F*cking Books, How do they Work?

soundboard:

So earlier today, I received notice that Rosie wouldn’t be able to post today. Rosie is currently snowboarding in France but on her behalf, and that of the entire Soundboard team, we’d just like to assure you that she is enduring the gorgeous scenery, excellent snow conditions, and lack of wifi like a champ.

Anyway, the track I bring you today is Gasoline off of Alpine’s upcoming album A is for Alpine. This six-piece group from Australia does pop music the way it should be done. Their sound is energetic, layered, fine-tuned, putting them in that small, but growing niche of quality indie pop.

On the day their album came out in Australia, it topped the iTunes chart there at #1. Later on Alpine was named the iTunes AU alternative album of the year.

If you’re interested in learning a bit more about them before the album debuts in the US on May 21 check out their post-SXSW interview on NPR

-Zachary L

soundboard:

Nico - These Days

Hi, I’m Zachary L. (not to be confused with Zach who posts on Fridays) I’ve been working on Soundboard for a while now but I haven’t actually made a post introducing myself up until now. I work behind the scenes with the seven writers to help SB expand and diversify our content. The majority of my work at Soundboard is coordinating interviews with artists and coverage of concerts, and events. It won’t be too often that you’ll see me posting on the site, but I’m always around and working to make sure Soundboard always has direct coverage planned. I’m not going to say too much, but it’s likely we’ll be pulling some pretty nice things out of our hat as summer rolls by. If you want to read a little more about me, or connect with me on Twitter or other sites, feel free to find me on the Team Members page.

Andrew asked me to fill in today and the song I’ve picked for this post is off of Nico’s 1967 album “Chelsea Girl.” Nico is one of my favorite artists because she portrays the thoughts and feelings behind the music she is performing without any unnecessary pretension or complexity. Her music, and the music often selected for her to sing, is frank beyond almost anything else I’ve heard, and this is where so much of its beauty lies. Nico is able to add to a track almost lens-like clarity into the writer’s mind.

As a quick note on Nico’s sound, when showing people her music, I sometimes get a question about her distinctive way of singing. Nico was deaf in one ear, which made it hard for her to understand others. John Cale of the Velvet Underground wrote in his autobiography of his early concerns about her singing. “She was tone deaf and had an abrasive voice, but it turned out to be great casting.” I think people gravitated to her sound because it wasn’t just different; it was different in a way that made her image and her music more human and relatable.

Zachary L.