Taken By Trees vs. Anna Karina

The other day, I saw “Anna”, a 1967 French musical starring Anna Karina. It’s a TV movie, so it’s a bit poor, but Anna absolutely radiates with her ear-to-ear grin and her manic eyes. I felt the urge to make a music video out of her scenes. Then I remembered hearing a fantastic, summery remix of Taken By Trees’ “Anna” by CFCF a couple weeks ago. I went ahead and mashed the two up. It took me ages to finish, but I think I did alright. So if you want to see the New Wave heroine dancing to Taken By Trees' music, here's your chance!

Grab the remix, too.

Taken By Trees - Anna (CFCF Remix)

What do you think of my amateur attempt at editing? I hope I did the ever-lovely Anna Karina justice, and if I didn't, I apologize.

Music For A Spring Night

Picking where the last post left off... Sun is down. Here are 5 more songs for springtime in the winding down hours. I tried to evoke a calmer, more relaxing atmosphere with this one. Not overtly chirpy, but not too depressing either. Hope you all are having a great Sunday evening.




Joanna Newsom - On A Good Day
(Have One On Me, 2010)
I still haven't worked my way through the entire set, but what I can tell you is that the shortest track on the record is beautiful indeed.
Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story
(Still Night, Still Light, 2009)
Everything these three ladies makes is just lovely.
Daniel Martin Moore - It's You
(Stray Age, 2008)
Josh Rouse - Quiet Town
(Substitulo, 2006)
Sweet acoustic folk sounds from two "sensitive troubadours".
The Go Find - Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight
(Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight, 2010)
This track is definitely made for driving. Complete with nostalgia-induced lyrics: "Oh, let me take you back to the '90s, when we were teens." Though I wasn't a teen in the '90s, the song made me want to pretend to.

Music For A Spring Day

Springtime is finally upon us. Gone are the tedious, brooding moodswings of winter. The return of sunlight is very much welcome indeed, though it was like a furnace outside a few days ago. I guess I shall spend less time wallowing now, and start bringing out brighter shades of music. Here's a quick mix of breezy, light tunes to match the mood of a carefree, jolly spring day. Enjoy your Sunday, folks.





Jonna Lee - Lake Chermain
(This Is Jonna Lee, 2009)
One of my favorite tracks from the alleged culprit behind "viral sensation" iamamiwhoami.
Zee Avi - Just You And Me
(Zee Avi, 2009)
I first heard of this fine ukelele track from that eyewear commercial starring Elijah Wood & the divine Shirley Manson, which should not be missed.
Saint Etienne - Mario's Cafe
(London Conversations, 2009)
What a gem this is. Originally from their 1993 album "So Tough", this song still sounds so fresh. I can see people breaking out in song & dance to it in the streets.
The Lucksmiths - Sunlight In A Jar
(Warmer Corners, 2005)
A jaunty twee ditty from the now-defunct Australian band.
Springfactory - As Winter Gives Way To Spring
(Springfactory, 2007)
I've been keeping this obscure goody for such an occasion. '60s-inflected indie pop from the side project of a guy from Suburban Kids With Biblical Names.


That's all for the day. Come back later for another batch of springtime tunes.

Covered: Noisettes Reimagined Buzzcocks

Noisettes recently covered Buzzcocks' new wave classic "Ever Fallen In Love" for Dr. Martens' 50th anniversary campaign, and it has finally been put up online today as a free download, along with a pretty glossy music video directed by famed photographer duo Rankin & Chris (whose last work was Kelis'  "Acapella" video). Video + the track after the jump.







DOWNLOAD: Noisettes - Ever Fallen In Love


The Donna Summer "I Feel Love" sample was an interesting touch, but the Moroder synths didn't exactly work well with it, did they? I love Shingai, but this cover just didn't wow me. The definitive cover version for this song still is Nouvelle Vague's.
There will be 9 other covers by 9 other artists spreading throughout this year, all of which can be downloaded at the cost of your email address here. I'm particularly looking forward to The Cinematic Orchestra & The Raveonettes' contributions.

On a sidenote, Shingai's pre-Noisettes collaboration with Matthew Herbert, "The Audience", is still a toe-tapping stunner.

