The Unknown & Unheard Show 261! Christmas Show!

Tom Waits – Step Right Up – Small Change (1976)

-          4^th album from one of music’s most prolific artists

-          This is my annual sarcastic tribute to the American Christmas… there is not a song more fitting.

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine : Live Video of Song (Brilliant)

Guadalupe Plata - Serpiente Negra - Guadalupe Plata (2011)

-          Debut album.

-          Spanish band.

-          Incredibly enjoyable Black Keys/White Stripes feel here.

BandCamp : BandCamp : HypeMachine

Hanni El Khatib - Loved One - When the Guns Come Out (2011)

-          If you love the old Black Keys you will get into this guy for sure!

-          Hard, dirty garage blue rock.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Turf War – Stay Running – Years of Living Dangerously (2011)

-          Debut album

-          Produced by Ian St. Pe’ of the Black Lips.

-          Atlanta band.

facebook : HypeMachine

You Won't - Television - Skeptic Goodbye (2011)

-          Debut album

-          M. Ward and T. Rex feel to this track.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Country Mice - Worn Hearts - Twister (2011)

-          Debut album

-          Folk rock outfit that formerly went by We Are Country Mice.

facebook : Amazon : HypeMachine

Tony Castles - Dream Job - No Service (2010)

-          Debut EP out.

-          Download for free at RCRDLBL!

-          Brooklyn band.

MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

Thee Oh Sees - The Dream - Carrion Crawler/The Dream (2011)

-          12th album.

-          San Fran garage psych band.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Dead Luke – Paranoia Is A Flower Of The Mind – Meanwhile… In the Midwest (2011)

-          4^th album

-          Luke Gasper.

-          RIYL: Wet Hair and any other heavy, muddy, pulsing psych rock.

MySpace: Amazon : HypeMachine

Anna Calvi - Wolf Like Me (TV On the Radio cover) - Jezebel single (French Version) (2011)

-          Drastically different version of one of TVOTR's most popular songs.

-          Debut was out this year and she was nominated for the UK’s Mercury Prize for best artist of the year.

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Blithe Field - Crushing - Two Hearted (2011)

-          2^nd full length

-          19 year old from Ohio.

-          Ambient/electronic/looping/sample-heavy arrangements.

BandCamp : Amazon : HypeMachine

Christopher Owens – Cold Again (Live) (2011)

-          This is the leader of the band Girls (they are better known on the U & U for their drummer’s side project, PAPA)

-          He recorded these brilliant, spare tracks this past year.

-          Girls 2011 album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, is getting tremendous acclaim, but for some reason they’ve never struck a chord with me.

Watch Them All on Stereogum!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Nothing But Our Love (Live) (2011)

-          Original is on their debut full length, It’s A Corporate World.

-          This is a really gorgeous, seasonally appropriate, mellower version played only on a piano and organ.

-          Their 2010 debut EP garnered them a lot of good reviews.

-          One of the my top of the top favorite live bands of the year.

-          Check out the Video!

Official Site : Amazon : HypeMachine

Sufjan Stevens –Sister Winter– Songs For Christmas

-          Sufjan is a unique artist and without many people knowing has produced roughly fifty great… not the same old… Christmas songs

-          My personal favorite Sufjan Christmas original.

-          You will not hear a Christmas song like this in Macy’s… and that’s a good thing!

Official Site : MySpace : Amazon : HypeMachine

EMA - California - Past Life Martyred Saints (2011)

-          Debut full length.

-          This is the current from nowhere-to-everywhere band in the indie music world.

-          Erika M. Anderson

Amazon : HypeMachine