For Against

Nebraska?! Holy crap, this is good.

The perfect marriage between Joy Division, Comsat Angels, Cocteau Twins, Cure, The Sound and especially Porcupine Echo & The Bunnymen.

- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover

December 29, 2004 | Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment 

The Snowman

“One winter morning a little boy named James wakes up to find that everything outside has turned snow-white. Overjoyed, James rushes downstairs and into the garden, where he begins to build a snowman. James sleeps fitfully, and at midnight he wakes up and decides to check on his snowman. He opens the back door… he can’t believe his eyes… The snowman has come to life! James finds himself face to face with a smiling snowman, who with a polite doff of his hat introduces himself and marks the beginning of magical friendship and marvelous adventure.”

I was introduced to The Snowman sometime last winter. My friend had a video of the wonderful animated film of the same name, which is based on the children’s book by Raymond Briggs.

Though I have not yet read the book, the film is great in its own right. Drawn with colored pencils and featuring a highly effective rotoscoping technique for its beautiful flying scene, the movie contains no dialog. Save for a short introductory narration by David Bowie, the entire film is set to music. It’s an enchanting story and has quickly become a personal Christmas-time favorite.

Here, as a modest gift to anyone who may be reading this Christmas Eve, I present to you an excerpt of the film’s soundtrack, composed by Howard Blake, recorded from the original vinyl record. This is more or less the theme to the movie, a song entitled “Walking In the Air,” which plays during the aforementioned flying sequence. Hope you enjoy it. Best wishes to you and yours.

Download “Walking In the Air”

December 24, 2004 | Filed Under Film, Music | Leave a Comment 

Sleep Will Come to Mess You Up

I can’t think of more appropriate music for this cold, rainy day than this. These nine songs of acoustic guitar and piano, gentle vocals, tinkly-winkly mallets, synth flourishes, and restrained percussion are freely downloadable (with cover art) from Icelandic musician Seabear’s website. Try “drunk song” and the title track as more energetic stand-outs or “i need a home for my hands and head” and “we like winter clothes” for smoky late-night listening.

The nine songs (8 + 1 “hidden” track) of the Singing Arc EP are hi-fi home recordings which should easily guarantee young Seabear a label deal (if he wants one). Not much like Björk, Múm, or Sigur Rós or any of the more visible musicians from Iceland I’ve yet heard. For fans of the slow burn. Let’s get floaty.

December 10, 2004 | Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment