Archive for the ‘8 Points’ Category
September 2, 2008
Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst
August 5th 2008
Merge Records
A cynic might note that Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst has never really been known as simply a member of a band. He has always been the perceived heart and celebrated soul of Bright Eyes. Whether or not this is true does not exactly enlighten as to why Oberst has decided to release a record under his own name. We can’t quite call it a solo album can we? While Bright Eyes has permanent members, it is Oberst’s presence that is requisite. Simply said, Conor Oberst is Bright Eyes. Perhaps it is this conventional knowledge that provoked this moniker removal. In somewhat of a logical observation, Oberst can be seen to be taking a brake from himself and the persona that has been constructed by both his own efforts and those of industry tastemakers, eager to turn out a unique and compelling story; the results of which range from sincere critical praise to unfortunate narratives proffering Oberst as some sort of Doogie Houser of Indie Folk.
On an academic note, the Nebraska native’s introspection exemplifies the angle from which we, the audience, are intended to view. Oberst’s mythology is invariably rooted in his belongingness to Nebraska, a no-name, know-nothing state somewhere other than where most people live. Omaha is the locus that anchors much of his storytelling. Oberst’s proximity to home is in many ways the heart of his work; it is the referential space that is established in his lyrics as a place to be missed, a place in which to be misunderstood, and a place to misunderstand. These references are not always direct, but they are ubiquitously intertwined.
“He taught me victory is sweet even deep in the cheap seats…”
Even as he releases a self-titled record, suggesting biography, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band offer a personal narrative that is reflexive and acutely aware of where his lyrical perspective is anchored. Released on Merge Records rather than our beloved Saddle Creek, Conor Oberst is a record that disconnects from the iconic figure that the songwriter has become, allowing for the reclamation of personhood. By naming the record after himself he contrasts what would be expected from him as Bright Eyes and what he would offer when striped of ambiguity. It should not be contentious to note this provocation.
“Bitch in heat, the alpha male, not something she’d ever tell, except when she was deathly high. Then out it came, like summer rain, washed the cars and everything felt clean for just a little while…”
With that said, Conor Oberst delivers one of his most lyrically impressive efforts to date. Taylor Hollingsworth, Nik Freitas, Macey Taylor, Nate Walcott, and Jason Boesel have signed on to tour in support of a record removed from the weighty expectations of studio refinement. Instead Oberst and a few friends absconded to Tepocztlán, Morelos, Mexico and put together a dozen tunes recorded in a make shift studio. It is a largely upbeat folk rock record that at times sees Oberst return to his most lip quivering form. The references to Latin life and the open road conjure images from Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson. While this might unfairly reduce Oberst’s incredible story telling, make no mistake, Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band have made a record entirely in tune with Beat culture. While Dylan comparison may be appropriate, it is Oberst’s anachronistic membership to the larger artistic tradition that in some ways allow him to be viewed as a peer, rather than a derivative of the Blonde on Blonde architect. Conor Oberst is as beautiful as it is provocative; it is anthropological. It is exactly what was needed to avoid the impending caricature of the passé boy genius in favor asserting an identity beyond the artifice of a clever name.
