Jo of @bigscarymusic, at the Corner last night. #music (Taken with instagram)
Tom of @bigscarymusic, at the Corner last night. #music (Taken with instagram)
beautiful men.
(Source: whyincubus)
gloriously talented new yorkers Pearl and the Beard create beautiful sounds with vocals, guitar, percussion and cello… uniquely breathtaking! originality is something to be cherished and these guys have it in spades…
always yes
Oscar + Martin - “Do The Right Thing”
I love coming across talented young musicians, and one of my favourite ways to do that is to turn up early for gigs and watch the support acts. I have a lot of respect for support acts, especially in Melbourne. I don’t like the reputation this city has, but unfortunately it’s true - Melbourne crowds need to be won over. Melburnians will sidle up to front row, then proceed to have obnoxiously loud conversations during the supports, usually during the quietest, most sentimental numbers. Some say it’s about making musicians “earn their stripes”. I think it’s just plain rude.
Which brings me to Oscar + Martin. These guys took the stage in support of Gotye, at the Forum in September. They took their positions, looking a little nervous in front of a chatty crowd. They began playing, and suddenly the chit chat died down. My mates and I were about four rows from the front, with heaps of die hard Gotye fans surrounding. To be a big-time Gotye fan is to really appreciate quality musicianship. Oscar + Martin have that in spades, which was quickly recognised by all around us. People were turning to their friends, to strangers standing nearby, trying to figure out who these guys were.
“Who are you?” shouted one concertgoer to the boys, taking a break in between songs; and then, “…you’re awesome!” The lady behind me whipped out her iPhone and looked it up; more than a few of us leaned in to listen as she told her friends “Oscar + Martin! They’re really good, aren’t they?” My memory is of each song coming with a new surprise, from Oscar’s sweet falsetto, to the clever layering of live and sampled percussion, and even an impromptu freestyle rap when technical issues forced an on-stage change to their set list.
Though they walked on stage with few taking notice of them, they finished their set to rapturous applause. Several people even started an “encore” chant in the uncommon hope that the support act would return for another go around.
cupofchi replied to your video: Feist - “How Come You Never Go There”
I love her too, although both times I’ve seen her live, I was underwhelmed.
Interesting, I’ve never seen her live but I just figured she would be great to see in person. Why were her shows underwhelming?
randomrantings replied to your video: Feist - “How Come You Never Go There”
I love her! I wish she was played on the radio here…all we get is reggaeton, country, and Rihanna here in FL. Sigh. Thank god for iPods!
You should listen to Triple J via the interwebs! I think you would love the music they play. Lots of variety, plenty of indie rock. Big supporters of new and independent music from Australia and around the world. We’re so lucky to have a nationally-syndicated radio station that is really about getting quality music out to the people :)
Feist - “How Come You Never Go There”
Leslie Feist returns with a new album and it’s so good that my world nearly ceases to be. I was driving when I heard this on the radio for the first time, and I actually parked my car so I could listen to the whole song with my full attention.
The part that always captures my attention is the second verse, where she sings:
We carry on as if our time is through,
You carry on as if I don’t love you.
Maybe it’s ironic because she is a class vocalist, but the emotion in this passage makes me forget that she’s singing at all. Hits me square in the heart, every time.
Jenny Owen Youngs - “Your Apartment”
Jenny is so good at life. Perfection can be found in the snare hit to end each line of the verses.
SBTRKT - “Wildfire” (Feat. Little Dragon)
Creepy video, but such a killer song. That fucking bassline is so…ugh. I can’t even be polite about it, it’s so meaty and unreal. Got my Hottest 100 vote because it was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. Just another example of our limitless creativity as humans; that such innovation is still possible in music astounds me.
When I hear this track, my mind is filled with memories of late nights in dark city streets, the deep, slow pulse of Melbourne at 4am in the morning. That, and recollections of thinking that my car stereo was just not equipped for this beast of a song ;)
The Strokes - “Under Cover of Darkness”
Instant classic - The Strokes in top form. I lost my shit when I heard this on the radio, while Triple J had it as a feature album. Sweet lead guitar lines, some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard from Julian, and of course, that throwback sound that few bands have been able to capture quite as well as The Strokes have over the course.
Gossling - Dance The Way I Feel (Cover for Triple J’s Like A Version)
I fell in love with this cover the first time I heard it, when I went to see Gossling perform at Northcote Social Club. If memory serves, I had this track on repeat for about a month. Such an iconic Ou Est Le Swimming Pool track, and one of my favourites in 2010.
I’ve made no secret of my love for cello and I love that it’s finding a home in indie/baroque pop. Helen Croome’s voice seems to come so easy, and it’s even more stunning to listen to live. Plus, Ryan Meeking is an old favourite from way back when; I love his earthy tone and particularly how it sounds in harmony with Helen’s clear, bell-like voice.
Pocket Satellite - “Toy Train”
Fantastic little band from the UK that I came across when they played a support spot for Jenny Owen Youngs at the Monto in 2010. I love how disarming and charming their sound is…and I am a sucker for male/female harmonies + strings. See also: my endless infatuation with Pearl and the Beard.
Pearl and the Beard - “Hot Volcano”
Take me down to the old volcano,
Tie me up, scoop me out all hollow,
Oh you’re bad, oh you’re bad
And I like bad…
For cupofchi, and any other human being interested in fun.
This has been sitting in my drafts for MONTHS. I thought I had posted this, but I guess not! Now that I finally have time for a day out of the office, I’m “cleaning house” :)
