Dirty Beaches is Alex Zhang Hungtai of Montreal, QC (via California via Hawaii via China) and I picked up the self titled Dirty Beaches cassette this past weekend at the CoOp 87 (if ya’ll haven’t been you really should check it out.  A great addition for music lovers to Brooklyn, specifically Greenpoint, and Tommy who runs it is a super nice dude).   Going into the tape I had no prior knowledge of the band other than he had played a show or two with the one and only Julian Lynch.

Dirty Beaches rides the line between ambient rhythmic noise and avant-garde pop and do it so well.  Using beats and and subtle melodies to create a hypnotic composition, and then he works in his unique vocals.  While Dirty Beaches vocals are very unique I can’t help but think of a totally warped and fucked Ian Curtis.  Dirty Beaches’ Dirty Beaches is an EP that I was unsure of what I thought on first listen, but by the end of it I was sad that it was over and all I could do was flip the tape and start again.  With each listen of the EP different melodies, or psychedelic guitar lines start to emerge, and the pulsing hypnotic rhythms start to take on orchestral and surf like qualities.  A release that has much more depth than one can hear on a single listen, and I have been giving it my attention all week.

“Like Dreamers Do” is the second to last track on the release and I feel that it exemplifies what this cassette is about.  Beats that encompass the mind, guitar to break your concentration, and the somber vocals to pull it all together.  Ambience and pop all in one track.  Engaging the mind on many levels, and all  you have to do is accept Alex Zhang Hungtai’s unique mindset and way of making music.  A release that I am extremely glad that I stumbled across.

[mp3] Dirty Beaches- “Like Dreamers Do”

• from the 2009 self titled release on Night People.
  • buy it here.

Shawn from Night People was nice enough to send over a new track from Dirty Beaches upcoming cassette titled Night City.  Night City is diverging from the self titled because there are no vocals on this release at all.  This next tape will be mostly instrumental synth/organ/drum machine tracks, and will be out on Night People this April.

“Paris” is an uplifting instrumental.  Much lighter in the sense that it seems like the type of song you would like to hear as the sun is coming up, at the end of a clear night after the stars had been shining down upon you (I guess ideally you would be in France).  Keeping with the hypnotic tone of the first tape, but changing it up to give this track a very different vibe, and if this song is any indication it seems like a very natural progression from the last release.

[mp3] Dirty Beaches- “Paris”

• from the forthcoming Night City cassette on Night People.

“Paris” is just a teaser to the Night City cassette, and in addition to this instrumental cassette there is also an upcoming Dirty Beaches LP which will be a bit more rock n roll oriented that is also coming out on Night People. Keep your eye on the Night Peoples site for more info about these.  I know I am.

——————————————————————————-

Dirty Beaches are touring.  Check out their myspace for upcoming dates.

——————————————————-

• more This Week In Mail Order can be found here.

It only makes sense that a great new band gets it’s introduction to the world on one of the music blogs I look to for new and emerging artists, but the most unique part about this is that they are both based in North Carolina.  Months ago Get Off The Coast posted a couple tracks by Gross Ghost, and “Golden T” has really proven to have staying power in my day to day listening.

Gross Ghost do what bands from Chapel Hill/Carrboro/ Raleigh/Durham area  do best, and make good straight up indie rock, and it doesn’t hurt that they have great pop sensibility.   In a day where where keyboards and electronics tend to dominate my intake of new music it’s nice to hear a band using just guitar, base, and drums.   Gross Ghost bring what I want to hear coming out of NC following in the steps of the states’ great indie rock past bringing melodic and catchy rock with vocals that can back it up perfectly.  Their use of backing vocals, almost as if it is the brief entrance of a chorus backing them,  on this track make the band seem larger than three members, and really fill out my speakers.  Mike from Gross Ghost told me that they are headed into the studio this month so hopefully we will be getting more tracks as good as “Golden T” from these southern dudes very soon. It’s exciting to see rising acts from North Carolina, and with Love Language’s recent signing to Merge I hope this means big things are in store for Gross Ghost.

