BTS: DNA + Blood Sweat & Tears

When South Korean band BTS made their U.S. television debut at the American Music Awards on November 19 in Los Angeles they brought the house down, greatly aided by their loyal fans aka A.R.M.Y.  Yet, until that day, many viewers in the States were likely not familiar with these seven young men from Seoul who brilliantly fuse K-pop with hip hop, boldly sing in Korean sprinkled with English, and deliver dance moves & vocals that make jaws drop and hearts beat faster.

Since 2013, BTS (an acronym that translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts, though they now also use the acronym Beyond the Stage) have released a handful of stellar singles, EPs, and albums, as well as numerous outstanding videos. In addition to writing their own music/lyrics, they also produce their records.

The members whose ages range from 20 to 25 are:
Jungkook (singer/rapper/choreographer)
V (singer)
Jimin (singer/choreographer)
RM (rapper)
J-Hope (rapper/choreographer)
Suga (rapper)
Jin (singer)

"DNA" and "Blood Sweat & Tears" are my personal favorites, both musically and visually. The stunning clips were created by Seoul based creative collective Lumpens.



https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dna/1284477237?i=1284477954

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blood-sweat-tears/1275387598?i=1275388037

https://www.facebook.com/bangtan.official/

http://lumpens.com/tag/music-video/

Dalli: Who Are You + Down This Road

Three years ago, Brisbane native Dalli released his superb debut single "Down This Road". Then, following a tragedy (five family members were in a light aircraft crash), he dropped out of law school, relocated to Melbourne and started busking full-time.

Now, a year later, the singer-songwriter has dropped an outstanding second single entitled "Who Are You", written on a solo camping trip along the Great Ocean Road.

Both tracks are accompanied by excellent videos. "Who Are You" was created by Melbourne based director Jem Rankin. "Down This Road" was co-directed by Dalli and Melissa Romao.

Check Dalli's Facebook page for gigs in the new year (the last show of 2017 was Wednesday.)

Note: The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 km/151 mi stretch of road along the south-eastern coast between the cities of Torquay and Allansford in Victoria. Built by returned soldiers from 1919-32 and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world's largest war memorial.
[Wikipedia]



https://www.facebook.com/dallimusic

https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/who-are-you-single/id1287313658  (iTunes Australia)

https://vimeo.com/jemrankin  (director "Who Are You" video)

Anna Leone: My Soul I

So far, Stockholm singer-songwriter Anna Leone has released only one song, but oh, what a song. The single "My Soul I" is a flawless composition of boundless beauty, further enhanced by the stellar, sparse production that wisely gives Leone's stunning voice the ample space it deserves.

I can't wait to hear more from this immensely gifted artist who is 19 or 23 years old, depending on which media source one picks out of the bunch. But whether Leone is 19 or 23, one thing is for sure: she has her whole life ahead of her - and hopefully a brilliant career.

The lovely video was shot around the Stockholm archipelago by French directors Victoria Lafaurie and Hector Albouker. 

And speaking of French: the track dropped back in September on Paris/London indie label AllPoints.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-soul-i-single/id1266322850

https://www.facebook.com/annaleonemusic

https://vimeo.com/victorialafaurie

http://www.box.paris/hector-albouker#

Panda People: Overflow (Featuring Jonas H. Petersen)

Fridolin Nordsø + Julius Aas in NYC

Fridolin Nordsø aka producer Nilo + Julius Aas aka producer/dj Ligron make up brand-new Danish/Norwegian duo Panda People, formed only this year. Friends since childhood, the two have worked with stellar Danish artists such as Mø, Oh Land, Choir of Young Believers, Fallulah, Mads Langer, and more.

Fridolin Nordsø also happens to be the son of Mikkel Nordsø who was the stellar guitarist in Sneakers, one of Denmark´s all time best rocks bands. With his twin brother Frederik Nordsø as well as Kristian Leth he also found time in 2008 to form The William Blakes; fourth member Bo Rande was added later.

Panda Peoples' ambitious plan is to release one single a month plus remixes. The first single "Accidentally" featured American singer-producer-songwriter Brandon Beal who has collaborated with Lukas Graham, among others.

The second single "Overflow" features Danish singer-songwriter Jonas H. Petersen who started his acclaimed solo project Hymns From Nineveh in 2007.

The studio version of "Overflow" combines future bass & pop with Petersen's indie-meets-altar boy vocals to such a heavenly effect it might make angels weep, not to mention boogie 'til the break of dawn.

The stunning acoustic version of "Overflow" performed by Petersen solo (with older b/w photos of Denmark's long-reigning Queen Margrethe and her French-born prince consort Henri aka Prince Henrik watching) strips the song down to its beautiful basics, sounding very much like the quintessential Hymns From Nineveh composition.     

Panda People do not have any shows scheduled at this point. 

However, you can catch Petersen with his Hymns From Nineveh live band at two Christmas concerts:
First up: Saturday, December 2 @ 7 pm at the Christianskirken, Frederikshaldsgade 15, 8200 Århus N.
Second show: Saturday, December 9 @ 8 pm at the Christians Kirke, Strandgade 1, 1401 Copenhagen K.



https://itunes.apple.com/album/1230905502?itscg=0177

https://www.facebook.com/pandapeoplemusic

https://da-dk.facebook.com/HymnsFromNineveh/app/123966167614127/

Cut Copy: Standing In The Middle Of The Field

Australian band Cut Copy dropped their fifth studio full-length 'Haiku From Zero' last month.

The superb album track/single "Standing in the Middle of the Field" now has a fantastic and very clever video created by Moscow-born, Melbourne-based sound/audio wizard Vincenzi Vandella of Sensory Systems.

Dan Whitford, Tim Hoey, Mitchell Scott and Benjamin Browning kick off an extensive North American fall tour in Santa Cruz on November 9 and wrap it up in Miami on December 6.(there are two shows scheduled in Canada: Toronto November 21 and Montreal November 22).  They will also be performing at four festivals in Australia in late December and late January.



https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/haiku-from-zero/id1267662979

https://www.facebook.com/cutcopy/app/123966167614127/

http://sensory.systems/ABOUT

City Calm Down: Blame

Melbourne quartet City Calm Down was founded in 2008, but did not release their debut EP 'Movements' until 2012. The full-length 'In a Restless House' followed in 2015. They are currently working on a second album.

The stunning new single "Blame" is paired with a stellar video, shot in the Nevada desert by L.A. based director Sam Kristofski.

Tour: Jack Bourke (vocals), Jeremy Sonnenberg (bass), Lee Armstrong (drums) and Sam Mullaly (keyboards) have five dates between November 23-29: four in the UK and one in Paris.  Between February 2 and 11, the band will be playing five shows in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Fremantle as part of the annual Laneway Festival.



https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blame-single/id1292495915

https://www.facebook.com/citycalmdown/app/308540029359/?ref=page_internal

https://www.kristofski.com/music-videos/

Ibeyi: Away Away + Deathless

Naomi & Lisa-Kaindé

22-year-old Paris born twins Naomi Diaz & Lisa-Kaindé Diaz aka Ibeyi (in Yoruba, the language of their Nigerian ancestors, the word means 'twins') have just dropped their second full-length 'Ash' on XL Recordings. The multi-lingual daughters of the late renowned Cuban percussionist Anga Diaz and French-Venezuelan singer Maya Dagnino (now also the duo's manager) once again combine vocals, percussion plus piano, and come up with their own intoxicating, unique sound.

My favorite tracks on the album, the superb "Take Away Away" and "Deathless" (featuring acclaimed saxophonist and L.A. native Kamasi Washington), are accompanied by excellent videos: the first clip gets the playful treatment from Christian Beuchet; for the latter clip, directed by Ed Morris (a frequent collaborator), a more artsy, but no less effective approach was taken.

A tour kicked off September 30 in France and also wraps up in France, March 25.  With more than forty shows this fall and winter in the UK, continental Europe and North America ahead of them, the Diaz sisters would be forgiven for taking some time off when they're done.



https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ash/id1271201703

https://www.songkick.com/artists/6257514-ibeyi/calendar

https://www.facebook.com/ibeyimusic/

https://vimeo.com/christianbeuchet

https://www.rattlingstick.com/directors/ed-morris/music-videos/