Remember when Sara Barielles wrote Love Song as a protest to record execs who wanted her to do more ballad-y songs? Well, she’s been trumped by Amanda Palmer, who’s pulled out all the stops in an attempt to get RoadRunner Records to drop her.
I’m betting you’re either a supporter of Blindfold, or you’ve never heard of them. I fall into the latter category, so here’s a quick background: Blindfold are an Icelandic four-piece who create some very interesting atmospheric music.
Sad Face, their single which is released at the end of the month, is the first time I’ve ever heard their music. Things do not start well: the song begins according to the dreary singer/songwriter textbook. A minor-key acoustic guitar and some maudlin lyrics over the top.
I got a breezy email from Sean Fournier the other day recommending that I check out his 6 track album, Oh My.
Normally, I approach this type of email with caution – you never know if the contents are going to be good or appalling. But Sean’s confidence and enthusiasm impressed me enough to download his free album. That last link’s a hint, by the way!
She might not have made any “Sound of…” lists this year, but I’ve been hearing about Marina and the Diamonds quite a bit over the last few months. And on Valentine’s Day 2009 (14th Feb to fellow non-romantics), Marina will drop her debut single Obsessions on the world.
The word most people are using in connection with Marina is “eccentric”, and it’s hard to argue with that synopsis.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has hinted that the band may split up within the next two years.
Chris says that he would like to retire from the band before he gets too old….and too fat!
“I’m 31 now and I don’t think bands should keep going past 33,” BANG Showbiz quotes him as saying.
“So we’re trying to pack in as much as possible. Up until the end of next year, we’ll just go for it in every sense. I don’t believe in time off.
I’m listening to this guy Ben Lee at the moment.
He’s releasing a new album in February 2009 to be called “The Rebirth Of Venus”. You can catch a couple of the tunes from the album over on his MySpace page: What’s So Bad (About Feeling Good) and I Love Pop Music.
I like this stuff, it has a quirky vibe. It’s hard to put Lee’s music in a particular category, which is nice. Don’t even try to, just enjoy its upbeat and playful musicality.
Wanna hear a gloriously upbeat song about terminal illness? Conor Oberst has just the thing for you then.
His latest release brings in The Mystic Valley Band for a good, old-fashioned knees-up that sticks two fingers up to death and disease.
The chorus refrain of I Don’t Want To Die In The Hospital is just perfect. Imagine yourself singing that one while walking down the street.
This young woman is big news in Australia. Her name? Missy Higgins.
Unlike the other famous Missy, this one isn’t known for her dirty rapping style, or anything like that.
This Antipodean is gaining a reputation for herself as an amazing singer/songwriter, and has already released two albums, The Sound Of White back in 2004 and this year’s On A Clear Night. And she’s only a tender 24 years old.
She’s won stacks of ARIA awards (that’s the Australian recording industry, fact fans), and her music has been featured on loads of American dramas, like Smallville, Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill.
Fresh from chart success in her native America, Sara Bareilles is launching an assault on the British charts with a love song called Love Song…
Anyway, wasn’t it The Beautiful South who started this trend of writing songs about writing songs? Jennifer, Alison, Phillipa, Sue…
Let’s face it, Jack Johnson hasn’t made a name for himself as a musical trailblazer. His forte seems to be in melodic, laid back acoustic tunes for folks to chillax to. Yes, I said ‘chillax’.
And unlike the evil-voiced castrato that is James Blunt, Johnson has a voice that’s pleasant to listen to. I don’t think the lyrical content matters much with this type of music – it’s just a nice lilting vibe that you could imagine unwinding to at the end of a tough day.
I’ll leave you to watch a video of Hope…enjoy…
Hope is released on 14th April 2008 and is the second single from Jack Johnson’s Sleep Through The Static album.
