Buried in Bandcamp: King Melodies

People really liked the King Melodies "Fog over the Graveyard" that showed up on the halloween mix, which is pretty cool since it was just something I stumbled across during a bandcamp browsing session. King Melodies is a Swedish band that released their last EP, You Will Win, this past July on Ramberget Recordings. They have a new EP, Hang With Me, due out soon as well. You can download the EPs on a name your price basis. King Melodies lives up to the name with some catchy indie pop tunes worth checking out.

King Melodies - You Will Win

Bandcamp // Facebook // Label // Spotify

Slow Club - Paradise

I'm completely enamored with Slow Club. Even though I gushed about their most recent single, Two Cousins, I feel like I haven't adequately articulated this yet. It was the end of 2009, not very long ago, when I was getting into their music. Their latest album, Paradise, has taken them in a completely different direction and I love both sounds. I don't know how many bands you can say that about. To generalize, they went from twee folk-pop to a raucous indie rock-pop sound in a short two years (sorry for the genre blahs). It's a big change for a fan to hurdle, and it came without a transition EP, but Slow Club makes it easy by doing both so well. Have a listen to the two tracks below and hear the difference for yourself.

Slow Club - It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful (from 2009's Yeah, So)

Slow Club - If We're Still Alive (from 2011's Paradise)

Watch the video for their single "Where I'm Waking"// Stream the albums on Spotify.

Coeur de Pirate - Wicked Games (Weeknd Cover)

Béatrice Martin is Coeur de Pirate of Montreal whose 2008 self-titled debut was widely successful. It came out when I was living in the french speaking part of Switzerland and it was all we heard on the radio and in the shops. We even had to write the lyrics to her songs in french class. I fell for that album and it led me into a world of french pop with which I'm still steadfastly obsessed. While she sings mainly in french she is bilingual and has done some great covers in english in the past.

The most recent cover is the song "Wicked Games" by the highly buzzed about Toronto group, Weeknd. What Coeur de Pirate usually sings is sweet, romantic, and innocent and this song is not at all PG. She simply plays the piano and sings lyrics like "let me motherf*ing love you" and somehow still sounds like her felicitous young self. The effect is not unlike when Anya Marina covered T.I.'s "Whatever you Want". It's easily one of the best covers of the year.

Coeur de Pirate - Wicked Games (Weeknd Cover)

Weeknd - Wicked Games 

Thanks to Chromewaves for this one. 

If you want to see what she sounds like singing in French, the lovely Wood & Wires filmed her singing at the piano for two songs from her new record, Blonde, which is out today. The songs are "Place de la République" and "Adieu". It's a gorgeous video. 

Cœur de Pirate- Wood & Wires Session from Adrian Vieni (Wood & Wires) on Vimeo

Mari Posa - Royaume A Stockholm

Photo by Thomas Lemoine

Mari Posa is a french singer and will release her first electro pop EP on November 21 on Yuk-Fü records. I have a soft spot for french pop and while I'm not a fan of the remixes (which you can download for free here), I do enjoy this first single. It's like a slightly calmer Yelle song. We all need some beats to get us through the week. You can stream the EP on facebook too. 
 MARI POSA - Royaume A Stockholm by Mari Posa 

Allo Darlin' - Wu Tang Clan

Allo Darlin' has completely stolen my heart, maybe it's because their detailed lyrics seem to draw some awkward outline of my own experiences. I played the absolute bejesus out of their 2010 self titled LP  this past summer. When they released their 7" in August I bought it as soon as possible and it's fair to say that they've become one of those bands whose releases I will always buy without hesitation. You can stream and buy these songs on bandcamp. While I'd love to tell you how these songs have been soundtracking my careless red wine fueled dance sessions for months, I think what the band wrote makes much more sense.

 Allo Darlin' - Darren
 Allo Darlin' - "Wu Tang Clan"

"In the spirit of "Henry Rollins Don't Dance", the band wanted to release something special on vinyl. This record is not being promoted anywhere and will only be available via our website or at our shows. Side A is a song called "Darren". It's about listening to records when you're embarking on a new romance. Side B is a song called "Wu Tang Clan". It was written by Darren Hayman and John Morrison when they were known as The French. This song is also about listening to records. This record is officially sanctioned by Darren Hayman. Of course."

Ben Howard - Under the Same Sun

Ben Howard's debut album, Every Kingdom, is one you should know about and not just because he's popular enough to have billboards around the UK. His voice, not unlike that of James Vincent McMorrow, set against the jangly guitars makes his music instantly likable if you have any tendency to lean towards the folk rock types. The hooks work really well in songs like "Old Pine", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Only Love" and usually involve speeding up the tempo and background vocals singing la la lahs, it's catchy but makes you want to skip through the slower ballads to get to the fun stuff that will have you involuntarily head bopping and tapping your toes. You'll also want to make sure to watch the ridiculous moves from street trials riding star Danny Macaskill has in this video soundtracked by Ben Howard's "The Wolves" as well.

Ben Howard - Under the Same Sun

 Ben Howard - "Keep Your Head Up" 

Delta Rae - Bottom of the River

Delta Rae, an Americana band band from Durham, recently released a really impressive and slightly spooky video that works quite well for getting into the spirit of Halloween. This song has a lot of gospel influences in it as they march to the river in chains while singing a cappella. It really is nothing short of fantastic and is one of those rare videos that actually enhances the song. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this band has to offer. Check them out on facebook too.

MP3: Delta Rae - Bottom of the River (extended version) 

Tyler Lyle - Medusa (: Persius :: Atman: Brahman)

So these three songs from Tyler Lyle are all sorts of awesome, which I was only able to find out after I managed to stop playing the first track on repeat. A few weeks ago some of my more folk music forward friends were singing his praises, I had a listen and I think I forgot to decide whether I liked it or not. Now, this different batch of songs is more urgent, noisy to just the right degree, and then there's cuss words, werewolves, and all sorts of monsters. It's utterly wonderful, a bit lonely, and feels just right for today and the uncertainty many of us are living with on different levels.

Tyler Lyle - Medusa (: Persius :: Atman: Brahman)

Tyler also wrote a note about where these songs came from and it is every bit worth reading on his bandcamp page where you can also stream and download (name your price) the three songs which are very much worth a few of your dollars. 

Dry the River - Night Owl

Dry the River, a london based band, has a grasp on a wide scale of sounds making them both accessible and highly intriguing. The first song "Night Owls" is a twinkling folk tune while the second song has more rock elements and some vocal acrobatics with a dramatic ending. Their sound is well layered with the additional help of string sections coming through at the right times. It's not the most predictable music and I think that's part of their allure that keeps you coming back for more. The band is touring Europe during the month of November. Find out more on their facebook page or website.

 Dry the River - "Night Owls" by Dry the River
 Dry the River - "No Rest" by Dry the River

[Video] Pickwick - Blackout

This video captures an a cappella performance by Pickwick at the Suzzallo Reading Room at the University of Washington. It sounds incredible and will absolutely make your day. Have a listen to the original version below as well. Stream/Buy the music on bandcamp if you haven't already. Seriously, why haven't you bought Myths yet?

Download audio from the video: Blackout (A Cappella version)

Pickwick - Blackout (Suzzallo Reading Room) from Tyler Kalberg on Vimeo.

 Blackout by Pickwick