Singing Ax by J. Tillman

Launched just two days ago, J. Tillman seventh album Singing Ax which was recorded in 3 days only is phenomenal. However, not everyone can accept the style of J. Tillman which is minimalist and dead space in between song. There are not many things going on. There are no fireworks in his album which explode with a bang and lit the night sky with its bright colour, nothing so climatic. However, this does not mean that there are no sparks in this album. Tillman preferences of minimalist are just where the beauty lies. The brief pauses and the short breaths moment before venturing into the next quaint verse of the lyric is what made this album breathtaking.

This is a very beautiful quaint album. It is not the typical album where you can stop the album at any time you want and move on to do others things. If you can accept Tillman style or folk genres, you hardly can find fault in this album. It is beautiful. It is haunting. It is ghostly. It is somber. It is intimate. It is ambient. It is relaxing. It linger even after you finished listening and you will find yourself drifting into your own thought.

I cannot pin-point which song is the standout track because all tracks are equally marvelous. The opening track, Three Sister would surely give a general idea on how the album would turn out. A seat at the Table wrapped the album up in a good way. His mellow voice accompany with the acoustic guitar/banjo; the climatic drumming at the end of the song with his humming and the sudden stop. As like he is slowly moving out from the scene and consume by the darkness with a brief pause right before he is gone.

Tracklist:

1. Three Sisters
2. Diamondback
3. Love No Less Worthy
4. One Task
5. Our Beloved Tyrant
6. Tillman’s Rag
7. Mere Ornaments
8. Singing Ax
9. Madness on the Mountain
10. Maria
11. A Seat at the Table

Listen:

"Three Sisters" http://westernvinyl.com/audio/WV78.Three.Sisters.mp3
"Diamondback" http://westernvinyl.com/audio/WV78.DBK.mp3

Singing Ax by J. Tillman

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Free albums/tracks to download (Legally)

This is a post introducing where you can download albums/tracks legally from some of the artist official website. They are legit! So do check them out. Highly recommended! Just key in your email address (don’t worry no spam I tried) and you are ready to go. Enjoy folks!

 

Pictures by Uniform Motion

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As with most biographies, this story begins with the utterances of hypnotic phrases being repeated over, and over, and over, again; ricocheting through a developing sensitive mind; with the whispering of bitter-sweet music before the age of reason. The words, the sounds and the looks that a young mind has processed cannot be erased. They can only be stored in different places. Under the influence of Steven Heller’s Monsters and Magical Sticks, the concept of Uniform Motion sees the light. (continue)

 

Releases EP by Dag för Dag

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I begin where the two siblings, Sarah Parthemore Snavely and Jacob Donald Snavely, are separated and left to search each for their own lives and times, where they began to wander the earth not really knowing where home was until they figured it was just nowhere and simply kept on wandering, from Missoula where time seems to fly differently than it does anywhere else, to Wisconsin where the streets are long and grey, to Honolulu, to a gritty 90’s London, to the devil knows where, to San Francisco, and we all know what goes on there. For the two wanderers with no place to call home, Sweden seemed as good a place as any to settle down for a while, buy a bicycle, fall in love, fall from grace, wake up new, pick up a guitar, steal a 4-track, take mercy on an abandoned piano, and get to work. (continue)

 

Making Up a Changing Mind by Pretty Lights

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Pretty Lights is an electronic music duo from Colorado consisting of Derek Vincent Smith and Adam Deitch. Since July 2010, Adam Deitch has assisted during live performances. Smith's music is the byproduct of digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples." There are a total of 7 album! Yes 7 album to download for free at their official website. If, you are haunted by the guilty pleasure you can donate money to them by clicking the donate button below the download button. (continue)

 

Looking Up by Eels from Tomorrow Morning album

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Eels is an American alternative/acoustic indie rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as "Mr. E" or simply E. Born in 1963, he grew up experimenting with music in Washington D.C. and later moved to Los Angeles, California, United States emerging as the frontman of a band, calling Eels a vessel for his music. Other members rotate frequently, both in the studio and on stage. Their live shows include interesting interpretations of older songs, and usually some well-known covers. (continue)

