Changes by Faul & Wad Ad

   If there's one thing musical element that I'm a sucker for, it's a prominently featured saxophone. Really just horns in general, but I think a well executed sax solo is among the most sacred of musical moments. Indeed, perhaps my greatest concert memory was the face melting sax solo at the end of "Midnight City" by M83 when we saw them in Central Park two summers ago. With that in mind, I don't care what your opinions about saxophone are; this song is the fucking bomb. Starts out with a somewhat standard house song opening, before you hear the vocal sample come in and you know it's on. Head starts bopping as the bass comes in, and then a little sax flirtation to get you primed. Then comes the "drop," if you will, which is basically a three minute long tour de saxophone. Goddamn. It feels silly even narrating it for you. This isn't the musical style we typically post here, but I don't care what kind of music you like. This is a song you will like. Your grandpa who only listens to Hank Williams? He'll be getting a Soundcloud account just so he can listen to this song again. I shit you not. Come Thanksgiving, I will be playing this for my gramps and I will report back with the results.
   But on a more informational note, Faul is from Paris, France, which has distinguished itself as a true visionary in the field of electronic music. As of now, his Soundcloud account shows he only has two songs released (I have included both of them for your audial pleasure), but this guy is clearly going to be a force to be reckoned with. That's all I've got for now, but keep an ear out for more of this guy. Écoutez after the break.

Hey Rose by Houndmouth

Houndmouth are among my favorite bands that I've come across since the beginning of our little journey into blog-dom almost a year ago. It started with the Houndmouth EP way back in the beginning, which featured just four songs, but just eeked of potential. To absolutely nobody's surprise, the Louisville-ish (they started in Indiana, just across the river from Louisville, but are certainly a part of the well established folk scene in Louisville) band kicked ass and took names on their debut album. They made a name for themselves out on the concert/festival circuit, where according to anybody with functioning ears, they shredded. I can now confirm that fact, after seeing them in Columbus, OH last week, where what they played could be described in no other way than epic. Really one of the top live shows that this young listener has seen. With that said, I felt there was no reason not to post about them again, because there is no self-respecting music lover that shouldn't know about and love Houndmouth. Listen to "Hey Rose" after the break.

Ohm by Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo has been around FOREVER. Like, I had no idea the type of longevity these guys have had. They formed in 1984 in Hoboken, New Jersey (shouts out to the Jerz), and have had more or less the same core group of musicians since the start, and steadily released albums since then. Their discography is vast, but with such talent on the roster, they have some truly excellent work. They are frequently cited as a quintessential critics' band. Your friend whose a huge music snob loves Yo La Tengo. We're not music snobs here, but that doesn't mean we don't like YLT.  Their most recent album, Fade, was released earlier this year and is just excellent from start to finish. For a little taste of what's to be found on the rest of the album, take the song "Ohm." It's got hazy vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and some badass guitar to boot. Listen after the break.

Gary Clark Jr.

Alright Moist Melodies readers. We have done you a disservice through our recent lack of posting. But for the sake of continuity, I'm just going to ignore the lengthy gap between posts and continue as if nothing had ever changed.

Gary Clark Jr. is the truth. He's a blues-rock guitarist in the vein of the Black Keys who is just straight up great. The music is driven in large part by his electric guitar playing which is bluesy and technically skillful. His guitar playing has been given awards by people who should know about guitar playing, so he's got that to fall back on too. But the main gist of it is that Clark takes the blues rock sound of groups like the Black Keys and puts his own spin on it. At times he delves into the realms of hip-hop with his smooth voice rapping over traditional rock instrumentals, and others, he sticks to a more straightforward blues rock song with a sick nasty Hendrix-esque guitar solo stuck somewhere in the middle. His album, Blak and Blu (2012), was the spark I needed to get Moist Melodies started back up, so I take that as a true testament to this album. Seriously, the whole reason we started this blog was to share music that we're excited about. This is music to get excited about. It's been a really long time since I've been so amped about an artist I just learned about. The fire has been rekindled and Moist Melodies has returned. Listen to some jams after the break.