Dancing About Architecture 5.19.09
Posted by Ian Wright on 05.19.2009
Radiohead working on new material, The Antlers sign to Frenchkiss, Antipop Consortium live, a Flaming Lips double album, new material from Broken Social Scene, festival news and more.
The bit at the start
To describe myself as an Antipop Consortium neophyte is probably an insult to all the neophytes out there such is my newness to them but encouraged by a brief listen to them early last week and bolstered by mostly glowing reports from their appearance at ATP vs. The Fans (but in truth mostly because I'd endured the sight of Manchester United and Leicester Tigers winning their sports' respective domestic championships earlier in the day and I had a burning desire to get out of the house) I headed out to Whelan's on Saturday night to catch their gig, one that nearly didn't happen thanks to some drunks wrecking their van in Manchester on Thursday night and thus forcing the cancellation of Friday's Galway gig.
As it turns out my lack of familiarity with them wasn't much to worry about because the set was mostly made up of, as M.C. M. Sayyid repeatedly declared throughout the night, "just new shit y'all". And A.P.C., "new shit" n' all played, bar none, the best live show that I've seen all year. I'll admit, I don't go to all that many hip-hop shows and maybe a gig by a band that drew many, many of the familiar faces that I see over and over again at the indie schmindie gigs I usually write about here isn't the best yardstick to judge them against but after this perhaps I need to go to more of them.
It's been a long long time since I've seen a crowd react so positively to a band. In fact I don't think I've ever been to a gig in Whelan's before where the floor was jammed and there was only a dozen or so people standing at the bar and watching. Even more remarkably, when the clock hit 10:30 and people people started to stream in for the late club many of them didn't do what late arrivals usually do and hang out at the bar to chat/ruin the gig for the people there by making noise but instead they headed right down to the floor to join the party, when that got too full the prior-to-that deserted balcony began to fill up with people dancing. By the time the gig ended after 70+ minutes (not bad considering that the band had apparently, pre-gig, been discussing maybe doing three quarters of an hour ) they left the stage with promises to return within 2 months (though later in the night Beans admitted that November was far more likely) to a chanting chorus of "A.P.C." and with most of the crowd eating out of their hands. If it's got to be November then November can't come soon enough.
Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.
The Jesus Lizard - Liar
Only 9 days till I see them, can't wait.
You news, you lose
Not just a place to go to die of cancer
Earlier in the year The Antlers self released a beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful, gem of an album called Hospice. I seriously can't praise it enough, in fact I think I may have accidentally named it as the "beg, buy …" album of the week TWICE.
It seems that I'm not the only person massively enamoured with the album because the band last week signed to Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav's French Kiss label, joining the likes of Passion Pit and Cut Off Your Hands. The album will be reissued on August 18th.
Tracklisting:
01 Prologue
02 Kettering
03 Sylvia
04 Atrophy
05 Bear
06 Thirteen
07 Two
08 Shiva
09 Wake
10 Epilogue
Oh, and while you're at it you should check out previous album In The Attic Of The Universe.
Holy shit, just gimmee a minute, I need to sit down.
According to a recent interview with the BBC Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood confirmed that the band are working on the follow up to In Rainbows. Speaking to the Beeb's 6Music digital radio station Greenwood said, "It was very noisy and chaotic and really fun. It's at the stage where we've got the big Lego box out and we've tipped it out on the floor and we're just looking at all the bits and thinking what's next? I'm very impressed and grateful for Nigel our producer and his ability to make it all sound vaguely plausible."
You can read more extracts from the interview where Greenwood talks about touring with "heros" Kraftwerk and his thoughts on the band's "pay what you like" pricing model for their last album here.
Possibly double the awesomeness, possibly double the shitty over compressed production of Dave Fridmann.
The Flaming Lips are readying a new album for a late summer release. AND, yes there's an and, and it'll be their first double album (if you don't count that whole Zaireeka business, which you probably shouldn't).
Speaking to Billboard about the album (and managing not to badmouth Arcade Fire at the same time) Wayne Coyne explained the double album reasoning, "Our past couple of records we've always had this little dilemma, like how many songs do you put on? How many instruments do you put on? What's the focus? And some of my favorite records-- thinking Beatles White Album, Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti and even some of the longer things that the Clash have done-- part of the reason I like them is that they're not focused. They're kind of like a free-for-all and go everywhere"
Details are still quite sketchy but possible album titles include "Convinced Of The Hex" and "I Don't Understand Karma".
Also wonderful news.
Broken Social Scene are in the studio right now (that studio being Soma Electronic Music Studio in Chicago where John McIntyre ((Tortoise)) is producing).
Kevin Drew isn't giving up much in the way of detail for now though saying, "I can't tell you what this record will sound like, who from the other great bands will be involved, but I can tell you it feels amazing to be in Chicago recording."
Forkfest latest
New additions, the Thermals, one Final Fantasy, Bowerbirds, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Michael Columbia and Killer Whales.
I cover the pitchfork festival nearly every week, y'al should know the details by now.
The YouTube video of the week
The Boss covers The Clash.
If you can you should go to these gigs. The Antlers
05-21 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
05-29 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
05-30 Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel ^
05-31 Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House ^
06-01 Nashville, TN - The End ^
06-02 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone ^
06-03 New Orleans, LA - All-Ways Lounge
06-04 Dallas, TX - The Cavern ^
06-05 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington ^
06-06 Austin, TX - Mohawk ^
06-09 Tuscon, AZ - Plush ^
06-11 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey ^
06-12 Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones ^
06-13 San Francisco, CA - Bimbos ^
06-14 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn #
06-16 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 #
06-17 Charlottesville, VA - Outback Lodge #
06-18 Arlington, VA - Iota #
06-19 Philadelphia, PA - M Room #
06-21 Boston, MA - Middle East #
* with White Rabbits, Cymbals Eat Guitars
^ with Au Revoir Simone
# with Cotton Jones
Writing under the influence
Without which this column would not have been possible:
Talk Radio
Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
The bit at the end
More and more I listen to it, the more and more the new Wilco album is growing on me.
Hey, I'm on Twitter, did I say that before? Ihwright, that's me.