 

Modern Drift by Efterklang from Magic Chairs album

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Efterklang is a band from Copenhagen, Denmark, consisting of four core members (Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen, Thomas Husmer & Rasmus Stolberg) who have played together since 2001. They are often joined by musicians like Peter Broderick, Frederik Teige, Heather Broderick and Niklas Antonson when they perform live and they also have a 5th member (Rune Mølgaard) who has been a part of Efterklang since the beginning, but who has taken a more secluded role in the past years.

Free albums/tracks to download (Legally)

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Sand River EP by Sand River

A little bit of history here, Sand River is a  two-man, guitar (Si) and drums (Guy) band from Durham. They have been playing together for a few years, gigging around the North-East of Britain. They launched this self-funded and self-released EP which was produced entirely on drums and guitars.

The album started off with The Reprisal (Kid Dust pt.3) with drumming then plucking of the bass or was it electronic guitar? I think is bass. Anyway, I thought this is going to be a heavy metallic kind of album at the strung of 1st note. But, I’m wrong! It was nothing close! It was kind like a twisted blues tune with low tempo throughout the whole album. A drifty, shadowy kind of album.

The song that caught my attention is Goodnight, Goodnight. I really like how the music played through out the track and how the vocal of Si intoxicating the night. (was writing this in middle of the night) Love is another track that worth mentioning. I really like the clapping in this song. It brings a different dimension to the track rather than just the drum and the guitar. It was lively. Si vocal blend with the music effortlessly. However, the album kind of lost me at Kid Dust and the Black Heart (pts. 1 &2). It was a 8.32min track. I guess it might be two songs that combine together given that the track was named such. It was a little bit too long as the whole track is kind of repetitive with it tunes. 

Overall, Sand River EP is a 6-tracks EP. At, first listening it won’t be able to grab a hold of you. One may probably found this EP is boring as there is no explosive moment where you will go “woah! That gives me chill”. But, if you give this album a few more chances (which it deserves) it would slowly grows on you. Yet, Sand River still have room to grow. I found that they lack of depth in their vocal and occasionally a bit repetitive in some of the tracks.

Buy or listen their music at bandcamp or visit them at myspace.

Sand River EP by Sand River

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Better in Time by Bobby Bazini

Don’t be surprise when you listen to this album and only found out that this singer, Bobby Bazini is only 20 years old. Better in Time is the debut album of Bobby Bazini. His voice is soulful and full with maturity which is definitely a plus point to sing in folk genres. However, this album is not completely a folk influenced album. It is a mixture of country, folk, blues, pop, jazz, soul and R&B. True enough, this album does and I quote from his myspace “reminiscent of the great sounds of R&B/soul music of the early days.”

Basically, the album revolve around concept of relationship. Most of the songs sing about the love in between lover. I Wonder is the first single of this album. A beautiful track that sings about his love for a girl and was in doubt whether she will love him forever. A very soulful, blues and R&B track that never fail to capture my attention with his magnetic voice. Broken Road sings about he is leaving her because he is not himself anymore though his heart told him not too. At the end, he left her yet maintain contact with her. Oh Katy sings about his girlfriend.  Morning Comes sings about being somewhere with his girlfriend and spend the night until the morning comes. Just with each other without thinking anything else. Just spend the time together quietly and that is all they need.

At first listening, I can’t help but to relate him to Paolo Nutini because the way they interpret their music is so similar. But after listening completely the whole album. It dawn to me that Paulo Nutini is Paulo Nutini, Bobby Bazini is Bobby Bazini. Bazini might sounds like Nutini but he is telling his own stories with this album. He is a story teller that sharing his stories to the world with this album.

