Sufjan Steven’s “States a gimmick”

I think deep down, we all knew this was the case… here’s Sufjan Stevens from a recent Guardian article…
“I have no qualms about admitting [the Fifty States project]
was a promotional gimmick.”
Oh well… I’ve heard some of his new stuff, and it’s delightful.  So, regardless of statehood, I’m looking forward to more Sufjan.
~Dan – np: Peter Mulvey [...]

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Music for Insomnia

I mentioned the Asthmatic Kitty Records‘ Library Catalog Music Series back here (yeah, buried amongst 8 other music stories).  Anyway, 900X’s will likely not be my only multiple-spinnable one (sidenote: I just got the 900X album on vinyl… yay!).
Coming out in December are three more in the all-instrumental series…

Lowell Brams: Music for Insomnia
Yuuki Matthews: Music for [...]

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New Sufjan Song / Swell Season Tour

I Guess I’m Floating have a new live-captured Sufjan Stevens song “There’s Too Much Love.”  Snag the free mp3 here:
Sufjan Stevens – There’s Too Much Love {external link mp3}
Or watch the video here:

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The Swell Season, comprised of Glen Hansard from The Frames and Marketa Irglova, is releasing their new album, Strict Joy, [...]

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Sufjan’s The BQE

So… I’ve heard the new CD from Sufjan Stevens, called The BQE.  (Thanks Asthmatic Kitty for the pre-release download.)  Wow. No vocals, but very much a Sufjan album, though.  The instrumentation borders on classic Sufjan instrumentals from Illinoise and Michigan (specifically the flute trills) mixed with more conservative chamber music (piano, strings, horns, tympani, et [...]

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Sufjan Stevens & Celldweller news

So, I’d have posted about this sooner (Monday), but I’m less enthused about it, as Sufjan Stevens is not making his way out of the East & Midwest… this were one of those times, I wish I lived in Cincinnati, as I’d hit 2-3 of these shows…
Oh, but wait, there’s a Portland date!!!
Damn… Portland, Maine… [...]

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Sufjan Stevens – The BQE (Oct 20th)

Well, ask and ye shall receive…
The BQE – out 10/20/2009
Sufjan Stevens‘ has a new project coming out, The BQE.  Nope, not a state… it’s a a cinematic suite inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the hula hoop.  It’s due out on October 20, 2009, and will be available as a CD/DVD combo, a double gatefold [...]

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upcoming David Bazan & a Sufjan senior project

Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan is finally releasing his full-length debut.  It’s not his first release under his own name.  He had an EP out in 2006 (Fewer Moving Parts) and has released a few iTunes EPs/singles and some 7″ vinyl releases since Pedro the Lion’s last “band” record, Achilles Heel (in 2004).  David’s album [...]

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Osso::Rabbit

So, back in 2007, I had the pleasure of seeing the just-named Osso String Quartet’s worldwide premiere of Sufjan Stevens‘ electronic album Enjoy Your Rabbit songs arranged for strings.  That show at the MusicNow Festival 2007 (full festival review) was utterly fantastic.  Since that time, the band has been busy, including being the backing band [...]

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tons of news

Nine Stories!
In this episode: The new Masada Quintet with special guest Joe Lovano, the Jenny Owen Youngs‘ video that I somehow missed, Nellie McKay’s Election musical, Fanfarlo for $1, the deaths of JazzTimes & Jeff Hanson, the resurrection of Futurama, a new Wussy video, and Asthmatic Kitty’s most excellent Library Catalog Music Series…
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The new Masada Quintet [...]

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Sufjan’s Sofia’s Song / Strong Bad Game

Unrelated…

Sufjan Stevens has posted a new essay and song, “Sofia’s Song,” to the sidebar blog on Asthmatic Kitty.  Read it HERE.  The song can be downloaded from HERE.
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And Telltale Games has just announced pre-order for the DVD of their previously download-only game Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People.  You can read more about the pre-order [...]

