artist spotlight: Kisses

I have found the perfect band to listen to whilst wishing my Winter blues away.

Kisses 

Kisses - The Heart Of The Nightlife LP  

What can I say about this duo? From the first listen to their LP I was hooked. It was pretty crazy I could have SWORN that it was Jens Lekman singing however was surprised to find it wasn't, in fact they aren't even a European band but one from Los Angeles, they are Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundsun. 

It is impossible to feel blue when listening to them... all I want to do is dance and I crave summer afternoons where I'll be blasting Kisses on my balcony in the sun. 

Filed under the genres "Chill-wave", "Chamber Pop"and "Light Synth pop" they have an 80s vibe going on which is always welcome in my boat! They also have really cool lyrics

so keep your heart strong

and love long

and give kisses when you can

(kisses) 

Listen to "Bermuda" for a summery vibe and "Kisses" because it has good advice and for a more laid back vibe listen to "On The Move".

Kisses have now sky rocketed to one of my favourite finds of the year, I recommend getting their LP and having a listen and a dance...

You can listen to them here, become a fan of them here  and you can buy their LP off iTunes and for Australians you can get it at JB Hi-FI.

Now for some ear candy... (Bermuda)

Enjoy! Farväl

artist spotlight: Buchanan

hello folks,
I'm going to write a little bit about an up-and-coming Australian act who go by the name of Buchanan.

This little band comprised of Josh Simons and John Bara formed in 2009. They hail from Melbourne and are an active part of the Triple J Unearthed project.

They have a great 60s-esque vibe and have been likened to the band Phoenix amongst others and their tunes are definitely ones you can dance to on a Friday night... or whilst cleaning your room... either/or.

With excellent reviews on their 5-track EP (with a bonus 6th track), "No Photo", their second EP release, a mini-tour with Gypsy and the Cat in Melbourne and Sydney, and a slot at the Melbourne St Jerome's Laneway Festival this year, Buchanan are set for more high praise and undoubtedly set for future success.

The "No Photo" EP is available for purchase online from iTunes and you can get it JB Hi-Fi, it's worth a spin on the old decks, each track has a special something for everyone with a layered composition effect, this band is a refreshing new addition to my music collection. Check here for upcoming gigs and events from them!

Check out "Moon" and "Mr Keeperman"

Farväl

artist spotlight: Georgia Fields

Since I'm on a roll with the artist spotlights, I thought I'd move a little closer to home and do one on a marvellous young lady called Georgia Fields.

Georgia is a young singer/songwriter from Melbourne who made her debut in 2007. She has a couple of releases under her belt and can be compared with the likes of Indie darlings Clare Bowditch and Sarah Blasko.

Her self titled LP, Georgia Fields has 14 tracks full of whimsy, and sees her experimenting with a multitude of sounds, all to a great effect.

 Tracks to listen out for are "All the Kings Men", "Two for Tea" with their lovely use of ukelele and the wittily titled "Sinking Relation Ship".

Perfect for listening to on a cold winter's evening (or any time for that matter), her lyrics are full of lovely tales and if you dig a little deeper you can find quite interesting stories in them.

Her tunes are available for purchase on iTunes and you can check out her myspace here, look out for the self titled LP and her EPs, "Drama on the High Seas of Emotion", "Something Borrowed, Something Blue", and "One Finger"

A delightful lady with pretty tunes, definitely worth a listen!

Farväl

artist spotlight: Fleet Foxes

It should come as no surprise to people who read my blog regularly (I don't even know if that's what happens, I may just be broadcasting this to give myself an ego boost...) that I love Fleet Foxes, so I decided to write a little post about them and gush about their latest album... here goes...

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)

So many things can be said about Fleet Foxes that I barely know where to begin. I think a lot of people became affiliated with their music after the release of their first album, Fleet Foxes in 2008, however months prior to this stunning album they put out their Sun Giant EP which had a handful of delicious teasers of what was to come of their future releases.


From their first album, Fleet Foxes tracks you should listen to are "White Winter Hymnal" and "He Doesn't Know Why"as well as "Mykonos" and "Drops in the River" from  the Sun Giant EP.

I was following the,
I was following the pack,
All swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads
From fallin' in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go.
And, Michael, you would fall,
And turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime. 

They are similar to Bon Iver and bands of that ilk and have stunning lyrics that tell the most beautiful and enchanting stories - you can find them if you listen just that little bit more intently to what Robin Pecknold (vocalist+lyricist) sings so sweetly in their songs.

In the morning waking up to terrible sunlight
All diffuse like skin abuse the sun is half its size
When you talk you hardly even look in my eyes
in the morning, in the morning

In the doorway holding every letter that I wrote
in the driveway pulling away putting on your coat
in the ocean washing off my name from your throat
in the morning, in the morning

in the ocean washing off my name from your throat
in the morning, in the morning
(the shrine/an argument)

Pecknold, in an interview for Uncut magazine in May explained the meaning behind The Shrine/An Argument - "It describes four stages of a break-up - contemplation, anger, frustration and solitude." 


They have some of the most beautiful album artwork with so many intricate details they are indeed a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

One of the most delightful album releases that I've had the pleasure to listen to this year has been their second album entitled "Helplessness Blues"

Helplessness Blues (2011)

I guess it can be mentioned here that there is always a doubt as to whether a band can top such a fantastic debut with their follow-up, however, I can safely say that they managed to pull it off.


Fleet Foxes have stayed true to their roots but have still managed to make an endearing, beautiful and interesting album. Opening with the song "Montezuma" and closing with "Grown Ocean", the 12 song album is a delight from start to finish and I'm just going to put it out there that Helplessness Blues is definitely going to be in my top 10 album list of 2011... and by me saying that in May with 7 more months of music releases, that's a pretty big call!

Tunes to listen to include "The Shrine/An Argument", "Battery Kinzie", "Someone You'd Admire" and "Bedouin Dress" but singling out tracks on a special album is hard, those are just my absolute favourites!


I just can't wait until they hit my shores so I can finally hear them play live!

Farväl and happy listening!