If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past six years, you’ve likely come across a number of posts about Victoria + Jean, a Stockholm-based avant pop duo, who have a growing international profile across […]
Tag: PJ Harvey
New Audio: World Renowned Trip Hop Pioneer Tricky Debuts New Musical Project, Skilled Mechanics
Born in Bristol and currently based in Berlin, director, vocalist, emcee, actor and musician Tricky is arguably one of most influential pioneers of trip-hop both as a member of renowned trip-hop collective Massive Attack and as […]
If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past few months, you may recall that I wrote about the British and Brazilian industrial rock band Plastique. Comprised of vocalist Anelise Kunz, multi-instrumentalist Fabio Couto and producer Gabriel Ralis, formed back in 2010 and with the release of their self-titled debut and their sophomore effort, #SocialScar, the trio received both national and international attention for a sound that’s inspired by Nine Inch Nails. Garbage, PJ Harvey, Goldfrapp, Brody Dalle, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Prodigy and The Beastie Boys. Adding to a growing national and international profile, the band was named one of the Top 5 in Marshall’s Ultimate Band Contest in 2013.
Naturally, wanting to build upon the steadily growing buzz around the band, the members of the trio initially went into the studio with the intention of expanding upon the sound that had won them attention. But once they started writing material they realized that they all feeling an inordinate amount of pressure to come up with something new, and as the story goes they went on a hiatus with the hopes that some time off would help. As the band’s Anelise Kunz mentioned in press notes their first single in some time “Quake,” “came out as a sign of hope . . . there was no pressure, the vocal jam just happened, and soon we were all involved in getting this one ready to go!”
“Lips,” Plastique’s latest single is informed by a series of demos the band had recorded while working on their previous single “Quake,” and in many ways that spirit of experimentation informed the track. Sonically, the song pairs layers of scuzzy, heavy metal-like guitars, industrial clang and clatter, propulsive drum programming and anthemic hooks that you can imagine a crowded club of enthusiastic fans shouting along to paired with Kunz’s sneering, growling punk-leaning vocals. In some way, the song (to my ears, at least) reminds me of the punishing forcefulness of Ministry (in particular, “What About Us?” one of my favorite Ministry songs) with the attitude of Garbage (in particular, “Supervixen“). Throughout the song you can tell that the band does not fuck around; they’re going to take names and kick ass — but with an irresistible sultriness.
New Video: The Sultry, Seductive Video for The Secret Storm’s “The Dragon”
Throughout her nearly two decade music career, singer/songwriter Lauren Hoffman has a long-held reputation for uncompromisingly refusing to be pigeonholed, as she’s released four full-length albums of artsy and knotty pop. Hoffman’s latest project, The […]
New Video: The Spectral and Eerie, New Video for Nadia Kazmi’s “Haunting”
Calgary, AB-born and Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Nadia Kazmi has received national attention in her native Canada and across the US as she’s had several songs appear on nationally syndicated TV programs and her album Strange Song, […]
Over the last couple of years, Umeå, Sweden has developed an internationally recognized reputation as the home of burgeoning indie scene, as the Northern Swedish town is the home of artists such as Casja Siik, Old Man’s Will, Refused, Meshuggah, Tove Stryke, Deportees, Lisa Miskovsky, and Frida Selander. And with the release of her first two, critically applauded full-length albums, Selander has been largely considered by many Swedish critics as her country’s closest thing to Patti Smith and PJ Harvey. Granted, those may be incredibly lofty but they also aren’t far off base, as Selander’s sound, as you’d hear on “Like A Cat” and on her latest single “Soon” off her forthcoming album I Hear Sunshine pairs blues-based rock chords, propulsive drumming, incredibly catchy, anthemic looks with Selander’s expressive and sultry vocals. It’s straightforward but in the case of “Soon,” the song possesses bluesy, boozy swagger that perfectly suits Selander’s vocals, which are feel warm and comforting, as though she’s commiserating with you and your pain.
Indeed, much like “Like A Cat,” “Soon” possesses a fearless honesty and emotional honesty that most music these days just doesn’t have — perhaps because the song comes from hard-fought personal experience, life altering mistakes. And thematically speaking, the song says you have to stop struggling against the tide and accept the fact that things happen at their own speed, and in their own way.
New Audio: Air Waves Atmospheric and Moody New Single “Thunder”
http://www.npr.org/player/embed/439189347/440273506 Air Waves is the solo recording project of Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, Nicole Schneit, who often collaborates with the likes of Hospitality’s Brain Betancourt (bass, vocals), Blake Luley (guitar, keyboard) and David Christian (drums) along with […]
New Video: The Timeless Sound of Sweden’s Frida Selander
With the release of her first two, critically applauded, full-length efforts, Frida Selander, an Umeå, Sweden-baesd singer/songwriter and guitarist has been considered by some critics as her country’s closest thing to Patti Smith and PJ Harvey — […]
New Audio: Caviare Days Stoner Rock Tinged New Single “Great Minds”
If you’ve been following JOVM for the last couple of months you may be familiar with the Stockholm, Sweden-based indie rock/indie pop act Caviare Days. The band initially started out as the recording project of founding […]
Featuring Beth Rettig (vocals, programming), Emma Quick (bass) and Debbie Smith (guitar), best known as being the guitarist in Curve, Echobelly and Snowpony, the London-based trio Blindness formed in 2008. And since the band’s formation, […]
Brooklyn-based band Caviare Days initially started out as the sibling duo of Lina and Maja Westin, but the sibling duo eventually expanded to a quintet when Timmy Grim (drums), Boris Grubesic (guitar) and Marcus Arborelius […]
Inspired by Nine Inch Nails. Garbage, PJ Harvey, Goldfrapp, Brody Dalle, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Prodigy and The Beastie Boys, the British industrial rock band, Plastique formed in 2010. Comprised of vocalist Anelise Kunz, multi-instrumentalist […]
The Kingston NY-based experimental, shoegaze/dream pop artist Shana Falana has received praise from several publications throughout her musical career for a live set that’s comprised of live looped vocals drenched in layers of reverb, pre-recorded […]
Comprised of Mia Wilson (vocals, guitar, piano) and Quincy Ledbetter (guitar, bass, piano), the Brooklyn-based duo of The Bright Smoke caught the attention of the biosphere after the release of their full-length debut effort, Late […]
Born and raised in Sandnessjøen,Norway, just south of the Arctic Circle singer/songwriter/composer/actress Rebekka Karijord relocated to Sweden a decade ago, where has she proven to be remarkably prolific, as she composed music for over 30 films, […]