April has arrived! Here is some music to help with the massive comedown from the chocolate high no doubt induced by Easter. April has been a good music month for me, with new singles from three of my favourite bands, and some great music coming out of SXSW. Hope you enjoy this month’s musical offerings.

Monday – "Hit ‘Em Up Style" – The Carolina Chocolate Drops

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a pretty extraordinary band, they are one of the few remaining African American string bands. They play a very stylised “old-time” sounding music, but they describe themselves as modern musicians playing in an older tradition. This is perhaps best shown through this track, a cover of Blu Cantrell’s "Hit 'Em Up Style". It opens with a nice fiddle riff, which features intermittently through the track. A highlight of this track, and of much of the album, are the vocals from Rhiannon Giddens. She has a strong voice, and really lifts the song. Their new album Genuine Negro Jig is out now.

Listen/Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKTXJUYiAT4

Tuesday – "Ceiling of Plankton" – Givers

Givers are a band hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana and play an engaging brand of music; afro-beat meets indie rock. They just finished a tour with The Dirty Projectors in the US and have most recently been seen playing SXSW. There are certainly similarities in sound to Dirty Projectors, but they do make it their own; a melting pot of sounds and musical styles. "Ceiling of Plankton" is one of the more relaxed tracks on the EP, yet there is still an infectious side to it. It opens with a nice catchy riff, whilst the vocals are earnest and understated, with some great harmonies taking place. The strength of this EP bodes well for future work, and I look forward to hearing much more from them.

Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOtHoZrW5lo

Wednesday – "Walk" – Israel Cannan

I had the pleasure of stumbling upon Israel Cannan’s music whilst walking past an open mic stage at one of the Fremantle markets. I simply had to stop and listen; he has a great voice, soulful and melodic. His vocals are understated, but this is a good thing, it makes you lean in and listen closely. It is coupled with some low-key instrumentation and some fine lyrical moments which really make this a stand-out track. He is currently on his Streets of Oz Tour, where he is hitting plenty of cities, and playing for free, so please check him out, and pick up a free EP. It’s too good to be missed.

Listen & Check out Tour Dates:

Thursday – "Make the Road by Walking" – Menahan Street Band

The Menahan Street Band is a bit of a musical conglomerate. It brings together artists from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, El Michels Affair, Anitbalas and The Budos Band. Giving you a grand total of about 10 musicians. They create quite a raw instrumental sound, with influences ranging from funk and soul to Afro-beat. The album, and this track to some extent, is marked by interesting compositions featuring all manner of instruments. The highlights of this track for me however are the great use of horns, and the great guitar work which is mixed and layered throughout the track.

Listen:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akvf1uc46pY

Friday – "Burning the Bowery" – Jesse Malin & St. Marks Social

This track is probably my favourite at the moment, on near constant repeat. It is the new single from New Yorker Jesse Malin and the first featuring his new backing band, the St Marks Social. If this single is anything to go by, the new album out at the end of the month is going to be amazing, a real album of the year contender. It grabs you from the outset, with some really catchy jangling guitars. There are some great lyrical moments, and the chorus is one that you don’t realise you are singing along half way through. Malin’s trademark vocals are really strong throughout the track, and the harmonies with the backing vocals work really well. Bring on April 27th.

Download: http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/04/06/jesse-malin-burning-the-bowery-fr...

Saturday – "American Slang" – The Gaslight Anthem

It’s a good month for new singles, here is the new Gaslight Anthem track "American Slang" taken from what will be their third album, released in a few months time. From this track it would appear that there are no major changes in sound, instead choosing to play to their strengths: great guitars and strong gritty vocals. Brian Fallon’s vocals are strong here, and it’s nice to hear his band mates on backing vocals. Lyrically and thematically, there is a definite continuance from the previous album, which is good. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album, and see where they go with it.

Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSBhrinnwVs

Sunday – "Hurricane J" – The Hold Steady

The final track for this month is the new single from Brooklyn’s The Hold Steady, taken from their new album Heaven is Whenever, their first album since the departure of Franz Nicolay. Based solely on this track it doesn’t seem to have had too big an impact on the band’s sound. There is still that largely classic rock driving guitar sound powering the track on; and Craig Finn is still fitting as many words as he possibly can into every track. Finn has said that the new album will be less anthemic, yet you wouldn’t know it from this track. Like all Hold Steady tracks, there are some wonderful lyrically moments, and a powerful chorus with some big vocal harmonies. I look forward to the new album in May.

Listen:  http://stereogum.com/311921/the-hold-steady-hurricane-j/top-stories/lead...