Films, and such.

Now i've been meaning to write all this while.

No, really. I've had so many topics and ideas in my head it's unbelievable, but i just haven't had the time (that fact that it's my first entry in a month, and it's 110am, says it all). Oh, and i've decided that i love to blog, because i have so many things to say, and a blog is such a wonderful outlet, because you can write it and leave out there in the vast open space of the internet.

Well, it's another music post today. I'm listening to Elbow right now, and i've been watching Coldplay's concert on mtv, so i'm gonna write about bands to replace the empty void early Coldplay left behind. Now Radiohead's In Rainbows supposed return to roots album aside, there just hasn't been a band that does that whole emotive alt-rock sound lately. Of course, switch on the radio (if you dare!) and listen to the rubbish that's on the air. Lots of songs that sound the same, and more importantly, a lot of over-produced nonsense. You do start to yearn - well, i do anyway - for really simple (if that's the right word) but good music.

Now a disclaimer: these bands are great bands in their own right, and i'm not suggesting they are copycats. It's just they fall into similar vein of musical class and feel.

So the first band i'm excited to talk about is..Elbow! I'm listening to them right now, and they are absolutely brilliant. Guy Harvey is quite the frontman, very articulate and very clever. A clear sign of a really good singer is the ability to change subtlely to suit the context of each song, and Harvey is ever so skilled in that aspect. From song to song, he alternates from a wistful yearning lover, to a scorned and pained individual very much out of love. The band's sound is lush and the instrumentation is wonderful. A very deep, and refreshing sound. Of course, with a Brit band, the lyrics are ever so witty. They are not completely unknown, with a mercury music prize in 2008.

From wikipedia (ever the informed source), their best known song is 'Grounds for Divorce'. I'm not sure if anyone else who reads this has heard of it, but please do. The story behind is quite delightful as well. You can hear them on the wonderful 'morning becomes eclectic' show. They are my choice for people looking for bands of Coldplay's ilk, because of the content of the lyrics, because they are British (which is more a factor than you'd think) and because they deserve to get their due attention. I've enthused enough for now, but please i'm beseeching you to give the link a listen. Certainly a band to look out for.

Elbow's performance this year, on KCRW's 'Morning Becomes Eclectic':
http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb090723elbow


The next band i'm promoting is of course, Turin Brakes. Turin actually came out during the period when Parachutes were released. Their wonderful album, The Optimist LP, will remind you heavily of Coldplay. They do however, possess a simpler sound and they tend to indulge quite a bit on harmonies. In contrast, Coldplay's vocals are largely dependent on Chris Martin and his soaring falsetto (at least back then). I think i've been quite vocal about Turin Brakes over the past few years, so i shan't say more. But if you're interested, i posted a link to their performance on the same radio programme (which by the way, is a treasure trove of delights) so just flip through the archives (it's recent) and give it a listen. Oh, and one last warning about them, they didn't enjoy the commercial success of Coldplay, so it's almost impossible to find their Optimist album in stores.

Till next time.