Phoenix „Fences” / Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Annie „My Love Is Better” / Don’t Stop

Annie “Loco” / Don’t Stop

Mirrors “Into the Heart”

Two Door Cinema Club “I Can Talk”

Rain Machine “New Last Name” / Rain Machine

Rain Machine “Give Blood” / Rain Machine

Alec Ounsworth “South Philadelphia (Drug Days)” / Mo Beauty

Clap You Hands Say Yeah “Over and Over – Lost and Found” / CYHSY

Atlas Sound feat. Noah Lennox “Walkabout” / Logos

Animal Collective “What Would I Want: Sky” / Fall Be Kind

Atlas Sound “Sheila” / Logos

Atlas Sound “Logos” / Logos

—

O wybranych płytach już wkrótce na blogu.

In support of Current TV’s Embedded this week, I made a short post at the Current Music blog about Passion Pit and the hype that sometimes surrounds one lucky(?) indie band.

Passion Pit are one of the most talked about bands of 2009, particularly on the internet. They’ve gotten a lot of buzz since they formed in 2007, a result of lead singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos first writing songs for his then-girlfriend and starting a band “because [he] had nothing else to do” that took over the Boston music scene. After being upstreamed to Columbia via Frenchkiss Records, however, the band began to garner national attention as well, and their major label debut, Manners, was released with the kind of overenthusiastic fanfare that Vampire Weekend received during 2008 and MGMT got the year before that.

 

They’re a band in the middle of what seems to be a well-oiled machine at this point: indie hype. Last year Current aired “Hyping Indie Hype,” a segment about creating buzz for underground artists in both rock and rap, suggesting that even with the marketability of “indie” as a genre since television shows like “The OC” made indie cool to the masses, it’s still hard for independent artists to really break the mainstream. For those that do, however, the praise is overwhelming, pushing emerging bands at consumers so much so early that a backlash can happen before the band even fully establishes their sound. These days, some consider Clap Your Hands Say Yeah a cautionary tale.

[CHECK OUT THE REST ON CURRENT]

I’ve actually had the opportunity to contribute a lot to the extras for Embedded. I’ve slacked on re-blogging, but you can certainly take a look at the various things I’ve written for the blog right here, and then watch all of the related episodes! If you enjoy musicians and exclusive access to behind-the-scenes material, then Embedded is the show for you.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah é um grupo Nova Iorquino vindo do Brooklyn em 2oo5 e hoje é referência internacional de talento e superação de uma banda independente frente ao mercado concorrido da música. Eles vieram de um bairro violento e conturbado – o próprio nome da banda veio de um muro pixado com essas mesmas palavras – e que produziu independentemente seu primeiro álbum de uma forma fenomenal. A difusão do grupo se deve a pequenos shows em todos os lugares possíveis, o carisma do grupo e suas música indie contemporânea com pitadas de rock anos 90.

Aqui para download o segundo álbum da banda, Some Loud Thunder que possui clássicos da banda e serviu para fixar o grupo no mundo.      Download

1 – Some Loud Thunder

You get a full length mixtape this week because Halloween rules and I’m awesome.  That, and I had nothing to do after Mad Men.

1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Satan Said Dance
2. Le Tigre – After Dark
3. Los Campesinos – We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
4. Slow Club – Because We Are Dead
5. Of Montreal – Chrissy Kiss The Corpse
6. The White Stripes – Little Ghost
7. Franz Ferdinand – Shopping For Blood
8. Outkast – Dracula’s Wedding
9. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put A Spell On You
10. Antsy Pants – Vampire
11. Beck – Satan Gave Me A Taco

(If you listen to this song, let me know in the comments if you like it or not.)

Every once in a while, usually while I’m driving in traffic, an awful, violent thought flashes through my mind. Then, I think, “Wow, that was unacceptable”; I pop another Lexapro; and I move on with my day. I can imagine singer/songwriter Alec Ounsworth having a similar experience, but instead thinking, “What a great idea for a song.”

 (Left, Singer/Songwriter Alec Ounsworth; Right, Friendly Serial Killer, Dexter)

As an example, see an excerpt of his lyrics from the new song, “Bones in the Grave.”

Listen to an excerpt of the song here

(Help me out with the correct lyrics if you know them.)

“Bald head and John’s convict tattoos
Ice raining, ice for hours
Ready, see medicine boy
Leaps the ??? …
But the nurse has yet to arrive

“So I killed Johnny’s pregnant shadow
While he was fast asleep
The doctor says don’t let him go
He wants me six feet deep

“Gotta’ get them bones, in the grave
Get them bones, in the grave
Get them booooones…”

Disturbing! Is Alec a serial killer in the making? Nah. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s a creative guy who exorcises his demons through his art…or something like that.

Musically, I love everything about “Bones in the Grave,” on the album, “Mo Beauty,” which was recorded in New Orleans. Drummer Stanton Moore begins the song like he’s an animal in a cage, rattling noisy chains with his teeth. An organ, creeping like a spider, joins a guitar playing whatever the hell it wants, not necessarily in tune with anything else.

Ounsworth’s nasally voice is front and center, channeling 1982 Gordon Gano (singer of the Violent Femmes) to great effect.

By the time the band finishes the chorus, I’m clapping and singing along.

So just in time for Halloween and as the fourth season of Dexter is well underway, solo artist Alec Ounsworth (also from the musical projects Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Flashy Python) gives us a great song in a scary package.

Thanks, Alec, and take those meds, it helps!

To experience “Bones in the Grave” for yourself, listen to the album, “Mo Beauty,” released Oct. 20, 2009, Anti, Inc. Ounsworth’s Web sites include www.myspace.com/alecounsworth and www.anti.com/artists/view/73 .

Source: www.anti.com/artists/view/73 (Ounsworth’s artist page)

Second and Third Favorite Songs This Week: 2. Miguel Zenón – “Esta Plena” from the album, “Esta Plena” (Latin Jazz) and 3. Lyle Lovett – “Pantry” from the Album, “Natural Forces” (Country)

#  # #

Alec Ounsworth, a Philly native better known for his work with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, has been working on a few side projects in the last year or so. One of them being Flashy Python and the other his solo record, Mo Beauty. He will help launch the record tomorrow in New York City at a few CMJ Festival shows as well as play a shows in Philly on Saturday night. He’ll open for Dr. Dog at the TLA, playing tunes from all three of his musical projects. Earlier today, I had the opportunity to talk to about the recording process of Mo Beauty in New Orleans, his thoughts on the Philly music scene and what the future holds for CYHSY!.

Colin: So from what I understand with your new record, Mo Beauty, it was recorded in New Orleans. How did that come to be?

Alec: Well, I met Steve down there. Steve Berlin, who produced the record and he suggested to me that we make a record together in New Orleans. And I said, “OK”. (laughs) It’s pretty much as easy as that.

Colin: Did you play all the instruments on the record?

Alec: Oh, no, no. I played a little less on this record than I did on any other. George Porter, Jr played bass, Stan Moore played drums, Robert Walter played keyboards, and my friend Matt Sutton. There was a bunch of people actually. That was kind of the core group and there are a bunch of guests. Steve played saxophone. I played some synthesizer, sang, played acoustic guitar mainly for percussion and I wanted to be as far removed from this and not have to do as much on this as I could. Just cause I finished another record shortly before that where I did play most of the instruments.

Colin: Did recording in New Orleans influence your music at all? Cause I assume it’s different than Philadelphia..

Alec: Uh, kind of. To me, not so much. To me, New Orleans has similar ethical quality about New Orleans that was reminiscent of Philadelphia, to me. I mean I don’t think it directly influenced, at least the construction of the songs, which was done up here in Pennsylvania. I think that obviously the musicians who are from New Orleans. Sometimes some of the guys who played who are just stellar  are Mark Mullins, Greg Hicks, and Craig Klein, who are the three trombone players. I asked them to do on a couple songs something that was like typically New Orleans, I guess.  Actually, on one song. Some sort of Preservation Hall, King Oliver Creole Jazz Band type of thing. Generally, I didn’t give that sort of direction. It was more like, ‘You guys are great musicians and I’m not gonna say you are only New Orleans musicians because it always goes further than that.

Colin:Right, very true. For Saturday night, it’s listed as Dr. Dog and Flashy Python. I understand Flashy Python is your other side project. Are you going to be playing a solo set and then with Flashy Python or will it be like a mix?

