Something of an end

'Making angels out of ash'

2009-10-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

First up, let me express my deepest apologies for not posting in like 10 days. The start of uni has been really hectic and i've only just really been able to get my shit together. So hopefully things will be more regular from now on.

I THINK WE SHOULD SEE OTHER DIMENSIONS

This name made me laugh a lot so of course i had to review this guy. The name is also, in a way, reflective of the kind of music he actually creates. Not tied down by specific style, genre etc this music is generally pretty exciting and keps you on your toes.
If you read the description this guy's written about himself, you'll see that even he has lited different genres and sub-genres his music fits into, and with 35 tracks to choose from in his massive playlist, you're sure to find something to like.

Now in past reviews i've brought up this transitions of genre as more of a problem than an example of good diversity, but i'm afraid i'm gonna have to swallow my words here as i can really only find good in what this guy is trying to do. Again from reading his description, you'll see he says he started writing music as a means of breaking his insomnia, and honestly 90% of these tracks have that calm, ambient feeling dotted around with electronic synths and drum machines. Then suddenly you reach a track like 'A clever kill' and things get very interesting. This track is full of so many different electronic and traditional mediums it comes across initially as a bit of a head fuck. But at the same time, it's a really nice track to listen to, especially when it calms down towards the end then builds again into something that's actually pretty special to listen to.
Moving down the list to a track like 'God is in the rain' brings us back to this soft, ambient kind of song that begins to softly you'll honestly be unsure whether you're listening to anything at all. And really in some respects you're not. A track like this doesn't have a fixed melody, or even a regular time signature. A lot of the time, it's just random sounds which despite the obvious feeling of 'wait, this isn't music' is actually quite nice to listen to. It kind of clears the mind. In fact i'm pretty sure this is what i'll be listening to as i study late at night.

So while there are some really nice tracks in there, as well as some more lively upbeat stuff as a nice change from the ambient norm, this guy creates actually does manage to create a sense of sleep and calmness with all his music, which really fulfills what he originally set out to do. And that's never a bad thing

'I believe that we've got it wrong'

2009-09-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

More ambience for you today. But listen to me when i say i didn't specifically search for it this time. Honestly you try to find something other than electronica and ambience and it just doesn't happen. Also my laptop was being a dick earlier so i cut my search a little shorter than usual. But we'll be fine.

SLEEPING AT LAST

I'm wondering if an opening claim that this music is nothing short of beautiful is probably incredibly abitious isn't it? Well i'm being honest. The name of the game here, like yesterdays band, is big crescendos and lots of little melodies that come and go, adding a brilliant amount of depth into the pieces.
Flowing piano melodies play a big part here and are generally the centre piece of each track. Whether it's a simple repetition of a single melody, or a far more complex piece that winds its way around the lyrics and other instrumentals and fills the whole piece with that particular kind of grace that only piano (and maybe violin) can give. It warms my heart to see people taking advantage of piano in such a big way, and these guys do it well.

Now in terms of 'sounds like..' which people always enjoy hearing in music reviews, i'd feel like a complete asshole if i compared this band to The Feeling, because really, no one wants that. But it's impossible to deny the similarities. Luckily though, these similiarites run about as deep as those between a cougar and a domesticated cat. Elements that bind the two bands are just cranked up a notch by these guys. The vocals, for instance are strong and ranged, rather than whiny and nasal. The melodies of this band are presented as complex and have this great sotry-telling quality about them, as opposed to similar instrumentals that just plataeu with repetitive melodies and uninspired backing. And it's these complexities that set this band far above other of a similar style. Tonal changes, tempo changes, crescendos and slows in beat, these are all the things that make music enjoyable and, quite frankly worth listening to. And while this band are not in the same league as many out there, they've managed to put a lot of bite into an acoustic genre.
Take the track 'Clockwork' for example. This song begins, with its jumpy strings and piano, just like you'd expect from a Disney film (Snow White immediately comes to mind) and that sense carries on through the whole song, while the vocals laid over the top fit perfectly with the whole thing. And the resulting song is jumpy and lively and just generally brilliant in its composition. Ok so it's actually really camp (if that Snow White comparison wasn't a bit of a giveaway) but who cares? This is good music stemming from some great talent and a passion for music. Definately the high point of the playlist, this song portrays the band at its very best.

'Is it nostalgia?'

2009-09-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Purevolume finally cam through and gave me something slightly more normal. I mean i like the odd bands but there's definately something to be said about music that doesn't have you questioning the sanity of the person performing it. That said, this band is not without it's quirks.

FUTURE OF FORESTRY

Labelling themselves as 'Ambient/Rock' these guys deliver on both descriptions. The rock element is pretty typical but with some really nice additions of unusual drum beats or backing melodies performed by some instrument much different from the typical guitar/drums/bass that we're used to from rock music.
The sense of ambience in this music comes from the slightly downbeat tempo and slurred vocals. I don't of course mean the band is drunk, but there's this really nice sense of everything kind of flowing together as opposed to sharp, jumpy vocals that are all too common on the rock music scene.

The great thing about this music is that the little quirks that seperate this band from others of the same genre are subtle enough to be noticed, but they never impede on the music itself. Yet without them, i'm really not sure this band would work. They are strong as an ensemble and they definately have talent with their instruments, but you'll notice as you listen it's those little things - a chorus harmony, or a xylophone melody playing out 'Colours in Array' that really hold this band together and make them strong.
Now of course that entire paragraph is redundant, becuase thet's like saying well that cake is nice, but without that time in the oven it just wouldn't be the same. This band isn't a traditional rock band, and they never claim to be. Therefore of course they wouldn't function as a proper rock band what are you talking about Peter Allen shut the hell up.
The next best thing about this band of course, is the shear number of songs they have on their playlist. Huzzah! no more listening to three songs and trying to write a good review! Not that i'm writing a good review anyway, it's just nice when a band presents you with a big enough sample of their music to make a better judgement of them as a band. I've actually had a bit of trouble trying to judge a band on just three songs, yet write a review that encompasses them as a band, not just their three songs. And that's extremely hard.

Oh and one more thing: I can't remember who sung it first, but the cover of 'O Holy Night' these guys do is brilliant. In fact it borders on epic, with rolling cymbals and violin that reaches a really nice crescendo later on in the song. And i've definately neglected to mention the epicness and climaxes these guys use a lot on their music, which again makes it bigger and better than your average rock band.

