Download: Little Man Tate – I Am Alive (Don Diablo Remix)

Don Diablo says goodbye to Little Man Tate with an exclusive remix of their latest single “I Am Alive” (Skint Records). The Sheffield-based band calls it quits after touring the world for the past four years, releasing two albums and having a handful of modest chart hits in the UK. Don Diablo on the remix: “I am honoured I got to do the first and only official remix for the band. With this remix I salute Little Man Tate!”

Download: Little Man Tate – I Am Alive (Don Diablo Remix)

Their Hearts Were Full of Spring

Normally, I hate asking this question but the name of the band fascinates me. Where did you guys come up with the name?

Markus: It’s probably much less interesting than you think. It’s on old song, written by Bobby Troup – the guy who wrote (Get Yout Kicks On) Route 66 – and first made famous by The Four Frseshmen, but the version I was first aware of was recorded by The Beach Boys and appeared on their Smiley Smile album. We needed a name, but I just couldn’t come up with anything good off the top of my head, and then my iTunes played this track one day when I had it switched to shuffle … it seemed right for the kind of music we were making, so we took it for our own.

Tell us a bit about the recording of your new record “How I Wasted My Youth.” Where was it recorded? Who produced?

It’s been a long process, recorded in bits and pieces over the course of about three years in many different places – a lot of the live drums were recorded with Robert King at his Z-Noise studios in North London, but most of the rest was recorded in my bedroom, and I mixed and produced pretty much the whole thing myself right there at home. We had a guy called Paul Tipler in as a producer for one session (he’d previously worked with bands like Idlewild, Stereolab, Dogs Die In Hot Cars and Elastica). He was great to work with and I learned a lot from him and from Robert, but even with the tracks that we recorded with those two guys, I ended up making my own mixes once I got them home … which probably makes me either a control freak or a perfectionist. Or maybe just a fussy bugger.

Did you really waste your youth?

Yes – I was raised to be a good Catholic boy and spent far too much time in church and doing my schoolwork when I should have been out getting drunk and chasing girls.

A wide variety of influences can be found in your music. What influenced you during the recording of the record? Both musical and non-musical?

When I was writing the first batch of songs that ended up on the album – stuff like New Favourite Band, A Question of Trust – I was listening to a lot of Swedish indie pop – Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, bands like that. But the whole twee thing got a bit boring quite quickly so that stage didn’t last too long. I stumbled upon Sufjan Stevens at some point in the middle of things and his (Come On Feel The) Illinoise record was a huge influence, it definitely had a big effect on the instrumentaion of some of the tracks. Same with Arcade Fire’s first album – it reminded me that’s it’s OK to go BIG sometimes – you don’t have to end up sounding like U2. And then there’s the old touchstones – stuff I’ve been listening to for so long it’s seeped into my bones and comes through whether I want it to or not: The Flaming Lips, The Lemonheads, The Smiths, Phil Spector. Those are the basics – I could go on, but listing band names is boring, right?

Non-musically … there would be some long stories to tell if I was to go into all that here, but the lyrics tell you something about the story of what went on these last three or four years. Oh and a couple of books I was reading in that time definitely influenced the themes of some of the lyrics – The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, and Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion.

You have a remix competition going on. Have you been able to listen to any of the submissions? What made you pick St. Cecilia?

The remix competition doesn’t get going til album release date (10th August), so there have been no submissions yet – we’re pretty excited about what we’re gonna hear though. St. Cecilia seemed the obvious choice for a single, and the idea is that the entries we like the most will be used as b-sides to the single, so it made sense to start there. If it’s a success maybe we’ll roll out the whole album as stems and see if some crazy fan will do a Dangermouse on us!

I first heard of the band via your cover of “White Winter Hymnal.” I think you did a wonderful job with the song I am just curious as to why you decided to cover that song?

Thanks, I was really pleased with how that one turned out too.

A drunken band outing ended up in a conversation about songs that it would be cool to cover and we went a bit concept-crazy and came up with the idea of making a series of seasonally-themed recordings to give away as free-to-download singles, one single per season, starting with Winter. We all loved the Fleet Foxes album – it was my favourite from 2008 – and with all the vocal harmonies going on it was obvious that it would really work for us. Most other reviewers picked up on our cover of Winterlong, which was the other track we recorded for Winter, and although that one turned out pretty good too, I’m glad White Winter Hymnal made a bigger impression on you – I think it was the better track, you’re obviously a man of impeccable taste.

Any other bands out there we should be paying attention to?

Plenty. Ian also plays bass in a band called Breton, they’ve an EP coming out in the UK soon, and an album to follow. It’s hard to describe what they do – dance music with real instruments? Indie you can dance to? It’s best you have a listen and make up your own mind.

William are another ace band who are good friends of ours, you should check out their Slightly Delighted mini-album that came out here a couple of months back on Tough Love Records. They’re a drums/bass/guitar three piece but they do incredible things with that very traditional set-up, and they’re awesome live.

I also just produced a few tracks for a band called Hindley, and they’re sounding pretty immense in a post-punk-with-a-pinch-of-The-Specials-when-they-were-being-dark kind of way. At this stage we’re not sure if we’re gonna put out the tracks as an EP or if we’re gonna record a few more and make a full album, but either way, you should keep your eye on them.

One year from now, what will Their Hearts Full Of Spring be doing?

I’m growing a comb-over, should be ready by then so I’ll be doing hair products which will be a novelty.

Dan Melchior und Das Menace – Thankyou Very Much

In a world in which attention spans are dwindling, something must be said of the independent prolific artist. For mainstream musicians, the ability to frequently produce material is coveted, but also expected. In recent years, where lines between indie and pop are becoming increasingly blurred, and trendy authorities such as Pitchfork place such an emphasis on the now, that same pressure extends to “the little guy” – whoever the hell that may be anymore. Moreover, the accessibility of a wide range of music means that listeners are less discriminate about what they listen to. This is absolutely a positive development in some respects, but what about the exceptionally gifted, driven, or passionate? Is their music heard with the same value or reverence as the hard to find vinyl from 1969?

London-based Dan Melchior has been making a name for himself through an extensive output of material – he’s released more than 30 recordings with multiple bands since the mid-90’s and notably, fans will attest, he rarely misfires. His latest project entitled Thankyou Very Much with his NC-based group Dan Melchior und das Menace, uniquely finds inspiration in the surrealist dreamworld of psychedelic guru Syd Barrett. On paper, Melchior’s approach, to combine elements of absurdist nursery rhymes with cynical and snarky punk rock, is not unlike what Robyn Hitchcock had done years prior. But where Hitchcock tended towards a more controlled production effect, Melchior sounds, refreshingly, like he’s been camping out in the garage for a while.

With the immediacy offered in the information age, style is often positioned firmly ahead of substance, and while aesthetics are a huge appeal in Melchior’s music (there will always be an audience for neo-psychedelic Barrett emulaters), his lyrical content puts him ahead of the pack. The disillusioned listener will find much cause for excitement when Melchior condemns “all these painters that don’t paint any pictures” and “all these musicians that don’t write any songs.” Coupled with his incredible work ethic, these words are especially scathing, as they call into question modern art scenes that are more concerned with projecting an image than doing something groundbreaking.

Melchior may not have the influence of an indie icon, but he’s of the most refreshing breed – a hard-working independent artist with ideas to spare.

Themselves reveal album details for CrownsDown

Themselves reveal album details for CrownsDown, due Oct. 20 on Anticon. Seven months after the release of theFREEhoudini – the celebrated mixtape that announced Themselves’ return – Doseone and Jel will drop CrownsDown. Full details are below.

CrownsDown Tracklist
(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

DD/MM/YYYY tours the US with These Arms Are Snakes

Toronto, Canada’s DD/MM/YYYY 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.

Dates:
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

Black Square Tracklist:
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

Anders Parker – 72nd St Horses

Anders Parker is a singer/songwriter from Burlington, VT. His upcoming record is a double concept LP called “Skyscraper Crow”. The Crow portion of the set is unadorned acoustic folk simplicity while Skyscraper is totally computer generated laptop pop. We have tracks from both records for you to take to a test ride with.

Download: Anders Parker – 72nd St Horses (From Crow)

Download: Anders Parker – Calling Out To You (from Skyscraper)

Vovete – Shades And Shadows

Vovete, a duo from New York have recently just self-released a few tracks. “Shades and Shadows” is two minutes of dark and scary layered pieces. The track will require a few repeat listens to really soak it all in. That picture is the only picture I could find on their myspace.

Download: Vovete – Shades And Shadows

Offical Site
Myspace

The Fear and Trembling – Octopus

It’s hard to go wrong with a mix of rock and classical instruments —the two are just so magnanimous together. The Fear and Trembling manage to keep things interesting with the diversity of their debut album Octopus. Octopus is piano heavy and laced with violins and string arrangements. Of course there is plenty of rock music mixed in there, similar to that of Coldplay, but it’s hard to confuse the two. When I first heard “Introduction” I had no idea what to expect from this band. I actually thought I had chosen a purely instrumental band to review. It didn’t matter though because this first arrangement is beautiful and awe-inspiring. The title track quickly subsides any doubts with it’s alternative rock sound. “Octopus,” like many of the songs on this album, is long but manages to keep you entertained with changing tempos and genres. They certainly won’t tire you out. Although the singer’s depressing voice can sometimes put a stain on the music, it’s forgivable since we hear music more than vocals. “The Centipede” screams Stone Temple Pilots with its gut wrenching riffs. If you’re in the mood for some head banging this is the only track that will satisfy your craving.

The Fear and Trembling intertwine many sounds and styles including some jazz on the opening of “Mississippi Beach.” With such diversity it’s hard to have any expectations. It’s anyone guess as to what you’ll hear on the next song but it’s guaranteed to be inviting and refreshing. The band has the ability to create a song that flows like ocean waves with highs and lows but it’s all connected. It’s a smooth ride on Octopus from beginning to end.

Black Lips announce split single with Faris Rotter from The Horrors

Black Lips return with a new single that sees them teaming up with Faris Rotter from UK garage psych rock darlings The Horrors. Pairing ‘Drugs’, first heard in March this year on Black Lips’ shamelessly lo-fi and lysergic ‘200 Million Thousand’ album, with a cover of their previous single ‘I’ll Be With You’ by Lumina, otherwise known as Faris Rotter from UK garage psych rock darlings The Horrors and Cherish Kaya, the single will be available on seven-inch vinyl and download and also features artwork from both bands.

Helado Negro – Awe Owe

Helado Negro is the solo venture from Roberto Carlos Lange, a Guillermo Scott Herren (Prefuse 73) collaborator. I first got wind of this release via Twitter. I was following Helado Negro’s account and he tweeted a track that caught my attention. Even better, the record is out via Asthmatic Kitty Records who has brought us a lot of quality music this year.

“Awe Owe” is an incredibly hard record to nail down. The record throws anything from a simple acoustic part, to a sample to some odd field recordings. His musical styling and sensibilities don’t end there and his vocals are a big part of the process. His voice is very soft and subdued but yet floaty. The lyrics are all in Spanish as this helps make the entire package very compelling to watch unfold. The album starts off with a track “Vencermemos” that has a bit of a summery, tropical vibe. It is the type of song you can see listening to on a beach in late August having a few drinks. Then the album transitions into “Dahum” that features some reprogrammed pieces as well as some amazing horn work toward the end.

The record is not something for everyone. It feels the best late at night but it is something that will not put you to sleep either. From the strums of “Time Aparts” to the spaced out “Ver A Ver” Helado Negor’s record has some of the freshest tracks I have heard in a long time. Every song feels a little organic and personal and the raw vibe really keeps the songs in your flow. If you are willing to take a chance on a album this year you will be rewarded with some great stuff here.

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