A new short and sweet batch of dreamy breezy jangle pop from Beach Fossils, and like their self-titled debut, the sound here is warm and lush, sweet and swirly, laid back and jangly, the guitars liquid and prismatic, the vocals lazy and drawled, all wrapped around propulsive super melodic basslines and simple skeletal drum machines, and while the sound is somewhat familiar, seeing as Beach Fossils are swimming in a pretty crowded sonic pool these days, Beach Fossils manage to easily transcend, their sound somehow special and truly unique, the songs so catchy, so ethereal and magically melodic, boy / girl vocal harmonies drifting over softly surfy Beach Boys reverby guitars and tangled tendrils of melody, the production impossibly lush, the A side so perfectly poppy, but then the B side swooping in to maybe be our favorite of the two. So good, fans of all things reverby and jangly, blissy and poppy, will dig big time.
Beach Fossils are proving their great debut was no fluke. This eight song follow up actually ups the ante on their songwriting and introduces a more breezy, warm and '80s influenced sound. With spring officially here (even though it doesn't feel like it), we know that summer is just around the corner and we can't think of a record we're going to be more excited to be blasting all season long. These are the kind of songs for those drives to the beach with the windows down and the breeze and the sunshine. Reminding us a bit of some of our favorite mid '80s underground pop bands like Eleven Pond, and For Against with hints of the more languid moments of '90s indie rock, tapping into the same sort of sonic energy as the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. We even start imagining Pavement doing covers of The Smiths. What A Pleasure is indeed such a pleasure to listen to, in the way that it's so instantly familiar sounding yet with a freshness and depth that make it so new and exciting, demonstrating once again that they really are one of the best pop bands around right now.
Sometimes the stars just align so perfectly. The first time we got to hear Beach Fossils it was a breezy and sunny afternoon. The front door was wide open, the wind gently blowing through the trees outside, and the songs we were hearing couldn't have provided a more perfect soundtrack. Beach Fossils is a one man band, and there definitely seem to be legions of those these days. But damn, if folks can keep creating songs as good as these alone in their bedrooms, then we say who needs a full band! Beach Fossils stands out from so much of the recent lo-fi indie garage pop, being not so much about feedback and distortion and low fidelity. Instead, it's the amazing songs on the record that grab your attention. Lazy day, dazed & glazed pop gems that remind us of a wonderful sound situated perfectly betwixt Kurt Vile and Pavement.
There is something so authentic and fresh sounding in Beach Fossils' music. It compels us to let go and immediately give in to the soft breezes that seem to accompany the soaring washed out melodies on display here. Major contender for pop record of the year perhaps, and without a doubt another PERFECT summer album!
What more can we say at this point about these Baltimore blisspoppers that we haven't already? We've barely been able to keep this in stock since we first got it in, another gorgeous slab of hazy, shoegazey, washed out slowcore dream pop loveliness. Bittersweet melodies, lush layered textures, simple programmed beats, lots of buzz and drone and shimmer, all somehow woven into heady, softly psychedelic epics that smolder and drift dreamily, taking the same sort of retro dreaminess of M83, but casting it as something a bit more melancholy and downcast, the perfect soundtrack for rainy days, broken hearts, late night wanders through empty streets, missing you mix tapes, vocals drenched in echo and drifting astride soaring shimmering melodies, all underpinned by warm sonic swells, and everything wrapped up in lush swatch prismatic jangle and slow build sonic mesmer. In some ways, Beach House are like the overcast, cloudy and grey version of Best Coast's sunshiney pop bliss, some of the same sonic elements but again, in Beach House's world the light is more than balanced by the shadow, and for every moment of hopeful major key shimmer, there's a long stretch of wistful sonic heartbreak right around the corner.
And stick around for the hidden track tucked away at the end of the record, a dreamily dour reverb drenched downer pop gem laced with some gorgeous slippery slide guitars.
And peep the super swank cover art, a field of raised Braille-like GLOW IN THE DARK dots!
On "Levitation", the opening track of Beach House's stellar new album Depression Cherry, it's difficult to not feel like you're doing just what the song title says: rising off the ground and peacefully floating into space. With every release, Beach House have reaffirmed themselves as one of our favorites, and with their fifth full-length, they most certainly have not broken this pattern. This beautiful shoegazey dream pop seems to pulse at the exactly the same rhythm of your heart as you drift off to sleep. The twinkling, subtly moving arrangement paired with Legrand's soft, sweet vocals recalls Yo La Tengo at their most tender, circa And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.
Standout track "PPP" finds Legrand crooning in such a way that you could imagine the song echoing from a transistor radio, while Alex Scally's guitar lends it a sparkling quality which can only be described as intergalactic. Another favorite, "Days of Candy", begins with a stunning choral arrangement countered by Legrand's whispery falsetto, and delicately builds in volume and intensity before drifting away and leaving us speechless. The rich warmth of this album is as lush as its delightfully soft red velvet packaging - a sensation we imagine will be incredibly familiar after the many, many repeat listens it will surely warrant. Depression Cherry, as with all of Beach House's music, is a place of shelter for your deepest, most personal moments; let this music bring you home.
Beach House's debut from a couple years ago won a special place in our hearts, so ever since we've been very anxious for this follow-up. We can't think of anyone these days who is doing warm and fuzzy melancholic pop better than Beach House.
Devotion flows perfectly from start to finish. It's the kind of record you want to play on repeat all day as you lay in bed with the one you love or lament the one you lost. These songs capture that gray soft line between longing and remembrance with a somber elegance that recalls Francoise Hardy's La Question and taps into the more subdued moments of Quixotic and White Magic. While many folks have taken a stab at Daniel Johnston songs in recent years, Beach House's version of "Some Things Last (A Long Time)" captures its devastating yet bittersweet heart. With hints of reverb, intoxicating vocal melodies and astute subtlety, Beach House has made an album that wraps you in a warm soft glow, as you bask in a golden breeze, totally hitting the spot and making every day feels like Sunday. So nice!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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Swoon....sigh....melt! That's all we want to do when we listen to the newest album by this Baltimore duo who we've been in love with since their debut ep from way back when. The follow up to their great full length Devotion, this is a record we and so many others have been highly anticipating and it's so nice to start the new year with an album that is already ruling our stereos and will no doubt end up on many of our year end favorite lists.
Teen Dream is quite simply, exquisite and elegant. The golden warmth and soft waves of comfort and longing BH are able to express through their songs makes them truly one of the most special bands around. There is a timelessness and sense of authenticity that rings so true within their songs. This is the music you put on when you've had your heart broken or you just discovered new love or when you are laying in bed with that special someone and its time to just bliss out, lost in a daze without saying a word. Teen Dream is the soundtrack for thinking of a close friend who is in a far away place, it's a sonic refuge, when you need somewhere safe to drift and daydream all of your troubles away.
We have a feeling that this record is about to get an avalanche of press and attention but it couldn't be more deserved. This is hands down one of the most majestic and moving records to come out in a very long time. Nothing feels forced, no songs are throwaways, start to finish Teen Dream sounds practically perfect, a classic that will no doubt remain a classic regardless of shifting sounds and tastes.
As an added bonus Teen Dream also comes with a dvd, containing a video for every single song on the album created by different directors. We haven't even gotten around to watching it yet cuz for now all we want to do is listen to the album over and over again, letting ourselves get lost in the glistening images it evokes in our own subconscious. Breathtaking!
"Come a little closer," Victoria Legrand croons on "All Your Yeahs", inviting us to lean in to Beach House's new (nearly surprise) release, Thank Your Lucky Stars. Trailing their last album by only a handful of weeks, really, it'd be easy to see Thank Your Lucky Stars as no more than a sequel to the highly-hyped, velvet-coated opus that was Depression Cherry. However, Thank Your Lucky Stars stands on its own. Its shoegazey guitar solos weave their way through warm synth melodies (notably on "One Thing") and Legrand's vocals shine through more clearly than on past releases. This album is a bit of a darker and heavier take on their style of twinkly, extra-terrestrial style of dream pop. The weight can be felt most on this album's twisted and tortured B-side tracks "Rough Song" and "Elegy to the Void". But, with the perfect amount of lo-fi fuzz and room to breathe between each song, we're given the time to appreciate how simply beautiful this album is. Every other Beach House release has felt like the soundtrack to a loving embrace. Thank Your Lucky Stars reaches out to us as honest reassurance on the nights where we feel alone remind us that, though we are each singular stars, we reside in a sky populated with billions of constellations.
(Compact disc version forthcoming, but this was such a rush release they didn't get it done at the same time as the vinyl.)
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Wow! We haven't been this smitten with a debut release in quite a while. Didn't know much about this Baltimore duo but we do know, the second this record we laid ears on this the first time, we were immediately seduced by the glorious sounds within. Hazy, daydreaming pop with equal parts magic, mystery and dreamy darkness, all drenched in beautiful melodies and sincere sensuality. Kind of made us think of Broadcast taking a warm bubble bath with Coco Rosie. Lights out, candles burning, bubbles floating, reverb dripping. There is a timelessness in these songs that is so evocative, Warhol's factory, a summer twilight in Southern California in the '70s, an abandoned art studio in the UK. You can never quite put your finger on exactly where these songs are drawn from but in the end it's music truly unique and wonderful. A mysterious voice, a haunting presence and songs carry you off, eyes closed, to somewhere much more enchanting then wherever you really are. So nice!
A while back we reviewed a super limited tape from this local axeman, who at the time had a backup band made up of members of local psych rock heavies Comets On Fire, and whose sound, on that tape at least, fell somewhere between the brooding post punk of the Wipers, and the rough, ragged twang flecked crunch of early Uncle Tupelo, most definitely a sweet combo. We've been sitting on a couple copies of this 7" for ages now, and only just recently got enough to list, and like the tape before it, these two tracks offer up more of Beach's distinctive twang flecked songsmithery. The A side is a stripped down bit of folky psychedelia, dark and moody and countrified, again reminding us of Uncle Tupelo, not hard to imagine the song blossoming into some sort of guitar heavy crunch, but instead, it's a gorgeously cyclical and dreamily mesmerizing.
