This past Wednesday June 12th, musicisart along with staff photographer Daniel Blue Photography_Eleven Media were honored to see Junip and Barbarossa live at the Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA.

Junip is the band of Swedish-Argentine singer-songwriter José González along with his childhood friends drummer Elias Araya and keyboardist Tobias Winterkorn. The band has been together since the late 1990s, yet didn’t release their debut album, Fields, until 2010. They individually were going through their own developments in their life gathering school degrees and pursuing other musical ventures until they reconnected again. Then in April of 2013, they released their second self-titled album showcasing they were not ready to give up. Currently now they are on tour garnering the attention they deserve.

The night began with Barbarossa, who is London based singer/multi-instrumentalist James Mathé. Barbarossa previously was a member of José González’s touring band, and also has been playing the entire set with Junip while on this current tour.

Barbarossa’s performance included his soft, whimsy vocals along with only a keyboard, synthesizer, and a microphone. He easily took over the stage by himself maintaining an energetic buildup and keeping the audience excited in anticipation for what was to come. A favorite moment included seeing José González in the audience enjoying Barbarossa’s cover of Terence Trent D’arby’s Wishing Well over cool electric beats.

As soon as Junip took the stage, an incredible soundscape came over the room and the crowd was mesmerized. José González stood inherently front-and-center, naturally singing in a smooth register operating entirely in a calming way lightly strumming out chords while Elias Araya and Tobias Winkerton complimented with layers of deep percussion and electric piano. The band recreated a hypnotic collection of old and new songs ranging in tones from spacey to simple acoustic folk. Tightly pulled in opposite directions with slow rhythms and heartbeat drum patterns, together Junip created a relaxed, and progressive live atmosphere.

A highlight from the evening was the fourth song on the setlist “Rope and Summit”. As soon as the music immersed, their mysterious sound transfixed in-between soft harmonies of González along with backing vocals by Barbarossa, Araya’s bass-heavy rhythms, Winterkorn’s synthesizers, and percussionist Araya’s kinetic rhythm.

Enjoy a video of this moment:

Junip Live – Music is art.ws from daniel[blue on Vimeo.

Setlist

In Every Direction
So Clear
Suddenly
Rope and Summit
Don’t Let It Pass
Howl
Far Away
Always
Walking Lightly
Without You
Your Life Your Call

Encore:
After All Is Said and Done
Line of Fire

After the show, Junip kindly took the time to sit for this beautiful group photo backstage while hanging in their dressing room exclusively for musicisart. Photo was created by staff photographer Daniel Blue Photography_Eleven Media

(All photographs thanks
to Daniel Blue Photography_Eleven Media)

From Los Angeles, producer Danny Choi is the mastermind behind Ghost Loft.  With only a handful of released tracks and no set EP to date, Ghost Loft started making a name for himself through one track named “Seconds” last summer. By using echoing vocal samples, atmospheric R&B vibes, and seductive pop-sensibilities, Ghost Loft showcases sultry elements that propel his chill-wave sound to another level. Enjoy!

Artwork by Marjolein Caljouw

Nine Inch Nails have returned with their eighth studio album Hesitation Marks scheduled to be released on September 3rd via Columbia Records. The new track Came Back Haunted is a gritty fuel-inspired electronic sampling of what’s to be expected.  Nine Inch Nails have also announced a 31-date North American tour that will include dates with special guests Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Explosions in the Sky in select cities.

Listen:

“I’ve been less than honest about what I’ve really been up to lately. For the last year I’ve been secretly working non-stop with Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder on a new, full-length Nine Inch Nails record, which I am happy to say is finished and frankly fucking great. This is the real impetus and motivation behind the decision to assemble a new band and tour again. My forays into film, HTDA and other projects really stimulated me creatively and I decided to focus that energy on taking Nine Inch Nails to a new place. Here we go!” – Trent Reznor

Artwork by Derek Goes

Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s side project How to Destroy Angels is created with his beautiful wife Mariqueen Maandig. Together the band draws on a familiarity of the past with old synthesizers, but evolves with the sounds of ethereal female vocals projecting a spellbinding sensation of perfectly placed electronic sensations within every moment. How to Destroy Angels was an original project Trent Reznor began with the album Ghosts I-IV, and the movie soundtracks for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Along with the live show production, everything surrounding How to Destroy Angels is a true masterpiece of art.

“The more we change… everything stays the same”

Listen:

How to Destroy Angels – We Fade Away
How to Destroy Angels – Too Late, All Gone
How to Destroy Angels – And The Sky Begins to Scream

Swirling in pulsing synths, house tempo grooves, and shimmering basslines, Chicago’s Hey Champ have created a perfect summer anthem with their new single “Comet”. A self- released EP is expected to be released sometime later this year. Enjoy.

Listen: Hey Champ – Comet (ft BeuKes)

Artwork: Ruben Pang

british soul singer-songwriter laura mvula recently released her extraordinary debut album “sing to the moon”. full of beautiful surprises, laura mvula has created a heavenly arrangement of movie-soundtrack worthy melodies that gather from traits of gospel, acapella, r&b, funk, jazz — all against the momentum of a brilliant orchestra.

listen:
laura mvula – like the morning dew

nothing lasts but memories
the best ones seem to go by slow
tried to write the perfect song for you
then i realized it didn’t belong to me
it didn’t belong to me

artwork by joe murtagh

before getting signed to sony, laura mvula was a shy receptionist just sending out her two song demos from her work desk, hoping something would transpire. out of a sea of all the messages she sent, only one lucky person responded and easily fell for her.

the way she shares her lyrics is so personal and poignant, that you can’t help but memorize exactly the way it’s musically expressed, almost like it’s apart of you.

bonus: enjoy producer robin hannibal’s (from rhye, and quadron)
reworking of laura mvula’s “she”.

Producer Marius Hösturz beautifully slows down the tempo of Rihanna‘s latest single “Stay” and turns it into an atmospheric swirl of chilled, deep house music.

All along it was a fever
A cold sweat hot-headed believer
I threw my hands in the air
I said, show me something
He said, if you dare come a little closer

Artwork by Martin Sati