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Stalkin’ Galkin

8 May

galkinToday I found this little web series that Amoeba Records makes with the bands that drop by for live sessions, called “What’s in my Bag?” I love Amoeba, if only for the slashed prices on all the used Blur CDs, so I appreciated listening to bands blab about music like I do. I watched several, including Mac DeMarco’s, which was as laid back as you would imagine. His descriptions of his purchases were relaxed and earnest, and he didn’t blink when a fan come over asking for an autograph, who then interrupted the segment completely to take a photo with him, right in the frame of the video. “I hope you don’t mind if we put you in the What’s in my Bag…” a producer says off camera. Star-struck, she chirps, “I don’t mind!” and departs. DeMarco’s music is that stoner surf rock that everyone can enjoy, and I think I’ve found someone that he’s influenced: Galkin.

I think that we underestimate Canada a little too much. They have a very impressive music scene, from where both DeMarco and Galkin originate. Galkin sings polite psych rock songs, and as far as I’m concerned, the fuzzier he sounds, the better. He has perfected the imperfect precision of slacker rock, with a mesmerizing distortion throughout all of his releases.

I’m very partial to a song that I can sing along with enthusiastically, so I really love “Useless Artifact.” In fact, I love this EP, “Pity Party,” the most, and for more than just the fun melodies. This EP has the best cover art from Galkin to date, with a photo of him near a pool, about to lift himself up from the ground. The colors are bold and the photo itself has motion, however subtle. We conveniently can’t see his face, but he makes up for it with his next EP, Mamaluke of the Year. This next release has a crisper sound, but all else remains the same: the slow pace of the tracks, the familiar warm baritone of Galkin’s voice.

Most recently, Galkin released his Thawed Out EP in March, and it shows his growth and sophistication as an artist. The opening track, “Out to Lunch,” is bright and cheery, and the serves as the foil to the drone-like intro of the very next track, “Indigo.” I also appreciate the sentiment of “Out”; for those of us that have desk jobs, those words grant you the privilege to shirk all your responsibilities for a full hour every day. I’ll always celebrate laziness.

To download any of Galkin’s EPs, visit his Bandcamp.

Body of Songs: the Liver with Ghostpoet

7 May

body of songs - liverCurated by BBC Radio 1’s Gemma Cairney and composer Llywelyn ap Myrddin, Body of Songs is a project that explores the human body through music. The Music Court will profile each track in the compilation. The final four tracks will be announced this summer, and an album will follow. The concept is described best on their website:

“A collection of 10 songs by some of the UK’s most talented artists, inspired by the body’s organs.

Hidden from view, suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs are the core of our physical functioning, and our emotional and feeling world.

Each artist explores an organ with the help of experts, to find out how it works and unlock its mysteries and myths. Along the way they ask profound questions about their own lives; about illness and disease, and age and suffering.”

More information can be found at bodyofsongs.co.uk. 

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After hearing “Follow Me Through,” you’re probably realizing that this Body of Songs thing isn’t at all what you expected. The organs that are chosen are very specific, and even stretch the definition of “organ” (coming up: blood?). For now, we’ll explore Ghostpoet and his left-field contribution to the project: “A Plateful of Liver.”

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Bling (Just a Sign of Science)

6 May

After some extensive research, aka a quick but effective google search, I have noticed that there is not enough discussion on the internet about the song, “Bling (Confession of a King),” a deep cut from The Killers’s sophomore album, Sam’s Town. When the album came out, Entertainment Weekly began its review by describing “Bling,” but they rated the album a C overall; were they not listening? The song describes Brandon Flowers’s father, and his decision to turn sober and follow the Prophet Joseph Smith. I think it might be my favorite song by The Killers, which is a fairly bold statement. I’m impressed by the power they deliver with that driving rhythm, balanced beautifully by the poetry for lyrics. A few people on Reddit said that it was their most underrated song, and I think that that is an understatement. Alas, I could probably write an essay on the brilliance of that “Bling,” but that isn’t what I wanted to address today. Another “Bling” has caught my attention, from a group I recently cannot get enough of: Bells Atlas.

There is a pervasive ingenuity throughout Bells Atlas’s music. I wrote about their last single, “Future Bones,” and called it “fresh and original.” After hearing “Bling” and re-reading what I wrote last time, I don’t think I could have described Bells Atlas in a more generic and boring way. Their new single is not only innovative, it’s catchy as hell. I haven’t memorized the words yet, but I’ve been humming it for the past few days without realizing it was even stuck in my head. The lyrical labyrinth is marvelously executed by frontwoman Sandra Lawson-Ndu, who is a very major part of what makes this track soar. Her voice is gorgeous, especially coupled with well-placed reverb and her own voice as back up. Bells Atlas keep climbing, and it makes me more than excited to hear the new EP. Just a few more weeks now…

“Bling” is the second single off of Bells Atlas’s next EP, Hyperlust, due out May 31st. You can pre-order it here. For more information on Bells Atlas, visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp.

P.S. The live version of the other “Bling” is truly fantastic.

Body of Songs: the Kidney, with Mara Carlyle and Max de Wardener

5 May

body of songs - kidneyCurated by BBC Radio 1’s Gemma Cairney and composer Llywelyn ap Myrddin, Body of Songs is a project that explores the human body through music. The Music Court will profile each track in the compilation. The final four tracks will be announced this summer, and an album will follow. The concept is described best on their website:

“A collection of 10 songs by some of the UK’s most talented artists, inspired by the body’s organs.

Hidden from view, suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs are the core of our physical functioning, and our emotional and feeling world.

Each artist explores an organ with the help of experts, to find out how it works and unlock its mysteries and myths. Along the way they ask profound questions about their own lives; about illness and disease, and age and suffering.”

More information can be found at bodyofsongs.co.uk. 

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There is an elegance about this Body of Songs project. The title seems obvious, but that takes for granted that there it is a unifying double entendre. The human body is something with which everyone can relate, bar none. Then there is also the inherent grace in the innovation of the concept: creating music that is truly inspired by, and about, the very vessel that carries our consciousness. First up, we have the track from Mara Carlyle and Max de Wardener, a stupendous work that honors the kidney.

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Wide awake thanks to Sleep Thieves

4 May

Sleep ThievesEvery once in a while, I make a very important and special discovery. It happens serendipitously each time, and is always something that I didn’t realize I was missing until I finally happened upon it. Now I’m an insomniac after listening to the newest track from Sleep Thieves, “You Want the Night.”

Sleep Thieves deliver terror. The vignettes in the video are brilliantly diverse and clever, and add another layer of darkness onto the already sinister track. Their sound probably draw comparisons to groups like Neon Indian, M83, and Crystal Castles. Honestly, if CC were slightly less drugged out and mellow, but retained their edgy image, they would probably be Sleep Thieves. Crystal Castles’s debut was truly ground-breaking in many ways, and I think Sleep Thieves have something, though far more subtle, equally as enjoyable. And I’m not only referring to the single- the album, also called You Want the Night, is truly delightful.

You Want the Night is out now. For more information on Sleep Thieves, visit their website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and tumblr.

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