indie music – my sound(e)scape

From UK To Rome: Daughter Showcases Brit Ambient Rock at Villa Ada Fest

Elegance, experimentation, and a core rock attitude took the stage at Villa Ada Festival, where Daughter played their first show in Rome, on Monday night.

Located in the north of Rome, Villa Ada offers an enchanting venue to perform at night, as a small lake encloses the stage on both sides, and the surrounding trees are dressed up in gleaming lights. Such a location could only add to the already whimsical aura of British, indie/folk band, Daughter.

13895538_10208597961458438_2894361073803854233_n-2 — Elena Tonra live at Villa Ada on August 8th, 2016. (Sergio Mario Ottaiano ©)

Heading from North London, Daughter has reached worldwide recognition after two self-released EPs, and two album, “If You Leave” (2013), and “Not To Disappear” (2016). Their signature sound is hypnotic, multi-layered, and deeply enticing: Elena Tonra’s vocals merge seamlessly with guitarist Igor Haefeli’s arpeggios, and drummer Remi Aguilella’s beats. When live, their attitude gets rockier, their presence heavier – also supported by their forth touring member, the multi instrumentalist Lucy Parnell.

The setlist presented in Rome offered a balance between their latest and debut album, lasting over an hour and a half. Yet, time seemed precariously suspended among their hushed melodies, bold crescendos, melting synths, and uneasy lyrics: “You better make me better,” Tonra obsessively repeats during Numbers‘ majestic bridge; “Buried deep within there’s a human/ despite everything I’m still human/ but I think I’m dying here,” cries Human‘s chorus. As also Tonra pointed out during the set, “[she] write songs about dying”.

13903241_1407628519254279_6751731651287661209_n — Daughter live at Villa Ada (Antonella Ragnoli ©)

Their energy, though, was definitely vital, and grew throughout the show, exploding in their last three songs: New Ways enticed the mind with its crescendo, Youth (their most famous hit) won the crowd over with its mantra-like statement “We are the reckless, we are the wild youth,” Fossa bewildered the soul with a dazzling, 3-minute instrumental outro.Wholeheartedly acclaimed by the fans, the band returned on stage to perform an additional song, Made of Stone, closing delicately their set with whispered voices, reverberating through the whole Villa.

As their last notes vanished into the air, that whimsical spell they had seemed to cast on time and space broke. With elegance they left, leaving behind memories of an experimental music experience, an ambient/rock soundscape worth wandering in if you’ll get the chance!

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Music On The Edge: Lee Ranaldo and Dither

When it comes to experimental music, there is a very thin line between noise and sound.

The real distinction between top and average artists lies exactly in their ability to play on the edge of such a line, neither pushing it too far nor lingering in the comfort, predictable zone. On March 2nd, 2016, Sonic Youth founding member Lee Ranaldo and Brooklyn electric guitar quarter Dither showed us how it’s done: they managed to keep the balance and give an impressive, avant-gardist performance at the Ecstatic Music Festival hosted by the Kaufman Music Center in New York.

The Ecstatic Music Festival, defined as “a kind of heaven for show-goers in search of the ever-elusive, one-of-a-kind live music experience” by The Village Voice, is now running its sixth edition, and is currently taking place at the Merkin Concert Hall, a venue renowned for its cutting-edge programming.

The performance was held in an elegant, yet cozy auditorium; the pre-show atmosphere was relaxed, yet quite formal, more resembling a theater than a wild concert location; the audience mostly consisted of couples going out for an alternative date, nostalgic middle-aged Sonic Youth fans, and hard-to-please peop
e simply looking for something new to be impressed with. (They were not disappointed).

Dither opened up the show. Resembling a string quartet, the four electric guitarists positioned on stage, and allowed no space for small talk: music began and it soon filled the entire venue – the acoustic was so refined that allow
ed for a 360° sensorial experience. They performed four songs, each composed by a different member, each retaining a peculiar feel, which ranged from Tibetan melodies, to more aggressive rock-ish rhythms or experimental classical sonatas. Drones, distorted notes, audio feedbacks, and white noises hit the audience; yet, among those seemingly chaotic and dissonant sonic textures you could definitely discern intelligent and amusing patterns. Indeed, they played extensively with dynamics, and based their music on suspended atmospheres, unexpected twists, engaging crescendos, and built-up, overlapping layers: it really felt like the sounds were just enfolding and evolving before your eyes. The result was a psychedelic, aerial trip.

2016_03_02_Ecstatic_10 — Lee Ranaldo, Dither and Brian Chase (David Andrako)

Lee Ranaldo soon joined them on stage, and you could tell that a perceivable sense of anticipation arose in the audience. With the accompaniment of drummer Brian Chase, they performed three songs – the “Hurricane Trancriptions”, based on field recordings made by Ranaldo in New York during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, were the most striking – at such an intensity that you could easily mistake them for a full orchestra. Though, at one point, they really became one as Ranaldo turned himself into a conductor.

The show ended on a more pop, easy-listening note with new Ranaldo’s song, “Thrown Over The Wall”, which offered the audience some catchy hooks to sing along while going home. And yet, the overall purpose of the night was another: to create something new, challenge mainstream taste, and intrepidly walk on the edge of music.

Discover British Hidden Ambient Rock Gem, “Saturday Sun”

A striking “Saturday Sun” emerged from cloudy Britain. A talented, creative, musical ensemble was born in 2010, in Dorset, South West England, naming itself after Nick Drake’s song, “Saturday Sun“. Combining folk and rock influences with moving, emotional vocals, they will take you by the hand throughout a whimsical musical journey.

Alex and Billy from “Saturday Sun” (image source)

Even though in 2015 they decided to take a break and pursue different musical paths – first together under the name “Athousandfurs“, now individually – their music is still definitely worth checking out. Also, it will be interesting to see what they will come up with in the future, so stay tuned.

“Saturday Sun” comprised three members: Alex Hedley (voice and guitar), Billy Merrick (guitar), and Allan Varnfield (drums). They released two EP, “Seagull” (2012) and “That Wave” (2015), and a full length album, “Orixé”(2013). Their first EP received great recognition on iTunes, and laid the foundation for the following record: it is a cohesive, flowing album that will instantly draw you in and let you wander among rock-ish, folksy and even some orchestral atmospheres.

Their strength lies both in the stunning musical ensemble, and in Alex’s unbelievably poignant, soulful vocals. He manages to create a remarkable contrast by alternating a delicate, hushed, falsetto voice, with a rougher, croaky, more raspy one. Personally, he reminds me of the versatile voices of Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons), and Josh Franceschi (You Me At Six).

At once “delicate and demanding” (Dayrotter), their music is an ethereal soundscape to slip into; their sound seems to take you to a contemplative journey into the woods, as the opening track of Orixé – Something In The Woods – evokes. The acoustic guitar riffs pull you in, the intense vocals keep you stuck, the surrounding musical textures embrace you completely.

If “Seagull” and “Orixé” relied on more reflective and rarefied atmospheres, their latest EP, “That Wave” has a stronger, more decisive vibe. The sound is more distorted, the drums more predominant, yet their emotional strength is retained – if not amplified – in Alex’s vocals. More space is given to instrumental parts – the tracks are lengthier – as well as to their rock-ish attitude.

As usual, I will leave you with my personal recommendations for the week.

1. Seagull

Pleasant acoustic musical journey. It is a great track to get acquainted with “Saturday Sun”, their engaging melodies, and Alex’s multifaceted vocals.

2. Blinded By The Truth

Mostly instrumental song. It starts off with a gentle piano-music background and hushed vocals, and grows stronger toward the end, as many more sonic textures get added to it.

3. I Want A Life For You

Heartbreakingly emotional track. The desperate vocals, and deep lyrics will strike a chord in you.

4. Interlude

Amusing building-up song. It delicately carries your mind elsewhere, shutting up the world outside. It is both relaxing and inspiring.

Feel free to share your thoughts on Saturday Sun, and stay tuned for more updates on their musical journey!

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Where Poetry and Music Collide: “Flatsound”

Take a sound recorder, an old rusted guitar, some messy written journals, and the coolest vintage Instagram filters; then, add a bunch of raw uncontrolled emotions, authentic lo-fi music, and a hint of genuine creative talent: you can call the final product “Flatsound“, and yet deeply is how it will resonate.

