Finally after months and months of watching everyone else’s darlings soak in the 2008/early 2009 limelight- *cough* Fleet Foxes *cough* Animal Collective- one of my own personal favorites is back in action!  I’m referring of course to the brilliant John Vanderslice!

Really?  You’re not familiar with the man?  And you call yourself a human being?  Hmmm.  Well, here is a refresher course, ya’ bolthead!   Not only is Vanderslice  ‘one of the most imaginative, prolific, and consistently rewarding artists making music today’ and ‘the most important songwriter of the moment’, but he is also  ‘the nicest guy in indie rock’.  The dude is aces.  And unlike abortion, the death penalty, and how comedians will finally figure out how to satirize Barack Obama, this issue is NOT open for debate!

Ah, so here we are now a year and a half removed from Mr. Vanderslice’s last album, the strikingly straightforward and confident Emerald City.  Even with only 9 tracks and no trademark Vanderslice bleeps and bloops to be found, the record still garnered a solid 80 on Metacritic- earning it the distinction of being the San Francisco songwriter’s best reviewed album.  Congratulations, Johnny boy!  What else do you got cooking in your metaphorical and/or analogous music kitchen?

Today we found out.   John Vanderslice will  make his return on May 19th, 2009 with his 7th official studio album, Romanian Names (you’re moshing!).  Oooh and that’s not it! Adding even more excitement and intrigue is the news that, after nearly 10 years on Seattle’s Barsuk Records, Romanian Names will be released by Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian imprint Dead Oceans.  That’s right, people-  the man just became even that more indie.

According to the official press release, our boy has started playing new songs at recent live shows, giving hometown San Francisco audiences first dibs on the new jams.  Check out the slamming video four ass-kissing paragraphs above for the internet’s first look at new Vanderslice material.  The track is called ‘Too Much Time’ and if I may say so, it is just as beautiful and dreamy as anything off Emerald City.  The footage was recorded at Great American Music Hall as part of a concert celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Vanderslice’s recording studio Tiny Telephone.  The people surrounding him playing fancy instruments are the 30-piece Magik*Magik Orchestra.  I know a close friend who prefers Vanderslice’s earlier, more rocking tracks (’Pale Horse’, ‘Me and My 424′) to his recent pop leanings but personally I think the man is on some top serious, next-level roll the last handful of years and this video just confirms it.

Now all we need is some new The National music- oh that’s right!  I forgot to tell you guys!  Oh man, I’m so forgetful.  What a forgetful jones!  On February 17th The National are releasing an exclusive, unreleased track called ‘So Far Around the Bend’ as part of the Dark Was the Night double cd, super compilation on 4AD- proceeds will go to benefit HIV/AIDS research.  I have the track on my hard drive (I’m an important music blogger, remember?) but unfortunately I can not share it with you (I’m not important enough to not get sued).  But I can say this- it’s pretty good.  Definitely sounds like a b-side/compilation track but it is still solid as a rock.  A gold rock.  With diamond moss growing on one side and radioactive pill bugs chilling beneath it (radioactive material is as valuable as gold and diamonds, right?  Right?).  The double album/triple vinyl also contains exclusive new tracks from Ben Gibbard and Feist, Andrew Bird, the Books, Bon Iver and many more super indie people.

Here are some legal mp3s from Johnny V’s back catalogue.

John Vanderslice - White Dove from Emerald City

John Vanderslice - The Kingdom b-side/vinyl-only track from Pixel Revolt

(mp3s hosted by JohnVanderslice.com)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnwmtsMkqI

A series of artistic images and blurry night scenes loosely based on New York band the National and the making of their breakthrough album Boxer, French director Vincent Moon’s music film A Skin, A Night is a bittersweet offering for fans of the band.

Shot using Moon’s trademark saturated cinematography and scored by odd layers and instrumental pieces taken from the album, A Skin, A Night is a great visual representation of the dark, dream-like quality present in the National’s music, however, and sadly, the film shows no interest in being a documentary. There are occasional glimpses of band members talking about anxiety and the group’s early days fighting up the ranks, and a very interesting studio moment where singer Matt Berninger shoots down a piano arrangement, insisting the band can come up with something better, but these are too few and far between. The film is much more interested in giving us a visual impression of the band than documenting the facts behind it. As an art piece, it works just fine; as a National dvd, it is pretty underwhelming.

I guess my biggest beef with the film is that it needed more actual National music to go along with all the abstract imagery. Most of the background music in the film is bits and pieces of studio sessions. These range from great- there is an awesome Slow Show/Blank Slate sequence and an extended live performance of About Today- to way too short, blips of Bryan Davendorf drumming on a metal fan cage or Padma Newsome playing the violin for 4 seconds. I would have loved to hear some of the demo recordings and live studio footage featured on Boxer’s teaser website. Those offered real, interesting looks at the ideas behind the songs and how they went on to form one of the most well-reviewed albums of 2007.

The small audience that will embrace this DVD are collector’s and die-hard fans of the band; and as you can tell by this review, even some of them will be a bit disappointed.

Purchase The National’s A Skin, A Night DVD on Amazon.com

Hey, how have you been? Long time no talk. I’ve so been enjoying my freedom from my mp3 posting duties!

I’ve spent my time listening to a handful of records, all of which I’ve purchased with my own money strange enough. Unfortunately, the bulk of what I receive to review is pretty uninspiring. Most of it comes from upstart labels whose artists are still trying to figure out what they want to do. Some records have been pretty interesting (check out Patience Please, they’re fun!) but none of it comes close to capturing my attention the way new records from the National, John Vanderslice, and M.I.A. have. I’ve even found myself addicted to Tegan and Sara’s latest guilty pleasure of a record The Con. Back in Your Head is sooo catchy!

Hands down the sweetest thing I’ve heard recently is the Bat for Lashes record, Fur and Gold. The thing is so haunting and eery. Even the slow piano ballads, which normally are the downfall of female piano pop acts, are great here. Check out the creepy fun video for the single What’s a Girl To Do?.

I recently heard the new Band of Horses mp3 on their Myspace page. I know a ton of band members have left but I really hope the rest of the cd is better than this.

The real reason I decided to pop my head in and post is because I’ve just heard the most hilarious intro to a song EVER. Seriously. Download this new leaked Britney Spears mp3 and laugh your bottom off.

[mp3] Britney Spears - Gimme More

After weeks of indie blog hinting the general public can finally see for themselves whether The National’s fourth studio album Boxer is the record to beat in 2007. If magazine & newspaper critics have any say in the matter Boxer is, at the least, a very surprising step up from 2005’s already adored Alligator. Here is what Stylus magazine has to say about Matt Berninger and company, which I believe sums up the record & most reviews beautifully:

“Boxer is a National album through and through but blessed with a restraint and self-assuredness of a band on top of its game, resulting in a startling masterpiece on par with Turn on the Bright Lights, Bows & Arrows, or any other austere tribute to urban alienation you care to name.”

The only negative review I could find was from the UK surprisingly (which is where the National seemed to receive most of their attention prior to Alligator) and even then the publication, The Gaurdian, gives the record 3 out of 5 stars; although not until after criticizing the band’s last two records as “claustrophobic, minor-key U2-on-a-budget” and “deadened, muffled music”.

Harsh, no?

But perhaps the most interesting piece of feedback I’ve read for Boxer comes from the Earth’s largest social networking site, Myspace. For a week the record was available for full streaming on the band’s page and they were featured as a spotlight artist. Here is a screenshot of their write up on Myspace’s homepage.

Best band in America? Not sure the site’s 16 year old screamo-loving base will agree, but I sure love hearing those words.

Now the next step beyond what the critics think is to see how the public responds to the record. As Goodhodgkins so perfectly states, “If there’s one thing about Boxer that everyone and their grandma is going to use to discredit it, it’s the fact that there’s no ‘Abel’ or ‘Mr. November’”. These are the exact thoughts I had as I sat down and listened to the record for the first time.

As great as it would be to have a clear, aggressive single, Boxer benefits from its uniformity. Other than the darkly energized ‘Mistaken for Strangers’, most of the songs on record are content to give up their personal will and do their part in making Boxer a great complete listen. No instrument or vocal track attempts to stand out above the rest or steal the spotlight away from the collective whole. In my opinion, this is what gives Boxer the advantage over Alligator. It’s smarter and shows more restraint/maturity.

Hopefully fans will recognize this (it shouldn’t be very hard) and the chants of “It’s no Alligator!” and “Where is Mr. November?” will last only long enough before “Hey, I think I’m starting to love this cd!” kicks in.

BONUS:

Here is the band performing ‘Mistaken for Strangers’ and ‘Apartment Story’ live during MTV’s 24 Hour Human Giant Takeover last week (the always intelligent & musically knowledgeable people at MTV mixed the video tags, so Apartment Story is actually Mistaken for Strangers and vice versa).

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[gv data="http://www.youtube.com/?v=hQI_D0ybmdI"][/gv]

By the way, Los Angeles residents can catch Human Giants’ Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer perform long-form improv at their always delightful Myspace Show every Wednesday night at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater on Franklin Blvd. Much recommended!

Stereo owners beware! On Tuesday, May 22nd rebellious rockstars The National plan to take over your car & home music players with their brooding, goth-Americana stylings. Even computer headphone listeners are at risk of extreme joy & preference for the band’s signature late night songs.

Local police and social service agents are standing by at all Sam Goody and Wherehouse music stores in Vermont and New Mexico after reports that the New York band’s fourth studio album, Boxer, is “so damn good you’ll hand over your baby to the music store clerk for $12.99 store credit”.

To help the public transition from life before Boxer and life after, authorities have asked Invisible Limb to post a revised b-side from the record along with it’s original counterpart.

The tracks in question are Blank Slate, a b-side from the single Mistaken For Strangers (released this Tuesday), and Keep It Upstairs, which is taken from 2005’s Abel single.

This cd (Boxer) is brilliant! No joke!

[mp3] The National - Blank Slate
[mp3] The National - Keep It Upstairs

The National’s new record Boxer comes out May 22nd on Beggar’s Banquet but, of course, you already knew that. You’ve been checking their official website and Myspace everyday looking for updates and any trace of information concerning the status of their new record. You’ve been reading over the official tracklisting over and over again hoping that one day soon they would feed your obsession and finally post a song from the record. We know you too well.

Well, my friends, the day you are waiting for has finally arrived. As of Friday, March 23rd the first song from the highly anticipated follow up to 2005’s critically acclaimed Alligator was made available both for streaming on the band’s Myspace and download on their website.

Hellz yes.

The name of the song in question is ‘Fake Empire’, a softly sweeping piano ballad that shows off an exciting new side of the band. Color me much impressed! The three minute track reminds me of the subtle intensity and lyrical emotion of ‘About Today’ (Cherry Tree EP) combined with the clean interweaving guitars featured on Alligator. Much like the men featured on the record’s cover, this is a classy National dressed up in a black fitted suit and tie. By the time the climactic flurry of horns hits, I am already itching for the replay button.

Now all we need is John Vanderslice to follow suit and show us what he’s been working on all these months.

[mp3] The National - Fake Empire