Listening - Digest - The Morning News

Listening • Feeling for Iceland

I feel for Iceland. They’ve got supermarket flags flying over their parliament, they’ve spent way too much money. It’s economic meltdown for real. You wouldn’t blame them hibernating til spring, emerging with hope that the glacial movements of recession have retreated back up the mountain. Compatriots Sigur Ros and Bjork are good for soundtracking the crash of waves, ships sinking, and bank-Execs being fed to the fishes. But Sin Fang Bous’s “Sinkership,” sounds more like forgotten dreams, electro-poptimism, and collective folk-choices to renew. It’s reflected through the crowds, the haze, the innovation, and second-hand machinery of this sweet song, a side project to band Seabear.

Dear Iceland, I would like to visit. I don’t know where your musicians begin, but I would like to see it. You should listen to this record through the winter, the album will emerge from its chrysalis, fully formed, next spring. Get it now from that popular online music store if they are still accepting your currency. —Mike Smith, Dec. 1, 2008

» Listen to "Sinkership" at Bunnynico

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Iceland, Seabear, Sin Fang Bous

Listening • Larkin Grimm

Read Larkin's blog to get a better sense of her thoughts: "One problem with the underground music scene now is that a lot of the more radical kids are afraid to be sexy... We know that John McCain is staring at Sarah Palin's ass while she is making speeches... the whole universe is contained in this moment."

Before, Larkin Grimm sung folk for the forests—see her myspace for country chanting, etc. Now, she rides out of the trees on great magical horses—like a Tolkienian spaghetti western. Years back, Larkin Grimm persuaded a crowd and I to lie on the floor and engage in some astro-traveling. She walked amongst us as we lay in that room above the pub, still wrapped in scarfs, warmed by candlelight. Most would have thought of ice palaces burning to the ground, thinking of the winter outside and the increasing heat inside. Now though, in “Ride the Cyclone,” I imagine a spiritual journey to get back to civilization, following the songlines, eager to destroy, rebuild, summon wild voices, and warm the blood of the next generation. —Mike Smith, Nov. 24, 2008

» Listen to "Ride that Cyclone" at Stereogum

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Larkin Grimm

Listening • What the Kids Don’t Stand

It’s become difficult to remember the hazy epoch that was last year, when the musical contents of a simple CD-R became an epidemic. The songs of Vampire Weekend were everywhere, which made the official “release” of their “debut album” in January of this year somewhat of an exercise in anachronistic formality. The current release of an EP featuring a single from that same, self-titled album seems all the more so, especially since it seems like those fine, young men should be coming up with new material by now. Aside from a contribution to the Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist soundtrack, we haven’t heard another peep from them. They’ll probably use the whole “we’ve been touring constantly in support of the album” excuse. Which is not so much an excuse as it is a point of fact.

They could learn a lot from Chromeo. Though they only have two albums to their credit, and though they are touring constantly in support of last year’s Fancy Footwork, Dave 1 is currently earning his PhD in French literature from Columbia university. Which is where he probably met those fine, young Vampire Weekend men. Which is probably what led to this, where both bands performed together for mtvU last week.

The live version of VW’s “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” is interesting, if only for the addition of a vocoder, but the version that appears on the new EP, remixed by none other than Chromeo, is nothing short of a revelation. Retaining Ezra Koenig’s plaintive vocals and the song’s most basic keyboard melody, Chromeo throws a seductively glossy and disco-digital framework underneath. Combining the best elements of each disparate group, the resulting product is euphoric, colorful, brilliant. More like this, please. —Erik Bryan, Nov. 19, 2008

» Listen to "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" at The Tape Is Not Sticky

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Chromeo, Columbia University, Dave 1, Ezra Koenig, mtvU, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Vampire Weekend

Listening • Message to Mitch

Early Wednesday morning, Mitch Mitchell was found dead in a Portland, Ore., hotel room. Most notably, he was the last surviving member of the ridiculously beloved Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix’s most famous and prolific trio, responsible for such incredibly favored songs as “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” “Voodoo Chile,” and the Dylan cover and overused-to-cliche staple of Vietnam-focused films “All Along the Watchtower,” not to mention several others. Of all the hippie-dippie crap that never really survived being dated as such in the years following the cultural revolution of the late 60s, somehow the work of this group managed to continually find favor in the decades that followed, and, though brief, their contribution to rock and roll legend has never diminished.