“There is nothing that the road cannot heal…washed under the blacktop, gone beneath my wheels…There is nothing that the road cannot heal…”
-FF
8/9
http://www.conoroberst.com/
http://www.myspace.com/conoroberst
Other Music
Bright Eyes
Cassadaga- 2007
Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998-2005)- 2006
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings- 2005
Digital Ash in a Digital Urn- 2005
I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning- 2005
A Christmas Album- 2002
Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground- 2002
Fevers and Mirrors- 2000
Letting Off the Happiness- 1998
A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997- 1998
Desaparecidos
Read Music/Speak Spanish- 2002
Commander Venus
The Uneventful Vacation- 1997
Do You Feel at Home?- 1995
Read Sweet Omaha…Lovely Lincoln
Tour
9/2 Amsterdam – Melkweg
9/3 Brussels – Botanique
9/4 Luxembourg – Den Atelier
9/5 Zurich – Rote Fabrik
9/7 Munich – Backstage Werk
9/8 Zagreb – Studenski
9/9 Vienna – Arena
9/10 Prague – Roxy
9/11 Cologne – Gloria
9/12 Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset – End of the Road Festival
9/13 Paris – Nouveau Casino
9/14 Mannheim Alte Feuerwache
9/15 Berlin – Columbia Club
9/20 Omaha, NE Anchor Inn w/ Jenny Lewis
9/21 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium w/ Jenny Lewis
9/22 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre w/ Jenny Lewis
9/23 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge w/ Jenny Lewis
9/24 Oxford, MS The Lyric w/ Jenny Lewis
9/25 Tulsa, TX Cain’s Ballroom w/ Jenny Lewis
9/27 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
9/28 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa w/ M. Ward
10/02 Melbourne, AUS The Palace
10/03 Brisbane, AUS Tivoli
10/04 Sydney, AUS Enmore
10/07 Honolulu, Hawaii Pipeline Cafe
10/21 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda
10/22 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda
10/24 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
11/08 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/09 New York, NY Terminal 5
Posted in 2008, 8 Points, Americana, Artists, Bands, Bands, Collectives, and Artists, Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Frederick Foxtrott, Genre, Indie, Indie Media, Labels, Lincoln, LP, Merge Records, Mexico, Miscellaneous, Music, Music Review, Nebraska, Omaha, Places, Rating, Saddle Creek, Show Alert, Year | Tagged 2008, 8 Points, Beat Culture, Beat Literature, Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Folk, Indie, Indie Folk, Jack Kerouac, Jason Boesel, Lincoln, LP, Macey Taylor, Merge Records, Mexico, Music, Music Review, Nate Walcott, Nebraska, New York, Nik Freitas, Omaha, Saddle Creek Records, Solo Record, Taylor Hollingsworth | 1 Comment »
July 17, 2008
Phosphorescent
Pride
October 23rd 2007
Dead Oceans Records
Matthew Houck’s performance as Phosphorescent is remarkable. His representation on record is near perfect. Houck’s rustic folk songs have a magic to them; they’ll enchant you with animistic melodies and fill your gut with a deep and anonymous sadness. His voice croons like a lone rancher singing to the stars while some small smoking fire dries the boggy mud on his boots. Pride goes beyond most Americana in defining with startling clarity, even if for a moment, the ambiguous and protean qualities that make American rural culture unique.
Houck’s music descends as much from Welsh and Irish ballads as it does African American hymns and the rhythm of the Lakota Sundance. We have created a mythology about this country and its people; this mythology uses crop fields, prairies, mesas, and deserts as contexts in which our imaginations root the fundamental meaning of the American genesis. Phosphorescent has given us a record that celebrates this known but unspoken communion.
Intended or not, he along and Sam Beam are the standard bearers when it comes to Southern Gothic music. It is a tradition that gives us what history cannot. Animals become metaphors that speak as much of human tragedy as any factual testimonial. Two tracks in particular deserve words of great admiration. A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise opens the record with a sweet and haunting melody. With the pound of each bass drum, the listener becomes more entrenched in the humbling beauty of Phosphorescent’s music. Wolves is perhaps most exhibitive of Houck’s ability to assemble melody, lyrics, and spirit. These two songs alone justify every kind word he receives. Pride is a short yet stunning record. Had I only heard it sooner…
-FF
8/9
http://www.myspace.com/phosphorescent
Other Music
The Weight of Flight- 2004
Aw Come, Aw Wry- 2005
Here is a beautiful video for A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise by Zach Sluser:
Posted in 2007, 8 Points, American Gothic, Americana, Artists, Atlanta, Bands, Bands, Collectives, and Artists, Brooklyn, Dead Oceans, Frederick Foxtrott, Georgia, Indie, Iron & Wine, Labels, LP, Music, Music Review, New York City, Phosphorescent, Video | Tagged 2007, 8 Points, Americana, Atlanta, Band, Dead Oceans Records, Georgia, Indie, Music, Music Review, Phosphorescent, Southern Gothic, Video, Watch This | Leave a Comment »
July 15, 2008
Hypatia Lake
Angels and Demons, Space and Time
July 15th 2008
Reverb Records
There is the band and then there is the music. It is immediately understood when listening to Angels and Demons, Space and Time that Hypatia Lake has put together a record of enormous depth. The band itself is much less a physical entity, as it is a concept. The record is diffuse and eclectic, a psychedelic feast of beautiful noise and exquisite ambiances. The reason for the music’s variance is that Hypatia Lake is not intended to describe a group of musicians, but rather a mythic town. The band conceives itself as somewhat of an abstraction, manifesting the narratives and ethereal space in which the citizens of Hypatia Lake exist. The band must be understood as a thick description, using music genres and style to reify the disparate personalities that go about their business within the township of Hypatia Lake.
