myspace music monday: Past Artists Update

myspace music monday: Past Artist Update

No, that’s not the name of an artist. You see, I logged onto myspace today, fully prepared to find the next big thing in music. Lo and behold, I am treated to a big helping of suck. Unable to find a single artist of note after about an hour of browsing, I decided to call it quits and instead revisit some past artists that I’ve featured. We’ll see who has updated their page with new songs, and I’ll rank them according to my own personal tastes. Sounds fun right?

Who’s Updated?

Well, The Beams were the last band I featured before breaking for the holidays and they have since added two new songs to their page. Neither of them deviate from their “Hey, we’re kind of like The Killers” approach to music-making. “Chemical Wisdom” is an unrelenting and upbeat dance rock/new wave track with group vocals and a really nice groove. The vocals are a little “meh” in my opinion and the song does go on for far too long, but if you’re in the mood for a pure rock out session, it should be a good fit. Their second new song, “Watch” is just a mess. The guitars are way too prominent in the mix and far too skittery to feel infectious. The lyrics can be a bit humorous, but the song itself is completely uncatchy and borderline unlistenable. Skip it.

Of course, the group I most wanted an update from was Teacups. Alas, they have failed me. They did, however, get to open for Jose Gonazalez in New Zealand, which I’m sure was a great honor for them. I just hope that turns into some added exposure for them, because they need to be heard. Check out this sweet picture.

Swede-supreme, Sebastian Orre added two new songs to his page. The first, “Koschka” is a simple, but charming song. Staying true to his past music, his lyrics are very simple yet somehow poignant. He sings, “You saw me walking. Not much for talking, no.” Clearly Sebastian. Clearly. The second song is called “Walking” and features some really excellent production. His accent adds a certain amount of innocence to the already childhood memory-inducing song. Again, the lyrics are simple but still effective. It may be the best song of his that I’ve yet to hear, which is a great thing. Both of these new songs show more depth from his songs that I previously reviewed, especially when it comes to adding layers on top of one another.

Ranking Them

So who do I like best out of all the artists I’ve featured on myspace band monday. Well if you read last week’s feature the answer would be pretty clear. But to see where all the other artists stack up, just cast your gaze downward.

8. Thomas Dybdahl
7. Bicycles and Gravel
6. The Beams
5. Sebastian Orre
4. Teacups
3. The Eastern Sea
2. ContraNova
1. Hanne Kolstö

I know that you’re a lazy bum and all, but you should really consider checking out all of the above mentioned artists. They are all pretty diverse and unless you only consider Linkin Park, 50 Cent, and Nickelback to be valid musicians, you should find something to your liking.

And hey, make my job easier by recommending a myspace artist for me to feature for next week. Otherwise, I’m not entirely sure what I’ll come up with.

myspace music monday: Teacups

I’ve changed the name from myspace band monday to myspace music monday. Why? Because after three weeks of this pointless endeavor, I have yet to post a band. And wouldn’t you know it, on the first day with the new name I finally get around to doing just that. Today’s band hails from Auckland, New Zealand and goes by the name of Teacups.

Teacups

When you think of Teacups, it’s best to think of them as a folksy Eisley. Though they sound nothing like the band from Texas, they’re clearly ganking some of their quirks. Their myspace page reads, “elizabeth and chelsea are hermits that rarely emerge from the depths of the forest. we indulge in sunday craft on any day of the week and most of our time is spent watching star wars in deck chairs. talita has a car.” Hermits? Forests? Star Wars? That has Eisley written all over it. Still, this trio of femininity isn’t near as bad as they could be. Their songs are inventive, and their harmonies are spot on. Who couldn’t like that?

Songs
The first song on Teacups’ myspace page is called “Lily’s Eyes,” and it suffers from the same ailment that the rest of the tracks on the page do; bad recording. The bass drum hits with a lowly thud and the harmonizing voices are competing with one another, fighting to the death over who will be the loudest. But the song ain’t bad, and if you can get past all these little problems, you may be surprised to find that what you end up hearing is quite enjoyable. “Lily’s Eyes” really shows the creativity of the band, as they throw in shout and handclaps that rival Tilly and the Wall (one of my favorites). The whole song is about Harry Potter, so if you’re into that, you may love this. They definitely get props from me for that.

Next we have “Ducks in the Park,” which is a live studio performance on what I’m assuming is a local radio station. Chelsea, who is responsible for the lead vocals on this song, sounds amazing! If it were recorded in a more professional way, this would probably be my favorite song on the page. But as it stands, the harmonica that comes in during the chorus is waaaaaaay too loud, and the girl shouting “The ducks in the park! Yeah, the ducks in the park!” just sounds ridiculous. The girls cite Jenny Lewis as a huge influence after the song is over, though I can’t hear the resemblance (Teacups blows Rabbit Fur Coat out of the water). I suppose that’s good though, because I probably wouldn’t be writing this if they sounded like a Jenny Lewis rip-off.

I don’t think I should have to say that “Mon Petit Poisson” is a song written in French, but in case I do….it’s French. Again, I’m impressed with the uniqueness of the song. Everything here, from the harmonies to the ukulele, is so subtle and beautiful that it really shows that the group can do great things when they’re not trying to blow us away with loud vocals and harmonicas. It’s my absolute favorite song on the site, and what really compelled me to have them as this week’s artist. It proves that they are capable of greatness.

The final song on the group’s page is called “Birds Hysterical Edit” (or just “Birds”…who knows?). It features some irresistible guitaring, and probably the best vocal performance of any song on the page. Harmonies are absolutely perfect even if the recording isn’t as good as it could be. The loud cackles and “Am I supposed to be singing?” remarks add to the whole bedroom feel of the song, but ultimately distract from it’s greatness. One day, I’d like to hear the non-hysterical edit of “Birds.” That would make me happy.

Verdict
If I sounded a bit harsh, I’d like to apologize for any confusion. I really like Teacups’ sound, and off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone that they sound like. My only real complaint about the group is just that they need to give us some more quality recordings instead of all these halfway-there jobs. Still, there is some definite magic contained in these four tracks, and I would highly recommend them to everyone reading this. I have a pretty good feeling about Teacups, and I think that if they stick with it we’ll be hearing a lot more about them in the future. Wouldn’t that be sweet?

Links
Teacups’ myspace Page
Teacups Covering Rihanna? Okay!
And Kanye too? Really?

Do you have a band in mind for myspace music monday? Send us a tip at audiooverflow@gmail.com or by leaving a comment in this post. See you next week!

All Teacups photos provided via myspace.com.