Mitch Mitchell died at age 61. Before joining the Jimi Hendrix Experience, he played with another amazing (but often overlooked) group, the Pretty Things, as well as the Blue Flames and John Lennon’s ad hoc The Dirty Mac for the Rolling Stones’s Rock and Roll Circus. Then, with the Experience, he played at Monterey, the Isle of Wight, and Woodstock. All of this, and when Jimi died, Mitch was only 23.

Encomiums are understandably being posted widely across greater blogdom, and Pitchfork helpfully compiled a selection of videos featuring the band and some of Mitchell’s best work. I also find it worth noting that my very first post to the Digest featured the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The song linked below is a live performance from Berkeley of “Message to Love.” Rest in peace, Mitch. —Erik Bryan, Nov. 14, 2008

» Listen to "Message to Love" at Art Decade

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, The Blue Flames, The Dirty Mac, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Pretty Things, The Rolling Stones, Woodstock

Listening • Make of That What You Will

Just as a cat meows or a man who graduates with a Psych or Liberal Arts degree will most likely keep working at whatever service industry position he was holding prior to graduation, not only because he doesn’t really have any great prospects at the moment but because he’s also kind of comfortable there, new Carl Newman songs will always be posted here.

Carl Newman, being the bulk of the creative motivation behind one of the Aught’s best power pop-cum-professional rock acts, the consistently incredible New Pornographers, is releasing a follow-up to his excellent 2004 solo album The Slow Wonder with Get Guilty (Jan. 20)—possibly a play on Elvis Costello’s excellent Get Happy!!. As with The Slow Wonder, we can expect a tonal reduction of the bombastic, burgeoning, full-band sound that the New Pornographers cultivates (due in no small part to the participation of stars-in-their-own-right Dan Bejar of Destroyer and Neko Case of herself). Get Guilty should signal a return to Newman’s quasi-rustic self-reliance and a softening of instrumentation that sounds both nostalgic and grand. His thoughts tend to appropriately focus on smaller things on these solo albums, as if he’s at greater leisure to investigate the minutiae of experience, which, in turn, elevates the significance of a sigh or backward glance to something deeply revelatory.

His newly released song, “There Were Maybe Ten or Twelve,” appears as the first track on Matador Records’ free fall sampler, which also includes new tracks by Belle & Sebastian and Lou Reed, among notable others. It seems the bar for the rest of 2009 will be set perilously high by the end of January. —Erik Bryan, Nov. 12, 2008

» Listen to "There Were Maybe Ten or Twelve" at The Catbirdseat

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Carl Newman, Dan Bejar, Matador Records, Neko Case

Listening • When a Stunt Pair Is Not

Known Recording Aliases of Kool Keith

Ultra, Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom, Matthew, Black Elvis, Spankmaster, Mr. Nogatco, Keith Korg (in the Analog Brothers) [source]

Stunt pairings come in all forms, be it award presenters, buddy/action flicks, or commercial endorsements. And who can forget those irascible “maverick” twins of way back before the election? I know, it seems like ages ago now.

When it comes to music collaboration, however, the question must be asked, is it a stunt pairing if both participants are already stunts in and of themselves? Regard the recent pairing of Kool Keith and Tom Waits on a track produced by NASA. (Not that NASA.) Kool Keith, aka Keith Matthew Thornton, has certainly made a name for himself as one of the more gonzo elements of modern hip-hop, having come up with nearly as many alter egos as he has albums. He’s also, on rare occasion, been institutionalized. Tom Waits, well, the man simply is an institution, one that many have imitated, but none have achieved the same adulated, bonkers status. While Waits hasn’t had nearly as many alter egos as Keith, he’s certainly turned in a great performance or two.

