Sicilian Fab Samperi a.k.a. The Captain has played his eclectic sets all over the world. In summer 2010, Fab is releasing his first album Power Bossa with Agogo records, the label of such talents as Una Mas Trio, The Juju Orchestra and Mo`Horizons. While waiting for the full length album to be released, we’re excited about his first single. “In The River” will definitely appeal to the dancefloor music lovers as it carries incredibly addictive bluesy riff, uptempo beats and solid grooves. Bellissimo!
Known for his truly unique voice and the use of a cello bow on guitar, Jónsi Birgisson as a frontman of Sigur Rós is no less than a post-rock icon in the music world. The comparison of his solo effort to the ethereal sound of Sigur Rós is unavoidable. While Go (2010) carries those familiar enigmatic soundscapes and hypnotic arrangements, Jónsi takes a somewhat joyfully naïve approach for his solo work. “Go Do”, the first single and album opener, evolves from layered vocal textures and graceful flutes to pulsing percussion. Go ranges from soaring, fast tempo compositions to melodramatic post-rock arrangements. It’s just too good not to mention.
With the flood of music coming from Sweden, Josefine Lindstrand’s debut might be undeservedly left unnoticed. You won’t find much about it on the blogosphere, but by no means mistake not: Josefine is not a beginner in the music world. Swedish singer and pianist, Josefine, has previously collaborated with Django Bates and Uri Caine, as well as indie pop artist Maia Hirasawa and lent her vocals on two of Efterklang’s records. “Send Out The Singers”, from There Will Be Stars (2009), features a oh-so-lovely marimba and gentle whistlings that make this track irresistible. While “Jewels” carries tender vocals, elegant trumpet and piano arrangements recalling late-night cabaret jazz.
Many of you might be already familiar with the Copenhagen-based electronic-post-rock collective Efterklang. Following last year’s release of Performing Parades, featuring the Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Efterklang are back with their third full-length studio album Magic Chairs (2010). While they are finishing their North American tour and heading to SXSW, I caught them at Seattle for a quick chat with Rasmus Stoldberg, one of their core members. But before the words, Efterklang made an exclusive gift to Aurgasm readers: a remix of Magic Chair’s opening track “Modern Drift”.
When you started playing music back in 2000 (10 years ago!) what were your expectations as a band? Did you think what it would be like if one day you become popular? How that matches with the way Efterklang is nowadays?
I think we had a lot of dreams in that direction, but mostly (and that’s what we still try to keep the focus on) we just concentrated on the music. All these years, what mattered most to us is the music we play and the albums we record. That’s the real motivation. When you succeed doing those things, that’s when you really feel good as a band. When you succeed in making the music you imagine you can do. That was the starting point. To be honest, it took me 6 years to realize that maybe I could actually make a living from music. I was doing it as a hobby and thinking to stop it some time, but now it’s a full time job, something we do every day. We do our best to maintain this reality so we can keep on doing it. Also, you need to find the balance, because once you start having those thoughts that you need to remain successful, you also start to lose focus on the most important thing — the music. So we’ve been trying to mostly focus on the music we want to make.
I thought to myself tonight, seeing this great gig and the queuing crowd after the show, that Efterklang is an example of a good management in 2010. You seem to be the manager of the band? Efterklant frequently updates their website, Facebook, Twitter, their photo journal on Flickr and more. How does the social media helps you to connect with your audience?
Yes, I’m the manager. I make sure we get the record deals that we want and such. The new record is released via 4AD (editor’s note: Efterklang has previously worked with Leaf and they also run their own label), a bigger label than we used to be on and this means that they actually have money to market Efterklang. That’s really nice, but at the same time our background is all about direct contact with people: going out and playing a lot of shows, getting people to sign up for the newsletter, trying to communicate with them on MySpace or Facebook, whenever we can find these people. When you’re a small band with no marketing budget, it’s really a nice way not only to communicate with the fans, but also make sure that all the people who like Efterklang know what is going on. It’s especially important when you’re on tour, maybe you go to play a show in Denver, Colorado and maybe a hundred people show up, and that is really nice. But it is really painful to think maybe there is actually two hundred and fifty people in Denver who like Efterklang, but didn’t hear about the show. It’s also tough to be on so many websites, but it is also fun! We do everything ourselves, we’re a big band, so everyone has a role. If you’re a singer-songwriter and you do everything on your own I understand it’s something you probably can’t spend so much time on. We took a drive from Chicago to Seattle and we were in the car for two and a half days and we had internet in the car, so it was fun to update on the way.
Do you maybe have any tips for bands and musicians how to use social media better? And, let’s face it, some fans download and pirate your music… Any tips how to survive as a band like that?
Well, it all comes down to the music. That’s the main thing that I care about. You can get on so many websites, and you can do all the right things or all the wrong things, but it all comes down to the music. So my best advice is to spend a lot of time on making good music. And then, if that’s working for you, there are a lot of things you can do. I think it’s a way of finding a balance between doing what you think is fun and what you feel you have time to do, and making sure it doesn’t become too much, because the important thing, naturally, is to write songs and play a lot of concerts. So the the most important is writing good songs and playing live.
Do you think live music is the future of the music industry? Now that record sales are declining…
Well, recorded music has existed for about a hundrend years, but live music has been around for thousands of years. It’s difficult. I try to figure out what is the right thing and I realize I’m not gonna come up with an answer. Hopefully someone will come up with a good method. Where I am from, I actually like record labels and I’m sad to see the way things are… We have our own label and we work with different labels, and what they do for our band is actually great. They invest a lot of time and money in our work. We work with different, special kind of labels — only with some good indie labels and I hope they will keep existing because they do really good things.
Let’s talk about Efterklang’s musical influences. Anything in particular you could name as your biggest influence and inspiration?
There are a lot of things, not a single one I can name. Over the last ten years, it’s been so many different things, we listened to a lot of German electronic music, and then we listened to music from Iceland. Maybe the biggest influence is a band called Einstürzende Neubauten. It still remains one of our key influences. What they do is completely different from what we do, but their ideas are incredible. It’s nice that you can be inspired by a band you would never sound like. It’s a hard question, because we’re deriving inspiration from so many different areas, from electronic music to Rock, and we mix different influences.
You’ve worked with so many talented people, musicians, video artists etc. You’ve done many collaborations and projects, including with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Is there anyone in the world you would love to collaborate with on a special project?
Old school Danish bands. We grew up with their music. They mean a lot to us, but they wouldn’t mean a lot to you. They sing in Danish. Old guys that have been around since the 60’s. And maybe Tom Waits would be fun.
We provide the readers of Aurgasm with great music they’ve probably not heard. Are there any tracks that you’ve been listening to recently that you’d recommend? What new music excites you at the moment?
I can help you with that! I’m excited about a new Danish band called the The Late Great Fitzcarraldos. It hasn’t been announced yet, but they’re going to support our tour in Denmark in April. They have a new record out in April or May.
The Bamboos are probably the finest funk band of the era. Sometimes infused with serious female vocal talent like Alice Russell, but often rocking a solid instrumental groove that needs no adornment, they got you covered; whether you’re a dancer or a head-nodder. Australian-based but signed to the UK’s Tru-Thoughts: their new single is firey hot. True story: this track has had my mom dancing daily since she heard it! Feel this.
A hook you cannot refuse. The Bamboos – On The Sly
Is to give your heart or have it taken all of life? Nothing else seems relevant in Nicole Simone‘s music, and that’s something I can relate to. She loves me, she loves me not – a field of daisies ravaged by uncertainty. Her sultry persuasion can caress or carve out a heart with paralyzing euphoria and inflict stoic men with boyish war. A silky smooth trumpet coats one’s will, the gentle bass thump removes your armor, as marxophone, guitar and piano fastens temptation. Dark, moody, passionate desire, eerie and erotic – provocative songs that linger like an eternal flame; reducing your soul to brimstone ash.
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.
Sydney Wayser possesses an ear for melody and talent for songwriting that results in a collection of intimate and playful tunes. The half-French, half-American songwriter grew up in Los Angeles with frequent trips to Paris (and is now based in New York). This worldly charm is heard throughout her music, whether it’s the Southern-inspired “Banjo Bayou” or the dreamy allure of “Bells”. Though the majority of her sophomore album, The Colorful, was recorded on children’s toys and piano, there is nothing childish about it. Wayser’s alluring vocals and her unique instrumentals combine to rapturous effect. The Colorful wanders between light-hearted fun and poignant melody with ease.
Israeli-born New York-based Rosi Golan‘s debut album The Drifter & The Gypsy (2008) is 11 vibrant and neatly-crafted folk songs. Mostly accompanied by acoustic guitars as well as drums, bass, piano, banjo and mandolin, the album sways between folky tunes and mellow ballads. “Follow The Arrow” (not featured on the album) is probably the most uplifting, up-tempo and contagiously melodic track from Rosi’s repertoire. Another highlight (taken from the album this time) is the clever folk-driven “I Don’t Wanna Wait”, delivering catchy chorus with such a charming simplicity. The Drifter & The Gypsy will appeal to these who enjoy the tiny bit whimsical sounds of such artists as Ingrid Michaelson as well as the lovely songwriting of Lucy Schwartz.
Time leads me to belonging’s grace. The drifting mountains, sifting hills, forests enclave, gravel pounds. Walking til’ my feat falls flat; I rest under trees why leaves camouflage me. Already west when my quest is back home… in a faint, beckoning assuage; reminiscent of Ma who always cared too much – with her undying love now a comforting memory – as footsteps in my soul on a path to soar. Black-eyed Susans and their friends break earth around me.. do they sing when they see the sun? A shout, a gasp, or a sigh for eternity? What do they believe? The strum of petals forgiving sin; steady growth like beard or wind; bark that bites, angels who romp, and heartbeat knock, tick-tock, of a flock. Do they or the birds above see me? Window’s fog is revealing fingerprinted faces, and a Portland, Maine man, David Lamb, has Rhode Islands across lakes of succumbing fate to find The Devil Dancing.
Aurgasm seeks to bring you an eclectic menagerie of aural pleasures. We scout out music you've never heard and deliver only the finest. Expect music curiously different, yet simply enjoyable...
Paul Irish is a music-loving web geek in San Francisco.
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