Sleigh Bells: Crown on the Ground

Rising from the post CMJ rubble are Sleigh Bells, a Brooklyn duo who are rocking a noise/no-fi/hip-hop "approach." The stuff is sort of hellish on anyone who may wander into the room while you are playing it, but once figured out is sort of brilliant. Bandwagon is already pulling out (and after I wrote that it really seriously pulled out), so here is an mp3 for you to mess up your hearing with.

Mp3 Sleigh Bells Crown on the Ground

their myspace

In ya face!

Visual Arts+Halloween: Max Klinger and the Darker Side of Light

I won't bore anyone with any spooky Halloween songs here. BUT I have been meaning to give some love to the visual arts for a while, and the holiday is an appropriate time to mention one of the best exhibits I have seen recently: a set of macabre prints and drawings assembled at the National Gallery in DC under the title "The Darker Side of Light" Featuring the work of artists like Edvard Munch, Odilon Redon, and Felix Braquemond with such headings as "Suicide," "Obsession," and "Abjection," the exhibit presents a dark, compelling counterpoint to the florid vision of late 19th century impressionism.

One of the most fascinating works on display was a series of 10 etchings (one of which can be seen above) by German artist Max Klinger, entitled "Paraphrase on the finding of a glove" (1881). Klinger's symbolist narrative plumbs a subconscious yearning over a fetish object.

If you cannot make it to the free exhibit, here is an excellent video that showcases much of the artwork.

The following video presents Klinger's series in its entirety, but unfortunately, the images are of low quality. For an excellent presentation of the etchings with high-resolution scans click here. Highest recommendation.

Video: No Age "Losing Feeling"

Video Courtesy of Pitchfork.

"The fragrance of the woods floats in; the place feels warm and cool. Sometimes I lie down and roll about in the passage with pure joy. When autumn sets in, to possess a burrow like mine, and a roof over your head, is a great fortune for anyone getting on in years. Every hundred yards I have widened the passages into little round cells; there I can curl myeslf up in comfort and lie warm. There I sleep the sweet sleep of tranquility, of satisfied desire, of achieved ambition."

-"The Burrow" by Franz Kafka Trans. Willa and Edwin Muir

Fuck Buttons: Tarot Sport

Hypothetical Interview with Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power of Fuck Buttons:

ATT: Wow, Tarot Sport is a hugely impressive album. I noticed there were some artistic shifts from the territory you explored on Street Horrrsing. On that album there were human voices, often fractured and screaming. Still, they often suggested language. The new record seems to be entirely instrumental. What do you guys think about the relationship between music and language? Are they antithetical?
FB: (...)

ATT: (related question) People call you a noise group. I think this is a bit lazy; it's like people think that anything without words is just noise. What do you think?
FB: (...)

ATT: Were there any classical influences on the vision for Tarot Sport? Some of the track names (most obviously "Olympia") seem to indicate a classical theme. Anything to this?
FB: (...)

ATT: Let's talk about melody and rhythm. One pattern I see on both albums is relatively complex rhythms built around simple, sustained melody. It is almost like you are trying to really distill each of these elements. How would you characterize the relationship between rhythm and melody in your music? Is one primary?
FB: (...)

ATT: Do you mind if I share an mp3 for the readers?
FB: "I have passed your questions onto Fuck Buttons's management, they are considering them. However, they are very unhappy that you have posted an MP3 of a Fuck Buttons track without permission. This is totally unacceptable. They have asked me to tell you to remove it IMMEDIATELY. Please can you confirm that you have done so? There is no way your questions will be answered unless the MP3 is removed."

mp3 Fuck Buttons The Lisbon Maru (removed as per request)

Atlas Sound: Logos

My experience with Deerhunter and its lead singer Bradford Cox has been tangential and solitary. I missed their Charlottesville show at the now-defunct Satellite Ballroom while they were touring for Cryptograms. I enjoyed 2008's masterful Microcastle and Weird Era Contd. entirely alone. I bought the CD from Amazon, digested it, and guarded it jealously. Now comes another release from Cox's solo project Atlas Sound. Admittedly I have kept blinders on when it comes to the Cox show, which is increasingly hard to do, and I enjoy Logos just as I have enjoyed about everything he has done.

At the risk of being arcane, I think the album's name has some interesting ambiguities that shed light on the entire Cox situation. "Logos" can mean a couple of things. One is the plural of "logo." This interpretation would sit well with those who think Cox cannibalizes every "in" music genre (shoegaze, post-punk, etc.) in an attempt to build some sort of "cool" identity. I get the sense that this is a sneaking suspicion shared by many reviewers. In more academic circles "logos" has a different meaning. It is the ancient Greek word for "the Word," which has been interpreted all over the place from the word of good, to the fundamental order of the universe. This interpretation would indicate that Cox is on to something deeper. Ok, sorry for the deconstruction. Enjoy the album; it's quite nice.

mp3 Atlas Sound Walkabout

That Ghost- Never Have Fun 7"

What would a week be without some sort of garage fuzz? A week WASTED! That Ghost (SoCal's Ryan Schmale) has a 7" coming out on October 26 in the UK, which can be ordered from label Pure Groove. If you enjoyed his last full-length Young Fridays, or just want to groove to some more Smith Westerns, Real Estate, etc........ sounds, you could do a lot worse than to it out check out.

(bonus double mp3!)
mp3 That Ghost The Red Bow
mp3 That Ghost Never Have Fun

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Heads Will Roll (A-Trak remix)

Sometimes when I am listening to a song, I make little remixes in my head with bits of the song--mostly using hand motions and humming. A-Trak probably doesn't have access to my thoughts, but his ultra-hot remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's banger "Heads Will Roll" is exactly what I thought it should be. Pump up that Halloween party...

mp3 The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Heads Will Roll (A-Trak remix) (10/28/09 update: Content removed at request of DMCA)

JJ "Things Will Never Be the Same Again" Video

Via Stereogum

As groups go, few are more mysterious than Sweden's J.J., who released Number 2 toward the end of a summer. Now comes a remarkable video for their song "Things Will Never Be the Same Again." Shot in washed, purple-tinged video, "Things Will Never Be the Same Again" is a triptych rich in interpretive possibility. The first sequence suggests a possible political reading of the title lyrics. The second and third parts are more open and abstract. Enjoy the images and music.



Check out more JJ stuff at their record label Sincerely Yours

Imports: Pascal Comelade

How about some love for discs that don't have a U.S. release? One notable artist is the French/Catalan Pascal Comelade, who has recently got some blog love for his inclusion on the Music Alliance Pact, a sort of Eurovision contest for the various nation-states of the blogosphere.

Comelade's music certainly has a DIY spirit, but not in the way you might expect. His instruments range from trumpets to tinny little xylophones, to Kazoos. It sounds like the music a child might make with toys, if that child were an experimental musical genius.

Here is a cut from his most recent album, A Freak Serenade (released on Sept. 29 in France). Different and worth a listen.

mp3 Pascal Comelade A Freak Serenade

CMJ band previews: Frat Dad

The mega mega CMJ Marathon is coming up soon. There will be tons of bands there. One of these bands is Frat Dad, who will be playing a set on Friday, October 23rd at 10:45 at the Delancey. If you like the garage-y stuff that is on this blog, you should check them out. They are on the Underwater Peoples record label and hail from Ridgewood, NJ, which is very close to where I live. Bergen County New Jersey is starting to lay down some pretty deep roots in this scene (Vivian Girls, Real Estate, etc.), so don't sleep on this band either!

You can get Frat Dad's 7" at Insound

mp3 Frat Dad Greg The Nerd

Thee Oh Sees

In a San Francisco mood for a San Francsco grrrrrooove.

