Kentuckyseven

Release: 2011-04-25

Label: Bella Union

Alessi Laurente-Marke, is exactly what the world needs. Her music deserves to be heard by every each and one. The 21 year old british musician, is doing just about everything right.

Her sophomore album ”Time Travel” is no exception. The sound is familiar, but it has grown. Oh how it has grown. From her previous releases, it has made a journey, to new higher grounds. The lyrics are greater, still narrowing down just so they fit the exquisite guitars and pianos of what is Alessi’s Ark.

I must have exceeded the number of times you are allowed to listen to an EP, listening to her EP ”The Horse” from 2008. Four songs that completely blew my mind, and still do.

”Time Travel” feels like the right way, to get to know Alessi, if your ways haven’t crossed before. The way the album winds down several beautiful roads, with the delicate voice of Alessi, is like beeing on a great excursion, in forests, fields and the countryroads of which ever great country on earth. And beeing guided by these songs is just close to perfection.

I still haven’t had the luck of seeing this great artist live yet, but from what I have heard, it is just as beautiful, so I keep waiting. Waiting for the Ark to set sail for sweden. I will be at the docks waiting.

6 out of 7, what else is there to do? This is amazing stuff.

Wanna know more about the artist Alessi’s Ark? We had the fortune of getting a word with Alessi, a while ago… read more.

Label. Bella Union
Releasedate: 2011-03-21

Thousands is Kristian Garrard and Luke Bergman, hailing from Seattle, voice-match made in heaven I’d say.

Their debut ”The Sound of Everything” is something special. Recorded throughout the US vast pacific northwest. The record contains sounds of not only great vocals, hymnal sound and instruments, also the sound of birds chirping, leaves falling. Nature recorded on their journey to create the album that would become ”The sound of Everything”.

As Thousands themselves explain ”- We want people to listen to this with headphones on and feel like they’re immersed in these locations, and there’s us, sitting next to you, playing a song.”

This is yet another delicate example of great debut records, and another golden star in the book of magic artists signed to Bella Union.

Fleet Foxes’ guitarist Skye Skjelset, brought the attention to the label, and somewhere in the beauty of this album, there is a little fleet fox hiding away.

Listening to this, makes you feel good. It is by definition a feel-good sound throughout all 12 tracks, and it appeals to me. The way I need to feel. Kristian and Luke’s vocals are somehow mixing, melting together and gently steering the way in to the listeners heart. I am sure that it will not be long until I am driving my car to the store, humming these tunes.

Looking for something new and fresh, which will make your day just a little brighter. You might just have found it.

The Sound of Everything is a sure 5/7, and Thousands will be something to try and catch this year…

Check out more about Thousands @ Thousands.com or get a feeling of the album to come here…

Releasedate: 2011-02-14
Label: Bella Union

The high standard of bands out of Denmark the last years is tremendous. The Kissaway Trail, Oh No Ono the list can be made long. Now it is time for the world to say hello to Treefight For Sunlight.

With their first album on Bella Union, the band gives us a taste of what’s to come. The sound is sprung from bands as Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Beatles and other era-making bands. Treefight takes the sound and makes it their own, in the 21:st century-style. Harmonies mixed with melodies and dreams. My favorite songs on this album, Rain Air, Facing The Sun, and the invigorating What Became Of You And I?

This is one of those albums that will make you listen more than once, just to see if you missed anything. There is a lot to discover. To listen to again. And again. This is my kind of music.

Treefight For Sunlight is definitely a band to follow. They are bound for something big. I sure as hell hope so.

The verdict: 6/7 this is the album to buy this spring.

Listen to What Became Of You and I? Courtesy of Bella Union…

Treefight For Sunlight – What Became of You and I by Bella Union

Been waiting forever. Just to get a date. And finally it’s out there. May 2 is the date. The date to mark in your calendar.

Fleet Foxes second album ”Helplessness Blues” will be released May 2:nd. The Seattleband follows up on their superdebut from 2008.

Producer on the new album is Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Modest Mouse and Shins among many). The album is released on Bella Union (Cosmos Music Group)

Twelve new tracks, and one new member. And for those of you who want to see them this summer. You’re in luck. Fleet Foxes are signed up for europe’s best festival. Way Out West.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues by subpop

Check out the first album on Spotify

Heidi Spencer And The Rare Birds – Under Streetlight Glow

Bella Union. Releasedate 2011-01-17.

The record begins. I´m letting Heidi Spencer enter my atmosphere. She sings, with her battered, mistreated, cruel, hurting, fetching, blinding voice.

”No one need to know

We laid around all day

Let´s make up a good – alibi

Let´s take it to the grave

Take it to the moon.”

Well, Heidi had me at hello. This is a sad record, yet heartwarming. It´s like a wind that carries you on. To the next place, maybe even a better one.

It´s haunting music that keeps rolling in. The Rare Birds make a perfect terrain to Heidi´s voice. It´s all about the voice. It´s there when the drugs won´t work.

This is Heidi Spencer´s third album. It´s her first on the great indie label Bella Union (Low Anthem, Midlake, Beach House). It will make the difference. It will take this Milwaukeegirl for a ride into the charts, well deserved.

Heidi Spencer remindes me of Emmylou Harris, Tracy Chapman, Tom Petty. Whatever. She´s made a perfect soundtrack to a rainy Sunday.

I´m listening to the gutting #3 track Moth Met Spider. In the words of Kurt Vonnegut; So it goes.

¤ Judge says: 6/7 Kentuckyseven´s.

¤ Best Track: Alibi

¤ Drink while you listen: Whiskey, no rocks.

¤ Check it out: Heidi on Spotify, Heidi on Myspace.

Photo: Søren Rye

Treefight for Sunlight is the band to pay close attention to in 2011. With their selftitled debut coming out february 14 they will take off into the treetops.

The band was named New Band of the Day by The Guardian.co.uk and my guess is they will be a lot of magazines band of the year, come december of 2011.

Born in Denmark are the four extraordinary musicians Mathias Sørensen (drums,vocals), Morten Winther Nielsen (guitar, vocals), Christian Rohde Lindinger (bass, vocals), Niels Kirk (piano, vocals) and the music they are creating  smells and feels new but has a delicate taste of the 60’s and 70’s. Harmonies and vocals that reminds you of golden days. Beautiful stuff.

One of my favorite tunes from the upcoming album is up for listening by the courtesy of Bella Union, listen and enjoy:

Treefight For Sunlight – What Became of You and I by Bella Union

For more of Treefight For Sunlight visit them @ Myspace

Photo:  Henrik Burman

One of the best albums of 2010 was a debut album, an album that is pure magic. Made The Harbour by Mountain Man is a beautiful piece of musical art.

The feeling of beeing right there, just when the music is played for the first time is very present. You can hear the silence in the room, just before the powerful voices of Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, Amelia Randall Meath fills it up with an amazing ambiance. The mighty sound of steelstringed guitars, banjos and the ambiance itself.

The voices of Mountain Man is something you need to experince for yourself. You will fall in love, just as Kentuckyseven did.

We caught up with Amelia just as she was moving, but she took the time to tell us what she listens to:

What are you listening to?

– Right now I can’t stop listening to Dire Straits (s/t). Mark Knopfler has this incredible ability to distill an entire experience into a lyric, but he does not get complicated with what he is trying to convey. He trusts himself. His songs are also honest to the point of cheesiness. My favorite song off the album is Wild West End.

Major Lazer has been listened to a lot recently.

Michael Hurley- first songs is always on heavy rotation

And Wonderwall Music by George Harrison ( the soundtrack to the film that Oasis wrote the song about) is one of my favorite albums.

M. Ward – I’ll be yr bird can make me have an emotional reaction no matter where I am.

Best book read during 2010?

– Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, which is an old one, but it sure is amazing.

Who deserves a breakthrough in 2011?

– Tooth ache, Paleo, Made of Oak, and  Dana & Faith

Meet Mountain Man:

@ Mountain Man Bandcamp

@ MySpace

Photo: Rebecca Miller

”If you’d like me to, I’ll try to be brave like you.”

Alessi Laurent-Marke, the british singer songwriter beeing Alessi’s Ark, keeps us standing on our toes. After numerous marvelous songs, ep:s , we are in love. If you haven’t experienced her music, you haven’t yet learned what the rest of us have been enjoying for quite some time now.

It’s mysterious, grand, small, sensitive, it’s all you ever wanted it to be. We are just wondering when she is going to appear in Sweden. Kentuckyseven is certain that she will overpower all the cold nights, the rainy days and the darkness of autumn. Alessi’s Ark will take you to that comfort place in your dreams, and keep you there. We are still there.

Alessi’s Ark recently released the EP ”Soul Proprietor” on Bella Union, go fetch it.

We snuck up on Alessi and asked her:

What are you listening to?

– Albums, Epic by Sharon Van Etten, In My Own Time by Karen Dalton,
– Songs, Don’t Mind Me by O Emperor and Elvis by Denis Jones.

Best book read during 2010 ?

– Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Who deserves breakthru in 2011? .

– Coal Beautiere, Sons of Noel and Adrian and Jake Bellows (of Neva Dinova).

We’d love to follow onboard the Ark, and see where we would end up. If you haven’t been onboard yet, we suggest you take closer look at:

Alessi’s Ark @ Spotify or just visit Bella Union and get to know her yourself…

Hittade ett nytt plommon via Bella Unions twitter. Ett fynd med Jens Lekman-vibbar. 23-åring från Carlton, Oregon som släppt pianomusik tidigare på svenska Kning Disk.

Gillar nödrimmet brazil-israel, gillar gitarrklangen, gillar nerven.

Peter Broderick – Hello to Nils

Tomrummet efter ett OS blir som alltid stort. Kvällarna känns tomma och ödsliga på tvskärmen. Soffan känns knöligare än nånsin. Inga onödiga uppesittarnätter. Tomt.

Då är det skönt att det finns något att fylla tomrummet med.

Alessi’s Ark, som ligger på Bella Union, gör vintermörkret ljust och behagligt. Lite som att solen är uppe en liten lite stund extra.

Kommer att lira förband till Laura Marling. Det är inte kattskit.

Lyssna på: The Horse och döm själv.

För övrigt så är jag trött på snön. Fortfarande.