New Sounds: Lianna La Havas

Quickly rising in prominence in the UK behind a stellar Jools Holland appearance, 22 year old Londoner Lianne La Havas will travel stateside in 2012 to tour with Bon Iver behind the release of her 'Lost and Found' EP which came out 11/22. With sultry, smooth, and crystal clear vocals, it will be very interesting to watch Havas' path to success in the coming months. Very talented new artist.



Lianne La Havas - No Room For Doubt by PluggedIn

New Kathleen Edwards: "Wapsuk"

[mp3] Kathleen Edwards: "Wapsuk"

We’ve been waiting, for what seems like forever for new music from Kathleen Edwards. We’d heard rumors of a relationship with Justin Vernon from various internet sources over the past months, and yesterday we got our first listen to “Wapsuk” recorded with and produced by Mr. Vernon. Blogs like Pitchfork and Stereogum lit up with the news that Bon Iver had just done something with some Canadian “folkie” named Kathleen Edwards. We’re certainly happy about the attention Edwards is getting for the new track, but it’s always weird having outlets who would have never touched her in the past all jumping on board because Justin Vernon did something new.

Edwards is a wonderful artist in her own right – with three albums to her credit. Our favorite remains Back to Me, with its soft melancholy laments intertwined with barroom brawlers equipped with lyrics that belong in the cannon of pro-female greats like Wanda, Kitty and Loretta.

Rounder is releasing Edwards’ new record Voyageur on January 17th and she’s releasing the above “Wapsuk” as part of a 7” with album track “Change the Sheets” on 9/27. "Wapsuk" was written for the "National Parks Project, a Canadian creative collaboration celebrating the centennial of the establishment of our National Parks." Haven’t heard “Change the Sheets” yet, but “Wapsuk” is a little forgettable unfortunately. We’re hoping Bon doesn’t meddle with the formula too much, as his recent music doesn’t necessarily drip with excitement. Great to have Ms. Edwards back, and from what we’ve heard from inside sources we trust, Voyageur will be one of the best early releases of 2012.

THX SVB

Stark's Bits of Whatever and a Note

Here are little bits of whatever that survived the inbox purge of SXSW blasts, no-name remixers and other sub-par music submissions. For as those close to the Stark camp know,  things just picked up vocationally as well as extracurricularly. As such, our posting has been limited and for that we apologize. For now, we will give you what we can, and hopefully start making a few knots when the winds shift.

Little bits of whatever (week of 03/8):

• Megafaun + Tallest Man = cover of Bon Iver's "Creature Fear" shown above. I don't have enough time to call out Bon here, so I'll leave that for my black list post when it comes to fruition.
• Neon Indian drops his newest single "Sleep Paralyist"  co-produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor on Green Label Sound's website.
• Echo & The Bunnymen kick off a string of US dates including a 5/1 date in NYC at Irving Plaza and also release a new single, "Porxy".
• Our good friends, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons announced their SXSW showcases w/ Pretty Good Dance moves and actually got Stark to read something tagged "SXSW"
• Billboard.com releases the second piece of SXSW mail we open -- their "20 Artists to Watch for at SXSW" list and it's embarrassing. She & Him is on there. Enough said. BLACK LIST!
• That's all for now.

Recordings of the Middle East

[mp3] The Middle East: "Blood"
[mp3] The Middle East: "The Darkest Side"

Australian bands burn fast and bright. Let's hope The Middle East stick around for awhile. Their EP Recordings of The Middle East has been around since 2008, and we were first introduced to it by a friend almost a year ago. It's a haunting little gem of a record that exists in a realm somewhere between The Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver and even channels Arcade Fire-style vocal harmonies at times. The EP has found new life in 2010 and comes with fresh (and more compelling) cover art. Here's to hoping this band can gain enough traction in the US to warrant some more touring, and the eventual release of a full record. They've opened for the like-minded Grizzly Bear and Cat Power in Australia and will be playing Coachella in the states. The video for their most compelling track "Blood" is after the jump.

I am Done with Today, a List of Reasons Why

Things I am sick of reading about as of today:

-The Passion Pit and Phoenix show: Yes. They are good bands and they played a live show. Get over it. Go listen to the records again or pin up the merch you bought from the gig and revel in it. We are done listening. Sometimes all reviews are created equal.

-The Black Lips vs. Wavves fight: They are skater punks fighting each other -- they just so happen to be in mildly successful bands. This shit happens everyday.

-Anything Bon Iver does, ever.

-Monsters of Folk: It's freaking M.Ward, Yim Yames, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis? What did you expect? Toxic? Come on people.

-Where the Wild Things Are: The movie isn't even out yet. You can only watch the trailer so many times. Take it easy. We understand you love Karen O -- go listen to the new YYY album then.

-The Beatles Remasters - Do you have $300 to lend me? No? Ok then.

-Tuesday Night Champagne at Superdive: Only because it is Monday night.

-The decade: When it's over, then I'll think about it. That's not to say I won't be submitting a 'best of '09' list though.

Belated Glastonbury Reporting From a Real Live English Person!

Photo: WENN.com via

[mp3] Fleet Foxes: "Blue Spotted Tail" (Live on BBC 6)

We got a great email a few days ago from a good friend of Stark, Anna Watkins, summing up her Glastonbury experience. We decided to share it with you all this morning.

"Bonjour, I am back from Glastonbury with mud on my wellies, sunburn on my face and a smile in my stomach. If ever ever you do come to England then time it for the last weekend in June and hotfoot it to a dairy farm in Somerset for a weekend of joy. Saw some ace music but the bad thing (which is actually a pretty good thing) was that there was just so much going on that I couldn't see everyone I wanted. But here are my highlights:


Friday morning it was raining and we were all freaking out that this was going to be another wash-out Glastonbury, but at about 4pm the sun came out and so did the Fleet Foxes harmonies. Just beautiful. The sun stayed out pretty much the rest of the weekend as well which was brill. Neil Young on the main stage Friday night... I wasn't getting my hopes up but Oh My Good Lord he absolutely rocked it! Guitar solos aplenty, he smashed his guitar up at the end but not before "Needle and the Damage Done", "Heart of Gold", "Down By the River", "Rockin' in the Free World" (with about 5 false endings) "My My, Hey Hey"... He showed some of the young whippersnappers we'd seen earlier what it was to be a true rocker. So many instruments, such a voice, so talented.

Saturday began with Dizzee Rascal who was a lot of fun and then we climbed the hill behind the main stage to watch Crosby Stills and Nash play an uber-chilled late afternoon set. Kasabian were a bit too agro after that so we headed to a smaller dance tent to watch Deadmau5 DJ (he wears an oversized robotic mouse hat the whole time which is great.) Then we made the controversial decision to sack off The Boss and go and watch Bon Iver instead. He was playing twice but this was going to be the winner - a really small intimate stage, hardcore fans, night falling - and we didn't regret it for a second. His voice transported us, people cried real tears, and for a finale he lead us in a exulted singalong of "Wolves."

The rest of Saturday night gets a bit blurry but I definitely watched the sun rise in the stone circle. Needless to say Sunday was a slow starter... I started with the Yeah Yeah Yeah's at around 5pm and Karen O won my heterosexual heart. They were amazing and if ever I needed a pick me up, they were it. I'm ashamed to admit that I forfeited Bat for Lashes to fill my empty stomach with mac and cheese but we returned to see Bon Iver play his second set (and although still amazing, it confirmed that we'd made the right decision the night before - the atmosphere then was just unmatched.) By 10pm, exhausted but happy we managed to drag ourselves back to the main stage for Blur. I don't know if you guys ever listened much to Blur but they and Oasis were basically the soundtrack to an English 90s childhood. They split up about 6 years ago and this was the first time they'd played since. Wow, what a comeback, they played a greatest hits set that reminded us just how many great hits they had. I was on my friend's shoulders for "Tender" and "Song Two" and I just saw this sea of people. We sang along to every word for 2 hours. It was a pretty perfect ending to a pretty perfect weekend.

Wow, I didn't mean to go on such a ramble. If you managed to read all that well done you! I think I just had to get it off my chest, it was seriously amazing.

-Stark Guest Reviewer Anna Watkins

Collection of Colonies of Bees + Bon Iver = Volcano Choir

[mp3] Bon Iver "Blood Bank"

Monikers aside, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) joins forces with Jon Mueller, Chris Rosenau, Jim Schoenecker, Daniel Spack and Thomas Wincek (Collection of Colonies of Bees)* to create the uber-Wisconsin musical collective Volcano Choir. The end result of this collaboration, a debut album titled, Unmap, which releases via Jagjaguwar on Sept. 22 (US) and Sept. 21 (UK)

See the tracklist after the jump.
*Shout out to Stark Contributor Mike Bailey


Unmap:
1. Husks and Shells
2. Seeplymouth
3. Island, IS
4. Dote
5. And Gather
6. Mbira in the Morass
7. Cool Knowledge
8. Still
9. Youlogy

Sarah Siskind @ The Living Room, 4/27

(Not the Living Room)

Ok, so it's sort of a good news, kind of bad news deal with Sarah Siskind. We'll start with the good news. It's pretty good. Sarah Siskind has the talent to be a damn star. Her voice is huge, like - American Idol huge. It more than filled the tiny Living Room space, and one can easily see it carrying through large halls and theaters. When within her range, Siskind can easily out-sing any of her contemporaries, including one Mr. Justin Vernon who has more than aided Siskind in her recent ascent. Siskind's songwriting talents have been recognized by Allison Krauss who has recorded two Siskind-penned songs. If I were an A&R rep, I would sign Sarah Siskind as fast as I could. She has that raw, natural ability rarely found these days, especially in the singer-songwriter genre. Alone with her guitar on stage, I was fairly blown away. That brings me to my next point.

Read more after the jump...



For some reason, Siskind's captivating performance abilities did not translate well to her new record Say It Louder, which is being released on her own label in conjunction with Nashville's Thirty Tigers. While a fine album, featuring great musicians and producer Jason Lehning (Lyle Lovett, Guster, Nickel Creek), it could be much better, based upon Siskind's live performance. It seems a heavily polished affair, which strikes me as unnecessary given the strength of Siskind's songwriting and vocal abilities. Just give her a guitar, and let her sing. The cover art seems a bizarre choice, and does little to reflect Siskind's honest, humble and lovely personality.

The album and the performance at times seemed stuck between several genres; there were touches of main-stream country, Appalachian ballads, standard folk, and a less-than-stellar soul-piano ballad. The pop/country blend does succeed at times though, such as on "Lovin's For Fools," Bon Iver's choice cover. See video. With more development and the right producer, Sarah Siskind is capable of making a fantastic record and truly breaking into the mainstream. Say It Louder is a step in the right direction and her live performance makes Sarah Siskind an artist not to be missed in person -- she's capable of big things.

Sarah Siskind, Frisell and Bon Iver

As much as we hate to post on top of Andrew's sick photo spread, we wanted to share this video of Sarah Siskind, Bill Frisell and Justin Vernon performing Siskind's song "Lovin's For Fools." We've really loved this song since watching Bon close with it at Town Hall this winter. Sure it's kinda singer/songwritery in that TV licensing sort of way, but then again so is Bon Iver... We're just trying to say, a good song is a good song regardless of genre. Siskind's new album Say It Louder is out now, and she will be playing at the Living Room in NY on Monday the 27th. Our next post is probably going to be on Mastodon or something like that.

Phish Fans Are Stoked, Rest Of The World Is Like, "Whatever"

Well, it's been the worst kept secret in the music world for several months, but America's favorite reunited hippies (read: Phish) are headlining two nights of the eighth annual Bonnaroo festival. (Which, you know, is completely neccessary.) The Boss is joining them, hoping to emulate his crotch-tastic Superbowl performance from Sunday, as are the Beasties, David Byrne, Wilco, Nine Inch Nails, Al Green, SNOOP DOGG, Elvis Costello, Animal Collective, MGMT, Bon Iver and a billion others. You have to give the organizers credit: minus the whole Phish thing, the lineup looks pretty okay. 

We'll be trying our hardest to make it down to Manchester this year, after last year's soiree left us awed and hung over. Tickets go on sale exclusively through the festival's official Web site on Saturday (2/7) at noon. Check out a video of the announcement featuring something called "stratostencil animation" (whatever that is) after the jump. Not as good as Lewis Black, unfortunately.  

Officially Calling Bullshit

So, not everyone at Stark always agrees on things. That's the beauty of this little site. Andrew hates Animal Collective, but others here including me, really love them. Our newest reviewer Deanna McLafferty recently wrote a mixed, but fairly glowing review of the new Bon Iver EP Blood Bank. Well folks, I'm officially calling bullshit on this EP. Here's why. The other day I saw it priced in Virgin Meagastore for $13.99. WTF. I mean, really?? It's FOUR songs. $3.96 on iTunes. Ok, this is probably more of a label thing than a Mr. Vernon thing. But the music. You have "Blood Bank" which is a fairly good tune. A B+ in my book. It could be on For Emma, but it would be mediocre at best there. The rest of the EP consists of 3 forgettable, toss-away tracks, including one devastating trip through hell courtesy of the bain of '08, the Auto-Tune machine. There is no reason except for money, that this EP should have come out. It pales in comparison to the worst tracks on For Emma. I could go on here, but I'm not. Justin Vernon is a talented fellow, and I know he is certainly better than this EP. At least I hope so.

Love,
Matt

Short Takes: Andrew Bird & Bon Iver

We'd like to welcome our brand new reviewer, Deanna McLafferty, to the Stark family! While she is from New Jersey, we'll let that slide... because the gal can write. What better way to introduce her than to have her write a few words about two of this month's most buzzed-about releases in the return of our Short Takes feature?

Andrew Bird: Noble Beast 

In stores tomorrow via Fat Possum

Possibly due to my complete lack of ability in the whistling department, Andrew Bird's own whistling skills are always what impress me most on his albums. Not that there is any shortage of talent to be impressed by on his newest solo effort, Noble Beast. In particular, Bird's violin skills are more prominently displayed this time around, notably on the beautiful but melancholy "Effigy," which seems to document Bird's solitude.

His trademark wordplay is also present throughout. Toward the end of the album, "Anonanimal" begins, "I see a sea anemone/ the enemy/ see a sea anemone/ and that'll be the end of me." Say that ten times fast. While 2007's Armchair Apocrypha saw Bird harness his many abilities, Noble Beast sees him playfully lay them out for all to enjoy. The songs are often less immediate, but they are given more room to breathe and are better for it.

Bon Iver: Blood Bank E.P.

In stores now via Jagjaguwar

Forget about the groundhog. Justin Vernon just delivered many more weeks of winter with Blood Bank, the follow up EP to his startling debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. The first two tracks would have fit in seamlessly with Emma's material. Both are gorgeous, melodic representations of loneliness and nostalgia. The last two songs, however, are more experimental for Vernon. "Babys" begins with a relentless keyboard riff, and "Woods" is as sad and Auto-Tune friendly as 808's & Heartbreak. Although an interesting departure, the effect serves to emotionally detach the listener. Hiccups and all, Blood Bank reminds us why we fell in love with Vernon's work in the first place.

- Deanna McLafferty

New Bon Iver mp3 "Blood Bank"

Photo Credit: Karp

Bon Iver "Blood Bank" mp3

We wrote about Bon Iver's upcoming Blood Bank EP awhile back. Some have been calling it his victory lap EP - but honestly, doesn't he deserve one? We caught him with Vince's #1 artist of the year Tallest Man, several weeks ago at Town Hall, and it was good - not great. MHOW was MUCH better. Here is the title track from the EP, enjoy. Blood Bank comes out Jan. 20 on Jagjaguwar. Tour dates for our Aussie readers after the jump. Don't laugh, we actually have a lot.

SONG LIST:
Blood Bank
Beach Baby
Babys
Woods

Australians can catch BON IVER live later this month:
01/15/09 Perth, Australia - Fly By Night
01/17/09 Brisbane, Australia - The Tivoli
01/18/09 Melbourne, Australia - The Hi-Fi
01/19/09 Melbourne, Australia - Forum Theatre
01/20/09 Sydney, Australia - The Famous Spiegeltent
01/21/09 Angel Place, Australia - City Recital Hall
01/22/09 Sydney, Australia - The Famous Spiegeltent
01/23/09 Sydney, Australia - The Famous Spiegeltent
01/24/09 Angel Place, Australia - City Recital Hall

New York Times Weighs in on The Tallest Man on Earth

Photo Credit Chris La Putt

We caught the Tallest Man for the second time this week last night opening for Bon Iver. To go along with the kudos the Tallest Man's record has already received from Pitchfork and Paste, the New York Times ran a fantastic review of his Mercury Lounge show (12/9) in today's paper. While reviews of his stage show have spanned from "captivating" to "a total ham" no one is doubting his songwriting, guitar playing, and the quality of his product. What we have here is clearly someone new on the market inciting debate and demanding attention. It just so happens we here at Stark really love his tunes.

Unlike most acoustic-guitar slingers, the Tallest Man on Earth performed in constant motion, staying at the microphone only when he had verses to sing. In between, as his fingers rippled through his guitar patterns, he prowled back and forth like a panther pacing its cage, glaring at audience members near the stage. But his songs aren’t confrontational. They’re full of restless journeys and existential longings, with a few hints of romance. Alone and fully self-sufficient with his guitar, he sometimes admits he’d like company. NYT

Preview This: Tallest Man & Bon Iver, NY Shows

This evening, Swedish troubadour Kristian Matsson, best known as the Tallest Man on Earth, will perform at the Mercury Lounge. Coming off an extremely successful 2008 fueled by his debut album, Shallow Grave (ahem, record of the year? anyone?) the Tallest Man scored the opener for Bon Iver's latest tour -- his record, For Emma, Forever Ago has already graced a few Best Of lists and surely a few more to come (cough.)

