Ok, not going to waste any time on news or interesting music-related readings, let's just get to some great tunes, shall we?
-Last week I was really digging Air Review and this week I'm digging some more wonderful indie folk, this time out of Montreal, from the band Folly and the Hunter. They recently released their debut album Residents. One of the tracks from it, called "Cost," has blown me away. It sounds like the work of a band that should be sharing a stage with Sufjan Stevens or Iron & Wine, not one just making their debut. I particularly love how it builds to the drums and harmony-driven outro. I don't have much else to say about this one. It is a sublime tune, and you ought to give it a listen. You can get the album here.
-From Montreal we make our way to Iceland to find the bedroom recording artist Just Another Snake Cult. This is one man making some glorious noise. It honestly does not sound that lo-fi to me. Even if it is, there ain't nothing lo-fi about these hooks! "I Know She Does" especially has gotten a lot of plays from me. Perhaps because it feels like a summer song (never mind that it's barely spring where I am): it is upbeat and catchy and big, and it is also about head-over-heels crazy love. Ironically, this began as an attempt to record the stupidest song he could come up with. I am happy he came to like the song because I like it a lot and I think you will too. I've embedded the track from bandcamp, where you can get the EP Ghosts it comes from.
-The cellist singer-songwriter Ben Sollee has a new album coming out on May 10th called Inclusions and based on what I have heard so far, it is not going to be one to miss. I have always dug the cello as an instrument, and Ben is a talented performer and writer. He has already released several videos for the upcoming album. I'm sharing my favorite thus far below. It's for the song "Electrified," a clever & creative visual representation of such a concept. It's so cool seeing what plays on the different screens as the song progresses. I also like the diverse sounds of Ben playing the cello; I'm no expert on the instrument but things like the percussive effects make it sound different than your conventional cello performance. Whether or not he's pushing the envelope, it is a great song and video. I dig.
Electrified from Ben Sollee on Vimeo.