Video Premiere: Castanets, “On Beginning”
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
Remember that point after the Postal Service record came out when all sorts of dudes made their acoustic guitar sound vaguely processed and everyone was supposed to like it because it was a perfect union of the electronic and the organic? Snooze City! We bring that up because Ray Raposa bka Castanets has been using that technique pretty much since he first starting putting albums out. Only difference is that he does it with restraint and he does it well. “On Beginning” is built on a series of rapidly pulsing steel drums sped up to sound like blinking stars and—of course—Raposa’s nasal, fractured voice. Video wise, this could have been made on MS Paint, until you realize that some of those floating circles actually contain images of trees, tiny little worlds floating around the soothing, sterile white background. Is this what it’s like to go to an expensive rehab center? Castanets’ Texas Rose, The Thaw, & The Beasts is out today.
Video: Castanets, “My Heart”
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
Ray Raposa bka Castanets moved to Portland recently, presumably so he could be surrounded by perpetual greyness and write many, many more sadsack jams. When we last spoke to him, he had been living alone in the desert in Nevada, recording some of the most desolate and dusty songs we’ve ever heard. Although it comes from a newer album, “My Heart” sounds similar, but Raposa’s voice sounds more ragged than ever, like the syllables are climbing from his throat right up into his nose. Basically the music is meant for bleak times, when you’re feeling bad and not really trying to feel better. So if you’re ready for some of those (and who isn’t!), definitely pick up Texas Rose, The Thaw and The Beasts (via MBV)
Exclusive Freeload/Q+A: Castanets, “Shadow Valley”
- story THE FADER
On October 7th, Ray Raposa, better known as Castanets, will be releasing City of Refuge, which he recorded by himself in a Nevada hotel room. Fittingly, the album is spare, pairing impossibly lonesome folk songs with abstract instrumental passages, but is also the most cohesive album of Raposa’s career. We got on the phone with him while he’s in Portland, Oregon recording the next couple Castanets albums. He talked to us about Hot Pockets, working with Rafter, and trash can guitars, along with a whole lot of other stuff. Read the interview after the jump and download “Shadow Valley,” exclusively below.
Download: Castanets, “Shadow Valley”
Freeload: Castanets, “You Got Lucky” Daytrotter Session
- story THE FADER
Over the course of three albums and a grip of other songs Castanets main dude Ray Raposa has shown that he is capable of creating some of the more atmospheric country-folk we’ve heard in awhile. Granted, sometimes he misses the mark, but when he’s on he makes us want to go home and lay down for days—not exactly the feeling most of us are looking for in music, but sometimes you just want shit to get a little heavy. “You Got Lucky” is the first song from the next Castanets release. It was recorded in the desert in Arizona, and while he was probably in a house on a regular street, this song makes us imagine him alone in a trailer in the middle of a Roadrunner style desert, full of jagged cliffs and like one winding road that always seems really far away. You can check out the rest of the Castanets/Daytrotter songs here.
Download: Castanets, “You Got Lucky”
Video: Castanets, Tendrils
- story THE FADER
In May, Castanets are releasing Tendrils, a film of stripped down and alternate versions from their underrated recent release In the Vines. Based on the trailer it looks like the film explores the concept of folk music in New York and what it means to create music that comes from the country in a big city, in addition to awesome dudes like Dave Longstreth and Phosphorescent covering Castanets’ songs. Also, it will have a lot of guys with big beards playing guitars in warehouses.
