Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Picture of Pecknold (Oh, And New Fleet Foxes)

As I reported on fork/knife a week or so ago, Robin Pecknold has chopped off his flowing locks, and we now have proof!

In other news, Mr. Pecknold has been unknowingly (to me at least) using the solo moniker White Antelope and slowly releasing some covers. At the moment White Antelope's myspace has two songs: A Steeleye Stan cover, "False Knight On The Road", and what seems to be an original called "Guitar Duet".

Apparently, the White Antelope myspace page was a place where Fleet Foxes posted some demos before their record came out, and will be a place that everybody should check once in a while because Pecknold says he will be posting some new cover songs in the near future.

2009 Bonnaroo Line-Up

One of the, if not the biggest music festival of the year, has announced their 2009 line-up. The headliners (besides Phish, of course) are iffy at best, but if you dig a little deeper you will find some great acts like TV On The Radio, Band Of Horses, Yeasayer, Animal Collective and many others. So, check out Bonnaroo's line-up video at their website, and if you think you missed something I've included the full line-up below.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Phish (2 Shows)
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
David Byrne
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dogg
Elvis Costello (Solo)
Erykah Badu
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Gov't Mule
Andrew Bird
Merle Haggard
MGMT
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The Decemberists
Girl Talk
Bon Iver
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
Band of Horses
The Del McCoury Band
of Montreal
Allen Toussaint
Coheed and Cambria
Booker T & the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Animal Collective
Gomez
Neko Case
Down
Jenny Lewis
Santogold
Robert Earl Keen
Citizen Cope
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
The Ting Tings
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
King Sunny Adé
Okkervil River
St. Vincent
Zac Brown Band
Raphael Saadiq
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Crystal Castles
Tift Merritt
Brett Dennen
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Toubab Krewe
People Under the Stairs
Alejandro Escovedo
Vieux Farka Touré
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Cherryholmes
Yeasayer
Todd Snider
Chairlift
Portugal. The Man.
The SteelDrivers
Midnite
The Knux
The Low Anthem
Delta Spirit
A.A. Bondy
The Lovell Sisters
Alberta Cross

Monday, February 2, 2009

I'm Not Sure Anything Will Make Up For "Sec Walkin", But They Can Try...

Dark Was The Night's track for today - February 2nd - is a new My Morning Jacket track, "El Caporal". For us at f/k, their 2008 album Evil Urges was a disappointment, although we thoroughly enjoy the Touch Me's and a few other tracks. The new track from the boys from Louisville doesn't do it for me either, but maybe a few of you out there will like it. Listen to it at Dark Was The Night's myspace.

Decemberists To Unveil Hazards Of Love at SXSW

The Decemberists' new album, Hazards of Love, is set to be released on March 24th, but those attending SXSW are going to get a sneak peek at the album in its entirety a week early. The band is headlining NPR's SXSW showcase at Stubbs on March 18th, and those of you who can't afford the $600+ tickets NPR will be broadcasting and webcasting the show.


Decemberists - The Rakes Song

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Tweedy Lays Down A Classic

Last night Mr. Tweedy did a sweet little cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" in Champaign, IL. Check it out.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Best Albums of 2008 You Haven't Heard

I apologize for the hiatus, but lately I've been focusing on my other music blog, fork/knife. But also let it known that Attentuate Esto hasn't died.

Now, I know it's almost February but I'd like to make one more post about last year. Here albums that I feel deserve some recognition that may have been overshadowed by the Fleet Foxes and TV On The Radio etc. So here they are (in no particular order).



Son Lux - At War With Walls & Mystics

With At War With Walls & Mystics, Ryan Lott, the man behind Son Lux has been able to produce a debut album that encompasses the raw emotion that Bon Iver used to captivate the world, but in the trip-hop genre. Son Lux's songs may start of soft and intimate, but eventually they just erupt and if you weren't paying attention at the beginning Lott will have capture your attention like that girl you met at the bar last week. I will admit that I am not an avid listener od trip-hop, but this is a major exception because the songs are written and produced so amazingly. So, even if you're a non believer Son Lux will make you one.

Son Lux - Betray


Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds And A Sound

At this point in musical history there are more bands that consist of acoustic guitar, drums and vocals than ever before, but something about Blind Pilot is different. It could be their witty, and at times Andrew Bird-like lyrics, the riffs and chord progressions that guitarist Israel Nebeker produces, or the perfectly placed horn interludes that they introduce into their songs. I must admit that the first I heard of Blind Pilot wasn't because of their music of their debut album, but because they were touring the West Coast with nothing but their instruments and a sweet set of wheels - bicycles. That's right, bikes, but don't let this cool little fact take away from the beautiful music that they are making.

Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds And A Sound


Grand Archives - Grand Archives

Grand Archives' self-titled debut album has to be one of my favorites of the year. The band has produced an album that flawlessly combines the vocal harmonies that gave Fleet Foxes an edge in the musical world and the simple yet genius guitar driven guitar sound that defined Band of
Horses' Everything All the Time (maybe because front man Mat Brooke was also a driving force behind that album). Not only does every song on the album bring something new to the table, but the whole album listens beautifully which shows how mature this band really is.

Grand Archives - Torn Blue Foam Couch


The Dears - Missiles

I have previously posted about The Dears and talked about how they had their problems last year. Despite these difficulties, having lost the majority of their band, the core of The Dears, the husband/wife duo of Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak still stays strong and with the help of some friends they have been able to produce a fairly strong album. When listening to Missiles you can hear the similarities to bands such as Radiohead, TV On The Radio and Joy Division. Despite mixed reviews for the new album I feel it is a strong effort considering. If you don't get to listen to the entire album be sure to check out "Disclaimer" and "Meltdown In A Major".

The Dears - Disclaimer


Eureka Birds - Eureka Birds

The Eureka Birds are a modest little band from Baltimore who have been able to accomplish what most bands fail to to on their first album. They have created an album that has such a marvelous linear continuity it's hard to believe, and the best part is that it doesn't take away from the individual songs, which each have their own eloquent personality. The only thing that I regret about this album is not listening to it sooner because these birds, whose interests are power lines, tall buildings, roofs, and parks according to their website, have made a smashing album.

Eureka Birds - The Still Life


Forest Fire - Survival

This is just one of the many phenomenal debut albums that was released in 2008. This another album that I previously posted about, and for good reasons. The band based out of Brooklyn is a perfect example that you don't need perfect production for music to sound great. Now don't get me wrong it does add a whole other element to the music if it you have a quality recording engineer on-board, but in Forest Fire's case I feel like it gives us a more intimate look at the band. My favorite part about Survival is the purposely off-kilter, infectious percussion that drives every song. That and the simple, yet raw acoustic guitar parts are what make this album a great listen. And be sure to check out my previous post on Forest Fire's Survival.

Forest Fire - Fortune Teller


Notwist - The Devil, You + Me

Although Notwist has been together for almost two decades, they have just just broken through the ticker-tape and made their way into the indie scene. The band from outside Munich, GR originally dabbled in the heavy metal scene before moving into onto indie music and more recently the ever-growing electronic scene. Notwist has been slowly but surely gaining play counts in my iTunes due to their very accessible compositions and I don't anticipate that going away anytime in the near future.

Notwist - Boneless


Point Juncture, WA - Heart To Elk

Vibraphone rock, plain and simple. The band from Portland, OR, not Point Juncture, WA seeing as it's a fictional location, has slowly been making a name for themselves and Heart To Elk is definitely a step in the right direction. Their songs are composed with a variety of instruments, and most of them lull you into a stupor before launching you into their own sonic stratosphere. I ssuspect that some of the band members will soon be quitting their day jobs so they can bless Planet Earth with their lovely music.

Point Juncture, WA - Sick On Sugar


Chad VanGaalen - The Soft Airplane

VanGaalen has quietly made his way onto the music scene with his laid back feel. The first song of his that I heard was "City of Electric Light" which starts of with his guitar and vocals in unison but then grows into the chorus which will burn into your conscience for days to come until you revisit the song. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the entire album has its own unique, weary ambiance like an unsung hero. "Willow Tree" has grow to be my favorite song off the VanGaalen's debut album that features the young man on banjo with lyrics that relax the body into a trance while delivering a dark message. The album as a whole is quite the accomplishment for this musician/illustrator/animator/producer.

Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree


Women - Women

I love Women! Okay, bad joke. But seriously, this band is great and everyone should know that. Women, the band's debut album, was recorded in Chad VanGaalen's basement which explains the tape hiss that the band ended up utilizing as a compositional technique. Besides the obviously correlation between VanGaalen being Women's recording engineer you can hear similarities in the music, from the "open" sounding songs to the simple yet catchy hooks that this album depends on. In any case Women deserve your attention, and if they don't get it now, they will in years to come.

Women - Black Rice


Tyler Ramsey - A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea

I must admit that if it weren't for Band of Horses discovering Mr. Ramsey then I probably would have never heard of this lanky man. His music isn't ground-breaking in any sense of the word, but Tyler utilizes his guitar, drum machine - which serves the purpose of keeping the beat at his live shows - like no other. His compositions remind me of some of Phish's songs that just feature Trey Anastasio on vocals and acoustic guitar, with many ideas that may not seem like they could mold so well into one song. Whatever the reason, be sure to check out this modern day BFG's debut album any way that you can. You can also check out my previous post on Ravishing Ramsey.

Tyler Ramsey - A Long Dream


Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line

Slappy White (Chandler), my friend and fellow music lover over at fork/knife, introduced me to this playful little band from Syracuse, NY a few months back by sending me their cover of Kate Bush's "Suspended In Gaffa" (which many people think is a Ra Ra original). I was hooked immediately. Riot flawlessly combines everything that has ever been right with music in one album, including the perfect doses of cello and violin. Oh, and did I mention that this is another debut album?