having no tv at home makes you forget about annoying soap-operas, useless casting shows and stupid game shows. quite frankly, i’m more than happy about this as i do not miss any of this at all. but having no tv also means not being able to watch any music videos on television, although i’m not even sure if i would want to watch any here. who knows what i might end up watching - probably not worth finding out. anyway, once in a while i take the time to have a look around youtube and see what some of the bands i recently listened to have come up with in terms of new videos… so here’s a small collection of videos that are, in my humble opinion, worth watching. and yeah, most of the time the songs are pretty good too - just in case you were wondering.
…a.k.a josh tillman, who recently gave up drumming for seattle band fleet foxes (ff). what probably only hardcore ff fans know is that josh tillman has been making music and releasing albums for quite a few years already. his newest project father john misty sees the release of his "debut" album fear fun in early may. the video for nancy from now on might be one of the more disturbing ones but to be completely honest, i didn’t expect anything else from him. and besides, his absolutely beautiful voice is the thing to focus on anyway. the video is simply the little extra something.
if you’re one of those people that gets very emotional fairly easy, you might want to get some tissues before watching this video. not only are the lyrics of once and for all very moving, the video is heart-breaking. the song itself doesn’t necessarily manage to get this across, but in connection with the video, it’s just beautiful. and when you saw the video once, that’s what you think about when you listen to the song again, so it doesn’t lose any of its beauty when the video is over. the london 4-piece clock opera will release their debut album ways to forget on 9 april.
since seeing them as the main support for wild beasts a week ago, i probably watched every single video / live performances of alt-j that you can possibly find on youtube. i absolutely love the diversity in their music, joe newman’s unique vocals and their unmistakable sound in general. their double a-side matilda / fitzpleasure already shows how multifaceted their style is. matilda is the mellow one of those two songs, although mellow might not be quite the right description but have a listen yourself. the video is pretty interesting, especially if you don’t know what the guys look like at this point (so don't google it if you don't know it yet and watch the video first!). their debut album an awesome wave is due on 28may.
now this is not an actual video but a recording of a live performance. why did i still choose to include it here? easy answer, in my drunken head was the first song i’ve ever heard from honig, it’s the one that got me hooked. honig a.k.a stefan honig is about to release his sophomore offering empty orchestra, which will include in my drunken head. and if the rest of the album will be as good as this song, we’re in for a treat. if you want to have a look at a proper video of his, make sure to check out for those lost at seahere.
jamie woon is actually pretty new on my list. i remember checking him out a few months ago and basically dismissing him after one song (which was lady luck). turns out, of course i judged too quickly. thanks to a good friend, i gave him another chance and what did i realise? jamie woon is not so bad after all. he definitely doesn’t fit into the folk scene that i usually listen to but his mix of rnb and indie sure is quite interesting. and he’s got a beautiful video to go along with this great song.
i’ve watched this video a million times before and yes, it makes me feel a little dizzy every single time. nevertheless, it is one of the best videos i’ve ever seen, just because of its simplicity. hayden thorpe’s voice takes some getting used to but as you probably know by now, i’m a massive wild beasts fan, so all i can do is advise you to check them out. the video perfectly fits the song by combining a rather fast drum beat with slow and "elegant" pictures of the band members in the water. great song, great video. hooting & howling is taken from their second album two dancers (2009).
wild beasts is certainly one of those bands that you could go and see live at least once a month. when one show is over, you're already planning the next one and it can't come fast enough. four months that easily felt like a year, have passed since i last saw them at the manchester cathedral. it was a show full of magic in a unique surrounding with an amazing sound - something that would be very difficult to top. let's see if they managed to do that last saturday night in liverpool...
usually when you're excited to see the headline band, the support acts are nothing but annoying. from time to time though it happens that the support turns out to be quite alright and sometimes they're even so impressive that you want to see them again as soon as possible. i'm not really sure that johnny sands is one of those support acts. his sound is described as alternative / electroacoustic / french pop on his myspace page. alternative? hm, is something different in my opinion. french pop? not sure what was specifically french about his music. electroacoustic? probably the best description out of these three but it still doesn't quite describe what we've heard on saturday. besides the fact that he basically had no stage presence whatsoever, his vocals were not significant in any way and his sound didn't do it for me either, neither the electric guitar not the acoustic guitar. so in my book johnny sands belongs to the category of support acts that you just have to deal with if you want to enjoy the headline band from the first row and therefore have to arrive early.
