Indie Dispatches: A Look at the Long Road in an Age of Hype
Kevin Devine to release his latest album Between the Concrete and Clouds on Razor & Tie
There seems to be a tendency in the media world in 2011 – especially amongst blogs and online outlets obviously – to go hell for leather-touting whatever the next shiny-new-thing coming down the street (which will likely have a shelf life of about 10 minutes – Black Kids anyone?) And in that mad stampede, it’s sometimes the older artists who get lost in the proverbial shuffle. Which is a shame, because more likely than not, their records are better, and longer-lasting than some of their younger competitors. Just look at Thurston Moore who, despite his Dorian Gray eternal baby-faced looks, is truly an elder statesman when it comes to alternative rock. 2011 has seen his new solo release (what must be about his 325th record overall!), where he took a daring step in making an acoustic album. Demolished Thoughts, released by indie Matador, sees Thurston (who celebrated his 53rd birthday this week!!!), passing up his regular noise for a gentler affair, sitting somewhere between the music of his current touring (& label) partner Kurt Vile, and the more plaintive moments of Beck – who produced the album. And in the process, the lanky New Yorker made a fine record, one that the folk battering down the doors in search of new EMA or Rainbow Arabia albums, would be making an error to ignore.
And how about Thurston’s former DGC label-mates in Sloan? The Canadian stalwarts celebrated their 20-year anniversary this year by putting out a new album, appropriately titled XX – the Double Cross. Each record from the foursome, with XX the 10th overall, has been a barrage of power pop songs that have stood up well, and there is no disputing their landmark album One Chord to Another still sounds as fresh 16 years (and 3-4 labels) on from its original release. And while the Nova Scotian quartet may not have seen a lot in the way of ‘hits’ – at least south of the border – there is no disputing Sloan still have a wide and dedicated group of devotees, even after 20 years.
Then there is Kevin Devine. He may reside in Brooklyn, like many of the blog obsessives, but it’s not as though he receives the same coverage. Once again a crying shame, as the singer-songwriter has spent 10 plus years making smart, thoughtful and well crafted records, from his early days in Miracle of 86, through a number of solo releases – not to mention his recent collaboration with Manchester Orchestra under the name Bad Books – an oeuvre that includes Put Your Ghost to Rest, which could possibly be classified as “the best album released for what seemed like 10 minutes on Capitol Records in 2006″ (Devine was dropped soon after its release). But the songs from that and his other albums have barely aged, showing infinitely more longevity than some of his buzzy counterparts over the years. The good news is that Devine has finished a new record, Between the Concrete and Clouds, which is scheduled for release in the fall through Razor & Tie. And what’s the bet we’ll still be hearing from Devine in 2021 – something that is far from guaranteed when it comes to the likes of Wu Lyf, or Inc.
- Cool Hand Luke
06.15.10Indie Dispatches: Wavves, Woodsist Festival & Vaselines Reunite
Nathan Williams, the central figure in San Diego lo-fi noise combo WAAVES, has seen the bottom, one could argue the very bottom. He played what seemed to be a set of uniformly derided shows at SXSW 2009, was embroiled in an ongoing spat with the Black Lips, where the two camps peppered away online like kids in a schoolyard (before ending up in a physical confrontation in Brooklyn) and then there was the much publicized meltdown on stage at the Primavera Sound Festival in Spain. But just to show there is only one way to go from the bottom, WAVVES released a new track online this past week that has been getting quite good reviews. The single, “Post Acid,” was released for free via Green Label Sound, and is 2 minutes and 9 seconds of great west coast fuzz pop. The track is a sample from the band’s album King of the Beach, due out on Fat Possum August 3rd.
After the success of Waved Out earlier this year, the Echoplex/Echo park complex once again plays festival host this week with the NY Woodsist label (who first released Wavves debut album) bringing their Woodsist Festival to Los Angeles. Featuring the cream of the label’s roster, Woods and Real Estate, as well with Kurt Vile, locals Abe Vigoda and others, the festival will hit the Echo Park venues today (June 15th). Word has it that the much blogged about Real Estate are currently free agents, and on the hunt for a new label.
And in the legends-of-the-Grunge-era-reform-to-release-new-album-in-2010 stakes, the Stone Temple Pilots have just been ousted from the top spot by UK favorites The Vaselines. After reforming to play a series of shows to support their retrospective Enter the Vaselines on Sub Pop, the duo of Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly, of course notable in counting Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain as a major fan, entered the studio to record a new album, Sex with an X. The full-length doesn’t come out until September 14th , but in the interim head to the band’s website to download an early free teaser, “I Hate the 80’s”. Look forward to a live tour in the fall – the last set of dates were a riot, with the onstage banter between Kelly & McKee worthy of a finalist slot on Last Comic Standing.
- Cool Hand Luke
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