Yearly Student Carnival is approaching. WROCKfest- the organizer of this unique spring event- has already released the lineup. As always you will have a chance to party to the music of Polish bands of best sorts.
As usually 3-Majówka will take place in centrally located Wyspa Słodowa.
On the 2nd of May you will have a chance to be entertained by StarGuardMuffin, Moniaka Brodka, happysad, Strachy Na Lachy, Myslovitz and as usually KNŻ (Kazik Na Żywo).
On the second day 3-Majówka, the 3rd of May, the stage on Wyspa Słodowa will belong to Fisz Emade (Tworzywo Sztuczne), Dezerter, Piersi, Dżem, Hey and Coma.
The concerts start at 1 pm. The two day ticket goes for 60 Zloty on presale. Make no other plans for the 2nd and 3rd of May- 3-Majówka is a must for all the fans of Polish rock, pop and reggae.
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Another band inspired by Buddy Holly’s evergreen classic.
There are countless artists that have paid tribute to or other of Buddy Holly songs. “Peggy Sue” is no exception: the list is impressive and it includes The Beatles as well as Family Guy and now there is a British indie folk band named after this marvellous song. Although Peggy Sue has been around for five years, they released their debut album just a few weeks ago. Entitled “Fossils And Other Phantoms”, it was preceded by the single “Yo Mama”.
“Yo Mama” is a perky song based on the acoustic guitar and marching drums. The band’s singer sounds a bit like PJ Harvey or Joanna Newsom – if only she decided to smile more often! A joyful song indeed..or even indied!
The long-awaited new track from the forthcoming album of this German band.
Lali Puna is a project from Munich, Germany, known for their highly-acclaimed previous releases, notably “Scary World Theory”. Valerie Trebenjahr, the vocalist, along with drummer Christoph Brandner (Tied & Tickled Trio), keyboardist Christian Heiß, and Markus Acher (from the popular band The Notwist) create an atmospheric blend of pop and electronic music.Now, it seems like ages ago, but since the release of their last album, “Faking the Books”, in 2004, Lali Puna had a gig in Wroclaw at the Metropolis club, along with some techno/house projects. The delicate voice of Valerie, who has an Asian origin and looks like a little Japanese girl, resounded through the club and totally changed the atmosphere of this hard electro event. We hope Lali Puna will visit our city again, maybe soon, on a promotional tour for their new album, “Our Inventions”, which is now available. You can also check out another song, “That Day”, together with a beautiful video from Yu Sato, on the website www.lalipuna.de.
The music from this Polish duo is the exact opposite to the German cream – it’s definitely neither sensitive nor easy on the ear.
The “…01″ album is the result of a collaboration between Wroclaw-based producer Dawid Szczęsny and Poznań-based graphic, poetry and audio performer Wojciech Bąkowski. Niwea‘s sound is a blend of their hip-hop past filtered through synth-pop and new wave influences. Thus, their debut is a bit experimental, but it does contain some strong pop-influenced aspects as well. Bąkowski’s language is simple and colloquial, which fits with the gloomy, obscure sound of “…01″.
The second album’s single “Miły Młody Człowiek” (“A Nice Young Man”) oscillates between post-punk pulsation and pop accessibility. It’s not the kind of music you fall in love with on the first hearing, but in spite of this, it’s innovative and intriguing. Dirty and overwhelming? Well, there is a reason behind the genre’s name. It’s “urban” – not “spa” music.
Even though the Scandinavian Skalds were probably treated with more respect and reverence, it was the Polish Skaldowie that actually made people dance.
The whole big bit movement in Poland, which burst out in the 60′s, is proof of how big and powerful the music of The Beatles was. Despite the iron curtain, censorship and a negative attitude to the Western culture, this Liverpool-based band significantly influenced Polish music. It seems that the Beatles were just too big for political division, Cold War etc. One of the bands that owes them their tremendous success is the Kraków-based group – Skaldowie. Nevertheless, it would be unfair to reduce the band’s acclaim only to copying the stylistic. They were something more.
Skaldowie started in 1965 in Cracow. It was set up by two brothers: Andrzej and Jacek Zielińscy, who at this time were students of Music University there. They formed the core of the band, not only playing instruments (piano, viola) but also singing (Jacek has a remarkable voice range). The Zielińscy brothers were joined soon by two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer and then the band was shaped. The band received some acclaim, consistently winning the Cracow Song Competitions. However, they hadn’t been in the limelight till the band was awarded during the National Festival of Polish Songs in Opole in 1966. From that time on Skaldowie started appearing in the media and playing music for movies. As a result of their rapidly progressing career, Skaldowie signed a major label and released the long-awaited debut.
Although the recordings released before are also worth listening, it’s Skaldowie’s third album which is the must-have position. “Cała Jesteś w Skowronkach” (“There Are Skylarks All Over You”) is literally packed with hits. To be precise, six songs out of eleven reached the first place in Public Radio’s charts. Apart from the gift for writing Beatles-like addictive melodies (“Medytacje Wiejskiego Listonosza”), the band made use of its outstanding vocalists, composing beautiful vocal harmonies which invite comparison to chamber pop Beach Boys albums. What is more, “Cała Jesteś w Skowronkach” also contains elements of Polish folk music (“Malowany Dym”). As an outcome, several songs from the album are generally considered classics of Polish pop songwriting.
“Cała Jesteś w Skowronkach” is a special album not only because of the songs contained but also the circumstances under which the recording was produced. At first, it was recorded just after the band’s near-fatal experience. Secondly, it had been released slightly before Skaldowie’s first American tour, which noticeably influenced their music. For all these reasons, “Cała Jesteś w Skowronkach” seems to be a pearl of Polish pop. Some may say a bit naïve, some – carefree. Some may say it’s out of date but every pop lover knows that even diamonds are turning to dust but hooks are forever.
Recommended if you like: Beach Boys, The Beatles, Zombies, The Kinks
Following on from their highly acclaimed compilation “New York”, a French label has now come up with “Tokyo” to even greater efftect.
Kitsune specializes in electronic club music. They often reveal their penchant for alternative pop music, either asking artists of this genre to perform for them or creatively remixing their songs. for instance, it’s worth mentioning their remixes of Two Door Cinema Club’s “I Can Talk” and Phoenix’s “Lisztomania”. The proof that Kitsune works like magnet for outstanding pop artist is a song by CLASSIXX – a Californian production duo.
Although Michael David and Oliver Tyler are already acclaimed producers and remixes’ authors, “I’ll Get You” owes its cheerful groove to the choruses by Jeppe. The former member of the much-missed Junior Senior steals the show with his crazy line: “do you like bass? Do ya do ya like bass?” Sure, we do! Do you?
The best virtual band in the world is back with its latest album. The result is more actual, though, and you can check it out by listening to RadioWroclove.com.
The world of cartoon creatures must be bright and simple. Gorillaz‘s drawn musicians managed not only to release several world-wide hit singles but also established a web of contacts with a great “real-life” musicians. As their third album, “Plastic Beach” is highly eclectic, fluctuating from pop to hip-hop and from rock to electronic, so Gorillaz have invited famous guests to represent different genres. Thus, we have a whole galaxy of stars, such as Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, Mick Jones, Mark E. Smith and many others. This may be hard to believe, but I’m not tying to make a monkey out of you!
Our this week pick is Gorillaz’ collaboration with the legendary De La Soul hip-hop group and the leader of Super Furry Animals from Wales. It might be due to the presence of the jesters from NYC, but “Superfast Jellyfish” sounds like a sequel to “Feel Good Inc” – the classic single from “Demon Days”. An upbeat, even comic, oldschool rap single with a sweet choruses by Gruff Rhys. We like such a monkey business here.
A slogan to sum up Brennnesel: “I can’t believe it’s Polish!”
Michell Phunk is prospective Polish DJ, Michał Biernacki, who is one of the most recognizable faces of Brennnesel, an electronic label associated with Kamp!, one of the most promising current Polish projects. Phunk describes his music style as electro-future-funk-vibe, which indeed makes for an intriguing mixture of recent electronic influences. He has recently released his debut album, “My electric emotion”, available for free with the “Laif” magazine and soon via free digital download on the label’s site. Michał is now working on his second album.
“Leaving My World” is his latest single that features his label’s colleagues AXMusique. The whole recording is available to download at the Brennnessel official website.
If, two months ago, anyone had claimed that Ariel Pink would record a radio friendly song, they would have been treated as a complete lunatic! People change though…
The ultimate freak! A musician whose recordings used to be of lower fidelity that the tapes you would buy 20 years ago to record your favorite broadcasts. A Pop artist capable of writing beautiful melodies, but who’ll never write anything that was easy to follow. The Godfather of chillwave – that recently celebrated trend of avant-pop music. That just about sums up Ariel Pink – the alienated king of his own niche. Nevertheless, though, everything indicates that this is going to change soon.
The breakthrough in Ariel’s career was probably signing with the famous 4AD label. Although this British company is planning to release his album later this year, it has already published “Round and Round” as a single. Even though the piece might differ a bit from pop standards, it sounds like it was recorded in a proper studio and, come on, that’s a revolution!
Most often the music brought closer with this section is either intellectual or at least a bit alternative, but this time we want to prove that in the history of Polish music there is also a place for some good house or pop tunes.
Some may say that Reni Jusis was just doomed to success: she started her music education in the early childhood; she was successfully participating in the local singing competitions; she established some relations with the artistic environment, which helped her to get first, still insignificant, roles. While playing a part in a local musical, she made a great impression on Yaro – rapper and producer, who invited Jusis to join him on the next album. As it turned out later, the offer was just a stroke of luck and opened doors to her solo career. Although Yaro’s album wasn’t an artistic breakthrough, it achieved commercial success, which put an end to the era of Jusis’ anonymity, both for listeners and other musicians. And it was the latter, who persuaded the major label to sign a contract with a relatively unknown vocalist. Michał Urbaniak – the famous Polish jazzman might therefore be called a godfather of Jusis’ debut. Even though “Zakręcona” was a bestseller, it’s not the artist’s R&B incarnation that is the most interesting one.
It was 2001, people around the world were getting crazy while listening to “Aerodynamic”, “Where’s Your Head At” or “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”, whereas in Poland house or 2-step were remaining a white spots on the music map. Essentially with “Elektrenika” Poland, at least without complexes and prejudices, entered the club. What is more, apart from its historical context, the album is filled with highly danceable and still intriguing songs. Surprisingly, “Elektrenika” derives from many sources: French touch, disco, 80′s pop and even experimental electronic music (Jusis admitted her admiration for Aphex Twin). Musically educated, Reni Jusis was responsible not only for vocals but also for the album’s production; nevertheless, the support of other musicians (including genius bassist – Wojciech Pilichowski and great jazz vocalist – Urszula Dudziak) is also a vital element of the whole.
Undoubtedly, the “Elektrenika” highlight is “Jakby Przez Sen” a gloomy and foggy but still very clubbish song. It might remind you of Alan Braxe bangers but it’s somehow nervous and, actually, pretty hard to define. Well, the deeper we analyze it, the sooner it occurs that in a way it’s also a demanding album… Damn, sorry for that!
Recommended if you like: Daft Punk, Kylie Minogue, Alan Braxe, Moloko
A controversial singer, pianist and composer, living statue, solo artist and a half of The Dresden Dolls duo will perform on Saturday evening at the Capitol Music Theatre. And yes, that’s just one person.
The most stylish woman in Boston along with the drummer Brian Viglione set up a unique duo that combined elements of dark cabaret with punkish energy. From the very beginning the band met with an enthusiastic reception. Basically, what the band managed to achieve is a theatrical form that surprises and absorbs without using pompous means. The Dresden Dolls can perfectly play with a tension which they owe mostly to the Amanda Palmer‘s unique way of singing.
After a few years, The Dresden Dolls was disbanded and Palmer began a solo career. Her solo debut was released the same year and it immediately sparked controversy. The clip to the song “Oasis”, which was supposed to promote “Who Killed Amanda Palmer” album, was actually banned for its controversial content. However, the singer doesn’t seem to care giving priority to her artistic visions over established conventions and, basically, that’s what makes her concert during the Review Of Stage Songs such a highly-expected event.
The widely acclaim Polish pop-rock band, Muchy, performs tonight at the Bezsenność Club at 8 p.m. This concert is the first opportunity to listen to the songs from their recently released album, “Notoryczni Debiutanci”, performed live.
Muchy first enjoyed the limelight in 2007, with the release of “Terroromans” – a brilliant album that combines catchy pop melodies with guitar work influenced by the American independent rock scene. The band’s music met with the enthusiastic reception of both the critics (the album was nominated for a Fryderyk music award) and the wider audience. Thanks to their talent for remarkable melodies and highly poetic, metaphorical lyrics, Muchy are sometimes being called Polish version of The Smiths… Which is a great honour!
This evening at Bezsenność, Muchy will promote their second album, “Notoryczni Debiutanci” (“Notorious Debutants”). The first single promoting this recording is “Przesilenie” and you might actually have already heard it, if you are a RadioWroclove.com listener…
The real challenge for every remixer is to pick an inconspicuous song and turn it into a dancefloor banger. But if they succeed, victory tastes, or rather sounds, sweet.
Such a transformation must be even harder when the picked song has a studied, a bit experimental background. In this case, the remixed track “Your Love Is My Love” is a song produced by Kixnare – an extremely gifted Polish producer who doesn’t hesitate to record an unusual beat. Although he had done his job perfectly, it’s hard to imagine this slow-paced, soulful song on the setlist of the best party of the year. But hey, after the sound surgery conducted by Club Collab the patient feels harder, better, faster, stronger!
Warsaw-based DJ collective has thinned down the background and introduced the French house’s synths. Club Collab has looped Gloria Lama‘s vocals and combined and placed it on the gentle, futuristic beats. A delightful disco piece that, actually, fits both spontaneous nights and reflective evenings.
The Snow Queen dances to electro beats.
Her name is Holy Dodson and she resides in Canada. Her subordinates are precise, synthetic beats and classic disco keys. Her dynasty originates from the greatest rulers, such as Moroder and Kraftwerk. If you’re lucky, you can meet her at the banquet with The Knife and Baxter, where they serve such tasty dishes as italo-disco, electro and synth-pop. This week we recommend to you “Ultralight” – the speciality of the house.
“Ultralight” is an electro-bullet that goes fast through the web of keyboard melodies. Holy’s clear and pleasing voice makes the song somehow comparable to Ladythron‘s pieces. A bit sentimental, yet very satisfying journey through the dancefloors of the last decades.
The new Groove Armada is finally out!
Groove Armada is an English band consisting of Tom Findley and Andy Cato, who have been making music together since the 90′s. They mix modern sounds and tunes from a variety of electronic genres and put them into a formula of poppy songs. Groove Armada‘s best known album is 2002’s “Lovebox“.
They appeared in Poland at the Heineken Opener Festival a few years ago and, although it was raining heavily, a big crowd of Poles enjoyed their energetic performance. During some gigs last year, the guys from the band were promising that the new album would be released soon. It was forecast by “I Won’t Kneel” – a greatly acclaimed song, claimed by some media representatives to be one of the best singles of 2009. Findlay said that “Black Light“, their last effort, would be the darker side of Groove Armada which they had always wanted to show during the past 12 years. Now, in February 2010, they’ve finally provided us with their newest album and also the new single “Paper Romance“. It’s a song featuring not only the group’s new singer SaintSaviour, known already from “I Won’t Kneel”, but also Fenech-Soler. Enjoy!
Finally, Morrissey might be satisfied. Somebody wants to take him out and, what is more, it’s a she!
The history of Elizabeth Harper is full of shifts and different disguises. Before releasing “Journal Of Ardency“, she had been trying to pursue her career as a folk singer or a pop artist, clearly referring to the British C86 movement. This time she tries her hand at synthetic, electronic beats and danceable grooves. Positive reception of this Class Actress recording proves that, this time, it has been a successful attempt. However, it is not so certain that electro-pop will remain Harper’s regular style.
The hint about who she might soon turn into is hidden in “Let Me Take You Out“. She might become the new Morrissey and, actually, I wouldn’t mind.
It’s hard to tell which of Lindstrom’s advantages is the biggest one: either his talent for recording complex yet still attention-grabbing, electronic pieces or his incredible diligence. We will let you be the judge on that!
The debut album from one of last year’s biggest discoveries has just hit the digital shelves.
English duo with probably their finest hit so far.
Although it’s more of a really sad story than a powerpop classic, it’s worth checking out this endearing song from a female Swedish singer/songwriter…
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