I love this song by Cocorosie, it’s both raw and beautiful. A mix of poetry, melody, and their signature “sounds from around the house”. It’s a good song to introduce you to their not-meant-for-radio sound. I think you’ll like it. :)
Click here for the mp3: Cocorosie : Promise and then go here to purchase their albums.
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{ Lyrics to follow along }
Open hearted as a heart can be
‘Cause we all a ruin like broken leaves
I give you me in oceans of tears up to my knees
Stitched together like pants and sleeves
I carry this carapace worn thin by he and she
Danced to dust and dusk and
Strung along the highway
I found my way belligerent
Following the stars of your eyesPromise me that you’ll cherish
This tarnished
Oh this tarnished offeringAnd if you take me inside
And you give me a place to hide and cry
I’ll bathe you in the crystal light
That sleeps between my thighs
At times you fear the angle’s sigh
To the lord and heavens that this ain’t right
But in this chalice you’ll find the wine
Our hands hold bonfires burning bright
And the heart is dumb and the heart is blind
But I think you’ll find that the lord is kind
And I pray you’ll cherish this tarnished offering
Burnt silver brushed lavender offspringPromise me that you’ll cherish
This tarnished
Oh this tarnished offering
Oh this offeringBurnt silver brushed lavender offspring
Sprung from me when first we kissed
You held me quietly a rush purged me of my past
Opened a desert of diamonds vast
Glinting and a tiny chorus of swallows
Swing open the door freed the caged bees and wallows
Swarm geometric patterns on the sun
Eclipse new moon
And tempt my werewolf not to run
Tempt my werewolf not to runPromise me that you’ll cherish
This tarnished
Oh this tarnished offering
Today I spent about four hours in the car, driving to see a doctor in Sacramento, and was thankful to have the chance to catch up on my favorite music. There I was, speeding along the freeway belting out notes I will never be able to hit and realizing how much of a country girl I really am. For a girl who grew up in the horse town of Poway, California, I really haven’t fallen far from the tree.
Here are some of my favorite folk singers in a duo of their “greatest hits”.
The Everybodyfields : Aeroplane // The Everybodyfields : Lonely Anywhere
Laura Marling : Ghosts // Laura Marling : New Romantic
Neko Case : Hold On, Hold On // Neko Case : Star Witness
Ryan Adams : Oh My Sweet Carolina // Ryan Adams : Let it Ride
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Click on the artists name below to pick up their albums!
California Bears have always been my favorite, but I really gotta hand it to these Grizzly Bears. A few years ago they came out with an album called Yellow House that just blew me away. Their voices were unlike anything I had heard before. They control every second of each song with carefully executed vocals and a smart accompaniment of folk instruments. The sounds build at a steady pace, fueled by precise repetition and smooth melodic transitions. Just one song and I was hooked.
They came out with a new album recently and managed to improve even further on their music. I wouldn’t say that this is a more accessible side of Grizzly Bear but it certainly has brought more people to into their fanbase. And deservedly so.
Here are some of my all-time Grizzly favorites. If you like these, go pick up their albums Yellow House and Veckatimest. You will not be disappointed.
Grizzly Bear : Knife // Grizzly Bear : Colorado
Grizzly Bear : Easier // Grizzly Bear : Two Weeks
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I know, it’s raining outside. I know it’s not yet summer. But who says we have to stay in all the time and sulk in the grayness? It’s sunny and hot in Southern California and in a week’s time I’ll be back down there for my oldest sister’s Pharmacy graduation. It’s time to break out the ukuleles and sing at the top of my lungs!
The reason I love Noah and the Whale is not just for their charming name or sweet sounding male vocals. I love them because of their inconspicuous depth. You’d never know by listening to their sing-a-long songs that a major motif running through their album is the interaction of love, life and death.
They are fatalists, something that I can relate to. They realizes the futility of life, the speed at which is passes by, and turn toward love to save the day, to make it all worth it. To them, life may be fleeting but love is eternal. They believe reciprocation is driving force to creating positive change in this world – but not globally. They care about the individual interactions we face everyday. Creating a harmonious world around us, in our immediate vicinity, is all that matters.
Their lyrics speak wisely but never forcibly. They are wrapped in simple melodies that travel from one movement to another seamlessly within each song. Their songs move. One moment it sounds like a slow tune around a campfire, the next moment you are dancing around the room, twirling in circles, and then you’re brought back to that warm candlelit room where you sit at night and reflect on your day.
But honestly, you could forget that all and just enjoy this music for its easy to understand melodies and ridiculously fun sing-alongs. They’re just that good.
Check out some of their mp3s below and then head over here to pick up their albums.
Noah and the Whale : 5 Years Time // Noah and the Whale : Beating
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I don’t know about you, but I find myself turning bands into icons quite often. I conjure up some fairytale story of who they are and what kind of lives they lead. It makes their music more believable and more mysterious at the same time. It’s probably why I sometimes shy away from live performances – I just couldn’t risk losing that picture in my head. I have molded them into the exact people I want them to be.
When I had the chance to see Beach House a few months ago, I decided to take the risk and go, but not without anxious feelings. One listen to their songs and you can see what I was so afraid of. Their sound is so beautifully authentic you would think it came out a vintage jewelry box or gramophone. Victoria Legrand, their lead singer, has a superior talent of creating a dream-like atmosphere without having to sing weakly or softly. Her strong voice pairs fantastically well with the organ and keyboards that accompany their songs – so simply and perfectly combined.
As it turns out, I was most certainly not disappointed by their real life apparitions. There she was, sitting at a small organ, dressed in something much like a victorian nightgown (floor length, long-sleeved and touched with lace), surrounded by a soft haze of blue and purple spotlights. From the moment she entered the room, she had the entire audience captivated, lulled into a sweet silence. We willingly obliged.
Close your eyes and you can image the scene. Be swept away. And then head over here to pick up their latest album.
Beach House : Turtle Island // Beach House : Master of None
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I’ve been in a very Joanna Newsom mood lately. There’s just something in her stories and her uncompromised style that I long for. Her voice is sweet and innocent, marked by a spirit of natural beauty and unrelenting authenticity. Her music reveals more through its operatic verses than through the fragile accompaniment of her softly played harp. She tells stories lived in dreams, wrapped in metaphors upon metaphors – complex and sometimes unable to understand. But it’s enough to relate to, enough to escape in, and plenty to leave open to your wandering imagination.
You probably won’t like her at first, or even second try. This is not an instant hit nor does it ever seem it will reach out to a mainstream audience – not to say that it ever should. It’s music for the quiet moments in your day when you just want to sit down and be whisked away into a mountainous dream world of flora and fauna, rivers and meadows, dreams and make believe, without ever having to open a book.
Check out some of her mp3s below and then head over to here to pick up her new album.
Joanna Newsom : Sawdust & Diamonds // Joanna Newsom : Emily
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Hilarious shot of a closed-caption during a live broadcast of Animal Collective.
Makes only a little sense.
Pick up their latest album here.
There’s nothing better than staying inside on a rainy day like today, all cozy and bundled up, with an oversize mug full of sweet jasmine tea. If I could afford such a luxury, Andrew Bird would be my soundtrack of choice. His music is characterized by rich instrumentals (primarily stringed instruments) and a crooning voice that comes in every so often to bring the melodies back down to earth. He did a special acoustic set for Daytrotter a while back where he reproduced some of my favorite songs to bare-bones perfection.
Here is my favorite of the bunch:
Pick up more of his music here.
