Something Real

In light of Dia Frampton’s performance on NBC’s The Voice, I thought it would be nice to revisit her band, Meg & Dia’s debut album, Something Real.

It was an article in Alternative Press a few years ago where I heard about Meg & Dia for the first time. I immediately logged into their Pure Volume page and immediately I was hooked on their song “Masterpiece”. My first impression was that they were a great indie pop band. It wasn’t until I picked up Something Real the following day that I realize they are much more than that.

Upon first listen, it is obvious that Meg & Dia can rock out. “Monster”, the first track off the record is a dark and sinister portrayal on violence and abuse. Not only is this song an absolute rocker, it proves that they are not afraid to tackle on more mature theme in their music. The energy of song does not stop there and it carries throughout the rest of the album. Other noteworthy rockers on the album are “Roses”, “Indiana” and “Nineteen Stars”. Still, Meg & Dia can still make your heart melt when they slow the tempo down. Along with “Masterpiece”, “Rebecca” and “Setting Up Sunday” are amazing ballads. One thing that I would like point about Meg & Dia is how versatile they are as songwriters. Majority of their lyrics are based on classic literature, which not only showcases how talented they but makes their music even more fascinating. I’m not sure which books they take reference from, but I admire and respect how much thought they put into their music. On one final note Something Real, my favorite track on the record is “Cardigan Weather”. Not only does this song have a jazz blues step into it, it is reminiscent to the Meg & Dia’s early days as a duo. It’s a nice addition to an already stellar album which shows how far they have come.

Meg & Dia’s debut record truly lives up to its name. It is music that offers something real for their listeners.

Dia Frampton

Future Phonograph is a proud supporter of Dia Frampton (Meg & Dia). She is a contestant on NBC’s The Voice and part of Blake Shelton’s Team. Good luck Dia! We’re rooting for you!

Cheer on Dia by tuning to NBC's The Voice every Tuesday night at 10/9c!

Loud Folk

Upon listening to the Wye Oak’s newest record, Civilian, it’s hard to believe that the duo would consider themselves as a folk band. Combining distorted guitars and dreamy synths with honest song writing, they crafted a sound that goes beyond the spectrum of folk music. Fellow folk artists and listeners alike, may be thrown off by their noisy sound. But the idea of combining noise and ambient sounds to a traditional genre is something quite endearing. In fact, it is something worth celebrating for. Wye Oak not only crafted a stellar album, but they have opened doors for other folk artists to think outside the box. To expand their boundaries in a genre that some people consider as “old world music”.

Wye Oak has proven a very critical point in music. With any genre in music there is always room for exploration. With Civilian, folk music has taken a big evolutionary step forward.

Hauntingly Romantic

There is something eerie about playing James Blake self titled album. You don’t know what it is, but you can feel. The moment the music hits your ears, there is a cold chill that runs all over your body. Yet somehow and strangely, you don’t feel frightened.

Everything about the James Blake’s debut is rather simple from the song writing to the structures of the melodies. This may be due to James Blake’s extensive use of minimalism that creates a light poignant atmosphere that can be only described as haunting. However, the album’s lack of complexity does not hinder the album’s overall presentation. In fact, what enhances the listening experience is Blake's classically trained voice. His rich and soothing gives the music a whole new depth. Rather than colliding awkwardly with the music's already haunting mood, his voice complements it. This brings about a welcoming tone that inspired a romantic feel to the music which is quite extraordinary.

The album finishes rather quickly due to the structure of songs, but it will definitely leave a strong impression on the listener. It is no surprise that James Blake crafted one of the most gorgeous albums of the year. And I can you tell this. This amazing piece will more likely be one of the contending albums for Cream of the Crop this year.

Chamber Music

Chamber Music is special type of classical music that is known for its fervent sense of intimacy. It is often known as “the music of friends”. When listening to Esperanza Spalding, it is clear that she has mastered the art of intimacy.

Chamber Music Society is stunning treat to the ears. It is a beautiful collage of blues, jazz and classical music that is both intriguing and welcoming to listen to. With each strum on the bass (her favorite instrument) and with every key played on the piano, you can also feel the music notes soothing your soul. Perhaps, this is why her music gives a strong sense of intimacy. Because the record feels so comfortable, it is not difficult for the listener to feel close to the music. However, the strongest weapon on her arsenal is her captivating voice. Like a music hummingbird she is, she is sweet and delightful with every lyric she sings and can easily win your heart with every breath. Check out my favorite song on the record, "Apple Blossom" which is lovely duet featuring world renowned Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento.

