Circle Pit

Jack Mannix and Angela Bermuda are unconventional, unapologetic and Australian. In that order. After the tales of Sydney street life, drugs and casual sex on gritty Bruise Constellations, Circle Pit languidly slides into a new 7", Slave / Honey on Sub Pop. Synthy gospel on one side, druggy shoegaze on the other, you can stream both sides here.

Circle Pit // Honey

Under the Covers Monday: Bob Dylan & Magnet f. Gemma Hayes

Oh hay lil sweet sweets.

I have returned, relatively bronzed and properly drawly.
Or more so drawly than I was, which will thrill my best girlfriends who like to get me tipsy and encourage the use of "y'all" at any provided opportunity.

Hearing this over the loudspeaker at the Charleston airport, wedding-hungover and beach-depressed, was a petite saving grace of leaving Sullivan's Island. Doesn't hurt that it's one of the straightsultriest songs on the flockin' planet.

Magnet f. Gemma Hayes // Lay Lady Lay
Bob Dylan // Lay Lady Lay

Penny & the Quarters

{we just got personal, people}

Penny & the Quarters are a lost soul band from the '70's, recently revived by Ryan Gosling's attention and inclusion on the Blue Valentine soundtrack. The group, assumed to be teens at the time, were invited to audition and record three demos at Columbus, OH's Harmonic Sounds Studio. The songs were discovered after label co-owner Chem Price's death in 2006.

A few years and change of hands later, "You and Me" was released by Numero Group. With the growing popularity of throwback insta-vintage, they're doing the honorable thing and actively looking for the vanished members to pay them their due. I almost don't want them to be found. I almost want to pretend this song just immaculately came into being; created for the singular purpose of weaving your fingers through somebody else's.

Penny & the Quarters // You and Me

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

Lia Ices - the mystic

{photo by Eric Ogden}

Girlcrush alert.

Lia Ices' second effort, Grown Unknown, has the ethereal-chamber pop enchantress in storybooks. Shorter-winded than Joanna Newsom, little tougher than Enya, less quirk than Sia - Ices keeps her lilting, avant vocals anchored with meaty guitar ruminations and fist-pounds of percussion.

"Daphne" takes inspiration from the Greek myth of a woman who ultimately transforms into a tree - played out in what starts as pastoral bliss before turning to darker energies. Whatever shall become of her? The tale features Justin Vernon, whom I've indirectly posted probably 17'ish times. It's fine, I'll probably change the blog name to "JV4life" by June.
Other standout tracks include "Ice Wine" and "Little Marriage."

Just bought my tickets to see Ices at The Red Palace 3.30.11. Lots of daisy crowns to weave to between now and then.

"Daphne" by Lia Ices from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

Lia Ices // Daphne

Judson Claiborne

Leaky pipes and rusty wheel spokes. Tied sneaks thrown over a phone line. Cracked robin's egg on the sidewalk and a husk of a moth's cocoon on the porch. That's Time and Temperature by Christopher C Salveter aka Judson Claiborne, a name given by his father he says to be reclaiming.
Interesting process - to be taking back an invisible thing that was given to you in the first place. Most of us would probably like to do the same since losing a number of things, mostly between the ages of 13 and 17. But that's a haiku for the time capsule buried in the backyard and ES ain't dealing with that esoteric mess.

You might recognize the frontman's ambly lament from Low Skies, who toured with the likes of Neko Case, Okkervil River, Band of Horses, et al. After gaining inspiration biking Southeast Asia, getting zenned in a spiritual haven off the Hudson and finally landing in Chicago - Judson collaborated with a few who mutually share wearied adoration for steely mist and fog.
tu
la
ru
lah.

Judson Claiborne // Song for Dreaming

JBM

There isn't much to gather on JBM. He's from Montreal. His given name is Jesse Marchant. He's touring with Sondre Lerche, playing his '09 release, not even in July. But honestly, who wants to read a loveletter to a lanky gent when alabaster skeleton folk is tripping up your spine?

Hope you like. Not like I do or anything.

JBM // Cleo's Song

JBM // Friends for Fireworks

Holly Miranda

I've talked about her before and I'll talk about her again. Holly has a new EP out called Sleep On Fire and it's not bad. I'm pretty sure this is a prelude to something much bigger, but that's only an educated hunch. And if you know me, you know my educated hunches are worth millions. Sometimes hundreds. Or ones. I've been following this lass for the past few several months. Her progress that is, not her physically. Come on, seriously? You really think I'd...no you shut up. Right...following her. I do believe she's getting much better. My EH tells me she'll be a household name in the music world very, very soon.

This is really bullshit because it's real. Listen for yourself.

Holly Miranda // Everytime I Sleep

A little short. Well it's 17:40, but it's worth it. Is it me or is she the devil? In a good way. A good way.

White Lies - To Lose My Life