Chaque Chanson.
2 | 29.5.2013 | 3 weeks agoAlbum art from photos I took used for my band’s second EP, released under Creative Commons license by Higher Living Records.
mccandless - ‘Surprisingly Coherent’
Available for free download at:
http://www.higherlivingrecords.com/index.php/releases/21-releases/surprisingly-coherent
(Source: shotbyacanon)
1 | 4.5.2013 | 1 month agoThe Midnight Matters Mix : A Mix for Midnight Matters
Here’s a homemade mix for Midnight Matters, featuring some standout picks from the last few years that are guaranteed to get your body movin’.
Tracklisting:
Sufjan Stevens - ‘Futile Devices’ (Shigeto Remix)
Washed Out - ‘New Theory’ (RAC Remix)
Toro Y Moi - ‘Still Sound’ (Vindata Remix)
Body Language - ‘Social Studies’ (Plastic Plates Remix)
Neon Indian - ‘Polish Girl’
James Blake - ‘The Wilhelm Scream’ (Poindexter Remix)
Niki & The Dove - ‘Mother Protect’ (Goldroom Remix)
Todd Terje - ‘Swing Star Pt. 1’
El Perro Del Mar - ‘Walk On By’ (Saint Etienne Remix)
Kelpe - ‘Answered’
DJ Koze - ‘Track ID Anyone’ (Feat. Caribou)
The xx - ‘Chained’ (John Talabot & Pional Remix)
Bonobo - ‘The Keeper’ (Banks Remix)
Download here.
2 | 17.3.2013 | 3 months agoGreg Haines - ‘Azure’
Here at PIONEARS we’ve got time for all kinds of music, and after catching Greg Haines supporting the magical Ólafur Arnalds at the Barbican recently we were blown away. The mix of classical piano with synth, reverb and drum machines was cosmic.
He’s of the Olafur Arnalds / Nils Frahm ilk.
2 | 9.3.2013 | 3 months agoDave Dixon - ‘Stones’ (Live at Sofar London)
Caught Dave Dixon’s acoustic set at Sofar London #236 a few months ago, and was blown away.
Perfect music for a living room concert. Perfect music for a slow afternoon.
Bandcamp | Tumblr | Sofar Sounds
(Source: pionears)
1 | 7.2.2013 | 4 months agoTodd Terje - ‘Swing Star (pt1 + pt2)’
We posted Todd Terje’s ‘Inspector Norse’ over on Midnight Matters a few weeks ago, but after watching a short documentary on the man that inspired the song, we felt that we better post that here too.
Here’s Whateverest:
(via pionears)
1 | 31.12.2012 | 5 months agoTwenty Twelve by PIONEARS
Take a journey through sixteen of our standout picks from this year in music.
Download here: https://soundcloud.com/pionears/2012-by-pionears
Tracklist to come next week.
Thanks for listening in 2012 and Happy New Year from PIONEARS.
(via pionears)
1 | 31.12.2012 | 5 months agoAlbum-wise I certainly haven’t been overly enamored by 2012. There’s no doubt that it’s been another fantastic year for music, and if you have managed to ignore the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Skrillex this year then you’ve surely discovered some of the same gems that I have: quality progressive bands that continue to produce the kind of music that’s dripping in authenticity, that keeps your head nodding and that more-often-than-not, really makes you smile. A quick glance at my PIONEARS selection would tell you what really got me ticking this year.
That said, posterity, or maybe just my desire to categorise the present, calls for an album list, and though it may not contain the same levels of quality as my only ever previous one (2011 was somehow omitted, I guess efforts were concentrated on PIONEARS), there are certainly some things to take note of, and some albums to cherish, from this year in music. Here goes:
10) Chairlift - Something
Chairlift are the band that are OK to like because they’re cute. It’s a French girl with a gorgeous voice / American guy combination that make irresistibly good pop, with an eighties feel to it. It’s energetic, catchy and shamelessly danceable that has lifted Chairlift into the heights of alt-pop fame this year, even if at times it is a little kitsch.
9) Daphni - Jiaolong
At this point there is very little doubt in my mind that everything that Dan Snaith (a.k.a. Caribou / Manitoba / Daphni) touches turns to gold. And 24 carat gold at that. After the success of 2010’s Swim (recorded under the Caribou moniker), and perhaps influenced by both his friendship with Kieran Hebdan of Four Tet as well as other forms of EDM, he ventured even deeper into his previous realms of electronica to create a hard-hitting dance record that not only shows the tell-tails of classic Snaith, but also delivers on the dance-floor. It’s housy, it’s big and it’s not something you can listen to quietly.
’Ye Ye’
8) Balmorhea - Stranger
The great thing about instrumental music is that it doesn’t have to stick to a script. It’s free to move in any which way it wants, without the limitations of verses, choruses and solos. Balmorhea really take this to heart, meeting at the junction of classical music and Explosions in the Sky to produce a moving, heartfelt second album that will move you through most of the moods you know, and maybe a couple you don’t.
‘Masollan’
7) Chromatics - Kill for Love
Chromatics make the sexiest kind of music. They call it ‘Italo-Disco’ and it’s smooth, dark, precise and a little haunting in it’s use of synth. It’s an album that needs to be listened to at night either on a late night city drive, or in a disco just before closing. The mystic keys and the soothing vocals giving the listening experience a dauntingly eerie vibe.
‘Lady’
6) Amateur Love - It’s All Aquatic (reissue)
Like Dan Snaith (above), everything Justin Vernon touches turns to gold (Bon Iver / GAYNGS / Volcano Choir), so when I heard he was starting his own label (Chigliak Records) I was undoubtedly excited to hear the first release. A reissue of Amateur Love’s 2003 album It’s All Aquatic. The first track ‘Con / A Sewer / Cat’ is more than enough to convince you that this is something special, but the album as a whole - a poppy, soppy, lovesick affair - is enough to affirm that some albums deserve a second chance.
‘Con / A Sewer / Cat’
5) Julia Holter - Ekstasis
It’s always refreshing to hear something different, and even the briefest of listens to Julia Holter’s debut albumEkstasis will allow you to encounter something not only different, but remarkable in it’s difference. It’s electronic in it’s production, classical in it’s heritage and eclectic in it’s sound, with Kraftwerk-esque synths and layers and layers of vocals. Perhaps it doesn’t make for an easy first-time listen, but a little persistence is duly rewarded, and then some.
‘Our Sorrows’
5) Grizzly Bear - Shields
Unfortunately for Grizzly Bear, after 2009’s excellentVeckatimest, the band has been burdened with the heavy weight of expectation, luggage that any band would rather not carry. Fortunately for them they’re incredibly competent and progressive musicians: talents that really shine through onShields. With big hitters such as ‘Sleeping Ute’, more contemporary indie-rock songs like ‘Yet Again’ and ballads like ‘Sun In Your Eyes’ the inquisitive listener certainly won’t be disappointed. But it’s the attention to detail, the real composition of the tunes and the movements that each song goes through that really separate Grizzly Bear from your average band, as well as makingShieldsone of 2012’s real standouts.
3) Tame Impala - Lonerism
With Lonerism, Tame Impala’s second full length record, Kevin Parker - the front man who records all the music himself - has asserted himself as THE modern day pioneer of psychedelic rock. The riff’s are big, bold and tight, the jams are powerful, the effects are reminiscent of the genres most famous era, but not in a copycat fashion. The album, and the live show are incredible listening experiences, and the complexity and the overall finish of the songs are sometime so good that you really think he’s toying with you. Maybe he is.
’Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’
2) ∆ Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
∆ Alt-J are definitely not the kind of band to go half-hog on their debut album, in fact they did quite the opposite, producing a first effort that scarce a critic can not include in their albums of the year list. Complete with an Intro and three interludes the album is a journey through the depths of talent that this breaking band has to offer. The songs are moody and charged, the vocals often reserved, and the sounds are at times bizarre, but never overbearing, resulting in a masterful record that only leaves the listener impatient with anticipation of what may be to come.
