Polyvinyl Archive

Passage – February 2017 playlist

Passage“, our new playlist and digital collage, compiling new releases from January and February 2017.

Passage - February 2017 digital collage by GoodMorninCaptn

Passage - February 2017 digital collage by GoodMorninCaptn

Surprisingly, this edition tends to heavily eye California (Foxygen, Ty Segall, Xiu Xiu, Banana, Cherry Glazerr). Hope for a political counterweight? Or is it a mere longing for sun? The latter could be confirmed by the presence of a couple artists from Toulouse in the French South West (Aquaserge, Laure Briard) as well as PVT from Australia. To get us back to the seasonal grayness, let’s welcome a couple Mancunians (Jesca Hoop, Irma Vep), and of course a few brilliant Scandinavians (Rainbrother, Lowly, Linnea Olsson)…

Beyond this reductive geography, let’s notice the first solo adventures of singers breaking away from Ought (Tim Darcy) and The Antlers (Peter Silberman), souls to console (Jesca Hoop, Shannon Wright, Peter Silberman), retro nods (Laure Briard, Molly Burch, Tim Darcy, Foxygen), and joyful or hypnotic loops to fly away (Banana, Aquaserge, Rainbrother, Six Organs Of Admittance, Mind Over Mirrors, PVT, Avec le soleil sortant de sa bouche). Enjoy!

Featuring:

1 — Tim Darcy (Montreal, QC) — “Tall Glass of Water”, from Saturday Night on Jagjaguwar.
2 — Jesca Hoop (Manchester, UK) — “The Lost Sky”, from Memories Are Now on Sub Pop Records.
3 — Xiu Xiu (San Jose, CA, USA) — “Wondering”, from Forget on Polyvinyl Record Company (US) / Teenage Menopause Rds (FR) / Altin Village & Mine (DE) / La Tempesta (IT) / Upset the Rythm (UK, Australia).
4 — Dirty Projectors (Brooklyn, NY, USA) — “Keep Your Name”, from Dirty Projectors on Domino Recording Company.
5 — Foxygen (Westlake Village, CA, USA) — “America”, from Hang on Jagjaguwar.
6 — Banana (Los Angeles, CA, USA) — “Banana C”, from Live on Leaving Records.
7 — Aquaserge (Toulouse / Paris, FR) — “Tour du Monde”, from Laisse ça être on Almost Musique (FR) / Crammed Discs (rest of the world).
8 — Shannon Wright (Atlanta, GA, USA) — “The Thirst”, from Division on Vicious Circle.
9 — Linnea Olsson (SE) — “Weekend”, from For Show EP.
10 — Ty Segall (Los Angeles, CA, USA) — “Orange Color Queen”, from Ty Segall on Drag City Records.
11 — Rainbrother (Copenhagen, DK) — “Riverside”, from Tales From The Drought on General Bird.
12 — Six Organs of Admittance (Holyoke, MA, USA) — “Taken By Ascent”, from Burning The Threshold on Drag City Records.
13 — Mind Over Mirrors (Chicago, IL, USA) — “Restore & Slip”, from Undying Color on Paradise of Bachelors.
14 — PVT (Sydney, AUS & London, UK) — “Another Life”, from New Spirit on Felte / Create/Control.
15 — Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche (Montreal, QC) — “Alizé et Margaret D. Midi moins le quart. Sur la plage, un palmier ensanglanté II”, from Pas pire pop, I Love You So Much on Constellation Records.
16 — Lowly (Aarhus, DK) — “Mornings”, from Heba on Bella Union.
17 — Cherry Glazerr (Los Angeles, CA, USA) — “Told You I’d Be With The Guys”, from Apocalipstick on Secretly Canadian.
18 — Laure Briard (Toulouse, FR) — “On dit que je ne suis pas sage”, from Sorcellerie EP out on Midnight Special Records.
19 — Molly Burch (Austin, TX, US) — “Wrong For You”, from Please Be Mine on Captured Tracks.
20 — Peter Silberman (Brooklyn, NY, USA) — “Karuna”, from Impermanence on Anti Records / Transgressive.
21 — Irma Vep (Manchester, UK) — “A Woman’s Work is Never Done”, from No Handshake Blues on Faux Discx records.

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2010 – Top 30

GoodMorninCaptn's Top 2010 - Part 1

2011 HAS BARELY STARTED, AND… OH, SURPRISE! GOODMORNINCAPTN ISN’T QUITE DEAD YET. LET’S CELEBRATE AND HAVE A QUICK LOOK BACK AT WHAT EXCITED OUR EARS IN THE LAST YEAR, COMPLETE WITH LINKS, MP3s AND VIDEOS. SET YOUR EARPHONES AND FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS, AS THE FIRST PART OF OUR TOP 30 RECORDS OF 2010 HAS US TRAVELLING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN NORTH AMERICA AND NORTHERN EUROPE.

