Musician Monday: Crash Kings

Welcome to the second edition of Musician Monday! This week I want to highlight a band that I rediscovered in the past week or so by looking through My List. Now for those who don't know, My List is an almost complete list of artists I need to download/relisten to at some point. Protip: make one of these, and every once in a while listen to random bands from it that you don't recognize. Not only will you have a wider variety of artists to listen to, but you may make a rediscovery like I did for this Musician Monday. Anyway, on to the music: Crash Kings.

If Jack White and Cold War Kids had a baby, Crash Kings would be that baby. Singer Antonio Beliveau uses the same energetic, somewhat screamy vocals as featured in Cold War Kids while the band as a whole adds a slightly jazzier tone that is prominent in Jack White's works. Also, the piano is very Raconteurs-ish, which is awesome in its own right. This creates a unique but familiar sound that anyone who is a fan of either artist will be able to easily transition into Crash Kings. They've been around since 2009 and only have two full albums so they are still on the rise. I could easily see them rising to the popularity levels of Cold War Kids. Let's take a look at some of their songs.

Mountain Men (3:17)

This is their most popular jam. Beliveau even has a bit of Jack White in his voice in this song too. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a very well done and catchy track that also happens to be my favorite song by them. 

Hot Fire (3:44)

The first single of their latest album is exactly how the title says it is; "Hot Fire". Featuring intense bass lines in the chorus and the ever-awesome vocals, Hot Fire definitely represents the new album well. If you listen carefully to this album, you can even hear some  influences from more classic rock legends like Aerosmith.

It's Only Wednesday(3:04)

It's Only Wednesday features a great piano harmony that backs an even greater vocal melody. It's my second favorite song by them, and it's easily their catchiest track. It's even more remarkable that they executed this song so well because it takes their harsher more rocking side and softens it to make it much more alternative and jazzy.

What's even more awesome is that this is just the tip of the Crash Kings iceberg. Despite having only two albums, they are so densely packed with quality tracks that you should have plenty of good music to rock out to until next Musician Monday. So what'd you think? Let me know what your opinion on Crash Kings in the comments and if you have any suggestions on future Musicians for Musician Monday, send an email, leave a comment, or message me on Facebook.