Spotlight: On The Pierces

Now why is it that I have never talked about this duo?

After the first song I've heard from these two (Secret), I was completely hooked.

They have a style completely their own, and that shows creativity.

The duo comprises of two sisters - Allison and Catherine Pierce who hail from Birmingham, Alabama.

So far, they have had 3 albums - The Pierces, Light of the Moon, and Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge.

The duo appeared on Gossip Girl, performing two of their songs (and personal favourites of mine) - Secret and Three Wishes.

What I like about this band is that they are unconventional. And I love that.

This is a very sinister song that talks about keeping secrets.

The beauty of it isn't that it sounded evil.

The thing is, it's meant to sound evil. Yet it's just so cool you can't help but like it.

I predict great things for this band. Not in the mainstream, I think.

But Indie. Definitely Indie.

Spotlight: On Yuna

Alright, it's a Malaysian singer.

I don't normally listen to Malaysian singers, but this girl totally got me hooked.

I couldn't believe that she was a Malaysian singer.

Deeper Conversation was the first song I ever heard from her.

And from then on, my perception of Malaysian artists changed.

Yuna, whose actual name is Yunalis Zarai, was born on November 14, 1984.

Her birthplace is in Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia.

She is an independent singer/songwriter who has been writing songs since she was 14 years old.

Her first performance of her own songs was when she was 19.

On a side note, Yuna was also a law student at Universiti Teknologi MARA.

She completed her studies in 2009.

She also owns a blogshop (iamjetfuel.blogspot.com) as a side project.

Yuna's musical influences come from a few of my own personal favourite artists such as Feist, Coldplay, Bob Dylan and The Cardigans.

Her music is pretty much between easy listening and a bit of jazz.

It's the kind of music you'd wanna listen to in a cafe, if it were a live performance it'd be even better.

Yuna describes her music as "a cross between Mary Poppins and Coldplay".

I'm seeing the Coldplay part, but I don't get the Mary Poppins area.

It was due to the strong following she gained in MySpace that Yuna rose successfully in the Malaysian Indie scene.

Her band members are Farhan Fadzlishah on guitars, Efry Arwiz on bass, and Adli Ali on drums.

Though I doubt Yuna would make it to the international scene (unless she migrates), I do believe she has some promise in Malaysia.

But then again, indie isn't meant to be famous. It's meant to stay untapped, untouched , original and definitely NOT mainstream.

But if you're into indie, this is definitely a girl you wanna watch out for. :)

Spotlight: On Psapp

Given my musical background (playing the violin/studying music for about..... 10 years over?),
I was hugely inclined to listening to music from all sorts of genre.
Just to widen my perspectives.
Except heavy metal/ death metal/ whatever metal there is that is wrecking the whole meaning of music.
And hip hop (I don't see the point, seriously. Suckiest lyrics. The ones I've heard so far lah).
So I started listening to the radio.
And I thought, hey not bad! Great songs to listen to here.
But then it got tiring.
Because radios overplay songs.
It can turn a great song into a very very annoying song.
I don't know it's probably my music taste.
Or it could be just me.
I hate anything that's overplayed.
I get sick of it in a week, at most.
I started straying from mainstream.

So I got into the indie scene. And I basically stayed there.
I didn't discover it till much later.
And they were good.
Not overplayed, highly untouched, and non-conforming.
I loved it.
And from there I found electronica.
I loved that too.
One of my favourite electronica bands, the first I've ever listened to,
is Psapp (pronounced sapp)


Psapp is one of the quirkiest bands in the music industry.
It comprises of Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant.
Carim is a guitarist/producer.
Galia is a vocalist/keyboardist/violinist.
Hence, it's basically Galia who sings.

They are sometimes credited with inventing toytronica.
Toytronica is a form of electronica made with toys and toy instruments.
Psapp uses toy guitars, flutes, and a chicken they named Brunhilda.
Psapp's music is indie-pop influenced, a mixture of sultry vocals, and quirky electronic beats.
So far, they've produced four albums.
Northdown, Tiger, My Friend, The Only Thing I ever Wanted and The Camel's Back.
And five EPs.
Do Something Wrong, Hi, Rear Moth, Buttons and War, and Early Cats and Tracks.

Now you may have heard Psapp.
If you've watched Grey's Anatomy.
They are the ones responsible for composing the song Cosy in the Rocket.
The main theme in the series.

The reason why I love Psapp,
is because it's very cute.
And it's weird.
Yes I like weird things.
But weird, in a good way. If you know what I mean.
Their music is great for... Well, people who are up for something.. Hugely different.
So I suppose it's somehow hard to accept their music.
But I find them creative.
They stand out.
I especially love listening to them in those nights when I'm pouring over my last minute assignments.
They keep me awake, and lower my stress level, in a sense.
And they aren't distracting, like how rock music would completely distract me (not to say rock music isn't good, I'll get on that in another post).
These guys won't.

So here's a sample of their songs.
It's called The Monster Song.

Description:

"The Monster Song is a sad song about loss and depression; its the morning after the big night before, when the green eyed monster is lurking around every corner, just waiting to pounce.

Despite its dark and uneasy lyrical content, The Monster Song has an uplifting and playful pop edge due to Psapp's trademark use of found sounds and Galia's harmonising vocals.

The Monster Song is a taste of what to expect from The Camels Back, Psapp's most starkly beautiful record to date."

- taken from the music video description from Domino Records.

So pay attention to the lyrics, and enjoy. :)

Next week, I'll be doing a spotlight on an artist I should've done last year.
Chester, you are going to love me for this. :)