Bon Iver, Sufjan, Arcade Fire and loads more on ‘Dark Was The Night’

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‘Dark Was The Night’, the Red Hot Organization HIV / AIDS charity album produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from The National that I mentioned last week now has a confirmed tracklist. It looks pretty awesome – a veritable who’s who of North American indoe in 2009 – with a bunch of original tracks and some well chosen cover versions of the likes of Dylan, Shuggie Otis, Blind Willie McTell, The Troggs and Vashti Bunyan.

Confusingly, the Red Hot Organization’s MySpace page says that 32 songs were recorded for the project but their are only 31 tracks listed on the album (could just be a typo). The organization’s MySpace page will be streaming every track one at a time over the 31 days between Jan 15th and the release date on February 16. The site is on US time so if you’re quick you can still hear yesterday’s first track right now – Dirty Projectors and David Byrne’s Knotty Pine – and mighty fine it is too.

This Disc (Disc One)

1. ‘Knotty Pine’ – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
2. ‘Cello Song’ – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
3. ‘Train Song’ – Feist and Ben Gibbard
4. ‘Brackett, WI’ – Bon Iver
5. ‘Deep Blue Sea’ – Grizzly Bear
6. ‘So Far Around The Bend’ – The National
7. ‘Tightrope’ – Yeasayer
8. ‘Feeling Good’ – My Brightest Diamond
9. ‘Dark Was The Night’ – Kronos Quartet
10. ‘I Was Young When I Left Home’ – Antony with Bryce Dessner
11. ‘Big Red Machine’ – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
12. ‘Sleepless’ – The Decemberists
13. ‘Stolen Houses (Die)’ – Iron & Wine
14. ‘Service Bell’ – Grizzly Bear + Feist
15. ‘You Are The Blood’ – Sufjan Stevens

That Disc (Disc Two)

1. ‘Well-Alright’ – Spoon
2. ‘Lenin’ – Arcade Fire
3. ‘Mimizan’ – Beirut
4. ‘El Caporal’ – My Morning Jacket
5. ‘Inspiration Information’ – Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
6. ‘With A Girl Like You’ – Dave Sitek
7. ‘Blood Pt. 2’ – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
8. ‘Hey, Snow White’ – The New Pornographers
9. ‘Gentle Hour’ – Yo La Tengo
10. ‘Amazing Grace’ – Cat Power
11. ‘Happiness’ – Riceboy Sleeps
12. ‘Another Saturday’ – Stuart Murdoch
13. ‘The Giant Of Illinois’ – Andrew Bird
14. ‘Lua’ – Conor Oberst with Gillian Welch
15. ‘When The Road Runs Out’ – Blonde Redhead & Devastations
16. ‘Love Vs. Porn’ – Kevin Drew

Red Hot Organization on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/darkwasthenight

Music News Round Up, Jan 13

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The death of Ron Asheton of The Stooges gave the year a mournful start, with precious little else to cheer up fans of good music (that’s you, right?).

While we can wonder at Bono writing a column for the New York Times, and feign interest in the latest Amy Winehouse gossip, Kanye rant or Babyshambles guest, surely there is something actually newsworthy out there?

Here’s what’s piqued my interest in the first two weeks of ’09.

The release of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion would have been reason to get excited at any time of year but has been enhanced by the dearth of other quality records coming out and the fact that My Girls borrows a synth line from Frankie Knuckles.

Various people are spouting forth on best new music for 2009 lists, with most agreeing that, love it or hate it, electro-pop will be BIG. After great releases from Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires, Hot Chip and Cut Copy in 2008, Little Boots, La Roux and Lady Ga Ga head up this year’s electro-assault while Pet Shop Boys have a track on the Girls Aloud album and are getting Outstanding Contribution award at The Brits.

At the spookier end of the spectrum, how about this little beauty from Fever Ray (Karin from The Knife’s new project).

Norman Cook prepares to release his Brighton Port Authority album. The project he’s been working on for a few years features Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Jamie T and Dizzee Rascal and others. Speaking of Byrne and Cook, whatever happened to the Imelda Marcos musical they were working on?

Motown celebrates it’s 50th birthday this year. Richard Williams, the Guardian’s chief sports writer get’s all fanboy about it.

