Review: The ArchAndroid (Vol. II, No. 5)
Janelle Monáe – The ArchAndroid
(Atlantic Records)
Words: David Amidon
Janelle Monáe is freakishly talented, influenced by a fiercely diverse range of sounds, and much like the criminally over-appreciated Lady Ga Ga, she aspires to be more than a ‘typical pop star.’ In 2010, this apparently means crafting an elaborate allegory through four suites of music (the fourth is still on deck, the first was her 2007 EP Metropolis Suite that dissects both the entertainment industry and American at large. By telling the story of an android on the run from the powers that be after finding love with a human, Monáe weaves in plenty of snappy insight into current human relationships on Earth and the fallacies of celebrity in the 24- hour news cycle.
Review: Treats (Vol. II, No. 5)
Sleigh Bells – Treats
(Mom + Pop and N.E.E.T. Records)
Words: Bryant Kitching
I know, I know, it seems like we’ve heard this story about a million times before: new band releases a few good demos, gets hyped into oblivion, puts out debut album only to fall flat on their face. More often than not, when the mushroom cloud settles, the world realizes that these bands simply aren’t very good. Brooklyn band Sleigh Bells have been arguably the most talked about new band of 2010, but hold your horses before you cast them aside as a buzz band gone bust. On their hotly anticipated debut Treats, the brand spanking new group shows that they do in fact have some serious, albeit a tad underdeveloped, chops. There is palpable room for Sleigh Bells to grow and develop, which is more than I could say about similar blog buzz bands. I mean, honestly, does anyone really care what Black Kids’ second album is going to sound like? I didn’t think so. Treats might not be perfect, but it does show real promise for future releases from the duo, who have been together barely a year. Treats not only left me interested to see where the group will go next, but actually craving for more of what I liked. This turned out to be both a strength and a weakness of the album.
Review: The Five Ghosts (Vol. II, No. 5)
Stars – The Five Ghosts
Soft Revolution Records
Words: Angela Toomer
Stars often find themselves marginalized marginalized in the category of light, indie pop. Lately, there is certainly no shortage of indie pop music out there being overplayed by scenester girls and boys. One could argue, then, that the mission of Stars should be to distinguish itself from the mass of other indie bands whispering their vocals, doing away with the guitar, and going heavy on the piano. Montreal-based Stars had their commercial breakthrough with 2005 album, Set Yourself on Fire, and further gained respect in 2007 with In Our Bedroom After the War through the popular single “Take Me to the Riot.” They still, however, have yet to distinguish themselves from bands like The New Pornographers, Mates of State, or Broken Social Scene. Of course, the band’s members are also members of fellow Canadian band (Broken Social Scene), and Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman makes an appearance on the album, so it would make sense that the two bands would have a similar sound. To an untrained ear, indie pop all kind of sounds the same, the catchy sort of tunes that often appear in iTunes commercials or independent film trailers. So, Stars task is to make a unique record that isn’t just background music, but a piece of art, and a complete and unified album, not just some cutesy songs that sound good together. Which brings us to their newest album.
Download IF Special Issue: Newport 2010
IF looks back on another successful year for the Newport Folk Festival. Inside: Interviews with featured artists Dawes, O’Death, and Tao Seeger. Also, ferret photos and “A Newport Narrative” by Pat Wedlock. Thanks to Noah Dodson for a little photo help (www.dodsonklink.com)
Dig in…………….now!
Download Volume II, Issue 7
Inside Volume II, No. 7: IF’s All-Lollapalooza first and second teams, an interview with Camilo Lara (a.k.a. Mexican Institute of Sound), and 80 minutes of music fit for a king. Also, read reviews for albums by Arcade Fire, Carl Broemel, and The Walkmen. Don’t wait. Read it now!
In Music, Joaquin Phoenix Finds Enlightenment, Trendy Facial Hair
The line separating sincere bizarreness and craven publicity stunt is a terrifyingly thin one, and it’s straddled everyday by rapper, conversationalist, and sometime actor Joaquin Phoenix. Thankfully, his hirsute turn to music has been documented by his brother-in-law and first-time director Casey Affleck, that we may truly know the depths of Phoenix’s transformation/long-con. I’m Still Here (out September 10), after a tantalizing poster, now has a trailer.
Alas, it doesn’t include what are sure to be some of the film’s coups de cinéma, such as “more male frontal nudity than you’d find in some gay porn films and a stomach-turning sequence in which someone feuding with Phoenix defecates on the actor while he’s asleep.” We’ll just have to wait until that Friday in September, when we find out what kind of water drop we are.
Brief Interview: Freddie Gibbs
If you’re intimidated by Freddie Gibbs’ penetrating stone face, then plug your ears when he’s on stage. Hearing his rhymes will only make matters worse for you. The Gary, Indiana native has given a whole new meaning to the title Music Man. And it looks like there’s trouble waiting in River City for any MC who would dare challenge him to a battle of words. “Now I’m my own man, grown man, making my own dirt/Perfectly pounding the pavement and purchase my own work,” he sings confidently on “Midwest Malcolm” from his 2009 mixtape midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik. He’s certainly not lacking confidence, but confidence is part of the job description.
