PORTASTUDIO SUMMERLIST~ SoundcheckSet 03

PORTASTUDIO
SUMMERLIST/

Soundcheck: Set 03

PORTASTUDIO

The School - Loveless Unbeliever (2010)


*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

It’s finally here. The throne has been claimed. For years, all the fans of the best pop waited anxiously for that group that was going to occupy the space left between THE PIPETTES, LUCKY SOUL and BELLE & SEBASTIAN, heirs of the best pop from the sixties (THE SHIRELLES, THE RONETTES, THE SUPREMES…) and the best Scottish pop (CAMERA OBSCURA, BMX BANDITS…). But it’s finally here, “Loveless Unbeliever”, the debut album of THE SCHOOL. And the Cardiff band, after the singles “Let It Slip” and “All I Wanna Do”, with which they conquered the critics and the public half the world over, in addition to creating uncommonly high expectations, have shown us that they’re the perfect spearhead of a sound that, even today, continues to thrill us. Once again with the production of Ian Catt (SAINT ETIENNE, TREMBLING BLUE STARS, THE FIELD MICE, SHAMPOO, THE BOO RADLEYS…), they demonstrate their incredible ability with melodies and arrangements, releasing an album with more gems than a jewelry store, like “Valentine”, “Is He Really Coming Home”, “I Want You Back” and “Hoping and Praying”, songs that are uncontestable candidates to remain perennially in our stereos.

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The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt (2010)

When fans lined up to see the sold-out Bon Iver performances at New York City’s Town Hall in late 2008, few of them went with any expectations of the opening act. But the audience that night, and on every other night of Bon Iver’s tour that December, were introduced to something special, something unforgettable: The Tallest Man on Earth. This was the first of several tours for the Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson), with obsessive crowds growing each step of the way.

Earlier in the year, The Tallest Man on Earth had released one of 2008’s most powerful records, one that Pitchfork praised, calling Matsson “a natural-born folksinger, earnest, clever, and comforting”. “Shallow Grave” could not have been more simple, just Matsson’s commanding vocals with an acoustic guitar or banjo, recorded at his home in Dalarna, Sweden. Although the album was released on the Swedish label Gravitation without the help of widespread distribution, the story of The Tallest Man on Earth spread far and wide through word of mouth.

It is impossible to discuss The Tallest Man on Earth’s music without acknowledging Bob Dylan. The seemingly effortlessness, the melodic sensibility and the deft lyricism all recall Dylan’s early years. But when you witness the Tallest Man on Earth perform live, you are watching a man possessed. The energy pours out with every word. Full of intensity and raw emotion, he paces the stage, bringing the audience into the palm of his hand, completely lost in his songs.

This brings us to the reason you are reading this. With unbridled excitement, we bring you The Tallest Man on Earth’s second LP, “The Wild Hunt”. It is all here: The words. The voice. The melodies. Ten perfect songs. “The Wild Hunt” picks up where “Shallow Grave” left off, with Matsson doing what he does best. It is unmistakably The Tallest Man on Earth, from the urgent strums of “You’re Going Back” and the sweet melodies of “Love Is All”, to the playful lyricism of live favorite “King Of Spain” and the subtle hook on “Burden Of Tomorrow”. “The Wild Hunt” isn’t just another folk album; this is acoustic rock ‘n’ roll from a man with a story to tell.

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The Golden Filter - Völuspà (2010)

The Golden Filter are an electronic duo based in New York City. Lead singer Penelope grew up in Lismore, near Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia, while electronic and analogue synth programmer Stephen is originally from Ohio, USA.

They produced their first single ‘Solid Gold’ in July 2008, and it went on to be released on 15 February 2009 on the Dummy Records label, backed up with remixes of Russ Chimes, Clouded Vision and Mondkopf. The video for Solid Gold was filmed in Australia, near Melbourne.

Second single ‘Thunderbird’ was released on 16 November 2009 on Dummy Records with a cover of The White Stripes’ ‘The Hardest Button to Button’ as b-side. Single features a dub version of the original and a remix by Belgian producers Villa.

The Golden Filter’s debut is set to release early 2010 through Brille Records, home of The Knife, Good Shoes, Operator Please, etc.

