Waterloo Sunset

New Sunset

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

Waterloo Sunset has moved. There will be a new look and new feel in the new year, but feel free to use this site as an archive. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Best of 2011 // The Albums

2011-12-28T11:41:00.001-06:00

There was no giant record of 2011 to hang our collective hat on--when reading through other lists, the choices are fragmented and scattered across a wide variety of genres, moods, and styles. That has become par for the course in the digital age, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone is finding their own personal "best" album of the year, something they can call their own and have a real emotional connection to. I had a few of those powerful moments this year, more so than in recent memory. If there is one defining theme to this list, it's that they all share a similar headspace: they're reaching for the stars while trapped on the ground.

There's no particular order, as these records meant different things at different times. Take a gander, listen, and buy the albums from the artists--they could use your help and attention.

Words/songs after the jump.

Fleet Foxes // Helplessness Blues

For all the skyward reaching of their multi-part harmonies, what’s most striking is the earthiness of this record. Robin Pecknold gets personal with doubt and youthful frustration, leaving questions hanging like clouds over the brisk arrangements. The songs tap into the current anxiety about wanting to belong to something bigger than ourselves, but they trade oversharing and whining for obtuseness and universality. Same conversation, different voice, but it harmonizes by cutting to the core.

Fleet Foxes // Grown Ocean

Real Estate // Days

Whereas their first album traded in shaggy beach jams, Days wraps itself in a melancholic mist--and it won't let you go once you dive in. The lyrics are simple, detailing the minimal moments that make up the days of our youths. But the main draw are the guitars, coiling and uncoiling with patient precision, just like the suburban roads Real Estate sing about.

Real Estate // Green Aisles

The War On Drugs // Slave Ambient

After laboring in the shadow of fellow Philly friend Kurt Vile, the War On Drugs finally step into the spotlight. It's a beam of their own making--Slave Ambient is one of the most fully-realized, immersive records in recent memory, a veritable ocean of warbling guitars, synths, and Adam Granduciel's lonesome croon. It's the perfect atmosphere for his wanderin' and wonderin'.

The War On Drugs // Best Night

Kurt Vile // Smoke Ring For My Halo

Meanwhile, Kurt Vile continues to live in the shadows. He's found a way to unify the spirituality of American Primitive guitar playing with gritty folk melodies, pulling out big ideas and a dreamy restlessness along the way.

Kurt Vile // Puppet To The Man

Dirty Beaches // Badlands

A record that serves as the soundtrack to a million midnight car rides, Badlands is all about mood and style. Dirty Beaches plays up the '50s greaser shtick, but darkens the edges with motoring rhythms and a production style that's the very definition of lo-fi. But beneath the grime is a tender heart, one that can't help but howl at the full moon.

Dirty Beaches // True Blue

Shabazz Palaces // Black Up

And out of the ether comes Shabazz Palaces. Ishmael Butler, an early '90s hip-hop luminary, sets his course for the stars and comes back with an album that unites rap, free jazz, and the avant-garde. Mystical, challenging, dark, and dense, Black Up ups the hip-hop game with a sound that's lightyears ahead of anybody else. I'm free, you know I'm free.

Shabazz Palaces // Free Press And Curl

Amen Dunes // Through Donkey Jaw

The mysterious Amen Dunes continues to make warped psych-folk, but Through Donkey Jaw expands the palette a bit with full-band arrangements, synthesizers, and a commitment to melodies that are both odd and oddly catchy.

Amen Dunes // Swim Up Behind Me

Barn Owl // Lost In The Glare

Towering instrumental post-rock--made by just three guys. The San Francisco group has long been on the radar thanks to their unique guitar playing, but this time around they recruit a drummer, and the steady plod is the perfect complement to these psychedelic soundscapes. Who says you need to a camera to make a cinematic moment?

Barn Owl // Turiya

Wye Oak // Civilian

The Baltimore duo tones down the quiet-loud dynamics of their last album, but Civilian maintains that trademark power. Jenn Wasner's fiery songwriting and the muscular arrangements prove why this is one of the sharpest bands around, even when they're in heading into headier territory.

Wye Oak // Two Small Deaths

Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Unknown Mortal Orchestra

The mysteriousness at the heart of Unknown Mortal Orchestra's debut is part of its appeal. Where the hell do these guys come from? It doesn't matter; what does is the record's mixture of sun-damaged psych-rock, glittery glam, and breakbeats. It's undeniably modern: pilfering the past to create a crude future that can stand on its own merits.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Thought Ballune

Champagne Year: Best of 2011

2011-12-22T15:57:00.000-06:00

Another year, come and gone. As the sun sets on 2011, WS takes a look back at all the tracks that caught our ear this year. Some from newcomers on the scene, with fresh ideas to burn; others are old favorites, proving that they still have a few tricks up their collective sleeves. As a holiday bonus, there are several ways to listen: stream it, download the full file, or grab all the tracks individually through the link below (split into four files). Thanks for listening--and enjoy.

Grab it as a mixtape here.

Tracklist:

Side A
_________________________
Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Ffunny Ffriends
Richard Swift // Laugh It Up
Wilco // I Might
Centro-Matic // Iso-Residue
Woods // Any Other Day
A Giant Dog // QYJARA
Bleached // Think of You
Soft Healer // Grand Isle
Thee Oh Sees // Crushed Grass
Wye Oak // Holy Holy
Amen Dunes // Baba Yaga

Side B
_________________________
Barn Owl // Turiya
Radiohead // Bloom
Colin Stetson // The Righteous Wrath Of An Honorable Man
Dirty Beaches // Lord Knows Best
St. Vincent // Champagne Year
Washed Out // Eyes Be Closed
The War On Drugs // Baby Missiles
Kurt Vile // Baby's Arms
Atlas Sound // Mona Lisa
Real Estate // It's Real
Cass McCombs // County Line
Fleet Foxes // Helplessness Blues

Total running time: 1:23:47

Download:

Champagne Year: Best of 2011 by artblevy

Under The Covers: The Best Album Art of 2011

2011-12-13T22:21:00.000-06:00

*Note: Obviously, blogging has been sporadic this past fall, due to work, traveling, lack of inspiration, etc. Expect a Waterloo Sunset redesign/rethink/relaunch in early 2012. Thanks for reading.

Your mother admonished you, "never judge a book by its cover." But when it comes to music, a record's cover can set the general tone and aesthetic like the first welcoming steps into a deeper ocean. With the digitization of everything, album art seems to be going by the wayside, but there will always be the select few that know how important it is to catch an eye in order to catch an ear.

Below are some of the best album covers of the year, not limited to any one genre or theme but picked based on typography, photography, and overall graphic design. If you think of any we missed, let us know in the comments. We're always up for a good look.

Dirty Beaches // Badlands

Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells // Everything's Getting Older

Richard Swift // Walt Wolfman

*More covers after the jump below:

Hans-Joachim Roedelius // Selbstportrait

Arrange // Plantation

The Soft Moon // Total Decay

Barn Owl // Lost In The Glare

Ear Pwr // Ear Pwr

Fleet Foxes // Helplessness Blues

Wooden Shjips // West

Tammar // Visits

Battles // Gloss Drop

Iron & Wine // Kiss Each Other Clean

Megafaun // Megafaun

2011-09-27T08:56:00.001-05:00

Folk music is too often pinned to conservative types, but there’s a real musically progressive streak running through its veins. Before physical recording was made available, folk songs moved via word-of-mouth, with each composition left up to the performer’s interpretation. Thus, no two versions sound the same. Years and years of personal weathering keep folk songs moving forward while still rooted in the past.

Over the course of three albums and an EP, Megafaun have tapped into this overarching folk narrative. While so many bands and artists are content to play dress up with acoustic guitars and harmonicas, the North Carolina band understands that you can weave in modernity in a special way. Megafaun, their third album to date, is the culmination of years of this sort of exploration and the band’s most sprawling, dazzling statement yet.

Like past efforts, Megafaun stands simple acoustic songs alongside jazzier workouts and avant-garde experiments. Their ability to sound both classic and forward-thinking is their greatest attribute, and these various voices can largely be attributed to the communal nature of the trio. They seem to genuinely enjoy working together, taking it easy while still tackling some heavy questions. Opener “Real Slow” is almost a mission statement for the band itself, lazily intoning “Take your time/Everyone knows/If it starts too fast/It’s gonna end real slow.” The song’s Southern rock-isms could sound corny in anyone else’s hands, but Megafaun are nothing if not tasteful. They achieve a similar widescreen effect on “Get Right,” an insistent strummer that shows the band’s jammy roots are still strong. The noisy bedrock is a nice counterpoint, adding a bit of menace to the sunshine burning overhead.

Even the album’s more familiar moments still reach high. “State/Meant” and “Resurrection” employ a tried-and-true folk-rock chug, but they’re worn well by a band that’s unafraid of the big melody. On the folk-pop of “Second Friend,” swelling strings punctuate a simple love song just as it approaches headier lyrical territory. Megafaun accept their dual nature with a smile, observing that “any moment now/Our river will be changing course/We may not have the time to drift and glide/ Just like the day before.” It hits on a broader theme within Megafaun’s music: staying grounded, but not at the expense of looking for something new.

And that search leads to some of the album’s highest notes. First single “These Words” wraps found sounds and electronic textures into a complex melody, but at its heart lies a catchy tune that makes the best use of the band’s ever-present harmonies. “Isadora” turns “Auld Lang Syne” into a jazzy explosion at the album’s center, and “Scorned” places blues riffs next to blasted-out harmonicas that wail like devilish electric guitars. At every turn, Megafaun take these well-worn ideas and add fresh new ingredients.

The fact that Megafaun sounds so effortless is a testament to the band’s true sense of itself. They continually adapt, looking to the past for inspiration but without getting bogged down in the dusty history. It’s apparent they’re looking to construct a big tent for everyone to fit in, and unsurprisingly they’re succeeding wildly.

[via prefix]

Download:
Megafaun // These Words
Megafaun // State/Meant

Episode 38: Strange World

2011-09-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

[via louis reith]

It's a strange world outside, especially in the world of music. Lots of dark, mysterious musical paths being taken these days, so Episode 38 is packed to the brim with new cuts by Widowspeak, Barn Owl, Amen Dunes, Megafaun, and the War On Drugs. Filling in the cracks are some old WS favorites--connecting the dots through time.

Tracklist:
Widowspeak // Puritan
Link Wray // Deuces Wild
The 13th Floor Elevators // Reverberation (Doubt)
Dead Moon // Walking On My Grave
Mulatu Astatke // Emnete
Damon // Don't You Feel Me
Barn Owl // Turiya
Amen Dunes // Baba Yaga
Megafaun // These Words
Harry Nilsson // Mother Nature's Son
The War On Drugs // I Was There

Total running time: 34:27

Download:
Episode 38: Strange World

Watch: "Music From A Dry Cleaner"

2011-09-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Via This Is Colossal, "sound designer and composer" Diego Stocco creates music from everyday objects, found sounds, and a heft dose of imagination. His latest concoction? A rhythmic workout featuring machines and objects found at his local dry cleaner.

Diego Stocco - Music From A Dry Cleaner from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.

Be sure to check out his Vimeo page for more videos that chronicle is unique muse.

Bleached // You Take Time

2011-09-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

I featured "Think of You" by Bleached on a recent podcast, but it's that single's B-side that's really caught my ear. Bleached is the new project for sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin, formerly of LA skuzz-punks Mika Miko. And whereas "Think of You" is keeping with their former band's brand of straight-ahead ferocity, "You Take Time" is a golden, muscular pop-rock jam that's equal parts Ramones and Big Star. Grab it below, and check out the video for "Think of You" as well.

Download:
Bleached // You Take Time

You can also snag a physical copy of the 7" at Art Fag Records.

Watch: "Turiya"

2011-09-14T08:28:00.000-05:00

Right on cue, a video for Barn Owl's standout track, "Turiya," taken from their exceptional new album Lost In The Glare. Directed by John Davis.

Barn Owl - Turiya from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

[via thrill jockey records]

Barn Owl // Lost In The Glare

2011-09-13T08:06:00.000-05:00

“Our music is kind of visual to me,” admits Evan Caminiti, one-half of San Francisco psych-rockers Barn Owl. It’s a bit of an understatement, especially considering the largeness of the music the band makes. That’s due in part to the visual associations wrapped up in Barn Owl’s instrumental epics—desolate deserts, extreme isolation, and “the powerful feeling of fog creeping along the horizon,” as fellow Barn Owl Jon Porras describes the effect the Bay Area climes have on their sounds. Since meeting in college in 2006, Caminiti and Porras have found kindred spirits in one another, uniting their love of John Fahey’s American primitivism with doom metal and minimal classical. Lost In The Glare marks the first time the two guitarists have worked with drummer Jacob Felix Heule, resulting in a heady mixture of head-in-the-clouds radiance and the more earthly power of a good solid groove.

Last year, Barn Owl invited Heule on a lengthy tour where most of the record’s compositions were tried out. As a result, Lost In The Glare feels both live and lived-in. Though it’s obvious most of the songs are largely improvised, the structures seem deliberate and carefully considered. “Turiya” shows the immediate positive effect of having a drummer like Heule in the group. He keeps a glacial pace plodding along while Caminiti and Porras turn their crunchy drone inside-out. Too many like-minded acts will chase that drone to the point of tedium. Barn Owl use it as a jumping off point before weaving in more concrete ideas.

Musically, there’s no shortage of blues and Indian riffs, but Caminiti and Porras are less interested in ripping off gnarly guitar solos than conjuring an atmosphere with dark waves of feedback. Album-closer (and emotional highpoint) “Devotion II” boasts skillful interlocking guitar lines before exploding in the coda on the back of huge chords and Heule’s pounding drums. This enormity is well-deserved: they pace the album masterfully, contrasting the harder cuts with acoustic explorations like “Temple of the Winds” and “Light Echoes.” The differing moods add up to something that’s experiential and focused. Records like this are often heralded as “sounding like a soundtrack,” but that’s a disservice here. Through their careful sonic work, Barn Owl create their own stories and mythology that can easily stand on their own.

While working on Lost In The Glare, the duo experienced the lunar eclipse that accompanied the winter solstice last December. It was a once-in-a-generation event, captured on the record as “The Darkest Night Since 1683.” The song’s crushing blackness is certainly fitting, but it’s also a testament to Barn Owl’s source of inspiration. Nature runs through the band’s very being, from their own moniker to song titles and album art. It’s also at the heart of their music—wrangling the fleeting messiness of improvisation into something cohesive and constructive. Those are some immense issues to tackle, but they’re attempting to bring this bigness down to a human level. There’s real beauty in that.

[via prefix]

Download:
Barn Owl // Pale Star
Barn Owl // Turiya

Watch: "Born Alone"

2011-09-07T18:32:00.000-05:00

Wilco is back. Early hints prove The Whole Love is a return to form for the Chicago outfit after several years of unfocused work. Today Wilco released a video for the album's bittersweet second single "Born Alone," featuring a treasure trove of photography flickering to the accompanying folk rock workout. And for those music nerds out there, be sure to read lead singer Jeff Tweedy's interview for The Atlantic, wherein he dives deep into the music theory and lyrical structure behind the song.

The Whole Love is out September 27 via Wilco's own dBpm Records.

Episode 37: The Slider

2011-08-31T19:00:00.000-05:00

[via mountains & buffalo]

Slide through the waning days of summer with Episode 37. We find ourselves at the messy, fuzzy intersection of soul and rock and roll, with new jams by Richard Swift and Wilco to go along with some choice favorites. As always, PLAY IT LOUD.

Richard Swift // Lady Luck
Ty Segall // The Slider (T. Rex cover)
Rodriguez // Only Good For Conversation
The Monks // Pretty Suzanne
Wilco // I Might
Atlas Sound // Doctor (Five Discs cover)
Richard Swift // Broken Finger Blues
Gene & The Esquires // Space Race
King Khan & The Shrines // 69 Faces Of Love
Jim Ford // Long Road Ahead
Bob Dylan // Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You

Total running time: 35:55

Download:
Episode 37: The Slider

Walt Wolfman

2011-08-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

Richard Swift is known for a little bit of everything. There's his work as a singer-songwriter, calling to mind Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. There's his avant-garde electronic work as Instruments of Science & Technology. There's his fantastic production work for The Mynabirds and Damien Jurado, and for those who haven't found it yet, Swift's website is a treasure trove of one-off recordings, beautiful photographs, and weird mixes. He's a one-man inspiration machine.

And he's set to release a new EP, awesomely-titled Walt Wolfman, on October 18. I've been digging a new track he dropped a few weeks back called "Broken Finger Blues," but today he's given us an ode to America's preeminent poet, Walt Whitman. Swift's soulful new direction is another welcomed change of pace for the restless spirit. Check him/them out below.

Download:
Richard Swift // Whitman
Richard Swift // Broken Finger Blues

Amen Dunes // Through Donkey Jaw

2011-08-25T15:38:00.000-05:00

Amen Dunes is the moniker for Damon McMahon, an artist that heretofore has remained intriguingly hard to peg. His 2009 album, DIA, was recorded three years previous in a secluded cabin in the Catskills before McMahon moved his entire life to Beijing, never intending for it to see the light of day. Upon its release, DIA sounded deeply personal, claustrophobic, and on the edge of sanity, due in large part to McMahon’s ghostly voice and low profile. Since then, he’s moved back to the States to make Amen Dunes into something more. The result is Through Donkey Jaw, another lonely-sounding album that nonetheless wants to shoot bigger, and it largely succeeds.

The strengths that made DIA worth investigating are still intact here. McMahon revels in a homemade style of psychedelia that sounds like it comes from a place of real emotion, rather than a particularly good (or bad) acid trip. His melodies are crisp and bizarre, but wholly original. The songs aren’t ‘60s pastiches—they sound out of place and out of time, floating around in the air while McMahon attempts to nail them down.

The personal warmth is apparent in the gentle folk of “Swim Up Behind Me,” which uses minimal percussion, synth, and a few guitars while McMahon pines for personal connection. The juxtaposition of his lyrics and the dreamy atmosphere is a central theme. Everything sounds slightly damaged, but there’s real beauty in the uneasiness of it all. The back half of the record is particularly unsettling, vacillating between the murmuring voices of the doomed-sounding “For All” and the straight-up psychosis of “Jill.” Yet these songs are just as essential as the quieter ones. They help define the tone of the album, adding darker colors to the entire palette.

Despite the inward-looking, the music is pushed further outward than anywhere in Amen Dunes’ discography. Songs like “Lower Mind” and “1985” use up all the space they’re given, the latter an instrumental that sounds like a particularly cold reinterpretation of the riff from “Take My Breath Away.” Album-opener “Baba Yaga” sets the scene by slowly, ceaselessly building into a monumental force. Much of Through Donkey Jaw sounds this meditative and assured, and McMahon seems comfortable taking himself out of the narrow headspace of the isolated cabin. The effect is rewarding and oddly comforting—there are peaks and valleys and lots of shadowy spaces, but it all keeps rolling along.

[via prefix]

Download:
Amen Dunes // Baba Yaga
Amen Dunes // Swim Up Behind Me

Ophelia

2011-08-17T21:58:00.000-05:00

Luke Temple is known as the lead singer for Here We Go Magic, but he's all set to break out on his own come September 6. That date sees the release of his new solo album, Don't Act Like You Don't Care on Austin's own Western Vinyl, a long-delayed record three years in the making. First offering "Ophelia" is a classic Temple track: sunny, propulsive, and shot through with his wistful yearning.

Download:
Luke Temple // Ophelia

Baby Missiles

2011-08-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

The War On Drugs have finally moved out of the shadows. For several years, the Philly outfit was known primarily as the former band for Kurt Vile, but on their new album, Slave Ambient, the War On Drugs come into their own. They share a number of the hazy folk-rock nuances that Vile trades in, but with a Sonic Youth-meets-Springsteen vibe. Take a listen to album standout "Baby Missiles" below.

Download:
The War On Drugs // Baby Missiles

Slave Ambient is out now via Secretly Canadian.

Widowspeak // Widowspeak

2011-08-09T20:10:00.001-05:00

Given the fact that we’re constantly bombarded by images on a daily basis, it’s fitting that bands are taking a visual approach to their sound. Contemporary signifiers like “cinematic,” “hazy,” and “shimmering” are thrown around by critics, fans, and the musicians themselves, sometimes ad nauseam. But that visual/auditory melding isn’t always just a cheap copy point. It can hint at an artistic focus that can be rewarding in its own right. Such is the case with Widowspeak, a Brooklyn-by-way-of-Tacoma trio that’s crafted a debut largely through the exploration of mood and tone.

It’s also fitting that Widowspeak comes courtesy of producer Jarvis Taveniere, resident multi-instrumentalist for Woods. The two bands share an intangible, mysterious quality, but whereas Woods’ music comes shrouded in tape hiss, Widowspeak presents itself as minimal and lonely. It helps when you have a singer with a set of pipes like Molly Hamilton. She’s already been likened to fellow dreamweaver Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star fame, and the similarities are striking. But Sandoval always sounded inviting; Hamilton keeps you at arm’s length, a narration for the stark music to build upon.

Credit first must go to Taveniere, who records Widowspeak with a beautiful clarity. “Puritan” kicks things off with the album’s musical thesis statement: pop as big and deliberate as a spaghetti western. Guitarist Robert Thomas is incredibly inventive, eschewing straight rhythm playing for winding leads that make every chorus sound huge and foreboding. The simmering energy of songs like “Harsh Realm” or “In The Pines” actually recalls Wye Oak in places, except Widowspeak build the tension and never release it. The effect is frustrating at times, especially when a good explosion is in order, but it always leaves you wanting more—possibly the greatest thing a band can achieve.

Of course, a visual aspect is apparent from the very beginning, suggesting dusty, deserted roads and wide-open spaces. It’s hard not to hear Ennio Morricone’s fingerprints on Thomas’s guitar parts, but at the center of it all is a beating pop heart. “Nightcrawlers” quotes “Apache,” built around the album’s most striking melody. Swooning hooks creep up in slow-dancers like “Gun Shy” and “Hard Times,” and the relatively hard-charging “Fir Coat” boasts a sugary, syncopated hook courtesy of Thomas. Even “Limbs—an eerie acoustic ballad tipped sharply on the edge of darkness—has a chorus that’s easily recognizable and instantly catchy.

The mixture of pop and mystery is enticing. Everything from the name and the strangely-isolated album art to the songs themselves makes you want to dive in head first. That visual and musical marriage is essential to understanding the minimalism of Widowspeak: it’s just your brain filling in the dots.

[via prefix]

Download:
Widowspeak // Puritan
Widowspeak // Limbs

Walking On My Grave

2011-08-01T23:28:00.001-05:00

Dead Moon are the real deal--gnarly psychedelic garage-punk outta the late '80s-early '90s via Portland, Oregon, certainly akin to our fair city's psych wizard Roky Erickson. The venerable, incomparable, and deliberately enigmatic Portland label Mississippi Records just re-released their first three albums on vinyl. I completely missed out on Dead Moon on my first punk-obsessed go-around, but that's not going to happen again. Wow.

Download:
Dead Moon // Walking On My Grave

Episode 36: We'll Be Here Soon

2011-07-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

[via nevada moonrise]

A nice dusty WS podcast for ya, for these hot, dusty months. A little bit of country, a little bit of psychedelia, but a lot of ramblin' fun. The sun might be unbearable now, but in the words of Phosphorescent, "we'll be here soon."

Tracklist:
Calexico // Corona
The Old 97's // Bel Air
Phosphorescent // We'll Be Here Soon (Live at KUT)
White Fence // Stranger Things Have Happened
Woods // Any Other Day
Bleached // Think of You
Love // Maybe The People Would Be The Times or Between Clark and Hilldale
Silvio Rodríguez // Fusil Contra Fusil
Dara Puspita // To Love Somebody (Bee Gees cover)
Kurt Vile // Overnite Religion
Dillard & Clark // Don't Let Me Down (Beatles cover)

Total running time: 36:18

Download:
Episode 36: We'll Be Here Soon

Alex Steinweiss: 1938-2011

2011-07-25T22:19:00.001-05:00

Alex Steinweiss, the inventor of the album cover, passed away last week at the age of 94. Before Columbia Records hired him in 1938, albums came in plain brown paper sleeves, but his work was a perfect marriage of art, design, and commerce. His design for the original cast recording of South Pacific has been used since it debuted in 1949. The only other graphic design in America to be used for so many years is the Coca-Cola bottle.

Ever since I first got into music, album art has played a crucial role in my enjoyment of music--for me, it can be a potent visual representation of the sound itself. Below are a few of my favorites--and like any great artist, you'll know a Steinweiss when you see it.

Live From The Basement

2011-07-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

If you have an hour to kill, watch Radiohead perform The King of Limbs live from a BBC basement. It premiered last night on Spanish TV, and it goes to show that their critically-mixed eighth album is a grower but still subtly phenomenal in its own right. If you're in a hurry, just watch the opener "Bloom"--Radiohead might have the best rhythm section around. Highly recommended viewing.

Cy Twombly, 1928-2011

2011-07-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

[Cy Twombly, Untitled // 1970]

"My line is childlike but not childish. It is very difficult to fake: To get that quality you need to project yourself into the child's line. It has to be felt."

Download:
Charles Mingus // Track A-Solo Dancer (Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!)

Two Hundred Thirty Five Years Young

2011-07-04T07:00:00.002-05:00

[via cosmic dust]

Happy birthday, America. Here's a present for you--my favorite song.

Download:
John Fahey // America

Summertime Blooze

2011-06-30T22:15:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the 4th of July, a cure for the Summertime Blooze. Waterloo Sunset presents nearly an hour of summer jams and found sounds, both old and new alike to keep your fires hot and your pools cool. Don't forget yer sunscreen.

