It was just about a year ago that the BFF and I were on the way back from that They Might Be Giants show at the 9:30 Club and he put on Planet of Ice. For years, friends of mine in college were all about Minus The Bear and I just looked them over, obsessing more over Pollard and Pixies reunions when everyone was playing Menos el Oso. Immediately, my ears are locked on to his speakers as we jaunt across streets named for states and interstates that bring about stories and tales of speeding tickets and impending traffic court meetings. The music is brilliant and like nothing I had heard in awhile. From the programmed loops of "Knights" to the epic finale "Lotus", which is the greatest Pink Floyd song ever, I was finally being converted to a fan. And here I was obsessing over a man who could drink himself under the table.
Off the heels of last year's Ice, the band is turning to the internets and their upcoming tour to sell the upcoming EP, Acoustics. Of the seven songs, one is new ("Guns & Ammo") and the other six are takes on MTB classics. "Knights" takes a six string in place of that catchy loop and adds in licks of piano underneath for good measure while "We Are Not A Football Team" becomes 70s AM Gold that your parents would love.
The Bear is currently on the road, and Acoustics is out now.
Mike Archibald checks in with the record he finds himself having on repeat lately...
Hercules and Love Affair made a call to polyester this past March with the release of their new self-titled album. The album is crammed full of tracks destined to make you move your body. Hercules and Love Affair is led by DJ Andy Butler, who tries to bring his own flair for disco to the modern electronic world.
This album is comprised of many classic disco techniques that are the root of much of the electronic scene today. One song in particular, “Hercules Theme” screams South Beach; the track very well could have been placed in club scenes of Scarface. The beat is a tandem of drums and electronic bass that walks its way through the song, carried by a woozy female vocalist and a simple string arrangement that is reminiscent of Saturday Night Fever. It also features a flurry of horns paired with synth.
The opening cut off the album, “Time Will,” is very passionate and refined disco. Where “Hercules Theme” may be fun and lively, but “Time Will” is relaxing and more subdued. The track has lots of synth and an electronic foundation, but it is controlled by a very soulful vocalist. It might also be the catchiest song on the album, because of the track’s simple lyrics and its whispery melody. The beat still trots on this track as well, making it another example of how infectiously dancey this album is.
The album’s best track might be “You Belong,” with a beat that’s busy with bells and buzzing warps which keep a listener occupied and thoroughly entertained. The female vocalist on the song tames the beat with her gentle voice but still keeps the song alive and vibrant with style. This song is a must play on all upcoming DJ and party gigs you might be having in the coming months.
The album starts off with a ravaging bang but as time wends its way through, the listener’s interest slowly fizzles out. Perhaps it was too much disco for me to handle in one 52 minute block of music, but Hercules and Love Affair certainly felt top heavy. I felt the album was overall exceptionally fun and enjoyable, but the later cuts on the album just didn’t withstand the test of attention. Listening to tracks on Hercules and Love Affair as singles rather than as a whole album makes it more enjoyable. This album also has spectacular Byzantine-style artwork that made me want to purchase it in vinyl purely for a piece of domestic aesthetic.
I wouldn’t consider myself by any means a real disco fan but the Hercules and Love Affair was a fun flashback. This album has the ability to be influential for electronic artists as an example of new genres to sample from. Hercules and Love Affair is a very accurate replication of standard disco, new techniques are used to create those classic sounds for an album that may not reinvent the wheel, but one that is still enjoyable nonetheless.
Brighton is slowly gaining on Leeds as the best place for new music in England. The band Shrag takes the early '90s DIY punk thing and updates it for the future. They might be all too familiar to some, but it's the unique personality of the band that makes them stand out. If you've ever wondered what Bis would sound like if they were all riot-grrl and hailed from Seattle, this may very well be it. The band's debut album will be out on January 18th, so make sure you check it out as I'm sure it will be one of the first great albums 2009 has to offer.
Politics went to a very strange place this week. In West Virginia bluegrass legend Ralph Stanleyappeared in a radio ad on behalf of Barack Obama. If an 80-year -old Clinch Mountain boy can smell what Barack is cooking and vote for a black man from Chicago... McCain should go back toArizona.
The next album from Nickelback is set for release on November 18 on Roadrunner Record. The album, titled Dark Horse, was recorded in Vancouver and was produced by Mutt Lange. Mutt is more known for his forumlaic work with rock bands way past their prime like AC/DC and Def Leppard. Jose takes this as a sign that Nickelback is ready for the oldies circuit.
The Flaming Lips will be releasing an art film, Christmas On Mars, to DVD on November 11. the release will be paired with a CD including the Flaming Lips' score for the film. The film stars the members of the Flaming Lips and was filmed in Oklahoma City. Jose recommends against seeing it sober.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be playing the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show this year. Super Bowl 2008 will be held at at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The Bud Bowl will air February 1 on the NBC network.
Integrity Toys will be producing a Katy Perry action figure this Fall. The limited edition collectible faux-lesbo doll will stand about 12-inches tall. Fashion designer Jason Wu designed the toy of the pop star. This may be a tad hard to get a hold of since preorders for the 12" doll are already sold out.
Thursday announced on their email list that they have signed with Epitaph Records. They stated "We would like to take this opportunity to tell everyone why we are so excited about this partnership and how we believe it will affect our future... One of our biggest concerns was that we find a situation where we could be free to just be Thursday.” Jose would like to be free to be Thursday too.
This week, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center has opened it's doors. With its sleek, linear design, the 20,000-square-foot museum pays tribute to the blues and rock icon B.B. King. Ironically BB King ditched Indianola, Mississippi over fifty years ago to make a career in Memphis. Indianola Mayor Arthur Marble hopes the $15 million dollar museum will rake in some tourist cash.
For a three-day stretch this November, Van Morrisonwill perform the entirety of his 1967 masterpiece Astral Weeks. The shows at the Hollywood Bowl are booked for November 7th, 8th and 9th. Many of the original musicians from the album will also perform at the concert. Hipster attendance is mandatory.
Nick Reynolds, of the famous folk group the Kingston Trio, died this week. the Kingston Trio had a number of Top 10 singles in the 1960s, but is also famous for popularizing the folk revival in that era. By connection they can be credited for all folk revivals since the 1960s. In the mid 1980s after decades on retirement, Reynolds rejoined remaining member John Stewart and continued to perform until 2003. He was 75.
Poison The Well will be releasing a series of 7-inch records while leading up to their new full-length due May 2009. The songs will be all brand-new songs taken from the 2007 sessions for their album Versions. The 7-inches will be titled in only by numerical order. The first will see release on November 11th through Ferret Music.
Oct 7 Music Hall of Williamsburg Obama Benefit Brooklyn Oct 9 NPR New Hampshire’s ’Word of Mouth’ New Hampshire Oct 13 Taping for BBC/PRI’s "The World" Boston Oct 22 Knitting Factory (Old Office): CMJ Brooklyn, New York Oct 24 Pianos/ Planetary Group CMJ party NYC, New York Dec 5 The 92nd Street Y w/Takka Takka NYC, New York Jan 23 NPR Live Set on "The State of Things"Chapel Hill, NC Jan 24 The Arts Center Carrboro, North Carolina
I guess we can thank the fine folks at Pitchfork for this column.
I was bored over the weekend and they have the video up for "rr vs. d" for one-man band Au. I had been reading about their latest album, Verbs, a whole bunch so I thought I'll give it a try. So I put the video on, but don't really pay attention to it so much as I do the song and I was just floored. Starting out with these grand scales of piano just one after the other on top of each other, and then these hand claps usher in this choir of angelic voices. Had I died and gone to heaven? Friends hoop and holler between the choir's choice lines, syncopated handclaps and a random snare drum pans left, pans right. This has to be what people who take that fatal hit of LSD hear on the escalator up to the Great Gig in the Sky.
And it doesn't stop there. "Get it / 1, 2, 3" a fade and BOOM! A zany collection of horns and other assorted instruments come out of nowhere for the song's mid section. It's like you stepped of said escalator and are given nothing but the grandest of entries before you meet up with the Big Guy that Homer only saw now again from chest down. He had big feet.
And the lord comes to you, and he'll sing to you his praise as you go through the gate. And then it's over. 3:48 of pure heavenly bliss. It's .. mind blowing. It's .. worth repeated listens. I'd be happy knowing I could die and enter Heaven hearing this.
It's October now. Really. This is strange. What isn't strange, but is awesome, is that the coolest band from down under, Cut Off Your Hands, have signed a deal in the US with Frenchkiss Records. The label will release the band's debut EP, Happy As Can Be, on October 21st. To celebrate such a momentous occasion, the band will come over and play a few shows in New York during that CMJ thing people like myself go to. Best be sure I'll be catching one of their sets.
COYH at CMJ: 10/21 New York, NY @ The Delancey [New Zealand CMJ Showcase] 10/24 New York, NY @ The Cake Shop 10/25 New York, NY @ Public Assembly
You haven't heard Cut Off Your Hands yet? Really, well then, here's an mp3 of the EP's title track for you! Get ready to have your mind blown, your senses pummeled, and melodies to be trapped in your psyche for days on end.
Download Audio/Video Tracklisting
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It was just about a year ago that the BFF and I were on the way back from that They Might Be Giants show at the 9:30 Club and he put on Planet of Ice. For years, friends of mine in college were all about Minus The Bear and I just looked them over, obsessing more over Pollard and Pixies reunions when everyone was playing Menos el Oso. Immediately, my ears are locked on to his speakers as we jaunt across streets named for states and interstates that bring about stories and tales of speeding tickets and impending traffic court meetings. The music is brilliant and like nothing I had heard in awhile. From the programmed loops of "Knights" to the epic finale "Lotus", which is the greatest Pink Floyd song ever, I was finally being converted to a fan. And here I was obsessing over a man who could drink himself under the table.