Two Door Cinema Club Remixed By Ted & Francis

Two Door Cinema Club is quickly securing their place as one of my favorite new acts of 2010. Their debut album "Tourist History" supplied me enough super slick Phoenix-lite power pop tunes to last a whole year. While they have no novelty or gimmicks to offer, they've got crunchy riffs and infectious melodies in abundance. The latest single, "Something Good Can Work", is one of their best tracks to date, and in a utopian world, it would be a certified summer smash. Ted & Francis certainly got the idea as they stepped ahead and add a tropical flavor to the song! Now all they need is to release "Eat It Up, It's Good For You" next for a solid string of fun & catchy pop rock singles. Get the remix after the jump.




Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work (Ted & Francis Remix)

Here's the video, involving some cool camera tricks.

10 Amazing Things About She & Him's New Video "In The Sun"

These are those.

• Synchronized dancing overload!
• Zooey's impossibly pretty hair! And the wink at 2:18! Ain't she puuurdy!
• The giddy Asian dancing bro!
• Sunglass-wearing M. Ward looking a bit like Robert Downey Jr! He's just too cool for school! *sorry*
• Hula hoops!!!
• Polka-dots!!!
• Badass fake guitar playing there, Mr. Him. 
• The little walk off Zooey does at the end.
• It was directed by Bring It On director, who worked previously with Zooey on Yes Man. 
• The whole affair was basically a hip, "indie" version of Glee.

And here I thought she couldn't be any more adorable. I have watched the video more than 4 times today already, I might as well create a "I Hate Ben Gibbard" Facebook group.

I know some might have issues with her cutesy-indie-chick-in-vintage-dresses schtick considering she's a grown-ass 30-year-old woman, but not me at all! In fact, the video took an already great song to a new level. It almost feels like a follow-up to that music video she did with Joseph Gordon-Levitt for "500 Days Of Summer". It's so awesome that it dragged me out of blogging retirement just to rave about it! From the 3 songs off "Volume Two" so far, I predict this record will be just as strong and catchy as the first. The b-side to "In The Sun", "I Can Hear Music" is a gorgeous Ronettes cover that needs to be heard. It seems Zooey is seriously commited to this musical liaison. I loved the first album, so here's hoping these two can keep up the pace of one new volume every year, because I will always have a place for more sunny, simple melodies.


MP3: She & Him - In The Sun


"Volume Two" comes out on March 23 on Merge. Pre-order here.

Take me out tonight...

 
Two months ago, I found myself sitting in a cab on the way back to my dorm at 2AM. There I was, still reeling from the overflowing joy of an amazing gig experience. The streets were literally deserted. Trees basked in an ember-colored glow rolled by. Right at that moment, suddenly the lyrics of The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" popped in my head. And it just felt so... right. Finally, I understood it. Now I don't know much about The Smiths, and I think I've only heard about 5 songs of them. But this one particular song will forever be engraved to that special memory of mine.

Here are some fantastic covers of it.


Angie Hart's version is a stripped-down piano one with her angelic voice.

Death Cab For Cutie's is a typical Ben Gibbard acoustic rendition.

The Lucksmiths' makes a bittersweet twee-pop version.

And I conclude with the distinctive baritone of Neil Hammond of The Divine Comedy.

Brilldream

Brilldream is a blog dedicated to unearthing indie, indiepop, northern soul (etc) that you may not have heard of. They are polishing up old gems and generally keep the faith. They also have a myspace site here. Expect The cavalcade, The school etc. Try it out:

Under The Covers...

So, daylight saving, huh? It starts to get dark at just about 5 in the afternoon here now. The last winter of the noughties is coming. Oh well, more reasons to stay in and listen to sad music. As promised, here is another batch of rare covers. I believe these are definitely the best picks in recent memory.

Joan As Police Woman - Overprotected (Britney Spears)
(Cover, 2009)

Such a peculiar pick. I mean when you decide to cover a Britney song, 'Overprotected' wouldn't be the first you think of. Still, I think Joan did a great job with this. From a tour-only cd.

Owen - More Than Words (Extreme)
(The Seaside EP, 2009)

Yes, this is a cover of that song by those two long-haired dudes. Can you detect any irony in his voice? Because what I hear is pretty earnest.

Taken By Trees - My Boys (Animal Collective)
(East Of Eden, 2009)

A gender-reverse reinterpretation by ex-Concretes Victoria Bergsman. Accompanied by a dreamy, oh-so-summery video.

Flunk - Karma Police (Radiohead)
(This Is What You Get, 2009)

It is not easy to cover Radiohead, but I think Norwegian downtempo outfit Flunk swang the song in an interesting direction, and it worked. One for the nightdriving.

