February 24, 2012

Cheer up!

In search of optimistic music amidst all the stress of IB assignments, YouTube’s related videos can really do wonders sometime:

“Bright Whites” – Kishi Bashi

Read: A man who seems to be the most cheesy, Asian and poppy male singer alive. Kishi Bashi sings songs of love, sunshine, smiling, and the stars in the sky. Combining elements of traditional japanese music, beatles-esque guitar major chords and big, operatic harmonies, his music is about as elaborate as pop can get. It’s pretty beautiful nonetheless, and it won’t fail to make a you a little happier now and then.

 

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January 13, 2012

Jaaring Music

I’m actually very hypocritical- I remember telling people not so long ago that everything that came out of a keyboard or computer was the product of the devil, and here I am, listening to this guy, Nicolas Jaar (the title probably makes sense now) Anyway, there is some genuinely good electronic I’ve collected over the past couple of weeks, and this is by far the best I’ve stumbled upon so far. Also now I have a bitching new keyboard (the one in the picture, in fact!) and new scope of making compositions so electronic music doesn’t seem that unholy anymore.

Nicolas Jaar is a student at Brown University whose basically put a lot of thought into his new record, Space Is Only Noise. Pretentious title aside, the songs are peculiar but extremely interesting. The instrumentation is fairly minimal, in spite of the fact that it’s electronic- with low BPM’s and simple beats- but the sounds that are created on this album are still rich and exciting.

Everything from baritonal, creepy voices to distant french ramblings and romantic conversations are layered over a wide variety of instruments- pianos, guitars and even horns occasionally (Try “Keep Me There”, really catchy). At the same time, distinctly electronic components are visible- deep bass, tight beats and even the slightly cliched clapper things. But what stands out the most is Jaar’s unconventional usage of two things- silence and various, random noises. Much of the songs make use of very distant, muffled noises as well as plain old silence to their advantage, especially in their transitions and beginnings. Furthermore, the songs themselves are not very loud at all- and as a result Jaar’s product is frighteningly moving at times. What he seems to have mastered even more is the use of noise- there’s a lot of rain-esque sounds in many songs, such as “Etre” and “Almost Fell”, which also use disjointed beats without tempo to make the songs not really songs, but more like a collection of different samples that Jaar has taken from different sources to make his sound more realistic and hard-hitting. Parts of the record such as “Etre”s flowing rivers and secretive discussions really help in creating an intimate connection between Jaar’s music and it’s listeners.

That being said, his work is very much electronic in a general sense. There’s some soul influences throughout- in “Specters of the Future”, with it’s crooning and effects-laden piano riff, and his ambitious remix of Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman”. There’s some vocoders and drum machines thrown in as well- check “Space Is Only Noise If You Can See”, the amazing title track.

There’s a lot to take in on this record- it’s Jaar’s creative mind at work, masterfully making you tremble, daydream, snap your fingers, and maybe even sing along and dance. His exploratory usage of noise, silence and speech along with familiar electronic sounds demonstrate how he’s really taken the meaning of making a record to an entirely new level. Space Is Only Noise is not just an album, it’s a work of art.

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October 27, 2011

Synthesized dreams

I feel kind of like an obnoxious monthly magazine columnist writing so sporadically on this website- but I can promise you that it’s because of the ridiculous amount of work that’s been building up over this semester and just general lack of enthusiasm to type out long paragraphs. I’m currently really happy though, because I just added about 2 gigs of music to my iTunes of various different genres. After browsing through everything (majority of which was obscure Scandi Pop and trashy American bands – Read: Tennis, Wu Lyf) I found Youth Lagoon. (note that this isn’t any compromise on the hipster cred)

Youth Lagoon is the solo project of Trevor Powers, a lonely musician from a fucking random city (Boise, Idaho, if I’m not mistaken) in the middle of nowhere (no shit, it’s Idaho). The sound of his debut album is instantly recognizable as the work of one man, owing to the fact that even though it’s an electronic project, it’s relatively simple and down to earth. That being said, most of the songs are pretty incredible and they manage to interweave some fantastically catchy melodies with beats that’ll float around in the distant, dreamy meanderings of your mind.

