by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Orange Juice - Felicity (MP3)

In what I hope (but don't promise) to be a regular feature, I'm gonna recommend a couple notable new reissues. What with the holiday season it full swing, either of these would make good holiday presents for the serious indie music lover.

Firstly is Domino Records' new Orange Juice box set, Coals to Newcastle, that compiles nearly everything the Glasgow legends ever recorded. (The single mix of "Rip it Up" is mysteriously absent.) This marks the first time 85% of this material has ever been released in America. Polydor reissued their albums on CD in 1997 but they fell out of print almost immediately. You can now chart the band's progression from their shambolic, jangly beginnings on Postcard Records through myriad line-up changes and transformation into what could be called an indie equivalent of Chic. Even the weird stuff -- like the high life-inspired "Million Pleading Faces" on Rip It Up -- is pretty good. And even if, like me, you shelled out the dough in the mid-'90s for the Polydor reissues (which went out of print almost instantly) there's previously unreleased 12" mixes, dub versions, rough mixes, non-LP singles, radio sessions, live tracks, and interviews. There's also a DVD containing rare Orange Juice television special Dada with Juice, and a Derek Jarman-directed video for "What Presence?" that I'd never seen before. (Why is this not on Youtube?) At $70 it ain't cheap, but if you think of it as less than ten bucks a disc it's not so bad. And well worth the money. You can stream 18 tracks from the box set over at Domino's website and download classic OJ single "Felicity" above.

While on the subject, OJ's Edwyn Collins' new album, Losing Sleep, is one of the year's best. His first made since two brain haemorrhages nearly took his life in 2005 and left him at first without the ability to walk or talk, let alone write songs. That it exists at all is a miracle, that it's as great as it is a testament to his spirit. Helping him out on the album are a cavalcade of talent -- Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame, The Drums, The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand, The Magic Numbers -- but always in the service of getting Collins' songs on record. Like his last two albums, Losing Sleep hasn't been released in America but is well worth picking up on import. Hey Domino... how about putting this one out too.

Speaking of Domino, the label just reissued Robert Wyatt's entire back catalog on CD and vinyl. If you don't own Rock Bottom, Nothing Can Stop Us and Shleep... now is the perfect time. Then move on to the rest of his records.

The other notable reissue is the four-disc "Omnibus Edition" of The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall, my personal favorite Fall album. The 1984 record was the first fully made with Mark E. Smith's then-wife Brix, who brought pop smarts to the Mancunian band's somewhat difficult sound, and their first produced by the great John Leckie.  Along with guitarist Craig Scanlon, bassist Steven Hanley and drummer Karl Burns this is the classic Fall lineup in my opinion. The Omnibus Edition restore's the album's original running order, putting singles from the same time "Oh Brother!," "C.R.E.E.P." and "No Bulbs" on the second disc with their b-sides and rough mixes of album tracks. The third collects radio sessions, and the fourth is a live recording from their performance at the 1984 Pandora's Music Box Festival in Norway (set time 3:15AM) that shows what a powerhouse live band the Fall were at the time. The box set sold out in the UK, but seems to be easily gettable here in the U.S.

Beggars Banquet also reissued The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall on vinyl (just the album) which lets you hear classics like "2X4," "Slang King" and "Disney's Dream Debased" in their analogue glory. Also out on vinyl: its follow-up, This Nation's Saving Grace which is widely considered by people not me to be their best-ever album. (It is a very close second.) It gets the Omnibus treatment in January. Save up, kids.

An Orange Juice video below...

