When making an album, recording live is the musical equivalent of doing your crossword puzzle in pen. It’s risky. If one member of the band falters or delivers a performance that’s less than stellar- it shows through in the playback and you pretty much have to record the whole song over. There are very few opportunities to “punch in” where you left off in this kind of recording environment. Because of that, engineers often steer bands away from live recording. When it’s done right, though, it’s gold. The Album becomes a testament to a moment, an honest feel for the bands sound, as if you were watching them at a concert. It gives the record an energy and drive that cannot be created through tracking.

This is the nature of the mantle that Geoff Ereth and his band Brigg Fair have taken upon themselves. A challenge that they have well met through both their performance and the location in which they recorded- the sanctuary of an old church, whose high ceilings allow for beautiful organic reverberation and a light pulsing echo.

Brigg Fair – You Know Who You AreDownload audio file (Brigg Fair – Brigg Fair – 01 You Know Who You Are.mp3)

Set to release in March 2012, Brigg Fair’s full length debut is a blend of soft rock and power pop that truly has something to say. “How’d you like to make some money? How’d you like to kill yourself for change?” sings Ereth, invoking a sentiment of distaste for the current, desperate, economic situation and the level of importance placed on monetary gain. It’s this type of statement, sitting on a pillow of catchy melodies, that keep the listener’s attention and give the album replay value.

Brigg Fair was produced by Lestyn Polson who is known for working with David Bowie, Patti Smith, and David Gray. The church- studio conversion that I mentioned can be heard, not only on Brigg Fair’s record but on albums from Fleet Foxes, Beach House, and Dr. Dog as well. Positioning themselves among such music greats has Geoff and the boys poised for success in 2012- and I think they’ll find it.

On their ambitious debut album, Brooklyn noise pop duo Sleigh Bells treat our ears to a fresh angle on the stagnant crunk sound with cheers, rock guitars, massive drum blasts and air-tight pop vocals. The results are immensely listenable and frequently dazzling. More often than not, the band’s music sounds like a fully-integrated mix of electro pop and 90s hardcore—an admittedly cheap comparison considering that singer Alexis Krauss was indeed once in teen-pop group Ruby Blue, while guitarist/song-writer Derek E. Miller was a long-time member of post-hardcore outfit Poison the Well. Loud-and-clear opener “Tell ‘Em” sums the record up perfectly. If you are unable to process the blaring crunk beat paired with the screaming metal guitar leads, then your attitude about the album is unlikely to change. Krauss’ sugary-sweet vocals sound like they were pulled from another song altogether, but the crowded mix makes room for her quite effectively. Read full review at inyourspeakers.com

Listen/Download: Sleigh Bells- Tell Em Here

Not all is soft and slow. Instrumentally rich tracks like ‘Things You Already Know’ and ‘How Do You Do It’ serve as glorious rock anthems for the loved, the wicked and the wickedly in love, with bigger than life sounding songs that still remain grounded to a romantic overtone.

The Music Ninja does not ‘rate’ albums but I definitely give these collection of songs two thumbs up, and if it wasnt so gross, I would raise both my toes as well. Highly recommended and highly enjoyable, Songs For Staying In has not only made impression on my 2010 favorite lists of albums, but it has also gotten me excited to see what Quiet Company has stored for us in the future. A band to watch and a delicate rock/pop EP to check out.

Quiet Company – If You Want [Buy Here]Download audio file (05 If You Want.mp3)

Free MP3:Quiet Company – How Do You Do ItDownload audio file (01 How Do You Do It_.mp3)

Regular Version Review:
I am a little embarrassed to admit that the above is 100% the truth. I enjoyed their album so much; it inspired me in many ways. The best answer is always the simplest one and when you add instrumental melodies, intertwined vocals between wife and husband and the passion to create, you get Adam and Darcie definition to what music means to them. California Trail is a story telling venture about longing for a peaceful, family life and a place to call a home.

