Dont miss new Bright Eyes, The People's Key, streaming for free on NPR. Connor Oberst gets over his recent fixation on writing alt/country tunes and comes up with another great record. Enjoy!
also RIP White Stripes, thanks for everything.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
New 2.1.2011: Spokes, Seefeel, Bob Marley, more
New This Week: 2.1.2011
Acid Mothers Temple/Stearica _ Split
Some of today’s best psychedelic by way of Japan and Italy.
Arabrot _ Revenge
Norwegian black punk/metal. Very heavy.
Aretha Franklin _ Aretha Sings the Great American Songbook
Aretha.
Billie Holiday _ Forever Lady Day (3CD)
Compilation of 53 of Lady Day’s greatest.
Blood Command _ Ghostclocks
Female-fronted emo-core from the Netherlands. You can imagine…
**Bob Marley & The Wailers _ Live Forever: Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, 9/23/1980
A reminder that Bob isn’t just a pioneer and pop-culture icon, but great performer. Must have for fans, hippies.
David Lowery _ The Palace Guard
Cracker lead singer makes the album he wants to make. Pretty American folk.
Dirtbombs _ Party Store
Unique Detroit garage-punk. See 'Jaguar', 'Alleys of Your Mind.'
Esben & The Witch _ Violent Cries
Eerie female-fronted indie guitar Brits are haunting in their best moments, dreary/kitschy at their worst. If you want to get creeped out watch the brand new video for “Marching Song,” directed by Peter King.
George Michael _ Faith [2CD]
Who knew there was a demand for more ‘Faith’? We didn’t, but here it is remastered and extended.
The Go! Team _ Rolling Blackouts
More Brits. Adventurous ones. Here they offer their most straightforward, psychedelic tunes yet.
Lloyd _ King of Hearts
Postponed, new date 3/22/11.
Matisyahu _ Live At Stubbs, Vol II
Say what you will about religious music but he’s the best Hebrew in reggae. Live from the famous Austin, TX BBQ joint.
**MEN _ Talk About Body
Sparse dance-tinged electro-pop from Le Tigre's JD Samson. Definitely has moments of greatness.
Midnite _ Treasure
Authentic, spiritual roots reggae.
Paul Hardcastle _ Desire
English synth-jazz guru plays dreamy, predictable jams.
Philthy Rich _ Trip’n 4 Life
Simple minded Cali MC is bolstered by slick beats and a long guest list. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Phish _ Live at the Greek (8.6.10, 8.7.10.)
Live. Die-hards swear the jams are better then ever.
Pushking _ The World As We Love It
Nu-metal from one of Russia’s most popular rock bands.
Red _ Until We Have Faces
Dramatic Christian mod-rock/screamo. Think a Lifehouse/Disturbed/Nickelback combo.
Regina Spector _ Live in London (2LP) (VINYL)
Spector manages to be simultaneously detached and compelling.
Seefeel _ Seefeel
Reviewed.
**Spokes _ Everyone I Ever Met
Reviewed.
Strong Arm Steady _ Arms and Hammers
Gritty, unique hip-hop. Postponed to 2/22/2011.
The JaneDear Girls _ Self titled
Warner Bros wish for another Taylor Swift, and it definitely doesn't come true.
The Rippingtons _ Cote d’Azur
Russ Freeman and Co keep the smooth Jazz coming. This guy wrote the music for the Weather Channel’s Local on the 8’s.
Terror Danjah _ Grand Opening, Minimal Dub, SOS, Leave Me Alone
Top-notch UK producer releases 12-inch from last year's Undeniable.
**Todd Snider
Prolific singer-songwriter sings instant classics. Endearing American folk.
Featured Reviews
Spokes _ Everyone I Ever Met (3.5/5.0)
Counter
Spokes are new to the scene, and their full-length debut doesn't hide it. This record doesn't fit cleanly under the umbrella of indie, folk, or even pop. More rock than a group like Mumford and Sons, and more pastoral than the Shout Out Louds, Spokes find a place of their own.
The opener "345" is a sweaty Arcade Fire-styled romp, built up from layers of sparse guitars and boosted by a striking violin line, eventually exploding with ferocity matching Win Butler and Co at their best. Second track and lead single "We Can make It Out" continues in the same vein with huge atmospheric guitars and violin weaving in out of the traffic. The album progresses organically into the title track exploding into a hooky pinnacle that would be the envy of peak masters Explosions In The Sky.
A much needed respite for the ears is then provided with the stripped down "Sun It Never Comes", and "Give It Up to the Night", which prepare the listener for the continuing swells and violent crescendos. The album doesn't let up the rest of the way sticking to the same formula of attack and release, building tension slowly, erupting in joy, and then doing it all over again.
The listening experience provided by Everyone I Ever Met doesn't feel like a collection of songs, but a unified project, conceived and realized as a whole. The low points here come in rare sleepy moments, which are few, far between, and will be welcome to some after the assault of smashing cymbals and guitars. This is a meticulously produced piece of art, every melody in a precise location and the timbre of every tone carefully crafted. Recommended listening for fans of good pop music.
Key tracks: "We Can Make It Out", "Everyone I Ever Met", "Forever the Bridge"
Seefeel _ Seefeel (2.5/5.0)
Warp
This is not a pop record and Seefeel is not a pop band, which may be the most important thing to keep in mind when listening to their latest self-titled LP. This is an assertively original collection of songs and if you can get over the fact that they're not made to please you, then there is an enjoyable experience to be had.
The album begins with stabbing synths, arrhythmic at first and gradually gaining structure with the plodding drums and otherworldly noises and feedback of "Dead Guitars." "Step Up" offers little more in the way of rhythm and continues to build on the theme of swelling electronics introduced by the opener, later resolved towards the end of the record with "Step Down." As the record continues to progress, the structure increases. Plodding rhythms begin to march, while chromatic melodies maintain the pervading sense of uneasiness.
"Rip Run" is the first track with an actual beat featuring dark atmospherics and warbling analog synths. The stuttering plod of "Making" is a definite highlight, accented by airy falsetto vocals, and the off-kilter movements of "Airless" continue the theme of unapologetic creation. It becomes clear that the band is not concerned with traditional song structures with three tracks under 1:03, and six tracks longer then 5:30.
Seefeel will be compared to the other electronic acts of today; Boards of Canada, Apparat, Braids, and while their perspective is extremely refreshing the record leaves something to be desired. As a fan of the genre and synth enthusiast I wanted to fall in love with this record, but it wasn't meant to be. Despite the group's many admirable qualities (they have been at it since '92 and continue to make music that is rudely original), this is a record that will be hard for many listeners to understand.
Key Tracks: "Rip-Run", "Making", "Sway"
Friday, January 28, 2011
Typhoon "CPR - Claws Part 2"
I don't know much about this Portland based band Typhoon, but i like them. Stumbled across them via my friend Michael's FB stream. Enjoying listening to their record Hunger and Thirst this morning, particularly this track, "CPR - Claws Part 2" which incorporates what i like about bands like Matt Pond PA - but then kinda gets weird and changes things up. It's beautiful and dreamy. Some of the tracks have a darker edge to them also, reminiscient of a more expansive sounding Pedro the Lion. Recommended listening. Check them out at bandcamp.
Monday, January 24, 2011
New 1.25.11 _ Iron & Wine, Destroyer, much more!
Welcome.
Before I start this week I wanted to thank you all for coming, and bri for having me. I’m really hoping that this blog is helpful for people looking to keep up with current music but don’t have time to sort through everything. My aim is to be as objective as possible and my reviews will focus on originality, talent, and overall listening experience. Debate is welcome, and if you think I’m wrong or missed something comment or e-mail.
Thanks, enjoy!
New This Week: January 25th, 2011
**Amos Lee _ Mission Bell
Ultra-pleasant, artfully produced standard American folk-pop; see “Flower”, “Windows are Down.” Guests include Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, James Gadson, Sam Beam, and Calexico.
Buckshot _ Common Knowledgy of the E
Longtime Brownsville MC and member of the Boot Camp Clik gets help from skilled sampler 9th Wonder and a long list of guests on yet another solid, and certain to be under-appreciated album.
Cam'ron & The U.N. _ Gunz N' Butta
Harlem’s nastiest brings the cringe as only he can.
