Hurray for the Riff Raff - "Bricks". This band is from New Orleans. And it must be frustrating for Hurray for the Riff Raff, the hook for every review being about the place they call home. But it matters. This is a sweet song, yes, but it is about doom. Look at some of these lyrics: "Well, we stand tall / together like towers. / Well, together like towers / we fall / we fall / we fall." New Orleans knows something about collapses. It knows something about how love & life are not enough to prevent catastrophe. Alynda Lee and her junkyard folk band play a tragic love-song, a doomed one, but they've learned enough about dawns (about recoveries, resurrections, life-goes-ons'es) to set it in a major key.
[MySpace / they seek Europeans to play for]
Nat Baldwin - "Lake Erie". Redraw the maps! Get out the old maps and get out your charcoal pencils and have at it. Lake Superior - gone! Lake Huron - gone! Lakes Ontario and Michigan - gone! And Lake Erie - oh don't get me started on Lake Erie. Lake Erie's where you left me, baby. I am scribbling over that lake 'til the charcoal's gone, 'til my hands are black. Then I'm grabbing my double bass and scribbling some more, scribbling with sound, filling the air with inky deep notes - whole clouds, thunder-clouds or smoke-clouds. And when you come running out of your home, eyes tearing, cough-coughing, I'll be on your front lawn and I still won't have dried off from the moment I drowned.
At the moment my favourite albums of 2008 are by Adam & the Amethysts, The Low Lows, Shearwater, ((Sounder)), Sun Kil Moon, White Hinterland, Vampire Weekend, and, yes, mister Nat Baldwin. Buy this record. (Jordan, previously on StG.)
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Mike from Nothing But Green Lights did a terrific MP3 sampler for The Morning News.
Did you guys hear that killer of a Tune-Yards song yesterday? Moly holy.
Kit Malo and I are going to be doing a presentation in Montreal this Wednesday as part of the Greasy Goose Salon. I will be telling truths and lies about moths, Swedes, eels, and particle accelerators, among other things. Kit will be accompanying me with pictures. You should come.
Posted by Sean at July 15, 2008 12:49 AMYeah that Nat Baldwin album is quality alright. Should I persist with Vampire Weekend though? The album hasn't penetrated my musicbrain orifices yet. Maybe i need to see them at a festival to get the full experience..
Posted by adam at July 16, 2008 6:26 AMless than 3 words into the song, the riff raff had me.
Posted by matthew at July 16, 2008 11:29 PMthanks for riff raff, saw them in berlin last night, wonderful
Posted by sibsi at July 20, 2008 11:00 AM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
