Friday, November 30, 2012
Watch: You Won't - "Ten Years Old"
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Watch: Local Natives - "Breakers"
The story in "Breakers" is a little hard to put together and perhaps that's because there doesn't appear to be much a story at all. Shot in reverse while alternating shots of the band at play, there's a pair of mask wearing hooligans that seem like an essential piece of the 1,000 piece puzzle Local Natives and director Jaffe Zinn have created for you. They're either dragging the body of a subdued man (the same man who's defying physics for the majority of the video) or standing menacingly to the side. There's also a spaceman walking on the side of the road and the beach where the subduing is taking place. It's enough to inspire a rather Lychian sense of "WTF!?" but somehow the potential frustration is secondary. You may not be able to construct a working narrative from the pieces given but it's all about the journey - a rather beautiful collection of images that come together to create a confusing but rather enjoyable visual spectacle.
Watch Local Natives video for "Breakers":
Local Natives sophomore album Hummingbird is out January 29th.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Listen: Buke & Gase - "General Dome"
The gifts just seem to keep on coming: After the release of new track "Hiccup" on the most recent Brassland compilation, Function Falls EP, and Sandy Benefit endeavors including the sale of the album's first real single "Hard Times", the experimental duo Buke & Gase is giving us an additional peek at their upcoming album General Dome. And it's a doozy.
The title crack bristles and crackles with a frenetic energy, while what can only be described as Buke & Gase's trademark clatter occurs just slightly out of focus. It's a full minute and a half before Arone Dyer's vocals enter and they're hardly the sweet coo you'd expect. Darker, somewhat hushed but alarmingly insistent. "General Dome" is a rallying cry, much like "Misshaping Introduction" only with the stakes raised higher. The message received right before something important's about to go down or the sender disappears forever. A track bursting at the seams with a dramatic sense of urgency, it's just the sort of thing to get you properly fiending for more.
Listen to Buke & Gase's "General Dome":
Buke & Gase's sophomore album General Dome is due out January 29th on Brassland.
Midtown Dickens - Home (2012)
There's something to be said for catching one of your favorite bands as many times as you are physically able during a single tour cycle. When Bowerbirds awoke from their two year hibernation with The Clearing and a cornucopia of dates that included not one but two New York City dates, I knew exactly what I was doing. In fact, with memories of my first ever Bowerbirds show clearly in my head I was absolutely pumped for the experience to see them twice. Why? Well, sure Bowerbirds are absolutely amazing live but there's also the fact that they have absolutely stellar taste in tourmates. And that's how I found North Carolina foursome Midtown Dickens.
What drew me to Midtown Dickens wasn't just the impressive caliber of their performance but also the fact that they appeared to be having so much damn fun doing what they do. It was infectious as I was beaming ear-to-ear from set-start to set-end. With so many groups nowadays seeking to reinvigorate folk with all sorts of dramatic innovative procedures (slapping on some electronic embellishments or fusing in elements of other genres), Midtown Dickens was a breath of fresh air. Pure and simple old-timey folk whose new life comes from the passion and talent of the ones making it. Sign me up. In moments on their latest album Home, I was gently reminded of fellow folk-inspired North Carolina bands Megafaun albeit without their penchant for electro-acoustic pairings and Mandolin Orange with far less fiddle and far more shuffle.
While Midtown Dickens makes use of those utterly glorious harmonies that draw people to folk music, there's more to them to that. There's a rather prevalent upright bass which is surprisingly charming to hear. It's presence is steady and persistent and adds just the right dark coloring even to Midtown Dickens brightest tracks. At their most upbeat, Midtown Dickens recalls a legitimate hoe-down - one that you don't have to feel ashamed about attending but can just enjoy. It's not hokey, it's just toe-tapping music bustling with excited energy. That same infectious energy that exudes from the foursome on stage. And when Midtown Dickens turn contemplative, you listen. Amid the cluster of twangy guitars and banjos, rapturous harmonies, and harmonica flourishes, Midtown Dickens are telling stories deserving of eager ears. While some are just downright fun ("This Is My Home", "Crocodile Mile") and others not-so-much ("Apple Tree", "Cross My Heart"), all of them are certainly worthwhile. Home is a solid collection of songs that play smoothly from beginning to end, aided no doubt by the endearing handing off of lead vocals by Cat Edgerton and Kym Register.
You can listen to Midtown Dickens' Home in full via their Bandcamp here.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Listen: Young Dreams - "Feels Like We Only Go Bachwards" (Tame Impala Cover)
Watch: North Highlands - "Fre$ca"
The fact that I love "Fre$ca" might seem a little farfetched to anyone who loves North Highlands. It has none of the bands' established draw. The dance-able folk-inspired chamber pop is stripped entirely from it. Instead it's a sparse track that serves pretty much to highlight frontwoman Brenda Malvini's ethereal coo. And maybe that's why I like it. Because it's not really anything like the band while still feeling very much in character. While the band does it's darnedest and succeeds at placing Malvini's delicate vocals at the forefront, "Fre$ca" doesn't require the pulling of any punches performance-wise. Malvini's front and center throughout as the only real focus and it works.
The video for the track is actually a bit of stop-motion animation by Laila Lott and Alicia Millar featuring the exploits of a willy, hungry fox-like beast on a deserted volcanic island - a magical place where donuts grow from flowers and the aforementioned volcano turns out to be filled with icing. He travels around the island collecting foodstuffs from the plants, placing them in his little fanny-pack pouch at the front of his pants before he realizing none of the pastries are iced like the donut he saw and couldn't reach. Which sets forth a sequence of events that cause the volcano to blow and overrun the majority of the island with it's gooey frosting lava. It's a rather cute video with a knowing wink to the band's own donut infatuation. Just the thing to accompany the slowest track in North Highlands' rep.
Watch the video for "Fre$ca" and also, you can now pre-order North Highlands brilliant debut album on vinyl. Out officially on November 27th.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Listen: Marissa Nadler & Angel Olsen - "My Dreams Have Withered And Died" (Richard & Linda Thompson cover)
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Listen: Guards - "Coming True"
"Coming True" is a bit of a slower burner when compared to Guards most recent output and yet if this as laid back and down tempo as the trio gets we can probably expect In Guards We Trust to be a real toe-tapping dance fest. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it.
Give a listen to "Coming True", the second single from Guards upcoming debut full length In Guards We Trust out February 5th.
Guards - Coming True by Guards
Genders - EP (2012)
When the news broke that Portland quartet Youth were breaking up, my heart was broken. They had just released a pretty great EP and had already released one of my favorite songs ("Want You to Know") and suddenly that would be no more. However there was a bit of good news with the band, instead of one band Youth would be splitting into two: Maggie Morris, Stephen Leisy went on to form Genders drafting Katherine Paul and Matthew Hall into the fold and Elec Morin would be setting out solo.
Considering the rather slow pacing of Youth's releases, I'm pretty impressed with the fact that Genders managed to put out an EP this year. The band formed in April and in this short 3 song EP have already managed to completely eclipse the potential and promise of their former band. Maggie's taken the helm and proves to be an excellent frontwoman. The EP may only be a small taste of the band at play (unless you're lucky enough to live on the northwest coast where you can catch the occasional live set) but it shows a versatility untapped in their previous incarnation. Sure there's the summer beach-rock that colored Youth's best songs and made June so fun but there's more than that at work here. From the very Givers-eque introduction of "Golden State" to the dark electro-pop lean of "Twin Peaks" (which sounds astonishingly similar to The Pass' "Without Warning")
The EP are three very different on Genders' psychedelic beachy pop rock an yet none of them seem at all out of place. Showing off varying skills without displacing any of the established others. Each are jams in their own way, from sort of back-beat heavy pop influence to straight-forward Bay area rock, each is handled in just the right way to make you love it. Who would've thought that a change in artistic direction was all Genders needed to kick it into high gear. While the lazy day summer rock of Youth was certainly pleasant and full of charm, the blistering tempi and tight-knit precision are definite winners. On their EP, Genders show us all why they're worthy of sticking around. Capitalizing on their likes and what they learned in Youth and expanding it to reach a level of musicianship I was wholly unexpecting. Here's hoping there's more to come from Genders because anything else would be an utter crime.
Get a listen to their three-song EP and fall in love with Genders.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Watch: Friend Roulette - "Garden Tidings" "Grow Younger" "Or Berlin" (Live at The Living Room)
The additional treat was that they broke out some new old songs that we've yet to hear alongside some of their glowing list of standards. And Last.fm filmed it. So if you missed it, you're in luck. And if you were there, you can relive it. Things don't get much better.
"Grow Younger"
"Garden Tidings"
"Or Berlin"
Listen: Daniel Rossen - "Not Coming Back"
"Not Coming Back" is a track that gestated around the same time many of the tracks from the Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP did although apparently it's function was more as a means to get from point A to point B but surprising functions as a nice little addition to Rossen's rather minuscule collection of tunes. While he's shipped out parts of it to other songs (The EP's "Golden Mile" "Silent Song" and Shields' "Sun in Your Eyes"), it still remains a pretty interesting look at Rossen's process as well as just a great track. Despite it's dissemination, Rossen's proud of it and for good reason. It's catchy as hell and a shimmering example of just how talented he is even when he's not at his best (by his estimations, not mine). It's a track I know I'm going to be bumping a positively unhealthy amount.
