Archive
Sigur Rós album Kveikur (news) and “Brennisteinn” (video)
4/25 Update: There are now no plans for a deluxe edition per sigur rós’ official website. It is available on CD and LPx2 from Amazon NOW.
I’ve been lax in posting as of late… sorry… what to get me out of the funk? News about the new Sigur Rós album Kveikur, album art, tracklist, and a new video…
“Brennisteinn“
Gorgeous use of limited colors, and a little more loud (maybe Kjartan was keeping the rockiness at bay) – this video bodes well for the what is to come in the new album. They begin their North American tour tomorrow (I get to see them in Bend, OR in May), including their biggest headline show to date at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
Kveikur comes out June 18, 2013, and pre-order is live over on sigur-ros.co.uk for both CD & vinyl versions. The limited edition pre-order should be live soon.
Kveikur Tracklist:
1 Brennisteinn
2 Hrafntinna
3 Isjaki
4 Yfirbord
5 Stormur
6 Kveikur
7 Rafstraumur
8 Bláprádur
9 Var
Oh, and this was also announced yesterday… PRINCE is playing two shows in one night at small rock club Roseland Theater in downtown Portland, Oregon.
And guess who snagged tickets to see the 8pm show on April 21st? Me! Whoa!
~Dan – np: Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil
Sigur Rós “Dauðalogn” (video)
Gorgeous new stop-motion video for Sigur Rós “Dauðalogn” (from the album Valtari):
Form the Mystery Film Experiment. Video by Henry Jun Wah Lee, partly filmed over the lava fields in Yakushima Japan. Find more Valtari/Mystery Film Experiment videos at:
~Dan – np: Dan Deacon – America
REVIEW: Sigur Rós @ Edgefield (Portland, OR – 8/9/12)
PHOTOS below from Sigur Rós’ Tumblr
(unless otherwise noted)
Sigur Rós is magical. This was my 6th time seeing them, and quite frankly, it doesn’t get any less magical each time I am graced with their presence. They don’t really speak to me on a linguistic level, but they blow me away on a musical and emotive level.
The sweeping movements that scream, the melodies that bleed, the ambient passages that don’t go anywhere by going everywhere. 
The playing with light and shadows, the simplest/minimalist way to make a huge f*cking point. That is what Sigur Rós is to its fans.
Their latest album, Valtari, is… well, it seems more minimalist than their prior albums. It came out in late May 2012, and I’m only a few dozen spins in. I’m still trying to let it sink in. It’s slower going than the first spin of Agaetis Byrjun and ( ) for me. It’s not a hooky (bwahaha!) as Takk… or Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.
Is Valtari anything different than I’d expect from Sigur Rós?
No, not really. It just hadn’t broken through to me, yet.
Despite Valtari not quite breaking through yet, the anticipation for this tour was killing me. 
I had last seen Sigur Rós in October 2008 (review at my photo to the left), and I had last seen lead-singer Jónsi (solo) in April 2010 (review at my photo to the right).
The short trailer for the tour based on the Iceland rehearsals and the tour opening show in Philadelphia had me giddy…
After a delightful drive up and bite to eat at McMenamins’ Black Rabbit with a friend, we hit the venue right about 6 and found a nice shady spot on the lawn. Opener Julia Holter went on at 6:30 as scheduled…
She played a mellow, 40-or-so-minute set with her 3-piece band (unless there was another member out of my sight). We were far enough away and the crowd was a bit restless; so her set was more of a backdrop to discussions, people watching and decisions on pizza. I’d have liked to get into her music more, but sadly things were not conducive to that. Since she’s from Los Angeles, perhaps I’ll get another chance soon.
After a fairly short set-change, Sigur Rós hit the stage…
This was my first time seeing them in an outdoor venue. No fancy lights bouncing Orri’s silhouette off the walls, no starting the show behind a white sheet, no cannons of confetti blasting. Some of the “magic” was missing on the venue side of things, if you ask me – but I don’t think any magic was missing in the music.
Setlist: an hour & 45 min
- Ekki Múkk
- Svefn-g-englar
- Olsen Olsen
- Gong
- Andvari
- Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása
- Í Gær
- Vaka
- Sæglópur
- Hoppípolla
- Með Blóðnasir
- Festival
- Varúð
- Hafsól
- Dauðalogn (on setlist, not played)
- Encore: Popplagið
Many times throughout the set, within 2 or 3 notes, the crowd was clapping and hooting in anticipation for the song that was just started. I love that I live in a day and age where I can escape and listen to good live music that sells out a large outdoor venue. It’s not just the pop stars & starlets that draw a crowd, and it’s nice to see Sigur Rós’ progression and success over the years.
The lesser Valtari-focus made room for a great mix from their catalog, and I think songs from the different eras worked well together. Some of my favorites from the night… “Svefn-g-englar” leading into “Olsen Olsen,” “Vaka,” “Sæglópur,” “Hoppípolla,” and the show-capper “Popplagið.”
Despite always knowing that they’ll end the show with an epic 10-15 minute “Popplagið,” I don’t think I could choose a better song to end a beautiful night on.
~Tumblr-Rós photos from Seattle 8/8~
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sigur Rós’ Site
- Sigur Rós’ Social Media Links (see below)
- Julia Holter’s Site
- Julia Holter’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- Sigur-Ros.co.uk 8/9/12 review & photo portal
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Sigur Rós @ Schnitzer (Portland – Oct 2008)
- Jónsi @ Roseland (Portland – Apr 2010)
- Edgefield’s Site / Facebook
Check out more Sigur Rós – North American tour dates below.
Next shows for me… Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier Live SModcast on 8/17 (Portland) and Weird Al Yankovic on 8/18 (Eugene / Lane County Fair).
~Dan – np: Testament – Dark Roots of Earth
July 2012
29 & 30 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Skyline Stage at The Mann
31 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Prospect Park Bandshell
August 2012
1 – Toronto, Ontario @ Echo Beach at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
3 – Montreal, Quebec @ Osheaga Festival Musique Et Arts
5 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lollapalooza
8 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount Theater
9 – Portland/Troutdale, Ore. @ Edgefield Amphitheater
11 – San Francisco @ Outside Lands
12 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Sigur Rós 1st leg of dates for North American Tour
Glen Phillips & J. Kingham show review/setlist from Portland’s Alberta Street Theatre (4/12) to be posted this weekend. Up now, some news…
Yesterday Sigur Rós announced their first few dates for their North American tour for the upcoming album, Valtari…
July 2012
30 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Skyline Stage at The Mann
31 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Prospect Park Bandshell
August 2012
1 – Toronto, Ontario @ Echo Beach at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
3 – Montreal, Quebec @ Osheaga Festival Musique Et Arts
4-5 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lollapalooza
8 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount Theater
9 – Portland/Troutdale, Ore. @ Edgefield Amphitheater
12 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Tickets willing, I’ll be at the Portland date! Go sign up on sigur-ros.co.uk to find out when tickets go onsale.
~Dan – np: Tyler Fortier – Bang On Time
Sigur Rós new album ‘Valtari’ (late May 2012)
Updated with official notice, sample tune (Ekki Múkk) that you can buy/download & video trailer from Sigur Rós (below).
Update 4/4/12 with cover art done by Jónsi’s sisters, Lilja and Inga Birgisdóttir (incidentally, Inga was the baby on the band’s first album cover, Von.)
As reported by Q, 24bit and Paste, Sigur Rós’ new album is called Valtari and due out on May 28th (Europe) or May 29th, 2012 (US). At first, this looked like an elaborate pre-April Fool’s Day joke to me, simply based on this call out quote. I bounced an email off of Peter at 24Bit, and he seemed to have vetted it a bit.
Simply based on the fact that I know Sigur Rós was in the studio working on new material, I’ll give my skepticism kudos but I’ll also give this news the benefit of the doubt. Here’s what was reported on 24bit…
Following up a stunning solo LP and film score, Jónsi is back with the great Icelandic quartet Sigur Rós for a full-length successor to 2008′s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Due out on May 28th and titled Valtari, the 7-track effort features “more electronic stuff than before,” bassist Georg Hólm told Q Magazine (via). “But don’t worry,” he added, “we haven’t made a dance record.”
Aside from track titles, the release date, and a few non-specific adjectives (“beautiful,” “dreamy,” “introverted,” etc.), Hólm and Jónsi offered their own differing images of what to expect:
Hólm: “…this I’d compare to looking at an old landscape painting.”
Birgisson: “…like an avalanche in slow motion.”
It sounds like — as with most of the Sigur Rós oeuvre — we’ll have another cinematic set left gloriously open to interpretation. While we wait, the pair shared these track titles for cuts recently mixed with co-producer Alex Somers below:
Valtari Tracklist
- Ég Anda
- Ekki Múkk
- Varúð
- Rembihnútur
- Dauðalogn
- Varðeldur
- Valtari
- Flogur Piaro (?)
No official word on the Sigur Rós news page, but I imagine it’ll be forthcoming soon if true.
Nevermind… it’s legit!
Pre-order featuring exclusive merchandise coming soon!
~Dan – np: Skeleton Key – Gravity is the Enemy
Sigur Rós album in the Spring 2012…
If you came here for the My Brightest Diamond (Portland 11/6) show review & photos, go HERE.
If you came here for the Puscifer (Seattle 11/7) show review & photos, go HERE.
.
Paste Magazine recapped from the Wall Street Journal of all places…
This week has been a big one for Sigur Rós with the release of their concert film Inni. But maybe some of the biggest news about the band, who has been on hiatus since 2008, is that they’ve got a new album scheduled to come out this spring.
As the WSJ reported today, the hiatus took a bit longer than the band expected, with several band members starting families in the off time. But the band started work on this new album when frontman Jónsi Birgisson ended his tour for the album Go.
“It was like coming home to see the guys again. It felt natural,” Birgisson told the WSJ.
WSJ writer Jim Fusilli heard some excerpts of the unnamed album, which he said “promises to be as exceptional as the best of the band’s catalog.” Bassist Goggi Hólm called the album “introverted” and Birgisson said the album was “floaty and minimal.” That’s about as much explanation as you could hope for from a group of guys whose best-known album is titled ( ).
Jonsi’s new solo album/soundtrack, We Bought A Zoo, is also coming out soon (Dec 13, 2011).
~Dan – np: Opeth – Heritage
Jónsi ‘We Bought a Zoo’ Soundtrack
Jónsi had previously announced that he would be working on the soundtrack for Cameron Crowe’s newest film, We Bought a Zoo, but it was unknown in what capacity. According to the track listing released today, it will be a combination of solo work, score, new tracks and even some from Sigur Rós.
The soundtrack will feature two new songs from Jónsi, “Ævin Endar” and “Gathering Stories,” which will also features Crowe on the track. The soundtrack also has songs from Jónsi’s solo album from last year, Go, that have been redone for the soundtrack.
Below is a track list for the soundtrack, coming out on Dec. 13 (available for PRE-ORDER now). The film We Bought a Zoo will be in theaters on Dec. 23.
1. Why Not
2. Ævin Endar
3. Boy Lilikoi
4. Sun
5. Brambles
6. Sinking Friendships
7. We Bought a Zoo
8. Hoppipolla (Sigur Ros)
9. Snaerisendar
10. Sink
11. Go Do
12. Whole Made of Pieces
13. Humming
14. First Day
15. Gathering Stories
The trailer for the movie is here:
It looks a little schmaltzy… but I have faith in Cameron Crowe (well, generally) and the cast looks great.
~Dan – Peter Mulvey & David Goodrich – Nine Days Wonder
Sigur Rós – Klippa [video]
New video from Icelandic post-rocker Sigur Rós for the song “Klippa“…
Gorgeous yet odd, and based on the link on the vimeo site, somehow related to their upcoming Inni DVD release.
~Dan – np: Regina Spektor – Soviet Kitsch
Sigur Rós concert film Heima (free today only)
Today (monday, september 5th) icelandiccinema.com is free streaming the Sigur Rós concert film Heima from their website.
After midnight Icelandic time (5pm monday san francisco, 8pm monday nyc, 1am tuesday london, 9am tuesday tokyo) the film will be available to stream for a fee.
~Dan – np: Austrian Death Machine – Double Brutal
Sigur Rós – INNI (live album/film)
Last week, Sigur Rós put out an enigmatic trailer titled INNI without any details. Speculation of a live film was an easy guess… “Inni” is the shorthand name for the second track (“Inní mér syngur vitleysingur” aka “within me a lunatic sings“) on their last full-length album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Today they released the initial details about the upcoming release…
Inni is comprised of a double live album and seventy-five minute film of Sigur Rós’ last show before their well-documented “indefinite hiatus” at the end of 2008.
Recorded and shot over two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace at the close of the world tour around their fifth full length album, með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, Inni sees the band at the peak of their powers, captured on film for the first time as a core four-piece since they were joined by string section amiina at the start of the century. Directed by Vincent Morisset (Arcade Fire’s Miroir Noir), the film is set to debut at this year’s Venice Film Festival on September 3rd, 2011.
THE FILM
Inni is Sigur Rós’ second live film following 2007’s hugely-celebrated tour documentary Heima. Whereas that film positioned the enigmatic group in the context of their Icelandic homeland, providing geographical, social and historical perspectives on their otherworldly music, Inni focuses purely on the band’s performance, and stands as a stark counterpoint to Heima’s kaleidoscopic richness. Where Heima was lush and colorfully expansive, Inni is spare and near-monochromatic in its tunnel vision. Filmed in a manner that invites both intimacy and claustrophobia, Inni cocoons the viewer in a one-on-one relationship with the band, eschewing the audience for closeness, depicting how it feels for both band and fan to experience Sigur Rós live.
The film’s elegance and atmosphere are enhanced by Morisset’s re-filming of the original digital footage on 16mm, which was then re-filmed again, sometimes through prisms and other found objects, allowing Inni to look and feel like something recovered from the past. Interspersed with this is archival footage drawn from the band’s previous decade, dating back as far as 1998. This juxtaposition gives viewers the full scope of Sigur Rós’ origins, evolution, originality and influence.
THE DOUBLE LIVE ALBUMThe live album Inni – a first for the band – is comprised of the full set from Alexandra Palace, played in order with just one omission, and clocks in at one-and-three-quarter hours. Recorded by Sigur Rós’ in-house studio engineer Birgir Jón Birgisson, Inni’s live audio recording is far and away the best way of replicating the full-force effect of standing in front of one of the world’s most extraordinary bands for an evening.
When taken in together, Inni’s film and live album give us an incredible account of one of the most celebrated and influential rock bands of recent years, showing where they’ve come from, where they’ve been, and like all things Sigur Rós, where it is they will be going next. More details of how, when and where Inni will enter the world will be made available shortly on sigur-ros.co.uk.
