New album Contra out Jan. 11
PREVIEW: WATCH Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins”
Unless you really have been under a rock for the past year or so, even if you don’t follow the indie music scene, chances are you have heard of Vampire Weekend. This extraordinary foursome released a self-titled debut in early 2008 and immediately grabbed nationwide attention.
Finally, after what only seems like forever, they will be releasing their sophomore piece Contra. Due out in January the band has released a free download of the first track “Horchata” available on their official web page. Like the deal wasn’t sweet enough already, just a few days ago Vampire Weekend released the video for their first single “Cousins.” Full of bells, confetti and motion sickness, the video has Vampire Weekend written all over it. Don’t believe us? See for yourself.
– Irina Dvalidze, Multimedia Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Explosions in the Sky, I Was Searching and Then I Found, lyrics, MySpace, The Album Leaf, The Waste Land, Weaver at the Loom
Weaver at the Loom
PREVIEW: STREAM Weaver at the Loom’s I Was Searching and Then I Found on their Myspace
Everyone loves Explosions in the Sky. As one of the most innovative bands in the current music scene, Explosions has inspired multiple artists to delve into the world of musical epics. One brainchild of the band is Weaver at the Loom.
Like Explosions, Weaver is comprised of four members who each contribute their musical talents. The difference between the two bands: Weaver features vocals in every song. As was described on their Myspace, Weaver masterfully combines “atmospheric elements of groups like Explosions in the Sky and The Album Leaf with the songwriting grace of compositional masters Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay.” To add to this wonder, the lyrics of every song on the band’s only album, I Was Searching and Then I Found, flow together to make a story that could be comparable to Eliot’s The Waste Land. Much like Explosions, the album is meant to be listened to from start to finish.
With some of the most beautiful vocals I’ve ever heard and simple yet emotional instrumentation to compliment, I Was Searching and Then I Found could easily be classified into the coveted “album that I could never get tired of listening to” category. If you are listening to the album for the first time, here is what I recommend: play the album all the way through while reading the lyrics. It is honestly a spiritual experience.
–Elizabeth Vogt, Assistant Front-of-Book Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: British Sea Power, post-rock, Warren ellis, the spoils, gabon, incapulco, comic books, the authority, planetary, x-men, zola jesus, raise yr skinny fists, high wolf, gary war, stormwatch, nick cave
Warren Ellis loves music! People, not so much
PREVIEW: VISIT Warren Ellis’s website/blog
This was news to me, but apparently when Warren Ellis isn’t lovingly insulting half the world on Twitter or writing some of the most acclaimed comics of the past two decades (Astonishing X-Men, Planetary, Transmetropolitan, The Authority, Stormwatch, etc.), he’s critiquing relatively unknown music for the benefit of the greater blogosphere.
For anyone who’s initiated in any way to Ellis’s writing (notorious for meticulously layered plots, course dialogue and biting social commentary), it comes as no surprise that he would have just as strong opinions on music in 2009 as he does on everything else he writes about.
In his latest blog post, some highlights he discusses include Zola Jesus (“a beautiful ghost moaning from the shadows of a bombed-out cathedral”), High Wolf (“wet lo-fi tropical dreamstates”), British Sea Power (“the best piece of classical building/soaring postrock I’ve heard since ‘Raise Yr Skinny Fists.’ I mean, flat fucking out…”) and Gary War (“A gorgeous gurgling gargoyle of a thing”).
Sometimes it’s just cool to know that a 40+ year-old misanthrope — who introduced you to higher science fiction and colored your opinions of establishment politics — digs some of the same genres of music.
To ape Ellis’s own words and his tendency to close with brevity: “It is really bloody good, yes.”
