You'll find a cornucopia of tasty tunes to bounce off your eardrums. I update with new tunes, art and photography every week, depending on what I'm doing and listening to at the time, old and new. I'm based in London UK but I love to travel and discover new music along the way and share my musical journey on neoloop.
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Happy listening!
Neo
Email: neo@neoloop.comWatching the sun go down in a baking hot climate with the most amazing views is how I see this piece of music. After a lot of traveling lately this tune was my end of the day song that I put on to watch the sun set with a chilled glass of wine.
Although called Lovers in Paris, it better suited to the rolling hill’s of the southern French country side than the capital. Jacob Gurevitsch’s guitar playing together with the accordion is very reminiscent of the 1986 film soundtrack Jean de Florette by Jean-Claude Petit. Just beautiful.
These are the top 30 LPs that rock our world last year.
Foxygen's San Francisco, the perfect tune for today's undecided weather. A charming hippie flower-power kinda tune that wouldn't feel out of place on early Kinks LP. Taken from the album We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic, which was release at the start of this year, it's only now that we are getting a bit of sunshine that this LP sounds appropriate. Most of this record is in the same vibe and although it's completely retro in style it's the clean production sound that makes you think this is what the Kinks would have sounded like if they had todays technology back in the sixties. Groovy!
Amor de Días, the long-term collaboration between Alasdair MacLean (The Clientele) and Lupe Núñez-Fernández (Pipas), released their sophomore album The House at Sea earlier this year. Today the sun is shining (for a change!) and this is the perfect soundtrack to a lazy day in the sun.
While their debut album Street of the Love of Days took three years to make, The House at Sea was recorded and mixed in only nine days. The fast pace of the sessions resulted in a rawer, more urgent album, featuring a rhythm section of James Hornsey and Howard Monk, both formerly of The Clientele.
The House at Sea is a snapshot of a year’s songs written in London and Madrid. There are pop songs, delirious dream accounts, strange lyrical puzzles, and stories from the city and the suburbs. The theme of the sea threads its way throughout the record along with a gentle sense of drifting and departure, of being lost, of saudade—a sadness at lost things.
Official site: amordedias.com Buy on iTunes now
From Zach Condon's Beirut project. A Rip Tide is due out at the end of August and is some of Beirut’s first new songs since the EP March Of The Zapotec. Their second LP A Flying Club Cup is now a firm all-time favourite, so any new material from Zach Condon is very exciting! Recorded last winter in New York Beirut have come a long way since the debut The Gulag Orkestar LP and Lon Gisland EP. But somehow Condon has always retained a certain unique sound that comes from his rotary valve flugelhorn and ukulele.
All the hallmarks of the Beirut sound are here, the Balkan brass, French accordions and Mexican influences but overall this is much more poppy affair, this is good news as Condon certainly knows how to write a compelling riff and a catchy chorus. Listening to this album just makes me smile, it's uplifting and transcends you off into a happy place.
The mellow A Candle's Fire starts off this short LP (just over 33 minutes) in style, the instruments build throughout and creates that full and satisfying sound we've come to expect. We are then treated to the album's first epic moment in Santa Fe, Condon's home town, a hypnotic synth loop captivates you from the start, listen to it here. Next up is the first single release East Harlem, a gentle accordion intro is snapped up into a choppy acoustic rhythm with lush flourishes of brass horns, just superb. We take in some more somber moments with Goshen and Payne's Bay. The title track The Rip Tide is another bona fide winner, at the centre of the album it holds it all together, Codon's voice is spot on. Vagabond sounds like a left over track from Yann Tiersen's soundtrack to Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain with Condon adding his unique twist. Just beautiful. The record finishes with the stripped back The Peacock and Port of Call a marching band beat and a mandolin riff. What emerges is a style that belongs uniquely and distinctly to Beirut, one that has actually been there all along.
Condon has formed his own label Pompeii Records, the singer will now take direct control of the release and distribution of his music. Beirut will be touring the UK in September with a night at Briton Academy on the 16th. A Rip Tide is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Chilean born, German raised Matias Aguayo new album Ay Ay Ay is taking up a lot of time the Neoloop sound system. Composed mostly of the human voice it make's sounds you've never heard before, an unfamiliar style of music that will define a whole new genre. If any thing it has an almost tribal quality sometimes hinting at the odd african rhythm and chanting. I've previously posted up the single Rollerskate off the the album, this track is magnificent blend of human voice and wind instruments to a pounding tribal beat. Go get the album. Highly Recommended
Just add clear blue skies on cold frosty morning!
Great start to winter's day, wake up with a happy face with Washington DC's Le loup's morning song. Melodic banjo's and sweat harmonies. Uplifting. Taken from Le Loup's 2nd album Family out now.
Bands place inMySpace, Official site Buy it on iTunes
Like this, try: Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Bill Callahan
More chilled out Scandinavian grooves.
Subtle acoustic guitars, pan pipes, hand claps, sprinkles of delicate percussion and Victoria's quietly captivating voice.
Taken By Trees is the solo project of Swedish singer songwriter Victoria Bergsman, best known for providing guest vocals for the smash hit Peter Bjorn and John single Young Folks.
Victoria Bergsman was singer of the indie pop band The Concretes from 1995 up until her 2006 departure. Since announcing her leaving the band in July 2006, she has been recording for her new solo project, Taken by Trees.
Folktronica acoustic melodies from the excellent Norwegian duo of Erlend Øye and Eirik Bøe.
It's been five years since their last album, we've had the brilliant side project of Erlend Øye's The Whitest Boy Alive and his numerous guest appearances to keep us happy. But I'm very excited about their new (3rd) album, Declaration of Dependence, due October 20th. This single sets us up in anticipation of what's to follow. I've been a big fan of their intricate and subtle guitar melodies since their debut album back in 2001. This song doesn't disappoint, an instant foot tapper with sing-a-long chorus which has become the trademark sound of Kings of Convenience.
Kings of Convenience is an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway.
You are going to relax
This tune is as mad as a box of frogs, haunted synths, snake charmers, wind chimes and hypnosis, eclectic in nature, powered by analog synths and toy keyboards, rhythms driven by home-maker organs and casios, Sukia's music tends to drift towards the erotic. Released back in 1996 I still come back to this tune time and time again. Taken from the album Contacto Espacial Con El Tercer Sexo, produced by the Dust Brothers, worth checking out with more of the same wacky instruments and odd sounds.
Sukia were a Camarillo, California-based electronic band. Formed in the early 90's amidst the burgeoning Los Angeles indie music scene, Sukia took their name from the Italian vampire comic book of the same name. Following their dissolution, Sukia have gained a cult following from the release of the above titled album.
Hectic week in London, this chills you right out after a busy day. I'm a big Nick Drake fan so I was keen to hear this cover version of Drake's Cello Song. Drake's original is a sparse acoustic affair, The books add a little electronica that brings the baseline to the fore without losing the haunting hum of the cello. Add a faultless vocal by Jose Gonzales, beautiful.
This tune is from a compilation for the Red Hot Charity. There are some great songs by amazing artists on this double album. Check it out at darkwasthenight.com
I know a dark secluded place, a place where no one knows your face! The best song ever with castanets!
"Hernando's Hideaway" is a show tune from the musical The Pajama Game. This, the most successful recording of the song is by Archie Bleyer, the record reaching #2 on the US Billboard chart in 1954. Archie Bleyer (June 12, 1909 - March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger and bandleader.
Hernando's Hideaway also became a nickname for the smoking room for British parliamentarians in the House of Commons.
When the sun is shining you need some happy tunes for the summer vibe, so for the soundtrack to your next BBQ look to further than this album Veckatimest from NYC, Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear. Everyones raving about this band all over the internet, lazy grooves with some beach boys harmonies going on. The first single from the album 'two weeks' has been getting quite a lot of airplay of late.
A superb little tune by the up and coming band Hayman, Watkins, trout and Lee. You can't beat a bit banjo knee-slapping bluegrass. Inspired lyrics about a hard up bloke sponging off his misses sung with a traditional delta blues vibe makes for an intriguing mix. Nothing to do with the band Sly and Family stone BTW.
The band are made up of Darren Hayman (Hefner, The French) on bass and vocals, Dan Mayfield (Enderby, Ellis Island Sound, The Secondary Modern) on violin, Dave Tattersall (The Wave Pictures) on guitar and vocals and Dave Watkins (Pete and the Egg, The Secondary Modern) on banjo.
Hayman, Watkins, trout and Lee debut album is out now
A bands place in myspace
More info hefnet.com
Buy it on iTunes