Wednesday, 19 December 2007The Shins - Sealegs on Transgressive records The Shins Sealegs Sealegs / Strange Powers (The Magnetic Fields live cover) Transgressive records Quantity Pressed: 500 Release Date: 3/12/2007 I don't know if there are many of these left, I just got mine in the mail the other day, signed by the Shins themselves. That was a pretty great early Christmas present. The Magnetic Fields cover is great and at this point it's pretty much the only place to still hear it. It was floating around various blogs and such, but by now it's been pulled from everything except to 30 second preview thing at itunes. The digital single hopefully will be available for anyone that missed out. I have to go hear Strange Powers again. I just love that they actually covered Magnetic Fields, it's a nice nod to this amazing band in their own right, and just might point a fan or two in their direction. The Shins are one of those amazing stories, just coming out of nowhere, getting their demo in the hands of someone at Subpop and ending up in that 'Garden State' movie, propelled by Natalie Portman's endorsement. I wonder if they regret that yet? It was maybe the best and the worst line ever. Sealegs is a perfect example of what some say is their new produced direction. Experimenting with the intimate sound, and everything that made their first two albums so much different from everything else. They have added synth sound and effected every individual drum hit for an almost machine sound with lots of distortion. That goes in fact for the entire album, Wincing the Night Away. It seems to be a little darker than the others, relying less on melodic falsetto hooks and more on weird effects...it was inevitable. What band (for better or worse) doesn't get major backing and heads into all the things they never had. 40 piece orchestra's, racks of effects. Who wouldn't want to play with all that stuff. This leads in an atmospheric filler direction, which a little disappointing, since this is not why I like the shins...for their ambient tracks, but they are still intelligent songwriters and there's a reason for all the hype. They are going to be around a long, long time. Labels: magnetic fields cover, sealegs, the shins, transgressive records, wincing the night away
posted by Jason @ 08:56
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007
The Clik Click - my dunks on Friends vs Records
The Clik Clik
My Dunks
A) My Dunks
B) I Can't Take You Anywhere
Friends Vs. Records
Quantity Pressed: 500 Pink
Release Date: 10th Dec 2007
The Clik Clik are referring to shoes of course, the ridiculous pursuit of keeping that perfect pair in perfect shape. Stefan Abingdon and Maya Yianni make up this electronic dance-rock duo, barely out of their formative teenage years.
They are entirely too young to making this kind of high energy soul. When did they find time to hone their electro-dance sound after their studies? Of course after further research both of them come from highly musical families. Maya's dad was a member of the punk band, The Doll on Beggars Banquet, and Stefan's parents are professional touring musicians. They have been exposed to composing since birth, influenced by everything from Billie Holiday to Elvis Costello and so far it's taken them in this electronic dance-rock direction.
I can't help but be jealous, I mean, I didn't always want to write, I thought I had talent with my friends in my garage. But I'm glad I never heard the Clik Clik because I would have realized how impossible this dream is. They are insanely talented and are using all the sounds that are categorizing this genre from the likes of !!!, lcd soundsystem, the rapture and CSS, among others. It's catching.
They trade off vocal yelling/rhymes keeping the beats frantic and the electronics 8 bit.
If you're looking to get your dance on, or are a fan of any of those familiar references, you might want to yourself a favor and check out their myspace and track down this vinyl on friends vs. records at your shop.
Labels: css, dance, friends vs records, LCD soundsystem, my dunks, rock, the clik clik
posted by Jason @ 10:59 0 Comments
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Wednesday, 12 December 2007
The Foals - Balloons on Transgressive records
Foals
Balloons
Balloons / Dearth
Transgressive records
Quantity Pressed: 1,500
Release Date: 10/12/2007
It's something when a band can put this kind of intricate math melody together live for getting asses on the dance floor. This reminds me of the best part's of !!!. They had one really great track that I thought was amazing a live band could pull off. It wasn't as dissonant or unconnected at times as the Foals, Balloons but just seeing that stuff that's usually performed by a DJ or laptop's. Those happy sampled accidents that can sound great together, but all based on unplayable loops and effects. When I say unconnected about the Foals sound, I mean it in a good way, it's not predicable, the parts keep changing - all at a breakneck dance rock speed. I would go so far as to say this could be dance-math. It's Don Caballero at 140BPM.
So when I checked out a youtube clip of the Foals on Later... with Jooles Holland, I was expecting a DJ, and some laptops, but there was the entire band, rocking 'Balloons' out. Guitars high on their chests, picking out complex loops and I can't get my head around whose making what sound. As I'm trying to figure it out I get too caught up in the groove and I forgot what I was even trying to do. Damn you foals.
This is the first single off their highly anticipated new album, recorded by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. It's also reminding me of the short lived Test Icicles. It's not clean, anti-emotional dance music...it's a little unkempt and rowdy. Yes, there is some math being done in the form of guitars and you could even make a comparison to Battles.. but not as calculating. It all equals a good time.
Jason Dean
Labels: battles, don cabellero, the foals, transgressive records, tv on the radio
posted by Jason @ 11:02 0 Comments
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Monday, 10 December 2007
Fuck Buttons - Bright Tomorrow on ATP recordings
Here's another contest, thanks to the good people at ATP records and you just might even get it in time for Christmas but as always you have to email me at index7jason at gmail. The winner will be notified by this coming Sunday, December 16th. Good Luck.
ATP recordings brings you a really nice calming blue sky Fuck Buttons picture disc. Featuring two tracks: Bright Tomorrow/Little Bloody Shoulder
Fuck buttons is Andrew Hung & Benjamin John Power, who started collaborating in 2004 in bristol, UK. This picture disc is in advance of their release Street Horrrsing, which should be out in February on ATP.
This offering was recorded by John Cummings of Mogwai and that should give you a little clue as to where this is headed. Waves of electronic, manipulated shoegaze are about to commence. Hunched over laptops they have been known live to play at body shaking volume. Both of these tracks are full of electronically manipulated sounds, built on steady rhythms. Bright Tomorrow starts innocently enough, a single kick drum and a looped static sample, then slowly a little melody develops. But it's not until the two minute mark that they get to destroying you with this track. Waves of guitars obliterate the underlying dance track and Benjamin screams unintelligible distorted lyrics and the real fun begins.
'Little Bloody Shoulder' is built on a similar simple percussion rhythm, with more massively distorted guitar. It's the kind of repetition that keeps revealing new elements and textures as it goes on. It's hypnotizing...are the samples changing or I'm hearing them differently as it becomes familiar? More ring phased distorted guitars, chords and string scratching, building on top of the primitive beat. Half tribal, half electronic meltdown.
They seem to be straddling the line of the recent dirty electro movement along the lines of Health or Dan Deacon, but combined with something more industrial or thematic, like...well it fits....Mogwai. From the live reviews I've read they specialize in delivering this audio assault at full volume, you are going to feel it. I'll be looking forward to the full length to hear what other trance rock they have in store.
To top it all off, you have Bob Weston from Shellac master both of these tracks and every painful note is meant to played LOUD. A real needle skipper.
If you don't win it's available from Norman Records.
Labels: ATP recordings, bob weston, dan deacon, fuck buttons, little bloody shoulder, mogwai, shellac, street horrrsing
posted by Jason @ 12:04 0 Comments
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Thursday, 6 December 2007
Billy Childish - Christmas 1979 on Damaged Goods Records
WILD BILLY CHILDISH & THE MUSICIANS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
CHRISTMAS 1979
A: Christmas 1979 / B: Ho Ho! DAMAGED GOODS RECORDS
Quantity Pressed: 2,000 (1000 Red and 1000 Green vinyl)
Released: 26/11/2007
It seems that almost anyone making music this long has to be taken seriously. Billy Childish has lived his life on the outskirts of conventional society, the music is just one aspect of his prolific art/music career. He's a poet, a painter, a novelist, jack of all trades, and he has just released this little Christmas miracle on damaged goods records.
Initially this single reminds me of Daniel Johnston or Johnathan Richmond, straight, direct rock, he's got a story to tell, without the epic fanfare. It's that kind of effortless rock and roll that can be maddening. How can he make it seem so easy? That's years and years of paying your dues along with a whole lot of talent. It's punk rock, it's 60's garage, and he's grandfather to this whole genre. Childish sticks to a recording practice that seems to be classic and practical for his level of output. He records in mono with a single PA mic, leaving the rest of the instruments captured with a room mic. It's raw, has the immediacy of a live show, and it has everyone from Beck to Kurt Cobain singing his praises.
I love that this time of year brings out these special seven inches, I applaud any record company taking the time to put the holiday cheer into seven inches of vinyl. I wholeheartedly support it. It works to have this cranky, British institution take on Christmas with all it's jaded consumerism. You can imagine it's not a happy song about snowmen and Santa.
Christmas 1979 is instead a story of a girlfriend leaving our protagonist on Christmas Eve... and it's perfect for Billy's brand of apathetic punk. The song is driven by a bass line with a repeated guitar melody sneaking in after every verse for the entire song. Things go from bad to worse and of course he gets drunk and I'm pretty sure doesn't wake up. The lyrics ending appropriately with 'Merry fucking Christmas to you all'
I know you can't wait to hear the B-side.
Jason Dean
Labels: 1979, beck, christmas, damaged goods records, daniel johnston, kurt cobain, punk, wild billy childish
posted by Jason @ 07:07 0 Comments
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