FEATURED ARTIST PORTFOLIO: SARA BLAKE
Check out the work from the newest member of the Discosalt Artist Collective: Sara Blake aka ZSO.
Sara is an illustrator and fine artist living and loving in New York City who mixes traditional illustration with digital techniques to create these amazing vivid and textured pieces. After spending the last few years as an art director, graphic designer, and freelance illustrator, Sara is now a full-time illustrator, with some impressive projects under her belt; she has collaborated on campaigns with Marc Jacobs, Hurly, TedX Brooklyn, Nike House of Hoops and designed some really sick skatedecks with SGCNY.
Two years ago, Sara was featured in Yen Magazine as one of the the 120 “most exciting female graphic designers and illustrators” from 39 countries around the world and now a member of our collective, we are excited to follow her career and looking forward to some bang-up collaborations real soon! Follow her on her blog right here: http://www.hellozso.com/blog/
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RECORD STORE DAY, SATURDAY APRIL 16 2011
Record Store Day might be more fun than Christmas. Whether you manage to get your paws on some limited-edition wax or get a chance to check out an in-store performance or DJ set, hopefully, you get off the couch this year to show/get some love from your local record shop. Now in its fourth year, with support from Dylan, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, The Smiths and tons of other great bands and musicians, Record Store Day is becoming a serious holiday for music nerds, vinyl junkies and anyone interested in their record shop community. 
In honor of the holiday, over 1400 independent record stores all over the country will commemorate the day by selling limited-edition vinyl LPs, Eps and singles produced specifically for the day, along with dinosaur disc CD’s and other merchandise by participating artists. There are also live in-store performances to make record browsing even more memorable. While itunes and Amazon may have eclipsed record shop sales, there is something infinitely more exciting about hitting up these cultural hubs, bonding with fellow music lovers and strolling the aisles looking for hidden treasure.
WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR:
VIEW FULL LIST OF RECORDS HERE
Record Store Day Ambassador 2011:
The Oz Man, Ozzy Osbourne
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Lower Dens
“Deer Knives”
b/w “Tangiers” SPP 7″ Vinyl
limited edition
100
copies
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Nirvana
Hormoaning
UMe 12″ Vinyl limited edition
4000
copies
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Sonic Youth
Whore’s Moaning
UMe 12″ vinyl
limited edition
4000 copies
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Of Montreal
The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
12″ (w/ MP3) Limited to 1,000 on
180-gram black vinyl
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Architecture in Helsinki
Places Like This
Special Edition LP (w/ MP3)
Limited to 500 on
180-gram pink vinyl
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Television
Live At The Old Waldorf (2LP)
Rhino 2LP
white Vinyl
limited edition 3000 copies
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Mute Records Compilation
Vorwärts:
Hand-numbered limited edition
1000 copies orange vinyl
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Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity
LP (w/ MP3)
Limited to 1,000 on
180-gram
green vinyl
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Bad Brains
“Pay to Cum”
ROIR 7″ vinyl
limited 1500 copies
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Bad Brains
God Of Love
Maverick LP + 7″ vinyl
limited 2000 copies
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The Rolling Stones
“Brown Sugar”
UMe 7″ Vinyl limited edition
Single 5000 copies
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Deerhoof / XIU XIU
Almost Xiu Xiu, Almost Deerhoof
Split 7″ (w/ MP3)
Limited to 2,000 copies on orange vinyl
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Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues
b/w Grown Ocean
SPP 12″ vinyl limited edition 3000 copies
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13th Floor Elevators
Wait For My Love Snapper Music
7″green vinyl
limited edition 1000 copies
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The Cars
“Sad Song”
Concord 7″ vinyl
on
picture sleeve
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DON’T SLEEP IN! :
Just be smart, and hit the pavement early. I spent a frustrating portion of last years Day, trying to desperately snag copies of the Beck/Sonic Youth split 7″ and The Rolling Stones 7″ “Plundered My Soul ” single featuring unreleased track from Exile on Main St sessions. Both of which had unfortunately disappeared off all the shelves…
- Rebel Rebel
- Bleeker Records
- Bleeker Bob
- Generation Records
- Village Music World
- Other Music
- Academy LP’s
- Rockit Scientist LP’s
- Kims Good Records
- Turntable Lab
- A-1 Records
- Permanent Records
- Earwax Records
- Sound Fix
- Academy Record Annex
STAY OUT FOR THE AFTER PARTY:
WHAT WE PICKED UP LAST YEAR:
- Beach House: Zebra, with 2 new tracks and 2 alternate from album “Teen Dream” (12″ vinyl)
- Black Keys: Tighten Up/Howlin’ For You, 12″ vinyl contains two new songs (12″ vinyl), Julian Casablancas: 11th Dimension (WXRP live recording) b/w “Long Island Blues” (previously unreleased) Strokes founder’s exclusive RSD 7″ ( 7″ vinyl)
- MGMT: “Siberian Breaks”, single-sided disc with 12 minute track and etched side (12″ vinyl)
- Modest Mouse: The Moon and Antarctica, Tenth Anniversary Vinyl Edition reissue, Double LP 180 Gram vinyl (12″ Vinyl)
- Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk, double LP set on clear blue vinyl (12″ Vinyl)
- The National: Sad Songs for Dirty lovers, (12″ Vinyl)
- Phoenix: Fences, Pink vinyl 12″ single with album track plus remix; first vinyl issue (12″ PINK vinyl)
- Sonic Youth: Hits Are For Squares, 15 tracks selected by other artists with exclusive new SY track “Slow Revolution”; individually numbered, Double LP (12″ Vinyl)
- Sound Garden: Hunted Down”/”Nothing To Say”, reiusse of translucent vinyl (7″ vinyl)
- Surfer Blood/Holiday Shores: “Take It Easy (live”)/”Your Motion Says”, Surfer Blood track features Marnie Stern, Holiday Shores track is an Arthur Russell cover (split 7″ vinyl)
- Them Crooked Vultures: “Mind Eraser, No Chaser”/”Hwy 1″ (Live from Sydney–exclusive track) B side “Vulture Speak” interview with the band, 10″ Picture Disc includes unreleased track “Highway One” each one is numbered (10″ vinyl)
- Washed out: Life of Leisure, (12″ Vinyl)
XYLOS: XYLOS
[rating:4]
Xylos: Xylos
Label: 1000x Records
Release date: April 5, 2011
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART: BELONG
[rating: 4]
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart: Belong
Label: Collective Sounds
Release date: March 29, 2011
Since forming in early 2007, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have become one of the most buzzed about indie pop bands in years. Their distinctive retro sounding brand of noise pop is a tidy distillation of all the great late 80s/early 90s shoegaze precedents – with obvious nods to early My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Pale Saints, Rocketship – but with that incredible exuberance and energy that the Pains bring to every song. The kind of song energy that leaves me wondering whether the band is knowingly as naive as they project or incredibly emotionally complex songwriters.
On their new album Belong, the band uses their bookish lyrics and fuzzed out shoegaze sound to once again conquer the fine art of innocent romanticism mixed with semi-violent instrumentation, of emotional turmoil equaled by shimmering pop.
Read a more in depth album review from Discosalt contributing writer Andrew Bailey below:
Belong paints The Pains of Being Pure at Heart in the same complimentary light as those successful releases of two years ago. The overall sound is largely the same as well. The New York foursome is still heavily indebted to — and derivative of, to be perfectly honest — many of shoegaze’s greatest acts. All those comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and modern descendants like Crocodiles and The Radio Dept. that were so prevalent around their previous releases still hold true here. But this new album reflects some growth as well. It only takes one listen to the opening track, “Belong”, to gather that these songs are a little bit heavier than their predecessors. The band utilizes more aggressive guitar riffs that seem influenced by the whole 90′s grunge movement almost across the board on Belong, emphasized on that title track as well as “Girl of 1,000 Dreams” later on. They’ve also adapted a new crystalline production, unhinging themselves from some of shoegaze’s gravelly traits, which allows their spin on the genre to feel just a little more fresh and individualistic. It also provides for some nice boundaries between albums, with the self-titled and Belong managing to feel very different despite subscribing to many of the same techniques.
Even if Kip Berman’s songwriting feels a little too soft here and there (“I wonder what it’s like to be liked”, he ponders on the otherwise wonderful “Even in Dreams”), these 10 songs are almost resoundingly sensational. That said, they’re also all very similar. The debut album actually seemed that way as well, but after repeated listens tracks like “Contender”, “This Love is Fucking Right”, and “Everything With You” — among others — really began to carve out their own unique identity. Its too early to tell whether or not Belong will develop in the same manner or not, but for now it is a little difficult to pick out the LP’s premier tracks. That’s one of life’s rare win-win dilemmas though: one or two songs might not jump out from the others, but that’s only because they all triumph equally. (Read More HERE)
SINCE WHEN ARE DJS MUSICIANS. FLAG EM
Every day, I find myself on Craigslist looking for DJ gigs, potential collaborators and equipment. This week I came across a post on Craigslist in the Musician section, titled “Since When Are DJs Musicians? Flag em.” The poster, a self taught 6-string guitar player, was frustrated by DJs posting in the musician section, and the CL administrators doing nothing to stop them. Normally I would have just passed this by, as I often do when the all-too-familiar Zydeco DJ rants about the “close minded” venues not interested in his “rebellious” sound, but my recent completion of a new book changed my mind.
I immediately uploaded my own post, as a retort, explaining that ever since Cool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash showed the world that a turntable can be used as an instrument to perform. DJs are “configurable musicians”.
Configuarable musicians? Configurable Music? Let me explain.
A new book titled “Mashed Up“, written by innovator, educator, author, musician and Brooklynite, Aram Sinnreich, was published this year regarding “configurable” music and culture. Essentially, this is music which is created using samples and loops from existing music. Clearly Hip Hop has been doing this for quite some time, but the rise in accessible music technology has led to an increase in the production of numerous configurable genres, Mashups in particular. This music is not only challenging copyright laws left right and center, but challenging how music is made, performed, bought, sold and legitimized.
In his book, Mr. Sinnreich poses a number of existential questions. Is music responsible for social change, or at least is it a contributor? And if the way we understand music changes, or a new paradigm arises, then will society follow? Quite daunting questions indeed.
In the first half of the book he outlines what he considers to be the “panaudiocon” of contemporary music, which he refers to as the “modern framework”. Essentially, it as an outline of the parameters by which we understand music in society, the interrelationship between regulation and resistance, and the institutions that maintain them; all of which have stood the test of time. This rigorous undertaking alone is worth picking up the book.
In the second half of the book he relies heavily on surveys and interviews he conducted with configurable musicians like A plus D of the infamous Bootie parties, well known DJs, entertainment lawyers and music industry executives in order to illustrate the ambiguities and troubles that have arisen along with this music. The commentary is informative, and often amusing, but I would have enjoyed hearing more input from the Hip Hop, Techno and House communities.
Unfortunately the book attempts to wrap up in far too few pages, although not surprising given the audacious hypothesis (and not without a slight tangent regarding race, gender studies and the environment), and provides far more questions than it answers. However, the book concludes that the way we understand music and the “modern framework” that has been in place for so long is eroding, and the grey area regarding what is considered (original) music and who is a musician is expanding. Only time will tell if the law will follow suit. I believe that the book is a brilliant contribution to the discourse, and is the very reason I am posting now, to contribute to it in my own small way.
As a DJ I am clearly biased, but I feel that the real frustration from the 6-string samaurai mentioned earlier should be about skill, talent or passion, not the instrument in question. I don’t consider every person who steps into a DJ booth to be a musician, and nor do I feel that any punk who picks up a guitar and learns three chords is either.
I think it’s a bit more grey than that.
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
LCD Soundsystem just played – what is supposedly their last show – at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday April 2, 2011. In case you missed it, Discosalt photographer Veronique Lee snapped these amazing photos at the show including Aziz Ansari (Parks & Recreation, Funny People) crowd surfing. Check them out below.
Photo Credit: Veronique Lee[nggallery id=125]
Q + A: SUCKERS
Discosalt’s Rachel Covert sat down with the band Suckers in their Brooklyn recording space to discuss their new album Wild Smile; the epic debut following up 2009’s self-titled EP produced by Yeasayer‘s Anand Wilder. The album, available on French Kiss Records, is a rowdy mix of indie art rock and synth. Equal parts experimental and accessible, at times echoing some of the glam grandeur of Bowie. The three singers/ multi-instrumentalists Austin Fisher, Quinn Walker (Fisher’s cousin), and the mysterious Pan share some insight into their music, David Bowie, touring with Menomena, stories from the road, albums in heavy rotation and “Labryth Rock”, a term coined by album producer Chris Zane (Passion Pit, The Walkmen, Les Savy Fav).
Shot back in August, a small camera crew “SNAFU” led us to believe the footage was completely lost, but eight months later, the tape has miraculously resurfaced…
And now, the lost Suckers interview:
Interview with Suckers from Discosalt on Vimeo.
