The Depreciation Guild: ‘My Secret Playlist’
by We asked New York-based duo, Kurt Feldman and Christoph Hocheim, who collectively make up the stunningly originally and creative glitchy pop group The Depreciation Guild (who play the Mercury Lounge next Thursday night), to tell us about eight songs that’s been spinning on their iPods lately.
End Of The Affair by Weekend
‘This was Alison Statton’s band after Young Marble Giants, but it’s a far cry from anything you might have heard on Colossal Youth. I like this track in particular because it’s really jazzy and it has a great nylon string guitar part, but it also hasn’t lost its pop charm. Alison’s voice will be adorable, eternally. This one is perfect for springtime’.
Motion by Days
‘I really could have picked any track off their recent release from Shelflife because they’re all great. This one often gets stuck in my head the most. I’m not going to compare them to anyone specifically because I think most bands find that annoying, but if you liked any of the classier Sarah Records releases you will probably love this band. Which brings me to the next one …’
She Can Wait Forever by St. Christopher
‘This was on the Bacharach EP on Sarah in 1990 but you can get the whole collection of all the Sarah singles now on one CD that Plastilina Records put out – I highly recommend it. This song is especially good because of the rollicking rhythm section and endlessly jangling guitars. It reminds me of riding a horse alongside a moving train or something, which I haven’t actually done’.
Frozen by Curve
This is from the early EP of the same title and it’s also on the Pubic Fruit compilation. The beats in pretty much every Curve song play along that ‘madchester’ vibe, but they are so absurdly massive, that somehow I can never get sick of them. And yeah, Dean does that slidey overdriven bass line a lot but it’s so hazy and perfectly behind the beat that you would swear you were on E, which is not a bad thing at all.
For Kate I Wait by Ariel Pink
For Kate I Wait is a perfect gateway into the twisted world of Ariel Pink: androgynous vocals croon longingly for a woman named Kate (Bush perhaps? One can only hope) over a bed of warped synths washed out with waves of tapes hiss and reverb. It wasn’t until I saw Ariel Pink’s disjointed performance with Lilys at Spaceland a few months ago that I became completely obsessed with his lo-fi, acid-fried pop aesthetic. This track has been on repeat ever since.
Silence by Portishead
Wherever Portishead has been hibernating for the past ten years must have been a pretty dismal place. This is one of the most unsettling tracks Portishead has ever released and hands down one of best things I’ve heard all year. The first track on their release, Third, Silence is uncharacteristically driving, featuring an almost Prodigy-esque beat and a haunting chord progression that would keep even die hard ’self-titled’ fans up at night.
My Clown by Belong
Imagine if William Basinski’s Disintegration Loops had featured the corroded recordings of Syd Barrett, Tintern Abbey, Billy Nicholls, and July instead of his own? Nuff said. This vinyl-only EP by my favorite duo from New Orleans features stunning electronic-ambient covers of 60’s psych-pop songs, most of which I admit I had never heard before. Not that it really matters. Belong tarnish and obscure the pop compositions until only a semblance of the original tune remains. Simply gorgeous.
Each Dream Is An Example by Gastr Del Sol
Featured on Gastr Del Sol’s final album entitled Camoufleur, this track has all the pop charm of anything you’ll find on Pet Sounds (baritone sax and all!) But this isn’t just a shameless tribute to Mr. Wilson and boys. Each Dream Is An Example has a familiar yet contemporary sound thanks to guitarist, composer, and tape manipulation extraordinaire Jim O’Rourke, whose intricate laptop processing beautifully compliments this stripped-down ballad.
Tagged: New York bands, synth music
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Cocorosie back on the road again
On September 2, New York duo Cocorosie will kick of their first North American tour in over two years. Sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady will be joined by bassist Josh Werner and beatboxer Spleen on fourteen shows, playing a mix of old and new material from their forthcoming album, slated for a 2010 release. We checked in with Bianca and asked her how things were progressing with the new recording: ‘The album is getting very hot. Like a glowing piece of glass in a fiery kiln. A roasting apple ready to burst’. When asked what they’ll be playing on the tour, Bianca said: ‘We go back to before we were born. We steal old songs of our Mother, family songs, old gospel, opera … lots of La Maison, little parts mostly, like the first toys and tapes and broken things’.
The Walkmen: ‘My Secret Playlist’
We asked Ham and Pete, from New York band The Walkmen, to give us the rundown on the music that is inspiring them right now and they started off with a track from that elder statesmen of indie folk, Bonnie Prince Billy, Goin’ to Acapulco: ‘He did a remarkable job of putting a unique spin on a classic. It’s no small feat, and it’s a really impressive version’. Read more of The Walkmen’s Secret Playlist.
