Last week, I recieved an email from the small London label How Does It Feel To Be Loved? First of all, how can you not read anything from an awesome label name like that. Second, I was already familiar with the label through their indiepop compilation The Kids At The Club, which has led me to discover some fantastic bands that i’ve come to love and have featured here on the blog. So basically, whatever this label is selling, i’m definitely more than willing to buy it.
They’re currently putting out a completely remastered album from Antarctica Takes It! – A band from Santa Cruz, that was first touched upon in 2006 by almost every blog i’ve come to respect and admire. Their first album, The Penguin League, is primarily the work of 22-year-old Dylan McKeever, who apparently recorded the album in the most lo-fi conditions you could think of – simply a laptop through it’s internal microphone. The quality is indeed very lo-fi, but if one were to experience it in the best possibly way – it would certainly be through these songs. Songs which are at first, just McKeever and an acoustic guitar, soon blossom and harmonize into a cavalcade of sounds that include accordions, glockenspiels, cellos, ukuleles, trumpets, harmonicas and pianos.
One of the songs i’ve gravitated to the most, “Antarctica,” tells a story of a trip to the snowy continent, a place that I absolutely have no knowledge of whatsoever. And as the band’s name suggests, the song’s lyrics explain of how Antarctica stole their hearts: “”We traced shapes across the starry skies/And made our way through each tender night/We heard the weary whales’ tune/And sang along ‘neath the silver moon/Antarctica you stole our hearts.” Really though, how can you not love a song with lyrics like that? Simple, you just give in and love the damn thing.
“Antarctica” :: Antarctica Takes It!
“The Songs Is You” :: Antarctica Takes It!
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As much as I love The Penguin League, I don;’t want a remastered version. My CD has been burned by the band, they’ve printed off the sleeve and cut it out themselves and I LIKE the lo-fi sound. It just makes the whole thing so much more achingly charming.