Friday Feature: Kidaudra

The first song I heard from Kidaudra was actually a cover of a Depeche Mode song I hadn't heard before. It was last summer, when I was still living at my friend's place. That place had such a bad Internet connection that I knew I had to wait until next morning to hear it at work. Yet, I remember pressing play and hearing five seconds of it and being absolutely annoyed.

Absolutely annoyed, because the first seconds were so great and I was dying to hear the rest of the 5-minute song. So, in the end it took like an hour for it to fully load (and then another hour to listen to it repeatedly).

Her voice was just simply stunning, which my colleague who is almost 50 agreed on when I played the song to her in our tea shop.

Shortly, Kidaudra does not only make others' songs her own, but she also makes songs of her own that others would want to own. And she's got one of the most amazing art too. One day I hope to witness this awesome music live.

Friday Feature Special: Elliott Smith

This one time listening to my favorite record label's Spotify list, I came across with a song called Roman Candle. It captivated me from the first second until the very end. That song changed it all.



I remember sharing the first few songs I listened from him to my friend, who after the second time asked: "What's this Elliott Smith thing you got going on now?"

After two years I still can't say what hit me. Obviously, he was a talented artist and had the most angelic voice, but I guess it's the emotional factor. Elliott's debut album was there to accompany me when I had left many dear friends and a dear place. Misery loves company, they say.

Each new song I heard, I was like wow. It didn't take too much time for me to think that this guy was actually better than Bon Iver and Iron & Wine, the two other singer-songwriters I love a lot. And that is a lot said. A lot.

I wont' be listing any facts about Elliott, Wikipedia is for that. This is more of trying to explain why I like his music so much. As you can read it's not that easy- not everything can be everyone's cup of tea, which is what I said to a friend who didn't get Elliott's music. Yet, in my mind I was thinking "dude, how can you NOT GET IT?".

Last autumn when I spent my days writing my thesis I placed six of his albums in our CD player, so I'd have suitable music in the background playing repeatedly. You could just hear how the music had developed from album to next. It had developed in a way that it took me until this summer to hear all the beauty the latter records had to offer. Man, his skills.




At the moment I'm reading a book by Autumn de Wilde (who directed the video above), a famous rock photographer and a friend of Elliott. The book has all the pictures used in the video and many interviews with people close to the artist. It's funny how we often make assumptions of people we don't know at all! Or in this case no assumption at all, but still to get to know more about his personality makes his music even more worth-while. The book makes you laugh and cry. Sometimes at the same time.

The most surprising thing of all was to realize that he had been nominated for an Oscar. That moment in 1998 and when Arcade Fire won a Grammy for best album in 2011 are probably the biggest moments in indie music.

The first thing Elliott said to me after the Oscars was that it didn't matter that there were a hundred million people watching and a huge audience and that it was on TV. The only person he could see was Jack Nicholson sitting there staring at him. He said it just freaked him out. He couldn't get past the fact that  Jack Nicholson was just sitting there right in front of him.

-Dorien, Elliott's roommate in New York

I'm not going to wrap this Special Feature with my favorite Elliott song, but with an unreleased instrumental. The "story" behind it is kind of interesting- it might be that he made it as a homage for himself or it simply is unfinished. Well, either or the song is wistfully optimistic and I'd like it to be played at my funeral.

Friday Feature: Airship

It´s kind of interesting what happened to Manchester-based indie rock quartet Airship. Basically, they had their second album ready to be released sometime this year, but instead of letting the world hear more of their awesome music they called the whole thing off. If you´ve seen the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, you might remember Juan Antonio´s father- the poet who would not publish his apparently lovely work into public, it´s just his way of saying screw you to the world. Might it be something similar with Airship?

Well, I really don´t have anymore factual stuff to tell about the band (just remember to cherish the bands you love, which are still together...). Let the music speak for itself.

thanks to hanna for the recommendation.

Friday Feature: Aeropsia

Visual snow (Aeropsia) is the persisting visual symptom of 

seeing snow or television-like static across the visual field.

Santa Cruz- based producer Aeropsia aka Dane Ostrander has seen visual snow for the entire 22 years of his life. According to Ostrander, it doesn't bother him at all though. But I guess I can say that thankfully it affects his production. You see, for him, composing music is all about capturing the moment. The static he sees acts as a constant reminder to embrace the present. 

And as we all know living in the now is one hell of a barrier for most of us.

