十一月，Chris Garneau携第三张最新专辑《WINTER GAME》中国巡演即将开始。当Chris Garneau再次带着我们重温《Music for Tourists》时，我们会不由自主的忘却忧伤，沉湎并喜欢上 这种美妙之感的。 When Chris Garneau started working on Winter Games five years ago, he had a simple premise in mind: exploring the frostbitten season through secondhand story lines. Not long-forgotten memories of merriment and myrrh so much as the many ways smothered sunrises and blanketed windowsills manipulate our moods and tighten―or in some cases, altogether undo ―our family ties. So the first two tracks Garneau wrote (simply titled “Winter Song 1″ and Winter Song 2″ despite being much denser lyrically) weren’t just about seeing ghosts or sinking one’s teeth into piles of freshly packed snow. They also delved into such dark topics as abuse, incest, and neglect. Things only got deeper from there, too, transcending the singer’s original concept with minor-keyed tales of hastily drained happiness, unheeded warnings, and swift mood swings. “This record isn’t about trivial shit,” explains Garneau. “It’s about why love doesn’t happen right, about the heartache of having your father leave you, your cousin sexually abuse you, your family reject you.” And yet Winter Games isn’t a downer. In its own twisted way, it’s triumphant, bursting at the seams with Garneau’s barebones melodies and the richly woven arrangements of CJ Camerieri and Rob Moose―perfectly paced orchestrations that parallel their work on Bon Iver’s GRAMMY-winning debut as a full-blooded group. “It’s magical really,” explains Garneau, referring to the pair’s collaborative process. “They don’t write anything down; I direct things to a certain degree, then they take over and get this big sound from only the two of them.” In many ways, Winter Games is the music Garneau’s been trying to make since he was a lonesome kid who competed in Parisian piano competitions and happened to be on a last name basis with Beethoven, Debussy and Brahms. Garneau had to endure years of personal and creative growth first, however, as he found his voice as a songwriter and expanded his record collection well past the familiar environs of classical and jazz. That includes everything from the otherworldly pop songs of Tori Amos and the alien harmonies of the Cocteau Twins to the devastating confessionals of Cat Power, Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Not to mention one of Garneau’s biggest influences, Nina Simone, whose music he fondly remembers figure skating to ― in his socks, mind you ―around the family living room. “I trusted myself on this record,” says Garneau, “and it forced me to go well past my boundaries. I wanted to get away from clean and tight, to make things big and loose and free. Form can be really important but I also wanted to just play music. In the past, I always focused on the ‘song’ first. For the first time, this record is me. That’s all I know.”

After a five year hiatus the Glaswegian indie rockers are back with a third album We Need Medicine, with the first single Seven Nights Seven Days out in October. Expect plenty more indie anthems with more of a blusey rock edge.

Limited Edition two disc (CD + PAL/Region 0 DVD) of the highly anticipated debut album from Glaswegian Indie sensations DVD features exlusive video content. Comprising of singer Jon, drummer Mince and Barry on bass (and shouting), The Fratellis mix up a brilliant concoction of 70s glam, 60s songwriting and a pinch of Punk. Costello Music features 13 tracks including the hit singles 'Chelsea Dagger', 'Whistle For The Choir' and 'Henrietta', as well as cuts from their limited edition eponymous EP.

今年二月，电子流行音乐人Hot Chip将发行他们的第三张完整音乐专辑《Made in the Dark》。 尽管整张专辑都是在国内进行录音，制作的，但《Made in the Dark》中收录的大多都是Hot Chip的现场表演，不过在听过所有音乐之后，会发现整张专辑的曲目的旋律与风格都与他们的上一张LP专辑《The Warning》十分相似。然而，在杂志对专辑的宣传上，写下了如此的评价：“强有力的声音扩张，键盘与音乐变换都显示了Hot Chip的音乐水准。曲目‘Hold On’与‘Out At The Pictures’展现了乐队现场演出的实力。当你在欣赏他们的主打曲目‘Ready for the Floor’时，你一定能够感受到音乐的自然气息。” 来自纽约与LA的Hot Chip乐队乐迷在二月初，可以听到这张专辑的现场版，之后，他们将回到英国与由Matthew Dear引领的Big Hands乐队一起进行巡回演出。而在三月，他们将轮番在欧洲进行演出， 到了四月，他们则要在北美进行巡回演出。

my little airport 2012年度专辑《寂寞的星期五》 关于远离人群、无业、放售唱片、等待暴动、偷情、灵魂转换、无赖、嫖客、菊花等十七首，记录一年之中人生的荒谬。 my little airport的诗意不同于现代诗的疏离、晦涩的诗意，也不同于传统的摇滚歌词那种哥特、浪漫主义的诗意，他们的诗意更多植根于最日常的香港青年生活：逸乐与压抑，轻狂与愤怒，语言也是最平白的口语，有点幽默有点“抵死”有点痛……“我家不在这星球／太深业力的地球／每当我望见星宿／我都不想逗留”新歌《我们一起离开吧》唱到结尾非常悲伤，让我想起我很喜欢的一支日本乐队たま的名作《再见人类》，是对地球绝望了的决裂声明。——廖伟棠 “讨厌的青年”是my little airport在《牛头角青年》中引用早年独立乐队HUH!?《究竟应该点》的歌词。my little airport的阿p和nicole实际并不讨厌，但即将推出的第六张专辑《寂寞的星期五》里面一首首所写的，却是带有不同令人讨厌成份的人，《寂寞的星期五》的偷情关系，《爷就是一名辞职撚》的浪子心态，《忧伤的嫖客》在陌生人身上找寻慰藉，《罗曼蒂克》的文艺咸湿情怀等。再讨厌，当中还是带著诗意和令人顿悟的道理，讨厌又讨好。MLA仍是那样代表香港这一代、代表你、代表我。——czarina @ milk magazine

专辑简介 ＊连年瑞典葛莱美最佳专辑、最佳团体等多项大奖加冕，瑞典首席摇滚劲旅音乐十五年最完美回归 ＊睽违三年，Kent阴郁之美的音乐吟唱重现，收录冠军曲Max 500之专辑首周空降瑞典榜冠军 ＊全台部落格、学术网路发烧询问，瑞典进口空运来台，重量登场！ Kent 90年组团，从95年首张同名专辑《Kent》偏grunge的直率流畅乐风，到《Verkligen》、《Isola》 1B《Hagnesta Hill》时转为内敛浓浓英式摇滚味，他们唱着感伤年少情怀的哀愁，牵动着听者心中那份对青春岁月的记忆；2002年发行的《Vapen & Ammunition》，Kent更动了乐风走向，在编曲上偏向流行，也是他们成团以来在北欧主流市场最好的成绩。《Vapen & Ammunition》在瑞典热卖四白金近二十五万张的数 量，是当年最畅销的专辑，然而《Vapen & Ammunition》在老歌迷的评价中是有些失望的，幸而在今年的新专辑他们带回了Kent特有的味道，《Du & Jag D?den》是他们继《Vapen & Ammunition》後，睽违三年的录音室作品。

美国新晋三人独立流行摇滚乐队Fun于2/21发行的第二张大碟《Some Nights》中的主打歌曲We Are Young，此歌早于去年9月就已发行，但迫于乐队的知名度此歌一直无人问津，去年12月著名音乐美剧《欢乐合唱团/Glee》翻唱了此歌，其翻唱版本在BILLBOARD单曲榜上飙升到#12，成为第三季Glee打榜成绩最高的歌曲，今年2月此歌作为雪佛兰最新广告歌曲在美国体育盛事超级碗上播出，随后此歌终于击败Kelly Clarkson的冠军歌曲Stronger在美国ITUNES下载榜登顶，其热度甚至超过同时在超级碗上现场表演的Madonna的新歌，本周BILLBOARD单曲榜上此歌从41名飙升到第三。

整张专辑虽不到三十五分钟，竟没有一秒显得多馀。情绪专注、声音乾淨，旋律更是轻快无比，Vampire Weekend就像一杯名厂酿造的脱脂牛奶，不在嘴裡留下太多甜味，对身体绝对健康，并让人想立刻再喝一杯。 专辑的成功，键琴手Rostam Batmanglij更是居功厥伟。不似一般独立乐队，键盘常常沦为补音的配角，Rostam身兼作曲人、製作人与录音工程师，不论A-Punk中段的小巧键琴，或M79带着巴洛克风味的弦乐编排，都替原本可能过于单调的编曲添加神来一笔，让专辑保有难得一见的不流俗清爽感。 歌词机智诙谐，不超龄做作，Vampire Weekend从奇趣的团名到主唱姓名（Ezra Koenig），彷彿都是Wes Anderson电影中量身订做的出场人物。的确，羊毛衫、白球鞋加上良好教养，让Vampire Weekend不自觉散发出强烈的白人中产菁英形象，像极了九零初期的Blur。你有一百个理由爱他们，更有等值的理由讨厌之。

专辑简介英国歌手兼歌曲作家Birdy个人首张同名专辑，她的艺名Birdy更为人所知。出生于1996年12月1日，射手座，来自英国南部的汉普郡，利明顿市。目前就读于该市的一所规模较小的公立学校，Priestlands School，一所以表演和视觉艺术见长的学校。 Birdy擅长歌唱和弹奏钢琴，2008年，年仅12岁的她就赢得英国才艺比赛(Open Mic UK)18岁以下组别的冠军，在2000名现场观众面前，她表演了自己创作的歌曲So Be Free，并赢得出版公司Good Soldier Songs Ltd提供的一份合同，该公司由Christian Tattersfield经营，他是华纳兄弟英国音乐和14th Floor Records公司的主席。该公司此前签约的歌手有David Gray等。2009年，Birdy为英国BBC Raddio 3\´s Pianothon现场演奏钢琴。2011年，14岁的Birdy翻唱并发行了美国歌手Bon Iver的一首歌曲Skinny Love，该单曲为她首次打入英国排行榜（the UK charts)，并被列入Xfm（一家广播电台）的榜单，同时也成为Shak\´s overnight show听众最爱的歌曲 ，也被UK radio DJ Fearne Cotton选为“本周歌曲”。该歌曲2011年3月一经发行，也被选入BBC Raddio 1的播放榜单。2011年5月1日，Skinny Love在英国单曲排行榜（UK Singles Charts)的排名为第19位。该单曲的官方MV导演是Sophie Muller。Birdy的叔叔Sir Dirk Bogarde曾经是一名演员。2011年5月，Skinny Love被选入美剧“吸血鬼日记”第二季第21集的插曲。

Piano and pop don’t mix- at least that’s the conventional wisdom with regard to “popular” music. Yet Chris Garneau defies expectations. Since releasing his debut album Music for Tourists in 2006, he has consistently proven that in the hands of a capable musician, 88 keys can indeed, be cool to listen to. Two years later, he’s back with a sophomore album El Radio and far from slumping. The record is a orchestra of sounds capturing emotional highs and lows- more lows than highs. Aside from the aforementioned orchestra, the record is an orchestra of symphonics, cello, and of course Garneau’s own piano. “Dirty Night Clown” finds Garneau and friends rocking cello and drums to an atonal, discordant beat. “No More Pirates” is an upbeat, horn laden ditty about forgiveness. On “Fireflies,” Garneau channels his inner Tin Pan Alley artist, composing a tale of musical suspicion worthy of an off-Broadway play. Foghat this is not. Despite the eclectic nature of the record, the album does have its downsides. The eerie tone and subject matter of the songs (several deal with death- natural or otherwise) may turn off audiences who are more used to upbeat faire from Top 40 than introverted, complicated songwriting. There are sleepers too. The slow strumming of “Raw and Awake” is more lullaby than pop song. Yet this is an exception to the rule. Though the album is far from upbeat, overall the record speaks to the diverse range of Garneau’s material. From instrumental tracks to Tin Pan Alley style songs, there is little that he is incapable of. Far from being typical singer-songwriter faire, the album is a sonic expression of our common emotionality- both good and bad. While “El Radio” may not be for everyone, it is certainly worth paying attention to- even if it is macabre at times。

