2009 July | The Decibel Tolls

Monthly Archive for July, 2009Page 3 of 3

Oh, Hi. Meet Malachai Prime

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on July 8, 2009

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l_43f8373542a58872c327ee352910f394 Oh, Hi. Meet Malachai Prime

…or Malachai Destiny, or Malach, or the 13th Century Boi. He answers to a multitude of monikers. Malachai is a Kentucky-based filmmaker who has built a rather heavy mystique around himself – everything from cultivating various personas to creating his own lexicon in his film dialogue and music. He’s sorta like Tolkien in that sense I suppose.

Malachai, academically speaking, creates unusual, rad, tongue-firmly-in-cheek abstract short form narratives. The actors come from a music and art talent pool known as the Manforest. Malach would never divulge to me what exactly a Manforest is, and perhaps I don’t really want to know. Malachai describes himself in his own words:

destinychart Oh, Hi. Meet Malachai Prime

The Quest series is somewhere between art film, surrealistic humor, and a delightful coming of age piece about broship and finding yourself. Get lifted, mang:

Malachai is on MySpazz here. If you wish to speak to him directly, though, you must contact Shooting Star Talents of Beijing. You can see some of his other work at Viemo.

A Summerish Mix

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 8, 2009

in Super Swingin' Mix

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ssm4 A Summerish Mix

When I think of summer and the hot weather that we’ve been sometimes enjoying, I often conjure this majestic image in my head:

SF074 A Summerish Mix

Treated. It’s the Tornado at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. You can probably see this thing from space. It’s huge. I’ve made one pilgrimage across town this summer to do bidding with the mighty Tornado, and plan to go five more times (as per the season pass). Not that any of this matters to you, of course. You probably just want the jams. Fair enough. Here is a summerish mix that, despite my admiration for Brian Wilson, does not feature any Beach Boys songs. That’s just too obvious, ya know:

beachboys A Summerish Mix

As a buddy of mine once said “keep it crunk, but keep it positive.”

MP3 :::
Darker My Love – Summer is Here
Shop Assistants – Almost Made It
Sun City Girls – Radar 1941
The Jesus and Mary Chain – On the Wall (the better Barbed Wire Kisses version)
Atlas Sound – On Guard
City Center – Gladest
Amen Dunes – In Caroline
Friends – Summer Sunday Blues
Seals & Crofts – Summer Breeze
The Clean – Beatnik

Elephant Stone (Ex-High Dials’ Rishi Dhir) – “I Am Blind”

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 6, 2009

in MP3

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l_d720499ce90ab1cf2c5c68fddacccb35 Elephant Stone (Ex-High Dials Rishi Dhir) - I Am Blind

The former bassist and sitarist for The High Dials recently assembled a new group of psych pop bros called Elepahant Stone, probably as a nod to the Stone Roses’ first album. As one could expect from someone out of the High Dials atmosphere, Elephant Stone’s debut album, the Polaris Prize-nominated The Seven Seas, is pretty packed with punchy jangle pop and Indian-chic psychedelic flourishes that should satisfy those missing The Rain Parade.

The entire album is available to list to by stream via Indiecater.

MP3 :::
Elephant Stone – I Am Blind

The Missing Link Between Flower Power and Creation – The Folklords

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 6, 2009

in Contraband

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51yRK%2Bq5gwL._SS500_ The Missing Link Between Flower Power and Creation - The Folklords

Whoever said you can’t judge a book by its cover is an asshole. I was introduced to The Folklords‘ Release the Sunshine whilst poking around Ear X-Tacy over the weekend. Like magnetism, my eyes locked on this record that was on display in the psych/kraut/experimental section from rather far away. The kaleidoscopic band photo with a Polaroid-washed palette, Indian-inspired hippie chic wardrobes, and the album’s title imposed over a doily-like paisley sun in the upper right hand corner – oh hell yes, this record’s going to be very relevant to my interests. And they’re called the fuckin’ Folklords. You know this is shit’s gonna be rowdy. So I picked it up.

The record sounds exactly as the album art suggests – good vibin’, sunny, spellbinding, lazy and hazy psychedelic electric folk with serious zither and autoharp solos in tow. Originally released in 1968 on Canadian imprint Allied Records, little is known about this Toronto trio and their only album. Their obscurity says nothing about the quality of the music – only that the late ’60s were quite a competitive period for this type of sound. As the liner notes suggest (and I agree), the Folklords, strangely enough, sound closer to the Creation Records groups of the mid ’80s, the British bands emulating the timbre of flower power, than many of their contemporaries in 1968. This is especially pervasive on “Thank You For Your Kindness,” included below. You can extrapolate whatever you will from this sentiment.

Release the Sunshine isn’t anything you haven’t heard before, but it’s exciting nonetheless to find a pretty good document of Canada’s response to the west coast sound – one that was swept under the rug, no less. Fortunately, Lion Productions, who specialize in grabbing obscure psychedelia and craftily remastering their finds, recently released this gem, and its available here.

For fans of: West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The Left Banke, Margo Guryan

MP3 :::
The Folklords – Forty Seconds River
The Folklords – Thank You For Your Kindness

Reminder – Heartless Bastards at Headliners Tonight

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 6, 2009

in Rockshows

. Comments

music-preview1-heartless-bastards Reminder - Heartless Bastards at Headliners Tonight

Heartless Bastards, the premiere purveyors of genre-hopping vintage garage boogie, are a fantastic band on record and even more of a force live. Though originally from the Cincinnati-Dayton market, Erika Wennerstrom relocated to Austin and changed personnel since we last saw them around. The result was this year’s The Mountain, a stripped-down, twangier effort compared to the lush, orchestral 2006 LP All This Time.

Interesting story about Wennerstrom. Before I started worked at The Dame in Lexington in 2005, the former general manager there was a big fan of Heartless Bastards and wanted to build a fan base for them in town. He would often call Erika up and pay her $50 to come down and play impromptu acoustic sets between headlining bands at various relevant shows. Sometimes she would even be set up in the corner of the room. Unfortunately, the effort at that time was fruitless. It took the big Fat Possum and CMJ push with All This Time before the band could sell out the venue. This just illustrates the humility and passion for their music that Wennerstrom and the band have, and prove that their current success (including an appearance on Letterman) is very well deserved.

Heartless Bastards play tonight at Louisville’s Headliners. They’re opening for Jenny Lewis, which is admittedly rather meh. But their raw and impassioned live performance is worth every penny for the ticket, which will be available at the door. Read more about what the band’s been up to lately in Erika’s interview with LEO this week.

Heartless Bastards
Tonight – Monday, July 6th
Doors @ 7 p.m., Show @ 8 p.m.
Headliners Music Hall – Louisville (map that shizz)

MP3 :::
Heartless Bastards – Finding Solutions
Heartless Bastards – The Mountain

Heavy Dub for Heavy Deeds

Published

Michael Hansen

on July 5, 2009

in MP3

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COVER Heavy Dub for Heavy Deeds

Sun Araw mastermind Carmerone Stallone must have enjoyed his collaboration as part of Vibes (who also have a new Psychic 7″ out), because the new LP Heavy Deeds finds his work unabashedly returning for a second helping of blistered space funk. Coming from the folks of Not Not Fun, the de facto furnace at the center of this current psychedelic revival, it’s getting harder and harder to compare acts like Sun Araw to anyone except their label mates and various side projects. We recently saw Pocahaunted experimenting with elements of dub and dancehall on albums like Island Diamonds, and similarly here Stallone looks to bring in disparate elements such as funk and blues to expand his psychedelic vernacular. The result is an album that is propelled largely by these contrasting elements sharing the same airspace, which is no back-handed compliment, because as proven on last year’s Beach Head, Stallone is at his best when he works within a specific concept.

Great celestial chants, tapering organs, and contorted wah-wah guitar workouts combine on tracks like “The Message” for some pretty blissed-out jams, and for an album with extremely minimal drums, maybe a tambourine pulse here and there, the album is surprisingly danceable. Whether it’s the bulging low-end of the mix, the vocal explosions sounding like a medicine man at the peak of an orgasm, or some subliminal ingredient that I can’t quite pick out, Heavy Deeds is just as good a soundtrack for your next mystery adventure as it is for getting stoned in your parent’s basement. I guess NNF said it best themselves, “Free your mind and your ass will follow.”

Heavy Deeds is available now on Not Not Fun.

MP3 :::
Sun Araw – The Message

The Black Heart Procession Marches On…

Published

Xavier Van Zandt

on July 5, 2009

in MP3 and News

. Comments

bhp The Black Heart Procession Marches On...

True to their name, The Black Heart Procession is probably one of the darkest bands to emerge from sunny San Diego and their upcoming release, Six, shows no sign of a break in the clouds. After the unfortunate demise of the their former label, Touch and Go (see “Things are Touch and Go for Touch and Go”), the band put out an SOS on its Myspace page seeking “anyone who wants to release the new black heart record.” Temporary Residence, Ltd., a Brooklyn-based label, came to the rescue and has since put out releases from hometown compadres, Pinback, as well as singer/guitarist Pall Jenkins’ other band, Three Mile Pilot.

black-heart-procession-six The Black Heart Procession Marches On...

The 13 cuts on the scheduled October 6 release portend a heavy experience with names like “Suicide”, “Drugs” and “Back to the Underground.” Time to buy futures in Eli Lilly stock to profit from the ensuing spike in Prozac sales. As a teaser, the band has pre-released “Rats”, a moody Nick Cave-ish ditty about life in a seedy town. “I see the pimps, I see the whores, I see the thieves outside your doors…” Clearly not San Diego, and apparently the band’s time in Portland is bearing lyrical fruit.

Amore del Tropico (the band’s 4th album) continues to wield influence on their current sound with heavier syncopation and a more complex, layered aesthetic. According to the band, more details on the forthcoming CD will be out in the next few weeks. When you’re tired of squealing kids out in the summertime sun and fresh air, shut the windows, lower the shades and reach for this slab of gloom to sink you into a satisfying state of perpetual melancholy.

MP3 :::
The Black Heart Procession – Rats

[Photos] Bonnie Prince Billy and Bachelorette – The Red Mile, Lexington

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 5, 2009

in Visual Aids

. Comments

[Photos] Bonnie Prince Billy and Bachelorette - The Red Mile, Lexington

Kinda late, but here are some photos of the Bonnie Prince Billy and Bachelorette show earlier this month at Lexington’s The Red Mile. Photos by my bro Chris Reynolds.

[Photos] Bonnie Prince Billy and Bachelorette - The Red Mile, Lexington

Continue reading ‘[Photos] Bonnie Prince Billy and Bachelorette – The Red Mile, Lexington’

Celebrating The United States of America

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 3, 2009

in MP3

. Comments

usa The United States of America - The American Metaphysical Circus and Heresy

On this holiday celebrating a rather goofy nation, it seemed poignant to post about one of my all-time favorite artists, also somewhat goofy, who happened to adopt a most festive and patriotic namesake – The United States of America. I’m still blown away every time I consider that this album, their one and only eponymous record, was recorded in 1967.

The United States of America was so far ahead of its time that it sounds futuristic even today. “The American Metaphysical Circus” provides a starting point for the marriage of psych pop with soaring melodic choruses, noise flourishes, and electronic structures adopted later by groups like Broadcast, Need New Body, early Stereolab, et al. Also make note of wonderfully drugged out lyrics: “and the price is right, the cost of one admission is your mind.” Word. “Heresy” is a better and more interesting outtake of “Coming Down” off the original release, and almost evokes a very distinct baroque flavor that, despite its major key tendencies, feels somewhat ominous. Hands down one of the most underrated artists of the ’60s.

Have a fun holiday weekend. Beer and fireworks. Be sure to mix the two.

MP3 :::
The United States of America – Heresy
The United States of America – The American Metaphysical Circus

Early Warning – Akron/Family Coming to Louisville in September

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 1, 2009

in News and Rockshows

. Comments

akronfam Early Warning - Akron/Family Coming to Louisville in September

Akron/Family will end their late summer/early fall North American schizo-folk tent revival in the River City at one of the city’s most intriguing venues, the 21C Museum Hotel, on September 20. The first leg of their upcoming tour features psych roots luminary and helluva nice guy Wooden Wand, with Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard and Slaraffenland rounding out the rest of the shows. The dates:

Wed. Jul. 22 Cleveland, OH @ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Thu. Jul. 23 Detroit Lakes, MN @ 10,000 Lakes Festival
Fri. Jul. 24 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge w/ Icy Demons
Sat. Jul. 25 Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Festival
Sun. Jul. 26 Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Festival
Wed. Jul. 29 Steamboat Springs, CO @ Ghostranch Saloon
Thu. Jul. 30 Vail, CO @ The Sandbar
Fri. Jul. 31 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Sun. Aug. 2 Liberty Park, NJ @ All Points West Festival
Tue. Aug. 11 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel w/ Wooden Wand
Wed. Aug. 12 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle w/ Wooden Wand
Thu. Aug. 13 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl w/ Wooden Wand
Fri. Aug. 14 Birmingham, AL @ BottleTree w/ Wooden Wand
Sat. Aug. 15 Asheville, NC @ Harvest Festival at Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
Fri. Aug. 28 San Francisco @ Outside Lands Festival
Sat. Aug. 29 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater w/ Howlin’ Rain, Lucky Dragons
Mon. Sep. 7 Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival
Tue. Sep. 8 Portland, OR @ Baghdad Theatre
Thu. Sep. 10 Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head Club w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
Fri. Sep. 11 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
Sat. Sep. 12 Monticello, NY @ ATP NY Festival
Mon. Sep. 14 Hudson, NY @ Jason’s Upstairs w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenland
Tue. Sep. 15 Williamsport, PA @ Site B w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenland
Wed. Sep. 16 Ithaca, NY @ Castaways w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenland
Thu. Sep. 17 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenland
Fri. Sep. 18 London, ON @ LOLA Fest
Sat. Sep. 19 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenland
Sun. Sep. 20 Louisville, KY @ 21C Museum Atrium Gallery w/ Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Slaraffenland