Category Archives: Music

Giving Lebanon’s Indie Bands a Chance

Wickerpark - Batroun

I was talked into going to Wickerpark yesterday. Sure, it was almost literally taking place next door. Sure, it was only $20 for an entire music festival of sorts. Sure, it was for a good cause. But it was a place for music that I had come to brush off. And I refused to be sucked in.

Wickerpark yesterday introduced me to several bands, three – technically two bands and one performer – of which I can’t seem to shake off. I went to Wickerpark yesterday and got exposed to some great music. I guess it’s a good thing I went.

Postcards:

I absolutely loved these people. Of course, they’re  right up my musical alley of folk music. But their songs are really well-written. They perform those songs extremely well. I never thought I’d use such a word to describe anything but if there was anything to be described as “organic,” it’s them singing by the sea a song called “Lakehouse.” Granted, the Mediterranean isn’t a lake but as they belted “come home” to the echo of the waves crashing behind them, I was simply mesmerized.

Postcards covered a song by Fleet Foxes as well. Yes, I know who those are. And their cover was impeccable. Their EP was released less than two weeks ago and I couldn’t wait to buy it off iTunes. I’d love to see them cover songs by “The Civil Wars,” so in case they read this: make it happen!

You can buy their EP here and check their Facebook page here.

Charlie Rayne:

How cool was this guy? He was apparently globe-trotting around Europe before heading to Wickerpark, performing gigs all across Paris, Prague, Berlin, etc…. His music is folky, akin to Postcards. I especially liked the one about a girl’s “velvet garden.” Don’t fret, there’s nothing overtly raunchy about the material. Rayne is an excellent guitar player. He was the only act to command the stage solo. If you like Philip Philipps’ songs, Rayne is your Lebanese version.

Check out Charlie Rayne’s Facebook page here.

The Wanton Bishops:

I have to admit, this band was intriguing me the most about Wickerpark. I had never listened to their music before but wrote about them having their visa to the UK refused. Thank you Lebanese passport! After yesterday, I have to say that music festival in the UK they couldn’t go to definitely missed out.

They reminded me of the few songs I knew by The Black Keys. Their music isn’t my cup of tea though I’m warming up to such music lately. What drew me to them, however, was the sheer energy with which they performed. That energy is something to behold. They played with a multitude of instruments on stage seamlessly, never missed a note and their lead singer could play that harmonica forever despite him being such a smoker he couldn’t not do his set without a cigarette.

Check out their Facebook page here.

Why the hell aren’t they more popular? 

Yes, I know asking that question puts me on all the Lebanese hipster watchlists. But I can’t not ask it: why aren’t Postcards, Charlie Rayne and Wanton Bishops as known, if not more, than other Lebanese bands, some of which are are dubbed “revolutionary of arab pop” with horrible enunciation to boot?

It’s not like Lebanon doesn’t have the platforms to truly launch their careers. We have four english-music radio stations. They all play the same music. On weekends, three of them play the exact same house music endlessly until your ears start bleeding – unless, of course, you’re a house music fan. None of those radio stations, however, give a shot for these local acts who are truly doing an enormous job given whatever limited resources they have. How many bands have you heard of get their visas for musical festivals rejected?

You’d think though that Lebanese radio would try to put Lebanese acts in the spotlight more often. I guess not. Perhaps they think we like to listen to Applause in a loop 24/7.

It may not matter much, but Lebanon’s indie scene gained an extra fan in me yesterday.

Elissa’s New Music Video Copies a Dalida Movie?

A little more than 12 hours after the release of the music video for her song “Te3ebt Mennak,” the source material behind Elissa’s new music video has been revealed.

The director is Salim el Turk, the man who gave Elissa her previous music video around which similar accusations were made.

The copying is obviously not Elissa’s fault. No one expects her to be familiar with such things. Her director, on the other hand, seems to like getting “inspired” quite often. Or is it the Samsung effect?

Of course, he also gave the world “My Last Valentine in Beirut.” Enough said? That movie is horrible.

This is Elissa’s new music video of a song that I actually like for a change:

And this is the scene that was copied almost to the frame, from an Italian miniseries that aired in 2005 called Dalida:

I think we can safely say this is more than close ideas.

The Civil Wars (Album Review) – The Civil Wars

The Civil WarsIt’s a civil war on the new self-titled The Civil Wars album. If only all civil wars were similar.

The folk duo, which announced they were going on hiatus for “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition” back in October, barely managed to finish their sophomore album which might be their last. This album was brewed in the midst of their turmoil. Can such tension translate into excellent music, the likes of which is present in their first album Barton Hollow, in a band that relies heavily on harmonies to stand out?

The truth is that The Civil Wars is even better than Barton Hollow.

From the cover of billowing smoke to Joy Williams spewing “I wish I’d never ever seen your face” on the album’s opening song “The One That Got Away,” a song that departs from their relatively acoustic style, you know you’re in for one musical ride. On Same Old Same Old, the duo examines a struggling relationship whose components don’t want to let go. “Do I love you? I still do. And I’m going to till I’m gone. But if you think that I can stay in this same old same old, well, I don’t,” they sing together on one of the album’s highlight songs.

My favorite song on the album, Dust to Dust, about the loneliness that we all experience doesn’t have the dramatic music you’d expect such a topic to require. It is subdued, relying more on what these two vocalists can do together to convey the story they want to tell. The harmonies the duo create on this track may sound secondary but it’s beyond essential for the mood it creates for the song.  “It’s not your eyes, it’s not what you say. It’s not your laughter that gave you away. You’re just lonely, you’ve been lonely too long. All your acting, your thin disguise, all your perfectly delivered lines. They don’t fool me, you’ve been lonely too long. Let me in the walls you’ve built around. We can light a match and burn them down. Let me hold your hands and dance round and round the flames in front of us, dust to dust.”

Eavesdrop, the album’s possibly most commercial song, is about dealing with pain, even if through a simple hug. “I can’t pull you closer than this. It’s just you and the moon on my skin. Don’t say that it’s over… let’s let the stars watch, let them stare. Let the winds eavesdrop, I don’t care. For all that we’ve got, don’t let go. Just hold me.”

The album has two covers. One of Etta James’ Tell Mama and the other of Smashing Pumpkins’ Disarm. The Civil Wars completely unravels both songs and create their own version out of them. They make the lyrics and the story more prominent in both by toning down the music and making the vocals stand out more. D’Arline is a song that sounds gritty simply because it was recorded on an iPhone and included on the album as is. You can hear the background noise of a suburb on it as The Civil Wars flawlessly deliver the song.

Sacred Heart, a French song they wrote in Paris, is as surprising as it is interesting. With near-impeccable enunciation, the duo tell the story of a lover waiting for her significant other who may not show up while she remembers all the promises in the name of love on her way to the Sacred Heart. “Tu prends peut-être du retard. Tu as peut-être raté ton train. Tu ne peux peut-être pas me pardonner. Les ombres grandissent et les foules s’effacent. Je vais t’attendre là, viendras-tu pour moi? Je vais t’attendre là, seulement toi.”

The Civil Wars is intense. It’s also beautiful. This might be the band’s last album, a tragedy if it turns out to be true because this piece of music proves exactly how brilliantly this duo can do music. The band won’t even be performing these songs live. If you’ve ever seen their live performances, you’d know they are even better than they are recorded. Such an album creates a multitude of “if only” scenarios. With it heading to #1 status in the United States in a few days, the duo would have reached higher levels of success and fame with this work if only had they stayed on speaking terms. Add this album to your list of must-have music for 2013. It doesn’t matter if you like folk or alternative-tinged music, there’s something here which will bring forth the civil war in you.

Grade: A

Must download: The One That Got Away, Same Old Same Old, Dust to Dust. 

Lana Del Rey Coming To Lebanon For The Byblos International Festival on July 10th

Lana Del Rey Byblos Festival Lebanon

 

It’s OFFICIAL (link)

According to Frodo’s Blog who has been actively leaking major performers throughout the past several months, the rumors about Lana Del Rey coming to the Byblos festival this year are true.

The singer who’s famous for her melodramatic songs will be coming to Lebanon as part of the aforementioned festival for a concert on July 10th, beyond her showing up for the opening of Skybar on May 30th.

I’m not a fan of Lana Del Rey but I’m actually surprised the organizers of any festival in Lebanon were able to draw in such a currently “in” name to come perform here. I expect this to be the most hyped concert of the summer, if no other surprises happen.

For those who don’t know who Lana Del Rey is, you may recognize her sultry voice from the most depressing songs you encounter on Lebanese radio (if you listen to it). The songs that I know and which I believe are good enough are the following:

Born To Die:

And The Great Gatsby song, Young & Beautiful:

You can check out ALL of the lineup for the Byblos Festival here.

Anthony Touma Loses On France’s The Voice

After a successful run on the second season of France’s The Voice, the Lebanese candidate Anthony Touma lost in the show’s semi-final to Olympe.

Despite winning the public vote with a huge margin: 59.7% to 40.3%, Anthony Touma only got 15 points out of the 50 allocated to his coach, which seems fitting enough since 35 points was all it took for Olympe to beat out the Lebanese candidate by 0.6 points.

I find the way Anthony Touma lost to be quite fishy. It’s strange how all the other judges awarded their 50 points in a more balanced manner (26-24) except Jenifer who decided to go as lopsided as she did.  And it’s strange that, after having lost the public vote twice consecutively to Olympe, Anthony Touma would come back to win with such a wide margin.

It all feels very calculated and fishy. Perhaps they didn’t want a non-French to win the second season of France’s The Voice?

Either way, my Facebook friends are already on a witch hunt against Jenifer:

Jenifer The Voice The Bitch

I don’t think Anthony Touma is a talent that knows no match. I think he’s slightly overrated but I’m still immensely proud of what he’s accomplished. Good luck to him in his future endeavors though it seems he doesn’t need them. Pascal Nègre, CEO of Universal France, already wants him to sign a record deal.

This is Anthony Touma’s performance at the semi-finals with “Les Mots Bleus” with the results in question (link).