5 posts tagged “dreampop”
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01/16/09 PR (Self Titled Party w/Free Blood, Juan Maclean (live acid set), & Justin Miller (DFA)) New York, New York
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02/06/09 Wellesley College Wellesley, Massachusetts 02/07/09 Terrace F. Club Princeton, New Jersey 02/11/09 7th Street Entry (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Minneapolis, Minnesota 02/12/09 Bottom Lounge (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Chicago, Illinois 02/13/09 Magic Stick (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Detroit 02/14/09 Alfred University Knight Club (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Alfred 02/15/09 Paradise (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Boston, Massachusetts 02/18/09 The Trocadero (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 02/19/09 9:30 Club (w/Fujiya & Miyagi) Washington DC, Washington DC 02/23/09 Whelans Dublin, Ireland 02/24/09 Captain’s Rest Glasgow, Scotland 02/25/09 Cockpit Leeds, UK 02/26/09 Cargo London, UK 02/27/09 Night & Day Manchester, UK 02/28/09 Start The Bus Bristol, UK 03/01/09 Audio Brighton, UK 03/04/09 AB Club Brussels, Belgium 03/05/09 Le Point Ephemere Paris, Ile-de-France 03/07/09 Gleis 22 Münster, Germany 03/08/09 Bang Bang Club Berlin, Germany 03/09/09 Molotow Hamburg, Germany 03/10/09 Studio 672 Cologne, Germany 03/12/09 Flex Vienna, Austria 03/13/09 Atomic Cafe Munich, Germany 03/14/09 La Casa Milan, Italy 04/07/09 The Ritz (w/Bat for Lashes) Manchester 04/08/09 Queen Margaret Union (w/Bat for Lashes) Glasgow, Scotland 04/09/09 Stage 2-Northumbria University (w/Bat for Lashes) Newcastle 04/11/09 Metropolitan University (w/Bat for Lashes) Leeds 04/12/09 Birmingham Town Hall (w/Bat for Lashes) Birmingham 04/13/09 The Regal (w/Bat for Lashes) Oxford 04/15/09 Anson Rooms (w/Bat for Lashes) Bristol 04/16/09 Brighton Corn Exchange (w/Bat for Lashes) Brighton 04/17/09 Sheperds Bush Empire (w/Bat for Lashes) London |
I am assuming that the Andes Mountain shown in the PBS program might have inspired the naming of their debut album, Alpinisms (the term refers to the European mountain range, often called the Alps). Strangely, however, the cover artwork by Bryan Collins, well, it looks like it was pulled from a picture of Yosemite National Park's famous Half Dome.
The band consists of two real life twin sisters called Alejandra and Claudia Deheza and bassist Benjamin Curtis, formerly (?) of Secret Machines. The band was formed in early 2007, and they are bringing back an old familiar sound of electronica, mixed with a little shoegazing/dreampop - mostly because of the harmonies of the two sisters.
I think grouping the band into the shoegazing category might not describe them, these aren't really sad/depressing songs (with the exception of the slow-moving song, "For Kalaja Mari"). Instead, surprisingly, the album is pretty upbeat, thanks to noisy sounds and quirky keyboard and sound effects. It's like half dance and half awkwardness (because they're not like typical dance rhythm).
My favorite songs on the album is "Wired for Light", a strange violin-ish scratch sound and afro percussions made this song stand out. Obviously, "Half Asleep" is big hit for them. It's pretty melodic and poppy, I can see why they chose this song to release as the single.
My absolute favorite is "Chain", however. Which I'm sure most people won't like for its use of vocal-correction effects. I think it fits the song, especially with the various samples (or at least I think they're samples), and overall gives it a dancey vibe to it. "Chain" should be a real crowd pleaser if they play it live.
And speaking of live, be sure to check them out on tour this year, see the two handsome sisters for yourself, as they play with some other indie-favorites such as Fujiya & Miyagi and Bat for Lashes.
Fans of 4AD, Movaje 3, Cocteau Twins (wow, will someone please do an article on them?), Au Revoir Simone, and Blonde Redhead, will immediately fall in love with SVIIB (if you haven't already). So pick up their wonderful album, Alpinisms, at any online retailer or their record label, Ghostly (where you'll find some EPs for sale as well).
Links:
schoolofsevenbells.com
myspace.com/schoolofsevenbells
ghostly.com
Loquat was the first of three bands for this Greycoats' CD release party. What's interesting about the Greycoats' set is that they had movies projected as they play. Although it's interesting, I found myself distracted by the moving picture. Each movie is timed exactly to the music, most of it went pretty well, except for the 50s "Day the Earth Stood Still" which ended early because they had cello sound problems. It looks like, according to their official and myspace, that they are going to be tour mates with Loquat... And of course, Loquat played an hour earlier. They started playing shortly after 7:30pm, which is kind of early, so I reckon a lot of latecomers missed them... However, it did look like there were a lot of Loquat fans (and families) in the audience. The main act was Chris Koza (chriskoza.com/myspace), who I was told that I've seen him before, opening up for Jeff Hanson. He had a keyboardist, violinist and the standard guitarist/bass/drums, and I seriously don't remember that many band members at the Hanson show. Koza was easy-going, relaxed even, and the best part was they had carved this Halloween pumpkins the night before and had put them on stage. He named one of them "Luis" or "T___" I couldn't make out the second name over people's laughter at the ridiculous name. So check out Loquat and Greycoats on tour. PS, apology for the white text for RSS readers! |
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10/16/08 Live TV on KARE 11, Minneapolis, MN
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10/16/08 The Cedar, Minneapolis, MN 10/17/08 The Hideout, Chicago, IL 10/18/08 Illini Union Courtyard Cafe, Champaign, IL 10/20/08 Gypsy Hut, Cincinnati, OH 10/21/08 Annabell's, Akron, OH 10/22/08 Red and the Black, Washington DC 10/23/08 The Fire, Philly, PA 10/24/08 Ace of Clubs (CMJ), NY 11/04/08 Bottom of the Hill, SF, CA |
Singer Kylee confessed that she was quite hungover when they recorded the song:
| Kylee Swenson wrote: Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 1:41 PM |
If you only knew how hungover I was when I sang that Smiths cover. Oh man, it hurt so bad. Thanks for the kind words, We Heart Music. See you guys October 16 when we play in Minneapolis, finally....
I don't know what the big deal is, but they really, really, want to play in Minneapolis! The weather here is getting a little chilly, I recommend a heavy sweater when going out at night.
The cool thing is that they will be appearing on KARE 11, our local station here. I'll have to find the listing hopefully try and tape it.
Anyroad, the album is still somewhat dreampop, with electronica. Swenson's vocals is still sugar sweet here. It's all good though, if you've ever liked female-fronted bands, Loquat should be right up your alley.
Some of the strong tracks includes the first song, "Harder Hit". I'm glad to see that the band also love this song as it is also their promotional music video. The video is based, no, more like inspired, by the French film "Le Ballon Rouge" (The Red Balloon).
Other songs I thought was very strong: "Sit Sideways", which has a funky feel to it at the beginning, but the electronic and piano keys brings it back to a nice rhythmic beat. I mildly smiled at the line "I'm rubber and you are the glue" on "Clearly Now".
Also, check out "These Kinds Of Friends" too. Listen to the first few bars of the song - does it remind you of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang"? Maybe it's just me.
Secrets of the Sea is out now on Talking House Records, where you can purchase the album directly for an even-steven $10. Look for them on the rest of the tour through the midwest and eventually at the monster that is CMJ (they take the stage at 11pm).
