Archive | New Band Palace RSS feed for this section

Never Seen a Marching Band Like This

16 Jan

MBhouse

After now three superior indie/pop releases, it is about damn time that more people know about the Swedish/Berlin duo Marching Band (Jacob Lind and Erik Sunbring). It is such a shame when sweet-sounding, sonorous sounds are only shouted from the snow-crested peaks of the Scandinavian Mountains or the Alps. So, America, are you listening?

Okay, maybe I am over-exaggerating a bit. It’s not like Marching Band has surreptitiously crawled out of the underground like a dulcet mole rat. After releasing their first album in 2008, Marching Band was written about by Rolling Stone’s “Hype Monitor.” They quickly earned radio support, and this continued for their second release in 2010 (check out all their music here). Because of their easily accessible, toe-tapping, psych-saturated pop sound, the band’s music has been featured on several television shows (How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, Jersey Shore and Cougar Town).

But here is the deal. With the release of their new EP And I’ve Never Seen Anything Like That (and new album later in 2013), I want to see even more press for this Marching Band. The music is too good to pass up, and I think it deserves an even bigger listener population than it has already garnered. Let’s get to why I think this. The music, duh!

First thing’s first; this album was entirely self-produced. The EP (and future album) was recorded by the duo in their own studio. Thus, it features a commodious, hospitable sound, as if a mini version of the band is performing each song live on the listener’s desk. “And I’ve Never Seen,” the first track on the EP, begins with an infectious opening beat followed immediately by a satiating guitar riff. The well-harmonized vocals lay over the melody like a pillow. Marching Band features an almost Arcade Fire-like wall-of-sound-esque approach to the chorus of “And I’ve Never Seen” (and several of their chorus’). The culmination of sped-up instrumentals mix with pop paraphernalia. It makes for a great effect.

“Breaking is Fun” may be my favorite track from the EP. It is far more stripped down and folksy. The vocals are market fresh and pastoral. The song moves with a pop pace, though, and this amalgamation is excellent. The song also transforms seamlessly. A folk rhythm turns into a sort-of Irish jig to a rock breakdown into 90’s indie back to the Irish jig. Just awesome.

So, if after listening to the music you agree that Marching Band should be better known, go check out their website, Facebook, and Twitter

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Bike Thief Lives Up to Their Name

7 Jan

Bike Thief - Providence

It took more than a bike for Febian Perez, lead vocalist/guitar/bass/piano of new Indie/Rock band Bike Thief, to end up in Portland, Oregon, where he formed the subject of today’s Music Court post, but after creating an open triangle with his musical travels (Rhode Island to Texas to Portland) he has settled nicely into a sprawling Indie act reminiscent of the ornate sound of bands like Arcade Fire.

Bike Thief was named for the famous Italian film of a similar name – “The Bicycle Thieves” – and, in a sense, the opening track of Bike Thief’s incipient EP Ghost of Providence, which was released last week on River Jones Music label, is reminiscent of some of the expansive compositions of Italian composers.

“Battles” begins with a Western-style progression styled like “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles, and flows into a duskily dulcet collection of voices. The beginning triggers thoughts of Danger Mouse and Italian composer Daniele Luppi’s Spaghetti-Western inspired album Rome, and it is because of this that I find the initial Italian connection defensible. The song continues with the twang of the lead guitar and moaning strings (nice work by Greg Allen). Perez’s airy croon snuggly fits the piece. His voice is made for his music – go figure! The song culminates into an instrumental medley. It’s a refreshing opening track, one that travels quickly and leaves the listener wanting more.

“Ghost of Providence Pt. 1” is the more, and it is also the best track on the debut EP. This track beings more like a traditional Indie/Pop song (like that of Mumford and Sons), but it grows into something more elaborate. An acoustic riff and well-formed drum track (by Jim Cuda) leads into staccato strings. The strength of the song is in the repetitive lyric. I applaud the decision to pair the vocals with the strings. Equal credit here to the rest of the band: Charlie Barker – Vocals/guitar and Erica Shafer-Bass.

You can check out the rest of the EP on Bike Thief’s Bandcamp. Make sure to Like them on Facebook and Twitter.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Gaining Transmission – The Creative Pop of Jon Samuel

3 Jan
Jon Samuel

Jon Samuel

Jon Samuel understands the key to creating mellifluous pop music. It doesn’t involve overused synthesizers, vocal effects, or complex sound. That would be too easy. Da Vinci wrote, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” and this quotation accurately describes Samuel’s ability as a singer/songwriter. Don’t get me wrong, some bands are able to find an electronic balance and create elegant music, but stripped-down pop music requires a certain level of simplicity that is, well, sophisticated. Such artists are handed the arduous task of creating easy, inventive pop that is not pablum. Artists must be subtle in a completely unsubtle way. The greatest artists/writers (like Da Vinci and Shakespeare – who wrote “Brevity is the soul of wit”) will stand by the belief that conciseness and guilelessness is difficult to achieve but ultimately effective. Clearly, Samuel agrees, and his debut solo release First Transmission plays to that sentiment.

Some may know Samuel as one of the musicians in the 2008 Juno Award-winning band Wintersleep. Samuel acted as a composer for Wintersleep’s new album Hello Hum, which was released in June of 2012. Samuel’s solo album followed two months later. The album was recorded in the Spring/Summer of 2011 with Wintersleep bandmates Tim D’Eon and Loel Campbell. Rah Rah’s Erin Passmore provides vocals to two tracks.

“First Transmission,” the album’s title track, is an effervescent ode to SETI scientists who search for signs of intelligent life in space. First off, awesome concept for a song. I just want to get that important note out of the way before I discuss the music. Samuel’s clean and composed vocal is a delight. His voice is soothing, and, to stick with the space theme, is equatable to an astronaut experiencing a weak gravitational force; it floats, but with composure. Underneath Samuel’s airy vocal is an elementary drum beat and few chords. The song, though, does not come off as jejune despite its absence of complication. It is aided by its bubbly simplicity. Some well-placed harmony and call-and-response parts help carry the song even further.

“To Love” similarly starts with an easy riff. Samuel’s vocal follows the chords in rhythm. It’s a pleasure to listen to. Like in “First Transmission,” Samuel’s effortless vocal shines. The song also features atmospherical strings and creative harmonies that add to its cherubic effect.

The entire album is worth a listen, and I urge you to check it out.

You can learn more about Jon Samuel and buy his album at his website. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter

Tags: , , , , ,

The Wall of Boolfight

17 Dec

Boolfight - Album cover (cover art by Klara Domröse)We are crossing the Atlantic Ocean today to become acquainted with Boolfight, a French Indie-rock outfit that successfully blends beat-driven synthesizers with Killers-like rhythms and melodies. The band released their new album, Feral, in November, and the inventive spread of tunes benefits from a collaboration with Nicolas Fromageau, who many of you M83 fans might know as the musician that created the band’s first two albums with frontman Anthony Gonzalez. After leaving M83, Fromageau founded his current heavy-electronic group, Team Ghost, which will release its second album next year. Adding Fromageau’s proclivity for an effective electronic sound helps elevate Boolfight’s music in the new release, but Boolfight provides a far tamer sound than heavy shoegaze electronica.

“Deluxe” has a simple 80’s feel to the opening of the piece. It’s refreshing. This is one of Boolfight’s greatest attributes. The music is not cumbersome. It is electronic easy listening. The melody is clearly defined and refreshing. The vocals, too, are clean – reminding me of a subdued Brandon Flowers. The end employs a wall-of-sound technique, but the music remains composed. At no point does it fly off the handle. There is almost a subtlety to it, and I am a fan.

“Majesty” starts similarly. The buzzy synthesizer at the song’s inception reminds me a bit of M83. Enter in some percussion and concurrent synth and the song transforms into Keane on electronic steroids – an elegant combination of pop melody and synthesizers. “Majesty” is my favorite track, and I believe that it, if introduced to the American public, it could go far. I mentioned the Killers and M83 in this post, and Boolfight molds these influences into a graceful track.

Check out the rest of Boolfight’s album

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Merry Fitz.mas and Happy Caves

6 Dec
Fitz

Fitz

 “Twas the advent of Christmas,  And all through the land,  Not a creature was stirring,  but one festive band” – Fitz.mas

Fitz, a London-based collective of musicians led by Singer/Songwriter Sam Fitzpatrick, has brought new meaning to the Christmas advent calendar. Instead of a little pieces of candy, Fitz is providing listeners with a variety of song nuggets from popular Christmas movies. FOLLOW THE CALENDAR. The audio/visual tidbits are released every other day, with the other days of the month devoted to giving visual clues of the song that will be released next. It’s creative, different, and fun. It also just demonstrates the talent of Fitz.

Yes, Fitz is far more than an advent calendar. He is an uber-talented singer/songwriter with a penchant for sweet vocals and skillful acoustic melodies. His talent is only outweighed by his subtlety. Fitz’ music creeps up on you. It’s soft, even pastoral, and it is vast – a wide-open field of wonder and tenderness, like the bright green field depicted in the video for his song “Caves,” which was released back in October.

Fitz’ British Americana style – yes, I understand the contradiction in that sentiment – is that of a folk troubadour. The music is comfortable, low-key, and relaxing. But, at the same time, there is a vivacity in his tunes, a strength in his voice that calls out to listeners. Fitz understands how to mold a song, and he does so with wonderful precision.

The video of “Caves” tells the story of a young boy who leaves home to explore a verdant world. It is a true coming-of-age video, as the characters suggest. The boy in the video takes a picture of the “tallest tree” and then tosses it in a stream after he sees an even taller tree. In his exploration, he grows. It is a story of adventure and aging – with the universal color for growth, green, as a backdrop.

I want to provide you with one video from the advent calendar. Here is an enthusiastic, albeit self-deprecating version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Merry Fitz.mas!

Check out more about Fitz at the website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →