Alex Winston's "Sister Wife" Video
If you like to start your weekend off right with a little dose of the bizarre, look no further than Alex Winston's "Sister Wife" video. The song itself is a strange pairing of undeniable catchiness and polygamous relationships as a subject, so it seems only fitting that the video would embrace a brand of chaos that includes (but is not limited to) gale force winds inside a house, pieces of bread flying out of a toilet, and a really ugly cat vomiting blood in Winston's face. It's weird and a little grotesque, but also kind of mesmerizing. You can purchase Alex Winston's Sister Wife EP here.
Website: Alex Winston Offical.com
Facebook: Alex Winston
Twitter: @IamAlexWinston
Boxer/Briefs #10
Photo by Annabel Mehran.
- Bombsite interviews Joanna Newsom.
- P4k asks Marissa Nadler about here favorites.
- The Awl ranks Bill Callahan songs.
Twin Sister :: "Bad Street" Video
New York dream poppers turned funk enthusiasts (at least on this song) have their debut full length, In Heaven, out September 27th via Domino. You can download the Bad Street 10" from their website here.
Twin Sister :: In Heaven
Twin Sister :: You Remind Me Of
Sufjan on WNYC's Soundcheck
photo Denny Renshaw
Hear Sufjan perform "Heirloom" off the All Delighted People Ep at 1:00, "Pleasure Principal" from The Age of Adz at 10:50, and "Futile Devices" off the same at 16:50. Interview takes place between performances. [via]
EDIT: Fast forward all the way through the first player and it will reload and play the bit with Sufjan (although the first segment is a fascinating look at Delta blues musician Son House).
Girls :: "Vomit"
Their sophomore effort, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, drops September 13th.
Gold Leaves :: The Ornament
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| Photo by Kyle Johnson |
Gold Leaves :: Cruel/Kind
Gold Leaves :: The Ornament
Upcoming Seattle Shows
Friday, Aug. 12
5 pm - Mural Amphitheater w/ Seapony
Thursday, Sept. 1
9 pm - The Crocodile Cafe, Record Release Show
Marissa Maharaj: Letters
Marissa Maharaj's album Letters, released on July 7th, is a seven-song album with humor, harmonies and heart. The album's sonic influences span a large spectrum, from the hand-clapping modern girl group feel of "Kill a Good Thing" to the folky banjo-infused "Sunny Side Up" to the lilting "Waltz (We Are in Love)", but where her sound is diverse, Maharaj's lyrics are, for the most part, uniformly upbeat. On "Better Off Alone," she sings "If you don't come home/ I'll try to be better / better off alone"; she seems to always be looking on the bright side, even in the face of trouble and heartache. Her songs buck pretensions and capture a youthful jubilance and an unjaded outlook on life and love that is not only refreshing, but also a perfect soundtrack for summer.
Marissa Maharaj - Kill a Good Thing
Marissa Maharaj - Better Off Alone
Twitter: @marissamaharaj
St. Vincent :: "Surgeon"
Spent the summer on your back, eh? "Surgeon" is tantalizing new track from St. Vincent ahead of her new album Strange Mercy, due out on 4AD in September.
Ryan Adams Covers Vampire Weekend
Ryan Adams is a man of many talents. Doing interesting covers is apparently one of them. Here, dressed in his Rivers Cuomo best, he turns the New England bark and bustle of Vampire Weekend's "Mansard Roof" into a delicate acoustic lullaby. [via + another video]
The Chances :: "No Escape" Video
Do you remember when we dreamt of sun like this? The Chances are that you do. And in your memory our time was soundtracked by silky melodies turning into lilting harmonies as we might have meandered around half empty beaches until the sun went down. But these are only memories of dreams and there is No Escape from them.
Cuddle Up With: Grand Hallway
Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party concluded last night, and while I was only able to attend the final day, I got to see some fantastic performances. Main Stage performances by Battles, Cave Singers, and Explosions in the Sky were excellent, but it was Grand Hallway's performance on the smaller Vera Project stage that wowed me the most.
Grand Hallway's sound is gentle and lilting, blending whispery fingerpicking, haunting harmonies, and the occasional melancholy pump-organ. It is the music of sleepy dreamworlds. The sonic lightness of their 2011 album Winter Creatures is juxtaposed by lyrical heaviness: motifs of familial ties, memory and mortality create an almost spectral quality, like a soul caught between the worlds of the living and of the dead. It's an album that is quiet but vast, expansive not in a showy look-what-I-can-do way, but in a way that is humble and brings the listener to a place that feels safe and warm and comfortable, almost like home.
Grand Hallway - Apple Tree
Grand Hallway - Little Sister
Check out the video for Grand Hallway's "Roscoe (What A Gift)" below. It was filmed in the Neptune Theater, where frontman Tomo Nakayama worked for a decade, before it was transformed from a movie theater into a live music venue. It's stunning.
