The New National Record

I loved High Violet. I don't immediately love this one, but I think I need to give it more listens. The one thing that jumps out are the odd time signatures. These are not neo-prog songs, they're still very "National"-esque dirges (generally simple, but with really great drumming). I'm really curious as to their writing process and how it leads to such time signatures.

P.S.: anyone checking out Google All Access? Doesn't have iPhone offline listening (or listening to stuff other than what you've uploaded). But it will be 7.99/month if you sign up now. I haven't checked artist compensation--I assume it's shit like all the others.

P.P.S.: Been in Mpls a little over 6 months now. Musical Reactions:

1) Lots 'o hip hop in this town now.
2) Crazy amount of good musicians (when you go into a restaurant on a Tuesday and they have a country trio that is not only talented craft-wise but also playing great original songs, you know there's a surfeit of music.
3) Willie's Guitars is still a drool catalyst store that I have no right stepping foot in.

Pete Drake

This is my current jam…



I like those creepy back up singers.

dc

What am I listening to?  It might come as no surprise I'm listening to reggae.

What are you listening to?

And Mr. Doing Last Week's Tricks, I have King Curtis Live at the Fillmore but other than one or two tracks it doesn't move me!!

Edit!!  Two things...first:



And two:

I had no idea this was Al Cisneros from Sleep/Shrinebuilder when I got it.  That kinda blew my mind.  Nice ambient dubby stuff.

DC Knowledge Drop (tm)

Sorry I haven't been posting.  Here's most note worthy music stuff off the top of my head:

-I got this King Curtis record for $1.00 and I've listened to it 100,000 times, it's fucking awesome.  This is why vinyl is so great... this may be on Spotify, I don't know, but I never would have found it on Spotify, I had to find the scratched up copy in the $1.00 bins at my record spot with the edges held together with Scotch tape... and that also adds to the vibe.  

-The Rhodes player for the Doors died.  Sad, that actually got me choked up.  Nothing but love for the Doors.

-My #1 fave label of all time Numero Group is releasing 2 exciting new LPs shortly... the new Express Rising joint (!!!) and a compilation of the best/early tracks of ambient/new age mastermind Iasos, done correct with the Numero treatment??!!!  The fuck outta here. 

These are all available's on Spotify:

-New (latest) Jeff Parker solo album with Chris Lopes and Chad Taylor (of Chicago Underground).  Of course it's awesome

-Ted Sirona's Rebel Souls?  Check the Soundcloud tracks on this page.  Any of you Chicago guys know anything about this?  He's really good, he's a drummer from Chicago and it is funky instrumental jazz/latin/funk/dub.

-Caveman?  Did Rootless already post about them?  Caveman is dope, indie vibe kind of The Cure-d out, real mellow.

-New Brokeback was totally awesome.

-Savages?  Meh, Pitchfork jammed this down my throat, but it's not all that.  I like the lead single off the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs joint, though.

-Lastly, Terry Reed is awesome.  Most you Gabino/Zink/Clark Starr types must know him already.  He was somehow associated with the Yard Birds, and he was almost the lead singer for Led Zeppelin.  Anywho, I scored a Terry Reed LP and Eno Ambient #1 and #2 on vinyl at a garage sale this weekend for $1 a piece.  DC!!!

Later bros.  #WWALT2013

dc

Silver Wilkinson

It's officially released today.  Listening right now.  Only 4 tracks into it, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the best Bibio record yet. 

Brokeback

I've been a huge fan of Brokeback for a long time now.  Heard about them through their Thrill Jockey/Tortoise affiliations. 

I love their record "Looks At The Bird," and their latest, "Brokeback And The Black Rock"  is no disappointment.  They shun the heavy editing and electronic/glitch sounds on this record, and rely on a stripped-down instrumentation led by fuzzy, twangy guitars.  It's comparable to a sound like Friends Of Dean Martinez or Calexico (minus the vocals).  Dreamy, dusty, desert dirges. 

http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Brokeback/Brokeback-and-the-Black-Rock#.UYAV3IIeU7A

BOC

Nobody's posted about the fact there's definitely a new Boards Of Canada record coming out in June? 
Check out this ad that showed on...the Cartoon Network(?)

New Express Rising Joint

This is huge news for me.

http://numerogroup.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/9123/

dc

BIBIO

 Another track from the upcoming Bibio album...
Very excited for when it's released in mid-May.
Both singles he's released so far have been killer.

Survival Knife

This is two of the guys from Unwound in a new, tighter band.  I heard the first single this morning just as the sun was coming out from behind some clouds, and brother I felt like I was new in the world.

Chris CLARK has EP Available for Free Download

And this is the page:
http://throttleclark.com/iradelphic-sessions/

I haven't heard this yet, but on some level I've really enjoyed everything he's put out.  In particular, I recall that Herzog off of 2006's "Body Riddle" had a particularly mystic/religious effect on me.
Here's his discogs page.
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Chris+Clark

If'n you like this, you might also really enjoy the last Bibio record, "Mind Bokeh".

New Kurt Vile is really really good

Took a minute to warm up to it, then I listened to it 4 times in a row yesterday.

dc

Ween - Now I'm Freaking Out

Zell Black

 Here's another stone jam... I had never heard this break before.

 dc

Pretty

\

 This is the jam.

 dc

Turntable reccos?

Just discovered this place in my new town:
http://hymiesrecords.com/

So... Time to buy a turntable. I'm no audiophile, but I'll want something okay. Anyone got tips? 

Good Article

Good article on Spotify, state of music industry, labels, etc., etc. dc

SXSW radio page

http://sxsw.com/fm

Kind of digging this. It's basically a radio station of SXSW bands. I like that I can't skip ahead, skip back, etc. Forces one to not indulge in low-attention-span listening.

DC Mega Post...

... the blog post also known as "all this shit is on Spotify (tm)."

DJ Day

DJ Day (or just "Day" if you are searching on Spotify) is dope.  The Turntablelab quote said: "taking what Dj Shadow did with Endtroducing and throwing it into a mixing bowl with Sungoddess era Ramsey Lewis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and YNQ era Madlib."  Uh... yes, please?  Almost played this one out already, so good.  There is a limited edition vinyl version but so far I've been able to stay away from it.  Actually, I still have that Turntablelab gift cert I got at Christmas...

Witch

Now Again, the Stones Throw subsidiary run by Egon Alapatt, put out this ridiculous record by a band Witch called "We Intend To Cause Havoc!"  Man, so good.  It's a band from Zambia from 1972-77 that is trying to sound exactly like the Rolling Stones (and succeeding, too)  It's a 4 CD set (!) so there is all kinds of goodness, although I guess what would be CD#1 is a solid gold jam for the whole family.  This is my 4-year old's #1 jam of the moment:



Dirty Beaches

The only thing I knew about Dirty Beaches was that garage rock joint that Bill Zink posted a few years ago (that was awesome).  They (he?) has a new one called "Water Park O.S.T." that is super ambient.  It's guitar, harmonia, mellotron, ambient sounds, all for a documentary about a water slide park in a mall in Minnesota, I think?  Whatever, this CD is dooooope for the mellow ambient tip.

Troubleman

Marvin Gaye's soundtrack for blaxploitation movie "Troubleman" has been a favorite for me since college, not kitschy funk, but an actual deep record I enjoy (plus the breakbeat classic "T Plays It Cool").  I'd say this is up there with "Superfly" for blaxploitation flick soundtracks that break through to "Art".  Anywho, Spotify has the 40th anniversary edition with a whole second CD of outtakes and alternate takes and shit!  This was a major score for me.  Here's "T Plays It Cool":



Oh man, I got so much love to give.

Later dudes.

dc

Iroko Records

I've championed a few labels on here in the past, most notably Jahtari, but now I have a new label to proselytize about - Iroko Records from France.  They are pressing some very high quality reggae reissues.  The tunes are deep deep roots.  Very nice.

The Haxan Cloak

Has anyone else heard this guy??? Pretty incredible.

Here's an interview on Pitchfork (i know, i know) that has some audio to listen to as well...

http://pitchfork.com/features/rising/9070-the-haxan-cloak/

Soundgarden at Wiltern

No opening act. 28 songs in about 2 hours 30 minutes. The first thing to say is that the Badmotorfinger and Superunknown songs are badass live. Jesus Christ Pose, New Damage, Rusty Cage and Like Suicide are rockin songs. Hearing the chest pounding drums on Like Suicide was freedom rock man! Matt Cameron's drumming is insane, and he sings all of the backups. The Kim Thayil buzzsaw guitar is still in full effect. Cornell plays guitar on most of the songs, so with the twin attack riffage you get your guitar fill for sure! The bass playing is fine, but when Ben Shepherd hits the fuzz pedal the bottom falls out a little, and I'm never impressed with wrecking amps and smashing guitars. The set was from the last 4 albums only. I would have liked to hear some older tunes, they played Louder Than Love tracks the following night. The new songs were mostly good, but Live to Rise was flat and should have been left out. Cornell can still belt 'em out, but he has lost a little, "off the fastball". You gotta give the guy props for even attempting some of the ridiculous high notes of Outshined. I can't even imagine a whole tour of trying to hit all those high notes. Overall it was a great show and worth the price of admission.

We Buy White Albums

Peculiar + fascinating.

via Varnish Studio

Batman Vs. Sun Ra

I got that Batman record with Sun Ra and The Blues Project playing on it for $1.00 at an Estate Sale.

dc

What does this song remind me of?

This whole album is pretty solid, by the way.  Prince Rupert's Drops, "Run Slow".

dc

waiting for sugarman

Anyone seen "Waiting for Sugarman?" I had heard a lot about it, and saw the 60 Minutes segment, but I saw the movie last night and it was incredible, great story. Been listening to his album "coming from reality" since seeing the movie, amazing that this record came out and no one heard it in the US.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL5TffdOQ7g

R.I.P. Sugarfoot

Sugarfoot from The Ohio Players died last week.  Sad news.

Definitely a funky dude...

Worth noting that The Ohio Players "Honey" (this very copy with "Raynette Freitas" written on the chick's arm) was one of the first 5 records I ever owned.

R.I.P.

dc

Boduf Songs

Boduf Songs has a new LP out, "Burnt Up On Re-entry"


Mat Sweet, the guy behind Boduf, also made the video below.  Enjoy.

I've got so much love to give today

This song is totally awesome.  I don't know anything about it.

dc

Lucifer in Dub

I’m a big fan of Peaking Lights.  I think "936" may have gotten best of honors for 2011 from me?  Last years’ “Lucifer” was a really good one as well.

They made a dub album of Lucifer, called “Lucifer in Dub” (natch).  Aaron Coyes, the main music maker of the duo, takes tracks from the album (which are pretty dubbed out to begin with) and gives them the full King Tubby treatment.  Dope.

It’s on Spotify, or you can buy it or steal it.

Good day, gentlemen.

dc