Friday, March 30, 2012

Ravens & Chimes

I'm not sure why I'm getting this now, since apparently at least some of the songs have been circulating for years, but I'm enjoying Holiday Life from the Brooklyn band Ravens & Chimes.

Let's see, in terms of kudos, Ravens & Chimes won NY Deli's reader's poll in 2011 -- and the magazine called them "NY's answer to Arcade Fire". (They don't, to my ears, sound a bit like Arcade Fire, but whatever.) One of their songs, "Carousel," was licensed to MTV's Skins.

The opening cut, which got featured on Large Hearted Boy in 2009, is one of those songs that starts out melancholy but ends in cautious triumph...it's a bit more syncopated and off-kilter than the standard run of indie pop, but not enough to put you off. Anyway, here's "Division Street"

In other news, I've finished writing features on Royal Baths and Here We Go Magic this week, read a really fascinating book about Alan Lomax and, like everyone else but especially like most mothers of 17-year-old boys, am just sick about Trayvon
Martin...what is wrong with our country, where we have no money for health care or college, but guns for everyone all the time?

No comments: