“Fool’s Gold just announced the NYC location for their free, all-ages DAY OFF event on Labor Day. End summer 2010 with a bang! Guest raps from Yelawolf, Pill and Donnis, DJ sets from The Brothers Macklovitch (A-Trak & Dave1), Just Blaze, Craze, Klever, Kill The Noise and Nick Catchdubs, and a live performance by The Suzan, all going down from 2-8pm on Monday, September 6th at City Winery (155 Varick St, entrance on Spring between Hudson & Varick). More info at www.foolsgoldrecs.com“

We get a lot of emails and press releases these days.  The variety of stuff we have sent to us ranges from requests to cover projects by Slayer to Dakota Fanning and everything in between.  Even through trying to be selective, there often seems to be more to cover than we have time for.  It’s hard not to jump on those Pavement tickets (they’re still so good), but there’s nothing like discovering something new we’ve never seen before.  Sure, we’ve gotten plenty of contacts from acts who have no idea what our interests are or what we care about.  Sometimes they’re “wacky” pop-punk acts or maybe they just care more about acting and dressing like rock stars then actually creating something of substance.  I don’t feel too bad ignoring those type of contacts because, if you don’t know who the fuck we are, then why should I give a fuck about researching and writing about who you are trying to be?  Other times, however, I get that email that reminds me that the original goal was really to help bring attention to quality artists that often get overlooked.  That’s how we discovered some surprising talent that we’ve covered in the past, like Untied States and Edison; through receiving random emails.  Sometimes we get a really nice personalized direct contact that introduces us to someone like stencil artist Paper Monster.  Sometimes it takes quite a few emails before we wise up and realize that we’ve been ignorantly overlooking something amazing, as was the case with one of my favorite newer acts, NURSES.  All too often, I know that timing gets in the way and/or there are just things being lost in the chaos.  A new Brooklyn quintet calling themselves Quiet Lights, has fallen into a mix of a few of these circumstances with us.

Earlier this month I received an email from a man named Marcus.  I’m not sure of his exact role in the group, but he is definitely a musician and he makes up one-fifth of Quiet Lights.  His message was simple and direct; providing us with a video link and a little information about his group.  I looked over his links and told him that I would “make sure to post something” as soon as I had a moment.  His contact seemed very genuine and he responded with both appreciation and an answer to a follow up question that I sent back to him.  That was 20 days ago.  Now I kind of feel like a dick.  The regret doesn’t stem from simply not posting anything, because I’m not obligated to do shit.  The main reason that I wish that we could have gotten something up about them sooner is because I actually really liked what he sent over… a lot.  First it was a timing issue and then, as my gmail inbox got flooded, our “conversation” was ultimately buried under a plethora of tour updates and offers from vista print (get the message, we don’t want your fucking personalized magnets).  I thought that I had “starred” the message, but apparently I had not.  Then I couldn’t remember the band’s name.  “What were they called again?  It wasn’t Pretty Lights…  What was that guy’s name, Maurice?  No self, you’re thinking of the Brothers Gibb again?  Fuck!“  However, what did stick with me, and perhaps more importantly, was their actual content.  Both the song and the video kept running through my head.  I couldn’t recall the lyrics either but, even more important than that, I couldn’t forget the feeling that the song, “Twice Today“, and its corresponding video generated.

Obviously, I have managed to dig through my inbox and locate the original message and video, which is conveniently posted below.  There’s something about the simplicity of this video, created by band member Nikhil Kamineni, that I feel works marvelously with the track.  What’s much less simple, is the ease at which Quiet Lights manages to generate pure emotion with “Twice Today“.  And, when I say “emotion”, please understand that I’m not referring to some sort of gut-wrenching emo tragedy, like some shitty Linkin Park track for misguided Juggalo youth to cut themselves to.  They’re not Evanescence, it’s much subtler and a lot less terrible than that.  It’s the sort of song that allows you to feel something for yourself, with complete separation of concern for the emotion of the person(s) who created it.  The visuals and, in some ways, even the audio, are merely things for the group to transcend.  The elements blur together into diffused light and  mist.  The song feels incredibly sparse while, somehow, maintaining a level of density.  There’s is both a somber tone, yet an uplifting quality.  There’s a minimalism to it, but it isn’t “empty”.  In short, it’s more about the feeling than the individual elements that work to form that feeling.

There are more links and more information available.  I have even found a photo or two of the group, which I have intentionally chosen not to include in this post.  Watch the video first; those other things aren’t as important.   For now, I don’t see the need to present an image of the people who created this work.  Keep in mind that there are 5 members in this group.  Five, and I couldn’t remember one particular instrument from the first time that I heard this song until now, just the blend of them all together.  If you told me that Quiet Lights was a duo of accordion and theremin, I’d have no reason not to believe you.  If you had said that they were constructed of a small orchestra, including a harmonium, oboe, lute, and sousaphone, I probably would have believed that too.  It’s not always easy to meld everything into one sound with such cohesion, which tells me that the members are more focused on the end result as a collective then on spotlighting themselves as individuals.  That mentality and intent allows their collective sounds to create a more individual and uniform result.  This is to their benefit.  After all, if the idea of art is to physically manifest the intangible into something tangible, which will then allow the physical senses of others to re-experience it on an emotional level, then what can be more successful than removing your own fingerprints from your creation?

Really though, all my babbling is just a bunch of worthless jive and bullshit.  Plus, it’s all over just one simple track.  The only really important information to relay is that it “exists” and that I “like” it.  You’re going to listen to it, momentarily and draw your own conclusions anyway.  I do, however, have a simple word of advice for Marcus and company: if you can manage to retain that element of anonymous phantoms breathing sound and allow your songs to buoy with a pulse of their own, run with it.  It will be your strength.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We have been informed that Quiet Lights is currently offering a 3-song demo for free, while they continue to put the finishing touches on their upcoming debut album.  The demo can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

Along with these songs from the demo, “Twice Today” and 6 other tracks will also appear on the full-length, which will be mixed by John Congleton (Smog, Antony & the Johnsons, Explosions in the Sky, etc.) and mastered by Alan Douches (Frightened Rabbit, Sufjan Stevens).

For more on Quiet Lights, use the following links:

Facebook
Myspace
Official Website

Musician Michael Morley is from Port Chalmers, New Zealand.  In the mid 80s he was part of the duo Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos.  Later that decade he formed the band that he’s most known for, The Dead C, with Bruce Russell and Robbie Yeats.  They came to the attention of savvy U.S. record buyers through a number of good-to-amazing records on the Siltbreeze label.  Morley has also kept busy with solo records, under the name of GATE, and collaborations such as Tanaka-Nixon Meeting (feat. Danny Butt) and Two Foot Flame (w/Peter Jefferies and Jean Smith of Mecca Normal).

The last few years have been good to fans of Michael Morley’s work.  The Dead C released a new lp, Secret Earth, toured the U.S. and have had their early releases reissued in handsome dbl gatefold editions by Ba Da Bing.  And now Morley has released his first Gate album in several years.  The vinyl-only, A Republic of Sadness finds the artist using a laptop and electronic dance beats. This may sound like a dubious proposition, but once Morley’s voice comes in, any worries of YACHT 12” remixes are set to rest.

I recently had the privilege to correspond with Michael Morley to discuss the new Gate lp, his work with The Dead C, and whether or not what he creates is even “rock music”.

–Alex Parrish

AP: Your new LP, A Republic of Sadness, is different but it’s not that different. It’s obvious right away who’s singing. You’ve got some drum programs going on, but no one is going to think it’s Bjork. A few of the tracks would sit nicely next to stuff on Dew Line.  When you’re making a record do you give much thought as to how it will sound compared to your other albums?

MM: No, not initially, that might come after, when the track listing is being sorted out and pieces are being cut together. The recordings take place in a continuous universe, there is no room to consider things like a format release. I spent 15 months listening to the recordings that make up the sessions around ARoS, there has been a lot of editing and consideration applied to each track, but not in their relation to any previous work.

AP: I don’t think you were going for this, but your new album did get me thinking about it, and that’s that it seems like no one is too surprised/shocked/upset by a favorite artist taking a big left turn these days. At this point in the history of rock music, it’s normal for someone to make a record that may alienate a bunch of their fan base. There’s a rich history of this that goes back to Self Portrait and Metal Machine Music. Do you think people’s tastes have broadened, or do you think no one is really doing anything that risky in terms of pissing off their fans?

MM: I think people’s tastes are always broadening, I hope so? I considered that the record is risky because of the genre blending that is being played out, but I wasn’t trying to piss anyone off. It is an attempt at a critique of contemporary music, to ask questions about what we expect.

AP: At what times of the day did you record the vocals for A Republic of Sadness? I imagine it was first thing in the morning or right before bed. Also, was this recorded on a lap top? If so, did you do any of it outside of home? When I listen to it I imagine you nestling away in some park and working on the tracks.

MM: This was all recorded in my house with my machines, laptop, desktop, analog synthesizers, guitars, basses, and tape machines, usually very late at night or very early in the morning. It is an analog/digital wilderness. My view is trees and hills and harbour. I have very forgiving co-habiteurs; they are normally mostly asleep when I am recording or “have left the building“. Either way I seem to find time to concentrate on this stuff for a while. Once the recordings are made then the mixing and editing begins and this becomes an extended process now. The mixing of A Republic of Sadness took place in Port Chalmers and Paris from January – August 2009. Yes, nestling in a tree in my garden sometimes, looking at the blue sky and the undulating sea, but sometimes in a convent in Paris, negotiating language and culture, but always in summer, and dreaming about things that are impossible.

AP: So far it’s a record that I only want to listen to when I’m the first one up or everyone else is asleep. It’s funny how the listener experience parallels the creator experience. If I get a chance to listen to it in a convent I’ll let you know.

MM: I can’t imagine it really being played at a party to bring the mood up. It does appear to sound reflective. This is certainly a result of the rules I had in place about the way the vocals were to be recorded, and the narrative structure of the lyrics. The recording environment is one room. I am generally locked away in it at night, whispering into the microphone and blasting a large sound system. Convents are good, just like trees. Old and mysterious, great as a listening environment.

AP: Harsh 70s Reality is the greatest dbl lp of the 90s. True or false?

MM: It would be amazing to think this is true? In someone’s universe I am sure it is.

AP: The only competition it has, as I see it, is Royal Trux’s Twin Infinitives. Were there any other dbl lps that spun your head from that decade?

MM: Caroliner Rainbow Grace Blocks Used in the Placement of the Personality :

Rings on the Awkward Shadow

The Charalambides: Market Square

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II

Labradford: Prazison

Sun City Girls: Live from Planet Boomerang

Sonic Youth: Dirty

Royal Trux: Twin Infinitives

AP: I was sort of miffed by an interview you gave where you said that you weren’t sure if The Dead C is a rock ‘n’ roll/noise band and that you “might be an art project that refers to rock ‘n’ roll and noise and sound”. Seriously? What does Robbie Yeats think about that?

