The Marble Vanity has a new 7″ single (on now on Slow Fizz via Drag City). You can sample a sunny psych-pop track via the embed below from their Bandcamp page below.
In the first evidence of what will purportedly be an ongoing collaboration in 2012, David Lynch has remixed the Zola Jesus track “In Your Nature” (Soundcloud stream below). The song first appeared on ZJ’s 2011 LP Conatus.
Feb 16 Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall [w/ Talk Normal]
Feb 17 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer [w/ Talk Normal]
Feb 18 New York City, NY – Webster Hall [w/Liturgy, Talk Normal]
Feb 20 Cincinatti, OH- Contemporary Arts Center
Feb 21 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall [w/Chris Connelly, Talk Normal]
Feb 22 Grinnell, IA – Grinnell College [w/ Talk Normal]
Feb 23 St. Louis, MO – Luminary Arts [w/ Talk Normal]
Feb 24 Lawrence, KS – Granada [w/ Talk Normal]
Feb 25 Denver, CO - Larmier Lounge [w/ Talk Normal]
Feb 27 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge [w/ Talk Normal]
Mar 01 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall [w/Wymond Miles, Talk Normal]
Mar 02 Los Angeles, CA – Natural History Museum [w/EMA]
Mar 03 San Diego, CA – Casbah [w/ Talk Normal]
NoiseTrade is a terrific site to search for new music. They offer thousands of free downloads by emerging artists and indie labels.
Today, they announced a label sampler by Nettwerk, which features pop and electronica acts such as Submarines, Ivy, Ladytron, and Sarah Mclachlan. Sound eclectic? Sure, but Nettwerk’s byline is “releasing music we love,” not “releasing music according to a tightly wound marketing strategy.” Got to respect that.
Here’s another Nettwerk artist you’ll likely love: Morgan Page, in a new video with a passel of guest artists.
Bang on a Can is celebrating twenty-five years of music making in generous fashion. Between now and Jan. 25th, you can download their new album, Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, via bangonacan25.org.In exchange, they ask for an email address and a memory of a BoaC moment: the former is kept confidential, the latter is published in a scrapbook commemorating the album.
Think this is marketing against one’s own self-interests? Probably not. The iTunes version is for sale from 1/31, and features a bonus track of the ensemble performing Philip Glass’s Closing, with Glass, live. When the physical streets on 2/28, it will be a double disc of premiere recordings that will also feature films of the ensemble. So, instead of a “loss leader,” I tend to think of this release as downtown’s answer to Radiohead’s In Rainbows. In the meantime, Happy New Year, and happy downloading, all!
Bedroom Community is one of our favorite indie classical imprints. The Icelandic label has released CDs by Sam Amidon, Nico Muhly,Daniel Bjarnason, Ben Frost,
Valgeir Sigurðsson, and other artists. As they did last year, BC has released a Yule mix, filled with previously unreleased material. It’s free with any purchase from their online store.
To whet your appetite, we’ve included a piece by Valgeir, with stirring accompanying images, below.
itsnotyouisme
Everybody’s Pain is Magnificent
New Amsterdam Records
Grey McMurray and Caleb Burhans have been performing together as itsnotyouitsme since 2003. In the past five years, they have released three recordings. Their latest, Everybody’s Pain is Magnificent is a sprawling double album set of material. It celebrates the gradual developing soundscapes and lushly ambient sonics that are signatures the group’s sound. Unlike many ill-fated double albums, which run out of steam or seem padded, EPiM requires the extra time to develop its sweeping musical architectures and allow the listener to luxuriate, bathed in the music’s honeyed harmonies and finely spun textures. It’s been in heavy rotation in these parts this Fall. If you haven’t heard it, you are missing out on one of 2011′s most rewarding ambient treasures.
Below, the band shares a ‘wintry’-sounding video of a recent live performance.
Saturday listening Steve Smith shared a variety of links about ambient drone artist Nova Scotian Arms yesterday via twitter. And when Night After Night praises something, it’s smart to take notice!
Björk’s latest release is more than just a studio album. For her Biophilia project, the artist has embraced both 21st century technology and espoused an aesthetic that reconnects music-making with the natural world. In the latter quest she’s in good – and venerable – company: Hildegard von Bingen promulgated a similar agenda through her own writings and musical works back in the 12th Century! Of course, Björk’s vantage point is decidedly more secularly ecumenical than Hildegard’s. But the notion of embracing the life force, being aware of (wo)man’s interaction with the environment and the cosmos, and the joy in eliciting the listener’s participation in the creation of music, are all affinities that resonate between them. Indeed, it’s in this participatory spirit that Björk has also released the album as a set of apps, encouraging listeners to dig in to some of the concepts behind the record’s creation and to explore some of the music in a more hands-on fashion. Those who prefer a less tech-fancy product can get a deluxe boxed set, limited edition vinyl, or one of several CD/digital formats.
All of these organizing principals and methods of distribution create high hopes: are the expectations and aesthetic pronouncements that surround Biophilia outsized when compared to its actual songs? No, the music remains central to the album’s design. It is ambitious in spirit and carefully crafted. Björk incorporates some of the classical music signatures she has incorporated on previous efforts – brass ensemble, vocal choirs, strings, etc. Beats and electronics are liberally added as well. Throughout, there’s a particular emphasis on plucked and percussive timbres – harps and dulcimers create a delicately clangorous soundscape that serves as a frequent through line on Biophilia.
This is still nominally a pop album, and as such the song designation is retained. But Björk is really creating compositions which stretch the boundaries of the song form, filled with digressions, changes in texture, demeanor, and even style. While the tendency towards the atmospheric has been abundantly present in her work (at least) since 2001′s Vespertine,Biophilia embraces a wide swath of sonic profiles. Some are quirky and endearing, like the organ-driven “Hollow.” Others are more beat-driven, like the astonishingly variated “Crystalline.” Electronica presents itself here n a glitchy fashion rather than embracing a standard dancehall-ready beat template. And then there is “Dark Matter,” a thoughtful, deliciously dissonant piece of chamber music: a piece that will likely prove polarizing: enervating to Björk’s detractors and riveting to kindred spirits.
The one constant amidst all of this musical diversity is Björk’s voice, which remains a singular, expressive, and powerful instrument, capable of great dynamic range and innumerable timbral adjustments. And while Biophilia demands much from its listeners, even by the standards set by the increasingly adventurous approach found in each successive Björk release, it’s likely that her voice alone is sufficient enough a beacon to light the pathway for listeners. Those who persist will find many sonic revelations and cherished musical moments therein.
Here is a video of a recent live performance of album cut “Thunderbolt.”
Here’s a video taster course for the Biophilia app suite
It’s hard to believe, but one of the primary forces that fostered the “Indie Classical” phenomenon of the aughts is celebrating its tenth birthday. The Brassland imprint, which curates artists such as the National, Clogs, Doveman, and Nico Muhly, is celebrating their anniversary by sharing music: a different free download of a song from their catalog every weekday throughout November.
Thanks to the kind folks at Brassland, below we share a stream of tomorrow’s pick: Nico Muhly’s “Skip Town,” a bonus cut from his Mothertongue CD.
Be sure to visit the label’s “song a day” giveaway site or their Facebook page to collect all the goodies (schedule below).
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