See Me

Have you ever had the perfect concert experience? Doors are early, the opening band is great, you can see the whole stage, your favorite beer is on tap, and the headliner plays the obscure b-side you hoped against hope they would? Ok. Now allow me to one-up you.

Are you familiar with The Wild Honey Pie? They’re a music blog/video production company based out of Brooklyn, and several times a year they organize group trips with a twist. Two months ago I was lucky enough to attend their second annual On The Mountain, a snow & music extravaganza held at a ski resort in Vermont. It took place over three days, and was attended by roughly 70 strangers, 6 bands, and TWHP production team. Think all the camaraderie of the Real World, with the activity and travel component of Road Rules. I guess it could best be described as the Read World/Road Rules Challenge of Music, minus the challenges. (Though, skiing was a real challenge for some. Hi Nick.) Over the course of the weekend, in addition to sloping, drinking, and hot tubbing, guests got to sit in on live sessions from each of the bands present. Yeah, it was as cool as it sounds.

But we’re here to talk about the perfect concert, and I’m not going to be a generalizing cheat who claims a whole weekend as her one moment. That perfect moment—singular—came the first night of the trip, when Tei Shi performed in a candelit, wood-paneled room, in front of a roaring fire. The audience sat on blankets on the floor and held votive candles. If you’re thinking “This sounds campy,” remember we were literally at adult summer winter camp. And besides, it made for beautiful ambiance. But all that setup would have been for naught had Tei Shi not been such an able performer.

Tei Shi was an act I had heard of but neglected to explore on account of broad generalizations I’ve made regarding a certain style of hyped, female-fronted mellolectro¹ outfits. You know what they say about assume(ptions). The R&B-influenced instrumentation and fuzzy production does feel familiar, but her beautiful, unaffected soprano sets her apart from the pack. While many of her peers rely heavily on auto tune and vocal effects—resulting in lackluster live performances—Tei Shi shone in a stripped down environment, showcasing a vocal purity that only comes from a mature understanding of one’s instrument and respect of its limitations. Nothing in Tei Shi’s music feels forced: it’s like a warm blanket covering you on a snowy night. To be able to experience that in such a close, intimate space was truly the perfect musical package.

Check out a recording of said session below, and be sure to explore the rest of TWHP’s On The Mountain footage. There are some gems. You can get Tei Shi’s debut EP here, and keep an eye out for her in the future.





^{1. [Term trademarked by me, just now.]↩}

Suicide Dream 3

Photo by Narelle Autio

I'll have to say, it took me awhile to get into How To Dress Well’s 2010 debut, Love Remains. Lo-fi R&B is not really something I’m all that versed in, but HTDW’s main man Tom Krell certainly is. At first I had trouble wading through all the layers of effects, the super minimalistic production and the blown-speaker vocals. It just wasn’t coming together like it should. All the passion and emotion was there in Krell’s crooning, but it was like the rest of the music was holding it all back. Regardless of what I think about the album now (totally rules, go buy it), my initial reaction was that Krell had tremendous potential, but was wasting a lot of it with his execution. I was just a little unsure if the guy was really any good, or just some sort of shtick. Oh, how I was wrong. Enter How To Dress Well’s newest EP, Just Once.

The EP is a reimagining of Krell’s work, and it’s absolutely stunning. The songs are stripped down, performed in an orchestral setting, and void of the endless layers of effects and samples. On Suicide Dream 3, the vocals are front and center in the mix, with Krell exuding an almost Antony-like persona at times. The song is absolutely gorgeous and is terribly heart wrenching, stemming from both the music and the subject matter – it’s a tribute to Krell’s late friend. Stream Suicide Dream 3 and pre-order the release over at Love Letter Ink's Bandcamp.

Dancer

Photo by Elizaveta Porodina
Maybe it's just because I like the name (it reminded me of a certain David Bazan), but when I got an e-mail from singer-songwriter Grandpa Was a Lion, I made sure to check it out. Although the sound is a lot more folkier than the aforementioned lion of another name, Brooklyn's Justin D'Onofrio has a handful of interesting and witty tunes in his arsenal. Apparently, he recorded most of his stuff with an old iBook, a cheap mic and a tape deck. The super lo-fi atmosphere of D'Onofrio's work is why it works so well, and what gives it so much charm. Not to mention, the songs are actually well-written.

Dancer, a track off Grandpa Was a Lion's The Whalestoe Tapes, is definitely one of the highlights of the Connecticut native's work. It's easy to get absolutely lost a couple minutes into the song after the buildup - D'Onofrio starts layering even more vocals (a recurring theme of his). It's simple stuff from a guy in a basement who lacks any real professional equipment. What he doesn't lack is the ability to craft some really heartfelt songs. I think that's what makes it so damn endearing.

Check out Grandpa Was a Lion's bandcamp and give this guy's music a listen.




Bonus: Download Grandpa Was a Lion's War for free, from his Archaic EP
War - Grandpa Was a Lion

Comedown Sunday: Always Everything

"I wash only to get dirty again."

Performance/Photo by Nathan Cyprys

This week’s Comedown Sunday is brought to you by Sin Fang, via the excellent music-discovery website Shuffler FM. If you have never used Shuffler FM before, let me tell you, you’re missing out. It is a fantastic new website that shuffles music from thousands of different blogs in a user-friendly, streamlined player organized by music genre and style. I’ve been using it a lot lately as a tool to discover new music from genres I don’t normally delve into, as well as great music blogs. Last week, I noticed that the interface even includes an 'Icelandic Music' channel. Figuring that the country that gave us such renowned and groundbreaking acts as Sigur Rós, Jónsi, Björk, and múm was bound to have a few more tricks up its sleeve, I immediately pressed play. Lo and behold, my suspicions were confirmed as I shuffled upon Always Everything, by Sin Fang.

Sin Fang (formerly Sin Fang Bous) is the solo project of Seabear frontman Sindri Már Sigfússon. Always Everything is the first single off his forthcoming Summer Echoes LP on Germany’s Morr Music, due in March. I have got to make a point to visit Iceland, as it seems like the most magical country. That is, if its music is any indication. Not to pigeonhole an entire country’s musical output, but between all the aforementioned artists and Sin Fang himself, Icelandic music is becoming my turning point for ethereal, fearlessly expressive music that—despite (or perhaps rather, because of) its tendency to shy away from typical popular song form—is absolutely gorgeous. Always Everything fits my self imposed Icelandic stereotype well. It is a lo-fi folk/electronic hybrid dripping in nostalgia, dotted with whimsical samples, and driven by Sigfússon’s sweet, mellow voice. It’s the kind of music I’d fully expect to hear playing in an enchanted forest. With its sweet invocation of nature and summer, I hope that in spite of the terrible snowstorms and winter chill gripping the United States, it might help to warm your hearts.

Always Everything—Sin Fang


*You know, if you click this button in the sidebar, you can shuffle all the songs we've ever posted on this site, all in one place. Neat. Thanks Shuffler!