She, Sir

A band that blew me away when I listened for the second time, only because the first time I was distraught. She, Sir‘s music seems to rise from subterranean aquatic myths and turn into a heavy haven of smoke.

The music really seems to float above and around you while you lend your ears to it. It’s the kind of sound that simply clicks without delay, disheveled over-exposed guitars and droning drums with just the right amount of pastel-toned angst. My Bloody Valentine meets a less distorted version of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Darklands-era. And less dreary and suicidal. With one ear and chord twisted around a despondent tome (there’s an underlying layer of sad), and another few ears scratching at the gates of major keys and happiness. She, Sir are from Austin, Texas, but this reflects landscapes of black-sanded beaches of Iceland.

It makes me think of so many things, like all good music. It brings back memories I didn’t know I had, awkward feelings I didn’t know I was supposed to have. What they inspire to me is a state of a priori. As in preemptive. Music you knew should be, even though you hadn’t heard it before. Like Plato’s world of immuable ideas. Where what we associate with things are ideas in fact – the idea of a chair for instance, is eternal (ok, bad example). She, Sir engraved the idea of happy, sad, snow globes, rainy windows, children running on a deserted beach, smoke and tunnels, a collage of slow motion that comes to full effect when the songs are done and you want to hear them all over again. I’ve come to long for their music when it’s not there. But I hit play again when I’m sure I can take it all in. I am in awe.

she,sir – I Love You, Blowtorch Eyes mp3

she,sir – The Clandestine mp3
she,sir – Monarch mp3

Think of that state of elevated drowsiness right before you go to sleep, when music comes to you, but then you forget about it the next day. She, Sir nailed that. Instant classic that will drive me merrily insane.

As such, I strongly recommend a purchase (their self released LP)

things that go bang in the middle of the night

I haven’t done unsigned goodness in a while, heck, I ain’t done nothing much in a while. I’ve been planning my trip (mainly getting to Chopin’s house and what to drink in Poland) not that you care much, but I have to get my passport tomorrow after compromising with the lady at the desk (it was due the 10th of July I think) and leave on Tuesday bright and early, but shit I can’t be fully happy until I have that bloody piece of binded plastic and paper between my evil toes (natch!) or fingers.
MySpace has been leaving me terribly afflicted lately, no goodness in the indie rock department that I could find. I did a couple of poorly-planned searches and left empty-eared or angry at the staple mediocrity.

Gav however is way better at discovering very good under-10 000 views pages of the electronic variety.

Before you can say panties-in-a-twist, something of note showed up. CC & the Spades. With virtually under 10 results for the band name on Google, I’d say we’re safe if we were to bring up the topic of good lesser-known bands with hipster acquaintances.
Never you mind that, this is quality pop-punk with an ever-flowing instrumentation, and vocals tailored to fit the whole aural scene. The music doesn’t go upwards or down (based on the two songs I instantly fell in love with on their myspace) but carries itself lazily along, summer-turns-to-autumn-style with wind blowing through the cracks of the deserted chalet the band’s practicing in. That’s what the music inspired me to write, and lo and behold, the westerly winds were blowing in my direction giving me a hairstyle that made others cry with envy goes CC’s wonderlandish-bio entry. If you’re into PJ Harvey you’ll be all over CC’s smashing low-rider vocal qualities.

I don’t know why, I uploaded this song for you..

CC and The Spades – 8 Hours Of Little D mp3

It’s available for download on CC and the Spades’ myspace however along with another fine cut.
Go now, or bookmark for later

The Cuban Heels and Senses

I'm not sure whether I appreciate shoegaze properly but Senses are right up my alley somehow. Or maybe they're emo. And I know I like ratata from my guitars, songs that justify that anyone can learn how to play guitar, but divine sounds aren't music god's way of repaying just hard work. Bleeding fingers – maybe. On a purely technical note, Paco de Lucìa is the hardcore classical guitarist who doesn't let a bleeding bloody finger get in the way during live performances – he bites the hardened skin off them bastards into submission.

What is it about good music that goes beyond genre jargon? I need not my label stickerer for these two bands here, they're just plain ole good.

I like music I know nothing about, I take no precautions in discovery. I do want to kick myself for forgetting to post about The Cuban Heels, the ratata I was mentioning. Their name makes me smile, it has a tap dancing visual attached to it in my head, and maybe the Beach Boys here and again. The Kinks too, definitely. One thing I liked about their bio on myspace:
"Now they have decided to release a number of previously unreleased studio tracks, live recordings and demo's on Myspace for the fair people of Myspaceland to download and play during their leisure time, because after all… thats the point". My point exactly.
All their tracks are beautiful guitar pieces of unpolished diamonds, except Whatever Happened to Grace which got me from the first riff. There's a finesse about that one track that makes it stand out as British and ubiquitous at the same time. I get excited every time I listen to it, and feel like jumping on my bed in slow motion to accompany the feeling.

