Showing posts with label memoryhouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memoryhouse. Show all posts
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Cliff's Subjective Field Guide to the Glut of Girl/Boy Duos



Let's face it, there's a terrific glut of girl/boy duos all of a sudden. They are everywhere. It's the Captain & Tenielle/Carpenters/Sonny & Cher Syndrome run a muck, and the funny thing is... they're all good, and there's something for everybody (except for maybe the Juggalos):

Sleigh Bells. Exploded out of Brooklyn and on to the scene with their raw noise pop in 2010 with Treats and expanded their sound on their sophomore album Reign of Terror. Their show this last Saturday was high on my list because I really want to see stuff from Treats live and feel Derek Miller's guitar in my guts, and the show did not disappoint as it utterly melted my face. Alexis Krauss is also good people.




Class Actress. I had to add Class Actress to the guide because of their hair raising show Saturday night opening for Sleigh Bells as I was totally blown away by their Appolonia 6/Vanity 6/Sheena Easton vibe. Indeed, now that Prince has eschewed the sexier and nastier songs in his catalogue, it was very gratifying to see somebody playing in that sandbox. Today's pop music might have lots of sex, but it isn't necessarily sexy. Class Actress is sexy.




The Civil Wars. This duo consisting of California native and Nashville transplant Joy Williams and Alabaman John Paul White mixes up the whole paradigm in a variety of ways: theirs is a pure backcountry Americana; the dude's sings as much as the lass; they are intensely minimalist and gritty as hell.







Memoryhouse. This mixed media dreamwave act from Toronto faced a different problem: having to follow up an ethereal and magnificent 5 song EP with a more substantial debut LP. The results was , which featured Denise Nouvion and Evan Abeele broadening their sound with a few uptempo songs that retained the dreamy haze that made The Years so enjoyable. I also enjoyed their show at Soundlab last October, a swell evening of tastefully curated visuals and potent yet very dreamy dream pop. I still think they're a band to watch.




Tennis. This husband and wife duo from Denver turned heads with the clear and sunny indie pop of their 2011 debut Cape Dory and showed that they were no joke with their bottom heavy and tasty Pat Carney produced 2012 follow up Young and Old. For some reason Alaina Moore reminds me of Celine Dion, but in a good way, and both albums are impeccable summer records, even in the dead of winter.







Cults. The best French band to ever come out of America. Madeline Follin is a goddess. They've played Buffalo three times in about a year and we've seen them grow as a band and we've seen their live show develop into the wonderful pop art freakout we saw at the Town Ballroom in April. We know all about Cults, and I for one can't wait for the next album.


Best Coast. I'll never forget the first time I heard Best Coast. The song was "The Sun Was High (And So Was I)" and it made me dance like the red suited dwarf in Twin Peaks. The gorgeously hazy lo-fi guitars and dreamy, plaintive vocals of Bethany Cossentino owned me from that point forward. Whether it's channeling a Spectoresque vibe on their debut Crazy For You or Brian Wilson on their Jon Brion produced follow up The Only Place, Best Coast is the sound of Southern California.




Beach House. After the release of their fourth album Bloom in May, the world is Beach House's oyster. Indeed for my part, their dream pop is the best: a perfect melange of tight songwriting, Alex Scale's Lindsey Buckinghamesque guitar virtuosity, and Victoria Legrand's ethereal yet dynamic vocals and organ. Beach House burst onto my radar in 2010 with Teen Dream, an album whose magic I thought they couldn't possibly recapture, but on Bloom, not only did Beach House recapture that magic, they expanded on it. It should also be said that Beach House is magnificent live. The world IS Beach House's oyster, and deservedly and justifiably so.





Cliff Parks
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Top 5 February Album Releases to be Excited About



The beginning of every year can get a tad lethargic when it comes to new releases. Why have the summer months always been the most abounding time to premier the best music? Well, there’s really not much to it. School is out. Calendars become increasingly marked up with parties, cookouts, and concerts. Daylight lasts longer and this motivates us to go for long bike rides, mow the lawn, or toss the frisbee around. Life is buzzing with communal, partly-auspicious days (it is Buffalo). Word of mouth has always been a huge part of marketing music, especially if it’s independent, and many artists are also attempting to get their records heard and talked about before end of year adulations and holiday retail fever spreads through us all. 


Still, there is the January-February market, which becomes frozen-over with grim anticipation. Many of us find ourselves deprived of new and exciting jams. We long for the snow to recede, and the ground to break forth, frothing with the likeness of springtime tunes to stoke the hotdog-roasting bonfires of  summer. And while I can’t advise you break out your lawn chairs and wayfarers just yet, I do have a remedy that will help thaw out that cold shoulder the music industry gives us this time every year. It’s true. February springs forth with great new music to hear and talk about. Check out these five February releases that will get this year rolling. 

5. Wymond Miles: Earth Has Doors
Miles is the lead guitarist of the San Francisco outfit, The Fresh & Onlys, who are currently priming their new album, and yet he has somehow found the time to put out his first solo EP, Earth Has Doors, due out February 7. The first single off the new release, “Hidden Things Are Asking You to Find Them,” spills out lazy rills of trickling guitar-work, and rolling thrums that is ridiculously easy to listen to. 

     

4. Bahamas: Barchords
I had the privilege of seeing Afie Jurvanen’s project, Bahamas, open for Noah and the Whale in Portland last summer. What first impressed me was his soulful guitar playing, secondly, Jurvanen has an honestly simple approach to songwriting that is both poetic and graceful. His voice is heartfelt, but direct, and this may be why he chose to name his new record after the most simple form of guitar playing: barre chords. He has toured with many different artists, including Feist, and most of the songs from this album were written while on the road. You can listen to Barchords in its entirety streaming at Paste's website.



3. Of Montreal: Paralytic Stalks
After the release of a cassette box set, chronicling of Montreal’s entire catalog from 1997’s Cherry Peel to 2010’s False Priest I thought maybe the group were planning to break for a little while. Then in early December the band announced a new album, which would be released February 7. Right now you can hear the album streaming on SPIN’s website. Each song is complete with written commentary from Kevin Barnes, which is always an awesome way to listen to new music. 



2. Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror
I didn’t discover Sleigh Bells until late last summer, long after their debut album Treats was released in 2009. Tracks like “Rill Rill” and “Infinity Guitars” on that record really exhibit their range of styles, which combine the pop vocals of Alexis Krauss and the hardcore guitar riffs and bass of Derek E. Miller. Listen to their track “Born to Lose” for more of the noise-poppy goodness you can expect on their highly anticipated second effort, Reign of Terror.




1. Memoryhouse: The Sideshow Effect
After releasing two EPs in the last two years, I am pretty thrilled that Memoryhouse is finally making their full-length debut with The Sideshow Effect, which is due out February 28. Started as a way to fuse the aural arrangements of Evan Abeele and photography of Denise Nouvion, Memoryhouse quickly morphed into a full-on band that was not over-anxious to release their first LP. Abeele contends that “there is an unfortunate tendency for bands to rush their first album jumping into a studio without getting a chance to fully develop their voice.” You can download two of their new tracks, “The Kids Were Wrong” and “Walk With Me,” on the band’s website. 


Tom Dennis
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Video: Memoryhouse w/ Love Scenes


Last night, Buffalo was treated to a great lineup of female fronted bands at Soundlab. Buffalo's own Love Scenes opened up the show with a solid set of favorites and a few rarities. The highlight of the night was their rendition of John Carpenter's Halloween theme, which led right into "Heavy". They finished their set with the rarely played "Precious Little Heart", the closing track to their debut album Classy Excuse for a Trashy Experience (which you can download here!). Memoryhouse took the stage boasting a 4 person lineup, including live drums, bass and guitar. Their live set had more of an indie rock feel than some of their studio work. While I enjoy the sound of their studio work, the full band made for a more engaging performance, at times seeming reminiscent of Beach House. You can check out videos of both bands below. Hooray live music!





Brian Gorman
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Weekly Remix: Swedish Duo gets the Memoryhouse treatment


This weeks remix comes courtesy of Toronto duo Memoryhouse, who are performing tonight at Soundlab. This is their take on a track from Swedish duo Korallreven.  The track is "Honey Mine", from Korallreven's upcoming debut album inventively titled An Album by Korallreven.  Once again proving that no one does balearic atmospherics quite like the Scandinavians, the original track has a bit of a bouncy dub feel with some gorgeous vocals by Victoria Bergsman.  The Memoryhouse treatment slows down the tempo, piles on the reverb and adds a much moodier, trip hop feel.  If the original felt like the perfect soundtrack for summer, the remix re-envisions it for a dreary, reflective fall day.  Check out both the original version and the remix below.  If you like what you hear, I suggest you make your way down to Soundlab tonight to catch their live show.  Opening the show is buffaBLOG favorite Love Scenes, rounding out a solid weeknight bill. See you there!


HONEY MINE by KORALLREVEN
  Korallreven - 03 - Honey Mine (Memoryhouse Remix) by Acéphale
~Brian Gorman
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Tonight: Memoryhouse



Before heading to New York City for a sleepless romp through CMJ Marathon, Toronto twosome Memoryhouse will stop in Buffalo to play Soundlab in support of their September 2011 release, The Years. A re-recorded and remixed version of the duo’s original release in February 2010, the album will finally be available on CD or vinyl and comes with two new tracks, “Modern, Normal” and “Quiet America.”
Founded by Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion, Memoryhouse aims to blend sounds and ideas from today and the past both visually and musically, creating dreamy, echoing soundscapes that seem to be drenched in a vintage tone. “Lately (Deuxième)" features Nouvion’s barely discernible vocals against a sampling of Jon Brion’s “Phone Call,” (the original featuring a hazy piano playing the sample). Tonight’s show begins at 9:00 p.m. and tickets are $10.

Memoryhouse: 'Lately (Deuxième)' by theharro



Brianne Galli
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