Chris Garneau @ City Winery

Last Friday I caught Chris Garneau at City Winery. City Winery is an interesting place for a music venue, but I thought it was quite nice to be able to sit and drink wine and enjoy a relaxing performance. Chris played for about an hour and had a fairly large band for the small stage (from what I could see from my weird side angle, two cellists, a violinist, three brass players and I could hear a percussionist but couldn't see them). He played more of his beautiful ballads than of his weirder songs that I love so much - though he did play "Fireflies," which is one of my favorites. And it's possible that he did play my favorite ("Dirty Night Clowns") and I just missed it because I got there about 10 minutes late and the show started promptly on time - how very unusual in the music industry! Seeing him live and really being able to hear the lyrics clearly, though, made me realize how dark even his ballads are.

The audience seemed to be mostly composed of people who didn't know that much about him (except a few friends scattered throughout the audience) but by the end of his set, everyone seemed to love him. I could hear people around me talking about how blown away they were by him and at the end of songs it wasn't unusual to hear a murmur of "wow" or something along those lines. I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away but I that's mainly because I have been a big fan of his for a while now, so I knew he would put on a great performance, which he did.

Dirty Night Clowns [mp3] - (iTunes)

Smitten With Smallen

Dave Smallen, formally of Street To Nowhere, has just released his first solo record Everything Changes and Nothing Change - well, finishing releasing it, that is. Smallen self-released his album one track at a time over the course of 2009, all the while garnering comparisons to Bright Eyes, Wilco and Counting Crows. The track below is not only a joy of disarmingly home-grown charm to listen to, it just gets better and better as the song progresses. In fact, I dare you not to shake your shoulders back and forth at the "sha-la-la-la" section. I've never had the pleasure to see him live, but judging by his music, it sounds like he'd be a blast in concert. If you like well-grounded acoustic alternative rock numbers that contain smart licks, honest laments and a pinch of hootenanny for good measure, then you'll love Dave Smallen.

I Think It's Getting Better [mp3] (iTunes)

Kina Grannis Full-Length Debut: Stairwells

Not only does she write super sweet Valentines Day pop numbers, but today singer-songwriter Kina Grannis drops her debut full-length album Stairwells. With a voice startling similar to Ingrid Michaelson's on many tracks, Kina explores the different facets of love, from the sure and secure "Valentine" to the heart-wrenching softly sung plea "Stay Just A Little While." "Back To Us" is a ukulele-strummed jaunty stroll that affirms that if you love, then love will come back to you, while "Heart And Mind" is a gentle picked guitar and warm cello number that admits how scary it is to say those three words. The album itself is chock-full of extremely accessible pop numbers, practically dripping with primetime television destiny (*cough*Grey's Anatomy*cough*) and sweetly caressing with its authentic love-riddled past - which proves to be its greatest strength. In Stairwells, Kina is able to take the exact thoughts that anyone in a relationship has had and weave them together with clarity and pitch-perfect sincerity. The end result is a promising album laced with velvet vocals, beautiful pop ballads and spot-on encapsulation of the ups and downs of love.

Valentine [mp3]
World In Front Of Me [mp3]
Support the artist: Purchase the album on iTunes

Passion Pit video - "Little Secrets"

Not quite as good as the videos for "Sleepy Head" or "Reeling," but sure looks like it was a lot of fun to be a part of.

K'naans FIFA World Cup 2010 theme song

Ok so this song is incredibly cheesy, but I can't help liking K'naan's new track "Wavin' Flag (Celebration Remix)" and thinking that it is indeed perfect for the 2010 FIFA World Cup that is taking place in South Africa - it's got patriotism, happiness, strength all as themes, plus it has clear African influences. And let's face it: sports fans can get incredibly sentimental, so a sentimental song is fitting. Coca Cola has selected the song as their theme song for the 2010 World Cup at least - I don't know if that makes it the official theme song or what (I know Ricky Martin's "Cup of Life" was the official World Cup song in 1998). Anyway, listen and enjoy.

