DOWNLOAD: Olof Arnalds - Englar og darer (MP3)

Ólöf Arnalds's beautiful debut album, Við og Við, will be released in the US by One Little Indian on January 12th. Grab track #1 above for free right now! That's the cover art up there too.

NYC is becoming a second home for Olof who is back in town again and will be joined by fellow Icelandic musician Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós at the Whitney Museum of American Art on November 6th.

Cage a Swallow Can't You But You Can't Swallow A Cage: A Sonnet Sequence for Roni Horn

November 6
Performances at 7 pm and 8 pm

Composed in honor of Roni Horn by poet Anne Carson, this performance of sung and spoken word features a mix of voice and harmonium. Icelandic musicians Olof Arnalds and Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Ros, join Carson and poets R. Currie and Penelope Thomas for this special program.

That is one of two (actually three) chances you have to see Olof in the next week. She will also return to Rockwood Music Hall for a show on November 9th (10pm set).

In September Olof stopped by KEXP's studios to perform some songs. Check out those videos below...

Continue reading "Olof Arnalds - new album in 2010 (MP3), a Whitney show w/ a Sigur Ros member, a Rockwood show, KEXP videos & more "

Daft Punk's first album had helped refresh house music in the mid 1990s; the second went further, rewriting electronic pop's pleasure principles to such a degree that when it came out a lot of people thought Discovery must be a put-on. They took the joy in the record for irony. Rather, the band had simply plunged into the raw popstuff of their 70s childhoods, from AOR to disco, Buggles to Manilow, rock to robotics. They wanted their listeners to get the rush of context-free delight they had hearing music as kids, and on "Aerodynamic" and "Digital Love" they succeeded wildly, dissolving a decade-plus of dance music good taste. And not all of Discovery looked back. The middle of the album is house music as string theory, with the duo finding dimensions of pleasure coiled within the tiniest loops: "Crescendolls" releases an awesome, gleeful energy by repeatedly triggering one five-second sample.

Discovery was simply the decade's best good-times record, with Daft Punk as pyramid-toting party wizards and the chipmunk Kraftwerk of "Harder Better Faster Stronger" their anthem. But this most celebratory of records has a bittersweet streak, too: Daft Punk know that a rush always carries the risk of exhaustion. Perhaps the album's most underappreciated track is the sad but gorgeous "Short Circuit", a three-minute robot graveyard of crumbled transistors and dying LEDs. But from Romanthony's first blissful, vocoded shout of "one more time!" the dominant emotion on Discovery is joy. A joy that wasn't afraid to be sentimental and funny as well as hard and futuristic, and is all the better for that. When a generation looks back and tries to catch a fuzzy hold of the music that made them happy this decade, Daft Punk's will be top of the list. --Tom Ewing [Pitchfork]

Continue reading "Pitchfork announces the top 20 albums of the decade "

Jonsi and Alex aka Riceboy Sleeps are DJing ("Jonsi From Sigur Ros & Alex - DJ set") at tonight's Fanfarlo & Wildbirds & Peacedrums show at Bowery Ballroom (9/21)

That above picture is the cover for the forthcoming Tegan & Sara album, Sainthood, due out October 27th on Vapor Records. The record is being produced by Chris Walla (of Death Cab and many producing credits) and Howard Redekopp (who's worked with New Pornographers, Mother Mother, and others) - interesting in that they've both worked on past Tegan & Sara individually.

The pair (Tegan and Sara) have a few shows scheduled at the moment. Two of those will happen at NYC's Town Hall on October 30th and 31st (Mischief Night and Halloween). Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am.

Tiestoremixed Tegan & Sara's track "Back in your Head" in 2007. Now the three have collaborated again on "I Feel it in My Bones," a song that'll be included on Tiesto's new album, Kaleidoscope, out October 20th on Ultra Records. That song is streaming on his MySpace. Also guesting on the Tiesto album will be Jónsi of Sigur Rós, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, Emily Haines of Metric, and others. Full tracklist is below.

Tiesto is going on a pretty big tour that kicks off with three nights at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. Tickets for those shows (9/24-9/26) are on sale now. All dates, the Tegan & Sara album back cover and tracklist, and more, below...

Continue reading "Tegan & Sara - new album, 2 Town Hall shows, & collab. w/ Tiesto who is touring (dates) & playing 3 NYC shows"

photos by Ryan Muir

"I think that Brooklyn has maybe become the music capital of the world," the violinist David Harrington said from the stage of the Prospect Park Bandshell on Thursday night.

The occasion was a concert by the Kronos Quartet, the groundbreaking ensemble he founded in 1973. Mr. Harrington went on to suggest that to find a similar concentration of artistic vitality you had to look to late-17th-century Vienna.

The claim was hyperbolic, maybe, but certainly understandable: after all, the Kronos Quartet was performing as part of the annual summer series Celebrate Brooklyn! Its program, presented before a large, diverse and boisterously appreciative audience, included new pieces by three Brooklyn composers -- Bryce Dessner, Missy Mazzoli and J. G. Thirlwell -- with further selections prepared by a Brooklyn arranger, Jacob Garchik." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Kronos Quartet Celebrated Brooklyn (and played music by Bryce Dessner) @ the Prospect Park Bandshell in NYC - pics"

"BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn is pleased to announce that Kronos Quartet will perform a free concert at Celebrate Brooklyn! on Thursday, July 16. The groundbreaking ensemble¹s performance will include material from their new album, Floodplain, as well as the New York premiere of The National¹s Bryce Dessner¹s ³Aheym,² the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli¹s ³Harp and Altar,² pieces by Sigur Rós, Café Tacuba (arr. Osvaldo Golijov), Michael Gordon and [JG Thirlwell's piece "Nomatophobis" and a pice by Michael Gordon and more]. Kronos will be joined on the bill by Gypsy punk string ensemble Luminescent Orchestrii. The concert will begin at 7:30 P.M.; gates will open at 6:30 P.M."

DOWNLOAD: Riceboy Sleeps - Boy 1904 (MP3) (via)

"Known primarily for his haunting falsetto and other-worldly presence as the singer in Sigur Rós, Jon Thor Birgisson has - together with his partner Alex Somers - been exhibiting artwork and staging exhibitions under the name Riceboy Sleeps for two or three years now, including the release of a limited edition picture book. A couple of months back the early fruits of the musical side of this collaboration surfaced in physical form for the first time, with the track "Happiness", on the exemplary Dark Was The Night Red Hot compilation...

Now... the full-length Riceboy Sleeps album is finished and ready for release. And, as with "Happiness", it is set to subtly redefine expectations of slow and elegiac instrumental music in 2009." [XL]

Continue reading "Riceboy Sleeps (Alex & Sigur Ros' Jonsi) - new album, MP3 "

by Ryan Barkan

When it comes to licensing, Tom Waits has a strong reputation..

Waits has steadfastly refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials and has joked about other artists who do. ("If Michael Jackson wants to work for Pepsi, why doesn't he just get himself a suit and an office in their headquarters and be done with it?") He has filed several lawsuits against advertisers who used his material without permission. He has been quoted as saying, "Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad -- ideally, naked and purring on the hood of a new car," he said in a statement, referring to the Mercury Cougar. "I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor....

...In 2005, Waits sued Adam Opel AG, claiming that, after having failed to sign him to sing in their Scandinavian commercials, they had hired a soundalike singer. In 2007, the suit was settled, and Waits gave the sum to charity." [Wikipedia]

The campaign, shot by American History X director Tony Kaye, launched November 25th and is intended to raise awareness and drive action to fight hunger in America.

Created pro bono by Ogilvy NY, the new TV, radio, print, and web advertising aims to change the way Americans look at this critical issue affecting our country and to understand the fact that many people they interact with on a daily basis may not know where their next meal will come from...

"We are thrilled to partner with Feeding America to educate Americans about just how close hunger is to each one of us," according to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council. "I believe that the 1 in 8 campaign will inspire Americans to become involved in this critical issue."

"This work uses simple visual imagery to demonstrate the reality of the fact that everyone today knows someone who is hungry," said Antonio Navas and Chris Bradley, creative directors at Ogilvy who developed the campaign. "We were very fortunate to get musician Tom Waits to contribute a beautiful piece of music - "Never Let Go" off of 2006's Orphans -- that helps bring the work to life and connect with the public in a tangible way. We believe it will have great impact on this important cause."

Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will be distributed to media outlets nationwide this week and will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

Other Notable Licensing News:

Another band that usually passes on licensing requests for its music is Arcade Fire. The Canadian band decided to let its song "My Body Is A Cage" be used in the trailer for the new Brad Pitt movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

According to the Arcade Fire's management, "This is the first time the band have used their music in this way. David Fincher asked them to look at the trailer. They all thought it was a good use of the music. They have no issue with licensing music when it's used in a creative way. It rarely happens." [Pitchfork]

The soundtrack to Juno continues to inspire advertising creatives. One of Barry Louis Polisar's songs from that soundtrack, "All I Want Is You", gives it a go in a spot for the National Lottery in the UK. The commercial can be seen below.

I've seen the commercial for Ubisoft's new Prince Of Persia game on air this past week. Just like the trailer (watch it below), the spot features the song "Saeglopur" by Sigur Ros. This is the second video game featuring Sigur Ros music - EA's trailer for Dead Space (released in October 2008) uses "Track 7" as the soundtrack.

The Shins' "Sleeping Lessons" provides a cool soundtrack to Statkraft Energy's new European commercial. Watch it at Boards Mag.

Sony has released quite a few new commercials recently for both the PS3 and PSP that have good musical soundtracks. The "Mural" spot features "Everybody Ona Move" by Michael Franti & Spearhead, "LA Plays PSP" has The Grouch featuring MURS' "The Bay To LA", and "NYC Plays PSP" uses Chromeo's "Fancy Footwork". Watch the last one below.

continued below...

Continue reading "This week in Music Licensing"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Night 1, Night 2....

Continue reading "Sigur Ros @ United Palace (night 2), NYC - pics & setlist"

BE NICE (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* FREE
* DANCE
* a free Hold Steady show
* Sigur Ros @ United Palace
* Howard Tate @ Slipper Room
* the opening of The Bell House
* Noah & The Whale @ Sidewalk Cafe
* The Mars Volta @ Starland Ballroom
* Mogwai & Fuck Buttons @ Terminal 5
* Phosphorescent does a Rooftop Film
* WHY? & Mount Eerie @ Bowery Ballroom
* Balkan Beat Box @ Highline Ballroom
* The Stills @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Opeth, High on Fire & Nachtmystium @ Nokia Theatre
* a free Bloc Party @ Amazing Baby show @ Roseland Ballroom
* Borts Minorts & American Watercolor Movement @ Glasslands
* The Major Labels, Dragonette & Oppenheimer @ Mercury Lounge
* World Without Magic and Joe & The Flying Spoons @ Union Pool

Working on cloning myself.

What else?

photos by Ryan Muir

DOWNLOAD: Sigur Ros - gobbledigook (instrumental) (MP3)

"It was transcendent. I have never seen a show this good - they played a gtr with a saw and played the same measure 30 times in a row, getting gradually louder until they started singing in this made up language, really high & slightly off key - then they did it again, except this time no made up language!!! And so it went!!! I'm a berklee trained musician and I've seem some amazing shit, but no one will ever top what I saw this magical night." [Anonoymous]

Continue reading "Sigur Ros @ United Palace (night 1), NYC - pics & setlist"

Sigur Ros @ MoMA (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Sigur Ros @ United Palace
* Pete Best @ Virgin Megastore
* The Dandy Warhols @ Terminal 5
* Josh Rouse & Merz @ Joe's Pub
* Gutbucket & Tuxedo Moon @ LPR
* The Mars Volta @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Sunset Rubdown & Passion Pit @ Mercury Lounge
* Witchcraft, Graveyard & TK Webb @ Bowery Ballroom
* Earl Greyhound & Miracle Fortress @ Public Assembly
* The Swell Season @ Rumsey Playfield (Central Park) (Summerstage)

What else?

"This tour will bring the Icelandic quartet to some of the most prestigious venues in the country where they will perform as a four-piece for the first time in almost ten years."

Sigur Ros @ MoMA (more by Ryan Muir)

A week before Iceland's Sigur Ros released their incredible, critically-acclaimed new record, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, they played a few very special shows in America, including an intimate, tremendous performance at New York City's Museum of Modern Art. Current TV captured a number of songs from the performance and will be airing it tonight at 10 pm EST & PST in the form of "Sigur Ros @ MoMA." The hour-long concert film features rousing renditions of songs from Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, including "Gobbledigook" and "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur," in addition to fan favorites from their lauded past albums. With behind-the-scenes snippets and commentary from the band, "Sigur Ros @ MoMA" is stunning, exciting and captures the band at their very best.

Continue reading "Sigur Ros MoMA on Current TV tonight, 2008 Tour Dates"

Sigur Ros & Bjork - June 28, 2008, Iceland (olikristinn)

Continue reading "Bjork playing with Sigur Ros! (videos)"

Sigur Ros @ MoMA (more by Ryan Muir)

Nat Geo Music, the music division of National Geographic Entertainment, will Webcast an open-air Náttúra concert live from Iceland on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Two of the world's most important and visionary musical entities, Björk and Sigur Rós, will headline the free concert.

The event will be available exclusively at worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET (begins at 8 p.m. BST/London or 7 p.m. GMT/Reykjavik).

To be held in a large park near the centre of Reykjavik, all of the performances will be during daylight, with Iceland's capital city and dramatic rolling scenery providing a perfect backdrop to what is expected to be one of the biggest concerts the country has seen. The Náttúra concert looks to raise awareness of the impact of the growing aluminum smelting activity on Iceland's natural landscape.

