Take comfort in Beach House this winter. The band’s third (and my first) LP is a nocturnal 10-song set that just happened to come out in the dead heart of winter, arriving as a welcome beacon. Teen Dream is one of those rare records you can put on and immediately elevate your spirits. Filled with unending charm, the contagious listenability of songs like “Walk in the Park” and “Used to Be” is seemingly eternal (at this point at least).
Beach House’s sound falls at a cross-section somewhere between the dream-pop of artists like Hope Sandoval, M83 and Chairlift, while managing to resurrect the sounds of Stevie Nicks’ early days in Fleetwood Mac. Victoria Legrand’s organic and glowing vocals shimmer amongst an ethereal bed of fluttery guitars and atmospheric keyboard drones giving the album a simple, yet powerful and soothing sound. Plaintive, melancholic and cathartic all at once, the wanderlust-inducing Teen Dream provides an aural wonderland for the everyman or woman getting cabin fever in his cubicle or carrel this winter. Finally, the fading and repetitive outro of “Take Care” leaves listeners with the hopeful promise:
I’ll take care of you
Take care of you
That’s true
Dream on.
--WH
"Take Care":
2010/01/28
2010/01/26
Yeasayer
Here's a feature I did on Yeasayer for JamBase:
In the midst of Yeasayer's tour rehearsals, JamBase spoke with guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Anand Wilder about the creation of Odd Blood, the band's expansive sophomore studio effort, to be released February 9 on the Secretly Canadian imprint. Odd Blood is an explosive, groundbreaking good time that will rattle the brain and move the body ("keep your feet, feet sliding to the side, to the side"), and could inspire some copycat attempts down the road. Although some of the singular influences like Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, a number of '80s dance bands, Genesis and MGMT are prevalent, it's safe to say that you've never heard anything quite like Odd Blood. The band has worked hard to "combine a lot of different elements to create something that's original, something very different [from 2007's All Hour Cymbals], and something that would still be Yeasayer," as Wilder told us. From the austerely Battles-esque first track "The Children" to the rousing "Ambling Alp" and on to "Rome," Odd Blood runs a new kind of gamut. Inherently pop music at its core, Yeasayer's new brand of Adventure Rock or Bizarro Art-Pop (you just gotta make up fresh genre names with these guys) is ground level innovation that defies expectations and invitingly beckons listeners to join them.
JamBase: Give us an idea of the creative process that led to the new Yeasayer sound and album.
Anand Wilder: A lot of the songs began as demos that we would knock off in a few days off from touring. A good chunk of these songs came about in 2007 and 2008. Then me, Ira Wolf Tuton [bass] and Chris Keating [keyboards, vocals] rented a house up in Woodstock, NY from this guy named Jerry Marotta, who used to drum for Tears for Fears, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney. He let us rent his house with all of his music equipment in it. Jerry basically let us set up our studio in his house with tons of gear and allowed us to use all of his drums, synths, and microphones, and I think that really contributed to the sound of this record. With this album we really consciously set out to do something very different from our first record that would still be Yeasayer. We would explore all of our different interests, and we wanted to accomplish a more direct sounding record with higher vocals and make it a little bit dancier.
A lot of the record was influenced by performing live the last few years. When the first record came out we didn't know how much touring we were gonna do, as we were a completely new band. After a year of touring, we kind of thought, "What kind of stuff do we wanna create that we'll be excited about playing live?" So, that kind of shaped the sound of the album as well. Whereas the last record was very hazy, very psychedelic, we wanted this one to be electronic, very computer-based - kind of sci-fi - more of a body record than a mind record, while still retaining some of the headier, trippy kind of vibe...
Click the link and CONTINUE READING
Anand was one of the best interviews I've had, I didn't have to prompt him much to get him to run with it. Think these guys are going very, very far, very soon.
Yeasayer--"ONE"
In the midst of Yeasayer's tour rehearsals, JamBase spoke with guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Anand Wilder about the creation of Odd Blood, the band's expansive sophomore studio effort, to be released February 9 on the Secretly Canadian imprint. Odd Blood is an explosive, groundbreaking good time that will rattle the brain and move the body ("keep your feet, feet sliding to the side, to the side"), and could inspire some copycat attempts down the road. Although some of the singular influences like Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, a number of '80s dance bands, Genesis and MGMT are prevalent, it's safe to say that you've never heard anything quite like Odd Blood. The band has worked hard to "combine a lot of different elements to create something that's original, something very different [from 2007's All Hour Cymbals], and something that would still be Yeasayer," as Wilder told us. From the austerely Battles-esque first track "The Children" to the rousing "Ambling Alp" and on to "Rome," Odd Blood runs a new kind of gamut. Inherently pop music at its core, Yeasayer's new brand of Adventure Rock or Bizarro Art-Pop (you just gotta make up fresh genre names with these guys) is ground level innovation that defies expectations and invitingly beckons listeners to join them.
