Sofia Talvik - The Owls Are Not What They Seem

After a moving to an increasingly larger production scope on her last two projects, Swedish songwriter Sofia Talvik says she went "back to basics" on her overtly pretty but modest and unpretentious fifth album The Owls Are Not What They Seem, self-released digitally in the U.S. this week. Recorded mostly at her home, Talvik's gentle acoustic songs make up for any loss of sonic power and rhythmic force with a focus on the sweetly nuanced basics: endearing melodies, tasteful arrangements around what Talvik describes as a "live, organic feel" and her own lovely, untrained voice. While songs like "Glow" and "If I Had A Man" flutter by on gauzy gossamer wings, Talvik explores a darker emotional underside on "The Garden", a song imbued with minor chord tension and lyrical edge of "good and evil". "I had no interest in changing the world or inventing something new," reflects Talvik. "I just wanted to make a beautiful acoustic album." Done.

Sofia Talvik - "Nothing Quite So Gentle" (from The Owls Are Not What They Seem)

Sofia Talvik - "The Garden" (from The Owls Are Not Quite What They Seem)

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Teitur - Let the Dog Drive Home

Since his debut in 2003, Danish singer/songwriter Teitur Lassen has quietly made a name for himself throughout Europe, garnering strong reviews, awards and airplay. A tireless and engaging performer, the Faroe Islands native has shared the stage with the likes of Aimee Mann and John Mayer (who called his '03 debut album "one of the best albums to come around in the last five years") and developed a growing cult of American fans. Let the Dog Drive Home, Teitur's fourth English album, confirms his stature as a performer and writer of wry imagination and intelligence, delivering a dozen new songs that skillfully walk the fine line between artful and accessible. Released in Europe in October of 2010, the album finally arrived in the U.S. digitally this week...

 

Teitur - "Betty Hedges" (from the album Let the Dog Drive)

Teitur - "You Never Leave L.A." (from the album Let the Dog Drive)

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Watch: Poliça - "Lay Your Cards Out"

We pretty much equate auto-tuned vocals with the black plague but somehow in the hands of Channy Leaneagh and Poliça we're thinking we might be able to take a break from the browbeating and handwringing -- kind of like getting a delightful if temporary sugar buzz from a Krispy Kreme donut, you know you feel guilty but it tastes so good. We liked the song and we love the video, simply shot and sensuous, the trip-hop beat and Leaneagh's elegant, fluid moves forming a rather hypnotic series of images and sounds. From the band's upcoming February 14 album Give You the Ghost, "Lay Your Cards Out" features Mike Noyce of Bon Iver. More DC here.

Poliça - "Lay Your Cards Out" (feat. Mike Noyce) (from Give You The Ghost)

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Winterpills - All My Lovely Goners

Winterpills - After 2010's "bedroom affair" EP Tuxedo Ashes, New England's fine, woefully unheralded indie pop band returns with a more fully produced full length of finely crafted, lushly harmonied songs embellished with ambient seques and moods both deep and dark..."we were all pushing ourselves here to make something exciting, emotional, fresh and rocking,” says guitarist Dennis Crommet // Release: All My Lovely Goners (February 14, Signature Sounds) // Sounds like: the trademark chamber pop melodies and resplendent, entwined vocals that have been Winterpills' hallmark since ' 2005 debut remain happily intact even as they deliver what is easily their most diverse and ambitious collection of tracks yet...

Winterpills - "Amazing Sky" (from All My Lovely Goners)

Winterpills - All My Lovely Goners Sampler (We Turned Away, Rogue Highway, January Rain, Dying Star)

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RADAR: Of Monsters and Men

Co-founders, songwriters and singers Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson head up Of Monsters and Men, an Icelandic band that has plied bright, smart and tuneful art/pop into something both folksy and larger than life. Combining the solid folk/rock melodies of 10,000 Maniacs and the bright, tambourine-shaking gypsy-inspired choruses of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, the much-buzzed outfit follow up their well-received 2011 EP Into the Woods with the debut full length My Head Is An Animal, due stateside April 3 via Universal/Republic. "Little Talks", a spirited dual-vocal charmer sporting a festive horn section and fist-pumping shout-along represents one playful side of the Monsters/Men ethic while "Love Love Love" and "King and Lionheart" offer up fine-spun folk melodies that still find a way to resonate on a grand chamber pop scale. Videos below.

Of Monsters and Men - "Little Talks" (from My Head Is An Animal)

Of Monsters and Men - "King and Lionheart" (from My Head Is An Animal)

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Listen: Bonnie Raitt - "Right Down the Line"

Forty years after her remarkable, groundbreaking debut album, Bonnie Raitt returns with her first new studio recordings in seven years with Slipstream, due April 10. With multiple Grammys under her belt -- most for her multi-platinum Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw success -- Raitt continues to skillfully fuse folk/blues and pop melodies with the greatest of ease. Lead track "Right Down the Line" is simply classic Raitt, a slinky, slightly funky track with a slippery reggae beat and fuzz-tinged slide guitar work. Like the best covers, she gently, inventively bends Gerry Rafferty's 70's chestnut into a version that's distinctively all her own. More DC on Slipstream here.

Bonnie Raitt - "Right Down the Line" (from Slipstream)

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DC January 31 New Release Recap

A plethora of worthy releases this week, from the iconic Leonard Cohen to acclaimed Nashville tunesmith Gretchen Peters, from the prairie roots music of The Pines to Aussie alt-pop studio wizard Gotye. Houston folk/rockers Buxton have something new as well along with Kami Thompson (daughter of Richard and Linda), rising Brit neo-folkie Rachel Sermanni and New York singer/songwriter Alyssa Graham. You can, if you wish, find out what the fuss is all about with the over-hyped, under-cooked Lana Del Rey, Seal's new collection of classic soul covers, Swedish pop/folk songstress Sofia Talvik and the wonderful live set (with fan questions) from Mike Doughty. See the full listing below and link to features for stream, videos and more.

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RADAR: England in 1819

A pair of classically-trained brothers -- Andrew and Dan Callaway-- and their musician father Liam form the familial nucleus of England in 1819, a Baton Rouge band that weaves distinctive chamber pop with muted post-rock drama. From swirling, densely layered melodies built on a grand symphonic scale to exquisitely-detailed piano and voice quietude, this is modern progressive music that wisely steers clear of pompous excess. Producer Mark Bingham and the Callaways keep the arrangements loosely restrained and, amidst the soaring passages and cinematic scope, surprisingly personal. Frontman and songwriter Andrew Callaway helps by keeping the vocals tethered to a less-is-more understatement, delivering songs like sublime "Waterfall" and "Skyscraper" more like stately pop hymns than just a series of grandiose crescendos. One of the most promising albums we've heard this year.

England in 1819 - "Waterfall" (from Alma)

England in 1819 - "Air That We Once Breathed" (from Alma)

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Julia Nunes - Settle Down

Julia Nunes - 23-year-old Rochester, NY native's head-turning ascent in the highly competitive world of aspiring singer/songwriters has been dramatic. Her witty, self-deprecating, brutally honest and hilarious tunes (and inspired covers) have garnered the ukulele-toting performer 50 million youtube views, a performance on Conan, an EP with fellow tube-sensations Pamplamoose, Lower East Side club dates that sell out with a single tweet and -- most importantly -- nearly $80,000 in funds from fans to record and market her new album // Release: Settle Down (2/28) // Sounds like: beneath the effervescent folk pop melodies, many stripped to demo-style simplicity, lie some pointed, acerbic lyrics that are both personal and sharply observational...Nunes' throaty alto can move from tender lullaby sweetness to bracing, double-shot belt without missing a beat...

Julia Nunes - "Nothing's That Great" (from Settle Down)

Julia Nunes - "Stay Awake" (from Settle Down)

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Listen: Sweet Billy Pilgrim - "Brugada"

Based on "Brugada", the lead track from their forthcoming third album Crown and Treaty (April 17 UK), London's '09 Mercury Prize recipients Sweet Billy Pilgrim appear to be dramatically ramping up the heady home-grown folk-tronica and sublime chamber pop of their earlier works for a larger stylistic canvas and bolder musical pallette. An adventurous prog/pop excursion -- check out the extended instrumental break half-way through -- "Brugada" nimbly soars, dips and dives from jangly folk ode to dense, harmony-rich workout of cinematic scope.

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - "Brugada" (from Crown and Treaty)

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The Pines - Dark So Gold

The Pines - Since their last album -- 09's excellent Tremelo -- Twin Cities Americana outfit has expanded dramatically from founding duo Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt to a full seven piece band -- but the sound remains intimate and ethereal even when the wattage increases now and then // Release: Dark So Gold (January 31, Red House) // Sounds like: having two distinct songwriters, each with their own style, creates an interesting meld of crafts: an air of dark mystery juxtaposed with a rich, earthy directness...a windswept Midwestern prairie style of poetic and rootsy folk/rock that Rolling Stone's David Fricke calls "quietly gripping"...

The Pines - "Cry Cry Crow" (from Dark So Gold)

The Pines - "Chimes" (from Dark So Gold)

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Gotye - Making Mirrors

Gotye - Aussie art-popping studio wiz (pronounced Gauthier -- real name Wouter "Wally" De Backer) has become something of an international cult favorite blending meticulous and extensive sampling -- often of real instruments and ambient noise -- with 80's styled progressive pop songwriting and production..."Somebody That I Used to Know", with Kiwi songstress Kimbra, was one of 2011's biggest singles Down Under, reaping multiple ARIA awards and topping airplay charts // Release: Making Mirrors (January 31) // Sounds like: Gotye's reedy tenor and sophisticated rhythm charts have drawn comparisons to Sting and Peter Gabriel (how about Howard Jones?)...the synth-heavy keyboard programming that drives the sound add a frosty sheen to the proceedings while the undeniably catchy melodies keep things grounded in more traditional pop territory...(watch the fine EPK below)

Gotye - "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra) (from Making Mirrors)

Gotye - "Save Me" (from Making Mirrors)

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Watch: Jo Hamilton - "Liathach"

One particularly smitten critic described the music of Jo Hamilton as “sophisticated, sensuous, complex, layered and utterly beguiling." And we certainly won't argue with that. We'll just wonder why Hamilton's dramatic art/pop hasn't made more of an impression in the U.S. The "Liathach" video shows us why her songs have such an impressive sweep, Hamilton's voice practically a force of nature as she steers the track's hymnlike splendor into otherworldly territory. It was a year ago that we caught up with Hamilton's trajectory as she released an expanded version of her album Gown. Now she's added another wrinkle with a limited edition DVD Gown Illuminated available at her site, featuring a full in-studio concert, her Gown videos (including this one) and "behind the scenes" footage.

Jo Hamilton - "Liathach" (from Gown)

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Rachel Sermanni - Black Currents EP

Rachel Sermanni - Like Laura Marling, nineteen-year-old Scottish neo-folk songwriter Sermanni has won praise for her exceptionally mature and artful music, taking acoustic melodies and expanding them into cinematic pieces of uncommon depth...new four-track EP was produced by Ian Grimble (Travis, Daughter) and is being promoted via the excellent Communion family of artists co-managed by Mumford and Sons Ben Lovett // Release: Black Currents EP (January 31, U.K.) // Sounds like: Sermanni finds that sweet spot between refreshingly unadorned directness and artful ornamentation, quiet laments and soaring orchestration all centered around a darting sand-textured voice that moves from tumbling lyricism to moments of serene, sweeping grandeur...

Rachel Sermanni - "The Fog" (from the Black Current EP)

Rachel Sermanni - "Breathe Easy" (from the Black Current EP)

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RADAR: Teddy Geiger

Like a lot of artists, Teddy Geiger has seen his fair share of major label highs - a "next big thing" Top 10 album Underage Thinking when he was all of 16 -- and lows -- shelved follow ups, getting dropped as quickly as he was signed. And like many, he's now on the D.I.Y. path, reaching out to fans to help fund a new album, his first new music since the 2010 EP Living Alone, and give him control over his music. His dollar goal now achieved, Geiger will release his new album The Last Fears via the fan-supported Pledge Music this spring. It's been six years since his "For You I Will" became a hit single when he was just 16 but it's clear from new songs like "Fall Away" he hasn't lost his ability to pen a memorable folk/pop melody and deliver it with a minimum of fuss and pretense.

Teddy Geiger - "Fall Away" (Acoustic)

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