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Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. editor@thestranger.com (The Stranger Editor) webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/19/stream-master-musicians-of-bukkakes-grand-new-lp-far-west http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/19/stream-master-musicians-of-bukkakes-grand-new-lp-far-west Dave Segal <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:362px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/7fe9/1371677255-master-musicians-of-bukkake-far-west-artwork.jpg" alt="Master-Musicians-Of-Bukkake-Far-West-Artwork.jpg" title="" width="350" height="350" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Important Records; art by Simon Fowler</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>Shapeshifting Seattle ethnodelic troupe <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/east-infection/Content?oid=1032152">Master Musicians of Bukkake</a> released their <em>Far West</em> album yesterday on <strong>Important Records</strong>. <em>The Quietus</em> has a full stream of the group's fifth studio album <a href="http://thequietus.com/articles/12567-master-musicians-of-bukkake-far-west-stream">here</a>.<br /> <br />After going deeply into the Far East with their <em>Totem</em> trilogy, 2012 <strong>Stranger music Genius</strong> contenders <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MMOBMUSIC">MMOB</a> majestically return to their natural domain, with powerful results. I wrote about the LP's first two songs&#8212;<a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/08/master-musicians-of-bukkake-preview-forthcoming-lp-far-west-with-white-mountain-return">"White Mountain Return"</a> and <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/14/the-solemn-majesty-of-master-musicians-of-bukkake-gnomi">"Gnomi"</a>&#8212;in previous Line Out posts; the rest of <em>Far West</em> conjures a kind of otherworldly yet pastoral vibe, an ultravivid, ritualistic folkadelia that makes your life seem utterly momentous while it's gently roaring through your headspace. This stuff sounds at once forbiddingly Medieval and contemporary&#8212;a real deity-tickling triumph. </p> <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F96872342"></iframe></p> <p>Album credits after the jump.</p> <p><em>Far West</em> tracklising:<br />1. &#8216;White Mountain Return&#8217;<br />2. &#8216;&#947;&#951;-&#957;&#959;&#956;&#959;&#962; : GNOMI&#8217;<br />3. &#8216;Arche&#8217;<br />4. &#8216;Cave Of Light &#8211; The Prima Materia&#8217;<br />5. &#8216;You Are A Dream Like Your Dreamer &#8211; The Dark Peace&#8217;<br />6. &#8216;Circular Ruins&#8217;</p> <p>Note: lyrics and music for &#8220;Circular Ruins&#8221; based on the <strong>Jorge Louis Borges</strong> story of the same title.</p> <p>MASTER MUSICIANS OF BUKKAKE is:<br />David Abramson: percussion, drums, tef, shaman shakers, green fog<br />B.R.A.D: percussion, vocals, candles, sights unseen<br />Don McGreevy: percussion, drums, 12 string electric and acoustic guitar, mellotron, bass, brass arrangements<br />Randall Dunn: korg analog synths, mellotron, divining rod, water seeking foolishness<br />Milky: electric and acoustic guitar, synths, vocals, mossy fuzz<br />Timm Mason: electric guitar, serge modular synth, electric bass, insects</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/19/stream-master-musicians-of-bukkakes-grand-new-lp-far-west#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=17062024&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/19/stream-master-musicians-of-bukkakes-grand-new-lp-far-west?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=17062024&id=comments 0 Stream Master Musicians of Bukkake&#8217;s Grand New LP, <i>Far West</i> Important Records; art by Simon Fowler Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:43:30 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/18/are-you-fucking-kidding-kanye http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/18/are-you-fucking-kidding-kanye Megan Seling <p>Along with the rest of the world, I listened to <em>Yeezus</em> this morning, now that it's up on Spotify. Turns out <strong>Kanye West loves to stick his dick in things</strong>. Who knew? Also, look who makes a guest appearance on the song "I Am a God" (in which West demands that <strong>someone bring him some croissants</strong>):</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ca94/1371577675-screen_shot_2013-06-18_at_10.29.32_am.png" alt="Screen_shot_2013-06-18_at_10.29.32_AM.png" title="" width="500" height="304" /></div></p> <p>TEN THOUSAND SIGHS.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/18/are-you-fucking-kidding-kanye#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=17051711&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album ??!! http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/18/are-you-fucking-kidding-kanye?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=17051711&id=comments 2 Are You Fucking Kidding, Kanye? Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:51:24 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/13/todays-music-news-lil-wayne-plans-retirement-sex-with-socks-and-so-much-more http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/13/todays-music-news-lil-wayne-plans-retirement-sex-with-socks-and-so-much-more Kyle Fleck <p><strong>Lil Wayne Calling It Quits?: </strong> After releasing <em>Tha Carter 5</em>, Lil Wayne told Jimmy Kimmel <a href="http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2013/06/lil-wayne-retirement-on-kimmel-carter-5">he plans to retire and spend more time with his children</a>. Does anyone actually believe when musicians say things like this anymore, particularly musicians as absurdly prolific as Wayne?</p> <p><strong>Sir Paul Invades Colbert:</strong> And plays a whole bunch of Beatles and Wings songs. <a href="http://www.spin.com/articles/paul-mccartney-colbert-report-video/">He is a charming lad</a>, that one. </p> <p><strong>Justin Bieber Is Finally Going to Space:</strong> On Christmas, with his manager and, oh I don't know, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Russell Brand. NBD for the Biebs. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/justin-bieber-blast-space-092238735.html">Just another day in the life.</a></p> <p><strong>Beth Gibbon Goes Solo:</strong> The Portishead frontwoman has a <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/51147-portisheads-beth-gibbons-to-release-new-solo-album-on-domino/">new album</a> coming out, to be released via Domino Records. </p> <p><strong>"I Have Sex Real Good with Socks On":</strong> Quoth Big Boi in an entertaining GQ interview. Apparently <a href="http://www.factmag.com/2013/06/13/talking-heads-outkasts-big-boi-on-slinging-heavy-pipe-and-the-importance-of-wearing-socks-during-sex/">"it's a secret that all men who slingin' heavy pipe know about."</a> Wasn't Rachel's ex-fiance on <em>Friends</em> worried that she broke up with him because he wore his socks during sex? </p> <p><strong>Rose Windows Will Make You Feel Epic:</strong> The Windows' debut album <em><a href="http://www.theskinny.co.uk/latest/304780-rose_windows_sun_dogs">The Sun Dogs</a></em> comes out on June 25. Early word is very positive. Whet your appetite until then with "Native Dreams." </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xPOMdVoMtuA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/13/todays-music-news-lil-wayne-plans-retirement-sex-with-socks-and-so-much-more#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=17018097&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Hellevant Very Great Bieber Fever Album 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/13/todays-music-news-lil-wayne-plans-retirement-sex-with-socks-and-so-much-more?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=17018097&id=comments 2 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:04:33 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/12/john-grant-the-greatest-motherfucker-youre-ever-gonna-meet http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/12/john-grant-the-greatest-motherfucker-youre-ever-gonna-meet Kathy Fennessy <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:262px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/9478/1370748426-johncafe2.jpg" alt="Bella Union-Partisan" title="Bella Union-Partisan" width="250" height="375" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Bella Union-Partisan</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div> <strong>John Grant</strong><br /><em>Pale Green Ghosts</em><br />(Bella Union-Partisan Records)<br /> <br /><em>I am the greatest motherfucker you're ever gonna meet / from the top of my head down to the tips of the toes on my feet / So, go ahead and love me while it's still a crime / but don't forget you could be laughing 65% more of the time.</em><br />&#8212;John Grant, "GMF"<br /> <br />Recorded in Reykjav&#237;k with GusGus's Biggi Veira, former Czars front man and Midlake sideman John Grant's <em><strong>Pale Green Ghosts</strong></em> is one of the year's most surprising records&#8212;it's also one of the best. </p> <p>I could tell from the first few electronic pulses that I would like it, but in truth, I'd already read a few things about the album&#8212;the <a href="http://othermusic.com/2013may23update.html">Other Music</a> summary, the <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18070-john-grant-pale-green-ghosts/">Pitchfork</a> review&#8212;so I had some idea as to what to expect: a gut-wrenchingly confessional song cycle with none of the reedy singing that makes so many coffeehouse troubadours so un-listenable. <br /> <br />And that's because this isn't a folk record and Grant's rich baritone voice is hardly reedy. Nor does he <strong>over-enunciate</strong> every word, a musical-theater trope drives me around the bend. No, this is dance music. And fuck-you music. But the beats never overwhelm the lyrics, and <strong>he barely raises his beautiful voice</strong>, which just makes his statements sting all the more, i.e. "You think I hate myself, but it's you I hate." That's right: his sophomore release recounts a breakup. It's also his first full-length since revealing his HIV+ status. Suffice to say: anger fuels this art.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ekFWPsXXcg0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>At times, Grant reminds me of everyone from <strong>Scott Walker</strong> and <strong>David Bowie</strong> to <strong>the Hidden Cameras</strong>&#8212;even a little <strong>Elton John</strong>&#8212;but summarizing his music by way of influences obscures the intense originality that shines through (though the closing track, "Glacier," evokes Bowie's piano-drenched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fHoMw8tCzo">"Lady Grinning Soul"</a> in a rather wonderful way). Other references are more explicit, since he specifically cites <strong>Ernest Borgnine</strong>, <strong>Woody Allen</strong>, <strong>Jane Eyre</strong>, and "Richard Burton's corpse."</p> <p>His backup singer is also a powerful presence in her own right. Sometimes she echoes what he says, sometimes she responds to it, and the equally iconoclastic <strong>Sin&#233;ad O'Connor</strong>, who's turned into an internet punching bag of late, has never sounded better (for my money, her presence on this record marks one of the most surprising things about it). Interestingly, the five tracks on which she appears arrive at the album's midpoint&#8212;its white-hot molten core, you might say. </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><object width="466" height="138"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/external/player.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="config_settings_displayMode=audio&config_settings_skin=silver&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebbc%2Eco%2Euk%2F6music%2Femp%2Fxml%2Fnews%2Faudio%2Fjohngrant%2Exml&config_settings_showFooter=true&"></param><embed src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/external/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="466" height="138" FlashVars="config_settings_displayMode=audio&config_settings_skin=silver&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebbc%2Eco%2Euk%2F6music%2Femp%2Fxml%2Fnews%2Faudio%2Fjohngrant%2Exml&config_settings_showFooter=true&"></embed></object></div><br /> <br />Aside from the voice, the lyrics, and the Eno-inspired washes of synth, Grant incorporates bass, drums, piano, saxophone, and strings. I'm sure there are guitars in the mix, but they defer to every other instrument, which is refreshing, simply because confessional songwriting and balefully plucked guitar can get old. <br /> <br />While the haunting title refers to the Colorado trees Grant would pass on his way to the only gay dance bar in town, <em><strong>Pale Green Ghosts</strong></em> is also a very funny album&#8212;at least to those who share his dark, self-lacerating sense of humor, and anyone who can joke about their battles with alcoholism, depression, and one-night stands is all right by me. At the very least: it's the opposite of denial. <br /> <br />It's been awhile since I've heard a dance record with this much heart. Or a singer-songwriter record with this much soul. And although it will surely piss off those who believe that profanity is the realm of the stupid and the ignorant, the smart, sophisticated Grant also <strong>swears like a motherfucker</strong>. And makes it feel like a kiss. </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ux1fglC0aT0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div><br /> <br /><div style="text-align:center;">Pale Green Ghosts <em>is out now on Partisan. Grant plays <a href="http://thebarboza.com/event/john-grant-6-20/">Barboza</a> on June 20.</em></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/12/john-grant-the-greatest-motherfucker-youre-ever-gonna-meet#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16981445&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases Very Great Album On Tour http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/12/john-grant-the-greatest-motherfucker-youre-ever-gonna-meet?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16981445&id=comments 4 John Grant: The Greatest Motherfucker You're Ever Gonna Meet Bella Union-Partisan Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:36:33 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/album-review-rvivrs-the-beauty-between http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/album-review-rvivrs-the-beauty-between Megan Seling <p><strong>RVIVR</strong><br /><em>The Beauty Between</em><br />(Rumbletowne)<br />***** (out of 5)</p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4047227165/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=0687f5/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://rvivr.bandcamp.com/album/the-beauty-between">The Beauty Between by RVIVR</a></iframe></p> <p>My RVIVR affair was love at first listen&#8212;in 2010, they made my heart leap with their<em> Dirty Water </em>EP, a quick five-song listen that included a spirit-strengthening cover of Shellshag's "Resilient Bastard." At the time, the band came off as an optimistic, scrappy punk-rock outfit from Olympia&#8212;lovable for their infectious attitude more than anything else. Then came my introduction to their self-titled full-length, a wickedly cathartic celebration of life. The optimistic, pepped-up punk songs are delivered with an honest-feeling, nonsloppy recklessness&#8212;as though it was recorded in a single take with their friends in the room because they'd planned to go inner-tubing after the record was done.</p> <p>While their newest album, <em>The Beauty Between</em>, starts with the same relentless spirit the band has carried throughout its short career, it does, for the first time, take a more vulnerable turn.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/album-review-rvivrs-the-beauty-between/Content?oid=16951306">Continue reading &#187;</a></p> Album Love http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/album-review-rvivrs-the-beauty-between?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16956740&id=comments 0 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:37:28 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/04/todays-music-news-todays-disease-news-danny-brown-thinks-cereals-overrated-new-albums-from-riff-raff-and-david-lynch http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/04/todays-music-news-todays-disease-news-danny-brown-thinks-cereals-overrated-new-albums-from-riff-raff-and-david-lynch Kyle Fleck <p><strong>Jonathan Poneman Diagnosed with Parkinson's:</strong> The Sub Pop cofounder went public with his diagnosis this morning, explaining how grappling with the disease has given him <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sub-pop-co-founder-jonathan-poneman-has-parkinsons-20130604">a new perspective on his life. </a>Many well wishes to Poneman and those close to him. </p> <p><strong>And Sharon Jones is Undergoing "Immediate Surgery" for Cancer:</strong> Canceling her tour and postponing release of her latest album. Luckily, the stage-one cancer on her bile duct (whoa! I didn't know that was a thing) is <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jun/04/singer-sharon-jones-diagnosed-cancer">"operable and curable."</a> Good luck to you in surgery, Ms. Jones!</p> <p><strong>Soulja Boy Takes on <em>The Bachelorette</em>:</strong> And makes a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/bachelorette-music-video_n_3384723.html">pretty amazing music video</a> after recruiting the show's stars to be extras. Inane!</p> <p><strong>David Lynch to Release Second Album:</strong> Because people went crazy for <em>Crazy Clown Time</em>, apparently. Definitely curious to hear his <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1565619/david-lynch-talks-second-album-the-big-dream">collaboration with Lykke Li.</a></p> <p><strong>Everything That's Right with Music Today:</strong> Skrillex and Riff Raff have an <a href="http://www.mtv.com.au/news/riff-raff-interview-d8740167/">album coming out together</a>, Riff told MTV Australia. </p> <p><strong>Danny Brown Has the Best Laugh in the World:</strong> Check out Detroit rapper Danny Brown explain why he thinks cereal's <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/51009-watch-danny-brown-discusses-north-korea-soggy-cereal-and-his-cat-on-pitchforktvs-overunder/">overrated.</a> Agreed! I don't eat soggy things either. </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0T0c4TaHSrg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/04/todays-music-news-todays-disease-news-danny-brown-thinks-cereals-overrated-new-albums-from-riff-raff-and-david-lynch#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16948003&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Breaking News Celeb Hellevant Very Great Crap Album In the Studio Video 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/04/todays-music-news-todays-disease-news-danny-brown-thinks-cereals-overrated-new-albums-from-riff-raff-and-david-lynch?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16948003&id=comments 2 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:37:08 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/03/whats-up-seattle-mixtape-listening-party-lindas-june-4 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/03/whats-up-seattle-mixtape-listening-party-lindas-june-4 Dave Segal <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/22/haunted-horses-ride-on-for-the-darkness">Haunted Horses</a>' drummer <strong>Myke Pelly</strong> has compiled the second mixtape of <em><a href="http://www.whatsupseattle.com/">What's Up Seattle?</a></em> and will be hosting a listening party Tues. June 4 at <strong>Linda's Tavern</strong> (8:30 pm, free, 21+), along with <a href="http://kexp.org/programs/audioasis">KEXP's Audioasis</a>. </p> <p>The <a href="http://whatsupseattle.bandcamp.com/album/mixtape-no-2">15-track comp</a> features contributions from some of the city's most riveting bands, including <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/more-bent-notes-from-the-underground/Content?oid=9937042">Brain Fruit</a>, <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/brute-transcendence/Content?oid=16765354">MTNS</a>, <strong>Dreamdecay</strong>, <strong>Naomi Punk</strong>, <strong>the Numbs</strong>, and <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/sweet-n-sour-punk/Content?oid=16232149">Wimps</a>. Overall, it's a vivid picture of what's happening in Seattle's rock underground ca. 2013: tuneful (post) punk, uncorny goth darkness, exploratory noise, and leftfield electronic excursions&#8212;although it could use some shoegaze and psych rock. Maybe next time. Favorite discovery: <strong><a href="http://celebrater.bandcamp.com/">Celebrater</a></strong>, whose <strong>"Boyfriends"</strong> sounds like a bizarre new strain of ye olde triphop. [Just found out that Celebrater is <strong>Taylor Wingett</strong> (current guitarist for <strong>Exquisites</strong>, former guitarist of <strong>Footwork</strong>). Celebrater used to be called <strong>Secondary</strong>.] </p> <p>More info <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/498628546874409/503166549753942/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity">here</a>.</p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=321383069/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=0687f5/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://whatsupseattle.bandcamp.com/album/mixtape-no-2">Mixtape No.2 by What's Up Seattle</a></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/03/whats-up-seattle-mixtape-listening-party-lindas-june-4#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16941460&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Upcoming 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/03/whats-up-seattle-mixtape-listening-party-lindas-june-4?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16941460&id=comments 0 Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:22:44 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/31/great-scots-boards-of-canadas-tomorrows-harvest-transmitting-live-june-3 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/31/great-scots-boards-of-canadas-tomorrows-harvest-transmitting-live-june-3 Dave Segal <p>Eager to hear Scottish duo <a href="http://www.boardsofcanada.com/">Boards of Canada</a>'s new album, <em>Tomorrow's Harvest</em>? Luckily for you, <a href="http://warp.net/">Warp Records</a> and the group are transmitting it live Mon. June 3 at 1 pm PST in advance of its June 11 release date. Call me daft, punk, but I'll bet you my copy of <em><a href="http://www.discogs.com/Boards-Of-Canada-Hi-Scores/master/2004">Hi Scores</a></em> that <em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/133438326851947/">Tomorrow's Harvest</a></em> will be a more satisfying listen than <em>Random Access Memories</em>. Log on <a href="http://www.boardsofcanada.com/">here</a> for that BOC goodness.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2jTg-q6Drt0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/31/great-scots-boards-of-canadas-tomorrows-harvest-transmitting-live-june-3#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16919218&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Upcoming http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/31/great-scots-boards-of-canadas-tomorrows-harvest-transmitting-live-june-3?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16919218&id=comments 0 Fri, 31 May 2013 09:13:16 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/oh-zone-players-hair-and-space-museums-heliosheath http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/oh-zone-players-hair-and-space-museums-heliosheath Dave Segal <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F94096518"></iframe></p> <p><a href="http://hairandspacemuseum.com/">Hair and Space Museum</a> have released their debut recording, <em><a href="https://soundcloud.com/hair-and-space-museum/heliosheath">Heliosheath</a></em>, described by the duo as &#8220;an homage to the current location of the <strong>Voyager 1</strong> space probe, the first man made object to leave our Solar System.... More recordings may or may not be released in the future, depending on the fate of Voyager 1.&#8221;</p> <p><em>Heliosheath</em> is a 24-minute interstellar hymn realized via synthesizers played by <a href="http://middayveil.com/">Midday Veil</a>&#8217;s <strong>David Golightly</strong> and <strong>Emily Pothast</strong>, plus the latter&#8217;s <em>oh</em>-zoned chants. Hair and Space Museum coax serene, expansive drones that accrue a sacred aura the longer you listen to them. Even heard on a computer, <em>Heliosheath</em> triggered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_sensory_meridian_response">ASMR</a> (autonomous sensory meridian response, aka attention induced head orgasm)&#8212;although your mileage may vary. Whatever the case, this music will do a body and mind a galaxy of good at this late juncture in human civilization.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/oh-zone-players-hair-and-space-museums-heliosheath#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16893000&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/oh-zone-players-hair-and-space-museums-heliosheath?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16893000&id=comments 0 Tue, 28 May 2013 14:04:46 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/todays-music-news-damon-albarn-wrote-an-opera-new-qotsa-album-and-inappropriate-touching http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/todays-music-news-damon-albarn-wrote-an-opera-new-qotsa-album-and-inappropriate-touching Kyle Fleck <p><strong>"The Animosity of the Nineties is Gone":</strong> Says Damon Albarn, who recently played with Oasis' Noel Gallagher in Britpop's Nas/Jay-Z moment. He's also got his first solo record coming out, <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-damon-albarn-on-the-future-of-blur-his-first-ever-solo-album-and-why-he-doesnt-hate-oasis-anymore-20130528">an opera he wrote is coming to the States </a>and Blur has several festival dates this summer. Busy man!</p> <p><strong>Anthony Bourdain Hearts Queens of the Stone Age: </strong> And wrote a nice, <a href="http://www.spin.com/articles/anthony-bourdain-queens-of-the-stone-age-bio-like-clockwork/">funny little bio</a> for the band in anticipation of their new album <em>...Like Clockwork.</em> Meanwhile, the band has put the album on iTunes for <a href="http://www.spin.com/articles/queens-of-the-stone-age-like-clockwork-itunes-stream-album/">streaming.</a></p> <p><strong>Drake's Dad Causes a Stir:</strong> By (maybe?) posting the tracklist to Drake's new album <em>Nothing Was the Same</em> on Instagram, then <a href="http://www.factmag.com/2013/05/28/drakes-father-may-have-leaked-the-nothing-was-the-same-tracklist-james-blake-clams-casino-and-justin-timberlake-feature/">promptly deleting it.</a> Either way, the album looks to feature production by Clams Casino and James Blake, and guest spots from Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake and A$AP Rocky. </p> <p><strong>Today in "No Touching! No Touching!":</strong> A concert-goer in Copenhagen "confused his front-row ticket with permission to ... slap [Beyonce] on the ass," and Beyonce was understandably <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/you-do-not-get-to-spank-beyonc-at-a-concert.html?mid=twitter_vulture">not amused.</a> The fan who got <a href="http://www.thefader.com/2013/05/20/watch-miguel-accidentally-land-crotch-first-on-a-fan-at-last-nights-billboard-music-awards/">surprise access to Miguel's nether-regions</a> after he launched them into her face at the Billboard Music Awards took it a little better, saying after the show, "I adorn him."</p> <p><strong>And Here's Dave and the Dalmatians:</strong> My favorite local <a href="http://daveandthedalmatians.com/">Croatian a cappella group</a> (!!!) played Folklife again this year and as usual, brought the ruckus.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X6b234NVbYA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/todays-music-news-damon-albarn-wrote-an-opera-new-qotsa-album-and-inappropriate-touching#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16891117&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Celeb Very Great Album Zzzzzzzzzzzzz http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/28/todays-music-news-damon-albarn-wrote-an-opera-new-qotsa-album-and-inappropriate-touching?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16891117&id=comments 0 Tue, 28 May 2013 12:19:05 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/listen-to-sean-nelsons-new-solo-album-really-do-it http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/listen-to-sean-nelsons-new-solo-album-really-do-it Megan Seling <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:262px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/4f64/1369169867-nelson-web.jpg" alt="nelson-web.jpg" title="" width="250" height="250" /></div>When you're done blasting the <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/the-new-gaytheist-record-is-out-today">new Gaytheist record</a> into your brainz, have a listen to Sean Nelson's new solo album, <em>Make Good Choices</em>, on <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/05/19/184811141/first-listen-sean-nelson-make-good-choices">NPR.com</a>. It'll be out June 4th on Really Records and it is so great&#8212;I haven't listened enough to pen an official review just yet, but the first go 'round reveals the same wit and charm Nelson always has, with the tiniest bit of vaudevillian vibes and whirls of &#8217;60s pop.</p> <p>I mean, I'm an unapologetic Sean Nelson fangirl, so do with that opinion what you will, but you really should <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/05/19/184811141/first-listen-sean-nelson-make-good-choices">give it a listen</a>. Now. Do it now. (Sorry, I'm so bossy.)</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/listen-to-sean-nelsons-new-solo-album-really-do-it#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16834676&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/listen-to-sean-nelsons-new-solo-album-really-do-it?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16834676&id=comments 0 Listen to Sean Nelson's New Solo Album (Really, Do It) Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:24 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/rocketnumbernines-productive-sci-fi-post-post-punk-will-make-you-move http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/rocketnumbernines-productive-sci-fi-post-post-punk-will-make-you-move Kathy Fennessy <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:312px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/c377/1369006116-rn93.jpg" alt="Photo by Sam Moon" title="Photo by Sam Moon" width="300" height="194" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Smalltown Supersound</li><li class="imageCaption">Photo by Sam Moon</li></ul></div> <strong>RocketNumberNine</strong><br /><em>MeYouWeYou</em> <br />(Smalltown Supersound)<br /> <br />An album that makes me want to dance, to get to work, and to read the novels of <strong>Philip K. Dick</strong>&#8212;not necessarily at the same time&#8212;can only be a good thing.</p> <p>Based on the singles London-based brother duo Tom and Ben Page have released to date, "Rotunda" and the <strong>Four Tet</strong>-approved "Matthew and Toby," I expected to like their debut, and I do. I really do. And it reinforces my conviction that there's a post-post-punk scene going on in London that's about to blow up, and <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/26/rocketnumbernines-get-to-work-music">RocketNumberNine</a> is part of it.<br /> <br />By "blow up," I don't mean to suggest that any these acts, like the Mercury Prize-nominated <strong>Polar Bear</strong>, are going to storm <em>Billboard</em>'s dance charts&#8212;they're too off-kilter and spiky for that&#8212;but I predict that their popularity will only increase (and if Toronto's Odonis Odonis were from London, I would add them to this list).</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:487px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/fd50/1369008373-rn92.jpg" alt="Photo by Sam Moon" title="Photo by Sam Moon" width="475" height="450" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Smalltown Supersound</li><li class="imageCaption">Photo by Sam Moon</li></ul></div></p> <p>Many of these musicians, especially the players in <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/02/28/melt-yourself-downs-strobe-lit-life-fixer">Melt Yourself Down</a>, have backgrounds in regional and international jazz, and it shows. That characteristic provides a link with post-punk progenitors such as <strong>Pigbag</strong> and <strong>Rip Rig + Panic</strong>. </p> <p>It's music designed to make you move, but it isn't cold or robotic&#8212;not that there isn't a time and place for that&#8212;but loose and funky. And it's not like the Page brothers aren't also working with machines, but the percussive bits (triangles, drums, etc.) have a decidedly human feel. It also sounds like they're running a melodica through a Vocoder on "Lope," so they're experimental, too.</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:487px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/e418/1369009430-rn9.jpg" alt="Suitably post-punkadelic cover art" title="Suitably post-punkadelic cover art " width="475" height="450" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Smalltown Supersound</li><li class="imageCaption">Suitably post-punkadelic cover art </li></ul></div><br /> <br />Other than the garbled samples on "Symposium" and "Deadly Buzz," which recalls <strong>DJ Shadow</strong> by way of <strong>Love and Rockets</strong>&#8212;specifically their strobe-tastic "Ball of Confusion" cover&#8212;there are no vocals on <strong><em>MeYouWeYou</em></strong>, and nor are they necessary (they're also so scrambled that I couldn't identify a single word). </p> <p>Words would probably get in the way of the grooves, and there are few things I enjoy less than a smooth, sinuous dance track with a stiff, ill-fitting vocal. In retrospect, <strong>RocketNumberNine</strong> would've been the ideal outfit to score Richard Linklater's Rotoscope take on Philip K. Dick's <em><strong>A Scanner Darkly</strong></em>, because of the "scramble suit" that <strong>Keanu Reeves</strong> wears throughout the film (Thom Yorke, who provided music for the movie, once asked RN9 to open for Radiohead). <br /> <br />I'm always on the hunt for get-to-work music, and <strong>RocketNumberNine</strong> has issued the finest example I've heard so far this year, though my number #1 GTW album is Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics' <em><strong>Inspiration Information</strong></em> (and not so coincidentally, a few of the MYD players have worked with Mr. Astatke). <br /> <br /><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F91236596"></iframe><br /> <br /><div style="text-align:center;">MeYouWeYou <em>is out now on Smalltown Supersound (July 30 release date).</em></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/rocketnumbernines-productive-sci-fi-post-post-punk-will-make-you-move#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16814969&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases Very Great Album #1 Fan http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/rocketnumbernines-productive-sci-fi-post-post-punk-will-make-you-move?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16814969&id=comments 0 RocketNumberNine's Productive, Sci-Fi Post-Post-Punk Will Make You Move Photo by Sam Moon Smalltown Supersound Tue, 21 May 2013 13:12:23 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/the-new-gaytheist-record-is-out-today http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/the-new-gaytheist-record-is-out-today Megan Seling <p>Happy album release to the <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-band-name-game/Content?oid=15752075">band with the best name</a>! The Gaytheist record, <em>Hold Me...But Not So Tight</em> is out today and you can have a listen right here:</p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=754894511/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://gaytheist.bandcamp.com/album/hold-me-but-not-so-tight">Hold Me...But Not So Tight by Gaytheist</a></iframe></p> <p>Is the album cover cute or creepy? I vote cute. </p> <p>Gaytheist will be at Black Lodge on June 7 and the Capitol Hill Block Party on July 27.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/the-new-gaytheist-record-is-out-today#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16833527&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Love http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/the-new-gaytheist-record-is-out-today?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16833527&id=comments 1 Tue, 21 May 2013 12:28:01 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/secret-colors-king-should-rule-your-summer http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/secret-colors-king-should-rule-your-summer Dave Segal <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F80402760"></iframe></p> <p>Seattle starsailor <a href="http://secretcolorsmusic.bandcamp.com/">Secret Colors</a> (aka <strong>Matt Lawson</strong>) offers a preview of his forthcoming album, <em>Days Off</em> (out June 11 on Brooklyn's Group Tightener label). <a href="https://soundcloud.com/group-tightener/secret-colors-king">"King"</a> starts out sounding like the sort of introverted, sprocketly IDM that pushed a lot of geeks' button in the late '90s, before aqua-blue watercolor keyboards and a methodical quasi-funk beats enter earshot and elevate proceedings to a blissful flotation state. This is the soundtrack to your first (and last) reverie of the summer.</p> <p>Secret Colors' album-release show happens June 14 at <strong>Cairo</strong>. Press release after the jump.</p> <p>Brooklyn-based label Group Tightener announce the second album release from Seattle&#8217;s Secret Colors. Days Off is out June 11.<br /> <br />Matt Lawson, bka Secret Colors, has spent the last few years occupying a shimmering space of soft-focus ambient guitar improvisation, creating thick songs that contract and breathe like they have a life of their own. It's often gorgeous, and always natural, the aural equivalent of breathing. A Secret Colors record feels like life.<br /> <br />For his new album, Days Off, Lawson&#8212;burned out on guitars, burned out on his improvisational methods&#8212;got a cheap Yamaha keyboard and started composing his own pieces of electronic music. While Lawson is using primitive elements to construct these pieces, there's still a sense of density and well-worn love in each of them, like they were meticulously stitched together and just a little frayed.<br /> <br />Days Off, as a title, has a double meaning. The songs were written on Lawson's days off from work, but there's more to it than that. "In a more abstract way I was thinking about 'days off' meaning days or time spent in some kind of alternate state. Like time off from reality." Lawson succeeded, because the album feels like a world worth hanging around in.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/secret-colors-king-should-rule-your-summer#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16833074&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Song 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/21/secret-colors-king-should-rule-your-summer?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16833074&id=comments 0 Tue, 21 May 2013 11:17:45 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/16/yod-damn-stream-the-source-family-soundtrack http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/16/yod-damn-stream-the-source-family-soundtrack Dave Segal <p><em><a href="http://boingboing.net/2013/05/15/free-stream-the-source-family.html">The Source Family</a></em> documents the <em>echt</em>-'70s California hippie cult of the same name led by the savvy businessman/power-mad guru/charismatic dirty old man <strong>James Baker/Father Yod</strong>. It's a warts-and-all portrait of beautiful young folks looking for guidance during a tumultuous time in American history (aren't they all?), and 6'4" ex-military man Papa Yod was seemingly typecast for this role. Some of the fruits of this cult were the voluminous recordings (ca. 1973-74) of the in-mansion groups <a href="http://www.yahowha13.com/">Ya Ho Wa 13</a>, <strong>Father Yod &amp; the Spirit of 76</strong>, and <strong>Children of the Sixth Root Race</strong>. </p> <p>You can hear some of their output on the soundtrack for <em>The Source Family</em>, which will be released by <a href="http://www.dragcity.com/products/the-source-family">Drag City</a> on May 21. Some of it is primo hippy-jam sweetness, some of it sounds like outtakes from <em>Hair</em> and <em>Jesus Christ Superstar</em>. For longhair, communal psych action, I prefer <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Amon+D%C3%BC%C3%BCl">Amon D&#252;&#252;l I </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapshash_and_the_Coloured_Coat">Hapshash and the Coloured Coat</a>, but <em>The Source Family</em> is a mostly endearing time capsule of a band shaped by exceptionally peculiar circumstances. </p> <p>Check out the trailer for <em><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13577369">The Source Family</a></em> and the press release after the jump. (Unfortunately, the documentary just ended its run at SIFF Uptown Cinema.)</p> <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F92020294&show_artwork=false"></iframe></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/58953915?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=f5f7f7" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div></p> <p>The Source Family documentary is this season's art-house go-to cinematic experience - everybody's talkin', but we can't hear a word they're saying! That's cause Drag City Films, while proud of the promotion and distribution of it's latest film, is the younger child, the baby, if you will, in the Drag City family - and since the elder child is about the records, we're hustling hard this week to get copies of The Source Family Original Soundtrack into the hands and eventually ears of a fascinated nation! In case you don't know the underground legend already or haven't seen the film yet - for the last couple decades, the cult around The Source Family cult has enjoyed the music of Ya Ho Wa 13, whose nine albums with Father were a major part of their story. Recorded during an eleven-month span during 1973 and '74, these albums continue to fascinate listeners to this day. The Original Soundtrack album pulls plums and cherries from these freakish fruit trees of The Source Family, whose album releases from the 1970s are an indication of how weird the world can be even when it isn't trying.</p> <p>Some of the most awesome jams from their privately-pressed classics are represented here, along with a brace of previously unreleased song chosen to include the widest variety of Source Family members, revealing the talents of many not previously showcased. And so, in addition to Ya Ho Wa 13 members Djin, Sunflower and Octavius, we also hear the contributions of a whole host of peripheral members - as well as the omnipotent Yahowa himself, Father Yod. Their music ranges from soulful to spiritual to shamanistic, with Father fronting the band on journeys through inner and outer psychosis and bliss.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/16/yod-damn-stream-the-source-family-soundtrack#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16786292&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Film http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/16/yod-damn-stream-the-source-family-soundtrack?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16786292&id=comments 0 Thu, 16 May 2013 14:35:57 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/14/its-a-noble-gas-panabrites-xenon-district http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/14/its-a-noble-gas-panabrites-xenon-district Dave Segal <p>Seattle cosmic synthesist <a href="http://panabritesounds.blogspot.com/">Panabrite</a> (<a href="http://panabrite.bandcamp.com/">Norm Chambers</a>) is offering a stream of his new album, <em>Xenon District</em>, on <a href="http://vcorecordings.bandcamp.com/album/vco-013-xenon-district">VCO Recordings&#8217; Bandcamp</a> page (you can purchase the digital version there for $7; it comes out May 21 on cassette&#8212;which is kind of a shame, as it&#8217;s really hard to DJ with tapes). </p> <p>Listening to the <del>two sidelong tracks</del> eight-track album, I can hear Panabrite honing his melodic chops to an even more delicate and nuanced degree. He's long been a master of suspenseful mood enhancement and fostering a sense of infinite expansiveness&#8212;qualities that make him a candidate to work with a film director on an ambitious sci-fi project about extraterrestrials&#8212;and those elements blossom further on <em>Xenon District</em>. Here and there, Panabrite drops some subtle beats, adding rare rhythmic punch to his astral ambience (the stretch near the halfway point of side 2 is especially piquant). Let's hope <em>Xenon District</em> comes out on vinyl at some point (said the blogger, greedily).</p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=813036761/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://vcorecordings.bandcamp.com/album/vco-013-xenon-district">VCO 013 Xenon District by Panabrite</a></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/14/its-a-noble-gas-panabrites-xenon-district#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16762110&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/14/its-a-noble-gas-panabrites-xenon-district?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16762110&id=comments 0 Tue, 14 May 2013 10:40:16 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/10/french-psych-enigma-high-wolf-to-play-electric-tea-garden-sept-9 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/10/french-psych-enigma-high-wolf-to-play-electric-tea-garden-sept-9 Dave Segal <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F90518005"></iframe></p> <p>French ethnodelic multi-instrumentalist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/High-Wolf/147023801993647">High Wolf</a> will be playing <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/ETG-Seattle-Electric-Tea-Garden/191433567549621">Electric Tea Garden</a> Sept. 9. Let's hope he plays longer than the 30 minutes he did at <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2011/02/06/high-wolf-hair-and-space-museum-megabats-cairo-feb-4">Cairo</a> in 2011&#8212;although it was a very good half hour. </p> <p>In more immediate news, High Wolf will be releasing a new album, <em>Kairos: Chronos</em>, June 4 on <a href="http://www.notnotfun.com/">Not Not Fun</a>. The first track to be released to the public from it, <strong>"Kulti,"</strong> further hones his unique spin on psychotropical dub for rainforest rituals. It instantly propels you out of your everyday mind into a far stranger and more intriguing state. Don't know about you, but that's a big reason why I listen to music in the first place. More on <em>Kairos: Chronos</em> later, but suffice it to say that the album's a major head trip that will get you floating in a most peculiar way.</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/421687114594325/?fref=ts">Here's</a> the info on High Wolf's Seattle appearance. (Disclosure: I will be DJing with <a href="http://madelikeatree.com/mlat62-Explorateur">Explorateur</a>; the show is presented by our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DistortionsSeattle">Distortions</a> organization and <a href="http://nosleepseattle.com/">No Sleep</a>.)</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/10/french-psych-enigma-high-wolf-to-play-electric-tea-garden-sept-9#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16729589&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Song Conflict of Interest Upcoming http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/10/french-psych-enigma-high-wolf-to-play-electric-tea-garden-sept-9?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16729589&id=comments 0 Fri, 10 May 2013 10:43:49 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/08/is-daylights-new-album-jar-great-or-terrible-and-why-cant-i-decide-for-myself http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/08/is-daylights-new-album-jar-great-or-terrible-and-why-cant-i-decide-for-myself Megan Seling <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=613729836/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://daylightpa.bandcamp.com/album/jar">Jar by Daylight</a></iframe></p> <p>Yesterday a friend of mine tipped me off to <em>Jar</em>, the new album by Pennsylvania rock band <a href="https://www.facebook.com/daylightpa">Daylight</a>. "I can't tell if this is like great &#8217;90s rock or the shitty &#8217;00 stuff," he said. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure it out myself.</p> <p>The song "Outside of Me" has a nice, poppy Foo Fighters feel and "Life In a Jar" has huge production that <strong>recalls Hum and early Smashing Pumpkins</strong>. I dig it! But on some songs&#8212;"In On It" (the intro, at least) and "Youngest Daughter," for example&#8212;their hard rock sound creeps dangerously close to the 3 Doors Down/Our Lady Peace <strong>post-grunge nonsense</strong>. (And "Sheltered" is, like, at least 50% "In Bloom.")</p> <p>Is it good? Is it bad? Is it possible that a band can be <em>both</em> on the same album?</p> <p>Let's have a poll! And maybe discuss this question: <strong>What does it take to successfully pull off a &#8217;90s sound</strong> in a post-grunge world without coming off like all those bands who just sounded like assholes trying to cash in on a trend? Can it be done?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/08/is-daylights-new-album-jar-great-or-terrible-and-why-cant-i-decide-for-myself#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16709152&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases Album ??!! http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/08/is-daylights-new-album-jar-great-or-terrible-and-why-cant-i-decide-for-myself?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16709152&id=comments 2 Wed, 08 May 2013 12:18:09 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/the-gals-of-redbook http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/the-gals-of-redbook Bree McKenna <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/e16f/1367884942-redbook2.jpg" alt="Courtesy of (the gals of) Redbook" title="Courtesy of (the gals of) Redbook" width="500" height="332" /><ul><li class="imageCredit"></li><li class="imageCaption">Courtesy of (the gals of) Redbook</li></ul></div></p> <p>If you happened to have missed the handful of shows that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/the-gals-of-Redbook/295393183851153?ref=tn_tnmn">(the gals of) Redbook </a>played last year, you may not know that they're a super-group consisting of key members of<strong> Pony Time</strong>, <strong>Stickers</strong> and burlesque troupe <strong>The Heavenly Spies</strong>. Much like the magazine Redbook, the band covers all the hard-hitting issues of today's modern women (<strong>Phylicia Rashad</strong>, getting in the mood, blood flow, etc.) Currently the band is on an indefinite musical hiatus to focus on their primary projects, but recently released a tape with ten delightfully post-punk tracks that are also <a href="http://thegalsofredbook.bandcamp.com/">available to stream</a> on bandcamp.</p> <p><iframe width="300" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=916098387/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://thegalsofredbook.bandcamp.com/album/the-gals-of-redbook">(the gals of) Redbook by (the gals of) Redbook</a></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/the-gals-of-redbook#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16689226&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Band Album 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/the-gals-of-redbook?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16689226&id=comments 4 (The Gals of) Redbook Courtesy of (the gals of) Redbook Tue, 07 May 2013 12:44:54 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/scout-niblett-no-wigs-no-scrubs http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/scout-niblett-no-wigs-no-scrubs Kathy Fennessy <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:271px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/a3a9/1367905415-scout_niblett.jpg" alt="No more wigs for Niblett" title="No more wigs for Niblett" width="259" height="259" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Drag City</li><li class="imageCaption">No more <a href="http://www.secretlycanadian.com/_resources/artist_large/niblettscout_large.jpg">blonde wigs</a> for Emma Louise</li></ul></div> <strong>Scout Niblett</strong><br /><em>It's Up to Emma</em><br />(Drag City)<br /> <br />I go back and forth between admiring musicians who change things up with every record and those who do the same thing every time, just fine-tuning their basic template with each release. </p> <p>To my ears, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kidnapped-Neptune-Scout-Niblett/dp/B000817ZAE">Emma "Scout" Niblett</a> falls into the latter category. I keep waiting for her to do something radically different, but she never does&#8212;not counting the "Nasty" cover below. <br /> <br />On <em><strong>It's Up to Emma</strong></em>, her confessional vocals remains front and center, bolstered by spare electric guitar and minimalist percussion (kick drum, tambourine), although "Can't Fool Me Now" and "What Can I Do" feel fuller than usual with mournful strings and a soaring, <strong>Sin&#233;ad O' Connor</strong>-like vocal line. As with O'Connor and <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/17/cat-powers-triumphant-sun">Cat Power</a>, her emotions lie just below the surface, threatening to escape in full, spilling out all over the place, incinerating everything in their vicinity. It's as if her instrumental restraint keeps them in check. This makes every record an intense, claustrophobic experience.<br /> <br />On "Gun," for instance, she sings, "Think I'm gonna buy me a gun, a nice little silver one." Then, in "All Night Long," she wails, "I don't need to hear her name....get away from her spell...I need a love of my own." Either she has lousy taste in lovers or she expects more from men than any of them can reasonably deliver. I have no idea, but at least she shares some responsibility for these romantic disappointments when she admits: "I fooled myself for too long."</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/93AISBMXReI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><small>She looks so harmless. She isn't (cover art from <em>The Calcination of Scout Niblett</em>).</small></div></p> <p>On the downside, I find it all pretty exhausting. An associate was hoping I'd write about this record, and so I have, but my feelings about Niblett remain mixed. She has pop sensibilities she tends to suppress, and I wish she wouldn't. It may feel like a sellout move to her&#8212;and to her fans&#8212;but I'd love to see her let more air in, to eliminate some of the negative space. There's something to be said for purity and consistency, but if an album just bums me out, I may not return to it often. <br /> <br />On the upside, <em>Emma</em> includes a cover of TLC's "No Scrubs," which previously materialized as a single. At first glance, it might seem like an uncharacteristic move, except the lyrics dovetail with Niblett's worldview in which women struggle to assert themselves in a male-dominated world. Further, she performs the song without a single nod to rap or R&B. I'd have preferred a livelier approach, but it proves that her tastes are broader than her recordings indicate. More, please. <br /> <br /><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2H7sLCq_BQE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><small>Uncharacteristically funky non-LP track from the <em>No More Nasty Scrubs</em> single.</small></div><br /> <br /><div style="text-align:center;"><em>Slowly, but surely, this record is growing on me. Drag City releases it on May 21.</em></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/scout-niblett-no-wigs-no-scrubs#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16692178&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases Album http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/07/scout-niblett-no-wigs-no-scrubs?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16692178&id=comments 2 Scout Niblett: No Wigs, No Scrubs No more wigs for Niblett Drag City Tue, 07 May 2013 12:06:11 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/06/well-coiled-watt-mongooses-snake-mind http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/06/well-coiled-watt-mongooses-snake-mind Dave Segal <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=133006833/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://wattmongoose.bandcamp.com/album/snake-mind">Snake Mind by Watt Mongoose</a></iframe></p> <p>Drummer extraordinaire (and <em>Stranger</em> freelancer) <strong><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/trent-moorman/Author?oid=45200">Trent Moorman</a></strong> is part of yet another project with which to further his claim as the busiest sticksman in Seattle: <a href="http://wattmongoose.bandcamp.com/">Watt Mongoose</a>. The lineup includes synthesist/composer <strong>Keith Negley</strong> (ex-<strong>Sleepy Eyes of Death</strong>), guitarist <strong>Thomas Hunter</strong> (<strong>Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Wild Orchid Children</strong>), flugelhorn player <strong>Chris Littlefield</strong> (<strong>Karl Denson&#8217;s Tiny Universe, Blusirkut</strong>), and <strong>P Smoov</strong> (<strong>Fresh Espresso</strong>) on more synths. The masterly <strong>Steve Fisk</strong> co-arranged and co-produced. </p> <p>Those missing Sleepy Eyes of Death, should hop aboard this rocketship posthaste; those who like exciting sonic travelogues should do likewise. Watt Mongoose elegantly maneuver in the gripping, interstellar zone where cosmic disco and motorik-grooved krautrock intersect. <em><a href="http://wattmongoose.bandcamp.com/">Snake Mind</a></em>&#8217;s six instrumentals abound with head-rushing propulsion, whooshing, percolating synths, and artfully FX&#8217;d horns. <strong>&#8220;Istanbul&#8221;</strong> immediately thrusts you into a momentous swirl of perilous intrigue, as does <strong>&#8220;Bangladesh.&#8221;</strong> The EP peaks on <strong>&#8220;Caracas II,&#8221;</strong> an ultimate chase-scene score breathlessly arpeggiating and throbbing somewhere between French electronic-prog gods <a href="http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1302">Heldon</a> and American <strong>Goblin</strong> homagers <strong>Zombi</strong>. The closing <strong>&#8220;Caracas III&#8221;</strong> is a departure, a meditative composition spotlighting Hunter&#8217;s beautifully crystalline guitar work and Littlefield&#8217;s mournful horn sighs converging into fluctuating waves of synth pathos. </p> <p>I don&#8217;t want to rush to brash conclusions (oh, wait&#8212;I <em>do</em>), but after three listens to <em>Snake Mind</em>, I believe that Watt Mongoose have jetted to near the top of the Seattle band heap. I want to see them at <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/02/look-whos-playing-bumbershoot-2013-death-cab-for-cutie-heart-fun-bassnectar-kendrick-lamar-the-breeders-superchunk-mgmt-crystal-cas">Bumbershoot</a> under the stars&#8212;or better yet, over them.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/06/well-coiled-watt-mongooses-snake-mind#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16689326&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album 206 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/06/well-coiled-watt-mongooses-snake-mind?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16689326&id=comments 0 Mon, 06 May 2013 17:37:46 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/03/omalley-my-god-stream-sunn-os-catalog-for-free-on-bandcamp http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/03/omalley-my-god-stream-sunn-os-catalog-for-free-on-bandcamp Dave Segal <p>Drone-doom juggernaut <a href="http://www.ideologic.org/">Sunn O)))</a> have put their entire catalog on Bandcamp for free streaming. Immerse yourself in the oceanic amplitude of AUMness <a href="http://sunn.bandcamp.com/">here</a>. </p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2960431742/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://sunn.bandcamp.com/album/the-iron-soul-of-nothing">The Iron Soul Of Nothing by SUNN O))) meets NURSE WITH WOUND</a></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/03/omalley-my-god-stream-sunn-os-catalog-for-free-on-bandcamp#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16663251&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Very Great Album http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/03/omalley-my-god-stream-sunn-os-catalog-for-free-on-bandcamp?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16663251&id=comments 1 Fri, 03 May 2013 09:17:02 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/02/music-news-kanye-being-cryptic-nmh-plan-world-tour-and-some-sexy-new-albums http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/02/music-news-kanye-being-cryptic-nmh-plan-world-tour-and-some-sexy-new-albums Kyle Fleck <p><strong>He's Baaaaaaack: </strong> Kim Kardashian's baby daddy has returned to Twitter, with a tantalizing tweet: "June Eighteen," <a href="http://www.factmag.com/2013/05/02/kanye-west-reactivates-twitter-account-announces-release-date-for-new-material/">prompting speculation that we're getting a new Kanye album this year. </a></p> <p><strong>Neutral Milk Hotel Plot World Domination: </strong> <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/50575-neutral-milk-hotel-full-international-tour-planned/">According to their tour manager</a>, the recently reactivated Neutral Milk Hotel will soon embark on a tour that "will span the globe."</p> <p><strong>New Justice Album Available for Streaming: </strong> <a href="http://www.justiceaaa.com/">See for yourself </a>if it lives up to the hype. </p> <p><strong>Deftones Pay Tribute to Chris Kelly:</strong> By mashing up "Engine No. 9" with "Jump." <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/deftones-cover-kris-kross-jump-in-honor-of-chris-kelly-20130502">The crowd went appropriately nuts.</a></p> <p><strong>Say Hello to Chance the Rapper:</strong> Chicago's latest hiphop prodigy claims his new mixtape <em>Acid Rain</em>, which dropped yesterday, is <a href="http://www.complex.com/music/2013/04/chance-the-rapper-says-acid-rap-is-the-best-tape-of-2013">"the best tape to come out in 2013."</a> The year's still young but after hearing it, it's hard to argue with him.</p> <p><strong>And Finally, Hometown Heroes Shabazz Palaces Remix Animal Collective</strong>: This is pretty druggy. <br /><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F90176182"></iframe></strong></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/02/music-news-kanye-being-cryptic-nmh-plan-world-tour-and-some-sexy-new-albums#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16655700&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases Celeb Hellevant Sort of News Album Song RIP http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/02/music-news-kanye-being-cryptic-nmh-plan-world-tour-and-some-sexy-new-albums?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16655700&id=comments 0 Thu, 02 May 2013 12:17:13 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/30/ian-rubbish-and-the-bizzaros-touching-tribute-to-maggie-thatcher http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/30/ian-rubbish-and-the-bizzaros-touching-tribute-to-maggie-thatcher Dave Segal <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:262px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/0d4f/1367361980-album-cover.jpg" alt="album-cover.jpg" title="" width="250" height="250" /></div></p> <p><strong>Ian Rubbish</strong> (pro funny guy <a href="http://fredarmisen.com/">Fred Armisen</a>) and his group <strong>the Bizzaros</strong> cut an EP that pays tribute to the late <strong>Margaret Thatcher</strong> while offering lyrics boots to the face of policemen. </p> <p><em><a href="http://www.ianrubbish.com/">The Best of Ian Rubbish</a></em> is a spot-on facsimile of '77-ish UK punk rock. Tongues are going through cheeks like safety pins, but you may find it amusing anyway. Play it to your heart's discontent <a href="http://www.ianrubbish.com/">here</a>, you rotters.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/30/ian-rubbish-and-the-bizzaros-touching-tribute-to-maggie-thatcher#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16636714&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album ??!! http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/30/ian-rubbish-and-the-bizzaros-touching-tribute-to-maggie-thatcher?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16636714&id=comments 1 Ian Rubbish and the Bizzaros' Touching Tribute to Maggie Thatcher Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:50:08 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/25/sweet-robert-wyatt-cover-alert-graham-brices-sea-song http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/25/sweet-robert-wyatt-cover-alert-graham-brices-sea-song Dave Segal <p>The standout track from a recent compilation of cover songs titled <em>Horfes turn&#8217;d Jockies</em> (on <strong>Marc Laurick</strong>'s Seattle-based label the <a href="http://chinasearecordings.bandcamp.com/">China Sea Recordings Concern</a>) is <strong>Graham Brice</strong>&#8217;s suitably eerie rendition of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2XJ47ahYc0">Robert Wyatt&#8217;s &#8220;Sea Song,&#8221;</a> off his 1974 LP <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Bottom_%28album%29">Rock Bottom</a></em>. It's rare to hear a vocalist do true justice to a Wyatt tune, but Brice really captures the original's fathoms-deep melancholy, and he nails the solemn, serpentine, circling-the-drain beauty of the melody, too. </p> <p>You can freely download and listen to the whole compilation&#8212;which includes versions if songs by <strong>the Velvet Underground, John Cale, Nico</strong>, and <strong>Big Star</strong>&#8212;<a href="http://chinasearecordings.bandcamp.com/album/horfes-turnd-jockies-free">here</a>. </p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2977115831/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://chinasearecordings.bandcamp.com/track/sea-song">Sea Song by Graham Brice</a></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/25/sweet-robert-wyatt-cover-alert-graham-brices-sea-song#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16590150&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Song http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/25/sweet-robert-wyatt-cover-alert-graham-brices-sea-song?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16590150&id=comments 0 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:35:00 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/23/album-review-the-thermals-desperate-ground http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/23/album-review-the-thermals-desperate-ground Megan Seling <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F77323617"></iframe></p> <p><strong>THE THERMALS</strong><br /><em>Desperate Ground</em><br />(Saddle Creek)<br />***1/2 (out of 5)</p> <p>I really do appreciate a good concept record&#8212;Lifter Puller's <em>Fiestas and Fiascos</em> would be on my Top 10 Records of All Time list, if I ever bothered to make such a list&#8212;but it's getting increasingly difficult to be impressed by such a thing. Maybe <strong>it's Green Day's fault</strong> for such laughable attempts, or maybe it's our society's obsession with the song over the album, but it feels pointless to even try crafting a concept record in 2013. Regardless, the Thermals give it a go with their latest, <em>Desperate Ground</em>.</p> <p><em>Desperate Ground</em> definitely has a concept, loosely wrapped up in <strong>destruction-obsessed songs </strong>like "Born to Kill" and "The Sword by My Side," but it almost goes unnoticed on the first couple listens. The Thermals have a very specific sound, and I love them for it, but that same crunchy, pogo-pop noise is carried from song to song without too much fluctuation.</p> <p><u><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/album-review-the-thermals-desperate-ground/Content?oid=16510867">Continue reading &#187;</a></u></p> New Releases Album http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/23/album-review-the-thermals-desperate-ground?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16569177&id=comments 0 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:12:42 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/a-trip-to-the-past-with-dead-ghosts http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/a-trip-to-the-past-with-dead-ghosts Kathy Fennessy <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:312px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/94c7/1366392929-dead_ghosts.png" alt="dead_ghosts.png" title="" width="300" height="300" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Burger Records</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div><strong>Dead Ghosts</strong> <br /><em>Can't Get No</em><br />(Burger Records)<br /> <br />By that title, I'll assume <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dead-ghosts">Dead Ghosts</a> can't get no...satisfaction. So it's hardly a shocker that the Vancouver quartet evokes <strong>the Rolling Stones</strong>&#8212;the early mono 'Stones that is. <em><strong>Can't Get No</strong></em> is grungier than anything Mick and the guys ever did, but it's in a similar vein: lo-fi, no bells and whistles. Instead of piano, they've got an organ (and they're gonna use it).</p> <p>Near as I can tell, Maurizio Chiumento (bass) and brothers Nicol (guitar, vocals), Drew (guitar), and Mike Wilkinson (drums) have made no concessions to the modern world. In fact, if I didn't know otherwise, I wouldn't be surprised to find that they <strong>actually recorded their second album in 1967</strong> (they used a Tascam 388 8-track). As ever, that kind of fidelity to a bygone era is both admirable and limiting. Admirable because they do it so well and limiting because it's been done before. And some of the garage-rock enthusiasts who would enjoy the LP the most will never hear it, because they have no interest in "new music."</p> <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F38302770"></iframe><br /><small>From their 2010 self-titled debut. </small></p> <p>So, originality isn't their strong suit, but Dead Ghosts have that <em><strong>Nuggets</strong></em> thing down to a science. In the 1980s, this record would've appeared on <strong>Bomp!</strong> (the Miracle Workers) or <strong>Crypt</strong> (Lyres, <em>Back from the Grave</em>); in the 1990s, <strong>Sympathy for the Record Industry</strong> (Reigning Sound, the White Stripes); and in the 2000s, <strong>In the Red</strong> (the Dirtbombs*). To pull this kind of thing off, you've got to have an unlimited supply of energy and attitude, and these gents have it in spades. <br /> <br />That said, the more I listen to <em><strong>Can't Get No</strong></em>, the more I can think of a few newer groups with whom they share musical DNA, like <strong>Black Lips</strong>; especially on the title track, in which they add dashes of country and surf to the mix (and this is totally off-topic, but I'm curious about <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/48262-terrence-malicks-mysterious-music-centered-movie-set-in-austin-what-we-know/">the next Terrence Malick film</a>, which features Rooney Mara and the boys from Atlanta). And in exploring their <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dead-ghosts">Bandcamp</a>, I found covers of tracks by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWs_Zr4lm4w">Penetrators</a> ("Teenage Lifestyle") and <strong>the Gories</strong> ("Thunderbird ESQ"). Also: the more I listen, <strong>the more I love this thing. </strong> <br /> <br />Standout tracks include the instrumental "Tea Swamp Rumble," which features a <strong>Link Wray</strong>-like guitar line, and "I Want You Back," which borrows moves from <strong>the Lime Spiders</strong> and <strong>the Guess Who</strong> (specifically "American Woman"). As for the latter song, if <strong>Dead Ghosts</strong> were at all concerned about originality, they might've picked a title that wasn't already used by <strong>the Jackson 5</strong> and <strong>the Hoodoo Gurus</strong>, but I get the impression that they prioritize their instincts over all other concerns.<br /> <br />Long story short: Burger Records does it again. <br /> <br /><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F79238094"></iframe><br /> <br /><em>Burger releases</em> Can't Get No <em>on April 30. That day, they'll also be issuing the Burnt Ones'</em> <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/12/the-burnt-ones-are-on-your-side">You'll Never Walk Alone</a>. The reissue of <em>King Tuff's</em> <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/08/king-tuff-bad-words-and-classic-beats">Was Dead</a><em>, which was originally scheduled for the same date, has been delayed until May 28.</em></p> <p><small>* Amazingly, the Dirtbombs are still recording for In the Red. New bubblegum record this year!</small></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/a-trip-to-the-past-with-dead-ghosts#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16535574&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases Album http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/a-trip-to-the-past-with-dead-ghosts?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16535574&id=comments 2 A Trip to the Past with Dead Ghosts Burger Records Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:10:43 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/18/the-bizarre-synth-wizardry-of-long-lost-romanian-band-rodion-ga http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/18/the-bizarre-synth-wizardry-of-long-lost-romanian-band-rodion-ga Dave Segal <p>Think all of the great, obscure music's been mined by now? Think again. </p> <p>We&#8217;re <em>still</em> excavating gems from countries not traditionally known as musical powerhouses (expect revelatory unearthings of music from the Madagascar psych-rock and Lichtenstein power-electronics scenes in the next five years). Another case in point is the imminent release of Romanian weirdos <a href="https://soundcloud.com/strut/rodion-g-a-cantec-fulger-the">Rodion G.A</a>.&#8217;s <em><a href="http://www.strut-records.com/content/musical-magic-unearthed-romania-journey-rodion-ga">The Lost Tapes</a></em> via <strong>Strut Records</strong>, in conjunction with <strong>Future Nuggets</strong> and <a href="http://www.ambassadorsreception.com/">Ambassador&#8217;s Reception</a>. Synthesist/songwriter <strong>Rodion Ladislau Roșca</strong> cut some amazing tracks from the mid &#8217;70s through the &#8217;80s with bandmates <strong>Gicu Fărcaș</strong> and <strong>Adrian Căpraru</strong>. The 10 songs gathered here traverse oddball synth pop, baroque European prog, spacey funk rock, and neo-classical composition. Rodion G.A. were off in their own world, probably charming the hell out of very few people and baffling many more. Now with our sophisticated ears primed for anything and everything, Rodion G.A. should get a more welcome reception than they did during Ceausescu's reign.</p> <p>As with a lot of music from Central and Eastern Europe during those years, there&#8217;s something that seems just a bit <em>off</em> to ears accustomed to the output of Anglo-American musicians, and that offness is often what most rivets us.</p> <p>Read more about Rodion G.A.'s peculiar history on <a href="http://www.strut-records.com/content/musical-magic-unearthed-romania-journey-rodion-ga">Strut&#8217;s site</a>. Look for <em>The Lost Tapes</em> on May 28. </p> <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F88175417"></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/18/the-bizarre-synth-wizardry-of-long-lost-romanian-band-rodion-ga#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16522348&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album Dust Bin http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/18/the-bizarre-synth-wizardry-of-long-lost-romanian-band-rodion-ga?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16522348&id=comments 0 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:33:30 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/tvs-webster-made-a-record-about-molestation http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/tvs-webster-made-a-record-about-molestation Mike Nipper <p>In case you guys were wondering if you should spend your money on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster_(TV_series)">Webster</a>'s <em>Good Secrets! Bad Secrets!</em> album, like, to complete your collection, well, here, have a listen...</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3mqTLMdX8P8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p><strong>Fucking creepy.</strong> This makes me extra glad I never, ever watched this show.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/tvs-webster-made-a-record-about-molestation#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16507344&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album ??!! http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/tvs-webster-made-a-record-about-molestation?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16507344&id=comments 4 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:20:28 -0700 The Stranger http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/jfaradays-beats-are-pure-rapper-bait http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/jfaradays-beats-are-pure-rapper-bait Larry Mizell, Jr. <p>Catch these oceanic, emotional thrills from producer <strong>j.Faraday</strong>&#8212;the Houston-raised 21-year-old is the newest thing smoking from out the homie Alex Ruder's <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hush-hush-records">Hush Hush Records</a>. </p> <p>The crystalline, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/clammyclams">Clams</a>ian vocal snatches and itchy snare rolls have to sound like pure candy to a hungry, fashion-forward rapper on the Bandcamp-prowl.</p> <p><iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=653483067/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://hushhushrecords.bandcamp.com/album/j-faraday-beat-tape-1">j.Faraday - Beat Tape #1 by j.Faraday</a></iframe></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/jfaradays-beats-are-pure-rapper-bait#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16507367&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/16/jfaradays-beats-are-pure-rapper-bait?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16507367&id=comments 0 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:01:12 -0700 The Stranger