en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal The Last.fm journal for fruit_fly. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2008/08/05/23ow2l_fall_releases_i%27m_looking_forward_to Tue, 5 Aug 2008 16:44:29 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2008/08/05/23ow2l_fall_releases_i%27m_looking_forward_to SEPTEMBER
09 :. Josh Hoge, Everything She Was
16 :. Jem, Down to Earth
23 :. Everlast, Love, War and The Ghost of Whitey Ford
29 :. James Morrison, Songs for You, Truths for Me
30 :. Robin Thicke, Something Else

OCTOBER
03 :. Maria Mena, Cause and Effect
06 :. Annie, Don't Stop
07 :. Rachael Yamagata, Elephants/Teeth Sinking Into Heart
22 :. Tiger Lou, A Partial Print
28 :. P!nk, Funhouse
28 :. Snow Patrol, A Hundred Million Suns

NOVEMBER
04 :. Dido, Safe Trip Home
11 :. Charlotte Martin, Orphans
12 :. Anna Ternheim, Leaving on a Mayday]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/09/13/3ym9_starsailor_@_9:30_club_last_night Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:49:08 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/09/13/3ym9_starsailor_@_9:30_club_last_night One of the shows I was looking forward to the most this year was last night's Starsailor gig at the 9:30 club. I thought they were great, but then again, I'm a pretty big fan so... yeah.

They played a really good mix of songs and I was happy about the fact that they played a lot of my favorites including Tie Up My Hands, Poor Misguided Fool, Alcoholic, Keep Us Together, and Fidelity. I really wish he had done Love Is Here though. That would have been lovely.

They sounded amazing. I walked away from the show feeling like it was probably the best sounding show and band I've heard at that club, by far. The guys were obviously having a great time up there. James had a lot of energy smiled through most of the set and you could tell he really loves what he does and that's always great to see. And his voice is amazing, straight up. He's got, in my opinion, one of the best voices in rock music. Period. He's such an old soul, and I've thought that since I started listening to them. I mean, he's 26 years old, married with kids, and writes some of the most touching, heartfelt, honest music I've ever heard in my life. In fact, it was just this morning that I realized how young he is. I've known his age since I started listening to them, but it's easy to forget because of that voice and those lyrics so I think I just put it out of my mind. But man! Good stuff.

The crowd wasn't very big, which I expected since most people I come into contact with in this area, hell, this country for that matter, have no idea who Starsailor are. The audience was also pretty dead, in my opinion. Very low key. I wish I had gone to the previous night's show in New York. I mean, James all but flat out admitted how amazing it was and talked about how he was still coming down from it. I would have loved to have been at one of the fuller shows where everyone was really into it. The guy next to me was really into it which was great. He would say 'awesome' after like, every song :)

Good show, though. I'm so happy I got the chance to see them and I really appreciate them even bothering to come to The States to tour. If they come near you, I highly suggest checking them out. It's well worth the 15 measly bucks they're charging. The music and the experience is worth way more than that, so trust me when I say you'll get your money's worth and then some.

The Set List

In My Blood
Coutnerfeit Life
Poor Misguided Fool
Alcoholic
Fidelity
This Time
Fever
Get Out While You Can
In the Crossfire
Four to the Floor
Tie Up My Hands
Keep Us Together
Good Souls
Ring of Fire
Silence Is Easy

CharMar's show is up next! So excited for that one. Her new album is superb. I'll write about that later.

Starsailor Charlotte Martin]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/07/28/3ym8_wow_man.__just,_wow! Fri, 28 Jul 2006 03:08:39 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/07/28/3ym8_wow_man.__just,_wow! I just have to say this real quick. My head is spinning from this girl's amazingness (Is that even a word? Amazingness? Whatever! I don't know how else to describe her.) so this post probably won't sound as together and well written as I'd like it to. But I'm listening to 11:11 for the first time right now and can not keep from giggling with delight. I'm just so amused! Her singing style is like nothing I've ever heard before.

She's just so deliciously quirky and she comes out of nowhere while you're listening to her, you know? Everything is cool and calm one minute and then BAM!! She switches up on you. Keeps you on your toes. Pavlov's Daughter? Buildings? Flyin'? 2.99 cent blues? This shit is amazing! Here I am thinking she's just this alt/rock piano girl who sings and all of a sudden out of nowhere, she bursts out rapping! I love it!!

I am loving every bit of her and thank you so much to everyone from my last post who pointed me in her direction :) I owe you guys big time! I really love and appreciate originality and creativity. I appreciate people who stand out and do their own thing, especially with the state of the music industry today. It's so rare that you see that and I'm always happy to find those who are keeping those qualities alive for those of us who crave them.

I get paid tomorrow and if I have any extra cash (hopefully I will after paying my bills) I'm totally buying as much of her stuff as possible. I'll at least get 11:11! If I can find it, that is. Watch I walk up in the store and they don't have it. That's usually the way it goes, unfortunately.

It's 11pm and I really need to go to bed since I have to be to work at 7:30am tomorrow but shit, I don't want to! I want to stay up and keep listening to Regina dammit lol

Regina Spektor
11:11
Pavlov's Daughter
Buildings
Flyin'
2.99 Cent Blues]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/07/26/3ym7_a_girl_and_her_piano. Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:37:11 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/07/26/3ym7_a_girl_and_her_piano. Lately, I've really been getting into music that's piano driven and would like to find more. Although I'm partial to females, I wouldn't mind adding some guys to the mix :)

This is just a little review of the people I've been digging so far.

Charlotte Martin. Ok. I've gone absolutely nuts over this girl. I can't stop listening to her music. About a year ago, I got her album On Your Shore and tossed it because I didn't like it very much. I don't know why, I just didn't. Well, recently someone passed me several of her EPs. I listened to the Veins EP first and was blown away! This was not the Charlotte I remembered listening to a year ago.

The song Veins was on repeat for the longest time and was the song that initially got me into her (such a powerful and amazing song), but Monster is the song that made me fall in love with her. Amazing! I also really love the song In Parentheses. It has a really interesting tone to it. Kind of an r&b, jazz sort of tone. She's a woman of many talents I see, one whose music spans many genres. All of her songs are so different, and it's really interesting to listen to the recorded versions verses the live versions of her songs. Each time she does a song, she does it differently. Right now it seems like she's headed towards a sound that's a blend of piano and electronic, which is interesting.

When I first started listening to her, as much as I liked her, I thought she sounded way too much like Tori Amos. Not so much to the point where I thought she was ripping off Tori's sound like so many people seem to think she is, but I still thought she sounded like her. Now, after giving all of her stuff more than a few good listens, she sounds nothing like her. I just adore her! I'll probably talk more about her later in a different post.

Tori Amos. I've only been listening to her for a little over a month, but have had a shitload of her music for over a year now. Her music is very intimidating to me. It's got so much depth to it and I can tell she's not the type of artist who you're not about to walk up to, look up and down once or twice and walk away from with this crystal clear understanding as to what she's about. You gotta put some time and effort in. She's the type of musician that challenges the listener, makes them work! And that's a good thing, especially since so many musicians don't. When I first tried to listen to her a year ago, I couldn't get into her. She was just a bit much for me.

But recently, I've found my way back to her via Tales of a Librarian which I love, and Little Earthquakes which is a very interesting album. Even though I was a bit put off at first, I've noticed that the more I listen to it, the more I like it. It makes me feel like I'm stuck in some sort of time warp or something. And I don't mean it in a bad way. I'm transported to a certain place when I listen to it, and it's all I can see and all I can hear, which is good and bad for personal reasons. The songs Silent All These Years and Crucify are my current favorites.

Rachael Yamagata. She's another one I discovered a year or two ago but didn't like. (Jeez. What the hell is wrong with me? I didn't like any of these people upon first listen a year ago lol) I actually contemplated tossing her cd but now, I'm so glad I didn't. It was actually her iTunes KCRW EP that pushed me over the edge with her. I think I sat there with my mouth gaped open the entire first time I listened to it. I mean, that girl's voice is amazing. She sings with so much passion and pain and her voice is so raw.

The piano is not really at the forefront of her music though, like a lot of these other ladies. I don't listen to Rachael's music and think, wow! She's an amazing pianist. With Rachael, the piano seems to be more of a back-up singer than duet partner. That's not a bad thing. I think her music is more about her voice and her lyrics. She's amazing though. She's also very funny. I highly recommend her Live at the Loft sessions.

Vanessa Carlton. I'm so iffy about her. One minute I'm loving her, the next I can't stand her. Her piano playing is phenomenal and it's what I like most about her music. I remember watching some show years ago on MTV where fans had sent in tapes in order to try and get the chance to duet with her. And I remember at one point when she was coaching the girl who had won the contest, she told her that while she was playing during the parts she wasn't singing, it was the piano's turn to sing, the piano's turn to shine and not to hold it back, or something to that effect. And I see a lot of that in her music. I actually think the piano outshines her on most of her songs.

I also don't really like her voice. It's kind of sickening, but it sounds much better live. She also needs to lay off the gloss. I love the way she, the piano and the orchestra blend but I think it would have much more of an impact if it was raw or just barely touched up. Like Charlotte's stuff. She uses a lot of orchestra in her music, but it's not overbearing. It compliments her lyrics and her voice. I do like Vanessa though. I think she's extremely talented.

Imogen Heap. I just started listening to her again after dancinghorses reminded me what an amazing piano player she is. I Megaphone is off the hook! I actually think it's way better than Speak for Yourself but that may only due to my infatuation with the piano at the moment. She's very quirky though, and in a world all her own which I love. You listen to her and you can just tell she's unique. My favorite song of hers right now is Come Here Boy.

Fiona Apple. Well, she's a goddess and a genius and we all know this. All I can say about her is that back when I was a teenager, she was one of the first musicians that opened my eyes up to what good music really was and how powerful music could be. She was also one of the women I admired the most growing up. I adored her and wanted to be just like her. I felt like she was such a beautiful, tortured soul who was overflowing with talent and depth and intelligence. I wanted to be her. I still do, actually. She's an amazing woman. The changes she's made throughout her life are very inspiring. And to this day, I have yet to come across another female who I relate to to the degree I do with her. Just, her head and the way she thinks. It's scary how similar we are.

And there you have it. The piano peeps I've been into recently. If anyone has any recs, I'd love to hear them! So far, I've had Vienna Teng and Jamie Cullum recommended to me. I've also been listening to The Czars who are very interesting. I've never heard an album quite like Goodbye before.

I think I'm done now.
+ + +

On Your Shore
Veins

Tales of a Librarian
Little Earthquakes

Live at the Loft

I Megaphone
Speak For Yourself

Goodbye]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/07/02/3ym6_u.s._release_of_apparently_unaffected! Sun, 2 Jul 2006 00:05:45 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/07/02/3ym6_u.s._release_of_apparently_unaffected! U.S. Release of Apparently Unaffected!!

I just read on mariamenafan.com that Amazon.com now has a listing for Apprently Unaffected. Amazon's site says it will be released as an import and available on July 13th for $19.99. They also have a listing for the single Miss You Love. So technically, it's not an official American release, but it's better than nothing.

I am so effin' excited about this! I think it's very unfortunate that the American public is being denied such an amazing album and talent. Maria's new album is one of the best albums I've heard and a LONG time, especially as far as pop goes. Plus she has a lot of fans over here. For a while there, it sucked that we weren't able to easily get our hands on the album but it seems like that will no longer be the case. I also think this album has the potential to earn her a lot more fans, along with some well deserved and long overdue acclaim and attention. It kills me how underrated and lesser known this girl is. I mean, White Turns Blue is great, but I think Apparently Unaffected blows her first album out of the water. But you can read all about my opinion on Maria, her new album, and my love for both in this journal entry :)

I also hope this means that Maria will be back over to the states to promote and maybe do some touring. I'll definitely keep my fingers crossed.


Maria Mena
Apparently Unaffected
White Turns Blue]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/06/13/3ym5_no_one_else Tue, 13 Jun 2006 18:47:16 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/06/13/3ym5_no_one_else No One Else

Arjan Writes just posted an awesome blog on Natalie Walker's new single 'No One Else' which reminded that I've been meaning to do a journal about it for a while now.

Natalie's new album 'Urban Angel' will be out August 22. Her first single off the album, 'No One Else', is now available worldwide on iTunes. And damn that girl is good! We need more young, female singer/songwriters out there like her. For real! She was amazing in Daughter Darling and I can't wait to hear what else she's about to bring to the table.

I posted a review of the single at iTunes, but here's an expanded version of it.

---

'No One Else' is absolutely gorgeous. Natalie's music still exudes that dark, beautiful passion I came to love when she fronted Daughter Darling. (Still love, actually. I listen to Sweet Shadows all the time!) But I was most surprised by the remixes. I'm usually not a big fan of them and often end up feeling like all they did was ruin a good song. So I was a little scared to see what had been done to the song when I first heard it had been remixed. However, I was pleasantly surprised by all of them and it was interesting to see such a lovely, sort of moody, ethereal song transformed into a dance track.

They managed to add even more dimension to 'No One Else' without sacrificing it's beauty and ethereal atmosphere and vibe. They respect the original music which I appreciate. It's hard to choose a favorite remix but I think mine is The Vector Warrior remix. I can't wait for the album!

---

You can stream 'No One Else', as well as other tracks from her upcoming album at her MySpace page or her Official Site. You can also stream 'No One Else' here at Last.fm. You can purchase the single via iTunes here

Recommended to fans of..
Andain, Dido, Dot Allison, Emiliana Torrini, Frou Frou, Hooverphonic, Imogen Heap, Jem, and (the trip-hop band) Mono

Natalie WalkerDaughter Darling]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/04/29/3ym4_new_track_from_butch! Sat, 29 Apr 2006 00:56:42 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/04/29/3ym4_new_track_from_butch! Stream a new track entitled "Bethamphetamine (Pretty Pretty)" by Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites over at Arjan Writes.

I love it and can't wait for the new album!

Butch Walker]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/04/13/3ym3_new_b-side_%252B_rim_downloads_from_siobhan_ Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:25:43 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/04/13/3ym3_new_b-side_%252B_rim_downloads_from_siobhan_ I think she took it down :( No worries though. I have it if anyone wants to hear it.
/EDIT

Siobhan has a most fabulous b-side entitled 'Those Anythings' available for download on her myspace.

It's gorgeous. Very mellow, very sexy. And I'm loving her new material. Can't wait for her album!

This is the bulletin she posted:

Hi everyone.

I've put a few more tunes up for those of you who don't have the 'Revolution In Me' record, you can download a few tracks. Two are from the old record and one is a b-side made too late to get on the record but I love it.

Siobhan

x

P.S. To hear another new tune go to

www.myspace.com/jonyrockstar and the tune is called 'Crime Of Passion'.

Thanks a lot.

Siobhan Donaghy
Revolution in Me
Those Anythings
Overrated
Iodine]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/04/11/3ym2_the_sounds_@_9:30_club_last_night Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:09:20 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/04/11/3ym2_the_sounds_@_9:30_club_last_night The Sounds were fucking PHENOMENAL last night at the 9:30 club. One of the best shows I've ever been to. From beginning to end, they were just fabulous. I'm so glad I went. I just recently started going to shows again. I used to go to them all the time when I was younger, but I don't know what's happened to me. I just don't have it in me any more. I'm an old woman at 25 :( I had tickets to see Brazilian Girls, Michael Tolcher and Annie recently. Didn't go to any of them because I was too tired. That was my excuse LOL Or it was a work night.

They were so amazing, ALL OF THEM, but especially Maja. A+++++ front woman. She had so much energy. She was like, this petite little thing with so much stage presence and so much power. I'm surprised she was able to sing as well as she could with all the jumping and dancing and literally bending over backwards she did. And she had on these little shorty red shorts and this cute red top and HEELS! And that girl was throwin' down! Up on the speakers, dancing around, jumping. So great :)

I just wish she had talked more though because I loved her accent. And her voice was beautiful. Exactly like it is on the albums, if not better. Just, amazing, amazing show. If they roll through your town, I highly recommened you go!

Morningwood were okay. Maybe because I've seen them before and I know what their show is about, but I kind of feel like they put too much effort into goofing off and running their mouths than playing/singing. Or not even so much the band, it's Chantal. If I didn't have their album and already know the songs, I would have been totally lost and walked away from that show thinking their songs had basically no lyrical content. The lyrics to their songs are not that deep to begin with, so it would be very easy for them to get lost in the mix. Don't get me wrong, I love Morningwood and I love that album. I think the songs are good enough to carry a show, so I don't know what happened. I'd think they would be even better live than on the cd. They were great the first time I saw them a month or so ago. I didn't know all their songs then and went right out and bought the album after the show. Yes, the band is very entertaining and all but when the entertaining starts to overtake the music, then it becomes a problem LOL

