A big thank you to Johannes for the generous donation!

We've just added new features to GivenGain. To celebrate, I'm donating a few rands to my own project.

A recent discovery, We Have Band makes the kind of music that'll put a smile on your face and make you tap your feet. They've just released their debut album, WHB.

From last.fm:
We Have Band are Darren Bancroft (vocals, drums, percussion, sampler), Dede W-P (vocals, percussion, sampler) and husband Thomas W-P (vocals, guitar, bass, programming). They are a London based do-it-yourself trio who encompass the grooves of Talking Heads and the best bits of Hot Chip.

More:
http://www.wehaveband.com/
http://gigaf.org/bEMGoJ

I think today calls for another update. A band I was introduced to by a close friend, Kings of Convenience is a feel-good acoustic outfit from Bergen, Norway. They're kind of a like a modern-day Simon & Garfunkel. From Wikipedia: Kings of Convenience are an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway. Consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, the musical group is known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and intricate and subtle guitar melodies. Øye and Bøe both compose and sing the songs. Recommended listening: Riot on an Empty Street, Declaration of Dependence, and if you enjoy Cafe del Mar, give the remix album, Versus, a listen.

Time for an update! OK GO is a fun band. I enjoy listening through an album or two of theirs when I'm not in too serious of a mood (which is often). From Wikipedia: OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now residing in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals and guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar and backing vocalist), Dan Konopka (drums and percussion) and Andy Ross (keyboards, guitar and backing vocals), who joined them in 2005 in replacement of Andy Duncan. Listen to all of their stuff! :) More: [link] [link] http://www.last.fm/music/ok+go

@stef Baie dankie! :) Die werk is vir my 'n massiewe blessing, en ek kan steeds nie glo hoe gelukkig ek was om dit te kon kry nie. Ek geniet nog elke dag en hoop om nog lank deel te wees van GivenGain!

Next up is an interesting band. Kashmir have been around since '91. They were actually the original Nirvana, but when an American band with the same name became famous, they changed their name. I can't remember how I found them, but their music is infinitely likeable. From Wikipedia: Kashmir is a Danish rock band consisting of Kasper Eistrup (vocals and lead guitar); Mads Tunebjerg (bass); Asger Techau (drums) and Henrik Lindstrand (keyboards and guitar). Recommended albums: "Zitilites" and "No Balance Palace" (Both David Bowie and Lou Reed feature on this one!). More: [link] [link]

:) Still deciding whether I like The Mars Volta. Have been for a year or three....

First up, we have Beirut. I happened to read about them in a comment somewhere, and decided to look them up. I've been listening to a lot of their music for the past week. One of my new favourite bands. From Wikipedia: Beirut is an American band. It began as the solo musical project of 23-year-old Santa Fe, New Mexico native Zachary Francis Condon, and later evolved into a band led by Condon. Their first performances were in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar. The music combines elements of Eastern European and folk with Western pop music. More: [link] [link]