Obviously inspired by the likes of Animal Collective, Beirut and possibly the Dodos and Band of Horses to name a few, The Haunted Mansions (formerly known as Greenlandic Blaque) still manage to create a sound of their own. A North-West American band, some of its members also dabble in video animation (see group member Seth Nicholas' YouTube channel here ) . It should be interesting to follow the group's path and work, in animation and music, and watch their artistic distinctiveness forming. Check out The Haunted Mansions on their MySpace and [...]
It's dark and quiet. You're floating in an endless space without form, softly lighted by countless points of starry light. But this space is also time and somehow it's also music. As you effortlessly glide along, you slowly realize you're dreaming, and lazily make your way towards consciousness, smiling. The twin brothers Joseph and Mike Pepe from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, create such dreamy atmospheric music under the moniker of Side by Side. Listening to their debut LP Morning is an emotional journey, mirroring the experiences and feelings they had during the [...]
I've been meaning to write about The Middle East (the band, not the cursed region) for a while now, so when I woke up this morning with "Blood" rushing through my ears (not literally, thankfully), I've decided the time has come. After all, their album was one of my favorite discoveries in 2008 (thanks to Guy ). There was a time when I thought their music singular and unique. I considered their single (known to me) album an indie post-rock masterpiece. I've felt that they had somehow channeled through their surprisingly young minds and bodies [...]
It's dark and quiet. You're floating in an endless space without form, softly lighted by countless points of starry light. But this space is also time and somehow it's also music. As you effortlessly glide along, you slowly realize you're dreaming, and lazily make your way towards consciousness, smiling. The twin brothers Joesph and Mike Pepe from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, create such dreamy atmospheric music under the moniker of Side by Side. Listening to their debut LP Morning is an emotional journey, mirroring the experiences and feelings they had during the [...]
The hero conquered his fears, the heroine moved on and the lonely looking image of the rider against the setting sun filled the screen. Fin, the End. So, now what? What happens to your favorite characters, if they survive, when you close the book or watch the credits? Is their existence so narrow that it can be adequately represented in the standard 40+ minutes of a TV episode or the 90 or so minutes of the cinema? Or is there more? The actors, producers, writes and crew are not the only ones to invest in any [...]
My indie paper is due back any day now. I admit, I've been feeling a little apprehensive about receiving it, especially after the professor sent a general e-mail about further instructions on how to write the paper (obviously, after I have already submitted it). Still, I know I did my best. I've learnt a lot during the making of the paper, that dealt with today's indie music as a form of open source activity. Both are very general and broad terms, which makes it hard to make a decent comparison and analogy. However, both also embody [...]
Ray LaMontagne has the most welcoming and soothing voice. He will be there with you in all your woes, regrets and errors and enliven and excite you with his passionate love songs. His soul is not just a matter of genre; it's out there, pouring into you and surrounding the loneliest of echoes. This morning I woke up with the line "the answer is within" playing in my head. I have so many questions; is this the universal answer? As the unofficial video clip below suggests, things may be a bit more complicated than that. Still, we need [...]
I like bilingual bands. To paraphrase Woody Allen, you have double the chances of finding a venue for your gig and the audience has twice the fun. It also shows that the group is willing and ready to communicate its message even more so than a regular band. It can also raise some problems, of course: while French can appear to be seductive, enchanting and mysterious, even on the most mundane of topics, it's also, for the non-French speaker, a mostly unintelligible but rather beautiful stream of musical utterances. But music is more than simply words. [...]
I usually start writing a post with the process of finding the right picture that goes with it. This is not just because I want to make the post more appealing, but also because I sometimes need some added inspiration, the kind that music, although highly inspirational and influential, can't always provide. So when my morning revelation starred Madonna, I had to find a suitable image. In this case, I spent long minutes contemplating which picture to use; there are over a thousand of these on her Last.fm page alone, and probably thousands more on the net. Hardly [...]
The Voom Blooms create a fast paced, jumpy indie rock that's fun, even while covering some pretty dark topics. A Loughborough, UK band, it draws its influences from a variety of sources, including Kanye West, Interpol (only somehow lighter), The Smiths, The Libertines and what may count as an early Bright Eyes. Perhaps a more surprising effects are provided by the Beach Boys and Mogwai. How do you compile all these and more and yet manage to create your own sound? It takes quite a bit of talent (of all sorts), hard work and what some may term [...]
My angioma ( picture ) has been actively kind enough to remind me of its existence these past few days, so I went to bed early last night. However, I didn't find a lot of peace there either. I tossed and turned all night dreaming I was criss-crossing New York City, looking for Broadway, convinced that I was going to see the Golden Globes ceremony there (probably still under the influence of the last post ). It was only later in the dream that I'd remembered that the ceremony took place in Beverly Hills, at which time [...]
My angioma has been actively kind enough to remind me of its existence these past few days, so I went to bed early last night. However, I didn't find a lot of peace there either. I tossed and turned all night dreaming I was criss-crossing New York City, looking for Broadway, convinced that I was going to see the Golden Globes ceremony there (probably still under the influence of the last post ). It was only later in the dream that I'd remembered that the ceremony took place in Beverly Hills, at which time I was quite [...]
In honor of "Waltz with Bashir" winning the Golden Globe last night and in hope of it winning the coming Oscar, I wanted to dedicate a few words for this singular movie experience (check the movie's official site here ). The first thing that captures your attention is the somewhat unusual choice of medium - animation. Once connected mostly with children related content, animation, in movies and literature, has changed to appeal to wider and more mature audiences. Or maybe it was the audience that has changed, becoming more accustomed and receptive to other forms [...]
Imagine a somewhat tired sounding, quite possibly a little drunk scoundrel singing in a band. Yet this man is politically and socially conscious, witty and smart in lyrics and with a haggard look that's been there and back. Actually, why imagine? Just give These United States a listen. A Washington, DC group, These United States may best be described by their own words: "if words make you think a thought, and music makes you feel a feeling, then songs, at their best, can make you feel a thought. Or was it think a feeling? The point remains: there's [...]
This post is going to be a little weirder than usual (already quite an achievement) as it involves Radiohead acting as sort of guides to the world beyond. I'm talking about a dream, of course, though given some of their work on Kid A and Amnesiac , it may not be completely without basis. It started with Radiohead performing live on stage, but they were also constantly changing, shifting from their 90's look to the current one (and vice versa), complete with hair do and song repertoire. [...]
As you can see, I've upgraded the blog's template and looks. This took longer than I expected because the new intuitive blogger HTML template, and in particular the ability to add links and buttons, was not so intuitive (at least not for me). After more than an hour of frustration, though, I was able to find the rather helpful post in a forum "have you tried using the Java/HTML text widget?". Of course I haven't. I sometimes amaze myself on how I'm trying to do things the hard way when they are almost a click away... Anyway, the [...]
As you can see, I've upgraded the blog's template and looks. This took longer than I expected because the new intuitive blogger HTML template, and in particular the ability to add links and buttons, was not so intuitive (at least not for me). After more than an hour of frustration, though, I was able to find the rather helpful post in a forum "have you tried using the Java/HTML text widget?". Of course I haven't. I sometimes amaze myself on how I'm trying to do things the hard way when they are almost a click away... Anyway, the [...]
They say "Lanterns on the Lake" is a dream pop band. In fact, I've said it too. I described them as "dream scented" in an e-mail to a colleague and thought to define them at first that way, to try and capture their ethereal essence. But how can you capture a dream? The memory of it fades as your heart beats a little faster on the way out of sleep, the images recede back to the inner depths of your mind. I think that the "dream" metaphor may be closer to the truth if you think of the [...]
They say "Lanterns on the Lake" is a dream pop band. In fact, I've said it too. I described them as "dream scented" in an e-mail to a colleague and thought to define them at first that way, to try and capture their ethereal essence. But how can you capture a dream? The memory of it fades as your heart beats a little faster on the way out of sleep, the images recede back to the inner depths of your mind. I think that the "dream" metaphor may be closer to the truth if you think of the [...]
Getting away from it all - is it possible? Is it feasible to flee that mutually oppressive support system more commonly known as "Society" in any real sense? About 3 years ago I've had my own modified and highly diluted version of escape. It was the best time of my life (pictures on Flickr ). A much braver man than I went all the way and paid for it with his life. His name was Christopher McCandless . A strong willed young idealist, he seemed to have felt uncomfortable in the modern American culture. This, and [...]
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