“Last Leaf” Music Video
I love toast. And I love stop motion. So, naturally, I love the concept for this video, OK Go’s “Last Leaf’.
Directed by OK Go, Nadeem Mazen and Ali Mohammad. Bread-animation by Geoff Mcfetridge.
Now there’s a way to use up 215 loaves of stale bread.
P.S. If you remember Geoff Mcfetridge’s name it’s from the documentary, Beautiful Losers that The ‘bowl covered last winter.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Autumn de Wilde & Death Cab for Cutie : New Book
In the market for a new coffee table book? Not likely, but this might just change your mind. Autumn de Wilde will be releasing a new book chronicling her work with indie band Death Cab for Cutie since 2003.
From the Death Cab for Cutie website
“In 2003, photographer Autumn de Wilde began shooting Death Cab for Cutie at a couple of shows at the close of their Transatlanticism tour. In the seven years since then, a collection of 200 photographs, conversations, and personal ephemera contributed by the band have emerged in the form of Autumn’s new book, Death Cab for Cutie.
The book will be available soon through the new online store with an exclusive, limited edition poster. More details to come, so stay tuned for information.”
If this book is anything like her work with Elliott Smith (the cover of his album Figure 8, yep, that’s Autumn), it can be nothing short of phenomenal. So excited.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Out Today : Project Film’s Chicago
Minneapolis/Chicago band Project Film released their debut album today, Chicago from Tandem Shop Records. Check it out, it’s certainly been a long work in progress and turned out pretty in my humble opinion.
Reviewsic Interview/words from Loud Loop Press/ words from Windy City Rock
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Kerouac’s On The Road Finds its Way Onto Film
Word has it Jack Kerouac’s famed On The Road is making its way onto film. Director Walter Salles and screenwriter Jose Rivera have plotted out the screenplay and the final product is set to be released sometime in 2011. The cast includes Viggo Mortensen (glad to see he’s moving on from Aragorn in LotR), Amy Adams, Kirsten Dunst and Kristen Stewart. I’ve gotta say, I’m interested to see how this all unfolds.
Possibly at Cannes…
::Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Stream Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz on NPR
With his show at the Orpheum Theatre on October 16 approaching ever closer, the melody lines of Sufjan Stevens have been playing over and over again in my head (and on my laptop). To make things even better, NPR is currently streaming his upcoming LP The Age of Adz which hits stores on October 12, just as he embarks on his Fall 2010 tour.
Upon a quick first listen of the new album, it sounds like Sufjan has gone down a path much more under the influence of synthesizers and electronica (but what hasn’t these days…) But beyond the computerized dissonances lie the melodic complexities in typical Stevens fashion. Sigh, thank goodness. It’s just not a Sufjan Steven tune without a million different things happening at once and somehow still managing to sound music (and good music at that).
Does this new robot-Stevens suit your liking? Will he ever revisit his banjo strumming days of Michigan? Why am I ending my post in question-style like I write for hipsterrunoff? I. don’t. know. Listen to The Age of Adz for free on NPR and see for yourself.
::Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Skyway Sessions: The Farewell Circuit
The Dustbowl packed up their equipment and headed to the new Infinitea Teahouse in Uptown. No, we weren’t having an herbal refreshment, we were on site to get going on a long overdue Skyway Session with Minneapolis transplants The Farewell Circuit. Local film director, Matt Cici, first wired us to The Farewell Circuit back in April after using one of their songs in the trailer for his film Lambent Fuse.
With the greatest of ease, The Farewell Circuit swiftly filled the space of Infinitea with the ethereal sounds of their latest EP Brother’s Eyes. Just as mesmerizing are the lyrics, which beautifully compliment every chord and chime. They left us with resonating melodies permeating a dream-state we didn’t want to wake from. The EP is available on their bandcamp site for a “pay-what-you-can” price.
If you want to see them for yourself, catch their next show tomorrow, September 10th, 9PM at Nick and Eddie (1612 Harmon Place Minneapolis, MN). Sorry youngbloods, it’s a 21+ event. Also, check out the photos we snapped in our Flickr ‘bowl section.
