Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2605
July 16, 2013
White Poppy Announces Debut LP on Not Not Fun
WHITE POPPYPhoto Credit: Georgia LoveWhite Poppy is the solo project of British Columbian Crystal Dorval, who is excited to announce her debut self-titled full-length record, out September 3rd on Not Not Fun.
Stream "Wear Me Away" on SPIN
SPIN has the premiere of first single "Wear Me Away," a track that stands for a record full of "dreamy, washed out, lovesick stunners...with its faded-fuzz veneer and angelic vocals, the song makes for a prime introduction. Enjoy."The record is a gorgeous, experimental exploration of washed out psychedelic melodies and floating vocals with the warmest of tones and blurry harmonies, at times a blend of fuzzy guitars and shoegaze-laced melodies, and others a mix of kaleidoscopic dream-gaze. A work in progress for more than a year and initially recorded onto a four-track cassette recorder, White Poppy is a conclusive record and one that bears a quality of therapeutic pop, building on the themes and sounds of the artist's past releases.In addition to the release of the record, White Poppy will also be embarking on a West coast tour this September, with all dates below and more to come.Fall Tour Dates 2013 /09.13.13 - Cairo - Seattle, WA
09.14.13 - Pals - Portland, OR #
09.16.13 - Mex 'N' Wow - Arcata, CA !
09.17.13 - Lowbrau (Le Twist Tuesdays) - Sacramento, CA
09.18.13 - Stranded - Oakland, CA
09.19.13 - Life Changing Ministries - Oakland, CA *
09.20.13 - The Void - San Diego, CA
09.21.13 - Boy Manor - Los Angeles, CA
09.22.13 - Crossroads - San Luis Obispo, CA# with Talkative
! with Tabloid
* with High Wolf British Columbian inner-peacenik Crystal Dorval's "experimental therapeutic pop" project White Poppyhas been evolving and percolating into fresh forms the past couple years, but last winter she ventured out from her bedroom haven, packing a satchel full of 4-track tapes and boarding a boat across the Strait Of Georgia to the town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. She made it to The Noise Floor Recording Studio to mastermind and mix the ten deluxe, delirious, dream-gaze gems comprising her self-titled full-length debut. The trek was a triumph. Fusing the warm, washed tonalities of her earliest cassette-blurred lotus meditations within a richer range of glittering guitar gestures, sky-way keyboard cascades, and neon-violet vocal refractions, the collection captures the catchy, dizzy fuzz and textured, opiated heights of Dorval's deceptively vulnerable songcraft. The see-sawing balance of faded, forlorn freefalling ("Emotional Intelligence," "Existential Angst") with buoyant, blissed independence-pop ("Wear Me Away," "Without Answers") conjures a real rainbow mood ring three-dimensionality, a kaleidoscope of intimate drifter soul. True-gaze for a newer age. On tour in low lit cultural buildings up and down the West coast this fall. White Poppywill be out September 3rd, 2013 on Not Not Fun Records in the form of black vinyl LPs in Parthenon-portraiture jackets designed by Ms. Dorval, herself.
White Poppy Tracklisting /01. Darkness Turns To Light 02. Wear Me Away
03. Joyride
04. Today Tomorrow
05. Dead Night
06. Emotional Intelligence
07. Without Answers
08. Dizzy
09. Skygaze
10. Existential Angst Links / White Poppy Official WebsiteWhite Poppy on Facebook White Poppy on TumblrWhite Poppy on Twitter
Sanity Soap
Not Not Fun
Stream Van Dyke Parks' First New Album In Over 20 Years
Legendary Composer Van Dyke Parks Releases First Album of New Material In Over Twenty Years
Songs Cycled Streaming Now at The Wall Street Journal
Due Out in the US July 23 on Bella Union "Songs Cycled" impresses as a sonic statement, a swirl of beautiful snapshots from around the
world." - Chicago Tribune
"One of the most distinctive, idiosyncratic contributors to the American songbook." - AV Club
"a fearless, subversive musical mind." - RELIX
Legendary artist, composer and producer Van Dyke Parks is preparing to release his first new album of material in over twenty years, Songs Cycled , on July 23rd on Bella Union. Get an exclusive first listen of the album and read an interview with Parks at The Wall Street Journal this week. Following the success of his classic album reissues last year, Songs Cycledcontains Parks' first new material since 1989, expanding even further Parks' pioneering, and still unique, handle on Americana with the crystal clarity of a 21st century recording. Alongside new originals such as 'Dreaming of Paris', 'Wall Street' and 'Missin' Missippi', new collaborations such as 'Sassafras' and 'Money Is King', there are new cover versions and re-recordings of older tracks, and guest vocals from Gaby Moreno and Inara George. Each song is accompanied in the liner notes by works of art and excerpts by Ed Ruscha, Charles Ray, Billy Edd Wheeler, Frank Holmes, Stanley Dorfman, Klaus Voormann and Art Spiegelman, among others, who contributed when Parks sent letters asking. After touring with Fleet Foxes and a performance on NPR Mountain Stage, Parks released Arrangements Vol. 1 last year, a compilation of some of his greatest arrangements, with Pitchfork saying,"the songs selected on 'Arrangements' are uniformly fantastic (8.6 'Best New Reissue')." At the heart of some of the great albums of the last 50 years, Parks' accomplishments include Brian Wilson's 'lost' masterpiece Smile, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder's first recordings, and Joanna Newsom's critically acclaimed 2006 album YS.
Songs Cycled - by Van Dyke Parks:
"This album is released 45 years from my debut album "Song Cycle" (when I was but 24). In both cases, there's a maverick on the loose, with a highly personal set of tunes and instrumentals. All of them reveal an iconoclast tilting at windmills, railing at tyrants, barking at masters of war, and celebrating a shameless commitment to the very definition of 'Americana'. As I was in my brunette era, at age 70, I'm found looking through the glass darkly. These new songs show more than a hint of an eco-politic. In fact, there's nothing more precious than the song-form to revolutionize popular thoughts and practices that need a jolt of shock therapy. Yet, songwriters must work with a leger demain. A light hand and heart can draw more approval than a heavy-handed scold. My first aim is to entertain the ear with beautiful sounds. I try to do that as an arranger. These pieces reveal my best effort.I've drawn from a grab-bag of American roots music, from the 19th Century forward. (It was, after all, 'The American Century'). Yet this song-set goes beyond, and muses about '9/11' and other self-inflicted wounds ('Wall Street'). It explores the American bombing of Baghdad ('Dreaming of Paris'), the chicanery of Big-Oil ('Black Gold'). I insist that the song-form is the most potent political tool available. I learned as much from Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, and yes, Bob Dylan.
Still there's time for folderol. 'Sassafrass' captures all I love about the youth I spent in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. It's a roll in the grass. There's the renegade arranger in that, reflecting my obsession for studio technique, sound- effects with tuneful percussion that I first heard in 1948, in the music of Spike Jones.
I guess I am like that rusty nail that sticks out, just waiting to be hammered down by an intolerant bastard, with no room for what isn't rockin' or classically elite. In truth, I embrace both those worlds. Guilty as charged, I'm wrapped in the flag, looking through the glass, at the world beyond... informed yet optimistic, in my dream escape. It hangs together well, as we must, lest we all hang separately. I have so many contributing visual artists to thank, for coating it all so deliciously."
Van Dyke Parks - A Brief History In Music:
A musical prodigy and child actor, a session musician, composer, soundtrack writer, arranger, lyricist, and singer, Van Dyke Parks been a significant contributor to several decades' worth of classics, including a handful of unassailable masterpieces. He's perhaps still best known for penning the lyrics to The Beach Boys' legendary masterpiece 'Smile'. More recently, his arrangements helped turn Joanna Newsom's second album 'Ys' into an epic. But the true riches of Van Dyke Parks' legacy remain his first three solo albums: Song Cycle (1968), Discover America (1972) and Clang Of The Yankee Reaper (1975).
Other solo Parks albums are 1982's Jump (songs adapted from the stories of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit), 1990's Tokyo Rose (the history of Japanese/U.S. relations from the 19th century) and 1997's Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove. There have been film scores and children's books, and scores for a dizzying array of talent, including Little Feat, Arlo Guthrie and Bonnie Raitt. In the 80s and 90s, Aaron Neville, Carly Simon, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, Eliza Carthy and The Buena Vista Social Club were among the benefactors; more recently, Rufus Wainwright, Inara George, Silverchair and The Shortwave Set alongside Newsom.
Songs Cycled Track listing
1. 'Dreaming of Paris' (original)
2. 'Hold Back Time' (re-recording of a 1995 song from the Orange Crate Art album with Brian Wilson)
3. 'Sassafras' (new recording, originally by Billy Edd Wheeler in 1961)
4. 'Black Gold' (November 30, '02 - a fantasy on the sinking of The Prestige, off the coast of the Bay of Biscay)
5. 'Aquarium' (cover of 1886 Saint-Saëns piece, an analogue recording with the Esso Trinidad Steel Band in 1971 - VDP produced their album)
6. 'Money Is King' (picks up where Wall Street ends, written with Growling Tiger, a.k.a.- Trinidadian Calypso musician Neville Marcano)
7. 'Wall Street' (original)
8. 'The Parting Hand' (1835 hymn from the tradition of unaccompanied choral music known as the Sacred Harp)
9. 'The All Golden' (new recording from VDP's 1967album Song Cycle)
10. 'Wedding in Madagascar'(traditional a capella folk-song, arranged and adapted by VDP)
11. 'Missin' Missippi' (original)
12. 'Amazing Graces' (instrumental with the 'Van Dyke Parks Orchestra')
For more info, please visit:
http://www.vandykeparks.comhttp://www.bellaunion.com
http://www.yeproc.com/
Songs Cycled Streaming Now at The Wall Street Journal
Due Out in the US July 23 on Bella Union "Songs Cycled" impresses as a sonic statement, a swirl of beautiful snapshots from around the
world." - Chicago Tribune
"One of the most distinctive, idiosyncratic contributors to the American songbook." - AV Club
"a fearless, subversive musical mind." - RELIX
Legendary artist, composer and producer Van Dyke Parks is preparing to release his first new album of material in over twenty years, Songs Cycled , on July 23rd on Bella Union. Get an exclusive first listen of the album and read an interview with Parks at The Wall Street Journal this week. Following the success of his classic album reissues last year, Songs Cycledcontains Parks' first new material since 1989, expanding even further Parks' pioneering, and still unique, handle on Americana with the crystal clarity of a 21st century recording. Alongside new originals such as 'Dreaming of Paris', 'Wall Street' and 'Missin' Missippi', new collaborations such as 'Sassafras' and 'Money Is King', there are new cover versions and re-recordings of older tracks, and guest vocals from Gaby Moreno and Inara George. Each song is accompanied in the liner notes by works of art and excerpts by Ed Ruscha, Charles Ray, Billy Edd Wheeler, Frank Holmes, Stanley Dorfman, Klaus Voormann and Art Spiegelman, among others, who contributed when Parks sent letters asking. After touring with Fleet Foxes and a performance on NPR Mountain Stage, Parks released Arrangements Vol. 1 last year, a compilation of some of his greatest arrangements, with Pitchfork saying,"the songs selected on 'Arrangements' are uniformly fantastic (8.6 'Best New Reissue')." At the heart of some of the great albums of the last 50 years, Parks' accomplishments include Brian Wilson's 'lost' masterpiece Smile, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder's first recordings, and Joanna Newsom's critically acclaimed 2006 album YS.
Songs Cycled - by Van Dyke Parks:
"This album is released 45 years from my debut album "Song Cycle" (when I was but 24). In both cases, there's a maverick on the loose, with a highly personal set of tunes and instrumentals. All of them reveal an iconoclast tilting at windmills, railing at tyrants, barking at masters of war, and celebrating a shameless commitment to the very definition of 'Americana'. As I was in my brunette era, at age 70, I'm found looking through the glass darkly. These new songs show more than a hint of an eco-politic. In fact, there's nothing more precious than the song-form to revolutionize popular thoughts and practices that need a jolt of shock therapy. Yet, songwriters must work with a leger demain. A light hand and heart can draw more approval than a heavy-handed scold. My first aim is to entertain the ear with beautiful sounds. I try to do that as an arranger. These pieces reveal my best effort.I've drawn from a grab-bag of American roots music, from the 19th Century forward. (It was, after all, 'The American Century'). Yet this song-set goes beyond, and muses about '9/11' and other self-inflicted wounds ('Wall Street'). It explores the American bombing of Baghdad ('Dreaming of Paris'), the chicanery of Big-Oil ('Black Gold'). I insist that the song-form is the most potent political tool available. I learned as much from Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, and yes, Bob Dylan.
Still there's time for folderol. 'Sassafrass' captures all I love about the youth I spent in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. It's a roll in the grass. There's the renegade arranger in that, reflecting my obsession for studio technique, sound- effects with tuneful percussion that I first heard in 1948, in the music of Spike Jones.
I guess I am like that rusty nail that sticks out, just waiting to be hammered down by an intolerant bastard, with no room for what isn't rockin' or classically elite. In truth, I embrace both those worlds. Guilty as charged, I'm wrapped in the flag, looking through the glass, at the world beyond... informed yet optimistic, in my dream escape. It hangs together well, as we must, lest we all hang separately. I have so many contributing visual artists to thank, for coating it all so deliciously."
Van Dyke Parks - A Brief History In Music:
A musical prodigy and child actor, a session musician, composer, soundtrack writer, arranger, lyricist, and singer, Van Dyke Parks been a significant contributor to several decades' worth of classics, including a handful of unassailable masterpieces. He's perhaps still best known for penning the lyrics to The Beach Boys' legendary masterpiece 'Smile'. More recently, his arrangements helped turn Joanna Newsom's second album 'Ys' into an epic. But the true riches of Van Dyke Parks' legacy remain his first three solo albums: Song Cycle (1968), Discover America (1972) and Clang Of The Yankee Reaper (1975).
Other solo Parks albums are 1982's Jump (songs adapted from the stories of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit), 1990's Tokyo Rose (the history of Japanese/U.S. relations from the 19th century) and 1997's Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove. There have been film scores and children's books, and scores for a dizzying array of talent, including Little Feat, Arlo Guthrie and Bonnie Raitt. In the 80s and 90s, Aaron Neville, Carly Simon, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, Eliza Carthy and The Buena Vista Social Club were among the benefactors; more recently, Rufus Wainwright, Inara George, Silverchair and The Shortwave Set alongside Newsom.
Songs Cycled Track listing
1. 'Dreaming of Paris' (original)
2. 'Hold Back Time' (re-recording of a 1995 song from the Orange Crate Art album with Brian Wilson)
3. 'Sassafras' (new recording, originally by Billy Edd Wheeler in 1961)
4. 'Black Gold' (November 30, '02 - a fantasy on the sinking of The Prestige, off the coast of the Bay of Biscay)
5. 'Aquarium' (cover of 1886 Saint-Saëns piece, an analogue recording with the Esso Trinidad Steel Band in 1971 - VDP produced their album)
6. 'Money Is King' (picks up where Wall Street ends, written with Growling Tiger, a.k.a.- Trinidadian Calypso musician Neville Marcano)
7. 'Wall Street' (original)
8. 'The Parting Hand' (1835 hymn from the tradition of unaccompanied choral music known as the Sacred Harp)
9. 'The All Golden' (new recording from VDP's 1967album Song Cycle)
10. 'Wedding in Madagascar'(traditional a capella folk-song, arranged and adapted by VDP)
11. 'Missin' Missippi' (original)
12. 'Amazing Graces' (instrumental with the 'Van Dyke Parks Orchestra')
For more info, please visit:
http://www.vandykeparks.comhttp://www.bellaunion.com
http://www.yeproc.com/
Unknown Mortal Orchestra shares remix
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA SHARES BLACK NOI$E REMIX OF "SO GOOD AT BEING IN TROUBLE" VIA BIG BOI
FEATURING KILLER MIKE & MR. MUTHAF****N' EXQUIRE
ON TOUR NOW
Unknown Mortal Orchestra photographed by Neil KrugSTREAM: "So Good At Being In Trouble (Black Noi$e Remix feat. Killer Mike & Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k48O5TfG1c TOUR DATES July-18 Dunedin, New Zealand - ReFuelJuly-19 Auckland, New Zealand - Kings Arms TavernJuly-20 Wellington, New Zealand - BodegaJuly-23 Perth, Australia - The RosemountJuly-25 Sydney, Australia - The StandardJuly-26 Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia - Splendour in the GrassJuly-27 Melbourne, Australia - Corner HotelAug-2 Chicago, IL - Official Lollapalooza AftershowAug-3 Chicago, IL - LollapaloozaAug-9 Goteborg, Sweden - Way Out WestAug-10 Oslo, Norway - Oya FestivalAug-11 Bergen, Norway - LandmarkAug-14 Paredes De Coura, Portugal - Vodafone Paredes de CouraAug-16 Hasselt, Belgium - PukkelpopAug-17 Biddinghuizen, Netherlands - LowlandsAug-18 Black Mountains, Wales - Green Man FestivalSep-6 Portland, OR - BranxSep-26 San Francisco, CA - The FillmoreSep-27 Los Angeles, CA - TroubadourSep-28 San Diego, CA - CasbahSep-29 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent BallroomOct-2 Austin, TX - The MohawkOct-3 Little Rock, AR - Stickyz RocknRoll Chicken ShackOct-4 Nashville, TN - Exit InOct-5 Atlanta, GA - Terminal WestOct-6 Carrboro, NC - Cat's CradleOct-8 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll HotelOct-9 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian ChurchOct-11 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of WilliamsburgOct-14 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Oct-15 Montreal, Canada - Cabaret Mile End Oct-16 Toronto, Canada - Lee's Palace Oct-17 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge Oct-18 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups Oct-19 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Oct-22 Madison, WI - The Frequency Nov-7 London, England - Electric BallroomNov-8 Manchester, England - Academy 2Nov-10 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne Nov-11 Paris, France - Point Ephemere Nov-12 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht Nov-13 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club Nov-15 Prague, Czech Republic - Chapeau Rouge Nov-16 Vienna, Austria - B72 Nov-18 Budapest, Hungary - A38 Ship Nov-20 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik Nov-21 Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn Nov-22 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoio Nov-23 Rome, Italy - Blackout Nov-25 Montpellier, France - Rockstore Nov-26 Barcelona, Spain - La 2 Nov-27 Madrid, Spain - El Sol
FEATURING KILLER MIKE & MR. MUTHAF****N' EXQUIRE
ON TOUR NOW
Unknown Mortal Orchestra photographed by Neil KrugSTREAM: "So Good At Being In Trouble (Black Noi$e Remix feat. Killer Mike & Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k48O5TfG1c TOUR DATES July-18 Dunedin, New Zealand - ReFuelJuly-19 Auckland, New Zealand - Kings Arms TavernJuly-20 Wellington, New Zealand - BodegaJuly-23 Perth, Australia - The RosemountJuly-25 Sydney, Australia - The StandardJuly-26 Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia - Splendour in the GrassJuly-27 Melbourne, Australia - Corner HotelAug-2 Chicago, IL - Official Lollapalooza AftershowAug-3 Chicago, IL - LollapaloozaAug-9 Goteborg, Sweden - Way Out WestAug-10 Oslo, Norway - Oya FestivalAug-11 Bergen, Norway - LandmarkAug-14 Paredes De Coura, Portugal - Vodafone Paredes de CouraAug-16 Hasselt, Belgium - PukkelpopAug-17 Biddinghuizen, Netherlands - LowlandsAug-18 Black Mountains, Wales - Green Man FestivalSep-6 Portland, OR - BranxSep-26 San Francisco, CA - The FillmoreSep-27 Los Angeles, CA - TroubadourSep-28 San Diego, CA - CasbahSep-29 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent BallroomOct-2 Austin, TX - The MohawkOct-3 Little Rock, AR - Stickyz RocknRoll Chicken ShackOct-4 Nashville, TN - Exit InOct-5 Atlanta, GA - Terminal WestOct-6 Carrboro, NC - Cat's CradleOct-8 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll HotelOct-9 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian ChurchOct-11 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of WilliamsburgOct-14 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Oct-15 Montreal, Canada - Cabaret Mile End Oct-16 Toronto, Canada - Lee's Palace Oct-17 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge Oct-18 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups Oct-19 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Oct-22 Madison, WI - The Frequency Nov-7 London, England - Electric BallroomNov-8 Manchester, England - Academy 2Nov-10 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne Nov-11 Paris, France - Point Ephemere Nov-12 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht Nov-13 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club Nov-15 Prague, Czech Republic - Chapeau Rouge Nov-16 Vienna, Austria - B72 Nov-18 Budapest, Hungary - A38 Ship Nov-20 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik Nov-21 Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn Nov-22 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoio Nov-23 Rome, Italy - Blackout Nov-25 Montpellier, France - Rockstore Nov-26 Barcelona, Spain - La 2 Nov-27 Madrid, Spain - El Sol
Widowspeak Fall Tour, Including Dates with Iron & Wine
North American Tour Dates 9/01 - Brooklyn, NYCT5 Festival - The Well 9/18 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave* 9/19 - Winnipeg, MB - Pantages Playhouse Theatre* 9/20 - Saskatoon, SK - The Odeon* 9/21 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall* 9/22 - Edmonton, AB - Francis Winspear Centre* 9/23 - Regina, SK - Orr Centre* 9/24 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre* 9/25 - Des Moines, IA - Hoyt-Sherman Theatre* 9/26 - Madison, WI - Capitol Theatre* 9/27 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre* 9/28 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy* 10/1 - Oxford, MS - Lamar Lounge 10/2 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa 10/4 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival 10/11 - Austin TX - Austin City Limits Festival 10/12 - Marfa, TX - El Cosmico 10/13 - Albuquerque, NM - Low Spirits** 10/14 - Phoenix, AZ - The Rhythm Room** 10/15 - San Diego, CA - The Void*** supporting Iron & Wine 10/16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo**
10/17 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Crepe Place**
10/18 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel** 10/19 - Davis, CA - Sophia’s Thai Kitchen** 10/21 - Eugene, OR - Cozmic Pizza** 10/22 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club** 10/23 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey 10/24 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar** 10/25 - Boise, ID - Neurolux** 10/26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge** 10/27 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge** 10/28 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr** 10/29 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews** 10/30 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry** 10/31 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s** 11/1 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch** 11/2 - Toronto, ON - Silver Dollar Room** 11/3 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore** 11/4 - Winooski, VT - The Monkey House** 11/5 - Cambridge, MA - TT the Bear’s Place** 11/6 - New Haven, CT - BAR Nightclub** 11/8 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom**
** with Pure Bathing Culture
The Swamps Tracklisting
1. Theme from The Swamps 2. Smoke and Mirrors 3. Calico 4. Brass Bed 5. True Believer 6. The Swamps
Buy "True Believer" on iTunes Widowspeak are pleased to announce their newest release, The Swamps EP, due out in October. The Swamps arrives as a bridge between the duo's sophomore album, Almanac , and an as yet untitled third studio record. Here the band's characteristic sonic landscapes, haunting harmonies, and layers of delicate guitar-work usher in a new chapter in their dark and dreamy catalog. Inspired by the light-choked wetlands of its title, The Swamps brims with songs about fears of stagnation and the pitfalls of nostalgia, but never relinquishes Widowspeak's melodic optimism.
In anticipation of the EP, Widowspeak have released their first single " True Believer " today. The track can be streamed now on Pitchfork and is also available for purchase via iTunes.
July 15, 2013
NPR's First Listen: Hear Weekend's New Album "Jinx"
Hear Weekend's New Albumvia NPR's First Listen
'Jinx' Out July 23rd
via Slumberland Records
LISTEN HERE
Photo Credit: Eli Marias
Weekend tour dates with Disappears HERE "Weekend maintains a pitch-perfect blend of sweet and sour, not to mention past and present."- NPR "This band thrives with a mix of swirling guitars, distorted vocals, and bass lines that move. Exhilarating." - Esquire "Taut post-punk...a bleak marathon of rhythm." - Spin "All the subtlety of a high-pressure firehose...a dour, post-punk atmosphere that goes for immersion rather than force." - Pitchfork "A haunting 80s-style effort that will leave you eagerly awaiting more..." - Hypetrak " Kinetic." - Consequence of Sound
After sharing singles "Mirror" and "It's Alright," Brooklyn-via-San Fran post-punkers Weekend are back today streaming their new album Jinx in its entirely via NPR's First Listen one week before its release. Recorded with Monte Vallier (The Soft Moon, Young Prisms, Wax Idols), who helmed the recording of the band's 2010 debut Sports and 2011's Red EP, the new album sees the band embracing a higher fidelity of recording without shedding any of the noisy squalor of previous releases. The resulting product is the most mature and assured Weekend release to date - an album that is more sonically dynamic and emotive than anything you've heard from the band to date. Along with the forthcoming July 23rd album release, Weekend's Shaun Durkan, Abe Pedroza, Kevin Johnson and Nick Ray are delivering live shows across the nation starting this summer co-headlining with Chicago shoegaze band Disappears. They'll be hitting San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Baltimore, Atlanta and more, along with their Brooklyn solo date with Medicine at Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 18th (info here). WEEKEND TOUR DATES 07/26 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *07/28 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo08/16 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg ^09/04 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox09/05 Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch 09/06 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club ¥09/07 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue ¥ 09/09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive ¥09/14 San Diego, CA - San Diego Music Thing ¥09/18 Austin, TX - Red 7 ¥09/19 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge ¥09/20 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle ¥09/21 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway09/22 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern 09/24 Columbus, OH - Double Happiness09/25 Nashville, TN - The High Watt09/26 Atlanta, GA - 52909/27 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter09/28 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 50610/19 Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar ¥10/20 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's ¥10/23 Boston, MA - Church ¥10/24 Montreal, QC - Il Motore ¥10/25 Toronto, ON - The Garrison ¥10/26 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar * = w/ Wax Idols^ = w/ Medicine¥ = w/ Disappears
Hecuba iPhone Video Modern on MOCAtv
Hecuba iPhone Video Modern on MOCAtv
About Modern:
Hecuba Modern was shot entirely on an iPhone and presents a self-created hyper-personal document of two people's identities becoming one.
Modern is featured on MOCAtv, The Museum Of Contemporary Art Los Angeles' contemporary art video channel.
Watch "Modern" on MOCAtv
Shot on phone, watch on phone. *Best with headphones. Hecuba "Modern" Special Edition Out Now 
Hecuba "Modern" Special Edition - 12" LP + CD + Digital DL Package "Modern takes a deeply emotional turn into the territory of separation, loss, and union. In many ways, it details the line between losing yourself in another and losing yourself completely." – Dazed and Confused
"This is the future of pop music: eternally catchy, constantly evolving, never compromising…. a beautiful, important record." – Electronic Beats
Listen to "Modern" and Get Album on Germ
About Modern:Hecuba Modern was shot entirely on an iPhone and presents a self-created hyper-personal document of two people's identities becoming one.
Modern is featured on MOCAtv, The Museum Of Contemporary Art Los Angeles' contemporary art video channel.
Watch "Modern" on MOCAtv
Shot on phone, watch on phone. *Best with headphones. Hecuba "Modern" Special Edition Out Now Hecuba "Modern" Special Edition - 12" LP + CD + Digital DL Package "Modern takes a deeply emotional turn into the territory of separation, loss, and union. In many ways, it details the line between losing yourself in another and losing yourself completely." – Dazed and Confused"This is the future of pop music: eternally catchy, constantly evolving, never compromising…. a beautiful, important record." – Electronic Beats
Listen to "Modern" and Get Album on Germ
The Joy Formidable to Release 'Silent Treatment' EP
The Joy Formidable To Release Silent Treatment EP TomorrowEP Features a New Version of the Title Track Mixed by William OrbitWatch Music Video for "Silent Treatment" NowBand To Tour With Passion Pit This Fall
Welsh trio The Joy Formidable are pleased to announce the release of their Silent Treatment EP on all digital outlets tomorrow. The Silent Treatment EP includes 4 tracks, including a new mix of the title track done by William Orbit (Blur, Madonna, Pink), a live version of "Tendons" recorded at London's Roundhouse, and previously unreleased song "All This Promise" from the sessions that produced the band's most recent album, Wolf's Law. For full track listing, please see below.
The band have also released a music video for the EP's title track, directed by the duo ArchEnemies. The video for "Silent Treatment," shot in black and white, features a confident yet vulnerable performance by lead-singer Ritzy Bryan. Watch the video over at RollingStone.com now:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/joy-formidable-sift-through-emotions-in-silent-treatment-premiere-20130715
Many critics noted that "Silent Treatment," a centerpiece on the band's acclaimed sophomore album Wolf's Law, was a different direction for the band. Pitchfork noted, "Most Joy Formidable songs start at heart-pumping and turn up the volume from there, but on the delicate "Silent Treatment", Bryan is able to convey that same intensity backed only with an acoustic guitar."
The band will be hitting the road for tour dates with Passion Pit, beginning on September 29 in Charlottesville, VA. The tour will span from coast to coast throughout the entirety of October and the first part of November, including dates in Los Angeles at The Greek Theater on October 25. To see full itinerary, please see below.
THE JOY FORMIDABLE ON TOUR9/02 - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Music Festival9/05 - Portland, OR @ MusicFestNW9/29 - Charlottesville, VA @ nTelos Wireless Pavilion10/01 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel10/02 - Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggy's (Outdoor Stage)10/03 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City10/04-10/06 - Austin, TX @ ACL10/07 - Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Amphitheater10/08 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues10/10 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Music Park10/11 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theater10/11-10/13 - Austin, TX @ ACL10/15 - Denver, CO @ First Bank Arena10/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex10/18 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory10/21 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre10/22 - San Diego, CA @ SDSU Open Air Theatre10/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theater10/26 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl10/27 - Las Vegas, NV @ Life Is Beautiful Festival10/29 - Kansas City, MO @ The Midland10/31 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center11/01 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues11/03 - Norfolk, VA @ Norva11/08 - St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre11/09 - Tampa, FL @ Coastline Festival - Live Nation Amphitheatre11/10 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Coastline Festival - Cruzan Amphitheatre
Welsh trio The Joy Formidable are pleased to announce the release of their Silent Treatment EP on all digital outlets tomorrow. The Silent Treatment EP includes 4 tracks, including a new mix of the title track done by William Orbit (Blur, Madonna, Pink), a live version of "Tendons" recorded at London's Roundhouse, and previously unreleased song "All This Promise" from the sessions that produced the band's most recent album, Wolf's Law. For full track listing, please see below.
The band have also released a music video for the EP's title track, directed by the duo ArchEnemies. The video for "Silent Treatment," shot in black and white, features a confident yet vulnerable performance by lead-singer Ritzy Bryan. Watch the video over at RollingStone.com now:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/joy-formidable-sift-through-emotions-in-silent-treatment-premiere-20130715
Many critics noted that "Silent Treatment," a centerpiece on the band's acclaimed sophomore album Wolf's Law, was a different direction for the band. Pitchfork noted, "Most Joy Formidable songs start at heart-pumping and turn up the volume from there, but on the delicate "Silent Treatment", Bryan is able to convey that same intensity backed only with an acoustic guitar."
The band will be hitting the road for tour dates with Passion Pit, beginning on September 29 in Charlottesville, VA. The tour will span from coast to coast throughout the entirety of October and the first part of November, including dates in Los Angeles at The Greek Theater on October 25. To see full itinerary, please see below.
THE JOY FORMIDABLE ON TOUR9/02 - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Music Festival9/05 - Portland, OR @ MusicFestNW9/29 - Charlottesville, VA @ nTelos Wireless Pavilion10/01 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel10/02 - Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggy's (Outdoor Stage)10/03 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City10/04-10/06 - Austin, TX @ ACL10/07 - Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Amphitheater10/08 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues10/10 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Music Park10/11 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theater10/11-10/13 - Austin, TX @ ACL10/15 - Denver, CO @ First Bank Arena10/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex10/18 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory10/21 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre10/22 - San Diego, CA @ SDSU Open Air Theatre10/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theater10/26 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl10/27 - Las Vegas, NV @ Life Is Beautiful Festival10/29 - Kansas City, MO @ The Midland10/31 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center11/01 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues11/03 - Norfolk, VA @ Norva11/08 - St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre11/09 - Tampa, FL @ Coastline Festival - Live Nation Amphitheatre11/10 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Coastline Festival - Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 11, 2013
STILL CORNERS @ Webster Hall NYC
All photos taken in NYC by Daniel Murtagh
WOLFMOTHER @ the Troubadour July 15th
Wolfmother comes to the TROUBADOUR LA on Monday July 15th 2013.
Gallery is here. All live photos here taken by Angel Ceballos in Seattle.
Gallery is here. All live photos here taken by Angel Ceballos in Seattle.
Surfer Blood @ Santa Monica Pier
photo: Angel Ceballos
SURFER BLOOD is playing at the Santa Monica Pier tonight, Thursday July 11th 2013.
