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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Just Rolled In: f y f e - "Conversations" [electronic / soulful pop / R&B]

As you may recall, London's f y f e, aka Paul Dixon, was the first artist featured on holaOLA back in March. Well, the rising R&B-tinged electronic musician is back with a new single called "Conversations", which has surfaced in the wake of his recent excellent Solace EP.

Nothing much has changed regarding f y f e's musical vision, which is certainly fine by me. On "Conversations" Dixon whips together another irresistible hard-hitting beat and glazes it over with his beautifully soulful voice and adds some more texture with his usual guitar licks and haunting backing vocals. While fitting in well with his previous singles, the only difference here would be a heavier hip-hop-influenced beat and more glitchy production.

Check out "Conversations" below followed by f y f e's beloved Solace EP. You can purchase the EP via the "Buy on iTunes" link on the SoundCloud player.


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Artist Making Waves: Hibou [tropical pop / dream pop / shoegaze]

Hibou is the solo project of former Craft Spells drummer and 19-year-old Seattle native, Peter Michel. Seeing as 'hibou' is French for 'owl', it is pronounced quite Frenchly—"eee-booo". Because one of my pet peeves is hearing mispronunciations of another French-based indie band name, Bon Iver, I figured I'd set the record straight so I won't have to cringe hearing things like "high-bow" or "hih-boo". Anyway, my instincts tell me that Michel named his project thus because he considers himself a 'night owl', or maybe he prefers to write, record, and hunt mice after the sun goes down. Either way, his upbeat music is definitely meant to soundtrack a beautiful, sunny day, but it wouldn't hurt to throw it on at your next dance party.

While borrowing the dream pop elements of his old band and mixing in his brand of vibrant surf-poppy guitar hooks and danceable tropical drum beats (see "Hollow") or progressive shoegaze drumming (see "Glow"), Michel produces Hibou—a perfect concoction of hazy beach pop that I would file next to bands like Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, Diiv, and Kisses. Hell, just sign him to Captured Tracks already!

Hibou's Dunes EP is due out June 13 via Fat Cat Records so grab yourself a copy when it drops. In the meantime, you can listen to a handful of songs below and download them for free or in pay-what-you-want-style by clicking the "Download" or "Name your price" buttons on the players.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Swell Album: Morningbell - Bôa Noite [indie rock / psychedelic / melodic rock]

Part of a music scene that is also home to great indie bands like Hundred Waters and Levek, Gainesville, Florida's indie rock veterans Morningbell have just released their sixth full length record entitled Bôa Noite. Like their other records, Bôa Noite was released independently thanks to their DIY spirit (not uncommon in Gainesville) and rejection of label support.

The first word that comes to mind while listening to this record is 'BIG'. Morningbell impressively mix in a multitude of instruments to make Bôa Noite an ever-expanding record that constantly changes course but all for the greater good of the listening experience. This dynamic album is definitely a traditional record in the sense that it doesn't have any single track that could represent it as a whole; it should be listened to front to back to really appreciate its sonic beauty.

Although generally an unclassifiable record due to its adventurousness, some bands that Bôa Noite's songs often recall are Broken Social Scene (for their cinematic indie rock), The Flaming Lips (for their psychedelia), and Sufjan Stevens (for his orchestral grandeur). However, Bôa Noite surely cannot be defined by its slight similarities to these artists. You'll have to listen for yourself to experience its soaring, contemplative songs featuring what seems to be every instrument available in a music store.

Stream the entire album below and purchase your own copy now at Morningbell's Bandcamp.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Artist Making Waves: Ancient Mariner [indie folk / indie rock]

Hailing from Aurora, Colorado, Gabriel Jorgensen, the young man behind the folky project Ancient Mariner, has released two tracks in the past couple months that are taken from his soon-to-be-released debut EP entitled In Solitude. As the title hints, the extended play was written one lonely night in which "every terrible thing inside of [Jorgensen] was revealed, and set before [him]" after he had taken a break from playing, writing, and even listening to music for a period of time. On top of that, he even recorded the EP in a small isolated cabin in the Rocky Mountains.

After listening to the first two tastes of In Solitude, "Acedia" and the title track, it's evident that the tranquility of the mountain cabin and Jorgensen's haunting writing experience have reflected well onto the recordings. "Acedia", which means apathy or indifference, is a rich, fast-moving song that starts off with a resonant acoustic guitar melody and busy, textured drumming and then some distorted, hypnotizing synths creep in to accompany Jorgensen's smooth vocals (that reminds me of Thom Yorke at times and wouldn't sound out of place in a Local Natives song) and slip away just in time for the beautiful electric guitar hook and Jorgensen's melodic "ooohs" that occupy the final verse and coda. On the other hand, the title track, "In Solitude", is a slower, more meditative song carried again by Jorgensen's delicate voice and another nice acoustic guitar riff, but it swaps the synths and electric guitar for chimy keyboards and a dark, ominous string section.

With these first songs so different from one another I'm excited to hear the rest of what Ancient Mariner has to offer on his forthcoming debut. Keep an eye out, like I'll be doing, for In Solitude, being released sometime soon.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Artist Making Waves: MØ [electronic / indie pop]

Attracting comparisons to Grimes, Purity Ring, Lykke Li, Little Dragon, and Nite Jewel, Copenhagen's has just released her 4th track, and new single to her upcoming debut effort, entitled "Waste Of Time", on which she continues the choppy R&B-influenced vocals and rich electronic soundscapes that have inhabited her previous tracks.

The only reason this Danish electro-pop musician is being compared to such artists is because she just so happens to be a female singer with a great voice who chooses electronic music as her backdrop. It's like saying that Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear sound the same, but basing it on the fact that they just both do folk-based music with vocal harmonies really well. While she may share some fundamental musical elements with the aforementioned female artists, MØ, aka Karen Marie Ørsted, sets herself apart from the herd with her hard hitting beats, soulful voice, modest use of vocal samples, and occasional electric guitar flourishes.

Listen below to her 4 current singles (which are all amazing!) that she has released in the past year and be on the lookout for her debut album release sometime this year via Sony Music Denmark.




Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Swell Album: Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes [indie rock / indie folk]

Although you may still have yet to catch wind of this Montreal-based, Craigslist-formed indie rock band, Half Moon Run have been paving quite the path to success for themselves. Having opened for Metric, Patrick Watson, Of Monsters And Men, Wintersleep, and Mumford & Sons in the wake of last year's Canada-only release (via Indica) of their outstanding debut album Dark Eyes, the four-piece (recently added 4th member not pictured above) have been subjected to thousands upon thousands of adoring fans of indie rock, folk, and indie pop, including one sold out show where they played to 18,000 eager Mumford & Sons fans.

While Half Moon Run may not sound very much like any of the aforementioned artists, their eclectic sound, which is influenced by the four members' common love for Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, and Fleet Foxes among others, and multi-instrumental stage performance have attracted the attention of not only those bands' loyal fans, but also Mumford & Sons label Glassnote Records. They were recently added to their roster to join the ranks of other indie greats Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, GIVERS, The Temper Trap, and CHVRCHES. This kind of exposure and the global release of Dark Eyes will be sure to give Half Moon Run the attention they deserve.

The twelve expansive songs on Dark Eyes combine the complex arrangements and electronic elements of Radiohead, the darker indie folk of Lost in the Trees, the vocal harmonies of Fleet Foxes, and guitars and percussion reminiscent of Local Natives to leave you with an album that varies track to track genre-wise but manages to hold itself together thanks to lead singer Devon Portielje's capturing, soulful voice.

Listen to a handful of songs from Dark Eyes below, stream the album in its entirety via RollingStone here, purchase the album online here, and look for it on record store shelves sometime in June.