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song of the day
Song of the Day | White Hinterland - “No Logic”
Back in January, we shared the ethereal “Icarus” with you on Some American Radio, the first single from the upcoming album, Kairos, by White Hinterland, essentially the creation of Casey Dienel, assisted by musical partner Shawn Creeden. Dienel’s first album, Philactery Factory, was a collection of strange, lyrical pop songs, but the group has shifted gears on Kairos, delving into dreamy indie-R&B songs drenched in reverb and cozy synths.
On the heels of the fantastic “Icarus” comes a second single, “No Logic”, which we happily share with you now. It does not have the immediate accessibility of the first single - though both prominently feature Dienel’s voice as an important melodic component - sounding more like a song deconstructed, then rebuilt with a miscellany of guitar and ukulele snippets and electronic pulses and clicks. Consider it a warped love-child of Dave Longstreth and Merrill Garbus. So a departure of sorts from the more straightforward “Icarus”, but nonetheless sharing the same musical genes.
Kairos is out on March 9th on Dead Oceans
White Hinterland will be in Washington, DC on April 25th at DC 9.
new song from the tallest man on earth
Musically, the term “folk” seems to encompass a lot these days, as sub-genres sprout off in wild directions and artists stretch its definition to breaking point. In stark and simple contrast, The Tallest Man On Earth, aka Kristian Matsson, plays stripped-down, no-frills acoustic songs that lets the man and his guitar stand front and center, harking back to folk’s glory days before Dylan plugged in his guitar. Matsson may not have the lyrical urgency or forthrightness of his forebears, but his off-the-cuff if somewhat vague imagery sits comfortably in the insistent melodies he plucks with some aplomb. Not to mention that for a Swede, he sounds convincingly steeped in the musical heritage of the American South and Appalachia.
His full debut of 2008, Shallow Grave, was very well received, and he is back with a new album - The Wild Hunt - released by his new label, Dead Oceans, that picks up where he left off two years ago. First single “King of Spain” is out now, and rides along, light as a feather, as Matsson describes the burning desire of a pale man from the North to conquer Spain and its sun-drenched climes. The album will come out on April 13th, and will hopefully deliver on the promise of his debut and this most recent single.
califone movie: tim rutili does ‘cinematic’
The Chicagoan bluesy soundsmiths Califone released their latest, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, back in October on Dead Oceans, a sister label of Jagjaguwar. Following closely along from their wonderful 2006 release, Roots and Crowns, it is yet more proof that there are few out there making stranger and more brilliant music.
Even more enticing about that latest batch of conjurations of blues forebears and more recent experimental artists was the news that a film of the same title would accompany it, as bandleader Tim Rutili - the film’s writer and director - adds another creative notch to his belt. The film will premiere at Sundance on January 26th in Park City, UT, and the band will perform the score live as the movie plays. Rutili’s first feature length centers on a fortune teller named Zel (played by Angela Bettis) who lives in a ghost-infested house, in which entrapment and chaos ensue when a bright light appears in the surrounding forest.
Influenced by a love for the Spanish surrealist giant Luis Buñuel - to whose 1962 classic, “Exterminating Angel”, this film pays homage - and a passion for cinema that often shines through in Califone’s work, “All My Friends Are Funeral Singers” has its share of thoughtful acting, odd imagery, non sequiturs, and of course, music. Rutili has plans for another film, a road movie, and, according to a recent interview with IFC, very much wants to make the soundtrack for a possible cinematic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s staggering Blood Meridian. Someone call Rutili, Nick Cave, and Warren Ellis up, get them in a room, and make that happen immediately.
Califone will be heading back out on the road in February, touring with Wilco, but sadly will not be alighting on the Eastern half of the country. If you happen to be in Chicago on March 9th or 10th, be sure to try and catch one of their homecoming shows.
Have a gander at the film’s trailer, and have a listen to the fantastically ramshackle “Ape-Like” from the album.