Future Phonograph would like to say congratulations to the lovely Esperanza Spalding for winning Best New Artist at the Grammy’s. It is clear that her talent cannot be measured in Grammy’s and platinum records. Sometimes the best kinds of music are the ones that feel closest to your heart. Espreanza Spalding is no exception. As a special bonus, here is the Tiny Desk Concert she did for NPR music. Enjoy!

80's Inspired

After more than 5 years of hiding, New York's very best The Strokes is returning to the music scene with news of an album. Their new album, Angles will mark their first album since their 2006 stellar release, First Impressions of Earth. The band promised to return to their "classic" sound from their days of  2001's Is This It? and their newest track, "Under The Cover of Darkness" shows that they will keep that promise. You can listen to the track below. Also, the cover of Angles is featured below. Very 80's inspired, but I like it. The new album drops on March 22th.

In The Dirt

Recently, S. Carey, the lead singer of Bon Iver has released the music video for the song, "In The Dirt" off his debut record All We Grow. The music begins with a child getting ready to go outside in the snow as incredible cinematography captures the child's adventure in many different angles. It is a pleasant and lovely concept, which displays a strong sense of playfulness and innocence. Take a few minutes of your time and watch this gorgeous video. You won't regret it.

Happy Birthday Zooey!

Future Phonograph would like to wish our favorite indie songstress (She & Him) and actress (Yes Man, (500) Days of Summer), Zooey Deschanel a very special Happy Birthday! She won our hearts as well as millions of others with her charming quirkiness and dreamy vocals. In honor of her birthday, we are featuring a special video performance of She & Him of their rendition of "Fools Rush In" in part of the Levi's Pioneer Sessions. Zooey, we wish you nothing but the best on your special day!

Passion Pit In Hawaii

When Passion Pit released their debut album, Manners sometime last year, everyone was raving about it. Even John Mayer couldn't stop talking about them. He even wrote about them in my blog during the early stages of Battles Studies. My girlfriend was the one that told me about them. The moment she introduced me to "Sleepyhead" from their Chunk of Change EP, I was immediately hooked to the band's blend of electronic-induced pop rock music. So when BAMP Project announced that they will be playing at Pipeline Cafe on December 11th, it was no surprised who was the first person I told the news.

For those that have never had a chance to indulge in what everyone was raving about last year, here is live footage of Passion Pit performing "Sleepyhead" at Warsaw. This should give you guys a taste of what to experience on December 11th. For more information on the concert, visit BAMP Project.

Symmetrical Face

In honor of my girlfriend's birthday, I'm going to write about one of the first artists she told me about when we first started dating. Not only is she one of the most talented musician/songwriter I had ever heard of, but is also happens to have the most symmetrical face I had ever seen.

Now I probably wondering what I mean with the whole "symmetrical" thing. Well, if you ever watched Bones before (my girlfriend was the one that got me into the show), Dr. "Bones" Brennan uses the word "symmetrical" to describe how handsome her partner Booth is, whom she has a very intimate connection with. I’m not saying that St. Vincent’s striking face is “handsome”, but she is very beautiful. Anne Clark, known by her moniker St. Vincent, is a talented songwriter/musician who was a former member of the The Polyphonic Spree. Her moniker was came from Saint Vincent Medical Center where famous poet Dylan Thomas died. After her stint with The Polysphronic Spree, she began her solo music career. Her albums, the stunning debut, Marry Meand her equally impressive follow up, Actor are two musical masterpieces that showcases the artist's talent and innovation. Her music is as elaborate and intricate as her voice is graceful and captivating. However, St. Vincent's biggest strengths lays in her songwriting. Songs like "Land Mines" (from Marry Me) and "Marrow" (from Actor) really display her ingenius use of imagery and imagination.

If it wasn't for my wonderful girlfriend, I would not be able to discover such an amazing artist. Happy birthday, sweetheart.

The Chill Down Your Spine

I find it very fascinating when music carries invokes a dark and grim element to it. For me, I believe that that uncanny element gives the music a whole new depth. Most people shy away from this kind of music, but I think it is something to embrace for it gives the listener a whole new type of listening experience. Metric's very own maneater, Emily Haines has a knack for creating a dark atmosphere with her music.

According to one of her fans, they described Emily Haines' solo music, aka Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, like a "murderer running their fingers down someone's spine". The description not only gave me chills and goosebumps, but allured me to take a listen. Fortunately, my girlfriend has her solo effort, Knives Don't Have Your Back. I uploaded the record to my iPod, put on my headphones and sat back in chair as the music began to play. As I was listening, I could feel Emily Haines' ghastly, but soothing voice in my veins. The dark atmosphere of the music has put me in a state of trance where I could feel as though there was someone behind me, standing with a blade in their hand. It was strange and slightly scary feeling that brings chills down my spine, but it was an amazing listening experience.

Crowd Surf Off A Cliff by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton by Future Phonograph

One of my favorite tracks on record is "Crowd Surf Off A Cliff". I love it so much that I've decided to post it here in my blog so that everyone can listen. Also, the video for this week is her video, "Dr. Blind", a frightening feature that takes place at a department store at night. It will make you think twice about walking into your nearest Target or Walmart at late in the night.

fun. with Sid Vicious

One of the bands that my girlfriend and I enjoyed listening to last year was the indie pop act, fun. (yes, that's how it's normally spell it out). The band is comprised of members from The Format (Nate Ruess), Anathallo (Andrew Dost) and Steel Train (Jack Antonoff). What makes fun. different from any other band is that they utilize elements of broadway, big band and power pop and incorporate them into their brand of indie rock. What resulted is a sound that is bold, energetic and full of spirit. Their debut album, Aim & Ignite is one of the most unique and enjoyable listening experiences of 2010. Every song that record is nothing short of sensational. One of the songs on the record, "Light A Roman Candle With Me" is a favorite of ours. It's a sweet romantic song that is playful as it is sweet and it's a song that my girlfriend and I would love to do a music video for. Speaking of music video, there is no official music video for "Roman Candle", but I did find this awesome live session of fun. playing the same song. As an added bonus, the video also includes the song "Take Your Time (Coming Home)" which is also featured on their debut album and Sid Vicious from the legendary Sex Pistols makes an appearance.

Smashing Cover

Levi's has campaign called the Levi Pioneer Sessions (in part of Levi Revival Recordings) in which artists cover classics that that have inspired them and the music they create today. I love everyone of these recordings because there is something magical that happens when an artist covers a song that has made an impact in the way they viewed music. It is as though you can feel that exact moment when they made a connection with it. There were many artists that have already participated in these recordings such as She & Him, Jason Mraz, John Legend, The Roots as well as many more. One of those artists stood out among the rest.

Michael Angelakos, the lead vocalist/keyboardist of Passion Pit covered the classic Smashing Pumpkins song, "Tonight Tonight". Instead of using loud guitars, Angelakos used a wide array of electronic sounds and the grace of his voice to recreate the song in his own unique fashion. What came out it is a dreamy, more romantic form of the classic song that still retains the same spirit that it embodied when the Smashing Pumpkins recorded it back in 1996. In the video, Angelakos goes into depth and explained the reason why he chose to cover that particular song. This is my favorite part because it showed what a significant impact the song has made on his view of music. It's a beautiful thing when music is able to do that. You can hear the song below. Passion Pit is currently on tour supporting their latest effort, Manners (there is a really awesome deluxe edition of the album that you get at their official store). For more info on that band, go to their official site or their myspace to hear some of their tracks.

Tonight, Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins Cover) by Passion Pit by Future Phonograph

From Sherwood to The Morning of

The other day, my friend told me that he had been listening to Sherwood the past few days and he asked if I ever listened to them. I acknowledge that I, too have listened to Sherwood and noted that A Different Light was one of my favorite albums. Then as we continued our conversation, he asked me if I had any recommendations that sound similar to Sherwood. I paused during our conversation to think of some bands and the first one I thought of was The Morning of.

I'm not saying that both acts are exactly the same. However, I do admit they do play the same type of music which is pop induced alternative music. However, there are other qualities that make The Morning of stand out, not just to Sherwood, but all other pop rock bands. For one, I love the sincerity and honesty of their lyrics. Their debut album, The World As We Know It, has this amazing positive energy that you can feel it radiating through your ears when you listen to it. Their current release of this year, The Way I Fell In, still carries that energy, but at the same time showcases the depth of their maturity and growth as a band. It is as almost as though they are only going to get better and better. Another great quality about the band are the vocals of Justin Wiley and Jessica Leplon. I read in an article in one publication before and the vocals between the two were described as "dueling". I don't believe that. As a matter of fact, I prefer the word "complimenting". The reason for this is because their voices blend beautifully to create extraordinary harmonies. It's a very loving feeling and quite nice to the ears. Lastly, their pop rock melodies are arranged perfectly and highly infectious without sacrificing depth and artistry. If only you hear more these types of songs on the radio. Nevertheless, they are a very extraordinary band. If you have not listen to either The World as We Know it or their newest release The Way I Fell In, I suggest you do so right now. By the way, check out this amazing live session for their single, "Tell Me I'm Wrong" from The Way I Fell In.

To my friend, if you are reading this, I hope this is what you are looking for. Enjoy.

