hooves on the turf

Motel Motel’s “Arvada”

darling don’t be shy with me
my days on earth are numbering
so hold me before my bones freeze
the angels see my body floating

Last week we went on a fabulous day trip with Motel Motel, and I can’t wait to post the amazing performances we shot with them, even though drummer Jeremy Duvall wasn’t around since he had to be at work. Obsessed with their song “Arvada” all day today (lyrics excerpt above), I re-read some of the positive things I’ve written about this band so far, and it feels like I’ve been too careful in not over-hyping them; as a result, I’ve been terribly underselling them. Truth is, I listened to their album New Denver on repeat on my flight to Austin and back, but what’s more, singer Eric Engel’s voice sounds absolutely divine in person.

Here’s the tune stuck in my head. For the full song, buy their album.

Download “Arvada (Sample Clip)“

Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead”

Download “Sleepyhead” | Passion Pit’s debut EP Chunk of Change only comes out on September 16 (on Frenchkiss records, nonetheless), but I’ve already blown my head to useless bits by over-listening to “Sleepyhead”. I know little about the cute guy in red shirt, but I’ll have learnt more when I see them as a five-piece during a Pianos residency on the 13th, 20th and 27th of August. And if you’ve ever been to the old market in Bahrain, the land of golden smiles, you’ll understand why it’s kind of exciting that band member Ayad Al Adhamy hails from that strange land, at least partly.

“Listen to tonight’s bands” will return tomorrow, maybe.

Princeton’s Bloomsbury EP

Download “The Waves” | The story of Princeton is enchanting: twins unite with childhood friend for a “musical partnership” after watching That Thing You Do (hells yeah), and years later reunite and play in London, where over the course of a year they are drawn towards influences that end up as fodder to their lovely EP titled Bloomsbury, which they write in their current hometown of Los Angeles. The lyrics of each of the four songs profiles one member of the Bloomsbury Group, and though the lyrics are often effortlessly dazzling (So Leonard Woolf don’t cry, your books will one day speak to me / And when they do we’ll run outside, and tell your wife…and tell your wife…), it’s really the musical sensitivities that shine through. The strong nonverbal voice of a storyteller is immediately apparent in the texture of each recording, and how carefully yet painlessly different parts swing from one tone to another.

The storytelling is akin to the skills Sufjan deployed in Michigan, though the effort here is intentionally less epic and seemingly un-orchestrated. The atmosphere of the music is very present, and at least in me it triggered a suburban image for some reason: gaping blue sky, quiet streets, and so on. 

Which Virgina Woolf book does this blog get its name from? You’re on your own on that one, but view the full post to find out why the band is named Princeton.

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Photos: Smile! It’s Herman Dune

Download “1 2 3 Apple Tree” | Herman Dune just wants to tell you pretty little stories, so it’s no surprise that singer David-Ivar Herman Dune often races himself, half-speaking, half-singing in an adorable accent; making the substitution of “said” or “thought” with the word “like” (as in, “I’m like, the sooner the better”) and other colloquial uses an absolute treat. The charm probably comes from a feeling that even though David refers to himself in the third person while quoting someone else talking to him in a song, the perspective of the storyteller/observer seems to be the reverse of Alice in Wonderland. He has broadened his view of the big beautiful world found in small marvels of stories to such an extent that he himself shrinks, and we don’t mind at all.

Continued after the jump

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