#valerie trebeljahr

[earinfluxion]

Lali Puna: Two Windows (Morr Music)

Lali Puna has always skirted the periphery of IDM and indie-pop, never quite splashing in any way that’s yielded significant acclaim. And yet their music always exudes a quiet confidence, carried by their laptoppy arrangements and singer Valerie Trebeljahr's breathy vocals. While one might have traced a trajectory across their discography that moved from being almost entirely electronic to progressively more of a band format, perhaps influenced by Markus Acher’s work in his primary project The Notwist. Acher and Trebeljahr separated in the time between Two Windows and Lali Puna’s previous release, 2010's Our Inventions, and as a result, Acher is also absent on Two Windows. This lends the album a distinctly different flavor that’s immediately apparent on the opening title cut. During an age where most primarily electronic acts seem to embrace traditional songwriting and instruments as a forced sort of trajectory, it’s refreshing to hear Lali Puna as a trio revert to a keenly electronic focus moving forward. Acher’s guitar work is conspicuously absent, but the trio make up for it with full-bodied arrangements that still very much feel like a realization of Trebeljahr and long-time musical partners Christoph Brandner and Christian Heiß's collective vision.

Two Windows by Lali Puna

It’s not to say that Two Windows is purely electronic; there are still other instruments integrated into their production, but it definitely takes a backseat to layered electronics. So while no doubt Acher and Trebeljahr’s separation shook things up for her (both musically and personally), that change may have been a compelling enabler in advancing Lali Puna into a new phase of their sound without losing their identity. Even some of the less surprising tracks like “Her Daily Black” feel infused with a bit of new life, a fidgety energy that's evoked through detailed vocal stutters and bulbous synth swells as its rhythm section picks up momentum. My favorites are those cuts that reinfuse the band’s sound with a stronger pulse, recalling the dance music flirtations of their underrated debut, Tridecoder, but updated to sound current, often brimming with fat synth bass, clear hand claps, and punchier rhythmic details. Even as Trebeljahr continues to sing with a breathy, hushed vocal on “Deep Dream,” a collaboration with Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello), the buoyancy of its production lends it a refreshing immediacy when compared to some of their more typical mid-tempo material, and even then their sonic palette feels edgier and more sprightly. The album boasts additional collaborations with Mary Lattimore, Radioactive Man (Keith Tenniswood of Two Lone Swordsmen), and Mimicof, and they fit neatly into the tracklisting without sounding like any one of them is vying for more attention. Much of this has to do with Trebeljahr never relinquishing vocal duties, her breathy voice always providing an anchor as the soul of the music. I do find my attention waning by the time the album has fully played through, even with the welcome updates to their sound, but that is more a testament to their consistency and my attention span than a complaint. Even still, “Birds Flying High” also delivers a punchier result falling later in the album, a more rousing cut full of little vocal details that precedes the album's final stretch which curiously includes a decidedly unfaithful cover of Kings of Leon's “The Bucket.” I’ve always felt that Lali Puna has flown too low under the radar in the pop music landscape, never really receiving their proper dues. Two Windows reinforces that opinion with renewed enthusiasm, one of their strongest efforts to date. Fans of their more rock-infused albums might be surprised by the minimal amount of guitar and a more overtly electronic slant, but to my ears it’s great to hear them advancing their sound and sounding more confident than ever.

Buy it: Bandcamp

[polaroidblog]

I wear my heart upon my sleeve

"Where will we go, after today? / Where will we go, after all?" Sembrano due versi innocenti e semplici. Arrivano da Wear My Heart, canzone quasi al centro di Two Windows, il primo album dei Lali Puna dopo oltre cinque anni di assenza, a sette da Our Inventions...

