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)