P L A Y List: Summer Songs

Summer is eight days old already. My last post was over a week ago. And, the last P L A Y List was quite some time before that. All of this means it's about time to give you something fitting for the new season.

Summer to me means a whole lot of nothing good. I dwell on the bugs and the allergies and the terrible Pennsylvanian humidity. I'm not a 'people person', so I enjoy a season when there are a whole let less of them out and about. I don't vacation often, and when I do, it's to some Northern city with a good music festival or bars that stay open past 2am. I'm not a beach guy. I don't dream of sand while listening to Jack Johnson or Jimmy Buffett.

While I could have given you something more subdued or depressing, you may have not appreciated it. So, I'm trying to keep a light, positive attitude; being that this summer, so far, has been unnaturally kind to me.

It's Summertime - The Flaming Lips
Go Jetsetter - The Postmarks
A Summer Wasting - Belle & Sebastian
Northern Lights - Bowerbirds
Bummer in the Summer - Love
Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith
Cocaine and Ashes - Son Volt
Pain Killer (Summer Rain) - Turin Brakes
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway - Wilco

Interpol/Twin Tigers at Mr. Small's... 'This is why I hold you... '

Interpol made Pittsburgh one of its few June tour stops with a performance last night at Mr. Small's Theater. With bassist Carlos Dengler recently out of the picture, former Slint player David Pajo joined Banks, Fogarino, and Kessler on stage for a celebratory set featuring plenty of choice cuts from the band's first two albums. No reason to believe otherwise, but let's hope Pajo is more than just a stopgap. Nice review of the show at spinner.com can be seen here.

Athens, Georgia's very own Twin Tigers lead things off with an impressive set before Interpol graced the converted church's stage. I've now found myself sifting through tracks off of the Twin Tigers' 2010 release, Gray Waves. Last night proved to be a thankful introduction to this band.

Lights - Interpol
Passive Idol - Twin Tigers

Horse or Cycle: who says Pittsburgh doesn't have good bands?!?

Local act Horse or Cycle has a new record out called Flood Season. This post is for all of the labels out there. If you want to hear more, just let me know!!

Two Hearts - Horse or Cycle

Les Shelleys preview

I wanted to follow up that last post with a little taster of what one might expect going down to the Les Shelleys show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville tomorrow night. I will be in attendance for the charming performance of one Tom Brosseau and one Angela Correa, playing together as the duo known as Les Shelleys.

I would describe them as an old-timey, harmonizing acoustic duet à la She & Him. Brosseau is a storyteller singer/songwriter from North Dakota. He's been known to write about his home state, having released an album titled Grand Forks--after the town he grew up in. Correa is from San Diego where she plays with her self-named band Correatown. Her music has been featured on television programs like Grey's Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother.

I've provided a quaint little number from their self-titled Fat Cat release... enjoy!!

Rum and Coca-Cola - Les Shelleys

Chipped/Chopped Ham

I feel like I've done Pittsburgh justice in my lifetime. I've lived here my whole life and I've pretty much done all of the things that I've wanted to do--things exclusive to this great city. Pittsburgh certainly has its charm, which makes it easy to embrace. The arts, the music, the food, the people, most definitely the bars; I've been to most places and enjoyed them.

On a music note, I've been to all of the good venues and most of the bad ones. While I am obviously too young to have experienced a show at the Electric Banana or the Crawford Grill or the Syria Mosque, I've seen my fair share of events at Club Laga and Graffiti and Metropol and Rosebud. I've been to Diesel before it was Diesel when it was Nick's Fat City. It's important to live in a city and know all the stomps. At least, I think so.

I've always wanted to clean up my list, so to speak; a list that I've comprised of all of the places I've yet to go and all of the things I've yet to experience. I knocked one off this morning and had breakfast in one of Pittsburgh's infamous diners--Isaly's.

For those unknowing, Isaly's is renowned for chipped/chopped ham. One site claims this deli meat to be one of Pittsburgh's original four food groups. Sliced paper thin, layered on a bun with a slice of cheese (and maybe some hometown BBQ sauce); this type of sandwich holds a very special place in this city's illustrious history.

One of the only surviving locations nestles in Pittsburgh's neighborhood to the north, West View. I've been spending a lot of time in West View lately and decided to have me some breakfast at the little hotspot diner on Perry Highway. Kudos to the service (four coffee refills in 45 minutes!), the food (ham and eggs with white toast), the decor (loads of wall photos of historic Pittsburgh, West View, and the defunct West View Park), and the overall feel of the restaurant. It made me appreciate this city even more to be there.

* * * * *

I'm gearing up for tomorrow's Les Shelleys show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville. After a few errands run, I'll be back home to further enjoy the new record from this duo. More on this show at a later date, of course!

Diamond Ring - Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts

(Perhaps, your very own introduction to) Richard Youngs

Before you do anything else, please check out this experimental British folktronica artist that I've been following for a few years now. I can't tell you how many times I've enjoyed playing his fitting autumnal track "Low Bay of Sky" and I am always looking forward to new records. The first one's off of Jagjaguwar's 2009 release Under Stellar Stream.

His name is Richard Youngs. And, we would all be happy if he toured more (although, it is noted that he finds playing live shows to be altogether stressful for himself).

My Mind Is In Garlands - Richard Youngs
Low Bay of Sky - Richard Youngs

Wasted Daylight

New from Stars...

Enjoy!

Wasted Daylight - Stars

Gultskra Artikler - Galaktika

Gultskra Artikler
Galaktika
(Other Electricities)
Rating: 3.3 of 5


Wordless music albums must rely on their sonic textures to achieve imagery. Moscow-based avant-garde artist Alexey Devyanin has the grasp on this. Under the name Gultskra Artikler, Devyanin has come out with Galaktika—an ambient voyage through the nihility of hope in space.

With looped noise obscenely interrupting each mix, each drone track on Galaktika is engraved with its own signature—developing the interpretive full-length as a whole. Disturbing echoed choir vocals groan unintelligible syllables during dissolutions before synthetic and tendriled percussion tracks make shapes until the glob of sound becomes distortedly congealed.

Galaktika gets about as close to terrestrial as earth’s orbit, but not nearly as constant or calculated. The record’s course drifts along in zero gravity; hurtling aimlessly and spinning dark-colored streaks of light across the dregs of visible space. Artikler’s long-player could even soundtrack the next Ridley Scott sci-fi production; such as the unwordly “Nanorobot” would prove upon one closed-eyed listen.

Artikler’s work is very cinematic in arrangement. Similar soundscape sequences to 2001: A Space Odyssey can be heard beginning “Sputnik”; evolving into the sine wave whirr that would dissipate into thin slishes at the end of the track. The mostly melodic and introspective synth progression of “Asteroid” follows, nearing the end of the album. What kind of angel the final track is named after, I can only fear to know.

Industrial burbles sounding like heavy metal doors heaving, cringing digital squeals clucking on like megacomputers thinking, multiple semitones wavering in and out; Gultskra Artikler’s Galaktika is an intrepid, riveting affair.

Galaktika - Gultskra Artikler

Buy this album

Benadryl and the lull to come...

It's early on a Tuesday morning, but I like to think of it as late on a Monday night. But Monday is gone. And, such a strange day it was.

I was so tripped out at work from taking a Benadryl on an empty stomach. Work proved difficult afterward. Finally made my way back home to pass out for an hour and a half. Since I've awakened, I've been to the bar and back. Three beers down, I still feel like I'm moving in slow motion.

I wanted to post something fitting, so here goes...

Dragonfly - Low

Joseph Arthur at Liquid Sundays; five tracks that are new and awesome...

After a long workday yesterday, I decided to grab a coffee and a bite at the ol' donut shop and bullshit with my pal Bruce. I took with me the new City Paper, as I was going to catch up on the complete summer concert schedule here in Pittsburgh. Bruce and I chatted about sex, drugs, death, and country music; it was nice to kill two hours.

In the listings, a show this Sunday caught my eye. Joseph Arthur is playing (and painting) at J. Verno Studios on 3030 Jane Street in the South Side of Pittsburgh with Harlan Twins and Long Time Darlings as a part of the Liquid Sundays event. The show starts at 6pm. Five artists are featuring work in mosaics, photography, graphic art, and live graffiti. There is also a laser cutting display by Epilog Laser. Yuengling beer will be provided free of charge. 21 and over, and we're talking about $15. It's a must see.

www.liquidsundays.com

I was also delighted to see that The National are making a September stop to the 'Burgh (accompanied by Owen Pallett) and Broken Social Scene is coming to the Byham Theater in the Cultural District. A very exciting summer indeed.

I'll be glad to post more info upon request. Hope to see you and one or all of these events.

To go with the theme of 'new and exciting', here are five new tracks that may leave you wanting more...

Constellation Dirtbike Head - Tobacco
Volunteers - Megafaun
Congratulations - MGMT
Saturday Come Slow (feat. Damon Albarn) - Massive Attack
Thursday - Noisia

Pre-summer update and a song by Gary Higgins

Summer in Pittsburgh is well on its way. A few new interviews are in the works... and the review list keeps getting longer and longer. Lots to do, lots to do, lots to do...

The upcoming summer concert list is very eye-catching; with the likes of Mates of State, Interpol, Tom Brosseau, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and many cool local bands donning the bill. Just came off fresh from a wild and crazy Of Montreal/Noot D'Noot show. More on those two bands to come...

I'm going to make an honest effort to keep things pretty simple for June, and I'm looking forward to it. I hope everyone is enjoying these last trickles of the spring and ready to jump ahead into the summer months. Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and I'm in high spirits. Aside from the overly hot weather and annoying high pollen count in the air, this will be a very enjoyable and fruitful summer. Here's to all!

Looking For June - Gary Higgins