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I CAN BE INDIE TOO
“Land of Gathering” – The Ceremonies
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Sorry for missing last week! Sometimes life gets too crazy to handle, and the only substantial thing that can be cut is this blog. Apologies all around, but hopefully this week will make up for last week’s failure. If this alone doesn’t meet your need for catharsis, you can always write me a heavily worded email.
Our first selection this week comes from LA’s The Ceremonies, an up-and-coming band of brothers (literally) who specialize (if we can say they specialize in anything after only one release) in upbeat pop/rock. The trio have signed with Gaga and Legend’s manager Troy Carter, so obviously there is something here worth noting – or at least, worth marketing.
“Land of Gathering” goes through a few different phases over its five minutes of indie glory, from heartfelt lyricism to plodding beats, with flutes flying skyward and guitars keeping time. Main songwriter and co-lead singer Matthew soars high with a pleasing falsetto, which fits in well with air synths and bright horns that beckon from beneath a chugging backbeat.
NUTSHELL: Rhythmically urgent and melodically pleasing, “Land of Gathering” is an auspicious first single for The Ceremonies and promises intriguing things to come.
AND THE BEAT GOES ON
“Help Me Lose My Mind (feat. London Grammar)” – Disclosure
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London Grammar has been on the blog twice now, so some of you are pretty familiar with the light vocals and ethereal instrumentation that typify the London-based group. Disclosure, however, is new to Soundillustrated, and therefore deserves an introduction. Disclosure is comprised of brothers (seems to be a theme this week) Guy and Howard Lawrence, British siblings specializing in house and synthpop music. Their debut album, Settle, came out over the summer, and was quite a hit, featuring tracks like “Latch”, “White Noise”, and “You & Me.”
What makes “Help Me Lose My Mind” stand out from the others is, of course, the addition of vocals from London Grammar’s Hannah Reid. Lush dance beats teasingly fade in and out, while fragile vocals splay over top. A minimalistic background sets the stage for Reid to ply us with her seductive vocal wares, which we are only too eager to buy.
NUTSHELL: Delicacy in a harsh landscape, “Help Me Lose My Mind” is a fascinating blend of genres that taps into the electropop, dreamscape world of London Grammar while simultaneously flirting with Disclosure’s house feel.
POP CONFESSION
“Heart Attack” – Enrique Iglesias
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Enrique Iglesias has never been on the blog. To be honest, I never really thought Enrique Iglesias would ever be on the blog. Not that there is anything wrong with his music – a multi-million dollar career and decades of success would speak against that. I guess I just assumed his music was a guilty pleasure better left un-confessed.
Well, thank goodness for pop confessions then! I can indulge my intermittent love of Enrique’s sultry tunes without feeling (too much) guilt. “Heart Attack”, while somewhat generic, is leaps and bounds better than Enrique’s last single, “Turn the Night Up”, which has failed to make much of an impression on US audiences. “Heart Attack” is an electro-pop mix with dubstep elements, balancing the dance beat and electronic manipulations with a healthy base of piano chords and guitars.
NUTSHELL: With an amazing pre-chorus build, “Heart Attack” is an exciting, melodic pop romp that sends expectations of Enrique’s tenth album back in the right direction, even if it is somewhat generic in the end.
SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)
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Sydney’s most popular new band, Panama is an electronic quartet that has consistently been delivering fresh indie music over the last two years. They are preparing to release their sophomore EP via the Future Classic label at the end of the year, and so dropped a brand new lead single, “Always”, in preparation.
Aren’t we glad they did! “Always” has everything you could want in upbeat indie pop: shimmering vocal lines, punchy drums, and lush synth lines. The melody is intriguing and unusual, while the lyricism caters to the sun-drenched, 80’s summer vibes of the song.
Click here for “Always” Lyrics
NUTSHELL: Sydney-based quartet Panama demands you take note with “Always”, a somewhat nostalgic electronic track featuring warm piano playing and dreamy vocals that will melt you into ecstasy.
OLD RELIABLE
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A friend of mine introduced me to Eric Whitacre for the first time in college, immediately converting me into an avid fan. Whitacre is a composer and conductor specializing in choral and wind ensemble compositions. He is known for his “Virtual Choir” projects, in which he brings individual voices from around the world together to sing as part of an online choir. Check out this video to see this amazing idea in action.
Commissioned in memory of a couple who died within a week of each other, “Sleep” is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful choral piece lyrically structured around Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” “Sleep” contains many of the characteristic features of Whitacre’s music, including divisi voices, seventh and ninth chords, and root position major triads with major seconds or perfect fourths added on top.
“Sleep” is a gorgeous, emotional piece. Listen to it when you are calm and give it the attention it deserves – you won’t be disappointed.
SINGER/SONGWRITER
“Ain’t Nobody” – Jasmine Thompson
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So I first heard this song randomly while scrolling through new music on iTunes, and liked it enough to download it. Subsequently, I found out a few interesting facts, namely that Jasmine Thompson is only TWELVE YEARS OLD! Seriously? A 12-year-old singer/songwriter? The world is a crazy place.
What is nice, though, is that Thompson isn’t just an attention-grabbing preteen. She actually has talent, which you can hear on her cover of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”, which reached #32 on the UK Singles Chart right after its release. The song was featured in a Sainsbury’s commercial (British supermarket chain), and went viral from there. Thompson has (oddly) a delicate, youthful voice, but there is a certain maturity in vocal tone and control that surely doesn’t sound like it can come from a 12-year-old. Add to this distinctive instrumentation, featuring lots of plucked string instruments, and you have a winner.
NUTSHELL: Stripped down and fleshed out, Jasmine Thompson’s cover of “Ain’t Nobody” is a fresh and fun preview of her first full-length EP, Under the Willow Tree, due out on October 20th.
PICK OF THE WEEK
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I had a hard time choosing my pick of the week for this Soundwave. It wasn’t that I didn’t like any of the songs enough – the problem was that I couldn’t decide between two or three of them. In the end, “Cool Kids” by Echosmith won out, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. (My mom is not fond of this song – but really, what does she know? J)
Echosmith is an American indie-pop band from So-Cal, formed in 2009. The four youthful siblings (what is it with family bands this week?? Ps. They are all between 14 and 20 years old…) started their career with single “Tonight We’re Making History”, which was picked up by NBC as a promo for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The band’s debut album Taking Dreams was released on October 8th, featuring a number of good tracks, including “Cool Kids.”
Indie-pop can all run together sometimes, but tracks like “Cool Kids” renew my belief that ingenuitive artists, who can make a somewhat tired genre exciting, are still out there. An up-tempo beat paired with a quirky melody and soft-spoken vocals make this my pick of the week – while not necessarily redefining the genre, it does go a long way in distinguishing itself from other, similar songs.
Click here for “Cool Kids” Lyrics
NUTSHELL: Echosmith have harnessed an infectious indie-pop sound, which they use to great effect on “Cool Kids”, the standout single from the group’s first EP, Taking Dreams.
Thanks for readlistening!
Want to listen to all of these songs at once? Check out my YouTube Playlist or GrooveShark Playlist for this SoundWave!
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