Wavin' Flag (Celebration Remix) [mp3] - (iTunes)

Kid Savant

This one’s a slow burn, but I couldn’t take my ears off of it. Kid Savant consists of Ryan Weisberger, John Sullivan, Kevin Pariso and Andrew Wendahl, and when they're all put together they make a fusion of pop, electro-rock and synth-riddled tracks that conjure whirlwinds of hypnotic reveries. Once you've listened to them, it should come as no shock that their synth sound was influenced by late-night clubs and DJs, but whereas an addition of rave-like effects can easily create a heavy and repetitious song, Kid Savant's usage creates complexity and depth. "We try to reincorporate certain staple parts of house/techno songs like a breakdown or crawl into our own novel sound."

Oh yeah, and they're all college students.

Better Side Of Paradise [mp3]

Sondre Lerche @ The Varsity

Sondre Lerche came to Minneapolis on Wednesday and performed at the Varsity Theater, which has undergone some remodeling recently and become an even more lovely venue. Sondre himself said that the Varsity had been on his wishlist since he played there two years ago; it was so beautiful that, coupled with the beautiful faces of his fans, he didn't know where to look while playing. "Good thing I play most of my songs with my eyes closed," he chuckled.

Sondre's choice for opener was Jesse Merchant, aka JBM, a one-man band whose melodic guitar playing echoes the sounds of Erik Mongrain. JBM played mostly on acoustic guitar, opening with Years/Cleo's Song, but switched to electric and simultaneous drums, impressively keeping an interesting beat while picking the guitar for "Winter Ghosts." For his set, JBM played slow-burning atmospheric ballad jams with a peaceful crooning finish, but you could tell that despite the delicately beautiful pieces that enticed serene images of mountains and crisp cool air, the audience wanted something to bob their heads along to. Nevertheless, opening acts are chosen because the headliner thinks they need to get the word out, and JBM is a fantastical ambient acoustic artist. One listen to his daytrotter session should be enough to convince you.

Stepping on the stage straight out of 1982 came Sondre Lerche, decked out in a jean jacket, acid wash jeans and black moon boots. Animated and dripping with charisma, Sondre started things off with "Good Luck," and then electrified the energy with a swankier "Airport Taxi Reception" than the recorded version I was used to hearing. Live performances of Sondre makes me wonder what he is better at - singing or rocking the hell out of the guitar. With each familiar song, I found myself pleasantly surprised at how Sondre had changed and re-interpreted the melodies, changing the chord progression just slightly here or plucking dramatically there, creating a fresh recipe out of an old favorite for me to sink my teeth into. For a prime example of this, check out his performance of "Two Way Monologue" (I highly recommend the last two minutes):



The entire evening continued to be a joy, with Sondre not only charming all with his talent but also with his friendly talkative nature. The audience felt comfortable asking Sondre questions throughout the concert - during one cute moment in particular, a girl wearing a bracelet that had belonged to her grandmother inquired if Sondre knew what the Norwegian words that were inscribed in it meant. Sondre, with no hesitation, asked to see the bracelet and told her "Well, this word is lil' - not 'little', but 'lil'. L-i-l ping! ...Like lil' Kim or lil' John," which garnered smiles and chuckles from the room.

For most of the concert, Sondre sang in full, with eyes tightly shut and blond bangs being flipped every which way as his vocals soared. For the encore, Sondre had JBM come back out and join him for "Phantom Punch" and told the crowd to "feel free to bounce and do stuff that you do in clubs on a Saturday night after midnight," which the audience gladly did. Closing on duet "Mother Nature," Sondre simply allowed the crowd to sing Lillian Samdal's part and the result was overwhelmingly female voices full of swoon, no doubt belonging to girls with stars in their eyes from it all. Contrary to the upbeat trotting nature of the original number, Sondre let it trail off to a slower, softer means of a goodbye, with the whole audience singing the last the last sentence about four times acapella, giving the evening a nice eased closure.

All in all, it was a delightful night. Sondre is more impressive live than he comes across in recordings. He not only does he feel the music with his heart and body, he flirts with it, and by doing so, makes for a great performance.

SETLIST
Good Luck
Airport Taxi Reception
I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today
Two Way Monologue
Heartbeat Radio
Happy Birthday Girl
Dead Passengers
Pioneer
My Hands Are Shaking
Stupid Memory
Easy to Persuade
Words & Music
Sleep on Needles
Encore:
Phantom Punch
Modern Nature

More Photos:

Sondre Concert

Free Broken Social Scene track

After 5 years, Canadian music collective Broken Social Scene is finally coming out with a new album, Forgiveness Rock Record, on May 4th. They've released the first track off of it today, and you can download it for free by signing up for their mailing list:

EXCLUSIVE New Cosmo Jarvis Track!

A few weeks ago we posted about spunktastic indie pop singer-songwriter Cosmo Jarvis and today we get to exclusively release another track from his debut album. Not to be fooled by its seemingly carefree reggae underbelly, "Sunshine & Dandelions" is a track from the pensive "Sonofabitch" portion of the album, exploring the more complex and darker realm of the mind. Cosmo has this to say for the track:

Sunshine and Dandelions is a song that developed whilst thinking about abortion and the extremes of emotion and the mental state that I thought must lead to this decision. It simply compares the potential beauty of the relationship that leads to a child's conception to the sometimes - emotionally detached decision one must make to end a life before its beginning (or after, I know shit about the biology of it). The song then presents less serious acts (in my eyes) stemming from a pragmatically inhumane thought processes - requiring the thinker to disregard all that they know a civilised human being should think, if they are to be looked upon by others as a person that can comfortably reside in a society inhabited by animals rapidly disregarding their primitive, primeval origins.

While Cosmo Jarvis uses his fantastic wit and imagination for the first half of his debut to write songs about Jessica Alba and Gay Pirates, he can also address serious subjects with serious songcraft, which is rarely heard of these days for someone his age. Check out the track below, and if you like what you hear, you can purchase the album here.

Sunshine and Dandelions [mp3]

Interview with Marc Collins of Nouvelle Vague!

So I finally got YouTube to work and finally got this video uploaded, so here it is! Not my best work since it's just a straight up interview with no footage to cut between (plus it was noisy at Webster Hall!). But anyway, those of you Nouvelle Vague fans out there might find it interesting, and Marc was a really nice guy.



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Theme Thursday - Work

So these past few weeks have been kind of hellish for me work-wise. Thus, don't have much time today so I'm just doing a quick Theme Thursday - work! It's pretty much all I can think about right now, sorry guys. I know it's not all that creative, but we haven't done it yet and these are three pretty good songs.

Working Man's Blues [mp3] - The Devil Makes Three (iTunes)

This Devil's Workday [mp3] - Modest Mouse (iTunes)

Actor Out of Work [mp3] - St. Vincent (iTunes)

Matthew Barber

Sometimes there are songs that you know from the first few notes are going to be a favorite. One night while wasting time on iTunes instead of sleeping I came across one of these songs by a Canadian artist named Matthew Barber--the song is called "Easily Bruised." There is a great video of the song that you can see here on YouTube.

Matthew Barber claims as his influences artists such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young. He has been a mainstay in the Canadian music scene but is just now making the jump south of the border into the US. He has released 2 full-length albums and an EP, with a new album True Believer coming out at the end of the month.

Easily Bruised [mp3] - (iTunes)

You and Me [mp3] - (iTunes)

New Pattern Is Movement track!

Ever since I saw this Philadelphia duo open for St. Vincent last year, I have been completely obsessed with Pattern is Movement. They definitely stand out as one of the most unique bands that I've ever encountered: they look like lumberjacks and yet they make beautiful, flowery but distinct music with incredibly complex rhythms and rich, multi-layered vocal harmonies. I expect to see great things from this band (we put them on our bands to watch for 2010 list) and while their genius may never be appreciated in the mainstream, I think they will continue to build a solid indie following in their own right. 

In keeping with everything I've said thus far, here's a lovely new track from them called "Light of the World." It will only be available at the merch table of their shows as part of a limited tour-only EP release with other unreleased tracks (including a David Bowie cover - intriguing!). They will soon be heading on tour with another indie band that I love, Via Audio (see dates below).

Light of the World [mp3]

TOUR DATES:
02/23/10 - Washington, DC @ DC9
02/24/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kungfu Necktie
02/25/10 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
02/26/10 - Boston, MA - Middle East
02/27/10 - Hamden, CT - The Space
02/28/10 - Buffalo, NY - Big Orbit Soundlab
03/01/10 - Toronto, ON - The Drake
03/02/10 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
03/03/10 - Bloomington, IN - Bishop
03/04/10 - St. Louis, MO - Billiken Club @ Saint Louis University
03/05/10 - Milwaukee, WI - Club Garibaldi
03/06/10 - Depere, WI - Baba Louies
03/07/10 - Madison, WI - The Frequency
03/09/10 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's
03/10/10 - Dekalb, IL - The House Cafe
03/12/10 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
03/13/10 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Fugue
03/17/10 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/18/10 - Austin, TX @ Hometapes SXSW Showcase
03/19/10 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20/10 - Austin, TX @ Hometapes Friend Island
03/21/10 - Mobile, AL - Alabama Music Box
03/23/10 - Columbia, SC - The Whig
03/25/10 - Charlottesville, VA - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar

Matt Costa

While I don't have a lot of time these days I do still make sure to catch a few tv shows a week, one of these shows is Chuck. During this past week's episode there was one of those sentimental moments usually accompanied by a great song. Lucky for me I had iPhone handy with my trusty Shazam app which told me this song was "Astair" by Matt Costa.

Matt Costa, an independent singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, originally intended on a life as a pro skateboarder until a leg break forced him to reconsider. When Tom Dumont of No Doubt came across his music a friendship formed and Matt was able to produce the EP Songs We Sing. He has since toured with Jack Johnson and played at festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo. These two songs are from his self-titled EP, and you can listen to all his albums on his website here.

Astair [mp3] - (iTunes)

Shimmering Fields [mp3] - (iTunes)

V-day Sampler from The Alternate Root

Here's a V-day sampler from The Alternate Root, since I'm feeling a little too lazy to create one myself today (and no, I'm not a V-day hater, I just thought this picture was hilarious. As is this one...).

Flashback Friday: Jerry Ragovoy

When Reprise sent Miriam Makeba into the studio around 1966/67, "Pata Pata" was not what they were expecting. They had commissioned an album of American pop songs, and to get the job done they tapped the reliable Jerry Ragovoy as producer. But before heading into the studio, Ragovoy went to see Makeba perform, and he decided that he was more interested in recording the traditional South African music that made up her live show. The result was the Pata Pata LP, including the hit title track, which Ragovoy not only produced but co-wrote.

"Pata Pata" was a bit of a stylistic anomaly for Ragovoy, but it isn't much of a surprise given his incredible range and flexibility as a composer, arranger and producer. During his prime in the 1960s and '70s, Ragovoy demonstrated fluency in pop, rock, doo wop, soul, R&B, gospel and funk, and often blurred the lines between them.

Growing up in 1940s and '50s Philadelphia, Jordan "Jerry" Ragovoy was steeped in "race music" – gospel, soul, blues and R&B. He was a classically trained pianist but got his start in the music business as an entrepreneurial producer. Noticing talent in some local youths singing outside of the appliance shop where he was working, a teenage Ragovoy asked if he could record them. To put the record out, he started his own label with the shop's owner.

He soon discovered that he also had a knack for arrangement, and by the early '60s Ragovoy was churning out a steady stream of successful singles, many of which would later be re-recorded and explode as signature hits for other artists. He co-wrote and/or produced the original versions of "Time Is On My Side" (The Rolling Stones), "Cry Baby" and "Piece of My Heart" (Janis Joplin), and "Good Lovin'" (The Young Rascals).

