Saturday, July 7, 2012

First Aid Kit

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[Left to Right: Johanna and Klara Söderberg]

-Sister duo from Stockholm, Sweden
-Influenced by the music and songwriting of Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom
-Their 2008 YouTube video cover of the song "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" by Fleet Foxes went viral and Fleet Foxes invited them to perform the song with them in a concert in The Netherlands.
-Later that year the duo signed to Rabid Records, a label co-owned by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife.
-After playing a concert in Nashville the duo was approached by Jack White who requested them to record a single for his Third Man Records series.
-In February 2011 the duo collaborated with Bright Eyes during their performance of Lua.
-Playing Newport Folk Festival 2012 and Lollapalooza 2012
-Appeared on Conan


Songs to Listen to: When I grow up, Our own Pretty Ways, and their cover of Fleet Foxes - Tiger Mountain Peasant Song



Conclusion: It's pretty sweet to see these two swedish sister so beautifully in sync with each other. Their music is simple and yet wonderfuly enchanting. Only really started listening to them today, but I am excited to hear the rest of their songs. Best part is they're coming to Toronto!  So hopefully I'll have a chance to drop by and check out their set... but we'll see. :D

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Sea of Bees

Julie Ann Bee
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[Julie Ann Bee]

-From Sacramento, CA
-SOB: “Sidepain” I wrote after I had been in a camping accident because I had a little too much H and H. Interviewer: What’s H and H?
SOB: Cheap ass whiskey.
-Played Glastonbury 2011
-Toured with Jenn Grant
-Cute story by SOB: I started when I was around sixteen. My sister and my cousin invited me to church and I never had any friends. Let me start from the beginning. My mom grew up Catholic and she felt that we needed to go to church because she had been brought up in it. So when I was little my sister, my mom and I would go to the Catholic church. I remember there was a guy named Peter, curly hair, hippie, goatee, smelled like b.o. and he played piano. He sang this one song that always got to me, during all the other songs I was sleeping or punching my sister in the arm because church made me irritable. This song got me and I wanted to learn it and learn music but I never knew how. I stopped going to church after that until I was sixteen and my sister and cousin invited me. They noticed that I was a loaner and said “Hey Jules, we just came to the lord and you should come to our church group.” After saying no a few times I went. I came to the door and there was a girl named Laura who gave me a hug. It was really my first hug, I was sixteen years old and didn’t know how to hug or touch. The hug was so nice and I remember thinking “wow that was so nice, so that’s a friend?” I kept coming back to church for that interaction and shortly after that I saw a girl singing with her brother and thought “that’s really beautiful, she’s really beautiful” and it made me want to play music. She really was beautiful, dark hair, angelic voice. Sometimes during worship when everyone was closing their eyes and then looking around to see who was lifting their hands higher, I would just be standing there watching her. Eventually we became really good friends and she had a cd out so I decided to learn one of the songs on it. I would go out to my parents shed at five in the morning because I had to be at swimming by six, and I would go out there, put on her cd and try to learn this song. I would put my finger on a string until I heard the same note and then I would put my other fingers where I thought they should be. It was three chords E, B, and A. Then I started learning how to sing by mimicking her voice and finally felt like I was getting it. I tried out for the worship team and got denied and I felt humiliated.

Songs to Listen to: Skinnybone, The Gold, and Marmalade



Conclusion: What a wonderful voice! I first heard of Sea of Bees while vintage shipping in London and  it was the perfect soundtrack to feeling comfortable and excited with my surroundings. I mean I  was on vacation surrounded by beautiful vintage clothing and shoes... Sea of Bees was the icing on the cake. Her voice is so fragile and her lyrics are so truthful and beautiful. This is basically the definition of beautiful music. All I can say is that I thank that shopkeeper for having great taste in music.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Tennis

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[Alaina Moore and Patrick]

-American indie pop band from Denver made up of husband-and-wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley
-They met while studying philosophy in College after returning from a 7 month trip down to the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard.
-Tennis first studio album, Cape Dory is based on the couple's experiences during their sailing trip.
-The second Tennis album Young & Old was released on Fat Possum Records on February 14, 2012, produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.
-Tennis, Moore's earliest singing experience was in church choirs during her youth.
-Played Lollapalooza 2011. I was there and it was just wonderful.

Songs to listen to: Origins, Cape Dory and My Better Self.


Conclusion: I'm not going to lie... I didn't fall in love with them from the very beginning. Sorta just thought they were another duo I wouldn't care about (*cough*Best Coast). Turns out a friend mentioned to me that she had been listening to them so I gave it a second listen. Tennis has such a great summer late 60's sound that I'm totally digging. Also the fact they're a husband wife duo has me wrapped with awwww... Either way, the music has me smiling and I figured it was time you took a second listen to this band if you haven't already.