Golau Glau have released their new EP, Revenant Branch. It’s for free through their bandcamp page. The music is mysterious, beautiful, somewhat eerie and still beautiful. The listen is like taking a walk in a dark forest. You can enjoy the magic around you, and at the same time be aware of the unknown territory. Worth taking a risk, though.
Jack White – Love Interruption
Jack White is releasing his solo debut! The first single from it, Love Interruption, is available now – to listen, and soon to get a physical vinyl copy. Some things remain unchanged, and White’s vocal still sounds like Robert Plant’s double. And even though the music is not particularly close to Led Zeppelin, there’s something timeless in it as well. Maybe this simple acoustic sound, when the minimum of means bring about the maximum of talent.
The album Blunderbuss will be released April 24th on Third Man Records/Columbia.
Architecture In Helsinki – Desert Island (YACHT remix)
One really good artist remixes a song by another really good artist.
Desert Island (YACHT remix) by Architecture In Helsinki
Kim Novak – The Golden Mean
Kim Novak – The Golden Mean
[Kutu Folk Records, 2011]
Kim Novak is a band with the already-famous name borrowed from an actress, four guys from France – sounding absolutely American. They can be placed in the same line with Interpol, the Strokes and the like. Their second album, The Golden Mean is mostly upbeat, joyful and quite easy. It might be not so hard to follow someone steps, but inheriting a well-established (and crowded) scene without being annoying or boring – this also requires lots of talent.
“What you gonna do for the romance? I don’t care,” they sing in the very beginning, opening Comfort.
Merry-Go-Round and Broken Rope aren’t deprived of American-sounding romance. Love Affair is a definite highlight on the album – happy, lively, running forward at full speed, quite chaotic, but crazy joyful. With a slow coda by the end. Each song on The Golden Mean is intense, filled to the brim with guitars, drums and cymbals. A bit quieter, sometimes, and you might be wallowing in shoegaze. A bit heavier – and all you’d have would be noise/punk. But what happens in the middle is Kim Novak doing classic indie rock.
Despite being American in sound, Kim Novak have been touring Europe for several years now, without gaining much audience in the States. Probably, there’s enough of this type of music at home already, no matter how many odes you sing to New York. But it’s true – American music can be born well outside of the US.
Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
Comeback Kid is a new track from the upcoming album by Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror (out on the 21st of February).
(Russian) Условно популярная музыка
Sorry, this entry is only available in Russian.
Friends – I’m His Girl
My song of the day.
СБПЧ – Втроем
Russian music is rare here, but it doesn’t mean that it’s non-existent. Samoe Bolshoe Prostoe Chislo is a project by Kirill Ivanov and “Elochnie Igrushki”. The video is from their 2011 album Flashka. I doubt that it’d be very interesting to listen to without the knowledge of Russian, as the lyrics are very good. Still, here we go:
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo OST
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo OST
[Null Corporation, 2011]
The soundtrack to the second David Fincher’s film in a row from Nine Inch Nail’s frontman Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. After the highly successful “The Social Network” we have “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
This one won’t have the success of the predecessor (winning an Oscar and a Golden Globe). As a sountrack for the film, there’s nothing more to desire – it adds weight to the picture, is in full accord with the movie’s pace and Fincher’s heavy mood. Good old Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” in the new version, with Karen O vocals, on the opening title is in itself a gem (and I should admit it’s always great to give the song another listen).
Even with all this, Dragon Tattoo remains a soundtrack – and is fully appreciated only with the film in mind. It’s hard to get it as a separate work. And it’s long – almost 3 hours long, which is more than the film itself. Though, there’s a huge reason why you’d want to listen to the end – the final chord is a beautiful and mellow cover of Brian Ferry’s “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” by Reznor and Ross’s band How To Destroy Angels.
Overall, there could be no better soundtrack for the movie, but the score is more like a shadow of the film, and won’t probably be listened to separately (in full at least). It might, if you need to immerse yourself in some meticulous work for several hours.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Immigrant Song (feat Karen O) by ArtemK
