Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

Eagle*Seagull, "Photograph"

This song began to play and I actually started to think "Wow, they redid the Flock of Seagulls song, 'Photograph!'" Well, no they didn't, though it does have waves of my old lifestyle, er, music genre New Wave. My decade is making a resurgence, which I must admit is making my thirties go down smoother (and less filling). In this song we have soaring piano parts (my favorite kind of piano parts, though I like quieter piano parts, too), insistant guitar and a lead singer who sounds a lot lot lot lot (say that three more times) like Robert Smith. Robert Smith if he fronted Echo and the Bunnymen. Okay, while that's a strange concept, it works in this song.


Hey, buddy. Her face is above her neck! Eagle*Seagull
Website, Myspace

Grand Salvo, "Brave Like A Goose"

Oh, oh, oh, ohhhh...I can't stop raving about this song (to myself 'cause none of my "real life" friends are interested in my music). Oh this is so awesome. The musician behind the band is an Australian named Paddy, and if this song is an indicator, he may go down in history as one of my favorites (and believe me, history is waiting impatiently for that list). I have a major thing for spritely songs, and this ain't nothin' if it ain't spritely. I'm not sure if that's a Xylophone, but whatever the instrument is that plays throughout the song, it's caught my fancy. His voice echoes--perhaps a fortunate side-effect of the lo-fi approach he took when recording his album, and the hollowness of the vocal track is part of what makes it seem so otherworldly. He introduces other instruments as the song progresses--an oboe? (I'm not good with the instrument identification, but I try) and a violin--and they only serve to make the song more complete and varied.


Grand Salvo
Website, Myspace

Laura Gibson, "Hands In Pocket"

I thought this one was a cover too, when I first downloaded it. Albeit I was thinking "Wait, isn't Alanis' song 'Hand In Pocket'?". Oh well, no matter 'cause it's not a cover! Well, not an Alanis Morrissette cover, anyway. It's definitely its own song. She's got a gorgeous voice, and she lets it poke and prod the song, jumping from note to note and sharply punctuating each syllable. Once again another spritely song. I love my spritely songs. The piano sneaks in with you almost not realizing it and the song is supported by a steady drum rhythm.


Laura Gibson
Website and Myspace

Laura Gibson (photo from her album cover for Amends)
(I wanted to post this because I thought it was a very good photo concept, but I didn't want it to be my main picture of her 'cause you can't tell it's her.)

Frida Hyvonen, "You Never Got Me Right"

I'm hitting it pretty even between boys and girls this time. I was worried it would be too estrogenic (I think I just made up that word) but then I remembered the first two songs were male-fronted (though not heavily testeronic--I think I just made up that word). Anyways, this song is surprisingly short, but she puts a lot into one minute and 53 seconds. Whereas the other songs I posted were for the most part gentle and laconic, this song is highly charged. The piano sounds like it's being banged in frustration, and she rips the verses apart--appropriate for the bitterness and frustration of the lyrics (you can guess what the song's about from the title--the girl ain't happy about someone). Something about the banging piano and the energetic way she delivers the lines makes me think of cabaret music, a la Dresden Dolls (but not campy like Dresden Dolls can be sometimes). Frida's been signed to my favorite label, Secretly Canadian. I've hardly gone wrong with Secretly Canadian (there are small number of artists I don't care for--maybe two) and once again I haven't gone wrong with the Swedes...


Frida Hyvonen (you can't really tell who it is from this photo--it looks like it could be Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, or any blonde woman. I was going to use another photo, but it was giving Flickr problems).
Website, Myspace

Hmmm...which gender will break the tie? Boy? Girl? Maybe to be fair I should post a Michael Jackson song. That would be neutral. Ooh, I'm mean.

Adem, "X Is For Kisses" (Scroll down to #14)

Okay, well I've been wanting to post this for awhile, so for now the boys win. The sensitive, thoughtful boys, though. I posted Adem's song "These Are Your Friends" (what a great song) awhile ago--like maybe a year ago or more. He's an extremely talented musician, and once again I feel like I'm being pulled into a place he's creating as we go, being pulled along for a ride he's arranging.


Adem
Website, Myspace (unofficial)

Also: Please see the previous post for a review I wrote of The Lesser Birds of Paradise's latest album, Space Between. To stream the entire album, click here.