It is a beautiful thing when you go to a show to see someone and walk out of the venue with a new band to love. This happened to me when in Chicago many months back to see Tom Brosseau on a Fat Cat tour and the opener happened to be the amazing David Karsten Daniels. After chatting a bit and purchasing the cd, I realized that I had seen this record at the shop I was working at and ignored it, because of the oft putting cover art of "Sharp Teeth" (it now makes sense in context, I promise!).
What I like about DKD is his ability to seamlessly weave between mellow and upbeat without it feeling forced. Also, as seen in "Beast", mother fucker knows how to work a buildup in song like no other. Sprinkle some quality lyrics in this cookie mix and you're going to bake yourself something delicious. Highly recommended!
NOTE: Today's contribution comes from a slice of home, Matt Giordano. For those of you whom may have missed it, a couple weeks back we introduced a new feature here called "GO TEAM". Essentially, these posts support our friends who we want to hype, people who were in involved in the song (be it artist, label, friend, studio, etc) or that support my home state of Connecticut. Matt was kind enough to send in his GO TEAM post this morning supporting his main man Hetero Steve , so with many thanks and without further adieu, here you are. Go team.
Pattern is Movement is now Andrew and Chris. Andrew sings like Pavarotti and Chris plays drums like a calculator. Chris is also a recording engineer at Gradwell House, a studio that has recorded some of the bands' whom work with the proprietor of this page, Joey Gantner. Hence, they're part of the team.
Getting to the point, the band has recently finished their third album, with a projected release date around March of 2008. In anticipation, they have just released a seven-inch in Technicolour for the first single, "Right Away", on Hometapes (who is also putting out the record). To put it bluntly, the song fucking slays. The orchestration fully weaves in and around Andrew's vocals, with Chris' beat providing the booty-shaking motivation.
Still full from all the tofurky this weekend, but I didn't want to leave you hanging. Dig on this Amanda Blank track (thanks to Pingletracks for the mp3) while my belly gets empty enough to get back on track for the week. Fuck yeah!
Marriage makes up Oh Astro in all possible ways. Of course that means the duo of Jane Dowe and Hank Hofler hold each other's hand, but the entire project can be seen as a joining of samples and originality. In fact, this is probably one of the most unique and exciting sample based groups I've heard in quite some time.
Everything is so chopped up and glued together it's often times completely unrecognizable (except Lionel Richie's "Hello" which I think I'll always know somehow in my heart) and becomes it's own beast. The songs are mostly projected as wide often landscapes, large but not empty, just so vast and straight to the point but also can explode into a million pieces of sounds entirely out of nowhere. It's really quite something that will sleepover in your brain. The band was kind enough to post a brief list of the samples they used on their myspace blog, which can be found right here.
I do want to note that you should check out one of my favourite tracks on this album, "Lucy Sees the Moon", sung by their daughter Lucy. I desperately wanted to post it here, but it's honestly not the best representation of the band or album if you're a new listener. However, linked below, is an e-card to stream the album thanks to your best friends at Fanatic Promotion. I highly recommend checking it out, as it is a work of pure beauty. {purchase oh astro releases from illegal art}
It's new release Tuesday, and I could name a few gems that came out today, but fuck it. It snowed, which means it's time to bust out "Age Of Winters" on your way to the shop to pick up the new split 12 inch the Sword did with Witchcraft that came out last week. Killer.
And you can throw this gem in your iPod to listen to in the car. It's a track that appeared on the insanely awesome "Invaders" compilation Kemado put out last year. The boys say they're rerecording it for their new lp they're working on. Sick.
"Faces In the Rocks" has been a tough one to put down to tell the truth and I certainly don't mind. Mariee Sioux has crafted a wondrous, timeless folk masterpiece that is sure to stick deep in your bones. Very much worth a damn, enjoy.
Hey everybody. Sorry it's been more than a couple of days since our last post, and tomorrow we'll get the mp3 train a choo-chooing again but for now please enjoy the following.
No Age let Vice TV into their practice space recently and the video is now up thanks to VBS.tv. This was good timing since I'm still plenty into "Weirdo Rippers" and I got the "Every Artist Needs A Tragedy b/w Loosen This Job" seven inch in the mail on Friday. It's a No Age party at my place, I can assure you, and I am getting more and more excited for their Sub Pop debut. Thanks to the folks at Vice for the heads up.
NOTE: Today's contribution comes from Matt Giordano, whom judging from this post and the subject it had in the email sent to me of "mp3 wank" had a great time at the Pipettes on Monday. Fuck yeah.
Nicole Atkins is that lady from the American Express that you've never heard of, although she'll probably be all over the place soon. Obviously Sony is dropping the dosh in hopes she'll be this decade's Sheryl Crow. She's been opening for The Pipettes and that's where I saw her. The set she and her backing band played provided decent background music for my conversation with my buddy Seb, although it made be feel as though I was at a shopping mall. It's not that the music is bad, it's just bland, uninspired and not at all unique, which is actually worse than bad. I mean, at least you have quite a laugh at bad. If all goes according to plan, she'll be the female James Blunt. Fuck Yeah? More like Fuck Off!
I don't think I've ever been so stumped on a write up for an album like I have been for Clipd Beaks' "Hoarse Lords" and I think it's because it is sooo good. I can't explain why, I can just tell you that it tends to get loud, spastic and sexy; the vocals crawl out through heavy layers of various instrumentation to show themselves as something special and the songs are exactly as long as you want them to be. Maybe I like it so much because it's both original and fulfilling, unlike most of the time when you hear something unique and it's really terrible (aka weird for weird's sake). Also, the artwork has breasts in it, and who doesn't love breasts?
