DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
Death Cab for Cutie front man Ben Gibbard kicked off the CMJ Music Marathon on Tuesday, Oct. 16 with an intimate solo show at HiFi bar, celebrating the release of his new solo album, Former Lives. You’d be pressed to find anyone who can say they’ve recently watched the indie icon perform his hit songs at a dive bar, but the lucky 160 people in attendance last night could.
To be exact, Gibbard played at this very dive bar - more famously known as "Brownies" - 12 years ago in 2000, when he wasn't such a familiar name. “I started playing at Brownies and on Barsuk Records,” Gibbard remarked while tuning his guitar, “And now I’m back at Brownies and on Barsuk Records. What happened? The last 12 years didn’t exist.”
The CMJ Music Marathon is approaching New York quickly, and if you’re a music lover or industry insider, you’ve probably marked your calendars for October 16-20already. In true CMJ tradition, over 80 venues and hundreds of bands are involved. With all the chaos, it’s a good idea to narrow down which acts are worth fighting the crowds for.
You can see the full line-up at CMJ’s official website, but we’ve highlighted a few acts playing next week that are worthy of some attention and ticket sales:
With all the recent hoopla surrounding Coachella 2012 (specifically, the digital resurrection of Tupac), one begins to ponder what other shenanigans are in store during festival season. Summertime truly is the season of festivals: beer & wine fests, food expos, but most importantly, music fests. There’s Bamboozle, Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, Bonnarooo, Electric Daisy, and a cornocoupia of other niftily named musical celebrations.
2012 is upon us. It may be our last year on Earth if we believe the Mayans (and that awful John Cusack movie), but that won’t put an end to the preparation, partying, and regretful resolutions that come with the turning of a new page on the calendar. Whether you plan on ordering pizza and watching Dick Clark with mom, or you want to hit the clubs and forget there was a 2011 altogether, here are some jams to have on your New Year’s Eve mix.
U2 – “New Year’s Day”
Part amusement park, part street fair, and boasting some of indie's biggest acts, the Treasure Island Music Festival will bring all kinds of culture to San Francisco on October 15 and 16. Get your sunblock ready and brush up on your sewing skills, this isn't your ordinary concert.
It has been fourteen years since Death Cab For Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard, released his debut EP, You Can Play These Songs With Chords, on cassette. Almost a decade and a half later, with three gold records and one platinum under his belt, Gibbard is still winning the hearts of boys and girls who are searching for love and how to deal with heartbreak. Even for those of us who grew up listening to The Photo Album or Transatlanticism, his story telling still catches our ears and we have to give it a listen. No matter how far your musical exploration has taken you, you always know that Death Cab For Cutie will be there, crying out for the brokenhearted and the lovers all at once.
Death Cab For Cutie's first single, "You Are A Tourist," off Codes and Keys was just released.
It begins with a rhythmic bass line followed by echoed Ben Gibbard vocals ("this fire grows higher"). Following the vocals is one of the most catchy guitar riffs that Death Cab has ever recorded. It really holds the song together nicely.
The overall sound is still very Death Cab, and fans should be right at home when listening.
If this is the direction that Death Cab is taking for this album, the rest should be just as enjoyable.
Death Cab For Cutie will be going on a 13-day tour to support their upcoming album, Codes and Keys. The tour will begin in Toronto on May 18th, 2011 and end in San Francisco on June 9th, 2011.
Previously, the band stated: "We really experimented with piecing the songs together in different ways and using the studio differently, so this a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before" (stereogum). They did assure fans that the album is still very "death cab."
The Lonely Forest will be supporting them the entire tour, while Bright Eyes will be on select dates.
Indie rockers, Death Cab for Cutie, announced on their website today, that they will be releasing their newest album, Codes and Keys, this May.
The bands previous album, Narrow Stairs, was released back in 2008.
Guitarist Chris Walla mentioned that there will be less focus on guitars, and more focus on synths and reverb for the album. That being said, he assured fans that the music is still definitely Death Cab for Cutie sounding and shouldn't worry.
"Right now, if you listen to pop, everything is in perfect pitch, perfect time and perfect tune. That's how ubiquitous Auto-Tune is." producer Rick Rubin
There is new fad in the music industry that has artists and fans divided. Many singers are utilizing a process called Auto-Tuning, which corrects flubbed notes and syncs vocals to the appropriate pitch when a singer is slightly off-key. This use of voice-correcting plug-ins in music production is becoming so prominent that it’s becoming difficult to determine the accurate level of talent possessed by certain artists. All a singer needs is a rudimentary talent for singing and a producer can digitally manipulate the vocals until every note is in perfect harmony with the rest of the music.
 |
 |
 |
 |
