Jan 17, 2010
This week on Soulful Sundays, I am showcasing the 2008 album from Uyama Hiroto – A Son of the Sun.
What an album. Uyama Hiroto does a lot of work with Nujabes and has a very similar style to him – therefore, I instantly loved it the minute I started listening to it. Give it a shot, let me know what you think in the comments, and as per usual, the stream is below. Enjoy!
Jan 15, 2010
This week on Featured Album Fridays, I’m showcasing the 2010 still unreleased album from The Besnard Lakes – Are The Roaring Night.
Here is the description of The Besnard Lakes from their Last.FM:
The Besnard Lakes are a progressive rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas.
The band are currently a six-piece centered around the atmospheric songs of Lasek and Goreas, whose expansive sound culls from numerous aspects of rock ‘n’ roll history. It is completed by Kevin Laing, Steve Raegele, Nicole Lizee and Richard White.
Their debut album, Volume I, was released in a limited 1000 copies edition in 2003 and later rereleased in October 2007.
Their sophomore album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, was recorded at Lasek’s own Breakglass Studios, with members of fellow canadian bands Stars, The Dears and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A Silver Mt. Zion making guest appearances.
The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse was on the shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize.
The album is yet to be released (with a March 10, 2010 release date!) but it’s a great album nonetheless. They’re a Canadian act (From Montreal, Quebec!) so definitely check out their album once it drops into stores and iTunes. For now, the stream is below, enjoy!
Jan 10, 2010
This week on Soulful Sundays, I am showcasing the 2009 album from super awesome hip hop producer Michita – Three.
Wonderful album, along the same vein as DJ Okawari, Nujabes, and Smooth J. I’m totally loving all these Japanese producers who create these crazy Jazz hip-hop albums. As usual, the stream is below, hope you enjoy!
Jan 8, 2010
Happy new year, all! This week on Featured Album Fridays, the first one for 2010, I am showcasing the 2009 album from Destry – It Goes On.
Here is the description of Destry from their Last.FM:
Destry is an indie/pop/rock band centered around Michelle (Nolan) DaRosa. Formerly a vocalist for Straylight Run, on June 3, 2008, Michelle left the group on friendly terms to pursue a solo career, beginning Destry soon after.
Destry’s current work currently consists of collaborations between DaRosa and four other artists, Sam Means (formerly of The Format), drummer Nico Childrey and Tyler Odom who played together in Cassino, and bassist Shaun Cooper of Straylight Run.
DaRosa said all five have collaborated, but have never been in the same room together. She also says the only members of a possible tour would be herself, Nico, and Shaun.
Great indie pop album to start off Featured Album Fridays for 2010. The stream is below, enjoy!
Dec 22, 2009
With 2009 wrapping up, I figured now would be a good time to highlight and feature some of my favourite albums that I had featured on Featured Album Fridays. (Man, I use the word “feature” a lot.)
Anyhow, here is a quick and dirty list of my top 10 favourite Featured Album Fridays albums of 2009:
Published: March 27, 2009
Favourite Songs: D.I.A.L.O., Too Much Time, Oblivion
Published: April 24, 2009
Favourite Songs: Snakes, Mountain, Numbers
Published: October 9, 2009
Favourite Songs: The Ballad of the RAA, Frank AB, The Air
Published: July 3, 2009
Favourite Songs: The Only One You Love Is You, Lazy Days, Take Stock, Slowly Drowning
Published: June 5, 2009
Favourite Songs: Relentless Fours, Polar Swelling, Inkjet Lakes, Rosa Flood
Published: December 18, 2009
Favourite Songs: Down on Love, Hold On My Heart, Sleeper Awake, Over & Over, I Never Knew
Published: May 22, 2009
Favourite Songs: Speed Tape, Don’t Let Them, End of the Year, How Could This Be?, Epic
Published: August 7, 2009
Favourite Songs: Nueva York, No Secret Why, Floodlights, Killing of Our Friends, Ceremony Guns, Pay Me The Apostle
Published: June 19, 2009
Favourite Songs: Bubble Reputation, Heavens to Purgatory, Phi, The Old Forever New Things, Patternicity, Four Humours, No One Likes a Nihilist
Published: August 21, 2009
Favourite Songs: Circles, Sixes & Sevens, You Can’t Take It With You, In Case of Rapture, We’s Been Waiting, Is This Tomorrow?, The Narrows, That’s What You Get
And that just about wraps it up for Featured Album Fridays for 2009, I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these albums that I’ve featured throughout the year.
