Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2541

Pink Flag Guitar Orchestra - DRILL: Seattle @ Neumos 23-Nov 2013

Pink Flag Guitar Orchestra - DRILL: Seattle @ Neumos 

PREFUSE 73, NOSAJ THING, & FALTY DL JOIN UP FOR YELLOW YEAR TOUR

PREFUSE 73, NOSAJ THING, & FALTY DL JOIN UP FOR YELLOW YEAR TOUR

Fresh off the inaugural release of Guillermo S. Herren's (aka Prefuse 73) nascent imprint Yellow Year, the label has announced a co-headlining tour with label affiliates Prefuse 73, Nosaj Thing, and Falty DL. In keeping with the label's strong graphic elements, influenced in part by label co-owner Angel Ceballos' photographiy, the shows promise to be as engaging visually as they are sonically. Full tour dates below.
Yellow Year recently released the debut EP by Sons of the Morning, a collaborative effort of Prefuse and Brainfeeder affiliate Teebs, as the first entry in Speak Soon, a series of EPs that pair Prefuse's production talents with fellow forward-thinking talents. Upcoming collaborative EPs are slated withNosaj Thing, Falty DL, Lapalux, Synkro, Nathan Fake, Dimlite, and more.

YELLOW YEAR TOUR DATES
THU 1/23    San Francisco, CA      1015FRI 1/24        Los Angeles, CA             Echoplex (w/ Dublab DJ's)SAT 1/25       Portland, OR                  HoloceneWED 1/29      Denver, CO                   CervantesTHU 1/30       New York, NY               OutputFRI 1/31        Toronto ON                   HoxtonSAT 2/1         Chicago IL                    Concord  (w/ Conspirator)

  

LISTEN TO THE SONS OF THE MORNING EPhttps://soundcloud.com/yellowyear/sets/sons-of-the-morning-speak-soon

Van Dyke Parks Announces Limited Edition 7-inch Single on November 22nd

Van Dyke Parks Announces Limited Edition 7-inch Single
on November 22nd, the 50th Anniversary of JFK's Assassination  
  Van Dyke Parks commemorates the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, November 22nd, with the release of a limited edition 7" featuring two new tracks. The two tracks 'I'm History' and b-side 'Charm School' are now available digitally, and will be be a limited 7" release available December 2nd. Below are some words from Parks himself.
'I'm History'

On the 50 year anniversary of JFK in Dallas:
Van Dyke Parks remembers where he was when Kennedy got shot, Nov. 22nd, 1963. That assassination, more than fascination, became a dominant obsession for him and a nation that plunged into a psychological collapse.

Shakespeare once captured such wicked irony, when he observed "Old Age and treachery will overcome Youth and Ability". To Parks, that's the case with Kennedy. JFK represented a romantic liberal rebellion, and the very idea that "those to whom much is given, much is required" (quoting him). When Kennedy invited the Nobel Prize winners to dine at the White House, he quipped "This is the greatest collection of talent assembled in this house...with the possible exception of when Jefferson sat down alone here to eat."

JFK invented The Peace Corps, inviting educated citizens to serve the world---long before the "me" generation and the likes of Bill Gates tossing mosquito nets to Africa as a flaccid philanthropic gesture. Parks observes: had Kennedy lived to fill his term of office (as with his brother Robert and Dr. MLK), this world would be muted in its greed, search for eroticism of wealth, and the inevitable distancing of rich & poor.

'I'm History' reflects Parks' regret, risking being viewed as a scold, he really aims to celebrate youth, and its potential for a higher bar in social expectations. It's not a tune built for a dance floor.  'I'm History' is produced by Van Dyke Parks and Doug Lacy  [image error]  'Charm School' is an escapist contrast. (Co-written with friend Ira Ingber), it's a tropical fantasy and a sequel to "Discover America", and "Clang of the Yankee Reaper." Set in a post-Colonial, pre-Mac-World Caribbean idyll, set around lovers lounging in tree-limbs,  watching croquet. Trinidadians who were there and can remember, will pick up the reference to Lord Mayor Cipriani, and a scent of frangipani. The single jacket depicts a young woman poised to slam a trolleyed ball to the hedgerow. It is an oil, contributed by artist Kenton Nelson.  
"Charm School" is produced by Van Dyke Parks and Ira Ingber.     Parks will also be a part of Beck's Song Reader, featuring performances of songs from his 2012 sheet-music collection. This edition will feature Parks alongside Jarvis Cocker, Jack Black, Jenny Lewis, Childish Gambino, John C. Reilly, and more on November 24th at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Beck's father, the composer and arranger David Campbell, will serve as conductor.    

