Music Highlight of the Week: Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear is one of my favorite bands right now. If you like indie/folk music, you will love Grizzly Bear.

Genre:   indie/folk/rock
Albums I own:   Horn of Plenty, Veckatimest
Best Songs:   "Don't Ask", "Alligator", "Two Weeks", "Cheerleader", "Southern Point", "Fine For Now"
last.fm link (for more info):   http://www.last.fm/music/Grizzly+Bear


If you want to have nightmares for the rest of your life, watch their music video for "Two Weeks" (posted below).

Passion Pit - The Reeling

Great song, awesome music video. It's trippy, artsy, and it fits the music perfectly.

"I used to listen to that band, then they became popular"

     I'm not a hipster. I may listen to mostly Indie music and bands that most people haven't heard of before, but I'm not a hipster. Why? Because I don't reject mainstream music simply because it's popular. I once met a guy who went as far as to say that he didn't like Sigur Rós because they were too popular. If that is "too popular", then any band which gets worldwide or nationwide recognition is, and that is an absurdity. Perhaps these musicians are popular for a reason, like maybe... because they're good? Now there's a thought.
In my opinion, most mainstream music, though catchy, is poor in quality, but there are some talented mainstream musicians out there. Also, there is a time and place for every genre of music (except for *cough*country*cough*). Here are some of my favorite mainstream artists:

Lady Gaga - She might not be the best role model, but even the most hipster-ish of hipsters can't deny that she is musically and artistically talent. The woman writes her own songs and designs her own costumes. She has also written and performed acoustic versions of her songs, which highlight her natural vocal talent.

Justin Timberlake - I have been a fan of JT for over a decade now. From N'Sync to Future Sex/Love Sounds, Justin has always been an amazing singer and dancer.

Timbaland - With his ever versatile music which features a wide variety of musicians and singers, Timbaland makes it to the top of my list.

Mika - Love him.

Coldplay - Who doesn't like Coldplay?

Alicia Keys - She writes her own songs and performs them live.

Black Eyed Peas - I've loved the Black Eyed Peas for years. If I'm in the mood to dance or listen to something upbeat, their music is the best.

Beyonce - What would a bouquet toss be without "Single Ladies"?

Kanye West - He may be arrogant, but he has some great songs!

Enrique Iglesias - Enrique has some great, upbeat songs... and who can resist his Latin charm?

And of course, there are the occasional hit singles by other artists. Sorry, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, you didn't make the list. Maybe next time?