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Microcastle and its bonus disc, Weird Era Cont., sidestep much of the art-damaged squall of previous Deerhunter records, but they don't embrace 1950s and 60s pop as dramatically as lead singer Bradford Cox had intimated in early interviews. Instead, this 2xCD set captures urgent and imaginative songs that reorganize 4AD haze, off-kilter indie pop, crashing garage-punk, forward-leaning krautrock, and hypnotic Kranky ambience into a singular-sounding call-to-arms, or at least call-to-guitars. Black Lips' Cole Alexander guests.
Jace Clayton, aka DJ/rupture, returns with another outstanding mix. While Uproot feels every bit as purposeful as minor classics Gold Teeth Thief and Minesweeper Suite, it's far more subdued and spacious. Combining dubstep, pulsing ambience, and orchestral flourishes on tracks from Ghislain Poirier, Shackleton, and Ekkehard Ehlers, Rupture doesn't just wade through music, he constructs an alternate history.
Reviews
After a ramshackle breakthrough LP, Wild Mountain Nation, Blitzen Trapper narrow their scope and sharpen their focus for their Sub Pop debut, proving they don't need to try so many different approaches when they've found one-- Dylan circa Basement Tapes-- that works so well. [Recommended]
[Rebecca Raber]Love Is Overtaking Me, a compilation of more as-yet-unavailable Arthur Russell material-- most of which was born from a more traditional singer/songwriter structure than the avant-garde cello compositions and kinetic, jazz-influenced disco for which he has also come to be known-- continues the late composer and producer's winning streak.
[Mia Clarke]Two singular outings from the long-running outpost for experimental music that is the Legendary Pink Dots. Plutonium Blonde from the band proper is ominous, fantastical, and wondrous all at once, while leader Edward Ka-Spel's solo album Dream Logik Part Two has an off-kilter approach true to its title.
[Joe Tangari]Brooklyn band whose "Bruises" wound up in an iPod commercial debuts with a scattered album that veers from hazy, new age-infused pop to moody Southwestern twang.
[Eric Harvey]Recently signed to Nicolas Vernhes' Rare Book Room imprint, this Berlin/New York duo rework underground sounds past and present (VU-style art rock, krautrock, Kompakt-style electronics) into new configurations.
[Joe Colly]Tue: 10-28-08
Mon: 10-27-08
Fri: 10-24-08
Thu: 10-23-08
Forkcast
- New Music: My Brightest Diamond: "Of Fear and Wonder (I Found a Universe)" [MP3/Stream]
- New Music: Elephant 6 Collective: Holiday Surprise Tour (live in Chicago, for NPR's "All Songs Considered") [Stream]
- Pitchfork.tv: Amanda Palmer: "Oasis" (NSFW) [Video Premiere]
- Video: T.I. [ft. Rihanna]: "Live Your Life"
- New Music: Stereolab: "Neon Beanbag (Atlas Sound Remix)" [MP3]
- Video: Bloc Party: "This Modern Love" (Live on the "Take Away Show)
- Pitchfork.tv: Deerhunter: "In the Studio" Part 2
Features
You Can Vote However You Like
Thanks to YouTube-- and hip-hop-- campaign songs have seen a bit of a resurrection this year. Here's a look at why everyone from Nas to Hank Williams, Jr. and Jay-Z to John Rich are singing about this year's presidential election-- and which tracks are actually worth hearing.
[Marc Hogan]Interview: Portastatic
A husband, father to two, hockey zealot, and well-read political enthusiast, Merge Records' Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Portastatic) helps guide one of the biggest independent record labels in what's sort of a build-or-bust time. Oh, and he's still very much a working musician.
[Grayson Currin]Interview: Randy Newman
Randy Newman is an under-recognized treasure and a keen-eyed dissector of American culture-- and, if you have kids, he is lurking somewhere in your living room right now.
[Joshua Klein]Live Review: Iceland Airwaves Festival
Among Iceland's economic chaos, the Iceland Airwaves festival celebrated its 10th birthday with a five-day orgy of live music and debauchery that takes over Reykjavík-- basically SXSW on a smaller, much colder scale.
[Amy Phillips]Interview: Björk [Part Two]
While in Reykjavík for the Iceland Airwaves festival, we sat down with Björk for a lengthy chat about "Náttúra", her new single with Thom Yorke, and the Náttúra Campaign. In the process, she outlined Náttúra's plan for the development of a new, independent, environmentally friendly Icelandic economy. It isn't a quick fix. And it isn't going to be easy. But when has Björk ever taken the easy way out? [Part 2 of 2]
[Amy Phillips]Interview: Björk [Part One]
While in Reykjavík for the Iceland Airwaves festival, we sat down with Björk for a lengthy chat about "Náttúra", her new single with Thom Yorke, and the Náttúra Campaign. In the process, she outlined Náttúra's plan for the development of a new, independent, environmentally friendly Icelandic economy. It isn't a quick fix. And it isn't going to be easy. But when has Björk ever taken the easy way out? [Part 1 of 2]
[Amy Phillips]