These are not just collections of random songs; these are albums in the traditional sense that we lost ourselves in hour after hour. (Just a note, all of the albums are in alphabetical order according to album title, but we decided for the first time to single out our top pick at the bottom of the list.) Enjoy!
2011 has been, personally, a rough year; my apologies for having been away for two weeks – my thanks to those who have been patient and the good wishes and prayers for my family during a crisis. But I have been writing (quite a bit) and I will start that arduous process of editing and posting very shortly (though the actual posts may come via a collaborator).
A few months back I reviewed Kevin Pearce’s “Pocket Handkerchief Lane” (link). The album is now officially released (as of 7 November 2011), and you can preview the album and purchase at iTunes (here are the links for the iTunes stores in the UK and USA).
Among the artists featured in this post, there are some familiar names. I was excited to post new singles by Brett Anderson (“Crash About to Happen”) and Mirrors (“Dust”). The Italian indie band Daisy Chain is also featured; I reviewed their album “A Story Has No Beginning or End” back in June (link) and there is something about this posted track (“The End of the Affair”) that really gets me. Of course it is always great to post some new names, like The Rifles, and hopefully introduce you to something you may have not heard before.
I opted against posting the Madonna leak (“Give Me Your Love”) and Sunday Girl’s cover of “Love U More.” First, I stand by my previous commitment: I only post music from official sources. Therefore, I am not going to indulge in the Madonna leak (to a certain set of friends, stop e-mailing me the request!). Second, so many musicians have covered “Love U More,” originally by Sunscreem, so many times in the past decade, that I am wondering why the hell? There are so many songs from the 1990s to be covered and saved from obscurity, that to chose a song because it has the marks of a “hit” is too cliché for me. On that note, to the same group of friends, sorry once again … no luck today, ha?
My many thanks to Kevin Pearce for keeping SDM Blog in the loop.
A few months back, I reviewed Skywatchers’ “The Skywatchers Handbook” (link), and among many things that really got me about the album were Kevin Pearce’s chops as a vocalist. Does he sing with passion and conviction? Check. Is he emotive while singing? Check. Does his voice have a distinctive quality to it? Check. At the end of it all, those are the three things that make a great vocalist. The problem with vocalists that can check these three categories is composing music that complements and draws out all of the smaller, finite qualities of their singing. That is what makes “Pocket Handkerchief Lane” an amazing album. Being released later this autumn, Pearce’s debut solo album combines subtlety with sophistication, poetry with melody, strong vocals with savvy musical arrangements, and current indie hooks with English folk. Furthermore, when you cite Mogwai and Talk Talk as influences, you get my attention immediately.
“Pocket Handkerchief Lane” is one of those albums that is hard to write about simply because I do not want to stop listening to it; track to track, the album flows with unbridled ease, with the delicateness of lullabies while being loaded with visceral power. From the opening, “Get By,” when Pearce sings, “and I realize I have grown,” you immediately understand that what follows is contemplated lyrics and emotive music. This could not be more true about “Burning Summer Sun,” my favorite track of the album … my favorite track of the year so far. The arrangements are very simple, the lyrics universal (“And I don’t want to be alone”). This song will hit chords in anyone who has ever felt lonely. However, there is never a pleading for someone else, to get rid of the loneliness; rather, there is just a conscious admission of that loneliness, a somewhat subdued, reluctant acceptance.
The big surprise on the album is the near electropop “Vultures.” Sensual and mysterious, Pearce’s vocals do not skip a beat when sung over sheer electronic arrangements. Singing over electronic music is most definitely harder than “standard” instruments, because the entire warmth of the song is going to depend solely on the vocals. “Vultures” is just that – warm; Pearce is able to bring the same emotiveness to this track as all the other on the album. Giving into complete indie guitar pop, “Don’t Fall Down” hooks you immediately with some interesting acoustic strumming, what makes the song really distinct from its indie brethren is that it is one of those rare indie guitar pop songs that is not prepackaged, feigned anxiety. Ingeniously, Pearce is able to strut his pop sensibility while remaining contemplative and lyrically sincere.
I may be the first to be saying this: place Kevin Pearce’s “Pocket Handkerchief Lane” on your radar, as its release is still some time off. In a world where music (more and more) is becoming prepackaged, scene-based releases, it is always refreshing to see an independent artist able to produce music with substance and sincerity.
Track Listing: 1. Get By 2. Older Times 3. Don’t Fall Down 4. Turn Me to Ice 5. Waste 6. Take Us to the Waterfall 7. Burning Summer Sun 8. Don’t Tell My Heart 9. Vultures 10. Seeds of Summer Fruits 11. Last Blow Out