Even then, Youth’s Lagoon’s music is hard to describe in a succinct manner. At times, the songs are sad, filled with childhood memories, long forgotten (listen to “Seventeen”) and layered over bright electronic piano riffs. “Seventeen”‘s ambient beat, infectious hook, and melancholic but inspiring stories of “When I was seventeen, my mother said to me, “Don’t stop imagining. The day that you do is the day that you die” make it one of the best songs on the entire record.

And sometimes, the songs take an entirely different turn. “Daydream” feels like an adventure, soaring through vast, open valleys with the wind blowing in your face. For some reason, I was reminded of Bon Iver’s Calgary, especially due to it’s emphatic synthesizer intro, leading into Powers’ ghostly vocals that seem to come out empty space. The song has an absolutely wonderful hook, replicated by synths, electric guitar, and even a chorus of multiple Trevor Powers’s.

I heard this album during a really long car ride from Thane to Parel in Mumbai, so the fact that I was staring at distant fireworks going off in the sky, lit up buildings and highways has made me slightly biased towards the album. Still, it’s a pretty awesome album to listen to whilst doing something of that nature. Let Trevor Power’s echoey (and for some reason quite girly) voice and synthesized masterpieces take you to a place you won’t regret being at.

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August 12, 2011

Don’t you cherish me to sleep?

After a hectic month of internshipping, playing at a concert and acquiring gigabytes of new music, it’s time to attempt another post.

This time, Bon Iver’s blissful second album will be the subject, simply because I have never heard such a cohesive, emotional and vivid album before in my entire life. Every single song forges a different emotion, and a different imaginary world. They may even remind one of particular people, or particular places, and as each song transitions into the next, your mind eventually just sort of begins to float and wander around. Justin Vernon’s aim behind the album was simple- to take a risk, and try something entirely different from For Emma, Forever Ago. As far as I’m concerned, he’s succeeded, and brought a completely radical yet amazing texture to his music.

Unlike For Emma, Forever Ago, it’s evident that Vernon hasn’t simply sat down with a guitar and composed a couple of songs to make a record- it sounds as if each song was created from it’s most raw form- a single melody, eventually becoming the elaborate arrangement on the record. Trumpets, french horns, synthesizers, Strings, baritone and electric guitars, finger cymbals, saxophones and tremolos are just a few of the insanely versatile instruments that feature on this record- leading to each song being a lot heavier and deeper than most of the songs on his earlier album.

I would say that it’s hard to point out particular songs that are good, mostly because as one song goes to the next, I’m too preoccupied with marveling at the last one I heard. ”Towers” is very distinct in the entire album- apparently inspired by the time when Vernon lost his virginity in the Towers Dorm at College. It’s got some exceptionally poetic lyrics, as well as the shocking yet sublime chord progressions throughout. The little string/horn (hard to tell) melody which acts as a pseudo-chorus is fantastic, also.

But if one song that stands out had to be named, it would definitely be “Calgary”. “Calgary” is pretty much one of the best songs I’ve heard this year, because other than being based around a very beautiful melody it’s an interesting song in it’s usage of instruments- after a synth drone underneath Vernon’s chorus vocals, the open chords strummed by an exceptionally brightly-toned guitar joins in. The cold, wind-like “oooooooh”‘s in the background and a distorted guitar riff climax, leading into the closing, which is just Vernon singing over a strummed guitar, at which point I just smiled, because that’s all one can do after listening to a song which can so perfectly combine sadness and optimism.

As Vernon’s newly donned ghostly falsetto rings into my headphones, I’m reminded of a winter morning, with a crisp, cold air and those few warm rays of sunshine. (Holy shit, I am so spaced out)

 

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July 17, 2011

The Age of The Singles

Due to the lack of any good albums out recently, and the sudden surge of eagerly awaited singles from some pretty good bands, I’ve decided to dedicate this blog post to all of that. I mean, of course the obscure American Indie-pop bands have released some EP or the other, and maybe the Kooks released “The Saboteur”, but really, who cares?

1) “The Adventures of Raindance Maggie” – Red Hot Chili Peppers

I actually heard this song on the 17th of July, which is one day earlier than the actual, official release of the song. So after hearing the leaked version on the KROQ exclusive, I have to say it felt strangely pleasing to do something which was slightly illegal. But anyway, the song is great. The moment it starts, you’re thinking- “OMFG, RHCP is back!!” and yes, it is actually really exciting to listen to this song because I’ve been waiting for it for the past five years. The funky bass line, groovy beat and Anthony Kiedis’ distinct southern accent- it’s the quintessential RHCP song- with funk, yet melodies and harmonization built into it perfectly. The song is energetic, oscillating between a minory verse to a chorus that is atypical of RHCP. Anthony’s vocals have gotten a lot better; he has a lot more control over melody by now, and Flea’s bass lines are unmistakably on-the-spot along with Chad Smith’s flawless drumming. Even the offbeat cowbell which occasionally appears on the song (reminiscent of Hump De Bump) is fantastic. If anything, there’s only one area of the song that’s going to take some time to get used to, and that’s Josh Klinghoffer. He’s definitely offered something very different to the band, because the guitar parts are a lot more rock/psychedelia influenced, not to mention extremely ambient. What I didn’t like was that the guitar was not very prominent in the song at all, but rather kind of lackadaisical and uninvolved. Hearing the song, one can picture a perfect edgy guitar solo that Frusciante would have done, but after four years something had to be sacrificed. Furthermore, I wouldn’t be very surprised if the song was on Stadium Arcadium, because its sound is clearly along the lines of the kind much of Stadium Arcadium had, with the exception of the guitar style. Nonetheless, Red Hot Chili Peppers have stepped into some uncharted territory, which is exciting, but have still retained the edge that only they can achieve as a group, regardless of Frusciante leaving.

[http://kroq.radio.com/2011/07/15/kroq-exclusive-world-premiere-of-the-red-hot-chili-peppers-new-single-the-adventures-of-rain-dance-maggie-from-their-upcoming-album-im-with-you/2/]

2) “Shuffle”- Bombay Bicycle Club

After dillydallying around with their acoustic guitars and brushes and such, and being extremely indie by recording songs in Jack Steadman’s bedroom/bathroom (or that’s what rumours say at least) they’ve plugged their amps back in, and put out the brand new record which is currently the hottest record in the world- “Shuffle”. I have to say that when I woke up in the morning, noticed that it was 23rd July and opened my computer to listen to the song on youtube, I was very disappointed. That overly happy keyboard riff in the beginning? It gave me a serious headache as it blared into my ears. But I’ve heard it a little more over the last couple of days, and it turns out that the song is actually pretty good (and I guess that’s the case with every song, because I think like Beach House now, which I had sworn to hate a year back) and insanely catchy, much like some of the songs on I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose. What I’ve noticed is that this song is quite optimistic and upbeat, as opposed to most of I Had The Blues… which had darker, and often slower songs in comparison- but obviously I need to listen to the rest of A Different Kind Of Fix to make that judgement. However, the sanguinity of this song tells me that this new album will be a lot happier than the last, and the one before that. As far as the song itself is concerned, nothing stood out exceptionally, except how everything blended to make the song very catchy- this includes the melodic bass line (which is brilliant), the dance-y drum beat and ridiculous lyrics like “Say you need a 7-Up, Say you wanna try”. Ultimately, a good, catchy and refreshing song, but nothing very revolutionary. And frankly, it’s sort of disappointing after the skilful musicianship in most of their earlier songs.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcnOZtsHS9I]

3) “East Harlem”- Beirut

Beirut has grown to become one of my favourite bands over the past year, simply because of the fact that no-one else plays music like them, and the original style that they have developed gradually is interesting, exciting and quite beautiful. Gulag Orkestar is probably one of the best albums I have heard in my life. Their new single “East Harlem” changes the face of the game, in that Beirut’s style has clearly changed. They tended to be a little grandiose in their earlier albums, using all out brass orchestras and elaborate arrangements- but after hearing East Harlem, a song Zach Condon wrote at the age of 17, one can hear how Beirut is slowly beginning to sway towards pop/contemporary rock, and this song, to say the least, is not influenced by traditional Balkan music. They have retained the very beautiful trumpet solos and marching band instruments, but the whole packaging of the song is distinctly different from any other Beirut song. The song is quite simplistic, in that it does not go for the usual ostentatious value that Beirut loves, but rather sticks to a simple major chord progression with a straightforward trumpet solo. Nonetheless, the song is very well made, and it’s romantic lyrics and melodies are tremendously memorable. If the rest of the album is like this, I would definitely not mind, it’s only that it would be a major shift in what Beirut used to be.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzORRh6lzg4]

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June 8, 2011

Smile! (From Scotland)

The Scottish have their own way with music. Contrary to the popular image of Scottish people being abrasive, loud people who basically drink a lot (or is that the Irish? It’s quite confusing), I am led to believe that the Scots do not take music lightly (Yeah, that’s the Irish) and have what seems to be quite a sophisticated approach to the matter. Apart from the numerous orchestral groups that exist within the highly regarded classical music circuit of Scotland, most of their bands convey similar messages. Belle and Sebastian, or otherwise known as Melancholy Incorporated, have made us smile and cry (often simultaneously) with their music, thanks to heart throb Stuart Murdoch crooning and in the process wooing hoards of female adolescents around the world.

However, Belle and Sebastian are not the point of this post (unfortunately), and I will be talking about Camera Obscura, a band I only recently discovered through their album My Maudlin Career. Much like the names of several random indie bands, the name of this one was always around in the related videos section of youtube, but sadly enough I made an assumption based on previous experience that they were just another shitty indie band with half-hearted melodies and the songwriting innovation of a teaspoon. (their name Camera Obscura, didn’t particularly encourage me to look them up either, for some reason) Completely out of curiosity, arising from the fact that they were always there, waiting to be clicked on and that I had not the faintest idea as to how they sounded. I clicked, and I’m pretty thankful that I did.

Camera Obscura have to offer, in spite of the morosely named album, some of the most pleasant music I have heard in my life. The famous (or infamous?) quote “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”  by the Big Willie (no disrespect) seems to fit perfectly in this context, given the band’s sunny, warm and inviting tunes. The whole album is quite romantic, in that it addresses love in pretty much all of it’s songs, coupled with imagery of silvery lakes, conversations between lovers, and many many other images that seem to go well with a very artsy, romantic movie that would probably take place in Paris. And surprisingly enough, I don’t find it annoying because of this.

The painfully sugary-sweet melodies of each of their songs, as well as the simple, down-to-earth lyrics which accentuate the song’s romantic quality very well, such as “You make me go oooooh” and “If you were a season, you would be in bloom”. There was a time when most of use were annoyed by how cheesy such lines would be, but the fact that Camera Obscura’s deal seems to be cheesiness all the way through, it’s quite amusing at first, but then one realizes how damn good the band really is, and they aren’t just going for nostalgia and the stirring stories that attest to almost everyone’s love story around the world.

The atmosphere created by the instruments in each of their songs are extremely spaced out and dreamy, and, sorry to say this again, remind one of a summer’s day with much ease. Happy chord progressions that everyone’s familiar with, 70′s pop-style string and horn sections, which are quite delightful, as well as the general old-school feel to their music, consisting of twangy guitars, beautiful harmonies and cheery “oooooh’s ” behind Tracyanne Campbell, who, might I say, is quite a nice singer. Funnily enough, the band looks like they landed up in the present day via some sort of time portal from 1975, courtesy of shaggy beards, horn rimmed glasses and 70′s haircuts. (a new hipster band, everybody! Applause!)

