Tag Archives: David Bowie

April 3, 2019 · 2:15 pm

New Music From Holy Ghost!

Photo: Harry McNally

Crafting each sound from scratch with unapologetic, exacting precision, Holy Ghost!’s penchant for in-the-studio perfectionism has delivered hit after hit to the dancefloor. This analog approach to “electronic” music heavily informs the band’s third album Work coming June 21, 2019 on West End Records.

Available for pre-order today, Work features the brand new song “Escape From Los Angeles”(out today) plus previously released songs Anxious” and “Epton On Broadway (Part I & Part II)”. It follows the group’s two previous albums, 2013’s Dynamics and 2011’s eponymous debut (both via DFA) and isfirst full-length LP to come out on the iconic West End Records label in more than 30-years!

A return to the heady ethos that drove Holy Ghost!’s earliest releases, Work sees New York City natives Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser revisit the freedom from expectations that suffused their 2011 self-titled debut full-length. It was a situation that stemmed partly from circumstances: They dismantled their basement Brooklyn studio and moved to a small room that a few musician friends were renting above a doctor’s office (incidentally the same address where they mixed Holy Ghost!). Due to space limitations, they pared their extensive gear collection down to just two synths, a Yamaha CS80 and a Mini Moog. “Not necessarily the bare necessities, but what would make for the most interesting limited palette,” says Millhiser. “David Bowie didn’t have every fucking synthesizer on earth to make Low. He had two. And that’s one of my favorite synth records of all time.”

The 12-song collection features the buoyant but bittersweet, “Do This” which interweaves ambient chatter from a studio session with a Nile Rodgers-esque guitar, “Nicky Buckingham’s” Fleetwood Mac-inspired riffs and swelling strings are eerily danceable, whereas “Heaven Knows What” – the band’s slowest track to date – showcases an emotional depth and range only hinted at in past releases. Featuring the talents of musical peers including Sinkane’s Ahmed Gallab, Juan Maclean and LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang, Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Paul Simon, David Bowie) and Alex Epton (Neon Indian, David Byrne), Work transcends its physical constraints to capture a spectrum of vibes that remain true to Holy Ghost!’s reverence for the art and craft of dance music.

Work Tracklist:

Epton on Broadway Part I

Epton on Broadway Part II

Anxious

Heaven Knows What

Nicky Buckingham

Do This

One For Pete

My Happy House

Heaven Forbid

Soon

Slow Burn

Escape From Los Angeles

 

Upcoming Holy Ghost! Live Shows:

04-26 San Francisco, CA – The Independent

04-27 Los Angeles, CA – Globe Theatre

05-03 Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall

05-09 Guadalajara, México – Corona Capital at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

06-21 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom (Album Release Show)

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June 14, 2017 · 12:16 pm

Video: Fujiya & Miyagi – “Impossible Objects of Desire”

Check out the video for Fujiya & Miyagi’s track “Impossible Objects of Desire”. It is the 9th track off their recently released self-titled album. When talking about the video lead vocalist David Best said, “The song is a hymn to vinyl and the rush that music can provide,” offers vocalist David Best. “It loosely began as a homage to  Bowie’s ‘Be My Wife’ Video, but then morphed into something else. The song is also about the physical and chemical reaction music has on the mind and body.” You can order the self-titled LP here.

Many musical projects approaching almost two decades of existence begin to show signs of stagnation or perhaps start to crook their neck as looking over their shoulder becomes a more common stance than focusing on the horizon. However, for the Brighton-based, genre-hopping, Fujiya & Miyagi the opposite can be said as they see in 2017 by wrapping up a unique year-long musical project that represents one of their most adventurous to date.

Two EPs join a third to make up this album, a carefully staged project that sees the group traverse disco, electro, pop, and the now synonymous 1970s Germany-inspired groove they so seamlessly ooze. Whilst the EPs all contain a distinct personality and fluidity of their own, the new dynamically focused position of the tracks as a full album embodies a long-term plan. “From the beginning, I have always thought of this as an album rather than three separate records, ” Singer David Best says.The now melded album is a vast one stylistically with influences and references that span from Arthur Russell to JG Ballard, yet the undercurrent that connects it all into one universal groove is one of honesty and joy, a surging sense of euphoria and hope that attempts to cut through the foggy world that welcomes its release. “On this album, I have tried lyrically to find the positives and not rely on my factory setting of a general contempt for the world around me.” Best says.

The positivity and propulsive energy of the record is not only carried by its natural rhythm, lyrics, and sparkling melodies but is also a reaction. “The album is a really strong resistance to societies compulsion to suck the energy out of everything. It’s a really good thing to provide an antidote to all the scary stuff that is going on, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.” Best says although the album proves to be more than a five-minute distraction and more like a 45min escape.

Fujiya & Miyagi – S/T tracklist
01. Magnesium Flares
02. Serotonin Rushes
03. Solitaire
04. To The Last Beat of My Heart
05. Extended Dance Mix
06. Outstripping (The Speed of Light)
07. Swoon
08. Freudian Slips
09. Impossible Objects of Desire
10. Synthetic Symphonies
11. R.S.I.

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March 19, 2015 · 11:15 am

Check ‘Em Out: The Singularity – “Wetter”

The Singularity’s first single and video, “Wetter,” from the self-produced/released EP entitled Weta is a sexually cathartic yet visually transfixing representation of the song’s elements of Bowie-glam mixed with the edginess of The Strokes. Additionally, the track just hit #13 on the national specialty radio charts and was named WXRT’s “Song Of The Week.”

Frontman and multi-instrumentalist Julian Shah-Tayler (formerly of the band Whitey)’s childlike fascination with science, space and the big questions that trouble the human condition has fueled the creative output of The Singularity’s electronic rock and roll since the band’s inception in 2012. “Everything burst out of the center of a supermassive black hole,” remarks Julian, “and we are going back there one day, so let’s just enjoy it.”

As for the video, Shah-Tayler explained that he is “huge fan of films such as Linklater’s Waking Life, David Lynch and the styles of Scanner Darkly and Sin City. We wanted to create a dreamlike quality through the ‘animation’ style of the video whilst still maintaining a dark sexuality reflecting the slightly creepy lyrics. It was a real collaboration between the director, editor and artist.”

The single and video eloquently sums up The Singularity’s manifesto and echoes the hedonistic attitude of the band. A Londoner relocated to LA, Julian’s catalog of music prolifically exceeds 300 songs, many of which have been featured in films and hit TV shows including Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and The Newsroom, while also turning up on broadcasts ranging from UK television’s Popstar to NBC Sports.

In 2014, Shah-Tayler won a Golden Trailer award for his work with Lana Del Ray on Disney’s Maleficent trailer. He also performed one of his songs in front of Bill Clinton, Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese for the Unite For Humanity charity at the Oscars.

Three of his songs were the “hits” for the focus band in the music movie Plush, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords Of Dogtown). Additionally, Shah-Tayler did all this while co-founding an LA charity called Art Angeles, teaching music to underprivileged kids in Watts.

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June 5, 2014 · 11:42 am

Check ‘Em Out: BL_NK SP_C_S

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“Equal parts chilly krautrock majesty and proto-synthpop menace”  – NME MAGAZINE

New York based one man project, BL_NK  SP_C_S has released his debut album on the fledgling You Records label.

Memory Man, recorded with producer Martin Dubka (Aeroplane / Kitsune), features ten tracks including the recent critically acclaimed and BBC 6Music,  XFM and Amazing Radio endorsed download single “The Great Shark Hunt”. A special video single of the “Memory Man” track, which was inspired by David Bowie’s “The Man Who Fell To Earth” and Maya Deren’s classic  “Meshes Of The Afternoon” short, can be viewed here:

BL_NK  SP_C_S began making his own take on electronic pop music last year and records everything on tape in his bedroom based analogue studio. His synth laden melodies, krautrock guitars and pop sensibilities draw influence from Eno, Neu, Morricone and The The, but there is something truly new and exciting about his sound. Soaring and uplifting there are too may highlights to mention, but album opener “A Parting Gift”, “Sneaking Back In”,  “No Sleep”, “Start”, “Heavy The Lay The Crown” and the eponymous album title track are as diverse and catchy as any great songs you will hear this year and beyond.

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Buy it now on iTunes

Album Tracklisting:

01. A Parting Gift

02. Too Far Gone

03. Sneaking Back In

04. No Sleep

05. Start!

06. The Great Shark Hunt

07. As Good As It Gets

08. Heavy Lay The Crown

09. Memory Man

10. Talk The Talk

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May 14, 2012 · 1:42 pm

Psychadelic Rock Trio Capsula Touring This Month

Capsula’s ripping set will feature songs from the critically acclaimed sophomore album and sonic masterpiece, In The Land of Silver Souls (Krian Music Group) that has been garnering nationwide praise from media and fans alike. Their music roars with a combination of garage rock toughness and modern style that have earned them a wide range of comparisons from The Stooges and The Pixies to Sonic Youth and David Bowie.

Their first single “Hit ‘n’ Miss” kicks off with a classic garage rock riff, before Martin rips into a Bowie-esque tale about the rise and fall of those seeking fast stardom in the big city.

“The album’s single, “Hit ‘N’ Miss,” resonates like a distant cousin to David Bowie’s “Suffragette City,” featuring a chorus that should have you singing along fairly quickly.” – RCRD LBL

“Listeners who have been hankering for a satisfying set of down and dirty rock and roll basics, served up with energy and panache, will find their dreams answered. Party on, Garth.” – PopMatters

Witnessing Capsula live is an experience not easily forgotten, as they tear though blistering washes of guitar and pounding rhythms delivered with the true essence of punk rock attitude.

Capsula continues to prove that rock and roll is definitely a universal language. You don’t have to understand every lyric of a Capsula song to capture the unbound emotion of their dirty rock.

Capsula US Tour Dates:

5/23         Highline Ballroom in New York, NY

5/24         Howard Theater in Washington, DC

5/25         Level Room in Philadelphia, PA

5/26         31st Street Pub in Pittsburgh, PA

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March 12, 2012 · 2:10 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Capsula

Wild. Energetic. Hot. Psychedelic. A Furious Hologram. A Space of Sounds. Droning Riffs. Garage Rawness. Shinny Surf Pop. Exploring Vocals. Feedback and Noise. CAPSULA.

The trio has returned with their sophomore album and sonic masterpiece, In The Land of Silver Souls (Krian Music Group).

Capsula’s Martin Guevara (vocals/guitar) and Coni Duchess (vocals/bass), along with Capsula drummer, Nacho, collectively create the musical storm, a whirlwind of psychedelic wonder and punk rock fury. Their music roars with a combination of garage rock toughness and modern style that have earned them a wide range of comparisons from The Stooges and The Pixies to Sonic Youth and David Bowie.

Although the band now lives in Bilbao, Spain, all three were born in Argentina.  Martin and Coni’s creative process was largely affected by living through the Argentinean dictatorship. A time when the censoring of music’s most fundamental subjects- love, sex, justice, revolution, drugs- created an atmosphere in which subversive lyrical and musical expression was a necessity. You don’t have to understand every lyric of a Capsula song to capture the unbound emotion of their dirty rock.

Their first single “Hit ‘n’ Miss” kicks off with a classic garage rock riff, before Martin rips into a Bowie-esque tale about the rise and fall of those seeking fast stardom in the big city.

Listen: Capsula – “Hit ‘n’ Miss”

Capsula will be touring the US in 2012, following their third SXSW showcase, on Thursday March 15. Witnessing Capsula live is an experience not easily forgotten, as they tear though blistering washes of guitar and pounding rhythms delivered with the true essence of punk rock attitude, garnering a great deal of acclaim from Rolling Stone, Wired Magazine and The Chicago Tribune among others.

Their sneering rock and roll attitude may suggest they don’t care if you like their music or not, but after one listen to In The Land of Silver Souls, it’s going to be hard not to. Deep grooving rhythms and wailing guitars are ever present as the band shifts between blazing riffs, spacey exploration, shimmering walls of sound and thick catchy vocal melodies.

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April 22, 2010 · 2:03 pm

Newest Love: The Amplifetes

The Amplifetes are a brand new 4-piece band from Sweden. Being accomplished songwriters and producers on their own, the members have worked with names such as Kelis, Madonna, Grandmaster Flash and Peter Bjorn and John. While having occasionally crossed paths during the course of their careers, they have existed as a unit for about a year. The band think of themselves as a dreamteam collaboration of their influences – listing 60s Psychadelia, The Electric Light Orchestra, The Ramones, Elvis Costello, David Bowie and Chicago Trax Records House releases.     
 
The highly addictive result can be heard in The Amplifetes debut single “It´s My Life“, a spitting image of urban life and a happy three-part marriage between garage pop, electro and punk. It was featured recently in a promo campaign for Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli, starring a lightly dressed Milla Jovovich, creating quite a stir over Europe. 
Watch the video for their second single, “Whizz Kid”  HERE and fall in love like I have!

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