Damien Jurado
Caught in Trees (2008)

I was listening to this album recently while sitting in a cafe, it was raining and the Christmas lights had all come out, I had a drink with me and a Haruki Murakami novel. It was a rare moment where things seem to fit perfectly.

Caught in trees is a fairly pleasant listen, Jurado brings about a softer more intimate quality to his alt folk/indie effort this time. For those new to Jurado, his voice reminds me of a softer Dave Grohl in the style of a uncertain Glen Hansard. While his
voice is fragile, it is never weak. Jurado has a knack for expressing an aching sorrow as demonstrated in "Paper Kites"

The album has a pretty even mix of folkish tunes with singer songwriter pieces. Some of the songs would not be out of place in a Wong Kar Wai movie, they are quiet yet powerful and while it starts off darkly comic, it eventually turns into dark and dreary paths you are not sure you want to follow. The album starts with single and radio friendly sounding "Gillian was a Horse" which curiously sounds like a song the Wallflowers would write, but there the similarities end. The lyrics are far more brutal "It's midnight and I give up/I'm tired of lying for you/I will not hold your hands and pretend I'm your lover". Jurado manages to extract the bleakness from every word while he sings about love lost and broken relationships.

The harmonization and chemistry with band mate vocalist/cellist Jenna Conrad is remarkable, especially on mid-album "Last Rights". She also has to be credited for holding up at least half of the tracks.

Adding a cello and piano seem to be on par for any record made these days, but here the instrumentation threatens to overwhelm the lyrics, but thankfully it never does. Still the tracks with acoustic guitar like "Sheets" work the best in a way reminiscent of a folkish Neil Young.

'Caught in Trees' is a bit hard to take to at first, but give it time and it will grow on you.

Listen to: "Gillian was a Horse", "Sheets", "Last Rights"

Nov 23rd, that's the official date people. Yes for the release of Chinese Democracy. Is it real this time? According to the internets, it is. Who knows, but we'll find out soon enough.

Be sure to tune in for a review.

Lists, don't you love them, here's one, Stylus Magazine's Top 100 music videos. Half the videos have either been taken or shifted on youtube, but this being the 21st century, you'll figure it out. Awesome picks from the usual pop suspects, a whole bunch of radiohead videos and the classics.

Alright, I have officially given up on the whole 'music' business and just turning this into a Cat Power fansite. (no, I'm joking...)
But, here's a really young looking Cat Power (she was 26) and it's way better than 'Lucky Star'.

So, a friend of mine told me about this pretty cool band. They play pretty good jazz/blues cover.

They'll be play at EM Studio beside the Gallery Hotel Singapore at 1 Nanson road on Wednesdays from 730-930.

Thats right people, go watch, now.

It's the late evening in Dublin and there's a Guy playing a guitar and singing on the street, the Guy is bearded, his guitar has a gaping hole in it and he is singing with near religious fervor. The only person watching him is a teenage Girl who happens to be selling magazines nearby, she drops him a coin and asks him "Is that your own song?". She is shy yet spunky, turns out she's also a talented musician and this is how the story starts out.

'Once' is one of those films that suddenly appears out of nowhere and charms the socks off you. An indie production made with a budget of less than $160,000, 'Once' is one of the most refreshing, honest and weird-in-a-good-way films that I've seen in a long time.

The story isn't much of a story, but the pacing follows 'Before Sunset'. The difference here, is that instead of talking for one day, there is singing instead. It's kinda like a series of interconnected music videos, where the music actually is relevant and makes sense. Unlike over the top and high budget movies like 'Dreamgirls' or 'Chicago', the characters actually have reasons to sing, the film cleverly takes us to locations and situations where it feels extremely natural for someone to be making music. The film also has a quirky sense of humor that works well, the Girl drags a broken blue vacuum cleaner around like a pet dog (there's a reason) and later as she goes to the store to get some batteries in her PJs, the camera zooms out to show her walking down the street in bunny slippers.

Fans of the Irish band The Frames will probably recognize singer Glen Hansard in the main role. The actors are untrained, but the long lens and the naturalistic settings help make their performances touching. Shot on location with mostly friends and family in the parts, most of the cast speak with authentic Irish accents, Markéta Irglová (17 at the time) plays the part of a single mother and an Czech immigrant remarkably well. It also helps to know that the chemistry developed by the two leads spill over to real life, Glen and Markéta became an item after the film was completed.

