Dan Deacon’s new album America is set to be released on August 28th, but you can pre-order it now and get in on a cool contest at the same time. Fans who pre-order the CD, limited edition translucent LP (limited to 500), or digitally through Domino Mart will be sent immediately upon purchase a 2 feet x 3 feet fabric flag featuring the America album artwork taken by Richard Endres of Lake Placid. The very same flag accompanying the “Lots” single! All LPs, CDs and downloads will ship to arrive around release date. Remember the flags are available to purchase as a stand alone item from both the Domino Mart and the Dan Deacon merch table.
But wait there’s more!
However you get it, between the day you receive it and October 1st, it’s on you to take a photograph of your flag waving, trailing, flapping or resting somewhere significant and share it with Domino on Tumblr and Instagram with the hash tag #dandeaconamerica and you’re automatically entered in DAN DEACON WINNABLE FLAG PHOTO CONTEST. They’re looking for two undeniable images to use as the cover of a forthcoming Dan Deacon single as well as a limited run of posters in addition to a cash prize. Rules and restrictions are applicable and they do ask you try to avoid breaking the law and/or putting yourself in danger in pursuit of the ultimate photo.
There is no limit to the number of photos a participants can submit. Your first shot may not be your best, therefore keep’em coming! Once your photo is shared on your public Instagram account or Tumblr with the proper hashtag #dandeaconamerica you’ll automatically be entered to win one of the three prizes outlined below.
Prizes include: FIRST: In addition to a cash prize of $250 your photograph will be used as the cover of a future Dan Deacon single! Plus you’ll receive 1 of 5 translucent LP test pressings of Dan Deacon’s America. SECOND: Your photograph will be used in a limited edition run of Dan Deacon posters. Plus you’ll receive 1 of 5 translucent LP test pressings of Dan Deacon’s America. THIRD: Win 1 of 5 translucent LP test pressings of Dan Deacon’s America.
Entry Deadline: October 1st, 2012 Rules and restrictions may apply.
Dirty Projectors appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week to play their new single ‘Gun Has No Trigger’ for the first time. They also unveiled their limited edition 8 inch square vinyl single that’s only available through Domino Mart.
Gun Has No Trigger Tablet Of Values – 8″ x 8″ Square Vinyl Single Pressed on Tablet Thick Audiophile-Grade Vinyl (equivalent to 200 GM @ 12″) – Super-Limited to 1000 Copies Worldwide (pre-order while supplies last) – A Side Features Single “Gun Has No Trigger’ Cut @ 45 RPM – B Side Features Sumerian Akkadian Cuneiform Etching Of Complete Lyrics Of “Gun Has No Trigger” Translated By Dr. M. Wllis Monroe
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There are bands who arrive fully formed and there are those who take a little while to find their footing. Sometimes all it takes is one song. In the case of Baltimore’s Lower Dens, who are fronted by onetime folk eccentric Jana Hunter, that track was “Brains”. Released in advance of this record, the single added krautrock and electronic touches to the group’s signature guitar swirl and suggested a new dimension and a new confidence. Everything hit with more impact: the drumming was crisper, Hunter’s singing was richer and more evocative, and there was an extra layer of prettiness, but also menace. The message seemed to be, “Here’s a band you can’t ignore anymore.”
Nootropics strengthens that argument, building on the promise of “Brains” and vastly widening the band’s sonic palette. Richly detailed, dark, and ethereal, the album is a feast for sound-first listeners drawn to expressive shifts in color and tone. To suggest that it’s a creative step forward for Lower Dens is not to knock their 2010 debut, Twin-Hand Movement, which was a fine album but pretty specific in its appeal. (A moody nighttime listen, ideal for a 2 a.m. drive home by yourself or a late-night glass of whisky.) Nootropics is at once more inclusive and varied, though. And the band achieves this by pulling a clever trick: taking some of the most well-loved elements of the rock canon and making them their own.
“I listened to Radioactivity by Kraftwerk pretty much constantly while writing this record, and… we listened to a lot of Eno and Fripp and the Iggy Pop record that David Bowie produced,” Hunter said in an interview. And you can certainly hear those influences at play. Robotic synths, ambient drift, stark percussion– many of the touchstones of 1977 art rock are on display in tracks like “Lamb” and “Candy”. It doesn’t feel like by-the-numbers mixtape-ism, though, partly because Hunter’s singing is too dynamic to allow for that. Her androgynous voice can be airy and lilting or times throaty and masculine, and it lends an eerie otherness to the songs. Even when backed by a simple motorik bassline, Hunter sounds beamed-in from somewhere else.
This is one of those albums that creates its own little sound world, and a lot of its appeal has to do with qualities like texture and atmosphere. These are terms so overused in music writing that they’ve nearly lost their meaning, but here they’re important. Take for example the very tactile percussion of “Alphabet Song”. Snares and cymbals click-click-click like someone with long, fake fingernails tapping on a car window. Or go back to “Brains”, which does an excellent job of building tension and transferring energy with those outward-spinning guitars. For a while they kind of chime in place, but then right before the chorus hits, they step down an octave and there’s an exhale. The mood changes and takes you along with it.