'Head on a stick'

2009-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

So in the world of music there are two types of music one would describe as 'odd'. First, you've got the eccentric artists who maybe defy genres and blur the lines between styles. And then you've got the ones who's off-beat melodies and eccentric instrumentals add that wacky sense of confusion to their music. This girl i'm about to review encompasses both of these definitions of 'odd' and throws in a few more symptoms to the mix. Witness the bizarre music stylings of

AURALLAURA

Mmmm the name's very nearly a pallendrome. That gets me excited. So anyway what is it that makes this girl so strange? Well I'm gonna start by saying it's probably best to listen to that first track on her playlist - she says herself in her description its unlike her other music, and frankly doesn't portray her in the best light. So, moving on to the next track, we are introduced to this really nice little jazz intro, complete with sax and rolling drum fills. Then she begins singing and we begin to get a sense of her oddness. Her voice is nice; she's got this deep, soulful tone that would be right at home with the jazz in the bakground. But there's just something about the lyrics and style of er voice that gives definate meaning to her 'experimental' label. And i can't quite put my finger on what it is, but i hope i'm not the only one who would hesitate to describe this as simple 'jazz' despite the instrumentals and vocals.
Well luckily, something happens in the third song in the playlist that gives us another hint to just what this girl is doing with herself. This song is...so very different, it's quite a struggle to write about. We get this element of jazz again, but we're introduced to off beat vocals, and that thing the Bob Dylan always does where he tries to fit hundreds of words in a four beat bar. And each verse seems so completely different from the last. We've got a shrill chorus of lalala's that seem to have come straight from Snow White and her animal friends, and then suddenly from that same chorus we get harmonies and echoes that would suit music hall. The lyrics are also questionable, and in the very next song you'll here 'Won't you bring me on a stick, the dismembered head of Philip K Dick' and then things get completely insane and you're left wondering about the mind that created this music.

The rest of the playlist continues in this similar vein. One thing i will point out is that there are some incredibly nice harmonies in this music. And while completely bizarre (like evreything else this girl has to offer) add something really nice to the songs.
Now this girl has serious talent, because no one would dare attempt this 40s throwback style of music unless they were very confident in their own abilities. And the eccentiricities, while a little unnerving and intimidating at the beginning, become entirely part of who this girl is, and i find it brilliant that she has achieved such a unique way to express herself in music. I'm sure a lot of us like to think we express ourself in someway or other, but i can guarantee that we all wish we could do it in such a creative, insane way that this girl does.
I can honestly find only praise for this kind of music, and while i'm not immediatly rushing off to put it on my iPod, what is there not to, if not like, then at least respect, about this music?

Nothing, that's what.

'Loving you is a losing fight'

2009-09-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Not much of an intro for you today. All i will say is this: LET'S FOLK IT UP!

JON FOREMAN

These days music is filled with new and unusual genres/subgenres that weren't heard of only a couple of decades ago, or that have evolved from genres popular from literally centuries ago. Folk music, on the other hand, is a genre that has been left very nearly untouched by the hands of todays modern genre hybrids. Of course you get those who combine folk with other styles - Bat for Lashes combines folk with experimental/electrical elements. Goldfrapp is the same. So it's nice to find a folk band who've stayed pure. And this really is very typical folk; southern american lyrics, slightly off-beat melodies (Bob Dylan i'm looking at you) and that nice, wild west inspired melodies. Whether we actually listen to folk music or not, we have to admit it's a genre that is gonna be around for a long while, even with the surrent cobination of styles that are going with it.

Jon Foreman is really nothing different from this folk norm. I'm at risk here of this review being cut unreasonably short, but honestly we all know folk music, and me telling you this guy plays music absolutely typical of the genre is really all i need to say.
Something i can say a little more about, is this guy's vocals. I've been banging on for the last week or so about people's voices, but really they are incredibly important in a band. This guy is a little ambiguous to my ears. On the one hand we've got this really nice, gruff quality to his voice that actually makes him sound like a cowboy. And who better to sing folk music than a real-life cowboy? Exactly. On the other hand, however, we've got another little problem with singing through the nose and not quite being able to hold a note. Honestly this presents no problem within the actual music, since it does fit with the music and the style. But again i'm really just being nitpicky. Shoot me if you like.

Go on, do it.

'Safe blue space exists'

2009-09-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Why is it that everytime i search for Electronica on Purevolume, i'm presented with either one man with a synth and a mental disorder, or a band whos definition of 'electric' seems to be purely the computer they recorded their music onto. Not that i'm saying Purevolume hasn't given me some great stuff, i'm just looking for a middle ground here. And who knows, maybe i've found one

CBRO

Now i'm not sure if that picture is of him or not, but it's certainly very cute, and i'm hesitant to believe he's an on man, but we can still dream. So this man labels himself as ambient, and jesus christ is this music ambient. I'd even go so far as to say that this is the first band i've come across in this project that who's sound i wouldn't hesitate to call 'beautiful'. And that's saying a lot.
First impressions are really a bit...dull? He's got this whole repetitive piano melody happening and not much else. Now i may be a bit biased in favour of this song, since Sigur Ros' track Samskeyti is one of my favourite of theirs. Pure, beautiful piano that doesn't actually need anything else. And this is what this guy has managed to produce. And i take my hat off to him. Big time.

As the first track ends, you are reminded that this guy has also called his music 'electronic' but the purity of that first song showed not even a hint of that. Well then you'll be pleasently surprised when the second song begins in much the same way, yet we've got this soft drum machine and occassional synth that add a surprising amount of depth to a style that we'd otherwise become slightly bored with, but he never forces them upon you. It's like passing someone money or drugs with a sublte handshake. By presenting us primarily with this slow, dream-like piano that will often send the odd shiver down your spine that has been lightly dusted with the slightest hint of a drum machine here, or a little garnish of synth there, his music is ultimately giving you a choice. You can either embrace these elements as an enhancement and depth to the instrumental, or you can forget about them yet continue to enjoy the music for what it is; minimalism at its very best.

I thought perhaps that my claims of this music being beautiful were perhaps a little ambitious, but the more i listen the more i have to emphasise that this music is not only beautiful, but very nearly perfect in the way it's constructed. Repetitive it may be, but i as i said earlier this man emulates wonderfully what Sigur Ros have always done - presented simple and honest music but with that little twist that just adds so much more. With Sigur Ros it was the vocals - those falsetto, angelic lyrics that match so well with the dreamlike piano. And for this man, it's these hints of electronica that have been dappled throughout his music to create something quite ethereal and, honestly, something quite unlike anything i've heard before.

'She swore to never love another again'

2009-09-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

More acoustic today woohoo. I was trying to think, considering the people i know read this thing, what genres would be best to focus on to keep those readers until i get some more. And then i realised that all of these people have different tastes in music. Some even polar oppisites, so today i've decided to play safe with some acoustic. Although i'm not sure any of you will end up being interested in this one anyway.

CALL ME ANADARKO

Another cool name, if not slightly bizarre. But i'm sure we've learnt by now that even bands with cool names don't always pay up when it comes to the musical side of things. And i want so so so badly to tell you guys that this band is good, but i'm struggling really hard to think of anything to write that isn't 'please, please, please learn how to sing'
I mean, not to sound mean of course (i would never to that. Honestly) because i do like the acoustic they've got going on; the combination of piano and guitar picking works really well in most of their songs. But honestly neither member of this brother/sister combo were born with the good singing gene. And the more you listen, the more you ignore the nice melodie and instrumentals and found it impossible to concentrate on anything other than the fact the these people cannot hold a note. It's not all bad (trust me) because these guys do have a -limited- sense of tone and tune, but if you can't hold a single note you're singing for more than about half a second without your voice going painfully flat, it's noticeable. In a big way.

Now please don't think i'm being a dick because i realise these guys are not professionals - they are two siblings doing what they love and performing in coffee shops. And there's no reason why they can't perform perfectly well at what they like doing. And big respect to anyone who wants to follow music as a career, but i just can't listen to this music without cringing even slightly at those god-awful harmonies. I'm sorry but it has to be said, and just like that guy with a lisp i reviewed near the beginning of this project, i feel bad for dissing these people who are just making music and having fun with it.
Although i'm sure the lisp guy deserved it. Honestly.

'How I long to be broken'

2009-09-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Something a bit more downbeat and emotional for you today. Again found on Purevolume these guys are an unusual band for me to listen to, and while i'm not sure i entirely like their music, there's this whole context thing going on which makes it listenable, if not memorable

THE GLORIOUS UNSEEN

Labelling themselves as 'Rock/Ambient/Indie' seems, for once, a perfect description of this band. You've got the power chords and bass heavy drumming, but it's all softened by deep, often droning lyrcis to create this kind of ambient quality. The music itself is pretty typical emotional rock - and no i'm not calling these guys 'emo' that's far too unkind and that label generally makes me angry anyway - with a lot of mention of love etc and a voice that seems to constantly be on the verge of tears. Kind of Jimmy Eat World meets The Fray. Was sets the music apart from other bands of the same genre though, is the inclusion of piano and strings, as well as the typical guitar/drum duo. This adds a lot more sense of ballard to a lot of the tracks and manages to switch my opinion from whiny angst to something a bit deeper. Still whiny; the lyrics in the title of this post for instance definately have that 'living is pointless' vibe, but in a more....classy way? Probably not the best choice of words but hopefully you'll see what I mean.

This is the point where again i explain the whole context thing i wrote in the intro to this post. This is not the type of music i'd listen to on a day to day basis - i generally go for something much more upbeat - but i do sometimes find myself thinking ah man, i wish i had some more downbeat music i can just stick on in the background and almost forget about. And this is it. Ok so maybe enjoying it for the fact that you can forget about it doesn't make sense. But in a way it's similar in that respect to Sigur Ros. That is the kind of music - because of the foreign lyrics, mostly - that you can put on as a backing track to whatever you're doing at the time. If i want to get absorbed into music, i'll listen to some Bat for Lashes or Mars Volta, but if i want to be absorbed in whatever i'm doing at the time, yet still want some back ground noise, this is really good for that.
This type of music is also good, and i'm not being emo by saying this, for when you're not in the best of moods and when you just want to sit down and think about shit, because you certainly don't want something lively and/or extremely complex. And this music isn't either.

So again we have here a situational band that work in context, rather than in music taste. Obviously there'll be some people that hate them outright, but because of this 'ambience' they create, i find it really difficult not to listen to them and think 'this is actually kinda nice.'

'Style stays sticking like a magnet'

2009-09-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

I asked for experimental, Purevolume gave me these guys. And this band really is nothing if they're not experimental. Not much intro today, just listen

SLICK MANTRA

Woah woah woah did i read that right? 'Hip Hop/Jazz/Experimental'? I'm sorry but never in my life have i heard hip hop mixed with jazz. Ok so i know a lot of rappers take advantage of all kinds of classical music etc as a backing track to their music, but this is a jazz band who rap. A jazz band who rap. Honestly i'm not sure i can think of anything more amazing right now. It's almost how i got excited when i heard Gym Class Heroes were a band that sung hip hop melodies over drums an guitar (until i realise i didn't like them much at all) but this is a fucking jazz band. I'm speachless.
Actually the more i think about it the more i realise that this combination isn't as unusual as i previously though. R n B is traditionall blues music overlayed with a more hip hop like melody and that has been in popular for year and years, even if the original 'Rythme and Blues' was bastardized by changing the B to mean Base, but still the style has been around for a while. But the way these guys do things is just so unbelieavbly like nothing i've heard before. The first track 'Move out' is a perfect example. If you block out the lyrics and just focus on the backing instrumental, you could swear you were at a jazz club wearing pin stripe trousers and snapping your fingers in time with a saxophone. And then you listen to the whole thing and honestly the vocals work so unbelievably well with the instrumental, it's like jazz and hip hop were born to share the same stage.

I'll admit that the vocals could do with some work, but these guys are really on to something big here. You reach the piano solo at the end of the first song and are just thinking 'how the bloody hell did anyone ever come up with something this ridiculous? i mean come on, piano solos in a rap song? I'm at a loss for words.
And this carries on throughout the whole playlist. And it works all the way through. Not once did i actually think hang on, these lyrics and these instrumentals really don't belong together. And a band that can do something that awesome, deserves a hell of a lot of respect. Like i said before the rapping definately needs some work, but i can overlook that for the fact that the band themselves are bloody fantastic. The talent of the guys playing is amazing - they really could sit themselves down in a jazz club (without the vocals of course) and be loved just as much as anyone else - is seriously good. There's also something extremely bizarre about listening so toe-tapping jazz while someone raps over the top about doing drugs. Bizarre, but fantastic.