[musicollage]

Lali Puna. Faking The Books, 2004. Morr Music.  ~ [  Album Review |      1) Pitchfork  +  2) Tiny Mix Tapes  +    3) Stylus Magazine  ]

1) Even now, amidst this international shitstorm of laptop-meets-okay-musician circle jerks, the Weilheim, Germany supergroups-- The Notwist, Ms. John Soda, Lali Puna-- have maintained fairly unique personalities. Let's oversimplify: The Notwist remains the camp's darkest shade, preoccupied with melancholy and perhaps the most electronically involved. Ms. John Soda straddles rock and pop equally, coaching chocolately sweet vocals and the camp's most peppermint hooks. By analogy, Lali Puna is to riffs what Ms. John Soda is to melodies-- this is Weilheim's face of rock, its most outwardly energetic outfit and the closest this town gets to sweaty basement shows and fucking shit up wholesale.

Which doesn't say much, as Lali Puna's idea of fucking shit up on their 2001 release Scary World Theory seemed to be, at worst, breaking into a building and rearranging the furniture. Still, at the time, the album's gruffest tracks offered the most aggressive sounds Weilheim's palatable pop spectrum had yet delivered. And then last year, Ms. John Soda released their heavily rock-oriented While Talking EP, which, though only marginally enjoyable, branched out into harder terrain. Now, with Faking the Books, Lali Puna snatch the Weilheim riffing crown back from Ms. John Soda-- and thankfully, even top their labelmates melodically.

After a pleasant but ultimately faceless title track opener, Lali Puna provide a double-shot of well-wrought rippers: "Call 1-800-FEAR" is the first, boasting a no-nonsense drive, tight instrumental harmonies and undistracting electronic loops that bolster the song's pulse. Atop it all floats bandleader Valerie Trebeljahr's underwater vocals, processed enough so as not to sound incongruous or (gasp!) bedroomy. "Micronomic", the album's second single, follows in similar temperament, and while not my favorite track on the album, speaks to Lali Puna's ability to cradle their listener gently in melody for one second, and to punch him in the face with a dirty riff in the next.

"B-Movie" and "Left Handed", however, are without a doubt the album's standouts, and maybe the best rock songs in Lali Puna's catalog. "B-Movie" pulls off the Kim Gordon sing/speak that Ms. John Soda attempted to lesser success last year: Trebeljahr just nails that been-there-done-that apathy which works so well with the song's contrasting manic rock groove and pointed bass pulse. The loud, guitar-heavy chorus of "Left Handed" steps further away from Weilheim's distinguished trademarks than the band's other material. Its roaring rock factor was a point of contention when it was released as the album's first single, but in the context of the album it doesn't seem out of place at all: The song sports similarly atonal-to-tonal lyric deliveries as "B-Movie", and remains anchored firmly by the nervous, high-pitched synth line that opens the song and rides it out to the end.

As for the rest of Faking the Books, it's pleasant, and hardly unrealized, but it falls just a bit too close to the IDM pop lark that takes up so much space on CD racks and FireWire drives. And on an album on which this band so beautifully exceeds itself with songs like "B-Movie" and "Grin and Bear", tracks like "Geography-5" and "People I Know", which are content to simply be pretty, are just further proof that the gimmick of pairing electronic and traditional rock instrumentation has lost its edge, and that the genre must now rely on stronger songwriting to succeed. That said, Faking the Books is a confident stride in the right direction, and proves that, even within the confines of a tired concept, a great hook still goes a long way.

2) The history of brilliant electronic efforts fronted by mind-altered, bot-driven avatars is not a short one. From Kraftwerk to Devo to Miss Kittin, electronic music has always had a soft spot for people who can sing just like computers can. And, admittedly, it is all pretty cool. There is a certain awesomeness in imitating computers, a turn of the tables from trying to get computers to act like humans (which has never worked out very well).

Problem is, Lali Puna's latest effort, Faking the Books, isn't really going for fun, and there is hardly a wink in Valerie Trebeljahr's vacant, utterly sterile delivery; not even a raised eyebrow. We're talking about corporate takeover in "Micronomic," political corruption in "1-800-Fear," and cheating (!) in title track "Faking the Books"; and that's just the first three cuts. In an album heavy on concept, it all comes off as a trick, utterly unconvincing and disturbingly jaded.

To be sure, Faking the Books is still a worthy effort, and contains some undeniably beautiful moments. A lean string section on "Crawling by Numbers" serves as perfect counterpoint to spare, haunting keyboards. The driving percussion of "B-Movie" is as close to a rock-out track as bastardized IDM has ever previously achieved. And throughout the album's twelve tracks, an unlikely confluence of sound often gives way to the kind of sonic landscaping that few electronic acts can approach.

It's just hard what to make of all of it. Listening to Faking the Books makes you feel utterly alone; and maybe that's the whole point. It's difficult to play the album through and not recall Markus Acher's striking vocals on The Notwist's Neon Golden (who also provides guitars here); he's sullen, fairly quiet and not particularly dramatic, but entirely convincing. I want to believe Lali Puna. I just need for them to believe, too.

3) Lali Puna is one of the myriad groups putting out consistently intriguing material without taking the final step toward a defining masterwork. Their first album, Tridecoder, was often sterilized by their Stereolab-worship, and though they progressed towards a Teutonic amalgam of their own with Scary World Theory, they were still hampered by peculiar translation barriers. Often the lyrics came out deadened and awkward, as though misled by a translator fond of cruel pranks (the title track and its allusion to the ‘cookie monster’ was particularly strange). On their newest album, Faking the Books, Lali Puna move one step closer to triumph. They touch greatness at several points, if never truly digging their nails in and grabbing hold.

Opening with the gorgeous stuttering vocal samples of the title track, Lali Puna establish the same vague working area as previous works, but there is a distance in the similarity. It’s as though you’ve just met a good friend’s identical twin, and he’s posing as your friend. His voice sounds different, and he parts his hair wider of center. He doesn’t use the same expressions, and there’s a gleam in his eye that tells you something’s up. The driving organic rhythms of “Call 1-800-Fear” remind of much of the first album, but just as you become accustomed to its propulsive thrust, the drums fade into quick-stepping electronic beats and a solemn piano muffles the song into a deep restless stirring. “Micronomic” uses a similar mechanical breakdown to cool down its squelched sax blurts and lively drums.

Perhaps the greatest difference is Valerie Trebeljahr’s improved emotional range. At times in the past, she was content to play the heroin-dead heroine, reclining with sang froid and cold Germanic grace into an emotional deadpan. On many of Faking the Books’ best songs, Trebeljahr reaches beyond this detachment to an impassioned query, giving the album a greater sense of depth and development. Suddenly, even in the face of vague uncertainty, Trebeljahr seems more confident, more willing to put her ego on the line and risk a sullen retreat. “Geography-5” finds her alluring and come-hither, and since the song is built upon one of the album’s simplest arrangements, her voice is the necessary focal point. Atop a simple bass-drum part and twilight chimes, she sweats out a sexuality that doesn’t bring to mind black leather, dog collars and torturous candle wax. On the gorgeous closer “Crawling by Numbers,” she similarly warms up the chorus with a beautiful reach—the juxtaposition of her voice with the song’s dirgeful strings making for a mesmerizing finale.

For the first time, Lali Puna’s control doesn’t seem so absolute. It’s possible that they aren’t cooler than you are (though it’s still likely). A few cracks have spread in their frozen facade, and that sudden vulnerability, glimpsed in the desperate “Do you?” on “Alienation” and the minimal aquatic squiggles and tribal drums of “Small Things,” makes the group that much more compelling. They work under the protective hush of simplicity at times, and this sparseness allows the broken-nosed shatter of their more propulsive material the intended effect. They aren’t there yet, but the maturity on Faking the Books serves as notice they may only be one album away.

[thepassengertimes]

Music & Visions – projects selected by Massimo Di Roma + ThePT

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Lali Puna

Valerie Trebeljahr started Lali Puna after her first band – the all-girl-band L.B.Page – dissolved. The line-up was soon completed by Markus Acher, Christoph Brandner and Florian Zimmer. After some changes the group today consists of Trebeljahr (vocals, keyboard, computer), Christan Heiss (keyboard, computer) and Brandner (drums)…read more

Lali Puna ‘s website ∞ twitter ∞ facebook ∞ soundcloud 

              Catherine Song aka CSONG “Hey, my name is Catherine! I have an insatiable appetite for sweets and a thirst for adventure. Most of all, I love to draw!”

Contact: csong.kijung@gmail.com

Mike Monaghan ‘s website ∞ tumblr ∞ instagram ∞ vimeo 

Follow The PasseNger Times on facebook ∞ instagram ∞ twitter

  Music * Lali Puna – Deep Dream / Illustration * Catherine Song aka CSONG – Nameless Music & Visions - projects selected by Massimo Di Roma + ThePT click to enlarge…

[eduardomarin90]

Brawl Stars "Rico in Love" from Psyop on Vimeo.

Credits:

Psyop Executive Producer: Amanda Miller Director: Kylie Matulick, Todd Mueller, Kyle Cassidy Producer: Amy Fahl Associate Producer: Nick Faidley CG Supervisor: Kyle Cassidy Animation Lead: Jean-Dominique Fievet Assets Lead: Alan Yang 2D Supervisor: Ryan Raith Designer: Siena Allison, Ditte Andersen, Andrew Park, Tobias Trebeljahr, Laura Yan Storyboard Artist: Paul Cohen, Michael Deweese, Adam Ford Matte Painter: Sylvain Sarrailh Editor: Almog Antonir, Loren Christiansen CG Modeler / Texture Artist: Briana Franceschini, Greg Gutkin, Ashley Morgan, Nitesh Nagda, Chris Santoianni, Shreeya Shetye, Faith Zeng, Stephanie Lin Rigger: John Bloch, Nelio Naut Tech Animator: Fred Qiao, Zed Bennett, John Bloch Lighter: Chris Santoianni, Logan Pittman, Anne Yang VFX: Cristina Camacho, Angel Negron, Clarissa Pena Compositor: Tingting Li, Ryan Raith, Carl Mok Flame Artist: Kim Stevenson DMG: Alex Wysota, Cory Daniels 3D Animator: Ryan Moran, Pat Porter

Little Zoo Previs: George Schermer, Bruno Monteiro, Manu Menendez Animation Supervisor: Bruno Monteiro Animators: David Lamas, Valerie Morrison, Manu Menendez

[note-a-bear]

I know I'm late to the party, but Lali Puna yall

Valerie Trebeljahr's mind

[affairesasuivre]

Merci d'écouter ce morceau de Lali Puna qui est juste excellent

L'année 2017 est l'année du retour de Lali Puna, le groupe formé à Munich en 1998, qui n'avait rien sorti depuis 2010. Par contre en sept ans, la planète, elle, ne s'est pas arrêté de tourner. Au contraire, les transformations technologiques sont allées bon train et le numérique prend toujours plus d'espace dans nos vies.

C'est le thème repris pour leur cinquième album Two Windows sorti début septembre. À travers une pop électronique et minimaliste, Lali Puna explore la notion des libertés personnelles à l'ère de la surveillance numérique.

Le clip de Two Windows (premier titre de l'album du même nom), met en scène Valerie Trebeljahr, la chanteuse d'origine sud-coréenne, dans ce qui ressemble à une tour de contrôle. Mis en parallèle avec des vidéos d'archives, Trebeljahr invite l'auditeur à regarder les choses de deux façons et selon deux fenêtres, (Two Windows) pour explorer les deux facettes d'une même réalité.

Lali Puna sera en concert au Badaboum à Paris le 20 octobre.

