Album Art Lover: Close-Up Faces

It’s been quite a while since I’ve delved into the world of album covers in my ongoing album art lover series, but I was inspired by the sleeve for Sharon Van Etten’s brilliant new album, Tramp (which is now streaming on NPR by the way) to explore the ever-popular face cover. They say 93% of communication is non-verbal, which perhaps explains why the face-cover has endured so long. You can usually get a good idea of the album you’re about to hear by the expression and composition of the face that you see gracing the cover.

This being one of the most common album cover conventions, there’s hundreds of covers to choose from. Thus, I limited myself to extreme close-ups of the face, basically if you can see anything below the shoulder, you’re out (Lana Del Rey need not apply). I narrowed it down to 15 of my favorites for the below mix, but you’ll find a few more if you check out the accompanying Spotify playlist. Let me know if you have any favorite face covers in the comments!

MP3 Sharon Van Etten – Serpents

MP3 Beck – Guess I’m Doing Fine

MP3 Nas – It Ain’t Hard To Tell

MP3 Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight

MP3 St. Vincent – Actor Out Of Work

MP3 Bruce Springsteen – 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

MP3 Fiona Apple – Sleep To Dream

MP3 Aphex Twin – Boy/Girl Song

MP3 Madvillain – America’s Most Blunted

MP3 Laura Veirs – Year of Meteors

MP3 New Order – Love Vigilantes

MP3 Paul McCartney – Coming Up

MP3 U2 – New Year’s Day

MP3 Suckers – Black Sheep

MP3 Andrew W.K. –  It’s Time To Party

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Listen to the extended mix at Spotify.

More album art lover posts:

High-Speed
Sepia
Look-alikes
Cats
Hands
Circles

Soundsupply

Supply Drop #1 Trailer from Soundsupply on Vimeo.

This morning’s aimless web browsing led to the discovery of Soundsupply, a bundle of 10 digital albums available for $15 for a limited time. As fans of previous bundle methods, it’s interesting to see this approach applied to music. It’s a relatively cheap and painless way to discover something that might have otherwise flown under your radar, or maybe give something a chance you otherwise wouldn’t.

Of course, Soundsupply would not be as enticing if the albums offered weren’t so good. For one low price you get albums from Jason Schwartzman’s Coconut Records, Someone Still Loves Your Boris Yeltsin, Merrill Garbus and Patrick Gregorie’s Sister Suvi, and ukelele songstress Sophie Madeline. The video above will give you a taste of everything the bundle has to offer. It’s an appealing idea and one worthy of support, and it will be exciting to see Soundsupply’s next move. We’re already anxiously awaiting the next drop.

Video: Rome – Two Against One

I missed this video when it premiered earlier this month, but it’s so excellent that I had to post it. It’s directed by Chris Milk, who’s previous works includes groundbreaking interactive videos like Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown” and Rome’s “3 Dreams of Black“. This video, also for Danger Mouse project Rome, features a mesmerizing narrative and beautiful, fluid animation from Anthony Francisco Schepper. It’s apparently is a precursor to an upcoming film inspired by Rome’s album, which, if is anything like this stunning clip, will be one to look out for. Check out the video above and download the track (which features Jack White and Norah Jones) below.

MP3 Rome – Two Against One (featuring Jack White)

Bear Cavalry

Bear Cavalry are a genre-defying band from Gosport, England who caught my ear with their debut EP, Maple Trails. The band is stylistically all over the place, but in a good way. Coming off like a more schizophrenic Local Natives, they mix upbeat Afro-pop rhythms, intricate mathy guitars, bursts of trumpet and the occasional chanting harmonies. The melting pot of sounds keeps it interesting and matched with sunny, danceable melodies it makes for some memorable tunes like exuberant opener “Roman Summer” and the humorously-titled “Will Smith Solve’s The Rubik’s Cube”.

Roman Summer by Bear Cavalry

Will Smith Solves The Rubik’s Cube by Bear Cavalry

Hear the rest of the Maple Trails EP at the Bear Cavalry’s bandcamp.

 

Video: Flight Facilities – Foreign Language

You think we’d all be tired of the retro 70’s-style trend in music videos by now, but as long as it keeps yielding amazing videos like this one, you won’t see me complaining. Directed by up-and-coming director Dimitri Basil, “Foreign Language” parodies 70’s TV opening credits all the way down to the ridiculous wardrobes/haircuts and hammy acting. The results are very entertaining to say the least. And yes, in case you were wondering, there is a sword training scene on a beach. The addictive disco-pop song comes courtesy of Flight Facilities, an electronic duo from Sydney, Australia. Watch above and listen to “Foreign Language” below.

Flight Facilities – Foreign Language feat. Jess by flightfacilities

Download the single at iTunes.

MP3: Shearwater – You As You Were

One of the best indie rock bands out there, Shearwater is back with a new album. The Austin- based band, led by Jonathon Meisburg (formerly of Okkervil River) and his striking vocals, will release Animal Joy this year. It’s the band’s first album on Sub Pop and their first since completing the Island trilogy of albums: Palo Santo, Rook, The Golden Archipelago.

“You As You Were” is our newest release from the album, and it’s a phenomenal song. The track is far more exuberant and uplifting then you may have come to expect from Shearwater. The beautiful piano crescendo, driving beat, and soaring vocals bring to mind some of Jónsi‘s solo work. This track is very quickly becoming one of my favorite Shearwater songs. Download below.

MP3 Shearwater – You As You Were

Animal Joy is out on February 15th on Sub Pop.

MP3: First Aid Kit – EmmyLou

After a bit of a slow start to 2012, a lot of good music is starting to reach my ears. Chief among those is Swedish duo First Aid Kit‘s brilliant sophomore LP, The Lion’s Roar, which is streaming now on NPR. One of the many highlights is “EmmyLou”, an engrossing folk tune in which sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg lovingly pay homage to many of the country greats in the lyrics (“I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June / You’ll be my Gram and my Johnny, too”). The poignant tributes along with the girl’s exquisite harmonies and beautiful, country-tinged instrumentation make this song an absolute gem.

MP3 First Aid Kit – EmmyLou

The Lion’s Roar is out January 23rd on Wichita Recordings.

Moonrise Kingdom Trailer (w/ "Le Temps De L'amour")

I’m not usually given to posting movie trailers, but for Wes Anderson, I’ll make an exception. The trailer for Moonrise Kingdom came out yesterday and it’s amazing. It definitely has the look and feel (and retro soundtrack) of a Wes Anderson film, with perhaps a bit more sepia-tone to match the 60’s time period (although no sign of the usual Futura typeface). Of course, the best part of an Anderson film is the distinctive dialogue, and the trailer is already rife with some great lines (Bill Murray, with no shirt, a bottle of wine, and an axe saying “I’m going to find a tree to chop down” is my favorite).

2012 is shaping up to be the best year in cinema in some time, and Moonrise Kingdom is sitting at the top of my list. If you wondering about the music in the trailer, the song is 1962’s “Le Temps De L’amour” by French pop singer, Françoise Hardy. Download the track and watch the trailer below:

MP3 Françoise Hardy – Le Temps De L’amour

MP3: Black Dice – Pigs

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Black Dice, nearly three years to be exact. But a new album, Mr. Impossible, was finally announced earlier this week and with that news came “Pigs”, a delirious blast of disorienting noise that dissuades any notions that the band has lost their touch in the interim. If anything, “Pigs” is one of Black Dice’s more catchy, accessible songs since their “Cone Toaster” experiment; it’s abrasive and brash, but still makes room for melody and a head-nodding groove. If “Pigs” is any indication of Mr. Impossible as a whole, we could be looking forward to one of Black Dice’s best records, as well as one of 2012’s most enticing albums.

MP3 Black Dice – Pigs

Eli Mardock

Former Eagle Seagull-frontman Eli Mardock will be releasing his solo debut this year, and it’s one of my most anticipated albums of 2012. I was a big fan of Eagle Seagull’s self-titled album from 2005, which at the time, earned the band plenty of buzz and comparisons to indie-rock contemporaries like Arcade Fire & Wolf Parade. Some tracks from their follow-up album, The Year of The How-To Book hit the web in 2007, and sounded extremely promising, but the album suffered delay after delay and wasn’t made available until years later. The band quietly released a digital-only copy of the album in 2010 before parting ways, leaving Mardock free to explore a solo career.

“Everything Happens for the First Time” is the title track to Mardock’s new album and a great intro to the artist. The uplifting track opens with a piano riff which sounds a bit like Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”, before adding an array of grandiose instrumentation and soaring melodies that should make Eagle Seagull fans feel right at home.  Another track to check out is the dark, majestic “Theologians Tell Me”. Everything Happens… is set to release later this year. Listen to the two aforementioned tracks below and download another one at his website.

Everything Happens for the First Time by Eli Mardock

Theologians Tell Me by Eli Mardock