we saw: Oxford Collapse

"Your So Sweet, Thanks For Asking"

(Photo by LikeATeenSpirit)
Sunday night Oxford Collapse played an acoustic set at Sound Fix. Sound odd? Yeah, it kinda was. Granted the guys were extremely open about how they had "never done this before", play acoustic that is. We weren't surprised, because honestly it's electricity which propels Oxford Collapse's tattered and bedraggled pop into a whirlwind of exhilarating and enticing basement punk . They mentioned attending one of Levon Helm's near legendary Midnight Rambles the night before and the 'loose' vibe of the Ramble certainly made its way into the Sound Fix Lounge. However, the vibe didn't do much for the songs, which were sort of sloppy, sort of shitty, and sort of unbearable. I only say this because I really like Oxford Collapse, its just that they were incredibly awkward in trying to pull together this acoustic set. Yet they went against the grain and did it anyway. They played a few songs off BITS and a couple of admittedly butchered covers, including a Frightened Rabbit tune and Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece."

Regardless, I've been listening to their latest, BITS (just released on Sub Pop), and it's pretty darn sweet. "The Birthday Wars", a song they opened with (I think) at Sound Fix, is all the woozy, bass heavy bashing we've come to expect from the Brooklyn trio (mp3 and video below). Fortunately, Oxford Collapse is throwing an ELECTRIC CD release show Thursday at Glasslands, which will feature the following:

fun n' games, decorations, streamers, comedians, clowns, mimes, capoeria, mud wrestling, midget wrestling, wheelchair basketball, tupperware parties, a preview screening of the new BATMAN, WWF all-star "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, a very special appearance by someone very special, beer pong, Darth Maul, the Groovie Ghoulies, how to learn braille, chimichangas, 5th wave ska, legendary A's slugger Dave Kingman, Violent Bullshit, Mario Cantone, and the usual gang of i'jiots.

Luckily, I don't think there will be any mandolins in attendance on Thursday.

Oxford Collapse- The Birthday Wars (direct download)

Oxford Collapse "The Birthday Wars"

hot: Fleet Foxes

"Where Do They Go Graceful In The Morning Light"

Our love of the Fleet Foxes is highly chronicled on these pages. Fleet Foxes is probably going to be the best album released in 2008. I picked up my copy of the debut on double vinyl (comes with a repackaged Sun Giant as LP 2!) Tuesday evening from Sound Fix. And now Pitchfork has gone and given the band a much deserved 9.0. Well done. Can't wait to see these guys again in a month. Go buy it now.

Fleet Foxes- White Winter Hymnal

video: Bon Iver

"I Crouch Like A Crow"

We've fawned over Bon Iver's For Emma... and the bands live set numerous times. Now Pitchfork.TV brings us some live footage from Brooklyn's Glasslands. The show took place two days after the drool fest at the Sound Fix. If you haven't seen Justin play the songs live, this video is poised to tack a few extra dollars onto your monthly credit card statement. The best part is Justin just added a boatload of dates to his ever expanding tour and will be hitting the road with the Bowerbirds. Most definitely an ideal lineup, although it'll be interesting to see two acts I deem 'Autumn/Winter' groups during the height of Summer.

Bon Iver/ Bowerbirds Tour
Jul 20 - PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL Chicago, Illinois
Jul 21 - CROFOOT BALLROOM *** Detroit, Michigan
Jul 22 - LEE'S PALACE *** Toronto, Ontario
Jul 23 - CABARET MUSIC HALL *** Montreal, Quebec
Jul 25 - SPACE GALLERY *** Portland, Maine
Jul 26 - MUSEUM OF FINE ART *** Boston, Massachusetts
Jul 27 - THE CAPE CINEMA *** Dennis, Massachusetts
Jul 29 - BOWERY BALLROOM *** New York, New York
Jul 30 - MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG *** Brooklyn, New York
Jul 31 - FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH *** Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Aug 1 - THE BLACK CAT *** Washington DC
Aug 2 - REX THEATRE *** Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aug 3 - WEXNER CENTER *** Columbus, Ohio

we saw: The Acorn

"The Rhythm Of The Landscape That Is Breathing"

Early Sunday evening I hit up Williamsburg's finest (only) record store/bar, the Sound Fix, for a dinner time set by The Acorn complete with good tunes and FREE PBR! On a scale of one to ten this pairing is a 10 with a few exclamation points. And like multi-instrumentalist Shaun Weadick pointed out, "nothing is finer than playing to the sound of free PBR's cracking." Agreed.

The super chill, yet utterly tight set kicked off with Glory Hope Mountain ballad "Flood Pt. 2," which set the tone for the evening. Like Bon Iver's set a few months back at the Sound Fix, the peaceful cafe like atmosphere of the Sound Fix Lounge compliments The Acorn's sound quite well; mellow, yet vivid, subtle but powerful. Sitting in one of the pews, I couldn't help but feel like I was chilling on a friend's couch. Needless to say, everyone felt right at home. So much so that the band treated the audience to a rare performance of "Plateau Ramble," a song much to quiet to played in noisy clubs. The homeyness of the Sound Fix really gives way to treats like these, just as it did Bon Iver's "Re: Stacks", a song that he never plays because it's oh so soft.

Setlist
Flood Pt. 2
Crooked Legs
Hold Your Breath
Glory
Antenna
Oh Napolean
Plateau Ramble
Low Gravity
Flood Pt.1

If you've yet to catch them during their four night stay in New York, tonight is your last chance. And like the last time we saw the band at the Mercury Lounge, this lineup is no slouch; Papertrigger, The Acorn, Love as Laughter, and the Cave Singers. Definitely worth your $10.

interview (sorta): The Acorn

"Sleep above the mango trees"

Last week I rang Rolf Klausner of the Bobk-approved The Acorn to chat about the band's Glory Hope Mountain, his mother and the bands first trek into the United States of America. What happened next is a mess of digital coding, computer meltdowns and bedroom freakouts. Let me tell you kids, it wasn't pretty. In case you didn't already know, always, and I can't emphasize this enough, always back up everything you do, immediately after you do it. Not an hour later, or a day later, or a week later, but immediately after you're done. Trust me, it'll save you alot of time and anguish. A lot.

Truthfully, I should take my own advice, because after re-listening to Rolf wax poetically on the extensive research he did into his Mother's life (the muse for Glory Hope Mountain, the organic writing process and the bands recent trip to SXSW, I somehow lost the file. I'd exported the track through audacity and saved it as an .mp3 and moved it into my Bobka desktop folder for safe keeping. Two hours later, my new MacBook Pro arrived and I began transfering all my files from my old iBook G4 to my new machine. Unfortunately, somewhere in the digital chaos "the acorn-rolf-interview.aud" and "theacorn-rolf-interview.mp3" were lost. After a week of searching for these files on my external hard drive, old computer and new computer, I have reason to believe they have vanished in a digital black hole. Never shall the world hear Rolf eloquently speak on the organic process of writing and recording Glory Hope Mountain, or how sad he was when the band lost their Speedy Gonzalez bobble head. It's sad, especially since The Acorn are already back in my hood. (Last night they played the first of four shows in NY/BK at Union Hall.) Honestly, I'm a bit saddened by this, mainly because it was by far the best interview we'd conducted for the Bobka so far (no offense Explorers Club, Ra Ra Riot and Someone Still Loves You...), but this was a genuinely fascinating interview and I can't thank Rolf enough for giving up his time to speak to lowly me. With that said, you should give up a bunch of your time this week and catch The Acorn in New York. Why? Because they're fucking awesome. Just go see them this week, you'll be glad you did.

Sunday May 4th- Sound Fix, Brooklyn 6PM (FREE!)
Monday May 5th- Pianos, NYC (with The War on Drugs, part of a Brooklyn Vegan Party)
Tuesday May 6th- Mercury Lounge, NYC (with The Cave Singers, Love as Laughter)

The Acorn comes to America!

we saw: Bon Iver

"So Many Foreign Roads"

It's been just a little over four months since we first fell in love with Bon Iver at the Bowery Ballroom. Leaves died and fell from trees. Snow fell and covered evergreen trees and all the while we had our trusty handmade copy of For Emma, Forever Ago to keep us warm. For Emma... feels like drinking a mug of hot cider by the fire place in Northern New England, when the snow is thick and the only sign of neighbors is billowing smoke from a chimney three miles away. It's warm, it's comforting, it's folkie, and it feels like wearing your oldest, most favorite wool sweater.

Thursday nights free show at Sound Fix felt the same way. The atmosphere couldn't have been more fitting for Justin Vernon's atmospheric folk. Everything was right, from the chandelier to the dark golden light to the superb mix. And while the mix was superb, Justin's amp decided it wanted to pick up some Spanish radio frequencies, which it did for 80% of the show. Not one to let a little Merengue bother him, Justin played it off cool, saying that he had decided to do that, a little experimentation, after all he was in Brooklyn. Not gonna lie, for most of the show, it worked, adding a hint of CB radio warmth to his already cozy sound. Luckily, the Spanish radio cut out and allowed Justin the chance to play the ultra hushed "Re: Stacks" and hit the piano for a heart-wrenching cover of "Satisfied Mind", which was as good, if not better, than the versions by Jeff Buckley and Johnny Cash. Yeah, it was that sort of magical evening. And what better way to finish it off than with a totally acoustic version of "For Emma" in the middle of the utterly silent crowd.

After the show we picked up the vinyl copy of For Emma... (via JagJaguwar) and chatted with Justin for a hot second, who was just as charming and genuine as he was at CMJ. The evening finished with an epic drive through the snow covered streets of Northwestern Jersey at 3 am. The perfect ending for an evening with Bon Iver.

"Lump Sum" on The Current

This Week in Nu Musick

Get your wallets out, as tomorrow is the first big release day of 2008. Not only are two albums we've been dying to hear on vinyl finally getting released (Bon Iver, Grand Archives), America finally gets druggy with the Raveonettes, Cryptacize digs treasure and we also get a new fill of John Darnielle's drunken lullabies. It's a good week to be a music fan.

The Mountain Goats- Heretic Pride
Another great record from John Darnielle and company, this one departs from Get Lonely and The Sunset Tree, as it documents a series of character based tunes rather than Darnielle's interior dialogue. Nothing exceptionally new with the sound here, just great lyrics, affectingly nasal vocals and Darnielle's everyday poetics.

The Mountain Goats- Sax Rohmer #1{right click to download}



Grand Archives- The Grand Archives
We've been patiently awaiting this release since Mat Brooke uploaded 4 demos on MySpace over a year ago. Couldn't be happier to finally hear it on wax. We've had this one pre-ordered since Sub Pop put it up. They really need to come East soon.

Grand Archives- Torn Blue Foam Couch


Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago
Yep, one of my favorite records of 2007 finally gets a proper release by the nice people at JagJaguwar. And yes, it's coming out on vinyl(!). More importantly Justin will be at Williamsburg's Sound Fix Thursday night for a free performance. See ya there.

Bon Iver- Skinny Love


Cryptacize-Dig That Treasure
Asthmatic Kitty releases the debut from this band of minimalist SoCal sugar popsters. And by sugar, we mean this band was started in an apartment across the street from a sugar factory and their sound totally reflects it.

Cryptacize- Cosmic Sing Along


The Raveonettes- Lust Lust Lust
Following in the steps of The Magnetic Fields Distortion, or the other way around (Lust Lust Lust was released in Europe last Fall), the new Raveonettes record finds them dabbling in J&MC distortion and MBV Loveless-esque walls of noise. Walls of feedback behind '60s pop melodies and loads of digital delay make tracks like "Dead Sound" and "Candy" sound like they could be long lost demos on a remastered deluxe version of Psycho Candy.

The Raveonettes- Dead Sound