Archive
Holy Fuck – Live @ SXSW with Baeble Music
Excellent SXSW 2010 coverage of Holy Fuck from the Baeble Music stage (one of their many showcases)…
Get their latest record, Latin… out yesterday (May 11th, 2010) on Young Turks / XL…
~Dan – np: Holy Fuck – Latin 
Sarah Kirkland Snider, My Brightest Diamond & Signal – Penelope
Sarah Kirkland Snider‘s debut album Penelope (New Amsterdam Records, September 2010) is a 60-minute song cycle for female voice, chamber orchestra, and electronics, composed by Sarah Kirkland Snider, featuring vocalist Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and highly acclaimed chamber orchestra Signal, conducted by Brad Lubman, with sound design by Michael Hammond.
A deft blend of Snider’s classical training and strong interest in indie rock, pop and folk musics, Penelope is a genre-defying work that moves organically from moments of wistful strings-and-harp reflection to dusky post-rock textures with distorted drums and guitars, helmed by a strong sense of melody and a craftsman’s approach to songwriting. Derived from a multimedia-theater piece co-created by Snider and acclaimed playwright Ellen McLaughlin, the work centers on a woman whose long-missing former husband turns up at her door, traumatized by two decades spent in an unnamed war. To restore his memory, the woman reads aloud from Homer’s “Odyssey.” The result is a poignant, haunting story in song.
The New York Times praised the work for having “an elegiac quality that deftly evoked sensations of abandonment, agitation, grief and reconciliation…ably [demonstrating] the poised elegance of Ms. Snider’s writing.”
Penelope has appeared in various guises over the past two years: it originated as a music for a theater piece and then debuted as a song cycle with Signal last May. When Shara came aboard the project, Sarah revised and expanded the songs yet again, tailoring them to Shara’s unique talents and arranging them for Sarah’s dream cast of characters: a 25-person orchestra of strings, harp, percussion, drums, electric guitar and bass, and electronics (with sound design by Michael Hammond). The cycle grew from 40 to 60 minutes. The album comes out this fall!
For more info, and a link to a free download of the first “single,” visit the brand-spankin’-new Penelope website.
~Dan – np: Tegan and Sara – Sainthood thainthood
The Album Leaf interviews 2010
Here is a new video interview with The Album Leaf frontman Jimmy Lavalle:
Click through for my coverage of the Portland (2/5) and Eugene (2/9) shows.
~Dan – np: George Hrab – Interrobang?!
REVIEW: The Album Leaf @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 2/9/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, I just saw The Album Leaf & Sea Wolf show up in Portland on Friday. Last night’s show wasn’t much different… which means… highly enjoyable. Since I’m in the midst of “work a ton because I chose the path of becoming a CPA and now is the rough work schedule” month, I’ll keep my comments brief – but include setlists and photos, of course.
The main difference for the Eugene show was the lack of string quartet – but where I was in the crowd for the Portland show, I didn’t get much of the string quartet in my ears anyway. It was about a half-packed WOW Hall, which was good for a Tuesday. Sea Wolf was great. I was more familiar with their songs, and I really started digging them. Same 45 minute set as Portland.
Sea Wolf’s Setlist:
- White Water
- Winter Windows
- Dew in the Grass
- Black Leaf Falls
- Middle Distance Runner
- The Traitor
- O’ Maria
- Turn the Dirt Over
- Wicked Blood
- You’re a Wolf
The Album Leaf came on around 10pm. I could definitely hear more strings this time around, even though there was only the primary violinist and not a whole quartet. Again, that was more due to my location at Portland’s show. They played the same setlist as Portland. I was digging the new songs, as I had gotten a few days now to let the album sink in. I could tell Jimmy was having some problems with his in-ear monitor during a few songs. Overall, the sound quality wasn’t as good in Eugene as in Portland. I moved around the venue and it seemed way more bass heavy than is normal for TAL. All in all, though, a great set…
The Album Leaf’s Setlist:
- Perro
- Blank Pages
- There is a Wind
- Within Dreams
- Falling from the Sun
- Stand Still
- 2214
- Outer Banks
- Shine
- Until the Last
- We Are
- Almost There
- Wherever I Go
- Encore: Always For You
- Red Eye
- Tied Knots
many more photos below
Definitely check out The Album Leaf’s new album, A Chorus of Storytellers…
The Appropriate Linkage:
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Sachi Hayasaka – Minga
THE ALBUM LEAF and SEA WOLF PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Album Leaf Spring 2010 World Tour Dates
- Feb 3: Sacramento, CA @ Harlows
- Feb 5: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater(w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 8: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlight Lounge
- Feb 9: Eugene , OR @ WOW Hall
- Feb 11: Santa Cruz @ The Crepe Place
- Feb 12: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 13: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 25: Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisbon Santiago Alquimista
- Feb 26: Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick
- Feb 27: Bilboa, Spain @ 12 & Medio
- Feb 28: Barcelona, Spain @ Apollo 2
- Mar 2: Toulouse, France @ Le Phare
- Mar 3: Milan, Italy @ Circolo Milano
- Mar 4: Lucerne, Switzerland @ Sudpol Club
- Mar 5: Dunidgen (Bern), Switzerland @ @ Bad Bonn
- Mar 6: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland @ Theater Palace
- Mar 7: Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
- Mar 9: Vienna, Austria @ Szene
- Mar 10: Dresden, Germany @ BeatPol
- Mar 11: Berlin, Germany @ Lido
- Mar 12: Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
- Mar 13: Rotterdam, Holland @ Rotown
- Mar 14: Koln, Germany @ Gebauude 9
- Mar 16: Antwerp, Belgium @ Club Trix
- Mar 17: Colmar, France @ Kraken
- Mar 18: Heidelberg, Germany @ Karlstorbahnhof
- Mar 19: Paris, France @ Maroquinerie
- Mar 20: Lille, France @ L’ Aeronef
- Mar 21: Bristol, UK @ The Thekla
- Mar 22 Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
- Mar 23: London, UK @ Bush Hall
- Apr 2: Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya Ax
- Apr 3: Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quatrro
- Apr 4: Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
- Apr 7: Hong Kong @ Grappa’s Cellar
- Apr 9: Taipei, Taiwan @ The Wall Live House
And just announced on Feb 3rd (and from Pollstar; so a different format)…
- Tue 04/20/10 – Tucson, AZ – Plush
- Wed 04/21/10 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
- Thu 04/22/10 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
- Fri 04/23/10 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
- Sat 04/24/10 – St. Louis, MO – Luminary Center For The Arts
- Sun 04/25/10 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
- Tue 04/27/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Ladies Literary Club
- Wed 04/28/10 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
- Thu 04/29/10 – Montreal, QC – Music Hall
- Fri 04/30/10 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
- Sat 05/01/10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
- Sun 05/02/10 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
- Tue 05/04/10 – Washington, DC – Rock And Roll Hotel
- Wed 05/05/10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
- Thu 05/06/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft At Center Stage
- Fri 05/07/10 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
- Sat 05/08/10 – Orlando, FL – The Social
- Mon 05/10/10 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
- Tue 05/11/10 – Austin, TX – The Parish Room
- Fri 05/14/10 – San Diego, CA – Birch North Park Theatre
REVIEW: The Album Leaf @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 2/5/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got into The Album Leaf back in 2004 with In a Safe Place after hearing about the Sigur Rós collaborative songs (and Icelandic former-swimming pool studio). I’ve been a fan of frontman Jimmy LaValle ever since In a Safe Place, which also spanned into a love of his prior band, Tristeza. His mold of organically-infused electronic post-rock fits me well. I missed him on his last time through (Jan 2009); so I vowed not to let it happen again… so this time, I’m hitting both Portland and Eugene, Oregon.
We got to the venue, got our tickets and ran off to grab some unfortunately salty grub (East End Bar must own stock in Morton’s). After a speedy walk back, we arrived back at the Doug Fir shortly after Sea Wolf started . They are an indie rock band from Los Angeles, and played a solid 45 minute set…
Sea Wolf’s Setlist:
(as per stage copy)
- White Water
- Winter Windows
- Dew in the Grass
- Black Leaf Falls
- Middle Distance Runner
- The Traitor
- O’ Maria
- Turn the Dirt Over
- Wicked Blood
- You’re a Wolf
Sea Wolf reminded me a lot of Wilco… maybe it was singer/guitarist Alex Church’s vocals. They have a roots rock meets singer-songwriter vibe that hearkened to Wilco in my mind. They busted out a harder rock tune (in comparison to The Album Leaf), but also had nice cello throughout their set. Great opener… I’m looking forward to Eugene’s show to hear more.
After a short break (and a move to the front), The Album Leaf (aka TAL) came on. The Portland show featured the Anomie Belle String Quartet (shown at the left), which presumably added nice textures to the already large, six piece band. Where we were lopcated, we could barely hear them.
With this new album (see below), Jimmy opened up the recording to more than just himself as well. Previous records were more in the “one man band” realm, with a band assembled for tours. It was nice to the see the band that hit the studio with him on A Chorus of Storytellers play those same songs live. The band was Jimmy LaValle, Matt Resovich, Drew Andrews, Gram LeBron, Tim Reece, and Andrew Pates – all on various instruments.
Being the first time seeing TAL, I honestly had no idea what to expect. We lucked out in the placement department… as Jimmy’s gear was right in front of us.
