The Flaming Lips—Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Warner Bros., 2002

There isn’t a whole lot that can be said about Yoshimi that hasn’t been said already, but one thing does have to be reiterated: it is NOT a concept album. It gets tiresome to hear people say something over and over again when it’s just inherently wrong—it’s been confirmed by Wayne Coyne himself, so just let it go already. Besides, it’s not like it has to be a concept album for it to be a great record. It doesn’t matter how many times we have all heard “Do You Realize??”, it’s still a great song and it always will be. The same goes for “Fight Test” (though it playfully rips off Cat Stevens, so much so that Yusef reaps benefits to this day) and the title track, all three of which have occupied “overplayed” status at one point or another yet never fail to put smiles on our faces when we need them the most. But for all its uplifting moments, Yoshimi has a dark patch or two—delightfully dark, as only the Lips can do it. “In the Morning of the Magicians” is one of the album’s high points, but also one of the heaviest. “What is love and what is hate, and why does it matter?” Coyne sings. If anyone is going to ask that question, it should be him.

Nada Surf—Let Go
Barsuk, 2002

“I miss you more than I knew,” sings Matthew Cawes in the final moments of Let Go’s exemplary opener, “Blizzard of ‘77”. Surely upon hearing this, many music fans were thinking the same thing about Nada Surf—how did this fledgling band, written off early as a one-hit-wonder, make an album so special and timeless? When they first hit big, Nada Surf were a band of rookies, and the kitschy value of one of their toss-off songs (“Popular”) happened to catch on with an audience. Of course, their label was quite persistent about having a similar song on their next album (which would become The Proximity Effect). They even went so far as to give the band a list of cover songs from which to choose a single (never mind that the song Nada Surf eventually picked and recorded—“Why Are You So Mean To Me?” by Vitreous Humor—was written by a Kansas native). If this nonsense weren’t bad enough, the label eventually decided the album was not bound for commercial success, pulled all funding for it, and dropped Nada Surf altogether. It took two years for Nada Surf to obtain the rights to self-release The Proximity Effect, but its follow-up only stands as proof that there’s nothing like a little trip through the wringer to get a band’s head on straight. Let Go is just one of those killer rock records that, even in its darker moments, puts smiles on faces—with the exception of a few certain ex-record execs, perhaps.

Superdrag—In the Valley of Dying Stars
Arena Rock Recording Co., 2000

Despite the fact that this album was virtually ignored and viewed as the last gasp of a desperate band upon its release, In the Valley of Dying Stars has proven over time to be a classic record. For die-hard Superdrag fans who stuck with them long before or after their one-hit-wonder status existed, it was quite apparent that In the Valley was the band’s best work yet. There is no arguing with an opener like “Keep It Close to Me”, especially when it so bluntly hits the rock music conundrum on the head: “I want rock and roll, but I don’t want to deal with the hassle”. Perhaps John Davis is referring to hassle from the major labels, and the interference that kept their previous album (Head Trip in Every Key) from being the classic it could have been. Fortunately, the freedom provided by an indie label finally allowed Superdrag to play to their strengths, and they do so with a raw, garage-like intensity on this record. It sounds as if these songs were all banged out in the studio in a day or two by a band still hungry to make the record of their career.

The Most Serene Republic with “Heavens to Purgatory.”  I’ve recently became a fan of MSR.  They’re able to keep their pop sensibilities and male/female vocals sounding fresh without getting to bubble gum pop like some of the other acts on Arts & Crafts. 

The other video is from Romona Falls with “I Say Fever.”  I picked up their record Intuit right when it came out and this is one of my favorite songs off the record.

Per Barsuk Records:

“I Say Fever” – the first video from the Ramona Falls debut album Intuit. Directed by the ridiculously talented Stefan Nadelman, winner of a 2003 Sundance prize for his 22 minute film ‘Terminal Bar’, a prolific animator in the commericial field and the mastermind behind the Menomena Evil Bee video.

Ramona Falls is Brent Knopf’s first solo venture, but he has an extensive musical resume as part of trio Menomena (an indie rock band from Portland, OR, that’s snagged plaudits from such tastemakers as Pitchfork Media and the New York Times.)

Directed and Animated by Stefan Nadelman
Produced by Tourist Pictures
www.touristpictures.com

The last time I got my chops busted in a comment was concerning Ramona Falls for not having all my information correct. Let’s see if I can do a better job this time.

This is a video. This is a video for the Ramona Falls track “I Say Fever”. This is a video for the Ramona Falls track “I Say Fever” from the album Intuit. I believe all the above data in correct.

Intuit is out now on Barsuk Records.

Andrew Kenny has to be one of the most interesting figure in music today. Formerly of the American Analog Set, Kenny is currently on the road with his new band, The Wooden Birds. There’s quite a difference between the two bands,  and there is a bit of reasoning behind that. Recently we sat down with Kenny to talk about the past, present and his very scientific future. This is one interview you don’t want to miss!

Modern Mystery: What made you decide to start The Wooden Birds after American Analog Set who were pretty successful?

Andrew Kenny: Well, they were kind of separate decisions first of all. American Analog Set didn’t want to tour any longer, and it’s not a very responsible thing to do to try put out your records or find somebody to put out your records and not follow through and support them. So that kind of was a door that was closing. In the meantime, I had been putting songs aside for slightly more up tempo, maybe a little more poppy, a lot more vocal project. I said since this can’t tour anymore we’ll have fun and record every once in a while, still record songs, stuff like that. But this is a really good time to start this other thing that was always going to take time away from American Analog Set, but not any longer. The timing is just right.

How did you get involved with the musicians you wanted to make up The Wooden Birds, like Matt Pond?

