by Andrew Sacher

Julia Holter at Bowery Ballroom in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Art pop musician Julia Holter had one of the best albums of 2012 with Ekstasis, and she's now set to release that album's followup, Loud City Song, on August 20 via her new label home, Domino. Regarding the new album, Domino writes:

The songs that make up Loud City Song have origins that pre-date 2011's debut Tragedy - coaxed out and finessed as demos in Holter's bedroom studio and then finally coalesced into one thrillingly cohesive experience in the latter stages of 2012 by Holter and co-producer Cole Marsden Grief-Neill and an ensemble of Los Angeles musicians. The result is an album of enormous ambition - Holter taking inspiration from Collette's 1944 novella Gigi and using it as a prism through which to explore her relationship with her hometown of Los Angeles and modern life universally, taking cues from the work of Joni Mitchell and the poetry of Frank O'Hara but forging those touch-points into something resolutely unique.

Domino also just reissued her great 2011 LP, Tragedy, this week (5/21) and you can purchase that in 2XLP/CD formats at the Domino Webstore.

As mentioned, Julia is coming to NYC for a show on July 12 at Le Poisson Rouge with Jessica Pratt around the time of her appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival. Julia has since announced a full tour happening this summer, and all dates are listed below. Tickets for the NYC show are still available.

Continue reading "Julia Holter announces new album on Domino (watch the video for the single) +++ updated tour dates"

by Andrew Sacher

Jessica Pratt at Maxwell's - 5/17/13 (via @cbruno1983)

Loner folk devotee Jessica Pratt just wrapped up a tour supporting Father John Misty, which hit the NYC-area this past Friday (5/17) for a show at Maxwell's, where FJM played solo acoustic, unlike his theatrical performance at The Great GoogaMooga the next day. Jessica played backed by a keyboardist and sounded delicate and wonderful as ever. Check out a video from her set below.

As mentioned, Jessica is about to do a few dates with Grouper, including one in NYC on June 2 at Le Poisson Rouge with Raajmahal and a DJ set from onetime Cocteau Twins bassist (and current Bella Union label head) Simon Raymonde. Tickets for that show are still available. Jessica has since added her own NYC show happening a day earlier (6/1) at Union Pool with Gambles (aka ex-Levy member Matthew Siskin) and Zachary Cale. Tickets for the Union Pool show are on sale now. Show flyer below.

And as discussed, Jessica will return to Le Poisson Rouge on July 12 to open for Julia Holter, which is one of a few shows the two musicians are playing together that month. Tickets for that show are still available

After she wraps up her run with Julia Holter, Jessica will do some West Coast dates with White Fence. Updated dates are listed, along with the Maxwell's video and Union Pool show flyer, below...

Continue reading "Jessica Pratt played Maxwell's w/ Father John Misty, playing more shows (updated dates & video)"

photos by Greg Cristman

"A night of Round Robin improvs and Julia Holter just adjusted her sheet music??? #undeadjazz #redmusicacademy" - Bill Bragin

"James Chance. You too with the sheet music?" - Bill Bragin

Andrew Bird & Joe Lavano / Kim Gordon / Julia Holter & Thundercat

The Red Bull Music Academy NYC residency continued last night (5/1) with the sold-out Night Of Improvised Round Robin Duets, which went down at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. The night featured a ton of incredible performers, including (in order of appearance) Jameszoo, Questlove, Matana Roberts, Mary Halvorson, Thundercat, Julia Holter, Kim Gordon, Dosh, Roy Hargrove, James Chance, Kim Gordon, Andrew WK, Bernie Worrell, Glenn Gotche, Erik Friedlander, Vijay Iyer, Robert Glasper, DJ Spinna, Don Byron, Andrew Bird, and Joe Lovano. Pictures from that night are in this post.

