Can’t stop.

It’s been a while since I felt so strongly about a song as I do with this one.
It just feels good.

[How did I miss every single Active Child show at CMJ this year?]

They’re opening for M83 in a couple of weeks. See you there?

Sitting down with Sóley

Before writing up Sóley for a post on NPR’s Song of the Day, I decided to get in touch with her to ask a few questions.

Sóley (photo Sigfús Már Pétursson, artwork Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir)

Here’s our discussion:

I’ve seen you play a few times since I’m a Seabear/Sin Fang fan. Are you still with these other projects or are you exclusively focusing on your solo career now?

Seabear took a break after last year. We were a lot on the road so it was really important for us to take a break but I think we will try to start meet early next year and start to compose some new material. All the members are just working on their own project or in other bands now. 

I just came back from Sin Fang/sóley tour few days ago. We were in Europe and it was awesome. I opened up for Sin Fang and also played with Sin Fang. Very nice.

Can you explain what made you decide to start writing and recording your own music? Has it always been something you wanted to do?

It just happened. I was not thinking about it when I was asked if I had some songs to send Morr Music because they wanted to see what I was doing. Then I was in school and as soon as I got the opportunity I jumped on it and made some new songs to send them. I´m really really happy that it happened because in my dreams this was what I wanted to do!

How has the transition been for you? Did it come easily? How do you feel about being in the spotlight now?

It´s nice. I like being on stage and being the front. It´s nice.

Where do you typically get inspiration for your songs? Do you sing about things that happen to you or are your songs more like stories?

The songs are more like stories yes. I don´t want to talk about my daily life in my songs. For me, my solo project is my escape from being myself and becoming the other sóley who thinks differently and lives in my mind. It´s another world which I try to make up in my mind, kind of a dreamy world. It does not exist in the real world.

Me: From the first time I heard “I Drown,” I loved it. What can you tell me about this song? What story does it tell? Who is the man in it? What did you use to get the muffled tapping noise that runs through it?

Sóley: This song is a kind of a love song but let´s say in a surreal way. As I visualize the song and the story it´s about an old man who lives alone in this house which is far away from everything. Somehow this girls (who is telling the story) is at his house, no one knows how she got there. So it´s kind of about their relationship there. The album title (we sink) is sung in the end of the song so I guess now you know what happens to them!I used a lot of “percussion” that isn´t really percussion, it´s more like my fork and some stick I found outside. This song is the first I recorded for the new album and I think it´s like a sweet homemade pie. I can hear my old apartments sound there.

Is it just me or are their dark undertones to this album? Where does this come from?

It all comes from the other world. From the other sóley who makes up these stories. It´s dark and dreamy and scary but still it has a bit of humor in it. It´s funny because it could not happen anywhere else than in your mind. Our mind is so weird and crazy so if you want you can make up really strange and surreal things in your mind.

Do you have help on We Sink or are you playing all the instruments? How long have you been playing the piano?

I played everything except drumset, bass in some songs and electric guitar in some songs. But most of it I did myself, piano, organs, guitar, percussion and voice.

I started playing piano when I was eight! That is almost 17 years… wow…

Then, just out of curiosity, what Icelandic artists would you recommend?

Sin Fang, Kimono, Hudson Wayne, múm, Ólöf Arnalds, Prins Póló, Fm Belfast, Gus Gus, Kippi Kaninus, Mr.Silla, Mugison, Ojba Rasta, Prins Póló, Samaris, Snorri Helgason… I think I am forgetting something…óó

To read the piece and hear the song “I Drown,” head over to NPR Music. 

CMJ picks from the other side

Well, I managed to see about 46 bands last week. (47 if you include the 30 seconds I saw of Idiot Glee.) You can read about it here, on Brooklyn Vegan. But you can listen to it here.

At the end of the week, these are the artists that stood out to me the most:

(First, the weird)

Chelsea Wolfe - easily one of the most talked about artists all week… and one of the most interesting to watch. Wolfe sang from behind the veil of her long black hair. The next Zola Jesus / Austra? We’ll see.

Chelse Wolfe (photo Eliot Lee Hazel)

—–

Young Magic - the balance this Brooklyn group strikes of hip-hop and dark electro pop had me transfixed.

album art for Young Magic (someone get these guys some press photos)

—–

Tropical Popsicle  - This San Diego group embodies the popular lo-fi, shoegazey garage rock of the moment… but they do it better. Instead of boring me, Timothy Hines’ deadpan delivery sucked me in.

Tropical Popsicle (photo Marissa Parsons)

—–

John Maus  - Seeing Maus was like stepping back in time to a place when people still cared about music and really felt it. That can’t be conveyed in an audio clip. See him. The crowd’s allegiance to this man is truly cult-like.