虽然这是Chris Garneau的第一张唱片，但却丝毫没有生涩的感觉，相反，歌曲散发的魅力是很有深蕴的，足可以让人沉醉。他走的风格路线还是比较低迷的，伤情的，是一张听了可以让你跟着沉沦的唱片。歌曲的伴奏主要以钢琴为主，甚至常常一首歌曲只有钢琴在游走，虽然简单，不过就在简 单之中，给了听众最直接最简洁的触动。

Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Recorded in several locations mostly in Portland, Oregon while Smith was still in Heatmiser and produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997 through record label Kill Rock Stars following the demise of Heatmiser. Book-ended by the two singles "Speed Trials" and "Ballad of Big Nothing", Either/Or did not chart in the US but was acclaimed by critics. Following the album's release, Smith would be struck to the forefront of popular culture after performing the song "Miss Misery" at the 1998 Academy Awards, which appeared in the film Good Will Hunting.

是夏天，一阵清风吹来，和煦的阳光，带着一份清新的味道。这可能是听众对这张经过18个月期待的第二张专辑Riot On An Empty Street的第一个印象，但对于Kings Of Convenience来说，却是有着对”人”内心世界的观点与想像。“真得很难解释人们心里到底在想什么。”他这么注解着专辑的内容，从专辑开场的 Homesick、首支单曲Misread亦或是Gold In The Air Of Summer，随着上张专辑的脚步，他们化身为说故事的人，用大家熟识的和谐音调，娓娓的诉说着他们对”人心”的描写。而有着80年代Go Between风味的单曲I’d Rather Dance With You，在歌词里写着”我有一整年没有看过一本书，唯一看过的一部电影，我一点也不喜欢…。”“你的生活可以像本书或是部电影，我非常渴望去找寻日常生活里，如电影情节般的状况。”另外，“Boe的历任女朋友一直是我们乐团很重要的一个部份，”Oye还这么地解释，“他有一个曾经交往了两年的女朋友，在那段时间里他写了很多的作品，让我们有不少压箱的作品。”而事实在也的确如此，因为Boe的新女友就出现在专辑的封面上

繼《Over the Way》榮獲年度十大單曲、各界一致好評後 2007金曲獎最佳新人黃建為　獻給全世界的愛與勇氣之作！ 收錄創世基金會「聲情創世‧四方傳愛」公益活動主題曲＜蝴蝶＞ 《夏樹的期待》 黃建為音樂故事EP 夏樹生在水泥叢林縫隙，夏樹長在每個人內心一隅， 雖然偶爾風吹日曬雨淋，但歌聲是他最強壯的雙臂… 一個溫暖心窩的城市童話　一種通體舒暢的療癒歌聲 一開始是一株稚嫩的新芽， 夏樹慢慢長出了屬於自己的姿態。 雖然偶爾風吹雨淋日曬， 夏樹心中仍有個會發光的小小期待── 黃建為blog 黃建為旅遊經遊記

在Grunge统治另类音乐的那个年代，Belle & Sebastian的这张唱片掀起了一阵不小的震撼。音乐理念上的奇思妙想和精致优雅的旋律描绘了If You're Feeling Sinister的整体风貌，温文尔雅的睿智洞察力和错综复杂的编曲像是对the Smiths和Simon & Garfunkel的完美融合。Stuart Murdoch回归传统、充满活力的歌曲创作则决定了专辑的独特个性：顽童似的幽默，恶作剧似的乐句，不食人间烟火的迷人嗓音带来的是一种犬儒主义的玩世不恭。这张不到10天时间就录制完成的作品绝对堪称一张伟大的专辑，它就像一个屹立在英式摇滚根基上的三面体，构架它的分别是六十年代的民谣、八十年代的独立精神和九十年代的创作姿态，其精致玲珑足以让后来的任何一支独立乐队顶礼膜拜，即使是Belle & Sebastian自身的其他唱片也相形见绌。