The Cuban Heels – Grace mp3

The Cuban Heels – Eleven Little Secrets mp3

Senses lured me into their cradle of charming harmonies. The vocals simmer like a little fire on a giant lake of melody on my favourite track, Truly Beautiful Disaster. Self explanatory. And their influences include Stone Roses, which means that I'm sold. Taking the best out of the Roses can prove disastruous if you haven't got an inherent understanding of the culture they stood for (no matter how dodgy the haircuts); Senses have a knack for making sound that breaks apart but doesn't wither – it's disphoric yet comforting, and so fragile every chord feels like it could break apart in depth – like fractals. As for the news about the band – Senses have been moving between a shed in the middle of nowhere and a war time shelter honing their sound and recording songs for their debut EP.

Senses – Truly Beautiful Disaster mp3

Be sure to check out these dudes' myspace pages, for the love of indie. I hate to see talent go to waste.

Eskiimo

the word mixtape as you know by now, avid reader (or not) , conveys to me a complex act, involving to several degrees of inner torment both passion for music and placement skills. it's an entrepreneurial endeavour almost, an act of friendship, narcissism because you can't wait to see the reaction. music can only say so many things for you. then again you can't rattle on too much about it. and you can't prevent others from talking all over it when you play it for them (fools).

the mixtapes i used to do for myself were thus moulded: listen to radio preferably between 10 pm and 2 am on Mondays for classic rock, Friday nights for indie rock, Wednesdays for leftfield electronic; press record; pay attention to the song's curvature and predict if that lame-ass dj will step in with his tongue all over my music. No rest. I'd have the radio on, studying, reading, drinking, being idle. Waiting. whenever i run into an old tape (I don't throw them away even though I have most of the songs in mp3) i get a whisk of something, something specific like a smell, or a book i was reading, or a colour. so, accidental and lonely-late-night-radio-driven as they may be, mixtapes can mean something.

i don't like people that bring me something in sweaty hands (when you choose to forge a determinist destiny for yourself, you're usually nervous), i rather like a nice throw then a ceremonious gifting. Dear Eskiimo threw me a link (an provided inspiration for my preamble). Dear Eskiimo are Simon, Katie and Jules, they make pop music that on occasion cavorts with a propensity for "technicolour musicals". their music is stripped of snobby references and it's perhaps simplicity that attracted me to it.

Dear Eskiimo – Pretty mp3
Dear Eskiimo – Jo mp3

Mancunians of mortal descent, higher beings in happy-go-lucky mixtape realm.
what starts off all powerpuff-girls-in-a-30's-style-ad (redundantly harmonic vocal arrangement- or maybe i just forgot how euphony hears like) rapidly decants into a mesmerizing joyous mixtape for days both sunny and rainy. a tribute to their influences – the likes of Eels, Eminem, Depeche Mode, Phoenix, PiL, Gwen Stefani and a bit of Frank (I wasn't too happy about the Eminem, it's the only detail that seems a bit out of place); very little self-indulgence. harmony yes, harmony i love. it's exceptional because it's become so rare in something else than mainstream music, and there it's heinously lacklustre and disengaging.

myspace is misused by many an artist. They slack off creativity, information is scarce and so is humour. Dear Eskiimo know there's a job to be done, and they're driven. If they're not, it certainly looks that way. These are people who can make a near-flawless pop mixtape that doesn't force a highlight; a bucolic landscape for my ears. It's like riding a train instead of an aeroplane. You can relax, move around, feel the earth, talk to your neighbours, solve a murder mystery. I don't know if I make myself understood very clearly (probably not.. clearly; I know I can twirl subjects sometimes). OK here's the link.

Dear Eskiimo mixtape (mp3, 17.5 Mb)

A mixtape that rings true. With a plan, but still spontaneous.

And I hope that was an accurate portrayal of someone I don't know based on a mixtape 🙂 And I hope my radio story made me a complete buffoon to everyone, god bless.

Dear Eskiimo myspaciio

judah & secret

Judah Racham and DJ Secret Weapon, who sometimes go under the name Two Men From Tibet, like to think of themselves as the inventors of Tru Skool. They represent openness and honesty in the face of materialism and lies. They currently putting the finishing touches to the video for this track. BBC – OneMusic – Ras Kwame
Judah & Secret doesn’t sound unsigned, or bona fide underground (what does that mean anymore) but here you go, they’re influenced by The Roots, Talib Kweli, Mos Def (before he pulled his rock guns maybe- nah he’s alright now, he probably just had a phase), Tribe Called Quest. I’m ‘a be teh honky and report that the beats are grooovy baby. Haha, word. Their album’s out too.

official site (several other joints for you to stream)
secret’s myspaciio

—– > You can download the Judah & Secret – Do What You Do mp3 here.