Tuung – “Hustle”

Frank YangFor solo artists, it’s easy. Either play alone and keep things stripped down and simple (or, as is becoming more fashionable, looped) or gather up a band. Duos, however, are more and more inclined to try and make a go of it without hired help, particularly duos who’re already heavily reliant on technology for their studio efforts – after all, you don’t have to feed a laptop. And if the cost of that convenience is some energy and spontenaity in the live setting, then so be it.

So despite being quite taken with Eyelid Movies, the debut album from the great state of New York’s Phantogram, I went into their Toronto debut at the Drake Underground on Saturday night with modest expectations. But even if I’d gone in demanding to witness great things, I’d have still left feeling the same way – pretty damned impressed...

Continue reading at Chromewaves →

Photos: Phantogram @ The Drake Underground – February 20, 2010
MP3: Phantogram – “When I’m Small”

NPR has a World Cafe session with Beach House.

The New York Times has a feature piece on Holly Miranda, and confirms that The Jealous Girlfriends are pretty much done. There’s also an interview at Miami New Times with Miranda, whose solo debut The Magician’s Private Library is out this week. Her former bandmates continue on in New Numbers.

Joanna Newsom is the subject of an extensive feature in The Times, just in time for the release of her new triple-album Have One On Me this week.

The Guardian declares Spoon “the best band of the last 10 years”. Spoon modestly agrees.

Clash has an interview and NPR a radio session with Midlake.

The Wooden Birds are giving away a free EP of studio recordings at Insound.

ZIP: The Wooden Birds / Montague Street EP

Spinner talks to Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, who’ve just released a new video – and live solo performance clip – from their new album The Golden Archipelago, out on Tuesday.

Video: Shearwater – “Hidden Lake”
Video: Shearwater – “Hidden Lake” (solo)

The March 9 release date for Miles Kurosky’s solo debut The Desert Of Shallow Effects is drawing closer – check out the first video from the new record.

Video: Miles Kurosky – “Dog In The Burning Building”

Also out this week is American Gong, the new record from Quasi – it’s available to stream in its entirety.

Stream: Quasi / American Gong

Aux.tv has compiled a list of the best contemporary shoegaze bands right now.

The Observer reviews the new Joanna Newsom album, Have One on Me (out this Tuesday).

The headline news, though, is that Newsom has finally conquered that most wayward bit of equipment – her voice. The witch-child who squawked The Milk-Eyed Mender songs has been sent up to bed. Now Newsom can lilt and croon at will, two hours in her company flies by.

In a New York Times editorial, OK Go frontman Damien Kulash, Jr. testifies to the power of viral music video.

Grab all the publicly available mp3 files from 2010 SXSW showcasing artists via these unofficial bittorrent links.

Surprise– it’s our second new Listen@MBV steam in a week. This one comes courtesy of Jagjaguwar‘s first UK-signing, Wolf People. Primarily the work of Bedford’s Jack Sharp, Tidings collects recordings from 2005-07, before the band as it exists now was formed, and it’s a Faustian collection of acidic heaviness, seasoned with tape hiss, distortion, and lovely snaps, crackles and pops. Listening to Tidings is like coming across an amazing underground acid-rock pirate radio channel broadcasting from 1970– and that’s a very good thing.

The heavy, stoned-cold Creamery of Tidings should get you through this weekend just fine, but remember to get out there when the album drops on Tuesday, so you can pick this baby up on wax.

Abner Jay - “St James Infirmiry Blues” Ezra arrived at 11:04pm for his appointment with Rabbi Abner. He got out of his car to the soundings of ten million crickets. The air was damp. He crossed the dirt road to the house.. It was a broad white manor, almost an hour outside of town, at the end of a line of telephone poles. At the porch he rang the bell. A little girl came to the door, dark, with large eyes.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I'm here to see Rabbi Abner,” Ezra said.

“He's in the back.” She motioned for Ezra to follow the veranda to the right. She closed the screen door.

“Thank you,” said Ezra, but she was gone.

Continue reading at Said The Gramophone...

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