Singing Saturday 44/52

I highly recommend this sister duo. They are both still teens (no, not even remotely jealous). I just downloaded their first full album and it is extremely lovely.

Singing Saturday 41/52

Bear's Den was the opening act at the Mumford and Sons concert in Atlanta. They were very very good live. I really enjoyed their set. The one guy played drums/bass and drums/keyboard at the same time.

Singing Saturday 40/52

Johnny Flynn has a new album.

Singing Saturday 23/52

I posted this a few years ago, but it remains my favorite cover song, so I am bringing it back. When I first posted this, the girls were just still posting videos on youtube. They now have three albums out.




Here is one of their original songs.

Singing Saturday 22/52

I am a huge Radiohead fan and I stumbled across this cover of my favorite song.




 original

Singing Saturday 21/52

I decided to go with the theme of "Covers" for this month. Last week was a Johnny Flynn cover by Matrimony. This week I offer you a cover of Regina Spektor's "Us."  We are big Regina fans around here. The cover is done by Janet Devlin who was a contestant on Britain's x-Factor in 2011. She is currently working on an album.





the original

Singing Saturday 20/52

Much to my delight Johnny Flynn uploaded a new song to youtube this week. It's been 2 years since he uploaded a new video. I think a new album is due out this fall or so.

Singing Saturday 19/52

Came across this group looking for Johnny Flynn. I am not usually a fan of cover songs. the exception is when the artist takes a song and makes it more their own. I think this is a beautiful rendition-it's very different from the original which is a more folk-style song.

Here is one of their own songs. I believe an album is forthcoming.

Singing Saturday 18/52

Singing Saturday 17/52

Brice and Farmer

Singing Saturday 15/52

Continuing with my theme for the month, today is my favorite songs featuring Sungmin on the guitar. Sungmin, Ryeowook, and Heechul all are from Super Junior.

First is Ryeowook singing his solo from the 4th album.





Second is Sungmin accompanying himself at a radio concert.






And lastly, Heechul.

Singing Saturday 14/52

Continuing with the favorite K-pop performances theme this week, this is actually a recent performance. Exo is a rookie group from the same company as Super Junior and SHINee(these are my three favorite groups, actually). Exo is an interesting concept from SM. Together there are 12 members, but they only perform as one on few occasions. They are subdivided into two goups, Exo-K(orea) and Exo-M(andarin). They sing the same songs and promote at the same time, but K sings and promotes in Korea(songs are in Korean) while M does the same in China(singing in Chinese). SM already has a corner in the mando-pop field with Super Junior-M(a subgroup of Super Junior) but they are limited in their promotions because most of the time they are busy being just Super Junior. Exo- M has done surprisingly well even in Korea. They have 4 chinese members and two korean members. I prefer M over K but I am not sure why. Maybe because they are collectively a bit older than K, but they really have a very different vibe about them.

Here is a live performance of the Journey classic Open Arms. Considering only one of them actually speaks english(the one on the left, but he is a rapper, not a singer so), they do a pretty good job.


 



Here is an official music video-if you happen to watch this, the english is really awful(SM songwriters are notorious for their awful english-even though they have plenty of canadian idols that speak it)

and in case you were interested here is the Korean version.

Singing Saturday 13/52

I've run out of indie bands for the moment, so I think I am going to dedicate the next few weeks to some of my favorite Kpop performers/performances.  So today I am going to introduce you to Kyuhyun from Super Junior. This cut is from a variety show where idols/singers compete against one another. Every week showcases a songwriter/singer and the idols have to pick a song from that person's repertoire. Kyuhyun is a ballad singer at heart, but he sings in a group known for their dance songs, and for this performance he sings rock(the guitarist that performs with him is Jungmo from TRAX).




In 2007 Kyuhyun and several other members of Super Junior were in a very bad car accident. His story about that night is still one of my favorite's out of all the stories I've heard from each of them.

Singing Saturday 12/52

I wish I could find a better quality video of this song, but this is pretty much it.  No one can come close to the  amazing harmonies of 2nd Chapter of Acts, so just ignore the bad 80's hair and listen to their voices.

Singing Saturday 11/52

A New Indie Band for your listening pleasure. This is The Oh Hello's. I am smitten. How can I not be when they have a song called "The Lament of Eustace Scrubb." The whole album is on youtube if you want to listen and they are currently offering the download on their website for however much you want to pay(also at noisetrade).






They so kindly provided the lyrics on the youtube page, so I am copying them here.

I have made mistakes, I continue to make them
the promises I've made, I continue to break them
and all the doubts I've faced, I continue to face them
but nothing is a waste if you learn from it

and the sun, it does not cause us to grow
it is the rain that will strengthen your soul
and it will make you whole

we have lived in fear, and our fear has betrayed us
but we will overcome the apathy that has made us
because we are not alone in the dark with our demons
and we have made mistakes
but we've learned from them

and the sun, it does not cause us to grow
it is the rain that will strengthen your soul
and it will make you whole

and oh my heart, how can I face you now?
when we both know how badly I have let you down
and I am afraid of all that I've built
fading away

Singing Saturday 10/52

Oscar and the Wolf




I believe this is a group from Belgium. Another random find that I really like.

Singing Saturday 9/52

Let me introduce you today to Roo Panes. I know nothing about him. But his music is really nice.

SInging Saturday 8/52

I think I have mentioned in the past that I really like We Were Promised Jetpacks. This is from a few years ago, but is still one of my favorites. Both of their albums are amazing.

Singing Saturday 7/52

So. Today we are a back to kpop. This group is called SHINee. They have been together just over 4 years. I don't really remember how I found them, but I probably became aware of them because they are from the same company as Super Junior. Like their name, SHINee's concept is bright and fun and youthful. They also appear quite a bit on variety shows(more so in the past) and are always fun and entertaining. They have also officially debuted in Japan and their most recent album is a Japanese one(they sing in Japanese). This video is from their last Korean album.

My favorite version of this is the dance version. This is the dance they performed on the music shows (one of the interesting things about how Kpop groups promote is that they spend about 1 month promoting their new single by performing on the major networks music shows every week. The dance is an integral part of the song).





The other version has a sort of plot to it if you prefer that sort of thing.




This is their latest Japanese release. It's very pretty, I think.

Singing Saturday 6/52

I think it's time for some Johnny Flynn. My love for his music has yet to abate. I just recently discovered a newly released album from Mr. Flynn, but it is a soundtrack for a movie. I have yet to purchase it and there aren't any videos on the tube yet, so I leave with a newish song that as far as I know hasn't been released on an album. I would love to see Johnny Flynn in concert possibly even more than I want to see Mumford and Sons.