Tag Archive for "singer" - The Fox Is Black

Swedish Fish | A Kitsune Noir Mixtape

Swedish Fish | A Kitsune Noir Mixtape
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Good morning everyone, I hope everyone had a great weekend. I figured I would start the week with a mixtape I created called Swedish Fish. Since this weekend is Thanksgiving here in the States I thought it would be nice for you all to have something to listen to on your car rides, plane trips, or train adventures!

The mixtape was made a few months ago for someone I cared for a lot, and was inspired by female, Swedish singers. Now, not everyone on the mix is a lady, nor are they all Swedish, but that’s the overall vibe of it. My absolute favorite song on the mix is the Murmaids’ Popsicles and Icicles, a song I listened to when I was about 10 years old, but for some reason suddenly remembered as a 26 year old.

01 Skinny Dip by The Polyphonic Spree
02 Blueberry Tree Part 1 by Husky Rescue
03 Little Bit by Lykke Li
04 Popsicles and Icicles by The Murmaids
05 Inner Island (The Hood Internet Remix) By El Perro Del Mar
06 Tension by Architecture in Helsinki
07 Do Not Be Afraid by Mount Eerie
08 Avril 14th by Aphex Twin
09 Beauty Mark by Charlotte Gainsbourg
10 Apple Orchard by The Antlers
11 Norlands Riviera by Peter Bjorn and John
12 From Stardust to Sentience by High Places

I hope you all enjoy the mix!

Bobby

Text by

Bobby Solomon

November 24, 2008 - See more posts by Bobby

Patrick Wolf at The Troubadour

Last night Graham and I headed out to The Troubadour to see Patrick Wolf, who is most definitely not quitting any time soon. In fact he even discussed his next record, which has been written, but it hasn’t been recorded yet.

Anyway, he played an amazing show. He played several songs off his newest album, and a surprising amount off of Lyncathropy, his first album. Overall he’s an amazing musician and performer… singing, playing piano and viola, dancing, just having a great time. The energy he puts out is amazing.

My favorite part of the night was when he played ‘The Stars’. He said that the song was based upon losing a generation of your family, like your grandparents or your parents. And instead of going to a cold gravestone, maybe you can look up at the stars and feel close to them. Honestly, this got me totally emotional, and made me think of my Mom and my Grandma and Jeff. It made me want to be really close to all of them at that moment. But it got even better, when he finished “The Stars’, he started playing ‘Moon River’ by Henry Mancini, one of the most beautiful songs ever written, in my humble opinion.

If you have a chance to see him live, I totally suggest you do so. He’s an amazing performer and will not disappoint you.

Bobby

Text by

Bobby Solomon

May 17, 2007 - See more posts by Bobby

Travis / The Boy with No Name

I’ve loved Travis since basically forever. I was that sensitive kid in high school wondering “why does it always rain on me?” and cutting my hair into a faux hawk because Fran Healy, the lead singer of Travis, had it that way. I want to interject here, that Fran Healy totally, and completely started the faux hawk. He was rocking it WAY before everyone, and I copied him way before it was the cool thing to do… we’re talking 10 years ago.

Anywho, The Boy with No Name is an excellent album so far. It’s a return to form for the band, after their last album, 12 Memories. This new album seems much happier again, moving away from the dark political feel of the last one. It might be partially because Nigel Godrich came back to produce for them again, injecting his bit of genius into the mix. I’ve only listened to it about 3 times through… but so far, so good.

Bobby

P.S. I read this on Wikipedia and thought it was really rad.
“When Travis took the stage to perform [Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"] at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, after being dry for several hours, it began to rain as soon as the first line was sung.”

I wish I would have been there for that, I’m sure it was such an incredible experience.

Text by

Bobby Solomon

April 25, 2007 - See more posts by Bobby

Rufus Wainwright / Release the Stars

For the past two days I’ve basically listened to Rufus Wainwright’s new album, Release The Stars, and nothing else. I’m pretty sure, after listening to the album about 20 times, that it’s my favorite Rufus Wainwright album. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s 33, or that he’s survived a drug addiction, but something feels different about this album. It feels more fleshed out, more mature.

But the album is still full of Rufus-isms, singing about love, devotion, sex, and fame. The tracks are also very worldly, ranging from German parks and palaces (Tiergarten & Sanssouci, most likely influenced by his boyfriend Jorn Weisbrodt), to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Paris.
I think my two favorite songs are, ‘Nobody’s Off the Hook’ and ‘Release the Stars’. ‘Nobody’s Off the Hook’ reminds me of Jeff, and makes me smile every time I hear it. I know I’ve listened to it more than any of the others. ‘Release the Stars’, the title track, is the album ender. It’s an amazing song about Hollywood and the stars who live here. What makes it so great is the tremendous build up, with piano and organs wailing, horns blaring and strings rising and falling, and soul singers harmonizing with and bolstering Rufus’ hypnotic voice.

Release The Stars comes out May 15th on Geffen Records.

Bobby

Text by

Bobby Solomon

April 21, 2007 - See more posts by Bobby