Dancing About Architecture 12.09.08
Posted by Ian Wright on 12.09.2008
New music from pretty much every band I like, Coldplay vs. Satriani, Times New Viking In Velvet, Bell Orchestre sign to A&C and more.
The bit at the start
The last time I reviewed a Bon Iver gig I copped a bit of flack for going against the common idea and saying that I didn't really enjoy it much. Unless the tide of opinion about Justin Vernon and co. has turned completely in the intervening months I don't think I'll get as much shit this time around.
Last Wednesday when I saw Bon Iver at the National Stadium in Dublin, whatever was missing for me from Bon Iver's debut Irish show was there in spades. I'm hesitant to use such a namby-pamby adjective as "magical" but there's something really haunting about Justin Vernon's voice and the way those of the other members of the band tie around each other like sinews connecting muscle to bone to form something really strong and powerful. This was immediately obvious right from the show opening "Woods" from the new Blood Bank EP. An acapella effort consisting of a single pair of couplets repeated over and over beginning with just Vernon before the rest of Bon Iver joins in as their voices become fuller and lounder with each utteration (hey I made up a word, and possibly only people who understand for-loops will get it) of the lyrics. Even the other songs from the EP, or which live versions had leaked over the summer and that I wasn't overly impressed initially with worked for me. The only misstep of the whole night as far as I'm concerned was a Talk Talk cover which I still don't like.
On the subject of the EP, last night was the first time it was available to buy anywhere in the world (on vinyl only but come January it'll be available on CD/download). I picked up a copy and it's very good, if you're a Bon Iver fan than you'll probably really like it. If not then you probably don't care and aren't reading this. The one thing on it that I'm a little iffy on is "Woods". It sounded great last night as I wrote above but on the EP it's just Vernon with his vocals multitracked and layered (it's not quite like it but the only thing that immediately comes to mind is "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands" by Elliott Smith from XO) and right from the off his voice is auto-tuned/vocordered so that it's got a flutey, tremelo sounding thing going on with it.
Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.
Justin Vernon – Hazeltons
no image available
Before there was Bon Iver there was just Justin Vernon.
You news, you lose
Shame they can't both be sued for being utterly shit.
In what is surely the biggest clash people who make really boring music in history Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for plagiarism over "Vida La Vida" from their last album. According to a suit filed last Thursday in LA federal court it is alleged that the song contains "substantial original portions" from his 2004 instrumental piece "If I Could Fly." Satriani is seeking a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" from the song, which could amount to what is known in the legal field as "a shitload".
Anyway, some helpful individual decided to stick this together and put it on YouTube so judge for yourself.
There is a mountain of snow, etc.
If I've said it once I've said it a thousand time. There's no more fun for an indie douchbag out there than there is to be found at a Dan Deacon show. B-more's … well maybe not finest but certainly top 4 at least, is putting a new record out.
It's called Bromst and at this point it's actually more than a little delayed. Nonetheless it will finally see the light of day via Carpark on March 24th (though not as a double discer as had earlier been thought.)
What was reported earlier and what does seem to be accurate though is that the days of Deacon playing solo on the floors of venues are over, at least some of the time. He's put together a 15-piece ensemble and with them he'll debut music from the new album on Thursday at Brooklyn's Masonic Temple (free entry to anyone who knows the handshake). Members of the band include people who also play as part of Ponytail, Ecstatic Sunshine, Videohippos, Adventure, Double Dagger, and Future Islands, plus all four members of Brooklyn's So Percussion (who along with Dirty Projectors are opening the show).
Some people like arts, some people like crafts.
And then there are others who dig on both. Add to that final group the members of Bell Orchestre who have just signed up to the Arts & Crafts label. The band (which features 2, 3 if you count people who have toured with the band, members of Arcade Fire) are set to release the follow up to the wonderful Recording A Tape The Colour Of Light early next year and are joining a stable of label mates that includes Broken Social Scene, The Hidden Cameras and Los Campesinos!.
The album was recorded by John McEntire of Tortoise at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago.
In sorta semi related news Richard Reed Parry and Sarah Neufeld's other band have lent Neon Bible closer "My Body Is A Cage" to the trailer for the upcoming Brad Pitt starring (and more intriguingly David Fincher directing) "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button".
New music from Arcade Fire, The National, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear and a whole shitload of others on the way.
This ...
Disc One: 1. "Knotty Pine" by Dirty Projectors & David Byrne 2. "Cello Song" by The Books feat. Jose Gonzales 3. "Train Song" by Feist & Ben Gibbard 4. "Brackett, WI" by Bon Iver 5. "Deep Blue Sea" by Grizzly Bear 6. "So Far Around the Bend" by The National 7. "Tightrope" by Yeasayer 8. "Feeling Good" by My Brightest Diamond 9. "Dark Was the Night" by Kronos Quartet 10. "I Was Young When I Left Home" by Antony & Bryce Dessner 11. "Big Red Machine" by Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner 12. "Sleepless" by The Decemberists 13. "Die" by Iron and Wine 14. "Service Bell" by Grizzly Bear & Feist 15. "Blood" by Sufjan Stevens
Disc Two: 16. "Well-Alright" by Spoon 17. "Lenin" by Arcade Fire 18. "Mimizan" by Beirut 19. "El Caporal" by My Morning Jacket 20. "Inspiration Information" by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings 21. "With A Girl Like You" by Dave Sitek 22. "Blood Pt. 2″ by Buck 65 Remix (feat. Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti) 23. "Hey, Snow White" by The New Pornographers 24. "Gentle Hour" by Yo La Tengo 25. "Another Saturday Night" by Stuart Murdoch 26. "Happiness" by Riceboy Sleeps 27. "Amazing Grace" by Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues 28. "The Giant of Illinois" by Andrew Bird 29. "Lua" by Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch 30. "When The Road Runs Out" by Blonde Redhead & Devastations 31. "Love vs. Porn" by Kevin Drew
... is the tracklisting for DARK WAS THE NIGHT - (A Red Hot compilation) which 4AD will be putting out in February (17th in NA, 16th worldwide, presumably 13th here) in aid of the Red Hot Organization - an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.
All of the tracks are exclusive to comp (to be released on download/double CD/Triple Vinyl) and some (like the books & Jose Gonzalez one) are covers (Nick Drake wrote it) while others (The Arcade Fire one) are brand new songs never heard before.
New Doves
2009 will see the release of Doves 4th album. The follow up to 2005's pretty dreadful Some Cities has no title as of yet but according to an interview frontman Jimi Goodwin gave to Billboard the lead single is called "Kingdom Of Rust" and is "quite emotional" and "really expansive with a wistful melody".
Other songs on the record include the "Kraftwerk leaning" "Jetstream" and "The Outsiders" which Goodwin describes as having a "piledriver bass line and a Can-like backbeat," and the "vaguely country rock-esque" "Winter Hill".
Bird Talk.
If you were anxiously waiting for the street date for the new Andrew Bird album Noble Beast then I've got good news for you. The album's release has been pushed forward a week to January 20th in North America (but remains at early February for Europe).
The first run of the album will come with a bonus disc of instrumental pieces called Useles Creatures which features Glen Kotche and Todd Sickafoose of Wilco and will come with a different cover from the standard edition as well as extra photos, a poster and an illustrated lyric book.
A TNV gig I might enjoy.
Got any plans for Valentines Day?
Me neither.
Live in Columbus Ohio?
Me neither.
But if the answer to the second question is yes then that should mean that the first can also be answered in the affirmative because on that night at the Wexner Center For The Arts as part of the closing party for an Andy Warhol exhibit Times New Viking will play a set of Velvet Underground covers.
So that might not be shit.
The YouTube video of the week
Parenthetical Girls, live in a radio station in Italy.
If you can you should go to these gigs.
Dan Deacon
12-11 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple (with band) ^
12-12 Colorado Springs, CO - Ice Age at Colorado College
12-13 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
12-19 Baltimore, MD - Sonar (Round Robin) *
12-29 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues #
02-26 Sydney, Australia - TBA
02-27 Sydney, Australia - Oxford Art Factory (Summer Tones)
02-28 Melbourne, Australia - The Espy (Summer Tones)
03-05 Melbourne, Australia - The Tote
03-06 Brisbane, Australia - The Zoo (Summer Tones)
03-07 Meredith, Australia - Golden Plains Festival
03-08 Perth, Australia - Perth Festival
^ with Dirty Projectors, So Percussion
* with Videohippos, Thank You, Double Dagger, Adventure, Future Islands, Blood Baby, Nuclear Power Pants, Lizz King, Smart Growth, Height, DJ Dog Dick
# with Girl Talk
Bell Orchestre
02-07 Guelph, Ontario - Sleeman Centre (Hillside Festival)
02-19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
02-26 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Academy of Music
* with the Besnard Lakes, Beast
Franz Nicolay (of The Hold Steady)
01-06 Charlottesville, VA - Boylan Heights Restaurant
01-07 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
01-08 Washington, DC - Black Cat (Backstage)
01-09 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
01-11 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
01-12 Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
01-13 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
01-14 Lansing, MI - Mac's Bar
01-16 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
01-17 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
01-18 Dekalb, IL - The House Café
Writing under the influence
Without which this column would not have been possible:
Talk Radio
Van Dykes Park – Song Cycle
The bit at the end
Another Monday, another incredibly late night finishing this column. One of these days I'll get a good night's sleep.
Semi permanent plug for my blog. Loads of shit this week. I've been busy.
