New from Calexico: Splitter, from Algiers. The video includes Nic Cage and people being abducted by aliens. It’s sweet and beautiful and if we are very lucky, this is how First Contact will actually happen.
Month: November 2012
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: Shotgun Honeymoon, Up to Something
Shotgun Honeymoon is not fooled, y’all. He can tell those shady people have nefarious plans. That bunny mask doesn’t hide a thing.
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:
- Norton Records Needs Your Help Now! Their warehouse in Red Hook got absolutely decimated. Jacob Blickenstaff has the complete low-down here.
- Un-Flood BK Music is taking donations to help rebuild studios and practice spaces destroyed by the storm, including Translator Audio.
- The Musical Extravaganza to Restore Red Hook!, Nov. 21 at the Bell House, which will include a squaredance hosted by NYC Barn Dance followed by music from Rosanne Cash, Jesse Lenat, John Pinamonti and the Brotherhood of the Whiskey Spitter Rebellion, and a screening of “B61”, a new film on the bus that runs through Red Hook by Michael Buscemi. Proceeds to Restore Red Hook. [Ed note: The Bell House has a LOT of benefit shows set up. Check their listings for more!]
- Taking Back Sunday, collectively from Long Island, will be playing a benefit show on Nov. 25 at the Pine Belt Arena. Proceeds will go to the Toms River Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund (New Jersey).
- New London Fire (Asbury Park / upstate New York) is offering a free song in return for donations to the Red Cross.
- The Everymen (Tuckerton, NJ) have made a benefit compilation record. There are 52 songs on it from artists all across the Tri-State area AND California too, and they ask for a minimum donation of $5. All proceeds to the Red Cross.
- Udachi (Staten Island) and several other electronic musicians have raised $1245 for the Bini Fund with their benefit compilation. They have a goal of $5,000 and the minimum donation is $5.
- …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 Firesâ€. Proceeds will be split between the funding of Pussy Riot’s legal defense and the American Red Cross Sandy relief effort.
- Candidate is offering a free copy of their new record to anyone who has contributed to hurricane relief who sends them an email with the subject line “I donated.”
- Aardvark Brigade (New Brunswick, NJ) has created the Unite. Rebuild. benefit campaign, and have t-shirts for sale. Multiple designs available, with some contributed by Paper Tiger and Jesse Korman at Piermont Management.
- Bayside, who are collectively Manhattan/Long Island/Queens natives, have benefit shirts available; proceeds to the Greater New York Red Cross.
- Bands on a Budget, Humble Humans and CoWerks, all Jersey Shore businesses, have joined together to create the Restore the Shore campaign and create benefit shirts/hoodies. Proceeds are currently going the Red Cross but other beneficiaries/partners are in the works. They are temporarily sold out of merchandise but there is a waiting list!
Things to Attend:
Things to Listen To:
Things to Wear:
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 Firesâ€. 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: