Sufjan Stevens tribute LP due for March release

A tribute LP to Sufjan Stevens, will be released via the blog On Joyful Wings in aid of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The LP, 'Seven Swans Reimagined', is a track-by-track re-working of Stevens' 2004 album 'Seven Swans'.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy heads the bill along with DM Stith, Half-Handed Cloud, and the Gregory Brothers. Apparently, Sufjan was not involved in the project but gives it his full blessing.

01 Bonnie "Prince" Billy 'All The Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands'
02 The Gregory Brothers - 'The Dress Looks Nice on You'
03 Derek Webb - 'In The Devil's Territory'
04 Joshua James - 'To Be Alone With You'
05 Damion Suomi - 'Abraham'
06 Unwed Sailor - 'Sister'
07 Wakey!Wakey! - 'Size Too Small'
08 Elin Smith - 'We Won't Need Legs to Stand'
09 DM Stith - 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find'
10 Half-Handed Cloud - 'He Woke Me Up Again'
11 Carl Hauck - 'Seven Swans'
12 David Crowder*Band - 'The Transfiguration'
13 Jason Harrod - 'I Went Dancing With My Sister' (B-side)
14 Shannon Stephens - 'Waste of What Your Kids Won't Have' (B-side)
15 Inlets - 'Borderline' (B-side)

Sorry for being shit!

Wow. Well, it's been pretty hectic of late - thus the sporadic updates - but it's given me some time to think about the direction of this blog. As far as dance/club music goes, I suspect my coverage will wind down if UK Funky takes over.

I'm going to keep covering dubstep and bassline for as long as it keeps going but I've been trying to cast my net wider, looking to more introspective and experimental music to write about. Interestingly - and encouragingly - the best stuff seems to be local.

Basically, an interesting thing seems to be happening, at least here in Newcastle: Club music seems to be on the decline; while folk, shoegazer and post-rock are making a return. I went to The Cluny here in Newcastle for the Blank Promotions first birthday last week. Sadly my hippy timekeeping got the better of me and I was rather late. BUT, I did manage to check out a few bands that are really looking promising.

Sona Di
They're a great local band who seem to be spearheading the local scene at the moment with their own take on shoegazer and post-rock with bits of noise and whatnot thrown in for good measure. I know I've already written about these chaps before, but just to drum it in I thought I'd tell you again. And because you don't fucking listen.

Her Name Is Calla
They headlined the birthday party with a really intense blend of classical, post rock, folk and shoegazer and rolled up into a really cohesive package. And for a band whose music could hardly be described as "showy", they commanded the stage well despite a few technical difficulties.

Worriedaboutsatan
Unfortunately, I missed their set but checked out their MySpace later on. It's so refreshing and exciting to find an electronic artist who's doing something different! It kind of reminds me of old Squarepusher without the needless abrasion and some soulful vocals for good measure. It's just great to see someone making music for the sheer fuck of it, rather than to simply making a "club banger".

I don't have any mp3s to offer y'all but if you look back at the Sona Di review I did a while back there's an mp3 of the tune Forest for you to download. Also, they have lots of songs to stream on their myspaces.

Third Efterkleng LP out tomorrow!

Danish fourpiece Efterklang are releasing their third LP, 'Magic Chairs', tomorrow on 4AD. To whet your appetites they've posted the entire album on their MySpace page for you to stream.

The album is one in a long line of ethereal-sounding lo-fi bands to drift over from the depths of Scandanavia. I know that sentence doesn't exactly fill you with excitement but I'm genuinely excited about this band; they're not just another run-of-the-mill nu-folk group with no soul and no songs. Efterklang's music displays a definite acknowledgement of what has gone before: post-rock, folk, lo-fi and brings it together in a really tight, well-considered album.

Video by Kristian Leth.

So often a band or singer comes out with one slightly catchy song that just sounds like a carbon copy of a carbon copy of Björk. Not Efterklang. Their album works as an entirety rather than one single and 9 b-sides, an increasing rarity these days.

Essentially, this is pop music but it's so fantastically produced and performed that it seems reductive and kind of insulting to describe it that way. 'Modern Drift' is definitely going to be a really huge tune; coupling beautiful lyrics, soaring string melodies and arpeggiated synths. Basically, if you can imagine Elbow (at their symphonic best) with a bit of a post-rock flavour to them you're only halfway to realising just how amazing this band is.