Mr. Hudson

Mr. Hudson’s Myspace

Straight-laced, well-spoken, sweater-wearing Englishmen might not seem like Kanye West’s type, but the infamous award speech-interrupting rapper has a thing — a musical thing, that is — for Mr. Hudson. He signed the soulful singer-songwriter to his label late last year and helped produce Mr. Hudson’s solo debut, Straight No Chaser, which is slated for a Dec. 1 U.S. release.

Mr. Hudson got his mainstream musical start as Mr. Hudson and The Library, a laid-back band whose chill, lush sound falls into a genre somewhere between R&B, reggae and British pop. In a delightfully witty move, the band launched a 12-stop U.K. library — yes, library — tour in 2007. But Mr. Hudson dropped the books and his band and signed with West a year later, embracing a synthesized new sound in the process. Since then, he’s been featured on a number of major hip-hop albums, including Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3.

On Straight No Chaser, Mr. Hudson blends the slick digitally-enhanced punch of modern hip-hop with the smooth, sing-along sensibility of indie-rock and R&B. On “Everything Is Broken,” a swelling track that features Kid Cudi and a Lady Gaga-worthy beat, Mr. Hudson sings, “I was just a token, token, token” above unintelligible whispers.

But Mr. Hudson hasn’t completely forgone the organic sound he crafted with The Library. That sound, captured most beautifully on the band’s old radio hit, “Picture of You,” which opens with an infectious beat-beat-clap, can be heard in slivers of the sensual “Anyone But Him.”

As much as we all might hate to admit it, West knows a thing or two about music, and his protégé’s clever lyricism and versatility undoubtedly could propel him to into the American spotlight. After all, West himself told MTV that Mr. Hudson has “the potential to be bigger than me.” Coming from such notoriously egotistical lips, that’s really saying something.

— By Entertainment Editor
Franchesca Winters

 

The Antlers

The Antler’s Myspace

Often, a musical work’s concept can overwhelm its content. Take Bon Iver: critics fell hard for the artist’s story — composer Justin Vernon’s hibernation in the woods of Wisconsin to meditate and create groovy tunes — until his journey and his music became inextricably linked. The correlation was both a gift and curse, unfairly tying Vernon’s voice and music to feelings of isolation and desperation.

Similarly, Peter Silberman, vocalist and guitarist behind the up-and-coming band The Antlers, wrote much of his sophomore album Hospice in two years of isolation from friends and family. Once emerging, Silberman recruited a full band to bring his idea to life.

Hospice is a post-rock masterpiece, a concept album of both complex metaphors and simplistic narration. Its scope is both nostalgic and heartbreaking: the album tells the story of a man watching his loved one pass away from bone cancer in the Sloan Kettering Cancer Ward. Hospice is told from the woman’s bedside, accentuating the narrator’s grief and mourning. The setting alternates between deep, brooding tracks in the hospital and more upbeat, instrumentally-diverse songs that take place in flashback. The result is an album which is immediate and catchy, yet tonally eerie and sparse.

The opening track “Prologue” transitions into “Kettering,” which explicitly narrates the basic plotline -— a man has become a resident of the hospital ward where his hopelessly dying love lies.

“Bear” stands out as a dark and lyrically powerful character arc about two lovers choosing to abort their child. Silberman’s choice to combine the album’s most hauntingly beautiful reverberated guitars with its most depressing content illustrates his notions on the duality of love and hope versus fear and reality.

Undoubtedly fans and critics alike will question the story: Who are these mysterious characters? Is this a true story? Was Silberman the true narrator? The real question, however, should be: With music this beautiful, does it really matter?

 — By Entertainment Editor
Geoff Schorkopf

Vandaveer

Vandaveer – Fistful of Swoon from Grandcrew on Vimeo.

There are plenty of good things to say about those buzzy bands out of Brooklyn. You know, the ones that get the synth just right, make some dance-your-ass-off music and are usually led by some skinny lad in even skinnier jeans. But there is something about a timeless, classy sound that just can’t be beat — and Vandaveer has this sound nearly perfected.

Vandaveer, which consists of Mark Charles Heidinger and backing vocalist Rose Guerin, makes the kind of music that sounds like it should be enjoyed with a snifter of brandy in a room with dark wood paneling. Everything about Vandaveer is steeped in tradition; the name has been passed down for generations — both on birth certificates and an engraved pocket watch — in Heidinger’s family and songs are more likely to reference classic books than pop-culture icons.

Vandaveer’s sophomore album, Divide & Conquer, has 10 songs featuring simple instrumentation — mainly guitar, piano and drums — that provides an elegant backdrop to the voices of Heidinger and Guerin. Heidinger has the rare kind of voice that is smooth and soothing, but still crackling with energy. Guerin’s voice provides a haunting complement to his — at some times sweet and at other times, seductive.

“Fistful of Swoon” highlights Vandaveer at its best. In the opening lines, Heidinger and Guerin are nearly whispering, sharing secrets with lines such as, “You’ve got lust in your veins.” Their voices swell during the chorus, then drop back again to hint at some kind of trepidation, some caution that will be thrown to the wind a few lines later. A simple snare and the occasional piano chord add to the anxious feeling of the track, as it always seems as if the song could explode at any second.

Most other songs are less fiery and more charming. “Beverly Cleary’s 115th Dream,” for example, pays homage to the kid-lit author, especially her Ramona-Quimby series. The music, which sounds as if it could have been taken out of a music box, is fitting without being juvenile.

Vandaveer should appeal to anyone who has a soft spot for the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Frank Sinatra. There is something sophisticated, yet fresh, about its sound that makes it apparent that it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

— By Executive Editor
Ani Vrabel

The Hoosiers

The Hoosiers Myspace

There’s something inexplicably pleasant about circus-inspired instrumentalism. It worked for Panic! at the Disco and, on the second single off its 2007 debut, The Trick to Life, it more than works for indie-pop trio The Hoosiers. “Goodbye Mr. A,” a boppy commentary about real-life comic book hero Mr. A, who is both too stoic and too logical for his own good, kicks off with the delightful bounce of piano keys. The sound instantly drags up happy-go-lucky memories of funnel cakes, clowns and childhood simplicity.

A few seconds into the song, the guys quickly introduce some rollicking guitar, a swelling bass and lead singer Irwin Sparkes’ impeccable falsetto. Sparkes sings, “You had all the answers / But no human touch / If life is subtraction / Your number is up / Your love is a fraction / It’s not adding up.” With straightforward lyricism that (gasp) doesn’t revolve solely around failing relationships and unrequited love and a musical sound worthy of a charming little carnival, “Goodbye Mr. A” effectively sums up The Hoosiers’ appeal: simple and upbeat.

The Hoosiers — composed of sweater vest-wearing frontman Sparkes, bassist Martin Skarendahl and mustachioed drummer Alfonso Sharland — first formed when Sparkes and Sharland, who are both from the United Kingdom, secured soccer scholarships to a university in Indiana. While there, where the locals are commonly referred to as hoosiers, the guys gathered not only a band name but enough compelling material to record an album, which they released after returning to London and hooking up with Swedish musician Skarendahl.

The resulting debut, which eventually reached No. 1 on the UK charts, was a collection of 12 weird, infectious tracks. Standout track “Cops and Robbers” utilizes heavy synthesizers and a hodge-podge of everyday sounds that range from clashes and bangs to space ship noises.

In the end, The Hoosiers are a deliciously unique addition to a genre sadly bloated with musical clones, and the band’s sound is more lighthearted than a trip to Six Flags.

— By Entertainment Editor Franchesca Winters