2012, music, new music

Little Mountain

January 21, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

This may be Said The Whale’s third LP but the Canadian indie-popsters are still educating the U.S. masses, and their forthcoming album, Little Mountain, is a superb introduction. Their latest effort is their most adventurous to date and will be released in North America on March 6, 2012 via Hidden Pony Records/EMI, and in the U.K and Europe on March 12. The pre-order from iTunes will go live on February 20.

Said The Whale have been making their pretty music for some time, and in this past year were rewarded with the highest accolade available in their home land – a JUNO Award. The band snagged the crown for “New Group Of The Year” in 2011 and made their mark even bigger.

Little Mountain finds the group defying rock conventions without sacrificing any of their pop smarts. Said The Whale enlisted the juggernaut production prowess of Tom Dobrzanski, and multiple Grammy Award winner Jack Joseph Puig, who mixed the 15-track collection. Their combined efforts steered the song suites to explode out of the speakers, as they shepherded the band’s signature sound to a new level.

More diverse than previous albums, Little Mountain is a multi-stylistic tour-de-force that ventures into everything from soaring, horn-laden cabaret (“The Reason”) to jaggedly syncopated rock (“We Are 1980”) and effervescent guitar pop (“Loveless”). First single, “Heavy Ceiling,” is a dancefloor-ready ditty that reflects the confident and razor-sharp sound that dominates this LP.

Starting in early February and leading up to the release date, Said The Whale will regularly offer videos as exclusives, each coinciding with the 15 album tracks. The band partnered with Vancouver-based production company Amazing Factory for their ambitious endeavor, who helped re-imagine the band’s vivid lyrical imagery. Tune into Exclaim.ca for the premier of “1980” on February 7.

On February 25, the band will host a very special video screening and album launch at the Rio Theatre in their hometown of Vancouver. It will mark the beginning of the customary Said The Whale whirlwind tour schedule that will take the band across Canada, through the US, UK and Europe this year. [source: planetary group]

♪ Said The Whale – Heavy Ceiling (from Little Mountain)

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music

[on the rise] Viper Creek Club

January 20, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

Viper Creek Club (VCC) is the evolving and enduring project of Mat Wisner. Originally an idea in one of Wisner’s demo songs for a previous project, VCC combines the various styles and ideas of Wisner and all of his contributors to live shows and production, making for a refreshing brand of electro-pop music. VCC is inherently influenced by various theories about sound, composition methods, and genre, and they continually work to expand through these ideas in their music. Outside of VCC, Wisner produces, engineers, and mixes for local hip hop artists, an attribute that heavily influences their sound.

VCC’s debut album Letters was released in August 2010, combining smart production techniques with organic percussion and piano to create a sound both deliberate and natural at the same time. In April 2011, VCC released a much buzzed about hip-hop remix album, Viperlust, through local Seattle label Members Only. The Stranger’s Charles Mudede dubbed the album, “the first solid, artistic connection between local indie rock and indie hip hop.” [free download here]

VCC is set to release their latest EP Hot Lights on February 14, 2012. The EP’s title refers to the neon lights that illuminate the city we occupy at night, and the music recounts tales of urban nightlife, partying, lust, drugs, and young love. As Wisner explains, “it’s the perfect title for the energy and momentum of the songs on the album.” Tracks on Hot Lights were also inspired by the passion and energy the group encountered off of their first year on the indie festival circuit, playing CMJ in 2010, along with SXSW and Seattle’s City Arts Festival in 2011.

In the past, they have supported indie acts We Are Scientists and Ra Ra Riot, and have sold out headlining shows at venues in their hometown of Seattle. Their music has been featured on Real World: Las Vegas and The Young And The Restless, as well as commercials for Nike and Microsoft Windows 8.

It is clear that Wisner puts all of his passion and experience to good use with Viper Creek Club, which is made evident in their signature synth-driven melodies and carefully constructed beats that never fail to keep the party going. [source: planetary group]

♪ Viper Creek Club – Because I Know (from Hot Lights EP)

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music, video

[watch] Class Actress//Bienvenue

January 20, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

Brooklyn synth-poppers Class Actress just released the beautiful new video for “Bienvenue”. The second clip from the critically praised debut album Rapprocher (out now via Carpark Records) was shot on location in Paris this past December and was directed by Clement Gino and Gregory Faure. Class Actress will return to Europe in late March following select North American dates between now and SXSW.

Elle Magazine chatted with Class Actress creative voice and frontwoman Elizabeth Harper about the video, Parisian style, men and more. She notes: “Part of what Class Actress is about, to me, is the golden age of travel and what that time invokes: love letters, elegance, adventure, letting loose, loving life, feeling things rather than avoiding them. Paris is a city of senses and sensuality.” Read the full interview here.
[source: motormouthmedia]

♪ Class Actress – Weekend (from Rapproacher)

Tour Dates
Jan 27 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Jan 28 Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
Feb 03 Brooklyn, NY – 285 Kent Ave (with Pictureplane)
Feb 09 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Feb 10 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Feb 11 Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar
Feb 14 Calgary, AB – Hifi Club
Feb 16 San Francisco, CA – Noise Pop Festival
Mar 09 Denton, TX – Hailey’s Club
Mar 10 Norman, OK – Oklahoma Memorial Union
Mar 14 McAllen, TX – Sofie’s (with Of Montreal)
Mar 15 Austin, TX – 512 Upstairs (Carpark/Paw Tracks Showcase)
Mar 29 La Roche-sur-Yon, FR – Fuzz’Yon (Les Femmes s’en Melent Festival)
Mar 30 Paris, FR – La Machine du Moulin Rouge
Mar 31 Ajaccio, Corsica – Aghja

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[watch] The Spring Standards//Queen of the Lot

January 20, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

I’m a strong believer that puppets make anything better. Don’t believe me? Check out the video below for The Spring Standards’ oh-so-good track, “Queen of the Lot”, and I dare you to disagree.

The Spring Standards’ 2012 album release is coming soon! Stay tuned.

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2012, music, video

[on repeat] Santigold//Big Mouth

January 20, 2012 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

It’s been four long years since Santigold’s debut LP, but later this Spring will see the release of Master of My Make Believe.

Following a pair of hometown shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg that sold out in five minutes, she’s releasing “Big Mouth” for your listening pleasure (available for free download at www.santigold.com), along with an accompanied music video, directed by Cody Critcheloe, which premiered on Pitchfork earlier this week. [source: girlie action]