John Maus

(Then the lovely)

Sea of Bees - I simply cannot get enough of Sacramento’s Jules Baeziger. Her honesty, earnestness, and charm are so refreshing. And her lyrics! I love it all. (And how good does this recording sound, right?)

Jules Baeziger of Sea of Bees (photo Nick Miller)

—–

Gem Club - a heart-meltingly beautiful three-piece out of Somerville, MA. Totally unlike anything else I saw all week. Instead of rushing out to catch another set, I stayed and wanted more.

Christopher Barnes of Gem Club (photo Charlie Engman)

—–

Who did you fall in love with?

I’ve got a Golden Ticket!

I’ve followed Laura Marling’s “awkwardness experiment” with a deep curiosity.
The idea is pretty simple. Two people + Laura Marling + secret show.

I wanted to talk to someone who had sat in on one of these sessions, but it looks like I may be in for something even better.

I picked up Marling’s new album, A Creature I Don’t Know at Sound Fix today, and I was presented with a golden ticket that looks a little something like this:

From the Ribbon site:

Heads up NYC! Be the first of five people to pick up Laura Marling‘s A Creature I Don’t Know on LP or CD from either Other Music (NYC) or Sound Fix Records (Brooklyn) and you’ll receive this extremely limited invitation with purchase. Once in your possession RSVP to the email address on the ticket and be sure to include your “SECRET CODE” and we’ll be sure to send you further information regarding the location etc… While we’d love to tell you more, sadly we can’t… Nonetheless, we assure you this is one hell of an opportunity! We wouldn’t waste your time if we thought otherwise! Get to either store tomorrow (release date: 9/13) and get your ticket!!

Could it be? Is Marling bringing the show to the States? I certainly hope so.
I don’t know if it’s really a challenge or not, but I’m pretty sure I could out-awkward Laura Marling any day.
Bring it.

Until then, I’ll leave you with my favorite song from the new album:

Sonic Spotlight on Sóley

All right, all right. I know I have a problem. I get a lot of emails from publicists pitching artists to me. Many go unread. (Come on guys… punk? Heavy metal? Not so much.) But there is one thing that is sure to get my attention. Let me give you a hint. The name Sóley Stefánsdóttir… notice anything?

It was as if her name were suddenly on a blinking marquee.

Icelandic artist! Icelandic artist! Icelandic artist!

I thought to myself.

So, meet Sóley Stefánsdóttir, my latest obsession.

(photo Inga Birgisdóttir)

If you’ve seen Seabear or Sin Fang (previously Sin Fang Bous), chances are you’ve already seen Sóley. She has played in both. Apparently, Sóley had never really thought much of her vocal abilities, and it was only after touring with Seabear and singing a lot to herself that she began to “get used to the sound of her own voice” and started to share it with others.

Besides the whimsical sound that seems to be a staple in many of my favorite artists, maybe that’s one of the things that appeals to me most about Scandinavian music. There seems to be a modesty built in to the songs that makes them both charming and intimate in tone. The men of the Danish group Efterklang will applaud for you, the audience, at the end of their show, as if you had just provided the talent. It’s adorable.

“I’ll Drown,” Sóley’s recent single, is a strong introduction to her first full-length album, We Sink.

It has a slow, methodical start – just sparse beats and a plunky but haunting piano melody. But as the song unfurls, it becomes fuller and darker. The dramatic pause, held a beat longer than most would dare, initiates the all-too-honest breakdown. “I drown when I see you,” she sings. The words are simple but powerful. And isn’t that the mark of a truly great pop song? Who among us can’t relate to the words and to the beautiful hesitancy of the song?

We Sink is now available as a digital download. The hard copy drops in another few weeks.

Album art behind the scenes: Son Lux

Back in February, NPR Music documented Ryan Lott’s hectic  month as he wrote, recorded, and produced his sophomore album We Are Rising. Though the music has been done for quite some time, today marks the official album release date.

Check out this video to see how a small crew translated Lott’s music into album art. From preparation to the finished project, the entire design layout was completed in 28 hours since the album itself was completed in 28 days.

Hear the new tunes for yourself, tonight at Public Assembly.

Sonic Smörgåsbord takes on Facebook

A Special Note:

I’ve decided to set up a FB page to accompany this site. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to set it up as a person since I found out Mark Zuckerberg is pretty serious about deleting extra accounts held by the same person, but I was able to create a page. If you follow the blog, I hope you’ll consider “liking” it on Facebook, so you can get the latest updates on blog posts, and have access to other random music-related bursts. Very often, I encounter things I’d like to share but that don’t necessarily warrant an entire blog post, so now these things will have a home. I hope you’ll check it out (and leave comments)!

Sea of Opportunibees

Haven’t had a chance to catch Sea of Bees yet? Well you’re in luck.

Julie Baenziger of Sea of Bees (photo courtesy of artist)

Turns out Julie Baenziger is mighty busy (or should I say buzzy) this week. She’s playing something insane like eleven shows in New York alone over the next week or so. You’ve already missed a few, but fear not. Surely one of these will fit into your schedule…

Monday, 4/25 Rockwood Music Hall
Tuesday, 4/26 Joe’s Pub
Wednesday, 4/27 Glasslands
Thursday, 4/28 Pianos
Friday, 4/29 Cake Shop
Saturday, 4/30 Mercury Lounge
Sunday, 5/1 The Living Room

So many shows, it may be hard to sea the forest for the bees.

Seriously, though… you need to go to at least one of these. Her voice is singular and her performance, surprisingly emotional. For extra credit, check out the show at Piano’s, which also features (the lovely) Lady Lamb the Beekeeper.

Austin playlist, pt. 2

Here’s the next installment. Bands to watch – and to watch out for - at SXSW.

L’Altra, a Chicago duo that has been “quietly making music for [over] a decade,” but has managed to hold onto an organic and natural sound over the years.

L'Altra (photo Andreas Larsson)

“Nothing Can Tear It Apart” by L’Altra:

Lanterns on the Lake, a British group that combines stark cinematic soundscapes with heart.

Lanterns on the Lake (photo courtesy of artist)

“Lungs Quicken” by Lanterns on the Lake:

Iroquois Falls, a mysterious artist who is flying so far under-the-radar that I can’t even locate any information about her – the town in Canada keeps coming up instead. (Last.fm play count: 48.)

Iroquois Falls (photo courtesy of artist)

“Gaspe” by Iroquois Falls:

Love Inks. By all counts, the song below should be totally annoying… and yet I couldn’t stop playing it.

Love Inks (photo Jackie Young)

“Blackeye” by Love Inks:

A Lull, a fun and intriguing experimental group from Chicago.

A Lull (photo courtesy of artist)

“Weapons For War” by A Lull:

Grass Widow, an upbeat San-Francisco all-girl garage band with carefully arranged group vox.

Grass Widow (photo courtesy of artist)

“Shadow” by Grass Widow:

His Clancyness, a sonically pleasant but horribly named one-man outfit.

His Clancyness (photo Giulia Mazza)

“Ottawa Backfired Soon” by His Clancyness:

Austin playlist, pt. 1

For the past few years, SXSW has been something of a distant dream for me. Sure I’ve always wanted to go, but instead of making it out there myself, I kept experiencing it vicariously through other people’s stories.

But after much deliberation, I finally decided to spring for the airfare this year. Yes, in four days I’ll be in Austin.

In preparation for the trip down, I’ve been combing through tons of songs from the festival’s bevy of artists. Thanks to a friend, I managed to get my hands on over 900 mp3s. The list is an odd collection of hip-hop, electronica, garage rock, punk, singer-songwriters, world music, indie-rock, orchestral pop, and yes – even death metal, emo, and country music. Listening to it all in iTunes, you never really know what you’re going to get from one track to the next. It sounds something like this:

Of course, there’s good stuff in there. The trick is finding it. So far, I’m just on the G’s, but I have to say, I think my short list is shaping up to be much more promising than the anything I’ve made for CMJ. SXSW draws not only far more bands than CMJ, but from what I can tell, a more diverse array. For once, they’re not all from New York.

Here are some artists I hope to check out:

Bearsuit, an art-rock pop punk group from Norwich, UK.

Bearsuit (photo courtesy of artist)

“Please Don’t Take Him Back” by Bearsuit:

Bell Gardens, a couple of friends who stay up late at night talking and playing music  over many late nights talking and playing music “loosely based on a sense of ‘pop’ from another time.”

Bell Garden (photo courtesy of artist)

“Through the Rain” by Bell Garden:

Alessi’s Ark, a British singer-songwriter with an lovely voice who left school at age 16 in order to pursue music.

Alessi's Ark (photo courtesy of artist)

“The Robot” by Alessi’s Ark:

Dog Day, a gloomy pop duo from Nova Scotia.

Dog Day (photo courtesy of artist)

“Part Girl” by Dog Day:

Family of the Year, a sunny six-piece folk-pop outfit from LA.

Family of the Year (photo courtesy of the artist)

“Chugjug” by Family of the Year:

 

Stay tuned for more picks!