Nice to see Xfm, despite having the worst post-Capital buy out year ever! are again running with the Xfm New Music Award for the best debut album by a UK act. Last year’s event was excellent John Leckie is already lined up as one of the industry panel judges, but you can vote for the shortlist.

Oh, and iconic London venue The Astoria closes this week not with a bang but with a whimper. Yes, it’s terrible to lose a venue in the heart of town, but despite all the great acts that have played there, the sound was always shit upstairs, it was dirty and it smelled. God, I’ll miss it!

Don’t Call It A Comeback (Part 1): 2009 Ones To Watch

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Plenty of places are all to ready to tell you who’s gonna be the next big thing in 2009 – just check some of the tips from last year to know these need to be taken with a pinch of salt, or the Terris Factor as I like to call it.

Basically, unless these artists already have the albums in the can, it ain’t that easy to say that they can turn a couple of great live gigs and a promising demo into something worth cherishing. Many bands fall at the first hurdle.

So let’s put aside the brand new and take a look at who the most exciting follow up albums of 2009 will probably come from…

A Camp
The 2001 eponymous debut A Camp album featured The Cardigans’ Nina Persson teaming up with Niclas Frisk and Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous. The follow up ‘Colonia’ finds Persson and Frisk hooking up with ex-Shudder To Think guitarist (and Persson’s husband) Nathan Larson. The album is already in the can and if lead single ‘Stronger Than Jesus’ is anything to go by it’ll be another melancholic country tinged affair highlighting Nina’s singular voice. Due out February 2.

official site: http://www.acamp.net/

Silversun Pickups
‘Carnavas’ is an album I still can’t get enough. I think I saw these guys six times in 2007 and I’d go and see them six times again if I could. They were recording on and off between July and September last year so we should expect something sometime this year. Until then I’ll just have to make do with playing ‘Lazy Eye’ on Guitar Hero World Tour on the Wii.

Silversun Pickups on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/silversunpickups

Band Of Horses
Two brilliant albums so far and the band went into Alabama’s legendary Muscle Shoals studio back in October to start work on the new album which they promise will include “More Than 10 Songs!!!!” with all members of the band writing songs
and once again the album will feature “brand new beautiful artwork” by Christopher Wilson.

official site: http://www.bandofhorses.com/

PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey and erstwhile collaborator John Parish have teamed up to record the follow up to 1996’s Dance Hall At Louse Point and is due out at the end of March on Island. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s lost interest in Peej over the last couple of releases, could this be the one that wins us back?

official site: http://www.pjharvey.net/

Beirut
Zach Condon follows up 2007’s the Flying Club Cup with a double EP due in February. March of the Zapotec/Holland. Latest info says that part one of the EP will be under the Beirut name and was recorded with Mexican musicians The Jiminez Band, while part two is “bedroom style recordings” under Condon’s previous moniker Realpeople.

official site: http://www.beirutband.com/

The National
The band are in the early stages of making the follow up to Boxer but it’s unlikely to see a release until 2010. But I mention them here as Aaron and Bryce Dessener have produced what has the potential to be an awesome compilation for the HIV/AIDS combatting Red Hot Organization. ‘Dark Was The Night’ features stellar cast of the indie great and good from Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Stuart Murdoch, My Morning Jacket, David Sitek and a shitload more. Check out the full details.

The National on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/thenational
Red Hot Organization: http://tinyurl.com/redhotanddark

Animal Collective
The Baltimore based trio release ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’, this Monday and have made an early punt for Hipster Album Of The Year. With tracks appearing all over the internet and new song ‘My Girls’ up on the band’s MySpace page this looks likely to grow their fanbase much more than 2007’s ‘Strawberry Jam’ with Pitchfork already giving it a 9.6 review and calling it more “accessible and complete” than their earlier work. Their Koko show on Monday is sold out but they’re back at The Forum in March.

Animal Collective on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband

Best Of 2008

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For me 2008 was a weird year for music, I spent a lot of the time traveling and then a couple of months trying to catch up with new music – I’ve still got a list of over a dozen albums I want to get my hands on.