[mp3] Gross Ghost- “Golden T”

So much good music coming out of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia…where were these bands when I lived there.

———————————————————–

• This is part of my Speed Dating series.  You can read more about singles I have featured in this series here.

I don’t think New York City could have had a more perfect weekend weather wise, and my lady even busted out her warm weather ray bans…just in time for this warm weather I stumbled across Sunglasses.

Sunglasses are  beach influenced electronica coming from Savannah, Georgia…not to far from my home town of Charleston SC, where this genre seems to be thriving (if you haven’t checked out South Carolina’s native sons Washed Out and Toro Y Moi you might want to do that).

While there are lots of bands riffing on the beach theme these days, there is just something about Sunglasses’ “Referee” that is particular infectious. I wasn’t expecting what I got when I played “Referee” for the first time.  A track that just starts out with the sound of rain that begins to slowly build up to vocals using electronics and minimal percussion.  Only after a full minute goes by does the full beach dance party kicks in.   The track continues to talk about cold weather, but inside it only evokes signs of spring and even the far away summer.  ”Referees” was the first song on a mix I made for a gathering I attended last week.  About half way through this mind penetrating  song three of the ladies in the room were grooving to it, and even trying to check my iPod to see what it was.  While totally into the song afterwards they asked “who is this?,” and then they proceeded to say it sounded a bit like Animal Collective. But if Sunglasses can get them dancing after only two minutes that can’t be a bad thing at all.

This duo comprised of Samuel Cooper and the mysterious entity known only as Baby Seal have only released two tracks into the world, but both worthy of recognition.  When a band releases two songs, and both are this good I can’t help to put them on my list of artists to watch out for as 2010 progresses.  These bands from the South move fast…start rocking this jam now before you are asking…”What is Sunglasses?”

[mp3] Sunglasses- “Referees”

• via thefmly
• listen to more Sunglasses here.

——————————————–

• Photo via Nathan Jones Photography for Sunglasses.
• This is part of my Speed Dating series.  You can read more about singles I have featured in this series here.

Tomorrow Saturday March 6th there are two amazing shows happening right here in Brooklyn, and Wednesday March 10th very similar shows are happening in Charleston, SC

First up is everyone’s favorite, Underwater Peeps Proprietors, and all around rad dudes Family Portrait who will be appearing with none other Alex Bleeker and the Freaks…and a too be named Special Guest (supposedly very special).

These New Jersey via DC and back to New Jersey rockers will be playing in full force for the first time in a very long time.  If you have seen Family Portrait over the past 6 months or so you saw various forms with Ari and Brody, but now that Sawyer is back from his journey out East they are back in action in the form we all know and love.  I was looking through my music, and I found a track that I grabbed back in September…. “On The Floor” is a retro pop jam full of fuzzy psychedelica.  Backed up with Brody’s crooning vocals and the type of beach vibe you expect to get from a New Jersey basement or garage party rather than the Jersey shore.

[mp3] Family Portrait- “On The Floor”

• Buy their split 7″ with Andrew Cedermark here.

Rock this one, and then go check out Family Portrait….they are touring down to SXSW!

• Tomorrow, March 6th @ 59 Jefferson St, #402 (21+ $8)
  • Family Portrait, Alex Bleeker, and very Special Guests!
    • This show is presented by Pixelhorse, Microphone Memory Emotion, and Visitation Rites.
      • Proceeds from this show go toward playing the bands playing their awesome SXSW showcase in Austin.  Get all the info on the Austin Show here.
• Wednesday, March 10th @ Outer Space! in Charleston, SC
  • Family Portrait, and fucking Castles Underground!!!
• Check out all of Family Portraits’ tour dates here (lots in between and after these two dates).

The Sandwitches are three ladies from San Fransisco making awesome 50’s/60’s throwback rock and roll.  Their album How to Make an Ambient Sad Cake has been getting tons of play at my house, and on my headphones.  It started with their single “Fire,” and it has slowly infected my head.  And now “The Revisionist” has had me singing “God ain’t no friend of mine” all morning.  I was curious about the lyrics of this song, and I thought I would check out what a revisionist actually was: “a movement in revolutionary Marxian socialism favoring an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary spirit”  and in a sense I guess I fall under this category.  Not a bad thing at all…and a really wonderful song.

[mp3] The Sandwitches- “The Revisionist”

• From How to Make an Ambient Sadcake, buy it here.
• The Sandwitches are part of the Endless Nest Collective.

As much as I love Family Portrait, both as musicians and people, I’m going to have to hit this Sandwitches show.  These ladies are coming from a long way, and who knows when they will be back.

• Tomorrow, Saturday March 6th @ Monster Island Basement
  • Golden Triangle, The Sandwitches, Coasting, and Girls at Dawn
    • All Ages, $8
      • They are also playing tonight, but very little info is available.
• Wednesday March 10th @ The Tin Roof in Charleston, SC
  • The Sandwitches, and Teenage Owl.
• See all of the Sandwitches’ tour dates here (lots in between and after these two dates).

———————————————————-

If none of these things work for you…. go see Twin Sister at CoCo66 tomorrow night (March 6th).  More info about Twin Sister can be found here.

And this weekend pregame for everything at Mugs Ale House’s  Split thy Skull Festival!

—————————————————————

The photo of Family Portrait was taken on January 29th, 2010 at Bruar Falls, and is from the White Lodge. If you would like to use this photo please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge.

• more posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

————————

• More on Family Portrait here.
• More on Underwater Peoples Records here.
• More on the Sandwitches here.
• More on the Endless Nest Collective here.

A beer tradition that has been going on in Williamsburg for many years is happening again this weekend.  March 6th & 7th welcomes the annual Split Thy Skull strong ale festival back to Mugs Ale House.

Mugs Ale House is a long running beer establishment, and an establishment that champions craft beer.  If you want a good brew,  great bar food, an incredible draft selection, and some of the most reasonable prices in town this is where you want to be.

With that said you can find the full list of beers for Split Thy Skull 2010 here, but I’m going to give you my personal picks by style too. Please note that each day has a different tap list (yes, I know that sounds crazy…but it’s true).

Saturday March 6th:

• Brown Ale
  • Goose Island Brown Goose 9%
• Double IPA
  • Two Brothers Hop Juice 9.9%
• Dark Belgian Ale
  • Sixpoint Express 2008  11.3%
• Barley Wine
  • Nogne O #100 Barleywine 10.0%
• Belgian Pale Ale
  • St. Somewhere Lectio Divina  8.00%
• My number one recommendations is….
  • Cask Ale// Barley Wine double fermented with Champagne yeast
    • Otter Creek Quercus Vitis Humulus
      • If you go you must try this.  Like nothing else.

Sunday March 7th:

• Barley Wine Cask:
  • Heavy Seas Below Decks
• Double IPA
  • Greenflash Palate Wrecker 9.0%
• Old Ale
  • Kuhnenns 4th Dementia 9.5%
    • these beers don’t make it here that often, and everything I’ve had has been amazing.
• Imperial Stout
  • Heavy Seas Siren Noire  8.0%
• Dark Belgian Style Ale
  • 21st Amendment Monks Blood  8.3%
• Intergalactic Oak Aged Stout (self proclaimed)
  • Brewdog Tokyo 18.2%
• Aged Barley Wine
  • Sierra Bigfoot 2005  9.6%
    • fucking classic.

Check out the full tap list here!

Those are my short lists…and I won’t even get to try all of those…and there are so many that I’ve never even had.  This is a beer event not to be missed.  Get to Mugs, grab a table, order a beer, and chow down on some good and cheap bar food.

If you can’t make it this weekend stop in next week…you will get the dregs of the fest, but when we are talking about strong ales that isn’t bad at all…I plan on doing that myself.

• More What Ales You can be found here.
• More on Mugs Ale House can be found here.

A couple days before Twin Sister played Bruar Falls with Pure Ecstasy, Hunter from Infinite Best Records sent over a track by them called “Kimmi In A Ricefield.”  Twin Sister had been getting a lot of blog press, but this was the first track that I heard by them…and I was absolutely floored.  Hunter knew I was liked minded catching the White Lodge reference.

While Twin Sister’s sound is ever evolving “Kimmi In A Ricefield” is an instrumental track that evokes the eeriness of the woods, and not just any woods those of the Pacific North West.  Maybe it was just Hunter’s suggestion of hearing this song for the first time after a two week long Twin Peaks marathon, but it’s pretty clear that Twin Sister was channeling Angelo Badalamenti during the song writing process on this one.  This enchanting track diverges from Badalamenti influence with the use of light dance grooves, and echoing percussion creating something that is very much their own.  Even in a track like this that seems like this that seems far from a dance jam… Twin Sister can put their subtle touch on it, and make it entirely unique and with a bit of a indie disco edge.  The night that this song was sent over I sat at the computer, and listened to it over and over…I hope you have the same experience:

[mp3] Twin Sister- “Kimmi In A Ricefield”

“Kimmi In A Ricefield” is a master piece, and I can only hope to hear more music that sounds like this from Twin Sister.  This track has been available on Twin Sister’s website for quite sometime now, and will be featured on The Report compilation being put out by none other than Chocolate Bobka.

While their live set was very different from the track above that didn’t take away from their talent and showmanship.  Twin Sister was initially supposed to play before Pure Ecstasy, but they ended up headlining.  While Pure Ecstasy was great, but no one could have followed Twin Sister that night.  Extremely tight, and for a band I had heard very little of their music they truly blew me away.  This band is a pleasure to see live, and they have many tour dates coming up (see the bottom of this post) so go check them out.  I’m extremely happy with how some of my photos came from that night, and I am very excited to share them with you.  These photos are from the White Lodge.

If you would like to hear more Twin Sister you can download their fabulous EP Vampires With Dreaming Kids for free here.

[full album download] Twin Sister- Vampires With Dreaming Kids

Also keep an eye on Infinite Best Recordings for their upcoming 12″!
————————————————————————————

Twin Sister is tour to and from SXSW!  Go See Them:

• Mar 6 2010 @ Coco 66 w/ Amniotic (Ex-Psycadellic Furs)–> Brooklyn, New York
• Mar 13 2010 @ Full House Gallery w/ Galaxies, Mount McKinley, Oberhofer, Secret Hideout–> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Mar 17 2010 @ SXSW –>Austin, Texas
• Mar 18 2010 @ SXSW – Creekside Lounge –>Austin, Texas
• Mar 19 2010 @ SXSW–> Austin, Texas
• Mar 20 2010 @ SXSW – Karibu w/ Pure Ecstasy, Pearl Harbor–> Austin, Texas
• Mar 21 2010 @ MtyMx Todd P. After Party–> Monterrey, México
• Mar 23 2010 @ The Mink w/ Holiday Shores, Caliban Goodbrain–> Houston, Texas
• Mar 24 2010 @ Hailey’s Club w/ Holiday Shores, Writer, Manned Missles–> Denton, Texas
• Mar 25 2010 @ Proud Larry’s w/ Holiday Shores, Young Buffalo–> Oxford, Mississippi
• Mar 26 2010 @ Al’s Bar w/ Holiday Shores, Idiot Glee (Presented by “I Guess I’m Floating”)–> Lexington, Kentucky
• Mar 27 2010 @ Vollrath Theatre w/ Holiday Shores (Presented by “My Old Kentucky Blog”)–> Indianapolis, Indiana
• Mar 28 2010 @ The Bishop w/ Holiday Shores, French & Indian War–> Bloomington, Indiana
• Mar 29 2010 @ Daytrotter Sessions w/ Holiday Shores (Day Show)–> Rock Island, Illinois
• Mar 29 2010 @ Huckleberry’s Pizza w/ Holiday Shores (Evening Show) –>Rock Island, Illinois
• Mar 30 2010@ Halfway Lounge w/ Holiday Shores, Thin Hymns, Distractions –> Chicago, Illinois
• Mar 31 2010 @ Case Western University w/ Holiday Shores –>Cleveland, Ohio
• Apr 1 2010 @ Cameo w/ Holiday Shores –>Brooklyn, New York
• Apr 9 2010 @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune-Yards, Zola Jesus –>New York, New York
• Apr 10 2010 @ The Middle East (Downstairs) w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune-Yards –> Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Apr 13 2010 @ First Unitarian Church w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune-Yards –>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Apr 14 2010 @ DC9 w/ Xiu Xiu, Tune Yards –> District of Columbia, Washington DC

——————————————
These photos of Twin Sister were taken on January 29th, 2010 at Bruar Falls, and are from the White Lodge. If you would like to use one of these photos please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge.

• more posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

I came across a couple tracks by a band called Cascaders on Friendship Bracelet last week, and low and behold it is the new project of Jamie from Group Tightener Records and Men & Women.  I contacted Jamie, and he sent over the three songs that he has finished.  I’ve been delving back into some philosophy texts these days, and instrumental music is what I crave…and Cascaders pretty much hit that spot.

Cascaders are dark cold compositions based in electronics and guitar.  The sparse sounds remind me of being up on a mountain or deep in a forest at night…with no one around, solemn and isolating echoing like the thoughts in your head.  ”Lifetimes” is calculated and timed to perfection, and “Harpoon Dodger” is sparse and beautiful.  Both perfect to complement deep thoughts and meditation.

But the track that hit me the most out of the “Skybridge,” a bit lighter than the rest, and up lifting in a way.  Where as “Harpoon Dodger” and “Lifetimes” evoke a the cold depths of a cave “Skybridge” is more like emerging from hibernation…seeing the sunlight for the first time in a long time.  The booming drums resonate in your head as the song progresses and is overall one of the most soothing tracks I’ve heard in quite sometime, and the last notes of the song just resonate like an echo deep in your mind.

[mp3] Cascaders- “Skybridge”

[mp3] Cascaders- “Harpoon Dodger”

head over to Friendship Bracelet to snag the third and final track “Lifetimes” here.

Truly looking forward to more songs coming out of Cascaders…especially if I get back into school…this could be the soundtrack to my studies.

————————

• more on Group Tightener Records here.

——————–

The photo above was taken by klk, and is from the White Lodge.

• more posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

Beers come and go, but there are those few that people look for, age, and hoard…and one of those beers is Goose Islands Bourbon Country Stout. It is one of the last two bottles that have been aging for years in my house, and I’m happy to say that 12oz bottle of the 2007 vintage will be sitting on that shelf for a very long time to come.

But in the mean time if you would like to get a taste of the 2009 batch Brouwerij Lane has recently tapped a keg.

Bourbon County Stout is probably one of the most expensive domestically produced beers, and when you see a 12oz bottle in stores they typically sell for $8.99 and up (and $9 a bottle is a very good price for this one). Brouwerij Lane is offering this rarity for $8 per 12oz goblet, or $44 for a 64oz growler to take home ($22 if you want the 32oz). While this seems like an expensive beer…it is, and you should be aware it is very possible that you will not see it on tap for at least another year.

Bourbon County Stout is pitch black in your glass…no light can penetrate it. The smells that come off of it is of bourbon whiskey (as expected), oak, and strong roasted chocolate malts. The mouthfeel is thick, and rich…and the taste is a sensory overload that coats your mouth, and leaves you with an after taste that lingers much longer than any other beer I have tasted in recent years. It is said to be an excellent cigar beer, and I can see why. On top of it’s wonderfully intense smell and taste the Bourbon County Stout weighs in at 13% abv so even a little bit packs a punch.

This beer will only be available for a very limited time. I you are a fan our whiskey and/or stout I highly recommend making it over to try a glass, or if you have friends with you pick up a growler. This is a beer that is meant to be shared.

Brouwerij Lane is located at
78 Greenpoint Avenue
(at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
—————————————

• more What Ales You can be found here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane can be found here.