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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
V/A: Bliss of Life (Auralgasms, 2005), January 6, 2006
Auralgasms.com is in the same business that Somewherecold.com is in: introducing great music to music lovers. In this effort, Auralgasms has released a second compilation of great artists ranging from pop to pure shoegaze bliss. Their website, if you haven't visited, is a cavalcade of genres and bands with tons of information that most of our readers would love. Go visit soon, and, oh yeah, pick up their new compilation Bliss of Life.
Bliss of Life begins with a great 80's inspired, blissed out pop song from Blue States. Hailing from Sussex, this bliss pop trio has made a beautifully crafted song in "Across the Wire." The track begins with spacey keys and floats into a trip-hop style drum grove with whining guitars and perfect bass work. The vox remind me of Ian McCulloch at his best. There are what sounds like Rhodes keys and great violin accents. This track really reminds me of good ol' KROQ in the middle of the 80's when they were discovering bands from Britain like Depeche Mode, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, etc. If this track is any indication of this band's sound, I highly recommend Somewhere Cold readers check them out. Next up is a track by the band Lunascape called "Praise Me." This track also has a great 80's feel. Lunascape is duo made up of Kyoko Baertsoen and Walter Hilhorst. Kyoko's vox are angelic and the song catchy. The track has an ethereal trip-hop feel that explodes right out of the gate. The bass work is aggressive and interesting while the drums really hold the song together. The guitars add accents and atmosphere along with keys. This track has an epic sound and the emotive elements in it are strong. Paco provides track #3 called "My Love." Paco is made up of members of Ivy amongst others and has a groovy, psychedelic feel. Again, the bass work is impressive and the female vox gorgeous. The guitars are aggressive but not so much that they take over the rest of the elements. There are great mood changes in this track along with subtle, intricate accents. Brilliant!
Astaire contribute an electro-pop track called "L-L-Love." The beat is infectious and pulses while keys swirl through the speakers and Erica Driscoll adds her angelic and charismatic vocals. She is joined by her brother Bruce Driscoll who paints walls of glorious guitars with great vibe strings mixed in. Hector Zazou, who is accompanied by Nicola Hitchcock, provides a moody, understated electro-ambient track with Hitchcock's beautiful vox. There are some killer moments with saxophone that give the song a smooth, jazzy kind of feel. Sleepthief, featuring Jody Quine, compose another moody, electro-track called "Eurydice" that has angelic vocals as well. The vocals float on top of keys and swirling beats. There are stings incorporated in this track along with moments that have an almost Spanish guitar feel. This track is intricate and beautifully epic sounding. After about 5 or 6 tracks on this disc, one gets the impression that all these bands have gathered the most angelic female singers around. I don't know how they found all of them, but they all give a real continuity to the compilation. As "Eurydice" progresses, the build up is brilliant. Great songwriting is happening here.
Hungy Lucy's "To Kill a King" is much more steeped in the electronica genre at the beginning. Strong, pulsing beats and shakes fill the speakers and eventually are combined with peaceful keys and innocent sounding vox. The keys rumble, creating a fuzzy pillow for Christa Belles vocals to float over while beats play in between. The Autumns contribute a track called "Cattleya." It begins with acoustic guitar and what sounds like some xylophone. The electric guitar is far up in the mix and Matthew Kelly's vocals are charismatic as ever. The mix of electric and acoustic guitars with the keys creates a blissful wall under the full backing vocals. This turns into a raucous sound that comes and goes with periods of silence in the bridge. The song fades out into piano and softly swirling guitars. In-Flight Safety contributes "Lucky Boy." This begins with Piano and male vox. There are soft, subtle drums and variously placed other keys. As far as the comp is concerned, this track is the first not to hit me like the others. For a pop song of this nature, I found the track to be drawn out and much too long. They do eventually mix in what sounds like some guitar, but it's far into the song. Also, it feels way too much like Keane, a band of which I am not really a fan. But, if you like them, you may like In-Flight Safely, that is if they have the same sound throughout their own album.
Her Space Holiday's "Something to Do With My Hands" opens somewhat like a Richard Swift track may open on The Novelist. This quickly gives in to a minimalist electronic track with breathy, talking style vox. There are various clicks and samples in the track. Structurally and musically, this track is very interesting. Highspire contribute a track from their brilliant release Your Everything called "Skies You Climb." This track is pure shoegaze bliss, with driving bass and drums and walls of atmospheric sound and recessed vox. This song will make any shoegaze fan weep with joy and want more. For a more in depth review of Highspire's disc, go here. Hot on the heels of Highspire's fantastic tune is Asobi Seksu's "Walk on the Moon." Hailing from New York, Asobi Seksu brings a brand of noise-pop that is explosive and refreshing. This track begins with spacey keys and Yuki's beautiful vocals. The drums and the guitar eventually turn into walls of sound with the bass driving underneath. The waves of sound can be crushing, but in that great, shoegaze sort of way. Unfortunately, their recordings don't do their sound justice. Go see them live and get your face peeled off by the My Bloody Valentine style volume of sound.
