Skip to main content

Love At First Listen

 
   Sometimes you fall completely in love with music on first listen. It can be a dazzling guitar solo, the exemplary vocal harmonies, the powerful lyrics, or the amazing orchestral backing tracks. And, before you know it, you're in love with the song, the artist, the entire album.

   The general public may not recognize these two ladies, but to indie music fans worldwide, BOY, composed of Swiss singer Valeska Steiner and German bassist Sonja Glass, are bona fide superstars. The two met years ago at a music camp in Hamburg, and the friendship that prevailed over the years has produced Mutual Friends — the duo's debut album.

   I remember staying for a bit more at the bar, the first time I heard Drive Darling. I was immediately hooked. From the in-wall speakers behind me it came; a song I can describe only as pure, unadulterated music. I had never seen BOY perform before but I admired them instantly. And I loved that I didn’t know anything about them even more.


And when we arrive
The hardest of goodbyes
You will dry my eyes
Somehow you're always by my side
The one who holds my kite
And watches over all my flights


   BOY writes and sings catchy, straightforward pop-folk songs about life and relationships. There's one about a waitress, one about waiting by the phone, and another about moving to a big city. I am swept by their song's lyrical integrity, their austerity, the organic sound of real instruments, along with the delicate unraveling of the splendid musical arrangements.


   Drive Darling is not just a song. It's a story, a beautiful yet sad story.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.
Post a Comment
Read more

James DeRosso's ceramic monsters

I really like these whimsical ceramic creatures by James DeRosso. Yes, they have bulging eyes and toothy grins, but they're not scary at all. The Portland-based artist started making cute monsters while he was a student to jokingly create gargoyle-like guardians for the kiln. After other students kept taking his quirky little figures, he realized there was a market for them. "I'm enjoying the whole monster making niche," James says. "It's amazingly gratifying to be doing ceramics full time and especially to be a teacher introducing kids to the joy of clay." Be sure to visit his website and like his Facebook page for the latest monster news.
1 comment
Read more

Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten 's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work. Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display. "I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women ...
Post a Comment
Read more