For one of 2011's most unique sounds, Jhameel also makes out to be one of the most talented. Growing up around instruments, he now plays every note of every song, capable of playing guitar, bass, cello, violin, piano, synth, trumpet and drums. Having already released two full length albums and an EP, you can also find him hanging out on Youtube, frequently covering songs by artists like T-Pain, The Broken Social Scene, and more. More on his talent, he currently speaks Korean, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic, which is where his stage name - meaning Beautiful - comes from.
If you're into just the beats, then there is no way you can't fall in love with this guy's music. His serene, but dynamic voice, and excellent use of all his instruments really brings out a side of music you dont normally see. It's also near impossible to tell that all the instruments are played by himself. If you want to get into his brilliant lyrics, Jhameel manages to cover a menagerie of world issues, giving a voice to communities that are commonly discriminated against.
A great sound can also come from a great heart. His most recent album 'The Human Condition' is currently available for free download HERE.
And of course a preview of his music:
Jhameel - Bernal Heights
Also releasing five songs for free in a series titled Waves, is his second track, White Lies
Jhameel - White Lie
With a new album 2 years into the works, Savoir Adore is pumping out music that sound like they're going to make a big splash. The current working title of the album is 'Synth Dads' which should be released sometime in the near future.
Having just release the singles, Sparrow and Dreamers in the past six months, it's beginning to seem like Synth Dads will be one of 2012s hottest albums. Deidre Muro and Paul Hammer, currently on tour with Oh Land (Son Of A Gun), also claim their their new album will be much dancier and creative than their first full album (In The Wooded Forest) released back in 2009 which only took two weeks to write.
Its hard to find a DJ that doesn't change the core of a good song, but can still make a song sound amazing. Monsieur Adi (AKA Adi Balbus) has done this with many notable artists like Ellie Goulding, The Knocks, and Fallulah. If you haven't heard of them, definitely check them out.
On the flip side, Fallulah (AKA Maria Apetri), a young Danish singer from Copenhagen, has topped the charts in Denmark with her singles 'I Lay My Head', 'Bridges', and more recently, 'Out of It'. With a great mix of indie rock and folk in her voice, its a shame that her music hasn't crossed the Atlantic yet. On top of it all, Monsieur Adi's mashup/remix of 'Out Of It' and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, 'Heads Will Roll' really hits it home. Enjoy!
Fallulah - Out Of It (Monsieur Adi)
Fallulah - I Lay My Head
The Knocks - Dancing With The DJ (Monsieur Adi)
Ellie Goulding - No Guns And Horses, Just Make Love (Monsieur Adi)
Just a couple song I wanted to post up by New York based band, Purity Ring. Personally, the weirdest feeling is to hear and love a song that you just found, only to find out you've already possessed the song for several months. Mind numbing, as are these brilliant tracks.
By public interest, I've decided to post up songs from Hey Ocean's most recent EP, Big Blue Wave, released Nov 1st. With their newest song, Big Blue Wave, and 3 new recordings of previously released songs, Liar, Maps, and a cover of The Ronettes' Be My Baby. Whether or not you've heard of them already, I hope you take the time to listen to all the songs!
As a disclaimer, I do NOT own these songs and I am putting this up here for those who are interested in hearing them. I will not be putting up any download links, and I strongly encourage you to buy the songs here(Itunes link) if you like it.
Hey Ocean - Big Blue Wave
Hey Ocean - Liar
Hey Ocean - Be My Baby
Hey Ocean - Maps
Also hope this makes up for a lack of posting over the last couple weeks!
Founded in New Zealand, this LIPS features solo artist Stephanie Brown. With her soothing voice and beautiful vocals, she manages to capture all the nuances of life into song form. One of her more recent singles, Everything To Me, has just that. With amazing lyrics, while slipping in a bit of humour, I have started to find Stephanie to be one of my most favourite song-writers.
