You’d almost forgotten about Damon & Naomi after you listened to all those Galaxie 500 reissues last year, hadn’t you? True, as a duo they haven’t released an official full-length since 2007’s Within These Walls (TMT Review), and even the Sub Pop compilation was two years ago by now. They have heard your plaintive cries, however, and on May 17 a new album, False Beats and True Hearts, is coming out on 20/20/20 Records. Even better, they jumped on the Record Store Day bandwagon: on April 16, they’re releasing an extremely limited 7-inch featuring “Walking Backwards” with a Scott Walker cover on the B-side (“The World’s Strongest Man”). Only 400 copies will be available, and given that it comes courtesy of Great Pop Supplement, it’s more than likely UK-only.
Of course, this all just leads to one thing, and we all know what that is. Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang are going on tour, starting in the UK just before the album drops. On May 18, they move stateside, joined by guitarist Michio Kurihara in the East and Midwest and Bhob Rainey on sax in the West (both of whom contributed to False Beats). Kurihara, of Ghost and Boris, is a familiar name when it comes to these guys, and though you may not recognize Bhob Rainey quite as fast, you should: he played with Kurihara (and did some arranging) on Within These Walls — not to mention that he’s a formidable figure in avant-garde jazz and one-half of TMT-beloved nmperign. As if that weren’t adequate company, Damon & Naomi are co-headlining the American part of the tour with Amor de Dias (featuring Alasdair MacLean of The Clientele and Pipas’ Lupe Núñez-Fernández).
If you are among the 99% of us who will not see the RSD Damon & Naomi single, check out this free download of “Shadow Boxing” off the new album. Then, if you want to impress your cinema friends, listen to this D&N track, approved of and with a visual by none other than Chris Marker. When it rains for Damon & Naomi, it certainly pours. Whew.
False Beats and True Hearts tracklisting:
01. Walking Backwards
02. How Do I Say Goodbye
03. Shadow Boxing
04. Ophelia
05. Nettles and Ivy
06. What She Brings
07. Embers
08. And You Are There
09. Helsinki
Tourdates:
05.09.11 - Glasgow, UK - Captain’s REST @ *
05.11.11 - London, UK - Cafe Oto @ *
05.13.11 - Cornwall, UK - The Kings Arms Penryn @ *
05.14.11 - Bristol, UK - Cube Cinema @ *
05.18.11 - Washington, DC - Red Palace @ %
05.19.11 - Carrboro, NC - The ArtCenter @ %
05.20.11 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery @ %
05.21.11 - Philadelphia, PA - 1st Unitarian Church Chapel @ %
05.22.11 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory @ %
05.23.11 - Boston, MA - Great Scott @ %
05.25.11 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe @ %
05.26.11 - Pontiac, MI - Pike Room @ %
05.27.11 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall @ %
05.28.11 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock @ %
05.31.11 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern # %
06.01.11 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar # %
06.03.11 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill # %
06.04.11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Satellite # %
06.05.11 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar # %
* Richard Youngs
% Amor de Dias
@ performing with Michio Kurihara
# performing with Bhob Rainey
• Damon & Naomi: http://www.damonandnaomi.com
• 20/20/20: http://www.20-20-20.com
