Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand In Mine
One of my favourite post rock songs ever. What's better is a father and daughter covering it. It's such a good way for them to bond with each other. Absolutely lovely.
Outkast - Hey Ya! (acoustic version)
If people still remember this song, it's a hip-hop song. How could this guy possibly make an acoustic version of a hip-hop song? Sooo good. I like how's the direction of it, really folk-y and warm. Kudos!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The week that was Aug 4 - Aug 10
pg. 99 - Document #7
This screamo band is kinda hardcore. Very harsh for me even though I listen to a lot of hardcore stuff. Nonetheless, it has the same structure with my favourite screamo band, Circle Takes the Square: 4 or 5 minutes of continuous guitar strumming with drums background then 3 minutes of vocals then back with the droning. The vocals abit better than most screamo bands I have heard. Great band even though you basically only can hear "RAWRRAWRRAWR" without the lyrics.
link
City of Caterpillar - s/t
*same comments with pg. 99 except a bit better*
link
you.may.die.in.the.desert
Great instrumental post-rock band. The album balance the melodic, quite side with trembling, loud side exceptionally well. For some reason, I feel somewhat cheeky when I listen to some of the tracks. Must be the odd time signature of the songs. The only turn off could be the name but it's a hit for me. Uplifting and melodic, great music for your ears.
link
The Depreciation Guild - In Her Gentle Jaws
Imagine those music from Tetris or Pac Man or Super Mario Bros. and mix them up with great rock music. That product can be said on this album. One thing I also like about this album is the dreamy vocals. It doesn't really sound like a matching couple but the band make it work spellbindingly. There were some misses in the album like some unusual synthesizers mix and musical arrangements but the pros overcome the cons easily in this album.
link (The official site since the album is free to download by the band)
This screamo band is kinda hardcore. Very harsh for me even though I listen to a lot of hardcore stuff. Nonetheless, it has the same structure with my favourite screamo band, Circle Takes the Square: 4 or 5 minutes of continuous guitar strumming with drums background then 3 minutes of vocals then back with the droning. The vocals abit better than most screamo bands I have heard. Great band even though you basically only can hear "RAWRRAWRRAWR" without the lyrics.
link
City of Caterpillar - s/t
*same comments with pg. 99 except a bit better*
link
you.may.die.in.the.desert
Great instrumental post-rock band. The album balance the melodic, quite side with trembling, loud side exceptionally well. For some reason, I feel somewhat cheeky when I listen to some of the tracks. Must be the odd time signature of the songs. The only turn off could be the name but it's a hit for me. Uplifting and melodic, great music for your ears.
link
The Depreciation Guild - In Her Gentle Jaws
Imagine those music from Tetris or Pac Man or Super Mario Bros. and mix them up with great rock music. That product can be said on this album. One thing I also like about this album is the dreamy vocals. It doesn't really sound like a matching couple but the band make it work spellbindingly. There were some misses in the album like some unusual synthesizers mix and musical arrangements but the pros overcome the cons easily in this album.
link (The official site since the album is free to download by the band)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The week that was July 22 - Aug 3
M-m-m-m-mega post!
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Way better than their previous album, Takk. The first 5 tracks are epic which Jonsi's vocals still brings the main energy in all the songs. I feel that this time around they're smart enough to cut the chunks off their songs. Pretty solid but Ágætis byrjun and ( ) are still better albums.
link
Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
They're such a fun band to listen to. They sound like Los Campesinos! had a threesome with of Montreal and Architecture in Helsinki. Super catchy melodies with sing-a-long lyrics, definite recommendation to anyone feeling the blues.
link
Download single: Black Kids - Listen to Your Body Tonight
E For Explosion - Reinventing the Heartbeat
I really like the lyrics in this album but the sound can't hold long enough to make me hearing it again and again. Each of the songs sound almost the same with one another but there are some which outstands the rest. The lyrics are great and emotional (NOT EMO!) as the vocalist channels the flow smoothly. Kinda mediocre but I would give them another chance as I feel they have potential.
