For my money, the mega-jams on Hospitality’s near-perfect self-titled debut are the gentle “Eighth Avenue” and “Liberal Arts,” two twee tracks that give Fred Thomas a run for his King of Indie-Pop crown. But singles “Friends of Friends” and “Betty Wang” come pretty close, offering singer Amber Papini’s coyly post-Chrissie Hynde melodic acrobatics and the band’s thoughtful, full-bodied arrangements. (“Betty Wang” closes with a downright Nels Cline-y guitar spasm.) Related: would anyone complain if I just posted indie-pop all year? Is there any reason not to?
This is totally just British Jason Mraz BUT I LOVE IT. Stick around for the synth breakdown at the end. One concern: no Robert Pattinson/water/elephants cameo? Hear more from the band on Rdio or your cloud player of choice and look for a proper debut later this year.
I spent most of last night watching Fiona Apple performance videos on YouTube. She’s so remarkable live, so intelligent and brave, that the performances shine on despite the long-lost layers of video quality that the clips may have had upon their original airings. Nevertheless, it should be a crime for her Vevo page to carry the official video for “Paper Bag” — directed by P.T. Anderson during their late ’90s romance, and featuring adorable choreography, kids in Dick Tracy suits and Fiona Apple smiling — in anything less than 1080p. I’d never seen it; until last night, I didn’t know it existed. A few more Apple hits from my video surfing after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
LA Font, one of L.A.’s best rock bands — and, obvious full disclosure, friends of Rawkblog — are raising funds via Kickstarter to make their sophomore album. This is the new reality: if you’re not on Pitchfork or NPR, no label is going to give your band money to make a record. Surely “Lipsmack” alone has given you more than a few bucks’ worth of enjoyment? Watch the band’s plea to Rawkblog readers above and give them a hand on Kickstarter.
I’ve spent most of the past 18 months obsessing over Standard Fare’s The Noyelle Beat, a relationship vivisection as charismatic and emotionally potent as any electric break-up record since Cursive’s Domestica. In March 2010 (at SXSW, it appears), Groupee captured the band tearing through a handful of the album’s best songs like hungry bears. Please join me in putting these on loop. Bonus points to singer Emma Kupa for the Absolutely Kosher shirt, R.I.P. All the videos after the jump, more goodness on Groupee.com. “Love Doesn’t Just Stop,” above, and duet “A Night with a Friend” are particularly scorching. Read the rest of this entry »
Best of ’11 supergroup Seeker Lover Keeper’s self-titled debut finally gets its U.S. release date on Jan. 17, and the group’s generously sharing my favorite track:
Seeker Lover Keeper – “Even Though I’m a Woman”: mp3
For those for whom wounded folk feels like balm upon a wound, you’ll find fine medicine in Keaton Henson. The London songwriter’s music is almost violently spare, offering just enough melody and feeling to carve his way into your heart. Like Nick Drake before him, he’s intensely shy and has decided to avoid traditional forms of performance, opting instead, for now at least, to make performance videos — like this one.
