New original film score from My Education in April

Austin, TX instrumentalists My Education have composed an original score for director F.W. Murnau’s 1927 silent film classic, “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”. Parts of the painstakingly composed soundtrack will be released on CD, LP and digital download this spring via Strange Attractors Audio House. The quintet tours this June in support of the album, fittingly titled Sunrise, with live accompaniment to the film at select venues.

Check out “Oars“, the first MP3 from Sunrise HERE.

For the past ten years, Austin, TX instrumentalists My Education have splashed their cinematic sound all over the great silver screen that is the Central Texas sky, painting their stories using feedback-laden guitars, swirling melodic viola, rhythm section storm clouds, and flourishes of vibraphone, bells, strings and horns. Claiming five full-length albums, a 12″ vinyl collaboration with avant-hip hop duo Dalek, remixes by members of like-minded bands Kinski, Pelican, Red Sparowes, and A Place to Bury Strangers, and several singles and compilation appearances, My Education have cultivated a loyal underground following.

The band spent most of 2009 working tirelessly on the follow-up to their previous acclaimed LP, Bad Vibrations (Strange Attractors, 2008). Tucked away in the studio, they have captured a calamitous but oddly compelling tension, building to a crescendo of pure ecstasy with their latest and greatest triumph, Sunrise.

Sunrise hits stores on April 27, 2010.

On The Web:
www.myeducationmusic.com
www.myspace.com/myeducation

New album from Lisa Papineau in May

The highly-accomplished singer/composer Lisa Papineau releases her Sargent House debut, Red Trees this spring. The album is the second solo venture from the active collaborator known for her vocal contributions to Air and M83, as well as writing with The Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete de la Peña in Big Sir. The ever-active Papineau also works with soundtrack composer Tyler Bates, Japanese artist Jun Miyake, The Anubian Lights, Bron Tieman’s Crooked Cowboy and countless other projects. Red Trees features guest vocals from singer/songwriters Matthieu Boogaerts and Mark Eitzel of American Music Club.

Listen to the MP3 for “White Leather Pants” HERE.

Red Trees will be released on May 4th, 2010 via Sargent House.

On the Web:
http://lisapapineau.com/
http://myspace.com/lisapapineau

Stafraenn Hakon – Sanitas

You ever try to picture the changing weather with some kind of sound? You know how bands like Wilco just sound that much better during the fall sort of thing. The coldness of winter can also bring upon trademark sounds and who knows, maybe it’s the cover image or even just the chillingly dark introduction but Stafraenn Hakon’s sixth album, Sanitas brings upon images of white mountains and snow-covered pine trees. And even when it comes in the form of a free-forming song that deploys riff after riff of squelching pumps or through a layered slow-burner, there is plenty to dig into here.

As the mastermind behind Hakon, Ólafur Josephsson, takes over with a voice that is both easily discernible and very much personal. There isn’t much on the album requiring a challenging voice but whatever the case may be, his voice is always surrounded by supportive music that always compliments and never over powers. Even as the light begins to melt away some snow, the album’s identity is definitely one of overcoming and progress. The music is an easy get-away and from the instant you put it on, you’ll want to nestle away with it, all the way until the very end.

And although this would be something labeled as some kind of post-rock, or as they like to call it, power-ambient, there isn’t anything raucously upfront about Sanitas. Instead, there is a calming strength in both the music’s expression and delivery. Never bolstering itself too much, it’s pushed to the front by gifted compositions and music that swells with skillful progressions. Even when everything is being pushed to the sides of the windows and ready to crack through the glass, there is a firm control and it’s always at a steady rate. It ends up being one of the album’s glowing highlights because it allows the entryway into smooth, densely layered but tranquil music with such fluidity. Josephsson’s voice alone is enough to soothe you but joined at hip with music as peacefully buoyant as this makes for an understated but excellent, combination.

“Bright” is a shining ray of hope in an otherwise, bleak and desolate album. And still, although the title shouts for a chance to break away, the music is tapered with a melodic piano line that is carried on top of swirling strings. It’s all done by way of a very much capered and flourishing, substantially clear amount of drive. Sanitas flows like some kind of frozen river that changes with the weather – breaking through in the spring, tightly closed during the winter and so on – it’s a back and forth ride that is actually, very well done. Such instances of rolling rock come towards the end with “Temporality” and “Provisional Meat,” where each song features angular guitar riffs and pounding drums; in other words, a sharp contrast from the earlier sounds but still, very much aligned.

