30 Indie-Folk Artists You Need To Hear ASAP

30 Indie-Folk Artists You Need To Hear ASAP

30 Indie-Folk artists that deserve a spot on your playlist.
Stephanie Shirk
Stephanie Shirk Jan 30, 2017
8414
views

When I hear Tanner Bingaman, I think of Dave von Ronk. Then I think of Beirut, which leads to The Milk Carton Kids. Each of these artists, regardless of their popularity, fall into the particular genre of indie-folk. Whether you're an indie fan looking to spice things up or a folk fan who wants a twist to your norm, this is the perfect playlist of artists for you to try out.

As with any genre, each artist on this list has something unique that they bring to the table. The difference with this specific list of artists is that they're all somewhat unknown. Yes, Mumford and Sons is a more popular artist to put on this list. But have you honestly even heard of Tanner Bingaman?

1. The Milk Carton Kids

Easy listening for the soul. Good for date nights, crying, and driving in the rain. Features incredibly tight vocal harmonies and good guitar playing.

a. Michigan

b. Stealing Romance

c. Maybe It's Time

Actually, just listen to all of their songs. They're all really good.

2. Dave van Ronk

The grandfather of the modern folk that rebelled against the wave of pop that swept Bob Dylan.

a. Hang Me, Oh Hang Me

b. Dink's Song

3. Beirut

Somehow fits the description of French Big Band, folk, and jazz all in one.

a. Elephant Gun

b. Nantes

4. Fleet Foxes

This group blends like the Beach Boys and sounds like Neil Young.

a. Blue Ridge Mountains

b. White Winter Hymnal

5. Avett Brothers

Yes they are actually brothers who host a classic North Carolina sound of bluegrass and upbeat, folk rhythms.

a. Pretty Girl at The Airport

b. Kick Drum Heart

6. Birdy

A young artist that entered the scene as an indie artist.

a. Skinny Love

b. Tee Shirt

7. The Blindspots

A retro-sounding band.

a. Yellow to Green

b. Hot Air Balloon

8. The Boxer Rebellion

Good mood music for a dreary day.

a. No Harm

b. Cause For Alarm

9. Chris and Thomas

Intense, dissonant harmonies.

a. You're the One I Want

b. Take These Thoughts

10. Hosier

An artist who touches many subject matters that you wouldn't suspect with his earthy, deep tones.

a. Cherry Wine

b. Work Song

11. Mountain Man

Haunting female harmonies for classic Appalachian folk.

a. Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies

b. Sewee Sewee

12. The Fratellis

A classic rock sound mixed with indie vibes. Plays well at parties.

a. Chelsea Dagger

b. Whistle For The Choir

13. George Ezra

Fast-paced, weathered, and resonant.

a. Budapest

b. Cassy O'

14. JayMay

An alto vocalist who sings with an upbeat rhythm.

a. Sea Green, See Blu

b. Never Be Daunted

15. Leon Bridges

An interesting of package of southern gospel and folk all rolled into one.

a. River

b. Better Man

16. Iron and Wine

Need an artist to accompany you on your spa night? Here ya go.

a. Flightless Bird, American Mouth

b. The Trapeze Swinger

17. Bon Iver

Canadian band is known for its high falsetto lead singer.

a. Blood Bank

b. Flume

18. Margot and the Nuclear So-So's

A trippy band with smooth vocals.

a. Broadripple Is Burning

b. Blue Collar, Red Letter

19. City and Colour

Dallas Green (hence the name) makes good use of strumming chords and entrancing vocals.

a. The Girl

b. Grand Optimist

I'm only repeating this band because I realized how good of a band they are and discovered their music very recently.

20. Tanner Bingaman

Imagine what your grandfather sounded like sitting on his porch in a rocking chair: peaceful.

a. Big Sail Boat

b. Clarity

21. Gregory Alan Isakov

Exactly what you think of when you hear the genre "indie-folk", with some orchestral thrown in for good measure

1. Big Black Car

2. The Stable Song

22. Radical Face

A much darker tone with a whimsical atmosphere.

a. Wrapped In Piano Strings

b. The Mute

23. Alt-J

A modern electric indie band that has folk tones and an electric sound.

a. Hunger of The Pine

b. Tessellate

24. Jack Johnson

Slow folk that has good energy and happy vibes.

a. Banana Pancakes

b. Bubble Toes

25. Mumford and Sons

The poster child for any modern folk/indie artist. Has conquered both the folk and the progressive rock genres.

a. I Will Wait

b. Feel The Tide

26. Freelance Whales

An indie band more or less that can make a good folk song with the help of a steel string and a synthosizer.

a. Winter Seeds

b. Spitting Image

27. The Tallest Man On Earth

A purely accented folk artist with modern appeal.

a. King Of Spain

b. Darkness of the Dream

Listen to all of his songs, too.

28. X ambassadors

Easy listening? X ambassadors. High-energy party music? X ambassadors.

a. Litost

b. Jungle

Just a disclaimer, these are two VERY different songs. Not both folk, but both worth listening to.

29. Kaleo

[cah-lay-oh] Bluesy-folk band that has electric and acoustic appeal.

a. Way Down We Go

b. All The Pretty Girls

The regular and stripped versions of option A are good, just an FYI.

30. James Bay

Smooth pop-folk artist with raw vocals. Easy listening music.

a. Let It Go

b. Hold Back The River


A serious thank you to my roommate Maddie and Dalton Bierly for helping me discover new artists to share with you this week and for expanding my Spotify playlists.

Cover Image Credit: ProjectRevolver.org
Stephanie Shirk
Stephanie Shirk Jan 30, 2017
At Susquehanna University

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12 Signs You're Addicted To Grey's Anatomy

Sydney Meade
Sydney Meade Sep 23, 2015
2636
views

Oh, "Grey’s Anatomy." We have been through so much together. Through the years, we have taken on bombs, shooters, plane crashes, and everything in between. You have loyally stood by me even when I hated you for killing off my favorite characters, or making Merideth and Derek break up. I know that some people may read this and call me crazy, but the real Grey’s fandom can relate. We are the most dedicated group of people you will ever find, almost to the point of insanity…or definitely to the point of insanity. Thinking of diagnosing yourself with Grey's-o-mania? If you meet these 12 criteria, time to strap on your surgical mask and scrub in because you are addicted.

Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead!

1. It has made you want to become a surgeon.

You are lying if all of the drama and medical lingo hasn’t made you consider changing your major at least once.

2. It has also made you NOT want to become a surgeon.

...but then there is all of the blood and the long hours.

3. You compare every guy you meet to Derek Shepherd.

The biggest mystery in all of "Grey’s" is how Meredith took so long to put a ring on that?! I mean, c’mon girl.

4. Hearing the names “Lexie” or “George” may result in an emotional breakdown.

These deaths left us with an open wound that even Mark Sloan’s sutures couldn’t repair.

5. You feel personally attacked every time a character is killed off.

Please refer to #4.

6. You feel like you could actually perform neurosurgery.

I have watched Derek clip so many aneurisms, I could do it in my sleep. Hand me a scalpel and sign me up for a clinical trial, I am ready.

7. You even sat through the musical episode.

Owen Hunt singing around the OR? A little too awkward for most people.

8. Your iTunes library is filled with songs from the show.

“How To Save a Life” by The Fray brings on all kinds of new feels now.

9. The new interns have to prove themselves to you.

Every couple of seasons, they decide to throw us a new crop of interns. This fandom is just as tough as Dr. Bailey when we decide whether these characters have what it takes for "Grey’s Anatomy" though.

10. When a friend is sick, your first thought is to start chest compressions.

After 11 seasons, I am fully prepared for all medical situations. Push one of Epi! We need a crash cart!

11. You have an immediate bond with anyone who says they watch the show.

…Did we just become best friends?

12. You frequently ask yourself “what would Christina Yang do?”

No major decision should EVER be made without asking this first. Of all of the people who have left "Grey’s," her absence is the most strongly felt. No one can replace Christina Yang.

Cover Image Credit: www.eonline.com
Sydney Meade
Sydney Meade Sep 23, 2015
At Eastern Kentucky University

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The Breath of Solitude

A Poem With A Prologue // Polar Viewpoints.

mccall
mccall Nov 16, 2018
253
views

Prologue:


She smacks your parted lips,

sucking the dry,

open cracks to a seal.

Pumping energy into your chest

and sending a continuous shiver

from lung to navel.


You can't help but cough,

as your lungs tighten and twist.

Ringing the frosty sensation out –

slipping through your parted lips.


The same parted lips that

allowed her deliberate fingers

to crawl inside

where she can escape her own dimension

of solitude.




The Breath of Solitude


All I know

is solitude.


We chat

every day

in conversations that circulate

behind the backs

of the present.


Solitude grinds my coffee beans,

as we sit

with our legs crossed,

waiting for dawn

to explode over our opaque landscape.


Solitude runs my bath,

bubbling

as the Sun crashes

against the diminishing horizon.


But none of this is reality.

I am above

the dimension of reality.

Not theoretically,

but physically.

I am only a tool

to be used in the dimension

of your reality.

Drifting in and out,

twirling through your negative space.

My only purpose

is found through your breath;

but what do I do

when you stop breathing?


I wait for your fingers,

less deliberate than mine,

but filled with that

that I lack.


I cannot see the blood

that sloshes through the veins

in your innocent hands.

The blood that energizes

those fingers

upon which I wait.


But I know

the blood is there.

It isn't

what you do.

It isn't

the way you move.

Simply put,

it is

the way

that you exist.


The sheer fact

that you have a bursting burgundy waterfall

streaming,

not only through your fingers,

but engulfing all of you

in its rich,

rooted,

energy.


The only waterfall

that I encompass

is the waterfall

that you imagine.

I have no blood;

I have no way to exist.


And so I

wait for your fingers,

less deliberate than mine,

but filled with that

that I lack.


I wait for your fingers

to filter the heat

to a state of regulation,

a state of production,

a state in which I can exist.

The peach fuzz

that sleeps on the bridge of your nose

begins to rise

when your fingers initiate the flame.

The temperature reacts,

as would my heartbeat,

if I had a bursting burgundy waterfall,

or some type of life source

inhabiting my chest cavity.


As the heat

starts to melt

my metaphorical skin,

I become reality.

I don't have a face to smile,

or eyes to produce tears.

But I have thoughts.

I have words to say,

I have feelings to express.


I still can only drift,

in and out,

twirling through your negative space,

but now spiraling

into your positive space,

as well.


mccall
mccall Nov 16, 2018
At Troy University

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