I was skeptical if the studio lushness would translate to the stage. Quite frankly, I think the electronic post-rock goodness, complete with drum machine and a regular drummer, worked out fantastically. They played a lot of material from the new record, which fit in well with earlier songs…
The Album Leaf’s Setlist: about stellar 80 minutes
- Perro
- Blank Pages
- There is a Wind
- Within Dreams * fave of the night *
- Falling from the Sun
- Stand Still * fave of the night *
- 2214 * fave of the night *
- Outer Banks * fave of the night *
- Shine
- Until the Last
- We Are
- Almost There
- Wherever I Go
- Encore: Always For You
- Red Eye * fave of the night *
- Tied Knots
The band members switched around on instruments. Jimmy played several different keyboards, including a Moog and a modulator of some sort. Other members pitched in on keyboards when a violin, trumpet, small vibraphone, bass, or guitar weren’t in their hands. While I still associate TAL as a primarily instrumental band in my mind, their last few albums have had increasingly more vocals. I’d estimate a 1/3 to a 1/2 of the songs had vocals last night – covered by Jimmy, but with frequent backing vocals from various band members. My friend who went along with me commented that the songs seemed fairly similar throughout the show. Alas, I suppose that’s the rub with TAL, but I dug it fairly well.
many more live photos below
I’ll also be at the Eugene show on Tuesday; so check back for that review next week. Oh, and definitely check out The Album Leaf’s new album, A Chorus of Storytellers. I got it at the show, and it is fantastic!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- The Album Leaf’s Site
- TAL’s MySpace
- Sea Wolf’s Site
- Sea Wolf on MySpace
- Anomie Belle String Quartet on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: The Album Leaf – A Chorus of Storytellers
THE ALBUM LEAF and SEA WOLF PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Album Leaf Spring 2010 World Tour Dates
- Feb 3: Sacramento, CA @ Harlows
- Feb 5: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater(w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 8: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlight Lounge
- Feb 9: Eugene , OR @ WOW Hall
- Feb 11: Santa Cruz @ The Crepe Place
- Feb 12: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 13: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 25: Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisbon Santiago Alquimista
- Feb 26: Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick
- Feb 27: Bilboa, Spain @ 12 & Medio
- Feb 28: Barcelona, Spain @ Apollo 2
- Mar 2: Toulouse, France @ Le Phare
- Mar 3: Milan, Italy @ Circolo Milano
- Mar 4: Lucerne, Switzerland @ Sudpol Club
- Mar 5: Dunidgen (Bern), Switzerland @ @ Bad Bonn
- Mar 6: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland @ Theater Palace
- Mar 7: Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
- Mar 9: Vienna, Austria @ Szene
- Mar 10: Dresden, Germany @ BeatPol
- Mar 11: Berlin, Germany @ Lido
- Mar 12: Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
- Mar 13: Rotterdam, Holland @ Rotown
- Mar 14: Koln, Germany @ Gebauude 9
- Mar 16: Antwerp, Belgium @ Club Trix
- Mar 17: Colmar, France @ Kraken
- Mar 18: Heidelberg, Germany @ Karlstorbahnhof
- Mar 19: Paris, France @ Maroquinerie
- Mar 20: Lille, France @ L’ Aeronef
- Mar 21: Bristol, UK @ The Thekla
- Mar 22 Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
- Mar 23: London, UK @ Bush Hall
- Apr 2: Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya Ax
- Apr 3: Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quatrro
- Apr 4: Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
- Apr 7: Hong Kong @ Grappa’s Cellar
- Apr 9: Taipei, Taiwan @ The Wall Live House
And just announced on Feb 3rd (and from Pollstar; so a different format)…
- Tue 04/20/10 – Tucson, AZ – Plush
- Wed 04/21/10 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
- Thu 04/22/10 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
- Fri 04/23/10 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
- Sat 04/24/10 – St. Louis, MO – Luminary Center For The Arts
- Sun 04/25/10 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
- Tue 04/27/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Ladies Literary Club
- Wed 04/28/10 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
- Thu 04/29/10 – Montreal, QC – Music Hall
- Fri 04/30/10 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
- Sat 05/01/10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
- Sun 05/02/10 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
- Tue 05/04/10 – Washington, DC – Rock And Roll Hotel
- Wed 05/05/10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
- Thu 05/06/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft At Center Stage
- Fri 05/07/10 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
- Sat 05/08/10 – Orlando, FL – The Social
- Mon 05/10/10 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
- Tue 05/11/10 – Austin, TX – The Parish Room
- Fri 05/14/10 – San Diego, CA – Birch North Park Theatre
The Album Leaf – A Chorus of Storytellers
Per a recent email update, The Album Leaf‘s new album, A Chorus of Storytellers [Sub Pop], is now officially out on iTunes. You can also pre-order it from the Amazons…
Tour Dates (of which I am happy about double duty)…
- Feb 3: Sacramento, CA @ Harlows
- Feb 5: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater(w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 8: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlight Lounge
- Feb 9: Eugene , OR @ WOW Hall
- Feb 11: Santa Cruz @ The Crepe Place
- Feb 12: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 13: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
~Dan – Yuka Honda – Heart Chamber Phantoms
The Album Leaf’s new album…
The Album Leaf is done recording and mixing their record in Iceland. Now back in San Diego, they are getting ready for a winter tour in support of the album, A Chorus of Storytellers, that comes out on February 2nd (2010) on Sub Pop.
They’ll be at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland on Feb 5th (per the club’s mailer)!! I missed their show this past winter (Jan ’09) due to busy season at work. Same situation this year, but I’m planning on going regardless of it. :) More tour dates will follow when they’re announced…
~Dan – np: Galactic Cowboys – At the End of the Day
REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 6/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I love my job. I get to be in towns that quite often host artists I like to see… so I don’t have to drive up to make a special trip. Well, this time, it was for my second time seeing the instrumental, avant-groove, live electronic band from Toronto – – Holy Fuck. While their name may be offensive to some, their music is delicious. I tried to make the “gotta eat there while in Portland” stop at Blossoming Lotus, but downtown was PACKED – no parking to be found; so I crossed the River and checked out The Farm instead. Then I scuttled off to the venue to meet some Eugene friends and take in some great music.
Crocodiles went on first, and they played about a half hour. It was a singer & guitarist playing to a drum machine or tape. It wasn’t too shabby. Two man bands are usually more miss than hit, but these guys had some good songs and rocked out fairly well.
Holy Fuck took the stage around 10:15 and played a jam-packed hour or so. I forget how infectious these guys are, even when not playing something all that melodic (though they had plenty of groove last night as well). We got right up front, and I was able to snap some pics and a video or two (see below). I was glad to see the audience show up, too… at first, it was looking grim, like a 10 person crowd. By HF show time, the MFDF was filling up quite nicely. Much groove, much film scratchin’, oft screamin’ and looping, with a thumping rhythm section…
Songs are harder to distinguish when there are no vocals (i.e.- no official “setlist” here). I know they played The Pulse, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen, and I’m pretty sure they played Milkshake, Safari, Frenchy’s, Jungle, maybe Royal Gregory. Those last five are just a guess, though. I do know that it was a bitchin’ show!! It’s great to see them in progressively bigger venues. First Newport, KY’s Southgate House “parlor” (i.e.- the very small room upstairs) to the real venue of Doug Fir Lounge as the headliner. A+… and I hope it’s not another 2+ years until I get to see them again.
Holy Fuck “The Pulse” @ Doug Fir Lounge, 6/4/2009
The videos are just “OK,” but not too shabby for a digital camera (not a digital video camera), if I do say so myself. Regardless of the video quality, quite frankly, this show is probably one of my favorite shows this year so far.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Holy Fuck Online
- Holy Fuck on MySpace
- Holy Fuck review & pics from Brooklyn Vegan <— *great shots*
- Holy Fuck interviewed by Joe Walker (YouTube link)
- Crocodiles on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs
no torrent or free download available here
CROCODILES / HOLY FUCK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Isis, Geo 100, and a Secret DVD
A trio of music news about Isis, George Hrab, and the Secret Chiefs 3…
As foretold in Pitchfork, post-metal band Isis is due out with their follow-up to the amazingly great In the Absence of Truth (2006) on May 5th on Ipecac Recordings. The release is April 21 for the special edition vinyl. Wavering Point is their 5th full-length album, and it features TOOL guitarist Adam Jones on a coupe of songs. The blurb in Pitchfork cracked me up…
And this is just a wild guess, but I’m thinking most of the songs will start out really quiet and pretty and they they’ll get epically loud and crunchy and they’ll last for about eight minutes. Call me crazy.
…because it’s true.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
George Hrab‘s Geologic Podcast (i.e.- the best free thing on the internets) just turned 100. With one every week (give or take), that’s roughly 2 solid years of putting out an almost album’s worth of comedy and musical goodness every stinkin’ week!? Check him out:
http://geologicpodcast.com/
http://geologicrecords.com/
Oh, and he’s working on album #6… which is oh so nice…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And according to the prophecies and the motto of “screen shot or it didn’t happen,” I present you with this gem of “based on their track record, it probably won’t actually come out on time“… the Secret Chiefs 3 have a live DVD coming out in “March” on Web of Mimicry:
We shall see…
~Dan – np: Baby Animals – Shaved and Dangerous
Talkdemonic – Daytrotter Session
Portland, OR-based post-rock / electro-acoustic group Talkdemonic has a Daytrotter Session up now… four songs, in-studio for FREE…
http://daytrotter.com/article/1494/talkdemonic
1) CSJ9 2) Shallow Doldrums 3) Bering 4) March Movement
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about (and dug):
- Aimee Mann
- Ani DiFranco
- The Bad Veins
- Kaki King
- Holy Fuck …and David Bazan, My Brightest Diamond, Erin McKeown
~Dan – np: J.C. Hutchins – 7th Son: Descent (audio book)
Monty’s Rockcast / Palin Debate Flowchart & Duck Hunt / Holy Fuck on CBC Radio Q
Well, three unrelated topics… Monty Colvin’s podcast, the VP debate, and Holy Fuck on CBC Radio Q…
Monty Colvin, bassist/ songwriter/ backing singer from Galactic Cowboys and multi-instrumentalist/ lead vocals/ songwriter from Crunchy, has a podcast. If you’re a fan of Galactic Cowboys (GC), King’s X, or guys who say “um” and “stuff” a lot… check it out. As a big GC fan, episode #2 was really good… great insights to the making of the self-titled debut. He’s only up to episode #3, but I look forward to more Rockcasts. Keep it up, Monty!
