Bandcloud #2- June 2014

So what we've got today is Dreamy Folk Pop from Los Angeles by RainyDaySpecial; Fabulous Tennis with a new release; Indie Rock from Athens, Georgia by Fake Flowers; A wonderful Folk from Philadelphia by Psalmships; Some Jazz tunes by Ambient Jazz Ensemble from London; Great Indie song by Little Barrie from Brooklyn; 80's Flavoured The Phoenix Foundation from Wellington, New Zealand; An Indie Folk tale by James M Carson from Manchester and Caribou's new track.

1. RainyDaySpecial - Don't Ruin the Ending (Lately and Forever)
2. Tennis - Never Work for Free
3. Fake Flowers - Angel, You're Gonna Fall (Opaque Pop)
4. Psalmships - Every Day is a Widow (I Sleep Alone)
5. Ambient Jazz Ensemble - The Journey (Suite Shop)
6. Little Barrie - Eyes Were Young (Shadow)
7. The Phoenix Foundation - Dalston Junction (Compilation for Becks)
8. James M Carson - Once A Mighty Oak (Sold as Scene)
9. Caribou - Can't Do Without You (Our Love)

The Jezabels

The Jezabels are an Australian Indie Rock band from Sydney. They are pretty popular in Australia, winning some prizes along the way, especially thanks to their debut LP, Prisoner (2011). Now, this four piece band which includes Nik Kaloper, Sam Lockwood, Hayley Mary and Heather Shannon, are releasing their sophomore album, The Brink. There are high hopes about this record, hoping it would be as good as the earlier.

1. Disco Biscuit Love taken from The Man Is Dead EP, 2009
2. Look Of Love taken from The Brink, 2014
3. Dark Storm taken from Dark Storm EP, 2010
4. The End taken from The Brink, 2014
5. Endless Summer taken from Prisoner, 2011

 

Is This Desire? 15 Years To PJ Harvey Album

On the 28th of September, 1998, PJ Harvey, the English Alternative Rock singer released her fourth studio album, Is This Desire?. That album came out about three years after her highly acclaimed To Bring You My love and the fans expected her to follow the musical route of its successful previous. Because of those expectations, some of them were pretty disappointed with the fact that PJ Harvey made a record which is more Electronic and atmospheric in comparison to her earlier releases. The reviews were mixed but PJ Harvey was proud in her work, which helped her step towards unknown musical experiments with the help of Flood, Mick Harvey, John Parish and others. 15 years after, this album still sounds fantastic, take a few minutes to listen to five of them

The Garden

Catherine

Angelene

A Perfect Day Elise

Is This Desire

 

Bandcamp Hunting #2 - 5 Things You Should Hear

Only lately I started to discover the magic of Bandcamp. Since it's so wonderful and contains endless creators and music styles, I decided to "dig" for some new tunes, hoping it may give you an opportunity to listen to stuff which could have escaped from your ear... so let's go...

Royal Teeth - Act Naturally EP

This six piece Indie Dance Pop from Louisiana are about to release their debut LP called Glow on the 13th of August. Meanwhile you can enjoy this EP and the wonderful voice of Nora Patterson and the other guys there



Tape Waves - Tape Waves EP

Coming from Charleston, South Carolina, Tape Waves are an Indie Dream Pop duo consists of Jarod Weldin and Kim Hart. Their EP is beautifully produced and might give you some minutes of relaxation



Natasha Kmeto - Crisis

Natasha Kmeto's new LP called Crisis is an interesting mixture of influences ranging from Minimal Ambient to Elctro-Dance and R n' B. It was released last June and can help you chill out some hot days


True Widow - Circumambulation

True Widow are maybe familier to some of you because they are working around for a few years, but I discovered this Indie Shoegaze Trio from Dallas, Texas while I was wandering between Bandcamp's pages. Solid music and rythem


Landfork - Nights At The Kashmir Burlesk 

Landfork's album is one of the most surprising things you can only find on Bandcamp. An intimate Dream Indie Pop album which was made by an unknown (yet...) artist. Those of you who are experimental enough to get into the Kashmir Burlesk will spend some joyful nights with it.

Bandcamp Hunting #1 - 5 Things You Should Hear

Only lately I started to discover the magic of Bandcamp. Since it's so wonderful and contains endless creators and music styles, I decided to "dig" for some new tunes, hoping it may give you an opportunity to listen to stuff which could have escaped from your ear... so let's go...

The No Sorrows - The No Sorrows

A six piece band from London, who released a new album on 5th of August, 2013 (that means yesterday...). You can find here Shoegaze, Folk and Indie mixed togther in a wonderful harmony...


Black City Lights - Another Life
This Electronic Duo from Wellington, New Zealand released their debut album on 6th Of August (Today!) and it seems that Calum Robb and Julia Catherine Parr are here to stay. Don't miss dark Give It Up!


