Carina Round has been one my favourite discoveries of 2010 and this is the fantastic video to January Heart, one of the first songs of hers I heard. I hope you enjoy!
Archive for May, 2010
Video Vault: Carina Round
HPM Goes to See… Tori Amos
Apologies for a few days of hushness but that’ll soon be sorted 
However after being devasted to not get to see Utada earlier this year, I’ve grabbed tickets to see Tori Amos on 18/07/10 in London. We’ll have a nice juicy review afterwards but here’s a reminder of Tori’s live prowess!
Whispers of the Plains ~ Aubrey Ashburn
Aubrey Ashburn is a lady millons of gamers will have heard but not always have been aware of the fact. Aubrey is a prolific theme song vocalist and co-writer of many games such as Dragons Age, Lost Planet and Devil May Cry 4 to name but a few. We were able to chat to Aubrey about how she got involved with game music and also about her own solo projects too…
Aubrey, congratulations on all of your recent projects and successes with your music lately. Let’s start with the obvious one first How did you get into songwriting/performing for game music themes and what attracted you to the genre as a whole?
Thank you. I was first introduced to the modern game world when Soundelux, an audio post-production company in Hollywood, hired me in 2005. I was brought into the game division to represent the creative team, including their in-house composers. Even though I was positioned as a representative, I quickly made it known that I was actually a singer/songwriter simply posing as a corporate left-brain. Working so closely with sound designers, composers and voice over talent opened my eyes to the real craftsmanship behind modern gaming content and I managed to coerce composer Jamie Christopherson, to hire me on EA’s soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth II, my first official appearance in games. It was later nominated for Best Original Choral Vocal at the 2007 G.A.N.G Awards.
You’re classically trained as a vocalist which gives you such a massive range of musical soundscapes you can add to. Do you have any particular favourite pieces or types of music you like to perform?
Yes, I thoroughly enjoy having a broad palette to work with and it certainly keeps things interesting. In games, I’m able to experiment with sounds, especially because so much of what I do is not in any particular language. Recently I had the opportunity to record some unusual material for a game, emulating Bulgarian voices. I get the most out of these moments, when afterwards I say to myself…”I didn’t know I could make that sound.”
In response to your second question, I love show tunes! My personality is well matched with this style of singing – brassy and comedic.
With Dragon Age: Origins, you co-wrote and performed several songs. How did that project come about and how was the experience?
Well, I’ve known Inon Zur since my days at Soundelux. He has a reputation of being one of the busiest composers in games and once I left the company, I met with him to share my material and ask him to hire me. It was a while before he called and when he did, he told me to write some Gaelic or Elvin lyrics for a theme he was pitching. The recording itself was a wonderful experience, although I’d never worked with him before and I was quite intimidated; I was able to perform the opening theme in one emotionally rich take. Phew! At the time, I didn’t truly know what was at stake and I’m glad I didn’t. Simon Pressey was the audio director for Dragon Age at the time, a wildly successful and versed music industry producer/engineer (no pressure) and Dragon Age had been in the works for over four years by the time I recorded the demo. Fortunately, it helped Inon win the contract and made a splash all the way to ship day! Our subsequent collaborations on the soundtrack evolved from there and by the time BioWare was looking for an end title track, I begged Inon to see if we could give it a shot. Otherwise, they had wanted a big name artist to write something to help hype the game. We delivered a pop ballad version of “I Am The One,” which I originally wrote in English, hence the English title, but Simon and his team decided they wanted to maintain Elvin as the primary language throughout. So I re-wrote the lyrics and put a Celtic spin on the melody while Inon re-orchestrated the track, and voila! It stuck.
Dragon Age: Origins’ soundtrack, and in particular the ethereal beauty “I Am The One” has been nominated and won several awards. How do you feel about that, and the recognition your work is now being given?
It’s fantastic and uplifting. The success of Dragon Age has given me the industry visibility I’ve been hoping for, for a very long time. It’s quite validating. I’m especially honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Inon, seeing as how he’s somewhat of an untouchable megastar in the world of games. He gave me this chance and I’m proud I could deliver.
In many of the songs you’ve performed, you’re not recording in English and sometimes it seems in Idioglossia. How does that effect your vocal delivery. Does it give you more freedom to express yourself and give your own emotional delivery and impact?
You’re right. Although the songs in Dragon Age are technically written in Elvin, there are moments where singability was an issue so I/we modified the necessary phrase or word. The opening theme however, is a culmination of Gaelic, Latin and Elvin. Believe it or not, there is a serious Elvin speaking public out there that’s always paying attention and I’ve since learned that this language created by J.R.R. Tolkien, is also taught at Oxford University. On other games however, I’ve sung my fair share of vowel-based melodies and I’ve come to prefer singing outside the sphere of recognizable language. I’ve come up with my own explanation as to why I can emotionally connect more easily within an idiosyncratic text: I’m extremely word driven and it’s hard for the analytical part of my mind to disengage, to allow the right-brain to lead in the feeling of the performance, but with non-verbal phrases my creative emotional self can appear.
You got to perform in Sydney with the Eminence Orchestra. That must have been incredible to perform live with an orchestra!
Yes, a live orchestra is the best support group out there for singers J It was a thrilling experience and it goes to show you that as energetic beings, we can create such power when aligned along a common point of focus. Rehearsals were frantic and not so assuring at times, but by the time the lights went up, everything fell into place nicely. Hiroaki Yura pulled off a fantastic concert as the manager and lead violinist of the Eminence Orchestra. I was honored to play a part.
You’ve also been busy with Alice in Wonderland which is only just being released. Tell us about that project.
Alice In Wonderland was a great project to be associated with because I’ve always loved the classic tale and Disney really went all out to re-create it. I can barely get the words out of my mouth when telling people that I sang on Alice In Wonderland.. “the game,” before they say “THE MOVIE?”. Richard Jacques was the composer on the project and Inon had introduced me to him in fact, at last year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Richard was really impressed with the work I did on Dragon Age and although he is based in London and I’m in LA, he simply hired a local engineer (John Rodd) to record me. Richard wanted a spooky smooth sound that would bring the Danny Elfman-esque theme to life. We communicated via Skype for feedback and direction. Once I recorded the main melody, we sent it over to Richard via digital delivery so that he could listen back and sign off, and we could move on. It went really well and I think that was officially my first time working in that manner.
You also don’t just perform for soundtracks, but also have your own solo work too. “Sleeping Virtue” is completely different to most of your game music compositions as its contemporary pop/rock hybrid. How did your first solo album come about and hows your second album coming along?
A: Sleeping Virtue was written over a four-year period and that’s why its such an eclectic mix of songs, that, and my influences are widespread. They include Sarah McLachlan, Sade, Sting, Alanis Moressette and Michael Franks to name a few. Each song that made it to print came about in a unique way, whether at the piano, or the guitar or from a lyric. It was mainly a developmental record intended to be a calling card for record labels, however, it was dwarfed by the impact of 9/11 and the down turn of the music industry. My producer and co-writer, Jerry Merrill, and I had no choice but to release it independently under his start-up label Gaston Records in 2003. That was about the time when more and more indie artists were using online tools to self-promote and sell their music and the idea of needing a label to get their material to fans, was a fading reality. Songs from the record have been selling steadily for the last couple years, since my recent success in games.
With regard to album #2, I have a handful of songs written and recorded and I hope to claim more time for writing as soon as I am able. I’m also on the hunt for a producer/co-writer at the moment.
What’s next in the line for Aubrey Ashburn that you can tell us about?
Well, I’m happy to announce I’m officially represented by The Max Steiner Agency as of March of this year! Other than the work I did for the DLC iterations for Dragon Age which have recently released, I’m currently working on several major projects to be announced. I feel certain that fans will be happy to hear what’s in store for the next 1-2 years.
We wish Aubrey massive success with her fantastic voice and songwriting ability.
Unto Ashes – “The Blood of My Lady” Review
Unto Ashes’ 5th album The Blood of My Lady see’s the ever changing band continue down their ancient folksy apocalyptic music that they do so well. “The Blood of My Lady Pt 1″ is an acoustic guitar/vocal opener that is quite simplistic, as most of Unto Ashes’ songs are. The opener is quite emotional and wistful with Laird’s male vocal sounding as soft and fabled as ever. It sets the tone well for the rest of the album.
“Who Has Seen the Wind?” sounds very 1970′s psychadelic folk with its free flowing folk guitar and Celtic medieval undertones while a chorus of hushed low key vocals morbidly march on like a funeral train. It’s a great track full of little twists and turns. “Echos in Den Wald” is more Celtic tribal crossed with a sea shanty! The uptempo percussion and various wind instruments make you feel like you’re about to go into a Scottish dance, while the vocals sound like they’ve come from a derranged Disney “everyone works together” musical number (every Disney film has one) that’s gone a bit demonic. The result is something really quite original and takes a few listens to truely appreciate! That seemlessly leads into “The Tomb of Your Remains” which is a heartfelt string instrumental.
“Vengenace” is an acoustic guitar led jaunt with various little embellishments and some great vocal harmonisations. It’s with campfire type songs like this Unto Ashes really shine as they all work so well in pitch together with husky male and siren like female vocals colliding over various acoustic instruments. “I Will Lead You Down” takes a much more sinister tone with strained strings stirring behind the guitars and vocals. What sets Unto Ashes apart from most folk groups is that they really go down the darker depths of neo-folk compared to most other groups, almost verging on gothic folk. The glass sounds in this song gives it a real etheral edge too.
“Our Palace of Ice” is a short ambient keyboard piece that leads into the second half of the album which kicks off with “A Cold Winter (February)” which is like listening to an audio book. As a poem is spoken in relative monotone (although the speech speed varies for emphasis) a simple but effective guitar loop flows underneath. It actually works very well and doesn’t come across pretentious in the least. When the words stop, the rain starts and its a nice touch. “For All My Broken Promises” once again see’s Laird take control of the vocals and music with a beautiful track. With two acoustic gutiars, strings and keyboards all working to weave a complex structure, it’s one of my favourites from the album.
“The River and the Hawk” mixes some brass into the musical palette as the verses are sung and chorus spoken. This trakc comes across like someone is reading from an ancient text. “Fly on the Windscreen” is more uptempo but also gave me a giggle the first time I listened to the song. “Death is everywhere, fly’s are on windscreen” as the opening lyric just set me off. However it did very quickly become my favourite song from the album. It has a good progression and passion behind it and is one of the few songs on the album that isn’t a complete lament as it has a get up and go. “The Blood of My Lady Part 2″ is another more sombre guitar led track before the final “She is Everywhere and Nowhere” rounds off the album with piano piece that is both foreboding and broken at the same time.
Unto Ashes’ albums are usually quite a varied concoction and this latest album is actually the least diverse of them and because of that it’s almost better to listen to it as a whole as it evokes a general feeling rather than having stand-out single style tracks. It’s much less immediate than their previous works and more introspective. Give it time, and The Blood of My Lady will taste like a good fine wine.
Whispers of the Plains ~ Isaboe
Two great artist interviews in the same day! Another fabulous peep whom deserves much success, welcome to the world of Isaboe…
How long have you been playing and what was your first instrument?
