PORTASTUDIO SUMMERLIST - Soundcheck Set 05

PORTASTUDIO
SUMMERLIST/
Soundcheck: Set 05

PORTASTUDIO

The Divine Comedy
Bang Goes the Knighthood (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

11th studio album from Northern Irish chamber-pop group The Divine Comedy. Led by frontman Neil Hannon, the only constant member of the band throughout their 21 year career, The Divine Comedy draw equal inspiration from literature as well as music. This record is the band’s first in four years, and their first since Hannonreleased ‘The Duckworth Lewis Method’ with Thomas Walsh from Pugwash.

"Can you write a silly song? It's harder than you think," sings Neil Hannon on Can You Stand Upon One Leg? It's a pertinent question, and one loaded with knowingness. Even people who know Dante might focus more on the comedy than the divine in Hannon's music. There lies a dichotomy at the midst of his work; he's defined by his role as a Wildean wit, but his best work comes in his Songs of Loves, not his National Expresses. That continues on his 10th LP where the serious (Down in the Street Below) and the angry (Complete Banker) outshine the whimsy of Assume the Perpendicular and The Art of Conversation, odes to day tripping and chatting respectively.

Savour this album packshot for a moment, if you will. It's a bit brilliant, don't you agree?

Yes, Neil Hannon is back. Following his foray into matters cricketing with last year's The Duckworth Lewis Method, The Divine Comedy returns with a (count them) 10th studio album, called Bang Goes The Knighthood.

The cover, just to recap, features Neil, in a bath, with a dog, a bowler hat, a bottle of champagne and a pipe. And a good many bubbles. This can only be good.

The album will be released by Neil’s own label Divine Comedy Records on 31st May and shall sport the following tracks:

1. Down In The Street Below
2. The Complete Banker
3. Neapolitan Girl
4. Bang Goes The Knighthood
5. At The Indie Disco
6. Have You Ever Been In Love
7. Assume the Perpendicular
8. The Lost Art of Conversation
9. Island Life
10. When A Man Cries
11. Can You Stand Upon One Leg
12. I Like

Critics of The Divine Comedy’s novelty-song tendencies will find ammunition on Bang Goes the Knighthood: the pastiche 1990s jangle of “At the Indie Disco” say, or the falsetto note that Neil Hannon holds for 28 seconds at the end of the insufferably jaunty “Can You Stand Upon One Leg”.

How has Hannon kept his shtick as Britpop’s Noël Coward going for 10 albums? The answer comes with the charm and light he also brings to song-writing, as with the sweet calypso-pop of “Island Life” and the winning orchestral swing of “Have You Ever Been in Love”.

(Indie,Chamber-Pop,Alternative,Singer-Songwriter)

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The Lodger
Flashbacks (2010)

Flashbacks by Leeds' The Lodger was recorded in Autumn 2009 onto tape at Hall Place Studios, Leeds by local genius and sociable recluse Richard Formby who had just finished Wild Beasts critically-acclaimed "Two Dancers" and back in the day played guitar on "Recurring" by Spacemen 3. Richard kept Ben Siddall (vocals, guitar) fed throughout with Ennio Morricone compilations and obscure Bryan McLean LPs while Joe Margetts (bass) and Bruce Renshaw (drums) read old copies of Uncut and played with the vintage analogue toys. Meanwhile Ben began to suffer from Alice in Wonderland syndrome...

Ben explains: "We'd had a couple of albums out (Grown-Ups and Life Is Sweet) and the first is what you've been doing most of your life, the second is trying to better the first one without alienating anyone who liked the first one, and if you're still ploughing away as a band long enough to make a third it tends to be the one where you cease to have any expectations and just try different things out and dare I say, progress. Without putting on wizard hats and rollerskates."

The new album continues the lyrical themes that informed the first two albums, including love, loss of innocence and memories of adolescence, fused with the musical trademarks of upbeat melodies, jangly jazz chords, bouncing basslines tied to energetic drums, but with the addition of new textures and a more straightforward approach to recording, as Ben recalls: "I'd had conversations with many friends about the pros and cons of editing the heck out of recordings to clear the mistakes that inept musicians make and computer trickery in general and I decided to adopt an approach where everything had to be real. Real strings and horns, untuned vocals etc. Trying to keep the spontaneity and any accidents as I knew we had limited time too being a budget-free band."

All he had to do now was get down to the small matter of actually writing some new songs. "Every time I was in my girlfriend's car driving somewhere we kept listening to the magnificent first Left Banke album and I started getting a bit fixated with the idea of doing something with orchestral instruments and actually trying to dot it all out on manuscript myself. Not a baroque-pop soundalike necessarily but something that embraced classical music within pop. A challenge."

Thankfully there was now an idea of what direction he was going in, so Ben locked himself in his bedroom with no bread and water, some instruments and a moleskine music manuscript book. "I fancied trying to make the music more complex and the arrangements more dynamic and the logical thing to do was to bring in some other musicians to reach the parts that Ben, Joe and Bruce cannot alone. We'd used our friend Emil on trumpet for the previous EP we put out in 2009 and had used another friend Sarah on backing vocals as well. I scouted around and asked for several favours and managed to recruit two saxes, a trumpet, violin and cello and another backing singer and Bruce got hold of some timpani drums to add to his kit. I could now think on a bigger scale and begin to write."

With Mr. Formby's firm hand on the tiller all went according to plan and the result is Flashbacks. A bold step forward from 2008s well-received Life Is Sweet, this excellent album is simply a must-hear for fans of smart, soulful guitar pop. Touching on crucial references like The Jam, Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, The Lodger have created something at once familiar and totally new. Fueled by Ben's songwriting vision and the band's creative energy, Flashbacks is an ambitious addition to the classic pop canon.

Favorite tracks? Ben: "I like The Back Of My Mind a lot because it was a totally new approach for me, to layer up track upon track of feedback and repetitive guitar drones. And Flashbacks because the orchestral bits were how I wanted them to sound when I was scoring it all out. I love the baritone saxophone solo at the end as it was spontaneous and created by improvising which is something I've never done before, passing my control of it all over to someone else and leaving it to chance. Lyrically that's close to home too that one. Running Back Home To You is a nice end to it all. It fades and we hear all the string and horn players in isolation and it brings a smile to my chops."

(Indie,Pop,Alternative,Twee,British)

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Wild Nothing
Gemini (2010)

The release of the first Wild Nothing full length is finally upon us. How perfect. The album is coming out just in time for summer.

‘Gemini’ starts off on a good note, beginning with the song ‘Live in Dreams’. It welcomes you at the door and beckons you to come in for more, and chances are you’re going to find it hard to resist. Jack Tatum tells us right away that “Our lips won’t last forever,” and that’s exactly why he wants to live in dreams. This way, if you’re living in dreams, you can’t die. This song is bursting at the seams with hovering, gorgeous sound effects. As you listen to the album you’ll pick up on all the subtle effects and sounds that are thrown into the mix, but you have to listen carefully! The following track ‘Summer Holiday’ is one that many of us have probably already heard, but in no way is that a bad thing. Up next on the album would be the totally blissed out track ‘Drifter’, with it’s heavenly sound effects and the ability to bring you to that special paradise you could only reach in your dreams. This is the type of song where you lose all train of thought while you become completely immersed in the sounds – like I said earlier, once you’re stuck in it, it’s difficult to get back out.

Skipping ahead to the halfway point of the album brings us to the song ‘Bored Games’. Lots of quick and little intricate sounds dominate this song, all over top of a muffled bass line that’s sure to keep your head bobbing along to the beat. For about the last minute of the track, Tatum delivers a laid-back guitar solo as the song comes to an end and slowly fades out. Next up would be the other somewhat familiar track on the album, ‘Confirmation’. Just like the songs on the 7″ records, this track has been floating around on the web for awhile now, but it did not come on either of the 7 inches. Moving right along to another highlight from the album, ‘Chinatown’. ‘Chinatown’ is drenched in more heavenly, spaced out sound effects that are present throughout the entire song, while Tatum’s voice continues to saturate everything even more, giving this track (and most of these other tracks) a real sense of longing. Second to last on the album comes the song ‘Our Composition Book’, which is a glamorous, picture-perfect pop song complete with shimmering sound effects and some excellent guitar playing by none other than Mr. Tatum himself.

In looking back on this album, I’d have to say it was quite a refreshing listen. Just about every last track sounds like it’s been dunked in a pool of spaced out, glamorous and almost ambient sound effects, which goes a long way for giving this album an otherworldly quality. If you’re still not sure what to think, then the best suggestion I’d have for you is to listen to these few songs below. After listening, it shouldn’t take long for you to decide whether or not you’re a fan of Wild Nothing.

Wild Nothing is the solo project of Virginia born Jack Tatum, whose music is the product of an unhealthy obsession with nostalgia. Equal parts teenage wasteland and inexplicable regret, his songs are the kind that could only be made by the young at heart. Unlike the current herd of one-man bedroom bands, Tatum creates complex textural environments that aim for something higher. Melodies that yearn to stay with you. Warped interpretations of Johnny Marr’s guitar work and The Cure’s careful synth arrangements. Dreamy, catchy, and intriguing. Here’s to missing your youth

(Indie,Pop,Dreampop,Shoegaze,Twee)

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Some rights reserved

Portastudio Summerlist - Soundcheck Set Of The Month
by
the portastylistic

.........................................................................................

“ EVERYDAY STILL LIKE A SUMMER SOUND! ”

-the portastylistic

PORTASTUDIO SUMMERLIST - Soundcheck Set 04

PORTASTUDIO
SUMMERLIST/

Soundcheck: Set 04

PORTASTUDIO

Pamela Hute - Turtle Tales from Overseas (2010)


*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

Pamela Hute is a French pop/indie rock singer whose style alternates between soft melodies and saturated rock. She fell in love with rock at the age of 12 after buying her first guitar, much as one might be bowled over by a first romance. Since when Pamela Hute has gone back in time at a frantic pace, hoping to squeeze every drop out of the best pop music of the last five decades. The result has been the creation of a cocoon not so far removed from the here and now. An attractive, telecasterized world that seems just slightly familiar. The bitter-sweet atmosphere is as reminiscent of the colourlessness of Placebo in their Nancy Boy period as of Archive’s digital arrangements, PJ Harvey’s nonchalant laments, the brit-pop decadence of the nineties and the furious riffs of Clash’s London Calling.
Following « Mashed Potatoes », a rock trio she joined at 15, and her first live performances at Gibus and New Morning, Pam has trodden a long path, writing and composing over thirty songs live at venues such as la Flèche d’or, le Sentier des Halles, le Triptyque, or le Bus Palladium and refining her own special sound. A sound that suits her very well - saturated but melodic. Rock and roll without the trimmings. Music as enthusiastic as it is disenchanted.

It appeared to me as obvious. Listening to this album of Pamela Hute, Turtle tales from overseas ( Version 2010 ), requires more attention from us. Its intrinsic quality, both in substance and in form, can not be doubted. Unfortunately we have no time to introduce you in detail. But it is undeniable that this album is placed in the top of the pool of current productions.

So, no hesitation to have. You have to listen carefully to this album of Pamela Hute, Turtle tales from overseas ( Version 2010 ). I can assure you that you will not regret it. Perhaps the fate of it is to enter definitively into the great history of rock, in the broadest sense. You can not say that you had not been warned ...

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Color Of Clouds - Satellite Of Love (2010)


*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

We are excited to bring you an exclusive full Album Stream and 18 Questions Interview for Brooklyn’s own Color Of Clouds and their new album Satellite of Love. You can buy the album April 6th. Let’s just say we think you will love this album. Color of Clouds is fronted by singer-songwriter and Moby touring partner Kelli Scarr with Dan Chen (Nicole Atkins & The Sea) on keyboard and Nate Greenberg on production.

“The name of the band is a perfect description of the music, it’s like staring at beautiful clouds all day…it’s Postal Service as fronted by Feist…”
- www.musicsnobbery.com

“Scarr’s velvety smooth voice (often likened to ‘1 2 3 4 singer, Feist) perfectly mixes amongst the band’s serene instrumentation and ambient electro beats.”
- www.theregoesthefear.com

“Color of Clouds brings us a bit of magic in every way possible…and after listening to them, I think you’ll see why. Oh so sugary.”
- www.knoxroad.com

“The music is gorgeous and includes harmonies that combine the vocals of the enchanting Kelli Scarr along with her counterparts Daniel Chen and Nate Greenberg. There are orchestral leanings, indie pop hooks and soundscapes that will definitely bring them to many wanting ears.”
- www.slowcoustic.com

1. Tell us about the band?
Kelli: Color Of Clouds is Dan Chen, Nate Greenberg and Kelli Scarr. They all live in Brooklyn and write songs so that they can deal with life, and because it’s fun.

Dan: We go waaay back. We were in a band called Moonraker that started in 2002, and have been friends ever since. Color of Clouds started a couple of years ago, when the three of us wanted to collaborate on a new side project. (ps – I live in Queens, Kelli!)

2. Have you ever been fed up with playing music or with band members, why?
Dan: Never been fed up with playing music, no. But touring – that got old for me after a while. I could never find my hotel room.

Kelli: The only time I have been fed up with playing music is when my voice went out a few years ago. I can’t think of a higher pain then not being able to express myself creatively.

3. What was your first concert experience? Do you remember how you felt once the concert was over?
Kelli: My first concert experience was Montell Jordan and BoyzIIMen. I was too busy being mad that TLC cancelled to realize how amazing BoyzIIMen were. Try giving “River Runs Dry” another listen. Damn.

Dan: Lollapalooza ’94. The Breeders, Beastie Boys, Tribe Called Quest, Smashing Pumpkins…pretty epic!

4. Did you grow up wanting to play music, or when did the whole making albums thing come about and how?
Dan: I grew up playing classical piano, like any good Asian boy. But in high school I discovered rock music, joined a band (I played guitar) and we made our first album on a 4-track in the drummer’s basement.

Kelli: I grew up wanting to sing. Writing my own songs just became something I had to do as I have gotten older. Dealing with mess-ups, break ups and the fact that life in general only gets more complicated. I have found that writing songs is pretty cathartic.

5. What qualifies you guys to be in a band?
Dan: Huge egos. And awesomeness.

6. Do you have a favorite song you have ever written? Why?
Dan: Please don’t make us choose!

7. What is your greatness weakness as a band?
Dan: We’re too busy with all of our various projects to tour. So it’s a bit tougher to get the word out.

8. What qualities should a successful label or manager have?
Dan: They should have a passion for the music they’re promoting. And not sugar-coat everything – just be honest and straightforward. Sometimes labels and managers promise too much, knowing that they can never deliver on their promises.

9. What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you in your life?
Dan: I got air driving a 15-passenger van. Not as cool as it sounds!

Kelli: We were going 100 miles an hour in a van with a trailer attached to it down a dirt road in Canada. Out of nowhere there was a huge bump in the road that sent the van into air for what seemed like minutes. We landed alright though.

10. What’s the first thing you do when the band arrives in a new town while on tour?
Dan: We haven’t really toured as Color of Clouds…but I can tell you from years of touring with Kelli, coffee is almost always the first order of business.

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LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (2010)

This Is Happening is the third album from LCD Soundsystem. The album will be released in the UK on May 17, 2010. The first single will be Drunk Girls.
The album was recorded over the course of 2009 and early 2010 and, according to James Murphy, will be the last album he will release as LCD Soundsystem.

Tracklist:

1. Dance Yrself Clean
2. Drunk Girls
3. One Touch
4. All I Want
5. Can Change
6. You Wanted a Hit
7. Pow Pow
8. Somebody's Calling Me
9. Home

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Henrik José - The Little Things [EP] (2010)


*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

1. Rich And Timeless
2. Pinpointing The Problem
3. The Little Things
4. Magnet In My Mouth
5. We Own This Thing

Henrik José is an electronica/pop-musician from Malmö, Sweden. He started making music with computers in 1995 and released free music on the internet already in 1997. He has several releases under the name BLISS in his past. This is the first official release as Henrik José and the first on 23 Seconds Netlabel.

The music combines intensive monotonic elements with slow, laid back beautiful atmospheres. All drenched in perfect hypnotic pop melodies.
The video “Pinpointing The Problem” is Henrik´s first music video and is taken from his live graphic-video that he uses during his live sets. Enjoy!

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2muchachos - Prespring EP

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

"Spring is coming, with it finally comes out our debut album “formanta” on the label Parallax Sounds, which we are waiting. There comes thaw, the first snowdrops appear soon. We have accumulated new stuff, which is devoted to this. We decided to release pre-spring EP of the forthcoming album. Also it will include an acoustic version of “dreaming girl” and an early version “vremja tepla” (from the album “formanta”).
In addition we have prepared a special version of EP on cd-r 3,5’ (4 tracks + bonus video) with exclusive hand-made artwork. write to e-mail: billyfishbrown@yahoo.com"

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FPRF - Inhalation (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

Shoegaze from Siberia! A bit of M83 and Malory. Excellent!!

FPRF are Evgeny Gavrilov, Mikhail Gavrilov and Daniil Sharomov.
All music written and recorded by FPRF.
Additional guitar in Inhalation by Vladimir Komarov (Punk TV, Hot Zex).
Inhabitant was composed and recorded by FPRF and Anton Glebov (Space Holiday Rocks).
Photo by Ana Cabaleiro.
All right reserved. FPRF © 2010

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Klaus & Kinski - Tierra, Trágalos (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

2010 sophomore release from Klaus & Kinski. Tierra Tragalos was recorded at the end of last year supported by Antonio Ill n as a sound engineer. The leading duo (Marina G¢mez Carruthers, voice, and Alejandro Mart¡nez, guitars) join together with Paco Mart¡nez, bass guitar, and Antonio de Vicente, keyboards and synthesizers.

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Sally Seltmann – Heart That‘s Pounding (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

Sally Seltmann is an award-winning songwriter and singer. She has previously released albums and performed under the name ‘New Buffalo’, and is well known as the co-writer of the song ‘1234’, performed by Feist. Sally now returns with Harmony to My Heartbeat, the first single from her new album, due for release in early 2010.

Previous recordings by Sally as New Buffalo include her debut EP ‘About Last Night’, which was released in Australia (through Modular) and the UK (through Heavenly).

Following her debut EP, Sally wrote, arranged and produced her first New Buffalo album ‘The Last Beautiful Day’. The album features performances from Beth Orton, and the Dirty Three’s Jim White, who plays drums on three tracks on the album.

In 2007 Sally released her stunning second New Buffalo album ‘Somewhere, anywhere’. She wrote and recorded the songs on a century-old piano, in the studio she set up inside a flower-flanked shed in her own backyard. The album features guest vocals from her husband Darren Seltmann (The Avalanches) and Kellie Sutherland (Architecture in Helsinki).

As New Buffalo, Sally has toured in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, performing her own shows, as well as supporting artists including Cat Power, The Concretes, Broken Social Scene, Bright Eyes, Stars, and Feist.

Sally is currently putting the finishing touches on her new album, which she is co-producing with Francois Tetaz (Architecture in Helsinki, Lior).

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Clara Clara - Comfortable Problems (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

Clara Clara saw the light of day in a basement in the small town of Dijon, France, gathered around a saucepan drumkit, a “shitty” Höner guitar and a My First Sony Microphone. Yet it immediately became the very core of the local spazz rock scene (we’re talking at least 8 people here, all of them shell- shocked by a short stay in town of dutch experimental band The Ex).

Basically made up of Charles and François Virot (the latter being famous enough under his own name) and Amélie Lambert (a school book of whom cued the band with its name), Clara Clara strangely started as a drums and bass and flute trio, before realizing that the formula could be enhanced… And it was promptly done with the addition of “a fat overdrive and an octaver pedal to copy that bass player guy in Lightning Bolt“ (an influence, just as American cute noise band Deerhoof), a synthesizer and real poppy songs, courtesy of François (who’s quite a specialist when it comes to pop songs).

The band consequently set off on the long and winding road and hastily recorded a few CD-Rs and an actual album for French label SK records (“AA”) to sell after concerts. “We’re making music first and foremost because we’re friends, then because we’re on the same vibe musically and because we want to experience great things, and eventually because we don’t want that to stop”, says Amélie, and we couldn’t agree more. The thing is, the band can’t avoid being riveting. Fed up with their first songs because they’d played them way too many times, they reinvented through complexity (“but we’re not a math rock band”), the extensive use of a midi pad controlled electronic keyboard, an overdose of beats (techno beats, african beats, you name it) and a massive appurtenance of melodies. Their most recent album “Comfortable Problems” was released on Clapping Music the 10th of March 2010.

The band has an intense sound using the keyboard (Amelie Lambert) as the melodic digital force, chaotic/psychotic drums and frenetic electric bass (Charles VIROT) relying heavily on distortion. Clara Clara plays hypnotic jams with occasional moments of sing-along type phrasing. The sound is explosive, erupting with rhythms and very loud distortion. The crowd moved in a trance like motion of ecstasy until the last song, leaving a sweaty musty residue in the garage cocoon, to get some oxygen.

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John Grant - Queen of Denmark (2010)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

John Grant, former singer/songwriter with Bella Union cult favorites The Czars, finally returns in April 2010 with an extraordinary debut solo album made with Midlake.

Everyone has a favorite band or singer they reckon is subject to criminal neglect. That John Grant’s effortlessly rich, expansive baritone, couched in typically heartbreaking, lush melody, hasn’t found a wider audience many would consider a crime. But no longer. Because Grant’s first solo album is so undeniably great that the world will surely listen.

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Some rights reserved

Portastudio Summerlist - Soundcheck Set Of The Month
by
the portastylistic

.........................................................................................

“ EVERYDAY STILL LIKE A SUMMER SOUND! ”

-the portastylistic

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! ”

-the portastylistic