Toronto-based producer Vangel creates music that will make you want to get your zen on in one track and your dance on in the next. The eclectic producer first made his mark in Canada’s hip-hop scene where his work was described as “beats so gloriously fucked, they make EL-P sound like a more accesible Moby” (Now Magazine). His variety-pack musical leanings shine through in his work where the songs serves as a melting pot of musical genres: jazz, hip-hop, folk..the list goes on. While he grew up playing in his grade school’s band and strings ensemble, attending summer music camp and rehearsing with his city’s symphony orchestra, he realized that playing music wasn’t for him. “I hated playing. I wanted to put it together”. Lucky for us, Vangel is a master at musical collages and “putting it together.”
His days of searching through flea markets for interesting vinyl lead to DJing which eventually resulted in his passion for beats. “I wanted to make beats so bad. I had so many ideas I wanted to try out. I bought a computer, quit my job, and moved home”. For the past four years, Vangel has released a string of instrumental EPs that have won over critics and music-lovers. His work has resulted in comparisons to DJ Shadow and Mr Scruff. Listen to “Eat Your FootLoose” below and enjoy the beautiful soundscapes created by a man whose ear for instrumentation unifies the musical genres and keeps things interesting.-JM
North Carolina lyricist Toon (aka Kurrell Rice) is bringing the freshest lyrics and performances to the table. Like the Saturday cartoons of childhood’s past, Toon is an animated entertainer. Making music for the past two years, he flew solo for the first time with his project/mixtape The P.R.E.. The 2 discs that make up the The P.R.E. consists of 29 tracks that blend the hip-hop and pop worlds. “My music comes from both sides of the fence. I don’t make ‘hood music. I don’t make suburban music. I make great music,” says Toon.
Whether he’s remixing Estelle’s “American Boy” or rhyming about the H1N1 virus on “R.O.Y. featuring Anthem,” Toon keeps things interesting. The un-dull moments are not limited to his tracks. “His performances are freaking awesome….He just entertains. He jumps on bars, he gets in people’s faces…. The energy—you feel whatever song he’s singing at the time,” said producer John Harmon.
Jump on the Toon train, “put your lighters in the air” at his shows, and download some free tracks below.-JM
It’s been over five years since Norway’s blessed duo of hushed, acoustic pop, Kings of Convenience, delivered fans a new album of their poignant songs about life, love, and being oh so quiet. While one half of the group, the bespectacled Erland Øye, has been hard at work releasing wonderful records of smooth dance tunes with his disco-loving band The Whitest Boy Alive, the Kings‘ other crown-bearer, Eirik Glambek Bøe, has remained out of the spotlight since the release of KoC’s sophomore album, 2004’s Riot On An Empty Street. It may or may not be apparent, but the announcement and subsequent release of a new album from the elusive outfit came as an enormous surprise to fans and critics alike. However, the rewarding re-visitation to their infectious, toned-down sound (a style I like to call “young adult contemporary”) on Declaration of Dependence (2009) is the least surprising element of the return of these Kings.
If the relaxed beach scene on the album’s cover is any indication, Dependence is a record meant for the calmer, introspective times of life. From the outset of opener “24-25″ straight through to the other bookend, “Scars on Land,” Kings of Convenience declare war on your heartstrings with an arsenal that consists almost solely of cooed dual vocals and gently struck stringed instruments. It’s a series of battles that you’d best surrender, and, after that, return to their earlier work; Quiet is the New Loud and the aforementioned Riot are contemporary classics in their own right. -Patric Fallon
The people came out in droves for the indie darlings of 2009: Passion Pit. One audience member said it was the largest day crowd they’ve ever seen at the fest in years. “Normally the crowd doesn’t get like that until night. It seems like SF came out for them.”
The set began a little shaky with the singer’s falsetto vocals getting lost amongst the sea of sound and the sheer size of the venue. He spent most of the set making gestures to the sound guy to fix something or another. It didn’t matter to the crowd who loved every minute of it especially their breakout song “Sleepyhead.” The boys from Boston created a passion pit (wink) indeed at this Treasure Island Festival. Live!-JM
On her third full-length album Love is Not Pop, Swedish muse Sarah Assbring (a.k.a. El Perro del Mar) crafts brooding lounge music with a tinge of light – a musical “doomed love,” according to Assbring. This time around Rasmus Hägg, of experimental Swedish duo Studio, joins her as co-producer on the album. While building upon simple (and simply irresistible) melodies ala fellow Swedish songstress Lykke Li, El Perro del Mar floats mesmerizing chords that build like golden inhalation and then split open right when your heart feels like it can’t take any more.
El Perro del Mar’s sound is sometimes folksy, sometimes rolling Motown soul, but always with those sweet, sultry vocals and a languid, sliding bass line, as exemplified in bittersweet single, “Change of Heart.” The dreamy singer’s occasionally strange intonation perfectly offsets the ripeness of her music’s blooming rich polyphony on album opener “Gotta Get Smart.” Whatever side of love you’re on, this album has a place for you.
Love is Not Pop is out October 20 on The Control Group. Make sure to catch El Perro del Mar during one of her two nights (November 19 and 20) in town at the Great American Music Hall in support of Peter, Bjorn & John.-LM
El Perro del Mar, Peter & John Bjorn November 19 and 20 (Thu./Fri.) 9:00 pm@ Great American Music Hall Tickets:$21 adv/$23 door
General Admission
I was introduced to Casey Dienel (a.k.a. White Hinterland) through her Drum’s Not Dead-meets-gospel choir rendition of Justin Timberlake’s ‘06 chart-topper “My Love.” The sweet novelty of a song piqued my interest, but was strangely a bit of a misrepresentation for the majority of the Pacific Northwestern singer/songwriter’s catalog. Casey Dienel’s repertoire takes some of its sounds from the base percussion and reverberated vocals found in her free-form cover, but as a whole she seems far more interested in jazzy rhythms, psychedelic soundscapes, piano-led melodies, and haunting vocal work; sounds which all coalesce into something like Stereolab and Nouvelle Vague re-imagining Radiohead’s mid-career albums. It’s an odd mix, but it works in spades.
Sung completely in French, White Hinterland’s latest release, 2008’s Luniculaire EP (Dead Oceans), is as cohesive and calm as it is fractured and frantic. Each of the five songs carry the same playfully brooding mood, but can take on a more serious and daunting tone upon repeated listens. Despite my lack of French understanding, I found myself waiting for each foreign word she delivered in the songs’ alluring melodies, and felt like I could infer the lyrics meanings based on her poignant delivery alone. According to her Myspace page, Miss Dienel has relied on the help of many different musicians to help deliver her varied albums and tours, but it’s nonetheless apparent that, despite the wonderful and irreplaceable musicianship, Casey’s original voice and songwriting is White Hinterland through and through. -Patric Fallon
Download-”My Love”-White Hinterland-Fresh From the Garden Tour
Download-”Chant de Grillon”-White Hinterland, Luniculaire EP