Better in Time by Bobby Bazini

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Beachcomber's Windowsill by Stornoway

A first glance of the album cover one might think that this is a rock album. I know I did. It just gave me the gothic rock vibe. However, when I listened to it I was astonished. There is no way in hell this is a rock album, this is folk! A complete opposite way. Beachcomber’s Windowsill is the debut album by Stornoway launched in May. They are a British alternative indie pop band.

Stornoway in fact produces very dreamy, whimsical, folksy breezy songs.  You can’t help but to imagine the peaceful countryside during the summer.

At first listening, it is noticeable that Stornoway writes very melodic songs that uses many type of musical instrumentals. Besides, one can said that Stornoway is somewhat back to basic. Their music is quite au neutral, a raw production of album. The usage of electronic production is kept at minimal. Every single tracks in the album is a piece of it own. It does not end up like other album where the tracks is kind of similar to one another. They produced quite a variety of music that is evocative and almost all of them is really good.

 

The album starts off with Zorbing, a very dreamy whimsical folksier song that never fail to capture my attention. It is very good! It evokes this sense of harmonious feeling with its’ a bit child-like lyric. We Are The Battery Human is a very impressing song with it choir, swelling strings and the trumpeting. Fuel Up is a very beautiful song. Its lyric is beautifully written, describing phases of life of a boy. Stornoway has become a story teller in this song.

The Coldharbour Road itself is quite a melancholy song.  It started with sorrowful heavy-violin tune and mournful voice of Brian Briggs. The song slowly pick up towards the end. “And now you're going tears are flowing, 'Cos while you're leaving I'm still believing”. The Coldharbour Road is like a hidden delight in this album waiting to be savour.

Watching Birds is like the hidden rock star in Stornoway. In fact, Watching Birds is the rockiest song in this album. The strumming of the bass guitar. The drumming and the cymbal. The screaming. And the clown like trumpet at the end of the song. Perhaps, Briggs need to rock once in awhile.

The last track, Long Distance Lullaby is the perfect song to end this album. It is kind of the way for Stornoway to announce the ending of this album to the audience.  “I'm back and I'm through the door now, hear me go bouncing down the hall now. Goodnight goodnight soul mate. " The lyric is bitter sweet. Quite a stark contrast with the opening track, Zorbing. Zorbing is very joyful in tune. Long Distance Lullaby is like moody. As if like, they are not ready to put down the curtain to end the show and departing is too painful.

There are actually two version of “Zorbing” official video. I prefer the 1st one though.

Beachcomber's Windowsill by Stornoway

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True Love Stories by Alan Pownall

Alan Pownall a singer song writer from London. True Love Stories is his debut album that released in 25th June. A perfect album for the summer as this album has this intense summer vibe, very resembling to the one In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson. His album can’t really be included in the folk genres. Is somewhere in between folk and pop. Folk-pop perhaps? Oh yeah, this album is very English.

Frankly speaking this album ain’t ground breaking. It won’t made you have the ‘ooooahhhhh’ moment. The album is not bad nor good. This album is nice. From the first track to the last track, it is almost like you are in a train or a car that run smoothly without any bumpy part. No up and down. All the tracks sound alike with one another. Still the album is nice to listen. His voice is pleasant enough, light for the ears. Perhaps, Pownall have the word ‘relax’ in mind when he was producing this album. My friend commented that it has this 80/90s vibe, a new kind of retro. Maybe this is what vintage sounds like. The good ol' days when vinyl still widely available, at least that is how i pictured it.

No doubt this album definitely would make it as it is radio friendly. Easy to accept by the mainstream audience. The breezy and summer vibe tune. And few tracks that can easily let people sway along with the music notes. The melodious music tune is just too good to resist to not sway along. It is almost like the ‘black tadpoles’ is massaging your sore muscles, timidly.  It is after all, a easy listening affair offered by this album.

The standout track I think is the Colourful Day. A very melodious, bittersweet and memorable song. And I can’t help to relate him to the troubadour in Gilmore Girls. In fact, Pownall music is kind of troubadour-ish. Not to mention, the album kind of took a turn after this song. The rest of the songs after Colourful Day, is very vintage styled. It is more obvious in Take Me, The Others, Turn Me Down and You Know.

