AU‘s latest release, Both Lights, hits me like a wave. I walked right into it, eyes open. The music writer Bob Palmer once described “a fusion of music and poetry accomplished at a very high emotional temperature.” He called it “a gigantic field of feeling…something enduring, something that could be limitless.” Palmer was talking about the Blues. But all I can think about is AU.
Like all waves, it keeps on coming. AU‘s third album, Both Lights, is a recurring dream. The eleven songs made by the Portland, Oregon-based duo Luke Wyland and Dana Valatka, are a story of Time. Three years to be exact; since their critically-acclaimed 2008 album Verbs and its 2009 EP evolution Versions, there’s been a long exhale. A little defiance of the double-speed countdown of the indie hype clock. And a hell of a lot of living. Turn it on. More than a mere accompaniment, it’s a gleaming mirror. It’s an exaltation, an exhalation, a monument of extreme composition, the child of collaboration and isolation, a preamble to a wild live show, a statue intact in the violent wind of art and commerce, and, simply, a record about love. It’s for itself, and, in being that, it’s an album that can be understood like a person. “It’s the topography of me,” says Wyland. So you follow the coordinates.
The first video off the new album is an optically engaging and tripped-out kaleidoscope of a visual for “OJ.” The video is much like the song it illustrates — frenetic, ethereal and colorful.
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Track 1: Melvins “Queen (Electroclash Remix By Panacea)” from Chicken Switch [Ipecac Recordings]
Track 2: Au “Ida Walked Away” from Versions [Aagoo Records]
Track 3: Num9 “El Baile” from El Baile [Acuarela]
Track 4: Girls In Trouble “Secrets/You’re Always Watching” from Girls In Trouble [JDub Records]
Track 5: Zion Train “Live As One” from Live As One [Universal Egg]
Bump music: Reut Regev “Hula Hula” from This Is R Time [Ropeadope Digital]
Dodo duo Meric Long and Logan Kroeber sure do know how to rock out a crowd, and they proved their abilities to a packed Pitchfork Festival just over a week ago in Chi Town! They’ve been endlessly touring, hitting up all the hot spots, including Cake Shop and the Siren Festival , with Pitchfork being their latest conquest.
Luckily for all of those who were unable to make it, Pitchfork TV is playing host to some fantastic video footage of their performance of “Fools.” Long’s dual-mic setup keeps him busy during the authentically emotional flowing tune, while Kroeber turns his modest setup into a completely different kind of instrument. Their energy can be seen in the crowd, who were definitely soaking in the atmosphere of the show and feeding it back to the Dodos, creating a machine of entertainment unattainable for most.
As for now, The Dodos are taking a short but well deserved break before hitting the European road again in early August. They arrive back in the States to their home shores of San Francisco in late September, and will be warmly welcomed back in NYC days later–accompanied by another Rind fave, Au ! We can’t wait!
MP3: The Dodos – Ashley
MP3: The Dodos – Fools
Portland’s experimental avant-folk collective Au (pronounced ay-yoo) released Verbs this week, the declarative follow-up to their debut self-titled album which came out last year. The band is the brainchild of Luke Wyland, a multi-instrumentalist who released his own solo album PeaoftheSea under the simple moniker luc in 2005, and has since been expanding his musical landscapes with the addition of a full band and numerous guest artists.
Verbs features vocal appearances by Sarah Winchester (A Weather) and Becky Dawson (Ah Holly Fam’ly, Saw Whet), and over twenty more Northwestern musicians drop in to lend a hand, including members of Paranthetical Girls and Yellow Swans. The album was tracked at Portland’s Type Foundry Studios over three days, and Wyland did further recording at his home attic studio over the next two months. Brooklyn’s own Aagoo Records is releasing it.
Ay you! Literally. Yeah you, over there–have you been to eMusic lately? We have, and we’re pleased to report that Au‘s sophomore album, Verbs, is available for sale — a full week in advance of its official street date. Comparable to a conservatory-bred Animal Collective, this brainchild of Portland, Oregon’s Luke Wyland is a must have for all you experimental music buyers out there. Earlier this spring, Au played a slew of dates with Blitzen Trapper. But the madness certainly isn’t ending there, folks. Still on tap are a bunch of shows with Deerhoof in the midwest; check below for those dates! And don’t forget to head on over to eMusic and snag Au’s Verbs for yourself, and when you do, know that you’re cooler than the other side of the pillow. Believe the hype. We most certainly do. Dates after the jump.
MP3 : Au – Sleep
