In this series I spotlight five bands and/or artists whose names begin with the same letter. I try to feature active (or recently active... it's hard to keep current with all the break-ups) performers so as to reflect who I'm listening to and enjoying at the moment.
Röyksopp
Norwegians excel in two things: metal and electro-pop. (They also do the Americana thing better than Americans, but that doesn't fit into the point I'm trying to make.) There's something about the frigid and isolated country that instills itself into its citizen's songwriting. This might seem at odds with the POP in electro-pop (or techno-pop or whatever other -pop we're dealing with), but pop, when you think about it, really is a cold and removed sort of thing. Enter Röyksopp, an electro duo from Tromsø, who plug together the most magnificent and chill beats ever conceived. There is an iciness to their music, but there's an underlying warmth to it as well. Norwegians, see, are passionate about whatever it is they do, and "cold" as their music might be there's still that human passion that weaves itself in and out of each song's DNA. I don't know if any of that makes sense, and I know I'm making wide generalizations about Norwegians (for all I know they could all actually be robots, a nation of Johnny 5s), but these are the impressions I get.
Whatever. Let the music speak for itself. And instead of linking .mp3 files I'm going to post their music videos which, in addition to perfectly matching the music, are mindboinks.
"Remind Me"
"What Else is There?" (featuring Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife, though that's not her floating around in the video [though that IS her sitting at the dinner table])
"Poor Leno"
Red Sparowes
Epic wordless landscape-ish music in the same vein as Explosions in the Sky and all those other epic wordless landscape-ish bands. What sets these guys apart? Two things, at least. One, a couple of the guys are also members of the doom-core band Isis, which certainly influences some aspects of their sound. One-and-a-half, one of the Red Sparowes was also in Neurosis, but he's no longer a Red Sparowe. Two, slide guitar! Two-and-a-half, their song titles, as you'll see below, are absolutely ridiculous.
Two .mp3s via their Neurot Recordings page:
"Like the Howling Glory of the Darkest Winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And the Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe" (10:08)
"Alone and Unaware, the Landscape Was Transformed in Front of Our Eyes" (8:27)
"A Brief Moment of Clarity Broke Through the Deafening Hum, But it Was Too Late" via Stop Okay Go.
The Rapture
Not to be confused with the Finnish metal band or Jesus' triumphant return, The Rapture are a electro-punky-dance-rock band from New York. Their songs are beat heavy, but there's definitely a rock 'n' roll edge in there. On their first full-length album, Echoes, they follow up songs fit for clubbin' with songs fit for punching you in the face. Their last full-lengther, Pieces of the People We Love, was released in 2006, so they're probably about due for something new.
Check out their MYSPACE and enjoy a handful of their sweet sweet music, including the funkin' little ditty found on the GTA IV soundtrack.
Also, and I don't remember where I got this (though YOU can find it on their The Chair That Squeaks 7-inch released in 1998), here's a cover of the agitated Psychedelic Furs song "Dumb Waiters."
"Dumb Waiters"
Radiohead
Obviously.
Instead of waxing poetic, and instead of dropping tracks you've already heard, I'll link up some fun remixes.
"Videotape (Amplive Remix Feat Del The Funky Homosapien)"
"Street Spirit (Funkagenda Remix)"
"Nude (Let's up the Beat of them Blues, TAET Remix)"
"Unravel {Pocket Mix}"
Rogue Wave
You know a band is popular when it appears on the soundtracks of every hip new movie and TV show. I don't actually know much else about Rogue Wave except that they used to be on Sub Pop. Now they're not. By definition a rogue wave is something that could potentially do a lot of damage, especially if you're having an adventure on a boat named Poseidon, but this Rogue Wave is fairly non-threatening. A nice easy listen-to. A bit of The Shins, a bit of Belle and Sebastian. A lot of good.
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" via Stereogum's Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People.
"Lake Michigan" via Insound.com.
"Publish My Love" via me, because I want you to hear it.
Röyksopp
Norwegians excel in two things: metal and electro-pop. (They also do the Americana thing better than Americans, but that doesn't fit into the point I'm trying to make.) There's something about the frigid and isolated country that instills itself into its citizen's songwriting. This might seem at odds with the POP in electro-pop (or techno-pop or whatever other -pop we're dealing with), but pop, when you think about it, really is a cold and removed sort of thing. Enter Röyksopp, an electro duo from Tromsø, who plug together the most magnificent and chill beats ever conceived. There is an iciness to their music, but there's an underlying warmth to it as well. Norwegians, see, are passionate about whatever it is they do, and "cold" as their music might be there's still that human passion that weaves itself in and out of each song's DNA. I don't know if any of that makes sense, and I know I'm making wide generalizations about Norwegians (for all I know they could all actually be robots, a nation of Johnny 5s), but these are the impressions I get.
Whatever. Let the music speak for itself. And instead of linking .mp3 files I'm going to post their music videos which, in addition to perfectly matching the music, are mindboinks.
"Remind Me"
"What Else is There?" (featuring Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife, though that's not her floating around in the video [though that IS her sitting at the dinner table])
"Poor Leno"
Red Sparowes
Epic wordless landscape-ish music in the same vein as Explosions in the Sky and all those other epic wordless landscape-ish bands. What sets these guys apart? Two things, at least. One, a couple of the guys are also members of the doom-core band Isis, which certainly influences some aspects of their sound. One-and-a-half, one of the Red Sparowes was also in Neurosis, but he's no longer a Red Sparowe. Two, slide guitar! Two-and-a-half, their song titles, as you'll see below, are absolutely ridiculous.
Two .mp3s via their Neurot Recordings page:
"Like the Howling Glory of the Darkest Winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And the Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe" (10:08)
"Alone and Unaware, the Landscape Was Transformed in Front of Our Eyes" (8:27)
"A Brief Moment of Clarity Broke Through the Deafening Hum, But it Was Too Late" via Stop Okay Go.
The Rapture
Not to be confused with the Finnish metal band or Jesus' triumphant return, The Rapture are a electro-punky-dance-rock band from New York. Their songs are beat heavy, but there's definitely a rock 'n' roll edge in there. On their first full-length album, Echoes, they follow up songs fit for clubbin' with songs fit for punching you in the face. Their last full-lengther, Pieces of the People We Love, was released in 2006, so they're probably about due for something new.
Check out their MYSPACE and enjoy a handful of their sweet sweet music, including the funkin' little ditty found on the GTA IV soundtrack.
Also, and I don't remember where I got this (though YOU can find it on their The Chair That Squeaks 7-inch released in 1998), here's a cover of the agitated Psychedelic Furs song "Dumb Waiters."
"Dumb Waiters"
Radiohead
Obviously.
Instead of waxing poetic, and instead of dropping tracks you've already heard, I'll link up some fun remixes.
"Videotape (Amplive Remix Feat Del The Funky Homosapien)"
"Street Spirit (Funkagenda Remix)"
"Nude (Let's up the Beat of them Blues, TAET Remix)"
"Unravel {Pocket Mix}"
Rogue Wave
You know a band is popular when it appears on the soundtracks of every hip new movie and TV show. I don't actually know much else about Rogue Wave except that they used to be on Sub Pop. Now they're not. By definition a rogue wave is something that could potentially do a lot of damage, especially if you're having an adventure on a boat named Poseidon, but this Rogue Wave is fairly non-threatening. A nice easy listen-to. A bit of The Shins, a bit of Belle and Sebastian. A lot of good.
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" via Stereogum's Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People.
"Lake Michigan" via Insound.com.
"Publish My Love" via me, because I want you to hear it.
