Pirates of the Weird and Wonderful

The excitement of 9 new Chad VanGaalen tracks landing in my inbox is a little bit overwhelming, especially when it’s delivered with news of a split 12″ with the ever evolving and extremely weird Xiu Xiu. The 12″ is the second release in a series of amazing collaborations being pedalled by German label The Altin Village & Mine Records. The first release came in March 2010, featuring the primal drone of Oneida and the swooping vocal melodies of Pterodactyl. Chad VanGaalen’s contribution displays the eerie brilliance of a modern musical chameleon, whose work continues to evolve and mature. His songs have a confidence that’s been missing from his past two records, sounding less fragile and more astutely balanced. There’s moments of self-indulgence and reflection, but his storytelling is more defined, revealing and romantic. Opener ‘Your Own Mind Ends’ tells off a bitter dispute between loved ones, before jumping into the Simon & Garfunkel-esque ‘Evening Sun’, full of paisley strings and wooing vocal melodies. ‘I Want You Back’ tries hard to be the record’s highlight; a brash reminder that he is not just a folk musician, thrashing out a lively grunge inspired number similar to ‘Freedom For A Policeman’, off his mesmerising second album Diaper Island. ‘Nothing Is Impossible’ continues the assault in classic Jay Reatard style – a speedy guitar-driven punk song repeating the title lyrics. And then proving nothing is off limits, he gently slides into a beautiful folk ballad titled ‘Weighed Sin’, with harmonica and acoustic guitar folding into one another.

Xiu Xiu, or more specifically Jamie Stewart’s contribution requires it’s own lengthy explanation. His side of the 12″ is a spoken word piece that requires the physical record to properly engage with it’s complex (or simplistic, depending on how you view it) lack of musical formality. The record will come with lift out liner notes containing a set of questions. The listener is required to read a question aloud and then to drop the needle anywhere on the record to hear the answer. Stewart has aptly titled his side of the 12″, ‘Fortune Teller’.

The record label currently has no distributor in New Zealand but with any luck you should be able to pick up a copy via the many world-wide distributors listed on the Soundcloud link. The 12″ is officially on sale from March 17.

Posted by Nick Fulton under Calgary, California, Canada, San Jose, U.S.A
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Broken vista

At first a jarring, disjointed combination of jilted synths, aggressive beats and Jamie Stewart’s always-staggering vocals, eventually you’ll find yourself getting lost in ‘Hi’, the first song from Xiu Xiu’s upcoming album Always. Its video, directed by Jamie and David Horvitz, follows Jamie on a roadtrip through upstate New York, with footage of disparate events such as him biting apples still hanging on trees, scrawling lyrics in public bathrooms, shoving copies of Dick Cheney’s autobiography into a rubbish bin or setting his hand on fire. Interspersed with photos from the band’s recent tour and shots of photos in books, it has a disarming and surreal feel but is also at times quite humorous. It is essentially in the nature of everything Xiu Xiu produces: anatagonistic, confronting and dreamlike.

While fans wait for the band’s impending world tour and album, they can head over to their website and check out Jamie’s blog. Just the other day he wrote about sex chat rooms, and how screenshots of their various empty locations are potentially “the greatest performance art space in human history”. He continues, “It is touching and honest and terrifying and stimulating and enlightening and filled with a dear and challenging sorrow and humor.” Much like Xiu Xiu itself.

Always will be released on March 6, and continues the band’s long tradition of working with Deerhoof‘s Greg Saunier, who produced the album and contributed drums and vocals. John Congleton, who has also worked with Antony and the Johnsons, Marilyn Manson and The Roots, mixed it. If ‘Hi’ is anything to go by, Always will be considerably accessible work for the band, encouraging listeners to respond with its inviting lyrics.

Xiu Xiu’s website

Posted by Sarah Gooding under California, San Jose, U.S.A
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Rainbow Child

When Sarah first blogged about Evan Voytas back in July ’10 I thought I sensed an admiration for Prince’s sultry soulful R ‘n’ B. Well Voytas has now answered that question by covering The Family’s (one of Prince’s lesser known side projects) ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.  The song appeared on The Family’s 1985 self-titled album and was never released as a single. In 1990 Sinead O’Conner made the song an international hit when she recorded it for her album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. It’s now Voytas’ turn to put a unique spin on the song, bridging the gap between The Family’s funk and O’Conner’s chamber pop. Voytas’ version is R ‘n’ B heavy, with a smooth sexy croon overlapping a washed out, sonic synth riff. It’s certainly a more minimal take on the song, with a lack of rhythm section leaving the synths to create a rather blissful, chilled out splash. The song now sounds more like it would have if Prince had recorded it for Around the World in a Day.

The multi-talented Voytas has recently been playing live guitar for Flying Lotus and Gonjasufi, but he’s now focusing on his own new release, an EP titled Feel Me, due out in early 2012 via Dovecote Records. You can keep tabs on Voytas’ exploits by ‘liking’ his Facebook page.

Evan Voytas – Nothing Compares 2 U (The Family cover): MP3

Evan Voytas’ Website

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Night Swimming

I haven’t heard any good Panda Bear inspired jams in a while, but Bone Quida Ida is clearly channelling the messiah of modern neo-psychedelia. Dustin Illingworth uploaded these two tracks on to his Soundcloud a few weeks ago, and their sexy, swirling melodies are perfect pieces of bubble-gum psychedelia. ‘Quixote’ is cut straight from Noah Lennox’s Tomboy (early-2011), with multiple vocal layers and breathy synths colliding to form a writhing pop symphony. ‘Beneath The Pier’ could have a Panda Bear connection too – remember Lennox’s ‘Last Night at the Jetty’?  The music itself though is less derivative, dominated by R ‘n’ B inspired vocals and a punchy electronic drum beat. The synths weave in a dreamy disco direction, similar in style to Kent Odessa, whose influences include, Sade, George Michael and Prince. Illingworth labels his music “tropical pop”, while other bloggers have compared him to Toro Y Moi, Avey Tare and Paul Simon.

Illingworth plans to release his first Bone Quida Ida EP later this year, so keep an eye on his Facebook page for further updates.

Bone Quida Ida – Quixote: MP3

Bone Quida Ida – Beneath The Pier: MP3

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, San Diego, U.S.A
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Gothic///\\\Waltz

Rich Moreno began performing as Frank Alpine in 1996, but it’s only now that an LP of his recently vocalised recordings is being made available via New York’s Wierd Records. The Los Angeles composer is a true underground phenomenon; one of LA’s finest synth-punk weirdos that’s avoided being courted by the overexcited indie music press. He takes Gothic electro to its extreme, mixing stark ghost-waltz-type rhythms with dark menopausal beats. Much of his music sounds decrepit and from a different era, like a skeleton posing as a character from The Addams Family. Everything’s very dirty, from the disturbed Americana-style vocal delivery to the haunting Casio keyboards that swirl and recall scenes from Polanski’s Repulsion. This is music for paranoid insomniacs, sinister comics and obsessive crime novelists.

The Frank Alpine LP is being released by Wierd Records on October 25 on CD, vinyl and MP3.

Frank Alpine- My Feelings

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Relentless Pining

Bubblegum bedroom pop never sounded so fresh and joyous! Californian Zach Yudin’s solo bedroom project-turned-full-band-ensemble, Oregon Bike Trails, will be the newest release from pop purveyors Father/Daughter Records. With pitch-perfect choral harmonies and tinkling piano, this really is impeccable pop. Single ‘High School Lover’ hits its stride instantly with rousing, atmospheric vocals and gently rolling percussion. There’s almost an R&B element to the perfect chorus with its effortless sing-ability. Creeping along with a steady pace and a lively bassline, the song’s melodies and even better production definitely resonate a Beach Boys/Paul Simon-style nostalgia. It’s the kind of spacious ’60s bent that grabs you instantly, and Zach has struck the perfect formula and balance, with his abstract vocal delivery that regularly degenerates into random woots and ohs and slightly off-key composition rounding off the brilliantly skewed, sun-warped vibe. The High School Lover 7″ will be released on September 13 on 500 white vinyls by Father/Daughter, one of the finest indie pop labels around, backed with the equally perfect ‘Cayucas’.

Posted by Sarah Gooding under California, Santa Monica, U.S.A
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Shock Me Into Action

Geneva Jacuzzi is a name I’ve been seeing around for years but I shamefully hadn’t listened to her music until today. Right now the dance party that’s happening in our kitchen is all due to her ultra-futuristic retro-pop. She’s been touring with Puro Instinct and John Maus in what sounds like the perfect tour party – all worshipping ’80s synth pop and enjoying spaced out ’70s psychedelia. And like the others Geneva is also associated with Ariel Pink. Ariel remastered her debut album Lamaze; a collection of her 8-track hits recorded between 2004 and 2009. He also featured in her amazing video for ‘Bad Moods’, where she displays her dance skills in a Lady Gaga-like performance of masterful dance-art. On record her music is twisted in all directions, bringing together the funk of Tom Tom Club, the heavy Italo-disco of Trans X and the wierd disco-tech of Chris and Cosey, creating all sorts of characters with references to Malcolm McLaren, Chicks On Speed and Prince.

Lamaze can be purchased on vinyl or downloaded from Vinyl International

Geneva Jacuzzi- Bad Moods: MP3

Geneva Jacuzzi- Do I Sad?: MP3

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Soft Wave

Like a soft focus amalgamation of M. Ward and Kimya Dawson, Brandon Thomas De La Cruz’s music is beautifully gentle but retains a lively personality. I was introduced to Brandon through what was probably the nicest and most polite press release I’ve ever received. It instantly made me want to check out his music, and it’s nice to see Brandon’s unassuming and genuine email writing style carries on into his song writing. His voice is slow and husky, a low drawl resonating through delicate instrumentation. The Californian plays all of the parts too, except for some of the drums, which his brother plays, and some gorgeous harmonies that close friends contribute. Like Iron & Wine or the Postal Service’s lullaby singing style, Brandon’s light constructions interlace like fragile spiderwebs with his dewy vocal melodies clinging to the threads of the songs. While hinting at a sunny outlook, the whole compositions ring of something slightly bleak. Like cold air creeping through cracks, there’s a stark tonal quality to the electric guitar. The simple songs have a certain Daniel Johnston quality to them – they’re raw and heart-felt and to the point.

Check out Brandon’s EP via the link below and download the whole thing for free!

Brandon Thomas De La Cruz – My Soul Was Born: MP3

Brandon Thomas De La Cruz- Bandcamp

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Berkeley, California, U.S.A
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Kiss Kiss

Twee pop is often described as ‘dreamy’ and ‘whimsical’, but Dominant Legs’ frontman Ryan Lynch is more of a realist. Like Girls’ Christopher Owens, whom Lynch has performed with, Dominant Legs’ music is overflowing with sincerity and the type of true-natured story telling you would expect from a Roald Dahl novel. Lynch started the project while performing with Girls, before being introduced to Hannah Hunt, an ex-architecture student who had recently returned to California from New York.  They started collaborating, with Lynch on guitar and Hunt on keys, both sharing vocal duties. Their music quickly took the shape of a dancey Belle and Sebastian, with Arthur Russell’s swinging synth sounds flowing through their music. The duo released their first EP last year titled Young at Love and Life, and have since been growing in size and working on their debut album Invitation, due for release on September 27 via Lefse Records. On the strength of their debut EP, an album of similar stealth should propel them into the indie limelight. Listen to two tracks from Young at Love and Life below.

Dominant Legs- Clawing Out at the Walls: MP3

Dominant Legs- Young at Love and Life: MP3

Dominant Legs on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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Ty-rannosaurus Rex

I can’t believe I haven’t gotten hooked on Ty Segall sooner. His woozy, laissez-faire garage rock is perfectly formed sing-along anthem material. Goodbye Bread is his new album, released yesterday, and it’s so lovable – the insanely catchy melodies resonate immediately and have a wonderful classic style. The pop melodies are balanced by Ty’s raw, unaffected delivery and scuzzed out production, but he’s not new around here. Ty’s a stalwart of the San Francisco scene, having played in Sic Alps (hear this possible influence in his song ‘I Can’t Feel It’) and made a name for himself with Epsilons, The Traditional Fools, Party Fowl and The Perverts.

All the songs on his fifth solo album are golden standouts, and not one is out of place. Starting with the super slow serenade of the title track, Ty earns your attention from the beginning, and goes on to riff about his observations of changes in the scene, all to the pummelling guitar gutter rock he’s honed to make his own. It’s jarring and repetitive on ‘California Commercial’ but, like ‘The Floor’ later on, shimmies with delightful little outbursts of guitar solos and raucous drums. All songs are short, keeping you guessing. There’s a storybook approach to lyrics and songwriting, with very illustrative bass parts and occasionally aggressive singing that’s not unlike JEFF The Brotherhood.

An adept guitarist, Ty has a brilliant strength in his voice, with a classic slant that’s particularly noticeable on slower songs like ‘I Am With You’. He’s got the increasingly rare talent of reaching the right level of production values, in a way that the scratchiness really compliments his pop songs. His imagination runs free and this experimental spirit is well and truly captured here. Read a great interview with him at Prefix magazine, and download the single that everyone’s buzzing about, below.

Ty Segall- You Make The Sun Fry: MP3

Stream Goodbye Bread here

Buy Goodbye Bread here

Posted by Sarah Gooding under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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