The Devil, Me, and the Notwist

For a few years now I’ve been wondering what German ambient-indie band The Notwist have been up to. They used to have the world’s most confusing website, a secretive map that left me feeling like I was trying to solve the Cold War with hover-and-click technology. I always failed.

Now their site has been updated to screen a new video of them in the studio — and there’s a new song to go along with it! A mixmaster friend first introduced me to the far-ranging sounds of the Notwist with a tune of hip-shaking easygoing electronica from 2002′s Neon Golden. It sounds as if their new album (The Devil, You + Me) may be moving towards a more direct melodic sound in the way they approach, with a touch less ephemeral ambience. It’s good stuff.

Frontman Markus Acher (one of two brothers in the band) repeats here over a slowly building crest; “Let’s just imitate the real until we find a better one — remember the good lies win.”

Good Lies – The Notwist

And two tracks I really like from Neon Golden:

Consequence – The Notwist
One With The Freaks – The Notwist

Look for their new release in June on Domino Records if you’re in the States. European folks get it sooner (City Slang in Europe in late May) and a bunch of European tour dates as well.

New Old 97s :: “Dance With Me”

Like a spontaneous tango across the floorboards of some dusty Texas bar, this new tune from the Old 97s combines fuzzy electric twang with a definite latin flare. I don’t know how to tango, but this song makes me feel like maybe I could figure it out — if Rhett leads, I’ll follow.

The first new album in four years from the Old 97s is due May 13th on New West Records, and will be called Blame It On Gravity.

Dance With Me – Old 97s

She & Him are very . . . nice

One of my most anticipated shows at Noise Pop this weekend in San Francisco was the M. Ward collaboration with velvet-voiced actress Zooey Deschanel called She & Him. I could hardly overstate the level of love I have for M. Ward’s richly layered music, and Zooey has this fantastic retro-throwback vibe with a sweet coyness to her inflection. The samples I’ve heard from two of them have been promising.

And, let’s face it — much like the time I saw Russell Crowe’s band at the Fillmore (that’s Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts for those of you keeping track at home), everyone likes to go see a real live attractive movie star play with their band. It’s why folks spend $40 to see Dogstar.

After three opening acts at the Great American Music Hall Sunday night, Matt and Zooey took the stage for their hour-long set. I gotta hand it to Zooey, she is a charming and capable performer who reminded my friend of June Carter Cash a bit, I suppose in her vocal swing. I’d never seen M Ward before but he clearly enjoys those sounds he coaxes from his vintage guitars, and sings his vocal parts with the gusto and expressions of an 80-year-old bluesman. It’s fun to see them interact with each other, ending their main set on the piano bench playing the ivories side by side.

But somehow the visceral kick that I like to feel in a live show was missing last night. The overwhelming reaction I had when I walked out the doors was that it was nice, absolutely, and charming. It felt like a very engaging county fair act. They have a lot of potential as a duo, as their voices meld so well and offer each other a counterbalance. I’ve got the album at the very top of the stack of advances to take a listen to — I am anticipating that I’ll catch some layers of interest and depth in the studio album that I must have missed in the live setting.

The bloggers were out in force for this show, and as we all travel home, Aquarium Drunkard posted up a quick thought saying that the show was fantastico. The line around the block made this one of the hardest shows of the fest to get into, but I left feeling like I’d missed something in what was supposed to be the kind of glorious winner in the cool-kid olympics show of the year. It was fun. And nice.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here – She & Him

Volume One is out on Merge Records March 18. Thanks to the dude with the iPhone in front of me who shared his clandestine pics.

There is so much more to love than black and white :: Amos Lee on KCRW

I’m sitting in a hotel business center in San Francisco paying 49 cents a minute to hop online real quick using what sounds like dial-up. Awesome. The Noise Pop Festival and related blogger-nerd activities have been an absolute hit this weekend. There’s been great energy in the crowds, some surprising new talent, an even waffles for free. Yes, free waffles at the Noise Pop Expo. Pretty sure it doesn’t get much better than that.

While I process through some of the new music I’ve seen, here’s what San Francisco makes me feel like singing. The newest live set added to my iPod is from Amos Lee, and it’s one that I’ve been looking for on and off for over 2 years now. Every now and again I would half-heartedly click around on some sketchy torrent site looking for it, find questionable Romanian links, and eventually chicken out and not end up downloading anything. But I wholeheartedly and completely adore the gorgeous honesty in his voice and the stark, soulful way that it shines in a live setting, so when I finally found his set archived on the KCRW site I decided to take matters into my own mp3-ripping hands.

Amos Lee first popped on my radar in May of 2005 while I was travelling to Seattle for a conference. I went right out and bought his self-titled first album (out on Blue Note) and have fiercely loved it since. He’s almost exactly my age, maybe one year older, and used to be a schoolteacher in Philadelphia for a time before he struck out with his musical career. For a relative newcomer, he’s had some pretty impressive gigs opening for the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, and John Prine. Incidentally, he does a beautifully sad cover of Prine’s “Speed Of The Sound of Loneliness” that I truly love.

So it’s been me and Amos’ music for the travelling portion of this trip to the gorgeous city of San Francisco. Something in his songs makes it perfect for walking around some fresh downtown somewhere, or sitting just looking over the city.

AMOS LEE
LIVE ON KCRW, 3/25/05
Seen It All Before
Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight (watch him do this at Abbey Road)
Bottom Of The Barrel
Give It Up
Dreamin’
Colors
Supply and Demand
Arms of a Woman

ZIP: AMOS LEE ON KCRW

If you want to hear the interview portion, you can stream the whole show here. There was also a very interesting article about him and his 2006 sophomore album Supply and Demand in the NY Times.