Under A Microscope

Last night we watched The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, a film by Emmett Malloy documenting the Detroit duo’s extensive escapades in Canada in 2007. The incredibly detailed documentary intersperses live footage with intimate interview sequences with the band, mainly Jack, whose upfront character is brought to light in a particular scene where he basically forces Meg to say his outspokenness doesn’t cause her to be mute. Meg laughs awkwardly and says, “It has nothing to do with you, Jack.” The glaring light Malloy casts on his subjects brings out their true qualities. Here, Jack comes across as a Dylan-esque figure, spewing forth a constant rambling narrative; he’s both consistently composed and spontaneously fiery. Meg, meanwhile, is her typical diminutive self, arching her back and tilting her head to the side, there are brief moments where she opens up, but largely she is overshadowed by the huge personality that is Jack, the firecracker, true blues performer, abruptly poetic and unapologetically abrupt. The music itself, on DVD and CD, boasts the breadth and depth of their catalog, featuring outstanding performances of the ramshackle jig ‘Little Ghost’, the fiery garage rock of ‘Black Math’, the downward blues of ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’, the wickedly rambling ‘The Union Forever’; their best songs, basically. Of course there’s the live staple, too: the cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. On CD, UGWNL swiftly and succinctly moves through these highlights from their various live shows, but it’s on DVD that the material really comes alive. The pair, still doggedly insisting (well, Jack anyway) their brother-sister status, traverse the great North, visiting Inuits in a retirement home to trade performances of traditional songs, playing major shows in beautiful theatres and, best of all, odd little side shows in such un-tread turf as a tiny square, a school, a bowling alley and a fishing boat. Malloy’s camera work is dignified and clear, reminiscent of old school film making. The recording and editing is brilliant, rekindling the love of a band who left an immeasurable impression on the last decade of music.

 The White Stripes- Ball And Biscuit (Live, Under Great White Northern Lights): MP3

The White Stripes- Website

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A
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Twominutemen

Disappointment struck me yesterday when I read that one of my favourite bands of 2009 had split. But the bad news was quickly overcome when I learnt that The Widow Babies had just downscaled and changed their name to Rare Grooves, with guitarist Danny Millar and drummer Tabor Allen continuing to work together. They’ve also managed to draft legendary Minutemen bassist Mike Watt into the fold, to hit the strings on their first official release, due out in late March.

When I interviewed Danny last year he spoke openly of his friendship with Tabor, and briefly mentioned that before forming The Widow Babies he and Tabor had been in other bands together. “Tabor, Elise McCuthchen (The Widow Babies’ vocalist) and I all met at our high school in Santa Ana, Orange County. Tabor and I met in PE class and we had a mutual love for Led Zeppelin and Marilyn Manson so we really hit it off. We played in bands for a couple of years together and then Tabor started dating Elise so we started a side project called The Widow Babies.” The “side project” later became their main project.

No explanation has been given for the split, but a statement on the band’s myspace confirms, “we are very sad to announce that The Widow Babies have broken up.”

Danny and Tabor have wasted no time getting Rare Grooves off the ground. Yesterday they unveiled their first offering, a limited edition 7″ vinyl containing the songs ‘Cause For Concern’ and ‘No Garden’. Both songs were recorded with Mike Watt playing bass guitar, a dream come true for the pair whose first Widow Babies release was a homage to their hero, titled The Mike Watt EP. The songs were produced by Chris Schlarb, who produced both The Mike Watt EP and The Widow Babies’ full length album Jetpacks.

As could be somewhat expected, Rare Grooves sound reasonably similar to The Widow Babies, especially with Danny’s signature guitar playing remaining the main focus of the band. However both songs have a much more chilled out vibe, with less punk rock elements and more California surf, teetering on the edge between chillwave and post-punk but not really bowing to either genre. They meander and glide rather than chug and twist, adopting more of a natural flow that is less spastic and has a much simpler song structure.

You can pre-order Rare Grooves’ debut 7″ via Sounds Are Active for a special pre-sale price of $3.99 (US). It will be officially released towards the end of March.

