British Invasion?!?

As those loyal readers may have noticed (or not-whatevs), I've assumed the saying 'out with the old, in with the new!' After learning that the playlist may have actually been listened to once or twice I thought it was about time to mix it up a bit! I was going to keep some of my favourite older songs but the playlist took much too long to load so I figure I'd hit The Easy Button this time (aka deletage). Here we have some of the more recent songs and artists I've talked about and a few that I hope to write about in the future. A bit more of an indie/folktronic/rock thing going on so stay tuned!

Who I'd really like to talk about for today is another UK group who I've just discovered! "Tunng" is an experimental folk band who released their first album (of a total of three) back in 2004. Tunng seems to use many unusual instruments and they definitely have an original sound because of it. Their vocals seem quite unprofessional, I think it also has a boldness to it which gives them more character. What I especially love about this group is their attention to the finer details of sound. They're one of those bands whose songs you can constantly listen to and you'll always pick up new tracks and sounds in the background. It keeps them interesting. However, their song on the playlist is one I've had on repeat for the last ... oh does time really matter? haha So! The Pioneer be the song, and it is a cover of Bloc Party (who I believe also did it as a cover...), and you may recognize it since it was played in the third season of The OC (I knew it was uber familiar). I love the guitar, I love that the tempo is so fast but it's a soft sound and I love the lyrics! So even though this isn't actually an original of theirs and you don't quite hear all the crazy-awesome instruments they use, you get a sampling with this one. Check out their other stuff!

Enjoy! Sampanthera

Bone Marrow

Artist Worthy of Mention: Jesca Hoop
Origin: Southern Cali-Forn-I-A
Song: Intelligentactile 101

Is it just me, or does folk-experimental music never get old? Jesca Hoop came into the music scene in 2007, with her biggest songs Money and Seed Of Wonder. Most of her songs consist of low and monotonous sounds with unique rhythms all of which are combined with stacked tracks of vocals. The song I would most recommend is the one mentioned at the top since it has a bit of an upbeat indie-pop spin to it. With slightly bizarre lyrics "Can i borrow your bones and marrow till i get my own..." she definitely has her own style of expressing words, although I'm not condemning her for it. Contrarily I find her lyrics inspiringly original. As described by Tom Waits, "Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night," and I think I'd agree.

This one is a keeper so enjoy her! (Especially while painting)

Yours, Sampanthera

Imports!

All day I have been mentally going through songs and bands that I haven't yet mentioned and that are note-worthy of bloggage, and it occurred to me that I haven't rambled about this underground British band whose album in only available in the US of A and the great UK herself: I give you Passenger! This folk/rock/acoustic/other band is [slightly] new in the music scene and hasen't really made it anywhere big yet. I'm actually hoping they don't make it too 'big' because inevitably their sound would change and I like it just the way it is. :] Their most popular song is probably Night Vision Binoculars, which is pretty fun and somehow always manages to put a smile on my face, although it's a huge creeper song and since I already have a creeper post I figured that's enough. The song I am currently listening to is called Four Horses, and even though the beginning is pretty slow, I love this song for sentimental reasons because at times his voice reminds me of James Taylor (which reminds me of childhood). Other favs are Wicked Man's Rest and Do What You Like. So I've really enjoyed their stuff (a thank you to Scorchy for the special delivered Christmas gift :) So they're worth giving a try. They can be tricky to find but you can find most of their music at their website: http://www.passengerofficial.com/ The picture is the lead singer and founder Mike Rosenberg, which I had to add because he's got that cute British thing going on. *this is me not oogling over pretty British musician*

Chip chip cheerio mates!
Sampanthera

Muh-Muh-Muh-Moosic

I've no true desire to write at the moment but I have to waste time somehow right? Band: Sea Wolf Songs: You're a Wolf, Leaves in the River, Middle Distance Runner. Nice couple indie songs here. I like that they aren't over-complicated and are easy to sing-along with.

Late Slip

So my faithful writings have lately become unfaithful. I would apologize but I've been legit-busy (supposedly). So the whole inspiration with the documentary isn't as empowering as it was but I'm still in search of a soundtrack!

Lately I've encountered a lot of great crazy-indie music and of course the good 'ole fashioned folk stuff. One song I went through a huge faze of was (ready? It's a mouthful) For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless in Ypsilanti by Sufjan Stevens. It sounds like a horrible banjo-country song to begin with, but honestly the susurrus coo's of his voice make it relax-a-tastic! (btw for those readers who don't understand the complex word: susurrus, it signifies whispering/murmurs. And for those who know how to pronounce it, it is a wonderful word to use! ...and if you can-fill me in eh?)

Another really nice acoustic song is Blankets by the Ottawa based band The Acorn (pretty sure I've previously written about them, but they're Canadian and I get bragging rights to mention them again). Composed of mellowness and an up-beat chorus, I warn you it is catchy.

With this small contribution of today's music, I am leaving you with this!
Not guaranteeing, but trying to faithfully commit to writing,
Yours Sampanthera