This is the part where the girl walks away. Most likely it’s in slow motion and the camera pulls out on the guy as he drops the flowers to the floor. The girl is making her way to the door, pausing momentarily to look over her shoulder at him. There’s a hint of a smile, or a smirk, or something that no one can pin down before she heads out and the credits roll. Ever so slightly everyone winces in a heartbroken agony. “Now that we’ve lost our way, the rest can all fall apart.” Jeez. Tearjerker material here. Asobi Seksu have recorded a few bare bones updates of their already-cinematic dreampop for the album Rewolf, recorded in a flash at London’s soon-to-be shuttered Olympic Studios. Beneath those gossamer vocal effects and fuzzy blanket guitars lay some sublime melodies and affecting lyrics that are given a life of their own with this set of revisions. Check it out 11/10 on Polyvinyl.
“Cornerstone” is the second single from the solid Humbug. When we think of Arctic Monkeys singles, we usually think of something like a derailed express train, steaming through stops with new basslines coming from all directions that accelerate a track to it’s absolute peak within a three minute time constraint. This one, however, is definitely the boys coasting on the local track, with Turner himself even stressing “elongating my lift home” while pining for a girl that might or might not exist. In a way, it’s Arctic Monkeys doing Spoon doing the Arctic Monkeys. This is a good look for them. Unsurprisingly, “Cornerstone” is one of the only three tracks on Humbug not produced by Josh Homme, and this softer side really lets Turner’s smooth, seductive croon seep through. And, you know, it’s pretty hard to sound seductive over all the guitar layers and flam taps Homme probably would have insisted on. Check it out below.
At the very least, hearing “New Fang” made us realize how little straight up guitar-driven power rock exists for our consumption these days. This thing feels like a build up to a build up to a build up where like 15 guitars are simultaneously trying to one-up each other (we mean that in an awesome way). The lyrics didn’t really stick with us all that much on the first couple go-rounds and they probably never will, but “New Fang” has got us ready for plenty more of the same backdrop come November 17th. Check it out for yourself.
There’s been a lot of fuss lately about the whole Kurt Cobain Guitar Hero avatar. And while we understand some people’s hearts are in the right places on this one, the more the whole thing blows up the more it kind of bums us out. But the one medium where the man can live on forever on his own terms is certainly his music. So the news that the first preview from Sub Pop’s deluxe Bleach re-release was ready was a welcome change of pace from the Courtney Love versus Guitar Hero/Dave Grohl/the whole world legacy debate. And this remastered version of “About A Girl” hits you smack over the head with a reminder of why that legacy is worth protecting in the first place.
Because we’ve been swooning over the folk explosions of Austin’s Brazos for a minute now, it’s with great, unbridled pleasure that we share “Day Glo” with you today. It’s an aired out, ridiculously melodic strummer off their soon-to-drop LP, Phosphorescent Blues. They’ll be steamrolling the Eastern half of this country with fellow Austinites White Denim in the next few weeks, dates for which you can check just below the spot where you click/procure a slice of peace to take with you into the WEEKEND.
10.24 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10.31 Dallas, TX @ Grenada Theater
11.02 St Louis, MO @ Firebird
11.03 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot
11.04 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
11.05 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
11.06 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11.07 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11.09 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
11.10 Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
11.11 Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bears
11.12 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
11.13 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11.14 Washington, DC @ Rock ‘n Roll Hotel
11.16 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
11.17 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree
11.18 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11.19 Orlando, FL @ The Social
11.20 St Augustine, FL @ Cafe Eleven
11.22 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
Featuring music from: North American Halloween Prevention Initiative, Maserati, North Atlantic Oscillation, Yeasayer, Deluka, Division Day, Logan Lynn, Donkeyboy, Chromeo, Woolfy, Neon Indian, Vampire Weekend, The Yearbooks, Fanfarlo, Frightened Rabbit, Middle Distance Runner, Headlights, The Very Foundation, Bloc Party, The Soft Pack, Wolfmother, A Mountain Of One, Field Music, and Yo Majesty
