Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Animal Collective, fall be kind, Grateful Dead, merriweather post pavilion, unbroken chain, what would i want? sky
Animal Collective deliver once again with their latest EP Fall Be Kind
PREVIEW: VISIT Animal Collective’s MySpace
WE GIVE IT: 17/20 Watts
Met with the tough task of following up one of the year’s best albums, Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective’s Fall Be Kind had to deliver big. Lucky for us, the band that continues to rise to, and set the bar for the challenges of today’s music scene, was up for the assignment.
Fall Be Kind is everything Merriweather Post Pavillion is not. It’s raw, unstructured and loose. The tame pop conventions are gone, and in their place dance wild and schizophrenic sonic experiments in the mold of the band’s earlier material. Instead of aiming to recreate the sound of their hit album from January, Animal Collective remade their old sound in their new, more electronically-altered image. (more…)
Filed under: Issue 19, Issue 19 Reviews | Tags: Atlas Sound, Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Noah Lennox, Bradford Cox, Logos, Stereolab, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, Mediafire, Microcastle, Weird Era Cont., The Dovers, Laetitia Sadiera
Atlas Sound's Logos
WE GIVE IT: 15/20 Watts
MEDIA: Check out our Atlas Sound PODCAST
Last August, Bradford Cox (Atlas Sound, Deerhunter) accidentally released an unfinished version of Logos on his Mediafire account. He debated scrapping the project altogether after the unintentional leak, cursing the interwebs with “fuck this shit. I can just make another album. It’s not finished and now it never will be.”
It’s safe to assume that Cox has since forgiven us — he did, after all, complete this album. Now the question becomes whether diehard fans will forgive him for the major style changes on this LP. (more…)
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Lil Wayne, Kings of Leon, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Weezer, Perez Hilton, Devendra Banhart, The All-American Rejects, Rivers Cuomo, Tyson Ritter, Nick Wheeler, Band of Bees, PETA
Weezer just finished a collaboration with Nick Wheeler and Tyson Ritter of The All-American Rejects for upcoming album Raditude
Keeping with the collaborative theme of their new album, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has recently finished up a track for Weez’s new album, Raditude, featuring Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler of The All-American Rejects. The song, entitled “Put Me Back Together,” follows Weez’s collaboration with Lil’ Wayne, “Can’t Stop Partying.” Ritter told RS, “I was playing Weezer songs when I was 13 at parties, so now I can die happy.” Look for the track when the album drops on November 3rd.
It’s about time that we got an iTunes Originals session from New York’s garage-punk rockers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Pitchfork gives us a look at the details of today’s release, which include studio tracks, interview clips, and unreleased acoustic versions of some of YYY’s most well known tracks. Check it out here.
Devendra Banhart’s seventh release, What Will Be, is set to drop from Warner Bros. Records on October 27th. Both Banhart and Band of Bees’ Paul Butler have dually produced the record, reports Stereogum. He has reportedly reenlisted the band that played behind him on 2007’s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon: Noah Georgeson, Greg Rogove, Luckey Remington and Rodrigo Amarante. Fans that can’t wait the week for this highly anticipated freak-folk release can stream it now here (you can thank us later).
Staying true to their namesake, Animal Collective has just stepped up with PETA to protest Canada’s aptly named annual “Seal Slaughter.” The slaughter is responsible for the death of thousands of seals annually (60,000 in 2009), and celebrities such as Perez Hilton and the guys from AnCo have begun passionately speaking against the practice, reports Pitchfork. Check out the video, where Geologist eloquently states, “We all really like animals and seals, especially.” We like your enthusiasm, Geo.
Nashville’s indie rockers Kings of Leon will be releasing their most recent concert footage on DVD, reports Pitchfork. The release, entitled Live at the O2 London, England documents a June 2009 show. Look for its release on November 10th and on November 24th in Blu-Ray.
– John Luposello
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, Bradford Cox, Logos, Panda Bear, Stereolab
Atlas Sound's sophmore album brings in a couple contributors to create an eclectic bunch of songs
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Atlas Sound’s Walkabout MP3
WE GIVE IT: 17/20
Atlas Sound’s Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) decided to release Logos, a year after its premature, accidental leak. The album is a step in a new direction for Atlas Sound, as it’s far more diverse in influence, yet still maintains the essence of Cox’s song-writing. Starting slow, Logos suddenly shifts into a 1960s-sampled riff, complemented by Noah Lennox (Panda Bear, Animal Collective) in “Walkabout”. The surprisingly upbeat feeling continues through to the effects-laden acoustic “Shelia,” while Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab) also lends her vocals to the short, “Quick Canal.” Overall, Logos is an engaging album, gripping in its energy and infectious in its enthusiasm.
Check our full review in the latest issue of 20 Watts!
– Ryan McManus
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: No Age, Animal Collective, Lady GaGa, Moby, Oasis, Bradford Cox, Phish, All Tomorrow's Parties, Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Bruce Springstein, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Liam Gallagher: "Oasis is no longer"
Rolling Stone reports on the official demise of Britpop icons Oasis. While reports in August were made of an apparently physical altercation between the Liam and Noel Gallagher backstage after a show, it wasn’t until Liam said in an interview with Times U.K. that, “Oasis is no longer. I think we all know that. So that’s done,” Liam said. “Without a doubt. And it’s a shame but that’s life. We had a good run at it.” [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: The 20.1: An Essential Guide to Britpop]
Lady Gaga has released cover art and more details about her upcoming album The Fame Monster. This new release will compile her debut album and eight unreleased tracks. “Originally [my label] only wanted me to put out three songs and now it’s much more than that. It’s a new album’s worth of material,” said the singer-songwriter. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" Video]
Rolling Stone speculates on the possible outcome of Phish’s “musical costuming” for this upcoming Halloween, when they’ll be playing another artist’s album in its entirety. Many who’ve been following the campaign on the group’s Festival 8 page suspect that they might try their hand at Bruce Springsteen’s classic Born to Run. We think it’s plausible, seeing as Phish headlined this year’s Bonnaroo with the Boss, performing a few of his originals onstage. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: The Boss Turns 60]
Moby will reportedly be donating all of the proceeds from three of his October tour dates to the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. Perhaps he still feels guilty from his oh-so-public feud with the docile Eminem. Regardless, the funds will definitely be put to good use, seeing as Governor Schwarzenegger has voted to eliminate state funding of domestic abuse shelters as a stipulation of a budget cut introduced this July. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Moby's "Shot in the Back of the Head" Video]
Stereogum shows us how to best spend $125 at New York’s recent indie festival, All Tomorrow’s Parties. While there are plenty of awesome (and thrillingly unethical) ways to blow away your hard-earned cash at the Festival (vegan food is far from cheap these days), the Gum coaxed a few bands to take their cash and have a good time with it. Watch Animal Collective, No Age, Bradford Cox and Boredoms‘ Boadrum 9 drummers Zach Hill, Hisham Bharoocha, Aaron Moore, and Jeremy Hymen drop some coin at ATP. Hilarity ensues.
– Lorna Oppedisano and John Luposello
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Iggy Pop, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Stereogum, The Fiery Furnaces, Pitchfork, Sebastien Tellier, The Morning Benders, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, All Tomorrow's Parties, Mountain Goats, pavement, Girls, Filter, Danger Mouse, The Life of the World to Come, The Dandy Warhols, Jay Reatard, Growing, Amazing Baby, Viva Radio, +1 Records, Ida Maria, Jemina Pearl, Sparklehorse, The BPA
Is Animal Collective releasing another album before the new year?
PREVIEW: Download Animal Collective’s “Brother Sport” MP3.
Both Stereogum and Pitchfork commented today on Animal Collective’s latest plans, namely a random, coverless album that’s cropped up on Amazon.com. It’s called Fall Be Kind and is available for pre-order for a mere $11.83. Currently that’s all that anyone knows about the release. In other news, the experimental film that the band’s been working is nearly ready for release. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Best Albums of the Year So Far]
Stereogum also premiered a new Ida Maria video today. Ida Maria re-released her song “Oh My God” from the album Fortress Round My Heart, this time with vocals from the legendary Iggy Pop. Stereogum took issue with Iggy Pop’s baritone vocals supporting acts like Jemina Pearl, Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and The BPA, not to mention on his own jazzy releases. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Iggy and The Stooges Get Nommed]
Did you miss the Mountain Goats on “The Colbert Report” last night? Watch their performance of “Psalms 40:2″ here on Colbert’s website. Colbert had a field day with the Mountain Goats’ biblically inspired latest album, The Life of the World to Come. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews The Mountain Goats’ The Life of the World to Come]
For all the European Pavement fans out there disappointed by their NYC reunion, do not fret. Pavement are scheduled to headline All Tomorrow’s Parties on May 14-16 in Minehead, England, Pitchfork reports. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor’s Pick #180: Pavement’s Reunion]
Brooklyn’s own Viva Radio has announced the release of a compilation including the likes of The Dandy Warhols, Jay Reatard,The Fiery Furnaces, Growing, Amazing Baby, and Sebastien Tellier, reports Filter. Entitled The Best of Me + You Vol. 1, the album was recorded between 2007 and 2009 in their Brooklyn studios and will include interviews and songs from some of the station’s guests. To make the offer even more enticing, the disc is available for purchase along with a limited edition Me + You t-shirt. We’re sold!
