posted by Lewi on November 19, 2010
Marseille holds precious memories for me, a city that I treasured for a week with a close friend back in 2008. I enjoyed the city in the South of France, and I am now enjoying the indie-folk sounds of seven-piece band Hey Marseilles (which added an “s” to the city name). With a style that could maybe be compared to Mumford & Sons or The Decemberists, the first impression I had of the group was the variety of instruments that the seven boys can play between them, and exceptionally well too it would seem. It is certainly true that there is strength in numbers, in terms of band members and instruments, but Hey Marseilles bark is just as strong as their bite, and can play, and most importantly, seamlessly link, all of them into their songs as if they’d just been picked up for the first time. More and more indie-folk bands are emerging onto the scene, and I would say that Hey Marseilles have a style that definitely leans towards the mainstream, but also catapults back into the underground and maybe safer territories of real music lovers.
The song chosen for your listening pleasure is ‘Rio’, shot in an abandoned airplane hangar in Seattle in just one take. Frontman Matt Bishop explained that the song underlies themes of travelling and friendship, and how new and different things can be found through those two points. I for one, could not agree more with him. The lyrics speak volumes without a hint of pretentiousness, and the video (below) put a smile on my face, and reminded me of simpler versions of Coldplay and James Blunt videos. I thought the contrast between moving and still was fantastic, and how the themes of the song bled into the video – showing just how versatile and creative Hey Marseilles can be. And that whether you’re chilling, partying or sharing new moments with your friends, or even reliving old ones, that music is nearly always the perfect accompaniment.
Hey Marseilles – Rio (Downloaded 1527 times)
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November 20th, 2010 at 2:54 am
Hey, I’m french and I love your blog but there is a mistake : Marseille doesn’t take an “s” at the end. In the band name, it takes an “s” but they’re wrong !
Thanks for sharing great music,
Lucas
November 20th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Thanks Lucas – we’ll fix this. And thanks for following along.
November 21st, 2010 at 12:43 am
Could not agree more with you Lewi on any of this. You’re a fantastic writer.