Modern Tapes makes excellent post-punk/new wave music. This is what I know for sure. The band’s Facebook page also tells me: “MODERN TAPES formed in a bomb shelter in 2010. They played and recorded underground for almost a year. They used equipment left behind by a past generation.” And there we are… quite the mysterious/romantic bio, no? Fortunately, the gang at All Things Go brought the Tel Aviv-based band to light, and now we all get to enjoy them!
Daytrotter continues the neverending onslaught of awesome with today’s The Head and The Heart session. It’s a dynamic, energetic set from the Seattle band, and well worth checking out. As Daytrotter puts it: “Seattle band The Head and the Heart lives for the lovely confusion of continuous misinterpretation of what it means when we feel certain things in the various spots where we feel them. They don’t let dreariness creep into the conversation, but rather they find that the shafts of golden light that stream into their eyes when they’re needing it most are signs that comprehension is overrated. There are places that are so familiar that they’re healing, in some way.” Hear a bit, below, and find some links to other excellent performances.
So, it’s Wednesday. What can you do? Actually, the reason this mix is late, and the reason for this mix, are the same. I went out West for a week. I flew into the twilight, and over the beautiful mountains, and came to realize many things. It was a nostalgic trip, bringing forth many faces from the past. And in the end, after a beautiful week, I realized I’m ready to move forward with the business of living. I felt alive, and creative, and ready to fight for a better future…
But to honor that person who labored so long with the weights of the past, as well as the weights themselves (all well-earned, I’m sure), I made a little mix. And it’s yours, now. Follow me…
Recently, The Low Anthem stopped by the awesome, Austrian site They Shoot Music Don’t They… to perform a version of “Ghost Woman Blues.” The whole thing takes place outside by the Donaukanal, and it’s easy to see how the setting revisits the Providence, RI mill where they recorded Smart Flesh. It’s a great, live performance, and you can check it out after the cut. After that, why not visit They Shoot Music Don’t They… to check out more awesome sessions? Today’s is Times New Viking, and we did a review of the site here. Enjoy!
Thanks to NPR, we’ve got two great albums this week! First up is one of the most highly-anticipated releases of the year: Bon Iver’s Bon Iver. It’s certainly a change in tone from 2008’s For Emma, Forever Ago, featuring a more complicated, textured set of musical arrangements. I’ve been looking forward to this all year, and I encourage you to join me in visiting NPR to hear Bon Iver.
Also, this week, we get to hear another eponymous album: Marissa Nadler’s kickstarter-funder Marissa Nadler. Marissa is definitely one of the most exciting artists to come out of Boston in a while – drawing comparisons to Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, and Kate Bush (how’s that for a mix?) – I encourage you to have a listen here.