Category Archives: general

arizona, general

New Source Victoria: Once I’m Dead

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source_onceimdead

I’ve been there from the get-go, from the demos to the live shows, so there’s a great sense of pride to see a fully formed product` coming in the not-too-distant future for Source Victoria.

It’s looking like the new album is coming this fall – October maybe? – but the first official taste has arrived by way of a three-song EP, a sort of maxi single, if you will. Remember CD singles? It’s like that … without the CD part.

The EP contains three versions of the song “Once I’m Dead”: the album version, a rockier non-album version and a demo that my brother recorded at his house on what must have been a rare quiet morning there (I love my nieces to pieces, but four girls ages 1-8 don’t remain silent for long).

The song credits are below, but it’s certainly worth noting the contributions: local producer/musician Jamie Woolford, pedal-steel player Jon Rauhouse (a member of Neko Case’s band who has also toured with Jakob Dylan), Grammy-winning producer/engineer Chris Testa and enginner (and longtime friend) Jamal Ruhe.

You can grab the tracks at a the new Bandcamp page or head to Yucca Tap Room on Friday night and get a free download code. I’m terribly biased, but I can confidently say there’s plenty more to look forward to on this album.

source_onceimdead_back

covers, general

Meat Puppets, Telekinesis, more cover Nirvana on Nevermind tribute album

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newermind_cd

I’ll never forgive myself for loaning my cassette of Nirvana’s Nevermind to a so-called friend because, of course, I never got it back. Twenty years later, I’m still bitter. And, wait … it’s been 20 years?? This one is gonna start making me feel old.

To celebrate the anniversary of what few would argue to be the most influential album of our generation, Spin cooked up a covers album — Newermind — to complement coverage of the event in their August magazine (that’s that thing with glossy pages that also was influential 20 years ago).

I’m just starting to make my way through the album after downloading it for free at Spin’s Facebook page (you have to “like” Spin and then cough up your email address). Naturally, I had to start with “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” not only because it’s the leadoff track but because it’s handled by Arizona’s Meat Puppets, who were famously covered by and played with Nirvana for MTV Unplugged in 1993.

The Puppets’ Curt Kirkwood tells Spin: “It wasn’t daunting. ‘Teen Spirit’ is just a few chords. It’s easy to play — slap some reverb on there and it’s good to go. This was a cool, weird opportunity — like playing with Nirvana on MTV Unplugged — so we’re happy to take it.”

Meat Puppets – Smells Like Teen Spirit by somuchsilence

Another of my favorites, Michael Benjamin Lerner of Telekinesis, came through in a pinch and put together a taut version of On a Plain, which you can hear at NPR.

I’m starting to really miss that cassette tape again.

Tracklist for Newermind:

1. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Meat Puppets
2. “In Bloom” Butch Walker
3. “Come As You Are” Midnight Juggernauts
4. “Breed” Titus Andronicus
5. “Lithium” The Vaselines
6. “Polly” Amanda Palmer
7. “Territorial Pissings” Surfer Blood
8. “Drain You” Foxy Shazam
9. “Lounge Act” Jessica Lea Mayfield
10. “Stay Away” Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band
11. “On A Plain” Telekinesis
12. “Something In The Way” JEFF the Brotherhood
13. “Endless, Nameless” EMA

general

Incoming: St. Vincent, Oct. 20

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St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

That sort of creepy image you are looking at – designed by Annie Clark herself – is the cover of the forthcoming St. Vincent album, Strange Mercy, due out Sept. 13 on 4AD.

The 11-track album will be supported by a fall tour that includes a Phoenix stop on Oct. 20 at, yes, the Crescent Ballroom, where quality shows are being lined up despite precious little information about this new venue (see more here).

Clark has been well-received in Phoenix, drawing packed crowds first at Modified and then at Rhythm Room last year. So whatever the size of Crescent Ballroom, it’s a good bet to be near capacity.

Strange Mercy tracklisting:

1 .Chloe in the Afternoon
2 .Cruel
3. Cheerleader
4. Surgeon
5. Northern Lights
6. Strange Mercy
7. Neutered Fruit
8. Champagne Year
9. Dilettante
10. Hysterical Strength
11. Year of the Tiger

general

We Were Promised Jetpacks: Act on Impulse

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We Were Promised Jetpacks - In the Pit of the Stomach

A little more than two years after releasing their debut, These Four Walls, young Scottish upstarts We Were Promised Jetpacks announced Monday details of their second album, In the Pit of the Stomach, due out on Fat Cat in the U.S. on Oct. 4.

The band also unveiled tour dates in support of the release, including a Nov. 8 stop at the Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix’s newest downtown venue (about which details are still a bit of a mystery). Via Twitter, WWPJ says Bear Hands and Royal Bangs will join the tour.

And if that wasn’t enough, you can grab a new song, “Act On Impulse,” at the band’s website. WWPJ says the new album “captures the sound of our live show,” and “Act On Impulse” definitely has that vibe – a song that builds slow and delights in the art of anticipation.

RELATED:
We Were Promised Jetpacks: It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning (live in Tucson)
We Were Promised Jetpacks: Quiet Little Voices

general

New Megafaun: These Words

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megafaun

Last year, I had the chance to interview Megafaun drummer Joe Westerlund, who was pretty excited about the sonic direction his band was taking. At the time (April 2010), the band was preparing to release the six-song EP Heretofore while looking ahead to recording material for their second full-length.

“Mostly I think we’re getting more comfortable stripping things down and just writing more straightforward songs,” Westerlund said. “And at the same time, we’re writing other things that are taking things further out into experimental territory.”

That last sentiment is proving to be somewhat prophetic after listening to “These Words,” the first single from the forthcoming self-titled LP due out Sept. 20 on Hometapes. These guys are really taking studio improvisation/experimentation into chaotic directions, where songs are deconstructed and built back up into something beautiful. The first listen to “These Words” almost felt unnerving in spots – it’s a challenging/rewarding experience.

The track features looped field recordings Westerlund gathered from his travels in Bali and rural North Carolina: frogs and cicadas, to name a couple.

Here’s an album teaser video:

arizona, general

Miniature Tigers release Fortress demos

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fortress_demos

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the release of their second full-length, Fortress (July 27, 2010), Miniature Tigers are releasing demo versions of the album’s songs in three installments for free.

The New York-based band, by way of Phoenix (thank you very much), is unveiling them in sequence, so the first batch includes the first four songs on the album: “Mansion of Misery, “Rock N Roll Mountain Troll” (one of my faves), “Dark Tower” and “Gold Skull.” These are great sketches of the final songs — with sometimes trippy experimenting that the demo process allows. Loving the horn bridge (or are those kazoos?) on “Rock N Roll Mountain Troll.”

Thanks to the band for letting us in on these. Visit Miniature Tigers’ website or fork over your email address in the widget thingy below to get downloading.

general, video

The Antlers: Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out (video)

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antlers

If I was the sort of person who made half-year best of lists, you’d probably find the Antlers’ Burst Apart on there, so it’s probably fair to assume it will wind up on the year-end tally (assuming, you know, I actually make one, unlike in 2010). And this probably proves that I should listen to more Talk Talk, as my brother has urged all these years.

As I’ve familiarized myself with the music, I’ve only just now started trying to tackle the lyrics. They are, to say the least, crushing. Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out stood out because a friend had mentioned experiencing this in recurring dreams, which apparently means you’re worried about appearance. Whatever the interpretation, I’m not sure singer Peter Silberman really requires the metaphorical mysteries here. He’s fairly blunt about the wreckage of post-breakup sex:

“One dumb night I’ll make a point to take an old verboten route,
And one dumb night I’ll take you out, to the bar we’ve both blacked out.
One dumb night two bad decisions don’t divide to cancel out.”

Check the video and draw your own interpretations of the song.

general

Incoming: Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and the Walkmen, Sept. 15

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fleet_iver

Something seemed fishy when the Twitter account for Fleet Foxes (presumably authored by singer Robin Pecknold) posted this on Saturday: “I would be stoked if I lived in Phoenix.” Few people outside of Phoenix ever have uttered those words, so it made more sense when Pecknold followed with this nugget: “Phoenix comment was foreshadowing.”

It didn’t take much to start sniffing out the clues on the Twitter trail, but when Sub Pop announced a batch of new dates for Fleet Foxes with the Walkmen on Monday and Phoenix was not on there, I went straight to the source (and got a not-so-cryptic reply). By the end of the night, our pal Drew found the smoking gun (only for it to disappear shortly thereafter).

Nevertheless, it’s official now: Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and the Walkmen will unite on Sept. 15 at Comerica Theatre for one of the beardiest shows you can imagine in another Stateside Presents coup.

With the new Bon Iver album out today, Justin Vernon is everywhere – from Fallon to Colbert to Best New Music status for the 9.5-rated LP.

Fleet Foxes garnered similar praise last month for Helplessness Blues, so you can see what a stir this show will cause.

I’ll try not to be one of those snobs who brags about seeing them before they hit it big, but, well, I did see Fleet Foxes in March 2008 in the cozy confines of Modified, a venue/crowd Pecknold praised in a tour diary at the time. (His seated, microphone-less version of Oliver James was pretty stunning.)

Meanwhile, Bon Iver is back after playing Mesa Arts Center on Sept. 29, 2009.

Tickets for this three-headed extravaganza go on sale Friday.

covers, general, video

Mumford & Sons cover the National: England

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mumford

If you’ve listened to England, a slow-burning favorite from last year’s High Violet, and thought, “What this song really needs is some furious acoustic strumming that will really make the panties drop,” well, then, you’re in luck.

Mumford & Sons – whose foot-stomping folk has won over the record-buying public, specifically females (I saw first-hand at the Railroad Revival Tour and was inspired to cash in on some merch) – tackled this cover of the National track for VH1’s Unplugged (which airs next week), though they admit they’re not sure what to make of it:

Says the vested Marcus Mumford, the group’s singer and unlikely heartthrob: “Still trying to figure out whether or not it’s offensive towards English people, but yeah, we’re making it non-offensive.”

I love England, as I’ve expressed a couple times before, so I’m wary of anyone attempting to cover it. But I will say this: For better or worse, Mumford & Sons certainly stay true to their style with this version. The tempo is kicked up a tick and you can feel halfway through that the strum-gasm isn’t too far behind.

At the very least, the National – and a tremendous song – will benefit from the exposure.

(Via Each Note Secure, via Stereogum.)

general

The Black Angels: NPR Tiny Desk Concert

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If you’ve not had the fortune of seeing the Black Angels live – I have twice, not including their recent sold-out show here in Phoenix – it can be loud and fuzzy, dark and hazy, a psychedelic vibe wrapped in the allure of a fog machine. The Austin band’s performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert is not like this at all.

The Black Angels stripped down to the acoustics for this four-song session, save for singer Alex Maas’ echo-heavy microphone. It’s a great set, though a little weird to see this particular group in an obviously mismatched backdrop as the sun beams through the NPR offices. Someone pull down the blackout shades, please.

Setlist (first three tracks appear on the 2010 album Phosphene Dream):

Bad Vibrations
Haunting At 1300 McKinley
Entrance Song
Too Much Hate

Watch the video version at NPR or listen to the audio via the widget below: