Crystal Stilts stopped by the WKNC studio before their show with Deerhunter to speak to Walter-Ego and Prism about their new album Nature Noir, non-existent rooms, the inherent dangers of doing 90’s covers, and Snoop Dogg.
Category: Blog
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New Daytime Music
Ski Lodge / Big Heart
A lot of bands get compared to the Smiths, but this charming band really, REALLY sounds like the Smiths. The lead singer even has the last name Marr. That being said, Ski Lodge isn’t a cheap imitation of an iconic band – they sound more like what might happen if the Smiths were still making new music today. Nothing groundbreaking, but definitely worth a spin.
Willis Earl Beal / Nobody Knows.
Willis Earl Beal is troubled – and he’s asking the tough questions with a voice as smooth as butter (that is, when it’s not a guttural growl). Needless to say, this is a dark and emotional album but very mesmerizing. The collab with Cat Power provides one of the only upbeat tracks, but what the album lacks in pep, it makes up for in SOUL, man.
Belle and Sebastian / The Third Eye Centre
This is a pretty diverse collection of “B-sides and rarities” from their time with Rough Trade Records between 2003 and 2010. Also a few interesting remixes. Overall, an interesting look at how the band’s sound has changed over time.
King Krule / 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
I’m not gonna lie, I’m not really into King Krule. But maybe you are, and that’s fine! Yay diversity! Anyway, this album is meditative, reverb-y, and propelled by Archy Marshall’s thick-accented London drawl. Would fit well into a chilled-out set.
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Show Review – Pinback
Pinback’s recent performance at the Cat’s Cradle on Tuesday, September 17th was one that I was looking forward to. I was excited to see a band that I had followed for a few years, and I was especially curious as to how they would perform live. On their records, Pinback tends to create a unique, layered, mesmerizing sound that’s got consistent rhythm and tons of reverb, the latter two being especially true on their album, Autumn of the Seraphs (2007). I’ll admit that their albums can be somewhat fatiguing with the similar repetition of sounds in many of their songs, along with bold and (after a while) brash vocals. However, I didn’t expect their live performance to be as exhausting as it was. Most songs were extremely rushed, including some of my favorites such as “Microtonic Wave,” “Barnes,” and “Good to Sea.” The reason for this change in tempo is unclear, because it certainly did not make them sound better. Perhaps they were tired of playing them or felt they needed to bring more energy to their set, but I really felt this wasn’t the best decision on their part.
There were some highlights to this performance, however. I enjoyed the pulp sci-fi, somewhat campy collection of videos that played throughout their set; it really created a sense of surreal, other-worldliness that matched well with their sound. Rob Crow, the lead singer of the band, came into the audience and all the way back to the venue with his wired microphone, causing the entire audience to quickly step over the extension cord as he continued to walk around singing the song. This was funny and entertaining, but overall the stage performance the musicians gave was fairly stagnant. Overall, I wished the songs could’ve been played at the pace that’s on the albums.
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Show Review: Washed Out
For a band who helped define a genre referred to as “chillwave”, Washed Out brought a lot of energy to their live set last night at Cat’s Cradle. The stage was set in cheesy but endearing floral decor that, in combination with the band’s dreamy tunes, created a nice halcyon effect inside the window-less venue.
Although the group relies heavily on electronic effects in recording, their sound transferred seamlessly to a live show, thanks in part to a great stage presence by Ernest Greene. The set included a nice mix of songs from both full-length albums and even a performance of “Despicable Dogs”, the band’s remix of a Small Black single. Even the most awkward of hipsters felt a tugging at their hips as the group jammed through their indie hits, eventually ending the night with “Eyes Be Closed.” Any show that can make people lose themselves to groove on a Monday night deserves some recognition, and these guys killed it.
Set List:
It All Feels Right
Belong
New Theory
Get Up
Far Away
Despicable Dogs
All I Know
Don’t Give Up
Feel It All Around
Amor Fati
Hold Out
Eyes Be Closed
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EOT126 Red4EdNC 9/17/13
This week’s topics include an interview about the Red4EdNC movement, the creators of Jar with a Twist, and the first in a series about forest fires.
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Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 9/23
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS ”Verve Remixed: The First Ladies” (Verve)
2 GOLD PANDA ”Half Of Where You Live” (Ghostly)
3 HERMITUDE ”HyperParadise” (Elefant Traks)
4 MODERAT ”II” (Mute)
5 Pretty Lights ”Color Map of the Sun” (8 Minutes 20 Seconds)
6 JON HOPKINS ”Immunity” (Domino)
7 MINDELIXIR ”Lunology” (Outside)
8 Dameron ”Bronx Showdown” (Self-Release)
9 MACHINEDRUM "Eyesdontlie" [Single] (Ninja Tune)
10 JONO MCCLEERY ”Ballade” (Ninja Tune)
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Krill Interview
Krill is a Boston trio comprised of three friends Jonah Furman (bass/vocals), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Aaron Ratoff (guitar). They just recently released their second full-length Lucky Leaves in June of this year.
The trio was born out of the same DIY scene that spawned bands such as Speedy Ortiz and Pile. Like their counterparts, they have an innovative take on the world of indie music that has begun to garner national attention from the likes of Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound. Their frenetic brand of emotive experimental indie rock brings to mind the early days of Modest Mouse and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The heavy weight of the dark music paired with the emotional, self-deprecating lyrics are carried across by Luke’s spastic drums, Jonah’s flooring bass, and Aaron’s driving, piercing guitar. The play between musicians coupled with the interesting time signatures and syncopated rhythms set this band apart from the rest.
