Music Recommendation #8

7/3/11-7/9/11

After being away for just shy of three months, I'm back to bring you some music recommendations of some of the things I've been listening to.  While I'm incredibly back logged, I'll try and keep as fresh and up-to-date as possible for you.  With that being said, let's jump into it.

The first album I want to talk about came out roughly a month ago, but it was an album I was incredibly excited about and the band more than delivered.  Pala is the second studio release from Friendly Fires following their self-titled 2008 UK hit (both albums off of XL Recordings).  The band is from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK and have been together since 2006.  The band tried to record in a professional studio, but couldn’t seem to focus, so they moved back to where they recorded their first album, in lead singer Ed Macfarlane’s parent’s garage.  The band was handpicked by Gucci to soundtrack a worldwide campaign, covering Depeche Mode’s “Strangelove” for an advertisement created by acclaimed director Frank Miller (Sin City, The Spirit).

What's great about this album is that it keeps true to their first major release.  Something about their self-titled album was fresh: it was funky, it was hip, but at the same time it wasn't really anything I had heard before.  The band does an incredible job of making their music genuine.  The lyrics are simple, yet profound; the beats are overpowering, yet seem almost perfectly simplistic. The opening track for Pala, "Live Those Days Tonight,"  is arguably their strongest track.  It's a song that hits the ground running and doesn't stop to take a breath of air.  It has a quick drum beat that permeates throughout the entire track and Macfarlane sings "I'll live those days, live those dreams like they are mine" with unending fervor.  My second favorite song, "Chimes," epitomizes the bands versatility.  Macfarlane's vocals hush down to a whisper at the beginning, but rise and fall throughout his vocal range which compliments the omnipresent chimes, bells, and synthesizers.  The album as a whole gives listeners a near perfect listening experiences through its expertly crafted pacing and balance of sounds throughout.

The second album I want to talk about is a bit fresher and is only a couple of weeks old.  Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s self-titled album is their first release.  They were first noticed for the single “Ffunny Ffrends” on their bandcamp account.  Ruban Nielson, the founder of the band, is a New Zealand native and moved to Portland, Oregon with his former band, Mint Chicks.  Unknown Mortal Orchestra was what he called “his escape hatch.”  Ruban was later joined by Jake Portrait (bass) and Julien Ehrlich (drums), both from Portland.  The album is off of Fat Possum Records.

While I didn't think I was going to like Unknown Mortal Orchestra from the get go, they grew on me as I listened to them more and more.  They have a sort of quirkiness that is unique and makes them stand out in a time where it seems like being "unique" is what everyone is trying to do.  Their sound is almost muffled at times, such as on  "How Can You Luv Me."  This song has an almost echoed drum track that contrasts with a sharp, crisp bass line.  The vocals feel otherworldly in part because they've been tampered with a little bit, but that helps to simultaneously complement both the muffled drums and crisp bass line.  The track that has grown on me the most since listening to the band is "Strangers Are Strange."  I'm all for the weird, the dark, and good bass lines.  This track combines all of these.  The quiet staccato of vocals at the beginning, accompanied with the funky bass line provides for an almost dark and ominous sound which perfectly embodies the songs hook "We can be strange, like strangers are strange."  Unknown Mortal Orchestra's self-titled album is a strong kick out of the gate in particular because of what they do best: switching up their sound.  Listeners would be hard pressed not to find at least one track they like on the album, if not many.

I'm going to push myself to keep the reviews coming and keep your ears full of new music.  Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!

Music Recommendation #7

3/20/11-3/26/11

Alright, I know I've slacked off for the past couple of weeks, but I'm going to make it up to you, I promise.  The above date is from when I actually listened to the albums, just so I can keep things in order and satiate my obsessive compulsive disorder.  Without further ado, here is my seventh music recommendations post.

The Birmingham Urban Folk Parody is the latest project by Pete Lomax (aka El Waxo) and Andy Wright (aka Indiano Cojones, aka The Dridge), and their rotating circle of co-collaborators from Birmingham in the UK off of Acidsoxx Musicks. Pete Lomax runs the gamut with his musical styles from experimental to techno to folksy acoustic numbers to rap, and this eclecticism is much more apparent on his first CD for Acidsoxx, El Waxo and the Imaginary Band Plays Various Hits.  He occasionally plays around the Birmingham area with his acoustic outfit "Los Waxos" as well.  But when he joins up with Andy Wright the music becomes much more rap oriented, with a lofi IDM bent.  Now, a lot of the time when I get a pretty low key artist it takes a bit of digging for me to get some information on them; for some artists the only information I can get is from their Myspace page.  El Waxo and Indiano Cojones are another story entirely.  Not only are they relatively unknown and a group from across the pond, but they make sure that no one knows anything.  In order to get some solid information on them I had to e-mail their editor.  All of the information above was as much as I could get.  According to the editor, the group will post a website every now and again sampling a track or releasing a little bit of information about a project they're working on and within a couple of months the website will disappear;  they are the definition of incognito.  While this may seem strange, their label loves them for it because how they see it is that they're more into making their music than promoting it.  The album consists of very simple beats and prolific rhyming that can sometimes be brash and comedic ("Cock and Balls") and at others be deeply profound and inspiring ("Astronaught").  It's almost shocking  to hear a band that takes simplicity to heart as much as El Waxo and Iniano Cojones do.  The rapping and beats all have a rawness to them that you don't see very much, something that can at first be very unsettling to the popular rap listener, but is immediately refreshing to a more underground/independent one.  The band may not rise to international fame, but where their music is hear it will be appreciated.

