So, you may have noticed this already, but Faith No More just put out a new album, Sol Invictus, their first studio album in 20 years. This for me is a Very Big Deal, and I was eager to get it and find out if the band sounded as good as they did back in my teens. The first song on the album, Sol Invictus had me slightly worried that they’d gone all mellow and soft, but the rest of the album quickly eased those fears. Definitely worth a listen.
Check out Faith No More’s website at http://www.fnm.com/ to find links to the new album, check tour dates, and watch some videos.

Vampire Weekend is on my regular rotation of albums to write by, and if I had to pick a favorite among their three albums, I’d be hard-pressed to choose their first self-titled album or Contra. Their third album, Modern Vampires of the City, is also fantastic, but I haven’t had nearly as many listened to give it a fair chance just yet.

Their music is a fusion of styles, with a lot of their songs having great drum beats and synthesizer melodies, and quite a few have memorable guitar riffs as well. My favorite songs are Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma,Cousins, and Diplomat’s Son. If you visit their web site, you can find links to buy their albums and check out their latest videos.

Ibeyi is a music group made up of French Cuban twin sisters Naomi and Lisa-Kaindle Diaz. Their songs blend English and Yoruba, and the name Ibeyi translates from Yoruba as twins. The songs are made up of percussion beats and piano melodies, and it’s a mellow style that I really love. Ibeyi are on tour right now, and I’m hoping to see them at Unaltrofestival in Milan July 7th, where they’ll be performing with Of Monsters and Men, Christopher Paul Stelling, FYFE, and Dardust.

You can find out more about Ibeyi on their website, which has links to their eponymous first album, a list of upcoming tour dates, and a collection of photos of the artists.