Pitstop: Brooklyn Rider

My discovery of New York City based string quartet Brooklyn Rider occurred due to the awesomeness that is NPR and their Tiny Desk Concerts and actually marks the first time I'm talking about classical music on this blog. Equally comfortable playing Debussy, Haydn, and Cage; the string quartet also teams up with singer/songwriters, Turkish kamancheh players, and plays some of its own members' compositions. To call the band purely a classical group actually doesn't accurately describe the quartet or its goals. Brooklyn Rider is a unique blend of influences wishing to stretch across a wide terrain through the vehicle of the string quartet. Instead of isolating itself in any one period of classical music or any school of musical thought, the quartet uses its four talented members to weave together these musical tapestries that can best be described as genre-bending. Not in the sense that artists like David Garrett or Vanessa Mae or even the Turtle Island String Quartet bend genre but into this totally different, raw, organic thing. Their latest release Dominant Curve is inspired by Debussy and how he brought outside influences into classical music and joins together Debussy's own String Quartet in g minor with works by Brooklyn Rider violinist Colin Jacobsen, Kojiro Umezaki from Japan, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovski from Uzbekistan, and an electronic/acoustic arrangement of a John Cage work by Brooklyn based composer Justin Messina. The result is this product that is universally accessible both to classical music lovers and others.

Check out Brooklyn Rider with their NPR Tiny Desk Concert that won me over:

Lykke Li announces new album

Fresh off the release of her sultry "Get Some" single and video, Lykke Li offered up some album details. The new album entitled Wounded Rhymes will be out in early March (the end of February if you're one of those lucky devils in the UK) and promises to be much darker than her sweetly innocent 2008 debut Youth Novels. Sure, the album had the Swedish singer declaring her fiery passion and work ethic on "I'm Good, I'm Gone" and banishing a lovelorn lover in "Breaking It Up" but they were done in kind of a cutesy way and Lykke Li is over that. Her sophomore album, produced by Peter, Bjorn, and John's Bjorn Yttling and released on her own LL Recordings, will see a more grown up but still remarkably independent Lykke Li. Not surprising with lyrics like "I'm your prostitute and you gon' get some" off the single. In an interview with Pitchfork, Lykke Li expresses her desire to be de-categorized as a cute Swedish female singer and instead for people to focus on her lyrics and what she has to say, instead of her looks. Here's hoping, Lykke Li.

Check out the tracklist for Wounded Rhymes out Febuary 28th in the UK, March 1st in the US, March 2nd in Swedish, and worldwide the first week of March:

1. Youth Knows No Pain
2. I Follow Rivers
3. Love Out of Lust
4. Unrequited Love
5. Get Some
6. Rich Kid Blues
7. Sadness Is a Blessing
8. I Know Places
9. Ladies Love
10. Jerome
11. Silent My Song

She's also heading out on another worldwide tour (after playing the last of her sold out shows in December) in March. See if Lykke Li will be in a city near you here.

Left With Pictures' November In Time

Well it's the last Monday of the month so that means British chamber pop-pers Left With Pictures are serving up another brand new In Time video. I was awaiting the arrival of their November In Time since immediately after their October one since I was curious what they'd use for inspiration. Abroad there's no major holiday in November like Thanksgiving in the US, so they'd probably find inspiration in other things. Their latest In Time song/video "Stuck In Time" is a curiously little thing. Dark sounding like last month's "October Waits" but also way more colored and full of flushed out sounds, the In Time shows what amazing things can happen when a talented bunch of instrumentalists get together. The video, directed by Chad Mason and shot in a single take by Greg Harris, features Stuart Barter traveling backwards through a house while band members occasionally swoop in to add their instrumental parts in before Barter joins the band in the outside garden-area with his banjo and some choral-like group vocals. The rather dark sounding nostalgia-fueled tone of the song changes at times, towards hopefulness and a little something more before suddenly just sorta cutting off. The interesting thing about the track was the finality of it all, it very well could have been the last In Time track but it's not and makes me incredibly excited about next month's.

Watch November's In Time "Stuck In Time":



Left With Pictures is currently offering up a limited edition of their upcoming In Time album for pre-order. The special edition comes with a 2011 wall calendar, a CD and a DVD featuring the 12 videos, and a poster. So if this sounds like your cup of tea, you can order it from the band's record label Organ Grinder Records here.

Stricken City eases album wait with new video...sort of

So while British pop rock outfit Stricken City keeps fans guessing as to the actual release date of their debut album, they have given the occasional reprieve like the summer's free Animal Festival EP. With the new redesign of their website they've offered up a new one in the form of another album track "Losing Colour" which has a music video in the works, and now thanks to a friend of theirs they have a new video. Only it's not quite what you'd expect. It's a fan video of My So Called Life using their track "Corridors" which is inspired by the series. The track seems to follow the band's recent transformation from jangly dance-y pop into something more ethereal and precise. Whereas Rebekah Raa's lyrics were pretty gloomy before, the music they're set to actually shows that. Anyone whose listened to the band's mini album Songs About People I Know wouldn't be surprised by this artful departure from their "norm" but it still shows that the band is growing. Which is pretty awesome considering most bands grow after their debut albums. Enjoy the fan video featuring "Corridors":

The Voluntary Butler Scheme - At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea.

Sure bands are often influenced by music from times gone by, some even do decent replications, but so few times does someone channel that inspiration and influence in something dynamically unique. That's where The Voluntary Butler Scheme aka Rob Jones comes in. On his debut album At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea., Jones calls forth his '50s and '60s influences to create innocently sweet, subtle, bright sunny indie-pop that will melt even the iciest of hearts. His melodies are infectiously well-crafted, memorable, singable, catchy, and his lyrics are smart in this remarkably off-kilter way where they both do and don't matter at the same time.
Probably the most surprising thing about Jones' album is that he plays the majority of the instruments you hear on it. This might be surprising to some who notice that ensemble sound that he manages to get from himself and is the reason Jones goes down as one of my favorite one-man-bands. He's assisted by a couple friends on several tracks to play additional instruments (mostly horns), but you'd be surprised how little times he actually is. He's assisted on only 4 out of the 14 tracks by only four people. That's impressive.

One of the things I love about At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea is that even though he splits the album into three sections, the songs all work together. Several of the songs he had written before work on the album actually serve to anchor the album in this remarkably gratifying way. Usually when someone predominantly plays drums like Rob Jones (who used to be the drummer for retro indie pop group The School), melody comes almost second to rhythm but not here. His melodies are fully flushed out and just really fun to listen to. So fans of talented multi-instrumentalists specializing in unique melodic indie-pop rejoice: The Voluntary Butler Scheme is after your heart and sure to win it with his charmingly quirky debut album.

The Tallest Man on Earth - Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP

The Tallest Man on Earth aka Swedish folk singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson released his sophomore album The Wild Hunt earlier this year in April, an album that reached songwriting heights I didn't think were previously possible. Turns out, the charming Swede has songwriting skills positively pouring out of him as within a small break from touring in support of the album in the summer, he had time to write four brand spanking new songs which he has released with a fan-favorite concert closer "Like the Wheel" in the form of his new Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP. Sure nature imagery, exceptional fingerstyle acoustic guitar, smokey vocals are trademarks of Matsson's but he also shows his versatility with electric guitar on "The Dreamer". The album plays as intimately as if Matsson himself were in your living room, crooning his melancholic, nostalgia-inducing folk ballads and makes you marvel how he could write so many good songs in so short a time. If this EP is any indicator of the quality of an upcoming album, fans should be prepared to have their wildest expectations met and exceed them by leaps and bounds. Seriously.

Pitstop: Justin Branam

My discovery of Justin Branam was a happy little accident and says a lot about the awesomeness of social networking sites. You see, Andrew Belle retweeted one of Branam's tweets that I found humorous as well as true. The tweet went as follows: "Someone needs to publish a concert goers etiquette pamphlet". I retweeted it, and Branam thanked me for the retweet. I then decided to check out the Nashville based singer/songwriter and was quite pleased with the result. Turns out I had heard of Justin Branam before.
Justin Branam recorded a couple songs via his iPhone and release them to raise money for the recording of his next album. A pretty sweet method of both recording and of raising money. Once again, I heard about this from Andrew Belle, via tweet. Intrigued by the concept, I headed over to Justin Branam's MySpace to give his music a listen. Braham's vocals are the perfect blend of not-too-husky robustness and tender soul-stirring ethereality and his guitar playing works to perfectly compliment them.

Get a taste of Branam's delightfully good folk-influenced guitar pop with "Dial Tone" from his iPhone Sessions.


As a result of Branam raising money via his iPhone Sessions, you can expect a new album from him soon. Til then, you can listen to his music including his now out of print debut album Words Worth Mentioning and Branam's rousing collaboration with a string quartet, his Introducing Justin Branam EP via his MySpace here.

The Lost Cavalry - Waves Freeze to Rolling Hills EP

British five-piece The Lost Cavalry's 4 song EP Waves Freeze to Rolling Hills is folksy chamber pop done oh so right.

You'd think with so many instruments at their disposal that things would get a little hectic and every song would be packed with sound but the fellows of The Lost Cavalry know a thing or two about restraint. Their songs, even balladic "Secret Steps", are the very definition of reserved. Each instrument contributes solely to the overall mood of the track and works in complete balance with the other instruments. Even the backing vocals are used sparingly, surging up at just the right time to deliver heart-clenching punches. The EP is a pretty somber affair, the most upbeat track on it being "Oh Sally" where the band channels up a midnight mariachi band serenading a lovely lady underneath her balcony window. The serious nature of the songs belie the fact that the lyrics are about tightrope walkers, sailors lost at sea, and a buried elephant and that the band can infuse seriousness into such subjects, says a lot about the band's talents both in delivery and presentation.

Listen to The Lost Cavalry's debut EP at their bandcamp and if you like what you hear, you can either download their latest single "Elephant of Castlebar Hill" for free or buy the whole EP for cheap.

Sufjan Stevens releases dazzling "Too Much" video

When I first heard Sufjan Stevens' "Too Much" off his recent release The Age of Adz, I thought it sounded dancier than his standard compositions. In his video for the track, Stevens and some friends team up for some wacky dancing in the pseudo stop motion animated video. The video features some shapeshifting, eccentric fashion choices, and demon and Ronald Regan masks all thrown into a club like atmosphere with psychedelic colors and geometric shapes. Did I mention the eccentric fashion choices? Because there are a lot of them. But also wacky choreographed dancing. And everyone loves wacky choreographed dancing.

Watch Sufjan Stevens music video for "Too Much":

Andrew Belle - The Ladder

Several months ago, I mentioned Andrew Belle, and I’m actually surprised it took me so long to get his debut album The Ladder. Sure there are tons of videos available via Youtube et al. that allow you to get a taste of the Nashville based Illinois native, but that’s actually doing yourself a disservice. From the initial verse of “The Ladder”, it was obvious that this wouldn’t be your average record. Belle’s debut is one of the strongest I’ve heard in some time. Belle’s songwriting is nuanced, unpredictable, and smart with vibrant, thoughtfully chosen words that heighten the already evocative quality of the lyrics. In fact, the weakest track on the album (“Tower”) is the only song not written by Belle himself. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s actually quite good. Just stands alone; lacks the subtlety that Belle’s own lyrics demonstrate.
Sometimes you encounter good songwriting with musicianship that doesn’t quite fit but you’ll encounter none of that here. Each instrumental embellishment only adds to the tracks: an organic evolution from just guitar and vocals.

Andrew Belle’s debut is masterful enough to give even the most experienced songsmiths a run for their money. The album is catchy without being hokey or artificial, sincere in a way that other singer/songwriters should take note of, and memorable for only the right reasons. Interestingly enough, the album starts off as this thoroughly interactive affair and gets more and more intimate as it progresses; hooking you in with poppy goodness before stripping that away to expose the raw talent at its foundation. The Ladder, shows a man who not only has practically limitless potential but also makes good choices: in collaborators, in arrangement, in track order. So if you’re interested in Andrew Belle, don’t be like me. Pick up The Ladder immediately. You’ll find that it’s the only thing that does him any justice.

