In an undated but presumably recent video (circa 2006, 2007, I’d guess), Rose Melberg plays a pretty take on Portola stand-out “My Heaven, My Sky” with frequent collaborator Nick Krgovich of P:ano and Gigi. Videographer Robin Anderson has another pair of performances from the set on Vimeo — I’ve gone ahead and ripped two of these performances below. If anyone knows what the others are called, please comment away!
Rose Melberg – “My Heaven, My Sky” (live):mp3 Rose Melberg – “(Unknown – If You Want To Make Me Crazy)”:mp3
Springfield, Missouri power-pop geniuses Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin will release their third, title-TBA album on Polyvinyl this August, the band has announced. Death Cab member and Decemberists/Telekinesis producer Chris Walla was behind the boards, which makes summer seem that much farther away. In the meantime, get your fix with the band’s new cover of Spectacular Fantastic’s “Darkest Hour,” which you can stream here.
Mimicking Birds’ debut album is a haunted affair, introspective folk enveloped by ghosts. Those ghosts, of course, belong to Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, who produced Mimicking Birds at his home studio and owns the band’s label, Glacial Pace. On “Home and Somewhere Else” and “New Doomsdays,” Brock surrounds Birds frontman Nate Lacy with whispered echoes; on “Burning Stars,” it’s a stream of watery burbles that turn the song’s chugging 6th chords from angular to evocative. As with studio-oriented albums such as Akron/Family’s self-titled debut or last year’s Atlas Sound release, the swirling effects and found sounds enrich already vibrant music — Lacy’s voice, a quivering Will Johnson-esque lion, noble and vulnerable, would be compelling enough, but the album chooses to go deeper.
Ryan Adams super-fans have been following him on his Internet adventures for quite some time now, so it’s been interesting to see him jump to Facebook over the last few months as his main source of communication. Ol’ DRA has been dropping some serious hints on his official page lately — about a new album, an old album and even a possible tour as he gets his bearings back after taking time off due to tinnitus and Ménière’s disease. (And marriage. And book-writing. And art shows.)
New songs in the morning at one studio and Finishing old tunes in another in the evening! Trying to get it all together. Fingers crossed. Who Knows, Maybe I’ll even have to dust off the bat signal this fall…
Given that Ryan has (finally!) been releasing new material lately, including the upcoming “metal” album, Orion, through his own Pax-Am label and seems to be done with Lost Highway and the major label system, one can only hope this means our hero might actually, honestly, be working on the mythical box set we’ve been waiting for since 2004 or so. Not that I’d mind new jams, either! Speaking of which: here’s “Electrosnake,” the first single from Orion.
The only thing scary about Ghosty is how long they’ve flown under my radar. The Lawrence, Kansas, band has been recording since 2001’s Five Short Minutes, with only scattered output over the years until joining More Famouser records for a trio of new EPs. Last year’s A Mystic’s Robe was the first of them, three tracks of semi-sweet pop with a craving for melody. Singer Andrew Connor’s sincere tenor ambles through turns of phrase reminiscent of the Zombies or the Beach Boys even as the music opts for a gently minimal indie-pop arrangement approach. He earns his membership in the Droll, Conflicted Singer Club (President: 1996 Rivers Cuomo; Vice-Chair: 2007 Jens Lekman) on the pro-female “My Girl Is Strong,” singing “I don’t want a sleazy sex thing.” Judging by the music, what Connor wants is beauty, best showcased in the spectacularly Brian Wilson-esque “Secret Language.” So nope, nothing scary here – except the thought that you, too, haven’t heard Ghosty yet.
[Editor's note: This post originally appeared on June 16, 2009. It has since been updated with a U.S. release date and MP3.]
It’s been a bumpy ride for the Trashcan Sinatras. Including the forthcoming In The Music, the band’s released a mere five albums over 19 years — a surprising stat even in comparison to studio hermits like Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails. It’s been five years since 2004′s wonderful Weightlifting, and with that in mind, one begins to get an idea of just how hard it is to make perfect pop.
Like their melody-minded colleagues in Travis, the Sinatras hail from Glasgow, and their sound is pure Scotland: Wide-open acoustic chords, searing lead lines, blue-eyed soul singing that soars into the perma-grey sky. While not as instantly indelible as Weightlifting, In The Music was worth the delay; singer Frank Reader’s voice has aged like sweet wine, and songs such as “Should I Pray” are so effortless, the band could be sipping Mojitos on some Mexican cruise. Travis once asked, “Why does it always rain on me?” It seems the Sinatras’ long road has them hogging the sun.
I’m tardy for the party on this one, folks, but I wanted you to see these guys in action again. L.A. country-punks LA Font pulled themselves up by their bootstraps for their Silverlake Lounge gig, playing a pair of impressive new tracks and sounding cleaner (and meaner) than their Airliner show in January. More photos after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Mimicking Birds’ debut album is a haunted affair, introspective folk enveloped by ghosts. Those ghosts, of course, belong to Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, who produced Mimicking Birds at his home studio and owns the band’s label, Glacial Pace. On “Home and Somewhere Else” and “New Doomsdays,” Brock surrounds Birds frontman Nate Lacy with whispered echoes; on “Burning Stars,” it’s a stream of watery burbles that turn the song’s chugging 6th chords from angular to evocative. As with studio-oriented albums such as Akron/Family’s self-titled debut or last year’s Atlas Sound release, the swirling effects and found sounds enrich already vibrant music — Lacy’s voice, a quivering Will Johnson-esque lion, noble and vulnerable, would be compelling enough, but the album chooses to go deeper.
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The only thing scary about Ghosty is how long they’ve flown under my radar. The Lawrence, Kansas, band has been recording since 2001’s Five Short Minutes, with only scattered output over the years until joining More Famouser records for a trio of new EPs. Last year’s A Mystic’s Robe was the first of them, three tracks of semi-sweet pop with a craving for melody. Singer Andrew Connor’s sincere tenor ambles through turns of phrase reminiscent of the Zombies or the Beach Boys even as the music opts for a gently minimal indie-pop arrangement approach. He earns his membership in the Droll, Conflicted Singer Club (President: 1996 Rivers Cuomo; Vice-Chair: 2007 Jens Lekman) on the pro-female “My Girl Is Strong,” singing “I don’t want a sleazy sex thing.” Judging by the music, what Connor wants is beauty, best showcased in the spectacularly Brian Wilson-esque “Secret Language.” So nope, nothing scary here – except the thought that you, too, haven’t heard Ghosty yet.
[Editor's note: This post originally appeared on June 16, 2009. It has since been updated with a U.S. release date and MP3.]
on Lo-Five Records)
