'We've got a good thing going'

So back to myspace (what a surprise) for today's artist, and I had a great idea that to make it easier for me to find artists to review, I'd take a look at the friends list of bands/artists i already like. Now admittedly this is cheating a bit, since if it kinda promotes me only to look for artists i know I'll like, but actually you'd be surprised at what kind of stuff pops up in the friends list of bands you really like.
Today's artist is one I found on Bat for Lashes' myspace page. Now i love Bat for Lashes so i knew (again, maybe cheating?) that i'd find something I'd like. That is, if i specifically took time to look through every artist. But of course, in the spirit of fairness, I picked a friend at random and got listening. And i think i'm on to something good.

CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY

Just take a look at her. Anyone see even a hint of Bjork? I think we're in for a treat here guys. Unfortunately i haven't been able to find a working torrent of any of her albums (yet. I'm still on the case people) so I have once again decided to review her playlist on myspace to the fullest of my capabilities. Hopefully that's acceptable. If anyone does find a working torrent, let me know.

So the oopening song 'White' starts kind of how you'd expect from a woman who looks like she does. Pretty standard pop sound here. The dull melody offset by the poppy drums and guitar riff is pretty enjoyable and yes we like where this is going. In terms of voice, Charlotte claims her influences lie somewhere between Kate Bush and Gwen Stefani (Sorry I'm afraid the Bjork similarities go no further than skin deep) and i definately agree. The track 'White' does remind me rather a lot of some of No Doubt's earlier music, which is no bad thing.
Naturally the next thing I do is skip straight to the most listened to track in the playlist, 'Kim Wilde', just so i can get a hint of what other people consider her best music and - oh hey, what's this? - suddenly she seems like Bjork again.Not heaping buckets of course, but we do get a hint. Well, i do anyway. Funny that. So, far more poppy (pop-y...i dunno) than the previous track, far more lively and at the same time slightly odd. Like, the only way you could possibly dance to this song is head down, index fingers out, and some good old-fashioned pseudo-skanking action. Which actually sounds pretty appealing right now. Really nice melodies in this track and the backing 'bah bah bahooooo' chorus really makes this one fun. And that's what we like isn't it? No wonder it's their most played track. We like this one a lot.

So now onto the remainder of the playli- Oh wait. Ignore my last paragraph. I made that classic mistake of listening to the most popular tracks rather than the whole thing in order. Well I was wrong. All these tracks are poppy. All these tracks are lively. And I'm pretty sure all these tracks would have you dancing in that index finger kind of swagger. Fantastic.

And that's kinda when i run out of songs to talk about and things to say. I really hate that i couldn't find a torrent because i am definately interested in this band now, but oh well. Like i said, if anyone who is actually reading this can find me a working torrent i'd be extremely grateful. Also i know it's a remix track, but please listen to 'Behave[remix by Luke Smith]' because it's seriously fantastic. Fun, no nonsense pop. Mmm

'I don't know you, but I want you, all the more for that'

So this band i actually discovered through an arthouse movie. The movie's called 'Once' and follows the story of a busker in Ireland and a Czech woman he meets, as they become closer and closer by telling their lives through songs they've written in the past. It's a really nice movie and although being pretty obviously an idie film (a few poor camera shots and dodgy audio every now and then) it's a really nice, feel good story. I'd recommend it. 
So anyway the guy who plays the main character is a guy called Glen Hansard who actually plays guitar for a little known Irish band and actually co-wrote all the songs in the movie with fellow actress and musician Marketa Irglova. I chose to review him today because, well, a) I think he's a really fantastic songwriter and people should definately check him out, and b) because i'm already a day behind in this project (I'm sorry) and I was having some trouble actually finding other artists. waaah

GLEN HANSORD

So i've icluded a link to a torrent of the sountrack to the movie 'Once' which is really. honestly, great.
As a collection of predominatly love songs, you'll find many a pretty touching moment here and there. Acoustic, obviously, but he does get a little help from his band and the lovely Marketa in providing some pretty solid ballards and the odd melancholy unrequited love type ditty.


