As I write this, I'm listening to Bon Iver's eponymous album which I downloaded almost a year ago now (yes, very late on the bandwagon). I'd heard of Bon Iver, but never really listened to their music. Coincidentally, the first track of theirs I heard has just started playing. Every time I hear it I think of Christmas (not because the word is mentioned in the song) and snow and mountains in a place like Norway (where I went on holiday this time last year). There's something about the gentle, hypnotic guitar riff that makes me think of falling snow and the high pitched, whispy vocals that make me think of a cold winter wind. It's also beautifully produced and I would listen to it on repeat over the course of an afternoon because it's simply captivating. It's called 'Holocene':
The first and last tracks ('Perth' and 'Beth/Rest') are also two of my favourite tracks. 'Perth' as an opening track, I find anticipatory and stirring. It has quite a simple melody which makes me think of gentle waves on the coast-- quite appropriate given the title.
'Beth/Rest' is the end track and has an intoxicating, descending keyboard melody which, combined with the distant vocals, drags you into a musical reverie. I listen to it every night before I go to sleep.
Moving on to quite a different genre-- and to one of my favourite bands: I downloaded their debut album when it came out at the end of July last year and haven't stopped listening to it since I came to France. They're a band with a unique sound, who always manage to find a beat that makes you want to move and melodies that are usually incredibly simple and, probably for that reason, very addictive. Their vocalist is brilliant and has a voice with such raw character, I'm not sure anyone else quite matches up to him. Instead of picking a song from their debut album (which I listened to on the way to France back in September), I chose a song I particularly like from their EP 'Music for Cars'. It has a really edgy beat and the vocals are quite dominant-- unlike Bon Iver's songs. I really started to like this song when I'd first come to France and I remember listening to it a lot in the metro-- it's called 'Head.Cars.Bending'
Since their album is so brilliant, I will mention a couple of songs from it, although I could really just link you the whole album, I love it all so much. One of the first songs I couldn't get enough of is called 'M.O.N.E.Y'. Again, it has a great beat-- especially at the end where it's more pronounced. Their drummer is pretty creative and I always find myself wanting to move to the beat (which is not a desire I'm usually overcome with). I also love how nonchalant the vocals are and how witty the lyrics are at times. Another song from the album, called 'Talk!' is very lyrically clever. I particularly love the line "bulimic in the way you talk" which is so concise yet so cuttingly critical of whoever it's talking about. The vocal production is great too. I love the layering of the vocals and the abrasive sound it creates: it seems to recreate the irritating effect this person's voice appears to have on-- presumably-- Matty, the singer.
'M.O.N.E.Y'
'Talk!'
Okay, I can't resist, I'm also a massive fan of 'She Way Out' which is towards the end of the album:
One of my favourite genres is post-rock, and there are a few post-rock bands I like a lot. I know I've already talked about my beloved God Is An Astronaut in a post from way back, so I'll mention a different group here. I'd learned about them from a friend a couple of years back, but never really checked them out. Then I discovered an EP called 'Hymn for the Greatest Generation' on which there is a track that is wondrous in unbelievably epic proportions. It's a masterpiece, to put it shortly. I remember when I first noticed this track. I'd downloaded the EP because I'd heard the title track and liked it so much I decided I had to have it; I didn't actually listen to the full EP for quite a while, so I discovered each of the tracks gradually as they came up on shuffle. This particular track didn't actually grab my attention until almost the end. The thing with post-rock is that it can be quite mellow and subdued for a long time before building up and moving on. This usually means you have a lot of loops, which has a hypnotic effect and eventually you almost forget you're listening to anything: this track is one of those. It isn't until the penultimate minute that the music reaches its peak, but trust me it's well worth the journey. Once you've heard it a few times, you'll realise that the melody used at its peak is also played during the build up, but it's very subtle. It's a beautiful and gentle piece which suddenly transcends itself at around 4:45 and hits you with a heavy rock climax for a few seconds before quickly fading to an end, leaving you wanting more.
It's called 'The Heart that Fed' by a band called Caspian:
I distinctly remember being at my computer doing something or other online and at 5:40 I can remember being hit by the music, quickly looking at what it was, and then just sitting there agape until it ended, after which I swiftly played it again and listened to the whole thing with the reverent awe it deserves. If only equal craftsmanship were put into all music.
Another group that feel quite significant to me in terms of my year abroad came about seemingly out of nowhere about a year ago. I was unsure about them for a few weeks, because I wasn't sure whether I 100% liked the vocals on the current single of the time or not. Eventually, I decided that I was intrigued by the production of the song more than anything else. The band (London Grammar) recently won the Ivor Novello 'Best Song' Award for that song, which is now one of my favourites-- it's called 'Strong'. However, you've more than likely heard it, given its popularity, so instead I'll share with you a song called 'Flickers' which I'm currently listening to and which I vividly remember hearing on my way back home from church perhaps early-mid September, since I seem to remember it being fairly dark. London Grammar also have a unique sound for me. I usually don't like electro music that much, but they incorporate it tastefully and subtly into their songs and Hannah's voice is hauntingly beautiful. I listened to their album a lot whilst packing and preparing for France, and I also listened to it on my way here in September, so when I listen to it now, I feel quite nostalgic.
Finally, for this post, I'll leave you with an album track and a single from a fairly old album of another one of my favourite bands. Admittedly I only really started getting into them about four or five years ago, and was always aware of this album, but had never really got round to listening to it. It's a fantastic rock album and the album track stands out for me because of the opening riff and the vocals; the single, because of the energy and the rhythm of the song. Both of them have sort of become summer anthems for me, because I remember walking down the main road from the train station in Lille to the main square with the sun shining, not a cloud in the sky, and with these two songs playing it was just perfect. There are few singers out there who have the power and tone of Caleb Followill, and for that reason, I'm not sure I'll ever get bored of Kings of Leon music.
So, here's 'Ragoo'..:
...and 'Fans':
I hope you enjoy the songs. I'll probably do a second post as there are other bands and songs I'd like to cover.
Until then: salut!
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