The flipside is a bit more droned out, with a softly churning electric guitar, backed up by minimal skeletal drumming, a series of slow brooding swells, Beach's vocals a bit more rough and ragged, the song mostly two parts, slipping back and forth, giving the track a definite hypnotic vibe, during the second half of the song the tempo gets cranked, the sound growing more and more frantic, ratcheting up the tension, with no release, a slow build all the way to the end. Cool!
First solo full length from this Bay Area (by way of Australia) guitarist / bandleader, after a 7" and a cassette, and for Golden Theft, Beach is once again joined by Utrillo Kushner (Comets On Fire, Colossal Yes) for another collection of brooding post punk and twang flecked, Neil Young / Uncle Tupelo beholden classic psychedelic rock. Like we said before, it's a pretty potent combo. Beach's vocals a weary ragged raspy, the songs simple and urgent, driving and propulsive, and peppered with all sorts of strange compositional weirdness. A few songs from the tape get revisited/reworked here, including some of our favorites, like "Straight Spines", which starts with a blast of low slung bass heavy post punk, definitely reminiscent of the Wipers, with a killer weird constantly shifting tempo, slowing down, then speeding right back up again, in a way the deftly makes that tempo shift an integral part of the song. Hooky and a little bit heavy, driving and catchy like crazy, and that tempo shift just kills us every time, so unexpected, but so cool. "There Is No Edge Of The World To Run To" also shows up again, and still sounds like some lost Uncle Tupelo outtake, the vocals rough and warmly ragged, over some simple twang and strum, darkly emotive and intense, and when the drums come in, the song becomes a cool sort of droney countrified slowcore. Of the new tracks, some faves include the swampy swagger of "Dirt", with its bass heavy churn, and cool almost falsetto vocal flutter, the driving droned out country rock of opener "The Exhilarating Rise", those ragged vocals again seemingly belonging to a much older man, the hushed psychedelic shimmer of "In A Field", and the blown out psychedelic guitar noise freakout of "Central / San Joaquin".
The cd-r comes in a digipak, the lp is housed in a full color gatefold jacket, includes a poster, and a download code and is limited to 270 copies, each one hand numbered.
Latest from this SF by way of Australia (by way of SF again) singer/songwriter, and first with a newly formed band featuring members of Comets On Fire and the Castanets. The sound is all over the map, drifting from crunchy post punk, to woozy psychedelic drift, to countrified rust belt songsmithery, and several other stops in between.
Opener "Straight Spines" starts things off with a blast of low slung bass heavy post punk, definitely reminiscent of the Wipers, with a killer weird constantly shifting tempo, slowing down, then speeding right back up again, in a way the deftly makes that tempo shift an integral part of the song. Hooky and a little bit heavy, driving and catchy like crazy, and that tempo shift just kills us every time, so unexpected, but so cool.
Then there's "There Is No Edge Of The World To Run To", which sounds like some lost Uncle Tupelo outtake, Beach's vocals rough and warmly ragged, over some simple twang and strum, darkly emotive and intense, and when the drums come in, the song becomes a cool sort of droney countrified slowcore. There's also the drifty twangy shimmer of the title track, and the warm jangly balladic closer, "So Said The Bird", which broods and soars, underpinned by whirring organs, the deep crooned vox wreathed in the dusty twang of the guitars, and a blurred reverby patina. Beach peppers the record with brief experimental interludes as well, which range from noisy psychedelic freakouts to woozy late night drones. Gorgeous stuff for sure.
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES and already sold out and out of print. So these are the last ones we'll be able to get.
Another winner from Mexican Summer (who seem to traffic primarily in winners anyway), hot on the heels of recent Record Of The Week, Ghost Blonde by No Joy, comes this, the debut recording from Beaches, who despite their summery moniker, kick up a seriously distorted and blown out shoegaze spacerock racket.
Done just the way we like it. Massive guitars, huge hooky riffs, thick buzzing bass, pounding drums, the vocals barely there, buried in the mix, the songs mainly a single riff, locked tight, and repeated over and over, mesmerizing and cyclical and hypnotic, druggy and repetitive and totally psychedelic, occasionally slipping into some sort of chorus, and letting the vocals come to the fore, but even then they're panned strangely, coming from different speakers, still pretty low in the mix, only adding to the druggy psychedelic vibe.
Equal parts washed out jangle, churning riff heavy crush, hazy spaced out psychedelia, there are hooks, but they're buried under all the murk and swirl and howl with the vocals, this is total headtrip heart of the sun, drone heavy, buzz drenched space rock, but infused with a heart of shoegaze pop, which is what makes this sound so good. Absolutely a new favorite, and WAY recommended for anyone into space rock, drone pop, shoegaze or anything heavy and hazy, druggy and dreamy.
