I’ve been lazy this summer. I spent most of the time having fun while making up for some less than stellar times of the past. Considering I’ve listened to Falcon’s self-titled ep about a hundred times this summer, it would be a crime if I didn’t mention this little jewel (I’ve been working up to this moment for a while). Atmospheric and strong on the psychic inertia, Falcon’s ep is fulfilled by introspective lyrics, a spacey glowing backdrop, fine movements, and perhaps most importantly, that feeling of profoundly quiet anticipation where you already know the ending though you still hold out hope for a different outcome (in life, not the ep). All five tracks are strong, while my favorite “Listen In” and its distortion driven refrain are propelled by a strong rhythm section and high intoxication on the verses with lines like “…had a friend for most of my life, then I lost him.” Full of feeling in a sincere way that doesn’t require running mascara and 400 dollar haircuts, while passing longer than a single season, Falcon is not a tribute band. Falcon plays all new material. But…Falcon will never write another song. In fact, they never have. What does it all mean? Well, you’ll have to read their unique story on their site.
With several promotions and a couple of TV appearances, you may already be familiar with Sweden’s Salme Dahlstrom. The full length release of her album The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade combines the best songs from her 2004 EP of the same name, and another, Bible Bomabstik, in addition to a few new ones. Counting out as eleven tracks of flashy pulsating rushes of electronic pop and groove, this one is surely energetic, colorful, and fairly catchy too. Though, none get near the jerk and spark of “Hello California,” and its’ sunny disposition full of clean new oxygen and the album’s most infectious chorus. Self-written and self-produced, Salme wrote and recorded The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade in her studio in NYC.
Based on the life of the elusive Leo Magnets, comes The Curse of Company’s debut album. This wonderfully dreary piece opens with the album’s best, “The Parade Devine,” evoking thoughts of cold rainy nights in 19th century European cities, right out of a great literary drama. The atmosphere continues on with “Fleets In The Fog,” strung up with ghostly shadow voices and droning organ. The mood then slips to the slow push of “Any Day,” with wash away guitar and female vocals, only shortly freed up by a lighter guitar riff, leading to the struggle’s final consummation, done in by male interjection. True to the end, Leo Magnets Joins A Gang is full of variant drama, and the proper orchestration and construction to make it effective.
Foreign Girls is the final ep in Joseph Arthur’s series leading up to the release of Temporary People, the second lp by Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts (September 30 / Lonely Astronaut Records). Six songs constructed by acoustic guitar and incrementally added accompaniment, with the exception of the closer, “New Satisfaction,” which finds its swagger by way of organ pumping a tainted vamp to support the swagger. “Candy and Cars,” is the topper with its trippy see-saw late night druggy inbetween feel.
The third season of the hit Fox TV series BONES continues tonight, September 3rd as the darkly amusing procedural continues to follow Dr. Temperance Brennan, a highly skilled forensic anthropologist. In support of the new season, Nettwerk Records has released the Official Bones Soundtrack featuring an all star line up of artists. The soundtrack features an all star line up including: Sinead O’Connor, Sarah McLachlan, BRMC, Placebo and the “Bones Theme Song” by The Crystal Method. The album is available on Amazon and retailers everywhere.
buy from Amazon
Tracklisting 1. Bones Theme Song – Crystal Method*
2. Angel – Sinead O’Connor*
3. Running Up The Hill – Placebo
4. It Means Nothing – Stereophonics
5. Gone – Thirteen Senses
6. Black Star – Eliza Lumley
7. Feel It Now – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
8. Fountain – Sara Lov*
9. Something – Cary Brothers
10. Tears And Laughter – Jonathan Czerwik
11. Bring On The Wonder – Susan Enan feat. Sarah McLachlan*
12. Dirty Little Secret (Thievery Corporation Remix) – Sarah McLachlan
*Previously Unreleased
Be Here To Love Me chronicles the life of Townes Van Zandt with a simple unpredictability that mimics the way the artist lived his short life. Directed by Margaret Brown, this haunting and lyrical film combines emotional interviews with Van Zandt’s immediate family and such luminaries as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Guy Clark with rare footage of Van Zandt at home and on the stage.