**Charles Bradley _ No Time For Dreaming
Brilliant debut album on Sharon Jones' Daptone Records oozes soul and is not to be missed.
**Cloud Nothings _ Cloud Nothings
Energetic, hooky, and cheerful indie-pop feels like Vampire Weekend minus the pretension and expensive production.
Chikita Violenta _ Tre3s
Slickly produced, cleverly arranged indie-guitar-rock built around whispered vox in the vein of the Silversun Pickups.
Cold War Kids _ Mine Is Yours
New-wave leather enthusiasts cut off-kilter electro/blues with segments of classic, catchy pop.
Corinne Bailey Rae _ The Love EP
Neo-soul’s resident beauty lays her timeless vocals on classics from Prince and Bob Marley on this short, sweet 5-song EP.
Deerhoof _ Deerhoof Vs Evil
Wildly progressive indie music from another galaxy, see “Super Duper Rescue Heads”, “Qui Dorm, Nomes Somia”. The opposite of easy listening but very cool.
Destroyer _ Kaputt
Reviewed.
The Ex _ Catch My Shoe
Noisy lo-fi post-punk that doesn’t seem quite ready for human ears.
Fujiya & Miyagi _ Ventriloquizzing
Gorillaz meet Belle and Sebastian. Interesting, but nerdy.
Gang of Four _ Content
UK punk vets bring the noise but nothing new to the table.
The Get Up Kids _ There Are Rules
The founders of emo bring back Bob Weston (producer of Four Minute Mile), and come up with a shockingly decent effort following the disappointment of On the Wire (2002), Guilt Show (2004) and a four year hiatus.
Hell Rell & J.R. Writer _ Gun Clap
Painfully simple rhymes about being tough/getting bitches over generic beats; do yourself a favor and never listen to this. Hell Rell makes Ma$e seem like a Rhodes Scholar.
Iron & Wine _ Kiss Each Other Clean
Reviewed.
Layzie Bone _ Thug Luv
Everyone’s favorite singing thug sings it like he never left 1995.
Monotonix _ Not Yet
Post-punk noise/grunge outfit offers an album for an extremely specific group of people, which definitely does not include me, and probably not you.
Nicole Atkins _ Mondo Amore
Much hyped NJ native returns with her first album of new material since her 2007 hit Neptune City.
Paul Wall _ Politics As Usual
Latest mix tape from the Southern MC/grill extraordinaire has very little to offer.
Pendulum _ Immersion
Hugely popular mod-rockers sound like Nickelback on meth with keyboards.
Sam Sneed _ Street Scholars
Death Row affiliated Pittsburgh rapper brings an entertaining flow over classic West Coast beats.
Say Hi _ Um, Uh Oh
Portland indie mainstays keep cranking out simple catchy electro-pop tunes.
Talib Kweli _ Gutter Rainbows [Digital Release Only]
Yet another solid, intelligent effort from one of the head backpackers in charge, not that anyone will notice.
**Wanda Jackson _ The Party Ain’t Over
The cheeky ‘Queen of Rockabilly’ roars into the mainstream, invigorated by the production and guitar magic of Jack White. Get this album immediately.
Young the Giant _ Young the Giant
One part As Tall As Lions, one part Academy Is, this talented and much-hyped guitar rock quintet has potential but is hampered by a lack of direction.
**recommended
Featured Reviews
Destroyer _ Kaputt (3.0/5.0)
Merge
Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar has repeatedly described his band's sound as European Blues, and Kaputt is a record that sounds immediately out of place amongst contemporaries like LCD Soundsystem and Yeasayer. My initial reaction to the omnipresent horns and slinky production was to label this an anachronistic disaster; something that might have been acceptable in 1981, but as dated and tacky as a disco-ball hanging above your car's dashboard. The geek-chic vocals and aforementioned horns will turn some listeners off right away, but for those who stick with it the reward is in the experience.
The album beings with "Chinatown" and the listener is immediately immersed in a world of washing synths and smooth saxophones. The awkward male vocals are boosted by female accompaniment and the track transitions seamlessly into the stripped down, Fleetwood Mac-styled "Blue Eyes." As the album progresses the hazy atmosphere and upbeat rhythms continue. Bejar delivers his lines with a detached confidence declaring, "Oh child you're never going to make/New York City just wants to see you naked and they will." Funky guitar lines add intensity until the album takes a step back with the simple "Poor in Love", the first track on the album that allows Bejar's shaky warble to take a central role. The title-track/lead single Kaputt follows, and finds the band at their best. The track is a study in contradiction; relaxed and up-beat, distant but immediate, and comprised of dated elements that mysteriously combine for a super-contemporary whole.
This music has a transitive property to it, atmospheric synths, static, and horns create and fill space in a way that whisks the listener away to a distant world and time. A ride on the BQE is suddenly transformed into the Boulevard Peripherique, circling Paris in foggy darkness. Is this music that will fit comfortably into your collection and blend into your shuffle? Not at all, and that's the best part about it.
Key Tracks: "Blue Eyes", "Suicide Demo For Kara Walker", "Poor in Love", "Kaputt"
Iron & Wine _ Kiss Each Other Clean (3.0/5.0)
Warner Bros
South Carolina Native Sam Beam has been pushing his music forward since his 2002 debut The Creek Drank the Cradle (Sub-Pop) took him out of the classroom and into the spotlight. Success found Beam relatively quickly after he began recording his music with fans and critics alike eating up his uniquely polished acoustic bedroom pop. Fans of Iron & Wine should be wary; this album is vastly different from the 2004 hit Our Endless Numbered Days, featuring a wholly new format while retaining key elements.
This about-face is evident from the first notes of "Walking Far From Home" as distant and distorted guitar chords build the outline of a classic Sam Beam composition. Bells, precise backing vocals, and a waltzing affected harpsichord are layered above, with stylish synth lines seamlessly weaving in and out of the mix. The following "Me and Lazarus" is an early low-point in an impressive album, hampered by a tacky, SNLish saxophone line. The album continues with the more traditional "Tree By The River", and the band seems to be at their best when they retain elements of the music that made them successful, adding and swapping sounds as opposed to starting with a whole new approach.
As the record progresses Beam toes the delicate line between his classic approach and desire to innovate, and when the two come together harmoniously the band creates the most powerful moments of their career. The dancing bass line, active rhythm, and electric guitars of standout track "Monkeys Uptown" work astoundingly well underneath Beam's hushed vocals. There is an element of darkness/danger here that is new for the band, crafted by alternating minor keys and accidentals with segments of perfect folk-pop.
Overall the combination of Beam's smoothly refined vocals with harsher elements of experimental and indie rock found here make for an extremely interesting listen. Kiss Each Other Clean is a quality work from a great band, but may leave some longing for the inimitable warmth and intimacy of Iron & Wine's earlier work.
Key Tracks: "Walking Far From Home, "Monkeys Uptown", Rabbit Will Run"
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
New This Week 1/18/11
Shipla Ray and Her Happy Hookers _ Teenage and Torture
(very cool blues inspired Americana craziness, Gogol Bordello’s insane cousin?)
The Decemberists _ The King Is Dead
(Portland indie vets return with their best album since 2002's Castaways and Cutouts)
Smith Westerns _ Dye It Blonde (reviewed)
White Lies _ Ritual (run of the mill new-wave)
Tennis _ Cape Dory
(solid but gimmicky female indie-pop)
Mad Lib _ Medicine Show #11 Low Budget Hi-fi
(yet another posthostumous release from the legendary beatmaster)
Braids _ Native Speaker (reviewed)
Social Distortion _ Hard times and nursery rhymes
(the punk legends return, good if you’re missing the 90s)
Young Prisms _ Friends For Now
(over-reverbed/underinspired – Wild Nothing part II?)
The Script – Science and Faith (mainstream mod-rock slop)
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
(by some miracle he's still truckin’ with solid blues)
Lady Lazarus – Mantic
(shockingly good lo-fi female piano tunes, recommended!)
Featured Reviews
Smith Westerns _ Dye It Blonde (2.5/5.0)
The major label debut from this extremely young Chicago outfit released as the initial release for startup label HoZac records is a solid album, reliant on the heavily reverbed wailing vocals of Cullen Omori and fuzzed out guitar melodies of Max Kakacek. The opener “Weekend” is a remarkable piece of pop, but the momentum doesn’t last as the chugging “Still New” and “All Die Young” feel leisurely and seem to be lacking purpose.
The second half of the album picks up nicely with “Fallen In Love” and “End of the Night” but the inconsistencies continue with the mediocre “Smile” and Dance Away.” The Smith Westerns are at their best when they let their guitars do the talking, with classic peaks of fuzzed out extasticism reminiscent of the Kinks. While this album is not a start-to-finish success this debut leaves the reviewer looking forward to hearing what comes next. For fans of Deer Tick, the Kinks, Violent Femmes.
Key Tracks: Weekend, Fallen in Love, End of the Night, Dye the World
(very cool blues inspired Americana craziness, Gogol Bordello’s insane cousin?)
The Decemberists _ The King Is Dead
(Portland indie vets return with their best album since 2002's Castaways and Cutouts)
Smith Westerns _ Dye It Blonde (reviewed)
White Lies _ Ritual (run of the mill new-wave)
Tennis _ Cape Dory
(solid but gimmicky female indie-pop)
Mad Lib _ Medicine Show #11 Low Budget Hi-fi
(yet another posthostumous release from the legendary beatmaster)
Braids _ Native Speaker (reviewed)
Social Distortion _ Hard times and nursery rhymes
(the punk legends return, good if you’re missing the 90s)
Young Prisms _ Friends For Now
(over-reverbed/underinspired – Wild Nothing part II?)
The Script – Science and Faith (mainstream mod-rock slop)
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
(by some miracle he's still truckin’ with solid blues)
Lady Lazarus – Mantic
(shockingly good lo-fi female piano tunes, recommended!)
Featured Reviews
Smith Westerns _ Dye It Blonde (2.5/5.0)
The major label debut from this extremely young Chicago outfit released as the initial release for startup label HoZac records is a solid album, reliant on the heavily reverbed wailing vocals of Cullen Omori and fuzzed out guitar melodies of Max Kakacek. The opener “Weekend” is a remarkable piece of pop, but the momentum doesn’t last as the chugging “Still New” and “All Die Young” feel leisurely and seem to be lacking purpose.
The second half of the album picks up nicely with “Fallen In Love” and “End of the Night” but the inconsistencies continue with the mediocre “Smile” and Dance Away.” The Smith Westerns are at their best when they let their guitars do the talking, with classic peaks of fuzzed out extasticism reminiscent of the Kinks. While this album is not a start-to-finish success this debut leaves the reviewer looking forward to hearing what comes next. For fans of Deer Tick, the Kinks, Violent Femmes.
Key Tracks: Weekend, Fallen in Love, End of the Night, Dye the World
Braids _ Native Speaker (3.5/5)
This is a record that caught my ears from the first note and never let go. Haunting electronics flutter and shimmer while the high pitched and quirky vocals of Raphaelle Standell-Preston provide a much needed edge in this crowded genre of Animal Collective-inspired poptronica. The Montreal quartet has described a group creative process where songs were built around an initial sound, effect, or idea, and the results are breathtaking. Sparse keyboards and guitars combine and stab and multiply while managing to avoid clutter, and the vocals are simultaneously soothing and confrontational. The tracks manage to remain upbeat without being cheesey, pleasantly balancing some of the best elements of pop and experimental electronic music.
My only complaint about this record is that it is only seven songs (and two remixes), one of which is a Plath Heart remix that easily qualifies as the album’s worst track. With only seven songs ranging from four to eight minutes, this is far from a traditional pop record making its accessibility all the more remarkable. So give these Canadians a spin, or at least a preview on itunes or amazon.com, it will be worth the five minutes.
