By now you've probably heard that drummer/guitarist J. Tillman has left Fleet Foxes to concentrate on other projects. While he might not be leaving for greener pastures, it's not a huge shock considering that Tillman was putting out solo work a few years before joining Foxes in 2008. Tillman has now released a couple of new tracks under his pseudonym, Father John Misty . "I Would Love You," a duet with Phosphorescent, is very much in the vein of Fleet Foxes, but his latest single "Hollywood Forever Cemetery" has a much more edgier Neil Young & Crazy [...]
Message To Bears - Photo by Luke Doyle I love the original song (it is actually one of my all time favourite tracks) but there is something about a cover track not sounding like a carbon copy, ya know? For this cover songs, 'Wolves' while originally also a beautiful and sparse acoustic number in its own sense, Message To Bears takes the acoustic song forward with layers of his own that almost make the song a different beast all together. While the cover finds the song becoming less tortured and aching than the original, it is [...]
Welcome to 2012. Here's one for the last year of our existence, Father John Misty's duet with Phosphorescent on the Misty original, "I Would Love You." MP3: Father John Misty & Phosphorescent :: I Would Love You
I'm a little apprehensive about writing this post about best gigs of the year, partly because I think I've seen less this year than many others but mainly because I seem to know a few people who seem to go to a mindboggling number of gigs. I know of a couple of people who are nearly into three figures for the year. Think about it, pretty much two gigs a week… {prostrates himself on the floor} But, anyhoo, for what's its worth here are seven cracking live experiences from this year. In no particular order… [...]
So, the penultimate entry before Mrs Mackerel finishes off this year's set of Top Ten postings tomorrow is my very own. Without further ado... 10. Milk Music - Beyond Living Although it was released early in the year, I only discovered it recently. A full on, no holds barred, nihilistic 70s punk attitude and the very best of the heavyweight riffs of the grunge era is a mighty powerful combination. One that makes me wish my car stereo went all the way up to eleven. Download Milk Music - Beyond [...]
Here's to Taking It Easy – Phosphorescent Pride saw arch finger-pointer Matthew Hauk and pals sound a bit Bon Iver-y, which was OK but 2010's follow up was a much more ballsy, countrified affair, with brass, slide guitars and riffs all over the shop –terrific value. I think I've already posted a video of my favourite track ( "God damn, Amanda, God damn it all"), so here's the opener – Bah bah badda ba badda bah! [...]
The Schönbys are fictional, made-up awards for me to let you know what I've enjoyed listening to during 2011. Winners and nominations are drawn from music I have seen, heard or bought during the preceding 12 months. The first award is Best Live Act. Here's the list I had to choose from; Goldheart Assembly, Mojave 3, Band of Horses, Oxo Foxo, Laura J Martin, Jonny, Warpaint, Fiction, Metronomy, Yuck, Phosphorescent, Ash, Los Campesinos!, Futureheads, Dananananackroyd, Standard Fare, This Many Boyfriends, Fear of Men, Dutch Uncles, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Ringo Deathstarr and Outfit. Notable commendations [...]
In this special, Friday edition: The Wiggles get Rewiggled , discover Analog Rebellion, and we resume our Blogophilia re-posts with Volume 18. Rewiggled? If you've had a child in the past twenty years (or if you've been one in the last twenty), it's hard not to go by a bowl of fruit salad and proclaim it as yummy, yummy. Thanks to the Disney Channel, The Wiggles have left an indelible mark on children worldwide. It's hard to believe this Aussie act is 20 [...]
The premise of the song I Gotta Get Drunk by Willie Nelson has always cracked me up. The narrator laments the fact that he has to get drunk - knowing full well he is going to act like a jackass and spend a lot of money, but has to do it anyway for the amusement of others. Our protagonist also dismisses the advice of doctors telling him to cool it on his drinking citing that are more old drunks than there are old doctors. Hard to argue with that logic. [...]
Editors Note: Yes, I realize how ridiculous it is to post a Best Albums of 2010 writeup in August of 2011. I thought I had finished this long ago, but turns out it was sitting in my draft queue gathering dust. Any other post I would have thrown away, but I love to look back years from now on how silly my taste was at the time. So here it is in all its glory. Happy New Year everyone, ...
Stephen Farris recently sent us his latest release, and it is really growing on me as a brilliant and varied assembly of tracks. Titled Phosphorescence , Farris ' new LP expands upon his last full length compilation, CS II , through tasteful rhythmic layering, superb effects wizardry, and complex sample manipulation. If you like bang for your buck you must head over to his bandcamp to grab the full collection for $5. Stephen Farris - Harps [...]
Austin City Limits served as the ultimate break from the status quo, an ephemeral voyage to a utopia far removed from normative daily life, embedded in the heart of one America's most interesting cities. Also, the extended weekend was a long overdue first trip to Austin, TX for me personally, and I immediately became enamored with the place (a city with great live music and great Mexican food - is this real life ?). The familiar ambitions of seeing as many bands as humanly possible and packing a month's worth of debaucherousness [...]
And cue the collective sigh of relief (or remorse, depending): festival season is over. Basically. With the triumphant conclusion of Arcade Fire on Friday night, the 2011 installments of the "Big Four" are officially kaput. There are a few minor festivals here and there left for fall and winter to tide us over until next April in Indio, but by and large we've seen what 2011 had to offer. We don't want to get too sentimental or take the spotlight away from Austin City Limits , but it was a hell of a year, folks. From Dave Grohl and [...]
As far as the weather goes, the second day at Austin City Limits was a godsend. Most of the day was committed to Americana, folk, roots and country music (with a brief stop at Skrillex out of pure curiosity) and My Morning Jacket rounded out another excellent day in Zilker Park, inviting New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band onstage to help shut it down at the AMD Stage.
Somehow I got picked to write the Top 5 that drops on the first day of ACL (who makes these schedules, anyways?). The wonderful writers here at the ATH have already provided an abundance of great recommendations , interviews and previews that are better than anything I could ever do, so I'll talk about the only thing that hasn't been covered . Music with a kick of country. If you find yourself wandering near the Austin Ventures stage with some time to kill in-between the Brontosauras Flag [...]
![AUSTIN CITY LIMITS 2011 [GUIDE]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3723812_lg.jpg)
As we get ourselves ready for the end of summer and the bone-crushing cold that comes with the change of season, it's time to focus important things like family, friends, and getting heavily intoxicated while listening to one spectacular band after another - you know, the important things. So it is with great joy in our hearts that we pack up our things and ship out to Austin for one of our last festivals of the year, the illustrious Austin City Limits . In order to properly prepare our psyches (and yours) for the [...]
Phosphorescent provided us with one of our favorite albums of 2010. Watch Mr. Houck performance @ the NPR offices below: Then go pick up his latest album Here's To Taking It Easy .
Last week, the UK's Larmer Tree Gardens hosted a hilariously deep bill for the End Of The Road Festival, a lineup that featured Joanna Newsom, Kurt Vile, Tinawiren, Lykke Li, Best Coast, the Walkmen and dozens of other notables. Elena Morelli was there to magnificently document the epic lineup. There's a peacock in one of her shots. You should find it.
It is true to say that our first visit to the End of the Road Festival last year was without doubt the best music event (bar SxSW) we had ever attended. A superb line-up, brilliant layout, and festival goers who were there for the music rather than the 'experience' ensured three days of superb entertainment. It meant we bought tickets immediately they went on sale for 2011, before we knew the line-up, before we'd even washed the dust off from 2010, and waited impatiently for September to come around again. Granted, for us the line-up this [...]
Today Barry-Sean and I head off, pop up tents in tow, to the marvellous End of the Road festival in lovely Dorset. Once again sold out, last year's inaugural trip turned into the best festival visit we've ever had, and we're looking forward to more of the same over the next few days. Even the weather forecast is good! Once again we have a huge number of superb bands scheduled to play and to follow our free Truck Festival Mix (RiP) and our Wilderness Festival Mix , here's the third and final instalment - [...]
Sloane Ranger
Slowcoustic
An Aquarium Drunkard
Partly Porpoise
Mad Mackerel's Blog
What's Wrong With The Mainstream
The Dadada
Hidden Track
The Giant Panther
dipped in dollars
Live Music Blog
Consequence Of Sound
Austin Town Hall
the WILD honey pie
Halfway House Music
Stereogum
A-Trak - "Round of Applause" / "Where My Money At" (MP3 Download)
Diplo - "Climax" (MP3 Stream)
Out This Week 2/14
Gotye – Somebody I Used To Know (Jakob Liedholm Remix) : Must Hear House / Indie Remix [TSIS PREMIERE]
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