~Dan – np: Sunny Day Real Estate – How It Feels To Be Something On
Jónsi – Live at the Wiltern (live audio & video), plus more music news…
Sigur Rós front man Jónsi just announced his new concert film jónsi live at the wiltern is available to buy now via iTunes (usa and canada only). Here’s the trailer…
Get the AUDIO // Get the VIDEO
jónsi live at the wiltern was directed by dean deblois, (the director of the oscar nominated film how to train your dragon and the sigur rós film heima). the footage – recorded at los angeles’ wiltern theater – was first aired on npr on sunday october 17, 2010 and it marked the first ever live video webcast of a concert for the public radio organisation. filmed towards the end of jónsi’s extensive world tour in support of his solo album ‘go’, the film captures the live show at the late stage when the set and visuals were at their finest. this digital release is available exclusively on itunes.
Other news…
- Tres Mountains (side project from Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam & dUg Pinnick of King’s X) is now up for pre-order. It comes out March 14th. Go HERE for more info on pre-order.
- Carla Kihlstedt & Mattias Bossi‘s new album, Still You Lay Dreaming: Tales for the Stage II, also came out today. It is digital only… and knowing Carla’s chamber indie-rock magic, it’ll be great (it’s in my e-shopping cart now). http://kihlstedtbossi.bandcamp.com
My Nels Cline Singers‘ Portland show (1/30) review & photo editing being worked on now… I’ll post it by morning (sorry for the delay).
~Dan – np: Ken Andrews – Secrets of the Lost Satellite 
* Favorite Vocal Albums of 2010 *
Disclaimer: No, I haven’t heard all 8,000+albums released this year. I’ve heard about 120 of them, which makes me at least 98.5% likely to be wrong. I make no claims to objectivity. These albums are my favorites from 2010. You might think that the one you’ve heard that I haven’t heard is the best album of 2010. And you might be right. And, I while I generally agree with John Roderick about Year-End Lists, I still find it quite fun to compile my own.
I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my third year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. For that reason, the favorite vocal albums list goes first this go ’round. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, SpaceBook & MyFace pages, yadda yadda yadda. A lot of these also made it on to my 2010 Mix CD.
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
Honorable Mentions: Finger Eleven‘s Life Turns Electric, Gnashing of Teeth‘s Walking the Appian Way, Kaki King‘s Junior, Kim Taylor‘s Little Miracle (out late Dec ’09 digitally), and That1Guy & the Magic Pipe‘s Packs A Wallop!…
 |
 The Weepies – Be My Thrill (Nettwerk) :: Lush singer-songwriter husband/wife duo from Northern California. Syrup-y sweet & poppy, but regardless of my penchant normally against those types of things – The Weepies do it up right. A superb piece of well-crafted pop.     |
 |
 Chali 2Na – Fish Market Part 2 (Decon) :: Another great solo outing from my favorite rapper from Jurassic 5. This is Chali’s 3rd solo album, and while the sound and vibe hasn’t changed much – his consistency is most what I like about him. Hard hitting, booming voice, witting lyricism, and generally moving into more positive territory (he’s not a “bitches and hoes”-type of rapper). |
 |
 Caedmon’s Call – Raising the Dead (INO) :: I’ve been a fan of Caedmon’s Call for going on fifteen years. I’ve stuck with them through some (personal opinion) lackluster lyricism after the departure of my favorite Caedmon’s songwriter – Derek Webb. He came back to produce and be in the band for this one; and quite frankly, I think this is their best record since 40 Acres. Lyrically, it still has a religious bent; but being in a minority of “non-Christian Caedmon’s Call fans,” I still didn’t find it cringe-worthy like most “contemporary Christian music.” |
 |
 Redbird – Live at Café Carpe (Signature Sounds) :: Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault, Kris Delmhorst and David “Goody” Goodrich put out a great studio album of covers and originals in 2003. At the recent Mulvey/Foucault live shows this fall, they announced this new release. This new release is the live equivalent of the debut seven years ago (but different material) – a great mix of covers of people that influenced them, as well as a few of their own originals. Vocal duties split between Mulvey, Foucault & Delmhorst. I hope they are able to tour behind this in 2011. |
 |
 Ty Tabor – Something’s Coming (Molken) :: I’m a big fan of King’s X. As a trio, they put out a wall of sound, and a big component of their brilliance is Ty Tabor’s stellar guitar-work. His solo work also features his Beatles-esque vocals on top of his southern-grungy-rock sound. 2010 also saw the release of Ty’s Trip Magnet side solo project, Jelly Jam’s Additives bonus material, and the studio time with Jelly Jam (with John Myung & Rod Morgenstein) for their upcoming 3rd record. Whew, he’s been busy. |
 |
 Ben Folds & Nick Hornby – Lonely Avenue (Nonesuch) :: I’m ambivalent about Ben Folds. I never know if I’ll like it; so I put off getting it. Then I get it and love it. This record was a collaboration between Ben and author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, etc). The lyrics are a little jumpier to me (Nick’s style versus Ben’s style), but it still feels very much like a Ben Folds record. They also feature a bonus song (iTunes version) with “video song” heroes Pomplamoose. |
 |
 Jeanne Cherhal – Charade (Barclay FR) :: I first heard Jeanne Cherhal when we picked up her second album (Douze fois par an) when in Toulouse, France, for my MBA program in 2004. Only available in France, I’ve managed to get her albums via Amazon.fr (good thing the buttons are in roughly the same spot). I still don’t know what she’s saying, but I dig her style. |
 |
 S (Jenn Ghetto) – I’m Not As Good At It As You (Own Records) :: Carissa’s Wierd [sic] front woman promised this 3rd ‘S’ record back in… oh, 2007?? It was worth the wait. Haunting lyrics and vocals, simple yet complex acoustic guitar (that hearkens back to Elliott Smith). Bright emo and depressing pop music. Carissa’s Wierd also put out a retrospective (with a couple new tunes) and a small handful of West coast dates. Who knows – maybe they’ll get active again in the near future? I could dig it… |
 |
 Greydon Square – The Kardashev Scale (self) :: A little more mature in lyricism compared to The CPT Theorem. Perhaps it’s due to putting some of the ‘Rational Response Squad’ fighting behind him. Greydon, the foremost atheist rapper, made his 3rd record into what I think to be his most consistent. It’s solid, smart and superlative-worthy. |
 |
 Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian) :: I got into Damien Jurado via the Seattle-based melancholy, indie singer-songwriter scene (i.e.- Pedro the Lion / David Bazan). While similar in general geography and friendship, Damien strikes me as more of a pure “songwriter” when compared to David’s social critique set to music. Saint Bartlett fits well into Damien’s oeuvre. At a show this past February (6 months before the album came out), I hardly knew any of the songs but felt as though I did. That’s a testament to his craft. |
 |
 Clogs – The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton (Brassland) :: I first saw Clogs at MusicNow 2007 (in Cincinnati). Padma Newsome and Bryce Dessner (of The National) know how to make some interesting chamber pop. The album (as with the live premiere in 2007) features Sufjan Stevens and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond). It’s quite a lush record – as the title suggests. |
 |
 Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People (Asthmatic Kitty) :: Two albums in 2010, Sufjan’s 50+ minute “EP” hit us first. Beautiful and haunting in “The Owl and the Tanager” and primarily experimental and adventurous throughout, especially compared to his older material. Originally only released online via bandcamp, the EP saw physical form (CD & vinyl) earlier this month. I’m bummed Sufjan nixed future “State” albums, but I’m still glad with his 2010 output. |
 |
 George Hrab – Trebuchet (self) :: George Hrab creates one of my favorite podcasts ever… the Geologic Podcast. It’s not about geology. It’s about science, skepticism, and his general life as a musician from Bethlehem, PA. He is both humorous and intelligent, and he puts out great albums as well. Trebuchet is his 6th studio album, and it features some great instrumental songs as well as some witty numbers fitting his skeptical, atheistic viewpoint. One of my favorite songs on it is “A Small Comfort,” which is about the death of his dog Oscar. I also give George some kudos for kicking off his album with the Christopher Hitchens’ inspired “God Is Not Great” (an atheist pop song). Bravo! |
 |
 Damien & Drake Jurado – Hoquiam (St. Ives) :: Short and sweet and beautiful. My only gripe with this record… well, it wasn’t made available on CD, and the vinyl didn’t include a free download code for the mp3’s. Industry standard practice aside, the Jurado brothers put out some fantastic music. I borrowed a vinyl-to-mp3 device from my friend; so I could enjoy it on my iPod as well. So, my gripes have been abated. |
 |
 Ellery – This Isn’t Over Yet (Set Adrift) :: Ellery is one of my favorite things in Cincinnati… I miss being able to see them multiple times a year (sad face). Husband/wife duo of Justin & Tasha Golden craft singer-songwriter pop songs… usually layered nicely on their albums with the help of producer, knob-twiddler Ric Hordinski (of Over the Rhine fame). This album, they switched it up with Malcolm Burn at the helm (Daniel Lanois / Bob Dylan / Iggy Pop / Kaki King / Emmylou Harris / etc). |
 |
 Nellie McKay – Home Sweet Mobile Home (Verve) :: Nellie McKay’s move to Verve (instead of Sony) has been good for her. They seem to give her free reign to put out Doris Day cover albums one year and an album of originals the next. HSMH is a return to the quirky, diverse collection of songs that drove me to fall in love with her. The album is full of Nellie’s modern piano jazz-pop, ukulele ditties, and even a pro-animal reggae tune. The album has grown on me nicely, and I’m looking forward to more Nellie in the near future. She seems to be in a period of prolificity as of late. This is greatly welcomed. |
 |
 Jónsi – Go (XL) :: Sigur Rós-frontman’s debut solo album was going to be an acoustic affair, and then it turned into a lushly produced, Rós-ian opus with a multimedia firestorm of a tour (two U.S. legs with stunning stage design by 59 Productions). Jónsi is superbly brilliant and and ambivalently hyper-sensitively shy individual (ex. his abrupt cancellation of in-store performance tour) and boisterous-acting performer (ex. his magnificent stageshow). This album makes me excited for more solo work in the future, but I hope his day job with Sigur Rós is not on hold for too much longer. |
 |
