Posted on 17 November 2009
The Golden Filter, who made beautiful music in the shadows of our CMJ party, maintain the mystery in this aesthetically tight (see “Sold Gold“) Warran Wright-directed video for “Thunderbird.” When we first posted the track, I thought it was helpful to offer up Penelope and Stephen’s (or their label’s) background thoughts on the song. It’s worth a refresher:
The Thunderbird of the title refers to a bird of Native American mythology when used in chant ceremonies symbolises purification and healing. There are several theories about the origin of the Thunderbird, but the most common is that it is a Condor, a gigantic breed of vulture that once flew over the West Coast of the Americas, and now only lives in Chile.
Also, recall the thunderbird-in-the-sand element of the single’s cover art. That’s only the half of it.
Continue reading New Golden Filter Video - “Thunderbird”…
Posted on 16 November 2009
Robert Zimmerman’s Christmas In The Heart polka gets itself a jolly house party video complete with dancing, drinking, fighting, short shorts, and an empathetic Santa. It was directed by Nash Edgerton, who did “Beyond Here Lies Nothing.” Unlike that clip, which starred Amanda Aardsma and Joel Stoffe, here lies Bobby long-hair cautiously carrying a candle, sipping wine, cutting a rug, etc. You can watch it at RS. If you’re in a quieter mood, though, there’s always Crystal Antlers’s unrelated cover of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” Oddly enough. Consider it a stocking stuffer:
Continue reading New Bob Dylan Video - “Must Be Santa”…
Posted on 16 November 2009
Posted on 16 November 2009
Posted on 16 November 2009
On Friday longtime favorites Krallice played to a very packed Union Pool, along with the duo Orphan and fellow NYC black metal crews Malkuth and Liturgy. I’d just put on a Halloween show with Krallice and Malkuth, so I timed my arrival to catch Krallice celebrating the release of their great second album Dimensional Bleedthrough. Because of the quartet’s endless multi-tasking — drummer Lev Weinstein’s in Bloody Panda, Mick Barr is Mick Barr, Colin Marston plays in Dysrhythmia, Behold… The Arctopus, Gorguts, etc., and is an active producer — you see the guys out at shows and parties all the time, but rarely get them in the same place at the same time to play an actual show. Add that to the recent attention paid to the band in places like the New York Times and the fact that it was Friday the 13th and it makes perfect sense my show cohorts were worrying about fire codes. If you missed it, take a look at this truly epic start to the set via Dimensional’s opening title track (one of my favorite songs of the year) and “Autocthon,” the 9-minute blast that also follows it on the album. The first is sung by Barr, the second by bassist Nick McMaster, who handles previously posted “The Mountain” and has no face in the above thumbnail. The movement from intricate, transcendent banshee black metal to mathed-out muscular death metal? Phenomenal.
Continue reading New Krallice Live Video - “Dimensional Bleedthrough” & “Autocthon” …
Posted on 16 November 2009
In 2002, Toronto’s Paper Bag Records had an auspicious first year by releasing a new millennial indie rock touchstone in Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People, one of the decade’s most acclaimed albums, and one that helped shape thoughts and expectations of what indie rock could look and sound like in the ’00s: sentimental and anthemic but still rooted in the raucous guitar rock of the ’90s, all while featuring more members than an intramural softball team. Years later, the label still earns plaudits for curating a solid roster — most recently given NOW magazine’s award for Best Toronto label — both locally (try Tokyo Police Club, You Say Party! We Say Die!, the recent sensation Little Girls) and, increasingly, abroad (see: Swedish Italo disco princess Sally Shapiro, Danish art-rock BTW Under Byen).
From an auspicious start to an auspicious anniversary celebration, then: Paper Bag is now in its lucky seventh year, and their celebration involves giving us even more music with The Seven Year Itch: a compilation of of cover songs performed by twelve of their artists, for the perfect price of free. A few have been around for a bit, like CFCF’s take on OMC’s “How Bizarre” or Sally Shapiro’s lovely “Dying In Africa,” but many are new, including the Acorn’s rework of Gowan’s progressive pop gem “(You’re A) Strange Animal.” Refresh yourself with the original, then download this:
Continue reading Paper Bag Recs Turns 7 With Covers Comp…
Posted on 16 November 2009
After giving a number of listens to Real Estate’s self-titled Woodsist collection and the six-song Reality EP — which includes the recently viewed “Basement” — it’s clear the Jersey-born BTW have decided to go an even more laidback than in their very chill past. Yes, Alex Bleeker’s earning that tie-dye shirt of his. The guys are adding chamomile and verbena to their suburban beverages. And, really, the group’s adapting their summery sounds to something that makes just as much sense to me on the verge of winter. See, for instance, the winding, breezily harmonized Reality closer “Dumb Luck.” It’s fortifying to see how willing they are to take their time.
Continue reading New Real Estate - “Dumb Luck” (Stereogum Premiere)…
Posted on 16 November 2009
We gave you the supposedly “darker,” somewhat familiar Fall Be Kind tracklist of “Graze,” “What Would I Want Sky,” “Bleed” (not “Bleeding“), “On A Highway,” and “I Think I Can.” The EP’s cover art does look sufficiently dark (piper at the gates of bong?) and these 30 second samples at Amazon UK (via GvsB) seem to confirm the descriptor. The Fall Be Kind EP is out digitally 11/23 and on CD and 12″ 12/15 via Domino. So even though this “I Think I Can” clip is a total tease, you won’t have to wait too long to hear the whole thing.
Posted on 16 November 2009
King Khan and his tour manager were locked up in Christian County Jail on Thursday for “allegedly possessing hallucinogenic mushrooms.” KK was also nailed for “driving with a suspended license.” Read more at Kentucky New Era (via P4K).
Posted on 13 November 2009
“Lower Leg” is the new single from stripped-down, angular UK post-punk trio Wetdog’s forthcoming second album Frauhaus. (They recently toured with the Slits, which makes perfect sense.) For the “Lower Leg” video Billy, Rivka, and Sarah focus on the “wet” part of their moniker, along with various lower legs. Sonically, you’ll want to reference the Raincoats because people tend to do that with all-girl punk bands for better/worse. But the band’s label site mentions the three being into ‘80 Welsh rock, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci frontman Euros Childs, and that “The Wicker Man, Syd Barrett and Robert Crumb are just as likely to feature in any album-related discussions.” This video is sunnier and sillier than the latter three might suggest. Including the spastic skeleton and drowning cut-outs.
Continue reading New Wetdog Video - “Lower Leg”…