Mitch Welling, aka Flatsound (image source)

Want to know how it all started?
Once upon a time there was a little boy who stumbled upon a magical device that could mysteriously record voices and sounds. He quickly fell in love with it, and began to carry it jealously everywhere he went. He recorded conversations as well as his own monologues; he recorded life. “It [the recording] was a part of my own life resting in my hands,” the now grown-up boy recalls. Since then, he hasn’t stopped crafting beautiful, uplifting, yet down-to-earth playbacks. He would have filled them with pretentious words, and mixed them with electro sounds to create a satisfactory output where to store his rawest, hidden emotions: the “only goal [was] to create something honest.”

Today, Mitch Welling, the man behind Flatsound, still lives up to this principle. He is able to offer listeners an authentic sound, relying on a lo-fi aesthetics and acoustic guitar riffs. He pours poetry-like lyrics onto them, manipulates them with synthesized background noises, and blends the final recordings with surrounding ambient sounds, which may range from phone conversations, to video games playing. The overall sound is intimate, and uplifting, yet at times desperate and sad.

His songs dramatically feel like private monologues, diary entires, and confessions to some lovers; thus, the lyrics are as important as the music – if not more. Even the titles of each album and many of the songs retain some poetic feelings: “It’s Sunday, April 19th and I Miss You”, “Losing The Interest and Trust I Had in You”, “The Act of Holding on and Letting Go”.

The rawness of the recording process as opposed to the perfectly polished studio sound is what grants Flatsound its authentic and credible status: I feel personally drawn to his music because it speaks truthfully and without filters; it just feels real.

His discography comprises 4 albums, 3 Eps – one, “Four Songs for Losing You“, has been recently released in September 2015 – and some more heterogeneous collections of songs that are hard to categorize: he defined, for example, “I’m okay” as a “a forty minute meditation / noise piece[, where] these noises and tones represent a period of self awareness and, most of all, healing”; as for the more standardized album format of “I Clung to You Hoping We’d Both Drown“, he described it as “a concept album of sorts. […] it’s a portion of my life. it’s saying i’m sorry and i miss you. it’s being too afraid to directly say i hate you. it’s whatever you want it to be.” His experimentalism is simple, yet mind-blowing.

Here are my recommended tunes for the week (plus a more unconventional one*):

1. Sleep: A song to get easily acquainted with Flatsound. Catchy riffs, captivating vocals and an overall engaging mood give it a more popular feel.

2. My heart goes bum bum bum: This song is extremely odd, and yet it can get stuck in your head for days. The rhythm is appealing, the lyrics definitely clever.

3. We’re fighting again: Typical Flatsound tune. Soft vocals, electro beat, lo-fi aesthetics, bittersweet lyrics.

4. You said okay*: An astonishing mixed recording where he recites one of his own poem emotionally and desperately over an instrumental background.

Feel free to share your impressions of Flatsound, and get to know more about him by following these links:

Marble Sounds: Belgian Phenomenon Taking Over International Audiences (+ New Album on its Way)

After hitting million views on Youtube and gaining some recognition beyond its homeland’s borders, the Belgian-based indie-pop band, Marble Sounds, is ready to turn its audience into an international fan-base. Following the success of their two full-length albums, “Nice is Good” (2010) and “Dear Me, Look Up” (2013), Marble Sounds are about to finish mixing their new upcoming album, scheduled to be released on January 15th, 2016.

Marble Sounds was born as another creative outlet for the eclectic, Belgian scoring composer and musician, Pieter Van Dessel, also member of the electronic duo, Plastic Operator.

“I’ve always liked making guitar songs. I couldn’t put all my ideas in Plastic Operator. It’s hard to turn a melancholic waltz on a banjo into an electro-pop song. So I created Marble Sounds,” Van Dessel reveals on Tomatrax.

Van Dessel recorded Marble Sounds’ first EP, “A Painting or a Spill” (2007) in Canada, all by himself. The EP contains 4 songs, and its delicate, melancholic, calming sound laid the foundations for the following albums – two of its songs, “Good Occasions” and “Redesign” are included in the next album, “Nice is Good”.

Marble Sounds - Nice is Good / @Eugene and Louise Studio — Marble Sounds – Nice is Good / @Eugene and Louise Studio

When Van Dessel came back to Belgium, he decided to set up a band, now including 5 members (voice, guitar/banjo/ukulele, bass, drums, and keys). In 2010, the newly formed group released “Nice is Good”, taking their music to a higher level. Their sound is more defined, mature, and consistent. Yet, it retains its pop-orientation, easy-listening feeling, and soothing feeling. Both folk and electro influences blend together with an indie-pop matrix, creating uplifting songs to accompany your travels, your readings, as well as and your afternoon’s naps.

Marble Sounds - Dear Me, Look Up / © Eugene and Louise Studio — Marble Sounds – Dear Me, Look Up / © Eugene and Louise Studio

In 2013, they release “Dear Me, Look Up”. Again, it is amazing how this band is capable of growing and experimenting with each new album: their intensity is greater, their sound stronger thanks to the prominence given to electric guitars and drums, their lyrics more poignant and reflective. Renowned BBC DJ, Steve Lamacq, praised Marble Sounds describing their new album as “so clean sounding but then again so sensitive and emotional at the same time”.
Given these promising premises, we cannot wait to hear what their new album, coming up in January 2016, will sound like.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with my recommended songs for this week:

1. Come Here

This is a cover from the American, folk musician Kath Bloom. Marble Sounds’ version is gentle and super cheesy – Van Dessel recorded it for his wife on Valentine’s day (Tomatrax).

2. Good Occasions

Heavily instrumental with some delicate vocals blended into it. It’s genuine, raw music to lose track of time with.

3. No One Ever Gave Us The Right

First single taken out from Dear Me, Look Up. It’s an uplifting musical crescendo paired with inspiring, reflection-triggering lyrics.

4. Never Lost, Never Won

Engaging tune with a catchy chorus. It builds up toward a stronger, rawer ending with electric guitar and drums dominating the scene. The ending is majestic.

Feel free to share your thoughts on Marble Sounds, and stay tuned for their new album!

Follow their updates here:

Top-10 Coolest Indie Album Covers

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”, that’s what they say. But what about music album covers? You must admit that music artworks (as well as strategic marketing campaigns) play quite an important role in persuading people to buy or listen to certain music. Personally, I discovered numerous interesting unknown bands on YouTube, and, during my random searches, I was mostly drawn to them by their bizarre album covers.

Today I would like to share with you the coolest and catchiest ones that I have found – all belonging to independent artists. Common and recurrent characteristics are: pastel-like colors, surrealistic imagery, and inspiring aesthetics.

The album covers are in no particular order of preference.

1. Marble Sounds – Nice is Good

“Nice is Good”(2010) is the debut album of the Belgian indie-pop band, Marble Sounds. The artwork is colorful, catchy and neatly well-designed.

2. Marble Sounds – Dear Me, Look Up

“Dear Me, Look Up” (2013) is Marble Sound’s latest album. It actually reminds me of the “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” by the German Romantic painter, Friedrich.

3. Low Roar – 0

Low Roar - 0 / © 7Vicocrema — Low Roar – 0 / © 7Vicocrema

“0” is the latest album (2014) of the Icelandic indie-rock band, Low Roar. This intricate and engaging figure resembles the band leader, Ryan Karazija.

4. Radical Face – Ghost

Radical Face - Ghost (image source: Flickr) — Radical Face – Ghost / (image source: Flickr)

“Ghost” (2007) is Ben Cooper’s – aka Radical Face – first studio album. It is also a concept album “based on the idea of houses retaining stories of what has happened in them” (Wikipedia).

5. Message to Bears – EP1

Message to Bears - EP1 / © Jake Blanchard — Message to Bears – EP1 / © Jake Blanchard

“EP1” (2007) is Message to Bears‘ self-released debut album. The artwork’s aesthetics ensures a sense of continuity with the following album, Folding Leaves.

6. Message to Bears – Folding Leaves

“Folding Leaves” (2012) is the second album of the English musician Jerome Alexander, whose musical alias is Message to Bears. The album’s illustration explicitly conveys the atmosphere of its tracks: environmental, ambient, soundscape music.

7. The Antlers – The Hospice

The Antlers - The Hospice / © Zan Goodman — The Antlers – The Hospice / © Zan Goodman

“The Hospice” (2009) is the third studio album of the American indie-rock band, The Antlers. It is a concept album dealing with the emotional, heartbreaking relationship between a hospice worker and a terminally-ill patient: the artwork and the music itself are deeply intertwined.