Now please forgive me if this review turns out far shorter than any others so far, because like i said above, i may be rushing since i'm already a day behind so i'm needing to crank out two reviews today. Also there truly is only so much one can say about a collection of acoustic love songs. I will say this for the guy though: He has a knack for memorable melodies and playing around with the structure of certain songs. The song 'When your mind's made up' for example, is played in a 5/4 time signature, which really excites me because, well, time signatures kinda excite me... In any case i definately appreciate the use of what is definately an underrated structure and rythm. Congrats.
Another plus is that these aren't just shallow, dull love songs. They do have a lot of depth in them, whether it's from the unconventional rythm or melody, or the sometimes unexpected shift from slow, sad verse, such as ino a more energetic, purposeful chorus a la 'Falling Slowy' and 'When your mind's made up'. 'If you want me' (which, technically, is by Marketa but seeing as how this whole album is a duet i'm kinda bundling them up as one)



Seriously, that time signature thing really gets me going

'In the full moon's light'

So another one from Myspace today. I honestly believe i'll be finding most of my bands on mysapce, since there's nowhere else i can really find completely random bands i've never heard of. Not that i'm complaining though, i've already found one band i love from myspace (Au Revoir Simone) and, if i'm completely honest, i think this review here contains another one. I introduce to you the electro/pop sytlings of

THE BLACK GHOSTS

Ok, so. Electro - check. I've been into a lot of electro music recently so i'm excited at the prospect of finding another one to add to my collection.
Pop - check. Hmm, another genre that's always been somewhere in my music collection but recently has come more to the forefront. 
So already a promising start for this band. Also i have to say it's nice to find a predominantly male electro/pop group among the very many out there that are female.

So i'll be reviewing their self-titled album here, and we kick things off the a track called Some Way Through this which is - am i allowed to say this unbiasedly? - fucking fantastic. Now i've been through this before, the fact that i'm always wary of music i find amazing from the get go, but there is  definately something to be said about an album that atarts like this. From the very opening it has all  the elements of music that i love - the classical instruments backed by drum machines (this is honestly one of my favourite techniques in music) and then the lyrics begin which, ok may seem a bit dreary at the beginning, but they fit perfectly with every other element going on. Then we get the other odd little  synths and sounds coming through and it's clear that aside from this being a great track to listen to, the composition of each seperate instrument/sound comes together perfectly to produce a really well thought out track. And this gets me very excited for the rest of the album.
The next few tracks build on that same great composition introduced with the first track, although the use of drum machines and synths in at least the next couple of tracks are a bit more hip-hoppy (that is a word) which, while that isn't necessarily a problem, makes the whole thing sound a little bit... ordinary. I'm here to pass judgement here but after that absolute gem of a first track, it is a slight  let down when we reach these ttracks that are more restrained and that don't pick up on that whole instrument over synth thing that i love (i'm sounding a bit obsessive now right?) But. I'll persevere with the album.

The next track of note is 'The Full Moon' whose lyrics hint at more of a folky genre. We begin with soft melodious guitar which is, like the first brilliant song, is soon joined by electro elements that add a nice depth to the song which, with that undertone of folk in the lyrics, and later the addition of the violin, turn this into actually quite a haunting, even medieval like song which is a fantastic reprise from the previous, more in your face tracks. and that assures me that this band cetainly aren't the shallow electro/hip-hop band those earlier tracks hinted at.

What's also nice in this album is a mixture of more subtle electro elements like in 'Some way through this' and 'The full moon' and tracks that hurl drum machine and synths at you from the beginning like 'I want nothing' and 'Anyway you choose to give it'. Even then, however, there is a nice restrained feeling that assures you that this band doesn't hide behind this electronica as an excuse for failings elsewhere, and that in all they are a solid band who, in retrospect, slip rather intelligently between genres and moods. And really, when i look back at the album as a whole,the tracks i wasn't sure about before really do add to the overall feel of this album.

'A perfect day to keep your distance'

In the spirit of fair play, todays band were found completely at random and originally i thought oh hell no this isn't the kind of music i'm into at all. However because the point of this thing is not to review only bands that i like, i persevered with these guys and i kind regret it, to be honest. I'm glad my music taste is this broad, or this blog would have failed before its third day. So let's get this thing started. Introducing

ITAMAR

So another band on Myspace, these guys describe themselves as 'Rock/Pop/Indie' good start i suppose, nice and broad spectrum to work with here. Nothing to complaing about this description at all. It is what it is.
Now the question here is just what is it that that it is? well as confusing as that question may have been, the answer isn't that much more straightforward, i'm afraid. At this point forward i'm going to treat Myspace playlists as an album if there is not one to speak of. In that way we can view the bands music as a whole, and not by individual tracks. So we begin at the beginning, with a track thaat may or may not be almost the lovechild of some Blink 182/Jimmy Eat World type partnership. Of course I hesitate to wonder whether many people reading will actual continue after that bombshell of a comparison, but rest assured that similarities to either band pretty much end with that song. Solid recording here means that we can get straight down to the music and not get bogged down with horrible composition etc etc.
So the album (playlist) continues in a way that may seem consistent with indie rock pop. You know, heavy bass and percussion, a few top note melodies and power chords. Singing is a bit of an issue here and apart from quite a prominent lisp, this guy (like Goatboy) insists of singing out of his nose. This doesn't really affect the first couple of songs as a whole, but as a guy who was constantly told by music teachers not to do that, it kinda grates on me a bit.
The nice thing about this music is that the guy leaves a lot of room for pretty solid guitar solos; the end of 'Mr Right' for instance are pretty strong and it's always good to see a band that can play their instruments with talent and confidence.

So. Strong first two songs. Looking pretty promising for the rest of the playlist, no? Well, no, not exactly. We quickly reach a song called 'Die with beauty' which, after all those solos and power chords, comes in spanish guitars blazing, and pretty much destroys any previous opinions you had of this band. You can imagine these guys performing this song at some kind of mexican festival dressed in ponchos and sombreros. It's far more out of place in this playlist than any other song by any other band i can think of right now, because as soon as this ones over, we go back to the power chords and repetitive drum riffs. Now i do realise that this isn't an album, so i shouldn't be passing judgement on the placement of any songs here, but you can't help but wonder what it's doing there.

That is, of course, until you listen to the rest of the playlist. We start with 'Distance' which, and please excuse me for saying this, is absolutely awful. It comes at you in a similar way with the soft guitar and longing melancholy, but then the guy opens his mouth and what comes out is something trying very hard to be Enrique Inglasias, but with far more lisp. I'm not sure i can accurately describe his singing in these slow songs as anything other than strenuous, and slightly painful. His voice is clearly not suited for the ballard style of song, yet he plows on anyway and the resulting feeling is that of cringing at an awkward scene on a TV sitcom and watching through splayed fingers. It really is that bad. I mean, i was getting pretty into those songs at the beginning, but this is just something else entirely. And this continues for the rest of the playlist. I mean come one, i see 'Rock/Pop/Indie' and i get excited. I expect something with solid instrumentals, upbeat melodies, memorable choruses etc etc, but what i find instead is something close to 'Acoustic/Latino/LispRock' and suddenly i don't feel like downloading their album, or even continuing on with the playlist
In fact, part of me is glad there is no album to speak of, because i have a genuine fear of those first 2 'rock' being gang raped by a man with a spanish guitar and voice that tries far to hard to be...well...something entirely different from what it actually is; a nasely lisp.


See? i listen to these bands so you don't have to. Honestly, i wouldn't go near these guys. Although 'Mr Right - acoustic session' is definately good for a few lols.

'Believe in the things that you know'

Day 2. Band 2. This is another one from myspace and i get the feeling this band are far more well known than yesterdays. Simply the fact they have over 2 million views and 59 thousand friends, kinda makes me wonder why i've never come across these guys before. And i have to tell you that leaves me with a twang of regret that i haven't heard them until now, because this is exactly the kind of music i love. So let's go.

AU REVOIR SIMONE

So i see the description 'Indie/Pop/Electro' and i get rather excited because already this is sounding to me almost like a cross between Bat for Lashes and Florence and the Machine. It's a bit sad they neglected to mention hints of folk in some of their songs, since then Goldfrapp would get involved and i'd be really excited.


If you click on the picture there you'll be able to download a torrent of their album 'The bird of music'. And this is what i'll be reviewing today. I haven't read up on this band too much to know if they have more albums or not, but i'm pretty sure this one gives me enough to know that this is a good band. A very good band.
So the pop element in this band's music is pretty straightforward. You've got the upbeat rythms, the playful melodies, and the chirpy synths (see 'A violent yet flammable world' and 'Night majestic') yet these are not the overuling effects that you'd expect from a pop band. In fact a few songs hint at an element of, well, not sadness, but you'll find that in a few songs the lyrics are sung in a more emotionless tone than you might find from a band that's prevalentely upbeat and later on in the songs you may find the original beat to slip slightly and become a little more restrained. But we won't let that distract us. In fact we can consider that a good thing, because it definately makes the music interesting.
The opening track 'The lucky One', for example begins in this restrained way but very soon picks itself up with a nice little melody over the slow, droning chords in the background. And this is how it is for most, if not all, of the album. The slow backing tracks are made more exciting with the melody and synths on the top. You never really reach much of a climax with any of the tracks, but the tendancy of the floating melodies to almost carry you away with them means there's really no need for them
As far as I can tell, from my 1 and a half playthroughs of the album, there isn't any repitition here. You're not gonna be sitting here listening to the 7th or 8th song thinking 'hmmm i'm sure i've heard this melody/beat/rythm earlier in the album' and that's because the genius mix of electro and instrumental changes and shifts with each song, create a lot of different moods and themes to the music which definately keeps it fresh. Which, if you read yesterdays review, was a downfall that really a lot of bands are guilty of.