If you have any suggestions on how I can improve what I do, or any bands you may have a lead on, definitely shoot me an e-mail or message me on Twitter! I’m always on the lookout for new, up-and-coming bands, especially Canadian ones, so give me a shout.
Cheers!
Dec 20, 2009
This week on Soulful Sundays, I am featuring the 2009 album from DJ Okawari – Mirror.
Because I’ve been feeling a whole lot of piano lately, you can see that I’m making quite a bit of a run with these fantastic Japanese hip-hop influenced DJs. DJ Okawari is no exception, definitely along the lines of Nujabes and Smooth J, I really hope you enjoy this. The stream is below!
Dec 18, 2009
This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am highlighting the 2009 album from Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night.
Here is the description of Sarah Blasko from her Last.FM:
Sarah Blasko (born September 23, 1976) is an ARIA Award winning Australian musician. She was born in Sydney soon after her family returned from French-speaking Réunion where her parents had been missionaries. An original and largely self-reliant musical artist, Blasko is known for her writing and production skills, as well as her unique voice and stage presence.
Blasko was first heard in the mid-1990s fronting Sydney band, Acquiesce, after an initial tour of France with founding members Dave Hemmings, Paul Camilleri, and her sister Kate Halcrow. With material written by Blasko and Camilleri, they recorded a single and an EP with producer Hugh Wilson, receiving some local attention.
In 2002, Sarah decided to go solo. Material for the Prelusive EP – a result of initial explorative collaborations with Wilson but fully realised with Nick Schneider and Steve Francis – was originally recorded as demos. However, after becoming disillusioned with the indecisiveness and lack of solid commitment from the labels she met with, Blasko decided to release and promote the material independently. With the financial assistance of then-manager Craig New, she also produced a music video for the leading track, “Your Way”.
She has a wonderful voice and her songs are terribly catchy. It’s been on my playlist for two weeks now, and I never skip one of her songs. As usual, the stream is below, I hope you enjoy!
Dec 13, 2009
This week on Soulful Sunday, I am showcasing the follow-up album to Volume 1 from Smooth J – Smooth Sound Collection Vol. 2.
Great follow-up album, definitely a little more energy than the first volume which I featured last week, but still a great listen. As usual, the stream is below, enjoy!
Dec 6, 2009
This week on Soulful Sundays, I am showing you guys a fantastic album from Smooth J – Smooth Sound Collection Vol. 1.
This is a fantastic album. Smooth J is a very talented pianist hailing from Japan and covers all sorts of genres. Definitely reminiscent of the ShinSight Trio and Nujabes, you’d better check it out! The stream is below, as per usual, so I hope you enjoy!
Dec 4, 2009
This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am highlighting the 2009 album from Maps – Turning The Mind.
Here is the description of Maps from his Last.FM:
MAPS is from Northampton, UK. This page is the official page for this artist.
The music is made by James Chapman, with August joining in for live stuff. Their debut album ‘We Can Create’ was released in April 2007 on Mute Records and their growing fanbase includes the likes of the Chemical Brothers. They were shortlisted for the well respected 2007 Mercury Music Prize album of the year, which saw their profile rise dramatically. The download-only single from Maps’ second album – ‘Let Go Of The Fear’ was released in May 2009, new album ‘Turning The Mind’ was released late summer.
Great electro-pop sounding album, definitely the style that I am going for right now. I definitely hope you end up liking it as much as I have! The stream is below, enjoy!