This new gem from Jessie Ware is looking to be one this summer’s breakout hits. It is one of those instantly catchy tracks that has mass appeal. Minimalist groove, Neo-soul style vocals, and that sultry hint of an accent. She has a killer voice and a great songwriting knack. Her other song releases and her previous collaboration with Sampha hint that this could be one of the more popular albums of the year. Here is the video of the track, and below that is her Black Cab Session version, giving a stripped down alternative to the many remixes you are likely to hear this year. Look forward to some more posts on this Londoner this year as her album is set to be released in August.
Black Cab Session
- Shaun
You and I, bloodline.
We come together every time.
Two wrongs, no rights.
We lose ourselves at night.
From the outside, from the outside.
Everyone must be wondering why we try.
Why do we try.
Baby in our wildest moments.
We could be the greatest, we could be the greatest.
Baby in our wildest moments.
We could be the worst of all.
Baby in our wildest moments.
We could be the greatest, we could be the greatest.
Baby in our wildest moments.
We could be the worst of all.
It was early 2000. I had read an article about a band that Thom Yorke highly recommended. I was working at HMV at the time, and my new friend Kris and I both ordered this album. It took forever to arrive. It had this weird little alien on the cover of this blue cardboard sleeve. I had no idea what to expect. I was house sitting for some family friends at the time. so I went to the house. Put it on their high end stereo. Turned it up. I had a friend over. I really wanted to experience this album that I so looked forward to. We both laid on the floor, and I closed my eyes. From the very first reverse looped vocals that faded into the signature sonar blips of Svefn-G-Englar, I was entranced. I had never heard anything like this before. Had never felt so much from an album before. I laid there transfixed. Stuck. Immobile. For over an hour.
This would be the beginning of my relationship with Sigur Rós. Today was another milestone. Today was a global stream of their new album Valtari. My favourite record store, Listen, was hosting listening party. I felt inclined to attend. To experience the album for the first time with like minded fans. But as the time grew nearer, I found myself wanting to experience it for the first time alone. I grabbed the laptop, a blanket, and some headphones. I went into my father’s backyard. Laid down beneath the clouds, and then closed my eyes. Once again I found myself immersed into the music.
The music is very reminiscent of Ágætis Byrjun. It is also a more ambient record. A solitary sounding album that I am glad I experienced in this way.
In an era of digital everything, I find that sometimes I just don’t dedicate myself to the experience as much as I used to. We are now in a time where life is multitasked. We don’t have time to dedicate an entire hour to simply listening to a record. 10 minutes to truly appreciate a piece of art. 15 hours to enjoy a great book. We hardly have enough attention to watch a 2 hour movie without checking our phones.
Our media consumption has changed. We now consume at a much higher rate than ever before. We see hundreds of photos a day. We hear music everywhere we go, sometimes over 100 songs a day. We watch video clips, making sure that they aren’t over 5 minutes long before we even start. We read in blocks of 144 characters, or in small chunks.
We forget that sometimes it isn’t the media that matters. But the feeling. The memory. The experience. If I think back to all of my favourite songs or albums, they all have a story. An experience behind it. Every time I hear that song/album I am reminded of that story. That experience.
I am a professional photographer. I photograph weddings and portraits. I am good at what I do. Ultimately, it isn’t how great my composition and lighting are. It doesn’t matter how good my equipment is, or how I post process my work. In the end, it is about the feeling. The memory. The experience. These images are pieces of our lives. Pieces of our relationships. They chronicle our moments. Instances, that when looked back upon, remind us of the experience. That time in our lives.
Little did I know 12 years ago, what the year 2000 had in store for me. It turned out to be one of the key transitions in my life. And that year, will always remind me of Sigur Rós. Of Ágætis Byrjun. Of Flugufrelsarinn. It was a year of growth, discovery, heartache, and so much more.
I anticipate this year to be another year of transition. And I vow to experience it. To pay more attention to life. To music. To art. To my craft. To my family. To my friends.
I don’t want to skim through life. I want to dedicate myself and my time to living.
I want to create. And I want to feel what others create.
So, it has been a bit of time since my last post. And that is because we spent over 2 weeks travelling. We did a week in Maui, and then, last minute, decided to do a week in England. While Maui was a “work” trip, it was really a great time to relax with some friends and just enjoy one of the neatest places on earth.
