Here we go people with almost another hour of stand-out tracks from Jamendo.com. This week we are featuring the singer-songwriting duo Eva and Manu and their four-song EP Still Traveling in its entirety. This incredible pair is well worth a listen, and a donation. Click the play button and listen as you read!
It isn't often that I'll lead off this show with a ballad, but this song is what grabbed me as I sampled Eva and Manu's Still Traveling EP. Forgive Me is soft, elegant and breathes the emotion of the plea. Eva's strong, yet slightly wispy vocal delivery, pulls at your heart strings and grips you until the end. Berklee College of Music grads, Eva Louhivuori and Manu Laudic returned home after college and decided to take a tour of Europe while writing music. This isn't your glitzy tour, they are traveling on the cheap, in a van with gear and staying at farms and homes along the way, paying for the hospitality of their hosts by working for them. Their songs come from their experiences as they travel. In concert with their travels and music writing, they are keeping a blog at Travelinmusic.net and including songs and video as they go. There's no better source for information on the two, so check out their traveling blog, and catch the remaining three tracks from Still Traveling later in the show.
Next up we have the Celtic Folk-Pop of Italian group (yep, I said Italian) Wooden Legs. Steeped in traditional Celtic styling, Wooden Legs bring home a winner with Hot Asphalt. You can find more information about Wooden Legs from their My Space page.
Since discovering Comfort Farmers on Jamendo, I've been intrigued by their slightly quirky, almost Dire Straits like delivery. Never Compromise provides a nice peak inside this window. There's not much available on the band outside of Jamendo, however, so you will have to be content with what you find there.
Rainman follows up with a folk-pop gem Leave At Last. The style of this number is very reminiscent of early 70's Folk-Pop. This is another case of, 'If you like them, good luck finding more info!' The link to their website posted on Jamendo is broken, and a google search turns up a boat-load of hits for 'Rainman' - just not what we are looking for.
Up next is the second of four tracks from Eva and Manu, If Only, this time featuring Manu with the lead-off vocal. That is one of the things that I love about this duo is their ability to switch between lead and harmony, seemingly effortlessly. The interchange between the two is really evident with this track.
Adding just a hint more edge than the previous tracks so far this week is Ignacio Suárez Valestrini (or Nacho Valestrin) and the acoustic guitar heavy, up-tempo, folk-pop tune Behind the Moon. There is a raw live feel to the production of this track, like sitting in a coffee shop and hearing it played live. It's very intimate and moving. Nacho can be found on his My Space page, but after that, things get hazy.
Pump up a little afro-beat and crank up the horns! Enter La Compagnie Cuanol with Luna TicTac. As with other non-English language tracks that I've reviewed before, I have no freaking idea what the lyrics are saying, but I love listening to them anyway. This song makes me laugh, just in the lyrical delivery alone. You can find more on the group by checking out their web-site and from their there are multiple links to Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and more. Listen and enjoy!
Crank up the Pop-Rock with Surround and Guys of Nowhere! Surround breaks no new ground, but they are the ultimate in party-time sounds. Since I first found Surround on Jamendo they have popped up a few more times. Expect to hear more from them in later shows. You can find a little more information (in French, but you can translate the page) right here.
Up next, a little more straight-forward rock and roll with Studebaker's Blacksmith Shop and Champagne Desert Love. I liked this track a lot, but one thing happens when you listen to the entire full-length release: you realize that there isn't a whole lot of variance from one track to the next. Still, Studebaker's Blacksmith Shop is an enjoyable change-up in the show. Take a listen, and if you'd like more information on the group, check out their My Space page.
The third track in the Eva and Manu offering is up next with In Montreal. Again, Manu is featured prominently on this song, with wonderful harmonies from Eva. I can't wait to hear the full-length from this duo! I should also point out that the production values of all four of these tracks is first-rate. The outro for this song is magnificent!
Up next The Windy City follows with the up-beat Games. This thoroughly singable number, will have you searching for more info on the band. Let me know if you find any. Update: Thanks to Catherine for posting this link!
Quirky and fun, Sunday and Monday bring you That's Not Easy. The instrumentation here is almost carnival like, and the vocalists have fun. Nothing is meant to be too serious here. Unfortunately, this is one of several bands this month with not much info to go on if you are searching for more.
Full of Blues, is the talking rocker Vanessa from Zikali. It's smarmy and sexy and a bit R rated, with a touch of humor and a dash of jam thrown in for good measure. I feel a bit like I'm letting you down this month, but no info to be found on Zikali apart from the Jamendo offerings. Check them out there.
The final track from Eva and Manu's EP is the stand-out, single-worthy Feet in the Water. This is outstanding stuff ... Again! Listen to the lyrics, there is some poignant stuff here under the toe-tapping rhythms and the melody that wants you to sing along. While you're at it, check out the YouTube video for the track:
With the final note of Feet in the Water trailing off, listen to Fra Santanthony and The Spring Sound as the credits roll.
There's much more to come. Compilations of show number 7 have already begun, with track selection for show number 5 to begin soon. Let me hear from you, and enjoy the music!
Before I let you go, here's a bonus video from my good friend and wonderful singer-songwriter in her own right, Leesha Harvey and Long Way Down from her recently self-released, download only, Church Lofts and Basement Corners available on LeeshaHarvey.com. Enjoy, and hopefully you will be watching for next months post!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Spencerwire Radio - Third Edition
Another month has come and gone and the radio shows are stacking up. Radio Show's 4 and 5 collections are completed, though track selection has yet to be decided. It's all about time. This month we will explore some straight forward rock, some interesting instrumentals, a little bit of retro sounds, Salsa flavors, country-rock and much more. Let's start this show rolling!
Combo some grunge, funk, and indie rock, and you get Russian band Snowed Under with the lead off track It's Alright. Indeed it is! This is a party time track. Vocals are nicely out front and the underlying melody is a mental infection. Nicely done, and well worth the listen. You can find Snowed Under on their My Space Page.
Staying with the straight forward rock for a moment, enter the instrumental Solar Smoke from another Russian band KRESoff. For now, you'll just have to find out as much as you can about KRESoff on Jamendo, as there doesn't appear to be much else available out there.
Conway Hambone's track Revolution is almost, but not quite Janis Joplin-esque. It has a delightful blues-rock jam, combined with a gravely vocal from the lead female vocalist, Lucy Dimond. It's all very interesting in a retro-rock sort of way. Conway Hambone and company can be found on My Space as well as Jamendo.
From Rock and Roll, to Jazz. Enter the Salsa flavored (and named) Salsa di Soy from Italian band Boom Boom Beckett. This a great instrumental, with good solo fills on trumpet, sax and guitar. Aside from Jamendo, you can find Boom Boom Becket on their own bi-lingual Blog.
Country-rock styling and almost Dire Straits-like guitar fills, complement the pop-folk For Me by another Italian band, Comfort Farmers. The vocals aren't perfect, but they fit nicely in the polished instrumental portion of the song. For now, Comfort Farmers can be found on Jamendo only.
Folk-poppers, The Postmen bring to the table a wonderful ballad with Pieces of a Past Life. This entire offering is delightful, and I highly recommend listening to the whole thing, if this type of music is your thing. Besides residing on Jamendo.com, you can find The Postmen right Here. The primary language is French, but all of the songs are in English.
Picking up the pace just a bit, wall-of-sound pop group, On Returning hits pretty hard with King and Country. Nothing much out there for this group, except for their My Space Page.
Rhythm and Blues is alive and well with Urtzi Azkue and Ecstasy of Sound. This track instantly reminds you of-just the good parts-the 1970's. Want more? Check them out hereon their own web page.
A totally different style is the nearly minstrel, Celtic styled Vámonos baillar> from a 2007 offering by La Gueta La Runa. This is one of those language-barrier tunes, but even though I can't understand the lyric, it is infectious just the same. You can find more about this amazing group on their web site, but if you need the site in English, you are out of luck. The good news is that good music transcends language.
Jamendo.com prolific folkster Josh Woodward makes his debut on the Radio Show with 20/20. Josh has a plethora of wonderful folk pop available on Jamendo, but you can also find a great deal of information about Josh on his website, including a lot of blog entries on making music for the masses and marketing your band. Check out Josh Woodward now!
One more time with the language barrier firmly in tact, is staccato delivered Ondine Songs in A Minor from, a-hem, Ondine. Unfortunately, I can't find this Ondine anywhere but on Jamendo. So enjoy this track!
Power pop anthem People follows up next from M.i.R. This song gets in your head and moves your whole body. Each verse builds in intensity. The chorus blends flawlessly with the lead vocal-it's just fun music. Unfortunately, nothing much I can find specifically about this band. Their are other bands called M.i.R., but none of them are this one-at least not that I could find. M.i.R. does have one other track on Jamendo.com.
Marc Reeves brings us the folk-crooner I Want Out. It's beautiful and haunting. The guitar work early on is reminiscent of Cat Stevens circa Catch Bull at Four. You can find Marc on his My Space or on his UK web site, just to name two of a host of links available.
As the credits roll, listen to the haunting chill jazz-fusion instrumental from Triplexity called Reflections. Triplexity has a fair amount of music on Jamendo, so check out the rest of their tracks. This is generally not my style of music, but this grabs me. It's very textural and deep. A lot of layers of very impressive musical chops. They've got their own blog, but it's in French.
Finally, no mention of Creative Commons music would be complete without including someone who is trying it on for size for the first time. Delightful singer-songwriter from Nebraska, Leesha Harvey, released her first CD Penny in the Pocket, independently through normal channels. That CD is still available through CD-Baby and well worth the purchase price. This time out, she's released Church Lofts and Basement Corners on her web site for free. Yes, there's a donate link there, and if you donate you'll get a wonderful e-booklet with pictures and other great add-ons. Check it out!
Remember to support all of the music you hear out there, and let the musicians know that you care about them and their music. It's important! Until next month, keep listening and drop me a line if you like or hate something here.
Combo some grunge, funk, and indie rock, and you get Russian band Snowed Under with the lead off track It's Alright. Indeed it is! This is a party time track. Vocals are nicely out front and the underlying melody is a mental infection. Nicely done, and well worth the listen. You can find Snowed Under on their My Space Page.
Staying with the straight forward rock for a moment, enter the instrumental Solar Smoke from another Russian band KRESoff. For now, you'll just have to find out as much as you can about KRESoff on Jamendo, as there doesn't appear to be much else available out there.
Conway Hambone's track Revolution is almost, but not quite Janis Joplin-esque. It has a delightful blues-rock jam, combined with a gravely vocal from the lead female vocalist, Lucy Dimond. It's all very interesting in a retro-rock sort of way. Conway Hambone and company can be found on My Space as well as Jamendo.
From Rock and Roll, to Jazz. Enter the Salsa flavored (and named) Salsa di Soy from Italian band Boom Boom Beckett. This a great instrumental, with good solo fills on trumpet, sax and guitar. Aside from Jamendo, you can find Boom Boom Becket on their own bi-lingual Blog.
Country-rock styling and almost Dire Straits-like guitar fills, complement the pop-folk For Me by another Italian band, Comfort Farmers. The vocals aren't perfect, but they fit nicely in the polished instrumental portion of the song. For now, Comfort Farmers can be found on Jamendo only.
Folk-poppers, The Postmen bring to the table a wonderful ballad with Pieces of a Past Life. This entire offering is delightful, and I highly recommend listening to the whole thing, if this type of music is your thing. Besides residing on Jamendo.com, you can find The Postmen right Here. The primary language is French, but all of the songs are in English.
Picking up the pace just a bit, wall-of-sound pop group, On Returning hits pretty hard with King and Country. Nothing much out there for this group, except for their My Space Page.
Rhythm and Blues is alive and well with Urtzi Azkue and Ecstasy of Sound. This track instantly reminds you of-just the good parts-the 1970's. Want more? Check them out hereon their own web page.
A totally different style is the nearly minstrel, Celtic styled Vámonos baillar> from a 2007 offering by La Gueta La Runa. This is one of those language-barrier tunes, but even though I can't understand the lyric, it is infectious just the same. You can find more about this amazing group on their web site, but if you need the site in English, you are out of luck. The good news is that good music transcends language.
Jamendo.com prolific folkster Josh Woodward makes his debut on the Radio Show with 20/20. Josh has a plethora of wonderful folk pop available on Jamendo, but you can also find a great deal of information about Josh on his website, including a lot of blog entries on making music for the masses and marketing your band. Check out Josh Woodward now!
One more time with the language barrier firmly in tact, is staccato delivered Ondine Songs in A Minor from, a-hem, Ondine. Unfortunately, I can't find this Ondine anywhere but on Jamendo. So enjoy this track!
Power pop anthem People follows up next from M.i.R. This song gets in your head and moves your whole body. Each verse builds in intensity. The chorus blends flawlessly with the lead vocal-it's just fun music. Unfortunately, nothing much I can find specifically about this band. Their are other bands called M.i.R., but none of them are this one-at least not that I could find. M.i.R. does have one other track on Jamendo.com.
Marc Reeves brings us the folk-crooner I Want Out. It's beautiful and haunting. The guitar work early on is reminiscent of Cat Stevens circa Catch Bull at Four. You can find Marc on his My Space or on his UK web site, just to name two of a host of links available.
As the credits roll, listen to the haunting chill jazz-fusion instrumental from Triplexity called Reflections. Triplexity has a fair amount of music on Jamendo, so check out the rest of their tracks. This is generally not my style of music, but this grabs me. It's very textural and deep. A lot of layers of very impressive musical chops. They've got their own blog, but it's in French.
Finally, no mention of Creative Commons music would be complete without including someone who is trying it on for size for the first time. Delightful singer-songwriter from Nebraska, Leesha Harvey, released her first CD Penny in the Pocket, independently through normal channels. That CD is still available through CD-Baby and well worth the purchase price. This time out, she's released Church Lofts and Basement Corners on her web site for free. Yes, there's a donate link there, and if you donate you'll get a wonderful e-booklet with pictures and other great add-ons. Check it out!
Remember to support all of the music you hear out there, and let the musicians know that you care about them and their music. It's important! Until next month, keep listening and drop me a line if you like or hate something here.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Spencerwire Radio - Second Edition
Last months show was an eclectic mix of Pop, Rock, Progressive Rock, R&B, Folk and Instrumental. This is the type of thing you should expect from me always, as my tastes in music are all over the place. I've decided, though, that it would be a good idea to post information and links back to artists pages (aside from Jamendo.com that is) to give you better ways to follow artists that you really like. Music delivery systems are ever changing, but the Creative Commons music scene is more interesting than most I've had the pleasure of participating in. There is a great deal of talent here, and they deserve to hear from you. If you like what you hear, do your best to find out as much as you can about the artist, follow them and let them know you care.
With that out of the way, let's move on to this months show. You'll find all of the usual suspects (above) here, as well as some Vocal Jazz and some Swing for good measure. There are relative new releases as well as some old shelf offerings from Jamendo.com included. The show leads off with a one of two tracks from Alter Etno, so click play and let's go!
Tua nai e meiga. Nope, I have no idea what it means. If you take a look back on the first show and Alter Etno's Fairytale, You'll know that I was just transfixed by the musical style here. I don't know if it is the way it is sung, or what, but it makes me laugh to hear this song. It's delightful, in a very foreign (to this unabashed English speaker) way. Check out Alter Etno on their My Space Page or on Jamendo.com
Dazie Mae's Two-Timing Lady is another laugh track. Dazie has a quirky vocal jazz delivery but raspy and sexy in a fun way. This track has a way of weaving itself into your soul and giving you a nice smile. This track is from her offering Seasonal Affective Disorder. Check out Dazie Mae on her Web Site or on Jamendo.com
Speaking of 'raspy', enter Daniel Brandell's low Alto and Maybe I Should Stay. There is a soulful, bluesy feel to this track. Check out the entire offering Recreation online. You can't seem to find much about Daniel except Here.
American Idol wanna be, Leslie Hunt, proves she's got power pop chops with American Dream Man. It punches forward with an unrelenting driving drum and guitar. To be honest, this is the only track that I really liked on Leslie's offering, Your Hair is On Fire, but if you like girl-pop, you may feel differently. Check it out online. More information on Leslie can be found on her Web Site or on Jamendo.com.
A little more versatile, perhaps, is Mercury in Summer and No I Won't Let You Go from Can You Feel It? that fit's nicely next to Leslie's track. Nothing really new here, but it's fun to listen to none-the-less. Straight forward pop-rock. Want more? You can find Mercury in Summer on their Web Site, on My Space.com on Facebook and of course Jamendo.
You may think the next track is a girls voice, but it is the high Tenor of Keen Arthur, and the single This is Not A Game. Keen has a delicate delivery, plaintive, yet sincere. Musically, this is very lightly flavoured Reggae with a touch of R&B soul. Very pretty. For now, you can only find Keen Arthur Here.
Satisfied Mind by My Bubba and Mi is a Pop-Folk number and very fine indeed! This track speaks lyrically to our ability to be satisfied with what we have. Under the major acoustic guitar there is a light bass slide and a pretty cool keyboard jam too. Check out My Bubba and Mi on Jamendo on MySpace.com on their own Home Page and on a host of other sites (a simple Google search will get you lots of hits).
What I Wouldn't Do is a Folk-Pop romp with a great beat, by She Swinged, She Swayed. It moves enough to entice your toes to tap and your fingers to snap. It's a fun little number. They can be found on their Web Site On FaceBook.com on MySpace.com and of course, right here on Jamendo.
Slim's Heathrow is a mid-tempo pop balad, but delightful none the less. The vocal delivery is strong and blends nicely in the chorus. At first the bridge doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the song, but as you listen, there is resolution that take place and transitions easily into the chorus. Heathrow is a great track! For now, you can find Slim right Here.
And now for some real fun! A little bit of Jazz, a little bit of Swing, all in the vein of 'Squirrel Nut Zippers' with one of two tracks this week from The Swing Ninjas, Dunkin' Bagels. It has a rewind the time machine back to the 1920's feel. Totally fun! Check up on The Swing Ninjas on their Here on MySpace.com or on FaceBook.com.
Changing pace again, we jump into the Pop-Rock realm with Your Reality by STEEP. The male vocal is hauntingly familiar sounding but I can't put my finger on who he sounds like. This track doesn't break any new ground musically. Still the instruments drive forward hard, keeping the song moving along. The production is very carefully executed, keeping the vocals front so you can hear the lyrics. I really like this track and STEEP. Check them out! More info can be found on MySpace.com and right here on Jamendo.com.
In the same tone as STEEP, but with a little Country/Folk Rock added to the mix, comes The Gasoline Brothers and Stardust Baby. The track has a Crosby, Stills, Nash feel to it, with a little more edge than their earlier work. The track moves, and again, The Gasoline Brothers have become a favorite listen for me. Check out their web site and MySpace.com page as well as their Jamendo.com page.
From the full offering Verbal Bandit, Heifervescent returns with Strange Kind of Fiction. If you relate back to the first radio show, you'll know that Andy Doran's offerings became an instant favorite of mine on Jamendo.com. Check out Heifervescent and Andy Doran. Check out their Web Site, MySpace.com and FaceBook.com pages.
The Swing Ninja's final track on this radio show is a remake of the old standard Bei Mir Bist du Schon. This cover makes no attempt to hide The Swing Ninja's comedic delivery (check out the in your face refrainj) but stays true to their Jazz/Swing roots at the same time.
This months final track is Alter Etno, with 55 Krokow and let the credits roll. I hope you've enjoyed this months selections. If you like what you hear (or not) give me some feedback. Find me on jamendo.com here or drop me a line here. I'm trying to mix things up as much as possible to give you an eclectic yet accessible selection of music that could be heard on the radio. Support the artists you like and leave them comments as well. Creative Commons artists live for your feedback, and if you can donate something to them, they always love that as well. Follow their links above or just leave a post on Jamendo.com. Radio Show number 3 is already in the works, so keep checking back or add me to your RSS feed. Until next month... Enjoy!
With that out of the way, let's move on to this months show. You'll find all of the usual suspects (above) here, as well as some Vocal Jazz and some Swing for good measure. There are relative new releases as well as some old shelf offerings from Jamendo.com included. The show leads off with a one of two tracks from Alter Etno, so click play and let's go!
Tua nai e meiga. Nope, I have no idea what it means. If you take a look back on the first show and Alter Etno's Fairytale, You'll know that I was just transfixed by the musical style here. I don't know if it is the way it is sung, or what, but it makes me laugh to hear this song. It's delightful, in a very foreign (to this unabashed English speaker) way. Check out Alter Etno on their My Space Page or on Jamendo.com
Dazie Mae's Two-Timing Lady is another laugh track. Dazie has a quirky vocal jazz delivery but raspy and sexy in a fun way. This track has a way of weaving itself into your soul and giving you a nice smile. This track is from her offering Seasonal Affective Disorder. Check out Dazie Mae on her Web Site or on Jamendo.com
Speaking of 'raspy', enter Daniel Brandell's low Alto and Maybe I Should Stay. There is a soulful, bluesy feel to this track. Check out the entire offering Recreation online. You can't seem to find much about Daniel except Here.
American Idol wanna be, Leslie Hunt, proves she's got power pop chops with American Dream Man. It punches forward with an unrelenting driving drum and guitar. To be honest, this is the only track that I really liked on Leslie's offering, Your Hair is On Fire, but if you like girl-pop, you may feel differently. Check it out online. More information on Leslie can be found on her Web Site or on Jamendo.com.
A little more versatile, perhaps, is Mercury in Summer and No I Won't Let You Go from Can You Feel It? that fit's nicely next to Leslie's track. Nothing really new here, but it's fun to listen to none-the-less. Straight forward pop-rock. Want more? You can find Mercury in Summer on their Web Site, on My Space.com on Facebook and of course Jamendo.
You may think the next track is a girls voice, but it is the high Tenor of Keen Arthur, and the single This is Not A Game. Keen has a delicate delivery, plaintive, yet sincere. Musically, this is very lightly flavoured Reggae with a touch of R&B soul. Very pretty. For now, you can only find Keen Arthur Here.
Satisfied Mind by My Bubba and Mi is a Pop-Folk number and very fine indeed! This track speaks lyrically to our ability to be satisfied with what we have. Under the major acoustic guitar there is a light bass slide and a pretty cool keyboard jam too. Check out My Bubba and Mi on Jamendo on MySpace.com on their own Home Page and on a host of other sites (a simple Google search will get you lots of hits).
What I Wouldn't Do is a Folk-Pop romp with a great beat, by She Swinged, She Swayed. It moves enough to entice your toes to tap and your fingers to snap. It's a fun little number. They can be found on their Web Site On FaceBook.com on MySpace.com and of course, right here on Jamendo.
Slim's Heathrow is a mid-tempo pop balad, but delightful none the less. The vocal delivery is strong and blends nicely in the chorus. At first the bridge doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the song, but as you listen, there is resolution that take place and transitions easily into the chorus. Heathrow is a great track! For now, you can find Slim right Here.
And now for some real fun! A little bit of Jazz, a little bit of Swing, all in the vein of 'Squirrel Nut Zippers' with one of two tracks this week from The Swing Ninjas, Dunkin' Bagels. It has a rewind the time machine back to the 1920's feel. Totally fun! Check up on The Swing Ninjas on their Here on MySpace.com or on FaceBook.com.
Changing pace again, we jump into the Pop-Rock realm with Your Reality by STEEP. The male vocal is hauntingly familiar sounding but I can't put my finger on who he sounds like. This track doesn't break any new ground musically. Still the instruments drive forward hard, keeping the song moving along. The production is very carefully executed, keeping the vocals front so you can hear the lyrics. I really like this track and STEEP. Check them out! More info can be found on MySpace.com and right here on Jamendo.com.
In the same tone as STEEP, but with a little Country/Folk Rock added to the mix, comes The Gasoline Brothers and Stardust Baby. The track has a Crosby, Stills, Nash feel to it, with a little more edge than their earlier work. The track moves, and again, The Gasoline Brothers have become a favorite listen for me. Check out their web site and MySpace.com page as well as their Jamendo.com page.
From the full offering Verbal Bandit, Heifervescent returns with Strange Kind of Fiction. If you relate back to the first radio show, you'll know that Andy Doran's offerings became an instant favorite of mine on Jamendo.com. Check out Heifervescent and Andy Doran. Check out their Web Site, MySpace.com and FaceBook.com pages.
The Swing Ninja's final track on this radio show is a remake of the old standard Bei Mir Bist du Schon. This cover makes no attempt to hide The Swing Ninja's comedic delivery (check out the in your face refrainj) but stays true to their Jazz/Swing roots at the same time.
This months final track is Alter Etno, with 55 Krokow and let the credits roll. I hope you've enjoyed this months selections. If you like what you hear (or not) give me some feedback. Find me on jamendo.com here or drop me a line here. I'm trying to mix things up as much as possible to give you an eclectic yet accessible selection of music that could be heard on the radio. Support the artists you like and leave them comments as well. Creative Commons artists live for your feedback, and if you can donate something to them, they always love that as well. Follow their links above or just leave a post on Jamendo.com. Radio Show number 3 is already in the works, so keep checking back or add me to your RSS feed. Until next month... Enjoy!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spencerwire Radio - First Edition
My oldest son hates to dig through piles of music to find one thing he likes. He'd prefer the ability to have someone else find it. I can understand that. Personally, I tend to be just the opposite, willing to scour music sites, bins, etc., to try and find something new and different to listen to. Since discovering Jamendo.com I've been doing some scouring. Enter the first edition of Spencerwire Radio, about an hours worth of music and commentary for you to consider. If you like anything here, feel free to take a trip over to Jamendo and download the music for free. All music is released (as stated in the earlier blog post on "Heifervescent") under one of three Creative Commons licenses. In most cases, this means that you cannot use this music for commercial purposes, but you can download it, burn it, share it with your friends without fear of any repercussions. Cool, yes? So click the "Play" button, and then read the reviews on the tracks below.
RedEyeC opens things up with the single, "Tsunami," with shades of Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, and a little bit of straight up rock guitar. It is a compelling, not quite instrumental track that evokes a rush of emotional tides. There's some great lead guitar work here, and the relentless bass and back beat, combined with the chant like vocals are simply intriguing.
Heifervescent follows up with a pop, radio-friendly, instrumentally diverse and ear friendly "Billy Comes Home." It's one of three tracks involving Singer/Songwriter Andy Doran on this radio show. Try not to sing along, no really... see if you can help yourself.
If you like what you heard on track two, then you'll be strangely puzzled at the similarities of vocal style on Cannula's "Dreamcatcher." Cannula has a very RUSH feel to it, albeit a much more pleasing vocal style. The song construction here is flawless and production values throughout all of Andy Doran's group offerings are impeccable.
If Heifervescent and Cannula exhibit some of pops greatest accomplishments, then Diablo Swing Orchestra throws out the rules on "Heroines." Diablo is a testament to what happens when you combine elements of progressive rock, jazz, operatic vocal styles, and blend them vigorously. It's wonderful, but it defies categorization.
Fresh Body Shop skips along with "Bring Me Down." Understated vocals, and chirrups of electronic noodling front this pop/rock party time tune. Percussion instruments are odd and yet add just the right texture here. There are several offerings from "Fresh Body Shop" on Jamendo, so you will likely hear more from them on future radio shows.
A little bit of blues, a little bit of jazz and a little bit of folk, is Bela Ruse's "Push On." The vocal here is in front of everything and demands to be heard. It's a different vocal style, but a pleasing one. Instrumentation is minimalist, but just the right touch for this track.
NYCO is both Rock and R&B on "Side Of The Road." It will keep your toes tapping, and if you have a dance floor handy, it will keep the rest of you moving too. Good background vocals and instrumentation are just the right touch to the lead vocalists slightly gravely vocals, smoothing with just the right touch, the rough edges. Don't get me wrong, those rough edges need to be there! Great track!
A bit art-rocky but heavily pop influenced, Zamza's "Flyin' Away" is a bit reminiscent of a female led "Men At Work." It has very similar vocal intonations. Midway there's a heavy use of echo, but it works.
A mid-tempo ballad, Burly's "Cinnamon" is a nice break in the action from the pop and rock above. Just a nicely paced and sweet number.
Another group that you'll be hearing more from (probably at least) on future radio shows is Julandrew. This folk/pop duo has just the right touch of 'quirk' and "Crazy" is a good example of their delightful style.
Alter Etno changes things up a lot. "Fairytale" is a story in a song, complete with a very cool spoken word intro. I absolutely love this track! Check out Alter Etno's EP on Jamendo and sample the rest of their work. Very, very, very interesting stuff, and not your same old, same old by any means.
The third Andy Doran track in this radio show is the return of Heifervescent and "When Stars Fall From Grace." This track is from their "Pond Life Fiasco" offering. I can't seem to get enough of this group. So I hope you will indulge me and just enjoy this track. Heifervescent has a true power-pop sound.
I really hope to hear more of the artist Rogier Van Den Brink which has the delightful little single "My Angel Told Me So." It is so reminiscent vocally of Boz Scaggs, although not annoyingly completely like him. It is a bit of a Jazzy Pop lounge number.
Consider the final track in this radio show, the closing credits. Manuzik's "D'où je suis" is an instrumental only track, that uses a cool little piano trill loop and a harp-sound pluck and frankly, I just like it. It makes a great book end to this radio show. Until next time.
RedEyeC opens things up with the single, "Tsunami," with shades of Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, and a little bit of straight up rock guitar. It is a compelling, not quite instrumental track that evokes a rush of emotional tides. There's some great lead guitar work here, and the relentless bass and back beat, combined with the chant like vocals are simply intriguing.
Heifervescent follows up with a pop, radio-friendly, instrumentally diverse and ear friendly "Billy Comes Home." It's one of three tracks involving Singer/Songwriter Andy Doran on this radio show. Try not to sing along, no really... see if you can help yourself.
