Drums Between the Bells, vinyl edition artwork

Brian Eno’s 40-year career has seen him push the bounds of art rock, innovate ambient and redefine the sounds we hear every day.

His last album, 2010’s Small Craft on a Milk Sea, is still sinking in, but Eno’s wasting no time in sending out blasts of experimental, boundary-pushing music. Drums Between the Bells, due for release July 4, promises to evoke that same imaginative young man that literally shifted musical paradigms.

It’s a dazzling combination of music and poetry — a marriage that so often turns over-wrought and uninspired, but Eno and the poet behind the work, Rick Holland, dart around the obstacles with such ease — it’s clear that this is the work of two artists who know their way around their respective craft.

Brian Eno – bless this space (taken from Drums Between The Bells) by Warp Records

Drums Between the Bells, Physical Editions

The three released tracks, “Glitch”, “Pour it Out” and “Bless This Space” are not just full of the electronic work Eno’s mastered — they’re boiling over with it, and the only thing keeping these from spilling into chaos is the poetry. The music’s familiar in a way, but there’s an exuberance in the instrumentals that feels more akin to Here Come the Warm Jets than anything he’s done since.

Brian Eno – pour it out (taken from Drums Between The Bells) by Warp Records

Drums Between the Bells will be released July 4 on Warp Records and is available for preorder from Brian Eno’s online store in the UK and Bleep in the US. It’s being released as a 2-CD hardback edition and as a double LP 12” vinyl.

Read more about Drums Between the Bells on Brian Eno’s site.

Brian Eno – glitch (taken from Drums Between The Bells) by Warp Records

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departed

My love for The Rural Alberta Advantage is not really a secret. Their full-length, Hometowns, held a very special place in my record player, and it was easily one of my most-listened albums of 2009, when it was reissued. When Departed was announced, I became, well, a little giddy. I don’t think this should come as too much of a surprise — I get giddy at the merest mention of new things from bands I enjoy, and when it’s a band I have an unabashed affection toward, make no mistakes: I’m like a little school girl. Well, I mean, I’m like a little school girl in some respects, not all.

At any rate, I snagged an e-mail this morning from Paper Bag Records advertising a track from the upcoming Departed, which is due out March 1. I jumped from the couch I’d fallen asleep on, grabbed my laptop, and the listening took off.

The track is “Stamp,” and it takes The Rural Alberta Advantage forward on the same path they’d been forging with their excellent 2008-2009 outing. “Stamp” is brash effort in the vein you’d expect from the group, but there’s something fresh here. There’s an apparent cynicism that belies the innocence of Hometowns; the tone is brazenly sardonic. Instrumentally, this is essentially par for the course, though there are some new elements that really help the track succeed. We’ve still got the little bits of silence you’ve come to expect,

Snag the track on Paper Bag Records or via Saddle Creek Records above.

Tour dates

December 15 – Hamilton, ON – The Casbah
December 16 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
December 17 – Montreal, PQ – Il Motore
December 18 – Ottawa, ON – Ritual Nightclub
January 12  – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge (sold out)
March 9 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Cafe
March 10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
March 11 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
March 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
March 13 – Washington, DC – Rock ‘n Roll Hotel
March 14 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
March 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
March 17-19 – Austin, TX TBA SXSW
March 20 – Dallas, TX The Loft
March 22 – Ames, IA – Maintenance Shop at Iowa State University
March 23 – Milwaukee, WI – Mad Planet
March 24 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
March 25 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
March 26 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

The Seven Fields of Aphelion — Periphery

One of my favorite record labels, Graveface Records, went through a bit of a tragedy earlier in the year when parts of their catalog were damaged in a flood. This left some very good records unavailable — three of them: The Appleseed Cast’s Two Conversations, The Seven Fields of Aphelion’s Periphery, and Dreamend’s Maybe We’re Making God Sad and Lonely.

With some great help, Graveface is now able to relaunch the records, and they’re now taking preorders. Get them while you can. I can’t recommend any of them enough.

The Seven Fields of Aphelion – “Mountain Mary” from Periphery | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/mountain_mary.mp3|titles=The Seven Fields of Aphelion – “Mountain Mary”]

· Check out the Graveface store

Courtesy of The Decemberists

The Decemberists — you know, that band that has everybody all atwitter every time they announce something — have announced something. Their upcoming album The King is Dead is set to be released Jan. 18, 2011 on Capitol Records.

According to a press release, the album will also feature singer-songwriter Gillian Welch and REM’s Peter Buck.

They’ll be visiting with Conan O’Brien on Nov. 18, during which time they will be offering the first performance of the first single from the record, “Down by the Water.”

For the track list, read on.

1. Don’t Carry It All
2. Calamity Song
3. Rise to Me
4. Rox in the Box
5. January Hymn
6. Down by the Water
7. All Arise!
8. June Hymn
9. This is Why We Fight
10. Dear Avery

T.J. from Revolver Records from MusicGeek.org on Vimeo.

T.J. Jordan has a bold goal: to run the last record store in existence. When T.J. Jordan opened Revolver Records on Sept. 1, 2007, most people would have written it off as a pipe dream destined for failure. Two years later, Jordan and his staff are thriving at the Phoenix-based record store.