Peter Broderick - Roscoe (Midlake)
(7", 2008)

I searched for this on Hype Machine, and was baffled that no one had picked up on this excellent cover before. Perhaps this is due to the fact it was a limited 7" b-side? Anyway, if you just download one from the post, make it this one. It's a faithful cover while also bringing something fresh to the original. The moment in the second verse when the handclaps start is absolutely amazing.

Dead Man's Bones

Guess who's the next actor to go for the mic? Ryan Gosling. I know, never crossed my mind either. "Dead Man's Bones" is the musical project of him & Zach Shields, with a record coming out soon on Anti. At first, I listened to their track called 'My Body's A Zombie For You' out of curiosity only (with a title like that, who wouldn't?).
But it turned out to be a strange, strange delight. It's all novelty, but creepily catchy. There's not much to say about his singing, but man, the children choir killed on this one (no pun intended). Children choir is like the new handclaps. If I were walking around campus with this track on my iPod, I would have to resist the urge to raise my fists to the sky and shout along: "My body's a zombie for yoooooooooouuuu!", as that would be the equivalent of committing social suicide, I think. Well, with the current vampire craze, I guess the zombies can cash in, too.


Dead Man's Bones - My Body's A Zombie For You


I haven't heard anything else by them yet (how insightful of me), but I'm liking this trend of actors-turned-singers opting for the indie route, as they actually make listenable music. I love She & Him, and that Scarlett Johansson & Pete Yorn song 'Relator' is not bad at all. I could get used to this.

Back To School

Here's a little synthy ditty for the occasion. Possibly one of the most British things I've heard. Lush accent, wry lyrics, and a children choir sample on loop. Brilliance.

Black Box Recorder - The School Song


Black Box Recorder is one of those great long-lost Britpop bands, and if you like Saint Etienne, you should definitely check them out.

Covered: 500th Post

As you might have noticed, lately I've developed a thinly-veiled preference for covers. Should I face it and just transform this blog into a covers-only one? I admit there are lots of pros to posting covers. They take less time to prepare draft, the source is perpetual, and I love seeing songs I heard before in new coats. Plus any song covered should, by default, be at least half-decent. I do have a thing for rarities, be it covers, remixes, acoustic versions, demos or unreleased tracks. But on the other hand, I still want to talk about new artists and other aspects of music too. These days, I mostly talk about new music through Twitter though. Oh dear, this has become rather puzzling, hasn't it?

Oh well, meanwhile, here are 5 fresh picks from my library. All clickworthy.

Nicole Atkins - Under The Milky Way (The Church)
(Digs Other People's Songs EP, 2008)
A rather unexpected but excellent rendition of this underappreciated '80s new-wave gem.

The Watson Twins - Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
(Fire Songs, 2008)
I apologize for not featuring this gorgeous version earlier. Probably one of my favorite covers in 2008. The hazy twang-tinged vibe is so beautiful.

Vienna Teng - 1000 Oceans (Tori Amos) (Live)
Have you heard the new Tori album? It's just like I expected, half of it was good but other was just dreadful. My fave tracks are 'Maybe California' & 'Flavor'. It's such a shame she's past her prime, as I was going through a heavy old-Tori phase earlier this year. Here's a faithful cover of one of her best ballads, '1000 Oceans'.

Duke Special - Shining Light (Ash) (Live)
Annie Lennox recently covered this. But Duke Special & Coldplay got there first. This time, I give you Duke Special's.

Billie The Vision And The Dancers - I'm A Cuckoo (Belle & Sebastian)
(A Century of Covers: Belle and Sebastian Tribute, 2oo6)
Such a straightforward take, and yet I do like it as much as the original. The spirit is not lost here. I haven't spent much time with the new Stuart Murdoch project 'God Help The Girl', but 'Come Monday Night' is lush. Billie makes lo-fi indie pop and he's good at it. And he gives it all away for free! Be sure to look up his excellent collab with Hello Saferide, 'Overdosing With You', maybe the first song to reference Desperate Housewives characters!




PS. A post was deleted by Blogger last week, so technically, this is now my 500th post. Cheers, for the second time!

Covered: Kat Edmonson

Kat Edmonson is a fresh, young voice to emerge in the jazz scene with her debut album 'Take To The Sky' recently released...
No wait come back!
Beside the obligatory standards like 'Summertime' & 'Night And Day', she also offers a unique spin on more contemporary hits, two of which is 'Just Like Heaven' and 'Lovefool'. To be honest, I was too suspicious of how she would reimagine these songs into her smooth, classic jazz style, but she seems to pull it off with ease. In short, I dig her versions. My favorite is probably 'Lovefool', though. So check them out, cover lovers, and see if she did a good job or not?


