I just found this video of Ane Brun and Nina Kinert performing together, in a lift! It’s showcases both their incredible talents. I have to admit that Nina Kinert is also looking rather splendid But anyway, I hope you take the time to watch because it’s some great music by two hugely talented individuals. Enjoy

Got a last.fm account? Join the Wears The Trousers listening group here. We’ll be publishing details of what members are listening to every week throughout the year.

Week ending 15/11/09

Unique to the group

01 Ane Brun (1)
02 Tori Amos (2)
03 Indigo Girls (-)
04 Beth Orton (-)
05 Martha Wainwright (-)
06 Bat For Lashes (-)
07 Laura Veirs (-)
08 Neko Case (-)
09 Soap&Skin (-)
10 Tegan & Sara (-)

Overall charts

01 Tori Amos (1)
02 Regina Spektor (2)
03 Bat For Lashes (3=)
04 Tegan & Sara (-)
05 Cat Power (-)
06 The Beatles (-)
07 Radiohead (6)
08 Fever Ray (-)
09= Björk (3=)
09= Lady GaGa (-)

* * *

This week’s stats are based on the compulsive habits of 279 listeners.

To let myself go
To let myself flow
Is the only way of being
There´s no use telling me
There´s no use taking a step back
A step back for me

To Let Myself Go by Ane Brun

Got a last.fm account? Join the Wears The Trousers listening group here. We’ll be publishing details of what members are listening to every week throughout the year.

Week ending 08/11/09

Unique to the group

01 Ane Brun (2)
02 Tori Amos (8)
03 Kristin Hersh (-)
04 Marissa Nadler (-)
05 Lisa Germano (7)
06 Alessi’s Ark (3)
07 Ani DiFranco (-)
08 Nellie McKay (-)
09 Anni Rossi (-)
10 Erin McKeown (-)

Overall charts

01 Tori Amos (3)
02 Regina Spektor (2)
03= Björk (6)
03= Bat For Lashes (5)
05 Yeah Yeah Yeahs (7=)
06 Radiohead (-)
07= The Smiths (-)
07= Ane Brun (-)
09= Neko Case (-)
09= Kate Bush (-)

* * *

This week’s stats are based on the compulsive habits of 277 listeners.

It’s freezing in my room, and yet I am more than content to sit here as long as Ane Brun keeps playing. I had the delight of seeing Ane play twice this year, both at the beautiful Union Chapel- the absolute perfect venue for Ane and her wonderful Diamonds. 

Not all the music I listen to can be described as ‘beautiful’, but Ane’s music is probably the definition of the word. She’s got such a beautiful voice and writes such sweet songs.  She sings live with three wonderful singers who she calls her Diamonds. Their voices are just like angels; the make me swoon in the same way string sections do. Completely wonderful. If you haven’t seen her before, I really strongly recommend catching her if you can. I hope she plays Union Chapel again… everyone should get to experience that beautiful thing. It would make perfect sense for her to record a live album there… 

So, if you fancy it, here is a nice video of Ten Seconds live at Union Chapel. Check out those acoustics! Listen to those Diamonds! Absolutely stunning. Seriously, watch that video. Mega swoons.

O ofertă tentantă.

A nice song for those dark autumn evenings. Enjoy!

This is a compilation of cover songs curated by Alan Pedder and Charlotte Richardson, of Wears The Trousers magazine. All the profit will be split between The Fawcett Society and The Women’s Resource Centre.