I’ve playing quite a long time. My very first instrument was piano when I was in primary school, but that was more enforced than a choice…not that I didn’t like it. But it was basically me doing it because mum wanted us kids to have the opportunity to explore any hidden creative impulses. At that age, which was about 5 years old, learning an instrument wasn’t really on my agenda. I was more of a bookworm then, and into playing cricket and kicking a football around with Dad. I was very coordinated and lithe, so I was good at most sports. Actually, maybe the first instrument was recorder. I went to a catholic primary school and I remember getting recorder lessons from the nuns. I also remember dad teaching me paradiddles on his drumkit when I could barely hold the sticks, so maybe that was the first. But I didn’t start playing drums seriously until I was about 14, which I guess was the first instrument I chose at free will to learn. I also started learning guitar on my sister’s classical about the same time.
What are your main musical influences?
It’s really hard to say because I’ve had such eclectic taste over the years…Crowded House, The Police, some euro-pop bands like Double and Alphaville. I remember loving The Dream Academy in school. Lots of influences from an older sibling and her partner. In recent years, I’ve been into chillout acts like Thievery Corp, Dzihan and Kamien, lots of artists on compilation albums like the Café del Mar collection. I must be mellowing as I get older. Mind you, I don’t mind a burst of something like Tatu every now and then. I love the production of their albums. Years ago I was into the Aussie rock band, ‘Baby Animals’. They are seriously one of the best rock bands I’ve ever heard. The singer, Suze DiMarchi, went solo for a while and did a fantastic album called ‘Telelove’. These days I prefer to listen to music which has a positive vibe. I love that song by Gary Go, ‘Wonderful’. That came into my life at the most perfect moment when I needed to hear it.
I guess certain albums have been more influential than artists per se. ‘Listen without Prejudice’ by George Michael and ‘Sing When You’re Winning’ by Robbie Williams comes to mind. I just saw George Michael in February, which was a long standing dream come true. It was like being at a fabulous dance party. I was on a high for a few days after that. George is in such extraordinary form. His voice is just superb, probably the best in contemporary pop. He seems to be able to access and express a gamut of emotions so deeply and honestly. And I came out of the concert being inspired to write pop songs again, which I haven’t done for quite a while, and to a significant degree. I think writing a great pop song is harder than writing a great rock song. I do love pop. But then I’ve loved all sorts of music…jazz, electronica, trance, soft rock, chill out, hard rock, ska, hip hop. Plus lots of world music. Just giving a few names you might know makes it sounds so two dimensional. There are just way too many influential artists for me to list.
What’s the song you’re most proud of writing?
I was asked this question a few weeks ago, and I said I was probably most proud of ‘Golden Year’ because it was the first song I produced to radio ready level. It was a quite a while in the making compared to the other songs, even just the writing of the verses. It comes out sounding so simple, but getting to that point in a way that conveys the essence of the song clearly is not always easy.
However, at the risk of sounding like a cliché, like most writers, I can’t really pin it down to just one song. Also, because I arrange and produce too, as well as play most of the instruments, I see the songs in a larger context than just the writing. Putting the album ‘Love Sun’ together was a steep learning curve because I was producing to a radio ready level for the first time. So I’m proud of the album as a whole, even though the perfectionist in me still hears things I want to change. Also, time constraints caused a few things to go along a different path to what I would do now, but overall I think it’s a great album within a particular ‘sub-genre’ of pop/soft rock, if I can boldly say. I have some ideas for a couple of the songs, of re-producing them in a different style, or re-mixing them, however you want to describe it. One song because I think it would work better in a different musical context, the other because it would sound just as good rocked up. Actually, there’s a third song I wouldn’t mind redoing…ya know, I think I need to get on with the second album otherwise I’ll be re-doing ‘Love Sun’ forever.
Your music is so silky smooth but with such a depth to it too. How do you go about getting such a fine balance between the two?
Wow, that’s a very nice compliment, thank you! As to the answer, I have to ask, can depth not be silky smooth? I’m laughing as I say this because that does sound kinda funny. But I guess I just write about what’s in my head and heart, and then find the sounds that work with that. Granted, I was limited to the sounds I had at the time. I’m not sure if I will stay with those sounds for the next album. Perhaps as an overall ‘sound’ I will, but I’d like to use different synth effects, different guitars, that kind of thing, upon that “silk smooth” ocean of sound.
Love Sun is a fantastic album. Tell us about the themes that run through the songs and the album as a whole.
Well, from the album title you can tell it’s about love. The concept of the Love Sun came about from me contemplating the light within us. That internal sun, so to speak, that is the Source energy shining through us. We are transceivers of love. We receive it, and that can come from all sources including the ultimate Source that made the whole of creation, and then we shine it back out to the world, or back to the Source, however you might be inclined. Without love, life is pretty meaningless. And of course, happiness is intrinsically tied to love. So you could say, without happiness, life is meaningless. So the theme revolves around love and a mindfulness, or a sense of gratitude to, the source of love … love for others, love for the planet, because to state the obvious, without earth we just don’t exist. So if we don’t take care of the planet, then it may well take care of us in some freak-of-nature way or another. So nothing new, just love. Well, maybe new contexts, like out of body melding with a lover, but, ya know, still love. Heh.
What’s next for Isaboe?
A second album, although I’d also like to do a second single and video before I release another album. I’ve also got an electronica project on the go.
HPM wishes Isaboe all the best and hopefully we will have some more stuff to make her laugh later!
Whispers of the Plains ~ Peter Comes From Neverland
Between his shows on his US Tour, we’ve been able to pin down Peter Comes From Neverland to ask him a few questions. Extra nice guy, he’s what he had to say..