Krill just recently set out on their month long east coast tour and hit up The Mattress Fort here in Raleigh for a Post Hopscotch Show. I caught up with Krill the next morning and you can check out their interview below as well as on iTunes on our podcast.
http://wheretheresakrilltheresaway.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/krillforever
https://twitter.com/krilliamhmacy
Categories
New Local Music
Loamlands – Some Kind of Light
Loamlands is the new project from Will and Kym of Midtown Dickens and it retains a lot of the Southern aesthetics of their previous project. However, Loamlands leans more towards a country/blues orientation than Midtown, resulting in some subdued rustic goodness.
(LOCAL ARTIST OF THE MONTH)
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra – Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
Jonathan Scales is a steel pan drummer from Asheville and the Fourchestra creates exhilarating jazz music. Brilliantly combining technique and flare, the Fourchestra produces easily accessible music that’s as entertaining as it is impressive.
The new project from Joe Hall of Hammer No More The Fingers, Blanko Basnet retains a lot of Hammer’s bouncy indie rock sounds while containing enough originality to feel like an exciting new project. Hall’s songs have a bit more expansive properties and tend to stray away from formulaic melodies, making for an always enjoyable listen.
Mandolin Orange – This Side of Jordan
Mandolin Orange have taken on a much more somber sound for their latest release. While most releases from the band have featured a few catchy, upbeat tracks, This Side of Jordan displays the band’s sense of restraint. There’s still a few gems that feature Andrew’s bluegrassy mandolin intros and jangly strumming, but most tracks lean more towards the heartfelt folk category that propelled the band to local fame. Still jam-packed with gorgeous harmonies, which is quite frankly the most important part of this brilliant duo.
Ghostt Bllonde’s debut full-length marks a heightened fidelity for the band, trading in some of their trademark hisses for a more defined sound that does them well. Kuzio’s angst-ridden vocals still contain the same ferocity as before, but the melodies no longer hide behind a super lo-fi veil.
This guy came out of nowhere and has already gotten signed to Fat Possum, all from a Pitchfork piece. It’s kind of bonkers how swiftly he developed a buzz, but this Asheville based songwriter produces catchy albeit bleak songs with an early 90s indie rock aesthetic. Definitely worth a listen.
Shannon Whitworth – High Tide
Fantastic blend of Americana stylings with indie-rock instrumentation. Whitworth has an enchanting voice that nestles itself firmly within the intricate confines of Seth Kaufman’s stellar instrumental work.
An excellent young act from Chapel Hill that produces a self-described brand of “autumnal indie-folk.” They feel very reminiscent of Lost in the Trees, they’ve got a promising sound that’s deeply rooted in their surroundings and innermost thoughts. Good stuff!
Manna Frost Trio – As For Martinton
Excellent stuff from a relatively new band out of Chapel Hill. This album is filled with rich vocal harmonies and an expansive sound that feels a lot like early My Morning Jacket. They maintain their folky foundation while exploring the outer-reaches of the genre’s limits.
Oh my god, if you haven’t listened to this band yet you should just go ahead and do so. Sylvan Esso consists of Nick Sanborn of Megafaun and Amelia Meath of Mountain Man, together they produce a mesmerizing blend of hip-hop based beat music that’s filled with Meath’s twee-folk vocal stylings. Great stuff.
Gross Ghost is prepping for their full-length debut on Odessa Records and they’ve released two new singles thusfar. “Version of Love” isn’t going to be featured on the album but it accurately highlights the difficult break-up that Mike Dillon has gone through between the release of Brer Rabbit and their upcoming Public Housing. “You Will” is the album’s first single and boasts an infectious chorus with Gross Ghost’s typical fuzzed out instrumentation. Great stuff!
This Thursday, September 19th, the Gregg Museum opens the first of its fall exhibitions, Measure of Earth: Textiles and Territory in West Africa. There will be a reception from 6-8 pm at the African American Cultural Center Gallery, 2nd floor of Witherspoon Student Center.
Drawing primarily from the rich holdings of African materials in the Gregg Museum’s permanent collections, MEASURE OF EARTH explores the intricate relationships and meanings behind the patterns and imagery of West African textiles. The exhibition title refers to how African art not only serves to form visual links between local traditions and specific features and places in the landscape, but also to the geometric patterning that yields vivid visual energy to the textiles, artifacts and clothing that people wear. The word “geometry” derives from Latin words for “earth” and “measuring.”
This exhibition will last from September 19-December 18, 2013.
Categories
Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 9/16
1 Pretty Lights ”Color Map of the Sun” (8 Minutes 20 Seconds)
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS ”Verve Remixed: The First Ladies” (Verve)
3 ETIENNE DE CRECY ”Beats N Cubes Vol 2″ (Win)
4 RUXPIN ”This Time We All Go Together” (n5MD)
5 GOLD PANDA ”Half Of Where You Live” (Ghostly)
6 JONO MCCLEERY ”Ballade” (Ninja Tune)
7 MODERAT ”II” (Mute)
8 MINDELIXIR ”Lunology” (Outside)
9 JON HOPKINS ”Immunity” (Domino)
10 PALENKE SOULTRIBE ”Mar” (Self-Released)