His EP released next month entitled "Chimera" (=a beast with parts from different animals in Greek mythology) is a suitable way to describe Ostrander's music. He's all over the place with producing beats not only for himself, but others and also remixing classic groovy tunes. Even if the beats and tracks differ from each other, you can still recognize the Aeropsia trademark. For me his signature style represents the type of maturity, subtlety and calmness, which takes time to grow on you. 

But when it does, you will fully appreciate it.

Friday Feature: Cable Car

by chris mcmahon

Two flew from Rhode Island and one from England to Los Angeles. After a few laughs and drinks, Cable Car was born.

Through their songs the three guys give you a glimpse of what's it like to live in the city of angels.
One word. One chord. One beat at a time.

Every single aspect of their recently released EP, Ride, screams of summer. While listening to it, images of the beach, driving in a convertible and the blazing hot sun pop into my mind. Cable Car's music is something that would fit perfectly into the mainstream. They're like a mix of Train and Jason Mraz, but with a more soulful indie touch.

However, I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of summer, but it's just my preference. Though, I'm glad that their best tune Wait For Me reminds me of the greatest time of the year- the beginning of autumn. I actually do hope that the guys would continue with the rockier and darker style. That being said, I can't wait to see where the lovely guys will end up.




thanks sarah for the recommendation & happy ever after!

Friday Feature: The Dead Formats

My first thought when listening to The Dead Formats was that I haven´t heard anything as British as them in a very long time. The Essex sextet have it carved so deeply in their accent, attitude and style. The guys believe in pushing social and musical boundaries, and that´s exactly what they do. The Dead Formats are as fresh and exciting as The Clash were during their time.

What I love the most about the band are not the amazing hooks nor the melodies that get stuck in your head- but the two out of the world vocals, which are like day and night. The singing for me sounds like a friendly battle, which makes you want to root for both sides. But well the whole band makes you want to do that.

Bloody love them.

Friday Feature: Droid Daughter

Hailing from Warminster, Pennsylvania, 18-year-old Connor Lepre has spent the last 12 months expressing himself through his electronic project- Droid Daughter. I'd say the year has been awfully busy for him having released, wait I'm not sure if I even counted correctly, but at least 3 EPs of his own and two full-lengths. In addition there are just loads of remixes, split EPs and all sorts of collaborations with other great local artists that Lepre has done.

Lately I've been listening to a lot of jazz, hip hop and synch electro. For me Droid Daughter represents electronic music in its purest format. No tricks or gimmicks, just raw passion and talent mixed with a hint of groove. I can notice that Lepre takes his musical path seriously with a great sense of DIY attitude and professionalism. So, I won't be surprised when we see him hitting it big in the years to come.

Friday Feature: John Davey

Whenever you hear people talking about good songwriters, they look into the past to find them without even taking a second to think about the contemporary ones. The same thing happens with hardworking musicians-  thanks to social media, kids nowadays believe they can succeed by just creating a Facebook page and sharing some tunes on it every now and then.

I'm absolutely delighted to have discovered someone who not only is an exceptionally talented songwriter, but also a hardcore DIY artist. From West Lafayette, Indiana, John Davey is simply a pop folk genius.

For almost six years now Davey has been doing the thing he loves- making music and performing it. The written songs are often a reflection on the time he's spent on the road and the toll it has taken. In A Whelming Tide, Davey's debut album released last summer is a perfect example of how to make an album, which works as an entity. If only had I heard it last year, it would have been on my top 2012 records.

What I love about Davey the most, though, is the patience the guy possesses. It's way too common that aspiring artists are in a hurry to share their music with others- and most of the time the music is just not ready. Davey, on the other hand, takes his time in crafting the tunes, and not only when they're perfectly mixed shares them.

Now, that is worth the wait.











thanks to and the giraffe for the recommendation.

Friday Feature: Concrete Knives

The coastal town Caen in France has brought up a quintet, which combines art rock and pop hooks brilliantly enough to convince BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Steve Lamaq to hail them as one  "New Favorite Bands" in 2012. Starting during their high school days in the late 2000s, yet it wasn't until the only female member joined the band, and Concrete Knives' edgy colorful sound came together.

Influenced by NY bands Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio, I'd say myself they're like the French version of Norwegian Team Me, or actually the other way around. We can all think differently about the musical resemblance, but one thing is easy to agree on- Concrete Knives' success is no surprise. Both their live shows and debut album Be Your Own King, released this week in the rest of Europe, Japan and Australia, have received raving reviews from critics and the public.

