Aug 11, 2009

Danish art-pop group Slaraffenland are making it sure hard for me to stop thinking of Denmark as anything but an idyllic fairy tale world. After all, their name means “land of milk and honey” in English. No matter, the dreamy new single “Meet and Greet” is a succinct preview of the experimental quintet’s forthcoming LP, We’re On Your Side, to be released by Hometapes on September 15th. It’s the follow-up to Slaraffenland’s debut U.S. release, 2007’s Private Cinema.

The percussive, horn-laden cut is on the group’s new 7-inch and on new album, We’re On Your Side. The Meet and Greet single release also features the exclusive B-side “My Bad Ways” on the flip (a leftover from the We’re On Your Side session). Listen/download to the track above and if you can get down with what this Copenhagen crew is bringing, send an e-mail to media@undertheradarmag.com with the subject line “MEET AND GREET” by Friday, August 14th Monday, August 17th at 12:00 PM Pacific Time. We’re giving away one free copy to a lucky reader!

Please include with your entry, (1) your full name and (2) and an embarrassing/outrageous “meet and greet” memory. (An example would be the time your date asked you to help her scoop out her cat’s litter box.) You see, it can be practically anything. We’ll announce the winner and possibly the shameful story next Tuesday (August 18th).

Also, here’s the skinny on the 7-inch on the right: It’s a snazzy blue-and-orange vinyl with art by Cody Hudson/Struggle Inc. Hudson is a Chicago-based artist, also known for his dazzling graphic work and paintings throughout the US, Europe and Japan including the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), New Image Art (LA), Rocket Gallery (Tokyo), The Lazy Dog (Paris), & Andrew Rafacz Gallery (Chicago). Slaraffenland will return in the fall for some U.S. dates with fellow sound experimenters, Akron/Family.

(Pre)-order the Meet and Greet 7-inch here.

Aug 11, 2009

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The year 2009 may be known as the year lo-fi went overboard or mega profile side projects ran rampant in the streets. You can add Davis Guggenheim’s (An Inconvenient Truth) upcoming music documentary It Might Get Loud to the tally. It’s getting a limited August 14th release in L.A. and New York, with other cities soon to follow. The music flick seems rather chill and humorous as onscreen musical icons, Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) The Edge (U2) and Jimmy Page (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin) interact and pick each other’s brains The doc shows how the rockers developed their unique sound and style of playing their musical weapon of choice: the electric guitar.

And some new White tracks are expected as well. (Does this guy ever rest?) White’s is clearly depicted as the young whipper snapper in some of the scenes. He fashions together a crude electric guitar that stirs up cows and gives one of the best lines when asked by an off-screen interviewer what he thinks will go down when all three musicians meet: “probably a fist fight.” Also, The Edge fawns over his effects pedals. Time will tell whether the official 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and 2009 Sundance Film Festival selection is just another rockumentary. Regardless, you best get ready gear heads!

Aug 11, 2009

Here’s a quick history lesson on the nu-soul singer Mayer Hawthorne: He grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan but his primary tutelage stemmed from listening to his dad’s car radio play jazz and soul piped in from nearby Detroit. The 29-year-old songwriter perplexed and then eventually caught the ears of Stones Throw label head Peanut Butter Wolf, influential BBC Radio 1 host Gilles Peterson and DJ/producer Mark Ronson.

On this preview track, entitled “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin,” the singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist checks off Isaac Hayes, Smokey Robinson and Curtis Mayfield in quick flashes. Horn blasts and a hip-hop beat keep this from becoming a rote exercise in retro pop. And of course you’ve Hawthorne has a great voice for this kind of stuff. Think of Jamie Lidell’s most recent release and you’re scratching the surface. A Strange Arrangement, Hawthorne’s debut album, is coming out October 6th on Stones Throw. Hawthorne is touring the U.S. for the first time in August and September.

Aug 11, 2009

Toronto electro-duo Woodhands have already tackled reworkings and covers of Eddy Grant‘s one-hit wonder “Electric Avenue” (blessed by Grant), and pop sex kitten Katy Perry‘s inescapable bi-curious single, “I Kissed a Girl.” In celebration of Woodhands’ new cache of tour dates (see below), they’ve put out a remix of the Peter Bjorn and John single “Nothing.” The hyperactive live duo don’t fiddle with the main vocal structure of the Living Thing cut too much. After all, it’s probably about the only thing going for the PBJ LP. Here’s what Daniel Werb had to say about the dance-y remix:

“Remixing Peter, Bjorn and John was a thrill for us and we wanted to make sure that we didn’t just try to ape what they were doing. The vocal lines are so strong that it was easy to build a dance track around them, and the acoustic piano in the back end was our way of bringing out the sadness in the voice while still keeping the track bouncing. And somehow, even though we sped everything up, our version comes out twice as long. Dance music: go figure.”

In addition to those aforementioned live dates, the twosome are also staring down a performance at this year’s Monolith Festival. Woodhands’ Werb and Paul Banwatt are also slaving away on the follow-up to their 2008 debut, Heart Attack. The sophomore offering will be titled Remorsecapade and that’s coming out on Paper Bag this fall.

Woodhands Tour:
08-11 Lansing, MI - Mac’s Bar
08-12 - Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio
08-14 - Brooklyn, NY - Littlefield
08-15 - New York, NY - Tribeca Grand (GBH Party)
09-12 - Morrison, CO - Monolith Festival

Aug 11, 2009

We’ve already heard promising previews of the self-titled debut from L.A. duo Dead Man’s Bones, with tracks such as “In the Room Where You Sleep,” “Name in Stone” and non-album cut “For Weddings and Funerals,” Now the DMB twosome (Hollywood actors Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields) and The Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir give us their strangest track yet. “My Body’s a Zombie for You” keeps the Haunted Mansion theme strong with a ‘50s doo-wop waltz number about zombie romance. (How precious.) Stick around after the shouting for some handclaps and a Double Dutch-esque chant.

Dead Man’s Bones is out October 6th on Anti-. Get your candy corn and best ghoul costume ready.

Aug 11, 2009

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Tom Waits is all set to play The Devil in Terry Gilliam’s latest fantasy film to fall on hard times: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Like many Gilliam films, Parnassus has gone through a labourious production schedule and awaited a studio to fund its release for what seemed like eons. Well, now it looks like this thing is finally getting released. As Videogum tells us, the trailer for the fantastical film debuted online this week. You can watch the craziness above.

“I don’t know why [Gilliam] thought of me. I was raised in the church,” Waits said in a winking self-interview he conducted to promote his Glitter and Doom tour last year. Talking about making Doctor Parnassus, he added, “Gilliam and I met on Fisher King. He is a giant among men and I am in awe of his films. [The Adventures of Baron] Munchausen I’ve seen a hundred times. Brazil is a crowning achievement. Brothers Grimm was my favorite film last year. I had most of my scenes with Christopher Plummer (He’s Dr. Parnassus). Plummer is one of the greatest actors on earth! Mostly I watch and learn. He’s a real movie star and a gentleman. Gilliam is an impresario, captain, magician, a dictator (a nice one), a genius, and a man you’d want in the boat with you at the end of the world.”

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus also stars Heath Ledger (in his final role), Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law. In the U.K., the film is due to release on October 16th through France’s Metropolitan FilmExport. In the U.S. Gilliam’s latest head-turner comes out December 25th, via LionsGate. Now it’s time to watch Brazil for the umpteenth time.

Aug 11, 2009

Volcano Choir consists of Thomas Wincek, Chris Rosenau, Jon Mueller, Jim Schoenecker, Daniel Spack and Justin Vernon. Your ears may have only perked up with that last name but the musical lone wolf behind Bon Iver is no stranger to Wisconsin friends/post-rock unit Collections of Colonies of Bees. His work with the collective predates his For Emma, Forever Ago.

The beginnings of Unmap, Volcano Choir’s first put-to-tape collaboration, were cobbled together from various field recordings and house sessions before Vernon’s now iconic debut was mixed and mastered. After toiling away for three years, the experimental folk debut is ready for public consumption on September 22nd, via Jagjaguwar. The first single, “Island, IS” is put together by several multi-layered loops by guitarist Chris Roseanu. Even amongst the experimentation, Vernon’s unmistakable falsetto shines through. Volcano Choir will be featured in oure Fall issue.