Legendary director and blog favorite DavidLynch has just announced the follow up to his 2011 release Crazy Clown Time with a record called The Big Dream. The record is to include 11 original songs and a cover of “The Ballad Of Hollis Brown” by Bob Dylan.
Where Crazy Town Time was filled with beautifully put together electronic sounds, Lynch describes this new release a bit differently. “Most of the songs start out as a type of blues jam and then we go sideways from there. What comes out is a hybrid, modernized form of low-down blues.”
To promote the record, Lynch has released a series of creative Vine videos.
A collaboration with Lykke Li called “I’m Waiting Here” kicks off as the leading single from this project, which is a bonus track on all versions of the record. The electronic vibe? It’s there. The blues vibe? Rampant!
The Big Dream is slated for a July 16th, 2013 release. Preview all of the tracks over at iTunes.
01 The Big Dream
02 Star Dream Girl
03 Last Call
04 Cold Wind Blowin
05 The Ballad of Hollis Brown (Bob Dylan cover)
06 Wishin’ Well
07 Say It
08 We Rolled Together
09 Sun Can’t Be Seen No More
10 I Want You
11 The Line It Curves
12 Are You Sure
13 I’m Waiting Here [ft. Lykke Li] (bonus track)
Originally the cassette B-side to the recently released SunnyUnderground mixtape by the Lo-Fi by Default collective, 2020k has an exclusive digital download of this portion of the project. Encouragement to download is welcome, as well as to head on over to LFD’s Bandcamp to download the A-side (which is at a name your own price download) and snag the limited edition physical copy* while you’re there.
Want to learn more about the Lo-Fi by Default label? We recently did a feature on the collective over at Netlabelism. Click here for it!
Lo-Fi by Default – Sunny All Around (Sunny Underground B-side)
01. Powernap – Smite
02. WTF.FM – Skyline (春分)
03. Vestron Vulture – Cool Runnin
04. 2020k – Infected/Placebo
05. Starnoise – Late Drive
*It’s worthy to note that the Sunny All Around cassette is currently the only physical place in which “Infected/Placebo” by 2020k is available. It is available digitally only via the Contagion EP.
Most importantly, listen to the new Boards of Canada track from Tomorrow’s Harvest, “Reach For The Dead” below via Warp Records official stream & discuss.
Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles walked past me at Mr. Smalls venue before their Pittsburgh, PA show. It’s true. Pictureplane had just finished his opening set and it happened. No one noticed. No one flinched or bothered to take a second glance. It just happened. I followed him with my eyes, then looked at my brother, my accomplice for the night, who hadn’t even thought of it until I made mention of it.
What’s interesting about this is not the anonymous persona that Kath is able to keep despite being one-half of the duo. The interesting part about this is also not how the story would’ve been different if the band’s more recognizable member, Alice Glass, attempted to walk through the venue. But, what is this intriguing side-fact here for? More on that in a second.
Journalists seem to give this band a reputation of encouraging mayhem. For example, on a 2011 review of a Riviera Theater Chicago show, mosh pits were apparently so out of hand that security was bracing themselves and leading people up to the balcony to ensure safety. Glass has punched fans and hit them with her microphone, afterward defending herself stating “I’ve never punched someone that didn’t deserve it.” Fans feed into this frenzy as well with countless YouTube comments sharing stories of seeing ears being bitten off and attending one of the most high energy shows they’ve ever experienced.
The funny thing about everything in the aforementioned paragraph is that nothing was out of control at the Pittsburgh, PA show. The energy? It was raw and it was present with a vengeance to sing, dance, jump, and cheer, but not one mosh pit or inconsiderate attendant was present. This is known because I b-lined it to the very back of the venue to avoid any hostility, which tends to happen in the middle and front sections of lively slows. I’ve wanted to see these two perform since their debut record and I was not about to have some asshole disrupt my celebration of it finally happening. I wanted to see it all.
Alice Glass crowd surfed several times, even having a few audience members hold her up so she could completely stand (see the above picture), but all the while the singer still remained cautious; watching where she would step and who she would climb on.
Now, remember with Ethan Kath walked past me? The most mesmerizing part of all of this is that when Crystal Castles take the stage they’re both equally present. They’re one entity, a band with lots of lights, synthesizers, live drummer Christopher Chartrand, and a message. In the picture above, Glass is having the crowd hold her up while Kath mans the music, but he’s obviously present and an extremely recognizable character inside the photo.
During the hour and a half set, the live trio plowed through their three album catalog and straying for more heavier versions of the songs than what the album versions give away. It’s an intricate set up, with vocoder and vocal effects varying in and out of the songs, “Suffocation” is a great example of this as it features less of a high-frequency cut off on it’s leading synth-bass, which opens up the song for a more hard-hitting, harsh version of the track.
At times, Crystal Castles stray for difference, with a stripped sound as well. The painful, emotional callouts that end “Wrath of God” on (III) have vanished, as have the frontwards and backwards calls on “Plague”. Instead of these manipulations, the crowd is left with Glass’ insane amounts of energy as Ethan and Christopher continue on with the composition of the song. These absences are not to be complained about, but rather justified as it brings a more live feel to the show instead of relying on copious amounts of pre-recorded material that may or may not sync every night (the band does switch up their setlist quite often).
The live rendition of “Doe Deer” is also a treat for longtime fans. It’s pretty obvious that the album version of the song’s lyrics are not really deathray, deathray, deathray. At least, they aren’t straight on. However, the live version does contain these lyrics and much of the heavy, purposefully distorted mixing techniques of this song are traded in so that the melody and rhythms can flourish. The result? Just as hard of a punch as the studio session.
Speaking of Alice Glass, her stage presence is absolutely insane. The amount of effort it takes just to watch how much she does on stage can be exhausting in and of itself. She’ll smoke a few cigarettes, pour whiskey in her mouth to spit all over the crowd, bounce all over the place, and do the things she’s known for. However, there is a segment of the show that gets experiemental. The two of them come together and play with the oscillation and manipulation of various synthesizers on stage. They stand next to each other and stare down at their gear, focused, motivated by the music and what the other is doing. They look like two playmates with a strong bond that’s completely driven and fueled by the other.
This bond became apparent during the encore of the set. At the end of “Intimate,” which is quite the serious song considering many fans equate the lyrics to being about an HIV+ man who is purposefully having unprotected sex and spreading the disease he has, the left speaker seems to blow out. It’s at the catalyst of the track and while it would seem like a bummer to everyone, it was actually interesting that this would happen. Musically speaking, and traveling a bit too far down the rabbit hole, it was as if the meaning of the song transpired through the speakers and became physically too much that it had to give.
Eventually the sound was fixed and “Yes No” followed. Presumably some sync issues happened between communication with Kath and the sound men, that caused a small skip. Ethan looked frustrated, but Alice looked back at the employees handling the sound and gave a big smile that almost read thanks for the effort. The engineers were professional, afterall. Half the crowd was looking back at them when trouble was happening and the two men troubleshot without breaking a sweat.
Alice did, however, take another swig of whiskey after the smile. She didn’t spit it out this time. She swallowed it, showing a bit of vulnerability as well. Regardless, they had nothing to worry about. The serious dance music Crystal Castles presented blew the speakers out and blew the heads up of everyone attending the exuberant, inspiring, light-filled and enthusiastic Pittsburgh show.
Plague
Baptism
Suffocation
Wrath of God
Telepath
Pale Flesh (Interlude)
Crimewave
Alice Practice
Black Panther
Insulin
Celestica
Vanished/Untrust Us/Transgender/Cryptocracy
Reckless
Sad Eyes
Not in Love
Encore:
Doe Deer
Empathy
Intimate
Yes No
Cut from the set, most likely because of issues with the the left speaker being blown out is the “Vietnam/Kerosene/$$ Troopers” medley.
It’s been a mere nine months since 2020k self-released his eponymous debut EP to commemorate his first live shows in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, but the buzz continues to grow and rise as the project carries on. Nods and comparisons flourished through the initial 2012 reviews and features, and now, upon the release of the “Contagion” single, SykoMindz Magazine has a two page in-print feature on RJ Kozain, the struggling audio engineer and unsigned musician. What’s even more glorious than the opportunity to be featured in this spread is it’s headline, which prestigiously reads 2020k THE FUTURE OF ELECTRONICA.
Available physically and digitally now, the article goes on to reflect on released musical projects, touches on 2020k’s remixes, draws humbling musical comparisons to Depeche Mode, covers Kozain’s recent Boards of Canada coverage, and even allows RJ to open up about the struggles of being an unsigned musician in today’s world.
Below is an exclusive excerpt from the feature:
Being a one man band, how difficult is it to perform live?
It’s pretty difficult right now because of the budget. I don’t have a budget. When I was performing, everything was completely free. I had no set up. I had a laptop that I’ve owned since 2008, so it’s very outdated. I had some turntables for playback and manipulation purposes and I had a keyboard and an MPD for drum sampling. As far as playing live, the biggest problem is that a lot of things do need to be pre-recorded and manipulated. I don’t have the funds for a band. It is limiting to my performance because I am in control of every aspect of the show. I have to keep my eyes on what I’m doing at all times and in every aspect of what I’m doing. If I am singing, I’m also playing instruments and making sure everything is going okay with the sync of the aspects of the music that I’m not playing. Sometimes I wish I had a band to back me up for the human element.
Anyone who follows Daggervision Films knows that I am adamantly opposed to remakes. To a musician, remixes are similar to film remakes. What are your thoughts?
I was just thinking about this because I knew that you were going to ask this. You really liked the “Enemies” remix (Hannah Georgas) that I did. On the way here, I was actually thinking about this. To me, there are really two types of remixes. There is the type where someone commissions you to do a remix. And this is what a lot of big electronic musicians do – they take something that they have never finished and they put it in the key to whatever remix they are doing, and they just make it off of a couple of loops. They string them together and make it sound progressive. They put it out there and there is no soul to it. It’s very commercial and to boost sales. On the other end of it, there are people who will remix things and they will listen to the song – they will understand the song and they will take portions of the song and will reanimate the song. They do it in a way that speaks the original purpose of it, and also the artists own personal spin on it. I think that version of the remix is definitely much more of an integral way to go. I understand the commercial part of it; I wouldn’t necessarily want to be a part of it, but I also wouldn’t necessarily turn it down if it was offered to me. As an artist, you can tell the difference between something that is progressive for the sake of being commercial, and progressive for the sake of being progressive.
Grab your copy of SykoMindz Magazine Issue #3 as well as the 2020k EP and Contagion single over at 2020k’s Bandcamp here. You can also click the respective covers below to be taken to the specific download page for it’s release.
Imogen Heap’s massively successful 2005 Speak For Yourself release, which has sold 500,000 copies worldwide and contains songs featured in countless TV/film scenes, as well as sampled by dozens upon dozens of artists will be available for the first time on vinyl which will be sold exclusively from SaintNovember.com.
The first pressing of the vinyl will be limited to 500 copies. The first 300 copies will be printed on solid light blue vinyl, with the rest of them having their imprint on clear red vinyl.
Considering that Imogen Heap engineered and mixed the entire record in a seemingly digital world, as far as we know, we’re interested to hear how it will translate to vinyl land. Though for the most part digital, subjectively speaking Speak For Yourself is her most well produced and engineered effort, containing tight, but punchy mixes that combine with unorthodox samples and brilliant song craft. The original release sits at a modest average of 8dB dynamic range throughout its run.
The Grammy’s would tell you differently though. Her follow up to this record, called Ellipse, won the best engineered, non-classic album award in 2010.
Just what are some of those peculiar samples on her sophomore record, you ask? The beating of carpet tube made it into one of the tracks, and of course, the unforgettable frying pan and trains outside of her studio at the time which were incorporated into the mix of her classic, massively successful “Hide and Seek”.
Last year, Heap released the instrumentals of Speak For Yourself through her official website. You can still purchase these digitally here.
Pre-orders start at 9AM BST time, which would be 4AM EST for those in the states.
Pre-order the Speak For Yourself vinyl here. Orders will ship on the release of June 10th, 2013.
