I went to see Once last night at the Gaiety (it has been a rather musical few days for me). and enjoyed it. As ever, doing something cultural was good for my soul.
This song is taken from the film version which was released about five years ago. It wouldn’t usually be the kind of thing that moves me but I enjoyed it in the context of the musical. This would probably be a fair summary of my take on it – greater than the sum of its parts.
/RjK
*Artist #621
An old friend was in Dublin over the weekend. Given that he is a fellow musical obsessive I wanted to take him to see a gig. I consulted The Nialler9 Gig Guide and spotted this lady was playing. When I read her description as a “Swedish fantasy-pop cellist” you might say I was rather intrigued.
Despite a healthy dose of skepticism on both our parts I have to say it was rather great. There was perhaps the largest difference between expectation and reality for any gig I can remember. She really brought it! One particular highlight was an excellent cover version of Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack.
Interesting video here, it has a little of Darwin Deez about it.
Linnea Olsson:
/RjK
*Artist #620
This is perfect for a Monday morning. I had a great weekend which was filled with excellent music (more of that later in the week). This is helping me to recover from those endeavours and soothing my racing mind.
Julianna Barwick is a Brooklyn-based artist with an ambient, experimental sound that reminds me a bit of other blog favourites Grouper or tUnE-yArDs which is pretty solid sonic company to keep.
Julianna Barwick:
/RjK
*Artist #619
The first thing that struck me about this track from Atlanta band Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics were some pretty tasty horns. I might even say that they are fierce! It give the song such a classic sound, I can’t get enough of it.
The track is taken from the album of the same name, which was released in September.
Ruby Velle and The Soulphonics – It’s about time:
/RjK
*Artist #618
Guest Blogger Dom Ayliffe has his finger on the pulse of the dance scene…
Russ Chimes is one of my favourite music producers. I’ve seen him bring his brand of 80’s inspired up-tempo electro dance to grateful club revellers on dance floors large and small, from London to Ibiza. He’s a guy who really knows how to use the tools in his belt to work a beat under your skin and get you moving. A master craftsman of the remix and second to none, in my opinion, at working up to a multi-layered, high-energy ‘drop’ that makes you feel as if you’re dancing on the wings of an aircraft taking off.
I also think this video has a really cinematic and creative vibe about it. ‘Memento’ meets ‘Drive’. This is part 2 of 3 – check out 1 and 3 if you like what you see and hear.
Russ Chimes:
/DA
*Artist #618
I don’t really know what to say about this track, from Ms.Dynamite’s 2002 Mercury Prize winning debut album A Little Deeper, other that it is rather infectious and it inexplicably was on my mind for a whole weekend a few weeks ago.
Ms.Dynamite – A little deeper:
/RjK
*Artist #617
A friend (thanks Maggie) sent me this song a couple of days ago and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it or hearing it in my minds ear since.
I know very little about the song or artist other than I really like it and intend to try to find out more. It is taken from an Eccentric Soul collection which was released by Chicago Label The Numero Group.
I’m not sure I can put it any better than the person who uploaded the YouTube video: “rehearsal for I’ll Never Cry for Another Boy, sounds nothing like the version that was released, but what it lacks in gloss it makes up for in what can only be called sheer magic.”
/RjK
*Artist #616
I have to confess I don’t really know too much about this track or band. I spotted they were playing in Dublin at the weekend and I had never heard of them so I thought I would check them out. Wikipedia tells me they are a band from England’s North-East featuring two sisters.
Whilst perhaps the song is a little lightweight I have been unable to shake it all day. There is something about the sheer simplicity that has completely captivated me. I am sure this will pass soon (as it always does). There is also something about singers with strong accents that I find interesting, and I detect more than a hint of Geordie here.
Also, is it just me or do family groups produce perfect harmonies? I am thinking here particularly of The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees who were/are both spectacular in their own ways. Are there any other examples that you particularly like which I am forgetting?
The Unthanks:
/RjK
*Artist #615
Guest blogger Jimmy T highlights some silky smooth Neo-Soul
Raphael Saddiq is the inventor of Gospeldelic, and Stevie Wonder is a genius. In this track they team up to brilliant effect, I have never had the chance to listen to the full album in which this song appears, probably because this song is so good that I can never get beyond it.
I think that because he is blind Stevie manages to express more through his music than is possible otherwise. He is a legend in the truest sense of the word.
Raphael Saadiq:
/JT
*Artist #614
Grouper, which is a solo project of Portland, OR singer Liz Harris, make music for Monday mornings. It is fragile if often rather inscrutable but I always find it soothes my racing mind as it adjusts to the jarring reality of being back to work.
This is taken from her recently released album, the cheerily titled The Man Who Died In His Boat. I have found lately (much to my shame) that I struggle to have the requisite attention span to listen to a whole album but what I’ve heard so far I enjoyed.
Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat:
/RjK