Bombay Bicycle Club - Flaws

Release Date - July 12, 2010 - Which means if you haven't checked this out, you're late, so get on that.

Have you ever listened to a cover of a song from one of your favorite artists and not hated it? I hadn't, until I heard Bombay Bicycle Club's take on Joanna Newsom's "Swansea," and miraculously refrained from tearing it apart. In fact, I even enjoyed it, and welcomed the refreshing take on one of Newsom's earlier beauties, despite the fact that BBC only included two of the original's lovely verses (and a weird pronunciation of detrain/detwain?). I did miss some of the quirky lyrics that led me to love Swansea in the first place, but BBC didn't refrain from incorporating quirky vocals via frontman Jack Steadman. I would say that the vocals are an homage to Joanna, but listening through the rest of the album leads me to conclude that it's his natural voice.

Swansea:



The rest of the record is more folky-acoustic-weirdness condensed into a truly beautiful compilation. "Ivy and Gold" really makes me wish I could whistle, "My God" almost makes me wish I believed in one (ALMOST), and "Flaws" creates a stunning world where actual flaws aren't uncomfortable, embarrassing, or burdensome. Or at least they don't sound so bad when Steadman is singing about them. And the harmonies, OH MY, the HARMONIES. So gorgeous.


Folk-Rock Rave? I would.

Jesca Hoop-- Hunting My Dress

Release date on iTunes: July 27
...or stream now for free from NPR!

With breathy, dreamy vocals that envy Marissa Nadler's, Jesca Hoop's swirling new songs will undoubtedly stamp a swelling footprint into the movement that is "new-folk." Swiftly, she goes from four-part vocal harmonies (Whispering Light) to poppy banjo tunes (Four Dreams) to ethereal cooing (Angel Mom) with a light ease that makes her music feel free and pure. While Whispering Light's vocal arrangements compare to fellow folkies Fleet Foxes' White Winter Hymnal (only creepier, darker, and stealthier-- although in Hymnal, Michael does bleed from his head into the snow...), Feast of the Heart sounds something spawned from PJ Harvey. The very next track, Murder of Birds, gives strong and beautiful references to Irish folk music even though it sounds unarguably current.

Hoop is certainly experimental, and she takes grand risks and liberties with her work. The result is a beautiful, timeless sound that could be of yesterday, today, or tomorrow. She has fun, though she never turns too far into any box or corner, which keeps the album exciting. Her abrupt changes in sound never feel too unforewarned, uncomfortable or unnecessary. Furthermore, the different styles she samples stretch her gorgeous voice in every direction, allowing her to melt enigmatically through the album from start to finish. The start, however, is hard to shake, for Whispering Light leaves a haunting paw print on the listener's brain that remains long after the album has ended. The song may just be the best first impression I've ever encountered.




Now that her live chops have been proven spectacular, check out her visually stunning music video for The Kingdom.



She might become my new favorite thing...