Artist: Paavoharju Album: Laulu Laakson Kukista Label: Fonal Release date: 14 May 2008 Genre: Rock/Electronic Style: Freak Folk/Experimental RIYL: Múm, CocoRosieTracklisting: 01. Pimeänkarkelo 02. Kevätrumpu 03. Tuoksu Tarttuu Meihin 04. Italialaisella Laivalla 05. Alania 06. Uskallan 07. Ursulan Uni 08. Kirkonväki 09. Salainen Huone 10. Tyttö Tanssii 11. Sumuvirsi 12. Untitled Total running time: 35' 03" [Paavoharju - Open MySpace page] [Paavoharju - Kirkonväki - Video Clip]
"For any band with the willingness or capability to write actual tunes, critics and fans are apt to see anything else-- interludes, instrumentals, experiments-- as a digression. I understand and partially accept that this is what you are choosing to do when you are not singing me a song. These are the aural equivalents of John Steinbeck's turtle, often treated with the indifference and puzzlement afforded the itinerant reptile in your average high school book report; folks were known to edit off the ambient bits of even Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, an album renowned for its meld of song and abstraction. Finnish collective Paavoharju are obstinate in their attempts to buck this trend, scattering Europop, pastel electronics, and woolen drones like a tossed deck of Bicycle playing cards. The greatest achievement of Paavoharju's Laulu Laakson Kukista, though, is not its dexterous balance of song and sound but the way it invests you as heavily in field recordings, dub workouts, and quasi-classical think pieces as in the band's foreign-language hookmaking.
Ostensibly a "songs" album, Laulu only gradually reveals their scarcity: count six using the standard "Could I maybe put this on a mixtape for my coworkers if, in fact, my coworkers were into entropic Nordic dance-pop?" benchmark. In place of half of a classic pop album, Laulu doesn't redefine out-music so much as find clever and inventive ways to incorporate it. Like its predecessor-- Paavoharju's 2005 debut Yhä Hämärää-- Laulu opens with "Pimeänkarkelo", a track that ceases to be an "intro" around the two minute mark and carries on for twice that anyway, ultimately serving as a palate cleanser for the surprisingly tart headrush of "Kevätrumpu". Kinetic synths and lovingly cheesed-out drums bleat and whir like dancin' music at a 1992 rollerblade disco. A stressed, sexed female voice coos and circles and punches like she's got Madonna's biceps but not those under-eye bags. And then...variations on a plinky piano melody in the form of "Tuoksu Tarttuu Meihin", which mulls and ponders amid a static curtain. When the band later remembers the melody on the album's two shortest tracks they feel less like interludes and more like rounding back to an earlier conversation after a thorough and fulfilling detour.
Downtempo dub. Song. Weird pastel electronica. Song. Laulu is structured much like Yhä Hämärää and the line between should be drawn using confidence, or perhaps perseverance. Mulish is too ugly a word for Laulu, whose compositions are stubbornly given room to flower and expand but are always appropriately reined; instead let's say that Paavoharju have a well-developed internal clock, or are otherwise familiar with "The Ugly Duckling". "Kirkonväki" outgrows its watery piano and malfunctioning click-track to blossom into a goth-rock prom, replete with organs in waltz-time stumble. "Uskallan" features a male lead so clear-throated and dramatic that the song sounds like one of the early 90s Latin-American hits that increasingly populate Chicago's jukeboxes. "Sumuvirsi", a rhythm-less, female-led hymn whose second-most prominent sound is a cackling raven, hues closest to the psych-folk traditional to Fonal's roster, but even it seems more theatrical and dramatic, like Paavoharju have been taking their cues both from Eleanoora Rosenholm and high-school drama productions.
The tiny honking synths that augment the rusty guitars of "Tyttö Tanssii" suggest a more literal reading of the Bicycle metaphor from above: a hill of two-wheelers, disheveled rubber, tassels, and bells. Laulu connotes this youth, motion, and playfulness in various states of repair and construction, and it does so by alternating well-formed, multi-faced pop songs with abstract head-scratchers, each component as warmly evocative and strangely necessary as the last. " [Pitchfork]
Panda Bear has released a free DVD of his Summer tour!
