Belgium

One of the great things about making a blog like this is that I get to study new music from areas, that I haven't really known much about. I knew only few Belgian bands before starting this blog, but those bands were great, so I was curious to find if there's more brilliant music coming from the country. And sure enough, Belgium's music scene is really interesting with great melodic indie bands using innovative sounds and styles. A lot of the bands sound similar, but in this case, it's only a good thing. I have mainly included songs sung in English, since listening to Flemish is a bit weird. At least I could not enjoy the music with Flemish lyrics that much. It seems that the Flemish parts of Belgium are more active in making music than the French areas, but fortunately they make a lot of great English music. Here's the playlist for Belgium: Belgium


dEUS
For a long time, this was the only Belgium band I was really familiar with. Their album Pocket Revolution has been one of my favourites for a long time. It mixes some hard rock sounds with atmospheric and hypnotic echoey sounds. The songwriting is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately no other albums that I've been listening to from this band have made similar impact on me, but they still may have one or two great songs on them. Still, I particularly encourage you to listen to Pocket Revolution.

Isbells
In the last year or so, Isbells' second album Stoalin' has become one of my favourites. Their debut album is also great, but on Stoalin' they really reached something great. The songs range from Bon Iver style atmospheric folk songs to easygoing jams mixing acoustic and electronic sounds. Some interesting instrumentation on the album makes the sound quite unique.

Girls In Hawaii
I only found this band making drafts for this blog. It, however, really caught my attention from the first sounds. Their melancholic music using great organ sounds over acoustic guitars sounds fantastic. Some songs resemble bands such as Grandaddy or Teenage Fanclub. All the albums are definitely worth listening.

Zornik
This melodic folk-pop band uses soft vocals and glockenspiels to produce endearing and beautiful music. The melodies are maybe not that original, but the familiarity in them appeals to me. There's definite beauty in the melancholy and hope in these songs. I still have to listen to it a bit more, but I think this band could become important to me with time.

Ghinzu
This indie rock band has some guitars with overdrive, but the melodies take the main stage and melancholic mood sets the stage for beautiful yet rough sound. The styles range quite a bit, but at best the sound is fantastic. Their album Blow sounds particularly interesting.

Absynthe Minded
This indie-pop group uses dark melodies and catchy beats to make quite astonishing songs combining danceability and beautiful melodies. The lead singer has a beautiful soft and high-pitched voice. This band is quite hipstery, but only in a good way.

Triggerfinger
Triggerfinger is a bit too hard on sounds for me in some instances. They have a lot of overdrive and electronic beats in their music. However, they have few astonishingly great songs, when they tune the sound down to more acoustic levels. I Follow Rivers is an amazing song with some great whistling.

School Is Cool
This lo-fi band uses mainly just one electric guitar and vocals to paint easygoing singer-songwriter type songs. There are some organs and other instruments used, but the main sound is something you might expect to hear in someone's living room.

Das Pop
This baroque pop band has definitely listened their fair share of The Zombies. The sounds are very 60's. Melodic, yet a bit psychedelic. Piano takes the main stage in the songs, but there are various innovative sounds and beats used in their songs.

Millionaire
this band is quite difficult to categorise. Their music has some definite rock bits, but at the same time there are some folk and pop influences making it softer than your average rock band. It reminds me in parts of B.R.M.C. and at parts of The Verve. Interesting stuff.

Dead Man Ray
This indie rock artist uses authentic sounding electric guitars and soft whispery vocals. The songs have great melodic structures and they build up for choruses from more minimalist verses. There are interesting backing vocals in these songs.

De Portables
This band has a lot of instrumental parts in their music. the songs are calm and quiet. there's a beautiful subtlety in the sounds. The main sound is acoustic, but they use some synth sounds as well. This music is more about the atmosphere than catchy melodies or lyrics.

Gabriel Rios
Gabriel Rios was born in Puerto Rico, but his musical career has been made in Belgium. He mixes pop music tunes with some hip-hop and salsa influences to come up with innovative sounds and melodies. His singing voice is quite fantastic.

Zita Swoon
Weird nasal voice and lo-fi sounds on top of singer-songwriter-style songs. Zita Swoon does not impress with anything phenomenal, but there's intimacy and originality in his songs and sounds.

Hooverphonic
Hooverphonic is a dream pop group with echoey sounds and large sound walls and etheric female singing voice. The songs are fairly pop-oriented, but not in the clubbing kind of way. The melody comes first before any other aspects of music.

Admiral Freebee
Admiral Freebee plays pretty basic rock. Sometimes the sounds are more acoustic, but sometimes they become more rough. He certainly has got great rock attitude in his songs. There's a strong American style in these songs.

Sukilove
This is quite typical singer-songwriter stuff. Biggest emphasis is given to acoustic guitar, vocals and the lyrics. The sound is really 90's, but only in a good way. There are some experimental spices in the sounds and backgrounds.

K's Choice
I guess the best way to describe this style of music is college rock. K's Choice sounds a lot like Jimmy Eat World's masterpiece Clarity. There are fast guitars, drums and rising sounds. The melodies are quite commercial but enjoyable.

The Kids
The Kids' music sounds a lot like 80's post-punk mixed together with 60's garage pop-rock. There's not much originality, but what they do, they do well. Good songs for parties and drinking!

Soulwax
Soulwax is one of the most well-known Belgian bands. Their indie rock has precise drum beats and garage-styled guitars. Some parts remind me of Spoon, but the sound is more 90's. I'm sure this would sound great live.

Django Reinhardt
I'm not really sure, should I include Reinhardt in Belgium section, since he is French by his parents. Still, he was born in Belgium, so I'll include him here. His music is commercial jazz with some early rock n' roll and American folk influences.

Jaques Brel
Jaques Brel is a well-known chanson singer from Belgium. His songs are very dramatic, sung in well pronounced French. The melodies are melancholic and his style of singing is very theatrical. This man is a classic

Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung
This instrumental band plays instruments sounding like klezmer music. There are accordions, strings and clarinets. The result is similar to the Swedish band Detektivbyrån or Amélie soundtrack. Some dramatic and theatrical melodies here and there.