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
Syncopated rhythms, droning synth squarbles and hushed harmonics were all prominent in Arthur Russel’s ever-evolving blend of progressive New York musics. Whether it was disco or avant-pop or interstate strumming, the sound Russell conjured was undeniably his own. The same can be said of White Hinterland, neé Casey Dienel, whose latest tour-only offering features a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” that sounds like it was recorded in a million gallon steel cistern, as well as an extremely faithful, though completely evolved reworking of Arthur Russell’s “Lucky Cloud.” Released posthumously on Another Thought, “Lucky Cloud” is aligned with Russell’s World of Echo work, an obvious touch point for Dienel, who seems to take Russell’s lyric “the more I look ahead, the more I see behind” to heart. A visceral lullaby by an apprentice, White Hinterland’s rendering finds a student paying respect to a mentor. A lucid homage to a teacher who did more for Dienel than any professor, “Lucky Cloud” is a rare example of a cover reaching the same heights as the original, to the point where it almost feels like Russell remixed the track himself.
White Hinterland, Lucky Cloud (Arthur Russell Cover)
10.14 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East w/ Former Ghosts
10.15 Brooklyn, NY @ Bruar Falls
10.16 Philadelphia, PA @ Milkcrate Cafe
10.17 Charlottesville, VA @ Random Row Books w/ David Sickman
10.18 Richmond, VA @ The Triple
10.19 Charlotte, NC @ YAUHAUS
10.20 Atlanta, GA @ 529 w/ Tea Lights
10.22 Houston, TX @ Rudyard’s Pub
10.23 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10.26 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
10.28 San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern w/ Former Ghosts
As we relayed to you yesterday, Bon Iver and his bandmates played their last show together as a unit for an “indefinite” amount of time. The show came on the same day Justin Vernon was the honorary chair of AIDS Walk Wisconsin and took place at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater. In case the news of the brief “hibernation” has you down, RadioMilwaukee broadcast the whole performance live. And we can now share the stream of the show with you thanks to the fine folks over there. Enjoy, or drown your sorrows, or do whatever it is you do. Regardless, click away.
No real surprise that a member of Of Montreal would be a full-fledged Numanoid, right? James Husband, a face you’ll mostly likely recognize if you’ve witnessed that band’s disco spectacle on stage, is preparing to unveil A Parallax I next week, a most excellent album of solo material he recently recorded with his OM bandmates. Pre-order the album and you’ll acquire an additional bonus disc featuring six cover songs, one of which is this faithfully groovy take on Gary Numan’s “My Shadow in Vain.”
James Husband, My Shadow in Vain (Gary Numan Cover)
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
