Best of Myspace Music
I woke up this morning a little sleepy headed from a late night Juana Molina show, who was as always fantastic and who I will be posting about later on in the week. I felt increasingly discouraged because myspace just doesn’t seem to work right some days and I was having trouble actually hearing some of these songs at first. I plugged through and came up with some great picks for the week, though! Check them out:
1. Viva Voce
I am so psyched about seeing this girl/boy duo of Kevin and Anita Robinson out of Portland this Friday (10/20) at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Hailing from Portland, Oregon and on the Barsuk record label, both Kevin and Anita have vocals to be heard almost barely over the sometimes chaotic sounds of instrumentation as in “When Planets Collide” or more prominently in “Wrecking Ball” which is a song I like even better because you can hear them singing together so perfectly. “This is a wrecking ball. psychological. It used to come and go…” At other times, they are unexpectantly catchy as in “Alive With Pleasure.” They are on tour right now so visit their myspace page to view tour dates and hear songs (and become their friends!)
This band is from Paris and their band name is a Neil Young reference. I mean, I think with those credentials they could become my favorite band of all time! The songs are laid back indie rock/folk fare with some nice harmonica on “Too Much Space.” With lyrics in English. If you are having trouble listening on myspace, their offical website has some great tracks to listen to on the right hand side. I especially like and recommend hearing: “Your Eyes When We Kiss.”
3. eLdia
Another band out of France The Parisian rock band eLdia composes songs that are much less folky and laid back than Hey Hey My My but the songs are both catchy (just listen to their upbeat rhythm in “Hang on People premix”) and rocking in a way that has me really wanting to listen to more. Sometimes the best sound vocally is when the vocals are extended out in “Spider” in the intro and in the chorus. And they have the best of taste and influences: Leonard Cohen, The Kinks, Jeff Buckley, and Elliot Smith! Nice! Lyrics in English again (darn!)
4. Jim Noir
I heard the Jim Noir album, Tower of Love when my friend Nick was playing it at one of my favorite coffee shops (I’ll give Nick credit for turning me on to Vetiver’s newest and perfect album To Find Me Gone as well). He’s a one man band that provides the world with melodically catchy Brian Wilson-esque songs filled with just the right amount of sugary sweetness. I was so excited yesterday when I found the record at Reckless Records in Chicago…so nice to find exactly what you’re looking for!
Perhaps ths best explanation for this experimental but lovely San Fransisco band who have short bursts of vocals to compliment their lovely guitar melodies on songs like “All Around Us Stand,” and “Asylum Choir” is their own. This collective of musicians led by Curtis Herwitz cites the following influences: “tunnels, caves, and the bottom of the ocean.” At times, their music is more turbulent and frantic, as on the chaotic “They’ll Eat Your Skinny Legs.”