WILCO: WILCO
Its hump day and Discosalt wants to help you get over the hump. Check out the new self-titled Wilco album streaming on their website. Enjoy!
HOLY FUCK: LP
Since 2004, Holy Fuck, a Canadian electronic band aye, has been cranking out electro sounding effects using live instrumentation without any laptops or programmed tracks. So while you think you might be hearing looping, splicing or programming in their music, they are actually playing it all. Young Turks Director: Drew Lightfoot from their new record “LP” in stores and online now
BLOC PARTY: INTIMACY REMIXED
This Bloc Party video was shot over just two nights at London’s Olympia theater by fans with cell phones! The footage was cut and integrated with some behind the scenes action to create a lo-fi masterpiece video for “Ares (Villains Remix)”. The Video may give you a seizure the first time you watch it but it has an amazing energy that captures the feeling of being right in the middle of a live show crowd and may induce leg dropping. And the remix is rowdy, so check it out. The track is taken from Bloc Party’s “Intimacy Remixed” out now on Wichita Recordings/ Atlantic (US).
THE YARD IS BACK
Gussie up to get down. SUNDAY BEST —the easy-going, late afternoon, backyard BBQ dance party—is back again this summer. Every Sunday afternoon from May 24 to September 6 at The BKLYN Yard , the same leafy, waterside lot on the Gowanus Canal as last year. Veg Burgers and tacos from Red Hook Ballfields are back with cold sangria and beers while resident DJs JUSTIN CARTER , EAMON HARKIN and DOUG SINGER spin alongside some of the finest DJs to ever take on a back yard. Check the link for the full lineup and all the info.
DEER TICK TOUR DATES AND NEW MUSIC
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD NEW DEER TICK MP3″EASY”: Deer Tick – Easy
Deer Tick with Jenny Lewis tour dates have been announced for June to support Deer Tick’s second album Born on Flag Day , also out this June. Check Local Discosalt Show list for details.
UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASES: MAY 2009
Passion Pit
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- Grizzly Bear
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- British Sea Power
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- Conor Oberst
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- Iggy Pop
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- Iron and Wine
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- Passion Pit
May 5:
Akron Family- Set “Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
Conor Oberst-Outer South
British Sea Power- Man of Aran
May 19:
Iggy Pop-Preliminaires
Iron & Wine- Around the Well
Passion Pit- Manners
May 26:
Grizzly Bear-Veckatimest
PORTISHEAD: THIRD
[rating:3]
Portishead: Third
Label: Mercury
Release Date: April 29, 2009
So often a prolonged hiatus between albums fails, timing completely falling through the cracks. But Portishead’s tactic of forcing fans to hold their breath for an excruciating 11 years for a new LP has paid off. A dark voyage to things past, or an enchanted view of the future, songstress Beth Gibbons has never had a problem painting an otherworldly picture. Don’t fret, all the additional trappings of mid-90’s Portishead are there: minimalist drumming, lo-fi guitar, loads of echo. Immediate standouts include “Hunter” & “Silence”, two of the most visual tracks on the album. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself daydreaming of journeying through a monochromatic landscape. “The Rip”, a wonderful illustration at how successful their simple yet climactic song arrangements are. Of course there are little surprises such as the ukulele/barbershop quartet take on “Deep Water”. And I’ll be damned if the last minute of “Machine Gun” isn’t the theme song to the original Terminator film. Aside from these momentary drifts, Portishead satisfies wholly, proof that the fruit is better when ripened.
-ABC
CUT COPY: IN GHOST COLOURS
Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours
Label: Modular Interscope
Release Date: April 8, 2008
This album is the epitome of what I needed to start summer. Fully loaded with catchy dance hits, Cut Copy has really outdone themselves this time. Every track on this album is whipped lightly, and prepped perfectly for the French pop sound they are frequently accused of imitating. I disagree with comparison because it implies a simplicity and lack of depth to the music, which is simply not present in this album. The lyrics are catchy, and the beats are fresh. Although their sound is similar from song to song, each song has something different to offer, namely, emotion. This is the most emotive electro pop I can remember hearing, and it shows through in their dynamic live performances. There are some standout tracks from “Lights and Music” which recalls the glory days of the 80’s club era to “Hearts on Fire” which brings back memories of Madonna and slumber parties. If you are a person who even vaguely likes pop, the subdued fun in this album will speak to your inner dance-self.
