Montreal six-piece Bell Orchestre is one of those bands that you just gotta respect. They do instrumental stuff, so there aren’t any stupid words to muddy up their sound. The band includes Sarah Neufeld and Richard Parry, of Arcade Fire, and the influence is super obvious. The songs take you through a dark melodious world… Continue reading Bell Orchestre
Category: MP3
Kanye, you did it to me again.
So at first, I was planning on writing how much I did not like the newest Kanye West album “808s and Heartbreak”. I was going to even make some claims about how the auto-tune should not be allowed to exist. It was going to be such a well thought-out post. But then I heard the… Continue reading Kanye, you did it to me again.
Newsflash: “Amazon MP3 launches in the UK”
That’s right iTunes and all you other MP3 sellers. Amazon MP3 expanded from the US to the UK. The big boys are now crowding the scene in that Britpop world. Which begs the question: are indie record labels in trouble? The Wombats – “Lost In The Post” “She was signed, sealed and lost in the… Continue reading Newsflash: “Amazon MP3 launches in the UK”
Memphis
What do you get when you take Amy Millan out of Canandian troupe Stars and replace her with a guy? Answer: Memphis. That’s basically all there is to it. Memphis’ instrumentation is so similar to that of Stars that if Amy Millan’s ethereal voice wasn’t missing I wouldn’t notice the difference. For real. Memphis is… Continue reading Memphis
Sonya Kitchell
In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a big fan of jazzy, raspy, (see Cerys Matthews, Adele, Rachael Yamagata, etc) female singer/songwriters. Another one, Sonya Kitchell, has caught my ear in the past few months with her latest album, This Storm, released back in September. While her instrumentation and acoustic ability… Continue reading Sonya Kitchell
Grammy Nominations: Meh.
The nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards are out tonight, and there aren’t a lot of surprises. Adele got a ton of nominations, as did Radiohead, Coldplay, and Robert Plant & Allison Krauss. The full nominations are here, but here are the most interesting (or rather, surprising) parts: -M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” is nominated for Record… Continue reading Grammy Nominations: Meh.
Jaren Love, Of The Lampshades!
Right now, Jaren Love (The lead singer and lead guitarist of the band “The Lampshades“) is just about to leave my room to go do his radio show. We just talked about a whole bunch of music, and things pertaining to music. Somewhere in that conversation he did an interview for me in which he… Continue reading Jaren Love, Of The Lampshades!
Alela Diane: “White As Diamonds”
Here’s a track from California musician Alela Diane’s upcoming release To Be Still. Her debut album, The Pirate’s Gospel, was released in 2006 and earned her fame everywhere but America (U.S.A., U.S.A.!!). If the new album, set to come out Feb. 17 on Rough Trade, sounds anything like the first single, “White As Diamonds,” it… Continue reading Alela Diane: “White As Diamonds”
Raveonettes Christmas EP
The Raveonettes have released a new digital only Christmas EP, Wishing You a Rave Christmas, on Vice. The EP has four tracks including a cover of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” You can get the EP on iTunes or Amazon (Amazon gives you a bonus b-side from their last album, Lust Lust Lust). Check out “Come… Continue reading Raveonettes Christmas EP
More concert info: Illinois and Yeasayer
Two more local concerts I think you should all be aware of. I know it’s a busy time of year, what between Thanksgiving and the new year, but if you have time try to check out one of these groups (especially Illinois on Tuesday if you didn’t get Vampire Weekend tickets). December 2: Illinois (fresh… Continue reading More concert info: Illinois and Yeasayer