“Wish You Were Red”

“Strangling Good Guys (Live)”

Though not proper album tracks from the forthcoming, as yet untitled album, but a handlful of new songs have bubbled up. As part of a contest of sorts, the blog We Fear Change has requested users create videos and photos with the winner’s reward being a song composed for you. You can check out all the Golden Ticket Winners here.

My favorite thus far:

As well, Yoni recently put up a single announcement video that’s somewhere between walking freestyle vlog and doing peyote in the 90′s. The biggest fact to take from the psychedelic pastiche is that they’re releasing a new single in about 6 weeks.

Take a look:

If you’re lucky enough to be in NYC or Boise, ID go see them live:

03/16/12 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
03/23/12 Boise, ID Treefort Music Fest (Main Stage Outside)

Picture unrelated.

Sometimes the best things in life you don’t fully understand and Austin’s Computer Jesus Refrigerator is one of those mysteries. Like a living datamosh of foreign language television, the majesty of their syncopated mess lies in how little there is to easily discern. Raging torrents of noise and slurred drumming come together well, feeling far more intentional than most bands with this kind sound.

Grab the free album GODLOMANMACHOPANZILLA from their bandcamp.

Hard as hell to look up due to their name, but a fantastic single from an up and coming UK act.

Right?

Drowned In Sound sent relentlessly English writer Wendy Roby to cover Les Eurockéennes de Belfort, the long running French festival. The line up this year was a happily jumbled mix of sounds, putting Les Savy Fav on the same bill as House of Pain. FINALLY! Actually, I had no idea they were still touring, I guess the Jump Around nostalgia dollar is again trading high. Either way, I would have gone just to see Birdy Nam Nam do their thing.

Roby took the time to write about the internet napalm that is Odd Future, which I’ve heard is a risky game if you’re…well, anyone. So, in light of actually having to draw attention to my self with actual opinions, I’ll let Wendy’s concisely hilarious work do the job:

Odd Future – awful cads that they are – introduce themselves to France by shouting ‘BON FUCKIN JOUR’ in a mildly (mildly) amusing fashion. They have a non-specific macbook rage about them. It is like they are really, really furious and want to sing about rape and pillage because ARGH and OH MY FUCKING GOD, Time Machine HAS NOT BACKED UP FOR THIRTY DAYS. Which is to say, little of the subtlety or admirable glassiness of their production is present, they are impotent fury made manifest, and of all the things I could find them (offensive, the END OF THE WORLD in human form), I am left thinking they are silly. Which is not to say that they are not effective, or that their rage is not the sort of thing I rather like to listen to, albeit with my philosophical clog-filters set up high. But I feel quite Mummish, I don’t believe this rage is real, I am rolling my eyes at them being so aggy about everything, when clearly they are having a good time. OHHHHHHHH MAN, I’M SO ANGRY AT YOU WORLD say Odd Future in so many words. It is like you have told them they have to wear their blue short shorts for P.E. because their favourite ones are in the wash and so they have decided to write an album that essentially amounts to ARGH MUM, I HATE YOU. None of this explains why, when they have finished, I feel moved to run up to the barrier and highfive Domo Genesis, but I am pretty sure I did so because I am an idiothole.

(To read the entirety of her Les Eurockeenes coverage, click here)

She hits the nail on the middle class rage borne head, right?

Actually, I’m ok with sharing my opinion on the derisive crew:

They’re young and have hit the scene with a tremendous energy. If they’re not consumed swiftly and forgotten by the nanometer long fire that is the internet’s attention span, most all of them will go on to produce interesting stuff. With little effort, Yonkers stands as one of the top singles of the year, for sure. Oh, also…there’s probably going to be some Wolf Gang festival, akin to a more ethnically mixed Gathering of the Juggalos in under 5 years. Bank your internet dollars on that one.

See, I’m not as clever as Ms. Roby.

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of reviewing for other sites. It’s something I used to do before I had Taking Tiger Mountain. Click on the link above to check out my review of Shoulders of Giants for the awesome site Knocks From The Underground. I’ll have more coming from them and the equally awesome Short and Sweet NYC very soon.

Now, Joan of Arc has put out some solid albums in the time since Cap’n Jazz released their sole album and following compilation. Though generally I love Kinsella’s sometimes polarizing style, I’m extra excited about the prospect of him taking the older band out around the country.

nyctaper was at their most recent show available for download:

Cap’n Jazz – Full set live at Maxwell’s in New Jersey

Here’s a sample track (rehosted on the Taking Tiger Mountain servers out of respect to nyctaper’s always good work and generosity):

CAP’N JAZZ – OH MESSY LIFE (LIVE AT MAXWELL’S)

In honor of the tour, is finally seeing vinyl release and is available through Insound.com. Quoth the product description:

The double LP, recut from the original high resolution masters and pressed at RTI on 120 gram vinyl, is packaged in a deluxe gatefold jacket with bonus materials including a full size, eight page booklet with unseen photos, fliers, and extensive liner notes by Tim Kinsella. The accompanying high quality digital download of the entire album also includes ten additional songs from the original CD release.

If you’re still craving an interesting Kinsella collectible, in about a month Joyful Noise will be releasing a very limited cassette boxed set of the entire Joan of Arc catalog.

The set will feature a custom built, screen printed box that is hand numbered and limited to 100. The albums, which have never been released on cassette before, will feature the original album art. When the boxed set was released for pre-order, it sold out in two days…so you’ll have to hunt a clever record store to find a copy.

All 10 cassettes, minus the sexy custom packaging are still available from the Joyful Noise website.

Mood maximalists SLEEP ∞ OVER are a refreshing find. The trio churns out that kind of reverb enhanced music that I adore so much. Originally released on the now sold out cassette compilation Dark As Night from Bathetic Records, the track ‘Your World Is Night’ traffics in a beautiful kind of mood that rests somewhere in between bliss and paranoia. Sparse percussion, undulating tones and echoed vocals make for an excellent track.

[audio:http://www.takingtigermountain.com/audio/Sleep Over - Your World Is Night.mp3]
SLEEP ∞ OVER – YOUR WORLD IS NIGHT

Take a look at the equally moody video by Josh Morgan, who’s also done clips for Neon Indian’s ‘Mind Drips’ and Cold Cave’s ‘Cebe and Me’.

Though the Bathetic comp is sold out, you can grab their self titled cassette for $7.00 from Night People.

Listen to those, then give a try to LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All I Want’. It’s not some note for note thieft, but you can see where the Eno influence has bled into Murphy’s music…something I wholeheartedly approve.

While I was researching, poking around at different versions of the above songs to post up here I came across this French experimental metal trio Marvin. The chose to close out their bizzarely sprawling album Hangover The Top album with a spaced out, Isis-derived take on the Eno’s album closer. I think as much as I’m really just happy that anyone is still interested in Eno’s solo pop work, I’m a fan of the riff heavy route that Marvin has gone. It’s a good way to discover a band.

MARVIN – HERE COME THE WARM JETS (BRIAN ENO COVER)

From what I’ve heard of the album, it’s a mixture of many different metal influences. Some songs groove like old Trans Am, hit riffs with that same Isis-ian sense of space, others are like the faster moments on any given Boris record. The band is just synth, guitar and drums, which makes for some interesting moments throughout. Given their taste in covers, I’ll definitely endorse.

Hangover The Top was released on April 6th, 2010 (my birthday, bonus points for that) and is available on iTunes, Amazon, or direct from their label African Tape.

I’m realizing now I probably should have counted my pennies last year and hit up that DAT Politics show when I lived in Portland. I’ve been meaning to see what the fuck they do live with their live set, but it’s hard to convince folks that the spastic electro they make is awesome. Had I gone, I would have gotten a sense of the equally awesome weirdness that is Breakfast Mountain, as they opened up the show. Instead, a year later I had to find out via the PDX Pop Now comp that is released in honor of the long weekend of music. Among them, Breakfast Mountain is my favorite and they’ll be of the 40+ bands playing the festival, which showcases the fertile & eccentric scene that Portland is home to.

Go download Hooooded Plus+, which is Breakfast Mountain’s debut-ish, for free by clicking on the cover above. It’s a collection of tracks, edits, remixes and live stuff that is hard to really put a single genre tag on, as it’s an explosion of styles assembled with a Jackson Pollock precision. The smashed together, sound collage element of Breakfast Mountain feels like it’s a mixtape made for someone you love that was left in a shoebox full of liquid acid for a few months. Heavily influenced by beat driven electronic music, cheeseball hip-hop & at times, noisy shoegaze, it’s incredibly enjoyable without slotting it under any single group.

His myspace page says he’s off recording, so keep an eye out for new material hopefully soon.

Here’s two of my favorites, both available on Hooooded Plus+:

BREAKFAST MOUNTAIN – J HOLLERDAY (RE-EDIT)

BREAKFAST MOUNTAIN – SECRET DRUMM

Now, if we can only get Zach Kelly to go one level deeper, we’ll all be that much closer to the editorial event horizon.

I’m going to go listen to Deer Tick, a band that before this bout of recursive humor I wasn’t aware of.

Look for more TTM updates coming soon…

Last night, I had a moment that made me remember why music and live performances can’t be contained by a stage or venue. Daniel Buxton is something of a rarity that proves my point. As I was leaving an eatery on Granville, I heard a voice coming from across the street and I thought to myself “Wow, is this guy really singing?” My friend and I ran to see this lone man standing in the light of an Aldo shoe store. With a thin frame and hair that for sure makes women more than a little jealous, stood Daniel Buxton.

He was playing a square guitar and using a wooden foot plank attached to tambourines, belting out a song that I can’t remember the name of, but the title of which was truly irrelevant. This man could sing and play better than most people I’ve ever seen live. Buxton embraced the emotion with his tightly closed eyes and booming voice. The street was empty but for an audience of two and he played like it was two hundred. After a few covers, he took a short break to which I used the opportunity to ask if he had any original stuff. Instantly, he lit up and said “Yeah man, for sure. Here, I’ll play two songs.” I was nervous. I have heard a lot of acts that can cover a song flawlessly but can’t bring to the table stuff of there own making.

To this, Buxton started to play…and play he did. His original work was way better to hear then the covers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know the covers are a valid addition to a street performers repertoire, but if I had it my way this man would play all original work. Granville St. in Vancouver isn’t the most music appreciative place on earth…the neighborhood mainly consists of Kim Kardashian-esq women and what I would consider ‘roided douche bags. When he was playing large groups of people would walk by and 9 out of 10 wouldn’t hear a lick of what he was playing. The singular guy that knew and appreciated talent that would turn his head, stop and join the audience. This happened at least 3 or4 times while I was watching. He would approach the two audience members, just my friend and I at the beginning, and say “Holy shit, this guy is so good” while frantically searching for a dollar or more to throw into the guitar case. What can be said about Daniel Buxton and his performance in the doorway of that Aldo is that he has the ability to truly pull out the best in people who appreciate music and soul.

Check out the Candice Weapon remix of Daniel Buxton’s ‘Sex With My Ex’:

DB Buxton Revue – Sex With My Ex (Cadence Weapon’s No Sex Mix)

As the pastoral album cover hints, Noble Beast is a different kind of Andrew Bird. It’s grounded in a kind of naturalistic realism, a smaller album overall. While not a bad thing, but as it’s a comedown from the dark grandeur of Armchair Apocrapha, there’s definitely a period of listener adjustment that has to happen. Most every moment of Noble Beast is fraught with restraint, lacking the soaring bombast that permeated both its predecessor and …And The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Many of the tracks on Noble Beast are gentle to the core, crafted with touches of straight piano, acoustic guitar and cautious percussion.

It’s definitely a throwback to an older Bird, as there’s many moments where Noble Beast recall the simpler songwriting style of 2003′s Weather Systems which felt like an album of songs to be performed alone. Noble Beast has the essence of being written for someone, a touching living room performance in a house with creaky floorboards and a snow dusted roof.

‘Souverian’ is a good example of the new dynamic. At over seven minutes, it’s the lengthiest track on the album, and it retains touches of the more complex Bird songwriting. It begins a delicate stitch of violin, acoustic guitar and brushed drums that hang against the. The song snakes along, taking it’s time, pausing often to catch its breath; there are moments where you can feel the hints of a build coming, but it’s only a tease. An older Bird would use those moments as springboard into a looped cloud, but instead you get just a taste…a single bowed note arcs higher, reaching out of the mix, then things are quickly grounded. The song shifts in the last few minutes, the drums grow heavy and the melody somber, before taking off slowly into a glacial cloud of guitar noise. The entire song, as well most of the rest of the album is a work of patience…still quintessential Bird, but different in its approach.

Andrew Bird – Souverian

‘Anonanimal’ is an incredibly subdued and interesting track that quickly grew to be my favorite on the album. It snakes around the first half with a deft tangle of prickly guitar, violin and gorgeous wordplay. After a moments pause, it leads the listener along to a pop of Dosh’s skittering drumming and a bolder guitar riff.

Andrew Bird – Anonanimal

Overall, we’re faced with a slow moving, intricate work that takes time to crack open and examine the majesty within. Initially, I wasn’t totally sold on the album as a whole and was prepared to just write it off as a low point in his catalog, but I needed to sit with it for longer in order for it to grow on me. I’m a very staunch Bird fan, but on the same page, I love the complexity and the dexterous layering that made a beautiful fog out of his last two albums. The absence of those elements was off putting at first, but with repeated exposure, became a benefit. The strongest element of Noble Beast stands with Bird’s vocal melodies. While the older albums sucked listeners in with the craft of the music, I think that this album marks a change in his confidence as a songwriter. He’s less afraid to hide behind technical elements and lets the small touches speak just as loud. If you’re not in love with this album instantly, do take the time to get familiar with the melodies, to peek into the corners and find the subtle details that makes this album worthy of many repeat listens.

Tourdates:

Feb 14 2009/ The Rialto Theatre – Tucson, Arizona
Feb 15 2009/ SOMA – San Diego, California
Feb 18 2009/ The Orpheum Theatre – Los Angeles, California
Feb 19 2009/ The Fillmore – San Francisco, California
Feb 20 2009/ The Fillmore – San Francisco, California
Feb 21 2009/ Roseland Theater – Portland, Oregon
Feb 23 2009/ The Moore Theatre – Seattle, Washington
Feb 24 2009/ Knitting Factory – Boise, Idaho
Feb 25 2009/ The Murray Theater – Murray, Utah
Feb 26 2009/ The Ogden Theater – Denver, Colorado
Feb 27 2009/ Slowdown – Omaha, Nebraska
Feb 28 2009/ Hoyt Sherman Place Des Moines, Iowa
Mar 15 2009/ The Pageant – St. Louis, Missouri
Mar 16 2009/ Liberty Hall Lawrence, Kansas
Mar 17 2009/ Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Mar 21 2009/ House of Blues – Houston, Texas
Mar 22 2009/ Granada Theater – Dallas, Texas
Mar 23 2009/ The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, Mississippi
Apr 2 2009/ Allen Theatre – Cleveland, Ohio
Apr 3 2009/ Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Toronto, Ontario
Apr 4 2009/ Le National – Montreal, Quebec
Apr 5 2009/ Higher Ground – South Burlington, Vermont
Apr 7 2009/ Carnegie Music Hall – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Apr 8 2009/ Michigan Theater – Ann Arbor, Michigan
Apr 9 2009/ Civic Opera House Chicago, Illinois
Apr 10 2009/ Civic Opera House – Chicago, Illinois
Apr 11 2009/ The State Theater – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 27 2009/ La Cigale – Paris

Noble Beast was released January 20th in North America on Fat Possum Records and February 2nd in Europe via Bella Union/Cooperative.

Los Angeles’s Nosaj Thing was quite possibly my favorite discovery of 2008. A new guy on the scene, with just an single EP under his belt, he’s still created a work of majesty that brings along definite anticipation for currently underway, full length. His tracks are capture a kind of warm analog wonder, peppered with deft drum programming and tasteful glitchy elements.

From the limited run Stussy x Turntable Lab compilation Beats, “Bach 1685″ was the first track of his that I caught, and it immediately captured my ear with the 8-bit sounding washes and wandering backwards keyboard. The above video features the dance moves of Montreal producer Lunice (who, on a side note, did one of the best remixes of Kanye’s remixes of “Love Lockdown” that I’ve heard so far – download it here)

Nosaj Thing – Hearts Entire

Video by Dugan O’Neal
Purchase from

There’s rarely a person that I play him for that isn’t blown away. It’s safe to say that, in a year, a ton more folks will know about what he does. I’m sad that I left LA without catching his Low End Theory appearances, but from the looks of his myspace, he’s going to be playing out a bit this year. Be sure to catch his live show if you can.

Feb 5 2009 Fox Theater w/ The Gaslamp Killer, Pretty Lights – Boulder, Colorado
Feb 6 2009 Aggie Theater w/ Pretty Lights, Savoy – Ft. Collins, Colorado
Feb 7 2009 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom w/ Pretty Lights & DJ Russo – Denver, Colorado
Feb 13 2009 OBEY RADIO @ The Crosby w/ The Gaslamp Killer – Santa Ana, California
Feb 20 2009 TBA – Richmond, Virginia
Feb 21 2009 BeBar – Washington, Washington DC
Feb 26 2009 Holocene w/ Eliot lipp and Michna! – Portland, Oregon
Feb 27 2009 STS9 after party w/ Free the Robots + the Gaslamp Killer – San Francisco, California
Mar 5 2009 Princeton: Terrace F. Club – Princeton, New Jersey
Mar 6 2009 Zot Bar – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 7 2009 – Tribeca w/ Eliot Lipp + Pnuma Trio – Virginia
Mar 13 2009 11 Minna Gallery w/ Mochipet – San Francisco, California