MM: Don’t be miffed! I am equally miffed by many things that relate to this subject matter. Rock music vs reality? Aren’t all bands essentially an art project? We seem to exist outside of the rock music world, despite using the tools that make it happen. I am not sure just why this appears to be the case? It may be our geographical isolation? We are constantly being made to explain ourselves and yet there is no sense of reciprocity, or the same sense of rigor from our detractors? Our lack of presence may have something to do with it?

Robbie thinks we are dicks when we spin this kind of bullshit, but he loves us and understands.

AP: When I listen to your records (and when I saw you guys in Seattle), it doesn’t sound like Yeats is playing drums in some art gallery or discussing literary theory with Mayo Thompson; the guy is too busy rocking out.

MM: Robbie always rocks out, art gallery or local club, it does not matter. You are correct. I am always amazed at his abilities as a drummer, he is an outstanding musician and very dear friend. He would prefer to pour me a cocktail than read me passages of Georges Bataille, although to be true he has done both. Essentially we are attempting to be a band that plays with instruments in a rock music framework but with additions that we deem appropriate to our collective discussion about the value of sound.

AP: If all bands are essentially art projects, then most of the bands on the indie rock landscape are “art projects that refer to rock and roll and noise and sound.” Right?

MM: Yes, I think so. It seems like a good idea to channel ideas about sound through the corrupting influence of rock music, it seems to have its own internal vocabulary, some people get it, some people don’t. It is ok to take either position.

AP: So, who are your detractors? Who are these people? What’s their problem? I can see some people not getting it back in the day, but at this point wouldn’t they concede. “Oh, I guess they were right. They knew what they were doing.“

MM: It is a strange world, the detractors are those who listen or not and choose to make comment from one single point of view in terms of Music and Sound. It must be difficult. It is one of the minuses of making the creative act public.

AP: I don’t know whether you’ll take offense at this but The Dead C always struck me as rather American sounding. It fits right in there w/ the first few Dinosaur lps and SST era SY. I used to have a job with an hour commute each way and Tusk was the main thing I listened to.  It’s pretty solid driving music. I know other countries have automobiles, but the American self-concept (especially in the 20^th century) involves automobiles and you see this pop up in American discussion of rock and roll. So, what do you think of that? Does The Dead C sound like an American band?

MM: I do not have any concept of how The Dead C fits into this idea of an American sound. We do in fact have automobiles in New Zealand and we have become proficient in their use. I like Tusk. It could be ideal driving music. We sound how we sound, certainly American music has influenced us, but this idea of American music is very broad and it allows for many detours and aimless wandering and getting lost.

AP: Do you ever think about alternative universe versions of The Velvet Underground? I have two: In the first John Cale played the saxophone instead of the viola. In the second they have a musical comedy tv show like The Monkees. I’m pretty sure Nico would be in it too and the boys in the band are always trying to go on dates w/her. What alt. universe version of the VU would you like to have seen?

MM: No, I do not think about alternative universe versions of The Velvet Underground. I would have liked to have seen and heard MacAlise, Cale, Conrad, Flynt, Morrison, Reed, and Tucker. And if television programmes offer more, perhaps not the alternative Monkees but maybe more Captain Scarlett and the Mysterons? There is a great photo of Andy Warhol looking like a marionette puppet from a Gerry and Silvia Anderson production. I would love to see The Velvets as marionettes in a recreation of the NYC Gymnasium Concert, April 1967.

AP: Sounds like Question Mark and the Mysterions would have been the perfect band to make a cameo on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

Is it a safe assumption that you’re more of a Cale-era VU fan than a Yule-era fan? That was the received wisdom for a long time: that the Cale stuff was the real deal and that they lost their edge when Yule joined. Then The Quine Tapes came out and people were really into the Yule stuff. It seems like they’re a band that’s big enough for the listener to go through lots of different phases. Is that your experience with the band? Or have you always had one favorite VU period?

MM: The first Velvet Underground I ever heard was when I was 15 years old, the 1969 Live double LP, that is all post-Cale. When I finally heard The Velvet Underground and Nico I finally got the whole excitement about their sound and who that band really were. White Light/White Heat just seems like one of those perfect records.

AP: Your history with the guitar includes periods where there are lots of songs and periods where there are decidedly less songs. Is song writing something that you naturally do? Is it hard not to do when you sit down w/ a gtr or a keyboard? Or is it like a switch for you? If that’s what you want to do, you just turn it on. But if not, you leave it off.

MM: The guitar is a fascinating instrument, i love the sound that it makes especially when coupled with other electronic sound devices. I think the electric guitar also forms a relationship with the amplifier, as this defines many things unable to be conveyed by language. Song writing is hard. It is sometimes successful and it is always difficult and fun. There is no switch for me.

AP: As someone who missed out on most of the Flying Nun and pre-Matador distribution Siltbreeze stuff, the Ba Da Bing Dead C reissue series has been pretty amazing. Those first few records suggest so many different directions the band could have gone in. At this point does it seem like becoming a “total improvisation” band was something that was bound to happen? Or do you think it could have gone the other way?

MM: I don’t think we were all that interested in repeating ourselves, although it may be argued that this is all that we have done? The idea of writing songs, to be repeated as though we were robots has not held any appeal. Moving to the freedom of total improvisation is what is so risky about the records and shows that we make.

AP: I think one of the reasons I wondered whether songwriting is something you can just “turn on” is because there was a period there where The Dead C was kicking out classics left and right. If you look at the song list on the new singles comp, Tentative Power, it’s pretty solid.

MM: I am sure that was a phase.