I thought this review would literally be me sticking my head out from a corner and shouting THIS BAND IS INSANE LISTEN NOW and that would be it. And i suppose in a long rambling way that's exactly what it has been. I'm still pretty overwhelmed to be honest, so i'm gonna go sit down and pray these guys get an album out quick.

'Please, what happened to the flame?'

2009-09-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Something very different today. I realised i was focusing myself mainly on the acoustic/electronica/pop genre over the last few days, and in a similar vane i went for 'Folk Rock' on Purevolume's random profile jump. Well apparently God doesn't like my genre bias so he gave me something that was almost entirely not folk rock, and entirely something you'll either really like, or hate with a passion. Here goes.

THE DEAR HUNTER

So going with the labels 'Acoustic/Folk Rock/Rock' these guys have pretty much undervalued their music in almost every single way. The first song 'The Procession' is a gloriously loud and agressive ode to something much more Prog Rock than acoustic. You do see a few acoustics in their music, they just don't seem to be apparent in the more 'outgoing' tunes. The folk as well is mostly a lie. I can see some elements in their music, such as in the second song of the laylist 'The oracles on the Delphi Express' whose melody and piano do give off that folky vibe. But that's easily drowned out by a bridge that rises to an overdriven crescendo which actually manages to fit the music very well.
The next song, too, actually does do folk pretty well but even in the more acoustic songs there still seems to be this element of rock. And during these more restraint tracks, you're constantly waiting for it all to explode again and the rock to come back in full force, and i have to say - even though i'm not a big rock fan - when the climax doesn't come, i'm almost dissapointed. Not because i necessarily wanted it to happen, but because they teeter so disatrously on the edge that you're constantly waiting for them to fall into the chaos we all loved at the beginning of the playlist.

Luckily we get it all back with the track 'City Escape' Now, i'm not sure whether this track proceeds the previous one in an actual album or not, but the transition from one song to another in this playlist is perfect. 'The lake south' to me sounds like a sort of interlude and then as soon as it ends with slow, droning piano and horns, we get a much bigger and more exciting piano sound, mixed with some really nice guitar and we breath a sigh of relieve as rightness is restored to the world. Again i'm not generally a fan of this type of music, though i can definately appreciate when a band is doing something their good at. And it's this track where they really shine. All elements from previous tracks on the playlist come together and we have this great piano melody, some melancholy chorus in the background and the crazy prog rock guitar coming in full force out in front. And it all just works. It makes me glad that i stuck with this band despite their slower songs just so i could realise that they are a big part of this band, and while i definately agree that rock is what they do best, the folk and acoustic songs that come through from the songs that i didn't enjoy so much, lend themselves so much to the rest of this music.

I guess i can conclude by saying that this isn't music i'd usually listen to. In fact i'm pretty sure i'll never have these guys on my iPod, but the way they actually do what they do, i can definately appreciate. I just hope in future they refine that coming together of rock, folk and acoustic and they could be a seriously great band.

'Placid splash back'

2009-09-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Back to Myspace for todays artist, and i can't actually remember how i found him. Probably through a friend of a friend of a friend of a band i like. Well whatever this is another electronica sound for you guys, which i will assume some of you may be getting sick of. So tomorrow i promise i will find you something different. In the mean time, i introduce

JONATHAN KRISP

Typically this is electronica. Typically this is also the type of electronia i've been banging on about for this whole blog. Seriously just look at the post below this one to see my whole thing about electronic artists who are good at making sure electronic isn't all they are, and how i enjoy classical instruments mixed in with this style of music etc etc. I'll save you all the time and effort of wading through another one of those rants and just get on to this artist as an artist.
So you will notice here that other than 'electronica' this guy labels himself as both 'Tropical' and 'Visual' Now i personally am not sure about the visual thing, since i'm not one of those people who 'sees' music, although i can very nearly understand what they're getting at by saying that. There's a kind of trippy quality to the music that gets you wondering whether listening to this under the influence of drugs would cause colourful swirls everywhere that pulsate in time with the beat, and everything would taste of purple. So ok we can deal with the 'visual' label of this music, although i personally have never heard music given that label before. Also it's taken me until the the end of this paragraph to realise it might just mean their live shows are very spectacular. Shut up.

So the other label then, 'Tropical'. Accurate? I'd say so, yes. Now i'm wondering if this is really just another term for world music, but there definately a sense of continental shift in this music. You begin with the second song on the playlist 'Untitled' presents us with this chorus of chanting children. Like Yeasayer (who i reviewed a few days ago) the chorus sounds almost oriental. And then we have these bird sound running through the track to produce something not unlike the soundtrack to that bit in Tomb Raider where they first enter the tomb (I'm sorry for the terrible comparison, i really couldn't think of anything half decent.) Then we immediately get transported to Frace with the song 'Wow and flutter' which gives us a dose of accordian which actually fits very nicely with the song's other elements to produce something very continental.
I've said before (probably multiple times in fact) that i'm always uncertain of artists who try and put their music into too many genres or eras or continents although i will step back and admit that i don't have an album to reference so these songs could all be from different albums for all i know. But i do get the feeling that unlike Yeasayer, this guy is a little unsure of where he's actually at in terms of musical style. What i definately appreciate though is how his approach to electronic music is definately different from most (going by what i mentioned earlier of accordian's and choir boys) but honestly jumping from renaissence France to around 400 years into the future in 'Placid Splash Back' seems a little bit far-fetched.

Even for me.

'Flicking fire like saltwater into my eyes'

2009-09-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Gone for electronica toay so a few of you might want to look away. Actually no, don't. You'll learn something new about a band you've never heard of before. Why would you ever want to pass up that oppurtunity? Oh and one more thing; Purevolume is great if you don't mind every other random artist it gives you being a man shouting into a microphone while his friend stands behind him making tambourine noises.

PASSION PIT

These guys really are just a big barrel of fun. With their 'Pop/Electronica/World' labels these guys pretty much fit into every category perfectly. From the very first song of the playlist you just know these guys love what they do and are enjoying themselves a hell of a lot. In fact there isn't a single song on this playlist that doesn't have even a hint of playful fun in the melody, the synths, the drum machines, anything. Really it's nice to listen to music that just doesn't let go of this sense of enjoyment. I mean ok i haven't looked at the lyrics to every song and i do know from experience that songs that sound fun on the first listen can really be all about death or slitting your own wrists, but really, when you've got children singing a chorus as a backing to carefree electronica, a la 'Little Secrets' there's really nothing that can get you down.

Onto the actual musical credibility, i think again the electronica in this music is done perfectly well. You can tell from the very beginning that their music is predominantly electric, but it never feels like that's all it is. You look at bands like The Klaxons who, while pretty good to listen to, go way overboard with their treatment of the electronica genre. And i've always thought that it should never be all that music is. It should simply enhance it. And this is why artists like Patrick Wolf, Bat for Lashes, Goldfrapp, New Young Pony Club etc are among my favourite out there. They have this great talent for music and for the instruments they play, but they also have an even more important talent in knowing just how much electronic elements to inject into a piece of music, without overwhelming the whole thing.

Ok so admittedly i enjoy bands like Crystal Castles who are all electric, but in my opinion it's very hard to get that right. And since i've been wildly off-topic for an entire paragraph now, I'll come back to my original point that it is for reasons stated above that i think these guys are great at what they do. And really you can't for a second deny that whether you enjoy the actual music or not, the general feeling of every song is one of fun, and that really is never a bad thing.

At least for most of us. I hope.

'I'm better off alone'

2009-09-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Puervolume gave me a male singer/songwriter today which is nice because this blog is rather full of girls. Nothing wrong with that, it's just nice to see guys pulling their weight in contributing to todays music scene. And this is an interesting one, so belt up and enjoy the ride.

A BEAUTIFUL SILENCE

So this is one man who sings and plays guitar, drums and piano on all his records. I like to think sometimes he does it all at the same time, but I'm not overly sure that's true =(
So what he has left out of his description (like a couple of artists in this blog actually) is the electric elements he slips into his music. Nothing big or fancy but it does generally work with his tracks. That is except for 'Beatiful Girl' where the electric really is bit too loud over the rest of the track but we can let that slide. Ish.

So sound wise i'd give this guy a place somewhere between The Fray and, i dunno, Jimmy Eat World? While predominantly acoustic, and while he does describe himself as 'Pop' there's a slight hint of Americanised punk in what he's playing. Which is...dissapointing, if i'm honest. The first track of the playlist introduces this guy really well. You've got the relatively simple electro over some nice guitar and pretty strong lyrics. Yet you can tell from the guy's voice where i got the whole Jimmy Eat World comparison. This track also gives us the idea that this guy is clever. Rather than simple changing key or melody for the chorus and the bridge he actually changes his strumming pattern, the drum pattern, and even the tempo. I really enjoy little quirks like that so i get a good first impression of this guy.
Like i said before though too soon he becomes a bit too punky, but while also keeping his acoustic guitars and electric elements to his songs. Which really results in something a little bit odd. Oh and when i say 'Punk' i emphasise those inverted commas, because this is a classic case of aspirational punk that bands like Greenday come out with which really doesn't make the grade. We could alo call it 'Rock' since that's another label he gives himself, but that would be even more ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure that the acoustic elements of these songs, and the electrics really work well; it's like a clashing of opposite personalities. But when put with the vocals, something is lost. It's kind of like a musical triangle. You have these three main elements of Acoustic, Electric and Vocal and i think if you took any of those three away, the remaining two would work pretty well together. But together there's just something about the resulting sound that doesn't quite work. And that's rather dissapointing because i definately see some great stuff in his music, i just think he's put it all together wrong.
Maybe that's what you get when you're a one man band - you want to include everything you know how to do in the music, regardless of how the finished product actually sounds.

'I could not make it right, even with a seventh second chance'

2009-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Another acoustic girl for you guys today, and no I promise i'm not purposefully choosing these people. I'm staying completely faithful to this blog, but it just so happens the Purevolume enjoys giving me acoustic women. I really can't help it, I'm afraid.

So make yourselves comfortable and listen to:

THE FEVERFEW

Wow that girl has really, really blue eyes. So anyway, if anyone ever wanted a band that epitomises the word 'Acoustic' these guys are it. Rarely showing off myore than a picked guitar melody and the simplest of drum beats this really is music as its most basic. And who ever said that was bad?

Second to acoustic the major theme in this band's music is folk, and boy is this music folky. If you can't listen to this music without picturing yourself in a gypsy caravan singing to your eighteen children, then you're doing it wrong. The voice that isn't quite perfect but draws you in with its simplicity and slight eccentricity, and the harmonies that really are perfect, but again slightly odd or complex (probably a better word) and that you wouldn't really think would ever come together to form a sound lulls you into some kind of hypnosis. Honestly I'm listening to the track 'Bernie' while typing and i keep on having to stop and just listen for a while.

Now in the last couple of posts you may have noticed i've been discussing serious business concerned with how different kind of music and genres appeal in different ways etc etc and i have literally just realised that, as i have probably stated and probably will state time and time again, technically this music does not belong anywhere in my collection. So maybe i could slot it nicely in between Florence and Goldfrapp (the folk albums), or maybe it could chill with Bat for Lashes, or even someone like Damien Rice. It could fit with a lot of different music, and you could listen to it thinking oh this is really similar to this band or this artist. But honestly it fills a place completely of its own. It relies on acoustic melodies and folky vocals that really are pretty standard right now, but at the same time seems to stand completely independant of them.

Whether this is because of what i said earlier about managing to strip acoustic music down it it's real bare essentials, or because of the clever lyrics or complex harmonies, who knows. But this music really is the equivelant of trying to make ketchup from scratch. You know all the ingredients, and you can get as close as damnit to the real thing, but it's just not quite there. I know if i found a girl who could sing, sat her down and gave her a basic chord structure and some well thought out lyrics, we could sound pretty good. But i guess in a really roundabout and pointless way, what i'm saying is that this music is undeniably minimalist, but in no way do The Feverfew allow their music to fall into the ranks of the more generic acoustic duos .

Now please tell me to shut the hell up because i'm sure i'm now losing readers far quicker than i'm gaining them, the rate i'm going

'You have my soul to guard'

2009-09-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

Today I took a chance at searching for 'Experimental' on Purevolume. Now this, I can imagine, is quite risky because i'm sure i could have easily end up with a band consisting of a man playing the spoons while his brother yodels in background that could have easily named themselves as 'Experimental' Luckily i didn't fall victim to any of that, and what actually came out of the search is, yes something pretty unsusual, but also something that's actually listenable. And we like that.

ANDY ZIPF

German maybe? Who cares, Zipf is a pretty enjoyable name whatever the origin. Labelling himself as Rock/Pop/Experimental lets me breath a huge sigh of relief. I was honestly expecting Bluegrass/Frog Chorus/Experimental or something of the sort.
So the first track we find on the playlist plays out a bit like something from Moby, with that minimalist instrumental backing to kind of long, mellow lyrics and immediatly i see this as something you might listen to in the background rather than giving it your full attention (which is precisely what Moby is anyway, so good comparison there.) But as we move through the tracks, things seem to pick up nicely and soon he's got this whole The Feeling vibe going on, which amount to giving his songs a lot more attitude that comes from that step up of beat and tempo.
I should probably just up and say it at this point: I am not so sure about the talent that drives the instruments in this band. At a passing glance you see pretty strong guitar and the occassional nice drum fill, but ultimately it's just power chords and overdrive. Which is a pitty because just like yesterday's band, and a couple more before that, this band is definately driven by its singer and while i agree that the singer is generally the most important member of any band (come on the talent behind the instruments could be incredible but if the guy at the front can't sing, then it just doesn't work) you need a strong band behind you. What i will say is that in the track 'Nothing's wrong' the picking of the guitar is nice. Nothing amazing, but it fits really well with the singing and in a slow song like that you don't particularly want to be drowned out by thrashing solos etc. In fact there are a few of the slower songs on the playlist which also have that nice picking.

Something i've noticed about this guy is that his is the kind of music i'd quite like to learn to play acoustically. The songs i like to play are those with relatively simple strumming or picking melodies, but ranged vocals that i can actually have fun singing. And for me, tracks like 'Keep your body broken' are pretty much perfect for that. And that point leads me on to something that i haven't noticed until i started this blog, and that is the context the music that you're listening to is in as a major factor in whether you'll enjoy listening. Right now, for example, I'm very heavily into The Mars Volta - a progressive rock band that has the tendancy to go mental from time to time - but i'm never going to be able to play any of their music on my acoustic guitar. Something like Andy Zipf here, for example, i couldn't really imagine listening to a great deal, but when it comes to playing his music, I'm pretty sure i could have some great fun doing so. And that is a bizarre thing for me to realise i think i find it pretty much physically impossible to find a context, or a situation, or a setting for any band of any genre to be liked.

And I consider myself pretty lucky for that; the fact that i can enjoy any music at all (genre, not specific band) just at the right time and the right place. And that honestly makes this blog slightly easier to bare.

'Don't be confused, our love is true'

2009-09-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

Todays band is another found using Purevolume.com's random profile jump feature (and i think i'll probably stop introducing bands with that sentance since i'm pretty sure most bands from now on will come from there) and another one to add to the ranks of bands suffering identity crises in music. So have fun with the review and make sure to check out

AS TALL AS LIONS

Predominantly an indie/rock band, these guys are pretty typical in the treatment of their music. The usual power chords and drum fillers, solid lyrics that range from slow soulful ballard to loud, almost shouty crescendo. Honestly i could end the review here and now, but that would make me really shit and what little readers i have now will be gone forever.

So. Let us delve deeper in the world of As Tall as Lions, partly to make this review even slightly readable, and partly because i really like the name of the band and want to try to like them as much as possible. So let's go.

I think the first thing i need to say is that, in retrospect, i probably downloaded the wrong album. Using the random profile jump feature of purevolume i searched for a band labelled 'Ambient' so naturally i was rather surprised when these guys showed up. But once you get past the beginning couple of rock heavy tracks, you begin to see there is definately more to them. No unfortunately the album i downloaded called 'Lafcadio' is almost entirely built on these rock heavy tracks so i adivse to listen to their playlist on purevolume and their selftitled first album, which apparently utilises the more ambient side of this band more but since i've been a little short on time today (no i wasn't busy, just sleeping mostly) i haven't had time to give their debut album a listen. I'm not saying don't listen to 'Lafcadio' because it's an alright album (and it does have a good couple less rock driven songs - 'Silhouettes/silhouetting' and 'Why we cry at movies'), it just doesn't really showcase the best music the band has to offer.

So when this band do ambient, they do it really well. You may notice with these guys that their music is almost entirely driven by the vocals of the lead man. His powerful voice really gives some great depth to even the more shallow rock tunes. As soon as he gets that little bit soulful though in the slower tracks, that's when he really shines. I'd almost go so far as to say his voice has an Elbow front man element to it. That voice that somehow goes from gutteral lows to pretty graceful highs almost effortlessly.And this to me is what saves As Tall as Lions from the yawning chasm of generic indie/rock bands out there and what has saved this review from dying a death after the first paragraph.
So what do this band really amount to then? Similar in a way to the last couple of bands i've reviewed, i think this band almost struggles to define themselves in the typical sense of genre establishment, and to be fair todays music is split into so many genres and sub-genres that i don't really blame them to be honest. But essentially what we have here is primarily typical rock driven music with that odd glimpse of soulful melody and a singer who really brings the whole thing together with a strong, versatile voice.

'This bed, it feels so cold'

2009-09-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

The other day a friend recommended a site called purevolume.com as a source of new bands to review for this blog. It's a fantastic site actually - kin of like last.fm but with a fantastic feature (that i always was a bit annoyed last.fm never had) called profile jump. Basically you choose a genre of music, click go and the site redirects you to a page of a random band/artist. It took me all of a second to realise that this is fantastic for my blog and so here we go, the first band of purevolume.com:

HE IS WE

Again, funny name but I'm sure we'll get over that pretty quickly. Unfortunately once again these guys have no available downloads so I'll have to rely once again on just music from their plasylist which has a good 7 tracks on it so we shuld be able to get enough of out them.