Well I had to stumble through making the record on my own. I wanted it to be very small and I had a good idea of what I wanted it to sound like so I just kind of did it. And then when it came time to put a band together, I found people. I played them the record and then I said, not even asking “What do you want to play?”, it’s more like “Do you like the record? Could you see yourself being something in this band?” and then I got those people together and said “Alright, somebody’s got to play the guitar, somebody’s got to play the bass.” And there’s no drums on the record, but you got to have drummers these days. Kids like the drummers. But seriously, unless you want to play in cafés and Barnes and Nobles, you got to have a drummer. So Sean plays drums, he was my drummer when I did solo shows in Austin. Leslie sang on the record and I asked her if she wanted to join up and have your pick of guitar, other guitar, bass, whatever you want…she picked guitar. Originally the guy who helped me produce the record, Chris Michaels, played steel guitar and he wasn’t able to come on this tour, and I was literally just like the day he told me, I was on the phone with Matt Pond and we were talking about he has a record coming out in the fall and I said “You got nothing to do, you should join the band!” and he said “I can’t believe I’m about to say ‘Yes’ to this but I am.” So yea, that’s Matt Pond. But really it was always made, the music is especially made for friends to play, right? It’s not a showcase of anyone’s musicianship, it’s more like, very short vocal heavy songs. I knew that putting a band together after the fact, I’m not going to get it right the first time, I’m not going to get it right the second time. I’d rather have people coming and going and having a good time, then I would be trying to find the exact lineup forever and forever and forever. Music is made to have fun with.

Do you find that a lot of American Analog Set fans are receptive of The Wooden Birds?

Well, yes, but in my experience, and my experience isn’t endless. I’m only so old and I’ve only been at this so long…in my experience people don’t usually come up to you and tell you how disappointed they were by a show. It’s usually them saying “I really enjoyed that” or “I’ve enjoyed your music for a long time, thanks for coming.” That don’t say “Really? What was that?” Something about your voice and an organ, nobody says that. So yes , people have said “Wow” I feel like I waited almost ten years to hear you play “Aaron & Maria” and now you’re not going to play it. This band is made to play “Aaron & Maria”. It’s always thumbs up in every way. Not so much on this tour because we’re supporting another band, but when we did the tour to support the record and we would play an Analog Set song it was obvious there was obviously a portion of the audience there to see what we are up to now. Speaking about the Analog Set as a really popular band, I mean we only played The Bowery opening for other bands. We were kind of a small band, we were just around for a long time.

 How has your songwriting evolved over the years?

 I’d like to think that it has a lot, but truthfully it really hasn’t that much at all. There’s a song on the record called “Hometown Fantasy” that sounds like The Wooden Birds, and it was the first song I wrote over twenty years ago. I found it on a demo tape I made, literally right after high school and I put it on the record and it fits perfectly. So really I guess I haven’t grown that much. I’d like to think that my lyrics are better than they were on the first Analog Set record but then again, I think by the time I hit maybe Know By Heart I think I was taking my lyrics a lot more seriously and doing a better job. So really I’m happy with every comment and everything on the record. Really songwriting wise, my songs are my songs. If I made them sound different it wouldn’t sound like me anymore.

 How long did it take you to record Magnolia?

 I guess when it finally came down to it, maybe a couple of months. Like maybe just under three months. You know on the record how there is the hammered out percussion on the guitar, the bass always sounds the same and fits in that little palm muted pocket, the rhythm guitar always sounds the same, so I recorded the songs many times over the previous year until I figured out okay, this is how the pieces fit together. And once I enjoyed how they were put together the rest of the dominos just fell, and like okay now, I think it took me about three months to get it right. When it probably came down to it, the reason that it took longer than it really even should have is because we recorded it all on a piece of tape. We pieced it together as a demo and then when it came down to it, let’s get all of these performances. We stripped everything down and built the songs up again, so all of Leslie’s performances are a vocal performance. So it took a little bit longer than normal, like a Frankstein job. But some bands take years to make a record.

Was having Leslie’s voice very prominent on the record something you had planned or did it just happen?

 I wrote…. As I was writing these songs and picking the songs that I wanted on the record, I wanted every song to have a female and a male part. It’s not always call and response, although it does happen, but I wanted two voices to be there, and the backup vocal I wanted just as strong as the lead vocal. I didn’t want to double myself at all, I wanted it to be something I hadn’t done before, I wanted another human voice. I loved Leslie’s voice for a long, long time and I have recorded her over the years in her projects. I played the demos for her and got her involved really early, and she just kind of hung in there with me recording. The first half of the demos were written with her in mind, and she sang them so beautifully that the second half of the songs were written with her exact voice. I know where your range sounds good and I’m writing this part for you to sing. If she hadn’t it wouldn’t have come out the same way. She’s awesome.

 What inspires you to write a song? Is it always personal or is it sometimes a story?

 It’s a house card, I don’t want to think about it too much. I don’t know where it’s from, and I’m just glad that I get to write songs and I really have a lot of fun doing it. But some of the time I think that’s a good idea for a song, sometimes it’s a melody, sometimes it’s a guitar part, I have no repeatable method at all. The fact that they actually do come out so much specifically is always a huge surprise to me. But as far as lyrically they’re all heartbreak and heartache and lost love, love….this is my bread and butter.

 You lived in Brooklyn for a while, what made you decide to move back to Austin?

Well, I love Brooklyn. The rest of the band still lives in Brooklyn, obviously I have roots here, as so many do as well. But it was a small apartment and my wife and I decided it would be nice to have a window and a dog, trees and a garden and stuff like that, it’s all stuff you can have here, but it takes a lot of work to pull it off and we’re closer to family down in Texas, so it wasn’t like “Brooklyn?!” it was more like “Brooklyn is awesome and we should come back and visit,” but we’re getting on in years, and we’re not going to be pushing a stroller down 7^th Avenue and Park Slope.

Down Park Slope doesn’t sound like a good idea!

 Maybe not down Park Slope, maybe just the sidewalk down 3^rd Street (laughs).

 What is your favorite thing about being in the recording studio, or recording in general?

 My favorite thing about recording is, it’s making something from nothing. Like before you begin, there really is nothing, nothing exists, but when you’re done, a song exists, and it’s almost like magic. You’re like “I like this a lot” and a few minutes ago, the music didn’t exist and now it exists and I like it. It’s so valuable to me it should have a raw material, it should have a coal turned into a diamond. It costs time, that’s the raw material, but I just like the magic.

 What’s your least favorite and favorite part about being on tour?

 Wait my least favorite, or favorite?

 Both!

I think my favorite part is getting to kind of experience the culture of music in a way that makes me feel comfortable. Like if I don’t have a reason to be in the club I am the most uncomfortable person there. I’m always against the wall or I’m too tall and I’m in somebody’s way and I want to leave. Unless I absolutely love a band, I will never go out and see one. I always feel that I’m in somebody’s way and I’m dealing with loud people and drunks. For some reason when I go on tour I get to see bands every night and for some reason being contractually obligated to be at the venue makes me comfortable to be there. You can all think I’m not cool enough to be here, and you’re right, but the fact is, on September 26^th, or 27^th, A.K. can be at this location and it’s going to be okay. That’s the way I think about it, is that I have a reason to be somewhere. My least favorite thing is that I miss my wife a lot and we’ve only been married for three years so I feel like I’m missing a lot, well what I think is a lot, like 3 or 4 months out of the year, I feel like I’m missing out.

 Who are your influences, or artists that inspired you to play music yourself?

 Probably the ones that you would think…

 Like Black Sabbath? (laughs)

 (Laughs)  A little Sabbath, a lot of Angular Maps, no I think it’s not always music. I think Chris Leo, Ted Leo’s younger brother. He’s the first Leo brother that I met. I think Chris Leo is the most inspiring person I’ve ever met in my life. He’s basically a cartoon character of himself, he’s just so creative and so out there that everything he touches just turns beautiful, it’s great. He’s probably my number one inspiration even though I never played guitar with him, he’s number one.

 Do you ever find it hard to bring what you did in the recording studio onto the stage?

 Well, yes, but not anymore because when I made this record I thought how it was going to be on the record, but really when it comes time to I also knew what the guitar was going to be, what the bass was going to be. I kind of made these songs with a separate live version in mind. It’s just experience. I don’t really get on and go I put the kitchen sink into this record and now how am I going to do this with 3 people, 4 people. I chose songs that I thought I could bring out live. Back in the Analog Set we would just plow them out in the studio, and whatever we came up with was what the songs were and when it came time to play them live that was kind of a holy shit moment. So we could maybe play like 50% of the record, and the other 50%, sometimes my favorite 50% got canned. So this project was live and learn.

What was the first instrument that you learned how to play?

The first instrument that I played was violin and that was in grade school, and I was made to play it and I haven’t picked it up since grade school. I really didn’t enjoy it at all. I hated it. I remember I was in 5^th grade, and you might be too young to remember, but there was this show called “Real People,” and there was a show called “That’s Incredible.” One was on ABC and one was on NBC. “Real People” was just like poor country reporters like “We’re going to go to Waco, Texas and meet a little lady that can sing like the dickens!” and they would find a girl who sings in a church choir. Then they’d meet a guy that was like turned license plates into bird houses, he’s a real person! You know the program I’m talking about. This was a nationwide program. My Dad loved it. He also watched “That’s Incredible” from time to time, but less often. So one night I was practicing in my room and he was like “Hey Andy get in here, get in here,” so I walked in there and he’s like “I’m just watching TV, I’m watching “Real People,” and there’s this little girl playing the violin. Now she’s 2 years younger than you, and she plays like she’s a songbird. Listen to this, she’s a virtuoso! And if you just practice a little harder, you can be on “Real People” you can be a real person if you just practice a little more.” Then it was like “We’ll be back with more musical savants on “That’s Incredible”” and it was like “Okay Dad, you want me to be on “Real People” but that was “That’s Incredible”, this incredible, gifted, savant child and all she could do was play violin and she couldn’t like use a fork and a knife. Then he never made me practice again. He realized the absurdity of his perspective and he was like “You can go and play soccer.” I also sucked at soccer by the way. I found it upsetting. But I played violin first and I didn’t even buy a guitar until I was out of High School.

What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you on tour?

I don’t know. Weird is sort of a broad thing. I get really weird around guns. I grew up around guns and a lot of my major Birthdays were “Gun Birthdays” like I got my first shotgun. But there was a long period of time when I never touched a gun, and at some point guns started to freak me out. If there’s a gun in the room, then I my eyes is always on it, do you know what I mean? So you can have a gun in the back of your pickup truck, you can have a license to have a gun in your house, you can have a license to carry a concealed weapon, you just have to let the powers to be know that it’s happening. You can do that, it’s not a crime. At some point I got weirded out by them, a couple of times if there’s been trouble at club with payment or parking, they’ll pull a gun as a sort of leverage, and that’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to me. Whenever guns are produced to make an argument more, I don’t know, I kind of turn into a person who wants to get the gun, because I’m not going to fire the gun. My reaction is to get the gun away from the person that might fire the gun, and not shoot it. That’s probably a weird feeling, I’m not myself.

At what point did you think that music was something you wanted to pursue as a career?

Well that never happened before, but the closest it ever came, was I moved to New York to go to graduate school for biochemistry, and even though I like making music, science is the only thing I’ve ever done in my entire life that I ever felt good at. Like I can do this, “I’m doing science!” I can run my bench, I can execute whatever calls, I can help my lab manager see a project through. From beginning to end I feel very accomplished, I’m a published author when it comes to science anyway. I feel good about it. I left my graduate program to make the last American Analog Set record, because I thought I really, really wanted to…I couldn’t see myself not making that record, so I think that was the moment when I put my boat in the dock and just sent it down the river. I don’t have any regrets exactly but that was probably a hard moment. I was 32 then, so it wasn’t like I was 16.

Do you ever think you’ll go back to finish graduate school?

I don’t know. If you’re invited into an Ivy League graduate program and then you bail to make a record, I don’t think they’re going to let you go back to them. I will go back to science definitely. What I gave up was a Ph.D. and a really good job, and what I got on the flipside was some time to make music and still work in a laboratory and be a good employee. I’ll probably never do my own science, and that’s fine, but I traded one for the other, but I’ll still do science one day, as long as people are catching cancer, they’ll be people like me to look after them.

What’s next for The Wooden Birds after the tour?

Well after the tour ends, I’ll just drive home, and I’ll be tracking our second. This is the first tour I’ve taken a guitar along in the van, and I’m just making sure I have all of my ducks in a row for the new songs I want to do. So when I get home I want to just start banging on the guitar again, working on songs and rhythms and start writing and recording. That’s definitely the next step unless we get offered another tour, I don’t know if we’ll play it, but they’ll be more recording.

