Let's go historical here for a minute. I mean, not medieval, exactly, but close.
Early August: I join Attempts at Hip. In my first post, I note that I'm a devotee of "chilled-out, acoustic, pseudo-philosophical" music. In that post, I deliver chilled-out, acoustic, pseudo-philosophical music in the form of Lakeland band Joon.
Late August: I move to Seattle to start graduate school. In my first post from the West Coast, I share one-woman band Blue Roses - which is very, very chilled out, acoustic, and pseudo-philosophical.
Mid October: I deliver, for y'all's entertainment and edification, another one-woman band, this time from Seattle: Tiny Vipers. Another acoustic endeavour, Tiny Vipers is the nom de plume of Jessy Fortino, who is signed to Sub Pop Records (making her a bit more mainstream than I would usually write about, but her stuff is so immediately, urgently awesome that I couldn't resist).
The best way I can think of to describe Tiny Vipers is something along the lines of a compelling, urgent sereness; Fortino's voice isn't the strongest I've ever heard, but it melds hypnotically with the sparse guitar arrangements she creates. This is really high-quality stuff, and I'd urge you all to take a listen.
Tiny Vipers - Development
Tiny Vipers - Time Takes
Have a great afternoon!
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Grynch: Not such a mean one...
As I wander (neither weak nor weary) through Seattle, I keep coming across hip-hop music with which I'm unfamiliar, but which strikes me as being, for lack of a better descriptor, very cool.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about hip-hop, rap, or whatever other nomenclature you choose to append to the rapid-fire pronouncing of rhymes over (preferably) dope beats... but I know quality when I hear it.
One hip-hop artist whose name keeps coming up when I approach DJs with questions on the level of, 'pardon, sir, but might you enlighten me as to the name of this artist? I find his work to be fly' is (once I get past the glares and the occasional smackings upside of haids) is Grynch. Having run into his music on no less than three occasions - including one at a Korean barbecue restaurant - I decided to search him out on the internet.
After suffering fruitlessly through literally four Seuss-related pages due to my lack of knowledge as to the unconventional spelling of his artistic pseudonym, I chanced upon a page which broke down a number of local hip-hop artists, Grynch among them - and I from there found his MySpace. Cradled in the venerable arms of that most scorned of social networking sites, I found a link to his actual website... upon which was and is (and is to come?) available for free download a veritable plethora of his music - including the tracks which I'm sharing with y'all this beautiful evening.
On this first track, "My Volvo," which was the first of Grynch's songs that I heard, he waxes lyrical about the virtues, not of b*tches and bling, but of the sort of beater we've all driven at some point in the past: "I've laughed in that car / I've cried in that car / knock on wood, I'll probably die in that car," he says, between listing the eccentric charms of his whip's shortcomings - and I kind of believe him.
Grynch - My Volvo
This second track, "Time," is perhaps a little bit more conventional in terms of hip-hop tropes, focusing on the changes Grynch sees as he moves through Seattle; but if the trope is a bit famiiar, the self-assuredness of the MC's flow, complete with some truly slick multisyllabic rhymes and a laudable willingness to deviate fom a predictable lyrical rhythm when necessary, make the track a more than enjoyable listen.
Grynch - Time
If you like what you hear from these two tracks, I'd urge you to check out Grynch's other work - it's good, it's fun, and it's free, and, really, who could ask for more than that?
Have a great Monday night, everyone!
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about hip-hop, rap, or whatever other nomenclature you choose to append to the rapid-fire pronouncing of rhymes over (preferably) dope beats... but I know quality when I hear it.
One hip-hop artist whose name keeps coming up when I approach DJs with questions on the level of, 'pardon, sir, but might you enlighten me as to the name of this artist? I find his work to be fly' is (once I get past the glares and the occasional smackings upside of haids) is Grynch. Having run into his music on no less than three occasions - including one at a Korean barbecue restaurant - I decided to search him out on the internet.
After suffering fruitlessly through literally four Seuss-related pages due to my lack of knowledge as to the unconventional spelling of his artistic pseudonym, I chanced upon a page which broke down a number of local hip-hop artists, Grynch among them - and I from there found his MySpace. Cradled in the venerable arms of that most scorned of social networking sites, I found a link to his actual website... upon which was and is (and is to come?) available for free download a veritable plethora of his music - including the tracks which I'm sharing with y'all this beautiful evening.
