Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Concert Revue- The Postal Service at the Midland





















Amidst all of the ephemera in my dark-blue Scion a few choice pieces stand out. A plastic jade Budai is perched near the speedometer; serving as my own travel token. On the other side, in harmonious contrast is a dog-eared copy of an old Christmas service program nestled under stray receipts and a yellowing edition of "The Complete Franz Kafka.” Staring down into the abyss between the front seats, you'll find a National Parks stamp book safely nestled near the E-brake. There's the fraying auxiliary cord, with its tight coil slowly unwinding due to my need to soundtrack my every move. And then on the floor, riding shotgun there's the overstuffed black CD booklet. It's my compendium of indispensable music, though a few CDs have escaped deletion due to my own forgetfulness or unwillingness to part with anything. There's my copy of
Born to Run I reach for when I long to turn a late night drive into something heroic. Jay Z's The Blueprint has survived a few scrapes (falling out of my car on more than one occasion.) Bonnie Prince Billy's I See A Darkness exists to score any momentary brooding mood I find myself in. Needing the ultimate pick-me-up, I reach for Daft Punk's Discovery and float away on an ecstatic sea of electronica. There's page after page of music hiding behind weathering plastic that occupies a special place in my life, and filed away in that special place is a copy of The Postal Service's lone 2003 LP, Give Up. I reach for it as the dull murmur of my car wafts through the air. As Ben Gibbard's somnolent words of "smeared black ink," my good-friend Michael Delcau and I sojourn to the Midland Theatre in Kansas City to see the "visitor here."
 
The night unfolds with opener Mates of State. Playing fast and loose, the two-piece's love songs blare throughout a still filling theatre. One tender moment came when the couple encouraged the entire crowd to wish their 9 year old daughter a happy birthday. After the set ended, every minute dashing off the clock did less to inspire excitement, and instead became torturous. The smeared black ink finally covered the stage and Ben Gibbard & Jenny Lewis' crisscrossing guitar solos set the pace for the night. The bouncy verses of "We Will Become Silhouettes" tumble into a triumphant chorus; every ba-ba-ba climbing higher towards the ornate wooden roof of the Midland. 

"Sleeping In" is prefaced with an abrupt "THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED" from Ben Gibbard. Jimmy Tamborello "The Man Behind the Beats" turn at vocals for the chorus elicited one of the most raucous applauses of the night. (Gibbard's spasmodic dancing during "Turn Around" finishes a close second.) The memory of the terse opening to the dreamy tune is instantly forgotten when Gibbard introduces "Nothing Better", "Somebody That I Used To Know" before Gotye ever put pen to paper. Tinged with just a hint of bitterness, Gibbard delivers "this song is about love in the oughts and it's a b***h." Lewis and Gibbard's delicate, yet fractious conversation is the sort the xx  has now perfected. And live, when the song is presented with Jenny Lewis' strutting a new word is appended; sultry. 

The affable romantic tale of "Clark Gable" kickstarts into high-gear with a soaring guitar part. I slot the song as my favorite among their scant discography and have found my way back to that chorus countless times. The further Gibbard clinches his teeth, the more he doggedly commits to the notion "that there is truth, that love is real."







For all the highs the performance offered this is still music reliant on a laptop, so naturally there are songs that hem close to the original. One that breaks from the fray is "This Place Is A Prison", the most welcome reinvention of the night. Gibbard's quiet desperation is stark upon the stage, bathed in blood spotlights, giving credence to the notion that home can be the most impenetrable prison of all. 

Inevitably, the time for "Such Great Heights" comes and it arrives via a seamless transition from new-cut "Tattered Line of String". The subdued immediacy of the song is even more palpable live, and a firm reminder of why the song remains one of the greatest highlights of the past decade. Cue another impeccable segue into "Natural Anthem", fast-forward through some awkward fan rubbing as Ben Gibbard enters the crow, and exit stage-left for the band. Upon return, Gibbard finally introduces the band (something he apparently hates in most cases.) Tamborello becomes a Kraftwerkian half-man-half-machine. Gibbard's pairing with Lewis? Redubbed the "Flavor Flav to her Chuck D." of course. Once the track that launched a thousand electronic "bands" ("The Dream of Evan & Chan") wisps away, the Mario-esque bleeps and bloops of "Brand New Colony" begin. The album closer offered a fresh start, even as the night came to a photo finish. When all the instrumentation collapses, the crowd's unadorned "everything will change," rings throughout the decades old venue and the crew leave the stage, this time for real. All the waiting for a second LP, for a live show, for any sign of a pulse from the Postal Service becomes a relic.    
    
As I leave the concert and thumb through the CDs. I find nothing to suit my fancy, and before I can hit eject, Give Up begins again. Nights like these remind why I have the albums I do and why some will never leave.