Side A
_____________________________________________
Chubby Checker // Let's Surf Again
Richard Swift // Knee-High Boogie Blues
The Temptations // Paradise
The Sandals // Lonely Road
Sonny & the Sunsets // Stranded
Don Julian // It's A Sad Song
Floating Action // So Vapor
Bibio // Lover's Carvings
White Denim // River To Consider

Side B
______________________________________________
Tame Impala // Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind
Ty Segall // You Make The Sun Fry
Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Jello & Juggernauts
Cotton Jones // Cotton & Velvet
Pure X // Back Where I Began
Wanda Sá // Inútil Paisagem
Bo Diddley // Old Man River
Link Wray // Slow Drag

Download (click down arrow on player):
Summertime Blooze by artblevy

Woods // Sun & Shade

2011-06-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

By now, Woods’ music shouldn’t be so effective. Since their 2009 breakthrough Songs of Shame, the prolific Brooklyn group has essentially recreated the same album of ramshackle psych-folk once a year, often with similar song titles or lyrical themes. But they’ve morphed into one of the most dependably great acts around through superior songwriting, rising above the lo-fi graveyard to craft perhaps their best offering yet with Sun & Shade.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Woods might hit a stylistic dead-end at some point. Their sound isn’t especially new, drawing from that halcyon wellspring of inspiration, the late-60s to early-70s. But where the band differs is the overall feel, a wholly original atmosphere that enshrouds everything they do. Jeremy Earl’s high, earnest croon acts as the glue that holds together the bare-bones instrumentation. The tempos vary from verse to verse, the guitars are often out of tune, busted notes stick out like sore thumbs, and consequently everything feels like an exciting, warts-and-all first take.

Closer listening proves the songs are hardly tossed-off. Earl is one of the most impressive melody writers around, and each gnarly guitar solo is carefully constructed to work within these frameworks. He’s obviously pushing himself as a songwriter, trying to best himself at every turn. Take the last three album openers: Songs of Shame’s “To Clean” blasted out of the gate with Crazy Horse-like mania, but the dynamic “Blood Dries Darker” of At Echo Lake showed the band was capable of simmering their psych until the very end. And now “Pushing Onlys” puts the notch even higher, with buoyant, golden harmonies aiming for an emotional high unlike any in Woods’ career.

Sun & Shade is a perfect summation of the group’s overall aesthetic. The band works with both light and dark shades, switching off between carefree bliss and deep sadness and fear. “I won’t believe that it can’t get worse,” Earl eerily sings on “Any Other Day,” an early-album standout that shows off the group’s impeccable pop mastery. This is also the most varied record in Woods’ lengthy discography. Tribal rhythms, Grateful Dead-like folk-rock, wistful soul, and jangly bubblegum pop all make appearances. But Woods don’t beat you over the head with their influences; they take those sounds and make them their own.

Over a third of the record is given over to two songs: “Out of the Eye” and “Sol y Sombra.” These are nods back to the band’s more experimental roots, with added Krautrock rhythms that propel the various tape effects and guitar meanderings into a coherent direction. Even when surrounded by a treasure trove of pop perfection, these experiments are worth diving into. Woods can’t seem to relinquish their darker past, and that’s what makes them so effective.

There’s the tiniest bit of sheen to Sun & Shade that’s worth noting for such a defiantly lo-fi band. Maybe they can afford better equipment, but it’s more likely a result of the group realizing what a musical gold mine they’re sitting on. That fraction of fidelity elevates Woods to a new level that didn’t seem possible (or even desirable) a few albums ago. Here they’ve proved that their success isn’t all charm or happenstance. Woods have gotten to this point by following every creative impulse, and they seemingly have a million more possibilities stretching out ahead.

[via prefix]

Download:
Woods // Pushing Onlys
Woods // Who Do I Think I Am?

Episode 34: Righteous Wrath

2011-06-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

[via but does it float]

On Episode 34 of the WS Podcast, we're saluting the righteous wrath of an honorable man, Gil Scott-Heron. This one's a dark offering, featuring the likes of Gil, Mulatu Astatke's Ethiopian jazz, and Colin Stetson, who creates avant-garde compositions through the use of a saxophone, circular breathing, and a thorough knowledge of acoustics (all in one take, no less). Best served after midnight.

Tracklist:
Gil Scott-Heron // Paint It Black
R.L. Burnside // Goin' Down South
Timber Timbre // Bad Ritual
Mulatu Astatke // Mulatu
Gil Scott-Heron // The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Dirty Beaches // Lone Runner (Live at Daytrotter)
Neu! // Weissensee
Lightnin' Hopkins // Last Night
Colin Stetson // The Righteous Wrath Of An Honorable Man
Gil Scott-Heron // New York Is Killing Me

Total running time: 36:56

Download:
Episode 34: Righteous Wrath

Happy Birthday, Les Paul!

2011-06-09T15:09:00.000-05:00

The inventor of the solid-body electric guitar, pioneer in overdubbing recording techniques, experimenter in tape delay and multitrack recording, and he invented a new musical vocabulary with his jazz and country compositions that he recorded with his beloved wife Mary Ford in the 1950s. In short: the architect of rock and roll.

Download:
Les Paul & Mary Ford // The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

Gil Scott-Heron: 1949-2011

2011-05-29T15:37:00.000-05:00

"I did not become someone different / That I did not want to be
But I'm new here / Will you show me around?
No matter how far wrong you've gone / You can always turn around."

Thought Ballune

2011-05-27T17:24:00.003-05:00

As evidenced by the latest podcast, Unknown Mortal Orchestra's been on my mind. Don't know anything about them, but that's what makes their music so good: it's shoegaze-y guitar rock with some funky backbeats blasting out of a mysterious void. Some of the most exciting tunes I've heard in awhile. Their (his? her?) debut drops June 21 on Fat Possum; review forthcoming. In the meantime, dig "Thought Ballune" below.

Download:
Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Thought Ballune

Episode 33: Harlan County to the County Line

2011-05-16T21:24:00.001-05:00

[via 50 watts]

Episode 33 of the WS podcast, featuring a decidedly warm mix sure to please in the warm weather. Weary souls abound, both old and new. Pull up a chair and ward that ole man trouble away.

Jim Ford // Harlan County
Otis Redding // Ole Man Trouble
The Budos Band // The River Serpentine
Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Ffunny Ffrends
Dungen // Det Du Tӓnker Idag Ӓr Du I Morgon
Rodriguez // Sugar Man
Bob Dylan // You're A Big Girl Now (New York sessions, 1974)
Wings // Let Me Roll It
Cass McCombs // County Line

Total running time: 35:33

Download:
Episode 33

The Morning Benders // Oh Annie

2011-04-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

Chris Chu of San Fran's The Morning Benders wrote "Oh Annie" after "watching Annie Hall for the 100th time." Alvie Singer probably would've dug the loping jazziness of the tune. Take a listen below.

Oh Annie by The Morning Benders

Episode 32: Towards The Sun

2011-04-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

[via illuminate the world]

A trip around the world via ancient melodies and folk rhythms, just in time for Earth Day. Lomax recordings, found sounds, and a number of other oddities waiting to be heard and replayed. Get outside and run towards the sun.

Crap Eye // One Morning At The Break Of Day (Wake Up Song)
Califone // Ape-Like
Group Inerane // Kuni Majagani
Marissa Nadler // Daisy, Where Did You Go?
Jim Schoenfeld // Before
Ted Lucas // Love & Peace Raga
Abner Jay // I'm So Depressed
Mountain Man // Loon Song
Possessed By Paul James // Fiddle #1
Hasil Adkins // By The Lonesome River

Total running time: 36:05

Download:
Episode 32: Towards The Sun

Pushing Onlys

2011-04-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

New track from Brooklyn's finest ramshackle psych-rock outfit, Woods. Their sixth full-length, appropriately titled Sun & Shade, drops June 14th on Woodsist. In the meantime, here's the first single: "Pushing Onlys."

"Pushing Onlys" - Woods by forcefieldpr

Fleet Foxes // "Grown Ocean"

2011-03-30T16:57:00.000-05:00

Video for "Grown Ocean," taken from Fleet Foxes's upcoming Helplessness Blues (out May 3 on Sub Pop). With each new song, it seems this sophomore effort will be a veritable stunner, and it may rocket Fleet Foxes into the stratosphere. Couldn't be more excited. Take a gander (and a listen) below.

Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean from Fleet Foxes on Vimeo.

24 Hours at SXSW '11

2011-03-28T17:57:00.000-05:00

Besides our own testimonial, the Austinist offers up this artful video recap done by Jake Roper. Scenes of Austin inter-spliced with educational videos about Stephen F. Austin and scored (partially) by the Black Angels--you've found the triumvirate to steal any Austinite's heart, Mr. Roper.

24hrs at SXSW from Jake Roper on Vimeo.

Episode 31: Smoke Dreams

2011-03-26T12:45:00.000-05:00

[paul klee]

After all of the SXSW madness, a little mellow breather is in order. We've got some real weird ones here, including 1950s crooner Ronnie Deauville, who was confined to an iron lung for most of his recording career. Episode 31 is a marathon, not a sprint, best served after midnight. Open the windows and enjoy.

Radiohead // Bloom
Tape // Companions
Broadcast // Come On Let's Go
Boards of Canada // Pete Standing Alone
Ronnie Deauville // Smoke Dreams
Yma Sumac // Ataypura (High Andes)
Mulatu Astatke // Yegelle Tezeta
Caribou // Found Out
Kurt Vile // Society Is My Friend
Dirty Beaches // Lord Knows Best

Total running time: 39:20

Download:
Episode 31: Smoke Dreams

Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo

2011-03-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

Kurt Vile has made a cottage industry out of his warped folk-rock, releasing a treasure trove of full-lengths, EPs, singles, 7-inches, and cassettes over the past three years. They’re all a varying degree of quality -- the Philly songwriter hasn’t met a song fragment he doesn’t want to put to tape -- but his music is united by his two strongest suits: his expert guitar-playing and his singular voice. Smoke Ring For My Halo is Vile’s fourth record to date and his strongest yet. While he still displays some maddening inconsistencies, Vile hits some truly strident highpoints that bode well for the future.

There’s long been a duality to Vile’s music—one moment he’s slinging audacious six-string solos with his awesomely named backing group, the Violators, the next he’s in full-on folk troubadour mode. His first two full-lengths reflected this, with 2008’s Constant Hitmaker living up to its pop-rock claim, while 2009’s God Is Saying This To You featured his trademark acoustic ruminations. But his Matador debut, Childish Prodigy, packaged these two sides together, and Smoke Ring picks up where he left off.

Gone is the bedroom-recorded haze of Vile’s past releases. Here, John Agnello produces, a wise choice given his resume: records by Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and the Hold Steady all boast his name, and his steady guidance really makes Vile’s songs burn with intensity. The Violators’ precise groove on “Puppet To The Man” allows Vile to be out front with his rambling sneer, and Agnello goes for the less-is-more approach, capturing the band within a warm atmosphere.

Elsewere, Vile puts his mind to his intricate fingerpicked guitar style. Opener “Baby’s Arms” is a testament to his skill as both a songwriter and performer. He really sells the record’s best melody with his drawn-out warble: “there’s been but one true loooove/ In my baaaaaby’s aaaaaaarmmmms.” The electronics bubbling underneath add so much depth that he repeats the trick a few times, like on the propulsive and soaring “Society Is My Friend” or the dreamy “On Tour.”

But a few of the hats Vile tries on don’t fit quite as well. “Jesus Fever” and “In My Time” are two sides of the same coin: pleasantly soft pop-rock numbers that might have worked better as lo-fi demos. With the increased fidelity, oddly enough, the songs lose their carefree nature. Likewise, the back half suffers from too many acoustic numbers, with “Peeping Tom” even going so far as to pilfer part of the stellar melody from the far superior “My Sympathy” off God Is Saying This To You. The similarities between a lot of these songs are frustrating. He can be a near-perfect songwriter, but he often recycles his melodic ideas when he doesn’t need to.

He’s got some growing pains, but that’s what makes Vile so interesting. His work is definitely on an upward trajectory, provided that he’s still willing to experiment with his sound. It’s easy to see Smoke Ring being remembered as the stepping stone to a transcendent piece of work in Vile’s discography.

[via prefix]

Download:
Kurt Vile // Baby's Arms
Kurt Vile // Puppet To The Man

Lonestar Lullabies SXSW Mix

2011-03-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

Lonestar Lullabies has put together this incredible mix for your South By Southwest needs. Consider this a primer on Texas bands that are a must-see if you're in town this week. He sez: "Austinites welcome the world (and half of Brooklyn) to our city with open arms, breakfast tacos, and plenty of tall boys of Lone Star. Ironically (but also understandably), Austin bands don't get much of the spotlight. Here's my attempt to remedy that: a mix of mostly recent Austin acts doing what they do best."

Be sure to tune into Lonestar Lullabies every Monday 7-9AM on KVRX 91.7 FM (or kvrx.org), where you'll hear only the finest in Texas music. Track listing below:

Cole Bee Wilson // Addicted
The Jungle Rockers // Nothin's Enough
A Giant Dog // Grand
Marmalakes // Vittoria
Possessed By Paul James // Colorofmybloodynose
Bosque Brown // Texas Sun
Over the Hill // Singin' to the Dead
Literature // Cincinnatti
The Golden Boys // Older Than You
Boonsboro // Sneak-a-Peak
Big Boys // Fun Fun Fun
Frank Smith // Nineteen
Silver Pines // Timefather
Balmorhea // Palestrina
Soft Healer // Grand Isle

Grab the mix here.

Beach Fossils // What A Pleasure

2011-03-10T12:56:00.000-06:00

On their self-titled debut, Brooklyn’s Beach Fossils played it close to the vest. Arrangements were spare, with intertwining guitar lines built on a foundation of serpentine bass, lo-fi vocals, and barely there drumming. Not revolutionary, to say the least, but a pleasant listen nonetheless. With such a stylized formula, would there need to be any changes? On first listen, the group’s new EP feels like more of the same, but some subtle shifts reveal a band that’s comfortable in its skin but itching for more.