Here's hoping there's more to come in Daniel Rossen's unused b-sides and demos series.
Not Coming Back by drossenbro
Friday, November 9, 2012
Watch: Young Dreams - "Fog of War"
Two French teenagers left to their own devices for a time. It's more or less what you might expect: Pot-smoking, alcohol-guzzling, furniture wreckage. But even then your expectations are alluded and/or exceeded. After the young lady established the non-romantic relationship with the man-friend she invites to share her empty family home with, you're looking for romantic entanglements pretty much the whole video. Also there's an established danger that's hinted at but never quite addressed head on. The boy wields a crossbow menacing while the girl solely chuckles, he breaks probably expensive pottery and the girl and her friends follow suit, it's not until the video's end where everything really comes to a head. I won't spoil it but it's not anything you're going to guess.
And yet, as this evasively dark tale unravels, there's the jubilant strains of Young Dreams "Fog of War" which somehow makes it all okay. A pretty excellent pairing.
Pitstop: You Won't
It's a common trope for music-writers, show-goers, and the like to declare a winner of a festival virtually any time there is one. And it's one I've pretty much refrained from doing myself because truth be told there's really no one winner of a festival, maybe not even a handful. Anyone who gets to see a great show put on by a great band is a winner and likewise any band that brings there A game and makes even at least one new fan has already achieved what so many other bands have not. But if I had to pick one of my favorite bands of this year's CMJ, well the choice would have to be Massachusetts folk-pop duo You Won't.
Well, in addition to getting a pair of two incredibly musicians and probably two of the most genial guys you're bound to meet, You Won't accomplished a feat at this year's CMJ that pretty much topped any/every band that played this year regardless of hype, popularity, or even sheer talent. You Won't engaged their audience unlike any other. During their set at I Guess I'm Floating's Floating Fest CMJ showcase, the two-some took to the crowd, entered it, and played. Two beautiful, sparse acoustic songs framed around Josh Arnoudse's gripping vocals with their slight rasp, while multi-instrumentalist Raky Sastri accompanied him first on harmonium and then on floor tom. I knew instantly that no show that week would top it. Maybe even no show this year.
And such creativity and innovation comes to the duo naturally. No intense plotting necessary. This is evident on their debut full length Skeptic Goodbye. Where singer/songwriter sorts might very well be a dime a dozen, You Won't stand out from the crowd. Both for Arnoudse's stellar songcraft both lyrically as well as in composition - his songs filled with clever wit meshed into a perfectly balanced playful cantor along with intensely memorable pop-leaning presentation. For which Sastri, the album's producer, also deserves ample credit as well as his evident talent as drummer (among other things) spicing up his accompaniment with exciting drum beats and unexpected instrumental flourishes. Together the two put a terrific new spin on the age-old wandering troubadour, dressing him up in a slightly newer cloak of rock riffs ("Dance Moves") and catchy pop choruses ("Three Car Garage", "Television"). The end result is an album of peaks and valley solely in mood as the level of talent maintains an almost bewildering high.
So while the concept of winning a festival remains silly and flawed, one thing is most certainly clear. The two times I happened upon You Won't during my adventures, they won my heart. And if you happen to be lucky enough to see them live, they'll win yours too. Their album is stellar but their live set is better. An absolutely incredible band of unfathomable talent.
Get a taste of You Won't with a stream of their debut album Skeptic Goodbye and being plotting your next You Won't live experience.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Watch: ARMS - "Heat & Hot Water"
"Heat & Hot Water" is without question one of my favorite ARMS songs and probably one of the hardest to put to film if we're being totally honest. Unlike "Emily Sue, Cont'd" which would probably have been the easiest, the video ignores the obvious settings that Todd Goldstein's narrative suggests. The tracks itself about the ruin of a couple after a series of supernatural-tinged misadventures, there's heavy referencing to a beast that the couple uses against each other. How would ARMS and Palermo put that to tape? The answer is to not.
Instead of "Heat & Hot Water", the video focuses on a couple that switches from romantic contentment to boredom pretty much at the drop of the hat. When they're together they smile, they have fun, they laugh and then there's sudden a look. An unquestionable gaze appears on the face of the female lead (played by Brooke Underwood) that suggests they're on the outs. She will be left alone and sudden her smile will disappear and her whole mood changes. Then there's the pesky specter of a man played by Todd Goldstein himself that keeps appearing to her. Goldstein has alluded to possible characterization as the Devil but I saw it more as a lingering sense of doubt. Appearing only to the female usually when she is alone to think and right before the video ends when the couple starts to have a serious talk.