               


              

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

"Ex-To-See"- Jeremih

























Following the warped R&B take "Bo Peep (Do You Right)" aided by Shlohmo's crawling drum machines and synths, Jeremih is back with another drug infused cut. The song may be a play on MDMA, though Jeremih lacks any of the energy or euphoria commonly associated with the drug. Jeremih's in classic loverman mode, creeping around at 6 in the morning and making the ascent to the Mile High club when the time is right. Despite all the concern for the carnal, the sliding synthesizer re-brands this as a never-ending mind game. By the end, Jeremih's posing questions to no one in particular, "am I out of my space, goin' down memory lane?" He claims to be in ecstasy, but the evidence says otherwise. 

 

Monday, July 29, 2013

What's New(s)?

Arctic Monkeys drop new track
The Arctic Monkeys fifth go-around on the LP circuit is entitled AM and it's out September 9 via Domino. To promote the record, the band has already released the stomping "Do I Wanna Know?" and the featherweight "2013" made the rounds as a leak before being taken down by BPI. Today another tune has slipped through the cracks. The unadorned "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" clocks in at under three minutes and sports a plainspoken Alex Turner on lead vocals. Unfortunately that tune has also become a casualty of copyright. That said it is slated to be released as a single in August, so check back in when that moment hits.



R. Kelly tells his "story"
Not far removed from triumphant hometown show at the 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival, R. Kelly returns with the pseudo-autobiographical "My Story", set to appear on his upcoming Black Panties album. Wedding his robo-vocals to trap drums and a subtle guitar strum, Kells grows out of the "Chi-town dirt" and celebrates the wealth that his ascendancy to R&B royalty has afforded him. A fairly subdued 2 Chainz pops up to "roll like cinnamon", while searching for a co-pilot. Just another chapter to add to the audacious R&B book Kelly has authored. 

         




Jim James extends tour
My Morning Jacket's Jim James has added fall dates to his solo-tour in support of the meditative Regions of Sound and Light of God. Of course you can currently see him with the rest of the band on tour for the massive Americanarama with Wilco and Bob Dylan in tow. The MMJ frontman's vocals will soon be reverberating throughout the Midwest as James stops off at St. Louis' Loufest and the Telluride blues festival. Enjoy a subdued live take of album-cut "State of the Art" and check out the dates after jump. 

 



9/6 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City 
9/7 - St. Louis, MO - Loufest @ Forrest Park
9/8 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
9/10 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown 
9/11 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall 
9/12 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom 
9/15 - Telluride, CO - Telluride Blues & Brews Festival



Check back in again tomorrow for the newest in new(s).

Friday, July 26, 2013

What's New(s)?

Honest Cowboy

















MMG member and resident introspective rapper Stalley is prepping for the August 8 release of his Honest Cowboy mixtape and until that day hits, he's supplied the appropriately-named Menace II Society ode "A-Wax" (in honor of the MC Eiht portrayed character). The blustery soulful beat supplied by the Block Beattaz (sampling Wiz Khalifa) allows the Ohio-MC to indulge his inner champagne sipper, while dismissing any complacency; promising passion "bout my game like Joakim Noah." Listen to the song below and check out the promo video for the mixtape here.

"A-Wax"



Timbaland talks Nas, Drake, & Aaliyah
















In an all-too-brief interview with Revolt, mega-producer Timbaland can be found giving us the inside-scoop on a whole slew of rap stories. Fresh off the success of Magna Carta...Holy Grail, Timbaland reveals he sat behind the boards for "Sinatra in the Sands", a follow-up to MCHG's "BBC". This time Nas takes top bill, backed by Justin Timberlake & Jay Z (still can't get used to not typing that hyphen). Timbaland calls Timberlake's performance on the song "completely stupid,"and says the song will appear on Nas' next album.

Timbaland also takes time-out to talk about recent reworkings of Aaliyah tunes from Drake & Chris Brown (why they can't work) and his new found appreciation for Drizzy.  Of the Toronto emcee, Timbaland guarantees "he's gonna be around for a long time."





Atoms for Peace perform "The Clock"
 





 
 









Tonight Atoms for Peace's residency at the London Roadhouse comes to an end and to make that departure a bit more bearable, concert-recording platform (and current "business" partner) Soundhalo has made available a clip from Wednesday night's show. "The Clock", a clattering tune from Yorke's solo The Eraser project is given more heft and immediacy here by the band's on-point percussion section and Flea's steadily moving basslines. Check out the video below and dates for AFP's fall U.S. tour after the clip. 





Sept. 24- Liacouras Center (Philadelphia, PA)
Sept. 27- Barclay's Center (New York City, NY)
Sept. 30- Patriot Center (Fairfax, VA)
Oct. 2- UIC Pavilion (Chicago, IL)
Oct. 3- The War Memorial Auditorium (Nashville, TN)
Oct. 6- Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)
Oct. 13- Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)
Oct. 16- Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, CA)
Oct. 17- Santa Barbara Bowl (Santa Barbara, CA)
Oct. 19/20- Treasure Island Music Festival (San Francisco, CA) 



Check back in Monday for even more in the newest in new(s).

Thursday, July 25, 2013

What's New(s)?

Versace Versace
  















As an added boost to his rapping status, begun on the "Oldie" posse-cut, OF-crooner Frank Ocean has posted lyrics on his Tumblr of what appears to be his own rewrite of the summer smash "Versace." "I'm wearing some Dickies, they cost 30 Euros, I'm not even into Versace," goes the final couplet. No word yet on if the song will make an official appearance anytime soon, though Ocean will be appearing at Drake's OVO Festival in Toronto next month, so we may not have to wait long.


Cults announce new album

















Cults 2011 self-titled debut was an idyllic slice of 60s girl-pop with a modernist glaze and ripe-picked quotes from actual cult-leaders to circumvent the sweetness. Come October 15 the band will be back with a new take on the recipe entitled Static. Out via Columbia Records, the LP enlists the aid of Shane Stoneback (who worked on their original album) and Ben Allen (best known for doing production work with Animal Collective and Youth Lagoon). Check out a promo clip for the album here which features some gargantuan sounding 60s surf-pop.


"Byegone"

















Justin Vernon (he of Bon Iver fame) is readying his second collaborative as Volcano Choir, his experimental-pop project with fellow Wisconsin natives Collection of Colonies of Bees. In the run-up to the release of Repave, they've debuted the video for first single "Byegone." The understated grandeur of the track is reflected in the video which features numerous skyward shots of a massive tree redecorated with light bulbs. Repave is out September 3 via Jagjaguwar.





 "Hot Knife"





   


 


 





In the tradition of past highlights: "Paper Bag", "Fast You Can", and "Limp" Fiona Apple has re-teamed with ex-boyfriend Paul Thomas Anderson (the man most recently behind The Master and There Will Be Blood) to produce a video for The Idler Wheel... closer "Hot Knife". The stark black-and-white paneled video also features Apple's sister Maude Maggart who sung on the original tune. Just a few short months after The Idler Wheel dropped notorious recluse Apple booked it back into the shadows, so celebrate every piece of news we get.




Check back in tomorrow for the newest in new(s).

"Too Dry to Cry"- Willis Earl Beal

























Willis Earl Beal excellent 2012 record Acousmatic Sorcery was an effortless mishmash of lo-fi bedroom pop, winsome folk, and visceral blues. "Everything unwinds." the first cut from sophomore release Nobody Knows. floated light as a feather into the folkie camp. Backed by an interloping synth, Beal was delicately strumming a guitar with "rust in my soul," while trying to define the mystery of the lover at the center of the unwinding spiral that has become his life. 

Any tenderness found in the song is throttled by follow-up "Too Dry to Cry" a boot-stomping, faux delta-blues number that could've been pinned in 2013 or 1927. The opening guitar figure is dripping sweat from the sweltering Mississippi sun while Beal begs the Lord to not be left "hanging like a spider with no fly." The song borders on the spiritual, but is kept out of the pearly gates by Beal's wandering eye and his "pitchfork prong." Like much of Beal's scant discography, it's a contradictory affair. His mind is on heaven, but his body's still stuck on Earth. 




Nobody knows. is scheduled for release September 10 via the XL label. Here's the tracklist:
1. Wavering Lines
2. Coming Through ft. Chan Marshall
3. Everything unwinds.
4. Burning Bridges
5. Disintegrating
6. Too Dry To Cry
7. What's The Deal?
8. Ain't Got No Love
9. White Noise
10. Hole in the Roof
11. Blue Escape
12. Nobody knows.
13. The Flow
   



Wednesday, July 24, 2013

"Odd Look" (Remix) ft. The Weeknd- Kavinsky


























Back in February, French electronic artist Kavinsky (best known for contributing the song "Nightcall" to the Drive Soundtrack) released the sorely under-appreciated Outrun, an album long narrative of a half-man/half-machine who makes music. The album had much of the same appeal as the Drive Soundtrack itself, slinking late-night numbers riding right alongside cuts coated in 80s nostalgia. For his next trick, Kavinsky is releasing an EP of remixes of "Odd Look," which is scheduled to drop in August and features appearances by Fools Gold founder and DJ A-Trak, recent M.I.A. collaborator Surkin, and The Weeknd. Tesfaye's Jacksonesque quivering is perfect for the track's blustery electronic beat, which wouldn't have to put up much of a fight for rotation at any 80s night club. Lyrically, The Weeknd's hedonistic indulgences are as prevalent as ever, promising to put "guilt in the grin of a good girl," and consuming enough drinks to forgo any geographic knowledge. On "Nightcall" Kavinsky wanted to show you "where it's dark," with this remix The Weeknd's granted his wish.