Aesthetic Octopus » yeasayer

Vampire Weekend/Yeasayer Mashup

Doctorate Upholder — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:41:43 +0000

“Giving Up The Alp” – Immuzikation Blend.

Get the mp3 here.

Via.

Closing Tentacles:

Do you like mashups?
Do you make mashups?
Is this mashup really that good, or it just getting “mad press” because it’s a combination of VW and Yeasayer?
Did you read our interview with Yeasayer?
What would you give to get your mashup featured on Stereogum?

An Ambling Interview With Yeasayer

machininnautica — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:09:13 +0000

Illustration: Mary Machin

Yeasayer are fast becoming one of the biggest cult bands to come out of North America. Aesthetic Octopus got together with vocalist Chris Keating, a live bandmate whose name was lost in the hustle and bustle of the busy Glaswegian bar, and, eventually, Ira Wolf Tuton, bassist and oil-wrestling enthusiast. We discussed their new album, Odd Blood, press negativity and the cover culture of today’s music. In addition to this, my personal penchant for Joanna Newsom, and anticipation for Have One On Me was slammed by Tuton during the interview. Don’t worry, insults are what he gives to his friends…

Why have you taken such a drastically different direction with Odd Blood?

C: Most bands we know and admire try something new all the time, so that‘s what we wanted to do with Odd Blood. It can work for some people, but most of the time you end up stuck in a rut if you do the same thing all the time. I think we’ll constantly be moving forward and changing. In four years we could be country! I wonder what the country version of Odd Blood would sound like [laughs]!

What were the production differences with Odd Blood?

C: The first album was done at home with better equipment. We did this one in the studio, but it doesn’t mean we’re better at it now. We’ve got new equipment and seeing as we’ve got the first album done, it’s time to move forward onto different kind of synthesisers and other new things that will make us sound different.

Chris, you’ve worked with Simian Mobile Disco, Is there anyone else you’d like to work with?

C: Yeah, I’m a whore man, there’s no one I wouldn’t work with [laughs]. I met those guys, they were cool guys, I liked them. They’re like semi instrumental, so it’s the kind of music you can do anything with, so they let me do whatever I wanted over the top. It was cool! We also worked with Bat For Lashes (Natasha Khan) on her record, but I’ll work on anything that comes up, if it’s at the right time.

Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan

At this point a better late than never Ira Wolf Tuton joins the conversation…

How’s this UK tour differed to the last time you were over here?

C: It’s only been a couple of days so far, but it’s very similar. Although, I was very humid last night, I haven’t felt humid in a while!

I: It was nice, there was a buzz.

C: We’re gonna go back to America and be like, whaaat?

How much input did you have in the video for Ambling Alp, and are you planning to work with Radical Friend again?

C: No input, I found Radical Friend and I really liked their work, it’s crazy and original. They’re so interested in our opinion, but we’re opinionated anyway, very controlling.

I: We like control. They sent us a demo of a previous video, and we just loved it. We’ve just done the video recently, so it’ll be about soon.

Do you like hearing remixes or reworkings of your music, and have you heard The Very Best’s reworking of Ambling Alp?

C: I love that version! I was like ‘I wanna do THAT instead!’, with all those vocals, y’know like the [insert Very Best impersonation here] bit?

I: I’ve yet to hear this cover…

C: It’s so cool, they took the instrumental and made it way cooler. It’s not even a cover, I heard it, and I was like, ‘what is THIS? It sounds so much better without me on it!’ But seriously, all those harmonies, how can they make it sound like that? I think remixes are confusing. One of my mom’s biggest questions is [assumes Mother‘s voice] ‘What’s a remix?’, she asks that all the time. It’s really weird how someone can reinterpret your music like that, and it’s even more confusing to previous generations, because they haven’t had that culture.

The lyrics to Odd Blood are very different to those on All Hour Cymbals, tell us a little about that.

C: Well, we’ve moved on musically, and obviously the lyrics come with that, so I suppose it’s just down to new experiences and interests!

Tell us a little about your first musical loves…

C: Michael Jackson’s Bad…

I: The Beatles…

C: I used to play that record non-stop, I used to play one side, flip it over, play one side, flip it again. I think it came out just when I was born, or when I was born, but it’s just the greatest.

Does it annoy you when songs that you personally enjoyed writing aren’t well received in the press?

I: I don’t think so, no, because even if it is negative, the songs were still important enough to write about. It’s all about weighing up your press. There’s a difference between something that’s constructive criticism and snarky and annoying, and if it’s like that-

C: You might get a letter!

I: Mmhmm!

C: We’ve written letters in the past!

I: Being negative for being negative isn’t cool. It’s like, we are who we are, we’re not above you and people act like we think we are.

C: It’s like, people will say ‘Ira’s haircut’s weird’

I: [laughs] Yes, I did it to myself! I’d be surprised if it wasn’t…

Your music sounds like a combination of lots of different genres, is it hard for you to take credit for certain parts of that?