Continue reading "an Orange Juice box set, new Edwyn Collins, the Fall reissues"

tonight in NYC
* A-ha @ Nokia Theatre
* Tarek Atoui @ New Museum
* Lucky Dragons @ Thirty Days NY
* Sia, Girl in a Coma @ Terminal 5
* John Zorn, Marc Ribot @ The Stone
* Beach House, Washed Out @ Webster Hall
* Patrick Watson, Doveman @ The Bell House
* Local Natives, Suckers @ Bowery Ballroom
* Mary Halvorson, Kevin Shea @ The Kitchen
* As Tall As Lions, Bear Hands @ Irving Plaza
* Cinema 16 @ Archway under the Manhattan Bridge
* Willie Nelson @ Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom
* Zeus, Robbers on High Street, New Numbers @ Union Hall
* Ike Reilly Assassination, Brendan O'Shea @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Clipse, Freddie Gibbs, NinjaSonik, XV @ Highline Ballroom
* Guardian Alien, Kokomo, Omnivore, Diana Joy @ Shea Stadium
* Suzanne Vega w/ Yuka Honda, Spooky Ghost and Poez @ City Winery
* Loose Limbs, Gost Trio, Imaginary Friends, Mataromos @ Bruar Falls
* Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, Apollo Heights, Smoota @ Southpaw
* Fixed w/ Van She, Lemonade, JDH & Dave P (late) @ Santos Party House
* Power Animal, ACLU Benefit, Bad Teeth, Dinosaur Feathers @ Silent Barn
* Converge, Touche Amore, Lewd Acts, Black Breath (early) @ Santos Party House
* Lymbyc System, Slow Six, (The) Slowest Runner (In All The World) @ Littlefield
* Tigercity, Sugar & Gold, The Seedy Seeds, Free Blood @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Blondes, Red Wire Black Wire, Shadowbox, The Binary Marketing Show, Teletextile @ Glasslands
* Chris Knox Benefit w/ Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Kyp Malone , The Clean, Portastatic Sharon Van Etten, more @ (le) Poisson Rouge

The Fall in the slo-mo video for their song "Bury Pts. 1+3" are below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

DOWNLOAD: Cocorosie - Lemonade (MP3)

Shout Out Louds @ White Slab in March (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

"Some Americans think of Cinco De Mayo as a "Mexican Independence Day," which is actually Sept. 16, when the reality is that Cinco De Mayo is in remembrance of the Mexican army backing down the French military on May 5, 1862. Cinco De Mayo is Spanish for the 5th of May and is not a national holiday in the United States." [Epoch Times]

tonight in NYC
* The English Beat @ Maxwell's
* So Percussion @ Carnegie Hall (free)
* Lord Mantis, Sea of Bones @ Union Pool
* Washed Out, Small Black @ The Bell House
* Shout Out Louds, Freelance Whales @ Webster Hall
* Hot Hot Heat, The Willowz, Grooms @ Public Assembly
* Ensemble Simul Cantare, Mick Barr @ Issue Project Room
* Givers, Drink Up Buttercup, King Expressers @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Cheeseburger, Hard Nips, Wizardzz @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Common & Queen Latifah (being actors) @ the Apple Store
* ArpLine, Hooray For Earth, Midnight Masses @ (le) Poisson Rouge
* Dead Stars, Hounds Of Hate, The Hidden Ratio, New Yoga @ Coco 66
* Michael Leonhart & The Avramina 7, Moneybrother @ Mercury Lounge
* Dan Friel, Adult Themes, Food Stamps, Imaginary Weapons @ Bruar Falls
* Bradford Reed, Sabrina Chap, Mike Pride, Get The People @ Death By Audio
* Walter Schreifels, Atlantic/Pacific, Jump Into The Gospel @ Studio at Webster Hall

Hounds of Hate continue their NYC run.

The always-busy Mike Pride describes tonight's Death By Audio show as "MP- drums + Jon Irabagon- tenor sax - We play 3rd, around 10pm. - Get the people features Kevin Shea on drums too!"

Video of The National, who have a show coming up very soon at BAM, playing their song "Little Faith" live in a castle is below.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti played Mercury Lounge last night.

Dan Deacon is playing a free NYC show this summer.

Look who's playing Lincoln Center's 2010 Out of Doors Festival.

Metric are playing a free NYC show this summer.

The Fall, whose record release party we hosted last night at Coco66, have a new video for their new song "Bury". Whatch that below too.

Public Image Ltd are now playing a tinier venue later this month.

