BuzzSugar

Is It Hard to Get Into Music That's Not in Your Own Language?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:30:37 -0700

I'm a fan of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, and have especially enjoyed their newest album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. But as much as I like them, they don't tend to get as much iPod love from me as other artists do, and I think it might be because I don't understand the lyrics to a lot of their songs (did you know the Icelandic language is a North Germanic language descended from Old Norse? I love Wikipedia).

On the other hand, I'm not an English-or-nothing kind of woman by any means. There are non-English Bjork songs I dig, and the delicate songs on Yael Naim's album that are in French and Hebrew are fantastic, for example.

What do you think? Is it more difficult to get into a band when you don't understand what they're singing about?

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Album Review: Yael Naim

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:30:55 -0700

We can get a taste of Yael Naim's light, pretty vocals pretty much anytime we turn on the TV these days and see that commercial for the MacBook Air, which uses Naim's sweet tune "New Soul." For those of you who want to hear more than just a 30-second snippet of the French-Israeli singer-songwriter, I highly recommend you check out her newly released (in the States, anyway) self-titled album. It is, in a word, lovely.

Her voice has an airy, innocent quality to it, whether she's singing in English, French, or soft, rapid Hebrew. Some of the tracks, like "Paris," consist of simply Naim, a strummed guitar, and a soothing cadence, though there is, of course, also "New Soul," which is more upbeat and utilizes some fun instrumentation. For more about Yael Naim, read more.

"Too Long" is one of my favorites, with a melancholy tinging her sweet voice (which sometimes reminds me of Sarah McLachlan's). Another good one is "7 Baboker," a haunting track that gives a sense of holiness and reverence.

She also covers Britney Spears’ "Toxic" as a twinkly, slowed-down, dreamy tune, not unlike something we'd hear from Bjork. It's not the best song on the album, but it has an endearing quirkiness.

As is the case with most music, this album won't suit every mood. I would recommend it for the stressed-and-need-something-soothing mood. Naim will surely help you out.

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Buzz News Roundup, 2/8

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:30:00 -0800

Martin Scorsese will focus on Bob Marley for his next music documentary, writes Variety.
Yael Naim - the singer from the MacBook Air commercials - will have her album released in the U.S. in March, Billboard reports.
ComingSoon has the news that Uma Thurman will play Nanny in the feature film version of Eloise in Paris.
SalesGenie will be dropping the Chinese panda ad after viewers who saw it during the Super Bowl complained it was offensive, The New York Times reports.
Woody Allen will cast Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood in his next project, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Not surprisingly, Zap2it reports that kids these days are into Shrek and Miley Cyrus, at least according to the Kids Choice Awards nominations.
Val Kilmer will replace Will Arnett as the voice of KITT in Knight Rider, Variety reports.
Dominic Monaghan has been cast in a psychological thriller titled Pet, writes ComingSoon.
Disney World is getting an American Idol-themed attraction, writes Hollywood Reporter.

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Singer to Watch: Who’s Singing That MacBook Commercial?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:30:22 -0800

I have a serious weakness for a pretty, quirky folk song a la Regina Spektor. When done well, songs out of this genre can feel so light and ethereal that you want to sprout wings and fly - or, buy a new laptop.

That’s at least what the folks over at Apple are hoping French-born Israeli singer Yael Naïm's song "New Soul" will inspire you to do, as they've featured it in their new MacBook Air TV spot. Computer or no, the commercial might send you racing to iTunes to get this song and others from Naïm into your library ASAP.

"New Soul," from her self-titled album with songs in French, English, and Hebrew, is incredibly infectious, yet personal. The album has been popular in France since its release in the Fall of last year, and I suspect Apple may have just launched her crossover career. Remind anyone of Feist and the Nano?

To watch Naïm's video for the MacBook tune, and a beautiful live performance covering Britney’s Toxic (seriously!), read more.

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