The first surprising thing about this EP is its cohesiveness. Often, EPs serve as song dumps for bands wanting to exorcise their past, but Beach Fossils have built a solid statement of a record. Introductory instrumental “Moments” serves up some widescreen catharsis that’s unusual for such an introverted band. But that bittersweet build-up is repeated as the coda to “Adversity,” bringing the EP full circle and closing the record on a high note. As a result, What A Pleasure has a definitive path to follow, cycling through some pretty heady emotions in just under 25 minutes.

With the hazy production values, you’d be forgiven in calling it vaguely nostalgic, but the band injects some real darkness underneath. On EP centerpiece “Out In The Way,” lead singer Dustin Payseur gets an assist from Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum, their bleary voices fighting for air against synths and effected percussion. It owes a tremendous debt to the kind of ‘80s pop that made John Hughes’s films so irresistible, but the emotions are completely earned, sounding like a minimalist M83 by way of the Cure.

Payseur has a real knack for writing memorable melodies and there’s no dearth here. Both “What A Pleasure” and “Calyer” display those trademark surf guitars that are so effective in hammering an earworm home. They even revel in full-on pop-rock on the chiming “Distance,” albeit in a more reserved manner. That sense of restraint is a real plus for the band, but they’ve learned to augment their songs with other ideas, either sonic or thematic in nature. It sets Beach Fossils up for a nice career, one that will be built over the long-haul on solid songwriting and steady, welcome evolution.

[via prefix]

Download:
Beach Fossils // What A Pleasure
Beach Fossils // Adversity

Episode 30: Riverine

2011-03-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

[via strange maps]

Mardi Gras is in full swing, so here's an ode to rivers, zydeco, the blues, and folk, meandering among anything that'll strike your fancy. Enjoy.

Clifton Chenier // Zydeco Et Pas Sale
The Band // When I Paint My Masterpiece
Fats Domino // Going To The River
Blitzen Trapper // Black River Killer
Neil Young // Down By The River (Live at Massey Hall, Toronto, 1971)
Kurt Vile // Baby's Arms
John Fahey // Requiem For Mississippi John Hurt (Live at the Matrix, San Francisco, 1968/1969)
Mississippi John Hurt // Farther Along
The Rolling Stones // Ventilator Blues
Augustus "Track Horse" Haggerty & Group // God A'Mighty Drag

Total running time: 35:42

Download:
Waterloo Sunset #30

I'm From Texas, Too

2011-03-02T17:21:00.001-06:00

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Download:
Cindy Walker // You're From Texas

Episode 29: In The Basement

2011-02-18T11:56:00.000-06:00

[via old soul music]

On Episode 29 of the WS Podcast, we're venturing in the basement for some home-cooked fun. There's some leftover Valentine's Day candy and a whole lot of psychedelic/soul/garage rock fire for your listening/dancing pleasure. In the basement, that's where it's at.

Sugar Pie DeSanto + Etta James // In The Basement, Part 1
The Yardbirds // Heart Full Of Soul
The Invincibles // Heart Full Of Love
Johnny & The Expressions // Now That You're Mine
The Seeds // Can't Seem To Make You Mine
Women // Black Rice
The White Stripes // Little Room
Link Wray // Big City Stomp
Cavedweller // Can't Cook Down
Charlotte Dada // Don't Let Me Down
Soft Healer // Grand Isle
Sugar Pie DeSanto + Etta James // In The Basement, Part 2

Total running time: 36:35

Download:
Waterloo Sunset #29

Grand Isle

2011-02-15T23:21:00.001-06:00

Brand new song from one of our favorite bands from 2010. Monofonus Press just released a one-sided 10" from Soft Healer, featuring the long-burning psych jam "Grand Isle" and their cover of the Zero Boys'"Civilization's Dying." Expect a full-length later this year; we couldn't be more excited...

Download:
Soft Healer // Grand Isle

God Only Knows

2011-02-14T18:29:00.000-06:00

In 1966, Brian Wilson and lyricist Tony Asher penned one of the best love songs in pop history. Put to tape with a lead vocal by Carl Wilson, "God Only Knows" still shines after all these years. With that, have a happy Valentine's Day, and enjoy this Beach Boys demo recording from '67.

Download:
The Beach Boys // God Only Knows (1967 Rehearsal)

Episode 28

2011-02-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

[via illuminate the world]

This week we say goodbye to the White Stripes, WS's adolescent gateway to a wider world of psychedelic punk. Plus, new music from Sic Alps, Papercuts, and Kurt Vile, as well as a few covers thrown in for good measure. Brush those dead leaves from the dirty ground, it's time to start anew.

The White Stripes // Black Math
Sic Alps // Cement Surfboard
Charlie Feathers // Can't Hardly Stand It
Blitzen Trapper // Whiskey Kisser
Link Wray // I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams cover)
Atlas Sound // So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) (Everly Brothers cover)
J.K. & Company // Fly
Broadcast // Where Youth And Laughter Go
Papercuts // Do What You Will
Kurt Vile // Jesus Fever

Total running time: 31:41

Download:
Waterloo Sunset #28

Wit's End

2011-01-27T17:32:00.000-06:00

New Cass McCombs album, Wit's End, out April 12 on Domino. Turn out the lights, stop what you're doing, and stream the lead-off track, "County Line," below.

Cass McCombs - County Line by DominoRecordCo

Wallow/Warmth

2011-01-25T16:58:00.001-06:00

[via ruradelia]

We get very schizophrenic winters here in Texas—a half-week of drizzly cold, followed by a few days of humidity and heat, then back to cold. Personally, I like our winters; the unpredictability is sometimes maddening, but there’s something beautiful to being at the mercy of Mother Nature. Consequently, I like to turn to Wilco’s “At Least That’s What You Said,” album opener to their highly underrated A Ghost Is Born. It’s the sound of weary resignation (and possibly psychosis), with Jeff Tweedy barely mumbling lyrics over haunting piano chords. Then the atonal bridge erupts, giving way to the best guitar freakout this side of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. With the abundant sunshine and heat the rest of the year, it’s nice to revel in such bleakness once in a while.

But our mild winters give way to warmer weather in an instant. It’s like somebody turns a switch: ladies and gentlemen, Summer! So during the drizzlier months, I put on Calexico’s “Corona,” knowing full well that the golden sunshine is just around the corner. “Corona” is a Minutemen cover, but in true Calexico fashion, the band strips the original of its punky attitude in favor of some Mexican flavor. It’s inherently cinematic: those mariachi horns, the gorgeous strings, and the romance of the sighing pedal steel all call to mind the best ever roadtrip to dusty, sweaty West Texas. And the false starts at the beginning sound like a clunker trying to turn over before finally kicking into high gear, its nose pointed west towards that blistering sunset. The people will survive in their environment…

[via prefix]

Download:
Wilco // At Least That's What You Said
Calexico // Corona

Episode 27: Winter Mix

2011-01-20T18:58:00.000-06:00

[via sunday morning]

A wintry mix to help get you through yer own wintry mixes. Get a nice drink and pop on some headphones as we say goodbye to some friends and start the new year with a toast. We've got much to talk about and much to reminisce...

Bob Dylan :: On A Night Like This
Captain Beefheart :: Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles
Nico :: The Fairest Of The Seasons
Wilco :: Hell Is Chrome
John Fahey :: Days Have Gone By
Cotton Jones :: Gone The Bells (Demo Version)
Modest Mouse :: Grey Ice Water
Broadcast :: Echo's Answer
Edith Piaf :: Non Je Ne Regrette Rien
The Walkmen :: While I Shovel The Snow

Total running time: 35:50

Download:
Waterloo Sunset #27

Echo's Answer: RIP Trish Keenan

2011-01-14T16:07:00.001-06:00

One of the great things about music is its vastness: there's simply not enough time in the world to listen to every single thing that has ever been recorded. Consequently, great music sometimes slips through the cracks, only to be picked up, dusted off, and enjoyed far into the future.

I found out about Broadcast a few months ago when I heard "Come On Let's Go" in a store, from their 2000 debut The Noise Made By People. Their lead singer, Trish Keenan, has an arresting voice: mysterious, a little bit airy, but instantly recognizable. The song sounds like a precursor to the current fascination in underground music, diffusing Phil Spector-like pop through a darker, more modern lens.

I was late to the Broadcast party, but that didn't stop me from diving head-first into that debut and eventually their ever-expanding discography. It quickly became the soundtrack to cold, misty, quiet December nights where the rain refracts Christmas lights into a million different directions. I was excited for the new sonic adventure. However, this morning came the news of Keenan's sudden death. It's especially shocking in this case; while I wouldn't call myself a Broadcast super-fan, I was falling fast for their beautiful sound. Now, my musical exploration of Broadcast has a definite ending point; now, the band--which prided itself on boundary-pushing--is frozen in time.

Besides the personal connection, it's a tragedy for Keenan, her bandmates, her family, and her fans. Here was an artist steady in her resolve and cut down too soon. She left behind a small legacy, one that just might do for you what it did for me: stop you in your tracks and force you to take notice. That's a rare gift. We had just met, but the music isn't fleeting.

Download:
Broadcast :: Come On Let's Go
Broadcast :: Echo's Answer

Best of 2010 // The Albums

2010-12-19T18:19:00.001-06:00

[via nevada moonrise]

Our look back at the year that was concludes with Waterloo Sunset’s personal favorite long-players from the past twelve months. Of course this is just a snapshot of the music that caught WS’s attention, but these records made a particular impression. More so than in recent memory, most of the albums were growers, but the time invested was well worth it, and they’re all worth your time as well.

Like I said last year, I’m still drawn to long-players because they elevate the art form to something of a transcendent, personal, memorable level. It’s particularly intoxicating to throw these on the stereo, turn off the computer, and experience them individually, free from outside concerns--antiquated, yes, but essential in this day and age. Words/songs after the jump (in no particular order); send along your faves in the comments as well.

Ted Lucas // Ted Lucas

This mid-70’s reissue hits like a ton of bricks with every listen. Lucas dabbled as a Motown session man, but it’s his singer-songwriter guise that really cuts deep. The first side is dedicated to his haunting, mesmerizing folk songs, while side two shows off his blues and raga guitar playing. He takes the best elements of Nick Drake and John Fahey, condensing them into a lost masterpiece.

Ted Lucas :: Plain & Sane & Simple Melody
_________________________________________________

Deerhunter // Halcyon Digest

Their melding of pop and avant-garde is unparalleled. This record requires and rewards complete immersion; in the digital age, that’s saying something.

Deerhunter :: Helicopter
_________________________________________________

Mountain Man // Made The Harbor + Mountain Man EP

The best discovery of 2010. Three women in complete harmony, almost completely devoid of instrumentation. The songs are pure magic, recalling old, weird America and centuries of the folk tradition. It’s rare to find music that makes you time-travel; Mountain Man achieve that with every melody.

Mountain Man :: Loon Song
_________________________________________________

Lower Dens // Twin-Hand Movement

A definite grower, but once it sunk in, it stayed put. Lower Dens is the electric vehicle for Texan folkie Jana Hunter, who brings the same eerie ear and voice to these psych-rock jams. It’s not in-your-face; it’s studied, measured, and subtle, full of dark corners to get lost in.

Lower Dens :: Hospice Gates
_________________________________________________

Gil Scott-Heron // I’m New Here

The Godfather of Rap returns to the spotlight for a harrowing, sit-up-in-your-chair kind of record. His weathered baritone is the main instrument, spinning his maximalist message over minimalist beats. “I did not become someone different / That I did not want to be / But I’m new here / Will you show me around? / No matter how far wrong you’ve gone / You can always turn around.”

Gil Scott-Heron :: Me And The Devil
_________________________________________________

Caribou // Swim

Electronica with a humanist stamp. Warm, emotional, and catchy as hell, Dan Snaith has crafted a record that’s as dense as it is inviting, even for those new to the genre.

Caribou :: Found Out
_________________________________________________

The Walkmen // Lisbon

It sounded good in waning summer days; it sounds even better on cold winter nights. The group strips their sound to the most essential, building a European travelogue that has a novelist’s eye for detail. Paul Maroon has created a new guitar vocabulary with the group’s skeletal instrumentation.

The Walkmen :: Stranded
_________________________________________________

Department of Eagles // Archives 2003-2006

Small sketches and demos that still rival any band’s output. Daniel Rossen’s writing twists and turns like classic jazz compositions, leaving room for surprising sleight of hand. In their own quiet way, Department of Eagles are putting together a haunting discography that can stand up to a Grizzly Bear.

Department of Eagles :: Brightest Minds
_________________________________________________

Sharon Van Etten // Epic

Van Etten doesn’t sit still on her sophomore album. Her quiet confidence is full-blown here, trying on new sounds that fit her perfectly. Her voice is one of the best around these days, especially on album closer, “Love More”—a song that still makes my hair stand on end after dozens of listens.

