Ariel Pink 'Round and Round' on 4AD

Ariel Pink recently signed on with 4AD, kind of crazy he made it on this historic English indie label, but then again these kind of sound like lost tapes from the late 70's they found in the basement.
Sometime's I wonder if Ariel even really exists or if a couple of guys bought a box of 4-track tapes at a garage sale and have been releasing them ever since.

'Round and Round' is so fucking great...I haven't been disappointed by a single track from Ariel ever. How he keeps up this genius is a mystery. Not only reworking the particular sounds from that kind of ambiguous 70's 80's era, but the feel too. Even vocally...as long as he never pushes it into some kind of disco....I don't think anyone can successfully update that sound. When it hits this chorus part it's pure earnest 70's sort of electronic free love. In a weird way it's like Girl Talk without the direct references. I keep thinking I'm about to hear some song my Dad would play pop up. I looked at the billboard charts for the 70's....I don't recognize 95% of the hits...what a weird decade. Really....a mess.
I like that you have to just give in to even listen to this. You have to be in on the joke a little bit, but I wonder...so much of the sincerity comes through, it's not as over the top parody. It's a fine line...but Ariel I think is more interested in homage.

I hope to hell I can catch him at Mercury next week. I'm a little worried about seeing this live after being so into the last few albums. I don't think it would blow it completely, but really it's going to change everything. I've built him up way too much and my version of this guy just can't exist.

And the sleeve....Jesus, every time I think he might just be weird al-ing this era of music, he throws in imagery like this and that lipstick nightmare album cover and it takes it somewhere else completely.

Norman records loves it, and it's the only place I could find carrying it...hopefully with 4AD behind it, I'll actually see it down the street sooner or later.

Deerhunter - Nothing ever happened

Deerhunter...I'm having trouble still deciding what all the hype is about. I really liked the first split single with the alphabets, it was pretty raw and Liars sounding...lots of guitars, distortion.... in attitude at least...but I'm not into the Microcastle or even Cryptograms...it's just really quiet ambient mood music, like the equivalent would be trying to listen to the Orb in high school or something. I remember listening to that, but more because I heard how good it was. I never really enjoyed it. It might be on while I'm doing something else...but then I have less and less patience for that. I need to either pay attention and make time for it...or forget it.

I like Bradford Cox, I like the idea of Deerhunter, his mixtapes...really... he's won me over, I just have to wonder about the longevity of ths kind of thing?...am I wrong? Who's going to be listening to this in 5 years?
I hope I'll come around to appreciate it long after I thought I would be....and be dreaming of getting the full lengths on vinyl.
And I know I go through phases of stuff, maybe leaning more jazz or instrumental, and right now I'm definitely not in that place. I don't know then again I am willing to give experimental releases places to go nowhere...like the NNF stuff, pocahaunted, racoo-oo-oon, stuff like that so maybe I wanted more?

I think I just want someone to pick up where 'They threw us in a trench.....' left off.

Don't get me wrong I definitely picked this up...from Kranky.


Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened b/w Little Kids (Demo) 7" (4AD/Kranky)

Deerhunter
Nothing Ever Happened
PS, US The first salvo in a barrage of Deerhunter related noise this fall is this two song single that precedes the release of the Microcastle full length. Side A is the unabashed rocker from the album, while the flip side is the demo version of another album track. This is a limited edition one-time pressing release..
Kranky
45
$5.50

or from Scratch distro

Too Pure singles club second year! Exclamation!

I was really into getting these singles this past year and have played a few on the recent Matt intensive podcasts. I think I first got into this label after finding out about The Organ and Electrelane. I don't know if those bands are really part of some core philosophy of this English label, or if there is that much of a conscious direction? They have been home to Stereolab and McClusky, so it's an indie direction for sure. Let's take a look at some of last years singles...
Kaputt, I think I mostly remember because me and Matt kind of agreed that one was weirdly 90's but post rocky and different.
Then I remember the first single was from Electrelane's Verity Susman, they had just broke up and I was into that full length...and I loved that all these songs are unreleased anywher else, and I just trusted their judgement...it was going to be bigger, smaller acts, catchy indie pop that wouldn't appear anywhere else.
I think there was a Scout Niblett one also...I'm curious to hear where she's going. She seems like the Chan Marshall that isn't aspiring to be a karaoke singer. She has a great voice and is a great songwriter and it's weirdly put together...nice.
Then just as I was reading about Foot Village and getting into their whole drumming, yalp world...the latest single I opened up the other day was from Foot Village...I didn't expect that at all, nice surprise...I hope they sell out all these memberships, it's a cool thing, for the artists, subscribers....forget home delivery of the NY Times. I want 7" singles...between this and columbus discount records I'm keeping up with what's in style....and I'm keeping up with Sports! I like the Real Estate section...

The only problem really is that they are shipped in these flimsy cardboard things that bend super easy and all the sleeves have been pretty fucked....I think one of the records was even completly destroyed, but I blame the post office...and my shitty foyer.

You can also get individual copies of last years club on their myspace ...or take a chance and get the whole next year of god knows what...it's exciting....maybe I can wrangle some money together. Yee Ha

I got these emails from Too Pure just the other day:
Firstly, Thank you for all your support over the last 12 months, we are about to send out the next installment within the next couple of days and then we have just one more this year to go !! All very exciting ! We have good news ! Following the astounding success of this years singles club, we are very pleased to announce that we will be continuing the club from january for another year ! Hooray i hear you cry !!!
Each single will again contain two exclusive unreleased songs, each numbered and strictly ltd to 500 copies and this time for subscribers only a free mp3 of each release as well ! All this for the incredible sum of £35 ( £40 if you are outside of the UK) and we'll send you the12 singles over the course of the year !
we're extremely excited to announce the first release will be leeds finest Pulled apart By Horses. We'll also be giving way free mp3's of the tracks for subscribers only, and this year we'll keep you updated on the singles club nights and bands gigs up and down the country.

So there you have it...a very enthusiastic start to another 7" year....unfortunately for me the dollar is such shit there's no way I can justify this...well it's $68...which isn't that bad actually....it's 5.60/ea...hmmm, now I'm thinking about it. That does include shipping...and I like the free MP3, that's nice for subscribers.

Breeders - We're gonna rise

The Breeders had a pretty hard start with the Pod not being officially released and then their major label shelving their album, but it was still more successful and captured more of the Pixies sound than any Frank Black album.
This track is no exception, 'We're all gonna rise' could easily be from a pixies b-side or a later track on any one of those albums, it's a slow dance picked guitar that end with a super dirty distorted solo. Still very 90's sounding, but that could just be her doubled chorus-y vocal style in a hollow room that takes me back.
It's weird I really liked Kim's other side project The Amps entire album and the Breeders Cannonball was a great track, but I never could admit to liking them, they just weren't something I seriously listened to for any given amount of time. That track in particular was way overplayed but they remained consistent and are still doing something interesting for sure.

On 4AD, or more likely at some record store near you.


Breeders-Were gonna rise [limited edition]-Limited edition 7 inch single taken from the brand new breeders album on the 4ad label. Its probably one of the more mellow tracks from mountain battles with the track having a lovely waltz like feel about it and kim deals voice in truly superb form yet again. Comes with german demonstration on the flip side. April 2008-7"-4ad