The Letter S

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.

Sally Shapiro
File under "guilty pleasure" because Swedish Italo-disco revival is a pretty dweeby musical genre. Audibly there isn't much to the music of Sally Shapiro, though everything about it is pleasant to the ear. The beats are firm but cool, the voice is detached yet soothing, and you could either dance or sleep to every song. But who is Sally Shapiro? NOBODY KNOWS. It's really just the moniker for the guy-girl duo. The dude who creates all the nice electro noises is named Johan. The chick who sings may or may not actually be named Sally, won't ever perform live, and rarely has her picture taken. Some have even questioned if she actually exists. Sally Shapiro is the yeti of Euro-club music.
There are dozens of remixes for "I'll Be By Your Side" floating around the internet. They're all good, but I really like this one by DJ Aven (free and easy from the official Sally Shapiro website).
I'll Be By Your Side (DJ Aven Remix)
Jackie Junior (Junior Boys Remix)
Hold Me So Tight


Shearwater
I know two things about Shearwater:
1) Shearwater features at least one member (used to be two) from Okkervil River, a band that is awesome.
2) This is a band that is awesome.
And really that's all you need to know. You could even skate by only knowing Shearwater fact #2. Musically they're pretty low-key, yet are capable of some good quality jubilant rockout. Epic, but in no way pretentious. They're actually comparable to The National in these ways and others, so if you like The National you'll like this (and vice versa).
Since I honestly don't know much else about the band I can only recommend songs. Here you go. Eat up.
The World in 1984
Red Sea, Black Sea (via Insound.com)
Rooks (via Insound.com)


St. Vincent
Another dude-with-a-moniker performers, but NOT just another dude-with-a-moniker performer. St. Vincent is Annie Clark, a New York-based singer/songwriter/instrumentalist born in Oklahoma. In fact, both she and I are the same age and from the same state. That's where our similarities end, however, as she is musically very talented and I am musically very talentless. She's recently made her rounds in the indie scene by touring with Sufjan Stevens (like, as a part of his band) and guitar-playing with the Polyphonic Spree. To date she has only one full length album and one EP (well... two EPs if you count the one she self-released in college). I like her because she's like an American-in-the-2000s version of Kate Bush. Her songs are sharp and almost at odds with her angelic voice. Also if you're interested in amusing little penned-by-Annie Clark snippets, she's got, like, two or three blogs floating around.
Now Now
These Days (cover song)
Jesus Saves, I Spend




Starflyer 59
It seems like Starflyer has been around forever, and it's difficult to remember what the world was like before they began releasing albums (and it's difficult to imagine a world existing after Starflyer ceases to be). Of course I'm being dramatic, but for fifteen years this band has been producing some of the best music in the world. Being dramatic again? Skip the rest of these words and listen to the tunes yourself.
The music itself is remarkably consistent. That is, you could probably identify a Starflyer song just by listening to it. The guitars are dense and shoegazey, the drumming is tick-tocky, and Jason Martin sings like he just woke up. Despite this, many of their songs are insanely catchy. Their earlier material is gloomier and maybe even a bit primitive when compared to the band's latter-day work, but it's no less awesome and really quite groundbreaking when you consider it was released to a Christian market.
Jason Martin is the genius behind the guitar fuzz, and it really is astounding how prolific the guy is. Apart from the dozens of releases full of outstanding music, he's also contributed to a handful of side projects, including Bon Voyage, which he duoed with his wife (and holy crap, they've got a new album out, the first new one in years... it's a blast from my high school past!), and that Neon Horse nonsense.
Anyway...
Download "Wake Up Early" from Purevolume, then stream the other five songs.
Good Sons (via Insound.com)
Play the C Chord


Suffering & the Hideous Thieves
S&tHT is one of the few bands that are capable of being lyrically provocative and instrumentally moving... all within the same song. Indeed, this band has performed some of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard, yet I fully realize these guys aren't for everybody.
If that name and voice sounds familiar that's because you're vaguely recalling Jeff Suffering from the spazz-punk band 90lb Wuss. Initially just a straight up punk band, they matured and explored new ground with each release, and perhaps The Hideous Thieves are the culmination of that. Sounding like a band of disgruntled rock and roll gypsies, The Thieves brilliantly back Suffering's warbly voice as he chronicles the best and worst (usually the worst) of human nature. Lyrics explore the farthest and darkest recesses of man's emotions and motivations, and more often than not the songs are completely depressing. Yet there still remain glimmers of positivity and glory, songs about hope and rebirth. Listening to Suffering & the Hideous Thieves is almost exhausting, but the investment is certainly worth it.
Go to Purevolume and download "I Am Tomorrow" and "The Collector"
Lujo Records has a handful of downloadables. ISound.com has a couple more (at a higher bit rate). Of those I recommend... ALL of them, but especially:
St. Elizabeth
The Other Side of the Moon
[Note: the song "Twice in Water Color" is actually sung by The Hush Hush, with whom S&tHT did a split]
Also listen to:
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