Faded Paper Figures

Damn Damn Damn! I am seriously hooked on Faded Paper Figures and you can only get the album Dynamo in the States at CdBaby…and they don’t have it in stock just yet! Yeah the music junkie has returned and I need my fix.

These guys are seriously good though- a definite Postal Service vibe with the bonus of female vocals so some great harmonies that grab your attention. They are just damn sublime and from the three tracks that I have heard- North By Northwest, Metropolis and No Logos I can’t wait to hear the rest. Go to Obscure Sound or to their MySpace for a listen and I guarantee your toe will be tapping for the rest of the day!

Logos- just the sound

We Should Be Dead- Zero Point Five Video

The incredibly boppy group We Should Be Dead have put up the video for their latest single Zero Point Five from their album Forget Romance, Let’s Dance. Enjoy!

Hush The Many (Heed The Few)

Came across Hush The Many (Heed The Few) a while back and they have some delightful tunes. They only have a few singles out but am looking forward to an album soon hopefully! Of the tracks that I have heard Revolve is definitely a standout- great vocals with some lovely harmonies and building crescendos.

The live orchestral version of The Man is quite good as well- then again all you need to do to hook me in is add a few strings! Obscure Sound did have a few tracks to download and it looks like they are still there but can’t tell for certain…damn work and their updated firewall!

They have an official site and there is a good interview here.

Revolve- great animation

Live at Bush Hall- mostly banter

Daytrotter

Only came across Daytrotter with their Bon Iver sessions and I can’t believe that was the first time I had come across them!

Brilliant concept with having bands that pass through do live tracks for them-usually 4 and you can download them for free.  If you ever wanted to hear what the particular group sounded like live in a toned down session then this is the place to be!  Great archive as well- goes back the two years they have been around and I can see a lot of my sparse free time being spent there!

I have them in the now bulging Google Reader and I have to say that it makes my day when I see that there is a new post…good artwork and articles as well but its the tunes that matter the most and the majority hit the mark so pay them a visit!

Heathers- Here, Not There

Have been meaning to post this for a while…

Here, Not There is a nice little album by Heathers who are Louise and Ellie- sisters and twins at that.  So of course there are going to be comparisons with Tegan and Sara…not just because of the twin thing but with the type of tunes they have and with the harmonics between Louise and Ellie being so close together.

They have great voices though and along with the songwriting and guitar work it is quite an enjoyable listen.  Remember When is probably the catchiest and Reading In The Dark and Moose are very good as well.  Honey Please is probably the standout for me though- starts off a bit quieter and more syncopated where some of the others can be a tad overwhelmed by the guitar work.  There is also a hidden track at the end of the album- their tune Margerie but sung in Irish so worth a listen as well.

Overall a very good album and the funky artwork deserves a mention as well.  They have been touring in the States over the summer since they had to wait until they did their Leaving Cert- very well placed for singers so young and think they will be around for a good while.  Their Irish tour will be kicking off in Dublin on the 14th of August in the Project Arts Centre with an all ages night show at 8pm.

DRN- Album Recording Blog

Just a quick on on Dark Room Notes who are over in Hoxton recording their album- they are keeping a day to day blog about anything and everything that is going on…sometimes quite funny so check it out.

Great pic of all of them up on their site….some other good ones of them individually but am not going to link them all here so befriend them and you can see them all! I will link in one for Camera though- a few funny connections to him today but then again this is Ireland where everybody is only twice removed!

The Bodies Obtained

Came across The Bodies Obtained over at RcrdLbl and I have to say they have some decent tunes- some great electronic bleeps and beats with a lovely dark vibe running through. They seem to be keeping a very low profile with not even a MySpace site to link to- RcrdLbl have 3 of their tunes to download though so get clicking! Hear & Believe is the standout by far but the others are decent enough to keep my ears perked for the other tunes off their album which will be released later in the year.

Bon Iver- Daytrotter

Having given my verdict here of Bon Iver’s album- the only tunes I liked where when Justin Vernon’s voice was subtle and hot damn does he come up trumps with the live versions for the Daytrotter sessions. Laid back with a subtle force that really brings out the best in his voice. So get clicking and download the four tracks that are there!

It still doesn’t change my mind about the way the tunes are done on the original album but I will definitely try to catch him when he is town again.

Indiecater- A Compilation By mp3hugger

Indiecater is an idea by the excellent music blogger mp3hugger…10 tracks from relatively unknown groups that he thinks deserve more attention. Mp3hugger is one blogger whose opinion I would trust when it comes to music- how many other music bloggers have had a song written about them? Not many I would imagine!

This is certainly one compilation that hugs you back- from the very outset you are wrapped in a warm embrace that stays with you long after the last notes have faded. In fact I have always thought that a good compilation is like sex and by god this one proves that point- the foreplay, the action and the sated yet yearning for more feeling at the end. God give me a cigarette now!

Well worth the €4.50…this will last longer with you than a pint and cheaper at that. So click here and get it now! Now- if we could only get all of these groups to play in Dublin!

Just some quick thoughts on the tunes themselves…

It’s Alright- Burning Codes- damn good falsettos

Astronaut- Slushco- great beats and vibe- quite complex actually but sounds sweet

Rockfield Symphony- Storkboy Choons- dance, great ambient feel and gets the body moving…not one to play in work!

Cockroaches- The E.L.F. – excellent vibe- is that a Yothi Yindi sample?

Packed the Car- Foreign Slippers- damn nice female vocals

You Remind Me of Me- Beaten Awake- sublime voices

Untitled- Call To Mind- dreamy and ambient

We’ve Been Waiting For You- Empty Rooms- shiny vibe, great drums and vocals

Share- Cymbals Eats Guitar- slow, bit of lo-fi snarl with the feedback

Dumbshow (Directors Cut)- Michael Knight- great way to end compilation- simple ahhhhs but such delightful instrumentation and woven harmonies…oh dear god a cello all the way through but at the end with violins….ahhhh indeed! Probably the most played by me- reminds me of Loney, Dear with build up of instruments and Efterklang feel overall. Have their full cd now!

Vanilla Swingers

Came across Vanilla Swingers originally on Obscure Sound- really liked the three tracks that were up there so went to their MySpace and befriended them lo and behold they were in touch and sent me on a link for the whole album. Very decent of them I must say and a very good album it is. Then again I knew that if Obscure Sound, mp3hugger and Condemned To Rock N Roll blogs were saying good things about them then there must be something good going on there.

There are some excellent songs here…although I started with listening to the favourite of the ones I had heard- Danger In The Past- and there is a slightly different intro so I had thought there was a problem with the download! Although, considering that the lyrics ‘tell the story of two people who meet and run away together, travel back in time, lose each other, then are reunited in the year 2015′ then maybe its not the type of album that has to be listened to consecutively.

To start from the beginning anyway…The Town has a lovely harmony with the two singers Anne Gilpin and Miles Jackson and is followed by Like Straw Dogs which has a good vibe with some rhythm changes keeping it moving. I’ll Stay Next To You has some great subtle vocals with some memories of the Pet Shop Boys thrown in at the end and The Hive is nearly like an EP on its own right- long and with so many shifts that it feels like there are a few songs in there.

Danger In The Past is definitely a standout track for me- delicious harmony and an excellent vibe that you just don’t want to stop. Back To The Present and The Way She Walked Out The Door are nice and soft but are hampered by some tuning issues. Goodbye Lennon is another standout track though with some more sweet harmonies and it ends with a simple and soft number If You Fall.

All in all it is a very good album and you can see some of the influences they list like Blonde Redhead and Pet Shop Boys. I have to admit that when Anne is singing it is like she is whispering sweet nothings in your ear but there are a few issues of Miles being in tune on a couple of songs. Hopefully this was down to the length of time in the studio and they just didn’t have the time to re-record them.

You will be able to download their album for free from their official site from the 11^th of August. Not sure of their touring schedule but they have had a gig in the UK where there are some good YouTubes…sound not the best but it will give you a good flavour of what to expect when you get the album.

LP2

Danger In The Past- give it a few seconds before the song kicks in properly