Best of Exposure: August 11-14

Best of Exposure: August 11-14 St. Vincent- Digital Witness St. Vincent is the stage name of Annie Clark, an Oklahoman who is completely changing the digital music game. She may only be 31, but she has mastered several instruments, including the Theremin. When interviewed about dropping out of Berklee College of Music, she had this to say, “I think that with music school and art school, or school in any form, there has to be some system of grading and measurement. The things they can teach you are quantifiable. While all that is good and has its place, at some point you have to learn all you can and then forget everything that you learned in order to actually start making music.” Jenny Lewis- Just One Of The Guys The former frontwoman for Rilo Kiley, now solo act extraordinaire– Jenny Lewis is racking up critical acclaim for her new album, The Voyager. Despite being inspired by a series of tragedies, like her father’s death, the dissolution of a long-term relationship, and the breaking up of a band, Lewis’ Voyager somehow lends itself perfectly to an upbeat party of a live performance. And yes, that is Anne Hathaway and Kristen Stewart dressed as dudes in the music video. Blondfire-Waves One half of the brother/sister duo that is Blondfire, Erica Driscoll might be responsible for both the ‘Blonde’ and the ‘Fire,’ leading the band with her vocals, guitar, and platinum locks. The band used to be known as Astaire, that is until Fred Astaire’s estate threatened to sue in the middle of their tour. All’s well that ends well though, Perez Hilton seems to think their name fits them just fine! The Kooks- Bad Habit This track, along with a few others, are set to be released with the new full album, Listen, on September 1st. It’s the bands first album with drummer Alexis Nunez, and based off the preview from the Bad Habit EP, it’s going to be awesome. Young Liars- Night Window Young Liars is named after the comic created by David Lapham! Amongst today’s comic craze we are left to wonder what’s next. Maybe the band will get a movie deal! Alt J- Every Other Freckle Alt J Is really hyping their sophomore album, This is All Yours, set to release on Sept. 22nd, as this is the third single they’ve dropped out of the blue. If you haven’t heard/beenlisteningtoonrepeat the first two tracks they are here: Hunger of the Pine, Left Hand Free Jukebox the Ghost- The Great Unknown Three college boys meet at George Washington University, form a band, go on to play with The Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds, Jenny Owens Young, Jack’s Mannequin, The Moldy Peaches… thus is the story of Jukebox the Ghost. But wait, we can expect more! They also have a new album rumored to debut next month. Benjamin Booker- Violent Shiver  If you haven’t heard of Benjamin Booker, he’s made it easy for you two to get acquainted real fast. A simple google search of his name will produce dozens and dozens of articles hailing him as the latest and greatest rock wonderboy. In this summer alone, he played Newport Folk, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and the FYF fest. Oh! Did I mention he’s touring with Jack White? Like I said, you two should probably get cozy soon before he blows up. The Front Bottoms- Funny You Should Ask  So what exactly is a Front Bottom? I guess it’s, like, when you are the worst of the best… Kind of like being the New Jersey of the East Coast! Oh wait, the Front Bottoms are from NJ? Awkward. Rise Against- Zero Visibility  This punk band from Chicago has been in the business for 15 years. How do you make that much noise on stage for 15 years without being completely exhausted? Well, Rise Against is straight edge so that might explain it. That’s right, don’t let the intensity of their music fool you– the band is a huge advocate for PETA too! Underneath all that electric guitar is a deep love for cuddly things. Check out last week’s Best of Exposure HERE! There’s a new Best Of every Friday; email exposure@wbru.com to tell us what we missed