An under-rated gem from last year was Sheffield folk-pop group Monkey Swallows the Universe's first release. It was a bit of a mixed bag, but it had such amazing songs, especially the opening track "Sheffield Shanty". I suspected that a second album might smooth out some of the kinks and give some more consistency and I am delighted to inform you that it has. "The Casket Letters" has the same gently-swaying folky feel and Nat Johnson's voice is as rich as ever (if not even more laconic). Once again, there's a clear standout - single [...]
If a bright slice of beguiling folk-pop is what you're after then look no further. Given the recent associations of being a Sheffield band, this lot come as something of a break from the norm, although within the wider context of English music as a whole it is a little easier to place. Generally I [...]
Well Saturday started with a fair bit of confusion. I was supposed to be interviewing Howe Gelb at 11am but that fell through (in a tremendously tedious and long-winded game of telephone tag) and has now been downgraded to an email interview and the promise that I can have another go the next time Howe [...]
Monkey Swallows the Universe release their second album The Casket Letters this week. Their single, Jimmy Down the well was one of my favourite songs last year, but the album, Bright Carvings didn't follow through on the promise of that song. Sure it had a few other good songs on it, Sheffield Shanty comes to mind, but it was a bit disjointed and uneven. Well, that is certainly not the case with the new Casket Letters, it's a supremely divine and consistent affair. Nat Johnson's songwriting is great, but the major improvement seems to be in the band's ability to arrange the songs. [...]
From Sheffield UK comes a quintet that call themselves Monkey swallows the Universe . The name is somewhat misleading, - I expected something loud and noisy, or maybe some arty dark electronic project, but they fooled me. This is beautiful acoustic based music with female vocals, strings, glockenspiel and fine, fine, fine melodies. Not at all dark, loud or noisy, just very good and very beautiful. So far, they have released an album, "The Bright Carvings" in 2006, and two singles, "Science" (2006) and "Little Polveir" (2007). I just bought the new single and the album on iTunes (downloading [...]
Anyone who knows this blog will know of my love for The End of the Road Festival . But it's not just a festival. Luckily for us Londoners, the organisers also put on monthly gigs at The Social which both provide the capital with a dose of fine new bands, and possibly give a sneak preview for some of the artists who may be gracing the stages at Larmer Tree Gardens in mid-September. The residency started in January, but Monday was the first night I was able to make it down (shame, as [...]
With this post we've reached the end of the G.R.O.D.D. Initiative theme week, and I can't think of a more appropriate way to close it out than with a track from Sheffield's Monkey Swallows the Universe. Friend Zartan , the ginchiest librarian in Texas, recommended the band to me, and informed me that their name is a reference to this TV show . In some ways, the band reminds me a lot of the ultra-minimalist postpunk act, Young Marble Giants. Both acts feature sweet female vocals and sparse musical arrangements, but while the Giants' [...]
Bu aksam size tanıtacağım bu grubun iki gün öncesine kadar ne adlarını ne müziklerini duymuştum. Last fm'de ve soulseek'de karşıma çıkan her recommended artiste şans verdiğim ve genellikle hayal kırıklığına uğradığım şu günlerde, beni gerçekten heyecanlandıran bir grup oldu Monkey Swallows The Universe . Sheffield'da kurulmuş bu beş kişilik indie - folk - akustik - pop grubu solist Nat ve gitarist Kev tarafından kurulmuş. Akustik gitar, keman ve çello ile sıcacık şarkılar yapıyorlar. Kadın vokalli gruplardan genelde hoşlanmamama rağmen, Nat'in yumuşacık sesine kimsenin itiraz edebileceğini düşünmüyorum. (Nat'in en sevdiği grupların arasında Eels, Bright Eyes, Delgados, [...]
Monkey Swallows the Universe es un fantástico grupo de Sheffield que realizan un indie pop acústico de gran belleza. En el año 2004 Nat Johnson y Kevin Gori formaron un duo al que se unirían el año siguiente Tully (violín), Andy George (cello) y Rob Dean (batería). Con la formación al completo, el grupo publicó su disco de debut The Bright Carvings en febrero de este 2006. Entre sus canciones podemos encontrarnos, siempre dentro de su estilo relajado e incluso bucólico, algunas más animadas [...]
MONKEY SWALLOWS THE UNIVERSE "Bright Carvings" I've been trying to outrun "twee" since 1998. See, I ran this little label, and when a double cd, triple lp compilation called Pop American Style came out in the summer of 1995, it put said label on map. While it was nice to have indiepop types embrace the label, it was expected from me to release badly tuned, badly sung,
Monkey Swallows The Universe are a lovely Sheffield quintet who write wonderful indie pop in the vein of Belle & Sebastian but without an electric guitar in sight. Not the Japanese death metal outfit I thought they might be from the name. The band first caught my attention when they released free download single 'Jimmy Down The Well'/'Sheffield Shanty' to promote their debut album 'The Bright Carvings' on Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation earlier this year. 'Jimmy Down The Well' is a jangly number about holding "Jimmy" to ransom after saving him and features na melée [...]
Saluti dalla piovosa e triste Avellino...ma ci credete che a questo mondo esiste ancora qualcuno, che si ritiene musicalmente acculturato, che non conosce il significato della "malaparola"... Leggi ancora
As part of the whole new look to This is Fake DIY (dot co dot uk, of course), they've shoved furniture about and moved some of their excelt spreadsheets to make room for rather fine downloads - including the hotly tipped Monkey Swallows The Universe just to be going on with. music mp3 downloads monkey swallows the universe
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