Biography:
Little Joy is Binki Shapiro, Rodrigo Amarante and Fabrizio Moretti, three friends who dropped their routine at their respective hometowns to make a record in Los Angeles, California.
Through a chance encounter at a Portuguese festival in Lisbon, where both Amarante (Singer/Guitarist of Los Hermanos) and Moretti (drummer of The Strokes) had performed, the two chatted well through the night and into the morning by the side of the river, humoring the idea of working together on music that had no affiliation to their particular bands. A year later, Amarante traveled to the United States to record with Devendra Banhart on his Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon album. On the off hours of an arduous recording process, Amarante would meet with Moretti to discuss anything but music.
Binki Shapiro, musician and native of Los Angeles, was introduced to the pair through mutual acquaintances and became a fast friend, encouraging the two to focus on the music they had spoken of long before. Through the process of late night “show-and-tell” the three developed and arranged songs Moretti had begun and soon after started writing original music for the group as a band.
A couple of months later they all moved into a house in Echo Park to demo songs and soon after, with the help of producer Noah Georgeson, who had recorded Banhart’s album, they finished their self-titled debut, Little Joy, named after the cocktail lounge just down the street from their home.
Rolling Stone Review:
Along with Albert Hammond Jr.'s restless solo career, Fabrizio Moretti's new band suggests that Strokes side projects are an astonishingly great idea. Named for an L.A. cocktail lounge and sounding like one, the trio are fronted by Rodrigo Amarante, a polyglot Brazilian rocker who comes off like a languid Julian Casablancas. Binki Shapiro is the group's Nico, adding delicate vocals and glockenspiel to the lullaby-ish "Don't Watch Me Dancing" and the reggae-inflected "The Next Time Around." With Moretti on guitars, drums and backing vocals, the vibe is closing time at the Beachcomber: songs that conjure mid-20th-century pop with Jamaican, Hawaiian and bossa nova flavors. Like Vampire Weekend, it's indie rock getting its global groove on.
WILL HERMES
(Posted: Nov 13, 2008)

Damien Rice在2003年发行了个人的首张专辑《O》，专辑刚发行，变让Damien Rice红遍了非主流音乐界。成为一位知名的唱作人。不但是国外，在我们中国Damien Rice的FANS也是相当的多，我记着前俩年，几乎各各论坛都会有人去发Damien Rice《O》专辑中的歌曲，简直可以用泛滥来形容。同时也让大家重新认识了Damien Rice所演绎的爱尔兰的音乐。这张新专辑命名为《9》，又是以极其简单的方式面向大家。新专辑《9》将在11月3号在爱尔兰首先发行，而后是11月6号将在英国和欧洲地区发行，最后的11月14号才会在美国正式发行。至于我们中国...估计2007年的11月吧。呵呵，玩笑话。来看看新专辑，整整10首歌曲。风格继续延续上张专辑的风格民谣，独流流行和Singer/ Songwriter。不同的是，这张专辑有2首非常突出的歌曲，分别是Rootless Trees和Me, My Yoke and I，突出之处在于别与他们以前的风格，这俩首歌曲特别摇滚，有点Indie Rock的感觉，听后，给我一种很新鲜的感觉，演绎的摇滚曲风原来也很不错。相对这张专辑的风格，我可以给这俩首歌曲满分。原因就是非常特别。剩下的歌曲，就是Damien Rice以往的风格，第一首歌曲9 Crimes，是一首以钢琴为主旋律配带着提琴的忧伤抒情歌曲，继续加上和Lisa Hannigan的女声和唱，专辑开篇便给我们一种熟悉的感觉，仿佛是上张专辑中的歌曲。专辑中Lisa Hannigan同样也参与了很多合声和合唱的部分。这点与上张仍然一样。Elephant是木吉他小调的歌曲，Damien Rice又在一次展示了他的嗓音，就像是清唱一样。专辑的最后一首是Sleep Don't Weep，一首近6分钟的歌曲，Damien Rice只演唱了小部分，接下来是Lisa Hannigan演唱了一小部分，剩下了结尾曲，在钢琴和Lisa Hannigan的合声中结束了整张专辑。
来自水手欧美音乐记录盒
(转verycd)

Ane Brun (Norwegian pronunciation: [ɑːnə ˈbrʉːn]; born Ane Brunvoll on 10 March 1976 in Molde, Norway) is a Norwegian songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist of Sami origin

In contrast to Liz's previous work, her second release is a surprisingly hi-fi affair. Gone are the hissing ghosts and unsure echoes that once haunted and obscured her recordings. Her voice and guitar are the focus here, and she performs with more energy, determination, and flat out rawness than ever before. These eleven songs cover a lot of ground. Produced by Vic Chesnutt and engineered by Andy Baker (Macha, Japancakes, Glands).

Delicately-layered melancholy pop from David Brown and company. Another amazing find from the great Vendlus Records. 2007.

Recorded the last week of August, 2003.
First pressing released as a digipack featuring an early demo version of
"Surrendered to the Decadence" as bonus track. Limited to 500 copies. Soon to
be re-released as a normal jewel-case edition.
1. Lost 03:34
2. Surrendered to the Decadence 06:34
3. Eternal Beauty of the Trees 06:01 [view lyrics]
4. Sounds of Pain... 19:28 [view lyrics]
5. Niche 09:30 [view lyrics]
6. Depresi髇 05:44 [view lyrics]
7. La Vaga Esperanza de Ser 05:28
8. Uaral 04:47
Total playing time 01:01:06

The Czars原主唱John Grant与Midlake合作完成的个人首张专辑。提到The Czars，或许满脑子就是那经典至极的Drug以及充满忧伤旋律的团队风格，而发行完6张质量颇高的录音室作品后，04年乐队便宣告解散。或许就像他们苦涩悲壮的乐曲风格一般，选择在幽微阴暗的氛围中悄悄的支离破碎。而主音John Grant多年来并没有闲着，多次与Midlake以及The Flaming Lips在巡回表演中亮相，这次John Grant依旧选择过去的厂牌Bella Union重新开始自己新的音乐历程。

戴米恩・莱斯（英语：Damien Rice，1973年12月7日－）， 爱尔兰创作歌手、音乐家，擅长演奏吉他、大提琴、小提琴、钢琴、鼓等乐器。以《O》 和《9》两张专辑闻名。

On her sixth album, Eleni Mandell delivers a magnificent, late night, lights-low set -- her sexiest recording yet. Her conversational alto is set beautifully against the reeds (Jeff Turmes, who has backed James Harman and Badly Drawn Boy), guitar (Nels Cline of Wilco), vibes (DJ Bonebrake of X) and her longtime rhythm section of drummer Kevin Fitzgerald and bassist Ryan Feves. Produced by Andy Kaulkin and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith), the album is a sonic marvel. Her captivating songwriting has taken an optimistic turn, concentrating on love found instead of love lost. Already a local hero -- Los Angeles Magazine named Eleni best local singer and the LA Weekly anointed her as best songwriter -- Miracle of Five will open the world to this timeless chanteuse.

Eels的新专辑Blinking Lights and Other Revelations,用Mark Oliver Everett（也被叫做E）自己的话说，是一张关于"上帝和所有与上帝主题相关问题"的双张唱片。唱片充满极具想象却又情绪化的对于生活状况的反省和思考，录制工作大部分是在Everett洛杉矶的一个地下室花了好几年时间完成的。充斥在这两张CD中的，是关于信仰，责任，成长，尊严，不满，安抚，希望以及复兴的美妙音乐。
在这张唱片里，你能听到来自Everett在维基尼亚年少时光的回声，In the Yard, Behind the Church讲述的是在Everett家附近，南北战争时期的公墓里的一次令人兴奋的夏日野餐，而在Railroad Man这首歌里 ，一位年迈的火车司机追忆着曾经蔓延在Everett童年故乡，却已不复存在的Washington & Old Dominion铁路。
从"Son Of A Bitch"中的萨克斯六重奏，到surf-rock风格的"Old Shit/New Shit"中歌剧似呼啸的高音，这张历时数年，最终于2004年完成的唱片有着广阔的听觉跨度，有些甚至是如同鬼魅般的声响。"The other shoe"就像是一场预示灾难的大火，而在"Hey Man(Now You're Really Living)"中则有着Jackie Wilson存在主义的庆祝方式。专辑充满非比寻常的器乐演奏以及一些值得一书的友情出演，在"Last time we spoke"里，Everett的爱犬，一条名为Bobby,Jr的猎犬有着一段孤傲的嚎叫；几首歌之后，Eels完成了从一个Tom Waits乐迷到合作者的转变，在"Going Fetal" 中Tom Waits有着精彩的表现；接着是R.E.M的吉他手Peter Buck，他与Eels共同创作了"To Lick Your Boots"并包办了歌曲中吉他，贝斯以及感声琴的演奏，这也使得他的名字第二次出现在Eels专辑当中；更让人兴奋的是，摇滚乐界自鸣竖琴演奏大师，The Lovin' Spoonful的John Sebastian非常罕见的作了一回客串出演，他在同Eels共同创作的"Dusk:A Peace In The Orchard"中展示了自己自鸣竖琴的演奏技艺。

Smog's Bill Callahan goes back to the root on A River Ain't Too Much to Love, his first full-length offering in two years. While it's true that his name is nearly synonymous with lo-fi, in recent years Callahan has experimented with different — albeit simple — production techniques such as on Dongs of Sevotion and Rain on Lens. Supper, issued in 2003, was more direct, both sonically and personally, and that tack is followed here, though the framework is even sparser. On this, his 12th album, Callahan journeyed south from Chicago to Willie Nelson's Pedernales recording studio in Spicewood, TX. Accompanied by the Dirty Three's Jim White once more holding down the drum chair, and Connie Lovatt on bass and backing vocals, Callahan evokes the ethos and poetry of spooky American folk and country music without ever actually playing them in his own tomes, using mainly waltzes to frame them. Americana this ain't. Callahan has the ability to write first-person narrative songs that cannily juxtapose an evocative physcal landscape that metaphorically refernces deep emotional states; he uses it to great effect here. The skeletal "Say Valley Maker" equates the loss of and longing for love with a river's ability to both fertilize and strip bare the floor of a valley. Callahan's acoustic guitar plays a pair of repetitive figures, graced by an unidentified shimmering sound just above the threshold of silence, graced by White's restrained, rudimentary beat. "Rock Bottom Riser" is a song of resurrection, and again, it's a waltz. In the first verse, a nylon-stringed guitar hypnotically plays the changes in plectrum style, as White uses brushes to shift time while underscoring it, making the tune seem to float. The singer speaks with gratitude to the memory of an absent lover. As Joanna Newsom's piano underscores and fills the melody, Callahan's character finds a transformed sense of self in rising from his loss. It's slippery, lilting pace and restrained vocal create a tension that frames the tune's poignancy. The true nod to roots tradition here is also the album's centerpiece. His version of "In the Pines" is reverent without feeling staid, hampered by its place in history. A delicate, reedy, meandering tempo adorned in a simple guitar line and drums unpacks the melody, and Callahan's delivery is the seed of memory as it comes up from the ether, urging the singer to tell the whole story while keeping his composure. Travis Weller's edgy fiddle exposes the crack in the tale, however, and the grain of Callahan's voice walks the line between reverie and regret. A River Ain't Too Much to Love is a subdued, plaintive collection of songs that accompany silence; they encourage reflection without guile and unveil themselves without a hint of studied artifice.

2003年全新上市一款5CD的套装The Grace EPs，听着许多先前发行过单曲的重点歌曲的各种不同版本，听着许多从未发行过的歌，Jeff Buckley在巴黎、澳洲、墨尔本、日本、 鹿特 丹等的现场演唱，深沉的悲伤，孤单的荣耀。Jeff Buckley短暂的一生只出过一张真正意义上的录音室专辑The Grace EPs。

Andy tubman出生在美国费城；他爸爸是一名歌剧演唱家，受到他的影响，幼年的Andy就对音乐以及演奏有着很浓郁的兴趣。所以到后来，他在大学里专精音乐理疗并且得到了学位也就一点也不奇怪了。当时他在州立精神病院实习，专门照顾精神分裂症的病患；如你所知，精神病医生总有变成精神病之虞，所以Andy开始尝试创作歌曲来缓解日常工作上的紧张压力。为了精进这项技艺，他特别搬家到了纳什维尔呆了整整三年；在那里他和其他的音乐家譬如 Gary Burnett、Daniel Tashien还有Jill Sobule一起创作、演唱、录制歌曲。01年，Andy来到了洛杉矶，和更多的艺术家合作，其中也包括与他一同创作“Quiet Inside”的Keith Gattis。以Andy Tubman为主唱的乐队The Jane Doe’s也是在这个时期正式组建的，乐队其他四人包括鼓手兼合声Brad Colton，贝斯Daniel Thomas，键盘Ian Grom，钢琴伴奏Dennis Hamm。
基本上，Andy Tubman或者他的乐队The Jane Doe’s在国外的知名度和在中国差不了多少。可想而知，他们是有多默默无闻啊 。无论Wiki或是Google都无法找到一点相关信息。我打赌05年跟着电影The Jacket剧组（歌曲Quiet Inside是片尾Adrien重逢 Knightley时的配乐）走好莱坞红地毯的Andy Tubman肯定没有想到之后的音乐之路竟会如此不顺。要知道如今的乐坛，几乎天天有从Myspace红出来的二三流新乐队发唱片呐！Andy Tubman绝对是被大大低估了的歌手，很难想出来还有哪个男声能像他这样孱弱却又绵延不绝，直抵听者内心。

Follow-up to 1998's 'Good Morning Spider',an EP featuring 6 all new, unreleased tracks 'Happy Man' (Memphis Version), 'Waiting For Nothing', 'Happy Place', 'My Yoke Is Heavy', 'Gasoline Horseys' (Live) and 'Happy Pig' (Live). 2000 release. Digipak.

UK pressing of the 2007 album from 'the crown prince of singer-songwriters', Rufus Wainwright, featuring one bonus track: 'Do I Disappoint You?'. Release The Stars is a masterclass in songwriting and production. The album is written and produced by Rufus himself, with Neil Tennant as executive producer. Long time collaborator, Marius de Vries, has also sprinkled magic dust over the tracks in the mix. Universal. 2007.

Egil Olsen的歌曲同样也会被我定为深夜闲听的作品。边听音乐，边看歌词，能被他打动的不仅仅在于声音的温暖，优美，还有真实吐露人生的欢乐和黑暗。每天旅行在欧洲的国家，带着自己的吉他，每天穿梭在旅店和大街小巷，看到形形色色的人和事，让Egil Olsen多了些人生的看法，而记录下这些片段最好的手段便是把他们都写下来。要说Egil Olsen的吐音上让我觉得这个挪威小子唱歌表情一定够夸张（其实不然，而是很投入，很真诚）。虽然知道Egil Olsen的人并不多，不过在本国因为新专辑的singer/songwriter精彩的Mv，获得了大奖，其实这Mv也说不上有多华丽，多精彩，但就是那么朴实无华的表演还是赢得了大家的认可。特别值得注意的是Egil Olsen在他的官方网站上免费提供了他过去几张唱片的下载，非常全，又是一名无私的艺人，当然其实我更喜欢这张唱片的他，很静很舒服。i am a singer / songwriter is an album by and about an eccentric, dreamy and striving artist. a singer / songwriter. egil olsen.仅凭这句话，Egil Olsen的歌曲值得被感动。
官网：

2007 release from the Anglo Italian singer-songwriter similar to Damien Rice but vocally in a class of his own. Recently supported Corinne Bailey Rae on tour. 12 tracks including 'Dreamers', 'No One's Aware' and 'Apologies'. De Angelis.

艺人：Kathryn Williams
专辑：Relations（2004）
类型: 民谣翻唱集
厂牌: East West


我开了个玩笑，整个世界都开始哭泣。
我开始哭泣，于是整个世界开始大笑。
直到我已死去，世界依然在转，我就早知道这个玩笑会应在我身上......

这是来自“英国的民谣第一夫人”Kathryn Williams今年最新专辑Relations中的i stared a joke，清澈干净的嗓音中，多了一份比Bee Gees更细腻的优伤。


被Q杂志赞誉为“英国的民谣第一夫人”的利物浦才女继好评之‘Little Black Numbers’、‘Old Low Light’专辑之后令人赞叹的翻唱专辑*重新诠释Neil Young、Leonard Cohen、Bee Gees、Velvet Underground、Nirvana、Pavement…等艺人团体作品*Q杂志四颗星、Time Out：“14首如闪亮火花，令人感动的翻唱版本”高评推荐

当Kathryn Williams唱出"In A Broken Dream"的第一句歌词，脑海中闪过两位歌者，一是Frente!合唱团的女主唱Angie Hart，虽然两人音质不同，但是与‘Bizarre Love Triangle’简单的编曲如出一辙，尤其随兴轻柔的韵味更是神似；另一位是洛．史都华，未成名前的史都华曾被澳洲团Python Lee Jackson雇用担任此曲的主唱，Kathryn第一次听到"In A Broken Dream"直觉认为不适合演唱（想必是洛的沙哑嗓音把歌曲诠释地太痛苦了），自认与本身歌路完全不同，没想到最后把这首歌安排在专辑开场曲。相对而言，出身音乐世家而且父亲也是民谣歌手的Kathryn对于某些根源民谣作品的演绎要来得更出色一些。又要回到民谣极品“Hallelujah”上来了，这首歌的无数翻唱版本听起来都不会太出色，毕竟Jeff Buckley那个标杆性的演唱版本在那里摆着，近来听过相对有意思的只有跟Kathryn同辈的Rufus Wainwright在《史莱克》电影原声里的版本。而Kathryn在这里的演绎颇有些原创者Leonard Cohen的本色，而同时又选用现场版本，颇有些同时向Jeff Buckley致敬的意味。

1974年出生于英国利物浦的Kathryn Williams首张专辑‘Dog Leap Stairs’发行于1999年，与2000年的‘Little Black Numbers’都由自创的CAW唱片公司出版。2002年才进入主流唱片公司发行‘Old Low Light’，所以‘Relations’已是她的第四张专辑。Kathryn喜欢听一些六○年代的摇滚，且受Bob Dylan、Nina Simone、Tim Buckley、Van Morrison、Leonard Cohen、Velvet Underground、Nick Cave等艺人的影响，因此乐风属于民谣，但并非英国传统民谣，反而偏向美国的新民谣，像是早期Suzanne Vega的风格；另外国外媒体也多将作曲家兼歌手的Kathryn与才华洋溢的Joni Mitchell比较。

受这么多前辈的启发，Kathryn决定制作一张老歌新唱的专辑，‘Relations’于焉诞生，不过取材不局限于六○年代的歌曲或民谣，原唱或原作者有些是大家耳熟能详，例如尼尔扬、Leonard Cohen，还有比吉斯、Velvet Underground、超脱…等团体，但是翻唱的歌很少是这些艺人的流行排行曲；还有些更是非主流团及歌手，像Pavement、Ivor Cutler…。CD内页里Kathryn详细地解说了每首歌从选曲到演唱的心情，除让听者对这些歌的背景有所了解，她干净的嗓音呈现了与原曲不同的风格，更是整张专辑独特之处，仿佛是现今一片嘻哈、电子声中的一股清流。