Hope Sandoval has been creating psychedelic dream pop since the release of Mazzy Star’s debut album She Hangs Brightly.  From their sophomore release So Tonight That I Might See, the sensuous single “Fade Into You” defined their hypnotic sound and California style.  Over the decade, Hope Sandoval became a favorite of the 90s and her soft vocal qualities have been heard with collaborating influential artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Air, Massive Attack, and The Jesus & Mary Chain.

In 2001, she formed Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, and released the debut Bavarian Fruit Bread.  Now Hope Sandoval returns eight years later, reinforcing her brilliance along side drummer Colm O’Ciosoig of My Bloody Valentine, and sharing her long awaited sophomore album Through The Devil Softly on September 15, 2009 through Nettwerk Records.  According to a recent interview with Hope in Rolling Stone, the fourth album of Mazzy Star has been 13 years of a special work in progress, and eventually will see the much needed light someday soon.

Listen: Blanchard

See also: MIA Funding Drive

So your resident Thoughts for Tonight column has indeed been missing for nearly a month now; moving house and being internetless has been hectic, and ultimately stilted the columns for a few weeks. My internet-free moving process has, however, meant that I’ve listened to more Radio. British radio leaves you very limited for choice, and most stations play pop almost exclusively.

One hidden gem though, is within the surprising airplay, that the new Jamie T E.P. title track has received. Jamie T’s first album released over two years ago was a glimpse into the modern teenage life; drunken fights, heavy drug use, loitering the streets and London in general. It was a record permanently freezing a lifestyle that I’d seen at the time. 2 years on, and Jamie T’s new E.P. seems to tone everything down a notch; his chaotic dub and indie inspired hiphop diversifies to a reggae and punk inspired blend instead. The E.P. has its slow moments and yet its also got its shambolic elements that wouldn’t feel too detached from a Gogol Bordello track.

Lyrically Jamie T returns to alcohol - a notion that was left off his first album, in place of harder drug writing. The lyrical themes seem to regress, but they don’t fail to mature. Jamie T seems to have mellowed, and while on the face of some lyrics, that may now seem lacklustre, childish or broken, in truth there’s a progression thats everso subtle and in an eclectic taste, that leads me to be truly excited for the forthcoming album. Jamie T has impressed again, and i was beginning to worry he’d fall into the second release trap that leaves me disappointed with so many artists ive found and enjoyed over the past two years. Instead im left with a sense of nostalgia for his first album, joy from this E.P., and complete excitement for his second L.P.

LISTEN: Jamie T - Sticks ‘n’ Stones

from austin, texas,  i love you but i’ve chosen darkness have an usual band name that fits well.  new wave, deep synths, shoegazing bass lines perfect their music into soothing soundscapes.  britt daniels of spoon produced their 2003 self-titled debut ep and their album,  fear is on our side, was under the influence of ministry’s producer paul barker.  i love you but i’ve chosen darkness’s style easily blends throughout their work, providing a melancholy sense that lightly translates through catchy soul drenched pop melodies  and epic guitar riffs that willfully bring you to dream.

listen

long walk [fear is on our side, 2006]

when you go out [i love you but i've chosen darkness, 2003]

i get weak.   i get weary.    i miss sleep.
i get moody.   i’m in thoughts.    i write songs.
i’m in love.    i walk on.

fingers crossed, my time is coming now

listen: time flies by lykke li [youth novel, 2007]

images: from the brooklyn fashion label, bodkin

see also: music is art funding drive

Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life
or accomplish for yourself.  It’s what you do for others.
- Danny Thomas -

The Money Mix

1. MIA - $20 [Kala, 2007] 2. Ol Dirty Bastard - Got Your Money [Nigga Please, 1999] 3. Barrett Strong - Money (That’s What I Want) [Oh, I Apologize, 1959] 4. 50 Cent - I Got Money [Curtis, 2007] 5. Pink Floyd - Money [Pulse, 1995] 6. Ours - Chapter 2 (Money) [Precious, 2002] 7. Soulsavers - Paper Money [It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land, 2007]

Please note: Music is Art is having our first ever funding drive to help raise donations to keep our site alive. The renewal date is quickly approaching and unfortunately, we can’t afford this year’s fees alone of $150. Even if you can only donate a small amount, your kind support would be greatly appreciated at this time.

Donations: Music Is Art 2009 Funding Drive

Image: I Can Has Cheezburger?

It’s been our pleasure over the last three years to freely share writings and musings about visual artists and musicians that are adored. Now it’s come to that time of year when renewals are needed in order to keep the website of *Music is Art* alive and running. We are campaigning to keep the domain, image, time, contests, music, hosting/bandwith and site in general unlimited for an additional year.

To make a donation, please visit our Music Is Art Funding Drive. Payments may be made directly through PayPal as well.

Music Is Art was named by Billboard Magazine as one of the top 10 music blogs in the world, and has been kindly featured in Rolling Stone, Vh1’s Best Week Ever, The New York Times, and New York Press. As we receive over 7,000 daily visitors a day, it truly has become a great way to promote different ideas that fit within our theme and maintain the site’s integrity. The most important aspect of Music Is Art is the kind messages and comments that are received warmly every day, and truly are what we love that impacts the most.