Part of what makes Once so great are the songs, original compositions written mostly by Hansard. The songs have a theme of love, loss and longing, fitting perfectly into the plots and subplots as a myriad of human relationships are examined. Some of the scenes do complement the film along with the hauntingly beautiful sights of a city at night and the irish countryside.

The film obviously wants to send a message here, you only need good songs and the will to perform to make good music. The Girl has to play on pianos in music store during lunch time because she can't afford one. And they recruit their band from the street, another group of buskers. Yet the earnestness that emanates from these two will put most professional musicians to shame. 'Falling Slowly' won the Oscar for best song, and they deserved it.

Once is a great movie, and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't watched it to catch it now.

As usual, click on the poster to check it out on Amazon.com. Also check out the OST here

Okkervil River - The Stage Names/The Stand In's

Slightly nsfw, but it's rock and roll baby. Nudity and decapitations are part of the job scope.

The Rhumb Line
Ra Ra Riot

What happens when you add half a string quartet and an indie rock band? OK, that isn't really funny, Ra Ra Riot is a indie rock quintet from New York, originally formed by schoolmates in Syracuse University. Having heard RRR's exciting EP last year, I expected a pretty good record here, and 'The Rhumb Line' does not disappoint. For a band that has only been playing for a couple of years, RRR has managed to keep a tight sound from relentless touring both in the US and UK.

While I used to find lead vocalist Wes Miles' voice a bit raw for my taste, everything sounds more polished in the final tracks. RRR's music can be described as the middle ground between anthem making Arcade Fire and the more pop sensible Vampire Weekend. The music is buoyant, and the influences count, the cellist and violinist both have strong classical leanings. The band also obviously adores Kate Bush, having covered a remarkable version of 'Hounds of Love' and 'Suspended in Gaffa', the latter included in the album.


One of the finest tracks 'Dying is Fine' is borrowed partly from the e.e. cummings' poem of the same name. Ironically, it was co-written by John Pike, their original drummer who drowned under mysterious circumstances while the band was on tour. Besides the uniqueness the strings bring to their sound, RRR also has a rather inspired approach to lyric writing, 'Ghost in the Rocks' is full of metaphors, figurative and literal motifs, they abandon prose, attempting poetry instead.

And although it sounds like one, the album isn't an elegy. It's a bittersweet tribute, the mournful cellos, the melancholic violins coupled with the punk guitar beats, it's really an album about friendships and those who stick together through those dark times.

Time to look at some pretty pictures.

vs

U2's 'Boy' & 'War', using the same kid (Peter Rowan, a brother of Bono's friend), the cover was a metaphor itself for U2's music, from the raw adolescent energy of their debut to the seething emotions in 'War'.

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Both amazing albums, Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' had a money shot of his rear, the real controversy though was whether it was indicative of him doing a No. 1 on the American flag. His right hand looks suspicious though. Ryan Adam's 'Gold' had him facing the camera, but the flag appears to be upside down this time, taken months before, the album was coincidentally released two weeks after 9/11.

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Why bother making your own album cover when you can just borrow from the greatest artists of our time. Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida' uses the fairly popular 'Liberty Leading the People', the elements in the painting do mean something, though I won't be explaining it. Fleet Foxes eponymous debut uses a painting by Pieter Brugel the Elder, 'Netherlandish Proverbs', look closely and you can see proverbs acted out literally. My favourite? "Tossing feathers into the wind."

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About the most famous of all album covers, Frank Zappa didn't like it though, recreating a spoof for his own album.

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Two iconic singers, two iconic albums, two iconic album covers. 'Horses' was Patti Smith's debut album and set her up as the progenitor of punk rock. The portrait was taken by good friend Robert Mappelthorpe, he was famous for black and white photos of naked men and women. 'Born to Run' was Springsteen's ticket to the big time, taken by Eric Meola, not yet posing, Bruce leans casually against the big man Clemons. Conversely, Meola is famous for his color nature shots.

vsvs

I think I read somewhere before, that if you get famous enough, all you have to do is put the band member's faces on the cover. The Beatles 'Let it Be', Blur's 'Greatest Hits' and U2's 'Pop'

-Ed

I really enjoy watching biopics, especially those about musicians. Firstly, most musical geniuses or rock stars inevitably lead pretty interesting lifestyles and secondly, the soundtrack is invariably good and introduces newcomers to the musicians. There are epics like 3-hour long 'Amadeus' and more fictional dramas like 'The Buddy Holly Story'. Here's my pick for the best musical biopics in recent memory.