C: Er…Naaaah, if people are gonna give me credit, they give me credit.

I: Yeah, at the end of the day it pays the bills and gives me food…and oil wrestling matches [laughs]! Hmm! Food or another oil-wrestling match? My money’s on the brunette!

C: [laughs and shakes head] It’s a tough call!

How has Brooklyn influenced your music?

I: There have been a lot more bagels! You are what you eat.

C: I don’t think it does, no. It’s just a cultural environment really.

I: It’s been good to be a torn musician there though, because there are lots of other torn musicians there too…and strippers.

Do you see your songs as separate snippets of experience or as different parts of one journey?

I: Yeah, I’d say they usually do make a whole, yeah. One or two of the songs from Odd Blood could have been on All Hour Cymbals though, so it’s not always like they’re specific to a time musically.

Which releases of 2010 are you looking forward to?

I: Are we releasing anything in 2010..?

C: I’ve heard some of MGMT’s new record and it sounds awesome, I’m very intrigued.

Odd Blood is out via Secretly Canadian. We HIGHLY recommend it if that means anything to you.

Here are some tour dates via Stereogum.

02/16 – Birmingham, England @ Academy 2 *
02/17 – Glasgow, Scotland @ King Tut’s *
02/19 – Dublin, Ireland @ Academy *
02/20 – Belfast, Northern Ireland @ Speakeasy *
02/21 – Manchester, England @ Academy 3 *
02/22 – Leeds, England @ The Faversham *
02/23 – London, England @ Heaven *
02/25 – Bristol, England @ Thekla *
02/26 – Brighton, England @ Audio *
02/28 – Koln, Germany @ Luxor
03/01 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix Club
03/04 – Malmo, Sweden @ KB
03/05 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser
03/06 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockerfeller
03/08 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega Small Hall
03/09 – Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
03/10 – Berlin, Germany @ Postbahnhof
03/11 – Munich, Germany @ 59/1
03/12 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Zukunft
03/13 – Rome, Italy @ Circolo Degli Artisti
03/14 – Milan, Italy @ Tunnel
03/16 – Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo 2
03/17 – Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick
03/19 – Paris, France @ Point FMR
03/20 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
04/03 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
04/04 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/05 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
04/06 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
04/07 – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
04/08 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre
04/09 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
04/10 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
04/11 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
04/14 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
04/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
04/17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore Auditorium #
04/19 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom #
04/20 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos #
04/21 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Commodore Ballroom #
04/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue #
04/24 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre #
04/25 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room #
04/26 – St. Louis, MO @ Gargoyle Club #
04/27 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre #
04/28 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre #
04/29 – Chicago, IL @ Metro #
04/30 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop #
05/01 – Toronto, Ontario @ Lee’s Palace #
05/02 – Montreal, Quebec @ La Sala Rossa #
05/03 – Boston, MA @ Paradise #
05/04 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall #
05/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero #

# w/ Sleigh Bells
* w/ Javelin

Aesthetic Octopus Radio Show Playlist 1/13/10

Doctorate Upholder — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:58:30 +0000

1. Blessa – Toro y Moi

2. Ambling Alp – Yeasayer (mp3)

3. Rich Girls – The Virgins

4. Johanna - Think About Life (mp3)

5. Zebra - Beach House

6. Anarchy In The UK – Chances R (Dave Longstreth) (mp3)

7. Terminally Chill/Ephemeral Artery (Live on Jimmy Fallon) – Neon Indian

8. He Hit Me – Grizzly Bear

9. In The Flowers – Animal Collective

10. Angel Echoes – Four Tet

11. The High Road – Broken Bells

12. All My Friends – LCD Soundsystem

13. White Sky – Vampire Weekend

14. Fitz And Dizzyspells – Andrew Bird

15. Here Lies Love – David Byrne and Fatboy Slim w/Florence Welch

16. My Boyfriend’s Back – The Raveonettes

17. Bicylcle – St. Vincent

18. Dominoes - The Big Pink

19. Ambling Alp (The Very Best Remix) – The Very Best (mp3)

Aesthetic Octopus Radio Show Playlist 1/30/10

Doctorate Upholder — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:01:42 +0000

1. Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois – Sufjan Stevens

2. The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenience But You’re Going To Have To Leave Now, Or… – Sufjan Stevens

3. What Would I Want, Sky? – Animal Collective

4. (AM) - Neon Indian

5. Deadbeat Summer - Neon Indian

6. Talamak - Toro y Moi (mp3)

7. Norway - Beach House (mp3)

8. Let It Snow – Dean Martin

9. Field of Pain (Live) – Dinosaur Jr.

10. Your Protector – Fleet Foxes

11. Ambling Alp – Yeasayer (mp3)

12. Dominoes - The Big Pink

13. I Am Not A Robot – Marina And The Diamonds

14. Let’s Go Surfing – The Drums

15. Basic Space – The xx

16. Bad Romance – Lady GaGa

Links of the Third Daily Trimester 1/21/10

Doctorate Upholder — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:29:59 +0000

Picture Above: Zombie Marie Antoinette. Looks like we’ll have to cut her head off again…

Lady GaGa cookies analyzed by the Hipster Runoff. And if you want the Lady GaGa cookie recipe…

MTV thinks Yeasayer may have the best album of 2k10. I mean, maybe! Yeasayer is pretty sweet and “Ambling Alp” was good…Perhaps things will work out for them!

