it's getting dark, and it's getting cold, and the nights are getting long

well cats and kittens, it's that time of year again. the weather gets cold, scarves become acceptable to wear (yes, i'm talking to you, hipsters), and the library becomes a second home. it seems apropos then to return to what is swiftly becoming this blog's bread and butter - understated singer-songwriters. i have a few to offer, and wholly suggest that if you like what you hear, that you go about picking up the full albums, as nothing is more conducive to mindless memorization of statutes than good music.

the first song comes from brighton, england's fin greenall. recording under the monosyllabic monicker fink, greenall's voice is quite mellow, but distinctive enough to keep your attention. i love songs like This Is The Thing; it's just as easy to listen to actively as it is to let it ease into the background as you take the first tenuous steps into wordy l'heureux-dube dissent.

fink - this is the thing



our second contribution comes from Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir, aka lay low. featuring the most fantastic background in the world (born in london to a sri lankan father and an icelandic mother), she fills the sizeable indie-folk gap in my library left by she & him, who we haven't heard from since 2008. I Forget It's There kind of sounds like what the black keys would sound like, if they were female. and less guitar-y. and more adorable.

lay low - i forget it's there


happy learning!

one more time

 
i'm pretty stoked about Tron: Legacy, you guys.

that said, imagine my happiness to discover that reclusive house duo daft punk have been engaged, not only to produce the entire cinematic score (!), but to also appear in the film (!!). while the soundtrack's been slated for release in mid-december, advance copies have popped up online, and i'm happy to share a few samples with you.

the original 1982 movie was a bit of a mess; between the questionable acting, campy romance story and (retrospectively) garish computer animation, the finished product was something only a select few could love. despite it all, i always thought there was a more compelling idea underlying the whole affair, and one i'm truly excited to see fleshed out in modern animation. in the early 80's, the concept of a 'world ruled by computers' was presumptively fantasy; with contemporary computer technology what it was, such a universe could only really be conceived of in the imagination. not surprisingly, though the world has changed a tad in the past 30 years, and Legacy is being released in a context where the most significant powers in our world occur primary in a virtual world well outside our control. where the digital world governs multibillion dollar transactions and nuclear arsenals, the universe of Tron stops seeming so trivial and fantastical, and becomes a little more poignant.

what really pushes my buttons about Tron, though is the notion that for an hour or two, we get a glimpse into the (fictional) mind of someone that is truly a master of a complex and intricate world. jeff bridges returns in the sequel as the programmer flynn with an oscar under his belt, sporting a hefty beard and white robe, and the biblical parallels couldn't be any more apparent. the world of Tron is flynn's world, conceived of in his imagination, and it's fascinating to consider how individuals like him think about these topics. is this how the hawkings and faradays of the world see things; not as a discrete set of mathematical or physical relationships, but as a whole universe, fleshed out by their imagination?

ruminations aside, let's get back to the music. the soundtrack integrates orchestral elements with electronic sampling, and features heavy use of strings with rumbling bass undescoring a lot of the material. the result is fairly striking and full of tension, bringing to mind hans zimmer's work on Inception, or dare I say jack wall's score to Mass Effect 2. while the blogs are somewhat excited about Derezzed, i find that the end title track demonstrates exactly why daft punk was brought on for this project:

daft punk - tron legacy (end titles)



not surprisingly, the duo excel on the orchestral side of things as well.

daft punk - recognizer

you have no idea what you're dealing with

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is good.

there's no denying that fact. is it 10.0 good? absolutely not. kanye's latest is varied, sophisticated and a unique exploration of the individual who seems to simultaneously be the cockiest and loneliest man in show business. the album as a whole is fascinating - living in the twitterspacebook world we occupy, we've had the opportunity to sample a substantial chunk of the album in advance; as a result, my first listen-through wasn't so much an initial impression more than a revisiting of many tracks that had already carved out a significant space in my head. Runaway is the standout of the show, miles above anything else offered; All of the Lights displays kanye's trademark brassy boldness while putting rihanna right where she should be (on the chorus, and as far away from any verses as possible), and So Appalled is a terrific example of swizz beatz' (beatz's?) ability to turn any phrase in the english language into something cool.

that said, Dark Fantasy suffers from a terrible, debilitating flaw - nicki minaj. i don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that she is the worst thing happening to, not only hip-hop, but music as a whole right now. minaj is devoid of talent, lyrical ability, and an entry-level understanding of basic grammar and pronunciation; and the concept of dual personalities was tired when eminem tried it on for the first time. i will feel a lot better when her undeniably short career comes to a quick close. her presence alone deviates Dark Fantasy from pitchfork's bold rating, and will forever make me press skip when Monster comes on.

so what's next for kanye? thankfully, we won't have to wait long, as his collaborative effort with jay-z, Watch the Throne is due in early 2011. That's My Bitch features the distinctive vocal talents of la roux's elly jackson, and with q-tip on production duty, this one's a winner.

kanye west & jay-z - that's my bitch ft. la roux

life tearing at the seams

i'm usually pretty 'up' on music. it's fairly rare for an an up and coming artist to evade my attention for a prolonged period of time, and there have been a few bands i've been particularly proud of getting to well earlier than most people - i beat the pitchfork crowd to tennis by a significant chunk of time, and caught on to sleigh bells even before eye weekly picked them up. the upshot of this level of attention? every once in a blue moon, i get to have one of those absolute asshole moments where i get to tell somebody 'oh, yeah, them? they're pretty good. the EP was better though'. it's like being a hipster for 30 seconds.

that, and i get to have lots of awesome music. i'll let you judge which is the real win.

from time to time, though, i will completely miss the boat on a band, and i couldn't have done so more thoroughly than with the naked and famous. mgmt's success with Oracular Spectacular in 2007 spawned a wide variety of copycat sounds, and they arguably fit in that mold, but with one exception - these kids are good. by this point you are likely well aware of their first single Young Blood, but for posterity, here it is.


the naked and famous - young blood


if Young Blood is to mgmt's Time to Pretend, Punching in a Dream is Kids - a little harder-hitting, but no less catchy.


the naked and famous - punching in a dream

you only want it when you're drunk

i rarely have only one or two songs by a particular artist in my library. if i like one, i feel obligated to add the rest of that particular album to my collection, if only to feel like i've given the artist their due. however, on a few occasions upon listening to a particular track i find myself quite satisfied with the result, and am content to leave it at that. like orphaned children, these songs are destined to be gradually surrounded by other full albums, jealous of these loving and cohesive units until eventually they find a home of their own. orphans need love too, and so i'm passing them off to you to do your part.

i'm not particularly sold on everything everything; that said, this remix is oh so clever. the vocal coleslaw can get to be a bit tiresome at times, but the layering of understated synths, acoustic guitar and a hell of a catchy drum beat take this rendition well above and beyond the original

everything everything - MY KZ UR BF (clock opera remix)



hey marseilles is such a cliche it's almost a shame. Rio combines so many tired new-folk archetypes, it's hard to say exactly whether it's the decemberists, mumford & sons, or the many other carbon copies they're taking their cues from. that said, i can't help myself but enjoy this song. i guess that makes me a sucker

hey marseilles - rio



tv girl's If You Want It rounds out this little motley, bad news bears of a playlist. this one's off their first EP, and i'm curious to see where they take their sound.

tv girl - if you want it

say it's not her fault

 

i hate taio cruz.

living with 'popular music' is something we all do; i long ago accepted that there are going to be certain artists that will be shamelessly overmarketed, overplayed and overpaid, and i've taught myself to put on my p-p-p-poker face and suck it up when i find myself in a situation where i have to listen. i'm also not one to care whether a certain artist has 'popular appeal' or not; my library is saturated by as many artists making millions in endorsement deals as those struggling to pay the rent. what i can't abide by, however, is truly poorly made music. there is a significant difference between very popular artists making somewhat decent music, and being handsomely rewarded for their efforts; and those that haven't even bothered to try to make something musically original or lyrically meaningful.

which is why i'm so god damn thankful that robyn exists.

her teen popularity, subsequent withdrawal to sweden and eventual return to the north american crowd are fairly well-know, so i won't go too much into it. what i will say, though, is that she's produced dance-pop of such high quality that she's managed to stretch a single album into three separate packages, and still kept us terribly excited for the eventual release. truly a master of her craft, she produces tracks with simple and poignant messages and unbearably catchy hooks. the complete Body Talk will be coming out tomorrow, and will include Call Your Girlfriend and Indestructible, which i lovingly present to you.

robyn - call your girlfriend


robyn - indestructible

don't you miss me the way i miss you

one of my favourite things about music is that from time to time it just seems to drop into your lap when you least expect it. finding new songs and artists in unique places is so very much fun, and the context that one comes across music often stays with you in a way that changes its meaning forever. we can all think of the song that played in the restaurant on that awkward first date where you knocked your fork off the table three times in succession; the song from that tv show that you wouldn't dare tell your friends you ever watched; the song that you could really see yourself getting married to. let's take, for example, this video from trials rider danny macaskill. i'll be the first person to admit - i know nothing about trials riding, and i don't have any ambitions to learn anything about it in the future. that said, i do love music, and have always always wanted to go wandering around scotland's craggy foothills, and this video combines both in a way i can't help but enjoy.



the first song featured in the compilation is Wax & Wire by (not surprisingly) portland-based loch lomond. they have apparently been doing some touring with the decemberists as of late, and the comparisons are pretty evident. their debut album Little Me Will Start A Storm will be landing in february of 2011, and i shall certainly be keeping an eye out for it

loch lomond - wax & wire


the second track is from sydney-based quartet the jezabels. the band's sound immediately brings metric to mind, while the vocals are reminiscent of touring mates tegan and sara. A Little Piece comes off their third EP, Dark Storm, and we can only hope for a full-length album soon. in the meantime it will have a firm place in my rotation, bringing to mind images of weather-beaten abbeys, and the morning fog over rolling highlands.

the jezabels - a little piece

i'd buy a big house where we both could hide

i'll start by coming clean - i have a huge crush on ellie goulding. the English singer-songwriter jumped onto the scene with her debut release Lights in early 2010, and has held a special place in my heart ever since. while i know i should be getting all excited about kanye's Dark Fantasy, which i definitely do not have a leaked copy of wandering about my hard drive, the highlight of my week so far has been ellie's cover of elton john's Your Song. the poignant lyrics of this track lend themselves terribly well to ellie's voice, which has an unnerving way of sounding both timid and confident at the same time. we should see a sophomore album from her sometime this fall, and i'm quite excited to see how her sound develops. if this is any indication of what's to come, well, colour me sold.


ellie goulding - your song (elton john cover)


this track off of Lights should give you an idea of what she sounds like with a little more production and polish behind her

ellie goulding - starry eyed

stealing hearts was your pastime

Aussie songstress Sia Furler's 2010 release We Are Born was a marked departure from her past sound, and in my opinion, for the better. while i will always love her past releases and their arts-and-craftsy cover art, and consider it a indictable offence to not have Breathe Me in one's library, We Are Born is more fun than a bouncy castle in outer space. while the album is pretty much adorable from cover to cover, You've Changed is a real standout - a quick-paced, light-hearted track with a few standout lines that clocks in at just over 3 minutes, and you really wouldn't want a second more. this album was a particular favourite of mine this summer, and if this track strikes your fancy, consider yourself strongly encouraged to check out the whole package.


sia - you've changed


while not brought off the album as a single, the chorus from Bring Night is just too catchy to ignore.

sia - bring night

when food is gone you are my daily meal

according to this blog's questionable hit tracker, on over one hundred occasions you lovely people have deemed it worthwhile to see what i'm listening to. and like all insignificant milestones (new baby's 7th month-day? multiple divorcee's third bachelorette party?) this one merits a present. from the archives i grant you The xx's remix of Florence + the Machine's You've Got the Love.

when first introduced to this track by my brother (a writer over at the excellent, Chiddy Bang-loving Straight Goods), he passed along an observation on the topic by a friend of his. "if i met a girl who liked this song, who could just chill out to this song... i would marry her, right there" said friend remarked. while snap matrimonial decisions aren't really in my makeup, the sentiment is poignant, and appropriate. this one remains a staple in my library, and i see no reason to expunge it in the foreseeable future


florence + the machine - you've got the love (the xx remix)

counting all the rainbows

i am usually loathe to comment on remix culture, as i find it very hard to get into most remixes. there's something painful about watching one of those songs you particularly connect with 'chopped and screwed' (as the kids say) for the red bull + vodka crowd; anyone who cringed every time they heard Jason Derulo's heinous slaughter of Imogen Heap this past summer will understand my perspective. interestingly enough, it's for this reason that i particularly enjoy RAC mixes. their minimalist style strives to retain the original structure and soul of the song, while artfully injecting drum samples and analog synthesizers to give a little jump to the finished product. their recent remix of Madison's Number 1 is a perfect example - all it takes is a fun hand-clap sample and some light synth work to make this into something everybody can move to.


madison - number 1 (RAC Mix)


their take on Zowie's Broken Machine is so sweet, you may want to schedule a dentist's appointment before listening. bazinga.

zowie - broken machine (RAC Mix)

fire in his eyes

over the past 24 months we've experienced something of an explosion of songstresses with unique voices; from Florence + the Machine's fiery redhead to Lykke Li's Swedish minimalism, there's been no shortage of vocal driven pop (even when on occasion they are snapped up by certain god-awful self-help movies starring Julia Roberts).  it's surprising, then, to find that Jagjaguwar's Lia Ices manages to make a mark in what we would otherwise consider something of a saturated marked. Daphne is a tricksy little creation; just when you've eased into the light acoustics and echoing vocals, the song takes a turn due south, the piano and drums show up - and is that Justin Vernon lending his voice? the only downside - we're going to have to wait until January 2011 for Grown Unknown.


lia ices - daphne


made available for free download, the single Grown Unknown seems to borrow some from Sia's latest effort, but it's fun all on its own.

lia ices - grown unknown

take me somewhere

husband-and-wife duo Tennis have been kind enough to grace us with another single off of their upcoming album Cape Dory, due out early next year. i have to admit, i've been quite excited about this band ever since Marathon was released to the masses and subsequently eaten up by the Pitchfork crowd a while back. Take Me Somewhere doesn't fail to please - a light, airy single that allows Alaina Moore's vocals to take the centre stage. the whole package reminds me of a 60's-era, american dream style beach party, complete with flowery sundresses, white chinos and repressed marital issues. Betty Draper inevitably comes to mind.


tennis - take me somewhere



not surprisingly, adding Daytrotter to the mix only makes things better

tennis - south carolina (Daytrotter session)

keep our questions to ourselves

at first glance, Harlowe and the Great North Woods seems like nothing special. soft indie-folk sound? check. portland-based? check. long, rural, sufjan-esque moniker? but of course. and yet, there's something here, beyond the plaid-wearing, banjo-strumming images that come to mind. it's as if harlowe, arriving two hours too late to the party and realizing that everybody here shops off the same rack at urban outfitters, have decided to set up shop and play anyway, and thankfully so. roses is mellow, honest and unrushed - a lovely combination for early november weather.


harlowe and the great north woods - roses


and just when you'd come to terms with kinda having a crush on them...

harlowe and the great north woods - the traveler

we will see when it gets warm

bon iver's for emma, forever ago is an album that truly can't be divided up into individual tracks. for me it will always be one cohesive whole, an exploration into isolation, lost loves, regret and redemption that can't be listened to except from start to finish. and just when i think i've truly come to terms with it all, i come across their daytrotter session of 2008; a brief experience that puts the expression 'tugging at the heartstrings' to shame. whereas justin vernon's original, solo recordings are wonderful in their simplicity, deriving from one set of experiences and emotions, he invites a few friends to join him (probably due to practical constraints), and the results are wonderful. the piano echoes, tracking vernon's lofty vocals, and the tracks chosen suit daytrotter's raw, sleepy sounds beautifully. lump sum is a standout, opening with seconds of white noise, to a point where we wonder if we're actually invited to listen, and i am not ever really sure if i have been; perhaps i've just walked in on him in the midst of introspection, and must be content to sit in the corner, hoping he doesn't notice i'm there.


bon iver - lump sum (daytrotter session)