Monster Movie, another Somewhere Cold favorite, contributes a track off of their To the Movie disc called "Beautiful Arctic Star." This track begins with vibraphone, floating keys and fantastic, charismatic vox. The song is ethereal and floating throughout with a rumbling undertone. Au Revoir Borealis contributes the perfectly titled "Blissfield." This is a minimalist electronic song with ghostly, female vocals and a floating bass under-beat. I do believe that this is an original track found nowhere else right now. It's beautiful and haunting, while, at the same time, it is equally catchy for an ambient tune. Jody Quine presents a Kat Jones style piano song. The drums are subtle and the bass work sits perfectly in the mix to meld the parts together. Quine's vocals are strong and beautiful. This is a straightforward pop song, but it is very well written.
Harland contribute another straightforward pop song. The track is called "Little White Lies" and, well, the vox are perfect but I am not very enthusiastic about the writing of this song. It sounds much too familiar to be interesting. What may redeem it is the bridge. The bridge changes up the feel to a more jazzy, trip-pop feel and, frankly, I wish the whole track was that good. Eskobar round out the disc at track 17 with "You Got Me." They hail from Sweden and have a Violet Burning sort of feel. This is glitter pop at its best. The acoustic guitars are aggressive over the electric guitars and the bass and drum work are pretty straightforward. Again, this song is ok, but not the best on this compilation by far.
Having ventured through 17 tracks, I find this compilation to be top-notch. I may not like a few of the songs, but some may disagree with me and that is fine. I mean, what is criticism except (I hope) a somewhat educated opinion? Anyway, the strong songs on this comp will surely introduce you to many a great band and, perhaps, cause you to empty your pocket book in order to support said artists with some of your hard earned cash by picking up their cds.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bliss Of Life Review/Description, June 7, 2005
The Bliss of Life is the follow up to the Auralgasms compilation CD, The Beat Of Dis-content. Like its predecessor, The Bliss of Life features tracks from some of our favorite up and coming artists featured on Auralgasms. You may recognize some of the names on this disc including Paco (ft Dominique Durand and Andy Chase of Ivy), Lunascape (featuring ex-Hooverphonic vocalist, Kyoko), Monster Movie (featuring Christian Savill of Slowdive), Nicola Hitchcock (of Mandalay) and Jody Quine (vocalist with Balligomingo). We are also pleased to have some bands poised to make a big splash this year. The Autumns, Blue States and Astaire are receiving rave reviews for their latest efforts.
The Bliss of Life is 17 tracks of Ethereal Pop Bliss - a perfect compilation of artists from around the world, making beautiful music and just waiting to be discovered. Each track was chosen by Auralgasms as a standout gem we have found over the past year. Although the temptation is great to keep them to ourselves, we have decided to share them you.
01. Blue States - Across The Wire
Across the Wire, telling tales of wingless angels on desk duty, is the stand out track from Blue States' third album - The Soundings. Blue States are Andy Dragazis, Chris Carr and Jon Chandler.
02. Lunascape - Praise Me
The Lunascape sound mixes catching rhythms, sampling and loops with acoustic and electric guitars reinforced by strong melodies and Kyoko's (ex-Hooverphonic) enchanting voice. The music of Lunascape can best be described as ethereal ambient trip-pop music.
03. Paco - My Love
Paco is the creative alchemy between Dominique Durand & Andy Chase of the esteemed NY indie-pop band Ivy and their friends Michael Hampton and Gary Maurer. The band's full-length debut, "This Is Where We Live", creates evocative songs that seduce the listener. It's sultry & melancholy but with unmistakable attitude.
04. Astaire - L-L-Love
Astaire is the NYC-based duo of Brazilian / American siblings, Erica and Bruce Driscoll. The band released their self-produced debut EP on their own Wax Divine label in Fall 2004. Mixed with Andy Chase (Ivy, Paco, Tahiti 80), the EP has been well received in publications such as CMJ, Entertainment Weekly, America and Z!nk. "L-L-Love" is the lead track on the EP and will also appear on the band's first full-length, due in late 2005.
