England's dance/punk threesome, Friendly Fires renders Lykke Li’s sticky, sweet invention into something completely unrecognizable. Not immediately attention-grabbing as the original, but a change we could all get used to.
Trying to pin down the type of music that Seattle band, Voyager One crafts out is by no means a breeze. But if you insist of an answer, it’s somewhere along the lines of a cross between shoegaze and neo-psychedelic space-rock. Though in mp3 language, it translates to somewhat like this:
“Littl’ans is Cockney vernacular meaning ‘Little Ones’”.
The music of former comedic actress and Argentinean singer/songwriter Juana Molina takes you through journeys across exotic landscapes and into a world of unimaginable sound. Her song-crafting yields sonic collages so abstruse and intricate that reduces it to mere abstraction, but ones that are quite rare and beautiful that you find yourself instantly cozying, snug and warm amongst her intense sonic displays. Although some may perceive it as ‘World music’, her creations are at best described as ambient. It’s straight away apparent how Juana Molina’s songs are often demanding of the mood and setting, replacing it in favour of an atmosphere that is analogous to its own hypnotic passages. Here’s a video profile that’ll make you fall even more in love with her music:
It’s slightly more difficult to discern the whole epic commotion and grand hubbub surrounding Deerhunter if you haven’t at least taken a listen to their earlier release, Cryptograms. Seriously, you won’t get the buzz, you won’t get the hype, and you most certainly won’t be able to tell your arse from your elbow. But then, I might just be saying this for lack of a better introduction to the “ever-evolving”, “uncompromising” Atlanta collective, Deerhunter.
One of the finest by the Beach boys that I've always loved listening to. Rivers Cuomo offers a nice change of pace through his rendition, infusing propelling electric guitar curve that adds decent rough touches around the edges.
Via BBC Collective:There's no single mood or style that defines Shocking Pinks' debut album. Compiled from two EPs which Nick Harte (aka Shocking Pinks) released in his home of New Zealand, the album segues and swoons between hazy mists of blissful noise-pop, beatific and hungover laments for lost love, and barrages of heavily percussive groove. It's a bewildering jumble on first gaze, but Harte's little fingerprint-smudged slivers, so lovingly composed, are precious things, and you'll fast find yourself addicted to his sweet, glum love stories.
Let’s be honest, we’ve heard quite a lot of young, “exciting” indie-rock acts turning up day after day, carving its influence from the same origin ever since they heard Strokes’ 2001 debut. Not that I’m quick to discard any of the bands in that particular spectrum, because I do take some time and sit down and listen and assess to what the these bands have to offer. And more often than not, some of these bands do continue to reside in the amorphous regions of music I actually enjoy listening to. Minnesota’s White Light Riot is clearly no exception, bringing on board some other similar musical influences of the same weight, namely the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. However, it’s not everyday I hear bands trying really hard to imitate, some going as far as to replicate right down to the singing style-- and by that I mean Casablancas style. It’s probably just me and that’s really how vocalist Mike Schwandt sings, but tell me you’re not noticing any similarities here:
I came across the Vancouver based trio, Bella after initially thinking that the filler tunes in the reality show, Project Runway belonged to the indie synth-pop group. I was wrong though. Not that the song was especially great for that matter, but any music associative to either shows or films or adverts that we’re accustomed to are exciting enough on its own. There’s plenty to like about the band though; in the low-key and chilled dance track ‘Go’, they employ bolder synth grooves complete with forceful guitar riffs and a wordless chorus. Quiet and brooding, it takes an interesting turn at each second as it continues to beckon the listener in while keeping them in close parameters.
The first time I laid ears on the music of MGMT was through Pitchfork's top 100 tracks. Surprisingly, the band reappears yet again with the same song in Pitchfork 2008 Top 100 tracks. What are those guys playing at?
