Half-handed Cloud — the solo project of John Ringhofer, who also plays trombone in Sufjan Stevens' Illinoisemakers — has to be one of the only bands out there right now that is capable of releasing a 5-song EP on a split 7-inch. Those five songs comprise the Blood Brothers EP and in total clock in at only 4.5 minutes, so that actually leaves enough time for the Nordic band I Was A King to supply the chipper, synthy pop number you can stream below, plus a Half-handed Cloud cover. (Half-handed Cloud returns the [...]
One of the bands that I've really enjoyed following over the last several years has been Norway's I Was a King . They've just issued a really small run of a split 73 EP on Splendour Records with Half-Handed Cloud , and I'm really enjoyhing their effort here. There's a great swirling melody that is underscored by the guitar work, one of the prominent instruments in this band's repertoire. If you haven't had an opportunity to check out this band, the time is right [...]
Plant A Little Fir Tree by Half-Handed Cloud This sort of music makes me happy... think what you will of it, but I'm all smiles over here. Stream for free or buy HERE.
Wow, this is the fourth year we have put together a list of Indie Christmas songs. Once again, we got the amazing Bregan Ford (aka Hubbard) to make a nice cover for the occasion. I almost didn't make a list this year as there was a serious lack of appropriate material, but in the end, I put my headphones on and searched the Internet for 40 hours. And if these aren't enough for you, you can always check our lists from years previous: Indie Christmas Songs 2010 , Indie Christmas Songs 2009 , and Indie [...]
I must have been 10. Driving down East Wynnewood (pronounced: Win-wood) Road, my mom slowing to a stop at the intersection at Bowman Avenue — a few blocks from my elementary school — me sitting in one of the captain seats of our forest green Mercury minivan talking about what I wanted to get at Borders. "It's an album called Enema Of The State ," I said. "Jonathan!" she said after a beat. "Do you know what that word means?" "It's like enemy, right?" "No. Just don't say it." [...]
I must have been 10. Driving down East Wynnewood (pronounced: Win-wood) Road, my mom slowing to a stop at the intersection at Bowman Avenue — a few blocks from my elementary school — me sitting in one of the captain seats of our forest green Mercury minivan talking about what I wanted to get at Borders. "It's an album called Enema Of The State ," I said. "Jonathan!" she said after a beat. "Do you know what that word means?" "It's like enemy, right?" "No. Just don't say it." [...]
Day 1 With the Camden Crawl being so geographically close to us in Brighton it's a wonder that we haven't been before, but then again we do have a rather giant new music festival on our doorstep coming up in a few weeks. Armed with little more than a cursory glance at the schedule and a brand new DSLR camera we headed up to London. We were quickly made aware that unless we wanted to see heavy rock and metal the Red Bull Bedroom Sessions, (the only billed daytime music on the [...]
It's shaping up to be a strong Spring in the world of tributes and cover albums, and good thing, too - though the single-shot covers continue to pour in daily, other than Reid Jamieson's recent tribute to 1969 , the Cowboy Junkies' too-heavy-to-be-folk tribute to Vic Chesnutt, and a mid-February Sara Lov popfolk covers compilation , it's been pretty dry at the album-length intersection of folk and coverage. But apparently, in the world of cover albums, when it rains, it pours. Over the weekend, we featuredThea Gilmore's stunning take on Dylan's seminal [...]
Well the government may shut down this week but it looks like the Bay Area's shows won't. Here are a few selections from the calender. Tonight out in Oakland Bay Area Bourgeois will be presenting a free show at Era Art Bar with Safe , Summer Glaciers , and stevedood , 8pm. Friday, out at Bottom of the Hill , Battlehooch will be playing with Danielson and Half-handed Cloud , 10pm. Back in Oakland on Saturday the Uptown will [...]
Seven Swans Reimagined is de titel van een digitaal album waarop artiesten als D.M. Stith , Bonnie Prince Billy en Half-Handed Cloud een nieuwe interpretatie geven aan de songs van Seven Swans van Sufjan Stevens . Seven Swans Reimagined is via Bandcamp te downloaden en de opbrengt gaat naar een goed doel . Seven Swans coveren is natuurlijk een hachelijke onderneming, die uit zou kunnen monden in heiligschennis. Maar het album bevat voldoende mooie songs en geslaagde interpretaties om interessant te zijn. Zo zijn er mooie bijdragen van Joshua James [...]
