Dig out your best dancing boots, ladies and gentlemen, because The Dirty Nil are headed out on tour.
They’re from Toronto, and they are, seriously, just the best. Grab a beverage of your choice, wriggle up to the barricade and get ready to sing with them and/or bang your head.
This is their latest single:
This is another awesome song:
For more updates: Official Facebook.
The Ruminaters are from Syndney, Australia, and this is I Lost My Grandpa’s Teeth, which is a great jangle about young love, and, yes, teeth.
There is a record coming July 4; in the meantime, if you want more, check out their soundcloud page.
And now, a slightly creepy tale of new love from Loki Starfish, called Hey There:
Plus a couple of remixes, ranging from trippy (GrainDorge) to trance-pop (Elephanz):
In The Dark is a new short film by Michael Runion (JJAMZ, solo) and Kristen Kassinger.
My thoughts after watching it: 1) Oh yeah, Spin the Bottle as an adult is just the worst; 2) someone always has to be That Guy during potentially mortifying kissing games; 3) they have packed a lot of thoughts about the concept of “intimacy” into under four minutes.
Anyway, it is quite good, and you should watch it:
IN THE DARK from michaelrunion on Vimeo.
Another one for the “things I would attend if there were not an ocean in the way” file:
The line-up draws from a variety of -rock genres, including psychadelia, stoner, shoegaze, doom, prog, and garage. Some highlights of the bill, in alphabetical order:
Attention all fans of high quality rock and roll: JAIL WEDDINGS IS TOURING OFF THE WEST COAST.
You can see them at the following times and places:
They are going out on this jaunt in support of their second record, Meltdown: A Declaration of Unpopular Emotion, which has just been turned loose upon the world.
Some excerpts, to whet your appetite:
And in conclusion, the video for Summer Fades:
White Sea is the solo project of Morgan Kibby (M83). In Cold Blood is her most recent release. It’s lush, in the sense that it is expansive and textured and the kind of thing you can easily sink into. It is operatic, in the sense that it grabs the heart, it stirs things buried deep, and then it soars. The first time I listened to it was also the third, fourth and fifth times I listened to it because I kept scrolling back and plunging back in.
It’s also solid; there isn’t a single song I’d brush off as filler. I’m especially fond of They Don’t Know (the hook; if you aren’t snagged, move on); Warsaw (about being someone who should come with a warning label and knows it); Small December (because goodbye doesn’t mean you don’t love them anymore, and you can tear things down, but the outline will always remain); and NYC Loves You (because it’s true, the city will always take you back).
If that stream disappears, you can also hear some excerpts at her Soundcloud page.
INTERNETS. NESSIE HAS SURFACED.
Alex Greenwald has put his solo record out – it is called Yo – and mysteriously not said anything about it. In the event this is because he’s conducting some sort of marketing experiment, I offer my data-point, which is that it took the Tumblr-tide three weeks to bring the news to my door.
Anyway, I have now listened to it four times in a row, and my reaction is: Mmm. Hmm. Interesting. It’s pop music with some echo and wubble-bubble, and for all one of the songs is a love song about a knife, there’s none of the fuzzy rage and jagged aggression that showed up in Phantom Planet’s sound. Lest that make it sound like a weightless, disposable confection, know also that lyrics have razor-sharp edges, sometimes in unexpected places. It is very much the kind of thing that becomes richer with repeated listening.
Simulacre and Still Too Soon: The first two tracks are, in order, a 13 second sample of something I didn’t recognize and a song about how all the sunshine in Los Angeles can really mess with your head. This was something I wondered about when I visited, actually, if all the perfect weather eventually makes it feel like you’re living in a weightless summer camp dream all the time. I mean, say what you want about New York, but when the December wind comes whipping down the skyscraper-canyons and through your bones, you have to be real with yourself about if you have to live here. Because there are definitely easier places to struggle.
Movin’ On: Some people break up with their friends and lovers quickly; others take a little longer. I guess it comes down to whether you want a quick pain, or an extended unraveling.
Track03: Actually track four; I thought this was a labeling mistake and made a mental note to figure out the real title and fix it, and then it turned out to be meta-commentary about the placement and role of songs on mix cds.
Balisong: The aforementioned love song about a knife; one of my favorite songs on the record. Also the only one I can currently find on the internet in a relatively easy-to-share location. That said, those of you who have Spotify, you can listen to this song and the rest of the record there.
On My Own: A really bouncy song about being crushed by the city and your dreams and the disappointment of your loved ones. I imagine I will find myself dancing around my kitchen to this in the future.
Bitch Sinister Bitch: Perhaps a tiny hint of a reggae rhythm amid the shimmer and swirl; mostly about being an irritatant, and choosing the times you are an irritant wisely? I think? I wish I had the lyrics for this one.
R.O.T.K.: My other (current) favorite song on the record, mainly because it drops into the same dark register as Balisong.
You Found Each Other: A song about believing in romance, but only because it keeps happening to people who are not you. It’s cheerful and encouraging but in a slightly manic and cynical way.
This week’s Friday Night Jam is Love, Again by Shy For Shore, because in matters of the heart, as in all things, once it’s over, don’t look back.
It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.
In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.
Wild Smiles are from Southampton, England; this is the video for Fool For You, which is a perfect song for a summer crush and/or driving around in a convertible with the top down, and will probably get stuck in your head like it got stuck in mine.
And now, I’ll turn the floor over to Ben Cook (drums; on the right, in the picture below) of Wild Smiles, who joins us today to share a favorite book, record and drink.
Photo by Steve Gullick
As I’ve tried to avoid reading as much as possible since Literature A level, the book I’ve most enjoyed is Life, by Keith Richards. Seemingly an honest and surprisingly well remembered account of Richards’ and the bands’ road to success through to present day, close and not-so close shaves with the law, writing and recording and telling John Lennon the bathroom tiles are in fact not spinning. A recommended read for anyone interested in music not just Stones fans.
A Good Listen
Ty Segall – Melted (2010) – Skull-fucking San Francisco garage rock with catchy choruses, one of the first albums collectively loved by the band and a regular soundtrack in the van. Opening track Finger is a firm favourite.
A Good Drink
Wild Smiles are fuelled by Diet Coke.
