I’m going to bat for Bradford and pals. Deerhunter has been good to us. On their blog, bandleader Bradford Cox is pretty great about providing new songs and sneak peeks of forthcoming material. While posting a link to the new Atlas Sound single, via Mediafire, Bradford unwittingly provided a public portal to all of his uploaded material, including two not-yet-released albums, unfinished demos, and the famous Deerhunter “micromixes.” In essence, his diary was discovered. As you can imagine, a free-for-all ensued. Old dude made it over to the At Ease Message Boards and posted all the files. Do you think Captain Yorke and the boys would approve of this, brah?! I’m a blogger too and all, but I’m sorry guys, that was a bitch move on your part, indie dorks. For shame. Continue reading ‘I’m Sorry, Bradford Cox’
Wouldn’t it be totally lulzy if I posted a picture of the Seattle landmark and was all like “no, not that Space Needle, silly?!” Oh em gee, that would be hysterical. But since I have no sense of humor that I’m aware of, that won’t happen. Instead, I’d like to talk about how Space Needle (the band) is the fuzziest ever. I’m talking Snuggle Bear fuzzy. And by the way, this is not product placement, I’m really into Snuggle Bear. I fucking love talking bears. Continue reading ‘Space Needle is for Lovers’
About 10 years ago, Art Bell, then host of late night alien and conspiracy theory-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM, aired the frightening urban legend recording “The Sounds From Hell.” It’s an unsettling clip, but also morbidly fun. It’s also completely a hoax (literally speaking, not theologically). The origin of this sound is as follows: Soviet scientists drilled a hole nine miles deep in the heart of Siberia to study plate tectonics. When they hit a heat pocket, their drilling equipment was destroyed, followed by the sound of millions of screaming souls. As any good scientist would do, they whipped out the mics and recorded it.
I tell this anecdote as it relates the feeling I get when I hear Cloudland Canyon, and subsequently, when I feel my face melt off my skull. I don’t believe in hell, but I believe in nine mile deep holes. And at the entrance of such a tremendous cave, portal, the dark and cavernous chasm reaching deep into foreboding stretches beyond our measly surface existence, is the sound of Cloudland Canyon. It’s huge, it’s beautiful, but it’s teeming with trepidation. If they ever make a film adaptation for Mark Z Danielewski’s House of Leaves, Cloudland Canyon should produce the sound of the ever-expanding house. This is the biggest thing on the planet. Cloudland Canyon, should their discography get too prolific, will knock our planet right off it’s fucking orbital plane. Continue reading ‘Cloudland Canyon Ain’t Nothin’ to Fuck With’
Califone played Monday, 8.11.08, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in Chicago as part of the Audible Architecture Concert Series and Pitchfork’s Nightclubs at Noon Series. I caught Califone back in November of ‘06 as they were pushin’Roots and Crowns. Though the show was good, it was held in an art space with little to no heat, the band seemed sorta bummed, and it certainly didn’t hold any weight compared to what they brought Monday (and at lunchtime, no less).
Perhaps it was just the acoustics of the Frank Gehry designed amphitheater, but Califone got better since last time we met. Tim Rutuli’s vocals were at their most melodic and pop-aware, meanwhile the band was increasing their sonic depth before your very eyes, unfurling louder, thicker, trippier soundscapes that were strange even for Califone. Walls of thick ambience, collapsing structures and disjointed melodies, violins, horns, jingly percussion – Califone did not fuck around. Seeing them reminded me of why I like Animal Collective, as in, there were two very disparate forces pulling away from each other at the same time. While one segment of the music moved more into the major key pop realms, the other spun off into a noisy, marshmallowy sea of sine wave shredding psych. Jesus fuck, they were really good. The hippie contingent was out in full force, too, which is always fun to see juxtaposed with all the douchey fasttrack business folk.
Christ wilikers. Jason Savvy is straight up awesome style. He emailed me yesterday and offered up a nice dusk-time peek through the 88 Boadrums’ looking glass. In tandem with the theme, Jason shot eight videos at 88 seconds a piece, and included some choice photos. I’m totally digging the Close Encounters of the Third Kind vibe.
As Gang Gang Dance took over camp counselor duties in New York, Eye and Company led the brigades at the La Brea Tar Pits. Jason’s report from the war zone:
“it was so cool! transcendent! there were thousands of people listening to psychedelic power noise situated right above giant subterranean gas and petroleum pools rising to the surface. you couldn’t write this shit. how bizarre and beautiful.”
So there you have it. Thanks again, Jason! I very much covet your experience Friday night. By the way, are the noise boize still answering to Boredoms these days, or have they transfered everything to their Vooredoms domain? Answer and get a free Boredoms ringtone. Continue reading ‘88Boadrums – Photos and 8 Videos From L.A.’
And here’s the first video that surfaced from the Brooklyn performance conducted by Gang Gang Dance. I would’ve undoubtedly elected to watch/participate in this than watch the Olympic opening ceremonies or whatever. Feels like marching to war, doesn’t it? This sounds soooo good. If anyone who went has some decent shots, please send them my way and I’ll handsomely reward you with, I dunno, baked goods or somethin’.
The Decibel Tolls’ Super Swingin’ Mix is, like, a fuckton of MP3s in a single post focused on a particular genre or theme. The songs sequenced are meant to be listened to, ya know, as a mix. Hence, it’s recommended that you enjoy each song in order without commercial interruption. So you should hit Apple + T (or Ctrl + T for you, egad, PC users) on that shit, throw some D’s on that bitch, and keep the MP3s on this page rockin’ whilst you browse whatever it is you browse on the Internets. Rotate thy volume dial clockwise. Tinnitus for days.
Today, it’s time for the inaugural Shoegazing mix. Considering that shoegazing is generally the second genre I list when discussing this blog, I haven’t posted a lot of shoegazing tracks. I’ve scoured my digital arsenal for a small cross-section of shoegazing from the classic groups and the revivalists, as well offerings from groups who aren’t considered shoegaze proper, but rope in the aesthetic nonetheless. Here’s a healthy collection of wailing, screeching, but melodic canticles of wonder. Continue reading ‘Shoegazing and Dream Pop Mix 1′
Save the date, coach. Freak roots/experimental folk pioneers and Thrill Jockey payrollees Califone will bring it proper for a midday concert this Monday, Aug. 11, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. The rockshow is part of the Audible Architecture Series. Admission is free and the show is scheduled to kick off at 12:15 p.m. There really are a surprising number of “New Weird America” rippers who work downtown (like me), and they will all be there geekin’ the fuck out whilst the Cloud Gate tourists remain righteously confused. It’ll be something to witness. My lunch break’s gonna rule. Continue reading ‘Califone to Play Two Free Chicago Shows’
Mo’ ’shik, trick. Koushik’s follow up to his hazy, lush, Free-Design-with-beats debut, Out My Window, is now available for download on the cheap. The physical, three-dimensional version comes out September 30. I’ve already expressed my adoration for Koushik’s technicolor dreamscapes, so I won’t bore you with more jive. Continue reading ‘More Koushik Action’
This doesn’t need a long introduction, but as a master of circumlocution, I’m going to give it one. An impressive, soundboard-quality bootleg of one of this summer’s warm-up shows in London has surfaced in torrentland. And it proves everything we’ve been hoping for – My Bloody Valentine will utterly decimate live.
It’s one month and 20 days (according to my righteous little ticker on the left) until My Bloody Valentine inflicts structural damage to the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. And if you’re going to the Chicago date and are worried about the Aragon’s notoriously shitty sound, fear not (probably). Rumor has it that Kevin Shields is bringing his own PA, cables, boards, and everything else he can preside over. I mean, he’s only a producer.
So yeah, for everyone having trouble sitting still until September’s end, this concert bootleg serves as a delicious appetizer. “I Only Said” and “Sueisfine” are majestically aerodynamic live. “Slow” features booty bass and tectonic rumbling. This reunion is epic. Continue reading ‘My Bloody Valentine Live Sneak Peek (in MP3)’
