So, I may be a little behind the times, here, but I just discovered DatA when I was browsing the Ekleroshock website. If you recognize Ekleroshock, it’s probably because DataA is label mates with French house heroes, Danger.
“Rapture” is DatA’s latest single, which features Sebastian Grainger of Death From Above 1979. It’s a super-catchy, hyper-compressed French-disco-house tune that will appeal to fans of Danger, Justice, and She and will undoubtedly be stuck on repeat all week.
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Akron/Family is a really great act that has been kicking around for quite a while. Originally signed to Michael Gira (of Swans/Angels of Light) ’s Young God Records, the band got great reviews for their first two records, played backup to Michael as his Angels of Light, and generally made a great name for themselves in the dawn of the whole “freak-folk” movement.
Here we are a few years on from their initial success, and the boys have recently signed to the newly founded (2007) Dead Oceans (sister label to personal favorites Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian). Not only that, but they are also preparing the release of their new album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free.
I loved their last album, Love is Simple, and I really love this new track they’ve released. If the record is anywhere near as good as this and their past work implies, don’t be left outside in the dark.
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I was just telling a friend of mine about the time my girlfriend and I saw Hauschka at the Goethe Institute in Boston back in 2007. It was clear from the start that the show was going to be atypical–I mean, we were offered wine and cheese when we first came in. Volker Bertelmann’s one-man set was a dazzling mix of cascading piano melodies and minimal percussion. He re-prepared his piano between each song using objects such as wooden wedges, metal foil, and duct tape.
After the show, the 20-or-so attendees all crowded around him and were treated to a totally impromptu question-and answer-session. Volker told us about his experiences on tour and his methods for preparing the piano. He told us that he first started preparing his piano because he didn’t want to have to layer a second track to include percussion on his recordings.
He also explained that he had a very difficult time getting people to let him borrow their pianos on tour. Understandably, most piano owners run screaming from anyone who even mentions the possibility of preparing their piano. Volker actually carried around a document signed by piano experts that explained that his preparation methods were not at all harmful to the piano.
Here’s a recording I made of his opening song!
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Bruce Peninsula is one of my new favorite artists. I heard their song, “Steamroller” on WERS at like 1:00 in the morning last week and immediately went to their website to buy their debut album, A Mountain Is A Mouth.
Bruce Peninsula is folk that isn’t afraid to get loud and noisy. Singer Neil Haverty’s voice isn’t necessarily pretty, but it’s unmistakably earnest and entirely unignorable. The most immediately noticeable element, however, is the gospel choir that instantly gives each song an epic quality.
I know that 2009 is still very young, but I honestly believe A Mountain Is A Mouth is a solid contender for album of the year.
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It’s always exciting to stumble across great music when you least expect to. That’s what happened when I clicked on the link for Grinding Tapes’ new MySpace friend, Sylphid. I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that I was mostly checking to make sure they were a legit band that wasn’t going to flood the Grinding Tapes MySpace wall with male enhancement deals. Sylphid’s understated charm caught me completely off guard and I’ve been listening non-stop since.
Citing influences like Múm, Cepia, and Kira Kira, Sylphid sound like the half-awake recollection of forgotten childhood memories. The best part is that they’re based in Northampton–Boston’s proverbial backyard. Fans of organic electronic music akin to the aforementioned bands should check out Sylphid right now.
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