Many of the performers have other upcoming Red Bull Music Academy events (or non-RBMA shows) in NYC too. Kim Gordon plays tonight (5/2) at Knockdown Center in Queens as one half of the duo Body/Head with Bill Nace. Other artists on the bill include Stephen O'Malley, Prurient, Vatican Shadow, Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, Noveller, Mick Barr, Pharmakon, Pete Swanson and many more. That show appears sold out is back on sale.

Thundercat, who has a new album on the way, plays with Flying Lotus on May 5 and 6 at Terminal 5. Tickets for both nights are still available, and we're also giving away a pair to each night.

After the RBMA residency is over, Julia Holter plays Le Poisson Rouge on July 12 with Jessica Pratt. Tickets for that show are still available.

The "Night of Improvised Round Robin Duets" also doubled as part of the Undead Music Festival, which includes another Andrew Bird and Martin Dosh show on Saturday (5/4) at Shapeshifter Lab, where he'll be playing as a duo with Martin Dosh. The rest of that bill includes Jeremy Ylvisaker and Todd Sickafoose. Tickets for that are still available.

Andrew WK is touring as a the singer of Marky Ramone's band, and that tour hits NYC on Friday (5/3) at Santos (tickets) and October 3 at Irving (tickets).

More pictures from the "Night of Improvised Round Robin Duets" below...

Continue reading "Andrew Bird, Questlove, Thundercat, Kim Gordon and others played the 'Night of Improvised Round Robin Duets' (pics)"

by Andrew Sacher

Julia Holter at Bowery Ballroom in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Julia Holter has a few live dates coming up this spring and summer, including previously discussed NYC dates on April 25 at BAM for day 1 of the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival with The Roots, Parquet Courts, Solange, David Longstreth, TV on the Radio, Phosphorescent and others (4/25 tix and 3-day festival passes); and May 1 at Brooklyn Masonic Temple for the Night of Improvised Round Robin Duets as part of the Red Bull Music Academy NYC residency with Andrew Bird, Questlove, Kim Gordon, James Chance, Thundercat, Andrew WK, and many others (sold out).

Julia has since added another NYC date which happens on July 12 at Le Poisson Rouge before she plays Pitchfork Music Festival. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All of her dates are listed, along with a stream of the 15-minute opening track from the digital re-release of her 2010 album, Celebration, below.

Jessica Pratt - 'Jessica Pratt'

Support at the LPR show comes from Jessica Pratt, who, like Julia Holter, owes much to the loner folk of cult legends like Linda Perhacs. But while Julia brings in Laurie Anderson-esque art pop sensibilities and some modern home recording techniques, Jessica Pratt, more similarly to Angel Olsen, is interested in actually sounding like she recorded in the early '70s. Her 2012 self titled record is a raw, bare-bones release (much like Olsen's Half Way Home from that same year), and a really gorgeous listen for anyone seeking Linda Perhacs, Sibylle Baier, or Vashti Bunyan's influence in modern music. Stream the track "Night Faces" below, and if you like what you hear, there's also a Spotify widget of the full album embedded.

Jessica Pratt has also been added as an opener to Father John Misty's tour with Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, including the NYC-area show on May 17 at Maxwell's (sold out). And after that run, she'll play another show at Le Poisson Rouge on June 2 as a support act for the previously discussed Grouper show at that venue. Raajmahal is on that bill too and tickets are still available. That show happens after both Grouper and Jessica Pratt play Chaos in Tejas.

All Julia Holter and Jessica Pratt dates are listed, along with song streams, below...

Continue reading "Julia Holter adds LPR show w/ Jessica Pratt, who's touring w/ Father John Misty & Grouper (seperately) (dates & streams)"

Mykki Blanco at BV-SXSW 2013 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Andrew Bird w/ Yo La Tengo on Hanukkah 2012 (more by PSquared Photography)

The Red Bull Music Academy already announced a huge NYC residency which includes a number of great shows at multiple venues, and this thing just keeps getting bigger and better. RBMA has now announced some new shows and updates to previously-announced ones. For example, the "Night Of Improvised Round Robin Duets" that's happening on May 1 at Brooklyn Masonic Temple has added Andrew Bird, Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer and Roy Hargrove to the mix that already included Questlove, Andrew WK, James Chance, Julia Holter, Kim Gordon, Thundercat, and others. Tickets for that show are still available. The full lineup is below.

UK DFA-signed dance trio Factory Floor will be joining their labelmates at the massive 12 Years of DFA Records, which takes place at Brooklyn's dazzling Grand Prospect Hall on May 25 (tickets). They were also added as DJs to the recently discussed Evian Christ and Oneohtrix Point Never show happening at Saint Vitus on May 26 (tickets).

Rapper Mykki Blanco, who just headlined Bowery Ballroom, and who was recently announced for this weekend's (4/5-7) Blues for Smoke festival at the Whitney Museum with Le1f, has also been added to Le1f's RBMA show. That show happens on May 7 at Glasslands with Laurel Halo, Venus X, Spank DJs, and others (tickets).

And UK bass/house producer Mosca and Mathew Jonson have been added to the closing night party on May 31 at 74 Wythe Ave that also features L.I.E.S. feat. Legowelt, Beautiful Swimmers, Marcos Cabral, Willie Burns, Bookworms, Professor Genius, Jahiliyya Fields, Shawn O'Sullivan + Kerri Chandler, and Red Bull Music Academy Allstars. Tickets are still available.

Updated Red Bull Music Academy schedule HERE. The full list of lineup additions for the residency and the full lineup for the "Night of Improvised Round Robin Duets" show below...

Continue reading "Mykki Blanco, Factory Floor, Andrew Bird and more added to Red Bull Music Academy shows"

Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

The final Pitchfork Festival lineup has now been announced, and in addition to previously announced acts like R. Kelly, Joanna Newsom, and Swans, it now includes M.I.A., Lil B, Solange, Wire, Yo La Tengo, Low, Savages, Toro Y Moi, Phosphorescent, Metz, Autre Ne Veut, Mikal Cronin, Parquet Courts, Merchandise, Woods, Julia Holter, Glass Candy, Andy Stott, Pissed Jeans, Frankie Rose, Ryan Hemsworth, Waxahatchee, Blood Orange, Daughn Gibson, Evian Christ, White Lung, KEN Mode, and DJ Rashad.

Three-day passes and single-day tickets are still available.

In other Chicago music festival news, Lollapalooza early bird passes went on sale today, sold out, and then regular 3-day passes went on sale and sold out. Single day tickets go on sale April 9.

Full Pitchfork Festival lineup and schedule below...

Continue reading "M.I.A., Solange, Wire, Savages, Phosphorescent, Julia Holter, Waxahatchee, KEN Mode & more added to Pitchfork Festival"

"On May 1 the Brooklyn Masonic Temple will welcome a host of artists to participate in a unique evening of live improvisation. No Wave pioneer James Chance, Wilco's Glenn Kotche, ?uestlove of The Roots, Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth fame, and Parliament Funkadelic founding member Bernie Worrell are among the more than 20 artists slated to perform together on stage. The show is part of the 2013 Red Bull Music Academy festival that will touch down in New York from April 28 to May 31 with an unprecedented series of 37 concerts, club nights and special events in 34 venues around town."

Continue reading "Kim Gordon, James Chance, Questlove, Andrew WK, Glenn Kotche & more in for big Red Bull improv jam"

Solange at Bowery Ballroom in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As noted, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival will return to BAM from April 25 - 27 and is again curated by The National's Bryce Dessner and Aaron Dessner. A partial list of 2013 performers has been announced and includes headliners The Roots, Solange and TV on the Radio, as well as Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Julia Holter and Here We Go Magic. Full list of announced performers is below.

Festival passes to all three days of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry are on sale now as are tickets to April 25 (The Roots), April 26 (Solange), and April 27 (TV on the Radio).

Continue reading "The Roots, Solange and TV on the Radio headlining 2013 Crossing Brooklyn Ferry (initial line-up announced, tix on sale)"

Wohl, Halo, & Holter @ Ecstatic Fest 2013 (more by David Andrako)

As mentioned, Laurel Halo and Julia Holter played the Ecstatic Music Festival over the weekend (2/23). The performance, a collaboration with Daniel Wohl's new-music ensemble Transit, featured new compostions from Halo and Holter. The show was broadcast by WQXR and that stream has just been put online. Listen below.

The Ecstatic Music Festival continues Wednesday night (2/27) with a collaborative performance from Arnold Dreyblatt and Megafaun. Tickets are still available.

Continue reading "listen to Laurel Halo, Julia Holter and Daniel Wohl's Ecstatic Music Fest performance"

photos by David Andrako, words by Andrew Sacher

Daniel Wohl, Laurel Halo, and Julia Holter

"So you were there in a car and the windshield shattered," are the first words you heard at Laurel Halo and Julia Holter's collaborative set with electroacoustic composer Daniel Wohl and his TRANSIT orchestra at the Merkin Concert Hall on Saturday night (2/23), as part of the ongoing indie-classical Ecstatic Music Festival. The line was quietly sung by Laurel, only to be sung by Julia the second time around, and finally for a third "verse," the two singers harmonized in unison, and their voices sound great together. The lyric was sung during a piece titled "Enter the Void," the first of three original pieces composed by Laurel, Julia, and Daniel played during the first set of Saturday's concert. The setup primarily featured Laurel and Daniel on electronics, as Daniel led his orchestra, and Laurel and Julia on vocals. All three musicians also had keyboards.

The pieces were heavy on vibes, never fully committing to drone, ambient IDM, modern classical or avant-garde, but pulling characteristics from all of those things to create drifting, floating atmospheres that were entirely their own. Vocally, the deliveries were bold and kind of the one thing that kept you grounded on earth. Both Julia and Laurel sang in similar styles to their respective 2012 albums, Ekstasis and Quarantine, restoring a sense of familiarity each time they chimed in over the electronics and orchestra swells' ability to emerge the listener into the unknown. One of the pieces was written on the setlist as "Corps Remix," and presumably has its roots in Laurel Halo's remix of Daniel Wohl's "323," from his Corps Exquis project (who Laurel once shared a bill with in Brooklyn).

After leaving the stage for a short intermission, the musicians returned for a second set, which featured three songs performed as one continuous piece. It began with Julia literally whispering spoken word into the mic and Laurel eventually joining her on contrasting parts. The whispering was followed by some sparse moments of singing into more depths of weirdness. But as a finale to the medley, they brought everything back home with a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David-penned tune, Don't Make Me Over," ending with Julia and Laurel powerfully chanted in unison, "Accept me for who I am, accept me for the things that I do."

An archived recording of the show will eventually be available at WQXR. More pictures (including one of the setlist) below...

Continue reading "Laurel Halo, Julia Holter, and Daniel Wohl collaborated at Ecstatic Music Festival (pics, review)"

photos by David Andrako

Deerhoof @ Ecstatic Music Festival, 2/20/2013

The Ecstatic Music Festival, which has been happening at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, continued last night (2/22) with one of the more anticipated of this year's season: Deerhoof with Chicago ensemble Dal Niente, including new work by Brazilian-born composer Marcos Balter. This was the first time in NYC for this pairing that  made it's debut last summer as part of Chicago's Wordless Music series. You can check out more photos and the program from the concert below.

Next up at the Ecstatic Music Fest on Saturday (2/23): Laurel Halo, Julia Holter and Daniel Wohl combine forces with Wohl's TRANSIT ensemble, performing commissioned works as well as their previous works performed in new configurations. Tickets are still available.

Continue reading "Deerhoof with Ensemble Dal Niente played the Ecstatic Music Festival (pics)"

Ecstatic Music Festival 2012 (more by David Andrako)

As discussed, the indie/classical Ecstatic Music Festival is returning to the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center this year and it begins Friday (1/25) with a show from My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The festival also includes shows with Clogs, Laurel Halo and Julia Holter, Deerhoof, Megafaun, and more. The full schedule is below and tickets for select shows are still available.

However, you've also got a chance to attend for free because we're giving away a pair of tickets to a show of your choice. Contest details and the Ecstatic Music Festival schedule, below...

Continue reading "Ecstatic Music Fest kicking off (win tix to show of your choice!)"

Laurel Halo

Shapeshifting art pop producer/singer Laurel Halo has a few shows coming up this year including the previously discussed NYC date at the Merkin Concert Hall on February 23, where she'll be playing a collaborative set with fellow art pop mastermind Julia Holter and members of Daniel Wohl's TRANSIT collective as part of the Ecstatic Music Festival. Tickets for that show are still available.

Laurel Halo's other upcoming shows include a couple festival appearances, like Barcelona's Mutek [ES] in February and Katowice, Poland's OFF Festival in August with Deerhunter, Jens Lekman, METZ, Merchandise, and more TBA. And around the time of the Ecstatic Music Fest show, Laurel will play a more traditional show in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on Valentines Day (2/14) with fellow Brooklynites Teengirl Fantasy, TGF's collaborator Kelela, and Fatherhood. Tickets for the LPR show, which Bandshell is presenting, are on sale now.

Like her Hyperdub labelmate Burial, Laurel Halo capped off 2012 with a last-minute single, "Sunlight On The Faded." You can stream that single and check out a list of all upcoming dates below...

Continue reading "Laurel Halo playing shows (one w/ Teengirl Fantasy) (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

Sun Araw at BV-SXSW 2012 (more by Nate "Igor" Smith)

Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras took part in one of 2012's most interesting (relatively) obscure releases with Icon Give Thank, a collaborative album with reggae legends/Lee "Scratch" Perry associates The Congos. And towards the end of the year, the three collaborators released a 5-track live EP recorded with the Raw Power Band at the Village Underground in London this past June. You can download that EP (name your price) at bandcamp and stream the whole thing below.

Both Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras are teaming up this month for a NYC show which happens on January 19 at Knitting Factory with Ital, who toured with M Geddes Gengras (and Laurel Halo) in 2012 around the time he dropped Dream On, his second album of 2012. Tickets for that show are on sale now. It's the only currently announced date for Sun Araw but Ital has other upcoming dates, which are listed below.

Sun Araw is featured on an upcoming double album compilation from Stones Throw and Leaving Records (Matthewdavid's label) called Dual Form which drops January 22 in cassette, LP, CD, and digital formats. The compilation also features Julia Holter (covering Arthur Russell), Dntel, Run DMT, Odd Nosdam and many more. You can stream Sun Araw's contribution, "Right Off," and check out the full tracklist below. The cassette version features bonus tracks by Matthewdavid.

All streams and a list of Ital dates below...

Continue reading "Sun Araw appearing on Stones Throw/Leaving comp, playing NYC w/ Ital, released live EP w/ The Congos (dates, streams)"

Nite Jewel at LPR in August (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

Nite Jewel (aka Ramona Gonazalez) is a bit of a musical shapeshifter, having previously recorded lo-fi experimental pieces, performed with Linda Perhacs (along with Julia Holter), and performed a Kraftwerk album in its entirety, among other things. Just recently, she recorded a piano cover of Stevie Wonder's "Visions," which you can watch a video of below.

But on this year's One Second of Love, Ramona went for more of an overtly pop approach than her earlier work, and that interest comes across pretty strongly in her top ten songs of 2012 list, which you can check out below. Half of the list is made up of this year's big rap/R&B faves, and it also includes collaborator Julia Holter, Zebra Katz (whose video we just posted), and more.

Check out her full list and the "Visions" video below...

Continue reading "Nite Jewel covered Stevie Wonder, picked her top 10 songs of 2012"

Today Pitchfork posted the first half (well, first 30 albums) of their Top 50 Albums of 2012 list. There are some surprises on it, like Peaking Lights and Sharon Van Etten, who seemed more likely to end up on their Honorable Mentions list due to their relatively lower scores and the fact that most of the albums on this list were awarded Best New Music throughout the year. Cat Power and Hot Chip also make it, both of whose new albums seemed to have received less love from Pitchfork than previous releases by those artists. A Rustie Essential Mix also makes the list even though his actual album which came out last year didn't make their 2011 list. And of course the expected ones end up there too like Purity Ring, Julia Holter, Schoolboy Q, Miguel, and more. The remaining 20 will be revealed tomorrow (Friday, 12/21).

Check out their 50-30 picks below...

Continue reading "30 of Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2012"

by Bill Pearis

Pitchfork just posted their much anticipated list of the top 100 tracks of 2012. The #1 slot went to... Grimes! Whether you thought the whole of her album Visions was good or not, it was hard to deny the charms of "Oblivion." (Having that great video didn't hurt either.) Do you think it deserved to top the list? If not then what song should've?

You can check out P4K's entire hot 100 of 2012 below.

Continue reading "Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2012 (Grimes' "Oblivion" is #1)"

by Andrew Sacher

FACT is still one of the best sources for cutting edge electronic music, and I always look forward to their top 50 albums of the year list, which they've just published for 2012. As usual, it doesn't only contain electronic albums.

This year's list has a good deal of indie rap (Haleek Maul, Schoolboy Q, Le1f, Main Attrakionz, Spaceghostpurrp) and it's the only non-metal list I've seen so far with Black Breath's Sentenced to Life (!). And of course, to compliment the dancefloor records, it's got its fair share of electronic-tinged indie pop, forward thinking R&B, and outsider experimental music.

Check out the full list below.

Continue reading "FACT's Top 50 Albums of 2012"

Ceremony at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2012 (more by Keith Marlowe)

Andy Nelson of Ceremony / Paint it Black took time out from his string of dates with Titus Andronicus (which included Webster Hall this past weekend) to fork over his favorite records of 2012. Andy actually gave us two lists -- favorite LPs and EPs/singles. They include Frank Ocean, Merchandise, Savages, Julia Holter and... well see for yourself. His lists are below.

Continue reading "Andy Nelson's (Ceremony / Paint it Black) top records of 2012"

UK music magazine Uncut put out their list of the top 75 albums of 2012. The top ten leans pretty heavy on long-running '60s/'70s survivors who put out new albums this year, but plenty of the list-topping regulars from newer acts are on there too, along with a few interesting surprises (Sun Araw, M Geddes Gengras & the Congos!). You can check out the full list below.

Continue reading "Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2012"

"Every time I mention I like her or Justin
on Twitter though I lose like 20 followers," - Grimes

DOWNLOAD: Doldrums - She is the Wave (MP4)

Grimes at MHOW, 10/25/2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

There is no doubt Grimes has had an amazing, perhaps overwhelming, year, selling out four 600-capacity nights in NYC recently to her album Visions ending up on many Best Albums of 2012 lists (like Rough Trade Shops, NME and Fred Armisen's). But what did Claire Boucher pick as her favorite albums of the year? We asked her and you can check out what she told us below.

She cheated a bit though, listing her tour-mates and Arbutus Records label-mate Doldrums' Lesser Evil as her #1, which doesn't actually come out till February 23, 2013, but if it's a list of what she heard in 2012 then we'll let it slide. You can download a track from that Doldrums album above or stream it below along with its music video.

Check out Grimes Top 10 (plus one more, actually) of 2012, which includes both Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift and possibly some inside jokes (we're just printing what she gave us), and that Doldrums song, below.