So the first notable point of this band is that from the first track we are introduced to the idea of simple instrumental helped along and very much enhanced by solid, flowing vocals. And when i say solid, i mean that this girl really can sing. Whilst almost a cross between kind of Kelly Clarkson, Florence and - dare i say it? - Avril Lavigne, she's got a great vocal range and springy quality to her voice which gives her melodies a lot of emotion and can come across as very soulful.
All of this would of course be fantastic if she didn't sound just that little bit like every other American female pop singer around at the moment. Except for the fact that under the overlying acoustic pop kind of sounds, there's definately an undertone of something more serious and less...Hannah Montana? I actually feel kinda harsh slandering the name of a girl who can definately sing very very well, but i think in recent times, with my taste in music being erratic like it is, i think i'm always expecting and hoping for something with that edge. Something that will cause me to prick my ears up and pay more attention than i was previously. And while this certainly isn't the bland, uninteresting music of a lot of acousitc pop out there, there just isn't enough of a spark to get any kind of fire started for me.

Now this is the hard part of this kind of review where i have to defend what i've just said and every verdict i've come to in previous reviews. And i hear you saying 'well how is this girl different from Jenny Owen Youngs? Or that Florence girl you keep comparing everyone to?' and I'll admit that it's a far more subtle difference than you might think. I am 300% NOT saying this band isn't good. In fact as a band i think they're fantastic. Very solid composition, lyrics that, as i said before, impress me a great deal, and an overall feeling through the songs of well structured, well thought out music. Which of course is a lot more than a lot of female singers can produce these days. I'm only saying that when the first similar artist that comes to mind is a cross between Kelly Clarkson and Hannah Montana, I just think this isn't the kind of music i want to hear.
And i know for a fact that at least a couple of readers of this blog probably will like her, so i'm not gonna end this review on a negative.
I honestly think this is the first band in this blog i haven't liked purely because they were shit. This goes way deeper than that, and I'm sorry we couldn't all be friends

'I don't even know'

2009-09-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

Something completely, utterly, totally, mind-blowingly different for you guys today. And the jury's still out as to whether i actually like them or not. After just a couple of listens they seem to at once combine yet at the same time give the finger to every other band I've reviewed so far. Difficult to describe, surprisingly. Just give a listen to

GANG GANG DANCE

GANG GANG DANCE. Really? Well OK then, if you insist. Describing themselves on their Myspace as simply 'Big Beat' is actually quite an understatement. I'd describe The Black Ghosts as 'Big beat'. I'd describe Yeasayers as 'Big beat' These guys are more like 'I'm mental and listening to me is like sticking your entire head into a plug socket. But, like I said, I might find after a few more listens i really enjoy their music. Who knows.
So from the off we get this whole Asian/Oriental vibe which, when mixed with the crazy electro and 'Big beats' amounts to just short of a rave. Honestly I'm not sure I've ever known a band with a more fitting title than theirs. Similar to Yeasayers in a couple of ways, these guys are extremely experimental with all their music (well all the music I've heard from them anyway), bringing together so many elements of so many eras, genres, people, places, animals, shoes, literally evrything is contained within this bands music. Pinning down a specific genre for these guys is like trying to count stars while the universe is imploding around you.

Metaphors aside, one thing that this music is, is big. It's rather exciting too and I look forward to each new song just to see how the hell they're going to mindfuck me next. And that is a pretty exhilerating musical experience i can tell you. Not many bands have even nearly the same effect on me. On the flip side however, the prospect of each new song is also rather intimidating, and i find myself slightly worried that just as I'm about to understand what this band is about, my opinions will be dashed once more as they bombard my brain with something completely different from anything else i've ever heard.
At this point any readers will probably be saying 'well fuck the metaphors, review the band properly!' Well, truth is, the above couple of paragraphs is really all I can say on a band that is everything, but at the same time nothing. I'll be listening to a song, and I'll like it. I'll like its heavy use of electro and foreign, exciting lyrics. But as soon as the song ends, it's almost as if I've forgotten it was every there. I mean i shouldn't expect to love every single track after i've only listened to a relitavely small playlist a few times, but every band i've reviewed so far has had at least one track that made some kind of impression on me. I mean fair enough these guys may be able to make impressive, 'Big beats' but in my limited hearing of their music, they are in no way memorable.

And it's incredibly hard to review a band that isn't actually there.

'Today i'm in the future, tomorrow I'll be in the past

2009-09-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

Another one (surpise) that's come from the friends ist of Bat for Lashes. No more after today, promise. No really.
Today's is another who seems to confused it's genre with something it's not. Well actually thinking about it i can only think 'Metal' label they've given themselves is a joke. Just give a listen and see

THE GOLDEN SILVERS

Not metal in the list. At least not in the album 'Arrows of Eros' that i'll be reviewing today. Good name that, by the way. So if not metal, what kind of music are this band playing? Well to me right now it seems a bit of a mix of kind of Mystery Jets/Arctic Monkey/Libertines but thinly veiled with...old. Like all the tracks on this album kinda seem like thoy've ceom from the 60s or something. The music-hall piano and very english sounding lyrics are of a bit of a midfuck when you find yourself trying to reminisce about a time that these guys has certainly never been. 'Magic Touch' for instance sounds very Happy Days with it's chorus. The Beach Boys called - they want their ooohing choruses back.

I have to say though, they do the old thing very well, and mixing that nice classic piano with big bass lines and nice drum beats. The track 'Arrows of Eros' is a great song, i have to say. Fiddle with a few number on the keyboard and suddenly we've got this 80s kind of synth sound, mixed to some, i dunno, Duran Duran? There's also some drum machine in there too. Whatever the hell it is, it amounts to what is actually a really great title track. Something of note you guys might like to know - this band is guitarless. Surprising in a band that plays music like this, but hey if Keane can do it (which actually they can't. At all. And if i recall correctly Keane actually bought a guitar for the second album, so fuck them) these guys can too. With a keyboard and big fat bass lines. Which is really all you need in a band.
These guys also like their thickly textured climaxes which come of pretty well with big cymbals, and the build to it is nice to. The majority of songs (there's only 7 on this album. Very dissapointing i must say) start pretty slow and are a definate cue for linking arms with your mates after a few pints down the local and swaying (it's the ooooohs an aaaaaaahs again) and then end nice and big, without going mental.

