So you’re having a bunch of shows in Hyde Park, during the (brief) height of the Great British summer, and what do you do? Why stick it in a tent, of course. Granted, everyone would be eternally grateful if, true to form, it was pissing it down tonight, but it’s not and it seems a damn shame having to shuffle inside a big old circus tent when it’s so nice lazing around outside on the grass. Which may explain why there’s a fairly small crowd for folk-tress Alela Diane, tonight’s main support act. Those who did head inside were rewarded though, as she delivered a warm, glowing rendition of highlights from her debut To Be Still. With her dad on mandolin duties, and a full band, she pulled of a gloriously golden sound that rivalled soaking up the sun outside.
The tent did, of course, fill up though, as Bon Iver took to the stage around 8:45pm. Opening with a long, anticipation-building intro to ‘Lump Sum’, it was a fairly low-key beginning to the proceedings, even by his low-key standards. But after he’d eased in gently he whipped out that battered old steel guitar and smacked the audience round the face, dropping what must’ve been the track most them bought their ticket for – the trademark ‘Skinny Love’. It wasn’t wasted early on in the set though, but set a very very high bar for the rest of the show, which Bon Iver cleared easily. And, of course, it was bloody beautiful. There was a rare outing for’ Brackett, W9’, featured on the Dark Was The Night compilation. The warm, fuzzy guitar sounds combined with swelling vocals were lovely to hear live, and then progressed surprisingly well into ‘Blood Bank’, as though the two songs were brothers. Continue Reading
From the moment I embarked the 10am train to Taunton, it was obvious this ATP would be a very different kettle of fish to my previous excursion Minehead way. Whilst the journey to The Fans was like being trapped in a feature-length episode of Skins, all flannel-shirted youths sporting Converse and polka dots, the clientele this time was, let’s say, a little richer in years…and volume. But with ATP: Breeders focusing on more established acts than last week’s indie-schmindie extravaganza- over half the bands have been around at least a decade- that’s no real surprise. Neither is it a criticism; in many ways having a line-up I was far less familiar with (being but a twinkle in the milkman’s eye when Gang of Four and X were first around) made this a more interesting experience to review, and indeed, it also proved that these old-timers could show their more youthful counterparts a lesson or two… Continue Reading
In today’s high paced, media overkill society sometimes recording a few tunes and putting them out isn’t enough. Sometimes to get noticed there has to be that little ‘extra’ that makes your music stand out from the masses; some gimmick or back story to distinguish from all the other hopefuls. While the likes of Bon Iver and Seasick Steve would probably have hit the headlines anyway, their push into the mainstream was no doubt aided by having a ‘marketable’ story to tell. The following three records seem to have taken this on board, and run with it. Continue Reading
It’s been a good year for roots music. Just look at Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and The Acorn, let alone Alison Krauss and Robert Plant winning the top Grammy for their take on tradition. Definitively, modern roots music has found a significant number of new ears in the UK lately, and as such the beloved mainstream has shifted slightly from guitar bands to more acoustic, folk-based acts. Folk music, generally, emphasizes space over time, as to me, the genre and its myriad cohorts write with honesty and respect, careful of the traditions that are being appropriated. It doesn’t mean any other style doesn’t incorporate such descriptions, as everything does, but taken on its own folk music does sound honest. Take Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, or Cat Stevens’ Tea For Tillerman. Both albums strove to present bare-necked, plaintive examples of their originators strengths, and did so perfectly. Fleet Foxes have done the same, as has Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, along with scores more on both sides of the pond. But the passageway is crowded, and a lot of mediocrity undoubtedly reaches the mass. Continue Reading
Dark Was The Night is a fundraiser for the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS, comprising 31 exclusive tracks. Moreover, though, much like a previous Red Hot effort, 1993’s No Alternative (Nirvana, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, Jonathan Richman), it acts as a snapshot of a certain time and place in North American alternative music (Stuart Murdoch, Devastations, Riceboy Sleeps, Antony Hegarty and Jose Gonzalez company excepted). The record takes in a healthy cross-section of the major players in the scene over the last couple of years; a period of unbridled creativity and critical hosannahs shone upon the music that not so long ago would have been quietly left to fend for its own cult following on the underground. So how do you approach something like this, with no thematic link or stylistic even keel, just a hell of a lot of proven quality intended, as the producers Aaron and Bryce Dessner (of The National) have reinforced, merely as a showcase for “the best in independent music, with an emphasis on traditional themes played and arranged in a contemporary way” (whatever that means)? By throwing traditional review narrative form out of the window and tackling it sequentially, I guess. Continue Reading
Ah, the changing of the seasons, the early stirrings of a new calendar year and a new Rough Trade Counter Culture compilation, the seventh annual collection by my reckoning. Not only a reliable overview of what made waves, stirred critics and got those in the know genuinely excited in the previous year, but also a sobering yearly reminder that you don’t know as much about new music as you think you do. Sure, you like to imagine your finger is on the pulse of the cutting edge at the zeitgeist or something, but then you get the new Counter Culture, glance at the tracklisting and go “Indian Jewelry? Alva Noto? Koko Von Napoo? Who are these people?”. But Rough Trade prides itself on being ahead of the wider game – Counter Culture 07 included Vampire Weekend, Glasvegas, No Age and Fucked Up, all of whom made far bigger impacts in their own ways and scales in 2008.
On Sunday night, from under a giant, Iron Maiden-worthy papier-mâché dragon, Bon Iver bid an emotional end-of-year farewell to London. (They were playing the Apollo Victoria, where there is a nightly run of Wicked, and there were unsettling, vaguely apocalyptic props clustered around the stage.) On sale at the show was their new four-track EP, Blood Bank. It is pressed on satisfyingly weighty vinyl, stickered with what looks like a picture of fluffy nimbus clouds and packaged, complete with lyrics sheet, in a beautifully designed sleeve that seems to say, quietly, because Justin Vernon is a quiet guy, “Buy me; please don’t leak me”. Continue Reading
As previously reported here, the new 4AD compilation Dark Was The Night will be released next month and comprises of 31 exclusive tracks curated by The National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner and the AIDS charity Red Hot.
‘Knotty Pine’ by The Dirty Projectors and David Byrne is just one of the many, many highlights on this fabulous set and has just been made available as a free download.
Also, as of yesterday, 4AD began a track-by-track premiere of the record. From January 15 through February 15, each track, in order will be streamed for one day only at www.myspace.com/DarkWasTheNight as well as on the relevant band’s MySpace page.
Tracks to look out for are Antony Hegarty’s stirring take on the early Dylan classic ‘I Was Young When I Left Home’, ‘Cello Song’ by The Books and Jose Gonzalez, ‘Deep Blue Sea’ from Grizzly Bear and a cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ by My Brightest Diamond – which really shouldn’t work but does in a quite fantastic way. Oh, and there is a stunning reworking of Bright Eyes’ ‘Lua’ where Coner Oberst is joined by Gillian Welch on vocals. Basically, there isn’t a duff track over the whole 2 discs. Definitely an essential purchase for 2009 and for a great charity to boot. Pre-order here.
Tracklist in full:
‘THIS DISC’
“Knotty Pine” – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
“Cello Song” – The Books featuring Joses Gonzalez
“Train Song” – Feist and Ben Gibbard
“Brackett, WI” – Bon Iver
“Deep Blue Sea” – Grizzly Bear
“So Far Around The Bend” – The National
“Tightrope” – Yeasayer
“Feeling Good” – My Brightest Diamond
“Dark Was The Night” – Kronos Quartet
“I Was Young When I Left Home” – Antony with Bryce Dessner
“Big Red Machine” – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
“Sleepless” – The Decemberists
“Die” – Iron & Wine
“Service Bell” – Grizzly Bear + Feist
“You Are The Blood” – Sufjan Stevens
‘THAT DISC’
“Well-Alright” – Spoon
“Lenin” – Arcade Fire
“Mimizan” – Beirut
“El Caporal” – My Morning Jacket
“Inspiration Information” – Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
“With A Girl Like You” – Dave Sitek
“Blood Pt. 2″ – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
“Hey, Snow White” – The New Pornographers
“Gentle Hour” – Yo La Tengo
“Amazing Grace” – Cat Power
“Happiness” – Riceboy Sleeps
“Another Saturday” – Stuart Murdoch
“The Giant Of Illinois” – Andrew Bird
“Lua” – Conor Oberst with Gillian Welch
“When The Road Runs Out” – Blonde Redhead & Devastations
Us Brits may moan about the weather and the tax, but when it comes to live music, this tiny island is a delight. From where else in the world could we nip off to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen or, er, Minehead to indulge our burning desire for live music and still scrape into work on a Monday morning? And where else could we hop between a 60,000-seat football stadium packed full of air-punching Bruce Springsteen fans and a miniscule bar where a fragile Edwyn Collins plays a secret set to 50 tearful Dundonians (and one TLOBF writer)? Eight of the site’s most obsessive gig-goers present their picks of the year’s live music. Continue Reading
Posted on 16 December 2008 by The Line Of Best Fit
Well… we’re sorry for the delay, but the two Rich’s here at TLOBF Towers have been burning the midnight oil, counting each of the votes… And now we’re ready to announce it!
According to you, the lovely, well-dressed and gorgeous readers of TLOBF, the album of the year IS:
And it’s a Merry Christmas from those fine folks over at 4AD… they’ve given up for grabs a FREE label sampler featuring some of the finest acts of the year. Those include TV on the Radio, Bon Iver, The Mountain Goats and It Hugs Back:
TV On The Radio “Golden Age” (taken from Dear Science)
Deerhunter “Nothing Ever Happened” (taken from Microcastle)
Department Of Eagles “No One Does It Like You” (taken from In Ear Park)
Anni Rossi “Ecology” (taken from Afton EP)
Stereolab “Neon Beanbag” (taken from Chemical Chords)
Atlas Sound “River Card” (taken from Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel)
It Hugs Back “Work Day” (taken from forthcoming album Inside Your Guitar)
Minotaur Shock “My Burr” (taken from Amateur Dramatics)
Johann Johannsson “Melodia (i)” (taken from Fordlandia)
Bon Iver “Skinny Love” (taken from For Emma, Forever Ago)
The Breeders “Bang On” (taken from Mountain Battles)
The Mountain Goats “Sax Rohmer #1″ (taken from Heretic Pride)
We’ve known about this for a few weeks now but for some reason haven’t posted anything about it… *slapped wrists etc* 4AD Records and AIDS charity Red Hot have joined forces with Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National to produce a whopping 32 track album of original material from all your favourite indie superstars. Yup, you’ve guessed it – Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Beach House, The Decemberists and of course The National all feature. It is certainly set to be one of the must have records of 2009.
Some info from the label below, plus the complete lineup.. Tracklisting so far, hasn’t been revealed.
Dark Was The Night we can confirm will be released on February 16th (Worldwide) and 17th (North America) 2009. Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National produced the album, with John Carlin (founder of the Red Hot Organization) its executive producer. A total of thirty-two exclusive tracks have been recorded for the compilation, which will be available as a double cd, triple vinyl and download album, with profits benefitting the Red Hot Organization – an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.
Red Hot was founded on the premise that even without a cure, AIDS remains a preventable disease – using music as a great vehicle to raise both money and awareness for it. This is also the twentieth year of Red Hot as well as their twentieth compilation.
The complete list of artists (in alphabetical order) that recorded tracks for this release are: Andrew Bird
Antony + Bryce Dessner
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Beirut
Blonde Redhead + Devastations
Bon Iver
Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner
The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
The Decemberists
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Kevin Drew
Feist + Ben Gibbard
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear + Feist
Iron & Wine
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Kronos Quartet
Stuart Murdoch
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
The New Pornographers
Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
Riceboy Sleeps
Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio)
Spoon
Sufjan Stevens
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo
Pretty awesome huh? I’m particualry looking forward to the Ben Gibbard and Feist collaboration.. More news as and when we get it.
Posted on 28 November 2008 by The Line Of Best Fit
It’s that time of year again… We’re making our list and checking it twice, trying to find out who’s been naughty or nice. Yes, it’s our Album of the Year! More coveted than a shiny penny, more famous than the winner of last year’s X-Factor and guaranteed to start debate!
This year, to shuffle blame away from TLOBF HQ, we’re getting YOU, yes, YOU the reader, to vote for the albums YOU think are the best 2008 had to offer. We’ve whittled down a mammoth list of prospective albums to a mere 50. It’s tough work, but someone had to do it.
So, mouse button at the ready – get clicking! You can pick as many albums as you like, there are no limits. If you feel it’s worthy of “Album of the Year” status, then do the right thing and cast your vote.
If you need some help making that all-important decision, you can read our take on the albums listed in our 2008 archive here.
The poll will close on Friday December 12th.
There is a prize up for grabs for one lucky reader. Some very kind record companies behind the following 50 records have offered up a selection of prizes including: ultra-rare vinyl, posters, t-shirts and CDs by some of the nominees, plus a pair of tickets to see the sold-out Fleet Foxes show at London Roundhouse in February 2009. To be in with a chance of winning this mammoth and hugely exciting prize, enter your details at the bottom of this page. The lucky winner will be notified via email. Competition closes on Friday 12th December.
This album is a hard one to review. Oh yes. Not because it’s bad, its brilliant, and I’m so impressed by That’s The Spirit (Ottawan native Ben Wilson, with some help from a few good friends) that to put into words how much i like this album would take up 3 pages and probably only consist of the word ‘incredible’. And that wouldn’t make a good review. When I do try, whenever I get a good point in my head, I automatically forget it because im too lost in the music. This album feels like an album. It isn’t a collection of songs loosely bundled together. It’s a positive cloud of music, something almost tangible. When Staying Places is playing, an atmosphere is created that is ethereal, almost dream-like and at the same time, a focused concentration of well placed instruments and vocal lines. In fact, if I wasn’t woken up slightly by the vintage piano introduction of ‘It’s Curtains For You’ (a track that drifts across your mental horizon halfway through this release, and then leaves after less than two minutes), Staying Places would have me in a trance from start to finish. Continue Reading
I rarely get any use out of MySpace nowadays – I’m either being spammed by some American cheerleader called ‘Brandy’ who thinks I’m really ‘hot’ and wants to get to know me a little better (when it’s most likely a Nigerian scammer planning to take all my money and/or kill me) or I’m being persued by some band or another who’s influences are Oasis, The Fratellis and Razorlight. *shivers* Really, it happens.
But without MySpace I wouldn’t have discovered this nugget of info. Posting on her blog, an excitable Sarah Siskind has just announced that she will be the opening act for the European Bon Iver shows in December. Oh yes.
Those of you that aren’t familiar with Siskind’s music will almost certainly be interested in knowing not only have Bon Iver been finishing their recent shows with her wonderful ballad ‘Lovin’s For Fools’ but her double EP Studio. Living Room was a huge influence on Justin whilst he was recording For Emma, Forever Ago. Check out the aforementioned track below. It’s a belter. And it might just make you cry. A little.
Those dates then:
December
3 – Dublin, National Stadium
6 – Belgium, Gent Vooruit
7- London, Apollo Victoria Theatre
We’re still on a bit of a Bon Iver high here at TLOBF Towers. After last weeks epic show and the announcement of an all new London show in December and what not. Anyhoo – just stumbling around the interweb and I found this. Via MySpace no less – a live session Justin and the boys did a week or so ago. It features four live tracks from the much loved For Emma, Forever Ago – the title track (which is also the new single), ‘Flume’, ‘Blindsided’ and ‘Lump Sum’. The version of ‘For Emma’ is especially lovely – a little more stripped back than the one heard live last week. Also, if you wander over to the MySpace page – you can watch all the videos plus some interview footage to boot. Neato.
It’s been quite a year for live music, 2008; an emotional roller-coaster of euphoria and heady nostalgia and all sorts of superlatives you might reach for to try to describe a clenched throat that doesn’t know if it’s holding back ecstatic cheers or warm tears.
There was the 12 Bar last month, a fragile Edwyn Collins leaning into the protective, wiry shoulder of Roddy Frame, straining resistant limbs and lips into familiar old shapes for a tiny crowd of shiny-eyed Dundonians. There was the Roundhouse a few weeks before that, Kevin Shields’ mouth yawning wide and silent into the din, my skin rippling as though the waves that buffeted the front row were real and not mere sound. And there was the holy still air of St Giles church, in the balmy early days of June, when Justin Vernon raised a guitar to the heavens and 300 faithful erupted into triumphant thanksgiving. It’s pure luck to be granted one such fleeting, epiphanical moment a year, never mind two from one quiet Wisconsinite. Iconic performances seem to have littered the summer months like chewing-gum wrappers, and now another has just fallen at our feet and blown past, reminding me of Winnaretta Singer’s line about the rare and particular breed of music that reminds us that we have “a reason for living on this rock: to live in the beautiful kingdom of sounds.” Continue Reading
Last night Bon Iver played the biggest show of his career to date at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire. One of the most mesmerising shows TLOBF has seen in a long, long time. We think Justin was as moved as the few thousand people who witnessed it. Review coming soon – I for one am still finding it difficult to string a coherent sentence together… In the meantime – we have great pleasure in announcing this ‘lil tid bit. Literally just hit our inbox..
London, Friday 12 September 2008 – The critically acclaimed Bon Iver have today announced that they will be one of the first live music acts to perform a very special and intimate show at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre on the 7th December.
Bon Iver (an intentional mis-spelling / adaptation of ‘Bon Hiver’, French for ‘Good Winter’) is the work of Justin Vernon, a former member of Wisconsin quartet DeYarmond Edison. Vernon, who wrote the material in 2006 whilst living in a log cabin, used very little equipment – just a couple of microphones, a baritone guitar, two drums, a horn, a reverb pedal. These few items, when combined with enough space, allowed the songs that form this record become far more than sum of their parts.
Vernon explains : “I recognize that the record is enigmatic and special in a strange way. I can’t take full credit for it, and I was the only one there.”
Jagjaguwar and Dead Oceans, the consistently fine spin off labels from Secretly Canadian have oodles of interested signings and new releases coming up – so, in a condensed form, heres everything in one bite sized-ish post. Here goes…
Bon Iver
Signed in the US to Jagjaguwar (4AD in the UK) Bon Iver appeared on New York radio station WMYC this week. You can stream the appearence below, which features mega performances of ‘Creature Fear’ and spine tingle inducing rendiditon of ‘Flume’. Plus a chat about the album, which to be fair doesn’t really reveal too much. Just the same old “so I hear you recorded this in your fathers log cabin” etc etc.. Still worth it for the songs though – listen below:
If mp3’s are more your bag, then you can still grab the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G live session from Daytrotter.
Also, watch this recent footage of Bon Iver and labelmates Bowerbirds perform Sarah Siskind’s ‘Lovin’s For Fools’ shot at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. Hopefully they’ll perform it together at Shepherds Bush Empire next month – Bowerbirds are supporting Bon Iver at the sold out show on 11th September. Speaking of Bowerbirds, Brooklyn Vegan has some real nice shots of a recent show of theirs, here.
Women
Jagjaguwar will release Women’s self-titled debut full length on October 7th, 2008 throughout the world (January, 2009 release in the UK, and Canadian label Flemish Eye is releasing the record in Canada.) The band will tour the U.S., Canada and Europe in support of the album throughout 2008, and tour dates will be announced soon.
The band’s debut was recorded by Sub Pop and Flemish Eye artist Chad VanGaalen over 4 months on ghettoblasters and old tape machines in his basement, an outdoor culvert and a crawlspace. Sometimes light and spacious, at other times eerie and dense with an ominous weight, Women hint at the Velvet Underground, Swell Maps or This Heat; a lo-fi masterpiece cloaked in layers of vibrato and guitar wash.
After witnessing the chaos and energy of a These Are Powers live set, Dead Oceans were immediately enthralled with this band, and after a long courtship and some hot and heavy dating, they have finally announced the start of a long and fruitful union. First, Dead Oceans will re-release Taro Tarot and Terrific Seasons in October 2008, followed by an LP of new material in the first part of 2009. The band will support the re-releases with tours of both North America and Europe this autumn.
Secretly Canadian have a couple of decent releases coming up too.. David Vandervelde’s sophomore album Waiting For The Sunrise is released next week in the States (22nd Sept in the UK) – fairly decent easy listening fare. Look out for a review soon. Also, Damien Jurado is set to release his new LP Caught In The Trees on 9th September in the States (27th Oct in the UK) – judging by the lead track ‘Gillian Was A Horse’ we’re in for some what of a treat. I can never understand though why we have to wait so long for UK release dates..
Oh – and one last thing, Dead Oceans new signings The Donkeys will release their staggering self-titled debut on September 8th. It really is quite fantastic – download an mp3 below and see for yourselves. Country-rock at its very finest. Look out for a review nearer the time of release.
Land Of Talk are to release their new album Some Are Lakes on October 6th. The follow up to last years Applause Cheer Boo Hiss will be released by One Little Indian in the UK and Saddle Creek in the US. The album was recorded in Montreal with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) – which I’m sure, is going to make the album sell a few extra units..
Some Are Lakes track listing:
1. Yuppy Flu
2. Death By Fire
3. The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle)
4. Some Are Lakes
5. Give Me Back My Heart Attack
6. It’s Okay
7. Young Bridge
8. Corner Phone
9. Got A Call
10. Troubled
