the loneliest people were the ones who always spoke the truth

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and the largest in Western Norway, with a population of 256,580 as of 1 January 2010, and Norway has a similar total population as Singapore. What's the link one might ask. Well, none actually. Random fact of the day. So anyhow, Norway, particularly Bergen, has Kings of Convenience while Singapore has... soon, someone will be as good as them soon.

Kings of Convenience played their second of two sold out shows earlier this evening. Two very different guys, one lanky while the other's more solid, one pretty much more extroverted and vocal, yet have this chemistry unrivalled by anyone to make one of the most affecting music. Armed with 4 guitars (though they didn't quite use the extra ones they each had set beside them on stands), their voices, affability and simple charm, they captivated every single person present that night.

You should have heard the roars as Erlend and Eirik stepped out of the darkness. It's no wonder Erlend quipped that we were louder than [the audience] yesterday to grins and laughter. If it was anything to go by, it sure was a sign of what an awesome night this would be.

Kicking the night off with the song with unfathomable meaning My Ship Isn't Pretty, the slow and pensive tune was a good start to a Friday night. It allowed everybody to settle in and get comfy for the 17 song treatment, peppered with generous doses of engaging humour, quite unlike the 18 song onslaught (not that it's bad, it's just different types of music should be approached differently) by Muse earlier this year. After the song ended, Erlend starts peering into the darkness of the curtains and around, after which he says to no one in particular (not verbatim), "If any of you work here or knows someone who does, tell them the airconditioning on the stage is pretty strong and it's kinda cold." More laughter. My, amusing isn't he. They followed up with another 2 songs from latest album "Declaration of Dependence" before they pulled out crowd favourite I Don't Know What I Can Save You From. And there he was showing off his nifty footwork which everyone laughed at because he did so in such a comical manner, and also snapping his fingers and got the audience to do so as well. Everyone was pretty game and snapping of fingers to the tune was pretty audible and that was the first but not the last of audience participation. Gentle arpeggios contrasted by intense riffing at the chorus, the delightful duo worked the crowd into a frenzy.

Time seemed to pass so much slower as they pulled no stops with a variety of songs from all three albums. Vocals so disarmingly sincere, belying a certain gravitas they possess, they plucked away delicately singing about things such as a bearded man with his canoe, about love lost as the woman uses pregnancy to trap the guy, and even about misunderstanding between friends. Poignant and mellow, at times upbeat and singalong, they have dimension and depth to their songs, and they convey that with earnestness. One thing strikes me about this duo - they are very down to earth and quite laid back. Pretty sure they lead the simple life of music making and family and friends.

Throughout, they entertained us with small anecdotes and larger engagements. From Erlend the conductor for Peacetime Resistance where he conducted oohs and ah-ah-ahhs from the floor and balcony audience respectively to Erlend the dancer and finger snapper, even Eirik chipping in with his bit on how they don't actually have much love songs, and yet when they perform, people still tell them that "my boyfriend and I like to listen to you love songs" and he deadpans again, "we don't have many love songs really". Oh how can anyone not love them both?

And of course, no show is complete without an encore and we got one after a short disappearance. After Singing Softly to Me, there was the cheery I'd Rather Dance With You, which Erlend did the most unexpected, he got off the stage, climbed over several front row seats as the crowd opened up like Moses splitting the red sea, and started dancing. Cue flashes (camera flashes that is) and screams as the fans when wild. He danced and cajoled the others for a good minute or so, before going back on stage. And just as they seemed like they were gonna leave the stage, the two conferred for the briefest of moments before Eirik declared that they were gonna play a last song, which was Homesick. Were they inferring that they missed Norway, since they're on a tour right now? Well, only they would know.

Kings of Convenience really showed why quiet is the new loud, attested by a marvellous show of vocals and showmanship. With a third album of even more down-tempo intricate tunes with finely crafted lyrics, one wonders if anyone will tire of them. The answer would have been a resounding no.




The setlist for 19 March is here.