Rare Grooves- Cause For Concern: MP3

Rare Grooves- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Crossing The Fields

Imbuing a ramshackle country quality to their magical, jangly folk pop, brother-sister duo Camille and Alexander McGregor have been making music under the heart-explodingly cute moniker Ponies In The Surf for five years. Their crafty tales are executed with swooning, sighing play off voices and gentle acoustic guitar on ‘Ventricle’, elsewhere lather on a foamy, energetic pace in the rockier ‘Holes In The Walls’. The brilliance of PITS is that they aren’t painfully cutesy or sickeningly sweet. Their songs are clever and a little bit fruity in their laid back, weird and fraying attire. Alexander, on organs, guitar, bass and cornet, sings in his boyish, conversational tone against Camille’s sweet, gentle lulls while Andrew Churchman of Pants Yell! plays minimal but energetic drums. Their songs are like old friends you’ve known all your life – comfortable to be around, fun and endearing. PITS have a few releases on Darla Records and Asaurus Records.

Ponies In The Surf- Fairy In My House: MP3

Ponies In The Surf- Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
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My Leaves Are Shaking

Mixing Casiotone For The Painfully Alone’s sincerity and speedy drum machine beats with Moldy Peaches’ ramshackle insecurity and Daniel Johnston’s wavering tone of despair, California’s Jon Barba, AKA Nicole Kidman, makes cautiously heart-on-sleeve, scratchy pop music. ‘Thirst For God’ is a speedy attack aiming straight for the heart, and ‘Obsessed’ could have been plucked straight from Johnston’s catalog; its traditional structure with wobbling, soul-crushing lyrics overtake the crunchy guitar at the very last moment. ‘Tyrone’, written and produced with Kevin Greenspon, will stick in your head for days with its short and simple chorus hook. Barba knows a thing or two about simple, succinct pop songs. ‘Miley Is Awesome’ epitomises the girl-crushing guitar-strumming approach and shows Barba’s true talents as a songwriter. Playing regular gigs in LA’s cultural melting pot with the likes of Foot Village and Former Ghosts, Barba has a CD-R and a 7″ pending to add to his collection of cassettes and CDs released on Greenspon’s label Bridgetown Records.

Nicole Kidman- Thirst For God: MP3

Nicole Kidman & Kevin Greenspon- Tyrone: MP3

Nicole Kidman- Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Tin Bees Tapping On The Roof Top

During their performance at 2010’s Campus A Low Hum festival they dished out free tubs of ice-cream for the crowd to devour in the hot afternoon sun. Afterwards I had a brief but intimate chat with all three members of Polka Dot Dot Dot; three of the kindest people I have ever met.

“I’m mostly a vagabond, travelling around doing the things I want to do.” That’s how Polka Dot Dot Dot’s Colleen Johnston (aka Twig Palace) describes her life right now. Along with band mates Jordan O’Jordan and Onyx of Olympia, they form what could be described as a travelling band, linking arms at random moments to play music together and performing solo when apart.

The trio, originally from America’s Pacific North-West, formed the band on a whim during a trip to New Zealand in 2007. At the time Jordan’s solo music was being played on 95bFM and his free spirit told him it would be a grand idea to visit. Jordan remembers, “I was kind of chicken to do it on my own so I asked Onyx and then Onyx asked Colleen and we all met up here.”

On arriving in New Zealand they were invited to open for Steve Abel, but only one slot was available. The idea was motioned and they decided to form a band, combining all their solo songs. Following that and still nameless, they were then asked to play at the inaugural Camp A Low Hum festival. “We were sitting in an internet café in Taupo trying to figure out what we were going to call ourselves because we were still just getting to know each other,” recalls Colleen.

And the trio’s relationship remains one of infrequent, whimsical desire. Over the past two years they have rarely seen one another, now all living in different cities across the US. When they are together it is always on a musical adventure, three times they have visited New Zealand and recently during the US winter they went on their first tour.

“To me it’s really special that way because it’s always like being on a honeymoon with you two,” laughs Jordan. “I really like the times that we have to hang out, but I also really love the constant adventure.”

“It’s funny because I always feel like being in a band with Colleen and Onyx is like being in a band with your two soul mates”

As very open minded individuals they have become best friends and have no problem making sacrifices for one another. Onyx recalls a time on their first New Zealand tour when Jordan slept on gravel to allow Colleen and herself to sleep in the tiny car they had hired.

“Jordan was the hardest and he wrapped himself like a burrito in a tarp and lay down on the ground, on the gravel in Queenstown.”

Those days of hardship are now behind them, thanks to their bubbly, always charming personalities they have made plenty of friends throughout New Zealand and now have two albums to sell on the road. Their most recent album titled Syzygy, was released in the US just months ago and it represents something quite different from their last, titled Love Letter To New Zealand.

Colleen discovered the word Syzygy one day when she was reading a science-fiction novel, and not knowing the meaning they looked it up on Onyx’s i-phone. “I was reading a Philip K Dick novel and that word came up. When we looked it up I realized how appropriate that word was for us because it means the alignment of three celestial bodies and like a conjunction in space. It’s kind of a good word for our relationship, how we just coalesce at different moments.”

The word also has strong connotations towards some of the songs on the album. Onyx says, “there are a lot of songs that are about romances that are brief yet powerful.” The majority of the songs were written when the trio was apart and both Colleen and Jordan remember it as being a particularly dark time.

Jordan remembers his feelings after they parted ways. “Right after the first album was recorded I went to grad school in Pennsylvania, so I went from the West Coast to the East Coast and had a really personally dark time. It wasn’t super great and I wrote a lot of songs that were processing a lot of weird emotions… I think it comes together a bit on this album.”

With the songs on Syzygy relaying darker emotions than their last album, it’s not the only change. Onyx has been learning to play harp and her skills can be heard on the new record.

After playing at the 2010 Campus A Low Hum festival and a brief tour throughout New Zealand, the band has again parted ways. Onyx has already returned to the USA and Colleen will soon follow her. Jordan is staying in New Zealand for six months and will be travelling around the country spreading his love and promoting his joyous new solo album titled Carbon Cycles. 

You can purchase Syzygy from the Bicycle Records online store and from The High Seas in Auckland.

Polka Dot Dot Dot- Nijewel: MP3

Polka Dot Dot Dot- Up All Night: MP3

Polka Dot Dot Dot- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Olympia, U.S.A, Washington
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Close Your Starry Eyes

Sloppy, sludgy psych rock from San Francisco with an ultra hazy finish and a magnificent innuendo; it’ll make your eyes blurry for days. Wooden Shjips’ Erik ‘Ripley’ Johnson (guitar/vocals) and his partner Sanae Yamada (keys) make up the band; creating a deep, dark nucleus of sound that punches sharply through the inner membrane, producing a wall of shredding noise and vocals that drown in a dripping oily goo.

The pair has produced a limited edition 12″ white vinyl titled Love On The Sea (July 2009) and an EP called Killing Time (September 2009). Their debut full-length album titled Escape was released a few days ago (February 16); with just four tracks some have described it as an EP, but its epic jams spanning 28 minutes bounce it beyond the usual EP length.

It’s spacey and full of weirdo life-forms, like if Krautrock had landed on the moon in 1973 and found a whole lot of damaged instruments. The songs travel and do fucked up things to your mind, blissfully massaging your skull while your brain rests in silence. You can buy Escape, Killing Time and Love On The Sea from the Piccadilly Records online store.

 Moon Duo- Escape: MP3

 Moon Duo- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, San Francisco, U.S.A
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Future Sex

In October last year we bought you White Hinterland’s fantastic cover version of Justin Timberlakes’s ‘My Love’. It was our first encounter with Casey Dienel’s soft, eloquent voice, and we’ve since discovered that White Hinterland has a new album, titled Kairos, coming out on March 9 via Dead Oceans (Bishop Allen, Akron/Family).

After releasing two previous albums, one under her own name and one as White Hinterland, Dienel has now been joined by Shawn Creeden, officially making the band a two piece. The result is a minor step-up in tempo and intensity, revealed on two tracks released off the forthcoming album. ‘Icarus’, first heard in mid-January, bounces on a pulsing electronic beat layered with dreamy vocal loops and a gentle keyboard whisper. It’s comparatively similar to Beach House, structured around the interaction between voice and keyboard. ‘No Logic’, unleashed yesterday via Gorilla vs. Bear has a rattling drum cackle, a very light bass riff and an often rigid guitar sound. It’s the most complex song we’ve heard from White Hinterland but it still keeps within their cone of making dashing dream pop.

Leading up to the release of Kairos, Dienel has been playing keyboard in Taken By Trees, Victoria Bergsman’s live band. White Hinterland also played support for Taken By Trees at the sold out Union Hall show in New York City on February 13.

If you pre-order a hard copy of Kairos (vinyl or CD) you will instantly receive a free download of the entire album. 10 pre-orders will also be randomly selected to receive a unique piece of art-work, designed by White Hinterland’s Shawn Creeden.

White Hinterland- Icarus: MP3

White Hinterland- No Logic: MP3

 White Hinterland- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Oregon, Portland, U.S.A
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How Lavender Grows

In just a few weeks time people will again to be talking about She & Him. The folksy pop duo of Zoe Deschanel and M. Ward is releasing their sophomore album titled Volume Two; in stores March 23. With the success of their first album (Volume One) and with Deschanel’s recent status as a hipster pin-up girl, hype surrounding the album is going to be pretty hard to miss. The first single from Volume Two was made available on January 23 and it’s very pretty, with Deschanel’s lacy twang and Ward’s nodding guitar giving it plenty of vibrant energy.

She & Him- In The Sun: MP3

But while you wait for Volume Two take a listen to The Living Sisters. Trio Becky Stark, Inara George and Eleni Mandell push beautifully pleasing harmonies and bewitching melodies, creating a wonderful fusion of jazz, French pop, folk and country music. They’ve come together after performing solo and in other notable groups throughout the past decade and the result is remarkably rich, alluringly textured with fetching female harmonies and candid carnivalesque instrumentation. Like a fine red wine they’ve aged and blossomed with exquisite beauty.

George is possibly the most well-known sister, being one half of the pop group The Bird and The Bee where she performs alongside Van Dyke Parks. She was also a founding member of the alternative pop group Merrick and has released two solo albums under her own name. Mandell has released seven albums worth of solo material and in 2003 was awarded the LA Weekly’s best songwriter prize, sharing it with Eliot Smith. Stark is a member of LA folk group Lavender Diamond and she recently sang on The Decemberists’ 2009 concept album The Hazards Of Love, playing the role of Margaret. 

The Living Sisters’ debut album titled Love To Live will be released on March 30.

 The Living Sisters- Double Knots: MP3

 The Living Sisters- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Accessible:Noise

When HEALTH released their debut album in 2007 it had a polarising effect on the most eclectic areas of the world’s music community. The little known band from Los Angeles quickly became recognised as a band pushing the boundaries, twisting and combining unconventional noise rock elements and making music that was so unique that it seemed almost incomprehensible.

However, long before their first album was released HEALTH were doing things their own way; a fact that was later recognised by recording their debut album during off-license hours at LA venue The Smell. The band has a strong connection to their early nurturing and still remains strongly attached to the culture that helped them develop and grow as a young band. John Famiglietti, the band’s bassist, speaks very fluidly of the time and situation, explaining, “Way before the first record came out we were DIY touring all across the states playing shows, so we’ve always been pretty close to that culture.”

Even after the first record came out HEALTH’s impact was only felt within a small niche market, but it was those fans that helped the band deliver a clear message, that HEALTH was a band with few restrictions and guidelines to which they structured their music. It wasn’t until Crystal Castles released a popular remix of the HEALTH song ‘Crimewave’ that the band started to gain traction with a wider musical audience.

Speaking about opportunities to expand their fan base and become more widely known, HEALTH was generally not a band that got offered good support slots. On the topic, John says “when we were a young band we actually didn’t have those opportunities really. We sorted out DIY shows and then we did tour after tour after tour headlining before anyone really knew our name and I guess the first big support tour where we really started to break through was with the Crystal Castles tour we did.” They later went on to tour with Nine Inch Nails which was slightly less successful, although John says “we had a lot of fun doing it.”

The Crystal Castles remix actually appeared on HEALTH’s own record, titled HEALTH//DISCO. After releasing their debut album the band became heavily entranced with dance music and decided to release a remix album. John remembers “when we did HEALTH//DISCO we were really obsessed with bloghouse and the explosion of all that type of music. It was a really exciting time, we were just glued.” And the blogs later embraced HEALTH’s disco album, as well as originals from their first album. “We were extremely, extremely grateful for that. The entire reason we did remixes was for the blogs; we just wanted to be active in that world.”

“I think that’s pretty much what separates us from most other bands of that ilk, is that we’re always thinking of the fans”

Going back to making original music, in 2009 HEALTH released their second album. Titled Get Color, it had a much stronger dance element than their first record, perhaps reflecting the unusual situation of following on from a remix album. Before Get Color was released the band had expressed concern that some fans might find the record a little too mainstream, but as John explains, it wasn’t the case at all.

“I think the reaction was really good and surprisingly drove a lot of people who I thought were die hards, or you know, liked our first album better, which of course some do, but they definitely weren’t disappointed and they definitely don’t feel betrayed and they basically enjoy all the different things that we do, you know, they’re pretty open-minded people.”

HEALTH has always had a very strong connection with their fans, and where some noise bands can get a little self-indulgent, making music that’s often almost inaccessible to the human ear, HEALTH is very conscious of making music that can be enjoyed. “I think that’s pretty much what separates us from most other bands of that ilk, is that we’re always thinking of the fans,” expresses John. “You want it to be gratifying, edit and reign in all kinds of those dark desires because you try and be listenable and you want it to effect someone emotionally.”

Satisfying their loyal fans was also a defining reason behind why they have decided to do a second disco album, remixing the songs on Get Color. They tried not to make Get Color overtly dancey knowing that the following remix album would hopefully embrace that section of their audience. Combined with a general love of dance music, it seemed like an obvious choice to continue the remix theme.

“We’re always listening to a lot of dance music and stuff like that. That’s the reason why we did and we’re going to have a disco two. We want to sort of continue that thing we’ve got going.”

“definitely some people have come back from the HEALTH//DISCO album and there’s a lot of new people”

“We see ourselves as a rock band, but yeah, what we’re trying to do is not of a new genre but our own view is that we want to be as detached and forward-thinking as some other genres that are doing things electronically.”

The band is now working on the new remix album, but New Zealand fans will be especially excited to know that the band already has new material, which may be played live. “We’ve got new HEALTH material now but we’re also working on the remix album. It’s really difficult to sort of get a theme going with so many different remixes and it’s really difficult to get a lot of really great remixes in a row. We’re in this very strange position of having to follow up a remix album that we really want to deliver on. So we’re really working hard to try and get a good sequence and a good vibe going on the record.”

John is unable to confirm any artists who have submitted remixes, but it was only due to the fact that the track listing is not confirmed. He did however add that “definitely some people have come back from the HEALTH//DISCO album and there’s a lot of new people. We usually like it when people are hungry, when people are hungry they really put something into it and you usually get something really great. The thing is I can’t confirm anybody because we haven’t decided on the track listing.”

HEALTH is playing four shows in New Zealand in February 2010 

February 19, 2010- The Transmission Room, Auckland (all-ages)

February 20, 2010- San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington

February 21, 2010- Otago University Orientation, Dunedin

February 22, 2010- Canterbury University Orientation, Christchurch

 HEALTH- Die Slow: MP3

 HEALTH- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under California, Los Angeles, U.S.A
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Good Enough Isn’t Good Enough

We love Math The Band, because, well, there’s nothing wrong with a silly playful pop song.  Sarah interviewed Kevin Steinhauser and Justine Mainville last year and they explained the insanity behind their music and just how it relates to their real life personalities.

Their new video was directed by Chris Shashaty and it is basically a psychedelic collage with Kevin and Justine playing their instruments, jumping around and causing mischief. James, T’Nelle and Zac from BANG BANG ECHE also pop up and join in on the madness.

Math The Band- Why Didn’t You Get A Haircut?: MP3

Math The Band- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Massachusetts, Rhode Island, U.S.A
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