Albums of 2010: #2: Hadestown: A Folk Opera

#2: 'Hadestown: A Folk Opera' by Anais Mitchell (& guests...)

Time for something understated, underrepresented and underappreciated, yet a record I have been obsessed with, on and off, for almost the whole of 2010. Anais Mitchell is a little known folk singer-songwriter from Vermont who happens to be a bit damn clever, having created a record based around the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set around the time of the Great Depression, using a host of guest artists as each character, creating an actual bloody folk opera. Anais plays Eurydice, Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver fame) plays Orpheus, Greg Brown plays Hades, Ani Di Franco plays Persephone, Ben Knox Miller plays Hermes and the Haden Triplets as the mysterious fates.

Nothing is underplayed here, with each chapter of the fable getting it's own vibe and sentiment, from the ballad-like 'Wedding Song' to the upbeat jazz of 'Way Down In Hadeston', taking the listener on a journey through the story, from beginning to end. It is an album that requires at least one full listen through (if not a billion) although it holds a handful of tracks that can be picked out as inventive, wondrous folk tracks individually.

Each player's voice is absolutely perfect for their respective roles; just listen to Greg Brown's growling, snarling tone on the likes of 'Hey Little Songbird' and imagine the fiery headed God of the Underworld towering over, powerful doom and gloom accompanying his rasping voice. Justin Vernon's falsetto soars and sweeps along, depicting the absolute icon of a loving, grieving, aching Orpheus; 'Wait For Me' showcases the absolute depths of human despair (alongside a wonderfuly whispering Ben Knox Miller advising our heroic but doomed character) whilst 'If It's True' is absolute loss, bemoaning the entire world for the death of love.

Our story plays out exactly as the myth, which I won't spoil for any unaware of the tale (but go get on it losers...), with melancholy mired in beauty weaving its way from start to finish. Anais Mitchell, and Michael Chorney who scored the record, have crafted a modern masterpiece of storytelling, fusing music and literature, and (hopefully) setting the basis for a host of amazing future folk operas....

Albums of 2010: #10 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'

#10: 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' by Kanye West

Kanye jumped from crazy to disgusting to egotistical to genius in a matter of months in 2010, releasing a ridiculously anticipated fourth record with the correct amount of bombast at the tail end of November. 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is a record full of superb samples, spot-on guest spots, heavyweight hooks and a whole host of lyrical rumination, telling the tale of Kanye and his Beautiful Dark Twisted mind...

Nicki Minaj kicks off 'Dark Fantasy' with a British accent introduction before Kanye's (possible) magnum opus kicks into gear. Nicki makes a monstrous turn on 'Monster' later in the record, almost upstaging Kanye in the process. But Mr West's ego charges his way through the heart of the record, even with a number of guests making their voices, beats and presence known, balancing themselves precariously within an album teetering dangerously close to the brink of implosion.

A 35 minute video, 'Runaway', cemented Kanye as the man of the musical moment, taking hip-hop into artistic territory with the addition of ballet and cinematography. And said track, 'Runaway', turns a simple piano plink into a weaving, diving epic 9 minute musing on fame, ego and the self. 'Blame Game' features the silken-voiced John Legend and a riffing Chris Rock take on the end of a relationship, and Kanye manages to turn Bon Iver into masterfully headbopping hip-hop on 'Lost in the Woods'. Poet and spoken word artist extraordinaire Gil Scott-Heron finishes the main bulk of the record, turning Kanye from an egotistical monster into the peerless and paramount producer and artist of 2010.

Artist of the Day #7: Breathe Owl Breathe

Artist of the Day #7:

Breathe Owl Breathe

I really do suck at this whole band a day thing BUT I like to think of myself as weeding out the terrible and horrible by only putting up bands that reveal themselves as wondrous (rather than simply drinking too much, wasting too much time on Football Manager and/or FIFA, getting to excited about Santa's imminent arrival and catching up on US television via the interweb).

All the way from over the big ol' pond (why do people call it a pond, it is quite definitely not a pond), from Michigan in the US of A, Breathe Owl Breathe are a trio who take the Bon Iver schtick and saunter down a winding road of pop, into an altogether more pretty place. The music here forms a gentle delicacy, fragile and untouchable, held together by a smorgasboard of oddity, from sweeping strings, to base computer blips.

'Own Stunts' is a track that starts to drift upwards and outwards when the choral chorus comes into play, maintaining a solid grounding in the gruffly sweet vocals of Micah Middaugh. 'Dogwalkers of the New Age' starts a little Postal Service, then trips over into indie pop before ending with a hauntingly classical note, and shows that Breathe Owl Breathe have some tricks up their charming sleeves.

A free Daytrotter recording session is available here and check out their suitable lo-fi, low key video for 'Lake Light'.

Breathe Owl Breathe - Lake Light from Miscellany on Vimeo.

Breathe Owl Breathe

Eggciting Easter Euphoria....

'Music is an outburst of the soul.' ~Frederick Delius

It is the Easter Weekend so happy Easter Sunday Day to one and all, I hope that zombie Jesus and his bunny rabbit sidekicks bought you all of the chocolate eggs that you can cram down your throat until the inevitable sugar crash and rush to the toilet. I have spent a good week consistently drunk, with help from a Student Radio Conference, and Sonar Radio, who lived up to my every chundering expectation...

Onwards, with Easter comes new shit. So new music yeahhh???

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Brooklyn is currently the musical mecca of awesome, hence why I dream of moving there and starting a fuzzy band full of hope, dreams and wine...

Anyway, Fang Island are another Brooklyn band living up to the hype that emanates from the district so brightly in 2010. Existing for a few years, their first self-titled album was released a couple of weeks ago and showcases an energy that can only be described as the power of (in the band's words) "everyone high-fiving everyone."

'Daisy' comes with a delirious drive that instigates dancing without reason whilst 'Treeton' stops and starts infectiously, hopping along in waves of exuberance. Fang Island make positively life-affirming, jump-for-joy alternative pop that clicks together in simple but effective perfection.

Fang Island's Myspace

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Indie supergroups are tricky to manage and even trickier to actually pull off. Gayngs are a collective of musicians, including Justin Vernon, Megafaun and Solid Gold, pulled together by producer Ryan Olson. So far, only one track has appeared online, but its a 6 and a half minute chillout mastercraft.

Using the laidback vocals of Bon Iver as a template and a slow burning mixture of instruments and beats, the gentle ebb and flow of 'The Gaudy Side of Town' seeps its way into your mind, lulling you into a state of serene satisfaction. It is one gigantic fusion of soul, indie, folk, chillwave and electronica that must surely be setting the scene for something mindblowing...

Gayngs' Myspace

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I very rarely blog about hip-hop but when good stuff comes along, I simply MUST! Here it comes in the form of a free mixtape from Das Racist, a rap trio from (guess where!) Brooklyn. The three take the art of hip-hop, scratch a massive tear across it and try to kick things off once more, forging a new sound, rare in modern hip-hop.

From the gaudy humor of 'Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell' to the summery sampling of 'You Oughta Know' through to the auto-tune behind 'Fake Patios' and the classic hip-hop style of 'Deep Ass Shit'. Simply magnificent from start to finish, throwing new light onto an undervalued genre.

The stumbling raps, the slurring words, the lazy beats and awesome samples all pave the way towards a band who know how to party but also know their music, and know how to combine the two abilities into the awesome trio that is Das Racist.

Download out their mixtape 'Shut Up, Dude' here at Stereogum...

Das Racist's Myspace

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The evolution of emphatic Easter Eggs (more crap basically)...

• Simply delicious indie pop from Leisure, a trio from Massachusets, in the form of two free songs!
• Neo-Soul star Erykah Badu has been charged after stripping for a recent music video and wandering around a busy area butt nekkid in Dallas...oh well, the song, 'Window Seat', is full of awesome so check the song and video out...
• I am currently planning an amazing trip to New York City with my best buddy and every NY referencing song makes me want to go RIGHT NOW...especially when they are as good as this new offering from Rufus Wainwright, titled 'Who Are You, New York?'
• An amazing gig at The Joiners in Southampton on May 19th; Japandroids and Yuck = droning purity and lo-fi loveliness...
• I want to do this for a living...Vivian Girls and Male Bonding cover Lou Reed...