Most music that comes out of the vaporwave scene seems to thrive on nostalgia. It plays upon samples from older urban music, spun to sound like some sort of warped elevator music that pries upon the familiar sounds in which it was build upon. It has fascinating mixing techniques that seem to build a landscape of which actually sounds like vapor trails and obscurely familiar structures. Nyetscape follows these rules, but gets extremely dark, vastly experimental, and sometimes quite un-nerving on his third release, titled Nyetscape 3.0.
Starting with the record’s second track, “Tumbling Down,” it’s built off of a sample from the anime Evangelion and throws itself in circles with the string arrangement, through the stereo mix. It’s spiral never lets up, sounding like a drowning of the childhood dreams of which it was built upon. A bit crusher distorting effect, some buffer play, and lots of panning play into the track, and while it’s seemingly a scary piece, it’s charm rubs off in a sort of light at the end of the tunnel fashion.
“Only In Time” is the hardest track to follow as it sounds so schizophrenic and droned-out in the beginning, so the heartbreak based upon the actual production of the song is extremely confrontational. Pitch bending is there, slowed down vocal effects are vast, and the sound is so warped, filled with long delay effects and percussion that’s shoved into the backend of the mix that it goes against everything the original Nyetscape vibe has brought. Once the song settles down, the outro brings in a more spacious scene with pitched down vocal samples off of “Ragged Wood” by Fleet Foxesthat are just as lonely and forlorn as the record gives off. A turn afterward brings in heavy guitars that lay against distraught rhythmic elements.
It’s not until “In [Our] Life” that things start returning to normal. While it’s still pretty desolate, there’s inklings of some female sirens in the background of the track, bringing a cool Hip-Hop vibe that recalls the straight forward, self-titled debut from Nyetscape. However, it’s quickly squashed by the following song title “ただの友達であることができます” or roughly translated to “You Can Be Just a Friend”. In fact, the Japanese track title is filled with children’s giggles, against a lethargic landscape that’s just down right spooky. It ends just before the one minute mark, where the song takes a drastically classical tone, that fades in and out through nice analog techniques.
Nyetscape comments, “I made “ただの友達であることができます” when I was thinking about a life to death transition, or witnessing divine intervention. Not that I’m religious, but I still find that fascinating and kind of scary to think of when I think of an omnipotent being.”
The last track is about a minute and a half long, but most of the songs on this effort are short. “Heaven” is sort of an ironic title for the song, seeing as though it’s not that sampled, like the rest of the tracks on this effort, but instead is using parallel compression techniques to squash down the mix on kick drum hits. It leaves abruptly, wishing more to be bestowed upon the listener, but it seems as though the song is cut short because since it’s not really heaven after all, why keep trying?
It’s unclear of what the motives are behind Nyetscape 3.0 but when 2020k was able to catch him for a quick questioning on what inspired this record, his response was “The main inspiration behind Nyetscape 3.0 was to drive away from the beat driven expectations of electronic music. I wanted to make washed out pieces of music too prove that, just really weird tracks. But when I started too make the music, I noticed it started to get way more introspective.”
While it’s short, it is, in fact, the most inward looking we’ve seen Nyetscape, or in this case, we think we’re seeing more of the man behind the moniker, Chris Kamas, more than ever.
ATTENTION: This review is part of the extravagant 2020k giveaway. Click here to see all of the goodies we’re giving away. Win copies of Freezing Thoughts Creates Stabilityand Air is Movement by Wet Eyes, as well as other goodies by tweeting “#2020kgiveaway Wet Eyes Engulfs Self in Solo Projects, Collaborations, and Future Postcard Album @Twenty20k http://tinyurl.com/weteyes” or retweeting any corresponding tweets from the Twenty20k account with this hashtag! You can also like and share this article on Facebook for respective entries into the contest.
Ross Auger, aka Wet Eyes has had his ears dipped in a lot of different sonics since we saw him last in our infrasound and double-sided interview features at 2020k. He’s lent himself toward an interesting turn with the ambient rap scene called cloud rap and his Wet Eyes Productions imprint is flourishing with releases from himself, as well as the Contagion EP from 2020k.
Silver Lining [bandcamp] First and foremost, a solo effort from Auger called Silver Lining was released in February 2013 and seems to be the tightest effort from his Wet Eyes moniker yet. Sometimes sounding a bit like a more dense version of something Akira Yamaoka would do on a Silent Hill soundtrack, it’s filled with eight experimental tracks that feature standard post-rock structures, the record spans over organic instrumental landscapes and interweaves with overlying guitar ambiance.
It’s a record that oozes mysterious sensuality and psychedelic-isms. “Matinee At Dawn” is the perfect example of how Silver Lining operates in that the delays on almost all instrumentation is delicately honed in to the source of which it derives from, while a spring reverberated rimshot takes it’s on the 2 & 4 beats, causing a warm downtempo vibe, while quiet sixteenth note hi-hat sounds and off-beat cymbal hits subtly ensure that the groove and vibe of the track are promptly carried on.
The glitchy “If Happens” recalls drum sampling of that on Moby’s Hotel: Ambient series, while “Modesty Lost” strives for a repetitious melodic adventure of which rides on top of various drones. On the flip side, there’s a great experimentally mixed track called “Forceful Pond” that’s broods in its muddiness and utilizes muddy vocal samples to give it that dirty pond sound.
Contagion EP [bandcamp]
Ross was kind enough to allow me to release my “Contagion EP” through his imprint in March. It features a remix by him, as well as mastering work. There are also remixes by Kinesthetiac, Kamas (aka Nyetscape), and myself. All information in regards to this project can be viewed through an article I wrote upon the release. You can click here to view this.
Abstract Hat [bandcamp]
In the world of sub-genres, cloud rap is akin to a more conscious and delicate version of the derivative in which trip-hop music comes from hip-hop inspirations. It’s a downtempo spiral full of atmospheric sounds and urban percussion that Wet Eyes conquered in collaboration with emcee MonoPoleJoe on his record entitled Abstract Hat.
The song to look out for on this project is “Drunk (The Teeth)” which features a very trippy outro to the song that plays upon filtering, imaging, and distortion to bring a real life drunk feeling that is witnessed during the height and initial comedown of consumption. It’s insane, a path not taken musically by too many as it technically breaks down the entire mix of the song into an obscure path, but is brilliantly executed by the two and is one of the more interesting aspects of the rap project.
Although sometimes the flow and rhyme can be sub-par, the majority of this release is solid. In fact, “Messed Up” comes off a very folk sounding track without being forced, borders on a flow equivalent to the Dilated Peoples crew, and being one of the more straight-forward and sincere tracks of in this broad hat in the abstract.
Wolf Fluorescence/Wet Eyes Split
Ross Devlin is known under the name Wolf Fluorescence and released a split cassette release with Auger with a 28 minute track called “Bleach” as the A-side. The result of it is one lovely ambient piece, filled with a distorted piano sound that follows through the majority of the piece. It’s classical sounding at heart in the way aspects of the song come and go, and makes for an emotional ride that’s to be experienced in its entirety. It eventually drifts off into more brooding territory, using its oscillating synthesizers as a terrifying scene to build moods and vibes off of.
On the B-side, three Wet Eyes original spanning on the more experimental side to keep with the cohesive mood created by Delvin. There’s not much percussion, but instead focusing more on mood and affected sonics for the song to wander upon and find it’s own path.
Postcard Record [Fall 2013]
In a very unique approach to releasing, Wet Eyes is gearing up for the future and is looking to release his next record via post card. We’re wondering if this one will wind up making it to the front page of Postsecret.com, as Auger’s work does sound extremely true to the secretive heart, but regardless, it is definitely a great approach to releasing. What more information we have isn’t much, but when 2020k asked Ross to shed more light on the situation, we received the following response: “The postcard will present itself differently in a certain light.”
Fair enough. Start collecting your various light sources so you’re ready for this tentatively scheduled fall release.
Special Note: The 2020k review of Tomorrow’s Harvest by Boards of Canada is available here. Below is our coverage of the initial announcement of the record, which followed a viral marketing which lead up to the announcement of it. Our coverage on the promotional campaign can be seen here.
Well, guys. 25 edits later, a whole lot of tweets, comments, and email messages later, we have the finalized 2020k version of events that unfolded during the viral marketing techniques to promote the first Boards of Canada album since 2005’s Warp Records release The Campfire Headphase. In case you missed it, but I’m sure you didn’t, here’s the entire article that was put together on this website and edited in as the back story behind this record unfolded. Click here.
The new record is called Tomorrow’s Harvest. It’s filled with seventeen tracks that clock the record in at just under an hour according to iTunes, and is to be released June 10th, 2013 on digital, CD, and vinyl.
01. Gemini
02. Reach For The Dead
03. White Cyclosa
04. Jacquard Causeway
05. Telepath
06. Cold Earth
07. Transmisiones Ferox
08. Sick Times
09. Collapse
10. Palace Posy
11. Split Your Infinities
12. Uritual
13. Nothing Is Real
14. Sundown
15. New Seeds
16. Come To Dust
17. Semena Mertvykh
You can pre-order the new record over at bleep.com (along with some new BoC T-shirts), iTunes, or Amazon.
I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Pitchfork, SPIN Magazine, The Guardian, FACTmag, Bocpages.org and all of the other blogs who have referenced and helped out. You guys have contributed to this story more than you know. To everyone who emailed, commented, contributed, and shared this story, all of the new followers and likes on Twitter & Facebook, to all those who have been listening and downloading my music from Soundcloud & Bandcamp, and Boards of Canada for putting together this new project. To my the people in my life who understood when I needed to quickly read a tweet or update the blog with the latest news. It’s been a great ride to share with all of you and I will be sure to update the site with the latest happenings with not only Boards of Canada, but other great projects of interest.
Since this blog has started, I’ve found it funny to bring up the fact that there is no new Boards of Canadaalbum insight for any entry that I’ve found it suitable to mention it in. It’s brought giggles to the readers, and now since it’s released and since Daft Punk have announced their return as well, I find it suitable to pick on the next culprits in the Electronic music scene: The Avalanches. Where’s that new record, guys?! HUH?! WHERE IS IT?!?! We’ll be watching closely…
Tomorrow’s Harvest will be released June 10th, 2013. More information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.
TLC has just announced their first United States tour date in over a decade.
On April 28th, the surviving members of TLC, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas were announced by Donnie Wahlberg as a slew of artists to be featured on the 2013 Mixtape Festival which is held over a period of two days in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. July 26th-27th, 2013 to be exact, with the girls hitting the stage on the latter date26th.
What we can see from these women so far is uncertain. In the past, we’ve mostly seen a shortened set filled with several different sections filled with hits from their four acclaimed and top selling albums Oooooooohh…on the TLC Tip, Crazy Sexy Cool, Fanmail, and 3D. However, on the biggest message board for news on the trio, Cybertlcforums.com, we see Nathan Histed, a member who works closely with Tionne Wakins and designed the single cover for her 2013 release “Champion,” has made several threads surrounding the touring aspects that fans would like to see from the girls. Suggestions on further locations and songs fans would like to see inside the sets have been noted on the respective forum, so there may be some changes along the way? Nothing is confirmed.
Speculation that there will be screens behind them projecting the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes is wide, as they’ve done it for every performance together since the passing of their group mate in 2002.
TLC is currently celebrating 20 years in the music business. Technically, this is their 21st since their blow up with their debut single “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” in 1992.
A biopic on the group is in the works with VH1, which will air in fall of this year. Watkins and Thomas have also posted Twitter and Instagram updates showing them in the recording studio, recording new material for a project to accompany this film release.
New Kids on the Block, Hanson, The Script, Jonas Brothers, OneRepublic, Gavin Degraw, and Boys II Men are also some of the top names announced yesterday. 2020k will keep you posted on this festival as news becomes available.
Tickets go on sale May 10th, 2013 and start at $50 for the two days. Click here for the festival’s website.
Note: Major thanks to @Officialchilli for the retweet and Totally T-Boz’ Facebook page for the share.
2020k 