You'll notice now that this is only my second review and already they're getting shorter. Well seing as how yesterdays artist only had a few songs on show, yet today i'm faced with an entire 11 track album, forgive me if i don't go into detail about every song. But honestly there's really not much else i can say. And i'm extatically happy that on only my second day of this project, i've found some fantastic music that i will definately be listening to.
See? The thing works!! Joy

'You smell like you normally do'

So, here is the first day, and the first band of this little project. Deciding on where to find my bands and artists took all of a nanosecond, as i rembered that last time i logged on to myspace i spent about 10 minutes ignoring friend requests from various bands. And that was almost a year ago. So now i have a veritable bottomless pit of amateur bands and artists to pick from. I don't want to spend all my time reviewing independent bands like this but i'm sure a few will be fine.
So, without further adu, i bid you all welcome to the musical stylings of

GOATBOY



Now, according to his Myspace, this is the lead singer from a band i actually already have added as a friend. In fact i had been to see them a couple of times before since they are based extremely close to where i live. I wasn't a great fan of the band but i appreciated a kind of querkiness which a lot of amateur bands i've seen seem to lack. So anyway i was happy to give this guy a listen, and despite more than a few fallings, he's actually not half bad.

The first problem i have with this guy is how he labels his music: Ska/Acoustic/Rock. Well i may not know everything there is to know about music, but i certainly don't see even a hint of ska in any of the songs i listened to (for future reference, the bands playlist on myspace will generally be the extent of my listening, unless said playlist is too small to build any sort of opinion.) and as the rock part? mmm maybe not so much. But there's definately acoustics. 1 out of 3 not bad, eh?
So we begin with the track 'The Tree' which, in general is a nice song. The opening melody is good and the melancholy xylophone contrasts nicely with stong percussion. Use of background sounds is rather odd though and i can't exactly think where it's appropriate to include monkey screeches and applauding crowds in a song about a tree, but i'll overlook that since they do fit in quite nicely. Lyric wise, the melody isn't horrible. Ok so that's a bit mean but it gets incredibly repetitive and although the song is split into 3 rough sections, each seperate melody repeats itself far too much, and i'm not entirely sure the 3 fit together all that well. The quality of singing is a relatively small issue here because he's not terrible by any means, he just needs to stop singing out of his nose.
The songs generally continue in this style - that mixture of melancholy instrumentals and nasal singing. One song of note is 'Undead Army' which is presented in the style of an army march, and he does this rather well in singing style although the lack of percussion in this one is dissapointing. I can only assume the wolf/bear noise in the background is trying to compensate for that. Also the odd screeches leave something to be desired but overall the song isn't bad.
One sing i really did like was the instrumental 'The saddest song in the world'. Ignoring this rather undesirable title, it's a very nice melancholy tune with a great, if not clumsy, melody. Although if i'm honest the slightly awkward woodwind actually does well in creating this atmosphere somewhere between a funerial durge and a creepy abandoned fairground theme song. Unfortunately it's not nearly long enough. Not bad by any means, but i'm not sure i enjoy the image of a clown slitting his wrists that this this song gives me...

If i had to sum up this guy in two monosyllabic words, they would have to be 'not bad' . You'll hear the odd gem of a melody or intrumental, such as the nice backing chorus at the end of 'You feel OK' however on the flip side there are a few more dissapointing elements to his music. The lyrics of 'You feel OK' for instance which include the line 'You smell like you normally do' and are expressed in a repetitive, dreary tone make me wonder if maybe he could have spent just a little more time fine tuning a few things, and he might be just that bit better.

The Libertine

I'm setting out on a quest to listen to and review a completely new band/artist every day for an entire year. This concept may not be new or original but i'm doing this for myself as much as anyone else. As much as a way of introducing myself to music, than as an excuse for me to be a critic - which, by the way, I'm not. I simply have opinions. My word is not gospel.


Yet.