Albums out over the next week or so that you should buy include;

• 'Our Inventions' by Lali Puna [inventive, innovative electronic pop]
• 'Yeah, So' by Slow Club [rockabilly jangle indie pop]

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So, go enjoy some chocolate whilst thinking about the crucifixion and subsequent zombie-like revival of Jesus. And listening to this lot of course. Your soul will thank you (and by extension, me) for it all later.

Have a Happy Rest of Easter!
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Music Is Forever

'Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.' ~Paul Simon

I believe it is simply time for another assortment of music madness before the weekend, enabling you to sit inside while it rains (or suns) and simply listen, rather than having to deal with that whole 'outside' thing...

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Two brothers who used to play with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver form Megafaun, a group that revels in the current wave of lo-fi folk rock that sounds so beautiful in so many settings. A lazy weaving of sounds and vocals make up the laid back but sumptuous sound that Megafaun project, apparent in the likes of meandering 'Lazy Suicide' and the contemplative nature that lies at the heart of 'Kaufman's Ballad'.

They have two fantastic albums out and are touring relentlessly this year around the USA and I have my fingers crossed they will return with a new album and a few dates in the UK sometime soon!

Megafaun's Myspace

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Radiant Dragon is a pretty awesome name. And not a bad musician from all I have heard. It is rare for an electronic musician to catch my ear but his atmospheric indietronica is perfectly pitched using instruments and software to create tracks that must be heard through headphones without distraction, allowing for the immersion that they richly deserve. Somewhat cinematic and completely drenched in a layer of pop that shines through the wandering beats, bleeps and hums that make up the music of Radiant Dragon. Check out the peaceful momentum of 'Frost Satellite' whose pace allows you to drift away for some time, in a state of alternative bliss.

Radiant Dragon's Myspace

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Only one song to listen to but its a gorgeous one. The sweetly named Kisses are a LA duo who have appeared with a song titled 'Bermuda'. The track and sound hints at disco, electronica, chillwave, indie and pop, bouncing along all-too-merrily on a wave of joy. It truly feels full of summer sun and makes me long to find a beach to dance to this song upon. A few DJ sets in London are tentatively set but I urge this group to bring out a few more tracks and get a live show on the road (to my road please...).

Kisses' Myspace

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Anais Mitchell has created a simply brilliant Folk opera titled 'Hadestown' described as "the story of Orpheus and Eurydice set in post-apocalyptic Depression-era America." The record tells the story with different musicians as different characters, including Justin Vernon, Ben Knox Miller and Ani DiFranco. Standout tracks include 'Way Down in Hadestown', 'Wait For Me' and the awesome 'Wedding Song'. Check it out at Myspace before you buy the record!

Hadestown's Myspace
Hadestown Website

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The maturing musical moreology (more crap basically)...

• Haunted Stereo are a lovely set of Southampton folk musicians who have released a bunch of beauteous EPs over the last couple of years and have a double A-Side on the way on Sotones Records, 'On A Pin/Lock The Door', out 17th May (but check out some of their previous work here).
• Summer Camp are an indie pop band with secret identities, appearing on myspace with a handful of simply wonderful tunes such as 'Ghost Train' and little else. A blog full of pretty, old pictures is run by them and they seem to be playing sporadic, secret shows here and there....Listen.....
• Check out 'Night Animal' from the Finnish, indie pop band Burning Hearts...
• I love Ben Gibbard (musically) but I hate Ben Gibbard (due to his current fiance)...here's some of his music, well a cover of someone else's music....
• Music related by the weakest of links, Bill Murray is a GOD! Hanging out with Wu Tang and bartending after SXSW....
• And finally, the biopic that needs to be made...WEIRD: The Story of Weird Al Yankovic

Albums out over the next week or so that you should buy include;

• 'I Will Be' by Dum Dum Girls [grrl-gaze awesomeness that howls along]
• 'Go' by Jonsi [pure and unadulterated dreampop from the frontman of Sigur Ros]
• 'Down The Way' by Angus & Julia Stone [folky acoustic pickings accompanied by soft, tender vocals and strings that melt hearts...]

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I shall be updating in time for Day Of Eating Chocolate Eggs and will be venturing to Nottingham before then to attend the Student Radio Award Conference, so wish me luck in meeting Huw Stephens and falling in love with him!!

Ta Ta my lovelies!!
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