Dancing About Architecture Indie Music News 3.23.10
Posted by Ian Wright on 03.23.2010
Alex Chilton RIP, Owen Pallett live thoughts, new music from The Hold Steady and Jonny Greenwood, David Byrne and St. Vincent working together and more.
The bit at the start
Owen Pallett is a remarkable musician. I know I've said it a lot here in the past but it's true. Plays to please aside (and due to the circumstances surrounding the recording of that EP I'm sometimes tempted to fudge with history and not consider it as canon) everything he has put out since debut album Final Fantasy Has A Good Home has been better than what came before it and that includes brilliant new album Heartland.
He's also long been ensconced as my favourite solo live performer however having seen him play Whelan's in Dublin last Thursday I can no longer refer to him as such. But only because he now performs with a guitarist/percussionist. Otherwise the gig was as brilliant as expected. Having seen the guy a number of times over the years it's hard to decide where this comes on my list of favourite Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett gigs but based on the fact that he's currently touring with his strongest repertoire of material last week has to be up there.
Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.
Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
Lengthy, hugely ambitious, massively rewarding.
You news, you lose
Alex Chilton.
It has been a disastrous few months for musicians of note dying and last Wednesday former Big Star singer Alex Chilton passed away in New Orleans, aged 59. Chilton was taken to hospital after complaining that he felt unwell and ultimately died due to a heart attack.
Chilton's accomplishments were numerous and I could recount them myself but I think that in speaking to congress last week Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee about Chilton's passing he summed it up pretty well.
As expected tributes to Chilton have been flowing in in the last few days, some of them can be read below:
Ardent Studios owner John Fry: "It's obvious to anybody that listens to his live performances or his body of recorded work, his tremendous talent as a vocalist and songwriter and instrumentalist."
Big Star's Andy Hummel: "I hope people really understand and appreciate what a brilliant musician the guy was.... He should be remembered in that way. He was really a creative genius, always testing the limits."
R.E.M.'s Mike Mills: "Alex Chilton's music was a big part of my life and a huge influence on R.E.M. He will live on for us through all the great music he made."
The Replacements' Paul Westerberg: "In my opinion, Alex was the most talented triple threat musician out of Memphis — and that's saying a ton. His versatility at soulful singing, pop rock songwriting, master of the folk idiom, and his delving into the avant garde, goes without equal. He was also a hell of a guitar player and a great guy."
AC Newman: "RIP, Alex Chilton. This is my favorite song by him, beautiful and messed up."
The Hold Steady's Craig Finn: "As many people will and won't admit, the Replacements turned me on to Alex Chilton. It wasn't the song, though. 'Nowhere is My Home' is a song he produced for the Replacements on the Tim sessions, and I saw that as a kid and went and bought one of his solo records, and then worked backwards and found Big Star. I'm a huge fan. He's one of my favorite guys."
Islands' Nick Thorburn: "My first time with Alex Chilton was when my then roommate, @seripop_chloe, played me his "Bangkok". I dug. RIP."
Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood: "[Big Star] should have been next to the Beatles and the Stones in popularity as well as influence. A lot of it sounded like it came from Britain or something, although you couldn't deny the southern soulfulness of it, too. That's what made it so great. It combined that pop sensibility that came over with the British invasion with that southern soul and grittiness. That's the key. It's like the Beatles with booty."
Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor: "RIP Alex Chilton, just heard. Everyone here very sad. Here he is covering "Alligator Man"."
Kristin Hersh: "baby wyatt used to dance to big star in the french quarter...r.i.p. alex chilton"
The Flaming Lips' Steve Drozd: "I'll always have "Blue Moon" by Big Star to warm my heart and make me cry. RIP Alex Chilton"
Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie: "He just made so many great records, and they were crazy rock 'n' roll records. But they were also art records and beautiful records, mournful records, sad records, joyous records. What I'm trying to say is that Alex Chilton was one of the greats."
Sleater-Kinney/NPR's Carrie Brownstein: "Musicians and fans have always passed around Big Star songs and albums like a secret handshake. When you found out someone hadn't heard #1 Record or Radio City, you were so excited to provide that missing link, to pass on all the glimmer, the jangly guitar, the big chords, the melodies, the American anthems that let you keep your teenage self -- for some of us long since faded -- close, etched upon your skin. And suddenly, you realized that every great band or musician you love also loved Alex Chilton and Big Star."
SXSW creative director Brent Gulke: "Alex Chilton always messed with your head, charming and amazing you while doing so. His gift for melody was second to none, yet he frequently seemed in disdain of that gift."
Former owner of Antenna club Steve McGehee: "He changed music. There's no other way to say it. It's just true."
In addition to the above quote Paul Westerberg of The Replacements also wrote a very nice Op-Ed piece for the New York Times which you can read here.
Clark vs. Byrne.
If you recall my interview with St. Vincent's Annie Clark last year (don't worry, you probably don't, it's okay) she said that she had been collaborating with David Byrne. Well in a recent blog post by Byrne went into more detail with it. The "on and off" collaboration which currently has "no timetable," and "eight or so" songs is currently in the pipeline and also involves a brass ensemble.
Byrne and Clark, along with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon performed together at Lincoln Center last year and played a song called "Breathing" together.
New Hold Steady music.
So just to recap …
Who? The Hold Steady
What? New album called Heaven is Whenever
When? Released on Rough Trade in Europe on May 3rd, the following day on Vagrant on the following day.
Why today? The first song taken from the record, called "Hurricane J," appeared online on pitchfork this week. You can listen to it here.
New classical work from Jonny Greenwood.
Last month a piece by Radiohead guitarist/BBC Concert Orchestra composer in association Jonny Greenwood entitled "Doghouse" was debuted at Maida Vale studios in London and for a limited time you can stream the piece from the BBC Radio 3 website.
To hear the piece skip forward to the 31 minute mark, there's also an interview with Greenwood from around 26 minutes.
The YouTube video of the week
Is taking the week off. I'm out sick from work today and I barely got this column done so I'm going back to bed right now. See ya in a week.
If you can you should go to these gigs.
The Hold Steady
04-02 Ardsley, NY - LIFE The Place to Be *
04-03 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place *
04-05 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
04-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street *
04-07 Albany, NY - Linda Norris Auditorium *
04-08 Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theater *
04-09 Jermyn, PA - Eleanor Rigby's *
04-10 Syracuse, NY - The Wescott Theater *
04-12 Rochester, NY - The Club at Water Street Music Hall *
04-13 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
04-14 Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel Club Lounge *
04-15 Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant St. *
04-16 Harrisburg, PA - Appalachian Brewing Company *
05-04 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern #
05-05 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey #
05-06 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore #
05-29 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06-12 Newport, England - Isle of Wrght Festival
06-14 Paris, France - Fleche D'Or
06-15 Cologne, Germany - Gebaude 9
06-16 Berlin, Germany - Frannz Club
06-17 Munich, Germany - 59.1
06-19 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
06-20 Sheessel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-21 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkeg
06-22 London, England - HMV Forum
06-24 Vitoria, Spain - Azkena Rock Festival
06-26 Manchester, England - Academy 2
07-01 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
* with the Oranges Band
# with the Donkeys
Writing under the influence
Without which this column would not have been possible:
Talk Radio
The bit at the end
You can follow me on twitter, I'm endlessly fascinating.
