Oneohtrix Point Never Gets Mixed Up
Oneohtrix Point Never’s _Replica_ is getting the remix treatment – or some of it at least. You can see who is involved in what is a 4 track EP entitled _Dog in the Fog_. You can also listen to the Matmos track here.
1. Oneohtrix Point Never w/ Limpe Fuchs – Replica (Matmos Edit)
2. Oneohtrix Point Never w/ Roger Robinson – Replica (OPN Edit)
3. Oneohtrix Point Never – Remember (Surgeon Remix)
4. Oneohtrix Point Never – Nassau (Richard Youngs Remix) http://dlvr.it/1fJYlg
Micachu & The Shapes
Micachu & The Shapes have let the first track from their forthcoming album, _Never_, out the bag and it’s _OK_ (as in the song is called _OK_). The self-produced second album is out on the 24th July via Rough Trade. http://dlvr.it/1fH6qp
Beachwood Sparks
It’s been eleven long years since we heard from Beachwood Sparks, but the wait is over. They’ve got a new album coming out on Sub Pop called _The Tarnished Gold_ – it’s due on the 25th June. And if this warm wave of woozy country is anything to go by it should be a welcome return all round. http://dlvr.it/1fGktB
Julia Holter: Our Sorrows
Julia Holter’s new video was directed by Naomi Yang (Galaxie 500/Damon & Naomi) and sees Holter travelling through LA with a lot of string. We are still listening to the musician’s latest record Ekstasis on a regular basis. http://dlvr.it/1fGZwJ
LA SERA – INTERVIEW
La Sera returned earlier this year with their _Sees The Light_ album. It has a slightly more polished feel to Katie Goodman’s earliar work, so we tracked her down to ask how and why the La Sera sound is developing.
Bowlegs: Do you write songs on the bass or on guitar? How do the ideas come together?
Katie: I wrote songs on the guitar pretty exclusively. I tend to find a chord progression I like and then work on a melody. If I don’t like the first melody, sometimes I write a counter melody and use that one instead. My songs tend to build on themselves that way.
Bowlegs: Was there an intention to make this new album more direct than the first one? It kinda sounds less hazy, more pared down?
Katie: When I made the first la sera album, I was definitely using more reverb, for aesthetic reasons, but also for comfort. It’s a lot more challenging making cleaner music, by I felt like it was the best direction to take the recording. I’ve definitely matured a lot as a singer-songwriter, and I wanted to showcase that on _Sees the Light_.
Bowlegs: Where did you record this time? Have you changed anything about the recording process since your first album?
Katie: I recorded this album in a studio in LA with Rob Barbato and a full live band. The first album was made in a home studio in Seattle with Brady Hall, and he recorded all the instruments track by track.
Bowlegs: Do you listen to much other stuff? What’s the current favourite album? Do you listen to albums or just assorted tracks these days?
Katie: While recording the album, we were listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac (Tusk) and Velvet Underground. The Marked Men were also a big influence for me on a few songs.
Bowlegs: What music really had a big impact on the way you write songs do you think?
Katie: I think Roy Orbison, Iris Dement and the Drifters were all very influential on my song writing.
Bowlegs: Do you like music in terms of songs, artists or genres? Girls seem to like songs and boys seem to dig genres more.
Katie: I do tend to fall in love with songs over artists or genres. When I find a song I like, I tend to listen to it over and over, trying to live inside it.
Bowlegs: What’s your favourite tattoo that you have? And do you have any more planned?
Katie: Hmm, I think my favorite is this giant one I have on my ribs. It stretches down my whole torso. It’s a woodcut from hundreds of years ago representing the scientific revolution.
Bowlegs: Can you tell us a bit about the _Please Be My Third Eye_ video? It makes us feel like we’re a bit hyper.
Katie: Yeah, that was the intention! The director, Vice Cooler, came up with the concept and I liked it. We shot it all in an afternoon, it was really fun. But one of the camera dudes almost died because he fell out of a tree that he climbed in to try and get a cool aerial shot. He was ok, though! http://dlvr.it/1fGDVg
Dan Deacon
We’ve got lots of new Dan Deacon music for you here…no…wait…we’ve got a new track called _Lots_ from Dan Deacon for you here. Actually it’s not here, it’s over at the man’s website which is this way. There’s a new album in August too. http://dlvr.it/1fB8DZ
King Tuff: King Tuff
King Tuff make happy but nostalgic, mellow-dramatic songs. What comes to light straight away is the album’s really basic rock sensibility. There is much foot tapping, Neil Young inspired guitar followed by overtones of Zeppelin and a heap of 90s glaze.
The songs are largely simple, quick-fire ear pleasers. The record has been made fast too, you can hear the recordings speeding up and slowing down like real live takes. What’s good about the music is it never gives the impression of anyone rushing. We’re on this journey with Tuff and he’s just rolling.
By _Stranger _we have a bit of psychobilly string rattling and are up to three guitar tones in as many songs. The theme of the song is isolation and Tuff’s sound swaggers like a rogue bad ass. The Stray Cats spring to mind.
_Keep on Movin’_ lends itself to further 70s comparisons, but much of the lyrical content leans towards more contemporary groups like Metallica, if that makes sense.
Lots of what you hear in King Tuff’s music is sourced fairly directly from that which has been before, but there is enough originality to make you want to tip your hat and offer congratulations. The other thing about Tuff is the story behind the character is an intriguing one. By all counts he sounds a bit feral. Happened upon a guitar and made his way from the ‘Swamp of Love’ into some sort of civilisation.
One comparison I like is San Francisco’s Girls. The similarities may be down to chance, but the presence of desperation in the voice and simple rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities abide. They’re from a long distance apart, but the main men resemble each other on some level, in that they are both singing feel-good songs off the back of a pretty gnarly pair of lives.
-Andy Halliday- http://dlvr.it/1f9wbw
The Mynabirds: Generals
The Mynabirds, led by singer/songwriter Laura Burhenn, return with their sophomore album, pushing the debut’s old-school soul and blues aside for a more rhythmically charged affair. These songs are built from stomping drum patterns – specifically designed to mirror and match Burhenn’s spit and spew of protest. And this is overtly a record of protest, Burhenn saying, “It’s as much a meditation on Walt Whitman’s hope for America as Gandhi’s directive to ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’”
Richard Swift takes on the producer role once more, cranking up the drum levels and urgency as Burhenn gives a call to arms on the excellent title track. _Disaster_ meanwhile drops a slo-mo breakbeat with a funky backbone – you can hear the strong spirit of Cat Power in the vocalist’s sultry delivery.
I do occasionally miss the more flowing moments from the debut. Here, the beats purposefully disrupt the songs – a military march if you will. The cheerleader-come-tribal dance on _Body of Work_ is a prime example of how the words are tied, fitted and shaped around the rhythm. It does mean the initial melodies can’t swoon as often as they once did.
That’s not to say they don’t get the chance. As the record progresses, the soulful side of Burhenn reappears. _Buffalo Flower_ returns to the piano chords and tambourines, with a vocal performance of spine-tingling inspiration. _Greatest Revenge_ closes with a 50’s sugar-coated swing yet packs an acerbic punch to America’s gut.
Burhenn sums up the album by saying, “This record made sense of my own anger and turned it into positive energy.” The statement rings true: this is a record of deep thought and emotive action. I hope her words echo far beyond the stereo. Records built from frustration and a need for change are all too rare these days.
-Brian Bentner- http://dlvr.it/1f9sFT
King Tuff: Bad Thing
This is some scary shit – actually it’s not, but looks like a cool party. We are loving King Tuff round these parts. http://dlvr.it/1f5kyX
Poor Man
Poor Man are following their EP with a self-titled debut on Sub Pop/Bella Union due for release at the end of August. The leading track, _Holiday_, can be heard below, it’s more sun-kissed loveliness. http://dlvr.it/1f4Wdc