Sharon Van Etten :: Love More

Under The Covers: Best Album Art//2010

2010-12-12T17:44:00.003-06:00

Your mother admonished you, "never judge a book by its cover." But when it comes to music, a record's cover can set the general tone and aesthetic like the first welcoming steps into a deeper ocean. With the digitization of everything, album art seems to be going by the wayside, but there will always be the select few that know how important it is to catch an eye in order to catch an ear.

Below are some of the best album covers of the year, not limited to any one genre or theme but picked based on typography, photography, and overall graphic design. If you think of any we missed, let us know in the comments. We're always up for a good look.

Field Music--Measure

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark--History of Modern

*More covers after the jump below:

Goldmund--Famous Places

Tame Impala--Innerspeaker

Arcade Fire--The Suburbs

Candy Claws--Hidden Lands

Wolfgang Voigt--Freiland Klaviermusik

Born Ruffians--Say It

Wolf Parade--Expo 86

Spoon--Transference

Spoon--Bonus Tracks 2008-2009
*Never has a band married its sound with its image as well as Spoon.

OFF!--First Four EPs

Fucked Up--"Lunchbox" Single
*This is a perfect encapsulation of a Fucked Up live show.

Syl Johnson--Complete Mythology

The Black Keys--Brothers

Spur--Spur of the Moments

Real Love

2010-12-08T16:25:00.003-06:00

John Lennon--"Real Love (Demo)"

Episode 26: Best of 2010

2010-12-05T13:52:00.006-06:00

[via strange eyes]

The calendar's turned to December, and it's time to howl out WS's favorites. Here are some of the best songs of 2010, packed into an extra-sized mixtape for your listening pleasure. Sit back, relax, and enjoy; further 2010 thoughts on the way in the coming weeks. Tracklist below:

Side A
_____

The Besnard Lakes--"Albatross"
Deerhunter--"Revival"
Soft Healer--"Movie Light"
Twin Sister--"Lady Daydream"
Spoon--"Who Makes Your Money"
Beach House--"Silver Soul"
Pure Ecstasy--"Alexandria"
The Morning Benders--"Excuses"

Side B
_____

Cut Copy--"Where I'm Going"
The Walkmen--"Angela Surf City"
Department of Eagles--"Brightest Minds"
Hauschka--"Alexanderplatz"
Phosphorescent--"Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)"
The Rolling Stones--"Plundered My Soul"
Lower Dens--"Hospice Gates"
Arcade Fire--"Sprawl II Mountains Beyond Mountains"
Sharon Van Etten--"Love More"

Listen:
Waterloo Sunset Episode 26: Best of 2010 by artblevy

Episode 25

2010-11-12T15:26:00.004-06:00

[via alexandra in the forest]

I don't want to fuss, and I don't want to fight, but we've got a great WS episode for y'all this week. Blasts of '60's garage-psych, soul, and even a little down-home cooking from Dylan and The Band. Turn this one up--it'll get the party started. Tracklist below:

The Zombies--"Sometimes"
The Velvet Underground--"I Can't Stand It"
Sugar Pie DeSanto--"I Don't Want To Fuss"
Man Man--"I'd Rather Go Blind" (Etta James cover)
Thee Oh Sees--"Fake Song"
Califone--"Ape-Like"
Bob Dylan & The Band--"Nothing Was Delivered"
The Band--"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"
The Moondoggies--"It's A Shame, It's A Pity"
Woods--"Rain On Radio"
Los Datsun's--"Who'll Stop The Rain" (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
Townes Van Zandt--"Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel"

Total running time: 37:46

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast #25

All Hallow's Eve

2010-10-30T16:51:00.006-05:00

[via a journey round my skull]

No trick: here's a listening treat for your Halloween. It's a reposted podcast from last year, with a few updates. As always, track listing and download below:

Tracklist:
Jad and David Fair--"Frankenstein"
Link Wray & His Raymen--"The Shadow Knows"
Screamin' Jay Hawkins--"I Put A Spell On You"
The Spooks--"The Spook Walks"
Man Man--"Top Drawer"
Jerry Bryan--"Vampire Daddy"-->"Twilight Zone Theme"
October Country--My Girlfriend Is A Witch"
Crazy World of Arthur Brown--"Fire"
Blind Willie Johnson--"Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground"
Basil Rathbone reading "The Raven" + Ennio Morricone's "Death Rattle"
Dead Man's Bones--"My Body's A Zombie For You"

Total running time: 29:50

Download:
WS Halloween 2010

Sharon Van Etten--Epic

2010-10-28T08:23:00.003-05:00

Our review of Sharon Van Etten's stunning sophomore album, Epic. Read at Prefix or check it out below.
______________________________________

With a voice like Sharon Van Etten’s, it’s easy to overlook any weaknesses. That seemed to be the case with last year’s debut, Because I Was In Love, wherein her raw vocal power carried much of the album despite its monochromatic tone. On her sophomore effort, Epic, Van Etten wisely expands her instrumentation and songwriting. The results might be mixed, but it offers a few glimpses to where her future musical path might take her.

At seven songs and just over half an hour, Epic might seem unworthy of its name at first glimpse, but Van Etten packs a lot into these songs. Love was almost entirely an acoustic affair, but it featured that arresting voice: Weathered, sympathetic, emotive, and dynamic, it carries most of her songs, even her lesser ones. And in the case of Epic, Van Etten jumps further out of the singer-songwriter pack by trying on new hats with the help of a solid cast of musicians. Cat Martino, Jessica Larrabee, and Meg Baird and Greg Weeks of the folk band Espers offer backing vocals and extra instrumentation. Producer Brian McTear deserves a nod, as well; he retains Van Etten’s poignancy amid all the additional voices, drums, and distorted electric guitars.

Disappointingly, though, the record takes a little while to open up. Both “A Crime” and “Peace Sign” sound a few ideas away from being truly finished. As they stand, they’re both awkward sketches to start out the album. In fact, the pacing and order of Epic is odd. That shouldn’t matter in our digital era, but when listening all the way through, the album becomes distracting.

Yet these hiccups are forgotten in the excitement of hearing Van Etten stretch her songwriting capabilities. The barroom balladeering of “Save Yourself” fits her smoky voice perfectly, as if she’s been a straight-up country singer all this time. McTear gets another production nod for keeping the between-take banter intact and loosening up the proceedings. Van Etten sounds confident and comfortable, even slyly intoning, “Try and make me feel/ Like I’m your number one, every other one/ Well, shit, get real.” Her darkness is still very much intact, but it’s filtered through melodic, almost-pop songs like “Don’t Do It” that demonstrate her ability to inhabit these various styles and make them her own.

Oddly enough, Epic shines brightest on the two songs that are the most similar to each other and Van Etten’s folk past. Both “DsharpG” and “Love More” feature a foot-pumped organ called a harmonium as the centerpiece. The resultant drones in each of the songs are chilly but earthy, and she does wonders with the skeletal framework, recalling her past work while carving a new musical path. However, “Love More” builds to such a climax that it emotionally obliterates the preceding six songs. And therein lies a final problem: Van Etten doesn’t realize what an astounding grand slam she has with “Love More,” so the surrounding music pales in comparison when listened all together. She needs, ironically enough, more epic songs to match its intensity. As it stands, it’s one genius scene tacked onto the end of a pretty good film.

As an album, Epic is disjointed in places, but as a collection of songs it’s strong enough. Ultimately, this sounds like something of a holding pattern for the Van Etten. She has all of these divergent ideas swimming around, but there is little doubt that she will be able to harness these in the near future and create that lasting masterpiece she has lurking in her fingertips.

Download:
Sharon Van Etten--Love More
Sharon Van Etten--Don't Do It

Episode 24

2010-10-12T23:03:00.003-05:00

[via a journey round my skull]

A long respite away from bloggery has recharged the batteries, so to speak. So now we offer up a return to form: WS Podcast #24, Victoria to Vittoria, with stops in between for Caribou (playing La Zona Rosa on Thursday), George Harrison's Indian excursion for the Wonderwall soundtrack (the first proper Beatles solo release, technically), and Marmalakes, the latest local band to take the Austin scene by storm. And you can take it by storm below, with more goodness to come in a more timely manner in the future.

Tracklist:
The Kinks--"Victoria"
Dungen--"Festival"
Department of Eagles--"Practice Room Sketch 3"
Lower Dens--"Two Cocks"
Caribou--"Leave House"
George Harrison--"Guru Vandana"
The Walkmen--"Stranded"
Beto Villa Y Su Orquesta--"Angelina"
Jaime Alem--"Passara"
Marmalakes--"Vittoria"

Total time: 35:19

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast #24

Episode 23: Lazy Days

2010-09-13T19:18:00.005-05:00

[via mystic lady]

Summer's detritus on our stereo this week, as it still feels like summer round here. It's unusually eclectic, but that's the way we like it at WS HQ. Be sure to pay special attention to that Julian Casablancas cut--it's a demo version of my fave Strokes song, which follows it. Tracklist follows...

The Flying Burrito Brothers--"Lazy Days"
America--"Ventura Highway"
Woods--"Blood Dries Darker"
Beck--"Sissyneck"
Jurassic 5--"Concrete Schoolyard"
Bibio--"Jealous of Roses"
Julian Casablancas--"I'll Try Anything Once"
The Strokes--"You Only Live Once"
The War On Drugs--"Comin' Through"
Cotton Jones--"The Radio Slugger (Live at KUT 90.5 FM)
Bob Dylan--"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"

Total running time: 37:35

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast #23

The Budos Band--The Budos Band III

2010-09-09T09:28:00.004-05:00

Our review of The Budos Band III, the new record by Daptone's resident funk experts The Budos Band. Read at Prefix or below.
_________________________________________________

“Egos suck,” says the Budos Band’s bassist Dan Foder. “That’s why bands don’t last more than two records.” And with upwards of 12 egos to contend with at one time, it’s a wonder the group gets anything done. But on their third album, The Budos Band III, and certainly throughout their career, The Budos Band have displayed a remarkable commitment to an aesthetic that feels more like a tight-knit family than a band.

The group characterizes itself as “Staten Island instrumental afro-soul,” and perhaps the most potent of those qualifiers is their hometown. There’s a certain grittiness to their sound that only New York City can provide. Sure, they play soul music like the rest of the Daptone Records roster, but their brand is far darker than the bright pop of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. The members of The Budos Band are all avowed metalheads; their Black Sabbath LPs rub shoulders with those of Mulatu Astatke and James Brown. Consequently, III reflects this diversity, melding dark guitar riffs with funky breakbeats and punchy, Eastern-tinged horns.

From the stark album cover down to the production, the band commits to a vibe built on noir and mystery. “Rite Of The Ancients” is an album opener worthy of the big screen. Its locked-in groove and brass splashes wouldn’t sound out of place on a Tarantino soundtrack sandwiched between scratchy ‘70s soul or Afro-Cuban jazz. The congas on “Ancients” are a sublime touch on a record full of them: The heavily reverbed horns on the stumbling “Nature’s Wrath are as intriguing as the decision to cover “Day Tripper” as a minor-key, half-time funk workout (“Reppirt Yad”). The band is tight and focused, having spent the better part of the past two years on the road working and reworking these songs. Reportedly the album was recorded in just 48 hours, and this creative energy is apparent on songs like “Unbroken, Unshaven” or “Crimson Skies,” the former a fiery explosion while the latter gradually unfolds.

With so many instruments at work, the players have to be precise in their playing. The haunted-house organ blasts of “Black Venom” lend a perfectly creepy air to the song’s insistent cumbia beat, creating such a realized world you’d guess the band storyboarded the idea ahead of time. Yet with this precision come few individual surprises. The horns stick to staccato unison, with an occasional solo that fits the mood but hardly ever transcends it. The bass can get lost in the mix as well beneath all the moving parts. With the kinds of rhythms The Budos Band lay down, you need the bass up front and center.

These qualms are minor compared with the overall delight the album conveys. The close-knit brotherhood that bassist Dan Foder talks about jumps off the record on its first spin, and the band uses each other as springboards to explore some pretty heady rhythms and melodies. But don’t let this instrumental complexity scare you: These smoky, unrelenting jams don’t require anything but open ears and a pair of feet.

Download:
The Budos Band--Rite of the Ancients
The Budos Band--Black Venom

Episode 22: Summer Jams, Pt. 2

2010-08-29T15:05:00.004-05:00

[via ryan tatar]

Labor Day is fast approaching, so we bid adieu to the summer season with a fond farewell podcast, augmented by some beach-y found sounds between the tunes. The temperature continues to rise here in ATX, but those days of waves have passed us by until next year. Tracklist/download below:

The Barracudas--Summer Fun
The Budos Band--Rite of the Ancients
Honey & The Bees Band--Sisi Mbon
Music Convention--Big Green
Henry Mancini--Lujon
Cut Copy--Where I'm Going
Beach Fossils--Youth
Evan Voytas--I Took A Trip On A Plane
Floating Action--So Vapor
The Avalanches--Since I Left You
Caetano Veloso--Tudo Tudo Tudo
Ganglians--To June
Buffalo Springfield--Kahuna Sunset

Total time: 40:55

Download:
Summer Jams, Pt. 2

Instruments of Science & Technology--Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Paradise Armor

2010-08-25T08:50:00.006-05:00

Our review of the new avant-garde electronica album from California pop tunesmith Richard Swift. Take it in below or at Prefix.

______________________________________________

Is it better to hone a consistent sound or branch off onto different paths? For Richard Swift, it’s overwhelmingly the latter. His stylistic forays are almost schizophrenic in their incongruence. He started his solo career creating Tin Pan Alley pastiches before moving on to Randy Newman-like piano pop and synth-heavy new wave, but recent years have found him mining scratchy garage and soul with a reel-to-reel recorder. He’s an adept producer, as well, adding clever touches to both his own work and others’, like the recent debut album from the Mynabirds. Aside from music, Swift creates his own music videos and short films and has a pretty extensive photography collection. And if all that wasn’t enough, he finds time for an experimental electronica side project called Instruments of Science & Technology. It’s this last endeavor that’s so eyebrow-raising, but IS&T allows Swift to try on yet another hat, fully integrating his work as both a producer and a musician.

Music For Paradise Armor is one album in a lengthy series dubbed Library Catalog Music. Started by Asthmatic Kitty Records, the series is a commission of instrumental albums for possible use in film, television, relaxation, or as background sounds, and Armor fits almost all of these categories. The songs are uniformly glitchy, utilizing both computer beeps and vinyl hiss as the rhythmic base. Swift seems to relish the blank canvas, creating tiny, minimalist environments for exploration. The album is undoubtedly meant to be listened to on headphones; the sounds are paved over through conventional speakers, but they pop and fizz when they’re directly in your ear. Songs like “Nuux” and “Station Number Set” are busy without being overbearing, and Swift’s choice of analog recording prevents the textures from becoming too cold or mechanical. His pop sensibilities occasionally bubble to the surface -- he ends the record with a short solo pump organ melody -- but they’re usually swallowed up by the restless electronics. He even explores atonal sounds on “Mt. Mountain” with samples of a randomly plucked guitar and a sped-up drum loop. Suffice to say, it’s a dizzying stretch from the simple piano ballads he’s known for.

Despite the joy to be found in the experimentation itself, all of these moving parts and ideas are a bit exhausting to closely follow. They may be minimal in ingredients, but the songs make quite a racket, pulling your attention to every skittering sample and computerized note. As background music, it’s too complex to just simply ignore. The result is overwhelming at times; by not providing enough terra firma, the listener is stranded in a bizarre, glitchy sea. It’s certainly a playground for Swift as a producer, as he gets to be the mad architect of these nebulous compositions. The melding of the organic and the technological is equally intriguing and unsettled, but the restless Richard Swift wouldn’t have it any other way.

Download:
Instruments of Science & Technology--Nuux
Instruments of Science & Technology--Mt. Mountain

Taken Away

2010-08-13T08:52:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable take-away shows from Sharon Van Etten and La Blogotheque. Watch Van Etten work her magic (with accompaniment by a harmonium) below.

Take Away Show #109 _ SHARON VAN ETTEN (part 1) from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Take Away Show #109 _ SHARON VAN ETTEN (part 2) from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Sharon Van Etten comes to the Mohawk November 18 as the support for Junip. Her new album, Epic, drops October 5.

Dungen: "Skit I Allt" Video

2010-08-11T16:35:00.002-05:00

We gave you a tantalizing taste from Dungen's new album, Skit I Allt, a few weeks back. Here's another preview, this time in the form of a video for the album's title track. Skit I Allt drops September 14 via Mexican Summer.

Dungen - Skit I Allt from Mexican Summer on Vimeo.

V/A--Welcome Home/Diggin' The Universe

2010-08-09T17:18:00.000-05:00

Our review for the new Woodsist Records compilation, Welcome Home/Diggin' The Universe. Check it out below or at Prefix.

Woodsist Records prides itself on doing things the old-fashioned way. It’s a time warp of a record label, choosing to cultivate a particular sound through limited-run cassettes, 7-inch singles, and vinyl LPs. This approach attempts to hark back to the days when labels had specific aesthetics, relative to their regions and the management’s tastes. And through this new compilation, Woodsist largely succeeds: The label is at the forefront of lo-fi psychedelia, a niche of a niche that doesn’t require a declarative statement so much as a snapshot of a time.

Woodsist is helmed by Jeremy Earl, frontman for the band Woods, and he has his own personal stamp on the proceedings. Woods kicks off the comp with the bright campfire ditty “I’m Not Gone” as a way to ease into the distortion that follows. The comp feels like a personalized mixtape from Earl himself, featuring relatively bigger names like Skygreen Leopards and Real Estate offshoots Alex Bleeker and Ducktails alongside a bevy of newcomers.

The sounds are fairly varied, a welcome surprise considering the pigeonhole the sub-genre tends to put itself into: tape recording plus distortion plus mumbled lyrics equals a blog-able song. Here, there’s standard ‘60s fetishism, like the Fresh & Onlys’ “Heel. Toe.,” but the song is well-composed and an absolute earworm. The Mantles unveil the surf-rock inspired “Bad Movies” to great effect, and both Cause Co-Motion! and Nodzzz break out short, sunny blasts of jangly pop, indebted to ‘60s forbears but still fun and refreshing all the same. Elsewhere, the cheekily named Run DMT impresses with “Richard,” a song so tape-damaged it feels like it will fall apart at any time. While this recording technique could be used as a mask, here it’s used as an instrument in its own right. White Fence’s abrasive organ droning follows on “The Love Between,” a dark antithesis to much of the comp’s feel-good vibes.

And sometimes these feel-good vibes get the best of the comp. Both Alex Bleeker and his Real Estate bandmate Matt Mondanile (here as Ducktails) offer up limp songs that barely register, while Moon Duo overstays its welcome with a six-and-a-half-minute dub jam. City Center’s “Box of Rain” (a Grateful Dead cover) is offensive in its amateurism and certainly one of a handful that should’ve been left in the garage.

The scattershot sounds and subtle experimentation act as the modus operandi for Woodsist. They’re not out to change the world like Nuggets did, the patron saint of compilations and an obvious touchstone here. Rather, this serves as an interesting word-of-mouth among friends, showing what a bunch of underground freaks can do with distortion and home recording, for better or for worse.

Download:
Woods--I'm Not Gone
The Fresh & Onlys--Heel. Toe.

Episode 21

2010-08-05T15:01:00.009-05:00

[via nevada moonrise]

So many colors pouring out of our stereo this week, on Episode 21 of the Waterloo Sunset Podcast. We have brand-new music from those cut-and-pasters The Books and a fantastic pop gem from Deerhunter. Plus, Sagas provides a massive Scottish-inspired drone before Castanets casts an eerie gloom over the proceedings (Sufjan Stevens' cover led me to the original). The second half cracks open the door for a bit of country-fried sunshine--alongside Fruit Bats, their Optigan, and their Band-ish breeze--before Junip, the newly-revived project from Swedish folk singer José Gonzalez, takes us home. Full track list below:

The Books--Beautiful People
Secos e Molhados--Amor
Deerhunter--Revival
Voice Of The Seven Thunders--Out of the Smoke
Sagas--Murdstone Road
Castanets--You Are The Blood
The Carter Family--Foggy Mountain Top
The Byrds--Time Between
My Morning Jacket--Lowdown
Fruit Bats--Flamingo
Junip--Always

Total running time: 35:15

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast #21

Lower Dens--Twin-Hand Movement

2010-07-28T13:30:00.006-05:00

Our review of Twin-Hand Movement, the debut album from Jana Hunter's new band, Lower Dens. Read below or at Prefix.

An artist like Jana Hunter can be at an immense disadvantage. Upon Devendra Banhart “discovering” her in 2005, the Baltimore-by-way-of-Houston musician was lumped into the ultra-hyped freak-folk movement. She released two albums of spare, offbeat folk tunes, and then the freak-folk bubble burst. Acoustic folk musicians all too often paint themselves into corners, releasing album after album of the same gently strummed background music. But Hunter is well aware of this. With the absence of any associated scene, she’s traded in her acoustic for an electric guitar, leading a full band called Lower Dens in an exploration of ragged psychedelic rock.

Projects like these are a great way for an artist to regroup and refresh, and there’s little doubt Hunter could have felt saddled by that earlier genre tag. Here she doesn’t so much let loose as expand on her folk tendencies. Like much of Hunter’s stripped-down discography, Lower Dens’ songs are patient, slowly morphing with the aid of careful guitar squall. Most of the record can trace its roots to the kinds of droning interstitials she included on 2007’s There’s No Home, but here they’re fleshed out with a solid backing band. First single “I Get Nervous” starts tenuously before giving way to a firm backbeat and Hunter’s raspy voice, displaying a cinematic sense of unease that repeatedly pops up. The record is bookended by “Blue & Silver” and “Two Cocks,” two songs that get by with a Krautrock-like intensity. There’s little in the way of comfort, as Hunter’s voice and guitar, both bathed in reverb, trade in claustrophobia rather than expansiveness.

While Hunter’s wall-of-sound guitars are certainly hard to miss, what gives the album edge is the muscular rhythm section. The unfortunately named “A Dog’s Dick” uses a guitar melody that’s so simple it allows for a snaking bass line and minimal drums to carry the song forward to the cathartic conclusion. “Holy Water” immediately follows, offering a nice instrumental cleanser of distorted bass and a propulsive rhythm for the careening guitars. Elsewhere Lower Dens rely too much on the mood-over-melody technique. “Plastic & Powder” wears out its welcome long before it reaches its final six and a half minutes, despite another memorable drumbeat. Likewise, “Tea Lights” kills all the momentum of the album opener. A dark bass line is the only real highlight, as Hunter’s tired melody replays endlessly.

But these missteps are few and far between and obvious aberrations compared with the sublime brilliance of “Hospice Gates,” a late-record standout and Hunter’s best song in her still-young career. “Gates” rides yet another stellar rhythm to great effect, using the dark groove to dissipate the sleepiness of the album’s later minutes. Guitar feedback is corralled to offer color to Hunter’s weary bellow, but she strays from the comfort of her lower register into some truly stunning high notes that perfectly match the song’s rising tension. The song is perfectly timed and executed, and it gives hope for even better things to come.

Hunter is wholly comfortable as the frontwoman for a rock band, but you’d never guess that given her past. She’s been pigeonholed as a strictly folk talent; thankfully she’s decided to defy this categorization. Twin-Hand Movement is the sound of an artist breaking free, putting her formerly good skills to great use.

Download:
Lower Dens--Truss Me
Lower Dens--Hospice Gates

Episode 20

2010-07-17T08:24:00.001-05:00

This week's podcast was informed by the westernmost reaches of our state, where weeks of rain have turned the desert into a blooming oasis. Mountain Man gets us on the road, and their debut drops on Tuesday, a week that sees a number of great releases and a highly-anticipated local show from Phosphorescent (Thursday at ND). The stuttering rockabilly of Hasil Adkins two-steps with the sunny remembrances of the Kinks and there's a double shot of Department of Eagles waiting on the other side (both pulled from their recent Archive 2003-2006, which we reviewed here). Charles Mingus offers up some epic free jazz noir before the melancholic psych-folk of Amen Dunes (new EP out July 27) closes up the trip. Dig it below:

Tracklist:

Mountain Man--How I'm Doin'
Phosphorescent--Nothing Was Delivered (Love Me Foolishly)
Hasil Adkins--Chicken Walk
The Kinks--Picture Book
Dungen--Marken Låg Stilla
Buffalo Springfield--Rock And Roll Woman
Department of Eagles--Practice Room Sketch 2
Yma Sumac--Ataypura (High Andes)
Charles Mingus--Track A-Solo Dancer: Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!
Department of Eagles--Golden Apple
Amen Dunes--Murder Dull Mind

Total time: 35:26

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast #20

Department of Eagles--Archive 2003-2006

2010-07-15T08:32:00.003-05:00

Our review of Archive 2003-2006, the new odds-and-ends collection from WS favorites Department of Eagles. Read below or at Prefix.

Department of Eagles’ two principals -- Daniel Rossen (also of Grizzly Bear) and Fred Nicolaus -- met in the early part of last decade while attending NYU. They traded demos and decided to record together, resulting in a handful of 7-inch singles and a debut album that sounded exactly like what it was: a couple of college students with too much time, too many inside jokes, some pirated recording software, and a love of every genre under the sun. Yet in 2008, the duo released In Ear Park, one of the year’s best records and a nice appetizer for Grizzly Bear’s breakout 2009. How did Department of Eagles go from dorm-room jokesters to chamber-pop maestros seemingly overnight? This odds-and-ends collection seeks to connect the dots, rounding up early sound collages by Daniel Rossen as well as the duo’s first attempts at serious songwriting.

Archive 2003-2006 serves as a neat window into the past, right at the moment that Rossen’s compositional quirks began to form. His songs for both of his bands have always had a slight jazz angle to them, and the five piano “sketches” included on this album sound like warped, slow-motion Tin Pan Alley instrumentals. The sketches are studies in layering and building sound collages, with walls of vocal harmonies complementing the unfolding piano chords. “Sketch 1” is of particular interest to Grizzly Bear fans, as the cascading notes would go on to form the basis for “Easier,” the lead-off track from Yellow House. These experiments are quick and simple, but the melodies are still superb, if somewhat undercooked.