It Was Romance - Boys With Girlfriends
That's might be only one song, but multi-instrumentalist Lane Moore from Brooklyn made it all alone! I find her voice similiar in some way to Beth Gibbons and Julia Holter, a great starting point


Alpaca Sports - He Doesn't Even Like You
This big band (more than ten people!) from Goteborg, Sweden are doing music for fun and it seems that they really enjoy it. It reminded me Camera Obscura and She & Him with their breezy two songs


Ozarks - Ozarks 
This album was released about a year ago but I couldn't ignore its great production and lyrics. I can locate them somewhere between Progressive Rock and Barouqe Rock, sounds timeless.

Smashing Dream: 20 Years To Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream"

That's been 20 years since the release of Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins on the 27th of July, 1993. That was the second album of the four piece Alternative Rock band from Chicago, Illinois and it's considered one of the best Alternative albums of the 90's (And one of the best 500 albums ever by The Rolling Stone). It was before they became more commercialised and still hopeful for a better future. Now all is left is the hope to hear Billy Corgan, James Iha, Darcy Wretzky and Jimmy Chamberlin playing together again.  Here are five reasons to hear it again

Today

 

Cherub Rock

Spaceboy

Rocket

Disarm

Stereophonics

Stereophonics are a four piece Rock band from Wales, which released their eight studio album called Graffiti On The Train on 4th of March, 2013. The band currently comprises of Kelly Jones (Guitar and leading vocals), Richard Jones (Bass and backing vocals), Adam Zindani (Guitar and vocals) and touring members Stuart Cable (Drums) and Tony Kirkham (Keyboards). I haven't heard full album of this band since Live From Dakota (2006), so I didn't know what to expect ,but after listening to the album twice, I realized that I missed them for to many years. The melodies are well produced, the lyrics even better and you cannot ignore the fact that they're playing so much time together, that it sounds great. As usual, I've chosen three songs from Graffiti On The Train and two tracks from earlier releases just to help you remember how good they are....

Graffiti On The Train (Taken From Graffiti On The Train, 2013)

Mr. Writer (Taken From Just Enough Education To Perform, 2001)

Violins And Tambourines (Taken From Graffiti On The Train, 2013)

Maybe Tomorrow (Taken From You Gotta Go There To Come Back, 2003)

 

Indian Summer (Taken From Graffiti On The Train, 2013)

Jupiter And Teardrop: 20 Years To Grant Lee Buffalo's "Fuzzy"

Grant Lee Buffalo were formed in the wrong time and in the wrong place. The 90's in America started with great passion to Rock music of two kinds: Hard Rock such as Guns And Roses and Metallica on the one hand, and Grunge music such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana on the other hand. This Los-Angeles based Trio emphasised the blurred boundaries between Rock and Americana, So that their debut album called Fuzzy suffered from being in-between. Listening to that album 20 years later make you think "How to hell did I miss that great band?". The Harmonious playing and singing of Grant Lee Philips (Vocals and Guitar), Paul Kimble (Bass) and Joey Peters (Drums) made a wonderful album, that's still under-rated nowdays. That band survived only seven years, which produced four albums before they split and left us with memories for their unique Americana sound. Here are five reasons to remember that album....

Jupiter And Teardrop (Live Show From 2011)

The Hook 

 

Fuzzy

Stars 'N Stripes

 

You Just Have To Be Crazy

Ordinary World: 20 Years To Duran Duran's "Wedding Album"

After being one of the popular Pop bands in the 80's, Duran Duran faced a great challenge. On one side, they were so popular that they could continue to make fluffy-Popy songs for teenagers. On the other side, the world was changing and new voices has risen from Seattle, which offer to revive the Rock music in a new form. Duran Duran was a broken group the years before The Wedding Album: two of its founders: Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor left the band for different reasons and they become a Trio: Simon Le Bon (Vocals), John Taylor (Bass) and Nick Rhodes (Keyboards). For their seventh album, they called Warren Cuccurullo (Guitar), a founding member of The Missing Persons, which played with legendary Frank Zappa. The result was an album, which moves from Pop to Soft Rock, becoming a great comeback album, which features some great hits and a beautiful cover to The Velvet Underground's song, Femme Fatale. So here are five songs which celebrates 20 years since the releasing of that beautiful album

Come Undone

Femme Fatale

 

Too Much Information

 

Ordinary World

 

Breath After Breath (Featuring Milton Nascimento)

 

From Dusk 'Till Dawn: 20 Years To The The's "Dusk"

