Category Archives: 2012

2012, music

[on the rise] Oh! My Blackbird

January 25, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

Alt-folk trio Oh! My Blackbird, fronted by lead vocalist and guitarist Annie Sullivan, harness the magic of close vocal harmonies and pissed off lyrics. With Nick Jozwiak (cello, bass, auto harp) and Veronica Kohl (tambourine, vocals), they create a tight yet playful folk pop sound. On March 6th, they will release their full-length album Dare Me.

Inspired by classical music — particularly choral music and madrigals — and 60’s and late 70’s folk revival, mixed with 90’s-00’s era rock, their sound is driven by tight vocals and witty, often venomous lyrics. Sullivan tells introspective tales of real life experiences that are steeped in traditional pop — like a string of really bad boyfriends — mixed with a mystical folk mentality.

Oh! My Blackbird released their first EP Too Much Future in May 2011, followed by Drop Dead EP in October 2011. Look for more of the band’s acoustic folk pop sounds, combined with mystical and psychedelic elements on Dare Me. Recorded in January 2012, Dare Me was produced by Oliver Ignatius (Ghost Pal) at the Cobble Hill based recording studio Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen. [source: feeling anxious]

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2012, music, video

[watch] Sleigh Bells//Comeback Kid

January 24, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

Sleigh Bells released their video for “Comeback Kid” today — the first single from the upcoming sophomore LP Reign of Terror (due 2/21 via Mom + Pop)

After Sleigh Bells wrap up their extensive Florida tour with Diplo and Brooklyn’s Liturgy, the noise-pop duo will be playing select North American shows around the release of Reign of Terror.

02/16 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
02/17 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
02/18 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
02/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Music Box
02/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
02/24 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at Market

[mtv width=512 height=319]726483[/mtv]

Sleigh Bells//Comeback Kid (from Reign of Terror)

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2012, music

[on repeat] Porcelain Raft

January 23, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

Porcelain Raft is the brain child of Italian born Mauro Remiddi. Over the last couple of years, Remiddi teased us with some impressive EPs and singles, and toured with the like of The Antlers and Youth Lagoon. Now as he gears up for the release of his debut LP Strange Weekend (out tomorrow, 1/24, via Secretly Canadian!), he’s touring Europe, including a couple runs with M83 and Smith Westerns (dates).

I’m not exactly sure how Remiddi has managed to craft such a dreamy and visceral sound, but i’m sure it has something to do with his 27 years of travels across Europe, from his native Italy to London; of caravaning with the Berlin Youth Circus playing traditional gypsy Klezmer music; or maybe reinterpreting traditional music in North Korea; and maybe even his stint playing piano for an Off Broadway tap dance show. Whatever it is, I don’t really care, it works.

♪ Porcelain Raft – Put Me To Sleep (from Strange Weekend)

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2012, music, new music

[hot off the press] Said The Whale//Little Mountain

January 21, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

This may be Said The Whale’s third LP but the Canadian indie-popsters are still educating the U.S. masses, and their forthcoming album, Little Mountain, is a superb introduction. Their latest effort is their most adventurous to date and will be released in North America on March 6, 2012 via Hidden Pony Records/EMI, and in the U.K and Europe on March 12. The pre-order from iTunes will go live on February 20.

Said The Whale have been making their pretty music for some time, and in this past year were rewarded with the highest accolade available in their home land – a JUNO Award. The band snagged the crown for “New Group Of The Year” in 2011 and made their mark even bigger.

Little Mountain finds the group defying rock conventions without sacrificing any of their pop smarts. Said The Whale enlisted the juggernaut production prowess of Tom Dobrzanski, and multiple Grammy Award winner Jack Joseph Puig, who mixed the 15-track collection. Their combined efforts steered the song suites to explode out of the speakers, as they shepherded the band’s signature sound to a new level.

More diverse than previous albums, Little Mountain is a multi-stylistic tour-de-force that ventures into everything from soaring, horn-laden cabaret (“The Reason”) to jaggedly syncopated rock (“We Are 1980”) and effervescent guitar pop (“Loveless”). First single, “Heavy Ceiling,” is a dancefloor-ready ditty that reflects the confident and razor-sharp sound that dominates this LP.

Starting in early February and leading up to the release date, Said The Whale will regularly offer videos as exclusives, each coinciding with the 15 album tracks. The band partnered with Vancouver-based production company Amazing Factory for their ambitious endeavor, who helped re-imagine the band’s vivid lyrical imagery. Tune into Exclaim.ca for the premier of “1980” on February 7.

On February 25, the band will host a very special video screening and album launch at the Rio Theatre in their hometown of Vancouver. It will mark the beginning of the customary Said The Whale whirlwind tour schedule that will take the band across Canada, through the US, UK and Europe this year. [source: planetary group]

♪ Said The Whale – Heavy Ceiling (from Little Mountain)

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2012, music, video

[on repeat] Santigold//Big Mouth

January 20, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

It’s been four long years since Santigold’s debut LP, but later this Spring will see the release of Master of My Make Believe.

Following a pair of hometown shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg that sold out in five minutes, she’s releasing “Big Mouth” for your listening pleasure (available for free download at www.santigold.com), along with an accompanied music video, directed by Cody Critcheloe, which premiered on Pitchfork earlier this week. [source: girlie action]