LIPS - Everything To Me
Lyrics:
It would mean everything to me if we could take a holiday Cos you and I bone tired every night isn't my idea of play And even our smallest dream is getting lean, never sees the light of day So it would mean everything to me
You can fight but you won't always win Somehow life finds a way to beat you But I'll come join you in the ring Guess it shows just how much i need you
There are days I would pay anything just to leave it all behind There are times I can't find any light to get me through the daily grind I know you feel it too, seen just how long it takes you to unwind So it would mean everything to me
To my great confusion, and after listening to music by apparently, two different bands with the same name. For part one, I introduce LIPS, and electro-pop band from Denmark. Sounding very closely the same with Elly Jackson, the lead of her English electro-pop band, La Roux, Loa has managed to keep me listening to her several times on repeat.
If you love listening to La Roux, you will LOVE this band.
At only 21 years old, Daughter's Elena Tonra and her guitarist boyfriend, Igor Haefeli, have been making a quiet but large splash in the music scene. Using many strange, yet mesmerizing sounds, Elena adds a beautiful touch to what her voice already offers to the world of acoustic folk.
With her opening song, Landfill sets the mood for the rest of her album, His Young Heart. This song, with its strong buildup into an absolutely electric chorus has personally sent chills down my spine and has had me listening to her endlessly on repeat.
Here is a copy of the song Landfill, but you can listen to the rest of the EP, here Daughter - Landfill
And another song from her more recent EP: Daughter - Love
This name you've probably heard before if you listen to Lupe Fiasco or Rihanna or Eminem. Skylar Grey has been catching some attention with her big music collaborations. Lately she's been coming out with some of her own music which sounds pretty catchy, so listen to some of her stuff. Only two singles out with no mention of an album, but here you go.
Still some time away before I get back into this full time, but I thought I'd share another of my favourites. I've put some Kris Menace up on here a while ago, and I should probably do a feature, but maybe another time. In all seriousness, find some of his music if you have time. He keeps it quite simple but I'd still put him near the top of my favourite DJs. This is a remix of Bag Raiders' Shooting Stars. Yeah, and check them out too!
I cant believe I've been away from my blog for the past month and a half. I've been far too detached from my music due in part to a ton of things, but I'll be back soon! For now I'll be posting up some songs on their own until I pick up my own pace and start downloading again. "Dont wanna lose ya!"
Sorry, been a little busy/lazy over the past week. This Momentary, the name of the song, was just Delphic's second single to be released. Having just watched a video that scuba divers captured of the remains of cities drowned by the Japanese tsunami, watching a music video set in a city located near the Chernobyl disaster seemed appropriate.
Featuring three different bands, all from Vancouver, The Peak produced a decent show at the Venue on Monday night. Opening the show, surprisingly on time, was Young Pacific. Despite the fact that they were opening for Guilty About Girls, this group of guys surprisingly had the best performance. Living up to their name, these guys undoubtedly are a group of young, but quite talented guys with plenty of energy. Showing up on stage looking quite excited, they quickly got the crowd started despite the venue being half empty at that point.
Young Pacific - Circles to Squares
Like their sound, their performance was quite fresh, without anything particularly special laid out, except for a couple times when the keyboardist, Djavin Bowen and the bassist, Mike Noble switched instruments with each other. Didn’t realize this would become a tag team match, but awesome otherwise.
What shocked me was Sex With Strangers. Coming out with a Jack Black-like performance, this group of people did nothing short of a surprising set-list which encompassed a multitude of different genres from metal to alternative rock. And did I also mention that the lead singer, Hatch Benedict looked like Jack Black as well? Couldn’t have been a coincidence. Despite the music which sounded much better recorded, Hatch singlehandedly managed to entertain like a madman, at one point bunny ear-ing his synthesizer. Spitting across the stage though, sick but impressing with the distance he managed to cover.
Headlining the show, Guilty About Girls finally came out, but with what seemed like a sub-par performance. Though the band only really consisted of two guys, Jordy Birch and Mark Henning, they showed up with a drummer and a female backup singer who really didn’t do that much but dance slightly awkwardly. With Birch on guitar and Henning on synth, a good question was whether or not either of them were drunk or high, making quite a few blunders and sounding out of tune. Despite all this, Birch and the others did have a great setlist, followed by an encore act of Henning attempting to teach the dance moves for their song, Candy Candy.
Also, just as something worth watching, heres the video for the song, Candy Candy:
Coming from Denmark, The Raveonettes have done a wonderful job of creating an edgy take on rock music. Lined with simple but standout instrumentation, Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner complement this style with beautiful vocals. With their fifth and latest album released just this April, they have been around, having stopped over in Vancouver several times including just last month for a show at Venue.
A decent opener to an outright fantastic evening at Venue on monday night; Henry and the Nightcrawlers, a native Vancouver band, came out slow, but gradually pumped out catchier beats as the night progressed. Formerly one of the original band members for Lotus Child (now The Zolas), Tom Dobrzanski killed with the keyboard and definitely stood out from the rest of the band. On guitar and lead vocals was Henry Alcock-White. On one hand he could pitch out some unique guitar solos, which unfortunately did not mesh at all with his vocals. Maybe they don’t perform as well on a live stage, but one thing is for sure that they lacked a lot of chemistry and the energy needed to pump up the crowd. I think I spent more time watching them dance awkwardly than I spent rocking out to their music.
With a strange inspiration coming from the rocky islands of Ireland, they did however manage to release a couple good songs, with one in particular:
Henry and the Nightcrawlers - Back Upon The Rocky Island
The crowd was a little quiet after the opener, but Fitz and the Tantrums quickly sparked up the crowd right from the start. If you liked this band before the concert, you would have fallen in love with the brilliant soul-filled acts of lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick and the sexy Noelle Scaggs. Singing most of their songs from their album, Picking Up The Pieces (2010), The classly dressed Fitz, in his salmon pink suit, managed to electrify the crowd with every move he made, probably making him the best stage performer I've ever seen. Hardly a back-up singer, Scaggs voice filled the room the room with her voice and very effortlessly got the entire crowd dancing. Together, this duo was not lacking in any chemistry whatsoever, at one point getting so close that they looked like they were lost in each others eyes.
Backing the performance up, James King blew the house out playing two saxophones at once at one point, later playing a flute as well. Hardly a selfish group of people, drummer, John Wicks and keyboardist, Jeremy Ruzumna both had beautiful solos, with Fitzpatrick hilariously attempting to steal the spotlight. Together with Ethan Philips on bass guitar, these six members managed to fill up Venue with what sounded like at least a ten piece band. Finishing their main set list with an outstanding drum solo, Fitz and the Tantrums managed to outdo even that performance with their encore of a cover of Sweet Dreams and their hit song, Money Grabber. Overall, an amazing show for their first time in Vancouver, which has unfortunately left me with very high expectations of future concerts I attend.
If you havent heard of any of their songs, check these out!
Fitz and the Tantrums - Dont Gotta Work It Out
Fitz and the Tantrums - Rich Girls
Fitz and the Tantrums - L.O.V.
On a side note: Another concert review coming on saturday after Guilty About Girl's performance at Venue this friday. If you're going, let me know! Also, thanks for reading my first concert review. Leave some feedback on stuff i should do to make it better. I'm also hoping to find a few people to send in some concert reviews to add to this blog so if you're interested in writing, leave me a message.
Acrylic, headed by Jason Klauber and Molly Shea, has been around now for a couple years, with their debut album, Lives and Treasures, released just this past January. Fromt his album, Acrylic has taken on a blend of 70's pop fused with some chilled out modern day harmonies which ends up sounding a little like 'in the car - makeout music'. Anyhow, give them a listen and see what you think.