Overall, the album only pick up at the 2nd half of the album. It can be said that Colourful Day is the heart of the album, the center. (well, the song placement is in fact in the middle) The last 5 songs may perhaps is where the soul of this album lies. A little too late, because before you know it the cd had stopped spinning. It Is like a climax in suspense. However, one cannot denied that Pownall is in fact an old soul despite his young age. This album brings peace, warm and delicate to one soul.

True Love Stories by Alan Pownall

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Monarchy by Monarchy

If you by any one in a zillion chance happen to be in Mars (yes, the planet) right now don’t forget to tune into your radio because you might managed to catch a glimpse of Monarchy up coming album that is going to launch in January 2011. If you must know, Monarchy is the first ever band that beamed their songs into space by performing live. Monarchy is a debut self-titled album by a mysterious duo from London. 

After their successful remixes of songs from Lady Gaga, Ellie Golding, Marina and The Diamonds etc. Monarchy had successfully established themselves as a promising pop band. The rhythms produced by them is futuristic, catchy and dreamy.  Their is no doubt that they are going to be a hit especially for the clubbing scene once their album launched. Their synthpop tune is very impressive. It is almost like every beats had been calculated with laser-cut precision. 

The first track of the song Black, The Colour of the Heart is very spacey. The pulsing beats at the beginning almost feel like drifting into the vast vacuum. The second track, The Phoenix Alive is a very upbeat track and with a very impressive macro music video. Definitely a tune for club. The third track Love Get Out Of The Way, is another upbeat track that have an equally impressive music video with great dancers.Gold In The Fire is very good too. Floating Cars, might perhaps the standout track in this album. The pulsing beats, the dreamy notes, the catchy lyric and the trailing vocals. Perfecto! The last track, however is my personal favorite, Travelling by Ambulance. A very catchy tune with big lyric Craving human touch, You’re the saddest curse. or Don’t want to be all alone, You can put me on life support. I have been listening to it over and over again.

This album can be quite addictive.

01. Black, The Colour Of My Heart (4:30)
02. The Phoenix Alive (4:44)
03. Love Get Out Of My Way (3:20)
04. Maybe I%27m Crazy (4:49)
05. You Don%27t Want To Dance With Me (3:27)
06. Around The Sun (1:38)
07. We Were Young (4:18)
08. Floating Cars (4:41)
09. Gold In The Fire (4:33)
10. Call (4:55)
11. Travelling By Ambulance (4:16)

 

 

Monarchy by Monarchy

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They'll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003 by Carissa's Wierd

I came to know this band a little to late you see because this band had been disbanded since 2003. What a shame! They were good! They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave (notice the humour here?) is a compilation album of songs from Carissa’s Wierd previous released. After the band disbanded, its members formed Band of Horses (next post maybe?), Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone . I have no idea about Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone but comparing Band of Horses with Carissa’s Wierd; Band of Horses is more rock while Carissa is something soft and melodious. 

At first impression this band definitely have a sense of humour. The album title and the songs titles is something that you would smirk on upon seeing it. Carissa’s Wierd is a band that played softly with it songs resolves around loss, pain, sorrow….etc. Happiness practically does not exist in CW world. Yet, don’t worry they are not depressive or emo enough to drive you to suicidal. Theirs songs are haunting and melancholy, the best album after a long day at work. Or just simply put it on in a rainy day sipping your tea/coffee while reading some chick flick mellow novels.

Honestly, I do feel that this band did not deserve the fame that they should have. This is a really great band with songs that almost anyone can relate to. The smoky voices, the whispering, the soft guitar, the cello, the violin…is sad yet beautiful at the same time and not to mention dreamy. Carissa’s Wierd is the kind of band that you need time to savour its music over time and eventually its music will starts to grow on you. Give this a chance you might not like it at first listening but give it a few try you might actually fall in love with it; granted you like indie music or alternative folks. You might comes back for more.  (hotfile, zshared, uploading and 2shared are down but the rest are working fine, limited time only)

They'll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996 - 2003

1. Low Budget Slow Motion Soundtrack Song For the Leaving Scene
2. Die
3. The Color That Your Eyes Changed With the Color of Your Hair
4. One Night Stand
5. You Should Be Hated Here
6. Drunk with the Only Saints I Know
7. Phantom Fireworks
8. So You Wanna Be A Superhero
9. Brooke Daniels' Tiny Broken Fingers
10. Ignorant Piece of Shit
11. Blessed Arms That Hold You Tight, Freezing Cold and Alone
12. Blue Champagne Glass
13. September Come Take This Heart Away
14. All Apologies and Smiles, Yours Truly, Ugly Valentine
15. Sympathy Bush
16. They'll Only Miss You When You Leave

 

They'll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003 by Carissa's Wierd

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We all want to fly by Inspired Flight

This album totally have the ‘woah’ effect. From the first track to the last, every single rhythm is a surprise. It is hard to catergorise Inspired Flight, it is a mashup of hip-hop, trip-hop, rap, electronic, trance, indie, downtempo, folk, jazz…you name it. When you thought you know where this song is heading, it however always ends up on the other side. It left you in awed and amazed by the way the songs can be this good. A few of the songs is hypnotic.

Inspired Flight is a duo combination that perfectly match each other music styles. They are by far the finest trip-hop artist I have listen to at the time of this post and We All Want To Fly is their debut album. I am impressed! This however ain’t a dance album. It is more towards chill-out album. Much of this album has a lower tempo with a fine balance of music tempos and minimal vocals. Some of the tracks are amazing. Like Jakie’s Song which is a jazz mashup with very soulful lyric and sexy music tempo.  Just feel the music with your body and slowly swaying along with the tempo.

My personal favourite got to be the final song that wrap up this album, We All Want to Fly (feat Inspectah Deck), a member of Wu-Tang Clan. This song is uplifting with its echo effects, spawning over 7min long. I wish this song never ends.

We All Want to Fly is a 11-tracks long album:

1. It’s The Chemicals (feat. Scarub)
2. It Always Takes
3. Pull, Push, Let Go (feat. Eligh)
4. I Won’t Let You Down
5. Wishy Washy
6. Jackie’s Song
7. Before I’m Done (feat. Rugged Monk)
8. Peace Of Mind Through The Hardest Truths
9. An Ocean Of Great Whites (feat. Eligh)
10. Eight Words
11. We All Want To Fly (feat. Inspectah Deck)

 

We all want to fly by Inspired Flight

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Ghost by Matt Stevens

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! especially for those who like instrumental music, acoustic guitar to be exact. This is an album you need and must to own. Ghost by Matt Stevens is something extraordinary. It made you dance on your toes, springing to life in this summer seasons or just starring into the big blue sky while listening to ‘eleven’.

 

Ghost is the 2nd album by Matt Stevens. I only found out about him when one fine day, I discovered an email in my mail box. Is a music submission! Great! It excited me. Downloaded it. Listened to it! NEED to blog about it! But, was caught up with my studies. After a month, here it is. At times, Ghost have a hint of jazziness and classical music notes. Yet, it did not sounds boring at all. (not saying jazz and classical is boring but you know…or maybe not. haha) In fact, the first two tracks is a very lively, vibrant, dancing on your toes tracks while snapping your fingers. Is everything that I need after rushing so many assignments in a month time. Ghost is a 10-tracks album. A few tracks that I dig most is “Into the Sea”, "Big Sky”, “Eleven”, “8.19”, and “Ghost”.

 

You can free download the album at his website: http://mattstevens.bandcamp.com/album/ghost or at here http://www.4shared.com/get/9E0FI4we/Ghost.html. Enjoy folks!

Ghost by Matt Stevens

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