Continuing with the habit of interviewing bands that find their name inspiration in the Animal Kingdom, this time The Gopher went to talk to Nijae Draine, half of American indie pop duo Elle Lefant. Injecting love and emotion into fresh beats and electronic rhythms, this young duet embark on their musical endeavors with a lot of dynamism. Take your shoes off, sit back, and get to know them, as we did, from a conversation over a college cafeteria table… you’re bound to find something [...]
Bronzerat Records is a UK-based independent netlabel. With the amazing and creative talent a metallic musical rodent obviously needs to have, BR works with a variety of genres focusing on the individual artists and their genuine music. With worldly appeal, Bronzerat delivers pieces of music charged with their eclectic sense oftaste. Get to know these folks through this lengthy but interesting interview. You’re bound to find something you’ll want to play on repeat.
In the audiovisual era of today, it is definitely not new to experience music both through eyes and ears alike. Concerts and musical presentations have become a mix of visual and auditive stimuli running through entire crowds around the globe. In fact, to some extent it has become the norm for the musical component to be paired up with its siamese sibling -the visual addition- in order to achieve success on stage. The SZ is a French musical duo (Franck and Damien) that has [...]
Proyecto Playlist is the brainchild of Ma. Elizabeth (Marie) Hernández and the Maracaibo lovechild of High Fidelity character Rob Gordon (neé Fleming). The blog, born out of a hybrid need to share – Marie is the youngest of six children – and to self-express, has attracted the attention of many Venezuelans looking for curated tunes from local taste-makers. And so what was once a monthly post by Marie was transformed into a hub for local taste-makers [...]
We continue our series on netlabels with one we’ve followed for a while. trastienda.org was founded in Salamanca (Spain) during the summer of 2005, an odd frog type of netlabel and among the very few putting out material other than electronic music. The world and its wonders (or whatever made its founders move around) made it international. They write “Nowadays our headquarters are split between Taipei (Taiwan), Madrid and Barcelona (Spain).” Still, the multi-genre label is going strong with a continuous [...]
This here is a disclaimer for the change-sensitive.
Cool new idea we’re going for: this Sounds section will now have a series featuring music labels. Yes! We’ve decided to reach out to independent record labels that (a) are doing interesting things, and (b) are awesome. Why? Because with a tiny bit of research we’ve stumbled upon some of the most exciting, innovative creative people congregating around these independents. So, to the point, shall we?
The Peppermill Records is a fun little netlabel based in the mountains [...]
Having made the (admittedly very basic) Internet rounds it’s clear that Pick a Piper is exciting the ears it reaches. Their sound gets described in elaborate, evocative, complex and sometimes downright nonsensical terms like “Ecstatically charged yet almost trance-inducing, PAP are a vodka-redbull with none of the edge, all of the euphoria and zero unpleasant aftertaste” (source). What fascinated us was the absolute ubiquity of the word “tribal” to describe the music. Is it that drums, heavy drums, and superimposed [...]
Super Lambada en Hollywood
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
By some twist of fate, two Gopher editors found themselves listening to a strange lecture on independent and self-produced music projects curated by cult creature, performer and sometime alchemist Internet2 this weekend. Despite the longish presentation sets – we sat through several – and the presenter’s strange choice of player (WinAmp? Really?) we had some laughs and came out kind of obsessed with Spanish music project Retrato Robot. [...]
Tallest Man on Earth - Burden of Tomorrow
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Shallow Graves, the previous Tallest Man on Earth record left us with two questions: “how did it manage to be so good?” and, “why in the name of ears is this such a short record?” Our trusty Wikipedia tells us that The Tallest Man on Earth is the stage name for Kristian Matsson, whose name, in turn, is not the kind of name one automatically associates with Americana sound of [...]
GNG BNG – Flying Lotus (Los Angeles)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Steven Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus is a musician and producer from Winnetka, California. His music is often categorized as “experimental” and was at least once called “California’s answer to the Aphex Twin” (see Tong, Pete) – a band, incidentally, also signed to Warp. According to the man himself, this experimental-ness can be attributed to the Nintendo-generation: “I’m used to hearing bleeps and [...]
Ok people listen up: is December 29h, midnight’s approaching and we haven’t decided yet which song will end up being our last post of 2009. You know how it is: you plan to work all night but then wine uncorks itself, fake moustaches appear [ and piñata hats ] and eventually zig-zag is the new A-to-B; so, in honor of this pleasant dilemma of too much music to share, and too many guests to entertain, the according tic-tac-toe solution: a tie. [...]
Communion – Put It All in One Place and Burn It
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
When we learned about Hi Ho Silver Oh, a musical project spearheaded by Casey Trela, we thought it was a holliday album. Turns out our Bruce Springsteen reference radar was broken and HHSO’s music is (blissfully) jingle-bell free. The present iteration of the band is a foursome made up of three Chapel Hillians and a Los Angelino, making music that is lyrical and fun. We [...]
