Stevie Starr has released an album that not only captures some of the sounds that remind me of New Zealand but he also captures sounds and memories of the things that he's found while being abroad. Some of the songs are like soundscapes, setting the scene which is why it reminds me of travelling and looking out at the world through train windows. There is plenty of atmosphere all the way through this album and what is nice about it is that it seems to be stepping away from the mainstream. During my conversations with Stevie Starr it is apparent that this is a deliberate move as much of the things going on in the mainstream he finds to be quite sickening, which I can relate to.
Theres a sort of melancholy in some of the tracks which to me is reminiscent of the moods found in the music of God Speed You Black Emperor. His lyrics sometimes digress into statements of self loathing "you could even have dances with sad bastards like me" but he does not dwell in this for very long and gets onto more ironic yet life affirming statements like "rejoice with enemies.....with bullets that shoot your heart, rejoice, rejoice"
I recommend this album and it can be downloaded for free.
www.thesteviestarr.com
Friday 23 July 2010
Wednesday 21 July 2010
Petra Jean Phillipson
Sultry singer Petra Jean Phillipson. She came, she saw and she delivered. She's got one of those voices which pulls you in with its bluesy charm as her voice rises up and down like ripples; subtle but effective.
I've been listening to the album Notes on Love. The song Cradle of your Smile is my favourite, it's over 9 minutes long and sits nicely at the end of the album as a dark end to the tale. It has a lot of delay/distorted guitar pulsing in and out as she sings lyrics like "I long to be nowhere"
The song Independent Woman is a song that gets into some darker blues sounds with drums and guitars loosely grinding in and out during the breaks in her singing. She crones "independent woman don't need a man" while the song Billy Steaks sees lyrics like "I'll die and I'll cry if you don't come back and marry me soon". You get the idea, so if you like a bit of brooding for the sake of brooding without any blood spilt then this is one for you.
She has done a cover of the Nick Cave song Into My Arms which is a nice interpretation of the song. However the song belongs mostly in the arms of Nick Cave and in this version it lacks the moody emotional depth that Nick conjures but that is something that Nick deals specifically in so it is hardly surprising.
I've been listening to the album Notes on Love. The song Cradle of your Smile is my favourite, it's over 9 minutes long and sits nicely at the end of the album as a dark end to the tale. It has a lot of delay/distorted guitar pulsing in and out as she sings lyrics like "I long to be nowhere"
The song Independent Woman is a song that gets into some darker blues sounds with drums and guitars loosely grinding in and out during the breaks in her singing. She crones "independent woman don't need a man" while the song Billy Steaks sees lyrics like "I'll die and I'll cry if you don't come back and marry me soon". You get the idea, so if you like a bit of brooding for the sake of brooding without any blood spilt then this is one for you.
She has done a cover of the Nick Cave song Into My Arms which is a nice interpretation of the song. However the song belongs mostly in the arms of Nick Cave and in this version it lacks the moody emotional depth that Nick conjures but that is something that Nick deals specifically in so it is hardly surprising.
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