Enjoy their video:
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Until yesterday, I really didn't know much about Dead Heart Bloom other than that they'd garnered a great deal of press and that their self-titled debut album and second effort, Chelsea Diaries, had both been nominated for a Shortlist Prize. There are so many bands flying around in the cloud of indie hype these days that they all just sort of blur together after a while. Was that Modest Mouse or Animal Collective that just whizzed by my head? Is that giant blimp-like thingee up there Radiohead or just a shoal of the hundred-thousand bands trying to sound like Radiohead these days? A unique identity--something to make your music stand out in the overpopulated sea of music--is a difficult thing to create these days, and the best many artists can hope for is to receive a favorable comparison to the "better known acts" they're inspired by.
Dead Heart Bloom is not one of those unique acts that set a standard for hundreds of followers...which is rather a shame, because their music is incredibly good and does not deserve to be lost in the shuffle. Fortunately, with their latest free EP, Fall In, available as pristine 320kbps mp3s from their website (as well as on CD), the band takes a major step forward in getting their music Out There to be heard.
Despite their somewhat emo-sounding name, Dead Heart Bloom is more like the bastard son of Mazzy Star and English dream-pop band Lowgold. Formed in 2005 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Boris Skalsky (who pretty much is the band, along with a roster of guest musicians), Dead Heart Bloom produces very pretty, melancholy rock that is both laidback and energetic, somber and driving: a difficult balancing act that Skalsky deftly manages.
Fall In--one of several EPs the band has scheduled for release this year--is only five tracks, but those are five very memorable tracks. Skalsky's soft voice is almost lost in the mix sometimes, but always shines through the lush waves of guitar and piano. The music is very atmospheric and often understated, but the melodies carry the tracks and are just catchy enough to be memorable. "Is This The Way?" starts the EP off with a strong power-pop statement emphasized by its jangly acoustic guitars and electrifying guitar leads. "Come Back" has a distinct Jeff Buckley feel, but is primarily driven by its spacey guitar washes. "Nothing Will Break Me Now" is the highlight of the EP, though, with its delicate lyrics and multilayered vocals, its lonely electric guitars, straightforward acoustic guitar, and drifting cellos (masterful use of panning there, something that's almost unheard-of in modern rock). "Our Last Martyr" cranks up the jam again with a punchy beat and bouncy rhythm backing up Skalsky's beautiful voice and exquisite synth leads. The EP on a relaxing note with the mournful, string-heavy "Here We Are," a gorgeous song whose melody, much like that of Fountains of Wayne's "Prom Theme," will send chills up your spine. The song also begins with some of the most haunting lyrics I've heard: "Well, here we are. It's three a.m. and we're still waiting for the sun."
Dead Heart Bloom is definitely a band to check out if you, like me, love dreamy, lovely music that evokes visions of sad late-night drives. Their music is not jaw-droppingly unique, but Skalsky et. al. achieve exactly what they're aiming for. The good press they've drawn over the last year or so is honestly warranted. And with Fall In available for free, you almost owe it to yourself to download the EP and check it out. Chances are you'll be hooked from the first chord.
Dead Heart Bloom has one tour date listed: July 16, 2006, at The Living Room in New York, NY. As much as I despise New York City, there's a pretty damn good chance I'm going to be there for the show.
Discography
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Mazzy Star is a Dreampop band from California. Their biggest hit song is called "Fade into You" from 1993, which is when I first heard of them.
Mazzy Star's creative driving force was between David Roback and Hope Sandoval (who actually didn't write the majority of Mazzy's music.)
Although they said they haven't broken up, they haven't produced any music since their last album Among My Swan in 1996.
Since then, you did see Hope Sandoval in various one-time collaborations such as Jesus and Mary Chain and Le Volume Courbe[W♥M]
Did you know that she is actually in a new band called Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions? They released Bavarian Fruit Bread in 2001.
So kind of unrelated, but a friend of mine saw Hope Sandoval at a video store one time and he contests that she's gorgeous in real life, just as he suspected.
I've picked out some songs I like from their various albums for you to listen to. Enjoy.
10/18/2007 18:50:50
vu
my♥posts
vu@weheartmusic.com
www.hopesandoval.com
