NEW ALBUM FROM HALF-HANDED CLOUD

June 18th, 2010 , by

Those who've been with us since the beginning remember that Half-handed Cloud's debut was reissued by AK in 2001. This was our second release as a record label, preceded only by an album by the label's co-founder. Since then, Half-handed Cloud has released three more full-lengths, plus an EP/singles collection.

Today we are so proud to announce the fifth album, entitled As Stowaways in Cabinets of Surf, We Live-out in Our Members a Kind of Rebirth (or Stowaways for short).

Recorded on half-inch reel-to-reel in the sanctuary and custodial quarters of a church in Berkeley, frontman John Ringhofer recorded most of the parts himself, joined occasionally by friends. Daniel Smith (Danielson) mixed the record at his studio in Clarksboro, New Jersey. 

Stowaways'
 tunes splash about in cavernous spaces opened up by irregularly measured rhythms and pocket-orchestra arrangements integrated with creaky pianos, sound-loops, a tugboat of a church organ, guitars, and billowing banjos. In other words, they are real gems.

Stowaways
 will be out September 28th, 2010 in CD, vinyl, and MP3. More details here.

"Armstrong's Line" (Download)

AK ARTISTS TO HELP OPEN INDIANAPOLIS ART PARK

June 12th, 2010 , by

If you wander around the White River in Indianapolis long enough, you'll eventually stumble across something new and phenomenal: the 100 Acres, part art-park, part nature reserve, part lake. When it opens this month as a section of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), the 100 Acres will be one of the largest art-parks in the country. The IMA is inaugurating the park with eight site-specific installations including a vector-based basketball court, a submerging/reemerging park bench, gigantic human bones, a floating livable island pod, and Eden II, a modern apocalyptic ark.

Several AK artists will have the honor of aurally christening the park on Saturday June 19th. These include Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), Liz Janes, and Roberto Carlos Lange (of Helado Negro and Epstein). They'll perform alongside Dayna Kurtz, DJ Kyle Long, Arrington de Dionyso, Jordan Munson, and The Outside Orchestra.

At a VIP event that Saturday, Liz, Shara, and Dayna will debut a new musical piece written specifically for the 100 Acres. Following that, they will all perform from 7-9:30pm at the opening party. Tickets $80 for general public and $50 for IMA members; you can purchase either here.

The grand public opening for 100 Acres, which is 100% free, is the day after. It will have throat signing, park tours, drumming, team-building exercises and DJing by Kyle Long and Epstein. Details on that event are here.

More info on this amazing space is here. Map of 100 Acres is here.

 

SHARA WORDEN WITH THE BLIND BOYS

June 10th, 2010 , by


Aired on Australia's sunrise.

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)

900X ON LAMINAR EXCURSION MONTHLY

June 4th, 2010 , by

Of course you have used 900X's Music for Lubbock, 1980 for a variety of life-purposes; mowing, oystering, folding, reversing, dissecting, etc. Upon reflection you may have dug deeper in, where you would have realized that 900x is drummer James McAlister, also of Ester Drang, and also drummer on Sufjan Stevens' Illinois.
 
You may want more. Lukcily, McAlister is appearing on Laminar Excursion Monthly, a 24-disc 3" CD subscription series from Flannelgraph Records and Crossroads of America Records. The contributors receive two new 3" CD's a month from contributors the likes of Richard Swift, Cotton Jones, Damien Jurado, J. Tillman, Vollmar, Bexar Bexar, Joe O'Connell (Elephant Micah), Everything, Now!, Homecomings (DM Stith collabrator Mike Dixon), etc., etc. And of course, James McAlister.
 
You can order said subscription here.

ANNOUNCING A DUECK FILM

May 28th, 2010 , by

Jonathan Dueck is no stranger to the Asthmatic Kitty family. He has created several album covers for us and has also released music under his own imprint from Half-handed Cloud and Asthmatic Kitty friends spazz-hop gospel rockers soul-junk. More recently, Dueck took part in the We All Owe tour in which he collaborated and toured with Julianna Barwick and Roberto Lange presenting an evening of experimental film and music. So we have decided to make it official and invite Dueck to our roster.
 