 Sarah Kirkland Snider & Shara Worden – Penelope (New Amsterdam) :: Chamber pop featuring Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) is a theme this year (see #10). Quite frankly, I think Shara Worden has one of the best voices in indie rock. Period. Sarah Kirkland Snider is a new musical force for me… she originally wrote Penelope as music for a theater piece and then debuted it as a song cycle with Signal in May 2009. When Shara came aboard, Sarah revised and expanded the songs yet again, tailoring them to Shara’s talents and arranging them for a 25-person orchestra of strings, harp, percussion, drums, electric guitar and bass, and electronics (with sound design by Michael Hammond). It is gorgeous. |
 |
 Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty) :: His second album of the year, The Age of Adz is a odd musical assembly. At first I didn’t know what to think of it, then I started to like it, and then after seeing him live – I truly loved the album. For those previously familiar with Sufjan, this album may not fit easily in with his prior albums – but I think if you have an open mind and a desire to explore, you may very well fall in love with this record as well. |
 |
 Mike Patton – Mondo Cane (Ipecac) :: Mike Patton of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantômas, et cetera is known for more boisterous, left of center fare. With Mondo Cane, he classes up the joint that is Ipecac Records. Mondo Cane, named after the film, is Mike’s homage to 50s Italian pop songs. He croons some classic Italian songs with the backing of the Orchestra Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini conducted by Aldo Sisillo. The artwork, in both CD digipack and vinyl, is stupendous. This is a magnificent record – both aurally and visually. |
Top 20 instrumental albums coming up later this week…
My Other Favorites of 2010 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/DVDs/more of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums of ‘10 are coming soon
- Old Years: Best of the Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25), 2009I, 2009V, 2009ep, 2009C, 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Kevin Moore – Shine
* Favorite EPs / Vinyl / Live Albums & more of 2010 *
This is sort of a precursor to my “official” Favorites of 2010 blogs. Up later this week, I’ll post my favorite vocal and favorite instrumental albums of 2010. Anyway, on with the music pimping…
Favorite EPs of 2010
- Holy Fuck – +Ghost (bonus disc with Latin)
- Auragami – Resistance (thanks, Michael)
- Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People
- Owen Pallett – Demo (with Shara Worden – FREE)
- Haftor Medbøe Group – Box of Monkeys (technically 2009, but I got it late)
Favorite Vinyl-only Release of 2010
- My Brightest Diamond & Dayna Kurtz – Gone Away / Postcards from Downtown 7″
- Erik Friedlander – Alchemy 10″
- Isis / Melvins split 12″
- Damien & Drake Jurado – Hoquiam 12″
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers – The Gentle Side 12″
fave non-vinyl-only issue: Mike Patton‘s Mondo Cane 12″ (is luscious)
Favorite DVDs of 2010 (I didn’t really get any outside of music-related and an old H.Potter)
- Porcupine Tree – Anesthetize: Live in Tilburg
- Steven Wilson – Insurgentes
- Jónsi – Go Quiet & Go Live
- John Zorn & Richard Foreman – Astronome: A Night at the Opera
Favorite Internet Only Releases of 2010
- Kembwe – Kembwe
- Derek Webb – Democracy Vol 1 (monthly series)
- My Terrible Friend EP (a folky Pomplamoose spin-off)
- Celldweller – Wish Upon a Blackstar (a few chapters)
- Puya – Areyto EP
- Ty Tabor – Trip Magnet & Jelly Jam‘s Additives
- Asthmatic Kitty‘s Library Catalog Music Series (I think they also put some of these out as vinyl)
- Glen Phillips – Tornillo
- Kevin Moore – Shine (late, late 2010 – CD in early 2011)
- Rafter – Animal Feelings (maybe it came out on CD, too?)
Favorite Live Albums of 2010
- King’s X – Live Love in London
- Jónsi – Go Live
- Redbird (Peter Mulvey / Jeffrey Foucault / Kris Delmhorst / David “Goody” Goodrich) – Live at Café Carpe 2008 & 2009
Favorite Podcasts in 2010 (they’re free, yo! Search for them on iTunes)
- George Hrab – Geologic Podcast
- Keith Olbermann’s Countdown on MSNBC
- The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC
- Bill Maher‘s New Rules
- The Adam Carolla Podcast
- Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier – SModcast
- Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman – Hollywood Babble On
- Starfucking with Kevin Smith (OK, not free – proceeds for charity, though)
- SMoviemakers with Kevin Smith
- The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Best Cover Art & Packaging in 2010 (all vinyl, but the CDs were cool, too)
- Mike Patton – Mondo Cane
- Jónsi – Go
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers – Gentle Side (vinyl, designed by Chippy)
Favorite Local Releases in 2010 (PacNW represent)
- Kembwe – Kembwe (Ashland-based ambient, vocal alchemy)
- I suck… that’s all the local-ish stuff I got this year…
Best Re-issues in 2010
- Carissa’s Wierd‘s first three albums (Ugly But Honest / You Should Be Home Here / Songs About Leaving)
- Mr. Bungle – California (on vinyl)
- Frank Zappa – Greasy Love Songs (deluxe re-issue of Cruisin’ with Rueben & the Jets)
- Elliott Smith – An Introduction to… (career spanning compilation)
Best Not-for-Profit Release in 2010
- Medeski Martin & Wood – The Stone Issue Four (for The Stone NYC)
Worst Music News in 2010 (for me)
- Cincinnati rock band Noctaluca broke up. Here’s hoping Jason Ludwig goes on to do some more interesting stuff.
- Faith No More‘s reunion tour didn’t hit the U.S. proper. Argh.
Best Late-Getter in 2010 (something that came out before 2010)
- Abagail’s Ghost – d_letion (from 2009)
- Fever Ray – Fever Ray (also from 2009)
Best Musical Novelty / Ingenuity
- Tristan Perich – 1-Bit Symphony
Best Music Videos
- Holy Fuck “Red Lights”
- Turf Fienz “Rain Dance”
- Cee-Lo Green “Fuck You” (original)
- The Gregory Brothers & Antoine Dodson “The Bed Intruder”
So, yeah, this was the catch-all post… check back later this week for the more traditional year end wrap-up festivities…
My Other Favorites of 2010 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘10 are coming soon
- Fave Instrumental of ‘10 are coming soon
- Old Years: Best of the Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25), 2009I, 2009V, 2009ep, 2009C, 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Anakronic Electro Orkestra – Speak With Ghosts
Favorite Concerts of 2010
Well, this year’s concert seasons were especially good to me… 365 days, 79 shows, 149 artists, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…
My favorite concerts of 2010:
- Sufjan Stevens :: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall :: Portland, OR {29 Oct} [review with photos] – completely stunning show
- Toad the Wet Sprocket :: Crystal Ballroom :: Portland, OR {28 Jul} [review with photos] – I am a slave to Glen & Co’s alt-pop
- Jon Þor “Jónsi” Birgisson (of Sigur Rós) :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {13 Apr} [review with photos] – stupendous stage show
- Nellie McKay :: Berbati’s Pan :: Portland, OR {31 Mar} [review with photos] – missed her Eugene show while at Sufjan, I heard that show was also “the bomb”
- Dream Theater :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {21 Jun} [review with photos] – made more special after Mike Portnoy left the band this fall
- Tegan and Sara :: Keller Auditorium :: Portland, OR {8 Apr} [review with photos] – first time seeing them, not too be missed
- Holy Fuck (twice) :: Mississippi Studios & Holocene :: Portland, OR {6 Jun & 14 Oct} [reviews with photos #1 & #2] – one of the most consistently great live acts, Holocene show was better, but Mississippi was also rad…
- Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa :: McDonald Theatre :: Eugene, OR {12 Jun} [review with photos] – keeping the FZ torch alive!
- Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy :: PDX Jazz Fest / Crystal Ballroom :: Portland, OR {28 Feb} [review with photos] – honestly, all of these Top 15 could be #1 in a slow concert year
- Over the Rhine (twice) :: WOW Hall & Aladdin Theater :: Eugene & Portland, OR {15 & 17 Nov} [reviews with photos #1 & #2] – twice after three years of OTR drought for me
- Charlie Hunter Trio (twice) :: WOW Hall & Sam Bond’s Garage :: Eugene, OR {18 May & 16 Dec} [reviews with photos #1 & #2] – Charlie has a pact with the devil… he’s too good…
- Peter Mulvey & Jeffrey Foucault (twice) :: The Woods & Sam Bond’s Garage :: Portland & Eugene, OR {22 & 24 Oct} [reviews with photos #1 & #2] – both brilliant storytellers before VH1 made it a show
- Susan Enan :: House Show :: Eugene, OR {15 Jul} [review with photos] – at our house… super fun & intimate
- Damien Jurado :: Mississippi Studios :: Portland, OR {27 Feb} [review] – I didn’t know more than half of the songs, but it didn’t matter
- Medeski Martin & Wood :: McDonald Theatre :: Eugene, OR {25 Feb} [review with photos] – jazz dance party!
Runners-Up: Bill Frisell Trio at The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, Fishtank Ensemble at a Eugene House Show, Pink Martini at The Hult Center / Oregon Bach Festival, Trio Subtonic & the Dead Kenny G’s at Mt. Tabor Theater, The Weepies at Aladdin Theater. Even after honorable mentions, I cut some GREAT ones… 2010 was a great year.
My favorite concert photos of 2010: (in chronological order)
(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation, simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a photo credit and link to jazzsick.wordpress.com, or items noted with emobiephotography.com is photo credit Margaret O’Brien)
Past Favorite Concerts Lists:
Favorite music of 2010 will be coming soon… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums, artists of the decade…
~Dan – np: nine inch nails – broken
Credo & Riceboy Sleeps (live stream)
New York’s WQXR streamed the Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival live, and it is still available as streaming (or download if you’re crafty). The White Light Festival was the world premiere of Credo from Kjartan Sveinsson and Jónsi Birgisson, from the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós.
