Lately I've been immersing myself in the genres of drone, psychedelic, trance, and ambient rock. At the forefront within this blend of genres, for me, is Barn Owl as they have indeed been keeping me in awe. Yesterday, from Thrill Jockey, I received an early copy of their new Shadowland EP, due Summer Solstice - June 21st.
Shadowland's cover art complements its music quite beautifully. Evan Caminiti's painting depicts a marbled grey and white orb shrouded in a mesh of cottony purple clouds - perhaps the moon enveloped by the shadows within our earth's night sky...or perhaps another world somewhere in the depths of the universe, unknown to us save for its soundtrack which we are about to observe. The vinyl disc is a wonderful clear/white swirl, which adds to the mystique of the record's artwork. This is one of those records that begs the listener to prop up the sleeve for viewing while it spins on the turntable. So what do we hear? Shadowland finds Barn Owl in a darker, much more mysterious place than perhaps they were when writing Ancestral Star. Shadowland focuses its drone and repetitive elements in a way that creates a paradox of a world - one that is equally as warming and inviting as it is cryptic and eerie. It has an amazing transporting quality to it; we find ourselves somewhere we never dreamed could exist, but that is also somehow a familiar place of our past...something from long ago that we only somewhat primordially understand. Synths chime, sweep, and float through layers of guitars and piano whilst an indeterminate buzz collects at the bottom. There is a duality of tones at work - some elevated, shimmering, and airy, others screeching, droning, and grounded. The title track features a fluttering, wavering pitch warble that will catch you at just the right moments. Yes this record is quite agreeably palatable and savory to the ears and soul.
All that said, I am a bit disappointed in the pressing quality. I've cleaned the record and my stylus a number of times but still hear several pops and cracks throughout playback. Also, some imperfections on the edge of the disc can be easily found. Luckily Thrill Jockey has a habit of providing free digital downloads along with their vinyl. Barn Owl also have a full length album due on September 13th, called Lost In The Glare...I can't wait.
A couple of weekends ago I drove out to Ithaca, NY with the lovely author of Rosemud. We were both in dire need of a vacation and the city of Ithaca was holding it's annual summer festival. This year the Ithaca Festival seemed non-stop, and perhaps a bit overwhelming. At nearly all times there were at least two bands playing somewhere in the commons, along with belly dancing, story tellers, and theatrical performances. There was a fantastic selection of international food from many local restaurants and vendors, though the craft fair left me feeling disappointed.
The Ithaca Commons contains several "stages" built in to its center walkway: the Cayuga St Stage, the Amphitheater, the Bernie Milton Pavilion, and the Aurora St Stage. In addition to these there was also a stage set up in a vacant lot right next to Medusa Tattoo. With an aggressive schedule there were somewhere around 30 or more performances and events each day. So how do you know what to attend? This was my problem, and thus I ended up wandering around and experiencing small, short pieces of random performances throughout my trip.
On Friday night, Rosie and I opted out of the masquarade ball, on account that we weren't fully prepared with costumes, and we also happened upon a flyer for show at Delilah's (where the Lost Dog Cafe used to be). It turned out that Plastic Nebraska was playing with Boy With A Fish (their brother band, of sorts). We had no idea they were playing that weekend, so it was a nice surprise. I've been a Plastic Nebraska fan for a number of years now, and was very happy to finally get the opportunity to see them in a nice, very small venue. Plastic Nebraska are quite a cool band...their twangy, inventively layered guitar tracks and polka-meets-reggae backbone make a unique and magnetic impression. Oscillating between melodic, moody rock jams, and bumping, upbeat rhythmic barn grooves, Plastic Nebraska is a great band to see perform. Their livelier songs nearly force you to get up and dance. Unfortunately I cannot find anything of theirs on Youtube or Soundcloud - the best I can do is link to a free mp3 download of Helicopter from their website. Keep in mind that this song only represents one part of Plastic Nebraska, and is not the song I would've chosen to share. I highly recommend checking out their latest full length Stories of Happiness.
Boy with a Fish, probably the more active of the two bands at the moment, does share some similarities in sound and songwriting to their brethren band. BWAF are in ways a bit poppier and more rock-oriented. They incorporate synthesizers and organ sounds to fill out the mix, as prevalent as- and in place of - the standby accordion typically found in Plastic Nebraska's work. Here's a couple of tracks to get an idea... Water On Mars by Boy with a Fish Where's The Butter by Boy with a Fish
Saturday night, I bounced in and out of an Ithaca Underground show at the CMSA (Community School of Music and Arts). Ithaca Underground is something that I wish was around when I went to school at Ithaca College. While there has always been reasonable singer/songwriter, blues, jam, and punk scenes in Ithaca, IU offers an outlet for the DIY, less conventional talent in the area - hosting shows for cross-over, metal, post-this-and-that, and today's indie rock crowd. Very nice indeed to see some new life sprouting in Ithaca. My hat goes off to the organizers of IU...my only complaint about the show would be the sound. One cannot be too picky at these type of shows, but there there was quite a bit of mud in the mix here. To be clear the fault was not resting solely on the mixing engineer, but in fact mostly on the large reverberating hall in which the show was held. Free, the Ithaca Underground zine/blog already has a great post from the show with many videos, that can be found here. I'll just repost a few highlights...
Live metal is not something you used to really hear in Ithaca.
Here's a non-live track from Mouth To Mouth To Mouth, a self-proclaimed "math rock" band, whom I found to be one of the more interesting listens. M2M2M fit right in with many latter day instrumental post-rock bands, but less atmospheric, with vocals, and a jittery peppiness.
Before leaving I ended up snagging a couple of records at Angry Mom Records, a vinyl shop in the basement of Autumn Leaves bookstore. What I brought home was Armored Saint's Raising Fear, and Cream's Wheels Of Fire...an interesting combination, I know.
Rosie and I also found time to hit the gorge trail in one side of Buttermilk Park. It was a great mini vacation...looking forward to the full length real deal at the end of the summer.
A few mornings ago I heard this incredible number on Emerson College's WERS 88.9 FM. I don't know where to begin explaining how much I love this song.
The song is called Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms, the band Frightened Rabbit. I've simply fallen in love with this band. They have this fantastic way of pulling on my heart strings - cathartically turning a knife in my chest, yet cradling me in a knowing and loving embrace. There is something here that directly connects with the emotional body - there are signposts exquisitely scattered throughout their songs and music that are unmistakable. They manage in a beautiful, simple way to transpose the human emotional experience into immensely expressive and relatable art. Frightened Rabbit will be on tour this summer supporting Death Cab For Cutie...which also means that if you don't already have tickets, you probably won't be seeing them...bummer. Here's another track for your listening pleasure...
Speaking of Death Cab...their new record, Codes and Keys, came out at the end of May. Take a listen to Doors Unlocked And Open...
The whole record can be found here in one continuous track. I recommend giving it a listen before this gets pulled. While I do rather enjoy the record and think it's a solid piece of work, I have to admit that it's pretty much exactly what I expected, which leaves me just a little disappointed - I like it when a band can surprise me or catch me off guard with something out of their ordinary.
On Friday night, Rosie and I opted out of the masquarade ball, on account that we weren't fully prepared with costumes, and we also happened upon a flyer for show at Delilah's (where the Lost Dog Cafe used to be). It turned out that Plastic Nebraska was playing with Boy With A Fish (their brother band, of sorts). We had no idea they were playing that weekend, so it was a nice surprise. I've been a Plastic Nebraska fan for a number of years now, and was very happy to finally get the opportunity to see them in a nice, very small venue. Plastic Nebraska are quite a cool band...their twangy, inventively layered guitar tracks and polka-meets-reggae backbone make a unique and magnetic impression. Oscillating between melodic, moody rock jams, and bumping, upbeat rhythmic barn grooves, Plastic Nebraska is a great band to see perform. Their livelier songs nearly force you to get up and dance. Unfortunately I cannot find anything of theirs on Youtube or Soundcloud - the best I can do is link to a free mp3 download of Helicopter from their website. Keep in mind that this song only represents one part of Plastic Nebraska, and is not the song I would've chosen to share. I highly recommend checking out their latest full length Stories of Happiness.
Saturday night, I bounced in and out of an Ithaca Underground show at the CMSA (Community School of Music and Arts). Ithaca Underground is something that I wish was around when I went to school at Ithaca College. While there has always been reasonable singer/songwriter, blues, jam, and punk scenes in Ithaca, IU offers an outlet for the DIY, less conventional talent in the area - hosting shows for cross-over, metal, post-this-and-that, and today's indie rock crowd. Very nice indeed to see some new life sprouting in Ithaca. My hat goes off to the organizers of IU...my only complaint about the show would be the sound. One cannot be too picky at these type of shows, but there there was quite a bit of mud in the mix here. To be clear the fault was not resting solely on the mixing engineer, but in fact mostly on the large reverberating hall in which the show was held. Free, the Ithaca Underground zine/blog already has a great post from the show with many videos, that can be found here. I'll just repost a few highlights...
