Nouela has offered up a sneak peak of her much anticipated new record on her facebook. The songs are just incredible. Her voice is magical, soft, and very strong. Her new songs have force, energy, charm, and are eloquently written and performed. “Fight” and “Suckers” are both complete triumphs. I cannot wait to hear what she puts out next.
It is rare that I am damn right stupefied by someone’s creative masterpiece. It’s on occasions like these that I remember why I create, why I am amazed by creation, and why the world would be a completely sad and desolate place with out it. When we are presented with a masterpiece such as a striking painting, piece of literary genius, or the perfectly crafted song, it can take a while for it to set in that you have in fact seen a masterpiece. Something that if it was performance, may never be repeated because it was such a birth of beauty it’s duplicate may never reveal itself to you again. Once this realization sets in, about a week or two after its delivery, you become disheartened because you want the memory of it to stay with you and the farther you get from that day you fear you may loose a piece of the awe. At the same time your appreciation grows as you are reminded of what talent actually is.
One top of all that, when you are given something of that scale by one of your friends it can down right punish you for it’s perfection, because why the hell are you not making things that incredible. Then that morphs into a rush to create as much as possible before they find out your a phony. And there goes your friendship because they will probably be famous in a couple weeks and no longer have time for you. This is what happened to me when I saw Adam Lipsky’s band at the Pit Stop a couple weekends ago in Oak Bluffs, Ma. I was lucky enough to record the event and capture some of it’s majesty.
Adam Lipsky has just finished a new Jazz album Hee Hawk (both the album name and the ensemble name) full of piano, viola, guitar, bass, saxophone and the most bad ass jazz drum tempos around. Adam was responsible for the entire score and was accompanied by Nina Violet on viola, Steve Tully on saxophones, Niko Ewing on electric guitar, Max Judelson on bass, and Mike Marcinowski on drums. The album was recorded by Anthony Esposito and mastered by Scott Craggs. Not only is the album stunning to listen to and appreciate, the entire thing was recorded live, which upon my first listen would not have seemed possible from all the timing changes and intricacies.
Hee Hawk photo credit: Angel Russell
Hee Hawk’s release party did not go over smoothly, as they say, it fucking took a hold of your ankles and crawled up your body till it had hold of your head and then forced it’s delicious nectar into your ears via magical sound wave syringes. After experiencing something like that you can’t tell if you’ve been violated or just had the most magical experience of your life. The show was even more perfect because Adam Howell was the opening act. Just one man and his guitar he played a set of original and heartfelt songs stringed together with his ludicrous finger style guitar and milky voice. At points his fingers flying so fast you could not make one from the other. Adam set the mood for the five members of the Lipsky set. Everyone was feeling tranquil and ready for more. And then . . . bam, Lipsky musical nectar syringe violation.
Adam Howell photo credit: Angel Russell
Enough said, just buy the damn record.
Aboveground Records in Edgartown, MA will be your dealer of choice. Call them now, Mike will send you one.
Every Single Night is a new song from Fiona Apple’s new album, The Idler Wheel. Fiona has a bit of a new sound with the same magical voice and arrangements.
A new video is out by Safeword. Song, Amarillo by Morning , is a parady and cover written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser. The video comes after their EP ‘Hot:Crazy’ released in 2011. The song was Recorded at Safeword Studios by Safeword and mixed and edited by Jon Huebner. Their full length will be available some time at the end of the year.
-Angel Russell
Sergeant Sparrow featured artist’, The Loogies, have a new song released 24 March 2012 available for free download called, When We Leave. Much like rock greats, Buddy Holly and The Pixies, the two minute song length does not reflect quality. Distorted guitars decompress and climax over and under delayed vocals held together with intricate drumming glue. Then it fades into an experimental rock interlude. Listen to this if you are prepared to ride the electric pony slide.
Listen and download here:
-Angel Russell
Fiona Apple has announced plans for a new tour coming up in June of 2012. It starts in Ithaca, New York on June 19th and concludes July 29th in Hollywood, CA. You can get full details from her site here. The tour is in celebration of her new album due out the same month, The Idler Wheel. I guess the big question is, will it be a mild flop, like her last record, according to Sony. Or, is she out for blood after they shelved her fourth release, Extrodinary Machine, which was only made public after leaks of the record’s MP3′s reached the ears of avid fans and they successfully demanded it’s release.
Fiona has had a small hiatus since then only recording a few songs here and there. In 2008 she recorded a duet, Still I with Christophe Deluy. In 2009 she covered Why Try to Change Me Now and I Walk A Little Faster for The Best Is Yet to Come – The Songs of Cy Coleman. In January 2010 she and Jon Brion (her producer) performed together at “Love and Haiti, Too: A Music Benefit”, a charity concert for the people hurt by the Haiti earthquake. She sang a cover of She’s Funny That Way, composed by Neil Moret, which is often associated with the singer Billie Holiday. In June 2010, “So Sleepy” was released produced by Jon Brion written by children involved with the non-profit 826LA. She also collaborated with Margaret Cho on her album Cho Dependent, which was released on August 24, 2010.
Her new record, The Idler Wheel will be her first release in 7 years much to the anticipation of her stead fast fans, (including me). She has always been a female musician to admire despite much bad press and emotional breakdowns, what artist doesn’t have those. She can play her instruments with grace and ease, writes her own songs, and seems to avoid, for the most part, appeal for sexy points. People appreciate her as a talented musician as I wish more female musicians got respect for.
Here is a live performance video of a song from the new album, “Anything We Want” from SXSW 2012.
-Angel Russell
Bitter:Sweet is Shana Halligan and Kiran Shahani. They both compose, Shana sings and Kiran produces. Electronic indie music with jazz and hip hop influences sum up this duo. They are pretty well known in the music industry. They were featured in the top 10 of iTunes, have appeared on various soundtracks, TV episodes, and commercials. In 2007 their album The Mating Game won The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Album. Interesting I only found out about them today. They remind me a bit of the new music coming out of New Zealand with an American and UK indie feel. In 2008 they released Drama and the song, The Bomb received much airplay and use in a video game. In 2010 they broke up and released the appropriately titled The Break Up EP. You can find their music on iTunes.
-Angel Russell
Barren Waste has a three song album with each song about 15 minutes in length. This music is sure to grab the attention of experimental music junkies and noise fans. Sounds wash over you in long sequences interspersed with bells, trinkets, and high pitched noise makers. Guitars appear that seem never to have begun and play tones that seem never to end. Crashes and clanks, drones and rusty wheels, this appears to be music made by the undead. With song titles like; Feel like dying, Crippling notes, and Dialogues in filth , I might not be far off. Who knows maybe a ghost sent it to me because only a link appeared in my inbox. oOoooOOoOoOoOh!
You can check out the album by Barren Waste called, For Whohere. I’d also recommend checking out their other work while there.
A new album by Space Crusader came out today. Extradimensional Existence is a 15 track journey into the mind of the musical gladiator, Andrew Valenti. Also of Martha’s Vineyard rock band, The Loogies, featured in Sergeant Sparrow Magazine Issue four. This is Andrew’s solo project. It was mastered by Anthony Esposito.
The album starts with song “Space” a sound scape that prepares you for the rest of the album. Forty seconds of various sounds wash over you as you descend into the extradimensional existence of Valenti’s mind. His solo music is a combination of experimental song structure, vast instrumentation, supreme guitar playing, and haunting vocals. Song three “Now You’re in Space” contains all three captured perfectly. The next song “Night Rise” delves into more of a rock feel complete with straight ahead drums and guitar strumming, but never far are his disquieted brawny vocals and experimental sounds. Song five “Don’t Eat Me In My Sleep” brings it around again much in the way of Sonic Youth with it’s solid rhythms eclectic formation from a deconstructed beginning and end with a climactic middle complete with screams and distorted guitars. After what seems like an album climax song six “Going Gold” convinces you he isn’t done yet and demands yet more of your attention. It has splendid instrumentation, noise and a sparse grandeur. Every song is better than the last and is an attribute to Andrew’s skill as a composer and proof of his musical originality. Well done Andrew! You can download the album in it’s entirety here:
Fancis Bowie is a Danish multimedia artist and musician. He works in sculpting, painting, designing, writing, and last but not least music. He promotes his music by calling it Intellectual Pop Music for those that are tired of the bullshit involved with mainstream pop. Although his music can also be referred to as Indie Pop, IPM sounds better. In 2007, he opened his first art gallery GalArtery, while also releasing the debut album “Too Much” with his indie art rock band “A LOVE YOU”. GalArtery soon became a place where young artists could gather much in the tradition of our own YES. OUI. SI. Boston. After “A LOVE YOU” Francis went out on his own and here you can listen in all it’s glory.