Tracklist:
01 LINDA DRAPER, ‘Sail Away Ladies’
02 ANE BRUN, ‘If I Had A Ribbon Bow’
03 GEMMA RAY, ‘900 Miles’
04 ANAÏS MITCHELL, ‘All My Trials’
05 HAUNTED STEREO, ‘Santy Anno’
06 MADAM, ‘Waterboy’
07 SANDY DILLON, ‘Can’t Afford To Lose My Man’ [live]
08 ORA COGAN, ‘Motherless Child’
09 JOSEPHINE ONIYAMA, ‘The Gallows Pole’
10 PEPI GINSBERG, ‘Beautiful Star’
11 SOCIETY OF IMAGINARY FRIENDS, ‘Another Man Done Gone’
12 MARISSA NADLER, ‘All My Trials’
13 KELLI ALI, ‘All The Pretty Little Horses’
14 KATEY BROOKS, ‘What A Friend We Have’
15 LIZ DURRETT, ‘Chilly Winds’
16 ARBOREA, ‘This Little Light Of Mine’

I think it’s a really beautiful thing. Make sure you show your support and buy a copy. You’ll be able to pre-order through Wears The Trousers in mid-November.

Beautiful Star: The Songs Of Odetta
a benefit compilation curated by Wears The Trousers magazine

released November 30, 2009 (download / limited edition CD)

01 Linda Draper, ‘Sail Away Ladies’
02 Ane Brun, ‘If I Had A Ribbon Bow’
03 Gemma Ray, ‘900 Miles’
04 Anaïs Mitchell, ‘All My Trials’
05 Haunted Stereo, ‘Santy Anno’
06 Madam, ‘Waterboy’
07 Sandy Dillon, ‘Can’t Afford To Lose My Man’
08 Ora Cogan, ‘Motherless Child’
09 Josephine Oniyama, ‘The Gallows Pole’
10 Pepi Ginsberg, ‘Beautiful Star’
11 Society Of Imaginary Friends, ‘Another Man Done Gone’
12 Marissa Nadler, ‘All My Trials’
13 Kelli Ali, ‘All The Pretty Little Horses’
14 Katey Brooks, ‘What A Friend We Have’
15 Liz Durrett, ‘Chilly Winds’
16 Arborea, ‘This Little Light Of Mine’

Visit www.myspace.com/songsofodetta for more info.

Jeg er mektig imponert over Ane Bruns store klimaprosjekt “No More Lullabies”, som arrangeres på Södra Teatern i Stockholm nå i kveld!
Målet er å rette oppmerksomhete mot den internasjonale klimadagen (www.350.org), og Ane har klart å samle en svært imponerende artistliste, bestående av blant andre Robyn, Promoe, Benny Andersson, Rebekka Karijord, The Tiny og Nina Kinert, samt mine personlige favoritter Nicolai Dunger og Nina Ramsby.
Bra jobba, Ane!

Denne sangen, spesielt denne versjonen, treffer meg i det innerste. Den beskriver veldig mye av det jeg tenker på om dagen, på en nydelig måte. Jeg håper at alle mennesker på jord en dag ser seg selv i sine virkelige farger. Vi er ikke bare kjipe mot hverandre, men også mot oss selv. Det vi ser i speilet, er ikke alltid det andre ser, og det kan ofte ta lang tid før vi blir enige. Det å elske seg selv, er hardt arbeid. Det krever mye mot, sjelegransking, og ikke minst et ærlig blikk i speilet. Alle, alle, fortjener å ha det bra med seg selv. Selvhjelpsbøker er ikke bare noe å le av når man går gjennom bokhandelen. De aller fleste har godt av å jobbe med seg selv, ingen er perfekte. Men vi er så bra! Så mye mer enn vi tror!

Jeg utfordrer alle som leser dette innlegget til å være snillere med seg selv. Se deg selv i speilet, virkelig se deg selv dypt inn i øynene. Gi deg selv komplimenter hver gang du ser deg selv i speilet. Øv på å være mer glad i deg selv. Øv på å elsk deg selv, øv på å si “jeg elsker meg selv”. Uttrykket “man må elske seg selv, før man kan elske andre“  har nok noe sannhet i seg. Man blir jo tryggere av å bli elsket, men man kan like gjerne gjøre en innsats for seg selv også. En julerengjøring for sjelen! Vi er jo her på jorden for å leve!

