Selfish saturday

For those who care, I also produce my own music under the moniker Fodiator (after a species of flying fish) and lately I've been busy with the release of my debut album "No Reason". I'm not that good in selfpromoting and navel-gazing so it's gonna be a short post. Russian DIY and netlabel Southern City Lab offered me the chance to release my album via i-Tunes and all kind of distribution channels such as Spotify, Amazon etc...
Here you can listen to the full album
An for those who like to download the album for free click here, hope you enjoy! Nice thing about worldwide distribution is that you get unexpected reactions like this "April 25" anime video made by Scetchy Zeke: Or this muscle car video by Wheels: This is a fanvideo of a German tv-series: I hope to get more time in the future to keep this MØPKEMUZIEK blog more alive and let me know if you have any comments or music that you like to share with me.

Tinseling Thursday XVIII

Today it's up to Daniel Wilson to give us our dose of thursday tinsels
His latest EP "The boy who cried thunder" and especially the song "If You Went Away" feels like a warm bath to me and I was struck by his beautiful and "flexible like fresh chewing gum" voice. Even when he sings about cold heartbreaking things it still got a warm feeling. Here's "If you went away"

Daniel Wilson is from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and grew up on a diet of gospel, Christian music, musicals and ‘90s MTV :) But how about his live skills? How does he sound unmastered, unproduced? Well, here's some live footage of "The Boy Who Cried Thunder" The proof is in the pudding, here's a soundcloud link to the full EP, enjoy!

Tuesdays got talent XXI

Yes, we got a new talent and today it is Reindier

Reindier is the moniker of Reinier van Harten from Amsterdam. I just heard the song "Cold Love" on a local station and I love it! A nice strange electronic song with James Blake'ish qualities. His high pitched voice like a solo instrument weaving the bleeps and noises together. Here's some live footage to prove his qualities. Carlos Della-Fiore produces the tracks and joins REINDIER live on stage. Reindier is selected for Dutch showcase festival Popronde, let's hope this gives his career a nice boost! Here are some soundcloud links to his work, enjoy! And here's some Cold Love again :)

Tinseling Thursday XVII

Here are the tinsels from Norwegian band Einar Stray Orchestra

 Einar Stray, founder of the band is known from his colaboration with Moddi. His band just released their second album "Politricks",  combining symphonic music, folk and some indie pop/rock, with a kind of Sufjan Stevens sauce. Listen to their latest release and title song "Politricks"

They blew my socks off with this live version of "Pockets full of holes" also from the album Politricks Here's some older work from the EP For The Country, this song is caled Caressed. Let's end with a soundcloud link with some older work, enjoy...

Tinseling Thursday XVI

I'm in love! Now and then I'm overwhelmed by new music. This time Canterbury band Syd Arthur blew my mind. And although it's not thursday yet over here, I couldn't wait to post this one.

Syd Arthur are Liam Magill (guitar, vocals), Raven Bush (violin, keys), Fred Rother (drums), Joel Magill (bass).
It's their song Hometown Blues that made me go WOW.

I'm not going to compare them with other bands, there are traces of jazz, folk, prog rock and funk. The band themselves call what they do "psychedelic funk rock" and that's not strange because of Canterburies past music scene (Soft Machine, Caravan and Camel). Raven Bush (great name by the way) is a nephew and heir of Kate Bush, a Kent girl herself. Their latest album "Sound Mirror" is a beauty with hits like Hometown Blues or this song "Garden of Time" Here's some previous work, their album On and On And here's the radio edit of my favourite song Hometown Blues, enjoy!

