Posts Tagged ‘Folk’
The Smiles & The Frowns were obviously on an acid trip when they decided on a name but it sounds as if their music has been made with a clear head, AMIRIGHT!? Nice. This American duo have been dropping a few 60s throwback tracks over the past few years without gathering a whole lot of steam. This however, could be their turning point as my 389 days of experience breaking bands to the masses finally bears fruit for this American outfit. Sure, some might say I’m not on top of things when The Guardian are beating me to the punch by a solid 9 months but sometimes you’ve got to let a track simmer before you write about it. And that’s what I’ve done. What I haven’t done, is hear this track about 4 days ago and pretend to have known it for months. That’s what I haven’t done, you can know that for sure. Here is a picture of Keith Urban so that you know I’m being honest.
The Smiles & The Frowns – ‘Cornelius’
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You can buy some physical CDs by clicking here. If you want to buy some physical CDs that have actual music on them then though, you’ll have more luck here. If, and I’m thinking this might actually be what you wanted from the outset, you wish to by CDs with music by The Smiles and The Frowns on them then you should click here. Or just click here to download them on iTunes.
It’s well understood that I’ll write about anything that Freelance Whales do. I know it, you know it, they know it. They put out one of the better records of 2009 and have gone on to release a few off the cuff tracks that have suggested that their next record might be moving in a different direction to Weathervanes. Now they’ve covered Devo’s Girl U Want. It won’t rattle any cages but it will make you say “this song is a nice song”.
Freelance Whales – ‘Girl U Want’ (Devo Cover)
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The first thought I had when I saw the name of this artist was of course, “you are not”. Then I reconsidered. “Perhaps he is oak”, I thought. There came to me the flittering thought that I may have been about to listen to the music of a treant. Then, an even more exciting prospect came to mind. What if – and this was a pretty special ‘what if’ – an enchanted oak was felled in the forest of Kaz’nekrem on the eve of a lunar eclipse and the stars aligned as a master-craftsmen, on his death bed, created one last piece of carpentry: A magical xylophone that played itself. Yeah, I know. Awesome.
I Am Oak – ‘On Trees And Birds And Fire’
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Suffice to say you’re probably ashamed of yourself, having initially written this band off for what you thought was a silly name. Don’t worry, I’m also a little embarrassed, but now we know better. In the unlikely outcome that this artist is neither treant nor xylophone then he’s probably the Dutch singer-songwriter Thijs Kuijken. In 2008 Kuijken self released his Sou Ka EP and the full length Ols Songd. Last year he dropped On Claws which featured the above streamed track ‘On Trees and Birds and Fire’. On the 13th of May, 2011 he’ll be releasing his next record titled Oasem.
To purchase Souk Ka head here, to purchase On Claws get on this.
Here’s a little something else from Dry The River to tide you over for the next day or two. This band seems to be moving from strength to strength at the moment. No word as yet on the release date of their debut full length but it surely can’t be far. They’ve been churning out live video after live video these past few months and the buzz is running high. They’d be foolish not to take advantage of it and release sometime soon.
I’ve got a real whiz-banger (of the gentler kind) lined up for you later in the week. Stay keen.
I don’t feel as strongly about No Light Bright Light as I did about the self titled debut that Isbells released last year. His voice and the acoustic accompaniment is starting to sound a little bit too close to Jason Mraz for my liking but because they’ve already got me onside I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Like 90% of girls in clubs, there’s not a lot of thought or care to it but it’s certainly very, very pretty.
Isbells – No Light Bright Light by Zealrecords
I can see it on the Belgian iTunes but as of yet I can’t see a purchase link for most other sectors. Let me know if you find one.
Artists you need to know rn
| 1. 1300 |  |
316 |
| 2. Voidhood | |
259 | 3. jamesjamesjames | |
186 | 4. Zan | |
174 |
| 5. Sesame Girl | |
147 |