And when I compared their show to The Sounds' show, it became even more apparent. Maja was dancing around, she was chatty, she was laughing, she was throwing herself into the crowd, but at the same time, she was very focused. And when it was time for her to sing, she sang. Loud and clear. Chantal has a great voice and I think their songs are really good, but like I said, I would have had a hard time realizing that if I didn't know the songs. The guy to the left of me asked me what I thought of their show, and I was like, it was okay. And he was like, Yeah. They're entertaining but the lyrics weren't that great. And I told him, yeah, you should probably get the album haha

MorningwoodThe Sounds]]> http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/03/03/3ym1_revolution_in_me Fri, 3 Mar 2006 14:44:53 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/fruit_fly/journal/2006/03/03/3ym1_revolution_in_me Am I to blame, the womb of wrong and illusion
What keeps me sane, nothing but song
- Nothing But Song

I fucking love that lyric.

Siobhan Donaghy - Revolution In Me

You know, I really like this album. It threw me off at first. It seemed kind of chaotic and I couldn't quite figure out what she was trying to accomplish musically. It was like, is she trying to do pop? R&B? Trip-Hop? Electronic? Pop rock?

Downtempo? What is going on here? Most of the time, I don't agree with shoving everyone into a box or slapping a label on them, but even when you can't do that with some musicians, the music at least sounds uniform. It was like she had pulled all these specific elements from her favorite genres, threw them together, then recorded over them. Nothing really meshed and I was like, this doesn't sound right. But the more I listened to it, the more I thought, well, maybe that was the point.

Maybe it wasn't supposed to sound "right". And you know what? I respect that. Because as "right" as it didn't sound, it also didn't sound bad. It wasn't unlistenable. In fact, it made me listen more! Because I was trying to figure out exactly what was up with this album. Maybe she didn't really want all these elements to mesh. Maybe it was her goal to experiment and play around with all these different genres.

Now, I know nothing about Siobhan and her involvement with Sugababes, or the specifics of why she left the group. I've heard rumblings, but don't know any details. And I've never even heard any of their music, but perhaps that's for the better and allows me to come at Siobhan's music from a much purer perspective. Still, I'm a little disappointed in myself formy initial reaction. And surprised at myself for feeling some skepticism or being thrown off because I'm usually drawn to any and everything that's different. To people who color outside of the lines, yet still create this beautiful piece of work, you know?

And I like that. It's interesting. I commend her for experimenting with Pop and coming up with something new and refreshing. Especially right now when pop, or just music in general is so Blah and I think people are really strugling to carve out some sort of unique indentity and come up with something that hasn't been done before. Now at the same time, I wouldn't say her sound is groundbreaking or anything, but it's definitely unlike any other pop album I've heard recently. If you must call it pop. It's a lot of different things. I'd say mostly trip-hop, some urban flavor in there and pop. Also little bit of rock. I mean, every time you think she's going in one direction with a song, she'll flip it and go the opposite direction.

Her voice is interesting too. She's got a very sweet voice. It's really pretty and she can dedfinitely sing but it's a little bit on the soft, quiet side. It's not very strong and I can't help thinking that if she had a stronger voice, these songs would come across so much differently. Or maybe it's not about the strength in her voice, but the confidence in her
voice. To me, her voice comes across as being very sad in a lot of the songs. I know a lot of that has to do with the lyrics (which I love) and the mood of the album, but her voice seems to be a bit longing, and even cautious and shy. She sounds just the teeniest bit unsure of herself in a lot of the songs and sounds like she's questioning in a lot of the songs. But like I said, that may have mostly to do with the lyrical content and her motivation for writing these songs. I expect that will change with her next album and she'll really be able to put it to you.

I really think this album is a hidden gem that everyone should take a chance on. I'm thinking it may take a while to break through and grow on anyone who tries it out, like it did me. But I encourage people to give her a chance because it definitely gets better with every listen and it's a pretty cool album. I'm really interested to see what direction her next album goes in. I hope she continues to push the boundaries of pop and come up with new and innovative sounds.

The tracks that stand out to me are Nothing But Song, Suasex, Faces, Little Bits, and As You Like It. Overrated is also really amazing but it just seems like such an obvious choice LOL I mean, it's an excellent song and I love the lyrics but I don't think it's the best example of how experimental she gets on the album. I do love that video though! I downloaded it and a few others from from www.siobhandonaghy.co.uk.]]>