Blogs

To be honest I would not have listened to the new album from Georgia-based Dead Confederate if J Mascis had not played on the track "Giving It All Away". However, when the album arrive it did have an interesting cover and I decided to give it a try. Sugar will be released on August 24th, the height of summer heat in Chicago, and I don't often find myself craving an album that is so heavy thematically. With tracks like "Run From The Gun", "Father Figure", and "Shocked to Realize" you find yourself being brought down by this album. Even the bands name, Dead Confederate, is just a little weighty for the summer months. Yet, their is something slightly nostalgic about this album. It calls back the Mid-to-early-'90's post grunge sound that you don't often hear anymore.

Beautiful Piece by Joseph G. Peterson (Switchgrass Books, Oct. 2009)

"We always fall asleep smoking one more cigarette in bed."

And so begins the meditative, gritty, and near o.c.d novel Beautiful Piece by Joseph G. Peterson. Set in the middle of a Chicago heat wave, Beautiful Piece follows Robert through a looping tale of sex, friendship, and necessity of action. If you have ever made a decision that has drastically altered the course of your live then you will relate to the way that Peterson examines over and over the events of an hour or so of one day in his life. Every time he loops through the event of this one encounter he reveals a new piece of information or explains it in a slightly different way until the very end and a big pay off.

"Masked Figure" by Julien Langendorff Papercut (50 x 65 cm), 2009

Listening:
1. The Black Twig Pickers: I may still be feeling the effects of camping, but there is something about the rustic sound of this band that makes me smile. They will be making their Thrill Jockey debut this fall. Check out there intro video.
2. Little Gold: Former Woods/Meneguar (Woodsist Records) songwriter Christian DeRoeck and his band just released a 7" on Heart Break Beat Records. Listen to: Chainsaw (mp3)
3. Dream Cop: Dream Cop's vinyl e.p. will be out on Tough Love Records on October 26. The "Basement Tapes" digital single will be released through Output Noise Records on October 19. Listen to: Tommy Davidson (link)

Episode Twenty-Two: I Went To The Woods

* Gord Mackenzie: Excerpt from Walden
* Fops: Maple Mountain
* Moby: The Rain Falls And The Sky Shudders
* Gabe Durham: Excerpt from Fun Camp
* Cheyenne Marie Mize: Path
* Like Bells: Follow The Birds
* Mark R. Brand live from the Orange Alert Reading Series
* Soft Cat: Blackbirds

On August 10th Hippies Are Dead Records will release the debut album from San Francisco's Grand Lake. Blood Sea Dream is a perfect example of what indie rock should sound like. It's pure and straightforward, and the album is packed full of energy and excitement. Led by Port O'Brien founding member Caleb Nichols along with guitarist Jameson Swanagon, Danae Swanagon on keyboards, and John Pomeroy on drums, Grand Lake are clearly a group of friends having fun.

Blood Sea Dream
1. It Takes A Horse To Light A House
2. Louise (I Live In A Fantasy)(mp3)
3. Carpoforo
4. Black Cloud
5. Spark
6. Our Divorce
7. Oedipus Hex (Hwy 1 North)
8. Threnody For FA Mesmer
9. Riderless Horse

Rough Travel by Jeffrey S. Callico (Graffiti-Kolkata July, 2010)

The latest collection from Jeffrey S. Callico is a brutally honest look at domestic life. It is a series of glimpse at how rough our travels through life can be, but it is also a look at how shallow these arguments and downturns can be. He captures the pinnacle of the moment, but does it in such a way that it removes the emotion.

"Finished my coffee early
Slammed the door
Against your anger

Heard your screams
Even from the car
I looked up at the window

Your face was a mouth
I saw your teeth
Glinting in the sun"

"Zombie Laureates Earn Their Prize" by Grayson Castro

It really is a "Zombie Summer". I am going to take a week off from Orange Alert and search for zombies in the woods of Wisconsin. I'll return in August.

Listening:
1. Excuse Me, Princess: A young band from Minnesota that brings the 8-bit rock and a free album.
2. PVT: This band has just released the first single for their new album Church With No Magic out August 10th through Warp Records. Listen to: Windows (mp3)
3. The Dinner Party Download: This one of my favorite podcast that APM produces. I am going to try to bring you a new podcast recommendation every week.

Reading:
1. 634 Orchards, Fruits & Forestry by Em Dash
2. How To Sing Lullabies to a Guerrilla by Matthew Dexter
3. Just Say No by Ben Tanzer

Episode 21: Alright, Goodbye

* ceo: Everything Is Gonna Be Alright
* Lobisomem: Concussus
* Printer's Ball Preview (produced by Stanzi Vaubel)
* The Books: The Story of Hip Hop
* Paper Tiger: The Bully Plank
* Jason Fisk: He Was A Patient Man (Live from the Orange Alert Reading Series)
* Derek Rogers: excerpt from Circum_Navigate
* Deerhunter: Revival