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra had its debut in 2001 with its first release Music and Rhythm.  World of Funk is the eleventh release of the instrumental side project of Shawn Lee, all of the albums having been released off of Ubiquity Records.  Lee’s music has appeared in various films such as Ocean’s Thirteen and The Break Up and has also found its way into TV shows (CSI: Miami, Lost) as well as video games (Bully).  The album incorporates a slew of featuring artists such as Nanny G, Michael Leonhart, and Elliot Bergman.  There's one thing that's undeniable about Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra on this album and that is that it's funky.  What's nice about it though is that it doesn't stick to a single definition of "funk" ("funk" being one of those words that is wide open to interpretation, something many people would have a hard time explaining to an alien visitor).  "Tablacadabra" has what I would call a traditional definition of funk: a slow plucking bass line and a variety of percussion instruments, from a drum kit to tablas.  A break toward the middle of the song eliminates the bass line and the keyboard chords and replaces them with a reverberating guitar line and chiming xylophone which makes for a more dynamic and engaging sound.  "Booya" is easily my favorite track on the album, featuring Grammy winning trumpet player Michael Leonhart.  The track is dark and broody, and the brass section lead by Leonhart sets the stage for an epic battle between the screams of the trumpet and the low bellowing of the oboe, each vying for the listeners ear.  I could go on forever describing how funky World of Funk truly is, but funk is something you have to feel, so check it out.

So there you have it, my newest music recommendation.  Tomorrow will be my first day off in a while and I'll be posting music recommendations for Obits and All Tiny Creatures from 3/27/11-4/2/11.  Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow!

Music Recommendation #6

3/13/11-3/19/11 

Alright, I know it's a day late, but better late than never, right?  This week I have The Darlings' "Warma - EP" and Stateless' "Matilda."

The Darlings’ “Warma” is the New York based band’s second record release coming out of Famous Class Records.  Their debut album, “Yeah I Know” was released in 2009.  They have a sound similar to Pavement, the Replacements, and the Thermals.  Starting in 2007, the band is spearheaded by singer/guitarist Peter Rynsky and consists of four friends who, after graduating college, had nothing better to do than pick up their guitars and jam.  This band goes right back to the knitty-gritty of classic party rock.  The guitar riffs and drum beats are steady and simple, and the combination of female and male vocals make for a very uplifting feeling.  The Darlings rose from scrutiny by playing parties and lower level shows and finally got signed, and while the "Warma - EP" may not be much, it's definitely  an uplifting listen.  "Don't Be So Hard On Yourself" is definitely the stand out party pleaser, but "Don't Wanna hang Out Tonight" is my favorite track on the EP with a slower, more mid-century rock feel too it and easily displays the best juxtaposition between Peter Rynsky's more harsh vocals and Maura Lynch's softer ones.  Again, the "Warma - EP" from The Darlings' isn't a lot, but it's a step in the right direction and I look forward to them coming out with their next LP.

Stateless’ “Matilda” is their second studio release after their self-titled album released in 2007, coming out of Ninja Tune Records.  This English electronic alternative rock group is based out of Leeds.  They combine electronic and classical sounds to make for a contemporary, yet cinematic feel.  The album features Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond (“I’m On Fire”) as well as the Balanescu Quartet (“Ballad Of NGB” and “Song For the Outsider”), and  was produced by Bjork producer/programmer Damian Taylor.  Their sound has been described as Jeff Buckley battling Modeselektor with a twist of Timbaland.  While a week ago I may have put Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx on a pedestal for album of the year with seemingly little competition as of yet, Stateless proved me wrong.  Something about what Stateless does just sucks me in.  While people have compared them to several various artists, I can't help but to compare them to more.  To me they have the daring sound of Muse's earlier days with their album "Origin of Symmetry," they take the grand orchestral sound and story telling nature of DeVotchKa, and put it in a blender with some sitar (maybe Ravi Shankar?).  What is even better is that "Matilda" is one of those albums in which every song is a potential favorite.  Out of all of the albums I have ever reviewed for 1190, "Matilda" may be the only one in which I had difficulty picking out my Top 6 Favorites.  To put it in the words of my Music Director, Jessi: "[Stateless]!  Why couldn't you have come two weeks sooner!"  I'm assuming that Stateless would have been made CDotM for March.  

Onto the music though, something about it just comes out right.  I don't know if it's luck or skill, but Stateless manages to combine a number of sounds that are radically different yet mesh and flow flawlessly.  My favorite song, "Ballad of NGB," starts out with a repetition of piano chords and with a soft hint of clapping, shortly followed by Chris James singing "I can feel her rapid waves/ Dark and glittering, sharp and shimmering/ So pure, so damn pure/ Dancing in the kitchen cooking up a snow storm/ Dancing in the kitchen cooking up a snow storm."  This line of lyrics is immediately followed by a booming bass and accompanied by a string section that replaces the repetitious piano from earlier.  I could go on and on describing the almost palpable melodies and tangible rhythms in this piece for ages, but the best advice I can give you is to listen to it.  My other favorite songs are "Ariel" (a song combining sitar licks with a bass heavy back beat and echoing lyrics), "I'm On Fire" (a song combining the trickling of an electric guitar with a beautiful duet between James and guest singer Shara Worden), and "Assassins" (tribal drumming and transcendental bells meet a synthesizer and energetic vocals).  I couldn't rave about this album more than I already have, just give it a listen already.

Shortly (within minutes), I will be posting my review of Lupe Fiasco's new albums "Lasers." Stay tuned for that as well as next week's music recommendations.