The store’s success, Jordan said, is down to one thing: It’s appealing to music lovers in search of something new.

“The people who come into record stores are coming in because they want something unique,” he said. “They’re not coming into to buy the latest Lil Wayne record. The only way record stores are going to stay in business is by appealing to the people who actually want to buy records.”

That appeal, Jordan said, is vital to the longevity of every record store; the traditional business model of the record store won’t keep them around, but providing excitement to music lovers will.

“If you go throughout the country, you’re going to see that the ones that are successful are the ones that have found a way to appeal to niche buyers and keep their store exciting,” he said. “I loved those record stores back in the ’90s, but I want to be the guy that owns the last record store. That’s my goal. I want to keep this in business as long as possible. What we try to do here is find ways we can stay in business, have a cushy job, and not have to work real jobs.”

Record stores are an invaluable asset in musical development, Jordan said. While the exit of many from the scene can be blamed on the faulty business model, much is lost when record stores shut their doors for good.

“If you listen to interviews with Paul McCartney or Brian Wilson, they always talk about the record stores they went into and discovered music,” he said. “Record stores are really important in musical development, and I hope it continues. I don’t like seeing record stores going out of business.”

Where Phoenix record stores like long-time city favorites Circles Records & Tapes — mere blocks away from Revolver — is closing its doors after 38 years of business, Revolver Records is busy carving out a niche for themselves. It’s not just Circles, but a business model that’s disappearing.

“The main reason is because they operate on a business model that worked for 1990, but it doesn’t work for 2010,” he said. “I don’t see that business model working now that you can download individual songs on iTunes. The ones that are dying are the ones that had a corporate mentality, and the ones that are thriving are appealing to music buyers again.”

Revolver’s niche, the same one to which other independent record stores across the country are looking, is why two-thirds of Jordan’s sales come from purchases of vinyl records.

As stores that sold vinyl in their heyday but have since moved exclusively to the CD sputter and collapse, Revolver Records represents a new breed of store: one that embraces the “long dead” format — and embraces their customer base along the way. Despite their love for vinyl, Jordan doesn’t think his customer base is simply antiquated.

“I think it would be foolish to say that most of our customers don’t have an iPod; I think they do,” he said. “I think the reason why people buy records is because it’s so unique, and it’s valuable.”

While the CD may have been easy to listen to, and the MP3 even easier to digest, there’s still an appeal to listening to vinyl, Jordan said.

“There’s a bit of effort involved in records,” Jordan said. “It’s tough to experience a record in tracks, you really experience it as a whole. For me, it’s a whole different experience, and I think that our customers come in for that.”

Austin Joseph performs at V-Tunes 2009

V-Tunes Music Festival, which takes place outside Lake Powell in Big Water, Utah, will be returning for its third year running. Returning to the festival will be Cory Mon & the Starlight Gospel, who will be headlining the event, while Pat and Rosy Maloney, Steven Swift, Austin Joseph, and Easy Joseph will each return for the 2010 iteration of the festival. The one-day event will hit on June 5.

Announced Lineup

Cory Mon & the Starlight Gospel

Pat & Rosy Maloney

Matt Jennings

Dave McGraw & Crow Wing

Steven Swift

Easy Joseph

Sandy Stevens

Lindi & Company

Austin Joseph

In a week, March 24, Australian rock-blues-soul-world musician Harper will feature at the store; tickets are $8 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

• Check out the Harper show on Facebook

Sister-duo Beliss, who performed in Cedar City during the 2009 southwest tour, will return on March 25. From Portland, Belinda and Melissa Underwood perform an eclectic blend of musical styles and aren’t to be missed. Tickets are available at the door, which opens at 7:30 p.m.

• RSVP to the Beliss show on Facebook

Upcoming Cedar City, Utah concerts

• March 20, 9pm, Worried Minds, Mike’s Tavern (21+)
• March 23, Alwin Nikolai Centennial at Heritage Theater
• March 24, 8pm, Harper at Groovacious Records
• March 25, 8pm, Beliss at Groovacious Records
• April 2, Green-Swift Duo with Bottled Monkey at Toadz
• April 9, Kris Special at Groovacious Records
• April 10, Green-Swift Duo with Kris Special at Toadz
• April 17, Thrift Store Cowboys at Mike’s Tavern

Lenny White with Stanley Clark 1976 Credit: Tom Marcello

Lenny White, best known for his work on drums in fusion jazz outfit Return to Forever, is readying his first release in ten years as band leader. Anomaly, White’s effort, comes off the back of a worldwide tour in 2008 with Return to Forever and a 2009 tour with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke — together, they make up three-quarters of the group’s 2008 tour.

“We need to restart a revolution so that we can take back the music and stop the fluff,” White said in a press release from publicity group Big Hassle. “I’m hoping that this new album is a representation of that ideal.”

White’s most recent effort includes collaboration with Pink Floyd alumnus David Gilmore and former bandmate Stanley Clarke, as well as other musicians from jazz and rock music alike.

The Five Ghosts was recorded in Montreal and features writing from all five members of the group: Amy Millan, Evan Cranley, Torquil Campbell, Patty McGee, and Chris Seligman. A U.S. tour is being planned for Summer 2010.

The Five Ghosts tracklist

• Purchase Home Acres