In 2008, the UK label Ace put out a career-spanning compilation of Ragovoy's work. The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is On My Side includes rarities as well as hits, all with excellent sound quality, and liner notes written by Ragovoy himself.

The compilation kicks off with Lorraine Ellison's soulful ballad "Stay with Me." Legend has it that when Frank Sinatra canceled a studio booking at the last minute, Ragovoy found himself with free studio time and a full orchestra – and only a few days to put the song together. He completed the arrangement and made the powerful recording in one take.

Lorraine Ellison - Stay with Me [mp3] - (Amazon)

Carl Hall's "You Don't Know Nothing About Love" is a gut-wrenching (and slightly androgynous) declaration of heartbreak from a broken man, once again co-written, arranged and produced by Ragovoy. Introduced by a low, wavering organ line, Hall tells of the consequences of his self-destructive love, for purposes of catharsis and, finally, as a cautionary tale: "One day my friend, it's gonna be your turn... Then, and only then, will you know just what I'm talking about." The track didn't make much of a dent in the charts, possibly because it's depressing as hell.

Carl Hall - You Don't Know Nothing About Love [mp3] - (Amazon)

Ragovoy continued producing regularly through the '70s and, ever the entrepreneur, founded the Hit Factory, the aptly named recording studio complex in New York City, now unfortunately a condominium building. When the Ace compilation came out, NPR's "Fresh Air" did a nice profile on him, including excerpts from some of his landmark recordings.

Quick Links

Blood - The Middle East [mp3] (iTunes) (myspace) Amazingly solid and sturdy songs have been secretively emerging from this Australian band these last few months since the release of their debut EP. Sounds like Bon Iver meets Fleet Foxes with a splash of Arcade Fire whimsy.

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons [mp3] (iTunes) (myspace) From another debut EP, this song has become a favorite of mine. It got people talking when Australian listeners rated it no.1 on the Triple J hottest 100 countdown, if only because the world was so surprised that the masses could come together and choose something without autotune and hip hop beats. It's fantastic folk-rock with voices that chime in harmony over raw acoustic guitars.

Rocket Ship Love - Julian Berntzen [mp3] (iTunes) (myspace) This one released in 2008 but showed up in my inbox this month. Pop with a bit of sass to spruce up those gray wintry skies. Recommended for those who like Mika.

Change of Time - Josh Ritter [mp3] (myspace) Advance track from Josh Ritter's upcoming album So Runs the World Away, which drops May 4th.

Kina Grannis

Kina Grannis is one of those musicians who got their start on YouTube. In 2007 Grannis started making videos of her performances and got her big break a few months later when she won Dorito's Crash The Superbowl contest. Her music video "Message From Your Heart" was aired during the Superbowl and seen by 97 million viewers, which ended up scoring her a record deal. In the last 2 years Kina Grannis has produced 3 EPs and plenty more youtube videos, but on February 23rd, Kina will independently release her debut full length, Stairwells. Check out the appropriately-themed track, especially if you're a fan of Ingrid Michaelson, Missy Higgins or Colbie Caillat.

Valentine [mp3]

Nouvelle Vague @ Webster Hall 1/23/10

I realize this is a bit delayed but I had the privilege of attending the Nouvelle Vague show at Webster Hall on January 23rd. Not only that, but I got to film an interview with one of the band members and producers, Marc Collin, beforehand (keep your eye out for that to be posted some time soon - I'm having YouTube issues so for today, I'm just going to write about the show).

Opening for Nouvelle Vague was the lovely Clare and the Reasons. Adorable, as always, she had more brass players than the last time I saw her, which was a very nice addition. Unfortunately, the audience was kind of a bust during her set - everyone in the back at the bar was talking which kind of ruined it for us up front and seemed to be zapping a bit of energy from the band. Of course, it was still a fun set. I felt bad for one of the band member's sister, Meredith, as the French percussionist / saw player kept dedicating every song to her since I guess this was her first time making it out to one of their shows. I also have to say that the little branches they always put in front of their microphones, while a cute idea, make it really hard to see (and photograph) their beautiful faces, so I kind of wish they would move them behind them or something.