Kjartan’s Credo and Cage a Swallow Can’t You but you Can’t Swallow a Cage features the Hilliard Ensemble, the Latvian National Choir and the Wordless Music Orchestra led by Jeffrey Milarsky. Later in the stream features an interview with Jónsi & Alex and their world premiere of their Riceboy Sleeps songs in a live setting, orchestrated by David Handler.
Check out the stream here:
http://wqxr.org/articles/q2-live-concerts/2010/nov/22/credo-credo/
~Dan – np: Iron & Wine – Walking Far From Home
Jónsi 9:30 Club performance download (NPR)
Geez’l Petes… it’s a booster day over at NPR for music that I like… All Songs Considered podcast of Jónsi‘s Washington D.C. 9:30 Club performance now posted…
(photo from Portland 4/13/2010 show)
Listen / Download 9:30 Club show from NPR
You all should just go on and subscribe to the All Songs Considered / Live Concerts podcast while you’re at it.
~Dan – np: Ennio Morricone – Crime and Dissonance
Jónsi – ‘Go Live’ CD/DVD
Jónsi‘s Go Live is the film / live cd double pack of his hugely-acclaimed solo show,and it’s now available to pre-order now direct from www.jonsi.com/go_live with a release date of the 29th of November. It was filmed exclusively at the final dress rehearsal in London in March 2010 in front of a specially invited audience, Go Live includes rampant live renditions of every song from Jónsi’s debut album Go, as well as never-before-heard versions of all the unreleased material he’s been playing on tour, plus a ton of candid behind-the-scenes footage from the road.
In all there are no fewer than five unreleased songs on Go Live – namely ‘icicle sleeves’, ‘stars in still water’, ‘saint naive’, ‘new piano song’ and ‘volume pedal song’ – as well as several exclusive musical interludes and a definitive live version of ‘sticks & stones’, which Jónsi wrote and performed for the closing credits of the movie How to Train Your Dragon.
The whole Go Live package comes beautifully wrapped in a hardcover cd-sized book, which includes both discs and a 16-page booklet featuring pictures taken by the band on a tour that’s taken in four continents throughout 2010. Intended as a finely crafted companion to Go and Go Quiet, Go Live is being pegged at a special low price:
cd + dvd: $20 / £15 (plus postage)
digital download: $15 / £10
pre-order now
Both film and cd run at around 75-minutes running time, with the cd taking in Jónsi’s complete live set in order of play, and the film playing more fast and loose for cinematic effect.
full tracklistings are as follows:
| ‘go live’ dvd contents: | ‘go live’ cd contents: | |
| 1. hengilás | 1. stars in still water * | |
| 2. icicle sleeves | 2. hengilás | |
| 3. kolniður | 3. icicle sleeves | |
| 4. tornado | 4. kolniður | |
| 5. sinking friendships | 5. tornado | |
| 6. go do | 6. sinking friendships | |
| 7 boy lilikoi | 7. saint naive | |
| 8. new piano song | 8. go do | |
| 9. around us | 9. boy lilikoi | |
| 10. volume pedal song | 10. animal arithmetic | |
| 11. grow till tall | 11. new piano song * | |
| 12. around us | ||
| 13. sticks & stones * | ||
| 14. grow till tall | ||
| filmed live at 3 mills studios, london, 26 march 2010. | all songs recorded live at ancienne belgique, belgium, 29 may 2010, except * recorded at the dome, brighton, 14 september 2010. |
Jónsi, you had me at “go”… but here’s a video snippet for those not sold on it yet…
~Dan – np: Moqita – Moqita
Jónsi – Live at Origami
Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi abruptly canceled a run of intimate acoustic in-store dates after playing just one performance in the Go Closer series.
“Standing there nose-to-nose with fans in the cold light of day the other day in Origami Records, Los Angeles, he had the sudden and undeniable realization that this is not the environment in which he flourishes,” said his management in a statement. “To those of you who saw it in Echo Park, cherish it, because it ain’t going to happen again.”
Well, luckily the Los Angeles performance was recorded… here are two videos caught by Jack Schlinkert (director) and Max Sweeney (add’l camera).
“Stars in Still Water”
“Go Do”
~Dan – np: dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Let’s do the time warp again… (Jónsi)
So, another time-lapse video from Jónsi‘s Wiltern show in Los Angeles… this time longer…
Film by Henry Jun Wah Lee and Kim Reid
I don’t know if there was a special project to do time-lapse shots for this tour, but I’m digging it! Nice behind the scenes, soundcheck and in-concert shots included.
Nellie McKay 10/29 Eugene show at the Shedd photo blog coming tomorrow…(?)
~Dan – np: Mogwai – Travel is Dangerous EP
Jónsi @ the Wiltern (time lapse)
Cool new time-lapse from Jónsi‘s show at the Wiltern (in Los Angeles) by Wes Johnson:
I’d be en route to Las Vegas today for the show tomorrow… alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Rassen frassen changes in work plans.
~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Cover Versions
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
Creative Commons
This blog and concert photos therein are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Available with Attribution for Non-Commercial, Non-Derivative Use.
pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news 