With so much attention on the sonics it can be easy to ignore the words, and actually I’d say the lyrical content is the record’s least interesting aspect. In that same interview from above, Hunter discussed the subject matter, going into some heady stuff about Dada and transhumanism and “denying our animal selves.” I’m not sure what she meant, and I’m not sure that it matters. This isn’t an album about a specific narrative, it’s about sounds and colors and the way a synth tone or cryptic string of words hits you and makes you feel something. When the guitars are chugging and the drums are crackling and Hunter sings, “When I finally let my guard down, I was in the middle of the sea and drowning,” I don’t know what she means exactly, but it gives me goosebumps. Every time.
Marilyn Manson – Born Villain (Cooking Vinyl/Downtown, 2012)
Sound: Brian Warner began his career while going to college for a journalism degree, and formed the band The Spooky Kids. Later on the name was changed to the name of Brian‘s stage persona, Marilyn Manson, and through connections he had made with Trent Reznor of NIN had their debut album “Portrait Of An American Family” released on Reznor‘s record label and went on tour to support NIN. This sky-rocketed Marilyn Manson to national infamy due to the controversial persona that Marilyn Manson had developed. Although initially the concept for the band was something between industrial metal and hardcore punk rock, their musically gravitated towards more of an alternative metal sound. Over the years, Marilyn Manson has cultivated his stage persona in order to create and sustain a level of shock from the general public which has often over-shadowed their music.
Fast forward to 2012, and Marilyn Manson is releasing their eighth studio album, “Born Villain“. Although they have fallen out of the national spotlight they had been such a subject of in the mid and late 90’s, their music has been consistently interesting and often good. It appears that “Born Villain” will better than just interesting and will actually be a good album as well. I have to admit a distaste for the way Marilyn Manson has used shock as a marketing tool, and to enjoy his music I always have to listen to it and pretend I don’t know anything about the band itself. I suggest this, as it really helps to enjoy the music for what it is. Really, the album feels like Marilyn trying to stretch a little bit but maybe not knowing exactly how to do it. At times it is well executed and at others it feels a little awkward. Regardless, it feels like a genuine effort, and honest, so I have to give it a thumbs up. // 7
Lyrics and Singing: As always, the lyrics of Marilyn Manson‘s songs range from being genuine to being designed to shock to just being generally depressive. I know that it sounds negative when I describe it that way but that isn’t exactly how I mean it. I do have to be in the right frame of mind and mood to listen to Manson‘s lyrics, but often times I’ve learned while he may see the world through a distorted lens he isn’t afraid to talk about the way things really are, at their darkest. We need artists that are willing to do this (even if they’re possessed by their own over the top wigged out stage persona). The lyrics from Born Villain do seem to be much more personal than Brian Warner‘s past albums, which is something interesting because in the past his lyrics have been mostly about society or about the nature of fame.
From the song “The Gardener“, you have the following lyrics: “I’m not man enough to be human but I’m trying to fit in and I’m learning to fake it/ don’t ever meet their friends/ tells you too much or not enough/ or worse, exactly the wrong thing/ every nuance every detail every movement every smell/ sound phrase inflection/ the way she laughs/ these are all the things you either obsessively fetishize or make yourself grow to love/ although you are supposed to be done growing she is still growing/ it is like a garden with two flowers one just blooming/ and casting a shadow just like yours/ and then it becomes a struggle of sunlight or rain or weeds“. Most of the lyrics on “Born Villain” seem to be primarily autobiographical. Marilyn‘s vocal delivery is really the same as it ever was – not really any comment you can make on that, though there is much more spoken word delivery on “Born Villain” than his previous releases. // 7
Impression: My favorite songs on the album are “No Reflection“, “Slo-Mo-Tion“, “Breaking The Same Old Ground“, and the title track “Born Villain“. The only song I really dislike is “Pistol Whipped“. This isn’t the best album ever from Marilyn Manson, but it is the best we’ve seen in a few releases and it is much more personal lyrically than previous releases. As I listen to multiple listens I seem to feel differently about the album at each listen, but the end verdict is it is a worthwhile collection of songs. You may be able to tell from reading my review that I ran the gambit of emotions regarding this album, and I think from the interviews I’ve read this is what Marilyn Manson has intended. If so, then great job on his part.
There are 14 tracks on the album counting the hidden track, which is a cover of “You’re So Vain“. With the bonus track the album clocks in at just over 63 minutes. This is really a respectable length for an album, which is a nice change from a lot of modern bands that release albums that clock in at under 30 minutes. A word about the bonus song – the cover of “You’re So Vain” – if you don’t compare it to the original, but listen to it as an individual song it isn’t that bad, but it is probably the first cover from Marilyn Manson that I didn’t like when compared to the original version. // 7 – Brandon East (c) 2012
THE FLOOD GALLERY PRESENTS – Class of ‘72 To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the music of 1972 The Flood Gallery has commissioned 8 new limited edition art pieces, inspired by the iconic albums of that year. We will also be exhibiting a set of 6 Glam Rock Portraits by Justin Hampton, based on the monumental 1972 Glam singles. Plus, Chuck Sperry, is producing for us a special art print based on the Apollo missions and Moon landings which came to an end in 1972 with Apollo 17.
