Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow is an indie rock/dream pop band from Manchester,UK. They're one of the most under-rated out there (so can be said of a million other bands) but their time will surely come! (not so much for the other million bands,sorry)! They released a new album in March this year titled 'The Seldom Seen Kid'(Download here, link expires May 3). The title is a tribute to their friend Bryan who just passed away, and also a line from their hit single 'Grounds for Divorce' (quote: Monday is for drinking to the seldom seen kid)

Links:
Official site | Wikipedia | Myspace

Elbow is my new find and I'm yet to (1) Dig out why they call themselves 'elbow', namely a rather fragile body joint (2) Listen to their previous albums to see the progression of musical style (3) Attend their concert on May 6th, held in a church in downtown Vancouver =D Envy me not!

As Jady asked me why they'd hold a concert in CHURCH (are they a religious band?), I browsed through online resources and came to the conclusion they simply love venturous places and even plan to try out a forest (They need solar energy to power up their electronic set XD)



I've listened to the seldom seen kid back to back a couple of times and dare I say I love every single track on the album! It's 100% gem! 'Grounds for Divorce' (released in single) is coarse, dark and ground-shaking, something that would fit frontman Guy Garvey's 'grizzly' image. It's a very catchy tune with old-flavoured, minimalistic guitars. However this's the only heavy rock song you'd find on the album and wiki says 'it's the most rock composition ever attempted by Elbow'. Successful as it is, grounds for divorce isn't exactly representative. The lyrics are excellently written with personal reference to the neighborhood Garvey grew up in. Matter of fact, one of the greatest attractions about Elbow is Guy Garvey's beautifully crafted lyrics, which can be read through as a complete poem with the finest rhymes and metaphors. Here's a discussion link to the lyrics of Grounds for Divorce, an interesting read.

Grounds for Divorce


Tune to 'One day like this' and 'Weather to fly' on sunny days and you'll experience how the melodious orchestra loosen up your bones and toss you high up the clouds.'The bones of you'and 'Some Riot'are much darker and introspective. 'The fix' is a nice attempt at folk composition (reminds me of Broadway musicals) and features guest performance from Richard Hawley. They have proved how talented and versatile they're when it comes to song writing. One of the best I've came across among indie rock bands.

One Day Like This


The Bones of You (Live at Glasgow)


The Bones of You
So I'm here. Charging around with a juggernaut brow. Overdraft speeches and deadlines to make. Cramming commitments like cats in a sack. Telephone burn and a purposeful gait. When out of a doorway the tentacles stretch of a song that I know and the world moves in slow-mo. Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day. And it's you. And it's May. And we're sleeping through the day. And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away. Do I have time? A man of my caliber?

Stood in the street like a sleepwalking teenager? No. And I dealt with this years ago. I took a hammer to every memento but image on image like beads on a rosary pull through my head as the music takes hold. And the sickener hits. I can work 'til I break but I love the bones of you. That I will never escape. And it's you. And it's May. And we're sleeping through the day. And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away. And I can't move my arm for fear that you will wake. And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away.

Cao Fang - Live in Spring EP

Frankly I'm not a fan myself, but since we seem to get quite some responses to the previous posts, here's another one for all the Cao Fang (曹方) fans out there--a new EP called 住在春天, or Live in Spring, and you may download it here.

@Shrota: if you visit here again, please leave your email so that you can get notified when the previous album is uploaded.

Kings Of Convenience - I'D Rather Dance With You

Song of the Day! Get up and shake your booty~~ ;)

I'll leave it to zhu to do a KOC rave/post, just thought I'd post this cute (and gayest I've seen in a while xD) video here first, and also the soon-to-expire link to download the full size MV for any of you who collect...Enjoy~

Matt Watts - the ever seeing bird

Seems like this budding indie artist is totally new on the scene, another young guy with an acoustic guitar and a breezy voice to confide and enchant, and not much other info the net--besides this blurb on last.fm, written apparently by the artist himself:

im from the west coast of the states, but i’ve been living in belgium for the past year. thank you very much for listening- i try to update this page as often as i can. you can also check out my myspace page if you’d like. (which contains new material not collected in the album, pretty nice too - jady's note.)

The debut album, the ever seeing bird, has all the wide-eyed youthful charms and soft, flowing simplicity of a new indie folk artist, but he stands out a bit more from the other indie folksy albums I've been listening to; I don't know if it's a good mellow-and-melancholic mix or the unhurriedness sweetness, but it definitely makes good company for some quiet nighttime reading. You can listen to one of my favourite tracks in the pink radio above, or download it here.

Lisa Germano - Geek the Girl

First, some biography from wiki--

Lisa Germano is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter who has released seven albums featuring her distinctive violin and confessional lyrics. Her album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim (making Spin's top 90 albums of the 90's list). She also performed as a guest on over sixty records by other artists, including Eels, John Mellencamp, Simple Minds, David Bowie, Sheryl Crow and Iggy Pop. She has also spent considerable time touring with Neil Finn, playing violin, keyboards, and providing backing vocals. She was the featured vocalist on the 1997 album Slush, which also included members of Giant Sand and Calexico.

The first album I came into contact with was her latest 2006 release, In the Maybe World, her low, wispy vocal and melancholic confessions was reminiscent of Mazzy Star, Mojave 3, or anything that brims with pure dream-pop goodness. A reading of her biography turned out to be surprising enough, given the success she had with her label, 4AD, and how it later dropped her and the dramatic events that led her to quit the music scene altogether in 1998. I could only say I am glad (very, glad) she's now back.

Geek the Girl was her fourth studio album and the most critically acclaimed (or so says wikipedia). You may download it here (link valid till 28 Dec).

Cao Fang - "Farther Than The Sky" EP

Popular Chinese indie popper Cao Fang (曹方) just released a new EP after two years, called ’Farther Than The Sky' (比天空还远).

Tracks:
01. 夜晚 | Night
02. 比天空还远 | Farther than the sky
03. 最小的海 | The smallest ocean
04. 忽略 | Ignore
05. 夏末的萨克斯手 | The sax player at the end of summer

Download the EP here.

Sleepy.ab

Jady's been diligently updating this blog and looking at the string of posts,let me just say I'm both moved and guilty. So here's my return-to-the-team post on a Japanese shoegazing band called sleepy.ab.

(Murmur to self: Did I recommend sleepy.ab before? O_O)

If you search for 'sleepy.ab' on wikipedia (Eng), the first hit that comes up is 'advanced sleep phase syndrome'. I'll mark it joke of the day. The name stands for 'sleepy.abstract' which aptly captures their soporific and ambient electrical sounds inspired by dream pop and alternative rock. They're the modern shoegazers (follow the link and read more), a rather short-lived movement active from the late 1980s to early 90s. Shoegazers use various pedal effects to create sophisticated layers of noise and atmospheric reverberations. Sleepy.ab however is much sweeter than 'noise' and you can hardly associate them with the word 'heavy'. Even in Japan this band is only active in the indie scene and remains obscure to the major consumers. It would be a great joy to share the magic of their music with more fans.

The line-up (retrieved from wikipedia japan):


Official Site (has audio and video clips)

Top left - 成山剛 (Tsuyoshi Nariyama),Vocal, Guitar
Top right - 山内憲介 (Kensuke Yamauchi),Guitar
Bottom left: 田中秀幸 (Hideyuki Tanaka),Base
Bottom right: 津波秀樹 (Hideki Tsuha),drums


Tsuyoshi has been compared to Radiohead's frontman Thom Yorke.The similarity is certain. Personally I think Tsuyoshi's voice is more tarry and resonates with more power and dimension. It's hard to imagine one man equivalent of a surround stereo and you simply soar in their magic forest of sound. Their compositions divide among the saccharine melodious (such as Yume no Hana, merodi), the introspective darker wave (fluid, aufheben), and the weightier and noisier timbre (mass gymnastic display, Must it be?).They produce truly great, psychedelic melodies that infiltrate and saturate your senses. Just don't fall asleep! (warnings by Jady)

They have released 4 albums so far. It's hard to lay hands on their previous albums but you can try your luck with the latest 'Fantasia' which features a beautiful artsy cover (all their albums feature the same oil artist). My overall impression of 'Fantasia' is, compared to their previous, this album leans more towards dream pop and is more restricted stylistically. My favourite pick would be the 3rd album 'Palette'. The first track '四季ウタカタ' (Song of four seasons) gives you a fantastic shock of Tsuyoshi's vocal capability and it's also the track that gets me hooked to the band.

Albums:
face the music (2002.12.11)
traveling fair (2004.5.26)
palette (2006.3.8)
fantasia (2007.3.7)

DOWNLOAD, megaupload(8 tracks selected from the above albums, for sampling purpose only. Please support the artist by purchasing the original albums.)

Here're 2 precious live clips. A million thanks to the uploader, love ye!

(What kind of name is that, Kraps Hall...)

