Introduce A Musician
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Do you know a singer, a band, an instrumentalist or a songwriter who is less popular and famous than his/her talent deserves? Share it then! It can be of any genre and language. It can be someone who is known for only one song but has great but lesser-known ones, or someone with limited popularity outside a region (or in SG).
Before you talk about them and post videos, remember that they should actually be able to make music. No Autotuned-wailing, and they should still sound good live without lip-synching or distracting dance acts.
I tend to gravitate towards a few kinds of music, so please add to the variety!
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To get the ball rolling, I'll introduce Nerina Pallot, an English singer-songwriter of French and Indian parentage. She isn't well known outside Europe but she's made 4 albums (the last being this year's 'Year of the Wolf').
What's remarkable about Nerina is her clear singing voice and diction, even on the high notes. It's still very good at her live gigs, which tend to be stripped down. You may have heard one of her songs before, especially if you watched Johnny English Reborn. She and her husband have also written songs for other musicians including Kylie Minogue.
She's been here once before, at 2007's Mosaic Music Festival. Below is a video from that gig (not mine - I hadn't discovered her then, sadly)
Albums: Dear Frustrated Superstar (2001), Fires (2005), The Graduate (2009), Year of the Wolf (2011)
My (humble, random, opinion-based) rating: 8.2/10
Nerina Pallot - Everybody's Gone to War (2005)
Nerina Pallot - Damascus (live)
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Next up is the lady on the left and below - Laura Marling
She may be only 21 years old but she's made 3 albums, received 2 Mercury nominations and won a BRIT award. This folk artist is not particularly well-known outside the UK where her concerts sell out in minutes, but she's coming to Singapore next February as part of the Laneway Festival line-up.
Laura first started out as a part of the band Noah and the Whale but has firmly established herself as a solo performer since 2008. She is a prodigious songwriter, whose content is exceptionally mature for her age. Coupled with her alto range, it may seem dark and maudlin at first but there are those who dub her the new Joni Mitchell. She has also appeared to overcome her early nerves and grown into a confident live performer.
My rating: 8.6/10
Albums: Alas I Cannot Swim (2008), I Speak Because I Can (2010), A Creature I Don't Know (2011)
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okay.. i like blues.. not the crappy R&B bullshit they release with all the poseurs calling themselves musicians these days... but the real blues.. like the stuff from John Lee Hooker, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers...
here's someone who is quite amazing.. he looks like a hobo.. and he might have lived some of his life as one.. here's Seasick Steve
his is pretty straight blues.. usually playing on old decrepit guitars which he wrings the bluesiest sound out of.. and his weather-beaten voice which belie years and years of experience of all sorts, make his albums essential listening
here's a few of his songs
=> I Started Out With Nothing - Seasick Steve
=> Cut My Wings - Seasick Steve
=> Dog House Boogie - Seasick Steve
i think he's arrived as he was invited onto, of all places, Top Gear!
i can't even begin to rate this guy.. coz i'm biased... i love the blues..
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If you like folk, you can't not know about Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote:
He's been heavily involved in Scotland's folk music scene for the last 16 years, as founder of The Fence Collective and organiser of the Homegame festival and he's worked with acts like Kid Canaveral and KT Tunstall early in their careers.
KC is an incredibly prolific musician, have realeased 40(!) albums, with the latest being Thrawn. Diamond Mine was nominated for this year's Mercury Prize. Many of his tunes are short and have a distinctive acoustic flavour, even amid the production in the more recent tracks. He sounds a shade like another favourite singer of mine, Neil Finn. For me it's makes good rainy day music when I'm not in the mood for jazz.
Bats in the Attic (with Jon Hopkins)
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Originally posted by the Bear:
okay.. i like blues.. not the crappy R&B bullshit they release with all the poseurs calling themselves musicians these days... but the real blues.. like the stuff from John Lee Hooker, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers...
here's someone who is quite amazing.. he looks like a hobo.. and he might have lived some of his life as one.. here's Seasick Steve
his is pretty straight blues.. usually playing on old decrepit guitars which he wrings the bluesiest sound out of.. and his weather-beaten voice which belie years and years of experience of all sorts, make his albums essential listening
here's a few of his songs
=> I Started Out With Nothing - Seasick Steve
=> Cut My Wings - Seasick Steve
=> Dog House Boogie - Seasick Steve
i think he's arrived as he was invited onto, of all places, Top Gear!
i can't even begin to rate this guy.. coz i'm biased... i love the blues..
He was a hobo and a bum, and he's moved house 50 times even after starting a family so he now lives in the UK.
Oh ya, the girl standing behind Clarkson's a hottie.
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I'm possibly cheating because this Russian-born American musician has a strong cult following. I'm talking about Regina Spektor.
People have called her music everything from anti-folk to what-Tori-Amos-used-to-be. She employs Eastern European and Jewish elements and techniques (how often do you hear the glottal stop used in pop music?).
She's a classically-trained pianist so her melodies often sound like they could came out of an early 1900s concerto. She also has some guitar songs, and how can one voice take on so many textures in different songs - haunting, gritty, gentle and more.
Her early work (in the 1st 3 albums) was "dry" in production, with next-to-no vocal reverb. If you watched 500 Days of Summer, the song at the beginning ('Us') is a weak example of that. The last 2 albums (and the most popular to date) are less raw, whether that's good is debatable.
The best thing about her is that she can make up complete songs on the fly (one of them's below), so you're never exactly sure what's on her setlist at live gigs. And her wit still shows through in the lyrics of songs like 'Us', 'Hotel Song'.
Albums: 11:11 (2000), Songs (2002), Soviet Kitsch (2004), Begin To Hope (2006), Far (2009), What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (coming 2012)
Us (live - Christ, watch her fingers!)
Braille (one of the "dry" songs)
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Errr well I think mine are all kinda mainstream music though not very popular in Singapore.
You know all the Symphonic metal bands like Nightwish (old is better but still...), Epica, Therion etc etc
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There's a particular guy... I dunno if he's really good but he does impress me... Luc Arbogast
Here's a vid of him playing in front of a catherdal
Luc Arbogast -
Originally posted by ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~:
There's a particular guy... I dunno if he's really good but he does impress me... Luc Arbogast
Here's a vid of him playing in front of a catherdal
Luc ArbogastNot bad at all. A countertenor voice was the last thing I was expecting from him. I don't recognise the songs he sang in the videos though.
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here's someone who isn't very well known if at all here.. he's John Butler.. he has his own band The John Butler Trio...
mostly he's an amazing guitarist and somehow, i would not classify him in any genre... but if pushed, i'd say blues, bluegrass, folk, roots...
he's pretty well known in Australia, where he's from... originally from the US, he moved to Australia with his father and lived there...
he started out busking in Fremantle and sold his own recordings on cassettes and paid his dues playing his own compositions...
here are some of his pieces:
Treat Yo Mama - John Butler Trio
as with good artists and musicians, John Butler is a hell of a lot better live than he sounds on his albums.. and his albums are damned good already!
like i said, i'm partial to the blues
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A scottish lass, not very well known outside of the uk. She is a self-taught guitarist, doing mostly folk rock. Pretty outspoken in her songs....she did a song called footballers' wives criticising them but became one herself...
here's my favourite
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Originally posted by The man who was death:
A scottish lass, not very well known outside of the uk. She is a self-taught guitarist, doing mostly folk rock. Pretty outspoken in her songs....she did a song called footballers' wives criticising them but became one herself...
here's my favourite
Amy Mac's one of my personal favourites too, even though she's not the best lyricist or vocalist. (a) Her songs can be preachy like 'Footballer's Wife' and 'An Ordinary Life', and (b) her live voice is very different especially when it's strained. I don't what is it about her that German-speaking people love, her gig tickets sell like hotcakes in Switzerland and Germany.
The raw power works to great effect on some songs - I love these three:
Your Time Will Come (live at Baden-Baden)
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Heyyyy~ let's not forget our local wedding singer...
Tay Kewei
She has released her album last year...
Here are some of her own covers which she did for fun at home...
She also helped some stars with their duet on their concert too...
Here's a vid of her and David Tao on a duet >> Link
And here's one of her original works...
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Time to add a bit more variety here....if you happen to be looking for good J-pop stuff that does not include trashy stuff like we tend to see (think Ayumi and girl/boy dance bands), why not try Suga Shikao?
His music is more mainstream, but proves to be such to the point that his music is very radio-friendly, and yet with his distinctive style, is no slave to pop. Sadly it would appear that he has finally succumbed to more popular tastes and in my opinion his recent music is starting to sound like he's trying too hard.
This guy is like the Japanese modern Hall & Oates. Groovy rock music with a dose of soul. Other defining features of his music includes funk, R&B, strong bass-lines and his husky rough-hewn voice that is most distinct. Vocal-wise, he is nothing like those "good singers". But he projects a great deal of emotion in his singing and again, his style of singing is no slave to what is considered "good" or "bad". His singing goes a lot with his music, which means that he syncs a lot better with his songs that most performers.
A good example of his style can be seen in his 2004 single Hikari no Kawa. This video has english subs.
But he is also versatle enough to push the boundaries a little and came up with Kono Yubi Tomare which is a popsy acid jazz piece. This song was what caught my attention about him.
Suga Shikao is best known for his theme songs for anime xxxHolic. I loved Sanagi, yet another funky creation, and Sofa, a decidedly post-rock piece that I absolutely love listening to at night.
A little raggae can be heard here. Yuudachi
And yes. I'm a sucker for radio-friendly music like these.
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Not a music follower but I think this guy deserves to be mention
欧得洋
Not only is he a singer, he's a song writer as well. He would have been more famous if he had remain behind the scene giving the "fans" a mystery about his identity. Nevertheless, these are some of his good songs
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duplicate
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Gemini - 简迷离
An interesting combination of chinese writer turned singer and a french musician, only known in france and china of course.
Their music i would say is like linkin park but wouldn't the screaming and rapping and not as much computerised sounds but with a bit more romantic vibe
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Regina's one of two Jewish singers that I have on my bucket list (to see in concert).
And the other? She's Keren Ann:
This Paris-based Israeli singer-songwriter has made 6 albums, and then produced some more for other singers. Her work covers lots of genres, from French chanson and pleasant acoustic tracks to some massive atmospheric pieces and radio-friendly hits (her latest album is mostly this).
Her talent's in making dream-like and surreal tunes that alter your mood and suck you in from start to finish, and her vocals are like a soft layer of icing over the music. If you like left-of-centre stuff, see her collaboration with Bang Gang called Lady & Bird.
Albums: La Biographie de Luka Philipsen (2001), La Disparition (2002),
Not Going Anywhere (2003), Nolita (2005), Keren Ann (2007), 101 (2011)Not Going Anywhere (live) - this is a sweet contemplative guitar tune
My Name is Trouble (live, updated) - real disco vibe in this, from 101
Liberty (track) - one of several atmospheric tracks from the '05 and '07 albums
101 (track) - it's a countdown with a twist
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Hey amazing thread - found some nice songs here!! (will look through them again when I have more time for sure!!)
This is a Japanese musician that I listen to, some says her piano playing is too dramatic but I love the passion! Plus I love how she is always decked in jeans and tee shirt when playing at major concerts.Angela Aki -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTPRXWcdPI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoALG7seBeU (starts around 1 min)
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Originally posted by motoway:
Hey amazing thread - found some nice songs here!! (will look through them again when I have more time for sure!!)
This is a Japanese musician that I listen to, some says her piano playing is too dramatic but I love the passion! Plus I love how she is always decked in jeans and tee shirt when playing at major concerts.Angela Aki -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTPRXWcdPI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoALG7seBeU (starts around 1 min)
ahhh, angela aki... fantastic voice...I only start noticing her when she sings for the opening of FF12 years ago...
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Mayumi Itsuwa 五轮真弓
She's very popular in the 1980s but is unheard of now, her music being drowned by the new-waved jpop and kpop.
This is from wiki:
Mayumi Itsuwa (五輪 真弓, Itsuwa Mayumi) (born January 24, 1951) is a Japanese vocalist, composer, lyricist, and keyboardist who made her debut in 1972.
Her first studio album entitled Shoujo was recorded in Los Angeles, produced by GRAMMY Award winner John Fischbach, with distinguished musicians such as David Campbell, Carole King and Charles Larkey who was King's husband at that time. Owing to her introspective compositions, Itsuwa was often nicknamed "Japanese Carole King", along with other Japanese singer-songwriters like Yumi Matsutoya (who had worked under her birth name "Yumi Arai" during the mid 1970s) and Minako Yoshida.
Itsuwa has gained moderate success on the Japanese albums chart in her early career, and received massive popularity and acclaim through a single "Koibito yo" released in 1980. A song topped the Japan's Oricon chart for three consecutive weeks, and won the 22nd Japan Record Award for "Gold Prize" in a same year.[1][2] It was covered by the country's legendary singers including Hibari Misora and Noriko Awaya in later years, and became a signature song for Itsuwa.
After "Koibito yo" became a hit, Itsuwa gained popularity also in non-Japanese Asian countries during the 1980s.
In Indonesia,"Kokoro No Tomo" and "Amayadori" become the most popular songs ever released by her. In 2006, Mayumi Itsuwa and Delon Thamrin recorded an Indonesian and Japanese version of the song. This was later included on the 2006 compilation album "Duet Love Songs".
Her songs:-
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I'll add another bloke to the mix. This, friends, is Nathaniel Rateliff.
I watched him open for Laura a couple of years back. That performance received mixed comments from our bunch, because even in his inebriated, slurring state that voice caught our attention. He's been going places since, like Jools Holland's show:
Early 'Til Spring (live on Later...)
You Should've Seen The Other Guy
He looks like a truck driver (which he once was), and comes from the unlikeliest of places (Denver, Colorado), but he has that weary voice, the tunes are very rootsy and the tracks have plenty of space.
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No folk tunes from me this time. Here's some quirky pop by Marina & The Diamonds.
You can think of her as a Greco-Welsh Lady Gaga without the sleaze and attention-grabbing stunts. You can draw the parallels - her songs and videos are often an artistic critique, with quite a few aimed at America, and an unusual fashion sense (which does not include food items). And her voice is employed in rather unique ways and it grows on you. I don't like all of her work, but these songs are quite agreeable.
Albums: The Family Jewels (2010), Electra Heart (coming in 2012)
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I've been asked a couple of times about this "indie phenomenon" called Lana Del Rey.
I gave 'Video Games', 'Blue Jeans', 'Fake Mountain Dew' and a couple of other songs a go, and they're pretty ho-hum without the music videos, even if the lyrics are good. Her voice isn't special enough to pull them off. She screwed up on Saturday Night Live but that's probably due to nerves.
But what really annoys me is the deceptive astroturfing that surrounds her. Fine, it's okay to fail with the first album and repackage yourself to make a better living, and maybe I can ignore the lip enhancements. But she has claimed to be some kind of trailer park trash and "gangsta Nancy Sinatra" when she's really a rich daddy's girl who's signed to a major label. I cannot stand that.
Sorry if I burst your bubble, but you are free to enjoy her music if you like it.