My Ship Isn't Pretty
24-25
Me In You
I Don't Know What I Can Save You From
Little Kids
Cayman Islands
Renegade
Thirteen (Big Star Cover)
Second To Numb
Mrs. Cold
Peacetime Resistance
Rule My World
Misread
Boat Behind

Encore:
Singing Softly to Me/Girl From Back Then
I'd Rather Dance With You
Homesick


I was kinda hoping they would play Toxic Girl. One of my favouritest KoC songs.

if you're vaguely attracted to rooftops

Eels - A Line in the Dirt
I felt like I've heard this somewhere before, but I can't put a name to it. I hate this feeling. Nevertheless, nice piano driven song with hoarse vocals from Mark Oliver Everett. But I'm pretty sure the high vocals are not from him. Or is it? Fantastically talented man he is, almost a one man band.

Kings of Convenience - Scars on Land
Listening to their songs always make me wonder how just two of them can sound so magical and affecting with just their guitars and their voices. They seem to transcend everything, lyrically and musically. This particular song seems to be about urbanisation, what with "the weight of lead, on floors of sand" and "still untouched, no stain of hands". Meaningful and melodic, they never cease to amaze.

Freelance Whales - Hannah
Damn awesome song. Lovely and absolutely amazing. Right off the bat, they sing the equivalent of tapdancing, racing through lyrics of grabbing a martini and meeting at the rooftop where they can argue where and when the cymbal hits should be. Whimsical pop at it's best, definitely.

Freelance Whales - Generator ^ Second Floor
Previously, it was the first floor, now enjoy the second floor, yet another wonderful song from these Big Applers.

Metric - Gold Guns Girls
Alliteration plus rapid fire singing with "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" drums.

sick of dressing like a human when i'm feeling like a leopard

Kings of Convenience - Winning A Battle, Losing The War
Exquisite song about either unrequited love or deep friendship, but I'm thinking more the former. These two guys are such excellent musicians with superb lyricism, oh how I envy them.

St. Vincent - Marrow
The distorted guitars when she sings "H-E-L-P, help me, help me" is a brilliant touch to the song.

Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
Soooo upbeat and fun. The video stumped me initially, I was wondering why everyone was saying it's such a brilliant idea, before I realised that it wasn't a photo stream in a video, it was them keeping still and being filmed - you can see the slight movements in some of them. Totally unexpected but creative as hell, I think the director of the video got his inspiration from many user uploaded vids of songs, where it starts with the song title and band name, and the rest would be just a million of the band's photos until the end.

Dooey Decibel - Summer Underwear (mp3)
With a name like that, his songs had better be fun. And he doesn't disappoint. A medley of electronic sounds and guitar, he melds one fine cutesy song that's a little high on the sugar level. I reckon it would fit well in any animation video, or even a stop motion video.

the spinning top made a sound like a train across the valley

Alright, let's see what's up in the coming 3 months in concerts here.
12 Jan - Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Soft Shock
13 Jan - Cat Power @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Cat Power - The Greatest
23 Jan - James Ingram @ Esplanade Concert Hall
James Ingram - Just Once
24 Jan - The Killers @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
26 Jan - Andrew Bird @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Andrew Bird - Oh No

3 Feb - Big Night Out 2010 (Muse, Saosin & Rise Against) @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
Muse - Time Is Running Out
7 Feb - Florence + the Machine and The xx @ Esplanade Theatre
Florence + the Machine - You've Got the Love
The xx - Islands
8 Feb - Echo & The Bunnymen @ Esplanade Theatre
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon

7 Mar - Paramore @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
Paramore - Misery Business
13 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: 65daysofstatic @ Esplanade Theatre Studio
65daysofstatic - Radio Protector
14 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: Au Revoir Simone @ Esplanade Theatre Studio
Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song
15 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: St. Vincent @ Esplanade Recital Studio
St. Vincent - The Strangers
17 & 18 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: The Go! Team @ Esplanade Theatre Studio
The Go! Team - Huddle Formation
19 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: Kings of Convenience @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Kings of Convenience - The Build Up (feat. Feist)
19 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: Shugo Tokumaru @ Esplanade Recital Studio
Shugo Tokumaru - Metrion
19 Mar - Mosaic Music Festival 2010: Vashti Bunyan @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Vashti Bunyan - Train Song
29 Mar - Imogen Heap @ Esplanade Concert Hall
Imogen Heap - First Train Home

February is a pretty quiet month. But March would have been quiet too, if not for the Mosaic Music Festival. I'm pretty excited about all the upcoming concerts, but being the extremely poor person that I am, I have to ration my cash and be selective in the bands I wanna see. So, I'm watching Muse at Big Night Out 2010, Florence + the Machine and The xx, Au Revoir Simone, St. Vincent and Kings of Convenience. Still deciding about Shugo Tokumaru though.