Where do you see yourself musically in 10 years?

In 10 years I really don’t see myself making music in 10 years, and the reason being is I know people that do it at that age for that long and they’re way more talented than I am. I’m not saying I’ll be weeded out by that time but I think at some point I’ll need to…I’ll say okay “I’ll make songs, but I’ll just play them at home for my wife and that will be fine.” Right now I really enjoy this project and being in a band and I’ll see it through to a logical conclusion musically, maybe three more records or something, and then I think I’ll find something better for me. I can’t be in my forties without health insurance, it’s just not right. It’s not right for my wife. She deserves better than a gypsy husband, so in 10 years I will definitely not be making music continuously, but not in a bad way just because I’m looking at myself when I was 20 like “Would I trust a later 40 something writing songs about boys and girls being in love, who’s like 30 years removed?” I wouldn’t trust that person, I wouldn’t trust person that now!  So once I run out of stories and songs that will be it.

Barsuk Records is proud to announce a release date of January 12th, 2010 for Blunt Mechanic’s debut full-length, World Record.

Although this is Blunt Mechanic’s debut album, it’s far from critically-acclaimed songcrafter Ben Barnett’s first release. Barnett, who formerly performed as Kind Of Like Spitting between 1996 and 2006, released eight full-lengths and numerous EPs and singles throughout the band’s prolific decade-long run.

More exciting news will be announced about Blunt Mechanic soon.

LABEL WEBSITE:
http://www.barsuk.com/

MYSPACE:
http://www.myspace.com/wehaveacrushonamygoodman

Sunday night we had the amazing chance to experience The Wooden Birds open for Great Lake Swimmers at the Bowery Ballroom. Okay, as soon as we found out that the band had both Andrew Kenny from American Analog Set and Matt Pond in it, we were intrigued.

The band, which is the brain child of Kenny, released Magnolia (Barsuk) back in May and have been supporting the album ever since. This is one of the greatest records I have heard all year, hands down. At their live show, the band gives even more life into the songs. Listening to the record, the first thing you notice that there are no drums on any of the tracks. A careful decision made by Kenny.

Onstage the band brings on drummer Sean Haskins to liven up the live show.  Guitarist and sometimes vocalists Leslie Sisson has one of the most beautiful voices you’ll ever hear, especially on stage. Matt Pond makes a nice addition to the live lineup, playing the new songs like an old pro. Kenny takes on the part of lead vocalist and bass player, with the most infectious bass lines you’ll ever hear. The Great Lake Swimmers had a hard act to follow that’s for sure.

Check out MORE LIVE Pictures of The Wooden Birds @ The Bowery After the JUMP

Check back later on in the week for our exclusive interview with Andrew Kenny!

This weeks selection for Find of The Week falls somewhere in the limbo realm of new finds as Ramona Falls is headed up by Brent Knopf who is also a prominent member of the indie band Menomena, who is signed to Warner, making them not exactly a band that needs to be found. While I am very aware of Menomena I was unaware of Knopf’s solo work until today, making it a new find, technically.

The stand out track for me would have to be “Russia” which has some beautiful sporadic surges that kept me ever attentive to my speaker volume, being at work and all.  Knopf has a knack of taking musical snippets and forming them into perfectly flowing tracks. Of the four songs that I’ve heard, a musician could easily have taken the significantly different parts from each and formed a dozen new songs that would still have been decent tracks but are made better by the fact that Knopf can combine these parts seamlessly.

The debut album, Intuit, is out August 18th on Barsuk Records.

Ramona Falls – “Russia”
Ramona Falls – “I Say Fever”
Ramona Falls – “Melectric”

In the comments below Andrew has set me straight about what label Menomena is signed to. I should have realized that their MySpace page was a joke when they listed their labels as “Universal, Sony, BMG, EMI Waner Bros.”

from Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, 2006.

Weather seems to be a predominant topic in many of my posts and tradition calls for another.  Contrary to this season, the Seattle-based band The Long Winters is anything but cold.  It’s not hard to find praises to sing about a band found on the same independent label (Barsuk Records) as Death Cab for Cutie, Harvey Danger, Menomena, Nada Surf, Rilo Kiley, They Might Be Giants, and many other prominent groups.   The fact that Chris Walla has added his expertise in production and instrumentation to two of The Long Winters’ albums only adds to the Barsuk legacy; with that I’m surprised more people aren’t aware of the awesomeness of this group.  They’ve been a longtime favorite of mine but I’ll take a page from LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow and simply say “you don’t have to take my word for it”.  Just give them a listen and if the lyrics to songs like “Hindsight” or “Teaspoon” don’t hook you I don’t know what will.

Saraya Boghani

sboghani@frontiernet.net

Brent Knopf, who currently makes up one-third of the band Menomena, announced that the debut album of his side project, Romona Falls, will be released on August 18th via Barsuk Records. The album, which is titled Intuit, features over thirty guest appearances, including members of the Helio Sequence, Loch Lomond, and 31 Knots. You can see the tracklisting after the jump.

Tracklisting:
01 Melectric
02 I Say Fever
03 Clover
04 Russia
05 Going Once, Going Twice
06 Salt Sack
07 Boy Ant
08 Always Right
09 The Darkest Day
10 Bellyfulla
11 Diamond Shovel

So, around these parts? We love music. Stunning revelation, I know.

Also, around these parts, we love melodic, perhaps occasionally quiet, intentional, well constructed and pretty stuff too. Kinda like design, we appreciate restraint and the product of many choices, edits and vision. With that leaning, let me tell you, it’s a lovely month for music with two fantastic new and newly-incarnated, say reincarnated even, releases.

The Wooden Birds first record, Magnolia

The first is The Wooden Birds‘ first record, Magnolia, put out by Barsuk records. Give a listen, fall in love, feel the eerie sweet. Sound slightly familiar? Ahh yes, then you also were a fan of The American Analog Set. A band dear to my heart. Andrew Kenny, of AmAnSet has moved home to Austin, TX, regrouped and formed a new band in The Wooden Birds. And! They are out on tour right now, dates listed here, so if you’re approving and inclined, go see them. They’re pretty great, and we can’t wait until we get a chance to see them ourselves. Magnolia is available on through Barsuk Records in the US, Morr Music in Europe, and on iTunes as well as your local independent record store. You can always listen for free at Myspace, if you think I’m joshing. (Which, come on…)

And, here’s a great little video of The Wooden Birds performing “Never Know” Cafe De La Danse in Paris, France, on 5/4/09.

Tomorrow: Super new releases of May, part two.

from The Rhumb Line, 2008.

Viva Voce have a new album Rose City coming out out May 26, 2009 on Barsuk records. Here is Devotion from that album.

Devotion

Viva Voce “Rose City” Tracklist
1. Devotion
2. Die A Little
3. Octavio
4. Midnight Sun
5. Red Letter Day
6. Good As Gold
7. Rose City
8. Tornado Alley
9. Flora
10. The Slow Fade

Kevin & Anita Robinson

Album Factoids from vivavoce.com/blog

a) Anita and I built a studio in our backyard. We recorded Rose City in 3 weeks – from pen to paper to final master. This was deliberate.

b) All photos (and cover image) were taken at a show here in town by Megan Holmes ( a pdx photog and general mover and shaker). The guitar on the cover is Anita’s Les Paul Custom Lite, a rare little number.

c) Obviously tried to make a conscious effort to keep all elements of the record based out of Portland. It’s not really a concept record, but it’ll make sense when you hear it.

See you out on the open road. All the venues with pre-sale ticket links are up at our concert page & all of our confirmed SXSW performances are listed.
See you soon.

The Collective is a television program devoted to bringing the “Triangle” (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Carborro, and surrounding areas) the latest in independent music programming. We air on Carolina 24 (Time Warner Cable channel 24) – Mondays and Fridays at 9:30pm, Wednesdays at 10pm, and Thursdays at 8:30pm.

Our main focus lies in showcasing music videos from national and local recording artists. We have received videos from numerous local producers, as well as from labels such as Merge Records, Barsuk, Matador, Xl, Beggars, Saddle Creek, K Records, Lookout! Records, and more. We air to the potentially 500,000 + cable subscribers in the coverage area, so if you are interested in having your videos seen on the show, please email us at matthew.hayhurst@twcable.com

Below is the playlist for the first show of 2009. We have picked up another time slot as well. We are airing M&F at 9:30p, W at 10p, and now Th. at 8:30p, all on Carolina 24.

Info/Submissions

2009_1 Video Playlist

Little Joy – No One’s Better Sake
Alela Diane – As White As Diamonds
Monkey – Monkey Bee
Telepathique - I’m Not The Man You Think I Am
Mates of State – My Only Offer
American Princes – Real Love
Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus
Jay Reatard – See/Saw

EXTRAS:

Little Joy

(mp3) Little Joy – No One’s Better Sake

Little Joy is Binki Shapiro, Rodrigo Amarante and Fabrizio Moretti, three friends who dropped their routine at their respective hometowns to make a record in Los Angeles, California.

Through a chance encounter at a Portuguese festival in Lisbon, where both Amarante (Singer/Guitarist of Los Hermanos) and Moretti (drummer of The Strokes) had performed, the two chatted well through the night and into the morning by the side of the river, humoring the idea of working together on music that had no affiliation to their particular bands.

A year later, Amarante traveled to the United States to record with Devendra Banhart on his Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon album. On the off hours of an arduous recording process, Amarante would meet with Moretti to discuss anything but music.

Binki Shapiro, musician and native of Los Angeles, was introduced to the pair through mutual acquaintances and became a fast friend, encouraging the two to focus on the music they had spoken of long before. Through the process of late night “show-and-tell” the three developed and arranged songs Moretti had begun and soon after started writing original music for the group as a band.

A couple of months later they all moved into a house in Echo Park to demo songs and soon after, with the help of producer Noah Georgeson, who had recorded Banhart’s album, they finished their self-titled debut, Little Joy, named after the cocktail lounge just down the street from their home.

Little Joy is to be released worldwide by Rough Trade Records, a division of The Beggar’s Group, on & around Nov. 4th, 2008.

Video for Next Time Around

ALELA DIANE

(mp3) Alela Diane – As White As Diamonds

Rough Trade Records is pleased to announce the forthcoming release from Alela Diane. Her new album, To Be Still, will be in-stores on February 17, 2009.

To Be Still is the follow-up to Alela Diane’s critically-acclaimed 2006 debut The Pirate’s Gospel. That record brought the Nevada city, CA-reared musician a dedicated following across the globe (especially in Europe, where she recently finished a tour of mid-sized concert halls). Considering that early copies of The Pirate’s Gospel were given away to friends in hand-sewn covers just a few years ago, this is not only quite a leap, but a well-deserved one.

To Be Still was created throughout 2007 & 2008. “It began in Portland, OR and was finished in scatters between tours at my dad’s home studio in Nevada City, CA,” Alela says. “I wanted to record this collection of songs using arrangements which represent them in their finest form. These songs requested more instrumental filigree than those on The Pirate’s Gospel. It was challenging to delicately yet purposefully incorporate instrumentation into songs that I was so used to singing by myself. I was determined to make it work, because I wanted percussion! I wanted to hear the lonesome bow of the violin! I heard many harmonies in my head, and so I set out to capture them.”

In the past, Alela’s work has been associated with one or more musical movements, notably the alleged “freak-folk” genre of the early to middle Oughts. And while no music exists in a complete vacuum, the wholly original music on To Be Still was borne of contemplation and isolation. “Most were written in the cabin in Nevada City, and during my stint of domesticity in the Victorian flat further North; others were captured elsewhere, in moments of calm,” she says. The album shows Alela Diane to be a compelling and unique voice.

Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade Records, says “Alela Diane is a real American Songwriter. Both flinty and beautiful. She draws from a tradition that might include Sandy Denny and Karen Dalton and she suffers not a jot in comparison. Rough Trade is proud to be able to bring you this release.”

