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Members of the NYC (by way of Canada) band Islands recently stopped by our store and graced us with some mid-day humor and an awesome 3 song acoustic set, including 2 new songs! Check out the vids below:
“Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby”
NEW SONG – “Lonely Love”
NEW SONG – “Shotgun Vision”
Their newest album Vapours is available now and highly recommended.
Review and photos by Julie Drexler.
This week I had the pleasure of seeing Laurie Anderson – one of America’s most influential and experimental electronic artists – perform music from her new, politically-charged album Homeland at World Live Cafe in Philadelphia.
The atmosphere was intimate with dinner tables lining the lower level of the theater, while blue votives dressed the dark stage creating a dramatic ambiance. Wearing her classic white suit and black tie, Anderson took the stage accompanied by Bill Laswell (bass guitar), and Rob Burger (keyboards, accordion.) The Homeland Trio started their seamless set off with Anderson reciting the piece “The Beginning of Memory“, an ancient story about a time when there was no earth — only air and birds,” disguised in her now trademark sinsiter “audio drag” voice.
Throughout the night, she mesmerized the audience with her animated facial expressions and poetic, electronic-filtered voice. With wry humor, Anderson switched back and forth between her keyboard and electric violin while jabbing at the truth of modern day issues such as BP and the war.
As the set was coming to an end, I could feel the audience drifting into her strange world via the ease of her expert storytelling. The evening concluded with Anderson playing a short but sweet encore solo of “Flow” on the violin.
Overall, it was a powerfully artistic journey reflecting the state of the world, human behavior and technology. Provocative and fascinating, it was a performance I am glad to have witnessed.
You can purchase her new album Homeland from Nonesuch Records.
Laurie Anderson, a performance artist and one of the early innovators in the electronic music Avant-garde, recently released her first studio album in over 10 years. Homeland is simultaneously a stark reflection of the world’s current state and a moody adventure in language. But when all is said and done, it’s Anderson’s melodies and minimalist arrangements that are most captivating. Watch her discuss the album in this short clip:
You can listen to album samples and purchase it on Nonesuch.
Watch influential, experimental music composer John Cage discuss his philosophy on sound with an occasional snickering giggle: “I love sounds, just as they are. And I have no need for them to be anything more than what they are.”
Here’s a great TED talk from ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. Byrne, known for his fascinatingly intellectual look into all areas of art and culture, discusses the effect of architectural design on experiencing music.
(via The Walrus)
Who said album art is dead? Check out this silly Tumblr which features GIF animations of your favorite album covers! The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night and Bjork’s Homogenic are particularly great.
