LOVE OF DIAGRAMS SEPTEMBER 13TH SHOW
Love of Diagrams performing thier last show in Melbourne before recording in the US. September 13, 2008 @ The Tote (w. Panel of Judges, Zond and Lost Animal)
BID ON PAM GLEW ART @ GRAFFLE
Pam Glew
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Graffle www.graffle.co.uk, a charity raffle of urban/street/graffiti art with ALL the money raised being donated to three children’s charities, is auctioning off “Daughter“, a large bleach on brocade piece by Discosalt artist Pam Glew. The auction is only until 13th September 2008 at 12:00am (24 hr clock GMT)
Graffle has an amazing list of highly sought after artists and each has donated an original piece of artwork, which you can win with a ticket costing just £10. To place a bid go to www.graffle.co.uk/auction/ <http://www.graffle.co.uk/auction/>
Pam also continues showcasing her work at The Foundry show until this Sunday 7th- Old street tube, Great eastern street and The Brick Lane Gallery show until this Monday 8th– Brick Lane, London.
Also check out Pams new website! http://www.pamglew.co.uk
ART PARADE 2008
What: Art Parade
When: September 06, 2008 4:00 PM
Where: West Broadway from Houston to Grand Street
Deitch Projects, Creative Time and Paper Magazine host the fourth annual Art Parade in New York City this Saturday along West Broadway. This year’s parade will include over 90 projects, including those by Jim Drain, Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, Beta Tank, Yoko Ono, Dzine, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and Kenny Scharf, and will involve over 900 participants, making this the largest and most dynamic Art Parade yet.
NEW DISCOSALT ALBUM AND SHOW REVIEWS
We have added some new reviews here at discosalt.com . Check out John Whitaker’s album reveiws of Dr. Dog- Fate and Shearwater- Rook, as well as the Elephants (elephantwhale.blogspot.com) show reviews this month for Wolf Parade, Chairlift, and Fleet Foxes in the REVIEW section. More coming soon!
BEACH HOUSE: DEVOTION
Label: Carpark Records
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Pop music from a haunted house? Beach House plys in the labor pool of the lazy, meandering melody that seems to have no obvious beginning or end, but is anchored and steered by the certain vocals and harmonic vocal resonance formerly held by the long forgotten Cocteau Twins, but there’s a real difference. These songs have actual lyrics. The songs on Devotion aren’t so enamored with their own moodiness or atmospherics. This lack of self-aware fascination is in part by the space left between the music and the listener. Devotion doesn’t jump out of the speakers at you; if anything, it takes a step backwards.
Buoyed by drum machines, lazy electric guitars & keyboards that fill most open space and yet remain sounding reserved, songs like “Some Things Last A Long Time” and “Turtle Island” bring a cold atmospheric feeling to Devotion, while a full and obvious melody thankfully avoids sharp turns on “All These Years,” a melancholy ode to the title of the album, devotion. “Gila” provides the most singular moment on the album, a guitar melody that anchors the song, one that adheres to the cool reservation of a Blonde Redhead-esque atmopheric and strikes it’s own singular chord as well. Beach House’s second album broadens the scope of their domain, and also cements them to the ground laid in their debut, the self titled Beach House. No better or memorable part on a song this year than that guitar on “Gila,” and no better record will come out this year to take a boat ride on a cloudy day, or to listen to the ghosts kick a jam at the old abandoned orphanage. Creepy and cool
John Whitaker
POSTER BOY AND NIHALANI BOX IT OUT
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AND YOU MAY ASK YOURSELF… WELL, HOW DID THESE GET HERE?
- The Jersey: Northwest corner of Ninth Avenue and 39th Street, near the Lincoln Tunnel
- The MoMA: South side of West 54th Street, east of the Avenue of the Americas
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The Ladies’ Mile: West side of Fifth Avenue, north of 57th Street (in front of Bergdorf’s)
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The Chelsea: In front of 530 West 25th Street, east of 11th Avenue (in front of PaceWildenstein Gallery)
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The Hipster: West side of Bedford Avenue, near North Sixth Street, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
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The Olde Times Square: South side of West 44th Street, west of Seventh Avenue
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The Villager: In front of 536 La Guardia Place, between West Third and Bleecker Streets
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The Wall Street: North side of 82 Wall Street, west of Water Street
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The Coffee Cup: West side of Amsterdam Avenue, between West 110th and 111th Streets
SONIC YOUTH: LIVE AT MCCARREN POOL
11 days and counting. This Saturday, August 30, 2008, Sonic Youth are playing the LAST McCarren Pool Show with Wolf Eyes, Times New Viking and Vivian Girls. Doors open at 4pm. $35.00 tickets still on sale through ticketmaster.com, the Nokia Theatre box office (44th & B’way), and Earwax Records.
Discosalt spotted some hipster pipedream petitions floating around the slip and slide to keep the venue a concert space, but we are apprehensive. There is already a $50 million plan underway to return the venue to a pool. Wah Wohhh. The good news is, the free shows may be transferred to East River State Park or Bushwick Inlet Parkin 2009. There’s an online petition asking the Parks Department for space that so far has only gotten 233 signatures, so get on it.
ALL POINTS WEST FEST
All Points West . A brand new, first time-ever, three-day, multi-stage music and arts festival set for August 8, 9, and 10 at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park. 45 artists will appear on three stages throughout the 80-acre historic location with panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline. The festival’s name is inspired by the area’s rich history, particularly Ellis Island and the NJ Central Railroad terminal located on the festival site, where many arriving immigrants boarded trains for ALL POINTS WEST.
Radiohead is confirmed to headline Friday and Saturday night. Jack Johnson headlines Sunday night. Both headliners will be performing their full sets for their only New York area appearances.
Friday, August 8th |
Saturday, August 9th |
Sunday, August 10th |
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Bullet Queen of the Valley
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Blue Comet
Bullet Queen of the Valley
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Blue Comet
Bullet Queens of the Valley |
Tickets for ALL POINTS WEST are on sale now! Single day passes are $89 and three-day passes are $258. Still on sale
BAT FOR LASHES: WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO
Discosalt Video of the Week 7/31/08: Bat for Lashes aka. Natasha Khan’s video for “What’s a Girl to Do” from the record Fur And Gold out now on Caroline Records.
NYC’S POSTER VANDAL HATES BEER, LOVES BBQ
New York’s mysterious “Poster Boy” strikes again this week hitting the subways with more ironic film commentary and bizarre ad re-mixes. His message: anti-drugs, beer, NPR, image, mike myers movies, will smith, Iran, baseball players. Loves BBQ. Check out all his work on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/26296445@N05/sets/72157605066109339/
DR. DOG: FATE
Dr. Dog: Fate
Dr. Dog: Fate
Label: Park the Van
Release Date: July 22, 2008
On “Army of Ancients,” the vintage Band-esque 70’s horn-soaked ballad, Dr. Dog bassist and co-lead singer Toby Leaman screams “Oh, I’ve Got It” to anchor the soulful chorus. In this case, he might mean “Eureka!” With Fate, Dr. Dog “get it” in terms of ditching their old Lo-Fi aesthetic for the friendly confines of the studio, and come the closest that the band has so far to capturing what makes them such an endearing and enjoyable live band. Loving the studio, and tripling up on the harmonies, the horns, the guitars and the energy, Fate is easily the band’s best album. Maybe not necessarily the best set of songs, but definitely the best time you can have with a Dr. Dog LP at the crib.
To know Dr. Dog is to know the Beatles, and a bygone era of music. Far from 60’s worshipers like Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo, Dr. Dog are more like the flip side of a coin, coupled with tragic balladeer and Beatles successor Elliott Smith. But where Elliott Smith is the John/George side of the coin (the tails side), Dr. Dog is easily the Paul side. Check all the harmony oohs and aahs on, say, any song on Fate, but “My Friend” or “The Old Days,” or most notably “100 Years.” They’re Beatles, they’re E. Smith, they’re Beach Boys, they’re Dr. Dog and they’re awesome. The somber ballad, a la John, though, doesn’t exist in this world. Lots of bounce, lots of soul, lots of bass and lots of energy anchor the sounds Dr. Dog get on Fate. They don’t ape the 60’s/70’s sound, their band simply just sounds like that.
There’s a little three song arch early on, beginning with “The Old Days” and ending with “The Rabbit, the Bat, and the Reindeer” that affirm this new comfort and ease that Dr. Dog have with eschewing their Lo-Fi roots. While they once were a band that HAD to be seen live, this now isn’t necessarily the case. I heard “Wake Up” from Easy Beat, and wasn’t instantly drawn in. Live, though, the song takes a different energy, much of which is taken from the crowd and their energy. I “got it” once I was in that room, watching them play and hearing the crowd sing along; and could now hear the song in a different context once i’d had that experience. Fate suffers from no such dependence on checking them out live (though it certainly is never a bad idea to see Dr. Dog live if you have the chance.)
-John Whitaker
NYC STREET ART BATTLE: MOMO VS. MELISSA BROWN
SMILE, ITS NEW SARA BROSKI ART
Sarah Broski has recently added some really awesome new images to her artist profile on Discosalt Check them out. They are sure to entertain and amuse. All can all be purchased through sara’s website sarabroski.com
TAKKA TAKKA NEW ALBUM AND TOUR
Takka Takka’s new record “Migration” is available 7/29/08.
Pre-order from Ernest Jenning Recording Co and Insound.
Takka Takka also announces 2008 Tour Dates:
07/03/08 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall w/ Mascott & Andrew Thompson
07/15/08 – New York, NY @ Pianos
07/22/08- New York, NY @ Pianos
07/24/08 – Chicago, IL @ Daytrotter Session
07/25/08 – Chicago, IL @ Shubas
07/26/08 – Madison, WI @ The Frequency – Madison
07/29/08 – New York, NY @ Pianos
For some more info and eye candy on the band, check out Takka Takka on the Discosalt “Artists” page.
SONIC YOUTH FREE 4TH OF JULY SHOW
What: Sonic Youth
When: July 4, 2008, Gates open @ 2:00 pm, show starts @ 3:30pm
Where: Battery Park
Damage: Free
Tickets are required and space is limited. Tickets are free and available on this website. If you have already reserved tickets, you will need to pick up your tickets at one of the specified Downtown locations and times BEFORE July 4th, so please be prepared to do so.
If you have not obtained tickets for this show, Discosalt suggests signing up for the R2RWire -in the off chance that additional tickets become available. Wire subscribers will be the first to know.
Phone: 212.835.2789
Website: www.RiverToRiverNYC.com
WOLF PARADE: AT MOUNT ZOOMER
Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Montreal’s Wolf Parade builds slightly upon a rigorous sound established in their first LP, illustrating a certain level of refinement. Distinctive vocals from dynamic duo Dan Boeckner & Spencer Krug (both nurturing successful side projects) give the otherwise right-brained audibles a healthy balance. Their maturity exists in what could be called a post-modern post-punk, “Soldier’s Grin” setting this stage from the get-go. Depth is built with added instruments and and hints of progressive rock, evident for the bulk of the album and peaking at “Fine Young Cannibals”. Gears switch periodically, “The Grey Estates” could be found on a Pulp album circa ’94 for example. Instead of venturing far from the womb, WP has stood close recounting both her eeriness and warmth. At Mount Zoomer results simply in a solid list of nine tracks, easy to listen for the easy to please.
-ABC
SHEARWATER: ROOK
Shearwater: Rook
Label: Matador Records
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Consider Rook essential summer listening. Like your “Summer Reading” list, Rook isn’t really “summer-y” at all. It’s heavy, dense, dramatic and beautiful and dark. Four of those five adjectives actually DO apply to summer, come to think of it, but i’m thinking more of the “essential summer reading” lists. Notice those books skew more towards Tolstoy than the Nancy Drew (or my personal favorite, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch), and I think summer listening should do the same. Nothing really works better than the antithetical when wrapped in the world of the iPod, wrapped and enraptured into whatever world you choose, and with Rook, the marked contrast from the world outside and the world inside, i.e. inside el cerebro, is simply divine. Divine Tragedy, but divine nonetheless.
The tragic and dramatic qualities of Shearwater jefe Jonathan Meiburg lie most obviously in the both soft, falsetto vibrato and the gigantic, shouting abandon of his voice. In all fairness, Meiburg’s voice is one that will make or break Shearwater for any listener (think 1 part Scott Walker, 1 part Morrissey & 1 part Will Sheff. Shake and Pour), like a Joe Pernice or a Joanna Newsom; in other words, singular and unique. And while Rook shares some qualities with his other band, Okkervil River (DRAMA!), it also is much larger and grand than the songs of Will Sheff. The vocal drama comes out, in both ways, on penultimate song “The Snow Leopard,” as verse one is built upon a sparse piano melody and Meiburg’s falsetto, and verse two turns on the drums, turns up the guitars and turns UP Meiburg’s gorgeous vocals. The musical drama comes out most emphatically on “Leviathan Bound,” and is my favorite dramatic piano reading since Midlake’s channeling of the theme song from M*A*S*H on “Roscoe.” “Leviathan Bound” sounds like the theme to an unrealized soap opera, but think along the lines of The Young and the Restless and you’re on your way; this song is also another soft/loud vocal opportunity for Meiburg to carry the melody.
In “Home Life” Shearwater paints a solitary portrait of youthful wanderlust, telling the narrator “you were tracing the lines on the globe with your fingers. Cool rivers, white waves, desert shores and the forest green, and a limitless life.” The limitlessness is heavily scored with flutes, violins, the ever dramatic piano and tasteful and dynamic drums. This portrait of isolation is emblematic of the songs on Rook, and while not sparse (the orchestra is a huge part of what makes these songs not only dramatic but achingly gorgeous), this isolation is akin to the heavy nature of these heavy tomes we pick up as summer reading. All summer listening should be as dense, challenging and rewarding as this record, and if you don’t make it this summer, Rook will keep until next summer and many summers after that.
-John Whitaker
THE PRESETS: LIVE AT BOWERY BALLROOM
For you hoofers who haven’t heard this Aussie electro-pop new age synth outfit, the Presets are one band you positively need to see live. In fact, Discosalt commands you. The duo, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals, keyboards, clicks and beeps and Kim Moyes on drums, packed a very strong party bag of tight dance music into even tighter jeans last Thursday, June 5, 2008, at The Bowery Ballroom.
Julian goaded the crowd on, pushing buttons, slamming keyboards, howling and dancing around the stage like an entrancing epileptic new wave robot from 1983. And the crowd took the bait, dancing, jumping, singing along, crowd surfing and pouring as much ceremonial sweat into the observance as the performance. Highlights included “Steamworks”, “Kicking and screaming”, “A New Sky” and the anthem, “Are you the one”,all of which liberated so much energy, I wanted to quit my day job… and just dance. You will too, and you should.
The Presets on the Interwebs
MY MORNING JACKET: EVIL URGES
My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges
Label: ATO
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Almost three years have passed since the release of 2005’s moderately successful “Z”. During that time MMJ has formulated a plan for the future of rock and roll, upgrading their guns. From the outset, frontman Jim James relinquishes the reigns of lead vocals (the first time ever for a LP). The title track could be viewed as a summation of the album as a whole: kicked off with a deeper experimentation of synth-fused rock and falsetto vocals, transitioning to a trademark jam band solo. James explains it on the following track crooning, “I know it sounds confusing, but it makes a lot of sense.” The bulk of the album is constituted of more pop-friendly southern rock, channeling James Taylor on tracks like “Thank You Too” and placing string arrangements at the proper intervals. Most of which are likely candidates for expansive fifteen minute live solo odysseys. James gets personal with “Librarian”, and recalls earlier efforts with “Smokin’ From Shootin'”. However, the dark horse of the album is undoubtedly “Highly Suspicious” launched with an opening recalling Gary Numan and backed with Prince-esque vocals. When the dusts settles its explicitly obvious this is no quintet planning on digging in on one sound. MMJ is hungry, we haven’t seen the last.
-ABC