The next up and coming star to hit the airwaves. She's got the flair of Will Smith in his Fresh Prince days and the hair and style of Willow. She must be some unknown daughter of Will Smith as the similarities are uncanny. Born in Kansas City and raised with a unique sense of style and taste, she's definitely not in Kansas anymore with her recent success. Here's a couple of her biggest hits from her recent album, Archandroid
Sorry it's been a while but I'm back with a few gems. You have all probably heard some mashups before, whether it's the ones you hear on Glee like Halo & Walking on Sunshine, or the end of the year DJ Earworm mashups of all the hit songs. Honestly not my favourites considering the potential a mashup can have, but you get the idea. Starting with the most recent song to hit the airwave,
Adele VS Xavier Naidoo - Ich In The Deep
John Legend VS Lady Gaga - Used To Love You
Beyonce VS Paramore - Brick Halo
Eminem Vs Justin Timberlake - Superman (What Goes Around)
And my favourite so far,
The Beatles & Jackson 5 VS Green Day - Hey Jude, Ill Be There
Just to put in a different spin, Xavier Naidoo heads today's blog. Winning the 'Best German artist' award several times, this guy has the soul you dont see in many artists nowadays. Though from different eras and styles, Xavier kind of adds a Lenny Kravitz sort of feel to his music. Having started his act back in 93' he has made a name for himself as well as other bands he has played for. Having started with Söhne Mannheims (Sons of Mannheim), he went on from that band to play solo. From there he has gone back and forth between Söhne Mannheims, Brothers Keepers and recording solo albums.
Here are, in my opinion, his bests. Enjoy.
Xavier Naidoo - Ich Kenne Nichts (I Know Nothing)
Xavier Naidoo - Was Wir Alleine Nicht Schaffen (What We Cant Make On Our Own)
Xavier Naidoo - Alles Kanne Besser Werden (The Very Best Of)
I know theres a few Germans out there so dont mock my translations if theyre wrong
To follow up on Danish bands, today I have Ginger Ninja thanks to a friend of mine. To follow up on this so far wonderful summer, here's a feel good track for you guys.
Ginger Ninja - Sunshine
Have a dropbox? Want to share any songs? Start a sharing folder with me at i.an@hotmail.com and I'll be happy to listen to anything you send my way. If you dont have one then click here for a free account!
Today I will be introducing Balloon Magic, a Danish band that has been recently signed by Shelflife records, the producers of bands like Thieves Like Us and The Radio Dept. This four piece band plays their hearts out with their hypnotizing sound and interesting vocals which to me, could be compared to that of Beirut. Denmark definitely has a lot of hidden gems that I have only just begun to find. For a recently signed band, they definitely have plenty of potential for even greater music and I'm looking to hear more from them.
This is probably the last thing I'd expect from a New Yorker, but Lizzy Grant aka Lana Del Ray brings out a beautiful blend of surf and a touch of hip hop and glam. This will definitely be the most glamorous artist I'll put up here for a while, but in the meantime, enjoy these gems which currently make me want to jump on a plane to California.
For todays band I introduce Kisses, a duo from LA, California. On vocals, Jesse Kivel is joined by girlfriend and keyboardist, Zinzi Edmunson (I cant get over how awesome her name is), to bring out a unique blend of electronic rock with a flair of disco. With their first single, Kisses has easily gone on to prove themselves comparable to the likes of Pet Shop Boys or Two Door Cinema Club, and if you havent heard of those two bands then it is HIGHLY recommended that you go check them out.
A tribute to the Canucks, past and present, on their 2011 Stanley Cup run. This is our year. At the same time, I present Immoor, a one man Indie Electronic band from California
Immoor - Bows and Arrows
For those that dont understand, Alex Burrow's bow and arrow tribute to the late Luc Bourdon:
For more of Immoor, you can visit his Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/immoor, and Ill leave you with two more of his songs
B-Cubed is up and running again. Hopefully without the copyright issues this time. What better way to start off this comeback with the Shout Out Louds:
Shout Out Louds - The Comeback (Big Slippa Mix by Ratatat)
Be it a remix, a cover of a classic band or a new song, or even a complete lyrical rehash, comebacks are big. Moving on from remixes we have a cover of a classic Smiths song, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want and a cover of the well known, Pursuit of Happiness by Kid-Cudi.
She & Him - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
Lissie - Pursuit of Happiness
To sum up this comeback, I'll leave you this cover by Swedish artist, jj.
