This song has been going round and round in my head for about a week – I thought it was another track (which I’m just about to post also) but turns out it was this one:
I don’t know much about Woodpigeon, other than that they’re on the same label as Reverie Sound Revue (Boompa) and are a Canadian folk music collective.
I’ve noticed a lot of music I like recently is of Canadian origin – Broken Social Scene, Feist, Reverie Sound Revue and now Woodpigeon… is someone trying to tell me something?
Perhaps not, given I also like a lot of music from Australia, the USA and….the UK :p (to name a few).
I love this particular track because of the sliding melody in the chorus, the tinge of melancholy enveloped in dreamy folk, and the aimless wandering I think could keep me occupied for hours if this were part of the soundtrack.
It’s on their February 2009 album, Treasury Library Canada, which is available pretty much in full to stream from last.fm.
Firstly, the band name – what an awesome idea! But what kind of bears….? Care Bears are the obvious choice I feel, what with all the good they do. Teddy Ruxpin maybe…and definitely Gummi Bears, on the premise that they share the Gummiberry Juice wealth. Paddington is perhaps a contentious one – the marmite association could be seen as a bit shady.
I wasn’t sure about the vocal when I first heard this track and it really reminded me of another band – I just this morning realised it’s Passion Pit. It isn’t at all like them instrumentally (apart from the electro aspect), but has a similar slightly nasal and rough-edged voice.
Lots of big synth sounds and some pace-y beats.
The track is from their second album Beast Rest Forth Mouth, released on Portland, OR-based label Hometapes in October of this year.
Check out the last.fm page for a couple of free mp3 downloads…
A little bit convoluted but this is the only place I could find the track online.
1. Record-Play
2. Search for “Roam The Bleak”
3. It’s third from the bottom (at the moment)
I came across this a few months ago looking for some tracks for a short film by creative agency the SRK when I was working for Five Missions More.
I love the way the erratic piano riff builds slowly from the intro and hovers in the background once the beats take hold.
To me the track is anxiety and confusion for the first 1min 30s breaking into a release of strength or some kind of realisation.
To put the story to it…our hero is walking down a dark alleyway late at night, unaware that his arch nemesis is watching through the shadows. Then there’s a reveal…or perhaps it could be part of the soundtrack to a scene in a silent horror film?
Either way (or any other) it’s a beautiful, eerie track. But unfortunately, I can’t find it on MySpace (or even find a MySpace), Last.fm, hypem, iLike, we7 or anything else. So the Hub will have to do.
I first came across this band a few months back…I was at a gig, She Keeps Bees I think, and Sebastian (who I was talking to when it came on) stopped mid-sentence to point out the track that was playing over the PA at the time – Taken By Trees’ cover of Animal Collective’s My Girls with the gender references flipped.
Their album, East of Eden, was on the (new) office stereo last week and this one caught my ear:
If I’m completely honest, the vocal and the main bulk of the track are really pretty, but not the standout components for me. It’s the intro that makes me want to play it over and over again – and I’m seriously thinking of editing the first 43s of the track into a just over 3min repeating loop and ditching the rest of it.
The classical Indian-sounding melody woven by the flute is haunting and mysterious, whilst the Persian-influenced (?) strings that follow make my thoughts wander amongst a family celebration in a small, close-knit community somewhere remote and secluded…
Taken By Trees is Victoria Bergsman and Andreas Soderstrom and the album was released on Rough Trade in September of this year.
Other than being a rock classic and deserving of an explicit mention for that reason alone, this song has just kept popping up since the first reminder a few months ago. So I’m taking it as a sign. Here’s the chronology:
1. TOBI put it on a most excellent spotify playlist for me, which I was listening to at work one day. I just broke into a massive 80s head-bop at my desk with an accompanying power-pout when it came on. Luckily no one saw.
2. On the PA a couple of weeks later at The Enterprise, after a gig. I want to say Au Revoir Simone but I’m not 100% sure. Revelation of the inner 80s child to the folks with me (as if the late 90s R&B teen years weren’t enough to deal with…)
3. Popped up the day of Passion Pit and I tweeted about it:
nishajlOh man. I’m listening to 80s pop. Sometimes you just want to!28 Oct 2009 from web
http://bit.ly/nishajl - All the Musings-related tracks available on Spotify. Updated as I post (tagged 'spotify')
http://bit.ly/the10 - The "master list" is getting a bit long so...these are the 10 tracks I can't get enough of right now. Tracklisting on the Spotify page.
When fellow pedestrians overtake you surely the goal should be to walk faster than you..., no? 2 days ago
RT @spicefm: Engrezi 80s... Tiffany - I think we're alone now... LOVE IT!!!! <- Makes me feel about 6 years old again! Give or take... tune. 2 days ago
Posted by nishajl 
