Read & Listen

(from http://gettyimages.com)

Today’s song of the day is purely thematic. Nothing better than The Cure on the verge of fall (sometimes I think there’s simply nothing better than The Cure).

the last day of summer - The Cure

Last Day of Summer mp3

Geoff Barrow of Portishead is releasing an album with his new project Beak on October 17. For now, you can listen (and buy) on the official site. And here’s a dense, thick video:

Sally Shapiro - My Guilty Pleasure
[Permanent Vacation/Paper Bag, 2009]

Swedish disco-princess, like she’s called in the media, Sally Shapiro (which isn’t her real name, no one knows it) has a true festive nature. The music is perfect for summer weekends when there’s lightness in your head, but the brain does not go on standby. Intellectual easy dance music with the foundation in euro- and italo-disco is a recipe transferred from the debut Disco Romance (2007), very well continued on My Guilty Pleasure.

I don’t even want to mention separate songs from the album - all of them are more or less alike. Which is a plus this time. It’s like a good weekend when you’re moving from one bar to another without remembering which cocktail you had where. The main thing is a light euphoric state and airiness that are with you while you’re listening to My Guilty Pleasure. Sally Shapiro’s songs are about dance, youth, love and infatuation. Love In July, Looking At The Stars, Miracle, Save Your Love - whatever song of the nine, all of them are rhythm+tenderness. Shapiro’s soft voice and Johan Agebrjorn’s production mastery make the album very hard to stop.

Sally Shapiro “Love In July” from the album ‘My Guilty Pleasure’ from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.

Read & Listen:
Sally Shapiro’s website
Myspace
Twitter
Facebook
Miracle mp3

Sorry, this entry is only available in Russian.

Joy Division is one of those bands who, with their music and historical context, will always bring shivers down my spine. And Broken Social Scene are… well… the favorites of the decade. Their cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart, turned out to be a waltz, for some reason. The song got heavier - no transparent, playful sadness. Instead, a heavy, loaded shoegaz’y song. Not sure it necessarily got better with Kevin Drew and company, but still, another view of the matter. Afterward, however, you desperately long for the original.

Read & Listen:
Broken Social Scene - Love Will Tear Us Apart (mp3)
Pitchfork review + listen

The Crêpes are Dan Lissvik of Studio and Fredrik Lindson of Embassy. A disarming duo, from the very first seconds. Sounds like a lot of everything you’ve heard from Sweden, but that’s exactly the point. The music is amazing and sweet. What Else? is the title track of the album released in 300 vinyl copies.

You can listen to bits of the album (already out of stock) here, and this is the main song:

The Crepes - What Else? mp3

The Crêpes Myspace

Ben Woods – Moments
[Wise Owl, 2009]

There’s always silence inside music. Some special sort of silence. Sometimes it’s heard even better than the sounds themselves. This type of music is created by a British composer Ben Woods. His fourth album, titled Moments, makes you dive deep into the present moment, a second that flies by so fast that it gets even more beautiful.

There’s really no point in writing banal things about this gorgeous ambient, the main idea is that this album is just in time when you need a background for introspection.

Read & Listen:
Ben Woods on Myspace
Ben Woods on Wise Owl Records