Ray (2004)

Released the same year that Ray Charles passed away, The film focuses mainly on the earlier years of his life. Facing blindness and racism, Ray Charles manages to fight against racial segregation, guilt over his brother's death and drug addiction to come up as a brilliant blues player and singer, known to many as 'The Genius'.

Jamie Foxx's performance was staggeringly good, earning him an Oscar win. Foxx manages to imitate not only Ray's slack jawed appearance and speech mannerisms, classically trained in piano, he also plays in the show after getting an 'OK' from Charles himself.

The film features most of Charles' hits such as 'What I'd Do' and the touching 'Georgia on My Mind'. His final album 'Genius Loves Company' was released two months after his death.

Walk The Line (2005)

Love plays a big part in this film, while Johnny Cash was one of the most recognizable voices in America, the trials and tribulations he faced to finally marry June Carter makes for very good storytelling. Strikingly similar to 'Ray', Walk the Line also has a deceased brother and drug addiction problems. While racism was a key point there, The Man in Black must conquer his own demons to be with the one he loves. Watch out for parts by other legends like Jerry Lee Lewis and the King himself.

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon put up top notch performances. They do their own singing in the movie, faithfully recreating country music's tones and nuances. Roger Ebert was amazed to discover that it was Phoenix singing in the movie instead of Cash. Witherspoon's performance finally cemented her status as a serious actress, she manages brings about a certain fragility and strength to her character at the same time.

A pivotal scene recreates Cash performing in Folsom Prison resulting in the live album 'Johnny Cash in Folsom Prison'

I'm Not There(2007)

For someone who had such influence and such a diverse career as Bob Dylan, it becomes hard to define his life with a single actor, so director Todd Haynes decided to use six. The actors range from an African American kid who sets out to seek his hero Woody Guthrie, to Cate Blanchett as the Dylan who turned 'electric' and shocked the world. The film depicts his life in six distinct parts with different names for each character.

Regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in the world today, Dylan's folk beginnings has since brought him to the other turnpoints of rock history, Dylan writes about politics, social unrest, becoming a reluctant figurehead for the masses.

The film is shot in different ways to identify the separate sections, some are in color others black and white. For example, Christian Bale's portrayal of a folk Dylan and a born again Christian is shot as a documentary. Most surprisingly though, is that Cate Blanchett's performance is the best depiction of Dylan. She manages to somehow convey every quirk or twitch and the unique way Dylan speaks with uncanny precision.

The film comes with an accompanying 2 Disc OST with a multitude of performers from Jeff Tweedy to Cat Power.

You can check out the Dvd's on Amazon.com by clicking on the posters.
-Ed

First Aid Kit is a pair of teenage Swedish sisters signed up with Rabid Records, apparently their cover of Fleet Foxes 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' has been causing a stir in the blogosphere since it was loaded up a couple of weeks ago, check out their other songs at myspace.

Well, a couple of days ago, it finally happened, a blogger was arrested by the FBI for releasing Gun's N Roses 'Chinese Democracy' on his site. "Kevin Cogill, who uses "Skwerl" as an Internet name, is charged with violating copyright laws by putting nine of the band's unreleased songs on his www.antiquiet.com website for visitors to hear." Read more about it here.

This also raises some interesting questions about the future of online music sharing. While the RIAA has been cracking down on peer to peer networks and universities, the arrest of an individual blogger could have serious repercussions for the rest of the blogging world. Currently, the RIAA has been mainly focused on P2P networks like Kazaa. However, MP3 blogs are generally ignored for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they usually don't cover mainstream music as much, the content ranges from niches like indie to folk to urban hip hop. While recording companies spend millions on marketing for their biggest artistes, indie labels often depend on word of mouth or other methods to get by and they are not part of the RIAA. Secondly, MP3 blogs usually release a couple of songs by the artiste and although some are visited by thousands of visitors a day, the impact is not as wide as downloading from P2P networks. As a precaution, most blogs that feature downloadable MP3s post a notice saying that the songs are for evaluation purposes only, most tracks are also taken down after a certain period of time. Make no mistake here though, MP3 bloggers are very different from the torrent downloaders. Most blogs are works of love, set up to support great music from more obscure bands, its a community of people sharing their thoughts and feelings on exciting new music without succumbing to the marketing blitz of the record companies.

Slash also speaks out against the 'piracy' claiming that "It’s going to affect the sales of the record and it’s not fair. The internet is what it is, and you have to deal with it accordingly, but I think if someone goes and steals something, it's theft."

While it's true that the RIAA have been making much less money since 1999. The idea that downloads affect sales is highly debatable, lets look at Radiohead's release of 'In Rainbows' in '07. Radiohead set up inrainbows.com for two months in October, people could download the album from the site as a Zip file with DRM free mp3s and they would decide how much to pay starting from $0.00. While reports of the digital sales were not released by the band (they reportedly made $10mil for that duration), the interesting thing is what happened when they did release the CD version. 'In Rainbows' hit no.1 on the Billboard charts in their 2nd week, with 122,000 albums sold. Apparently, the fans weren't content with just their digital downloads. While I am not saying that every band could be this successful, it does make an interesting case, any band famous enough could still sell many albums without the middleman. We've established that music fans in general will support their bands and artistes, but does downloading cause a person not to buy an album or does sampling the music turn them into consumers? While the RIAA attempts to litigate against the downloaders in America, it faces a never ending tidal wave of piracy across the globe, especially in Communist China.
-Ed

Read also a collection of quotes about the legality of Mp3 blogging and a Harvard Law blog
While Chinese Democracy reportedly costs $13 million and has yet to be released after 13 years, it is not alone, here's a list of other projects in limbo.

Stumbled upon this while bored at work. From the funny guys at collegehumor.com

I must confess to having some tunes that I'm not too proud of, what can I say, I was young and misguided.

Any songs from your past still haunting you on itunes?

The Hold Steady
Stay Positive

Stay Positive is the fourth album from The Hold Steady, a classic rock outfit. Unlike the shortlived Darkness, The Hold Steady has managed to survive in the 21st century by churning out exciting live performances and generate enough fanbase, part of the reason is due to the formulaic nature of their records. While not changing much, Stay Positive feels like a mellower and more experimental record for the band.

Lead vocals Craig Finn has the classic rock growl, though sometimes he almost sounds like he is talking instead of singing, but the guitar solos and keyboard flourishes make up for that. The themes haven't changed, there are still drugs, sex and religion as the down and out try to make it in the world. However, the band manages to inject humor and dry wit in every song.

The album starts off well, with both 'Constructive Summer' and 'Sequestered in Memphis' getting you into the fist pumping mood. While the rock staples are here and there are the usual sing along choruses, the experimental tracks do shine, like the harpsichord lead in 'One for the Cutters'. And you would have gone through the banjo and the talk tracks by the time 'Slapped Actress' brings you to the climatic end.

The Limited Edition also releases 3 other songs, but as a single track.

Listen to: "Lord, I'm Discouraged", "Sequestered in Memphis"

While down with the flu over the past weekend, I stumbled upon VBS.tv which provides rather good content in terms of current events and music. They have several channels with documentaries and interviews.

Here's some stuff I picked up while poking around.

Music World has documentaries about music in different places. Follow heavy metal band the Birthday Boyz as they attempt guerilla rock and roll, see how they tour China without any work visas.

Soft Focus
Weird War's Ian Svenonius interviews various musicians, like Kevin Shields, Will Oldman and Chan Marshall. Ian is well-informed, has pretty interesting opinions and a natural camaraderie with the guests.


Practice Space
Watch bands like The Walkmen, Grizzly Bear and Regina Spektor as they rehearse and jam out in the studios.

Bangs are short films or documentaries about music. Film Director Lance Bangs interviews bands who had their equipment stolen on tour, apparently it's quite common.
He also covers Arcade Fire performing 'Wake Up'


So anyone has interesting sites to share?

