27 February 2007
Caught a light sneeze: M.I.A. ‘Bird Flu’
Be sure to wash your hands after handling this digital file:
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24 February 2007
2iN1: Pelle Carlberg and Mika
I am forever indebted to I Guess I’m Floating for bringing Pelle Carlberg to my attention. Like his fellow Swede, Emil Svanängen (of Loney, Dear), Carlberg excels at the art of crafting exquisite moments of lyrical genius set inside gorgeous pop melodies. I have been absolutely smitten with “How I Broke My Foot and Met Jesus” since first hearing it. It’s taken from his 2005 album, Everything. Now!, which gives you an idea of what to expect from his latest, In a Nusthell, to be released on March 28.
Pelle Carlberg, “How I Broke My Foot and Met Jesus”
Pelle Carlberg online: official | Myspace | more mp3s | buy Pelle Carlberg at Insound
On the other end of the spectrum is Mika. Born in Beirut in the middle of the 1980s, Mika’s family moved to Paris to flee the war, eventually ending up in London (don’t they always?). Traumatized and displaced in his youth, Mika found solace in song and knew his destiny lay in music. Comparisons to Rufus Wainwright (and there have been many) don’t necessarily refer to sound as to the eclectic mix of influences the two share. On “Relax, Take It Easy”, Mika channels the voice of another Wainwright devotee, Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. This is no mere copycat performance, though; Mika is an accomplished singer, and his vocal acrobatics will dazzle. Is Mika “Over The Top”? Definitely so, and all the better for it. (I have no idea if the foreign woman speaking at the end of the song is really supposed to be there–it’s not on the streamed track available on Myspace–but i think it’s hilarious nonetheless.)
Mika online: official | Myspace | more mp3s | buy Life In Cartoon Motion
As for the whole notion of doing 2 artists in one post (hence 2iN1), do I smell a potential feature? Leave your comments, tell us what you think.
21 February 2007
Great Lake Swimmers: A Mari usque ad Mare
Great Lake Swimmers‘ Tony Dekker doesn’t know it yet, but he’s one of my peeps. He recorded the first GLS album in a grain silo in Wainfleet, Ontario, his hometown, which is just a hop, skip and jump away from QBiM HQ in Welland, Ontario. That makes him the proverbial “local boy done good” ’round these parts.
Great Lake Swimmers have a new album, Ongiara (more here), coming soon on Weewerk. Inspired by the Canadian landscape, Ongiara pays tribute to the beauty of the “True North, Strong and Free”, which is fitting, since Great Lake Swimmers are a beauty mark on the Canadian music landscape. Sample “Your Rocky Spine,” which starts as a delicate whisper before turning into a mournful country lament that hangs on optimism and love the way that cold hangs in the prairie air. Gorgeous.
Great Lake Swimmers, “Your Rocky Spine”
Great Lake Swimmers online: official | more mp3s | buy Great Lake Swimmers at eMusic
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