Really simple, almost childlike arrangements revolve around a single line or thought, some delicate piano, flute, etc., and the irresistible layered voices of Swedish songbird Helena Sundin. Makes for exquisite bedtime music. More MP3s where these came from…follow the links below.
Matthew Friedberger
This one’s been sitting on the back-burner for too long. An enigmatic little label releases the first solo record (a double album!) from prolific songwriter Matthew Friedberger, one half of the brother/sister duo The Fiery Furnaces. Part 1 of the album, Winter Women, as represented by the first download, is a more hooky, melodic affair with plenty of spacey textures Furnace fans will appreciate. Spontaneous speaking in foreign tongues inspired part 2 of the album, Holy Ghost Language School, and expectedly embodies the weirder, more experimental tracks such as “Do You Like Blondes?” Possessed or collected, Friedberger continues to compose songs that will both trip you out and get you singing along.
Health & Beauty
There’s something very, very good happening on Chicago’s south side, and that good thing is called Mr. Hyde Records. To quote from their mission statement, Mr. Hyde is a record label that “focuses on making definitive compilations of the rock music being made in Hyde Park.” When I lived in Hyde Park ten years ago, it wasn’t really clear that there was much music being made in the neighborhood; it didn’t help that there was only one bar, Jimmy’s, and the local university is pretty geeky. Then again, as 3hive proves week in and week out, geeks rock. Based on Mr. Hyde’s output, like the recent Jackson Park Express compilation, the U of C scene is rich, diverse and (surprise, surprise) notably cerebral.
So, Cola Wars was our first Mr. Hyde related post, even if I didn’t really know what it meant at the time. (In true home-grown fashion, all these guys are in ten bands and running their own label.) Anyway, Health & Beauty is another band in the family; Brian J. Sulpizio even looks like my cousin’s crazy ex-boyfriend. Though his music doesn’t really reflect this craziness — you’ll find a little noise here and there, among beautiful melodies and smart, smoothly-delivered lyrics — the Health & Beauty website itself is like a psychedelic corn maze of poetry and random association. I spent at least an hour wandering around “Eraser Metropolis”, following the links and taking it all in. Over the next few weeks I’ll post a few more Mr. Hyde bands; if you like what you hear, go ahead and buy a few compilations.
Muggs
I know this one’s a few years old but this is such the un-Muggs album and perfect for this moody time of year. Muggs is best known for the venomous hooks behind all your favorite Cypress Hill and House of Pain joints, as well as collabos with various hip-hop all-stars under the Soul Assassins umbrella. On 2003’s Dust though he pays homage to his less obvious influences such as Pink Floyd and brought in some lesser known vocalists in Amy Trujillo and Josh Todd. Dusted, natch, but broadly accessible.
Katell Keineg
It’s not a beautiful day in Michigan, with wind, cold rain and lightning, so there’s plenty of time to tell the Katell Keineg story. Daughter of a Breton poet and Welsh schoolteacher and current resident of Dublin (Ireland, not Ohio), Keineg received heavy-duty critical and music industry acclaim in the 1990s. Elektra released two of her albums, she was close friends with the late Jeff Buckley, and she worked with Iggy Pop and Natalie Merchant (not at the same time). Since then she’s put out albums on indie labels Field Recording Co. and Megaphone Music, been adored by Rolling Stone and The New York Times, and built a following for her live performances. Jennifer S. from L.A. — who suggested Katell Keineg back in June — was pretty stoked to see her live, and if the two tracks available here for download are a sign of what she heard, it must have been a unique experience. “Beautiful Day” couldn’t be much farther away from the experimental sounds of “Pablo Quilla’s Dream” unless it was amped-up metal instead of the sing-along, calypso-esque piece of happiness it is. So yeah, time to set “Beautiful Day” on repeat, close the blinds and pretend that’s what it really is outside.
Polyphonic the Verbose
Polyphonic isn’t just a swell sounding stage name, it really gets at the complexity of Will Freyman’s production. He weaves live instruments and bizarre samples into intricate patterns no doubt drawing from his diverse musical background (classical European piano, jazz trombone, Indonesian gamelan music, medieval European choral music — you name it, he’s played it). The net result is what a lazy record clerk might file under “dub” for its spacey vibe and stilted gait, but there’s more to it than that. So much more, in fact, that intrepid MCs like Nico B, Serengeti, and Psalm One lined up to add their rhymes to Polyphonic’s solo debut, Abstract Data Ark.
The New Sound of Numbers
Odd, rhythmic, friendly pop that strays just slightly off course from its Athens, GA/Elephant 6 roots. Here’s the quick geneology: The New Sound of Numbers was founded by Hannah Jones, percussionist for Circulatory System, which is the band W. Cullen Hart formed after Olivia Tremor Control broke up. And Olivia Tremor Control, well, that’s where the Elephant 6 reference comes in. (Scott W. told me once I tend to assume everyone’s following along, so for you slowpokes here’s a handy Elephant 6 history lesson.) The debut album, called Liberty Seeds, is due out in October 2006 on Hart’s own Cloud Recordings.
Feathers
Raised on bands like The Pixies and The Smiths, Eddie Alonso’s musical boundaries broadened upon hearing Can’s Ege Bamyasi. From that point forward Alonso worried less about using his music to tell a particular story, and instead concentrated on mesmerizing the listener. With his work cut out for him Alonso honed his recording skills and hoarded music gear with his “Canned” inspired musical theory in mind. Writing music with his bandmates, Matt Crum and Eric Rasco, under the moniker Feathers, the trio merges all styles without working towards any sound in particular. What emerges are riveting instrumental tracks suited for a world where Esquivel and Bacharach are worshipped as pop idols.
North Valley Subconscious Orchestra
Medicine played in Memphis right before I got home from college one summer, but my brother Josh and our friend Andy saw them and even visited with them at the Admiral Benbow Inn (just recently demolished). They learned that Medicine’s wicked guitar feedback was achieved by running Brad Laner’s guitar through a four track and turning all the knobs up. We spent that whole summer trying to get a four track to mimic a distortion pedal with no success. Brad Laner, we determined, was a genius. Which is probably why I recently Tivo-ed the movie “The Crow,” just so I could see that scene of Medicine playing “Time Baby,” trying to get a glimpse of his guitar setup. Now Laner and fellow guitarist Christopher Willits, as North Valley Subconscious Orchestra, are releasing another feast of guitars on Ghostly’s digital download-only album The Right Kind of Nothing. More melodic feedback, anyone?
Jab Mica Och El
From the same label that brought you Secret Mommy come the similarly playful Jab Mica Och El from Denmark. Unlike Secret Mommy, Jacob and Michael seem less interested in making playful songs out of non-musical sounds (with the exception of the bicycle project) and more intent on making playful songs out of familiar instruments such as the banjo, flute, and tuba. After some laptop manipulation and reorganization, the sounds that emerge feel surprising and spontaneous, warm and real — as if some Appalachian robots got drunk and started to jam until they haphazardly came across a tune. Perfect for your next barbecue (Appalachian, robot, or otherwise).