- Official website
- Official fansite
- Digital download site
$ The Capitol Years
# The Hymns
* "An Evening with Daniel Johnston and friends": Daniel will be supported and backed by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, Scout Niblett, James McNew of Yo La Tengo, Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, and Jad Fair of Half Japanese
Press Release Quote Analysis With The Crystal Castles’ Upcoming Tour
While preparing to write this story about the Crystal Castles upcoming tour, I noticed the various pull quotes about the band that were attached to the press release and how amusing they were. Here are some of the best ones:
- "Fuck you motherfuckers!!!" -TMT
- "It's brutal, it's violent...it's a pleasure" - The Guardian UK
- "It's always memorable when Toronto's Crystal Castles deliver their tweaked-out eyeliner-soaked Nintendo-core to gawking crowds" – Spin
It’s clear that the TMT quote is the best one by far (okay, so I may be biased), because it makes absolutely no sense and made me laugh out loud. The Guardian UK are going for a more direct approach, likening the Crystal Castle’s electronica grooves to brutal violence, which still making no sense on some level. Still, Spin manages to go even further off the deep end of music journalism with their ridiculous description of “tweaked-out eyeliner-soaked Nintendo-core.” What does this all mean exactly? Not a whole lot, but you read this far, so you might as well check out the tourdates below:
* Thanks Sam!
The Times They Are A-Changin’… Back To How They Used To Be? Universal Music Group Posts Improved First Quarter Earnings
Not so fast, suits. Although a recent blog post over at the music industry news website Coolfer has taken notice of the improved Universal Music Group's Q1 earnings in 2008, it would be nothing if not premature to say that the nightmare is over for our favorite major labels. Undoubtedly a step in the right direction, the increased profits may have some at the top breathing a little bit easier, but music fans remain well aware that little, if anything has been done to combat the ever increasing schism between corporation and consumer that has plagued the music industry since their heyday in the mid-to-late 1990s. Business buffs can pour over the report themselves, but the highlights outlined on Coolfer are as follows:
- Digital sales have increased 33% year over year
- Fiscal 2007 saw a 51% increase in digital sales (totaling 14% of total revenue)
- A 54% increase was seen in digital sales from Q1 of 2007
- Revenue increased 0.6% with operating profit rising 94.7%
So, while showing signs of life, the numbers remain far from ideal. In fact, many are pointing toward UMG's recent business acquisitions, not increased sales, as the reason for higher, somewhat flashy top line numbers. Snappy statistics may be pleasing to the ear and the bank account of a few, but what's clear is that the growth of digital sales is nowhere near great enough to account for the rapid decline in actual CD sales. We hear chatter of new business models aimed to simultaneously help artists and labels, and innovative solutions for piracy that will finally usher us all into the digital era together (and without lawsuits), but walking into our local music retailer, we're still too often met with increasingly outdated, lackluster product and a system of marketing with the same bloated price tag. Improvements? Maybe next quarter.
The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming AGAIN: UK Post-Punk Band These New Puritans to Invade U.S.
There comes a time in every young person's life when he/she must set aside his/her schoolwork, take up his/her angular guitar jams, and take to the road in order to promote his/her new post-punk album on Domino Records. Okay, so obviously "every young person" might be a stretch, but if you were, say, one of the gifted members of UK four-piece These New Puritans, you would understand. Jack Barnett, George Barnett, Sophie Sleigh-Johnson, and Thomas Hein are about to take on the mighty U.S. market with an upcoming summer tour in support of their recently-released full-length Beat Pyramid (TMT Review).
If you're one of those people who hears about 21st century post-punk bands and thinks "glossy production, The O.C. soundtrack, matching dress suits -- ICK," then listen up. These New Puritans make complex, forward-thinking, intense rock ‘n’ roll music that doesn't seem stuck in the past or too intent on making it into an iPod commercial. In short, they keep it real, and real loud. Check them out on tour and regret your misspent youth.
Sigur Rós Set To Release New Album, Með suð à eyrum við spilum endalaust, In June, Album May Or May Not Be A Saved By The Bell Reference
Best known for accidentally breaking Screech's mom's Elvis statue and throwing a party to raise funds to replace it, Sigur Rós are set to release their fifth album, Með suð à eyrum við spilum endalaust -- translation: "With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly" -- June 23 in Europe on not-doing-so-great EMI and June 24 in North America via XL. The album, co-produced by Flood (Smashing Pumpkins, Nick Cave, NIN), is being released "just one month after completion," according to a press release. It continues:
The album glows with the perfect imperfection of live takes, the sounds of fingers playing guitar strings, cracked notes, and a stark, upfront presence not found in previous Sigur Rós recordings, moving away from the reverb-induced guitar sounds of old to something altogether more fragile and affecting. It also contains some of the most joyous music the band has ever recorded.
Með suð à eyrum við spilum endalaust also features the return of string quartet Amiina, the first appearance of the Mellotron, a five-piece brass section, Jón Thor Birgisson singing his first song in English, and a track featuring 90 musicians, including the London Sinfonietta and the London Oratory Boy’s Choir. A deluxe version, comprised of a book, film, "Making Of...," and more, will see release later in the year.
Pre-orders for the album and book begin June 2, with a full stream of the album starting June 9. You can catch the album's first track, "Gobbledigook," tonight on Radio 1 or when it becomes available as a free download at 7:30 PM GMT. All this can be found at Sigur Rós' website. More information on the Elvis statue here.
As of press time, Sigur Rós have "Online Now!" status at their MySpace.
Með suð à eyrum við spilum endalaust tracklist:
Harvard Kids Plan “Funeral” for DRM To Be Held Tomorrow In Cambridge, MA
The witty kids at Harvard Free Culture have prepared a public funeral for DRM (Digital Rights Management) that'll take place at JKF Park, Memorial Drive tomorrow at 6:30 PM in Cambridge, MA. As part of the service, The Harvard Free Culture Group will be burying (wasting) a first-generation Zune and a fourth-generation iPod in a red bucket. Following the burial, a reception will take place to "reminisce of the short life and accomplishments of DRM and to grieve together."
The event is incredibly relevant, as it would seem that DRM is becoming a thing of the past. But it's not horribly timely, as the funeral feels a bit premature since many major media companies still use DRM to protect their products from being illegally copied and distributed. Either way, more information on the DRM funeral can be found here.
"Given a choice between grief and nothing, I'd choose grief." - William Faulkner