It's rather surprising, when considering the massive steps music has taken in these last few years, that you've still got bands daring to produce that old sound that most of us seem to be trying to get away from. And i definately commend them for that, but it seems at times as if this attempt at a throwback to the oldies is a bit misguided. Fair enough if they're trying to span decades or eras, but you can't tell me 'Arrows of Eros' and 'Shakes' are from the same kind of time period. And then we've got 'Train for a brain' which, while a great track, sounds a bit like The Beatles if The Beatles were all robots.
This all amounts to a pretty interesting album, if nothing else. These guys seem to me kind of like 'Tha Black Ghosts' from the other day - straddling genres every which way but never really managing a perfect dismount in any. (Do you like how i made a gymnastics metaphor? I do)

'If you find me I'll be sitting by the water fountain'

2009-09-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Another one from the friends list of Bat for Lashes here. I found myself, only about 5 days into this thing, that i'd have loads of trouble with finding bands to actually review everyday, but thanks to my idea of checking out friends of artists i already like, and a friend who pointed me in the direction of the random jump feature on purevolume, i think i'm gonna be alright for the while. Let's hope so anyway.
So today's is another i wouldn't usually hav picked, but again this is why i love this preoject. Just take a look at

YEASAYER

Good name for a start. You can scream at the top of your lungs I SAY YAY when this review is done. Honestly. Now the reason i was a little bit unsure of this band was the description of 'Gospel' on their Myspace. I wasn't dreading the thought of americans singing praise jesus, but it did make me a little wary. Well, once again i was wrong.
I'll be reviewing from their album All Hour Cymbals, and i've put a nice little link to a torrent here

So the very first thing that can be said about this band, is that they sure can make a noise. With what i can only imagine is a pretty large orchestra behind them including a whole range of instruments, and four available mouth to be singing with, this bands music is bordering epic if nothing else. However even with the vocals and the thousands of instruments they've got going on, you never seem like your eardrums are being mercilessly attacked. They are quite a lot like Arcade Fire in the sense that they've tamed all these instuments to work in fantastic harmony rather than each one competing for the lead and turning into some sort of angry beast.
Another thing you'll notice from the off is how whoever's singing the verses of the song 'Sunrise' sounds like Tracy Chapman. Unfrotunately this one's a guy.
Vocals again contribute to this huge sound that Yeasayer are making. I can only assume all four guys involved in this band are singing, and the perfect harmonies and folky melodies fit pretty much perfectly with the music. In a few songs you almost get the feeling you are in a kind of medieval rock festival with guys playing loots and banging on drums the size of my house. The folky theme carries on pretty much through the entire album, but every now and then (and by that i mean incredibly often) we also get a hint of something more.... foreign? I'm not sure but in the song 'Wait for the summer' for instance, we get this combination of a sitar type instrument and tamborines and clapping to give us this overall feel of Indian, or Asian music. Whilst later on in the album we get a definate African tribal feel, such as with the beginning chorus wail in 'Ah. Weir'

All these different cultural throwbacks come together to produce an album that screams experimental, but you just know that these guys knw exactly what their doing. It's not experimental in the way that a metal group might go rap just for the shiggles. It's experimental in the 'I know i've got this right' kind of way. And i don't want to judge based purely on this album alone, but it's clear they've been experimental since the day they came together as a band.
To further this point, they even dare to throw in some electronic elements in a couple of songs. What the hell, you might be thinking, are theese fools doing with putting electronic shit in the same album as African tribal shit? Well that's clearly just who these guys are. And it works. I definately have a lot of time for bands who aren't afraid to say fuck it and just do whatever the hell they want in their music. And i have to be honest here, despite this project already throwing some great bands at me, this is the only one whose future work I'm sure I will crave so desperately, just to see their progressions through their music. I'm incredibly, undeniably interested in this band.

And that's always a plus, right?

'Good gracious ass is bodacious'

2009-09-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

This one was actually recommended by a good friend and so of course i had to oblige and give her a listen. But again i couldn't find a bloody torrent to download an album. sayusihgdaoushoisdhfsfg how do i expect people to read this thing if i'm not actually giving them anything. wah wah wah angst. But still, i'm hoping this will still be a fair review since, you know, i like being fair etc. So give a big, warm welcome to:

JENNY OWEN YOUNGS

So if we look at her Myspace, just like yesterdays artist looked kinda like Bjork, here we have a woman who looks like- oh, it's Kate Nash. Please don't leave just yet. I promise that any similarities in her music are relatively small. So just give her the benefit of the doubt here and ignore her face. Until, that is, you hear her voice. Then it doesn't matter what the hell she looks like; this girl can sing (she's hot anyway, let's not deny it).

Talking of similarities, we get the impression very early on with the track 'Here is a heart' of Regina Spektor. That kind of soft, almost dreamy kind of vocals with a nice tonal range. There's something else that definately reminds me of Regina, but it can't really be described. I'm sure you will all agree it's just kind of there. So anyway really nice instrumentals too in this song, although i would have liked her to make more of the strings. But that's just me being picky. Great tune.

The next tune 'Led to the sea' introduces us to something much more upbeat and poppy. And still we're hearing that Regina-esque vocal quality. But this time it's much less noticeable. And i think i definately prefer her when she lets herself go a bit and in the chorus particularly we get a hint of a kind of Florence + the Machine/Kelly Clarkson crossover. But trust me it works well. And again one of my favourite things about this song is the vocal range that she exhibits. The verses stay rather deep but then the chorus and bridge take things up a key which is really nice to hear.
Songs of note here are definately the more lively, ubeat pop tracks. Unfortunetly, in this playlist at least, there aren't really enough of these. I'm not saying she can't do the slow, more relaxed music - in fact she definately can. Just look at 'The fuck was I' and 'Voice on tape' - but I just think her voice suits the more active songs that little bit better. I'd definately recommend 'Clean Break', 'Led to the sea' and 'Hot in herre' (amazing cover imo. In fact, amazing doesn't quite do it justice. Especially when i picture Nelly dancing around his living room to this).
In fact, shut me up. All these tracks are great. I think I'm just hoping for some more lively acoustic pop. But i really shouldn't be complaining, since i'm pretty sure this girl is going to be very very big.

'We've got a good thing going'

2009-08-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-28T00:19:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-25T03:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

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.