And that’s not the only strange thing about the pairing of Swedish high school friends Daniel Larsson and Tomas Redigh.
Under either name, Larsson and Redgh produce Bitpop, an obscure but growing sub-genre of electronic music that is characterized by the primary melody played by an 8-bit electrical device, like an old Commodore 64 computer or Atari gaming console.
Those who read our review of the Sonos wireless music system know what cool technology it is. From a single controller, Sonos let’s one control audio on multiple rooms, sans wires. The system is easy to set up. And it’s modular, making expansion easy too.
Though only tangentially related to their music system, Sonos decided to put together the below infographic on how your father’s musical taste may influence your own. It takes into account other factors too, such as whether you grew up on a farm or studied piano.
Looking for the next hit international music performer? The nominees for the Mercury Prize is an excellent place to look. That award goes the best new album from a British or Irish artist.
Looking for the next hit international music performer? There’s no certain way to know, of course, but as good a place to look as any is the Mercury Prize. That award goes the best new album from a British or Irish artist.
Here’s the first half of our look at the 12 albums nominated for the Mercury Prize. Click on the corresponding album cover to listen to song samples.
Time was that it was difficult to hear music that didn’t make it onto your local radio stations. Which is to say, it was difficult to hear the vast majority of music available.
Not so today. The internet is the great music equalizer. If you are looking to expand your musical horizons, or simply hear a cool tune you’ve never heard before, here are eight of our favorite sites. Though some have pay options, each site can be enjoyed free of charge:
If you are a yoga regular, or are drawn to new age music, then be prepared for Krishna Das to shoot towards the top of your list of favorite artists.
If you are the sort who can’t stand Enya and wouldn’t be caught dead in a yoga studio you still might be memorized by the more raucous tunes on Pilgrim Heart.
The songs on this album are all based on traditional Hindu devotionals, heavy on chanting and classical Indian instruments. To those are added some western pop music influences, though not so many that you would guess that Krishna Das is actually Long Island, New York native Jeffrey Kagel.
In his early adulthood Kagel, now Das, was a rock ‘n’ roll loving suburban school bus driver (picture Otto from The Simpsons). Then he had a chance New York City encounter with Indian guru Ram Das. That was the moment that changed Kagel’s life (and his name). He travel to India, studied Hindu philosophy and became enchanted with the songs of the mystics. The result of that spiritual transformation are for all to hear on Pilgrim Heart. For more upbeat tracks give a listen to Devi ‘Rave’ and Namah Shivaya.
Best tracks:Namah Shivaya (#1), Jaya Jagatambe (#9), Devi ‘Rave’ (#11)
Best tracks: Långt Härifrån (#4), Fråga Stjärnorn (#2), Vill Du Veta Vem Jag Ar (#7)
You don’t need to understand Swedish to appreciate the melodic folk-rock tunes by Scandinavian’s answer to Sarah McLachlan. Åkerström is a hugely talented musician, playing the flute, piano and guitar as well as providing vocals. Her voice is gorgeous and accessible — these are songs you can actively listen to or play as the background music for a low-key dinner party. En Bit På Väg (On the Road) is a compilation of her best songs from her first three albums. Since then she’s come out with five others, including this year’s excellent Visor Från Förr & Nu.
Best tracks: Empty House (#3), This Is My Life (#4), Big Storm (#12)
Wow! This album is a stunning musical achievement — except for track #5, Human Condition, which is so inexplicably horrible that we think it was included on the album and made the title track as the result of some sort of lost wager. With that one exception, all the tunes on this album are rich tapestry of global sounds. Lead singer Olga Helm (pictured above) is from France, but sings in English, sets her songs to Middle Eastern beats and makes heavy use of Celtic instruments. We didn’t like this album on the first listen mostly because we didn’t know what to make of it. Who in their right mind, we initially asked, puts bagpipes to Arabic riffs as Shai No Shai does in Big Storm? Countless listens later we still find our appreciation growing for this, one of our all-time favorite albums. Except for track #5.