Video for The Rifle

MONKEY

The track “Monkey Bee” is from the above “Journey to the West” Opera by Blur / Gorillaz front man Damon Albarn. More on the video:

A live action short film for Monkey Bee – the first single from ‘Journey to the West’, will have its premiere today. Created and directed by Jamie Hewlett, Monkey Bee is a mixture of Chinese 1970’s spaghetti western, meets Korean horror movie, meets much beloved 1980’s Monkey tv series…

Fans of Hewlett¹s numerous Gorillaz videos should enjoy his first live action outing. Conjuring up images of legendary battles and adversity, we find Monkey trying to cross the volcano fields of Princess Iron Fan. Monkey needs her magic fan in order to cool the hot molten fields but the Princess
refuses and an epic battle ensues, throwing first trained assassins and then a colossal army of volcano soldiers his way in a desperate attempt to thwart his journey.

The film was shot in London on 35mm film, using members of the Journey to the West cast. A team of modellers, animators, compositors and vfx artists have since worked for 8 weeks to put all the live action and special effects together and deliver the first Monkey film.

About the Opera:

In a mythical time, on the Mountain of Flower and Fruit, Monkey was hatched from a stone egg. So begins the tale of the Monkey King, our headstrong, self-important hero. After crossing the all-powerful Buddha, Monkey is given the opportunity to redeem himself by travelling to India with the young monk Tripitaka to bring the Holy Scriptures back to China.

Accompanied by a motley crew of helpers, the pair meet and overcome terrific challenges, finally returning with the sacred texts. Despite its playful, bawdy tone and colourful characters the story of Monkey is deeply serious in intent. It’s a fable of spiritual change and growth, a 16th Century story which is still familiar to all Chinese schoolchildren.

Monkey: Journey To The West re-tells the 400 year-old tale for a new audience. This production is a triumph of collaboration – between old and new, sight and sound, East and West. Developed in conversation between Beijing, Dalian, Paris, London and Manchester it brings together traditional disciplines – acrobatics, singing, dancing – with emphatically modern technology including animation and dazzling video projections.

Video for Monkey Bees

Telepathique

Translated from the Latin, Sao Paolo, Brazil’s motto, “Non Ducor, Duco” means, “I am not led. I lead.” The city is a sexy, dangerous, pulsating melting pot of nearly 20 million humans, situated near the soothing sea and the teeming rainforest – it’s apropos, then, that it’s also the hometown of Télépathique. Comprised of DJ/producer/drummer Erico Theobaldo (aka DJ Periferico) and vocalist Mylene Pires, the duo mixes deep carioca from the favela with jungle-tinged house, electro, breakbeat and old school bossa with a sensibility that is deeply punk, and truly of their city. Although their story is probably new to most North Americans, both Theobaldo and Pires have long been accomplished in their own rights overseas, with and outside of their work in Télépathique. Pires’ solo work as a vocalist is steeped in African and Brazilian music traditions, and Theobaldos remix of “Dadinho” on the City Of God soundtrack became a smash hit (he also produced Brazilian artists Otto and BiD, to wide acclaim). Télépathique’s debut full-length, Last Time On Earth continues the genre-bending dialogue that their Love and Lust EP engages in.

Video for Eu Gusto

Mates of State

(mp3) Mates of State – My Only Offer

Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, the he and she music factory known as Mates of State, have confirmed the May 2008 release and track listing for their fifth full length album, Re-Arrange Us. They have also confirmed that Mates of State will appear at the Sasquatch Festival Sunday, May 25, followed by a May 28 date at Los Angeles’ Henry Fonda Theater, and a full headlining tour and numerous other festival dates to be announced shortly. The tour will mark Mates’ first extensive road trip since NPR’s This American Life tour last February, where they provided musical interludes between Ira Glass, Dave Eggers, Dan Savage, Sarah Vowell and David Rakoff’s readings to 3000+ crowds across the U.S.

Produced by Peter Katis and Mates of State, the track listing for Re-Arrange Us is:

Get Better
Now
My Only Offer
The Re-Arranger
Jigsaw
Blue and Gold Print
Help Help
You Are Free
Great Dane
Lullaby Haze

Re-Arrange Us also features the most complex packaging of any Mates of State release to date. The reversible and multi-layered cover art allows fans to “Re-Arrange” it into no less than eight different configurations.

The packaging of Re-Arrange Us could well be seen as a reflection of the growing complexity of Mates of State’s music. While, until recently, Jason and Kori have performed exclusively as a duo, Mates of State have never failed to generate a trademark wall of sound built on dozens of varied voicings of keys, drums, and alternately lushly layered and playfully dueling vocals. On Re-Arrange Us they move beyond these boundaries with additional instrumentation-not to mention a quantum leap in song craft apparent on instantly indelible gems like “Now,” “Jigsaw” and “Get Better.” Throughout Re-Arrange Us, Kori’s piano and the emergence of both Mates’ lead vocals from their trademark harmonizing signal the next stage of Mates of State’s evolution.

Video for Goods (All in Your Head)

American Princes

The initial lineup of American Princes began in Brooklyn in early 2002, with David Slade (vocals, guitar), Matt Quin (drums), and John Beachboard (vocals, bass). By the end of the year, the band had left New York, relocating to Little Rock, AR. The southern city’s cheap rent and central location made it an ideal base for musicians who wanted to tour nonstop; which they did, picking up guitar player and vocalist Collins Kilgore along the way.

The next two years were spent writing and releasing 2 albums (We Are the People and Little Spaces), and crisscrossing the country. The pressures of life on the road mounted, and after a whiskey-fueled punch up in a Tennessee forest, Beachboard left the band (amicably, it should be noted). Continuing in the tradition of bass players with great last names, Ryan Universe agreed to go on a few tours as a stand-in, ultimately stepping aside for Luke Hunsicker.

The beginning of 2005 marked a pivotal moment for the Princes. Glenn Dicker, head of Yep Roc, heard a copy of Little Spaces in an associate’s car stereo and got in touch with the band, ultimately offering them a deal. The album was re-released on Dicker’s label, followed by 2006’s Less and Less, produced by Al Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, The Comas, Lucero) at Sound of Music in Richmond, VA.

