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You are currently browsing the Amie Street Blog archives for February, 2007.
Forgotten Lores
[Editor's Note: This post is by Margret from the Icelandic website getRVK.com. Check it!]
With great anticipation music lovers have awaited Forgotten Lores' new album, Fra Heimsenda or From the end of the world. GetRVK sat down with one of Forgotten Lores finest. Forgotten Lores being the best in the hip hop scene in Reykjavik, they have earned the right to be heard. Diddi Felix talks about performing, making the new album and about the five artists coming together creating Forgotten Lores.
"Fra Heimsenda took three years in the making, because we aimed high, which paid off, comparing the two albums we all agree this one is better."
Now the Forgotten Lores members live both in Reykjavik and Copenhagen, how did you manage to be in sync with one another? "We stay in touch and frequently let each other know what the other is doing. We recorded the entire album in one month when me, B Ruff and Birkir went to Copenhagen and stayed in introbeat's studio apartment. Voices were recorded in a closet and the biggest credit goes to Addi "introbeats" for producing and creating the sound of this album and overseeing this whole project. When we made Tyndi Hlekkurinn we all lived in Reykjavik and had a studio on Laugavegur, another reason why the new album took three years in the making".
What about your influences? You are very different when it comes to making your music. "Well, the only thing I want to say about that is that early 2000 we saw Loop Troop performing in Gaukur a Stong. That was before our first album, Tyndi Hlekkurinn, and we wanted to create that kind of a tight sound, with the dj's and rappers all together making a massive groove. As a band the stage performance has to be energetic and the entire hip hop atmosphere". Where do you enjoy performing the most? "Going to Akureyri is always great and when we organize our own shows because we have a tight group of folks that always come to support us. It changed a bit when we started having a big band with us, that attracted a new crowd. The ultimate best shows have would be Icelandic Airwaves in 2004 and Snoop Dog last year. Then we had a big band with us. Doing a show that way takes a long time so before Fra Heimsenda we went back to basics and just wanted to do it all ourselves."
What comes next? World domination? "(gives me a quirky smile) No, I don't think so. We really want to perform at music festivals this summer and get our music across that way. We just want to get our music to as many people as we can. We will follow up our new album that way. This is Icelandic hip hop, we want to export our style and culture, of course."
Rap Reviews: UE
[Editor's Note: This post is brought to you by Susan 'susiQ' Kim and the website RapReviews.com. Check it!]
The New Jersey duo of Upper Echelon consisting of Caliph and Tunde represents "a higher level of awareness in our music and ultimately in our state of mind." After many individual, independent releases of their own, the two come together in Tragedy 2 Triumph to narrate the accounts of two separate lives, two stories, two missions and how they eventually come together to initiate a merging art form.
Upper Echelon shows their many talents with tracks that run the gamut of subject matter both reflective and lighthearted. There is a track for every kind of listener whether it is about continued existence or good-humored amusement. Tragedy 2 Triumph exemplifies the profound lyricism and poetry of Caliph and Tunde of UE with their use of words and intelligence to tell a story of their journeys past and present.
Instead of Tragedy 2 Triumph should have been called
Burning Star
(
), a metaphor
used continuously throughout the album to instill the positive
message to try and reach astronomical heights as epitomized in
Show me the Way
(
):
Life is a beautiful thing or it can be a terrible thing It's all about choice Your perspective on the whole thing That's the beautiful thing about being human Free will Choice A star in the sky doen's get to decide whether or not it wants to shine, but you do So what do you choose? Do you want to be a burning star or a black hole? The world is a ferocious stream That's filled up with lost souls and broken dreams And few dare to challenge the current A balance the torrent Instead most go with the flow... downstream So those childhood dreams now seem so unattainable So out of their grasp That they no longer reach for 'em That hour has passed The warrior been turned into a coward at last And the devil does its victory dance And the world is once again cheated And God is defeated Complacency... that's the demon in disguise........
Upper Echelon has successfully embraced the story of Tragedy 2 Triumph through the wide array of unmatched tracks and beats as I can honestly say that I cannot compare them to any other artists. With their fresh, new style and lyricism to amaze the masses, the variety of tracks includes insightful, yet witty wordplay, the trials and tribulations of an artist, and audible sounds created from their own brainchild. Their expedition through the album becomes an integration of a known familiar territory for each. With this in mind, the end to numerous tragedies and the beginning of many triumphs for UE has commenced.
Amie Street TV: The Tenth Dimension
Here's something a bit different...
The video below is an animated introduction to Rob Bryanton's book Imagining the Tenth Dimension. The project for which this book was written "began as a set of songs for a 'concept album' about the nature of reality." [tenthdimension.com] The first six of these songs are available on Amie Street.
Get Your Groove Collective On
Wake up Amie Street and stop sleeping on the Grammy nominated Groove Collective. This New York City jazz outfit was nominated for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for their 2006 studio effort People, People, Music, Music. That album is great, but to hear the Collective at their best you really need to scope their live tracks, courtesy of Kufala Recordings. Grab Live and Hard to Find and Live at PS1 Warm Up, Brooklyn, NY 7/2/05 today!
The acid jazz outfit Groove Collective was formed in downtown New York City in 1990 by flutist Richard Worth, DJ Smash, and rapper Nappy G, all three staples of a nomadic dance club called Giant Step. In time, the trio was joined by keyboardist Itaal Shur, drummer Gengi Siraisi, and bassist Jonathan Maron, earning a growing cult following and eventually attracting the attention of Steely Dan vibist Bill Ware, who soon signed on along with saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, trombonist Josh Roseman, trumpeter Fabio Morgera, and percussionist Chris Theberge. Groove Collective's self-titled debut LP appeared on Reprise in 1993, followed three years later by the GRP label release We the People. The group resurfaced in 1998 with Dance of the Drunken Master. It's All in Your Mind was issued in 2001 with People People Music Music following in 2006. [Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com]
Icelandic Music Finds a Home on Amie Street
Despite the isolation and the small population, bands like Bjork, Sigur Ros, Mum, GusGus and Emilana Torrini have given the small island of Iceland a big reputation in the Indie music scene. And in the past couple months more than 25 up-and-coming Icelandic bands have started selling their music on Amie Street.
The Icelandic artists Original Melody or Mystik One are influenced by the American hip hop scene and the instrumental hip-hop group, Beatmakin Troopa, has earned a great reputation on Amie Street. Steve Sampling and Dj B-Ruff are newly registered on Amie Street and they are very promising.
If you like Pop music you can find lot of young bands from Iceland. Vafurlogi plays simple acoustic music. Binni P is an excellent troubadour and is also in the band Cellar Door, which plays nice pop-music with a female vocalist. She has a great voice and they have been very successful on Amie Street. The electronic diva Beautiful Chaoz is also gaining popularity on Amie Street along with the band Worm is Green and Get Down For Glory.
If you are in to rock music, check out the Telepathetics and Tony the Pony, who play a mixture between pop and rock. Nogl is an interesting band playing progressive rock and Shima plays alternative rock reminding many on NIN and Tool. Royal Fanclub and Koda play indie rock. Sun Temple is a side project of the drummer in Jakobinarina, they play experimental rock. Bob is also doing experiment in their music, their record dodbobqoqpop, got a great review in Iceland.
Something a little heavier is Ashton Cut, as well as some Icelandic punk, Mordingjarnir and Ponkbandid Fjolnir. Members on Amie Street can even get Icelandic Blues; Johnny and the Rest is an excellent blues band.
Buy and REC some Icelandic music today!
I Rock Cleveland: The Drones
[Editor's Note: This post is
brought to you by the amazing music blog I Rock
Cleveland. Take a look why don't you?]
Rock and roll is not dead and rock and roll does not need a savior. As much as some would love to write its epitaph, it is and will always be a viable art form. Admittedly, as the availability of quality rock bands continues to diminish, I could see how one could make this conclusion. You're not going to find it at the center of the dial. Rock radio has regressed to the point where its playlists are filled with artists that were either popular years ago (AC/DC, Metallica, GNR), or who sound like they could have been popular years ago (Hello Nickelback). Similarly, you'll have a hard time finding it at the left of the dial. Rock 'N' Roll simply isn't that sexy these days. Now, ask yourself, how often do my favorite websites and blogs go absolutely nutso over the latest rock releases? Rarely ever? Never?
Rock and roll is not dead and The Drones did not walk through the Australian outback promising to be its savior. However, should you listen to Live at the Spaceland and come to this conclusion on your own, then I wouldn't spend too much time arguing against your point. They are one of those rare rock bands these days who are able to satisfy critics and mesmerize audiences with their dangerous, mind-bending performances. This 10 song set, recorded this past November in LA, draws from their two US releases, 2006's Gala Mill, and 2005's Wait Long By The River And The Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By, as well as some cuts from earlier albums released in their native Australia.
To many,
Sharkfin Blues
is quintessential Drones. Drawing
heavily on Australia's outlaw history, as well as classic literary
tales of the sea, it alternates between simmer and burn, then
simmer and scorching burns, punctuated by frequent and ravenous
guitar solos.
The big-riff blues of
Six Ways To Sunday
date back to the early
days of The Drones, and it fits in quite well with their more
recent output. Bassist Fiona Kitschin and drummer Mike Noga pound
out a standard blues rhythm that is transformed into anything but
standard by the manic ramblings produced by vocalist/guitarist
Gareth Liddiard and guitarist Rui Pererira.
Dog Eared
features the softer side of The Drones, if
such a statement is even possible. Liddiard has accurately
described this one as "Sentimental, but in a nasty way," As you
should come to expect with the Drones, even emotionally,
downtrodden ballads require the occasional squelchy, static blasts
from the six string.
Amie Street TV: Jack Zerby
Perhaps josiebeth put it best
in her REC of Jack
Zerby's song
Said
(
): "Sounds like...well, a John Mayer tune, sung by
Adam Levine with Santana sitting in with the band - an entertaining
mix." But sspencer was
also right on when REC'ing
Over and Over
(
): "Holy Cow! This is a GREAT song! Funky,
R&B like, good beat, flow and vocal. This /could/ be playing on
the radio somewhere. Check this track out!"
The point is that Jack Zerby's got it and he's sharing it with you. Check out his tracks, check out his videos, and download his albums!
'90s Hip Hop Medley
Rondo Bros. Entertainment
The Rondo Brothers are Jim Greer and Brandon Arnovick, and they must have two of the most impressive CVs in the biz. Jim has played with the electro-outfit Typsy, started his own record label (Fortune Records), produced several bands, cut 3 solo albums (including Rover Songs and The Big Thieves Jail the Little Thieves) and one album with his band Visitor Jim.
Brandon, on the other hand, played with Deltron 3030 and his own band Tokyo Marine Fire.
Together as the Rondo Brothers, they co-wrote and worked on Galactic's album ruckus, contributed on guitar and keyboards to Handsome Boy Modeling School's album White People, and did the same to Head Automatica's album Decadence. All the while they've collaborated extensively with their good friend Dan the Automator. Furthermore, they've scored a whole handful of commercials for the likes of The NFL, Ford, Gatorade and so on.
There's more: in 2006 they also made a fresh, Hawaiian
influenced Hip Hop album called No Time Left On Earth.
Yes, it's hot and no, you shouldn't wait to buy and REC it. Pay
special attention to the down-tempo goodness of track
Sacrifice
(
).
Instrumental Analysis: Rock Flavored Picks
[Editor's Note: This post is brought to you by the fantastic music site Instrumental Analysis. Check it out!]
I have finally returned with some new rock flavored picks. Last week was crazy and I didn't get around to doing this. To make up for it, here are my picks of January 15-28. Amie Street added a lot of good music recently. I start with my 3 favorites of the past two weeks and then I list other tracks that I feel are worthwhile. Enjoy!
My Favorites
These United
States -
So High So Low So Wide So Long
(
) In December, Jesse gave me a huge Christmas present
and internet premiered this song on our site. Ever since then, it
has been a favorite of everyone that works on IA. Based on the
other tracks that he let us stream, we believe that this CD will be
huge when they finally release it. I can't wait.
Telograph -
We Won't Settle Down
(
) Andy hooked
me up with an advance copy of this EP around Halloween and I have
been listening to it ever since. "Beneath Your Feet" and "Eye For
An Eye" are probably the catchy singles, but "We Won't Settle Down"
also stands out to me. It has arena ready and show stopper written
all over it. Someone must agree with me, because it's also the song
that they end all of their shows with and they were just invited to
play it in an arena.
Loto -
My Guitar
(
) This is a
band from Portugal that reminds me of New Order. They actually
worked with Peter Hook on a couple of tracks and we posted one on
our site a couple of months ago. This particular track is quite
catchy. Hopefully they will add the rest of the CD soon.
The Best of the Rest
Au Revoir
Simone -
Through the Backyards
(
) Mellow music with multi layered female vocals. It
sounds like it was made for Grey's Anatomy... oh wait, it was.
Bryan Byrne -
Jen's Song
(
) I just
picked a track, but these are some mellow singer songwriter tunes.
They sound familiar, yet they're good music for a reflective
drive.
Chester Travis
-
Weight Of Wrong
(
) A
singer songwriter along the lines of John Mayer and Five For
Fighting.
Dearly Beloved
-
The Butler Routine
(
) This
is an odd turn for a band that obviously likes to take chances, but
it works.
Drew Harrison -
Go It Alone
(
) This
makes me feel like I am sitting in a bar, drinking some beers with
friends on acoustic singer songwriter night.
Jack Zerby -
Over and Over
(
) This has
soul.
Jim James Band
-
Lazy Eye
(
) This
sounds like the bastard child of Counting Crows and Pearl Jam.
The Love -
New York
(
) This whole CD
has a very pleasant vibe and feels like it was made to chill out
to.
The
Powerless -
The Wench
(
) The musicianship is what sells me on this track.
Some lyrical improvements and this band will go far in the
alternative rock world.
Renee -
we cry
(
) Another track
that is laid back and radio friendly.
The Salads -
Come Around
(
) These guys
are somewhere between 311, Limp Bizkit and The Mighty Mighty
Bosstones. They are definitely a throwback to the 90's, but all of
their music is a nice guilty pleasure for a long drive that needs a
little groove.
Stay in touch
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