Stream Previously Unreleased Track From the Late Great Arthur Russell, “Come to Life,” Recorded in the Late 70s, Which Is Quite Lovely [Gorilla vs. Bear]
Stream New Track From Chicago’s The Lawrence Arms, “Demons,” Which Is Teeming With Midwestern Values (Which Really Just Means It’s Emotive, Non-Blushing Pop Punk); Ask Yourself When The Hell Spin Started Releasing “Exclusive” Tracks From a Local Chicago Band [Spin]
Fantastically Indie-fied Charity Compilation Dark Was the Night, Which Was Released in February, Raised Over $650 Thousand For AIDS Awareness [Pitchfork]
Arcade Fire Working on New Album For 2010? TwentyFourBit Lays Out The Evidence, Forgetting the Fact That Win Butler Has Said Over and Over Again That They Are Currently Writing Material For New Album [TwentyFourBit]
Stream First Official Them Crooked Vultures Song (Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones (For The Youngins, That Dude Was In Zeppelin)) Track, “New Fang,” Which Has Guitar So Filthy I Need To Take a Shower; Them Crooked Vultures Released November 17 [Pitchfork]
The Always Innovative Sufjan Stevens To Release “Album” Next Year, Which Will Contain “Songs,” Instead of the High Conceptual Art Pieces Rooted in the Folklore of the 50 States That Have Become So Blasé; Elsewhere, All Albums Contain Fucking Songs, Sufjan [The Tripwire]
NME Quotes Jarvis Cocker: “Pulp Could Reunite for Glastonbury 2010;” Elsewhere, Jarvis Cocker Never Said This In the Referenced Interview; I Make Toast to Poor Music Journalism (And to the Hope That Pulp Actually Does Reunite, Cheers) [NME]
Stream Weez(y)er Collaboration, “Can’t Stop Partying” Off Weezer’s Upcoming LP Ratitude in Which You Can Literally Hear Lil Wayne Lighting a Joint, Which is Risky Considering The Man Is Going to Prison [Idolator]
compiled by Max Sebela
June 8, 2009
The National | “Runaway”
IN THE TUBE
The National are a pretty sneaky band. Their sophomore album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is one of the best of its kind: it’s incessantly melodic and engaging and Matt Berninger’s lyrical capacities seemed, even then, to exceed the boundaries of pop music, a more effective survey of an urban and suburban romantic wasteland than most short story writers could hope to accomplish. I loved it. Neither follow-ups Alligator nor Boxer came close to replicating its success. “Fake Empire” is an incredible song, but the remainders of those albums seem to me maundering and sloppy. There are incredibly beautiful instrumental passages and Berninger hits some vocal high marks, but generally there’s just repetition and go-nowhere melodies. A lot of people strongly disagree with this, and I’m aware of that.
Anyway, I’m not trying to bash The National. Their Dark Was the Night contribution, “So Far Around the Bend,” was an impeccable pop song, and one of the highlights of that tremendous compilation. And here’s more cause for rejoice: a new National song that is amazing, a cut called “Runaway.” It’s not anything like “So Far Around the Bend.” In a lot of ways it exists as a natural progression from Alligator to Boxer. There’s a sense of control that I haven’t heard on a National album since Dirty Lovers, and it’s that control that made the band so incredibly exciting. Call it boring or square, but hearing a gorgeous folk-pop song immaculately played with some tight horn orchestration – this is good form. Berninger’s voice is perfect, and, lyrically, he’s killing it. So not the biggest news in the world, but still, I’m excited. Maybe now I can finally get tight with all my buddies that are like so completely obsessed with Boxer.
by Chris Kiehne
Wavves Show Disaster at Primavera Sound Festival [Pitchfork]
See NYTimes Talk to Iggy Pop [Brooklyn Vegan]
Hear the Whole of Dark Was the Night Show from Radio City Music Hall [NPR]
Because Anything that Lady GaGa Does is Amusing [Prefix]
Dr. Dre/Pepper [Tiny Mix Tapes]
Artists Protest British National Party [NME]
Major Music Labels Make Nice to Small Companies [NYTimes]
Rock Out This Summer at The Whitney [Brooklyn Vegan]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
May 8, 2009
From the Journal of David Byrne
TOP DOG
David Byrne appeared at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, May 3 to perform tracks from the charity compilation, Dark Was The Night, a CD and concert put together to benefit AIDS fundraising group Red Hot. Byrne writes in his journal about how impressed he was with the other Dark Was The Night artists, such as Dirty Projectors, (did anyone pay $100 to see them play with Bjork at Housing Works?), Dave Sitek (was he nice to Telepathe’s cat?), and Sharon Jones (still blacker than Amy Winehouse).
Byrne also mentions in his journal that pop music “might be going through one of its periodic peaks,” a statement justified even with Black Eyed Peas, Lady GaGa, and Beyoncé holding the top 3 spots of the 100 pop songs most listened to on iTunes. Byrne depends on pop music being good again – even if 13-year-old Ciara fans don’t find him the cool silver fox he is.
Anyone can see David Byrne for free at Prospect Park though, as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn series, on June 8th. Tell all the Ciara fans you know – maybe they’ll get a chance to catch up a little on thirty years of David Byrne pop menagerie.
by Thomas Wilk
Dirty Projectors On Tour – And a Casette Tape! [Stereogum]
David Byrne Discusses Dark Was the Night Concert and What It Signifies [David Byrne Journal]
Simian Mobile Disco’s New Star-Studded LP [Pitchfork]
Kanye West’s Scandalous, Spot On Take on Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” [Prefix]
Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse Replaces Jesse Sandoval in The Shins [NME]
Bob Dylan Tops Billboard 200 [Prefix]
“Sunday Best” Back at The [BKLYN] Yard [Brooklyn Vegan]
(More) Bon Iver On His New “Experimental” Band [Pitchfork]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
Virgin Megastore Closing Brings Us St. Vincent [Brooklyn Vegan]
Nine Inch Nails App Rejected by Apple, But Reznor’s Getting Married! [Prefix]
Tupac Twin or the Real Thing? [The Tripwire]
Fiery Furnaces Back in the Fray [Brooklyn Vegan]
Another Sweet 90s Revival [Prefix]
Coldplay, Get Your Copyrighting Straight [The Tripwire]
New Music Preview: The Cool Kids “Popcorn” MP3 [Prefix]
R.E.M. Reissue [Pitchfork]
Dark Was the Night Does It Right [Stereogum]
Britney Fans Getting All “Crazy” On Her [NME]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
March 12, 2009
Various Artists | Dark Was the Night
FRESH BAKED
Various Artists
Dark Was the Night
2009 | 4AD
A-
Dark Was the Night doesn’t quite cover all the bases – that is, it might not be the encompassing cross-section of contemporary independent music that it’s been heralded as. The majority of its participants hail from the songwriter corner, and many of the bands that contributed fall into that subset of groups recognized to be the outgrowth of a songwriter’s unique vision (Britt Daniel’s Spoon, AC Newman’s New Pornographers, Matt Berninger’s The National, etc.). That said, Dark Was the Night is good. It is very, very good. And if you’re here – if you find yourself generally inclined towards the type of music that this website covers – it’s essential listening. These are the powerhouse players, true, and it’s likely that you won’t make any great “discoveries” listening to this compilation. But the simple fact is that a lot of remarkably talented musicians have contributed some truly exceptional material to this album; contributions that, musically, go above and beyond what might reasonably be expected of them for a charitable compendium.
More on Various Artists | Dark Was the Night
FRESH BAKED
Various Artists
Dark Was the Night
2009 | 4AD
A-
Dark Was the Night doesn’t quite cover all the bases – that is, it might not be the encompassing cross-section of contemporary independent music that it’s been heralded as. The majority of its participants hail from the songwriter corner, and many of the bands that contributed fall into that subset of groups recognized to be the outgrowth of a songwriter’s unique vision (Britt Daniel’s Spoon, AC Newman’s New Pornographers, Matt Berninger’s The National, etc.). That said, Dark Was the Night is good. It is very, very good. And if you’re here – if you find yourself generally inclined towards the type of music that this website covers – it’s essential listening. These are the powerhouse players, true, and it’s likely that you won’t make any great “discoveries” listening to this compilation. But the simple fact is that a lot of remarkably talented musicians have contributed some truly exceptional material to this album; contributions that, musically, go above and beyond what might reasonably be expected of them for a charitable compendium.
More on Various Artists | Dark Was the Night