Misty Monday XXIX

Hello again, here's some Misty Monday music trying to help you to start up the week and I know it's wednesday by now, sorry for that (something went wrong with my browser..but it seems to work again). But no worries, this music fits every day of the week. So this MM is brought to you by S. Carey

photo by Cameron Wittig

 S. Carey is the moniker of Bon Iver member Sean Carey. He just released his third solo album "Range of Light" on april '14. His easy going quiet songs with nice Beach Boy'esque harmonies could be compared with Fleet Foxes,  Iron&Wine or Sufjan Stevens. Listen for example to "Crown The Pines" the nice rhythm patterns reveal his percussionist background and that he listened a lot to Sufjan. b.t.w. I love the violin part of this song! :).
And here's the more quiet song Fire-scene" More tranquility with this one, enjoy "Alpenglow"

Warm Wednesday XXVIII

Today a short warm wednesday post but nevertheless a worthy one. I just heard this artist some days ago and I was flabbergasted. This wednesday is for Bachar Mar-Khalifé

Bachar is born in Beirut, Lebanon, and the son of musician Marcel Khalifé (who is actively committed to the Lebanese secular movement). He moved to Paris when he was 6 years old and graduated from the Conservatory of Paris. Bachar Mar-Khalife is a classically-trained pianist and percussionist. First let's listen to the track that blew my mind here's "Distance" from the 2010 album Oil Slick. Convinced? I was...the precious and intimate compositions of "Oil Slick" (made with his brother Rami by the way) released in 2010 make way on his second album for songs fueled by stage experience. This new album includes covers of Serge Gainsbourg sublimated by the voice of Kid A, of his father, Marcel, but also alternate versions of songs from his debut album as well as original compositions. Here you can see him perform the song "Mirror Moon" from the 2013 album: Who's gonna get the ball from behind the wall of the garden today? Here's the laidback single with Virginia producer/songwriter KID A, this song is called "Machins Choses" For those who like to hear the full album "Oil Slick", here it is: via Bachars' Bandcamp page, enjoy!

Tinseling Thursday XV

Let's bring up some veterans to tinsel up our thursday!
How about Eno • Hyde

Famous producers/musicians Brian (Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle)Eno and Karl Hyde (Underworld) will release a new collaborative album on may the 6th (5th in the UK)called "Someday World". Yesterday I heard the song Daddy's Car and I became very happy! Nice uptempo song, nice drums, nice baseline, nice vocals by Karl.... well let's hit it! I love it, it was the second song they shared with us after "The Satellites" which was also impressive but (like someone commented on the video), with very "cheesy horns" and I must admit. It sounds like they found a second hand 80's Roland Juno in the studio's cellar. But okay that's what I like, more cheesiness in todays music! The song was composed and sung by both Eno and Hyde. It features Eno's Roxy Music bandmate Andy Mackay, Eno's daughter Darla Eno, Sinead O'Connor producer John Reynolds, the record's co-producer Fred Gibson, and Georgia Gibson.

I always admired Brian Eno for his minimalistic music and the projects he did as a producer. Karl Hyde's last album Edgeland is also more moving towards that minimal approach so I thought this collaboration would be also very loungy/chilling/esoteric but wrong I was :) Here's Karl Hyde's song from that Edgeland album "The Night Slips Us Smiling Underneath It's Dress"

Tinseling Thursday XIV

Ready to unwrap our todays Boxed-In tinsels?

Boxed In is the chosen alias for the first solo venture from London based producer Oli Bayston and Oliver is no newbie. Being 7 year in Manchester-based band Keith, working as engineer and assistant to producer Dan Carey (Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, Bat For Lashes, Toy) and playing keyboards on Willy Mason's and Steve Mason's most recent LPs, he's earned his spurs. But even those experiences won't count if the music is sheit :) Luckily, that's not the case, listen for example to his latest song "No Joke" The quirky bass is played by Mark Nicholls, another fellow band member is Liam Hutton (drums). Here's "All Your Love is Gone" I love this acoustic piano version he played on Sofar London and we end with a soundcloud link to "Legacy", enjoy your todays tinsels!

Warm Wednesday XXVII

Let's welcome troubadour Nick Mulvey to warm up this wednesday.

I saw this London based singer-songwriter on a documentary about the SXSW festival.
He was dropping his hypnotic tunes and his briljant way of playing the acoustic guitar on the streets of Austin playing the song "Nitrous"...

wait a minute isn't that the 90's song "Youre not alone" by Olive, yes it certainly is, nice way of blending :). Nick studied music in Havana, Cuba. He played the Hang as a founder member of 2008 Mercury Prize nominated band Portico Quartet, until 2011 (when he got the hang of it), he left to pursue his career as a singer-songwriter. In this next song his guitar sounds a bit like a Hang, this is the song "Juramidam"... His debut album "First Mind" is going to be released on the 11th of may. On June 2013 he released the EP Fever to the Form. Here's a soundcloud link to this EP And let's end with his latest song "Meet me There" have a nice warm wednesday!

Tinseling Thursday XIII

Hello again, a bit late for a Tinseling Thursday because it's friday right now but who cares...it's the music that counts. Todays tinsels are brought by Dan Croll

Daniel Francis Croll is a British singer-songwriter born in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He moved to Liverpool when he was 18 to attend the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). While at LIPA, he won the national Songwriter of the Year award from the Musicians Benevolent Fund and was one of eight students picked to have a one-to-one with LIPA founder Sir Paul McCartney. He is currently signed to Turn First Records. I heard his song "From Nowhere" on the radio and I was sold. The cheap organsound, the dropping guitarnote and his voice. Let's take a listen to this song (already released in september 2012 by the way) Looking a bit like 1930's actor Harold Lloyd or a well-behaved honourable student, his music is up-to-date, and original. I hear some catchy rhythms, nice dreamy choirs and light-hearted keys and his music's got an african twist sometimes. A remix of the song From Nowhere (Baardsen remix)is featured om the soundtrack of GTA V. Here's the song "Compliment Your Soul" that was featured on FIFA 1... Dan is a definitely a gameboy Here a soundcloud link to his latest song "Home" en we end this post with "In/Out". His album "Sweet Disarray" is released march 10th by Deram records, enjoy! Home by dancrollmusic In/Out by dancrollmusic

Misty Monday XXVIII

Today it's up to Arve Henriksen to lead us through Blue Monday

Arve Henriksen is a Norwegian trumpet player, renowned for his distinctive, flute-like sound on the trumpet, inspired by the sound of the Japanese shakuhachi flute. He also sings; his unique wordless vocalising was central to Chiaroscuro, where he often sings in a soprano's range. The control over his head voice is such that in "Opening Image" he could quite easily be mistaken for a woman. Arve recently made the album called "Places Of Worship". On this album he inhabits the space between these two worlds, in a series of tone poems and mood pieces located around religious buildings and ruins. Here's the song Lament Nice misty monday music isn't it? Arve made this album assisted by producers Jan Bang and Erik Honoré, Honoré who is also singing (very capably, and oddly for a Norwegian, in what appears to be an Irish accent) on the final track, “Shelter From the Storm”. And we end with the song Saraswati (the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts and science) have a nice blue monday!

Misty Monday XXVII

There's a way to handle the fact that the weekend is gone...

  Gem Club

photo: Tonje Thilesen

Dreamy pianochords mixed with the voice of Christopher Barnes for example. Boston based band Gem club is releasing a new album January 2014. Something to look forward to, after their very nice debut album, Breakers. Even more now since they released the first song "Hypericum". For those who didn't catch their earlier album Breakers, here's for example the song 252
And this was the title track "Breakers". Have a nice monday.

Misty Monday XXVI

It's misty monday time and let's start the week with a bit stardust brought to you by Chantal Acda

Chantal Acda has worked under the Sleepindog moniker since 2006 making three affectionately received albums. At the same time, she was a constant on-stage presence with Isbells. Now she's made a solo album together with Nils Frahm (who also produced the album), Peter Broderick (Efterklang), Cellist Gyda Valtysdottir and Shahzad Ismaily. The album is called "Let your hands be my guide" and it's due to release on 11 november. Here's the first song from this album called "Jason" I love it and i'm very excited to the rest of the 9 track album. Her aim was to find some kindred spirits with whom she might record an album filled with freedom and intensity, and who were conscious of the patterns we so often fall back on. It sounds she succeeded. Chantal Acda also recorded some songs with Craig Ward (dEUS, Zita Swoon) under the name True Bypass. A very nice collaboration with some beautiful songs as a result like "You Knew" And here's some older work from Isbells it's the song "Reunite"

Tinseling Thursday XII

Today we have the nice voices of Lucius giving us the Thursday tinsels.

