Early contender for a best-of-2012 album release, Visions (Arbutus/4AC), out next week,  weaves its own singular magic. Video and audio clips provided, below.

By Fred Mills

Vancouver's Grimes, a/k/a Claire Boucher, is an intriguing mixture of bravado and naïveté, twinned qualities that have endeared her to both the club crowd and the bedsit brigades. A one-woman collision of laptop-powered IDM, chirpy/chant-y singing, performance art, and a healthy dose of face paint, Grimes manages to come across as impossibly young (she's barely into her twenties) and wise beyond her years at the same time. This writer saw the songwriter play at Moogfest last fall, and her set started off promisingly enough, awash in pulsing rhythms and catchy Depeche Mode-like melodies plus her signature cutie-pie vocals. But after a series of gear malfunctions her outgoing demeanor crumbled and she bolted from the stage after barely 20 minutes, on the verge of tears. Some of those in attendance no doubt wanted to offer her a reassuring hug, while the hipsters in attendance probably smirked at seeing this heavily-hyped act fall flat.

Visions is her fourth album in less than two years; 2010 saw her break through with the delightful Halfaxa, while last year's Darkbloom, a collaboration with D'eon, contained the YouTube hit "Vanessa," a mesmerizing foray into Madonna-inspired electropop with arty visuals.

 Visions expands upon the part-lush, part-minimalist vibe of "Vanessa" - a compelling track that was also one of 2011's most compelling videos, period:

 its collection of discrete miniatures managing to be expansive and intimate all at once. The record's a showcase both for Boucher's limber, acrobatic voice and her otherworldly arrangements - prismic, widescreen assaults of psychedelia and dancey ‘80s synth-rock that frame those operatic pipes.

She's frequently given to ethereal wordless coos, giddy squeaks and wounded gasps, deploying them as rhythmic depth charges, and while some of the sonics also tilt towards the abstract, almost glitchy or Aphex Twin-like in places, because the melodies stay foregrounded  the accessibility factor is high enough to give a casual listener the sense of confronting a more mainstream pop album than might be expected. From the Lykke Li-meets-St. Etienne "Genesis" to the hypnotic, motorik "Oblivion" (listen below) to the lush, gospellish "Vowels = Space and Time," Boucher's blossoming star quality shines, her multitracked, soaring/swooning vocals carrying uncanny echoes of such legendary ‘60s girl groups as the Crystals and Ronettes.

Grimes - Oblivion by Arbutus Records

Visions is ultimately an album that weaves its magic precisely because of all the inherent contradictions enumerated above. Methinks come the end of the year, a lot of people will have adjudged it a keeper.

Up next: cooking with Ian Curtis.


By Fred Mills


UK media outlets are reporting that Food Network's resident Brit, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, was renovating a building for a new restaurant in Manchester, England, when he discovered a trove of goodies and valuable in the basement - including what are being described as "rare Joy Division and New Order master tapes."


Admittedly, this probably isn't as exciting news as that Disney Corporation-bootlegs-Joy Division teeshirt deal a short while ago, but still... Oliver's crew was digging up the basement of the building, which was a former Midland bank branch, and in addition to the tapes there were guns, gold and jewelry, all valued at about £1.1 million. Oliver turned over the discovery to British treasury officials.


No word yet on the actual contents of the tapes themselves, however... or who would be the original source of all the loot.

Chris Cornell does Whitney Houston-identified song "I Will Always Love You"at Obama 2012 rally in San Francisco Feb. 16.


By Fred Mills


Don't get us wrong; here at BLURT, we are huge Obama supporters. But this ghastly performance last night in San Fran is almost enough to send us running into the squid-like embrace of Michelle Bachmann.... or even Ron Paul... brrrrr.

"Tonight" comes from their forthcoming album. Tour details below, too.

By Blurt Staff

British dream/dance-pop maestros Saint Etienne premiered their new March 6 single "Tonight" last month as an early taste of their next album (as yet untitled or assigned a release date). Now they've unveiled the clubby, neon-hued video for the track, along with a handful of spring tour dates. Check it all out:

May Tour Dates:

Tuesday 22nd - Sheffield, Leadmill  

Wednesday 23rd - Glasgow, Oran Mor

Thursday 24th - Liverpool, Kazemier

Friday 25th - Cardiff, Gate Theatre

Saturday 26th - Leamington, Assembly Rooms  

Monday 28th - London, Palladium

Record Store Day EP yields advance digital taste.


By Fred Mills


Public Image Ltd. has a new album due in May or June, This Is PiL, and as Slicing Up Eyeballs is reporting, John Lydon unveiled a new song this week at the BBC. Titled "One Drop" it is described by the '80s-centric blog as "a lilting, almost dub-ska track," which is being somewhat charitable; it's pretty inconsequential as a piece of music. But hey, it's been 20 years since new PiL music, so that counts for something! The tune will be on a vinyl-only Record Store Day EP in April.


You can listen to a stream of the tune at the SUE site, and meanwhile, check out a couple of live tracks the band recently posted online, a 2009 version of "Flowers of Romance" and a 2011 recording of "Warrior."

Warrior Live at Isle Of Wight 2011 by Public Image Ltd (PiL) Flowers of Romance Live at Brixton 2009 by Public Image Ltd (PiL)

Band will also be doing selected concert dates this spring.


