Today marks the release date of Elvis Perkins’ Ash Wednesday. Technically, the album came out last year (self-released), but Perkins has since signed to XL, which is giving a standout record its proper due.
While You Were Sleeping already was my favorite song of 2006, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think it could be my favorite song of 2007, too.
Do yourself a favor and buy the album. Elvis hits Solar Culture in Tucson on March 20.
Quick reminder that NPR is webcasting the Arcade Fire’s show tonight from New York’s Judson Memorial Church. Go here and sit patiently in front of your computer. And then sit in front of your computer for a couple more hours during the show.
I’ve yet to listen to Neon Bible, refusing the temptation to give in to the leak. Pre-order it from Merge. It also comes in a deluxe CD format with a 32-page booklet. For vinyl lovers, the LP format comes with a coupon for an mp3 download of the album.
Tonight’s broadcast is scheduled to start at about 8:40 p.m. Eastern time. An interview with the band precedes the show at 8 p.m. ET.
Panther (aka Charlie Salas-Humara) has put out a video for a remix of his single How Well Can You Swim?. The video is part of a DVD that comes with the album Secret Lawns (out March 6) when you pre-order from Fryk Beat.
The choreography – though no treadmills are involved – is fairly impressive, if not a touch hokey. But I’m just glad to finally discover that it’s a bottle he’s beating to make that funky background beat.
Don’t forget: Panther is at the Paper Heart in Phoenix on March 12.
Related:
Panther 7-inch and tour dates.
Because we’re in LA (well, OK, Buena Park) for a visit with my in-laws (fun!), I have little to offer right now. I can tell you, however, that eMusic is offering an extra track, Rhododendron, on Bloc Party’s new release A Weekend in the City.
I’ve yet to download it but plan to do it when we get back to Arizona. Probably a good enough reason to check out eMusic’s free 25-song trial. (In the interest of full disclosure, yes, I get a whole $6 kickback for anyone who clicks through and starts a trial.) Here’s a direct link to the album, sans commissioned ID number.
Also, I forgot to do this last week, but ye old Aquarium Drunkard is all redesigned and spiffy with a new .com: www.aquariumdrunkard.com.
And a Doves B-side is available at my newly launched Circa 45.
As my wife or any of my friends can attest, I’ve been talking about doing a blog dedicated solely to 45s for at least the past year now. Well, finally, I’ve created the beast, and it’s alive. Say hello to Circa 45.
The idea never would have come about if not for some hardwood flooring. Let me explain: My dad was replacing carpet with Pergo at my parents’ house. That meant moving a heavy Wurlitzer Americana 3100 jukebox (picture) he bought from a friend in Chicago and brought to Arizona when we moved here 20-some years ago. Sadly, the jukebox got little use other than serving as a decoration/conversation piece. He was prepared to sell it or give it away when I told him I’d gladly take it off his hands, along with about 250-plus 45s in dire need of some attention. (The poor things, they were out of dust sleeves and – gasp! – stacked on top of each other.)
So I spent a good couple months sorting, alphabetizing, cleaning and (still) cataloging. It’s an extensive collection, with mostly pop/rock from the 1950s-70s. Of course, I’ve supplemented the collection with my own records.
If anything, I realized I’m sitting on boxfuls of music history, if not possibly a small eBay windfall. So instead of letting them sit idly in a box, I decided I’d start a blog to digitize them and do some research and reading along the way about what I’ve inherited. I suppose I could have made it a regular feature on this site, but I don’t think I would have the same diligence in my research. Besides, I’ve been really fascinated/inspired of late by blogs with very tightly focused subject matter (History of the Button and Tape Findings, for example).
Also, I don’t expect to post every day on Circa 45 like I practically do here. In fact, I’d be surprised if I posted more than once or twice a week. As for the music, I will post songs old and modern, A-sides and B-sides; some days I may clean up the pops and crackles, other days I’ll revel in the scratchy warmth. Maybe (hopefully) I’ll even have some guest contributers.
One last anecdote: My reasons for doing Circa 45 became all the more clear on Saturday, when I browsed a used record/book store. A girl, who probably was about 7 years old, was looking at records and just had to ask her dad: “Daddy, what are these?” Her dad responded that they are records; they play as they spin on a record player. The girl: “Do we have any of these?” Dad: “Yeah, a bunch.” The girl: “Do we have the record machine?” It was very cute and very innocent and a welcome reminder that we should be passing on music in all its various – and sometimes alien – forms.
And that’s my big, dramatic opener.
But before I conclude a major thank you goes to Matt at the great Scrubbles.net for designing the excellent Circa 45 banner/graphic. You probably will be seeing Matt regularly write some record reviews for So Much Silence, a feature I’m eagerly anticipating.
Kudos to Pitchfork’s Forkcast (whose links, by the way, absolutely do not click through in my RSS reader) for posting today about the Walkmen’s appearance on WNYC’s Soundcheck, where Hamilton and Co. previewed two new songs.
I’m guessing the distant, cave-like sound effect is not intended but merely a part of the mix. Nevertheless, I did my best to capture the stream and boost the sound a bit. If indeed the Walkmen get a new album out this year, I’d be one happy camper. Not that I’ve tired of A Hundred Miles Off, which I was just listening to the other day; I’m telling you, All Hands and the Cook is one of the group’s best.
This new one carries on the best parts of the Walkmen: fuzzy nostalgia in the writing, boozy vocals and the almost-eerie Dylan-like inflections in Hamilton Leithauser’s voice.
The prolific Gray Kid has posted a couple new jams on his MySpace page (streams). I’m already particularly fond of Soothsayer — check the funky, 80s-esque synth line. Oooooh!
The man who signs his checks as Steve Cooper also is playing a slew of dates at SxSW, which I will not be attending. Boo.
Onward to Gray Kid’s MySpace. Be on the lookout next week for possibly a new mp3 from Coop. I’d call it “exclusive,” but some people get a little uptight about that.
The concert calendar is starting to pick up in a major way around here. Just thought I’d run down some of the more appealing options coming up in the Valley:
Feb. 15: The Autumn Defense (w/John Stirratt and Pat Sansone of Wilco) with the Broken West, Modified.
Feb. 20: Pete Yorn with Aqualung, Marquee Theatre.
Feb. 20: Oh No! Oh My!, Modified.
Feb. 28: Midlake with Tacks, the Boy Disaster, Rhythm Room.
March 4: Deerhoof (if you’re into that sorta thing), Macromantics, Rhythm Room.
March 6: Aqueduct with Annuals, Rhythm Room.
March 8: Birdmonster, Modified.
March 9: Saturday Looks Good to Me with Ladyhawk, Modified.
March 12: Viva Voce with the Cassettes and Village Green, Modified.
March 12: Panther, the Paper Heart.
March 15: Sebadoh, Clubhouse.
March 18: Jonah Matranga with Joshua English and Frank Turner, Modified.
March 19: Page France with Headlights, Modified.
April 3: Richard Buckner with Six Parts Seven, Rhythm Room.
April 9: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Clubhouse.
April 18: Lymbyc Systym with Back Ted N-Ted, Modified.
April 25: Sunset Rubdown, Modified.
May 8: John Vanderslice with St. Vincent, Modified (and/or Stinkweeds).
Venues:
Marquee Theatre.
Modified.
Rhythm Room.
Clubhouse.
The Paper Heart.
Also see Stateside Presents.
Like RJD2’s The Third Hand, another album to look out for on March 6 is Panther’s Secret Lawns (Fryk Beat). I haven’t heard the album in its entirety, but the single How Well Can You Swim, with its danceable beat and trippy falsetto vocals, is getting major airtime around here.
A 7-inch of the single is available for pre-order on Gold Robot Records. It contains the single, an alternate take on it and two unreleased tracks, including Tennis Lesson (seriously, he’s really into these recreational activities). Gold Robot says the release date is Feb. 30, though I’m guessing that’s supposed to be Feb. 28. It’s only $5. Get it.
Meanwhile, Panther is hitting the road in March and will be stopping at the Paper Heart in Phoenix on March 12. Check out more dates here.
A year after laying the groundwork as DJ/producer for albums by Aceyalone (Magnificent City) and Soul Position (Things Go Better with RJ and Al), RJD2 gets a little me-time in on his upcoming solo LP The Third Hand, his first release for XL Recordings (due out March 6March 5).
I’ve yet to hear the record in full (it’s illegal and stuff to download albums prior to their release dates, you know), but it’s been told through this here series of tubes that RJ sings on this album. It’s a fact I approach with trepidation and curiosity. Marathonpacks already waxed elegantly on the subject, cringing a bit at RJ’s “sometimes elitist suburban soul lyrics.”
In a way, I feel the same dread as I did with DJ Shadow’s lastest, The Outsider, which took a sharp turn from his Endtroducing soundscapes. Bravo for open-minded experimentation? Or please stick with what has worked best? My guess is, creative types deal with this struggle constantly. No doubt, RJ will gain some detractors, but it’s also likely he’ll earn new followers who appreciate this whole singing thing.
I’m not writing anything off yet. But it’s probably no surprise that of the available tracks, I was drawn to Get It, an instrumental track with a wicked ride cymbal rhythm and some well-played organ work.
RJ will be at the Clubhouse in Tempe on May 12 with Pigeon John (all dates).
Related:
Soul Position pics.
10 questions (via e-mail) with RJD2.
Soul Position on KEXP.
