It’s quite impressive to watch Andrew Bird take a riff, hit a loop pedal, and add more layers until an entire piece of music is created. Continue reading…
Live Review: Andrew Bird at Spreckels Theatre, August 11, 2012
Tag Archives: Wes Anderson
Poetic Memory: The Yellow Dress (List)
The planet known as twee might be in the Descendant at the moment, but no one told The Yellow Dress that.
The seven-piece San Francisco band wears its heart on its sleeve, fashioning adorable ballads out of acoustic guitar strums, hand claps, whistling, and frontman Dan Weiss’ delirious game-show-host vocals. On their just-released sophomore album, Humblebees, The Yellow Dress leave apathy and pretentiousness to the buzz bands, opting instead for relentlessly cheery, homespun ditties with a heartfelt edge. Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Bazile (List)
Bazile is a solo artist from Austin, TX who writes music that he calls “Space Folk.”
Originally from Mississippi, Bazile grew up listening to film scores, and that appreciation has greatly contributed to his style of songwriting. And although his songs are often cinematic, Bazile truly shines when it’s just his voice and guitar.
Bazile took two years to record his debut album, The Sojourn of Professor Narducci, and it was a long, deliberative process. The end result, however, is a captivating work that succeeds in balancing the music with his often melancholy lyrics. For a sample of the album, check out “Solder City” and the Sufjan Stevens-esque “Life of Particles” (MP3s). Bazile’s Poetic Memory is below.
Noah & The Whale ‘Spring’ Into Action (MP3)
The marriage of indie rock and corporate advertising can be a strange coupling. Of Montreal, Modest Mouse, and The New Pornographers are just a few bands that have had their tunes co-opted to hock steaks, cars, and beer. If you watched any television last year, chances are you caught the commercial for the Saturn Outlook, which prominently featured a bubbly little tune called “5 Years Timeâ€. Catchy as it was, the advertisement gave little indication that the band behind the jingle, London folk rock act Noah & The Whale, had created one of 2008’s best albums: Peaceful,The World Lays Me Down.
Sounding like a poppier version of Scottish soul mates—and Owl&Bear album of the year winner—Frightened Rabbit, Noah & The Whale use acoustic guitars and mournful vocals to craft aching confessionals that would break your heart if you weren’t so busy tapping your foot. The band is set to release its sophomore album, entitled The First Days of Spring, on August 31st in the UK and October 6th in the US.
As a companion piece for the album, the band has created a film version of The First Days of Spring, which will be screened at select locations in August and September, and will also be available as part of the album’s deluxe edition. You can watch a trailer for the Wes Anderson-inspired film, as well as download a Twelves remix of the song “Blue Skiesâ€, after the jump. No Saturns were harmed during the making of the film. Continue reading