Miranda Stone7 Deadly SinsIndependentWhile there’s far too many local indie grrls already doing this sort of thing, singer-songwriter Miranda Stone has been at it for some time now, and in the process has honed her sound down to what works for her. Instead of plaintive folk-pop mewling, Stone covers more country and blues territory, drawing on her strong guitar playing and husky voice. Lead track “20/20 in the Morning” features Ani-esque vocals and warm, percussive guitar, while a more bluesy influence permeates “Remedy” (Stone wailing away over a Big Sugar-ish electric guitar riff) and the Southern-fried back-porch vibe of “Non-Dysfunctional Lovesong”. Stone’s lyrics are poetic and full of imagery, if a bit of the New Age variety, but all the songs tend to blend together over the course of this long album. The artwork, however, is an intense labour of love that features a different visual treatment for each song, which saw Stone do everything from carving the lyrics into a tree to knitting them into a scarf. The resulting liner notes booklet is absolutely astonishing, even if the music doesn’t entirely measure up. If the music thing doesn’t work out, Stone clearly has another career in the waiting. –TABASSUM SIDDIQUIRoyksoppMelody A.M. AstralwerksToronto hipsters are buying far too many of those insipid ‘chillout’ compilations. That’s the only thing I could surmise after witnessing Nordic electro duo Royksopp’s beyond sold-out show at Lee’s Palace a few weeks back. Considering the pair’s breakout Melody A.M. disc did not even hit these shores domestically until last month, most North Americans have been exposed to their low-key synth-y sound via the inclusion of their big hit “Poor Leno” on practically every single ‘chillout’ CD in the past several months. Surprisingly, though, Melody A.M. isn’t all Caban fodder, boasting some heavier beats (“Royksopp’s Night Out”) that turned almost industrial at the live show. “So Easy” is all blips and beeps, like a conversation between robots, while “Sparks” is the typical Moog/Rhodes chillout track replete with breathy Euro chanteuse. But it’s the big hit that’s the charmer here—even the vocoderized vocals on “Poor Leno” are forgiven once that killer beat kicks in. The tune’s destined to make Royksopp the next Dirty Vegas if the right car commercial comes along.–T.S.