Brooklynites noise-makers, Crystal Stilts have often drawn comparison to vintage rockers the Velvet Underground as well as early Interpol. A comparison that you’ll find me strongly being in accordance with, regardless of the fact that I haven’t a clue how early Interpol sounds like. But learning to adore the music by Crystal Stilts isn’t quite the easy feat, even for someone like me who takes pleasure in woozy melancholia that’s soaked through in a thick coating of fuzz and distortion. Comparing Brad Hargett’s vocal to Joy Division’s frontman Ian Curtis is a careless misinterpretation I think. For starters, the one clear difference is that the music of Joy Division is rarely drowned beneath massive layers of reverb. And although Curtis and Hargett sings with the same low, toneless baritone, Curtis puts enough vigor into his singing to keep the audience intrigued and excited at all times. Hargett just sounds as if he’s about to fall of the stage. But having said that, after giving the album that several spins it deserved and finally learning to look pass the morose, limp, languid mumbles of inaudible singing, is when the music really starts to take off and all you hear is the stunningly hypnotic sounds of the farfisa organ and the murky shimmers of their swinging riffs. This album might just be a frontrunner for one of the best albums of the year. Just.
New Faces are truly a band to look out for. Young and barely graduated from high school, the songs by the Seattle three piece hits all the right places. ‘My Alarm’ overflows with a surge of restless vigour; a catchy, melodic undercurrent is highlighted by the deep baritone of frontman Nico Janssen. The music sort of stand out and resemble a cleaner, more approachable, and a less frayed adaptation of UK’s the Cribs so to speak. New Faces put some raw guitar power on full display in the brief two minute affair, ‘Melt Like Ice’, a music portrayal that’s analogous to almost all the young new bands that’s come out since this past decade. But if anything, New Faces certainly aren’t a shoddy imitation of more familiar bands like say the Strokes particularly for the immense potential they make visible. Their 2008 full length debut, Two Years is chock full of refreshing aural treats made up of a prolific mixture of 70s rock and 80s pop.
Jens Lekman claims that this is 'not a guilty pleasure-- just pleasure'. Soley accompanied by the piano, Lekman turns an otherwise overly recognizable song into a piece that might've been mistaken as his vey own.
Last time around, this song (and the band) didn’t get a proper introduction. But, here it is again, that little side project called Little Joy, comprised of none other than Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, alongside Rodrigo Amarante of the Brazilian band Los Hermanos and Los Angeles singer/songwriter Binki Shapiro. ‘Keep Me In My Mind’ might be the only slice of Strokes you’ll hear from the band; the rest merely hints if not sounding anything remotely alike. Sure it’s a lazy, hazy, utterly pleasant, soothingly charming, reggae-inflected, sunshiny pop filled record. But the hushed romantic sound sweeps clearly dominates most of the album, owing in part to Fabrizio himself for being the ‘hopeless romantic’ of the Strokes. A statement the rest of the Strokes clan will quickly agree (this much I know is true). In the three piece act, Moretti not only takes over drums duty but also plays guitar, piano, bass, melodica and either writes or co-write songs on the record. Both Amarante and Shapiro exceeded expectations in vocal roles, suitably balancing the homespun, laid-back compositions with the warm clarity in their vocals. In certain songs, Amarente recalls a mellow, more tuneful Casablancas while Pitchfork describes Shapiro as ‘crazy cute, with a voice like summer wine’.
The swooning, flowing harmonies in Bowerbird’s ‘Hooves’ immediately transported me to similar terrains of Grizzly Bear’s mesmerizing vocal melodies. But Bowerbirds brand of folk music take on less expansive landscapes, thriving on smaller, intimate surroundings driven by a dreamy, woodsy sound. Most notably in the track ‘In Our Talons’, evoking images of people huddled around a campfire bearing out the last remnants of yesteryear, as they collectively harmonize through the sounds of fluttering accordion. But similar to Grizzly Bear, the music from Bowerbirds still leaves a magical aftertaste. Take ‘Dark Horse’ for instance, a beautiful, tapestry of bucolic images, conjured by a loose guitar and rolling, resonating percussion. The stomping atmospherics works well with the dark, haunting melodies that ricochet off the wall, before trundling further into swaying violins and even more vocal harmonies. Hymns for a Dark Horse is their first full length album released in spring 2007, with a reissue earlier this year.
