Reflections on a silver soul

In honor of yesterday's release of the new Beach House album, Teen Dream, thought I'd share the video for my current favorite track, "Silver Soul." Singer Victoria Legrand directed this video, one of several included on a DVD when you buy the album; it features some truly mystical hula hooping in, you guessed it, hues of silver:


Download: Beach House - Norway MP3

-- Anna K

Tomorrow, in a year

Last fall, a friend of mine traveled to Copenhagen with the express purpose of seeing "Tomorrow, in a year," the Knife's opera based on the life of Charles Darwin. (Apparently, it was well worth the journey.)

The rest of us fans of the Knife may not be quite as devoted, but we can at least share in the awesomeness on March 1, 2010, when the Knife will release "Tomorrow, in a year" in album form. A collaboration with the artists Mt. Sims and Planningtorock, the opera will also be performed live in select European cities in 2010, according to their website.

For now, you can sign up to their mailing list at the link above to get a free MP3 of a new song. Called "Colouring of Pigeons," the 11-minute epic rides a slow build of thunderstorm rainforest percussion into elegantly operatic vocals by an unknown singer, before the familiar voice of Karin Dreijer Andersson winds its way out of the shadows. Stream it below:

Colouring of Pigeons by The Knife

- Anna K

Spoon Interviews Master Masterer Howie Weinberg

The guys in Spoon recently sat down with album-mastering legend Howie Weinberg to chat about the mastering process, and his thoughts on Spoon's new album "Transference". The results are pretty hilarious:



Spoon's "Transference" is out January 19th, and can be pre-ordered here.

Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On" mp3

Team Band Yens for Jens, Puts Out Lekman Tribute EP.

OK, so you are sitting around in your post-New Years Eve haze, thinking to yourself, "I love the pop-stylings of Jens Lekman, but I really wish I could hear his songs as played by snotty, loud riff-meisters from Chicago."

Well, as fast as you can say "Whoomp there it is", here it is, courtesy of our friends, Team Band:















Deeee-licious.

Stream 'em here:






And download for yourself at Team Band's website.