Блог On Joyful Wings собрал талантливых музыкантов, чтобы сделать полноценный трибьют замечательному альбому Суфьяна Стивенса «Seven Swans». Приглашёнными исполнителями выступили как коллеги по лейблу Asthmatic Kitty — DM Stith, Half-Handed Cloud и Shannon Stephens, так и другие популярные исполнители — Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Wakey!Wakey! и Inlets. С одной стороны, они сделали огромную работу — перепето всё, кроме «Abraham», которую выложат чуть позже. С другой стороны — такая большая команда не смогла сохранить хрупкую целостность акустического альбома, каждый тянет одеяло на себя и пытается дополнить рассказ Суфьяна своей историей, электронными музыкантами, шумными припевами. Несмотря на то, что я бы вообще не рекомендовал этот альбом к ознакомлению, на нем есть один настоящий бриллиант — «Borderline», бисайд к синглу [...]
Seven Swans (2004) by Sufjan Stevens was the first album that put him on the map. A sweet and soothing album from a simple and shy man that we now know is capable of performing songs with unrelenting confidence. Fifteen artists have "Reimagined" Stevens' masterpiece. Covers by: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Wakey!Wakey!, DM Stith, Half-Handed Cloud, Shannon Stephens, Inlets and more. The album will be available on March 29 but if you pre-order it now you will receive an immediate download of the Inlets' "Borderline", as well as a link to download the entire album a few days [...]
Hanno un dono The Wave Pictures , quello di saper cantare la vita come se fosse tutto semplice, come se 2+2 facesse sempre 4, come se fosse una filastrocca per bambini. Pene d'amore, piccole e grandi delusioni, frustrazioni e paranoie squisitamente contemporanee che il trio britannico traspone puntualmente in composizioni fatte di ironia asciutta, in pillole di buon senso dissacratorie e mai superficiali. Addolciscono il boccone amaro senza banalizzarlo i WP, che al decimo disco riescono miracolosamente ad uscire indenni da music-business, trend modaioli e noia. Un monumento alla loro stessa coerenza compositiva "Susan [...]
Classe 1983, origini sudafricane, residente a Londra, attore, poeta e cantautore, che cosa si potrebbe chiedere più dalla vita? Ovviamente sfondare nel mondo della musica, e il giovane Johnny Flynn lavora sodo di penna per instaurare un feeling speciale con il vasto pubblico: le classiche 'bollette a mollo' già le ha anticipate con "A Larum", l'esordio di due anni fa che aveva suscitato interesse nel variegato mondo nu-folk britannico umido di blues, jazz e country, ora per centrare al meglio la mira e focalizzare il suo istinto pop contaminato da alle stampe "Been Listening", l'album che sonda – [...]
E ti trovavi così di fronte ad un disco per bambini. Effettivamente nel 2011, dopo che ogni genere è stato sviscerato in lungo e in largo e le "novità" vere e proprie si riducono ai vari revival dei decenni passati, si cerca sempre più di virare verso strade particolari come questa. E Kathryn Williams , artista folk britannica che ricorderete per il discreto disco di debutto "Little Black Numbers", deve aver trovato l'ispirazione in qualche fatto personale, ad esempio la maternità (l'indie gossip su web parla di un disco scritto per intrattenere il bambino), più che in fatti meramente [...]
Since it's Christmas Day, we wrap up the Christmas countdown - this year with the Magnetic Fields song Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree . As a band who's been in the business for more than 20 years and has only ever gotten due credit in the last five years, I feel a great affinity for them. Like Stephin Merritt, I'm still waiting for people to 'get' what it is that I do - though I guess it'll probably help that I find out first what I'm actually trying to do. So here's [...]
A Favorite Christmas Gag Gift by Half-Handed Cloud This song comes from Sounds Familyre 's yearly Christmas tradition - A Familyre Christmas , which is now on its third volume. It's available as a free download here , you can also check out previous albums from the past years Among the roster of artists in the Familyre Christmas album is one of my favorites - Half-Handed Cloud . Half of the time I don't know what he means in his song, but since his songs are especially catchy, you [...]
I went holiday song fishing at bandcamp, and here is my Christmas catch. By Half-handed Cloud--the label is Sounds Familyre. Legit worship music. This is beautiful. Listen to this one.
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Top Fiver![<span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Half</span> <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Handed</span> <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Cloud</span> [Flickr]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3637182_lg.jpg)
![<span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Half</span> <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Handed</span> <span style="color: #384E60; background-color:#84CCF2">Cloud</span> [Flickr]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3637183_lg.jpg)
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