Now Streaming: Anya Marina - Spirit School EP

Today marked the release of Anya Marina's Spirit School EP and she's celebrating by announcing some tour dates as well as streaming the full 5 song EP at Spinner.com. The EP is more dance-y than her previous songwriting efforts and may have to do the inclusion of Sam Fogarino of Interpol and Michael Benjamin Lerner of Telekinesis as producers as well as dueting with Dandy Warhols' frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Listen to the EP at Spinner here.

Pitstop: Johnny Flynn

My discovery of Johnny Flynn was dually due to LastFM and Laura Marling. Because Johnny Flynn is folk singer/songwriter like Marling, and they often collaborate together, it was probably only a matter of time before I was introduced to him and I'm certainly glad I did. Flynn's brand of folk can be best described as poetic lyricism combined with instrumental pyrotechnics, and undulating vocals with bassy robustness. And even though he's one of those jack-of-all-trades types (also a working actor), his music brims with all the ingenuity, sincerity, and talent as an accomplished folk troubadour who plays purely for the joy of it. It also helps that his backing band The Sussex Wit are also a talented bunch.

Johnny Flynn released his sophomore album Been Listening earlier this year in June in the UK, and the album was released in the US and Canada late last month. Get a taste of Johnny Flynn with the second single from Been Listening "Barnacled Ship":

Adele returns with "Rolling in the Deep"

When I had read that Adele had been influenced by country for her upcoming sophomore album, 21, I was a bit nervous about what to expect. But "Rolling in the Deep", the album's first single put my nerves to rest. The track sounds like outlaw country rock if you added in some strong piano lines and with Adele's soulful vocals adding in some bluesy glamor. It's like a mash up of doo-wop, delta blues, with the catchiness of pop to create a toe-tapping, hand-clapping soul song done oh so right. The video for the single features in studio footage from Adele's recording sessions in Malibu, California. It's actually refreshing to see the singer who's songs are often about heartbreak, actually having fun. Enjoy the video for "Rolling in the Deep":

Lykki Li releases "Get Some" video

Following the recent free digital release of "Get Some", Swedish lovely Lykke Li is already serving up a video for it. The video for the steamy single features some footage from girl-power sci-fi black and white B-movies and Lykke Li dressed as an alien strangely remiscent of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" while performing some scary witchcraft.

Enjoy the eerie yet somehow sexy video of "Get Some":

Toh Kay to release split album

Tomas Kalnoky continues with his solo efforts as Toh Kay with the release of a split album with Dan Potthast of MU330. The split, entitled You By Me: Volume 1, features the two singer/songwriters covering 5 of each other's songs. The album is the first in a series that allows for two artists to reinterpret each others songs with a no rules sort of openness. You By Me: Volume 1 is set for a November 16th release by the Pentimento Music Company

Here's a preview of what you can expect of the album with the video for Toh Kay's version of "I've Set Sail":

Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire (2006)