On the fully written songs, Department of Eagles are a bit hit and miss. “Deadly Disclosure” and “Grand Army Plaza” meander, packed with interesting sounds but not enough hooks, and it’s obvious that these two songs were probably earlier in the band’s chronology. Rossen’s idiosyncratic style is apparent on “While We’re Young,” a shuffling choral exploration that’s both ghostly and deceptively catchy. Rossen’s quavering voice lends itself well to the classic-sounding melody of “Golden Apple,” the band’s first dip into the type of experimental orchestration that it would perfect on In Ear Park. Yet the “a ha” moment arrives with “Brightest Minds.” It’s a propulsive and dark folk tune full of the kinds of twists and turns that Rossen excels at, constantly leaving the listener guessing as to where the song will end up next. The duo’s array of talents is wrapped up in the “Minds,” the stellar missing link in a somewhat beguiling but fascinating discography.

Music critics love to analyze the connection between Points A and C in an artist’s career; analysis puts the music into an easy-to-understand perspective. Archive acts as this brief glimpse into the evolution of a celebrated songwriter and a band, yet with the quality and the high level of music geekery required, it’s obvious that this one’s intended for the superfans.

Download:
Department of Eagles--Brightest Minds
Department of Eagles--Practice Room Sketch 3

New Dungen

2010-07-14T18:33:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite concerts in recent memory was Dungen (with Woods opening) last summer. And thankfully, the Swedish psych-jazz outfit is set to release a new album on September 14 called Skit I Allt, which roughly translates to "Fuck All." Plus, they're swinging back through the ATX on September 18, revisiting the Mohawk. Download the first single below, the piano ballad "Marken Låg Stilla," which closes the new record.

Download:
Dungen--Marken Låg Stilla

Episode 19: Fireworks And Hot Dogs

2010-07-03T16:55:00.004-05:00

[via cosmic dust]

What could be better than a good showing from the U.S. soccer team for July 4th? A Waterloo Sunset podcast, of course. And Episode 19 is sure to please at barbecues and pool parties. After a little soulful patriotism from Ray Charles, we get down to the real cause for celebration: Beer, beer, and more beer, and The Sandals certainly agree. New music from Richard Swift and notes from the American underbelly courtesy of Michael Yonkers paves the way for Lower Dens, the new Jana Hunter project that pries the acoustic guitar from her able hands and allows her to indulge in some red, white, and blue psychedelia. The '70s should-have-been folk sensation (and Cherokee descendant) Karen Dalton lays down some world-weary wisdom before giving ground to Warren Zevon and his slice of dark (but cheery) Americana. Light the fuse below.

Tracklist:
Ray Charles--"America The Beautiful"
The Sandals--"6-Pak"
Richard Swift--"Drakula (Hey Man!)
The Cotton Jones Basket Ride--"Chewing Gum"
Michael Yonkers Band--"Sold America"
Lower Dens--"Hospice Gates"
Jana Hunter--"Palms"
Karen Dalton--"Something On Your Mind"
Wilco--"In A Future Age"
Warren Zevon--"Carmelita (1974 Demo)"

Total time: 31:08

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast, July 4th Edition

2010-06-22T08:46:00.003-05:00

The Roots

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases via KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: fresh off their stellar gig as the best late night talk show band in history, The Roots return with an album full of left-turns and high-profile guests. Also, the invigorating Nina Nastasia continues to break the boundaries of what a singer-songwriter should sound like, with the help of the irascible Steve Albini. All that and much, much more in our weekly rundown of notable music releases, available right here.

Blitzen Trapper--Destroyer Of The Void

2010-06-17T08:46:00.003-05:00

Our review of Destroyer Of The Void, the new album by Blitzen Trapper. Read below or at Prefix.

Since their self-titled debut in 2003, the members of Portland’s Blitzen Trapper have veered wildly with every new release. Those expecting Destroyer of the Void to be Furr, Part Two -- Furr being their dusty, Americana-flecked 2008 breakout -- don’t know this band. They are one of the more stylistically adventurous groups working today; alt-country, folk, glam, prog, funk, and indie pop all figure into their sound. Void almost works as a career summation of their genre-roulette tendencies, but it suffers under its own weight and too often becomes a game of “spot the influence.”

Nowhere is this more apparent than the album’s opening cut, “Destroyer of the Void.” It’s the obvious elephant in the room: six minutes of rock-opera bombast, combining complex multipart harmonies with soft piano codas before the song opens up into full-on guitar shredding. It’s certainly eyebrow-raising, but a memorable hook would have been nice. For all its bluster, it’s pretty forgettable.

All of the band’s knottiest songwriting tendencies are on immediate display for much of Void’s first half, inducing a kind of aural whiplash. Yet album midpoint “Heaven And Earth” signals a welcome shift into the strong later tracks. With lead singer Eric Earley alone on piano save for an expert string section, “Heaven” is not just the album’s obvious gem but a career standout. Oftentimes piano ballads can be throwaway excuses for a solo spotlight, but Earley makes it feel essential, sounding like the wounded counterpoint to Furr’s “Not Your Lover.”

Following this heaviness is the slow-burning “Dragon’s Lair,” an exercise in smoky psych-rock that’s perfectly sequenced to play off the melancholy of “Heaven.” Blitzen Trapper are at their best on countrified head-nodders like “Evening Star” and “Sadie,” two songs that allow Earley to weave his novelistic stories around driving backbeats that mimic his laconic delivery. Nowhere is this storytelling more fully realized than on the classic-sounding folk strummer “The Tree,” a duet featuring fellow Portlander Alela Diane.

Despite these late highlights, Void still overly employs Blitzen Trapper’s biggest negative: inconsistency. They have a great album lurking somewhere in them, but for now they’re settling for a couple of good songs mixed in with their 1970s fetishism. Destroyer of the Void’s unbridled creativity certainly has something for everyone, but it’s not quite a substantial enough offering.

Download:
Blitzen Trapper--Heaven And Earth
Blitzen Trapper--Evening Star

Lower Dens

2010-06-11T17:10:00.005-05:00

Jana Hunter is usually known for her ghostly, lo-fi folk music, the kind where you can actually hear her fingers strumming the strings. Which makes Lower Dens all the more surprising: a full-band psychedelic rock effort, with Hunter front and center. She brings the same care, skewed artistry, and attention to detail to Lower Dens' haunting tunes; suffice to say, this ain't some throwaway jam session. Their debut album, Twin-Hand Movement, drops July 20th via Gnomonsong. In the meantime, psych yerself up with "Hospice Gates" below.

Download:
Lower Dens--Hospice Gates

The Curve

2010-06-08T16:41:00.007-05:00

Commission for The Curve at London's Barbican by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. Excerpt from Ariane Michel's film, Les Oiseaux de Céleste.

Episode 18: Summer Jams, Pt. 1

2010-06-05T11:40:00.004-05:00

[via ryan tatar]

It's already 100+ in ATX. Time to melt with the summer sun. Your soundtrack: Episode 18 of the WS podcast, Summer Jams, Pt. 1, with more installments as the season continues to grind on. This first tide features sun-kissed ska from Prince Charles & His Royal Cats; off-kilter tropicalia from one of many Strokes' side-projects, Little Joy; the woozy dance-pop of Twin Sister; a sleepy track from the perfectly named Austin band Pure Ecstasy; gnarly new psychedelia from Australia's Tame Impala; and a not-too-subtle comedown courtesy of the warm folk stylings of Ted Lucas. Enjoy, and wear some sunscreen. Tracklist and download below:

Dick Dale & His Del-Tones--"Let's Go Tripping"
Prince Charles & His Royal Cats--"Give Me The Right"
Karl Blau--"Apology To Pollinateurs"
Little Joy--"No One's Better Sake"
Twin Sister--"Lady Daydream"
Pure Ecstasy--"Alexandria"
Washed Out--"Get Up"
Los Amaya--"Zapatero Remendon"
Tame Impala--"It Is Not Meant To Be"
Kurt Vile--"Beach On The Moon (Recycled Lyrics)"
Ronnie Prophet--"The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise"
Ted Lucas--"It Is So Nice To Get Stoned"

Total time: 40:50

Download:
Summer Jams, Pt. 1

Pure Ecstasy

2010-05-27T21:27:00.004-05:00

Big thanks to David for the tip: In a discussion about the Austin music scene, the topic of our current favorites came up, and he mentioned Pure Ecstasy. There's very little information about them, but they already have three 7"s to their name (two of which are sold out) and a split 7", cassette, and LP are forthcoming. Currently they only have one show scheduled this summer in L.A., but let's hope they play sometime in the ATX. "Alexandria" is the b-side of their Voices 7", and judging from the smoky, minimalist psych, we could have a real band-to-watch on our hands. Check it below:

Download:
Pure Ecstasy--Alexandria

2010-05-25T08:39:00.002-05:00

Kurt Vile

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases via KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: the unbridled creativity of Kurt Vile, timeless folk music from the teenagers in Sweden's First Aid Kit, and much, much more in our weekly rundown and podcast, available right here.

Episode 17

2010-05-21T10:04:00.005-05:00

[via mystic lady]

We're back to the odds-and-ends. This week, we've got previously unreleased Rolling Stones (as part of their recent deluxe edition of Exile On Main Street), and smoky psychedelic soul courtesy of Austin's Soft Healer. Plus, a new song taken from Department of Eagles' Archive, fiddle music recorded a decade ago at KVRX 91.7 FM, and another traditional folk song sung by Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold (as White Antelope). Check out the madness below:

Bob Dylan & the Band--"Odds And Ends"
The Rolling Stones--"Plundered My Soul"
April March--"Chick Habit"
Soft Healer--"Movie Light"
Caribou--"Odessa"
Department of Eagles--"Brightest Minds"
Serge Gainsbourg--"Melody"
Karen Dalton--"Same Old Man"
Possessed By Paul James--"Fiddle Shage (Live at KVRX)"
White Antelope--"Wild Mountain Thyme"

Total time: 36:45

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast Episode 17

Spin This: May 18

2010-05-18T08:41:00.000-05:00

The Black Keys

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases via KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: the grooviest album yet by the Black Keys, more intelligent dance rock courtesy of LCD Soundsystem, and much, much more in our weekly rundown and podcast, available right here.

Woods--At Echo Lake

2010-05-17T17:11:00.003-05:00

Our review of At Echo Lake, the stunning new album by Woods. Read below or at Prefix.

It took Woods several years and a befuddling number of vinyl releases, tour-only cassettes, and proper albums before knocking it out of the park with last year’s Songs of Shame. Their third album was a streamlined collection of psych-rock, moving away from lonely, tape-distorted sketches toward a full-band sound, albeit one still wrapped in a lo-fi haze. At Echo Lake, out on lead singer Jeremy Earl’s Woodsist imprint, continues the natural evolution in craftsmanship. This record is the band’s most cogent collection of songs to date, acting as the folk-rock complement to Shame’s fried guitar jams.

First and foremost, Jeremy Earl is a songwriter. Granted, his compositions tend to be buried beneath plenty of fuzz, but enough hooks peak through the hiss to keep the songs firmly planted in your mind long after the record is finished. On Shame, dueling electric guitars provided a noisy backdrop, but Lake features Earl’s lonesome warble front and center over skewed campfire folk. He’s a gifted lyricist, often tackling big-picture themes like death and time with a deft turn of phrase: “Death rattles in torn-up shoes/ Love lies in the cut-up roots” (“Death Rattles”). The dark folk fits the subject matter well, and the band incorporates tape loops, noise, and left-field sound effects on top of spare acoustic guitar and reverb-drenched drums.

The experimentation can’t hide the inherent sweetness of album standout “Time Fading Lines,” where golden harmonies share space with a din of psychedelic clatter. Likewise, songs like “Get Back” and “Mornin’ Time” play fast and loose with soulful country-rock, a style Woods only hinted at on Shame. It’s an extension of the band’s natural raggedness, and the demo-like quality adds to the breezy charm.

But Woods aren’t slaves to the “spot-the-influence” game. Their originality is apparent on the album’s lead-off track. “Blood Dries Darker” serves as a bridge between their past and present: It’s noisy but spartan, and this is what distinguishes Woods from their lo-fi peers. “Darker” is propelled by both distortion and an easygoing rhythm, with guitar squall diving in and out of the infectious melody. It sets the table for the rest of the album: While the low fidelity might initially suggest a tossed-off weekend jam session amongst friends, Lake reveals itself to be weighty, measured, and brimming with creativity.

At Echo Lake and its predecessor, Songs of Shame, act as a mighty one-two punch in Woods’s discography. They’ve built an intriguing sound that dips into the past but is firmly grounded in the present, a perfect balance between old and new, weird and accessible. Woods aren’t just kings of the current lo-fi craze: Their timeless music is built to last.

Download:
Woods--Blood Dries Darker
Woods--Time Fading Lines

Collector

2010-05-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

Another great video, this time courtesy of Here We Go Magic. "Collector" has already been getting some serious spins around these parts; the driving rhythm and weird, buoyant harmonies sound great paired with the warmer weather. This video was directed by Nat Livingston Johnson, and "Collector" comes from Magic's sophomore release, Pigeons, out June 8. Watch and download below:

Download:
Here We Go Magic--Collector

Let's Write A Book

2010-05-12T09:53:00.008-05:00

Insane new video of Field Music's "Let's Write A Book," directed by Oliver Murray. Field Music's ambitious, prog-pop double-album Field Music (Measure) has been out a few months; repeated spins might make this a sleeper Best of the Year candidate.

