Rubin Recommends

I can’t be more excited, Bowerbirds will be releasing their sophomore album, Upper Air on Dead Oceans on July 7th. I loved their last record Hymns for a Dark Horse so much (listening to it now.)

Their new song “Northern Lights” is beautiful and I can only imagine the rest of the album will follow in the same, listen below.

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(MP3)

Listen to more at Myspace.
Purchase Hymns for a Dark Horse at Amazon.
Bowerbirds + Megafaun will be on tour starting in July. View the tour dates here.

I just had the honor of flipping the switch on We Love You So, the new blog of Spike Jonze and and the movie Where The Wild Things Are. I’m totally excited to be apart of this, and it’s full of great content, so tell everyone you know.

http://weloveyouso.com

ps. I love this video that Lance Bangs did, “Where The Wild Things Are, Focus Group #1.”

pictured above: St. Vincent – Actor

(If they have a STAR by them, it means I’ve heard it and I like it. Album title links go to Amazon. If I miss any good releases, please add them in the comments.)

A-Trak: Fabriclive.45
Akron/Family: Set Em Wild, Set Em Free *
Bob Mould: Life and Times *
Comet Gain: Broken Record Prayers
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: Outer South
Cracker: Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey
Depeche Mode: The Lowdown
Double Dagger: More *
Electric Owls: Ain’t Too Bright
Fischerspooner: Entertainment
Isis: Wavering Radiant *
Julie Doiron, Calm Down, It’s Monday: Heavy Snow & Nice To…
Junior Boys: Begone Dull Care
Kevin Devine: Brother’s Blood
Love: The Forever Changes Concert *
Magik Markers: Balf Quarry
Mika Miko: We Be Xuxa *
Our Brother the Native: Sacred Psalms
Patrick Watson: Wooden Arms
Peaches: I Feel Cream
Pink Mountaintops: Outside Love
Shout Out Out Out Out: Reintegration Time
Sigur Ros: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust Deluxe
St. Vincent: Actor *
Tara Jane O’Neil: A Ways Away

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

I discovered Dan Monick’s work in Anthem Magazine while in photo school, (I’m sure I’ve told this story before…) I wrote him an email after seeing that photo, ended up he was on tour with Les Savvy Fav which came through Boston, where we met up. A little under a year later, I moved to Los Angeles and became his neighbor on the backside of the Silver Lake reservoir.

He’s a very talented photographer and used to hit the drums in the band Lifter Puller, as well as others I’m sure. He rules it.

View his photography at http://dmonick.com and his blog here.

Rubin: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Monick: Well I have really dug in to the design of my book for Gingko Press which is a document of all the work I have done with Atmosphere and Rhyme Sayers. This project has been going on forever and is very close to being finalized. I was just in a show in Philly, and I’m in one in LA this week called Stoked Sessions I just bought a color copier and I’m starting a short run color copy press with Anthony Anzalone. Just moved into a new studio, cranking out the LA Record each month and there are some super exciting things going on with that that I can’t talk about yet. Two solo shows this fall in LA and Canada. Just shot a video for designer Valerj Probega’s Fall 09 collection. Also commercial print work with Dell, Activision, and others.

Rubin: Where have you traveled so far this month?

Monick: I’m in Paris right now and I’ve been to Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis in the last month or so.

Rubin: What’s your favorite music right now?

Monick: My iTunes recently played has LCD Soundsystem, The Cars, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Frankie Vali, From Bubblegum to Sky, The Cult, Languis, No Age, Thunderclap Newman, Tom Petty, MGMT, Eddie Money, and Thin Lizzy.

Rubin: Best food you’ve had in your neighborhood lately or while you were traveling?

Monick: I had a scone at the Trails café in Griffith Park that was seriously one of the most mind blowing things Ive ever had. Dude knows his baking. That and the Lebonese food we just had in the Latin Quarter at a place called the Savannah Cafe. Oh and the fish sandwich I had at Wholey’s in Pittsburgh. Amazing.

Rubin: Anything else you want to mention?

Monick: Peace. And that Luis Farfan is a genius.

View the work of painter Amy Casey. When I saw these I was like wow. That’s all I have to say.  (via booooooom)

This is the beautiful new exclusive limited edition print that is over at Little Paper Planes (part of Little Paper Press) by Jessica Cannon. You can read an interview with her here, purchase the print, and see more of her artwork at http://www.jescannon.com.

Split Lip, (that later became Chamberlain) was a Midwestern Hardcore band that turned into Post Hardcore (what do these terms even mean?) from Indianapolis, Indiana in the mid to late 90′s.

This Flashback made the most sense today because they are playing reunion shows tonight in Louisville w/ Guilt (another reunion), Indianapolis tomorrow (Saturday) and Chicago on Sunday, I wish I was going to them. (Thanks Thommy for the corrections.)

I remember when my friend Brett came over freshman year of high school with Split Lip’s Fates Got A Driver on vinyl, I put it on, and loved it. When their song “Magnetic 62nd” came out on the Anti Matter comp, I think I put it on every mix tape that I made since the late in the late 90′s.

(Just a side note, this is one of the many reasons I ended up working at Doghouse Records and the reason I am where I am today. Weird how everything works out.)

Their full length’s include For The Love Of The Wounded (Split Lip), Fate’s Got a Driver (Split Lip then reissued as Chamberlain),  The Moon, My Saddle, and Exit 263. They also released a few singles and were on a lot of comps.

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(MP3)

Learn more on their Facebook fan page.
Purchase their records at Doghouse. They have a newly released version of Fate’s Got A Driver on white vinyl.
Buy their music digital at Amazon.
Find about a little bit more at Wikipedia.