Bob Dylan's original lyrics to "Like A Rolling Stone" are going up for auction
Instead of scrounging for their next meal, fans of Bob Dylan will have to start scrounging for cash if they want to get a hold of the initial drafts of his game-changing '65 single "Like A Rolling Stone". As "The Guardian" points out, Dylan's original lyrics are headed to New York auction-house Sotheby's and are expected to fetch anywhere from $1-$2 million, which would surpass the $965,500 his electric guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival fetched.
One reason for heated interest in the drafts is due to Dylan's lyrical fidgeting, which includes trying to rhyme gangster "Al Capone" with the famed "like a complete unknown" line and dabbling with "dry vermouth." Along with the rough drafts of the Highway 61 Revisited-track are a series of doodles and commentary penned by Dylan that has been called a series of "stray thoughts on American cultural imagery." Based on Sotheby's own investigating, the papers contain the "only known surviving draft of the final lyrics for this transformative rock anthem," which were purchased directly from Dylan by an anonymous seller. If the price tag is too rich for your blood, you can enjoy the still great video for "Like A Rolling Stone" free of charge.
Christopher Owens of Girls drops the country-tinged "Stephen"
John Shearer/WireImage
Though details on former Girls lead-singer Christopher Owens' sophomore album are still sparse, today's release of the gently-twanging "Stephen" will fill in a few more blanks. Following in the snakeskin boot-prints of the pastoral "It Comes Back To You", the new single shuffles further into country territory.
Aided by church-like keys and delicate backing vocals, Owens captures a profound sense of familial loss with his lonesome nasal croon. "Just like an angel, he flew away," he weeps as an organ wails and the choir hits a crescendo. By the end you half-expect the song to do the same. If the tracks we've heard so far are any indication, Owens' 2nd record will be a gorgeous affair.
Check back tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s) and follow AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.
Hear a new track from former Girls frontman Christopher Owens
As the core-element of Girls, Christopher Owens created some of the most wistfully nostalgic music of the decade. With his tender punk sneer, he brought the 60s back in a way very few have been able to do. But few songs in the scant Girls catalog sound as wonderfully "dated" as "It Comes Back to You". The problem with Owens' latest effort though is the "date" isn't set in stone. Soulful billows of organ and gospel choirs suggest Stax circa '68. The slow build into a sparkler electric guitar suggests primo 70s T. Rex. And heard from a far enough distance, Owens trembling voice could pass as Buddy Holly at his most vulnerable. Whatever period it hails from, it's more than welcome in 2014.
"It Comes Back to You" is from a forthcoming album, though Owens hasn't shared any details other than to say it's "from a new album I've made with dear friends." Owens is set to play at Turnstile's SXSW show.
Oneohtrix Point Never Creates "Music for Steamed Rocks"
Daniel Lopatin, the quiet mastermind behind the Brooklyn-based electronic project Oneohtrix Point Never laid claim to an impressive 2013. He released the much heralded R Plus Seven, showed everyone what emoji-love could be with the captivating "Boring Angel" video, and announced a major tour that he is still in the midst of.
Today's release of "Music for Steamed Rocks" proves his 2014 could be just as promising as all of last year. Appearing on the upcoming Record Store day release Commissions 1, the track is one of the more humane efforts Lopatin has managed. Tender, spacey vocals cascade over glasslike synthesizer and pan out in a million directions. Strings float as though they're in zero gravity. While the title promises something that's grounded or inert, the music itself offers some of the more skyward work of the year.
