Ball Park Music- ‘It’s Nice to be Alive’ Ball Park Music are an Australian indie pop group who are taking the country by storm, recently selling out a nation wide tour. This song is nothing more and nothing less than pure fun. It’s rainbows and sunshine and lollipops and everything sweet in the world. Sometimes that’s all you need from a song; a couple of minutes to forget life and all of its trouble and say “Hey, It’s nice to be alive”.
Paul Simon-‘The Story of Graceland’ Graceland is one of my favourite albums of all time. It draws together two fiery passions of mine; music being the obvious, and African culture. I love everything about Africa- the music, the colour, the smiles, the animals and most of all their undying hope in the face of unjust poverty and destruction. Paul Simon captures this spirit unlike any other western artist I have come across, including the Talking Heads. He encapsulates the vibrancy and fun, yet still sprinkles hints of his folk roots within its colour, and this short documentary depicts such spirit perfectly. All I can do is smile and appreciate this world in all its glory. Music rids me of cynicism, if only for a while, and that in itself is a powerful sentiment.
Fleet Foxes- ’Blue Spotted Tail’ I love folk music. I always have. My sister mocks me by muttering under her breath “That’s because he doesn’t have a beard” whenever I disapprove of an artist. But wild facial hair or not, I find such overwhelming satisfaction in the perfect harmonica ballad or Dylan-esque raw and rich vocal styling. Fleet Foxes provides the authenticity and vulnerability that I long for in a good folk song. They are the epitome of outstanding harmonies and intriguing instrumentals. This is a stripped down and re-verbed version of one of their most famous songs, which does not necessarily showcase their intricate unity. But it hits a nerve; makes your body shiver; and forces arm hairs to stand on its ends. It moves you. Which, in my opinion, is the most important facet of folk.
Ben Lee-‘Ben Lee’ (COVER) Whatever happened to Ben Lee? He is now forever defined as the ‘Catch My Disease’ guy. But I love his collection of music. It’s fun and quirky and brightens your day. Life is good so long as Ben Lee was on the radio. But over the past years his career has died somewhat. People have lost interest, and it’s sad. But with a new year comes a new chance for Lee to revive himself. And with a new album on the way, his opportunity is drawing ever so near. This is a hilarious acoustic cover of a song written about his career by a band named Ataris, and it exemplifies why I love Ben Lee; because he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
Hannah Anderson- ‘Safe and Sound (COVER)’ I can’t fathom why this girl isn’t a famous recording artist yet. She is a gem. Her guitar skills are insane, and her voice is a breathe of fresh air. It’s delicate, but intentional delicacy. Subscribe to her, please.
Pete’s voice is other-worldly. It’s raw, authentic, fragile, surprising and mountains better than majority of so-called ‘music’ out there. Why is their fan base so small? People are so silly.
Fanfarlo- ’Finish Line’ Do not let their hipster-ific fashion style scare you away; Fanfarlo’s performance at Bandstand Busking is far from cliche. Hey that rhymed. Cool.
Hey, I’m Ed Tullett. I was going through my Tumblr and saw that you like Bon Iver, so I thought you might like my own stuff! :) My music is falsetto/harmony rich acoustic stuff, with some banjo and other stuff thrown in. You can find the link to my music on my Tumblr if you want to have a listen (the album is free to download!), or just go here:www.edtullett.bandcamp.com. Would mean a lot if you did, and told me what you think! Thanks, Ed.
You can never go wrong with a banjo, that’s all I will say!
But seriously, for an upcoming artist, his sound is established. Further complexity is needed within instrumentals, as they are quite simple progressions, and his voice seems weak at times- I much prefer the lower octave in ‘Ribboned Blood’. But overall, it’s quality stuff. The harmonies are lovely, and the juxtaposition of soft falsetto with harsh banjo works surprisingly well. Very excited as to where his sound will be heading in the near future.
Bon Iver- ‘I can’t Make you Love Me’ Now this is how you cover a song. Some of Bon Iver’s later material has been a tad so-so, but boy can Vernon sing. His voice radiates with pure beauty. My body shivers and tingles and it reminds me of how much I freaking love music.
