It has been quite some time since I have been willing to write, and, in retrospect, I realize that I really needed the time to myself to deal with many issues. 2012 has been one of those years that make you wish it were over already; from my home being broken into and someone in my immediate family passing, I just needed the time to let the dust settle and sort things out in my head. Being back, typing away, is like wearing an old pair of jeans: comfortable, familiar, and feels good. I thought I would start posting again with videos, including Koortwah’s latest video “Candy in the Sun.” But first….
There are a few people I would like to thank for their patience and support during this time: Mia (from miles away I still feel your support), The Candyman and his insufferable other half (for always giving me perspective and being there for me), my “Mama” Charlene (for his undying optimism), and Painted Bird (for continually bringing me back into reality in your own way).
As for the videos, I wanted to lead in with Koortwah’s “Candy in the Sun.” The last time I wrote and posted, I wrote about Koortwah’s debut album, “Lay Them Wise” (link). He has that “je ne sais quoi” characteristic to his music that I am attracted to. Over the last month, I have heard the album over and over and over, and every time my musical expectations continue to be challenged and am left even more curious than the previous time; continuously mixing and switching up everything from IDM and synthpop to post-punk and synth-rock, this is the kind of album that no one song as an exemplar can really capture the dynamics of all its intricacies. It really is a must listen to album, but with that said, the video for “Candy in the Sun” needs to go viral! Support this amazing independent musician and get the word out about the album and the video!
Koortwah’s “Candy in the Sun” from the KOORTWAH YouTube Channel.
Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains’ “City Kiss” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Twin Shadow’s “Five Seconds” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
The Big Pink's “Lose Your Mind” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
Gossip’s “Perfect World” from the GossipVEVO YouTube Channel.
The Magnetic Fields’ “Quick!” from the MergeRecords YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
Showing posts with label The Big Pink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Big Pink. Show all posts
17 January 2012
The Big Pink: "Future This"
Despite my head cold, I sat down and listened to The Big Pink’s “Future This” (16 January 2012 in the UK, 17 January 2012 in the USA); it played through – the first thing that I struggled with was the idea of expectations. In the wake of their debut album, “A Brief History of Love,” and the slight success of the single “Dominos,” would The Big Pink avoid a sophomore slump and record an album that would take them one step further? In the weeks leading to the release of “Future This,” I could not avoid hearing all the expectations that people had, and, upon my first listen, I realized that most of them would consider this album a sophomore slump – a few friends told me much. But, I listened to the album again, putting aside expectations (theirs or mine). After a second (and third) listen, I am here to give you three reasons why “Future This” is not a sophomore slump, but rather an album you should pay close attention to.
First, both the debut and sophomore albums share a lot of the same underpinnings and references – noise pop, shoegaze, and electropop. That is perhaps why “Dominos” and “Stay Gold,” the lead single from “Future This,” have a lot of similarities (I have not sat with a guitar or keyboard and played around, but I would not be surprised if there is a bit of musical interpolation going on here). While “Dominos” boasts that “hearts collide and smash any dreams of love … these girls fall like dominos,” “Stay Gold” admonishes to “[f]orgive your lovers, but don’t forget their names and let their spirit remain.” There is one important thing going on here: growth. There is an obvious growth in maturity in terms of social skills and conduct, but the maturity is seen throughout the album, a sort of conscious awareness of self and actions. You can say that “Stay Gold,” in essence, is the continuation of “Dominos” – the obvious growth, from complete reckless carnal passion to conscious reflection on relationships. And this could be applied to the entire album – “Future This” is the mature outgrowth of “A Brief History of Love.”
Second, keeping in mind the personal maturity, there is also musical growth. “Future This” uses much of the same ingredients as “A Brief History of Love,” but mixes them over again in a more prudent and mature fashion. There is not that recklessness of sound going on, everything seems more directed, more precise. Much of the growth derives from looking backwards; for instance, “Hit the Ground (Superman)” is a definite throwback to 80s new wave and “Lose Your Mind” has some of the sophisticated flair of the new romantics with a touch of post-punk. The most obvious growth musically is in the rhythm section. While the debut album pretty much capitalized on variations of indie rock beats, “Future This” frolics in the beats of electropop and breakbeat – a dramatic difference from their debut.
