What's New(s)?

Cloud Nothings and Wavves collaborative album "almost done"

Dylan Baldi's new album as part of Cloud Nothings Here and Nowhere Else is out next Tuesday (April 1), but evidently Baldi's not taking any time off between projects. According to Exclaim, the frontman has been operating in Los Angeles, working on a collaborative effort with fuzzy surf-rock king Hathan Williams of Wavves.

In talking about the project with Exclaim, Baldi says the album is "almost done" and the seeds for the collabo were sewn in Paris. "I woke up one morning hungover in Paris, which is where I usually live, and I just had a text on my phone that was like, 'Yo, wanna make a record together?' I was like, '...Okay!' And that was it. It sounded fun." Baldi went on to add that the partnering resembled a cross between the two artists' work with "another element that wasn't present in either of our music before."

While you wait for the project, check out recent clips from Cloud Nothings and Wavves, and look for Here and Nowhere Elese out April 1 through Carpark Records. 

New Zach Braff film to feature music from Bon Iver, Cat Power, Chris Martin, and yes the Shins

 

Last spring Zach Braff launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund Wish I Was Here, his first directorial work since 2004's Garden State. In the time since, the film received over $3 million in funding and premiered at Sundance in January.

Now Wish I Was Here has an opening date of July 18 in New York/Los Angeles with a wide-release the following Friday (July 25). In discussing the film with Entertainment Weekly, Braff opened up about the film's soundtrack which will feature a collaboration with Coldplay's Chris Martin and Chan Marshall of Cat Power. According to Braff the work will serve as the film's title track and is "one of the most amazing songs ever." In addition to that "amazing song", the soundtrack will include new songs from Bon Iver and Garden State centerpiece the Shins who will "change your life."  No word yet if the Martin/Marshall effort will do the same. Until it comes, you can always enjoy the video for the Shins' "New Slang".

Check back in tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

"I'm Not Part of Me"- Cloud Nothings

In their round-up of the "Top 50 Albums of 2012", Pitchfork referred to the Dylan Baldi fronted Cloud Nothings as torchbearers of Nevermind, arriving as a "cacophony cavalry" to put some of the bite back into indie rock. They were no doubt correct that 2012 was a banner year for no-frills "RAWK", but Nirvana seemed to be a dubious touchstone for a band like Cloud Nothings. Cobain's lyrics were frequently too surreal to fully embrace, a sentiment like "I like you" in "Drain You" is simple enough, though "I travel through a tube and end up in your infection" is much less resonant. In that respect Cloud Nothings hem closer to the Replacements, wearing their heart on their sleeve as they look dead in your eye and ask "what's wrong?"

"I'm Not Part of Me", the first taste of the forthcoming Here and Nowhere Else, continues that emotional directness even as Baldi attempts to dodge any stinging questions. "I'm not telling you all I'm going through" he defiantly yelps over bone-dry drums and pressure-packed guitars. It's a misdirect, Baldi feigns reservation while potently delivering "you're not what I really needed" in the chugging verses. When you're in the midst of a fight, it's all-too-easy to jab one moment and flee to your corner the next. You say "nothing's wrong" when that sentiment couldn't be further from the truth. Baldi's coping mechanism of "leaving all the memory of what we did when we were young" can only last for so long. The memories we make are as a part of us as anything else. 

Here and Nowhere Else drops April 1 through Carpark Records/Mom & Pop Music.