‘Tessalate’
1) Efterklang - Piramida
Piramida really was the surprise of the year. In anticipation of it’s release I was relistening to 2010’s acclaimed Magic Chairs and I have to say, I wasn’t enjoying it nearly as much as I used to. This meant I leapt into Piramida with the lowest of expectations, expecting the meager-est of rewards, but boy was I rewarded. From the very first notes the attention to detail rings true. Every sound is gorgeous, and seems so carefully planned out that the album is less of a classic song by song record, but more a compilation of it’s parts, and what beautiful parts they are. Piramida shows that the Danish band aren’t like your ordinary band: they don’t write songs, they write compositions, and luscious ones at that.
‘Hollow Mountain’, ‘Dreams Today’
For the best tracks of this year look out for the annual PIONEARS playlist.
12 | 30.12.2012 | 5 months agoThe best English poet you’ve never heard of. Punk, poet and pop personality: John Cooper Clarke.
the fucking cops are fucking keen
to fucking keep it fucking clean
the fucking chief’s a fucking swine
who fucking draws a fucking line
at fucking fun and fucking games
the fucking kids he fucking blames
are nowhere to be fucking found
anywhere in chicken town
the fucking scene is fucking sad
the fucking news is fucking bad
the fucking weed is fucking turf
the fucking speed is fucking surf
the fucking folks are fucking daft
don’t make me fucking laugh
it fucking hurts to look around
everywhere in chicken town
the fucking train is fucking late
you fucking wait you fucking wait
you’re fucking lost and fucking found
stuck in fucking chicken town
the fucking view is fucking vile
for fucking miles and fucking miles
the fucking babies fucking cry
the fucking flowers fucking die
the fucking food is fucking muck
the fucking drains are fucking fucked
the colour scheme is fucking brown
everywhere in chicken town
the fucking pubs are fucking dull
the fucking clubs are fucking full
of fucking girls and fucking guys
with fucking murder in their eyes
a fucking bloke is fucking stabbed
waiting for a fucking cab
you fucking stay at fucking home
the fucking neighbors fucking moan
keep the fucking racket down
this is fucking chicken town
the fucking train is fucking late
you fucking wait you fucking wait
you’re fucking lost and fucking found
stuck in fucking chicken town
the fucking pies are fucking old
the fucking chips are fucking cold
the fucking beer is fucking flat
the fucking flats have fucking rats
the fucking clocks are fucking wrong
the fucking days are fucking long
it fucking gets you fucking down
evidently chicken town
4 | 20.12.2012 | 6 months agoThe Album Leaf / Sun Kil Moon - ‘What Happened to My Brother’
Smooth, subtle electronica that’s as gorgeous as it is simple.
Duet album ‘Perils from the Sea’ coming 2013.
(Source: pionears)
1 | 12.11.2012 | 7 months agoA closer look at the real Stefani Germanotta and the story behind Lady Gaga.
To ask the question ‘Who Is Stefani Germanotta?’ is about much more that simply revealing the identity of an individual – as the answer defines the essence of popular music as we know it. Stefani Germanotta is, of course, for those of you who don’t know or haven’t guessed it yet, the young girl who died to give birth to the self-proclaimed Fame Monster that has dominated the charts for the past two years: Lady Gaga. And so, with the superstar’s second album almost ready for mass consumption, we ask ourselves ‘Who Is Stefani Germanotta?’ and what has she created?
Rumour has it that Lady Gaga is actually human – although certain parties remain somewhat unconvinced by this – and that she led a fairly ‘normal’ upbringing; ‘normal’ in the sense that she attended the same school as the Hilton sisters – Paris and Nicky – at an annual cost in excess of $33,000. Whilst the persona of Lady Gaga is portrayed as a girl with a dysfunctional upbringing, leading a wayward life, most the evidence suggests anything but. With former friends and schoolmates commenting that the Gaga they knew was just a regular girl, albeit with a flair for the theatrical.
She was introduced to her first instrument – the piano – at just four years of age and developed into an avid singer – she was performing in ‘Open Mic’ nights at the ripe age of fourteen. A quick YouTube search will show that the pre-Gaga Germanotta was certainly no average singer; performances of piano-ballads during her student days show likenesses to Alicia Keys and Toni Braxton. But maybe being the next Alicia Keys wasn’t enough?