link (pass: sharedmusic.net)
Gifts From Enola - Loyal Eyes Betrayed My Mind
This album is like maybeshewill except more of a post rock + hard rock than post rock+ heavy metal. The lead track has a very solid bassline and great drummings as well. The rest of the tracks are pretty forgettable, to be honest. I wouldn't mind listening to it once again but there are better post rock bands out there.
link
Air France - No Way Down EP
Great summer electronic music right here. Or spring maybe. I have not heard many electronic albums before but this is really enjoyable. Maybe it's the groove in the album or the matching samples or the layers of the music or there's no random electronic noise that I've always heard in techno music.
link (pass: nodata.tv)
Download single: Air France - No Excuses
I Would Set Myself On Fire For You - Believe in Patterns
Even though it's not as good as Circle Takes the Square, it's still a great album. Even though it's a screamo album, there are some songs which are either instrumental or a female vocalist actually singing. Although most of their songs are over 5 minutes long, the buildups to the climax are really intense and epic. Although screamo is a great genre, I wouldn't recommend this album to people who wants to get into the genre. But nevertheless, a great band.
link
Metric - Live it Out
I got really high expectations for this band as some of their members are from Broken Social Scene but I was left dissapointed. I thought they would somehow sound like Stars but they were more of the rock type. All of the songs are sung by their female vocalist. For some reason, I'm not really into the guitar riffs (must be the stars comparison). Anyway, nice band but if you want something better, go for Broken Social Scene or Stars.
link
Download single: Metric - Monster Hospital
The Radio Dept. - Lesser Matters
I really dig this band. They had a dreamy sound like Deerhunter and Moscow Olympics and they're Swedish! Those swedish with their poppy music. Close your eyes while listening to this album and you can just feel the emotions. Kudos!
link(pass: nodatta.blogspot.com)
Download Single: The Radio Dept. - Where Damage Isn't Already Done
Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun
Their sound is very metal-like but it is consider post-rock for some reason. Even though it's an instrumental album, it seems there's a story in it. According to the band's leader, he said he was inspired by The Great Leap Forward. In communist China, they labelled sparrows, mice, flies and mosquitoes as pest and therefore has to be exterminated. Peasants were encouraged to bang pots and pans to scare sparrows into continuing flight, eventually killing them from exhaustion. Whilst the harvest of the year after the campaign was larger, there was a massive rise in locust numbers in the late 1950s, as a result of the significantly lower population of sparrows, a major predator of the locust. Because of this, 38 million people died of famine thanks to the destruction of crops by the locusts. End of History lesson.
Anyway, one thing that strikes me about this album is their freaking LONG song titles. Let me give you an example, "And by Our Own Hand Did Every Last Bird Lie Silent in Their Puddles, the Air Barren of Song as the Clouds Drifted Away. For Killing Their Greatest Enemy, the Locusts Noisily Thanked Us and Turned Their Jaws Toward Our Crops, Swallowing Our Greed Whole". Their sound is kinda rough but there is time when crescendos were used to reduce the dryness of them. Okay album but I think they can do much better than that.
link (pass: sharedmusic.net)
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Way better than their previous album, Takk. The first 5 tracks are epic which Jonsi's vocals still brings the main energy in all the songs. I feel that this time around they're smart enough to cut the chunks off their songs. Pretty solid but Ágætis byrjun and ( ) are still better albums.
link
Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
They're such a fun band to listen to. They sound like Los Campesinos! had a threesome with of Montreal and Architecture in Helsinki. Super catchy melodies with sing-a-long lyrics, definite recommendation to anyone feeling the blues.
link
Download single: Black Kids - Listen to Your Body Tonight
E For Explosion - Reinventing the Heartbeat
I really like the lyrics in this album but the sound can't hold long enough to make me hearing it again and again. Each of the songs sound almost the same with one another but there are some which outstands the rest. The lyrics are great and emotional (NOT EMO!) as the vocalist channels the flow smoothly. Kinda mediocre but I would give them another chance as I feel they have potential.
link (pass: sharedmusic.net)
Gifts From Enola - Loyal Eyes Betrayed My Mind
This album is like maybeshewill except more of a post rock + hard rock than post rock+ heavy metal. The lead track has a very solid bassline and great drummings as well. The rest of the tracks are pretty forgettable, to be honest. I wouldn't mind listening to it once again but there are better post rock bands out there.
