Light Vibes

kunde vara solsken.

Light Vibes // Wish We Had

The Antlers

When I first listened to the album Hospice I was all, "Beautiful music!"

After I read the lyrics I was all, "Ohhh…oh dear god."

A concept album about letting go of a cancer patient at a hospital, the Antlers' last effort was a heartrending masterpiece, as desperate and personal as it gets. How could they follow something like that?

Frontman Peter Silberman has stated that Burst Apart begins "in a pretty negative, anxious place, at arm's length — and as it progresses, it becomes warmer and more trusting," which I feel is a nice bridge from the capable-of-inducing-an-emotional-shitshow predecessor.

Without the gravitas of morbidity wafting over the songs, there is a bit more levity and life here. "Burst Apart" is lush and intricate, full of piano chords and horns, soaring guitars and sweeping melodies. Silberman's falsetto is still present, but it's not wispy and fragile, it is full of conviction. Though the song matter deals with, let's see…avoiding intimacy, emotional disconnection, being broken, having no one, bursting apart, teeth falling out, bad people out to get you, being trapped in a room on fire, and dying alone, respectively, compared to "Hospice" it's a sunny spring walk in the park, folks!

The cohesion and craft calls to mind Grizzly Bear's Vecketamist from '09, sure to grant the Brooklyn trio a spot on many top 10 lists this year. Maybe the mainstream will catch on and we'll all be blasting it from our shiny new Jettas. Red one.

-da

The Antlers // No Widows

Cast Spells {and a nibble on SXSW}

{image by scot stewart}

I haven't said anything about SXSW. Doesn't mean I'm oblivious to it. I just might, MIGHT, be incrementally bitter I'm not there. It's been long enough since the slog-mess of ACL 2009 to have me forgetting sweaty, over-crowded discomfort and longing for festival attendance again. Looking at lineups always have me bemoaning my absence; and Dave Davison's of Maps & Atlases solo effort, Cast Spells, adds to the whining. I even annoy myself.

Sonically experimental with some drifty retro crafting, Davison finger-drums like a sonova and is one of those guys who just dribbles out excellent lyrics without huge effort. If you're there, check him out March 19. Take pics. MMS them to me. I'll reply back with onomatopoeias like "aaauuughh" and "grrrrr."

Maps & Atlases - The Ongoing Horrible (Live at Radio Radio)

Cast Spells // Pioneer Scalps

Taken By Trees

Late summer serendipity.

Taken By Trees // My Boys

Nurses

These former drifters have carried their experimental psychedelic folk rock project, Nurses, around for far too long. After Idaho, California, Illinois, Mercury - they're putting a taproot down in PDX. Foot-weary and needing a little rest, I imagine they log-rolled in a verdant meadow or creek-stomped Willamette a bit before recording songs like this one for their last album, Apple's Acres. Because that sure as hell would've been my result if I rolled and stomped and could whistle. Which I cannot, and there's no need to be judgy about it.

Along with robin red-breast whistling, Aaron Campbell's astringet, ether vocal roughens up John Bowers and James Mitchell's pyschotropic circus. Juxtaposing wildly overgrown and crystalline layers of instrument and sound makes it all a tad off-kilter, maybe it sparks a little second-hand anxiety? ...maybe I need to have some of whatever their having?

Or maybe we just all need to get out on the playground. RECESS !

Nurses // Caterpillar Playground

Two Fingers

If you've ever listened to Amon Tobin you know he can go deep and tribal. He was spreading Brazilian sound around before Crookers and the Twelves took over blog house.

His new project with Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman, Two Fingers, takes that deep down to the next level of the inferno, mixing that DEEP (did I mention it's deep? and tribal) sound with a lavish recordful of British and American MC's. They. Bring. It.


Two Fingers and the MC, Sway, recording in Montreal

Two Fingers // High Life featuring Sway

Mi Ami

Yes, I like this band for other reasons besides their name. Please.

More dirty freakouts.

But also, they have good taste in cities/locations. Yes, there is the choosing to name themselves after my favorite city of my entire life so far, but there's more.

They're hitting up Belfast on their European tour. And not only that, they're playing at the Menagerie, at the Ormeau Road on University Street. Shitty dive not without highly unprincipled paramilitary affiliations. They play Reggae and Soul and won't let you wear football colours inside, and it's the only bar I could reliably find Newcastle Brown, too. I have mad respect for a band who can manage to book the best seedy bar in a foreign city.
UPDATE: Belfast informant tells me that Menagerie was freed from paramilitary associations and is now owned by David Holmes. I guess that explains why the music got better. Informant assures that Menagerie is still way seedy.

But anyway, and perhaps even better, Mi Ami is coming to Richmond. (To the Triple.)

We are all travelling through space and time.



Pressure

Mi Ami plays with Thank You at the Triple on March 8th. Vaya con dios, dudes.

Here We Go Magic

DIY DIY DIY DIY DIY DIY

so down for polyrhythms

ATAVISM RESULTING FROM OVERCULTIVATION OF HUMAN SOCIETY

face paint and amniotic fluid have turned out to be pretty hip among civil types in the end, though, haven't they? my ski instructor lives in yogaville.




Only Pieces

god, i keep liking stuff that's been featured on npr. decrepit. only bangers after this, fur real.