Who has two thumbs and an itchy iTunes trigger finger? This guy! Yesterday was a remarkable day for album releases, and I invite you to join me as I celebrate my music buying binge. The first album I’d like to celebrate is Gloss Drop, the new offering from Battles. And instead of giving yet another review of the album with a sample song at the bottom, I want to show you what makes this band so incredible. For this, I call to the stand their breathtaking Take Away Show. Since 2006, La Blogothèque’s Take Away Shows have been showing a grittier, more unguarded side of some of the world’s greatest musicians. These shows feature off-the-cuff performances filmed in and around Paris, sometimes walking through a busy street, sometimes looking out a lonely apartment window. This episode, which features Battles’ song “Wall Street,” breaks the mold, with the math-rockers eschewing the series’ trademark portability and informality for the ornate beauty found in the Bertrand Salon of the Hotel de Ville, Paris’ city hall and mayor’s office. The setting is a surprisingly appropriate fit, as the songs that Battles construct are every bit as intricate – and in some ways, fragile – as the chamber music you might have heard throughout the centuries if you were one of the statues that line the room’s walls. Even if math rock isn’t your cup of tea, I urge you to watch this masterfully filmed and edited video and dissect what you hear, because the band’s brilliance lies in their ability to perform live the complicated parts that other groups would be forced to sample. The video is a feast for the eyes, ears and musical mind, and I can’t think of a better way to welcome their amazing album Gloss Drop into the world. Click here to learn more about the video, and here to download the album from iTunes.
#live
Middle Brother
It’s an amazing time to be a music fan. Not just because of availability and diversity, both of which are greater than ever before, but also because the wellspring of creativity that the Internet has tapped flows in music’s consumers and performers alike. Case in point: Yours Truly. This incredible project is based in San Francisco, and is dedicated to filming performance videos that are uncommon and revealing. It’s art born out of art, and each episode is filled with personality and care that leave a lasting impression. One of my favorites features Middle Brother, a band that’s comprised of members of Deer Tick, Dawes and Delta Spirit. The video of their song “Daydreaming” is strikingly intimate, with tight camera angles and band members huddled close to one another, singing lyrics that are likewise revealing, as if they could be whispered in a confessional. It’s a beautiful video of a beautiful song, and I hope you enjoy it. If you do, listen below to another fantastic tune from their eponymous album called “Middle Brother.”
Kitten
Kitten » Cat Power from The Voice Project on Vimeo.
There are still people who believe that music can help bring peace to the world, and it warms my heart to tell you I found some of those people today. I just learned about the Voice Project, a non-profit organization that seeks to bring comfort to the women who have fallen victim to the decades-long war in Northern Uganda. To raise money, the organization has asked musicians cover each others’ songs, so that our enjoyment can be turned into sponsorships and donations. It’s a beautiful concept, and I think I found the most beautiful song on the whole site – Kitten covering “The Greatest” by Cat Power. Thanks to my coworker Susie and Hype Machine, I’d heard Kitten’s song “Kill the Light,” and I’d heard Cat Power’s song “The Greatest” numerous times, but hadn’t delved too much deeper into either artist. This captivating rendition is overflowing with soul, and it’s definitely inspired me to check out Kitten’s Sunday School EP. Watch their amazing, 15-year-old lead singer cover “The Greatest” above, and try out “Kill the Light” below. And be sure to stop by the Voice Project’s page to support this worthy cause.
Sleigh Bells
I knew I loved Sleigh Bells instantly. Not knowing much about the band, I clicked on the NPR First Listen of their debut album Treats, and the first few moments of the opening track “Tell Em” produced such an immediate and adrenaline-heavy reaction, that I’m surprised seeing them live turned out to be more thought provoking than visceral. The group is a duo, comprised of Derek Miller, a guitarist with a heavy metal pedigree, and Alexis Krauss, a former teen pop singer. Together they make gripping, danceable, sample-driven music that’s the closest thing I can imagine to a musical 5-Hour Energy. But the fact that guitar and vocals were the only live instrumentation (with a backing track providing the rest) during their show at the National this past Friday gave me a lot to think about … What happens when you make inventive music that you can’t stage? Do you hire a random backing band to learn the other parts? How do you capitalize on what you’ve created, other than licensing and record sales? I’m still not sure what the answers are, but I do know that I enjoyed the show, I love the album, and I want one of these so bad I can’t put it into words. Check out their performance of “Crown on the Ground” above and see what you think.
Ben Kweller
I’ve been rooting for Ben Kweller for 14 years. In 1997, my dad showed me a New Yorker article featuring Radish, a band Kweller fronted as a teenager. He was just 15 then. Radish’s success didn’t last, but I never forgot the picture from that article. Nor did I forget the feeling, as a 13-year-old learning to play guitar, that my own rock stardom could be right around the corner. I kept checking in on Kweller, enjoying solo albums Sha Sha and On My Way, but was blown away when I saw him perform at the National on November 12, 2008. It was a new Ben Kweller, reborn as an alt-country act, getting ready to release the aptly titled Changing Horses. It was spectacular. “Fight” and “Sawdust Man” became instant favorites that night, and I was filled with satisfaction seeing a musician I’d been rooting for sound so great.
Pretty & Nice, Part II
Important Two Day Coverage, Part II … The Artist: Pretty & Nice.
Last night, I got to see Pretty & Nice at the Southern, a cool venue that’s nestled in a pleasantly dank basement, just steps off Charlottesville’s downtown mall. With some in the crowd sitting campfire-style at co-frontman Holden’s request, the band tore through a magnificently manic-yet-precise performance. Familiar songs like “Tora Tora Tora” and “Piranha” sounded sharp, and we got to hear a number of new ones (see above for “Yonkers”), all oozing the same mastery of melody, pace, dissonance and dynamics that made me such a fan of their last full-length, Get Young. After the set, co-frontman Jeremy shared that they’ve tracked these new tunes, and plan to mix at John Vanderslice’s new B studio, Minitel, eying a late summer or fall release. I’m super excited to hear the result.
Josh Small
Important Life Lesson, Part II: Yesterday, I made a case for going early to concerts, because you never know what the opening act gods will send your way. This goes double for Justin Townes Earle shows. First it was Joe Pug at the Southern, and then Friday at the Camel, I found out about Richmond local Josh Small. Within moments of starting his opening set, his passionate singing and foot-stomping steel guitar playing made it feel like we were all sitting on the back porch of a cabin deep in the woods, soaking in his intricate and energetic brand of southern-influenced folk. I picked up both his albums (sound familiar?), and am so happy I did. His most recent is called Juke and features the same passion I saw live, but with the added bonus of eclectic instrumentation.
Joe Pug
Important Life Lesson: Go early to concerts! I wrote yesterday about how I first saw Justin Townes Earle when he opened for Old Crow Medicine Show. So I went to see JTE at the Southern in Charlottesville … you see where this is going … and that’s how I discovered Joe Pug! HIS opening set was so compelling, I walked directly to the merch table and bought both his full-length albums, Messenger and Nation of Heat. Both are full of thoughtful, personal folk songs that contain some of the sharpest songwriting you’ll find anywhere, with vivid lyrics that stay with you long after the album has finished. I’m sad to say I just missed him headline at the Southern, but I have my fingers crossed that he’ll come to Richmond soon.
Justin Townes Earle
My friend Giselle and I like to argue about who told who about Justin Townes Earle (you’d think we’re both claiming to have told the other, but it’s the opposite … weird, eh?). I DO know the first time I saw him live, he opened for Old Crow Medicine Show, and he made a hell of a first impression. It’s a few years later, and I listen to his music nearly every day. I saw him at the Camel this past Friday, and he was outstanding as usual. He’s the consummate performer – tells stories, sings with raw emotion, and he occasionally slows his songs down live, which has a deeply haunting effect. Here’s a slow, contemplative, soulful performance of “Midnight at the Movies” from his album of the same name.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Wandered into Venue 222 while in Austin for SXSW Interactive. They had free beer. They had aerial acrobatics. And then I saw a poster saying The Pains of Being Pure At Heart were playing. I’d heard their name, but hadn’t heard their music. Now I have, and I suggest you grab their new album Belong right now.
You Hear That 