Campfires-Fortune Teller

It's finally happened. After countless cassettes and seven inches, Campfires will be releasing their debut album Tomorrow, Tomorrow this coming February via Fire Talk. Utter joy! With this news comes a brand new track and possibly the best indication of what Tomorrow, Tomorrow will be like with "Fortune Teller". A bright, sunshine filled song that is the equivalent Forever Changes Love as played by a twitchy C-86 band. "Fortune Teller" has a noticeably higher production than Campfires songs of yore, but the band makes the transition to hi-fi smoothly, allowing all the simple instrumentation of the track to ring out clearly, thus filling out the song's psych-folk indie pop sound more so than ever before. More so, band master mind Jeff Walls' vocals have their first chance in the spot light, adding wiry, subtle, and earnest charm to the track that would have ever wise been lacking. I have been waiting for this album for ages, so for it be arriving so soon, coupled with hearing an excellent foreshadowing in the form of "Fortune Teller", have just made my day.



Links:

Campfires's Website
Pre-order Tomorrow, Tomorrow here, from Fire Talk Records

Campfires-Slaughter Tropes Cassette

It's weird, but Campfires music works better in long form then in short bursts. Take for example their previous release, the Dusty Mansions 7" they did for Small Plates. It was a mighty mine seven inch, and it had some of their best songs to date (especially the impeccable "Chasing Planets"), but it also felt strangely incomplete at the same time.

Which is what makes their latest release, the triumphant return to the cassette that is Slaughter Tropes, all the better. This is the way Campfires was meant to be heard, with all the dimensions of the band present at once. Because yes, for every "Melted Rubber Soul", the cassette's lead off track of gooey guitar lines piled on cooed vocals, there is also the 30 second sound college of "Fuck Zurich Anyway" or "So Far Gone" which is just the band repeating the song title over and over again. And these sections/songs, which would be throw away moments on most other bands' releases, work so well when done by Campfires (mostly thanks to the band's ability to meld beautiful, fragment melodies into those fragments of songs). Campfires has realized what Guided by Voices figured out (and in turn forgot as well); that experimentation with one's sound can flesh it out and expand everything around it. Especially when your crafting songs as bright as "Distant Hills" or "Red Five & Dime", they jump from simple psych pop to glorious lo-fi psychedelic gems.

(mp3) Campfies-Melted Rubber Soul
(mp3) Campfies-Distant Hills

Links:

Campfires' Website
Buy the Slaughter Tropes here, from Campfires' bandcamp

Campfires-Amelia

It’s always fun to discover a new Campfires song floating around the web. They’re like mini treasures because you never know when one will appear, on what format in what situation. “Amelia” is a nice new step for the band, having a lot less of that “everything is falling apart” sound to it especially in the percussion. In fact the whole song is probably the most the band has ever gotten to invoking their name in a song. However, that all adds up to something wondrous, a sparkling indie/folk/pop/mild psychedelia tune that doesn’t erupt like the others, but has a slow burn effect to it that swallows the whole body. “Amelia” is off Twosyllable's Chicago Compilation cassette that is filled to the brim of bands waiting to be adored by all as they pop said cassette into a speaker to envelope them and all those around.

(mp3) Campfires-Amelia

Links:

Campfires’ Bandcamp
Buy the Chicago Compilation here, from Twosyllable Records

Campfires-Chasing Planets

How in the world did I miss this one? Despite constant blog browsing, I still somehow managed to miss a brand new Campfires track being released onto the world! Well allow me to correct the situation. What is delivered with "Chasing Planets" is a new layered to the mind of band leader Jeff Walls. Probably the longest track the band has ever delivered, it signifies the band momentarily taking a step back from the heavy post-psychedelia influenced pop tracks he was previously serving up, but instead just diving in and giving the world a nice little fuzz ball of a song. It is rumored to be off his upcoming debut album next year, and needless to say, another reason why 2011 will be another incredible year for music.

(mp3) Campfires-Chasing Planets (via The Road Goes Ever On)

Links:

Campfires' Website

Secret Cities and Campfires

I've going to be spending the next few days playing musical catch up after my extended break. And while I'm going to enjoy it (the Best Coast LP is sooo good!), knowing what to post is going to be a little bit tricky. Luckily, I was dropped with two stellar pop tunes that are buzzing out of my tiny computer speakers as I type. The first is Secret Cities' "Pink Graffiti Pt. 1" , a song that I know has been floating around for awhile from these North Dakota kids, but since I always come later to the party, this should be expected. It's one of those swirly pop songs that are all over the web these days, and sounds something like a more K Records version of Oberhofer's "I Could Go" (another increasingly favorite song), which pretty much means this song is pop nirvana. I heard their Pink Graffiti album is also great, so I am going to dive into that as well.

(mp3) Secret Cities-Pink Graffiti Pt. 1

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What way better than to greet me home them then a brand new Campfires song too?! Seriously I don't know if this kid can do wrong. If you still haven't gotten one of his cassettes or singles, I don't have the faintest idea what your waiting for. "Eastward, God Damn It!" is a bit of a new step, punchier and more rocking, but still wonderful in that Campfires way. Some might only consider this a throw away song, but for everyone else, it is less than a minutes worth of bliss. Thanks to the always great Georgia of MME for the track.

(mp3) Campfires-Eastward God Damn It! (via Microphone Memory Emotion)

Various Deficiencies Vol. 1

As part of the steady stream of indie labels putting out free, and really good, mp3 samplers of all their current and upcoming releases, Blackburn Recordings has put one out as well with CHOCOLATE BOBKA titled Various Deficiencies Vol. 1. For those who (understandably) don’t know, Blackburn Recordings is a brand new indie label who just put out Big Troubles’ newest 7". This 17-track sampler is an awesome mix and a great showing of what’s to come from this label. Note the new Cloud Nothings and Campfires tracks, as well as tracks from up and coming bands like City Center and Coasting. Also, this is apparently going to be put on a limited number of cassettes, so people can get their physical release fix in as well. I can’t wait to see what Blackburn puts out next.

Various Deficiencies Vol 1. Track List:

City Center - Grow Up Again
Big Troubles - Chalk Circles
Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever
Campfires - Oh Golden Dawn
Sore Eros - Melting
Brett Marren - Love Is A Jawbreaker
Possum - Red Hot
Coasting - Snow Song (Live on WNYU)
Lame Drivers - Working Song
Metal Rouge - Fast Flora Lights
Cursillistas - Trail of Tears
sleep in sundays - Flour
Falsetto Boy - Hey Sue
mountainhood - Coney Island
Sleep Over - The Key
Island's Eyelids - Western Cameo
Sultan - There Goes My Girl

Download Various Deficiencies Vol. 1 here.

Check out Blackburn Recordings here.