On this first track, "My Volvo," which was the first of Grynch's songs that I heard, he waxes lyrical about the virtues, not of b*tches and bling, but of the sort of beater we've all driven at some point in the past: "I've laughed in that car / I've cried in that car / knock on wood, I'll probably die in that car," he says, between listing the eccentric charms of his whip's shortcomings - and I kind of believe him.
Grynch - My Volvo
This second track, "Time," is perhaps a little bit more conventional in terms of hip-hop tropes, focusing on the changes Grynch sees as he moves through Seattle; but if the trope is a bit famiiar, the self-assuredness of the MC's flow, complete with some truly slick multisyllabic rhymes and a laudable willingness to deviate fom a predictable lyrical rhythm when necessary, make the track a more than enjoyable listen.
Grynch - Time
If you like what you hear from these two tracks, I'd urge you to check out Grynch's other work - it's good, it's fun, and it's free, and, really, who could ask for more than that?
Have a great Monday night, everyone!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Pastiche Genius in the 24th Dimension
I'm almost embarrassed that I haven't posted the music of The Kleptones before now - they're a completely awesome group (okay, so one guy with a computer, but who (other than (whoo! nested parentheses) me) is counting?) Anyways - if you're a fan of mashups or remixes, to any extent at all, you need to check this stuff out.
Eric Kleptone (and I doubt that's his real name) is a remixer / mashup artist from the UK who's done some quality danceable stuff - check this track -
Caper vs. DJ C & Zebra - Body Jump (Kleptones box clever remix)
But The Kleptones put out some majorly, majorly ambitious mashup albums, too, the most impressive of which (to me) is A Night At The Hip-Hopera, a complete musical journey in which every song is based off of a different Queen sample. The album is really a continuous, 80-minute piece of music, but it's split for convenience's sake into 23 different tracks... two of which follow:
The Kleptones - (2) See
The Kleptones - (22) Stop
Okay then.
In other news, my 21st birthday is less than a week away! And that's something I'm very excited about. No, silly, not because I'll be drinking massive amounts of alcohol... because it'll, as I illustrated in my last post allow me to get into a lot of shows that I currently can not attend. I'll try to get some concert reports up as I can.
Hope y'all are well back in Florida, and wherever else you're reading from! Have a great afternoon!
Eric Kleptone (and I doubt that's his real name) is a remixer / mashup artist from the UK who's done some quality danceable stuff - check this track -
Caper vs. DJ C & Zebra - Body Jump (Kleptones box clever remix)
But The Kleptones put out some majorly, majorly ambitious mashup albums, too, the most impressive of which (to me) is A Night At The Hip-Hopera, a complete musical journey in which every song is based off of a different Queen sample. The album is really a continuous, 80-minute piece of music, but it's split for convenience's sake into 23 different tracks... two of which follow:
The Kleptones - (2) See
The Kleptones - (22) Stop
Okay then.
In other news, my 21st birthday is less than a week away! And that's something I'm very excited about. No, silly, not because I'll be drinking massive amounts of alcohol... because it'll, as I illustrated in my last post allow me to get into a lot of shows that I currently can not attend. I'll try to get some concert reports up as I can.
Hope y'all are well back in Florida, and wherever else you're reading from! Have a great afternoon!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Boxcar Rebellion and/or The Katherine Moore Situation
So Friday night (last night), nattily attired (as usual) and smartly groomed (also as usual), I strolled downtown to the famous Blue Moon Tavern, where so many of my illustrious forebears have swapped tales, wisdom, and unnamed substances while enjoying the very best of Seattle's indie music.
Anticipating a great show from The Katherine Moore Situation, I walked up to the tavern's blue-neon-lit front door... only to be confronted by a sign: 21+ Only. Undaunted, I continued into the tavern - where I was promptly asked for ID. Having not yet walked this earth for 21 years, and not being among those who have acquired documents that claim (with whatever amount of prevarication) that they have, I took my leave, muttering various imprecations under my (as always) fresh breath.
Walking about Seattle's University District, sipping on a green tea latte and various balms for my slightly wounded ego, I took the opportunity to whip out (in a manner not unlike Cleavon Little) my mp3 player and listen to Boxcar Rebellion's new EP.
Boxcar Rebellion, it should be noted, is not The Katherine Moore Situation. But it's close! ...in that it shares some of the same musicians and some of the same songs. Two of those songs in common are embedded with this post, and the energetic, soul-fuelled blues that fills them is really cool to listen to. You can download the whole EP - six songs - from BoxcarRebellion.com for free, if you feel like it. I haven't been able to find any mp3s from The Katherine Moore Situation, but you can listen to a lot of their music on their Myspace. Good stuff.
Boxcar Rebellion - Hallelujah
Boxcar Rebellion - Kansas
In News From My Life... I've spent the last couple of days looking for apartments, and I've put in an application for a studio about a mile from the UW (that's the University of Washington, for all you proles out there). With luck, I'll have a place to live by the first of September. Seattle so far is a little bit overwhelming - it's a heckuva lot more crowded than Deland - but I've got a feeling that after I get settled, I'm going to love it.
Have a great Saturday afternoon, everyone! Enjoy the tunes!
Anticipating a great show from The Katherine Moore Situation, I walked up to the tavern's blue-neon-lit front door... only to be confronted by a sign: 21+ Only. Undaunted, I continued into the tavern - where I was promptly asked for ID. Having not yet walked this earth for 21 years, and not being among those who have acquired documents that claim (with whatever amount of prevarication) that they have, I took my leave, muttering various imprecations under my (as always) fresh breath.
Walking about Seattle's University District, sipping on a green tea latte and various balms for my slightly wounded ego, I took the opportunity to whip out (in a manner not unlike Cleavon Little) my mp3 player and listen to Boxcar Rebellion's new EP.
Boxcar Rebellion, it should be noted, is not The Katherine Moore Situation. But it's close! ...in that it shares some of the same musicians and some of the same songs. Two of those songs in common are embedded with this post, and the energetic, soul-fuelled blues that fills them is really cool to listen to. You can download the whole EP - six songs - from BoxcarRebellion.com for free, if you feel like it. I haven't been able to find any mp3s from The Katherine Moore Situation, but you can listen to a lot of their music on their Myspace. Good stuff.
Boxcar Rebellion - Hallelujah
Boxcar Rebellion - Kansas
In News From My Life... I've spent the last couple of days looking for apartments, and I've put in an application for a studio about a mile from the UW (that's the University of Washington, for all you proles out there). With luck, I'll have a place to live by the first of September. Seattle so far is a little bit overwhelming - it's a heckuva lot more crowded than Deland - but I've got a feeling that after I get settled, I'm going to love it.
Have a great Saturday afternoon, everyone! Enjoy the tunes!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I'm in Seattle! So... here's a band from the UK!
And by 'band' I mean it's one girl, Laura Groves. And she's awesome.
Groves, performing as 'Blue Roses', makes use of guitar, piano, and her spectacular voice - a pure, girlish soprano that, especially when layered as it is on 'Cover Your Tracks", the second song I'm embedding in this post, floats with magnificent innocence around the organic, almost minimalist accompaniment - to create some really, really amazing music. She says on her MySpace page that she likes "writing songs for instruments I can't play yet and making choirs out of my voice." She does it well. I've embedded the first two tracks from her self-titled debut album.
Blue Roses - Greatest Thoughts
Blue Roses - Cover Your Tracks
In an update from me... I flew out to Seattle today. It was a long trip, but went smoothly. Tomorrow, I'll be looking at apartments, trying to find a place to live for the upcoming year or more. Friday night, I'll (hopefully) be heading over to catch a show by The Katherine Moore Situation - I'll let y'all know how that goes.
Have a great night!
Groves, performing as 'Blue Roses', makes use of guitar, piano, and her spectacular voice - a pure, girlish soprano that, especially when layered as it is on 'Cover Your Tracks", the second song I'm embedding in this post, floats with magnificent innocence around the organic, almost minimalist accompaniment - to create some really, really amazing music. She says on her MySpace page that she likes "writing songs for instruments I can't play yet and making choirs out of my voice." She does it well. I've embedded the first two tracks from her self-titled debut album.
Blue Roses - Greatest Thoughts
Blue Roses - Cover Your Tracks
In an update from me... I flew out to Seattle today. It was a long trip, but went smoothly. Tomorrow, I'll be looking at apartments, trying to find a place to live for the upcoming year or more. Friday night, I'll (hopefully) be heading over to catch a show by The Katherine Moore Situation - I'll let y'all know how that goes.
Have a great night!
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