Here's a photo of a prepubescent Geoff Barrow thwacking a drumkit that practically engulfs his wiry frame. Whodathunk at the time whoever took said photo (and evidently neglected to employ the camera's redeye reduction feature) that the above kiddo would go on to establish one of Britain's most persistently progressive labels in the imperial guise of Invada and propel perhaps the country's bestest band ? Irregardless, Invada this week released its 2012 sampler and here are our highlights... First up: new one from the [...]
London duo Crushed Beaks release their debut single, 'Close-Ups' this week. Alex Morris and Matthew Poile started the band last year after apparently bonding 'over their shared love of Italian horror films'. Surprisingly, this talking point does seem to claim a place in their music. It's gallop... Read more..
There's a lot of pork in Asheville, NC. Like, tons. Everywhere you go, they're advertising beef, BBQ, and, well, pork. It's sort of funny because there's also a lot of tofu. (Hey, vegans gotta eat something.) And yet it's this polarizing, yet mutual, relationship that exemplifies the town's unique persona. Oh, delightful food. But food bonds us. It's the one thing that anyone can agree upon (anorexics, religious fanatics excluded): We gotta eat. And with a weekend party like Moogfest , which essentially strangles the town for three long nights, the overall community of food is an [...]
A million thoughts fly around my head at once, a tidalwave of a headache, a flash flood of dizziness, a swirl of synapses and it's all that I can do to grip the arms of my chair, to stop my teeth from grinding. I stare downwards and breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe and gradually the colours focus, the world stills, the speed becomes bearable, gradually the air tastes better and it turns out I'm listening to, no, languishing in, the blurry 'bedroom pop' of London duo Crushed Beaks , like a kid in the huge bowl of liqud chocolate [...]
champoy Before becoming a singer, Anika was a political journalist splitting her time between Bristol and Berlin. But after meeting Portishead producer Geoff Barrow, she quit her job as correspondent and released an album she recorded with Barrow's latest project BEAK> in just twelve days on Stones Throw/Invada. She speaks here from somewhere in the middle of nowhere about leaving journalism to make music and rebelling against perfect music. This interview by Lainna Fader. Had you been making music before you got the [...]
Anika played the Crocodile Sunday night. She looked and sounded like Nico fronting Metal Box era Public Image Limited . Actually she was fronting BEAK>, Geoff Barrow of Portishead 's other band. He was behind the drums somehow making them sound as if they were being recorded by Martin Hannett . Anika has the stage presence of an icicle, but it works. The songs have a steely isolating feel to them and her icy demeanor perfectly compliments thm. When listening to desolate, [...]
"Fucking noisy, fucking messy and fucking loud!" It's a sentence that will get even the most cynical and disheartened music fan excited
Hey, who said festival season was over? A certain All Tomorrow's Parties event, the inaugural U.S. I'll Be Your Mirror , just took Asbury Park, New Jersey by storm (sort of literally, but that's okay because it was inside!) and it surely qualifies as a festival. That's right, while every other festival is in its 10th year and booking the same 250 acts as the festival preceding it, ATP just swoops in with an unglamorous but effective idea and declares itself a contender for U.S. festival of the year! At least as far as the [...]
Crushed Beaks have announced they'll be releasing their debut single, 'Close Ups/Sun Dogs', through the Too Pure singles Club on November 21st. You can stream the 'Sun Dogs' portion of the single right here: The London duo are also set to play the following shows: 05/10/11 – The Old Blue Last, London 14/10/11 – Servant Jazz Quarters, London 15/10/11 – NO [...]
Here's another band that's come out of nowhere to be one of the most important in your life. Reports from people who've seen Crushed Beaks live are consistently hyperbolic, and the recording of the latest track lives up to visceral, thrilling show. There have been 4 demos floating around for a while, but Sun Dogs takes the melody and beauty established in those and adds in the kind of depth last seen in The Horrors' Still Life. The fact that they're from London only serves to make all of us who aren't dwelling in the capital increasingly jealous, and expect a spike [...]
Despite the fact it was only 6 weeks ago that we last posted about Crushed Beaks , the duo from London have already come a long way since then. What started out as some scrappily bedroom-recorded (but still thoroughly excellent) demos have turned into a single release proper - with tracks Close-Ups and Sun Dogs to go out through Too Pure Records , November 21. The latter - distant yet punchy, melodic and catchy lo-fi beauty - is streamable below. London people can also see them at the Old Blue last on October 5, or at the same [...]
First came Towns , then last week we got hooked on Spectres . If Bristol's kindling something of an obsession with confrontational guitar-led acerbity, add to this evolution Invada Records' Scarlet Rascal & The TrainWreck . Not merely signed to the label of the city's musical lynchpin, Geoff Barrow, the quartet's debut release The Haunting was also mixed and edited by the Portishead/Beak> percussionist/turntablist/soun d architect, and rumbles along with frenetic, whirring guitars reminiscent of The Horrors' stint in their Strange House atop thunderous bass clang evocative of the fuzzy lines drawn by Billy Fuller. Lyrics [...]
Jeff Mangum has justifiably been getting the lion's share of the attention surrounding the I'll Be Your Mirror festival; when a reclusive indie god comes out of hiding, it's a big deal. But the weekend also marked a long-awaited return for the festival's curators and headliners. Last night, Portishead stepped onstage in the Convention Hall to play their first East Coast show since 1998. Just before they took the stage, their simple P logo appeared on the screen in back of them, and the crowd collectively lost it, and then continued to lose it for the next hour [...]
by Paul Brown As someone who considers himself to be a major lover of the North East's musical happenings, it is quite simply a travesty that I haven't yet made it to either of the previous installments of Split Festival , so I'm pleased to finally rectify that this year, even if I'm only able to make it to the festival's first day. Set in the lovely surroundings of Ashbrooke Sports Club in a pretty leafy part of Sunderland, the line-up of the festival is a gratifying blend of local and bigger name talent, and [...]
Hasta hace aproximadamente un mes Geoff Barrow opinaba de todo, y cuando digo todo, pues es todo, pero tiempo despues de que Portishead anunciara su gira por Estados Unidos despues de varios años de no haberlo hecho, Geoff se habia mantenido bastante al margen de todo pero ahora, ya volvemos a saber mas de el pero en esta ocasion se debe a que su proyecto Beak> acaba de hacer un fantastico cover de Pink Floyd para un compilado tributo a esta banda. Pues bien, este tributo de Pink Floyd esta al mando de la revista MOJO y lleva [...]
Our usual round up of the very best of our August posts and some new tracks too. Dip in - every one a winner as they say. Download The Cabin Dogs – High Falls mp3 (from Midnight Trail) Invites you to kick off your boots, pour a stiff one and sit on the porch to watch the sun go down – a song for when you're busy doing nothing as they say. Download Spectrals – Big Baby mp3 (from Big Baby 7″) Spritely and upbeat that melds 60s girl [...]
We hold few rules inviolate at Passion of the Weiss. One of them is the maxim that Geoff Barrow can do no wrong. Hence, the compulsion to post the "Welcome to the Machine" cover that his other band Beak> recently dropped for one of these free compilation CD's that Mojo gives away every month. By my estimate, this was their 84th Pink Floyd cover in the last decade, but I will still ride for Mojo anyday. They still practice the anachronistic art of journalism and can get Geoff Barrow to contribute to their compilations. Continuing the aesthetic of [...]
Mojo magazine has a free cover disc this month revisiting and re-imagining some classic Pink Floyd in the shape of Return To Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here Again . They asked a range of contemporary artists to celebrate the forthcoming Pink Floyd album reissues by re-recording the tracks for the CD and also an exclusive version of the record that comes in a limited run of 10,000 copies. Artists include Wolf People, Lia Ices, The Orb, The Pineapple Thief and our particular favourite Beak> [...]
Mwahaha - "Rainbow Diamond" Oakland's Mwahaha pack plenty of left turns into the electronic-psych-pop of "Rainbow Diamond," the first single from the group's self-titled album, out December 6th. The band includes Ross Peacock (ex-Clipd Beaks) along with brothers Nathan and Cyrus Tilton. All three of them used to be in Ned (and yes, I know there are four guys in their press photo). Other key facts: Mwahaha was recorded with Eli Crews, and features Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards singing on one song. Also, remixes [...]
Dots & Dashes
Never Enough Notes
Consequence Of Sound
Some Of It Was True!
L.A. RECORD
the finest kiss
Addict Music
The 405
Pigeon Post.
Basement Fever
Stereogum
Muso's Guide
Cover Me
My Blog Cliche
Mad Mackerel's Blog
The Passion of the Weiss
The Bay Bridged
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
Circo Voador anuncia shows de The Kooks, Foster The People, Friendly Fires, Gogol Bordello e mais
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
My Funny Valentines
Lana Del Rey - Without You (Kill Paris Remix) [Dubstep]
