Wednesday, January 31, 2007

KVRX 91.7 plays "Battleship Potemkin"

Welcome to the KVRX Student Radio playlist archives.

University of Texas
Austin, Texas
:: current playlist ::
Phil Goetz's Nap Time with DJ No Alias :: 21:00

Battleship Potemkim "track 4" (del rey and the sun kings, on Trakwerx)
"Drama In The Harbor"

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

THE NEXT BIG THING Reviews Trakwerx releases

January 30 Posted 8:12 AM by Lindsay Hutton

“The Spirit Girls sound has been described as something of a cross between Sonic Youth, King Crimson and 17th Century French Romantic paintings”, it sez in the blurb. Well I never heard any of The Paintings stuff but I don’t recognise a lot of similarity with the other two. “Forever Free” is a concept piece that floats these souls through the imaginary landscapes en route to their billet in the afterlife. It has a folky edge tempered with that LA-pop ethic. It’s actually pretty unusual and coming as it does in some nifty digi-packaging it looks like something on Sympathy. I think it sounds like Sandy Denny just found out she was Buffy and has to deal with it… no actually that’s bollocks but I’m not sure this thing can be pigeonholed. “Milk Maid” (track 2) recalls Angel CC, mainly because of the accordion. Otherwise it has an almost classical rock feel. Not classic rock dumbass, more of a symphonic afterburn. My other immediate favourite was “Small Town” with it’s Ministry type industrial segue into Burundi drumming and back to the gothosphere. I imagine that this section is breathtaking in a live situ. “Haunted Horse” is one of the great titles, so it’s an extra that it’s a cool song also with a kind of toytown Suicideness about it. “Song for the Spirit Girls” would be Abby from NCIS’s favourite I think. The Spirit Girls have been kissed with a little of that David Lynch soundtrack fairy dust. As a whole “Forever Free” has that detached void feel pretty much down pat while still selecting the odd heartstring to pluck. Peculiar but well worth the effort. Also check out lead SG Marni Weber’s arthaus!

Del Rey and The Sun Kings “Battleship Potemkin” is a homage to the silent Eisenstien movie. The director had stated that he hoped that a new soundtrack for the film might be composed every 10 years. The film is now 82 years old or thereabouts and I think that onetime Savage Republic man Jackson Del Rey was horrified that the most recent attempt was by The Pet Shop Boys. This somewhat ambient score somehow seems more fitting and I wonder if there have actually been public screenings with this providing the sonic backdrop. As composition goes, the kraut-rockish elements interweave with more traditional instrumentation. I don’t have the credentials to even begin to tell you how this guy has succeeded in such an astronomical task. But he has.

17 Pygmies were active in the 80’s but I don’t recall them at all. Their musical stylings have been dubbed “arcanica” by themselves. Apparently it means no-hit wonders. This "13 Blackbirds/13 Lotus" doublepack isn’t something you can stick on and instantly become acquainted with. It’s intricate and practically baroque. Folk but not as you reporter is familiar with the form. The pastoral piano shards of “Bley” other-world music are better soaked up in a peaceful environment. I tried playing it loud but it made much more sense at a more gentle volume. Maybe they could come up with some kind of pod for you to climb into for best results. Like a flotation tank.

Visit Trakwerx and check out these strange, NEW, sounds for yourself. The proof of the pudding after all…http://www.trakwerx.com/label.htm

Monday, January 29, 2007

High Bias' LiveJournal Reviews "Forever Free"

January 25, 2007

THE SPIRIT GIRLS
Forever Free…
(Trakwerx/End is Here)
Rock bands that grow out of other projects—in this case a rock opera called The Spirit Girls: Songs that Never Die—are often a dicey proposition at best. Fortunately, artist/songwriter Marnie Weber’s group the Spirit Girls (which includes cellist Tanya Haden, of the well-traveled Haden clan) is no failure. Weber’s muse flits hither and yon, from acid folk (“The Hunted Little Green Grass Girl”) to industrial hard rock (“Small Town”) to gothic drone (“Haunted Horse”) to avant pop (“Airstream Dream”) to psychedelic instrumentals (“Graveyard Song”). Her serviceable melodies and forceful singing link the menagerie together, and the band brings each vision to colorful life. Forever Free… is more of a promising beginning than any kind of masterpiece, but as art projects-turned-bands go, the Spirit Girls are more substantial than ephemeral. Michael Toland

Sunday, January 28, 2007

WNEC 99.1 plays 17 PYGMIES

17 Pygmies on WNEC 99.1 "SELDOM HEARD RADIO"/ New Hampshire

Western New England College radio station in Henniker, NH
DJ Frederick plays "Tree of Life" from 13 Blackbirds release
January 27, 2007

Seldom Heard Radio - Music & Culture in the Spirit of Free Radio
Music & culture in the spirit of free radio - featuring news and musings related to my "Seldom Heard Radio" broadcasts, independent music, community radio, pirate (free) radio, shortwave listening, zines & other alternative homegrown media, and interviews with bands and others promoting DIY culture.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Sonic Reducer review of "Forever Free"

Sonic Reducer
By Marisa Demarco



The Spirit Girls Forever Free (The End is Here Records)
If angry porcelain dolls made art rock, this is what it would sound like, though such a narrow label does this disc little justice. Lush with archetypal symbolism (ships, nests, bears, Ophelia), the chanted words yank your dream head from its murky depths. Don't listen to The Spirit Girls while operating heavy machinery--not unless you're using it to construct a life-sized dollhouse for your ghostly interior self, the one who's right at home with these pale, ethereal rock moppets. Be prepared to drift through long beds of soundscape with cellos, excessive panning and mostly tasteful vintage effects. Though not inaccessible, this album won't work for you if you're looking for something opaque, solid and tangible—in a word, easy.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Lunar Hypnosis review of The Spirit Girls

The Spirit Girls - Forever Free
Trakwerx/End Is Here Records - 2006
1. Anthem For ofelia
2. Milk Maid
3. The Hunted Little Green Grass Girl
4. Comforting The Bears
5. Small Town
6. Airstream Dream
7. Haunted Horse
8. Graveyard Song
9. Song For The spirit Girls
10. The Ship Song

This is the release CD by a band called "The Spirit Girls" which apparently have caused quite a buzz in their native California. Comprised of 5 female members, this band's music is firmly entrenched in what would be considered "avant-garde" music these days.

This band grew out of a rock opera called "The Spirit Girls: Songs That Never Die" by Marnie Weber. I had never heard of such a piece of work myself, but for some this will be familiar.

Simply judging this band by the cover should give you pretty much a good idea of what they are about, because the cover and the artwork alone remind me so much of some of the art that used to be prevalent in the 70s with some of the prog bands.

The music then more or less follows the artwork on the cover and the rest of the CD. This is pretty much music that will not follow the ordinary path and thus cannot be considered commercial. The backbone of all the songs on this CD are more or less morose and laid back vocals by most of the members of this ensemble, accompanied by all kinds of keyboards and of all things a cello, which makes the music even more laid back but also gives it a more or less restless character.

For me the song that easily stands out the most is "graveyard Song" which reminded me so much of parts of the fantastic Tiamat "Wildhoney" album with the laid back guitars and the ever present. Immediately after that song they switch to a track that reminds me of some of the experimental punk music in the 80s with bands like "Chrome" with the added ambiance by the cello sound.

If you think you will be getting a happy go along album in the vein of the old Tom Tom Club you are in for a surprise. These women can actually play and all the compositions have a very strong personality, making this an album that you have to pay attention to.

Finally, in my opinion they did a fantastic job in the actual recording of the whole enchilada. This sounds pretty much like a true stereo album, just like the ones they used to do in the 70s on vinyl. Why? Because in addition to the excellent sound across the board they actually mixed it up with both vocals and sound effects going from side to side as well as all over the soundstage the recording creates. This of course does not make it a "live" sounding CD, but definitely complements the music to perfection.

January 6, 2007
By Carlos
8 of 10

Monday, January 22, 2007

The Spirit Girls RECORD RELEASE PARTY

The Spirit Girls will be performing LIVE at the Los Angeles venue Marvimon.

To purchase tickets and learn more go to:
www.marvimon.com

Sigtronica WMBR 88.1 FM Airplay for 17 Pygmies

Cambridge, MA radio station

17 PYGMIES - 13 Blackbirds
"Water Carry Me"

http://www.sigtronica.org/category/playlists/

Friday, January 19, 2007

More WXDU Airplay for 17 Pygmies!

"we are all fuzzy robots" with michelle h.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
17 Pygmies - 13 Blackbirds
"13 Blackbirds"

"Humpday Morning Zoo" with Jamie V.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
17 Pygmies - 13 Blackbirds
"13 Blackbirds"

17 Pygmies loves Duke University!

http://www.duke.edu/

Monday, January 15, 2007

Battleship Potemkin Review

Under The Rainbow
Issue #96
March/April 2007
by Roger Moser, Jr.

