My Twin

Eleni Mandell! Why have I not posted about you yet??

Eleni Mandell is one of those artists that I "bookmarked and forgot". But, she was brought back on my radar by happy chance. I was listening to The Living Sisters which is a group formed by Becky Sharp, Inara George, and Eleni Mandell to satisfy their craving for harmony. {Dream team? I think yes!} I knew who Becky Sharp was and Inara George. I thought the name Eleni Mandell sounded familiar. Figuring I had probably bookmarked her, I did a simple search on my computer and sure enough, she was there!

Eleni Mandell seems to me to be an extremely classy person. I don't know why. Her music and personality just seems to have an aura of elegance. She is also versatile! I have her album Miracle of Five which is a folk/jazz album. But she also sings country, rock, vintage-y pop and probably a couple of other genres as well.
And her vocals... words such 'dusky' and 'sultry' are unavoidable. Her song 'My Twin' from Miracle of Five makes me want to slink around like some sort of 1920's lounge singer. :P

Listen to 'My Twin':
{And please: feel free to let your inner lounge singer come out. ;)}

Zoey Van Goey

As the days of October dwindled away and the month of November approached, I realized I had no one in mind to make the artist of the month. Usually, I have a fair idea at least a week or so before. These past few times, I have even had it picked out a month ahead!
I was pondering eligible artists when a little voice in the back of my head said: "Why not choose Zoey Van Goey for the artist of the month?"
"Zoey Van Goey? Hm, I don't know..." I replied, somewhat lukewarm to the idea. But my ambivalence soon faded. The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea. I had been listening to their album with unremitting fervor the past few weeks. Really, they were the obvious choice.

So, props to the little voice in the back of my mind for having such a fab idea. ;)

That picture is the first one I ever saw of them. Seriously, you have to love a band with a picture like that.
I bookmarked Zoey Van Goey in my "bands to listen to someday" folder but didn't get around to them until... uh... *checks date* a little over... a year later. My, my. That's rather sad. And there are still hundreds more still waiting for my attention. {Sorry, I'm apparently having major focusing issues today. I shall try to keep to the subject at hand!}

Zoey Van Goey is, by my standards, indie pop/folk at its finest. Accessible melodies, often humorous lyrics, great girl/guy vocals, a quirky band name, and elements of surprise... it doesn't get much better than that!
They have only one full length album so far, "The Cage Was Unlocked All Along" which, as I mentioned before, I have been listening to it almost incessantly as of late. Pardon, but I have to make another soundtrack comparison. "The Cage Was Unlocked All Along" sounds as if it could be the soundtrack of a musical. The plot being: a boy and a girl who are romantically involved try to escape an island before it is blown-up into apocalyptic nothingness. The lyrics really seem to follow a interconnecting vein. Though this idea was probably first engendered by the album cover:


Anyhow, here's one of my favourite songs off the album, 'Sweethearts in Disguise':