Spin This: May 11

2010-05-11T16:04:00.004-05:00

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases via KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: Willie-inspired country-rock courtesy of Phosphorescent, another excellent release from the consistently-great the National, and much, much more in our weekly rundown and podcast, available right here.

Episode 16: Mom's Day

2010-05-06T17:44:00.007-05:00

[via the swinging sixties]

It's a special Mother's Day edition of the WS podcast. She was a big part of my own musical education--leaving that cassette of Neil Young in the car (one of my first posts), taking me to see The Band's The Last Waltz when it was re-released in theaters when I was in high school, and teaching me the classics--and I like to think I've paid it back with introductions to the Old 97's, Spoon, and the New Pornographers over the years. Thanks, mom.

Tracklist:

Neil Young--"Tell Me Why"
The Band--"Up On Cripple Creek (Live)"
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings--"Nobody's Baby"
The Rolling Stones--"Mother's Little Helper"
Spoon--"Something To Look Forward To"
The Beach Boys--"God Only Knows (1967 Rehearsal)"
The Old 97's--"Mama Tried"
David Bowie--"Changes"
The New Pornographers--"Testament To Youth In Verse"
Beck--"Where It's At"
Rod Stewart--"You Wear It Well"

Total time: 37:50

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast, Mom's Edition

Spin This: May 4

2010-05-05T22:37:00.002-05:00

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases via KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: a double-dose of power pop courtesy of the New Pornographers and Free Energy and much, much more in our weekly rundown and podcast, available right here.

R.I.P. Floyd Dakil, 1945-2010

2010-05-03T21:24:00.006-05:00

[via garage hangover. floyd dakil is 2nd from left, in the snappy suit]

Rock and roll hits hardest when you're a teenager. For me (and many, many, many others) it offered an escape from a sometimes difficult period of life. Yet it could still feel intangible, music created by weird others a million miles away for your community, life, and livelihood.

And this is what makes a hometown musical hero so special. Floyd Dakil is probably the best known musician from my alma mater, a high school more known for churning out future business majors and lawyers than raving rock and rollers. Even though a forty-year gulf separated me from his music, it still hit extra hard because of his ties to the very streets I once roamed.

Floyd Dakil formed the Floyd Dakil Combo in Dallas in 1963 and produced a handful of singles on a few tiny, regional labels. Besides some generous local airplay, they never received too much notoriety outside of North Texas, but the songs add to the general garage rock tapestry. As any frequent reader of this blog can tell, garage rock is my favorite genre: it's wild, fun, and uniquely American (albeit with a little help from our British cousins). For Dallas teenagers in the 1960s, the Floyd Dakil Combo were bonafide rock stars, heroes to a microcosm of a microcosm. Just a momentary flash, but big enough to warrant thoughtful words and strong memories half a century later.

The Combo's big 45 was "Dance, Franny, Dance" b/w "Look What You've Gone And Done," released in '64. It was recorded live at the Pit Club in Oak Cliff, and drummer Geoff West, later reminiscing on "Dance," remarked how long it took to get "several hundred teenagers to clap together!" The two songs are rocket-fueled rock and roll, no doubt earning just as much disapproving parental scorn as teenage adulation in their day. Close listeners of my radio show on KVRX probably recognize these; whenever I needed a mid-set pick-me-up, I'd spin some hometown pride.

Floyd Dakil later went on to play with his idol, Louis Prima, and he had a bit of a solo career, but like many of that era, he faded into the footnotes of rock history. Hopefully he'll provide another dash of local excitement to some future Dallas teenager as he did for me.

I got much of my supplementary info on the Floyd Dakil Combo from this write-up at Garage Hangover, the Smithsonian of all things garage rock. Also, a small obituary is located here. Big thanks to big sis for alerting me to the sad news.

Download:
Floyd Dakil Combo--Dance, Franny, Dance
Floyd Dakil Combo--Look What You've Gone and Done

Wye Oak--My Neighbor/My Creator

2010-04-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

A review of My Neighbor/My Creator, the new EP from Baltimore duo (and WS favorite) Wye Oak. Read below or at Prefix.

EPs are always such a joy: they offer a space for bands to blow off steam, experiment, or throw together outtakes from a successful writing period, all in a bite-sized chunk. For a listener, EPs can be exhilarating documents of a band’s creative process. The Baltimore duo Wye Oak take an all-of-the-above approach for their new EP, My Neighbor/My Creator; it serves as an introduction to where they’ve been and possibly where they might be heading.

On last year’s The Knot, Wye Oak further developed their own signature sound, combining the noisier elements of post-rock with folk in a gauzy sheen, courtesy of drummer and producer Andy Stack. My Neighbor finds the band still enamored with big, widescreen sounds, but with a few tweaks. “My Neighbor” kicks the EP off on a buoyant note—musically at least; Wasner’s lyrics tend to be pretty dour. An avalanche of guitar notes nearly turns the song upside down, but Stack’s polyrhythmic drumming keeps things grounded. “Emmylou” and “My Creator” serve as divergent musical paths. The former is a sugar-rushed storm of words and guitars that deviates strikingly from most of Wye Oak’s slow-motion catalog; the latter is another slice of their particular brand of fingerpicked shoegaze that could have easily fit into The Knot.

Wye Oak’s most impressive element has always been Wasner’s voice: it’s strong and confident (two qualities that are sorely lacking in most indie music these days), especially on “My Neighbor.” Wasner begins “I Hope You Die” absolutely wounded, but her vocals grow in strength with each ascendant chorus. Once again, Stack provides a head-nodding backbeat that’s complex but, oddly enough, almost danceable. The subtle hip-hop and electronic influences spread throughout the EP (and Wye Oak’s entire catalog) come into focus on the “Mickey Free” remix of this Knot standout “That I Do.” Mickey Freeland (working with his brother Chris, also a producer) takes the original’s ferocious, dirge-like quality and makes it positively apocalyptic and club-ready: sirens and all sorts of electronic detritus wail in the background, and Freeland even provides a dark verse of his own.

The left-field influences make this EP (and Wye Oak) so interesting; you can actually see the band taking giant strides forward instead of staying static and churning out staid guitar rock. However, with the new sounds comes a loss of dynamics. This is the first time the band has used an outside producer, and as a result the songs are much denser, scrapping the sparseness that made The Knot enjoyable. If Wye Oak can head down these new musical roads on their own terms, a real masterpiece could be lurking on the horizon.

Download:
Wye Oak--My Neighbor

Spin This: April 27

2010-04-27T17:25:00.003-05:00

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases via KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: The Mynabirds' Neil Young-meets-Motown sound and Balkan Beat Box's global-hopping dance party. All that, plus a rundown of more notable releases and podcast right here.

Episode 15: 40 Years Ago

2010-04-22T17:31:00.007-05:00

[via alexandra in the forest]

We don't need no holiday to tell us to get out and enjoy our wondrous Earth, but consider this week's mix a swift kick in the pants. Assorted weirdo folk music from the past century, including a handful of field recordings done by John and Alan Lomax, new music from the incomparable Sharon Van Etten, Bonnie "Prince" Billy covering John Denver, Pink Floyd's psychedelic trip into Grantchester Meadows (one of my favorite places on Earth), south of their home town of Cambridge, and a pagan dance party courtesy of Akron/Family to bring it all back home. It's the 40th anniversary of Earth Day: get back to where you once belonged. Take a gander yonder:

Michael Lewis & Group--"I Feel The Spirit Moving"
Califone--"Giving Away the Bride"
Sharon Van Etten--"Love More"
Woody Guthrie--"Pastures of Plenty"
Tim Eriksen--"Am I Born To Die?"
John Fahey--"Night Train of Valhalla"
Kurt Vile--"My Sympathy"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy--"The Eagle And The Hawk" (John Denver cover)
Pink Floyd--"Grantchester Meadows"
Woods--"End To End"
Akron/Family--"Ed Is A Portal"
Will Starks--"The Fox Hunter's Song"

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Episode 15: Weirdo Folk
Total running time: 41:48

Spin This: April 20

2010-04-20T07:47:00.000-05:00

Each week, Spin This profiles the week's notable album releases over at KUT's Texas Music Matters. This week: Doves' new best-of shows why they consistently top charts in their native Britain, and Roky Erickson, Austin's psychedelic grandfather, teams with fellow Austinites Okkervil River on his first album in over a decade. All that, plus a rundown of more releases and a podcast, right here.

When I'm With You

2010-04-14T17:30:00.004-05:00

Video for one of my favorite songs last year, Best Coast's "When I'm With You." Debut album is due later this year. Makes me want some In 'N' Out...

Spin This

2010-04-13T08:42:00.000-05:00

Spin This, my weekly rundown/podcast of notable music releases, is now under the umbrella of the Violet Crown Review*, Texas Music Matters' music bloggery department. This week I profile new releases by The Stooges, The Tallest Man On Earth, and many, many more right here.

*Note: O. Henry famously described Austin, TX as the "Violet Crown" in his story Tictocq: The Great French Detective In Austin, first published in 1894. The more you know...

Episode 14

2010-04-06T18:06:00.004-05:00

[via alexandra in the forest]

Dive into the good weather, my friends (well, those of us Texans anyway). Here's your soundtrack, the Waterloo Sunset Podcast, Episode 14. We've got sunny, lo-fi pop courtesy of Austin's Harlem, who's new album Hippies drops this week; a driving, Krautrock-inspired track from Here We Go Magic's June 8 release Pigeons; ancient folk music from White Antelope, a.k.a. Robin Pecknold, lead singer of Fleet Foxes; plus a trio of tracks to close out the podcast, all united by the singers' referential love of classic rock (R.I.P. Alex Chilton). Tracklist below:

Harlem--"Friendly Ghost"
King Tuff--"Sun Medallion"
Damon--"Don't You Feel Me"
Here We Go Magic--"Collector"
White Antelope--"Silver Dagger (Trad.)"
The Weakerthans--"Sun In An Empty Room"
Webb Pierce--"Slowly"
Built To Spill--"You Were Right"
Big Star--"Thirteen"
Jeff Tweedy--"Radio King"

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Episode #14

Spin This: April 6

2010-04-06T17:03:00.002-05:00

Here's a heads-up for my weekly blog/podcast over at Texas Music Matters, the music journalism unit for KUT 90.5 FM here in Austin. Spin This is a nice, compact rundown of notable music releases on a weekly basis. This week: new releases from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Hacienda, and many, many more right here.

Wilco Taken Away

2010-03-30T08:39:00.004-05:00

A well-bearded Wilco pops up on Vincent Moon's excellent La Blogotheque, a French blog dedicated to "Take Away Shows" in random public places like an alley or a park. Wilco performs "Country Disappeared" off of last year's lukewarm Wilco (the Album), but its slo-mo country-soul is making me want to go back and reassess that record. Check it below:

Wilco - Country Disappeared - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Alex Chilton, 1950-2010

2010-03-18T07:33:00.003-05:00

Rest easy, my friend.

Download:
Wilco--Thirteen (Big Star cover)

Episode 13: SXSW Edition

2010-03-15T18:19:00.005-05:00

[via cosmic dust]

The clouds have parted and the sun is a-shining in the ATX. We're done wandering and pondering through winter's desert, and we have finally arrived at that most hallowed week: South By Southwest. Here's a special WS podcast, featuring ten acts I most excited to see at SXSW. This one's a mixtape, free from my usual chatter. Check SXSW for official showcases, and Showlist Austin for unofficial (read: free, fun, and boozed up) day shows. Tracklist (and download/stream) below:

Thee Oh Sees--"The River Rushes (To Screw MD Over)"
Happy Birthday--"Girls FM"
Califone--"Spider's House"
The Morning Benders--"Excuses"
Death--"Keep On Knocking"
Real Estate--"Snow Days"
Mountain Man--"Mouthwings"
Julianna Barwick--"Bode"
Washed Out--"Feel It All Around"
Sharon Van Etten--"It's Not Like"

Download:
Waterloo Sunset Podcast #13: SXSW Edition

At Echo Lake

2010-03-11T09:27:00.003-06:00

Woods, At Echo Lake, out 5/11 on Woodsist Records.

Download:
Woods--I Was Gone

Neil Young--Trunk Show

2010-03-03T08:57:00.004-06:00

Neil Young has been on quite a tear lately: His performance on Conan's last night a few weeks ago was remarkable (and not just for the fact that ol' Neil looked like Jimmy Buffet), performing the late '70s standout "Long May You Run." He did the same a few nights ago at the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics; suffice to say, the man is never outta mind. Any fan of this space knows I am a HUGE Neil fan, and the same goes for director Jonathan Demme: he's put Neil's songs in a number of his movies, including Rachel Getting Married, where TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe sang "Unknown Legend," and he also directed the Neil concert doc Heart of Gold a few years back. Demme's showing the love once again with another concert doc of contemporary Neil getting his Crazy Horse out during shows at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania during his 2007 tour. The film is called Neil Young Trunk Show, it looks like a nice, electrical complement to the aforementioned acoustic Heart of Gold doc. Trunk Show will be in a limited number of theaters for one week only starting March 19, and then it will be coming to DVD later in the year. Neil's one of the few old timers who can still bring it; I'm seriously pining for a chance to catch him live.

Texas Me

2010-03-02T17:43:00.005-06:00

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Download:
The Sir Douglas Quintet--Texas Me