Third, this is not your traditional pop album in the least, nor is it a carbon copy of the indie album with feigned anthems. The Big Pink could have easily dropped the noise pop references and/or carried them stereotypically like bands seeking pop success. But they choose a different, quite disarming (discomforting?) approach; where most bands try to jam-pack albums with forty minutes of upbeat tracks and sing-along anthems, The Big Pink chose to be more introspective. This is most obvious with the closing track, “77.” Even though this is the last song of the album, it is not a stadium ready anthem, not even an arena ready one; this final track is more of the brooding kind, as the line “77 ways to say no” is droned repeatedly in the chorus. On the journey towards the end of the album you encounter “The Palace” (electronic noise pop), “1313” (sweet musical cacophony), “Rubbernecking” (proto-industrial meets electro-rock with choral singing), and the titular “Future This” (a modern day post-punk pop track with a harsh ostinato), but what you never encounter again is the same bubbly feeling as the opening track. Instead, you are lead through contemplation, mediation, and more musical experimentation than the debut.
Since The Big Pink’s “Future This” is probably not what people expected, and I can conclude that there are many that feel the same way about the album as some of my friends, I can already imagine people disagreeing with me. But expectations are a funny thing; they impose a measuring post that more often than naught are unfounded. And, of course, I refuse to argue with anyone who has already decided not to be convinced. Nonetheless, the fact remains that artistically this is no sophomore slump; it may not project the band into the stratosphere, but something tells me that is not what The Big Pink wanted anyway. “Future This” is a solid sophomore album, and anyone who disagrees should take another (close) listen to the album.
Track Listing:
1. Stay Gold
2. Hit the Ground (Superman)
3. Give It Up
4. The Palace
5. 1313
6. Rubbernecking
7. Jump Music
8. Lose Your Mind
9. Future This
10. 77
Keep up with The Big Pink at their homepage, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.
Here are the videos for “Stay Gold” and “Hit the Ground (Superman) from TheBigPinkVEVO YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
First, both the debut and sophomore albums share a lot of the same underpinnings and references – noise pop, shoegaze, and electropop. That is perhaps why “Dominos” and “Stay Gold,” the lead single from “Future This,” have a lot of similarities (I have not sat with a guitar or keyboard and played around, but I would not be surprised if there is a bit of musical interpolation going on here). While “Dominos” boasts that “hearts collide and smash any dreams of love … these girls fall like dominos,” “Stay Gold” admonishes to “[f]orgive your lovers, but don’t forget their names and let their spirit remain.” There is one important thing going on here: growth. There is an obvious growth in maturity in terms of social skills and conduct, but the maturity is seen throughout the album, a sort of conscious awareness of self and actions. You can say that “Stay Gold,” in essence, is the continuation of “Dominos” – the obvious growth, from complete reckless carnal passion to conscious reflection on relationships. And this could be applied to the entire album – “Future This” is the mature outgrowth of “A Brief History of Love.”
Second, keeping in mind the personal maturity, there is also musical growth. “Future This” uses much of the same ingredients as “A Brief History of Love,” but mixes them over again in a more prudent and mature fashion. There is not that recklessness of sound going on, everything seems more directed, more precise. Much of the growth derives from looking backwards; for instance, “Hit the Ground (Superman)” is a definite throwback to 80s new wave and “Lose Your Mind” has some of the sophisticated flair of the new romantics with a touch of post-punk. The most obvious growth musically is in the rhythm section. While the debut album pretty much capitalized on variations of indie rock beats, “Future This” frolics in the beats of electropop and breakbeat – a dramatic difference from their debut.
Third, this is not your traditional pop album in the least, nor is it a carbon copy of the indie album with feigned anthems. The Big Pink could have easily dropped the noise pop references and/or carried them stereotypically like bands seeking pop success. But they choose a different, quite disarming (discomforting?) approach; where most bands try to jam-pack albums with forty minutes of upbeat tracks and sing-along anthems, The Big Pink chose to be more introspective. This is most obvious with the closing track, “77.” Even though this is the last song of the album, it is not a stadium ready anthem, not even an arena ready one; this final track is more of the brooding kind, as the line “77 ways to say no” is droned repeatedly in the chorus. On the journey towards the end of the album you encounter “The Palace” (electronic noise pop), “1313” (sweet musical cacophony), “Rubbernecking” (proto-industrial meets electro-rock with choral singing), and the titular “Future This” (a modern day post-punk pop track with a harsh ostinato), but what you never encounter again is the same bubbly feeling as the opening track. Instead, you are lead through contemplation, mediation, and more musical experimentation than the debut.
Since The Big Pink’s “Future This” is probably not what people expected, and I can conclude that there are many that feel the same way about the album as some of my friends, I can already imagine people disagreeing with me. But expectations are a funny thing; they impose a measuring post that more often than naught are unfounded. And, of course, I refuse to argue with anyone who has already decided not to be convinced. Nonetheless, the fact remains that artistically this is no sophomore slump; it may not project the band into the stratosphere, but something tells me that is not what The Big Pink wanted anyway. “Future This” is a solid sophomore album, and anyone who disagrees should take another (close) listen to the album.
Track Listing:
1. Stay Gold
2. Hit the Ground (Superman)
3. Give It Up
4. The Palace
5. 1313
6. Rubbernecking
7. Jump Music
8. Lose Your Mind
9. Future This
10. 77
Keep up with The Big Pink at their homepage, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.
Here are the videos for “Stay Gold” and “Hit the Ground (Superman) from TheBigPinkVEVO YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
10 October 2011
Videos
Going to spend the next two weeks catching up on some reviews that I have not gotten too, but two veterans acts have or will be releasing new material over the next few days: Erasure and Brett Anderson [of (The London) Suede fame]. In the meantime, enjoy the videos!
Junior Boys’ “Banana Ripple” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Villagers’ “Cecelia & Her Selfhood” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Fucked Up’s “The Other Shoe” from the matadorrecs YouTube Channel.
Duran Duran’s “Runaway Runaway” from the 07DuranDuran YouTube Channel.
The Big Pink’s “Stay Gold” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
The New Pornographers’ “Up In The Dark” from the matadorrecs YouTube Channel.
Cold Cave’s “Villians of the Moon” from the ColdCaveVEVO YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
Junior Boys’ “Banana Ripple” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Villagers’ “Cecelia & Her Selfhood” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Fucked Up’s “The Other Shoe” from the matadorrecs YouTube Channel.
Duran Duran’s “Runaway Runaway” from the 07DuranDuran YouTube Channel.
The Big Pink’s “Stay Gold” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
The New Pornographers’ “Up In The Dark” from the matadorrecs YouTube Channel.
Cold Cave’s “Villians of the Moon” from the ColdCaveVEVO YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
01 June 2010
Videos To Kick Off June
My sincerest apologies for not having had the time to sit down and write… but hopefully by the end of the week, things will return back to normal on my side of things. I have much to write about, from The Unravelling to Marina and the Diamonds – could the range be more eclectic than that? Anyway, to kick off June, here are some videos in the mean time. I hope you enjoy.
The Suzukis' "Built In" from the deltasonicrecords YouTube Channel.
Warpaint’s “Elephants” from TheFaderTeam YouTube Channel.
Veronica Falls’ “Found Love In a Graveyard” from their YouTube Channel: VeronicaFallsTV.
We Are Scientists’ “Nice Guys” from their YouTube Channel: wearescientists.
Muse’s “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” from their Youtube Channel: muse.
Funeral Party’s “NYC Moves to the Sound of LA” from their YouTube Channel: FuneralPartyMusic.
The Big Pink’s “Tonight” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
Chief’s “Your Direction” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
The Suzukis' "Built In" from the deltasonicrecords YouTube Channel.
Warpaint’s “Elephants” from TheFaderTeam YouTube Channel.
Veronica Falls’ “Found Love In a Graveyard” from their YouTube Channel: VeronicaFallsTV.
We Are Scientists’ “Nice Guys” from their YouTube Channel: wearescientists.
Muse’s “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” from their Youtube Channel: muse.
Funeral Party’s “NYC Moves to the Sound of LA” from their YouTube Channel: FuneralPartyMusic.
The Big Pink’s “Tonight” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
Chief’s “Your Direction” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
22 September 2009
The Big Pink: "A Brief History of Love"
Signed to cutting edge 4AD, the Big Pink has the scary task of following the tradition of pioneering, thinking-outside-of-the-box musicians such as Bauhaus, the Clan of Xymonx, GusGus, Lush, the Pixies, and Xmal Deutschland. But the duo (Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze) has taken the challenge and has produced an incredible album. Neither pop nor industrial, neither radio friendly nor obtuse, this is an adventure through a soundscape that’s inviting but coarse, as one of this years greatest odes to the past takes on a new twist for a new generation – “A Brief History of Love” (14 September 2009 in the UK, 22 September 2009 in the USA) is quite literally a standout, both sonically and in feel, in the field of music out this year.
