This is the homepage for the radio show, Sweet'n Lowdown with Bisousbelle. The show airs every Saturday on www.dinamo.fm or 103.8 FM if in Istanbul at 13:00 GMT+2 time. Tune in to get the latest info on new acts, sweet tracks, Turkish music industry gossip tidbits & more!
State of Our Affair //Mt. DesolationNothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly) // Phosphorescent I’m Leaving You For Solitude // Manic Street PreachersArt Vandelay // Ducktails Glitter // No AgeMarble // LoneLadyWhite Doves (Demo) // Young Empires Tell Me (Clock Opera Remix) // Au Revoir SimoneSigns & Wonders // Team Ghost Erase Me (feat. Kanye West) // Kid CudiOne Polaroid a Day // Ted Leo and the Pharmacists I Think It Was Love // JosephineCome Undone // Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan Strangest Thing (Bloodshy & Avant Version) // Clare Maguire Fuck You // Cee-Lo Green
Refer to this type of music as “chillwave or glo-fi” in conversation as that’s the way acts such as Toro Y Moi, Memory Tapes, Washed Out and Neon Indian are being labeled. Also, most of these acts all share the distinction of being one-man shows (at least in the recording process, if i’m not mistaken)
RIYL: Animal Collective and the aforementioned acts.
TRACK 3
Blackberry Song // Kurt Vile
Expect to hear a lot more from this young man as he just signed to Matador Records late in 2009.
RIYL: Devendra Banhart, Real Estate, Woods
TRACK 4
Measure // Field Music
Great band featuring a revolving door of members including musicians from The Futureheads, Maximo Park, School of Language, and more. Field Music is underrated most likely by their own choice (they took a 3 year hiatus to work on solo projects), but with this song I have a feeling that these guys will be making a mark in 2010.
RIYL: The Week That Was, Broken Bells, Maccabees
TRACK 5
You Make Me Feel Good // Yo La Tengo
Although I don’t really go to Starbucks anymore since I learned the art of making espresso based lattes, americanos and cappuccinos courtesy of Caffe Nero, I must admit that when I did patronize the establishment I would occasionally use my Sodexho lunch card to buy cds. Sadly, I no longer have a Sodexho lunch card, and even if I did, last I checked Starbucks no longer permits one to spend their money on CDs, water bottles, mugs and the like. The point is, Sodexho card or not, I am recommending that you check out Sweetheart 2010 the 2nd installment in the Sweetheart series, which features popular “indie” acts covering popular love songs. The comp includes tracks by Spoon, Jose Gonzalez, Ceu, Mates of State and more covering everything from ZZ Top to Tom Waits and Jacques Brel. Oh, and you don’t even have to go to Starbucks to buy the album…you can get it on iTunes, just as I did!
TRACK 6
My Heart (Radio Edit) // Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Sadly I missed their gig in Istanbul (ugh!)…but I love this Swedish duo and I think this song is just so beautiful, as is the video for it which you can view on the band’s myspace page…it’s like listening to the track while looking through a kaleidoscope.
RIYL: Micachu, Little Dragon, Panda Bear
TRACK 7
Elevate Me Later // Pavement
I just didn’t get Pavement when I was 12…I started to enjoy Pavement when I was 16 in a lukewarm kind of way, and now at 26 it sounds just right. Lucky for me they are on tour this summer so that late-bloomers like myself can get a chance to see them play live for the the first time in over a decade. OLEY!
TRACK 8
Dear God, I Hate Myself // Xiu Xiu
Consistently releasing interesting and wholly original music, Xiu Xiu is a band that is long-overdue for a gig in Istanbul mainly because thanks to Bant’s concert series which has featured artists such as Deerhoof, Gang Gang Dance, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and many many amazing more names, I think that Xiu Xiu clearly has an audience. I know that there have been efforts made to try and bring the act to Istanbul by a few players in the music industry….let’s hope that they’ll make it here in 2010!
RIYL: Patrick Wolf, Liars, Parenthetical Girls
TRACK 9
Yours Truly, 2095 (Memory Tapes Version) // The Silent League
Don’t know that much about The Silent League…just love Memory Tapes in general and remixes in particular and so played this ELO cover by The Silent League….while writing this I hit up their myspace and started listening, it’s very pleasant, take a listen. http://www.myspace.com/thesilentleague
TRACK 10
Stylo // Gorillaz feat. Bobby Womack & Mos Def
When referring to Plastic Beach, the title of Gorillaz’s upcoming album, Damon Albarn reportedlysaid “I’m making this one the most pop record I’ve ever made in many ways, but with all my experience to try and at least present something that has got depth.” The album will feature vocals by talents such as Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Little Dragon, De La Soul, and Mark E. Smith, among others. The album has a release date set for March 9th…no word on tour dates for this summer yet, but this is one act that I have on my MUST SEE list!
TRACK 11
Momma’s Place // Róisín Murphy
Another dance-tastic track from ice pop queen Murphy. It has a very old school 90s dance club sound to it especially around the 45 second mark! I recommend adding this track to your work out playlist…cardio will become oh so much more fun.
TRACK 12
I Can Make The Pain Disappear // Fear of Tigers
The dance party continues with this track which I found courtesy of one of my favorite filters, Neon Gold. When researching the young man behind this remix I found that (lucky for us) he decided to release his entire album for free as selling a few albums wasn’t going to afford him a lifestyle of “savile row suits and champagne”.
RIYL: Monarchy, Classixx, The Twelves
TRACK 13
Shameless (feat. Bryan Ferry) // Groove Armada
Radar Live 2007. I’m standing against the barriers in front of the Miller stage to watch CSS live… my boyfriend and all his friends are at the main arena waiting for Groove Armada to take the stage and perform fully live. After a few songs by CSS I decided to venture over to the other stage. I started walking, then jogging, then RUNNING to the main stage as this powerful, thumping amazing energy suffused the entire festival site. Groove Armada was one of the best live acts I have ever had the opportunity to see live. I danced like crazy with a huge smile plastered on my face… Their new album Black Light is said to be a departure because it is more sinister and as the title suggests…darker. Hit up http://www.groovearmada.com/#news to sample tracks such as I Won’t Kneel and Warsaw from the forthcoming album. And, my suggestion to you is, if you ever get the chance to see Groove Armada play fully live (with vocalists and band) then make sure to do so!
TRACK 14
Daniel (Death Metal Disco Scene Remix) // Bat For Lashes
I can’t go more than a few weeks without playing Natasha Khan on this show…she’s probably one of the artists I just love to love on the show.
RIYL: Kate Bush, St. Vincent, Florence and the Machine
TRACK 15
Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) – Version 1.0 // Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge & Rihanna
Donate to the cause & disseminate information about the horrific earthquake that left Haiti in ruins just a few weeks ago. Check out the Hope for Haiti compilation which is donating 100% of proceeds from the songs sold to various worthy causes such as UNICEF, Red Cross, Oxfam and more.
I’ve been indulging in my gloomy mood listening to a lot of nu folk such as Mumford & Sons (who we listened to last week), Noah & the Whale, Bon Iver and also the band we just heard The Swell Season. The track “High Horses” has eclipsed Low Rising” as my favorite track on the album “Strict Joy”, it has a very REM meets Damien Rice feel to it, which I love.
“Boy Lilikoi” is the first taste we get of what’s to come from Jonsi Birgisson, new father & Sigur Ros frontman, in 2010. It is an uplifting track and remarkably enough, Jonsi is singing in English, which is perhaps the most pronounced difference between his solo work for the album ” GO”and his work with Sigur Ros. The track is readily available as a promotional song online.
Miike Snow is a trio out of Sweden featuring singer/songwriter Andrew Wyatt and producing team Bloodshy & Avant (famous for producing tracks for Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Kelis, Sugababes, J Lo and Britney Spears). Miike Snow is an album you can put next to your Sufjan Stevens and/or Animal Collective. If you are one of those people who loves having the perfect remix to play for your friends then you can also check out remixes of their popular single “Animal” by Peter, Bjorn and John (coming to Istanbul’s own Babylon on February 2nd) and Mark Ronson. Head over to one of my favorite websites to download the track for free.. http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Miike_Snow/track/Animal_Peter_Bjorn_and_John_Remix
Best Coast used to intern at The Fader—one of my favorite magazines—and that’s where I first heard of her. I love her lo-fi rock meets 60s girl group sound on “When I’m with You” and think she’ll have many more fans after she wraps up her tour with Vivian Girls in February 2010. You can learn more about her by checking out http://bestycoasty.blogspot.com/ .
The release date for Spoon’s new album Transference has been moved up to January 19th, 2010. Keep that in mind for when you’re recovering from a jam-packed weekend of partying to Rupa and the April Fishes and Goldie at Babylon as well as celebrating the opening new venue Salon, which I hear is slated to start doing business around that date…For now, you can download the track from PopMatters.
Finally, one last thing you should be clued into—aside from the new Kid Cudi over Vampire Weekend’s Ottoman track that was all over the blogs last week—is the duo Monarchy. I played their “Gold in the Fire” a few weeks ago on SNL and when I happened across “Black the Colour of My Heart” I had to add that into the mix as well this week. The main thing you need to know about Monarchy is that the identity of this duo is currently a closely guarded secret.
Popular guesses have included Starsmith and Paul Epworth, Erasure, Hot Chip and more…I guess we’ll have to wait for now and look forward to the release of their debut single in 2010 on Neon Gold records.
Playlist :::::::::
High Horses // The Swell Season
Boy Lilikoi // Jónsi
Burial // Miike Snow
Parallelogram // Deastro
Relator // Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
Yours Truly, the Commuter // Jason Lytle
When I’m With You // Best Coast
What You Do to Me (feat. Billy Danze, Jim Jones & Nicole Wray)// Blakroc
I’ve been indulging in my gloomy mood listening to a lot of nu folk such as Mumford & Sons (who we listened to last week), Noah & the Whale, Bon Iver and also the band we just heard The Swell Season. The track “High Horses” has eclipsed Low Rising” as my favorite track on the album “Strict Joy”, it has a very REM meets Damien Rice feel to it, which I love.
Miike Snow is an album you can put next to your Sufjan Stevens and/or Animal Collective. If you are one of those people who loves having the perfect remix to play for your friends then you can also check out remixes of their popular single “Animal” by Peter, Bjorn and John (coming to Istanbul’s own Babylon on February 2nd) and Mark Ronson. Head over to one of my favorite websites to download the track for free.. http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Miike_Snow/track/Animal_Peter_Bjorn_and_John_Remix