From Mike's website:
"Please bear with me as I try to explain this DVD because it isn't exactly your average DVD or your average release and its kinda weird.
First of all, I'm not part of a special film crew, a web-design team, or a label. I'm a regular dude who likes to film shows. I'm by no means a professional however I do my best to take a good shot. I have a site over at eattapes.com that you can check out if you'd like.
Shortly after hearing about Panda Bear's tour for his latest album, Person Pitch, I thought it would be sweet if I were able to come along and film a complete (although short) tour. I got in touch with a highly psyched Noah and after some planning we were good to go. I went to Baltimore, Philly, and New York and complied an extensive collection of footage from all three nights. We decided it would be cool if we created a DVD from the videos.
Here is some further information on the DVD: • Contains a full performance of Panda Bear's set. I will take the audio from the best recording and edit the three sets' videos together to make one cohesive performance. •Also contains sound checks, a Panda Bear interview, and other random footage. • One song by each opener. • I am a firm believer that the greatest things in life aught to be free, music being one of those things. Because of this and my respect, appreciation, and gratitude for Panda Bear, there is no necessary charge for this DVD. It will be free.
Now, I feel there is one snag to this otherwise awesome project. To film at the Bowery Ballroom is a $250 charge. I accept the cost and if I don't make that money back, that's fine. It was worth it to make this DVD that much better. However, I have created a BONUS disk that I will package along with this DVD. The disk will contain all two full, unedited sets. I have also created art for each DVD + Bonus Disk order and package them in real DVD casings. For this disk I will be asking a donation from $5-$10 on a sliding scale. I will keep track of the money I make on this site so everyone would be able to see how the generosity of few can really add up quickly. If I reach the goal of $250 I will donate half of the earnings to Paw Tracks.
Thanks so much for reading and being interested in the DVD. Look to the News section for further updates and information.
Artist: Devendra Banhart Album: Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon Label: XL Release date: 25 September 2007 Genre: Rock Style: Freak Folk/Indie RockTracklisting: 01. Cristobal 02. So Long Old Bean 03. Samba Vexillographica 04. Seahorse 05. Bad Girl 06. Seaside 07. Shabop Shalom 08. Tonada Yanomaminista 09. Rosa 10. Saved 11. Lover 12. Carmencita 13. The Other Women 14. Freely 15. Remember 16. My Dearest Friend Total running time: 71' 39" [Devendra Banhart - Seahorse - Promo Video] [Devendra Banhart - Freely - Live]
"When we first met Devendra Banhart on 2002's Oh Me Oh My, he was a fragile outsider artist recording music on cassettes and answering machines. Eerily supernatural and absurdly cosmic, he found a place in the American underground for folkish psychedelic rock where the organic and the artificial come together, something Banhart calls "naturalismo." Four albums later, Banhart remains a leader in this pack -- and Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon may be his best so far.
Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is a universe all its own, skipping between genres and languages as often as Banhart explores his love life and reasserts himself as a free spirit -- in this case, a California free spirit; Banhart shacked up in a pastoral hillside home in the bohemian enclave of Topanga Canyon to create this lavishly produced and elegantly textured acoustic and avant-garde rock.
But the album, which was co-produced by Noah Georgeson, is very much the work of a band. Smokey features the same musicians Banhart typically tours with, as well as with some interesting celebrity guests. (Opener "Cristobal," for example, an enchanting South American tone-setter, features actor Gael Garcia Bernal on back-up vocals.) Tenderly crooned ballad "Bad Girl" is a gem in which Banhart sings, "I've been a bad girl/ I ain't playing no fair/ I want you to be free/ But I don't want to share." Nothing about Banhart or his music is minimal. Set to nocturnal atmospherics, his lyrics tell simple stories, and his melodies are enticing melodies. On the country-style ballad "Freely," he swoons, "And my mother may not understand/ why I'm the way that I am/ But I love her, and I want to let her in."
"Seahorse," my favorite on the album, typifies Smokey. With all of its unexpected twists and turns, influences and homages, Banhart shows no signs of holding back. It begins with a soft acoustic guitar and Banhart singing, "I'm high and I'm happy and I'm free/ I got my whole heart laid out right in front of me." But just as easily as the album shifts course, the drums kick in, and soon he's singing about sex and reincarnation over a very Doorsy jazz groove of piano, organ, and flute. Later, a late-'60s-style rock 'n' roll guitar jam breaks in. By the time it's over, the song has recalled Leonard Cohen, Jim Morrison, Neil Young, Cream, and Jefferson Airplane.
Banhart is one of the most fascinating and unpredictable artists of his generation, and he has once again created an eclectic, powerful, and memorable album. The final cut, "My Dearest Friend," concludes Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon as Banhart and company sing, "I'm going to die from loneliness/ My dearest friend/ You'll soon begin to love again." Not only is it achingly graceful, but it's also a powerful monument to how far Banhart has come along -- and it hints at how much further he will go." [source]
Artist: Múm Album: Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy Label: FatCat Release date: 24 September 2007 Genre: Electronic Style: Folktronica/Freak Folk/ExperimentalTracklisting: 01. Blessed Brambles 02. A Little Bit, Sometimes 03. They Made Frogs Smoke ‘Til They Exploded 04. These Eyes Are Berries 05. Moon Pulls 06. Marmalade Fires 07. Rhuubarbidoo 08. Dancing Behind My Eyelids 09. School Song Misfortune 10. I Was Her Horse 11. Guilty Rocks 12. Winter (What We Never Were After All) Total running time: 44' 05" [Múm - They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded - Video Clip] [Múm - Blessed Brambles - Live @ Museum Of Garden History, London] [Múm - Winter - Live @ Museum Of Garden History, London]
"This is the sound the children from “Village of the Damned” would have made had they not been so fixated with killing their parents and ruling the world, a sound that is both alien and child-like, whilst simultaneously clever and knowing. This is Múm.
A perfect representation of Iceland they certainly are, cold, distant, yet full of colour and vibrancy. Up until recently there has been several female vocalists in the band, each offering up highly pitched melodies which entwine with each other, the many and varied instruments in the mix and the electronic, glitch-style backing.
For many this mix of musical ingredients was best summed up in 2004’s “Summer Make Good” album, which left any future release with mountainously high expectations from many. That “Poison Ivy” deviates from this template is likely to lead to criticism from many quarters.
If you let yourself be put off by that though you will miss out on a quietly and slowly growing triumph of musical expression. What is present this time around is a more vocally dominated album than ever before. Also now a big feature is the addition of male vocals which adds an interesting but cleverly hidden dynamic to the final mix.
Múm succeed in pulling in the listener with an open, cool atmosphere, whilst at the same time hitting us with radiant and free strands of sound which in tracks such as opener “Blessed Brambles” and single “They Made Frogs Smoke Till They Exploded” (a tale of juvenile animal cruelty) sparkle beautifully. This nostalgic look back on life is continued through to track seven “Rhuubarbidoo” and track nine “School Song Misfortune” where it seems feasible that the album may well of been recorded in a remote field or even a lost village. The album may well disappoint for around two-thirds of its length with the appearance that it lacks a clear point or purpose, but the wider picture is soon revealed as the free traveller suddenly realises that he is actually lost!
An aspect that is hinted at with the song “I Was Her Horse” is fully announced in the next track (”Guilty Rocks”) which showcases a dark and haunting nature in its execution and beauty. Suddenly you’re suspended in an asylum looking for a way to escape. Out of hopelessness come the creeping angelic like voices toying with you that there is a way out, but all hope is finally lost on last track “Winter (What We Never Were After All)” which, along with the previous track, bring all the disparate strand together and deliver the highlight of the entire album.
