One of the joys of the internet for me is the ability to find music from all over the world at a moment’s notice. It often amazes me how music from these far reaching places could fit in with today’s US music scene without skipping a beat. I’m sure the casual listener would not even realize they were listening to a song from across the ocean and not some band locked up in a basement in the shady part of their own town. One place I love to explore the music of is Denmark and I found another good one today in Francis Bowie.
He has been well known in the music and art scenes of Denmark for a while now. Francis has been a strong catalyst for the underground there by opening his own Art/Music space GalArtery in 2007. It became a place where young artists could gather and showcase their art and performances. His art rock band A Love You was his focus at the time and they put out a quality record Too Much and toured it heavily for 2 years. In 2010 Francis left the band to pursue solo projects and explore the sounds inside his head for the pure joy of expressing himself. Francis Bowie proclaims himself as the founder of the new music genre called Intelligent Pop Music. He says that he is very astonished and disappointed by the current crop of pop musicians and producers because it seems like the only purpose of their music is to generate money. “Quality, art, message, love, feelings, justice, politics, poverty and power seem to be forgotten in the race for a stupid radio hit.”
Earlier this year he released the Francis Bowie EP. The 4 song entry into his world will prepare you for what is to come. The opener ‘Endlessly’ is a fun and jingly pop song disguised as a love song. The lyrics are heartfelt and let the listener into Francis’s feelings without sounding sappy and needy, a tough quality in a pop song. The production on the EP is phenomenal as well, especially on ‘Sunny Day’. Here he creates a soundscape that stretches from new wave to danceable electronica with a soaring spookiness behind it that keeps you mesmerized to the track. The final track ‘Silly And Crazy’ gave me glimpses of Nine Inch Nails with its simple yet powerful beat. It also delves into new wave ballad territory when you reach the chorus. Francis Bowie’s ability to incorporate all the bests from all of his influences while creating likeable pop songs is amazing. These are soaring songs ready for mainstream radio all over the world.
Go get sucked into his world at:
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