Thrice's "Digital Sea" - Never Included It... Don't Know Why...

For some reason I never included Digital Sea when I wrote a small article of these guys a few months back.  Though Open Water and The Whaler are incredible songs, I seem to listen to Digital Sea way more.  It has absolutely GORGEOUS harmonies in it, and I think a very interesting set of lyrics as well.  As is with the water portion of the Alchemy album, this is a downtempo track with a lot of emotion injected into it.  These guys are usually a somewhat high-energy punk band.  So though this is a departure, I think it is a really beautiful song.  I won't keep you waiting any longer...

-Digital Sea-




That's all, just had to correct the omission.  Hope you enjoyed it :)

-CS

Ulrich Schnauss, Zoe Johnston, Andrew Bird - A Couple Quick Hits

I had some great suggestions passed onto me this week, and I wanted to share them in no particular order or fashion.  You will notice that they are all different genres, but I think they are all incredible work.  So without further ado.

ULRICH SCHNAUSS - Goodbye
My sister shot this tune over to me today, and it literally melted my face.  I have heard a lot of deep and sultry tracks before, but Schnauss literally knocks it out of the park here with something so multi-layered and harmonic...  It was like peeling back a sonic onion... unreal.  I feel like every time I have listened to this, I have come across a different harmonic chord.  Listen for yourself.. it's pretty epic.



If you have heard Ulrich's work before, tracks like Between Us and Them, or Wherever You Are then you are familiar with the sound.. but this one is just that much more involved.  Well... since I have mentioned them.. here ya go.

-Between Us and Them-




-Wherever You Are-




As you can no doubt tell, he has a very specific style, and it sounds like a lot of his elements are re-sampled in each song.  This sort of dreamy symphonic soundscape with bell accompaniment.  It's good stuff for zoning out for a while.

ZOE JOHNSTON - Alchemy
This is a total switch in gears, and I came across it while reviewing a new Above and Beyond album.  I have always loved their stuff.. I know its trance, but it works for me..  I became quite fond of this song because of a really beautiful key change that occurs in the chorus.  It gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it, and it was a bit of a head turner because that seldom happens.  Also Zoe Johnston has a hell of a voice... no two ways around that.  Enjoy.



This is off of the Group Therapy album.  If you have any interest in checking out any more of the songs on there, be sure to check that album out!


ANDREW BIRD - Imitosis
This one was suggested to me by Mr. A.K. who should be well known at this point, as he has shown up on three articles now.  What does that mean?  It means he has good music taste... at least in my view!  This Andew Bird fella is doing some really incredible work.  He has compelling lyrics, he is about as musically gifted as anyone I have seen in quite a while, and he sounds incredible live.  These are all very good things.  I was struck by Imitosis because I really like the violin loop he uses.  I also really like the lyrics and vocals as well.  It is somewhat folky, but also very energetic.  This is a guy I can definitely support in his quest for continued musical greatness.  Hope you like as much as I do.



-Oh No-
Another display of genius.. definitely give it a listen if you like Imitosis!  I love the use of whistling.. classic.




Hope you enjoyed, and as always thanks for stopping in!

-CS

Pretty Lights - Where Pretty Lasers and Pretty Music Meet

Derek Vincent Smith, otherwise known as Pretty Lights has been one of my favorite electronic musicians ever since I was introduced to him by my very good friend in Colorado many moons ago.  I have received a few amazing little videos from Mr. A.K. (the same genius who handed me Gramatik) and I wanted to share those with you as well as some of my favorites from back in the day.

PRETTY LIGHTS









Derek Vincent Smith hasn't been on the scene for that long, but he made a name for himself playing a bit for STS9, The Disco Biscuits, and many other Colorado hometown favorites.  He was a University of Colorado freshman dropout, who decided school was to take the backseat to his music career.  It turns out he made the right decision in this case.  He has since his departure from CU-Boulder become one of the premier electronic and remix artists of this decade.  He is well known for his flawless beats, and incredible taste in all things light.  His setups are incredible, and unfortunately I am only able to say this because I saw them on a video, and not live.

I have been incredibly impressed over the years with his seamless beats, and how well he has adapted an ear for remixing certain tracks.  The one Mr. A.K. sent to me was a remix of seven Led Zeppelin tracks that literally blew my mind.  I would never have thought I would like such a thing.. but it turns out I was wrong.  He also remixed Solar Sailor which was off of the soundtrack from Tron Legacy, which was solely created by Daft Punk (another favorite of mine).  He took what was already a great song, considering what it was for, and knocked it out of the park.  That's my take, you be the judge...

-Solar Sailor (Remix)-
This is a sort of hip-hop/dub-step rendition of Daft Punks song, and I just think it is really really tight.  The production value is extremely high, and I think it would be a hell of a thing to listen to live with all his crazy lights and lasers flashing in your face.




-Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin-
This is just... awesome.  It is a really nice mixture of classic rock and hip-hop type beats.  I love his ability to use the down-beat on this.  It also does a nice job of showcasing how his performances come together.




-Summer's Thirst-
This song is off of his Taking Up Your Precious Time album, which was my entree into the Pretty Lights world.  I just really like the down-tempo aspect of it, and it has some very light and airy keys that I think provide a unique sound.  Somewhat repetitive, but I am a fan.




-Almost Familiar-
This is another favorite from Taking Up Your Precious Time.  Has some cool off-tempo work, and once again a solid hip-hop base, with some smooth electronic elements over the top.



-Finally Moving-
This too is from the Taking album, and is pretty much his staple track from that album.  This is a pretty classic hip-hop beat, and it has some vocals which never hurts!




-I Know The Truth-
This song is has a very strong dupstep element to it, and I can see a lot of people not being that interested in that.  However... if you have ever been to a dubstep show live, it will probably change your mind.  The video you will see with this one is a live performance of PL's from Bonaroo, and it looks like a hell of a lot of fun.  I would suggest if you get to see this guy live, and don't mind noodle-dancing with a bunch of hipsters, have at it.




-Time (Pink Floyd Remix)-
This is the last one for this particular article, but I felt it was important to include, because his name (Pretty Lights) was actually taken from a Pink Floyd song...  So with that said, I was interested to see what he would do with his originator's music.  Its an interesting and rather glitchy remix, but something I had to include nonetheless!




So if you are looking for more from Pretty Lights, I can either ask Mr. A.K. for his suggestions or you can just take a quick hour and listen to some of these tracks here above.

Though this genre may not be for everyone, I can definitely attest for how incredible this guys production value is, and how talented he is with his ear for remixing.  It's a lot harder than many would think; and though it isn't the same as playing an instrument, or singing, or some other God given talent, I would argue that having the knack for finding what works, and making it sound so good is indeed a gift.  Be that talent from God, on loan from God, or from some alien planet.  You have to admit, he does what he does very well.

Hope you enjoyed, and as always, comments welcomed!

-CS

Kings of Convenience & The Whitest Boy Alive - From Smooth to Soulful

When I was in college I had a real sincere interest in all things Kings of Convenience.  They had this soft, plush sound that was perfect for walking to class in the cold air.  I can't think of a band that I listened to more than Kings of Convenience throughout my entire college career.

KINGS OF CONVENIENCE









Kings are a Norwegian duo of the names Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe, and they have been gracing the scene since they were signed in 1999.  They are well known for their graceful and complex melodies that dance over top of soft and intricate guitar work.  Their album Riot on an Empty Street was by far my album of choice, but it isn't all these guys have to offer.  I must have listened to Riot about 50,000 times before it was probably lost in some hard-drive crash or something.  One of their albums Quiet is the New Loud was produced by Coldplay, and it went onto receive great acclaim.

