Julian Koster (The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Major Organ & The Adding Machine) and his Singing Saw -- Badger, I assume -- are once again going Christmas caroling in December! Want to see them? Great. All you have to do is grant them permission and they'll show up at your doorstep, singing songs, sharing stories, and being all Christmas-y. It's like a Christmas miracle spread across 15 dates!
To ensure there is no confusion (and because I'm feeling lazy), here's the exact wording from Merge:
You may invite the carolers to visit your house by emailing musictapescaroling@gmail.com or by mailing a handwritten letter to 450 N. Harris St. Athens, GA 30601 (due to time constraints, please send an email to let the "caroling ambassador" know you are sending a letter). Be sure to include an email address or telephone number for reply. Invitations where the hosts indicate that they would be willing to entertain outside guests on caroling night are preferred. Please note your permission to invite others from the area to your house and whether you can offer the carolers a place to sleep in your letter or email.
Once the limit on houses on a given night has been reached, the address of each house that will welcome guests will be distributed via email to all who email musictapescaroling@gmail.com and ask to attend. The addresses of the houses will not be posted online.
Proposed Path:
December 7th, 8th, 9th: Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana & Lower Half of Illinois
December 10th, 11th, 12th: Chicago, Illinois, Michigan
December 13th, 14th, 15th: Ohio, Pittsburgh, Western NY
December 16th, 17th, 18th: Upstate NY, New England (CT, RI, VT etc)
December 19th, 20th, 21st: Philadelphia, NYC, Baltimore, DC, Chapel Hill
The idea of going backwards to a point in time that is forwards is a hard thing to grasp. I could probably write a 17-page article on the idea of going back to a time that has not yet existed. It boggles my mind! Anyway, here's my point: this all reminds me of the music of Daniel Lopatin's Oneohtrix Point Never. At first listen, you get the vibe that this music might be 30 years old, yet the music itself hones in on sounds from 70s- and 80s-era visions of the future. Indeed, Oneohtrix Point Never is simultaneously referencing music of the past and of the future, like, you know, the movie Back to the Future.
Okay, this'll probably make more sense once you listen to his latest release, Rifts. Due tomorrow, November 17, on No Fun Productions, the double-disc album is actually composed of remastered editions of three previously released records, Betrayed in the Octagon, Zones Without People, and Russian Mind. All three originally came out in limited, vinyl-only pressings on No Fun and Arbor and were made up of selections from "rare and out-of-print cassette and CD-R releases, with recordings spanning as far back as 2003." Rifts, according to the publicist, sees Lopatin "developing his unabashed worship of the analog poly-synth as a free standing musical apparatus towards a fully realized OPN world of sound; at once incorporating synth prog, modern noise, early techno, drone, minimalism and computer music."
Alright, alright, you get the idea, right? So, as the great Biff Tannen once said, "Why don't you make like a tree and get outta here!"
Rifts tracklisting:
Disc 1:
1. Behind the Bank 2. Eyeballs 3. Betrayed in the Octagon 4. Woe is the Transgression 5. Parallel Minds 6. Laser to Laser 7. Woe Is The Transgression II 8. Computer Vision 9. Format & Journey North 10. Zones Without People 11. Learning To Control Myself 12. Disconnecting Entirely 13. Emil Cioran 14. Hyperdawn
Disc 2:
1. Months 2. Physical Memory 3. Grief and Repetition 4. Russian Mind 5. Actual Air 6. Immanence 7. Lovergirls Precinct 8. Ships Without Meaning 9. Terminator Lake 10. Transmat Memories 11. A Pact Between Strangers 12. When I Get Back From New York 13. I Know Its Taking Pictures From Another Plane (Inside Your Sun)
Bearded shut-ins, rejoice, for Bonnie “Prince” Billy née Will Oldham will be giving publicists a marketing nightmare with a beautifully bizarro release on Drag City, titled Funtime Comedown: too weird for CD format. The vinyl- and digital-only full-length live-in-studio album Funtime Comedown will be credited to Bonny Billy and the Picket Line; the Picket Line, of course, being a Kentucky bluegrass band. Duh. Sez Drag City, they are also "the official dance band of Funtown, a metaphysical little community in the woods outside Louisville.” Are you really surprised? Didn't think so.
