Fig & Mint

Part of the goal of Fig & Mint is to provide a resource for you, the reader who seeks to be informed about the latest trends in musical expression, to hear from obscure groups that are either up and comers or perhaps have been making great music for years and simply haven't garnered the critical acknowledgement that they deserve.  In response to this vision, this is the first installment of a semi-regular piece that we will be presenting entitled "On the Horizon, Under the Covers" in which we will provide some short blurbs, pics and mp3 samples of artists that you should know about.  After all, isn't it rewarding to know more than the rest of your friends?

THE RADIO DEPT. 

The first group we bring as part of this intrepid, ongoing series is The Radio Dept., an ambient shoegaze group hailing from the arctic fringes of Stockholm (or Malmö to be exact).  Initially formed in 1995, the band suffered the initial lack of positive momentum that cripples so many talented groups, never secured a lineup or received any form of widespread attention.  After some successful demo submissions in 2001, however, Labrador Records, Sweden's premier independent label, picked up the band and they have been steadily growing their local fanbase ever since.  Their largest step across Europe and subsequently across the pond occurred in 2006, when filmmaker Sophia Coppola featured them on the critically acclaimed soundtrack to her critically abhorred film Marie Antoinette.  The resulting exposure didn't create the firestorm of publicity one would hope (mainly because the film was a flop in every possible sense of the word), but constant touring mixed with a steady stream of patriciate recordings could provide the makings of the big break that all bands dream of.

THE RADIO DEPT - AGAINST THE TIDE

THE RADIO DEPT - PULLING OUR WEIGHT

THE RADIO DEPT - WHY WON'T YOU TALK ABOUT IT

NDIDI ONUKWULU

From a band that has been struggling down a rough path of recognition for 13 years, we turn to a young woman on the verge of imminent stardom.  A Canadian national with Nigerian heritage, Ndidi Onukwulu (pronounced in-DEE-DEE on-NOO-kwoo-loo) released her debut album No, I Never in the UK to much critical praise in 2006.  Obviously attentive and appreciative to the roots of her homeland, her music embodies the flavors of Africa in addition to soulful, jazzy undertones, but the dominant ilk of her writing is rooted in the blues.   She has fronted several different outfits in New York and Canada, covering everything from hip hop to hard rock to electronica, but, as she says in her own words, "I could sing many ways, and I would.  But when it came time for me to do what I want to do, music that I feel, that I'm connected with -- the sound and tones that I'm inspired by and understand -- it was the blues."  The following mp3s are believed to be from an as yet undisclosed project from Ndidi later this year.  After checking them out, though, you'll probably be craving more, so click here to be redirected where you can download No, I Never.

NDIDI ONUKWULU - ALMOST JD

NDIDI ONUKWULU - SK FINAL

NDIDI ONUKWULU - THE LADY & E

YEO AND THE FRESH GOODS

Really, though, it's just Yeo.  The Aussie tours with a full band out of necessity, but, as the picture suggests, the audiology student performs all of the album's instrumentation.  This may (and appropriately so) bring about comparisons to kiwi Liam Finn or any number of other do-it-yourselfers that are fairly prevalent in today's musical landscape, but Yeo is certainly unique.  Not only are some of his tracks filled with funky grooves that would make the guy who composed the music for the original NES Super Mario scratch his head, but the diversity of genre and stylistic convention his LP ranges is astounding. I only have one track here, but check out his Myspace if you want more, not to mention that his full-length release is available over there as well.