You know what, the fact that I was able to say all of that makes me proud of myself. Thank you Clipd Beaks, for challenging me to do this. The ball is in your court now. Support this wonderful art.
"Hoarse Lords" is out now on the label on a roll Lovepump United.
11/10 Chicago, IL Ronny's Bar 11/11 Lafayette, IN Knickerbocker Saloon 11/12 Cincinatti, OH Gypsy Hut 11/13 Columbus, OH Bourbon St. 11/14 Oberlin, OH Oberlin College 11/15 Toronto, ONT Sneaky Dee's 11/16 Montreal, PQ Les Saints 11/17 Quebec City, QC Le Bal du Lezard 11/18 Boston, MA Obrien's Pub 11/19 Annadale-on-Hudson, NY Bard College 11/21 Providence, Rhode Island AS220 11/23 New York, NY Cake Shop 11/24 Brooklyn, NY Silent Barn 11/25 Philadelphia, PA Queen Sheba II 11/27 Purchase, NY SUNY Purchase 11/28 Washington DC The Bobby Fisher Memorial 11/29 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern 11/30 Atlanta, GA Lenny's Bar 12/01 Birmingham, AL Bottletree 12/02 Hot Springs, AR The Exchange 12/04 Houston, TX Proletariat 12/05 San Antonio, TX Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar 12/06 Denton, TX Secret Headquarters 12/07 Austin, TX Emo's 12/08 Oklahoma City, OK Conservatory 12/09 Albuquerque, NM The Curio 12/10 Phoenix, AZ Modified Arts
I've had this ep sitting on my desktop in the zip folder it was offered in on link from Gwenno's myspace blog since the day it was made available to the public, however I didn't even listen to it until today. Shame on me.
The draw for me at first was, of course, that it is from a member of the Pipettes aka my #1 album of last year (and maybe this year too, as it was issued here in the states finally last month with 2 brand new tracks, and plus nothing has come out in '07 that is anywhere near as good). I'd heard a couple of her solo tracks awhile back and they were quite good, but being that they were stuck on a website, they literally and figuratively didn't travel with me beyond that.
So today I decided to transfer that pesky zip file into my iTunes once and for all and give them the ears they deserved and just my luck, they're fucking brilliant and a welcome companion to "We Are the Pipettes". The "U & I" ep leaves behind the lavish production of WATP for keyboards and drum machines, bringing Gwenno's phenomenal voice to forefront more so than ever.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that this is just pure pop music. The songs aren't weighed down by it's lyrics or harmonies, but are just merely 2+ minute songs of sugary goodness and winning melodies: a winning formula for entertainment. She says these are just demos for the time being, but they're beyond good enough for me. Can't wait for an album (and more from the Pipettes of course!).
Fun fact: According to last.fm, Jennifer Love Hewitt is a similar artist. Am I missing out?
NOTE: Today's contribution comes from Mr. Busy: Zach Hangauer. I asked him to do a write up on "Don't Wait", a song from Dri's "Smoke Rings", which came out today. He released this record and I wanted to support it in any way possible, as it is beyond fantastic. It also introduces a new but long overdue feature here on the blog, the companion to our "FUCK YEAH" posts: GO TEAM. These will pop up every now and then, varying from hometown heroes (aka anything Connecticut) to words from the people involved with the jam. So without further delay, enjoy this post. Go team.
"Don't Wait" by Dri Produced by Josh Powers from the album "Smoke Rings" out now
The way we did this record was by picking out tracks a few of our talented local producer and deejay friends had put together and then arranged them so Dri could step up and slay them. Some we had for six months before recording and by the time we recorded they were pure flow. A few others we got very last minute and "Don't Wait" was definitely one of those. Josh Powers, bless his old-school soul, is a procrastinator and he promised, promised, promised and then - finally - delivered.
At the time Dri was recording "Smoke Rings", White Flight was finishing recording his next record in Catskills, New York and was getting ready to make his first visit back to Lawrence in two years. Justin and Dri, as all you Anniversary fans know, were not only a couple once, but a couple who, by virtue of their coupling, broke up the band. You can feel the weight of their history in "Don't Wait", especially in the second verse where Dri takes a step back and sings, all Sly-Stoned, my favorite round of lyrics on the record: "The Universe couldn't stop it/ And it didn't try", and "I love you more/ because you are the one who set me free."
She had just talked to Justin on the phone. She was thrilled, as we all were, to see him after two years. She hung up the phone and knew she had to write this song. I imagine that's where the chorus came from - being filled with this flood of feelings and thinking "If I don't take care of this now, it could get lost forever." "Don't wait", she thought to herself. And she didn't.
Hot off the heels of a killer ep, Chris Simpson's Zookeeper project returns with the "Becoming All Things" full length, once again out on Bellecitypop.
On the surface, the album could come off as extension of the self titled ep, but if anything it's the result of it's promise. I hate to say it's the most accessible of Simpson's discography, but it's really all I can think of. However, those who have been enjoying his output for countless years will undoubtedly hold on for dear life throughout the Zookeeper journey.
A representation of indie pop at it's finest, "Becoming All Things" has so many songs that stay in your head, that it should most likely remain on the tip of your tongue throughout the seasons until it is time to shout it from your best of 2007 lists.
"Becoming All Things" is released tomorrow, November 5th, on Bellecitypop. Highly recommended.
NOTE: Today's contribution comes from Matt Giordano. Since it is Sunday, he is probably off playing football (soccer). Goal? Fuck yeah.
This one kind of came out of nowhere. TIAC hadn't put anything out for around two years (and on a label with some very active artists), and now they're back with one of the best singles of the year. Seriously, melody will be in your head all day and night, drifting amongst the downtrodden words. Lightheartedly, you'll be dancing in your room to this before you go out and dance to a song that, in your head, will still be this one.