The record is a cornucopia of Oldham goodness, including new versions of his own songs as well as Palace Brothers tunes and country classics. It's due December 15. Check out this video of Oldham and his Picket pals:
Willy boy has also just released a 7-inch single for "Stay," which contains the song “People Living,” both of which are covers of Susanna & the Magical Orchestra's Susanna Wallumrød. And guess what? It's sold out. But you can still purchase a download (FLAC or MP3) here.
According to Pitchfork, Dan Deacon has canceled the remainder of his tour after having been hospitalized with acute sciatica. The tour was originally scheduled to run through next Wednesday, ending at Baltimore's Ottobar.
TMT wishes him a speedy recovery!
Canceled dates:
11.13.09 - Troy, NY - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 11.14.09 - Worcester, MA - Clark University 11.15.09 - Ithaca, NY - Ithaca College 11.16.09 - Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase 11.18.09 - Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar
Lawrence K. Parker, more readily known as KRS-One, finally saw the release of his book The Gospel of Hip Hop: First Instrument this week. Originally slated for release earlier this year, First Instrument is the first release from the publishing firm I Am Hip Hop, an imprint of powerHouse Books. The Gospel of Hip Hop, set up in the format of a holy book, is described by the publisher as being “...a spiritual manual for citizens of Hip Hop Kulture that combines classic philosophy with faith and practical knowledge, for a fascinating, in-depth exploration of Hip Hop as a life path.”
Very few artists could pull off such a publication and still demand to be taken seriously. KRS-One, founder of the legendary Boogie Down Productions and the Stop the Violence Movement, manages to not seem overly hokey in his philosophical treatise on hip-hop culture. The book also seems to serve as an introduction to a series of other projects that KRS-One is taking very seriously, one of these being the launch of The Temple of Hip Hop. As the subtitle of the book suggests, it's only the first instrument, suggesting follow-up titles, possibly written by other hip-hop gurus. Time will tell if the ideas presented take hold with the members of the culture to whom Lawrence is preaching.
The 818-page hardcover edition can be ordered directly from the publisher here.
Fish and chips, man! So British, so delicious! Hot Chip, man! Also British, though not necessarily delicious! Maybe they are, I wouldn’t know. Delicious or not, they do seem to have a knack for releasing a new LP of rather nice dance-rock every two years. And so it will be once again, as the group has announced that One Life Stand, their fourth LP, will be released on February 8 via Parlophone. The record will follow up 2008’s Made in the Dark (TMT Review), which in turn followed up 2006’s The Warning, which in turn followed up 2004’s Coming on Strong. See what I mean about them releasing a new LP every two years? Always on time, these guys.
Hot Chip will embark on a tour directly following the new record’s release, though if you want to see them and you don’t live in the U.K., you’re pretty much out of luck, buddy. At least for now. Buck up, I’m sure they’ll announce some dates wherever you live soon. As for me, thinking about fish and chips has made me hungry. I’m going to embark on a tour of dinner
02.12.10 - Glasgow, Scotland - Academy 02.13.10 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Picture House 02.15.10 - Nottingham, England - Rock City 02.16.10 - Leeds, England - Academy 02.18.10 - Newcastle, England - O2 Academy 02.19.10 - Manchester, England - Academy 02.20.10 - Birmingham, England - O2 Academy 02.22.10 - Bournemouth, England - O2 Academy 02.23.10 - Bristol, England - O2 Academy 02.24.10 - Norwich, England - O2 Academy 02.26.10 - London, England - O2 Brixton Academy 02.27.10 - London, England - O2 Brixton Academy
