Saturday, January 26, 2008

Beggars Masterpieces Collection


Last Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008 Beggars Japan released the first batch of CD's from a new "Beggars Masterpieces Collection". Unlike the Pixies, Cocteaus and Bauhaus re-issues two years ago, these albums will not be released in LP style cardboard sleeves.

Among the first ten albums are Japanese 4AD debuts like the Cocteaus' Lullabies to Violaine Vol. 1 and 2, Pixies' Wave of Mutilation, the Colourbox Best Of and Natures Mortes - Still Lives; ironically, this compilation has never before been available in Japan on CD although the original vinyl version had been released for the Japanese market. The initial 4AD selection is completed by a Lonely is an Eyesore reissue - this milestone of mid-Eighties 4AD had been unavailable in Japan for a mere 15 years.

WPCB-20001 Bauhaus - Crackle. Best of Bauhaus
WPCB-20002 The Icicle Works - The Best of The Icicle Works
WPCB-20003/4 Cocteau Twins - Lullabies to Violaine 1982 - 1990. Vol. 1
WPCB-20005/6 Cocteau Twins - Lullabies to Violaine 1993 - 1996. Vol. 2
WPCB-20007 Colourbox - Best of 82/87
WPCB-20008 Gary Numan/Tubeway Army - Premier Hits
WPCB-20009 Peter Murphy - Wild Birds 1985 - 1995
WPCB-20010 Pixies - Wave of Mutilation
WPCB-20011 Various - Natures Mortes - Still Lives
WPCB-20012 Various - Lonely is an Eyesore

The second installment, due out Feb. 20, is a 4AD affair and compiles ten classics from the back catalogue:

WPCB-20013 Colourbox - Colourbox
WPCB-20014 The Birthday Party - Prayers on Fire
WPCB-20015 The The - Burning Blue Soul
WPCB-20016 Pixies - Surfer Rosa / Come on Pilgrim
WPCB-20017 Pixies - Doolittle
WPCB-20018 Throwing Muses - The Real Ramona
WPCB-20019 Cocteau Twins - Head over Heels
WPCB-20020 The Breeders - Pod
WPCB-20021 This Mortal Coil - It'll End in Tears
WPCB-20022 Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares - Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares

The fourth batch, due out in May, will contain further 4AD titles.

The Beggars Japan site also provides a first proper sight of the Breeders' Mountain Battles album cover:

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Cash Music #3: Around Dusk

"My latest song from "Speedbath" is here. It's called "Around Dusk" and I hope it treats you well.

Now that CASH is a viable entity and not just an amorphous blob floating around in our heads, those of us who work here are becoming increasingly aware of its quieter gifts. I knew this construct was necessary in order for us all to share interesting music, but intangibles like political implications are now sneaking into my world view ..." [more]

Due to the early success of the subscription packages - "Kristin's CASH subscribers come from 12 different countries on 5 different continents" - the offerings on each level will be changed/upgraded to include an 8x10" high quality print of a painting by Kristin instead of the quarterly poster (for dime-a-day level subscribers) and a full live recording from Pittsburgh during her 2007 tour instead of the Work in Progress sampler (for the "Strange Angels"). [Subscribe]

Monday, January 21, 2008

The All Wave Recording Revealed


You have seen this logo on the sleeves of Title TK and Off You, but do you know what it stands for? The latest post on "the world's least read website", The Breeders' Digest, reveals the principles behind this recording technique. [more]

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

New ESL Music Website, Thievery Corporation Digibox


To coincide with the launch of the brand new ESL Music website, the label "is excited to announce the release of Warning Shots - The Digibox.

This iTunes-only multimedia release includes all four full-length Thievery Corporation studio albums - Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi, The Mirror Conspiracy, The Richest Man In Babylon, and The Cosmic Game, plus a brand new audio interview with Thievery Corporation founders Eric Hilton and Rob Garza. The special-edition Digibox also features a digital booklet containing information and never-seen-before photographs, making it an absolute must for Thievery fans everywhere.
The package is priced at $24.99 and is available exclusively at iTunes.

Thievery fans who already own the music can still download the digital booklet, and the good news is that it's absolutely free by clicking at the link below."

Booklet

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Sun Kil Moon Preview Track

The new Sun Kil Moon album April will be released through Caldo Verde on April 1. The track 'Moorestown' can be streamed from the Caldo Verde site. A live version of the song can be found on Mark's second live album, Little Drummer Boy Live.

Billboard has recently reviewed the album.

Track listing:
Lost Verses ; The Light ; Lucky Man ; Unlit Hallway ; Heron Blue ; Moorestown ; Harper Road ; Tonight the Sky ; Like the River ; Tonight in Bilbao ; Blue Orchids
Bonus Disc: Tonight in Bilbao (alternate version) ; The Light (alternate version) ; Like the River (alternate version) ; Tonight the Sky (alternate version)


The re-edition of Nights of Passed Over, a book compiling the lyrics of all Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon and Mark Kozelek solo projects, will coincide with the album release.

Mark also produced Low frontman Alan Sparhawk's Retribution Gospel Choir side project, due March 18 on Caldo Verde.

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

'Heretic Pride' pictured Song by Song

It's not that new anymore, but God Is In The TV (and other blogs) have posted a song-by-song album description of The Mountain Goats' forthcoming album Heretic Pride (text: John Darnielle, illustration: Jeffrey Lewis). Here's part 1 (2 and 3 can be downloaded from the link above):

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

John Darnielle: Master of Reality

"... on April 15, we will all come one step closer to world peace, with the publishing of Darnielle's take on the Black Sabbath album Master of Reality, as part of the 33 1/3 series of books about albums.

According to the book's description, "John Darnielle describes Master of Reality in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric center in southern California in 1985. The narrator explains Black Sabbath like an emissary from an alien race describing his culture to his captors: passionately, patiently, and lovingly. This album has a genuinely remarkable historical status: as a touchstone for the directionless, and as a common coin for young men and women who felt shut out of the broader cultural economy."

For a 10-page sample of the kick-ass-sounding book, email sabbathsampler@yahoo.com."

(from Pitchfork)

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Gigantic - a tribute to Kim Deal

"The tribute is coming together beautifully. Originally conceived as an iTunes-only release, the tracks are just too damn good not to put this out on CD. We'll begin pre-orders soon. In the meantime, we've posted clips on the official Gigantic myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/kimdealtribute"

(from the American Laundromat site)

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Monday, January 07, 2008

The Mountain Goats Interview

Splendid has an interesting, however not Heretic Pride-related interview with John Darnielle here.

Oh, and in a kind of tradition John posted a Christmas present on his site.

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Saturday, January 05, 2008

Kristin on CASH Music

Kristin talks about the CASH Music Project on KEXP.

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New 50 Foot Wave track

Expansion Team records asked 13 artists to cover 13 classic songs "and the result is one of the most wonderfully eclectic and magical albums we've ever heard". 50 Foot Wave contribute an expectedly rough-sounding version of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love".

The album has been available digitally since December 18; the digipak version is due out on January 8.

Only recently, Kristin had been featured on "Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young for Charity" (American Laundromat) with a solo version of "Like A Hurricane".

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Design Matters: Vaughan Oliver

Debbie Millman, host of the highly popular internet radio talkshow "Design Matters", will kick off her new season on January 18. The new schedule will include "graphic designers, writers, illustrators, authors, scientists, editors and a Nobel Prize winner". Vaughan Oliver is scheduled as guest on February 8.

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In Session: Vaughan Oliver

In spring 2007, design editor and writer Adrian Shaughnessy presented a series of interviews with leading graphic designers on Resonance 104.7FM.

The Graphic Design on the Radio archive is now online and contains one hour features with the likes of Neville Brody, Jonathan Barnbrook, Malcolm Garrett, Rick Poynor and Vaughan Oliver. The series is to be continued in 2008. [more]

Vaughan gives insight into his early influences, describes his career start and talks about his various collaborations while spinning some of his favourite music pieces. And he reveals that he coaches Wandle Wanderers FC, a Wandsworth youth football club which he also designed the logo for.

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Whatever happened to ... Melodie McDaniel?

You wondered what the photographer of sleeve art like 'Ocean Beach', 'Five Ways of Disappearing' and portraits for the 'Split' series is doing these days? A small portion of her film work can be found here.

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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Johann Johannsson News

After a short christmas break, Johann is back in the studio writing music for Janos Szasz's production of the Oedipus cycle by Sophocles for Det Norske Teatret in Oslo, which premieres on the 17th of January. The plays have been adapted by the celebrated Norwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse. Johann previously contributed music to Janos Szasz's wonderful film "Opium: Diary of a Madwoman".

(from Johann's website)

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