AP: What was the deal w/ your third Gate record that was supposed to come out on Table of the Elements? Did that ever happen? What a weird label. I suppose all record labels belong to a certain time, but that one really seems to belong to the mid 90s.

MM: I released The Wisher Table in 2000 on my own label Precious Metal. It had an edition of 500. It was not well received.

AP: Do you pay any attention to the current cassette culture? Do you have any thoughts on it? My own take on it is that it owes less to Xpressway and more to Ebay.

MM: No. There is a current cassette culture? I have ideas for making more cassettes but I have some other things that i have to do. That does sound weird though, and I understand the Xpressway vs Ebay context, but I am not exposed to such things.

AP: There are a lot of bands these days putting out deliberately small pressings of cassettes. A lot of this makes sense. They’re trying to make the supply meet the demand and cassettes have a longer life than CDRs.  We have landfills dedicated to unwanted CDs. But there’s other cases where it seems like Ebay profiteering is the main purpose of the release (like when a ltd to 50 CS edition comes out, even though a month later it will come out on LP). That doesn’t seem like a case of cassette-as-appropriate-technology. Are there worse crimes? Sure. Is anyone getting rich? Not very likely. Still, I find it irritating. Maybe I am reading too much nobility into K, and Xpressway and 80′s cassette culture, but I always thought the point was that these artists were trying to find an appropriate means to get their music to the most people. The current cassette scene doesn’t seem to be of the same spirit.

MM: Cassette culture in the 1980′s in New Zealand was all about necessity, it was the means of distribution. Vinyl manufacturing had been scrapped and compact discs were imported from countries that controlled popular culture in the west. It was an economic and political gesture.

AP: Do you think you and Lee Ranaldo will ever get together again for another Gate record? Do you guys keep in touch? What about how these music documentaries always have interviews with Thurston but never w/ Lee? Does that irritate you too?

MM: I would love to play and record with Lee again, Yes we keep in touch. I don’t know of the music documentatries that you speak of? I don’t get to see any contemporary music documentaries.

AP: Was it weird to have David Lester fill in for you in the U.S. touring version of Two Foot Flame? Especially with the same three people then playing as Mecca Normal on the same bill? Obviously Lester’s great, but was it really Two Foot Flame w/out you? How did you get turned on to Mecca Normal’s records?

MM: I didn’t know that David did that. I don’t know anything about that. That must have seemed weird. I heard Mecca Normal as vinyl in the early 1990s.

AP: I heard that the initial Dead C shows where you used a laptop didn’t go over that well. And that at some festival someone in the audience yelled out “Judas” while you were looking at your Macbook. You then responded “I don’t believe you. You’re a liar” and then turned to Bruce and Robbie and said “Play it fuckin’ loud” and then typed some stuff on your keyboard. What was that like?

MM: I’m not sure what people thought about me using a laptop on stage. I use it for practical reasons, I don’t like to move my analogue synthesizers from my studio because they are big and old, and would be trashed in transit and travel insurance companies will not insure my electronic instruments because they believe them to have no value! So I have various sound files and applications that can replicate my synth collection. I don’t remember the show that you speak of? That sounds really funny. I type stuff into my laptop all the time.

AP: I’m messing w/ you. [See HERE]

MM: Excellent.

AP: Are there any kinds of music you’d like to make that you haven’t gotten around to yet?

MM: Playing the oud and the saz, trying to unravel the complexities of fado, and the narrative song traditions of Persia. Learning and performing Waiata in te reo maori. Spending more time in the garden and recording the birds.

AP: Tell me about a New Zealand band or musician that we don’t know about here in the U.S. but should.

MM:  I find it hard to tell people to listen to something! That kind of thing mostly falls on deaf ears.

AP: It’s alright. I’m asking you to. It’s an invitation. I figure that a lot of the Flying Nun bands are household names for most “Joe and Joan Q. Undergrounds” in the U.S. Who’s someone that never made as much of an impression here but in your opinion should have?

MM: The A Band, The Features, Kiwi Animal, Marie and The Atom, and The Stones.

AP: Do you guys get the respect you deserve in New Zealand? I know you guys weren’t very popular back when you started. But are there any younger people in your respective towns now who are more reverential towards the Dead C?

MM: What would be the most obvious manifestation of that concept?

AP: Teenage Dead C cover bands. Getting a good table when you go out to a restaurant. People buying drinks for you when you go out to a bar.

MM: I love seeing kids wearing DC t-shirts that they have made, that shows some kind of dedication I guess. Any young kids I know in Port Chalmers have known me since they were born, it could be that they are reverential because I am old.

AP: When I saw you at the Seattle show, there was a sad/funny drunk girl/young woman yelling “The Dead Cs rule!” (sic). Do you guys get that often? It was pretty funny and to your credit you and Robbie Yeats seemed kind of embarrassed for her.

MM: That kind of thing never happens to us. The woman is question was a tuna boat captain, and I think she was really happy to be onshore for a few days? I love Seattle.

AP: That’s great that you talked to her. If I had just been on a tuna boat for a month, I would have probably had a similar reaction.

MM: I can’t imagine being on a tuna fishing boat, that seems like really hard work, I know some fishers, they work really hard at what they do and I am in awe of them.

AP: What were the most notable differences between visiting/playing shows in the US last year and when the Dead C came here in the 90s?

MM: There is more “old glory” flapping in the wind.

AP: Thanks again for coming the U.S. That was the best.

MM: I had a great time. Thank You.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Michael’s new GATE album, The Republic of Sadness is currently available
on vinyl in a limited run of 1,000 copies.

It can be purchased from Ba Da Bing through the following LINK.

