Efterklang

Despite being the shortest month in the year, February sure made room for a lot of album releases. I’m not gonna lie, I wish I had the time and eloquence to cover them all, but a suffocating workload makes that sort of thing difficult–no matter how much I’d enjoy doing it. Not only am I distracted, but it takes a lot for me to even begin to unwind and give any artist my undivided attention. That’s the beauty of it all, though I guess. That moment where I am able to really just become obsessed with an album and speak excitedly on its details… which brings me to the subject of Efterklang, an indie pop-rock group from Copenhagen, Denmark. These guys (and girl) have been producing music for almost a decade now. Their third studio release Magic Chairs was their first on British label 4AD (home to artists like tUnE-YarDs, Bon Iver, and Department of Eagles).

For those of you who missed it, I posted an Efterklang cover a while back by Tobias Hellkvist (see These Long Roads). I’m only making this reference to better explain the evolution the band has taken since their debut Tripper, an ambient record that left many critics in opposition of its vocal feats. Although Tobias’ cover may have outdone the original, it is a good representation of their former sound… very instrumentally focused and overwhelmed to be anything else. Their second release Parades, of course, was a step in the right direction… but upon hearing it you’ll agree that they were still trying to work things out (“Maison de Reflexion” being its high-point).

Now, I don’t say any of this to discredit their previous records. They’re good, but nowhere nearly as good as their latest. Magic Chairs is the outcome of this quote-unquote process of trial-and-error and considering the fact that the band expands from five to ten members live, the end-product is truly code-breaking. They’ve figured out the formula of equal parts sound and music and the magic that occurs when both are kept unambiguously complimentary. Even when lead vocalist Casper Clausen is wailing above, the scattered hums below are shadow-boxing with 88-keys and stringed-instruments a like… creating a very luxurious pop-sound that should not be over looked… and I cannot finish this without acknowledging the marvelous role of their drummer, Thomas Kusmer, whose powerful arrangements keeps this record marching ahead.

MP3 Efterklang – Alike
MP3 Efterklang – I Was Playing Drums

Be sure to check out their live, four-song session on 4AD.

Music Video Watch: Nobody Beats The Drum, Casiokids, Shearwater, etc.

I’ve just been catching up this week on some 2010 music videos. So far these five videos are the ones to beat. Great concepts, striking visuals, great editing all around. This first video, by Dutch electro band Nobody Beats The Drum is particularly impressive (I also suggest watching the making-of video for “Grindin’).

NOBODY BEATS THE DRUM – GRINDIN’ (DIR. ROGIER VAN DER ZWAAG)

MP3 Nobody Beats The Drum – Grindin’

CASIOKIDS – EN VILL HEST (DIR. KRISTOFFER BORGLI)

Y2B Casiokids – En Vill Hest

SHEARWATER– HIDDEN LAKES (DIR. ALMA HAR’EL)

MP3 Shearwater – Hidden Lakes

WE HAVE BAND – DIVISIVE (DIR. JUL & MAT)

MP3 We Have Band – Divisive (DJ Mujava Edit)

JJ – LET GO (DIR. MARCUS SÖDERLUND)

MP3 jj – Let Go

Commercial Watch: The xx, Grizzly Bear, Lou Reed + more

With the Olympics and the Super Bowl it’s been an ad frenzy the last couple of months, so it seems like the perfect time for another Commercial Watch. For those unaware, every once in a while I showcase a few of my favorite songs on commercials that you’re probably skipping over with your fancy Tivo / DVR machines. Click the links to watch the commercials (when available) and download the MP3s.

AT&T: Apollo Ohno

This is a visually a very cool ad and The xx’s sparse, resonating guitars that open their self-titled album are a great fit. I’d take Apollo Ohno and The xx over an out-of-shape Luke Wilson any day.

MP3 The xx – Intro

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Volkswagen: Punch Dub

This was one of my favorite commercials that premiered at the Super Bowl this year, a take on the classic “punch buggy” game with Grizzly Bear’s sunshiney pop masterpiece soundtracking the spot. Gotta love that Stevie Wonder / Tracy Morgan cameo at the end.

MP3 Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

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Apple iPhone: Hold Us

The Boy Least Likely To’s “Be Gentle With Me” was featured in a Coca-Cola Recycling ad last year, and the twee poppers have another song on this Apple ad showing off iPhone’s multi-tasking features that premiered just this week. Apple has shown time and time again that they love their indie pop (Feist, Chairlift, The Submarines), so this is no surprise.

MP3 The Boy Least Likely To – Stringing Up Conkers

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NFL.com: Always Football

Arcade Fire turned a lot of heads when they licensed their anthemic epic, “Wake Up” to the NFL with all proceeds going to Haiti relief, especially since last time their music showed up in the Super Bowl they weren’t too pleased. I think it worked out well for them, the commercials were well done (and appeared often throughout the night) and got so much buzz for the band that “Arcade Fire” was at one point a Twitter trending topic during the game.

MP3 Arcade Fire – Wake Up

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AT&T: Gretchen Bleiler

Here’s another of AT&T’s Olympic ads that shows snowboarder Gretchen Bleider half-piping in outer space. Again it’s very visually striking and although the song is likely about heroin (note it’s usage in the film Trainspotting) it’s matches the tone of the ad perfectly.

MP3 Lou Reed – Perfect Day

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Pringles: Multigrain

I haven’t been able to find the commercial online for this, but from my recollection the commercial featured a bunch of teenagers running around in a wheat field, chowing down on some multigrain Pringles with The Cloud Room’s 2006 blog smash “Hey Now Now” playing in the background.  If you have any luck finding this spot online, please send link!

MP3 The Cloud Room – Hey Now Now

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Coca-Cola: Olympic Medal Ceremony

This commercial, I believe, was first shown at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Coca-Cola liked it so much they’re showing it again. The music is “Breathe Me” by Sia, which was most famously used on the Six Feet Under finale and just about every inspirational montage video on Youtube.

MP3 Sia – Breathe Me

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Let me know if there’s any other good commercials out there I’m missing.

The Kissaway Trail

One of my favorite discoveries from doing this blog was “Smother + Evil = Hurt”, a magnificent track from The Kissaway Trail, a band that was at the time (early 2007) unknown outside of their native Denmark. The band released a self-titled album that same year, but unfortunately the album never made it to the States and the band sort-of disappeared for a while. It seems that the band spent those last three years crafting their new album, which went through many incarnations till it reached the hands of famed producer American producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, Fanfarlo). The sessions proved extremely fruitful and they make up the new album, Sleep Mountain, which will be the band’s U.S. debut. The band takes the outpouring of emotion and beauty that made their their early work so fantastic, and matches with a newfound confidence and vitality.

Their first single, “SDP” is orchestral bombast at it’s best; opening with the clanging of church bells that seems to tear open the sonic landscape. The instrumentation will sound very familiar with those who are well-versed in modern indie rock, ringing guitars, melodic keys, and dramatic percussion with some occasional strings for good measure. The songwriting is passionate and overwhelmingly anthemic and the production is well-polished to match the jubilant compositions. Although you won’t be handing The Kissaway Trail any awards for originality, there is a sense of wonder and spectacle in their music that’s hard to get a grasp of, which is perhaps why easy comparisons to Arcade Fire and Polyphonic Spree are so common with this band. In addition to the inescapably grand first single, “Friendly Fires” is a track I’ve been continuously coming back to on their new album. The song has a lovely arrangement and I love the combination of aggressive drumming with the more restrained, but yet suitably epic composition. Sleep Mountain will be released April 20, 2010 on Bella Union.

MP3 The Kissaway Trail – SDP
MP3 The Kissaway Trail – Friendly Fires

Local Natives

The very first time I heard of Local Natives was back in March of last year. Their name had popped up on a ton of blogs covering must-see artists of SXSW. The digital-press stretched from Daytrotter to Nylon, then onward and upward to numerous radio stations in the UK. Seriously. I was so sure they were going to be the next big thing… yet despite all of the buzz they received within those 3-4 weeks (which is pretty much “forever” in blog-years), they managed to stay clear of the hype and focus on touring. I mean, it made sense. They were on their way to dropping an insanely good album.

Their debut Gorilla Manor was released in the UK last November via Infectious Records. That same month the band signed with Frenchkiss, an independent label based in New York (dugout for artists like The Dodos, Passion Pit, and Cut Off Your Hands). Here, it seems, the California natives were able to bring their new record home–especially for me, having spotlighted one UK artist after another… although I may just be getting too wrapped-up in the Olympics. The echoing harmonies found throughout are making eyes at the Summer ahead and many road-trips to be had… so yes, I kind of agree with the comparisons to Fleet Foxes, but the spontaneity within really sets them apart and I wouldn’t be going too far with this to say that they probably put on a great show. Not only have they succeeded in ditching the front-man format, but they’ve produced a sound that is multidimensional and free of any excess. I never would’ve guessed they spend more time arranging vocals considering how well all of their instruments come together. The feverish drums, clattering sticks, guitar riffs as windy as the roads they’ve traveled… you have to admit, their music is fearlessly engaging in the same way someone naturally gets ahead for being outspoken. The best part about it, though… is that it’s just who they are.

Did I mention that they’re going to be performing at Sasquatch?

Yes, I will be there.

MP3 Local Natives – Wide Eyes
MP3 Local Natives – Warning Sign (Talking Heads cover)

Can't Feel Nothing

Releasing music like Pure Ecastasy‘s in the winter is a cruel tease. On the one hand, these are just some good songs that are easy to enjoy. On the other hand, they just make me wish it was summer so I could play them with the windows open. The band travels in the same hypnotic pop that was all the rage last summer, but trades in the synthesizers for shimmering guitars and a heavy dose of reverb. The exchange was well worth it; the result is a hypnagogic haze of ghostly vocals and syrup-soaked beach guitar. I don’t do a lot of drugs, but I imagine this is what it sounds like to be stoned underwater.

The band only has a few limited releases to their name, but just about everything they have put out so far is worth a listen. “DWLDWD” is a lazy dreamjam with swirling guitars and an ambivalent feeling toward existence. (The title stands for “Don’t Wanna Live Don’t Wanna Die”.) It could also slide right into Taylor’s last mix. “Easy” is a little more immediate, and even underneath all that lo-fi fuzz you can tell there’s a fine pop song in there. There isn’t a single part of the song that hasn’t been stuck in my head at some point over the past few weeks; first it was the vocal melody of the verses, but lately it’s been the wordless “woo oo ooo” chorus. The lyrics are hard to make out, but I’m pretty sure it starts with “No I can’t feel nothing” and I think I heard a mention of suicide, which makes me think that the words might betray some of the music’s sentiment. It might be that mysterious layer of melancholy that has made these songs stick with me. I’ve always been sucker for sadness. But it also might be that Pure Ecstasy just make some damn good music. Now all they need to do is release some stuff digitally so I don’t have to spend my time tracking down seven-inches and cassettes.

MP3 Pure Ecstasy – Easy
MP3 Pure Ecstasy – DWLDWD

Big Ugly Yellow Couch Sessions: ARMS, Phantogram

Big Ugly Yellow Couch Sessions is the brainchild of Carlye Wisel, who happens to be a good friend of ours and a (former) central Illinois homie. Carlye (who locals may know from overuc.com) has moved to greener pastures, the flourising musical scene in Brooklyn. On her move out East, she brought along the eponymous yellow couch and a video camera, which she’s been putting to good use by filming artist sessions with bands like ARMS (aka Todd Goldstein formerly of Harlem Shakes) and Phantogram (buzz band profiled last month by Cheryse).

All the sessions so far are top notch. I especially enjoy ARMS doing “Home Life”, a splendid folksy number with some great ukelele and even better harmonies and the intimate, stripped-down takes on two tracks from Phantogram’s breakout album Eyelid Movies. “Home Life” is embedded above and both Phantogram’s sessions are below. Check out Carlye’s site while you’re at it, which also has some pretty rad video reviews and random musings.

MP3 ARMS – Home Life (demo) (courtesy of igif)
MP3 Phantogram – When I’m Small

Boom! Boom boom, cha! ("Be My Baby" Drum Intro) Mix

The “Be My Baby” intro is possibly the most iconic drum beat in pop music. The Phil Spector-penned “boom, boom boom, cha!” is instantly recognizable and the beat has been been both duplicated and used in a number of variations by artists time and time again. The Jesus and Mary Chain liked the beat enough to use it four times on their debut album, Psychocandy (most notably in “Just Like Honey”) and since then it seems to have become a staple in indie pop music.

The beat has endured from The Ronettes‘ original use in 1963 throughout every decade and has even found it’s way into 2010 with Owen Pallett’s “Lewis Takes Action”. There’s enough examples of songs using the drum beat to fill a dozen mix CD’s (many of them listed in this ongoing ilxor thread), but I’ve selected twenty of the my favorites that you can fit on one. Let me know in the comments if there’s any more you can add!

Download “Boom! Boom boom, cha! Mix” (94.46 MB – 1.1 hours)

MP3 The Ronettes – Be My Baby
MP3 Jesus and Mary Chain – Just Like Honey*
MP3 Camera Obscura – Eighties Fan
MP3 The Shangri-Las – Leader of the Pack
MP3 Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Gentle Sons
MP3 Johnny Boy – You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve
MP3 The Magnetic Fields – Candy
MP3 Bat for Lashes – What’s A Girl To Do
MP3 Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Hand In Hand
MP3 Deerhunter – Vox Humana
MP3 The Mary Onettes – Explosions
MP3 The Pipettes – Sex
MP3 Depeche Mode – A Question of Lust
MP3 Empire of the Sun – Without You
MP3 Jay Reatard – An Ugly Death
MP3 Girls – Ghost Mouth
MP3 Editors – The Weight of the World
MP3 Asia – Heat of the Moment
MP3 Jens Lekman – A Higher Power
MP3 Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Action

*also see “Sowing Seeds”, “Cut Dead”, “Something’s Wrong”

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Download Part 2 of this mix “Boom! Boom boom, cha! Redux”.
Download Part 3 of this mix “Boom! Boom boom, cha! (v3.0)”

Lawrence Arabia

Anything but the word “pop” comes to mind when first glancing at the cover of Chant Darling. The depths of grays and somber portrayal of a rather pensive looking fellow convinces the mind that its ears are about to hear something serious and almost isolated… but then–surprise–it’s not. In fact, it is perhaps the only time that I have been happily misled. Lawrence Arabia seems to be in the clear for keeping his listeners on their toes–and whether that means being tangled in his web of eclecticism or lost beneath a landscape of octaves, the simple feeling of being taken somewhere else is quite a luxury.

Yes, just when you think every great artist has been signed, Bella Union succeeds once more in presenting us with another highly anticipated album. The record is a man’s self-loathing observation of despondency in his day-to-day life, although these wrought-out thoughts are presented lightheartedly and void of any conceit that would otherwise have you hating him yourself. It resonates the brilliance of The Beach Boys and tips its hat to of Montreal… all while tapping its foot along to the frantic drums of Vampire Weekend. His influences are easily marked, but there is a genuine sense of creativity that remains to be his blueprint. Those wriggly melodies and weak horned instruments are a form of playfulness that can only be achieved by few and the nostalgia it provokes attests to his timelessness and our never ending want to hear something classic.

MP3 Lawrence Arabia – Apple Pie Bed
MP3 Lawrence Arabia – The Beautiful Young Crew

Track Review: Jonsí – Go Do

While I was very bummed to hear that Sigur Rós were taking an indefinite baby-making hiatus, I’m getting more and more excited about the debut album from the band’s frontman, Jón Thor Birgisson (who we all know as Jonsí). I was a big fan of the direction that Sigur Rós was taking with their last album, and Jonsí’s new track, “Go Do” is an explosive, triumphant fulfillment of all the pop sensibilities hinted at throughout Með suð i eyrum við spilum endalaust.

Jonsí’s vocals are as exquisite as ever and the instrumentation is glorious with fluttering piccolos, expansive strings, and a pounding bass drum adding the percussive thrust to the song. Composer Nico Muhly (who Matt profiled here) has done a truly phenomenal job with this arrangement, which is bursting at every seam, making this a joyous and wonderful track. Download the MP3 and watch the lovely avian-themed music video below:

MP3 Jonsí – Go Do