Interview with Eugene Hutz, Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello’s frontman, Eugene Hutz, was born in Kiev to a Romany family which fled their home following the Chernobyl disaster when he was a teenager. He spent years travelling through Eastern European refugee camps before arriving in Vermont, in the north-east American region of New England, as a political refugee. He eventually established himself in New York as a musician and artist, and became the resident DJ at the Bulgarian Bar, Mehanata, which, thanks to Eugene’s ‘kidnapping’ of touring Romany and Gypsy bands and artists to perform there after their official seated concert hall shows, helped turn it into the ‘CBGBs of Gypsy Punk. Gogol Bordello formed after its original members met at a Russian wedding in Vermont, and soon snow-balled into a fully-fledged immigrant orchestra. Debut shows at famous New York venues, including the Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom, saw them banned for performances that were ‘too over the top’. Read more
Also by ZOLTON
Crimea X is the coming together of two offbeat, disparate characters, DJ Rocca (Ajello, Super Sonic Lovers, Maffia Sound System) and Jukka Reverberi from 90s Italian glam cult rockers, Giardini di Mirò, who have often have been compared with the sound of Mogwai, Arab Strap, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. We asked them about their favourite music and they started with The Smiths song, Ask [listen below] ‘I saw them playing live on Italian TV. It was during the 80s when I was extremely young, and I’ve never stopped listening to this song’. Read the rest of Crimea X’s Secret Playlist.
I love the curated selection of abandoned swimming pool photos on Feature Shoot today, featuring work by Carlo Van de Roer and Albert Jodar, amongst others.
Win a set of Sony personal audio prizes
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
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I really enjoy the way Colleen Plumb composes her photos, allowing them to be sparse and evasive, with the backgrounds as vital to the images as the foregrounds and the things not in the frame as fascinating as what is in them. Read more
If words like twentieth century, architecture, salvage, furniture and hodgepodge turn you on, then Retrouvius will enter into The Hall of Fame when it comes to showing off your new digs. I am quite partial to the Central Line Tube Table, being that I take the line everyday. ’Dining on’ instead of ’schlepping in’ could expand relations with the city. You also might enjoy poking through their project page for home inspirations.
If only we could swap out every ubiquitous North Face jacket that sits tight on the weather-beaten frames of far too many Manhattanites for one of these wonderful creations by Japanese artist, Kosuke Tsumura. The city would be that much more of an interesting place. Called Final Home, this parka has 44 zippered pockets and is part of Tsumura’s collection of ‘post-apocalyptic streetwear’, designed as a respite — and insulation — from the stresses of modern urban living.
I must be the only cat in Brooklyn not sporting any ink. Yup, the streets are lined with people rocking all manner of tattoos, some kitsch, some serious, some that probably should have stayed inside the mind of their creators. If I were to get some work done, I’d probably go to Yannou who takes a playful approach to the art of body re-styling. Read more
We have a thumping track by Chicago-based rocker Tom Fuller [above] available for free download in the Music Download section of Lost At E Minor (pssst, it’s in third column of the site), along with new tracks by Five O’Clock Heroes, Fujiya & Miyagi, and Madlib. Read more
The issue of abortion has hardly ever been represented so honestly by a movie. Knocked Up and Juno gave the pro-choice movement a boost, and of those two, only Juno came close to confronting the issue. In the Princess of Nebraska, the main character suffers through indecision, naivety and turmoil that seem much closer to reality. Read more
The latest band to make LA proud is tropical-nu wave act Abe Vigoda. These guys are so new and so exciting that even your grandparents don’t know who they are. Yet! They describe themselves as tropical punk, but I like to think of them as nihilistic rockers — no form, no shape, just chaos. If LA’s new breed of punk popstars such as Health, Meiko Meiko and Pocohauntas make you tremble, then this band are sure to get you very worked up.
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Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
Baltimore company Charm City Cakes produces the most innovative wedding and party cakes on the market. Inspiration for these creative bakers comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, and music, and each cake is individually designed to match your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating. Don’t miss these cakey engineering masterpieces. Read more
Check out Mike Stimpson’s Lego reinterpretations of classic photographs. Stimpson’s version of Malcolm Browne’s iconic 1963 photograph of the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc is particularly twisted. Read more
I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.
Good thing Kris Kuksi channelled the trauma of growing up with an alcoholic stepfather, his disdain for ‘the typical American life and pop culture’, and his fascination with the macabre into obsessive, baroque assemblages, paintings, and drawings. Read more
Trip out with Sparrow Vs Sparrow’s retro illustrations, I love their aesthetic, color use and sense of humor. Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
Too sweet for words, these beautiful hoop earrings by Sydney-based designer Carmel Taylor are a real touch of origami for your ears. Read more
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