Tuesday, November 20th, 2001
Flaming Lips' Work on New Album, Film
Spirit of Ed Wood lives on in new millenium
Ryan Schreiber reports:
2001 has been an incredibly busy year for Oklahoma-based psych-pop masters the
Flaming Lips. Not only have they been recording sessions for the forthcoming,
as-yet-untitled follow-up to their 1999 classic, The Soft Bulletin;
they're also hard at work on a feature film, and planning to let the fans in
on some DVD action. Let's take a closer look:
The band has been in and out of Dave Fridmann's secluded Tarbox recording studio
in western New York since late February of this year. They're reported to have
made substantial progress on their forthcoming album, with the most recent
sessions taking place on October 7th and November 8th. It's been said that the
album will continue in the orchestral vein of The Soft Bulletin, but may
be more keyboard- and guitar-based than last time out. NME recently
revealed that working song titles include "Are You a Hypnotist?," "It's
Summertime," "Syrtis Major" and "Utopia Planitia." The record is due out
sometime in 2002, but probably closer to the end of the year.
As for the film, it's titled Xmas on Mars and is being slated for a
Christmas 2002 release. Singer Wayne Coyne finished writing the screenplay
roughly a year ago and is directing, as well as collecting "space junk" from
their fans to use as props. All three of the Flaming Lips' current members--
Coyne, bassist Michael Ivins, and drummer Steven Drozd-- will star, as will
their manager and some of their close friends.
Earlier this year, Allstar News reported that the film will be the story
of astronauts who, after living on a space station for nine months, decide to
celebrate Christmas. But despite the band calling the movie "a futuristic
Christmas fairytale," you might wanna leave the kids at home: the film apparently
takes a turn for the scary when the astronaut who is given the role of Santa
commits suicide and an alien (played by Coyne) dons the beard instead. Photos
were recently released on the web showing the band on the set, decked out in
costumery that can only be described as "inexpensive." The guys are also working
on a soundtrack to accompany Xmas on Mars, though no information has yet
been released as to whether it will be issued separately from the film.
In related news, the Lips are taking their time issuing the acclaimed documentary,
The Flaming Lips Have Landed on DVD. Directed by Oklahoma University
graduate and up-and-coming indie film guy Bradley Beesley (who also has a hand
in the making of Xmas on Mars), the finished product was shown on PBS and
at independent theaters last year, as well as at the annual Austin, Texas music
conference South by Southwest. The forthcoming DVD is expected to include some
of the band's music videos as a bonus. However, when Allstar News asked
the Lips' spokesperson earlier this year about a possible release date, the
publicist's only reply was "down the road." And as for the rumored release of
a Zaireeka DVD, which would mix all four of that album's separate CDs
into 5:1 Dolby surround sound and include some sweet psychedelic visuals, well,
it hasn't been discussed in over a year. Gotta love those Warner brothers.
.: Pitchfork Review: Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin
.: Flaming Lips: http://www.flaminglips.com
.: Film Photos: http://www.hellfireltd.com/xmasonmars.htm
Badly Drawn Boy Scores!
"We'd have taken a shower together, but bathing has never been my forte."
Aaron Shaul reports:
The stubbly, ethnic-hat aficionado and singer/songwriter known as Badly Drawn
Boy has been writing material for the upcoming film version of Nick Hornby's
About a Boy. According to his website, Mr. Gough will be writing "several
new songs and the incidental music," a la Simon and Garfunkel's soundtrack for
The Graduate, except without that whole "classic" status. This is Gough's
first major undertaking since last year's Mercury Prize-winning The Hour of
Bewilderbeast. The soundtrack will be available early next year.
Of course, Badly Drawn Boy has not been resting on his laurels since
Bewilderbeast's success. He has two new tracks appearing on the new
Twisted Nerve label compilation, Everything You Wanted to Know About Twisted
Nerve... But Were Afraid to Ask. His contributions are "Shake the
Rollercoaster" (taken from his out of print EP, EP1) and a new song
entitled "Celebrate." The album was released in the U.S. earlier this month.
.: Pitchfork Review: Badly Drawn Boy: The Hour of Bewilderbeast
.: Badly Drawn Boy: http://www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk
Macha Frontman to Release Debut as Seaworthy
You can only do so much with a gamelan
Derek Fahnestock reports:
Macha frontman Josh McKay has a new side project. Recorded under the guise of
Seaworthy, McKay's new album, titled The Ride, will see release through
Jetset Records on January 22nd. Seaworthy represents a distinct departure from
Macha's eastern-tinged, multi-instrumental melting pot, instead revealing McKay's
more introspective side and instilling in the listener a "heroin-laced calm,"
according to the label. The Ride will feature a guest appearance by
Japanese musician Haco of After Dinner and the members of Hoahio, and was
recorded by several different people. Among them:
Andy LeMaster (Macha, Bright Eyes, Now It's Overhead)
Chris Bishop (Summer Hymns, Mendoza Line, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't)
Andy Baker (Mercury Program, Japancakes, Shannon Wright)
Ex-Sugar bassist David Barbe (Uncle Tupelo, Kelly Hogan, Son Volt)
Jay Nackashi (Empire State)
Brian Causey (Crooked Fingers, Causey Way, Shannon Wright)
For their part, Macha originated in the fertile indie rock soil of Athens,
Georgia, incorporating a variety of unusual traditional eastern and western
instruments within a recognizable indie rock framework. The band released its
self-titled debut in 1997, and its follow-up, See It Another Way, lifted
its leg and claimed the coveted alpha position on the hotly contended college
radio charts in 1999. Macha Loved Bedhead, a collaboration between the
two titular bands, was released a year later.
.: Pitchfork Review: Macha Loved Bedhead: Bedhead Loved Macha EP
.: Jetset Records: http://www.jetset.com
Bellini Signs with Monitor Records
Rossini negotiations heating up
Derek Fahnestock reports:
Fear not, stoned rich kids, former math-rock theorist and Don Caballero drummer
Damon Che-- think of him as indie rock's Neil Peart, but without the
misinterpreted objectivist palaver-- will soon return to grace your tweeters
with his hyperkinetic fills. Baltimore's Monitor Records imprint, home to such
acts as Oxes, Membranaphonics, and Per Mission (the new project from Rodan and
Rachel's member Jason Noble) has announced the signing of Bellini, a new project
involving Che, Agostino Tilotta and Giovanna Nicosia of Italian experimental
group Uzeda, and Matthew Taylor. The band played several U.S. shows this past
summer, and earned the following unintentionally backhanded praise from a Don
Cab fansite:
"At times it did sound like Don Cab meets Uzeda, but they had some very
effective moments also."
Rumor has an album hitting the streets early next year. Stay tuned.
.: Monitor Records: http://www.monitorrecords.com
|
|
|
|
|
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
|
|
|
|
All material is copyright
2001, Pitchforkmedia.com.
|
|
|
|