New (To Me) Music

2011 has so far been an impressive year of new releases. New records from old favorites Radiohead, R.E.M., The Dears and Elbow have been solid, and I've discovered a few new groups along the way.

Here are some groups I've discovered so far in 2011:

Archers
Their debut 7" is a raucous explosion of energy and sound, and they have the live show to back it up. The group recently recorded a session at OPB, and I had the pleasure of interviewing them. Look for that interview at opbmusic.org in the coming weeks.

Hurricane Bells
While in D.C. in April I decided to check out a random show. I had never heard of Hurricane Bells until that night, and I was truly impressed. (Later I discovered that lead singer Steve Schiltz was also the singer for Longwave, a group I also enjoy very much.) Schlitz uses guitar effects to create an atmosphere of sound, backed by a steady drummer, bass player and female vocalist. He tells me there is a new album on the way, and I am looking forward to it.

Land of Talk
My friend Rian gave me the latest Land of Talk release - Cloak & Cipher - and told me I would dig it. He was right. It is a female-led group with loud guitars and killer melodies. Rian and I both agree the songs could use a liiiittle editing time-wise, but other than that it is a stunning album.

Apex Manor
Earlier in the year I discovered Apex Manor, the new project from The Broken West singer Ross Flournoy. I lucked into catching their set at Mississippi Studios, and the band blasted through the new album while sneaking in a few Broken West tunes along the way. The album plays like a classic good ol' American rock record in the best way possible and is among my favorites of the year so far.

There are always more, but those are the groups that have stood out so far this year. And there are still plenty of new releases to come this year...Fleet Foxes, Beastie Boys, They Might Be Giants, Dawes, Other Lives and on and on.

What are some of your favorites of 2011 so far?