Inevitably, a love of coverage leads to a constant, ever-vigilant search for thoughtful, well-crafted reinterpretation. I spend hours each week mining full albums for the hidden cover song, and scanning MySpace and email inbox for the promotional, the one-off acoustic in-studio radio track, and the otherwise unreleased singleton, and the endless discovery is eminently worth the pursuit. But there's no question that tribute albums are the cover lover's bread and butter. I gather these things in like truffles, and hold a special place for them in my heart and in my [...]
It's not very often Shane or myself really wants to give anyone else the chance to talk - especially about music on our own blog - but after the countless hours of work required to get the Mississippi Sheiks tribute record out the door, Steve Dawson has earned a few moments of your time. Plus, with such an amazing collection of artists talking about music that influences them, well, it's better to get the goods right from the horse's mouth. So here is Steve's own two cents on a project that means more to him than [...]
Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: ArpLine : "Make It Rain (demo)" [mp3] ArpLine : "Cap (demo)" [mp3] other ArpLine posts at Largehearted Boy Joel Plaskett : "Deny, Deny, Deny" [mp3] from Three Joel Plaskett : "Down, Down, Down" [mp3] from Three [...]
Life is good. In the past two weeks I have had the honour of listening to two great Canadian female jazz/blues vocalists and they weren't Diana Krall or Holly Cole. On April 17th I had the pleasure of hearing Emilie Claire Barlow at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga and last Friday, the 24th of April, I saw Ndidi Onukwulu. If any of you have not heard these two women, you should. They are nothing like Diana Krall or Holly Cole, they are better. Where Diana Krall's vocals can border on boring and [...]
Gather 'round and gander at three artists worth your time:The MilesFor those who like: Franz Ferdinand, Arctic MonkeysThese local guys are into nerdy New Wave. Lots to enjoy here.The Miles have a CD release show at the Horseshoe on April 9th.The Miles' MyspaceThe FumesFor those who like: Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death MetalLoud fast and hard and the strong traits of these Aussies.The
While the focus of Snob's Music is indie rock, and especially Toronto indie rock, we do like to step out of the box from time to time.This time we're going to give you Ndini Onukwulu, a BC singer of Nigerian/German descent, who has been nominated for a Juno for Best Solo Roots & Traditional Album for her record The Contradictor.Fusing jazz, folk, soul, and more, Onukwulu's music is both entracing
FUCKING COURIER FUCKING COMPANIES! The Meursault album is currently in FUCKING DUMFRIES, whence I have had to despatch a courier to collect the bastard things and drive back here immediately. This means that assuming all goes well, which of course it always does when matters are urgent like this, I might just have them in my sweaty little mitts by half five. Maybe. Anyway, to soothe my fevered brow, apart from a pint of neat gin with a little tiny squeeze of lime, I probably need some music. Some quiet music too - [...]
Today's spotlight shines north of the border on Canadian musician Ndidi Onukwulu . Although born in Canada, Ndidi has Nigerian heritage as well, which peeks through every so often by contributing some funky rhythms here and there, although she'll quite clearly state that her devotion lies with the blues. Her sophomore album, The Contradictor , came out earlier this week, and she was kind enough to take some time to tell me about the fifth track from it, Goodnight JF . As always, text in red is hers, question in black are mine. [...]
"Hymn #101" - Joe Pug Had the Bob Dylan haunting the Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961 and 1962 augmented his sociopolitical preoccupation with a wide-eyed spiritual awareness, he might have composed a spare, literate neo-folk marvel such as "Hymn #101." Carefully written and plainly presented (just guitar and voice, thank you), "Hymn #101" glows with humanity and intellect, its simple Dylanesque melody hosting any number of unexpected observations and descriptions, delivered with a voice that channels not only the great one from Hibbing but multiple generations of "next Dylans" as well, from [...]
Ndidi Onukwulu is from Vancouver. She has a voice perfect for singing the blues. On her debut album, I Never , she proved she was a talent to be taken seriously. On her latest album, The Contradictor , she solidifies herself as BC's best salon room singer. Listen: Ndidi Onukwulu ∞ SK Final RIYL: smoky vocals in non-smoking bars Further study: myspace Wiki YouTube More MP3s: Hype Machine [...]