They will be unveiled and available to buy at our reception gala from 7pm on Thursday the 3rd of May. Everyone is welcome to join the fun, as well as amazing new art, there will be a T Rex cover band playing a set of their greatest hits at the Gallery. Our good friends and neighbours Hola! Paella will be open late to supply everyone with food and drink.
Iconic art prints will include:
Justin Hampton – Harvest – Neil Young
Jermaine Rogers – Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
Jeff Wood – The Eagles – The Eagles
GL Barr – Exile on Main Street – The Rolling Stones
Alan Forbes – Black Sabbath – Vol. 4
Munk One – Super Fly – Curtis Mayfield
Casey Burns – T Rex – Slider
James Flames – Lou Reed – Transformer
Chuck Sperry – Moon Landing
Justin Hampton Glam Rock singles art set includes:
David Bowie – Jean Genie
T Rex – Children of the revolution
Roxy Music – Virginia Plain
Alice Cooper – School’s Out
Mott the Hoople – All the young dudes
Slade – Mama we’re all crazy now
All art prints will be affordable and also available with our high quality, well priced frames. All art will be available on our website from the 4th of May. Full sets will be available for pre order, please check our website for more details. There will also be opportunity to see our almost sold out Led Zeppelin 4 prints, from our IV at 40 show last November. We look forward to seeing you on the 3rd !
The Flood Gallery is located at 8 Greenwich Market, London SE10 9HZ
So Record Store Day 2012 has come and gone, did you find everything you were looking for? Some of the more sought after items were available on Ebay as early as Saturday morning which brings up a disturbing question. How many buyers are only waiting in line to buy limited edition records for resale and is it fair to the die hard collectors out there?
Maybe the organizers of Record Store Day should implement a year long program for collectors to accumulate ‘credits’ at their local stores every time they buy music (or speficially vinyl) over the course of a year. Then when Record Store Day 2013 rolls around those with the most ‘credit’ will be allowed early access or front of the line status.
This would encourage people to buy records all year long and not just on Record Store Day and maybe more of the records would wind up in the hands of people who actually want them and not on Ebay mere minutes after purchase.
If you missed out on some of the titles and would just like to hear the music, some have been posted on You Tube for your listening pleasure…enjoy!
As has become tradition, back in June of 2011 Vanguard Records and Record Store Day asked fans to vote for the five classic Vanguard titles to be reissued on Record Store Day 2012. You voted, and here’s what’s in store for this year. These five titles are limited in quantity and available EXCLUSIVELY at participating independently owned record stores on Record Store Day 2012. And if the past two years are any indication, these LPs will be gone in hours, if not minutes, so plan ahead and happy hunting!
Here’s another one of our favorite releases for Record Store Day. You might want to go get in line outside your local participating record store now!
School of Seven Bells will be releasing an exclusive 7” for Record Store Day on April 21! The new 7″ will feature the band’s unique take on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Kiss Them For Me,” as well as an unreleased SVIIB studio track called “When She Was Me.” These limited-edition tracks (only 1,000 7” singles will be pressed) will be available digitally on April 24 as well.
Let’s revisit some of the cool projects that Sound Perfromance worked on for Record Store Day as it’s only a few days away on April 21st.
Smugglers Way is Domino and Ribbon’s first ever limited edition zine featuring FIVE individual, multi-colored flexi discs of EXCLUSIVE, UNRELEASED songs from Dirty Projectors, Real Estate, Cass McCombs, John Maus, and Villagers. Smugglers Way will be sold exclusively at indie retail for Record Store Day, April 21st 2012.
Art by Alison Mosshart (The Kills)
The zine comprises 24 pages of original art and prose from Domino and Ribbon artists. Highlights include a short story penned by James Yorkston; a long form poem by Laura Marling; short form pieces by Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Ade Blackburn (Clinic), and Tom Fleming (Wild Beasts); illustrations from Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Andrea Estella (Twin Sister), Conor O’Brien (Villagers) and Jon Hopkins; photography from Jana Hunter (Lower Dens), and an original arranged score of music by Owen Pallett. Bjorn Copeland of Black Dice designed the cover and Rob Carmichael at SEEN is responsible for the art direction and layout.
Flexi Disc Tracklist:
Dirty Projectors – “You Against The Larger World”
Real Estate – “In My Car”
Cass McCombs – “Teachers”
John Maus – “No Title (Molly)
Villagers – “Shards”
Smugglers Way back cover illustrated by Conor O’Brien (Villagers)
Smugglers Way is a limited, one of a kind item, conceived and designed exclusively for Record Store Day (April 21st, 2012). We couldn’t be more proud of the collection, and we hope you find Smugglers Way as exciting to read and listen to as it was for us to put together.
Sound Performance USA 