Posts Tagged Chvrches
STEELE PICKS: Best Albums of 2015
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on December 12, 2015
Although I’ve ostensibly been a music critic for several decades I’m not on the press lists I used to be so I rely on spotify to find much of my new music. So there are some favorite artists and bands here as well as new discoveries. Music that appeals to me must speak to my heart, soul, mind. The melodies are mostly dark, swirling, moody with unusual arrangements and instrumentation. Sometimes it’s folk or electro-pop. Mostly dark alternative. I favor female vocalists with varied range, strength and style.
Chelsea Wolfe, Abyss [Sargent House]
–I love Chelsea Wolfe. always and forever. dark, swirling, atmospheric and emotive.
Beach House, Depression Cherry [Sub Pop]
–a rich, beautiful album that I can [and do] play again and again.
Chvrches, Every Open Eye [Glassnote]
–electropop. energetic and powerful. one of my favorite bands.
Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon [Interscope]
–moody gorgeousness
Sasha Siem, Most of the Boys
–a bit of Bjork, a bit of Florence and the Machine. quite beautiful, swirling and beguiling.
The Decemberists, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World [Capitol]
–another favorite band that I find both comforting and subversive. extremely talented and inherently beautiful songwriting.
Lauren Peacock, Euphonia
–what I said in my August review: “combines piano with lush arrangements for memorable, moving melodies. The vocals shimmy and simmer.”
Torres, Sprinter [PTKF]
–Singer/songwriter Mackenzie Scott possesses maturity and presence beyond her years. beautiful, raw, haunting. echos of PJ Harvey and Amanda Palmer.
Science and the Beat, Future Blue
–skilled duo of multi-instrumentalists Tasha Katrine and Rob Zilla that create the cool sounds and eclectic arrangements. moody, strong, electro-pop. read the review.
Sleater-Kinney, No Cities to Love
–powerful, outspoken and rocking
Waxahatchee, Ivy Tripp [Merge Records]
Bjork, Vulnicura [One Little Indian Us]
–orchestral arrangements with Bjork’s cool weirdness. a bit slower than other albums and it’s fantastic.
Wolf Alice, My Love is Cool [RCA]
–heard the single on a British radio station and was hooked.
Grimes, Art Angels [4AD]
–unusually arranged songs about being weird, being an outcast. angelic vocals. what’s not to appreciate?
Ellie Goulding, Delirium [Interscope]
–beautiful pop songs
Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit [MOM & POP MUSIC]
–past, present and future infused with her witty lyrics and alt-pop melodies.
Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell [Asthmatic Kitty]
–cool soothing folk. open and lovely.
Furniture Girls, Chaos
–kick ass garage rock. review here.
Callaghan, A History of Now
–happy, optimistic Americana/ folk/ alt-country mix. when it came out I wrote: “A History of Now will definitely make you feel 10% happier after listening to it.”
Julia Holter, Have You in my Wilderness
–combines retro with current arrangements. gorgeous vocals.
Wind Burial, We Used to Be Hunters
–immediately caught my attention as it manages to convey intensity, danger and beauty. review.
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MUSIC NEWS: Tanya Donelly; Chvrches: Krill
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on January 28, 2014
always had a crush on Tanya Donelly [Belly, Breeders, Throwing Muses]. beautiful, strong, crackling, distinctive, emotive vocals.
Tanya’s closing out her impressive, trailblazing 30-year music career on a high note with Swan Song Series. She’s been a wonderful role model for women in music and vital part of the indie scene.
download it here
Chvrches cover Bauhaus’s “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” for upcoming film Vampire Academy
I LOVE this synch-pop update, a happier, trippy cover to the 1979 classic.
New Krill single: “Turd”
the Boston alt-rock trio sounds very 90s with a slant toward Pavement
Steve Hears Pile In Malden and Bursts Into Tears EP will be released February 18 [Exploding In Sound Records]
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Steele Picks: Top 30 Albums of 2013
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on December 2, 2013
–unfortunately I can’t possibly hear every album released. I don’t hear about things. I don’t get access to many until the public does. publicists don’t send me as many albums in advance as I wish.
–here are the the albums this year that moved me, inspired me, made me think.
–they’re in alpha order
The Avett Brothers–The Magpie and the Dandelion [American]
Arctic Monkeys—AM [Domino]
Bleeding Rainbow–Yeah Right [Kanine]
Camera Obscura–Desire Lines [4AD]
Chvrches–Bones of What You Believe [Virgin]
Cults–Static [Columbia]
Foals–Holy Fire [Warner Music]
Gliss–Langsom Dans [Modern Outsider]
Grace & Tony–November [Rock Ridge Music]
Haim–Days are Gone [Columbia/Sony]
How to Destroy Angels–Welcome Oblivion [Columbia]
The Joy Formidable–Wolf’s Law [Atlantic]
The Julie Ruin– Run Fast EP [TJR]
Lorde–Pure Heroine [Lava/Republic]
Lovers–A Friend in the World [Badman Recording Co.]
Luray–The Wilder
Laura Marling–Once I Was an Eagle [Ribbon Music]
MGMT– MGMT [Columbia]
M.I.A.–Matangi [N.E.E.T./Interscope]
Mirror Travel–Mexico [Outsider Records]
My Gold Mask–Leave Me Midnight [Highwheel]
The National–Trouble Will Find Me [4AD]
Orbe Orbe–Invisible Kingdoms
Super Water Sympathy–Hydrogen Child [In Music We Trust]
Perhapst– Revise Your Maps [Jack Viking Music]
Throwing Muses–Purgatory/ Paradise
Frank Turner–Tape Deck Heart [Interscope]
Violeta Vil–Lapidas y Cocoteros [Young Cubs]
Waxahatchee–Cerulean Salt [Don Giovanni]
Chelsea Wolfe–Pain is Beauty [Sargent House]
[all selections by Amy Steele 12/1/2013]
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Feminist artists speaking OUT — Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry and Natalie Portman
Posted by Amy Steele in Film, Music, vegan/ vegetarian, Women/ feminism on October 3, 2013
Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry wrote a column in the Guardian about online misogyny. She spoke about the ease in which people feel it’s okay to write messages calling her a slut, threatening to rape her and pick her appearance and intelligence apart due to her gender.
In the piece she states:
“I should note here that I have never said that men – in the public eye or otherwise – do not receive such comments. I can, however, only speak of what I know, which is that the number of offensive messages directed towards me, “the girl singer,” compared to my bandmates is undeniably higher. I should also clarify that this has nothing to do with hating men, as some have suggested. I identify as a feminist but subscribe to the pretty basic definition of a feminist as “someone who seeks equality between the sexes”. I am now, and have always been, in bands with smart, supportive guys, and have many amazing men in my life as family and friends. For that I am incredibly grateful.
“Of my numerous personal failings (perpetual lateness; a tendency towards anxiety; a complete inability to bake anything, ever), naivety is not one. I am often cynical about aspects of the music industry and the media, and was sure from the off that this band would need to avoid doing certain things in order for us to be taken seriously as musicians – myself in particular. We have thus far been lucky enough to do things our own way and make a pretty decent job of our band without conforming to the “push the girl to the front” blueprint often relied upon by labels and management in a tragic attempt to sell records which has little to do with the music itself.”
super-feminist Natalie Portman spoke about feminism with Thor co-star Tom Hiddleston for the November issue of ELLE UK:
“I want every version of a woman and a man to be possible. I want women and men to be able to be full-time parents or full-time working people or any combination of the two. I want both to be able to do whatever they want sexually without being called names. I want them to be allowed to be weak and strong and happy and sad – human, basically. The fallacy in Hollywood is that if you’re making a “feminist” story, the woman kicks ass and wins. That’s not feminist, that’s macho. A movie about a weak, vulnerable woman can be feminist if it shows a real person that we can empathise with.”
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MUSIC: what I’m into right now [Chvrches, MGMT, Widowspeak]
Posted by Amy Steele in Music on October 3, 2013
CHVRCHES, The Bones of What You Believe
–Chvrches arranges thoughtful electronic music– layered, twisting, complex– to complement singer Lauren Mayberry’s lovely, emotive vocals.
MGMT, MGMT
— MGMT mixes older styles with newer styles. catchy but real. I’ve been a fan since the first album.
Widowspeak, The Swamps EP out October 29
–moody, compelling, dark
Widowspeak TOUR DATES:
10/01 – Oxford, MS – Lamar Lounge
10/02 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
10/04 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Festival
10/05 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s BBQ
10/08 – McAllen, TX – Simon Sez
10/11 – Austin TX – Austin City Limits Festival
10/12 – Marfa, TX – El Cosmico
10/13 – Albuquerque, NM – Low Spirits**
10/14 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rhythm Room**
10/15 – San Diego, CA – The Void**
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo**
10/18 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel**
10/19 – Davis, CA – Sophia’s Thai Kitchen**
10/21 – Eugene, OR – Cozmic Pizza**
10/22 – Vancouver, BC – Media Club**
* supporting Iron & Wine
10/23 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey**
10/24 – Portland, OR – Bunk Bar**
10/25 – Boise, ID – Neurolux**
10/26 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge**
10/27 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge**
10/28 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown Jr**
10/30 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry**
10/31 – Chicago, IL – Schubas**
11/01 – Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch**
11/02 – Toronto, ON – Silver Dollar Room**
11/03 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore**
11/04 – Winooski, VT – The Monkey House**
11/05 – Cambridge, MA – TT the Bear’s Place**
11/06 – New Haven, CT – BAR Nightclub**
11/08 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom**
**with Pure Bathing Culture
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About Me
covering mostly music and books. focus on alternative/indie and women in music, literature and the arts. feminist. vegan. mostly alternative, a bit bohemian. Masters in journalism from Boston University. BA from Simmons College.
Entertainment Realm by Amy Steele is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at entertainmentrealm.comCopyright © 2009. All writing, unless otherwise noted, by Amy Steele.
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