Kirstiecat | Blog

1. Rebecca Zapen

I just saw Rebecca Zapen play last night at a small cabaret called Katerina’s after my friend Aadam told me about her music. She has a jazz background but also a nice folk sound. At times, she sort of reminded me of a jazzier and brighter Nina Nastasia. Last night, she played violin and ukelele and was joined by others playing dobro, guitar, and stand up bass. She played an enchanting mix of originals and covers last night. (Covers included Louis Armstrong’s “Dream a Little Dream of Me” “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles, and Nature Boy which she ended a great set with.) She even sang one song in French.

Hear her songs on myspace. “Shooting Star” shows more of her jazz side. “Smile” has a bit of a twee sensibility. My personal favorite on myspace is probably “We Didn’t Bother.”

2. Cellmates

I learned about Cellmates through Robyn Detterline’s post on Radio Free Chicago earlier this week. I was really excited to see on their myspace page that they reside in Chicago because they honestly don’t sound like anything else I’ve heard coming out of this city. It has a sort of vulnerable feel to it. Listen to them on myspace but hear “Disappearing Man” or “A Day in War” first. It’s these songs that the best of Git Fiddler’s voice has a soft and calming effect and he’s joined by some nice backing female vocals that yield perfect harmonizing. “Dead Dream” is more of an aquired taste for me because of the way the vocals are projected but there is still some great things about it.

Cellmates on Myspace

3. John Hale

Yes Yes Yes I love John Hale!! I had a good feeling once I saw his top friend was Henry Sparrow whose album Bird Songs Volume 1 I’ve listened to and really enjoyed since I blogged about Henry Sparrow a couple of weeks ago after he found me on myspace. He also has Orouni as a top friend too whose songs keep getting more and more amazing.

Anyhow, this is just perfectly enchanting stuff. I can’t get enough. He has such a purring voice to accompany the folk. It’s very alluring to listen to. If he sang in French instead of English I’d probably just melt into the floor. North Carolina you lucky lucky state. I hope you realize this. Oh some more really great things about John Hale-influences he lists include Huraki Murakami and Paul Auster?! How cool is that! Listen to “What Bad Timining it Is” and “At Length with Tong” for more of an upbest pop folk element and “Up on the Dash” for a startlingly great folk song with the lyric: “God has given me this love to share. I only wish that He had told me where to take it.”

Last thing about John Hale, he sounds like this in his words:

me on weekdays between the hours of 10 and 6, very caffeinated, slightly nourished, and more earnest than i’d like to be.

John Hale on myspace

4. Franz S. Lorenzo

Yay France. You knew you’d be in here somewhere, right? I mean, I couldn’t possibly leave you out on my best of myspace even for one week. Thanks go to David from the wonderful band Toy Fight for telling me about Franz S Lorenzo, who apparently was also the songwriter behind the French band eLDIA. Listen to “Morning Kiss” and it will be impossible to tap your feet to a song who sounds a cross between The Beatles and The Magnetic Fields with a lovely pop sensibility.

5. Zita Swoon

Thanks go to Orouni for telling me about Zita Swoon. Oh yes beautiful pop from Belgium and best of all with some lyrics in France. “How Can I Resist” is a song of theirs that also describes how I feel about them. I cannot resist them! Just try to listen to “De Quoi a Besoin L’Amour?” without falling in love. I dare you!

Zita Swoon on myspace

6. Mertle

oh how fun. Really! It brings me back to jumping on the bed as a little girl. It’s that great. From Brighton, Mertle calls herself Alternative, Pop Punk and Comedy. Her sweet song “3 Steps to Happyness” is a soft lulling number but the others show a more upbeat and quirky side. She says sounds like “a bored housewife.” I would say it sounds like getting lost at a really cool zoo.

Mertle on myspace

7.Mina Tindle

France re-represent! Yay Mina Tindle. I knew she was special when I saw she had Sparrow House which is the fabulous side project of Jared Van Fleet from Austin’s Voxtrot

Mina Tindle creates lovely little folk songs sung in English with a sweet French accent detectable (it’s the next best thing to hearing lyrics in French, of course.) There’s also a little bit of a CocoRosie essence in the vocals. Thanks again to David for telling me about her.

Mina Tindle on myspace

8. Dan Wallace

Thank you Dan Wallace for requesting my friendship. Two bands from Chicago in one best of myspace. What do we think we are? Brooklyn? Monteal? Paris? Dan Wallace plays with two others but does the songwriting and singing. Listen to “Back of My Mind” for perhaps the perfect pop song I’ve heard in awhile.

Dan Wallace on myspace

9.Oakley Hall

I owe Thierry a thank you for telling me about Oakley Hall who I guess are great live (and are on tour and will be in Chicago on September 26th at The Empty Bottle). I actually really love “Lazy Susan” which is also a song they have posted on myspace. It has an edgier rock element as opposed to “Light of My Love” which leans towards more of a country feel. This six piece Brooklyn ensemble includes vox, dulcimer, violin, banjo, and lap steel in their list of instruments.

Oakley Hall on myspace

10. Elizabeth Harper & The Matinee

Oh my gosh how I love this woman’s voice. It’s so lovely how she sings and goes into these swooning falsettos to compliment the guitar and vox. From Brooklyen, she sites The Smiths as one of her influences too! Give these two songs a listen

Elizabeth Harper & The Matinee on myspace.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 17th, 2006 at 1:44 pm and is filed under Best of Myspace, music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.