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Get Some Scars with Lux Lisbon

25 Feb

luxlisbon

To sum up Lux Lisbon in a few words, this is music you just want to keep listening to. Lux Lisbon’s unique brand of classic rock inspired Indie power pop is electrifying, stimulating, and infectious. The 5-piece band met in Nottingham University and has been creating sprawling melodies and anthemic harmonies since its inception. With a sound like the Killers and Muse, Lux Lisbon is powerful and they are not afraid to demonstrate it.

The band is made up of Stuart Rook – Vocals, Songwriting, Piano, Synths; Charlotte Austen – Vocals, Bass; Alastair Jones – Guitar; Johnny Colgan – Drums; Rob D’Ath – Guitar, Vocals. The band saps the full sound out of all of its instruments and vocals to create a theatrical, Spector-like wall-of-sound.

The band will release an EP called Get Some Scars on March 25 of this year, and below is a sampling of the four tracks from the EP. They will be touring the UK to support the release.

“Get Some Scars” begins with neat harmonies that transition into a steady beat. The vocals are spot on; a Brandon Flowers-like croon with deeper inflections. The chorus, featuring an amalgamation of voices, hooks the listener. Heck, the entire song has that effervescent, hooky quality that encompasses good pop songs. It makes you want to hit repeat when the song ends. But before it does, pay close attention to the skillful vocal layering at around 3:30 (“when I get to the gutter). Organized, contagious, and cool.

“Bullingdon Club” is heavier. The song is certainly more Muse-like. It is an ardent, Matchbox 20-like, heavy-hitter with all the qualities of a great power rock hit: effective electric guitar, tremendous vocal, well-placed synth, fast-paced percussion, and moving bass. This is one heck of a composition.

Keep track of Lux Lisbon: Website, Facebook, Twitter

 

 

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The Wizard of Norway – Christoffer Øien

20 Feb

Christoffer Øien

What kind of music can you expect from a 25-year-old singer/songwriter from a small fishing village in Norway? Did you guess enchanting folk with a hint of haunting strings laid over an enigmatic vocal? You did? Wow, good guess!

Christoffer Øien is a true find, and in a burgeoning musical world, he represents a perspicacious musician with tremendous ability that should be recognized by a global audience. Øien’s music is expansive folk; it mixes the style of some of Joe Purdy’s slower, lugubrious pieces with a mystical Radiohead flavor. The sound is bewitching, and one wants to continue listening to the wizard of Norway.

Let’s take a listen to two songs; the first a disturbing lullaby called “Sandman.”

The song is, well, creepy. It’s creepy in a good way. Øien clearly wants to elicit the feeling of an unsettling lullaby. Øien combines drawn out strings with light keys and acoustic guitar. The music culminates in a beautiful combination of strings that soothe the listener. His lyric is imaginative, and he sings such distinct lines as “it feels like rain, tastes like wine” and “it sounds like pain, but it’s all in my mind” Eerie and oddly enticing.

“The Wizard” begins with a plucked acoustic guitar and transitions to Øien’s unmistakable vocal. The song, like “Sandman” combines several influences, and, in some parts, almost takes the form as a gloomier early Coldplay composition. I can continue to search for Øien’s style in other musicians, but it may be wise to simply describe him as refreshingly original and tell you all to listen to more of his first album, Monster.

Check out his website, Facebook

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The Rise of Jamie Lidell

9 Feb

You never know what you’re going to get when you find an artist that doesn’t fall in the bounds of a specific genre. Sometimes it is just too erratic and “art for art’s sake.” I know there is merit in pushing boundaries, and it’s great to challenge the status quo of music, but I still need melody, and I still want to enjoy what I’m listening to. I don’t care how avant-garde you are. If I don’t like your music, my opinion isn’t going to change just because you think you’re original. You can write new stuff all day that no one has ever composed or dreamed of, but if it’s garbage then I don’t know what all the fuss is about. There is another case though.

Some artists can’t be placed into a solid genre for a better reason. Sometimes artists are just putting together albums that reach far boundaries that become a sublime blend of music that keeps you guessing the entire record. Sure, I love it when bands like AC/DC put out albums because you know exactly what you’re going to get, but I also love being surprised and finding something fresh in a new album.

I recently stumbled upon the music of Jamie Lidell. He is a solo artist from England. He currently lives in Nashville and puts on one hell of a show. He achieved his fame looping rhythm tracks with his vocals and performing as a one man show. I caught wind of this because he is featured on a Simian Mobile Disco track that I love (Off the Map). His music is incredibly soulful, super rhythmic and a complete dance marathon of melody laden music. I can’t imagine this guy being a secret in the music industry much longer.

Both of these songs are the night and day of his music so just in and check out the range of this up and coming artist.

Check out his website for more.

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Rollin’ With Skinny Lister

21 Jan

Skinny Lister

It may have taken until this month for Skinny Lister’s debut LP Forge and Flagon to be released in the United States, but this patriotic British Indie/Folk quintet has gone from an authentic pub band to the ‘hardest working band in the UK. And staying true to their debut album’s name, the band just continues to blow away crowds with their punky, effervescent folk hits that flow just like the everlasting quantity of wine from a metal flagon. In 2011, Skinny Lister played more festivals than ANY band in the UK, and don’t expect them to be slowed down by languor or travel hangovers. No, Skinny Lister will forge ahead with a vivaciousness unique to only the best of those perpetually touring acts. Why? Because they love it!

In 2012, Skinny Lister went from performing at SXSW to earning a spot on the Vans Warped Tour, where they played three times a day. To support their new release, the band is opening for California-spawned Celtic Punk band Flogging Molly during a 19-date tour that will traverse the States. I have the privilege to attend the NYC show, which I will do with much delight, and then with fervid enjoyment (like Skinny Lister’s musical attitude) write a review for you all. Check out the concert schedule.

Let’s get to Skinny Lister’s debut. Often bands who are constantly touring fall into the trap of ‘studio lassitude.’ It’s almost a natural katzenjammer when one considers a restive tour schedule. This is NOT the case for Skinny Lister. The music is catchy, crisp, edgy, and excellent. The music is fresh. It is bubbly and brainy, smart and sassy, powerful and…well…powerful! The music is also ubiquitous. It can be enjoyed by those that like to dance, rock out, or just sit with a cup of joe and nod at good folk music.

“Rollin’ Over” is an energetic piece fused with speedy percussion, spirited instrumentation, and fastidious harmony. From a musical standpoint it is tightly spun, a perfect example of punk-infused folk-pop, but from a pure enjoyment standpoint the music is playful and sprightly. It is almost a guarantee that large groups of audiences will repeat “roll back to your side” ad nauseam. The additional vocal harmony at the end is much appreciated. Great track.

“If the Gaff Don’t Let us Down” moves in a similar manner, but it plays more like a tame Flogging Molly or Great Big Sea track. It is an ode to England, and the lyric attests to that fact. This should be added to the British tourism board. It is a sea jig with the best of them, and it makes me want a London Pride in a pub overlooking the river Mersey.

I can’t stress this enough, drink in Skinny Lister. You will be hearing a lot more about them in the upcoming weeks and months.

Check out Skinny Lister’s website, Facebook and Twitter

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The First of the Rock Hop Era – Augustus Caesar

17 Jan

caesar

Augustus Caesar’s name suits him well. As the progenitor Augustus was the first Roman Emperor, today’s version of Augustus Caesar uses an electric guitar to reshape collaborative sound. Caesar has molded a modern form of metal and hip/hop that is a refreshing reboot of rap/rock, which hit it mainstream in the 90s.

One of the main triggers for this eclectic combination was Run D.M.C.’s collaboration with Aerosmith. The two groups reworked Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” into a rock/rap hit. That was in 1986. This genre splice expanded to bands like the Beastie Boys (a hardcore punk band turned hip/hop experimental act) and Rage Against the Machine. As popular as the genre became in the mid-to-late 90s, when it hit the corruptible grasp of the mainstream it was compacted and commercialized and it quickly fizzled out (there are still Alt/Metal and NuMetal bands, it’s just not nearly as popular).

Now, more than a decade after the rap/rock bubble burst, Augustus Caesar has restored the collaboration into a more modern hip/hop version of rap/rock. Let’s take a listen to how it sounds.

The more modern elements are immediately heard with the effects. The song itself is drenched in heavy sound. It’s like a rainstorm of percussion-driven production where the thunder is a sick guitar riff. Yes, sick. The riff is an ode to tap-guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, and it’s sick. Augustus’ rap is also refreshing. I find that many rappers are vocally confusing, but Augustus enunciates well.

“Hope” is ostensibly lighter, but in some ways this piece hits harder. The hip/hop beat is set over a whining guitar riff that cries elegantly. The chorus follows the riff, an audible echo over the riff that is directed by the lyric. The piano riff calls out Brit/Pop, which makes the song more multi-layered. It is fun to peel back this onion and experience the song’s intricacies.

Learn more about Augustus Caesar! Visit his website, Facebook, and Twitter.

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