I usually enjoy autumn, but right now I just want to curl up into a ball in bed. Wake me up in April, will you? You’ll find me under my blanket, in between all the pillows. It has come to the point where it’s dark when I go home in the evenings, soon it will be dark when I wake up too. The changing of the seasons is something I enjoy, maybe it’s the Scandinavian in me that Ane Brun sings about. I still love the sun, though, and now I’m just looking forward to summer again.

I would probably be more optimistic if I had a good day. It could have been a nice one, but waking up with a migraine just ruined the whole thing. Uni just started again and I have some really interesting seminars and courses coming up, but today it was just exhausting. Afterwards I met a good friend of mine to eat, chat and eat (yes, we eat all the time), and now the headache is almost gone! So maybe my day wasn’t that bad after all, I love spending time with my dear friend. The eating has to stop, though. Both hanging out with him and the cold and darkness itself makes me eat a lot more than I should. I’ll be fat before you can say “Karl Lagerfeld”. We don’t want that. At least he doesn’t. So hibernating would probably do me some good in several ways.

Ane’s site.

Original lyrics by 17th century baroque composer Henry Purcell.

From A Temporary Drive (2005)

I’ve found myself throwing my ipod on shuffle (in between binges of Bright Eyes) quite a lot recently. I find it amazing how little I knew of so many of the music I actually have. This does make me wonder why I constantly search for new sounds, when I am not familiar with so much that I own.

I feel that this is a phenomenon  that many people in this current age experience. There is too much content and too little time. It does make you hark back to the days of the vinyl, and the ways in which one would create bonds with the record and it’s packaging. I remember my Dad recently telling me about the days when he used to walk to his favourite record store and just browse album sleeves all afternoon. Apparently, he would look at the liner notes and thank you’s on the records he already owned and would buy music by the people who’s names he didn’t recognise. I guess this was a risky business, spending so much money on a record that could be absolute crap. But by spending the money he would spin the record hundreds of times, even if he didn’t enjoy it, just so he could feel like he knew the music and felt his money was not wasted. I think this is something that modern music completely lacks. The dawn of the internet has meant that we are all mere mouse clicks away from endless supplies of music, film, books and anything else our heart desires. I guess many would argue that this is a positive, but I feel it means we do not form as strong a connection with the art we are absorbing. This is something that I am completely guilty of, and only serve to feed. So today; instead of posting a link, I will give you a mere verbal recommendation.

Listen to Temporary Dive by Ane Brun

Ane Brun has performed some of her greatest material in Stockholm’s Concert Hall and happened to record it for everyone who couldn’t be there. This 2009 release is supposed to highlight the prolific artists greatest moments sung where she performs best – in concert.

Got a last.fm account? Join the Wears The Trousers listening group here. We’ll be publishing details of what members are listening to every week throughout the year.

Week ending 11/10/09

Unique to the group

01 Ane Brun (-)
02 Kristin Hersh (6)
03 Alela Diane (-)
04 Nerina Pallot (-)
05 She Keeps Bees (-)
06 Brandi Carlile (-)
07 Tori Amos (2)
08 Bat For Lashes (-)
09 Regina Spektor (7)
10 Soap&Skin (-)

Overall charts

01 Regina Spektor (2)
02 Bat For Lashes (3)
03 Tori Amos (1)
04 Tegan & Sara (4=)
05 Imogen Heap (-)
06 Yeah Yeah Yeahs (4)
07= Kate Bush (4=)
07= Cat Power (-)
09= Sufjan Stevens (-)
09= PJ Harvey  (-)

* * *

This week’s stats are based on the compulsive habits of 271 listeners.

Ane Brun er både en nydelig låtskriver og sangtolker – noe denne godbiten med en gammel Alphaville-slager beviser til gangs. Kanskje en av de beste coverversjonene jeg har hørt noensinne.

