This is the cover for Kim Gordon’s memoir, Girl in a Band. It looks like a Smiths or Belle and Sebastian album cover, and something about that makes me incredibly happy. (Via Pitchfork) Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, our Tumblr, and sign up for our mailing list.
Talking Literature (and More) with Literature (the Band)
Philadelphia’s Literature play smart, catchy, knowing pop music. Chorus, their second album, is at times rambunctious and at times cleanly blissed-out, with hooks that at times put me in mind of The Field Mice at their most upbeat. I checked in with the band via email to learn more about the album’s origins, the sources for some of its more stylized aspects, and–given the band’s name–some book recommendations.
“All of Those Books Are About Searching”: An Interview With Amanda Petrusich
I’ve long been an admirer of the writings of Amanda Petrusich: she’s an excellent chronicler of musicians who draw inspiration from decades- (or centuries-) old traditions and make them sound fresh and vital. Her new book, Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World’s Rarest 78 rpm Records, takes that into a new dimension, focusing on a particular group of record collectors, their obsessions and practices, and the effects that they’ve had on musical history and documentation. It’s […]
Five Notes on Basilica Soundscape 2014
I spent the weekend two hours north of the city, taking in Basilica Soundscape for the first time. And so here are, in no particular order, five short observations about this year’s festival: sets that impressed me, artists I’d never encountered before, and impressive moments where different disciplines converged.
Talking “Shadow Sides” and “An Inverted Idea of God” with David Vandervelde
When I first heard David Vandervelde’s music, on the 2006 album The Moonstation House Band, it energized me. Bold, guitar-driven, and with more than a little swagger, it seemed to be a revitalization of classic rock sounds, sometimes taken to a harrowing place. Vandervelde’s third album, Shadow Sides, is an entirely different entity. While the same knowledge of rock and pop traditions are present, Vandervelde’s focus here is more restrained, his vocals often heading into a higher register, his lyrics venturing into surreal […]
Talking Cats, Art, and Acting with David Yow
Earlier this month, David Yow appeared at WORD in Greenpoint to show some of the art from his latest project. The book in question is titled Copycat, and it’s a collection of, for lack of a better phrase, cat pun drawings: Catatonic, Cat Burglar, etc. (A selection of them can be seen on the site of publisher Akashic Books.) After the slideshow had ended, Yow and Jason Diamond sat down for a Q & A that encompassed Yow’s music and art, his […]
Here is New Music from the Mt. Eerie-Affiliated Hungry Cloud Darkening
File under: atmospheric rock we like. In this case, it’s the Anacortes, Washington band Hungry Cloud Darkening. The trio have played in the live version of Mt. Eerie, and they share a fantastic sense of atmosphere with that group. Through blissed-out drones and slowly burgeoning vocal harmonies, “Clearly Seen” sneaks up on you, then leaves you flooded. The album on which it can be heard, Glossy Recall, is out on October 7th. Listen to “Clearly Seen” below.
Listening to Alvarius B. in Brooklyn
The memorably fractured songs made by Alvarius B. (aka Sun City Girls’ Alan Bishop) encompass a host of styles, from globetrotting pop to fragmented explorations of the acoustic guitar. Some albums are intentionally jarring; others, such as 2011’s Baroque Primitiva, show off a more textured, melodic side. Earlier this year, Alvarius B. and Sir Richard Bishop released a split LP, If You Don’t Like It…DON’T! The second half of the year brings with it a new album, with the deeply memorable title What […]