I'll share with you an old favourite of mine. His name is Ben Cooper but in musical circles he is known as Radical Face. I won't write a description of his music. Not a letter of it. His sound speaks for itself. According to the Radical Face blog a new EP will be available on July 6th (within the week!). I'm keen. You can get ahold of his first full length Ghost (which absolutely rules) on iTunes or from CD Universe (which is quite literally a universe worth of CDs. What a selection!) Here's the most well known track from Ghost, called Welcome Home.
Valar were pitched to me as a combo between Radiohead and... I guess it was suggested that they just sound like Radiohead. I don't like Radiohead. I must be one of a kind if the Last.FM charts are to be believed. While older material may have somewhat, slightly, a little bit, maybe resembled Radiohead barely, the new tracks don't really have that vibe.
Valar pride themself on a cracking live show and an attention to production detail so it's worth taking the time to appreciate the solid ambience of their music. It's staggering that a three piece can produce music with this sort of weight. Listen, then go see them play. They're a Sydney band so chances are friends of friends are friends with them.
Here is the full five track EP for your aural pleasure. I recommend track two, Wolf I.
You can catch them on the 3rd of July at the Excelsior or on the 5th of July at the Annandale.
Francis and the Lights should probably just be called Francis. It's all about Francis. Full name Francis Farewell Starlite, he sounds like a dreamer. I suppose it's also a fair bit about the Lights. Wikipedia tells me that there are two drummers who play in conjunction with sequenced percussion. That sounds pretty cool.
I think the most interesting thing about them is that instead of signing a record deal they became a small business and received a $100,000 investment from Normative Music. With 100,000 big ones in the pocket you'd hope they could create something brilliant. They did. I mean, it sounds a lot like Phil Collins so it's not hugely groundbreaking but I think it's pretty poignant music.
Francis and the Lights - For Days
I know right? It rules. That song is available as a free download from RCRDLBL. It's from there upcoming release It'll Be Better which comes out on July 20 through Cantora Records.
Appreciate this clip of Francis being a sweet dude. The song is from his 2008 record A Modern Promise (which isn't great) so don't judge his future music by this. Make sure you watch on, up until the point where he takes a solid run up into an epileptic fit around the 2 minute mark. I like this guy. He reminds me of a white, male, Janelle Monáe.
Geographer are a three piece outfit that balance pretty vocals with nintendoesque beeps. The vocals remind me a little of The Whitest Boy Alive/Kings of Convenience. It's pretty chill, you'll like it. Remember when I first played you Kings of Convenience in my car and you were all, "it's straight-up chillfest 07 up in here!". Of course not. You were so drunk that night, you spewed all down the side of my car and didn't even clean it off. I used a whole can of Armourall to get that goop off. So I think that sums up why you'll like Geographer. Enjoy.
Geographer - Kites
Animal Shapes EP is available from eMusic and iTunes. It's probably available elsewhere too but those are the only two anyone should ever use.
This Melbourne duo is yet another quality group that's benefited from the exposure that Triple J Unearthed can provide. They exploded onto the scene late last year with a simultaneously awesome sound and woeful name. "Gypsy and the Cat"? Yuck. Despite the terrible name, Sony picked them up and they're now based in London so you know they're a big deal. They have a new single available which sounds pretty good. It's called Time to Wander.
Gypsy and the Cat - Time to Wander
Trust me when I say this (because I'm yet to steer you wrong) but the other songs on their myspace are actually better than Time to Wander, particularly The Piper's Song and Jona Vark. Jona Vark is available as a free download by clicking here.
Shugo Tokumaru takes the idea of the multi-instrumentalist to another level. Exit, his most recent full length release, features over 50 different instruments, most played by Shugo himself. He even records it all himself. His music is a little left of center though Exit will appeal to Western audiences more than his earlier work. It reminds me a little of Jonsi's solo album Go.
He has a new three track single out, though apparently in Japan they call that a 'mini album', but I'm not fooled, I know value for money when I see it. The three track 'mini album' doesn't seem to be available here but a single can be streamed on his myspace or you can watch the video immediately below.
I'll share with you an old favourite of mine. His name is Ben Cooper but in musical circles he is known as Radical Face. I won't write a description of his music. Not a letter of it. His sound speaks for itself. According to the Radical Face blog a new EP will be available on July 6th (within the week!). I'm keen. You can get ahold of his first full length Ghost (which absolutely rules) on iTunes or from CD Universe (which is quite literally a universe worth of CDs. What a selection!) Here's the most well known track from Ghost, called Welcome Home.
