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Goldfrapp

Allison Goldfrapp's gymnastic voice -- from the dusky low tones to her eerie siren's trill -- first appeared on Tricky's debut album Maxinquaye. More specifically, that is, as the Liz Fraiser-ish scat/glossolalia on the lush and sexy track "Pumpkin." After singing with Tricky for a few years, Ms. Goldfrapp hooked up with long-time collaborator Will Gregory, and the two created the eponymous project Goldfrapp -- drawing from influences as diverse as Ennio Morricone, glam rock, and 70's dance music, which is a polite way of saying disco.

That dichotomy of influences is reflected in Goldfrapp's releases to date: Felt Mountain (2000) was ethereal, trippy pop -- as if Morricone were a little girl lost in a forest and talking in creepy whistles and a throat full of strings to the fairies she found there; sophomore effort Black Cherry (2003) was full of glammy and razor-sharp tunes that, in retrospect, cut along the bleeding edge of the electroclash and dance punk moments.

Supernature (2005), Goldfrapp's most recent album, which has yet to be released in the US, is a fascinating combination of the work on the first two albums -- sinewy and sensuous and danceable all at the same time. And the chamelon-like Ms. Goldfrapp has moved out from behind the giant shadows of those diminutive twin goddesses of dance pop: Madonna and Kylie, and into a territory all her own -- snatching up the bits of arch-browed Joan Crawford posturing that was too bizzare for Madge, taking girlish sexiness to a darker place that Kylie, for all her self-conciousness, has never dared go. Aggressive, weird, and beautiful -- this is the dance music of the future. So get up and shake it already.

Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
Goldfrapp - Strict Machine (Single Mix)
Goldfrapp - Slide In

Goldfrapp's offical site. Buy Felt Mountain, Black Candy, and the single for "Number One," the first single off Supernature (which will be released domestically in March) at Amazon and the iTunes Music Store.

Shadows tags: goldfrapp.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 01.14.06 at 2:47 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

The Earlies

(We featured the following artist last year on SYITP but thought they were so good that we should feature them again. This previous entry has been updated to reflect changes in the last 12 months. And if you missed out the first time around, now is your chance!)

What do you get when you take sleepy, sweet Grandaddy-esque vocals mixed with a heavenly chorus of voices floating in space, and then let those voices gallavant with the likes of Spiritualized, Air, and the Flaming Lips, while still bouncing around classical pop song structures as done by the Beatles? That's the Earlies, a delicious blend of witty British sensibilities and laid-back Texas charm.

I'm a sucker for lush and clever instrumentation done as orchestral bombast, especially by a band that's half-British and half-Texan. Rumor has it that the majority of the songs These Were the Earlies was constructed by sending music files back and forth online across the Atlantic Ocean. (Now that's what I call transatlanticism, Mr. Gibbard. Cough.)

The Earlies concoct a dreamy yet quirky blend of electronica, classic rock, prog, and psychedelia; close neighbors of the Beta band, The Earlies make electro-pop with beats galore poured over wispy folk, fighting with a bellicose army of brass instruments, and a few deranged free jazz lovers. On tour, they morph into a collective 11 members strong, in an effort to retain the awe-inspiring majesty of traditional rock matched with electronic tweaks creating a giant, sweeping landscape of sheer bliss.

Last year, the many members of the Earlies barely fit onto the stage at Maggie Mae's around 1am during their festival showcase; a few bandmates were forced to sit out the show, and instead, decided to get drunk and sing backing vocals from the front row. The packed room swayed and cheered at the ensemble featuring horns, keyboards, a cello, several vocalists and, of course, guitars (a logistical nightmare if there ever was one). The Earlies played a triumphant 20 minute set before being forced to shut it down; catch them while you can, because they may not be back in the States soon.

The Earlies - One Of Us Is Dead
The Earlies - Wayward Song
The Earlies - Morning Wonder

The Earlies' official site. Buy These Were the Earlies from Amazon and iTunes Music Store.

Shadows tag:theearlies.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 01.13.06 at 1:08 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Welcome Back!

Greetings, friends! And welcome back to See You in the Pit, an MP3 blog exclusively featuring artists who will be playing the SXSW Music Festival, because the best way to learn about music is to hear it, with your hosts, Queen of the Front Row, Little Miss Rock'n'Roll, and Last Girl at the Party.

If you're not familiar with SYITP, let me start at the beginning: we'll be posting about all of the artists we're excited about at this year's SXSW Music Fest, with old favorites and up-and-comers alike. It all culminates in mid-March right when the festival starts, and we'll be offering up a SYITP-approved showcase schedule, just like last year.

Your hostesses here at See You in the Pit love music, the internet, and also like sharing their love of both a whole lot. It's been said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, so we are going to do our best to shake it to some flying buttresses, aluminum siding, and turrets and towers for the next month or so. We've scoured endless MP3blogs, Pitchfork opinions, NME write-ups, and zine reviews, and waded through countless label web sites, promo CDs, and opening bands to bring you what we consider to be the highlights of the festival.

A few notes: We are not affiliated with SXSW, any record label/bands/musicians, iTunes, Amazon, any secret government agencies, or your parents. Posts, comments, songs, and angry letters of indignation belong to those who wrote them in the first place.

MP3s for sampling purposes only and will be available only for a limited period of time. Please support the music makers; without them, SYITP does not exist. Information wants to be free, but musicians gotta eat.

Welcome back! We can't wait to rock the fuck out with you.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 01.13.06 at 12:03 AM | Comments (1), TrackBack (0)

People, get ready!

I hope we don't get anyone in trouble for posting this scoop, but the news was too good not to share!

The schedule for the Polyvinyl/Kork Agency showcase at Emo's on Wednesday the 15th (I know where I'll be that night!):

(nb: a correction has has been made, looks like our source got things reversed. and remember, this schedule is very tentative and not at all official at this time)

Inside:
Saturday Looks Good To Me
Of Montreal
Serena Maneesh
Field Music
Voxtrot
Kiss Me Deadly

Outside:
...and You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead
Octopus Project
Aloha
The M's
Headlights
Owen

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 01.09.06 at 1:23 PM | Comments (2), TrackBack (1)