NEW VIDEO FROM ARCTIC MONKEYS : SUCK IT AND SEE
Focus Creeps, the director duo behind Waaves “King of the Beach”and Girls ““Lust for Life” have teamed up once again to direct another Arctic Monkeys video. This time around for the title track off their new album “Suck It And See”. Interesting title, interesting American Graffiti style video, interesting nipple appearance…unfortunately not so interesting song.
NEW VIDEO FROM BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY: QUAIL & DUMPLINGS
“Prince” Boniface “Bonnie” Billy goes by many names—St. Nick, Lucifer, AKA Joe– but close friends call him by his “nick name”, which is short for “Nicolas Nameham”, which is long for “NiNa”, which is backwards for “aNiN”, which sounds a bit like “anon” which is short for “anonymous”, and he prefers to keep it that way. Only recently has he come clean against the wall of speculation concerning his mysterious origins.Which brings us to the music video for the single “Quail and Dumplings”!!Directed by Benjamin Berman & starring Kennan Gudjonsson with special appearance by Nina Nastasia!
ST. VINCENT: ST. VINCENT
[rating: 4.5]
St. Vincent: St. Vincent
Label: 4ad Records
Release date: September 13, 2011
Annie Clark is a woman of almost painterly beauty who would, in all likelihood, cut a bitch if she needed to. Beneath her gracefully composed chamber pop lies a scratchy, violent underbelly. With Strange Mercy, Clark achieves the perfect balance of porcelain elegance and distorted ugliness she’s spent three albums working to hit. Serrated guitar and some seriously agitated synthesizers—the coda of “Surgeon” sounds like something off a particularly wigged-out Bernie Worrell record—rip straight through strings, woodwinds and Clark’s own crystalline voice, leaving fractures in the delicate arrangements that take on a skewed sort of loveliness themselves.
– Matt Singer
NEW SILJE NES VIDEO FILMED IN NORWAY
In advance of next month’s short European tour, Berlin-based Norwegian Silje Nes has released a great new video. Created in the unusual portrait format, it was filmed by Blank Blank in time lapse over 24 hours in Flø, Norway. The video was created for Silje’s live performance at the GO WITH THE FLØ festival, this June. Beautifully shot, the film documents the Norwegian countryside and changing atmospheric conditions and is sympathetically soundtracked by a new abstract instrumental track which Silje created.
Q + A: FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
IS: When we first started making music together I had a mpc machine which made beats. It was my idea to make a song. So she came to my studio, i made beats and she sang. She felt like she was the robot when she pressed the play button. And my machine was actually my mpc. So we were together the robot & the machine. So when we set up a group it became “Florence + The Machine”. I was the machine because I was the one who had the machine and who always had the ideas.
DS: You’ve been touring a lot lately. I last caught you at the Primavera festival at Spain and you guys were amazing! How does it feel to work with Florence? Can you tell us about your relationship with her? Do you have any interesting/funny memories together that you can share?
IS: Yeah it was a weird day because one day before we were in Leeds playing for a university ball and we finished at 3 am. And then we had a flight at 7 am to fly to Barcelona. We were really tired when we are there. Our plane was delayed so we were all over the place. But I’m glad you enjoyed it! I definitely remember writing “Dog days days are over”. I had my mpc machine, I don’t play guitar and i didn’t have a proper keyboard. We only had drums and I was like “how are we gonna do it” she was like “yeah we are gonna make a record!”. One night she bought drinks and she was hitting the walls to Express the beats in the dog days are over. The first time we played in Glastonbury she had a clown dress and she forget one of the song’s lyrics and it was fun! She is crazy & amazing. Now we are really good friends. I think I should keep a diary about all these stuff. I have lots of photos. I think i should make it a book.
DS: You co-wrote and produced many songs on the Lungs album. What inspires you most when you are writing? How did you feel when the album won a Brit award?
IS: It’s amazing. I’m a workaholic. I still didn’t have a real break and think about the success but it’s amazing we’ve done so well thinking that we are just learning to make a song. We created a song in a small studio and now hundreds of people are singing that song.
DS: Can you name some bands you love?
IS: I really like Jimmy Hendrix, early Janet Jackson. Marianne Faithful, led zeplin are my current discoveries. But I also listen Lady Gaga and Rihanna. I always keep an eye of everything. I even listen to Justin Bieber! I listen to everything people put in front of me.
DS: What are your future projects? Who would you like to collaborate with?
IS: I always wanted to work with Rick Rubin and David Grohl. Beyonce would be cool! I’m really with my studio and the people I’m working with.
DS: If you were to organize a festival, who would be your headliners?
IS: The XX, for sure! They are great. We recorded with them before they got really big, about a year ago. We toured with them and it was fun. Yeasayer would be also nice.
DAS RACIST: UNCENSORED MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO
You may have seen the video for Das Racist’s “Michael Jackson” last Friday, but today they celebrate the release of their debut album “Relax” by unleashing the director’s cut of the video, uncensored to maximize hilarity.
MP3 GRAB: HENRY’S FUNERAL SHOE: DOG SCRATCHED EAR
Following on the heels of their highly-praised debut Everything’s For Sale, South Wales duo Henry’s Funeral Shoe are set to unleash their second full-length effort Donkey Jacket – an album filled with the twosome’s distinctive punk-energy-blues-drenched-rock ‘n’ roll. With their incendiary guitars and hard-rock riot, fans of Radio Moscow, Left Lane Cruiser and The Black Diamond Heavies should find much to like in this explosive new release.
Comprised of brothers Aled and Brennig Clifford, this second offering evokes images of the Deep South, rather than the Welsh Valleys from which they hail.
Donkey Jacket features a number of guest appearances from a plethora of acclaimed musicians, including long time Van Morrison collaborator John ‘Ned’ Edwards on harmonica, slide guitar and mandolin, Pete Hurley of legendary ’70s Welsh band Lone Star on bass, and Justin Beynon of the Broken Vinyl Club on keys. The album was recorded in Wales with Tim Hammill at the helm, while mixing duties were undertaken by Jim Diamond (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Go) in Detroit.
Taking its name from the coat worn by Welsh miners, Donkey Jacket is a collection of rousing numbers ranging from the hard-hitting “Love Is A Fever” and “Anvil & Chains,” to their contrasting softer side on acoustic-driven tracks such as “Heart on Fire” and “Across The Sky.”
FREE MP3: HENRY’S FUNERAL SHOE: DOG SCRATCHED EAR
STREAM THE NEW CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH ALBUM: HYSTERICAL
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has come a long way since 2005, when the DIY group first recorded and released their debut album all out of the apartment of bassist Tyler Sargent.
The band is back now with their third album Hysterical, marking their best work to date. “Hysterical Balances the exuberance of the band’s first album with beauty and reflection, most notably in “In a Motel” and “Adams Plane.” But it wouldn’t be a Clap Your Hands Say Yeah record without that bounce; that “grab your buddy and dance with unhinged joy” emotion that’s all overHysterical. It’s feeling I thought we’d lost, but that the band has once again found, just in time.” (NPR Music)
You can stream the new album in it’s entirety on NPR’s First Listen by following the link below:
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=140226001&m=140227904
PETER BJORN AND JOHN TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS
A.V. Club has released another great cover song video from Swedish trio Peter Bjorn And John. This time tackling the 1966 Otis Redding American soul classic, “Try A Little Tenderness”; a song that over the years, has been re-interpreted by just about everyone from Bing Crosby to Three Dog Night. While no version really compares to the original track for me, Peter Bjorn and John take a pretty good indie stab at it, joining the tradition to support their latest album, Gimme Some. Check it out.
Peter Bjorn And John cover “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding
ALBUM STREAM: AIM LOW: FOULARD
Q + A: THE NATIONAL
Discosalt writer Hayalsu Altinordu sits down with The National to discuss their writing process, the best thing about New York, Headliners at the ultimate music festival and what’s on their ipod shuffle.
DISCOSALT: Can you tell us a bit about the writing and recording process of your last album High Violet? It’s an amazing album, worth waiting for, but why did it take so long to record?