The Sound of Arrows – Winding Roads (Danger/2008)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
The Sound of Arrows is the hard-labored baby of Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand, a Swedish duo with superhero names. (I aaaaam Stefaaaaan Stooooorm… yes? right?) They hail from Gävle “one of the most boring towns in Sweden” according to Labrador, their Malmo-based record label. Notable residents include the Prog-Rock band Beardfish. I love Wikipedia. Labrador quips that the first “Sound of [...]
Toro y Moi – Causers of This [ Carpark, 2009 ]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
It’s time for our wildly speculative affirmation of the week: we’re pretty sure that you, fellow Gopher visitor, have already heard about Toro y Moi. We just can’t help but be sure about it since the internets seem to be brimming with all kinds of Toro y Moi presence these days. You go window-shopping to blogland and bump into his musings about tour life [ [...]
The Sound of Lucrecia
Ara from the album Congost [ Pruna Recordings, 2009 ]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
A couple of years ago some of us Gophers felt for the voice of Lucrecia Pérez. Lucrecia is a Colombian-born but Barcelona based singer, one of those musicians for whom many a critic have ventured to qualify with clichéd words like “siren” or “mermaid”, attributing her haunting sounds to the pull of mythology and not just the earthly result of Lucrecia’s [...]
Ulises Hadjis
Lunes (nuuro remix) - Remixes 2009
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Ulises Hadjis is a great personal friend of the Gopher editors. A maracucho with Greek roots, he is one of those singer-songwriters who make you forget all about how you hate singer-songwriters. No random medieval instruments, no hipster haircuts, no creepy angling at the lah-deez, just pretty mellow music. Last year Ulises launched his first album “Presente” for which his brother and Gopher illustrator Aquiles (this [...]
Love is Sold (Lips and Ribs remix) Entropy, 2009
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
One may be inclined to do some horrible things when it rains. For me, these “horrible things” take shape in waxing nostalgic about the recent and not-so-recent past. Unearthing photographs, looking at old por… traits, you know, pigtails and lollipops and – I mean, I’ve heard this happens to friends of friends.
This particularly rainy afternoon led to some file cleanup and [...]
Tone Adventure #3 from the album Moondagger by Deastro [ Ghostly International, 2009 ] [Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Monday afternoon means a new track on the the Gopher website. Meanwhile we’re still into our old favorites and have kept abusing the music we listen to week in, week out, until the calendar marks the end of time. This means, to this particular gopher, some Clash, some Ramones, Ms. Marshall, Mr. Cash and some Mr. Jackson [...]
El Blu del Ping Pong by Rita Indiana y Los Misterios
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Wednesday. Fourth day of the week. Last night we went dancing merengue. Like with flashing lights and stuff. Rum. No headache thanks. In honor of such rhythms we bring you [ dear audience ] a little jewel from Dominican Republic: Rita Indiana y Los Misterios, a merengue-fóquer ensemble that bla, bla, bla.
We met Manuel Cabezalí when he was touring with songstress Russian Red in a room papered with foil. It was then he mentioned his project Havalina, a band formed eight years ago and in the process of releasing their fifth album “Imperfección.” Below they describe their project, and per our request reviewed an album by another band. Also take a minute check out their blog. Without further ado:
Havalina
Incursiones – from “Imperfección” 2009
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
[...]
Op3rador
Epa Chapela
from the album Operador Vive [ Pilla Records, 2008 ]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
For those who still believe in geographic determinism, we bring you Op3rador; a fella hiding [...]
It’s Just Vanity
Oh Kiddo, You Don’t Even Know
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Following our fabulous first post, this idea of letting bands who send us their MP3′s and photos describe themselves has grown on us. So much so that we’ve expanded the concept into a little show-n-tell section for musicians: they send their project’s info, some music and a photo. The catch is that they must also send a review and some music (a link, in its defect) of another band. And [...]
Let’s test this thing, shall we? This one features our friend and Appalachian-dweller Dylan Shrader, who will be reviewing music in our upcoming first issue. We break the seal on our nifty music section with Shrader’s “Some Day” – recorded in a mountain cabin while in solitary (and voluntary) confinement. But he makes a better introduction than we do, so read on to the bottom and listen up for a treat.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Dylan Shrader is a multi-instrumentalist whose addiction to southern [...]
Continuing with the habit of interviewing bands that find their name inspiration in the Animal Kingdom, this time The Gopher went to talk to Nijae Draine, half of American indie pop duo Elle Lefant. Injecting love and emotion into fresh beats and electronic rhythms, this young duet embark on their musical endeavors with a lot of dynamism. Take your shoes off, sit back, and get to know them, as we did, from a conversation over a college cafeteria table… you’re bound to find something [...]
Our visit to the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection this week (a collection! and you can use it!) has us reeling with an aesthetic inspired by the specimens: “hard angular forms that reflect mechanical origins”. Big and bold, and fun, and (maybe this is just us…) the kind of beautiful fun that smells of popcorn. So… we rounded up some things we liked. A big thanks to the amazing David Shields for the tour!
Wood Type and Wooden Toys. Get [...]
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Teleportal Readings
Total Unicorn
Leo Felipe Campos
