no fear.

I've been getting the travel heebie jeebies lately from being in the city too long, so I'll be escaping to the bush till Friday.

Listen to this while I'm gone. Just because you can.

Listen to the post

I've recently been listening to some bands that I hadn't given much attention to in a while and The Postal Service charmed me once again.

cc thanks to Sarah G

They start off with little catchy electronic intros that could be signaling your next favourite electro head-bopper, but then twist into their own special direction with a casual and cool voice that sounds all too familiar. If you have any Death Cab for Cutie in your playlist (which, honestly, you really should), you'll know I'm talking about the somehow endearing Ben Gibbard. He teems up here with producer Jimmy Tamborella (of Dntel) in a combination that meshes just right. The fact that the two look eerily similar doesn't hurt either.


They only brought out one full album, and it doesn't look like we'll be getting much more, but the project worked well and caused quite the ripple effect. Their singles even feature covers of their songs by greats like Iron & Wine and the Shins, which I thought was quite snazzy.

Try... Such Great Heights of which I was not the only big fan,as a quick wiki search will tell you. Also, Be Still My Heart is a good example of how

well the two's styles mix.                                      

Listen to The Postal Service... to discover that electro and pop can work well together

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they're perfectly aligned

-Such Great Heights

Florence and one funky machine

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is one feisty female that puts that extra bit of energy into every song. She swings from one high to the next, surrounded by a good dose of foot stomping and hand clapping to add the extra kick to her sometimes dark, but pensive lyrics.

cc thanks to Kon Males

Florence has got a voice that should fill concert halls, but it's worth squeezing her into your headphones anyway. I'd describe her like a dark red lipstick- daring and sexy, with just a touch of morbid.


Try... the popular Kiss With A Fist, if you've never heard it. I quite like the flow of Dog Days Are Over myself, also from her debut Lungs (a consistent and strong effort, I'd say.) 

Listen to... Florence + the Machine if you can handle a strong voice and a little violence in your love songs.   'Falling's not the problem, when I'm falling I'm at peace.
It's only when I hit the ground it causes all the grief'-Falling

Falling in love with a Pigg

With the the honey-smooth voice of Landon Pigg, it's hard not to slip into daydreaming. He's got an array of easy-listening love songs that wink at you with their belief in love at first sight and big romantic gestures. The quality of his voice really carries the songs, while the lyrics would fit perfectly into any rom-com soundtrack.

cc thanks to Lucy Hakalo

Listen to Landon Pigg... to get a dreamy smile on your face. 

Try... his dreamy hit Falling in Love at the Coffee Shop (and its

 sweet music video).

There's a difference between living

and living in your head.
Don't let life pass you by.

-On The Other Side 

P.S. Please comment and let me know what you think about the redesign of the blog and my attempt at making the posts shorter and sweeter. 

two to relax

Everyone has time of hibernation and unfortunately this blog needed one early on its little life. Now that my life has hit a sweet pocket of laziness (also called summer holidays), it's time to revive The Sound and see what it can do, ey?

It's no secret that I have a soft spot for smooth vocals matched with beautiful instruments, especially when they come from good-looking men with style. The two artists that have been keeping my ears company lately fit the bill perfectly.

Andrew Belle may describe himself as a “pop singer/songwriter”, but his sound is miles away from the over-rated boy bands and under-dressed starlets that the genre reminds of. Songs like Add It Up and Open Your Eyes are neatly layered and stay captivating, while having something essentially calm and honest about them.

Since his debut EP in 2008, Belle has had a strong presence on the scene and may sound familiar from the slew of TV shows his music has been featured on (including several visits to the Mecca of beautiful indie soundtracks, Grey's Anatomy).

Musical bachelor # 2, Newton Faulkner, is known for his unique guitar style, but the long red dreadlocks should be your first indicator that he's something special. 
 

The talented Brit caught my attention with his impressive mix of well-honed skills and lyrics that are well thought through (as all lyrics should be). Songs like I Need Something strike a chord with the things we often don't dare to say. Faulkner has some feel-good tunes reminiscent of the Jack Johnson surfer crew, matched with deeprooted observations, such as People Should Smile More.

Both Newton and Andrew will make you both smile and think, but most of all they will do you good when you need to relax with a glass of wine. Enjoy!

Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all.

You do so much that you don’t know.
It’s true.

Dream Catch Me by Andrew Belle

Find Andrew through his MySpace and YouTube  

and Newton on his MySpace and YouTube .

Images is cc thanks to Jonny The Large and nadworks
Thanks to this gal for introducing me to Belle.