TAME IMPALA REMIX DAFT PUNK
Tame Impala and Daft Punk might seem like an unlikely musical pairing, but the Aussie psych-rockers have an awesome new synthy bass driven remix of Daft Punks, “End of the Line” that might be even better than the original. The track will appear on the Australian version of the Tron: Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D remix album (set for release April 8). Give a listen right here. Pre-orders available now via JB Hi-Fi.
MIDDLE BROTHER: MIDDLE BROTHER
[rating:4]
Middle Brother: Middle Brother
Label: Partisan Records
Release date: March 1, 2011
Middle Brother is the new kid on the exploding and frankly over saturated new-Americana block. With three singer songwriters from three burgeoning bands that play with modern folk-rock styles, this is something of a mini-indie-super-group, not unlike their more famous brethren in Monsters of Folk. John McCauley (Deer Tick), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), and Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit) joined forces for an unannounced show at last year’s SXSW festival to showcase their one rehearsal of the album’s songs. A musical baby was born.
Their self titled debut mixes and matches each writer’s distinct style with an alluring spirit of collaboration to weave a warm and intoxicating blanket of hangover blues, wicked self-loathing, and ramshackle celebration. No voice dominates as each songwriter recognizes the greater good lies within the song. Lyrically, the boys are weary and broken hearted but find a resolute wish inside their mourning. By blending the tragic and the hopeful, Middle Brother paints with heartfelt brushstrokes as all three songwriters pick up the pieces of their shattered selves filled with mistakes, lust and shame. Music may be the only reason to carry on.
Vasquez, perhaps the least heralded member is a revelation for those unfamiliar with Delta Spirit’s work. “Blue Eyes” sparkles with crystalline melodies that feel more robust upon each listen. He sings the ode to a crush with lush emotion, “She’s a southern girl without the drawl/She’s a good girl who wears black bras/The only one who can make me crawl/She’s too sweet to force me”. Slinky yet direct electric guitar work and vivid piano accents allow the song to bounce forward, building beauty. “Theater” is perhaps the most angrily elegant song on the album with a desolate refrain that rings out, “This life won’t tell you nothing/nothing but lies”. Vasquez’s “Someday” is another nugget of perfection, mixing doo-wop and R&B-ish harmonies to form a weirdly creative synthesis of modern country folk and Brill Building aesthetics that somehow makes perfect sense.
McCauley brings his very personal, raucous and gritty rock n’ roll sensibility to “Me, Me, Me” and “Middle Brother”. The former is supported by big three part harmonies from his two compadres and the latter is a hefty dose of McCauley’s self-loathing tied to a boisterous mash up of Jerry Lee Lewis vibes and “All Shook Up” melodies. In McCauley’s best work his combination of self-depreciating humor, lucid acknowledgement of personal pain, and an anguished singing voice make him a somewhat tragic figure, supremely talented yet self destructive.
Goldsmith’s brand of sincere story telling showcased so prominently on Dawes’ fabulous debut North Hills, is displayed in its most stylistically simple format on “Thanks for Nothing” where a sparse arrangement deftly allows his words and heart to shine. “Wilderness” echoes the sense of despair that turns up frequently on Middle Brother, albeit couched in the prettiest of melodies. “I plan to be the guy who when he drinks/he disappoints/They say you’ll kill yourself before you know it/Well, isn’t that the point”. Unfortunately, “Blood and Guts” is the first and only Goldsmith creation that feels slightly overblown by the middle.
A cover of Paul Westerberg’s “Portland” is a perfect choice. The former Replacements front man wrote this track after a particularly rough night in the Northwest during the 80s when he and his band mates were unable to complete a performance due to an excess of grandpa’s cough medicine. Because Middle Brother echoes the Replacement’s dirty beauty, the instantly hook filled guitar line fits in perfectly. Westerberg’s words tell the story, “Regrets, misgivings, but we won’t change/Its too late to turn back/here we go”.
On the album closing “Million Dollar Bill” the musical brothers collaborate on a breakup lullaby with crisp snare hits and alternate singing the verses. A pure spirit of teamwork and support lifts the songs “oohs” toward a real place of heartbreak, friendship, and the hope of a better future. Middle Brother keeps the flame alive.
Q + A: TEEEL
Teeel is Central NJ producer Jim Smith. A synthesized gear head, Smith makes totally radical electronic mood music with heart and vintage Moogs for 80s teen queens, party animals, freaks, geeks, new wavers and beach gazers. Generously doused in cool ocean blue tones and summer night beats, this sound is chill but never cold and sure. It’s nostalgic, but in a sincere way that only a child of the 80s could evoke. Echoes of New Order, OMD, and The Cure are immediately apparent both in vibe and vocals, but what isn’t readily known, is what makes this release so sublime. Personal inspirations, family revelations and an occasional Sci-Fi/Horror/Fantasy tale – there’s more here than meets the eye (80s reference – intentional) with every subsequent spin of Teeel’s Moodgadget debut, Amulet.
up in the 80s, I was obsessed with MTV and music videos. I’m definitely a huge fan of New Order and The Cure but I also love everything from death metal, drum n bass to down tempo and French electro. I’m kind of all over the place with music. I go through spurts of genres. It really depends on the mood, season and what I’m doing that defines what I want to hear.
T:My best friend and I lived across the street from 2 older guys that were in a metal band. We used to go over there everyday and watch their band practice. I ended up buying a guitar from one of them and we started our own band. That was my first attempt at making music. After I went to a rave, I got really into DJ-ing and eventually wanting to produce my own music.
DS: Was there always music on around the house?
T:Yes! Actually my step dad was a total new wave head in the 80s, so I was fortunate to discover music at an early age. We still send emails to each other with new finds and he recently gave me a ton of great vinyl to listen too. He’s been a huge inspiration for me. There was always music blasting from my bedroom too. I give my mom a lot of credit for putting up with it. Now the credit goes to my wife. She’s been there from my early death metal days to the present where the bass is continuously pumping from my studio/office.
DS: When did you really get into electronic music and playing it?
T:It was around 1996, I discovered drum and bass music. I was playing in a metal band and I thought: this is the darkest and scariest music in the electronic world. It was really easy to fall into it as a metal head. I went to a ton of drum and bass parties and became hooked. I had a crappy PC computer running Acid Pro and some loops and began to write music. I really didn’t know what I was doing but it’s always been fun to create.
DS: Do you think because of your broad musical exposure and experience, that you’re more likely to explore different styles?
T: I think I’ll continue to grow my sound, like most artists do. I’ve been pretty gung-ho with Teeel so I’m excited to see where this goes. I just want to keep things fresh and not get bored. I have a ton of ideas that need to get from my head to my music. This is only the beginning.
DS: I know you’ve had to contend with the Chillwave label, but your songs seem to have a warmth and loveliness that goes beyond the way it was layered or produced. Do you think it’s hard right now to make dreamy Synth Pop and not be branded Chillwave?
T:I’ve heard so many people mention Chillwave. I personally love a lot of Chillwave-labelled musicians out there so it doesn’t offend me. I just want to make music for people to listen to and they can call it whatever they like. I think because I use a lot of reverb, my music gets thrown into the Chillwave bucket but I have every intention of writing songs that clearly have more of an electro and Synth Pop feel.
T:No. [laughs].
DS: I know you’re a Moog maniac, but is there any other “hipstrument” you would consider recording with?
T: Absolutely, my Yamaha DX7 is the reason there is Teeel.
DS: What about the Theremin? Keytar? Melodica?
T:I really want a Theremin but it’s further down the list. Actually, if I could find a mint white MOOG Liberation Keytar, I might be the happiest nerd alive.
DS: What are some artists/albums that influenced Amulet that people wouldn’t automatically guess?
T: Well for 2010 it would be a lot of Air, Röyksopp, Telefon Tel Aviv, Com Truise, 311, The Album Leaf, Chromeo, Midnight Juggernauts, TOBACCO, Cut Copy, Phantogram, Deftones, Just Jack, anything from the Valerie Collective and lots of old Madonna.
DS: KEXP recently played Corduroy Swell between Lykkie Li and Wye Oak. For live shows, what contemporary artists would you like to share a bill with?
T: Wow, there are so many but right off the top of my head would be Cut Copy, FM Attack, Grum, Tesla Boy, Chromeo or even The Deftones would be pretty epic.
DS: What about New Order?
T: I have been getting lots of comparisons to them which is kind of funny. I didn’t really listen to them that much while writing “Amulet” but I’m absolutely a big fan. And now that I’ve been given these comparisons I listen to them all the time. They are phenomenal.
DS: It’s undeniable, to a lot of electronic artists, they were as important and influential as The Beatles. They clearly impacted your life and affected your song writing. Do you think their impact on the music world would have been even greater had they grown moustaches?
T: Moustaches and synthesizers don’t mix so it could have possibly ruined their career although Peter Hook rocked a beard.
DS: In a fight between a clean-shaven Tom Selleck, John Oates circa ‘82, and a tiger shark, who would win? Please note: Oates’ mo’ is at maximum swag level.
T: Definitely the shark, only because it’s one of my favourite animals. Second place goes to John Oates, then Tom Selleck only because he annoys me. Good question!
DS: Last question: If your music were a moustache, what kind of moustache would it be?
T: I’d have to go with handlebars just because I can’t grow them out. [laughs]
Continue Reading the full article > Download the Fall 2011 Issue of DISCOSALT MAGAZINE
FULL CHICKEN DINNER: SECOND NATURE
Winner of Best Adventure Sport film at the 5 Point Film Festival in Colorado and Official Selection of both the 2010 San Francisco Independent Film Festival and the Durango Independent Film Festival, Colin Blackshear’s “Second Nature” is an exploration of the abstract and the extreme. The film stars skaters Noah Sakamoto, Patrick Rizzo and J.M. Duran rocking blue suits to race down the roads of the High Sierras in California with music from Chris Vibberts, Quinn McCarthy, Dru Down and Nathaniel Aslaksen.
NEW VIDEO FROM YUCK: GET AWAY
One of our favorite new bands, Yuck has a new video for the crunchy distorted “Get Away”, directed by “Michael”. With obvious nods to Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Pavement and My Bloody Valentine, Yuck takes different elements of shoegaze, noise pop, punk and dream pop to form their garage rock aesthetic and undeniably one of the best albums to be released this year. Follow the band on the road, as they pick up a nymph-like naked female hitchhiker with some serious fat in the can…crisco that is, or maybe olive oil ( hopefully). Things get weird, and greasy.
THE STROKES: ANGLES
[rating:4.0]
The Strokes: Angles
Label: Rough Trade
Release Date: March 22, 2011
The Strokes officially release their fourth studio album, Angles tomorrow on Rough Trade. After such a long hiatus and hyped as the first Strokes album with creative input from all five members, we were not quite sure what to expect from this album. But despite this albums diverse collaborative input and attempt to rebuild the band from the ground up, this is definitely still a “Strokes album”. If you are expecting an ambitious statement from the band that will push the musical landscape in a new direction, you will no doubt be disappointed with this album. What you can expect is a collection of new songs from a continually evolving band, with a new sound that is refreshing but also familiar, maintaining their signature sound; catchy hooks, punchy guitars , Juliens droning monotone croon, subtle hints at reggae and 80’s rock. After heavy rotation, this album proves itself a highly redeemable work, one of the bands most interesting, if uneven EP’s that is better and better with each listen. Like 2001’s overly hyped/ mis-represented Is This It, Angles is just straightforward catchy pop rock, meant to be enjoyed as just that. Pitchfork might want these guys to “quit while they’re ahead”, but if anything, Angles proves the Strokes are a band forging forward, and we are glad they keep on, keeping on.
Read a more in depth album review from Discosalt contributing writer Andrew Bailey below:
Angles frequently sounds more like an album heavily influenced by The Strokes than actually by The Strokes. There seems to be a lot less attention to detail in the songwriting, the track-for-track reliance on big garage rock guitar riffs isn’t so aggressive, and the 1980′s have clearly left a very palpable impression. Even some alien reggae influences have seeped in on “Machu Picchu”, easily one of the record’s best tracks. Above all else though, what really stands out here is the quality of production (at last). The rugged garage aesthetic made sense on Is This It and even to some extent on Room on Fire. But by the time the band reached First Impressions — where they finally started trying to merge the old with the new — it started feeling overly manufactured. The Strokes are, after all, a big time rock group now. And they aren’t in their early-20′s anymore, either. Clinging to the same old lackluster production quality might have coddled a few old fans still starstruck by the sound they broke in with, but it wouldn’t have done anything for the band’s progression. All these changes might be big splashes of cold water to the face, but they’re all incredibly welcome ones. (Read More HERE)
Stream the entire album on the Strokes website right HERE.
NY PREMIERE OF DIY FILM: UNCLE KENT THIS SUNDAY
Join Rooftop Films this Sunday at the Ace Hotel for the New York Premiere of DIY director Joe Swanberg’s latest film UNCLE KENT, starring Kent Osborne as a cartoonist spending a sexually charged weekend with a woman he met on Chat Roulette. The film is an achingly true-to-life modern comedy about aging, loneliness, desire, and the awkward intimacies of online friendship.