On January 1993, when the whole world started to smell the teens spirit, the English band The The released their fifth album called Dusk. That album was made by a collaboration of Matt Johnson (The only original member of the group since 1979), Ex-Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, James Eller (Bass), Dave Palmer (Drums) and D.C. Collard (Keyboards). The album was successful, especially for the immortal ballad, Love Is Stronger Than Death, but it contains a lot more great songs in it. So for the 20's celebrations, here are five songs of that album

Dogs Of Lust

Slow Emotion Replay

Love Is Stronger Than Death

This Is The Night

Lonely Planet

Archive

When I first heard Archive's music it was late at night before the end of the last millennium. A friend of mine stuck his headphones in my ears swearing that Londinium is a masterpiece undiscovered yet. I was too tired that night so the sounds slipped through my head before I fell asleep without paying appropriate attention to their music. When Lights (2006) was released, I got back to them and It was great to discover this Progressive-Rock Trip-Hop collective. Last week I've noticed that they released their ninth studio album called With Us Until You're Dead (2012). Surprisingly, I've found out that it was out for sale since 27th of August and then I realised that it lacked public relations because it was released by their independent label called Dangervisit. So here are five songs by this great collective, two of them from the last release, enjoy.

1) Sane (Taken From Lights, 2006)

In 5 words: Can't help but dancing when I hear it
Favourite Line: Television's dead but you can't stop taking it in

2) Hatchet (Taken From With Us Until You're Dead, 2012)

In 5 words: Don't let her hold that hatchet.....
Favourite Line: If I had an army, it would be yours to have. People think I'm crazy but the pain is worth the pain

3) Bridge Scene (Taken From Michel Vaillant OST, 2003)

In 5 words: A beautiful look from a bridge
Favourite Line: I can't help but love the way you move

4) Damage (Taken From With Us Until You're Dead, 2012)

In 5 words: Progressive Rock mixed very well
Favourite Line: Cuts show nothing at all, scars show nothing at all, Damage shows nothing at all

5) Last Five (Taken From Londinium, 1996)

In 5 words: Don't miss Roya Arab's hidden track
Favourite Line: Hell was a place I knew a long time ago. Everything was dark, there were mazes all around

Regina Spektor

What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, the sixth official album of the talented Soviet-origin, New-York based, singer-songwriter, Regina Spektor, was released at the end of May 2012. I think this album is by far good than Far, her previous, although she offers us the cheap seats here. This album contains few great tracks like "All the rowboats", "How" and interesting "Oh Marcello" and it  is very accessible to new audience. I know it's a bit to late, but here I've  got an opportunity to pick five (And it's very hard in this case) songs of this great artist.

1) Samson (Taken from Begin To Hope, 2006)

In 5 words: Beautiful Biblical love song for Samson
Favourite Line: Oh I cut his hair myself one night, A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light"

2) All The Rowboats (Taken from What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, 2012)

In 5 words: Great tempo and electronic elements
Favourite Line: All the rowboats in all the paintings, They keep trying to row away

3) The Ghost Of Corporate Future (Taken from Soviet Kitsch, 2004)

In 5 words: Don't leave your Soviet legacy behind
Favourite Line: And everything is Plastic, And everyone's sarcastic

4) Dance Anthem Of The 80's (Taken from Far, 2009)

In 5 words: Simple start for an intelligent song
Favourite Line: It's been a long time since before I've been touched, Now I'm getting touched all the time

5) Real Love (Taken from Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur, 2007) - John Lennon's cover version

In 5 words: Lennon lies smiling in his grave
Favourite Line: Seems like all I really was doing, Was waiting for you

She Keeps Bees

Good Morning

Today's artist is the Brooklyn based Duo called She Keeps Bees. The Dou, which consists of Jessica Larrabee (Vocals, guitar) and Andy LaPlant (Drums, production), released 3 full length albums since 2006, but haven't got the real appreciation they deserve for the Blues-Rock songs they produce. So here are 5 great songs, enjoy

1) Release (Taken from Nests, 2009)

In 5 words: White Stripes on Ritalin peels
Best Line: "Ain't nobody gonna tell me where to put my well, I gonna dig wherever I need to"

2) Cuddle Alone feat. Sharon Van-Etten (Taken from Let's Kiss And Make Up)

In 5 Words: Sharon Van-Etten comes to visit
Best Line: Couldn't decide...

3) Fringed Bleeding Heart (Taken From Minisink Hotel, 2006)

In 5 Words: Can't believe this is home-recording
Best Line: "Keep your chest close and hollow, the beating give new ways to rest to your father who needs his rest"

4) Make You My Moon (Taken From Dig On, 2011)

In 5 Words: Dark night under the moonlight
Best Line: "Swirling everything around me as if I'd make you my moon"

5) Cage Match (Taken from Minisink Hotel, 2006)

In 5 Words: If Eddie Vedder Was A Girl....

Best Line: "The Well's Run dry while you're dipping for more, and the denial you choose to adorn is making our drought longer for sure"