Grand Hallway is playing The Crocodile in Seattle with Wye Oak and Say Hi on Tuesday, August 9. Buy tickets here.
Website: GrandHallway.com
Facebook: Grand Hallway
Twitter: @GrandHallway
A Winged Victory for the Sullen
A Winged Victory for the Sullen is the project of Adam Wiltzie and composer Dustin OʼHalloran. They will be releasing their first full-length in September.
A Winged Victory for the Sullen :: Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears
Hooray for Earth :: Sails
Music video for the track "Sails" from BCB-favorite Hooray for Earth. Directed by David Parker and Cole Schreiber.
Loney Dear :: My Heart
In 2009 we reviewed Loney Dear's Dear John, a heavy and rather dark album that seemed a bit out of place for the usually uplifting songwriter. Today brings the announcement of the band's new album Hall Music, out this fall. The first single, "My Heart" strikes the perfect balance between the group's earlier joyful sound and the maturity of Dear John. Like traditional Loney Dear songwriting, the song slowly rolls and gathers steam (and church bells) as it goes, arriving at a perfect blend of several layers, only to diminish as it began - with the light plucking of banjos. Highly recommended. [via Stereogum]
Loney Dear :: My Heart
Hall Music is out October 4 on Polyvinyl.
M83 :: Midnight City
Never was there a more appropriately titled track. "Midnight City," the dark and lively first single from M83's forthcoming double LP, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (Out October 8) was released today to well-deserved critical acclaim. It's a riotous song that easily passes as one of the catchiest singles of 2011.
While the song subtly embraces present trends (hello 80's saxophone, thanks again Dan Bejar...), it's never lost in them. Similar to his previous album, Saturday = Youth, M83 continues to mine the sound of long nights, boundless young love and endless movement. According to Gonzalez, "the direction of the album is very, very, very epic." Sounds about right so far. Check it out below.
M83 :: Midnight City
M83 will be in Seattle November 13 at Neumos. Check out the band's website for ticket information.
Cuddle Up With: The Local Strangers
The Local Strangers, comprised of midwestern transplants Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart, are masters of acoustic beauty. Their alt-country sound is all dulcet harmonies and folky fingerpicking, and their lyrics are earnest and honest enough to tug at the heart-strings of any run-of-the-mill grump. The tenderness with which Zoli sings "There's nothing left to leave here but you / so I'll take the scent of your shampoo / the way that nostalgic people do" in "All Along" is absolutely stunning, and an understated vocal companion to her powerhouse pipes. The Local Strangers also do a soul-crushingly beautiful, chills-inducing cover of Patty Griffin's "Forgiveness" (proof: this performance amongst California's Redwoods).
The Local Strangers - Hunted By Ghosts
The Local Strangers - All Along
Their self-titled EP was released on June 10, and can be downloaded in its entirety for free here. The Local Strangers are also playing at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle on Thursday, July 21. Tickets are $8, and you can buy them here.
Website: The Local Strangers.com
Facebook: The Local Strangers
Twitter: @Local_Strangers
The Bird and the Bee - I'm a Broken Heart
A tribute to heartbreak, this song
is a soundscape best experienced by the doleful.
If you're not taken by the brass (trombone solo? nice),
you've still to contend with the mellifluous voice of
Inara George. She reinterprets the classic in vintage
and makes it something her own.
Their website
Little Kids :: Logic Songs
Little Kid, aka Kenny Boothby, is one of these courageous few. Logic Songs is a rough collection of intimate, unadorned folk tunes that vary thematically from God to trains. In the spirit of early Akron/Family, Microphones and Julian Lynch, Boothby navigates the genre with a familiar ease.
Check out two tracks from the album below and if you like what you hear head over to Bandcamp to download the album for free.
Little Kid :: Let There Be Light
Little Kid :: The Lord Made Me Leave You
The Backyard Reading Series #1
This coming Saturday, July 16 at 7:30pm on Capitol Hill is the first in a series of local "backyard" summer readings. The event is completely free and features cheap food, cheap drinks, books for purchasing and live music from Portland's Childish.
If you are interested in literature, music, hot dogs or just having good, honest fun with good, honest people on a good, honest summer evening, this is for you. We hope to see you there.
Cults :: "Go Outside" Video
A cultish video for one of the catchiest, summery-est songs on one of the catchiest, summery-est albums of the year. Go outside indeed!
Cults :: "Go Outside"
Kanye, G.O.O.D. Music and SXSW
Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music project generally produces just that, good music. His performances are notoriously fantastic as well and this one at SXSW is no different. These are really worth your time as they include performances by Mos Def, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and of course, Kanye.
All Cameras On: Hot Bodies in Motion at The Round #73
Hot Bodies in Motion. Hannalee. Daniel Blue. One magical evening at The Round #73. There's a little bit of back story necessary to explain why this video is awesome. So let me start by explaining what The Round is.
The Round is an event put on approximately every month, generally at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center in Seattle, and it always features 3 musicians/bands, a couple slam poets, and a few visual artists. The Round is named after the format of the performance: one round consists of an initial reading by a slam poet, then one band/musician will play one song, and then the second band/musician will play one song, and then the third plays one song, and finally the second slam poet reads, with the visual artists creating art all the while. And then it starts all over again. Pretty interesting, right? What makes it even more interesting is that collaboration is highly encouraged: when a musician isn't performing their own song, they're welcome to vibe on and add musical flourishes to whatever song is being played. It was absolutely riveting to see how songs were built upon and transformed into entirely new entities through musical collaboration, especially since the bands hadn't really heard each other's songs before The Round.
Now let's talk about All Cameras On. All Cameras On asks audience members to record a performance using whatever camera they have with them, from fancy digital cameras to iPhones to esoteric Nokia bricks. Once they have all the different footage, they piece it all together into a single video. The above video was shot with two DSLRs and six phones. You can obviously tell the difference in the quality of each recording, but that's what makes it amazing: it's like a little patchwork quilt of experience, from different perspectives and through difference lenses (literally). I think this video really exemplifies the spirit of The Round and captures some of the magic that happens within such a collaborative space, in addition to just being a really well-put together representation of an experience.
If you like what you hear, there are free podcasts of songs from The Round #73 available for download here (sidenote: Hannalee's "Ocean" took me to another plane of existence when I first heard it at The Round, and has been on infinite play in my iTunes since the release of the podcast).
ALSO, The Round #75 is happening on August 9th at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center, and will feature Black Whales, so if you're in the Seattle area, it will definitely be worth checking out.
The Wandering Lake :: In Passage
This is an album to fall asleep to - not at night, but in the afternoon. It's nap music; which is not to say boring music, because it's not. The sound falls in the small space between melodic clarity and drifting, and in many ways is perfectly described by both the band's name and the album title. The music is "in passage" - it's traveling with a vague purpose, but a purpose none the less.
Check out the mesmerizing and beautiful "People" below, and head over to Bandcamp to download the full-length album (pay what you want).
The White Stripes Cover Otis Redding
Oh my mercy, there are no words to describe how incredible this White Stripes cover of Otis Redding's iconic "I've Been Loving You Too Long" is. Their characteristically low-fi sound is a delightful juxtaposition to the lilting melodies, and the guitar solo in the middle is a little slice of garage rock heaven. Why did the White Stripes break up again?
The Rest :: "John Huston"
This is just what I need right now. I have been working a lot and I am tired. I want to sleep, I want to Rest. Hailing from Hamilton, Canada, The Rest make sincerely gorgeous music that seems to breathe the crisp Canadian air. The vocals have a delicate urgency that is utterly compelling. Intricately layered arrangements percolate with strings and moments of intense percussion giving these songs a dynamic range that bears several listens.With an EP and a ten-song full length under their belt, The Rest are preparing their 2011 Seesaw for release (presumably) later this year. You can be sure I will let you know if I hear anything.
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Real Estate :: It's Real
Real Estate will be releasing a new album this fall titled, Days. Check out/download the album's lazy first single, "It's Real" below.
Other Lives :: For 12
Every once in a while an unassuming band comes along and creates beautiful, unassuming music. Fredrik's Na Na Ni, the Middle East's I Want That You Are Always Happy - these albums are not stylistically groundbreaking nor particularly courageous and thus typically fly under the hype radar.
Tamer Animals, the new album from Oklahoma's Other Lives, has a similar unpretentious air. With a smooth blend of atmospheric chamber folk and 60's psychedelic vocal harmonies, the album unfolds slow and steady. It is music that can easily pass through the ears of an inattentive listener without leaving much of an impression. But if you are willing to sit with Tamer Animals and strike up a conversation, there is a lot to love.
It’s not an album that’s going to blow you away – and it’s not trying to.
Cuddle Up With: Allen Stone
Allen Stone is a soul man. The Chewelah, WA native sings sexy soul music that is damn near impossible not to move your body to, and has enough swagger and charisma to warrant endless Justin Timberlake comparisons. He played for a packed house at the Crocodile in Seattle last Friday, July 8th, and absolutely killed it.
The show began with a stripped down mini-set of cover songs, including John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Road" and Ray LaMontagne's "Let It Be Me," backed up by fellow Seattle musicians Kris Orlowski and Ben Carson of Hot Bodies In Motion, among others. With a promise to "funk your shit up," he returned to the stage with a full band and set about making good on his vow. Booties were shaking and minds were blown. Allen Stone is one of the only musicians I've ever seen who appears to be wholly in his own skin onstage: you can tell just by the way that he sings and the way he moves that he's feeling every single thing he's singing in every single part of his body. There is not an ounce of him that appears to be faking it. He also plays the sexiest version of Bob Marley's "Is This Love"... EVER.
To witness an Allen Stone performance is truly something special. I watched an interview with Michelle Williams recently in which she was talking about what it was like to film some of the most difficult scenes in Brokeback Mountain, and she said: "I remember thinking... 'I want to be like water.' Strong enough to hold up a ship, but able to slip through your fingers." This statement is a perfect characterization of the way Allen Stone performs, in that his performances are fun and lighthearted and funky enough to wow even the most dour cynic, but there's also a level of vulnerability, a sort of willingness to be wounded, within the muscle of his performance. It's a tricky line to walk, but Allen Stone is able to project strength and vulnerability simultaneously, without ever coming off as prententious or sappy, and that is something worthy of praise.
Twitter: @allen_stone
Doug Hoyer :: Walks With the Tender and Growing Night
Nothing says summer like the combination of a deep baritone and a ukelele. Much in the vein of Beirut, Mountain Goats and Jens Lekman, Doug Hoyer crafts sharp and sophisticated pop songs that conjure summer-wind-through-the-hair images. His debut full-length, Walks With the Tender and Growing Night, is a vibrant collection of light-hearted tunes more than qualified to serve as your summer soundtrack. Check out two album tracks below and head over to Hoyer's Bandcamp page to purchase the album for a mere 7 bucks.
The Tallest Man on Earth :: Weather of a Killing Kind
Today we find a new track from Tallest Man on Earth featured in Adult Swim's weekly mp3 series. Check out "Weather of a Killing Kind," an understated and simple folk tune that is (thankfully) not much of a stylistic stretch for the talented songwriter
Hjaltalín - Traffic Music
Hjaltalín - a lesser-known indie ensemble from Reykjavik, Iceland. Kind of reminds me of a Nordic Sufjan Stevens. I really enjoyed their debut album, the Sleepdrunk Seasons, and I think I'll grow to love their latest (Terminal), too.
Wait for the bridge: the bassoonist plays melancholy, the clarinet commiserates its woodwind relative, and together they articulate something quite evocative. It's become a habit of mine to associate music with place - not an uncommon activity, I suppose. As for this situation, my little vignette reads: crisp morning, old friends - good friends -, frolicking about an Icelandic fjord. So... basically a Sigur Rós video.
The Embassy - Stage Persona
I was asked to make some sort of introduction upon my debut. Kind of dropped the ball, there. What's more, I actually hate that guy - the absentee blogger. So, as per request, myself properly introduced: Christian Truscinski, a reporter of things chillwave, dreampop, and remixes thereof. Musical provinces aside, I'm just another enthusiast to enlist in the brohort of BCB. As a disclaimer, I'll be breaking the rules now and again; that is, I might post something outside my official purview once in a while. Remixes are great, and I prefer to stay on theme, but I also subscribe to the "post stuff I like because I want to" notion of blogging. Hopefully you'll find my aberrations in good taste.
On to more important matters.
The Embassy, while neither the latest nor the greatest that Swedish electropop has to offer, is one of those soulful sojourns I love to take when I've exhausted my current playlist. Like other gems of Svenska - Air France and Little Dragon in particular - the Embassy is unabashedly pop. They're like a textural version of Peter, Bjorn and John, without the percussive virtuosity.
Lana Del Rey - "Video Games" (Video)
[via]
The best way to define heartbreaking is with this melody/voice combination from Lana Del Rey. Of the king indeed. Check more words here. I let you know if I find any mp3s.
Sleep Good - "Memory Cops"
[via]
Both of us at BCB were English majors (among other things) back in our college attending days, so when a band name like "Sleep Good" shows up, we can't help but giggle a little at the unrepentant disregard for propriety it exudes. This song is really short and sweet. Reminds me a bit of a more melodic and harmonious Wavves and leaves me wanting so much more. How am I supposed to sleep good in a situation like that?
Tasseomancy - "Heavy Sleep" Video
Tasseomancy is the project of Sari and Romy Lightman who recently recorded their second album with BCB favorite Timber Timbre. This track, "Heavy Sleep," sounds like a cathedral. Vocals sound like a cross between Jo-New and Bat for Lashes and alternate between chillingly cute and hauntingly ethereal. Video features all the gothic trimmings: blood, a sleeping (or dead) women in a Victorian dress, lightening. If you like, stay tuned. According to their myspace, the album will be released "sometime before the next thaw." Until then, check out their Takeaway Show here which gets a little Cocorosie (in the best way).
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