THE NATIONAL: Thank you for the compliment. Writing and recording and our band are two sides of the same coin. The process starts with musical sketches which Aaron and/or Bryce will record and pass on to Matt to consider. For the ones he likes we go back and record drums for and just kind of massage into finished mixes over thecourse, in this case, of many long months.
DS: High Violet sounds even heavier compared with your previous album. Also, the songs all seem to have a New York theme…what’s your favorite thing about New York? And what parts of urban life inspired you to write this album?
N: Generally the songs do share a theme as you say. Sonically, too, they are similar in their darkness. As for New York, I believe that the city takes care of its own and is rife with opportunity. I like the seeking aspect of the city life.
DS: Sorrow and Anyone’s Ghosts are albums with some really amazing lyrics, almost magical… I love the line, “I had a hole in the middle where the lightning went through. I told my friends not to worry.” How did the idea for these songs come about ?
N: I like those lyrics too. This is Bryan, the drummer, and I’m afraid I can’t speak for Matt who writes the lyrics. Though Matt is on record in the New York Times Magazine, saying: “[Sorrow]’s about the idea of sorrow more than anybody’s personal experiences.”
As for Anyone’s Ghost, there is an undertow of alienation there. My favorite lines from that song are: “You go out at night with your headphones on, again/Walk through theManhattan valleys of the dead”.
DS: Why did you choose to record this album in your home studio?
N: Well, we blew our budget building the place so we couldn’t really afford to go somewhere else.
DS: Matt, what do you do when the band is working to put the songs together?
Again, Bryan the drummer here, while we’re working in the studio Matt’s at home listening to the demos over and over and agonizing over the lyrics.
DS: What about the artwork of the album? Whose idea was it?
N: Matt suggested the image of Mark Fox’s piece and Scott put it all together in thedesign.
DS: When you look back at your career thus far..which album do you think defines “The National” the best? And why?
N: For me it would be Cherry Tree the EP. It captured us as we were really coalescing into a “real” working band.
DS: Do you like interacting with your fans through social media sites such as Facebook,myspace & twitter?
N: I personally don’t use social media sites. I do however write an on-and-off-again tour diary for brassland.org and sometimes gothamist.
DS: Do you prefer playing in front of big audiences, in big festival or in smaller venues?
N: I don’t really have a preference really. I mostly just keep my head down and try not to fuck up.
DS: If you could organize your own music festival, who would headline?
N: Alive or dead? Alive: The Walkmen; Dead: The Grateful Dead
DS: If you had to explain The National in one sentence, what would it be?
N: Hot tar + loose wool = The National.
DS: Can you tell us three songs on your ipod shuffle right now?
N: “Notorious Thugs” by Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls)
“Lover” by Nite Jewel
“Silver Soul” and “Norway” by Beach House
DISCOSALT NOW IN THE APPLE APP STORE!
DISCOSALT Magazine App is now available in the Apple App Store for your iPad!
DISCOSALT is the first interactive iPad Magazine application dedicated to independent music, film and art. The quarterly magazine features exclusive feature articles and videos, album reviews, interviews, new music, fresh art, and indie culture, with a unique editorial voice and design distinctly divergent from mainstream trends. With the iPad format, we are able to give our readers direct access to the most current and legit music art and film news without corporate oversight and all without killing any pretty trees. Readers can simulate the print magazine experience while extending beyond the traditional publication model, interacting with media content. A simple tap on certain pages connects you to video and music content, as well as relevant websites.
[ Click for Press release HERE ]
REMIX ISSUE: The very first issue of discosalt Magazine features art, music and film exclusives, New York Culture, Interviews, Album Reviews and more.
