dan's earworms

daily posts of what i like to listen to

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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

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The Jezabels - Electric Lover

I haven’t listened to their debut EP in a very long time, but this song popped into my head this evening. I don’t have a long story that goes with it, I just really like it.

The Jezabels - Rosebud

I know I normally do a bit of commentary for everything I post, sometimes brief, sometimes long. I was going to do a long one for this, but really all it was going to be was just a tl;dr for I fucking love this song and I fucking love this video. This band makes me feel like a 19 year old fanboy about a local Aussie group again.

Also - the video clip reminds me of something 4AD would have done for Cocteau Twins if they had the budget in the 80s. Also - I think The Jezabels could pull off a Cocteau Twins cover. Something off ‘Head Over Heels’ maybe, or one of their early EPs.

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The Jezabels - Catch Me

Make sure you play this loud, will you?

Top 10 of 2011 8: The Jezabels - Prisoner I had very high expectations of this record, coming off the brilliance of their previous three EPs. They stepped up the production, creating a very heady, rich sound which, I will admit, took a little getting used to in places as it runs the risk of burying some quality songwriting, but is thoroughly engrossing. It’s not all heavy and layered though - when they bring it down to something more sparse and delicate, it’s still rich (sparse and delicate are comparative terms here) and packs one hell of an emotive punch. The best part is that, apart from the strings (used sparingly) they perform everything themselves. One drummer, one guitarist, one keyboardist and one stunning vocalist. They’re pretty kick-arse live too. Top tracks: Horsehead, Long Highway, Catch Me

Top 10 of 2011

8: The Jezabels - Prisoner

I had very high expectations of this record, coming off the brilliance of their previous three EPs. They stepped up the production, creating a very heady, rich sound which, I will admit, took a little getting used to in places as it runs the risk of burying some quality songwriting, but is thoroughly engrossing. It’s not all heavy and layered though - when they bring it down to something more sparse and delicate, it’s still rich (sparse and delicate are comparative terms here) and packs one hell of an emotive punch. The best part is that, apart from the strings (used sparingly) they perform everything themselves. One drummer, one guitarist, one keyboardist and one stunning vocalist. They’re pretty kick-arse live too.

Top tracks: Horsehead, Long Highway, Catch Me

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The Jezabels - Disco Biscuit Love

I know, I know, another Jezabels track. But I need to share this one. I was listening on the car the other day and it struck me like a punch in the face - this track is totally a track by Pulp. I mean, it’s not, it’s a Jezabels original, but seriously, listen and tell me you can’t hear Jarvis Cocker singing this and it being a massive hit in the late 90s. And look at its video clip! It just screams 90s. I love it. LOVE IT. This song was released ten years too late.

The Jezabels - Mace Spray

The electric piano! Ah!

The Jezabels - Easy To Love

The Jezabels - Hurt Me

The Jezabels - Dark Storm If you read my posts regularly you’ll know I’ve been a fan of this band for less than a month. But across that time, I’ve listened to them so much and they have produced such thrilling little EPs. This one was the one released this year. I don’t know what to say about the sound really. It’s that odd mix of big and exciting and simple. The band is just drums, guitar, piano and vocals, but the way they arrange and mix the tracks makes them sound huge and stadium like. On one track (“Sahara Mahala”) the guitar solo is just a wailed drone. And the drums across them all - I haven’t been this interested in the sounds the drummer makes since I discovered Throwing Muses. The songs themselves are again an odd mix of exciting and dramatic execution, while feeling intensely personal at the same time. Kate Bush’s “The Dreaming” feels a natural comparison in that respect. I like that this is an EP as well - all their releases so far have been EPs. Five tracks of this weight are a good listen. “She’s So Hard” (the title of their previous EP, which continually confuses me when scrolling through iTunes and telling people about what to buy) is a much calmer number, but no less big, and demonstrates so well that they can carry a range of styles across a release. I’m excited for their album and will be disappointed if it isn’t as varied and tight as what I hold in my hand there. I was going to post “She’s So Hard”, but Tumblr’s one MP3 upload a day has killed me on that. So I’ll be following with the the video clips they made and released this year (which includes the singles “Hurt Me” and “Easy To Love” from one of their 2009 EPs). Watch the drummer. Covet the electric piano they play in the woods in the single from this release, “Mace Spray”. Come say hi to me at any of their Sydney shows next year at which I will undoubtedly be.

The Jezabels - Dark Storm

If you read my posts regularly you’ll know I’ve been a fan of this band for less than a month. But across that time, I’ve listened to them so much and they have produced such thrilling little EPs. This one was the one released this year. I don’t know what to say about the sound really. It’s that odd mix of big and exciting and simple. The band is just drums, guitar, piano and vocals, but the way they arrange and mix the tracks makes them sound huge and stadium like. On one track (“Sahara Mahala”) the guitar solo is just a wailed drone. And the drums across them all - I haven’t been this interested in the sounds the drummer makes since I discovered Throwing Muses.

The songs themselves are again an odd mix of exciting and dramatic execution, while feeling intensely personal at the same time. Kate Bush’s “The Dreaming” feels a natural comparison in that respect.

I like that this is an EP as well - all their releases so far have been EPs. Five tracks of this weight are a good listen. “She’s So Hard” (the title of their previous EP, which continually confuses me when scrolling through iTunes and telling people about what to buy) is a much calmer number, but no less big, and demonstrates so well that they can carry a range of styles across a release. I’m excited for their album and will be disappointed if it isn’t as varied and tight as what I hold in my hand there.

I was going to post “She’s So Hard”, but Tumblr’s one MP3 upload a day has killed me on that. So I’ll be following with the the video clips they made and released this year (which includes the singles “Hurt Me” and “Easy To Love” from one of their 2009 EPs). Watch the drummer. Covet the electric piano they play in the woods in the single from this release, “Mace Spray”. Come say hi to me at any of their Sydney shows next year at which I will undoubtedly be.