An album that I keep coming back listening like an old friend, Arcade Fire 's Funeral ranks up there in my personal favorite works. Rendered a little like large time lapse containing story of family death and hope, the albums shows its soul through the recurring narrative and thick layers of instrument. It's a momentous 2004 album. Arcade fire is based in Montreal and consists of Win Butler , Régine Chassagne , Richard Reed Parry , William Butler , Tim Kingsbury , Sarah Neufeld , and Jeremy Gara [...]
A quickie acoustic wenesday entry. Special today: artisan from the UK. He is just releasing his debut EP. Check his homepage and this blog entry . Sweet little pieces. Also great upcoming Isobell Campbell album. etc. Have fun. "Acoustic Wednesday No. 33. The downtown was tiring edition." 01. Isobel Campbell : O Love Is Teasin' , Milk White Sheets (V2, 2006) 02. Emily Haines : The Lottery , Knives Don't Have Your Back (Last Gang Records, 2006) 03. Marc Olsen [...]
Music for all season, including which ever universe you are residing. Quintron is a gospel-bop, think of the duo as Louisiana swamp music meets minimal Detroit electronica, hence Swamp-Tech . History has it, Quintron ( Jay Poggi ) indeed started his career in Chicago/Detroit art noise underground in the early 90's. The scene included group such as Wolf Eyes , Andrew W.K., Magas, 25 Suaves, Flying Luttenbachers , and The Scissor Girls. His sounds evolved around his second album, where he solidified his raw organ melded with dance beat. [...]
Found a small text at netlex while making this post. It's ancient, but refreshing. When your mind is going hither and thither, discrimination will never be brought to a conclusion. With an intense, fresh and undelaying spirit, one will make his judgments within the space of seven breaths. It is a matter of being determined and having the spirit to break right through to the other side. Hagakure - The book of the Samourai , Thinking within the space of seven breaths " Fall Evening " [...]
Minneapolis based IDM/post-rock composer. I am not sure how I can miss him, but Dosh (Martin Dosh) is, for lack of better comparison, is the Four Tet from the midwest. From what I gather, his musical formative year was at 16 by moving east to study jazz and drums at Simon's Rock College of Bard in Massachusettes. It was followed by a good dose of the Grateful Dead, college outposts in Mass and NY, Zappa-esque noodling in his band Como Zoo. after returning to Twin city, Dosh slowly integrate himself in the local scene and finally signed and [...]
Chicago's version of Arcade Fire? Probably different, but Bound Stems are also long friends building bands and making musics with flares about history, self and family. Yes, just about every band ultimately speak about such matter, but Bound Stems do it from Chicago's rock point of view. Their songs have story telling feels wrapped in that rather square and mechanical Chicago rock sound circa early 00's. It's all good. Bound Stems is Dan Fleury (guitar), Bobby Gallivan (vocals, guitar), Janie Porche (vocals, guitar, sampler, violin, etc.), Dan Radzicki [...]
An indie band based from Oakland, California, Rogue Wave was formed around 2003 after the dot.com bust by Zach Rogue . Sometimes compared to The Shins , Rogue Wave signiture sounds is their wurlitzer intermingling with power indie rock up tempo thumping beat. They have two albums out with Sub Pop, Out of the Shadow and Descended Like Vultures . Benefit concert. Note: Rogue wave will host a benefit concert for thier drummer, Pat Spurgeon on September 30th 2006 in San Francisco. Pat is undergoing liver transplant. [...]
Fall band. My typical fall bands consist of Death Cab For Cutie, Matt Pond PA and maybe several more accoustic mixing with shoegazing. Something relax before going lost in the deep end with modernist and dark ambient pieces (and generally pissed off and moody) It's the ions in the air I am telling ya. Matt Pond PA begin in 1998 while Pond lived in Philadelphia working as a furniture mover. He met cellist Jim Hostetter while moving his furniture. The two struck up a friendship and Hostetter immediately began writing cello [...]
Summer is over and fall is here. BF should get back to doing what it supposes to be doing instead of screwing around way out there with God knows what music. So here is a mini fall preview. Accoustic, lightly psych, and a dab of pop. Favorite in the list: Lou Barlow , from his great album last year and Caroline recently released albums. "Acoustic Wednesday No. 32. Goodbye Summer." Damien Rice : Volcano (Radio Edit) , O [...]
Late Monday night update. Natalie Walker is a vocalist originally from Indiana who recently released her first downtempo CD, Urban Angel . Formerly lead singer of downtempo electronic group Daughter Darling , her works explore slower and detailed texture as recently done by several midwestern artists. (The Foundry Field Recordings, Low Skies) Her cited influnces are Alison Krauss to Portishead , Jewel to Lauryn Hill, Beth Orton to Bjork. Natalie Walker : Urban Angel , Urban Angel (Dorado Records, 2006) Natalie Walker [...]
Note: Yes Bricolage was down for the past 3 days. Server change up. It's never is fun. But all is tip-top now. Have some computer humor : There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer. When asked to define "great" he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!" He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages. [...]
My dear, I can't hear you. [waves hand making a sign over very loud music]. hah, I am in the mood for something louder. The Pattern it is. A short lived punk band (2000-2002 from Oakland California, The pattern categorized themselves as punk soul boogie. "With a sweet, soulful sound vaguely reminiscent of British R&B and Beat- think Creation, Action, Eyes- combined with a healthy dose of energetic Motor City overdrive and washed down with the punk disaffection of Black Flag and Richard Hell ." The Pattern was Christopher (vocals), [...]
Electronica accoustic galore mixed with singer songwriter rock. Yes that means it's not very accoustic. But I like this list. Somewhat melancholic but not mushy. In the list: The Life Force treo does an interesting Alice Coltrane like rendition of accoustic mixed with electronic. Bobtail Yearlings , boppy tune. The Brokedown just signed with Merge records and they are good. Check them out. "Acoustic Wednesday No. 31. Like Pointless Old Movie" Jóhann Jóhannsson : Odi et Amo , Englabörn (Touch Music, 2002) [...]
A perfect opening band for fall. San Francisco based Tomihira is a three piece band who just released their first published album. It's the kind of charming first release. Simple, clean, well executed and honest. It's all that is perfect with shoegazer with cool vocal just before it transforms into dream pop. Think of them as Cocteau Twins of our decade. I hope they are that big. Somebody sign up this band quick! (Maybe Absolute Kosher ?) Don't forget to buy their self published CD from their webpage. Support new cool band people. [...]
For some reason I am thinking Rome right now. So here is quick passage, when the eternal city was at its height. "...But the things which this city desires cannot justly be said to be evil, for it is itself, in its own kind, better than all other human good. For it desires earthly peace for the sake of enjoying earthly goods, and it makes war in order to attain to this peace; since, if it has conquered, and there remains no one to resist it, it enjoys a peace which it had not while there were [...]
An underated singer of the decade. If there is one record company who keeps publishing brilliant but unknown singers, Touch and Go/Quarter Stick would be the champion. Just ask John Peel, he recorded six sessions with Nina Nastasia during his reign at the BBC. Started appearing in NY scene around 1998, Nina brought her own brand of post-rock accoustic writing like no other group. Her songs are built like medieval castle, full of strings, accordeons, subdued vocal, and deceivingly simple guitar rythm. A quiet expression of solitary strength. They are intimate but with gigantic atmosphere through [...]
PULP FICTION INT. '74 CHEVY (MOVING) - MORNING 2. An old gas guzzling, dirty, white 1974 Chevy Nova BARRELS down a homeless-ridden street in Hollywood. In the front seat are two young fellas -- one white, one black -- both wearing cheap black suits with thin black ties under long green dusters. Their names [...]
Graduate student lounge music. I have no idea how to describe them better. But the calm voice, steady drum-machine, and minimalist repetition almost riffing are all very pleasant. As fall comes and temperature drops, I tend to listen to this type of sound. The Fairline Parkway published only one self titled album in 2002 before dissolving in the noisy background of music scene again. A side project while finishing school, the duo consiste of Zachary Okun and Raj Gadhia . They cited wided influence such as Tortoise , Emmy Lou, [...]
Note: One of the better acoustic wednesday list, almost coherent and dictating mood. It's early chilly late summer list, imagining fall. "Acoustic Wednesday No. 30. A Piece of Bitter Chocolate" The Transmissionary Six : Black Tin Rocket , Get Down (Film Guerrero, 2004) Jolie Holland : Old Fashioned Morphine , Escondida (Anti, 2004) Michael Leviton : Summer's The Worst , My Favorite Place to Drown (Ace Fu Records, 2006) [...]
"you got stuck in traffic with your car..//you dream about the future about that mother fucking life" Chad VanGaalen , ladies and gents, is saying it with Canadian plain directness. Start singing in 1998 and releasing his first album in 2004, Alberta's VanGaalen sounds like Neil Young having a brawl with Conor Oberst on slower album, and Wolf Parade swallowing Nintendo on his recent album. This is the sound of 'do it yourself' north country combined with too many snow days. It's spring time head bopper. Chad VanGaalen : [...]
Bricolage Fantasy
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Metric Debuts Album via Synthetica Hide+Seek, Tickets On Sale Now For Fall Tour
THE MASTERSONS — BIRDS FLY SOUTH