link
Air France - No Way Down EP
Great summer electronic music right here. Or spring maybe. I have not heard many electronic albums before but this is really enjoyable. Maybe it's the groove in the album or the matching samples or the layers of the music or there's no random electronic noise that I've always heard in techno music.
link (pass: nodata.tv)
Download single: Air France - No Excuses
I Would Set Myself On Fire For You - Believe in Patterns
Even though it's not as good as Circle Takes the Square, it's still a great album. Even though it's a screamo album, there are some songs which are either instrumental or a female vocalist actually singing. Although most of their songs are over 5 minutes long, the buildups to the climax are really intense and epic. Although screamo is a great genre, I wouldn't recommend this album to people who wants to get into the genre. But nevertheless, a great band.
link
Metric - Live it Out
I got really high expectations for this band as some of their members are from Broken Social Scene but I was left dissapointed. I thought they would somehow sound like Stars but they were more of the rock type. All of the songs are sung by their female vocalist. For some reason, I'm not really into the guitar riffs (must be the stars comparison). Anyway, nice band but if you want something better, go for Broken Social Scene or Stars.
link
Download single: Metric - Monster Hospital
The Radio Dept. - Lesser Matters
I really dig this band. They had a dreamy sound like Deerhunter and Moscow Olympics and they're Swedish! Those swedish with their poppy music. Close your eyes while listening to this album and you can just feel the emotions. Kudos!
link(pass: nodatta.blogspot.com)
Download Single: The Radio Dept. - Where Damage Isn't Already Done
Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Sun
Their sound is very metal-like but it is consider post-rock for some reason. Even though it's an instrumental album, it seems there's a story in it. According to the band's leader, he said he was inspired by The Great Leap Forward. In communist China, they labelled sparrows, mice, flies and mosquitoes as pest and therefore has to be exterminated. Peasants were encouraged to bang pots and pans to scare sparrows into continuing flight, eventually killing them from exhaustion. Whilst the harvest of the year after the campaign was larger, there was a massive rise in locust numbers in the late 1950s, as a result of the significantly lower population of sparrows, a major predator of the locust. Because of this, 38 million people died of famine thanks to the destruction of crops by the locusts. End of History lesson.
Anyway, one thing that strikes me about this album is their freaking LONG song titles. Let me give you an example, "And by Our Own Hand Did Every Last Bird Lie Silent in Their Puddles, the Air Barren of Song as the Clouds Drifted Away. For Killing Their Greatest Enemy, the Locusts Noisily Thanked Us and Turned Their Jaws Toward Our Crops, Swallowing Our Greed Whole". Their sound is kinda rough but there is time when crescendos were used to reduce the dryness of them. Okay album but I think they can do much better than that.
link (pass: sharedmusic.net)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Black Cab Sessions
A couple months ago, there was an article on Star In. Tech about a website called Black Cab Sessions. I thought it was something about how technology change the cabbies' lives but I was wrong. What I found out was this website showcases mainstream and independent artists where they do a mostly acoustic performance in a typical London cab. It's really good as it shows how talented these people are.
Death Cab For Cutie - No Sunlight (acoustic version)
I can't believe they didn't put this into their album instead of the electric version. This was 10X better than the latter.
Someone seriously should do like a website where musicians do an A Capella in public washroom.
Death Cab For Cutie - No Sunlight (acoustic version)
I can't believe they didn't put this into their album instead of the electric version. This was 10X better than the latter.
Someone seriously should do like a website where musicians do an A Capella in public washroom.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The week that was July 7 - July 21
Wasn't in the mood to update the catalog and none of my albums have not finished downloading. Anyway, I still got a few new albums.
Deerhunter - Microcastle
I'm going to be straightforward, this is one of the best albums of the year. It's completely amazing. From the thundering drone of "Calvary Scars" to the monstrous jam of "Nothing Ever Happened", I can define variety with this album. Besides that, there are a few great songs for the summer like "Agoraphobia" as the singer sang the lines "Cover me, Come for me, Comfort me" dreamily. I can say so much about this album, but the only way to find out its awesomeness is just listening through the whole thing.
link
Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
Yeah, only one album for these 2 weeks. Kinda sad really. Still waiting for new Sigur Ros to be completed.