<3 The Elephant
LYRICS BORN: EVERYWHERE AT ONCE
Lyrics Born: Everywhere at Once
Label: Anti
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Quannum poster-boy Lyrics Born (born Tom Shimura) didn’t just step off the ship-hop. Collaboratively producing albums as far back as Latyrx’s The Album, LB has subjectively perfected unique vocalizations characterized by buzzing baritone and vocab depth. This go LB explores the trappings of success, while reflecting on the blood, sweat & tears shed to get here. Unlike his freshman solo effort Later That Day…, he’s spent considerably less time massaging flows from track to track. And although a good four years weren’t taken to cultivate, most tracks are laden with the same electronic funk that suit him like white suits rice. Cut to the quick with “I Like It I Love It”, the standout jimmy jam among jams. On “Hott 2 Deff” LB employs indie hip-hops other more notable baritone Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5) doing both justice. Don’t be surprised if you hear LB more often in the club rather than (Coke) commercials. Everywhere At Once is new-school bump and grind, working well for everybody who wants to shake their ass.
-ABC
CRYSTAL CASTLES: CRYSTAL CASTLES
Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles
Label: Last Gang Records
Release Date: March 15, 2008
It is unusual that a band accidentally releases a single and then gets a record deal. Toronto duo Ethan Kath and Alice Glass managed to do just that. The MySpace leak, “Alice Practice”, eventually became the second song on their eponymous first album. “Alice Practice” landed in the second slot on the album, encouraging listeners toward their melodic, syncopated opening track “Untrust Us”. The first two tracks define the character of the album: divided into melodic, rhythmic pop beats and dark, noise-distortion heavy tracks. The weakness is the underlying lack of cohesion. Although variety is valuable, there isn’t a strong enough bond between the melodic tracks and the dark tracks. “Crimewave” and “Untrust Us” almost belong to one album, while “Alice Practice” and “xxzxcuzx me” might belong to another. Oddly, this disparity is also the strength of the album. There isn’t one second where the hooks try to hold you for too long, or where the next track is underwhelming. Like it or not, Crystal Castles has created a multi-lingual, looped, catchy-ass bunch of songs.
<3 The Elephant
WAR CHILD: HEROES
Astralwerks and War Child , an award winning charity that provides humanitarian assistance to war-affected children in some of the most devastated regions of the world , have put together a really interesting collaboration album between music legends like Dylan and Bowie with a new crop of artists. The album features 16 awesome cover songs and is due out in the US on February 24th. Check out the Trailer ,
Tracks:
1. Beck (Bob Dylan – “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”)
2. The Kooks (The Kinks – “Victoria”)
3. The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen – “Atlantic City”)
4. Hot Chip (Joy Division – “Transmission”)
5. Lily Allen feat. Mick Jones (The Clash – “Straight To Hell”)
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Ramones – “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”)
7. Franz Ferdinand (Blondie – “Call Me”)
8. Duffy (Paul McCartney – “Live And Let Die”)
9. Estelle (Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”)
10. Rufus Wainwright (Brian Wilson -” Wonderful & Song For Children”)
11. Scissor Sisters (Roxy Music – “Do The Strand”)
12. Peaches (Iggy Pop – “Search And Destroy”)
13. Adam Cohen (Leonard Cohen – “Take This Waltz”)
14. Elbow (U2 – “Running To Stand Still”)
15. The Like (Elvis Costello – “You Belong To Me”)
16. TV On The Radio (David Bowie – “Heroes”)
COMPILATION:DARK WAS THE NIGHT
Compilation: Dark was the Night
Label: 4ad Records
Release Date: February 17, 2009
Compilations are seemingly rare in indie music, I am not sure why. Or if that’s true. In any case, The National has curated a 2 disc compilation to be released by 4AD on February 16th. Just in case you aren’t aware of the internet and you haven’t already heard every track, I’m here to tell you that should you buy, not illegally download, this album. Not because it’s fantastic, but because profits from the venture will go to the Red Hot Organization, which raises funds and awareness for AIDs and HIV. Although true to form, anything the National touches is excellent. And if this isn’t enough to get you to go buy the friggen album, maybe this all-star cast will:
Andrew Bird
Antony + Bryce Dessner
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Beirut
Blonde Redhead + Devastations
Bon Iver
Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner
The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
The Decemberists
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Kevin Drew
Feist + Ben Gibbard
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear + Feist
Iron & Wine
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Kronos Quartet
Stuart Murdoch
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
The New Pornographers
Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
Riceboy Sleeps
Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio)
Spoon
Sufjan Stevens
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo
-the elephant.
UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASES: JANUARY 2009
Morrissey
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- Late of the Pier
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- Von Bondies
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- Franz Ferdinand
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- Animal Collective
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- Bon Iver
JANUARY 13:
Late Of The Pier– Fantasy Black Channel
Animal Collective– Merriweather Post Pavilion
Bon Iver-Blood Bank
Franz Ferdinand– Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Von Bondies– Love, Hate, and Then There’s You
Morrissey– Years of Refusal
FEBRUARY 17:
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – The Century of Self
MARCH 17:
MSTRKRFT– Fist Of God
MARCH 24:
The Decemberists– Hazards Of Love
DISCOSALT BREAKS DOWN 2008’s CROP OF NYC BANDS TO WATCH
Bands on our radar :
Bear Hands-Straightforward post-punk indie.
Yeasayer-Psych-experimental dance party. If you haven’t heard them, please leave your cave immediately and rejoin society.
A Place to Bury Strangers-Dark Atmospheric noise-pop against a tension-wracked Joy Division-meets-Ministry, Jesus-Mary Chain backdrop.
Blonde Acid Cult-Brooklyn swagger Rock& Roll Party band ala Jet, Stone Roses.
Crystal Stilts-Cheap instruments, Moody Stipped Down Garage Rock. Ian Curtis-y doom with sunshine-y shop Assistants style pop.
Deer Tick-Indie Rock disguised as Alt- Country. Hank Williams/Van Morrison meets Bright Eyes.
Dinowalrus-Noise Rock but with some semblance of a pop song structure.
Gang Gang Dance-Experimental distillations of world music through an urban No-Wave-y filter.
MGMT-Psych Disco, new-wave synth-pop, and early 90s Britpop. Already too big for this list.
Francis & the Lights-Prince-esc falsetto vocals and James Brown Dance moves…from a white guy named Francis. What? Youtube “the top”.
Free Blood-Electro-Punk Trio. Part Timbaland, part Excepter, part Hot Chip.
KaiserCartel-Laid back pop duo. Think early Cowboy Junkies.
La Otracina-Drug Drenched Psych/Space Rock.
O’Death–Southern hoedown-core rock from Brooklyn
White Sun, Cutter, Drunk Driver-Lo-fi noise.
Bottle Up and Go-Two-man raw blues. Think Black Keys.
The Pains of Being Pure at heart–Knowingly naive or emotionally complex indie-pop. I’m not sure. Clear My Bloody Valentine influences.
Takka Takka-Suburban NYC indie rock. Phoenix meets Counting Crows acoustic Rock.
Telepathe-Post-Futuresex pop. Experimental Hippie Chanting, Guitar-like synths and electronic percussion. TV on the Radio… but way more alien.
The Lisps-Indie-pop outta da Bronx. Working on a sci-fi musical based on a Civil War soldier that wants to write science fiction.
Titus Andronicus-Violent Indie Rock. Conor Oberst screaming from the bowels of hell.
Violens-Shin-like Indie Pop if they took an enormous amount of happy drugs with the 60’s West Coast Elektra set.
Vivian Girls-All girl 60’s California-based garage-rock with bangs.
Dirty Projectors-West African Dance band meets Math Rock. An odd mix of Phish, The Police and Deerhoof reworking a concept- a song by song “reimagining” of Black Flag’s Damaged.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND: VAMPIRE WEEKEND
[rating:2]
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Label: Xl Recordings
Release date: January 2008
Vampire Weekend, hot sh*t band of the moment, turn in 11 fun and inspired songs in just 34 minutes on their virgin effort. Inspired by what, you ask? Mostly by Paul Simon, with a taste of the Police for effect. And what is wrong with a fresh and interesting Graceland-era Paul Simon record for 2007? Nothing really, unless you don’t like Paul Simon…or derivative music. The remarkable thing about Vampire Weekend is that when they want to sound like the heavily African rhythm inspired Paul Simon, they REALLY sound like Paul Simon (“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”), and when they want to sound like some early Police, they REALLY sound like some early Police.
The most inspired stuff from what is destined to be the ubiqitous music of the next 6 months or so is also destined to be the most overlooked. “I Stand Corrected” is a fairly awesome bit of early 80’s pop, and “Walcott” is a straighforward bit of piano and drums driven indie pop (and with an unexpected and totally welcome baroque string section), but these are not the songs of our futures. The songs that will come to dominate the parties, get togethers, barbeques and idle time listening to the PA waiting for the next band to come on are the Sting channeling “A-Punk” and the Paul Simon meets that one college town jam band funk of “One (Blake’s Got A New Face)” and “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance.” Not ideal, but things could be decidedly worse.
John Whitaker
Discollective
BELLMER DOLLS: LIVE AT CSV THEATER
With the bad comes the good, I guess. A few weeks ago I went to that church-y place on Delancy and Suffolk. Remember that place? Yeah, I went on that date there that one time. So this time, again I find myself slightly tipsy and far from home late at night. Going to see
this band called the Bellmer Dolls with a good friend of mine and her sister. I love these girls, they are just darlings, and both of them have lovely boyfriends. So I trust them when they take me to a concert that I hadn’t heard of. This is really rather exciting. Apparently the
first band was excellent. Preacher and the Knife is unsigned, but word on the street is that they are really phenomenal live, so I am going to give them a little shout out. Based on myspace and their website, I
sort of doubt that they are my taste, but who knows, maybe I will have a change of Heart. Needless to say, I missed them.
So this brings us to the Bellmer Dolls, who were unspeakably awful. They were a parody of themselves, shaking and grooving to their screechy melody-less crap. Dressed in all black, and breathing heavily
into the microphone, I sort of felt bad for the lead singer. But sort of not, maybe this just isn’t my bag, y’know? So I look over at my very polite, sweet friend Anna, and she is staring intently at them,
sort of in the same way you’d watch a child’s piano recital. So the first song passes, followed by the second, equally shitty “song”. Meanwhile, I am casting furtive glances at my ladies and their men, waiting for someone else to identify this accurately: this is a
graceful exit scenario. Unfortunately this is a seated show, and the seats are in a bit of a balcony, so we can’t really get out subtlety. Meanwhile, my friends seem to think this is perfectly acceptable music. FUUUUUUCK. I can’t escape. My ears are just burning with cruel irony. Suddenly Ashley (Anna’s sister) leans over and breathes into my ear, “oh my god i’m sorry” They are horrible. I breathe a lighter, happier breath. Anna turns and agrees. So we do just that: escape to have another drink. Oh Anna and Ashley, you came through. Thank GOD.
Lesson learned: don’t go to a show w/o listening to the band first.
<3 The Elephant
IRON AND WINE: THE SHEPHERD’S DOG
Iron and Wine: The Shepherd’s Dog
Label: Sub Pop
Release date: September 2007
I guess the thing that struck me most about The Shepherd’s Dog wasn’t the studio production (slick) or the effects pedals (lots of wah wah) or the plugged in-ness of it (Sam Beam went electric a long time ago). No, I guess it wasn’t the funk song (?), or the honky tonkin’ piano (“The Devil Never Sleeps”) or the lyrical imagery (Jesus, dogs, and birds are still hangin around in these songs). Yeah, I think that struck me most about The Shepherd’s Dog was the addition of the ethereal 10 cc-esque background vocals on “Innocent Bones.” Not that the album is not striking, both in it’s adherence to the traditional Iron & Wine formula and it’s stark change from said formula, but the angelic “ooohhh”s, they really stopped me in my tracks.
And what of the songs? Is it so much to NOT expect Sam Beam to be channeling Curtis Mayfield on “Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog)”? To NOT expect to hear a song that sounds exactly like it belongs right in the middle of the Iron & Wine Songbook (“Reserrection Fern”), but could possibly one of the prettiest songs of the year and definitely one of the most beautiful Sam Beam has ever written? The addition of the varietal of sounds & instruments to the sonic palette of Iron & Wine is certainly unexpected, but is surprisingly welcome. The storybook Americana that exists within the world of Iron & Wine is still populated with grandmas, star crossed lovers, sinners, saints, gamblers, harlots, Jesus, and, yes, lots of dogs. The songs still have lots of room to breathe, and the vocals still barely sound as if they rise above a whisper, but the song structures are no longer rooted in an Americana structure.
What differs, very pleasingly differs, is the literal jump from the rootsy folk-country foundation that Beam’s songs are usually built upon, this jump happening at the beginning of the record. Opener “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car” begins with a very typical Iron & Wine acoustic groove, but sounds as if it’s being broadcast from an AM radio. When the strings (and drums & psychedelic guitars) kick in, the difference is apparent, and by the time the record ends (with the absolutely gorgeous waltz “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,”), the difference is welcome. By retaining what made Iron & Wine unique, and by embracing the studio and it’s many wonders (and musical instruments) and his singular vision & voice towards what a song means and can do, Sam Beam has crafted one of his best albums and has taken a step into uncharted territory. I literally have no idea what comes next for this band, and that’s exciting. Not knowing what the new Iron & Wine album is going to sound like is both pleasing and unexpected, and that newfound unpredicability makes The Shepherd’s Dog a giant step forward.
-John Whitaker
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
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.