The Dustbowl
Haley Rheinhart & Rachel Summers
blog.dustbowl@gmail.com
New Telekinesis Video for “Dirty Thing”
More to come later about the new EP!
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening
If “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”, so is This Is Happening. Completely fantastic. If you haven’t listened yet, pick it up on (my new favorite thing) Amazon mp3 for just five measly dollars. Seriously worth the investment.
::Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Photography: Cameron Wittig
As I was looking for some of the interesting images from Catalyst + BLACKFISH, a dance piece running at the University of Minnesota’s Northrop Auditorium, I came across a name I recognized captioned in every photo: Cameron Wittig.
Photo by Cameron Wittig
Sound familiar? If not, then his work will more than likely ring a bell. Wittig is the man behind the gorgeous album art for Andrew Bird’s Noble Beast and Haley Bonar’s Big Star. The Minnesota photographer has also done a fair amount of work with the Walker Art Center, Walker Magazine and a number of other local artists including Dosh, Tapes N Tapes, Retribution Gospel Choir, Fog, The Twilight Hours, Mason Jennings, and Slug. Wittig’s photos exhibit dreamy yet rustic qualities that make them memorable, which may explain why they are littered across the Twin Cities music scene. When you visit his website, make sure to take a look at his personal work, especially the albums Hok Si La, Sightseeing and Lens Flare.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Connect, Connect, Connect.
I’m re-blogging this thanks to Saraya, who posted it on her tumblr earlier today.
“6 Degrees of Black Sabbath” is basically a 6 degrees of separation generator for music. Go ahead, try to stump it. It even found a path (be it longer than average) between Hilary Duff and Death Cab for Cutie. Fun stuff.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Did You Know…
Ever wonder about the story behind some of the band names out there? Obscure old film references, dreams, and landmarks are just a few explanations for these creations. Some are complicated and detailed, some are simple. For example…
Daft Punk
“The name Daft Punk was inspired by a review in the British music magazine Melody Maker, which called their first band Darlin’ “a bunch of daft punk.””
Explosions in the Sky
“One the fourth of July, 1999 the band performed a set for KVRX’s show ‘Local Live’ under the name Breaker Morant. As they unloaded for the gig fireworks displays were in progress. That night they recorded their first track, “Remember Me as a Time of Day,” which appears on Refurbished Robots: KVRX Local Live Volume 4. The rest of the set can be heard here: KVRX 91.7 FM, Local Live, Explosions In The Sky.
Explosions in the Sky drummer, Chris Hrasky explained in an interview:
“We played a local college radio show on July 4, 1999 and as we were unloading our gear we heard the fireworks exploding. So one of us said “can you hear the explosions in the sky?” and that was that.”
I may or may not have spent a good deal of time browsing through the entire list here.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Daytrotter- Maps & Atlases
I’m a little behind on this one but, Maps & Atlases did a Daytrotter Session a couple of weeks back. The few songs they chose to do for the session (most of which are off their just released first LP, Perch Patchwork) are certainly less intense than the Maps & Atlases that I’m used to…
Download the session for free and listen for yourself on Daytrotter.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
The Black Keys: “Tighten Up” Video
A little strange, but mostly brilliant.
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Art & Copy
And now, another dose of documentary from The Dustbowl!
On average, we see as many as 5,000 advertisements a day, whether we notice what they are or not. Art & Copy, a film by Doug Pray, takes a deeper look into this complex industry that is so often taken for granted and criticized. It details some of the advertising giants that we’ve all heard of, like Volkswagen, Apple, MTV, and Tommy Hilfiger, but also some even bigger giants. The agencies behind these companies, DDB Worldwide, Weiden+Kennedy, and TBWA/Chiat/Day, have been not-s0-secretly shaping our culture for more than half a century…
I appreciated the fresh perspective this film gave on the world of advertising, exploring the work and thought processes behind “I want my MTV!” or “Just do it”. You’ll also get to take a look inside some seriously cool offices. Weiden+Kennedy; totally awesome. They have a giant nest upstairs!
If you’ve ever thought about anything beyond the commercials, posters, and banners of advertisement we see so often, I’d recommend checking this film out on Netflix instant play!
:: Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Phasma Ex Machina
Check out this independent (and local) film from director, Matt Osterman… I’m pretty intrigued.
Phasma Ex Machina is Latin for “ghost from the machine”
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
It’s been a while, TK…
It’s been nearly a year since Michael Benjamin Lerner and co. released their debut album, Telekinesis!
In honor of record store day this Saturday, here’s the brand new single from our favorite Telekinesis, courtesy of NPR. Hurrah!
Happy Spring,
Haley&Rachel
blog.dustbowl@gmail.com
Andrew Bird
Thinking back, I’m not sure if I’ve done a post about Andrew Bird…what a shame, considering the large part he plays in the core of my music library.
Anyway, I was just browsing through Vimeo and stumbled upon this little segment of him performing “Plasticities” while roaming about Sydney Harbor in 2008.
One of my favorite things about Mr. Bird (besides his mad violin and whistling skills) is the fact that every performance of his is completely unique. At any of his live shows, you’re not paying money to hear something that sounds just like what you heard on his album, you’re in store for a surprise, a variation, if you will…
Here’s the video from Shoot the Player
Also, check out some other Shoot the Player videos on Vimeo. The just put together a video of Scottish band Frightened Rabbit playing one of my current favorite songs “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”. Make sure to hear to studio version of the song too, the acoustic arrangement is not quite as alive.
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Mates of State Crushes (The Covers Mixtape)
If you’re in need of something to look forward to this summer, listen up. Mates of State just announced a new album entitled Crushes (The Covers Mixtape). The expected release date is sometime this summer. The sooner the better, I say, especially after seeing that the album includes a cover of Death Cab’s “Technicolor Girls”. Read more about it on the Mates of State official site.
Here’s the tracklist:
1. Laura (Girls)
2. Son et Lumiere (The Mars Volta)
3. Sleep the Clock Around (Belle & Sebastian)
4. Technicolor Girls (Death Cab for Cutie)
5. Long Way Home (Tom Waits)
6. Love Letter (Nick Cave)
7. Second Hand News (Fleetwood Mac)
8. 17 Pink Sugar Elephants (Vashti Bunyan)
9. Roller Coaster Ride (Dear Nora)
10. True Love Will Find You in the End (Daniel Johnston)
The first track, “Laura”, is available as a free download on the Mates of State as well.
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
2010 Lollapalooza
The rumors will soon be put to rest as the official line up for the 2010 Lollapalooza Festival in Grant Park will be confirmed tomorrow. Many big names (and Dustbowl favorites) and been leaked; here are a few of the acts that I am getting really excited about…
- The xx
- Dirty Projectors
- Green Day
- Stars
- Phoenix
- Spoon
- Arcade Fire
- The Strokes
- The Temper Trap
- Frightened Rabbit
- MGMT
- The National
- Devo
- The New Pornographers
- Grizzly Bear
- Wolfmother
- Yeasayer
- Metric
- Matt & Kim
- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
- Blitzen Trapper
- Minus the Bear
So much more… check back at the Lollapalooza site tomorrow for the complete official results.
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
She & Him Volume Two
I know I’m a little slow on this, but I just got a hold of She & Him’s (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, respectively) second album Volume Two. Let me just say that it goes above and beyond Volume One, their debut album released back in 2008. I have always been a little unsure of how much I really enjoyed Volume One, save a few songs, but for this new album, Deschanel and Ward really pulled together their strongest element from Volume One to make an album that really feels whole and satisfying. Well done, I now know what’s going to be on many of my summer playlists.
If you know me, you know that I’m not really the biggest proponent of music videos (yeah, I know…), but She & Him’s video for “In the Sun” was just too joyful for me to resist.
You can find She & Him on tour for the next few months. They will be on the First Ave stage in Minneapolis on June 5th.
Haley Rheinhart
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
Voting is easy!
Chicago band Honest Engines has been nominated by Deli Magazine for “Chicago Artist of the Month”. The votes are pretty close right now, and Honest Engines are coming in a close second. Every vote really does matter.
It takes two seconds.
http://chicago.thedelimagazine.com/
If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to Honest Engines yet, pick up their newly released Captain’s Log from Tandem Shop Records.
