Thunderclap: Banks of Yarrow

Nick Kinsey (Diamond Doves, Elvis Perkins in Dearland) has an exciting new project.

Working under the name Thunderclap, he’s reimagining the Child Ballads, a group of 305 English and Scottish folk songs collected by 19th century folklorist Francis James Child. Kinsey is not covering each one individually; instead he is reworking the songs, mixing and matching between tunes to create original and modern interpretations of the source texts.

The song you are about to listen to is based on Banks of Yarrow, but also borrows heavily from a song called Sir Hugh. It features Jean Garnett on lead vocals; Nick Kinsey on drum programming, percussion, synths, keyboards, guitar, vocals; Zach Tenorio-Miller on Celesta and effects; and it is quite lovely.

 

Video: Gang Gang Dance 4AD Session

This session was filmed in Angelic Studios in April 2011 to celebrate the release of Gang Gang Dance‘s fourth record, Eye Contact. I like this band because they’re from Brooklyn, but sometimes they sound like they’re commuting from Mars.
 

 
Tracklisting
1. Chinese High
2. MindKilla/KOU-DA-LEY
3. Adult Goth/Bond
4. Glass Jar

Director: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Director of Photography: Stuart Roweth
Camera Assistant: Warren Forster
Set Stylist: Sal Pittman
Editing and Post Production: Iain Forsyth
Recording and Mixing: Sean Maffucci
Recording Assistant: Tom Fuller, Angelic Studios

AF THE NAYSAYER: An Agglomeration of Thoughts (album sampler)

In the department of “electronic music I really enjoy”: AF THE NAYSAYER, of New Orleans, with a sampler for An Agglomeration of Thoughts, his most recent record:
 
AF THE NAYSAYER – An Agglomeration of Thoughts (Album Sampler) by AFTHENAYSAYER
 
Just so you can hear one all the way through, here’s Imagerial Denouement:
 
AF THE NAYSAYER – Imagerial Denouement by AFTHENAYSAYER

Video: Lindi Ortega, Dying of Another Broken Heart

I first encountered Lindi Ortega as one of the opening bands on Social Distortion’s latest tour, where she slammed through some rockabilly tunes and leaned more towards rock than ‘billy. This song, brought to you by the fine people at Cardinal Sessions, is a little bit slower, and showcases the crystalline purity and sweetness of her voice.

 

Video: Macklemore x Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz, Thrift Shop

I like this video because: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are both rocking those fur coats; DELOREAN!!!!; Macklemore is also rocking those Batman footie pajamas; Wanz is superfine vocally and sartorially (pink suit!!!); and I sincerely appreciate their collective celebration of thrift stores.

Plus his rhymes are pretty great. I especially love the “I bought a broken keyboard / and then I bought a kneeboard” because that is the essence of thrift shopping: the mixture of “I could fix this and it will be totally fine!” and “I didn’t know I needed this until it was in front of me!”

Which is also how I have acquired a pair of kind of ridiculous vintage purses; a pillow that looks like someone skinned a Tribble, which I have named Beowulf; and an ever-expanding collection of vintage tea cups. Obviously if Macklemore and I ever went shopping together we would have the absolute best time.

 

Link Session: Hurricane Sandy Relief Edition v. 2

Revised and expanded from last week, but by no means complete.
 
Studios and Labels in Need of Assistance:

Friday Link Session

  • …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and The Coathangers have teamed up as Thee Deadcoats to cover Pussy Riot’s “Putin Lights Up the Fires”. Proceeds will be split between the funding of Pussy Riot’s legal defense and the American Red Cross Sandy relief effort.
  • Classic 1981 concert film “Urgh! A Music War” is available to view in full on YouTube.
  • BBC Radio Four’s “Mastertapes” is available as a podcast (meaning non-Brits can listen without any country restrictions). “Mastertapes” is an interview, audience Q&A and performance show, and programs posted so far have featured Billy Bragg, Suzanne Vega, and Paul Weller.
  • Richard Hell is publishing an autobiography called I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp in March of 2013. The book can be pre-ordered at Amazon. There is a review of Chapter 28, which was released as a chap book, at We Who Are About to Die.
  • While most of the output from new Cleveland radio station 87.7 is pretty bland, the station is now the new home of Cleveland-centric showcase Inner Sanctum on Sunday nights from 9 to 11 p.m. Cleveland bands who would like to be considered for inclusion on the show should e-mail their name, e-mail address, telephone number, and links to any social media to wearecleveland@877cleveland.com.
  • Further to local music news, Patrick Sweany is finally coming back to the Cleveland area. Sweany will be playing Mahall’s in Lakewood on November 23. Buy tickets here.

Jail Weddings: Four Future Standards

Four Future Standards is Jail Weddings‘ follow-up to Love is Lawless(2010) and the prequel to Meltdown (coming soon). It is both a teaser – Meltdown is apparently going to be about, well, meltdowns, and these songs certainly presage that development – and a breather – these tunes are tremendous, but have a different kind of energy than, say, Tough Love. They’re more cabaret than drag race.

This is the one I like the best so far: