Dancing About Architecture 4.21.09
Posted by Ian Wright on 04.21.2009
New songs from Sunset Rubdown and Sonic Youth, MBV t curate ATP’s NBC, the fork fest new additions, thoughts on the Clues album and more.
The bit at the start
Band splits can be a bit like a relationship break up. You put so much of yourself into the music it can be pretty heartbreaking when it ends. And then there's the sense of loneliness caused by the fact that after spending so much time with your band mates, possibly to the detriment of seeing other people, you're left alone to potter around the house not really sure to do with yourself; admittedly this isn't so much an issue if the reason for the band split was because you decided that the people that you were making music with were a bunch of pricks but all the same, it can happen.
To continue with the clumsy analogy then, seeing your ex-bandmates go on to be far more successful and feted than they ever were with you must sometimes be akin to learning that your ex has beaten you in the race to start screwing someone new first.
Clues are a band whose members know a thing or two about seeing people that they used to play with go on to be far more famous. Guitarist/singer Alden Penner is a former member of The Unicorns, a pop trio who released the marvelous but widely overlooked Who Will Cut Out Hair When We're Gone? in 2003 and then disbanded in late 2004/early 2005 just as their home city of Montreal was blowing up as a scene in the eyes of the wider music press, the other 2 Unicorns went on to form Islands. Drummer Brendan Reed was a member of Arcade Fire back when Mr. and Mrs. Butler may have been worrying that young Edwin was pissing away that expensive prep school education of his in Canada of all places, and not even in "good Canada", in the part with the French.
Clues kicks off as you might expect an album by an ex-Unicorn to with some bright n' breezy yet rough sounding upbeat indie pop in the shape of "Haarp" and for those who really just want to hear that sort of thing songs like "Cave Mouth" "Crows" and "Ledmonton" won't disappoint. Second track "Remembered Severed Head" continues the theme somewhat but for some reason also reminds me of the "Magnolia" soundtrack. Actually the spectre of Amy Mann's contribution to Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus/bloated pile of wank (delete as appropriate, that film seems to engender wildly varied opinions in people) seems to loom large over portions of Clues as album closer "Let's Get Strong" also evoke images of a collection of Hollywood character actors (plus one pint sized superstar) mouthing along on-screen.
Elsewhere, in the albums' middle section to be precise, the influence of producer Efrim Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) becomes visible, particularly in the droney sounds that runs through "In The Dream" and the beginning and end of the album's outstanding track "You Have My Eyes Now".
It's now a year and a half or since news of Clues' existence popped up on blogs accompanied with what was touted to be an album sampler and listening to the what has become the album it's evident that the delay between then and now was worth the wait because Penner, Reed and their other 3 band mates have produced a very fine record which comfortably sits alongside the canon of wonderful Canadian albums produced in this past decade.
Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.
The Microphones - Mount Eerie
Band liked album so much they renamed themselves after it.
You news, you lose
ATP ATP ATP OR You're damn right I'm going to this.
I've never been to one of the ATP "Nightmare Before Christmas" festivals in the UK. Generally the acts that line up for them, usually really really nasty noise shit, aren't my thing. However things have changed a little for this December's upcoming event as it will be curated by My Bloody Valentine.
Taking place at Butlins Minehead from December 4-6 not all that many bands have been announced yet but they've already gone for some cool and/or interesting picks. Sonic Youth (who I wouldn't be shocked to see play multiple sets, one normal and one douchbag noise one), Sun Ra Arkestra (Sun Ra went back to Saturn in 1993 but I figure it could still be cool), De La Soul and um The Horrors (shockingly their latest single is rather good).
Yeah I know, lineup is thin on the ground but MBV did curate last year's inaugural ATP New York and picked a pretty amazing crew to play.
This makes me happy.
I'm a big enough Sunset Rubdown fanboy to listen to bootleg versions of new/early songs as they get played on tour. Early on in the Random Spirit Lover tour the band started playing a song originally entitled "Icarus" which excited me from the off. They then recorded the song, now called "Idiot Heart" for a Daytrotter session and when it was announced that a new album, called Dragonslayer, was coming out later in the year (June 23 to be precise) I was very pleased to learn that the song was going to be on the album.
The studio version of it showed up online this week.
Sonic Youth have their first album out on Matador Records on June 8/9 depending on where you live. It's called The Eternal and you can listene to the "Sacred Trickster" from it here.
It sounds like how you might expect a song by Sonic Youth to sound.
Pitchfest
Yeasayer, Blitzen Trapper, Mew, Japandroids, Plants and Animals, Disappears, Women.
Those are the latest names to be added to the Pitchfork Music festival which takes place in Chicago's Union Park from July 17-19.
