The first album of Marissa Nadler: Ballads of Living and Dying, released in 2004, takes us into the strange universe, dark and full of melancholy of this young singer. Marissa Nadler, born April 5, 1981, grew up in a small town in Massachusetts which difficult climate and harsh winters have probably influenced its orientation to the world of spleen.

His voice is often compared to those of singers such as Vashti Bunyan, Kate Bush, Sandy Denny, Hope Sandoval and Neko Case. In addition, it is generally ranked among the Folk revival artists, but claims many influences: “My music comes much more from an Americana traditions. I really like gritty old blues singers and Country music. I like the British stuff, but it was never an influence of mine. [...] The biggest of my influences are Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, in terms of song writing. [...] Sonically, I was into Pink Floyd, The Poppy Family, and a lot of space folk and space rock.“

In this ballad: “Anabelle Lee”, which closed her first album, Marissa Nadler brings the poem of the same name written by Edgar Allan Poe, to music. It leads us into an imaginary universe disturbing, dark and ethereal.

“For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.”

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Marissa Nadler Official Website
Marissa Nadler Myspace
A Fan Website
Marissa Nadler Interview
Annabelle Lee Poem
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He was born in Sweden, in Trollätten to be precise, in 1969. He spends all his youth in Skara, where he founded, when he was 10 years old, his first band: May Tuck, with whom he plays punk. He also followed a so-called “classical” learning, in practicing the clarinet and saxophone. During his adolescence he discovers himself a passion for jazz through his father and joined a quartet.

After studying architecture and modern art, he left jazz and moved towards electronic music armed with a drum machine and a synthesizer. In 1994, when he discovers Dummy album from Portishead, it is the discovery of a lifetime! He then composed his first trip-hop album: Whiskey, released in 1996. Followed in 1999 by the album Tattoo.

Jay Jay Johanson, whose real name is Jäje Johanson, is now known and recognized as an androgynous dandy crooner whose texts are always full of sadness, melancholy and spleen.

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Jay Jay Johanson Myspace
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From his real name Seba Jun, this hip-hop producer and Japanese DJ leads the independent label Hyde-Out Productions, and manages two record stores: T Records and Guinness Records. Unfortunately, this artist is almost unknown outside Japan, despite the high quality of his tracks.

The originality of Nujabes productions lies in its Cool Jazz influences and the massive use of musical instruments such as flute, acoustic guitar, saxophone or piano. The music parts are produced with such skill that they can stand for complete music tracks on their own.

Mystline is not a track from one of two albums Nujabes produced under his own name (Metaphorical Music and Modal Soul). It is part of the soundtrack of the anime Samurai Champloo. This anime takes place during the Edo period of feudal Japanese history and widely uses anachronisms in objects, staging and the soundtrack. Thus, it widely uses Hip Hop culture such as rap, break dancing or graffiti.

The soundtrack of Samurai Champloo, a high-quality one, is published on four albums (Masta, Playlist, Departure and Impression) and is produced by many Japanese and American artists from the Hip Hop scene as Nujabes, Fat Jon, MINMI and also Force Of Nature and Tsutchie.

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Nujabes Myspace
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The Doors is an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles. It combines Jim Morrison’s singing, Ray Manzarek’s keyboard, John Densmore on drums and Robby Krieger on guitar. This is one of the most famous band of its time especially because of the Jim Morrison’s lyrics and his tendency to excess in all areas.

The first album recorded by the group in the studio in 1966 and released in 1967 is named The Doors. According to the group, the success of this album is due to the extensive tests, night after night, when they were in session at Whisky A Go Go. It was at one of these concerts that Jim Morrison on LSD, improvised these words during the song The End: “Father. Yes son? I want to kill you. Mother, I want to fuck you all night long”. They were fired from the bar without even being able to finish the song.

Part of the lyrics of End Of The Night is inspired by the novel “Journey To The End Of The Night”, the first novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, which was published in 1932. On the other hand, the phrase “some are born to sweet delight, some are born to sweet delight, some are born to the endless night”, is a quote from Auguries of Innocence poem written in 1803 by William Blake.

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The Doors Website
The Doors Myspace
Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger Video Interview
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
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Do we still need to introduce Portishead? This group of trip-hop formed in 1991 by Geoff Barrow, after his works with Tricky or even Massive Attack, and Beth Gibbons. The group’s first album: Dummy, published in 1994, was a symbol for a whole generation by embodying perfectly the trip-hop spirit. Their second album, the eponymous Portishead, released in 1997, did not meet the same success as the previous one, but it maintained the special atmosphere of this group.

Then a long, even interminable wait started for the fans, punctuated by false joys. It is first in 2003 that a rumor started about the release of a third album, denied early 2004 on the band official website. In 2006, some are beginning to say that the recording of Portishead’s third album is completed. Then, to the delight of fans, Portishead appeared live at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, in early December 2007, with 5 new compositions. Finally, Portishead announced officially the release of the third group album: Third, on April 28, 2008. So, for the fans, it is the end of a waiting period of more than 10 years.

Threads is the closing song of this third album from Portishead. The atmosphere of the song keeps the spirit of the group alive. It is still dark, disturbing and modern at the same time, with Beth Gibbons, true to herself, who offer to us a magnificent singing.

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Portishead Official Website
Portishead Myspace
Portishead Blog
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