Death Vessel's 'Island Intervals' (Feb. 25th)

Sub Pop to Release Death Vessel’s Island Intervals on February 24th in Europe and February 25th in North America
Listen to “Ilsa Drown” (feat. Jónsi) Now
https://soundcloud.com/subpop/death-vessel-ilsa-drown

Album Art here
Photo (credit - Corey Grayhorse) here

 Herewith: important release details for the new Death Vessel album, Island Intervals! The 2014  follow-up to the band’s label debut (Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us) will be available worldwide on CD/LP/DL February 24th in Europe and February 25th in North America on Sub Pop. The 8-song album includes the singles “Mercury Dime,” “Velvet Antlers,” and “Ilsa Drown,” which features guest vocals from Jónsi, who also co-wrote the track. Island Intervals was produced by Alex Somers (Julianna Barwick, Sigur Rós) at his studio in Reykjavík, Iceland (see Pitchfork News Story November 22nd). Please find a tracklisting below.
Pre-orders of Death Vessel’s Island Intervals from iTunes beginning Friday, November 22nd,  will receive a download of “Ilsa Drown” immediately. The album will also be available for pre-order at SubPop.com.  And, people who pre-order Island Intervals on LP at subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser Edition” of the album on colored vinyl.
More About Death Vessel (from Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg):Like Nico's, Jimmy Scott's, or Phil Elverum's, Joel Thibodeau’s is a voice that demands its own sonic and lyrical world, and with Island Intervals, his third record as Death Vessel (and second for Sub Pop), we're treated to the sound of him finding a rich and strange new home among new friends in Iceland who probably saw him as a long-lost relative. Joel's an inveterate and intuitive wanderer; when I met him years ago, he'd just spent a few months traveling the United States on Greyhound buses, sometimes sleeping rough, and making a record from found moments. I remember he had an otherworldly quality about him that I couldn't quite name, like he’d just blown in on the wind (read more at Sub Pop).Island IntervalsTracklisting1. Ejecta2. Velvet Antlers3. Triangulated Heart4. Mercury Dime5. Ilsa Drown6. Island Vapors7. We Agreed8. Loom
What People Have Said About Death Vessel:“His soft, childlike delivery strips the words of all pretension with an innocence that's as wrenching as the best current singer-songwriters.” [Nothing Is Precious… Review] - Rolling Stone
“Thibodeau’s melodies, which have always been pretty, are now beautiful.” [Nothing Is Precious… Review] -  Boston Phoenix
“This is a blissful, radiant, rewarding listen; one recommended without hesitation.” [Nothing Is Precious… Review] - Drowned In Sound
“His pure delivery—he scales the heights, but never over-sings—and cryptic/mystic worldview are still the main attractions.”  [Nothing Is Precious… Review] - Mojo
 # # # #

Glasvegas Announce U.S. Dates - Video Premiers on Yahoo!

 Glasvegas Announce 2014 U.S. Tour DatesNew Video For Album Title Track Debuts on Yahoo!      November 22, 2013 - Glasvegas will kick off their eighth tour of the U.S. on February 16, 2014 in Washington DC at the Rock n Roll Hotel.  Upon their return to the states for these intimate gigs, it will have been almost three years since their last U.S. shows.
Glasvegas have stated..."We are really looking forward to returning once again to North America in 2014. We've picked some cool venues this time and we hope to see some old friends again and make some new ones.  Rest assured we will be playing the classics from 'Glasvegas' & 'Euphoric Heartbreak' and also playing you tracks from our brand new album 'Later...When The TV Turns To Static'.  See you soon. GV x" 
Released in September, Later...When The TV Turns To Static is Glasvegas' third studio album.  Written and produced by lead vocalist and songwriter, James Allan, this ten track 45 minute sojourn of heartfelt melancholia and broken relationships is set against a backdrop of scorching soundscapes that lift the soul into heights of abandoned euphoria. Glasvegas - Later...When the TV Turns to StaticThe video for their next single and album title track, "Later...When The TV Turns To Static," premiered on Yahoo! this week and is up on VEVO today.  James Allan, Glasvegas song-writer, guitarist, vocalist and frontman explained the video to Yahoo!""The idea was quite a simple one me and my sister (Denise) worked on where we just set up the amps in the living room and played. The video is interrupted by another little dimension. I like the simplicity and dreamy nature to it."Tickets are on sale now, fans can check Glasvegas.net for the latest on sale info.
Glasvegas 2014 North American Tour Dates:February 16  Washington, DC          Rock n Roll HotelFebruary 17  Philadelphia, PA          North Star BarFebruary 18  Boston, MA                  Great ScottFebruary 19  New York, NY              Mercury LoungeFebruary 20  Brooklyn, NY                Rough TradeFebruary 22  Toronto, ON                 Mod ClubFebruary 24  Chicago, IL                   SchubasFebruary 25  Minneapolis, MN          7th Street EntryFebruary 28  Seattle, WA                  Columbia City TheaterMarch 1        Vancouver, BC             The VenueMarch 2        Portland, OR                 Doug Fir LoungeMarch 4        Los Angeles, CA           The EchoMarch 6        San Francisco, CA        Popscene / Rickshaw Stop

WIRE DRILL: SEATTLE 2013

WIRE curates DRILL: SEATTLE this week. Three nights of WIRE and DRILL.
The three-day fest will take place November 21-23 at venues throughout Seattle including Barboza, the Crocodile, and Neumo’s. DRILL: SEATTLE will feature performances by Helmet, Chastity Belt, Vestals, Earth and more. The festival will also include a performance from the PinkFlag Guitar Orchestra in which other artists, including Helmet’s Page Hamilton, will join Wire on stage for a rendition of “Pink Flag.”

Wire’s Colin Newman says, “The concept is simple, it’s an unpretentious city festival featuring artists from across all genres actively curated by Wire with a lot of input from local, informed media partners (in the case of London, The Quietus; in the case of Seattle, KEXP) The concerts take place in small venues with great sound systems. There are no big ticket acts playing for over inflated fees. Wire go for the best in upcoming local talent combined with friends who just want to be part of it.”

Thursday, November 21, 2013
DRILL: Seattle featuring EARTH
Special Guests: Pillar Point, an Unannounced Special Guest + Special DrillBarboza8 pm21+BUY NOW
Friday, November 22, 2013
DRILL: Seattle featuring Helmet
Special Guests: FFThe Crocodile8 pmAll AgesBUY NOW
Saturday, November 23, 2013
DRILL: Seattle featuring WIRE
Special Guests: Chastity Belt, Vestals + the pinkflag orchestraNeumos8 pm21+BUY NOW

Screaming Females @ The Echo

SCREAMING FEMALES play tonight at The Echo, Thursday, November 21st 2013.

 Photo Angel Ceballos

Shannon & the Clams share new video for "Rat House"

SHANNON AND THE CLAMS DEBUT VIDEO FOR "RAT HOUSE" FROM ACCLAIMED 2013 LP DREAMS IN THE RAT HOUSE



VIDEO - "Rat House"
MP3 - "Into a Dream"
MP3 - "Rip Van Winkle" 

Shannon and the Clams have had a whirlwind year--one that included the release of their widely-adored Dreams in the Rat House as well as European and U.S. tours (the latter with Mikal Cronin). Currently, they're in the midst of one more East Coast tour; see below for a full list of dates, including Manhattan on Friday night and Brooklyn on Saturday night (with Perfect Pussy). To cap off their busy 2013, they're sharing Rat House's first music video, for the nearly-titular standout "Rat House." Directed by Shannon Shaw and filmed/edited by Cody Blanchard, this video has all of the offbeat, DIY charm the Clams have made their calling card, including--in the words of Stereogum, who debuted the video yesterday--"a gorilla playing drums with fried chicken drumsticks."