Going Japanese

I don't know why, but I think it is very intriguing when bands have the word "Japan" or have Japanese related things in their names. Maybe it was the fact that I used to live in the country of the rising sun during my high school days or the fact that I used to study the language made me more drawn to the word. Or maybe it's because I have been listening to Post-Nothing by Japandroids that it got me thinking about the idea. I came up with three different bands that are not really from Japan, but without looking at the band and just focusing on their names make it seem otherwise.

Japandroids

The first time I told a friend of mine about Japandroids, he looked them up and was literally surprised that they were not Japanese. True story. But actually, the guitar & drum duo, Brian King and David Prowse hail from Vancouver, Canada. When I first listened to their music, it reminded me of Death From Above 1979 except with no synthesizers, less noise and a more refined distortion sound. Their album Post-Nothing is garage rock gem that is considered one of the most noteworthy albums of this year.

Big Japan

I read about this band in the March 2010 issue of Alternative Press (#260; 30 Seconds to Mars on the cover). Adam Brody and Brett Harrison, formerly from The O.C., formed Big Japan in 2005 and recorded a album entitled Music For Dummies (it was later renamed to Untitled due to legal issues concerning with the name). Their album was surprisingly impressive, but due to scheduling differences, the band only played a handful of shows. Because of this, their album, which I'm still looking for, has become a highly sought-after collector's item.

Tokyo Police Club

Okay, their name does not have the word "Japan" in it, but you can't get any more Japanese than "Tokyo". Hailing from Newmarket, Ontario (again not from Japan), Tokyo Police Club have already established themselves as one of the most promising acts in the music scene today with their own blend of post-punk induced garage rock. With two EPs (A Lesson In Crime and Smith) and one album (Elephant Shell) under their belt the band is already gearing up for their second album, Champ, which is will be released this year.

Minimal Approach

I have been noticing on Absolutepunk.net that they have been posting Daytrotter sessions of different artists. The first one I saw was Lights. Then I saw one of Hellogoodbye. Then there was one for fun. They even had one for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force when their Christmas album, Have Yourself A Meaty Little Christmas. After that I looked more into what the Daytrotter sessions were all about.

Daytrotter Sessions are recordings from Futureappletree Studio 1 at Rock Island, Illinois. They feature many different indie artists and local Illinois bands and artists. The artist record and play their songs there with a minimal approach, making the sound very raw and simplistic. It sounds very nice. You can also download the songs from their website. All you have to do is register your email and you are all set.

Click on the picture below and check it out. This has plenty of artist to listen to.

Modern Day Beatles...Sort of

I don't know how I stumbled upon listening to this band, but all I know is that they were one of the bands that I missed out in 2008. When Gatsby's American Dream went on a hiatus, the members of the band went on to pursue many side projects. One of them was Kirk Hoffman and Kyle O'Quin's side project called Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. I don't know how to describe it, but according to an article from Alternative Press, it states that their music is what the Beatles would play today, but not something that the actually Beatles would play. Pretty interesting, huh? Check out their video below for this song " Hey Momma". Don't forget to pick up their self-titled while you are at it. I highly recommend it.

Where The Wild Things Are

One of the movies that I am absolutely excited for this year would be Spike Jonze adaptation of the popular children's book Where The Wild Things Are. I have already seen the trailer and it looks spectacular. Since this is a music blog, I can't help but comment about the music of the movie. For those that don't know, the entire soundtrack is recorded by none other than Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and The Kids. The "Kids" referred to on the soundtrack is Karen O's band which includes Brian Chase and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs as well as Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, Raconteurs Jack Lawerence and The Dead Weather's Dean Fertita. Overall, the Where The Wild Things soundtrack is sensational for both the ears of young children and adults and it fits well with Spike Jonze's vision of the book. Make sure to pick up the soundtrack before the movie comes out on October 16. Click here or the movie poster below and it will take you to Stereogum where you can listen to soundtrack in its entirety.

Random Musical Number

I have just watched the movie (500) Days of Summer with my girlfriend about a week ago and I have been meaning to write about it, but I never got a chance to. Anyways, the movie was awesome. The cinematography and the storytelling is absolutely brilliant. The one thing I love about the movie is that it is not your typical love story (that is a forewarning to some of you). It is a real and natural love story. Oh, did I mention the music was also great? Before my girlfriend and I watched the movie, we picked up the soundtrack and we both instantly love fell in love with the music. It features artists such as Regina Spektor, The Smiths, She & Him (the leading lady of the movie, Zooey Deschanel's own music project), The Temper Trap, Simon & Garfunkel and of course Hall & Oates. Speaking of Hall & Oates, one of my favorite scenes in the movie was when Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a mini musical number with their song "You Make My Dreams Come True". I wish when I have a good day that me and bunch of people would randomly break out into song and dance. I was able to find the video online and just want to share it with you. But I highly suggest watching the movie when you have the time. Don't forget to bring a date.