Lucius is a indie pop band from Brooklyn, New York consisting of Jess Wolfe, Holly Laessig, Dan Molad, Peter Lalish and Andrew Burri. The tandem singing of frontwomen Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig is a bit confusing because sometimes is sounds like one voice. “Sometimes we’ll be recording something and we’ll listen back, and we can’t remember who sings what,” Said Jess (or Holly) on the phone in a interview. They sound a bit like First Aid Kit or Secret Sisters but the music sounds more poppy. Let's take a look and have a listen to their latest release from the upcoming album "Wildewoman". Here's "Tempest". Here's an older song called "Don't Just Sit There" This song triggered NPR Tiny Desk Session creator Bob Boilen to ask them for a session, here's the result: Set List "Go Home" "Don't Just Sit There" "Turn It Around" "Genevieve" Very impressive live skills, I love the twofoldness. We end with another song from the upcoming album Wildewoman (Mom+Pop music), this song is called "Hey Doreen" the album is coming out on october 15.

Warm Wednesday XXVI

Superband Tired Pony has made a new album called "The Ghost Of The Mountain"

first track they are releasing is "All Things at Once". Originally Tired Pony was formed by Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) with the long term ambition of making a country album. I think their ambition is a bit fading away because for me this is no country, but that's my humble opinion. Anyway R&B isn't R&B anymore and I see some artists on North Sea Jazz that I can't call Jazz musicians...many music nowadays is crossing-over so let's not pigeonholing, call it country/singer-songwriter/guitarmusic/soft/rock call it what you want, it's just beautiful music and warm wednesday worthy. Nice isn't it? Here's the title track "Ghost of the Mountain"
 I love this song "Carve Our Names"
 In the US the album is coming out on the 1st of october...so enjoy møpkemuziek until then :) here's

"The Creak In The Floorboards"
 

Misty Monday XXV

Let's start the week a bit easy with RY X

L.A. based Australian musician Ry-X (Ry Cuming) is about to release his beautiful debut EP called Berlin on Stockholm based record label Dumont Dumont, the 28th of August. The title track "Berlin" is a perfect song for those who want a clean and a quiet start of the week, nice fragile angelic harmonic voices and dreamy chords. It's a bit in the same league as Bon Iver or Antlers. The follow up "Vampires" is also a beauty and a bit more eerie and dynamic. RY X has just spent the summer in Berlin while touring with Frank Wiedemann (Âme)for their mutual project The Howling.

Tinseling Thursday XII

Todays dose of tinsels are brought to you by
                            Half Moon Run

 

Half Moon Run are a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal exisiting of Devon Portielje, Conner Molander, Dylan Phillips and Isaac Symonds. They are supporting Of Monsters and Men on their North American Tour and this year they released their debut album  Dark Eyes and it's a beauty! The first track on the album is Full Circle

Nice harmonics and I love the staccato voices layered upon eachother. Another great song on this album is "She wants to know" with a more dark feeling... it could be a Villagers song, here you can see them performing it live at SXSW. Like it? I do, and for those who like it too here's the full album "Dark Eyes" enjoy...

Warm Wednesday XXV

How to get a song a little warmer? Just lower the pitch! Someone took Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and played it on 33 rpm instead of 45 rpm. I think it sounds great, it could be a hot indyband with a smooth singer with a golden voice, even the choirs still sound great....
The other way around is also possible, here's Bruce Springsteens I'm on Fire's album version played on 45 rpm, sounds like Dolly Parton :) For the generation who doesn't get this oldschool terms like RPM and don't know the smell of vinyl... click here

Here are the original versions

Tuesdays got talent XX

Todays talent Soldier's Heart has only one own song to offer but better one good song than a lot of crap!

Soldier's heart is a four headed Belgian band existing of Sylvie Kreusch, Laurens Mariën, Jasper Segers en Benjamin Cools. Their song "African Fire" is stucked in my head for weeks (thanks to the radiostations in Belgium playing it almost daily) Recently they won a national contest (Nieuwe Lichting) for young talented bands. I love the dreamy voice of Sylvie and the spherical sounds in this song. I'm curious to the next stage this band is taking. For now here's their version of Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen.