Don’t Get Sentimental

A couple weeks ago I had the fortune of seeing the Decemberists live.  The show was incredible, especially the always epic ‘The Island.’  What I wasn’t expecting was the opening band, Loch Lomond.  They’re a 7-person ensemble from Portland, Oregon (indie music central?) whose music stretches from the quietly moving to the folksy epic.  To paraphrase my brother, their sound is akin to listening to an orchestra while underwater, a description no doubt inspired by the fact that their name refers to a famous loch in Scotland.

The group uses an eclectic collection of instruments to produce their sound, including piano, violin, guitar, theremin, and the surprisingly powerful falsetto of the lead singer.  It’s the kind of music that is often soft (at least before the crescendo), but soft in a commanding way, not like some weak shit that just tinkles along in the background.  It demands your attention.

Also, there’s a lot of songs in 3/4 waltz rhythm, which is always sweet.

Loch Lomond - Song in 3/4

Loch Lomond - A Field Report

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Our next Swede is another “Swedish Grammy” winner, and this just in: they’re not just called Swedish Grammies, but Grammis. Without Wikipedia, nobody would even know that their grammis are just like ours.

But I digress.  Hello Saferide is a Swedish act led by the above pictured Annika Norlin, and since Wikipedia doesn’t mention any of the other musicians on their English page, I don’t know who they are.  Because I don’t read Swedish.  And because this blog is now a Wikipedia blog with the occasional splash of music.

Hello Saferide is classified as twee pop, which means it’s more happy music, but (do not despair) it is not as happy as I’m From Barcelona.  Listen:

Hello Saferide - Anna

Also, several years before the artistic bankruptcy that is Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” Norlin released this gem with the chorus:

“Damn! I wish I was a lesbian
Damn! I wish I was a lesbian
Damn! I wish I was, and that you were, too
So I could fall in love with you”

Enjoy!

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Just got an email from waste, Radiohead’s merchandise arm.  As some of you may be aware, they held a remix contest several months ago for their song “Nude,” off their latest album In Rainbows.  Radiohead intentionally released that song for the remix contest because it’s in 6/8, a difficult time signature to remix, half as a joke, and half to see what people could come up with.

That contest was a success, apparently, so they’re doing another one for the song “Reckoner,” which is certainly my favorite song on the album, and probably top 3 all time favorites.  Color me excited.  Also, the song is in the much more common/stable 4/4 time signature, so it will be much easier to tool around with.

You can head over to the official site, where you can listen to some of the remixes people already sent in.  And, if you have any inclination towards remixing yourself (and/or own a copy of GarageBand), there’s a link to pick up all the different tracks from the song via iTunes.

Radiohead - Reckoner

As for the “Nude” remixes, there are thousands of them out there, some better than others.  My personal favorite is the Holy Fuck remix:

Holy Fuck - Nude (Remix)

Also, for something really cool (and something that undoubtedly took waaaaay too much time to complete), James Houston, an art student from Glasgow, remixed the song using a bunch of old computer hardware he had lying around.  This one’s been floating around the internet for some time now, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth the trouble.

Big Ideas (don’t get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

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As promised, this week’s Swedes are nothing at all like the previous two.  Possibly weirder, but completely different.  Enjoy.

The Knife is an electronic-pop, brother-sister duo that is apparently huge in Sweden.  According to Wikipedia, The Knife took home 5 “Swedish Grammies” in 2007, for their latest album, Silent Shout.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t know Sweden had its own Grammies, but as we’ve all been learning/will continue to learn over the next several Sundays, Sweden has no shortage of awesome music.

ANYWAY, The Knife’s music consists of a lot of mid-tempo electro-beats with piano and synth, and lead vocalist Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson (!) croons over the beats with an expressive, if suprisingly deep voice. Generally I’m not big into electo-synth type stuff, but this is some seriously catchy shit.

The Knife - Rock Classics

As a bonus, last week’s non-sentimental Swede, Jose Gonzalez, does a cool cover of “Heartbeats,” a Knife song.  Here they both are, for your side-by-side comparison and enjoyment.

The Knife - Heartbeats

Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats

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Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to last Sunday’s Swedes, I’m From Barcelona (sample comment: “cancel this feature IMMEDIATELY”), I have no choice but to continue the feature.  Now, understandably, I’m From Barcelona can be a bit over-the-top, so perhaps I should’ve started off with something a bit more…palatable.

Jose González is, in fact, a Swede.  His hispanic name comes from his Argentinian heritage, but he was born and raised in Sweden.  And, like so many Swedish artists I’ll be writing about, he sings in English.  English: the international language of business and weird indie music.

González’s music is in some ways more of the same: it’s just a dude with a guitar, with some minimalist percussion.  González updates the formula with a rich sound that sounds, for lack of a better word, analog.  Nothing about this music sounds like it was run through GarageBand; his notes drip with a warmth and soulfulness that evokes a warm fire on a winter’s day.

Anyway, check out Jose González.  And for those of you who have liked neither Swedish Sunday, I can at least promise that each week will feature an artist that varies greatly from the previous week’s.  After all, we went from a 29-member group last week to just one man this week.  Stay tuned.

Jose Gonzalez - Lovestain

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The following post, and ensuing feature, Swedish Sundays, is dedicated to my friend Nasco.  Ever since emigrating to the US, just under a decade ago, Nasco has served as a one-man good will ambassador for the great nation of Sweden.  Unfortunately, his taste in music has never evolved past CCR and the Eagles, so this feature is an attempt to reach out to him.

Over the past few months, I’ve come across a number of cool groups from Sweden.  For reasons that are beyond my comprehension, everyone’s favorite Scandinavian nation is a fertile bed of fresh indie music.  This first post is dedicated to a band with a decidedly un-Swedish name, I’m From Barcelona.

I’m From Barcelona is what you would get if you crossed Broken Social Scene with a barrel full of rainbows.  Which is to say, there’s a shit-ton of them and they’re really cheery.  The group in fact consists of 29 brightly colored Swedes, headed by founder and main singer-songwriter Emanuel Lundgren.  Seriously, I cannot stress enough how upbeat this music is.  If you’re ever in a bad mood, just throw on “We’re from Barcelona,” and you will instantly feel better.

I’m From Barcelona has one LP already out, Let Me Introduce My Friends, which I highly recommend, and their second LP, Who Killed Harry Houdini? drops October 14.  Enjoy.

I’m From Barcelona - We’re From Barcelona

I’m From Barcelona - Oversleeping

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After a brief hiatus, I return with another post on, wait for it, wait for it…indie folk!  Informal surveying has revealed that our immense readership (read: a half dozen friends) respond well to both Marcelo’s vast knowledge of obscure hip hop and Nick’s two (2) un-music-related but funny posts.  I’m not sure anyone responds favorably to, or even reads my posts about sad, guitar plucking indie artists, but I’m writing what I know, so pull up a chair, put on your headphones, and put away the hip hop for 5 minutes.

Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish group who released their second LP, The Midnight Organ Flight, in April.  It’s one of those sleeper albums that crept up on me, where I was half paying attention one night and thought, “Who the hell is this group with the strange voice?”  Because that is the most immediately distinctive attribute: lead singer Scott Hutchison’s voice, which sounded more American-country than Scottish to me at first listen.

Their acoustic songs evoke something of an old-timey, Irish jig atmosphere (think the below deck revelry of the poor folks in Titanic.  Minus Leo).  There are several slow burners, but most of the songs build to thumping, dance-worthy beats and you can’t help but sing along, emulating the unique spin Hutchison puts on these familiar words.  Kick back by the fire and enjoy.

Frightened Rabbit - Old Old Fashioned

Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper

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A couple weeks ago I wrote about the talented-beyond-her-years Laura Marling (above, right), but I probably should have written this post first.  Before Marling struck off on her own solo career, she sang back-up vocals for Noah and the Whale, a UK group that falls under the same nebulous Anti-Folk genre as Marling herself.

I found out about them after Marling, and initially only gave them a couple listens, then moved on.  Over the past week, however, I sat down and listened to their new album Peaceful The World Lays Me Down, and it’s really growing on me.  Their sound is equal parts easy-going folk and well-crafted pop, with songs that make you feel bubbly and happy without drenching you in saccharine.

Interesting fact from Wikipedia that lacks citation:

Apparently Noah and the Whale’s “name is a marriage of the title of one of the band’s favorite films, “The Squid and the Whale,” and the name of the director (Noah Baumbach).”  Sounds believable enough.  Thanks, Wikipedia!

MySpace

Noah and the Whale - 5 Years Time

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Every now and then you find a new artist that gets into your playlist and immediately supplants everything else, if only for a short period.  Several months ago, I discovered the music of Laura Marling, and for nearly two weeks, she was the only thing I listened to.  Obsessive?  Perhaps.  Warranted?  Absolutely.

The first time I heard Laura Marling’s name was in a Stereogum article about her collaboration with the Mystery Jets on “Young Love,” a pleasantly catchy little pop song.  Her part in the song is good, but I must admit that what really caught my eye was this New Yorker article billing Marling as the “Feist of 2008.”  True or not, I knew I’d be spending money soon.

At the time I could only find her EP, My Manic and I, but I instantly fell in love with those four songs, and several weeks later I found her full-length, Alas I Cannot Swim.

From the beginning, the most impressive thing about Laura is her voice.  It’s incredibly mature, especially considering that the LP came out only 3 days after she turned 18.  In the crowded field of “young girls with guitars” (or female singer-songwriter alt.country, if you want to get all snooty about it), she rises easily above the competition.  Her voice is full and powerful compared to the many breathy, vapory voices out there.

Having a rollicking good time

Adding to that maturity is her lyrical content.  In the age of Katy Perry’s and Pussycat Dolls, it’s refreshing to hear a young talented woman with a keen insight into life, and one who doesn’t rely on slutty lyrics or clothing to cover up a lack of talent.  I had to double check when I started listening because she sounds like she’s been at this for decades.

Laura is currently on tour in the UK, then heading to Australia.  Tell your friends and maybe we can convince her to come to the States.

Laura Marling - Ghosts

Laura Marling - You’re No God

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Summertime, and the music’s easy.  I hate to say I like Adron because her music floats along breezily in the background, because that’s selling her short.  It’s also true, but that’s only part of the story.

Adron (real name: Adrienne McCann) is a twenty two (?) year-old singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia, with a distinctly Brazilian sound.  On her self-titled debut, Adron plays all the instruments herself, everything from guitar to harpsichord to bird-noises.  There is minimal percussion on most songs, usually not more than some maracas or egg-shakers.

The real magic comes from the way her voice intertwines with the bossa nova plucking of her guitar, and the effect is like the warm sun on your back as you step out of the ocean.  To me, Adron is a great album for a relaxing day at the beach, but even better for a rum and coke later that night.

Lousy analogies aside, Adron has a beautiful sound form-fit for the last month or so of summer, so check her out.  Also, as of the writing of this post, she only has 971 plays over at Last.fm, so go grab her album and give her some love.

Adron - Stringsong

Adron on Myspace

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