Silje Nes - OpticksThe Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring NightFaun Fables Light Of A Vaster Dark

30) SILJE NES – “Opticks” (FatCat Records)

Gentle lullabies from Norway -ideal to loosen up on your couch at night while petting your kitten (and writing your end-of-year top list)

Crystals by Silje Nes

> Listen to Opticks on Spotify or Deezer.

29) THE BESNARD LAKES – “The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night” (Jagjaguwar)

Roaring shoegazing from Montreal to slowly awaken.


The Besnard Lakes – “Albatross” directed by Kara Blake

> Listen to The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night on Spotify.

28) FAUN FABLES – “Light of a Vaster Dark” (Drag City)

Let’s now head down to sunny California and witness Dawn McCarthy’s possessed folk invocations.
Listen to a clip from “Housekeeper from “Light of a Vaster Dark“:

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Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra - Kollaps TradixionalesYeasayer - Odd BloodWill Stratton - New Vanguard Blues27) THEE SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA – “Kollaps Tradixionales” (Constellation)

With a slightly reduced line-up (now only one guitar, 2 violins, contrabass and drums), Silver Mt. Zion seem more focused and inspired on this racy imprint, their 6th full-length in 10 years.

I Built Myself A Metal Bird by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

26) YEASAYER – “Odd Blood” (Secretly Canadian)

A pick whose presence in this selection has been highly debated. All tasteful considerations apart, the psychedelic back-to-the-eighties aesthetics of the album may be quite enjoyable and somehow much representative of 2010.


Yeasayer – “Madder Red” directed by Andreas Nilsson

> Listen to Odd Blood on Deezer or Spotify.

25) WILL STRATTON – “New Vanguard Blues” (self-released)

The young American singer-songwriter recorded and mixed his 3rd album over 48 hours before making it available through the Internet 2 weeks later, with a simple yet charming result.

> Listen to (and/or buy) New Vanguard Blues on Bandcamp or Spotify.

Nils Frahm & Anne Muller - 7fingersBenoit Pioulard - LastedOval - O24) NILS FRAHM & ANNE MÜLLER – “7fingers” (Hush Records)

After 2 much praised solo records, Berlin piano-wunderkind Nils Frahm joined forces with cellist Anne Müller for a post-classical record which in its best moments has us dream of Rachel’s classy compositions discretely but insidiously deconstructed by Oval’s digital experiments.
Listen to “Let My Key Be C (Thriller Edit)” from “7fingers“:

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> Listen to 7fingers on Deezer or Spotify.

23) BENOIT PIOULARD – “Lasted” (Kranky)

Thomas Meluch, better known as Benoit Pioulard, released his 3rd album for Kranky, filled as usual with ethereal, cloud-like layers of evanescent guitar, DIY rythms and lost voices.

Sault by Benoît Pioulard

> Listen to Lasted on Deezer.

22) OVAL – “O” (Thrill Jockey)

9 years after Ovalcommers, Markus Popp undoubtedly proves us that his heart clicks again.


Oval – “Ah!” directed by Darko Dragicevic

Deerhunter - Halcyon DigestUnder Byen - Alt Er TabtThe Morning Benders - Big Echo21) DEERHUNTER – “Halcyon Digest” (4AD)

Bradford Cox delighted us in the Fall of 2009 with his second solo record released under his Atlas Sound moniker, and once again did not disappoint us with the latest Deerhunter album.

Download Revival (MP3) from Halcyon Digest, or listen to the album on Deezer or Spotify.

20) UNDER BYEN – “Alt Er Tabt” (A:larm Music)

While their fellow Danes Efterklang got poppier and brighter on Magic Chairs, Under Byen persist in exploring dark and twistedly beautiful territories.
Listen to title track “Alt Er Tabt“:

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19) THE MORNING BENDERS – “Big Echo” (Rough Trade)

Co-produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, Big Echo, which has turned out a deserved break-through for its creators, is an uplifted and nicely orchestrated pop record, graced with the spontaneity of youth and a pleasantly retro sound.


The Morning Benders – “All Day Day Light ” directed by Jack Ferry

Listen to Big Echo on Deezer or Spotify.

Keep reading and listening to our top #18 to #10, and finally discover our favorite 9 records of 2010

Picastro’s Well Kept Secrets

With the release of Become Secret on Canadian label Polyvinyl (Monotreme in Europe), Toronto-originated band Picastro deliver their fourth album of avant-folk. Drawing inspiration from Cormac McCarthy The Road, they manage to turn the throbbing, obsessive cry of memory into a strikingly lively gallery of unravelled secrets.

picastro-become-secret-300pxA few notes on an ill-tuned piano, distant and bleak like a ghost, leads you into Picastro’s secrecy. “Twilight Parting”, a phrase repeated over and over still conveys an impression of instability: a chain whose link are constantly about to break. Liz Hysen’s voice may at first sound blank, atonal, colorless. Yet, with tracks like “Split Heads”, it soon declines every possible shades of whites, with glints of icy blues, faded yellows, and opalescent flesh, reminding at times of early Chan Marshall or Lisa Germano. A vivid humanity immersed in a world of decaying memories. The voice maintains a dialogue of Glissandos and approximate tones with Nick Storring’s cello, often reaching the frontier of sinister. Dusty strings and keyboards circle into a macabre waltz with “A Dune A Doom”.

The specter of Eastern European folk music is a relevant influence in the light of their discography. On the other hand, drawing inspiration from Cormac McCarthy’s bestseller The Road may seem an opportunist choice for an indie band. But with little technique, a taste for minimalist arrangements and arpeggios played on a loop, Picastro illustrate their gift for creating intricate atmospheres. They translate the despairing, almost stifling feeling of loneliness of the novel, accurately – though not literally – depicting the overwhelming mist of smoke and ash that cover, isolate, and humiliate all.

Centered around singer and multi-instrumentalist Hysen, the Toronto band was founded 13 years ago and started recording in 2002. Although they have encountered definite critical success, collaborated with various artists, including Owen Pallett, and toured alongside Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Cat Power, or Elliott Smith since then, their fourth album still finds them almost unknown, even to the indie-aficionados.

Listen to “Twilight Parting”

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Indeed it is not the most welcoming music. It verges on gothic folk with tracks like “I Know My Time”, while Storring’s untidy bows come out with palpable textures: rosin powder floating in the half-light and wood, lots of wood. Oil varnished wood, creaking wood floor and doors, patinated banister. A whole house – not so distant neighbor to Black Forest/Black Sea’s or Elfin Saddle’s – made out of the woods of cellos, violins, guitars and piano, assembled with the rusty strings and metal parts of a scarce electric guitar. A labyrinth clutter. A story is told in every room: that of a haunting past, that of renunciation with the lo-fi incantations of “Suttee”, stories of witchcraft with the vocal chaos of “A Neck In The Desert”. Cello and binary guitar pattern back up Liz’s voice on “The Stiff”. According to Hysen, this last track synchs up seamlessly with the final scene of Antonioni’s The Passenger. Let us know if you try, but regardless of the anecdote, there is in “The Stiff” a sense of timelessness, of fulfillment and soothing melancholy that clearly surpasses its stark instrumentation, and that is enough to make you press play again as soon as the 29 minutes – only?! – LP is over.

Behind the mist of smoke and ashes, each song in Become Secret brings their ghosts back to the flesh, and the forlorn rooms eventually perspire with intimacy. A vivid humanity that makes every painful note worth lending an ear.

Buy become secret on Bommkat

Wild, Free, Noble, Heavy… 2009’s Best Half… So Far

As many labels are preparing their Fall line-up, let’s celebrate the launch of GoodMorninCaptn.com with a little look at the top 20 records 2009 has offered us so far. While a few established bands have released so-so albums, many promising young women have surprised us (Blue Roses’ Laura, Hildur, Anni, Soap&Skin’s Anja…), prominent indie figures have confirmed they were not only shooting stars (Grizzly Bear, Patrick Watson, Andrew Bird), hyperactive craftsmen have perfected their skills (James Blackshaw, Peter Broderick), and a shy songwriter has unexpectedly climbed straight to the top of this past semester’s podium.

Tortoise Beacons Of AncestorshipBlue Roses Blue RosesSonic Youth The Eternal
20) TORTOISE “Beacons of Ancestorship” (Thrill Jockey)
While trying to move forward with their first proper album in 5 years,  Chicago undergound heroes succeed in synthetising their 3 previous LP’s, dressing them up with drunken samba and retro-futuristic pop.
Listen to Tortoise – Prepare Your Coffin (MP3).

19) BLUE ROSES “Blue Roses” (XL Recordings)
Sweet, romantic debut album of the sweet, romantic Laura Groves from Yorkshire, England.