How about another great band on In The Red: Thee Oh Sees. PsychOdelic garage from the bay. Wail on...

Audio Interview and a bit of a write-up from the left-coast public media folks at KQED.

mp3 Thee Oh Sees Meat Step Lively

Julia (Javelin re-do) by The Very Best

One of the top remixes I have heard in a while. From the new Very Best album Warm Heart of Africa. Smile :)

mp3 The Very Best Julia (Javelin re-do)

New Vampire Weekend: Horchata

Vampire Weekend released the first single from their upcoming album Contra (release date Jan. 12). The band has endured some backlash since the release of their excellent self-titled debut. Yeah that Discovery LP sucked, and I know everyone loves to brag about how poor they are, but deep down, don't we all want to be young, petit-bourgeois, musicians making baroque, afro-poppy songs about a sweet, milky summer drink from Valencia?

mp3 Vampire Weekend Horchata

The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You

I wanted to belatedly shout out the September 29 release of the Avett Brothers' I and Love and You. One of my live favorites, this North Carolina trio has been putting out some honest bluegrass rock and building a fanbase for a while.

I and Love and You is the first Avett Brothers album to be released on a major label, with the help of super-producer Rick Rubin. The result has less stomp and less banjo, but showcases the group's (sometimes painfully) honest songwriting.

Pick up I and Love and You at Insound

mp3 The Avett Brothers The Perfect Space

Live Review: The Antler's @ Maxwell's

(photo via nyctaper, which has a bootleg of the show)

My first stop at legendary Hoboken club Maxwell's was to see the Antlers who played the last show of a week tour on Saturday evening. Excellent, tiny club with a bar that can't be more than 50 feet from the stage.

Openers Family of the Year and Holly Miranda were fine, but there was a clear step up when the Antlers began their set with "Bear." Peter Silberman can definitely do all his falsetto stuff live. I wasn't sure how the highly conceptual Hospice would hold up over a live performance, but the live sequencing worked. "Sylvia," the strongest song in this set came in the middle, and Siberman ended logically with "Epilogue."

The huge dynamic shifts sounded great in such a small venue. The only problem was that at some of the quiet, poignant moments the talk at the bar was louder than the band. The girl singer from Family of the Year was wasted and talking really loud during the whole show, which seemed sort of disrespectful. But these moments were fortunately pretty brief, because the Antlers would bust out a huge crescendo and get everyone re-focused. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the irony-free Hospice, and at the show I was surprised at how well the Antlers were able to perform such a nuanced set from the album. Now, I am on notice. The Antlers are for real.

The last chance to see the Antlers in the area for a while will be at the Brooklyn Vegan show in Williamsburg on October 20. Tickets

mp3 The Antlers Bear

Trailer Trash Tracys

Opening for The XX.

More hazy pop, this time from London. Why not when it's this good?

mp3 Trailer Trash Tracys Candy Girl

Fader Interview (lovin' the Twin Peaks Theme song question)

Get the 7" from No Pain in Pop

Rome Neighbors remix

I thought "Rome" was a pretty cool track on a record (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) that, at first glance, is overshadowed by the opening salvo of "Lizstomania" and "1901." It gets a nice re-working (not sure whether to consider this a remix or a cover) by Devendra Banhart, which supposedly signals a forthcoming cover version of Wolfgang... featuring the likes of Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective.

UPDATE: The album is for real. You can get more details and download the animal collective track here.

A couple of reservations about the track: I think part of what makes Phoenix really interesting is that they sort of deconstruct words and remake them in order to get them rhythmically perfect and dance-able. I think the remix pays too much attention to what are essentially nonsense lyrics. And it also eliminates the best part of the original which were those huge reverb-y guitars at 1:31 before the chorus.

so probably just another remix album to build up the blog hype, but as far as those go it should be a good one.

mp3 Phoenix Rome (Neighbors Remix)