alt-j
on the contrary, alt-j is a support band that you have to see again. i've read quite a lot of reviews about them before and it seemed like people genuinely enjoyed their music and their live performances. after seeing them supporting wild beasts, i would sign that statement. their music is a mix between james blake and wild beasts actually, but lead singer joe newman's vocals clearly set them apart from both of these acts. to be honest, they need a bit of getting used to at first. however, once you're over the initial "shock", you realise how well his voice goes together with their sound. backing vocals mainly come from gus unger-hamilton on keyboards and guitarist gwilym sainsbury. thom green on drums completes the alt-j line up. their stage appearance reminded me a lot of conor o'brien and his band villagers - sweaters that were definitely not the right size, cardigans and button-down shirts made them look like 12-year old school boys, but i guess that only added to their charm. alt-j delivered a more than decent set and are definitely a band to keep an eye on this year.
tom fleming
but in most cases, it doesn't matter how good or bad the support was, it's always nerve-wracking to wait for the headline band. as soon as the stage went dark and burning was blasting from the speakers, it was obvious that the audience clearly couldn't contain their excitement anymore. once wild beasts finally entered the stage and opened their set with a beautiful rendition of bed of nails, it seemed like they won the entire crowd over in an instant. their sound is based somewhere between alternative, indie rock and what some people call dream pop. i personally find it quite hard to categorise them as it seems like they don't fully fit into one single genre. i'm not hinting that they invented a completely new genre, instead they combine many different genres into one that simply doesn't have a proper name yet.
normally people instantly have a favourite band member when they first listen to a new band. most of the times they can't even explain why they prefer one to the other. when it comes to wild beasts, i always found it really difficult to pick a favourite because it just seems like an impossible thing to do. of course hayden thorpe's falsetto voice is probably their most obvious trademark and usually the first thing that people notice. despite the fact that his vocals are not only absolutely gorgeous, they simply sound astonishing in every context - up-tempo songs like we still got the taste dancin' on our tongues or more mellow ones like albatross or lion's share, hayden makes it all work. what makes the wild beasts vocals in general even more unique is the addition of tom fleming's baritone. both voices go along so well, it is an absolute pleasure to listen to them. especially hearing loop the loop live makes you forget everything around you, you're simply caught up in the moment. when hayden and tom sing "oh, don't you think that people are the hardest things?" together, you can't help but be amazed and lost for words. that's at least what normally happens to me. tom's vocals are obviously different to hayden's but definitely not any less special. songs like two dancers or all the king's men clearly highlight his vocal talent and just show that wild beasts have more than one talented singer.
benny little
but of course wild beasts wouldn't be wild beasts without benny little on guitar and chris talbot on drums. even though it always feels like i'm most excited about hearing tom sing live, i often catch myself staring at benny and chris simply because the way they play their instruments is mesmerising and just magical. the guitar during hooting & howling and all the king's men sounds live just as amazing as it does on record. to make their live show sound as good as their record is something not a lot of bands are capable of doing. wild beasts are definitely a band that can totally pull this off though. which brings me back to chris talbot. i'm certainly not an expert on drums (or any other instrument for that matter) but i just can't see how anyone cannot love his drumming skills. the fun powder plot, two dancers or definitely the devil's crayon wouldn't be half as brilliant if it wasn't for chris. of course this is only me again but if you have a thing for awesome drummers and don't know wild beasts or specifically chris talbot yet, do yourelf a favour and check them out.
the thing about those four lads from kendal is simply that you either hate them or you absolutely love them. it's more than obvious which side i'm on but i guess it could easily be the other way around. i'm glad though that their music grabbed me from the first record limbo, panto (2008) to their latest release smother (2011) because wild beasts are without a doubt one of the finest live bands that are out there. it doesn't matter if you're a fan or not, everyone has to admit that their live shows are full of magic and something you just can't resist. if you're not too fond of them at this point, it is probably worth a try to catch one of their live shows. you might change your mind afterwards, or actually i'm pretty sure you would.
they played a nice mix of all three records, including signature songs like this is our lot, and ended their set and their three song encore with an excellent end come too soon, which is without a doubt a rather perfect ending. compared to the show at the manchester cathedral last november, i wouldn't say that one was better than the other, they were just different but equally great. like kenny s. mcguane of under the radar once said: "wild beasts make music where the weird meets the gorgeous, the creepy meets the sexy and the devastating meets the inspirational." i highly doubt that there's a more fitting description out there at the moment.