I morgen tirsdag 5. oktober spiller hun i Drammens Teater – og skal man tro Twitter ser hun ut til å glede seg. Med base i Stockholm har hun sakte, men sikkert bygget opp en fanbase som lydhørt har tatt for seg av hennes vevre, men samtidig kraftfulle akustiske folkpop. Vi har fire plater av henne i musikksamlingen, klikk på lenkene eller bildene for å reservere:

1. «A Temporary Dive» (2004)
(Spotify-link)

2. «Duets» (2005)
Spotify-link

3. «Live in Scandinavia» (2007)
Spotify-link

4. «A Changing of the Seasons» (2008)
Spotify-link

And even though I read maps to avoid them
They change location every day
And somehow all of my traces they vanish
But shall one stay put?
Shall one lay low?
Shall one not go
Just to avoid this hole?

(Temporary Dive by Ane Brun)

photo by Dorota

Există nenumărate dueturi în muzică, dar puţine îs foarte reuşite. Voci care puse una lângă cealaltă sună de parcă există ca să cânte împreună pe aceeaşi piesă. Sau cel puţin asta o fost impesia mea când am auzit câteva melodii. Aşa că le-am adunat pe toate într-un playlist/compilaţie să le împart cu lumea.

Audiţie plăcută!

he plus she equals harmony

• The National feat. St. Vincent – Sleep All Summer

Deşi este cover, varianta de faţă îmi place mult mai mult decât originalul celor de la Crooked Fingers. Vocea joasă a lui Matt Berninger completează perfect, prin contrast, vocea soft a lui Annie Clark (care-şi spune St. Vincent). Piesă perfectă pentru zilele idle de vară.

• Ane Brun feat. Teitur - Rubber and Soul

Am început să ascult Ane Brun cu A Temporary Dive, unde Rubber and Soul era în variantă solo. Mi-o plăcut, dar nu m-o atins în mod deosebit până când am auzit-o în varianta de mai sus, cu îmbunătăţirile vocale ale lui Teitur, care o completează perfect pe Ane.

• Damien Rice feat. Lisa Hannigan – Volcano

Pe lângă contrabas, Lisa îl ajută pe Damien Rice şi cu vocea. Şi bine face, că rezultatul e excelent. Cred că fără vocea ei piesa ar suna prea sec.

• Feist feat. Erik Glambek Bøe (Kings of Convenience) – How My Heart Behaves

Un dialog perfect, cântat pe două voci soft care se completează perfect una pe cealaltă.

• Audrey feat. Per Tannergård – Pocket Arms

Încă de la prima audiţie l-am perceput pe Per ca pe un soi de conştiinţă care îţi pune în faţă ceea ce nu vezi. Deosebit de frumos joc de voci.

• Jeff Buckley feat. Elizabeth Fraser – All Flowers In Time Bend Towards the Sun

Piesa asta o fost înregistrată pe când cei doi erau împreună…un soi de melodie a lor. Din păcate la puţin timp după Jeff şi-o găsit sfârşitul tragic. De văzut documentarul Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You, unde Elizabeth vorbeşte deosebit de frumos despre el şi relaţia care au avut-o.

• IAMX feat. Imogen Heap – My Secret Friend

Nu mă aşteptam deloc la combinaţia de faţă, deşi vocile amândorura au nişte tonalităţi care pe mine mă binedispun instantaneu (cred că îs singura persoană care zâmbeşte când ascultă Missile).

• dEUS feat. Karin Dreijer Andersson (The Knife) – Slow

Karin sună bine cam pe orice am auzit-o. Faptul că şi dEUS îs o trupă excelentă, că are nişte versuri foarte faine la dispoziţie şi că vocea ei dă foarte bine cu a lui Tom Barman sunt doar plusuri.

• Implat Pentru Refuz feat. Cristina (Blazzaj) – Apus

Nu îmi plac în mod deosebit nici IPR, nici Blazzaj (solistu celor două trupe are ceva în voce care mă zgârie) dar piesa asta mi se pare deosebit de frumoasă.

• PJ Harvey feat. Thom Yorke (Radiohead) - This Mess We’re In

Era trist dacă două voci care îmi plac foarte mult separat nu işeau bine combiate. Din fericire nu o fost cazu. Nu mai ştiu exact când am auzit prima data piesa, dar ştiu că am ascultat-o pe repeat zile la rând. Hipnotică combinaţie.

• The Gathering feat. Garm (Ulver) – A Life All Mine

Din nou un dialog foarte mişto între vocea gloomy a lui Garm şi cea dreamy a lui Anneke, pe nişte versuri foarte faine. O surpriză excelentă pe finalul albumului Souvenirs.

Got a last.fm account? Join the Wears The Trousers listening group here. We’ll be publishing details of what members are listening to every week throughout the year.

Week ending 30/08/09

Unique to the group

01 Ane Brun (-)
02 Carina Round (-)
03 Thea Gilmore (3)
04 Lisa Hannigan (-)
05 Tori Amos (1)
06 Kristin Hersh (-)
07 Ani DiFranco (5)
08 Regina Spektor (4)
09 Dar Williams (-)
10 Alessi’s Ark (-)

Overall charts

01= Tori Amos (2)
01= Regina Spektor (1)
03= Imogen Heap (5)
03= Radiohead (8)
03= Bat For Lashes (3)
03= Cat Power (9=)
07 Yeah Yeah Yeahs (-)
08 PJ Harvey (-)
09 Metric (5=)
10 Feist (-)

* * *

This week’s stats are based on the compulsive habits of 256 listeners.

Music has become an important part of my life. I have found a sense of identity in it. In a song I am most attracted to vocals, then the music itself. As a big fan of the Indie genre, I believe some of the best vocalists are found in this genre. And I have come across a few musicians that do not have the recognition they deserve. Here is a list of seven female vocalists you should know about. To go to their individual website click on their name.

Click here for my ‘Seven Great Male Vocalists’

7. Jem

Full name: Jemma Griffiths
Origins: Wales, UK
Album/s: It All Starts Here (EP, 2003); Finally Woken (2004); Down to Earth (2008)

What I love about Jem are her gentle vocals that flow smoothly in her songs and which are complemented very well by the music. There’s an innocence in the her voice even when singing sultry sounding songs like Come On Closer. Her music is scattered in several shows and movies but even with that she still remains relatively unknown. The first track I heard of her was “They” from Finally Woken which was featured in Grey’s Anatomy (yes, I liked Grey’s but that was before it went downhill). Her album Finally Woken can be found in Australia or, of course, on iTunes (but only in the US store).

~~~

6. Nicole Atkins:

Full name: Nicole Atkins
Origins: New Jersey, USA
Album/s: Party’s Over (EP, 2005); Bleeding Diamonds (EP, 2006); Neptune City (2007); Nicole Atkins Digs Other People’s Songs (EP of covers, 2008). Also singer of the group ‘Nicole Atkins & the Sea”

Nicole Atkins calls her works “Pop Noir” and when listening to her music it is eas to see why. At times her songs may sound like general pop but the lyrics and her vocals stop them from going down that path. The strength of her voice is best seen in the first song I heard of her, The Way It Is. I saw her when she was the guest singer in The Late Show with David Letterman. At times she reminds me a little of Amy Winehouse (in the way she dresses and styles her hair). However, I’d actually like to approach Nicole Atkins if I saw her in public. She is a wonderful singer who needs more and more exposure.

~~~

5. Laura Marling:

Full name: Laura Beatrice Marling
Origins: Hampshire, England
Album/s: London Town (EP, 2007); My Manic and I (EP, 2007); Alas, I Cannot Swim (2008)

Laura Marling has a voice that doesn’t quite seem to suit her image of a quiet young girl. Her vocals are deep in tone and powerful; her lyrics (particularly in My Manic and I) are insightful, delightful and well-crafted. There’s a “beyond her years” sense about Marling that shows through in her repertoire. Reviews of Alas, I Cannot Swim have not been as good as they were for her My Manic and I EP. Some argue that she has been overpowered by her producers who tried to make her more “marketable” instead of keeping her style. I tend to agree with that notion. I first heard her sing in Mystery Jets’ song Young Love. A YouTube search later brought me to My Manic and I.