Live I was fortunate enough to catch Coachella and Daydream festivals in the US and Spain respectively as well as see Split Enz in New Zealand, Duran Duran in Paris and The Dodos in LA not to mention a slew of bands in London including superlative shows from Band Of Horses, The Hold Steady, TV On The Radio and The Gaslight Anthem.

Back in November I was thinking that this wasn’t going to be a vintage year, but my list ended up surprisingly strong. I mainly consumed music as whole albums in ‘08, in 2009 I’m expecting to a more eclectic pick and mix.

Best of 2008…

Stone Cold Killers
Friendly Fires ‘Friendly Fires’
Johnny Foreigner ‘Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light’
Bon Iver ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’
The Dodos ‘Visiter’
Cut Copy ‘In Ghost Colours’
Kings Of Leon ‘Only By The Night’
TV On The Radio ‘Dear Science’
Elbow ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’
Vampire Weekend ‘Vampire Weekend’
The Raconteurs ‘Consolers Of The Lonely’

Great albums with a couple of dud tracks or overlong
The Hold Steady ‘Stay Positive’
Black Mountain ‘In The Future’
The Walkmen ‘You & Me’
Ladyhawke ‘Ladyhawke’
Sigur Ros ‘Med Sud….’
Los Campesinos! ‘Hold On Youngster’ and ‘We Are Beautiful We are Doomed’
Nick Cave ‘Dig Lazarus Dig’
Death Cab For Cutie ‘Narrow Stairs’

Really Good Albums with a couple of great tunes
Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes
The Gaslight Anthem ‘The ’59 Sound’
School Of Seven Bells ‘Alpinism’
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks ‘Real Emotional Trash’
MGMT ‘Oracular Spectacular’
Lykke Li ‘Youth Novels’ – Scandiniavan electro pop
White Denim ‘Workout Holiday’

TV On The Radio – Dear Science

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John Taylor is often quoted as saying that the initial vision for Duran Duran was to cross the club friendly disco funk of Chic with the punk rock guitars and attitude of The Sex Pistols. As they developed their sound grew away from this pretty quickly and they became one of the iconic bands of the early 80s, although still with an eye as much on the dancefloor as an ear to the charts and arenas.

Although, for my money they made some of the best music of the early 80s (and turned in great albums in 1993 and 2007) the idea of what they could have been is still intoxicating. And so we turn to today’s release of TV On The Radio’s third album Dear Science, and we must wonder what JT, Nick Rhodes et al would make of it.

As slick and funky as anything dreamed up by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (check out ‘Red Dress’ and ‘Crying’) it still has the metallic dream pop edge of their debut and 2006’s Return To Cookie Mountain and, as Pitchfork have already pointed out, lyrics mired in “self-doubt, Bush-hate, and future-fear”. A very noughties take on the original DD proposition.

It may lack a moment as unstoppable as …Cookie Mountain’s ‘Wolf Like Me’ but as a whole it’s a much more satisfying proposition with several killer tracks (opener ‘Halfway Home’ and ‘Dancing Choose’ are current faves). Now if we could only get David Sitek to produce the next Duran Duran album…

The Dodos @ ULU

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Went to see San Francisco’s The Dodos last night at ULU. It was my first gig for a few weeks and I was really glad I’d made the effort. I’m still kicking myself for not making it along to Bon Iver last week.

This was my second time with the duo (actually a trio live) having caught them back in April when they played an instore at Amoeba Records in LA. Frontman Meric Long’s playing style flits between finger picking and aggressive strumming and twisted chords (often all in the same song) and takes in some non-standard tunings while Logan Kroeber’s locked in drumming holds the whole set together (I think he only stopped drumming once or twice in the whole set, linking each song together into an hour long suite). Their respective backgrounds in African ewe drumming and prog-metal clearly influences their approach, the whole becoming a kind of minimal-psychedelic take on folk with acoustic guitar, drums and percussion.

Check out their second album Visiter, one of this year’s best.

Notting HIll Carnival

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To banish the memory of a poor Reading we head to Carnival on Monday. Despite living just around the corner from the main route, this is my first time. All Saints Road is rammed with punters getting down to at least three diverse sound systems playing variants on drum ‘n bass, reggae and a more mainstream/ r ‘n b sound. It’s as loud and as rib cage shaking as expected but the amount of ganja smoke is underwhelming.