MP3: AU - “Ida Walked Away”

From 20 to 2, AU’s new EP, Versions, builds joyously from the successes of it’s previous LP, Verbs. Shifting from AU’s previous albums, which saw lengthy lists of friends helping out and a live act that could swell to 20 with a revolving door of players from Portland, OR, Versions marks the evolution of it’s sound into something more singular and uniquely it’s own brand of experimental pop.

From its start in 2005 as an art student’s bedroom recording project, it has become a road worn live act comprised of multi-instrumentalist/singer and founder Luke Wyland and percussionist Dana Valatka. Long time collaborators outside of this project, they are an accomplished live act that have been touring incessantly for the last year and a half throughout the US and Europe with great bands including Deerhoof, the Dodos, Parenthetical Girls and now WHY?. Recorded in Vermont and New Hampshire through the winter of 2008-9, it stands as a document of their distinctive ability to reinterpret songs from their recorded form and the heightened energy of their live show.

With Dana’s virtuosic drumming spawned from a youth playing in heavy metal bands, Luke’s ability to multitask on numerous instruments at once, and their “special one-on-one musical, almost telepathic connection,” it is a snap shot into their sprawling sets that find them deftly navigating between bombastic walls of sound (”Ida Walked Away“), lilting lyrical numbers (”All Myself”) and carnivalesque organ celebrations (”Are Animals”). Versions includes one new song, “Ida Walked Away,” and reworkings of songs from previous albums.* It will be released as a limited edition of 500 on 10″ vinyl with digital download including extra tracks.

AU

08/29 Nampa, ID Flying M Coffee Garage
08/31 Denver, CO House Show
09/01 Kansas City, MO Pistol Social Club
09/02 Bloomington, IN The Bishop
09/08 Klubbscenen / Chateau Neuf - Oslo, Norway
09/09 Phonofestivalen / Hinsides - Bergen, Norway
09/10 Numusic Festival - Stavanger, Norway
09/11 Belgian Cafe - Ramsgate, UK
09/12 The Freebutt - Brighton, UK
09/13 End of the Road Festival - Wiltshire, UK
09/14 Brudenell - Leeds, UK
09/15 Islington Mill - Manchester, UK
09/16 Cafe Oto - London, UK
09/17 Le Clou - Nancy, France
09/18 Theater Kikker - Utrecht, Netherlands
09/19 Incubate Festival - Tilburg, Netherlands
09/20 Mon Inouie Symphonie Festival - Dunkerque, France
09/29 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall
10/01 Cambridge, MA Middle East %
10/02 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church %
10/03 Pittsburgh, PA Assembly Room, William Pitt Union (www.wptsradio.org) FREE SHOW %
10/04 Ann Arbor, MI The Blind Pig %
10/05 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge %
10/06 Madison, WI UW Madison Terrace %
10/07 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock %
10/09 Denver, CO Bluebird %
10/10 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue %
10/13 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
10/15 Seattle, WA Jewelbox Theater
10/17 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall %#
10/20 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex %
10/23 Phoenix, AZ Modified Arts %
10/24 Tucson, AZ Club Congress %
10/26 Denton, TX Hailey’s %
10/28 Birmingham, AL Bottletree %
10/29 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle %
10/30 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle %
10/31 Atlanta, GA Lenny’s %$*
11/02 Orlando, FL The Social %
11/03 Gainesville, FL Common Grounds %
11/04 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder %
11/06 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon %
11/07 Houston, TX Walter’s On Washington %
11/08 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest After Party - venue TBA
11/10 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall %
11/11 St. Louis, MO Firebird %

% = w/ WHY?
# = w/ Mount Eerie
$ = w/ Islands
* = w/ Jemina Pearl

AU
Versions EP
(Aagoo)
Oct. 8, 2009
1. Ida Walked Away
2. RR vs. D
3. Are Animals
4. All Myself
5. Death
6. Boute (digital only)

*”RR vs. D”, “Are Animals” and “All Myself” from Verbs, Aagoo Records 6/08
*”Death” and “Boute” originally from AU, Aagoo Records 5/07

AU LINKS:

Press Materials - www.aagoo.com/AUVersions_press

MySpace - www.myspace.com/peaofthesea

VIDEO and Live MP3’s from Luxury Wafers

STREAM: More Tracks from LP

MP3: Or, the Whale - “Datura”

“Voices everywhere, caught again in the devil’s snare,” belts lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Robins of San Francisco-based Or, the Whale on the second song of the band’s newest album. The song, “Datura,” is a rollicking ode to the hallucinogenic properties of jimson weed, but could just as easily be a description of the band itself. The soaring vocal harmonies and Neil Young-inspired guitar riffs found on Or, the Whale’s self-titled sophomore album yield a fiendishly potent listening experience, which may even provoke your own hallucinations.

On the heels of 2007’s Light Poles and Pines (which featured the band’s debut single “Call and Response” and helped earn them a 2008 Hollywood Music Award for Best Americana/Roots Artist as well as a coveted spot on Radio & Records Top 100 Americana Artists of 2008), Or, the Whale cannot so easily be pinned down. Tracks like “Black Rabbit,” which features a gale-force chorus above electric feedback and pounding drums, play out as if in an effort to prove just how hard the band can rock. At other times, as on “Never Coming Out”-a paranoid and agoraphobic rail ride that explodes into a final a capella starburst-Or, the Whale showcases their ability to present a reflective, stripped-down arrangement (no small feat for a band with seven members). Likewise, the creeping “Keep Me Up” shows how Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” might sound if re-imagined through the mournful wail of pedal steel.

Like any good San Francisco band, Or, the Whale partially owes its inception to the online bulletin board service Craigslist; at one point, Robins and Matt Sartain (guitar and vocals) posted an ad titled “Wanna Form a Sweet Country Rock Band?” and recruited fellow vocalist Lindsay Garfield from a listing she had written looking for a guitar player. From there, the three set about enlisting bandmates Julie Ann Thomasson on keyboards and vocals, Justin Fantl on bass, Jesse Hunt on drums, and later Tim Marcus on pedal steel guitar.
Four years later, after a live appearance on Good Morning America, attention in USA Today, Paste, Magnet, and Billboard magazines, sold-out engagements on both coasts, and shows with the likes of Fleet Foxes, Devil Makes Three, The Dodos, and Two Gallants, Or, The Whale has grown into something that is neither country nor rock, but exists somewhere in the space between the two.

And “space” is certainly the new name of the game for this band. After recording Light Poles and Pines in a single extended weekend, the band made sure to take their time with their new effort, meticulously arranging each song to allow room for each instrument to contribute in the most effective way possible. The result is an album with more complexity and shape, not to mention diversity and emotional impact.

Or, the Whale is a band that will rock you, make you dance, and maybe even inspire you to contribute to their amazing vocal pyrotechnics-voices everywhere, indeed.

OR, THE WHALE

Jul 30 2009 The Starry Plough Berkeley, California
Jul 31 2009 Verdi Club San Francisco, California
Aug 01 2009 The Partisan Merced, California
Aug 13 2009 Axe and Fiddle Cottage Grove, Oregon
Aug 14 2009 Tractor Tavern Seattle, Washington
Aug 15 2009 Mississippi Studios Portland, Oregon

Or, the Whale
Or, the Whale
(Seany)
Street Date: Sept. 22, 2009

1. No Love Blues
2. Datura
3. Rusty Gold
4. Never Coming Out
5. Count The Stars
6. Keep Me Up
7. Black Rabbit
8. Giving Up Time
9. Shasta
10. Terrible Pain
11. No Death

OR, THE WHALE LINKS:

MySpace - www.myspace.com/orthewhale

Label Page - www.seanyrecords.com

Band Page - www.orthewhale.com

MP3: DD/MM/YYYY - “Digital Haircut”

They don’t have a name, but they now have a U.S. label to call home. Toronto, Canada’s DD/MM/YYYY (there’s no wrong way to say it) has signed on with Brooklyn’s Impose Records to re-release their critically acclaimed third LP, Black Square, digitally and as a limited edition cassette tape on September 15th.

After originally releasing Black Square in Canada in April — where it reached number two on the Canadian Campus & Community Radio Charts — DD/MM/YYYY has spent the majority of 2009 on the road with the likes of Don Caballero, sBACH and the Video Hippos. This after previous tours with Crystal Castles, Japanther and Dan Deacon as well as 12 live appearances at this year’s SXSW. The single “Bronzeage” was hailed by Pitchfork while the song “Digital Haircut” has been chosen as an official single for the Summer 2009 XGames. The limited edition Impose cassette of Black Square will feature new artwork and the never before-released song “Van Tan”.

To celebrate the U.S. release, DD/MM/YYYY is doing what they do best — touring. After playing the JellyNYC Pool Party at the Brooklyn Waterfront on Aug 16th with Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Prince Paul and Gravytrain!!!, they will play a series of East Coast release parties before hitting the road for a U.S. tour as main support for These Arms are Snakes.

DD/MM/YYYY

07/31 Montreal, QC Le National / Osheaga *
08/07 Toronto, ONT Theatre Centre / Summerworks *
08/16 Brooklyn, NY The Jelly NYC Pool Parties $
08/27 Bowling Green, OH Howards H Club %
08/29 Detroit, MI PJ’s Lager House %
08/30 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop %
09/10 Brooklyn, NY Don Pedro’s
09/20 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry #
09/22 Chicago, IL Subterranean #
09/23 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room #
09/24 Rochester, NY Bug Jar #
09/26 New York, NY Mercury Lounge #
09/27 Cambridge, MA TT the Bear’s #
09/28 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie #
09/29 Washington, DC DC9 #
09/30 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 #
10/01 Atlanta, GA Star Community Bar #
10/02 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder #
10/03 Orlando, FL Will’s Pub #
10/05 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon #
10/06 Austin, TX Red 7 #
10/10 Los Angeles, CA Knitting Factory #
10/11 San Diego, CA Casbah #
10/13 Visalia, CA Cellar Door #
10/14 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill #
10/16 Portland, OR Rotture #
10/17 Seattle, WA The Vera Project #

* = w/ Think About Life
$ = w/ Del, Prince Paul, Gravy Train!!!
% = w/ Child Bite
# = w/ These Arms Are Snakes

DD/MM/YYYY
Black Square
(Impose)
Sept. 15, 2009
Side 1:
01. Bronzeage
02. No Life
03. “They”
04. Infinity Skull Cube
05. My Glasses
06. Birdtown

Side 2:
07. Sirius B
08. LIsmer
09. Real Eyes
10. $50,000 Guitar Head
11. I’m Still In The Wall
12. Digital Haircut
13. Van Tan

DD/MM/YYYY LINKS:

MySpace - www.myspace.com/ddmmyyyy

Download: theFREEhoudini Mixtape

Seven months after the release of theFREEhoudini - the celebrated mixtape that announced Themselves’ return - Doseone and Jel will drop CrownsDown, a careful and vicious exhibition of mastered rap tactics and sampling ethics. Themselves’ third album proper has been gestating in the gut of this seminal group for some time. It’s both a return to form and a honing of what’s come before (Subtle, cLOUDDEAD, Deep Puddle) - both the opus that these lionhearted two were always meant to make, and the album that their hip-hop-obsessed teenaged selves always hoped to hear.

On CrownsDown, Themselves hold back nothing, welding brute skill to a concrete set of tracks that represents an essential ten commandments of rap. In preparation, Doseone and Jel revisited their beloved hip-hop collections (e.g. Gang Starr, Ultramagnetic MCs, Public Enemy, Saafir) and whittled down the recurring themes that made their favorite records so sturdy. Each song on CrownsDown represents one of these archetypes - you’ll find the “don’t bite” song, the diss track, the story rap, the “bootleggers beware” song, and the “don’t fuck with my DJ” jam, among others. In this way, Themselves revisit something classic in order to invent their own future-school entry to the annals.