Live at Kraps Hall 2007.06.29, performing 'Yume no Hana'(Dream flower)


Melody (from 3rd album 'Palette')


Merry go round (from 4th album 'Fantasia')


Scene + Pain (from 1st album 'Face the music')


***
Now playing: Mojave 3 - Bringin' Me Home
via FoxyTunes

The Ditty Bops

Hmmm, what should I say about the Ditty Bops...um, try, "I ADORE THEM!"? Yes, yes, that sounds about right.. =D

It wouldn't be too exaggerating to say their eponymous first album is one of the most delightful finds of the year for me. It is playful, joyous, wicked, smart, mellow, funny. It's what I'd happily put on on a sunny morning, or a cold rainy afternoon, or jogging to it, or dance a bit. I feel I could listen to it the whole day and indeed I have for a fair bit. These girls are just such fun. =))



Come to think of it, I know but one other girl duo, t.A.T.u., and even that is for all the (old) buzz around the fetishsized image and not the music--which, incidentally, is some pop and probably worth a listen, or so I heard. Oh wait, HOW did I forget Tegan and Sara! Really dig this lovely (real) twin duo from Canada...but that's for another day and I digress too much...and oh, the Ditty girls too have some rather interesting pictures, check them out... and I realize I was just thinking of the European-American scene, I am sure most of us would agree we've more than a fair share of girl duos in Asia, no? OK, end of freewheeling digression..

Some general biography:

The Ditty Bops is a band from Los Angeles, California that play a blend of folk, bluegrass, jazz, swing music, ragtime and musical theater. They are headed by Abby DeWald (vocals and acoustic guitar) and Amanda Barrett (vocals, mandolin and dulcimer). They are noted for their excellent harmonies and generally playful style and tempo.

Official site.

Download The Ditty Bops the album here. Link expires one week from now.

Due to chronic laziness I usually do my research as I write along, so I regularly get embarrassed by my outdatedness / shocked / pleasantly surprised. And this piece of old news I just found...well, will complements the above photo link real well, and may I call out to all my dear lesbo friends, it's worth your special attention, *winks*.
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Now playing: The Ditty Bops - Wishful Thinking

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

I should leave this post to zhu to finish, but I thought I'd put up the file link first before it expires (soon). Download BOH's latest album here.

Placeholder intro from All Music Guide:

Seattle, WA's Band of Horses plays dense, aching mid-tempo indie rock reminiscent of Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Formed in 2004 by multi-instrumentalists Ben Bridwell and Matthew Brooke out of the ashes of former incarnation Carissa's Wierd, the group caught the attention of Sub Pop during a show with friends and future lablemates Iron & Wine. The label signed the newly minted outfit in 2005 and re-released their self-titled EP. Their full-length debut, Everything All the Time, arrived in March of 2006. Four months later, while touring in support of Everything All the Time, Brooke left Band of Horses, going on to form a new project entitled Grand Archives. ~ James Christopher Monger

Now c'mon, zhu! xD

Musicians are linguists

…and probably have to be, if they are to be widely recognized? It is hardly surprising the whole world is eager to release pop music in English and, for certain romantic styles, French/Spanish too. Market rules. Not that I am complaining at all, though sometimes I do wish to hear a Swedish indie pop band sing in Swedish for once. ;-)

For the day I'm recommending three indie pop bands (I vow to take a break from twee soon) hailing from Japan, Brazil and China, who sings (exclusively?) in a language other than their own.

First up, mondialito. A two-piece Japanese band established in 2002, they are closer in style to their Swedish counterparts than their indie pop compatriots (ref. the more experimental and quirkier Spangle Call Lilli Line). Fueoka Toshiya's gentle guitar picking coupled with the airy vocals of Junko who sings in French with a lovely accent gives their sound an all too dreamy feel. A perfectly melodious and quiet companion to bedtime reading (or whatever you see fit!)

Download mondialito - cher mon amoureux. (Link valid for 14 days.) If YSI asks you to sign up I guess you'll have to, but it's fast really.

Summer time is almost over (though not much difference here in the tropics, *pity self*) a little late for an album named 'Summertime' perhaps? Well, only if you are the kind that fails to be moved by happy beats and jangly guitars--what kind of miserable are you then? ;-) Well I really like this band, its easy and bright-as-Brazilian-sunbeam sound and soft vocal...(the album was released two summers ago actually...I'm forever late.) wonder why they call themselves Pale Sunday?--a reference to Gloomy Sunday, I suppose not? Click on the album cover to read a better review.

Download Pale Sunday - Summertime. (Link valid for 14 days.)

Last but definitely not least, a strong 2002 debut album comprising of 10 English tracks, composed and performed by the very talented Tian Yuan (田原) with band Hopscotch（跳房子) released when she was still in high school. I still feel awed thinking that this girl is of my age, from my hometown (a frustrated megacity in central China) have soared up all like a strong, lone bird and already left such an awesome trail behind (and still much under-appreciated). But that's another story. This trip-hop and punk rock(? or so they claim) influenced album is unabashedly experimental, (sometimes I cringe a little at the monologues) sharp like a freshly cut lemon yet sports a sophistication and stuns even without considering the age and language and debut factors. A great shame I hunted it down only now!

Download Hopscotch - A wishful way. (Link valid for 14 days.)

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Now playing: 彭靖惠 - 呆瓜
via FoxyTunes

Sarah Blasko - Explain

Sarah Blasko is a popular Australian artist. Wiki her.

I love her draggy nasal voice. 'Explain' is from her 2nd album 'What the sea wants, the sea will have'. There's a strong warning sign to the tempo, which I adore...

The Bird and the Bee

One song a day is much easier than a review proper. If you like the song you can dig up the group on your own =D Still, some basic info on this indie group 'The bird and the bee' which I chanced upon on a chinese music blog trix.cn. The L.A. based duo consists of vocalist Inara George and keyboardist Greg Kurstin who worked with Red Hot Chilli Peppers before. Their style is a bit dance and electro indie. I'd say Inara sounds like Imogen Heap, but softer and more dreamy pop.

The bird and the bee official website

***
I just knew this from one of their interviews: How does the band name suggest 'sex'? Seems it's a common saying in English.Someone enlighten me.

***

Continue here,

They released the eponymous LP on Jan, 2007.



Here's the first track on the album 'Again and Again'


F*cking Boyfriend

Death Cab for Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan

Thanks to Jady who introduced me to death cab for cutie, an American indie rock band formed in 1997. I want to recommend this song 'Marching Bands of Manhattan',from their 2005 album 'Plans'(the highest charting album for DCFC, nominated for Grammy).

- Links -
Wiki
Official Site

The melody is quite simple and repetitive but it keeps the rhythm going. 'Like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound'best summarises the sorrow and numbing comfort. The 1st and 2nd stanza seems to be spoken by different subject, an open admirer and a doubtful hermit. Their love never quite works out. While debating the damage or bliss love could bring, romance is drowned in rising tides and the opportunity's slowly disappearing. I don't like the music video but heck let's just stick with it.



"Marching Bands Of Manhattan"

If I could open my arms
And span the length of the isle of Manhattan,
I'd bring it to where you are
Making a lake of the East River and Hudson
If I could open my mouth
Wide enough for a marching band to march out
They would make your name sing
And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings.

I wish we could open our eyes
To see in all directions at the same time
Oh what a beautiful view
If you were never aware of what was around you
And it is true what you said
That I live like a hermit in my own head
But when the sun shines again
I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in.

Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate half empty or half full
It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown [4x]

Your love is gonna drown [4x]
Your love is gonna...

indie rock playlists

For indie rock enthusiastics, music omnivores and anti-copyright fiends (who download an inordinate amount of stuff for pastime and/or just for the kick of it, ye know who you are ;-) – here’s the latest goodie (that the very slow me found not long ago). Click and you shall find bittorrent links to several large (by 'large' I mean LARGE) indie rock playlists, compiled monthly by some generous soul(s) of interesting, fun tastes. Enjoy!

Spangle Call Lilli Line

Profile
Spangle Call Lilli Line are (from left to right) :
Ken Fujita (guitar), Kiyoaki Sasahara (guitar) & Kana Otsubo (vocal, keyboard)

Links
Official website >> Lilliline.com
Fansite >> SCLL @Keikaku.net
Interview >> Interview by Japan Live (in Eng)
last FM. entry >> here

My selection, download here
3 tracks included: Nano, Veek, piano

Spangle Call Lilli Line (SCLL for short) is another independent Japanese band I discovered while searching for artists similar to Love Psychedelico. In fact, they resemble little to LP although both are tagged 'Rock'. You can read from the above two links. The interview is especially helpful, at least for me, in understanding their style which comes to be what it is, amorphously abstract and experimental. Imagine three art students coming together to make music, assuming (without openly questioning) each other's music taste to be decent and mildly compatible. Without an ounce of knowledge as which direction to go, no concept, no predefined genres, they started experimenting instinctively in a way not too far from playing with clay and happy with the final shape be it a jar or a mug.

I'm not saying they're not serious musicians (although all of them have 2nd jobs other than making music). Most of the songs were composed by the vocalist Kana Otsubo whose voice is similar to 'Lily Chou Chou' (Salyu), wispy and soft. My impression is that Otsubo relies on fragments of images to lead a tune. Even the lyrics are fragmented and make little sense even to native Japanese, according to the interview. As a result their music is most impressionistic and spontaneous, like filtering out your memories as if pulling thought threads and knitting them into a loose drawing. You don't care much about stanza. Flowing stream doesn't have a structure and you just drift along with their melody. The arrangement tends to be minimalistic and repetitive, but melodious.

Discography (a summary)
+Album+
since (2006.10.25) - best collection
FOR INSTALLATION (2005.6.29)
Trace (2005.4.20)
or (2003.6.11)
Nanae (2002.11.10)
Spangle call Lilli line (2001.3.25)

+Single+
Nano (2003.4.12)

+DVD+
68 SCLL

I haven't sampled enough songs to pass further comments. My current favourite is 'Veek', 'Piano' and 'Nano'. Veek is my fav of fav. The entry music reminds me of the ending tune used in 'Paranoia Agent' (White Hill - Maromi's theme), that string pluckering sound mixed with electronica whistle foreshadows a free atmosphere. I was listening to it at midnight, walking alone on an empty street damp from a day's snow. Neon lights repaint everything. White snow, black asphalt, green shrubs, they all give up their colours for the night. And listening to Veek while watching the fading of a day is utterly comforting. I love Kana's voice.

Here're some tubies you can watch (not much to SEE, so just listen)

Nano


U-lite

Elliott Smith - Ballad of Big Nothing

Just want to test out the iJigg radio really. Elliott Smith (1969 – 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and musician - "bleak, almost uncomfortably unsparing and yet tragically beautiful make Smith something of a Nick Drake for the indie rock cognoscenti." I'll put up more about him later. Enjoy this first~ =D

Ballad of Big Nothing

Throwing candy out to the crowd, dragging down the main
The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth who's always got something to say
You're sitting around at home now waiting for your brother to call
I saw him down in the alley, having had enough of it all

Said you can do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to, there's no one to stop you

All spit and spite, you're up all night and down every day
A tired man with only hours to go just waiting to be taken away
Getting into the back of a car for candy from some stranger
Watching the parade with pinpoint eyes full of smoldering anger

You can do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to, there's no one to stop you
Now you can do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to though it doesn't mean a thing
Big nothing

The Shins - something about everything

After the last Norah post and an unplanned discourse on masculinity issues on this blog (which is at a historical low at the moment), zhu and I agreed we need to turn our attention to the non-female side of musicdom, males and Martians qualify. And so this post seems well called for and very appropriate to me (all smug), since our other problem, besides having polarized ear-brain connection that respond all too strongly to female sounds and little else, is that we tend to blog about artists we already take every opportunity to rave to each other about anyway (we here refers to two nutcases that’s zhu and me, but anyone is welcome to join the collective, non-extant *grin* emoticon). Blogging is hence just making babbling a little more coherent (and less scandalous) and take it to the next level. I say we do something about the growing list of each of our new favourites, now.

aww these guys ain't glamorous rock-star looking, I know, but they rock!

The Shins is a relatively new and extremely delightful new find of mine (though the band started way back in 1997 as Flake Music.) My shame at my slowness is slightly mitigated by the fact that the indie band’s profile was greatly boosted when two of their tracks were featured on the critically acclaimed 2004 indie film Garden State (Zach Braff, Natalie Portman), which I love, and which was how their sounds first reached my nerve endings a year ago. Since then they have become an absolute favourite.

As to their sounds and discography…here is where my musical vocabulary becomes a limiting reagent, so I’ll quote wikipedia instead.

The Shins' first album was 2001's Oh, Inverted World, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft, jangly pop sound. Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. Chutes Too Narrow followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrical inventions and a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity.

and this bit is fun..

The Shins played a critically acclaimed show at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, with Scotland's Belle and Sebastian on July 6, 2006. Both bands described playing at the venue as a career highlight. During live shows, the band members (particularly Crandall and Hernandez) are known to frequently swap instruments, making it somewhat difficult to define their exact roles in the band.

Oh, Inverted World

Chutes Too Narrow

The exciting news is that their next record, Wincing the Night Away is set for release on January 23, 2007 (soon!!). It was said to have been leaked to the internet but I'm totally waiting for the official release--I'll buy that as the first record in a hiatus of three years not of buying any music. I'll put up a few tracks for you guys to sample when the connection gets better (yelling for help from zhu!). Before that, please contend with this teeny tiny radio. (toothy emoticon =d)



Update: A sample of Young Pilgrim (zhu's pick) and Turn a square (mine) from Chutes Too Narrow is ready here, thanks to zhu! Expires around 7 Jan, old disclaimer apply. =d