Isis Announce New Album Details, But Remain Mysterious
By Kid Midnight on Jan 27 2009
Here for your reading pleasure is an "interview" I conducted with Aaron Turner, head of Hydra Head Records, founding member of Isis, and metal music mastermind.
Kid Midnight: Hey, Aaron, great to see you again!
Aaron Turner: Oh, yeah, for sure, last time I saw you I didn’t think that you were going to get out of that prison alive.
KM: Yeah, well, you know… Mondays, right?
AT: Hahaha, you are so funny Kid Midnight.
KM: Thanks. Now let’s get down to the new album… what can you tell us?
AT: The new album is called Wavering Radiant, and it’s coming out on Ipecac Recordings May 5.
KM: Excellent, are we going to see a vinyl release?
AT: Of course, of course. We love vinyl just as much as any metal band does, which is a lot, so we’re going to have a limited-edition vinyl version that comes out April 21.
KM: Wow, I can’t wait! Can you tell us anything else about the album?
AT: It’s produced by Joe Baressi, who’s worked with Tool and Queens of The Stone Age -- Adam Jones from Tool even contributed some guitar work to two songs.
KM: That sounds awesome! Kind of like Iggy Pop singing for Ramones?
AT: EXACTLY!
KM: Well, I’m excited for the new stuff.
AT: Good to hear.
KM: Use three words to describe the new material.
AT: Monolithic, atmospheric, dense.
KM: Ah, the classic favorites, but, like I said, I’m excited. Like I always say: a bad Isis album would still be better than most other good metal albums.
AT: Wise words…
KM: Can you tell us anything else about the album?
AT: More details will follow.
KM: Oh… that’s a little mysterious… tracklist? song titles? A peek at the album artwork?
AT: More details will follow.
KM: Alright, I get the picture, can’t pull back the veil of secrecy too far, right?
AT: More details will follow
Clap Your Hands and Say “Dan Deacon to Tour and Release Album and Split Single.” Now Clap Them Again and Say “Give Papa a Cup of Proper Coffee in a Copper Coffee Cup.” Not So Easy, Is It?
By David Nadelle on Jan 27 2009
“Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.” – Victor Hugo
If the quotable 19th-century French Romantic ponce was correct, then Baltimore-based beat party monster Dan Deacon must be doing very well for himself. There is nothing quite as grotesque and powerful as witnessing the spectacle that is Deacon in a live setting. To celebrate his good fortunes, Deacon has announced a behemoth North American tour, which will group him with Future Islands and Teeth Mountain for 36 dates. The long jaunt starts in a church -- that is, the incredibly progressive, forward-thinking First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia on April 3. Much sooner than then and in just a few days, Deacon will play a solo set in Brooklyn. Alone or complemented by a couple of hometown hero opening acts and a dozen-plus musicians, you may just see the light... or cower from it.
Monster trucking:
01.30.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Danbro Studios (solo set)
04.03.09 - Philadelphia, - PA First Unitarian Church
04.05.09 - Williamsburg, VA - The Little Theater
04.06.09 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
04.07.09 - Knoxville, TN - Catalyst
04.08.09 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
04.09.09 - Athens, GA - 88/cp
04.10.09 - Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum
04.11.09 - Tallahassee, FL - FSU, Club Downunder
04.13.09 - New Orleans, LA - The Candle Factory, The Heavy
04.15.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
04.16.09 - Houston, TX - Orange Show
04.18.09 - Ft. Worth, TX - The Ft. Worth Modern Museum
04.20.09 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
04.21.09 - San Diego, CA - Ché Café
04.22.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
04.23.09 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
04.24.09 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04.25.09 - Seattle, WA - The Vera Project
04.26.09 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Richards on Richards
04.29.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
04.30.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
05.01.09 - Kansas City, MO - Pistol S.C
05.02.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock (early and late shows)
05.04.09 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
05.05.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
05.06.09 - Urbana, IL - Canopy Club, Club Void
05.07.09 - Chicago, IL - The Metro
05.08.09 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - CMU, The Wesley Foundation
05.09.09 - Detroit, MI - Scrummage
05.10.09 - Toronto, Ontario - The Deleon White Gallery
05.11.09 - Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
05.12.09 - South Burlington, VT - HG Showcase Lounge
05.13.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
05.15.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Danbro Studios
05.16.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
05.17.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
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“Perfectly ordered disorder designed with a helter-skelter magnificence.” – Emily Carr
The Canadian Pacific Northwest First Nations-inspired painter may have lived and died a good number of years before the Deacon seed was conceived, but she perhaps was presciently speaking of the experience of listening to Dan Deacon on record. As previously reported, his much-anticipated Bromst is due March 24 on Carpark Records.
Monster tracking:
1. Build Voice
2. Red F
3. Paddling Ghost
4. Snookered
5. Of The Mountains
6. Surprise Stefani
7. Wet Wings
8. Woof Woof
9. Slow With Horns / Run For Your Life
10. Baltihorse
11. Get Older
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“We gave one guy who messed with us a popsicle that was 10% lemonade and 90% pee. We were smoking a joint and licking our popsicles when he goes 'This tastes like shit.' Without missing a beat Joan (Jett) said, 'You're getting close.’'' – Sandy West
Er, this quote given by the late Runaways drummer doesn’t make much contextual sense for a Dan Deacon story, does it? But it’s a pretty good quote, and nothing introduces a small songlist for a split Deacon/Adventure 12-inch like a blurb about a split lemonade/pee popsicle, am I right? This single features two tracks by each artist and is out TODAY on Carpark.
Mini monster tracking:
Dan Deacon:
1. Get Older
2. Cave Birth
Adventure:
1. Poison Diamonds
2. Lifeguard
Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson bring in da noise, bring in da funk on East Coast tour
By Liz Louche on Jan 26 2009
Within the past week, America's first black president was inaugurated, Oscar nominations were announced, and Microsoft laid off a ton of friggin' employees. January is truly shaping up to be a historic month, a month all of us will remember as a mixture of elation and depression, a time of great steps forward and daunting steps back. At times, it seems almost overwhelming, all the things that are happening. And now there's another incredible event to add to the mix, an event that brings two giants of their era together to make history and totally rock out.
The two legends I speak of are none other than Thurston Moore and the man Matador Records deemed a "Scandinavian saxophone demon," Mats Gustafsson. Starting this Thursday, the man behind Sonic Youth (Moore -- you know this) and the man behind Christian Munthe and Gush (Gustafsson -- you might not know this) will be joining forces to play a string of crazy noise free jazz tourdates on the East Coast. They'll be joined along the way by pals Samara Lubelski, Magik Markers, Sickness, and so much more
01.29.09 - Florence, MA - Florence VFW*
01.30.09 - New York, NY - Club Rehab**
01.31.09 - Philadelphia, PA - International House
02.01.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands***
02.02.09 - Boston, MA - Middle East****
* Magik Markers, Nace/Pak/Noise Nomads
** Gene Moore, White Out-Samara Lubelski
***John Olson/Okkyung Lee/C. Spencer Yeh trio, Sunburned Hand of the Gene, Tovah D-day
**** Sickness, Ashley Paul, Perespirit
F Yeah Fest Plans Benefit Show with Two Gallants and Trash Talk for the Family of Oscar Grant; You Should Really Go To This
By Mike McHugh on Jan 26 2009
At 2:15 AM on January 1, 2009, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police officer Johannes Mehserle murdered 22-year-old Oscar Grant on a train platform in Oakland, CA. Grant and others had been detained on the platform for fighting on the train. Although officers had Grant subdued and on his knees, Mehserle inexplicably drew his firearm and shot Grant in the back in full view of the passengers on the halted train. The shooting shocked the crowd, one of whom captured the incident on a cell phone camera. Be warned – the following video is ire-inducing to the furthest degree.
Needless to say, this is one of the most egregious and puzzling acts of police brutality in California (and, therefore, American) history. The Grant family obviously has suffered a tremendous loss and must prepare for a lengthy and painful civil trial against BART.
In an admirable attempt to lighten the financial load, the always awesome folks at Los Angeles’ F Yeah Fest and Trash Talk Collective have announced a benefit concert for Grant’s family on February 8 at 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley, CA. Trash Talk, Two Gallants, and two yet-to-be announced bands will perform, along with a “very special guest” who will be named on the day of the show.
$12 is all this fantastic package will cost you, so if you happen to be in the area, lend a hand to some people who’d really appreciate it just by doing what you do best: listening to good music.
By Nobodaddy on Jan 26 2009
Gosh. Apparently Grandaddy singer, songwriter, and non-ironic trucker hat-wearer Jason Lytle wasn't finally killed off by one of the many robots that he talked shit about during his band's shaky tenure as one of indie rock's last major label hope! In fact, you may recall that, after poor ol' Grandaddy went the way of the ol’ fambly cat back in 2005, little Lytle toured in support of final album Just Like the Fambly Cat (TMT Review) all by himself.
Nope. Darned if Lytle (the very same man responsible for asking us to imagine forest glens littered with ovens and refrigerators and mentally-challenged pilots refusing to land their air planes because they feel unloved by society, mind you) isn’t still out there, apparently huddled-up in the mountains of Montana skateboarding, licensing music for the only the trippiest of car commercials, and recording his every blip-psych whim at his own mellow, West Coast pace.
I know, he’s not exactly Thoreau, but still... sounds romantic, doesn’t it? Well, we’ll find out together come May 19, oh ye Grandaddy faithful, when ANTI- sees fit to release Lytle’s solo debut, Yours Truly, the Commuter. And if you’re tickled by how “Grandaddy” the title of the thing sounds, just wait until you see this tracklist. I’ll bet my vintage synths that “This Song is the Mute Button” will play-out just like it sounds it will. Any takers?
Yours Truly, the Commuter tracklist:
1. Yours Truly, the Commuter
2. Brand New Sun
3. Ghost of My Old Dog
4. I Am Lost (And the Moment Cannot Last)
5. Birds Encouraged Him
6. It's the Weekend
7. Fürget It
8. This Song Is the Mute Button
9. Rollin' Home Alone
10. You're Too Gone
11. Flying Thru Canyons
12. Here for Good