Well I'm off for a bit over the next couple of days. Once again the splendid Campfires & Battlefields has volunteered to hold the fort while I'm away. I did think it would be a good idea to get other folk to guest post - regular commenters around here like DC (I assume you've not [...]
Ndidi Onukwulu is the latest in a long line of recent performers proving that Canada apparently has something in the water that helps those cats make some of the best music out there today. In her case, think Norah Jones, but infinitely bigger and brassier. She's just put out her sophomore LP, The Contradictor , and the jazz chanteuses of the world best take note, because Onukwulu is going to be making some waves. Debut single "SK Final" has a big sound, complete with a tight horn section, pounding drums and a snatch of fiery guitar here and [...]
Wow, I never thought I could get so sick of four unrelated words that started with Death and ended with Cutie. Talk about overload. Once again I turn to my inbox for solace, and it does not disappoint. This one's for James - a blues chanteuse who is Canadian and based out of scenic Toronto. She's gorgeous and her voice is made for her genre. When I first heard her, I thought of Norah Jones, but better. Jones's bland, inoffensive music sort of makes you nod your head and go, "that's [...]
Ndidi Onukwulu - Foto: Kristabelle Stewart May Be The Last Time, I Don´t Know Goodnight JF Myspace Nota : las canciones que se incluyen en Les Paradis Artificiels no están alojadas en este blog, son links a otros sitios o a las webs de los propios artistas que han publicado sus temas para difundirlos. [...]
In both past and present, it is difficult to find an influential songwriter who has never credited their geographical or familial roots as being a defining influence in their success. Whether they are singing about the dangers of a London tube station at midnight (The Jam), getting pulled over on the New Jersey turnpike by an apathetic state trooper (Springsteen), or the illuminating glow of billboards during Tokyo at night (Ryuichi Sakamoto), artists have expressed reverence for their originative countries in a variety of ways through their songwriting. Many young western musicians have grown up with a plethora of different [...]
The blues may still be blue, but that doesn't necessarily mean that one should ignore any of the brighter colors. Ndidi Onukwulu evokes quite a lot of encouragement on her sophomore album, "The Contradictor", which is a fitting title to say the least. With uplifting and introspective lyrics combined with rich jazz-infused blues, Onukwulu's music (and voice) is warm and inviting in way that might surprise some. Although, it's not a happy-go-round all the way through. There's plenty of heartbreak in various forms, but the underlying tone is still hopeful. Just in [...]
His flight, not mine. But you get the general idea. Hello, Dearest Friends! This post is coming atcha from Taah-raah-naah, aka Toronto, where I flew on Sunday to do businessy things all week. Digs are quite comfy, if corporately bland (The Sheraton), and methinks I'll be fed and wined to excess if I'm not careful. Last night saw me at Canoe, 54 stories up above the city. I had a lovely meal (roasted cuttlefish & calamari to start, followed by Nunavut caribou), but it was [...]
Nothing changes on New Year's Day... Dearest Friends, I am back in Blogville, but only for a fleeting moment. The end of the year is nigh, and you all know what that means, eh? Time for a funky New Year's Eve party! If you're looking for a fin d'annee soundtrack, head on over to Contrast Podcast , where Old Father Tim(e) has a fantastic one on offer. You can download it here or subscribe to all the upcoming 2007 'casts by using this RSS feed: [...]
My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels Right, this week I think I have it sorted: Contrast Podcast 25 came out today, and here it is, fresh and ripe for your delectation. The theme is "Handclapping" and Tim has assembled a grand podcast comprised of the happy clappy songs submitted by this week's contributors. The 'cast can be downloaded from this link or you can subscribe using tye handy-dandy RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Co ntrastPodcast . Be sure to check out next week's offering [...]
Ndidi B soul singing. Onstage she did all this with the magic of loop technology such that out of her diminutive frame sprang a virtual full orchestra of beat box, multiple vocals, and traditional instrumentation, all created right then and there. My other great epiphany was Ndidi Onukwulu, a young singer of Nigerian background who hails from Toronto. Ndidi sings the blues. Actually, she
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Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
Warm Brew – Creep (TLC Remix)
THROWBACK: Sam Cooke - Cupid
