Mentifacts

music as it comes, when it comes, or before it goes

[hellyeahjks]

cute Mu Gyul *_*

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Weird Dreams - Coreography

[Matteo] A lone blogger's plea for a band to attain fame is one of the least resonant and most pitiful things on the internet, but sometimes I can't help myself.

Choreography is overflowing with hooks, but at the same time a certain detachment courses through it - notably on lead single Holding Nails. More earnest and playful moments are revelatory as a result, and in the end you get a picture of a band that can pull off just about any personality in a convincing manner, without sounding like jacks of all trades.

Weird Dreams can sound as bright as the Beatles one moment and as undecipherable as Deerhunter the next, and I can't wait to see what path they will be taking next time around.

Someone give them a major label deal already!

Just kidding, that would be horrible.

[boniverotica]

Last night we made love on a frozen pond. As we lay together afterward counting the stars, I began to shiver. Bon Iver pulled me close and said, ‘If I could crawl inside your heart and build a fire, would you let me?’

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[Matteo] how do you know when an indie artist has crossed over? this tumble log is probably the answer to that question.. 

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The wonderful world of captchas

Captchas are first and foremost used to make sure that whoever wants to access a certain content is a real person - to prevent automated access, especially, say, into someone's email account. So now hackers had to find a way to get real people to do the dirty work for them, in what became a semi-automated process: email site prompts me for a captcha, i spam some random dude asking for it, he sends it back, and i enter it so I can finally log into Clare's account to see if she really has feelings for me or if she's just leading me on, and secretly planning my public humiliation.

There were two people in a room at some point, one asked 'how do we get people to do that' and the other replied 'porn' [which, admittedly, is pretty much the answer to everything].

                            oh yeah melissa, I love it when you talk dirty to me

Now you're probably thinking, captchas are tainted, there's no way anyone could turn them into a virtuous device.

Wrong.

Those lovely folks over at Google are at the helm of a new implementation of the whole 'captcha' idea:

Ugh, I'm sick and tired of websites telling me I should experience life instead of sitting in front of the computer all day. Except.. this isn't what reCaptcha is about.

All the captchas run by reCaptcha are actually fragments of dusty old books. Books that have become worn out and illegible to machines. So we ask you to kindly help us uncover the darkest recesses of literature.

Damn, and I thought I was just looking for pictures of the Olsen Twins when they were younger.

This whole idea of outsourcing the quest for knowledge to the world is fascinating, and it got me wondering whether there could be other ways to do that, other ways to get our invaluable assistance as human beings unbeknownst to ourselves. 

It could backfire, though. I realized that when I saw this letter floating around one of those pesky little boxes:

Why, that's an F.

Except, that happens to be exactly the way the letter S would be written back in the day. It's one thing for the people as a whole to be wrong, but what if they're all wrong in the exact same way? 

Don't get me wrong, it's nothing a little R&D won't fix, but there remains a definite, if slight, risk that a hundred years from now people will think Immanuel Kant had a lisp.

                  which, in all honesty, would be the least of this man's problems.

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New Japandroids Single

[Joey] If you haven't heard Japandroids, then I feel really sorry for you.  For those who are unfamiliar, long story short, in 2008, this band broke up, got lured back in to playing by small record label execs, decided to temporarily get back together, released the absolutely raw and powerful Post Nothing in 2009, and they're putting out a new album this June.

The band released their first single from the upcoming Celebration Rock, "The House That Heaven Built", a few days ago.  If the single is any indication, there's going to be a lot of celebrating going on.  At the risk of sounding a little like I'm exaggerating, this might be one of the most uplifting power songs that I've heard in years.  It's very fitting that the album is coming out in the summer, since this song sounds like it could be on the soundtrack to an absolutely epic adventure.  Hell, this song is going on the soundtrack to my life.  Just give it a listen.  If you don't feel anything, get your pulse checked.

[Matteo] The artwork is basically identical to that of their debut album. Feels good man, like they never left us in the first place, yet it was 2009. 

http://soundcloud.com/polyvinyl-records/7-the-house-that-heaven-built

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[Matteo] Jet have broken up. In their honor, here’s Pitchfork’s review of their sophomore album, which I screencapped in case the site ever disappears from the internet

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Delaney & Bonnie and Friends - Motel Shot (1971)

[Joey] Whether anyone wants to truly admit it or not, we’re all influenced by the music our parents listened to.  I was pretty lucky.  My parents never had me listen to the kiddie filth that so many kids listened to.  They treated me like an actual human, and I’m sure a lot of it was for selfish reasons.  Does any parent really want to listen to silly song kiddie crap?  I’m about 99% positive that my parents felt the same way.