Kat Edmonson - Just Like Heaven (The Cure)

Kat Edmonson - Lovefool (The Cardigans)
*sorry, removed as requested

Nina Nastasia

I've been a quiet follower of Nina Nastasia for a couple years now, and last week, to my surpise, I realized she was never mentioned here. How could it slip my mind?
Nina's music is quite stark, stripped down but poetic. Her short story-songs conveys raw emotions. My entry point was actually her 4th album, 'On Leaving'. One highlight was definitely track 8, 'Treehouse Song'. Growing up, I was fascinated with the idea of a treehouse, though we never had one. There was just something neat about having your own little space, to escape to and be by myself, to gaze upon the surroundings from a different view. So I guess the song just struck all the right chords with me. And everytime the cascading piano keys arrived at the chorus... it was astounding.
Her follow-up a year later is a collaboration with Jim White, a more experimental effort. The artwork was fantastic as usual, and there were good songs, but I felt something missing from this album. Nevertheless, I remain a fan and am really looking forward to some new materials by her. For now, you can try a few samples below.


Nina Nastasia - Treehouse Song
Nina Nastasia - Settling Song
(On Leaving, 2006)


Nina Nastasia & Jim White - Our Discussion
(You Follow Me, 2007)

Covered: Kate Bush

Kate Bush is one of those trail-blazing artists that are so often cited as influence, and yet never properly investigated by me. And then on this fateful night, I was bored enough to make a routine check of Youtube, and decided to view her video for Wuthering Heights. Oh my, it was a revelation. I had heard that she has a reputation for being kooky before, but after viewing that, I know she's a total cuckoo! (in a good way, of course). That video was so amazingly shot and choreographed that it's still refreshing by today's standards. To think that it was about 30 years ago! It took me a while to get used to her voice, but once I did, the song becomes superb and addictive.
Well, I'm convinced. Consider me converted. I shall investigate more about this delightfully bonkers woman's music. In the meantime, here are some covers of two of her most popular singles, 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Running Up That Hill'.


Chromatics - Running Up That Hill
(Night Drive, 2007)
Italo disco!

Placebo - Running Up That Hill
(Sleeping With Ghosts (Special Edition), 2003)
Androgynous alt rock!

Within Temptation - Running Up That Hill
(Single, 2004)
Dutch symphonic rock!

The Puppini Sisters - Wuthering Heights
(Betcha Bottom Dollar, 2006)
'40s cabaret!

The Sweptaways - Wuthering Heights
(CDR, 2006)
Gleeful Swedish a cappella choir!

Songs For Sunday

I've been saving these for a day like today, for it's the perfect time to spin them. I'll let the tunes speak for themselves. Enjoy your weekend!


Fionn Regan - Be Good Or Be Gone
(The End Of History, 2007)
Lay Low - Last Time Around
(Farewell Good Night's Sleep, 2009)
Alexi Murdoch - All My Days
(Away We Go Soundtrack, 2009)
Ian Broudie - Song For No One
(Tales Told, 2004)
Little Joy - Unattainable
(Little Joy, 2008)

Simone White

Simone White possesses a lilting, mellifluous voice. She crafts songs that sound much better on rainy days. Her bittersweet mellow ditties are unobtrusively pleasant, but alluring enough to draw me in and keep me coming back. Because sometimes, that is all I need, beautiful, acoustic music to make the day seem a little less longer.


Simone White - The Beep Beep Song
(featured in an Audi commercial)

Simone White - Why Is Your Raincoat Always Crying?

Simone White - Sweetest Love Song


Her new album, entitled "Yakiimo", will be released soon in June, which gives you just about enough time to catch up with her solid 2007 album "I Am The Man". Other highlights include 'I Didn't Have Any Summer Romance' & 'We Used To Stand So Tall'.

Covered: Jens & Tracey

Jens Lekman and Tracey Thorn
recently teamed up for the 20th-anniversary Merge Records covers compilation "Score!". As I'm a big fan of both, I was psyched when Tracey first announced this on her blog. It literally just came out of nowhere. And I can confirm that it's indeed excellent. Their voices just entwined so well together, and it's deceptively sweet for the wry, deadpan lyrics. Definitely one of the best covers I've heard in 2009.

