Quick bloggy bits from the L.A. underground (and up):
(via West Coast Sound, LA Weekly)
Eight weeks straight of original photos, MP3s, videos, charts, reviews of L.A. music, and, most importantly, gorgeous vinyl. INCHES008 has arrived, featuring a killer box from The Doors (Rhino Records), a great new album from WHY? (Anticon), some interactive cover art from Wallpaper on the duo’s debut full-length (Eenie Meenie), and a 7-inch that captures Dâm-Funk as a youngin (Stones Throw). Dig in!
Wallpaper's "Doodoo Face," modeled by Andre Hyland (Blond Chili)
Sole‘s new album with the Skyrider band won’t be coming out on Anticon, but it will be brimming with all of the political ire, sarcastic self-deprecation and critic-baiting you’ve come to expect from that label’s founder. It’s good. Real good, and to celebrate Plastique‘s pending arrival on Fake Four, Sole’s spreading some knowledge. Check out the two vids below, and the first one here.
Sole And The Skyrider Band hit L.A. on October 15, at the Knitting Factory.
Well, tongue-in-cheek of course. The new Sole And The Skyrider Band LP, Plastique, is out October 13 on Fake Four Inc.
Download the free Battlefields EP here.
INCHES004 has landed over at LA Weekly‘s West Coast Sound. Installment number four picks off where last week left off, an unthemed collection of just-released (this week!) L.A.-relevant vinyl reviewed, photographed, and MP3’d, accompanied by a top ten vinyl sales chart from one of our neighborhood record shops. Inside, you’ll find a Velveeta-yellow slab of wax by Bygones (Zach Hill + Tera Melos’ Nick Reinhart), the latest from Division Day, the premier Anticon/Dublab release (featuring music by Hecuba, Lucky Dragons, Julia Holter, matthewdavid, and four others), and the long-delayed vinyl version of Nosaj Thing‘s Drift. Plus, check out the local-friendly list from Origami Vinyl.
Bygones, "by-"
Stay tuned for much, much more, and if you’ve got ideas, reach out.
My favorite record label, Anticon, and L.A.’s greatest event-promoting radio collective, Dublab, have teamed up to co-author a series of 12-inch vinyl releases called In The Loop. Dublab curates, while Anticon (taking over from Plug Research) handles the physical release. Read about the two entities’ upcoming collaborative debut, and download an MP3 off of it, here.
Us A.V. Clubbers have spoken regarding the wonderful glut of great music 2009 hath wrought thusfar. You’ll find me at the top of the pile (read it here), waxing hyperbolic about: Animal Collective, DM Stith, Grizzly Bear, WHY? and Dirty Projectors. Read on from there to find some unexpected entries from Leonard Pierce (a vote for a recent Rhymesayers record) and Genevieve Koski, who brings a much-needed femme-focused perspective to the discussion.
Andrew Broder, best known for his work with the criminally slept-on Minneapolis outfit Fog, has churned out no fewer than ten the new albums this year. But they’re not what you’d expect. These digital, label-less releases are improvised and edited instrumentals for guitar, turntables and various noisemakers. Moreover, they’re inspired by drone music and doom metal. Click over to Decider Twin Cities to read my interview with Broder, and check out the other half of the piece here, with streaming audio and reviews of each record.
Further listening: In the Lala player, you’ll find my very favorite Fog song, “Us Beneath” from 2006’s Loss Leader EP (Lex Records). The lyrics hit home:
The other night, a firefight / Bursts of sewing machine gun fire
From your position / Barricaded behind the piano.
I return with small arms / Stuttered shots from typewriter keys.
And yet in the silence / Between the volley
The hearts of weary camps / Sing to each other
However faintly / As we each seek to claim / Disputed territory
The us beneath the other / Which is rich / In natural resources.
The Bomarr Blog has the exclusive on the musical debut of a heretofore shrouded project featuring Passage of Anticon and Restiform Bodies. The Stupid Intelligent Mixtape, by Brothers Backword, is free for download and features 20+ minutes of danceable rap spit and sung by Passage and vocalist Mike Busse. It’s highly stylish stuff — smart and fun — and it incorporates a dozen or so fantastic song samples and partial covers. Find the Fugazi snippet.
Also Restiform-relevant: there’s been a spate of music-related plagiarism cases in the news lately, and I’d venture to say the RBs could have a case. Witness, first, the title and album art of their most recent album, TV Loves You Back:
And now, the just-announced, quite similar title and rather busted cover art of the upcoming DVD from, ahem, Starbucks artist Sia:
You can also read about Restiform Bodies in this mini feature I wrote from BPM last year. Sadly, that magazine just retired its printing press.
Chris Writes Things 