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.

Volume 3 - She & Him [Review]

If you don't like bitter-sweet music, which sounds like Nostalgia Pop music from the breezy 60's, you can skip this article right now. If you like this kind of music, I'm convinced you'd love the new release of She & Him named Volume 3, which was released on 7th of May, 2013. This album continues the same spirit of the previous ones made by the collaboration of Zooey Deschanel (Yeah, the cute girl from New Girl and Indie movie [500] Days Of Summer) and M. Ward. In contrast to their earlier records, this one is more mature, maybe because it was the first release since Zooey Deschanel and her her husband, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie, separated. The music may sound sweet, but the songs' lyrics are about togetherness and separations, which make you wonder what the hell Ben Gibbard was thinking about when they divorced. Meanwhile, it seems that Zooey Dschanel keeps doing the things she likes in her own sweet way and it sounds great with the melodies of M Ward guitar. That's not a ground breaking album but it'll keep you warm in colder nights.

Album Rating: 7/10

I Could Have Been Your Girl (Taken From Volume 3, 2013)

In The Sun (Taken From Volume 2, 2010)

Somebody Sweet To Talk To (Taken From Volume 3, 2013)

Black Hole (Taken From Volume 1, 2008)

London (Taken From Volume 3, 2013)

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)

 

Tanita Tikaram

24 years have passed since the release of Tanita Tikaram's debut album called Ancient Heart. That album helped her to expand her audience, providing two well-received singles, Good Tradition and Twist In My Sobriety. After the success of her first album, she never managed to reproduce another album in the same critical level. The result was long years of silence between albums, which haven't got the opportunity to chart. Now, 7 years after her previous release called Sentimental (1995), Tanita Tikaram released brand new album, which hasn't got much attention at the media so far. I Listened to it a few times and it is not bad at all. In fact, there are some songs that are well produced while emphasising her deep voice. So here are three tracks (One of them with faboulos Grant Lee Philips) from the album called Can't Go Back, featuring two of her earlier songs. Worth listening, preferably at night time...

1) Rock n' Roll (Taken From Can't Go Back, 2012)

Favourite Line: I've never heard about you, all that I know is Rock n' Roll

2) Feeding The Witches (Taken From Lovers In The City, 1995)

Favourite Line: Since I've been feeding the witches, feeding them straw

 

3) Keep It Real (Taken From Can't Go Back, 2012)

Favourite Line: You keep it real like I'm someone else

4) Twist In My Sobriety (Taken From Ancient Heart, 1988)

Favourite Line: All God's children needs travelling shoes, drive your problems from here

 

5) Heavy Pressure (Taken From Can't Go Back, 2012)

Favourite Line: Love is a heavy pressure when you're going to places

 

Kings Of Convenience

Today we'll sail away to Norway for a meeting with an Indie-Folk duo called Kings of Convenience. This Duo was formed Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe, two guys from Bergen which producing silent Ballads based on strings since 1999. Along the way they released three official albums: Quiet is the new loud (2001), Riot on an empty street (2004) and Declaration of dependence (2009). So here are five songs by this great duo, enjoy

1) Homesick (Taken from Riot on an empty street, 2004)

In 5 Words: Good song for bad sales day
Favourite Line: Homesick. Because I no longer no where home is

2) Toxic Girl (Taken from Quiet is the new loud, 2001)

In 5 Words: Beware of that girl
Favourite Line: Everyday she's seen with someone else. And every night she kisses someone new, never you

3) The Build Up feat. Feist (Taken from Riot on an empty street, 2004)

In 5 Words: Great duet with wonderful Feist
Favourite Line: the build up lasted for days, lasted for weeks, lasted too long

4) 24-25  (Taken from Declaration of dependence, 2009)

In 5 Words: One year makes a great difference
Favourite Line: 24 and blooming like the fields of May. 25 and yearning for a ticket out

5) Riot On An Empty Street (Taken from Declaration of dependence, 2009)

In 5 Words: There are riots also in Norway
Favourite Line: My life, it's a riot. Climbing Barricades in empty streets at night

Bat For Lashes

If you're a real music lover, still you'll barely recognise the name Natasha Khan. Maybe it's because she's using the stage name Bat For Lashes which is more memorable. This talented half-Pakistanian half-English young singer preformes since the release of her Mercury prize winner debut album Fur And Gold (2006). She also released Two Suns (2009) and now you can hear her highly-acclaimed third album called The Haunted man (2012). That's a good reason to hear five tracks of Bat For Lashes, two of them from the new album which might easily get into my 2012 favourite lists. And please. if you don't have enough time just hear fabulous Laura from her recent release. Enjoy...

1) Glass (Taken From Two Suns, 2009)

In 5 words: Fantasy mixed with reality views
Favourite Line: In the street's Broadways I seek him whom my soul loveth

2) Laura (Taken From The Haunted Man, 2012)

In 5 words: Excellent slow ballad for the night
Favourite Line: Keep your arms around me and softly say: Can we dance upon the tables again

3) Sad Eyes (Taken From Fur And Gold, 2006)

In 5 words: Sad eyes never been that sadder
Favourite Line: And when you smile those sad eyes look sadder and sadder still

4) Lilies (Taken From The Haunted Man, 2012)

In 5 words: Can smell their scent from here
Favourite Line: All the lilies on the hill scented tonight

 

5) Horse And I (Taken From Fur And Gold, 2006)

In 5 words: Joyride in a cold night
Favourite Line: Horse and I. We're dancers in the dark

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