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 Jessica on October 27, 2011
Little Dragon at Chicago’s North Coast Music Festival. Photo by Jessica Mlinaric.
“Summer’s Last Stand,” that’s the tagline behind North Coast Music Festival, a three-day fest that features an eclectic mix of electronic, hip-hop, and jam-band acts. Held last month in Chicago’s Union Park, the second annual event boasted a bill including David Guetta, Of Montreal, Thievery Corporation, Fatboy Slim, Gogol Bordello, Bassnectar, and Common. Amidst the DJ sets, and pervasive animal spirit hats, Swedish band Little Dragon paid tribute to the season’s closing with their blend of deliberate electro beats and wistful R&B.
Weaving like a gypsy, front woman Yukimi Nagano cast a spell on the Technicolor-clad kids in the crowd with her signature smoky melodies, draped in a scarf and spinning on stage. Although formed in 1996, Little Dragon has been turning heads lately with their third album, Ritual Union, and recent collaborations with Gorillaz, Big Boy, David Sitek, and Raphael Saadiq. Simplistic yet soulful, the yearning title track offered the summer a dream-synth sendoff. With an atmospherically stark but entirely upbeat pop sound, Little Dragon has timed every vaporous vocal and snap of the snare to count, the whole effort airily radiating like the late summer sky.
Facebook || Official site || North Coast Music Festival
Little Dragon – Ritual Union (Downloaded 666 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Danceable • Dream Pop • Electro • Female vocal • North Coast Music Festival • Synth • Upbeat
(12 votes) Loading ...posted by Alex on October 9, 2011
I really wanted to begin with my favorite Wilco lyric, however, when I sat down at my computer, I drew a blank. I can’t even pick my favorite song; how the hell am I supposed to think of one lyric out of thousands of beautiful lines? Still, I was determined to find that one lyric; a lyric that I wish I could have wrote. I immediately went to my two favorite albums: Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Much to my surprise, I found that perfect lyric. Thanks Jeff; love inspires me too. “I know I can’t sing / Until she brings the song to life.”
The groundbreaking Chicago band, Wilco, has done it again. On September 27th, Wilco released their eighth studio album, The Whole Love. Like all their albums, The Whole Love encompasses a perfect blend of uptempo and offbeat songs, along with slow, poetic love songs. I want to dance to “I Might” and I am a total sucker for weird instruments. The keyboards are straight out of the sixties. ”Capitol City” is very unique, and shows off Jeff Tweedy’s vocals and the band’s incredible musicianship. Their tour sadly will not stop in my native sate, but some of you lucky people will be offered a wonderful gift. Now stop reading and go buy their album…please.
Wilco – I Might (Downloaded 353 times)
Wilco – Capitol City (Downloaded 1128 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Beautiful Lyrics • Downbeat • Male vocal • Retro • Upbeat
(16 votes) Loading ...
October 28th, 2011 at 1:26 am
[...] the rest of my review and get MP3s at Indieball.com. LD_AddCustomAttr("AdOpt", "1"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Origin", "other"); [...]