Derives

Jeniferever

2006-05-07T09:40:00.000+02:00

I’ve got mixed feelings about ‘choose a bright morning’, the first album by this swedish band. Some songs are incredibly great not too far from Mineral, Gregor Samsa, Ariel Kill Him, Appleseed Cast or Mew, but at other places their songwriting seems confuse with a lack of precision and ideas and too much production gimmicks.

Same things for the lyrics, incredibly well written on the first three songs and less and less coherent as you progress through the album. I’ve got the impression of a band grown too fast, a bit like Khonnor with ‘Handwriting’, but the achievement here is less complete.

I’m curious to discover how this band will evolve, which part of them will win, because finally if I’m not totally convinced by this record I still have spent many hours listening it compulsively.

jeniferever @ derives

Spokane

2006-05-06T09:30:00.000+02:00

The recording of the new Spokane album seems to be a long and difficult process, even if the participation of Gregor Samsa members is very promising.

So it might be quite interesting to return spend some time with ‘measurement’, just to realize this record is maybe even more crucial these days, with the passing of years, and the memories of this last colder than usual European winter.

Rick, Courtney and Robert are at their best, playing this ethereal slowcore, crossing paths between the universes of early Low, Labradford, showing the direction to follow for their peers of Gregor Samsa (and not only to them).

spokane @ derives

Hood

2006-04-12T07:56:00.000+02:00

It's easy to admit for me that in the whole Hood discography, "Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys" is my favorite album.

Because it's not the same band as before and after, with the main members from Empress and Remote Viewer among them, with Matt Elliott as sound engineer. And they explore the more atmospheric, melancholic and ambient sides of their expression. Almost ten years after its recording, this record is still urgent, deeply true and moving.

hood @ derives

Broken Flight

2006-04-11T08:48:00.000+02:00

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Broken Flight released one ep and one lp so far, almost self-released.

But the sensitivity, the melancholy, the kindness and subtlety behind their songwriting are incredibly great, recalling early records by Owen, The Apartments or a sparser and ethereal Art of Fighting.

broken flight @ derives

The White Foliage

2006-04-10T10:52:00.000+02:00

One of the loveliest bands ever.

The purity of the 4AD aesthetics mixed with the better parts of L'Altra and Khonnor and you come close. Except that some of the songs on this ep have a wonderful complexity - It's impossible to know where the song will go 30 seconds later - and a heavenly charm from out of this world. And both are just nineteen. A very very promising band, never felt like this since the first ep by L'Altra.

the white foliage @ derives

Quintin Nadig

2006-04-09T10:43:00.000+02:00

It's a crime that so far Quintin Nadig is so much under the radar, when his records are the equivalents of the Spokane, Hayden or Patrick Phelan ones, with moments of pure bliss and melancholy echoing the best moments of slowcore subtlety.

Deeply moving, don't make the error to not give him the attention his music justifies.

quintin nadig @ derives
quintin nadig @ myspace

Peril Hill

2006-04-08T11:54:00.000+02:00

Peril Hill is the musical project of one Mark Gardner helped with a few friends and giving us the most moving and melancholic folk music coming from UK since the early records of Appendix Out and the marvellous debut of Songs of Green Pheasant.

His music is a dream, it makes you float into a cloud of bliss and intimacy.

peril hill @ derives
peril hill @ myspace

Awful Bliss

2006-04-07T22:48:00.000+02:00

Awful Bliss is a new promising indie label from Italy.

As a birth act they just released a double compilation. One side with american folk indie songwriters with a roots/americana point of view and the other with italian indie bands and songwriters. A few discoveries and many artists we already know here.

Awful Bliss is also to the point of releasing albums by The Holy Sons and Faris Nourallah. A new Acuarela / Talitres / Fargo ?

awful bliss @ myspace
songs from another place @ derives
holy sons @ derives

Human Television

2006-04-06T15:49:00.000+02:00

Next Month, Human Television will release their first album, "Look At Who You're Talking To".

I was deeply in love with their 2004 ep "all songs written by" so it's a record I have big expectations for and it will probably be my best indie pop record of the year, fans of early Pavement, Frank & Walters, Bats, Slumberland and Sarah record stuff, this is for you, and it is the most addictive indie pop you can dream of these days. The new songs on their myspace page and wonderful and the video for the new song "I laughed" is just marvellous no too far from the "Tell me what you want" one. Looks like may will be a sunny and happy month.

human television @ derives
human television @ myspace
I Laughed - video!
Tell me what you want - video!

Cacoy & Rumraket

2006-04-05T07:45:00.000+02:00

Cacoy is a new Japanese band featuring two members of the marvelous Tenniscoats (brillant slowcore) and Maher Shalal Hasch Baz along with a certain DJ Klock. I'll feature later a review about their record.

But what is promising it's the fact that it is released on a new label called Rumraket run by members of Efterklang, a band I don't know so far but that I want to explore now. The third name on the label is Grizzly Bear, another wonderful american band I fell in love with last year. All of this is very promising and you are invited to explore.

tenniscoats @ derives
maher shalal hash baz @ derives
grizzly bear @ derives
rumraket
a cacoy video
efterklang @ myspace

Gregor Samsa - 55:12 - Own Records

2006-04-04T07:49:00.000+02:00

photo : quentin nicolaï

They finally arrived with their long reported album after a hiatus where everything was unsure.

What is promised is due and 55:12 is exactly the album we expected like a perfect translation of the atmosphere of their last tour in Europe. As good as we wanted it too be, no big surprise then but an important step, something stable and solid where celestial slowcore meets ethereal and melancholic dreampop. Like early Low, Labradford, Cocteau Twins, Slowdive or Spokane, but one generation later with a deep and memorable point of view.

gregor samsa @ derives

Yuko!

2006-04-03T10:49:00.000+02:00

Yuko is a promising new belgian band exploring songwriting regions between indietronica and atmospheric post-rock.

They remind me of A December Lake and Wixel with some more melodic aspects that could recall Notwist, Appleseed Cast or Text Adventure.

If Yuko can still grow and develop their songwriting, they have a bright future in front of them .

yuko @ derives

Bexar Bexar - ambient, rural and intimate

2006-04-02T10:44:00.000+02:00

I've never been able to find the real name of Bexar Bexar, and at a time I was even thinking of an instrumental side project of Ryan Murphy (Havergal).

But no, it's someone else, even if his universe fits perfectly along other Western Vinyl records, from Thomas & Sampson to early Early Dy Miners records, from Papa M to Tren Brothers.

His music is never directly seductive or ear catching, but listening to "tropism" will find you falling slowly, softly and perfectly under his charm.

bexar bexar @ derives

Sundays in Spring #19 - Bloedrood

2006-04-01T16:53:00.000+02:00

This it the third year starting here at Sundays in Spring. What an achievement, what a good way to start in again with our 19th release.

Bloedrood is Wim Maesschalck. One third behind Sundays in Spring. Up to now he used to play as Wixel with three cdrs albums so far and the last one will probably be released again as a real cd later this year. I even reviewed the two first cdrs by Wixel for derives.net but without being 100% satisfied by his instrumental electronica / post-rock, because I’m just someone obsessed by fragile songwriting. And voice.

So from the first days of meeting Wim, way before this netlabel started, during many conversations on instant messaging, I always came back with the boring (for him) and obsessive (for me) idea of him singing.

As he explains himself it was impossible to fit this into Wixel. But I knew he was fascinated by songwriting, so I asked him during the first days of Sundays in Spring (he came with the word Sunday and me with Spring to tell you all) to record, even if it sounded impossible at first, a few acoustic songs as a mp3ep on Sundays in Spring. Maybe it sounded like a joke or a bet at first but it has never been it. It took him two years to build Bloedrood. But now we are there with this official birth act. ‘Roetbloed’ is seven short songs exploring the cracks and blood capillaries between the universes of Wio, Thanksgiving and Hood, as good as I dreamed it. Seven first steps and no false alarms. A new voice is born. I’m deeply happy.

sundays in spring

Picastro in Belgium

2006-03-31T13:01:00.000+02:00

For the first time, Picastro will tour in Belgium next week and most importantly they will be one of the two attractions (for me) of the Rhâââ Lovely Festival (along with This Is Your Captain Speaking).

With two albums already released on two of my favorites record labels, Pehr and Polyvinyl, they have already built an intriguing and very powerful discography, somewhere between early Victory at Sea and Movietone, developping progressively their own dark ways.

It will be the occasion to experiment this deep trouble and powerful melancholic sensations with live conditions, viscerally, as a possible transe.

picastro @ myspace
picastro @ derives
rhâââ lovely festival

Seaplane Harbor meets Chapter

2006-03-30T06:52:00.000+02:00

Due to geographical incompatibilities, the Swiss post-rock band Seaplane Harbor broke up some time after the release of their magnificent first album : 'music when soft voices die vibrates in the memory'(2001).

The good news are that this problem has been recently solved and that Alexandre Müller and Aleksandr Thibaudeau are back together behind Iskander III, with Alexander Craker (Chapter) as drummer and singer. They plan to record again this summer after this four-year hiatus.

More good news are that before the end of Seaplane Harbor they had recorded an ep which was lost in limbo. They are giving it now for free as a mp3 ep download. So go to listen to their "Posthumous ep" (2002) (not rightly titled in fact considering the new evolution).

seaplane harbor "posthumous ep" download
seaplane harbor @ derives
chapter @ derives

Podcast : Exposed Radio

2006-03-29T07:02:00.000+02:00

Exposed Radio is a new indie podcast from South Carolina.

Shane Boone prefers to explore new us indie rock bands instead of giving us a pitchforkmedia point of view. And so he heard about Sundays in Spring through an interview he did of Jamie Barnes

And now, more and more, SiS releases are featured in his program, from Chauchat to Incredible Shrinking Man, from Jamie Barnes to Sun Cancelled. A good place for refreshing discoveries

exposed radio

Worrytrain

2006-03-28T09:17:00.000+02:00

Joshua Geissler is one of these very few musicians you fall instantly and deeply in love with the first time you discover his music knowing that it will haunt you and being the v.o. of some of the most important coming moments of your life.

Of course we can try the Kranky comparison, and a litany of names : Labradford, One Mile North, July Skies, Stars of The Lid, Greg Davis, RF, Cinq or Third Eye Foundation. But it’s probably already stronger leaving the same impact that some records of Harold Budd or Richard Youngs.

Pure genius is in action, and it reminds you how much instrumental music can be powerful at the same time so many bands have made the genre boring

worrytrain @ myspace
worrytrain @ derives

Mezzanine Owls (ex-The Few)

2006-03-27T20:44:00.001+02:00

I was deeply in love with The Few, their self-titled album is one of the very few 00’s indie pop rock classic for me, mixing the best parts of Bright Eyes, early Good Life and Desaparecidos stuff with the same melodic dexterity and an undeniable talent.

But all good things must come to an end and if you except an obscure self-released ep available at show, this album will be the sole memory of this band sadly so much under the radar even if they have some fans here far away from their country, with so many kilometers spent driving here with their music

Good news, their leader is already back with a new project, in fact The Few kind of morphed into Mezzanine Owls. And even more, a yet-to-be-titled album has just been recorded with Andy Lemaster (Now it's Overhead, Bright Eyes, Azure Ray). So let’s hope 2006 will be the year where they finally break the roof.

mezzanine owls @ myspace
the few
the few @ derives

Gareth Dickson

2006-03-27T20:44:00.000+02:00

Gareth Dickson is a young musician from Glasgow who plays acoustic guitar with effects and sometimes add lyrics lines to his folk ambient landscapes.

And we can use the names of Nick Drake, Greg Davis, Aerial M, Roy Montgomery, Labradford, Marilyn Decade, Flying Saucer Attack, Songs of Green Pheasant or Movietone to give him a large family.

But this first cd is simpler than those bands, more austere as ‘Spruce Goose’ is clearly a beginning, the first steps in defining a style. Though it’s very promising and you lose yourself very easily in his world. Just try his myspace page

Gareth Dickson homepage
Gareth Dickson @ myspace
Where to buy

Thomas Méry

2006-03-27T20:43:00.000+02:00

photo Laurent Orseau

The process of rebuilding yourself artistically is a slow and difficult process and this one thing Thomas Méry brilliantly and progressively achieved so far. His first album – after two solo eps - out soon will probably confirm our big expectations.

He was the leader of Purr, for me the most important band of the French post-rock scene of the late nineties with two classical albums. He will back next week at Louvain-la-Neuve for a show during Les Fêtes de la Musique. He played there two times in the past with Purr. It will be nice to see him again in this context a few years later. Everything changed in the meantime, except the high quality of his songwriting

Thomas Méry
Thomas Méry @ Sundays in Spring
Thomas Méry @ Derives.net
Fêtes de la Musique
Purr

Mièle & Humpty Dumpty

2006-03-27T20:42:00.000+02:00

I will admit, I’m not completely satisfied by this record. Not because of some production or songwriting problems, but mainly because I completely stopped listening to French records a few years ago. But the history of Mièle and a part of my musical past are closely linked as the band is on three of the four First Steps & False Alarms compilations, so here we are.

But I still like a few songs a lot, even if most of them are too much orchestrated, nervous or ‘french pop rock’ for me: ‘Jesus II’ is quite lovely, ‘Je vous avoue’ is their old classic, the first version was on FSAFA vol 2 and ‘Les méfaits’ is just perfect (à la Jean-Louis Murat)

This first long awaited album by this Belgian band is also the occasion to celebrate the birth of a new promising indie Belgian label called Humpty Dumpty and run by the same guy (Christophe Hars aka NOONI ) behind the Dictapop events that brought new life to Brussels indie shows these last years. And when you know that the next release will be the first Loobke album and that maybe Sepia Hours will be part of the adventure too, you can only be quite happy and already give to Humpty Dumpty the same sympathy you have for Matamore Recordings or Own Records.

Mièle
Humpty Dumpty
Dictapop
First Steps & False Alarms

Soccer Committee

2006-03-27T20:39:00.000+02:00

Mariska Baars is a young songwriter from Netherlands playing soft, troubled and tense melancholic folk songs somewhere between early records by Rivulets and Julie Doiron but already something more also which makes the difference. Extremely moving and subtle. ‘Moi & Mon Coeur’ is already my favorite song of 2006. Fans of Loobke, Half Asleep and Annelies Monseré, this is for your heart.

Let’s hope someone will soon invite her to play here in Belgium.

soccer committee @ derives
soccer committee @ vpro

Chauchat - SiS n°18

2006-03-27T14:41:00.000+02:00

Tyler Whitney is one of these very few songwriters that have the capacity to change durably the way you interact with music, this full length (SiS n°18), the first one on the so far in our strictly mp3eps limited catalogue, was along with the album of The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers my favorite record of the last year, so it’s an unbelievable honor to have the chance to introduce you to this dramatically underestimated treasure.

If you like Carissa’s Weird, early Bright Eyes or Pedro The Lion records, prepare yourself to be blown away again.

Listen to ‘Eyelash’, ‘Addict’s song’, ‘Young & drowned’, ‘Sick’, ‘Slayer Bitch’,… or ‘When I was young I wanted to do great things’ and then fall unrelentingly in love.

chauchat @ sundays in spring
chauchat @ derives.net

Last night at Integendeel

2006-03-27T14:40:00.000+02:00

A nice, small, lovely and new place for shows close to Brussels. And last night was the occasion to see Sipmplesongs, Drekka, Annelies Monseré and Rivulets.

I prefer not to talk about Simplesongs, I was mostly outside for my own mental health. Drekka was nice, as always, more a happening than the regular singer / songwriter show but really disturbing and moving.

Annelies Monseré was really the queen of the night. The fifth time for me to see her but without hesitation the best one, smiling during the show, warmer than ever, more song oriented, deeply fragile and intimate. If it announces the evolution for her next lp somewhere at the end of the year, I'm quite happy.

Rivulets was almost perfect too, as perfect as you can wait from him, some new songs, as good as the older ones but not very different. But I'll be curious to discover his new aesthetics choices when Acuarela will finally release his third album here.

annelies @ derives.net
drekka @ derives.net
rivulets @ derives.net
integendeel @ myspace