05.18.13

On Saturday night, Terminal 5 was packed from the merch booth to the balconies for Josh Ritter’s second Manhattan performance of 2013, with late arrivals shit out of luck on vantage points and elbow room. With an awkward, humble introduction, Ritter dove into a solo acoustic rendition of “Idaho” before The Royal City Band slowly emerged on “Southern Pacifica.” Evocative drums and guitars coupled with Ritter’s pristine vocals and stellar songwriting roused the crowd from their relative slumber.

As iPhone cameras flashed and overpriced domestic beer spilled from careless grips, Ritter’s post-divorce guarded optimism came “out of the dark clouds” on “Hopeful,” the evening’s first selection from The Beast In Its Tracks. “New Lover,” perhaps the strongest song on the new album, captured the romantic’s heart of darkness with a closing stanza that supersedes well wishes and hopes that the old flame is lonely and full of regret.

“I hope you got a lover now, hope you got somebody who / Can give you what you need like I couldn’t seem to do / But if you’re sad and you are lonesome and you got nobody true / I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me happy too,” he crooned through a bittersweet grin.

Continued at URB.com

FREDDY KNOP - “RAUM”

Berlin-based producer Freddy Knop has a new record out this week via Circle Into Square, highlighted by the jazzy, textured ambience of “Raum.” The 7-track Polyphonies EP cycles through xylophone, Oberheim synth, glockenspiel and found sounds on its way through those white earbuds that are going to give you significant hearing loss by the time you’re 35. Watch the video for “Raum” above and catch the bandcamp stream of Polyphonies below.

SAGE FRANCIS, PROLYPHIC, B. DOLAN & METERMAIDS HEAD NORTHEAST

As Strange Famous Records celebrates the release of Prolyphic & Buddy Peace’s Working Man LP, Sage Francis has rallied the troops for a three-show northeast run at month’s end. Sage and Prolyphic will be joined by SFR labelmates B. Dolan and Metermaids for shows in Brooklyn (5/24 @ Knitting Factory), Providence, RI (5/25 @ Fete Ballroom) and Portland, ME (5/26 @ Space Gallery). Catch Prolyphic & Buddy Peace’s video for “Drug Dealer” above and visit Strange Famous for additional tour details.

04.29.13

After standard train delays, I arrived at Webster Hall 45 minutes late and missed all of Canadian ‘doom soul’ artist (and recent Juno award nominee) Cold Specks’ opening set. From what I gather, she killed it.

Jim James and his touring cohorts took the stage with atmospheric Middle Eastern sounds ringing in the air. With a bow from the big name on the marquee, a spectacular set comprised of James’ solo debut, Regions of Light and Sound of God, began under the restrained kinetic energy of “State of the Art.” The song deals with our growing disconnect as modern technologies foster the illusion of unity. James speaks of “a life worth living” divorced from a sea of restless faces buried in screens, logging their every journey outside the house on Foursquare and projecting images of a high quality existence.

“When the power goes out, I got all I need,” he sang as the lights of Webster Hall intermittently teased blackness before going out.

Much like the My Morning Jacket material that preceded its release, Regions puts forth a big, complex sound. Even its more delicate tracks, such as the gorgeous “Actress” and set-closing “God’s Love to Deliver,” suggest something grand, luminous and important. The uplifting “Know Til Now” peaked with a James sax solo that became a staple of the evening. Minutes later, rainbow sunbeams emanating from behind the drummer silhouetted James as he berated an electric guitar and whipped his wild curly mane around like a rich man’s Willow Smith. An elongated mid-line pose near the close of “A New Life” began a series of hilarious nonverbal gestures from the headliner, who appears to be enjoying every second of the limelight.

Virtually every song concluded with virtuosic improvisation built on the energy and tone of the given track. “All is Forgiven” boasted a sinister, brooding breakdown suitable for a ferry crossing the river Styx, which the folks who think it’s cool to talk loudly during a concert will hear as they go straight to hell.

Continue reading at URB.com

Released by Daysleeper

On the heels of Exit Earth’s promising 2011 EP, Peck, Heavy Eyes boasts a dirty, lo-fi approach accented by shoegazey breakdowns and surging choruses. The UK indie rock trio’s angsty debut LP should appeal to fans of Bloc Party and Interpol. “Brandon” starts things off with a catchy, propulsive chorus and earnest lyricism from frontman Symrun Johal. The song is followed by layers of fuzz sitting atop ample percussion on “Dalston Grilz,” making for one of the album’s high-water marks.

For all its strengths, there are moments on Heavy Eyes when Johal still seems to be finding his way vocally. “Sisters,” for instance, is a throwaway retro punk track that attempts to get by on energy alone and mercifully ends after a minute of unintelligible wailing. As the Leamington Spa, England band formed only two years back, inevitable kinks must be worked out before they’re able to kick over buildings with their bare feet. They’re off to a good start with Heavy Eyes.

The transatlantic duo of Canada’s Buck 65 and Belgium’s Greetings From Tuskan (aka Joëlle Lê) have been hard at work on the follow-up to 2009′s masterful More Heart Than Brains. The debut record wowed critics and fans alike under the weight of Buck‘s sharp, emotive lyricism and Lê’s three-dimensional electronic soundscapes. “Full Moon,” the dynamic, commanding first leak from Bike For Three!’s sophomore outing, can be streamed below. Greetings From Tuskan also recently released the More Heart Than Brains instrumentals, which are available for free download on bandcamp.

The Whiskey Collection was the first local act I caught live upon moving to New York City from the relative calm of San Diego last spring. It had been a long week and I was feeling a bit under the weather, but a mutual friend of the band and I plied me to Rockwood Music Hall after a few rounds.

The captivating melody of the first few tracks slowly wrestled my attention away from a dwindling glass of bourbon. With the venue more or less packed, they proceeded to play a tune by the name of “Lazy Jim” and melted every worthwhile face in attendance. The track is a good starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the band, as it introduces the gorgeous harmony of Cameron Scoggins and Corey Gerstenfeld in addition to virtuosic double bass and fiddle work. Later that night at a post-show gathering, Scoggins shared a reimagining of Thom Yorke’s “Atoms for Peace” in which The Whiskey Collection dismantle the original composition and restructure its elements in a left-field folksy kaleidoscope. I quickly became a fan. 

As the band prepares to release their debut long player, Letters From An Old Trunk, an album infused with North Carolina and NYC-inspired imagery that builds on the rich, storytelling folk foundation of The Whiskey Collection EP, I caught up with frontman Cameron Scoggins and bassist Alex Jenkins to chat about whiskey and the creative process.

Continue reading at URB.com

Hot on the heels of 2013 Q1′s best album and a much publicized SXSW meltdown, Foxygen has announced new summer tour dates and a 7″ for “No Destruction,” one of the standouts from We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic. The 7″ also features b-side “Where’s the Money?,” produced by Richard Swift during the Peace & Magic sessions.

Foxygen recently played A Take Away Show for La Blogotheque in which the band harmonizes under the Sacré Coeur and frontman Sam France scares Parisian children and steals an apple from a street vendor. Watch Foxygen perform “In the Darkness,” “No Destruction” and “On Blue Mountain” below, and catch tour dates after the jump.

Tour Dates:

05/07/13 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

05/08/13 Montreal , QC – Il Motore

05/09/13 Toronto, ON – Wrong Bar

05/11/13 Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion

05/14/13 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory – SOLD OUT

05/15/13 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge – SOLD OUT

05/18/13 Mexico City, MX – Festival Marvin

06/21/13 Dover, DE – Firefly Music Festival

06/22/13 North Adams, MA – Massachusetts Museum Of Contemporary Art

06/23/13 North Adams, MA – Solid Sound Festival

07/12/13 Louisville, KY – Forecastle Festival

07/21/13 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival

08/02/13 Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon

On the eve of his new album Birthdays’ release, 24-year-old London phenom Keaton Henson emerged from the shadows and played his first U.S. show at the intimate Housing Works Bookstore Cafe as part of their Live From Home benefit series. Live From Home, now in its tenth year at the SoHo used book store, has played host to everyone from the Black Keys to Björk.

Brooklyn’s Natureboy (née Sara Kermanshahi), who I’m choosing to believe selected her alias as an homage to Ric Flair, opened the Alan Light-curated event. Her pretty voice rose above droning synth lines as she performed material from her forthcoming second album. All told, Kermanshahi’s half hour set was a bit stale, but on a night where all proceeds benefit Housing Works’ fight against AIDS and homelessness, we’ll leave it at that.

A few cynical minds have wondered whether Keaton Henson’s tortured lyrics, teary-eyed music videos and artfully somber press photos are schtick, but after catching his first performance outside of the UK, I am convinced that his malaise, falsetto and talent are all very real. Henson is another Justin Vernon story of sparse, delicate art born out of isolation, heartbreak, and a thick, adamant sadness clinging to a recluse beard.

Henson’s skills extend beyond music as well, as evidenced by his recent Hithermost art show in London and debut graphic novel, Gloaming. The introverted singer-songwriter spoke in a barely audible whisper when addressing the crowd and began his set with “Sweetheart, What Have You Done To Us,” accompanied by a cellist. The bulk of his show, however, was dominated by the tried and true simplicity of a gorgeous, vulnerable voice and an acoustic guitar, which hushed a sold-out crowd jostling for better views amongst dim lights and stacks of books.

 “If you must die, sweetheart / die knowing your life was my life’s best part,” Henson sang on the set-closing “You.” Perhaps it is a soundscape best appreciated by depressive hopeless romantics, but anyone who has experienced any semblance of heartache should be able to warm up to Henson’s soul-baring, honest art.

Portland-based Cars & Trains has just dropped a companion EP to his recently-released third full-length, We Are All Fire. Tom Filepp’s We Are All Storms, a 10-track effort of instrumentals and collaborations with Open Mike Eagle,Ceschi and David Ramos, is available for free download on bandcamp.

We Are All Fire is out now on Fake Four, Inc.

B. Dolan - Which Side Are You On?

From his open mic poetry days in NYC to ripping mics at the earth-shattering Church of Love and Ruin shows, B. Dolan has always used his platform and his art to rally against a host of evils plaguing modern man. Falling in line with the ethos of the Church festival, which recently celebrated its second year tearing through the northeast, Dolan’s “Which Side Are You On?” is a battle cry against small-minded hatred. Hip hop has been viewed as a homophobic art form for far too long. One need look no further than the Busta Rhymes interview clip featured in Dolan’s video for a taste of such ignorance. Along with the only footage of the arrest of Leslie Feinberg, a prominent transgender activist who tagged the Minneapolis City Jail is solidarity with Cece McDonald, Atmosphere‘s Slug makes a cameo marching alongside Dolan.

“Which Side Are You On?” is taken from Dolan’s House of Bees Vol. 2 mixtape, available now on Strange Famous Records. His Church of Love and Ruin tour, featuring Sage Francis on select shows, is currently making its way through the UK, with remaining dates listed below.

 SEP 1 – MILTON KEYNES, UK – CRAUFORD ARMS (B. DOLAN ONLY, EXTENDED SOLO SET)

Tickets and info: https://fan.musicglue.com/sale/saleproducts.aspx?productid=db6c264c-9dc1-4e3c-846e-de5d29863e9d&resellerid=cafb7dcc-52a5-477b-a7b6-a153d32238d8

SEP 2 – BRISTOL, UK – THE CROFT (B. DOLAN ONLY, EXTENDED SOLO SET)

Tickets and Info: http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk/

SEP 3 - LONDON, UK - at “JAZZ CAFE”

Tickets and info: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=519713

SEP 4 - LIVERPOOL, UK - at “KAZIMIER”
Tickets and info: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_northwest&query=detail&event=519213

SEP 5 - BIRMINGHAM, UK - at “HMV INSTITUTE”
Tickets and info: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_midlands&query=detail&event=519030

SEP 6 - READING, UK - at “SUB89″ (ft. headlining set from SAGE FRANCIS)
Tickets and info: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/176740

SEP 7 - BRIGHTON, UK - at “Coalition” (ft. headlining set from SAGE FRANCIS)
Tickets and info: http://www.seetickets.com/Event/B-DOLAN-PRESENTS-THE-CHURCH-OF-LOVE-RUIN/Coalition/653799

SEP 9 - BESTIVAL - at Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight
Sage Francis, B. Dolan, Scroobius Pip all performing solo sets.
Tickets and info: http://www.bestival.net