due to several ongoing discussions, some more objective than others, it gives me an even greater pleasure (than it usually already would) to present another new nigel wright video to you. butterfly collectors released the third (of seven) live videos that were recorded earlier this year. after anna and barriers, the newest video features the opening track advance from nigel’s debut album millfoil. in my humble opinion, this video shows once more that there can be more than one brilliant version of the same song. advance is one of three videos that were recorded with nigel’s band, clay dean and jamey merritt, at the st. johannes evangelist church in berlin. stay tuned for the last video from the church session and of course more from nigel’s barefoot session. i’m tempted to guarantee you that it’ll be worth it… but see youself. here’s advance...
if you want to know more about nigel wright, you can read an interview with him here (which also includes the videos to barriers and anna) or simply visit his facebook page.
every time i take a trip somewhere to see a band, i’m worried if the trip will be worth it in the end, even if i already know that the band is great live. there’s always this little voice inside my head that keeps saying - "please let the band be good!" much to my reassurance, thinking this in case of ahab is just a waste of time and energy, because there’s simply no need to worry about anything when it comes to their live shows. still buzzing from their london show the weekend before, i made my way down to bath for another great performance.
singer-songwriter ash hancock was up first. he basically fits right into this nice circle of singer-songwriters that’s out there right now. ash and his guitar didn’t have much stage presence due to him sitting, but that almost didn’t matter. despite the sometimes pretty scratchy vocals, he delivered a decent set. if you’re into acoustic folk music, he might just be your new favourite.
normally i’m one of those friendly people that shows up early to see the support act too, because that’s the only decent thing to do if you ask me. and most of the times, the support is actually quite good but at an ahab gig, no matter how good the support might be, you just want them to be done as quickly as possible. in nerve-wracking anticipation of ahab, there’s just no time for any supports.
8.40 pm and ahab finally entered the stage; and enter is the right word here as they’re definitely one of those bands that simply owns the stage once they start playing. they kicked their set off with the wonderful lucy, easily one of my favourites. this song might be so brilliant because it works in every way – either as a full band version or as an acoustic version. moving right along to some of their signature tunes including lightnin bug, we didn’t have to wait long for the first highlight of the night. lots of bands covered wagon wheel over the years but i think it’s safe to say that rarely one of them did it with such energy. if their version of wagon wheel doesn't put you in a good mood, nothing ever will.
new tune love is hell is only one of many songs that requires some serious instrument swapping (except for grahame rolfe on drums who stays true to his roots). the "normal" line-up (if there actually is one) includes callum adamson on 12-string guitar, seebs lewellyn on bass, luke price on mandolin and dave burn on acoustic guitar. but the fact that they all seem to play every instrument on stage at least once during their show, just makes them even more authentic as a band. love is hell finally shows off callum’s vocal talent as he takes over the lead vocals for the first time. if they know what's good for them, we will see this song (and other new ones like soho and love and you and me) on their upcoming album that's due later this year.
another thing that ahab accomplished (unlike many other bands, except for the travelling band perhaps) is that their live performance made me fall in love with one of their songs that i wasn’t too keen on before. like roses never grabbed me on cd, but is now on the best way to become one of my favourites.
after a stunning 17-song set, i was dreading the encore. not because i didn’t want an encore but because i knew what was about to come next. i’m not sure if my father’s eyes is the best ahab song to date (regardless of how you would define "best" in this context), it certainly is the one that moved me to tears. after an absolutely horrendous outburst during this song in london the week before, it did not lose any of its magic and had me in tears again, which was probably mostly due to them singing it unplugged off stage in the audience. they didn’t give me much time to sob though as rosebud provided a perfect end to another amazing evening.
so what’s the verdict of my 5th ahab live experience? even if you’re normally not into alt-country/folk music, you can’t help but enjoy those guys. they make it extremely easy to fall in love with their music because the fun they have on stage is just infectious. amazing four-piece harmonies, songs that get you dancing and crying at the same time and a bunch of very talented musicians – what else could you possibly ask for?
ahab - love is hell (live in bath)
there are various ways that you can connect with ahab - website, facebook, twitter, youtube. make sure to check the website for all upcoming tour dates. check them out live if you have the chance; i guarantee you that you won't be disappointed.
the following message landed in my inbox about four months ago - "hi caroline, here’s another tip for you. maybe you’ll like it." a link was attached but that was it, no further information or any explanation at all. blindsided at first, i had no idea what to expect. little did i know that i was in for a special treat. the link brought me to nigel wright’s website, a few more clicks to his song solid muse and that pretty much sealed the deal.
