As the title suggests.
2/15/11
Flirting with country
For a looooong time I couldn't stand any kind of country music (except Johnny Cash of course - the man's beyond all genre definitions).I thought country was all about yodeling, girls with pigtails and squeeky voices, line dancing in barns etc. And yeah, sure that exists too I guess. At least it did in Dolly Parton's tv show I sometimes watched as a kid. Yeehaa.
But there is way more to country music.
A brilliant example of taking influences from country music and incorporating them to contemporary indie sound is Mumford & Sons, four young lads from the UK. Seriously, these guys don't look like they'd be playing the banjo but they are and they sound very promising for a band that was formed only 3 years ago. Their sound is unique and the vocalist Marcus Mumford is clearly singing from his heart.
I will be keeping an eye on these guys, definitely.
2/12/11
Devil's in the details
I'm such a sucker for cover songs. There's just something intriguing about the way some bands or artists manage to make someone else's song their own. I think it's fairly rare, too. In my opinion merely playing through Louie Louie doesn't mean you're really covering it but then again, some bands have managed to breathe new life even into such a classic song. Like Black Flag, for instance [listen to their version on Youtube].
It's not necessary to change the song completely to make it your own, though. Now here's is something I find fascinating. On the latest Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan record Hawk there is a Townes Van Zandt cover called No Place To Fall. It's sung by Isobel and a young folksinger called Willy Mason, apparently because Lanegan didn't want to sing it at first. He seems to have changed his mind later on because lately he's been singing it live with Isobel.
A change of heart is not the fascinating part I was referring to, though. The interesting bit is how different those two versions, Lanegan's and Mason's, sound. Here they are, both acoustic and performed live with Isobel but still a million miles apart. Devil's in the details: the way you see the song and how you address the audience. And if you listen to the original version, it's totally different again.
And the original version:
It's not necessary to change the song completely to make it your own, though. Now here's is something I find fascinating. On the latest Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan record Hawk there is a Townes Van Zandt cover called No Place To Fall. It's sung by Isobel and a young folksinger called Willy Mason, apparently because Lanegan didn't want to sing it at first. He seems to have changed his mind later on because lately he's been singing it live with Isobel.
A change of heart is not the fascinating part I was referring to, though. The interesting bit is how different those two versions, Lanegan's and Mason's, sound. Here they are, both acoustic and performed live with Isobel but still a million miles apart. Devil's in the details: the way you see the song and how you address the audience. And if you listen to the original version, it's totally different again.
And the original version:
2/11/11
Fembot-ish
But not in an Austin Powers movie kind of way! It's just that I've recently stumbled upon tracks with beautiful, monotonic female vocals. Hence the fembots.
This collection of songs was also inpired by Broadcast's Trish Keenan who passed away few weeks ago, at the age of 42. Such a tragic loss.
This collection of songs was also inpired by Broadcast's Trish Keenan who passed away few weeks ago, at the age of 42. Such a tragic loss.
2/8/11
Embrace it, own it, go for it
I've always thought being able to get carried away was a good thing. In this cynical, we've-already-seen-everything kind of world it's one of those rare things that still seem innocent and genuine. Having a passion for something, whether it's music or art or sports is valuable. I don't think it's money that makes the world go round.
Having said that I must admit I'm one of those people who's constantly on the edge with their passion. Sometimes things go overboard and the passion is close to becoming an obsession. I've been involved in projects where I've lost myself and ended up doing way more than I was first going to, forgetting everything else I had going on in my life.
And that's when things get complicated. Where should I draw the line? Am I able to do it? And what should I do if I don't manage to control the situation?
In the context of music or music business getting lost in your passion sometimes seems more like a rule than an exception. Artists spend years in the studio perfecting their albums. Fans become stalkers. Photographers become paparazzis, journalists forget their ethics.
And then there are those cases when it's hard to say whether one's being obsessed or just enthusiastic. If a fan spends loads of money to travel and see a gig or a match, is it a sign of being committed or just crazy? Or how about queuing hours to get an autograph or tickets? As is the case with everything, there seem to be double standards as well. Young girls camping outside a venue to ensure a first row spot at a gig are usually considered silly but if grown men are spending insane amounts of money to see the game of the year it's supposed to be different somehow.
