I’ll admit I sometimes sit on band that initially grabs me just to make sure the initial impression is worthy of sharing. This approach can go either way; sometimes the quirk which first drew me in turns cloying after a few listens, other times it just keeps getting better. In the case of A B & The Sea it was the later. Upon first hearing their retro leaning classic pop singles I got my hands on any and everything I could from them and it is all delectable. The quartet meld a bit of surf rock with a touch of sunny pop -70′s flavor- to create a delightfully addictive sound. Their new EP Boys & Girls is rich with tunes meant to be played during a breezy summer day complete with barreling bass drums, hand claps and plenty of finely crooned “ooohs” & “aaahs.” They’re doing a mini west coast tour this summer and hopefully hopefully they’ make their way out East soon.
Irish singer/songriters Simon Fagan’s second LP Outside Looking In hit the digital market last month and it is also one of those releases that needed a little time to marinate. His music is incredibly comfortable, you can slip into the arrangements and lyrics without much effort which can be said about a lot of average music. Fagan’s real talent is found on the third or fourth listen to his album when you realize how tight his instrumentations are and the careful measure he uses to deliver the lyrics. He knows his voice well and has a real knack for dynamic delivery which gives his material genuine emotional weight. Give him a go, you’ll find yourself hitting repeat more than you’d expect.
I got my first listen of the new School of Seven Bells album Disconnect From Desire yesterday and it is magnificent. Then this remix magiced its way into my iTunes remix shuffle and it was like icing on the cake. Lusine plays off of SOSB’s etherial spirit by scaling it back and adding some subtle tweaks and sparkles. This is a smooth smooth jam you should pop on your next chill out mix.
[MP3] Half Asleep (Lusine Remix) – School Of Seven Bells
Philly DJ Emynd snuck this track out there this week (I caught wind of if from the heads over at Uristocrat) and it just rubbed me the right way. It’s a laid back take on synth pop rockers La Roux vocals spread over swaggering beats copped from Birdman’s Money To Blow. The two meld much better than you might expect another job well done by meester Emynd.
[MP3] Money To Blow (La Roux x Birdman) – Emynd
Not sure about the rest of you but there has been a lot of World Cup watching in the TWIAPC household. Sadly with Ghana’s loss tragic loss today all the teams I had any attachment to are out. I’ll still tune in to see how the tournament of surprises plays out but hopefully with a little less anxiety involved. This remix by The Very Best of African troubadour Baaba Maal’s “Miracle” is totally something I can see running behind some of the replay montages that will be peppering sports casts over the next week. They maintain the tribal soul of the original track but amp it up perfectly with some superimposed beats. Get it.
The summer between my junior and senior year I decided to stay at school and begin work on my senior comps project for my studio arts degree while splitting my time between working for the slide library and the campus book store. While definitely the least adventurous summer of my college years it was just what I needed, a meandering summer spent living the small town life. I was lucky to have a grip of quality souls who had also opted to stay on campus with whom I could pass the time. Evenings were spent floating down the Canon river to stay cool, playing intense cribbage tournaments, making elaborate dinners, tossing frisbees and, or course, listening to/discussing music.
Without the stress of school work to otherwise distract us we were able to stay up late into the night playing our favorite music for each other. I brought my classic rock knowledge to the table, my roommate ( a DJ) shared with me his love of hip hop and my fellow book store worker imparted upon me his encyclopedic knowledge of indie music. Those tune swapping sessions opened me up to more new music than ever before. I filled my iPod with their recommendations and passed my days stocking shelves and filing slide while listening to Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Broken Social Scene, Drive By Truckers, Ron Sexsmith, Death Cab For Cutie, Blackalicious, The Books – to name a few. Needless to say it was a pretty ideal way to savor my last summer. I look back on that summer and realize it was probably the catalyst for my current dedication to perpetual musical discovery.
Check The Rhime- Tribe Called Quest
I Believe In A Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Move Your Feet – Junior Senior
Holy Grail – Badly Drawn Boy
Billy Liar – The Decemberists
The District Sleeps Alone (Postal Service Cover) – Jonna Lee
Give Pretty Soon – Drive By Truckers
Busted Heart – Bishop Allen
There are lots of interesting beats to be found on Sad Red’s new album Elder. Unexpected syncopations keep you on your toes while urgent guitars fuzz out the edges; melancholic lyrics are delivered in turns with hushed howls and moody pleas. The arrangements are tighter than the average brooding band and they aren’t entirely dedicated to downer tunes. Songs like “Bag Of Shame” have an almost ethereal overtone despite the great shaking bass line. Sound like an intriguing band? They are. Give them a good listen and I’m sure you wont be disappointed.
[MP3] The Garden And The Lemon Tree
The supremely talented Casey Shea has just released his new album Love Is Here To Stay on Family Records and it’s more than worthy of your diligent ears. Shea’s music comes from a finely cultivated catalog of inspiration- early folk, classic rock and wit infused pop- landing him in catchy troubadour territory. The orchestrations are dense and well thought out but not over whelming; buoyed by beautiful harmonies and quirky lyrics they never fail to leave a good impression. I particularly appreciate Shea’s ability to reflect his wealth of inspirations by creating his own sound and not beating you over the head with mimicry or over simplification. There’s lots to enjoy so I suggest you get yourself a copy.
Ms Monae is resurrecting some good old fashioned Motown R&B and I cannot get enough. This new video features some neo soft shoe moves and an awesome Big Boi cameo. If you haven’t checked out her new album Archandroid you best be getting on that. Tight Rope is just one of many stellar tracks.
The fellas of Bad Veins have just release their Outliers EP featuring a collection of songs that didn’t make the cut for their crazy good first album. It’s just enough to tide you over until their next full album release. You can consider this new video a nice slice of cake to help you pass the time as well. It is a really simple but entertaining concept for a music video and I particularly love Seb & Ben’s demeanor through the whole thing.
Marina & The Diamonds have a new EP dropping August first and to get you all excited they’ve created a incredibly cool pop art inspired video. While other artists are taking similar inspiration and literally sugar coating it to a cloying degree Marina gives it the right kind of punch to perfectly complement the song.
The Most Serene Republic made their annual stop in Philly last week and brought with them a new variation on their sound and a new EP, Fantasick Impossibliss. They were still the musical troupe dedicated to making discordant harmonies and unpredictable progressions sound curiously delectable but gone was their fiercely awesome guitarist Emma Ditchburn whose voice was often the bow the wrapped up their chaotic package of notes. I was immediately intrigued to hear what this new variation on the TMSR theme would sound like.
The set was short and, as usual, not particularly invested in creating a perfect sound but rather music that is just slightly skewed and therefore appealing to inquisitive ears wanting to make sense of the arrangements. Lead singer Adrian Jewett’s awkward but endearing stage presence and confidence in this band is part of the TMSR appeal even more so now that Emma has departed. His voice took a song to warm up but after that was all set to attack the off kilter tunes.
Featuring both old and new tracks the set proved that the new incarnation of the group was just as imperfectly perfect as they have always been. The new line up of musicians step up their contribution to the harmonies to round out the sound. The instrumentals were as lush as ever with Adrian’s punchy trombone solos adding a necessary bit of flair. For the most part TMSR arrangements are rather nebulous but when they’re going for a more aggressive sound they can really tighten it up, which was on fine display during the show. While Emma’s role will be missed I think TMSR is headed in the right direction in determining what their current line up is capable of.
The more time I spend looking at The Northside Schedule the more I’m impressed at the variety and number of bands you’ll be able to find in Brooklyn this weekend. To be honest it’s a bit intimidating to wade through the options but I’ve managed to assemble a list of places I want to be and bands I want to see.
Showcases I consider essential:
Tell All Your Friends + Flavorpill + Green Owl
Bands I Really Want To See:
[MP3] Vendela Vida – Dinosaur Feathers
[MP3] Honor Amongst Thieves – These United States
[MP3] Part Of Me – Electric Tickle Machine
** Update** You can get discounted Northside Badge until midnight tonight (6/23/10) Go here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/110717 “lmag” is the code.
In anticipation of Wakey!Wakey!’s show Thursday at Northstar Bar we managed to finagle a few minutes out of his busy schedule for an interview…
TWIPC: When did you know you wanted to make a real go at music professionally?
WW: I’d always planned on working as a professional in the arts. I was really lucky to hook up with Family Records a few years ago, cause before that it wasn’t working out so well. I feel really lucky to not have a day job right now. Hopefully it’ll last a while!
TWIPC: I’ve heard that in the past you’ve had a large assortment of instrumentalists share the stage with you but you seem to have found a consistent backing band. How’d you find them and what are the benefits of having the same people around night after night?
WW: It all started with Anne Lieberwirth. She was the first, and has been the only bassist for W!W! We found Patrick Doane (violin) at a huge open call, and he had it the second he walked in the room. Tanya Buziak and I were really good friends, and one day she started singing with us, and sort of never stopped. Our drummer changes a fair amount, but all of the guys we play with are awesome. I’ve always been a pack animal, and I’ve fought really hard to have a consistent band. With the whole TV thing, life can get a bit weird, and I need a close family around me to keep me sane. Everyone has a very specific role, and I honestly would hate to do it without all of them.
TWIPC: In your new role on One Tree Hill you find yourself in a whole different sphere of entertainment has it changed your perspective on music or performing at all?
WW: It most definitely has. The cast and crew of OTH is a huge well oiled machine. They’re all so professional, and it’s really inspiring. It always reminds me how hard we should be working, and helps keeps us on our toes.
TWIPC: Almost Everything reflects a good mix of known and unknown WakeyWakey material where do you see yourself going for your next album, refining or exploring?
WW: I hope for a bit of both. The band is much closer now than we were even a few months ago. Touring has helped us understand our audience much better. That being said, we’re living and breathing music 24/7 on the road, and we’re all really inspired to spread our wings a bit.
Be sure to check out Wakey!Wakey! and his crew as well as Spring Standards on Thursday night. A perfect way to jumpstart your weekend.
This seven piece outfit sounds like they’re from 1960′s Britain; their percussion is loose and peppy, the guitars jangly and the lyrics uncomplicated. They are, however, actually from modern day LA – well, lead singer Ian Webber is a Brit but a US based one- and they’ve just released their second album The Idyllists and a new free EP Les Singles. If you like a your music sun drenched and surfy with a hint of rockabilly then do yourself a favor and check these guys out. The go beyond your typical retro leaning group by including elements from an interesting cross section of musical history. You’ll hear some lone twangy guitar line reminiscent of early classic country, B3 organ solos straight outta dingy blues clubs and even some crisply plotted piano solos. Give both the new album and new EP a spin to find out what other musical influences the Idyllists have repurposed to create their own sound.
Thursday saw my first post go up on Strangers In Stereo a supremely awesome collective of music bloggers from all over the place (both geographically and focus). It was a review of Tokyo Police Club’s new album Champ head on over to see what I thought of the sophomore release. But first give this remix of the LP’s first single Wait Up (boots of Danger). DOM pops the percussion and distorts both the vox and instrumentals giving the piece a intergalactic synthy flavor. It’s an ideal retake to soundtrack your pregaming ritual.
[MP3] Wait Up (Boots Of Danger) DOM Remix – Tokyo Police Club
This remix by the UK’s Foamo takes a bit from Nas & Damien Marley’s incredible album Distant Relatives and ups the Jamaican grit factor. You’ll hear some retro horns and choppy percussions as the track builds to a fever. If you’re in need of a new addition to your summer dance party mix look no further. And be sure to check out the album the original song came from it is a mighty example of fine music making.
[MP3] As We Enter (FOAMO remix) – Nas & Damien Marley
The gents of Major Lazer put together a full La Roux mixtape with their retakes on the electro groups already stellar tracks. The full set can be found here but the cross of chill uptempo beats over the original song’s smooth lyrics is a subtle and intriguing juxtaposition. All 14 tracks off the mixtape are equally as interesting, not all winners but certainly worth checking out.
[MP3] Cover My Eyes (Costa Nostra Edit) – Major Lazer & La Roux
