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The Harry Heart Chrysalis is ready to spread its wings

9 Jan

The Harry Heart Chrysalis

Does anyone miss Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros? They have the perfect name, with a perfect background story. After “Home” was featured in a commercial, they rose in popularity, and I’m sure had some people (me) shaking their heads at a band name that reminds of an egotistical power rock band. Alex Ebert plays the part of Edward Sharpe, a Messiah character he created in a story he wrote while in rehab. Decidedly not about ego, but rather a rebirth, (or resurrection, if you will) of Ebert during a dark and troubling time. I really admire Ebert, and treasure one of his solo tracks, “Truth.” (The version featuring RZA is also great, if only for the incredible, half-hearted rap-singing RZA does toward the end of his verse.) I found a song sonically similar by The Harry Heart Chrysalis, rhythmic and lyrically rich, though “Ninety Six” has a much different message.

The guitars give us our first impression of “Ninety Six”. The strums are quick and even, and the mandolin-like riff bounces with frontman Harry Heart’s vocals. Ebert has a similar sing-song rhythm, punching the lyrics at the end of each line. Where Ebert’s “Truth” battles inner darkness, “Ninety Six” embraces raw sexuality and insecurity. (Check out the lyrics via the Bandcamp version of the track.) Their previous efforts tended to be lighter than “Ninety Six,” which suggests that The Harry Heart Chrysalis is prepared to give us deeper meanings and more fulfilling stories. And with a name as mysterious as “Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,” I think they will be well-received.

You can download “Ninety Six” for free via the embedded track above. Find more information about The Harry Heart Chrysalis on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

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Lyon to San Francisco, All the Girls, My Casiotone

26 Nov

Odessey and oracle

In today’s society of instant gratification, it can be hard to branch out your musical taste. Instead of giving new music a chance, we tend to just skip to the next track that is better aligned with a genre or style that we have connected with in the past. Lose that mindset right now, because unless you already operate on a hearty diet of chiptune and toy instruments, you won’t recognize the greatness of Odessey & Oracle and the Casiotone Orchestra.

This album is a little weird, but in the absolute best way. The first track,”2016,” is dripping with psychedelia and ambience, held up only be the melody of the vocals. That is only the beginning, though; what follows is a collection of endearing and occasionally somber songs, making good use of drones and casiotones. It can at times sound like Rennaissance fair music, but there is something deeper happening beneath the flutes and tambourines. The lyrics, though cohesive and organized, are sometimes spat out in run-on sentences. There is a strategy here, but it depends on every aspect of the music converging to make this vision come to fruition.

Taking their name from an album by The Zombies, this French trio is intent on emulating ‘60s psychedelia. Odessey & Oracle currently have a five song EP up on their Soundcloud, which is representative of the strongest tracks to be released on their full length effort with the Casiotone Orchestra. Once you buy the record, though, give your attention to the series of Inventions that weave between the other tracks. They are not the most staggering songs among the other gems, but I do feel the Inventions provide some much needed grounding for the album. This is a testament to a well-structured album.

Odessey & Oracle and the Casiotone Orchestra will be out 12/12 on Carton Records. You can pre-order the album here. Find more information on Odessey and Oracle on their website.

P.S. The title of this article is a nod to Crystal Fighters’ “Solar System.”

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No Vacancy

21 Nov

Liza AnneWriting just the title of a song can be a very crucial display of your artistry. Most songs have obvious names, clearly so that a listener may be able to remember it later to look it up and buy it on iTunes. But some bands take a different, but equally tame approach, naming their song something tangentially related or clever. Of Montreal takes the cake for throwing all naming conventions out the window, but my favorite titles are the misnomers. The best example of this is Band of Horses’ “No One’s Gonna Love You”; the lyrics are actually the exact opposite of how callous the track’s name may suggest: “No one’s gonna love you more than I do.” This is so brilliant, so casually passionate. Liza Anne makes her own mark with “Room.”

Especially after my obsession with Glasser’s most recent album full of ideas of physical space, Interiors, I initially assume Liza Anne’s single is a place, an area of her home that perhaps she has felt emotion that she’ll share in the lyrics. Emotion she shares, but the room she speaks of is not tangible. “I shoulda known you didn’t want me, you didn’t have any room to want me,” she accuses. This “room” is an assessment of space, but there is none left. Contrary to what I assumed from the title, there is no room.

“Room” will have a digital release on December 16th. Check out more information on Liza Anne on her website.

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Just for Kids: Sadako by Fairchild

20 Nov

It’s springtime in Australia, so winter’s most energetic music is going to come from that area for the next few months. First, I’ve found Fairchild, who provide power pop that is the appropriate amount of fun and drama to their lyrics. Their first single is “Arcadia,” with a funky accompanying video.

Where the toe-tapping rhythm meets drama in “Arcadia,” the rest of Fairchild’s latest EP, Sadako, follows suit. It builds into anthemic choruses, but something feels so familiar in them; I am reminded of the powerful chords on Coldplay’s Parachutes. “Outside” is nostalgic, but not for the past, for the present. It is full of emotion, as is what I find the strongest track on the EP, “Waiting For It”. The buzzing guitars and horse-trot rhythm; then the anthemic chorus comes in, meant to be whispered rather than shouted.

I also would like to share the story behind the title of their EP:

‘Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes’ was a book written by American author Eleanor Coerr and tells the story of a Japanese girl who was two years old when the devastating Hiroshima atomic bomb was dropped. She became very ill and was told of the legend if you make 1,000 paper cranes it can make you better. Feeling inspired by this story, a friend of vocalist Adam Lyons made him 1,000 paper cranes for good luck while he was at university. They hang above his bedroom, where the band recorded and produced the EP.”

I remember reading this book as a kid. I remember wanting to have those cranes hanging in my room. I picked up origami shortly after, but never with enough enthusiasm to make one thousand of anything. This was definitely a daydream I’ve had, where I would fold day and night until I had completed the task, and I would hang each one carefully from the ceiling, making sure to make them varying heights, as if they were all part of a flock mid-flight. I suppose this EP could be a sonic interpretation of that daydream, this nostalgia.

I have no doubt that Fairchild could be a crossover hit, on both mainstream and independent radio. It’s only a matter of getting people to pay attention.

Fairchild’s Sadako EP is out now. For more information, visit their website.

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Snippets of Feeling: an interview with Kathleen Mary Lee

14 Nov

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a delightful new folk artist, Kathleen Mary Lee. I discussed her latest single, “Hours Gone By,” and now she is back with a video for the track. I was also privileged enough to virtually sit down with Kathleen (we were both at computers in our respective homes), and ask her some questions about her music and the new video. Continue reading →

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