video: Four Tet "Angel Echoes"

"Zones"


3D, a medium through which many have tried to replicate authentic life through film, has been in our collective consciousness since the '50s. It's never been that great, although, in theory it's amazing. Do you remember the first time you watched a 3D movie? I do. It was Captain EO at Epcot Center. I also remember playing Rad Racer in 3D on NES, which, instead of mimicking the harsh realties of the illustrious International race community, somehow communicated a vaulted hyper reality, one more akin to needing the chill out room at the Hacienda than "seeing things as they are." And so here we are, in the age of Avatar, the 3D age, and Ray Concepcion is downgrading the medium to its most commercial and most hypnotique. Armed with a janky pair of 3D glasses, made out of paper and what are most likely the worlds cheapest lighting gels, Concepcion takes Four Tet's recent performance at LPR to new hypnogigic states, reformatting an often alien tool in order to convey the ecstatic exuberance of one of those girls up front, grinding her ass (and her teeth), watching that EXIT sign in her peripheral expand and contract like her inner consciousness.

Check It: Beirut

"It's been a long time since I've seen you smile..."

So we're all a little sad that Beirut is on hiatus. But fear not! Pitchfork has optioned the Beirut- La Blogotheque collaboration "Cheap Magic Inside" for their One Week Only section, and I highly recommend cruising over and checking it out. The film was a special project in which each song from Beirut's sophomore album, The Flying Club Cup, was filmed somewhere in lovely Brooklyn, creating something of a companion piece to the album itself. And don't worry Beirut fans; something tells me Zach and Co. will be back soon enough...

Here's a different take of album standout "Nantes", though the Cheap Magic version is way cooler if you ask me...

#64.1 - Beirut - Nantes
by lablogotheque

review: Dominique Leone

"High up on top, how do you feel..."

Dominique Leone has been one of the better writers at a certain score-obsessed website over the years, and his reviews tended to be of two varieties: either waxing historical about re-releases by the Beatles, Miles Davis, the Beach Boys, Can and John Lennon, or enlightening us on the forefront of burgeoning indie-superstars with reviews of early records by LCD Soundsystem, Animal Collective and Devendra Banhart. It would be easy to say that his self-titled debut draws inspiration from both sources, one foot in the past and one in the future, but that would be a mistake; although the (largely indecipherable) vocals contain allusions to Beach Boys harmonies and Beatles melodies, this record is uncompromisingly set in the 21st century.

Synths dominate, as melodies weave in and out and feedback explodes. Hyperactivity seems to be the running theme, with a touch of prog here and a dab of dance music there. Traditional song structures are abandoned save the gorgeous closer, “Conversational" and album highlight “Goodbye," an unbelievably catchy melding of neo-soul beats and stratospheric Beach Boys harmonies, almost like a lost track from 2007’s best (not a) mashup, Bullion's Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee. Elsewhere, “Tension” and “Duyen” feature vocals with minor-key melodies that, for someone reason, remind me of Sgt. Pepper’s “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” though no one would ever confuse the music behind them. “Nous Tombons Dans Elle” is extraordinarily fun, a schizo-dance track in the vein of Dan Deacon’s more psychedelic stuff.

In what seems to be a growing trend, this album is adorned with a massive centerpiece of a song, the 13-minute “The Return.” But while Panda Bear’s “Bros” was transcendental in its commitment to melody, Leone’s commits to nothing, wandering between quiet passages and massive bursts of feedback similar to the first few minutes of Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished. “The Return” is an abstract piece with a lot to decipher, but as of right now, it’s my least favorite thing on the album, feeling self-indulgent and unnecessary, even cold. There’s some good stuff in there, but it’s woefully buried.

It’s tempting to label this album as exceedingly “critic-friendly,” partly because it was made by one, and partly because it is the kind of mix of abstraction and familiarity that you can picture most critics getting behind. But that’s not really fair, is it? That’s like saying something is not good because it’s trying to be good. In reality, this is a fantastically ambitious affair that rewards multiple listens, even if you’re not sure what the fuck you’re hearing the first few go-rounds. For now, we should all be giving thanks that Dominique has put down the pen, and picked up the, err, Pro Tools.

Dominique Leone - Nous Tombons Dans Elle
Dominique Leone - Duyen

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

whoa: Circulatory System

"You were never so high"

We've been hearing rumors for a while that Will Cullen Hart's post-Olivia Tremor Control band Circulatory System would be releasing an album in '08. Now there's proof and we're fucking psyched about it. If you know Bobka, you know we like psychedelic anything; art, music, shoes, drugs, animals(?). Whatever it is, we like it a little fuzzy, a bit skewed and trippy as balls (see The Sea & Cake video below). So when P4K posted about 3 new jams on Circulatory System's MySpace, we immediately hopped on the bus and hit the information super highway seeking enlightenment, or something like it, via loopy bedroom psych. So far we're really digging "Same Place", a track full of opiated vocals, Beatles in India guitars, homemade percussion and a quirky maelstrom of bizarro instruments you've grown to expect from the E6'ers. All that makes for a what feels like a very lucid sleepwalk through a rainy Amazonian jungle. Listen here.

If you've peeped my muxtape you might have expected this post. Why? Because it's spring and nothings better on the train than some weird Elephant 6 fuzz to combat the itchy crackhead lady sitting next to you trying to free the bugs from under her skin. Creepy, but hey, that's what drugs do. It's not pretty, unless you grew up in Ruston and were/are part of a highly touted, experimental psych pop collective that's sorta kinda based out of Athens, but not really. If you don't believe us about the psych, etc, just peep the video for "Should A Cloud Replace A Compass?"

Oh yeah, the image at the top is from Circulatory System's My Space wallpaper, which might be the best, most appropriate wallpaper I've ever seen on the crap ass social network.

Circulatory System- Yesterdays World
Circulatory System- Now

"Should A Cloud Replace A Compass?": A Short film by Joey Foreman

nu musick (television): P4k

It was bound to happen...

It's been one week since Pitchfork launched their dubiously named, super high quality video site, Pitchfork.Tv. So while we were busy working, we had intern Hunter (we still love the way that sounds). whose spending the last semester of his college career running a hot dog stand, a chance to review the totally bad ass video website. Here's what the youngster had to say

Music television, for all it's age old glory, is, (ahem), not what it once was. As soon as MTV decided once and for all to resign itself to reality tv, game shows, and spring break (woo!), those of us who actually enjoy watching music videos, concerts, interviews, and the like, were forced to the underground (otherwise known as Youtube). No longer! The ratings-obsessed, indie music behemoth known as Pitchfork, who in reviews past has given OK Computer a perfect 10.0 (spot on), as well as The Boy With the Arab Strap a 0.8 (wtf!?), is throwing it's trendy hat into the music television world. Here's a quick rundown:

It seems P4kTV is broken into five different sections:

1. Featured - basically a highlights section, pulled from the other four.

2. Shows - the place for Pitchfork original content that so far contains programs called:
• "Don't Look Down" (a band playing some songs on an NYC rooftop, for now, The Thermals)
• old favorite "Juan's Basement" (now fully produced under the Pitchfork name, featuring performances and interviews, starting with personal fav Liars)
• "Daytripping" (ostensibly a place for Pitchfork produced mini-documentaries, currently following the exploits of those crazies from Man Man)
• "Special Presentation" (whatever else Pitchfork is cooking up; this week poking fun at themselves before anyone else can, by making fools out of unwitting VJ wannabe’s. Someone haul Jessie back out of the dumpster from whence he came...)

3. Pitchfork Live – where you’ll find complete live concert footage, right now featuring Jay Reatard’s Live at Cake Shop performance in NYC from October ’07. (see video below)

4. One Week Only – as this section currently features the (full length!) Pixies documentary “loudQUIETloud”, this might be the most groundbreaking section of PitchforkTV. Presumably, it’s where they’ll be airing content that is too expensive for them to keep up permanently, otherwise known as stuff that’s professionally produced. Maybe next week they’ll be showing the Mark Wahlberg classic “Rock Star”?

5. Music Video – music videos, as well as one song live performances, from indie bands near and far

THE GOOD:
Damn near all of it. While some of the features (Music Videos, a site-specific search engine) were no brainers, many of the others are downright clever, most notably the One Week Only section. Also, everything that is more than just a music video is broken up into DVD-style chapters, so you can skip to your favorite Jay Reatard song in the middle of his set, or watch the Pixies try to contain their hatred for their David Blaine-wannabe drummer near the end of loudQUIETloud. In addition, it seems as though one "chapter" per Pitchfork produced show will be available for download for your itunes/ipod(!), like set closer "Ocean" from the just added A Place To Bury Strangers set, found in Pitchfork Live.

THE BAD:
Ummmmmmmm, not much. I'm a little disappointed that there isn't more available for download; at first glance, I thought that everything besides the One Week Only and Music Videos could be had for free, and I almost wet myself, but like I said, it seems to be just one chapter per segment. I’ll get back to you when they start production on Real World: Athens.

Jay Reatard at Cake Shop 10/10/07

rewind: Nada Surf

That's right kids, Nada Surf. Yep, the same band that sang the mid-nineties teenage anthem "Popular" (whose video was filmed at Bayonne High School). Nope, we're not talking about '90's alt, although we probably should, this Delorean is set on traveling back to '02/'03 when Nada Surf came out of nowhere to release a power pop gem in the vein of Big Star's #1 Record.

One of the things that always struck me about Let Go is it's relative lack of innovation. Don't get me wrong I'm all for innovative thinking of all sorts, but this is something different. Nada Surf aren't inventing a genre, or experimenting with studio theatrics or piling on Phil Spector layers of sound, no none of that is present on Let Go. What you'll find here are catchy, hook laden pop songs thrown over mildly distorted power chords and glowing harmonies. Sound familiar, it should, as this is what was played on the radio when we were kids, when terrestrial radio still mattered. Let Go is pop music for kids who hate pop music, kids raised on Tripping Daisy and Veruca Salt, kids who used to rent Sonic Youth albums from their public libraries and kids who still rock out to the Smashing Pumpkin's "Cherub Rock." It's oddly nostalgic for years not so far gone, yet still representative of post-millenial shifts in the musical landscape. The record kicks off with the "Blizzard of '77", a short story documenting the neurotic boredom of one stuck in a figurative blizzard, a place your just not sure how to get out of. Not to mention the lyrics which reflect on a youthful drug experience ("In the blizzard of 77 the cars were just lumps on the snow/ and then later, tripping in 7-11 the shelves were stretching out of control"). "Happy Kid" could've been sandwiched between Pavement's "Cut Your Hair" and Chavez's "Unreal is Here" on a mythical Maxell XL-II mix tape from your youth. Personally, I think that's a damn good thing.

While many have hailed Let Go as an under rated masterpiece from a band almost everyone had written off, I was stunned to see that the rating mongers at Pitchfork(3.8) chose to exercise their critical backwash by urinating on a record that 5 years later is as catchy and bouncy and exciting as it was when I was a fresh faced 18 year old bound for college. Any review that spends more than half it's time shit talking a band's efforts from 7 years prior, and limits the album under review to a few worthless bullet points isn't really worth reading anyway. Another reason why you shouldn't always listen to P4K.

On a positive note, peep a few tracks from Let Go and judge for yourself.

Nada Surf- Blizzard of '77
Nada Surf- Blonde on Blonde
Nada Surf- Happy Kid

under rated: The Boy with the Arab Strap

"Say Cheerio to Books Now/ The Only Thing to Read are Faces"

There aren't many things I can remember from when I was 14. Buying
Belle & Sebastian's The Boy with the Arab Strap is one of them. The band, formed by Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David while at Stow College in Glasgow, Scotland, had already released two beloved records across the pond on Jeepster Records. Matador had already re-issued the wickedly kick ass If You're Feeling Sinister, but The Boy with the Arab Strap was the first time my insanely young ears heard the groups ravishing harmonies and melancholic melodies. I remember this because the first time I listened to the record was on a disc man during the famed Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show starring the world renowned Rockettes. If you'd heard "Ease Your Feet in the Sea" while a hundred leggy women in sequined leotards did the can-can you'd probably remember too. Needless to say I didn't become a lifelong fan of the Rockettes that night, but I did start a ten year love affair with the best thing to come from Scotland since tartan and single malt Scotch Whiskey.

Not everyone felt the same way about The Boy with the Arab Strap. In fact, most wrote it off as another case of a band's third record being mediocre at best. Those loons at Pitchfork even went as far as saying the album was a parody of itself and compared it to the man juice that hangs from Ben Stiller's ear in There's Something About Mary. Then they went and gave it a 0.8.

While the record is by no means a masterpiece in the sense that If You're Feeling Sinister is, it is an artistic statement more concerned with experimental growth than regurgitating the same old hooks and harmonies that catapulted them to precious indie stardom in 1996. The album, which is divided into two sides even on CD, is centered by the spacey spoken word of "A Space Boy Dream", which is easily the worst song on the record. But that's ok, it's song number 7 on a record where songs 1 through 6 are charming and hummable and with fun little poetics like "Soberly without regret/ I make another sandwich." For some reason when Stuart Murdoch coo's those words I feel as if I'm listening to Kerouac, or one of his absurdist beat cronies. "A Summer Wasting" has justified every lackluster summer evening I've spent drinking and playing and waiting for the sun to rise before going to sleep, while "Seymour Stein" plays like a Dear John letter to the famous record exec, an apology for missing a dinner meeting ("I heard dinner went well/ You liked Chris' jacket/It reminded you of Johnny/Before he went electronic"). "TBWTAS" contains the best recorder solo in recorded history. Oh yeah, and an ass load of hand claps to keep you happy even when the songs are oh-so sad.

If you're still not convinced, then peep this video below and chew on this line for a bit: "We all know your soft cause we've all seen you dancing/ We all know your hard cause we've all seen you drinking from noon until noon again."

P.S.- In case you were wondering, an Arab Strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection.

Belle & Sebastian- Dirty Dream Number Two
Belle & Sebastian- A Summer Wasting

"The Boy with the Arab Strap" Live on the Jools Holland Show

under the covers: Grizzly Bear

"When I Look In Your Eyes/ With Every Blow/ Comes Another Lie"

Released on Yellow House over 14 months ago, Grizzly Bear's "Knife" is still making waves. And while the song found it's way onto most 2006 "Best of" lists, it's ability to stay fresh in the ADHD minds of the blog-fueled world is nothing short of remarkable. Think about how sick of Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" you were 6 months ago. That said, the fact that Ed Droste & Co.'s "Knife" is still humming around in the minds of the youth is one hell of an accomplishment. And how do we celebrate accomplishment in the post-Clinton era?? Covers. That's right kids, your favorite bands playing each others songs. What a novel idea!

Last week Grizzly Bear released the Friend EP, a collection of new jams, re-workings and killer covers by the likes of CSS, Atlas Sound and Band of Horses. If your keeping score, P4K editor Ryan Schrieber gave Friend a really, really good review. Good enough that Idolator even made fun of him for it. Not gonna lie, the guys got good taste. Anyway, it's been a week since its release so I thought we'd celebrate by posting every "Knife" related song I have. Now sing it with me kids "Can't You Feeeeel the Knife."

Grizzly Bear- Knife
CSS- Knife
Atlas Sound- Knife
Born Ruffians- Knife
Grizzly Bear- Knife (Girl Talk Remix)
Grizzly Bear v. The Knife- Knife/Heartbeats (by Parrka)

done did it again: Diplo

"And Take Your Money"

Diplo done did it again, this time as the second installment in Pitchfork's new mix series. Think Jamaica and Bombs. "Paper Planes" with Bun B and Rich Boy, off the chain. "Drain You"/"Pop Lock & Drop It," are you fo' real??!! More interplanetary 808 fueled head-bangers from a dude we all know ain't never scurrrrrrrred. Also, peep the behind the scenes, best buds(?) youtube video Wes & Maya made while working on "Paper Planes."

Download & read what Diplodocus has to say about his P4K Mix

Tracklist:
01. I Like Turtles
02. Mr. Vegas: "Lean Wit It"
03. M.I.A. [ft. Bun B and Rich Boy]: "Paper Planes"
04. Schooly D: "Gucci Time"
05. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "Rockers to Swallow"
06. Jellybean: "Sidewalk Talk"
07. Belle Stars: "Iko Iko"
08. Scala & Kolacny Brothers: "Heartbeats"
09. Diplo & Switch [ft. Elephant Man]: "East, West (Remix)"
10. Nirvana: Drain You / Huey: "Pop, Lock & Drop It"
11. Marc Houle: "Bay of Figs (Ward 21 Mix)"
12. DJ Tamiel: "Bump Like This"
13. Queen [ft. David Bowie]: "Under Pressure"
14. Eddie Money: "Take Me Home Tonight"
15. Soulja Boy: "Crank Dat Superman"
16. Bat for Lashes: "What's a Girl to Do (Break)"
17. DJ Shadow: "Organ Donor (Sandrinho Remix)"
18. Diplo & Switch [ft. Beenie Man]: "Solta Frango"
19. Mr. Vegas: "Hot Fuk (Diplo Mix)"
20. Enur [ft. Natasja]: "Calabria (2007 mix)"
21. Spoon: "Paper Tiger"
22. Circle Children: "Zulu"
23. M.I.A. [ft Akon]: "Boyz Remix (Hi Powered Boyz Get Down)"
24. Boy 8 Bit: "Suspense Is Killing Me"
25. KW Griff: "Tony's Back"
26. Diplo: "Work Is Never Over"
27. M.I.A: "Bamboo Banger"
28. Sizzla: "Bamboo Banger (Dubplate)"
29. Blaqstarr: "Supastarr"
30. Shai: "If I Ever Fall in Love Again (Dub)"
31. Orbital: "Halcyon"
32. LA Priest: "Engine (Erol Alkan Remix)"
33. Petter: "Some Polyphony"
34. Rihanna: "Umbrella (Vandalism Mix)"
35. Justice: "Phantom Pt. II (Soulwax Mix)"
36. The White Stripes: "Little Cream Soda"
37. ZZT: "Lower State of Consciousness"
38. Kia Shine: "Crispy"
39. Bart Simpson: "Bartman (So Kripsy Mix)"