This post is a translation of the fifth part in a series of music reviews by my best friend Vũ Lâm Đại (Ki) and his friend Syka Lê Vy (Ka) on their Facebook accounts.
Original review is in Vietnamese, English translation by Mai.
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Cover: Ki. Click to listen on Youtube.
Jun Miyake feat. Lisa Papineau – tHe heRe aNd afTer [Stolen from strangers (2007)]: those who admired Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan would be appalled by the complementarity of Papineau’s and Hannigan’s voices. This little detail aside, tHe heRe aNd afTer belongs to the easy-listening category, but it is still interesting enough to make one crave and scavenge for the whole album. The multi-level arrangement, the spontaneous jazzy instrumental, the beautiful yet anxious melody and a voice floating down the music background emanate the memories that have been pulled backwards by time.
Let’s talk a bit about the album. Jun Miyake and his collaborators have incorporated fifteen years of traveling around the globe into each score: the swaying bossa nova and tropalica from South America and Arto Lindsay’s voice (which immediately reminds you of the velvety vocals of the renown Brazilians Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil), a little bit of eleganza italiana, the Balkan wind, the French charm, and a few gentle touches of the Japan soul. It’s not a mismatch, it’s rich. I remember reading somewhere on the internet, “Stolen from strangers” is like having a friend stopping by for tea but ending up cooking a feast for dinner.
Jamie XX – Far Nearer [Far Nearer / Beat For 12“ (2011)]: if there’s any complaint to be made to Jamie, it would be that his fans are waiting for a solo album 100% Jamie XX instead of little recording projects. On a good day, Far Nearer can make you wear out your “replay” button. The scrumptious, stylish drum, the vocal loop „I feel better when I have you near me“ used all over the song gives Far Nearer a laid-back yet positive atmosphere. The rhythm resonates inexplicably well with the soul frequency. Far Nearer is the rare streak of light in contrast to the rest of Beat For 12“ and the recent dark trend in British dubstep.
Wild Beasts – Reach A Bit Further [Smother (2011)]: the music in Smother suits its title. Instead of explosive emotions, the Wild Beasts quartet cover their album in sensuality and intimacy. Reach A Bit Further is a beautiful, sad love song about the regrets and changes in love. The juggling in tones between the lead Hayden Thorpe and the bass Tom Fleming shows a clear difference – Thorpe’s flexibility and earnest versus Fleming’s honesty – but it doesn’t make the rhythm a conversation between two misanthropes, rather a monologue filled with doubts. With two voices and a pretty melody, the drums and the guitar don’t need much transformation to render success.
Sun Airway – Wild Palms (2011): the first time listening to Wild Palms makes one envision pictures of summer light. The dreaminess in the voice, the strings, and the synth together are like a colorful cloud to which we must close our eyes and let the warmth of the song cover our senses. A surprisingly mature track without trying too hard.
Hooray for Earth – Realize It’s Not The Sun [True Loves (2011)]: I purposefully put this one next to Wild Palms. Realize It’s Not The Sun by the indie pop newcomer Hooray For Earth is like a summer thunderstorm opposing the sunshine of Sun Airway. The whole song has but one verse, ends in midair, opens the album like a fleeting melancholy when the first rain pours down the roof.
WU LYF – Dirt [Go Tell Fire To The Mountain (2011)]: the name can give a hint of the group’s style (WU LYF stands for “World United! Lucifer Youth Foundation”). It seems sloganish, and Dirt sounds like a rebellious young crowd shouting on a big city street. It’s been a while since I’ve heard such joy of revolution, such excitement of youth in music. The drums race, the organ amplifies the surface tension, and the guitar is full of catchy hooks. The vocal is opaque, skipping, unfocused, and strangely matching the tunes. WU LYF is a promising group, but regrettably not much information is revealed.
The Weeknd – What You Need [House Of Balloons (2011)]: after Syka tossed it out and picked it up and finally cast it aside, I decided to save this guy. For us, the biggest minus of The Weeknd is the MTV-style voice, although a healthy dose like What You Need can be oddly attractive. With that said, the production is so good that the entire album is a glass of top-notched champagne and a comfy sofa for Saturday night. The novelty in The Weeknd stands out from the common fashion R&B by Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, etc., so it’s worth listening at least once.
