Friday Music News

03/10/2017

Janice Headley

Not only is he a talented musician, Ty Segall is quite an accomplished visual artist (see one of his paintings below). And later this month, he'll debut his first-ever solo exhibition in Chicago, titled Assterpiece Theater. A press release reads, "These aren’t multi-media pieces; they are paintings, and Ty’s belief in the promise of the color palette is as strong here as it is in his series of acclaimed rock and roll albums." The show will be on display at Soccer Club Club, "an exhibition and performance space owned and operated by Drag City and located in an intact private bar built by a former Polish soccer star." The opening reception is on March 26th with a performance by Rian Murphy and DJs Hippie Whorehouse. [ Stereogum ]

Let's face it: Mavis Staples always makes a good song even better. Arcade Fire knows it, and apparently so does Benjamin Booker who invited her to guest on the track "Witness." Listen below. It's the title track on his forthcoming full-length, out June 2nd via ATO. In a statement online, Booker reflects on the inspiration for the album -- from the murder of Trayvon Martin to an article about James Baldwin in The New York Times, which brought him to the two questions he feels Americans need to ask: “Am I going to be a Witness?” and in today’s world, “Is that enough?” Read the full piece here. [ Stereogum ]

Not only is the new album from The Shins out today, but frontman James Mercer has revealed an "alternate" version exists. In a writing exercising, Mercer rewrote each song on the LP, creating an entirely new one. The press release expounds, "Mercer’s ability to create two totally divergent albums from the same underlying compositions not only highlights his immense capability as a songwriter, but also functions as a reminder of what it means to be an artist, how an artist acts as both the master and facilitator of his artistic product." Still confused? Today, they share the first example with the track "Name For You." The first video features the album version, and the "flipped" video shows the darker alternate take. And if you go to The Shins website, you can actually play them both simultaneously, seamlessly weaving between the two with an interactive switch. Fun! The Shins play this year’s Sasquatch! Music Festival, 5/26-5/28 at The Gorge in George, Washington. [ Consequence of Sound ]

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