Watch: Father John Misty - "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings"

Following his recent announcement of his departure from folk rock troubadours Fleet Foxes, Josh Tillman has already readied a worthwhile solo effort. Going under the moniker Father John Misty, his new album Fear Fun (out May 1st) seems to go in a largely different direction that Tillman's previous solo material or so we can glean from the amped up first single "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings".

And his first single has already received a video, starring Aubrey Plaza. Her role as a depressed mourner going absolutely crazy shows a side of her that you don't see in Parks & Rec - engulfing flowers, stripping, smashing things and throwing crazy fits all over the place. The video's certainly a trip but also has that right amount of pathos that keeps you from dismissing Plaza as some crazy party guest in need of a stronger drink or a straight jacket. And Josh Tillman shows up to more or less save the day. The exact plot of the video is a bit disjointed and obscured but could very well be the stuff of your intense indie film fodder. Watch the video:



And you can download "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" via email at Sub Pop.



Father John Misty's Fear Fun is out May 1st on Sub Pop Records.

(via Under the Radar)

Hospitality - Hospitality (2012)

It’s a kind of strange coincidence that at their Mercury Lounge show last July, Brooklyn bands Hospitality, ARMS, and North Highlands played in an order the exact opposite to their album’s release times. A unifying factor between all of the bands that night was that each was sitting on a mostly finished album awaiting release when the time was right. North Highlands was first, self-released on the first day of CMJ, ARMS next also opting to self-release, and Hospitality one-upped them all by signing to Merge Records and getting a release date months away.

While it’s no doubt due to my ongoing obsessive love with ARMS that I was even remotely aware of Hospitality’s existence, the other reason I mention the aforementioned show at Mercury Lounge is because, surprisingly North Highlands and Hospitality are similar. One plays dance-y genre-dodging blend of high energy tunes, the latter intelligent, well-paced pop with touches of rock where it matters most. But Hospitality, like North Highlands’ Brenda Malvini, triumphs through the focus on Amber Papini’s delicate vocals. In fact, they’re far more subdued than Malvini’s, who occasionally raises it for rousing shouts.  But they’re by no means lifeless or passable, no, Papini’s the embodiment of that oft quoted Theodore Roosevelt saying: “Speak softly and carry a big stick”. Her stick of sorts is her winding tales of metropolitan life that imbue seemingly unimportant people and events with an endearing importance like “Betty Wang”. That and her band – Brian Betancourt and Nathan Michel bring Papini’s stories to greater life with their mindful arrangements and simplistic dressings that end up making the song (“Friends of Friends” outro in particular comes to mind).  Hospitality’s songs are the kind that remain largely unexpected and delightful regardless of how many times you’ve sat down with the record, no doubt a testament to Papini’s deft songwriting and her bands thoughtful assistance.  Several tracks you may have heard before, on the group’s debut EP way back in 2008, are given updates, transforming from lo-fi folksy pop numbers  into higher quality tracks with a rock edge while retaining the same charm that led you to love them in the first place.    

Though they may be the last from that fateful show to release their record, the wait was no doubt worth it. Each song on Hospitality has its place, wonderfully adorned with care and affection, what they lack in emotional vulnerability (a similar characteristic in North Highlands’ lyricism) they more than make up for in properly channeled talent and ability to just be darn good. Hospitality is downright enjoyable with just a hint of underlying quirk that’s just right regardless of mood. It’s poppy without being throwaway, smart without being bookish, and even manages to pack in a couple of cute moments into it. Hospitality’s is a record worth having – a surefire go-to when you’re looking for something just right. 

Get a taste of Hospitality with "Friends of Friends" and listen to their self-titled debut on Spotify.

 Hospitality - Friends of Friends by MergeRecords 

Bowerbirds - "In The Yard"

One of the greatest gifts you can ever wake to find is new Bowerbirds. It's also the first time that I get to reference the awesomely named My Folking Heart. You see, they're wholly responsible for me even knowing this track came out today so much thanks to them.

While Bowerbirds has consisted for quite some time of main players Phil Moore and Beth Tacular with a rotating cast of extras, "In the Yard" marks the first time on record that Beth has taken the lead on the song. Sure there was her brief solo turn in "Beneath Your Tree" but on the latest track from their upcoming record The Clearing, Beth stays in charge the whole song with Phil Moore harmonizing with her. It's a great change that manages to shake up their standard formula in just the right way.

Pitstop: The Elwins

(Photo by Rachel Lee Tentcher)

You might remember my mentioning Impressionable Youth Media's Sound Effects compilation that featured that brand new Wildlife tune "Year in the Dark", well indie-pop quartet The Elwins were also featured on that eclectic all-Canadian release.

Releasing their debut EP in 2008, this year will mark the subsequent debut album's release. What struck me about The Elwins, most notably in their new single "Stuck in the Middle" (featured on Sound Effects), was a jazzy pop style reminiscent of Sondre Lerche. They don't replicate his sound exactly, instead it's just an awareness of the style that's artfully filtered into their music. Even going back to their self-titled EP, there's hints of it "Dear, Oh My", "Kristy May", and "Larry Pastorus". Other than their jazzy coloring, The Elwins craft fun toe-tapping numbers teeming with high amounts of energy cradled by guitarist Matthew Sweeney's easygoing, tuneful vocals. Enough to hint at their debut, And I Thank You, being a highly enjoyable affair.

Get a taste of The Elwins with their debut self-titled EP, latest single "Stuck in the Middle", and recent live session they did for Exclaim!:







The Elwins debut album And I Thank You is out February 21st.

Dark Captain - Dead Legs & Alibis (2011)

Three years and a name change later, London folktronica quintet Dark Captain Light Captain return (under the aforementioned name change Dark Captain) with their sophomore follow up to Miracle Kicker.

 On Dead Legs & Alibis, Dark Captain's darkly textured introspection is still at the forefront but there's a bit more forward movement and brief flashes of lightness than their debut particularly in tracks "Different & Easier" and "80000 Reasons". The fact that these two tracks are bookend-ed by slow movers essentially makes them pop all the more. Dark Captain subtly stack each track with instruments. "Different & Easier" starts with a jaunty piano intro, strips down to a tinny acoustic guitar, swells up with brass fills, and builds ever higher with clustered vocal harmonies. Such metamorphoses are what Dark Captain do well - they excel in intricate musical world building but allow you to see a bit of the scaffolding. This transparency, no doubt due to the band's confidence as musicians, makes the end result all the more enjoyable. You not only get to the intended destination but all the little stops on the way that make the trip all the more worth it.  

Like some of the best albums, Dead Legs & Alibis isn't for everyday listening. It has a moodiness that kind of guarantees that. It is however an album that  you can listen to, seemingly endlessly for great periods of time. Each track more or less is affixed cohesively to the other. Even the more upbeat tracks don't necessarily feel out of place - more they're little peaks in Dark Captain's stormy sea of atmospheric reflection and keep the album from being entirely slow-burning. Dead Legs & Alibis manages to offer up an air of freshness while still maintaining what could be called the band's signature sound - a worthwhile follow up to 2008's Miracle Kicker.

Get a taste of Dark Captain with the video for one of their lighter number, "Right Way Round":

Pistop: Writer

Ever since catching Wildlife last Friday at Mercury Lounge, I've been in an uncharacteristic mood for loud, gritty rock music - a mood that has been properly satiated by Bay Area transplants Writer. As I watched them open up from ARMS at their recent Glasslands show one thing was abundantly clear: the brother duo make an astonishing amount of noise for two people. Each member impressively wielding a tambourine alongside drums or synthesizer, the brothers Andy and James Ralph play with an infectiously high energy and polished skill I was completely not expecting from an opening band. A pleasant start to what turned out to be an absolutely stacked display of talent. Writer's tunes feature a percussion-heavy focus filtered through a garage rock fuzz and adorned with ear-catching melodies - it's music that grips you tightly and jostles you around a bit from start to finish.

Writer "family dinner" from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.

New Yorkers are lucky to have the newly relocated San Diego band and those unfortunate enough to miss them at Glasslands, can see them at Mercury Lounge February 9th. So make sure you do that if you want to have your socks rocked off.

Now Streaming: Hospitality - Hospitality

Yesterday I announced a series of Hospitality news like their debut video for "Friends of Friends" that premiered on Stereogum, and their upcoming radio performances on WNYC and WFMU, and the release of their self-titled debut next Tuesday. Well today, Hospitality has made their album available for streaming on Spotify. The debut features some updates of tracks off their 2008 self-titled EP like "Betty Wang", "Liberal Arts" and "Argonauts" transforming them from lo-fi folk pop into fully realized pop rock gems bundled together with some brand new tracks.

If you have Spotify, you can stream the new album here.

So if you've been eagerly awaiting the album like me, enjoy.