“And a great podcast fell upon the ground… hmmm…”
-Wylde Silas Tomkyn
Subscribe here: itpc://web.me.com/montycolvin/Site/PODCASTS/rss.xml
Check out his webpage: http://www.montycolvin.com/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Speaking of podcasts (ok, I guess they were related topics), I just got through the 10/2/08 Vice Presidential Debate on my iPod (I wasn’t around to watch the debate) between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.
Well, all I can say it… “you betcha” is starting to sound like a bad cartoon catch phrase, Sarah.
So, Dick Cheney‘s only bad decision was shooting his friend in the face? That’s what she said. Really, Sarah Palin?
Really?
No… really?
Sigh… I just hope this doesn’t turn out poorly… for us all… not just “Joe Sixpack and Hockey Moms.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OK, back to something that cheers me up… because as much as I like to hear my politicians mispronounce “nuclear” (it’s not new-cue-lar), I like hearing post-rock, organic-electronic band Holy Fuck MUCH MORE… they play “Lovely Allen” and “Royal Gregory” on Canada’s CBC Radio Q hosted by Jian Ghomeshi.
The CBC Radio Q podcast is located HERE (the 10/3/08 show is one with Holy Fuck playing live — they’ve been interviewed on it before, but as far as I know, not playing live).
Bleh… sorry for my run-on, parenthetical sentence (as I like to do)… the podcast link is HERE (iTunes link) or HERE (CBC web mp3-link).
~Dan – np: Talkdemonic – Eyes at Half Mast
new post-rock gems
AristeiA – How to Kill a King -EP- :: This band from Portland caught me by storm like the warrior’s prowess that their Iliadic name suggests*. This debut CD is truly great post-rock for fans of Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and others in that vein. My favorite track is “Feedback King,” and it’s all-in-all a solid outing. Their packaging of the CD is also quite unique… it’s a hand sewn golden pouch** with oversized liner cards and a paper sleeved CD. It doesn’t fit nicely in my standard rack (between Argyle Park & Arrested Development); but it definitely stands out and shows that they put effort into their record as a whole, not just the music. I’m excited about seeing them live in October when I’m up in Portland for work. Check them out at:
….http://www.myspace.com/aristeiaband
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Talkdemonic – Eyes at Half Mast :: Yet another band from Portland, but I got into them back when I lived in SW Ohio. I finally got a chance to see them live (review link) in February. They are a great two piece that is more on the subtler, gentler side of post-rock. Perhaps “electro-acoustic chamber rock” is their subgenre. :) Anyway, Eyes at Half Mast picks up where their past two records left off… nary a disappointment. I’ve been waiting for this record since they mentioned it as “upcoming” at their show in Feb…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling :: Much more enjoyable to me than their recent tour (review link). I can control the volume… yay! I dig this record A LOT. This Scottish band, or band from Scotland (so all three bands are from places that end in “land”), has put out some consistently great records. This one bounces back from their mellower Zidane with more gusto, more power, yet still retaining the melody. You know… the melody that gets drowned out in their live show (::rolleyes::). Anyway, I think this record will stand up as one of the better releases in 2008.
2008 is a banner year for great instrumental music. Every year I get more and more instrumental music, but this year is shaping up to be the first year ever where instrumental music beats out vocal music on CDs making their way on my shelves (and it’s by a landslide at this point). These three records above are a good indication why I’m leaning towards the vocal-less preference lately.
~Dan – np: Ani Difranco – Red Letter Year
*– gotta love Wikipedia
**– though it is fraying a bit, they could have used some pinking shears***
***– gotta love Wikipedia
REVIEW: Mogwai @ Music Fest NW (Portland, OR – – 9/3/08)
Opener the Fuck Buttons were pretty good. I’m bummed that I didn’t make it to the venue until 9:30pm and didn’t make it inside until about 9:40… as I only caught one of the FB’s set. They were loud, but sort of an electronic post-rock duo. Groove-oriented and somewhat repetitive, but the song I heard was enjoyable.
