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
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.
I know that everybody in the blogosphere seems to love Bon Iver but I really can’t get into his album For Emma, Forever Ago. I am surprised really since I usually love male singer songwriters with a falsetto voice- Loney, Dear and The Antlers being artists I have come across over the last year that I absolutely love (Findo Gask as well but definitely not singer songwriter types).
Vernon’s voice just seems too forced on the majority of the songs and it is only the on the more subtle tracks that I can really enjoy his vocals. So after a few listens to the album Blindsided and Re Stacks were the highlights for me and while some of the other tracks are good it is not an album I will be putting on too often. Saying that, I have heard only good things about his live performance so I will try to catch him when he is back in town.
Blindsided
Posting from work so will have to check that YouTube later- hopefully good enough quality!
Have been listening to Portishead’s Third for a while now and with a group taking 10 years to release a new album it would be difficult to judge it on anything but its own merits. There are quite a few excellent songs on here and for the most part they are well placed and the album as a whole is fairly cohesive- however it is far from perfect and I am surprised that some tracks actually made it on here.
The album starts with the decent tune Silence which has a moderate beat but quickly takes a downturn with the next two songs Hunter and Nylon Smile. The Rip definitely takes it up a notch though- quite a cracking track but followed by the only moderately good Plastic. We Carry On follows and this is the absolute stormer on the album- this tune actually put a bounce in my step the first time I heard it and is definitely the standout track and one that I have had repeating quite a bit. I suppose that it’s difficult to follow such a great track with anything…but Deep Water? This is really a WTF? moment if I have ever heard one…a ukulele…really…just why? Straight back on track though with another storming track Machine Gun with excellent driving rhythmic beats- great song and the first single released but the video is less than inspiring. The last three tracks Small, Magic Doors and Threads are very solid songs which gives a good rounding off to the album. So overall a good album with some excellent tunes that will keep me going for a while to come.
Tomorrow the 6th of June, the excellent Carly Sings is going to have a free in-store performance in Road Records for the release of her album The Glove Thief. Called in at lunch to double check the time and it should be kicking off at 1:15 so I hope to be there!
For those unfamiliar with her music check out the review by Sinead and head over to her MySpace page to listen to some of her tunes.
[EDIT]- Good perforance and thought her voice was actually a bit stronger and more confident than it is on the songs she has on MySpace. Some very good songs on the new album and she also played some new songs during the set- Brighton Beach being my favourite.
Eyes Closed- posting from work so hoping that this is decent enough.
Came across Mr. Gnome on Obscure Music and they can be summed up in the first three words I uttered- My. Fucking. God! These guys not only rock but there is such a mix of genres that you really don’t want to know what to expect next. There are soaring vocals followed by frentic drumming and blaring guitars that is pure discordant delightfulness. While I think listening to music is always better than reading about it, this description pretty much nails it on the head:
There are so many things going on within one Mr. Gnome song, thrilling structural shifts, spontaneous-sounding sonic bursts, high-ceilinged vocals, air-tight, and artistic drum parts.
and that is in each and every song so imagine all the comparisons below in one tune!
Since their conception in 2005, the Cleveland duo has released two EPs, receiving wide-ranging and honorable comparisons to Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Tool, Portishead, Cat Power, Pelican, Death From Above 1979, Bjork and Blonde Redhead.
Simply put Mr. Gnome is bloody brilliant and certainly infectious- the best way to understand of course is just listen to the music! You can stream their tunes from CdBaby but they’re only the first 2 mins of each track…long enough to get the vibe and to hook you in…so much so that when it stops before the end it is quite annoying! You can listen to three of the full tracks over at the review from Obscure Sound…have a read of their back story there as well- I don’t think you will have come across a better story on how band members met!
The best place to buy the tunes is from their official site- after enquiring the cost of shipping is included in the price (including Ireland!) so with the current exchange rate it works out quite well. They have their current album Deliver This Creature and two Ep’s, Echoes on the Ground and a self titled one- you can buy the Ep’s separately or as a double Ep. Should have them in the next few days so I can hear all the tracks in their full glory!
Not sure of the quality of the YouTube (yeah posting in work again!) but hopefully this will give you an idea-
Well the group she is fronting rather…Labhaoise is staying rather healthy otherwise I hope!
Ran into Maria outside of Vicar Street after Broken Social Scene and she gave me the unfortunate news that Labhaoise, Len and herself would no longer be playing together. I wasn’t surprised to be honest since things have been very very quiet from them recently but it’s always a shame when talented people have to call it a day on a project. I know Len has a few things going on but hopefully Maria and Labhaoise will pick up on other projects and be back gigging soon!
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!