The video is subtler than I would've expected, relying more on the talent of the actors (most notably the aforementioned Underwood) to drive the music video's plot than anything else. And it's a gamble that works pretty well. Hopefully the first of a series of Summer Skills related stories, this first video does a remarkably good job of establishing the characters and conflict in a stunningly minimalistic way. Who says you have to spend thousands of dollars to make a good music video? Not. ARMS. Not Andrew Droz Palermo.
Watch ARMS debut music video for "Heat & Hot Water":
(via IFC)
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Listen: Fasano - "Muzzle You"/"First Timers"
On "Muzzle You" and it's b-side "First Timers", Fasano returns with simple, minimalistic yet oddly infectious melodies and tales that form an interesting dichotomy with their rather upbeat dressings. In that way, they're rather unlike the tracks on Fasano's Living in Armchairs EP where the mood of the song was portrayed helpful throughout. Instead on his new single and b-side, Fasano makes you work for his song's meanings. His golden vocals hiding half-told tales of contempt and frustration.
It's an age-old pop trick to dress up negativity in happier-sounding dressings and Fasano does so pretty effortless trading in his know emotive skill for a more neutral narrative voice. It's a bit eyebrow-raising on paper but in practice, it's pretty excellent. And even if you get what he's doing or not, one thing is clear: Fasano writes some darn catchy pop tunes. Enjoyable even if you miss the deeper lyrical implications.
Pitstop: Frankie Broyles
As some of my friends and fellow bloggers set about to recap their CMJ adventures, I began to recall my own CMJ experiences fondly. Despite the fact that I had an inarguably great time at CMJ this year, I can't shake the feeling that last year brought it harder. I only attended two days of CMJ 2011 but what an eventful, discovery-laden two days they were. One of my new music discoveries was the blistering rock of Atlanta's Balkans which have since gone on hiatus. Carrying on however is former front-man Frankie Broyles. One of the most endearing aspects of Balkans amazing set was oddly enough after when I met them and Frankie revealed himself to be ill. Getting over Mono to be exact. Incredible.
While Frankie didn't play CMJ this year, he's certainly been going strong since striking out on his own last year, playing shows with Atlas Sound, Carnivores, and Lotus Plaza. While the punky jangle of his Balkans days has more or less been stripped due to lack of band members, Broyles still finds a way to recall the classic Strokes-esque cool that drew me to Balkans as well as an understated calm that fits Broyles vocals. The tracks on his tour cd are all actually a little hard to pin down.
Electronic-based without giving in entirely, Broyles music is about much more than dance-y beats and cool tricks like a multitude of electronica artists and isn't quite raw enough to fit neatly into a singer-songwriter type box. Instead Broyles offers up a less surging, less incendiary form of rock than his Balkans days. It's softer without completely losing it's bite and tracks like "Color Set" and "Capturer" can soundtrack much more than lazy day chill sessions.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Listen: Buke & Gase - "Hard Times"/"Blue Monday" for Hurricane Sandy Relief
To read more about the RHI Center and/or donate directly go here.
The latest track from the Brooklyn duo "Hard Times" continues in the somewhat more straightforward songwriting and delivery of Riposte and less in the more experimental vein of the Function Falls EP. Which is in itself a rather strange thing to associate with Buke & Gase; straightforwardness and normality aren't really words anyone would use to describe what the duo does but the new track is "normal" for the twosome. The tracks rolls on with a rather heavy, repetitive riff that's sure to be stuff in your head for hours while Arone Dyer's simpering vocals flitter about, occasionally joining forces with the accompaniment.
As far as songwriting is concerned, the track might be the duo's most poppy number to date. Yet still rather unconventional in the sense that it's the DIY experimentalists take on pop. There's more in line with classical composition actually. Melodies transition quickly from the Dyer's vocals into the accompaniment and kind of snowball into this absolutely fearless juggernaut. Thoughts are birthed and combined with other thoughts and yet, each of Buke & Gase's parts are clearly in focus. There's a bit of a busy fizz but it's not quite as overwhelming as you'd expect.
Listen: Cold Specks - "Post Operative #8"
"Post Operative #8" with its slow, melodic purl and bare, simple delivery wouldn't be at all out of place on the album proper and yet, it's brand new and hints that Spx has found her sound in evocative, slow unfurling tracks that showcase her daunting vocal prowess; her rich emotive alto pouring over you like molasses and congealing on her minimalistic but poignant lyricism.
Listen to the b-side to "Hector", "Post-Operative #8":