JamBase: Give us an idea of the creative process that led to the new Yeasayer sound and album.
Anand Wilder: A lot of the songs began as demos that we would knock off in a few days off from touring. A good chunk of these songs came about in 2007 and 2008. Then me, Ira Wolf Tuton [bass] and Chris Keating [keyboards, vocals] rented a house up in Woodstock, NY from this guy named Jerry Marotta, who used to drum for Tears for Fears, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney. He let us rent his house with all of his music equipment in it. Jerry basically let us set up our studio in his house with tons of gear and allowed us to use all of his drums, synths, and microphones, and I think that really contributed to the sound of this record. With this album we really consciously set out to do something very different from our first record that would still be Yeasayer. We would explore all of our different interests, and we wanted to accomplish a more direct sounding record with higher vocals and make it a little bit dancier.
A lot of the record was influenced by performing live the last few years. When the first record came out we didn't know how much touring we were gonna do, as we were a completely new band. After a year of touring, we kind of thought, "What kind of stuff do we wanna create that we'll be excited about playing live?" So, that kind of shaped the sound of the album as well. Whereas the last record was very hazy, very psychedelic, we wanted this one to be electronic, very computer-based - kind of sci-fi - more of a body record than a mind record, while still retaining some of the headier, trippy kind of vibe...
Click the link and CONTINUE READING
Anand was one of the best interviews I've had, I didn't have to prompt him much to get him to run with it. Think these guys are going very, very far, very soon.
Yeasayer--"ONE"
2010/01/15
Miles Away
I'm sensing a theme here...
Animal Collective "Brother Sport":
Islands "No You Don't" **Starring Michael Cera:
Mixel Pixel and Paperrad "Cyclone Took My Baby"
Animal Collective "Brother Sport":
Islands "No You Don't" **Starring Michael Cera:
Mixel Pixel and Paperrad "Cyclone Took My Baby"
2010/01/11
New Orleans Winter/Spring Concert Calendar
Impressive schedule this Winter and Spring, and in the spirit of the first week of the Mardi Gras season here's a campy little video from 1989 of Buckwheat Zydeco playing "Ya Ya" from w/ The Neville Brothers:
The Wood Brothers, Saturday, January 16th-- The Parish @ House of Blues
RJD2--Thursday, February 11th @ Tipitina's Uptown
Galactic w/ Karl Denson's Tiny Universe-- Mardi Gras Saturday, February 13th @ Tipitina's Uptown
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue--Sunday, February 14th, Tipitina's Uptown
Jay-Z w/ Young Jeezy--Thursday, February 25th @ NO Arena
The Incredible Sandwich--Friday, March 5th @ Cafe Prytania
Eric Clapton--Saturday, March 6th @ NO Arena
STS9--Sunday, March 7th @ House of Blues
Spoon w/ Deerhunter--Thursday, March 18th @ The Republic
Vampire Weekend--Friday, April 9th @ House of Blues
Jazzfest-- Fri-Sun, April 23rd-April 25th & Fri-Sun, April 30th-May 2nd, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers Band, Aretha Franklin and many, many, many, many, many more...
The Wood Brothers, Saturday, January 16th-- The Parish @ House of Blues
RJD2--Thursday, February 11th @ Tipitina's Uptown
Galactic w/ Karl Denson's Tiny Universe-- Mardi Gras Saturday, February 13th @ Tipitina's Uptown
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue--Sunday, February 14th, Tipitina's Uptown
Jay-Z w/ Young Jeezy--Thursday, February 25th @ NO Arena
The Incredible Sandwich--Friday, March 5th @ Cafe Prytania
Eric Clapton--Saturday, March 6th @ NO Arena
STS9--Sunday, March 7th @ House of Blues
Spoon w/ Deerhunter--Thursday, March 18th @ The Republic
Vampire Weekend--Friday, April 9th @ House of Blues
Jazzfest-- Fri-Sun, April 23rd-April 25th & Fri-Sun, April 30th-May 2nd, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers Band, Aretha Franklin and many, many, many, many, many more...
2010/01/07
Widespread Panic New Year's Eve show review / Atlanta, GA / 12/30-31/2009 > 2010
Panic startin' 2010 with a cover of MJ's "Wanna Be Startin' Something":
Death. Taxes. Widespread Panic on New Year's Eve in Atlanta. Some things are certain in life. Maybe it's because I've spent the greater part of my existence as a Georgia resident, but order felt restored in the universe when John Bell and company returned to Atlanta to kick off their eighth New Year's Eve run of this decade at Philips Arena after spending last year's NYE in Denver. In what has been quite the anomaly from past years, the Atlanta shows were Panic's first two of the year in Georgia and the Home Team seemed to play with added gusto on this run. Both performances came off as well-rehearsed, inspired and a great deal of fun. When you live in the Southeast, it's easy to take Panic for granted because one could usually stay local and still catch a half dozen shows a year or more. The fact that these were the first shows in Georgia all year only added to the intense anticipation.