Thank you and hello again, everybody.  This week our pop-spotlight song of the week comes from a young Los Angeles, California trio calling themselves WAVVES.  Essentially a project of San Deigo native, Nathan Williams, the first two releases from the lo-fi punk outfit were recorded behind the home of Williams‘ parents, launching the young man into the forefront of America‘s burgeoning Garage Rock resurrection.  For the current incarnation, Williams has recruited the late-Jay Reatard‘s former rhythm section, Stephen Pope (bass) and Billy Hayes (drums).  Together they have released the high-energy 12-track gem, King of the Beach, that all the kids are bopping their heads and tapping their toes along to.  Today our spotlight shines on one particular song from this release and it’s corresponding video, which focuses on extra-terrestrials and skateboarding.  Ladies and gentleman, please enjoy “Post Acid“.

Alright… without all of the Casey Kasem bullshit, I do want to add a bit more information before you actually watch the video.  First off, it was recorded in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and was filmed by DIY filmmaker, Patrick O’Dell, also known for his short-doc series Epicly Later’d.  Aside from a cameo by aging MTV VJ, John Norris, the alien featured in the video is played by professional skateboarder Kevin “Spanky” Long.  Actually, that’s probably enough for now.

More information after the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Of the concept, Williams has said:

“I’m glad I finally got to fulfill my dream of ripping off the premise of the movie Encino Man… except we replaced the caveman with a skateboarding alien!“

As for working with Wavves on the project, O’Dell made the following comments

“I love it when a band comes up with something totally bizarre and ambitious rather than shrugging and saying ‘I don’t know, what do you wanna do?’ as they mope around looking cool,“

and…

“I feel like we’ve almost made one of those fan videos where an anonymous person out there cuts up a movie they like and fits it together with a song they like and uploads it to YouTube. This is one of those videos, but the band just happens to star in the movie.“

The still above comes from O’Dell‘s site Epiclylaterd.com.
To view more production images CLICK HERE.

To download the mp3 for “Post Acid” for free, visit Green Label Sound HERE.

WAVVES is currently on tour.  In fact, I’m still pissed about missing their Seattle show on Wednesday, but my head felt like someone threw a brick at it.  They’ve got quite a few more dates ahead of them so, you still probably have a good chance of catching them.  Note: they’ve just added a bunch more dates as the opening act for Phoenix

TOUR DATES

08/27 Victoria, BC Sugar
08/30 Davis, CA Sol Collective
08/31 Visalia, CA Howie and Sons Pizza Parlor
09/04 Los Angeles, CA FYF Fest
09/10 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone *
09/11 St. Louis, MO Billiken *
09/12 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall *
09/14 Bloomington, IN Rhinos *
09/15 Columbus, OH Skully’s *
09/16 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place *
09/17 Northampton, MA Pearl Street Nightclub *
09/18 Waltham, MA Brandeis University
09/20 Providence, RI Met Café *
09/21 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg *
09/24 Kingston, NY 323 Wall Street
09/25 Baltimore, MD Ottobar *
09/27 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel *
09/28 Greensboro, NC Guilford College *
09/29 Charlotte, NC Milestone *
09/30 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn *
10/01 Nashville, TN Exit/In – Next Big Nashville *
10/02 Oxford, MS Proud Larry’s *
10/18 Boston, MA Agganis Arena !
10/20 New York, NY Madison Square Garden $
10/21 Montreal, QC CEPSUM !
10/22 Toronto, ON Ricoh Coliseum !
10/23 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre !
10/25 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues !
10/26 Orlando, FL House of Blues !
10/27 Miami, FL The Fillmore !
11/06 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest

$ = w/ Phoenix, Dirty Projectors
! = w/ Phoenix
* = w/ Christmas Island

Last year, Antony and The Johnsons released their first full-length album since the Mercury Prize-winning, I Am A Bird Now, 4 years earlier.  The Crying Light proved to be another minor-masterpiece, cementing Antony Hegarty‘ group as an important musical force, deserving of our continued attention into the new decade.  It even yielded some surprising success on a commercial level, reaching the number one spot on the Billboard European Top 100.  The album release was definitely worth the wait and, as someone who caught him during the supporting tour, Hegarty‘s abilities as a live performer only continue to increase.  Hopes are reasonably high for their next album, but, this time around, the anticipation isn’t taking nearly as long to quell.  In the following months, an EP, LP, and even an art book are slated to be released by the group.  There’s a lot on the horizon, but, for now, we have our first sample of what’s to come, in the form of a new video.

Prior to The Crying Light hitting the metaphorical shelves, it was preceded by the 5-song EP, Another World.  Along with the lead off single/title track, the EP also featured 4 additional songs that didn’t appear on The Crying Light.  For the upcoming release, Swanlights, Hegarty and crew have opted to adopt that concept yet again.  Today marks the UK and European release date for the 5-song, Thank You For Your Love EP [Rough Trade] with the official North American release coming tomorrow (Aug. 24th) through Secretly Canadian.  As could be expected, the song “Thank You For Your Love“, which appears on this EP, is also the lead off single for Swanlights.  Those familiar with Antony‘s early years, know that he moved to Manhattan in 1990 to study experimental theatre at NYU.  This move resulted in Hegarty‘s formation and involvement with his Blacklips theatre collective, which ultimately spawned a good deal of his early musical material with the Johnsons.  The following video for “Thank You For Your Love” is comprised of super 8 footage from that period of Antony‘s life when he first arrived to the city.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Swanlights is slated to be released on October 11 in the UK and Europe and October 12 in North America.

Also on October 12, Abrams Image will be releasing a 144 page accompanying hardcover book, which will showcase Antony‘s paintings, photography, collages, and writing, along with the CD.

“The album is now available for pre-order including bundles consisting of the full length CD and EP, vinyl LP and EP, and book with CD and EP. Those who purchase the bundles will instantly receive an advance download of the EP. The pre-order is up at www.swanlights.com.

The album only version of “Swanlights” will also include the song “Flétta”, a duet with Björk. The album and book are a continuation of Antony’s work exploring his connection to the natural world.“

There used to be a guy who fancied himself as a “street musician” who would set up across the street from my apartment every night and blare obnoxious guitar riffs through a pocket amp.  He had, what seemed like, no more than a rotating 3-song setlist.  He mostly just played Jimi Hendrix covers, using the muddled distortion and the fact that he was a black man with a guitar in Seattle to his favor.  The drunken frat boys and under-dressed skanks, clopping around like clydesdales ate that shit up.  Then again, they only caught about 12 seconds of it as they wandered by in a drunken stupor.  Try putting that 12 seconds on repeat for hours.  It was a smooth move for the “guitarist” and he marketed himself wisely.  Who’s gonna talk shit to this guy around here?  Nevermind the fact that the one thing that he produced was obnoxious and that he wasn’t actually Hendrix.  This Seattle; that would be sacrilege.

Today I witnessed a video of a man who I actually would have appreciated having perform in my neighborhood.  This footage isn’t devoid of gimmicks [he's a one-man-band playing a Wu-Tang song, for chrissakes] but something about it still holds genuine.  It’s actually pretty awesome and, although this particular footage is of the musician performing a cover, he is much more than a one-note.  In fact, through my research, I’ve discovered that he’s much more than a street performer, or even a musician, but that’s not important for now.  We’ll get back to that more after the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via]

Every day there’s some new video that gets swept up and makes its round through the internet.  Whether it’s a man, woman, child, some stupid fucking animal, or even a supernatural being, attention is placed on a subject who then tries to milk the fuck out of their notoriety as long as possible.  Most of them will never have anything more to offer than that.  Never being completely content with simply swiping a video and posting it, we dug a little further to find out more about the man from this video known as “Lewis Floyd Henry One-Man-Band“.   I quickly discovered an 8-part documentary about the artist called “The Story of Known“.  Well… maybe, the doc is about a 3-piece band or a movement (?).  It can get a little confusing but, from what I’ve gathered, KNOWN is both an alias for Henry as well as the name of a musical project that he formed with colleagues Ben Powell & Zac Bake.  Henry is a graffiti artist, who tagged the fuck out of London and was famously arrested under the name KNOWN.  Always a musician throughout, it seems that, as the trio began to develop and perform together, they adopted the KNOWN moniker as well.

The documentary, Story of Known was filmed by a man by the name of Mason Gaines and can be viewed in it’s entirety through the specially designed myspace page at STORYOFKNOWN.com.

Only having viewed the first 2 parts of the film thus far, I can’t tell you too much more about it.  It’s clear that Henry is doing a lot of solo work, at this point, but, whether the musical form of KNOWN is still in tact, I’m not sure.  What I can tell you is that, from the live footage of the trio that I have seen, they are definitely worth checking out.  They have a fairly broad musical sensibility and, although it’s still awesome, they are much more than the video above may suggest.

If you’re looking to pick up some original solo music by Lewis Henry Flowd, you may be interested in the following news, taken from his official myspace page on June, 29th 2010:

“Lewis Floyd henry debut album out late summer entitled: One man and his 30w pram!“

[Not much more is posted about it; you may have to contact him directly.]

More information can be found at the following links:

Lewis Floyd Henry Official Myspace page
The Lewis Floyd Henry One Man Band on Facebook
STORY OF KNOWN on Myspace

If you saw our recent post about Rah Digga, then you already know that the emcee has taken the first steps into making her big comeback.  With the current, incredibly weak state of rap music in general, it’s a comforting feeling to know that the first lady of Flipmode will be contributing some actual style, with genuine and articulately crafted verses again.  The first time around, she hit the ground running and there’s no reason to believe that this time will be any different.  In some ways, she almost seemed to come out of nowhere and then disappear the same way.  One day.. poof, she was just gone.  The craziest thing about her return is how, even after all of this time, it makes perfect sense and it doesn’t feel contrived at all [no vocoders].  This is not an AXL Rose with cornrows situation or a VH1 show for has-beens and barely-weres to try and re-achieve some dignity that they once knew.  At this point in her life, it seems as natural as it does necessary.  Sure, she’s a mother now and she probably won’t be rocking that tight leather tank and booty short get-up from the “Imperial” video, but she was always a lot more than that.  She actually has respect for the art-form, instead of just creating a persona.  Because of that, her core elements have remained unchanged and, in many ways, timeless.  Digga still has the same empowering tone and delivery, which commands the listener to take notice and actually pay attention to what she’s talking about.  The most refreshing thing that we’ve witnessed, thus far, is how comfortable she seems to feel in her skin and where she is at in her life.  This is a good thing because, we’re comfortable with it too.

With our last post we introduced you to the video for “This Ain’t No Lil’ Kid Rap“.  That track will be appearing on her upcoming album, Classic, once it’s officially released through Raw Koncept on Sept. 14th.  In preparation of the drop date, we are posting another new track called, “Do Your Numbers“, which you can check out below.  Like the previous song and the rest of the album, “Do Your Numbers” was also produced by Nottz.  Unlike the the previous song, this one is not slated to appear on her new album.  I’m not sure how the whole state of album “singles” operate in this digital age, but this is essentially a B-Side.  Basically, if you do wind up getting a hard copy of “This Ain’t No Lil’ Kid Rap“, perhaps on vinyl, this is the track that it would be backed with.  Fortunately, it doesn’t matter either way, because we have it here for you to listen to right now.

enjoy

Below is the official cover art & tracklist for the new release.
Pre-orders are currently available through HERE.

1. The Book Of Rashia
2. Who Gonna Check Me Boo
3. This Ain’t No Lil Kid Rap
4. Straight Spittin IV
5. Classic
6. Solidified
7. Feel Good
8. Viral
9. Back It Up
10. You Got It
11. Do Your Numbers

CHPB KICK OFF JAM

July 22nd, 2010

The Crodile

Seattle, Wa

You’ve heard of the “after party”, but this year Seattle festivals have adopted the new tradition of holding “launch” or “Kick Off” parties.  “Before the party’s the Kick Off Party.“  It’s like R. Kelly in reverse.  The “Re-remix to Ignition“.  When your festival already contains the term “Party” in its title, it can feel a little unnecessary or excessive.  I wish that I could honestly say that it didn’t feel that way at the actual event, but I can’t.  [Correction: in all fairness, this was technically a kick of "jam" not "party".  Our apologize for anyone that was dying to correct me before I was able to apologize.]

Just like the Sasquatch Festival‘s “Launch Party” equivalent, The Capitol Hill Block Party‘s “Kick Off Jam” was held at the somewhat-recently reopened historic local club, The Crocodile.  Sasquatch‘s event featured performances by Surfer Blood, Atlas Sound, and local hip hop duo, Fresh Espresso.  I believe it was sponsored by E-Surance.  This event was headlined by Holy Fuck Holy F! with OBITZ and Unnatural Helpers opening.  We were contacted by DICKIES workwear about being VIP-listed for the show.  It was still a free event, otherwise, as long as you RSVP‘d on the site of their co-sponsor, FILTER Magazine.

The concert was held on Thurs. July 22nd, the night before the Block Party officially “kicked off”.  Sean Prince headed down to the show with me as the “plus 1” and we were given bracelets upon entry.  They didn’t seem to have much use, except for allowing us into the mostly dead area of an upstairs bar.

Unnatural Helpers took the stage in full-on DICKIES coveralls.  Some might have been turned off by the idea of that “corporate” element, but DICKIES is honestly not a bad sponsor to be affiliated with.  It’s not like it was Hollister; this is the clothing of choice for skateboarders and vatos.  I just saw it as a fun opportunity for them to grab some free shit.  Unnatural Helpers have gone through quite a few lineup changes over the years, rotating around original member/front man Dean Whitmore.  Whitmore sat front and center behind his drumkit, doubling up garage punk beats with screaming vocals.  The group was high energy and Whitmore is an engaging figure live.  At the beginning of the set, he joked about how they were the obvious choice to kick start the entire weekend.  At one point, an audience member requested the song, “Girl in the Window” and Sean Prince followed it up by screaming “Girl in a Pinto“.  The barrier between audience and stage seemed to all but dissipate.  It felt much more like a house party than anything.  Joking or not, the rock quartet was definitely the perfect band to start off the evening.  The show was energetic enough to get shit rolling, but light enough not to burn out too fast.  It’s no surprise that they are booked as the openers for Mudhoney‘s upcoming European tour, because I couldn’t think of a better act to support them right now.

Obits was next and, although they aren’t a terrible band, they just didn’t do it for me.  Genre-wise, they have a similar sound as Uunnatural Helpers, but their stage presence didn’t have much of a pulse.  Besides guitarist/vocalist, Rick Froberg (ex-Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu) the rest of the band seemed to be mentally adrift.  The set was just kind of boring.  We went back up to the “VIP” balcony, when someone came up to me and gave me some drink tickets.  Finally those fucking wrist bands were proving good for something.  I pointed him out to Sean, who went and requested some more for himself.  We left for the rest of the set and I wound up drinking and eating nachos and pulled pork at an establishment a few blocks away.

Eventually, I came back to catch Holy Fuck! and to cash in on those free drinks.  The place was still moderately full but the energy that had been stirred up by the opening act must have seeped out the window.  The “official” event silk screen poster (pictured above) was advertised as a limited item that would only be available to those who arrived early enough.  By this time there was still a woman sitting with a stack of them, which hardly anyone even came over to claim.  For me, it wasn’t even worth carrying it around.

Holy Fuck! was on stage but there seemed to be a bit of disconnect between them and the audience.  With the drumkit and bass in the back and 2 tables filled with electronics facing each other towards the front of the stage, the quartet was arranged in a pseudo-circle.  They were playing towards each other as much as they were to anyone in the crowd.  I was standing towards the back by the bar where the sounds of disinterested drunken chatter challenged the electronica from the stage.  It was clear that half of the people didn’t really give a shit and were only there because it was a free event.  Holy Fuck! has garnered a solid amount of critical praise, but I didn’t experience anything that helped to separate them from any of the other myriad of the synth-focused groups which are multiplying at the moment like Mormon rabbits on MDMA.  Sean bounced out with a bunch of people who were heading up to Cal Anderson park on Capitol Hill and I waited around for a little while longer before given my last drink ticket to a stranger and hopping on a bus myself.