You probably heard that starting today NYC will have four waterfalls to look at
(through October 13th).

The waterfalls were designed by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. I probably read that the first time I heard about the waterfalls, but it wasn't until re-reading that fact today that I recognized his name as the guy who currently has 'thirty-eight works installed at both MoMA and P.S.1' ("Take Your Time") and whose exhibition party Sigur Ros recently played.

BONUS: you can see all four waterfalls while seeing a concert on any of this summer's Rocks Off Cruises (that start/run before 10pm which is when the waterfalls turn off) .

Continue reading "NYC Waterfalls (open today), Sigur Ros & Rocks Off cruises "

The Sigur Ros presale commenced this morning around 9am. The usual headaches were incurred. Don't worry though, the regular on-sale is still to come.

Sigur Ros didn't play a second encore at the Grand Ballroom show the other day, but they did answer everyone's wild applause by coming back on stage for multiple bows. More pics from that segment of the show below...

Continue reading "Sigur Ros tickets & pics of them bowing @ Grand Ballroom "

Sigur Ros @ MoMa (more by Ryan Muir)

There will be a presale tomorrow for the following Sigur Ros dates....

Continue reading "Sigur Ros - 2008 Tour Dates & presale (NY shows confirmed)"

photos by Ryan Muir

Sigur Ros
TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008
7:00-11:00 P.m.
MoMA

PopRally invites you to a special performance by the celebrated Icelandic band Sigur Rós, in conjunction with the exhibition Take your time: Olafur Eliasson.

Featuring thirty-eight works installed at both MoMA and P.S.1, Take your time explores the highly experimental work of Olafur Eliasson, whose immersive environments and large-scale installations elegantly recreate the extremes of landscape and atmosphere in his native Iceland. Eliasson's work recontextualizes elements such as light, water, ice, fog, stone, and moss to create unique situations that shift viewers' perceptions of place and self.

Sigur Rós creates ethereal, transcendent music that often induces a feeling of wonderment--a stirring accompaniment to Eliasson's explorations of space, color, and illumination.

This event includes an exclusive viewing of Take your time, which closes to the public on June 30.

Continue reading "Sigur Ros @ MoMA (Pop Rally), NYC - pics & setlist"

Last night's Sigur Ros show at Grand Ballroom gets 5/5 wows (June 16, 2008).

More photos below...

Continue reading "Sigur Ros @ Grand Ballroom @ Manhattan Center, NYC - pics "

Sigur Ros @ Bonnaroo 2008 (cred)

Sigur Ros had a little scare at a show before Bonnaroo...

...Orri is by now in the back of an ambulance at side of stage, with a drip going in one arm, and a blood pressure test on the other. It is very, very worrying. Everyone is in a state of shock. It is clear Orri will take no further part in tonight, so we get a setlist and attempt to work out what songs can be played without a drummer. It's not many. We settle on five, most of which were not on the original setlist, since they are by definition mellow...

Orri playing with Sigur Ros @ Bonnaroo 2008 (cred)

Sigur Ros play Grand Ballroom in NYC tonight (June 16, 2008), and then MoMa tomorrow. It also looks like they'll be back in NYC to play two shows in September. Pro-shot videos, and the setlist from Bonnaroo, below.....

Continue reading "Sigur Ros - a medical scare, Bonnaroo (videos, pics & setlist) +++ NYC tonight & tomorrow"

Sigur Ros - 2008 NYC Tour Dates
June 16 - Grand Ballroom
June 17 - MoMA
Sept 17 - United Palace Theater
Sept 18 - United Palace Theater

This is a reminder.

KEEPING UP WITH THE RADIOHEADS

"What Radiohead did [releasing the album In Rainbows as a pay-what-you-like download] was great. They had that freedom because they were out of contract. We didn't. I know being on a major label is meant to be antiquated, but we're fine with it. We're trying to keep pace with the idea of free content, though. We gave away [the album's first single] "Violet Hill" with NME and as a free download.

"Next month we're doing free concerts in London, New York and Barcelona. And on the album, tracks five and six are two songs but show up as one, so you can download two songs for the price of one. That was inspired by the 'buy one get one free' promotions at KwikSave, where I once worked."

IS CHRISTY MOORE COOL?

"I always thought that if you were a 16-year-old and liked Coldplay you'd keep it quiet. We aren't cool and never will be. But I hope after this album, 16-year-olds will feel proud to like Coldplay. The best gig I've ever been to was by John Williams, who wrote the music for Jaws and Star Wars. I also love Stevie Wonder and Christy Moore. Are they cool? The best bands in the world today are probably Arcade Fire and Sigur Rós. I think Coldplay is only the seventh best in the world." [Brian Boyd talks to Coldplay's Chris Martin]