Dueck's first official release is his collection of 20 short, beautiful, color saturated, hand-painted 16mm films entitled IN TRANSIT Presents: 16mm. For this project he collaborated with musicians I Heart Lung, Chad VanGaalen , DENEIR, and Son Lux who each responded to the films in their own unique compositional language. These films were created using old 16mm documentaries that Dueck was given when the Calgary Science Centre was purging itself of obsolete media. Part or all of the existing film was scratched/scraped off and layers of ink were painted, stamped, dripped, and splattered over top. The resulting visuals follow in the tradition of abstract/experimental film-makers such as Norman McLaren and Stan Brakhage. More importantly, the resulting visuals are a wonderful whirl of colors, a living canvas somewhere between the abstract expressionism of Kadinsky, the color fields of Rothko, and the raw textural work of Cy Twombly. The footage has recently been making the rounds with the Dessner brothers (of The National). It was selected by Jessica Dessner for screening at Big Ears Festival as well as The National's Annex series next to Other Music. For these screenings the films were accompanined by Bryce and Aaron Dessner. 
 
The DVD will be released on August 3rd. The soundtrack will also be available digitally. You can read more about the release here.

RICHARD SWIFT, KRISTIN MILTNER PROVIDE NEW LIBRARY CATALOG ENTRIES

May 22nd, 2010 , by

There is only so long we can ignore your letters and electronic mail. Despite six volumes worth of life-soundtrack, you needed more. There is, you wrote, so much life to live, and not enough soundtrack to fill it. We have listened and, in graciousness, responded. We are now two volumes closer to providing the perfect score to your entire existence. 
 
With you in mind, we are pleased to announce volumes 7 and 8 of the Library Catalog Music Series. These are versatile pieces and it will be up to you to fully discover their various applications but rest assured that we are providing our standard, industry-famous 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. You will not be disappointed. Our two new composer recruits, Richard Swift's Instruments of Science and Technology and Kristin Miltner, have crafted music that will unfold in new ways with each subsequent listen. 
 
Advertising executives! Don't bother with backward-masking your corporate sloganeering. Seventy-two-percent of Soundologists say that music from the Library Catalog Music Series will adequately stimulate the consumption cortex in shopper's brains. These two new volumes will be the only hook you need to start reeling in the Benjamins. Read more about Instruments of Science's Music for Paradise Armor here and Technology Music here and Kristin Miltner's Music For Dreaming and Playing here.

PREORDER THE NEW FOL CHEN, IMPRESS FRIENDS WITH RINGTONES

May 19th, 2010 , by

Photo by tylerdurden1

"In Ruins," the first MP3 single from Fol Chen's second full-length has garnered many kind things across the internet. One reputable blog called it "unexpectedly joyous." 

The whole of Part II: The New December drops June 22nd, but you can preorder it now and be ready for the return of John Shade.

Now, we must admit that we do make use of cellular telephoning. What's more is that we also enjoy the cultural and social identification that emits from that cellphone speaker with each ring.

To that end, we asked the Subcommittee of Audio Protocol to take Part II and turn it into the most usable, functional, poptastic cellphone ringtones you've ever heard. We created two kinds: the audible grade, for when you wish to truly hear your phone ring, and the meeting grade for the more discreet settings.

You can preorder the CD for $10+S&H by clicking here, or the LP for $15+S&H by clicking here.

Download the ringtones here:

DM STITH TOURS NORTH AMERICA, PREORDER HEAVY GHOST APPENDICES

May 14th, 2010 , by

This summer DM Stith will head out on a massive North American tour. Joined by visionary musical colleagues Inlets and Silje Nes, the three bands will bring their ethereal hymns and dirty socks with them as they make stops in roughly 18 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces.The tour is the first proper tour in support of not only last year'scritically-lauded Heavy Ghost but will also celebrate the release of Stith’s collection of covers and remixes, Heavy Ghost Appendices. Stith will also be releasing a limited edition tour 12” featuring exclusive material by each touring artist, including a Sparklehorse cover by Stith. See tour dates here.
 
Heavy Ghost Appendices, which comes out May 25 on Asthmatic Kitty, revisits this secret world and adds to its cartography a series ofhidden coves, unexplored forests, and new landscapes. Heavy Ghost was also mystifying and intertwined to David when he wrote it; the Appendices are a means to sort the thing out in his mind. They physically collect the digital trilogy of EPs released over the course of the summer and fall of 2009 into a beautifully packaged limitededition double-disc set. The EPs were an exercise in exploring the boundaries of the music contained on Heavy Ghost, revisiting songs, reinterpreting, and displaying some inspiration and influences through covers of other artists. The remixes helped provide new context and deconstruction of his songs in a way that unearthed the songs’ roles and relationships to one another. Purchase one here before they runout!
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