How long have you been playing and what was your first instrument?
My first instrument was piano. I started that when I was 5, but being young, I found it a bit of a chore to practice. I picked up the guitar when I was 12, and that’s when it all clicked musically. I’ve been playing guitar for 10 years now, and ironically I really want to pick up where I left off with the piano.
What are your main musical influences?
I was thinking about this last night. I grew up in the Australian countryside, so I wasn’t exposed to any bands of the 80s or 90s until I was about 16. When I was growing up I heard a lot of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet, Willie Nelson, people like that. When I heard Elvis, and then the Beatles on a TV program I flipped out. These guys just blew my mind, and I became obsessed with both acts for ages. After that it was Hendrix, Zeppelin, then I finally started digging some newer stuff. I love the Smashing Pumpkins, John Frusciante, Meshell Ndegeocello, Radiohead. All massive influences. I’m still hesitant to embrace new music, largely I think because of my assimilation with ‘old’ bands.
Who do people say you sound like?
Smashing Pumpkins, Hendrix, Radiohead, John Frusciante.
What’s the song you’re most proud of writing?
There’s a few songs that I haven’t released thus far that I’m really proud of. 4 of them will be on my next EP.
What inspired you to get your great one man chorus sounds that you use in your EP?
The last EP is made up of 2 songs that I recorded with my last band (Trigger and Balloons). This band fell apart after we did our debut record, and these were two of the songs that I felt most close to, as they had been written in the last year or so. The other 2 songs (Airplane and Absorb) are newer songs that I wrote after that band ended, and I took a few months off work to decompress. There’s an urgentness to the last EP that reflects my mood at that time. I was anxious not to have wasted the last year with a record that was just sitting around in my garage, doing nothing. In the end I was really happy with how the songs turned out, but my best work is yet to come.
Your songs and your personal life are intertwined in a way. You’ve been through and conquered a battle with Anorexia. Did songwriting become a release or an escape from everything?
For me, trying to write music while I was sick was very difficult. Instead of writing I became obsessed with practicing scales on the guitar..perfecting technique that at the time I thought would benefit my songwriting. It was probably my most unproductive time musically, as I ended up doing damage to my hand, which just added to my frustration. On a more positive note though, music was there for me once I came out the other end. Having anorexia made me feel like I have an obligation to constantly be ‘working’. These days that obligation manifests itself in music. I feel fortunate that I have something as rewarding as music to pour myself into, instead of a degenerative illness.
Do you have any words of advice or thoughts/feelings to share with people who are battling with Anorexia at the moment?
This is something I’ve thought about before, and having met people who were sick after my condition improved, I found myself reacting to them in the same way that other people reacted to me when I was sick. This is usually a reaction of shock, which can come across as disdain to someone on the receiving end. It is an extremely personal battle, but the only way I got better was to open up to those close to me about my problem. I was fortunate to have two extremely supportive friends who let me be the way I wanted to be, but at the same time encouraged me to regain the confidence to get over it.
What do you tend to do to relax if your not playing music?
I enjoy seeing friends. When I’m not playing music I spend a lot of time with my girlfriend also, which is great. I’m at a stage where I’m trying to make everything I do contribute to the music I make in some way. I’ve got heaps to learn about music and myself as a musician, so I’m most relaxed when I can get to the end of the day and feel satisfied that I’ve improved.
Are you working on any music right now?
Yes. I’m touring the US but have had a few weeks off to write while I’m here in LA. I’ve written 3 of the 4 songs that’ll be on my next EP here, which is great. With this EP i’m going to try to have more of an artistic flow to it. I think writing the songs within days of each other is something that’s going to be fun to catalogue. The new EP is called ‘The Escapist’.
We wish Peter all the best with his new EP!
Amplitude PS2 Game Playthrough
Amplitude, the sequel to Frequency and the prelude to all things Rock Band/ Guitar Hero to now available to watch as a playthrough on medium difficulty over at our twin sister Higher Plain Games.
Peter Comes From Neverland – “Peter Comes From Neverland” EP Review
Last week we introduced you to Peter Comes From Neverland with his fantastic live performance (go see if you’ve not seen him in action, its great) and now we have our mits on his debut self titled EP. The four track CD gives us an insight into not just where Peter’s come from but where he is going too.
“Trigger” is a hook infested timeless rock track. The vocals that burst into chorus and have a certain production value to them remind me of T-Rex, where as the guitars are both deep and spangley all at the same time crossing the boarders of funky 70′s and introspective 90′s in one fell swoop. The result is something that is easy on the ear and if you let it in, taxing on the brain. It also demonstrates Peter’s versatile vocal range.
“Airplane” has a live quality to it and sounds very 1960′s vinyl in its production which is quite warm touch to what is a more whimsical song that is more acoustic although it has a shuffle to it. However just because its acoustically based, the song is actually very busy and really well constructed and rewards repeated listens to find new nuances you didn’t hear first time round.
“Absorb” is a more straightforward guitar/piano/vocal track with echoing piano embellishing an intimate little track. Again the song writing and production make it feel like a home concert for one and this little corner of solace is nice to bathe in.
The final track “Ballons” returns to the plugged sound of the opener but reminds me a bit of Stone Temple Pilots when they were in their Tiny Music… era. This song is real album closer as it starts out quite funky and then breaks free into a real headbanging finale as the tempo kicks up a notch and the electric guitar wails come thick and fast. It’s a really satisfying end to what is an all too brief glimpse at someone with massive potential.
Peter Comes From Neverland fuses all kinds of fantastic twists and turns into his sound that you don’t always pick up first time. From infectious riffs, wailing guitars, Peter’s amazing vocal abilities and the top notch production, this has been one of the most exciting new EP’s I’ve came across in the entire time I’ve ran HPM (that be 2 years then). Two thumbs and two big toes up!