In what has been a roller coaster decade that saw the death of lead guitarist Michael Houser in 2002, an explosion in popularity aided by the American festival industry (headlining events like Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits certainly helped) and the addition of the mega-talented Jimmy Herring, Panic has pushed onward and upward...
CONTINUE READING
Death. Taxes. Widespread Panic on New Year's Eve in Atlanta. Some things are certain in life. Maybe it's because I've spent the greater part of my existence as a Georgia resident, but order felt restored in the universe when John Bell and company returned to Atlanta to kick off their eighth New Year's Eve run of this decade at Philips Arena after spending last year's NYE in Denver. In what has been quite the anomaly from past years, the Atlanta shows were Panic's first two of the year in Georgia and the Home Team seemed to play with added gusto on this run. Both performances came off as well-rehearsed, inspired and a great deal of fun. When you live in the Southeast, it's easy to take Panic for granted because one could usually stay local and still catch a half dozen shows a year or more. The fact that these were the first shows in Georgia all year only added to the intense anticipation.
In what has been a roller coaster decade that saw the death of lead guitarist Michael Houser in 2002, an explosion in popularity aided by the American festival industry (headlining events like Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits certainly helped) and the addition of the mega-talented Jimmy Herring, Panic has pushed onward and upward...
CONTINUE READING
2010/01/01
Looking Ahead: Notable Upcoming Releases in 2010
Notable releases to keep the blood flowing in the first quarter of 2010.
Vampire Weekend- Contra
JANUARY 12
Cold War Kids- Behave Yourself EP
JANUARY 19
RJD2- The Colossus
JANUARY 19
Spoon- Transference
JANUARY 26
Midlake- The Courage of Others
FEBRUARY 2
Galactic- Ya-Ka-May
FEBRUARY 9
Yeasayer- ODD BLOOD
FEBRUARY 9
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim- Here Lies Love
FEBRUARY 23
Erykah Badu- New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh
FEBRUARY 23
The Whigs- In The Dark
MARCH 2
Jonsi Bergisson- Go
MARCH 23
Dillinger Escape Plan- Option Paralysis
MARCH 23
She & Him- Volume Two
MARCH 23
Also releases are expected in first half of 2010 from these artists:
!!!
Battles
MGMT
My Morning Jacket (heavily rumored)
Lil Wayne- Rebirth
Gorillaz
The Arcade Fire
Fleet Foxes
Dr. Dog
Delta Spirit
Bands that are due for new material but I have no grounds for saying it will happen this year:
Radiohead
moe.
David Gilmour
Toubab Krewe
Jack White's unborn side side side project
Outkast (please)
Les Claypool's unborn side side side side project/book/film/instructional gardening VHS
Hitting the road again:
My Morning Jacket (JazzFest in April)
The String Cheese Incident (Rumored this summer)
Please banish from the radio:
Kings of Leon- Only By The Night
Vampire Weekend- Contra
JANUARY 12
Cold War Kids- Behave Yourself EP
JANUARY 19
RJD2- The Colossus
JANUARY 19
Spoon- Transference
JANUARY 26
Midlake- The Courage of Others
FEBRUARY 2
Galactic- Ya-Ka-May
FEBRUARY 9
Yeasayer- ODD BLOOD
FEBRUARY 9
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim- Here Lies Love
FEBRUARY 23
Erykah Badu- New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh
FEBRUARY 23
The Whigs- In The Dark
MARCH 2
Jonsi Bergisson- Go
MARCH 23
Dillinger Escape Plan- Option Paralysis
MARCH 23
She & Him- Volume Two
MARCH 23
Also releases are expected in first half of 2010 from these artists:
!!!
Battles
MGMT
My Morning Jacket (heavily rumored)
Lil Wayne- Rebirth
Gorillaz
The Arcade Fire
Fleet Foxes
Dr. Dog
Delta Spirit
Bands that are due for new material but I have no grounds for saying it will happen this year:
Radiohead
moe.
David Gilmour
Toubab Krewe
Jack White's unborn side side side project
Outkast (please)
Les Claypool's unborn side side side side project/book/film/instructional gardening VHS
Hitting the road again:
My Morning Jacket (JazzFest in April)
The String Cheese Incident (Rumored this summer)
Please banish from the radio:
Kings of Leon- Only By The Night
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