Like so many other hopefuls, Gaga dropped out of the prestigious New York University to try and ‘make it’ as a singer in the music business, simultaneously developing more of a radical lifestyle: performing as a singer as well as working as a go-go girl in New York’s Lower East Side. Despite being signed and dropped to the illustrious Def Jam Records at the age of 19, her enthusiasm was incessant – she wanted to make it, and make it she has, but not without the help of a few key people. Producers Rob Fusari and RedOne oversaw the transformation from the young brunette Stefani Germanotta, to the fearsome Lady Gaga – a name allegedly drawn from the Queen song ‘Radio Ga Ga’. Fusari (and Germanotta) was the first who appeared to realise that a ballad-based singer-songwriter wasn’t enough, that a talented voice such as Germanotta’s could be shaped into so much more; fame, however, was not instantaneous. Fusari lent her a hand, landing her job at Interscope records, but as a songwriter and not a musician, it wasn’t until hip-hop superstar Akon recognized her vocal talent, that a star was really born. Stefani Germanotta wasn’t destined for stardom, it was her well-fashioned alter ego that was to be the star, creating a certain ‘Lady Gaga’: a pop personality incorporating the fanciful elements of the likes of Queen’s Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Madonna – and combining the eccentricities of each with their raw universal appeal.
Exactly how the young Gaga catapulted to the multiple platinum status is another story altogether, and the beginnings of which lie in the music itself. Her producer, RedOne, explains the appeal: “The songs have to be lyrically simple and easy to sing along to, even for people in the world who don’t speak English,”: music produced for the masses. Germanotta and the Gaga team are obviously business- minded people and they know that the more headlines created means more brand awareness, and inevitably, more sales. It’s no coincidence that Germanotta is never seen outside of the Lady Gaga persona – even a trip to the gym involves fishnets and stilettos – and publicity stunts such as the meat outfit at 2010′s Video Music Awards, guarantee front pages around the globe. However, whilst perceived as original by the younger generations that gather under Gaga’s banner often they are anything but, she has been accused of copying not just outfits but good sections of wardrobes from both David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust and Madonna: Camilla Paglia one of America’s leading cultural aficionados refers to Gaga as “a manufactured personality…[she] has borrowed so heavily from Madonna that it has been asked, at what point does homage become theft?”.
In 2011, at the height of the digital age as we know it, it would appear that nobody understands and capitalizes on the uncertainty of the modern music industry more than Team Gaga: the award winning music video for ‘Telephone’ was funded by no less than nine individual product placements, ‘Bad Romance’ features just eight.
One of her major selling points is the way she connects with her fans, dubbing them her ‘little monsters’ whilst insinuating that as a teenager she was just like them; despite hard evidence to the contrary she continues to press the point, exemplified by her latest release, called ‘Born This Way’, which even considering the poetic license granted to musicians, is simply not true. But the reason that she has connected with her fans so well is that she understands the digital age – with more than 8 million followers she is the most followed person on the social network Twitter, last year she even netted the most ‘likes’ for a human on Facebook. This isn’t just the efforts of an artist looking to bond with her fans – it’s the delicately realized plan of a savvy businesswoman. Any digital marketeer will tell you that in the digital age, social media is at the height of it’s importance and fans and followers on these networks translate directly to dollars and downloads for the people leading the charge.
It’s estimated that since the real start of her stardom, in 2009, Gaga has amassed a personal fortune of more than $62million, primarily from digital sales of her work and a relentless world tour (‘The Monsters Ball Tour’) that started in 2009 destined to run until April 2011, with an expected gross of $200million. Tickets for the concert in Antwerp in May 2010 cost between €55 and €90.