Filter also reports that Berkeley-based indie rockers the Morning Benders will play several shows with Grizzly Bear and Girls during their Fall tour. The Benders hooked up with Grizzly Bear on the production of their latest album, Big Echo, which was co-producer by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor. The album is set to drop in March 2010 on +1 Records. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage:Editor's Pick #172: Grizzly Bear's "While You Wait For The Others" (Feat. Michael McDonald)]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: Features | Tags: Times New Viking, No Age, Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Yo La Tengo, The Velvet Underground, Vivian Girls, My Bloody Valentine, Wavves, Dinosaur Jr., Japandroids, a place to bury strangers, Flipper, The Shop Assistants, Daydream Nation, Archers of Loaf, Helium, Mercury Rev
PREVIEW: Download 20 Watts’ NOISE POP MIX on Mediafire
The “noise pop” label was essentially created by music journalists who couldn’t describe what The Jesus and Mary Chain were getting at in the 1980s. With their pristine pop song structures and messy punk rock aesthetic, the Scottish four-piece took rock in a direction it hadn’t gone before. And as the current popularity of noisy, feedback-heavy bands like No Age, Japandroids and Vivian Girls suggests, neither fans nor musicians have looked back since.
So what’s the very best in noise pop? 20 Watts’ ERIC VILAS-BOAS has the answer in our fourth 20 installment. Watch for new 20s each Thursday, only on 20 Watts, and check out our previous 20s below!
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Animal Collective, Fat Cat Records, Forget the Night Ahead, My Bloody Valentine, shoegaze, Sigur Ros, The Twilight Sad
Forget the Night Ahead plays more maturely than The Twilight Sad's first record
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD The Twilight Sad’s “I Became a Prostitute” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 15/20 Watts
“Shoegaze” comes to mind upon initial listen to The Twilight Sad’s Forget the Night Ahead. Two years after their debut studio album, the band has gotten noisier, grungier and bigger than fans may have expected. Their tracks are now primarily accented with distorted guitars and dark, heavy lyrics. But beyond that initial impression, you get the feeling that the band’s members have experienced quite a bit of growing up recently.
The album may be louder, but it is also more mature. Each track flows together, connected with experimental breakdowns and an instrumental number, “Scissors.” Both show a growing concern with guitar over vocals. Cohesion seems to be pertinent to the album’s construction, as opposed to their last album. Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, though a good first release, played like random songs in a haphazard order. Here, there is a definite musical and lyrical reasoning behind the tracklisting. (more…)
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: All Tomorrow's Parties, Animal Collective, ATP, Beyonce, Bradford Cox, Cosmic Egg, Deerhunter, hiatus, Jim Carroll, Jim Carroll Band, John Cale, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Lou Reed, MGMT, MTV, Panda Bear, Pearl Jam, Ratatat, Sigur Ros, Stephen Colbert, Taylor Swift, The Flaming Lips, Tiesto, VMAs, Wolfmother, you belong to me
Kanye's drama queen antics rained on Taylor's parade
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Taylor Swift’s “You Belong to Me” MP3
When Taylor Swift won Female Video of the Year at last night’s VMAs for “You Belong to Me,” egomaniac Kanye West just had to have the last word. Interrupting her special moment, the rapper hopped on stage, grabbed the mic, and announced that Beyonce better deserved the award for “Single Ladies.” Cameras cut to Beyonce, who could be seen mouthing “Kaannyee” in as much surprise and disgust as the audience. Taylor was left speechless and was escorted off the stage. When Beyonce won Video of the Year later in the night, she invited Taylor back onstage. Kanye later insincerely apologized via his blog. His outburst has already led to parodies like this one. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: To Celebrate Kanye West's New Book, A Compilation of Genius Kanye-isms]
SPIN gives readers the best and worst of New York’s All Tomorrow’s Parties this past weekend. Participants included The Flaming Lips, Panda Bear, Animal Collective and Deerhunter, amongst many others. One of the most notable moments however, was not of the musical variety. Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox announced mid-set that the band will be going on hiatus, effective immediately, to work on other projects. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews The Flaming Lips' "Silver Trembling Hands"]