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Fortunately or unfortunately, Die Antwoord seems to evade straight-forward classification. The new album, Tension, indeed lives up to its name, in that it leaves die-hard fans, (such as myself), with a mixed, but mainly unsatisfied feeling. A bit like if my friend that I always go dancing with, and suddenly i find out he broke a leg, but tries to dance anyway.

But that is not to give the impression that the album is worthless. It has several gems. Fok Julle Najers, already a famous live staple, has been recorded and, gladly, improved and perfected, with the segment of DJ Hi-Tek Rulez. This alone goes to show that Die Antwoord are in essence alive and well. After all, only Die Antwoord as we always knew them could use one of the most vulgar quotes of modern history, by Mike Tyson, and transform it into a catchy and trashy anthem.

This might be the best the album has to offer. There are other great songs, though they may take time to get accustomed to. I Fink U Freaky and Fatty Boom Boom are clearly done in good-old $0$ style next-level beats. Hi energy doesn’t keep peaking for long, with Hey Sexy and So What? being decent and listenable efforts, but bringing nothing too new to the table. Fun songs, nothing too amusing, nothing too exciting. We then need to ask what the hell the Ninja and Yollandi were thinking when penning Baby’s on Fire and U Make a Ninja Wanna Fuck. Sure, Die Antwoord have always been trashy, but here we are left with nothing but trash… and this is pretty much it. The album has a couple of ‘skits’. But unlike the original, or at least entertaining skits of $0$, these skits are completely skippable. They don’t even try to enhance the overall listening experience of the album, as you can argue they did in the debut.

The alert reader may have noticed that so far I have not mentioned the first and last song on the album. The final and last track, apparently, were given the same name in order to try tie the album up nicely. Sadly, these tracks may be the lowest point of the album. Apart from the two being some kind of electro dance pieces, they don’t resemble much of each-other – I actually quite like the second part, but routinely skip the first. Despite my sympathies towards the second part, it is worth asking what was going through their heads here. The electronic instrumental at the end of $0$ is brialliant, but precisely because it does not try to imitate the mainstream drum n bass of the time. Why couldn’t the have resisted the temptation this time?

So what can one say about the album? One can certainly say that it does not live up to its predecessor. One can safely say that Die Antwoord are probably capable of more. But one should NOT use this against the South-Africa rap crew. Despite only having one album penned by Die Antwoord, Ninja (or rather, Watkin Tudor Jones), has a long history of making ground-breaking art-blending hip-hop. Tension doesn’t fail due to a lack of experience. Perhaps I, and other disappointed fans, might look at it as a transition phase. It would be too easy to say that it is not as good as its original – an album of that strength is irreplaceable. Would it be as good if it was? We should just hope they get their act together soon, so we don’t have to wait too long for the next batch of new ear-shattering material.

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The result of this change is a ‘50s-inspired, guitar-oriented rock album, which features songs that Bauer said are “not as sparse as the ones on Lisbon.”.

“It’s very rock and roll in a lot of ways,” Bauer said. “They have drum beats, which is nice return for us to use full drum beats again. There’s something triumphant and romantic about them, that just hits the right tone that we’ve been looking for. They’re not nearly as sparse as the ones on Lisbon.” [organist Peter Bauer]

If you heard Lisbon, you know exactly what he's talking about: its sparseness was admittedly part of its charm, but Bauer's description brings You & Me to mind, which isn't half bad.

Full feature from Paste.com here, while below you can enjoy a live rendition of a song that will presumably end up on the record [although no title or tracklist has been announced]

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The So So Glos - Tourism/Terrorism [2008]

[Joey] I’ll be the first person to admit that my writing is generally direct, and I guess it’s oddly influenced by the music I have listened to throughout my lifetime.  I’ll also be the first to say that I’m not one to wax poetic about the glory days of rock or indie or any other scene.  Certain things aren’t as good as they used to be, but let’s be honest, there’s still a lot of quality music out there.

Music is an auditory Constitution, an ever changing document that bends to reflect the current state of the world.  I could wax poetic about Neutral Milk Hotel, Refused, Joy Division, Hüsker Dü, Pavement, and the dozens of albums and artists that influenced my emotions and tastes.  There will never be another band like any of those mentioned.  So to try and compare what’s currently going on to these icons is a losing battle.  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have those “whatever happened to the good ole days” thoughts, but an album from 2008 always brings me back into perspective.

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[Matteo] So, the Shins' impossibly anticipated new album, Port of Morrow, is now streaming over at Drowned in Sound. Like most streams, it's a measly 128 kbps (don't ask how I know), but hey, it's the goddamned new Shins album. It's coming out on the 25th of this month.

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[Matteo] Young Magic are very apt at blending together some of the most fashionable sounds of the past few years (notably Animal Collective, Neon Indian, Bear In Heaven), consisting of lo-fi electronica tinged with psychedelic flourishes -  and they partially manage to sound like themselves, except a lot of what's on their debut LP, entitled Melt, qualifies more as impressive soundscapes than actual songs. In this part of the universe, Bear In Heaven are better songwriters, even though Young Magic make a terrific first impression.

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[Joey] Thank Christ (note: I have no religious affiliation, so I can get away with such blasphemy) for bands that aren’t afraid to grab their balls and rock out.  Is it something you want from every band?  No, because it would get old after a while.  And yes, two of my favorite albums from this year are steeped in folk and Americana, but they can gladly go take their respective seats in second and third place.  The Men have entered the forum.

Now I’m not here to say The Men are going to save indie rock or rock ‘n’ roll or anything like that.  I’ve read such hyperbolic statements about them already, and I personally think such statements about any band are beyond trite and played out.  However, I will say this album has delivered something that I have been waiting to hear for what seems like ages in the modern, digital “appease now!” era of music and bands, which is pretty unfair considering their last effort came a mere eight-and-a-half months ago.

One thing any casual listener will notice is how Mark Perro sounds oddly like Dave Grohl on the opener “Turn it Around,” and it definitely sounds like something Foo Fighters would record if they wanted to let it all hang out.  And this is definitely a good thing.  In my opinion, indie music needs some rock that isn’t afraid to flex a little muscle and produce some songs that hover around the edge of arena anthem.  And with such strong vocal presence on display, one of the most amazing aspects of the album is that it’s nearly half full of instrumentals (or quasi-instrumentals).  They’re not afraid to let the instruments take their turn in the spotlight, and this gives a real communal feeling to the album.

And with this communal feel comes one arching them, The Men want to express how much fun they’re having as a band, and they want you in on all of it.  They’re a band that will bust out an alt-country punk tune and follow it up with a seven minute epic that teems of the late 80’s and early 90’s indie alt rock sounds that we all still yearn for.  And they’re happy to oblige when we, the fans of guitar-driven “aggressive” rock, get antsy waiting our next fix.  I feel like Open Your Heart is a message reminding the band of what they wanted to do on this album.  And they did just that.  For that, I almost feel like I should write them a thank you letter.

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[Benjamin] Beach House are one of the champions of the fast rising (freak/nu-)folk(tronica) acts. Sure their debut was a bit slow, but now it's big news that a new album will be coming in a couple of months. It's appropriately named 'Bloom' and the first song we have the pleasure of listening to sounds very confident and a bit more forward than the mind-candy they produced initially. In other words, as expected after Teen Dream. Enjoy.

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Top 5 Albums of 2012 Thus Far - staff picks #2

[Matteo]

5. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

I didn't jump on the Perfume Genius bandwagon back in 2010 when it would have been considered 'cool', but this intoxicating mix of Sufjan Stevens and Anthony and the Johnsons captivated me from the very beginning. It's a long relentless funeral dirge, a kind of cohesive piece that I don't hear very often anymore.

4. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

Andrew Bird's material has become more and more introspective as time progressed, becoming downright obtuse with Noble Beast in 2009. Break It Yourself sees him become less cerebral and more humane, and let's all rejoice for that.

3. Magnetic Fields - Love At The Bottom Of The Sea

The anticipation behind this record was so incredible you would have thought they were returning after a decade-long hiatus, and yet the Magnetic Fields have put out consistently good records without cease. What's new about this record is that it sees them returning to the more electronic sound that gave them a name in the early 90s. Stephen Merritt is at his best lyrically: Andrew In Drag, no-brainer of a choice for lead single, has some of the finest couplets you'll hear in 2012, but there's plenty of quirky, hilarious, but also earnestly romantic material to go through here

2. Grimes - Visions

Grimes' new record is a perfect marriage between atmosphere and pop appeal, between darkwave and RnB and all kinds of unlikely influences blended together. The emphasis is on rhythm at all times - the chord progressions are often little more than an afterthought, which actually helps the ambient mood set in. We'll hear more of Grimes: the girl has got a kick-ass personality. And some thick-ass eyebrows. 

1. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa

I already raved at this record earlier this year, and my impression has only gotten stronger since then. The way this record mixes pupil-dilating psychedelia with the best brand of intimate singer-songwriting never ceases to amaze me: it feels like Jurado is constantly floating between fairy tale places and real ones, in and out of consciousness. It's a strange and beautiful world you'll want to inhabit.