The Quiet Man in the Corner

CanwllCorfe · 07-08-2011, 11:29 PM

Favorites! This time around I'll be talking about my recent favorites.

Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa

Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa, or Warsaw Village Band if you're boring, is a 9 piece polish outfit who play their take on traditional Polish folk music. Since I'm such a big lover of folk music, it's no wonder I'm a huge fan. But for them I don't think it's that simple. Despite not knowing their background when I first heard them, I knew their music had a significance. I couldn't know what, of course, but when I found out their lyrics are all traditional, it definitely made sense.

Their music is primitive in the best of ways, and yet in some tracks sounds undeniably modern, sometimes even including effects like scratching. It's this juxtaposition of tradition and modernity that makes their sound fascinating. Now, not every song has these modern elements, which I am thankful for. I feel that would make their sound gimmicky, and the only purpose for it would seem to be to make it palatable to a wide audience. There's enough of that already. So far I have all of their albums, and enjoy pretty much every one. I think my personal favorite would be Wiosna Ludu.

The Irrepressibles

After first listening to Antony & The Johnsons, I knew I needed to seek out something like him. He couldn't be the only one with this particular sound. As I found out, he was involved in a particular genre called Cabaret Pop. Once I discovered this, I was delighted! "Ah, there must be quite a few artists that I'll just adore!" Yeah, I was a bit too optimistic. After a long time of searching, I found The Irrepressibles. I suddenly didn't care about how many artists made it; I found all I wanted in these two artists.

The Irrepressibles, as you can tell by the picture, is actually more like a troupe than a band. Their theatrical performances and music is mainly the product of the founding member, Jamie McDermott. A self proclaimed perfectionist, he admitted that many people couldn't stand working with him, and struggled to create what he has thus far. Their sound, like their performance, is quite theatrical and extravagant. It's not subtle, and it's not reserved. As he says in an interview with Guardian, he says that, "a lot of things have been stolen from music", and he has taken it upon himself to make things right. Well, I think he's more than successful.

How To Dress Well

"It's like R&B for ghosts." If there's anyway I can listen to music that would make me think it's for ghosts, well, you know I'm gonna love it.

How to Dress Well is Tom Krell, a man from Brooklyn with quite an interesting sound. I originally found him researching the Tri-Angle label, home to some "witch house" artists, like the very big name of oOoOO and another favorite, Balam Acab. The cover of Love Remains struck me as pretty weird, but I figured I would give it a shot considering the label and such. It hasn't let me down before!

I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. I immediately thought Burial, because of it's ghost-like dreaminess contrasted with oneiric vocals and a slow but steady pace. I fell in love quite quickly, needless to say. It has the best elements of Ambient, but is never too sleepy or drab. It's emotional, accessible, and full of beautifully subtle nuances. You need it.

Max Richter

When I first got into Modern Classical, the only artists I really knew were Richard Skelton, Library Tapes, and Jóhann Jóhannsson. I was more than content, seeing as I could never really get into "true" Classical and found something perfectly suitable for me. Well, then I found Max Richter. Okay, so THIS is what I was looking for.

His music is beautifully cinematic, and could easily make the most mundane of tasks into a scene from an epic drama, but it's never too overwhelming. It's almost like the chewable vitamin form of Classical. He also adds bits of his own sound into the mix, and helps keep him sound unique. Instead of only sticking to strings and such, quite a bit of his music includes Ambient passages and influences. Yes, it pretty much has my name on it.

07-08-2011, 11:29 PM	#12 (permalink)
CanwllCorfe Quiet Man in the Corner Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pocono Mountains Posts: 2,480	Favorites! This time around I'll be talking about my recent favorites. Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa, or Warsaw Village Band if you're boring, is a 9 piece polish outfit who play their take on traditional Polish folk music. Since I'm such a big lover of folk music, it's no wonder I'm a huge fan. But for them I don't think it's that simple. Despite not knowing their background when I first heard them, I knew their music had a significance. I couldn't know what, of course, but when I found out their lyrics are all traditional, it definitely made sense. Their music is primitive in the best of ways, and yet in some tracks sounds undeniably modern, sometimes even including effects like scratching. It's this juxtaposition of tradition and modernity that makes their sound fascinating. Now, not every song has these modern elements, which I am thankful for. I feel that would make their sound gimmicky, and the only purpose for it would seem to be to make it palatable to a wide audience. There's enough of that already. So far I have all of their albums, and enjoy pretty much every one. I think my personal favorite would be Wiosna Ludu. The Irrepressibles After first listening to Antony & The Johnsons, I knew I needed to seek out something like him. He couldn't be the only one with this particular sound. As I found out, he was involved in a particular genre called Cabaret Pop. Once I discovered this, I was delighted! "Ah, there must be quite a few artists that I'll just adore!" Yeah, I was a bit too optimistic. After a long time of searching, I found The Irrepressibles. I suddenly didn't care about how many artists made it; I found all I wanted in these two artists. The Irrepressibles, as you can tell by the picture, is actually more like a troupe than a band. Their theatrical performances and music is mainly the product of the founding member, Jamie McDermott. A self proclaimed perfectionist, he admitted that many people couldn't stand working with him, and struggled to create what he has thus far. Their sound, like their performance, is quite theatrical and extravagant. It's not subtle, and it's not reserved. As he says in an interview with Guardian, he says that, "a lot of things have been stolen from music", and he has taken it upon himself to make things right. Well, I think he's more than successful. How To Dress Well "It's like R&B for ghosts." If there's anyway I can listen to music that would make me think it's for ghosts, well, you know I'm gonna love it. How to Dress Well is Tom Krell, a man from Brooklyn with quite an interesting sound. I originally found him researching the Tri-Angle label, home to some "witch house" artists, like the very big name of oOoOO and another favorite, Balam Acab. The cover of Love Remains struck me as pretty weird, but I figured I would give it a shot considering the label and such. It hasn't let me down before! I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. I immediately thought Burial, because of it's ghost-like dreaminess contrasted with oneiric vocals and a slow but steady pace. I fell in love quite quickly, needless to say. It has the best elements of Ambient, but is never too sleepy or drab. It's emotional, accessible, and full of beautifully subtle nuances. You need it. Max Richter When I first got into Modern Classical, the only artists I really knew were Richard Skelton, Library Tapes, and Jóhann Jóhannsson. I was more than content, seeing as I could never really get into "true" Classical and found something perfectly suitable for me. Well, then I found Max Richter. Okay, so THIS is what I was looking for. His music is beautifully cinematic, and could easily make the most mundane of tasks into a scene from an epic drama, but it's never too overwhelming. It's almost like the chewable vitamin form of Classical. He also adds bits of his own sound into the mix, and helps keep him sound unique. Instead of only sticking to strings and such, quite a bit of his music includes Ambient passages and influences. Yes, it pretty much has my name on it. __________________ Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind.