long time coming

Hello again, you few, but loyal readers. I'm just stopping in to post a few links and make some empty promises. The second half of my semester turned out to be rather busy and the blog got pushed into some dark, dusty corner.

I'll start off with some shameless self-promotion: cCoOmMpPuUtTeErR iIsS aA rRoOoOmM with j.s. makkos is completely finished and I'm headed to Cleveland later today for our small and unofficial CD release show. If you are in the area, check out languagefoundry.org for more information. I'll have another track or two up on my Virb account within the next week or so (virb.com/wherethereisfire) and sometime in the next month there will be some means of purchasing the album online through Paypal if you are interested. In other Where There is Fire We Will Carry Gasoline news, Neal and I will may be doing some recording in the next week, so look for a track or two from that vein on the Virb as well.

My best of 2007 list is in the works and will be up sometime in January. If you are itching to find out what could be on my list, a friend of mine from State College has list up and a few of his albums will definitely be on my list as well.

[link] britches11596 - Top 20 Albums of 2007

Neal has also had a few posts on his blog over the past month or so that you should check out, especially if you are into noise (Pink and Brown, Lucky Dragons, etc).

[link] (kidsmoke) - Neal's mp3 blog

the music, as opposed to the blog

As many of you know, I also compose music under the name Where There is Fire We Will Carry Gasoline. I've had an album (Computer is a Room) in the works with a poet from Cleveland - j.s. makkos, and it's now finished, slated for release sometime in November. Anyway, I have a song up on my Virb now, so if you are into spoken word backed by ambient electronica, then you definitely need to listen. If not, you should probably still check it out.

[link] Where There is Fire We Will Carry Gasoline on Virb
[link] Language Foundry - Cleveland arts collective which j.s. is involved with

in rainbows

I'll have a full review of this up within a week or so ... I've got a lot of chewing to do. Inititally (with the 6 or so listens I've had so far), I really like the album. I realize many people paid for this download via the website and you can too if you like (inrainbows.com), but for those that want to judge it before they decide to drop $81 on the discbox (it's looking more and more like I will when I have $81 to spend) and don't feel like going through the site ... here are two links to download the zip of the 10 160 Kbps mp3s:

[Sendspace]
[Rapidshare]

By the way, the bridge of "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" really sounds like Broken Social Scene. Did anyone else find themselves making the eerie comparison on the first listen?

andrew bird

Everyone's favorite whistling violinist played the State Theatre here in State College on Monday night. I can't really comment too much on the show because I was only able to catch the last 30 minutes, but what I did see was definitely worth my money. Andrew Bird is still on tour and I'd recommend going to see him if he's coming through your area. If you haven't heard Mr. Bird, check out "Heretics" off his most recent release, Armchair Apocrypha.

[mp3] Andrew Bird - Heretics

phosphorescent

Associations like "the next Bob Dylan" have been thrown around about Matthew Houck, and his new album Pride is another step in that direction. He calls himself (and friends) Phosphorescent - if there has ever been a more eerily dead-on band name, I can't think of it right now. Phosphorescent evokes eerily warm and beautiful folk anthems from the dark world around, not unlike the natural phenomenon of the same name. The organic, wonderfully minimal folk accompaniment envelopes and intertwines with Houck's frailly stoic voice sitting somewhere between campfire improvisation and the soundtrack to soaring through the clouds in a dream. My attempts to explain the truly magnificent feeling of Pride can't even do it justice. You'll have to hear for yourself - it will be released on October 23 via Dead Oceans.

[mp3] Phosphorescent - A Picture of Of Our Torn Up Praise from the forthcoming Pride

Phosphorescent also did a Daytrotter session back in May and there are four tracks available for download; you should read the interview as well. Also, sorry about the lack of posts this week. If you accept excuses ... exams.

dan deacon + girl talk @ 2640 space

Gregg Gillis, or as we know him - Girl Talk, should be everyone's hero. A couple months ago, he began to get enough requests for Girl Talk gigs that he decided to leave his biomedical cubicle for good. Now you can see him, fully bearded and behind his laptop, any night of the week ... like this past Tuesday, with Dan Deacon and White Williams. Baltimore electronica superstar Dan Deacon and Girl Talk (I won't comment on White since I've never seen or heard him - arrived too late on Tuesday) are hell of a combination for a show, especially if you like being drenched in sweat and completely exhausted from dancing when the night's up. Tuesday night's show was no exception. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is with the 2640 space, but it's a church about 3 blocks from landmark Baltimore venue, Ottobar. The show was promoted by Wham City, Monozine, and the tickets were sold through MissionTix (an Ottobar related entity), so if you're familiar with the Baltimore scene at all ... that's a bit of weird cooperation going on, but they show went great and Beach House and Grizzly Bear will be playing the 2640 space on October 13th. I don't really have too much to say about Girl Talk or Deacon, other than, if you don't listen to both of them, start now, because they will both change your life forever.

[mp3] Girl Talk - Smash Your Head
[mp3] Dan Deacon - Crystal Cat

dirty projectors + jens lekman

East Coast nomads turn international superstars saw the release of their newest, and most conceptually imaginative release, last week on Dead Oceans. Rise Above rose out of the at first outlandish idea of doing some Black Flag covers completely from memory. No tabs, no lyrics sheets, no re-listening, so at 11 tracks strong, Rise Above is much more a re-imagined album built from the cassette tapes still echoing in mastermind and frontman Dave Longstreth's head. You can hear the signature mix of avant garde, punk, folk, and so much more that makes up The Dirty Projector's sound in "Depression" from Rise Above. Be sure to visit their myspace for info on their current tour and where to pick up the new album.

[mp3]The Dirty Projectors - Depression


Swedish crooner Jens Lekman's second studio effort, Night Falls Over Kortedala, is due out October 9 in the US on Secretly Canadian. The new record seems a bit more upbeat and orchestrated ... I kind of liked sad, sappy Jens a little better but I'll get used to it. Here's "I'm Leaving You Because I don't Love You" off the new album filled with great samples, plunky piano, and a faint, but funky bassline. Oh and of course, Jens' wonderful and distinctive voice.

[mp3]Jens Lekman - I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You

Around America: Help This Guy Out

So one of my friends here in State College has been asking around this week if anyone in our circle of friends could drive him to Wilkes Barre to pick up a guy he knows that is traveling around America and documenting his journey on a video blog. I'm not sure who he convinced to go earlier today, but the alleged traveler, Matt, is here in State College tonight. One of the aims of his project is to disprove that the blogging/internet community is a closed, exclusive, and unfriendly one. I'm going to meet him in an hour or so, and I'd be grateful if you would check out his website. If you can help him on his journey, please do - he's a great guy with an outstanding vision.

[link] Around America in 2.0 >> About
[link] Matt's Flickr Photos

READ, LOOK, we're back + Whartscape Photos

I would like to apologize to the 10 of you that have been asking me when I am going to update the blog and my incessant answer of "oh, in a week or two." Well this week is the week that I shall be returning to the weekly post (if not more). I figured I'd make it more of an occasion and change up the layout a bit too.

I decided to start using my flickr account, and to streamline things, I'm going to start embedding slideshows of my show pictures with the use of a really cool widget called PictoBrowser. I am kind of in love with how sleek it looks and how much easier it is that me having to put in each picture in explain it. If you guys as readers don't like it, post a comment and I'll look for a different photo posting solution.

Whartscape (July 19-21, 2007)

WHARTSCAPE!

I know its late..but here it is!!!

Whartscape music festival is Wham City's contribution to Baltimore's larger Artscape festivities. If you haven't heard of Wham City (which is unlikely because they've been gaining notoriety like wildfire) they are a art collective out of Baltimore. Started by Dan Deacon, Wham City has been hosting absurdest art events for more than a few years now. So, as almost all other Wham City events, Whartscape was hot, loud, intense and AWESOME! There is no way Sean and I could do all of the bands justice even if we had got to see them all but here are the many, many highlights of the weekend.


FRIDAY


WZT HEARTS
Sean And I showed up just before Wzt Hearts started their set. If you haven't heard of Wzt Hearts any you are any kind of a fan of noise music you should check them out. As if two laptops blipping, bleeping, buzzing and blurring isn't enough to make you feel like your tripping in some kind of weird hyper modern wasteland, then add some pounding drums and hoots and hollers that sound like you've stumbled upon a tribal gathering, and the total effect is one that will make your hairs stand up on end. Wzt Hearts really feels like modern music being made in response to modern times. Oh and did I mention their set was great?

WZT HEARTS - myspace


THANK YOU
It seems like every time I see Thank You they get better. Really, I think it just me being too reluctant to open my ears. Thank You's gittery rock knows how to shoot what its aiming at. Thank You's open and spastic but steady sound is just approcahable enough to keep you listening and just wierd enough to keep you interested. They, like so many of the bands at Whartscape, played and awesome set. The stand out of seeing them is definitely their drummer. Never have I seen a lady thrash on drums like Thank You's fine drummer (who's name I cant seem to find anywhere)

THANK YOU - live @ Whartscape (as recorded by Baltimore Taper)


GROWING
Growing is a aptly named band. Live, their swirling soundscapes, pulse around you and the room seems to be, well, growing. I had seen them once before when they opened for mogwai but their set at Whartscape was significantly different. I remember thinking their set sounded more 'soul of the rainbow' than 'color wheel', although with a band like Growing I'm sure live performances are loose and can sound very different from the records. regardless their set was great and a nice contrast to alot of the more "Baltimore sounding" bands.

GROWING - epochemal renissance (exerpt) (from heart of the rainbow)


ECSTATIC SUNSHINE
Since the first time I saw the sunshine a few years ago a lot of things have happened. They have since released a record on Carpark records and toured around the country. As we all know when you add time and experience you get change and that's exactly what Ecstatic Sunshine has done. This guitar duo's live performances are significantly noiseier, using distortion and looping much more heavily than before. I don't dislike their new sound but it doesn't seem to have the unbridled energy of songs like 'Tuscan'. Having said that, the sound does feel more mature and I'm sure we will only see great sunshiny things form this thrashing duo.

ECSTATIC SUNSHINE - live @ Whartscape (as recorded by Baltimore Taper)


SOFT CIRCLE
I had been introduced to Soft Circle a few months ago by a friend of mine. I listened to Full Bloom a few times and just found it seeping to me. Full Bloom is a weird yet intensely moving album that is very tribal sounding yet somehow still sounds very urban and modern. His live show is no less engaging than the cd. This Ex-Black Dice member's soundscapes feel like they fill your skull to the brim with some kind of life force. Plus watching a guy play drums, guitar and sing at the same time is always amazing.

SOFT CIRCLE - myspace

more whartscape soon...with real pictures!