10 Favourite Albums of 2009

well since there's one more day left before the new year, more like less than 6 hours to go. I'm gonna cobble up a list of my favourite albums this year. 10 albums. Here goes. Alright, enjoy your new year folks!


Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence



The xx - xx



The Black Atlantic - Reverence for Fallen Trees



Miike Snow - Miike Snow



Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix



Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion



The Antlers - Hospice


Atlas Sound - Logos



Fever Ray - Fever Ray


Florence + the Machine - Lungs

50 Favourite Songs of 2009: Part I

Merry Christmas to all my readers (a very small number I suppose). Well, for the next five days including today, I will be doing a feature 50 Favourite Songs of 2009. It will be divided into 5 parts, 10 songs for each day. Why I'm not doing a ranked list - it's because I don't think I have that discerning a ear yet to rank the songs, and personally for me, good music is good music, there's no real need to rank them. Besides, it's gonna be a real huge headache trying to rank 50 songs, and the best ones at that, what with all the good music dropped this year. So, the 50 songs listed in this feature are my favourite songs for 2009, and are in no particular order.

Thought to self: To actually just fit 50 songs is gonna be crazy, I mean, I don't even know where to start. Gotta thank my procrastinating self, I knew I should have started earlier.

Muse - Resistance
The almost title track of the album, immediately reminded me of 2006's Starlight from "Black Holes and Revelations". The short piano-infused intro bears slight resemblance, and that chorus of "it could be wrong, could be wrong...." mildly reminiscent of "hold you in my arms/i just wanted to hold/you in my arms". A balladic rock anthem taking it's place amongst my Muse favourites such as Time Is Runnng Out, Starlight, Map of the Problematique, Knights of Cydonia amongst others.

official, myspace, last.fm


Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind
How is anyone not to enjoy their brand of laid back acoustic songs that totally lull you into singing along and feeling so good? Well, that's this Norwegian duo for you.

official, myspace, last.fm


Animal Collective - My Girls
My Girls is almost a compendium of sounds that can be used from the synths. Ok, it's an exaggeration, but clearly, a myriad of electronic sounds can be heard in the song at any point in time. Psychedelic euphoria at best, electronic noise at worst, much has been said of AC's much vaunted single from "Merriweather Post Pavillion". However, I believe that detractors are far too few and in between, and with a well produced song as such, it's not hard to see why. Approaching new grounds and yet retaining some elements of old, this will clearly remain a favourite for the years to come.

official, myspace, last.fm


Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Four of them looking goody-two-shoes, glowing even brighter than the early morning sun. Before long, sparks are flying and their heads catch fire. The same can be said of the song, hot out of the studio, the album leaked amid the hype surrounding "Veckatimest". The song building up gently with the keyboard and some choir-like vocals. Sounding almost like a church-choir, the song seems to be crawling out from under it's shelter, stretching well and good before hitting the ground running. It's apt that when they start off with a lilting "whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh", they hit their stride midway with "whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh", the fragmented phrases Ed Droste sings of distance and love, fall in place nicely; like the end where their heads burst into fire, one can bask in the song's full aural glory.

official, myspace, last.fm


Reverie Sound Revue - Walking Around Waiting Downtown
A really fantastic song set to a poor video. I mean, a very fast-forwarded Harry Potter? Lisa's well toned voice sings of something most people do everyday, literally of walking around and waiting downtown. A suitably paced song filled with ambient sounds, they do not feel like they're rushing through anything, taking their time with the song, walking and waiting. RSR have a delight that never fails to set one in a good contemplative mood.