In the end Múm have shown their willingness to change, but akin to the musical progression of their art they like to do it slowly and with subtlety. As for those scary children from Village of the Damned, perhaps they would have made equally impressive music if that damn idiot Gordon hadn’t of been so intent on saving the entire human race. Who knows, who knows indeed? [cue raised eyebrows, and cut]" [source]
Artist: Animal Collective Tracks: Peacebone + Unsolved Mysteries Label: Paw Tracks Release date: 2007 Genre: Rock Style: Experimental Rock/Freak Folk"Oh no. Could this possibly be a short post with the sole intent to be “the first” to post these highly anticipated tracks? As much as I hate when other sites rush against the stampede to be the first to post a new track from the one of the hottest indie acts in the world without any commentary, I could not resist it this time. After all, this is Animal Collective. We will all be able to judge more precisely after a few listens but I was just getting a bit too antsy. As unconventional as this post is, these two tracks off of Animal Collective’s eighth full-length album, Strawberry Jam, are absolutely outstanding. I have the first three tracks available and I will supply you with the first two — “Peacebone” and “Unsolved Mysteries”.
If you thought that “Grass” was as pop-oriented as Animal Collective would get, wait until you hear the opener to Strawberry Jam, “Peacebone”. With clear and present vocals uncharacteristically above the instrumental mix, I believe this may be the catchiest track that Animal Collective has produced throughout their illustrious career. Well, at the very least, it is already one of my personal favorites. Even so, the fans of ambition should not fret. Despite a brilliantly innovative chorus that sounds somehow both tropical and chaotic, their unconventional method of brilliant pop songwriting remains perfectly in tact throughout “Peacebone” with a backing vocal mix that provides for subtly captivating hooks. “Unsolved Memories” is more reminiscent of several build-up methods implemented on Feels, with an exotic array of instrumental additions providing for yet another enjoyable experience. As linear as my descriptions are at this point, I will not bother analyzing these tracks until I get my dirty hands on the new album." [source]
Artist: Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan Album: Pullhair Rubeye Label: Paw Tracks Release date: 24 April 2007 Genre: Rock Style: Freak FolkTracklisting: 01. Sis Around The Sandmill [unreversed] 02. Opis Helpus 03. Foetus No-Man 04. Who Wellses In My Hoff 05. Lay Lay Off, Faselum 06. Palneka 07. Sasong 08. Was Onaip Total running time: 31' 34" [Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - Foetus No-Man - Live @ Philadelphia, PA]
"Music is bloated with tension. There’s the more ubiquitous tension that exists within music’s soundworld, such as crafted harmonic tensions that are "released" in order to drive the musical narrative (like when the chorus hits for the first time or when the instrumental climax is resolved into the main melody). Then there’s the less consciously acknowledged tension between the artist and audience, in which artist intension and audience reception are in a perpetual push and pull. It is in the latter spirit that I approach Avey Tare and Kria Brekkan’s controversial debut release Pullhair Rubeye — controversial because it was recorded "normally" but reversed in its entirety for official release. Yes, the album plays "backwards.” Like the Dada movement in art and literature, in which the cultural, discursive framing of the work was considered as important, if not more important, than the work itself, Pullhair Rubeye evokes a kind of tension that has less to do with the usual semiotic or lyrical quibbles and more to do with how meaning and significance are defined and also denied.
In fact, the tension is so pronounced that the reaction to Pullhair Rubeye is just as interesting as the idea of reversing what would otherwise be a relatively conventional album. With the word pretension slapped on any artist who tip-toes outta their safe musical dungeons, coupled with the lingering “But is it a classic, best of all-time LP?" mentality, Pullhair Rubeye has already met a considerable amount of dissent: It’s weird. It’s unnecessary. Gimmicky. Annoying. Why did they ruin their songs? What happened to the real album? Why couldn’t they just release proper versions? Is this a joke? (All slight permutations of comments I’ve actually read.) I suppose reasonable reactions, but some of the abject dismissals of the album sound as if Avey and Kria desecrated something sacrosanct, something ultimately out of bounds even for the artists who created it. Pullhair Rubeye wasn’t meant to shock or annoy or provoke. As Avey best put it in a message board post: “…that is indeed the record, no tricks involved here, no concepts. We just really like it that way. Hope thats cool. Were not bummed. i hope youre not...”
