L.A. photog (and rad Happy Hollows video director) Benjamin Hoste is doing a photo exhibition at Origami Vinyl tonight, complete with drinks and jams. Details after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Playing a little catch-up: album release dates for new discs by the Hold Steady (!), Phosphorescent (with an MP3!) and remastered reissues of the totally essential first three Destroyer albums are in the 2010 release calendar. You can stream (and pre-order, obvs.) those Destroyer records over at Merge.
Another wonderful peek into the camera-free world of Largo. As I noted last time, let these videos whet your appetite for the unparalleled, unrehearsed glory of a Jon Brion live show, not a La Cienega bootlegging expedition.
Previously: Fiona Apple & Jon Brion – “He’s Funny That Way”
There’s nothing faked about Holy Fiction, a band as sincere as they come. It’s not a bad thing. Singer Evan Lecker has the pipes of an equally tormented sibling of Jason Molina, standing as the wounded, baritone heart of a lushly layered album that draws on the ethereal briskness of the Sea and Cake and the chamber-rock melodrama of Carissa’s Weird. While the Sea and Cake get by on Sam Prekop’s vocals breezing right alongside the arrangements, Lecker brings a grungy intensity to Holy Fiction’s sound, making for a record that’ll sit awkwardly among its less, ahem, emotionally direct indie rock colleagues. In that respect, Carissa’s Weird is the more obvious influence, but Holy Fiction’s efforts are less damaged – and thus less draining for the rest of us. Hours From It is a promising debut; I’m looking forward to what Holy Fiction invent next.
(Hours From It is out today from Nile Music)
Holy Fiction – “Iron Eyes”: mp3
More: New Music | 2010 Album Release Calendar
Pals, if you haven’t checked out the first half of Cokemachineglow’s end-of-decade fantasy podcast (the webzine’s annual exclusive collection of brand-new covers), no excuses: it is free and you should go download it. If, for some reason, you still need some incentive, here’s one of the set’s weirdest stand-outs: Touching Earth Made of Steel’s warped electro-pop take on Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A” and Daniel Johnston’s “Spirit World Rising.” (Fair warning: the Ned Collette Broadcast cover will blow your mind.)
Touching Earth Made of Steel – “Party in the Spirit World”: mp3
More: New Music | 2010 Album Release Calendar
Photo by David Greenwald
L.A. psych-folkies Pepper Rabbit are playing a KEXP session starting in about five minutes. Stream it here. Anyone with the necessary software taping this one?
From here on out, The Rawking Refuses To Stop! is now officially Rawkblog, a title decision that the Internet has conspired to make for me for the last couple years anyway. That said, the rawking will of course continue refusing to stop and I’m grateful to have your readership in my ongoing quest to blog about the best music nobody else cares about. Living the dream!
Gamble House’s gamble, of course, is whether or not people will notice that the indie-folk project is a dead ringer for the vocal strains and guitar style of Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen — or whether they’ll care. Decide for yourself at the group’s free Silverlake Lounge Monday night residency, which continues tonight, but “Central Park” is at least one worthwhile derivative. Live, the Ben Becker-fronted group goes electric (or at least they did last week, and to excellent effect) and will be playing to an audience of dozens rather than the Hollywood Palladium, which I’d say are two more checks in the “win” column.
Gamble House – “Central Park”: mp3
More: New Music | 2010 Album Release Calendar
