Asobi Seksu‘s woozy, sugar-sweet pop songs sound as if they were built with a microscope, their lushness a product of singer/keyboardist Yuki Chikudate and guitarist James Hanna’s extreme attention to detail. When their UK label asked them to record acoustic versions of some of their best songs at the legendary Olympic Studios, the offer was equally frightening and fun. “Because it was such a short time frame, there wasn’t enough time for fear or doubt to kick in. We knew we had to move in order to get it done, and that turned out in our favor, really,” explains Chikudate. “If we’re given more time, it can easily become a perfectionist nightmare.”
Yet the result, Rewolf, sounds just as lush, with a quiet intimacy and effortlessness that brings Chikudate’s voice and the band’s melodies into greater focus. Chikudate talks to Flavorpill about Rewolf, performing “naked,” and the artists that inspired the album’s arrangements.
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On his Twitter profile, DJ /rupture, aka Jace Clayton, lists “dj * writer * jetlag king” as his occupations. And though he’s best known as the turntable mastermind behind albums like Uproot and Special Gunpowder and his latest release with Brooklyn producer Matt Shadetek, he wouldn’t be much of a DJ without the latter gigs. All three are intertwined: he’s written regularly for magazines like The Wire and N+1; and his recent piece for the latter, which landed in the 2009 Best Music Writing compilation, begins “I’ve DJed in over 20 countries…”
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Thanks to “Thriller,” Michael Jackson costumes have been a Halloween favorite for years. His untimely death, however, just moved the costume from parody to homage. This Halloween, you can expect a glut of glove-toting tributes — but that’s no reason to follow suit. Many other deceased musical icons deserve your hastily thrown-together attention. After the jump, our picks, from Biggie to Kurt, along with the essential-icon items that will make you sure to be recognized.
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Chromeo know how to put together a mix. Their recent entry in the famed DJ-Kicks compilation series featured members Patrick Gemayel (P-Thugg) and David Macklovitch (Dave 1) picking their favorite “leather-pants” tracks and sex-soaked funk from from the 70s and 80s; but they’re equally attuned to the best of 2009. After the jump, check out videos and downloads of Dave 1′s favorite tracks of 2009.
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Last week, when video emerged of a chest-bearing Thom Yorke dancing next to his new bandmate Flea, it seemed like things were a bit backwards. Had Yorke lost a bet? Had we? But the collaboration appeared to be a success, perhaps because it took both Yorke and Flea out of their element. After all, when was the last time Flea wore a shirt?
From Patrick Wolf and Tilda Swinton to Lil’ Wayne and Weezer, 2009 has been the year of surprising collaborations. Though previous years yielded some amazing partnerships (Johnny Marr and Modest Mouse, Mike Watt with Kelly Clarkson), the past ten months have seen collabs that initially seemed improbable, or, technically impossible (see: Black Keys and Ol’ Dirty Bastard). Check out our favorites from this year below, and a couple of predictions for the rest of 2009.
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Anti-Pop Consortium will release Fluorescent Black, their first record in seven years this week. That’s worth talking about (Pitchfork called the electro-fused “Capricorn One” “one of the best surprises of the summer”), but it’s not what the foursome really want to discuss. Crew member Beans is already on to the next project.
Talking from a New York studio, where he’s working on a new record with jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, he’s also wrapping up his next solo record and thinking about the next Anti-Pop record — where he hopes the experimental hip-hop quartet will explore more sounds and genres. With most other experimental hip-hop catching up to Anti-Pop, Beans and co. just want to move further. “We’re still figuring it out, but we’ve had two years time to get it together, get reactivated,” he says. “We had a five year break. Break’s over.” Read More »
It’s Yom Kippur, and many of us have the day off from work. You could spend the day atoning. Or you could check out some of best and least-MTV friendly music videos to come out over the last couple years.
Just over a week ago, German shock-industrialists Rammstein — remember their US hit “Du Hast”? — premiered their most recent video, “Pussy,” online. The clip, directed Jonas Åkerlund, plays with typical music video stuff (strippers, S&M), before ending with several graphic sex scenes. MTV-friendly? Absolutely not. But it doesn’t matter.
Earlier Åkerlund videos, like Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up,” were relegated to one or two plays on MTV after midnight. But thanks to streaming online video, bands don’t have to worry about finding an audience for their more adventurous visuals. Check out some of our favorite, wildly not safe for work, music videos after the jump, and link us to what we missed in the comments. Read More »
The debut album from Monsters of Folk melds the considerable talents of M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James.
The Monsters moniker was given to the group by fans during a tour five years ago, and it fits: at nearly an hour, the debut feels nothing like a side project. With Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis rounding out the quartet, M.O.F. perfectly balance each member’s distinct voice — as on sultry standout “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.),” in which Ward’s honeyed growl plays beautifully off James’ falsetto. Read More »
Yoko Ono was a musician long before she became Mrs. John Lennon. But Ono, now 76, never seemed very concerned with defending her own musical reputation, leaving it up to her detractors and cult fans to decide. Then, her 1981 dance-floor classic “Walking on Thin Ice” reached the top of the dance charts when it was re-released and remixed in 2003. Ono’s 2007 compilation, Yes, I’m a Witch
, seemed to settle it, including covers of her songs by Cat Power, Antony, and the Flaming Lips, as well as others who cite Ono as an influence. Her new album, Between My Head and the Sky
, comes full circle: it’s her first under the Plastic Ono Band moniker since 1975, and it features both her son Sean Lennon and other musicians indebted to her career. Read More »
The sixth annual Decibel Festival takes over Seattle next weekend, with more than 100 artists playing 14 venues over four days. Though it’ll be hard to top last year’s fifth anniversary event, the nonprofit music and art festival has done it with this year’s lineup, which represents the best in new techno, house and dub.
In celebration of the Decibel Festival, we’re holding a contest to win two Club Passes (worth $75 each), which will get you into the weekend’s evening dance venue events and the dB conference. Find out how to win after the jump. Read More »
