Posts Tagged ‘mp3’
Intercontinental Space Pop: THIEVES LIKE US
We have always had a soft spot for Thieves Like Us. Where to begin? The name first of all, equally a tribute to New Order and to Robert Altman. The geographical alignment of being two Swedes, Pontus Berghe and Björn Berglund, and one American, Andy Grier, getting together and making music in Berlin. Their elegant and suave take on 80s pop, which made them an anomaly in their first shot at success via the inclusion of Drugs In My Body on a Kitsune compilation, yet the gut feeling they liked to party and dance like the other Parisian reprobates. Read the rest of this entry »
Tomorrow comes today: BLOUSE
What if time didn’t exist? What if by splitting up every single second of your life, every experience could become both something you’ve already been through and something you have yet to face? Time, and its perception, has always been a pop music obsession; nostalgia for an age yet to come, Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley used to sing. An obsession shared by Blouse, a Portland based trio conceived eighteen months ago by art school graduates Charlie Hilton and Patrick Adams and bass player and studio wizard Jacob Portrait (also in Unknown Mortal Orchestra). Their self-titled debut album – a short sweet shock lasting just over half an hour – is a snapshot of their love for the past (hints of icy new wave, the multi layered sounds of the best 80s productions, and in Videotapes even the sound of tapes melting), blurring the edges and discovering new and uncharted territories. “I was in the future yesterday”, Charlie sings, and it sounds so true. Jacob kindly sat with us and talked. Read the rest of this entry »
Cross Paths: FUTURE ISLANDS & ELENA JOHNSTON
In our second instalment of Cross Paths – as we have described it before, a foray into how music, movies and art can meet and what goes behind it: the artists, and how they get to work together – we get to meet Baltimore’s trio Future Islands and drawer and illustrator Elena Johnston, as their recently released third album, “On The Water”, is accompanied by her artwork to stunning results. Read the rest of this entry »
Dolorous shadows: THE SOFT MOON
Less is more. Noise is tuneful. Darkness is blinding. To talk about The Soft Moon, the brainchild of San Francisco’s Luis Vasquez, is to talk about an upside down, inside out world where the droning bass, the almost industrial drums, the smoky synths, the tempestuous guitars, the whispers, the screams are at first bleak and on second listen tantalisingly romantic. The Soft Moon debut album, released at the end of 2010 – too late, maybe, for “best of the year” polls – has managed to hypnotise an increasing number of listeners with its nod to the late 70s/early 80s no wave and its labyrinthine soundscapes, which are perfectly carried on when played live with the help of Justin Anastasi and Damon Way. And, because we assume autumn suits The Soft Moon perfectly, Luis is back with a new record, the “Total Decay” e.p., which takes the debut to the extreme consequences, sounding heavier and relying even more on the nightmares and mirages that repetition can create. We took the chance to ask him a few questions. Read the rest of this entry »
The Echoes of Your Dreams: EXITMUSIC
Out of nowhere. Stark, shivering, silvery sounds coming out of the speakers. Obsessive simple chord sequences which build layers upon layers of guitar and synth sounds, a rich and emotional female voice that’s soothing as well as menacing in its power. “From Silence” e.p. is one of those records which leave the listener wanting for more and yet amazed that it can surface already so fully formed. With the firm conviction that this is the beginning of something beautiful, we couldn’t help but look into it and were taken to New York, where Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church – who make up Exitmusic – live and work together. And they welcomed us to their intriguing and vulnerable world. Read the rest of this entry »
Cross Paths: WAY YES & JOHN MALTA
Would have The Velvet Underground been as iconic without Warhol’s banana? Would The Smiths have maintained the same sexual ambiguity without the young actors portraits’ covers? Would Aphex Twin remain a menacing musician without Chris Cunningham’s little boys? The answer is doubtlessly “yes, but not quite so”. Because if music can be strong and affecting, its combination with the art world or its association to films and videos lends an even more potent and compelling quality, making both the visual and the audio instantly recognizable and utterly unforgettable. “Cross Paths” will therefore be a foray into how music, movies and art can meet and what goes behind it: the artists, and how they get to work together. Read the rest of this entry »
Swimming through mountains: CASA DEL MIRTO
If the whole chillwave trend brought something to the musical landscape of the last couple of years, it was a melancholic feel, teasing every listener’s need for both escapism and childhood (or teenagehood) regression. In this sense, “1979“, last year’s debut album from the italian Casa del Mirto (House of Myrtle, for the non italian readers), spoke volumes with its bedroom recordings and its nostalgic cover, an actual photo of Marco Ricci, the band’s mastermind, as a child and his mum. But then came “1979 remixed” and it was clear that we were facing a much more complex and subtle proposition. It could be a geographical thing – Marco is half finnish and half italian – or the fact that Casa del Mirto are a one man project who morphs into a three headed dance beast, but it’s only now, with the exquisite double opus “The Nature” that all the different nuances come to the fore. Rather than escaping the reality, there’s a will to dive deeper into it. And it can be a beautiful journey. Read the rest of this entry »
Sci-fi romance: SOFT METALS
In case you have missed the 2011 music memo, there’s a synth pop revival going on. Among the myriad of bands, though, Portland’s Soft Metals stand out. Whether it is down to Patricia Hall‘s detached and melodic vocals or Ian Hicks‘ building of tracks using a carefully additive layering and repetition, their songs sound less like a nostalgia trip and more like a further exploration of the genre with an utter modern feel. Their debut album – unsurprisingly released on Blank Dogs’ Captured Tracks – is a stunning collection which absorbs influences spreading from the early ’80s till the more contemporary electro and house and infuses them with an almost cinematic feel. We caught up with Ian Hicks to discuss post-punk, vintage machinery and the couple’s balance. Read the rest of this entry »
NATURE’S OWN MUSIC: GARDENS & VILLA
What makes the perfect summer records? Many different answers could be offered, depending on your stand on blissful melodies, sweeping melancholic lyrics, the use of acoustic instruments and eyes-closed-facing-the-sun vibes. Gardens & Villa, a fivesome hailing from Santa Barbara, California, where they obviously know a thing or two about these things, offer you all that. And synths. And flutes. Exuberant, warm sounding and just enough intricate and intimate underneath its shiny surface, their debut album is a confident statement, evoking the adventurous spirit of krautrock and the sheer class of Morricone and inviting them both to an afternoon pool party. Singer Chris Lynch gave us a little insight into the minds and lives of the band. Read the rest of this entry »
The Future Is Bright: THE FRESH & ONLYS 
Better Than Something: Interview with Ian Markiewicz and Alex Hammond 
Filming The Music: AG ROJAS 
Coyotes in My Backyard: TRAVIS MILLARD 
The Alchemy of Love and Fire: NEIL KRUG 
Drenched in The Rain of Dreams: Dimitri Drjuchin 
I CAN SEE FOR MILES: The Art of Jacob Escobedo 