It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as of Montreal, Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, The Bug, Lackthereof, and Grizzly Bear.
Department of Eagles – In Ear Park
To be released October 7 on 4AD
Report Card: B-
It’s not hard to get excited about the potential behind Department of Eagles. After all, the band’s frontman is none other than Daniel Rossen, Grizzly Bear extraordinaire, and of late it’s seemed that anything Grizzly Bear touches turns to gold. And while the deeper-voiced Ed Droste is perhaps Grizzly Bear’s most recognizable member, Rossen is a big reason for the band’s Midas-touch, as he sings lead regularly, and got the ball rolling on the band’s assault on the most-anticipated-album lists with his stirring “While You Wait for the Others,” the first post-Yellow House track the band released. And if that wasn’t enough, Rossen’s cover of Jo Jo’s “Too Little Too Late,” a mostly terrible song in its original incarnation, kicks ass. So yeah, it’s easy to get excited about Department of Eagles, where presumably Rossen would be able to differentiate himself from his Bear brothers, not to mention giving the music world another class A release.
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#9) – Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen,
The Bug, The Music Tapes, Lackthereof, and Grizzly Bear.
Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
To be released October 7 on Polyvinyl.
Something has happened to Kevin Barnes. Whereas he once was purely quirky—a Beatlesesque Elephant 6 personality with comic intent and limited musical scope—he now has
become the superfamous man of the hour, the widely-adored
can-do-no-wrong pinnacle of electro-dance-pop glamour and glory. The
transition has been embraced so thoroughly it’s become almost
blasphemous to make a disapproving declaration regarding the advances
of his personal musical and self-revelatory state—it is as if his
evolution has acted as a statement for the acceptance of alternate
character, and the warm fuzzy feeling everyone has gotten from it (not
to mention a collection of some of the last few years’ most satisfying,
endearing, and excellent songs and albums) has created enough goodwill,
apparently, for him to push his audience’s ability to accept to a new
level.
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#8) – The Bug & Kemialliset Ystävät
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of HOT OFF THE PRESS, featuring acts such as
Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen,
The Music Tapes, Lackthereof, and Grizzly Bear.
The Bug – London Zoo
Released on August 12 on Ninja Tune.
London Zoo is, said as straightforwardly as possible, one of the most striking and
unmistakable albums to hit the shelves so far in 2008. The
England-based brainchild of Kevin Martin borrows from the musical
heritage of Jamaica to form heavy, lumbering, blisteringly rage-filled
music that is sure to drive off as many listeners as it attracts. But
while the scowl this album wears makes much hardcore rap look like
child’s play, the album’s polarizing effects are a sign of its
ingenuity—Martin’s sensibilities regarding darkness and repetition make
it the perfect collection of anthems for sneering and cursing as you
cut off other drivers on the highway.
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#7) – Vivian Girls & The Music Tapes
by Nick Courtright
It’s
Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first
glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of HOT OFF THE PRESS, featuring acts such as
Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, Lackthereof,
and Grizzly Bear.
Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls
To be released on CD September 30 by In the Red.
The
blogosphere is an odd, isolated place, and sometimes the excitement
about an album is so thick and mad and foaming at the mouth that it’s
shocking to find out the rest of the world hardly knows what’s going
on. But this seems to be the case with Vivian Girls, a band who’s been
riding the wave of Internet love and adoration these past few months,
yet—perhaps because their limited edition vinyl debut has been sold out
since practically the minute it was released—most people haven’t yet
caught the fever. All that said, Vivian Girls’ clattering, energetic
approach to punky two minute pop-rock is befitting of the web's
fawning, and surely soon enough the Brooklyn trio (all women, no less)
will be the darlings of a wider populus…even if the album as a whole
doesn’t thrill as fabulously as the first couple singles would have you
believe.
METALLICA - …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988)
Elektra
Yeah, these guys are huge – nay, mega-huge – jackasses now, and have
been for several years. Metallica’s self-titled release (1991)
arguably marked the last time the band would put out a record that was
in any way decent or acceptable to their hardcore fan base. After
that, it seems like they started doing a lot more bowhunting, complaining about the Internet, and making records that sounded more like high
school book reports on heavy metal rather than examples of it.
But jump back to 1986. They’d just released Master of Puppets,
a record that brought thrash metal to the masses at long last. It was
the first thrash record to crack the Billboard Top 40. Thrash metal,
to be distinguished from glam metal: Master of Puppets represented a rude response to the glam metal popular at the
time….Poison, Motely Crue, Ratt, and other hair bands that focused on
the more aesthetic aspects of the genre rather than metal’s roots in
street life.
This feature is an open parking spot for videos and tunes that we
think deserve a little extra attention, and possibly a second look.
Scroll down, and let the novelty of exposure rain down on you.
For
this month's featured tune & video, we've focused on two artists
based out of the thriving musical village known as Athens, Georgia
(please see map below for directions, thank you): KUROMA and ATLAS
SOUND.
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#6) – Lackthereof & Conor Oberst
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of HOT OFF THE PRESS, featuring bands such as
Bodies of Water, White Denim, The Walkmen, Au, and Grizzly Bear.
Lackthereof – Your Anchor
Released July 22 on Barsuk.
It’d
be pretty easy to compose a lengthy treatise on the rash of loop-based
musicians playing prominent roles in the scene nowadays, a group
ranging all the way from classically-trained Andrew Bird to knob-twisting Panda Bear, but instead we’ll just discuss Your Anchor and how it takes advantage of the benefits of looping, while also
encapsulating the method’s potential pitfalls. Lackthereof, notable
because they are the primary project of Menomena member Danny Seim, make music that sounds like a Menomena song lying
prone on the studio room floor, like an engine taken totally apart and
put only a little bit back together.
DEAD MILKMEN – BEELZEBUBBA
Enigma/Restless (1988)
Most
people never really understood Dead Milkmen. And what a wonderful
thing that is. Growing up in the American 80s was kind of weird - a
polarizing era in which old-fashioned (boring) norms made a comeback -
and, for those of us who didn't drink the Kool-Aid,
Dead Milkmen were our representatives, our spokespersons. These guys,
along with a handful of other groups of the time, rebelled against the
status quo in a way that was positive, hopeful, happy-go-lucky, and
above all, fun.
The Walkmen – You & Me
To be released August 19, 2008 on Gigantic.
I won’t lie and say I was just buzzing with excitement over the release
of the new Walkmen album. After all, they’ve had a solid little
career, with some pleasant peaks and even a good deal of critical
acclaim for their 2004 release Bows + Arrows. And they’re taking a generous step towards general angelhood with the pre-release method for their new album, You & Me, which they are offering for a mere five dollars online, with 100% of proceeds going to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
But despite this undeniably excellent and heartfelt deed—not to mention
the steady reputation the band has established—it’s always seemed like
something’s holding back the New York quintet musically, and,
unfortunately, You & Me isn’t about to dispel those notions.
The Dutchess & The Duke
She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke
Hardly Art
Lately it seems that many new albums leave me feeling detached. There's little familiarity and I can't put my heart into it. So, to try and counteract this I've been turning to some more uncommon material. Garage folk; never heard of it. In fact I might be pulling the name out of thin air, but it is a fitting concept for this new find, The Dutchess & The Duke. Hardly Art, an off-shoot of Sub Pop from Seattle, and home of Arthur and Yu, a much loved release from last year, has brought forth this band in the raw. The music falls between a folksier Velvet Underground and a mellower version of The Black Lips. They make songs you want to sing a long to, and not care how hokey you may look doing it. Even with their stripped down, dual Boy/girl harmony and mainly acoustic set up, there is, just under the surface, a great swell of blusey garage rock pushing and straining to be heard. The first track, "Reservoir Park" caught me off guard, with its dark lyrics darted with hand claps and tambourines. What a bizarre mix, and yet so aurally satisfying. "Out of Time", "Strangers" and "Back to Me" capture that 60's Dylan-era twangy guitar, with howling voices reminiscent of the Mamas and the Papas. The Dutchess & The Duke know how to make simplicity 'full' sounding. Even with their starkest songs ("Mary"), there is a warmth that enriches every part. "She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke" is an overall easy listen. It doesn't warrant a breakdown of beats or samples, it just allows you to sit back and enjoy. I'd recommend "Reservoir Park", "Back to Me", and "I Am Just A Ghost".
-Elana Rintala
(Looking for something similar? Try these bands: Compulsive Gamblers, The Black Lips, and Arthur and Yu.)
This is the second installment of a weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for the first installment, which regarded the new Beck, Fiery Furnaces, and Ponytail.
White Denim – Workout Holiday
Released June 23, 2008 (on their European label, Full Time Hobby).
So...forgive a guy for being skeptical. Yeah, yeah, White Denim were lauded in Rolling Stone, and influential music blog Gorilla vs. Bear touts them so regularly it’s almost embarrassing…when this much hype is
brewing in the music world about a band who hasn’t even released a full
album, the raising of eyebrows is nothing less than natural. After
all, there was Vampire Weekend, and we’ve all seen the shitstorm of
divisiveness they’ve caused, what with half the world thinking they are
the Second Coming (in cardigans, no less), and the other half of the
world thinking they're Afrobeat-appropriating snobs who should just lay
back on their yachts and shut their mouths. But let’s give White Denim
a chance. If only because they’re from Texas, and have honed their
chops on the Austin scene.
Shearwater
Rook
Matador Records
I have given my praise before for the band Okkervil River, however I
was not aware of Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff's other project Shearwater.
Shearwater is like the quieter, introspective brother of the two. Rook
is the fifth studio release from this Austin, TX band and proves how
wonderfully intriguing those quieter types can be.
Jonathan Meiburg's voice has the perfect depth and resonance to be listened
to all by itself, paired with a quietly tinkered piano and it highlights
the notes, and against a backdrop of ferocious guitars it soars. The
title track (well, sort of, it does include an 's') "Rooks"
makes me think of Roy Orbison, if he had mixed it up with some indie
bands right now. There is a combination of hypnotic guitar work and
equally mesmerizing vocals. Rooks also has a very familiar sounding
"wooo" loop in it compared to Clinic's "Thank You",
off of their 2004 release Winchester Cathedral.
I don't know how intentional, if at all, this was, but it was close
enough that my ears picked up on it. They both did tour together just recently, again, who knows?
Much of Rook is hauntingly beautiful tracks that showcase many singular
elements. It feels clear and cool without sounding void of emotion.
But Rook isn't all quiet, inner ballads. Tracks like "Century Eyes"
and the build up in "Lost Boys" have much heat, an added punch
in the right spots. "South Col" is a severely creepy instrumental
that, if you close your eyes, you are sitting on a solitary creaky swing
out in the mostly desolate place on Earth. It is both entrancing, and
freaks me a just a little bit. I'd recommend "Rooks", "Lost
Boys" and "South Col".
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