irrelephant: May 2012

May 21, 2012

Jungle Queen

Holy crap. Occasionally a song comes along that just takes you by complete surprise. In witness thereof, with Boy, 19-year-old Aussie Emma Louise created one of the most amazing tunes I've ever heard.

After listening to it a kazillion times, I came across Jungle and was instantly captivated by its seedy underbelly. There must be something about this singer-songwriter. Where Boy is delicate and demure, Jungle brings a purring strength and confidence. Infectious from the start. At multiple points throughout the song, I found myself completely floored by twists, turns, and absolute harmonic perfection. Here you have the video, hot off the press. BTW, after seeing her brand new hairstyle, I'm almost determined to get my hair cut short.

Both hits are actually from a 2011 EP entitled Full Hearts & Empty Rooms. Whimsical and borderline ambient, the soft wonders of Emma Louise voice will hold your head in her heavenly clouds of intimate song writing abilities to comfort you. From the first beat, the tracks carry a momentum and insight which is amazing, considering this was her first release. Listening to her music, immediately I zoom back to my first listen of Florence or Kimbra. Whatcha think?

This tune has all the earmarks of becoming a hit this summer. I have compiled some of the remixes that will be played soon in dance floors all around the world. Check them out!

Get more Emma Louise on Myspace:

Al-Barnstorming

It starts off with the sound of a flowing river and birds singing along. Immediately, you're drawn into a peaceful landscape. Then bells ring, darkness takes over and deep strings and a pipe organ start to overcome the sound of nature. That's how we begin getting in the mood from track one on this new project composed by Damon Albarn, music for an opera under the name of Dr. Dee. Yup, you read well, O-PE-RA.

Despite this project has been knocking around for about five years, it's been released only a couple of weeks ago. It was already been acclaimed by the critics and premiered on 2011. Listen to it in its entirety below.

It might be surprising to hear Blur's frontman composing a piece of such complexness, but it isn't such an eye-opener if you go back on Mr. Albarn's career. He's one of the most complex and multifaceted artists of our times... That's why it is very hard to summarize his vast career, here you have some examples

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Blur
On The Universal we can appreciate how the orchestration was present on Albarn's music even in the Blur days, featuring strings and horns in addition to the band's standard instruments. Also the art behind this single has a clear homage to Stanley Kubrick, the cover is inspired by 2001 A Space Odyssey and the video clip features all Blur members dressed like Alex's gang from A Clockwork Orange, which is pretty cool.

This song brings mixed feelings while you listen, makes you feel "everything will be ok", even though society has gone nuts in this futuristic Orwellian nightmare.

The Universal

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Gorillaz
This is a project involving Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett. On their first album, 5/4 is a perfect example on how music appearing to be simple and child-oriented could be finally a complex piece involving a rithm mostly used by jazz musicians. I personally love the "swing" this song carries, filled with energy.

Gorillaz last album The Fall was entirely produced on Albarn's iPad during the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour in 2010. Revolving Doors is its first single. Considering the song was recorded during the tour, you get Albarn's feelings on how he is just going from one place to the other, without really being in either place...

5/4

Revolving Doors

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The Good The Bad and The Queen
This is a concept album released as an homage to modern life in London. It was recorded by Albarn in adition to Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. As this special group didn't have a name, the public named them after the album. This piece is one of my Albarn favorites, and the song I chose to show you has a cool story. Damon Albarn wrote it after a night out, recorded it on Goldhawk Road and left the tape to Marianne Faithfull, she changed the lyrics and released the song... After years, Albarn showed it in this album's sessions and they decided to include it. The song feeling is very nostalgic and somehow mysterious, makes you wonder what was going on Albarn's head when he came up with it.

Green Fields

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Monkey: Journey to the West
Albarn assembled a 25-member Chinese orchestra featuring lutes, wood percussion and finger symbols, and mixed them with contemporary western elements like drum machines, brass and computer-generated noise. The music is for a Musical adaptation of an old Chinese novel called Journey To The West. There isn't much to the lyrics here, everything is sung in Chinese making it very hard to understand for us westerners. For the story to make sense, you might find more revealing to see the actual Musical. Some of the songs are strong enough to stand on their own without the support of visuals. Heavenly Peach Banquet is a beautiful, haunting and delicate vocal placed over plucked synthesizer sounds.

Heavenly Peach Banquet

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Mali Music
Our today's protagonist also acts as a world music ringleader with the mesmerizing music from Mali. Damon traveled throughout this country and recorded the source material at various venues, from small bars to village streets. Then, he brought the recordings into a professional studio, adding percussion, keyboards, guitars and effects to a majority of the tracks, and the result is a thoroughly chilled album. Here you can listen to Le Mogon, one of those tunes where beats and keyboards mingle effortlessly with the exotic instruments and chanting choirs. Check it out!

Le Mogon

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If you wan't to raise your knowledge on Albarn and his projects, you can also check out his solo album Democrazy along with his collaboration with Tony Allen and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) called Rocket Juice and The Moon, also his latest Gorillaz collaboration with Andre 3000 (OutKast) and James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) called Do Ya Thing.

You'll be "Albarnized" in no time!

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May 14, 2012

Megaman Goes Into Flight (Facilities)

Not long ago we introduced you to Flight Facilities -click here-, this mysterious DJ duo that startled us with some very catchy dance tunes.

Well, they just released this absolutely amazing video for their upcoming single, With You. You' re gonna love it!

After struggling with Flight Falicities's busy schedule, we finally agreed on a moment for this interview with one of mysterious pair, and this is what we got:

Q: What things inspired you for your last video release With You?

A: We always wanted to have an animated video. We looked at lots of different types of animation even when we were trying to get a video for Foreign Language. Our manager finally found a really good one that was within our reach of budget. It was purely coincidental that it was in the anime style. So we realise that the clip bears a strong resemblance to Daft Punk's Interstellar 5555 (click here) but we've come to terms with it. Consider it an homage to a couple of artists we really admire and respect.

Q: We are liking that vibe... Did Megaman had something to do with that too?

A: Well, the creative direction was out of our control. All we asked was if we could be in it as well as Grovesnor. We're sure Megaman was a big influence too.

Q: Is it like that with all your videos? Where do those ideas come from? They all seem very different from each other.

A: We like to get the best from each director. We've been lucky enough to have videos made by people with very strong ideas. There's something to be said for letting a film maker take creative control. It's nice when a music video contains a big part of how that director works. We very rarely try to have creative input. Only a suggestion here and there. It's also easier when we don't have to be in the music videos. A lot of bands and acts like to take part in theirs. We guess it's just a matter of preference.

Q: Your original tunes are very cheerful and up-beat, perfect for a "summer's day in the pool" mood. Are we up for any surprises or is this your signature style?

A: It can be tough to make the music we make. At the end of the day, we're trying to make a song that you can listen to in a club but also listen to by the pool. We want our parents to enjoy our music as well as young people. We try to avoid falling entirely into musical trends and, instead, draw elements from genre's to maintain some sort of relevance. We have a few songs in the future that are a little different but still possess our sound at their core. After only three songs, it's still hard, even for us, to say what our sound is.

Q: Your collaborations so far have been only female voices, except for the upcoming single which would be your first male collaboration, does this have a special reason?

A: We've been big fans of Grovesnor for years. We're working with a lot more females on future songs. It's never been intentional, it's always about finding the right voices for the right music and so far, they've all demanded a girls voice. It's hard to find a particularly unique male voice these days too. Grovesnor definitely has that. We're on the hunt for more male vocalists. Finding the right one is the hardest part.

Q: So far, your list includes Giselle Rosselli, Jess Higgs and recently Grovesnor. Who could we expect on your future collaborations? Any news on that?

A: We've worked with a famous old Australian singer named John Paul Young. We're really excited about that song. We've also just finished recording with Elizabeth Rose who remixed Foreign Language. Other than that, we're still in talks with other vocalists. Not necessarily high profile. It's quite fun to do the digging and find new talent. We can't list some of that talent yet either. We don't want them to be snatched from us before we've finished recording.

Q: Apart from your original tunes, you've done some remixes. How do you choose songs to remix? What does a song need to get chosen?

A: It's always nice to remix an act with an established profile. But even then, we don't go near a remix unless we really enjoy the original song. Sometimes the act doesn't need a profile, we just have to love the piece of music. We try not to take too many remixes on board. Like our original work, it's nice to be selective.

Q: Flight Facilities has created a sort of myth with the fact that no one knows who you are in dialy life, or even your origin. How do you keep your identities incognito during your live presentations?

A: We always wear our costumes to keep a little mystery. But we're not devastated when people see our faces. It's all just a part of the fun. We play to it as much as we can without it taking over the possibility of having a good time. But who knows? The hidden identity thing may come in handy in future...

Q: It's all part of the show. That's great! Trinidad and Tobago people must be proud!

Piracy nowadays is an issue for lots of musicians, how do you cope with that?

A: It's fine. We'd rather everybody hear our music. We don't care how. We don't mind if people download our music illegally. It's part of the music world. There's no sense in fighting it. It's best to move with it and pioneer new ways of making this business profitable. We're sure everybody has downloaded at least one song illegally. Us included. Who are we to judge?

Q: Totally agreed on that... It is what it is.

Do you have any future plans, any EP's or LP's coming up?

A: We have a few singles lined up and ready to go. Hopefully we should put out another two songs this year. We're still working on singles for now. We put a lot of effort into each individual song. If we sit down to write an album, you'll know about it because we'll probably disappear for five years.

Q: We'll be eagerly waiting for those...

A: Hahaha. I hope so! Or we're out of a job.

Q: Bonus Question: What do you think is irrelephant in life?

A: Youtube ads! They drive us insane! What a horribly annoying way to make such a small amount of money.

Q: It's been a pleasure talking to you... I promise we won't disclose you identity. Hope to hear from you soon!

A: You too dude!

May 10, 2012

Duplicates

Can you imagine yourself wearing the same dress as another wedding-guest? Ouch, that's so bad! What about asking for someone on the phone and being answered that you should specify if you wanna talk to the father or the son. Twins will tell you that they sometimes get confused even after they have grown up. We are all unique and irreplaceable human beings and we all like to express individualism. [...] Ok, you must be wondering what the hell I'm talking about. No, no. I didn't go barking bonkers, hehehe. Today's post deals with duplication and coincidences regarding music artists' names.

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BEDROOM

Bedroom can be a good name for a band. When all is said and done, this is the place where dreams are projected while sleeping, the place to be with your loved one and the place to become withdrawn without being disturbed. This is exactually what Albert Aromir and Noah Kittinger must have thought when they opted for a name for their professional careers.

(aka Albert Aromir) (aka Noah Kittinger)

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FIRST AID KIT

Swedish folk duo comprised of sis Klara & Johanna Söderberg and the one consisted of Spaniards Agnès Aran and Carles Querol, go by the name of First Aid Kit probably cos for all of them music is a form of therapy, a way to get through life. We listen to music when we need consolation and support. Music makes us feel less alone. So, probably, they'd like their music to work as a plaster for the soul for their audience.

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Brace yourself for the battle among these artists trying to establish themselves as a recognised and acclaimed name in the current musical scene. Who will win?

May 5, 2012

They Rock, Citizens!

Citizens! are an indie band that hail from London whose insanely addictive debut single, True Romance, has quickly turned into one of our fave songs. Seriously peeps, this song is, there or thereabouts, fantastic. The only thing we hate to hit them back with an exclamation mark of our own, is that True Romance is a song title that's been used by at least half a dozen other bands! What happened there lads? Of all the song names!

Now they have premiered their latest video for third single Caroline. It's also a supremely infectious affair. Catchy to the core with huge vocal hooks and a super snappy, danceable rhythm section. One listen to it and you'll be swimming in delight.

The tune follows the band's recent release Reptile and shares more than a passing similarity to their previous vid, with muted tones and sharp suits once again the order of the day.

Their debut album, Here We Are, is due for release on May 28. We really think the exclamation mark in their name is a real godsend!