All the Wine [mp3] - (iTunes)

Nouvelle Vague was headlining and they were fantastic. I'm kind of pissed actually because that might be the best show I see all year, and it was only the third week of January!!! The two lead singers, Karina and Helena, were some of the most entertaining and sexy front-women I've ever seen and they seemed like they were having so much fun, dancing up a storm, acting out the music, crawling around on the floor, and just in general rocking out. I have to say, I picked the perfect spot to stand, as Karina (pictured right) kept coming and standing/sitting on the front of the stage directly in front of me. They played a very long set with two encores (set list photo courtesy of my dear friend Ryan Ong, who took some fabulous photos of the show, as well).

Blister in the Sun [mp3] - (iTunes)

More photos:

Nouvelle Vague @ Webster Hall

Minnesota Monday: Brother Ali

Brother Ali is huge here in Minneapolis and has received mountains of raving reviews, so imagine my surprise when I realized we've never written about him before. I'll admit it took me a while to get on board since hip hop/rap isn't quite my scene, but Brother Ali has flow, erudition and meaning in his work that other artists completely lack. Pitchfork said of him, "If rap didn't exist, he'd be the greatest high school guidance counselor in Minneapolis." Brother Ali has been through a lot in his life - a painful divorce, homelessness, raising a son, bullying for being albino - and he has taken his experiences and put them into smart hip hop/rap concoctions that not only make you bob along but also listen.

In his latest and fifth release, Us, Brother Ali continues to produce remarkably raw and real tracks that explore a large array of human conflicts. Instead of using stories from his own life like he did on previous albums, Brother Ali focuses on the injustices and troubles that exist for others in this world."Babygirl" is a story about how a girlfriend still struggles with the after effects of childhood abuse, "The Travelers" contains an epic depiction of African slavery in America with lines that read like poetry, and then there's a lyrical masterpiece that takes three different lives (a female Somalian immigrant, a gay teenager with a Preacher for a father, and a child of divorced parents) and weaves them together as each struggle to make their two worlds balance in "Tight Rope."

Using the aptly titled Us, Brother Ali once again conveys the message of the Golden Rule. "The same color blood just pass through our veins/and tears taste the same when they're splashing your face/ The worlds getting too small to stand in one place/ it's like we're roommates just sharing a space."


Not gonna lie, whenever I listen to Brother Ali, I'm just like the kid at 1:19.

Us [mp3] (iTunes)

Flashback Friday: Miriam Makeba

While watching a Jets game with my family a few weekends back, every few commercial breaks I was treated to a car commercial built around a catchy, unstoppably joyous, African-sounding pop song. As far as I could tell, however, the lyrics weren't in English, so my hopes of simply being able to ask the internet later that evening were temporarily dashed, until my dad noticed the commercial for the first time and conveniently declared, "Hey, that's Miriam Makeba!" In my memory, this was accompanied by some brief dancing, but it's possible that I added this to the mental image after the fact.

Turns out the song is called "Pata Pata" (and sung in Xhosa, if you're curious), and it was a fairly sizable hit when it was released in 1967. I challenge you to sit still while listening to it.

Pata Pata [mp3] - (iTunes) - (the commercial at YouTube)

But there was an imperceivably melancholic element to the song's recording, which comes to light in the full view of Ms. Makeba's life and career.

Miriam Makeba grew up singing in South Africa and found great success there, but she was anxious to go to the West. Eventually getting the chance, she first traveled to Europe and then the U.S., where she was supported by and collaborated with Harry Belafonte. Spreading the musical heritage of her home country while simultaneously denouncing its practice of apartheid, she eventually gained the moniker "Mama Africa" and became as well known for her civil-rights activism as for her music. This resulted in her South African citizenship promptly being revoked; she was effectively exiled from her home country when she attempted to return for her mother's funeral in 1960, only a year after she had left.

"Pata Pata" is a song about a traditional dance done "down Johannesburg way... Every Friday and Saturday night it's pata pata time!" she giddily exclaims during two brief English-language interludes. However, at the time she recorded the song, it was not clear that she would ever be able to return to her native country. As the New York Times pointed out, "It’s impossible to guess what she may have been thinking when she sang ["Pata Pata,"] in the full knowledge that she herself would not be welcome back in Johannesburg until a regime change."

(There are some other interesting circumstances surrounding the recording of "Pata Pata," but the rest of the story will have to wait until next Friday.)

Miriam Makeba eventually did return to South Africa, in 1990, at the behest of Nelson Mandela, who had frequently seen her perform in the days before his imprisonment. There she reunited with her only surviving sibling and visited her mother's grave for the first time.

If you'd like to delve further into Ms. Makeba's life and perspectives, she published an autobiography, Makeba: My Story, in 1988, while still in exile. It's unfortunately out of print but can be found used at Half.com and elsewhere.

(Thanks, Dad.)

The Album Leaf

James LaValle has a love affair with Iceland. To call his band, The Album Leaf, simply the instrumental American-port of Sigur Rós would be an understatement: both their recently-released album (A Chorus of Storytellers) and their 2004 breakthrough (In a Safe Place) were mixed at Sundlaugin, Sigur Rós' home studio, while borrowing their string section, Amiina, and collaborating with lead vocalist Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson and members of (fellow Icelandic howlers) Múm.

Simultaneously, to call his music barren or repetitive would be to neglect the moments of chilling serenity found in haunting vocals blended with post-rock electronica. A piano and glockenspiel provide an ambient landscape, and its minimalist falsetto - when juxtaposed against urban, propulsive percussion - grants a lingering soundscape with a reflective mood.

As A Chorus of Storytellers was released but two days ago, I've not given it a thorough listen yet. If LaValle is still capturing moments of ephemeral beauty in narrative form, the world will not have to fret Sigur Rós going on a year-long hiatus.

On Your Way [mp3] - (iTunes)
Over the Pond [mp3] - (iTunes)

North American Tour:
Feb 5: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
Feb 6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
Feb 7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
Feb 8: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlight Lounge
Feb 9: Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
Feb 11: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place
Feb 12: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
Feb 13: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)

The Black Lillies

So sadly there was a big snow storm here in South Carolina (3 whole inches!) so I wasn't able to make it out to my weekly show at Hub Bub so I'm just going to have to tell you about band I saw there a few weeks ago instead.

The Black Lillies hail from Knoxville, TN and are some of the best Americana out there right now. Their album Whiskey Angel is a powerhouse and I'm hoping they are able to break out of the regional music scene and get some national attention. They have a rich sound that alternates based on whose taking lead vocals, but I found their set to be a great mix of roots and just plain rocking. They did play a well received set at Bonnaroo last year and lets hope they are on the list again when the lineup for this year is announced on February 9th!

Sadly I didn't have my camera that night and wasn't writing for the blog yet so I didn't get any MP3's to share but here's a video that really shows what they are all about. And I'm going to go ahead and include another track from Stepaniesid that was recorded at Bonnaroo last year for your enjoyment. =)

Drinking at a Party [mp3] - Stephaniesid (iTunes)

The predecessor to the Sleepy Head Video (Passion Pit)

Passion Pit-Sleepyhead from ssarenofun1 on Vimeo.

It appears there may have been a predecessor to the awesome offical video for Sleepy Head that helped launch Passion Pit to fame. This video was sent to me by reader Michael, apparently it was leaked on the Coachella forum. It's actually still quite a cool video, though obviously much lower budget than the one that was actually released. Not sure when this video was made, but that is lead singer Michael Angelakos in it (or, if not, then his doppleganger), so most people seem to be speculating that it was really made by the band, maybe before they had real financial backing. I could maybe even see it inspiring the official video a bit with the hands clapping and things spinning... A disembodied head singing. But let me just say that this is all just speculation on my part. Watch them both and come up with your own conclusions.