PAR Clémence Van Egmond 

[musikblog]

Lali Puna - Being Water

„Being Water“, Lali Puna ist nach „Two Windows” mit einer neuen EP zurück. Statt einer Pause „biblischen Ausmaßes“ brauchte es dieses Mal keine zwei Jahre, bis Valerie Trebeljahr ihre kreativen Schöpfungen erneut auf Platte bündeln wollte und konnte. Cover und Titel sagen Natur, die Musik auch. Z…

https://www.musikblog.de/2019/03/lali-puna-being-water/

[kraftwerk113]

Life´s too short for weird music - Tagesempfehlung 18.02.2019

Lali Puna / For only love

Das in München angesiedelte Projekt Lali Puna kreist seit 1999 um die gebürtige Koreanerin Valerie Trebeljahr. Oftmals lädt diese sich die Elite des Electro-Gefrikels wie etwa The Notwist oder Two Lone Swordsmen ein um gemeinsam zu musizieren. In 2019 hat Lali Puna nun das bezaubernde „For only love“ herausgebracht, welches Sie zunächst sanft und sehr subtil umgarnt um Sie dann nicht mehr loszulassen.

[emptv]

LALI PUNA Being Water There’s a cool concept behind this video. Valerie Trebeljahr and her friend Cora PIantoni analyze the apparent freedom of a cute dog in a society who won’t let a dog free to be itself and yet the capacity of adaptation of the dog, able to find happiness just because that’s the only reality it knows. Valerie herself explains the whole thing better than me in the video caption on YouTube, just in case you’re curious. Being Water is the title track off Lali Puna’s new album, out March 1st on Morr. Album | Director | Label | Band

[pufal]

Udało się, czyli playlista #30

Udało się, czyli playlista #30

Lali Puna – Valerie Trebeljahr jest z pochodzenia Koreanką, zespół jest niemiecki, a brzmienie i wokal charakterystyczne.

LCD Soundsystem – szefem jest James Murphy, który postanowił łączyć różne taneczne gatunki z innymi stylami. I udało się.

Orchestra Baobab – muzyka świata dla nas, dla nich muzyka z Senegalu i Afryki.

The Pretenders –legendarny zespół i ten charakterystyczny głos Chrissie…

[groundingsounds]

Brooklyn-based quartet My Favourite Things Wow on New Shoegaze LP

My Favourite Things have presented their new album ‘Fly I Will, Because I Can’, along with a clever accompanying video by Hiroshi Shafer, who is touted as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite artists. This new single 'Some Things Stay the Same' comes on the trail of the release of the first two singles 'A Little Closer' and 'I Don't Know'. The videos for both of these singles were created by Gi Yong Rhee.  It’s a spacey and lilting gem that, despite it’s otherworldly and dreamy state, also manages to posses a significant drive and propulsiveness. My Favourite Things excels in creating ambiance with the use of very little or almost no electronics.  The band's sound will appeal to fans of Blonde Redhead, Broadcast, Beach House, Warpaint, Lisa Germano, and Widowspeak. Our favourite tracks here include A Little Closer, Everything Changes, Nobody Knows, Stay a Little While, The Longest Winter, and Growing Pains.

This is the third album from My Favourite Things, founded in Brooklyn by Dorothea Tachler (formerly of Igloo, The Swirlies, Alles Wie Gross). Fans of Beach House, Broadcast, dreampop and shoegaze should enjoy the album’s melancholic swaying, melody-rich offerings. This album should also appeal to lovers of acoustic folk music artists such as James Yorkston and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. "This song is about friendship. Its about missing our best friends from another time and place. Everything around us changed, our homes, our every day lives, the people we live with, but our relationship, our love to them is exactly the same it always was," says Dorothea Tachler. Videographer Hiroshi Shafer explains his inspiration behind this new video: "Our friends used to live nearby around the block. We hung out or talked most of the day when we were little boys and girls. When we grow up, it’s not easy to fill the distance and time. I entrusted this feeling to my back yard snails and asked them to act in this music video." Dorothea wrote and produced all the songs with their many textures, owing to the use of multiple instruments, many of which she also played: violins, flutes and autoharps weave in and out of twinkling glockenspiels, vibraphones and intricate, sometimes shredding guitars, delivered on a solid bed of a grabbing bass and ripping drums, with Dorothea’s balmy voice hovering and twinkling atop. From a young age, her Korean/German/Croatian background has immersed her in a diversity of musical influences, which have shaped her. In 2009, she released “rarara” (Afterhours/Japan), followed by “Tomorrow’s Far Away” in 2013, featuring guest vocals from several friends and former band-mates, including Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna, Damon Tutunjan from The Swirlies, Daru Oda (Norah Jones), Sean Meadows (June of 4, Lungfish), and Doug Scharin (Codeine, HIM, Rex). “Music was my anchor and my lighthouse in stormy and dark nights, and putting my inner turmoil into words really helped me process it better. It was kind of my metamorphosis, being disintegrated like a chrysalis, and being shaped into something new,” explains Tachler.  