My introduction to Sean Lennon happened randomly when during a live broadcast of HitRECord’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s collaborative media project) final Summer in the City show he and girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl took the stage and sang a couple songs. I was intrigued but didn’t actually act upon it until several months after when I came across Sean Lennon’s album Friendly Fire at a Barnes & Noble. Any research would reveal that Sean Lennon is John Lennon’s son but being that I only have the most cursory knowledge of John Lennon and his music, I feel I was able to appreciate the album in a way that Sean Lennon expected: able to stand on its own musical merits and the effort the songwriter put into it.
Inspired by real events from Sean Lennon’s life where his girlfriend cheated on him with his best friend who then died in a motorcycle accident, a lot of the lyrics have a lot to do with his feelings toward them and sometimes himself. Considering how tragic the circumstances, I was surprised how melancholic the album wasn’t. For the first part of the album, the tracks are reflective, contemplative, but oddly never really that sad. Or if they are, they’re also oddly hopeful or resigned. Around “Tomorrow” the album gets a more positive feeling with only vague hints of any sort of sadness until space-rock-esque “Would I Be The One” and album ender “Falling Out of Love” which sounds rather happy with its Elton John-like piano trimmings but has some of the most dark lyrics on the album with some absolutely gorgeous arrangements. The song reveals the end result of all the craziness: A man unwilling to love for fear of being hurt again which is presented in an almost stunningly beautiful way.
The album is probably the best example of a fluid album I’ve found so far. There are really no standout tracks on it, rather each song contributes to the overall pathos. Similarly to artists like Regina Spektor, the music wouldn’t be out of place in a soundtrack lending itself rather nicely to background music but drawing attention to itself at just the right time. That’s not to say the music isn’t capable of standing on its own but rather doesn’t insist upon itself. The songs on Friendly Fire blend seamlessly into each other and Sean Lennon’s vocals are almost disarmingly quiet, and the songwriting is liberally sprinkled with lyrical gems that you’re sure to miss if you’re not paying attention.

Considering this was the biggest music gamble I’ve ever taken (I spent around $25 on the album including tax after only hearing the live broadcast performance), I was pretty pleased with the result. The songs aren’t particularly catchy (they’re not meant to be) but still have this way of staying with you long after they’re over. I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who after listening to the album once wasn't compelled to immediately hit repeat.

Hello Mtn - "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" (Neil Young Cover)

You might remember me mentioning Hello Mtn before. Hello Mtn is Horse Feathers' Catherine Odell's other musical endeavor with Matthew Morgan. Today the band released one of the first songs they recorded together, a cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", featuring cello, Odell's light airy vocals with Matthew Morgan backing, and some guitar. The glorious pairing works marvelously together and just makes much more excited for their upcoming record.

Listen to Hello Mtn's version of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" here:
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Neil Young Cover) by hellomtn

Watch: The Tallest Man on Earth - "Love Is All"

Somewhere between the constant touring in support of The Wild Hunt and the recording and releasing Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird EP, The Tallest Man on Earth aka Kristian Matsson had time to film or rather give the go ahead for the music video for "Love Is All". The video consists of Super 8 footage compiled by director Johan Stolpe that brings the nostalgic track to almost critically heart-rending levels.

Watch the video for "Love Is All" here:

Lissie - Catching A Tiger (2010)

“David Lynch Loves Lissie”

That’s the headline that started it all. Paste Magazine posted an article about David Lynch’s love for Lissie in August and I was immediately intrigued (Not intrigued enough to just read the article strangely but intrigued to do some research). Who is Lissie? What does she do and why does David Lynch, filmmaker extraordinaire, love her? Well Lissie is a twenty-something singer/songwriter from the Midwest. Thanks Google. First and second question answered. The last question came only when I picked up her debut album Catching A Tiger last month. The thing that sets her apart from all the singer/songwriters out there is the sometimes gritty rock style she plays in, while wailing her heart out in a way that demands your instantaneous attention. And yet she has this aura on nonchalance as well. Like she could care less about these peeks into her soul she gives. Her vocals are raw but also controlled in this way that makes you marvel at how easy she makes it seem. “Record Collector” has a swagger and folk tale lyricism that coupled with Lissie’s effortless yodels lead you to expect a country album while “When I’m Alone” and “In Sleep” elevate it a bit with emotion-invoking pop rock goodness.

Catching A Tiger is this fluid genre-bending work with its mix of personal and storytelling lyrics, folksy country twang (“Record Collector”), piano balladry (“Bully”), hyperactive feel good rock (“Cuckoo”); It all keeps attached with Lissie’s emotive vocals. Just when you think you know what to expect, Lissie shatters those expectations by bringing in some different sort of influence. In that way, she keeps the album from being this boring sobfest or standard singer/songwriter fare. Lissie doesn't just bring you on an emotional roller coaster but baits you to follow her by pretending not to care while giving you reassuring glimpses at just the right time.

Get a glimpse of Lissie with a live video of "In Sleep":

Watch: Cast Spells - "Glamorous Glowing"

Maps & Atlases' frontman and Dave Davison sets off on his own this December as Cast Spells, his sideproject of similar awesomeness. To celebrate, there was the release of his debut music video for "Glamorous Glowing". The video has this multi-colored cube that's almost Rubik's cube like, floating and changing colors in a variety of different nature settings. Watch the video here:


Check out the December tour dates for Cast Spells with Steven Mason
12/14 Red Palace - Washington D.C.
12/15 M. Room - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
12/16 Knitting Factory - New York, New York
12/17 Mercury Lounge - New York, New York
12/18 Great Scott - Allston, Massachusetts
12/19 Il Motore - Montreal, Canada
12/20 Wrongbar - Toronto, Canada

So if he's playing anywhere near you, go see Dave Davision sing heartfelt folk-inspired playful pop and be amazing. You'll be glad you did.

Watch: Left With Pictures - "October Waits"

Sometimes inspiration for their monthly In Time project is hard to come by for chamber pop Brits, Left With Pictures. However their most recent track/video "October Waits", directed by Ed Christmas, with its spooky clustered vocal accompaniment, dark and airy balladic a capella, and setting in an abandoned hospital wouldn't surprise listeners with its inspiration from October's major celebrated holiday: Halloween. The track features Toby Knowles on vocals whose lower range gives the track some extra oomph, and features some bone-chillingly awesome viola solos in between all the swooping and swaying in the vocals.

Watch the latest In Time release "October Waits" here:


Left With Pictures has also announced plans to release an In Time album sometime in January 2011 and perform a release party/Christmas party for their label Organ Grinder Records on Dec 17 in London. Stay tuned for some info on the album.

Watch: Good Old War - "That's Some Dream"

It's hard to believe that somewhere during all their whirlwind touring, folk-pop troubadours Good Old War had the time to do anything, much less film a music video. But in a case of shooting two birds with one stone, the trio released the video for "That's Some Dream". Directed by Andy Patch, the video follows the band around on tour showing some live show performances and everything in between. Watch the delightfully charming video:


Good Old War is currently on tour in support of their sophomore self-titled album.

Watch: Local Natives - "Who Knows Who Cares"

Local Natives continue their trend of rapid music video releasing (a la Beyonce) with the premiere of a new video for "Who Knows Who Cares". The video marks their fifth release and features the band and friends road-tripping into the wilderness where they have a picnic that turns into a food-fight with an assortment of vibrant colored fruits before turning into a bonfire concert filled for a bunch of random, attractive youngsters who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Watch the video for "Who Knows Who Cares":

Lykke Li - "Get Some"

Lykke Li makes good on her promises of new songs by releasing a brand spanking new single "Get Some". The song with its hypnotizing drum beat and burlesque swagger is a sexier Lykke Li than her debut Youth Novels might have lead listeners to believe but also seems a natural progression. Lykke Li focuses her drive and passion established in "I'm Good, I'm Gone" and "Breaking It Up" into a sultry, come hither display of power.

The single along with B-side "Paris Blue" are available for free download at Lykke Li's website here.

Listen to "Get Some":
Lykke Li - Get Some by radarmaker

Anya Marina to release School Spirit EP

Anya Marina has more or less been quietly at work since her 2009 sophomore release Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II. However some of the fruits of her labor can be seen with the 5 song School Spirit EP, scheduled for a November 15 release, that consists of a series of duets with some of her musical pals. The first track from the EP, "Whatsit" features Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor on vocals and a grungy upbeat guitar rock sound that was merely hinted at on Slow & Steady Seduction. Stream "Whatsit" on Spin.com here.

Spirit School will be released digitally only by Marina's label Chop Shop and features more of her music friends such as Telekinesis' Michael Lerner and Sam Fogarino of Interpol.

Anya Marina is also working on yet untitled third album due sometime in Spring 2011.