By Blurt Staff


The Rapture has released a new music video for "In The Grace Of Your Love," the title track found on the band's a2011 studio album. The video, produced by Dream The End, features The Raptures' own Gabriel Andruzzi showcasing some interpretive dance moves along with the track. Check it out here.

Of the making of the music video, Melissa Jones of Dream The End says, "After meeting the band I was inspired to create a music video for ‘In The Grace of Your Love' that played with color and light and space. We all love the artist James Turrell, whose work was part of Dream The Ends first edition, so this was a big inspiration for the video, and I also wanted to bring in a sort of 60s French film look to the piece. For the shoot we worked with a laser artist based in Germany and then shot in a studio space in Chelsea in NYC with the band for the performance parts."

Upcoming US Tour Dates 
4/13 - Indio, CA - Coachella
4/17 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater *
4/19 - Las Vegas, NV - Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan *
4/20 - Indio, CA - Coachella
* = w/ Justice

Sandy Bull & the Rhythm Ace, Live 1976 arrives March 27. Check out some choice Bull audio samples below as well.

By Blurt Staff

When the name Sandy Bull is uttered, it's in hushed tones of reverie, and for good reason. We're just the latest name-droppers on a list that started with legends like The Beatles and Hunter S. Thompson, and today, his records have a resurgent influence that probably exceeds the cachet Sandy had with listeners during his sadly truncated time on the planet. Just listen to one of his four classic Vanguard albums to know that Sandy was the real deal; categorizing his musical contributions to the world or his influence on others is kind of impossible. But really, who else was trying to play ragas and classical pieces on banjo in 1963? What other honky musicians were adding exotic instruments and teaming up with respected jazz drummers like Billy Higgins to expand their multidimensional sound? Through his signature "blends" of folk, pre-war blues, eastern music, acid rock, and everything else he threw into the drugged mix, Sandy Bull gave the world a great gift-while leaving only four proper albums in his wake.

Well, further gifts abound, as this 1976 concert on Galactic Zoo Disk/Drag City will attest. Almost a follow-up to 1972's Demolition Derby (a candidate for President of unhinged, bottom-of-the-barrel brilliance), this historical nugget shows that Sandy had expanded his sound even further than anyone could have imagined in the lost post-Vanguard quietude. Rocking the then-pretty-new Rhythm Ace drum machine and utilizing pre-recorded tracks of bass and fuzz guitar (simulating how he'd do mad overdubs in the studio really) and adding some pedal steel at one point, Sandy conjures whole new inflections over his classic sound. Of course, the performance is book-ended by classic electric oud workouts in pure, golden Sandy Bull form. Sandy runs through his entire instrumental palette while performing a set of songs that never made it to vinyl, but recall some of his classic themes. The show, captured warmly on tape, is a vital performance and a rare glimpse into the previously unheard 1970's progressions of Sandy's music.

If you are even a casual fan of guitar music or artists like John Fahey, Jack Rose or Robbie Basho, you owe it to yourself to delve into the Bull oeuvre via Sandy Bull & the Rhythm Ace, Live 1976.

Co-founders Dave Smalley and Jonathan Anastas talk about their tenure as Boston hardcore legends and the band's reunion.

By Blurt Staff

Mosh over to BLURT blogger John B. Moore's "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" blog on all things punk: his latest entry is an exclusive interview with members of the D.Y.S., who recently launched a single-a-month series for Boston's Bridge 9 label.

"It's going to be something that continues to grow," says the band's co-founder Dave Smalley, to Moore. "The future is unwritten for everyone in life, but it should always include an electric guitar, raging drums, thundering bass and a heartfelt scream."

Amen to that, brutha Dave.

Doing the cover-complete-album thing for a week in April...

By Blurt Staff

Hop the autobahn nearest you in mid April and head down to NYC's Museum of Modern Art: Kraftwerk will be doing a residency they're calling "Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" in which they perform one key album per night, April 10-17, starting with 1974's Autobahn and concluding with 2003's Tour de France.

According to the band's handlers, Kraftwerk will do "original compositions from their catalogue adapted specifically for this exhibition's format, to showcase both Kraftwerk's historical contributions and contemporary influences on sound and image culture."

There's also to be an accompanying audio-visual display of all things Kraftwerk from April 10 to May 14 at the Performance Dome at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City.

Shows:

4-10 Autobahn (1974)
4-11 Radio-Activity (1975)
4-12 Trans Europe Express (1977)
4-13 The Man-Machine (1978)
4-14 Computer World (1981)
4-15 Techno Pop (1986)
4-16 The Mix (1991)
4-17 Tour de France (2003)

Watch a live clip of the band, below.

By Fred Mills

Okay, all you garage-skronk fiends, this note's for YOU: late yesterday the mighty In The Red Records label announced that they've inked a deal with erstwhile Memphis legends The Oblivians. Above you can see founding member Greg Cartwright (also of Reigning Sound and the Report Cards) shaking hands with ITR's Larry Hardy.

According to posts at the ITR Facebook page and the corresponding Oblivians page, the following news was disclosed:

"It's official; The Oblivians will be recording their first studio album since 1997 next month and In The Red is putting it out! Here's Larry Hardy and Greg Cartwright shaking on the deal."

Kick ass. No additional details have been disclosed yet, but they're sure to come. Cartwright, along with fellow members Jack Yarber and Eric Friedl, have done several short reunion tours in the last few years, and you can check out a clip of them performing last August at Goner Records. (21 additional clips can be pulled up if you follow the video to its YouTube page.)