Must Hear: Bottom of the River – Delta Rae

It’s not often you find a music video that looks as good as Delta Rae’s Bottom of the River. Directed by Lawrence Chen, the video for Bottom of the River is dark, beautiful, eerie, enchanting, creepy, elaborate, bewitching, stunning and disturbing all rolled in one. And the song? Dark, beautiful, eerie, enchanting…you get the picture.

Delta Rae is a six-member band from Durham that combines soul, country, rock, and gospel and describes its sound as “Alt Pop Americana Rock”. Bottom of the River actually sounds nothing like any other Delta Rae song I’ve heard, and it might just be the best so far.

You can download an extended cut of the song for free from Delta Rae’s website.

Mic Check: Live From The Console, 5th edn.

For those of you not in the know, I love taking photographs. LOVE. Why is this relevant on a music blog, you ask? Because this past weekend I had the pleasure of taking photographs at the fifth edition of Live from the Console, a fantastic platform for Indian musicians to perform original music (and the occasional cover) to a crowded house. And for the people of Mumbai who are starved for good live gigs to attend and discover new music, Live from the Console is a definite must-visit event each month.

Before this November edition of the Console, which featured Vernon Noronha, Spud in the Box, and Peter Cat Recording Co., I had only attended two editions and loved the performances by Medusa (now known as Sky Rabbit) and sonaluna + Tek. On November 12, however, the line-up for the Console was not only consistent in how good all three artists/bands were but was also indicative of just how much under-explored Indian talent there is that definitely deserves to be heard.

My pick for the best song of the night: Pariquel by Peter Cat Recording Co.

Needless to say, all the photographs in this post were taken by yours truly.

Vernon Noronhna

Spud in the Box

Peter Cat Recording Co.

Artist Alert: Fleet Foxes

Photo by Sean Pecknold

I either used to have a closed mind towards folk music, or I just hadn’t heard the right folk music until last year. At the mere mention of folk music I would start snoring (or, if I wanted to be polite, would just smile while my eyes glazed over as I thought about something else) because, really, folk music is just boring, right? Oh how wrong I was. And if you haven’t heard Fleet Foxes, you must do so immediately to understand what I mean.

Their track White Winter Hymnal - and my introduction to the Seattle-based band – was very aptly in several Top 10 of 2008 lists, and their much-awaited album Helplessness Blues released in May 2011 to frenzy and accolades across the board. One of my favourite things about Fleet Foxes is their effortless and beautiful vocal harmonies that are present in every Fleet Foxes song I’ve heard so far. Second to this are their gorgeous music videos, several of which have been directed by Sean Pecknold (the older brother of vocalist Robin Pecknold). Be sure to watch the superb claymation video for White Winter Hymnal below.

 

 

Must Hear: Brutal Hearts – Bedouin Soundclash feat. Coeur de Pirate

Bedouin Soundclash performed at the Hard Rock Café in Mumbai some time last year, but I didn’t go for the gig because I hadn’t heard of them at the time. Then, as if the universe were either giving me a sign or taunting me, I started reading about them everywhere I looked online. It’s not an an easily forgettable name, so I listened to whatever I could find to figure out whether or not I had been an idiot by not going to the gig.

I had not. While their sound is pleasing, if you would, I am not really a reggae fan and quickly tired of their songs, with one notable exception – Brutal Hearts. They paired up with fellow Canadian musician Béatrice Martin – who goes by the stage name Coeur de Pirate – for their 2010 album Light the Horizon’s fourth track Brutal Hearts, in what could be described as a love song for people who aren’t looking for love. From it’s incredibly catchy opening notes to Jay Malinowski’s very sexy voice, Brutal Hearts is a winner from the word go. And if you like the sound of Malinowski/Martin together, I can guarantee you’ll like another song I’ll be posting before the year’s end.