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Looking vaguely similar to British music innovator Imogen Heap in her image galleries, Chicago-born Connecticut living Lia Kessel’s music is hard to categorize. It’s a form of art pop with an emphasis on keyboards and occasional worldly instruments from Indian to Oriential. This style of sound which made last year’s spellbinder Glasser’s “Interiors” so infectious and charming...
It's been many moons since I heard a fresh chillout album. Gone were the days of accessible lounge albums that also made the charts (the days of Morcheeba, Zero & ) and yet were exactly what you needed after a long day. Instead they were banished to be only heard in clothes shops, lifts and the pre-trailer section in movie cinemas. It was unfair.Those songs were nameless as the staff were ignorant to music...
In 16 years, Imogen Heap has released only four albums (in addition to collaborating with Guy Sigsworth as Frou Frou) and that’s not because her ideas are non-prolific and that she goes through creative dry spells but rather like Portishead, Heap embarks on ambitious projects that need time to brew to perfection...
It’s been a waiting game (an ode to track 3) anticipating the release of Julian Bank’s debut record and as an early ambassador of her gloomy rhapsodic vocals and underground R&B Beats. For the intriguing of being familiar and typically contemporary of the UK scene and yet just different and challenging enough to not be too commercially viable. It’s ironic that the musician with such a British sound...
One criticism I usually make about an album, is it’s lack of variety but in the case of San Francisco-formed Brooklyn-based Lemonade’s freshly squeezed third album “Minus Tide" that is a form of praise. The cohesive mix works as a complete platform to post-summer blues. “Neptune” from their predecessor “The Diver" caught my attention onto Lemonade, for it’s mix of Enigma meets Jan Hammer...
Norway’s Sondre Lerche has as much charming arrogance and suggestive connotation as a winking smiley, but we love him for it. It’s this smugness that makes his lyrics so cheeky and honest. His clever poetic construction of lyrics has always reminded me of Jason Mraz before he sold out and lacked any distinctiveness (evidence: “I’m Yours") and Jamie Cullum for that likeable son-in-law voice which would accessible...
There is just something I love about French music, whether it’s the sultry, self-confident, inspiring sounds or the distant pronunciation of their vocals to the point where it sounds alluring or suspiciously sinister. To put it bluntly it’s never boring and should be championed for sticking to it’s guns and oozing creativity. With a limited knowledge of the French language, spotting the “oui” and “au revoir”...
A while ago now, Annie Eve teased us with the stunning track “Basement”, a track with clever bass and snare drum beats, beautiful harmonics and is wonderfully ambiguous. What does “Basement” refer to? Is it an actual basement? “nothing tastes like dust…”, or something rather more private: I wanted to give it away but I couldn’t…” , we decide as the listener. Eve herself on Drowned in Sound referred to it being an acronym...
On the surface of it through the CD Covers, Photoshoots and the name of the band, Bombay Royale seem like they would be another energetic Indian troupe playing out to a particular audience of Bollywood Beloveds. There’s more to them than that Bollywood Bashers. Firstly they hail from Australia and not all members are Indian, infact the band was conceived by vanilla skinned saxophonist...
Although she embraces forward-thinking promotion strategies, significantly with her decision to release a new album through direct-to-fan music platform Pledge Music, her music methodology remains the same in all her albums. Hayes’ reliability has kept her at the forefront of the Irish indie rock scene and is due to a certain formula that’s guaranteed to feature in all her work: reoccurring themes of belonging and homesickness, her folksy introspective lyrics...
There’s some real brilliance on the Melbourne producer’s debut album when it’s excels in the Sigur Ros style of patiently building spacious sonic atmospheres and moody eurphoria, illustrated best in “Now I Hear Noise.” It sounds like the soundtrack to a documentary about heaven or a spaceship trip to that place. There won’t be any hit singles from the album but that isn’t it’s purpose...
Even the most unstereotyping and musically cultured musicologist might fail to recognize the nationality and religion of this singer-songwriter after listening to a whole album of hers. That's because Malaysia's Yuna doesn't make it obvious that's she is of Eastern background and Islamic heritage. Her beliefs are not forced upon the listener and also her music is far more influenced by the west. She doesn't want to be thought of as "that Muslim lady" and but a normal everyday woman that can write and sing...
Kero Kero Bonito is a bi-lingual band that perform in English and Japanese. Deerhoof’s “#81” showed us that the two cultures can mix successfully to create addictive songs and my introduction to KKB: “Sick Beat” also proves likable with a Lily Allen style of singing about being a tomboy: “It’s often said I should get some girly hobbies instead”, she exclaims....
This is potentially one of the most challenging and narrow-mark etability albums of the year. It’s instrumental jazz but with experimental spice that leans towards a more mysterious darker edge with a rusty core. The Canadian trio teased us with the Kenny-G-enius piano jazz masterpiece (yes I will call it that) of “Confessions” earlier in the year and it made us want more. So released in May, is their full length third album imaginatively titled “III (three)”....
What came first Haim or Larkin Poe? Haim formed in 2006 and it took an awful long time for them to release their single-packed debut. Larkin Poe formed in 2010 and have just released their first effort, despite releasing 5 EPs previously. I ask the question because there are similarities to both bands. They both contain only sisters with different quantities: Haim (3), Larkin Poe (2) and they both hail from the States: Haim (California), Larkin Poe (Georgia) and attempt to make a dated roots rock...
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