They have also released official remixes of Empire of the Sun, Little Boots, Peter Bjorn and John, Cut Copy, Polly Scattergood and O Children.

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The School - Loveless Unbeliever (2010)


*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

Stephanie Cottingham was just 13 when she started writing songs and performing, and she was still a teenager when her band Ortolan recorded their debut LP with Daniel Smith for Sounds Familyre, and toured two continents with Danielson. Her years inform her craft but do not limit its scope. As the band— which includes her sisters and sister-in-law— backs her up with sympathetic arrangements built on early rock and contemporary indie pop, Cottingham expresses misgivings and uncertainties that accompany any person’s search for self, no matter their age: “I need the answers for this,” she sings on the deceptively sunny “Opposites”, “but nobody knows how I’m supposed to say things when I don’t even know how they go.”

Such concerns, especially when expressed by a young woman not old enough to drink, are sometimes dismissed as naïve and inconsequential (see also: Taylor Swift, a fine songwriter often derided for lyrics that convey a similar perspective). While Cottingham may not have settled into her songwriting voice just yet, she definitely has something to say about her own insecurities and confusions, and moreover she has a seemingly contradictory means of saying it. Ortolan’s most distinctive trait may be her deeply mannered vocals, which imply that, for her, performing means indulging certain protective eccentricities. Listen to her chew on a syllable like it’s a pen cap, or stretch her vowels out like taffy. There’s no way to spell out her pronunciation of the pronoun “I” phonetically. She’s not an especially powerful singer— she doesn’t have much range or force— but Cottingham manages to convey personality in her vocals. Her tics may turn off some listeners, but they reveal a confidence that Cottingham swears she doesn’t have. “If I hit the wrong chord, please don’t take offense,” she sings on “Mirror Image”. “I’m doing this more, but I don’t mean to do the things that I do.”

Despite her protestations, the music itself contains no such flubs, though it lacks the rawness of her songwriting. As produced by Smith, Ortolan can be resourceful and a bit too controlled. “Once” sounds like a sped-up “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)”, which underscores the fairy-tale quality of the lyrics, while the rising keyboard line on “Just Like Me” is as much a hook as the vocal melody. Ortolan never really cut loose on Time on a String, which means they don’t risk quite as much as Cottingham does, but they do provide a bubbly backdrop for her inner conflict, so that when her songwriting wavers— as on “Insist for More”, about a bratty child, or on “Be So Bold”, about her own bookishness— her family has her back, another protective scrim against the world. Even so, an intriguing friction between boldness and hesitation illuminates most of these songs, which makes closer “Anything” sound all the more triumphant when Cottingham sings, “I’m ready for anything you give me, I’m ready for everything.”— Stephen M. Deusner, March 8, 201/Pitchfork

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The Living Sisters - Love To Live (2010)


*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

The Living Sisters is the trio of Eleni Mandell, Inara George and Becky Stark. Feeling deep desire for more harmony in the world, the Living Sisters formed to meet this need. Their first album, “Love to Live”, will be out March 30, 2010. It was produced by Sheldon Gomberg, the honorary fourth living sister. Their music is devoted to the sheer physical joy of singing. They had so much fun making their album that they nearly became a comedy band for they laughed as much as they sang. They all firmly believe in miracles. Each of the ladies is an acclaimed singer and songwriter in her own right. Eleni Mandell has made 7 full-length records of exquisitely crafted music in a style that spans the genres of jazz, country, pop and folk. The London Times writes that she “has a voice that should be heard by milions.” She shared the LA Weekly best songwriter award with Elliot Smith in 2003. Inara George has recorded 2 beautiful solo albums and an album in collaboration with the legendary Van Dyke Parks. She is half of the jazz-pop duo Bird and the Bee and was also half of the band Merrick. Becky Stark is the voice of orchestral folk-pop group Lavender Diamond and founder of the LA Ladies Choir. She sang the role of Margeret on the the Decemberists’ most recent album, the mythical rock opera ‘The Hazards of Love.” The sisters describe their experience together as “ecstatic” and hope that all people of the world will sing and find strength in harmony.

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Portastudio Summerlist - Soundcheck Set Of The Month
by
the portastylistic

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“ EVERYDAY STILL LIKE A SUMMER SOUND! ”

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