Harpist, singer, and electronic musician Pat Grossi released his first full-length album as Active Child in 2011 to critical acclaim. On May 16 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, Active Child played with Superhumanoids and Balam Acab as part of a US tour. In advance of a European tour that kicks off in Norway in late June, here are shots of Grossi in Chicago with his band, his trusty harp, and the right amount of mood lighting. Photos courtesy of Drew Reynolds.
Music
Review: Marissa Nadler’s The Sister
Marissa Nadler: The Sister (Box of Cedar, 5/29/12)
“The Wrecking Ball Company”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Marissa_Nadler_The_Wrecking_Ball_Company.mp3|titles=Marissa Nadler: “The Wrecking Ball Company”]Last year, Boston-based singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler released an album that oozed with sad-stringed lamentations and haunting folk dreamscapes. The self-titled release solidified Nadler’s brand of elegant and convoluted spook-folk. Each track let listeners delve a little deeper into her mysterious songwriting realm: part fairy tale, part dirge, part diary entry. The album was readily equipped with intricate acoustic finger-picking, sonorous harmonies, and melancholic modishness. More importantly, though, it established Nadler’s voice as a dominant force in indie folk, giving her a leg up on many of her peers.
Video: A Place to Bury Strangers’ “You Are the One”
New York-based noise-rock trio A Place to Bury Strangers is releasing its third full-length album, Worship, via Dead Oceans on June 26. Together since 2003, the band is characterized by wailing guitar and fuzz, causing it to be called on more than one occasion “the loudest band in New York.”
“You Are The One” certainly is loud, but its atmospheric qualities set the mood for its grindhouse-inspired video. Filming on 16mm helps complete the ’70s B-movie vibe, while particularly dark Blue Velvet-esque moments assure that it’s NSFW.
Video: Tim Fite’s “Bully”
Tim Fite is a particularly unique artist, one whose indefinable catalog has ranged from alt-country to hip hop. Notorious for his ironic lyrics, graphic artistry, and atypical fashion sense, he remains an authentic voice in independent music with a bevy of solo albums.
Review: Sigur Rós’ Valtari
Sigur Rós: Valtari (XL, 5/29/12)
“Ekki Múkk”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Sigur_Rós_Ekki_Múkk.mp3|titles=Sigur Rós: “Ekki Múkk”]Things haven’t looked good for Icelandic “post-rock” act Sigur Rós in recent years. In light of the front-man Jónsi’s well-received solo album Go and massive world tour, an “indefinite hiatus” looked more like an end. The band even scrapped an entire album that it recorded in 2009. Speculation about the band’s future has been intense: when it announced its sixth studio album, Valtari, rumors ranged from the overly optimistic (that it was one of two new albums) to the dire (that the quartet was splitting up for good).
The truth turned out to be a bit muddier. The band wasn’t breaking up, but multi-instrumentalist string arranger Kjartan Sveinsson was sitting out the forthcoming tour. In other news, the band is releasing a “mystery film” for each song — videos made by directors working independently of one another. As for Valtari, the band’s new album, it makes a statement of its own.
Video: Spindrift’s “Theme from Ghost Patrol” (colorized)
Psychedelic-rock band Spindrift formed in 1992, but only after the passing of numerous years and considerable line-up changes did the group become successfully settled in the stylized western sound that it possesses today. Having been inspired by, as well as a part of, numerous film scores, its newest album, Classic Soundtracks, Vol. 1 (Xemu), reflects the group’s preoccupation with surrealism and classic cinema.