Less and Less garnered the Princes rave reviews, making multiple year end lists, including Magnet, The Onion, and Blogcritics. Over the course of the year, the band’s live profile grew, seeing them share the stage with groups including the Roots, the Flaming Lips, Big Star, Lucero, De La Soul, Son Volt, Soul Asylum, Mudhoney, the Hold Steady, and Spoon.

By the end of 2006, Collins had relocated to Brooklyn, reversing the route the band had take four years earlier. Additionally, Will Boyd joined American Princes as a third guitarist and vocalist. With Collins commuting from the Northeast for month-long songwriting marathons, the five musicians began writing what would become Other People, their latest release.

Other People is American Princes’ crowning achievement thus far. Released in April 2008 the album brought newfound acclaim upon the band. Magnet Magazine boasts, “The injection of effete mid-’80s radio pop works to perfection… American Princes have adeptly bent era-specific sounds to their considerable songwriting will.” Uncut, meanwhile, gives the album 4 stars, calling it a “howling beast of a disc” and lauding the band for “blossoming into its own identity.”

Riding the momentum of Other People, American Princes have begun work on a follow up album and will continue touring in the new year. 2009 looms large on the horizon for this relentlessly ambitious five-piece.

Video for Never Grow Old

TITUS ANDRONICUS

(mp3) Titus Andronicus – Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is a rock and roll band from Glen Rock. In the beginning, there were only three people in the band. At one point, there were eleven people in the band. Right this second, there are five people in the band. Titus Andronicus take their name from a minor Shakespearean tragedy, not, as many people believe, from some sort of killer robot from the future. Titus Andronicus formed in the spring of 2005. Titus Andronicus’ debut long player, “The Airing of Grievances” was released in April of 2008 by Troubleman Unlimited. Titus Andronicus have shared stages with such noted, world-famous luminaries as Yo La Tengo, No Age, Matt and Kim, Times New Viking, Holy Fuck, Foals, Los Campesinos, and Dr. Dog. Titus Andronicus practice at Ian’s house. Titus Andronicus sometimes disagree on what is the right thing to do. Titus Andronicus like to scream and carry on at excessive volume. Titus Andronicus like songs which are fast more than songs which are slow. Titus Andronicus think slow songs are okay sometimes. Titus Andronicus never sing about love, only hate. Titus Andronicus have no hope for the future. Titus Andronicus believe only in nothingness. Everyone in Titus Andronicus was born to die. Titus Andronicus crave your approval but will settle for your utter disdain. Titus Andronicus can be reached at: TitusAndronicusTheBand@Gmail.com.

Video for Arms Against Atrophy

Jay Reatard

(mp3) Jay Reatard – See/Saw

No Bio on the website, but what I can tell you is he is from Memphis Tennessee and he rocks and he’s signed to Matador…hey how about another free legal Mp3…

(mp3) Jay Reatard – Always Wanting More

For too long have my melodic antics languished in the blogging void – time for me to pull out the proverbial finger and get back to my keyboard. I’ve still been writing, just not posting so I may throw up some virtually ‘vintage’ reviews over the coming days and weeks to get myself back in the habit. I’m a bad person, lay it on me – I know.

This band though, have been the ones to inspire me to finally sort my shit out and commit to type. They are going to bust your world right open and pretty much guaranteed to go absolutely stellar any second now so get in with them now before your only access will be via the bandwagon. Ladies, gents and household pets, I give you…Ra Ra Riot.

Ra Ra Riot – Dying is Fine

I first came across this exhuberent Syracuse-originated six-piece (in their words ‘an amorphous blob’) in July ‘07 at Glasgow’s Indian Summer festival when I was waiting about for my beloved Andrew Bird and Wilco to pitch up and entertain me. Thinking they had a pretty decent name I rocked up to see what they had to offer and my dear God, I was not prepared for what I saw. Each member, including those toting cello and violin were throwing themselves around the stage with joyful disregard whilst clad in day-glow attire and manic, Rambo-style headbands. And the noise! Oh, the wonderful noise! Unrepentantly enthusiatic and hopeful but with fantastic melodic substance each song was an incredibly energising, driving force with both sophistication and drama added by the inclusion of bowed strings – an explosion of excited, atmospheric outcry which only seemed more remarkable when I delved into their history.

A mere month before I first came across them, Ra Ra’s original drummer, the frankly incredibly inspiring John Ryan Pike, had been found dead after one of their shows in Providence, RI – he had, tragically, drowned. The influence not only of Pike’s horribly early passing, but also of the joy he brought the rest of the band, and everyone who knew him it seems, is quite evident in the material on the band’s debut release, The Rhumb Line (V2). Announcing a few weeks after Pike’s death that they would continue as a band, Ra Ra seem to have resolved to get the absolute maximum out of every performance, and each other.

Live they are truly fantastic to behold – a single, jumping, grinning beast with six heads knocking together and beaming out at the crowd. But breathtakingly energetic and life-affirming their performances may be, their material has a definite preoccupation with death and farewells, almost eerily, though unknowingly, so. ‘Dying is Fine’ (charming, and quite quietly moving, video above before the break) seems a self-evident attempt to reconcile themselves with the confusing and heartbreaking loss of a bandmate and best friend but is delivered in a way that wills your feet and body to dance and bop along (and was written long before Pike’s passing) – ditto with ‘Ghost Under Rocks’ (video below) and the despairing ‘We have got to learn from each other, We have got to stick together’ of ‘Oh La’. In fact, maybe barring ‘Winter ‘05′, there isn’t a single track on The Rhumb Line which is content with allowing your being to rest whilst listening to it, and their idiosyncratic treatment of Kate Bush’s ‘Suspended in Gaffa’ is a particular triumph. Whether it’s a toe tap, foot stop, or full on throwing-yourself-about, their music demands a physical response and certainly, few people watching them support Vampire Weekend at London’s Forum on Sunday October 26th were able to resist such a wilful invitation to move.

