we were once a fairytale

In lieu of all the ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ frenzy (review up soon), the long awaited short film collaboration between Spike Jonze and Kanye West has leaked/released.  It’s titled “We Were Once A Fairytale” and goes through a drunk night at the club for Yeezy.  Despite your preconceptions about the great interrupter, the film quirks are good, conveying a hallucinogenic lens for viewers leading up to nightmare and ending in self-tragedy.  The narrative is music video-esque though.  Cameos included.

hawty of teh week – lovely annie clark

Just as vocally gifted as she is visually (ou la la), Annie Clark (St. Vincent) just released her new music video for “Marrow” and is about to embark on a grand tour with Andrew Bird.  Here is the new MV and an in-house performance by the two tour mates, both of which I find absolutely fantastical.

Jump for the tour dates.

frankenstein instrument, diego stocco

I’m awe-stricken.  Musical engineer/innovator/composer/sound scientist Diego Stacco has ‘frankensteined’ this beast of an instrument combining violin, viola, cello, and double bass.  Using percussive tools to play what is called the “Experibass”, he mastered a pretty incredible medley of rhythmic tones.

the fantastic mr. fox st tracklist…

I’d rather have a new Wes Anderson live action film that shows some evolution in his career, but I can make due with this animated feature for now.  His soundtracks are always sought after, so here’s the prognosis.

1. “American Empirical Pictures”*
2. “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” – The Wellingtons
3. “Mr. Fox in the Fields”*
4. “Heroes and Villains” – The Beach Boys
5. “Fooba Wooba John” – Burl Ives
6. “Boggis, Bunce, and Bean”*
7. “Jimmy Squirrel and Co.”*
8. “Love” – Nancy Adams
9. “Buckeye Jim” – Burl Ives
10. “High-Speed French Train”*
11. “Whack-Bat Majorette”*
12. “The Grey Goose” – Burl Ives
13. “Bean’s Secret Cider Cellar”*
14. “Une Petite Île” – Georges Delerue
15. “Street Fighting Man” – The Rolling Stones
16. “Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey’s Song” – Jarvis Cocker
17. “Night and Day” – Art Tatum
18. “Kristofferson’s Theme”*
19. “Just Another Dead Rat in a Garbage Pail (behind a Chinese Restaurant)”*
20. “Le Grand Choral” – Georges Delerue
21. “Great Harrowsford Square”*
22. “Stunt Expo 2004″*
23. “Canis Lupus”*
24. “Ol’ Man River” – The Beach Boys
25. “Let Her Dance” – Bobby Fuller Four

*Music Composed, Conducted, and Produced by Alexandre Desplat
Produced By Wes Anderson & Randall Poster

thom yorke, banksy, raymond salvatore harmond

The video NME reported as a collaboration between Thom Yorke (Radiohead, Thom Yorke), infamous graffiti artist Banksy, and director Raymond Salvatore Harmond has come to fruition in “The Hollow Earth”.  Seems to just be a disappointing layered collage of Banksy’s work laid over the lapsed entrance of the London Underground station.  The double A-sided single “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses/The Hollow Earth” drops today.

music revs – taken by trees – east of eden

Taken By Trees – East of Eden – released September 8, 2009 on Rough Trade

Clocking in at a short, but sweet thirty-two minutes, Taken By Trees’ new LP, East of Eden, is certainly not something to write off.  But you can’t really expect much less from Swedish singer-songwriter Victoria Bergsman.  Formerly the vocalist of the pop act, The Concretes, she has since been concentrating on her solo Taken By Trees moniker and gained some wide recognition through her guest vocals on Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks”.  East of Eden is her second solo album and this time she draws from cross-cultural influences by recording in Pakistan, hence the title’s biblical reference.

“Anna” could easily be perceived as an automatic fan favorite because anything that falls even near Animal Collective’s unstoppable halo effect of success would be blasphemous to reject.  So this track featuring collaboration between Panda Bear (Animal Collective) and Victoria garners some increased attention.  Deservedly so too, because it seems as their chemistry are unanimously inspired to produce layered, ethereal qualities.  Bergsman seems to take an intermission from her some of her duties in the middle of the album.  In “Tidens Gang”, she sings in her natural Swedish tongue, in an absolute melodic, but downhearted tone.  “Wapas Karnas” follows as what seems to be a field recording of the music that she inhabited with during her time in Pakistan.  After that, you’re in for a surprise – another Animal Collective-related track.  This time it’s a reinterpretation of the hit “My Girls” into the tropical paradox that is “My Boys”.  Surprising that there would be a cover of an AnCo song considering there are only nine tracks on the album, but it’s a somewhat pleasing lighthearted alternative to the original, despite lacking lyrical appropriateness with style.  “Day By Day” plays in a celebratory religious fashion accompanied by repetitive hum-chants and tender vocals.  Bergsman drones off to conclude East of Eden in “Belkannelse”.

The album has a cohesive spiritual sound that will soothe and push listeners toward a lost, but reflective state, conjuring up a feeling of transcendence that is very difficult to achieve for a musician.  However, Bergsman seems to artificially incorporate the cultural influences of her Pakistani surroundings in one dedicated song (“Wapas Karnas”) rather then inject them directly into her own tracks’ rhythms and instrumentation.  Also, the album lacks a lyrical consistency of a specific theme, causing some contradictions with her metaphysical chords.  Overall, East of Eden is well produced by emphasizing its strength in complementary melodic layers in a short, but sweet compilation.

Rating: 7/10

music revs – jay-z – the blueprint 3

Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3 – released September 11, 2009 on Roc Nation, Atlantic

Been rumored for quite a lengthy time, The Blueprint 3 has been long awaited.  It’s one of those “surprises” Jiggaman keeps throwing at us that don’t really seem to pan out because his career moves are so analyzed that they become predictable.  Much of that has to do with seniority, however, which could lead to a hit or miss to the latest installment of what is now a trilogy.  Jay-Z could undoubtedly wrangle a good number of critics that would crown him as the most important MC of the last decade, but nearing age 40 and releasing his 11^th studio album, his biggest competition is himself.  That is a bit much to measure up to.  Recently buying out his contract with Def Jam, this is his first LP on his own newly founded label, Roc Nation.

Listeners may be reluctantly fooled with the first few tracks into thinking there is semi-cohesion in the album.  But truthfully, after “Empire of the State”, Blueprint 3 becomes a disoriented and intolerable mess.  With the relative success of the first single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”, another single can be squeezed out with Kanye and Rihanna’s help on “Run This Town”.  Alicia Keys’ vocals on the NY pride song “Empire of the State” complements Jay’s flow well, but following is a collection of work that is neither radio-friendly nor creatively commendable, becoming a mediocre mix tape at best.

The Blueprint 3 is predictable and doesn’t contribute to the revival of Hip Hop that Shawn Carter promised he would bring.  The elite production and choice of collaborators can be admired, but for his stature, it’s a given.  In fact, if it wasn’t for the resources he received as Hova, which were the most of any of his previous albums, the LP would be a complete disaster, instead of a reluctant disappointment.

Rating: 3/10

music revs – yo la tengo – popular songs

Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs – released September 8, 2009 on Matador

When I think of Yo La Tengo, one word comes to mind – reliability.  This Hoboken indie group is on their twelfth studio release and they do not fall short.  It could be their abilities to play so many eclectic styles, or just sheer experience, but the new LP, Popular Songs, keeps them in the herd of go-to bands that you will probably never tire of.  If you enjoyed the last lengthy I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass album, then similarly you will enjoy this long ride too, clocking in at 72 minutes.  Popular Songs will contemplatively draw listeners in, take them through hills of self-discovery, and reach a new enlightened sense of excitement and opportunity as a finale.

Popular songs isn’t a stretch for Yo La Tengo, so while there may not be any surprises, it is a regression for them back even further than their last album to when they explored dreamier sequencing.  Their typical epics are included and their strength of particularly making an album sound like a perfect soundtrack to a youthful, but epiphanic road trip is always admirable.  Maybe the album cover of a beat and battered cassette tape is the foreshadowing of the consequence from your next highway revelation with Yo La Tengo.

Rating: 7/10

ugh, is the new moon st going to be the next best comp?

Twilight: New Moon, the soundtrack, is gaining a lot of indie momentum apparently.  To the point, where I guess I can’t ignore it.  Death Cab will have their song “Meet Me On the Equinox” as the first single and it’s streaming here at MTV.  There have already been a few confirmations of Thom Yorke and Bon Iver on the compilation.  Now, NYT is reporting that Grizzly Bear will be on it too!? Will one of the best soundtracks emerge from one of the worse movies? I’m a bit bewildered, honestly.

music revs – sondre lerche – heartbeat radio

Sondre Lerche – Heartbeat Radio – released September 8, 2009 on Rounder Records

After composing a majority of the soundtrack to Dan In Real Life, Norwegian Sondre Lerche has gained some newfound fame from his Hollywood credit.  So he returns with Heartbeat Radio, emitting his daydreamt romanticism once again.  Lerche seems to be most comfortable and natural creating overly sappy tones and repetitive upbeat rhythms, but he does it well enough to not fault him for it.

Title song “Heartbeat Radio” is vexed, almost loathing, but even as such, it is performed with an affection that doesn’t fully comply with its theme.  Nonetheless, it is composed with enough attention to allow listeners to absorb its creative pop melody.   “Words & Music” continues on with dopey love sentiments, going as far as innocently symbolizing a loved one as music.  Even the most impervious cynics have to crack a little at such childlike adornment.  “Goodnight” serenades listeners to sleep to finish off the album by using an accompaniment filled with fragile violin and easy-listening keyboard pieces.

Being maudlin is probably the least of Heartbeat Radio’s concerns.  In fact, it’s its prime attribute.  However, since the album conveys some more bleak themes, the precise composition of the music style is a lot of times irrelevant to the overall LP.  Perhaps Sondre needs to comply with one mode or the other – Disney dew-eyed technique or multi-faceted emotive subject matter.

Rating: 5/10