Bon Iver is playing two nights at Town Hall -- Dec. 10 & 11 (Tallest Man opening of course.) The two then move to MHOW for a show on Dec. 12.

This, unfortunately, is just a reminder. You will be hard pressed to find tickets this late in the game. But, hey, maybe you have the double secret, super-sick, guest list inhabiting, industry hook up. If so, see you there.

*All shows listed have an 8:00 pm start time.
** Quick addendum Marissa Nadler plays with Tallest Man tonight at the Mercury as well. Needless to say we are SUPER excited for this bill.

Bon Iver to Release "Blood Bank" EP Jan 20

It's seems like Justin Vernon has been everywhere of late, selling out venues in NY and promoting his previous LP, For Emma Forever Ago. Yet, here he comes again with the release of a new EP titled, Blood Bank that drops on 12" and CD Jan. 20 in the US and the 19th in the UK. We heard the title track at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and it's clear that Mr. Vernon is taking his project to a larger, more band-focused direction. It almost seemed Wilcoesque to us, but of course still featuring Vernon's unmistakable falsetto.
Bon Iver will also play Letterman Dec. 11th.

More details below from his label Jagjaguwar...

The new EP will be for sale in vinyl form at Bon Iver's upcoming UK and US tours in December. Those who purchase the 12" will be able to activate the digital download coupon on the January release date.

From the title track's remembrance of the winter warmth we seek, to the summer love tribute of b-side gem "Babys", Bon Iver's snow-blanketed harmonies live across the seasons. Still, there is a reverence for sabbatical, solitude and the winding down of time. As much as "For Emma, Forever Ago" is about the cold, the Blood Bank collection is about the warmth that gets you through it.

See two live videos featuring tracks from the EP after the jump

"Blood Bank"


"Babys"

Bon Iver Announces 3rd NYC Date @ MHOW

Bon Iver continues his 2007-08 rise to fame and announces a 3rd New York City date to complement his two sold out shows at Town Hall. The show we caught at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was arguably the best show we caught all year. We guess his record For Emma Forever Ago officially came out this year, so it qualifies for our year end list - although it feels like we've been listening to the record for years. Opening all US shows is Stark favorite and Sweden's own Tallest Man on Earth. Definitely get there early to catch him, it's well worth it. Glad to see Tallest man and Bon Iver getting the love the both deserve. Tickets go on sale WEDNESDAY at NOON.

Bon Iver - 2008 Tour Dates
12/03/08 Dublin, Ireland - Dublin National Stadium
12/05/08 Rennes, France - Trans Musicales Festival w/ Sister, Sammy Decoster
12/06/08 Ghent, Belgium - Gent Vooruit w/ Land of Talk
12/07/08 London, UK - Apollo Victoria Theatre
12/10/08 New York, NY - Town Hall *
12/11/08 New York, NY - Town Hall *
12/12/08 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
12/14/08 Boston, MA - The Wilbur Theatre *
12/15/08 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero *
12/17/08 Louisville, KY - Headliners *
12/18/08 Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre *
12/19/08 Madison, WI - The Barrymore Theatre *
12/22/08 Eau Claire, WI - State Theatre

* w/ The Tallest Man on Earth

Photo Credit: Play Vicious

Bon Iver Sings New Okkervill Tune

As reported by Stereogum:

I came across this gem in a late night web scan while dodging the debauchery that has become Tuesday nights in most cities. Here Justin Vernon sits alone, seeming relaxed and collected covering "Blue Tulip" off Okkervill River's to-be-released album The Stand Ins. Peaceful tranquility embeded in an embeded YouTube video. I predict a few guest appearances at shows by memebers of both bands.

Start Your Day Tripping w/ Bradford Cox

Pitchfork TV posts the exclusive Bradford Cox behind the scenes look at this year's Pitchfork music festival -- for those without the means to make it to said festival (cough Stark), Cox does well to transport viewers back in time, and back stage. Enjoy Pitchfork TV's whimsical camera work as they pan the chests of HEALTH band members revealing their homemade T-shirts. Also take note of the multitude of hoarse voices surrounding the Khan camp, tour manager Kristen Klein included. I recently read that Fleet Foxes plans to adopt the new Khan-established moniker of the "Fleet Somethings..." You're better than that Khan. Watch Dean Spunt of No Age's face as Cox provides a warm embrace asking about the new Batman movie -- so awkward. Bon Iver also makes an appearance here. Just enjoy the craziness of it all -- this is just part one. Check out part 2 and 3 on Pitchfork as well.