The Chapin Sisters

The Chapin Sisters are sisters Abigail, Jessica and Lily. They are a Los Angeles-based folk trio that sing beautiful melancholy music that reminds me very much of the many folk-country classics.

I first discovered them when on one of my many recent searches for great cover songs. It seems that Britney Spears' "Toxic" has become the new "it" song to cover. Admittedly, it is one of the few songs by her I think deserves to be covered though, and the covers I have heard have all been so great that you almost wish Britney hadn't gotten her hands on it first! Perhaps my favorite version is The Chapin Sisters version, which you can download on their MySpace page. You can also hear a cover of Madonna's "Borderline" which is equally beautiful.

Their website offered a few tracks of their own and I must say they are just as beautiful. Their new album is entitled the "Lake Bottom LP" and was released this year.

• Bird Song

New CSS album

Brazilian imports, Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) will be releasing a new album entitled "Donkey" in July. They have released a song from the upcoming album to their website so I thought I would share it here.

I like the song. It's a bit less edgy/spastic than some of their stuff from their self-titled album, but it's got all the fun beats and rhythm I would expect from CSS. Hopefully the whole album is as good.

• Rat is Dead (Rage)

Lykke Li

Once again I find myself scratching my head and wondering how so much amazing pop music can come out of one country. Perhaps the American pop contingent has become so infiltrated by corporations and/or bad hip-hop that we forget what decent pop music sounds like and have forgotten how to make it. Well, thank goodness the Swedes are keeping the ancient knowledge of pop music making flowing and are creating dance-worthy happy-making music for the masses...even if those of us in America who will get to hear it are in the minority.

The latest addiction for me is 22 year old Swede, and professional dancer turned musician, Lykke Li. Her music seems to lie somewhere between the music of Americans like My Brightest Diamond on the indie side, and her fellow European import Annie on the pop side.

I urge you to check her out if you're feeling withdrawl symptoms from decent pop music, and check out the video for her new single "I'm Good, I'm Gone" below. I am digging the video as much as the song. It's like a high school Cirque de Soleil!

KaiserCartel

Paste Magazine is a great resource for new music like the sort I post here, in case you hadn't heard of it before. It's by far my favorite magazine and it has once again proven to me why, by bringing the band KaiserCartel to my attention.

KaiserCartel is a Brooklyn-based folk-rock duo consisting of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel, thus the name. I know very little about them other than that since I only just today heard of them on the most recent Paste sampler. What I can tell you is that they make beautiful male/female dual vocal folk music that makes me smile and want to hear more.

The magazine shows the track "Okay" being from their new album entitled "March Forth", but it does not appear to be released as of yet. So until then we can enjoy tracks from their EPs "Okay (And Other Things We Feel)" available on iTunes and at Amazon, and the tracks they've made available from their "Double Standard" EP via their website.

• Okay
• Before
• Dead on the Lawn

I dig Hailey Wojcik

I love music that doesn't take itself too seriously. There's plenty of folks out there that simply can't take a song that's a little silly or tongue-in-cheek and it really is a shame because no one ever said that good songs can't also be a bit funny. I say this because Hailey Wojcik's song "Dinosaur Bone" came up during random play on iTunes tonight and it made me remember how charming it is.

Hailey is a quirky singer-songwriter based out of New York (but originally from Michigan), that got some recognition via YouTube when their music editor featured her video for the aforementioned song "Dinosaur Bone", in which she roams the New York streets wearing what looks like a child's dinosaur Halloween costume while singing about her crush on a geologist and how she wishes she were a dinosaur bone because then, as she says "one day you'd really dig me".

Her album is available on iTunes as well as at CDBaby and you can listen to clips of all songs from her album "Jealous Sees" on her website and hear a few whole songs on her MySpace page. But until then, watch her video for "Dinosaur Bone".

Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious

A few weeks ago Mike Doughty released his newest album "Golden Delicious". I've been a fan of Mike Doughty for years. I didn't know any of his music when I saw him live back around 2000 when he opened for They Might Be Giants, but he was good. A few years later friends started recommending songs of his to me and I loved them and started to get his albums, and that's the whole story in a nutshell.

His last two LPs (if you count Skittish/Rockity Roll as one since it is now usually sold as a set) were home-spun pop music that could make almost anyone bop their head and want to sing along. He's always had the talent of being very catchy and infectious, anyone who's heard "Circles" from his Soul Coughing days will agree, but the lyrics and their honest down-to-earth quality along with the very genuine feeling of the way he sings leads itself to really great pop music that is also singer-songwriter rock/folk music. This is what I have come to expect and love from Mike Doughty.

Golden Delicious has some of that. There are plenty of great earnest lyrics, but there also is a bit more production and repetitiveness that puts me off. His last two efforts (Skittish/Rockity Roll and Haunty Melodic) had less production, at points even sounded like they were recorded in haste, and focused more on the lyrics and guitar and didn't worry about much else. This is easily felt with the addition of one of my favorite (and no doubt, many others as well) songs of his "27 Jennifers" which he re-recorded and included on this record as well. Whereas it was always a favorite of mine, it has lost a lot of its character in the the more produced way he has done it for Golden Delicious. On Skittish/Rockity Roll it felt like a ballad to a girl he once loved and was cute and sweet, but on Golden Delicious it loses sincerity and feels more like a bouncy little ditty and the girl feels less significant...all because of the way it's performed and produced.

All in all, it's a good album, but doesn't stand up against his last albums excellence in my opinion. Regardless of that, I am excited to have a ticket to see him in April when he comes to town and I think seeing those songs performed live will bring back a lot of their character.

• 27 Jennifers (from Golden Delicious) (left click)
• Looking At the World From the Bottom of a Well (from Haughty Melodic)
• Thank You Lord, For Sending Me the F Train (from Smofe + Smang: Live in Minneapolis)

Hello Saferide

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so what better time to talk about artist Hello Saferide since she/they has a wonderful song dedicated to the holiday of hearts.

Hello Saferide is a Swedish band fronted by singer-songwriter Annika Norlin. She works as a music journalist in her home country, as well as having won awards for her music there. I would describe Hello Saferide's music as light-hearted pop-folk, if there is such a thing. But the lyrics are sweet and matter-of-fact but at the same time smile or even chuckle-worthy. Definitely music that is fun to listen to and sing along with.

Their music is not available on the American version of iTunes, but their albums can be purchased on American (Amazon) or international sites if you're willing to pay the import price. It's definitely music worth the price, or at least a listen.

• Valentine's Day
• San Francisco
• Highschool Stalker