In case you forgot just how much you loved this record, complementary review copies are available upon request.

Press quotes:

5/5 -- BUST Magazine
 4/5 stars -- eMusic

8/10 -- SPIN

Best Music of May 2013 -- Impose Magazine

"[Shannon] Shaw and [Cody] Blanchard have learned how to disassemble the parts and rebuild them in a way that sounds both classic and wild at the same time." -- Pitchfork

"The record is all high points with precious few dips in quality."
-- All Music "Their strongest set of songs yet." -- Orlando Weekly
"Shaw’s seemingly uncontrollable voice...steals the show, finding powerful moments even in stale formats." -- Consequence of Sound
 Tour Dates:

11.21.13 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie11.22.13 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge =11.23.13 - Brooklyn, NY - 285 Kent ! +11.25.13 - Toronto, ON - Silver Dollar11.26.13 - Oberlin, OH - Dionysius Discotheque @ Oberlin < 11.27.13 - Detroit, MI - Trinosophes11.29.13 - Indianapolis, IN - Do317 Lounge * +11.30.13 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean * $12.01.13 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club *12.07.13 - San Francisco, CA - The Bay Brewed @ Public Works > = - w/ Las Rosas! - w/ Perfect Pussy< - w/ Hunx & His Punx* - w/ Jaill> - w/ Mikal Cronin, Kelley Stoltz$ - 18+ show+ - all-ages show

Nylon Premieres The Casket Girls "Same Side" MP3

Nylon Premieres The Casket Girls "Same Side" MP3
True Love Kills The Fairy Tale Out Feburary 11 On Graveface Records
Winter Tour Dates To SXSW Announced
  "The Casket Girls sound like homespun electronic kindred spirits to School of Seven Bells, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Au Revoir Simone, and other  dream-pop groups centered around swirling sisterly vocals." - SPIN
"The Casket Girls' brand of goth pop is definitely dark, but it's a perfect mixture of doom and optimism that keeps you hanging on every word." - Bust
"Think '60s girl group, if they wore all-black and performed at seances." - Nylon
Download: "Same Side" via Nylon or SoundCloud  Watch: True Love Kills The Fairy Tale Album Trailer via YouTube 
The Casket Girls will return this winter with their sophomore album True Love Kills The Fairy Tale out February 11 on Graveface Records. Nylon has premiered the album's lead off track "Same Side" and said "Not even lines about swallowing a moth can stop it from being instantly catchy." The Casket Girls also released an album trailer, which features three tracks from True Love Kills The Fairy Tale. You can check it out on Graveface Records YouTube Channel.The Casket Girls just announced a North American winter tour. The tour make stops in major cities including New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C. and will include performances at Austin's SXSW Music Festival.  More dates will be announced in the coming weeks.  
So many pieces of Savannah, GA three-piece The Casket Girls seemed to happen by accident. From their beginning - when electronic sound-shaper Ryan Graveface (Graveface Records, Dreamend, Black Moth Super Rainbow) found sisters Phaedra and Elsa Greene under a tree in one of Savannah's many squares, playing Autoharp and singing bizarre songs - to the night they composed their sophomore album, True Love Kills the Fairy Tale, under circumstances that fall somewhere between séance and dream state, nearly everything about The Casket Girls seems to have been inspired by some kind of spooky happenstance. But then again, the Greene sisters don't believe in accidents.
"I dropped off a shit ton of songs to the girls to work on one night," Graveface says of the genesis ofTrue Love, the follow up to Casket Girls' critically acclaimed 2012 debut. "I went back to check on their progress, because they weren't answering their phones. I don't know if they dropped acid or what, but I walked in and Elsa was sobbing and reciting poetry while Phaedra was just staring straight ahead writing it all down, like catatonic. The next day they dropped off a CD and said, 'We don't even know what's on this. You can throw it in the garbage if you want.' I sat down and listened all the way through and cried. I was like, 'Holy shit! They actually wrote a record like that!' I booked studio time and had them re-record every note just as it was on the demo. They really didn't remember any of it.  Had to learn the songs as if someone else had written them entirely. Very bizarre."
Phaedra and Elsa had filled the disc with lilting, almost whimsical melodies about chemical hazes and love gone sour like a couple of fucked up Shangri-las, to which Graveface added a bevy of grinding, multi-dimensional psych-rock keys that will be familiar to anyone with a Graveface LP in their collection. The title track speaks like an unknown voice in a lucid dream - perhaps the one that conveyed these songs through the veil in the first place -beckoning, "True love kills the fairy tale... until heart and lungs fail."  It's this twisted and comforting charm, which set in motion the Graveface-Greene love affair in the first place, that relieves us from fear.
The Casket Girls have gained momentum and a substantial cult following due to the unflagging catchiness of their songwriting and the compelling development of their live stage show. They spent the last year and a half touring in support of BMSR and The Faint before growing into headliners in their own right. Last year, they released a self-titled EP on Record Store Day, and a "cassingle" cassette store day.
The Casket Girls Upcoming Tour Dates  
02.14 -  Atlanta, GA @ 529
02.16 - Washington, DC @ DC9
02.18 - New York, NY @  Mercury Lounge
02.19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
02.20 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
02.21 - Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
02.22 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
02.23 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Brewery, Co.
02.24 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
02.25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
02.26 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
02.28 - Missoula, MT @ VFW
03.01 - Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
03.02 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
03.04 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
03.06 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
03.07 - San Diego, CA @ The Void
03.12 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.13 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.14 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.15 - Austin, TX @ SXSW 
For more info, please visit:
http://www.casketgirls.org/http://www.graveface.com/

Kathleen Hanna Shares Excl. 'The Punk Singer' Clip w/ NY Times

Kathleen Hanna’s

The Punk Singer  Documentary Film Special Clip Revealed w/
The New York Times + Official Trailer  Out  Now


click image above to watch 'The Punk Singer' film clip

Kathleen Hanna Appearing In-Person At Select 
Shows For Opening Weekend, November 29 
(www.ifccenter.com for details)

Critically Acclaimed The Julie Ruin Run Fast Debut LP
Out Now, International Tour Continues Through 2014
 
11/21: New York, NY @ MoMa, DJ Set (at Body/Head show)
1/15: Melbourne, Australia @ The Corner
1/17: Sydney, Australia @The Factory Theater
1/18: Hobart, Australia @ Mona Foma
 
Legendary Riot Grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre) recently released a critically acclaimed debut The Julie Ruin record titled Run Fast. A celebrated, outspoken figure at the forefront of feminist punk,  The Punk Singer  is a documentary film that follows Kathleen for a year, revealing why she had been absent from music for several years prior to The Julie Ruin album and tour. Kathleen recently spoke with The New York Times  about The Julie Ruin, The Punk Singer and more and shared an exclusive clip from the film. Directed by Sini Anderson and produced by Tamra Davis, The Punk Singer will be released theatrically in NYC & LA November 29th, also available on demand and on iTunes movies. National theatrical rollout is slated for December 2013.
 
 
The Julie Ruin provides a tight musical backbone to Hanna’s iconic vocal style. For a taste of The Julie Ruin album, the band has shared album cuts “ Just My Kind ” (mixed by James Murphy), “ Oh Come On “ (video) and “ Right Home ” (YACHT Remix).  Kathleen has also shared insight on her musical taste throughout her life in the Pitchfork “5-10 15-20”  feature  out now.
 
Featuring dream-team Kathi Wilcox on bass (Bikini Kill bandmate), Kenny Mellman on keys (’Kiki and Herb’), Carmine Covelli on drums (actor, filmmaker and musical juggernaut) & Sara Landeau on guitar (met Kathleen mentoring at Rock Camp for Girls), the band has just wrapped up a US tour and will head to Australia for a short stint in January 2014.
 
Run Fast  and is out now via TJR Records, distributed via Dischord.
 


“In The Julie Ruin, Hanna is still the woman so many have admired, even idolized; but she's also fully herself, quirky and vulnerable, less a role model than a three-dimensional best friend.” –  NPR
 
“ Hanna is one of America’s greatest living rock performers.” –  The New Yorker
 
”…the inclusive titular invitation-- plus featherlight sing-song notes and masculine shouts by her bandmates-- puts the song square in 2013.” –  Pitchfork