Del Rey & The Sun Kings “Battleship Potemkin” (Trakwerx, POB 1467, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272). In this extravagantly packaged CD release, Del Rey & The Sun Kings present a mesmerizing epic update of the original score for the 1925 Russian silent film The Battleship Potemkin. It’s a magical, awe-inspiring array of lush, ambient, transcendental sounds that stir within me a deep desire to traverse the seven seas and explore every nook and cranny of unblemished earthen soil. I would then bellow from the mountaintops of Tibet and swim the frigid, ancient fjords of Norway and somewhere along the way die a content man knowing the world was all mine even though for just a brief while. A feeling of beautiful brashness abounds within the delicate splendor of each musical strand as gently swaying violins blend with trumpets and various electronic emissions. I am left to freely soar with the wind and experience true joy as a child again. (CD)-Moser

Forever Free Review

THE BIG TAKE-OVER
Review by Jack Rabid – Issue 59

The Spirit Girls

FOREVER FREE (TRAKWERX/END IS HERE)

These five ghostly women are veterans from unusual L.A. bands going back 20 years, such as drummer Debbie Spinelli from Radwaste and Party Boys, and one of the Haden sisters, cellis Tanya. Trakwerx is run by Jackson Del Rey out of Savage Republic and 17 Pygmies. (So the foldout and booklet are top notch.) Forever Free…then, is supreme genre-busting. Haden’s sweet cello contrasts Tani Tull’s dark, Breeders-gone-moody guitars, bolstering Marnie Weber’s phalanz of nine sinister synthesizers and ominous vocals. Not quite goth, this still conjures the post-Bowie/Eno Berlin collaboration ‘80s, when dark-chilly post-punk employed murky, doomy edges against textural beauty, like The Cure, Red Temple Spirits, Strange Times Chameleons, and Shiva Burlesque. This is a tribal ritual and child nightmare about scary hobo clowns, haunted horses and worried bears; music that makes you feel strange. (trakwerx.com)

Oklahoma Gazetter review for 17 Pygmies

17 Pygmies
13 Blackbirds
Trakwerx
17 Pygmies have been away for 17 years, but the 10-member 2006 version of the California consortium has returned younger than yesterday to produce its best work yet, a 30-track, two-disc beguiling behemoth.

Even if you discount the fact that disc two is 13 versions of the same song, done in wildly differing ways by different folks, the first disc is enough to satisfy even the heartiest appetites for misty, untethered folk with occasional string flourishes and, on "Lotus" .. the oft-repeated song on disc two .. heavy beats. It's as if Mazzy Star lost the blues, if Opal rode again or the Cannanes made a decent-sounding record.

The title track stands out for nice percussion and vocals that would sound equally at home at a nice wedding or a Goth funeral. Highly recommended for night driving or as the soundtrack to a snowed-in evening.

http://www.okgazette.com/news/templates/cd.asp?articleid=1092&zoneid=22

Sunday, January 7, 2007

MORE 17 PYGMIES AIRPLAY

Seldom Heard Radio
music & culture in the spirit of free radio
WNEC 91.7 Henniker NH
Playlist 1/07/2007
DJ Frederick, producer / host


Brian Auger's Oblivion Express ---- Maiden Voyage ---Live Oblivion
Floydian Slip --- In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - Boars Boots III
Brrr - Jesse Todd - 7" vinyl
17 Pygmies - Last Train - 7" vinyl
Pete Greenwood - Heavy Eva - 7" vinyl from the Great Pop Supplement
Eidas Mai - Where To Begin - 7" vinyl from the Great Pop Supplement
Reigns - The Blank Tape - 7" vinyl
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - I See the Rain - The Pillowcase EP
Caroline Glass & Friends - Invisible Now - EP
Dewer - Surprise Me Now - promo
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Stairway To Heaven - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Greenpot Bluepot - Warraw - mp3
Hush Arbors - Sugar Mountain - mp3
Herbie Mann - Amazon River - Et Tu Flute

Friday, January 5, 2007

More 17 Pygmies airplay

From the Campus of MIT, we're on the playlist on WMBR:

12/21/06
Lotus (Squeezebox Mix)

We love you MIT!

17 Pygmies Airplay

Check out who is playing 17 Pygmies on the radio already!

WZBC 90.3 FM Newton
Boston College Radio plays 17 Pygmies Jan. 1, 2007

http://spinitron.com/public/index.php?station=wzbc&year=2007&month=Jan&find=17+pygmies&kind=artist

Songs played from "13 Blackbirds":
"Heavenly Creatures"
Lotus (Distressed Mix)
Lotus (original mix)

More news to come...