In Depth
"Art has the power to make good in the world... through the magic of money" - DiS meets Jeffrey Lewis
Around the release of Jeffrey Lewis' third record City and Eastern Songs - an album which, it would quickly become clear, was the high watermark of the burgeoning (hey, let’s just call it) ‘anti-folk’ genre - you might remember DiS running this feat»
Spotifriday #89 - This week on DiS as a playlist ft. EMA, Wild Beasts, Murcof + more
This week's hand-picked Spotifriday playlist, featuring Idiot Glee, Wild Beasts, FaltyDL, Murcof, Mazes, Jeffrey Lewis and many more. »
DiS meets Stuart Mackay, founder and organiser of Indietracks
With the 2011 festival season fast approaching, we here at DiS thought it an appropriate time to question Indietracks founder Stuart Mackay about its continuous growth, the difficulties and pitfalls in organising such an event, and put forward his all time dream Indietracks line-up. »
Liars, Wild Beasts, of Montreal, Sky Larkin, Blood Red Shoes, & more pick their favourite artwork
As part of artwork day we got some of DiS' favourites to contribute some words on their favourite record sleeves. Keeps 'em out of trouble, doesn't it? They were only too happy to help, their selections are below, and run the gamut from psychedelia to soul to performance art. Going by the age of the records, it either says something about the death of good artwork by the rise of 50 pixel squares on an iPod screen, or something about album artwork having less of an impact on our psyches once we're no longer in our formative years. There's nothing more important than the posters that grace the walls of our teenage bedrooms. Either way, below are the choices of bands including Liars, Slow Club, of Montreal and Wild Beasts. Look:»
10 Years of Singer-songwriters: Staff Picks
As part of our week dedicated to solo artists, I corralled DiS writers past and present into sending me some words on one album by a singer-songwriter that has stood out for them over the last ten years. From Bill Callahan to Simon Joyner, Martin Grech to Neko Case, here lie their choices, each accompanied by some means of listening to the artist in question.»
Spotify playlist: 10 Years of Solo Artists - Part 1: Pianos, Banjos, Drums + dropped Ds
Putting this playlist together I was reminded that the poignancy of many of these songs comes from that single-mindedness that only an individual with something to say or a deep well of emotion to share, is capable of. Love, hate and the precarious life vs. death battle looms large. For some of the artists on this playlist, life was too much and they didn't make it to 2010 but don't let that put you off because there's a human spirit in all of these songs (save for the few that are that little bit alien or divorced from any known reality). It's a spirit that will lift you on your best days and cradle you on your worst. »
DiS staffers '09 Mixtapes - Part 3
Whilst our top 5 albums of the year list offers somes glimpse into what our staff have been listening to these past twelve months, the annual mixtapes give a real insight as to what has been pleasing the ears, minds and heart strings of those wot write for DiS.»
Lost 9 of '09 - #4: Jeffrey Lewis 'Em Are I
Every year we ask our staff to submit their records of the year and every year, writers put records in their lists that seem to have been somewhat overlooked both within the realm of DiS and/or across the board. Rather than leave these records as forgotten footnotes, last year we launched our imaginatively titled Lost 8 of '08 (see the 8 highlighted records here) and this year it returns, one year older 'n' wiser, as the Lost 9 of '09. Once again this little list intends to do much the same neck-out-sticking for some of our staff's personal favourites. »
Latitude 2009: The DiS Review
To paraphrase Billy Piper, Latitude is pretty much honey to the b for the middle class legions of the DiS writing team, and thus it was in considerable numbers that we fell upon this year's edition of the idyllic Suffolk festival. Here are our reviewers' highlights.»
Time to get sheepish: a Latitude preview
There’s little point in pretending that we don’t want to have The Latitude festival’s children, so here’s a rundown of why it’s so awesome and what we're looking forward to the most, in no particular order. Apart from the bit about the sheep.»
On Kerouac, Koalas & Cervantes: DiS meets Jeffrey Lewis
Jeffrey Lewis has become known as one of the world's foremost exponents of that indefinable genre (as much as any genre is definable. What is pop? Don't even start...) known as antifolk.»
Everett True’s Rough Trade - a two disc mix(tape)
Rough Trade Records is 30. DiS asked Everett True, who is an authority on all things Rough Trade, to compile a mixtape of his favourites from the label's hugely influential catalogue. »
End Of The Road 2008: The Review
It’s a testament to End of the Road organisers Sofia Hagberg and Simon Taffe that not even the festival’s most professionally melancholy acts could contain their merriment at playing amongst peacocks, enchanted forests and parrots in the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens»
Summer Sundae 2008: the DiS (stage) preview
The annual Summer Sundae weekender takes place at De Montfort Hall and Gardens, Leicester, on August 8-10. Here's the DiS preview»
The Weekly DiScussion: The Valentine's Day Mixtape Massacre
Love is, apparently, in the air. To mark Valentine’s Day, we asked a number of artists for their favourite songs of either love or hate. Contributors: The Futureheads, British Sea Power, The Bronx, Jeffrey Lewis, Adam Green and more»
DiS's features of 2007
We’ve had our albums of the year and our tracks of the year, and here DiS bids you adieu for 2007 with our favourite features of the past twelve months, for your instant-click consumption and eye-aching reading pleasure. Starring Animal Collective (pictured), LCD Soundsystem, Battles, Panda Bear, M.I.A., Gallows, Beirut, Björk and more»
The Two Weeks That Was: a fortnight with the new DiS
Two weeks of the new, improved DiS done and dusted. We'd like to thank you for your patience, and invite you to reacquaint yourselves with the staggering diversity of content that we've run this past fortnight»
Jeffrey Lewis answers your questions... with crayons
back in August we asked readers to submit questions to anti-folk icon of some renown Jeffrey Lewis. He was to respond to a selection via the medium of cartoon. Here, we present his chosen answers»
Jeffrey Lewis: "Crass just seemed wide open for interpretation"
DiS caught up with Jeffrey Lewis before an afternoon show at Brixton’s Windmill to talk about why he chose to release an album of Crass covers, as well as about Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman, and what his next record, of his own material, will sound like...»
Comic Book Confessional: DiS talks to Jeffrey Lewis
DiS’s Sam Lewis met Jeffrey Lewis about two months ago, in a strange, almost school hall-like theatre in Sale for the Twisted Folk tour; playing alongside him was Nina Nastasia (read a review of the tour here). Here Jeff talks about anti-folk, his latest album City & Eastern Songs (recorded with his brother Jack, who he’s pictured with here), and his place in the 'pantheon' of musical greats…»
Twitter
Facebook
Last.fm
SoundCloud
MySpace
Friendster
RSS