But like those two erstwhile songs, the album’s overall sound comes shining through on the album’s last two songs. Where one is shoegaze influenced (“You Have to Let Me Borrow This!”) and the other is a gentle, somber goodbye (“The Jerker,”) they each go hand-in-hand as if it is all one sweeping seamless transition. And so it is, like the weather that continually moves, Sanitas is a majestic piece of music that will surely tide you over for the winter, whenever you need it and if called upon, will be there for many other moments of winning joy.

Darla

The Heligoats – Goodness Gracious

After flying under the radar for over ten years now, The Heligoats have made a blip on the screen with Goodness Gracious. The brains behind the outfit, Chris Otepka (formerly of Troubled Hubble), enlisted members of local Chicago band Ulysses S. Grant to bring his compositions into full bloom. Sounding like The Long Winters’ twisted cousin, they serve up his peculiar narratives with charming and uptempo grooves accompanied by humming guitar chords, smooth vocals and sardonic humor.

Whether it’s the buzzing guitar textures, tight bass lines or catchy rhythms, this is indie that can rock yet has a resonant warmth about it that keeps it fresh. The album is further brought to life by Otepka’s wry and charming wit at the mic. Singing like a hybrid between a poor man’s Chris Martin (Coldplay) and The Long Winters’ John Roderick, he dispenses jocular anecdotes with a passion and yearning like Bright Eye’s Conor Oberst and with similarly odd observations on life. Only Otepka’s lyrics focus less on personal relationships and more on the whimsical absurdity of mankind’s interaction and general mis-understanding of the natural world. The songs jingle with words about fish dying from swimming in mercury, water towers on fire taking care of themselves and the parallels between women and a barrel full of monkeys.

The Heligoats bang out a variety of indie styles with ease, each with a unique twist of some clever instrumental flourish, a subtle melodic flair or snappy percussive overture. Each song is entertaining and is bolstered by sumptuous guitar licks while the lyrics add just the right amount of dourness. But the album doesn’t feel disjointed. Instead, it flows with a homegrown sweetness, thanks to the bright melodies, catchy rhythms and harmonized, emotional vocals.

RIYL: The Long Winters, John Vanderslice, Bright Eyes, Grandaddy

Greyday Records

Midas Fall – Eleven. Return and Revert

Edinburgh is considered by many to be one of the most scenic cities in Europe with its rugged background and immense collection of Medieval and Georgian architecture and apart from the natural features, the city has a vigorous popular music scene as well.  Just as beautiful as the city they are based out of, Midas Fall’s debut Eleven. Return and Revert is a poignant tour-de-force. The band crafted an atmospheric work of art on this effort and the gorgeous and lasting vocals of Elizabeth Heaton are a big reason for the album’s triumph.

The musical arrangements of the opening track “Movie Screens” reminds me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song “Maps”, with its moody guitars and enchanting drum beat the song definitely sets the tone for the record.  Heaton’s voice brilliantly complements the melodic and ambitious sound of the band, it plays like another instrument, and it is without a doubt a highlight on every song.  Eleven. Return and Revert is a wide-ranging album; one can sense the band’s boldness in creating such a diverse sound for a debut, this is a group that is confident in the creative aptitudes they enjoy.  Midas Fall created a sound that is glossy and fresh, yet it’s lightly sprinkled with classic melodies making the songs even more engaging and epic; and despite forming in 2008, they sound like a band that has been making music for a very long time clearly indicating that Elizabeth, Rowan, Brian, Jamie, and Adam are a bunch of talented folks.

“Century” is captivating and eerie as it captures the attention with delightfully arranged keyboards and electronic sounds; “Nautical Song” demonstrates the band’s desire to build songs with substance and artistry, and “War Pigeon” is a heartbreaking masterpiece.  “Fog Sky Nun” is the catchiest song on the album and, although this might sound strange, Heaton’s voice is slightly reminiscent of early Shakira on this song — I mean the early Spanish-Rock phase Shakira, not the mainstream pop culture Shakira. Although the similarities are slight, there is something about the song that makes me think of “Tu” from the album Donde estan los ladrones?”.

“Stalking Moon” is haunting and beautiful, the guitars are melodic and the vocals are sorrowful making this song fitting to end the record.  Midas Fall has crafted a great piece of art with Eleven.  Return and Revert, and just like Edinburgh’s stunning architecture, the band’s music stands out like a beautiful landmark.

Monotreme Records

FAO#25: Dirtmusic & Fredrik

Although the impact of globalisation has for many been measured negatively in socio-economic and ecological terms, when it comes to cultural exchanges the picture seems a lot rosier.  Intensified by the internet and easier communications in general, the innumerable musical genres of our shared planet have become more broadly disseminated and diversified through cross-continental collaborations and the manifold distribution of recordings.  Consequently, music industries across the globe are being forced to positively open themselves beyond their own backyards and Anglo-American hegemony.

These two new releases below illustrate two intriguing strands from our now wider world of audio possibilities…

Dirtmusic – BKO (Glitterhouse, CD+DVD/vinyl+DVD/download)

Already an internationalist supergroup of sorts – featuring Americans Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine, Pullman etc.) and Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts) in alliance with Australian Hugo Race (The Bad Seeds, The True Spirit) and previously recording in the Czech Republic for Germany’s Glitterhouse label – the Dirtmusic trio take things geographically and stylistically further with this second studio set.  Taped in Mali with Touareg band Tamikrest and other local musicians, BKO follows an earthier route into the current craze for African music.  Whereas the likes of Vampire Weekend, The Very Best, High Places and Extra Golden have directly or indirectly enrolled and redeployed their African influences with a mostly urbane slant, Brokaw, Eckman and Race have instead sought to add some desert sand and tropical heat to Dirtmusic’s atmospheric dustbowl Americana.

The regularly DOA-endorsed Brokaw flexes his already strong and flexible muscles into compelling combinations with the aide and encouragement of his bandmates new and old.  Besides reawakening his dormant drumming chops with some Malian rhythms on Eckman’s “Black Gravity,” Brokaw’s own vocal/guitar-led “Collisions” glows with husky mystery and his cover of “All Tomorrow’s Parties” – that repays its debt to African idioms – is masterfully imaginative.  Eckman – somewhat of a chalk/cheese character for those of us that preferred Carla Torgerson’s tones in The Walkabouts – pulls enough weight to overcome his occasional past reliance on forced gravitas.  His aforementioned “Black Gravity” is certainly a chugging highlight, as is the twanging “Lives We Did Not Live” and the serenely spacious ballad “Bring It Home.”  Whilst Race’s songs are a little underwhelmed by his less distinguishing pipes, he does at least give the playing guests the most room to make themselves at home; as most notably evidenced on the sublime “Desert Wind” featuring Fadimata Walet Oumar’s eerily wonderful guest singing.  Interestingly, when the three songwriters put their individuality aside, the American-Australian-African synergy reaches its highest peak, as revealed through the gorgeous instrumental “Niger Sundown.”

Although at times BKO displays the unevenness inherent with any band with no outright leader or dictatorial voice, its intrepid intermingling of pan-continental community spirit and characterful craftsmanship gives more and more with every airing.

Fredrik - Trilogi (The Kora Records, CD/download)

Besides Africa, another corner of the globe has also asserted itself artistically in recent years.  Through artists such as Sigur Rós, Amiina, Múm, Taken By Trees, Kings Of Convenience, Röyksopp and Peter, Björn and John, the Nordic nations have been put on the musical map with less novelty and more with outreaching credibility.  The Malmö, Sweden-based duo of Fredrik also fit respectably into this new wave of alluring Northern European sonic movers. Available in typically lovely packaging on Washington DC’s The Kora Records, this second Fredrik LP finds the twosome honouring the antique folk traditions of their homeland, saluting their likeminded peer group and reaching out to connect with the relatively recent experimentalist heritage of British and mainland Europe.

Split into three ‘movements’ that reflect the 13 tracks’ earlier appearance across a trio of EPs, Trilogi is the most redemptive and picturesque road trip you’re likely to experience in 2010.  Through a painstaking fusion of electro-acoustic playing and programming, this a collection that distills a wide-range of inspirations without drifting into disjointed dilettantism.  Whilst Fredrik Hultin’s wistful larynx leads the way on a handful of lyrical tracks, the true enchantment of Trilogi comes in its intricate instrumental expanses and multi-tracked wordless harmonies.

The most obvious touchstones for the group are most certainly Four Tet’s Pause and Rounds long-players. But whereas Kieren Hebden became embarrassed by the trappings of so-called ‘folktronica,’ the two members of Fredrik seem content to pick up his baton, as evidenced most strongly on the likes of “Holm,” “Vanmyren” and “Ava,” wherein rippling acoustic instruments merge edgily with brittle but beatific processed percussion.   The amorphous filmic magic of Phelan Sheppard’s overlooked Harps Old Master and the homemade lo-fi vistas of The Wisdom Of Harry’s Stars Of Super 8 (both projects featuring London-polymath David Sheppard) are additional and strong points of cross-reference, particularly on the lonesome-but-layered plucking of “Milo” and the more widescreen “Omberg.”  Elsewhere, there are nods to the esoteric electronic-dabblings of Reading’s Isan (“Under Vattenverket”) and even Air’s post-easy landmark Moon Safari (“Flax”).