– Eric Vilas-Boas, Managing Editor
[NOTE: This post pertains to Warren Ellis the writer. There is another Warren Ellis, a musician and composer who has collaborated with Nick Cave, info on him here]
Icelandic group, mum
PREVIEW: Visit múm’s MySpace
Like the title of their song, “Smell Memory” intimates, múm’s music will take you back to a time and place from moments past by a rapturous rousing of the senses. With this Icelandic band’s sublime blend of electronic squeaks and blinks alongside more traditional instrumentation, each person’s experience while listening to múm is bound to be different. Listen to “Dancing behind my eyelids” and let múm guide you on the best 20 minute zone out of your life.
– Carly Wolkoff, Front of Book Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Keira Knightley, Lady GaGa, Marilyn Manson, Natalie Portman, Sienna Miller
Evan Rachel Wood (right) is the best candidate to play Lady Gaga in a movie
PREVIEW: Cate Blanchett’s Bob Dylan Performance in I’m Not There.
Let’s face it, it’s only a matter of time until there’s a Lady Gaga movie, seeing as she already owns the face of pop music. The dilemma however is finding an actress who could accurately portray the enigma that is Lady Gaga.
The actress needs to be young, sexy, strut with serious attitude, and has to be a little weird. It crossed my mind several times that maybe the only person who fits the role is herself, but ever since 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), I learned it’s not fun watching celebrities play themselves. Even some of the best actresses in the world would see the challenge of becoming Lady Gaga, and that’s why making a list of candidates was so damn hard.
Ever since her tour-de-force performance in Thirteen (2003), Wood has secretly solidified herself as one of the most talented young actresses out there today. Not only does Wood have the talent to pull off the role, she’s also pretty weird–she dated Marilyn Manson, for crying out loud! They also semi-look alike, and I’m not going to knock Wood or any other actress for not having Lady Gaga’s honker–that’s what good makeup is for. And sex appeal? Check.
Sienna Miller is another talented actress who too often doesn’t receive her due. Not only is Miller talented as hell, like when she played Edie Sedgewick in Factory Girl (2006), but she also evokes sex and attitude. Rachel McAdams is talented too, but she doesn’t have the personality to pull off Lady Gaga—that’s the difference.
Natalie Portman is probably too cute to play Lady Gaga but her body of work shows versatility, like Alice in Closer (2004) and Evey in V for Vendetta (2005). Also, if you ever saw her role in Hotel Chevalier (2007), Wes Anderson’s short film, you know how bold and sexy she can be.
Ever since the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I’ve lost complete respect for this woman. However, she has similar facial features and best of all–she’s English. And we all know how much Lady Gaga likes pretending she’s English.
I know this is a stretch since Blanchett is a good 20 years older than Gaga, but in my mind, if you can play Bob Dylan like she did in I’m Not There (2007), you can play anyone. She got robbed at the Oscars, in my opinion, and with enough CGI, she could look like a 23-year old. She’s quite possibly one of the best actresses of our time, so it’s wrong to leave her out of the conversation.
What are your thoughts? DEBATE!
– Jett Wells, Assistant Multimedia Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: 30 Seconds to Mars, Attack, From Yesterday, Kings and Queens, Requiem for a Dream, The Kill
"Kings and Queens" is the first single off 30 Seconds to Mars' This Is War
PREVIEW: WATCH 30 Seconds to Mars’ new video for “Kings and Queens“
30 Seconds to Mars have never been a groundbreaking band. They write some decent rock songs, and their lead singer is a really good actor. (If you haven’t seen Requiem for a Dream, rent it immediately.) The one thing they always did well was make music videos. “Attack, The Kill and From Yesterday” are really cool music videos. In an age where the art of the music video is waning, these guys continued to make some cool, long form music videos. Sadly, their latest music video for “Kings and Queens” is a disappointment. Some of the shots of a deserted Los Angeles are cool, but all the video does is show a bunch of people riding bikes. Watch the video and let me know what you think.
– Eric Hoffman, Features Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: alex scally, Beach House, norway, teen dream, Victoria legrand
Beach House's "Norway" is a preview for third album, Teen Dream
PREVIEW: LISTEN to the track at Beach House’s MySpace
Staring low and subtle, Beach House’s “Norway” quickly ups the pace to a rapid and frenzied gallop. Still, it maintains the dreamy pop narrative which band members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have perfected so well since 2006.
“Norway,” for those who didn’t notice the news earlier in the week, is the first offering from Beach House’s third album, Teen Dream. It’s an appropriate name for the band’s Sub Pop debut, as we can tell from the sound of this track at least. Themes lend to more youthful tendencies, and overall, it reeks of the type of teen pop charm you can’t help but appreciate. If the rest of the album’s anything like this, we’re in for a treat come its January 26th release date.
– John Cassillo, Reviews Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: beck, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Heaven Can Wait
Charlotte Gainsbourg just released a wonderfully weird video for her song "Heaven Can Wait"
PREVIEW: WATCH “Heaven Can Wait”
French singer-songwriter and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg recently premiered a video to her song “Heaven Can Wait” featuring Beck, according to spinner.com. The video is nothing but the singer and a long list of random images such as a chubby kid dancing around with a guitar, two men holding a missile with the “nachos” on it and a skateboard resting on hamburger buns. There is really only one phrase that comes to mind when watching it: wonderfully weird. Whether it makes you laugh or just leaves you with a confused look on your face (my reaction was a combination of the two), it’s definitely worth taking a look at.
– Kelsey Bennett, Copy Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Afro-pop, Fool's Gold, Friends, Luke Top, Plainest Draught
Luke Top, lead singer of Fool's Gold
PREVIEW: LISTEN to Luke Top’s “Plainest Draught” on his MySpace
You know when you find a song that pulls at your heart strings, but you don’t really know why? That’s how I feel about Luke Top’s “Plainest Draught.” Half of the lyrics are incomprehensible, but for some reason it’s become the song that I play on repeat at least five times a day. Maybe it’s the mild angst in his voice, or the way the music creates emotion itself, without any help from words. All I know is that whenever I listen to this song, every feeling I’m having is brought to the surface and vanishes- almost like a self-cleansing.
Luke Top, lead singer of Fool’s Gold, has definitely strayed away from the happy-go-lucky, Afro-pop music his band is known for in his solo career. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that his music isn’t happy; he just shows a few more emotions in his unaccompanied works. And I must say I’m pretty thankful for it, since now whenever I’m in a weird mood I just play this song and suddenly, everything is right with the world.
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Australia, Frontier Psychiatrist, Lawrence of Arabia, Polyester, The Avalanches
When you discover a new song through a friend or acquaintance, you usually go home, do a little research and download it almost immediately. You might spend about an hour or so typing the lyrics in Google, but for the most part, there’s instant gratification. Some of us are not so fortunate…
During my freshman year of high school, I carpooled with my cool, indie-music-savvy friend who would always play the best music on our dreary, early-morning rides to school. One day, she put on quite possibly the weirdest song I had ever heard. It sounded like a bunch of lines from movies were meshed with music and random sound effects. Little did I know, the song was “Frontier Psychiatrist” by well-known Australian act The Avalanches.
Unfortunately, being the meek little freshman that I was, I never asked the name of the song. No matter how hard I searched, for some odd reason, I could never find the song for at least 4 years. This past Thursday, I walked into my friend’s room to find something incredible playing on his laptop. It was the video for “Frontier Psychiatrist”. I screamed out of pure joy and disbelief. I couldn’t believe after almost 5 years of searching I had finally found this song!
All anecdotes aside, “Frontier Psychiatrist” is agreeably one of the most brilliant and unique songs to ever be created this decade. Released as a single from The Avalanches‘ Since I Left You, the eclectic track samples various lines and scores from movies such as “Polyester” and “Lawrence of Arabia“. The video is just as trippy, but strangely, you can’t help but watch it at least twice. Needless to say, whatever The Avalanches decide to put out next will surely be “crazy to coconut”.
– Elizabeth Vogt, Assistant Front of Book Editor