What’s most striking about the pairing is how well it works. The track, “Spacious Thoughts,” from NASA’s upcoming debut album sounds like it could easily fit in either artist’s catalog. Considering the disparity of genre and tone of the catalogs in question makes this track a genuine oddity, but an exceedingly fortunate one. For those of us who occasionally enjoy a good howl at the moon, this is a real righteous kill. —Erik Bryan, Nov. 7, 2008

» Listen to "Spacious Thoughts" at Pitchfork

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Kool Keith, NASA, Tom Waits

Listening • We’re All In

Last week saw the U.S. debut album release, titled Na Na Ni, of yet another group of almost disgustingly talented and natural-sounding Swedish indie poppers. According to their MySpace page, the members of Fredrik carry on the traditional first-name-use-only rule as set forth by their brilliant predecessors and countrymen ABBA, and we see that two of the members are simply going by Fredrik (the others being named Anja, Mikael, Lindefelt, and, on bass, Jerker). Which one would think would become as cumbersome and complicated as having two Jameses in the band James, or two guys named Parliament Funkadelic in Parliament Funkadelic. Only time will tell if it summarily becomes too confusing for Fredrik.

Their music—like much of the music coming from Scandinavia in recent memory—proves their arctic clime’s pop genius. It’s expertly produced, performed, and packaged. The most aggravating (and, of course, delightful) part of all is how effortless they make it sound. The component parts of “Alina’s Place,” the second track, seam together without a string out of place as the music gently evolves in tone and timbre throughout. Pounding (yet somehow quiet) drums give way to finger-plucked guitars, and pan-pipe-sounding woodwinds eventually lead to a closing polyphonic tintinnabulation. The resulting sound is cozy but not twee, dark but not morose.

Fredrik will be touring the East coast in support of Na Na Ni through November. If it hasn’t yet been made clear enough, they come highly recommended. —Erik Bryan, Nov. 4, 2008

» Listen to "Alina's Place" at Quarterlife Party

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: ABBA, Fredrik, James, Parliament Funkadelic, Scandinavia

Listening • Beach House Take a Break

Beach House’s spooky and warm lo-fi pop music continues to breeze past. Beach House pause for thought and take a literal, not musical, break from woozy synths and a steady heartbeat drum-machine pace. I’m inclined to sit, drift and reconsider their dark and spiritual sounds. I listen a little more carefully to two albums that don’t spark, but have always burnt right through me.

I just heard “Used To Be,” a song released in the gap between touring and recording an album next year. “Used To Be” indicates the duo are far from washed-out; in this pit-stop the duo take their time, sit in dunes far from any road, and stare at the ocean. As they do, and before they move on, I want to be ready to follow. I’m reacquainting myself with albums that I flew through—wobbling harmonies that conjure faded memories of crisp and bright days—the sort of days when you need to slow right down and take a look around to really understand what’s happening, what’s happened. —Mike Smith, Oct. 29, 2008

» Listen to "Used To Be" at 8/5

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Beach House

Listening • Motel De Moka

When I get stuck, when I’m uninspired and want surprise I check in with a music blog like no other. Motel De Moka wakes you up from your mid-afternoon daze, throws water on your face, then tells you their thoughts on back porch blues or the philosophical dance of motor-racing. Next to the music their writers share imagery, poetry, and thoughts. It is this method of inspiring intrigue that makes the thing they do so appealing.

It’s a cosmopolitan, cross-cultural place full of out of the way abstraction, independent music tied together with aesthetic themes; from London’s underground scene to a set of folk tunes premised with vanilla white photos and a quote from Samuel Beckett.

note: Fuck your zen garden. Get your feet in the water. Get your feet in the mud. Let’s crash all our planes in the river. Let’s build strange and radiant machines at this jericho waiting to fall.
Motel De Moka: May 28th, 2008.

Yes, Motel De Moka has it all. These small pockets of resistance are rare on the internet. Together they share music with personal, special touches and allow unexpected thoughts, images to bubble up. —Mike Smith, Oct. 27, 2008

» Listen to Motel De Moka music blog

SHARE THIS • EMAIL THIS • FILE UNDER: Motel De Moka, Music Blog, Samuel Beckett

Listening • Reading • Watching

Contact:

Browse:

Search:

» Advertise on TMN via the Deck

Tuesday, December 2, 2008