Gibbs transcends scenes and cliques, sharing his talent with the likes of Devin the Dude, Chip the Ripper, Jay Rock, Cunninlynguists, and, most recently, Dan Auerbach. He has garnered critical acclaim from Pitchfork, as well as various hip-hop blogs and publications. He has even graced Daytrotter, a website known for its mellow acoustic rock sessions, with his presence. But despite his impressive track record (and his self-assured lyrics), Gibbs is surprisingly gracious behind the scenes, always quick to thank his doting fans for their kind words and well wishes.
He released his first EP Str8 Killa through Decon Records and Gibbs Family on August 3rd. And that’s precisely the night that IF’s Doug Knickrehm found him after his performance with Black Milk at SOB’s in New York City to ask him a few questions and take a couple excellent ferret photos.
Interview: David Amram (Vol. II, No. 2)
David Amram is a shameless self-promoter, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? If you really believe in what you’re promoting, where’s the need for shame?
I met him on a plane to New York a couple of years ago, and he gave me his card. Just a week later I found his Triple Concerto LP in the dollar bin of a record store, and since then I haven’t been able to escape his name. The man’s worked with artistic geniuses of all kinds and generations, the never-ending list including Dizzy Gillespie, Jack Kerouac, Willie Nelson, Dustin Hoffman, Odetta, Leonard Bernstein, Charlie Parker, Woodie Guthrie, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Sir James Gallaway, Pete Seeger, Hunter S. Thompson, Arthur Miller, Johnny Depp, Warren Zevon, and Townes Van Zandt. And he’ll gladly tell you about his experiences with any of them. But he doesn’t name-drop for selfish reasons – he talks about his friends with genuine pride and gratitude.
Amram has written over a hundred pieces of chamber music and the scores for the award-winning films Splendor in the Grass and The Manchurian Candidate. He’s an accomplished pianist, percussionist, and flutist, as well as a pioneer in improvisational French horn playing. He’s written three books. And at 79 Amram has as much verve as any musician in his twenties. He’s constantly traveling, inhaling music and culture of countries all over the world (when I called him to set up the interview he was on his way to Abu Dhabi). Perhaps the New York Times’ James Oestreich said it best when he wrote in 1993, “Amram was multicultural before multiculturalism existed.”
A renaissance man in every sense of the word, Amram puts every penny and pleasure he earns right back into the music and people who surround him. He was gracious enough to invite me to his home in Putnam Valley, New York where he sat down with me and talked my ear off. And the hardest part of the interview process was deciding what to cut. Here’s the abbreviated version of what he had to say.
Download Volume II, Issue 6
Volume II, Issue 6 is out. Inside you’ll find coverage of the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival, including top shows and an interview with Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. Also inside are reviews for albums by M.I.A., Jonny Flynn, and Private Dancer, James Emerson’s unabridged review of Christopher Nolan’s Inception, IF’s 25 Best Band Names of All Time, and a song from each for our 80 Minutes of Music. Thanks to Chicago blogger Chris Parish (Harmon Drive) for some smashing Pitchfork photos, including all the cover photos.
Download Volume II, Issue 6 HERE!
2010 Maha Music Festival Coverage
photo by LeAnn Jensen
Words: Ryan Waring
In just its second year, the Maha Music Festival is quickly becoming a force in the summer outdoor concert series. Held on July 24th at Omaha’s Lewis and Clark Landing, a venue so pristine it makes the nearby run-off Missouri River look inviting, the event’s sophomore performance was an improvement in nearly all facets. Attendance jumped from 3,000 to 4,000. It showcased some of the local scene’s best artists: It’s True, Betsy Wells, Landed on the Moon, the Mynabirds, and Satchel Grande. Midday performances by the Old 97’s and Ben Kweller brought the crowd out early. And, of course, The Faint, Superchunk, and Spoon, the highlights on paper and post-festival, lent much more credibility to an event headlined by Dashboard Confessional in its inaugural year.
The only negative was the concert’s late start, due to every event committee’s nightmare: Ben Kweller’s delayed flight (he had to drive to To fit in every act, Maha Fest officials received an extension from the city until midnight and moved each artist’s set back an hour. That seemed to work in the festival’s advantage as the sun set. The holdup pushed Omaha’s own The Faint’s set past twilight, which proved conducive to the light show, effects, and surrealistic manikin army that many feared wouldn’t translate well to an outdoor, daytime concert.
photo by LeAnn Jensen
The Faint’s show wiped most of the audience out by its conclusion, as the group’s performances tend to do. But a nice break before Spoon’s set let everyone’s sweat dry and legs recharge. Austin indie-pop mainstay Spoon delivered an impressive response with its closing act. The group reproduced an evenly assorted collection of hits from its layered discography seamlessly, and even followed with an encore that carried into the early minutes of Sunday.
For complete photo coverage check out our Maha photo album here.
