Kishi Bashi: Room for Dream (EP)

    The album I have been listening to the most lately, four songs that comprise Kishi Bashi's self-recorded Room for Dream (EP) on the Aerobic International label. The EP was released in May of 2011, and includes perhaps two of the best songs I've heard this year. Kishi Bashi, or K. Ishibashi, is a touring member of of Montreal, which is how I stumbled upon his work (I heard of Montreal's "Forecast Fascist Future" from their album The Sunlandic Twins (2005) and was intrigued, but most of the rest of their later music is not quite my style). A Seattle native, he also has played violin for Regina Spektor, Katy Perry and Sondre Lerche. Finally, he founded and sings for the New York based band, Jupiter One, whose compositions I've listened to a few times and enjoyed.
    The four track EP is comprised of (1) "Manchester" (2) "Bright Whites" (3) "Conversations at the End of the World" (4) "Evalyn, Summer Has Arrived" (feat. Kevin Barnes). The style fluctuates from more melodic and lyrical with different styles of violin/cello used (pizzicato, harmonics, etc. much in the style of Andrew Bird and Own Pallett) to upbeat folk oriented rhythmic music. "Manchester" swarms with violin flourishes, some sort of synthesizer that sounds like a dulcimer or harpsichord (but I know that is not the right instrument or description) and looped violin with a killer melody that just feels free and optimistic. Midway through is the best part of the song, when the pizzicatos twinkle and the strings sort of sound like an accordion bellows moving in and out. Very cool technique used, and effectively beautiful. Track 2, "Bright Whites" has a folkish dance atmosphere, with synth, lots of guitars, and some of that Japanese influenced 16-bit Nintendo sound almost (but more updated). Some lyrics are in Japanese too, I assume. Next, "Conversations at the End of the World" is beautiful and mellow, but with plenty of arpeggiated figures accompanying underneath and in between verses. The blend of strings is lovely and evocative. Ending with "Evalyn, Summer Has Arrived", Kevin Barnes, headman of of Montreal is featured on vocals. This track is also more upbeat, with a folk quality reminiscent of eastern or Mediterranean Europe perhaps, and has a really cool 80s sounding synth, dance house section mid way through that starts slow and builds nicely along with the strings bringing the song back to the main chorus to finish.
    Check out the song "Manchester" under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Also here is Kishi Bashi's bandcamp where you can hear the entire EP. Enjoy!

Sondre Lerche: Sondre Lerche

    The sixth studio album by Norwegian pop/indie rock songwriter, Sondre Lerche, Sondre Lerche is another solid release. Nearly given away for only $3.99 on Amazon the day of its American release (June 7, 2011), there is a bonus track "Guilty" through Amazon as well. A different bonus track is through his website here, "Wither Street". One of  the best songwriters of our day, in my opinion, Sondre Lerche is talented, original and writes classics that have depth peering back to the beginning of rock and roll to the modern more technological era. I guess I'm trying to say that he has the potential to keep writing the rest of his life, unlike so many musicians, because you can tell that he just loves creating music and is so good at it. People should remember him.
    Clearly someone that knows music theory, the collusion of jazz and rock, not fusion mind you, but the jazzy chords and style is definitely unique to any pop artist I know of today. Norah Jones would be the female equivalent, I guess, but she has more mainstream success (maybe because she has the hookups and a great voice and lives in America). I'm sure Sondre Lerche is just as popular in Norway as Norah Jones is in America (even though her time might be a little past). Or he should be.
    The ends of songs is what struck me immediately with this album. Certain songs right at the end, not to cacophony, reach a climactic breaking point where they sort of pound in your head and end leaving you with thoughts of the song just ingrained in you. "Private Caller" is the best example, with the loud crescendo right at the end which stops abruptly. "Go Right Ahead" is a semi-example, because the moment of intensity is near the end, but not right at the end, with loud repeated chords. "Nevermind the Typos" is another example, because the last few rhythmic figures keep repeating and make you wonder if the track is skipping or something. It then fades into delirium. Continuing on to other notably good songs, "Coliseum Town" is a lovely wilting tune with violin swirls and trills that add a touch of ease and grace to the melody. The pizzicati are a nice touch too. "Domino" has a really nice half-distorted guitar solo at the end and is as close to cacophony as any song gets. "Tied Up to the Tide" would be tied in a close second, along with the opener "Richochet" and the screeching violins, with an accordion adding nicely to the mix.
    Other news of note, Sondre Lerche was part of a cover album called Muppets: The Green Album (August 23, 2011), in which he rendered "Mr. Bassman". Anyway, listen to "Domino" over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. A free stream of the entire album is available through Grooveshark, here (just make sure you get the correct track listing from wikipedia or something; enjoy!

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

    So, another week of an "oldie". But, really is 2009 that old yet? And, I'm expecting Octorber to be full of great releases. Plus, I've been listening to this album a lot lately. It has just struck a chord with me, so I want to make sure all you readers out there know about it. Hailed as Johnny Greenwood's (of Radiohead) favorite bands, Grizzly Bear was introduced to me by that comment about a year ago. They are a indie folk, lo-fi, psych-folk rock band from Brooklyn that possesses great layering sensibilities and a knack for creating moments in songs that are, I think, really special and unique. I've never heard another band like it, to be sure, and going back and listening to other albums previous to Vickatimest has been really enjoyable too. Vickatimest is for sure their most refined, and has been described as more accessible poppy music; but, that is only understood in the context of their younger work. Check out some of the album Yellow House (2006) here on their really cool looking website, as well as their EPs and stuff, or go to the MySpace here and listen to Horn of Plenty (2004), their debut, or its remix album from 2005. Their old stuff does dip in to the realm of lo-fi much more, so be prepared in that sense.
    Is the album artwork, by Chicago artist William O'Brien, cool or what? I love how it has pinks (one hot!) and still manages to look rustic and old worldly. I think it agrees with the album very well, it was chosen by the band from a few different pieces O'Brien was working on at the time I guess, and while he didn't understand their choice at first, after listening to the album realized how well it fit. Their use of more pointed, almost steel sounding, guitars, for example, against a back drop of lo-fi or psychedelic vocals; it is just eerie almost. The whole album makes me think of a mystery or film noir. More about Grizzly Bear's style, I love the vocals: background, octaves (in "All We Ask" for ex.), and tri-part harmonizing. And the laid back feeling of every song is relaxing, while intensely engaging, because their music is complex, rhythmically and constructively. Every song has more than just intro, verse, chorus, bridge and coda. They start in one setting sometimes move to another, they have life as they grow and formulate.
    I especially love the songs "Southern Point", which is almost like a jazz song, "Dory", it's just plain gorgeous and has a fantastic ending section, and the next song "Ready, Able", which has moments of waltz and then almost gyspy music with the organ--it is great to hear songs in a 3 meter--and "I Live With You", which just wants to burst the whole song and finally leading to a great climax! So, I will leave you with the links to the various websites you can listen to stuff on, and also my favorite, "Dory", over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks' if you feel you need to be convinced first. Enjoy!

Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha

    I recently bought Armchair Apocrypha (2007) at a Borders store closing sale event, quite surprised that it was still there among the picked over boxes of CDs (along with Coldplay, Vida la Vida + Prospects March EP; The Chrystal Method, Divided By Night; and Devotchka, 100 Lovers--I'd say I didn't do too bad!), and have come to like it perhaps even more than Noble Beast, his most recent LP (2009). The aforementioned Andrew Bird albums are both on Fat Possum Records, whereas his previous records were self-released using a variety of different monikers. Definitely one of the great indie songwriters of our time, Andrew Bird has the capacity to write a beautiful melody, harmonize without cluttering the simplistic nature of the tune and implement his own multi-instrumentalist skills--violin, whistling (actually really cool!), and of course great vocals. He has a very pleasing voice to listen to.
    Compared to his previous albums, I believe this includes more rock elements, the drums are more present, while the entire album is much less pure folk. Even so, each song is personal and not overclouded, with sort of jazzy elements here and there (like on track five, "Armchairs"). It is hard to categorize the exact genre collision, but its needless to say that Andrew Bird has been saturated with music from an early age, starting violin with Suzuki lessons at age 4 and continuing through a classical training at Northwestern University in Chicago that also included jazz, Hungarian Gyspy music and country blues along the way (perhaps the latter would be the best descriptor). All this according to his website, very professional looking, check it out here. His first band name was Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, which was very folksy and led to this expansion into the solo realm and being added to his current record label.
    There are some absolutely fantastic musical elements throughout Armchair Apocrypha, namely track 1 "Fiery Crash", which has this golden hook on the guitar right at the start, so simple but genius progression; track 2 "Imitosis" is like a tango, with pizzicato violin done wonderfully; track 3 "Plasticities" has more great pizzicato and perhaps one of the more beautiful melodies, with the whistling coming in here and there too; track 7 "Simple X" is rhythmic and yet subtle, with the falsetto vocals Andrew Bird is known for, almost reminds me of "Not a Robot, but a Ghost" from Noble Beast; track 8 "The Supine" has a fantastic ethereal walk through a cathedral or something, like listening to a chant, at the beginning before moving into its more country blues style; track 10 "Scythian Empire" has a lo-fi guitar about half way through that is interesting amongst the twittering pizzicato and xylophone and other noises, very cool; and finally but not least track 12 "Yawny at the Apocalyspe" is just plain gorgeous with cello and violin harmonics (lightly putting your finger on the string in the position of another note produces a higher very sweet sounding pitch that is very hard to control), an instrumental track that just breathes in and out and is like listening to a songbird.
    Truly Andrew Bird is a songbird, his discography represents that so well, and I have really enjoyed coming to know his music through friends of mine introducing him to me about 2-3 years ago. You can listen to the entire album on MySpace here. Also I've included "Plasticities" under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Enjoy!