New Music / Golden Bear’s new EP, Everest

February 4, 2009 | New Music | by Zolton |

Having played South By South West over the past couple of years, Golden Bear have just released a souped up new EP, Everest, which sees the Texan rock band playing together like they would at a rehearsal or a show. Says frontman Chris Gregory: ‘I was a little anxious about being able to approximate the sound of our live show in the first place, but I figured to hell with it-let’s give it a shot. And I’m glad we did. There were no endless nights of playing the same song 150 times, no overscrutinaztion, and in all honesty, no hitches in the plan whatsoever. It was loose, rowdy, and rewarding, just like our shows’. You can download the Golden Bear track, All The Stars [listen below], for free via the Music Download section in the third column of the Lost At E Minor site.

New Music / The Dark Was The Night compilation

January 24, 2009 | New Music | by Francis Andrews |

The crew at 4AD, watching over perhaps the hottest artist roster of any independent label in the world, have put their collective minds together and come up with an album that holds every potential of being the finest release of the year. The formula is simple: you grab a batch of the hottest bands and artists around at the moment (take your pick from Arcade Fire, Yeasayer [pictured above], Bon Iver, Beirut, Sufjan Stevens; the list continues without the slightest dip in quality), throw in David Byrne for a touch of that priceless musical wisdom, quickly hammer together a few inspired duos, like Gillian Welch and Conor Oberst, or The Books and Jose Gonzalez, name it after a seminal Blind Willie Johnson track, and then get the brains behind one of the great bands of the last few years, The National, to produce it. Finally — take a deep breath — all the proceeds go towards the fight against AIDS. Dark Was The Night isn’t released until February 16th, but the scent on the wind is good. David Byrne and the Dirty Projectors’ opening track (listen below) is brilliantly fresh, while Yeasayer have channelled their wild spirits into a song textured as intricately as a Peruvian silk skirt, with a rainstick for effect.

New Music / The music behind the new Howling Bells album, Radio Wars

January 15, 2009 | New Music | by Zolton |

The last time I caught up with London-based, Australian band, Howling Bells, was in New York in early 2007 when they played a show at one of the many seedy Lower East Side bars. Since then, they’ve recorded a new album, the aptly named Radio Wars [listen to their song, Treasure Hunt, below], a remarkable follow-up to their 2006 self-titled debut. I checked in with guitarist Joel Stein to find out what music the four-piece had been listening to around the time the album was written: ‘The Byrds’ Eight Miles High always sounds so futuristic to me. It has one of the best guitar sounds ever and really moves me with its color and power. Every time I hear the Tortoise track, I Set My Face to the Hillside, I instantly get transported to the ocean. Beautiful! Joy Division’s Isolation is incredible. I love the intro keyboard riff, in particular (the keyboard was self-built). It expresses urgency and truth. And then there’s Neu!’s Hallogallo, a truly inspiring instrumental track that I always want to go on for longer. Its fuzzy guitars are so warm and vibrant. Perfect!’ Read frontwoman Juanita Stein’s Playlist of inspiring songs.

New Photography / Kurt and Courtney are Sassy!

January 14, 2009 | New Photography | by Alison Zavos |

New York-based photographer Michael Lavine took the iconic photo of Kurt and Courtney for the cover of Sassy magazine back in the early 1990s. We asked him to recount the story behind the shoot: ‘We shot the photos at my Bleeker St loft on the Bowery. I remember that my friends Andrea Linett and Janet Billig were there. I remember the ridiculous twelve foot silk lighting setup I used. I remember people having to go out and score dope. I remember Kurt telling me that the reason that he loved Courtney so much was that she was the only girl he knew that would stand up at a party and smash a glass table to bits just for the hell of it. I remember thinking that was a pretty odd reason to love someone’. There’s an extensive interview with Michael Lavine on the Feature Shoot website.

January 1, 2009 | Video | by Zolton |

Philip Norman’s recently released biography of John Lennon, aptly titled The Life, captures the true essence of a man who was a well of contradictions, his peaceful exterior masking an explosive temperament that surfaced far too often for those who were in his inner-sanctum. And it was a virtually impregnable sanctum to crack, unless, of course, you were a fourteen year old kid with a reel-to-reel tape deck. In 1969, a Beatles fanatic called Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and recorded him discussing his thoughts on peace, love, and all things in between. This amazing video is the end result of that conversation: ‘Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon’s every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon’s boundless wit, and timeless message’.

New Music / The Archerbolds

December 28, 2008 | New Music | by Michelle Wilding |

Already with a Spectrum show under their belt, The Archerbolds are an up and coming Australian band well worth checking out. I saw the Sydney-based lads play recently at the Mars Hill Café and it was evident that they should be permanently rocking out on a real stage; not in front of coffee sippers. Their floating lyrics, smart guitar riffs and meaty bass lines are infused by The Strokes, Mars Volta, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin — ultimately producing a freshly spun modern-vintage sound. Lead vocalist and guitarist Geoffrey ‘Gep’ Rectin says The Archerbolds plan to create a solid sound for next year: ‘Over summer, we’re recording an EP and working on a set sound, defining more of an image’. If their track, Rest Your Soul, is anything to go by, then it should be pretty dandy.

New Music / Children Collide interview

December 16, 2008 | New Music | by Huna Amweero |

It’s hard to find a misstep on the full-length debut from Melbourne band, Children Collide. The Long Now doesn’t sound like a first album: its mature, yet completely varied sound and lyrical concept makes it feel like something you’d expect from a band on their third or fourth album (you know, after the ‘cursed’ second album). Children Collide are most definitely in control, something that could have been lost while working with big-name producer, Dave Sardy. It’s rare that you pick up a CD and feel like the band has decided on everything, right down to the artwork that encases their killer album. We threw guitarist-singer Johnny Mackay a few questions about how they managed to wrap everything up in such a … errr … tight little package. Read more

New Events / Faith No More reunion

December 2, 2008 | New Events | by Gerry Mak |

Very few band reunions get me excited, but I’ve consistently loved Faith No More since I was 13. I loved their pre-Mike Patton era, I loved King for a Day, and I even loved their track with Boo Yah Tribe on the Judgment Night soundtrack. Kerrang recently hinted that a FNM reformation is in the works for ‘09, and though bassist Billy Gould has emphatically denied the rumors, the general consensus is that the reunion is on.

New Prizes / Flaming Lips DVD

November 8, 2008 | New Prizes | by Zolton |

We have a copy of the new Flaming Lips’ DVD, Christmas on Mars [out Nov 11] to give away to a randomly selected US-based subscriber to our weekly email publication who leaves a message under this post telling us their favourite Flaming Lips song. Read more

New Music / Young Widows

November 3, 2008 | New Music | by Derrick Stembridge |

Arriving two years after their debut, Settle Down City, Old Wounds completes Young Widows’ transformation into a top-shelf rock band firing on all cylinders. Forging the best parts of Nirvana, The Jesus Lizard, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Fugazi and The Melvins, Old Wounds is a series of dynamic, thoughtful tunes anchored by cavernous grooves that will certainly push most speakers to their breaking point. Read more

Cool Websites / The Vines’ Secret Playlist

October 29, 2008 | Cool Websites | by Zolton |

Fans of Australian buzzsaw rock trio, The Vines, might like to check out our sister site, My Secret Playlist, where drummer Hamish Rosser has written about eight songs he’s digging right now. There’s some interesting choices in there including The Strokes, James Brown, and, gulp, Joan Jett.

New Trends / Guns n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy

October 28, 2008 | New Trends | by Gerry Mak |

A full seventeen years after their last album (The Spaghetti Incident doesn’t count), Guns n’ Roses – well, Axl Rose, anyway — is finally set to unleash a new album on the world. The ridiculously belated album has been delayed for so long, it’s a wonder why anyone still cares, but it does seem that Chinese Democracy will finally hit the shelves next month. Believe it or not, Guns n’ Roses are one of the most popular bands in China, one of the first Western cultural imports to gain notoriety after the country began opening up in the early ’90s. Whether or not the wait will be worth it is still unclear — the track available on the band’s website won’t blow anyone’s mind — but at least we will soon be able to move on with our lives.

October 20, 2008 | Video | by Michelle Wilding |

When Bloc Party performed Banquet and Talons at MTV’s Video Music Awards in Brazil, it was very different to their routinely live shows. A last minute backing track request saw the indie heroes perform nothing more than a pantomime. Perhaps it was a ballsy ’screw you MTV’ attack for supporting the myriad of artists who choose to mime. Regardless, I’m absolutely pumped and cannot wait for Bloc Party to grace Australian shores next month.

New Music / The Drones’ Havilah

October 16, 2008 | New Music | by Huna Amweero |

The Drones are a rarity for me. Unlike my Arctic Monkeys or MGMT fixations, their music possesses a longevity that makes me think I’ll still be listening to them when I’m old and grey. Like their previous albums, the sounds on their new release Havilah are challenging, or at least give you the sense that they challenged themselves while making this record. For a record made in an isolated shack, the sound manages to be really big — with all the intimacy tied up in its vocals. Gareth Liddiard’s rough and filthy register is endearingly believable, sometimes scary, and so distinctly belongs to this band. The Drones have produced a phenomenal piece of art with this record, exuding the kind of brilliance that makes me think, we have only seen a fraction of what this band is capable of.

New Music / Cold War Kids’ Loyalty to Loyalty

October 4, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |

With their slow burning, ramshackle pop escapism, Cold War Kids have ignited a spark in that oft-derided indie music scene. So perk up! Their new album, Loyalty to Loyalty, can be heard in its entirety through the MTV Leak website.

Download the track, Something is Not Right With Me