4. Ane Brun:

Full name: Ane Brunvoll
Origins: Molde, Norway
Album/s: Spending Time with Morgan (2003); My Lover Will Go (EP, 2004); A Temporary Dive (2005); Duets (2005); Live in Scandinavia (2007); Changing Of The Seasons (2008)

There’s a sense of mystery that comes out of Ane Brun’s vocals. Perhaps it’s the Norwegian accent or it may just be her style. Either way, she is a great a vocalist. She is probably the second most experienced singer in this list, in terms of full albums released. She tours a lot around Europe but has not yet come to Australia. Her albums are not available in Australia at present (or, more likely, I’m looking in the wrong places) and I’m hoping they will be soon.I found out about her in So You Think You Can Dance where her vocals featured in Koop’s Island Blues. It’s an excellent dance that seems to reflect the sense of longing in the song.

~~~

3. Bat For Lashes:

Full name: Natasha Khan
Origins: Brighton, UK
Album/s: Fur and Gold (2006); Two Suns (2009)

Bat for Lashes graduated from university with a degree in music and visual arts and when listening or seeing a video to her music it’s easy to make the connection. There’s an undertone of melancholy and/or deep emotion in her voice that’s beautiful to listen to. She’s a unique vocalist whose alternative dress style is more than appropriate. She is probably be the best known in this list and I’m very happy about that. I first saw her song What’s a Girl To Do? on one of Channel V’s host’s “favourite” list. The music and lyrics reflect the creepy and fantastic atmosphere of the video. See for yourselves.

~~~

2. Basia Bulat:

Full name: Basia Bulat
Origin: London/Ontario
Album/s: Basia Bulat (EP, 2005); Oh, My Darling (2007); Touch the Hem of His Garment (2008)

Ah, Basia Bulat (pronounced Ba-shia Bu-la). Probably best known for providing the music to the 2007 Australian Volkswagen Eos ad, Basia Bulat is an impressive singer-songwriter. Bulat’s voice is gentle and carries the wavering tone of life experience despite her being only 25. Her debut album Oh, My Darling was made to document the journey of creating and putting together the songs. The songs flow from one to the other smoothly and you just want to hear more. Definitely one of the best vocalists to come out of the new millenium. I first heard her song Little Waltz in the Volkswagen ad but it took me a while to find out who she was. A friend of mine downloaded her song and passed it on to me. As soon as I found out her album was available in Australia, I went out to buy it. It’s one of my favourite albums. She truly is a remarkable talent.

~~~

1. Shannon Wright

Full name: Shannon Wright
Origins: Georgia, USA
Album/s: A Tin Crown For the Social Bash b/w You’re the Cup (1999); Flightsafety (1999); Maps of Tacit (2000); Perishable Goods (2001);Dyed in the Wool (2001); A Junior Hymn b/w Asleep (2001); Over the Sun (2004); Yann Tiersen and Shannon Wright (2005); Let in the Light (2007)

I’ve known about Shannon Wright the longest out of all the other vocalists in this list; I found her in 2004 or 2005. I was actually looking for a Yann Tiersen song and accidentally downloaded Dragon Fly, which was from a collaborative album between the two. I was immediately drawn to it. Actually, I became obsessed with it. Not only was the music quite experimental but her vocals haunted me. At the time I was beginning to assert my independence through music and her voice was so different from anything I had heard. She sings with passion, at times it seems she sings with anger. There’s so much emotion behind every one of her songs. Her collaborative album with Tiersen is amazing; it’s in my Best Albums Ever!!! list. However, she is probably an acquired taste because of her unconventionality. I think she’s just amazing.