dZihan & Kamien Release Third Studio Album "Music Matters"

Austrian downtempo house and acid jazz music duo dZihan & Kamien released their third studio album "Music Matters" on Couch Records late last month in Europe. They have begun to once again challenge their musical sensibilities, exploring melodies and songs in a new, more organic way. They have also enlisted the Icelandic singer, songwriter and trombone-player Helgi Jonsson to lend vocals to the recordings. On their website—www.dzihankamien.com—the pair explains that the recordings were made in a "vintage" way, quite opposed to how they approached their previous outings, "Freaks and Icons" and "Gran Riserva". Intentionally avoiding their usual reliance on electronic techniques of sampling, cutting and editing, on "Music Matters" they perform and play almost all instruments themselves.

"Music Matters" is very eclectic overall and the tempo ranges greatly across songs, from high energy dance or electro tracks to mid-tempo pop songs to slow guitar or piano laden ballads. There is a hint of the duo's usual penchant for jazz, house and dance styles on songs like "Busted", but the album heavily incorporates elements of alternative rock and pop in tunes like "Take a Minute", "The Time" and "Summer Fever", aspects of folk in songs like "I Wish", and edgier electro pop in other tracks like "Bazooka" and "My Music". Although it is clear they are exploring a new musical direction here, dZihan & Kamien's own signature style is imprinted indelibly on the songs and their traditional emphasis on melody shines through.

No word yet on a North American album release or tour—hopefully we can expect both soon! Visit the dZihan & Kamien website to listen to full streaming samples of "Music Matters" and other albums.

Róisín Murphy at the V&A Opening of 'Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones'

Once again my love for fantastic music and fashion have collided with the Victoria and Albert Museum's recent exhibit "Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones"—the V&A website features videos of various personages at the event including the one and only Róisín Murphy. I'm a big fan of her music (both solo and with the now-defunct Moloko) as well as her eccentric sense of style—you'll remember I wrote about her cover of Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love" and the costumes in her live show last month. Unfortunately she is not wearing a hat in her appearance, but does claim she made an effort to create a sense of one with her hair.




And of course it wouldn't be a fabulous hat-themed event without an appearance by famed milliner Philip Treacy.




Róisín asks a good question: "Why do people not wear more hats? It finishes an outfit off." Hats aren't as widely worn today as they were in the 1950s and before—if you watch old movies as much as I do, especially those from the Classical Hollywood era of the late 1920s to the late 1950s, you'll notice men are rarely seen without a topper and women frequently don a variety of fantastic hats. The covering of ones head was a proper sartorial rule back then. And who doesn't have a strange love of ladies' miniature hats, placed at a jaunty angle, from the late 1930s and early '40s? See the 1940 film "His Girl Friday" for a fantastic one worn by Rosalind Russell.

Whether for fashion or protection from the elements, hats are making a definite comeback, for both men and women. I myself own quite a few in a variety of fabrics to suit every season. This summer I'll be wearing a wide brimmed tan and gold straw sunhat and a beige straw fedora, both by Joe Fresh Style. I only wish someone could do something to solve the oft-lamented problem of hat-hair...

Brian Eno Creates Generative Music App for iPhone

Former Roxy Music member and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno has collaborated with musician and software designer Peter Chilvers to create a generative music application called Bloom for the iPhone and iPod touch. It was released in October and is available through iTunes.

The Bloom website describes it as "part instrument, part composition and part artwork," as the application allows the user to create intricate patterns and unique melodies. When idle, a generative music player activates, producing an infinite number of compositions and corresponding visualisations.

According to Eno, "Bloom is an endless music machine, a music box for the 21st century. You can play it, and you can watch it play itself."

View a demonstration from an iPhone user below via YouTube.

From The Journeys of Röyksopp

As mentioned in a previous post, Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp released a new album recently entitled "Junior" along with first single "Happy Up Here." The second single "The Girl and the Robot," featuring Swedish pop singer Robyn, will be released May 25. Now on their website (and embedded below) you can view a quirky promotional video featuring clips from the album and an interview with the duo—Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge—directed by Andreas Nilsson entitled "From The Journeys of Röyksopp." The video is accompanied by the caption:

A friend of mine, a wise man from Sweden, once said to me:
“Sometimes 1+1=3. Or 12. Or perhaps not even a number.
Sometimes 1+1 could equal a horse.”
Even more confused?
Then check this out…




At the very end of the video is a special (and surprisingly catchy) marching band version of "Happy Up Here"!

TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival Line-Up Announced

The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival has made available a schedule of concerts and ticket information for this year's events on its website tojazz.com. The 23rd edition of the festival will take place this summer, running from June 26 to July 5, 2009. Featured artists include jazz greats Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny and Branford Marsalis, avant-garde group Medeski, Martin & Wood, jazz-influenced pop-rock group The Sea and Cake, legendary crooner Tony Bennett and many, many more at various venues around the city including the Canon Theatre, the Four Seasons Centre, Nathan Phillips Square, the Opera House, the Danforth Music Hall, The Supermarket, The Pilot and Harbourfront Centre.

According to the Toronto Star, the announcement of the festival lineup comes about two weeks earlier than usual in consideration of the impact of a weak economy on the entertainment funds of consumers. As Executive Producer Pat Taylor, explained, "We need a longer lead time to sell tickets." While last week's news conference revealed many acts, the full schedule of opening acts, club listings and possibly another major headliner or two will be finalized before the program is officially printed in early May.

Rufus Wainwright's Opera To Get North American Debut at 2010 Luminato

According to the Globe and Mail, Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright's new opera "Prima Donna" will have its North American premiere at Toronto's Luminato Festival in 2010 and its world premiere in Manchester in July. The opera—for which Wainwright wrote the score and a French-language libretto—is set in Paris in 1970 and tells the story of an aging opera singer who strives to regain her international status as a top soprano. The work was co-commissioned by Luminato, the Manchester International Festival and the Melbourne International Arts Festival. In a statement yesterday, Wainwright related his feelings that his composition of the opera was a "daring and risky" venture and thanked Toronto "for having the guts to make it happen."

This month, Wainwright is set to premiere in Berlin his musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's sonnets, which he composed along with the Berliner Ensemble.

The 2009 Luminato Festival runs from June 5 to 15 and takes place in various locations around the city.

Daft Punk: idaft + Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2008 Mix

Recently a free Daft Punk-inspired web-based application has been circulating around Twitter. It's called The Daft Punk's Console or idaft beta 2.0 by NAJLE.com and instructs you to "Work It, Make It, Do It." Tap on some keyboard letters and make some music via Daft Punk "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" samples!

As I mentioned in a previous post about Justice's runway mix for Dior Homme, Daft Punk contributed the soundtrack to the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2008 womens ready-to-wear collection presented in October 2007. I love when music and fashion collide! Daft Punk's electro beats and computerized vocals were set against a parade of models beginning with erotic nurses in see-through plastic belted coats and lace face masks. This was followed by a frenetic pastiche of clothes of pastel shades, odd combinations of fabrics and textures, and deconstructed fragments. The shoes (pointed-toe pumps accented with bows and sparkles) and costume jewellery (chunky, statement pieces) were much more grounded in the mainstream and on trend. Jacobs created a balance between the playful and sophisticated; as Style.com put it, he managed to walk the line "between creative freedom and commercial innovation." With the opening of the show, Marc Jacobs referenced the artist Richard Prince, who created a series of Nurse paintings. Jacobs said the inspiration for the collection, "all came from our collaboration with Richard Prince, who is an artist who appropriates references within his work, which is what we do—which is fine, so long as there are three differences in everything! And I'm a fan of SpongeBob SquarePants—and for all I know, so is Rei Kawakubo, because that's where our color came from!"

You can see the YouTube videos of the fashion show below. The mix was available for download on zSHARE but has unfortunately since been removed.

Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2009 + Justice's "Planisphere"

Dior Homme presented their spring/summer 2009 collection last June with Kris Van Assche at the helm. Specially for the occasion, French electronic duo Justice collaborated with the ready to wear label to provide the soundtrack. Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay of Justice join a long line of emerging talent and famous musicians who have lent their sound to the runway (one of the most noted of late being Daft Punk's mix for Louis Vuitton in 2007). Their synth-heavy electro-pop score complemented Van Assche's sartorial interpretation of the Dior aesthetic, which was marked by a lean silhouette, sharp lines and heavy retro-futuristic sunglasses.

Dior Homme s/s 2009 Part 1



Dior Homme s/s 2009 Part 2



Although reviews of the collection were mixed, Justice's contribution is immaculate, even while experienced sans visual accompaniment. For this reason, they released a four part EP entitled "Planisphere"; originally available via their MySpace page, it can now be downloaded on zSHARE. I highly recommend it, especially as an antidote to the wait us fans will have to endure for a follow-up full length LP to 2007's † ("Cross").

In the meantime, to get your Justice fix, you can also check out their 2008 CD/DVD live album and documentary "A Cross The Universe," which follows the duo during their March 2008 North American tour.

Justice initially came to my attention via a TELUS television ad that aired in November 2007. I was captivated and searched the web frantically to determine who recorded the song and how I could get my hands on the full version. This was, of course, before the days of Shazam: now all you have to do is point your iPhone at the source of the music to find out what you're listening to.

New Röyksopp Album Titled "Junior"

Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp is set to release a new album entitled "Junior" on March 23, 2009. It has been described as a mix of the sounds of their two previous recordings, the 2001 debut "Melody A.M." and 2005 sophomoric release "The Understanding".

The first single, "Happy Up Here," debuted on January 9, 2009. The Pop-Art billboard and retro video game-inspired music video is available on their website and YouTube.com.



The second single, "The Girl and The Robot," features lead vocals by Swedish singer Robyn. Both songs are excellent, fun, high energy tunes. Though "Happy Up Here" indeed successfully combines the sounds of their previous outings, "The Girl and The Robot" takes the electro-pop-dance theme to the next level. It seems more accessible to a wider audience and I can definitely see it becoming a big club hit.

Listen to "The Girl and The Robot" here:



"Junior" will be followed up with a related album entitled "Senior," which is being described as more quiet, introspective, ambient and atmospheric. This should not be confused with the now-defunct Danish alterna-pop musical duo Junior Senior, who once instructed us to "shake your coconuts... until the nut comes out."

Though Röyksopp's tour schedule is up on their website, I regret to say I don't see anything yet for North America. Here's hoping they decide to visit Toronto!

Róisín Murphy Covers Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love"

Róisín Murphy, formerly (the better half) of musical duo Moloko, recently recorded a cover of the 1985 anthem "Slave to Love" by Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music fame). While cover songs often miss the mark creatively or seek to reproduce the song note by note, here is a sleek, stylish version based in Róisín's unique, eccentric electro-pop-dance blend complete with dark, brooding atmosphere and sexy, purred lead vocals. Perhaps signalling Róisín's rising star, the song was recently featured in a television commercial for the Gucci by Gucci pour Homme fragrance, also starring a dapper James Franco.



Listen to the full length studio version of "Slave to Love":



Although the unreleased recording is considerably (and understandably, given the nature of the medium) more polished, a live version circulating on YouTube.com from a November 2008 concert in Glasgow provides a glimpse into Róisín's spectacular stage presence, delightfully surreal aesthetic and quirky persona. Yet she manages to still come off extremely chic and fashion-forward! I can't get over the choreography and the costumes, especially the checkerboard patterned, stuffed deer cape! How I wish Róisín would tour North America!

Massive Attack's "Angel" Featured in Watchmen Trailer

Seeing a recent television spot for the film Watchmen, released this past Friday, reminded me of why I started listening to Massive Attack. Although pigeonholed by the media in the mid-1990s as trip hop, they more accurately embody a fusion of jazz, hip hop, rock, soul and electronic elements, generally transcending convenient labels.





Massive Attack has a knack for turning up in all forms of popular media. One of their stand out tracks, "Teardrop" (sung by Elizabeth Fraser, formerly of the Cocteau Twins), was adopted as the theme to the television medical drama House, M.D.

For the uninitiated I would recommend the album "Protection". Tricky's vocals are a mainstay but the stunning title track is sung by Tracey Thorne, formerly of Everything But The Girl.



The band is working on a new collection of songs, formerly carrying the working title "Weather Underground" and now being referred to unofficially as LP5 (as it will be their fifth studio recording, the latest since 2003's "100th Window"). Despite announcing last summer that it would be released in February 2009, it is now being touted for release in the third quarter of 2009. Artists rumoured to be contributing vocals include Dot Allison, Horace Andy and Hope Sandoval as well as Mos Def, Damon Albarn, Patti Smith and Tom Waits. It has also been indicated that the upcoming recording will be a double album.

Depeche Mode Tour

Tickets for Depeche Mode's Toronto concert at the Molson Amphitheatre went on pre-sale this morning. I got mine a few hours ago in the 200 level and they're going fast! To get yours order tickets here using the pre-sale code "wrong" (the name of their brand new single!). Otherwise, Front of the Line tickets (for American Express cardholders) go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00am and tickets open to the general public on Friday, March 13 at 10:00am. I've seen DM live several times in Toronto and they always put on a spectacular show!

For complete world tour schedule, visit Depeche Mode's official website.

View the music video for Depeche Mode's new single "Wrong," now available on YouTube.com.


You can also view it in HD quality!

I am waiting impatiently for the new album "Sounds of the Universe," which is being released in North America on April 21, 2009.