Regina and Jack's Call Them Brothers.

I think I've blogged too many male musical acts, didn't I? and before all of you start accusing me of being biased in my choices of music, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!

It's really not because I don't prefer female independent acts, it's just that there aren't that many out there that suit the genre that I like! Is that a good enough explanation?

Anyway, for this edition of my Musick Monday post, I'll let you guys know about this beautiful rendition of "Call Them Brothers" a duet by a beautiful quirky singer, Regina Spektor and Jack Dishel (of the band Only Son). Although I intended to review Regina Spektor's song called Eet buuuuuuuuuut I stumbled upon this song (about 5 minutes ago...?) and bam! Knowing how fickle I am, I changed my choice of song and decided to review this duet song and share it with you guys!

First time hearing this song: It's good. As expected from Regina and whoever she made a duet with.
Second time hearing: God, this acapella-like song is good.
Third time hearing: It's official. This song is addictive!

I'm not gonna decipher the lyrics this time around and just focus on the music instead. Well, my take on this song is that, the vocals blended so well that it's almost absurd. Regina Spektor has a voice that is so unique that it's almost impossible to blend well with another voice. However, I was proven wrong. Indeed, her unique voice is her forte' but surprisingly, it sounded beautiful when paired with Jack's raw and husky vocal.

Enough babbling. I shall let you decide whether these two should make another duet or not.

 P.S: If you're interested in discovering more songs from Regina, I'd suggest you to listen to 'Eet', 'Samson' or 'Rowboat' for a more quirkier choice!

'Til then. Have a good Monday night folks!

Sondre Lerche's Two Way Monologue.

This time around, I've chosen an up-beat,slightly funky song from a talented Norweign singer, Sondre Lerche. Also the title of Sondre's recent album - Two Way Monologue - is definitely a song that will cheer your gloomy morning.

Sondre, whose good look is a bonus to his astonishing vocal, never fails to produce great sounding ballads, came up with this nicely composed tune that is so catchy that you'll find yourself humming to the chorus unconsciously! The guitar riffs in the chorus is the hallmark of the song, in my opinion. And the occasionally slower part at the bridge of the song is a brilliant addition to the fast-paced tune.

Lets move on to the video. Yes, the 70s quirky themed music video is something that is worth to discuss about. Personally, I think, the dual-Sondre incorporates with the whole intention of the song which is, well, the two way monologue between oneself.

All in all, this is a great song that is not to be missed. Your Monday night will never be gloomy again with Two Way Monologue (pun intended!)

The Black Skirts' International Love Song.

It's K-Indie time!

Oh yes, this is a segment that is designed for those who wanted to venture into the awesome Korean indie world.


Moving on to the next song I stumbled upon recently (about a day ago):

The Black Skirts' International Love Song. 

I was so blown away by the simplicity of this song the first time I heard it. Thisone man-band completely threw the stereoptype perception of Korean music industry.  He has produced quality songs that certainly have attracted music listeners from outside of Korea. And this particular one is dedicated to their international fans. One other starking element of this song is the usage of English in the entire song! Aren't we all (especially those who are into K-Pop *cough me cough*) tired of the cheesy and the mispronounced English wordsin most K-Pop songs? I know I am!

Sidenote: The singer, Bryan Cho, is a Korean-American. He returned to Korea after being in the America since he was twelve.


You know what would complement this song so beautifully? Rainy day. Imagine yourself sipping a cup of well roasted coffee in a cute coffee shop. What more could you ask for other than this song to accompany your lonely rainy night?

Its gloomy tune directly conveys the message and the main theme of this song. I could almost taste the loneliness that the singer feel. The longing of a company, the loved one.

So folks, erase those typical perceptions of Korean music acts. In fact, there are plenty of other good K-indie acts like Standing Egg and Nell. Hopefully I'll get to review their songs in the new future!

'Til then, enjoy the rest of the day with your favorite Indie tunes!

The Morning Benders' Excuses.

For the past years I have been missing out on a world that was pretty unknown to the rest of the population - the underground music world - and surprisingly, there are quite a number of them! Not only that, these indie bands produced songs that are fresh, original and whimsical, even. For the first ever post on my new music blog, I'll introduce you a band that was the main reason I got myself hooked up on indie music:   

THE MORNING BENDERS.

The Morning Benders would be one of the bands that, I strongly feel, deserves a recognition from the entire world population. Although The Morning Benders has build a decent fan base over the years, they are still pretty much unknown to other parts of the world (namely here in Malaysia). 

If you are new to The Morning Benders, I'd greatly suggest you to check out their album, Big Echo. In my opinion, it is, by far, the best album The Morning Benders has ever produced. The songs such as 'Wet Cement' and 'Promises' give the listeners an old-school sound that ironically made the songs. The usage of orchestral instruments in most of their songs complements the genre that the band is emphazing on. 

The song that impressed me the most is the song called, 'Excuses'. Reason being is that the song incorporated the beautiful melody of violin to accompany the soothing vocal of lead singer, Chris Chu. Other elements like the harmony and usage of timbre' in the song are equall haunting. 

 

Below is the live version of the song from a Yours Truly Session
and 

you can make your own judgement after that :