Annabel Lee

The first time I heard their song "Hardly There" it quieted everything in me... much like when you were a kid and your mom tucked you into bed and told you everything was going to be okay. Not just your body, but your soul would relax. Passing the burdens onto shoulders much stronger than yours. The business of your day.. week.. all the deadlines and worries just dissipate as soon as she starts singing.  The melancholic chords from their guitars, soothing voices, and the perfectly blended harmonies (very reminiscent of the ones from back in the 50's... at the dinners shows that had a full big band, everyone was dressed up, cigarettes in hand, women adorned with sparkly dresses, and a dance floor surrounded by tables with white-linen cloth, candle light and penguin waiters) all act as a big warm quilt.

Annabel Lee (Website // Bandcamp // Facebook // ReverbNation) is folk-trio (from Seattle) made up of sisters Caroline & Katrina and friend Lena (who the met while attending Cornish College of the Arts). They're in final stages of the recording process and will soon release their debut (12 track) album. Here's a preview:

-Frey

All We Grow

I've been listening to this album almost non-stop since one of my buddies [David Andrew.. who also is an author/co-founder of this blog/musical genius] sent it my way a couple weeks back... and thank God he did. I can't believe it took as long as it did to get into my hands [it was released in Aug last year]. Most of us know Sean as the drummer and supporting vocalist from Bon Iver. This is his first solo venture and isn't your typical "album" - a couple great songs and a bunch of useless ones. Every song is dripping of brilliance. His voice possesses the power to quiet and still any storm that might be raging in you. You can hear that each song has been carefully crafted and that his blood, sweat, & tears coat each note, each layer of instrumentation, and have been woven into each harmony. Oh the harmonies... this is probably one of my favorite elements of this album. Its a lot like getting into a nice warm bath after a long and hard day... you slowly sink in and slide down, letting the water cover you from head to toe and swallow you whole. His melody and harmonies don't follow the norm of what we hear every day on the radio, but at the same time they aren't so 'out there' that they lose their relevancy. They are so smooth... so warm... seem so familiar, but at the same time are quite unfamiliar and create dissonance. Its the same kind of paradoxical familiarity that bewitches us when we first meet certain kinds of people. It doesn't happen often, but when it does... time seems to blur, your heart pounds, stomach drops... and even though you've just met her... she feels so familiar, so comfortable... like home. 

So... do yourself a favor and get this album right away [click here]... then make yourself a cup of coffee, put on an old sweater, find a rainy day, and press play. 


-Frey


   "Move"

  "In the Stream"

   "All We Grow"

Aphrodite

Local Natives | Who Knows Who Cares | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.


My brother just sent me the latest Take-Away-Show from La Blogotheque, shot in Paris... and it was of the band I introduced you to earlier... The Local Natives. These guys are picking up a lot of momentum. They sound phenomenal live. Everything around you just stops as their harmonies hit you. Its like that one person who makes your heart pound and stomach drop... you see them heading towards you down the hall, and as soon as you do, everything goes into slow motion and becomes hazy. You can hardly breathe and your heart starts to burn and pounds so hard it feels like its going to burst through your chest. They casually walk by (as though being kin to Aphrodite were no big deal) leaving a trail of intoxicating perfume... which lingers and haunts... leaving you dizzy... yearning for more. This is exactly what The Local Natives do to you with their music.

-Frey