I have been musically spoiled beyond reason the last two months – so much so that my old iPod with its meager 15 Gb of space will have to be upgraded (its time anyway; I don’t know I have held out so long). Between eMusic, my own funds, and the generous gifts of friends new and old, my iTunes truly doth runneth over.
My Four-Star Finds
I am always excited to hear anything from
Hem, and Funnel Cloud arrived just in time. As usual Sally Ellyson’s voice is the real centerpiece of the twelve songs here, but the music, as with their previous albums, is superb—weaving a lonesome country feel with an elegant understatedness that draws you in.
For a taste, try: Not California, The Pills Stopped Working, Great Houses of New York
A lot of my last.fm friends know I am crazy for
Cortney Tidwell’s Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up. It took a minute for her songs to penetrate beyond their surface sound, but once they did, my mind was blown. A truly unique artist, I refuse to say she sounds like anyone else….but what exactly she sounds like is hard to say. It is ghostly, heartfelt, tuneful stuff. And you would never think in your wildest dreams that she comes from Nashville. Iceland, maybe, but not Nashville.
For a taste, try: Pictures on the Sidewalk, The Missing Link, La La
A few albums that are gorgeously sublime -- you know you like it on the first listen, and then every time you listen after that some thing new and wonderful shines -- are
Shrift’s Lost in a Moment,
Camille’s [album]Le Fil,
Cibelle’s The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves,
Natalie Walker’s Urban Angel and
Dani Siciliano’s Slappers. The running current among these five, aside from their electronic underpinnings, is wonderful lyrics and beautiful vocals.
Shrift is a Brazilian outfit that mixes bossa nova, jazz, and funk to great, dreamy effect. It is an incredibly cohesive album that still allows for single track pickings. For a taste, try: As Far As I Can See, To the Floor, Floating City
Camille is like
Zap Mama, but younger, modern, Parisian. She doesn’t indulge in musical clichés, and uses her voice often as its own instrument. I have always been fascinated by singers who could do this, so she rocks.
For a taste, try: La jenue fille aux cheveux blancs, Vertige, Quand je marche
Cibelle, much like Shrift, blurs musical lines. That she is a Brazilian now living in London makes her latest album, sonically very different from her first well received album.
The Shine is entrancing because of its swaying bossa novas, elongated instrumentations, and utterly urban impressions. She incorporates city sounds – a passing bus, café chatter – as well as drastic genre changes within songs to keep things interesting.
For a taste, try: Phoenix, City People, Flying High
Natalie Walker has got a ton of buzz lately, and I listened to
Urban Angel a few times before I could say I liked it. Halfway through the third go round, I heard Quicksand and stopped what I was doing. It is a stunning, moving track about the end of a love. I then tuned into the rest of the album began to hear other lovely things that the pop sheen was hiding. Her voice is a wonder.
For a taste, try: Quicksand, Colorblind, Red
Dani Siciliano’s new album is hot off the presses and out in time to catch my comedown from
Herbert’s Scale, which I still love. Much like her work with Herbert, there are strange sounds underscoring the music itself, while Siciliano struts her vocal stuff. Funnily enough though, she doesn’t come off like a slag (she is in fact questioning the whole idea of a slapper), but a sophisticate who knows her shit as well as yours – a tough trick that she pulls off in style.
For a taste, try: Didn’t Anybody Tell You, Big Time, Why Can’t I Make You High
For a more overt, sunny listen, I have been getting drunk off of
Jehro’s Jehro. The Jack Johnson comparison’s aren’t totally unfounded as he is a nice bit of sun and fun in the middle months. What separates the two though is that Jehro can actually sing and his reggae-flected tunes are way more engaging because of their lively instrumentation, melodies, and insightful lyrics.
For a taste, try: Everything, Long is the Way, Rock You Tender
I’m late to
Lily Allen because I live in the US and it isn’t out here yet. But a friend in London was kind enough to send a copy of Alright, Still via Amazon the other day. I haven’t laughed out loud to an album since the
The Streets’ second album. Brilliant.
For a taste, try: Smile, LDN, Alfie
Still Absorbing….And will write about in the future:
TV on the Radio – Cookie Mountain
Basement Jaxx – Crazy Itch Radio
Sasha Dobson – Modern Romance
M. Ward - Post-War
And the one album I’m totally baffled by is
Mew’s. After reading raves on Last.fm I downloaded it from iTunes, where it was discounted. My goodness. I disliked it immediately. A snoozefest. Swirling this and that, but no center and I haven’t heard a melody yet. Will try a few more times, but initial impressions aren’t good.
Jehro
