First Listen: Björk – Biophilia

Björk‘s new album – Biophilia – is now available for your listening pleasure via NPR’s First Listen series.  The album, which is also available in the form of an interactive iPad/iPod app, is perhaps the artist’s most experimental work to date.  Not known for her shyness in the face of technology, Björk has created an immersive multimedia experience for Biophilia.

Here’s how the folks at NPR describe the album’s background: “Björk’s latest and most ambitious project yet, began as a collection of songs written around themes of nature, science and humanity’s relationships to both. For most artists, that’d be a lofty enough concept on its own. But Björk heavily researched astrophysics, string theory, neurology, biology and other areas where science and music meet.”

With a description like that, and a personality like Björk, there can be no doubt that you’re in for a treat.  So, head on over to NPR and have a listen!  Biophilia will be released on October 11th.

Nirvana’s Nevermind is 20 Today.

Nirvana’s Nevermind is twenty years old today.  Of all the sentences I hadn’t been expecting to type during my teenage years, that one really sticks out.  Yet, here we are.  Seventeen years after the band ceased making new music.  And yet, Nirvana lives in the collective imagination in a way that few bands can.  Spin’s recent Newermind project, as well as Deer Tick’s Deervana, are a testament to the continuing influence of the Seattle scene of the early 90s.  Even the New York Times ran a recent article on the legacy of Nevermind.  Crazy, right?  But for me, the best way to remember the band that so changed my life is with a collection of awesome videos.  And that’s exactly what I’ve got for you…

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Mailbag: Anja McCloskey – And Her Head

Anja McCloskey is a singer-songwriter and accordionist from the U.K. who writes dramatic songs that positively burst with atmosphere and texture.  Her latest single (and accompanying video) “And Her Head,” which was inspired by a tragic event in her grandfather’s life, is a stirring mix of strings, violin, as well as Anja’s trademark vocals and accordion.  It’s a bold choice, certainly, to center a musical career around an instrument that many regard as a novelty, but there is no hint of irony here.  For Anja, the accordion is a thing of beauty and love.

Here’s how she describes it: “Ever since my grandpa started playing his accordion to me as a little child I have wanted to play it too. I just love the deep and full sounds and the little quirky noises the accordion makes and I don’t know any other instrument that can be so versatile and expressive.” Despite the thematic components of her songs, Anja is quick to challenge the assertion that this is Folk music: “I didn’t grow up or learn in a folk environment at all,” says Anja. “The accordion is obviously a folk instrument and I have been exposed to a lot of folk-inspired music since living in the UK, but my music owes just as much to classical.”

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Mix-Tape Monday: “Like Yesterday”

This week’s mix is full of things that I gravitate to when the air sharpens.  We’ve got one of my top-three favorite Cure songs, my favorite James song, and a host of other classics of years gone by.  It’s a wander down memory lane, and one that I think is perfectly well-suited for crisp, breezy days.  Sure, there are hints of sunshine and warmth – it’s only September, after all – but I think there’s a few lovely bits of chill, too.  And that’s what Fall is all about, right?

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Message to Bears Starts Fundraiser for New LP

Our friends over at Message to Bears have sent word about their attempt to raise money for their new album – Folding Leaves – via IndieGoGo, and so we thought we’d pass it along to you.  The band is hoping to raise about $4,000 for their new album (on Dead Pilot Records), and seems to be about halfway there.  We’ve written before about Message to Bears, and would be very happy to see the band come through with another record.  So, if you’re curious, check out that IndieGoGo page, or watch the pitch below before deciding!

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