So, is it spoiled to want to hear the “normal” versions of these songs? I guess that depends on who you’re asking, but I’d be dumbfounded if anyone could resist at least sampling what the album sounds like in its originally recorded version. Somewhat reminiscent of Francisco Lopez’ Buildings [New York], in which the listener is given a choice whether or not to break the seal to the booklet explaining the album’s background philosophy, Avey and Kria have unintentionally presented their fans with a similar choice. Years of cultural conditioning have ensured that we’ll always hear Pullhair Rubeye as "backwards," no matter how many attempts are made to internalize the songs as normal (believe me, I’ve tried), so the choice made by many was predictable: as soon as the album leaked, fans with audio programs reversed the tracks and corrected the pitch/speed on several of them in order to hear Pullhair Rubeye as it was originally recorded. And ka-boom: a multitude of experiences are born — some have only heard the original "reversed" version, some the "corrected" version, some both versions, and some have only read about it all.
And this is where the tension between the artist and audience becomes tangible. It goes beyond the mental work of, say, trying to figure out the artist’s lyrical meaning and into defining what is or isn’t music and how one might go about seeking out “the original.” And I fucking love it. It’s exciting and organic; it’s a needed WRENCH. Like The Resident’s Animal Lover, an album manipulated to mimic the “animal noise mating patterns” of cicadas and frogs, as well as The Flaming Lips’ four-disc musical monster, Zaireeka, Pullhair Rubeye has inadvertently unveiled the stale illusion of commodified music as some sort of exalted fetish object that should be preserved in its "original" state. Even more interesting is that, unlike Buildings, Animal Lover, and Zaireeka, Pullhair Rubeye doesn’t have a conceptual underpinning. Instead, almost as easily as deciding to pan an acoustic guitar to the left, Avey and Kria’s decision to reverse the entire album was a capricious, last-minute choice, a whimsy that has ultimately shaped everyone’s conception and opinion of it. What the final released version of Pullhair Rubeye becomes, then, is a source for exploration, based on your level of access and gumption.
Despite its relatively simplistic, direct approach (which is made apparent when listening to the "corrected" version), I have still yet to completely synthesize Pullhair on a musical level. There’s a lot to take in, especially after hearing both versions. But it’d be a shame not to give the backward version a real chance, just because you have access to the “corrected” version — and I’m not talking about a play or two for kicks. Both versions have their own redeeming qualities, but it takes much longer for the backward tracks to reveal themselves. The structures, patterns, and melodies are jarring until your mind is able and ready to sponge in the sounds. And I can tell you now that the more you hear the “corrected” versions, the harder it will be to want to hear the backward versions (personally, I combine both albums, playing each track’s version back to back).
"Opis Helpus," for example, is among the standout tracks backwards. Its dynamic is completely dislocated such that the ending (which is toward the beginning of the "corrected" version) is the calm after rather than before the storm. Melodic and even singable, the backwards version piques my curiosity more so than the "corrected" one. It was particularly interesting to discover what sounded like an accordion backwards was actually an acoustic guitar forwards (and here I thought I always listened to the actual sound, not just its pitch relations and counterpoint). "Foetus No-Man" is another strong track backwards. With a predictable structure in its corrected (and slowed down) form, it’s easier to get "lost" in the backwards version. The emphasis is on its warmth, not its precision.
"Who Wellses in My Hoff," a track about domesticity, and "Lay Lay Off, Faseiam," which features two oddball melodies over jerky guitars, are striking in both versions. Simple yet far from derivative, both tracks show tremendous growth for Avey’s awkward melodic sensibility. They’re catchy and accessible, albeit through that weird Animal Collective filter. The tensions and releases are subtle and inviting, and they’re not jumping up and down for attention — contemplative without being overly insular. "Sasong" is another exemplary track, but mainly in its "corrected" version. A beautiful song with a radiating depth in its “corrected” form, "Sasong" fails to reach any sort of intrigue in its backwards and sped up version, except for perhaps a fleeting, twinkling sort of textural glee.