I have so many favorites from these guys, so I will try and keep it to about four or five so we can then focus on Oye's side project The Whitest Boy Alive.

-Love is no Big Truth-
I absolutely love this little tune.  It is incredibly whimsical, and it makes incredible use of some banjo work near the end.  Definitely one of my favorites.




-Surprise Ice-
Interesting little ballad that has some really nice harmonies and guitar work.




-Know How-
Love this song.. I spent so much time trying to perfect this on guitar, and then realized it was too difficult to sing along to it while playing lol..




-Cayman Islands-
Beautiful guitar work, compelling lyrics.  I think it's a good choice..




-Misread-
You will notice these are all from Riot, and I think that is just fine.  This song is awesome.




I would be sure to check out their Quiet is the New Loud album (especially Failure, The Weight of My Words, I Don't Know What I Can Save You From, and Parallel Lines).  Also don't be afraid to check out  Declaration of Dependence.  I have yet to hear that one, but maybe I will write about it at some later date.

This leads us to our next stop... The Whitest Boy Alive.


This is a new an offshoot project of Erlend Oye, and it has a little bit more of a rock element to it.  My brother was able to pinpoint this little project, and I have been quite impressed with it so far.  It has some electronic elements to it, which is what it was intended for originally, but it ended up morphing into a rock project, which I think ended up being a good decision.

THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE









I am impressed by the blues and rock influences, and have been also impressed by some of the melodies these guys put together.  It is a mesh of rock and roll and Kings of Convenience, which is pretty amazing stuff.

I haven't really nailed down my favorites yet, but well give a few tracks a listen!

-Golden Cage-
This was the first piece my brother played for me, and I think it's a good indicator of what you are going to hear going forward.  Its a really solid song.




-Island-
I just think this is a really cool song.  I love the keyboard work, and bassline.  See what you think!





-Gravity-
Another solid and bluesy tune that I fell in love with immediately.  Hope you like!




Be sure to check out more from Rules, and also the album Dream.  They are both quite good.

I hope you liked, and let me know if you have any comments etc.  Would love to hear of some other bands that are similar!

Many thanks for stoppin' in.

-CS

Imogen Heap - Musical Genius.. and One of My Favorites of All Time

For starters, my apologies on not posting much recently.  I wouldn't say I have been busy, just been enjoying some time on vacation.  Vacation from what?  I have no idea, but it's been a blast nonetheless.

I have withheld posting anything about Imogen Heap yet, as I don't really consider her new or obscure.  I am under the impression that the vast majority of the entire world has heard at least one or two of her songs.  However, I cannot express enough what an incredible musician she is, and what an influence she has had on my musical taste.  I almost find myself comparing everyone to her, in terms of whether I like another artists songs as much as I like Immy's work.

I remember seeing her in Chicago a few years ago, and it was without a doubt the most personalized and sonically complex show I have ever been to.  She was even sick at the time with strep-throat or the flu or something of the like, and if she didn't perform a song up to her standards she would start over and re-sing the whole thing.  I was BLOWN AWAY at how incredible her vocals were.  She has by far one of the most pure voices I have ever heard, and her vocal range is almost alien it is so insane.  She could probably cover every octave on an entire piano if she were asked to.  I remember someone remarking that they thought she sounded too produced.  I can completely understand that viewpoint, but I have heard her live, and I am completely serious when I say she sounds exactly like the album live.  She is never sharp, never flat, never even remotely close to off-key.  It is literally... insane.

Like the rest of humanity I became aware of her when her track Let Go was featured in the movie Garden State.  I remember being absolutely amazed at what I was hearing, and then of course how perfectly matched it was given the emotional temperament of the actual scene in the movie.  At the time, she was part of a trip-hop duo with Guy Sigsworth called Frou Frou, and I immediately got a hold of that album and listened to it straight for a year, maybe more.

Later she released her solo albums, and her songs were famously featured on some episodes of The O.C.  So it wasn't like the rest of the world didn't notice her.  She has become somewhat of a youtube sensation in her journal style posts of creating her Ellipse album.  She is just a straight up incredible musician and sound technician.  If you haven't seen some of her youtube stuff, you might want to check it out just to get an idea of the creative process that these artists go through... it is fascinating.

She is a bit quirky and she has a strange style about her, but she is an incredible poet as well.  If you listen to her lyrics it really is quite impressive. She is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell in her ability with words, and her use of metaphor is very strong.  Nothing she writes sounds trite, and yet she sings so much about love and relationships.  The fact that you can be original about a subject that is so unoriginal in music is I guess a testament. 

I want to go ahead and highlight some of my favorites to keep this piece moving, as I could probably write a ton more about her.


LET GO
Not sure how I cannot include the song that opened the door in the first place.  As I stated above, this song was created by Imogen and Guy Sigsworth on their Frou Frou duo album.  It is just a crushingly beautiful song.

PSYCHOBABBLE

Though a somewhat dark and violent level of subject matter, I think this song is just incredible.  It is again off of the Frou Frou album, and has been one of my favorites from the beginning. 

 


ONLY GOT ONE
My final favorite from the Frou Frou album, and one of the most amazing on the album.  This is not to say the rest of the album isn't as good, because it most definitely is.  It is of course a complete album and one that has a TON of replay value.

 

Her followup album was a solo album in which she produced all the music and did a vast majority of the instrumentation as well.  It was entitled Speak for Yourself.


JUST FOR NOW
Umm... this is absolutely gorgeous.  If you want vintage Imogen, this is the one to hear.  I heard this live and it almost caused a mind melt.  I actually recall that she started this particular song over, because she wasn't satisfied with the high-note she sang.




HAVE YOU GOT IT IN YOU
This is another amazingly beautiful song, and another one that I have listened to a thousand times over.





I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU
This is a bit of a departure in that it is a bit more upbeat than most of her work.  I think it has some very compelling percussion work, and some of the harmonies are mind-blowing.




CLOSING IN
Another impeccable display of her artistry.  I love how many levels there are to everything she does.  It is really impressive work.




THE MOMENT I SAID IT
This is an absolutely gorgeous song.  It is rather sad and slow, but the harmonization she uses near the end of the song is enough to blow your mind.  Her vocals in this song are unmatched.




As I said, the entire album is ridiculously good, but I am only highlighting the songs I could listen to a billion times and never get sick of.

Next on the docket is her Ellipse album which is the most recent.  This was an album that was heavily anticipated after her work on Speak for Yourself.  I actually started to grow impatient, simply because I was dying to hear it.

CANVAS
 Don't really know what to tell you if you aren't impressed by this song.  I think this is probably my favorite off of the album.




2-1
Another favorite off of the Ellipse album, and another fascinating piece of art.




LITTLE BIRD
A downtempo and seemingly simplistic tune that slowly builds and develops into a truly complex and gorgeous song.




Once again, the entire album is off the charts genius and every song she has is amazing.  I would recommend to anyone and everyone that they buy everything this lady ever puts out.  Imogen is usually considered to be more of an act that attracts female listeners, but I can attest it speaks to everyone.

She actually has released a small single as of late called Propeller Seeds which I was pretty impressed with.  It is a very light and somewhat upbeat piece.  I feel like its a little quiet, and doesn't have as much meat as some of her other works, but it is a really good song either way.  So that is to say that she hasn't lost her touch...

PROPELLER SEEDS
Yessir.




All in all, Immy is one of, if not my favorite artist of all time.  She is just so good.. and so good consistently.  I am dying to hear a new album from her here soon, but I don't know if it is in the cards.  I guess we will just have to see...

MINOR UPDATE

Apparently she has released the first track from her fourth album that is in the works.  This track is called Lifeline... very solid track.

Lifeline by imogenheap

Thanks for stopping in.

-CS