There are a couple of songs that are really good on this album- definitely listen to “French Navy”, their hit single, which narrates the story of two sweet, shy, young lovers who meet by accident and fall in love. (or that’s atleast what I understand with my impeccable literary analysis) Quixotic melodies, an energetic drum beat and emotion-fueled vocal delivery make this song really refreshing, not to mention the memorable lyrics, especially the chorus, where Campbell bursts out- “I wanted to control it, but love I couldn’t hooooold it”. “The Sweetest Thing” is, well, a very sweet song (sorry, I’m running out of adjectives). “My Maudlin Career” has trippy piano melodies, as well as ambient drumming- making it a song with a lucid texture, similar to most of their other songs, which can be characterized as old-school pop rock, with a gorgeous helping of schmaltz and sugar.

The whole album is made quite well, and it’s quite effective in establishing a Camera Obscura style, which is a good sign of the originality of the band. They seem to have used sappy lyrics and cheesy music to their favor, and that usually doesn’t work out for a band, or anyone, really- resulting another great album from a great new indie troupe. I also realize how horribly condescending this last paragraph is. Hence, many apologies.

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May 25, 2011

Songs to listen to when you’re alone

I’ve spent the last four days of my life, after quite an explosive ending to my first year at college, alone. Spending time alone can be a lot of things- productive is rarely one of them- but it definitely be quite surreal- in the sense that you start to look at things a little differently, and while you die a little inside, you get the cheap thrill you always wanted by doing stuff you don’t usually do around other people. In my case, that’s pretty much sing at the top of my voice all day long and play the guitar and record music and listen to music and write random paragraphs everywhere. I obtained a large amount of music just before I left campus, and amongst it and the rest of my library I came up with a couple of songs to try and pay closer attention to when you’re alone, because only when you’re alone will you realize how utterly beautiful (or not) they are.

1. Balmorhea- March 1, 1831

A very short, beautiful song, without words. Based around a simple melody played on guitars, the constant oscillation between the guitars, and double bass is brilliant. A number of images come to mind when listening to it, and the song can give rise to a variety of emotions- which change every time I listen to it.

2. Immanu El- …In Valleys

In valleys I found my way
To seek your silence
To seek your face

In pale eyes I lost my breath
To seek your silence
To seek your face

In valleys
With pale eyes

Slightly reminiscent of Coldplay, but more post-rock of course, the gradual increase in pace of the song, coupled with it’s nostalgia-inducing tune and unmistakable classical influences make it quite a flawless song.

3. Groove Armada- At The River

This song is relatively better known, of course, because it was quite the popular downtempo/chillout song a long time ago. I discovered the song again, today, and only today have I realized truly how good the song is. I never fully acknowledged the fact that this song combined a smooth electronic beat with a sample of violins and trumpet and managed to make an amazing song. The violin hook is basically just unforgettable.

4. Bombay Bicycle Club- Emergency Contraception Blues/Lamplight

The true beauty of this album is pretty much captured in the transition between Emergency Contraception Blues and Lamplight. After belting out an aggressive yet pulchritudinous instrumental, the song immediately goes into Lamplight which is considerably slower yet equally amazing. The first few lines of the song- “Your mirror gaze while I decide, the moment you were deified” encompass the emotions of the singer in all of the following songs of the album, which are of confusion, indecisiveness and unconditional love.

5. Fleet Foxes- Mykonos

I have no words for this absolutely fucking wonderful song. I space out every time I listen to it, and in both parts of the song the passion with which they play the song makes it even better- it needs to be heard urgently by those who have not.

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May 2, 2011

List number 1

I found and make a list of some of the best lyrics I have heard so far. Some of them are actually pretty fucking stupid, so I have no idea why they’re the on the list. Some are, as people tell me, pretentious, but I have no idea how that functions, so I’m going to put them down anyway. Some are clever, some are just really beautiful.

“My friends all say, I’m your fool,

and you’re using me, like a

carpenter uses a tool”

- Never Give You Up, The Black Keys

“Last night you woke me up,

we almost fell in love,

But then you said, it’s time for bed”

- Magnet, Bombay Bicycle Club

“What was mistaken for closeness,

was just a case of mitosis”

- Imitosis, Andrew Bird

“Have you heard the birds and bees,

have all caught STD’s?”