8. The Pines – Dark So Gold

The Pines - Dark So Gold / (image source FB) — The Pines – Dark So Gold / (image source FB)

“Dark So Gold” (2012) is the fourth album of the American indie-folk band, The Pines. It is a dark, melancholic, and yet fascinating artwork capable of arousing people’s curiosity.

9. Burning Hearts – Aboa Sleeping

Burning Hearts - Aboa Sleeping / © Treatzone — Burning Hearts – Aboa Sleeping / © Treatzone

“Aboa Sleeping” (2009) is the debut album of the indie-pop and electro Finnish duo, Burning Hearts.

10. Flatsound – Sleep

Flatsound - Sleep / (image source) — Flatsound – Sleep / (image source)

“Sleep” in an album recorded between 2011 and 2012 by Mitch Welling, aka Flatsound. He defines it as “a half songwriting / half ambient instrumental album”.

This was my top-10 list. Now, what’s yours? What are your favorite album covers? Feel free to share your thoughts, and post your own personal album cover chart.

Whenever you want to discover new music, let the artwork choose you!

3 Useful Tips to Discover New Indie Music Online

Ever wondered how to discover new music without having to rely on your music-junkie friends who’ll just point out your ignorance, navigate the depths of YouTube before finding something really worth it, or waste time on those few MTV channels today only broadcasting the hits of the season?

Here are three useful, enjoyable ways that will enhance your musical journey and enlarge your songs collection with new artist discoveries.

1. MusicRoamer: interactive, graphical appealing, user-friendly

MusicRoamer Logo/FB

MusicRoamer is one of the coolest websites I have recently stumbled upon. It is an interesting music search engine that, relying on a huge library of tunes, allows you to potentially search for any musician you want: you look up an artist and it provides you with an interactive, graphical, floating list of similar artists (up to 20). The graph shows the relationship between different artists, and can continuously expand as you click on more and more results, and play with them to identify further similarities.

Although equivalent online tools exist, I prefer this one because it allows you to immediately listen to the songs on the website itself, without having to look them up elsewhere: it opens up an automatic sidebar on the right displaying a playlist with top tracks from the artist to be freely streamed. Additionally, you can also buy the songs and be redirected to iTunes.

2. Bandcamp: art promoter, indie supporter, music mediator.

Bandcamp Logo/ WikiCommons

Bandcamp’s mission is to promote artists and directly connect them to their fans. Thus, artists – mostly small, independent ones – can upload their music on the website and set a variable price or minimum donation to download their songs. Music streaming, however, is rigorously free.

As for music search, you have plenty of genres and sub genres to choose from, as well as numerous staff-picked artists and recent updates. It’s absolutely interactive, and foster both individual discovery and discussion among other music peers: you can create your profile, review artists, and collect your favorite tunes on your personal page. You can also follow other users and wander through their profile’s picks as in any other social network.

Bandcamp is on Facebook – where they post “Bandcamp Weeklys”, unique music selections for each week – Twitter, and Instagram.

They also have an inspiring blog with numerous suggestions on newly released records and fresh new artists.

3. 8Tracks: “Music-oriented social media”

8tracks Logo/Wiki Commons

An entertaining way to discover new artists and tunes is through playlists. 8tracks is a web platform containing innumerable playlists (containing at least 8 tracks) created by users to be freely shared, liked, commented on, and, of course, streamed. Users can also save an entire mix or single songs for future reference, or purchase them through iTunes. Indeed, it presents the typical social networks’ characteristics, and its founder, David Porter, defined it as a “Music-oriented social media”.

8tracks’ homepage consists of endless playlists to scroll down. Through the search engine you have the chance to look up either an artist, a specific genre, or even select and combine interactive “mood tags” such as instrumental, relax, fitness, happy… Its main focus is on instrumental and ambient songs.

When you’re listening to the playlists, the songs are revealed one at a time and you’re only allowed 3 skips. However, what is actually amazing about it is that it does not have ads interruptions, like major streaming tools like Spotify or Pandora.

It also has mobile phone apps for both iPhone and Android.

Lastly, as an additional piece of advice, I’d suggest you to read through music blogs, either the ones dedicated to the music genre you’re interested in or those focusing on a wider range of styles – their author’s personal insights and reviews might trigger something in you, and make you discover your new favorite artist!

So, now that you have the tools – what are you waiting for to show it off to your music-junkie-bragger friends?

Tag: indie music