the influence of 70s folk musicians like james taylor, cat stevens or even carole king in his music is unmistakable, but nigel wright moves beyond this tradition of early 70s folk and creates a sound that leaves you not only impressed but most of all moved. i wouldn't say he invented a new genre, but his music is clearly about more than just a pretty voice, some simple lyrics and a guitar beat that you can tap your foot along to. it’s not hard to convince us that he’s "kind of nice to have around" (upside) and when he sings "you make me feel so safe" (solid muse), that’s all there is to it. his music indeed makes you feel safe, makes you forget everything around you in pretty much the same way as josh tillman helped us to do so over the last couple of years, especially with year in the kingdom.
with millfoil, nigel wright definitely proves that it’s easy to be true to a certain genre and still add a modern touch to it by combining it with the sound of an electric guitar for example. all the songs on the album seem to follow the same pattern, yet they all can stand on their own. each song tells a different story and therefore makes the album so diverse, but they also easily work together as a unit. nigel’s new single anna/clear eyed plans is only one of many different sides millfoil has to offer (even though the single is not actually on the album).
"folk singers may be of an ilk that rarely goes multi-platinum, but their work truly resonates with people of all walks of life, and their legacy is astounding" (kim ruehl)
i certainly do hope that nigel will get the attention he deserves but either way, his music already has an immense impact on the way people (or at least i) look at singer-songwriters in folk music - or even in general.
anna (live - church sessions)
ever since i first listened to nigel’s music, i wanted to find out more about him, his motivations and his music. luckily i had the chance to do so by asking him a few questions myself and here’s what he had to say.
question: both of your parents are painters (the wrights gallery) and you’re doing music, so there’s no doubt that your entire family is obviously talented. how come you chose to do music? did you want to do it professional right from the start or did you have a plan b?
nigel: since my dad sang and played guitar in a celtic band during the 80s i've been interested in playing guitar since i was 14 and he helped me get started with a few chords - but it wasn't until a year later that i really started to experiment with song writing. my renewed interest came after i heard two records. the first, and most importantly, was a record called for cedar by eleanor murray, my cousin. i was fascinated and inspired by how she accomplished such intense feelings in her music with such minimal arrangements. the second record was bon iver's for emma, forever ago, which increased my fascination to the point where i actually sat down in front of my eight track and started to try things. after i had gotten my first bad songs out of the way, and actually had one worth keeping, the experience had given me such a joy that i asked my dad what i needed to do next if i wanted to do this professionally and have a chance of making it my life. he said first write an album, and so i wrote millfoil. since then i've tried to approach music as professionally as i can.
you’re signed to the german record label butterfly collectors, which is based in berlin and haldern, and you’re living in georgia, usa. how did this professional relationship come about?
after the artistic duo springerparker founded butterfly collectors last year, to distribute their music on their own terms, they were on the look out for artists that they felt fit into the vision of their label. a friend mentioned that they should check out this new zealand based ambient noise musician called nigel wright. what ended up happening though was that when they searched for him on the internet all that they could find was this other musician, also called nigel wright, who wrote singer-songwriter music. they got in touch with him (me) on facebook, and explained what they were all about, and asked if i would be interested in being their first artist. it was easy to say yes after seeing and hearing their work.
didn’t it feel a little unreal though or simply too good to be true at first?
definitely. it took me a few weeks to get used to the fact that this was happening. working with a label was something i had frequently dreamed about, but i never expected it to happen so soon.
you’ve just been to germany to record some live sessions with your band (clay dean and jamey merritt), and to switzerland for the one of a million festival. while in switzerland, you did a radio interview with tina nägeli for soundsofa on drs virus. you said in that interview that you started writing songs when you were 15 and that most of those songs ended up on your debut album millfoil. when you sing those songs now, do you still feel the same way about the lyrics as you did when you wrote them? or do sometimes think "well, this could’ve been better"?
i definitely feel i've gotten better at writing lyrics since then, but that fact doesn't make me "roll my eyes" so to say, when i play the millfoil songs now. though there are things in the millfoil lyrics i would avoid in a song i might write now, those things just add to millfoil's charm and specialness for me. (just to clarify, i was writing songs when i was fifteen, but the good ones came after i had turned 16, and all of those became millfoil.)
what or who inspires you to write songs?
good music and good books, especially good music that i hear in the perfect context, even if the context is a simple one, for instance, just driving down the mountain to the store when spring begins to kick in. after those moments pass, i'm usually left with a feeling of yearning to create something that might have the same effect - might make someone else's trip to the grocery store, or wherever, the greatest.
some musicians say that the best songs take ages to write – would you agree or do you think even songs that were written in a short matter of time (or simply very easy to write) can turn out to be absolutely great?
i think it's more complicated than that. writing great songs can come easily and/or quickly at times, but to even have the chance of that happening, sometimes you have to slave over other ideas for weeks. it's all about having a strong work ethic for developing your "voice" without compromise. when you do that, even if that song you slaved over never came together, the things you learned, despite if you didn't understand the lesson, will contribute to some others in the future. nothing's wasted - at least, that's my theory.
when you came to europe in january, did you experience the typical culture shock? i remember from living in the united states that it took me a while to get used to a few things. was there anything that really struck you while you were here?
the shapes of things - if that even counts as culture. everything from the shapes of cars to toilets to doorknobs to food containers and kitchen utensils freaked me out a little. other than that, i didn't feel like it was that hard to adjust.
millfoil is available digitally now, the cd version will be released on march 16th and you’re already confirmed to play at this year’s haldern pop festival in august. what else can we expect from you this year?
i will be touring europe in the summer and also for a month or two sometime in the fall with my band, during which vinyl copies of millfoil and the anna single will be available. also, a total of seven live music videos will be released online, four feature me performing solo and the other three include the band. the four solo videos, titled "barefoot sessions volume 1" will be digitally and physically for sale at the end of may. finally in october, a studio version of the millfoil record will be released, which features all the songs with 3 piece band arrangements. this will also come with a "scrapbook" documenting the summer tour.
barriers (live - barefoot sessions)
you will of course find the other five videos from the church session and the barefoot session, as well as all upcoming tourdates, here on the blog. anna/clear eyed plans is available as a download in all good online music stores, such as amazon (us/uk/germany etc.) and itunes. millfoil is already available as a download too via the butterfly collectors website, where you can also pre-order the cd version. you can find nigel wright on facebook.
many thanks to mirko bogedaly from haldern pop for introducing me to nigel's music, special thanks to oli parker and maik springer from butterfly collectors for making this interview possible and of course massive thanks to nigel wright for answering my questions and most of all his wonderful record.
that name sounds familiar? of course it does or at least it should. with the release of her new double a-side single on fire / fortune,natalie mccool proves once more why she was one of THE discoveries of 2011 for me.
in contrast to her previous eps shoot shoot and black sun, the new release shows natalie from a slightly different side – not as dark and thoughtful most of the times but still as brilliant as ever. what both on fire and fortune have in common are, again, the outstanding lyrics which seem to revel in soothing tones and strong beats at the same time.
as previously mentioned a lot, natalie’s biggest talent is solely her voice. her clear vocals make her music even more of a pleasure to listen to as it already is just by focusing on the gorgeous melodies. when she sings "sold my soul and danced with the devil, lost my guiding light" (on fire) and "a cobalt curse, i’m blind with pain" (fortune), it certainly makes the listener feel like she put a lot of herself into those lyrics. they just come across as very sincere and honest which probably is the whole point of great song-writing anyway.
the video for fortune manages to capture the essence of the song: "oh what use is silver? what good comes of gold? built myself a temple, trapped behind the walls." there are no fast or hasty movements but slow and flowing motions that perfectly keep in tone with the melody. but have a look and a listen yourself below.
the video for on fire will be released soon and you can definitely expect to see it here. meanwhile you should buy the double a-side here and enjoy the great video for fortune.
there is a whole lot more on nigel wright coming your way in the near future but here's a little something to get you all going - or basically as hooked as me.
nigel and his band, clay and jamey, went to berlin in january to record some live sessions, which were filmed by nigel's label butterfly collectors (which was founded in 2011 by maik springer and oli parker aka springerparker). seven videos will be released at some point or another, barriers being the first one. this song is taken from nigel's album millfoil which is available for digital download here (you can also pre-order the cd version there).
after his first european show at the haldern pop bar last month, nigel will be a part of this year's one of a million music festival in switzerland. he's going to play at the hotel du parc in baden this saturday (4th february). the showcase starts at 6.30pm and admission is free, so if you're around make sure to catch nigel's performance.
as i said, you will find all the other videos here as well, so keep checking back for more on nigel wright. but right now, here's barriers...
