Most well known as the romantic and musical companion to Matthew Herbert, Dani Siciliano will be adding even more to her resumé as she will be releasing her second solo album, Slappers, this month. The album is in succession to her underrated debut, Likes…, which boasted some brilliant production from Siciliano and Herbet. One of the standout songs on her new album is ‘They Can Wait’, which delves into beeps, bops, flutes and even classical guitar to help classify a very interesting tune. As Siciliano was a Jazz singer, her vocals are impressive as usual, though the song is more focused on the rhythm than the repeatitive vocal pattern.
Dani Siciliano – They Can Wait
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Saturna is another band embracing the elusive genre of shoegaze, except they actually pull it off. From Oregon, Saturna has three members who each lend equally graceful parts, with Ryan Carroll’s spacey vocals and Eric Block’s tantalizing guitar corresponding to each other while Steve Anderson handles the entire rhythm section of drums and bass. ‘Blanket of Stars’ focuses much on the blend of Carroll’s impressive vocal length and Anderson’s tight and diverse drumming ability, while ‘Springboard’ showcases Block’s contributions while contending to be a mixture of several influences. Echos of Spiritualized can be heard during the first few instrumental minutes, and when the faint high backing vocals hit in, My Bloody Valentine is an obvious mentor to refer to. I recommend their impressive debut EP …All Night. Check their site out for more.
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Children’s Masterpiece Theatre have a bit of an ironic name, as their lyrics are suitable for anyone but children. Descriptive phrases concering libidos breaking glass and special jobs in the restroom would have Joseph Lieberman shaking his head, though we rightfully consider it entertainment. ‘Lorelei’ is a catchy little single from the Chicago-based band with obvious influences in Nine Inch Nails and Placebo. Timothy O’Connell has the appropriate common vocals for their drowned mixture of grunge and punk, with the fitting snarl here and there. ‘Lorelei’ caught my eye with the use of synths, which is used in the right spots at the right times. I’m also enjoying their poke of fun at the fashion trend of guys weaking emo makeup. The song is their newest and is quite a big improvement from their previous efforts, where they seem to be a bit unsure of themselves and their sound. They have five years worth of material on their site for free, with a few songs worth checking out. I’ll be keeping an eye on their new material if it’s as catchy and original as ‘Lorelei’. It’s a bit controversial, but it’s quite fun.
Children’s Masterpiece Theatre – Lorelei
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During her diverse career as a film producer, actress, bookworm, and musician, Lisa Papineau has lended her talents to such acts as Air, Mars Volta, and M83. Recently after moving to Paris, she completed her solo album Night Moves. The album saw quiet success in Paris and will shortly see a release in the USA. ‘Shucking, Jiving’ will catch your attention with its quietly infectious thump, while Papineau’s vocals shift from distorted murmurs to lovely “ooh”-ing in a matter of seconds, diversifying the verse and chorus. ‘Diamonds And Pearls’ and ‘Out To You’ are more examples of Papineau’s minimalist approach, which turns out to be widely effective.
Lisa Papineau – Shucking, Jiving
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Love the Children’s Masterpiece Theatre! They have a lot more good stuff on their website. Thanks for the recommendation
[…] Saturna just recieved an excellent review from Mike on Obscure Sound. This is what he had to say: […]
HEllo. Just added your link here.