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
The xx
If you’ve been watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics (the obsession currently overtaking my life) at all, you’ve probably seen that commercial for AT&T. You know, the one with Apolo Ohno skating around the dark track until it ultimately breaks free and starts spinning beneath him like a record?
That’s the one.
The guys behind the music here are none other than The xx, my other latest obsession. Coming to us from London, The xx first showed up on my radar a couple months ago when a good friend of mine insisted that I check them out. I was immediately impressed after downloading their debut album, xx, released in August of 2009.
At times eerily ambient, xx encapsulates The xx’s influences of 80’s guitar sound and American R&B among many things. They have created music that you could immerse yourself in just as easily as you could fall asleep to. Of course, I can’t go without mentioning their use of male and female vocals, ghostly but beautiful, which give the band, perhaps, one of their most tell-tale sounds.
You can find The xx in Minneapolis on April 9th playing a sold out show at the Varsity Theatre. If you already have tickets, lucky you. If you happen to have a couple of spare, contact me. Seriously, guys.
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
We are loving: The Killers Hot Fuss
Sure, it came out in 2004, but The Killers’ Hot Fuss has made its mark as a classic in The Dustbowl’s music library. Beyond the hit singles, “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me”, we can’t help but fall for every song on the album. So, go through your music and give Hot Fuss a breath of fresh air for this new decade.
— Haley Rheinhart —
haley.dustbowl@gmail.com
The Dustbowl’s 365 Day Celebration!
Loyal fans, friends, and stumblers, after 365 days of The Dustbowl we would first off like to thank you for your kind thoughts and support. For everyone who has helped out with this site including all of the contributing writers who took time out of their busy college lives to submit work, we applaud you. Many thanks to the videographers that helped out on Skyway Sessions and Matt Cici for your countless direction and great attitude. And to those of you who kept us company during the hours upon hours of editing, we love you.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Twin Cities and all of the artists who inspire us to continue down this dusty trail of sharing what we feel most passionate about– music, film, and other facets of popular culture.
The Dustbowl will never be perfect, but we surely will try and we’ll always make allusions to old Death Cab songs as long as we’re able. We’re just two girls trying to remain conscious and hoping to shake every sleeping car we can.
To commemorate our one year anniversary, we’d like to share with you a playlist showcasing a mixture of artists we’ve reviewed in the past year along with some of our personal favorite songs. Thanks again and keep reading in 2010!
The mixing ‘bowl volume.001
Adele-Hometown Glory
The Beatles- Octopus’s Garden
Beyonce- Ego
Bishop Allen-South China Moon
Blitzen Trapper-Sleepytime in the Western World
Bon Iver- Re: Stacks
Broken Bells- The High Road
Caroline Smith- Where Has Sally Gone?
City and Colour- Sleeping Sickness
Clipse- Hot Damn
Death Cab for Cutie- Coney Island
The Dirty Projectors-Stillness is the Move
Drake-Little Bit (feat. Lykke Li)
Duffy-Scared
Fat Segal-Clutch (Skins Theme)
Fleet Foxes- Oliver James
Florence and the Machine- I’m Not Calling You a Liar
Gorillaz- Feel Good Inc.
Haley Bonar-Queen of Everything
Honest Engines- Sweet Familiar Doubt
Jenny Lewis-Acid Tongue
Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West-Make Her Say
The Killers-Midnight Show
Kristoff Krane- Crystal Clear
Lightspeed Champion- All to Shit
Leonard Nimoy- The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
Lupe Fiasco- Go Go Gadget Flow
Lykke Li- Dance, Dance, Dance
Maps and Atlases- The Most Trustworthy Tin Cans
Matt & Kim- Daylight
Noisettes-Saturday Night
Rilo Kiley- Pictures of Success
The Smiths- There’s a Light That Never Goes Out
Stars- The Calandar Girl
Telekinesis!- Coast of Carolina
Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down- Bag of Hammers
The Ting Tings- We Walk
The Veils- Sit Down by the Fire
–The Dustbowl —
Haley Rheinhart and Rachel Summers
blog.dustbowl@gmail.com
The Dustbowl 