Whitney

One Liner: Folky falsetto-filled indie fest
Wikipedia Genre: Indie rock, psychedelic pop
Spotify Says Similar To: Big Thief and Frankie Cosmos
Home: Chicago, IL

Poster Position: 12
Slot: ?

Thoughts:  Not much to their Spotify bio, other than one of them used to be part of Unknown Mortal Orchestra (which I think rules) and "both" of them used to be part of the Smith Westerns (which I don't know at all, and which is weird because the videos appear to show that the band has 347 members).  This is very chilled indie pop, quiet and falsetto filled, like Wilco with Jeff Buckley doing the singing.  Actually, this descriptor, grabbed from Wikipedia, is too spot-on for me to even try to figure out my own thoughts: "Paul Lester in the Guardian described the band as "think Bon Iver, with elements of folk and country, only given a Chicago soul makeover". They cite Levon Helm and Allen Toussaint as inspiration." That is the truth.
Just one album, 2016's Light Upon the Lake, that starts off with their biggest hit, the quietly lovely ode to being woman-free, called "No Woman."  10.3 million streams.

That video, man.  Skinny jeans, PBR, tossing lit cigarettes into the forest, throwing hatchets, jamming with the full band on a log cabin front porch.  I can't tell is that is my favorite video ever or if it makes me want to drown all people under 25 in a burlap sack. But damn what a pretty song.  So pretty.  One of those songs that makes me want to be driving through amazing scenery or swinging in a hammock with my woman and a slight buzz.
Their new 2017 single, maybe in response to that top album cut, is called "You've Got a Woman," and has a little more 70's soft rock/reggae feel going on ("baby, baby, baby, baby").

576k streams.  I could almost swear that video was shot out in west Texas around Alpine/Marfa, but I can find no evidence online other than what mine own eyeballs tell me.  Their second-most listened-to track is "Golden Days" with 6.7 million streams.

Yeah, that one is a good, chilled out track as well.  Got some George Harrison sounds rolling off of that guitar on there.  Although I wish that I could get those tunes without the perma-falsetto singing.  Couldn't we just use the falsetto as an accent?  It's like a book written in all italics or a taco that is 99% cilantro and 1% beef and cheese.  But those issues are pretty nitpicky when it comes down to it, I like these tunes.

Recommend?  Yes.