official, myspace, last.fm


Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (feat. Beth Ditto)
When you have a song featuring Beth Ditto of Gossip, you know you're gonna have a song with solid vocals that's not going to let you down. Someone of her stature with
a duo who are known for their heavily stylised tracks, you can immediately turn up the dial and start grooving. SMD's background arrangements are nearly outdone by her vocals, but with deadly hooks like that, they go head to head with each other; at times competing yet complementing each other, it's one pretty good dance song.

official, myspace, last.fm


The Black Atlantic - Madagascar
This little known group hailing from Groningen, Netherlands leaves us wanting more with a pleasant, affectionate track titled Madagascar. I've not been to Madagascar, but if this song embodies what this country is about, I can perfectly envision a quaint country with so many little things to love. A particular line in this acoustic number keeps returning to me, because it seems so apt "whether man needs the lie like air to survive". I would like to pose this question to myself, but I think I wouldn't be able to find an answer.

official, myspace, last.fm


The Polyamorous Affair - New York City
The track in question is New York City pulled from their album "Bolshevik Disco", so click "full track" and then the play button at the top right hand box. Reminiscent of retro disco, complete with thumping electronic synths, this is pure decadence and lush melodies, nothing short of what you'd expect from glam-pop harkening from the 70s and 80s. They generally have quite short songs, ranging from 2:30 to 3:30, but this is slightly longer at 4:01. Escape into a world of fantasies and soak up the "inspired dance beats of Giorgio Moroder and the raw sexuality of Serge Gainsbourg’s collaborations with vixens, Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot, plus a twist of Marc Bolan-esque hooks and Goldfrapp’s technological pagan naturist ways." (as said on last.fm) This husband and wife duo(remember Handsome Furs) are definitely one to keep on your playlist and radar. Why this seems so familiar is because it was from my previous post and I just cut and paste. Sorry for being a little lazy. Hah.

official, myspace, last.fm


Inch Chua - Devotion in Reality
This is actually a link to her official page where you can do a download of the lovely EP of which this track is part of. And shoot me, but I'm reusing the write up of this song from an older post again, partly cause I've got no time, and there's really way too much to write.

Devotion In Reality delves deep into her past, musing about lost love. Of (broken) promises and heartbreak, you realise that this album could be about personal experiences. Well paced, with what sounds like a xylophone(?) in the background, the song slowly introduces you into her world, where the lack of lyrics mid song coincide with the opening to the door into that cosy, intimate world of hers and moves on, as if she's showing you around this wonderful place. I'm reminded of The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, where the title character lives in a really tiny world (actually an asteroid), which is just about as big a house could be.

Listening to it again has made me realise this could be actually a very nice song to listen to if you're all alone on this Christmas where it's supposed to be a day of joy, love and giving.

official, purevolume, last.fm


Au Revoir Simone - Shadows
An emotional song which sees the trio going on about a break up, and how it affects both parties. The keyboards and synths are but only partners in crime in this intimate song. The dulcet yet at times appealingly flat sound of Erika's voice (I think) makes me want so much more.

official, myspace, last.fm

these things are fathomlessly out of our hands

Fyfe Dangerfield - When You Walk in the Room
I think the whole thing about him, is his unpolished voice. It lends a sort of rawness and sincerity, a bit like Jamie Archer from X Factor UK. It's unique and certainly grew on me.

i want youuuu endlessly/i love youuuu endlessly

Kings of Convenience - Misread
Don't you find their lyrics always ring so true, surely striking a chord within you? Such earnestness, he's literally pouring his heart out, even laying it bare, as seen in

All throughout history
The loneliest people
Were the ones who always spoke the truth
The ones who made a difference
By withstanding the indifference
I guess it's up to me now
Should I take that risk or just smile?

no accoutrements, no whim wham, nothing. just the guitar and their voices.

Monarchy - Gold in the Fire
The moment I clicked |>, the solid 8 beat (I think) just hit me in the face. And when lyrics started rolling, I wasn't expecting it. It's a bit balladic, plus some house thrown into the mix, that awesome falsetto. Now, who's Monarchy really? I can't find anything on their myspace nor last.fm !!!!!!

Monarchy - Black, The Colour Of My Heart
The lyrics could prolly stand on it's own, being sung just as it is. Adding the deep bass and electronic is a dash of freshness which goes down well with me. These guys are really good, and I need to know more about them.

in the sky the birds are pulling rain

Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Killers are coming down to Singapore, with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs having sold out their tickets and The Killers almost running out. But but but, that's not all.

It appears that The xx and Florence & The Machine are still headed down to Singapore despite the cancellation of St. Jerome's Laneway Festival according to an article in the Today newspaper. Anyhow, look at this. Go here. Right click the page and "View Source" or "View Page Source", you can see a Singapore link right at the bottom set of links (but it's not working, it just redirects you back to the same page), amongst the other Australian cities.

Also, I just found out that the Mosaic Music Festival held at The Esplanade is gonna have a whole host of acts that will make this festival to die for, especially these 3 acts that I'm looking out for, namely Kings of Convenience, Shugo Tokumaru and St. Vincent. I'm so excited!



Florence & the Machine - You've Got The Love (The xx Remix)
You've got the love, you've got the loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Shugo Tokumaru - Green Rain
This is what one guy commented "It's pretty amazing how subtly the song changes from 7/8 to 6/8. That's why the verse is so unsettling and jumpy and the chorus section flows so well." The only thing I know about 7/8 or 6/8 is that it's some time thingy to do with the beats, but other than that, I'm clueless. But I don't have to know that to like this song. Shugo is very creative, overflowing with those juices really. Listen to his songs, the first thing that came to my mind was really of him painting with his music as the paint.

Kings of Convenience - Toxic Girl
The lyrics totally remind me of the latest How I Met Your Mother Episode "The Window".

"You're waiting in the shadows for a chance
because you believe at heart, that if you can"

Kings of Convenience are superb. And so is Kings of Leon. Anymore Kings coming up?

we're both playing and we can’t get enough of

Kings Of Convenience - Mrs. Cold
The kings of slow acoustic pop are back with a new album "Declaration of Dependence" and this is one of the tracks. Savour it.

Uffie - First Love
Uffie is Anna-Catherine Hartley's stage name, and she's projected to release her album "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans" in Feb 2010.

The Chap - Volumatic Spacer Device(mp3)

Yo La Tengo - My Little Corner Of The World

The Saturday Mix #21 - i didn't catch the half of what had gone wrong

Lykke Li - Little Bit (Drake Remix)
Having previously featured the AutoErotique Bootleg Remix, I obviously did compare both remixes. But I can't find anything to fault with either remix, they're both so fantastic.

Kings of Convenience - I Don't Know What I Can Save You From
It's so wistful and melancholic. Stripped down and raw.

Kings of Convenience - I Don't Know What I Can Save You From (Röyksopp Remix)
I think Röyksopp has really done a very good job. I mean usually a remix changes the song quite a lot, like the pace, the beats, maybe extra lines or sorts, but the song hasn't lost the longing that you can hear in the original.

Pass Into Silence - Voices (Gabriel & Dresden Mix)

Bon Iver - Blood Bank (Duosseudo Remix)
It totally sounds different, but I kinda like it. And I'm pretty surprised, and I mean really surprised, that there's a Bon Iver remix. It's like how you don't do remixes off The Antlers' "Hospice". You know?

The Killers - Human (Armin Van Buuren Remix)

The Killers - Human (Thin White Dukes Remix)
These two remixes are here obviously for comparison's sake. I prefer AVB's.

skiffle and rag, shuffle and waltz

Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind
Literally boat behind.

This is single-handedly the most awesome, fantastic, lovely, fetching video. The polaroid look of the video, the pretty hitch-hikers(which so doesn't happen), makes me wanna set off on one road trip too(it's not just the ladies, really.) A totally summery song which makes you feel so damn light and airy and happy.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Everything With You
Is it really painful to be pure and innocent?

Orenda Fink - High Ground
She's better known as the other half of Azure Ray, and also her other collaboration, O+S, both of which I've featured before. She's pretty much a natural, really talented. Folk-ish sounding, she defies everything - if you actually hear what O+S sound like, it's quite hard to expect this coming from her.

Beach House - You Came To Me