Adam And Darcie – I Need To Let Go Of What I Wont Miss
Download audio file (Adam And Darcie – I Need To Let Go Of What I Wont Miss.mp3)
Buy

Adam And Darcie – The Fox, Hare, And Doe
Download audio file (Adam And Darcie – The Fox Hare And Doe.mp3)
Buy

Free Download: Adam And Darcie – Hands-MindDownload audio file (Adam And Darcie – Hands-Mind.mp3)
Buy

I got a chance to bounce a couple of questions with Adam and Darcie, and here is what they had to say.

You’ve mention that you record all your songs at home, what are some of the advantage as well as the challenges you face when recording a song?

I think the main advantage is the absolute freedom you have creatively as you don’t have to worry about time or money in the traditional sense. And it’s nice to record in a space that means something to you.

It’s a challenge in regard to our son, but a good challenge. The second the drums, mics, amps, etc. are set up in the living room he wants to be in the middle of the action. So it’s fun, but sometimes we’d just have to take turns or wait to record quiet parts when he was asleep. -Adam

Recording at home on our own timeline means that we can enjoy the process. If we’re getting frustrated or need to clear our heads we can just walk away from it and come back to it when we’re fresh. Adam especially likes for recording to be a good experience so we don’t listen to a song and think, “Oh yeah, I wanted to throttle someone when we did this part.” We have nothing but good feelings about the experience because it’s completely at our leisure. By the same token, sometimes it’s easier to sit on your tail when we’re the only ones motivating ourselves in the comfort of our home. -Darcie

Can you tell us a little bit more about the first time you guys ever came together to create a song? Besides from your incredible talent, was there any other influence that gave you the confidence to start recording music?

We’ve been writing together for awhile, but I think the collaboration has become more exciting for me lately. There were a couple of songs on the record where I recorded the music and tracked out some basic vocals and then left it to Darcie to see what she could come up with. Coming back to the track after Darcie had added lyrics and new melodies was like finding your stocking full on Christmas morning. The song “California Trail” was a good example of this.
-Adam

Our earliest experiences with collaboration involved me lending my vocals or an instrumentation to a song Adam had already written and vice versa. And that was splendid because I think our voices are well suited for each others’. It has been another experience entirely on the last two albums to have equal parts in the song-writing. I think the outcome is more of “our” sound.
-Darcie

What is at the end of the California Trail?

Home… based primarily on people and places that are important to you. -Adam
And peace and satisfaction with your life as simple as it may be. -Darcie

What are some of the ways you are promoting your music on the internet? Can you link us to your website, myspace or twitter? Do online music services like thesixtyone.com and myspace give you enough information to gauge how well your music is being received?

Village Ten Collective in the States and Indiecater overseas have both been great in helping share our music in a really honest organic way. It’s basically a word of mouth approach but through the blogs and the like.

Not always sure how our music is received, the internet is a vast unknown at times, but whenever we do make a connection with someone and get feedback it’s greatly appreciated. Many people have been kind in this regard. -Adam

It’s hard to gauge how our music is received based on our experiences online because no one stops by our myspace to say, “hated the album.” We only hear the good stuff (and I’ll keep it that way, thank you). -Darcie

Links:
myspace.com/adamanddarcie
villageten.com/adamanddarcie
indiecater.com/2009/07/adam-and-darcie-california-trail/
thesixtyone.com/adamanddarcie/

Do you plan to play a live show in Orlando, Florida? What cities can we expect you to play at in the upcoming months?

We’d love to. Right now we have shows planned regionally here in the West, but hopefully we’ll cover more ground soon.

If you had to dress like a ninja, besides black and white, what color would you choose and why?

Green. It matches our album (much thanks to Allan Ludwig for the art and Aaron Monson for the design) and I’d be an earth conscious ninja that way. -Adam
Whoa. I was going to say green, too. It’s not too menacing a color but you gotta take it seriously, you know? -Darcie

Can you describe your music in 3 words?

Sincere. Family. Dynamic. -Adam
Calm. Honest. Hopeful. -Darcie

You are in for a hip/hop ride like never before when you listen to the latest album of one of Canada’s finest and yet most underrated producer/rapper Classified. Right away you can tell his a producer first and rapper second, as the quality and refinement of each beat on every track is to put it simply… freaking dope! He brings an out of the box lyrical approach of storytelling where through a series of tracks prefixed with “Choose Your Own Adventure” he raps the events that happened to him in a normal day, each scenario accompanied by a different beat and style. To describe his style you would have to listen to artists like Jay-Z and Mike Shinoda’s side project Fort Minor.

Each track is submerged in genuine life themes that come through as sincere as he expresses them. Classified is not a higher than life artist, spitting game and bragging about girls, money and fame like most mainstream rappers do. He is about being at par with life and its situations from a grounded and hopeful positive perspective. I’ve been blogging about music and selecting my favorite from albums for a while now and it truly pains me to select just a couple of songs to share from this epic album. We’ll definitely start with the first song I heard from Classified titled “Quit While You’re Ahead” and just to show his range in style I am also posting the slow, mellow, sad and yet motivational song “Inspiration” . “Choose Your Own Adventure 3″ is one of out a 6 part series of track that complete a storytelling adventure.

Classified – Quit While Your Ahead
Download audio file (05-Quit%20While%20You’re%20Ahead.mp3)
Amazon – iTunes

Classified – Inspiration – <3 hypem
Download audio file (06-Inspiration.mp3)
Amazon – iTunes

Classified – Choose Your Own Adventure 3 – <3 hypem
Download audio file (11-Choose%20Your%20Own%20Adventure%203.mp3)
Amazon – iTunes

http://www.classifiedofficial.com/
http://www.myspace.com/hiphopclassified
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_(rapper)

Song/Artist Steve Reynolds with his captivating folk influenced slow rock was featured in the soundtrack of Eli Stone’s “Mortal Kombat” episode with a beautiful mellow the song titled “Coming In Too Low”. Soothing and sincere sounding lyrics that spread across the emotional spectrum of indulgence, wanderlust, love, lost love, joy and a lot of pain, youthful run-ins with the law, full release, redemption and resultant wisdom.

His must buy album released June 3, 2008 The Carnival Papers appears to come across as folk yet it contains a lot of modern rock influences that give it a very unique sound. There are albums that only have a few great song and the rest track are just OK, which is definitely not the case with The Carnival Papers as Steve Reynolds keeps you entertained from beginning to end. From the very folky lyrical driven “Once In Your Life” to the more epic violin accompanied songs “Mistaken Identity” and the heavy orchestrated “Coming In Too Low” Steve Raynold is able to pull every song with elegance.

Coming In Too Low – Steve Raynolds
Download audio file (06 Coming In Too Low.mp3)
Amazon – iTunes

Mistaken Identity – Steve Raynolds
Download audio file (10 Mistaken Identity.mp3)
Amazon – iTunes

Once In Your Life – Steve Raynolds
Download audio file (04 Once In Your Life.mp3)
Amazon – iTunes

Yes, the joke is on everyone that has not listen to the extremely catchy song title “The Joke” (click here to check out the video). Patrick Davy is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Detroit, Michigan. In his album debut “Where it began“, Patrick creates a balance between the simplicity of his songs and the powerful heartfelt vocals to create beautifully sounding melodies. As he points out “‘Where it Began‘ is a darker record than most as the songs are reflections of reality. Because life isn’t like TV. The record is directed at the heart and bones without the sales-pitch frills that the obsolete gatekeepers of the music industry have required for too many years.

“The joke” and “Took a long time” are one of the lighter songs that appear on his album. Others like “The feeling” and “Where it began” are much more mellow with a steady slow tempo. Make sure you check out his myspace to listen more of his album.

The Joke – Where It Began
Download audio file (06 The Joke.mp3)

This Feeling – Where It Began
Download audio file (02 This Feeling.mp3)

Where it Began – Where It Began
Download audio file (3 Where It Began.mp3)

iTunes – myspace