As each song passes, it gives way to the next with a deliberate disregard for consistency in tone or structure. There are heavy elements of early 90’s Seattle rock as well as shoegaze pop and classic psychodelia. I would love to hear this band cover War Pig. Every element of the music successfully invokes a particular mood without the jarring shuttle so often accompanied by medleys. I’ll not bother with a laundry list of musicians from which Hypatia Lake surely derive their influence, that list is assembled with such ease that I’ll save you the splendor of hearing all your guitar heroes amalgamated into a fluctuating pallet of raw heart. This band is ultra art rock; they are not progressive or excessively original, but they have had the divine pleasure of assembling a rare and intensely well written record. Not only was each song excellently conceived, but as a group they were assembled with attention and care.
Hypatia Lake recorded with Scott Colburn, an engineer who has worked with the likes of Arcade Fire and Animal Collective. His experience with experimental recording likely added to the record, but the talent exhibited on Angels and Demons, Space and Time by the band is tremendous. Even though the music serves an abstract function, the risky project proved to be entirely worthwhile. This record is excellent. Period.
-FF
8/9
http://myspace.com/hypatialake
http://hypatialake.com
Posted in 2008, 8 Points, Bands, Bands, Collectives, and Artists, Frederick Foxtrott, Hypatia Lake, Indie, LP, Music, Music Review, Psychedelia, Reverb Records, Seattle, Uncategorized | Tagged 2008, 8 Points, CD Release, Experimental, Heavy Metal, Hypatia Lake, Indie, LP, Music, Music Review, Psychodelia, Reverb Records, Scott Colburn, Seattle | 2 Comments »
July 1, 2008
Sigur Rós
með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
June 24th 2008
X L
Perhaps inspired by the success of their last effort Heima / Hvarf-Heim, Sigur Rós recorded með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust with a heightened sense of pop-thought and melody. Gone seem to be the days of brooding overtures spilling over walls of thick harmonic noise. Med Sud is not offering a correction to some flawed formula; it has not shed what is superfluously unnecessary, rather it is the leg contour as seen through a summer dress happily worn after the glacier’s recession. Icelandic for “with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly,” með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust belies Sigur Rós’ self awareness that rejects the accumulation of star-power, instead favoring the humble roles of music makers with intimate attention to detail and an endless commitment to the art rather than constructed personae that sadly distract many once great contemporaries.
The spiritedly named Gobbledigook begins Med Sud with an overwhelming punch. Tribal drums drive Jónsi Birgisson‘s falsetto, while the bass’ melodic structure abandons its typical role as a rhythmic supplement, mimicking instead the vocal notes, which contrast the low register of the bass and Jónsi’s high pitch voice. Complete with hand claps and sampled sequences of spritely lalalalalala’s, Gobbledigook is an intensely elevating track. Sigur Rós chose wisely to open their much anticipated release with such a masterful conceptualization.
Med Sud descends from its initial burst with grace. The record can be largely, even if simplistically, seen to be divided into two sections. The first maintains a pulsating optimism, replete with bright tones and splendor, the second half, beginning with Festival, softens to a spectrum of pastels; still emotionally above board, yet subdued with a calm and reflective contemplation. The album approaches its end as day approaches dusk. Med Sud is a great record, brought about by Sigur Rós’ sense of beauty, their reverence of humility, and their willingness to put their art form first.
-FF
8/9
http://www.sigurros.com
http://www.myspace.com/sigurros
Other Records
Von- 1997 (2004 US)
Von Brigði- 1998
Ágætis byrjun- 1999 (2001 US)
( ) – 2002
Takk… – 2005
Hvarf-Heim- 2007
Posted in 2008, 8 Points, Bands, Bands, Collectives, and Artists, Frederick Foxtrott, Hillbilly, Iceland, Indie, LP, Music, Music Review, Sigur Rós, Uncategorized, XL Recordings | Tagged 2008, 8 Points, Bands, Frederick Foxtrott, Iceland, Indie, Music, Music Review, Post-Rock, Sigur Rós, X L | 2 Comments »
April 22, 2008
M83
Saturdays = Youth
April 15th 2008
Mute Records
Suburban Chicago never sounded better, or at least no one has released music that so easily could have graced various John Hughes films of the eighties like Anthony Gonzalez, a 26 year old Frenchman who records under the moniker M83, named for the galaxy with the same alphanumerical designation. Saturdays = Youth is his 5th studio record and more than any other seeks to capture the essence of adolescence and the confusion of negotiating love and loneliness. Expanding from shoegaze to stargaze, as his name implies, Gonzalez managed to not merely replicate a style modeled by Tears for Fears, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Flock of Seagulls, but he has retroactively contributed to the bleak genre of gothic pop in a way that is insertive rather than derivative. With modern instruments and production, Gonzalez (re)vitalized a style, giving color and texture to a genre that many feel has been muted by twenty years of impersonation and distillation, killed by retro themed knockoffs and karaoke bars alike. Unfortunately when you formulize everything interesting about eighties europop, too often what is unique and noteworthy is lost. To his credit Anthony Gonzalez has avoided the distillation process and somehow managed to produce a truly great record.
