New Shannon Stephens Album Out Now

May 22nd, 2012 , by

Seattle-based singer-songwriter Shannon Stephens’ third full-length Pull It Together releases today. Throughout the album’s 11 bluesy racks, Stephens sings about the weighty world, joy, and rest. A shortlist of fine musicians make appearances, including DM Stith and Jeff Fielder. Stephens also teams up with Bonnie Prince Billy (Will Oldham) on the track “Faces Like Ours.”

Seattle Weekly sings the album’s praises, saying, “From Stephens’ band mates to her personal, well-spun compositions, great instincts and well-adapted acoustic flourishes define Pull It Together and make it a deeply satisfying spin.” Read the whole review over on the Weekly’s site.

You can order a copy of Pull It Together on CD or LP here. Also available: a pressed-to-order Tae Won Yu t-shirt in sizes for men and women.

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND AT CROSSING BROOKLYN FERRY

May 4th, 2012 , by

My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden will perform on her former home turf this weekend. Collaborating with New York-based indie-classical chamber ensemble supergroup yMusic, MBD plays Saturday at the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry music fest, sponsored by Brooklyn Academy of Music. yMusic contributed to MBD’s 2011 release All Things Will Unwind.

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is curated by brothers and musicians Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National). The fest was conceived by BAM director Joseph V. Melillo, who also commissioned Sufjan Stevens’ cinematic suite The BQE in 2007.

Part of a festival lineup, including Beirut, St. Vincent, and Sharon Van Etten, MBD takes the stage with yMusic at the Howard Gilman Opera House this Saturday, May 5 at 8 p.m. Click here for tickets.

Stroll Along Hondarribia’s Past

April 5th, 2012 , by

Have you ever heard of Hondarribia? If you have not, you should be paying more attention because this resort surely deserves it. Hondarribia is one of those special places in the world where history and modern excitement join each other along the seashore. You may miss the excitement of casinos, but you should not worry […]

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RASHEED’S DREAM FROM LEB LAZE OUT NOW

July 21st, 2011 , by



Rasheed’s Dream
is a journey. Up until now it’s only been available Stateside in import form from Japan’s Arepaz Records. Leb Laze, aka “Lebanese Lazer,” crafted the album just after a move from Atlanta to Brooklyn. East to west, south to north, Rasheed’s Dream is movement. Dense, layered, lush, collaborative; it will give you cause to move.

Consider Rasheed’s Dream available right now. Buy it on Bandcamp for $8 here, or on iTunes here. Stream it for free below.

Liz Janes to Tour United Kingdom

May 16th, 2011 , by

Dear United Kingdom:
We love you. Your sense of humor is impeccable, your taste sophisticated, and you call backyards gardens. And because you are so great, we’ve sent some music your way. Sufjan has stopped through, Julianna Barwick will be by soon, and today we’re sending over Liz Janes as ambassador, from our little country to your little country. Tonight she’ll play in London. Tuesday, she’ll be in Reading, then Liverpool, and then London (again!). You can see more details here.
Even though the Royal Wedding is over and you are likely feeling a soppy, what’s-missing kind of feeling, we hope that seeing Liz live will fill your hearts with as much joy as she has our hearts over here. If you go – and we hope you do – you’ll be in for a real treat. You can hear her album or her more recent EP here.
Cheers,
Asthmatic Kitty Records

New Liz Janes Poster, Includes MP3

March 15th, 2011 , by

It’s been just about a year since we released Liz Janes’ Say Goodbye. About six months ago, Argentinean graphic designer Leandro Castelao contacted Liz. He was so inspired by the album that he offered to design a poster based on one of the songs. When Leandro delivered a final version based on “Firefly,” and Liz showed it to us, we knew we had to share it with her fans. It’s terrific!

The poster is 12×15, and Liz sees as a great way of wrapping up the last year since release! Purchase the poster and we’ll also email a link and code to download the full MP3 version of Say Goodbye. See more pictures of the poster  here, or you can buy it for $25 by clicking here (sorry, we only ship posters to N. America).

The Creativity of Pop Music

June 6th, 2010 , by

Pop music is one of the most popular musical genres these days. Pop music often includes different elements of hip hop, rock, reggae, R & B, dance, electronic, jazz, and at times certain folk music, along with several other styles. These days, pop music is a collaboration of the latest technologies in music. This can be achieved by musical producers and advanced recording studios in order to obtain the type of sound that they want. Musical producers generally have a heavy influence in this regard.

Pop music most typically uses a memorable, yet simple melody, which puts an emphasis on synching. The music is stripped down to a loop that repeats itself all throughout the music. At times, this type of music is criticized because of being repetitive and simple.

 

Pop Music as Popular

Pop music is a type of music that belongs to any kind of musical style. It is quite accessible to the public and is generally distributed by several media. It may not be something that many people refer to as art. This is most often associated with a specific social group, most particularly the young ones. Pop music is also disseminated in a mass market. Pop music is being characterized by the fact that the idea of promoting a music is done by simply allowing it to be heard again and again and again.

Pop music serves as a contemporary type of music which has become common to many people. As a matter of fact, pop music does not only refer to a particular and single genre of music. It can simply point to different types of music which has simply become popular and common. This is the reason why it can be clearly distinguished apart from the other subgenres of music.

 

Creation of Albums

The main purpose of pop music is to become a common part of the everyday lives of people. With the advent of the Internet, as well as of mobile devices and gadgets, it has become easy to download music to mobile phones and gadgets. It acts the same with downloading other services such as iphone bingo apps and others. With the convenience of getting this stuff, more people have the access to the music that they love.

In this musical era, even a single song can be widely distributed in a very short period of time. This is also because of the different musical charts existing that rank the popularity of certain songs. The ranking is based on the number of downloads done over the Internet, as well as the number of times music is downloaded online.

Pop music also varies from generation to generation. For instance, in the 1980’s, music was somewhat influenced by equipments that produce electronic sound that works with synthesizers. However, these days, times have rapidly changed, and the latest in musical technology is being put to use. This results to a modern rendition of music which people usually loves.

 

SHAPES AND SIZES ARE BACK

June 4th, 2010 , by

It has been three years since Shapes and Sizes released their sophomore album Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner, and in that time they have managed to squeeze in quite a bit of living and working. They have been getting married, opening record stores, starting and joining other bands (Elfin Saddle, Think About Life, Miracle Fortress), not to mention moving to Montreal and learning a new language.  They toured with The National and Yeasayer, and opened for Sufjan Stevens and the Silver Jews. And alas, they managed to write and record their newest album A Candle To Your Eyes. The album is simultaneously more subdued and more dangerous than Split Lips. It is ambitious, confident and fiery and we think you will have a hard time resisting it. A Candle To Your Eyes will be released on August 3rd, but in the meantime you can listen to the lead off track below. Details here.

“Tell Your Mum” (Download)

FOL CHEN

November 11th, 2008 , by

Notice: Fol Chen has joined the Asthmatic Kitty roster. We are pleased. We will release the band’s debut album, Part 1: John Shade, Your Fortune’s Made, on February 3rd, 2009. We predict that you will dance.

In the meantime, the band will be taking part in a takeover of LACMA (Los Angeles County Musueum of Art) on November 15th, by Machine Project. The takeover includes ten hours of performances, workshops, and events which experiment with LACMA’s collection and expansive grounds. For their part, Fol Chen created a sound piece inspired by a textile pattern by the early twentieth century Austrian design collective Wiener Werkstatte.  A limited run of 100 CDs containing the music will be for sale at the LACMA event, and each CD will include a watercolor replica of a selection of the original hand-blocked design.

Read the artist biography of Fol Chen here, their corresponding release page here, or view details about the takeover of LACMA here. Click more to see the fabric.

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