Wolfmother paid a visit to SPIN’s NYC office to chat with the magazine, and play a few songs, which were captured on video here. Among them were two older tracks, one off of the upcoming Cosmic Egg and a Neil Young cover. Some may recognize the band from the (500) Days of Summer and Spider-man 3 soundtracks, respectively. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews (500) Days of Summer OST]
Pitchfork and The New York Times reports that Jim Carroll died of a heart attack in his apartment on Friday. Carroll is most renowned for penning 1978 Basketball Diaries, but he was also a poet and musician as the frontman of the influential punk rock band, the Jim Carroll Band. He has worked with artists such as Lou Reed, Pearl Jam, and John Cale. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Beck Covers The Velvet Underground]
The Flaming Lips will appear on “The Colbert Report” this Wednesday, September 16, Pitchfork reports. The band will likely perform a song from their latest album, Embryonic, as well as chat with Stephen. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews The Flaming Lips' "Silver Trembling Hands"]
In a new interview with Eyeweekly.com, Andy Rourke, former bassist of The Smiths, stated that he was fired from the band by a note left on his car by Morrissey. Denying the claims, Morrissey said this wasn’t the first time Rourke has perpetuated this story. “It is a recurring comment whereby Andy confirms that his dismissal from The Smiths was made via a handwritten postcard from me telling Andy, ‘You have left The Smiths’,” Morrissey said. “If such a postcard ever existed, it is likely that an unfunny stunt was played on Andy by someone attempting Morrissey-scrawl — easily done.” Morrissey will kick off a fall European tour in October. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews (500) Days of Summer OST]
Pitchfork premieres the latest Tiesto track, which features Sigur Ros’ Jonsi Birgisson. The seven-and-a-half minute “Kaleidoscope” is off his forthcoming full-length album due to hit stores October 20. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Jonsi and Alex's Riceboy Sleeps (Sigur Ros Side Project)]
According to Stereogum, Kid Cudi performed “Pursuit of Happiness” on the Late Show with David Letterman this past Friday night. Backed by snappily dressed backup singers, a string section and Ratatat, who appear on the album version of the song along with MGMT, the performance was a great success. Letterman praised it as having “a lot going on there” and endorsed the album. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: News of Note: Pitchfork Posts New Kid Cudi Song]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Deerhunter, sufjan stevens, Animal Collective, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Music Hall of Williamsburg, The Flaming Lips, Cryptacize, The Bowery Ballroom, All Tomorrow's Parties New York, Asthmatic Kitty
A Sufjan tour coming to a coffee shop near you
PREVIEW: Download Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago” MP3
Indie-folk god Sufjan Stevens announced today that he would be embarking on an exceptionally intimate fall tour in parts of Canada and the Eastern United States. The tour kicks off at All Tomorrow’s Parties New York, in Monticello, NY, and while that, admittedly isn’t too tiny a venue (also showcasing The Flaming Lips, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Deerhunter, and Animal Collective, among others), the rest of them on the itinerary, like the Music Hall of Williamsburg or the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and Castaways in Ithaca, are.
At these smaller shows, Sufjan will be supported by Asthmatic Kitty labelmates Cryptacize, whose latest album dropped earlier this year. Here’s a full list of the venues they’ll be hitting:
09/12 Monticello, NY @ ATP New York
09/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
09/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
09/23 Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
09/24 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
09/25 Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
09/26 Champaign, IL @ The High Dive
09/27 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
09/28 Madison, WI @ The Majestic
09/29 Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk Chumley
10/01 Toronto, Ontario @ Lee’s Place
10/02 Montreal, Quebec @ Cabaret
10/03 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
10/04 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/05 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/06 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
– Eric Vilas-Boas, Production Editor
