Song of the day: The Mispers

Hello kids,

Well how bout we start today with a brand new spanking band and discovery. Their name is The Mispers – and if you haven’t heard of them you will be forgiven as they have just started out. They are young bunch of friendly looking gang from London.

I discovered them through this untitled song session at the Lightship95 that immediately caught my ear. Haven’t found much more material on them but hoping to hear much more soon. Its a mix of lovely folky indie music with some good life into it reminding me a bit of The Maccabees.

The voice hits you from second 1, the trembling vulnerability and wonderfully odd tone that is often harmonized with the help of two other voices to create light and shade. And there is something really nice and fresh about the use of the violin, a new way of accenting notes almost as a base guitar would. There is also something fresh about the structure of the song, how it picks up without picking up and slows down without really calming.

All in all, fingers crossed for an album soon.

Song of the day: I want him but we’re not right

Good monday morning kidos,

I am very excited to share more music from one of my favourite discoveries of last year: Daughter.

You may remember the heart shaking goosebumps producing Home from their self released The Wild Youth EP. Well they are now signed to the very prestigious 4AD label and have released their first full album named If You Leave.

Elena Tora’s singing continues to move me. Here is Smother.

Song of the day: I waited for nothing and nothing arrived

Hello music people,

Well following yesterday’s post I am giving you Villagers‘ (Conor O’Brien) second album Awayland – oh sorry {Awayland}.  If the name rings a bell it’s because I had previously praised Twenty Seven Strangers from his debut album Becoming a Jackal. The album was nominated for a Mecrury Prize – so quite the success. But with that comes the terrible second album syndrom. How to top that. To make it significantly more difficult Conor’s eldest sister passed away the same week as the release of the debut album – making it a very emotional time for him indeed.

I first heard of his new album via this great music blog Taken By Sound. I very much agree that the album is an emotional roller-coaster  One thing is clear, no one can blame him of copying a winning a formulae. This is drastically different from the first album – which was mainly guitar and poetic lyrics that were kept at medium to secret-telling levels. This new album has all types of new sounds and instruments added to it. Even some strange electronic beeping (The Waves). And each song sounds so contrasting to the other that you are not sure where you will go to next – but unfortunately not really done in a smooth transition. Overall critics are separated between those who still praise his poetic lyrics and beautiful vocals and those who find him trying too hard with clever sounding lyrics rather than clarity as well as disjointed sounds.

Whatever your feel there are still some beautiful songs in the album and my favourite is Nothing Arrived:

I waited for something
And something died
So I waited for nothing
And nothing arrived

 

Song of the day: I’ll be your Emmylou

Hello songers,

Well since we are on some Nordic roll at the moment – let’s keep going. Today we introduce the Swedish sister folky duo, First Aid Kit.
After getting noticed on Youtube in 2008 by doing a cover of Fleet Foxes‘s Tiger Mountain Peasant Song they did so well they got invited to perform it with Fleet Foxes on stage in the Netherlands. And for good reasons, that cover gives me shivers. And if you feel they look young on that video, well that’s because they are. Johanna was just 18 years old and Klara only 15. Impressive.

Since then they released two albums: The Big Black & Blue in 2010 and last year The Lion’s Roar. Their latest was very well received and shot straight to number one in Sweden. The superstar sisters have toured across the world and been noticed by many big artist such as Jack White and Bright Eyes who collaborated with them.

Here is Emmylou

Song of the Day: I spy with my little eye

Hello kids,

So you may remember last week’s featured indie pop family Timshel – well I was going through their blog and each member did a top 5 of 2012. I skimmed through and recognized most names but I had never heard of one on Patrick’s list: Mikhael Paskalev.

And what a fun discovery. Mikhael is a singer songwriter from Norway with half Bulgarian blood. He makes really fun folky rocky popy beats that get stuck in your head. He is also crazy. He released his first EP last year with two particularly catchy songs that became hugely popular all over Scandinavia last summer. In other words he did a Peter, Bjorn and John.

So with the two singles came to very popular video. You have a Tarantino-style-girl-dominatrix-burns-Mikhael-to-death video for Jive Babe. And she really is a babe.

But since I am one to easily get nightmares, I much prefer this Tom-Cruise-in-Risky-Business style video for I spy.

Personally I am always going to be a fan of pantsless dancing around your living room while destroying your Ikea furniture.
It’s a keeper.

 

Song of the day: In your eyes, babe

Hello there kids,

Yes well I’m sorry this is late, but now that I no longer have the routine of a 9 to 5 job the song of the day will need to come at all unpredictable time of the day. No longer can I do reliable morning delivery. But hey it will keep you guessing when the joy will arrive. So that’s positive too right?

Anyways so following yesterday’s trend of bands I assumed I would have covered by now but realize with shock horror that I am yet to cover is Tallest Man on Earth. Now although Kristian Matsson is dangerously close to what people could call country sounding music (and we all know I hate country), he falls firmly on the folk side (and we love folk). He also toured with Bon Iver which obviously gives him a non negotiable YES PLEASE. And he is Swedish, and we all know the Swedes are just simply awesome at Indie (Miike Snow, Lykke Li, Jose Gonzales).

The special thing about Tallest Man on Earth is just how incredibly linked and intertwined his voice and his guitar are. He is famous for writing, producing and recoding most of his songs all by himself. So go Kristian!

Here is the famous and charming The Gardener,

Now isn’t that pretty.

 

Song of the day: You're more than a superstar

Hello kids,

So there are several concert coming up over the next two months. So please remember to check them all out here.
One of these concerts that I am excited for is Bat For Lashes, who I already saw at Open’er Festival this summer and she really caught my attention.

She brought up a new album this year, The Haunted Man, with a wonderful artwork cover:

Here is the most touching song on the album, Laura.

Let me know if you manage to listen to that without getting shivers.

MasMusic
I wish I could make a soundtrack to my life and breathe in the notes every day

Song of the day: Being free, living me, on my own

Hello kids,

So today I give you a band I just recently discovered and have been playing on repeat ever since.
He goes by the name of Bahamas. Afie Jurvanen is from Toronto and is a highly skilled guitarist and intense vocalist.
He had the privilege of touring with Feist and you can hear why and how it impacted him.

What he has managed to do very well is simplify sound and make sure that every note is incredible effective and then there’s his voice. In his minimalist approach and sound, he reminds me of James Vincent McMorrow (previously featured and who I can highly recommend)

Here is a lovely live session of Lost in the Light:

 Have a listen to the power of  when he goes up to sing “being free living me on my own”

 MasMusic
I wish I could make a soundtrack to my life and breathe in the notes every day

song of the day: GOOOOGOOOOGOOOO to the mountains

Hello kids,

So yesterday I gave you a song  for the patient listeners. And today I give you the same.
The song is nice and cute and happy and very folky sounding for the first 3 minutes but what sets it apart and causes me to listen to it several time is what happens at 3:32.
The beautiful melodic repetition makes the music enter your heart.

It comes from To All My Friends who just released their second album this year called Ride With Me.
I will admit to only be a fan of a couple of songs on it, the rest becomes a bit too close to country to my liking and kinda mergers all into one.
But this song is specifically fantastic and a few others.

Here is Mountain Song

MasMusic

I wish I could make a soundtrack to my life and breathe in the notes every day

Song of the day: I am nothing

Dear songers,

So today I give you some beautifully chilled music.
The band is called Wye Oak and they are a lovely indie folk rock duo from the states.

Last year they released a lovely album called Civilian, here is the title track performed live on KEXP

Have fun with it,

MasMusic
I wish I could make a soundtrack to my life and breathe in the notes every day