Popol Vuh - Cœur de verre/Herz aus Glas & Einsjäger und Siebenjäger

For me to want to write about something on this blog, it has to resonate with me in a particular way. To me it is a sort of recommendation list, and I don't want my endorsements to be anything besides the best. To really get an album I have to spend a decent amount of time with it. I have to keep coming back to it and hear new things every time.

Despite this, I am posting about an album that as of this moment I haven't heard all the way through. By the middle of the album I had resolved to post it!





Popol Vuh is a German band that has released 20 albums between 1970-1999. It seems that their best run was in the 70's with at least one album out every year. Their music is a blend of sounds, from Krautrock, to psychedelic, to electronic, to world music. I discovered them from a great blog called Glowing Raw and I have a feeling there is not much I will be listening to for a while. Their style is so succinct that it's hard to put my finger on. There are clearly some improvisational elements, and eastern influences (from the occasional sitar and pentatonic infusions), and there is also the presence of blues in the guitar work. There is a "jam" quality that reminds me of the Grateful Dead (in a good way). Songs like "würfelspiel" take off with a driving tempo, and never turn back. "Einsjäger und Siebenjäger" is (originally) the last tack on the album of the same name, and its full 20 minutes are as grandiose and regal as anything I have heard in a while. (Also, it is the only stuff I've heard of theirs with vocals) I'm not gonna say too much more, but the production value is also excellent. I recommend these guys to anyone with a love of psychedelic and prog rock.



Florian Fricke of Popol Vuh was one of the first people to use the Moog synthesizer and it was a prominent component of their music. Below is a video of Fricke and another band member improving with the synth. It was only a few years later that Fricke gave his synth away and renounced electronic music. Strange, but true.



Popol Vuh's head man Florian Fricke was interested in film and even made a few short films before his music career started, so it makes sense that the band would be interested in scoring films. at least half a dozen of their studio albums were soundtracks for film maker Werner Herzog, including the first one listed below. Along with original music, they did an album of Mozart variations. I have only heard the one below but I'll be checking the others out soon enough.



FFO: Can, Neu!, Faust, Kraftwerk, Grateful Dead, kinda world music, Gentle Giant

Ok below we have two albums and their respective links. Enjoy!



Popol Vuh - Cœur de verre / Herz aus Glas



Popol Vuh - Einsjäger und Siebenjäger

Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic

Here We Go Magic is a Brooklyn band headed by Luke Temple. Their eponymous debut album is somewhat of a departure from Temple's solo music, but still has his signature songwriting style and gorgeous voice. The band is pretty new, and there isn't too much information on them, but they created a bit of buzz by touring with Grizzly Bear and then signing to Secretly Canadian. This album is a bit short, coming in at about 38 minutes, but it packs a punch. I have at no point been overwhelmed or completely blown away by their music, because it isn't groundbreaking. It's just good. My former roommate recommended I check this band out over the summer, and I was happy I did. I have found myself coming back to their music over and over, and I haven't gotten bored with it. The album, pictured below, is pretty strange as far as style. It takes some turns that I certainly didnt expect going into it the first time. I think it is best to go song by song on this one. (There are only nine). But first!



"Only Pieces" starts the album off with a really cool mix of real percussion and electronic blips, that could be Blue Man Group interlude. "What's the use in dyin', dyin', if I don't know when?" Temple's existential quandary is the first thing we hear from him. A bit later an acoustic guitar tinkles over everything, and the harmonies grow and build. I'll stop counting the layers there, but this continues a bit with repeated variations of his original question. It seems to grow and grow and speed up, but the tempo is constant. In a way it is a song fragment that is just stretched out, but its nice to hear music that isn't trying too hard.
Next we hear "Fangela," the first single and a great song. Again, simple but satisfying. It sounds like it was recorded down long empty hallway. The instruments (especially drums/hand claps) are echoey and spacious. This is again complimented with lite synths.
Around this time I felt like I had the band figured out. I pigeonholed them as sort of indie rock with dreamy, poppy sensibilities. But they had more up their sleeves (pardon the magic pun).
"Ahab" is next. Bass riff starts us off followed by a constant drum rhythm, which both persist through the entire song. A few brief almost indiscernible lyrics, as is Temple's style, but by the end there are so many layered drones that you don't really know where they came from. Not my favorite track, but the next one is.
"Tunnelvision" is a dreamy chugging track that gets in your head for days at a time. Again it is kinda the same thing for 4 minutes but it really doesn't matter to me. The fuzzy, hissy, deamy, sunny, warm, blissed-out song is a joy to listen to. And with this track, I realized that this band and album kinda belong to the Ducktails/Washed Out/Neon Indian/Memory Tapes trend of 4-track, distorted 80's synth, atmospheric songs that are everywhere these days. One difference is that they didn't go the dance music route. They are like folky indie rock with a Ducktails atmosphere. (If you don't believe me, or just don't hear it, listen to Here We Go Magic all the way through, and then listen to "Horizon" and "Beach Point Pleasant" by Ducktails).
Ok. Photo Break.



"Ghost List" is really a change from the first half of the album. It is really an ambient track. I love it. Loud, full and fuuuuuzzzzzy. At the 1:25 mark the song breaks into the distortion and hiss that is behind many Deerhunter and Atlas Sound songs. And at the 2:05 mark it sounds like the heart of a huge industrial beast pumping.
"I Just Want To See You Underwater" is my second favorite track on the album. It gets stuck in my head a lot too. Same format as far as rhythmic backing and atmosphere with repetitive lyrics. Ya know, there isn't a ton for me to say about this song. Just listen.
"Babyohbabyijustcantstanditanymore" is the shortest track, and more like an intro to "Nat's Alien" but its pretty cool as well. Its just sound really...noise maybe? Ambient.
"Nat's Alien" is also ambient a really cool looped sound that sounds like the tractor beam from an alien spacecraft. It is punctured with distorted feedback.
"Everything's Big" is the unexpected ending to Here We Go Magic's album. It is back to simple indie. But not for long. The innocence and playfulness build over 5 and a half minutes ending in epicness reminicent of The National. The accordion and whimsical farm animal talk are traded in for some jazzy drumming and Temple's most moving and heartfelt vocals of the album. This is a stripped down track, and isn't like the others, but fits somehow.



I really think everyone should check this out. Like I said the music is revolutionary, but I still listen to it and enjoy it, so it does have longevity. There is just something about the songwriting that is so touching and strong. Temple's voice is really great, and it wasn't only me who noticed.

"Luke Temple has one of the most beautiful voices in pop music." - Sufjan Stevens

"His voice alone is so damn good -- one of the prettiest voices in all of indie rock, hands down." - Ben Gibbard



Ok. Below there is a link to their MySpace, official videos for two songs, a live video, an NPR article, and the album itself.





Official MySpace

Live Sessions

NPR article

Here We Go Magic - Self Titled (Try it)

Here We Go Magic - Self Titled (Buy it)

Son Lux - At War With Walls & Mazes

Son Lux is the moniker of New York based musician, Ryan Lott. By day he writes music for tv/radio ads as well as dance companies, but he has more than that up his sleeve. Lott's debut album, At War With Walls & Mazes, took four years to birth, and was well worth the wait. It was essentially all recorded by him in his apartment. His classical training blends seamlessly with his love for hip hop production and beats.




The album is 11 tracks and travels to so many places in that time. There is a narrative arc in the structure, but no real story to my knowledge. Lott's voice is soft and tender while managing to stay evocative. His stylistic preferences are quite a mix. There are strong classical elements with the frequent inclusion of strings, woodwinds and piano (see the last half of "Stay"). There is a definite hip-hop undertone in the beats, rhythms and production style (see the first minute of "Break," who's spastic, splintering drum beats sound like DJ Shadow's "The Number Song"). There are the clear signs of electronica in the glitches of "Wither" or "Raise" (either of which could easily be tracks from Thom Yorke's The Eraser). There are jazzy and soulful moments (see the 1:08 mark in "Stay" where a fractured tinny organ sweeps in). There are even ambient moments (see "Tell"). Despite all these styles and influences, the record is never bloated or boring. His style is unmistakable and this album is one of the best debut albums I have ever heard. Lott's obviously knew exactly what he wanted to create, and he made no compromises in making it happen. I am posting his beautiful music videos:






Everything I have seen or heard with his name on it is of the highest quality. Music videos for the songs are visually stunning and perfect companions to the tracks.



Below there are links to Son Lux's official blog and MySpace. The blog has a whole ton of free extra tracks from his album as well as tons of excellent remixes including Beirut and Radiohead. But before we get to that (and a link to the album) I am posting a live acoustic and very jazzy version of "Stay." It is a gorgeous performance, and vastly different imagining of the song than the album version. I didn't realize that his voice really sounds like this. After the song he stands up and hugs Yoni Wolf of Why? Enjoy.





Son Lux - At War With Walls & Mazes - Try it
Son Lux At War With Walls & Mazes - Buy it
Son Lux Blog
Son Lux MySpace

J Dilla - Donuts

February 7th, 2006 saw the release of Donuts, J Dilla's magnum opus. February 10th, 2006, just three days later, J Dilla was dead. He was barely 32. Hip-Hop lost one of its most promising young talents. Dilla had a rare blood disease called TTP that has a low survival rate. What he left was an excellent body of finished and unfinished work. Donuts, a sprawling 31 track record, is probably the best instrumental hip-hop album since Endtroducing..... And like DJ Shadow's masterpiece, Donuts redefined the standards of hip-hop music production. All of his released and unreleased material is constantly taken by rappers, DJs and other producers. Check out Dilla's posthumous appearance on "Lightworks" from (MF) DOOM's most recent release Born Like This. This is one of the two covers of Donuts.



Donuts is a collection of well formed beats and samples, compiled at Dilla's creative peak during his worst physical state. Dilla assembled a moody album full of longing, nostalgic and fearful tracks. Comprised of varied eclectic textures and moods, the samples are pulled heavily from the harmonies of old motown and the cheesy tv soundtracks of the 70s. The songs are really just, brief, flowing ideas, like snapshots of inspiration. Only one song passes the two minute mark. Here is the other cover.



His already large underground following became even more extensive after he died. This is a real gem for everyone who loves instrumental or even cinematic hip-hop production. Here are a few more pictures.

FFO: Madlib, Flying Lotus? old school hip-hop, innovative production.
Here is a link to this thumping honey dipped soul music.

Recommended tracks: "The New," "The Diff'rence," "Gobstopper" and "Walkinonit"

J Dilla - Donuts - Try it
J Dilla - Donuts - Buy it
J Dilla Official MySpace

The Antlers - Hospice

Well I guess its time to break in my blog. The inaugural post is about an album by the Brooklyn trio The Antlers. The Antlers started as a solo project by Peter Silberman, who was soon joined by a percussionist and keyboardist.
The concept album, Hospice, is a haunting work that chronicles Silberman's relationship with a terminally ill cancer patient in a New York City hospital. I believe he was a nurse at this hospital, and became emotionally involved with a patient in hospice. Most the songs are about his experiences dealing with losing his lover to cancer. The album was written during a two year self-imposed exile, where Silberman chose to not leave is apartment or see anyone. His total social isolation is truly palpable in the songs. The album was self-released earlier this year, and due to widespread critical, and some commercial success, the album was re-mastered and released on Frenchkiss Records.



It. Is. Awesome.
The lyrics are tender and intimate, like a confession in the dark. The album's first lyrics, softly whispered: "I wish that I had known in that first minute we met the unpayable debt that I owed you." ...And the gut wrenching honesty persists to the end on the LP. Throughout the record, warm ambient swells combine with shivering strings and filtered percussion to create fuzzy indie-rock with post-rock, ambient and even folksy tendencies. There are moments on this album where I am so overtaken with emotion it brings me close to tears. Near the beginning of Sylvia (about Sylvia Plath), Silberman yells, "Sylvia, get your head out of the oven. Go back to screaming and cursing, remind me again how everyone betrayed you." which is followed later by triumphant and mournful horns. There are just so many of these heart breakingly beautiful moments. At the end of Atrophy we hear of Silberman's intense desperation. There is even some sexuality in this gloomy situation.
"Someone, oh anyone. Tell me how to stop this.
She's screaming, expiring, and I'm her only witness.
I'm freezing, infected, and rigid in that room inside her.
No one's gonna come as long as I lay still in bed beside her."

Ive only really talked about the first three songs here, but there is more to hear for sure. This is really an album in the sense that it is best to listen to it all the way through. The songs reference each other, and flow together seamlessly. Never have I heard such a drifting heaviness as I have in Hospice. In a year with so much great music, this will stand above, and certainly make it to my top 3 albums of '09.

FFO: the punch in the gut emotion of Elliott Smith with Win Butler's trembling vocal crescendos.

Below is the music video for Two, a live performance at NPR, the album and official liner notes.




The Antlers - Hospice

Liner Notes

Website

Official MySpace

Welcome to \ABRA-DABRA/

Greetings series of tubes.
ABRA-DABRA is a place for me to share my thoughts about life, the universe and everything. I'm guessing most of the posts will involve music somehow, but we'll see. Anything that tickles my interest really... In the meantime, take care of yourself.
regards...
MUHA