'Making angels out of ash'

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'

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?'

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'

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'

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'

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'

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.