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[audio http://tunes.bluesummers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/01-melody-day.mp3]

Caribou – Melody Day

Caribou, also known as Ontario’s Dan Snaith, has a new album on the way that’s as light and breazy as ever. Ditching the sample-heavy formula behind ‘The Milk of Human Kindness‘ for a fuller, live band approach, it’s immediately noticable how the presence of original instrumentation gifts ‘Andorra’ with a more consistent and organic quality than its predecessor.

While there was a definite sense of fun to be had hopping between the catchy nooks and crannies of ‘Milk of Human Kindness’, in terms of songwriting, there’s a lot more to connect with here, given that each track seems to draw from one specific idea (more often than not, a female character) that ends up being both imaginative and fully-formed, no matter how long it takes to get there. The overall feel of ‘Andorra’, though, could be likened to the dreamy, sunshine psych-pop at heart of Bill Holt’s ‘Dreamies‘, which featured here on seewhatyouhear.com recently. However, what interests me the most about ‘Andorra’ is wondering how it will be brought together in the flesh, after the impressive tandem-drummer dynamic behind Caribou’s previous live performances.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Jana Hunter – Farm, CA

Jana Hunter first came to my attention with the beautiful “Farm, CA,” one of the standout tracks on the genre-defining collection “Golden Apples of the Sun,” compiled by Devendra Banhart for Arthur Magazine. Such is the quality of her work that I was a little shocked when I recently read on Stereogum’s “Quit Your Day Job” feature (an eye-opening blog that documents the unglamorous realities behind many of our favourite indie artists) that she works for a take-away pizza joint in Texas. I don’t know about you, but it seems more than a little unjust that someone capable of creating that kind of music should have to slog out a living by taking orders for 12” margaritas over the phone.

How and ever, the news that both Jana and Castanet’s gig equipment were robbed from their van (an increasingly common peril for smaller bands during the last year, it seems) only adds insult to injury. Continue Reading »

Popularity: 1% [?]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqI0FYN-r5c]

TV on the Radio – Province

As mentioned yesterday, Ned Collette’s version of “Hours” made me re-think the original by T.V. on the Radio. I never took to “Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes” the way I’d hoped, so when “Return to Cookie Mountain” was generating extraordinary amounts of hype and acclaim, I found myself showing up a little late to the party.

Yet if I hadn’t, I may never have heard “Province” and would certainly be much the poorer for such an absence in my playlists. A broad, shimmering venture into hamony-driven pop, it’s packed with a cacophony of various different elements, building upward and rolling along until four simple notes on a piano resound out hypnotically, recalling a touch of David Bowie (who, perhaps not so coincidentally, lends a guest vocal here).

Popularity: 1% [?]

An eye-opening blog from Stereogum that documents the unglamorous realities behind many of our favourite indie artists.

Unless you were born with one of those silver spoons, you likely work a day job, sneaking time for your own business when not taking care of someone else’s. You’re not alone. Every week, Brandon Stosuy finds out how our favorite indie artists make ends meet…

http://www.stereogum.com/archives/cat_quit_your_day_job.html

Popularity: 1% [?]

[audio http://www.seewhatyouhear.com/hours.mp3] Ned Collette – Hours

I first heard Ned Collette when he was supporting Joanna Newsom in Dublin’s Olympia theatre, and while I wasn’t bowled over by what I saw at the time, the lavish praise that Newsom repeatedly heaped upon him during her own performance led me to look into it a bit further. The first thing I came across was his amazing interpretation of the TV on the Radio song, ‘Hours’, which was just so good that I picked up the man from melbourne’s album and re-ignited my interest in TV on the Radio (more on that tomorrow).

Also included here is the video of ‘Boulders’, from his debut album “Jokes and Trials” on the Australian label Dot Dash.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGYkZJxJmbM]

Ned Collette – Boulders

http://www.myspace.com/nedcollette

Popularity: unranked [?]