Tracey Thorn and Jens Lekman - Yeah! Oh, Yeah! (The Magnetic Fields)
I always meant to check out Magnetic Fields' stuff, actually, but I got intimidated by their hefty discography. It doesn't help that the most recommended album to start with is called '69 Love Songs'!

And while we're at it, here are some more fine covers courtesy of Jens & Tracey:

Jens Lekman - A Little Lost (Arthur Russell)
Damn you and your kalimba, Jens.

Jens Lekman - Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death (Scout Niblett)
The build-up here is amazing. Instruments along the way with Jens' crooning make the lyrical content less grim. Almost. :(

Jens Lekman - Water Runs Dry (Boyz II Men)
Wait for his explanation at the end.

Tracey Thorn - King's Cross (Pet Shop Boys)
The Hot Chip Mix is probably more popular, but here's the original version of the cover, a b-side to 'It's All True'. Earlier this year, there was a period when the chorus lyrics of this song really resonated with me.


Last but not least, check out this brilliant collaboration of Jens with Swedish choir The Sweptaways, called 'Happiness Will Be My Revenge'. So so good. Jens has got the Midas touch, everything he does is essential. His collabs? I'll save that for another time.

More Covers Coming Your Way...

collage by Julien Pacaud

Another batch of covers. I'm not really in the mood to write some new artists-centric posts, so this should suffice for now. I was having a dreary day that seemed to drag forever, so here's hoping yours is going more smoothly. Besides, if those stats were to be trusted, you guys do love covers. Scoop 'em up, folks!


Rio En Medio - Let's Groove (Earth Wind & Fire) (Let's Groove/Staying Alive 7", 2008)
A simple, yet addictive groove. Her own music is not too dissimilar to what Bat For Lashes is doing.

Tara Busch - Let's Go To Bed (The Cure) (Various Artists - Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to the Cure, 2008)
One of the better ones from an uneven compilation. I really dig this psych-folk take. It appears that Tara's bed may be way up there, among the clouds.

Tricky - Slow (Kylie) (Knowle West Boy, 2008)
Unexpected. His version verges more on electro-rock. Did you know Emilíana Torrini co-wrote this track, and won a Grammy for it? Didn't see it coming either.

Bryn Christopher - Sour Times (Portishead) (My World, 2008)
Bryn was an unfortunate case of buzz over quality. He can sing, and wears nice trenchcoats, but his debut single was rubbish, and the follow-ups didn't fare so well, either. There was a Portishead cover on his album and it wasn't even mentioned in the press releases.

Ingrid Michaelson - Creep (Radiohead) (Live Sessions EP - iTunes, 2009)
The standard Radiohead cover song. Ingrid has a pretty voice and an uncanny resemblance to Lisa Loeb. Her songs are a bit too coffee-table-friendly for me, but this cover is lovely indeed.

Covered: Girls Aloud

Everybody wants a piece of Girls Aloud nowadays.

First, Scottish musician Malcolm Middleton recently put up his cover for 'Call The Shots' for free on his website. Also included is his take on The Saturdays' hit 'Issues'. Malcolm's tactic is nothing new, which is to strip it down, dissect the melodies, strum the guitar and put on a strong accent. Still, it's interesting to hear such meticulously-produced pop songs in such context. The Saturdays cover might even be better than the original - the lamest single of the pop group so far (their pedestrian charity cover of Depeche Mode's 'Just Can't Get Enough' already counted).

Malcolm Middleton -Call The Shots (Girls Aloud Cover)

Malcolm Middleton - Issues (The Saturdays Cover)


Bloc Party had also covered 'Call The Shots' for Radio 1's Live Lounge. The intention is good, but let's say Kele's voice is not best suited for the song...

Bloc Party - Call The Shots


The latest British up-and-coming act, Florence & The Machine (pictured above) had a go at 'Can't Speak French', too. I still remain undecided on her own music, but her folk-infused cover is quite alright. She's clearly a nutter, which is great. I wonder whether Nicola and Florence would meet to share fashion tips?

Florence & The Machine - Can't Speak French (Girls Aloud Cover)


It's funny that only after 6 years in the business that Girls Aloud finally reached their peak, thanks to no small parts from Cheryl Cole's current X-Factor judge stint. My unashamed fascination with the group is also at an all-time high. 'Out Of Control' might not be their best album, but it still is an amazing pop confection. They even came close to dethroning The Cardigans as the most listened to band on my iPod (yikes)! It's great to see them getting the recognition they deserve, and here's hoping for a couple more albums before the eventual split.