston, and it was a real pleasure to listen to.

Of the four songs, I thought "The Story" was easily, easily the best. Her emotionally charged lyrics is best experienced live.

By the way, a close second was her Johnny Cash cover "Folsom Prison Blues".

You can purchase the EP via iTunes only, the most popular digital music store, so chances are, you probably already have an account. Incidentally, the reason why the 4-track is listed at $4.99, it is because it comes bundled with a video for "Josephine".

As a bonus, enjoy her cover version of Radiohead's "Creep", recorded at The All About The Music Festival 2006. If you like what you heard, you can buy a superior recording from the same Live in Boston set via iTunes.

THE SAFES
www.thesafes.com ♥ myspace.com
Released last week (Sep 23^th), the Safes' Sight of All Light EP are a great mix of rock n roller.

Rolling Stones calls it "Atomic Pop", while Paste Magazine compares them to The Kinks and The Who... so apparently the popular press loves these guys.

The five-track fourth Safes release does start off strong and rocking, especially with the first track, "Sight of All Light".

It looks like, starting in October, they are heading out for a national tour, be sure to check them out.

Tour Dates

MARK WILLIAMS
markwilliamsmusic.com ♥ myspace.com
Mark Williams didn't give me much to work with. The EP is a five-track CD-R with no album artwork. No offense to anyone, but I have different priorities when it comes to music reviews and CD-R, demos, & MP3s are at the bottom of my list.

I will mention that there was something in the package that did make me take a notice: there was a Lipton Herbal Peach Tea. I'm not saying to bribe me, but it was one of those WTF moment.

So, his EP is called Shallow Eyes. I could not find any album artwork online, so I'm using a picture of his band. The whole EP has a Motion City Soundtrack feel to it, but slower. I would even bet Shallow Eyes would sound better live than what's on recording.

I see a lot of potential in Williams, he's only 16, right now, it should be interesting to watch him as he grows up, and perhaps take up a different musical direction.

Whatever it takes for me to be a lifetime musician, that’s what I’m going to do.

The band's already found early success by being included on last Summer's Warped Tour. They are playing an upcoming show in Stroudsburg:

15 Nov 2008 Sherman Theater - INVINCIBLE CLOTHING SHOW! Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

BRYN CHRISTOPHER
brynchristopher.com ♥ myspace.com
People tells me that they discover new music "Grey's Anatomy". I mean, who looks for new music on television shows? Well apparently it does work, and Interscope Records invested in having Bryn Christopher's "The Quest" to appear on an upcoming season of Grey's - so watch for it if you're already a fan of the show.

"The Quest" is a lead-in single (released September 16^th) to his January 13^th, 2009 album called My World, and if the song is any indication I would have to guess that the album is pop/soul. If you like that genre, you definitely need to give "The Quest" a listen.

The story I got out of the Quest was that he wrote the song on his mobile phone, and is about his brother's experience as a solider in Basra.

He just finished up a few dates in the US, and is now heading through the UK supporting The Script:

Tour Dates