Best of 2008 - Album of the Year

At long last, here is The Sky Report's favorite 50 albums of 2008. Sorry this is so late, but the holidays really swept me up. Better late than never!

In general, I felt 2008 was not the strongest year for solid, original albums. But after much agony, I've mustered up the Top 50. And if you wonder how acts like MGMT and The Raveonettes didn’t make the list, see the Best of 2007. Bands like Coldplay, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Death Cab For Cutie, and Vampire Weekend really overshot my radar and I really can’t stand hearing them anymore, so while their albums may have been worthy, I didn’t care to investigate them very closely. And can I just get this off my chest? Fuck Metallica, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Oasis and AC/DC. I just don’t care anymore. Sorry if that sounds negative - I'm actually in a great mood lately.

On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised by the resurrections of The B-52’s and Grace Jones. Their return albums were both admirable and I found myself giving them many repeat listens.

Top 50 Albums of 2008

50. GRACE JONES - Hurricane
49. BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH - Slow Burning Lights
48. FUJIYA & MIYAGI - Lightbulbs
47. RATATAT - LP3
46. THE DUKE SPIRIT - Neptune
45. BLACK MOUNTAIN - In the Future
44. SIGUR ROS - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
43. GANG GANG DANCE - Saint Dymphna
42. DIPLO & SANTOGOLD - Top Ranking
41. PONYTAIL- Ice Cream Spiritual

40. CRYSTAL CASTLES - s/t
39. HIGH PLACES - s/t
38. OF MONTREAL - Skeletal Lamping
37. CUT COPY - In Ghost Colours
36. HEADLIGHTS - Some Racing, Some Stopping
35. VIVIAN GIRLS - s/t
34. RA RA RIOT - The Rhumb Diary
33. QUIET VILLAGE - Silent Movie
32. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
31. CRYSTAL STILTS - Alight of Night

30. DAVID BYRNE & BRIAN ENO - Everything That Happens...
29. MENAHAN STREET BAND - Make the Road By Walking
28. GROUPER - Dragging A Dead Deer Up a Hill
27. THE DODOS - Visiter
26. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - Distortion
25. LYKKE LI - Youth Novels
24. LOVE IS ALL - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night
23. THE B-52'S - Funplex
22. LITTLE JOY - s/t
21. HOT CHIP - Made in the Dark

20. DJ/RUPTURE - Uproot
19. NO AGE - Nouns
18. THE DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES - In Ear Park
17. WHITE DENIM - Workout Holiday
16. GOLDFRAPP - Seventh Tree
15. FLEET FOXES - s/t
14. BEACH HOUSE - Devotion
13. ERYKAH BADU - New Amerykah Part One (4th world War)
12. GIRL TALK - Feed the Animals
11. HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR - s/t

10. EL GUINCHO - Alegranza!


9. TOBACCO - Fucked Up Friends


8. FUCK BUTTONS - Street Horrrsing


7. LIL WAYNE - Tha Carter III


6. THEE OH SEES - The Master's Bedroom...


5. DEERHUNTER - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.


4. PORTISHEAD - Third


3. TV ON THE RADIO - Dear Science


2. ATLAS SOUND - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel


1. SANTOGOLD - self-titled

Merry Christmas from The Sky Report

Have a happy holiday!

Slow Burning Days

It's been very slow around here lately, I realize. I guess the holidays (and the weather) have gotten the best of me. But good things are on the way! In the next few days I'll unfold The Sky Report's Best of 2008, as well as an interview with Yes Alexander of Blue Sky Black Death, a complete review of Wavves' new LP (due in February), and a spotlight on bands to watch in 09. As well, Coachella rumors are swirling...

Stay tuned.

THE SOUND OF ARROWS - "M.A.G.I.C."

The Sound of Arrows are a duo from Stockholm, Sweden who make technicolor craft-pop, utilizing the varying sounds of analog synths, harps, strings, guitars, samples and children's choirs. The new single "M.A.G.I.C." may have more than a thing or two in common with a certain Justice track, but the fact remains that the song is irresistibly sugar-coated and fun.

The Sound of Arrows - M.A.G.I.C. (mp3)

The single will be released officially by Labrador on January 28th, with the full-length debut to follow on March 25th. Check out this "magical" teaser video for the single...


The Sound of Arrows - M.A.G.I.C. (Mini-video) from The Sound of Arrows on Vimeo.

NEKO CASE - Middle Cyclone

What an album cover, huh? I think someone has been watching Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. Campy or clever, I love it.

Neko Case has announced the details of the follow-up to her acclaimed 2006 release Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. The new disc, titled Middle Cyclone, hits stores March 3rd via Anti. The album will feature collaborations with M.Ward, as well as members of New Pornographers, The Sadies, Los Lobos, and Calexico.

The record label has just released a "making of the album" video, which offers a really interesting insight into Neko Case's creative process. Watch it below...



Middle Cyclone Track List:

01. This Tornado Loves You
02. The Next Time You Say Forever
03. People Got A Lotta Nerve
04. Polar Nettles
05. Vengeance Is Sleeping
06. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
07. Middle Cyclone
08. Fever
09. Magpie To The Morning
10. I'm An Animal
11. Prison Girls
12. Don't Forget Me
13. The Pharaohs
14. Red Tide
15. Marais La Nuit

LITTLE JOY

I've been absolutely hooked on Little Joy's debut LP lately. The side project of Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, Little Joy has an easy going tropical folk-rock sound, with Rodrigo Amarante and Binki Shapiro rounding out the trio. The self-titled LP is a great album full of catchy tracks and vocal melodies that sometimes really sound like...The Strokes. Fortunately though, that similarity doesn't dominate Little Joy's music, but rather helps the overall nostalgic tone to really sink in.

Little Joy is available now on Rough Trade Records. Enjoy the new video for "No One's Better Sake"...

Introducing New Contributors!

Let me introduce Matthew Dunehoo (formerly of Kansas City, now based in Brooklyn) and Amos Mac (San Francisco). Both are now contributors for The Sky Report. Amos has long been a contributing photographer, but will now send in occasional pieces from the west coast. The first will be an interview with Yes Alexander, the amazing voice featured on Blue Sky Black Death's latest effort Slow Burning Lights. Matthew will help me cover stuff here in Brooklyn. First, he reports on tomorrow night's Dan Deacon gig in the following post.

DAN DEACON debuts BROMST with 15-piece ensemble

by Matthew Dunehoo
Nikola Tesla’s landmark chorale recital at Royal Albert Hall in March of 1933 may serve as precursor to what might be experienced tomorrow at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

In anticipation of the March 24th release of his new album BROMST on Carpark Records, Dan Deacon has assembled a 15-piece live ensemble that will tackle the interpretation and ani(mania)tion of his new works. The debut of the material has left Deacon feeling “both excited and really nervous.”  

“Nervous,” would be one of the last adjectives to come to mind when describing a man whose live performances have a keen ability to incite a near-Pentecostal experience in the audiences that swarm to encircle his traditional multi-colored-steel setup of playback and manipulation devices.

For tomorrow night’s gig, Dirty Projectors and So Percussion round out the bill. So Percussion will serve in full as part of Deacon’s ensemble, leading one to believe that the show will possess at least a trace of the more reverent, recital-hall air of the quartet’s performances, as opposed to the more Deaconian “collective flail.”  However high or low Thursday’s performance will aim, it’s likely to hit with jubilance. Testify.

FUJIYA & MIYAGI - "Sore Thumb"

Fujiya & Miyagi may not have been my favorite live band of the year, but their latest record Lightbulbs is undoubtedly infectious. The new single also comes with a new video. Enjoy "Sore Thumb".

The Sky Report in Manhattan

I'll be playing some of my favorite tracks at Satsko's (Eldridge) on the Lower East Side Saturday night, starting at around 10:00 pm.  The venue recently hosted an art installation by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and her work will still be on display, so I'm like hella excited! Yes, I said hella! Satsko's also features an amazing sake menu, admission is free and the gig is conveniently located at the corner of Houston and Eldridge. If you can brave the cold I'd love to see you!

Best of 2009? WAVVES - Wavvves

Wavves is:

-22 year-old Nathan Daniel William from San Diego.

-about to release his second LP, titled Wavvves.

-almost guaranteed to hit big in 2009.

Touted as "the sound of today's american youth", William has gone from music blogger to blog sensation seemingly overnight. But it's not at all without merit. Within the last year, his collection of bedroom recordings has spawned itself into two highly addictive, lo-fi beach punk LPs that really get under your skin. His prolific output alone should certainly grab your attention.

Wavves, the first LP, is available now via Woodsist/Fuckittapes, while Wavvves, the second LP, is released February 3 on De Stijl Records.  Check out the first official mp3 for the track "So Bored" at the bottom of the post.

Wavves - So Bored (mp3)

Underground Alert - RYAN POWER

Burlington, Vermont's Ryan Power recently captivated the Northeast Kingdom in Bushwick with his unique and bizarre one-man electro opera. With several Vermont celebrities on hand - most notably, Heloise of Heloise & the Savoir Faire - Power delivered an entrancing vocal performance, singing beautifully over meticulous and multi-dimensional electro tracks. Power recently made waves when he opened for buzz band Women in Manhattan.

The latest LP,Is It Happening? was released in 2007.

Ryan Power - Shodi and Dotty (mp3)

Listen to more Ryan Power here.

DJ /RUPTURE - Uproot

Uproot is a new mix from turntablist DJ /Rupture, who after spending seven years in Spain, returned to Brooklyn and released this, his first 2004's critically acclaimed Special Gunpowder. The first video is for the track "Reef" and it is definitely one of the best clips of the year. Check it out...

FAN DEATH - "Veronica's Veil"

Nu-disco refuses to die. Following a series of artists who have redefined the genre (Glass Candy, Chromatics, Hercules & Love Affair), now comes Fan Death, a female duo who have recently taken the blog world by storm with their bouncy, string-laden single "Veronica's Veil".



Not much is known about these girls yet, but they also just remixed this new track by Ladyhawke...



You can also get Erol Alkan's fantastic remix of "Veronica's Veil" here.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - 'Everything With You'

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart will release their self-titled debut LP on February 3rd via Slumberland Records. The Brooklyn fourtet have been on my radar for the last year. From the nostalgic pop of "This Love is Fucking Right" to the noisy romance of new single "Everything With You", the LP is shaping up to be a solid noise-pop gem. Check out the new video for "Everything With You", as well as the mp3 at the bottom of the post.



tracklisting:

1.Contender
2.Come Saturday
3.Young Adult Friction
4.This Love is Fucking Right
5.The Tenure Itch
6.Stay Alive
7.Everything With You
8.A Teenager in Love
9.Hey Paul
10.Gentle Sons

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Everything With You (mp3)

PORTISHEAD - 'Magic Doors'

Another trippy new video from Portishead, who in my book get Comeback of the Year. "Magic Doors" is the 3rd single and video taken from the album Third, one of my favorite LP's of 2008.

Tuesday Throwback - ALTHEA AND DONNA

So, I'm a little bored with new music this month. Sure, there are new releases by Kanye West, Coldplay, and the dreaded surfacing of the now infamous new Guns 'N' Roses album. I could care less. It's times like these that send me back to the forgotten moments in music.

Althea and Donna were a teenage Jamaican duo who surprised everyone with their infectious 1978 reggae hit "Uptown Top Ranking". Not only is the track irresistible, but the entire album (their only release) is well worth exploring.  Tracks like "No More Fightng" and "The West" are so timeless, it's kind of crazy.  And I usually don't gravitate towards reggae at all.

I'm about to catch a plane, en route for Thanksgiving holiday, so I'm especially in the mood for the escapist, smooth vocals and beats that Althea and Donna offered. Perfect for relaxing on a beach anywhere, or snuggled up close to a fire sipping whiskey. We all need a little holiday. Enjoy.

You can get the full album here.

I Woke Up and It Was 1994...

Maybe it's just me, but these videos by Jay Reatard and Marnie Stern take me back to when Beck's "Loser" was the hottest shit on earth. While these tracks are awesome, they seem to foreshadow a new retro renaissance, one that I wasn't exactly expecting.

JAY REATARD



Jay Reatard - See/Saw


MARNIE STERN



Marnie Stern - Ruler


Marnie Stern - Transformer (mp3) (via Kill Rock Stars).

Compare these to this...

Beck - Loser
Uploaded by Beck-Official

New VIVIAN GIRLS - "Blind Spot"

Vivian Girls are self-releasing the new Surf's Up 12" via their website. The one-off single includes the title track, as well as a cover of The Beach Boys' "Girl Don't Tell Me". But that's not all. If you purchase the record online, you also get a t-shirt, two postcards and a button, all part of the Surf's Up Funpack. Get yours here.


As well, Vivian Girls offer the new track "Blind Spot" as a free download. Here you go...

Vivian Girls - Blind Spot (mp3)
Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To (mp3)

New RADIOHEAD Video - 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'

Tobias Stretch was the grand prize winner of Radiohead's animated video contest. As the winner, Stretch was given $10,000 to complete his vision for "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi". New videos for tracks "15 Step" and "Videotape" are also set to premiere later this week.

Radiohead - Weird Fishes - by Tobias Stretch

Radiohead will return to the road in March 2009, with preliminary dates in Mexico, Chile, and Brazil.

GRACE JONES - Hurricane

Like Halley's Comet, that crazy, disco-reggae queen from outerspace has finally returned and I have to tell you, I'm pleasantly surprised with the results. Hurricane is Grace Jones' first proper album since 1989's Bulletproof Heart. Not only does the new album maintain Jones' dynamic art-disco sensibilities, but it actually sounds remarkably fresh when compared with many original releases by younger artists today. I'm certainly not alone in my love of Hurricane, as Pitchfork just bestowed a 7.5 rating for the new album, describing it as, "Jones taking charge as one-woman wrecking crew but, more surprisingly, occasionally ratcheting things down to an introspective and intimate level as well."

With a little help from Tricky, Brian Eno, and Sly & Robbie, Hurricane is a hugely rewarding listen, particularly for Grace Jones fans. But with all the production wizardry present on the disc, it is Jones who is unmistakably perched in the driver's seat. On the stand out track "Williams' Blood" Jones sings of her family heritage over a grinding, dramatic beat. The track has an epic feel, but also comes off as sexy and soulful, a combination that perfectly marks the return of a true artist.

Hurricane is available now as an import in the US. You can get it here.

BEACH HOUSE - "Used to Be"

Last month, Beach House released a one-off 7" of the track "Used to Be", backed with an early 4-track recording of "Apple Orchard". Now the single has a video to accompany it, shot in the desert outside Los Angeles and directed by Matt Amato. "Used to Be" follows up the Devotion LP, which was released last February and still remains one of my favorite albums of the year.

Beach House have announced a number of west coast dates with The Walkmen in January and will play some east coast dates of their own in December.

Dec. 06 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts*
Dec. 09 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Dec. 10 Providence, RI Club Hell #
Dec. 11 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall #
Dec. 12 Boston, MA Museum of Fine Arts #
Jan. 19 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern*
Jan. 20 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda*
Jan. 21 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore*
Jan. 23 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom*
Jan. 24 Seattle, WA Neumos*

* = w/ The Walkmen
# = w/ Tickley Feather

Wish I Lived in Australia

Modular Records, the home to luminaries such as Avalanches, The Presets, Cut Copy. New Young Pony Club, Klaxons, Van She, Ladyhawke and more, turns 10! This is going to be amazing. I kind of really do wish I lived in Australia. The event plays Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in December. Tickets are almost sold out, so Australians get with it and get your tix now!

"NEVEREVERLAND is the musical wet dream Australia this December to celebrate Modular notching up double digits and turning ten. With The mighty, mighty Presets, the neo-awesome knights Klaxons, latte legends Cut Copy, DFA darlings Hercules And Love Affair and the rest of the completely bonkers line-up, NEVEREVERLAND will whisk you to a place beyond your brain’s limits, where the inescapable aural ecstasy is unimaginable."

Vote for The Sky Report!

Hey guys, so The Sky Report just turned 2 years old!!! Wow! And it would be so great if you would give us the gift of a nomination for Best Music Blog at the 2008 Weblog Awards. To nominate us, go here and post a comment about The Sky Report. Be sure to include our name (The Sky Report) and web address (http://theskyreport.blogspot.com). And if you're still in the mood, give a thumbs up to any other comment about The Sky Report. It just takes a couple minutes and you can do it anonymously. Any awards or nominations do great things for us staying alive another year. 

The forum closes very soon and we are already very far behind, so please...if you're gonna do it, do it now.

Thanks so much in advance,
Scot

BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH - Slow Burning Lights

San Francisco's Blue Sky Black Death have established an ever-growing underground following with their cutting edge hip-hop production skills and a series of recent albums and collaborations with Jean Grae, Holocaust, and Hieroglyphics to name just a few. Now, the duo of Kingston and Young God have made the bold move of recording a lo-fi, modern day trip-hop album with stunning new female vocalist Yes Alexander of The Casual Lust. Alexander's haunting vocals mesh brilliantly with BSBD's production, resulting in an unexpectedly refreshing album that I will definitely have on heavy rotation for some time.

Slow Burning Lights was released this week on Babygrande Records. You can buy it here.

Check out the tracks "Secrets" and "The Darkest Time"...

ASOBI SEKSU - Hush

Asobi Seksu have announced the details surrounding their 3rd LP, which has been given the title Hush. The shoegaze-adoring band led by Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna will release the new album February 17th via Polyvinyl. That seems so far away, yes, but the first single hits internet shops next week. "Me & Mary" starts out with a rather bubbly vigor, but is quickly enveloped by an avalanche of noise and hallucinatory synths.

Hush follows the Brooklyn band's excellent 2006 effort Citrus. Check out the first single below.

FLEET FOXES Do Take Away Show

La Blogotheque captures the raw beauty of Seattle's Fleet Foxes in a brand new Take Away Show, shot in an abandoned gym in San Francisco last winter. The video finds the guys harmonizing gorgeously on the tracks "Sun Giant" and "White Winter Hymnal". Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut album was released on Sub Pop back in June and is destined to crop up on many year-end lists in the next few weeks.

-courtesy of Current TV.

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS - The Crying Light

Antony and the Johnsons will release their 3rd LP The Crying Light on January 30th, 2009 via Secretly Canadian. The effort has been said to be greatly influenced by the "natural world" and a press release states that it could be an album "emblematic of its time, a reflection of the momentous changes that we are facing, within each of our private worlds as well as collectively, and how we are summoning the courage to start moving through them." Wow.

The Crying Light will feature the phenomenal track "Another World", a rightful contender for one of the best tracks of this year. With a breathtaking vocal by Antony Hegarty, alongside a harrowing piano refrain, "Another World" is a lament to the destruction of our planet in what is one of the most heartfelt pleads to take action I've ever heard. Sorry Al Gore.

And now I have the privilege of offering the track to you. Enjoy the beautiful talent of Antony and the Johnsons.

Antony and the Johnsons - Another World (mp3 link)

And here's the video...

Review EL GUINCHO - Alegranza! 91%

El Guincho is the one-man project of Spanish musician Pablo Díaz-Reixa, a man deeply ensconced in a variety of influences ranging from sun-splashed 60’s harmonies and Afrobeat to Tropicália, dub, exotica and Bhangra, just to name a few. What’s fascinating about Alegranza! though, is how these varying influences are shaken and stirred into a drink of its own unique flavor.

The album kicks off perfectly with the celebratory island anthem “Palmitos Park”. A refreshing burst of tropical delight, the track utilizes a very Martin Denny-esque sample of “oohs” to great effect, creating the most inviting prelude in recent memory. The jubilant “Antillas” quickly follows, keeping the tempo up high in order to reel you in for the far more interesting core of the album; one that many critics have compared to last year’s brilliant Person Pitch LP by Panda Bear. And the similarities indeed exist, particularly the dramatic use of repetition throughout.

Alegranza! is a wildly colorful collage of sample loops, tribal chants, and tropical percussion that plays out like a mind-jangling dream that, at times, numbs the brain into a whimsical trance, but in fleeting moments successfully harnesses a sense of profoundness. The nine-track, 40-minute album is hugely infectious, which is impressive considering how truly bizarre it is. The disc slips further and further into a carnival of sounds and sonic chaos, but somehow remains utterly rhythmic and gorgeous.

