Richard Swift to Release Walt Wolfman 12" EP this October Download Free MP3 for "Whitman" | |
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| About a year ago, Richard Swift horrifically fractured his left ring finger. For a moment his nimble guitar and piano work flashed before his eyes. Doctors were saying things like "movement and feeling could eventually return," etc, etc. Certainly, not even a little blip on the sadness radar of humanity, but a massive bummer for a fellow who has carved out a niche as one of independent music's sought after session players and producers — and especially in relation to the astounding Richard Swift solo output we all know and love. So, it's with a great, collective sigh of relief that he's back to churning out new material like "Whitman." It's chugging, chiming and triumphant, featuring Swift's always-endearing falsetto and casual call-and-response lyricism. "I've got my own Whitman...Farewell, farewell/I hope it did you good/To say the things/My father never could," Swift pines. The song is a cryptic salute to Walt Whitman, whose American lineage of primal, urgent art can be traced to include Kerouac and Dylan, Bo Diddley and Beefheart — right on through to modern outsider-pop wunderkinds like Swift. And according to Swift, "Whitman" is a nice taste of what we can expect from his next longform recording.
The same can be said for the remainder of the Walt Wolfman EP. Conceived in the same spirit that gave us 2008's cult favorite Ground Trouble Jaw EP, these blown-out, basement R&B rippers are not for the faint of heart. They require movement and sweat, dancing with a cocktail glass in your grip until your shoes are soaked in booze. Highlight of the set, "MG 333," is a raw and ghostly trance, a blast of kinetic energy and jazz cigarette smoke. Meanwhile, the neu-vintage jive of "Drakula (Hey Man)" and "Zombie Boogie" pack a timelessness that transcends their seasonal titles. And yeah, that's Swift himself on rapid-fire drums across the whole damn set. Shit, he might have been fine without that measly finger after all. Richard Swift is performing as a touring member of The Shins this fall. | |
| Walt Wolfman EP will be released by Secretly Canadian on October 18th, 2011 in digital and vinyl formats Tracklisting: 1. Whitman 2. MG 333 3. Laugh It Up 4. Zombie Boogie 5. Out & About 6. Drakula (Hey Man!) 7. St. Michael
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| Digital review copies of the 12" are available! | |
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8/31/2011
Richard Swift "Walt Wolfman"
8/30/2011
The Human League Interview
THE HUMAN LEAGUE
Interview by Alexander Laurence
The Human League are an important electronic band from Sheffield, England. They started in 1977, during the height of the Punk movement. They achieved worldwide success with their album Dare (1981). In their 35 year history they have released nine albums and 29 singles. This makes them one of the most successful and influential British bands ever. Since 1987, the band has been a trio of members Philip Oakey, Susan Ann Sulley, and Joanne Catherall. They are playing this Friday at the Hollywood Bowl with The B-52s, The Fixx, and Berlin. I got to speak to Susan from the band, and talk about so many questions that I had over the years.
AL: You are playing the Hollywood Bowl this week on September 2nd, 2011. You played there a few years ago. Are you looking forward to that big show?
Susan: Yeah, we did. I can’t remember how long it’s been. We have been lucky to have this international career. We had a few number one hits in America. We are all looking forward to coming back.
AL: Where else have you traveled to this year?
Susan: You want me to tell you? We have been to Hong Kong, Manila, Toyko, and Australia. We have been to South America this year. This has been a tough year for us. I am going to The Maldives on holiday in February.
AL: You like this jet set life?
Susan: People want to see us. They pay money to come to see us. We like to go around and play. We get to travel the world. We love going places.
AL: Did it work against the band that you were from Sheffield? Were things more London-centric back then?
Susan: No. I think at the time you didn’t have to be from London. There is always a big music scene from London. One of the biggest bands from that time were Duran Duran and they were from Birmingham. It was a different time. Young people in the UK were rebelling against the government and trying to find an outlet for their creative juices. People were making music everywhere. OMD was from Liverpool. People wanted to be creative and form bands, because there was nothing else to do.
AL: What about people in the street in Sheffield? When you were walking around town, and Philip Oakey had that asymmetrical haircut, did people bother you?
Susan: We were ordinary. People around us were way more outrageous. People didn’t take notice of us. You are way more creative when you haven’t a job and are looking for an outlet for your creativity. My best friend is called Trevor and he was the most outrageous person in Sheffield. He would walk around with a corset and stocking. Nobody took any notice of myself or Joanne, because we were ordinary.
AL: Do other Sheffield musicians like Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, or Arctic Monkeys come up to you and say “Human League was a big influence on me. You guys made all this possible.”
Susan: The only person who would do something like that is Richard Hawley. He is the only one who stayed in Sheffield. Everyone else moved away. The only person you would bump into at the pub or the supermarket is Richard. Not anyone else. Arctic Monkeys don’t live here anymore. Jarvis has lived in Paris for about five years.
AL: Did Jarvis Cocker move away because people would bother him?
Susan: Sheffield isn’t like that. It’s not like living in New York, London, or Los Angeles. You can be pretty anonymous. I have seen some pretty crazy things in Sheffield that have never been reported in the press. Nobody can be bothered. You can live in Sheffield without being bothered. Jarvis comes to Sheffield all the time. His sister is the best friend of Joanne. They see Jarvis all the time.
AL: My idea of punk was that it was supposed to be anti-rock and roll. Many of the punk bands didn’t get rid of the tools of rock and roll (guitar, bass, drums). Bands like Suicide and The Human League were possibly “more punk” because they got rid of the guitars and created this new music with synthesizers. What do you think of that notion?
Susan: We would all consider ourselves part of the punk ethic. We didn’t think punk was about safety pins and spiky hair. We saw punk as an opportunity for people who weren’t classically trained musicians. You could just go out there and do it. The people who originally started The Human League were Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. They both had great paying jobs and they were bored. Instead of buying cars, they bought synthesizers. They didn’t have to be musicians. They could just make weird sounds with their synths all night. None of us could play guitar, but all of us could play a synthesizer. We could come up with some tunes.
AL: In the early days of The Human League, you guys played with many punk bands. What was that like?
Susan: That was before I was in the band. I joined in 1980. They had toured with Iggy Pop, The Rezillos, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Philip told me some stories about those early tours. There was a lot of spitting and animosity. If you look at the album credits of Dare, you can see that we thank Siouxsie and the Banshees. Philip said that if it wasn’t for the Banshees, we wouldn’t have gone out on the road and continued to tour.
AL: The Human League and John Foxx are some of the first bands who played shows with just synthesizers. What did you think of when Gary Numan first came out?
Susan: Gary Numan took everyone to the post really. I watching him on Top of the Pops. I called up Joanne and said “Oh my God! Did you see this?” I love Gary Numan. I could never slag him off. It was a good time in music.
AL: People were really resistant to electronic music. Then Gary Numan broke through first and had a hit. It took the Human League almost five years to have some success.
Susan: All we ever wanted to do was to make pop music. I know some people don’t think pop music is serious, but that’s all we wanted to do. I think there is room for us and Gary Numan and everyone.
AL: Do you still play “Being Boiled?”
Susan: Of course we do. We are not a band who doesn’t play the old hits. We don’t always play “Being Boiled.” Sometimes we are playing these festivals and we play a shorter set. Me and Joanne are not on stage when we play “Being Boiled” but we still do it.
AL: You have a new album Credo. It’s the first new album in ten years. How do you go about writing songs?
Susan: We were all bored with how things went on the last album. Philip wanted to write some new music. He went into the studio with our drummer Rob. They came up with some tunes. The head of the label got involved. Dean and Jarrod from I Monster got involved. We were thinking about doing a few singles. We didn’t think about doing a full album. But things came around.
AL: Did you ever take a break to have families?
Susan: No. We never took a break. We only slowed down in the 1990s because nonody wanted to hear synthesizers. It was all about Grunge and Nirvana and Britpop and Oasis and Blur. We never took a break because neither Philip nor I have a family. Joanne has a son. We have done The Human League almost my whole life. We are not just a band from the 1980s. We are far busier now than we ever were.
AL: How did the song “Night People” come together?
Susan: Philip loves music and going to nightclubs. He loves the spectacle. The biggest club in England a few years ago was in Sheffield at The Republic. It was called Gatecrasher One. It burned down. It was massive and the biggest club in the UK. Philip loved going. That song is about the people who went to Gatecrasher.
AL: There is a show called The Mighty Boosh. Vince Noir says “The Human League invented music. Before them it was tuning up….” What do you think of that?
Susan: I am not in love with The Mighty Boosh. But Philip, and the other boys in the band, think it’s fantastic. Philip went on the show once. Whether we were the start of music? I don’t think that we were. We were lucky and in the right place at the right time. Others came before us like Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer.
AL: The Mighty Boosh is a show that appeals to only males?
Susan: Well, me and Joanne don’t like it. I like CSI Miami but what do I know? Yes. I suppose that it’s for the lads.
AL: I read today that the song “Don’t You Want Me?” has been played on American radiom over 20 million times. That is great for you that one song can take you around the world. But The Human League is a band with many great songs: The Sound of The Crowd, Love Action, Mirror Man, Fascination, The Lebanon, and more….
Susan: We do. Thank you for noting that. We are not ashamed of “Don’t You Want Me?” We are proud of it. It has enabled us to go around the world a few times. It makes me smile when I am on stage and the audience goes “Ooh! Didn’t know they did that song?” People can think of us as having one song, but we are more than that. If people come to see us live, they can worked that out.
AL: In the early days of MTV, The Human League were on all the time because you had all these great videos.
Susan: Absolutely. MTV was very important for us. We were very popular in the early 1980s. We couldn’t get to every territory. Having videos was great so people could see us, and what we looked like. It’s sad that MTV only plays Jersey Shore now. MTV should have more music.
AL: Do you like any new bands?
Susan: We all have different tastes in music. I like pop music. I listen to Rhianna and Katy Perry. We just went to Ibiza and I got to see Kool and the Gang. I am going to get some new 1970s disco ringtones for my iPhone.
AL: When people come to see you this week at the Hollywood Bowl, what should they expect?
Susan: It’s not taped and it’s not mimed. We sing live and have a band. We do some costume changes. We do songs from the early days, the middle days, and the recent days.
THE HUMAN LEAGUE plays in San Diego on Sept 1st, 2011. And this Friday, Sept 2nd 2011 at the Hollywood Bowl 730pm. Opening bands are the B-52s, The Fixx, and Berlin.
8/29/2011
Handsome Furs @ Echoplex Sept 2nd
HANDSOME FURS will be playing at the ECHOPLEX on FRIDAY September 2nd. They will be joined by Suuns and Talkdemonic. They are all amazing live bands. In celebration of all those great shows over this year, we are giving away two pairs of tickets to you amazing LA music lovers out there. All you have to do is send your name or email address and mention HANDSOME FURS.
To win, please do one of the following:
1) Leave a comment below with name or email.
2) Follow us on twitter, or
3) send an email to PORTINFINITE @ aol.com and we will pick a winner.
Don't just stand around. This is for real. Enter sooner than later. Good luck.
8/27/2011
8/26/2011
Adventures in Killing the Radio Star
Help Portable Infinite photographer Angel Ceballos with her documentary Adventures in Killing the Radio Star. This film has many of PI's favourite bands in it.
She's embarking on a tour in the autumn and is looking to raise some funds to make it happen. Minimum donation is 1$ please go and help her out, every dollar counts!
Film website is here
Kickstarter is here
Here's a recent promo from the film (But more can be found on the film site)
She's embarking on a tour in the autumn and is looking to raise some funds to make it happen. Minimum donation is 1$ please go and help her out, every dollar counts!
Film website is here
Kickstarter is here
Here's a recent promo from the film (But more can be found on the film site)
8/24/2011
The Human League "Credo"
THE HUMAN LEAGUE | |||||
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Rocket From The Tombs
Fire Records to release new LP from legendary protopunkers, Rocket From The Tombs in the US, October 11th!
Think about waiting for 37 years. Standing at a bus stop. Sitting by the telephone. Looking out the window. Waiting for the postman. Day after day. Year after year. Thirty-seven years...
The legendary Rocket From The Tombs, born in 1974, flamed out in 1975, have finally recorded a studio album, delivering Barfly (Fire Records), and closing the circle on an incredible journey.
The received wisdom (at least in America) goes that punk rock was invented in New York by the Ramones, who reconfigured Midwestern hard groove rock and 60s garage singles, into a formula that defined punk: short, fast, catchy, and unstoppable. But in some weird parallel universe, punk might have traced its roots to Rocket From The Tombs, a Cleveland band that lasted less than eight months, and never made a studio recording; until now.
Three things went wrong for Rocket From The Tombs: a level of drug and alcohol abuse to worry even Keith Richard; a band volatility that rivaled that of The Troggs; and a turnover of drummers that would've flummoxed Spinal Tap.
One thing went right: in those eight months they wrote songs that would become punk anthems: “Ain't It Fun,” “Sonic Reducer,” “Final Solution,” “So Cold,” “What Love Is,” “30 Seconds Over Tokyo,” “Amphetamine.” And they played them like there was no tomorrow. There was no tomorrow. They'd used up tomorrow. The band blew apart in July 1975, after an apocalyptic soundcheck that scared the bejeebers out of headliners Television. One faction went on to create the avant-garage rock group Pere Ubu, the other, punk stalwarts The Dead Boys.
That might have been the end of the Rocket story, except that over the next 25 years, a frantic international trading of bootlegs bestowed on the band a legendary status. An album of live and rehearsal tapes, The Day The Earth Met The Rocket From The Tombs (2002), led to a nervous reunion in 2003. The core of the band - David Thomas, Cheetah Chrome and Craig Bell - remained from the old days. They were joined by Television's Richard Lloyd, who replaced Peter Laughner (died 1977). Pere Ubu's drummer Steve Mehlman was drafted.
The fire still burned. For good and bad. Two tours produced extreme, brutal concerts, but also plenty of late night dust-ups in the parking lots of cheap roadside motels.
“We got that bad attitude thing in our blood,” singer David Thomas said. “Can't shake it. But at least we're not young, loud and snotty anymore. We've moved on. Now we're *old*, loud and snotty.”
Artist - Rocket From The Tombs
Album- Barfly
US Release Date - October 11, 2011
Label - Fire Records
Tracklist:
01. I Sell Soul Album- Barfly
US Release Date - October 11, 2011
Label - Fire Records
Tracklist:
02. Birthday
03. Anna
04. Butcherhouse 4
05. Romeo & Juliet
06. Sister Love Train
07. Love Train Express
08. Good Times Never Roll
09. Six and Two
10. Maelstrom
11. Pretty
8/23/2011
Our Idiot Brother OST
A CAMP (Nina Persson and Nathan Larson) photo by Angel Ceballos
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Our Idiot Brother - Original Soundtrack Out Now
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Exclusive Download for "Cowboys and Hobos" by
Eric D. Johnson & Nathan Larson featuring Nina Persson via My Old Kentucky Blog:
Eric D. Johnson & Nathan Larson featuring Nina Persson via My Old Kentucky Blog:
The Original Soundtrack for the motion picture Our Idiot Brother is out today, featuring tracks by recording artists such as Fruit Bats, Generationals, Eric D. Johnson, Nathan Larson, Nina Persson, Mindy Smith, Willie Nelson, Carole King and others. Full soundtrack track listing below.
Our Idiot Brother Original Soundtrack Track Listing:
1. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Eric D. Johnson
2. Wonderful Future - Willie Nelson
3. The Main Title - Nathan Larson & Eric D. Johnson
4. When They Fight, They Fight - Generationals
5. Lightning Bug - Fruit Bats
6. Mellotron Melody - Nathan Larson
7. Midnight Rider - Willie Nelson
8. Taking You With Me - Mindy Smith & Daniel Tashian
9. The Harvest Theme - Nathan Larson & Eric D. Johnson
10. Cool Yourself - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
11. Ol' Blue - Willie Nelson
12. The Taxi - Nathan Larson & Eric D. Johnson
13. Cowboys and Hobos - Eric D. Johnson & Nathan Larson featuring Nina Persson
14. 2 Roadrunners - Eric D. Johnson
15. The Things You Lost - El May
16. Beautiful - Carole King
12. The Taxi - Nathan Larson & Eric D. Johnson
13. Cowboys and Hobos - Eric D. Johnson & Nathan Larson featuring Nina Persson
14. 2 Roadrunners - Eric D. Johnson
15. The Things You Lost - El May
16. Beautiful - Carole King
8/21/2011
Cups Magazine (1991-1999)
CUPS MAGAZINE was a free monthly magazine that I was the editor of in the 1990s. We basically did whatever we wanted to do, and it was very fun pissing off people. We got to interview many people like Martin Amis and Mary Gaitskill. Many of the interviews that I did, and have included on The Portable Infinite, first appeared in CUPS. Regular contributors were William T. Vollmann, Dave Eggers, and D. Strauss. We started it in San Francisco and then moved to NYC in 1995. This issue above featured Vincent Gallo. He agreed to be in the magazine only if we would put him on the cover. I have found a bunch of back issues and correspondence. We were once sued for plagiarism. A story by a writer appeared in CUPS. It was by some teacher and the student claimed that she had been ripped off. We settled out of court. Many people who were frequently in the magazine, like Ronald Sukenick, David Markson, Gilbert Sorrentino, and Allen Ginsberg, are all dead now.
8/19/2011
Serge Gainsbourg @ Cinefamily
FREE SNEAK PREVIEW:
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
(plus live set by Paris Loves L.A.!)
Friday, August 26th | 8:00pm
Co-presented by Cinespia & Light In The Attic Records
Serge Gainsbourg's documented antics are so colorful that a movie of his life would have to double down on the "ooh la la" to convey it properly. Thankfully, renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar's film, based on his own bestselling graphic novel, does just that. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a pastiche of the women, musical genres and historical periods in the life of Serge (Eric Elmosnino, in a César Award-winning performance) as he tries to stay relevant in the fickle world of European pop music. Sfar deftly weaves the specter of Serge's alter ego “Gainsbarre” into the colorful, Gitanes-fueled cavalcade of French music personalities waltzing in and out of the frame -- everyone from the giant music hall singer Fréhel to the explicit, Britney Spears-esque Bambou, with everyone from Boris Vian to Juliette Greco, Brigitte Bardot, France Gall and Birkin in-between. A quintessential time capsule of 1960’s Paris, Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a sensual delight. DJ Andy Votel (Finders Keepers Records) will be here to spin tunes before and after the film -- plus, the party features a live set by Paris Loves L.A.!
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR "GAINSBOURG: A HEROIC LIFE"!
Tickets - free admission (first-come, first-serve w/ pre-registration)
SPECIAL 5-DAY ENGAGEMENT:
Gainsbourg And His Girls
(director Pascal Forneri in person, Saturday, August 27th!)
August 27th & August 30th-September 2nd
The Captain had Tennille, Buckingham had Nicks -- and Gainsbourg had Birkin, Bardot, Deneuve, Karina, Hardy, Gall, Greco, Adjani, Faithfull, Paradis, Barbara, Bambou, Dalida, etc. The CD collection of people who have sung the songs of Serge over the years could comprise a whopping 4-disc set of 98 tracks, with easily over 90% of them by women. Gainsbourg's been called a scoundrel, pervert and misogynist, yet female singers in France felt it a seminal moment in their career to sing a song penned by the rogue. For the breezy, hip-shaking feature documentary Gainsbourg And His Girls, writers Didier Varrod and Pascal Forner raided the archives of INA (Institute Nationale Audio-Visuel), where pretty much all of nationally-owned French TV from the early ‘60s and onwards is held. And boy, was nationally-owned French TV ever cool! Comprised entirely of luxurious file footage, the interviews of Serge throughout his career in display are substantive, and at times conducted by other artists like Françoise Hardy or Jane Birkin. This is an essential deep look at the artist who most Americans only know of through his sly, seductive provocateur mask. Director Pascal Forneri will be here at the Cinefamily for a Q&A after the film on opening night: Saturday, August 27th! Join us for the L.A. premiere of this fantastic new documentary!
Dir. Pascal Forneri, 2010, digital presentation, 105 min.
WATCH SERGE GAINSBOURG & BRIGITTE BARDOT PERFORM "COMIC STRIP"!
Tickets - $10/free for members
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
(plus live set by Paris Loves L.A.!)
Friday, August 26th | 8:00pm
Co-presented by Cinespia & Light In The Attic Records
Serge Gainsbourg's documented antics are so colorful that a movie of his life would have to double down on the "ooh la la" to convey it properly. Thankfully, renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar's film, based on his own bestselling graphic novel, does just that. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a pastiche of the women, musical genres and historical periods in the life of Serge (Eric Elmosnino, in a César Award-winning performance) as he tries to stay relevant in the fickle world of European pop music. Sfar deftly weaves the specter of Serge's alter ego “Gainsbarre” into the colorful, Gitanes-fueled cavalcade of French music personalities waltzing in and out of the frame -- everyone from the giant music hall singer Fréhel to the explicit, Britney Spears-esque Bambou, with everyone from Boris Vian to Juliette Greco, Brigitte Bardot, France Gall and Birkin in-between. A quintessential time capsule of 1960’s Paris, Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a sensual delight. DJ Andy Votel (Finders Keepers Records) will be here to spin tunes before and after the film -- plus, the party features a live set by Paris Loves L.A.!
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR "GAINSBOURG: A HEROIC LIFE"!
Tickets - free admission (first-come, first-serve w/ pre-registration)
SPECIAL 5-DAY ENGAGEMENT:
Gainsbourg And His Girls
(director Pascal Forneri in person, Saturday, August 27th!)
August 27th & August 30th-September 2nd
The Captain had Tennille, Buckingham had Nicks -- and Gainsbourg had Birkin, Bardot, Deneuve, Karina, Hardy, Gall, Greco, Adjani, Faithfull, Paradis, Barbara, Bambou, Dalida, etc. The CD collection of people who have sung the songs of Serge over the years could comprise a whopping 4-disc set of 98 tracks, with easily over 90% of them by women. Gainsbourg's been called a scoundrel, pervert and misogynist, yet female singers in France felt it a seminal moment in their career to sing a song penned by the rogue. For the breezy, hip-shaking feature documentary Gainsbourg And His Girls, writers Didier Varrod and Pascal Forner raided the archives of INA (Institute Nationale Audio-Visuel), where pretty much all of nationally-owned French TV from the early ‘60s and onwards is held. And boy, was nationally-owned French TV ever cool! Comprised entirely of luxurious file footage, the interviews of Serge throughout his career in display are substantive, and at times conducted by other artists like Françoise Hardy or Jane Birkin. This is an essential deep look at the artist who most Americans only know of through his sly, seductive provocateur mask. Director Pascal Forneri will be here at the Cinefamily for a Q&A after the film on opening night: Saturday, August 27th! Join us for the L.A. premiere of this fantastic new documentary!
Dir. Pascal Forneri, 2010, digital presentation, 105 min.
WATCH SERGE GAINSBOURG & BRIGITTE BARDOT PERFORM "COMIC STRIP"!
Tickets - $10/free for members
8/17/2011
Alessi's Ark + Laura Marling tour
In the meantime, stream Time Travel in its entirety on the Alessi’s Ark Facebook page, before its US release Sept. 27.
Haw River, NC (August 17, 2011) – British songwriter Alessi’s Ark will support Laura Marling on her fall US tour. Alessi’s album Time Travel will be released 9/13 via Bella Union.
Stream Time Travel in its entirety here:
Having been associated with Marling for quite some time via their mutual involvement in the Sunday evening London “Communion” gigs organized by Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett, Alessi and Marling will bring the US version of their successful European run to the United States for a string of major-market dates.
While Mumford’s success is certainly the sun around which the artists in this particular London scene have continued to orbit, in the past several years Alessi’s Ark, Marling, Noah and the Whale, Peggy Sue, The Vaccines and several other artists whose teeth were cut in the scene have blasted off successful careers of their own, spreading the inclusiveness and songwriting-centric ethos of Lovett’s informal collective.
Alessi Laurent-Marke’s debut US full-length release Time Travel has been obsessively hailed in the UK. It will be released in the US on September 27th on Bella Union Records. Standout tracks “Wire,” “On the Plains” and her imaginative rendering of Lesley Gore’s “Maybe I Know” stand out on an album of breathy, soulful folk.
“A precious mix of childlike insouciance and adolescent anxiety… the songs have a deftness that defies her years” NME – 8/10
“Reverb-laden memoirs such as Blanket and Stalemate mine a rich source of melodic fuel… The understated arrangements suggest you’re listening to a woman with impeccable taste, while her exquisitely resigned cover of Lesley Gore’s Maybe I Know confirms it” MOJO – 4 Stars ****
“As precocious as Laura Marling, the 12 songs reveal a talent that’s on the verge of becoming something special… Beautiful and beguiling, the album gets under your skin” The Guardian – 4 Stars ****
Alessi’s Ark on Tour (supporting Laura Marling on all dates)
9/17 San Francisco Bimbos 265
9/18 San Francisco Masonic Temple
9/20 Los Angeles The Troubadour
9/22 Chicago Lincoln Hall
9/23 Toronto The Great Hall
9/24 Montreal Corona
9/25 Boston Brighton Music Hall
9/27 Washington DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
9/28 NYC Webster Hall
Stream Time Travel in its entirety here:
8/13/2011
8/09/2011
Alessi's Ark TIME TRAVEL
Follow Alessi's Ark Online:
PRE-ORDER TIME TRAVEL AT THE US BELLA UNION STORE.
"Oh, by now, I must have grown", Alessi Laurent-Marke croons beautifully, four songs into her stunning sophomore album Time Travel. And hasn't she just - not yet 21 but already a seasoned pro, having recorded her debut album aged just 17, with members of Bright Eyes, and touring with the likes of Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons and Brighton cult faves the Willkommen Collective. Time Travel is the first Alessi's Ark album since signing to Bella Union, where her acutely melodic and exquisitely tender folk-pop charms haven't just grown; they've blossomed into something extraordinarily mature.
The 12-track Time Travel keeps alternating between anxiety and joy, between childlike wishes and grown-up truths - how change can force us apart but also signify growth. "Run" acknowledges that you must let friends go, "to chase their dreams, even if it takes them away from you". "Wire" imagines a man who knows he hasn't chased his dreams, and time is running out. The album's one cover version, Lesley Gore's 1965 smash "Maybe I Know," is a classic from the '60s girl-group glory days of teen angst disguised as sweet and innocent pop. "On the surface, the song is very pretty but the lyrics are very sad and dark." STREET DATE: 9/27/11
"... the songs have a deftness that defies her years - 8/10" - NME
"The understated arrangements suggest you're listening to a woman with impeccable taste...4 Stars" - MOJO
"The understated arrangements suggest you're listening to a woman with impeccable taste...4 Stars" - MOJO
Click the player below to watch the video for "Wire" from Time Travel now.
8/05/2011
MGMT @ US Open of Surfing
MGMT is playing the US Open of Surfing tomorrow, August 6th.
MGMT photos by Alexander Laurence
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