Major Bands, Minor Labels 02.01.12: Going Solo
Posted by Nick Krenn on 02.01.2012
This week's MBML has news on Jack White's debut solo album. Also, I've got new downloads and music videos featuring Rockie Fresh, Fredrik, Mark Lanegan Band, and The War On Drugs. Plus, I’ll give you a new artist to keep your eyes on and music recommendations worth your time. All this and MORE!
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This week's MBML has news on Jack White's solo album. Also, new downloads from Rockie Fresh and Fredrik; music videos for The War On Drugs and Mark Lanegan Band; and a new artist to keep your eyes on. And of course, I've got music recommendations worth your time.
Let's get started...
Jack White Announces Solo Album
Though Jack White has many projects, he's never stepped into the spotlight as a solo artist...until now. On April 24, Jack White will release his debut solo album Bluderbuss through Third Man Records/ Columbia. White said the following about the new album, [It's] an album I couldn't have released until now. I've put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas. The album's first single "Love Interruption" is streaming below.
A vinyl version of the "Love Interruption" single featuring exclusive non-LP B-side "Machine Gun Silhouette" will be released February 7 on Third Man Records, but is available now for pre-order off Jack White's website.
Fenster
Fenster is a trio made up of members from New York and Berlin. The group started as a project between NY native JJ Weihl and Berlin native Jonathan Jarzyna as they worked on creating pop songs from distortion and various effects to build dreamy sonic backdrops. The band is receiving hype as an American version of The xx; however, I'm not going to claim they are. That's for you to decide. Their debut album Bones arrives March 13th via Morr Music. Listen to two of the album's tracks, "Oh Canyon" and "White to Red", below.
Is The xx comparison justified?
Fenster US Tour Dates
3/05 - New York, NY - Cake Shop
3/07 - New York, NY- Pianos
3/13-18 - Austin, TX - SXSW
3/25 - Cleveland, OH - The Happy Dog
3/27 - Pittsburgh, PA - Howlers Coyote Café
3/29 - New York, NY - Ars Nova
4/06 - Middlebury, VT - 51 Main
Bones Tracklisting
1. Oh Canyon
2. Fantasy II
3. White To Red
4. Blue To White
5. Gravediggers
6. The Hunter
7. Fisherman
8. 2.7 XO 17
9. Spring Break
10. Killer Surf Walker
11. Golden Boy
12. Gespenster
In the download exchange, I will give you some cool downloads to check out (all legal, of course!), and all that I ask for in exchange is that if you enjoy the music, then support the artists by picking up their album, buying some songs, or checking them out on tour.
Rockie Fresh - Driving 88
Chicago rapper Rockie Fresh is carrying on a nice tradition that many rappers like Big K.R.I.T and Danny Brown have carried on with success. He's releasing his newest mixtape for free. Fresh's Driving 88 features the likes of Casey Veggies, Good Charlotte, Phil Ade and King Louie and was inspired in name by the film Back To The Future. Download the new mix for free below.
I can appreciate when musicians pay homage to horror films. After all, it is my favorite movie genre. Swedish electronic trio Fredrik have done just that with their new EP Ornament out on February 7th with The Kora Records. Download the EP's first single "Fever and Foam" below for some truly brooding synthesizers and ghostly wailing.
Indie Vids features the latest videos created by some of the independent artists that I'm watching or already love.
The War On Drugs – "Brothers"
It's nice to watch a video with an actual plot. The latest video for The War On Drugs, "Brothers", follows a desperate nurse's escape from her crazed captor. The video was directed the brother team Brewer. Watch it below.
Brewer on the video: We kept picturing it as the soundtrack to a dark western like Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid or Unforgiven. That is where the deranged T.V cowboy character came from. We wanted the video to feel like the most exciting five minutes taken out of a longer movie. The biggest challenge in the filming was how to make the old cowboy (played by David Weindel) seem threatening, and how to make the nurse (played by Tallie Medel) seem like she was dealing with the situation the way a normal person might really handle such a nightmare.
Mark Lanegan Band - "The Gravedigger's Song"
Sinister. Creepy. Unsettling. These are just a few words that I would use to describe Mark Lanegan Band's latest video for "The Gravedigger's Song" from the upcoming album, Blues Funeral, out February 7th on 4AD. The video was directed by Alistair Legrand and produced by Jack Richardson / The Masses. The song itself is best described as Tom Waits going industrial. Watch it below.
Blues Funeral Tracklist:
01. The Gravedigger's Song
02. Bleeding Muddy Water
03. Gray Goes Black
04. St Louis Elegy
05. Riot In My House
06. Ode To Sad Disco
07. Phantasmagoria Blues
08. Quiver Syndrome
09. Harborview Hospital
10. Leviathan
11. Deep Black Vanishing Train
12. Tiny Grain Of Truth
Bonus Cut:
Music Recommendations
My music recommendations feature the latest stuff that I and the writers at Earbuddy have checked out recently.
Imperial Teen - Feel The Sound
Chris Bell says: "On their fifth outing in fifteen years, Feel The Sound is an exercise in professional popcraft, the songs written with a marksman's precision. Every hook is tight and every lyric expertly delivered. There won't be anything here that surprises Imperial Teen fans, but everything here should make them happy." Read the Imperial Teen - Feel The Sound Review.
Elephant Micah - Louder Than Thou
Louder Than Thou implies a booming sound, but it's mostly a quiet, acoustic affair. Though Elephant Micah is largely O'Connell's solo project, many of his friends round out the band with additional instrumentation – some guitar strumming, light percussion, occasional keyboards and saxophone – and though they're never loud sonically, the songs' messages speak high volumes. O'Connell's songs deal in somber metaphors and pained reflections on choices made. Even when the songs take upbeat turns as in "My Cousin's King", thematically it remains tragic. On "If I Were A Surfer", O'Connell sings, Let the old rhythm end / I'll start all over again as he laments choices he's made. Read the Elephant Micah - Louder Than Thou Review.
Hospitality - Hospitality
Chris Bell says: "This self-titled release is a fun jaunt through indie pop that is reminiscent of groups like Stereolab and Camera Obscura. Like the album released this week from veteran label-mates Imperial Teen, Hospitality never takes themselves too seriously and don't wear out their welcome, with the record coming in at just over a half hour. The songs here are sweet without traveling into the realm of cheese." Read the Hospitality - Hospitality Review.
White Buffalo - Once Upon The Time In The West
Chris Bell says: ", but I think his performance on The White Buffalo's Once Upon A Time In The West is stronger and more affected than anything Vedder has done in years. Anyone familiar with Buffalo's previous two EP's knows that this is a man that isn't afraid to write songs as blunt objects, letting his words do just as much damage as that burly voice will allow. That hasn't changed on this record. What is different is the change to a fuller sound behind Jake Smith. Instead of the more spacious singer-songwriter style that he has used previously, this time a full band is present on every track. The result offers Smith the ability to stretch out into a few heretofore unknown lands. Altogether, it's just damn good." Read the White Buffalo - Once Upon The Time In The West Review.
If you like my album reviews on 411mania, be sure to check out reviews done by me and my buddies on my blog Earbuddy and check out my blog's Facebook for more news and stories on artists featured in MBML:
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