On “Kalise”, a steel drum loop queues off a deep tribal beat and an array of repetitious Spanish chants, which ultimately builds up into a constellation of infectious grooves. “Buenos Matrimonios Ahi Fuera” begins with children chanting an innocent lament before sidling up to a jangly mix of percussion. A couple minutes in, the track seamlessly diverts into a strange, but hypnotizing sort of downtempo dub jam. And on tracks like “Costa Paraiso” and “Prez Legarto” the heart of this circus comes a little closer, as Díaz-Reixa reveals a voice that excels in live-looping, a contribution that could easily be overlooked in the barrage of sounds that are at work here.

In all its colorful beauty, Alegranza! is El Guincho’s unmistakable love letter to his birth-land of the Canary Islands. In fact, the title literally refers to a location in the Spanish territory. Though now based in Barcelona, Díaz-Reixa is clearly a romantic for the beautiful locale of his youth, as this is the explosive expression of one man’s unique upbringing in “paradise”.
-Scot Bowman

Originally published at kevchino.com.

Underground Alert - SHARON VAN ETTEN

Sharon Van Etten is a gorgeous singer/songwriter based in Bushwick, who recently got a lot of blog love during the CMJ Music Marathon. Her independent release of "home recordings" is a beautiful collection of raw and personal compositions that reveal an emerging voice of astounding talent. The opening track "I Wish I Knew" is so heart-wrenching I find myself gutted with every listen. I am kicking myself for accidentally missing her performance at the Northeast Kingdom lounge last night, but she is playing again at Zebulon in Brooklyn on Sunday night.

"I Wish I Knew" also appeared on this summer's Welcome to Bushwick compilation.

Sharon Van Etten - I Wish I Knew (stream)

Listen to more from Sharon Van Etten here. You can also purchase the limited edition independent debut via Paypal.

MEGAPUSS - Surfing

Megapuss is the new band formed by Devendra Banhart and Greg Rogove of Priestbird. Though this project initially started out as a joke, the duo fleshed out the band with three other members, not least of which is Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) on drums. And now the joke has evolved into a full album release with Surfing, available now on Vapor Records.

Speaking of Fab Moretti, he also just released a new album with his other, other band Little Joy.

Megapuss clearly have a whole tongue 'n' cheek, homo-erotic, psychedelic freak-folk sensibility going on, but the music is actually kind of good. Check out the video for the first single "Adam & Steve", which Banhart says was inspired by George Michael's "Faith" video and "I'm Too Sexy", a bizarre combination for sure. But really, the whole concept around Megapuss is pleasantly...bizarre. And yes, that's a "Careless Whisper" riff you hear in the song.

Listen to Megapuss here. Buy the album here.

Make It Happen!

CAUSE CO-MOTION!

Cause Co-Motion! just released It's Time!, a compilation of the band's various singles over the last three years. The disc serves as the perfect starting point for those not familiar with the Brooklyn band. Cause Co-Motion! embody the angular aesthetic of post-punk bands like Wire and Gang of Four, meshed with a vintage, hand-clapping doo-wop, surf rock flavor. Their sound has been described as, "a blazing chaos of jangle, clatter, and thump - busted strings and broken hearts."

Cause Co-Motion! are currently touring the west coast, with a stop tonight in San Francisco.

Nov. 04 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Nov. 05 Sacramento, CA Luigi's Fun Garden
Nov. 06 Eugene, OR Samurai Duck
Nov. 07 Portland, OR Holocene
Nov. 08 Olympia, WA The Big Room
Nov. 09 Seattle, WA Chop Suey


Cause Co-Motion! - Which Way Is Up? (mp3)

Slumberland Records

CRYSTAL STILTS - Alight of Night

The only "Crystal" I didn't see this year at CMJ was Crystal Stilts, the brooding band from Brooklyn with a penchant for lo-fi nostalgia. The band just released their debut LP Alight of Night, a moody collection of songs that transport you to those smoke-filled, heroin-tinged parties you see photos of in books about The Velvet Underground. The music seems perfectly tailored around Brad Hargett's deep, vintage voice. Organist Kyle Forrester (Ladybug Transistor) and drummer Frankie Rose (Vivian Girls) perfectly add to a sound that has been dubbed by one writer as "avant-garage". I don't really know what that means, but Alight of Night will likely serve as the perfect winter soundtrack for many music lovers over the coming months, myself included.


Crystal Stilts - Shattered Shine (mp3)