Though Saturdays = Youth is stylistically strong enough to dodge the volleys of accusations levied that M83 lacks originality, in appearance Anthony Gonzalez mimics Matt Johnson, of The The fame, although there is virtually no sonic similarity. M83’s single Couleurs is an easy club track that has the darkness of proto-industrial pop. The sprawling synthesizers and metallic drum beats morph into fat bass pulses and reverberated words.
“Chasing Colors in my fears
I need yourself”
Graveyard Girl recounts the loneliness felt in life and the comfort of contemplating the afterlife. A 15 year old reads poetry to tombstones and hopes others will do the same for her when she has passed. It is a song that underscores the desperation that adolescence sometimes inflicts upon us, the monumental moments of bourgeois concerns and misunderstanding.
“I’m fifteen years old
And I feel it is already too late to live.
Don’t you?”
M83 has produced a record of beautiful design. Saturdays = Youth does not forsake the immaturity so prevalent in youth, rather Gonzalez explores it, hoping to capture the joyfulness in the space between ten and twenty, even when that space is morose and melancholy. Innocence is expressed by our desperation to shed innocence. That’s why we steal cigarettes, fight our fathers, and rip ourselves from the control of social expectations. M83 not only provides the soundscape for such a rebellion, but he resurrects the beauty, purpose, and cause of what is so often looked on in adulthood as regretfully juvenile. Even the mistakes of youth are sacred.
-FF
8/9
http://www.myspace.com/m83
http://www.ilovem83.com/
Other Records
M83- 2001
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts- 2003
Before the Dawn Heals Us- 2005
Digital Shades Volume 1- 2007
Tour
19 Apr 2008 – Camden Crawl – London
25 Apr 2008 – Andrews Lane Theater – Dublin
28 Apr 2008 – Cargo – London
29 Apr 2008 – Maroquinerie – Paris
2 May 2008 – L.E.V Festival – Gijon
3 May 2008 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels
20 May 2008 – Echoplex – Los Angeles, California
21 May 2008 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, California
23 May 2008 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, Oregon
24 May 2008 – Richards on Richards – Vancouver
25 May 2008 – Neumos – Seattle
28 May 2008 – Triple Rock Club – Minneapolis
29 May 2008 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, Illinois
30 May 2008 – The Mod Club – Toronto
31 May 2008 – Cabaret Music Hall – Quebec
2 Jun 2008 – Middle East Downstairs – Cambridge, Massachusetts
3 Jun 2008 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, New York
4 Jun 2008 – Bowery Ballroom – New York
6 Jun 2008 – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia
7 Jun 2008 – Black Cat – Washington
Posted in Music, Music Review, Bands, Indie, Show Alert, Dance, Frederick Foxtrott, 8 Points, Electronic-Phonic, Tour, Electronica, 2008, Pop, M83, Mute Records | Tagged Music, Show Alert, Dance, Frederick Foxtrott, Tour, Electronic-Phonic, 2008, Electronica, Pop, 8 Points, France, Eighties, M83, Mute Records, Saturdays = Youth, Indies, Music Revirew | 3 Comments »
March 17, 2008
Eagle Seagull
I Hate EPs (EP)
March 11th 2008
Self Released
In terms of record labels, Eagle Seagull is in the process of solidifying the framework in which their second record will be released. While they negotiate the terms of their future, they have been kind enough to put out a li’l som’n som’n for us to chew on, at least until they finish preparing their forthcoming effort The Year of the How-to Book. As is widely known, The Year of the How-To Book was produced by Ryan Hadlock, who has produced for artists such as Blonde Redhead and Steven Malkmus of Pavement. The record is due out sometime this year. Meanwhile, Eagle Seagull has committed to a domestic tour with such acts as Tokyo Police Club and The B-52s, with Europe to follow later in the year. This darling band has a lot to look forward to in the coming months.