Out on April 19th via Warp, Commissions 1 will also feature museum-installation "I Only Have Eyes for You" and "Meet Your Creator" which Lopatin crafted for ad-agency Saatachi & Saatachi. Tour Dates: 3/21 Tokyo, Japan - Unit 3/22 Osaka, Japan - Circus 3/27 Miami, Florida - Perez Art Museum 3/29 Knoxville, Tennessee - Big Ears Festival 4/2 Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College 4/3 Iowa City, IA - Mission Creek Festival 4/4 St. Louis, MO - Kranzberg Art Center 4/5 Oberlin, OH - Oberlin College 4/6 Detroit, MI - Museum of Contemporary Art 4/18 Istanbul, Turkey - Club2Club 4/19 Brussels, Belgium - AB 4/23 Zurich, Switzerland - Exil 4/24 Turin, Italy - Hiroshima Mon Amour 4/25 Krems, Austria - Donau Festival 4/26 Berlin, Germany - Radialsystem V 4/29 Milan, Italy - Teatro San Fedele 4/30 Rome, Italy - Auditorium Parco Della Musica 5/2 Austin, TX - Austin Psych Festival 5/8 Pittsburgh, PA - Andy Warhol Museum 5/16 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg 5/7 Montreal, Quebec - MUTEK 5/30 Lyon, France - Nuits Sonores 6/4 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Holland Festival 6/7 London, England - Field Day 6/8 Bristol, England - Arnolfini 6/13 Barcelona, Spain - Sonar Festival 6/18 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Union Sound Hall 6/19 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center 6/20 Toronto, Ontario - NXNE BLKBOX 6/21 Toronto, Ontario - NXNE Geary St. Warehouse 7/6 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
Shy Boys debut a new video
KC trio Shy Boys self-titled debut is an effortless streak of sunny 60s pop, but holding it all together is the dark, twitchy gravity of "And I Am Nervous". The group's jangly guitars still jangle, just at a much lower tone. Collin Rausch's voice which always seems miles away finds more distance and hides in pitch-black shadows. Even the drums don't register as fast and loose, but flailing. You'd imagine them soundtracking a person as they quietly fight for their life.
The video for "And I Am Nervous", the group's first showcases some of that flailing, but on a solo level. In the Christopher Good directed clip, a lone woman contorts about in slow-motion, bathed in dark: blues, greens, reds, and purples. Her hair wriggles across every corner of the screen, like an dying animal struggling for its last gasp of air. And as the last note of discomfort rings out the shadows close in again; confirming that the nervousness was completely called for.
Fiery isn't a word I'd normally associate with R&B crooner Miguel. Smooth.Silky. Even the antithetical "cool" comes to mind. Tracks like the burbling synthfest "Can't Sleep 2gether" or the strummed "Arch & Point" smolder, but they never quite reach the point of incineration.
"Simplethings", Miguel's contribution to the Girls soundtrack is a full-on blaze. The muffled, static-charged guitar in the intro calls to mind the Standells or Shadows of Night more than it does Marvin Gaye. When the flame threatens to die down as the guitar fades into the background, Miguel's cravenous tone keeps it burning bright. "I want you to win my heart" he seemingly demands. But like 2012's "P**** is Mine" it's as much desperate begging as it is bluster. In these circumstances, even the simple request to "lay with me babe" becomes enormously consequential. Steady ticking drums and genial synthesizer can't stop the proceedings either. No matter how much you'd like, there's no question you can take back.
The soundtrack to Girls season 3 is out 2/11 on Atlantic and features appearances by Miguel, Jenny Lewis, Cat Power, and more.
Time for the top 5 to be revealed. Let's do a little bit of backtracking, then we'll kick in to high gear for #6.
30. 4- Beyonce
29. The Dreamer, The Believer- Common
28. Just Once EP- How to Dress Well
27. Alien Observer- Grouper
26. Step Brothers- Don Trip & Starlito
25. Cole World: Sideline Story- J. Cole
24. Weekend at Burnies- Curren$y
23. Suck It and See- Arctic Monkeys
22. Celestial Lineage- Wolves in the Throne Room
21. The Whole Love- Wilco
20. Bad As Me- Tom Waits
19. Live, Love, A$AP- A$AP Rocky
18. Helplessness Blues- Fleet Foxes
17. 21- Adele
16. Wounded Rhymes- Lykke Li
15. Hilarious- Louis C.K.
14. Cults- Cults
13. Goblin- Tyler, the Creator
12. Tomboy- Panda Bear
11. Strange Mercy- St. Vincent
10. Parallax- Atlas Sound
9. Nostalgia, Ultra- Frank Ocean
8. House of Balloons- The Weeknd
7. Take Care- Drake
6. undun-The Roots
#5 Father, Son, Holy Ghost- Girls
“It just feels like it’s gone, like all of its gone, gone away,” Girls frontman Christopher Owens sings over chiming power chords on “Just a Song.” Underscored by xylophone strikes and introduced by inspired acoustic fretwork, the seventh track off of Girls second LP represents everything beautiful about the band. Like so much of their best work, the track looks longing at the past both lyrically and musically, while desperately attempting to move forward.
That desperation is fully-encapsulated on “Vomit,” the album’s bridge. Over a gloomy guitar figure not far-removed from classic-era Cure, Owens wearily sings “nights I spend alone, I spend ‘em runnin’ ‘round lookin’ for you baby.” This tension quickly explodes into the chorus which consists of the repetitive mantra “lookin’ for love.” The next scrawl of noise to swell from the song is even more abrasive than the last and sounds like the peak of a drug-induced frenzy.
Girls have received acclaim for their co-opting of classic 60s rock and pop sounds and tempering it with noise-rock and punk. On this record though, they seem less concerned with the punk angle, preferring to mine the depths of gospel and acid-rock on the aforementioned “Vomit,” while doing their time as a Black Sabbath tribute band on the frenetic “Die.” In the group’s strongest moment to date, “Forgiveness,” ragged acoustic guitar circa late 60s Stones brings forth a defeated Owens declaring “nothing’s gonna get any better, if you don’t have a little hope.” “I can see so much clearer, when I just close my eyes,” Owens sings at the songs conclusion. For an album riddled with pleadings, destructive behavior, and biting self-deprecation, closing your eyes and pretending it’s all an illusion is the only cure, no matter how temporary.
"Vomit"
#4 Dedication- Zomby
When I was first putting together this list, I didn’t think this album would factor into the discussion much. After all, two factors are influence and success, which handicaps this record before it can even get going. But its placement on the list is entirely due to Zomby’s success at creating a unified LP that surpasses all his prior work.
To call this album cold is an understatement. The music here is as frigid and barren as the Antarctic. The song-titles are equal foreboding referencing: death, the devil, witches, and a tortured artist (Basquiat). At times these chilly synth-lines sprinkled with piano twinkles carry us into a scene not far-removed from Halloween (“Florence” and “Haunted”).And just when you’re endanger of falling asleep listening to the lull, the drum hits of a song like “Digital Rain,” drop you right back into this audio-nightmare. This record should do away with any lingering notions that Zomby is in fact a “dubstep” artist. The overwhelming bass isn’t there and the synths are just too cold and uninviting to be framed in that light.
Any errors this album commits are forgotten the instant the luring piano-line of “Basquiat” slithers forward. In the song’s eternal two minutes, we realize that death is no longer imminent but has finally come to call us home. The rapid and “uplifting” closer “Moziak,” does little to temper this death knell and the coffin firmly slams shut.
The one error in this album is in “Things Fall Apart.” Animal Collective member Panda Bear’s vocals are just too warm, threatening to destroy the darkness. Were this a non-album track it would be a masterful collaboration, but in this desolate soundscape it comes across as a faint and underwhelming cry in the night, a night that perpetually grows darker.
"Basquiat"
#3 James Blake- James Blake
Calling this LP, James Blake’s first, post-dubstep is disingenuous. Such a term implies there is still a moderate reliance on the style proper. Though the occasional dubstep flourish does emerge, it’s short-lived, serving to mark this album as what is undoubtedly the first electronic singer-songwriter record.
In the dubstep world of 2011, Blake’s decision to sing, play piano, and bring in swipes of guitar is the electronic equivalent of Bob Dylan plugging in to an amp back in ’65. Geoff Barrow of Portishead snidely compared the work to that of “dubstep meets pub singer.” As forward thinking as the sub-genre has been since it first received a label, it is rarely kind to the vocal element, especially when those vocals are originals. Those who follow Blake closely should have seen this coming, since his work on “CMYK,” he has shown a fondness for making his tracks revolve around the vocals. When he brought in piano on the Klavierwerke EP, he was distancing himself from the scene he cut his teeth in.
All of that previous momentum pales in comparison to what can be found here, a fully-realized work that outshines all other electronic albums released in 2011. It isn’t just that Blake sings, it’s how he manipulates that singing. An touchstone is the work of Bon Iver, as Blake is often backed by an army of voices behind him. “My brother and my sister don’t speak to me,” he lonely sings on “I Never Learnt to Share.” Soon the bleak situation of the song is further spotlighted by a litany of Blake voices. When the dubstep sound does drop in the song’s second half, it’s an ironic catharsis, Blake looking at the genre he once called home and emotionally bidding it adieu.
Every song on here is a winner, whether it’s the sublime Feist cover “Limit to Your Love,” the stunning snare-backed track “Wilhelm Scream,” or the ringing piano of “Give Me My Month.” They all serve as glimpses into the frigid work Blake has crafted here, with closer “Measurements,” as the chilling summit. “Crease your pride, telling lies, that you’re not on your own,” he sings. It’s a state of affairs Blake should now be familiar with, having paid his respects to dubstep, he is now on his own. Trekking down a rousing musical road where he is the only traveler.
