As Inlets, multi-instrumentalist Sebastian Krueger blends the simple warmth of his banjo with the lush scope of orchestral pop.
His self-recorded debut LP, Inter Arbiter, comprises layered songs that benefit from repeat listens. Krueger’s experience as a hired gun for My Brightest Diamond and Feist also pays off by bringing him a slew of guest artists, including Dirty Projectors vocalist Angel Deradoorian and Beirut frontman Zach Condon, who contribute to the album’s melancholic harmonies.
Pop music and classical music are supposed to be different worlds. Yet, in the last few years, the two have begun bleeding together again. On “Colouring of Pigeons,” from Swedish pop duo the Knife’s just-released album Tomorrow, In a Year
Since that’s far from the only high-brow stuff whizzing around overhead, we thought we’d give you a look at five composers whose works influence some of the indie pop you know and love. Listen to their music, and the work they’ve inspired, after the jump.
Last fall when Solange covered Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness Is the Move” we flipped out, but the track was swiftly removed at the request of Universal Music. Now, thanks to Pitchfork (and Fashion Week), you can watch video of her performing live with Dirty Projectors last Saturday night at Opening Ceremony‘s party for their new store at the Ace Hotel New York. Perhaps this brings us one step closer to an official release for Solange’s version — that is, if she can find the time while working on that new of Montreal album.
Indie rock is having a covers moment. First was Beck’s decision to cover full albums and release them one track at a time. The Flaming Lips covered Dark Side of the Moon. Then, streaming material from Peter Gabriel’s Scratch My Back, featuring covers of artists like Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, and Elbow. Flavorwire even got in on the act, giving you a mixtape featuring indie rock covers of indie rock songs.
With Vampire Weekend’s cover of Rancid’s “Ruby Soho,” it seems that we have reached a WTF cover saturation point: Koenig replacing Tim Armstrong’s punk growl with crooning over glistening beach guitar. Listening to the versions side-by-side is like the rug got pulled out from under the Rancid original and broke its legs.
After the jump, we give you the VW version plus some other unexpected covers that’ll make you scratch your head. They’re curious choices, unique and incongruous, but always interesting. Which ones are your favorites?
Something seemingly obvious struck us upon reading that Dirty Projectors plan to perform their zany, quasi-Don-Henley-themed 2005 album The Getty Address in full February 19 at Lincoln Center: The ’00s are really over. Among other things, that means the decade’s best music is now ready to take its place in history and ascend to classic status. And there’s just no better way to cement an album’s place in the canon than to play the whole thing live to a packed crowd of adoring fans.
But not every great release lends itself to this treatment. Many are simply collections of outstanding but fairly unrelated singles that are just as powerful on their own. Albums ripe to be performed in full need to possess a kind of unity: a certain narrative thread, concept, or lyrical or sonic motif that elevates the whole above the sum of its parts. With that in mind, we’ve selected 10 albums from the ’00s that we’d love to see played live.
Dirty Projectors have released a new limited-edition single of two tracks from their Bitte Orca
Katie Roiphe caused a stir with her recent New York Times essay “The Naked and the Conflicted,” which argues that a large chunk of today’s heterosexual male authors tend to not only shy away from sex, but also express disgust and even boredom with it. But we’re not here to rehash the ample controversy she incited. Instead, we’ve decided to see whether her thesis applies to young, male artists in another arena: indie rock. We examined some of last year’s buzziest hits to determine whether their creators find sex as passé as their literary counterparts. Will hipster rockers prove the exception by summoning the libido of Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes? Also: Where the ladies at, and are their sexual antics stealing the striptease?
Journalist Chris Weingarten has listened to more records than you this year. One thousand to be exact. With his trusty 1000TimesYes account on Twitter, Weingarten braved through the 140-character constraints and condensed each record into a bite size review with a ranking. Some take full advantage of this limit: “872)Kid Sister/Ultraviolet: When the cool kids invite you to their party and turn out to be as boring and talentless as you suspected.#1.5.” Others are beautifully concise: “981)Kevin Drumm/Imperial Horizon: Float on.#9.”
With the understanding that Weingarten knows more about the music of 2009 than — hypothetically — anyone, we decided to tap into his twittering mind in an interview. After the jump, we give you 1,000 of Weingarten’s words on ’09 condensed into neat, tweet-sized excerpts.
People generally don’t buy wax anymore because digital music is easier to procure, but it’s still nice when a band expresses itself with creative cover art. In this vein, ArtVinyl has come up with their 50 nominees for best Art Vinyl in 2009. Their experts this year include Mark Sinclair of the Creative Review, Spencer Hicks from Rough Trade, and John Doran with The Quietus. After the jump, we select our top ten out of their picks. Who’d we both miss?
Who said indie-rock can’t have soul? Solange Knowles has been known to run with a different part of Brooklyn than her sister, and with this latest, it has paid off. Solange takes the Dirty Projector’s Angel Deradoorian to task with her cover of Bitte Ocra‘s standout, “Stillness Is The Move,” proving her dedication to Pitchfork runs deeper than a trip to Grizzly Bear with her big sister. Random aside: Do you think she knew it was going to top NY Mag’s list of the 40 songs that define Brooklyn sound?
The song, with its massively melodic chorus, lover’s narrative and mid-tempo back beat, always edged on an R&B jam. Solange simply drew on these leanings, threw in a little Erykah Badu via Soul Man & The Brothers, and added her own little radio-ready groove. We love it. Sadly, there are currently no plans for an official release, but you can download the track thanks to our friends at Pitchfork.
Download MP3: Solange, “Stillness Is The Move”
“ It's his freaky prosthetic nose, I tells you! And I think anyone would jump a bit if they met... ” posted on A Selection of the Most Genuinely Terrifying People in Metal on
“ @Kirah, While I am a fan of Manson's work, and he has done a great number of disturbing things... ” posted on A Selection of the Most Genuinely Terrifying People in Metal on
“ "GAME OVER" Jigsaw, right as he shuts the door on his captive in 'Saw' ” posted on 15 of the Most Memorable Final Lines in Film on
“ a slave. Naked, cuffed to the bed Blond lezzie gets you four videos 41 minutes Rain Luscious... ” posted on History's Most Distinguished Literary Hair on
“ Republica - Sports fans Love this band... but I freaking HATE sports. Garbage-Girls who are... ” posted on Stereotyping You by Your Favorite '90s Band on