I Hate EPs isn’t really an EP, it is a single of epic proportions that serves as a bridge from their debut to their new material. In this sense it is a “true EP” in that it acts an extension of recorded material, rather than a lump of five or six songs released as a sort of mini-album. It contains two songs which will almost certainly be on their upcoming record and three live previously released tracks. With its self-degrading title, I Hate EPs gives us a most vivid taste of what Eagle Seagull is up to. It is worthwhile to listen to every word on this EP. The lyrics are most certainly still emitted from the more noir recesses of our thought processes. They embody the violence that we inflict on one another with our thoughts, our lies, our manipulations, and the perfect memories that have since been pickled in the acerbic tension of current conditions.
I’m Sorry, but I’m Beginning to Hate Your Face is as great as its title. It embodies the romantic ideal that all things worthwhile and all things that are imbued with meaning are tethered to the relationship between those who have loved. This romance is not always pretty, as we often experience the instant karma of our deeds. With a dramatic wish, we want those who have wronged our affection to reap what they have sown. Specifically this song reflects on the love of an empty shell. A façade, a void, something not full, something love is supposed to be. In the end we are left with only our resignation to reason and disparagement of what lacks. The betrayal of love is met with the bitter negotiation of the perfect past moments and the inevitable question of, “How has it come to this?”
“We don’t talk about love; we don’t talk about sex; we don’t talk about dreams; we don’t talk about you; we don’t talk about me; we don’t talk about anything at all.”
What follows is a morose confessional recounting the fucked up duality of our sins and our victimization. I Don’t Know if People Have Hated Me, but I Have Hated People contrasts a person’s transgressions with their claim to be oblivious to what has been trespassed against them; it questions whether that obliviousness entitles them to assume that everyone else is just like them. It is the self discovery that they are in fact a monster. The song is beautifully played to an ominous piano progression interwoven with a most depressed, yet precious violin. The song ends with a surprising appellation of positive character. The narrator submits that they do not know if they have been forgiven but that they have forgiven others, which in context with their obliviousness speaks to the entitlement they feel. We are all monsters. We are all human.
The rest of the tracks, Your Beauty Is a Knife I Turn on My Throat, Heal It/Feel It, and Holy, are live cuts of songs from their debut self-titled record. They are appropriately faster, making them more danceable and aggressive. Carrie’s violin has a noticeably increased and appreciated presence in the live versions. The live recordings capture the band’s energy and attractive style perfectly. Eagle Seagull’s strength comes from their ability to define incommunicable moments. They may not use the most accessible words or the most flattering melodies, but their abstractions are extraordinarily palpable. God damn, this band is good.
8/9
http://www.eagleseagull.com
http://www.myspace.com/eagleseagull
Other Music
Eagle Seagull- Paper Garden Records (2005), Lado (2006)
Review of Eagle Seagull Shows in New York City
CMJ
Eagle Seagull @ Union Hall/The Mercury Lounge
Shows
Mar 19th 2008 8:00PM @ Birdy’s w/ Tokyo Police Club- Indianapolis, Indiana
Mar 20th 2008 8:00PM @ The Jackpot w/ Tokyo Police Club- Lawrence, Kansas
Mar 22nd 2008 8:00PM @ Kilby Court w/ Tokyo Police Club- SLC, Utah
Mar 24th 2008 8:00PM @ Independent w/ Tokyo Police Club- SF, CA
Mar 25th 2008 8:00PM @ Glass House w/ Tokyo Police Club- Pamona, CA
Mar 26th 2008 8:00PM @ Troubadour w/ Tokyo Police Club- LA, CA
Mar 28th 2008 8:00PM @ Soma w/ Tokyo Police Club- San Diego, CA
Mar 29th 2008 8:00PM @ Clubhouse w/ Tokyo Police Club- Tempe, Arizona
Mar 31st 2008 8:00PM @ Meridian w/ Tokyo Police Club- Houston, Texas
Apr 1st 2008 8:00PM @ House of Blues w/ Tokyo Police Club- Dallas, Texas
Apr 3rd 2008 8:00PM @ Studio A w/ Tokyo Police Club- Miami, Florida
Apr 5th 2008 8:00PM @ Backbooth w/ Tokyo Police Club- Orlando, Florida
Apr 7th 2008 8:00PM @ 40 Watt Club w/ Tokyo Police Club- Athens, Georgia
Apr 8th 2008 8:00PM @ Exit/In w/ Tokyo Police Club- Nashville, Tennessee
Apr 9th 2008 8:00PM @ The Spot w/ Tokyo Police Club- Cleveland, Ohio
Apr 25th 2008 8:00PM @ Theater of Living Arts w/ The B-52’s- Philly, PA
Apr 26th 2008 8:00PM @ 930 Club w/ The B-52’s- Washington DC
Apr 27th 2008 8:00PM @ The National w/ The B-52’s- Richmond, Virginia
Apr 29th 2008 8:00PM @ House of Blues w/ The B-52’s- Cleveland, Ohio
May 1st 2008 8:00PM @ House of Blues w/ The B-52’s- Chicago, Illinois
May 4th 2008 8:00PM @ Gothic Theater w/ The B-52’s- Englewood, Colorado
May 6th 2008 8:00PM @ Show Box w/ The B-52’s- Seattle, Washington
May 7th 2008 8:00PM @ Roseland w/ The B-52’s- Portland, Oregon
May 9th 2008 8:00PM @ The Independent w/ The B-52’s- San Francisco, CA
May 10th 2008 8:00PM @ TBA- Los Angeles, California
May 11th 2008 8:00PM @ House of Blues w/ The B-52’s- Anaheim, California
May 19th 2008 9:00PM @ Point Ephemere- Paris
May 20th 2008 9:00PM @ Grand Mix- Tourcoing
May 21st 2008 9:00PM @ Paradiso- Amsterdam
May 23rd 2008 9:00PM @ Trix w/ Sunset Rubdown- Antwerp
May 24th 2008 9:00PM @ Gebaude 9- Cologne
May 25th 2008 9:00PM @ Lagerhaus- Bremen
May 27th 2008 9:00PM @ Schocken- Stuttgart
May 28th 2008 9:00PM @ ISC- Bern
May 29th 2008 9:00PM @ 59:1- Munich
May 30th 2008 9:00PM @ Szene- Vienna
May 31st 2008 9:00PM @ Beatpol- Dresden
Jun 1st 2008 9:00PM @ Magnet- Berlin
Posted in 2008, 8 Points, Bands, Dance, Eagle Seagull, EP, Indie, Lado, Lincoln, Music, Music Review, Nebraska, New York City, Omaha, Paper Garden Records, Self Released, Show Review, SXSW, Tour | Tagged 2008, 8 Points, Bands, Dance, Eagle Seagull, EP, Indie, Lado, Lincoln, Music, Music Review, Nebraska, Omaha, Paper Garden Records, Self Released, Show Alert, SXSW, The B-52s, Tokyo Police Club, Tour | 1 Comment »
December 19, 2007
Sigur Rós
Hvarf-Heim
November 5th 2007
Xl Recordings
Loosely defined as “Haven-Home” or “Disappeared Home” Hvarf-Heim accompanies the release of the Sigur Rós produced documentary Heima chronicling their spontaneous return to Iceland where they played shows at various locations both in the wilderness and in a factory long since abandoned. The duality of the title underscores two central themes throughout the film. The first is Sigur Rós’ desire to illustrate the qualities of Iceland and its people that they believe have contributed to their music. The second is the increasing presence of the mining industry in the natural and majestic Icelandic landscape, which they fear is having irrevocably adverse effects on the country’s pristine environs. Heima was an effort for Sigur Rós to explicate to their audience the role that their homeland has played in the production of their music. Iceland’s aesthetic beauty and artistic spirit are the muses from which the band has drawn its creativity. Iceland provides a sanctuary from the corporate worlds of Europe and The United States, worlds that question the humble and unimposing manner in which Sigur Rós have chosen to present themselves.
Hvarf-Heim contains both unreleased tracks as well as older songs that have been conceptualized in a manner more in tune with their present style. The rerecorded songs from Hvarf are new takes from the earliest Sigur Rós album Von, which is largely an album stranded in the ether and is seemingly unable to express intent, purpose, or meaning. The new versions restructure the songs in a way that maintains their experimental nature but allows the listener to better engage the music. As the band has progressed through the years their music has matured and found a stylistically unique voice. Hvarf represents a reflection on Sigur Rós’ past; it recognizes their growth and is an homage to their origins.
Heim on the other hand plays with tracks spanning throughout Sigur Rós’ catalogue. These songs are recorded acoustically and emphasize their organic foundation. There are few things I dislike more than bands repackaging old songs and selling them as new releases in order combat their diminished capabilities and the prospect of their obsolescence, but Hvarf-Heim is a work that successfully expands on what has already been offered, rather then simply reiterating what has already been said. Hvarf-Heim connects the listener to a band that is content in their obscurity and hermeticism; it increases the enjoyment of previous records because it contextualizes the music into a broader community. Sigur Rós are no longer experimental postrockers, they are a representation of a people and country and they replicate the spirit of that community through the depth and raw beauty of their music.
8/9
http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/sigurros
Other Music
Von- 1997
Von Brigði- 1998
Ágætis Byrjun- 1999
Rímur EP- 2001
( )- 2002
Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do EP- 2004
Takk…- 2005
Posted in 2007, 8 Points, Bands, Iceland, Indie, Music, Music Review, Post-Rock, Sigur Rós, XL Recordings | Tagged 2007, Iceland, Music Review, Post-Rock, Sigur Rós, XL Recordings | Leave a Comment »
September 12, 2007
Crush The Clown
Crush the Clown Box Set
Extra Sensitive: super thin for more feeling
Disc 1 Potato Pop EP/BMG Demo
Disc 2 Self Titled
Disc 3 So We’re Going to Hell
Disc 4 Sick Love- Songs of Heartache and Despair
November 27th, 2006
Unsigned
The Renfields
Misconceptual Art Rock
2005
Unsigned
As this blog descends upon a quiet Midwest town in the heart of America, the clouds part barley revealing the stop lights changing colors on the streets of 14th and O, green, yellow, red and then red to green. Around the corner an establishment of some repute, both blessed and otherwise, collects $3 as cover charge for the musicians about to take stage. Tall-boys of Old Style are cracked and foam slides down pint glasses griped by the hippest of bar flies. This bar, or tavern as it is called, is home to a banquette of barely known bands. Featured this night is a musical troop quite twisted and psychedelic. This band has played this stage since its infancy. An orgiastic love child of The Beatles, The Who, The Sex Pistols, Pavement, and David Bowie circa 1971, Crush the Clown knows how to write a good pop tune. Songs whose accessibility shuttles somewhere between Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Eleanor Rigby and Cracked Actor or The Bewlay Brothers. More than simply a stylistic revival, Crush The Clown has made psychedelia relevant again.
The band, comprised of Nick Westra, Jerick Olivetti, and Greg Joyce, has been a local favorite of the Lincoln music scene for nearly a decade. Their production is the very definition of independent, most of the music having been recorded and mixed by the band themselves. Live performances reveal Crush The Clown at their purest and best. Here in Brooklyn, I often tell myself, if only these people could hear Crush The Clown. Tracks such as Neverbuzz, Her Lovely Brainwaves, and Sunshine define for me their incredible talent. They rock their audiences while singing melodious ballads about forest creatures and the emotional ineptitude of blood suckers. If there has ever been a band that needed a right time or a right place, it is Crush The Clown. For those of you who’d like to take a listen, visit their Myspace page. I believe they only have a single song posted, which I hope will someday change. They have a wealth of recorded material to offer up. Given in a purple Durex 24 pack, these records are a true testament to what talent, creativity, and patience can accumulate.
Nick Westra, Crush The Clown’s singer and guitarist, is very active in the Midwest music scene. Not only has he recorded bands in his basement laboratory, he has produced his own records. One such record is titled Misconceptual Art Rock under the name The Renfields, for which he played nearly all the primary instruments. The songs are brilliant orchestrations and stand apart from Crush The Clown in style and aesthetics. This record was very ambitious. I can’t say enough about the creative force invested in Misconceptual Art Rock. With The Renfields, it seems as if instead of band members, Westra’s different manic and depressed personalities feed off one another. I hope that this creative interplay continues to be productive. It is with an exercised relationship with the imaginary and a deep sense of romanticism that both projects succeed.
As a final note, Nick Westra is also the bassist for the well known Chicago rock outfit Head of Femur who are set to release an EP in October followed by a full length next year.
8/9
http://www.myspace.com/crushtheclown
Related Sounds
David Bowie
The Beatles
Pavement
Posted in 2005, 2006, 8 Points, Bands, Box Set, Chicago, Crush The Clown, Duffy's Tavern, Head Of Femur, Indie, Lincoln, Music, Music Review, Nebraska, Nick Westra, Psychedelia, The Renfields, Unsigned | Leave a Comment »
September 7, 2007
Eagle Seagull
Eagle Seagull
October 3rd, 2006- Lado
2005- Paper Garden Records
Marquis de Sade would have liked Eagle Seagull. I say this quite afraid that readers will believe that I am implying that Eagle Seagull’s music is lecherous, debauchery laden, sexually perverse, and morally deviant. Well…what can I say? Until now most of the “buzz” concerning Eagle Seagull’s self titled debut mainly deals with…the “buzz” around Eagle Seagull’s self titled debut. Much that has been written speaks of the dark yet poetic mood of the record or the epic vocals of Eli Mardock. Interviews often feature questions asking the band how they feel about comparisons to Clap Your Hands and Arcade Fire. Indeed, Eagle Seagull might be more aptly compared to The Cure, Pulp, or the dim and ethereal Blonde Redhead, but what does this really say about the band? Eagle Seagull will have a long time to define who they are as subsequent albums say more about their longevity and integrity, but their first one was quite a start.
The lyrical mood of Eagle Seagull is not simply dark. It is sinister, morose, morbid, and irreverent. I’ve listened to this record over a hundred times and I still think to myself, “Did he just say that?” The poetics of Lock And Key describe hearts “filled with doom,” and phrases like, “Won’t you just crucify me. Just kiss me and deny me. Drink my blood and eat my body. Come on babe just deify me.” from Hello Never demonstrate the noir themes pervasive in every tune. Holy sings the mantra that we’d all love to believe, that we are holy, that we are all angels. But hidden in short breaths and beautiful bells, Eli says, “You make me want to be a saint…who kills people.” Some tracks aren’t so reclusive in their violence. Your Beauty Is A Knife I Turn On My Throat has simply one of the loveliest choruses of all time. “Your beauty it is a knife…” This record is stunning in its romance with regret. Eagle Seagull’s debut contains love songs written from the recesses of the mind, narrating the human heart at its worst, while detailing its obsessive desire to be new again. This album is a rare feat. It is beautiful.
Also pervasive throughout Eagle Seagull’s basement ballads are deep and visceral melodies. They are heavy, contemplative and gorgeous, pulling the lyrical message out of the gothic darkness. Not since Boys For Pele have such delicate and desperate words been so easy to identify with. It is possible to treat these tunes as if they were buzz worthy pop songs only because the lyrics are matted within such a pleasing context. The guitars imbue the songs with subsurface tension, while the percussions abandon the post-punk model, seeking to add to the musicality rather than operate as a metronome. The intimacy felt in the songs reveal thoughts that we don’t and won’t admit we think. I greatly admire this band.
Eagle Seagull has two shows in New York City. In Brooklyn they’ll be down at Union Hall on Wednesday September 12th. On Friday September 14th they’ll grace the stage of The Mercury Lounge. I’ll be at both shows. I encourage all to attend. The last time my fiancée Hillary and I saw Eagle Seagull was at The Memories Bar in Chicago. As I recall, they followed a series of hard-core acts that blurted trite pleas to “Fuck the Government.” It was a little bizarre to see them play after a toothless 75 year old punk, bobbing up and down with his middle finger flopping around. Aside from Memories, I have not seen them perform away from their home turf. I wish them the best of luck in NYC and I hope that they get all the attention they deserve. Their upcoming record The Year Of The How-To Book, due out early next year, promises to be as phenomenal as their debut. I am not sure that there will be as much tenderness or vulnerability expressed, but I am sure it will not disappoint.
Read Review of NYC Shows Here
8/9
http://www.eagleseagull.com
http://www.myspace.com/eagleseagull
http://www.papergardenrecords.com
Related Sounds
Pulp
The Cure
Blonde Redhead
Wilco
Show Alert:
Union Hall- Wednesday September 12th, 2007
The Mercury Lounge- Friday September 14th, 2007
Posted in 2005, 2006, 8 Points, Bands, Brooklyn, Duffy's Tavern, Eagle Seagull, Indie, Lado, Lincoln, Manhattan, Marquis de Sade, Music, Music Review, Nebraska, Paper Garden Records, Show Alert, The Mercury Lounge, Union Hall | 1 Comment »