40 year-old Kent (Kent Osborne) is an unmarried children’s-show writer living alone with his cat in Los Angeles. He spends his days sketching gag cartoons and bouncing ideas off his hyperactive friend, Kev (Kevin Bewersdorf), and his nights staving off loneliness in Internet chat rooms. When one of Kent’s online acquaintances, environmental journalist Kate (Jennifer Prediger), crashes at his house for the weekend, he finds himself attracted to her coquettish manner and frank emotional openness but sexually frustrated by her fidelity to a distant boyfriend.
Shot on location in Los Angeles, UNCLE KENT advances many themes and elements found in Swanberg’s early films (Hannah Takes The Stairs, Nights and Weekends, Alexander the Last), including freely improvised dialogue, art-mirrors-life setups, and a renewed emphasis on how technology and social media enable (or disable) human connection. The cast includes previous collaborators Kent Osborne and composer/actor Kevin Bewersdorf, director Josephine Decker, and newcomer Jennifer Prediger. The film made its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival as Swanson’s Park City debut.
Actresses Jennifer Prediger and Josephine Decker will be in attendance to answer questions following the screening.
When:
Sunday, March 27, 2011
7:00 PM Doors Open. Seats are first come, first served, so get there early.
7:45 PM Film begins.
9:00 PM Q and A with actresses Jennifer Prediger and Josephine Decker.
Where:
Inside at Liberty Hall at Ace Hotel New York
20 West 29th Street (btwn 5th and Broadway), New York, NY 10001
Subway: Take the N, R to 28th Street or the B, D, F, M, Q to Herald Square
Admission: No charge.
IN CONCERT WITH: MY DISCO
Melbournes, My Disco have spent the last eight years building an underground fan base for their angular, reductive art-punk rock and unconventional choice of venues, organizing performances on side-walks, in art galleries and warehouses. Last year, the band released their third album, Little Joy, a biting dissonant post-punk album infused with steady aggressive rhythmic ticking grooves. Check out a live performance from My Disco at Manning Bar in Sydney, Australia courtesy of noisey.com.
FULL CHICKEN DINNER: BETWEEN BEARS
Winner of the 2010 Vimeo Video Awards for Animation, Eran Hilleli’s “Between Bears” is a beautifully animated film that was crafted as a debt to her childhood and other lives she hopes to have lived. Inspired by words of songs that she admires, the film features original music by Ori Avni and Daniela Spector.
CNN AND VIMEO TEAM UP FOR VISUAL DIARY OF SXSW
This week, Discosalt is in Austin, TX at SXSW film + music festival, keeping you updated on our adventures via twitter. Only one day in, and we have already met some really cool bands on our flight and sallied up for some serious eats at Franklin BBQ on E. 11th. Looking forward to a great week of films and music! Want to see more of SXSW? Check out the collaborative visual diary from CNN iReporters and Vimeo, “SXSW: By the Numbers”.
“During the first four days of SXSW, March 11th – 14th, 2011, hand-selected iReporters and Vimeo filmmakers, and CNN and Vimeo staff covered the SXSW Conferences and Festivals from their own unique perspectives, and shared their daily video footage with the iReport editorial team. CNN condensed the collective footage into a compelling visual diary of SXSW to share with global audiences.”(CNN)
NEW EDIT FROM FAHRTWIND BERLIN: NIGHT RIDE
Check out the new trailer and edit from Fahrtwind (Wind) Berlin. A group of non-exclusive cyclists, fixed gear enthusiasts and anti-trendsetters who travel together by the wheel, regardless of cycle, age or origin, bringing together the ends of the wheeled city on the streets of Berlin. Just good fun, good beer, and speed. Shot with the Canon 7D and edited with Final Cut Pro with a soundtrack from Good Shoes- The Way My Heart Beats.
FULL CHICKEN DINNER: LAST MINUTES WITH ODEN
Watch director Eliot Rausch’s poignant film “Last Minutes with ODEN” in full; a documentary about “redemption and transformation” and winner of 2010’s Best Video Award on Vimeo. The film follows Jason Wood, an ex-convict and drug addict whose personal and spiritual growth has resulted from his relationship with his three-legged dog Oden, who is now dying from cancer.
RADIOHEAD NOW: ECHOES OF THE PAST, GLIMPSES OF THE FUTURE
“Radiohead makes music that sounds like the future.”