Those additions mean that the lineup now looks like this …
Friday, July 17:
"Write the Night: Set Lists by Request"
Built to Spill
The Jesus Lizard
Yo La Tengo
Tortoise
Saturday, July 18:
The National
Yeasayer*
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Fucked Up
Plants and Animals*
Matt and Kim
Wavves
Charles Hamilton
The Duchess and The Duke
Disappears*
Sunday, July 19:
The Flaming Lips
Grizzly Bear
M83
The Walkmen
Pharoahe Monch
Blitzen Trapper*
Black Lips
The Very Best
Mew*
Vivian Girls
Japandroids*
Women*
* Just added.
Damn, that kinda makes me wish I lived in Chi-town.
The YouTube video of the week
If you can you should go to these gigs.
Pheonix
04-21 Reims, France - La Cartonnerie
04-23 London, England - Hoxton Bar & Grill
05-20 Berlin, Germany - Berghain (Spex Festival)
05-23 Cologne, Germany - Electronics Beats Festival
05-25 Paris, France - La Cigale
05-28 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
05-30 Hasseleholm, Sweden - Siesta
06-01 London, England - Koko
06-04 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Trouw Club
06-05 Brussels, Belgium - L'Orangerie
06-06 Nürburgring, Germany - Rock am Ring Festival
06-07 Nürnberg, Germany - Rock im Park Festival
06-12 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-13 Chicago, IL - Park West
06-15 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theater
06-16 Montreal, Quebec - Les Saints
06-17 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
06-19 New York, NY - Terminal 5
06-21 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
06-23 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity
06-25 Denver, CO - Bluebird
06-27 San Francisco, CA - Regency Center, Grand Ballroom
06-28 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
07-03 Arras, France - Main Square Festival
07-24 Cambridgeshire, England - Secret Garden Festival
07-25 Dorset, England - Camp Bestival
08-07 Tokyo, Japan - Summer Sonic
08-08 Osaka, Japan - Summer Sonic
08-22 Chelmsford, England - V Festival
08-23 Staffordshire, England- V Festival
10-28 London, England - O2 Academy
The Field / The Juan MacLean
05-21 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
05-22 Philadelphia, PA - Pure
05-23 Washington, DC - Black Cat
05-25 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
05-27 Miami, FL - Liv at the Fountainbleu
05-29 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
05-30 Houston, TX - Numbers
05-31 Lubbock, TX - Cactus Courtyard
06-03 San Diego, CA - Casbah
06-04 Pomona, CA - The Glass House
06-05 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon Hollywood
06-06 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
06-07 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
06-08 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
06-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richards on Richards
06-11 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
06-12 Denver, CO - Beta
06-13 Aspen, CO - Belly Up
06-16 Chicago, IL - Double Door
06-17 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
06-18 Toronto, Ontario - Tattoo
06-19 Montreal, Quebec - Les Saints
Wilco
04-21 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium #
04-22 Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnaces #
04-23 Oxford, MS - Lyric Oxford #
04-25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
05-23 Tenerife, Spain - Tenerife Auditorium
05-25 Malaga, Spain - Teatro Cervantes !
05-26 Madrid, Spain - Teatro Calderon !
05-29 Seville, Spain - Territorios Festival, La Cartuja
05-30 Oporto-Braga, Portugal - Teatro Circo
05-31 Lisbon, Portugal - Lisbon Coliseu
06-01 Santiago de Compostela-Galicia, Spain - Palacio de Congresos, Sala Braque
06-03 San Sebastian, Spain - Kursaal
06-04 Barcelona, Spain - Auditori Barcelona
06-12 Cincinnati, OH - Aronoff Center
06-13 Manchester, TN - Bonaroo Festival
06-15 Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown EventsCenter
06-17 El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
06-18 Tucson, AZ - Centennial Hall **
06-19 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
06-20 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
06-22 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-23 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-27 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater
06-28 Stateline, NV - Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
06-30 Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
07-03 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks
07-08 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
07-10 Wilmington, DE - Frawley Stadium
07-11 Lowell, MA - LeLacheur Park
07-13 Brooklyn, NY - Keyspan Park
07-17 Portland, ME - Maine State Pier
07-18 Wappingers Falls, NY - Dutchess County Stadium
07-19 Lewiston, NY - Art Park
07-23 Detroit Lakes, MN - 10,000 Lakes Festival
08-13 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-14 Gothenberg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-21 Erfurt-Hohenfelden, Germany - Highfield Festival
08-23 Brecon Beacons, Wales - Green Man Festival
08-25 London, England - Troxy
08-27 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
* with Pronto
# with A Hawk and a Hacksaw
! with Akron/Family
** with Grizzly Bear
Writing under the influence
Without which this column would not have been possible:
Talk Radio
Mitch Hedberg – Mitch All Together
The bit at the end
It seems that everyone has a "Crystal Castles are assholes" story. Here's the latest one.
