SPOTLIGHT: Jack Conte, one-man band, destined for limelight stay
Jack Conte
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jack Conte. He is a San Francisco native that has only been on the scene for about three years, but will stay in the limelight for much longer than fifteen minutes if he continues releasing EPs like he has in the past.
I first discovered Conte after finding “Lonely Ghost” on YouTube. I made the mistake of not watching the video the first time I listened through it, but thankfully glanced a peek after feeling hypnotized into listening to the song a second time. It was then that I discovered that he is a one-man band – something you don’t see very often. At one point he even uses a homemade method of voice distortion by singing into a tube and waving it vigorously in front of a microphone. He then proceeds to put the beat down on some organ pedals. It is clearly stated in the YouTube description that there are no hidden sounds: “If you hear it, at some point you (will) see it.” Also included in the video: an electric Wurlitzer and him releasing a can of confetti, played in reverse. (more…)
Tags: alternative rock, experimental, one-man-band, rock
By Belén Mata 
Feb 21, 2010 
Artist Spotlight, Reviews, Video 
Comments (0)
Music Geek #16: 10 years of Agaetis Byrjun
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
While I can’t say I’ve been listening to Sigur Ros for ten years (I’m only 23, after all,) the anniversary of Agaetis Byrjun still holds a notable impact in my development of musical tastes. When I first heard this album, I was an impressionable 15-years old and only beginning to realize the breadth and depth of music at my digital fingertips (ah, a pun!)
It introduced me to a world of post-rock and soaring, dynamic soundscapes — and though I wasn’t necessarily unfamiliar with the latter, the Icelandic outfit took it to a logical extreme I hadn’t yet witnessed. This, I thought, was music that made me feel emotional, excited, happy, sad; truthfully, the state of emotion didn’t much make a difference, but the magnitude. As a happy teen listening to Agaetis Byrjun, the album took on a bright, shimmery light; as an occasionally angst-ridden 16-year-old, the album came in a more sad, depressed form. As a teen who avoided some of the emotional highs and lows of his peers (though I wasn’t without fault, by any means) Sigur Ros gave me something to feel when I didn’t want to worry about feeling other things. (more…)
Tags: experimental, post-rock
By Matthew Montgomery Jun 13, 2009 "Music Geek" by Matthew Montgomery Comments (2)
Concert Video: Felina’s Arrow
Video of Felina’s Arrow performing at The Grind Coffee House, taken by Steven Swift, Cedar City musician. View his YouTube profile.
Tags: experimental, soul
By Matthew Montgomery Jun 11, 2009 Southern Utah, Video Comments (0)
Concert Photos: Felina’s Arrow
Felina’s Arrow hailing from Portland, Oregon, performed at The Grind Coffee House in Cedar City, Utah on Tuesday, entertaining a small but enthusiastic crowd. The duo, composed of Poeina Suddarth and Felicia Figueroa, included a friend, Nirvana, on cello. (Thanks to the duo for Nirvana’s name!)
Tags: experimental, soul
By Matthew Montgomery Jun 04, 2009 Photos, Southern Utah Comments (0)
Released This Week: Inquiet – Inq Beyong
Inquiet
Inq Beyong
Brother Sister Records, August 15, 2008
Inquiet - “Fresh Flesh” | download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Inquiet is an experimental pop group from Australia: That’s not a phrase you hear too often in many musical circles, especially those in the northern hemisphere. That’s got little to nothing to do with the musical quality here, to be honest. (more…)
Tags: australia, experimental
By Matthew Montgomery Aug 09, 2008 Downloads, Released this Week, Reviews Comments (0)
Review: Aviary Ghost – Memory is a Hallway
Aviary Ghost
Memory is a Hallway
Self-released, 2008
Aviary Ghost – “Somewhere Else” | download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
There are times that self-releasing an album can be the best option for a band, especially given the many instances of hot-air blowing by music industry personnel — and it’s not just major labels that have been known to play the game in miscreant ways. Sometimes, though, artists just don’t want to deal with the hassle of marketing their release, preferring to just put the music out for public consumption.
Tags: experimental, indie pop, self-released
By Matthew Montgomery Aug 07, 2008 Downloads, Reviews Comments (0)
Spotlight: Colin Stetson | Frantic jazz evocative, but dangerous to public
New History Warfare, Vol. 1 Releases March 4 on Aagoo Records
Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not everyday one runs into music like this — nor should it be. Colin Stetson performs a frantic, solitary-instrument jazz on the bass clarinet and bass saxaphone, and while it’s certainly not bad, it ventures far into the realm of experiment: This may be a good thing for you and I, but if the common man were to hear things like this on a regular basis, a backlash not unlike reactions to Frankenstein’s Monster might be unleashed. Still, the two tracks posted below, “Letter to HST” and “Groundswell” are interesting, evocative, and all those other adjectives you look for in music. Be warned, though: It’s not your grandpa’s jazz.
Colin Stetson — “Letter to HST” | download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Colin Stetson — “Groundswell” | download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Tags: experimental, jazz
By Matthew Montgomery Feb 27, 2008 Artist Spotlight, Downloads Comments (0)
Spotlight: Power Pill Fist | Experimental outfit set to release new album, Kongmanivong
It’s not often something comes along that is actually experimental: Power Pill Fist creates a unique combination of hearty synthesizers and, well, more synthesizers for a sound recalls noise rock, chiptune, industrial, ambient, and so much more. Power Pill Fist, though, isn’t for everyone — not all people equally enjoy being sonically assaulted when they listen to music. I, on the other hand, find it interesting and a nice break from the more gentle, relaxed music we typically spotlight here. A selection of tracks (five of them, to be precise) is posted below for your listening enjoyment or exploration. You pick.
Power Pill Fist will be releasing Kongmanivong on February 23 in the U.S. on Graveface Records. Kongmanivong is available for pre-order on Power Pill Fist’s Web site.
Power Pill Fist — “Chuckanut Drive” | download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Power Pill Fist — “Mashed Potato Legs” | download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Tags: experimental, noise
By Matthew Montgomery Feb 03, 2008 Artist Spotlight, Downloads Comments (0)
