“Rome” (Neighbors With Devendra Banhart Remix) MP3
Sep 28, 2009
Just when you started to think Phoenix had oversaturated the market, another droplet of pop brilliance trickles down to slake your thirst yet again, adding more layers to the Parisian group’s banner year supporting Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Of all people to do a re-rub on the sleeper track “Rome,” nobody really expected freak-folker-turned-major-label-rocker Devendra Banhart. The two don’t seem to gel at the outset but Banhart’s remix is as subtle as a fall breeze. The sparse arrangement pairs well with the track’s solitary lyrics as well. Give it a listen above.
This is what Banhart’s crew had to say about the venture on Phoenix’s diary:
“Like a lazy Ukulele, softly strummed among the ocean side palms, Neighbors and Devendra have longed to remix ANY Phoenix tune. We LOVE and have LOVED Phoenix since Alphabetical, and have wanted to do more than just ogle at their awesomeness for quite some time. With the release of their luminary Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix we got the chance to un-floccinaucinihilipilificate our dreams and with awesome, oceanic glee, we took Rome for a ride….. a mellow, meditative one, let’s bring out the candle-lit side, a side of the song suited for lucubration ! Cheeze whizz penis feels like a Burberrys still allowed was the name of studio we met at, had we been there before ? Was it all a dream ?………………”
Covering the proverbial sacred cow known as The Beatles is always a tricky proposition but the promising LDN trio The Invisible manage to pull it off. They capably intertwine their brand of experimental pop into the DNA of the much-loved “Come Together.” The go-for-broke track appears on the Mercury Prize-nominated band’s “London Girl” single (available today) but you can download it above for free.
In a blog post entitled ‘Beatles Fear,’ frontman Dave Okumu had this to say about the cover project:
“Covering classic tunes will always represent treacherous territory. There are versions of “Come Together” out there already, as I’m sure you’re aware. Ike and Tina Turner’s version trashes it (in the best possible sense) and Jacko’s version leaves much to be desired (RIP. In both instances). The obvious and, arguably, wisest artistic choice would have been to stick to the song’s bluesy template, maybe even try and accentuate it. So instead we opted to do something completely different. Though it would’ve been a lot of fun, doing a Hendrix-y/bluesy take on the tune felt somehow disrespectful and contrived. To me, The Beatles stand for experimentation and risk-taking. This is a band that stopped gigging and got busy in the studio, getting jiggy with all sorts of shizzle. So we tried to embrace that spirit. I just hope it doesn’t result in Macca putting a contract out on us. We’re at The Sanctuary right now, having dashed straight off the eurostar, working with the wonderful Dave ‘Above & Beyond’ McEwan on the track. Here’s hoping it comes together. (I’m really sorry I just did that).”
Here’s a crisp and sharp music video of San Francisco’s The Dodos playing through their new single “Fables,” from their third album, Time to Die. The Phil Ek production is palpable on this performance version, directed by Matt Amato. Meric Long’s chorus (“I don’t want to go in the fire / I just want to stay in my home”) is still undeniably infectious. Stick around for a colorful surprise at the end. Time to Die is out now on Frenchkiss. We interviewed the recently-christened trio in our Fall ‘09 issue. They’re touring North America now.
Devendra Banhart
“Baby” MP3
Sep 26, 2009
The first postable song from Devendra Banhart‘s seventh album, What Will Be, is a bit of funky old soul with a goofy delivery from the former freak folkie. The major label follow-up to 2007’sSmokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is pretty far removed from his Topanga Canyon psych jams, The former main squeeze of Natalie Portman seems to have chilled out but remains goofy, making one pine for his early catalog on Michael Gira’s Young God Records.
As a result, “Baby“ shambles along without much purpose behind it. It’s like a goofier version of Thunder Canyon‘s “Lover.” What We Will Be will drop October 27th via Warner Bros. Not exactly sure why Banhart is jumping on a major label when everyone is jumping off those sinking ships but here’s hoping it works better than Thunder Canyon.
It’s always intriguing to hear your favorite tracks in demo fashion and this stripped down basement recording of John Vanderslice‘s “Too Much Time” is no exception. Vanderslice initially recorded his latest album at his S.F. home.
The Romanian Namessingle is available to download in support of an upcoming 7” for “Too Much Time,” due out October 6th via Dead Oceans. The release also features the earworm-y, exclusive b-side, “Moon Rocks.”
The latter sounds like it would fit right in with Vanderslice’s tour-only Moon Colony Bloodbath EP with The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle from this past spring. In other JV news, the indie rocker’s Our Morning Becomes Eclectic set was posted on KCRW with streaming video last month.
The Avett Brothershave a new music video for the lead single off their forthcoming major label debut LP, I and Love and You, from Columbia. The clip the boys bale some hay, crowd surf for screaming fans, move north to Brooklyn, bike under fall leaves and chase chickens. The love ballad is much mannered than we’re used to hearing the band play but stately and beautiful. I and Love and You is due out September 29th. Pre-order here.
Athens, Georgia’s Venice is Sinking have a funny new clip on offer for the recently released “maxisingle,” Okay. The energetic title song comes from the group’s AZAR from earlier in the year. Two tracks are covers of San Francisco group Okay and the final pair are re-rubbed versions of AZAR cuts. The band show their ever-present playful side (just look at their press shots) on the title track clip. A boot camp instructor whips them in to shape from a loser band with no hope into a slightly better loser band with no hope. It’s pretty funny stuff, so you better check it above. Venice also completed their third, mostly live LP recently and already started penning their fourth.
The singer-songwriter collaborated with Grizzly Bear‘s Chris Bear and TV on the Radio‘s Kyp Malone. This song features the falsettoed vocals of Malone and Bear’s Wurlitzer. According to a Spinner post, Robinson penned “The Sound” during one of the nights he crashed in Bear’s living room during the summer of 2007. The indie-rock friendship comes out in the slightly nostalgic cut. Fall dates can be found here. In related news, apparently a Village Voice writer thinks Robinson is a douche bag.
Take a look at the tracklist below.
Summer of Fear:
01 Shake a Shot 02 Always an Anchor 03 The Sound 04 Hard Row 05 Trap Door 06 The 100th of March 07 Summer of Fear Pt. 1 08 Death by Dust 09 Summer of Fear Pt. 2 10 Losing 4 Winners 11 More Than a Mess 12 Boat
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