August 23, 2013

In Their Pockets

Pocketbooks are a delightful five-piece indie-pop band from London who popped up on my horizon some time ago with their track Footsteps, a joyous slice of uplifting, summer-tinged charm.

 

Their latest album entitled Carousel, which was released four days ago, is markedly different to its predecessor. If Flight Paths was snotty and  charmingly naive, then Carousel is their autumn record and sounds a bit more mellow. 

It's all about introspection and feeling a little bit lost with life. Throughout there's a desire to break free of life's little obstacles and celebrate a little. Mnmnmn... I think that's something a lot of us can relate to in one way or another. Sound of the carnival  is particularly knowing.

 

If you want to force me to pick a favourite, then it'd have to be Promises, Promises, a flurry of bright harmonies and fast pacing set by the sweeping violins, singer Emma Halls' lovely shining vocals and bittersweet lyrics about casual promises that never materialize.

 

But, hey, let's not get too deep, chumps. What, essentially, you've got in Carousel is a gem of a pop album. They're streaming a few of the songs over on their Bandcamp page, in case you fancy a listen:


August 19, 2013

magnif-ICE-nt LAND

Yesterday I met with my friend Marc after his return from a vacation in Iceland. Wow! What a wonderful land! I felt a twinge of jealousy while watching some pics he took there. Eye pleasing landscapes, lush green surroundings, spouting geysers, splendid glaciers, dawn breaking on the moors, sunset along the sea's horizon and crystal clear waterfalls. Words fail to portray the immense beauty of the astonishing natural wonders beautifully preserved in this territory. Iceland might not be the first country that springs to mind when it comes to my ideal travel location. Nevertheless, it has now become one of the top destinations on my list of outstanding journeys and I've got to glut the wanderlust again.

During our long chat over the wonders of Iceland, I couldn't help thinking of the many artists and bands born in these lands, like Jónsi, Seabear, Emiliana Torrini, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Björk, among others. This is a particularly interesting fact taking into account that the whole country has a population of about 320,000 (there're very few, right?). 

Now you may wonder if Irrelephant has become a travel blog or something similar. Hehe. Indeed, this speech serves as an introduction to the new project carried out by Sigur RósInni, a DVD and double CD of the band's live performances in London, which will be released next November 7.



Although singer Jónsí has been touring his solo project, Sigur Rós is on "indefinite hiatus". The band has only played two gigs (both in Reykjavik) since November 2008 and scrapped their nearly completed sixth album last year.

Inni is Sigur Rós' second live film following 2007′s hugely-celebrated tour documentary Heima. Where Heima was lush and colorfully expansive, Inni is spare and near-monochromatic in its tunnel vision, focusing purely on the band's performance. Filmed in a manner that invites both intimacy and claustrophobia, it cocoons the viewer in a one-on-one relationship with the band.

Just two days ago, the clips for the songs Festival and Klippan were made available to watch online. This is part of what we will see in less than two months, so does nothing but make us biting our nails in times of excitement!




August 7, 2013

Trendy Clothes

This is a video with the coolest outfits and the latest key trends of the moment. Get an idea about how to mix and match awsome designs all set to be the darlings of the fashion world. You'll see disturbing costumes, meat garments, post-its, toilet seats, bacon, fat suits, tires, gaping wounds and light sabers. No, it's not a Lady Gaga spread. It's Aeroplane's clip for his second single, Superstar, from the album We Can't Fly.


Superstar


August 2, 2013

August 1, 2013

Oh My Ghost!

Starting August AuGHOST off today!
40 cool songs that contain the word  " Ghost ".