In House #1814: The Autumn Defense, Gomez In the Area This Weekend




In House #1814.
Airdate: 2/23/07
Focus: The Autumn Defense with Ferraby Lionheart tonight in Provo, plus Gomez plays Park City. Also, new music from Paul Duncan, Winterpills, and more.


PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #264

In House #1793: New Release From Of Montreal, Playing Park City Tonight

A few years back, somewhere about the time of 2004's Satanic Panic In the Attic, Of Montreal mastermind Kevin Barnes aborted planet Earth for unknown celestial regions, and his creative vision went with him, producing lush, swirling, frenetic numbers that were nevertheless cohesive and accessible. Three years and two releases later and Barnes still hasn't come down-- in fact he may be less grounded than ever on his band's latest, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, out this week on Polyvinyl. Whereas in the past Barnes has more or less projected his songwriting outward, all wry observations and imagination excursions, the new material is uncharacteristically personal, inspired by a Norway-induced bout of depression and subsequent separation from his wife and newborn child (they've since reconciled, which makes for no awkwardness at all when it comes to public delcarations found on the album like "She's a Rejector," to be sure). In any case, despite the dark matter the album is anything but a moper, and Barnes at times seems too desperately manic to do anything but explode with it, which he does again and again. Songs like "Gronlandic Edit," and "Faberge Falls for Shuggie," move along to a surprising disco-funk beat, revealing shades of vintage Prince added to their established British Invasion meets psychedelia meets synth-pop pastiche. Not that Hissing Fauna is a breeze of a listen-- its twelve minute midpoint, "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal," would certainly suggest otherwise, and some may find the mere sonic bombardment, the bombast of it all, intimidating or worse upon initial listens. Ultimately though, the pop bliss (or, more accurately, pop bliss through non-bliss) shines through, and one will undoubtedly find themselves humming "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse," or "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger," like they never thought they could have. Really. Of Montreal plays Music On Main at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT tonight before jetting out to L.A. like the rock stars do for the beginning of a massive national tour tomorrow night.

Of Montreal

In House #1793.
Airdate: 1/25/07
Focus: New release from Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, also playing Park City tonight. Plus, Menomena's Friend & Foe, and new music from David Vandervelde, Yoko Ono, Young Galaxy, and more.

BONUS MP3s-
Of Montreal, from Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?:

"Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" (MP3)

"Faberge Falls for Shuggie" (MP3)

David Vandervelde, from The Moonstation House Band:

"Jacket" (MP3)

PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #245

Get Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? at Insound.

In House #1792: Greg Laswell, Jill Sobule at Sundance; New Lucinda Williams

In what is quickly becoming something of a companion music festival to the events surrounding the Sundance Film Fest in Park City every year, a bevy of musicians will once again descend upon northern Utah for performances-- not all of which are intended for the likes of you and your unwashed masses. While many of the dates are not even made public, as with the case with Apples in Stereo and M. Ward shows over this past weekend (because, you know, Ben Affleck is a BIG fan), others hold a more open (if you can get in) kind of status. Whatever the case, the majority of these take place at Park City's Star Bar and are arranged through ASCAP. This year's list is impressive, as usual, and includes Alexei Murdoch, Rosie Thomas, Chuck Prophet, Ron Sexsmith, Donovan, Silversun Pickups, The Bird & the Bee, and The Album Leaf, among others, while DeVotchka, Richard Swift, David Vandervelde, Two Gallants, Brazilian Girls, and Of Montreal are/were scheduled to play other locales as part of the festival.

Two acts standing out on today's list of performers are singer-songwriters Greg Laswell and Jill Sobule, each of whom will be playing two or three sets over the course of the week. At this point the lesser known of the two, Laswell released a solid, sometimes stunning, second album on Vanguard last year entitled Through Toledo. The San Diego-based artist has also recently made a subdued take on Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," available via iTunes (hear it on today's podcast). Laswell performs today, tonight, and tomorrow at the Star Bar.



Jill Sobule has become known over the past decade or so for her wry and witty observations in songs that rarely shy away from topical content, from lesbian chic to the Christian Right to Mary Kay Letourneau. She counts five studio full-lengths to her name, the most recent coming with 2004's Underdog Victorious. Sobule plays the last of two Sundance performances this afternoon at the Star Bar.


In House #1792.
Airdate: 1/24/07
Focus: Artists playing this week in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival, including performances today from Greg Laswell and Jill Sobule. Plus, Laura Gibson in Salt Lake City tomorrow, and new music from Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Martin Sexton, Eleni Mandell, and more.

BONUS MP3s-
Greg Laswell, from Through Toledo: "Sing, Theresa Says" (MP3)

Jill Sobule, live In House (recorded 2/27/04): "Mary Kay" (MP3)
...and live at WFUV-NYC (recorded 12/06): "Mexican Wrestler" (MP3)

Eleni Mandell, from Miracle of Five (due 2/6): "Girls" (MP3)

Norah Jones (w/M. Ward), from Not Too Late (due 1/30): "Sinkin' Soon" (MP3)


PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #244