Stream: Animal Collective, “Graze” (Zamfir Jam)

In a few weeks, Animal Collective will release the Fall Be Kind EP on Domino but as usual the internet released it for them already. One of the previously mysterious tracks from the EP, “Graze,” was picked up by Stereogum on YouTube, and starts out with a few minutes of wavy atmospherics and Avey Tare singing about chilling out and stuff. But then around the three-minute mark, the claps kick in and a maniacal pan flute pipes in from what we can only assume is the seventh dimension of the AC galaxy. If you’re an ’80s or ’90s baby, you might not recognize this bewitching sound as a sample of Romanian master flutist Gheorghe Zamfir, but it is, and it is genius. Here’s Zamfir’s “Romanian Wedding Song”, which isn’t the sample’s source but is also genius. If you can tell us the source in the comments, we’ll buy you a beer tonight somewhere in New York City.

(via Stereogum

Gil Scott-Heron, “Where Did the Night Go” MP3

The beat for this track by the legendary (check the Wiki) Gil Scott-Heron sounds like a collaboration with Burial. Not that it’s actually Burial (XL head Richard Russell produced the forthcoming album), but it has the same night flair and downtrodden synth buzz. We experienced some shock when XL nonchalantly put up clips from Scott-Heron’s new album, including a cover of Smog’s “I’m New Here” (which they didn’t mention was a Smog cover). Russell later explained he’d played the song for Scott-Heron who wanted to cover it. We’re still surprised by this, and now by the hyperfuture tone he’s taking on “Where Did the Night Go.” This is sure to be a confusing album, a meta listen, but hopefully that self-conscious “What the fuck? Gil Scott-Heron?” thing will fade.



Download: Gil Scott-Heron, “Where Did the Night Go” (email not required, but they’d love it if you gave it)

Video Premiere: Christy and Emily, “105 & Rising”

This video by Christy Edwards of Brooklyn folk duo Christy and Emily is an eloquently composed silhouette animation, interspersed briefly, but frighteningly, but a lot of people running from something ominous. “105 & Rising” has an Apocalypse Now feel, both in sound and in vision, the latter made explicit by use of images from the final days of the Vietnam War. 105 is the emergency threshold of the human fever, though it could be just the heat outside. Either way, “& Rising” is not a good sign, and the song’s got a wary strum to match the possible ensuing mayhem. Christy and Emily’s debut is out today and they have a release party for it at The Stone in New York City December 9th. Details of all the players are after the jump.
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Crystal Antlers, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” MP3

Crystal Antlers are known mainly for repeatedly smacking people around in a musical whirlwind of ragged-voiced yelps and guitar fury rather than easing them into lovelorn peace, so this cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” came as somewhat of a quiet surprise. Of course, considering everyone and their mom has covered the song we could see how the band would want to get in on the action as well. It does put them in pretty good company.



Download: Crystal Antlers, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” (via Weekly Tape Deck)

Open Bar With Vashti Bunyan

Vashti Bunyan released “Train Song” in 1966, her tiny voice and calm guitar squirreling permanently inside the hearts and heads of many who missed her for the next 30 years as she stopped recording and performing. Many young folks are familiar with her because of her renaissance the past decade, playing with Animal Collective and Devendra Banhart, her first album’s reissue and her second, many years overdue released on Fat Cat. Recently Kieran Evans made Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before, a documentary about Bunyan and they came to New York a few weeks ago to screen the film. We got the still long-haired and whisper-voiced Bunyan to come by Heathers to record two tracks, the above “Train Song” and the below “Wayward,” both with the assistance of Gareth Dickson. Sitting in a quiet room with Bunyan singing was a lucky moment, and we hope this is the next best thing. Catch From Here to Before and try to see Bunyan in as hushed a place as possible.

A Grave With No Name Virtual 7-inch (Is This a Thing Now?)

Okay so if mp3s are the new CDs, CDs are the new tapes and records are, um, the new records, then where does the virtual 7-inch sit in all of this? Like, did we just sleep too much? Is this a common thing? If nothing else, it’s an interesting way to package already free music, to compact the endless digital music sprawl into somewhat digestible chunks. It’s also the perfect way for A Grave with No Name to release music, because when you’re interested in creating ambient jams a single song lost on our desktop is not the best way to stick in our minds. Packaged as a set though, A Grave with No Name has put together a four and a half minute free mind vacation. It’s not Sandals, but what is?

Download: A Grave with No Name Virtual 7-Inch (via Meal Deal Records)

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Atlas Sound Virtual 7-inch #8

Oh you know, no big deal. In between releasing an entire new album and playing shows Bradford Cox found a way to casually throw another virtual 7-inch onto the internet. Last time we wrote about one of these, we mentioned that the songs were an interesting departure for Atlas Sound, and while that was true, this edition just proves that more than anything Atlas Sound is becoming a catch all for whatever Cox wants to do—occasionally he’ll go in the ambient drone direction, or, like on this free release go incredibly sparse and quiet on “The Screens” and then power through a cover of doo-wop group The Five Discs’ “Doctor” like it’s not even a big deal.

Download: Atlas Sound Virtual 7-inch #8

Sebastian Blanck, “Empire of the Free” & “Black Sanded Beach” MP3s

Being a former member of Black Dice and hanging out with DFA dudes is not exactly a prerequisite to make the kind of strong, straightforward folk that Sebastian Blanck makes—but he’s doing it, so why question it? It’s the kind of stuff that’s timeless. There’s nothing here that couldn’t have been done in the last thirty years, but no one did it. Instead it just sounds right. A cursory look at his website (and, um, also ours) shows that Blanck seems to enjoy spending lots of time near water playing his guitar and documenting the meticulous work that goes into completing his songs. Again, just seems like the right move for this dude. But these demos (we only know they are demos because that’s how they’re labeled), they sound fully formed to us—you can hear every guitar string being touched on “Empire of the Free” and there are angelic backing voices rising out of nowhere on “Black Sanded Beach.” If these are demos, our only thought is that Blanck is going to pull the ultimate prank and the final versions will be harsh noise. Until that happens (it will never happen) we’re going to put these on repeat and get psyched for fire pits and frozen over lakes.



Download: Sebastian Blanck, “Empire of the Free”



Download: Sebastian Blanck, “Black Sanded Beach”

Birds & Batteries, “Sneaky Times” MP3

What if John Carpenter kept up on new music? He’d be like, Why do all these bands play the keyboard like me but with the VHS tracking all fucked up and wobbly? And no one would be able to answer him with anything else except to let him know that it sounds awesome. This Birds & Batteries song is like watching Halloween on a bunch of cough syrup and then having a dizzy and slowed dance party at the end—it’s wildly unsettling and makes us feel kind of nauseous in a good way.



Download: Birds & Batteries, “Sneaky Times”

Woodsman, “Dikembe Mutombo” Mp3

It must be pretty fun to be an instrumental band. You can just name your songs whatever you feel like and go nuts. Woodsman did that with “Dikembe Mutombo,” which as far as we know has very little to do with basketball or being from the Congo. But that’s okay! Instead it’s a whirlwind of guitars clamped down by constant drumroll. Maybe they’re hoping to soundtrack the next big, dramatic and inspiring sports movie, or maybe they all just got really stoned and inspired by tall dudes. You can grab Woodsman’s new album digitally on Mexican Summer right now.



Download: Woodsman, “Dikembe Mutombo” (via Weekly Tape Deck)

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