To hell with that, I say. As long as you're not hurting anyone (including yourself) I suggest you forget all those social restrictions and just go for it. To have a passion towards something is a gift. Chances are that the person making fun of it is just envious for not having the same drive.
And that's when things get complicated. Where should I draw the line? Am I able to do it? And what should I do if I don't manage to control the situation?
In the context of music or music business getting lost in your passion sometimes seems more like a rule than an exception. Artists spend years in the studio perfecting their albums. Fans become stalkers. Photographers become paparazzis, journalists forget their ethics.
And then there are those cases when it's hard to say whether one's being obsessed or just enthusiastic. If a fan spends loads of money to travel and see a gig or a match, is it a sign of being committed or just crazy? Or how about queuing hours to get an autograph or tickets? As is the case with everything, there seem to be double standards as well. Young girls camping outside a venue to ensure a first row spot at a gig are usually considered silly but if grown men are spending insane amounts of money to see the game of the year it's supposed to be different somehow.
To hell with that, I say. As long as you're not hurting anyone (including yourself) I suggest you forget all those social restrictions and just go for it. To have a passion towards something is a gift. Chances are that the person making fun of it is just envious for not having the same drive.
1/29/11
We Fell To Earth and curious confessions
Only a few days ago I wrote about The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster that mixes rock, punk, rockabilly and goth in their sound. Now I've stumbled upon a band that combines krautrock, shoegazing, psychedelic rock and electro just as wildly and successfully.
We Fell To Earth released their debut album already about a year ago but I didn't discover them until last spring. And for some peculiar reason it took me almost a year to realise just what I had encountered.
Yeah, I know. Sometimes I'm so slow it's embarrassing. But hey, better late than never, right? Right?
Anyways, We Fell To Earth consists of two persons: Richard File who used to play in UNKLE and Wendy Rae Fowler who used to be connected to the extended family of musicians playing in QOTSA, Desert Sessions, Eagles Of Death Metal and whatnot. The two camps have met before already and collaborated a couple of times (on previous UNKLE records, for instance) but We Fell To Earth shouldn't be treated as an extension to those collaborations. It's a band with a distict sound and voice of its own - a voice that's eerie, atmospheric and outlandish. At times creepy as well.
For someone who used to love trance music back in the 90's (yeah, I did go to raves and danced til dawn, sometimes even with glowsticks in my hands, if you must know) but later fell in love with 70's psychedelic and krautrock it's a match made in heaven.
We Fell To Earth released their debut album already about a year ago but I didn't discover them until last spring. And for some peculiar reason it took me almost a year to realise just what I had encountered.
Yeah, I know. Sometimes I'm so slow it's embarrassing. But hey, better late than never, right? Right?
Anyways, We Fell To Earth consists of two persons: Richard File who used to play in UNKLE and Wendy Rae Fowler who used to be connected to the extended family of musicians playing in QOTSA, Desert Sessions, Eagles Of Death Metal and whatnot. The two camps have met before already and collaborated a couple of times (on previous UNKLE records, for instance) but We Fell To Earth shouldn't be treated as an extension to those collaborations. It's a band with a distict sound and voice of its own - a voice that's eerie, atmospheric and outlandish. At times creepy as well.
For someone who used to love trance music back in the 90's (yeah, I did go to raves and danced til dawn, sometimes even with glowsticks in my hands, if you must know) but later fell in love with 70's psychedelic and krautrock it's a match made in heaven.
1/27/11
Audrey vs. Audrey
To be honest, I'm not sure if there really is a connection or not. But as I was recently watching Funny Face (1957) and this scene with Audrey Hepburn started rolling I couldn't help thinking how Lynch-like it was. The hazy red-tinted background, weird and over-the-top yet cheeky dance moves and a gorgeous Audrey - they're all featured in Twin Peaks as well.
The only difference is that in Funny Face they're all packed in one scene where as in Twin Peaks they're scattered throughout the episodes. And, of course, in Twin Peaks scenes there's always that sinister, haunting undertone.
The only difference is that in Funny Face they're all packed in one scene where as in Twin Peaks they're scattered throughout the episodes. And, of course, in Twin Peaks scenes there's always that sinister, haunting undertone.
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