carmina charm #10

Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony? 

- Leonardo DaVinci

It's harmony that your soul and mind embraces again when listening to music. As sound surrounds you, only some melodies firmly resonate with you, get an immediate emotional response - whilst their approach is a smooth and soft one, whilst they slowly, carefully but steadily cling to you, these melodies eventually grab you with an intensity and force that overwhelms, that fully absorbs and stirs. It's these very melodies that are in chime with your mind and soul, it's music that leaves an imprint on your being and mesmerizes ... music that charms. 

Remix Premiere: The Nursery - Domino (8-bit remix)

With carpe carmina's second birthday approaching, I sure get a bit sentimental, especially remembering how this wonderful writing/reviewing experience all started. And it's been none other than an audacious and energetic synth pop/rock outfit from Toronto who asked me to write my first album review for their debut 'Carnival Nature'. carpe carmina has seen quite many EPs and albums ever since, interviewed a few artists throughout, yet I will hold my musings about the exciting and atmospherically swirling melodic exuberance of 'Carnival Nature' always dear, being my first for this blog. The 4 musicians behind the Nursery have not been idle since their last feature here, to the contrary, new music is on its way and for all those who loved, still do, their debut's ecletic, hypnotically elusive and evocative sound, here is a vividly sparkling treat: the band has come up with a 8-bit remix for 'Domino', and carpe carmina has the pleasure to premiere it. Thanks for that, guys, and now press START, or rather PLAY ...

EP review: James Holt - In The Face Of It All

With his youthful, dynamically powerful and atmospherically inviting compositional offerings, with a combination of vehemently urging rock'n'roll vibe and vibrant folk roots, it's hardly suprising to hear I was drawn into, familiar with James Holt's expressive and pointedly spirited music from the very start. And it's not because of the last name we share, but due to his music's vividly radiant charisma and its sensitive lyrical reflectiveness. The tonally characteristic and diverse set the manchester based singer/songwriter presents on soundcloud is already heralding the greatly creative and instinctive potential he holds as a musician, his soon to be released debut EP 'In  The Face Of It All' though gets to the heart of his candid, evocative and melodiously haunting musiciansship. Now, let's get there too ...

Video Spotlight: The Juveniles - Help Me Out

With yesterday's single release from the Juveniles, let's have a proper look at the band's music video for 'Help Me Out' - we do not only see some familiar faces (and I'm not talking about the rock outfit's ones solely), get swept up in a kaleidoscope of quickly changing sceneries, whilst being exposed to a constant current of thrilling instrumental and vocal intensity, but also learn a thing or two about cinematic essentials.

Single Review & Interview: Thomas McConnell - Crocodile

Did you ever play hide and seek with a crocodile? Well, liverpool's imaginative muso Thomas McConnell can certainly cross that one off his list. In the music video for his latest single release, the characteristic singer/songwriter embarks on chasing a costumed crocodile, whilst drawing his listeners into a colourful visual frenzy and exposing them to vivacious and bright tonal buoyancy. 'Crocodile' dallies with dynamically upbeat and excitingly quirky instrumentals, topped off with jovial, eccentrically spirited vocal radiance, that occasionally flares Mr. McConnell's blurry, gripping falsetto, and accelerates with infectious and melodiously frisky jauntiness. Best classified as eventful contemporary pop music abundant in brisk rhythmic twists and vivid melodic vision, 'Crocodile' presents itself as a shiny bag of (sonic) sweets, zestfully sparkling and entertainingly delightful, blending eclectic tonal colours and bouncy harmonies as well as diverse musical genres, most notably embracing a tingly 60's flair and lively psychedelic tonal distortion.