05. Hector Zazou (w/ Nicola Hitchcock) - Surrender
The French-Algerian composer has a surprise waiting with each new composition. Whether it be for string quartet, wind instruments, classical voices or synthesizers, all illustrate his passion for the most unexpected inventions. He has collaborated with such luminaries of Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Cale, Dead Can Dance, Suzanne Vega, Björk, Siouxsie and Jane Siberry. His most recent projects include a series of new solo albums, Strong Currents - released in 2003 and L'Absence, an electronic twin of the former. L'Absence features the beautiful collaboration with Nicola Hitchcock (of Mandalay). Nicola's golden voice with the ambience of a Zazou composition is pure ethereal bliss.
06. Sleepthief (w/ Jody Quine) - Eurydice
Sleepthief is Justin Elswick in collaboration with some of the most recognized vocalists in electronic, folk and world music; including Harland and Jody Quine. Their music is a unique and arresting synthesis of sounds both ancient and modern, reminiscent of Delerium.
07. Hungry Lucy - To Kill A King
Intoxicating trip-pop music with enchanting female vocals. Hungry Lucy sounds similar to Lamb, Olive, Portishead, Halou, Dido, Madonna, Emiliana Torrini, Hooverphonic, Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Claire Voyant, etc
08. The Autumns - Cattleya
A small sampling of reviews of the new album:
"This album has such majestic chutzpah that the epic gene in you will simply surrender."
THE TIMES OF LONDON -- 4 Stars ****
"The Autumns are masters of structure and dynamics. This is one glorious album from a band which can produce music that is unutterably beautiful but also hugely powerful."
MOJO -- 4 Stars ****
"It's impressive stuff... a lavish phalanx of guitars... a swooning juggernaut... intense..."
Q
09. In-flight Safety - Lucky Boy
"... a solid batch of smartly written pop songs and lush live show. Evoking the spirits of classic Pink Floyd and modern Britpopsters Coldplay, In-Flight Safety knows how to write a song that captures the ear and the imagination"
The Coast, Halifax, NS
"... Bright, ringing little percussive notes punctuate some of the downbeats, paired with more expansive, deeper notes from, say, a guitar or a piano, in the way The Beach Boys did so well... you'll be mesermerized by Mullane's effortless vocal delivery"
The Daily News, Halifax, NS
10. Her Space Holiday - Something To Do With My Hands
Recording under the Her Space Holiday moniker since 1996, Marc Bianchi conjures sugarcoated dreamscapes that float alongside sweet and bitter narratives of life. Always intent on challenging himself, the Her Space Holiday sound has morphed from release to release as Marc has added more intricate sampling and drum programming to an already rich palette of sounds and matured as a songwriter.
11. Highspire - Skies You Climb
A small group of musicians, living in and around the Philadelphia area who are notoriously elusive, opting for the pursuit of writing and recording good music. Usually labeled as "shoegaze" or "dreampop", Highspire has always been more interested in expanding these sounds and/or crossbreeding with other musical ideas to help create their own style of symphonic-rock/pop.
12. Asobi Seksu - Walk On The Moon
Asobi Seksu, like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine before them, are evolving and redefining what noise means within the model of pop songwriting. The band melds lush yet wonderfully crushing waves of white noise in variation with synth-driven pop delicacies and tight lounge progressions ala Stereolab. The quartet's melting-pot aesthetics also include narratives sung in combinations of English and Japanese.
13. Monster Movie - Beautiful Arctic Star
A pleasant stroll down strummy, wistful pop lane. Warm, brittle, slightly dreamy & melancholic acoustic here, Radio Dept fuzzy there, toytown MBV shapes, Mercury Rev pie, Joy Zipper kebabs & Sarah records without the knee socks & hairslides
14. Au Revoir Borealis - Blissfield
Cinematic Ambient Rock band from Detroit with electronic and acoustic influences. Expansive sound, intimate atmosphere.
15. Jody Quine - Hollywood
Her presence is captivating and electric, and with a voice that beds down with the shivers under your skin, she's fantastic to catch live. Her new material, the results of a songwriter maturing and tasting life, is bound to touch people and make them think, and then... keep them coming back for more. Jody has also recorded with Balligomingo and Sleepthief.
16. Harland - Little White Lies
Harland encompasses grace, beauty, style and talent beyond measure. In the last two years, she has been signed to a publishing deal, collaborated as a highly sought after guest vocalist with seminal electronic artists, toured as a lead vocalist for Delerium, and has played her first solo live shows in New York . Her music tells the story of a creative soul finally breaking herself free of the everyday and finding a new lease on life in New York, in love and in music.
17. Eskobar - You Got Me
Eskobar began life under another name in a Stockholm suburb during the mid nineties. Like most young bands, their first musical efforts owed a lot to their influences (at that time mainly British acts). Since then they have forged their own path. They have up to date released three albums that contain fused melancholy, intimate melodies with big guitars, reminiscent in a way of the best 80s arena bands yet at the same time sounding totally fresh and individual.
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