When performing live, My Favourite Things appear in different formations, ranging from a solo act to a five-piece band, featuring prominent musicians from the buoyant New York scene: Yoshio “Tony” Kobayashi on drums, Yusuke Yamamoto on vibraphone and synthesizers, Michael Figgiani on bass, and various other talents.  The band has played many venues in the unforgiving NYC music circuit, transporting transfixed audiences from their chaotic built-up urban environments to a twilight world of their own favourite things. 

Last year, My Favourite Things also toured Germany, featuring Notwist frontman Markus Acher on drums, along with other talented and experienced musicians from Germany’s active band scene. ‘Fly I Will, Because I Can’ is out now and can be ordered from My Favourite Things' Bandcamp. 

Find And Support My Favourite Things Website | Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram

[thekeenear]

Brooklyn's My Favourite Things Fuses New LP Folk-Pop with Dreamy Shoegaze

Brooklyn-based quartet My Favourite Things have presented their new album ‘Fly I Will, Because I Can’, along with a clever accompanying video by Hiroshi Shafer, who is touted as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite artists. This new single 'Some Things Stay the Same' comes on the trail of the release of the first two singles 'A Little Closer' and 'I Don't Know'. The videos for both of these singles were created by Gi Yong Rhee.

My Favourite Things excels in creating ambiance with the use of very little or almost no electronics. It is all Tachler’s voice, synthesizers, guitars, harps, vibes, anything that will create a mood that slowly takes you along to exactly the places the band want to take you to.

The band's sound will appeal to fans of Blonde Redhead, Broadcast, Beach House, Warpaint, Lisa Germano, and Widowspeak. Our favourite tracks here include A Little Closer, Everything Changes, Nobody Knows, Stay a Little While, The Longest Winter, and Growing Pains.

This is the third album from My Favourite Things, founded in Brooklyn by Dorothea Tachler (formerly of Igloo, The Swirlies, Alles Wie Gross). Fans of Beach House, Broadcast, dreampop and shoegaze should enjoy the album’s melancholic swaying, melody-rich offerings. This album should also appeal to lovers of acoustic folk music artists such as James Yorkston and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. "This song is about friendship. Its about missing our best friends from another time and place. Everything around us changed, our homes, our every day lives, the people we live with, but our relationship, our love to them is exactly the same it always was," says Dorothea Tachler. 

Videographer Hiroshi Shafer explains his inspiration behind this new video: "Our friends used to live nearby around the block. We hung out or talked most of the day when we were little boys and girls. When we grow up, it’s not easy to fill the distance and time. I entrusted this feeling to my back yard snails and asked them to act in this music video." Dorothea wrote and produced all the songs with their many textures, owing to the use of multiple instruments, many of which she also played: violins, flutes and autoharps weave in and out of twinkling glockenspiels, vibraphones and intricate, sometimes shredding guitars, delivered on a solid bed of a grabbing bass and ripping drums, with Dorothea’s balmy voice hovering and twinkling atop. 

From a young age, her Korean/German/Croatian background has immersed her in a diversity of musical influences, which have shaped her. In 2009, she released “rarara” (Afterhours/Japan), followed by “Tomorrow’s Far Away” in 2013, featuring guest vocals from several friends and former band-mates, including Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna, Damon Tutunjan from The Swirlies, Daru Oda (Norah Jones), Sean Meadows (June of 4, Lungfish), and Doug Scharin (Codeine, HIM, Rex). 

“Music was my anchor and my lighthouse in stormy and dark nights, and putting my inner turmoil into words really helped me process it better. It was kind of my metamorphosis, being disintegrated like a chrysalis, and being shaped into something new,” explains Tachler.  When performing live, My Favourite Things appear in different formations, ranging from a solo act to a five-piece band, featuring prominent musicians from the buoyant New York scene: Yoshio “Tony” Kobayashi on drums, Yusuke Yamamoto on vibraphone and synthesizers, Michael Figgiani on bass, and various other talents. 

The band has played many venues in the unforgiving NYC music circuit, transporting transfixed audiences from their chaotic built-up urban environments to a twilight world of their own favourite things. Last year, My Favourite Things also toured Germany, featuring Notwist frontman Markus Acher on drums, along with other talented and experienced musicians from Germany’s active band scene. ‘Fly I Will, Because I Can’ is out now and can be ordered from My Favourite Things' Bandcamp. 

Find And Support My Favourite Things Website | Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram

[noloveforned]

recommended digital releases, september 15th

a large majority of the music i listen to these days is done at work through a premium spotify subscription. the hardest part seems to be trying to remember when an album i’ve been anticipating finally comes out on whatever random friday.

i figure i’m not the only one so every friday i’m aiming to post five new releases from the past week (or so) as well as five recent releases from the past couple months that are available through spotify (and presumably the other streaming platforms).

new releases from the past week (or so):

chris bell "i am the cosmos" on omnivore [spotify] chris bell's lone solo album wasn't released until thirteen year's after his 1978 death. since then it's been expanded several times with the latest omnivore version breaking the two hour mark (thirty minutes longer than the rhino version from a few years ago). the album is a much more personal take on the power pop he made with big star evincing both spiritual elements and depression. vinyl nerd note: omnivore will be collecting all the tracks from this and chris bell's pre-big star recordings in a vinyl box set this november.

dylan earl "new country to be" on fabulon [spotify] dylan earl opened for songs: molina last week at hopscotch and i dug his classic country vibe. it turned out that his album came out that very day and i was able to confirm for him that it had reached spotify. now i've told you too!

lali puna "two windows" on morr [spotify, bandcamp] lali puna makes glitchy, electro pop that's not too far removed from the notwist both musically and emotionally- markus acher of the notwist is both a former member of lali puna and married to lead singer valerie trebeljahr.

michael nau "the load" ep on suicide squeeze [spotify, bandcamp] i haven't paid close attention to cotton jones or page france over the past few years but michael nau's solo work may change that. his latest ep comes off like a lo-fi, psychedelic wilco before they went dad rock. i was pretty much sold when the multitracked sax solo that closes off the opening track hit me.

irène schweizer and joey baron "live!" on intakt [spotify, bandcamp] a live duo recording of pianist schweizer and drummer baron from 2015. irène schweizer is a legend who has been playing jazz piano for more than fifty years (and free jazz almost as long). joey baron has long been associated with the the new york jazz scene and john zorn in particular. together they get a good swing going with music that is more melodic that the jazz i typically recommend.

slightly older stuff:

a certain smile "fits and starts" on ice nine [spotify, bandcamp] dreamy c-86 indie pop from portland that sounds pretty timeless.

caroline says "fifty million elvis fans can't be wrong" on western vinyl [spotify, bandcamp] originally issued three years ago as a limited cassette the debut caroline says release (which manages to reference elvis presley, lou reed and the beach boys) gets a proper release through western vinyl. the album alternates between introspective, garage-y indie pop and quiet songs full of layers.

julia holter "condemnation" single on domino [spotify] julia holter nails her cover of depeche mode's 1993 single with some help from nedelle torrisi and night jewel (aka ramona gonzalez). the first version is stark beauty with just vocals and quiet harmonium. the synth version adds some some burbling synths and bass but the focus remains on the vocals.

monk parker "crown of sparrows" on grand jury [spotify, bandcamp] i caught monk parker last weekend at hopscotch and was impressed by his "lambchop recording with godspeed you! black emperor album" vibe. vic chesnutt's "at the cut" (which was actually recorded with members of gy!be) would be another great album touchstone.

sparrow people "i thought of you" single on emotional response [spotify, bandcamp] a two song single from australian dirge-y post-pop band whose membership is intentionally vague (although i'm guessing david nichols and/or the cannanes are somehow involved).

more 'recommended releases' posts from no love for ned

[graffiti-vibe-blog]

Brooklyn's My Favourite Things Unveil Third Single 'Some Things Stay The Same' from New Album

Brooklyn-based quartet My Favourite Things presents the third single from their new album ‘Fly I Will, Because I Can’, along with a clever accompanying video by Hiroshi Shafer, who is touted as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite artists. This new single comes on the trail of the release of the first two singles 'A Little Closer' and 'I Don't Know'. The videos for both of these singles were created by Gi Yong Rhee.

This is the third album from My Favourite Things, founded in Brooklyn by Dorothea Tachler (formerly of Igloo, The Swirlies, Alles Wie Gross). Fans of Beach House, Broadcast, dreampop and shoegaze should enjoy the album’s melancholic swaying, melody-rich offerings. This album should also appeal to lovers of acoustic folk music artists such as James Yorkston and Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

"This song is about friendship. Its about missing our best friends from another time and place. Everything around us changed, our homes, our every day lives, the people we live with, but our relationship, our love to them is exactly the same it always was," says Dorothea Tachler.

Videographer Hiroshi Shafer explains his inspiration behind this new video: "Our friends used to live nearby around the block. We hung out or talked most of the day when we were little boys and girls. When we grow up, it’s not easy to fill the distance and time. I entrusted this feeling to my back yard snails and asked them to act in this music video."

Dorothea wrote and produced all the songs with their many textures, owing to the use of multiple instruments, many of which she also played: violins, flutes and autoharps weave in and out of twinkling glockenspiels, vibraphones and intricate, sometimes shredding guitars, delivered on a solid bed of a grabbing bass and ripping drums, with Dorothea’s balmy voice hovering and twinkling atop.

From a young age, her Korean/German/Croatian background has immersed her in a diversity of musical influences, which have shaped her. In 2009, she released “rarara” (Afterhours/Japan), followed by “Tomorrow’s Far Away” in 2013, featuring guest vocals from several friends and former band-mates, including Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna, Damon Tutunjan from The Swirlies, Daru Oda (Norah Jones), Sean Meadows (June of 4, Lungfish), and Doug Scharin (Codeine, HIM, Rex).

“Music was my anchor and my lighthouse in stormy and dark nights, and putting my inner turmoil into words really helped me process it better. It was kind of my metamorphosis, being disintegrated like a chrysalis, and being shaped into something new,” explains Tachler.

When performing live, My Favourite Things appear in different formations, ranging from a solo act to a five-piece band, featuring prominent musicians from the buoyant New York scene: Yoshio “Tony” Kobayashi on drums, Yusuke Yamamoto on vibraphone and synthesizers, Michael Figgiani on bass, and various other talents.

The band has played many venues in the unforgiving NYC music circuit, transporting transfixed audiences from their chaotic built-up urban environments to a twilight world of their own favourite things. Last year, My Favourite Things also toured Germany, featuring Notwist frontman Markus Acher on drums, along with other talented and experienced musicians from Germany’s active band scene.

‘Fly I Will, Because I Can’ is out now and can be ordered from My Favourite Things' Bandcamp.

News story provided by Shameless Promotion PR

[musikblog]

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