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

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

the National

Hi.

After a long, coastal hiatus - I returned to cubicle existence with a head full of inspiration. Tripping along boulders jutting out of the Pacific will do that to you. But a week of automaton immersion makes all that tidal beauty fade away - and all that inspired momentum with it.
Luckily, a dear friend sends a leaked copy of High Violet, the 5th album and Boxer followup from The National. The modular walls disappear and I'm back in the waves all over again. Music's f*cking great for that.

High Violet is an upswing but no, it can't be happy. That's just not their style. I spent a summer cross-legged on my backporch, smoking ciggs and purposefully listening to Boxer & Alligator for good reason. It's a contemplative low rumble from Matt Berninger. It's gothic and orchestral builds from the Dessner and Devendorf brothers - brass, woodwinds, strings, organs and enough guitar to flood the Sydney Opera House. There's cresting melodies and whydidn'tiwritethat lyrics like "live on coffee on flowers / try not to wonder what the weather will be."

And there isn't a skip-track in the bunch. Even if there was, cameos by Justin Vernon and Richard Reed Parry would keep your finger off the button. Guested by Sufjan Stevens, track 7 carries you on it's haunting winds and makes you pray to god you'll have the drugs to sort it out.

The National opens their spring&summer tour April 22 at, well, The National / RVA.
See you there.

The National // Afraid of Everyone

Scanners

When doing some digging on Scanners, the first hit was 1981 cult horror flick about suits using psychics to wage war on the world. "Their thoughts can kill!"

And as badass as that sounds, what I was really looking for is nearly on par.

Two boys and two gals from London with 80's post-punk pop sound - they keep a sneer on their face whilst pouring on the melodic hooks so everyone can get soaked. Sparked by Sarah (total babe - vocals, bass) and Matt (vocals, guitar) in 2004, they played sets backed by a drum kit. Amina (guitar, keys) and Tom (drums) soon joined in on the stank to release their first EP Violence is Golden.
Submarine released this past month, and they just finished getting beast at SXSW to rave reviews. Won't be long before Sarah will be on the "this or that" list with Siouxsie Sioux, Karen-O and Joan Jett.

"Salvation," menacingly sweet and simple. Both here and your own. Ominously windy whooooas twisted with brightly chipper "I'll take you to my grave" makes for a track Billy Corgan could be proud.
"Sick Love" makes me want to take a surfboard out to the breakpoint. Maybe see a shark. But then see that shark get it's ass handed to it by a dolphin. Then I'd ditch the board and ride in on the dolphin - or keep going out? Depends on what the dolphin wants; it IS bigger than I am and I would owe it for saving my life, so I couldn't exactly demand to be taken back to the beach. You know?

Now pardon me while I go take over the capital building using my sixth sense. Or my dolphin's echolocation.

Scanners // Salvation

Scanners // Sick Love

Phantogram

Sometimes you don't realize just how good you have it until you go and fuck things up. You spit on the hand that feeds you and it doesn't want to feed you anymore. Then it's all you can do to get one more glance at the fingernails. Those fingernails are the inspiration for today's post.

It's been a long time since I've posted anything of merit. Or anything at all really. Mainly because I've been absent. But even I can't be invisible to something this overpowering. The beats and sweet electronic melodies from Phantogram make time slow down. The music just reaches through the space, grabs a hold of whatever air you're harboring behind that epidermic mask you wear, and simply makes you high. But not like a crack high, more like a pure air clarity high (RE: Woody Harrelson).

This duo from Saratoga Springs, New York, consisting of darling keyboardist Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter, with their latest album, Eyelid Movies, have made the perfect collection of baby-making tracks that will occasionally make you think about things that are important. Things like you. "'Cause you are the Ocean. And I'm good at drowning."

Phantogram // You Are the Ocean
Phantogram // When I'm Small

Archie Bronson Outfit

On first listen to "Shark's Tooth," I felt like my brain was involuntarily jangled from earhole to earhole. Lots of reverb, lots of steel serration, lots of shaking a sheet of tin. My head nearly exploded, no joke! I had to turn that shit down, son!
Then I realized I was drumming on my desk and robotically shimmying my shoulders. Maybe even having a daydream about riding a stag armored with uzis, shooting down enemy cyclopses. Hey-o, Bronco!

The good stuff comes from a trio that became mates at Kingswood School, Bath. Just look at the guys, you know reverb comes easy when you have that kind of lavish beard to help with the acoustics.

Their most recent LP, Coconut, came after a four year hiatus post Derdang Derdang. If you'd like nothing more but to have your ears ringing with sound heavy on ferocious, primal squalling from these lads - you'll have to cross the Pond to catch them on tour.
Nbd, you can take my battle stag.

Archie Bronson Outfit // Shark's Tooth

Big Spider's Back

A DIY project out of Seattle, Yair Rubenstein is another musician coming out of his bedroom studio and hanging in the clubhouse with the likes of Atlas Sound, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Animal Collective and Neon Indian.

Just listen to the first 120 seconds of this track. First there's acoustic strings, maybe ukulele? Add synth percussion. Stir in tin bell jangles. Splash on shimmery light. Pound on piano keys. Sift on two-picked electric guitar chords. Blow in river reedy vocals on the lower keys. Keep up the loops of both electric and acoustic guitar to wrap it up in a tight cocoon you wouldn't mind climbing in to yourself.

You'll want to listen to most of the tracks on his debut EP, Warped, on "repeat one" so you don't miss anything.

Big Spider's Back // Perfect Machine

the Sandwitches

When I first heard the feel-good jam (sammich pun !) "Back to the Sea," first simile to mind was Gidget before she got on her surfboard. Girlie '50s doo-woppin in cat eye glasses, perfectly coiffed ponytails flipping after syncopated snapping.

But Gidget might be a bit aghast. A deeper dive into How to Make Ambient Sadcake reveals shades of hippie americana, goth, noise pop and bossa nova. The Sandwitches like to play shows with faces painted like ICP going to church. Asexual, sometimes searing harmonies with vamp. Gals who want nothing to do with your flippin ponytail, ripped stockings and two-legged cats are more their speed. They'll break your poser, cat eye glasses in half - and will NOT provide tape for a patch job.

I'm kidding, I'm sure they're very nice girls who brush and floss every night - which makes them more the model citizen than most of us.

The San Franisco trio's mix of cane sugar, city grime and nostalgia makes for a far from miserable three-layer baked good.
Or club sandwich.
Whatevs.

The Sandwitches // Back to the Sea

The Sandwitches // Fire

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

Charlotte Gainsbourg

The just-a-slip-of-a-thing Charlotte is no stranger to the scene.
Singing scandalous melodies with her dear daddy, Serge, barely out of grade school.
Playing dressup in movies like L'effrontée and La science des rêves (The Science of Sleep, you wanted to ride that patchwork pony, too).
Dropping two albums, one of which climbed to the top of the French music charts. All seemingly a magnolia dream until she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 2007.

Two years later, Charlotte collaborates with Beck on her most recent release, IRM. Influenced by her chaotic experience (MRI, ah - now we're up to speed), the two connected on weird levels. We're talking Beck-written lyrics like "drill my head full of holes / to let the memories out" before he even knew what had happened. Makes you want to touch fingertips with your cubicle-mate and zip energies to each other.

IRM is Charlotte retro soul '60s baroque with strokes of Beck's electronic ambience. Sometimes darkly droning and steely, at others layered like tulle. Enjoy a track more on the tutu side.

Charlotte Gainsbourg // Me and Jane Doe

Broken Bells

Once upon a time, in 2004, Brian Burton was roaming the grounds at Roskilde - happy to quiet his overactive genius since finishing up production of "Modern Guilt." He stumbled upon James Mercer, willing himself into hypnosis at the Bugge Wesseltoft show. After some "heyhowareyas," the two gents got to talking.

"Danger Mouse," James claps. "I gotta say, I'm a real fan of your work. What you're doing with that Dark Night of the Soul project - that shit's insane. I don't really get it, but the stills I've seen with David Lynch are pretty fucked. Respect."

"Jimmy," Brian smiles. "Can I call you that? Solid. Jimmy, I've been listening to The Shins since before caring was creepy. I know you're overhauling the lineup, but whadya say after the dust settles - we get a little thing going? See what happens, make a little magic, fry up some aebleskiver?"

"I'm not down with aebleskiver, I'm off white sugar - " Brian sweeps the air with his hands in dismissal, throws his arms around the shoulders of his new friend and they off the head into the sunset.

(*note: i might be fibbing a bit. Regardless, it's the basics of how Danger Mouse and James Mercer have partnered up as Broken Bells - an effort, they say, is taking them to uncharted territory on their musical maps. Danger Mouse has forsook sampling for held-in-hand instruments. James puts his vocals in ranges not oft climbed on previous recordings. The first single gives us a taste of spacey sound effects, melody, a little darkness and a splash of soul. Surreal video to match and a self-titled album out next month.)

Broken Bells // The High Road

Ryan Bingham/Crazy Heart

From the new country music film Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal, this track by Ryan Bingham should have you crying into your beer by lunchtime. I haven't seen the movie so I can't comment on it, but I have heard the song and after just seeing Willie Nelson last night, it seemed appropriate for Hump day. And to be the first post since Nam.

P.S. The image is Jeff Bridges, not Ryan Bingham. Jeff is much cooler looking.

Ryan Bingham // The Weary Kind