fwiw i can totally understand why someone would hate his voice. brotherlovesdub's reasons for not liking it seem like good ones. i like it.
― jed_, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 22:35 (fifteen years ago) link
Viola.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 22:40 (fifteen years ago) link
this thread needs a voice of reason
― kgb (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 8 October 2008 22:42 (fifteen years ago) link
i would like to know where synth pop vocals end and indie vocals begin. ottomh i can't think of any other vocalist that sounds like kelley polar and even though i don't listen to much music with vocals i would consider these more along the lines of synth pop.
― tricky, Thursday, 9 October 2008 00:17 (fifteen years ago) link
are there any requirements for being 'classically trained' or is it just code for 'played violin in high school'?
― lucas pine, Thursday, 9 October 2008 00:30 (fifteen years ago) link
how about this
At 18, Polar was a prizewinner at the William Primrose International Viola Competition, followed by an infamous tenure at Oberlin Conservatory. By the mid-nineties, Polar found himself in New York City pursuing an advanced degree at the illustrious Juilliard School and cementing his reputation for general deviance...
― jaxon, Thursday, 9 October 2008 00:36 (fifteen years ago) link
"infamous"
― © 2008 (The Reverend), Thursday, 9 October 2008 03:40 (fifteen years ago) link
<3 the vocals in Satellites
― wilter, Thursday, 9 October 2008 03:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Allegedly there was a (very proper, restrained, scholarly kind of) riot during his recital, which was very silly in some way or another. Details are vague.
― Telephone thing, Thursday, 9 October 2008 03:43 (fifteen years ago) link
sea of sine waves is hittin the spot
I agree with this. I like the album, have some similar hang-ups over the vocals, but this track KILLS. Opening harmonies are awesome, bassline is is nicely driving, and, hey!, vocals are accompanied by a beautiful vocoder!
― altair nouveau, Thursday, 9 October 2008 04:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I thought the "riot" happened when he was at Julliard - he got expelled for it.
I think the vocals are great but I can see how someone might not like them. When his vocals are multi-tracked, he sounds like an asian boyband, cracks me up. "creepy in a subtle way" = otm.
― Disco/Very (Roz), Thursday, 9 October 2008 07:01 (fifteen years ago) link
has anyone heard the pearson and usher mixes of Entropy Reigns? I find pearson and usher to be really hit or miss but when they hit it's fantastic.
― Bomb Bomb Iran (san frandisco), Wednesday, 15 October 2008 21:07 (fifteen years ago) link
this hold up pretty well
― groovemaaan, Sunday, 11 October 2009 12:01 (fourteen years ago) link
holds up, even
And by the way, "Mambo y Coro" by La Banda Chula is awesome!
Yeah, I love stuff like this (didn't know it, but am listening now), especially in a club. Sorry, just scouring ILX for merengue mentions. Not many.
― _Rudipherous_, Friday, 10 September 2010 21:31 (thirteen years ago) link
new one coming. very exited.
― owenf, Saturday, 1 October 2011 17:16 (twelve years ago) link
yay!
― psychedelicatessen (seandalai), Saturday, 1 October 2011 17:17 (twelve years ago) link
also features vocals from Jeremy Greenspan of the Junior Boys
wasn't it on ILX that Kelley mentioned the sexy vocals of Junior Boys were what he was attempting to emulate. Or am I making that up?
― owenf, Saturday, 1 October 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
ah yes it was on this thread. Idiot
― owenf, Saturday, 1 October 2011 17:36 (twelve years ago) link
ah, i just asked on my twitter like 2 days ago what happened to this dude
― Ford Cumlord (The Reverend), Saturday, 1 October 2011 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
there was some guy a year back who used my name as an ilxian pun on kelley polar and it wasn't til i saw this thread that i realized that he wasn't stretching the joke out
― kelpolaris, Saturday, 1 October 2011 20:00 (twelve years ago) link
any idea on a release date for the new one?
― bakumastah, Sunday, 2 October 2011 11:29 (twelve years ago) link
single is on the 18th. Not sure about the album.
― owenf, Sunday, 2 October 2011 12:01 (twelve years ago) link
Excited for this. Really enjoying the Hasta La Verdad single he did the strings on for Javiera Mena. Metro Area are playing Seattle this month too. Revive Environ!
― brotherlovesdub, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:19 (twelve years ago) link
Yay!
― skip, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:26 (twelve years ago) link
Had no idea he did the strings on Hasta La Verdad, which is one of my favorite tracks of 2010. Not surprising now that I think about it.
Discovered this guy at a Junior Boys concert where he was one of the opening acts. Junior Boys ended up not being able to go on because of technical issues but Polar kicked ass.
― skip, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
Kelley rather
― skip, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
you check both new KP songs on youtube. at least for now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx0rM3qZcP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFv4p4JnKqU
― bakumastah, Wednesday, 12 October 2011 20:31 (twelve years ago) link
I'm Not What You Want could go on for about 5 more minutes after it ends, imo.
― brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 12 October 2011 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
very cool album cover.
― skip, Thursday, 13 October 2011 04:11 (twelve years ago) link
Love Nocturne! Off kilter rubberband funk bass vs crisp little beat -- just like Tyurangalilia (opening minute of that is peak Polar imo). Full of lovely details. On repeat.
― misty sensorium (Plasmon), Thursday, 13 October 2011 05:00 (twelve years ago) link
album is a ways off, I think.
new Storm Queen coming next from Environ, though!!
― mikebee (BATTAGS), Thursday, 13 October 2011 22:20 (twelve years ago) link
Anyone heard anything re: the album that "I'm Not What You Want" et al would seem to belong to?
― etc, Sunday, 13 January 2013 11:14 (eleven years ago) link
KP pops up on the Tuff City Kids album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_4MVBJiLNs
― nashwan, Monday, 12 December 2016 20:27 (seven years ago) link
oh cool.. love tuff city kids
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Monday, 12 December 2016 21:16 (seven years ago) link
This needs to be added to spotify asap. It's one of my favorite album of the 00's and I'm too lazy to add it manually to my phone.
― Moka, Monday, 12 December 2016 22:11 (seven years ago) link
same. really overlooked album
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Monday, 12 December 2016 22:38 (seven years ago) link
that Tuff City Kids album is excellent, I love that one and I love the one with Annie
― boxedjoy, Friday, 16 December 2016 22:31 (seven years ago) link
on spotify now
― ||||||||, Tuesday, 31 October 2017 08:26 (six years ago) link
YESSSSSSSS!
― Shat Parp (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 October 2017 09:53 (six years ago) link
This really is the most overlooked album of the 2000s right?
― Shat Parp (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 October 2017 09:54 (six years ago) link
Similar to Metro Area, Environ have followed up the Spotify release of his stuff by getting him to make an "Unessentials" mix:
https://open.spotify.com/user/1ladebrp90r5dy2lf2mck5vug/playlist/4h24VpZFwzqoMPA0HbFCus
First time he's updated the FB page in five years; fingers crossed for something new, eh?
― etc, Wednesday, 29 November 2017 05:10 (six years ago) link
So I only heard Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens for the first time this weekend. It's really good, isn't it?
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 15:28 (six years ago) link
yes it is! very happy ILM turned me on to that record, I found it in a thrift store
― sleeve, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 15:29 (six years ago) link
Is the second album good?
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 6 December 2017 15:38 (six years ago) link
Oh yes
― willem, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 15:47 (six years ago) link
You should check out the pre-lp singles as well, they are totally lush and funky
― brimstead, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:25 (six years ago) link
these?
https://www.discogs.com/artist/51228-Kelley-Polar-Quartet
I don't see any under his solo name
― sleeve, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:30 (six years ago) link
Those are the ones, yep - I sometimes think "The Rhythm Touch" is the best thing he's put his hand to.
― etc, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 21:11 (six years ago) link
yep!!
― brimstead, Wednesday, 6 December 2017 22:07 (six years ago) link