At the end of the day, whilst the people are happy to listen to, dance to and consume the music, there is a select few people who have manufactured a pop personality – based on the likes of Warhol, Bowie and Madonna, but without the sincerity that helped them to secure this longevity – and have, in the space of less than two years, all made enough money to effectively not have to work for the rest of their life. Whilst Germanotta and Team Gaga will hope to attain the longevity of the above stars, they are no doubt content with the knowledge that in a worst case scenario they have already made enough millions – the megastar Akon was happy to state, as early as 2010 that Lady Gaga has “pretty much retired me”. There is no doubting that the Germanotta behind the Gaga persona is a talent – she’s got a great voice – which has been proved by both Germanotta and Gaga, even though ‘Pop’ is not always the best medium for showcasing this talent – and she continues to write her own songs. The problem is that there is something so manufactured about Lady Gaga – manufactured to the point of arrogance – that I just can’t buy into it, and won’t buy it.
Originally written in late 2010.
4 | 3.11.2012 | 7 months agoTame Impala - ‘Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control’
Lonerism is an appropriate album title for a record recorded predominantly by one man.
It’s introspective and it’s psychedelic in the way that only Tame Impala can be.
2 | 22.9.2012 | 9 months agoWonton Soup a.k.a. DJ Jack Golding - ‘Night Walk’
This weekend on Midnight Matters we’ve got a guest mix from the one and only DJ Jack Golding.
Night Walk - A mix loosely inspired by the underground world of competitive flip-cup tournaments.
Dedicated to the alcoholics at the Joyce.
Tracklisting:
Martin Brothers - ‘Full moon’
Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx - ‘Night Call’
Ryuichi Sakamoto featuring Thomas Dolby - ‘Field Work’ (JG Edit)
Flight Facilities - ‘With You’ (Feat. Grovesnor) (David August Remix)
New Navy - ‘Zimbabwe’ (Flume Remix)
Julio Bashmore - ‘Battle for Middle You’
Chromatics - ‘Circled Sun’
New Look - ‘Nap on the Bow’
Pacific! - ‘Unspoken’ (Anoraak remix)
Hunter and Game - ‘Reckless Lady’
Noir, Haze - ‘Around’ (Solomun Vox Remix)
Parallel Dance Ensemble - ‘Shopping Cart’ (Maxxi Soundsystem Remix)
Flight Facilities - ‘Foreign Language’ (Feat. Jess) (Will Saul and Tam Cooper Remix)
Mercury - ‘Candlelight’ (Feat. Robert Owens) (Round Table Knights Edit)
Jessie Ware - ‘Running’
Bastian - ‘Game Over’
College - ‘Real Hero’ (Feat. Electric Youth)
Download: http://soundcloud.com/wearewontonsoup/night-walk
(via pionears)
4 | 17.8.2012 | 10 months agoFuck Buttons - ‘Olympians’
It’s highly cerebral and bizarrely energetic, which is perhaps why Danny Boyle chose to include it in the Olympic opening ceremony.
It sounds like a cross between Health and Sigur Rós, with a mild hint of Animal Collective.
And it gets better and better with every listen.
(via pionears)
4 | 21.7.2012 | 11 months ago‘The Zinneke Mix’
It’s the 21st of July. It’s Belgian National Day. And it’s time to recognize some homegrown talent.
This is The Zinneke Mix, a collection of songs from great Belgian bands you may or may not have heard of.
Enjoy.
Tracklisting:
1) Great Mountain Fire - ‘It’s Alright’
2) Pale Grey - ‘Yellow’
3) Yuko - ‘Dolly Parton’
4) Ping Pong Tactics - ‘Pocahontas’
5) BRNS - ‘Mexico’
6) The Experimental Tropical Blues Band - ‘René the Renegade’
7) The Black Box Reveleation - ‘High on a Wire’
8) Goose - ‘British Mode’
9) Vive la Fête - ‘Assez’
10) Klaxons - ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ (Soulwax Remix)
11) Aeroplane - ‘Big Boys Don’t Cry’
Download: http://soundcloud.com/pionears/the-zinneke-mix
(via pionears)
8 | 5.6.2012 | 1 year agoMoonface - ‘Marimba and Shit-drums’
Spencer Krug is right about one thing, the drums are pretty shit, but fortunately they’re complemented by 20 minutes of hauntingly beautiful marimba that guide you through a series of dreams that the experimental Canadian was having in 2010.
It’s a mesmerizing standout from a somewhat eccentric career.
(Source: pionears)