The whole night was fairly anti-climactic and the hype fizzled out incredibly quick.  Compared to its Sasquatch counterpart, the entire concept of the CHBP pre-event feels like it was a bit misguided and destined for lackluster results.  Even when the Sasquatch Launch Party was first announced, I was a bit confused.  Seattle is quite a distance from the Gorge Amphitheatre where it was held and the two headliners of the launch party, Atlas Sound and Surfer Blood, weren’t even playing the actual festival.  However, in retrospect, it actually makes a whole lot more sense than this vanilla soiree.  Beyond just giving locals who might not be able to make it out to Eastern Washington a chance to catch a free show, the Sasquatch pre-party was also used as a public unveiling for the festival lineup.  The KICK OFF JAM, on the other hand, took place about a mile from the actual block party location and was held only the night before.  To make matters worse, that night was a Thursday.  So, to really break it down, this was a show held on an inconvenient weeknight and made up of bands that were just gonna play the next day anyway.  With the exception of Unnatural Helpers, it felt like the bands had adopted a similar attitude of “Fuck it, we’re playing again tomorrow anyway.“  I have the feeling that Unnatural Helpers are the type of band that is able to throw down regardless of the environment and are accustomed to doing so, while Holy Fuck! is handling a ridiculously rigorous touring schedule already and could sense that the crowd was only there in physical form.  As for Obits?  I just don’t find them very interesting.  Honestly, I don’t even feeling like writing about this shit anymore… it’s boring me.  No big deal.  It was a gracious attempt at throwing a free event, but that event was one to be missed.

[all photos by Bobby Mcugh]

Back in March, we posted a review about the Spike Jonze-created short film, “I’m Here“.  The project, which is provided for free of charge on it’s own specially designed website, focuses on the love connection between a pair of robots, inhabiting some alternate version of Los Angeles.  Of course, there are underlying elements in the film which are much deeper than that.  The complexities of love, self-worth, social hierarchies, risk, trust, and even life itself are all explored throughout its half hour running time.

After reviewing the film we got a few comments, all relating to the soundtrack which accompanied the piece.  For those who haven’t read that last article about the project, the following excerpt should bring you a little more up to speed on the subject.

“One more thing that I feel is important to bring attention to is the soundtrack.  Given equal consideration as the actual film, it features music by Sleigh Bells, Girls, Animal Collective, Gui Boratto, and the “fictional” group, “The Lost Trees Band” which includes Aska Matsumiya (Moonrats, ex-Your Enemies Friends,) and Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs).  Also credited with being part of  Lost Trees is “Nick Thelan“, which I’m assuming is a typo for Nick Thelen, who is formerly of Pretty Girls Make Graves and currently works with Matsumiya in Moonrats.  The credits also make note of a “cover” of Of Montreal‘s “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” by the listed members of The Lost Trees Band with Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal) himself.  Additional music/production was also contributed by Jonze‘s brother, Sam “Squeak E. Clean” Spiegel.“

Since this information was already provided by us, it seemed that the real question for everyone was about how they could actually find and obtain the music for themselves.  Being as it was a free short/side project, it wasn’t clear if the music would ever be available in any truly official form [Ironically enough, the short about cybernetic organisms is presented by Absolut Vodka.]  This week, however, I received a press release that answered that very question and, since our readers have been expressing interest about the topic, I’m very pleased to be able to provide the following news that the Chicago-based label Chocolate Industries will be collaborating to make the official soundtrack available to the public.  Further information was also provided, as follows:

“In creating the soundtrack for the film, Jonze enlisted the help of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and Aska Matsumiya to compose original music under the moniker The Lost Trees, the remainder of the soundtrack boasting the current cream of the crop of the indie world, including Animal Collective, Sleigh Bells, and Girls, amongst others..“

The press release further states that the official release date is marked for OCTOBER 5th, but it appears that it may have already been pushed forward.  Pre-orders for the digital version, currently available on iTunes ($7.99) and Amazon.com ($8.99), both have the release date listed as August 31st, with Amazon listing an additional CD version ($10.99) as officially dropping on September 14th.

Here is a complete list of what is slated to be featured on the album,
whenever it does finally become available

TRACKLISTING

1 There Are Many Of Us – The Lost Trees
2 Beautiful Life – Gui Boratto
3 AB Machines – Sleigh Bells
4 The Past Is A Grotesque Animal – The Lost Trees
5 Did You See the Words – Animal Collective
6 Hellhole Ratrace – Girls
7 There Are Many Of Us (Electric Dream Version) – Sam Spiegel
8 Lonesome Robot Theme – Sam Spiegel
9 Y.O.U – Aska Matsumiya

Now that you’ve read our writer Knuckle Supper‘s review of Scott Pilgrim VS the World, you should know a little more about the project.  If nothing else, you should now know that it began as a graphic novel and have a rough idea about the manner in which it was adapted into a full-on motion picture.   It can be a big leap from the pages of a hand drawn comic book to the big screen and, in building that bridge, a few branches had to be cut.  The folks over at ADULT SWIM have decided to make that transition just slightly smoother, by providing an additional 4-minute short titled, “Scott Pilgrim VS The Animation“.  Through it’s  format alone, the cartoon helps to segue from the 2-dimensional black and white pages of Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s now classic, illustrated work to it’s live-action cinematic counterpart, but that isn’t it’s only benefit.  The short also works as a prologue, filling in and setting up a piece of the storyline that never made it into Edgar Wright‘s final movie.  The mini-film focuses on a flashback sequence from VOL. 2 of the book series, which establishes how Scott and Kim Pine originally met and began playing music together.

The network aired their brief animated contribution last night, in preparation of the the film’s release today, but we have it posted here for everyone that may have blinked and missed it.  It was produced by Jason DeMarco, and features voice work by actors Michael Cera, Alison Pill, Mae Whitman, and Jason Schwartzman.

Enjoy