“Blue Songs”
Hercules and Love Affair
2011
Building on the success of 2008’s self-titled debut, Hercules continues pushing his minimalist take on 90’s club hop disco mash. This album, without Antony Hegarty’s vocals or any brass powered numbers, seems a necessary transition and could easily be doomed as nothing more. But the songwriting and production here is definitely a grower and makes “Blue Songs” a flamboyant, street cred success.
Watch the video for “My House”
Listen to “I Can’t Wait”, a Madonna-esque freedom anthem
There’s no one way to define a great voice: Genius might lie in the phrasing, the range, the power, the control, the words themselves, or some sort of indescribable something else. But one way to diagnose genius for sure is to have a singer walk into a crowded room with little to no accompaniment, open his or her mouth, and command breathless attention in a matter of seconds. A best-selling U.K. pop singer, Adele rocketed to fame a few years ago, alongside a handful of other soulful throwbacks. But unlike many other past recipients of the Best New Artist Grammy (Adele won the award in 2009), it’s hard to imagine her fading from the public consciousness in the years to come; her voice is too pure, too charismatic. Witness this three-song Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices, wherein she belts out three songs — the heartbreaking ballad “Someone Like You,” the ubiquitous hit “Chasing Pavements” and the first single from 21, “Rolling in the Deep” — with only the low-key accompaniment of keyboardist Miles Robertson and guitarist Ben Thomas. Moments before performing, Adele breezed up to our makeshift stage with little fanfare, and proceeded to blaze through her set without so much as bothering to take off her gloves. Between songs, she showcased the mile-wide chasm between her mesmerizing singing voice and her far less polished speaking voice, occasionally even unleashing a truly magnificent cackle. At 22, Adele still isn’t quite fully formed as an artist — which, after witnessing this set, is really saying something. She may well get even better, and even now, she’s a marvel.
truettogden asked: I'm gonna remove that bit about layering, because I completely agree that it is standard. And I just wanted a pic of how cute my hair looks and how brosie new-englander I looked
You are cute. You are always cute, standard layering or not. I was just teasing you, babe. <3
“Solarium”
Moses Berkson, Lykke Li
2010
‘A major heart break and a post tour depression drove a very delusional LL out to the desert with some friends and a super 8 camera.’
“Elephants at the Door”
Dumbo Gets Mad
2011
Here’s a short and sweet LP that I have fallen in love with. Dumbo Gets Mad is a 1970s style psychedelia ‘project’ from Italy. I can only speculate as to why the name Dumbo Gets Mad was chosen but the music seems to suggest a love of golden age dream sequences and fuzzy technicolor mischief. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJv2Mugm2RI …perhaps?) Whatever the case may be, this debut ‘jam-session-esque’ album was ingeniously recorded via old world cassette tracks and balances out surreal guitar rifts with playful sound effects. Lovers of art rock will find this album to be an indulgent novelty with no time (or need, really) for anthems.
Plummy Tale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8N18diRMVE
Electric Prawn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5zkD6xNjG4
The album is available for a free download at the record label’s website:
http://badpandarecords.wordpress.com/