Naturally, things kick off with “Back II Burn,” a “guess who’s back” track (co-written by Pedestrian) that bangs forth on good ol’ fashioned synth hits and heavy thump. Rugged slow rhymes and fast-rap pile-ons are delivered with equal aplomb, and Jel ramps up the distortion as Dose spits vitriol: “Whether shining or shunned, none and all can come/and get undone by the two in the selves one.” “Oversleeping” follows with a Bomb Squad-style sampler salvo and a whirlwind of rhyme that reference-checks lyrics from both Nas and Subtle. Next up is “The Mark,” wherein Dose cautions would-be style thieves, while borrowing his own cadence from Ultramag-era Kool Keith. Jel deals out break-driven electro bounce and a furious, unprecedented rap verse of his own, while D-Styles mans the cuts.

“Gangster Of Disbelief” finds Dose dropping science (the fourth archetype) in a rich baritone atop eerie production that harks back to his and Jel’s debut. He connects the dots from Sisyphus to Werner Herzog’s writings to his own neuroses and worldview, while “Daxstrong” takes on the spread-love model, paying proper tribute to Subtle founder Dax Pierson, left paraplegic after the sextet’s 2005 tour accident. Bandmates Jordan Dalrymple and Markus Acher (13 & God, The Notwist) join Dose for an end-song sing-along of TVOTR magnitude. The next two tracks respectively take well-aimed shots at false musical prophets and modern-day bootleggers (MP3-traders). “You Ain’t It” features an Auto-tuned guest spot from Dax himself, playing the melodic foil to Dose’s jagged and rapid fire words, while “Roman Is As Roman Does” serves up electronics-damaged boom-bap for a set of X-Clan-inspired raps.

“Skinning The Drum” rains praise on Jel, who responds in kind with a trademark live MPC performance vivifying the old “Apache” and “Cold Sweat” breaks. On “Deadcatclear II,” Dose is uncommonly nude, spinning a real-life narrative about playing caretaker to a stray cat’s corpse as a child, discovering incredulity for God in the severity of death. All of which lays foundation for the crux end of CrownsDown, “Gold Teeth Will Roll.” Here, over surging cutup soul, Dose growls, “Who will come kill me/taking their rings off like women/because I will swear on their weakness,” casting Themselves in the final archetype: righteous defenders of the culture. This sentiment cuts to the core of CrownsDown. In carving out their own classic, Doseone and Jel not only aim to topple those wrongly kinged, but lay down their own sweat-and-blood-made crowns at the feet of the thing they admire most.

THEMSELVES

07/30 San Diego, CA Brick by Brick
08/01 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill

Themselves
CrownsDown
(Anticon)
Oct. 20, 2009
1. Back II Burn
2. Oversleeping
3. The Mark
4. Gangster Of Disbelief
5. Daxstrong
6. You Ain’t It
7. Roman Is As Roman Does
8. Skinning The Drum
9. Deadcatclear II
10. Gold Teeth Will Roll

Themselves
theFREEhoudini mixtape
(Anticon)
1. Pay That Piper
2. Oversleeping (from the forthcoming CrownsDown LP)
3. Know That To Know This (featuring Aesop Rock)
4.Kick The Ball (featuring Buck 65)
5.1 For No Money (featuring Sole)
6. Rappers Is Interns (freestyle)
7. Party Rap Sucks (featuring Bus Driver)
8. Long Time Coming (featuring Lionesque)
9. Swarm of Bee II
10. Back2burn (featuring Pedestrian)
11. TheMark (featuring D-Styles, from the forthcoming CrownsDown LP)
12. Keys To Ignition (featuring Serengeti)
13. Roman Is As Roman Does (from the forthcoming CrownsDown LP)
14. The Medicine (featuring Slug of Atmosphere)
15. Free&Void
16. Rapping4Money (featuring WHY? / Odd Nosdam / cLOUDDEAD)

mixed by Odd Nosdam

THEMSELVES LINKS:

MySpace - www.myspace.com/themselves

Press Materials - www.anticon.com/pr/themselves.htm