A little over 4 weeks now have I been listening to Endlessly by These Hands and it's been a trip unlike any other. Not a song clocks under 5 minutes, making this 8-track debut album last about 54 minutes, including a 40-second intro. After that intro, These Hands present a unique mix of indie progrock with a subtle touch of hardcore. Does it work? Like hell it does!
"Soaring Sky" is not only a perfect title for this song, it's also a perfect blueprint of what this band is capable of. We take off gently into the sky towards the sunset, come across some turbulence, but always do we find a beautiful stewardess next to our seat to calm the nerves when it's gets too rocky. She pours me a glass of Whiskey, touches my arm sofly to calm me down and tells me we've got a very experienced pilot who will undoubtfully get us down safely. The only question she askes me is if I really want to land and leave this intense flight. I'd most probably say no.
This is without a doubt one of the finest instrumental releases of the year. Endlessly holds your attention from start to finish, builts up the tension, blows you away and always helps you get up. It's a warm bath of incredible musical skills brought together in nothing less than a beautiful debut album. They successfully avoid the risk of writing identical songs, giving each song it's own feel, without forcing themselves to sound unlike themselves. Even when visiting the North Sea Jazz festival this weekend (and with that listening to nothing but amazing Jazz-tunes for 3 days straight), I couldn't fight the urge to wake up to this record in the morning. Incredible album!
Day 3 of the amazing North Sea Jazz Festival. After over 20 tips for the Friday and Saturday earlier, here's my personal highlights for Sunday based on a massive google/youtube-search I've spend most of my evening on. Enjoy!
15.30 Hudson: Joshua Redman with The Bad Plus
16.00 Nile: Miles Smiles featuring Joey DeFrancesco, Robben Ford, Omar Hakim, Darryl Jones, Rick Margitza, and Wallace Roney listen here
18.00 Darling: Marius Neset Golden Xplosion
19.30 Congo: Fatoumata Diawara
19.45 Volga: Oneohtrix Point Never
20.15 Nile: D'Angelo
21.30 Volga: Dimlite
22.00 Yenisei: Estafest
22.45 Mississippi: Bernhoft
And then it's over.. it'll be another 360something days before we'll meet again there. I'm already looking forward to it!
Day 2 of the amazing North Sea Jazz Festival. After 10 tips for the Friday last week, here's my personal highlights for Saturday based on a massive google/youtube-search I've spend most of my day on today. Enjoy!
17.15 Yenisei: Toon Roos Group featuring Peter Erskine
17.30 Darling: Yuri Honing Wired Paradise
18.45 Hudson: James Farm featuring Joshua Redman
18.45 Madeira: Miles Okazaki Quartet
18.45 Volga: Craig Taborn
Yes, that's 3 concerts starting at the same time, but after listening to all 3 acts it's hard to figure out which is best. My personal favourite is Craig Taborn, but the 3 styles are so different, that I figured to put em all in and let you decide..
19.30 Darling: Rudder
20.30 Volga: Kapok
(music starts after 7 minutes)
21.15 Congo: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey The Race Riot Suite
22.15 Hudson: Ramón Valle trio & Jesse van Ruller 'Flashes from Holland'
23.15 Mississippi: Bruut!
23.30 Darling: Christian Scott
23.45 Madeira: Vijay Iyer Trio
And there you have: 12 tips from me to you. Enjoy the music. See you Saturday!
Perfect soundtrack to the nightmares I had last night, while barely sleeping I was constantly banging my head to this fucking great track! Hear more from their album Megalithic Symphony at awolnationmusic.com. Rest of the album is pretty cool aswell, but "SAIL" kicks serious ass!
After being in Belgium for 4 days to hear a lot of great music at Rock Werchter, I wanted to write a little something on how good some shows where and what bands completely failed. But due to lack of sleep (although it's 2.30 in the morning now and I can't seem to fall asleep) there's no real words coming out. Earlier tonight I had a Twitter-session on the subject and figured, why not put the whole thing on here for everyone to read. So here's 32 things I’ve learned at Rock Werchter 2012:
1. Getting to Belgium is the easy thing, getting to Werchter doable, getting to that parking area a fucking challenge. 2. I hate camping 3. I hate putting up a tent with Within Temptation playing in the background 4. I HATE camping 5. I love Rock Werchter. Well, at least the 2012-edition of it, let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.. 6. Rock Werchter actually lasts 4 days. i did not know that untill the day it started.. what preparation? 7. Thursday was definitely party night. Cypress Hill killed it. Skream brought it back to life, Skrillex killed it again and Justice had sex with its dead body. Does that make any sense? Justice RULESS!! 8. There’s still hope for me. I danced with a pretty girl to The Kooks' “She moves in her own way”. Loved the show, the girl was ok. 9. Garbage is still just that. 10. Dancing with a woman twice my age to The Cure makes me feel very young 11. Miles Kane has to be the hardest working Brit to play music. Ever. 12. The only act almost as bad as Pearl Jam is Jack White. Or Pearl Jam 13. Lana Del Rey can sing! Nailed every note with style and class seldom displayed. I think I love her. Lana, will you marry me? 14. I can actually fall in love with 4 women at the same time. But they’ll have to be in a band called Katzenjammer 15. Azari & III reminds me of Grace Jones on steroids. I love it. 16. Jumping/dancing to Deadmau5 is a great way of getting ready for bed. Or going deaf. Or both. 17. There is a heaven on earth. And it’s called a James Vincent McMorrow concert. I’m still searching 4 words 2 describe the intense beauty 18. Michael Kiwanuka is best enjoyed alone. OR with a pretty girl, I’ll try that next week @ North Sea Jazz 19. The Alabama Shakes are able of disappointing the shit out of me. i did not see that coming.. 20. Wolfmother are live at least as good as on record. Or was that a record? 21. Mumford & Sons’ new album is due in September. Or was that another band..? at least they played as good as they should have! 22. I can smoke up to 25 cigarettes a day given the right circumstances. i doubt if that is a good thing. 23. Regina Spektor is all that she’s cracked up to be. And more. A lot more. Still not as great as James Vincent McMorrow though. Who was also very funny. (No I don’t have a crush on James Vincent McMorrow. Although we are on first-name bases in my mind.) I just call him James. 24. I enjoy singing along to Incubus knowing that no one can hear me, cuz they're rockin' the shit out of that tent. 25. Everyone in Other Lives plays at least 3 instruments. Except the drummer. He drums. That’s a lot of instruments in one. 26. size does not matter. neither does timing. Other Lives was the 1st and (surprisingly, I might add) by far best show on Sunday. 27. Noel Gallagher is, in fact, the worst singer the UK has ever produced. The Spice Girls would've done better out there. 28. Days get mixed up with a routine that consists of a little sleep, loads of alcohol and huge amounts of great music. I love it. 29. M. Ward invented arrogance. And not too much to show for it. 30. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are capable of sending chills down my spine. Just like Milow 31. Die Antwoord is without a doubt 50% genius, 50% completely fucked up and 40% hot. Russians will get it. 32. I rarely combined something I intensely hate (camping) with something I intensely love (music). but it worked. I loved being at Rock Werchter 2012.
Next Friday the biggest indoor jazz festival of the world is back in town. They might just have already started with building up some stages or something, or maybe they haven’t. For me, these next 10 days are about Rock Werchter starting today and North Sea Jazz next weekend. Traditionally I start preparing ahead of the festival by going through the entire schedule, listening to just about every artist that is playing and making a little compilation of the things that sound very interesting to me. Some sort of personal advice from me to anyone visiting the festival, whatever your musical taste is. Looking back at previous editions of this, I’ve just realized this is the 5th time I’m writing this. Go me!
Based on the schedule as found on the NSJ-website here’s how I just might spend my Friday on the festival. I try to stay away from the pop artists and big jazz names, I prefer to be surprised (except for the closing concert by Lenny, off course).
17.00 Hudson: Flat Earth Society ft. Ernst Reijseger - a Belgium jazzcombo that always surprises
17.30 Darling: Dafnis Prieto Proverb Trio - an unusual combination that works extremely well
17.45 Yenisei: Dhafer Youssef Quartet featuring Husnu Senlendirici & Aytac Dogan – if it’s anything like the video, it’ll be great!
19.15 Congo: Sam Yahel Trio
20.00 Maas: Michael Kiwanuka - one of the finest singer-songwriters of the past 12 months
20.15 Madeira: Uri Caine Trio
21.15 Congo: James Carter Organ Trio - great relaxed oldschool Jazz
21.45 Maas: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue - always a party with Trombone Shorty
23.30 Mississippi: Blitz the Ambassador - top notch hiphop from a unknown rapper
0.30 Maas: Lenny Kravitz - perfect ending to a perfect day of great music
I'll be off to Rock Werchter (Belgium) in 30 minutes, so the Saturday & Sunday previews will be posted next week. Have a great weekend, enjoy the tunes!
Swedish folk was never as pretty as this. Tender, sweet music from 6 Swedish musicians that create little masterpieces together. It was instant love when I heard this the 1st time and it gets more intense everytime I listen to the record. This is Holmes.
"Vinter" is a perfectly fragile song. It was made for the Winter, I just have to close my eyes and I can easily picture myself walking in the park on a cold Sunday morning, through the snow, with no one around. Just me and my mp3-player. A tiny slice of heaven on earth, if you know what I mean.
For some reason the last track of an album is usually something special. The final moment to win the listener over, the last chance to make him or her fall in love with your music. Bands and artists seem to feel this way and go all out once more. Holmes does exactly that on their 8-minute closing song. It starts beautiful and soft, gets nice and friendly instrumental with you and builts up to an eruption that'll leave you breathless. I'm in love!
Finally a great hiphop-album this year, I was on my way to becoming a little worried. Last year the phenomenal Jalin Roze released an album I still enjoy at least once a week. In 2012 I've heard some nice things (The Wurxs), but nothing yet that I can listen over and over again. Untill now!
No Threat by Atherton is a fresh album. The beats are easy on the ears, the lyrics are good, even brilliant at times. With lines in there I wish I'd written. The kind of songlines that really makes you wonder how the hell he came up with that. It's almost crazy, but it comes out brilliant.
The diversity on this album is amazing. Some tracks are dark, others are light and easy. Which is something that is not easy to produce and usually works very well. Especially on a hiphop-album. For some reason hiphop-albums have a bigger risk of getting monotonous.
With these 4 tracks you can clearly hear how creative this album is. The beats take a little of a lot of different styles and each style mixes great with the other. Final track "Paul Simon Songs" is my favourite, and a great example of the fun this album holds. Atherton clearly enjoyed writing this, and I sure as hell enjoy hearing it. On a daily bases for a few weeks now.
Ten fine tracks on a great 3rd album by this talented rapper. Go listen to the other 6 tracks on his bandcamp and get yourself a copy for only 5 Dollars. Worth every penny!
I keep listening to this great hiphop-skit. A little jazzy, a little weird, a bit of oldschool hiphop, but most of all nice display of skill. Visit www.thewurxs.com for more great tunes.
A few weeks ago I received SEESAW. After writing a little something sweet about two of their songs last year, The Rest emailed a digital copy of their new album for me to hear. With the weeks passing by they went on releasing a new song every week, while I was falling madly in love with their album a little more everytime I heard it.
"Always on my Mind", was the 1st track I heard last year and is still one of my favourite songs on this album. A year ago it was just a good song, this time around it's a good song on a great record.
The Rest has created a record that slows down and speeds up from time to time, but never slows down too much, and too much speed is pretty much impossible. lead singer Adam Bentley sometimes sounds a little like U2's Bono, which usually is not a good thing, but he gets away with it. Since it's not a constant reference, but only at certain moments, it is acceptable and luckely this band writes songs that outscore U2 any day of the week, so any slight U2-reference I had, was easily overcome.
Just like the best albums out there, there is really no point in just posting four songs here, as this album is best enjoyed from start to finish. You've heard the opening and finishing tracks and two of my favourite 8 songs stuck in between, now get yourself over to their bandcamp-page and listen to The Rest, because this is one release you don't want to miss out on!
Catchy as hell, this new video by San Cisco. Together with their previous single 'Awkward', this is taken from their recently released EP Awkward. The Australian band is just loaded with fun and easy sing-a-long tunes. Not all brilliant, but probably great on a Summer festival with a cold beer and a pretty girl.
