Artwork Day: Polyvinyl Records on artwork
Matt Lunsford, the co-president of Polyvinyl Records (home of Of Montreal) wrote us words on the label's views on artwork...»
Articles
mijbear has written the following articles:
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:»
When Artwork Goes Wrong: The 10 Worst Album Covers of the 00's
The 10 worst album covers of the 00's...»
Artwork Day: Constellation Records on the past, present and future
As part of artwork day, we got the co-founder of Constellation Records, Ian Ilavsky, to write us a few words on his (and the label's) outlook on artwork - past, present and future. Constellation Records is one place you can guarantee will always have high»
Artwork Day: Top Ten Record Covers of the '00s
Welcome to DiS is Ten's 'Artwork Day'. How are you? Well, I hope. As the title suggests, there'll be some features on artwork: there'll be a good artwork top 10, and a bad artwork top 10. And then a couple of record label people are having their say, co»
DiS meets Dosh
Martin Dosh is a multi-instrumentalist, renowned for his spooling reels that drop in and out, building complex soundscapes that never stray far from beauty. I reviewed his latest record, Tommy, for DiS earlier this year. In short, it got 9/10. More? His m»
Favourite 50: WHY? - Alopecia (chosen by James Lawrenson)
Over the past decade, genres have become increasingly divided. Imagine an immense, ever-growing pyramid, where every brick is a genre. Each brick supporting the two genres above it represents a merging of those genres. That pyramid is where the 2000s ha»
Sky Larkin - Kaleide
It doesn't need dissection of what makes it so, it just needs acceptance, acknowledgement of what it is, lest the spell be broken, lest we break it by taking it apart. »
Spilt drinks on the digital carpet: DiS at The Creators Project
By James Lawrenson and Daniel B. Yates The Creators Project is “a partnership between Intel and VICE that brings together innovators across disciplines and explores the different ways they use digital technologies to further their artistic pursuits”. O»
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Often collaborative projects end up being an average of its participants, merging in the middle in a grey mulch. Dark Night of the Soul escapes all of that, Sparklehorse bringing the songwriting genius, and Danger Mouse the production.»
Pagan Wanderer Lu - European Monsoon
These songs should last forever.»
Mystery Jets - Serotonin
For those fans put off by the 'mainstream' stylings of Twenty One, look away. There is nothing for you here.»
Dirty Projectors at The Barbican, City of London, Fri 25 Jun
Tonight sees Dirty Projectors dominant, glorious, and offering the best that avant garde rock can offer. I'm sorry you missed it.»
Born Ruffians - Say It
Born Ruffians, both on their new record Say It - and previous Red, Yellow & Blue - suit the summer infinitely more than the months past September. »
Woods - At Echo Lake
Woods have refined their wanderings into more concise thrills, but at times lost what made them unique. »
male bonding - Nothing Hurts
In four minutes of this record there are two tracks that together have more melodies, more moments of joy, than most bands will manage this year. 'TUFF' is a punky sprint, a cowbell rattling between fizzing bursts of riffs and croons of vocals, while 'Nothing Remains' surfs along on backing vocal ooo's and chaotic guitar lines. »
Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph
These songs aren't sung. They're performed. Mercer lives his vocals, and brings what could be flat indie into vivid, vibrant Technicolor. »
First Listen: Crystal Castles : Crystal Castles
On a sunny day in April (last Thursday) DiS got invited along to a listen through of the new Crystal Castles album, set to be released June 7, on Fiction.»
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
If your blood lusts after some kind of classic songwriting, but your Dylan is worn out (physically or mentally) then this should fill that void. »
Dosh - Tommy
Tommy is not an album that lets your attention wander off it for more than a moment. »
Josiah Wolf - Jet Lag
Whilst at times the melodies feel frail, and it seems to struggle with a slight lack of something musically, at others the album is triumphant, with complex, brilliant pop songs about that age old theme, heartbreak. »
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Whatever your opinion of Laura Marling, she is an artist that attracts attention. The main aspect of Alas I Cannot Swim that entranced and summoned plaudits was the age of the artist juxtaposed with the mature poise of the lyrics and music. Recorded whilst she was but 17, its ponderings on love and all that eventually garnered a Mercury nomination and high positions in those end of year lists. You probably know this.»
The High Wire - The Sleep Tape
From almost the very start, The High Wire were cursed. For a few weeks into the band's existence in its current line-up Chris Martin invited them to open at Coldplay's shows in December 2008. And there aren't many things surer to smother a band's progress than an endorsement from pop music's false messiah balladeer. Or open up their music to a far wider audience than they'd otherwise get. All depends on your perspective really.»
NosferatuD2 - We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise
Posthumous releases have always been big business, the record label / management / hangers on desperate to make final bucks with records the star wouldn't have sullied their brand with. New Jimi Hendrix offcuts are due in a few months, and Tupac has now released more albums since his death than he did whilst he beefed with Biggie. And so now we have a debut record from a band who split up over two years ago. This ain't no cash in though. An enterprising man has set up Audio Antihero, and self funded the release. Perhaps it's the kind of people our desperate, dying music industry needs. Perhaps it's foolhardy.»
Efterklang - Magic Chairs
For this record is one which plays with the timbres of the orchestra: violins, cellos, trombones, flutes, anything, and does so successfully, utilising the sounds to make something that draws on music hundreds of years old, and music years old, to create something else. And for that, we can forgive it its minor, sporadic flaws. »
Moonface - Dreamland EP: marimba and shit-drums
The layers of marimba at times resemble an organic version of the interlocking pulses of sine wave synths in electronica. This EP is mesmeric, the chiming lines having a hypnagogic effect, sending you into the dreamworld that Krug describes. The fascination of escaping into a self contained dream makes this record enticing, luring you in. Combined with its unique instrumentation, Dreamland EP is a special record, turning what could have been a gimmick into something else, something otherworldly.»
First Aid Kit - The Big Black And The Blue
Certain aspects of certain bands are always inescapable when discussing their music. Bon Iver lived in a cabin; Portishead take ages between records; The Strokes will never match Is This It; etcetera, etcetera. The same indubitably goes for young artists, perhaps because those writing about them feel a melancholic disappointment at their own comparative attainments at that age. And so it is with First Aid Kit, aged just 16 and 19 years old and already releasing their debut album.»
FM Belfast - How To Make Friends
Psychogeography is all in music. It's impossible to imagine For Emma, Forever Ago to come from anywhere but a log cabin in Wisconsin. Try and separate the Velvet Underground or The Strokes from NYC. Geographic origins impact everything – rural/urban/north/south etc etc etc. Iceland has always had its own particular psychogeography, musically, from Bjork, to múm, to Mugison, to Sigur Rós, a certain thread of organic electronica, and a connection to the wide wastes of glacial volcanic landscape.»
Adam Green - Minor Love
Without the humour, this could so easily be lounge singer pop. This is, after all, the man who came up with the so bad it's genius of “I am a goat / In a moat / With a boat”. Without that, what is left? What do you do if you've excised all the silliness? You go to Songwriters 101, and learn how to write proper songs, with addictive melodies and all that. »
Huw Stephens names his Festive Ten
Huw Stephens, the Radio 1 DJ and SWN creator/overseer/organiser has gone and done a Christmas list, and rather nice it is to. We'll leave the rest of the words to Huw, with his top 10 favouritest festive albums, EPs and tracks.»