Continue reading "Grimes' Top 10 LPs of 2012 --- includes Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber & Doldrums' 2013 LP (stream a track)"

Julia Holter at Bowery Ballroom in August (more by Amanda Hatfield)

The Ecstatic Music Festival is returning to the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center in 2013 from January 25 to March 21, where it's happened in past years. Over the course of the approximately two month-long period, the festival will be presenting eleven shows, with multiple collaborations between artists that blur the lines between indie and modern classical. The collaborations include Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus; Sarah Kirkland Snider with vocalists DM Stith, Padma Newsome (of Clogs), and Shara Worden; DJ / rupture and Zs; Deerhoof with Dal Niente and Marcos Balter; Laurel Halo and Julia Holter with Daniel Wohl; Arnold Dreyblatt with Megafaun; Simone Dinnerstein with Tift Merritt; a Bang on a Can concert, and more.

Individual tickets and festival passes go on sale today (11/27).

Full schedule is below.

Continue reading "Ecstatic Music Festival 2013 announced 2013 (Julia Holter, My Brightest Diamond, Laurel Halo, Megafaun, Deerhoof & more)"

Jack White @ Radio City Music Hall, 9/30/2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

In addition to the Fleetwood Mac cover story (and Rumours cover CD that comes with it), the new issue of MOJO is the 2012 Year-End wrap-up with the best albums list which is topped by Jack White's Blunderbuss. Their list is definitely different than most, but also in line with the mag that puts the Beatles on the cover at least once a year. You can check out MOJO's Top 20 below.

Continue reading "Jack White tops MOJO's Best LPs of 2012 list"

by Andrew Sacher

This month's issue of UK music magazine MOJO features a free CD titled Rumours Revisted, a tribute to Fleetwood Mac's landmark 1977 album, Rumours. (Not the first time a Fleetwood Mac tribute album came out this year.) The compilation features covers by Yeasayer, Liars, Julia Holter, Pure Bathing Culture, The Besnard Lakes, Dylan LeBlanc, and more. You can stream Yeasayer's take on "Second Hand News" and Liars' reworking of "The Chain" below, and to hear the rest of the album, you might have to get your hands on a copy of the new issue of MOJO or scour the internet for a download. (Side note: I've always wanted to hear 2007-era Yeasayer cover "The Chain" but I guess some things will have to remain up to the imagination...)

Over the summer, Fleetwood Mac revealed plans to tour in 2013. Details for that have still not been announced but the band continue to show signs that the tour is on the way. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Lindsey Buckingham revealed that he'd also like to record with Fleetwood Mac again:

"Absolutely, absolutely I would," he says of creating a new album. "In fact, about six, seven months ago, John [McVie] and Mick [Fleetwood] were over here and we actually cut some tracks, and we did enough for maybe half an album. But you gotta get Stevie [Nicks] on board with that, and at the time, she was really quite caught up in what she was doing . . . but I would love to do that because John and Mick were playing their asses off."

Streams and tracklist are below.

Continue reading "Yeasayer, Liars & more on new Fleetwood Mac tribute (streams); Lindsey Buckingham up for new FM album"

by Bill Pearis

Nedelle Torrisi, who is one half of the Asthmatic Kitty-signed Cryptacize and has sung with Sufjan Stevens, Saturday Looks Good to Me and others, has a new musical project called Paradise and her first single under that name is out this week on Thin Wrist Recordings. Produced by Kenneth Gilmore (Ariel Pink), the record features vocal contributions from Ramona Gonzales and Julia Holter, as well some guitarwork from the ubiquitous Dev Hynes. It's lovely pop on the widescreen side of things and is refreshingly not awash in reverb. You can stream the A-side, "I Love Thousands Every Summer" (which has been floating around the internet for most of the year) below and you can check out the elaborate packaging for the 7" here.

Paradise plays two shows this week: Tuesday (11/13) at Glasslands with Field Mouse and WIM (tickets), and then Thursday (11/15) at Pianos with Andy Burrows, Catharsis and Cookies (tickets). While there is a five-piece band version of Paradise, these NYC shows will be just Nedelle and Ryan Keberle (of Catharsis) on piano.

Single stream is below.

Continue reading "check out Paradise (Nedelle Torrisi of Cryptacize), playing two NYC shows this week"