Another MMM favourite which I forgot to mention earlier! The Flying Change, aka Sam Jacobs, has a gorgeous full-length video created by Monte Krause for his wonderful song ‘Dirty White Coats’ from his album Pain is a Reliable Signal. I think it fits the tone of the track perfectly, and is utterly beautiful. Enjoy!
It’s a dreary Monday morning here in Nottingham, but I’ve had my day considerably brightened by Miss Morrison’s Mix favourites Venice Is Sinking and their new video! It’s for their maxisingle ‘Okay’, it’s for the title track, and it’ll crack a smile across your face even if you’re still bleary-eyed and pre-coffee. Enjoy!
Visit veniceissinking.net to buy the ‘Okay’ maxisingle or their previous albums, and keep your eyes peeled for more treats plus the release of their upcoming album!
Reviewed for the Insomnia Radio: Daily Dose 09/09/09
Today’s Daily Dose track ‘For a While’ comes to you from Vancouver band Mojave’s second album Crow’s Funeral. Mojave are lead singer/guitarist LJ and guitarist/sometimes singer Paul. They are an elusive pair, no last names given, but after hearing their album you could feel as if you know them, such are the depths to which they plunge into their emotions and experiences.
Part folkish-rock, part symphonic and entirely emotive, the album is a haunting mix of urgent, pleading vocals, delicate guitars and rich, warm strings.
The instrumentation is pleasingly varied, moving from epic, almost operatic numbers full of strings like this Daily Dose track, to banjo-led ballads (the title track), with some theramin thrown in for colour on ‘Wake Up’. The lyrics are consistently poignant, and delivered so beautifully and tentatively that the emotional feel of each song is truly compelling.
There is a sense of vulnerability on this record that makes you feel as if you’ve become privy to someone’s innermost thoughts, and an honesty that makes it captivating if not a tiny bit unnerving. However, the dark secrets of this album are cut through in the middle by ‘California’, a hopeful and uplifting track that lends some sunshine to an otherwise heartwrenching record.
Crow’s Funeral is a dark, resounding album full of many different layers, both musically and emotionally, which gives a glimpse into the lives of its composers that can catch you off guard; a rare feat, and a beautiful one.
The newest episode of IR: New York has been recorded, mixed and delivered to the Insomnia Radio batcave. Head over to newyork.insomniaradio.net to hear an eclectic mix of New York’s finest independent music, hosted by yours truly.
Playlist:
The Bloodsugars – Purpose Was Again
MySpace | thebloodsugars.com (includes FREE track download plus links to buy their EP)
Kesang Marstrand – Grow a Garden
MySpace | kesangmarstrand.com | Purchase Bodega Rose
Samuel Ventura – Strawberry Soda
MySpace | (album to be released soon)
Woodfish – Bam Diddley
MySpace | woodfishmusic.com (includes FREE album download)
GUEST: Dog is Dead – Clockwork
MySpace | Facebook
Verismo – Greed
MySpace | verismusic.com (join the mailing list for a FREE download of their EP!)
The Flying Change – Dirty White Coats (stripped bare remix)
MySpace | theflyingchange.com | FREE album download
MUSIC BED: Cline’s Mind – Until the end of time
Last.fm | GarageBand
Hi everyone! It’s been very quiet here for the past couple of weeks and I wholeheartedly apologise, but contrary to what you might think I’ve not been larking about and going to the pub every night to drink my body weight in gin and tonic, oh no no. I’ve been beavering away, hard at work in the Insomnia Radio batcave picking out tracks for the Daily Dose and setting up for my next installment of IR: New York for your aural pleasure!
So, dear readers, to tide you over in case you’re feeling a little empty without regular reviews and free music links from yours truly (hey, a girl can dream), here’s the IR: Daily Dose tracks that I’ve posted over the last couple of weeks:
Bonnie – Come and get me [some good ol' fashioned rock n' roll from Montevideo, Uruguay]
Inside View – Judas [previously featured on MMM, revived to celebrate the release of their free EP]
Sharon Lang – Hedonist [she's from Nashville, she sings in French and includes gypsy-style violins and a banjo]
The Small Cities – Fargo [summery pop-rock to happily bop your head to]
Plus, watch out for a curve ball coming your way on the IR:DD tomorrow..
Of course, all the tracks are available to download from the site for the very reasonable price of nowt at all, and there’s links to more free music wherever possible. Now don’t say I never give you anything!
Oh, and IR:NY #8 will be out in the next couple of days, keep your ears and eyes peeled..
Miss Morrison’s Mix has been a bit quiet recently, but I have a good excuse – I’ve been working on my first episode of Insomnia Radio: New York, which is now up and running on the IR site!
I’m pretty proud of it, and it features some really excellent music so please have a listen!
I’m going to try and divide my time between producing the podcast and keeping up my reviewing on here, so things may be a bit up and down for a bit while I try to find a balance, but there will be much more to come on both fronts. Watch this space!
I went to see M Ward at Rescue Rooms in Nottingham at the weekend and he was brilliant, click here to read my review for LeftLion magazine..
… but just go here instead. The folks over at the Apes for Indie blog have summed up everything I want to say, succinctly, eloquently and sensitively, I couldn’t add anything more.
That’s right folks, I’ll soon be vibrating your eardrums as Insomnia Radio’s newest regional podcast host!
I really can’t tell you how excited I am about this and what a huge honour it is to be able to become part of the Insomnia Radio family, and being able to cover such an awesome region is such a bonus.
I know I don’t exactly live in the area(!) but I’m going to do my absolute best to represent the independent music of New York in all its varied and eclectic glory, so any comments/suggestions/submissions will be greatly appreciated! I could also do with some spies on the ground, so any New Yorkers in the audience (or anyone else for that matter) feel free to hit me with an email at sarah[at]insomniaradio.net.
My first episode should be available in the next couple of weeks, so keep your internets locked on Insomnia Radio – killing your FM one podcast at a time.
The song ‘In Knowing’, from this EP, is Insomnia Radio’s Daily Dose today (13/06/09)
If New York based duo Swimming in Speakers (multi-instrumentalist Chris Clarke and lead vocalist Meadow Eliz) can do one thing, it’s defy categorisation. In fact, they can do lots of things, including synth-dipped kitchy electro, gentle heart melting acoustic delicacy and trippy vocal-led musical explorations, and all topped with lilting vocals from Eliz that can be haunting, impassioned or whimsical and are always hugely charming. I’m not even going to attempt to label them with genres because honestly I can’t; each song on the EP takes you down a different path that’s always in a stark contrast to the last.
The EP’s leading track ‘In Knowing’ is, at the risk of sounding way over-excited, my idea of a perfect pop song. Full of wholesome synthy goodness, classic Casio cool and Eliz’s swaying, laid back, warbling vocals, as well as being more catchy than swine flu, this song has everything that good pop needs plus the unique style that SiS bring to the table. Among countless other nuances the verses actually have a slight tinge of Bhangra about them, in the vocals at least, which just serves to make this song all the more interesting. I’ve listened to this song about 20 times in the last few days, it’s seriously addictive.
‘In Knowing’ is definitely the standout song of the EP for me, but the rest is definitely worth your time and really shows off the versatility of this exciting new band, and to further entice you you can get the whole thing for FREE from the excellent 100000fans.com!
Swimming in Speakers are another band who realise the power of Twitter and use it to their full advantage, and they’re also really nice! Find them as @sistheband.
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