Mogwai hit the stage right around 10:30pm. And they are quite possibly the loudest band on the planet (outside of perhaps Testament on the Demonic Tour). Oy… I just don’t know why their live shows need to be so bloody loud. It’s quite unbearable. Their music suits a “normal” setting (unlike perhaps Testament). I mean, what are Mogwai trying to prove by being so loud? It wasn’t a one-time thing either… they were quite unbearably loud when I saw them in 2006 at the Wexner in Columbus, OH.
(from the Portland show)
I stayed for right about an hour. I’m not going to bother with posting a set list, as… well… they’re a post-rock band, and it’s hard to remember their song titles. Sorry, it was good, but I’ve got no song titles for y’all (UPDATE: setlist from fan photo).
Setlist:
- Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
- The Precipice
- Ithaca 27ø9
- Thank You Space Expert
- Friend of the Night
- Scotland’s Shame
- Hunted By A Freak
- Ex-Cowboy
- Kids Will Be Skeletons
- I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead
- I Love You, But I’m Going To Blow Up your School
- 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
- Like Herod
- Batcat
I’m looking forward to their upcoming album, The Hawk Is Howling, out in 3 weeks. That way I can adjust the volume myself.
Luckily my hotel is literally 3 minutes away. And my ringing ears shall be in bed soon.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/mogwai
- http://www.mogwai.co.uk/
- Mogwai’s Tour Diary about Portland: USA_Tour_Diary_pt1
- http://www.myspace.com/fuckbuttons
- http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk/
- http://www.musicfestnw.com/
No posts for a while (meaning a few days)… perhaps (I’ve been known to be a liar). Moving stuff this weekend to our new house. But look out… next week is God of Shamisen (9/11) and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (9/12) in Eugene. Plus Ani DiFranco’s upright bassist, Todd Sickafoose, is in Eugene (unfortunately the same night as GOS – Thursday 9/11), but I may swing by Sam Bond’s to at least pick up his new CD, Tiny Resistors, before the GOS show.
~Dan – recently played: Sufjan Stevens – Come On Feel the Illinoise!
Mogwai & Music Fest NW
The only band I really care to see at Music Fest NW 2008 (in Portland) is Scottish post-rock band MOGWAI. Hence, I had written it off as, “nah, ain’t gonna bother.” I mean, Mogwai is great – – I’ve seen them before (at my 1,000th live music performance seen), but driving up to Portland on a Wednesday (Sept 3rd) isn’t high on my list. I had written it off…
…until now.
Plans changed at work, and some interim fieldwork for a client of mine that was going to happen in mid-July is now happening in early September… right during Music Fest NW. Alas, I’ll get to see Mogwai, and will likely only have to drive across a river to the Roseland Theater. Yay!
~Dan – np: Miles Davis – The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions
REVIEW: EARTH & Jesse Sykes @ W.O.W. Hall (Eugene, OR – – 6/23/08)
Prior to the show, I stopped by Cozmic Pizza for a chai muffin… two wonderful singer-songwriters were playing, Breanna Paletta and Justin Bennett. I caught a few of their songs (3-4). Great stuff. They’re from Portland. Maybe when I have more time, I’ll check out one of their full sets. OK, now on to the main event…
After some much stupid hesitance, I went to go see Earth at W.O.W. Hall last night. Much stupid hesitance in that… I won’t hesitate to go see Earth again. Holy rusted metal, Batman… they’re a great live band!
I hadn’t heard of Earth, the band, until last month when I went to see Stebmo (Earth’s keyboardist) open for Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio (review of that show here). Anyway, a possibly inaccurate Wikistory on Earth, the band… signed a million years ago to Sub Pop Records, and Dylan Carson (founder and linchpin to Earth) was a friend of Kurt Cobain. Kurt Cobain wrote Burger King jingles (or maybe he sold bicycles), I think. Anyway, Kurt hated Burger King (or bicycles), shot himself, and later Dylan bought the shotgun.
Side step to 2008… Earth are now spawn to several tribute bands (in style, not content) – – Sunn 0))) and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine (per Wiki). Their style is ambient, doom, drone, post-rock, or something of a mix of all of that. I’ve heard of Sunn 0))), dig ’em. Listened to some Earth, and didn’t like it with vocals, but loved it without vocals (clip below):
Then I decided to go to the show…
For a local club, I like W.O.W. Hall. I’ve seen a couple shows there this year. I hope to see more in the future. If anything, I like the fact that it’s a not-for-profit venture (they don’t seem to act like cacks like the clubs with bouncers and whatnot). The opener was Parade of Storms. I showed up a little late, but if they went on on-time, they played about 45 minutes. Fuzzy metal with keyboards. Pretty powerful wall-of-sound, and a very good group. The next to play was Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. She also played around 45 minutes and was very good. Only a few songs were catchy/hooky, primarily she would fit into a dark americana rock meets singer-songwriter realm. The W.O.W. write-up called it country-noir. I suppose that fits.
Earth came on about 11:15. I stayed for the first hour (I don’t know how much beyond that they may have played. Here’s at least a partial set list:
- Omens and Portents II: Carrion Crow
- Hung from the Moon
- Engine of Ruin
- The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull (Stebmo played trombone at the beginning)
- Junkyard Priest
- …
After the first song, some wise-ass yelled out “slow it down.” I think most people got a good chuckle out of that. I did at least. :) Great hour of music… definitely drone rock / metal. Captivating, especially if you’re into ambient / drone instrumental music. As for the sound, I thought Earth had the best sound of the night. The drums (specifically) sounded pretty darn great. The band for last night’s show was Dylan Carlson on guitar, Steve Moore (Stebmo) on keyboards, Don McGreevy on bass, and Adrienne Davies on drums. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell guests on three tracks of their 2008 release, The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull.
(photo from the band’s webpage)
GREAT SHOW!! Go see Earth, the band, if they come by your woods’ neck:
Jun 26 2008 Eagles Hall – Olympia, Washington
Jun 27 2008 Doug Fir – Portland, Oregon
Jun 28 2008 Tractor Tavern – Seattle, Washington
Jul 13 2008 Supersonic – Birmingham
Jul 14 2008 Whelans – Dublin
Jul 15 2008 Black Box – Belfast
Jul 16 2008 Stereo – Glasgow
Jul 17 2008 Scala – London
Jul 18 2008 Patronaat – Haarlem
Jul 19 2008 Cafe Glocksee – Hanover
Jul 20 2008 Dour Fest – Dour
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/earthofficial
- http://www.thronesanddominions.com/ (Earth’s non-Rupert Murdoch webpage)
- http://www.myspace.com/stebmo
- http://www.stebmo.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/jessesykes
- http://www.myspace.com/yersiniapestismusic (Parade of Storms MySpace)
- http://www.myspace.com/wowhalleugene
- http://www.wowhall.org/
they’re taking over
I don’t mean to make this a Sigur Rós-centric blog, but here’s Stereogum‘s great report from Bonnaroo 2008:
They (i.e. Barbara Streisand) say people who need people are the luckiest people. But you know who really are the luckiest people? People who have a ticket to see Sigur Rós this summer. It’s not that I haven’t seen ’em before, but it’s been 24 hours and I’m still paralyzed from the 1AM bliss fest of their set Saturday night in That Tent. Here’s why you should sell all your possessions to secure a ticket to see them right now:
- The current setlist is a catalog-spanning beast, showcasing hallmark moments from each of the band’s style shifts, from the dark and dank Ágætis byrjun, to the slowest-of-core unpronounceabilites of the ( ) stuff, to the triumphant Takkisms. (Saturday brought “Svefn-g-englar” [the “it’s you-oooo” song], “Njósnavélin” [the “yu-silo” song], “Olsen Olsen,” “Hoppípolla,” “Glósóli,” and non-album crowd fave “Hafsól” [the drumstick-on-the-bass song]).
- The Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust stuff crushes it live, comes with lots of horns, ups the band’s overall joy quotient, and really seems to have loosened them up, as people, even more. Last night these included “Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur,” “Godan Daginn,” “Vid Spilum Endalaust,” “Festival,” “All Alright” (the one in English!) and of course “Gobbledigook.”
- Umm, “Gobbledigook.” Which winds up having 12 people on stage (fully clothed, sorry), a drumline powered by amiina, confetti guns, and, most notably, a wildly grinning Jonsi.
- The mariachi band that parades the stage during “Sé Lest” has a pretty great outfit.
- They are the best band in the world.
Read the entire Stereogum Bonnaroo entry **HERE**, plus check out some YouTube videos from the show there as well…
~Dan – np: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog – Party Intellectuals
new Sigur Rós pronunciations
Icelandic for Beginners, Tape 1
These foreign language help mp3s are originally from their MySpace page…
How to pronounce Sigur Rós’ new album name: CLICK HERE (small mp3, 140k)
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
English: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly
How to pronounce the album’s track names: CLICK HERE (small mp3, 279k)
| 1. | Gobbledigook | 7. | Ára bátur | |
| 2. | Inní mér syngur vitleysingur | 8. | Illgresi | |
| 3. | Góðan daginn | 9. | Fljótavík | |
| 4. | Við spilum endalaust | 10. | Straumnes | |
| 5. | Festival | 11. | All Alright | |
| 6. | Suð í eyrum |
the Sigur Rós announcement (27 May 08)
OK, well, the Sigur Rós announcement isn’t that the album is called ñækíð εή а ŧræé… it’s called Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (eh, I was close, huh?), and it’ll be out June 24th in the U.S. The album name means “With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly.” Seriously. Go HERE for more info on the album. Pre-ordering begins June 2nd from sigurros.com.
So, MSIEVSE would be the shorthand for the album? Quality. Or maybe just Medsud…
Tracklist:
| 1. | Gobbledigook | 7. | Ára bátur | |
| 2. | Inní mér syngur vitleysingur | 8. | Illgresi | |
| 3. | Góðan daginn | 9. | Fljótavík | |
| 4. | Við spilum endalaust | 10. | Straumnes | |
| 5. | Festival | 11. | All Alright | |
| 6. | Suð í eyrum |
More Nakedness:
~Dan
59″ of aural pleasure
Some words on some recent vinyl added to my collection…
God of Shamisen The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack! 7″ (God of Shamisen)
From the Secret Chiefs 3 / Estradasphere connection, I first heard God of Shamisen on the MySpaces (http://www.myspace.com/gos). This white vinyl with red label in white sleeve should clue you in to its Japanese influence. The shamisen is a 3-stringed instrument that’s played with a big ice scraper-like pic (called a Bachi)and has a somewhat banjo-like quality. I saw Kevin Kmetz (aka the “God of Shamisen”) play with Estradasphere, and it melded well with their sound as well. If you’ve seen a recent Nintendo Wii commercial… well, you know what a shamisen sounds like.
This 7″ includes “The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack!” and “Strange Relationship Attack!,” both of which can only be heard here on the vinyl or at their MySpace. IMO, “Ray Bradbury” is worth the price alone. Their full-length debut CD should be out sometime later this year. Info about the band and the vinyl is here: http://www.godofshamisen.com/
Radiohead Jigsaw Falling Into Place 7″ (XL)
This 7″ includes “Videotape (Live from the Basement),” as opposed to the CD single version that includes “Down is the New Up” and “Last Flowers” (both also “Live from the Basement”). It can be gotten at Amazon.
Puscifer V is for Vagina 12″ -and- Queen B 7″ -and- Dozo 7″ (Puscifer Entertainment)
I got these mainly because I’m a Maynard fan. Most of what’s on them (ie- the remixes) can be found on iTunes (except for the Queen B Trip E Mix). If you do search out the vinyl… I’d recommend Amazon and not Puscifer HQ, though. Puscifer’s shipping charges are ludicrous… like more ludicrous than the Pope at a truck rally. Prior Puscifer limited editions weren’t available on Amazon; so this is a move in the right direction (IMO). I also got the Dozo DVD along with this shipment… warning: it’s got a damn annoying menu (it’s hard to find what you’re looking for… like the commentary… which may be Maynard, may be David Cross, may be my mailman).
Holy Fuck Lovely Allen 7″ -and- 12″ (Young Turks)
These were available a few months ago directly from Young Turks (a UK label), but again, horrid shipping and USD-to-GBP conversion. They became available stateside earlier in May from Beggars Group USA for a waaaay reasonable price (only $7 for all 19″ of thick, black… vinyl).
The 7″ includes “Super Inuit (studio)” along with the title track. The 12″ includes “Riton Rerub,” “Minotaur Shock (Broadmead Redevelopment Version),” and “No Age Remix” along with the title track. All of these are available on iTunes as well (check ’em out… or at least the first 30 seconds).
Oh snap… I just saw that the “Lovely Allen” and “Milkshake” videos are on iTunes. Click. Click. Rock.
That’s all for now… again, if you’re not a vinyl dweeb, check out the shiz on iTunes or whathaveyou…
It’s not how big you make it spin, it’s how you spin it…
~Dan – np: ethan winogrand w/ steven bernstein – tangled tango
PS- I forgot about the Lovage (Dan the Automator, Mike Patton, Jennifer Charles from Elysian Fields) Songs to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (Instrumentals) 12″ I got on Saturday at CD World here in town (they had a big 25% off all vinyl sale last wknd… woot)… so, I guess my new title should be 71″ of aural pleasure… eh… too late.
Holy Fuck’s Daytrotter Session -Free EP-
Holy Fuck‘s Daytrotter Session has finally been released (it was mentioned in a Daytrotter email, like, 2 months ago)… :)
http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1266/holy-fuck
Latin – a relatively new song. It hasn’t been released on anything yet and we’re not sure what will become of that song yet. We’ve been trying out different things on this one during this tour, and it’s starting to take shape!
Daytrotter does in-studio performances, and has MANY artists on their webpage. Some of the ones I’ve dug recently are My Brightest Diamond, David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion), and Erin McKeown… (and more, like The National, Death Cab for Cutie, et cetera)…
The Holy Linkage
http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/
~Dan
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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