If you like what you heard on track two, then you'll be strangely puzzled at the similarities of vocal style on Cannula's "Dreamcatcher." Cannula has a very RUSH feel to it, albeit a much more pleasing vocal style. The song construction here is flawless and production values throughout all of Andy Doran's group offerings are impeccable.
If Heifervescent and Cannula exhibit some of pops greatest accomplishments, then Diablo Swing Orchestra throws out the rules on "Heroines." Diablo is a testament to what happens when you combine elements of progressive rock, jazz, operatic vocal styles, and blend them vigorously. It's wonderful, but it defies categorization.
Fresh Body Shop skips along with "Bring Me Down." Understated vocals, and chirrups of electronic noodling front this pop/rock party time tune. Percussion instruments are odd and yet add just the right texture here. There are several offerings from "Fresh Body Shop" on Jamendo, so you will likely hear more from them on future radio shows.
A little bit of blues, a little bit of jazz and a little bit of folk, is Bela Ruse's "Push On." The vocal here is in front of everything and demands to be heard. It's a different vocal style, but a pleasing one. Instrumentation is minimalist, but just the right touch for this track.
NYCO is both Rock and R&B on "Side Of The Road." It will keep your toes tapping, and if you have a dance floor handy, it will keep the rest of you moving too. Good background vocals and instrumentation are just the right touch to the lead vocalists slightly gravely vocals, smoothing with just the right touch, the rough edges. Don't get me wrong, those rough edges need to be there! Great track!
A bit art-rocky but heavily pop influenced, Zamza's "Flyin' Away" is a bit reminiscent of a female led "Men At Work." It has very similar vocal intonations. Midway there's a heavy use of echo, but it works.
A mid-tempo ballad, Burly's "Cinnamon" is a nice break in the action from the pop and rock above. Just a nicely paced and sweet number.
Another group that you'll be hearing more from (probably at least) on future radio shows is Julandrew. This folk/pop duo has just the right touch of 'quirk' and "Crazy" is a good example of their delightful style.
Alter Etno changes things up a lot. "Fairytale" is a story in a song, complete with a very cool spoken word intro. I absolutely love this track! Check out Alter Etno's EP on Jamendo and sample the rest of their work. Very, very, very interesting stuff, and not your same old, same old by any means.
The third Andy Doran track in this radio show is the return of Heifervescent and "When Stars Fall From Grace." This track is from their "Pond Life Fiasco" offering. I can't seem to get enough of this group. So I hope you will indulge me and just enjoy this track. Heifervescent has a true power-pop sound.
I really hope to hear more of the artist Rogier Van Den Brink which has the delightful little single "My Angel Told Me So." It is so reminiscent vocally of Boz Scaggs, although not annoyingly completely like him. It is a bit of a Jazzy Pop lounge number.
Consider the final track in this radio show, the closing credits. Manuzik's "D'où je suis" is an instrumental only track, that uses a cool little piano trill loop and a harp-sound pluck and frankly, I just like it. It makes a great book end to this radio show. Until next time.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Heifervescent: Five Albums worth of Wonderful Pop/Rock
There's something absolutely hypnotic about U.K. Singer/Songwriter Andy Doran's project "Heifervescent." I recently stumbled across Jamendo.com while listening to music on another site, TheSixtyOne.com. Since then I've been like a kid in a candy store, listening to the many great offerings on Jamendo. For those not in the know, Jamendo.com is a site that represents artists who are willing to, under restrictions of one of three Creative Commons licenses, offer their music for free download. That doesn't mean that these artists don't deserve money and credit for what they do. "Heifervescent" is a great example of that. Don't believe me? Take a listen to the tracks here.
At the time of this writing, there are 45,208 offerings available in every conceivable genre; But I digress.
"Heifervescent" is a true collage of sounds and styles. There is music with harder edges and more mellow tones, but it all fits together in a very unique and wonderful sound scape. Please take a listen. I'll try to update this review with some specifics as time allows.
At the time of this writing, there are 45,208 offerings available in every conceivable genre; But I digress.
"Heifervescent" is a true collage of sounds and styles. There is music with harder edges and more mellow tones, but it all fits together in a very unique and wonderful sound scape. Please take a listen. I'll try to update this review with some specifics as time allows.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Amie Street purchased by Amazon.com - Who will notice?
This blog was originally formulated to highlight music found and purchased through AmieStreet.com but has in the last year and a half, strayed from this formula to include music found and delivered through other means as well. On Tuesday, AmieStreet.com (AS) announced that it had sold the business to Amazon.com for an undisclosed figure.
Who will notice? Well, not me. Amazon.com has been investing in AS for the past 4 years and with each investment, the likelihood that you would be able to find the struggling independent artists-the jewels in the rough if you will-has decreased with each year. This was the reason I was so excited when I found AS, clear back when they were in the beta phase. In the past year and a half, AS has become the dumping ground for any number of labels trying to get every last penny they could from some pretty questionable "talent." So much for the struggling independent artist.
Increasingly AS has cowed to the investment dollar, and the original formula that worked so well to lure me in has morphed into something unrecognizable from the original AS. It's really too bad. AS had an exciting formula: let the music speak for itself. The original plan was that all music would start as free and would rise in price as it was purchased. Artists such as "Jukebox The Ghost" saw their music start at 0 and go to the top of the price scale-because it deserved it. Not because some label or middle man had arbitrarily set the price, but because the music "spoke for itself." That too, had increasingly disappeared from the AS profile. Music began to appear at 15 cents per track, then 45 cents, and sometimes there was no pretense to applying the original formula. Suddenly, AS was no better than-and in some ways worse than-any one of the major download resellers.
I've missed the original AS for more than a year now; probably more than two years; But I'll not mourn their passing much now. After all, it's not like there was much left of the original AS anyway.
Who will notice? Well, not me. Amazon.com has been investing in AS for the past 4 years and with each investment, the likelihood that you would be able to find the struggling independent artists-the jewels in the rough if you will-has decreased with each year. This was the reason I was so excited when I found AS, clear back when they were in the beta phase. In the past year and a half, AS has become the dumping ground for any number of labels trying to get every last penny they could from some pretty questionable "talent." So much for the struggling independent artist.
Increasingly AS has cowed to the investment dollar, and the original formula that worked so well to lure me in has morphed into something unrecognizable from the original AS. It's really too bad. AS had an exciting formula: let the music speak for itself. The original plan was that all music would start as free and would rise in price as it was purchased. Artists such as "Jukebox The Ghost" saw their music start at 0 and go to the top of the price scale-because it deserved it. Not because some label or middle man had arbitrarily set the price, but because the music "spoke for itself." That too, had increasingly disappeared from the AS profile. Music began to appear at 15 cents per track, then 45 cents, and sometimes there was no pretense to applying the original formula. Suddenly, AS was no better than-and in some ways worse than-any one of the major download resellers.
I've missed the original AS for more than a year now; probably more than two years; But I'll not mourn their passing much now. After all, it's not like there was much left of the original AS anyway.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The ever changing music of "Changing Modes"
Dissonance is used throughout Here's title track and opener, a song about being in physical or mental distress and looking for a way out. Band co-leader, Wendy Griffiths, (keyboards, vocals) sounds alternately like Grace Slick, Chrissie Hynde or Kate Bush, depending on the moment in the song. The music adds an appropriate haunting urgency to the lyrics. Here too is some magical guitar work from the other co-leader of Changing Modes, Yuzuru Sadashige (bass, guitar). The interplay between the vocals and instrumentals really kicks in when the Theramin is included.
Here's theme is dissonant and haunting, and Moles is its counterpoint, revving up the speed and kicking it up a notch. It's the kind of song that wants your feet to move, even if the song's lyrics are about mole people in New York City who live in the subway tunnels. Wendy sings "But your life underground, is not what it seems, it's worse than your strangest nightmare and better than your wildest dreams" in the chorus, but that is just one of the images painted here. You'll need to listen carefully to hear them all.
Louise introduces Jen Hammaker (Theremin, keyboard) on lead vocal in a whimsical song about Wendy's cat, which is just plain fun! "What goes on behind those dark eyes? Where do you go when I turn out the light?" Not only is there a lot going on here instrumentally, but the backing vocals and harmonies are incredible too, with a truly interesting shift from major to minor key and back again.
And There's so much more! Cell to Cell is another fun toe tapper that explores carrying on a relationship via text messaging. Distorted guitar adds interesting texture here that gives it a very punkish feel. Embers Sweet has an almost "Yes" feel to it, if "Yes" were fronted by female vocals that is. It definitely has that progressive rock edge to it. A favorite track for me is the poppy, electronicly noodled One, which describes an obsession with lines like You are the One, you are the one. White Lightning, again with Jen Hammaker, is a jazzy number with great trumpet fill from Oromander. The White Room, sounds initially like a cover of Cream's White Room. When I asked Wendy about this, however, she assured me that "It's more of an homage to the Cream song than a cover." It is a delightful changeup that explores sleazy politicians and their abuse of power. Closing out the set is Meow Situation which has a swing piano feel that ends things on a light-hearted note.
Writing this review, I've been afraid that after listening to these tracks so many times, they would start to wear thin; They don't. If anything, you begin to hear more nuances and textures that were hidden from your ears on the first listen. Changing Modes deserves grand recognition for a diverse, haunting and playful set of music. Instrumentation and vocals are accomplished and fun to listen to and the lyrics are deceptively simple in their complexity and entirely singable. Formed in the mid-90's by a happenstance invitation to CBGB's, Wendy Griffiths was pried away from her classical practice room, to hear the band Soul Coughing with a friend. It occurred to her on that night that she really missed the world of rock; "How that music hits you in the gut, which, as much as I love classical music, the concert music never quite does; At least not for me." She came back to her room later that night and began to write rock songs, and has never turned back. We are the beneficiaries of this epiphany, and Here is just one of those gifts.
You can find more information on Changing Modes by visiting them on MySpace or FaceBook. They also have a web site, that is in drastic need of a voluneer developer (sorry guys), so volunteer those services if you can help them out. You can hear sample tracks and purchase digital copies of Here from AmieStreet.com or both digital and physical copies of this and other Changing Mode CD's from CDBaby.com.
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