For fans of Glasser, Memory Tapes, Animal Collective, the Knife
Key Tracks: Lemonade, Plath Heart, Lammicken, Glass Deers (Teen Daze remix)
thanks for reading, see you next week!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
do you remember when?
hey, so i've kind of been re-thinking things for this blog over the last week or so. I started it in 2007 - i originally wanted it to be about being a punk rock dad, and kind of a creative journal. it ended up being much more of the latter. more recently as technology has changed, it's often felt like an unnecessary duplication of things i was doing in other places. i started releasing new songs via bandcamp, and the stories about the songs went there. i started a tumblr blog where i occasionally post songs i like and whatnot. and of course there's twitter. it's crazy. it's everything all the time.
okay, this all feels like an unnecessary explanation. here's what we're planning on doing here. Dan Bills, who some of you may know as our synth/keyboard player in beat radio, is coming on as a contributor. he listens to a ton of music, has excelllent taste, and is going to be posting regularly about new stuff he's listening to. you'll like him - he's super honest. he's not afraid to be critical of things. i think i shy away from that sometimes - i'm sort of a people pleaser. i think it has something to do with my childhood and my Dad being rude to waitresses and stuff but that's probably a much longer story than i should get into here. Sometimes people write about Beat Radio and say how super nice i am but then i get worried that they're just giving us a good review because i'm so nice or whatever. like maybe i should be a little cruel. like Lou Reed that time when he made Susan Boyle cry by not letting her sing his song "Perfect Day."
Well, anyway, whatever, that won't happen. And i think our songs are good anyway, so it's fine.
But, Dan Bills, yeah, he has impeccable taste and i look forward to his contributions.
As far as what i'm doing here, it will be more like essays, long rambling things about music, kids, the music business, movies, books, whatever. i feel like music blogging used to be awesome, and now there too much people just trying to be the hot blog on the elbo.ws charts by posting the same song that everyone posts and not really having all that much to say.
i like real writing, not just posts about bands unveiling vlogs or exclusive co-premiers and all that. i feel like the PR machine that sends every blogger hundreds of emails a week sort of took the fun out of it. anyway, things used to be exciting, people used to have something to say.
i'm hoping it will be like that. it's probably change as we go along. i've learned not to make promises about blogging. if anyone out there wants to contribute, please hit me up at brian@beatradio.org. would love to get some great guest posts going. Here's a Minor Threat song, feels like the right way to kick things off.
okay, this all feels like an unnecessary explanation. here's what we're planning on doing here. Dan Bills, who some of you may know as our synth/keyboard player in beat radio, is coming on as a contributor. he listens to a ton of music, has excelllent taste, and is going to be posting regularly about new stuff he's listening to. you'll like him - he's super honest. he's not afraid to be critical of things. i think i shy away from that sometimes - i'm sort of a people pleaser. i think it has something to do with my childhood and my Dad being rude to waitresses and stuff but that's probably a much longer story than i should get into here. Sometimes people write about Beat Radio and say how super nice i am but then i get worried that they're just giving us a good review because i'm so nice or whatever. like maybe i should be a little cruel. like Lou Reed that time when he made Susan Boyle cry by not letting her sing his song "Perfect Day."
Well, anyway, whatever, that won't happen. And i think our songs are good anyway, so it's fine.
But, Dan Bills, yeah, he has impeccable taste and i look forward to his contributions.
As far as what i'm doing here, it will be more like essays, long rambling things about music, kids, the music business, movies, books, whatever. i feel like music blogging used to be awesome, and now there too much people just trying to be the hot blog on the elbo.ws charts by posting the same song that everyone posts and not really having all that much to say.
i like real writing, not just posts about bands unveiling vlogs or exclusive co-premiers and all that. i feel like the PR machine that sends every blogger hundreds of emails a week sort of took the fun out of it. anyway, things used to be exciting, people used to have something to say.
i'm hoping it will be like that. it's probably change as we go along. i've learned not to make promises about blogging. if anyone out there wants to contribute, please hit me up at brian@beatradio.org. would love to get some great guest posts going. Here's a Minor Threat song, feels like the right way to kick things off.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Awkward For Life
It's been a while since I've updated here. To quote one of my favorite music writers, "Blog! Blogging on the blog. What happened, etc."
Well, i've been busy - making music, art, micro-blogging, tumblring, etc. Me and Liz are starting up a vinyl record label. It's an evolution i guess, on where to put things, but i am sorry if i've left any of you guys out in the dark because of it.
Well - here's what happened, our 2010 singles collection, with the help of our amazing Kickstarter contributors, turned into our 3rd full length album, Golden Age, which we're putting out on limited edition gold 12" vinyl.
I spent some time this morning listening through the test pressing. I'm really proud of it. The frantic pace of trying to put out 2 songs each month forced me to be more spontaneous, and let accidents happen. Not that i've ever been a perfectionist, but more than ever before, inspiration beat out perfection, introspection, and self-criticism. It's a different sounding record. I hope you like it.
One lesson i've learned over the last couple years is that when your making music you just have to go for it, and make your own mistakes. In the past i might have worried more, if the recording sounded "professional enough." I would have been told i needed to spend lots of money on recording, or mastering, or vinyl mastering, etc. I would have worried more if voice was a little off key here and there. Almost all these vocals are done in one or two takes. I used to do lots more and edit down, smooth out the edges. But i've never really been satisfied with the results of that process. It takes the life out of it, and makes it safe, and less interesting. I'm reading Kim Cooper's 33 1/3 Book about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea right now, and it's totally inspiring. Those guys weren't concerned about being professionals, they were just chasing after greatness, and creating a sense of community. For me i've been lucky - everything always seems to find a way of working out. I guess i believe that in art, it pays to be bold, and persistent.
Anyway, you can only fit so many minutes of music on 12" of vinyl, so we've compiled the rest of the songs from our our singles collection as an EP called Everything Follows, which you can download for free at Bandcamp.
Well, there's more to tell you, but that's alot of information for now, and i've got to get back to cleaning the dishes. Thanks so much for listening, reading, and being a part of our world. I'd love it if you could pass the word about this new music along to friends - i really want as many people as possible to hear it - that's sort of the reward of it all.
Oh yeah and I titled this post Awkward for Life, because that's the name of our new label - and it sort of describes the whole ethos of what we're doing. Sure, this is awkward-- we're awkward. If you've ever met me in person, you know that my conversations tend to ramble and get weird and tangential. I don't have a gift for small talk. But the thing is, it doesn't matter. Let's all just embrace it, and go for it. I mean, why not?
Cheers,
Brian
Well, i've been busy - making music, art, micro-blogging, tumblring, etc. Me and Liz are starting up a vinyl record label. It's an evolution i guess, on where to put things, but i am sorry if i've left any of you guys out in the dark because of it.
Well - here's what happened, our 2010 singles collection, with the help of our amazing Kickstarter contributors, turned into our 3rd full length album, Golden Age, which we're putting out on limited edition gold 12" vinyl.
I spent some time this morning listening through the test pressing. I'm really proud of it. The frantic pace of trying to put out 2 songs each month forced me to be more spontaneous, and let accidents happen. Not that i've ever been a perfectionist, but more than ever before, inspiration beat out perfection, introspection, and self-criticism. It's a different sounding record. I hope you like it.
One lesson i've learned over the last couple years is that when your making music you just have to go for it, and make your own mistakes. In the past i might have worried more, if the recording sounded "professional enough." I would have been told i needed to spend lots of money on recording, or mastering, or vinyl mastering, etc. I would have worried more if voice was a little off key here and there. Almost all these vocals are done in one or two takes. I used to do lots more and edit down, smooth out the edges. But i've never really been satisfied with the results of that process. It takes the life out of it, and makes it safe, and less interesting. I'm reading Kim Cooper's 33 1/3 Book about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea right now, and it's totally inspiring. Those guys weren't concerned about being professionals, they were just chasing after greatness, and creating a sense of community. For me i've been lucky - everything always seems to find a way of working out. I guess i believe that in art, it pays to be bold, and persistent.
Anyway, you can only fit so many minutes of music on 12" of vinyl, so we've compiled the rest of the songs from our our singles collection as an EP called Everything Follows, which you can download for free at Bandcamp.
Well, there's more to tell you, but that's alot of information for now, and i've got to get back to cleaning the dishes. Thanks so much for listening, reading, and being a part of our world. I'd love it if you could pass the word about this new music along to friends - i really want as many people as possible to hear it - that's sort of the reward of it all.
Oh yeah and I titled this post Awkward for Life, because that's the name of our new label - and it sort of describes the whole ethos of what we're doing. Sure, this is awkward-- we're awkward. If you've ever met me in person, you know that my conversations tend to ramble and get weird and tangential. I don't have a gift for small talk. But the thing is, it doesn't matter. Let's all just embrace it, and go for it. I mean, why not?
Cheers,
Brian
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