Fleet Foxes - The Seattle based band's debut album is critically acclaimed, with swirling pop melodies, it's folkish in a Neil Youngesque sort of manner. Fleet Foxes sings of unspoiled landscapes and then takes you there.
Album - Fleet Foxes
Listen to - 'He Doesn't Know Why'


Modest Mouse - Harder and a little more crunchy then the typical indie band, watch out for lead singer Isaac Brock's near feral screaming and gritty guitar playing, the songs are dark humor condensed.
Album - Good news for People who love Bad News
Listen to - 'Float on'

Panda Bear* - A couple of 12 min songs in, PB paints a colorful acoustical soundscape
reminiscent of 'Pet Sounds', just like the Beach Boys with more electronica and psychedelia.

*note not really a band, Noah Lennox is also part of Animal Collective.
Album - Person Pitch
Listen to - 'Bros'

Arctic Monkeys - Hailing from Sheffield, lead vocals Tuner sings with a aloof Yorkshire accent, while regaling tales of the working class and 'the Streets'. Chirpy riffs and fun songs.
Album - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Listen to - 'A Certain Romance'

Wolf Parade - The melodies are tight, the energy is contained. Their sophomore album shows that they have what it takes to be innovative. There are synthersizers galore, but the Bowie influences are undeniable.
Album- At Mount Zoomer
Listen to - 'Bang Your Drum'

And now for something completely different
-Ed

Cat Power
Jukebox
Well, I have to admit, I find it very hard to review this album objectively. Possibly because I have a crush on Charlyn 'Chan' Marshall. It might be because of my incorrigible weakness for bangs, or it could be because Marshall has an amazingly unique voice and happens to be exceptionally talented.

Anyway, Jukebox is another cover album from CP, I use the term covers very loosely here, the original songs and tunes are little more than extremely vague and blurry guideposts seen in the dark. The first track 'New York' (yes, the Frank Sinatra one) starts out so differently that it took me awhile to recognize. Marshall covers her idols Mitchell, Joplin and Dylan among others and she does a wonderful impersonation of Dylan here in 'I Believe in You' and original 'Song to Bobby'. Not surprisingly, she also holds a contribution on the OST of Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" with 'Stuck in Of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again'.

With 2006's The Greatest, Marshall had found her voice and Jukebox feels like a audio diary for future retrospection. Whatever the case Jukebox is perfect for a lazy rainy afternoon or chilling out in the evening for some easy listening. This is one musician worth looking out for.
-Ed

Listen to: Blue, Lost Someone

After photographer Robert Mappelthorn passed away from AIDs in 1989, good friend and punk poetess Patti Smith wrote The Coral Sea later in 1996, a book of poems in prose form dedicated to his memory. Patti Smith recorded two sessions of the readings in 2005/2006, accompanied by improvisational guitar from My Bloody Valentine frontman, Kevin Shields. The sessions are now available as a double album.

Smith as a reader is compelling and exceedingly passionate while Shields supplies sweeping acoustics and mellow textures. In the second disc the guitar becomes more energetic at parts halting to silence at times leaving you only with mesmerizing metaphors.

This two hour long spoken word album isn't an easy listen by any means, it's not supposed to be. But if you manage to sit through it in one sitting, it will be an uniquely awe inspiring experience.

-Ed
Listen to samples and buy it from here

Hi all, this will be the start of an ongoing series in which I’ll introduce 3 essential albums of some of the best bands and artistes in the world, so it would be appropriate to start with one of THE greatest bands of all time (you all know them) - The Beatles.

Talking more about The Beatles would be akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, so if you have never heard of The Beatles (gasp!) or would like to learn more a good place to start is here

Now on to the good stuff.

(In chronological order)

1) Revolver

As any Rock Historian will tell you, The Beatles were famous not only because their songs were accessible to the mainstream but also because they experimented with new sounds and techniques that influenced practically all the other bands that came after them. 'Eleanor Rigby' was quirky and funny, backed by an instantly recognizable string melody. Sitars feature in 'Love You To', George Harrison's attempt at classical Indian music while under the tutelage of sitar master Ravi Shankar. 'Tommorrow Never Knows' was a one of the first pieces of psychedelic rock, an experimental track. The lyrics were inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, while the Beatles played around with studio effects such as processed vocals, reverse guitar and looped tape effects. This album was also a breakthrough for Harrison who contributed three fabulous songs to the album as a songwriter.

2) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Regarded by many as The Beatle's magnum opus, critics compared it to art and Rolling Stones named it "One of The Most Important Albums Ever Made". It was a time when the Lennon/McCartney team was at its best, both lyrically and musically. 'A Day In The Life' combines two separately written songs with orchestral dubs. There is brilliance under 'Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds', the song itself has a simple melody, the underlying arrangement though grows increasingly complex with each verse, musical keys and time shift in different sections and several instruments featured. Almost like watching the fictional Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the songs transition smoothly between each track, from strings to electric guitars to sitars, The Beatles showed the world what a real rock album could be.

3) Abbey Road

Abbey Road was the last recorded Beatles album; it came at a time when the relationships between the band members were strained, agreeing to set aside their differences to work together for one last time. Split into two parts, the album features a visit to all the familiar sounds that they had conquered as a band, from the rock heavy Lennon anthem 'Come Together' to the lightweight pop tunes in 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' and 'Octopus's Garden'.

The beauty of the lingering moment before the end comes in an eight track medley, with several fragmentary songs. The music is a flits from mood to mood, from the pensive 'Because' to the humorous 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' and to the melancholic 'Golden Slumbers' before ending it in rock and roll finality on 'The End'

Also Recommended: The White Album (The Beatles)

Known more commonly as the White Album for its cover as it was never really named, the album was recorded in a turbulent time for the Beatles, this was the beginning of the end. However, the atmosphere meant that the members were often alone and writing individually, turning out great work and foreshadowing of the solo careers of the Beatles.

Recommended Tracks: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Julia, Helter Skelter.

So that’s all for the first edition of Essentials, if all else fails and you have no idea which album to start your Beatles journey on, go with their Greatest Hits. The Beatles Anthology or No 1s will give you an idea of the music that spawned a new generation of rock and makes a great gift for your friends and family.

-Ed (With contributions by Alex)

Once in a while, a band like The Arcade Fire comes and destroys everyone's expectations of what it means to be a rock band.

Hailing from Montreal, The Arcade Fire is possibly one of the best acts to emerge in this decade. Both of their albums, Funeral and Neon Bible, are in the top 10 of Metacritic's yearly list based on ratings in both 2004 and 2007. The band is comprised of husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, who are accompanied by five other amazing musicians. Their unique sound comes from employing several instruments such as the piano, violin, viola, French horn, xylophones and harps among varied others to create an immensely layered 'wall of sound'. The songwriting is real. The emotions are epic and intimate at the same time. This is The Arcade Fire.

Funeral

Funeral introduces themes of death and rebirth into the songs, starting with a four-part act, Neighborhood, the tracks eventually go on to cover every aspect of the human condition. There is love, loss, disillusionment and finally hope. And that is the message this album brings, despite the deaths we face, there is also be joy and hope. The title comes from the fact that several of the band members lost their relatives during the making of the album. Funeral represents what the human experience is meant to be - the agony of losing your loved ones permanently intertwined with the ecstasy of being alive.

For an album with death prevalent in every song, the mood is always positive. In 'Neighborhood #3', Butler screams out for Man to take action now, to fight out against being repressed, being mediocre. The beats are frantic, the guitar unrelenting, "What’s the plan?" he asks. While 'Crown of Love' starts off as a ballad about the difficulty of letting go of a lost loves, the song perpetually crescendos until it implodes into a frantic rush of violins, dance beats and wailing.

A fan favorite and possibly the most epic of the songs here is 'Wake Up', it starts with a single guitar riff, joined individually by various instruments until the vocals kick in, all fifteen musicians chanting. Butler takes over here, his voice tired yet pleading, like his soul has been tortured by the crimes of humankind. "Children/Wake Up/Hold your mistake up/Before they turn the summer into dust". The music segues, each instrument representing a different emotion, the electric guitar, the violin, the piano and the xylophone. They interweave and disappear, Butler screams out a desperate warning at the end, almost like a threat "You better look out below!"

Neon Bible

While Funeral is about life and death, Neon Bible has themes on war, madness, spirituality and religion. Recorded in a refurbished church, a point is being made here. There are motifs of water, the color black and cars in the songs repeated for thematic value. The album is cleaner here and perhaps more mellow and the music takes its time to build up, but it never fails to reach epic proportions.

The first track 'Black Mirrors' almost leads you to believe that the old Arcade Fire is gone, replaced by a mainstream band, but then the lyrics tells you "No more lies!". The music instantly obliges and explodes into the sweeping soundscape you remember. It is a lament for the loss of truth in this world, "I know when the time is coming/All the words will lose their meaning".

In the titular track, the images of cheap yet charismatic evangelists are brought to mind. The track is stark and Butler whispers through the chorus as in despair. This though is nothing more than a preliminary though for the next track 'Intervention'. Set amid pipe organ and bells; there are metaphors of holy wars and world politics, though a careful listener would find subtle irony mixed with soaring music.

There are a couple of other good tracks here, like 'Black Waves/Bad Vibrations', which splits the layered sound into two thematically opposite tracks. 'No Cars Go' is preppy and effervescent and 'Ocean of Noise' describes the song itself best. The album ends with a chillingly wrought 'My Body is a Cage'. The pipe organ makes its triumphant return here, haunting and emotionally wrought with the poignant lyrics, "My body is a cage/that keeps me from dancing with the one I love.” The rest of the instruments rip open into a climax and Butler wails "Set my spirit free" over and over again until it ends in the softest of murmurs.

-Ed (with contributions from Alex)

Performed by Freddy Kempf, Beautiful no?

Read about Chopin's Etudes here
Read about this piece here

Iron & Wine
The Shepherd's Dog



Iron & Wine aka Samuel Beams is an American folk rock singer songwriter, and The Shepherd's Dog is his third album.

While I do listen to folk rock on an irregular basis, Shepherd's Dog is one album that most people would easily be able to find enjoyable. The album is deeply layered in both music and lyrics, and Beams here delivers a poignant voice over the instruments, his voice is soft and gentle, becoming unclear sometimes, lost in the beautiful maze of strings and basslines.

The album starts off with 'Pagan Angel & a Broken Car' and it gives you a taste of things to come, the rhythmic drum beats are set against violins in the background, and yet as you decipher the lyrics you find that it is also politically charged, "When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car/Righteous, drunk, and fumbling for the royal keys" Halfway through, 'Innocent Bones' presents a harsh criticism against the organized religion of today with biblical motifs set upon the decadence of the 21st century, yet the acoustic guitar sounds cheerful and upbeat, hiding the chills you feel inside.

There are many moments like that in this record, where the songs are intimate yet encompassing at the same time. ' Resurrection Fern' is one of the best examples in this case, with just an acoustic guitar, a shaker and a gentle bassline, the song gets his message across within perfect southern imagery. "In our days we will live/Like our ghosts will live/Pitching glass at the cornfield crows/And folding clothes." Interpretations aside, this unassuming tune is incredibly moving and my favorite track on this album.

The songs vary widely from track to track in terms of the soundscape, West African influenced drumbeats are joined by steel stringed guitars and pianos to introduce the bluesy sound in 'The House by the Sea', while 'Flightless Bird, American Mouth' goes back to the roots with a simple and beautiful melody.

These are love letters written, musings on a summer lived and after you finish the album, you will feel like have you just woken up from a dream.

Until you press play again.
-Ed

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen, not to start off on sounding too morose but this is one of the saddest stories that I have ever heard and I want to share it with you.

I will be introducing one of my favorite singers, Eva Cassidy, today. Miss Cassidy was mostly known in her native Washington as an amazing voice being able to handle interpretations of almost anything from folk, rock, blues to vocal jazz. She started out as a session singer and went on to release a couple of albums, working with several different bands and people, even working with Chuck Brown.

However, she later developed melanoma and sought out treatment, but by August 1996, the disease had spread to her lungs and bones. In her final performance in September she closed her set with 'What a Wonderful World' and was subsequently admitted into hospital. Eva eventually succumbed to the disease and passed away. She was 33.


Although popular in Washington, she was an relative unknown outside. However, Four years later in 2000, one of her live performances was shown on TV in the UK. People were touched by her voice and by her story and requests for the video topped the charts. Subsequently, her posthumous compilation album sold more than 100,000 copies in the following months and later reached quadruple platinum status in the UK. Since then, her albums have sold worldwide reaching new heights, her life story also spawned a book, a musical and a Broadway act.

-Extracted from Wikipedia
Read it here

Here's a video of Eva singing one of my favorite versions of 'Over the Rainbow'.



Life is strange isn't it, but at least here some proof that good music can't stay hidden for too long. Though Eva never did get to enjoy the fruits of her labor, the rest of us still here get to listen to her wonderful voice, so lets be grateful.

A couple of her albums here.

The Long Blondes
Someone To Drive You Home


The Long Blondes are a quintet consisting of two dudes and three gals from out of Sheffield, England, home to acts like the Arctic Monkeys and Pulp, it must be something they put in the water there.

SDYH is one of those albums that feel like a breath of fresh air, after a long trudge in the murky wasteland of 'Today's Music' and I must say it is abso-freakin-lutley fun with a capital F.

First of all lead singer Kate Jackson has that type of voice and attitude that is likely to catapult her into the Pantheons of Rock somewhere in the future. One of the more exciting female rock vocalists to appear since Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Jackson's voice is sultry, sexy and sweet at the same time.

SYDH is full of catchy guitar riffs, rapid drum beats and snappy lyrics. Jackson sings about love/lust, desire, sex and the movies all with a imperturbable yet adventurous attitude towards it all. On 'Once and Never Again' she berates a young female with an abusive other half, You're only nineteen/You're only nineteen for God's sake/Oh,You don't need a boyfriend and in the next verse exclaims how she'd love to feel 'a girl your age'. Wicked.

She absconds with another lonely girl in a viciously fun track and gets 'Separated by Motorways', the A14 and the A1 to be precise. Jackson also shows her range with a languid ballad 'Heaven Help the New Girl' evincing pity and whimsical longing in the same line. An odd addition, though no less witty is the vocal track duet claimed to have been inspired by listening to Saint Scott Walker. On Headphones. On The Bus.

Here The Long Blondes seem to have been influenced by the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Smiths, Debbie Harry and Pulp. A couple of tracks will feel like fillers in the 12 track album, but catchy tunes and clever lyrics make this album this definitely worth a listen. An explosive Debut.

Now I gotta get me some of that Sheffield Water.

-Ed

Recommended Tracks: Weekend without Makeup, Giddy Stratospheres, Once and Never Again, Heaven Help the New Girl

The Raconteurs
Broken Boy Soldiers



Hey why not start with a Superband, kinda... Broken Boy Soldiers was one of my favorite albums of 2007, (it was released in 06, but I'm slow)

The Raconteurs are otherwise known as Jack White's Other Band, consisting of Brendan Benson and a couple of other dudes from the Greenhornes (heard of them? me neither)

Apparently,it all started when Jack and Brendan were jamming in a basement somewhere and decided, well, their sound rocked. So they formed a band and wrote even more songs, voila! Broken Boy Soldiers was created.

Now, the album runs at a short 33 mins, but that isn't a handicap by any means. There is a good mix of songs here, from the self indulgent to hummable rock pop tunes. Anyone who has listened to the White Stripes can have an idea of the genius/madness of Jack White's guitar shredding and unrestrained use of distortion.
Here however, the brilliance shines through much more subtly, such as the weaving of complex guitar threads through 'Steady As She Goes'. Jack and Brendan manage to harmonize rather well here, on both vocals and instruments.

Another track I like is 'Yellow Sun', an cheery acoustic type of song that obviously has influences from the Beatles. Heck half the album sounds like it had some sort of influence from Revolver or Abbey Road. From rock-lite 'Hands' to the bluesy Lennonesque 'Blue Veins' and 'Together'

However, the only thing I have an issue with in this album is that the track listing is a bit iffy, the flow from one track to another doesn't feel as smooth as it could be, perhaps that has something to do with the new band getting used to itself and its sound.

Other than that, this album is a fun listen all the way through, give it a try if you like the White Stripes, or maybe even if you don't.

Cool Tracks - Steady as She Goes, Level, Intimate Secretary, Yellow Sun

The Raconteurs also has a second album Consolers of The Lonely (2008), which I will review as soon as possible.

Cheerios

- Ed