Had Avey and Kria released Pullhair Rubeye as it was originally recorded, the most tragic part would be that the mental work involved on the listener’s part would be reduced to simple good/bad judgment and would be appreciated (or not) based on arbitrary distinctions. The fact is: the idea of music as exalted has more to do with commodity fetishism than innate musical divinity. Music’s not waiting to be written. Music’s written. And whatever happens to "it" — whether remixed, sampled, played in a car commercial, used to sell shoes, etc. — is just as significant as the "original" version. With the current musical terrain as bland as it is, why not encourage music like Pullhair Rubeye, especially when it doesn’t have to mask itself in machismo or morbid imagery or atonality or arrhythmicacy? Pullhair Rubeye is significant not because of its aesthetic and non-conceptual disposition, but also for its dedication to instinct and brave novelty (in the best sense of the word). It’s as much a dialog as a document, and the optional process — which again was not intended, but expected — is even more reason to take note. Yeah, yeah, perhaps the idea of reversing songs is "easy" and not very "experimental." But fuck technical proficiency and exclusionary philosophy. This is all about artistic intuition, and it’s this intuition that has opened up our musical conversation into interesting areas." [source]
Artist: Panda Bear Album: Person Pitch Label: Paw Tracks Release date: 20 March 2007 Genre: Rock Style: Freak Folk/Psychedelic FolkTracklisting: 01. Comfy In Nautica 02. Take Pills 03. Bros 04. I'm Not 05. Good Girl/Carrots 06. Search For Delicious 07. Ponytail Total running time: 45' 36" [Panda Bear - Bros [6:13 Edit] - Video Clip]
"The artwork of Panda Bear's third solo album is full of clues. The front sleeve is a paddling pool fantastically packed with children and animals (tiger, seal, gorilla, leopard, koala and, yes, panda). Inside the booklet, there are further brightly coloured photographs: kids on stilts facing a sky mad with fruit bats and flying foxes, a boy in a kilt and a crocodile head-dress dancing a jig, a pigtailed girl riding a gondola through a sky swirling with feathers. These images set you up for music that's tribal, ecstatic yet eerie, brimming with child-like wonder. And that's exactly what Person Pitch delivers.
In Animal Collective, Panda Bear (real name, Noah Lennox) plays drums and sings. Here, he builds a unique and refreshing sound almost entirely out of percussion and his own multi-tracked voice, influenced by teenage years singing in a high school choir. Opener 'Comfy in Nautica' sounds like the Beach Boys if they'd joined Hari Krishna. A billowing vocal roundelay interwoven with looped bell-chimes, 'Bros' starts as a mellow canter, then plunges into a spangled surge of acoustic guitars. The song sustains its rhapsodic pitch for 12-and-a-half minutes that leave the listener drained and dizzy. 'Good Girl/Carrots', another 12-minute tour de force, kicks off with bubbling tablas and baby talk, moves into a section where Lennox gently upbraids some uptight, know-it-all adversary, then skanks out under cascades of glistening sonic confetti. 'I'm Not', a skyscape of sighs and shivers, and 'Search For Delicious', braided from wobbled vocals and found sounds, both merge experimentalism and euphony. Like Animal Collective, Lennox pulls off the trick of being simultaneously poppy and abstract, winsome and deranging.
Lennox's previous album, Young Prayer, was a eulogy to his father, a literally glowing tribute recorded in the room where Lennox Snr passed away. It doesn't take much of a leap of insight to twig that Person Pitch is inspired by love and (re)birth: Lennox married a Portuguese woman, moved to that country ('a European California,' he says, laid-back and sun-kissed) and had a daughter. It's actually quite hard to imagine Lennox as a dad, though, because he looks and sounds so young. There's a boyish buoyancy to the sound of Person Pitch, a pure-hearted nobility. The album's core emotions - awe, curiosity, rejoicing, tenderness - are precisely the things that age and experience tends to erode.
At once Sixties-redolent (specifically Dylan's 'I was so much older then/ I'm younger than that now' and 'he not busy being born is busy dying') yet timeless and perennially applicable, the album's open-hearted spirit is crystallised in the chorus to 'Ponytail'. Lennox sings: 'When my soul starts growing, it gets so hungry/ I wish it never would, never would, never would stop growing.'" [source]
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