Adorablez kid in adorablez panda costume. Adorablez!

Upcoming Albums of 2010

machininnautica — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:44:07 +0000

If you’ve been wondering what on earth you’ll find yourself listening to this year, here’s a small taster of what we think you should keep your eyes peeled for…

12^th JAN:

Adam Green- Minor Love

Adam Green’s sixth studio album hasn’t received the same amount of praise as its predecessors, but the odd ball of New York hasn’t lost his talent for writing whimsical ditties at any rate. Minor Love is undemanding of the listener, seeing them through swaying tracks such as “Give Them a Token” and shows how Green might play as he means to carry on. Personal favourite, “Lockout” is slightly Banhart-esque in its instrumentation and will, thus, most likely prove an interesting live choice for future setlists.

Vampire Weekend- Contra

On first listen, Contra might be off-putting to some, but give it patience, give it understanding, and a second listen. You’ll reap the rewards. Vampire Weekend’s second record uses similar techniques to those of their self-titled debut, but re-moulds them and returns a refreshing array of warm, loveable songs perfect for the approaching summer months.

26^th JAN:

Beach House- Teen Dream

Don’t be fooled by this album’s title, Beach House are all grown up and sounding better than ever. Victoria Legrand’s sublime voice dominates most of Teen Dream and personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way due to how beautifully it fits into place with the melodies produced by Legrand herself and her marvellous partner in crime, Alex Scally. The fabulous “Norway” has been unleashed onto the internet, but it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.

First Aid Kit- The Big Black and The Blue

Swedish sisters, Klara and Johanna Söderberg comfortably slot into place with their alluring debut, The Big Black and The Blue. The album features both sisters’ gorgeous voices, both apart and together and sees the girls try their hand at creating both upbeat and sombre tunes with astonishing effects. In the words of Marvin Gaye and Kim Stevenson, it does indeed take two.

Yeasayer- Odd Blood

Brooklyn’s finest, Yeasayer, return to top form in the shape of Odd Blood, an album full of dazzling melodies that pile on top of each other to create a piece that needs to be listened to several times to be fully digested. It’s probably a helpful thing that Odd Blood is so darn addictive, then. It’s difficult to see how the trio could possibly top this, just listen to “O.N.E” and you’ll hear what I mean.

9^th FEB:

Hot Chip- One Life Stand

If the recently released, eponymous track “One Life Stand” is anything to go by, this album will once again raise the bar that Hot Chip have previously set with Coming On Strong, The Warning and Ready For The Floor. Hot Chip’s complex constructions of both synths and beats constantly prove to be as contagious as the common cold and have global audiences dancing in ways we never knew existed.

16^th FEB:

Local Natives- Gorilla Manor

Already released in the UK, Gorilla Manor has gathered critical acclaim in many end of year lists for 2009, and rightly so. Local Natives as a quartet are very solid, an attribute reflected in their vocal harmonising and how effectively they slot instrumental parts, that often feature fantastic percussion, in-between those beautiful voices of theirs.

2^nd MARCH:

Laura Marling- I Speak Because I Can

Having heard most of this album live or on various radio sessions, it’s safe for me to say it will easily surpass Marling’s 2007 debut, Alas, I Cannot Swim. The songs that feature on I Speak Because I Can are more passionate and determined in their sound, and yet still manage to retain softness. This trait is present in tracks like the eponymous, final song of the album, “I Speak Because I Can” and gives a beautiful partnership to darker tracks like “Devil’s Spoke”.

9^th MARCH:

Broken Bells- Broken Bells

You know those awful analogies that go something like: “this is what it’d sound like if well known contemporary artist A and well known contemporary artist B met up in a grocery store and went clay pigeon shooting”? Well, this album is literally what happened when Dangermouse and The Shins’ front man, James Mercer, teamed up and made sweet, sweet music together. Mercer’s distinctive vocals foreground all sorts of brilliant combinations created by them both, and it’s easy to hear why neither Mouse nor Mercer consider this to be a one-off album. “The Ghost Inside” is a particular highlight with its tempered rhythm and occasional handclaps set to a duet from the artists.

Other artists with albums out this year include Panda Bear, Joanna Newsom, MGMT, Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, Sleigh Bells, Interpol, Here We Go Magic, Peggy Sue and LCD Soundsystem. Judging on the continuing reputations of these bands, we’re expecting some very special albums from all.