Alec: No, no. Basically, the guys in Flashy Python, Flashy Python is going to kind of encompass everything. I mean Flashy Python’s gonna be songs we did on this New Orleans record, the songs from Flashy Python and Clap Your Hands(Say Yeah). I think when we start to go out it’s gonna be.. we’re going to do everything.  I mean we could play probably for like four hours but we won’t (laughs). We’ll probably lean on the Flashy Python album maybe a little bit but maybe not. I don’t know. It’ll depend on the night. On Saturday, seeing that we’re opening for Dr. Dog, it’ll probably be about half the New Orleans record and half Flashy Python.

Colin:Cool. Will it be your first time playing the solo stuff?

Alec: No, we played one kind of practice show at Johnny Brendas a little while back.

Colin: I always have a hard time getting in there. I’m only 20. I have to bargain with them to get in.

Alec: Oh, I see. Is the show on Saturday an all ages?

Colin: Yeah,  it’s at the TLA so I’ll have no problem.

Alec: Ok, cool. Yeah, it should be fun. Do you remember that the band The Teeth? They’re from Philadelphia.

Colin: I’ve heard of the name but I’m not very familiar with their music.

Alec: They broke up about a year ago, I think, and 3 of the 4 guys from The Teeth are playing. I mean The Teeth was great, that was a great band and these guys are excellent musicians. The other guy who is playing is on the Flashy Python record and the New Orleans record. He’s the guy who plays baritone guitar and pedal steel and that sort of thing. It should be cool. As always, Dr. Dog will put on a good show, I’m sure.

Colin: Last time I saw them, they played a free in Rittenhouse Square a few summers ago. That was a cool show.

Alec: Oh yeah, I missed that show unfortunately. They’re great. They just keep getting better live too. We’ll have our work cut out for us. We’re planning on pulling the rug out from under them.

(Both laugh)

Colin: When you’re writing songs, do you think like, ‘This will be for the New Orleans record and then this will be for Flashy Python and this..’

Alec: ‘…this will be for Clap Your Hands’ . I used to think that way. And now I don’t think I do anymore. I think it’s starting to all blur a little bit. I think the Flashy Python record could have been a Clap Your Hands record, the New Orleans record very well could have been the Flashy Python record, you know what I mean? I used to say, ‘I don’t want to do this with Clap Your Hands and I do want to do this with Clap Your Hands. But at this point, I don’t know. There are a lot of pretty versatile musicians that I am being introduced to and the songs are taking such a shape that I could.. Depending on the album, I can reshape a song in such a way that it makes sense in that context. So I have a feeling that a little bit down the line, I probably won’t separate it into these three categories, you know?

Colin: Yeah, definitely. What are your thoughts on the Philly music scene? Brooklyn has a lot of great bands coming up, do you think Philly will ever get recognition like them?

Alec: There’s a lot of great stuff in Philly. I don’t know much about the New York one, honestly. I know a lot more about Philadelphia and a lot of my friends who are on the Flashy Python record are kind of involved in that. A couple of the guys from Dr. Dog, my friend Quinn is in it who has a band that used to be called Nazareth but not anymore. A bunch of The Walkmen guys are down here now.

Colin: I saw them like two weeks ago. They were awesome.

Alec: They’re great. Matt (Barrick) plays on the Flashy Python record and Billy Dufala plays a little bit of sax on Flashy Python, he’s in Man Man. And Buffalo Stance, I don’t know if you know Jamey (Robinson’s) project Buffalo Stance, which is really cool. I could rattle off a long list but in Philly there’s a lot of interesting stuff happening down here. I think people might be coming around to understanding that now or maybe we’ll just remain forever a little bit undercover, which is fine with me (laughs).

Colin: I feel like we’re coming up a little bit. I’ve noticed as of late that music is starting to build so much. I’m really excited to see where it goes.

Alec: It’s a small enough music community that everybody kind of knows everybody else to a degree. I think everybody is starting to get a little more recognition than in the past, perhaps. It’s always been a pretty amazing community. With New York, I don’t even really know. I’ve never got into it because I never lived up there. Like Clap Your Hands is as much from Brooklyn as like… the solo record I just did, I might as well be from New Orleans, or something like that. You know what I mean?

Colin: (aughs) Yeah, good call.

Alec: It’s kind of confusing to me. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, it just so happens a lot of cool stuff is shooting up in Philly.

Colin: Definitely. What are your plans for the rest of the year after you get done these few shows? Are taking the record out on the road?

Alec: Yeah, we’re going to be.. I mean we’ve been practicing a lot for live stuff and we’re going to be playing some scattered shows. Probably like Baltimore, DC, Philly, type of thing in November-December. Then we’re going to do a bit of a tour in late January through probably early March. I think I’m going to call it Flashy Python but I don’t really know yet. I might call it be my own name. I don’t really know. I’m trying to figure out which one would be the most efficient (laughs).

Colin: (laughs) I see. Anything new from Clap Your Hands in the near future?

Alec: Uh, not that I’m aware of. I mean some of the other guys are working on their own stuff and that’s all well and good.  You know, not that I know of, I haven’t really been keeping up too much on everybody.

Colin: You seem busy with your other endeavors…

Alec: Yeah, that’s the thing. I think the last time I practiced with Clap Your Hands we kind determined that, you know, I have two records coming out and I want to try and run around with that. Sort of start fresh and see where that takes me.

The Clap Your Hands Say Yeah frontman delivers a solid solo debut

PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD “That Is Not My Home (After Bruegel)” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 15/20 Watts

After the misstep that was Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s sophomore album, some questioned the staying power of the band, as well as the abilities of frontman Alec Ounsworth. Would he, and the group, disappear just as quickly as the hype that brought them to the masses back in 2005?

Enter 2009. Though the band has shown up on our radar in spots, it’s Ounsworth who is attempting to firmly entrench himself in our everyday consciousness. Between collaborative side project Flashy Python, and now this, his solo debut, he’s persistent if nothing else. But what Mo Beauty seems to possess more than anything he’s put out since 2005 is pure, untainted emotion.

A relaxed mix of his familiar indie rock and piano ballads, Mo Beauty appears to be Ounsworth’s attempt to get every thought he’s ever had about life and love out into open space. Between the lyrics themselves, and the alternately calm and hectic backgrounds he creates, every track seems to paint a sea of conflicting emotions and ideas. Though he never professes as much, Ounsworth seems to know nothing, and everything all at once, staring at the world around him through more lenses than he cares to comprehend.

But at least he’s honest. When he’s constructing an off-kilter falling-off-the-wagon melody, such as “Bones in the Grave,” he does so unabashedly. Same goes for when he digresses into a barroom rant, as he executes expertly on “Idiots in the Rain,” amidst sadness and desperation.

Still, with those more depressing themes in mind, there are some upbeat, almost fun moments to take in as well. “That Is Not My Home (After Bruegel)” is a shameless pop number, and one of the most enjoyable things Ounsworth has ever recorded. The same case can also be made for “South Philadelphia (Drug Days),” which mixes an inner-city vibe with a vacation aesthetic to create a drugged, elated trance of a song.

Perhaps getting back to basics on a solo album will allow Ounsworth to do the same with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, should they record another studio effort. Obviously, he still knows how to write emotional, as well as catchy tunes, so I suppose we’ll just wait to see what the future holds.

– John Cassillo

Seeing bands work together has grown to be less of a mind-blowing occurrence in the past few years. Super-groups have really put out the fire for most creatively-charged collaborations between bands which therefore leaves little excitement for new projects coming from creative hands and minds of artists you know and love. The situation grows even more interesting when the collaboration isn’t between two whole bands but individuals from several different projects.

Uninhabitable Mansions is an art collective based in Brooklyn that is also a band comprised of artists and members of Au Revoir Simone, Radical Dads, & Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

The band recorded their debut album between 2008-2009 and are releasing it this month.

The album, called Nature Is A Taker, is an interesting showcase of the individual talents of the members of the band and their different backgrounds. Some songs sound different than others but altogether it is a pretty solid record. They go from verse-chorus-verse within several layers of sound to rhythmic clapping and tambourine without looking back and I have to say, I admire their ambition. The breadth of their work on this album, while not incredibly expansive, is really pleasing to the ear. It actually makes me wonder if I would still enjoy a record of theirs if it wasn’t bouncing around as much. It’s lively and listenable in one sitting. Hell, I would go as far as to say that this album is fun. It is fun to listen to, it’s fun to think about, it’s something that, to me, instills a sense of playfulness and I really really like that.

Have a listen to my favorite track off of the album, “We Already Know”.

Website
MySpace
Pre-Order

Today, in a preview of the Times Magazine article that will be distributed this weekend, the New York Times website posted a piece about General Stanley A. McChrystal, who has recently made national headlines rather frequently with the release of memos and other comments that detail a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. As the Times explains: “McChrystal’s plan is a blueprint for an extensive American commitment to build a modern state in Afghanistan, where one has never existed, and to bring order to a place famous for the empires it has exhausted. Even under the best of circumstances, this effort would most likely last many more years, cost hundreds of billions of dollars and entail the deaths of many more American women and men. And that’s if it succeeds.”

One band that’s asking some relevant questions – like “Do You Have a Strategy?” – is Brooklyn’s Uninhabitable Mansions, which features Robbie Guertin and Tyler Sargent of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Annie Hart of Au Revoir Simone, along with Chris Diken and Doug Marvin, who just recently replaced Danny Comer as the group’s drummer (good luck in medical school!). Taking cues from all of the various main groups surrounding this “side-project supergroup” (allow me to introduce a new phrase), UM has managed to put together an impressive collection of songs here that retains some of the unpolished pop sensibility of CYHSY and layers on some nice additional instrumentation. You can preview a bunch of tracks from their upcoming full-length, Nature Is a Taker, streaming on their official website and available for digital purchase now, and also learn a lot more about the band/art collective.

Uninhabitable Mansions is playing at Cake Shop tonight as part of their Mixer series. Doors open at 7:00 PM, with UM playing around 8:00. So go check them out! But first listen to today’s jam “Do You Have a Strategy?” streaming below, from Nature Is a Taker.

Uninhabitable Mansions – Do You Have a Strategy?:

-Drew

Alec Ounsworth could never go unnoticed in a karaoke bar. Even after years of plastic surgery we would all start to scream the second he would start to sing.
And because brilliant minds (well, Clap your hands say yeah has to be full of brilliant minds) never really can stop working, he has not only one but two solo projects.
His new project Flashy Python not only caught my attention with it’s funky name and the even more funky song-title “let’s hallucinate together” (hell, yeah!) but also with Menomena-like crazyness of free-jazz and electro-diddleing that actually would cause me to run away without looking back but just fits well when it’s layered over echoes of Alec’s voice, as if you’ve been in a nightmare and just woke up next to a drunken sax-player.
I like that kind of music, it’s nothing to listen to for 24/h a day but is necessary to keep you wanting more new, more unique and more demanding music. Because this is as demanding as it gets, you can’t really listen to music like Flashy Python without REALLY listen to it.

Alec Ounsworth (there are no good-sounding Flashy Python videos out there, so here’s the man solo as sensitive songwriter, I’ll try to remember and get a Flashy Python video as soon as I find one – till then, take a listen to the homepage)

Drew Barrymore in Whip It!

I saw Whip It last night and loved it! I always enjoy a movie that explores a fun subculture…doesn’t get more entertaining than Roller Derby. The film didn’t take itself too seriously which made it work. Highlight was definitely the soundtrack – The Ettes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Go Team etc.

Check out the NY Times review if you’re interested:

Stepping Into the Skates of the Director – NY Times

Brooklyn’s Uninhabitable Mansions feature Robbie Guertin and Tyler Sargent of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Annie Hart of the underrated Au Revoir Simone, along with Chris Diken and Danny Comer. But they’re not just a band, they’re an art collective, too.

Nature Is a Taker, their first full-length album, is out now and you can get the digital version right now and pre-order a physical copy for end-of-October delivery.

That doesn’t involve Alex Ounsworth! Shocking…I know. I dig receiving updates via e-mail from these side projects of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Thanks to an update in September, I was informed of Flashy Python. His LP turned out to be one of my favorites. Ounsworth is also releasing another solo album on October 20. I’m really looking forward to that! Now, we have Uninhabitable Mansions. The group is made up of the likes of Robbie and Tyler from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Annie Hart from Au Revoir Simone, Doug Marvin from Dirty on Purpose, and Chris Diken from Radical Dads. Their album Nature Is a Taker is available now for digital purchase! They are also playing at TT The Bears @ 11 PM on October 25 for 10 singles.

1. “The Speed Is Deceiving” – 10
2. “Big Kick” – 9.7
3. “Do You Have A Strategy” – 9.8
4. “Midnight Topography” – 9.6
5. “Maps Not Accurate” – 9.9
6. “The Brain Is A Slow Wave” – 9.7
7. “Static State” – 9.6
8. “This Drift” – 9.9
9. “Ex-Explorers” – 9.9
10. “We Already Know” – 9.9

Comments: This album is very Pains of Being Pure at Heart sounding. It’s, in fact, becoming status quo to use Pains as a reference point for bands of this “throwback-pop” sound. What really does it for Uninhabitable Mansions are two things in particular: vocals (lead and backing) and keyboards. That’s not to downplay the good old gui-tar, which is the principal instrument in “Midnight Topography.” Lyrics, which CLYHYS and its well-received side projects like Alec Ounsworth and Flashy Python have always been masters at, are just as beautiful as you could imagine. “Only you could make me believe your masterful eyes which you pass off as business as usual…it’s just just just society’s way,” a voice speaks on “Maps Not Accurate” in a tone only a teeny notch above a whisper. Tracks like “The Speed Is Deceiving”  and “The Brain Is A Slow Wave” are mind-blowing. On many occasions I conjured up sounds of Galaxie 500 — an awesome slow-core band to be compared to. If you have an hour or so of boredom, just play these songs. Sit back and relax. If you fall asleep, that’s fine. I don’t think I’ve felt as much of an emotional connection to any band as I have with UM. And I’ve only known them for an hour. This is the album I’ve been waiting to hear all year.

Grade: 9.8

You can’t always listen to relaxing, melancholy music. A change of pace is always acceptable. Check out these upbeat and addicting tracks, and they’re sure to be the fast-paced pick-me-up your so desperately craving.

When The  Sun Goes Down – Arctic Monkeys

- The light and playful lyrics make for a hilarious track. Upbeat tempo and catchy bass line makes this a classic A.M.’s track.

listen.grooveshark.com/song/…Sun+Goes+Down/2917732

Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) – Black Kids

- Reminiscent of 70’s dance music. Perfect for a dance party.

 listen.grooveshark.com/…/Look_At_Me_When_I_Rock_Wichoo_/11716810

300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues – The White Stripes

- This track encompasses numerous genres (classic rock, blues, alternative, swagger rock, bluegrass) in a one track span.  Genius of the wild and crazy Jack White.

listen.grooveshark.com/…/300mph+Torrential+Outpour+Blues/326769

Minding My Own Business – Coconut Records

- Sounds akin to a more renowned artist, Franz Ferdinand. It’s pop hooks makes it very memorable.

listen.grooveshark.com/…/Minding+My+Own+Business/1300548

The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

- I can confidently say that the lead singer of C.Y.H.S.Y. makes Bob Dylan’s vocal talent sound that much closer to the likes of Aretha Franklin.  Yet regardless, this track is surprisingly catchy and grows on the listener the more times you listen.

 listen.grooveshark.com/…Skin…My+Yellow+Country+Teeth…/11063487

Hope You Enjoy My Suggestions.

Viva La Musica!

Here at the Nucka we’re always doing incredible research to bring you the newest, strangest, and most intelligent news and reviews in music. And while listening to Clap Your Hand Say Yeah’s Alec O’s side project Flashy Python we came upon quite an interesting coincidence. The track Obscene Queen Bee was actually a CYHSY b-side and live favorite called Cigarettes. Not much has changed but which is actually the better song? I’ll leave it to you to decide gumshoes.

- Rubles
Cigarettes
Obscene Queen Bee

Who knew “inter-galactic indie domination” would be headquartered in Canada?

The founders of the Yellow Bird Project, two recent college grads from Montreal, did.

The Project creates and sells indie band t-shirts—think New Pornographers and Devendra Banhart– and gives the proceeds to charities. They call it indie philanthropy.

Their newest venture: a coloring book.

Illustrator Andy Miller channeled the bands’ music as he doodled black and white cartoons for the Indie Rock Coloring Book.

Bon Iver’s page features a cabin in the woods, snow-capped mountains and magic water. MGMT gets a playground with a slide, ladder and periscope that stretch out like tongues doing yoga poses.

Matt Berninger, lead singer of Brooklyn band The National, is a fan of the book.

“This is the greatest coloring book since coloring was invented,” he said according to the YBP Web site. “I’ve decided to have kids just so I’ll have somebody to give this book to.”

A mere 15 years ago,  discovering new music was a much more labor-intensive process. You’d have to turn on the radio or the tv (back when they still played music videos on MTV) or actually go to a record store to see what was new on the music scene. Sure, the popularity of certain bands or artists came in waves and they could certainly swell up, but back then, it was a different beast.