As always, thank you for taking the time to be a caring reader and again, for all your support! xoxo

From the World Music Awards 2006, this video clip represents everything that Michael Jackson is. Whether you were a fan or not, his genius influenced and inspired so much of what we listen to today. It’s wonderful to see how much power he had over a room, and after such a sad loss, reminds us of what an amazing impact he had on his fans and people all over the world in general. Enjoy the moment, this is wild.

After joining Metric on a world tour, Montreal’s The Lovely Feathers had a much needed three year hiatus  filled with new ideas, relationships and opportunities. Now the band is back with a long awaited sophomore album Fantasy of the Lot, soon to be released in the USA August 18th on Sparks Music/Tommy Boy Records.

LISTEN: The Lovely Feather - Lowiza

The high energy of lead singer Mark Kupfert’s vocal harmonies throughout his band’s thoughtful sounds, manically intertwine inside keyboard-synths that play within catchy pop songs.

]]> http://musicisart.ws/the-lovely-feathers/feed/ http://musicisart.ws/the-lovely-feathers/http://www.musicisart.ws/music/jun/lowiza.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/musicisartws/~3/_SM_uCm1fAI/ http://musicisart.ws/the-best-albums-of-june-2009/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:27:08 +0000 musicisart http://musicisart.ws/?p=3856

artwork by cate rangel

Last month, Music is Art debuted *The Best Albums of May 2009* and now it’s time once again, for the month of June. In celebration of the beginning of summer here, it’s a great feeling to take in, experience and listen to new complimentary sounds. As always, it’s recommended that if you feel any other album should be associated, please be sure to email or share your suggestions below. Enjoy!

Artist: Dirty Projectors Album: Bitte Orca Label: Domino Records Released: June 9, 2009 Listen: Stillness Is the Move

Artist: Little Boots Album: Hands Label: Sixsevennine Records Released: June 9, 2009 Listen: Stuck On Repeat

Artist: Deerhunter Album: Rainwater Cassette Exchange Label: Kranky Records Released: June 9, 2009 Listen: Rainwater Cassette Exchange

Artist: Cassettes Won’t Listen Album: Into the Hillside Label: Cassettes Won’t Listen Released: June 16, 2009 Listen: Into the Hillside

Artist: Patrick Wolf Album: The Bachelor Label: Nylon Records Released: June 2, 2009 Listen: Hard Times

Artist: Magic Wands Album: Love and Dreams EP Label: Bright Antenna Records Released: June 2, 2009 Listen: Black Magic

Artist: Sally Shapiro Album: Miracle Label: Paper Bag Records Released: June 16, 2009 Listen: Miracle

Artist: The Sounds Album: Crossing the Rubicon Label: Original Signal Records Released: June 2, 2009 Listen: Dorchester Hotel

Artist: Illinois Album: The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe Label: Planetary Records Released: June 9, 2009 Listen: Kid Catastrophe

Artist: Elizabeth & the Catapult Album: Taller Children Label: Verve Forecast Records Released: June 9, 2009 Listen: Taller Children

]]> http://musicisart.ws/the-best-albums-of-june-2009/feed/ http://musicisart.ws/the-best-albums-of-june-2009/http://www.musicisart.ws/music/jun/dp.mp3 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/musicisartws/~3/DErKzkXZkyU/ http://musicisart.ws/loudcrowd/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:12:25 +0000 musicisart http://musicisart.ws/?p=3852

A brand new music community called Loudcrowd has been created for those who wish to engage themselves in music and explore their own ideas through the use of online music games.  Made especially for people who are interested in all aspects of djing, dancing, performing and rocking out, Loudcrowd lets users play freely together within a streaming library of indie rock, dance and electro artists.

Reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto video game series, Loudcrowd is a flash-based website with a shared soundtrack, where registered users create social networking profiles and customized cartoonish male and female avatars that play music-related games to eventually win over the djing influence of dictating what they want and wish for other members  and visitors to hear.

Aimed at teenage and twenty-something music fans, Loudcrowd opens up the world of new music and consistently features groundbreaking groups through the site like Friendly Fires, Justice, Phoenix, Santigold, and The Twelves.  It’s the main goal of the games to discover, engage and intensely listen to constantly wonderful sounds, and possibly makes a consumer end up wanting to buy the artists’ albums through the great use of Itunes or Amazon.  All in all, Loudcrowd is not only resourceful for the listener but lucrative for also the musicians as well as the record labels involved.

Member of the Danish Composer’s Society, Frederik Magle is an award winning contemporary composer, organist and pianist. By mixing classical music inside jazz, rock, and electronica, Magle has performed with many orchestras as well as created film scores and different crossover music. He has played internationally all over the world for royal engagements and special celebrations made in castles, cathedrals and legendary concert halls.  In support of his solo work, Magle has received many grants and prizes including the Grants of Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark and H.R.H. Prince Henrik, which have kindly awarded his deserving talents, showmanship and achievements.