As for England, we spent the week in Northern England, ie Sheffield, with my sister for her 30th birthday. This being my first time in England, I was enamoured by the history and the culture. We also, had a fantastic opportunity to see Ryan Adams at City Hall in Sheffield perform an intimate and solo acoustic set. In short, it was fantastic. The best I have seen Ryan Adams yet. The opener Jason Isbell brought his southern charm to the stage and won us over with his Americana songs. Following the show, we headed to my favourite pub in Sheffield, Bungalows and Bears, to watch an amazing set by Niki and The Dove. To say that this show was the antithesis of the Ryan Adams show would be an understatement. It was loud, sweaty, and dancey. A perfect cap to an already brilliant day.
There was a lot of other things going on throughout the month, but obviously, the vacations seemed to be of the most interest. I even ended up missing Record Store Day, but Kris and his roommate Dave got me my Sigur Ros and Tallest Man on Earth specials, and the following week Kris and I went out to grab some extras. So here are 5 things I have been listening to this past month.
5. The Shins – September
This catchy little number has been in my head all month. So simple and great.
“I’ve been selfish and full of pride, and she knows deep down there’s a little child.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHes7yhwIRk
4. Polica – Lay Your Cards Out
Contrary to what Jay-Z said, autotune is not dead. There is something about this track that sucks me in every time. The autotuned vocals over the simple instrumentation build up to each chorus. But then those drums come in, and steal the song. A fantastic song off of a strong album.
3. First Aid Kit – Emmylou
I am not a country music fan. But I just can’t get enough of this song in spite of country-ish folkiness. It is a sweet little song equating past country legends with love.
I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June
If you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny too.
No, I’m not askin’ much of you
Just sing little darlin’, sing with me.
2. Bastille – Overjoyed
Bastille is a London based pop band that recently released a collection of heartache covers that is rather entertaining. But it is this original that seems to grab me the most.
I ended up getting this record store day release the following week at Blackbyrd music. On top of the amazing album, there are 4 additional remix tracks, including this great one by Four Tet. Africa Desert rock and electronica blend way better than I expected.
March was the quietest month I have had in a very long time. I liked it. It was a month of Spring cleaning and a month of music. We saw a few live and local bands, and a British Classical prodigy. And I ended up getting a “few” new records. But what did I listen to the most in March? Once again it seems to be new music. I like new sounds. new things. Old stuff is amazing, but I am always seeking new stuff. So we have one oldie, and 4 brand new tracks. The song I have listened to the most I posted on the weekend. So you should check out the video for DJ ease my mind by Niki & the Dove. I just can’t get enough of it.
5. Meg Myers – Monster
A simple sounding guitar riff, a percussive hit, and minimal beats begin this track. Simple and understated. Until the chorus, when that sad cello line comes in. “What it takes out of me to lay by your side”. An angry and remorseful tune that has been on repeat all month. And here is a link to download her EP for Free!
4. Teenage Fan Club – The Concept
I wasn’t much of a Teenage Fan Club fan back in Junior High when this track was first released. However, I see a large resurgence of this sound lately, and its prominence in the movie “Young Adult” nearly elevates it to the level of a character. “She wears denim wherever she goes, says she’s gonna get some records by the Status Quo”. A classic 90′s rocker.
3. Angus Stone – Broken Brights
Angus Stone is an Australian singer known foremost as being the guy in Angus and Julia Stone. Both Angus and Julia have solo albums being released this year, and this is the first single from his. A simple and pretty acoustic track that features his calmingly raspy voice. You can download the track over here at his website, and his album is to be released in July.
2. Sam Sparro – Happiness
This list needs a happy and bouncy track. Too much, angst and sadness. Sam Sparro to the rescue. This song is very much like his earlier work, which is great, and it calls to mind the Jim album by Jamie Lidell. Music that is very 70′s/80′s retro soul/funk, mixed with 90/00′s dance. Ultimately it’s dancey. And as the name implies, it’s happy. Here is the video featuring him and his new pervy mustache. And he is Australian as well, bringing the Aussie count to 2 out of 5 on this list. “Happiness you belong to me, happiness you’re mine”. Album due this Spring.
1. Glen Hansard – Take the heartland
And back to the angsty rock. This time care of Ireland. Glen Hansard, known as the frontman for The Frames, or as the guy in The Swell Season, or as the Actor in the amazing movie Once, released this track on the Hunger Games Soundtrack. Or should I say album of music inspired by the movie the Hunger Games, aptly entitled “The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 And Beyond” as I don’t really think more than one of the tracks is actually in the movie, and that is during the credits. But I digress. This is a rocking track that features Glen and his amazing voice pushed to the edge, where it belongs, over guitars and pounding drums. A killer rock song about killing.
Bonus: And here again is the video for DJ Ease my Mind – by Niki & The Dove
In my February retrospective this was one of the 5 songs of the month. Now it has received an official video release. And it is a fantastic live take that shows off their frenetic soul energy. This is a band on the verge. Raw soul. Youthful energy. And talent. Their album is released next week, finally, and is available to stream at NPR. But here is this amazing version to tide you over until you get your official vinyl copy.
One of the albums I am anticipating the most this year is the debut LP from the Swedish band Niki & The Dove. Their electro-pop music is exciting and makes you wanna dance. This most recent pre-release single just received a video companion. This space inspired video suits the track quite nicely.
Check out the track/video below and getting your dancing shoes ready for the release of Instinct on May 14th.
I have already seen this on 2 of my favourite blogs and therefore hesitant to post it. But it is just too amazing to not put up. This is a very powerful and empassioned performance of Faithful Man, by Lee Fields, a highlight from his new album of the same name. It is also a song that I have been listening to a lot recently and is on my upcoming April Playlist. It is a crushingly raw version, and the camerawork and video editing make it a mandatory watch. This amazing performance is care of Yourstru.ly. And the rest of the album is incredible as well, so make sure you check that out. It is Soul music at its finest.
Yesterday was a day of local Edmontonian talent. My wife and I started out the evening with Kris at Litfest, where we saw the book launch of Devil’s Cinema. A non-fiction account of the Mark Twitchell (Dexter Killer) case written by Kris’s good friend Steve. It was great to see hometown talent return and to see the success of a friend. It was also great, because we had never been to a book launch/Q&A before.
After that we grabbed a poutine at La Poutine and headed over to Wunderbar for some music. Yes Nice! is a band that has been mentioned on the blog before in the best of lists. They are a indie-pop act that runs the gamut on styles.
Their set was preceded by a band called The Mondrian Shift which was a bi-lingual band featuring female lead vocals, keyboards, and violin in addition to the guitar, bass and drums. They performed a combination of french and english originals and 3 covers, and although they alled looked to be in the age range of 16-20, their music was rather cohesive and put on a very good show.
The next act was a Winnipeg band called Les Jupes. Les Jupes seemed to have some more live experience than the youthful Mondrian Shift, and their energetic set had several highlights. A male guitarist/vocalist with a deeper than average voice paired with the female keyboardist/secondary vocalist were handily backed up by the bass/synth player and extremely impressive drummer. We were pleasantly surprised by Les Jupes and thought that they were a great complimentary act to Yes Nice!.
Yes Nice! put on a very danceable set featuring music from both of their releases and a few new tracks that hinted at their sound progression on their upcoming album to be released this year (hopefully). Their new material was very much inspired by the 80′s and classic funk. New track “Hot River” was a very dancey standout that I am definitely looking forward to. Yes Nice! seem to be improving their live performance with each show, and their onstage presence, crowd engagement, and obvious enjoyment help elevate the experience. They are playing tonight in Calgary if you are around.
Ultimately it was a great date evening with the wife, who is going with Kris tonight to see Ben Folds with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Winspear, which should prove to be a good show.
You know that feeling, when you know something is coming, and then it announces, and you were more excited then you anticipated for the anticipation. Well this is one of those moments. Sigur Rós has announced their new album, their first studio album in 4 years. It is entitled Valtari (which means Steamroller) and will be released May 28th. Which will be a fantastic week for me. I will be seeing Bon Iver 2x a few days before, and then it will be all Sigur Rós for the remainder of the year (sorta joking). But to make me even more excited, they released a new video of their new song “Ekki Múkk” which is very much a Sigur Rós track. The track is a gorgeous atmospheric build, but I will let you listen to it on your own. The album is more centralized around electronics and strings claims Jonsi, so expect a lot of pretty moments. Check out the new song below.
“i really can’t remember why we started this record, i no longer know what we were trying to do back then. i do know session after session went pear-shaped, we lost focus and almost gave up…did give up for a while. but then something happened and form started to emerge, and now i can honestly say that it’s the only sigur rós record i have listened to for pleasure in my own house after we’ve finished it.” – georg
So here is a track that starts off pretty much copying Rage against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” intro, but before it gets to the bass line and the killer riff, it segues into some Gish era pumpkins fare. Vocally it is like neither of the bands. When it comes down to it, it is a 90′s inspired straight forward rocker. In fact, it is a pretty great track that ranks up there as one of my favourite tracks of the year. The song is “This Weight” and it is by the Melbourne duo Big Scary. It is not off of their most recent LP, Vacation, it is off of a new mixtape (read free EP) available on their bandcamp page, and previously on an EP entitled the Mini. So head over there and grab it, then check out their LP, or 4 seasonal EPs.