Their namesake is from the Band’s debut album (“Music from Big Pink”), the Big Pink does not stretch that far back for their sonic queues. Actually, they do not even stretch as far back as the early 80s as many bands are currently doing. Instead the Big Pink takes its queues from late 80s, early 90s indie, industrial rock, and shoegazing. And though it may be easy to dismiss this album as a rehash of My Bloody Valentine or the Jesus and Mary Chain, what you really get here is highly crafted music that fits comfortably with this generation’s indie rock, festival ready music – but yet does not ride its coattail. Heavily compressed music, which uses electronic sounds for more than ambience, but also for melodic and emotive effects, the Big Pink sets themselves apart nicely from the indie hype machine, which is obsessed with post-punk revival. In mindset, they have more in common with the industrial influenced shoegazers, who played around with the mixing board for a distinct, slightly out of the ordinary, feel. With that said, the melodies are all theirs and incredible. They are those simple kind of memorable melodies, coupled with relevant lyrics, which often state the obvious, to the point that you can relate to it and say, “Hey, I wish I put that to paper first.” Take “Velvet” as the prime example. It has this airy, ethereal feeling during the first verse, that gives way to highly compressed guitars, feedback, and an electronic bass, and as you are expecting this perfect moment, this fantasy full of love, they smack you in the face with reality: “These arms are mine, don’t matter who they hold you’re made for me, and I’ll leave you alone… you call out my name for the love you need, which you won’t find in me.” Ah, those futile attempts of finding love in wrong the places and people.
The opening of the album, “Crystal Vision,” starts with a slow buildup of sounds and arrangements, which never quite explodes but keeps building into a deafening wall of compressed guitars. You sort of know from the beginning that these boys are going to play with your expectations of music – the album is not predictable, as it dredges through a thick undertow, holding your attention most of the time by what is out of sorts, the counter-intuitive arrangements. But unlike the plethora of “avant-garde” hipsters who try to pull this off, the Big Pink does not fall short. It is the charm of their music. Like in the second track, “Too Young to Love,” the background “clapping” type sound shouldn’t fit in, but it does, and you get into that groove. Another great moment on the album is “Frisk,” where the Big Pink really plays with the “techno” elements of their music. Nowhere on the album is background “noise” so interestingly arranged, almost the antithetical of the main melody.
If you swear on the post-punk revival, you are going to find a hundred reasons not to like this album, but if you listen to this album for what it is worth, you are going to be impressed. It may not be the most cutting edge, and it may not be the least derivative (which would be a funny accusation in a musical field of indie rock bands that all take their queues from the past), but what you have here is something distinct from what is out there. What you have here is something that is interesting. This is not the repetitive, 80s obsessed music that is prevalent today, and you should allow yourself to get tickled pink and take a serious listen to this album.
Track Listing:
1. Crystal Visions
2. Too Young to Love
3. Dominos
4. Love in Vain
5. At War with the Sun
6. Velvet
7. Golden Pendulum
8. Frisk
9. A Brief History of Love
10. Tonight
11. Count Backwards from Ten
12. Stop the World – iTunes bonus track
13. Dominos, Rustie Remix – iTunes bonus track
Keep up with the Big Pink at their homepage and MySpace. Read more ...
Their namesake is from the Band’s debut album (“Music from Big Pink”), the Big Pink does not stretch that far back for their sonic queues. Actually, they do not even stretch as far back as the early 80s as many bands are currently doing. Instead the Big Pink takes its queues from late 80s, early 90s indie, industrial rock, and shoegazing. And though it may be easy to dismiss this album as a rehash of My Bloody Valentine or the Jesus and Mary Chain, what you really get here is highly crafted music that fits comfortably with this generation’s indie rock, festival ready music – but yet does not ride its coattail. Heavily compressed music, which uses electronic sounds for more than ambience, but also for melodic and emotive effects, the Big Pink sets themselves apart nicely from the indie hype machine, which is obsessed with post-punk revival. In mindset, they have more in common with the industrial influenced shoegazers, who played around with the mixing board for a distinct, slightly out of the ordinary, feel. With that said, the melodies are all theirs and incredible. They are those simple kind of memorable melodies, coupled with relevant lyrics, which often state the obvious, to the point that you can relate to it and say, “Hey, I wish I put that to paper first.” Take “Velvet” as the prime example. It has this airy, ethereal feeling during the first verse, that gives way to highly compressed guitars, feedback, and an electronic bass, and as you are expecting this perfect moment, this fantasy full of love, they smack you in the face with reality: “These arms are mine, don’t matter who they hold you’re made for me, and I’ll leave you alone… you call out my name for the love you need, which you won’t find in me.” Ah, those futile attempts of finding love in wrong the places and people.
The opening of the album, “Crystal Vision,” starts with a slow buildup of sounds and arrangements, which never quite explodes but keeps building into a deafening wall of compressed guitars. You sort of know from the beginning that these boys are going to play with your expectations of music – the album is not predictable, as it dredges through a thick undertow, holding your attention most of the time by what is out of sorts, the counter-intuitive arrangements. But unlike the plethora of “avant-garde” hipsters who try to pull this off, the Big Pink does not fall short. It is the charm of their music. Like in the second track, “Too Young to Love,” the background “clapping” type sound shouldn’t fit in, but it does, and you get into that groove. Another great moment on the album is “Frisk,” where the Big Pink really plays with the “techno” elements of their music. Nowhere on the album is background “noise” so interestingly arranged, almost the antithetical of the main melody.
If you swear on the post-punk revival, you are going to find a hundred reasons not to like this album, but if you listen to this album for what it is worth, you are going to be impressed. It may not be the most cutting edge, and it may not be the least derivative (which would be a funny accusation in a musical field of indie rock bands that all take their queues from the past), but what you have here is something distinct from what is out there. What you have here is something that is interesting. This is not the repetitive, 80s obsessed music that is prevalent today, and you should allow yourself to get tickled pink and take a serious listen to this album.
Track Listing:
1. Crystal Visions
2. Too Young to Love
3. Dominos
4. Love in Vain
5. At War with the Sun
6. Velvet
7. Golden Pendulum
8. Frisk
9. A Brief History of Love
10. Tonight
11. Count Backwards from Ten
12. Stop the World – iTunes bonus track
13. Dominos, Rustie Remix – iTunes bonus track
Keep up with the Big Pink at their homepage and MySpace. Read more ...
28 August 2009
Videos on a Hot Day
Some more videos to share today.
Animal Kingdom: “Signs & Wonders” from their YouTube Channel: AnimalKingdomChannel.
Delphic: “This Momentary” from their YouTube Channel: delphicmusic.
Jet: “She’s A Genius” from their YouTube Channel: FiveSevenMusic.
Little Boots: “Remedy” from their YouTube Channel: littlebootsvideos.
Placebo: “The Never-Ending Why” from their YouTube Channel: officialplacebo.
The Big Pink: “Dominos” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
Animal Kingdom: “Signs & Wonders” from their YouTube Channel: AnimalKingdomChannel.
Delphic: “This Momentary” from their YouTube Channel: delphicmusic.
Jet: “She’s A Genius” from their YouTube Channel: FiveSevenMusic.
Little Boots: “Remedy” from their YouTube Channel: littlebootsvideos.
Placebo: “The Never-Ending Why” from their YouTube Channel: officialplacebo.
The Big Pink: “Dominos” from the 4ADRecords YouTube Channel.
Read more ...
21 April 2009
A Few More Recent Videos
Enjoy.
Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden: "Bonkers" - from the YouTube Channel: Dirteestanktv
Fol Chen: "Cable TV" - from the YouTube Channel: AsthmaticKitty
Kids Love Lies: "Count in My Head" - from the Vimeo user Kids Love Lies
Kids Love Lies 'Count In My Head' video from Kids Love Lies on Vimeo.
Magistrates: "Heatbreak" - from YouTube Channel: XL Records
Passion Pit: "The Reeling" - from YouTube Channel: PassionPitOfficial
The Big Pink: "Velvet" - from YouTube Channel: 4ADRecords
Read more ...
Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden: "Bonkers" - from the YouTube Channel: Dirteestanktv
Fol Chen: "Cable TV" - from the YouTube Channel: AsthmaticKitty
Kids Love Lies: "Count in My Head" - from the Vimeo user Kids Love Lies
Kids Love Lies 'Count In My Head' video from Kids Love Lies on Vimeo.
Magistrates: "Heatbreak" - from YouTube Channel: XL Records
Passion Pit: "The Reeling" - from YouTube Channel: PassionPitOfficial
The Big Pink: "Velvet" - from YouTube Channel: 4ADRecords
Read more ...
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