Deerhunter - Microcastle
I'm going to be straightforward, this is one of the best albums of the year. It's completely amazing. From the thundering drone of "Calvary Scars" to the monstrous jam of "Nothing Ever Happened", I can define variety with this album. Besides that, there are a few great songs for the summer like "Agoraphobia" as the singer sang the lines "Cover me, Come for me, Comfort me" dreamily. I can say so much about this album, but the only way to find out its awesomeness is just listening through the whole thing.
link
Deerhunter - Agoraphobia
Yeah, only one album for these 2 weeks. Kinda sad really. Still waiting for new Sigur Ros to be completed.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Week that was June 30 - July 6 (PART DEUX)
Maybeshewill - Not For Want of Trying
Imagine this. Post-rock meets techno with a dash of metal. Brain-hurting much? Their sound is so interesting. You really won't expect that the direction of each song will end up like that. Great, fresh music.
link
Download single: maybeshewill - He Films the Clouds, Pt. 2
I wanted to review another album but I haven't get the feel of it yet.
Imagine this. Post-rock meets techno with a dash of metal. Brain-hurting much? Their sound is so interesting. You really won't expect that the direction of each song will end up like that. Great, fresh music.
link
Download single: maybeshewill - He Films the Clouds, Pt. 2
I wanted to review another album but I haven't get the feel of it yet.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Week that was June 30 - July 6
Yay! Finally finished downloading new Coldplay. Been listening to more post-rock once again.
Caspian - The Four Trees
I have achieved nirvana with this album. Super relaxing and orgasmic to your ears. I can recommend this to anyone who wants to hear good music without any vocals. Great first track (Moksha) which has more textures than Alvin's hair.
link
Download single: Caspian - Moksha
Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss EP
Yndi Halda (Pronounced Yin-dee Hal-dar) means enjoy eternal bliss in Old Norse language. From what I can listen, I can see that there is a direct influence from classical music with thunderous violin overlapping the droning guitar melodies. Each of the EP's 4 tracks last at least 10 minutes. However, I find some of the songs kinda draggy which makes you want to skip to the next track. But the band is smart enough to give the listener a good crescendo after them. For those who loves beautiful violin works, give it a try. Others, steer away from it if you are REALLY impatient.
Link (pass: bunalti.com)
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
I can safely say they're taking a new route with this album. No more "BIRDS GO FLAHYING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND!!" they began to sound more relaxed. Their sound is as minimal as their first album, Parachutes which has one of my favourite songs (Don't Panic). Nothing much to say with this album, just think X&Y but less texture and more calming. Sorry no download since this is a mainstream album. (well, just search it at bittorrent or something)
To be continue tomorrow with 2 other albums I got last week.
Caspian - The Four Trees
I have achieved nirvana with this album. Super relaxing and orgasmic to your ears. I can recommend this to anyone who wants to hear good music without any vocals. Great first track (Moksha) which has more textures than Alvin's hair.
link
Download single: Caspian - Moksha
Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss EP
Yndi Halda (Pronounced Yin-dee Hal-dar) means enjoy eternal bliss in Old Norse language. From what I can listen, I can see that there is a direct influence from classical music with thunderous violin overlapping the droning guitar melodies. Each of the EP's 4 tracks last at least 10 minutes. However, I find some of the songs kinda draggy which makes you want to skip to the next track. But the band is smart enough to give the listener a good crescendo after them. For those who loves beautiful violin works, give it a try. Others, steer away from it if you are REALLY impatient.
Link (pass: bunalti.com)
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
I can safely say they're taking a new route with this album. No more "BIRDS GO FLAHYING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND!!" they began to sound more relaxed. Their sound is as minimal as their first album, Parachutes which has one of my favourite songs (Don't Panic). Nothing much to say with this album, just think X&Y but less texture and more calming. Sorry no download since this is a mainstream album. (well, just search it at bittorrent or something)
To be continue tomorrow with 2 other albums I got last week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)