Isaboe – “Love Sun” Review
Last week we introduced you to Isaboe, now we’d like to tell you all about her debut album “Love Sun” and the all kinds of fantastic it is. Slotting right into the pop rock with added layers of emotion and intrigue, Isaboe is perfect traffic driving music to let you forget where you are.
Opener “Brightest Love” puts you straight on the map with a relatively straight forward pop rock anthem that slows down for the chorus. It does give you clues to Isaboes penchant for more lesser heard organs and isntruments hiding behind the big gutiar/bass/drum trinity however and that combined with Isaboe’s melting vocals make you sit up and pay attention. “Calling To You” is more punchier and like a speeding highway with its underplayed distortion and the weaving for pianos, electric guitars and keyboards. This track stands out as a personal favourite from the album.
“Future World” is the other personal favourite! It leans much more heavily towards a symphonic not-so-very-easy listening track with its heavy melodic mood but positive worldy outlook. It stradles quite a few genres all at once (the closest I can think music wise in my circle of artists is Joy Askew but I suppose genre wise its chillout for the alternative thinking man) and the song writing and lyrics really stand out here. “Love Sun” follows the more chill-out route that Future World took but with more electronic embellishment over it and the organs and blips throughout the track give it a real upliftiing boost and the bridge riffs are nifty too.
“Golden Year” was the single for the album and it represents the more acoustic rock side of the album perfectly. The guitars and organs jangling away and the catchy choruses getting inserted nicely into the brain, it does a good job of showcasing Isaboe’s many talents. “Revelation” is a quiet anthem march for taking charge of our own actions. It’s something of a common theme in several of the songs but this is where Isaboe feels she can really tell everyone what she thinks of what we’re doing to ourselves in society and the world around us. It’s very interesting though that through what at times sounds like perfectly innocent music, the lyrics are so far from fluffy nothings its quite refreshing.
“Stellar Child” is another catchy acoustic rock song which is about as non-linear as the album gets with its collection on minor chords and marching drums and Isaboe not being afraid to go outside her restrained vocal delivery as the rest of the album has. “Home” sounds different in terms of production with its layered vocals and gentle ballad tempo. This track could easily find itself on very radio rotation and is both catchy and immediately gratifying. A perfect song to snuggle up to a loved one with – and perfect for a romantic film time lapse segment!
The final track “For All Our Days” see’s the album round off with a laid back uplifting summer breeze rock track. By now, you know what you’re getting as the music is so well crafted and smoothly produced that you’ll be singing along with the chorus’ and oooh’ing along with the guitar riffs and then humming along with the keyboard chords that hide behind most of the tracks.
“Love Sun” is not normally something I’d completely rave about. Usually I need something a bit more edgy and for want of a better word, angrier and more annoyed! However there is just something about Isaboe’s debut album that completely disarmed me and told me that I would not be putting this album down until I had thoroughly enjoyed all its anthems inside and out. “Love Sun” straddles the pop/rock and chill out rock genres with aplomb and each song has a weight to it that is very tangeable and its never cheesey at all. Beautifully smooth production, catchy songs that never step outside of being completely respectful and humble and a voice that could breeze through your hair without ruffling a strand – this has to be one of the most plesant surprises I have came across in 2010! Loved it!
Whispers of the Plains – Julian Bachlow
We like to support indie artists and they don’t come more indie than Julian Bachlow. We got a chance to speak to him inbetween his road trip gigs and here’s what he had to say…
What are your main musical influences?
My main musical influences are The Postal Service, Stars, Modest Mouse, The Cure and Radiohead
What’s the song you’re most proud of writing?
Desolate Place is my proudest song that I have wrote because it’s about a time while I was living in a small town, Tottenham, Ontario. Dealing with the problems of having no transportation, feeling insecure, and like most small towns drugs were constant amongst friends and myself. I wanted to get out of it. I started writing music with the intention of one day creating an album, doing shows, touring, etc. During the time when this song was written, halfway through my brother suddenly passed away and during that time I knew that music was the only thing that was going to get me through life, I know my brother is still here within me and everyday it’s the love I have for him, my family, my friends that keeps me going and wanting to entertain and commit myself into being a professional musician. Desolate Place was a song that inspired me and made me realize, I need to do this, I need to create.
As an artist, you’ve done everything absolutely independently. Tell us exactly what that means in laymans terms.
I was a musician for a long time, since I was about 12, when I was 18 I bought an interface console for my computer (TASCAM-US122 which comes with Cubase, a music software program) a bunch of patch chords, some more instruments, and not really knowing what I was getting myself into, I started to practice on structuring and recording songs, it all began with just having the idea of wanting to create music. I worked a landscaping job for 3 months to get enough money to pursue my dream. Learning how to use the program and getting used to everything was difficult at first. I mean I’ve made a hundred songs but it took me about 3 years to get my own craft relatively decent as a producer. I should of read some books but maybe by not reading anything and figuring it out how to produce myself perhaps added to the appeal of my creations. I started to filter out the lesser than good songs and I began to really focus on some good material.Some of my friends and family did some rifs for me, some of the rifs where maybe 3 years old, but I knew I could use them some how and they were really happy to hear that something that may have never gone anywhere, would be on my album. I had no experience being a producer, I never went to school for it, I just had the motivation and ambition. It took me about 2 years to record my first album “Paradigm” but now hopefully I have the knowledge to create an album more efficiently within a timely fashion. I had a friend to mix and master my album for a decent price after I finished recording and after I produced everything.
I had to teach myself about the products to use for recording and look into how I could get my music heard. As an independent musician I was the only person promoting it, so I had to figure out the best way to promote my album with no money. I also had no band at the time when the album was finished. So I had to find a band, and luckily I had very talented friends who now are playing shows with me and we will continue playing shows together and supporting each other and our talents.
I started my own record label, I marketed my album, I made my friends support me and spread the word. I walked around by myself and tried to sell my albums on the streets, booked my own shows, I managed myself. I also made a proposal for a grant from my government community center for my small record label business. I got it, a reimbursement grant for $5000. It gives me enough money to create a website and a promotional company to help me spread the music. It all took a lot of time, but eventually I am starting to create something that I could of only dreamed of when I was 12 years old.
As another artist who is actually looking at going completely independent on everything, do you have any words of wisdom, advice or pearls of peril for me?
Don’t give up, take it one step at a time. Success is not going to happen overnight, and if it does than you are lucky. Buy your own equipment, you can get everything you need for under $500, and what you get is priceless when you know what to do with it. Don’t be afraid to ask somebody for help with creating a song and working out a contract, if you don’t want a contract to get involved than ask your friend or family what they would like if you were to use their rif for one of your songs. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your friends about what they think of your songs. Critiquing is always helpful, but don’t over analyze it and forget the feeling and emotions that you began with when first creating the song. Apply for grants, there are a lot of grants out there for musicians. Start up your own record label, it will take time and some money but it with some motivation and time you can achieve a lot. When it is about marketing yourself and creating a business for yourself, I have heard it is 95% business and 5% talent. You need to learn how to be a salesman, an artist manager, a graphic designer, a producer, a promoter. You will want to try and save as much money as possible and spend it on a great mix and master of your album. Getting a great mix for your album means a lot when it comes to a final product, it may be worth to spend some money on a professional mixer, but make sure the mixer is into your type of music and scene. Involve your friends, the more friends you have in your circle, the more favors that they can do for you and you for them. If you have friends that are visual artists, get them to make a poster etc. All the support that you ask from others, be sure to return the favor when they need you to help them for something. The quote for my label is “Helping independent artists, Independently”. If we don’t have a record label to promote your band, than do it yourself, and do it with your friends or people you may know.
Your style fuses so many different snippets of other genres to make one of its own. Do you consider yourself a bit of a musical pioneer and is that an intention of yours, or did your sound evolve naturally in another way?
My sound evolved naturally, there were times when I wouldn’t listen to any music for long time periods because I didn’t want other artists’ music to influence my own music. When I was 12 my friend and I created a rapping group called Savage Rappers. We had a lot of fun, I was very involved with hip hop and rap when I was in highschool. I also loved alternative, punk, punk rock, and ska and went to a lot of shows when I was younger. I started to love finding a band that wasn’t very well known, I would go into a music store and randomly pick a cd and listen to it. I have lots of cds from bands that don’t exist anymore, or bands that have become big within the last 10 years. A lot of my own musical influences have came from the wide range of music genres that I listened to throughout my life. I also played classical music on the piano for 10 years, which also helped broaden my range of listening skills.
How do you perform live as a one man band with everything that goes on in your studio work?
I entered a competition for the Toronto Independent Music Awards. At this point I didn’t play my music live, and I was very weary of how I was going to play it live. I gathered 3 of my friends to help play drums, bass and guitar while I played keyboard and sang. We started to learn to play the songs from my album, and it sounded a lot better live. We than began playing as Julian Bachlow and The Good Times Running and are now booking shows in Ontario for a tour. I’m very happy to be a front man in the band, and I tend to try and get the audience involved as much as I can. I might even ask somebody from the audience to do some improve jams with us. It’s only the beginning, I have a lot of work to do and every time I play live, I grow as a professional musician.
Have you been following the drama with internet radio and are you concerned that the rulings may affect your career?
I’m not following the drama, I will have to do some research. Basically if any radio station, internet radio anything in that manner wants to play my music, all I care about is just being heard.
Are you working on any music right now?
I’m working on my new album right now, as well, helping my other band The Good Times Running, who I play with when we are doing shows. Under the name Julian Bachlow and the Good Times Running. We are creating new material as a band and hopefully my new album, and the Good Times Running album will be out sometime in the fall. I am also involved in helping Kathryn Kearns with her new album (she plays with me in the Good Times Running). I will always work on new music until the day I die.
We’d love to thank Julian for his great insight and we here at HPM have already jotted down a few key things to get onto!
Live Vault – Carina Round
While Carina posts some helerious snippet videos of the making of her new album on her facebook profile, I’d like everyone to see Carina seriously rock out with “Ready to Confess” from her launch gig from her last full length album “Slow Motion Addict” which has been one of my favourite discoveries of 2010 to date.
Whispers of the Plains: The Quiet Revolution
We reviewed “Paper Says”, the fantastic collection of songs from The Quiet Revolution. We thankfully got a chance to speak to Tal More, the creative genius behind the music to see what makes him and his music tick…
What originally sparked the idea of The Quiet Revolution and the more unusual approach of having guest artists on board for different songs?
Singing has always been an issue for me. I don’t consider myself a great singer and as far as personality goes – being a front man never appealed to me. I’m more of a behind-the-scenes sort of person in my nature, so the concept of other singers singing my material seemed like the right path to take. Instead of just offering songs to various singers, I thought a songwriting project could be a better idea- since it could help me kill four birds with one stone: allow me to choose exactly the people I want to work with, match songs that will fit them, have control over the outcome and get an opportunity to voice my musical agenda during the process. The name ‘The Quiet Revolution’ had been buzzing around my head for a while since most of my music is low-key and because I think the music industry sort of needs a revolution that will bring back some old school values of songwriting– so that’s how TQR was born.
What gets you going as a songwriter that then inspires you to write these tracks?
I usually write about things that relate to my life in some way or another or things that evoke some sort of emotion in me. Since creativity is something that’s very important to me, I usually try to give songs some sort of twist or aim at a deeper meaning. For example, the next TQR track that will be released on June 1st is called ‘This Human Zoo’. The basic thing I wanted to write about was a feeling of alienation and loneliness, so I decided to write about a human zoo on an alien planet. I feel these kind of decisions are what artists should aim for in order to differentiate themselves from other artists and make their songs worthwhile. The easy way out is writing: ‘I feel lonely’. Sure, it gets the message across but anyone can write ‘I feel lonely’. When you try to dig deeper and end up with a sentence like- ‘I wish that I could read the sign I wear’- some people may say it’s good and some people may say it’s bad but either way, it has your own unique signature on it and I think that counts more than anything else.
“Paper Says” is a compilation of your tracks you’ve made to date. Do you feel its representative of the direction you’re heading in?
I definitely want TQR to continue in the direction it’s heading in now: stripped down songs that focus on lyrics, melody and delivery. I do have a lot of material that will require more elaborate productions but for me this project is all about taking a step back and trying to find that basic core that personally I feel so many songs lack today. I think production in a way is like make-up- if you apply just a little it could help you look better but if you go overboard you end up looking like a clown. I prefer the natural look (and sound).
On “Paper Says” you worked specifically with Hadar Green & Tracy Gibbons. How did you find them and how was it working together on the tracks they were involved in?
A couple of years ago I worked for a music site called OurStage. While working there, I came across Hadar and Tracy’s MySpace pages and was really impressed by their vocal skills as well as their songwriting skills. Recording with Hadar was simple- we both live in Israel, so I just sent him an e-mail, we met and ended up recording together. He’s a very cool guy. With Tracy it was nothing short of miraculous- I sent her a message on MySpace not really expecting anything. She wrote back and told me that it was really a stroke of luck because she was coming to Israel for a month and that she’d be happy to cooperate. We recorded some stuff here and hit it off so well- that a few months ago I flew to New York to record more songs with her.
The music video for “Parallel Me” is great. Where did the concept for that come from and how did it all come together?
Thanks. I’m glad you like it. I have a BA in film studies and majored in scriptwriting, so that was a good starting point. I came up with the basic concept for the music video, then worked out the exact script together with Yaniv Shmeltzer, an extremely talented director I met during my film studies. I started looking for an animator and received a warm recommendation about a Jerusalem based stop motion animator called Rivka Press. I checked out a short animation she made called ‘Gary and Mildred’ that was so good, I immediately knew I wanted her for the job. We decided that we wanted the characters, surroundings and background to be composed entirely out of paper and ink to convey the connection between the theme of lost love the song speaks about and the creative inspiration it can ignite in an artist. Half a year and a whole lot of work later- Parallel Me’s music video was ready.
If you had the chance of getting any three guest vocalists onboard for your next project, who would you choose and why?
That’s a tough one. There are a lot of vocalists I would love to work with. Unfortunately Elliott Smith isn’t an option. He would have been my first choice because his music has inspired me deeply as an artist and his low-fi recordings are one of the reasons I believe so much in stripped down songs. But… If we stick to people who are actually alive I’d probably say: Richard Hawley, E (lead singer for the Eels) and Thom Yorke. I love their music, their vibe is somewhat close to TQR’s and I have specific songs that I think will work great with their voices, so guys- if you’re reading this, just drop me a note and we’ll set the ball rolling.
What’s new on the horizons for The Quiet Revolution that you can tell us about?
An EP will be released sometime during the next few months. It will include the songs released so far plus a few new ones. At this point in time, I’m sort of looking for a lucky break that will help TQR reach a wider audience and allow me to really make this quiet revolution work on a much bigger scale. Being indie has many advantages but it’s a hard struggle considering the enormous competition out there and the fact that I’m currently still living in Israel and aiming abroad. I’m looking into different opportunities, so hopefully this revolution won’t stay too quiet for much longer. Considering the staggering amount of songs I have that are waiting to be recorded- it better.
We thank Tal for his time and look forward to more from The Quiet Revolution!
Introducing… Peter Comes From Neverland
Peter Covington is Peter Comes From Neverland. Upon hearing samples of his debut album material, I was completely in raptures over it and had to grab it, so look out for a review of it soon! There’s a dual-vocal layering production on the samples I heard that really stood out and a quite of Patrick Wolf alone with a guitar twilight quality to everything. Watch a live performance of “Airplane” from Peter which is fantastic, and be sure we’ll be catching up with him soon!
Introducing… Isaboe
Second of our Introduction trio today is Isaboe, a female singer/songwriter that while initially the music seems quite pop/rock, it has little twists that keep things from being stale and Isaboe’s voice is controlled but emotive. Catch her lead single “Golden Year” from her debut album, its nice drive home music!
Introducing… Julian Bachlow
As we continue May being a great month of introducing new artists, here’s another one I’ve stumbled over and he’s called Julian Bachlow. HPM always supports artists whom want to go it completely alone and do everything independant and so we salute you Julian. You can watch Julian live performing Calling by linking on the link, where we plays with his backing band The Good Times Running, but his actual album sounds a lot more electronic. We’ll be chatting to him over the next few days!
Video Vault – tUnE-yArDs
This weeks Video Vault comes from the absolutely fantastic solo artist tUnE-yArDs. This music video from Real Live Flesh is so entertaining yet it looks like she done it in her living room. It’s not surprising that though as she recorded her whole album in her bedroom with the tiniest budget and yet although I’ve only just discovered her, every video I’ve seen makes me want to hear more. Enjoy!
The Quiet Revolution – “Paper Says” Review
The Quiet Revolution is a musical project spearheaded by Tal More who writes songs that he then finds quest vocalists and instrumentalists to perform on. With the album “Paper Says” it all comes together in a delicate beauty that really encaptured me as a listener.
“Paper Says” feat. Hadar Green is an acoustic guitar/vocal track that is very wistful and dreamy albeit with lyrics that aren’t the most dreamy to listen to. The chords make the song feel almost like an epilogue which I found quite interesting to open the album. “Underground” feat. Tracy Gibbons is an electric piano and keyboard led track and again contains a real fallen beauty charm, living up to the projects name. The dualled vocals of Tracy’s are emotive, the flowing piano and spacious background make it feel like a lonely space voyage.
“Parallel Me” with Hadar Green again is utterly devastating. There’s such a simplicity to the track it gives off an innocence and emotional breakdown at the same time which makes it quite a powerful track. Hadar’s vocals are very restrained too which works perfectly. “When the World Was Flat” see’s us back with Tracy Gibbons for a beautiful piano/vocal track which again runs the common theme of lyrics, a gentle poke at the world being ignorant and defiant or jelous, and now looking back we can see our silly mistakes.
“King Paperman” is a quick guitar instrumental which holds more weight than a ninety second interlude should before “Poisoned Oxygen”, another instrumental takes over. This track is like a summer breeze. It’s Mediterranean fluidity of the various layers of guitar is something you don’t get to indulge in without having to endure lots of cheesey holiday music. This track however is perfectly pitched and is the best music of this type since I bought Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced White (one of my all time favourite albums).
We’re then treated to “Underground (Acoutic Version)” with Tracy’s vocals merged with a guitar and harmonica version of the track. It workds equally as well as the main version and is neither inferior or better, which is testament to the great songwriting and arranging ability of Tal. The final track is “Paper Says (Piano Version)” which features Chris Merritt on vocals instead and as a bonus track, this does sound like a demo version although its interesting to hear the piano almost sounds like a honky-tonk! Also the mood and song structure is completely different in the second half so it’s great to hear what the song originally was.
However for only a couple of pounds, this is a magical collection of music and I’ve been so pleased that it’s become one of my best new discoveries of 2010. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who likes a few tracks of music to retreat to a corner and ponder on. Sublime.
Little Big Planet 2 Trailer ~ More Insanely Catchy Music
http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-gb/2/
There is the website for the trailer for what looks like being the complete ruin of any attempt I shall have for a social life. LBP was fantastic. I loved it. NodNation Racers looks like being right up my street too – and now this has polished me off. But… I LOVE that tune in the trailer. LBP’s first soundtrack introduced me to Battles, Toumani Diabate & Cafe Tacvba – not to mention one of the best original music soundtracks from Daniel Pemberton. It’s like love at second sight…
Whisper of the Plains ~ Tom Salta Interview on Prince of Persia
Last week we talked to Tom Salta about his Red Steel 2 soundtrack, this week we finish off the interview with a quick chat about his latest work, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands…
Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands is another soundtrack that has that East meets West fusion that you do so well. What key elements were there for you in finding out exactly how your going to approach making the music for the game?
I like to describe this score as Persian/Fantasy. We wanted to keep all the instrumentation and vocals all within that world. I listened to a lot of different music and experimented with several diverse approaches. There were many discussions that I had early on with the team to figure out the overall aesthetic we wanted for the music.
Had you listened to the previous soundtracks for any reference points at all and if you did were there any bits of those soundtracks you really enjoyed?
I was familiar with The Sands of Time score when I originally played the game. I’m familiar with the music from some of the other Prince of Persia games as well. I very much enjoyed The Sands of Time score but in the case of Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands there was a decision by the team not to go exactly in this direction. and avoid the use of modern elements or orchestral sounds.
Were their any particular challenges for this soundtrack compared to others that you’ve done before?
Certainly, every score has its own unique challenges. With Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands, the challenge was to keep it sounding rich, powerful and dynamic without using any orchestral sounds or modern instruments like electric guitar; two elements that were in many of the previous Prince of Persia scores. I’m very happy with the way the score turned out. I find that quite often, defining limitations upfront can force you to come up with more creative options.
As a composer does the fact that this is a Wii game have any limitations or positives over say, the more power consoles, or can you blanket score for all consoles the same way?
The console does play a role in deciding the way the cues are put together. For example, in Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands for Nintendo Wii, we decided on always having two simultaneous stereo streams of music playing that could be mixed by the game engine. For every cue there was a second layer of music that could play along with it, increasing the intensity or adding another key element to it. On a console like the 360 or PS3, the audio engine is capable of doing more. So that means you have more options if you need them.
Will you be going to see the Prince of Persia film when its released….
I will definitely see it… but with my schedule, it might have to wait until Blu Ray. {laughs}
…and will you be asking to score the seemingly inevitable sequel as soon as you can?
{laughs} I’m pretty sure the Prince of Persia teams know how much I’d love to continue working on the series. The possibilities are endless with this series and I would love to continue the journey, constantly evolving and trying new things.
Lisa Gerrard – New Album “Departum”
Lisa Gerrard looks like having a very busy 2010. Not only will the soundtrack to Playing for Charlie be released in MP3 format in the near future, Lisa will be releasing a full 17 track album “Departum” – a collaboration with long time friend Marcello de Fransici. There is a trailer for the album here. It sounds like a hark back to some more tribal-esque rousing music, which every regular reader of HPM will know I love. Release is scheduled for mid June
