The Almighty Oracle

[This post is dedicated to all the K's Choice weirdos I met along the years. You rock!]

There’s a song that brings me back to 1998 and this specific day when I switched on the television with MTV on and saw the video for the first time. 3:35 during which the world around me somehow disappeared. The tune haunted me for a while. [the video is here]

Fast forward to 2002, Continue Reading »

mel :: Sep.24.2007 :: Almost Happy, Cocoon Crash, Comet, Gert Bettens, K's Choice, Sarah Bettens, Shine, Woodface :: No Comments »

…the fascination with Rihanna’s Under My Umbrella?

I honestly hadn’t heard the song before this weekend, mostly because I don’t listen to the radio nor would I listen to a radio that’d play the song. But somehow, it’s been covered by two of my favourite artists ever : Tegan and Sara and Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls. So I had to check out all the different versions.

- The original : not my style, really.

- Amanda Palmer’s : Just drums, ukulele and vox, she’s obviously making fun of the song and having a good time with the audience. Nice one.
- Tegan And Sara’s : Slower, full band, Sara on lead vocals with Tegan playing the echoing voice. The recording is very poor but it still sounds like the best version of the song for me.

Beyond my personal preference, why is it that this song is being covered so much? My guess is because it was #1 everywhere and is so annoyingly catchy you hear it once have it stuck in your head forever.

[drawing found on Random Pirate Comics]

mel :: Sep.24.2007 :: Amanda Palmer, Random, Rihanna, Tegan And Sara, The Dresden Dolls :: No Comments »

I don’t know what’s up with Australians lately but they seem to get most of my attention. So, after Darren Hayes and The Waifs, let me introduce [in yet another music genre] HármonyB!

She’s currently in the UK, trying to record her debut CD but already has an EP available. Here’s the title track of the latter :

HármonyB – Pinch My Face

If you like what you hear, please visit her myspace page for new songs/demos and please, say hello from me.

And just because I love her craziness, here’s a little video found on her website :

mel :: Sep.17.2007 :: HármonyB, Song of the Day :: No Comments »

Here comes the long awaited second studio album by the Scottish phenomenon. This will be a song by song first listening live.

Continue Reading »

mel :: Sep.14.2007 :: CD Review, KT Tunstall :: 1 Comment »

A simple playlist, you’ll have to guess the main theme. Don’t worry, it’s very easy.

Why Fiona Apple, you ask? Because we share the same date of birth, only five years apart.

mel :: Sep.13.2007 :: Random :: 1 Comment »

For their fifth studio release, The Waifs come back with 13 new songs a slightly different sound, more electric, giving a new dimension to their folk melodies.

“the sky was grey and the sea was green
and your eyes were a colour that had never been seen
i got lost somewhere, out in between
where i was and where you wanted me to be…”

From the first verse of Pony [Josh], the imagery is set. Continue Reading »

mel :: Sep.13.2007 :: CD Review, the waifs :: No Comments »

Today, my boss (one of the five) pointed at my T-shirt and said “Feist? Like Feist, the band?”. It may be silly and completely shallow but that made my day. No need to say the man made his first step onto my cool-people list [Even though he pronounced the name wrong, but that's common around here in cheese-and-wine-land].

Here’s the video for One Two Three Four to celebrate :

mel :: Sep.10.2007 :: Random, Video :: 1 Comment »

33:53, 11 songs. It’s short, it’s intense and intimate. Unusually high-pitched vocals laid on soft piano melodies, occasionally joined by a banjo, a harp or an accordion are the main ingredients for this new album. It’s surprising after the edgy/dirty/raw Uh Huh Her.

Continue Reading »

mel :: Sep.09.2007 :: CD Review, PJ Harvey :: No Comments »

This is dedicated to all the broken-hearted people, sad song lovers and all my almost lovers along the years.

It’s the first single off of One Cell In The Sea, A Fine Frenzy’s debut album, which is a real gem about relationships and life, so you should pick it up and let yourself fall in love with her voice and her sweet piano driven songs.

Almost Lover is very sad but so hauntingly beautiful… aren’t sad songs the most beautiful ones, anyway?

Links for more of A Fine Frenzy’s music :

• myspace
• official website

Lyrics : Continue Reading »

mel :: Sep.07.2007 :: A Fine Frenzy, Song of the Day :: No Comments »

Bat For Lashes is the musical project of Natasha Khan, a multi-talented Brit who spent a part of her childhood in Pakistan. It may or may not have been an influence for her present art but Fur And Gold is an experiment, a mixture of all kinds of genres and a use many overlooked instruments.

Continue Reading »

mel :: Sep.05.2007 :: Bat For Lashes, CD Review :: No Comments »