I want to pursue songwriting, even though I've only written a couple of songs, and produce my own indie album. I want to publish a novel, or a collection of poetry. I want to join the Peace Corps and gain new perspective. I want to be a teacher (I think!). I want to get to know anyone willing to wear their soul on their sleeve. I wear my soul on my sleeve. I want to get to know people who don't wear their soul on their sleeve.
Nora Keyes has a very ordinary, girl-next-door type of name. But her sound and quirky personality are far from ordinary. Thus far, Ms. Keyes has released one very creepy album entitled "Songs to Cry for in the Age of Nothing." The first song I heard was "Small Apart" (which is available to listen to on LastFM and her Myspace). "Small Apart" starts off and is punctuated throughout by Nora's cackling. It's a very witchy, catchy sound, but Nora's flamboyant attire and kitschy vocal techniques are not sly methods intended to distract you from her voice. In fact, Nora has a lovely singing voice, which even is evidenced in "Small Apart" (in between cackles). I was immediately reminded of Siouxsie Sioux when I saw a video of her. However, Siouxsie Sioux has a slower pace to her songs, and I believe they would be considered more exemplary of the Gothic genre.
Nora's sound is unsettling; an ideal backdrop for a haunted house, or a somber symphony for the undead. At times warbling, Nora's voice is beautiful and unique. I really can't think of anyone who sounds similar (in terms of vocals). Others who contributed to the album include:
Rebecca Lynn (violin)
Ray Day (guitar)
Creekbird (bass/drums)
Dame Darcy (auto harp/saw)
Lyrical content varies manically in Ms. Keye's Album. From insulting ("Look at You, You're Ugly) to soft and reminiscent ("Old Pal"-actually a Jimmy Rogers cover) Nora has sprawling songs and lyrics that are interesting and eclectic.
Nora was previously in a band, The Centimeters. She is currently working on an album in collaboration with Don Bolles.
Below is a live performance that I just love. Nora has a deadpan expression throughout the piece, and her cackles are fantastic. Enjoy :)
While perusing the /mu/chan forums, I came across a band with a name that caught my eye. I have a natural tendency to be averse to "glitch" bands, but upon hearing this band my attention was immediately ensnared. "From Rotting Fantasylands" starts off like a typical glitch album but quickly it is evident with the use of strange, reversed tribal vocals, haunting choir music, and the chaos of sound that Nero's Day at Disneyland are more than a simple run of the mill electronica band (and perhaps I need to listen to more glitch and re-evaluate my opinions!). Furthermore, each song is distinctly unique from one another. (A problem I have noted within certain glitch bands is that the beeps and bloops, if the artist is not talented, offer an impression of redundancy). But the eclectic techniques Brock and Shon employ really take the genre to another level. "No Money Down, Low Monthly Payments" really encapsulates the album's name; it sounds like a tinkling dream place succumbing to screeching "technical difficulties," phantoms, eerie spooks that slink around merry-go-rounds and bring true horror to the haunted houses. Overall the album as a whole was a pleasure to listen to. My favorite tracks were "Stretched Linen over Contorted Bodies" (which features incredibly quick beats and intense progressions) and "Eulogy for Nick Galvas," which sounds like what would happen if a robot had a bad acid trip.
Overall this whole album is nightmarish (in a great way). It would make a great soundtrack for a b horror movie about killer robots. Two thumbs up, this album gets the Bumblebee sting of approval
Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Saltillo (has many full tracks) Saltillo is Menton James Matthews III. A multi-talented instrumentalist, Matthews (also a member of Sunday Munich) is capable of playing the cello, guitar, viola, violin, piano, drums, bass, and many electronics.
The first song I heard by Saltillo was "A Hair on the Head of John the Baptist." While a lengthy song (7:34), I was captivated the whole track. I played it while filling in at my school's radio station and received a succession of calls asking who the artist for the song was. While the song is doubtlessly a gem, Ganglion offers many other tracks that are note-worthy in the trip-hop genre. "Giving in" features breathy female vocals, exemplative of the genre, and there are several other tracks with female vocals as well.
Matthew's work is unique because it isn't predictable or boring. He incorporates many samples in his songs, which he artfully arranges into the rest of the song; the samples never seem jarring or out of place but smoothly plucked and placed to create whatever atmosphere Matthews has dreamed up...”A Simple Test” in particular has a creepy vibe, with references to the devil, evil, killing. It still fits neatly in the trip-hop genre, because of the techniques Matthews chooses to employ, but the superb instrumentals that wind around samples are like trippy tendrils of ivy...the music is always in motion, never repetitive without reason, and each crescendo is a thrill.
The music, created by one man's mind, seems to have a mind of it's own. Each instrument follows it's own path, and sometimes the paths collide to create fantastic melodies that all the while are cognizant of the samples they must weave around, to complement (and not overpower). The music, while thoughtfully mapped out, offers the illusion that it is on a complex journey of finding itself and it's sound.
I definitely recommend that you listen to Ganglion. While Saltillo already has somewhat of a following online, I don't think that enough people have been exposed to Matthew's music, and it is for this reason that I feature him on this blog. If I had to compare Saltillo to another artist I would say the music is akin to Velvet Acid Christ. On morphine.
The above painting and the (self) portrait were both works of art created by Matthews.
So there's this band, the Bastards of Fate. They've got that weiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrd sound. I wouldn't say that it verges on Noise (though at times they are very loud). There is however, a definite Patton influence to their style, which I guess you could call experimental. My first impression upon listening was thinking they were a hybrid of Melt-Banana and Fantomas. The first song I listened to I hated. Then I listened some more. "Oedipus Rex" has a haunted carnival feel to it, and is my favorite of what I've heard. I appreciate the mad oscillations in the song as it swings from sugar pop bobble head synth to early Flaming Lips-style guitar jamming with some kuh-razy vocals to make them unique. Upon further listening, "Oh the Desolation" has a very similar sound so the band appears to be striving for insanity (especially with the addition of free jazz, what sounds like a baby banging on pots and pans, and the gospel harmonics of Cheatwood himself). Some points in their songs sound like a cracked out video game, and I like that. The band is based out of Roanoke, Virginia, and have an upcoming show on January 21st (in their home town) if you feel like taking a nice walk. Or jog. As a recommendation, I would say don't listen to them if you are close-minded, and your favorite artist is Sufjan Stevens. Otherwise, enjoy the insanity. On their Myspace they claim to be on a Major label, but methinks they lie, especially since on their Facebook they list their manager as Keeklery James Furchild. Their cat. Who apparently is an asshole.
Artists of note who they have opened for include Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Captured! by Robots, and The Chinese Stars. They also toured with Joe Talcum of the Dead Milkmen (who-Sidenote! I love to pieces!).
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