One complaint though: four songs, 45 rpm, $24?!?! C'mon, Mexican Summer, sure, the jackets are super thick and the vinyl is crazy heavy, but still seems sorta steep. Too bad it's so good, and we're actually thinking these 4 songs might just be worth $6 a pop. At least based on the fact that we've listened to them all about a million times already...
Lovely! Beachwood Sparks' third release, a half hour, six song EP, is pretty damn good. The band's sound is maturing and becoming so much more their own, whereas their first album's twang reminded me of the '60s country rock scene a la Byrds / Gram Parsons... Now Beachwood Sparks are sounding more like themselves than anyone else. The sweet pop tone is tinged with a glimmer of psychedelia. The vocals are just as plaintive as ever. Vocalist Mia Doi Tod guests on one track. If buzzwords like Court & Spark, Radar Brothers, Olivia Tremor Control mean anything to you, you need to check this ep out. Very nice.
Beautiful cover art by Jim Woodring!
Boy do Beachwood Sparks want to be the Byrds. From the psychedelic cover art to the super acid-drenched photo collage foldout poster, they're wearing their peace pendants and worn-in denim like they're conjuring the ghost of Gram Parsons. And hey, they do it really well. Recorded by Thom Monahan (Scud Mountain Boys), the music is syrupy sweet in a good way, without being fake or too
The return of these aQ beloved Byrds worshipping psychedelic country poppers, and it's like nothing has changed. Their sound is still a lush hybrid of slide guitar driven twang, and lush sixties psych pop woven into a confection that's equal parts Elephant Six, Laurel Canyon and No Depression. When we attended the Sub Pop 20th anniversary celebration in Seattle back in 2008, in a weekend full of amazing reunions (Green River, Eric's Trip, The Fluid, Seaweed, Red Red Meat), we were secretly super psyched to see Beachwood Sparks, and they did not disappoint, playing a collection of classics and sounding as good as ever.
So here we are four years later, and the band have whipped up a new record that sounds like it could have come out right after 2002's Make the Cowboy Robots Cry ep. It's a little Grateful Dead, a LOT the Byrds, lush and lovely, with plenty of psychedelic filigree, and lush lovely harmonies, the sound evenly balanced between dark brooders and sun dappled dreampop, the slower darker numbers definitely of interest to fans of Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty and the like who might have missed these guys the first time around. And if you're one of those people who still loves listening to the Radar Brothers, Scud Mountain Boys, Court & Spark, Gram Parsons, etc, this will totally hit the spot. Gorgeous hook filled county pop that manages to push all our retro buttons, but still sound downright timeless.
Beautiful! Two members of the lost great LA band Further here team up with a former Lilys guy to form Beachwood Sparks, the freshest breath of country/rock twang to reach these ears in many months. Supplementing the normal rock lineup with harmonica, organ, piano, and plenty ooh-sha-la-la backup croonings, the music combines the best of Gram Parsons, early Byrds, and the Elephant 6 bands such as the Olivia Temor Control and Apples in Stereo. Boy-girl harmonies, real honest to god songwriting chops, and excellent crystal clear production. Highly recommended!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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San Francisco band maybe comparable to Jesus Lizard -with saxophones- i.e. twisted rock in free jazz mode. Pretty good.
It's tough to ignore talk of a 'Portishead side project', and it's even tougher to imagine what that project might sound like. Thankfully no need to wonder, it's called Beak> (and yeah, that little beak shape is part of the name), and it's a trio fronted by Portishead mastermind Geoff Barrow, but don't be expecting Portishead 2, there are some similarities, but it's mostly tone and vibe, the music is something else entirely, more krautrock, minimal, space-y, hints of Stereolab (which is basically krautrock when you think about it). Recorded live, with no overdubs, the arrangements were created using edits, so one can imagine these guys jamming out on single parts, and then later chopping them up and assembling them into songs. Which helps explain why the sound of Beak> is so hypnotic and looped and cyclical sounding. Stereolab obviously, but also Circle, Cave, a definite hypnorock / krautrock thing going on. The drumming super simple and motorik, the bass driving the whole thing, and the synths offering up the melody, usually locking into whirling swirling loops over the top. The band get into long stretches of hushed almost nothing, whispery drifts of softly pulsing drone, but invariably the shift gears and launch into another loping hypnotic dubby rhythm, and with all this talk of rhythm, you can bet there are lots of moments that reminds us of This Heat, which is NEVER a bad thing. There are vocals too, but they're minimal, and are often in the background, wordless croons, adding just another layer of texture to the proceedings. Fourtet, Tortoise, Add N To (X), Fridge, Necks, even some of the modern spacerock stuff like Wooden Shjips, that sort of endlessly looping dronerock, Beak> would definitely hit the spot if you dig any or all of that.
This record is super addictive, we threw it on when it first came in, and we ended up listening to it 3 times in a row, and ever since, we find ourselves throwing it on all the time, which says a lot. Definitely a new fave!
Record number two from this post-Portishead combo, which finds Portishead mainman Geoff Barrow and crew fashioning a sort of abstract modern krautrock, culled from what we would imagine is the same recording technique used on their debut, which involved recording loops and parts live, and then fashioning them into proper tracks later. Which gives the jams a definite looped / collage vibe, but here on 2 (denoted in the title by two Beak shapes: >>), the sound and feel is much more organic, with what at times sound like proper songs, not just cool parts, with live drums beneath swirls of synths and processed guitars, each track essentially a single groove locked and looped, the group unfurling heady expanses of hypnorock mesmer, that sound somewhere between Faust, This Heat, Circle and even Aussie minimal jazzers the Necks. The vocals more prominent this time around, a plaintive croon, that tends to add color, more than drive the songs, which are already driven by some killer motorik drumming, which pulses and pounds relentlessly through clouds of woozy warped synth shimmer, throbbing reverbed riffage, muted melodies, some of the tracks sound like dead ringers for classic Faust jams, one track had a serious Slint vibe, while another had us imagining some lost German Oak track, with a few moments slipping into weird synth kosmische, and reminding us of Barrow's recent rejected score for the new Judge Dredd movie. Overall, a seriously mesmerizing collection of kraut-flecked hypno rock mesmer and looped rhythmic minimalism that should appeal to ANYone into any of the above mentioned groups, as well as other similarly sonic minded purveyors of math/kraut/psych/hypno rock radness.
Record number two from this post-Portishead combo, which finds Portishead mainman Geoff Barrow and crew fashioning a sort of abstract modern krautrock, culled from what we would imagine is the same recording technique used on their debut, which involved recording loops and parts live, and then fashioning them into proper tracks later. Which gives the jams a definite looped / collage vibe, but here on 2 (denoted in the title by two Beak shapes: >>), the sound and feel is much more organic, with what at times sound like proper songs, not just cool parts, with live drums beneath swirls of synths and processed guitars, each track essentially a single groove locked and looped, the group unfurling heady expanses of hypnorock mesmer, that sound somewhere between Faust, This Heat, Circle and even Aussie minimal jazzers the Necks. The vocals more prominent this time around, a plaintive croon, that tends to add color, more than drive the songs, which are already driven by some killer motorik drumming, which pulses and pounds relentlessly through clouds of woozy warped synth shimmer, throbbing reverbed riffage, muted melodies, some of the tracks sound like dead ringers for classic Faust jams, one track had a serious Slint vibe, while another had us imagining some lost German Oak track, with a few moments slipping into weird synth kosmische, and reminding us of Barrow's recent rejected score for the new Judge Dredd movie. Overall, a seriously mesmerizing collection of kraut-flecked hypno rock mesmer and looped rhythmic minimalism that should appeal to ANYone into any of the above mentioned groups, as well as other similarly sonic minded purveyors of math/kraut/psych/hypno rock radness.
Janet Bean formed the indie rock Eleventh Dream Day in Chicago oh so many years ago, then followed that great band with Freakwater, her country duo with Catherine Irwin -- their harmonies converted legions of fans to alternative country. Now, Bean has released an album under her own name, and it's really good. Barely any twang remains, which worried me at first, but instead she's presented us with a sort of singer-songwriter rock record, middle of the road but in the best way, as if she was inspired by Carole King, Bread, Nanci Griffith, etc. With backup singers crooning all gospel-like in the background, her voice's natural vibrato really shines. There's sweet lap steel, warm strummed guitar, and some awesome, smart piano playing sort of oblique notes that contrast with the sweetness instead of backing it up -- a nice touch. Recommended!
MPEG Download: "The Purple Heart" [/audio/janetbeanpurple.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "The Purple Heart" [/audio/janetbeanpurple.m3u]
This is the third release from Vancouver, BC post rockers Beans (yeah, we still wish they had a different name, but what can you do?). The moody melodicism of "Crane Wars" continues the path set by last year's wonderful "Tired Snow" EP: melancholy and
Ah, not to be confused with the other current artist by the same name (Beans of Antipop Consortium), this is indeed the wonderful experimental band from Vancouver. Released on their own label, Inner Cosmosis features a much more expansive and cohesive sound than their previous releases. This in itself is quite something to behold, as those three earlier cds (Portage on Zulu Records, Crane Wars and Tired Snow EP, both on Zum Records) were accomplished and quite enjoyable as they were. However, it seems they've moved away from their previous Godspeed/Mogwai leanings towards something more their own. Much like their Zum labelmates and pals Xiu Xiu, Beans incorporate homemade string and percussion instruments into the traditional band lineup. And along with a marimba, some tapeplayers, turntables and other electronics, they take you on an intriguing sonic journey. A very soothingly fluid and groovy hour plus (as the cd cover art tells, this is 63:19 long). Stretch out with Beans for a while. Of the seven tracks, all but one exceed six minutes in length. To top it all off, this impressive work was actually recorded live one rainy fall evening. So very nice!
MPEG Download: "Sun" [/audio/beanssun.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "Sun" [/audio/beanssun.m3u]
The second release from this Vancouver, BC quintet (the first entitled "Portage" can be found on Zulu Records from their hometown). Six tracks totalling just under 40 minutes of moody melodiousness harking Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor, but sparing us the propensity towards crescendos. Andee is convinced that the last track on this cd is actually an A Minor Forest cover. You be the judge.
Although they've newly added a "The" to their band name (perhaps to distinguish themselves from Antipop Consortium's Beans), you might already be familiar with the string of fine, moody soundtrack-y / soundscape releases from this Vancouver experimental ensemble -- Crane Wars, Portage, Tired Snow, and Inner Cosmosis. A very lowkey group of artists, they've been quietly crafting their music since 1995. If you happen to be new to these Canadians though, any one of their cds including this one is a great place to start. Never limiting themselves to one style, mood nor tempo, The Beans are sometimes groovy, sometimes post-rock-y, sometimes airily atmospheric. Drawing from an array of electronic and acoustic sources -- cello drones, fuzzy percussion, a smattering of piano key strikes, wistful guitar string plucking, select loops and effects, fleeting spoken word, Bassplayer shows their more hushed and mesmerizing side, very much in a similar vein to Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Mogwai (to whom they're frequently compared). At once, both delicate and enveloping. Four tracks clocking in at just under forty five minutes. Beautifully packaged and released on Mitchell Akiyama's Intr.version label.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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8 songs. 11 minutes. Punk rock.
This dvd features live footage of the Beastie Boys performing at Madison Square Gardens back in 2004. Most of it was shot by audience members using fifty DV and Hi-8 cameras! The editing style is pretty darn chaotic at times -- you're definitely not going to feel like you're at the show -- but that just adds to the frantic, tripped-out, tricked-out fun that is the Beasties, don't it?! Lots of silly extras including a cappella tracks, band commentary and a 'documentary' about director Nathaniel Hornblower (aka Adam Yauch) that guest stars David Cross. This is sure to be a fan pleaser... especially if you were one of the peeps handling one of the cameras... hence the title...d'oh!
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All these Beastie Boys reissues are reminding us just how damn good and timeless this stuff sounded and STILL sounds. With the utmost love and respect for classic hip-hop culture, the Beastie Boys managed to be pioneers as well, infusing elements of punk, rare groove, Latin music, and even Tuvan influences into their sound, resulting in this classic album, originally released in 1994.
In an age where bands seem to release a new record every few months, one of the strengths of the Beastie Boys, and no doubt a key component to their incredible sound, was that they've always given themselves ample time to really hash out and construct their records, with always at least a couple years in between releases. And that time and care definitely shows, the sound so layered and lush, so catchy and so totally unique. It had been ages since many of us had listened to Ill Communication but once we threw it on again we were all immediately transported back, to a time where this was all some of us listened to. Hearing it again with fresh ears, it still sounds fantastic, groundbreaking even. A rare example of a group with big time mainstream success but with their musical integrity fully intact.
The cd version of this comes with a bonus disc of remixes and a few live tracks. The vinyl version is a double lp, remastered and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.
Whoa, it's been twenty years since Paul's Boutique came out!!?? 20th anniversary records are usually for bands like Chicago or Journey or Led Zeppelin, but we guess it's just another sign that we're getting older, as all of us remember buying this record the first time around, many of us on cassette, and playing the shit out of it for years and years. While the Beastie Boys were bratty, obnoxious and fun on their debut License To Ill, they didn't really show us what the were capable of until this follow up which kind of flopped commercially when it first came out, but now is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative hip-hop records and dense sampling tour de forces of all time. For so many of us who were pretty young when this came out, many of the many, many songs sampled on Paul's Boutique were unknown to us beyond the Sample. It wouldn't be 'til we grew up a bit that it became easier to place 'em all (Johnny Cash, Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, The Sweet, etc.). Of course producers The Dust brothers are due their share of the credit.
Paul's Boutique is like THE classic example of postmodernism at its most fun and creative. Taking bits and pieces of popular culture from the past and present, Paul's Boutique was jammed with so many rad obscure references in the clever lyrics as well as thick and bouncing beats and those now so recognizable MC personas. Several years before Beck was genre flipping and DJ Shadow was crate digging, this record set the blueprint for so much of the adventurous pop, hip-hop and electronica to follow. We can't help but get nostalgic when we listen to this now. So many memories... Skipping school for the first time, blasting the cassette on our brother's stereo when he was at his friend's house, forcing our folks to hear it over and over as we rode shotgun in the car. This is a record that so many of us grew up on and a disc that most definitely helped open our eyes and ears to the amazing lineage of hip-hop, funk, soul, rock etc. that the Beastie Boys were using as not just sound sources, but also for inspiration. They showed how wit and humor could be blended into music that was also smart and serious, and with a broad and complex sonic scope. While frat boys and squareheads may have ruined The Beastie Boys for some, you can never totally blame a band for their fans, and just because this record has been blasting in dorm rooms for the last 20 years doesn't mean it's not an amazing piece of music...because it is! The cd reissue features a pull out mini poster of the full artwork (much more than is on the cover), the lp folds out as a massive multiple gatefold, both versions include links to download some band commentaries.
A surprise of sorts comin' at ya from those beloved lil' Beasties. They've dished out a completely instrumental album! That's right no samples and no vocals whatsoever! The absence of their telltale voices allows for the tracks to reveal more clearly the deep and broad influences that other musical genres and elder artists have had on the Boys over the years -- '70s funk and soul, '60s spy movie kitsch, old school hip hop, Perrey & Kingsley, Afrika Bambaataa, The Meters, Santana and Run DMC. They checked their youthful, snotty, smartaleck, punky 'tudes at the door long ago, but despite their tempered maturity and composure, they clearly haven't lost their rambunctious playfulness. This is some solid fresh and funky goodness from start to finish. And yes, the ultra groove pop meister Money Mark is along for the ride too!
If you dug their 1996 In Sounds From Way Out! collection of instrumentals from their Ill Communication and Check Your Head albums, you won't wanna miss this.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
42 track, 2 disc anthology covering the entire span of the Beastie Boys extensive career. Includes the new single "Alive" plus rarities, unreleased tracks and an eighty-page booklet.
Finally, a full length from these Finnish post punks, fronted by none other than Mat 'Kvohst' McNerney, who also fronts aQ beloved avant black metal weirdoes Code, as well as apocalyptic psych-folk combo Hexvessel. Fans of those Code records no doubt dug the many Interpol-isms, woven into the group's black buzz, and for us, it's what made that band so weird and special, and that brooding, post punkiness takes center stage in Beastmilk, whose sound falls more in line with groups like the Holograms, Iceage, Grave Babies, Cold Showers and yeah, Interpol. Fans of that sound, that sort of modern, Joy Division beholden, gothic gloom punk, will flip their shit over Climax, which is chock full of noisy guitar squalls, angular minor key melodies, angsty, dramatic vox, pounding drums, angular riffage, all woven into tight, taut, tense, Wire-y jams that push all those same buttons. There's even a sort of Woven Hand vibe happening, McNerney's vocals a dead ringer at times for David Eugene Edwards, and Beastmilk's sound not that far removed from WH's more rocking apocalyptic swampy swagger. Noisy, punky, sinewy, hooky and still pretty heavy, Climax is a pretty perfect chunk of modern post punk gloom rock that we can't seem to stop listening to, although we haven't been trying all that hard either!
Second single (we have a few copies of the first, just ask) from this Finnish apocalyptic post punk combo, which features members of Hexvessel, Code, DHG, and sounds a lot poppier than we expected, reminding us a bit of the Holograms (whose full length is reviewed elsewhere on this week's list), or like a punkier Interpol, which is not a bad thing at all, the music is murky and washed out, the guitars a buzzy blur, driving drums and cool crooned clean vox, making this sound like some goth pop new wave artifact, doomy and melodic, propulsive and cold wave-y, at times a bit like a gothier post punkier Katatonia, the same sort of super hooky melody but still plenty heavy hybrid, the track "Void Mother" might be our new favorite jam, a seriously hooky and heavy slab of gloom pop that in a perfect world would be a post punk mixtape staple. Super rad. And very limited!
Sloan, Shins, Superchunk, The Stereo, Silver Sun... what do these bands have in common?
1. All their names start with an 's'.
2. They're great power pop bands.
3. They're some of our favorites for sure!
Well, this band just might be a case of "two out of three ain't bad"... and fortunately it's just the band name part that doesn't fit! But if The Beasts Of Eden's new cdep is any indication, they just might find themselves becoming a fave around here. High on energy and hooks with some glammy glossiness punchin' up the six songs!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
With a great deal of anticipation and apprehension, I dropped the needle on this, the first Beat Happening release in seven years. Almost immediately I felt a warm fuzzy nostalgic swelling of my heart. Honestly it's like Beat Happening never went away. It's Calvin, Bret and Heather just as we remember them. Of the two songs, Angel Gone is the prettier and stronger, while Zombie Limbo Time is much more ramshackle. The one thing I'd hoped for from this 7" was Heather on lead vocals, but you can have everything. Today it's primarily Calvin's turn on the mic. Groove back into their primal pop action. Stay tuned for the 6-box set of this very special and important band out very very soon.
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Well, alright!!! To complete the list of Beat Happening newly re-issued LPs here's the absolutely wonderful 'Black Candy'. Jump up and down on your bed with glee to the sounds of "TV Girl" and "Knick Knack". This is the real deal bub! Lo-fi pop at it's best. Let's all raise our cups of cocoa in salute to the punker than punk Calvin, Bret and Heather.
Kinda lost hope of ever seeing this special box set after the bazillionth time a new release date came and went. But holy hopscotch, here it is! "The final word on Beat Happening!" or so the sticker on the front proclaims. Was it really worth the wait? Well, for devoted fans of Calvin, Heather and Bret after all these years, who couldn't resist the appeal of a box set from their fearless K Punk faves all nicely compact and neatly designed? I'm sure that goes without saying, but for the rest, let's see...
Music-wise, you get all five albums (heck, these should already be a part of any self-respecting Beat Happening fan's library!) all uniformly presented in digipaks: the primal beat and often atonal singing of the self-titled debut and Jamboree, the more sing-song pretty Black Candy and Dreamy and the final You Turn Me On (produced in part by former Young Marble Giant Stuart Moxham). As well, you're also treated to a disc titled "Music To Climb The Apple Tree By" packed full of all the non-album previously released bells and whistles (which once again I have to say, any true blue B.H. devotee should already own!), that means all of their 7"s, compilation tracks and the 12" EP they did with the Screaming Trees. Other stuff? An exclusive cd/cd-rom collecting together music from the B.H./Vaselines split cassette and assorted early videos (including ones for "Hot Chocolate Boy" and "Pine Box Derby" as well as live footage of "Black Candy" on Olympia tv, "Cake Walk" from the International Pop Underground Convention '91 and "Cry For A Shadow" at a record store in Memphis). And for your reading enjoyment, queen of the Olympia/K Punk scene Ms Lois Maffeo has assembled a concise 92-page book filled with B.H. archives, personal recollections, grainy photos, interviews, etc. So is this the final word from the beloved Oly trio who were an immeasurable inspiration to indie kids everywhere and a d.i.y. force to be reckoned with back in the day? Who truly knows for sure? But it is without question the most comprehensive and lovingly assembled Beat Happening retrospective you'll ever find... and yes, it was worth the wait!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Lofi pop, deadpan vocals and super catchy melodies... ah, Beat Happening. And this reissue is quite possibly their best album (well, maybe next to 'Black Candy'). With such wonderful raw pop moments as "Fortune Cookie Prize", "Hot Chocolate Boy", "Nancy Sin", "Collide", "Cry For A Shadow", "Red Head Walking", "Me Untamed", "Revolution Come And Gone"... oh, that's almost the entire album! Relive the joyful, sweet early K days with Calvin, Heather and Bret. If you missed out back in '91, consider this your second chance at punker than punk-ness Oly-style 'cause this LP (along with 'You Turn Me On' and 'Jamboree') has been re-issued by K Records in preparation for the big Beat Happening cd boxset due out later this summer.
Now (again?) on cd! Jamboree is a wonderfully primal and totally punk pop album originally released by Rough Trade in '88 on which Heather, Bret, and Calvin are helped out by two Screaming Trees and a Steve Fisk. This record is the home of one of the prettiest dreamy lo-fi pop songs ever: Indian Summer (later covered by such mellow popsters as Dean Wareham and his band Luna) and paved the way for many young rough-around-the-edges and wet-behind-the-ears K Records combos to come.
Calvin, Heather and Bret have always walked to the beat of their own unique drum. Often that beat has been an unsteady or a just plain sloooow one. Case in point? Their Crashing Through 8 cd retrospective that was finally released in May of last year after an absurdly lengthy wait. Nonetheless, it was plenty welcome, and brought back many a fond memory. Such is the case with this Beat Happening odds'n'ends'n'rarities compilation too. Be forewarned, this cd was included in the boxset, so you very well might already own it!
For those as yet uninitiated to the true punk rock wonders of Beat Happening, this is actually a pretty good place to start. It's called Music To Climb The Apple Tree By, and that's perfectly appropriate for this one-of-a-kind band. These songs, compiled from a variety of 45s, promo 7"s and b-sides, are from as recent as 2000 ("Angel Gone" recorded by Phil Elvrum of the Microphones) and as far back as 1984 (the fabulous Heather-sung "Foggy Eyes" recorded in the KAOS radio studios). The last four tunes are from their rather obscure 1988 EP collaboration with Screaming Trees (hurrah!!!).
Of course, Beat Happening fans are a particularly devoted breed who undoubtedly have already loved to death their copy of the boxset, not to mention, tracked down each and every one of these tracks individually, but in case you haven't... A wonderful frequently atonal, primal pop treat.
The album that would be Beat Happening�s swan song. In the years following this 1992 release, indie kids around the world waited faithfully and hopefully for more from this wonderful, important, primitive pop trio, but no... sadly not another note was heard. Instead, Calvin�s Dub Narcotic Sound System surfaced, Heather vanished from the pop world, and Bret reportedly turned his attention towards the antiques business. Produced by Steve Fisk and Stuart Moxham (aka one third of the Young Marble Giants).
The re-issue of Beat Happening's debut from 1985! Includes a heap of rare stuff for your lo-fi true punk-hearted listenin' enjoyment.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
