Hopelandic

Woosh! Been a while again.
Not only for us, but also for Sigur Rós. After 2 years of semi-silence they are back! The Icelandic band is now finishing their upcoming record 'Hvarf-Heim' but are first releasing their movie 'Heima'. 'Heima' (which means homeland) follows the band while touring in Iceland for 2 weeks in the summer of 2007 and gives us beautiful imagery that fits perfect with the band's music. A trailer for this movie can be seen below.

Aight, back to tha musica; Sigur Rós are planning to release their new album (actually a double album) later this autumn and have put a new song on their MySpace. The song is called Hljomalind (wtf?) and it has a more poppy feel than past releases. As far as I know they never had a song with a verse-chorus-verse kind of structure in it, so I'm guessing they are also aiming for a little bit more radio air-time. Anyways: I like I like!

Sigur Rós - Hljomalind

Oh, and while we're at it, another tip: Check out Caribou's (formarly known as Manitoba) new album 'Andorra'. It's pretty Beatlesque and psychedelic, which works out quite nice.

Caribou - Desiree
Caribou - Melody Day (Four Tet Remix)

The Heima trailer:

...That's 2009

Tokyo Police Club. First of all, thank the heavens their bandname isn't to be taken lituraly. It would be a disgrace. A serious one. Moving on now: TPC hails from Canada, where they formed just over two years ago, and already have they developped quite an extraordinary sound. Keeping amidst the likes of Bloc Party and the Futureheads, their songs can best be described as "catchy" and "energetic". Hella energetic. I'll put it this way: If you check out their MySpace, the "sounds like" section would spell something like this: 'Winston Churchill, that master of the verbal thrust and parry, described TPC thus: "Like a swift kick in the pants followed by a raucous dance party." Touché, Mr. Churchill, touché.'
Touché it is.

Tokyo Police Club - Citizens of Tomorrow
Tokyo Police Club - Shoulders & Arms

P.S.: TPC recently did a Daytrotter Session, check out some old and new songs here.


Next on, we just discoverd an incredible remix! Although we only obtained it yesterday, it's been playing non-stop here; it might very well be one of the best remixes this year has to offer (in my humble opinion that is). Australian band Architecture in Helsinki (check out the art on their site!) released the single Do the Whirlwind in 2005, which apparently contained an interesting B-side: a remix of Do the Whirlwind by a certain Haima. Never heard of the chump, nor have the interwebs, so it seems. Anyways, i'll repeat myself, it's a very good remix. Music!

Architecture in Helsinki - Do the Whirlwind (Haima remix)


Finally, we bring you Grizzly Bear (MySpace), a Brooklyn-based indie band. Their 2006 released album Yellow House couldn't possibly receive any more praise, as it has been praised on numerous, numerous occasions. How about once more? No can do, haven't heard it. Except this one, absolutly amazing song:

Grizzly Bear - On a neck, On a spit

The Rescue

Back again. It's been over a week already! Let's see what I've been cooking for you all.

For starters, I've got this cool remix from a US band called Ra Ra Riot. They did a good job with the song, cause it hasn't become your typical 5234th HiP eLeCtrO DaNceY ReMix FrOm a RocKsOnG track. Well, actually it IS a hip electro dancey remix from a rocksong.. but it's just a really good one, K?

Ra Ra Riot - Each Year (RAC Mix)

The Twang is an upcoming rock band from the UK that seems to have been hyped some time ago by worldwide feared UK music magazine NME (responsible for many cRaZy hypes, like that nu rave thing they were trying to pull). On The Twang's Last FM page I saw some hate against them, but hey, doesn't really matter cause this is just a good and catchy song.

The Twang - Two Lovers

Next we have an old track from one of our favorite Belgian bands; Tomàn. It seems the West-Flemish Post-rockers were a bit more poppy-minded 4 years ago when they recorded their EP 'Malin Head'. This EP includes a fun little song called 'Thunderbirds' (which is also downloadable on their website) and it's interesting to hear how they have evolved over this relatively short period of time.

Tomàn - Thunderbirds

Last, a tip: Explosions In The Sky have a free downloadable album (The Rescue) on their website. I know I know, It's been there for a very long time, but I never checked it out cause I thought it would be crappy (for some reason I didn't trust an album that carried songs with names like Day One and Day Two). It's not their best album (has some great moments though), but it's cool to hear cause the songs are under the normal EITS-length so they had to step away from their long building-up-to-a-climax trademark. MIFW-need-to-check tips: Day Two and Day Five.

Oskaborn

I have always loved Sigur Rós. From the first minute I saw the Untitled #1 video on MTV:New 5 years ago (when we still had MTV Europe here) I knew this music was something different. I don't think I had ever heard anything of such beauty before and the incredible video that accompanied it is still one of my favorite music videos.
I listened to their ( ) and Agaetis Byrjun albums alot back in high school and their latest one, Tàkk (2005), was also in quite a fit shape to rev my music engine.
Lately it has been pretty quiet around these guys though and while working on a new album, it seems they are now preparing the release of a soundtrack for an Icelandic documentary they did back in 2002, called 'Hlemmur'.
They recently put some of those songs on their MySpace for a quick listen and ofcourse I couldn't resist uploading one i liked. This one is called 'Oskaborn Sjosarinnar' and I will possibly get sewed for this.

Sigur Rós - Oskaborn Sjosarinnar

PS: If you don't already, please buy one (or more) of their records, you won't regret it.

By Then It Was Summer

Well well.. That's been quite a long time, hasn't it?
So it seems like I'm getting back into ThA ViBe again. With 'ThA ViBe' I am, ofcourse, referring to the sharing of absolutely great yet sadly unloved music on this semi-abandonned musicblog.

Now, I'm not going to start with real big posts over here yet, so hold your horses (for now)! It'll be just some small ones at first to get things on the roll again.
I haven't discussed this yet with the other posterman called Broux, but I'm guessing he likes the idea of an occasional post aswell.. Or do you not, ye ol' scurvy seadog who ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF AMEN TO THAT FFSBROUXIMISSYOURSCENT BE MY BRIDE?

We'll see.

To end this little announcement of mine, I'm posting a music video that kinda blew me off my comfy chair this evening. Old sepia coloured footage from cute spacedog Laika and his other animal friends has never looked so dramatic and inhumane. This is a video you should check out, by the Irish post-rock band God Is An Astronaut, for the song Fragile.

BTW: Tomorrow, the MIFW crew is going to a free show of the Belgian band Tomàn in Der Machine in Leuven, so i'll probably post a quick update about how that went.

Post-Rockathon

Finally, the big post-rock post has arrived!
First of all, for people that have no clue what this post-rock stuff is about; post-rock is a style in modern rock music which isn't easy to put into some simple classifications. This is because there are many many different sounds in this 'genre'.
Mainly, post-rock is epic, mostly instrumental music. It's music that tells a story without using many words, it's music that could be a soundtrack for a movie, but here, the music tells us more than the actual movie would do.
You really have to take your time for this music, most post-rock, in my experience, isn't music that you can just give a quick listen when you have 5 minutes of spare time. Many post-rock songs are quite lenghty as well, tracks over 10 minutes aren't exceptional. Vocals are sometimes added, but are used more as an instrument on its own than as as a channel of poetical release.
In this post i'll give you some songs from known and lesser known instrumental bands out there, just be aware that there really are alot of great bands in this genre, and that this is just a really small part of it.
Take your time for this.

Alright! let's start off with some of our own upcoming post-rock talent, the Flemish band Tomàn. These guys have been touring through Europe, have a record deal in the US and are really climbing up the ladder of fame! This song is from their latest full release ‘Perhaps We Should Have Smoked The Salmon First’ which I bought recently (really great album!). I like this song especially cause of the vocals between the first and second minute and the mysterious yet catchy atmosphere afterwards.
Tomàn - They Storm In (No Knock)

Mogwai is a well-known band in the post-rock world, coming from Scotland and making post-rock with their own unique sound. They played on Werchter in 2006. This song is one of my favorites from the album Mr Beast (2006).
Mogwai - Travel is Dangerous

Pele was a band on the Polyvinyl Records label, coming from Milwaukee and making instrumental music, sometimes flirting with jazz. They made several albums but stopped after 7 years in 2004. I haven’t found many tracks yet, but I kinda like this one.
Pele - Black Socks

Next, we have one of the most well known bands in the post-rock area of today: Explosions In The Sky. They've just released their latest album ‘All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone’ where they add a piano to their repertoire, but still continue employing their known succes-techniques of building up climaxes with simple chords and then letting it all explode into a beautiful wall of sound. They are coming to Brussels next week and we at MIFW are all gonna check them out! They are also playing in Leuven in april, so since the show in Brussels is sold-out, you still have a chance to see them in Leuven!
The song posted here is the last track from their latest album, which shows you how the piano fits perfectly into their music.
Explosions In The Sky - So Long, Lonesome

It seems our Northern friends from Holland are keeping some treasure over there as well, like the band We Vs. Death, those guys add a trumpet to create their own sound.
We Vs Death - My Dog Is Watching Me

Red Sparowes’ post-rock approach is much more dark than what you've heard in this post yet, it’s very epic and narrative and tells us a story about a farmer in communist China during the Great Leap Forward.
Red Sparowes - Alone And Unaware, The Landscape Was Transformed In Front Of Our Eyes

Next, we have the Italian boys from Giardini di Mirò, with an Explosions In The Sky-like guitar use.
Giardini di Mirò - Dancemania

The Samuel Jackson Five from Norway have already been mentioned here 2 posts below, where you can also find 2 of their other songs. Last Saturday we went to see them in Brughes on the Music in Mind festival where they played a great BAM!-in-your-face set.
The Samuel Jackson Five - Easily Misunderstood

Last but most definitely not least, give it up for the band that has meant so much for the post-rock sound of today: Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Formed in the nineties and being cited as one of the biggest influences in the post-rock genre, Godspeed is also famous for their beautiful yet very long and epic songs that can easily go over 20 minutes. It's possible you even heard them already without knowing, like in the opening sequence of the British movie '28 Days Later' where the main character walks trough the streets of an abandoned London after he wakes up in an empty hospital.
The track in this post is from their EP ‘Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada’ and is, with its 11 minutes, quite short in Godspeed terms. It builds up slow but then gives you an amazing musical treat by ending with real greatness, superb!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Moya

From Our Living Room To Yours

As a warm-up of our soon following big post-rock post, let's give the boys from The American Analog Set a listen. Them boys from Texas are bringing us a mixture of downtempo indie-rock with sometimes a small post-rockish hint, making music that they themselves call "living room music". This name is quite appropriate because it's not something that abruptly absorbs your attention, it just creates a nice mood which lets you drift off and gives you something to think about.

Since 1995 these guys have made 6 full-albums, releasing their last one, 'Set Free', in 2005. They ofcourse did a lot of touring, but recently the members are on some kind of semi-break and are concentrating more on their own projects and lives. So sadly, they won't be doing big tours anymore, which means you're a lucky man when you can get to see one of their '5 a year' shows. Lets just hope they bring out some new material once a while.
Check them out:

The American Analog Set - Punk As Fuck
The American Analog Set - Where Have All The Good Boys Gone
The American Analog Set - Using Hope Diamond As A Doorstop

(or purchase)

Easily Misunderstood

My oh my, have we found ourself a gem! Norwegian band The Samuel Jackson 5 brings instrumental music to a new high, and this they do without the slightest notion of sounding repetitive or monotone. Anyways, enough chit-chat. Enjoy!

The Samuel Jackson 5 - Michael Collins Autograph

The Samuel Jackson 5 - Unimog


BTW, for all you belgian people: they're playing in Bruges this weekend (17 feb) at the Music in Mind festival...

REMIXATHON

Yes, the rumours are true! Our exams have finally come to an end, and so here we are, once again, at your service.

SO, what have we cooked up for y'all during these weeks of absence? Who cares. Just in case someone does, here are some munchies:

We begin with a small appetizer: french band Phoenix has made some fine tracks, and apparently the only way to make even finer tracks is, you guessed it, a remix! See for yourself:

Phoenix - Long Distance Call (25 hours a day mix)


Ahh, who would've known that Kraftwerk doing the soundtrack to a porn flick (heyyy, not my words!) would sound so well? It seems that The Teenagers knew. They knew it all along, and we sure are dang happy that they took advantage of this knowledge. Make SURE to check out their great tracks, and in the meantime? Just enjoy this awesome song:

Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow (The teenagers remix)


And what have we here? Surely, most of you have heard of this new band that produces all the wrong sounds at exactly the right time. They go bij the name Klaxons. Some of you will also recall that their tracks have been known to produce some very potent remixes. Perhaps a small number of you guys have already heard of Metronomy (a DJ). Here you are.

Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone (Metronomy remix)
(PS: this isn't your everyday household remix. That's what makes it so fresh.)

And while we're at it, have some more:

Klaxons - Golden Skans (Erol Alkan's Ekstra Spektral Dub)


Well kids, that's all for now, but rest assure we'll be updating very soon! Thanks for the patience!

(PS: Guess what I gotz me!! That's right, it's the new Justice track! Looking for some discolicious french electro? Look no further.
Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
The downside? It's a radiorip, but has that ever kept you from shaking booty?)