Photos taken by Michel Winckler-Krog

David Byrne once listed the things he appreciated in art:

1. Lots of work put into it
2. Bright colours
3. Straight lines
4. Brush strokes
5. Words, letters, and numbers
6. Things that make me laugh
7. Things that remind me of pleasant experiences
8. Common things put together in a new way

9. Something I haven’t seen before
10. Glimpses of the artist’s personality
11. A good reason for the existence of each part
12. Symmetry
13. Things done in a formal manner
14. Things done to a personal scale
15. The interpretation left up to the viewer
16. Things that can be taken for their face value

17. Things that the Bourgeois would not like
18. Something that improves with continued viewing
19. Things that relate to the collective subconcious
20. Things that play little tricks on the senses
21. Gadgets and gimmicks
22. Elegant shapes
23. A fantasy world
24. A skillful use of the medium

LISTEN: Talking Heads - (Nothing But) Flowers

Hello.

This is to let you know that we have a special EARLY show coming up on Tuesday June 30th at Mercury Lounge. We will be playing early, at 7pm SHARP which is potentially a perfect time, depending on your schedule.

Below is some live video footage of us playing our song “Kerosene Dreams” out in San Diego last winter. We miss the west coast very much and we will be back out there soon!

Hope to see you on Tuesday, June 30th at Mercury Lounge more info on the show can be found here.

xo
autodrone

In remembrance of Michael Jackson, his legacy will live on forever.

ARTWORK BY YOMA

Stream: We All Fall in Love Sometimes [2009]
previously unreleased recording,
written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Video: So Real/Last Goodbye [Acoustic]
from the Live in Chicago DVD [1995]

On June 23, for one night only in NY, see and hear Björk’s Voltaic: The Volta Tour Live in Paris in glorious high definition video and audio at the School of Visual Arts’ beautiful new theater.

**To win a pair of ticket’s for tonight’s NYC screening, leave a comment below! A winner will be selected by 4pm this evening.**

Björk’s very special DVD/CD/VINYL recording Voltaic, out June 30 in the U.S. via Nonesuch Records (One Little Indian in the UK, and Universal worldwide.) Voltaic is a lovingly produced celebration of the past two years of Björk’s Volta activities—her critically praised sixth studio album, which came out in 2007, and the subsequent two-year world tour.

Check out the trailer here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9llxf_bjork-voltaic-the-volta-tour_shortfilms

SCREENINGS
June 23 -  Los Angeles, CA  @  The Montalban Theater
June 23 -  Madison, WI  @  The Orpheum Stage Door
June 23 -  New York, NY  @  SVA Theater
June 23-28  -  Oxford, MS  @  The Amp
June 23-28  -  Lake Geneva, WI  @  Geneva Theater
June 24  -  Minneapolis, MN  @  The Trylon Microcinema
June 26, 27  -  Seattle, WA  @  Northwest Film Forum
June 26, 27  -  San Francisco, CA  @  The Roxie
June 26, 27  -  Bellingham, WA  @  Pickford Film Center
June 26, 27  -  New Orleans, LA  @  Zeitgeist Arts Center
July 20  -  Austin, TX  @  Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
*more dates to be announced at www.cinemapurgatorio.com

LISTEN: Björk - Innocence [Volta, 2007]

I don’t know why British Nat Johnson (of Monkey Swallowed the Universe) made me think of this longing for the cold; maybe it was her warm voice, fit for a place by the hearth. Perhaps, feeling stuck in this dreary job, the line “I want to go home” being repeated in “Heart of Clay” spoke to me in earnest. The overall soothing feeling of her songs, calmly blazing at my office’s speakers, certainly dispersed some of the summer wrought stickiness.

Are you also looking forward to winter solstice? Check out Nat Johnson on her website, MySpace and last.fm for more tracks and tour info.

Listen:

Nat Johnson - Heart of Clay

Nat Johnson - Judy’s First Beat

cigarettes
words, images & music by russian red

now tell me what it is
it isn’t fair ’cause i’m wasting time
’cause it isn’t my heart, it isn’t my fault
and every situation understands, well
the anecdote of chasing the location to your door

’cause i’m wasting time
now i’m wasting money again
and all the cigarettes that i have never smoked
and all the letters that i have never sent

and he was sitting by the swimming pool
but he was scared ’cause it wasn’t his time, it wasn’t his chance
getting older’s not been on my plans but it’s never late
it’s never late enough for me to stay

’cause i’m wasting time
now i’m wasting money again
and all the cigarettes that i have never smoked
and all the letters that i have never sent

music is art wants to start trading mix cd’s with the community. simply, if you would like to send one, you’ll receive one in return. sound good? ♥

this exchange is open to anyone all over the world. please feel free to choose your own theme and of course, don’t forget to add your own artwork. to sign up, send your mixtape to:

danielle langley
c/o music is art
160 fairfield woods rd, suite 52
fairfield, ct 06825
usa

“The thing that’s important to know is that you never know. You’re always sort of feeling your way.”

ART: Diane Arbus
LISTEN: ANNE by Santogold [2008]