Our new album draft got off to a strong start with two amazing bands going in the first round. New albums from both Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket in 2020 would be a gift.

We both ended up with who we wanted in round 1, but how will the next couple of rounds shape up?

Pick #3 (Travis) – Empire of the Sun

I said my first pick is perpetually in my top 5 live bands of all time, but do you know who else is on that list? Empire of the Sun.

Granted, those two bands could not be farther apart style-wise. Empire of the Sun performances sport so many dancers, set adornments, and costume changes that it will make your head spin. But you will love every minute of it.

They experienced a meteoric rise with their 2008 debut album Walking on a Dream, followed by strong reviews to their sophomore album Ice On The Dune and their third installment: 2016’s Two Vines.

Words don’t do much to help you understand why Empire of the Sun is so high on my list, but maybe this performance of “High and Low” at Capitol Tower can express that for me.

Pick #4 (Josh) - TV On The Radio

Ohhhh, Empire of the Sun puts on a live show that you’d be hard-pressed to find their equal!

Another steady top 5-10 favorite band from the last 15-ish years that I need more music from is TVOTR! I’ve been lucky enough to see them in concert twice since their last release, 2014’s Seeds. They put on a stellar live show that spans their early experimental rock to their evolved experimental synth, and everything in between.

I did a more extensive write-up for 2011’s Nine Types of Light that discussed the turmoil they went through around the album’s release due to the passing of their long-time bassist Gerard Smith. You can read that HERE

This energetic live version of “Wolf Like Me“ they performed on The David Letterman Show is unreal

Pick #5 (Travis) - OutKast

You thought my musical taste had you guessing before; why disappoint now?

I couldn’t stand by Atlanta’s own Hip-hop juggernauts falling any lower in this draft.

Though Andre 3000 has been featured on a number of tunes and Big Boi has continued to pump out new music, the duo hasn’t collaborated on an album since 2006’s quasi-soundtrack Idlewild.  We’ve waited long enough!

I wish there was such a thing as a live video of OutKast that does them justice, but there isn’t. I hope you enjoy this throwback to Stankonia with “B.O.B.” instead.

Pick #6 (Josh) - Blakroc

Oh man, love me some Outkast, and would LOVE to get some new tuneage from them!

Speaking of stellar hip hop…..If you think this is an upset pick, you obviously have not listened to this album! Blakroc was an insanely awesome collaborative project between The Black Keys and Damon Dash that featured some of the best Hip Hop artists of the time.

There have been rumors of another album, please make it happen! Just imagine Kendrick, Andre 3000, Jacob Banks, Lizzo, etc. with The Black Keys rocking out in the background…..

Listen to Dollaz & Sense (ft. Pharoahe Monch and RZA). I wish there was more than 1 live video from this project, and while that song is phenomenal it’s a bit more chill than I wanted here.

There were definitely some genre curveballs thrown in for picks 3-6, but it would be a recipe for some fantastic music for us to close out the decade.

More picks to follow, stay tuned!

Cheers,

Josh & Travis