Tag: Music

Elephant Micah: Echoer’s Intent

This one’s literally brand new for me.  I learned about Elephant Micah from the excellent write-up over at You Crazy Dreamers.  Elephant Micah is actually Joseph O’Connell, an Indiana singer/songwriter.  His work reminds me of We/Or/Me (see my post here), Nick Drake, or even Great Lake Swimmers, as it has a depth of feeling that is immediately apparent.  There is an unassuming, natural quality to the vocals on “Loon Call” (from the newly available “Echoer’s Intent“) that speaks to a stillness of soul and purpose.  It’s the sort of music that makes you sit up, take notice, and then take stock.

Have a listen to “Loon Call” here, and then go read that excellent post at You Crazy Dreamers.  And if you get the chance, stop and see him on one of these tour dates.  Enjoy!

[audio:https://www.shh-listen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Loon-Call.mp3|titles=Loon Call]  Download

And if you want a little more… here’s a post from Slowcoustic with a bunch more tracks to listen to!

The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

It can be a little bit unfair – describing bands by their relation to ancestors – but there’s something about The Besnard Lakes‘ “Albatross” (from their new release  on Jagjaguwar: The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night) that makes me instantly think of The Jesus and Mary Chain.  Well, The Jesus and Mary Chain going supernova, anyway.  This is a song of epic architecture: of honey-coated vocals layered on top of waves of fuzz and driving beats.  There is something about this Montreal band that is both immediately familiar, and yet fascinatingly new.  And what makes them all the more intriguing is that every song is strikingly singular in its composition.

From “Disaster,” which wanders through more styles than a Brian Wilson album, to the “My Bloody Valentine jams with early-U2 in space” feel of “Thomasina,” I have this sense  that I’ve discovered a handful of bands that are kindred spirits, rather than just the one.   And it seems that I’m not quite alone in this feeling.  As the folks at Jagjaguwar describe The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night:

The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night calls upon the influence of ELO and finer parts of the Alan Parsons Project in its orchestration. Still helped by the Ghost of Beach Boys Past, the album is more Dennis Wilson than Brian, and more Peter Green Fleetwood Mac than Lindsay Buckingham. That said, standout track “Albatross” has all the swagger of a Stevie Nicks-led Fleetwood Mac classic or Roy Orbison reimagined as a rollicking, snakeskin-booted Mazzy Star — dousing it all in gas and throwing the match as we hear its tale of Vancouver’s skid row and its inhabitants.

Perhaps it’s for this reason that I’ve been playing their superbly intense, uncompromisingly emotive music over and over since I first heard it.  And now you can, too!  Check out “Albatross,” and then go visit the above pages, and their myspace page,  for more.

[audio:https://www.shh-listen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/albatross.mp3|titles=The Besnard Lakes – Albatross]  Download

Other Stuff You Might Like: Luxury Wafers

Whilst doing a bit of research on YouTube for an upcoming post, I came across a Lissie video from LuxuryWafersVideo (posted below).  It was a great, studio rendition of “Wedding Bells,” and I was instantly intrigued.  Upon further investigation, it turns out that Luxury Wafers is chock full of amazing studio sessions by artists from Lissie to J Tillman (Fleet Foxes) and Tiny Vipers.  It’s a really great bunch of artists – all produced in a slick, yet immediately accessible and intimate style.  They offer the following about their site:

Luxury Wafers is the passion child of Landry and Peter Malick, raised with the help of an amazing network of dedicated, creative folks who also dig fine indie music.

Peter produces, engineers, mixes, writes and plays music. Hardly moderate, total immersion is his way. Long sleepless nights cozied up to his radio began for Peter in grade school. It wasn’t long before he pumped over to sketchier neighborhoods on his bike to discover the juiciest of records. Peter avidly listens to new indie music from his favorite blogs and podcasts. His professional experience goes way back to his first signing on the Vanguard label in 1968 when he was just 16. Peter engineers and mixes the Luxury Wafers sessions.

Nurtured from birth by a big, black, baby grand piano, Landry has also had a life-long love affair with music. When she was about seven, she received an 8-track with some tapes to play in it, the most rousing of which was the William Tell Overture. As fate would have it, her room was soon after remodeled and the drywall guys forever changed her life by leaving behind a mysterious copy of Led Zeppelin’s IV. Since then, she’s delighted in exploring most genres, ever connected to the core of music as she’s traipsed through life and various professional incarnations. She lives in LA with Peter, where she coordinates Luxury Wafers, helps to manage their music business, writes, cooks, teaches yoga and edits this blog. Landry books the Luxury Wafers sessions. She also photographs and shoots and edits video for the sessions.

Peter and Landry owned and operated Chessvolt Recording Studios from 1/2006 until 10/2009, when LAUSD grabbed it by eminent domain to build a new elementary school. They currently work from their home studio and at Kingsize Soundlabs Studio C (where much of the gear has found a home) as well as at various studios around LA, including Scott Gilman’s Eagle Rock Hobby Shop.

Together, the pair brings friendly ears, techie lust and artistic vision to Luxury Wafers.

The site is full of beautiful videos, free music downloads, and great information.  I strongly encourage you to head on over and check it out!  You can see some of my favorite videos after the cut:

Continue reading “Other Stuff You Might Like: Luxury Wafers”

Lissie – Why You Runnin’ EP

I might have missed the release of her debut EP – “Why You Runnin'” – back in November, but I’m definitely trying to make up for lost time with Lissie.  From her soulful cover of “Wedding Bells” by Hank Williams (Sr) to the lush, aching deep of “Everywhere I Go,” Lissie’s music just makes your breath catch and your world slow down.  It’s a rare enough feeling that I’ve decided not to cloud it with too much exposition.  But if you want a little bit more, here’s an excerpt of Sean Moeller’s biography of Lissie over at Fat Possum’s site:

She lives by herself, with her dog, in a farmhouse in Ojai, Calif., where she tends to drink wine and will, on a whim, go to the store to buy paint for her rocks so she can construct a medicine wheel in her big backyard. She has all the time to listen to what’s happening in her inner chambers, what’s turning on and off her lights, what’s giving her goosebumps and where she thinks she’ll be led tomorrow.

You can find some of her songs on her myspace page, on daytrotter, down below this text, and wherever else fine music is served.  The EP (on vinyl and cd) is out on Fat Possum Records.  Go and check it out!

[audio:https://www.shh-listen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Lissie-Everywhere-I-Go.mp3|titles=Lissie – Everywhere I Go] Download

[audio:https://www.shh-listen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/weddingbells.mp3|titles=Lissie – Wedding Bells] Download

Other Stuff You Might Like: Black Cab Sessions

When I was much younger, I used to enjoy riding around in my car and playing (performing) music with my friends.  I think this might be something that many people in high school bands go through, and it certainly was great fun.  Since then, I’ve loved finding clips of people playing in their bedrooms, basements, cars, etc.  Small club shows are great, but there’s nothing quite like the immediacy of performing in a strange place (parties count, too, I’d imagine).  So, it’s a great pleasure to stumble across Black Cab Sessions.  The site’s motto is “One Song. One Take. One Cab,” and that’s exactly what you’ll get.  From Bon Iver to Dawn Landes to Fleet Foxes, the site features great musicians riding around and improvising around their songs.  Go have a look!

You can see one of my favorite clips after the cut:

Continue reading “Other Stuff You Might Like: Black Cab Sessions”