Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song. Let's Dance may suffer when compared to David Bowie's '70s catalog (this goes for thousands of other albums as well), but there are artists who have spent their entire careers unable to come up with three songs as good as the three that open the album. "Let's Dance" was the #1 single, "China Girl" went top ten, but the leadoff track, "Modern Love," just might be the one that's captured the most hearts. It's got energy, singalong lyrics that can't quite bring themselves to sound mindless, and that "buuuuut [...]
Well, it's September and I can already feel the changes. I've started to wear actual shoes instead of, y'know, flip-flops. I'm finally wearing pants again, breaking my shorts-everyday summer record. I've even stopped sweating through every t-shirt I go out in. But before October rears is chilly, leaf-turning head, let's all soak up these last few weeks of sunned weather, patio bars and the outdoors with no jacket required... Pretty soon, we'll be missing it. Citizen Mix Vol. VII - Summer's End [...]
You thought it was all over, but Jack Symes has brought it back.
A band I only recently began listening to (and has left me wishing I started earlier) Norwegian quartet, Syme , mixes layered harmonies with infectious melodies to create some truly indelible music. Fredrik Vogsborg and Ketil Endresen's falsetto vocals make these electronic pop ditties hard not to enjoy, as the music sounds cute and refreshing. While Syme seems to create effortless songs, the lyrics are far from simple. Metaphorical, subtly dark, and difficult to decipher, the words dont match the effervescent sound. And that's perfectly okay with me. To make a sound happy yet imply something further is impressive, [...]
The Atomica Project is back with their sophomore record, Grayscale, a lovely collection of trip hop-infused downtempo (or downtempo-infused trip hop, it's hard to keep everything straight). Their press materials continue to compare them favorably to Portishead, which might not...
Okay, back home from the hospital and just now recovered from the general anesthetic, but I gotta hit the potty every ten frickin' minutes, not fun when it hurts like it does. I'm not at home so I can't work on part 2 of that live Wilco post I promised (maybe tomorrow), so here's some stuff I found in my inbox and around the 'net. the jet age o'calendar false idols alamo race track stanley vs hannah syme [...]
Despite my missing out on the now-in-progress South By Southwest, I'm able to still reap a few benefits, with the ripple-effect of bands being more active this time of year, and scheduling tours around their Austin appearances. Case in point: A second stateside visit from Norwegian four-piece Syme, with a few Northeasterly shows leading up to their journey south and west for a couple SxSW shows.
Wow. Thank you Syme, you Norweigan indie-pop starlets, for creating the song that will brighten my day...nay...my life. A perfect blend of Sigur Ros, Mew, Radiohead, Electric President, and the most soft, adorable bunny rabbit you've ever seen, you are the butter to my bread; the mac to my cheese, the Ike to my Tina. [...]
I'm glad that advanced album PR seems to have shifted almost entirely to the digital realm. Sure, I still get the occasional CD or 73 sent over, but the majority of correspondence has clearly moved toward email. It makes discovery that much easier, when all a prospective writer or blogger need do is follow a link or download a track. Norwegian quart Syme is the most recent band to show up at the end of said digital path, and today's post "Greenhouse" was the track that caught my attention the most at first listen - even before I [...]
One of the best side-effects of running this little music blog is that rare occasion when an Almanac reader (as opposed to, say, a promo person, label staffer, or band manager) turns me on to an artist I hadn't heard and instantly love. My inbox overflows with "listen to this" emails, but every so often I get one from someone who has no stake in the band's success beyond a fan's desire to share
Syme - credit Tonight, DC9 has another solid out of town bill. Norway's Syme , Austin's White Denim and Los Angeles' The Binges will all be in town for a show that is sure to be loud. Syme - Modern Love (David Bowie Cover) White Denim - World As A Waiting Room The Binges - Pay To Play
Okay so it's been a while, and I apologize. I've been studying for my certification which is much harder and longer than I anticipated. I just had a wedding for one of my best friends, which was a blast, and I blew my knee out a few weeks ago. Needless to say it's been interesting! Anyway, the good folks over at Musebox sent me a album a week or so ago by a band called Syme. First off, they
One of Eardrums' favourites, Syme, indiepop-/elektroband from beautiful Bergen in Norway, has become the big buzz in USA these days! These guys are influenced by The Postal Service, Radiohead, Jaga Jazzist, Mew and Sigur Ros, all of my favourites! Today I present to you the joyous news that Syme is conquering the stages of USA! Presently the band is gearing up for its first run at the states, which includes a stop for the festivities at Pop Montreal in Canada, and a CMJ day show with the suave gents of Tiger City and the windy indie of Toronto's [...]
Syme is Norwegian band from Bergen. It's harbour town and their music is as unpredictable as the sea. Smooth and quiet at one time, rising up without warning the next. They namecheck Radiohead and Sigur Ros, building their own brand of soundcapes. Syme is able to catch you off balance with surpise covers, like Modern Love (David Bowie). They have an EP, Modern Love , and a full lenghth album, Swing Swing . A new album is scheduled for release in November. Syme : Ketil [...]
Cover Me
Citizen Insane
Platform
Knox Road
Comfort Music
*SIXEYES
Bradley's Almanac
All Things Go
scissorkick
BadmintonStamps
Instrumental Analysis
I Work At Initech
Eardrums Music
Here Comes The Flood
Video: Chromatics – “These Streets Will Never Look The Same”
Bobby Womack & Lana Del Rey
Video: 2:54 - "Creeping"
