Entrepreneurs work it out, Glenn Kotche solos, Ryley Walker doubles down on Dave Matthews, Beach House embrace the alien nation and more in today’s Roundup:
1 | Great Danish power trio The Entrepreneurs down to some dark business in the raucous performance video for their new single Heroine, a preview of their debut disc Noise & Romance. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Heroine is a six-minute noise-rock anthem recorded in an intense 24-hour studio session with producer Jens Ramon. “It’s about addiction in the way of being addicted to a woman — seeing her as a heroine totally blind to her flaws and errors,” lead singer Mathias Bertelsen explains.” Love is the drug they’re thinking of above.
2 | Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy isn’t the only one readying a solo album. Percussionist Glenn Kotche is also banging the drum for his latest disc Sticks, Skins, Metal and Stone, a compilation of his compositions performed by NYU’s Percussion Ensemble. It comes out Friday, but the intricate instrumental Wild Sound Part 4 is online now. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sticks are the most basic tools of the percussionist,” says Kotche. “They are used for striking but are also shaped and arranged into tonal bars giving the percussion family rich melodic and harmonic components. Skins are what make drums drums. Metal in it’s varied forms — both tuned and untuned — provide a world of percussion color. And stone — the most basic of materials — struck together or shaped into pitched bars creating the most primordial, yet intriguing percussion sounds. These four elements are the catalyst for the music contained in this record.” Bang on:
3 | Ryley Walker is digging deeper. The Illinois singer-songwriter has already shared his inspired take on Dave Matthews‘ Busted Stuff from his upcoming covers album The Lillywhite Sessions, out Nov. 16. Now he doubles down with a second cut: A noisy, cyclonic version of Diggin’ a Ditch. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “With Walker, Diggin’ a Ditch becomes a power trio wallop à la Dinosaur Jr, shaking off that existential malaise like twenty-something pals writing rock songs in the garage. This record is for anyone that’s interested in the possibility of unapologetic honesty, of reckoning fully with who you were and are while on the pathway to whatever you may become.” Dig it:
4 | Winter is coming. But it’s not too late to pay a visit to the Beach House. The Baltimore dream-popsters have just dropped the space-rocky howler Alien — an outtake from their latest album 7 — and an out-of-this-world animated video to go with. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Alien is an outtake from the 7 sessions that was originally released as a B-side for a limited-edition, tour-only 7”. It is produced by the band, Sonic Boom, and Jason Quever.” Last one in is a rotten egg:
5 | It isn’t even Halloween yet, but Texas psychedelic soul trio Khruangbin are already in the holiday spirit. And working for Peanuts — by presenting a laid-back rendering of Vince Guaraldi‘s Charlie Brown classic Christmas Time is Here. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Growing up the three of us all had very different Christmases,” says bassist Laura Lee. “But we recently discovered we all had the exact same favourite Christmas song. When we realized it, we sat down to play it and it came together instantly. In 15 minutes we had this recorded. It was like the best Christmas present ever.” That’s a wrap:
