S. Carey - All We Grow

Yesterday, Jagjaguwar announced the release of S. Carey's debut album All We Grow on August 24. You may know Carey as a member of Bon Iver, where he plays percussion. He got his performance degree in classical percussion from the University of Wisconsin, and his love for jazz drumming delivered him a central role in the Bon Iver live show. During the last two years he patiently crafted his own records during infrequent tour breaks. Most of the records were done at home, where Carey would add layers of sound whenever he got the chance.

Debut MP3 In the Dirt sounds like his album could once again set a bar in modern Americana like For Emma, Forever Ago did two years back. The song features beautiful, dream-like piano parts reminiscent of the Amélie-soundtrack combined with dynamic and more experimental percussion loops. Take a listen for yourself:

MP3: S. Carey - In the Dirt

Here's the cover of the album:

Gayngs - The Gaudy Side of Town

Gayngs is een van de zovele bands waarbij Justin Vernon de laatste tijd opduikt. En ook een van de meest verrassende releases waar hij zijn falsetstem voor leent. Gayngs bestaat uit zo'n 25 leden, onder andere uit bands als Rosebuds, Megafaun, Leisure Birds en dus Bon Iver. Leider van de clan is echter producer Ryan Olson. Met bovenstaande namen zal Gayngs even raar klinken: geen folk uit hutjes uit het bos, maar glad geproduceerde soft-soul. U leest het goed.

Bij The Guardian is te lezen: It was a radical departure for all concerned – all comfort zones were instantly demolished. "We just wanted to start playing some soft-rock music. I'd been listening to a shitload of 10cc and I was just like, yeah, I want to do something like this." Apparently, what he wanted to create was "a collection of drugged-up keyboards and slick production almost exclusively inspired by 10cc's I'm Not in Love". Every one of the 11 tracks has been recorded at 69 beats-per-minute. We're not sure whether 10cc's epochal single moved at the same speed or if this is a Gayngs tribute to same, but the songs on Relayted strike a similar note of sepulchral sorrow. Luister hier naar voorproefje The Gaudy Side of Town.

In mei verschijnt het album Relayted op Jagjaguwar, een label dat verschrikkelijk veel goede releases op naam heeft staan; naast Bon Iver de laatste tijd bijvoorbeeld ook Dinosaur Jr., The Besnard Lakes, Lightning Dust, Okkervil River, Sunset Rubdown en binnenkort Small Black.

De beste albums van 2009

Klopt. En niet alleen journalisten. Binnenkort ook: het mooiste album artwork van 2009.


10. Richmond Fontaine – We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River


9. mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It’s Alright


8. Bob Dylan – Together Through Life


7. Monsters Of Folk – Monsters Of Folk


6. Fever Ray – Fever Ray


5. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca


4. Harlem Shakes – Technicolor Health


3. The Felice Brothers – Yonder is the Clock


2. Wilco – Ashes of American Flags


1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion


Net buiten de boot vielen overigens: Land of Kush, The Antlers, Moss, Jason & Molina, Wilco (the Album), Dan Deacon, Yonlu en Bowerbirds.