18) SONIC YOUTH “The Eternal” (Matador)
Everybody’s favorite art rockers are back to an independent label and try hard to prove they are as hip and young as in 1990. It does work… except they should have nothing to prove.

PJ Harvey & John Parish A Woman A Man Walked ByNLF3 Ride On A Brand New TimePeter Broderick - Music For Falling From Trees

17) PJ HARVEY & JOHN PARISH “A Woman A Man Walked By” (Island Records)
PJ woof-woofs and John clang-clangs.

16) NLF3 “Ride On A Brand New Time” (Prohibited Records)
Paris trio goes on experimenting on their 4th album, looping sounds in an electropical psychedelia.

15) PETER BRODERICK “Music for Falling From Trees” (Western Vinyl / Erased Tapes)
In the continuity of Float, only more minimalistic, Peter scored a contemporary dance to those 7 nice pieces for violin and piano.
Listen to Peter Broderick – The Path To Recovery (MP3).

Balmorhea - All Is Wild All Is SilentJames Blackshaw - Glass Bead GameLoney Dear - Dear John
14) BALMORHEA “All Is Wild, All Is Silent” (Western Vinyl)
Part post-rock, part post-classical, Balmorhea’s 3rd LP is an ode to early American settlers with epic strings and wordless choirs.
Listen to extracts from Balmorhea – Harm and Boon and Balmorhea – Rememberance.

13) JAMES BLACKSHAW “The Glass Bead Game” (Young God)
12-string British guitar-virtuoso James opens his timeless pieces to a fuller sound.
Listen to James Blackshaw – Cross (MP3).

12) LONEY DEAR “Dear John” (Polyvinyl / Parlophone)
Some will deplore the cheap cosmetic arrangements with which Emil Svanängen has wrapped its otherwise enthralling melodies on his 5th LP.

Akron Family - Set em Wild Set em FreeFever Ray Cover ArtAnni Rossi - Rockwell
11) AKRON/FAMILY “Set Em Wild, Set Em Free” (Dead Ocean / Crammed Discs)
As an answer to Tortoise’s Standards, this new LP freely ventures from psychedelic rock to experimental folk, with Afro rythms and vocals to sing along to around the fireplace.

10) FEVER RAY “Fever Ray” (Rabid Records)
Karin Dreijer Andersson from Swedish electro duo The Knife wanders through dark swamps on her first solo album.

9) ANNI ROSSI “Rockwell” (4AD)
In her collection of songs for viola and voice, backed with drums and cello, 23-yr old Anna, also a violonist with Carla Bozulich, proves she does not lack the creativity of Joanna, Tori, or Regina. Too bad this Steve-Albini-recorded Rockwell is hiding in such a doubtful packaging.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post PavilionHildur Gudnadottir - Without SinkingAndrew Bird - Noble Beast
8) ANIMAL COLLECTIVE “Merriweather Post Pavilion” (Domino)
A jolly merry mess.

7) HILDUR GUDNADÓTTIR “Without Sinking” (Touch)
After many collaboration with Nico Muhly, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Pan Sonic, or Múm, Icelandic cellist Hildur releases her 2nd solo album, a wonderfully melancholic evocation of a peaceful shore.

6) ANDREW BIRD “Noble Beast” (Fat Possum / Bella Union)
Not as innovative as previous LP, Noble Beast progressively grows as a nice addition to Mr. Bird’s discography, with evident melodies.

Soap and Skin - Lovetune For VacuumElegi Varde5) SOAP&SKIN “Lovetune For Vacuum” (PIAS)
The cloudy moods of a dark, gifted child from Austria.

4) ELEGI “Varde” (Miasmah Recordings)
Norwegian composer Tommy Jansen imagined a striking soundtrack to Robert Falcon Scott’s tragic 1912 Antarctic expedition.

Patrick Watson - Wooden ArmsGrizzly Bear - VeckatimestDM Stith - Heavy Ghost
3) PATRICK WATSON “Wooden Arms” (Secret City)
A logical follow-up to Close To Paradise, maybe even closer, that reveals its full qualities on stage, where Patrick and his Wooden Arms band excel.

2) GRIZZLY BEAR “Veckatimest” (Warp)
Seemingly more self-confident, the Brooklyn quartet has achieved a big step forward with a luminous 3rd album, which clearly deserves all the critical praise you have read all over.
Listen to Grizzly Bear – Cheerleader (MP3).

1) DM STITH “Heavy Ghost” (Asthmatic Kitty)
New to the singer/songwriter scene, David already distinguishes himself through a deeply personal, touching touch, and luxurious instrumentation. A hauntingly beautiful debut.
Listen to DM Stith – Pity Dance (MP3).