Aurgasm

singer-songwriter // indie folk // bedroom rock

Ferraby, an LA-born, Nashville-raised, Los Angeles-returnee, recorded his self-titled EP in his bedroom, and the intimacy of that fact is echoed in all of its tracks. Each one is brimming with honesty, optimism and a touch of vulnerability. His tenuous voice and the folky-upbeat tone of his songs is an addictive and comforting combination. Even though he recorded his newly released LP Catch The Brass Ring, in a large studio, none of this intimacy is lost. According to Ferraby’s biography, “He wants people to care about the planet. He wants people to care about other people.” Lion-hearted, indeed.

Music that makes you ache and smile, all at once.
Ferraby Lionheart – Call Me the Sea
Ferraby Lionheart – Small Planet

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afro-spanish pop // minimalist electro-ragga

Despite the absolute frigid temperatures this morning, my ride to work was warm because I had the sizzling island flavor of this tune to keep me moving. What at first intrigued my ears as odd spanish rap, soon matured its sonic sound as a dubbed-out dance track where you choose your level of involvement. You can let it be the backdrop for your utterly fascinating conversation of say, folksonomies; or conversely, you can crank it up, clap your hands, and make the other drivers on the road wish they had the CD, too.
A squeeky clean tropical production of deliciously organic sounds.

DJ /Rupture – Musquito (club foot remix)
Rupture (Jace Clayton)’s blog
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A luscious and vibrant sound was my aim for this mix, titled ‘Safe Bet’ because I wanted to create an introduction to downtempo / electronic music in a way that may captivate and grow interest. To subtly build an unfamiliar atmosphere and give hints of more to explore.

donthink – Safe Bet (63min):

1. Xploding Plastix – Dieci
2. Mujaji – Siempre (Jon Kennedy Remix)
3. Bonobo – Change Down
4. Jon Kennedy – Brown Acid
5. Bathysphere – Where’s Vicky (Quantic Mix)
6. Caural – Sipping Snake Blood Wine (Savath & Savalas Remix)
7. The Cinematic Orchestra – All Things To All Men ft Roots Manuva
8. Broadway Project – Beauty
9. Yenara – When Mountain Meets The Sea
10. A Guy Called Gerald – Humanity ft Louise Rhodes (Funkstörung Remiks)
11. Daedelus – Minor Detour
12. King Seven – Hidden
13. Opiate – Pk 50
14. Hint – Count Your Blessings (Bonobo Mix)
15. Florian Ross – Piano Interlude

bedtime beats // pajama pop // indie folk

Shawn James Seymour and Yoshimi Tomida make up the husband and wife duo, Lullatone, from Nagoya, Japan. Lullatone’s first album was comprised of lullabies written by Shawn for Yoshimi, and their freshly recorded album is a collection of new lullabies for their child, Niko. Their appropriately self-dubbed “pajama pop,” is a playful blend of whispered vocals, unique instrumentals and carefully spaced beats. For the album, The Bedtime Beat, they mixed the ambient sounds of bedtime rituals, such as splashing bathwater and gentle snoring. Notably, in the song “Goodnight Train” they used a xylophone played with a violin bow to imitate the chug-chug of a train. Conceptual but not distancing, their comforting and alluring sound is far from boring. Rather, Lullatone’s songs are delightful gems that capture the familiar essence of home.

Sweet homemade lullabies.

Lullatone – The Bathtime Beat
Lullatone – Goodnight Train
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indie pop // experimental

Josh Ottum, a Seattle-based musician and songwriter, has been making his tiny-bedroom-music for 4 years before composing his debut album Like The Season (2007). To put it in his own words, Like The Season is a twelve song journey into the hallways, bedrooms, dining rooms and garages of popular music. Josh’s “The Easy Way Out” evolves from sweet, coherent and easy-on-the-ears harmonies to a rhythmically driven complex production. With layered arrangements of multiple drums, repetitive piano, catchy horn lines and quirky phrasing Josh builds “The Easy Way Out” to a charmingly dynamic indie-pop song.

Whimsical songwriting, complex instrumentation.
Josh Ottum – The Easy Way Out
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chilled electro // synth-dance

Observing a healthy balance between pop appeal and experimentation, the German duo Booka Shade concoct unusual blends of modern 4/4 sketches and timeless listening titles. They emerged as an electro-house outfit, but their latest CD, Movements, takes a more measured, deliberate approach to electronic music, reminiscient of Sasha’s excellent work on Airdrawndagger. My fave from their new LP, “Body Language”, has this round bass from the keyboard dials intermingling with a surgical precision with a guitar sounding like its strings are wet bamboo. A remixed cut of the track won the last “Ibiza Track of the Season” award. “Mandarine Girl” features heavier synth chordal progressions posed against a four-to-the-floor bass beat.
Considered musical taste with mass-appeal sensibility.

Booka Shade – Body Language (interpretation)
Booka Shade – Mandarine Girl (album version)
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vocal harmony // close harmony // country-folk

The Living Sisters might be releasing their debut album Love To Live, next month, but they certainly aren’t new to the scene. LA-based singer-songwriters Inara George (The Bird And The Bee), Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and Eleni Mandell have been performing for years with their own respective projects. Mandell first proposed the idea of a harmony group to Stark in 2005, and George jumped on board the following year. Since then, the trio has been working on The Living Sisters in rare stolen moments when all three were available, and the result is well worth the wait. Love To Live is a gorgeous collection of songs with nods to classic country harmony groups and a healthy splash of gospel, soul and folk for good measure. Throughout the album their crystalline voices take the spotlight; the trio’s heartfelt and pure harmonies give an intimacy to each song, and the end result is lovely and effortless. Take a listen to “Double Knots,” a sweet doo wop-inspired track, to tide yourself over until Love To Live becomes available in March.

Pure, unfiltered loveliness.
The Living Sisters – Double Knots
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british folk

You might not have heard of oddly named Mechanical Bride, a.k.a. Lauren Doss, a young folk songstress from Brighton, but there’s a pretty big chance her song “Umbrella” will sound familiar. Mechanical Brides’ radical rework of Rihanna’s R&B styled “Umbrella” renders the ubiquitous hit into a beautiful folk ballad. Slowing the tempo down and adding a slightly eerie feeling to it, Mechanical Bride bewitches with gentle piano refrains, tender voice and haunting whispers, not only making it a highly successful cover, but giving it a whole new meaning.

Unexpectedly original interpretation.
Mechanical Bride – Umbrella
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electro pop // eclectic electronic

Annika Line Trost is a charming and charismatic creature. You probably know her from the Berlin duo Cobra Killer, who began as a part of digital hardcore movement. You hear her voice, her sound, and her gorgeous style as you click on play her album Trust Me (2006) lead you into the world of the urban rhythms and the most elegant darkness. Trost tells you her stories of cheap lipstick and love in three languages, English, German and French.

Be aware, she’s an addictive one.
Trost – I was Wrong
Trost – In Diesem Raum
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electronica // glitch

Mitchell Nordine describes his Mind Tree outlet as “expressing the blissfulness of child-like naivety and nature, mixed with the beautiful and raw emotion connected to nostalgia. A journey of new perspective that subtly yet strongly guides thought and emotion.” Set sail on a glitchy, spacey, cinematic Melbourne sea.

Endless possibilities.
Mind Tree – Mother Nature
Mind Tree – Glóa Stafur
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