KOORTWAH - CANDY IN THE SUN

A: KOORTWAH
S: CANDY IN THE SUN
C: CANDY IN THE SUN - EP

Probably not the most elaborated lyrics, maybe not the most thrilling musical experience, but there is something to both, so it's worth sharing. Everything else you need to know is right here waiting for you: KOORTWAH, a musical and visual project by Jake Courtois, incorporates the fresh sound of electronic pop with the lyrical depth and narrative qualities of more thoughtful songwriting.
 
... angels on the left - devil's always right.

Norah Jones - Happy Pills

A: Norah Jones
S: Happy Pills
C: Little Broken Hearts

Have you met Miss Jones? You might think you have, but maybe you haven't. Maybe you've judged her as being too main stream for your exquisit taste in music. And here's the dilemma about Norah: I think the only reason why she's not indie is because she's popular. Which isn't surprising. But I think it has nothing to do with her music. At all. So I like her. No matter what. Oh yeah, her new album is out. 

... trying to make it - so I never see your face again.

Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To?

A: Franz Ferdinand
S: Do You Want To?
C: You Could Have It So Much Better

Unbelievable but true, because I triple checked, I have not posted this song before. I know, totally amazing. Anyway, it makes perfect sense to post it now, because I ventured to my very first gallery opening last night. Now this might come as a surprise, but everybody was very arty. But me. So anyway, there were a ton of pink painted canvases. I could do that. And you too. Still.

... I love your friends they're all so arty - oh yeah.

The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love

A: The Rapture
S: How Deep Is Your Love
C: In The Grace Of Our Love

Good things come to those who wait - which is why this song is six months late. And a couple of hours, most probably. Here's something you might already know about In The Grace Of Our Love, or maybe you don't: Phoenix producer and Cassius member produced the record, which The Rapture recorded in Brooklyn. And obviously in Paris, bien sûr.

... let me hear that song.

Wolke - Denkst Du Manchmal Noch An Mich

A: Wolke
S: Denkst Du Manchmal Noch An Mich
C: Für Immer (out 27.04.12)

Since nobody is not liking any songs anymore anyway, I might just post this bittersweet guilty pleasure song of mine. Which is totally over the top, I admit. But that's what guilty pleasures are all about. Deal with it. As for the video, I love the re-interpretation on what you should do with your cereals in the morning. And the obvious fact that it was filmed in Berlin. Snaps for that.

... ich denk manchmal noch an dich - und zwar täglich.

Theme Park - Two Hours

A: Theme Park
S: Two Hours
C: Two Hours - Single

This is Theme Park's first single - as in the first single off their as-of-yet untitled debut album. Apparently it is about spending two hours on a night bus. Which are always a fun experiences, I guess. If you are the one that feels alright, observing everybody who isn't feeling alright - which are most people. Especially on a night bus. 

... can you feel anything?

Talking To Turtles - Grizzly Hugging

A: Talking To Turtles
S: Grizzly Hugging
C: Oh, The Good Life

I wonder how you can google for the lyrics of an artist, and all you get as results are pages saying that they don't have the lyrics. Isn't that the opposite of what google should be doing? And why hasn't every band have their lyrics on their homepage? So everybody can access them easily? These are the things I wonder about, on a Tueday morning like today.

... you're a couple now, multiply somehow,  and raise successful kids.

Is Tropical - Land Of The Nod

A: Is Tropical
S: Land Of The Nod
C: Native To

It's just another manic Monday... la la la, sha la la etc. Ok where are we then. This is Is Tropcial doing some sort of skater boy video (call it Avril reloaded), attracting a new kind of target group, I guess. Or maybe they are already huge with indie skaters everywhere. I wouldn't know, I couldn't skate to save my life. Or anybody else's, for that matter.

... my eyes, they're as old as me - as old as the sea.

Donots - Come Away With Me

A: Donots
S: Come Away With Me
C: Wake The Dogs (out 27.04.12)

Dress up an alternative rock band as sailors, let them play at stormy beach, and I am happy. It's not like I'm asking for much, I know. This will probably not make Song Of The Year, but it sounds alright for a Sunday. As for the band, Donots were founded back in 1993, in Germany, in Ibbenbüren. I'm pretty clueless about where that is. Which might just be a good thing.

... push me over the edge - and stop me again.

Zebra Katz - Ima Read

A: Zebra Katz
S: Ima Read
C: Winter Titty

This is probably going to be a case of hit and miss, as in love or hate. But since Bitch is my favourite word in the whole wide world, I don't care too much about such details. So who is this Zebra Katz? Some guy who brings a slo-mo dark delivery to his rhymes set over a the minimal unencumbered beat on "Ima Read". That is who this is.

... I'm gonna give that bitch some knowledge - I'm gonna take that bitch to college.

No - Another Life

A: No
S: Another Life
C: Don't Worry, You'll Be Here Forever - EP

I have one word to say about this song: Tune! It fits perfectly for riding a bike or running a run. And I am pretty sure it fits nicely into a stadium as well. As for the band's name - come on! How the freaking freak are you going to google a band called NO? No, NO band doesn't come up with the right stuff either. Wonder if their manager was drunk when they picked it.

... I'll pretend that i don't think of you at all .

Feist - Bittersweet Melodies

A: Feist
S: Bittersweet Melodies
C: Metals

V: On Tape TV

To be completely honest, every time Feist releases an album I'm kind of bored. Then,, bit by bit, there are singles released from that very album, there are videos made and live clips posted, and that's when the songs start growing on me. Like this one, for example. And taking about this video, I did exactly the same shooting six months ago. Me, myself and I. 25 years ago. And now.

... birds are telling me stories - saying you were meant for me.

Boy & Bear - Fall At Your Feet (Crowded House Cover)

A: Boy & Bear
S: Fall At Your Feet

If you live in Berlin: You've just missed them. If you live anywhere else: Absolutely do make sure you get your folky ass down to their show. Boy & Bear's own songs are just as moving, but this Crowded House Cover might just be the sweet cherry on the icing. Plus singer Dave Hosking can move his neck in directions and to rhythms I can only dream of.

... the finger of blame has turned upon itself - nd I'm more than willing to offer myself.

The Cast Of Cheers - Animals

A: The Cast Of Cheers
S: Animals
C: Family (out 18.06.12)

The Cast Of Cheers might just give Ok Go a run for their creativity, when it comes to music video ideas and their production. This one is so absolutely neat, it's hard to believe it hasn't been done before. Anyway. Who cares. The music is ace too. And there will be more soon, on the 18th of June to be exact, when The Cast Of Cheers release their debut Family.

... we are animals - we belong together.

Handsome Boy Modeling School Feat. Cat Power - I've Been Thinking

A: Handsome Boy Modeling School Feat. Cat Power
S: I've Been Thinking
C: White People

Welcome to pure gorgeousness. The band name, the collaboration, the lyrics, and the melody, obviously - it's all ace. Unfortunately, this party is already over. Handsome Boy Modeling School was a collaborative project between Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030) and Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggaz, A Prince Among Thieves), between 1999 and 2006.

... like a tiger in the dark, you were hungry from the start.

Wildlife Control - Analog Or Digital

A: Wildlife Control
S: Analog Or Digital
C: Analog Or Digital - Single

Wildlife Control is a band. They record albums and play shows. They are brothers Neil and Sumul Shah, who grew up making music and shooting hoops in the rolling hills and industrial decay of rural northeast Pennsylvania, where the first day of deer hunting season was a school holiday but Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was not.

... I can never get a job with a paid vacation - cuz’ the records I play are my only education.

Sébastien Tellier - Cochon Ville

A: Sébastien Tellier
S: Cochon Ville
C: My God Is Blue (out 23.04.12)

Better watch this now - as in now now. Before it get's taken down from Vimeo too. Youtube already has. Apparently its content doesn't apply to Youtube's standard. Which means French enfant terrible, sexy and sexed up as always, is causing a bit of a hypocritical storm, American style (all boobs are bad and must be banned). The album, My God Is Blue, will be out two weeks form today.

... dance - rêve.

Paloma Faith - Picking Up The Pieces

A: Paloma Faith
S: Picking Up The Pieces
C: Fall To Grace (out 25.05.12)

Ah, Paloma. Her second album Fall To Grace will be released on May, 25th. And you know what they say about the second album, especially when the first one was a success. Looks like Lady Faith chose is heading into the direction of proper popular music. Yet she does it so stylishly that we won't hold that against her. Especially with the stunning art direction this video shows at the end of the song.

... I play the clown - to cover up all these doubts.

Timid Tiger - The Sun Goes Down, The Streets Are Black

A: Timid Tiger
S: The Sun Goes Down, The Streets Are Black
C: The Streets Are Black

It's only 10:39 and I am already in a super duper bad mood. For various reasons. But let's not make this about me. It's Timid Tiger! I didn't know them so I watched the video and thought - I am loving the light funkiness of this Indian singer! Then I asked my friend Wikipedia and he told me that Timid Tiger were from Cologne, Germany. How very unexotic! Bad mood increasing.

... we got too many rappers with baseball bats.

Simian Mobile Disco - Seraphim

A: Simian Mobile Disco
S: Seraphim
C: Unpatterns (out 11.05.12)

It's Simian Mobile Disco! With Seraphim, which is the first release from their upcoming album Unpatterns, which will be released exactly a month from today. Boom. If you don't know what to make of the video, here's what I found as explanation: It's a series of scenes of people going over their obsessive-compulsive type behaviours. Loving it.

... why can’t you be - well i want you to be.

Ladyhawke - Sunday Drive

A: Ladyhawke
S: Sunday Drive
C: Anxiety (out 25.05.12)

It's Ladyhawke! I always confuse her with Ladytron. For about five seconds, so don't worry about me. Could be worse, could be Lady Sovereign. Or that Gaga thing. Anyway, her second album 'Anxiety' will be unleashed upon the world this May, 25 to be exact. It's a contdown! As for the song, I like the 80s extravaganza reference it is making.

... you make it easy for me - to want to know you.

Munk & Peaches - You Can't Run From My Love

A: Munk & Peaches
S: You Can't Run From My Love
C: Casablanca Reworks - EP

You Can't Run From My Love is one part of the smashing little EP called Casablanca Reworks by Gomma All Stars & Peaches. Apparently Casablanca was a pretty damn fine label back in the 70s, crucially influencing disco sounds until the early 80s (releasing artists such as Village People, Parliament and Cameo) - I like! And I love the pony themed video, obviously.

... no matter what you do - I get to you.

Niki & The Dove - The Fox

A: Niki & The Dove
S: The Fox
C: Instinct (out 14.05.12)

I know it's hard to believe I haven't posted this before. But I haven't. Probably because the video was blocked in Germany. Still is, but I'm not there. Anyway, what is even harder to believe is that Niki & The Dove have finally announced a release date for their debut album, after a wait that lasted forever and a minute longer. 14th of May, it's not even that far off.

... I want to see what the sky looks like - from your view.

Dionysos - Cloudman

A: Dionysos
S: Cloudman
C: Bird'N'Roll

It's Easter. I'm in Switzerland. And this might just as well be French. It is. Besides that I'm not all that inspired so let me just say that Dionysos perform songs in both French and English, have released seven studio albums and they are well known in France for their surrealism and eccentricity. That's what Wikpedia told me. Wonder what they are known for outside of France.

... pas super ce héros sans pouvoir magique - oh je ne suis pas un super héros de comics.

Regina Spektor - All The Rowboats

A: Regina Spektor
S: All The Rowboats
C: What We Saw From The Cheap Seats

It this first single release of Regina's upcoming album What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, released at the end of May. Judging from the new video, sound, lyrics and album title, this piece of Spektor's work might just show us her darker side, whilst she stays beautifully dedicated to her work. Anyway, she probably always had that darker side.

... first there's lights out - then there's lock up.

David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time

A: David Lynch
S: Crazy Clown Time
C: Crazy Clown Time

It's by David Lynch! The song and the video, of course. The whole album is, by the way. Anyway, the video might be a tricky one, because it's blocked, if you are under the age of 18. So you either have to grow up in order to watch it, or simlpy log in on that tube called you. Or watch it elsewhere, I guess. Maybe on a porn called you. I wouldn't know.

... Buddy screamed so loud - he spit.

Van She - Idea of Happiness

A: Van She
S: Idea of Happiness
C: Idea of Happiness

Ha - I'm totally loving this video. It's like Dallas, or Dynasty, for poor people. Thus fitting a rainy Wednesday like today perfectly. Here's some copy/pasting: Van She's second album 'Idea of Happiness' is so uplifting, it's practically levitational. 'Idea of Happiness' is Van She's most focused, joyous musical excursion to date... It's pretty clear from one listen that they are from Down Under, no?

... we've got so much time - thinking of yesterday.

Rusko - Somebody To Love

A: Rusko
S: Somebody To Love
C: Songs

This is going to be fairly interesting. I haven't listened to this in full, nor watched the video completely. But it is pretty new and takes under three minutes so I'm pretty sure it won't hurt. In the meantime, I like Rusko's take on calling an album nothing more than simply 'Songs'. Pretty neat. I'll mark this as an exception, because normally I am more interested in really really long album names.

... don’t wanna be lonely - just looking for someone to love.

Breton - Interference

A: Breton
S: Interference
C: Other People's Problems

This will do for a Monday evening. And don't ask me about the video. Don't even ask me about the act. Because when you venture on the band's facebook page, there is nothing written down in the About section. And I was never a fan of myspace so I don't even dare to go there. Which means, Breton, for now, will remain pretty much of a mistery. How exciting!

... it's a mechanism you've come to rely on - it's a skeleton.

The Irrepressibles - In This Shirt

A: The Irrepressibles
S: In This Shirt
C: In This Shirt - EP

Maybe you are feeling like running off and joining the circus today. If you do, this is the way to go. And whilst you're at it, there is only one word to describe this: Spectacular spectacular. Or how The Sunday Times sees the ten-member orchestral ensemble: As an enchantingly theatrical pop extravaganza. Extravaganza is fine with me, any day.

... I am lost in our rainbow - now our rainbow has gone.