I paraphrase, but this is, essentially, what every other review of Kid A, the album that marked a stylistic shift from UK alt arena rock – inspired and informed by IDM, left-field pop, kraut rock and avant-garde – to something much grander, that mirrored more than masked those influences. Labeled and branded everything from electronic pop, avant-pop, and alt-prog, the Radiohead that made Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief scarcely resembled the Pablo Honey – OK Computer band from Oxford, England. Unlike many of their contemporaries, Radiohead consistently raised the stakes of the game with each new release while simultaneously changing it completely.
Everyone knows countless bands that based their sound on The Bends, or made an entire career out of writing lesser “Karma Police” knock-offs. So, when Radiohead detoured off course, some who were listening stopped and some who hadn’t, stopped and listened. It’s no secret that there is an entire generation of kids who knew the Kid A/Amnesiac Radiohead better than the previous album but these albums and that incarnation of the band are unmistakable influences for today’s most interesting artists – many from the indie world.
Electronica, in its every variation, has been in and out of style since the seventies and, yet there are still many music fans and freaks who don’t acknowledge it, don’t get it, or just don’t like it. For those who were born into the dance/electronic scene – like the hardcore kids of the Reagan era – there was a strict expectation to only be into that kind of music (at least, publicly). Kid A and Amnesiac became the OK exception to that rule though, because it sounded closer to Autechre and Aphex Twin than say, Travis or Coldplay.
While other respected rock acts noodled with knobs and flipped on the digital blips with mixed results, Radiohead succeeded by scrapping it all and starting from scratch.This sacrifice and surrender has taken the band in a completely different direction than “The Biggest Band in the World” is expected to go. All of a sudden, the fringe became familiar, the champions became challengers, and an entirely new approach, of taking the discordant and experimental and turning it into something tuneful and accessible, was born.
By the very nature of experimentation, this led the band and all musicdom to where it is now. Wilco, Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, Yeasayer, etc. And now we have The King of Limbs. Though it surprised us in its date and time of release, the material really hasn’t. It’s an amazing piece as a cohesive album and there are standout tracks, but it doesn’t feel like much has changed. Thom continues to become more comfortable exploring his entire range and register as a vocalist, The Greenwoods continue to perfect their unique, complex and melodic arrangements and explore guitar as texture, and Ed O’ Brien and Phil Selway marry precise, hypnotic, off-kilter and oddly timed rhythmic patterns. In other words, Radiohead continue to be Radiohead. They continue to produce semi-challenging/kinda-experimental music for a mostly mainstream audience. (Yes, indie is a sub of mainstream).
They’ve commercialized the avant-garde. They’ve sold us jazz by convincing us it’s rock. This is a great accomplishment. Though The King of Limbs is no departure from near recent efforts, it is still a Radiohead album and it’s better than most anything from 2010 to current. It’s another triumph, filled with jittery sexiness and sexy jitteriness.
Musicianship and artistry aside, the marketing of Radiohead is exciting in and of itself. We’ve seen Kid A’s less-than-friendly “press interaction by email only” attempt to break the slack journalism cycle and we witnessed the band succeed in breaking the fourth wall of the music business with In Rainbows’ self-distributed, pay what you like industry-shaking power move. So, where do you go from there?
If you’re Radiohead, this time out, you surprise, delight and befuddle. First off, with little warning, they announced The King of Limbs release date, then released it even earlier, catching almost everyone and all of twitter off guard. At the same time, they released the black and white “Lotus Flower” video of a happy-looking Yorke busting liquid-like moves in a bowler, then watched it go viral and achieve meme status (See Yorke Vs. Bieber). Next, to commemorate the physical release of TKOL, they handed out a newspaper (The Universal Sigh) featuring essays, poems and Stanley Donwood artwork. With these efforts, the band and their camp have proven that they know what they’re doing – and love that the rest of the world still doesn’t.
Still, many have called the release a sleeper or grower – which is a fair enough assessments for cliquey hipsters and jaded critics – but like all things wonderful and strange, there are many levels of The King of Limbs to love. With the Record Store Day tracks “Supercollider” and “The Butcher,” as well as the most recent Limbs session release (and Glastonbury favorite), “Staircase,” adding even more complex allure and simple joy to the equation, fans and foes alike are getting another vital piece of the puzzle completing an already enthralling album from the only band making music that genuinely sounds like the future.
-Casey Bowers