They're about to tour in the UK and France this spring, so better catch a show if you can.

Friday Feature: El Perro Del Mar

by christopher hunt

The first thing that came into my mind of this very much sea dog- liked Swedish pop artist was fellow musician Lykke Li. El Perro Del Mar aka Sarah Assbring is probably used to this comparison, but I can't help it. The similarities don't stop only to the music and nationality, but there's a striking resemblance in some of their past promo pictures. To be more accurate, however, I should say it's the other way around as El Perro Del Mar is a musical project, which has been going since 2003. Though, with Assbring's latest album Pale Fire, she's started to remind me of Florence and the Machine.

Musically, El Perro Del Mar has slowly but steadily grown on me. From the well-drafted elegant pop to the 90s feeling electro, there's so much to discover from her music. Pardon, I really don't know what else to say... Except if music was bought like before, El Perro Del Mar without a doubt would deserve to be as high as the well-known Swedish bands on the all-time top sellers list. 

She's that good.

thanks to age for the recommendation.

Friday Feature: In The Valley Below

Did indie die in 2012? It feels like it did. There isn't really much to expect from this year, except for albums from the likes of Haim, James Blake and Tree, just to name a few. Sounds a bit depressing, and it's only February. Luckily, though, there's this duet from California proving that there is light in the end of the tunnel.

Brightening up the indie scene with their dark, melodic and dreamy tunes, In The Valley Below is something to put on your music player, Like on Facebook and yes, feature on a blog. I was eager to state that Peaches, their happiest song, would be on my 2013 top songs list. But then I noticed that it was released last year...

However, this little remark doesn't lower its status as one of the catchiest songs ever.

While listening to it, I can imagine myself in the grocery store reaching out to take a can of peaches (don't even like it) or somewhere in the windy coast of Ireland. Clearly, the best part of the band is the vocal discussion between Jeffrey Jacob and Angela Gail. It's like an older and rockier version of The xx!

Get their self-titled EP below for the price you wish.

Friday Feature Special: The Carpenters

I keep on listening to new music. I'm keen on finding out if there's a band, which could shook me like my all-time favorites Interpol, Nirvana and Bloc party, just to name a few. The chances are small, as it's become hard to stick with one act for no more than a week. Not to mention every single band, which is labeled as indie has started to sound just the same as the previous and the next ones. It's like tasting so many different beers that in the end you can't taste the difference anymore.

Then you move on to the wine.

Sitting in a hot van for several hours, many days straight and the same record on repeat... It's a scenario I could see governments using for human torture. But if you have good speakers and great pop tunes playing, it's a brain wash I kindly accept. Suddenly, the van was not an unpleasant place to be in.

It's sad that I'm not one of those kids, who had gone through their parents' record collection and discover something magical (MTV did it for me). There simply wasn't much to find, except for a couple of Abba and Queen cassettes. But this time I was sure that I'd find something to get excited about, so I asked my mother: Don't you have The Carpenters at home?, with a spark in my eyes. The spark died, when she replied no.

Off to an unexpected record shopping then.

As the new proud owner of a 40th anniversary 40 track edition album and DVD, I showed everyone what I got. My sister asked me if it was for our mother, to which I replied slightly offended no. It is weird, though, to be the one to have this on my record collection. All I knew was that January was dedicated to The Carpenters.

Watching the DVD surely shocked me, as I've never seen live footage of the brother and sister duo playing. Learning that Richard played the piano instead of the guitar (not too dramatic) and Karen not only singing and being a pretty face, but playing the drums as well (WTF!) gave an even more interesting aspect to one of the most successful music acts of all time.

According to Richard, Karen had always thought herself as a drummer who sang. One year she was chosen as the best drummer by a music magazine, leaving Led Zeppelin's drummer second on the list and very pissed off. Another thing what surprised me was the fact that they were the first bands to include electronic guitar solos in their songs. This, on the other hand, angered some of their fans, who called the band sell outs. It's hard for me to imagine something like that happening in the 70s, but then I didn't think that women played drums either. 

Although, to hear that many of The Carpenters' hit songs are actually covers or taken for example from commercials, was quite disappointing. Then again, if it wasn't for Richard's composing and arrangement skills and Karen's killer voice, the songs wouldn't be what they are today- an influence to the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys and many more.

The Carpenters recorded 11 albums and toured massively. In 1974 they did over 200 gigs, which is astounding, since successful musicians didn't have to perform as much, as records were bought- the complete opposite of today. Consequently, the exhausting life on road and personal challenges took a toll on the duo. Especially on Karen, who tragically died at the age of 32 of a heart failure caused by anorexia in 1983. At that time there was little knowledge of eating disorders, but Karen's death urged for a change. It even helped celebrities, like Princess Diana, to openly talk about their sickness. 

Richard considers himself lucky, because they were not only able to make timeless music, but also that his sisters is regarded as one of the greatest female singers of all time. I will always be amazed of how she was able to use her voice in the way she did. And to keep the whole band in rhythm at the same time. Pff.

The longer you keep a wine, the better it will get.

And perhaps the strangest song I've heard:

Friday Feature: InMe

What I love about bands like InMe, is their technical skills. Although, it necessarily isn't obvious until the songs are played acoustically. That's also when you realize that the musicians sing beautifully. It's like when people heard Lady Gaga do a piano version of Poker Face- proving that she was more than a pretty face in questionable outfits.

InMe's melodic alternative metal has drawn an impressively loyal following in their home England, as well as in Europe and other parts of the world. The band was formed in 1996, when most members were only 14, who managed to release their first album seven years later. Four more studio albums have been released since then. I don't see them slowing down anytime soon, especially with their amazing fans helping the band to reach their pledging goal just in four days recently.

Though, no wonder, as members of InMe are a great example of using different social media channels to keep in touch with their fans. Something that many artists lack.

Friday Feature: Phoebe Jean and the Air Force

Having Google translate Baltimore-based Phoebe Jean's French biography into Finnish might give some arguable facts. With those facts, however, we will proceed as Google in the end knows better than us petty humans.

From American to European clubs, Phoebe Jean has been spreading her electro funky pop. Although, Phoebe herself says that it's not electro and clarifies that all the beats are produced herself in the male dominant scene. She's just that rad. 

On stage she moves like an eagle getting everyone's attention. Now, how wouldn't that?

Nonetheless, Phoebe Jean's music would be the fresh air in all those clubs playing the same expected sets night after night. So, an English biography to help that happen maybe?

Friday Feature: Santigold

Santigold, formerly known as Santogold is an artist with an ability to mix different genres. making the music sound unexpected and ,well, genreless. She double-majored in Music and African-American studies and was a singer of a punk group, during which she was offered a solo contract by the same dude, who discovered The Killers. 

With her music Santigold tries to keep it traditional, yet futuristic. It's been well-received by critics, the public and acts such as Björk, Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose shows Santigold has been the opening act for. In addition, she's collaborated with artists like Kanye West, Lykke Li, and co-wrote one of my favorite Lily Allen songs- Littlest Things with Mark Ronson.

There's no doubt that Santigold's uniqueness and diverse talent can be heard on her two albums, of which the  latest was released this spring. Master of My Make-Believe, according to the artist herself, is about creating your own reality. Santigold's music videos do that quite well.

Friday Feature: White Arrows

It feels surreal to realize when you've seen a band play to a small audience somewhere unexpectedly and the next thing they're supporting some huge indie acts. This happened with LA-based quintet White Arrows. I saw them perform right after our company's band in London. Pretty soon after that they were opening for The Naked and Famous and this December for Santigold.

Usually, the music they play is way more popular in Europe than on the other side, but with them it seems to be the opposite. They can easily be called the American Miike Snow. Their music is full of great electronic pop hooks, and front man Mickey has a voice you can distinguish anywhere. I remember him being a nice guy too, after all he did say my Doors shirt was cool and had Lykke Li on his playlist.

It's interesting to watch the whole band play, they're literally colorful in a psychedelic way. One thing, which stands out though, is the fact that Mickey was born blind, but gained sight when he was 11. His world came alive in a burst of Technicolor light. Perhaps, that works as the base for the band's music.

Friday Feature: Team Me

When I was a couple of years back at a Dutch venue called Doornroosje, I signed up for their mailing list, even though I knew that I wouldn't visit the place too often. They do though have interesting line-ups, from which to discover new good music. Yet, I haven't pushed myself to do that. However, this one band picture caught my eye with its setting to be close to my heart and, perhaps, plain quirky to others.

The reason why I can relate to the photo is that I used to look like that several times a week for many years. Especially, in the same position as the two in front.

What, who, when, where, how and which music genre. I had to find the answers.

As I wandered around their Facebook, the first thing to come into my mind was Of Monsters and Men. It's not about them being a sextet from Scandinavia as well, but the style of the tunes were alike. Indie folk is what I described Norwegian Team Me to be. Until, I listened to their critically acclaimed debut To The Treetops! on Spotify just recently. It was pleasant to realize the diversity they had, as opposed to their Icelandic colleagues. Somewhat similar to Gypsy & The Cat's electro pop, is where it might be leaning more to.

Anyways, what Team Me plays is hitting the indie audience hard. They've already performed at some of the biggest up and coming bands' festivals around Europe, like The Great Escape in Brighton, Reeperbahn in Hamburg and Iceland Airwaves, just to name a few. In addition, NME chose them as one of their 10 new favorite bands after this year's SXSW. If that isn't huge, then a German glass of beer isn't either.

With most of the bands I've featured on this blog, I hope to see Team Me find their way to Finland too. In a while, I honestly haven't been excited of new music like I am of theirs.

Friday Feature: Sleigh Bells

I remember liking Sleigh Bells' music so much that my flat mate almost in an irritated tone shrieked "Again?!", when ever I had their tunes maxed up in our living room on constant repeat. But as usual I get bored as easily as I fall with something. This was the beginning of 2011 when the Brooklyn indie noise rockers were soon to release their debut Treats.

Fast forward to the whole year of 2012 and Reign of Terror, the duo's sophomore, and you don't really get anything new style-wise, which isn't always a bad thing. Yeah you got the irresistible hooks, but guess what? This time they last longer on your play lists and you keep finding something new from the average 3 min songs. Though most importantly they've got me back to listening to the older songs and have the same bliss all over again.

I guess Sleigh Bell's music is best when you're all pumped up to succeed in something. Let it be sports or exams, the music energizes you like a healthy energy drink. The mix of hard-hitting drums, guitar shredding and sweet girl pop voice is a mixture you either are 0 or 100% in with. Having a glass half-full doesn't work with these guys.

Friday Feature: My Bubba & Mi

I would have started by saying "Danish folk..!", but then I noticed that there's nothing Danish about this duo except for half of their current location. So let's just go with the "folk from Scandinavia..!" thing, as the other  (Bubba) is from Iceland and the other (My) from Sweden, while Mi represents all those musicians who accompany them on tour and in the studio.

As I'm assuming that they've never performed in Finland yet (?!), I consider myself lucky to have seen them in Breda, NL in January 2011. Reading that blog post I wrote then, I stated it to be the best free gig I've been to. The whole moment was special with the affordable good beer, Nordic atmosphere I've been longing for with the hint of melancholia and good sense of humor. Apparently during that tour they also had pony poop waiting for them in the back room.

Discovered by their Italian neighbor in Copenhagen, they were brought to Italy to record their debut album "How it's done in Italy" released in 2010, and since then have been touring extensively around Europe and some shows in USA. The slow and easy songs no doubt melt one's heart and surprisingly are fit to be listened to throughout all the seasons; sadness of the winter, relaxation of the summer and autumn and spring trying to find yourself.

Currently My Bubba & Mi are composing a new album, and all I wonder whether the color of their hand made album sleeve will be blue this time...

Have a listen to all of their releases below and get them with the price you wish. My personal favorite is "Bob, we love you.".

Friday Feature: Buke and Gase

Last year in February I attended an indoor festival called Cross-Linx in The Netherlands just to see The National. But anyways the evening was filled with other bands too and of course I wanted as much as I can get for the price I paid, so I started listening to the rest without hearing of them before.

One of the bands were New York- based Buke and Gase (formerly Gass, and pronounce Buke as byook almost like a British would pronounce Björk). I was already convinced by a two-minute video of theirs I watched and insisted we'd go see them, even if it sadly meant missing Owen Pallett. The place where the gigs took place was in a beautiful building in Rotterdam, in which I guess classical concerts are rather held. Although the duo performed in an area, which I could imagine been used for a bunch of people selling useless items seen on shopping channels. However as soon as they started playing it felt like the whole huge sterilized-ish area became more intimate and warm like a family room on Christmas.

It's safe to say that there's been some sort a debate of what genre(s) Buke and Gase represent. Very recently they've been quoted as "fiery metal-infused indie rock" and "avant-folk". Well avant-indie for sure! Besides that it's quite hard to say. All I know is that the instruments they've crafted themselves and after which the band is actually named, create a unique sound. Plus the singing blends in so perfectly.

Just hear and see for yourself.