Ultimately though, for all the magpie-like pickings from both home and abroad that lead to over-furtive music critique comparisons, Trilogi is still a dreamily distinctive album in own right.  Where it comes from and from where it borrows, does not and should not detract from its innate enigmatic elegance.

Gaida – Levantine Indulgence

I know it’s lame to quote the press release from the band, but they often pinpoint the music’s feeling in the best of ways. Normally, I like to just grab the album and listen to it until I’m ready to write about it and the last spin I have with it; I take out the press release and read along while listening. Sometimes, the two feel completely out of place, kind of like when you see a kid running around and wonder how two parents could make something like that.

Now, I know that seems entirely out of line but surely you get my drift. Before I get off on too much of a tangent and my editor steps in, there is no better way to describe the music on Gaida’s Levantine Indulgence than saying that she lives in a world filled with memorable melodies. And so it’s a fitting explanation that as the press release states, “For Gaida, morning in Damascus meant melodies…” Whether it was the music blaring from her father’s stereo as he got ready in the morning or the sounds of prayer, coming from an area rich with religious tradition Gaida was always surrounded by music. And with that, you have an album that is stunningly rich in culture and rooted in a splendid way of life; with Gaida’s voice to lead us into a new day, everyone should follow suit.

What makes Levantine Indulgence work is the fact that Gaida never steps out of her comfort level but, instead, relies on the help of faithful arrangers to compose and craft her music. While this is somewhat of a collaborative effort, with different musicians stepping in to help with either lyrics or arrangements, the liner notes are crystal-clear when noted, “All compositions by Gaida.” And that’s just the thing, not only does she take to releasing all of her jewels into music that is especially pleasuring, but her voice is neatly adorned for all to behold.

Whether she is leading a chanting line of hand claps and Syrian-based musicians on opener “Dream,” or spinning webs of majestic beauty on the eight-minute tour de force “Indulgence,” Gaida is in full control. The music swirls with a worldly touch that is everything you could ask for but at the same time, though the sounds are far away, her own touch is an intimately close one. On the latter, you have a string solo that is only supported by a tapping drum before the remaining instruments re-appear to join in. And then, just as everything is starting to bend around the river, when everything begins to hide away for the closing of the night, you are greeted with Gaida’s sultry entrance on “Kaifa Uhibuka,” a remarkably beautiful ballad.

She’s come full circle with an album that speaks volumes to her own challenge of breaking through. Although she has a career where she works as a speech therapist and is now based in New York, Gaida should be making music for years to come. If it’s those melodies that recall her youth, with an uprising that saw the support of her father to sing with all of her might, then they have found a home on Levantine Indulgence.

Palmyra Recordings (no site available)

Harlem – Hippies

Harlem are a little late to the party. Last year’s most blogged about ‘scene’ was the unlikely (and surprisingly inventive) unison of indie pop jangle and slimy, somewhat sarcastic, surf rock. It brought us the balmy likes of Girls, Best Coast, and Washed Out – all low-rent, electrified, and all strangely danceable. Harlem’s Matador debut Hippies was recorded in the middle of last year’s summer and it shows – the album invokes the same steam-fringed quintessence and glassy-eyed demeanor that trampled music publications last year, singing about the usual rigmarole of drugs, girls, and heartbreak.

Hippies is hardly song focused, the record’s 16 tracks tend to mesh together into a blurry, tape-fueled haze – there aren’t any obvious highlights here. The compositions are expectedly simple; after all we are talking about a DIY-begat three-piece – encompassing a dispersed guitar, bass, drums and occasional piano. We’re also in very basic lyrical territory, relying more on kitsch than texture. “I just wanna be your baby /I don’t mean maybe” they croon over a boomer-crop guitar swing, trying to be wry and ironic while becoming vaguely irking. They try to play do-gooder pop at its most acerbic, but honestly, this sort of 60s-era libretto has been so overworked (especially by sardonic, scuzzed-out hipsters like this band) it only comes off annoying. When Harlem does get serious (a dubious term in this case) we end up with an uninspired humdrum of aimless clangor and squandered drum fills (“Stripper Sunset”) and squelching, meaningless mantras on the most superficial effects of heartsickness.

Harlem are at least musically capable, and while the majority of Hippies is immediately forgettable, a few of the sunnier bits will at least have you tapping your toes – but it comes in such short bursts that you wonder why the band decided to pump the record with 16 tracks. Its 40 minute running time certainly doesn’t do it any favors. Nothing on Hippies is vital, but it could’ve been at least a cornball diversion if it just cut out the water-fat. Unfortunately the album ends up overextended, overworked, and just generally irritating – and it makes you consider the lasting relevance of the current beach-y trend of indie rock.

Matador Records

Gills and Wings – s/t EP

In listening to the polished arena rock of Richmond, Virginia’s Gills and Wings, few signals are given that their eponymous EP is in fact, also their debut. Armed with only five tracks and a little less than twenty minutes of music, this five-piece flaunts the kind of confident swagger and crack songwriting usually associated with veteran acts. Speaking of which, any Queen comparison used to describe the sound of this highly ostentatious band isn’t entirely baseless: between vocalist Danny Reyes’ commanding vocal range and the group’s fancy for melodramatic stories of personal addiction, pity, and triumph, you’re likely to feel the ghost of Freddie Mercury too.

Yet for what amounts to radio-ready piano pop, you’ve really got to hand it to these guys for steering clear of the clichés that sent bands like The Fray and Keane to the top of the charts. By eschewing the predictability of pop song structures in favor of more adventurous textures and unsuspecting groove changes, Gills and Wings manages to retain a mainstream likeability (the vocal melodies are all killer hooks unto themselves) while taking the sorts of risks that indie enthusiasts crave. That’s not to say that Gills and Wings is difficult by any means, but in terms of thoughtful songwriting and absorbing ideas, it’s several notches beyond what bands such as Augustana or OneRepublic could ever do.

Opening cut “Rebirth of a Nation” plays like a fist-pumping call to arms, as rippling keyboard arpeggios, searing synths, and chugging guitar chords provide the backdrop to a storyline that begins with imagery of “springtime and butterflies.” At times, the song recalls Hot Fuss-era Killers, with Reyes approximating the style of Brandon Flowers on lyrics like, “I’ve got a dream / it’s a rare commodity.” The groove laid down by the rhythm section (bassist Matt Hulcher and drummer Andrew Hackett) is taut and muscular, allowing Reyes’ melodies plenty of room to soar.

For music with so many anthemic pop hooks and such an air of bravado, Gills and Wings’ lyrical preoccupation with mind-altering substances and the stereotyped louts who use them may be confounding. It worked for Queen though, and these guys make it work too. “Catastrophe” is imbued with drum machine percussion and acoustic guitar strums amidst some sage advice: “Don’t start fights / don’t be crass / or you’re sure to make an ass of yourself like the rest of ‘em.” The chorus is certainly more raucous and edgy with its thickly layered distortion, but you can’t help but sense the dejected tone when Keyes sings a line like, “Someone’s got to guide me / I can’t grip onto the reigns.” With “The Dealer,” we get a piano ode to a guy who dabbles with both morphine and cocaine. It’s sung so wistfully though (“I’ve gotta go / gotta feed the people on the streets / feed ‘em the world with a line of cocaine”), that the melancholy nature of the song almost comes across tongue-in-cheek.

While the storytelling is certainly richly detailed and worthy of intrigue, the band’s penchant for sing-a-long choruses and memorable riffs is what will hopefully keep them on the radar. There was, after all, a good reason that EP closer “Circus” was featured on MTV’s Real World. Juxtaposed by a jaunty, freewheeling verse and a darker chorus of minor chord punk, (“Welcome to the circus that’s inside your brain!”), the tune shows off both muscle and vulnerability. As with the show in which it was featured, it’s hard to resist anything that’s as disheveled as it is dramatic. Gills and Wings does both with the commanding flair of guys twice their age. Fledgling rock bands, take note.

Burzum – “Glemselens Elv”

It’s been 11 years since the release of a Burzum album. Track three “Glenselens Elv” is off of Belus, which refers to the European deity of light and innocence. One can’t help but remember Burzum frontman (and sole member) Varg Vikernes. Imprisoned for 21 years (serving only 16), convicted of arson as well as the murder of Euronymous, guitarist for the Black Metal group Mayhem. Despite Vikernes receiving a great deal of publicity, what’s really important, above all, is this brand new album released on March 8th, 2010. “Glenselens Elv” begins almost as an underscore, the soundtrack of a tribal chant, bass guitar and bass drum marching along together. What seems like a straight forward guitar riff is interestingly broken up by the snare hit, which for me sets this track apart from the rest. Clocking in at 11min 35sec, we are witness to a sound that is Burzum. I, of course, mean that as a compliment. An uncategoriseable album that will no doubt be slated as a Black Metal release, Belus was recorded in 2009 after Vikernes was released from prison. This album holds a lot of weight, and has been worth the wait. Belus comes out among news of Vikernes stating he might make another Burzum album, also announcing plans to release a few books under a different name. Belus is a welcomed shock. “Glenselens Elv” is triumphant, as is every track on this album.

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