posted by Patrick on May 9, 2012
{photo courtesy of chromewaves.net}
South By Southwest is a treasure-hunter’s dream: 2000+ bands, spread over a hundred stages and venues, with nothing more than a handbook in six-point type to guide you through the maze of obscure names and faces. At its best, the festival is an opportunity to watch terrific new bands before the masses overwhelm them. One of those hidden gems was an all-female band from Norway named Razika. Razika caught my attention while slogging through a sampler of tracks from 1,400 bands expected at SXSW. Most of those were mediocre or worse, but Razika’s sound really stood out. It starts with an upbeat, jangly, poppy rhythm that took a while to identify: it was ska, something you never hear anymore. Razika isn’t really a ska band, but ska influences most of their tracks. Razika is also unique in that they sing in both English and Norwegian. Somehow it doesn’t seem to matter which language they choose; their lyrics are more like an instrument than a means of communication. Most importantly, Razika was pure fun. On stage they harmonized, smiled shyly, and powered through a set of brisk, infectious tracks. There were tighter acts, with more serious sounds, but for one hour on one night, Razika was a guiltless pleasure. If they ever escape Norway again and tour near you, definitely give them a shot. Treasure abounds.
Razika – Nytt Pa Nytt (Downloaded 59 times)
Razika – Eg Vetsje (Downloaded 54 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Female vocal • Happy • Poppy • SXSW2012 • Upbeat
(7 votes)
Loading ...posted by Susanna on January 16, 2012
I’m looking forward to a lot of things in 2012, but music-wise the new Morning Benders album has me the most excited. If you like the feel-good vibes that you get from the Kooks (review here) or Phoenix, you’ll feel right at home with the poppy harmonies of the Morning Benders. The band resides in Brooklyn, but they formed in Berkeley, California. You can definitely soak up the California sunshine in their music, listening to “Cold War’” and “Promises,” both from their most recent album, Big Echo. You might also find yourself swaying along to the undeniably catchy lyrics and folky guitar found in nearly every track. If you’re really craving a carefree mood (think driving down a country road on a sunny day with the breeze in your face and no particular place to be), check out the video below of “Excuses,” performed with a full hipster orchestra in a Yours Truly session. How can you deny the joy of that?
Morning Benders – Cold War (Downloaded 363 times)
Morning Benders – Promises (Downloaded 278 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Americana • Happy • Male vocal • Poppy • Upbeat
(21 votes) Loading ...posted by John on January 7, 2012
Editor’s note: we’re happy to welcome John M. to our staff. Please rate this post and let us know how you like it.
Days, the sophomore release from Ridgewood, NJ’s Real Estate, follows in the footsteps of their self-titled debut. It’s a familiar sound, but this time around it’s delivered in a tighter, brighter package. Full of chiming guitars, lazy beats, and shimmering arpeggios crashing into each other, the songs are bound together by the beautifully languid vocal melodies of singer and guitarist Martin Courtney, and the band’s laid-back, reverb-soaked vibe.
“It’s Real,” the album’s first single, pulses with the steady drumming of Etienne Pierre Duguay, some “oh, oh, ohs” from Martin, and the chiming guitar lines of Matt Mondale to make it the catchiest track of the bunch, and a perfect entry point for folks just getting to know the band.
The production on Days sounds thick and lush, but the songs themselves are stripped back to the vitals. A quick verse into the chorus, with a little guitar interplay to lock it all together is all that’s needed to deliver a big, warm sound. Even a long song like “All the Same” doesn’t have a wasted note or gratuitous part at over seven minutes in length.
Lyrically, Real Estate keeps things streamlined too. Good vibes, simple times, peace and harmony with a hint of wistful bliss and wonder, are the main topics throughout. Even songs like “Out of Tune,” with its direct, confrontational lyrics, seem to handle a bad situation with a brush aside of the hand, when relinquished with a beautiful vocal melody:
It was all out of tune
You’re entering this town
Yourself a weeping clown
You play along to songs written for you
Days is a solid batch of songs. Breezy pop, great harmonies, and the jangle of the guitars make for a great record to play with the windows down on a summer day, or better yet on a cool night to warm things up.
RIYL: Early 90s Brit Pop, Pysch-Pop, The Thrills, Luna, The Feelies, The La’s
Real Estate – Its Real (Downloaded 333 times)
Real Estate – Easy (Downloaded 316 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Happy • Male vocal • Reverb
(15 votes) Loading ...posted by Ariana on December 8, 2011
First, and to disclaim, there’s nothing new from Bibio (at least I don’t think so). This song is just new to me! Second I’d like to acknowledge some facts. I realize that my previous Bibio post was wildly idealistic, perhaps even grotesquely so, but I still stand by it because it is true. The following song, which fits into that schema, was released this summer. It intended to be a summer song – just look at the title. But perhaps that makes it all the more stirring now that the leaves are all gone and the winter is upon us.
“Don’t Summarize My Summer Eyes” is a fabulous wordplay and a marvelous instrumental. Bibio generally uses his voice like an instrument, not really giving precedence to the vocabulary except when the words warrant comprehension. This and many other Bibio songs evoke a barren city, a pale sunlight, a glinting body of water on the verge of solidity (specifically the beginning and end of “Don’t Summarize”). They are luxuriously bleak. They put me in a lonesome, observational mood, but I don’t mean this in a bad way. In fact, let me rephrase. Some Bibio songs make it perfectly acceptable to be alone and observational. Or they highlight that lonesomeness that is latent in everyone.
Bibio – Dont Summarize My Summer Eyes (Downloaded 3556 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Ambient • Electro • Happy • Instrumental
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January 7th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
I like these guys, the guitar playing reminds me of Johnny Marr’s.
January 9th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Totally hear the Johnny Marr guitar. Great record, bought it love it!
January 15th, 2012 at 8:54 am
This is great! They sound a lot like a more upbeat version of Husky.