Cover Story: Miami psych-synth band ANR’s Apocalypse survival guide
Features: The Future of Radiohead, Remixing Culture-the new direction in art and music
Exclusive Interviews: Inconic music photographer Brad Elterman, Howl director Jeffrey Freidman, artist/skateboarder Viktor Timofeev, post-punk band Orange Juice, Brooklyn’s Holy Hail
Fresh work: New York based artist Sara Blake and Italian street artist CT
NYC Culture: Urban Surfers, DJ life, Chelsea Grind, Crowd Behavior
Album Reviews: Dawes, YACHT, The Horrors, Battles, Cults
GIRL TALK GETS SUPERSIZED IN MORGAN SPURLOCK’S “A DAY IN THE LIFE”
Morgan Spurlock (Academy Award Nominated Director of Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) has teamed up with Hulu to debut his new original series “A Day in the Life” on Hulu and the Hulu Plus subscription service. In “A Day In The Life,” Spurlock presents an intimate, first-hand account of a complete day in the lives of fascinating people. The six episode series kicked off on August 17 with jet-setting entrepreneur Richard Branson, and subsequent episodes followed comedian Russell Peters, will.i.am, and now Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis.)
The Girl Talk episode will be live on Hulu Wednesday, September 7th at 3 AM Eastern. Watch it here: http://www.hulu.com/a-day-in-the-life
NEW JUSTICE VIDEO: AUDIO, VIDEO, DISCO
Justice have just unveiled the labor-intensive video (appropriate post-Labor Day timing) directed by SO ME, for the title track of the new album Audio, Video, Disco. Good luck getting the hook out of your head.
BAND RADAR: THE MORNING CLOUDS
With lush guitars, and hushed vocals The Morning Clouds are the perfect soundtrack for a foggy drive. The Morning Clouds consists of Josh Wambeke, who’s best known for his work with a band called Fell. Wambeke’s upcoming release Wasted Youth Blues EP is self produced and recorded, showcasing one complex and lush piece of work. Although Wambeke slinks into a bedroom-pop aesthetic on The Wasted Youth Blues, there’s still enough cosmic dust left over from Fell’s travels to the edge of the universe to coat The Morning Clouds’ songs and cast an ethereal shimmer over that comfortably familiar classic pop framework. Just like the Ramones roughed it up with punk and JAMC’s C86 aesthetic yanked it into the new wave, The Wasted Youth Blues filters the sound through Wambeke’s spaced-out sensibilities. The Morning Clouds first release through Lefse Records is the gem-worthy EP.
Lefse Records will be releasing the debut EP Wasted Youth Blues on October 11th from Denver’s The Morning Clouds.
[MP3] The Morning Clouds “The Wrong Things”
http://www.lefserecords.com/tracks/TheMorningClouds-TheWrongThings.mp3
[Stream] The Morning Clouds “The Wrong Things”
http://soundcloud.com/viciousbuzz/the-wrong-things-1/s-1hgUA
BAND RADAR: ICEAGE
The first few seconds of the Danish punk rocker’s first single, “White Rune” is nothing short of exhilarating and should be downloaded asap! Their 12-song, 24-minute noise-punk call to arms debut album, New Brigade, is a sonically dense and seductive post-punk power-house that will appeal to both art rock snobs and DIY minded punks. After five weeks on the road playing rock clubs, house shows, and in-stores with only two days off in that entire stretch, Iceage have also been working on a new video for, “You’re Blessed.” Check it out and download some tracks below:
Listen to Iceage’s “Broken Bone” – http://pitchperfectpr.com/mp3/BrokenBone.mp3
Listen to Iceage’s “White Rune” – http://www.pitchperfectpr.com/mp3/Iceage_WhiteRune.mp3
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: LAST KNOWN SURROUNDINGS
“Last Known Surroundings” Written & Performed by Explosions in the Sky.
Directed by Ptarmak
Illustration: Sissy Emmons
Animation: David Hobizal
WASHED OUT: EYES BE CLOSED
Timothy Saccenti, previously known for directing videos for the likes of Battles, Flying Lotus, Chairlift & Animal Collective, amongst others, has teamed up with Alan Bibby to create a beautiful short visual piece for ‘Eyes Be Closed’.
It’s the first single to be taken from ‘Within and Without’, the long awaited debut album from Washed Out.
BON IVER: HOLOCENE
New video from Bon Iver for “Holocene”, directed by NABIL, Edited by Isaac Hagy and produced by Jill Hammer.