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Ellery, Peter Mulvey, My Brightest Diamond

A trio of new music news…

Cincinnati lush-pop/folk duo Ellery is hitting the studio soon with Malcolm Burn (http://www.malcolmburn.com). Malcolm is a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Kaki King, Rachel Yamagata, Sarah McLachlan, Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, and more.  This will be their follow-up to the fantastic [...]

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My Brightest Diamond @ Le Poisson Rouge (Dec 2008)

I’m reusing this press photo of My Brightest Diamond, because I think it’s rad…

Baeble Music recently recorded My Brightest Diamond’s entire concert at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC last year (12.13.08).  I’ve only watched the first few songs so far, but it is fantastic.  The setlist is very similar to the Eugene show that I [...]

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SC3 @ the Great American Music Hall

Well, I was proven wrong for my naysaying only a week later, the Secret Chiefs 3 have followed up on their promise, and the live DVD is officially set and ready to go.   This was posted to the Web of Mimicry store on Friday:

Live at the Great American Music Hall captures Secret Chiefs 3 in [...]

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Shark Remixes & Holy F’s Mia Remix

Last fall, Asthmatic Kitty released My Brightest Diamond’s Shark Remixes Volume 1 (by Alfred Brown).  It is a great remix EP… yet, the initial press release said something about a Vol 2 in Nov and Vol 3 in Dec.  Well, our Thanksgiving gift has now arrived…

Shark Remixes, Volume 2 is done by Son Lux.  It’s [...]

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My Brightest Diamond – Daytrotter Session

Brooklyn-based pop-stress My Brightest Diamond (aka Shara Worden) came through the Daytrotter studios for a 2nd go round.  Four songs, in-studio for FREE…
http://daytrotter.com/article/1515/my-brightest-diamond-encore-session

1) From the Top of the World 2) Inside a Boy 3) Apples 4) The Gentlest Gentleman

If you like what you hear, she’s got some great albums on Asthmatic Kitty Records.
Past Daytrotter Sessions [...]

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a new John Zorn book & more MBD

A biography John Zorn by John Brackett is available by Indiana University Press.  John Brackett is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Utah.  This is the full-length study of avant-garde American composer John Zorn.

http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=84773 (paperback)
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=84699 (hardback)
“Brackett’s groundbreaking book . . . confronts Zorn’s contradictory modes of expression that couple the aesthetics of Stravinsky, [...]

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Ty Tabor, MBD, Sufjan/Dessner/Brams

Ty Tabor, guitarist from King’s X, will have a new solo album out in early December.  Balance…

It will be streaming from his MySpace page shortly.  Also for more info on his music, be sure to check out http://www.myspace.com/tytabor.
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Asthmatic Kitty (AK) just released a new My Brightest Diamond remix album digitally.  It’s called Shark Remixes Vol [...]

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My Brightest Diamond doesn’t look down…

Well, actually she does look down…
First off, it may seem like I’m blogging like a fool the past few days… well, I apologize to fill your RSS feeder with so much blog kibble, but there’s a lot going on in the world of my favorite musics.
This blog goes specifically back to my second favorite Asthmatic [...]

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From the Top of the World

A Reminder
My Brightest Diamond’s From the Top of the World -EP- is out today on iTunes.  It’s the single for the title track plus 3 French songs.  Here’s my original post about this release with all of the INFO…

$2.97 if you only want the new songs.  But if you don’t have A Thousand Shark’s Teeth, [...]

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Even More Brightest Diamond

UPDATE (9/1/08): She’s playing 11/21 @ WOW Hall in Eugene.  Yay!
Though not listed on her tourdates page (yet), yesterday’s email from the Doug Fir Lounge (in Portland, OR) mentioned… Thursday 11/20, My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden). Yay! \ 0 / I’m still holding out hope that she’ll play The Shedd (in Eugene), as [...]

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