Beirut – East Harlem (2011): a new yet old comeback after 5 absent years. Written by the 17-year-old lead Zach Condon, the song is filled with the gratification of a morning cup of coffee with just enough milk and sugar. The drums, the woodwind, the piano, the accordion, the guitar, the voice are all complete and undomineering. Beirut is one example of a well-defined band that has a loyal fan base without too much renewal.
Ford & Lopatin – Emergency room (Channel Pressure, 2011): since the change of name from Games to Ford & Lopatin, Channel Pressure marks the group’s revolutionary success. Emergency room could remind us of Gary Numan in Cars or the soundtracks in the 90s musical films, but the strange sound effect mixed with piercing guitar solos makes a novel type of music.
Grimes – Fragment of the future (2011): Grimes, aka Claire Boucher, once claimed that her music received influence from R & B, industrial, gothic, hiphop, Western medieval, Salem, Mariah Carey, Gang Gang Dance and the Smiths (doesn’t it seem random?). Fact is, her music doesn’t sound like any of those. Her music should be labeled “weird pop”, forgettably fleeting but also easily possessing. Fragments of the Future is a beautiful construction of piano, synth and a light voice; the song is simple if not minimal, but beware, that minimum mesmerizes.
My morning jacket – Circuital (Circuital, 2011): the 5-member My Morning Jacket from Kentucky, USA, had just released Circuital last May in their familiar simple indie–folk style with some colors: “epic, slow-building jams […], pensive ballads and […] wild-card rockers” (Progress Report). The 7-minute song opens with a soft guitar, then the rhythm firmly accelerates with Carl’s warm voice as the binding glue.
Foster the people – Pumped up kicks (2011): If Drunk Girls by LCD Soundsystem is the indie song of summer 2010, D.A.N.C.E by Justice of 2007, and Crazy by Gnarls Barkley of 2006 (oi, my favorite in 12th grade), then 2011 belongs to Pumped up kicks by the lesser-known and strangely named Foster the People. A little chillwave on the guitar, a little voice thin as if it were recorded by an old phone, a little soft whistle, all mesh together like a breeze, an iced coffee, and a balcony after the rain, like the summer in city. Merely 3 months after the release, the song has flooded the music websites, everyone’s ipod, and even appeared in an episode of “Gossip Girl”… Congratulations to the soon-to-be-famous four guys, perhaps they will become the next MGMT, or Peter, Bjorn and John.
Cults – Abducted (Cults, 2011): Cults is the new hot cakes that I found while surfing through the music videos (it goes to say that having free time can be productive too). Abducted seems like a normal indie pop song at first sight, but it’s actually pretty amazing. With Madeline Follin’s innocent voice and the quick rhythm, the song embodies the livelihood of a blind love of a girl in her 20s, despite knowing that “he tore [her] apart”, she’s still loving him.
Washed out – Eyes be closed (Within and Without, 2011): After a few EPs and singles, Washed Out has released his first album, Within and Without, under the Sub-Pop label. “Eyes be Closed” is exactly the single that we’ve been waiting for: the song itself carries sparkling memories of the 80s. Borrowed from New Wave, lo-fi, and the shoegaze movements, Washed Out has created a song of unpretentious happiness. Whenever I listen to Washed Out, I think of the sea, of the rippling waves, and what can I do but let my body go with the flow, worry not of where it’d bring me?
The Knife – Marble House (Silent Shout, 2006: Marble House is the second single from the album Silent Shout by The Knife, a band of two siblings and the younger sister is the famous Fever Ray of 2009. I’ve listened to this album a lot this June, so I just thought I’d share Marble House, chosen as the song of the year by SAMA in 2007. This duo has left a distinguishable print in music, and Marble House is its clearest example with the unique melody and the desiccate, gloomy voice of Karin and Olof. Of course, each type of art has its own language, but of all things, Marble House makes me sense the strongest its motion picture characteristic. So strange.
Justice – Civilization (untitled, 2011): The two-men French band Justice is known for their exciting music and highly artistic music videos. Civilization‘s vocalist is the British singer Ali Love, and the song was also used in a 2-minute long Adidas ad. With the familiar strong rhythm, Civilization wakes up a gloomy summer like a Roman army marching with laser weapons.
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The Vietnamese Original is posted on Sunday Spirit.
Why translate and repost? Because it’s beautiful.
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