Posts Tagged: the velvet hour

2008 / 5 stars / copeland / reviews — 1 Comment
18
Nov 08

You Are My Sunshine (2008) by Copeland

Genre: indie/alt pop
Rating:
“What Do I Know?,” “Chin Up,” “To Be Happy Now,” and “The Grey Man.”
myspace, last.fm
bird york’s The Velvet Hour, keane’s Under The Iron Sea

I never thought I’d live to see the day, but Copeland has just managed to out-Keane Keane with their newest, You Are My Sunshine. Named so by the old beloved song, the album is surprisingly (and intentionally) dark for all its ephemeral sounds. That contrast between lyric and sound, which can be a bit off-putting on the first listen, is what really makes this album stand out in my mind.

While Eat, Sleep, Repeat as simple as its name, the ‘elephant in the room’ was a missing component that would have made the album truly complete – an emotion, a phrase, or even a chord. You Are My Sunshine is essentially Eat, Sleep, Repeat with that component found. But Copeland didn’t stop there; they’ve built upon their sound and added just enough of the energy from In Motion to create something that’s both delicate and mature. The addition of Rae Cassidy Klagstad’s vocals is what really brings this album together (as though it wasn’t coherent enough).

Unfortunately for us, first-time listeners will probably immediately associate Copeland with Keane. But in lyrics, emotional depth, and complexity of sound, Copeland is light years away from Keane. While I could complain about the fact that the lyrics in this album are a bit too alike throughout, it’s still a great step from this really great band.

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2007 / 4 stars / reviews / sara bareilles — No Comments
5
Sep 08

Little Voice (2007) by Sara Bareilles

Sara Bareilles
Little Voice
2007, ***label***
pop, soul
4

For someone who supposedly doesn’t want to ‘write you a love song,’ Sara Bareilles has a whole lot of love songs on her debut album Little Voice. But that isn’t the only ironic thing about this album – Bareilles voice is anything but little.

If Jane Monheit decided to sit at a piano and write songs, you’d have Sara Bareilles. Like Monheit, Bareilles has a rich voice that evokes images of smoky lounges instead of huge arenas. Her candid lyrics are mildly interesting, but when sung in her voice they take on an unexpected complexity. I wish I liked this album better, but I like to think of it as a Dido album: nothing ground-breaking or really intriguing, just decent music and a great voice.

“Vegas,” “Gravity,” “City,” and “One Sweet Love.”
myspace, last.fm
Bird York’s The Velvet Hour, Catherine Feeny’s Hurricane Glass

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2005 / 5 stars / bird york / reviews — No Comments
12
Jan 08

The Velvet Hour (2005) by Bird York

Genre: trip hop
Rating:
Check Out: “Open Wider,” “In The Deep,” “Come Be With Me,” and “Wicked Little High (Drawn To You)”
myspace, website

This album was my first foray into trip hop, and I must admit that I’m now highly interested in finding more from this genre. Every song tells a story, and when mixed with the music you are literally transported into the story itself. This album needs to be listened to in darkness or just with your eyes closed.

My favorite songs here are “Open Wider,” “Save Me,” and the famous “In The Deep” from the Crash soundtrack, though I suggest you listen to all of The Velvet Hour. Bird’s voice is intoxicatingly lazy and powerful when she wants it to be.

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