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 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!
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!
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 11th 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
I can’t quite remember where I first came across The Antlers- possibly in the blogosphere over at No Ordinary Fool but with looking at so many music sites I just cant remember exactly where!
Peter Silberman is the name behind the moniker and he has quite a sublime voice- sometimes slightly overpowered by the music but it always manages to shine through and is just captivating. The album, In The Attic Of The Universe, is just excellent and seems more akin to a classical composition with the theme that is introduced in the first track In The Attic being reprised in other tracks. As with any composition though, there are pieces which you find more exciting but you have to give it a full listen in order to have a full appreciation.
The album does kick off with an unusual intro for In The Attic but when it kicks in it is quite good and then Look! continues on the theme with a lovely crescendo. The Universe Is Going To Catch You is a brilliant pick up after two slower tracks and really shows the strength of his voice. A great ending as well with Stairs To The Attic which just leaves you with a satisfied feeling and a smile on your face.
There aren’t any YouTubes to tack on for a quick view but there are links on his official page so you can download the Cold War EP and the New York Hospitals EP’s for free.
Just as a note they had this on a MySpace bulletin….so another album to look forward to!
You’ll notice we’ve got nothing scheduled for the future as of now. We’ve got some restructuring to do for future shows as we’re going to start operating as a 3 piece, and many new songs to start learning. The new album is done but there’s much work left to do. There is a tour in the works. Many, many, many things in the near future, so hold tight.
With all the new artists I have been listening to over the last week, Peter Murphy’s post with this Poe quote is very well timed…
“When music affects us to tears, seemingly causeless, we weep not from ‘excess of pleasure’; but through excess of an impatient, perpetual sorrow that, as mere mortals, we are as yet in no condition to banquet upon those supernal ecstasies of which the music affords us merely a suggestive and indefinite glimpse.”
Came across this in Pitchfork and sent the link onto the boys to watch- Feist’s 1,2,3,4 done on Sesame Street for an episode to air in August. So having Feist running through the head for the last two days I of course went digging to show the boys the actual videos for her songs and came across an official blog site (updated by somebody other than Feist) and a very good piece on litigation in relation to the song. Funny read and just to bring out the child in you here is the clip from Sesame Street…although be warned you will be humming this for a while after!
This album has been constantly going through my head since I downloaded it last week and there are some absolute crackers. There are about 5 standout tracks which for an album is quite good- it kicks off with 2 Atoms In A Molecule which is so boppy you foot just gets a mind of its own. Followed then by Jocasta which is another great upbeat number and then for the triumvirate Shape Of My Heart which has various instruments and definitely a mariachi feel (which can be seen in the YouTube below).
Then the tunes go a bit on the slow side and while good they just dont hit the mark for me. It’s only with 5 Years time that they seem to get their boppiness back and this ones getting a lot of airplay with it being their first single- have to admit it gets the foot moving everytime I hear it. Rocks and Daggers then is the last standout one for me- not quite as toe tapping as the other standouts but there is a lovely quality to it and some great beats which remind me quite a bit of Loney, Dear who I have had to break out again.
So the album is definitely worth listening to (especially with the free download which is still available from Vertigo -DRM and will time out after two weeks) and one to look out for when it is released on the 11th of August- you can preorder from their official site.
Only two official videos so far but hopefully more in the pipeline…
There is certainly something here and she does have a good voice- good enough to lure me in but there is something about the album that just doesn’t sit right with me. Quite a few of her songs have some catchy rhythms- Dance, Dance, Dance, I’m Good, I’m Gone and Little Bit are good with the standout track being Hanging High. However there are quite a few tracks that I simply do not like with her cockney-fied pronunciations and with the overproduction I was left wondering if there was actually a band involved or just a machine.
Overall it was a good album but I don’t think it helps when you see the videos and there is just a tad too much brassiness there. I think she would be far better if that was toned down to just sassy. That said- I have only heard good reviews about her gig in the Sugar Club so maybe she comes across differently live.
My God- what a voice! She makes you sit up and take notice from the very first moment she opens her mouth! Some tracks are quite stripped down and to have her voice float out of nowhere is really an enthralling experience. There are quite a few different styles of songs on here but the main thing is that there is not one filler- definitely more than a couple standouts for me since The Treehouse Song, The Fall, The Puzzle, Changing of the Seasons and Raise My head are my favourites that I return to again and again.
This is just one album you have to listen to and savour to the end. While I am not regretting seeing Yeasayer the night she was in town- I really wish there hadnt been a conflict now and I hope that she returns here soon.
Just a couple of YouTubes- not many out there for Ane Brun and probably the best one for Lykke Li.
Who would have thought I would have ended up here- a banjo and trad music? Usually two elements that would keep me far far away but there is something about The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock that is so much more- trad is certainly a highlight but it’s the post rock element that keeps the attention. I only had a chance to listen to a couple of their tunes on MySpace before running out the door so I really didn’t know what to expect gig wise- have to say that these guys are really great. The sonorous voice of the lead singer gave me a kind of Crash Test Dummies vibe and while there are inevitable comparisons to Horslips with a couple of their tracks- these guys know how to rock! At one stage they played at least 3 if not 4 of their songs in a row and they really know how to keep the vibe going. The standouts for me were The Hare, In Country Dark and the encore Pimlico.
I have to note that the drummer is good but he is going to have to do something about his expressions while drumming on the slower tracks- sometimes laugh out loud looks but sometimes just inane so he does take away from the music just a tad.
Good crowd for them and had some of the band members family there as well (as you do in the smaller ones to make sure somebody is there!)- the mother of one of them was in front of me and she was really rocking to them which was good to see! Upstairs at Whelans is a bit of a disaster though- really guys- with the whole refit you could have taken down a couple of those walls or at least widened the bottleneck! It didn’t help that the best place to stand is right in the middle of the bottleneck which was leaking water from somewhere so it would have been a rather soggy experience if they stayed there for the whole set.
So altogether a good gig- some great tunes and a good vibe. Not sure if these guys will make it to bigger venues given the type of music they play but it was an enjoyable show so it’s worth the effort to get to them. They had their cd on sale at the gig if you can’t find it anywhere else- some good artwork as well and can be found here.
A couple of YouTubes below just for a feel…
Balcony TV- In Country Dark- decent enough except for all the rambling at the beginning
The Lords Prayer- fan one that is very very dark but sound is ok
Many thanks to United Visual Artists (www.uva.co.uk) for the profile picture from the music video 'Tonto' by Battles. They have done some amazing light fixtures for other groups and shows so check them out!