Ra Ra Riot – Ghost Under Rocks

Wes Miles, singer and keyboardist with Ra Ra, grew up with Ezra Koenig, singer, songwriter and guitarist for Vampire Weekend but there has been astonishingly little riding-of-coattails with Vampire Weekend’s head-spinning ascent into popularity (more on them in a future post – they may be ‘the whitest band ever’ but I love them like a fat kid loves cake), save with Ra Ra Riot’s week of supporting the Vampires on their current UK tour. More power to them for it, say I – and I truly hope that this exposure to a wider audience will finally give them the recognition and success they so enormously deserve. When over here in September, before the European release of The Rhumb Line (which, incidentally, garnered a jaw-dropping 4 stars in Rolling Stone magazine), Metro et al were touting them as ‘Gig of the Week’ but the performances I caught were far from packed. Last night however, there were thousands of people immersing themselves in Ra Ra’s Riotous sound and raving about it later, from what I caught on the journey home. Finally! What in the hell took you people so long?!?

As with so many of the artists I blog about on here, there really aren’t words to describe my rampant adoration of Ra Ra Riot – maybe ‘rabid’ would be the closest I can think of. I truly believe that Ra Ra Riot are something incredibly special though – perhaps even more so than the similarly joyful and incredibly prolific Vampire Weekend. But I truly believe that this is the kind of music that can, in quiet ways, change lives – much as the death of John Ryan Pike changed his friends’ lives and made them more determined to really live, and achieve, and inspire. Just try to feel miserable whilst listening to Ra Ra’s output – I dare you. You can’t. Every time I finish spinning The Rhumb Line, I want to run outside, breathe deeper, feel more, jump around, sing at the top of my lungs, run until I exhaust myself, maybe even pick up a long-abandoned music blog – just throw myself into life, get out there and live, while I still can, and I’m still young, and I still really want to. And any kind of music that leaves you feeling like that is a very precious thing indeed. So go grab your piece now so that when 2009 becomes the year of the Riot, you can say you were there first, right down the front and waving the banners.

PLEASE do yourselves the last big favour of 2008 and bag a copy of The Rhumb Line at the following outlets (links take you direct to the product page):

RaRaRiot.com
Amazon.co.uk
Play.com
HMV.co.uk

IF you want a taster first, head to:

RaRaRiot.com
myspace.com/rarariot/
http://www.last.fm/music/Ra+Ra+Riot

to hear some music that might just change everything.

They even have a YouTube channel! Go here immediately: http://uk.youtube.com/user/rarariotchannel/

***RA RA RIOT WILL BE PLAYING HOXTON BAR & GRILL IN LONDON ON MONDAY 3RD NOVEMBER 2008***

And here’s a bonus pretty picture from their gig at Proud Galleries in London back in September…

Album Cover

Death Cab for Cutie

“Narrow Stairs”

May 2008; Atlantic Records

By Emily J Ramey

Death Cab for Cutie has been accumulating their cult following for over a decade now with glib phraseology and an atypical assortment of idyllic, poignant tunes and brooding, grave refrains as overcast as Seattle, the band’s hometown.  Barsuk Records produced their first five albums, as well as a few EPs, all milestones for Death Cab as their listeners flourished with each advance.  Fans elevated the four-piece indie pop group to celebrity status for their lyrical core and nostalgic tendencies, certainly, but also, for the band’s consistency and loyalty to their sound.  After signing to Atlantic in 2004, Death Cab for Cutie released its sixth album, Plans, which was generally well-received, although there was some disquiet about partial divergence from their traditional vibes.  With Narrow Stairs, there’s no question.  Death Cab for Cutie has attempted to transition into a new identity and in the process, gotten lost entirely.

Without taking into account the band’s history, Narrow Stairs has its moments, and musically, the album is a natural evolution from Plans.  We have dynamic, bright tracks like the single “I Will Possess Your Heart,” “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” and the one genuinely good Death Cab song on the album “Long Division.”  And these are contrasted by the somber melodies, “No Sunlight,” “Talking Bird,” and “Pity and Fear.”  The framework is deceivingly legitimate on the surface; however, when listening to the songs as a fan would, one becomes indignant with the forced maturation of the music.  Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie have the ability to be unpretentiously substantial and evocative, but Narrow Stairs wedges their essence into a claustrophobic, impudent realm.  Instead of experimental, their music has become disturbing and bleak.

Certainly, there are enthusiasts optimistic about Narrow Stairs’ overall success; the problem is that those people are not the band’s original fans.  Death Cab for Cutie has traded in its following; hopefully, the band considers this foray worthy of their sacrifice, or harsher critics might say, worthy of their betrayal.

329 words

bonito ,bonito. 

\”Swell\” by Growing (I guess I like death metal, now?)

“Everything is Talking” by the Long Winters

The Visiter, the new album by the Dodos

Nik Freitas – All The Way Down

Chris Walla – Sing Again

Soltero – Songs Of The Season

Rocky Votolato – Portland Is Leaving

David Dondero – Rothko Chapel

What Made Milwaukee Famous – Sweet Lady

James O’Hara’s Detonators – Sneaking Around

Liebe auf den ersten Hördurchgang. What Made Milwaukee Famous ist meine Band der Stunde – letzte Woche hab ich sie zufällig in einem Podcast gehört und fand sie gut. Heute war das Album im Briefkasten. “What Doesn’t Kill Us” ist ein 38minütiger Ritt durch die Popgeschichte. Vom zunächst verstörenden Drama im Opener “Blood, Sweat & Fears” über die nur vordergründige Leichtigkeit der Single “Sultan” (siehe Video) bis hin zu Meisterstücken wie “Resistance St.” (mp3) und dem versöhnlichen “The Other Side” am Schluß – die fünf Herren aus Austin verdichten Zutaten, die man von den Beatles, The Who, Neil Young, aber auch Radiohead, Muse und Screaming Trees kennt, zu einem dann doch recht eigenständigen und stimmigen Sound. Obendrein ist das geschmackvoll gestaltete Digipak, in das die CD gebettet ist, mal wieder ein guter Beweis dafür, dass physische Tonträger als Einheit von Musik und Artwork einfach eine stärkere Strahlkraft haben als praktische, aber “schnöde” mp3-Downloads. “What Doesn’t Kill Us” wird bei mir in der nächsten Zeit wohl auf Dauerrotation laufen: WMMF sind nicht Indie, nicht DIY, nicht everyblogger’s darlings – sie sind brillianter, großer Pop.