- Flash a Hungry Smile, Mystery Jets

“You’ll hear your sister sleep

talking, say, “your hair is long, but

not long enough to reach home to

me, But your beard someday might

be”

- Blood, The Middle East

“There’s a party in my head, and no

one is invited”

- Solitude is Bliss, Tame Impala

“There are fewer

more distressing sights than that of

an Englishman in a baseball cap”

- Time For Heroes, The Libertines

“If you want to destroy my sweater,

hold this thread as I walk away”

- Undone (The Sweater Song), Weezer

“It was at this precise moment that

he saw her. Her walk was soft and

delicate with a thaumaturgical touch

that only a rabbi’s daughter could

have”

- Shabop Shalom, Devendra Banhart

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April 26, 2011

The genius that is Andrew Bird

In spite of having Andrew Bird in my iTunes since about one year, it’s pretty sad that I didn’t realize that he’s quite the brilliant musician until three days ago. I’ve been listening to his music on repeat, and never does it get repetitive. A professional whistler (?), skilled violinist, guitarist and vocalist, Andrew Bird’s about as perfect as a human being can be. I found the following exceptionally interesting:

1) Imitosis

This song breaks certain ground- firstly, he’s used the same old Am-G-F-E chord progression, but has managed to make it engaging enough to keep listening to, owing to a haunting violin riff, intricate guitars, and some of the best lyrics I have heard so far. A morbid commentary on human relationships being meaningless, this beautiful yet frightening song leaves its impression for sure. There’s an amazing live version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbr2djsnklI

2) Oh No

Oscillating between being mystical and outlandish and being extremely simple and enjoyable, I fucking love Oh No. At one point in the song, the cute little whistle riff is indescribably catchy, and the song in general is a change from the last, showing the light-hearted side of Andrew Bird. His style becomes evident in this song- centering a song around a single riff and adding numerous little contrapuntal melodies and in the process making a truly wholesome song. It’s also interesting that his lyrics vary from “in the salsify mains of what was thought but unsaid, all the calcified arhythmitists were doing the math” to “Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo, Oh No” And this song highlights his expertise in whistling quite well.

3) Heretics

From the album Armchair Apocrypha, this is one of the more epic and elaborately arranged songs of Andrew Bird. The distorted guitars, the oriental violins, chanting in the background, ambitious yet perfect chord changes from the verse to the bridge (and vice-versa) and the overpowering drums throughout the song make it an overwhelmingly good song.

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April 12, 2011

Electroswing, wtf?

I’m almost certain that I haven’t heard a musical genre as far fetched as this one. Procured from a friend of mine on campus, Caravan Palace is quite an interesting band that makes, as far as I’m concerned, some of the most energetic and aesthetically pleasing music I have heard till date. Beautifully molding together the intricacy, versatility and musical finesse of gypsy culture and the intensity of deep electronic beats- the end of product of “Electroswing” which they have seemed to master is fucking incredible.

What’s interesting is that they do not simply sample gypsy music and add beats over it. Instead, they actually play the music heard in the songs, using guitars, violins, double basses and clarinets- and one man in the band is responsible for the addition of the beats. And judging by the quality and virtuosity of the music used in their songs, this band is not composed of novice musicians. The epitome of french music in general, no?

They’ve created a few songs which I feel are particularly amazing- for example, “Dragons”, which merges with a swing riff quite atypical of french gypsy culture a heavy electronic beat with plenty of bass and processed effects layered on top of it and their single “Jolie Coquine” which achieves the same goal as “Dragons”, but brings to the surface a lot more of their guitar handiwork and electronic influences, such as Daft Punk. I also feel that “Kleptomanie” is especially brilliantly made, because it shows that Caravan palace has the potential to fuse gypsy music with electronic music beyond the simple repetitive drum and bass beat. Songs like this one are equally enjoyable, in spite of them being a little more relaxed.

In conclusion, quite an original band, with an extremely interesting and clever style of making music which is almost impossible to dislike.

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