Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Annamay meshes soulful rock and elements of country in her music. Her song sounds like that of a bard amongst the days of the Iliad and the voices of the Sirens. An interesting fact about Annamay that makes her even more fascinating is she developed herself to become an engineer specializing in the infrastructure of the underground and urban planning. With the lyrics “no time for sorrow”, the environmental lyrics of stars and the sky, she brings an element of starry eyed dreaminess to her work. Her music is so unique, I can’t quite draw exact similarities between her and other female musicians in her genre and space. The only one that is the slightest similar to her work is Lykke Li. She carries similar breathtaking vocals and carries an element of an unknown world in her lyrics and musical arrangement as well.
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
The Music Court 