Woven present their very fine exposition, Designer Codes, with a wise economy of atmosphere shaped by fragmented gleaming sounds over more fluid and firmer construction. Designer Codes will be released on September 23rd.
live: 09.25.08 – San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord
09.26.08 – Berkeley, CA – Gilman’s
09.27.08 – Sacramento, CA – Old Ironsides
10.03.08 – Eugene, OR – Oak Street
10.04.08 – Portland, OR – The Twilight
10.05.08 – Seattle, WA – The Comet
10.08.08 – Boise, ID – The Bouquet
10.10.08 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
10.11.08 – Denver, CO – Benders Tavern
10.12.08 – Lincoln, NE – Box Awesome
10.14.08 – Madison, WI – The Frequency
10.16.08 – Chicago, IL – The Dark Room
Magistrates are a foursome from Essex whose major influences are David Bowie, Talking Heads and Prince. I don’t want to play around girl so free your mind.
live: Sep 5 BESTIVAL IOW
Sep 26 Molotow Club NME Hamburg, Hamburg
Oct 3 Concrete & Glass @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen London
Oct 22 Carling Academy w/black kids Birmingham, Midlands
Oct 23 Carling Academy w/black kids Oxford
Oct 26 ABC w/black kids Glasgow
Oct 27 Met University w/black kids Leeds
Oct 28 Junction w/black kids Cambridge
Oct 30 Astoria w/black kids London
Oct 31 Trent University w/black kids Nottingham
Nov 1 Nation w/black kids Liverpool
Nov 2 Pyramids Centre w/black kids Portsmouth, South
Nov 15 Paradiso Amsterdam http://www.myspace.com/magistratesband http://www.magistratesband.com/
Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp is the first feature documentary about Sacred Harp singing. Shape note singing has survived over 200 years in the rural deep south where in old country churches a 160 year old shape note hymnal which has preserved these songs. The film offers a glimpse into the lives of this ‘Lost Tonal Tribe’ whose history is a story. The filmmakers, Matt and Erica Hinton spent 7 years documenting this yet largely unknown art form. The soundtrack will be released on October 14th.
In 1968 a young woman was found dead along a dirt road near Eagle Creek, north of Georgetown, Kentucky. For thirty years, she was known only as ‘Tent Girl’, the name given to her by the Kentucky Post & Times Star because she’d been found wrapped in canvas resembling a tent bag. The Island Moved in the Storm is a series of overlapping narratives inspired by her story as re-imagined to incorporate imagery and locales from Matt Bauer’s rural Kentucky upbringing.
tour: Thu 9/4/08 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia PA
Fri 9/5/08 Golden West Baltimore MD
Sat 9/6/08 Eaglewing Farm Chapel Hill NC
Mon 9/8/08 Pilot Light Knoxville TN
Tue 9/9/08 The End Nashville TN
Fri 9/12/08 Opolis Norman OK
Sat 9/13/08 The Cavern Dallas TX *
Sun 9/14/08 Emos Lounge Austin TX
Wed 9/17/08 Plush Tucson AZ
Thu 9/18/08 Hotel Cafe Los Angeles CA
Fri 9/19/08 Primary Concepts Davis CA
Sun 9/21/08 Luigi’s Fun Garden Sacramento CA
Wed 9/24/08 The Crepe Place Santa Cruz CA
Thu 10/2/08 Sunset Tavern Seattle WA +
Fri 10/3/08 Holocene Portland OR +
Sat 10/4/08 Yakima Sports Center Yakima WA
Thu 10/9/08 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines IA
Sat 10/11/08 AV-Aerie Chicago IL
Mon 10/13/08 Cinemat Bloomington IN
Thu 10/16/08 Al’s Bar Lexington KY
Fri 10/17/08 Cafe Bourbon Street Columbus OH
Sat 10/18/08 Club Cafe Pittsburgh PA #
* = w/ Evangelicals
+ = w/ Horse Feathers
# = w/ Woven Hand
Check out Jules and Katies interviewing each other and Katie admiting that a bird once ‘shat’ in her eye.