With the advent of the internet and MP3’s, the dynamics have certainly changed… especially in the ‘indie’ rock world, which I gravitate towards. Long gone are the days of turning on the radio and discovering new music. (1) Today, the avid music consumer has at his or her fingertips a wide body of opinions and whims thanks to the Internet. Anyone can start a blog and start proselytizing. (2) Still though, there are taste makers. We may have graduated from the days of listening to local radio stations, but sites like Pitchfork have become a new force to reckon with. Whether you read it religiously or the very name causes your skin to crawl, you can’t deny the power that it wields. Little-known bands can suddenly gain widespread exposure when they make the cut for ‘best new music.’ Pitchfork has been credited as launching the careers of such bands as Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, and more.

In an interview on the (great) site Tiny Mix Tapes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah member Lee Sargent discussed the impact of Pitchfork’s influence on their album Funeral, saying:

Well, first of all we didn’t think Pitchfork would ever review our record because we’re not on a label. I don’t read Pitchfork much these days because I don’t have any money. So if there’s, like, a record I want to buy I’ll have to buy it and then I’ll be in debt again. Um, so I don’t really read it much. But I’m fully aware of how influential it is and I’m fully aware of what they do for a lot of bands [...]

We always knew that this band was going to be successful eventually. We didn’t know how long it would take. You hear about really awesome bands like, “paying their dues” for three years and not getting noticed. So that was always a possibility. But, the thing about a publication like Pitchfork is that they can decide when that happens. You know what I mean? They can say, “We’re going to speed up the process and this is going to happen…now!” And it was a kick in the pants for us, because we lost control of everything.

But… all that said, how much credit should we really give Pitchfork? Are their articles peer edited? Do they get paid or bribed by promoters or labels? Are the whims of the music industry really dictated by one individual’s opinion? How do you become a Pitchfork God anyway? How thoroughly do the reviewers imbibe the albums before they write the review?

Though many of these questions have been floating around in my consciousness for a while now, it was my friend Jeff who really called into question the advent of the music blog and the arbitrariness of the taste makers. Jeff and his roommate Paul are starting a music blog of their own. In it, various people (myself included) will contribute reviews of albums, with the stipulation that we must listen to the entire album ten times before we write the review. There will be no casual listening there. Will this dedication and attention clear away the preconceived notions and expectations thrust upon the music by these hype machines? We’ll see…

Until then, I thought I’d start a little thing of my own. Periodically, I will take the track or album highlighted in the ‘best new music’ section and review it, myself – right here in this blog. So stay tuned for my thoughts on the likes of The Drums, Wild Beasts, The xx, and more.

–
(1) Unless you count NPR music-related content as radio… but I for one typically stream that online or download the podcast.
(2) Though I will say that it is getting harder and harder to come up with a catchy original name for a blog since they’re all getting snatched up.

*See also:
- “Could This Be the World’s Most Hated Website?” An article that depicts the pro’s and con’s of Pitchfork.
- “David Cross: Albums to Listen to While Reading Overwrought Pitchfork Reviews” A humorous article/spoof by comedian David Cross.
- The message boards on last.fm about “Pitchfork Oversights”
- “Music Critics: Irreplaceable or Irrelevant?” a segment from WNYC’s show Soundcheck that features Douglas Wolk, a blogger and contributor to Pitchfork.

Every time I travel I am reminded of the amazing music that is being made around the world. All of it can have a place, and all of it can have an audience. But occasionally that audience may not be in your hometown.

If you’re making niche music (isn’t it all?) then it caters to a niche market. That market may not be big enough where you live. That doesn’t mean you need to give up the game. But it could mean that you need to move your ass to the place where your audience will be. Typically that means a larger market (where everyone finds an audience) or a genre specific market (like Nashville for country artists).

I know more then a few bands who couldn’t sell out local venues yet they play to thousands of fans in other markets. That’s what our digital age has given us. A way of tracking where our fans are coming from and then using that info to our advantage. Moving to another  market may seem like a big step, but this is your music and your life. If you want to keep making music then you’ve got to find your fans.  Moving may be a very good idea.

don’t touch the laughter and away we go

clap your hands! !

- 2005 -

If the Talking Heads and Guided By Voices ever had a baby it would sound like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I love the quirky song writing mixed with the lo-fi sound.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah “Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away”

Like what you see feel free to email me at tad@creativesquall.com or check out the Creative Squall website to see how sketches grow up to be complete ideas. If you really like what you see, be sure to subscribe to get updates for the latest Song of the Day.