Proper poetry never goes out of style, and Sage Francis is, no doubt, a poet. The Rhode Island MC earned his reputation with a molten mixtape and then went on to win several battles. So with three albums and years of touring proving his hip-hop prowess, what makes this album (his fourth, and second for Epitaph) poetic is his verse-thoughtfully constructed, tangential (yet always to the point), and never reaching for words just to hear himself flow. But most of all, it’s his honesty; “I know you much better than you think I do,” he raps, but the more he reveals about himself, the more you find that he knows about humankind.
Various Artists White Cock 1-4
Gabber and hardcore haven’t moved for 10 years. You’ve just got beats that ka-thunk like a blown tire on a freeway, and a sample reminding you that “dis is da real hardcore.” White Cock forces those tired genres to dance by shooting at their feet. Sickboy’s “DL Rocker” wins for making a damaged David Lee Roth CD sound so goddamn funky. Deacon Boombastardizer and Jason Forrest gallantly huff gas to make their breakcore sing. It’s too bad that many noisemakers here are indistinguishable, even those with darling names like Duran Duran Duran and DJ Rainbow Ejaculation.
Yoko Ono Yes I’m a Witch
The former Mrs. Lennon is still completely bizarre, but that’s always been a good thing. This collaborative project-with Peaches, Hank Shocklee, DJ Spooky, Le Tigre, and others-is generally evenhanded, allowing Ono to sing, scream, chat, and whisper over an array of soundscapes. Whether rambling over The Polyphonic Spree’s symphonic rock (“You and I”) or crooning alongside Cat Power (“Revelations”), Ono’s mood and lyrics mesh without sounding forced. Aside from a few awkward tracks, Ono’s latest is another cool tidbit in her storied, bewitching career.
Ola Podrida Signs To Plug Research
Mournful acoustic chords, hints of bluegrass, and angelic vocals aren’t necessarily what spring to mind when you hear the word “Brooklyn,” but that’s one of the things that makes David Wingo (a.k.a. Ola Podrida) an appropriate choice for Plug Research‘s most recent artist signing. The up-and-coming songwriter, whose work includes film scores for George Washington and The Guatemalan Handshake, will release his self-titled debut album in the spring.
If the clips we’ve heard are anything to go by, expect light folk sounds blended with moodier melodies that hint at something melancholy beneath the serene surface of the tracks. It’s a breath of rural air swept into Plug Research’s predominately urban, electronic roster, but given the label’s taste for eclecticism, it’s also a highly appropriate move. Now imagine what collaborations with labelmates like Daedelus and Dntel would foster.
Ola Podria‘s self-titled album is out April 3, 2007 on Plug Research.
Show Dates
02/09 Seattle, WA: Northwest Film Forum (Solo Set)
02/17 Brooklyn, NY: Pete’s Candy Store
02/24 Brooklyn, NY: Union Pool
03/17 Austin, TX: SXSW–Plug Research Label Showcase
The XLR8R Office Top Ten Album Picks, Jan 22
Hans Appelqvist NaimaHapna
Hans Appelqvist’s Naima is one of those records that instantly wins over the die-hard fans of all that is obscure. The Swedish composer’s comfort with the acoustic guitar and hazy atmospherics is the kind of serious business we can’t help but celebrate. David Tibet is hella proud.
Kieran Hebden and Steve ReidTonguesDomino
In the world of Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid, it’s all about real time. Tongues is an overdub/edit-free entrance into mystifying improvisation. How these two dudes can bridge the gaps between jazz, electro, and experimental music, we will never know.
Skinny PuppyMythmakerSynthetic Symphony
Yeah, we went there. Mythmaker is a ruler of a record from the industrial-tech innovators. As heavy as it is dirty, Mythmaker finds Ogre and company stirring up some gnarly trouble with what could best be described as the most violent of videogame soundtracks. Otto Von Schirach and Databomb also offer their assistance, so you know we have to give love.
Carlos Nino & Miguel Atwood-FergusonFill the Heart Shaped CupAlpha Pup
Alpha Pup has gone completely wild on us. Branching off from their indie hip-hop achetype, the label is beginning to dominate with the borderline ambient Fill the Heart Shaped Cup. Not far behind Loscil or any member of the Brainwashed roster, Nino and Atwood-Ferguson may be the pioneers of Alpha Pup’s world domination.
ZozobraHarmonic TremorsHydra Head
Not unlike labelmates Pelican and Jesu, Zozobra follows suit with an onslaught of profoundly heavy psychedelic meditations. While Harmonic Tremors is pretty damn brutal, the feedback resonance and transcendent drumming is like My Bloody Valentine’s metalhead stepchild. In other words, this is bad ass.
Stars of the LidAnd Their Refreshment of the DeclineKranky
For Kranky’s 100th release, the Chicago-based label gives us a reason to celebrate–Stars of the Lid. Recorded over five years, And Their Refreshment is a symphonic masterpiece of time-stretching and mind-expansion.
xbxrxWarsPolyvinyl
Hello, sweet chaos. xbxrx has returned for another time around with even more garage-fueled, jangly madness. Aside from the band’s penchant for math-rock, Wars shows a subtle poppier side absent from their previous catalog. It’s just like San Diego in the ’90s, but with a touch of the nearing apocalypse.
Tim HeckerRadio AmorAlien 8
We love reissues–especially when they come from Tim Hecker. Initially recorded in 1996, and released in 2002 on Mille Plateaux, Radio Amor is the prolific musician’s homage to a high-wire shrimper, complete with sounds of the sea. Amazing.
WelcomeSirsFatCat
Call it pop, psyche, or rock, but Seattle’s Welcome creates melodic songs that we like to think of as timeless. Between the simple three-chord formula and general angst present on Sirs, this is clearly the purest sound of the past, present, and future.
Text of LightRotterdam 1Room 40
For those who don’t know, Text of Light is Lee Renaldo’s (Sonic Youth) new project that goes well beyond the realm of experimentation. Recorded live in Rotterdam, this is about as close as you’ll get to creative bliss.
Lily Allen Announces Tour
Her album is still a week shy of being released, but Lily Allen has plenty to keep her busy these days. The British artist was recently named MTV’s “Discover and Download” artist for January, which basically means she gets high-profile placement on all of the network’s stations, as well as love via MTV’s mobile phone partners and MTV.com.
Allen is the first artist to headline the network’s new “Discover and Download” tour, where free, exclusive downloads of her music will be available from each day of the tour. Her MTV.com artist page will include video and audio podcasts, photos, and all the standard multimedia hoopla artists receive these days.
Prior to the tour, Allen will be making stops in a few Australian cities, and a SXSW appearance is scheduled as well. Her album, Alright, Still, is out January 30, 2007 on Capitol.
Tour Dates
01/22 Brisbane, AU: Arena
01/24 Sydney, AU: Luna Park
01/29 Melbourne, AU: Metro
02/05 Los Angeles, CA: Henry Fonda Music Box
02/06 San Francisco, CA: Great American Music Hall
02/08 Chicago, IL: Metro
02/10 New York, NY: Webster Hall
02/12 Philadelphia, PA: Theatre of Living Arts
02/16 Washington, DC: 9.30 Club
02/18 Boston, MA: Axis
Daniel St. George Presents Burning Bridges
Visual artist Daniel St. George isn’t shy about stating that his work is steeped in autobiography. “Everything I create relates directly to me and my life,” the Brooklyn-based artist claims, likening his pieces to a sort of public diary.
For his latest exhibition, St. George will continue examining this idea, bringing his relationships, family, friends, paranoia, and dark humor to the gallery setting in Burning Bridges, which will open at the San Francisco Stüssy store at the end of this month. Here St. George will show over thirty new pieces for the exhibition, working with the medium of stained or scorched paper, and his usual arsenal of engaging characters and vivid colors.
Burning Bridges runs from January 26 – February, 2007.
The opening night reception is on January 26, 2007, from 6 – 10pm.
Stüssy San Francisco, 1409 Haight Street
stussysf.com
Video: Takagi Masakatsu World Is So Beautiful
Japanese multimedia artist Takagi Masakatsu‘s World Is So Beautiful DVD has been re-released by Carpark and involves some seriously psychedelic imagery. Inspired by his globe-trotting, Masakatsu makes youth the focus of his work, incorporating shots of children and the sounds of laughter into the videos.
See clips from World Is So Beautiful at XLR8R‘s Video Section.
Video: The Shins “Phantom Limb”
Sub Pop‘s indie outfit goes back in time in the video for “Phantom Limb,” staging elaborate medieval scenes that strongly resemble an elementary school play. The four-piece band is really Wincing the Night Away here, but appears to be enjoying it.
See “Phantom Limb” and more at XLR8R‘s Video Section.
Bonobo In the Studio
The music press has birthed a great deal of corny genre names, but perhaps the daddy of them all is “chill-out.” Totally functional, and devoid of personality, chill-out does exactly what it says on the tin. But sometimes these labels serve a necessary purpose, aside from selling compilation albums–they help launch careers. Such was the case for Simon Green (a.k.a. Bonobo), who debuted in 1999 with Animal Magic (Ninja Tune), an album that displayed the kind of chill mastery most journeyman ambient producers spend a lifetime chasing.
Since Animal Magic, Bonobo’s music has transcended both chill-out and downtempo. What was once made on just a sampler and mixing desk is now done primarily with live instruments. Bonobo has become his own record collection, sampling his own drums, strings, and whatever else he can think up. Here he fills us in further on his organic cut ‘n’ paste aesthetic.
XLR8R: Did you make any music before Animal Magic?
Simon Green: I was in and out of bands when I was younger, playing all sorts of shit like guitars and drums. But the thing is, there’s always a conflict of interest in bands–it’s that familiar story. So when I moved down to Brighton’ sort of got into what was going on here with the cut ‘n’ paste hip-hop scene. A friend of mine introduced me to samplers, and I picked up an Akai [S950] and an Atari and started playing my guitar and drums straight into the sampler. It was all trial and error.
How has your production method changed over the years?
I play most of the instruments myself–everything except the strings and horns–but it’s still the same process… I still use the sampler, but I’m using my own playing rather than other people’s records. I just got bored of how I was working–looking for a loop, looking for a break, piecing everything together. I wanted to do something a little more challenging, like really writing music… getting into the science of microphones and recording.
What are the challenges of working with organic sounds versus sampled sounds?
I’ve never had any sort of technical training on how to record things, so a lot of it is making things sound right… especially for instruments like bass or strings. I had one microphone [a Rode NT1]. It was kind of a low-end mic and everything just [went] into that. I don’t really have an end result in mind–I just record it and see how it sounds in the end.
Do you layer your instruments with electronic sounds?
It’s hard for me to use any electronic sounds at all, really. I’m always just layering acoustic sounds. Like [with drums], I kind of mix it up [by] using a lot of hand percussion and punctuating it with kicks and snares, and miscellaneous bangs and noises.
How do you record? Do you go through a pre-amp into your computer?
I’ve been using an Avalon [VT-737SP] as a front end. It’s a mono vacuum-tube compressor and EQ, and it’s really nice… I use it for everything. Then the whole thing goes into [Apple] Logic. With the exception of a few reverbs and some other outboard stuff, I’m doing everything with Logic and [Native Instruments] Kontakt.
What’s the hardest thing to record?
I always have trouble recording drums and double bass. I’ve had great sessions where I recorded a drum kit in a big, shaky room with just one mic and it sounded great… and I’ve tried it again, and it just [didn ‘t] sound right. Then I’ve tried the other way where you mic up every drum and EQ it, and it sounded like something from Baywatch.
How do you translate studio creations to a live performance?
When we first started out, we were playing along to the tracks minus the drums, bass, and saxophones. But it didn’t really feel like a live performance–we didn’t have any control. So we stripped all that away, and it gelled. It was a revelation when we decided to turn off the backing track, and just kind of play. That’s when it all started to come together.
Do you ever get stuck on ideas?
I’ve noticed one in five ideas never amount to anything. There are so many things on the loop that never go further than that. But I think the most important thing is to stay with the track. Don’t put it to bed for the night and expect to see it the same way the next morning. If you’re in a current mind state where you know what you want from the track, you can’t just leave it and expect to come back with the same mindset.