Joanna Newsom played "'81," one of her new album's best, on Jools Holland. That's below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday? (Cinco De Mayo)"

by Bill Pearis

Is there another band who have lasted as long, gone through as many sweeping line-up changes, yet remained as relevant as The Fall? Now in their 33rd year of existence, the band are set to release Your Future Our Clutter, is the bands first for Domino Records and their 28th studio album next Tuesday, May 4.

That night Brooklyn Vegan is hosting a listening party at Coco 66 (66 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn). The party starts at 9PM with Domino DJs spinning, some free vodka, and then we'll play the new album in full. We'll also be giving away test pressings on the new album as well as a good chunk of The Fall's back catalogue (66.89% of it is what the flyer claims.)

Additionally, we're giving away a copy of the test pressing before the party. Details below.

This is the first Fall LP in two years. The last few albums from The Fall haven't been the most memorable but Mark E. Smith and company really have it together for their Domino debut. It's easily the most focused, best-sounding record the band has made since 2005's Fall Heads Roll. This is due in no small part to the most stable lineup The Fall has maintained since Steven Hanley and Craig Scanlon quit/were sacked at the end of the century. Frontman Mark E. Smith, who famously said "if it's me and your granny on bongos, it's still The Fall," claims this version of the band is "the best line-up I've ever had." Your Future Our Clutter is the second album with this incarnation of The Fall. You can listen to it online over at NPR.org.

With so many records, line-ups and sounds, becoming a new fan at this point can be a bit daunting. Hell, even for a longtime fan it can be overwhelming. (Though I'd say 76.45% of their official studio recordings are worth hearing.) The AV Club recently featured a nice overview in their ongoing "Gateway to Geekery" series. And you can watch Jeffrey Lewis' funny "Legend of the Fall" video at the bottom of this post, along with a couple classic Fall videos from throughout the Manchester band's long, awesome career. Plus, Hitler gets upset when he can't find a copy of The Fall's Record Store Day 2010 single. It's all below with the party flyer and contest details too...

Continue reading "a party for the new Fall album (which is streaming) "

...," the Sasquatch! Festival returns for its ninth year May 29-31 (Memorial Day Weekend), 2010 at The Gorge in Quincy, WA. For the first time, a special discounted 3-day festival pass will be available in time for the holiday gift season on Saturday, November 7 at 10:00 A.M. (PST) via sasquatchfestival.com. There are a limited number of discount passes, which will be available through December 31, 2009. Recently reunited indie rock legends Pavement will be performing. The festival's complete lineup will be announced February 16.

Since first announcing they'd be playing four shows at NYC's Central Park Summerstage (all currently listed as sold out), Pavement has gone on to announce more shows in Australia and Europe including an ATP that they're curating, and Primavera Sound in Spain. Sasquatch is the 2nd confirmed U.S. location so far, and it happens a full four months before the NYC dates.

Other rumored U.S. appearances are Coachella and the Pitchfork Festival. Meanwhile Pavement member Spiral Stairs just released a new album. The new Spiral Stairs video, and all Pavement dates, and who Pavement has picked to play their sold out ATP fest so far, below...

Continue reading "Pavement playing Sasquatch Festival (and at least 17 other 2010 shows so far - Primavera, ATP & more)"

DOWNLOAD: Reformation
(a new MP3 - a bootleg recording from the Fall's recent Brooklyn show)

Help me welcome interviewer Patrick Southern to BrooklynVegan. Patrick, a musician himself, responded when I put out a call for music interviewers two weeks ago. He mentioned in his email that his dream interview would probably be with Mark E. Smith from the Fall, so I helped arrange it. Mark and Patrick had a long distance chat on the phone this past Friday (June 23, 2006). They discussed the banana peel incident, his band leaving the States as he slept, Franz Ferdinand, the new record, and more...

MARK E SMITH - THEN & NOW

PATRICK: Do you think the American audiences that The Fall draws are any different, fundamentally, than the British audiences?

MARK: Well it depends where you go, really. In Britain, in the north, it's very fanatical. There isn't that great difference though, no. Not a great deal of people leave. (Laughter)

PATRICK: I actually saw you at the last stop of your most recent American tour.

MARK: In Brooklyn, you mean?

Continue reading "An interview with Mark E. Smith of The Fall"