Aquarius Records rave of the week:

IRON & WINE "Our Endless Numbered Days" (Sub Pop) cd + cd ep/lp + 7" 14.98/13.98 So here we go again! Iron And Wine's The Creek Drank The Cradle was an AQ record of the week last year, was a unanimous staff favorite, and made most of our top ten lists for the year. Rightfully so we might add. A more beautiful and perfect record we hadn't heard in forever. And a lot of times we try not to make another record by the same band a record of the week, since usually it's hard for a band to deliver another record as good as THAT record, the one that blew us away and convinced us it had to be record of the week. But of course sometimes we do, and sometimes a band does, and this new Iron And Wine just happens to be that record. Sam Beam, who pretty much IS Iron And Wine has upped the ante, somehow navigating the precarious course of trying to progress and grow and explore, without ruining what was already basically perfect. And somehow he's done it. All of the things we loved so much about the first record are still present: gently fingerpicked guitar, sweetly breathy vocals, gorgeous harmonies, melancholy melodies, twangy banjo, slippery slide guitar, wistful and cryptic lyrics amd songs. The songs! So perfectly sweet and instantly classic. Songs that you find yourself humming to yourself even after only one listen. So what is it about this new record that makes it worthy of record of the week status? Hard to say. In fact we weren't sure if this record was actually better, or if we were just so excited to have more Iron And Wine! Because on first listen, Our Endless Numbered Days sounds like the perfect part two of The Creek Drank The Cradle. Which is a good thing. A very good thing in fact. We were all wishing The Creek was twice as long or even ten times as long. One of those records you want to never end. But the more we listened to Our Endless Numbered Days, the more it revealed itself as an entirely new record. But subtly so. It's a little more aggressive, and propulsive, the drums play a bigger part, and there are some distinctly intense bits, where the guitars are rough and the drums kind of rock. But only kind of. The core of the record is still Beam's perfect pop songs, twangy and folky, but sweet and lush, with melodies that while totally memorable and unforgettable, are so unique and fresh to your ears that you just have to sit and listen and let the sounds and songs envelop you. Some obvious reference points are Elliott Smith, America, Bread, Palace, Songs:Ohia, but the more you listen, and the more we hear from Iron And Wine, the more we realise that Beam occupies a singular place in popular music, referencing all sort of other musics, but existing totally and completely in his own sonic space. It's a rare performer who can pull that off, especially nowdays drawing from a century of recorded music. The only complaint we have, and it may not bother you if you don't mind buying the same record twice, is that both formats, cd and lp, come with different extra music. The cd comes with a bonus disc that includes two demo versions and two unreleased tracks. The lp comes with a bonus 7" with two entirely different bonus tracks. Argh. So to get it all, you have to buy both, but if you had to buy one record twice, it might as well be one as good as this!

All of the things we loved so much about the first record are still present: gently fingerpicked guitar, sweetly breathy vocals, gorgeous harmonies, melancholy melodies, twangy banjo, slippery slide guitar, wistful and cryptic lyrics amd songs

I concur.

So perfectly sweet and instantly classic. Songs that you find yourself humming to yourself even after only one listen.

Hmm. I've listened to it five times or so now and I have had none stick in my head. Creek did so much more than this one.

I still think I like Creek better, but Our Endless Numbered Days is fantastic - and I'm just glad to have a new one because Creek and the Sea EP were getting worn out from overplay.

This one has a lot more instrumentation on it - piano even and the addition of drums makes it pretty different than the other two.

goes back to semi-sulking about KU loss

Meara, I'm glad you like that song! And I do the same thing with my iPod. Except that I've downloaded a ton of Emusic stuff to it, so probably one song in twenty on it I'VE NEVER HEARD. Which I think is fun, but other people seem to think is CRAZY.

A sampling of profiles and authors from RS current "50 Greatest Artists" issue:

Ray Charles by Van Morrison
Bo Diddley by Iggy Pop
Bruce Springsteen by Jackson Browne
The Ramones by Lenny Kaye
Led Zeppelin by Dave Grohl (who wonders "Who knows if we'd all be watching Lord of the Rings movies right now if it wasn't for Zeppelin?") and Grohl also admits to having John Bonham tattoos on his wrists, arms and shoulders
Madonna by Britney Spears (Britney notes that "you can see her influence in some of the younger generation like Kelley Clarkson and Shakira...")
David Bowie by Lou Reed

and my personal favorite:

Little Richard by Little Richard

Listening to Our Endless Numbered Days for the first time right now.

Madonna by Britney Spears (Britney notes that "you can see her influence in some of the younger generation like Kelley Clarkson and Shakira...")

heeeeeeeeee.

Question mostly for Jilli, but open to anyone:

I bought a CD this weekend called "Projekt: The New Face of Goth," mostly because I wanted the "Brains!" song on it. My questions are: is it, in fact, goth, and if so, are these artists the *new* face of goth?

Here's the track listing:

1. Android Lust: Stained (video edit)
2. Audra: Cabaret Fortune Teller
3. Lycia: Pray (radio edit)
4. Black tape for a blue girl: the lie which refuses to die
5. Voltaire: BRAINS! (from the Cartoon Network’s Grim and Evil)
6. Unto Ashes: Witches’ Rune
7. Attrition: Two gods... are better than one (previously unreleased)
8. BLEAK: In Vain
9. Lowsunday: Wallpaper Room (radio edit)
10. Mira: Divine
11. Mors Syphilitica: The Hues of Longing
12. Love Spirals Downwards: Stir About the Stars
13. Voltaire: Goodnight, Demon Slayer (previously unreleased)

That Projekt sampler is a good array of current goth bands (as opposed to the synthpop, oontz, tweedly-tweedly beepstompstomp bands that get played at goth clubs).

Most of those bands aren't really *new*; Black Tape for a Blue Girl has been around since the early 90s, so has Attrition. Audra, Unto Ashes, and Mira have been around for a couple of years, as has Voltaire. But since that sampler is one of the better goth-comps in recent years, so I'm fine with letting them get away with the "New" tag.

Did you like "Goodnight, Demon Slayer"?

Did you like "Goodnight, Demon Slayer"?

I didn't get that far -- the CD is in my car, and I'm listening to the whole thing in order. I'll listen to it when I go to the gym in a bit.

Love love LOVE the Voltaire "Brains!" song. It ought to be the Buffista Fight Song.

But I get kind of a rockabilly flavor from it -- not a flavor; more like a fudge swirl through vanilla bean ice cream -- is that crazy? Are goth and rockabilly incompatible? Or, is that crazy because I'm hearing something that isn't there?

I think you'd really like all of Voltaire's cds. I'll try and remember to copy 'em for you in the next few days.