self-titled magazine :: s/t daily » Free Blood

As you might have noticed last week—when our self-titled widget switched from a bare-chested Jay Reatard to an unforeseen pairing of Free Blood and School of Seven Bells—we’ve finally unveiled our third digital issue. As always, we encourage you to view it in full-screen mode (the option is on the far right part of the toolbar) and keep your eye out for embedded links. Feel free to forward what’s inside, too …

PRESS HERE TO START READING

School of Seven Bells and Free Blood survive self-titled’s first-ever fashion shoot.
…Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely invites us to his Brooklyn art studio.
cLOUDDEAD reunite … for a couple hours.
Titus Andronicus provides us with the greatest pull quote ever.
A.C. Newman puts up with our “Lib Service” crap.
The director of Wild Combination talks about how he made an Arthur Russell documentary with little-to-no original Arthur footage.
Circlesquare discusses why David Lynch films keep him up at night.
Zombi defends Genesis—yes, even the Phil Collins stuff.
Los Campesinos! take us on a tour of Cardiff.
Further distractions from Cut Off Your Hands, Oneida, Gentleman Jesse, and Francis and the Lights.

Up next: Our first fully-interactive issue, hitting ’stands’ in May.

S/T Survived…Our Own Damn Show, Featuring School of Seven Bells, Free Blood, Juan Maclean and Justin Miller

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Words and Photos by Aaron Richter

Sold out, they said. And we say, thank you! New York City packed into (Le) Poisson Rouge on a frigid evening this past Saturday to catch self-titled’s Oscillations party, featuring performances by Free Blood and School of Seven Bells with DJ sets by The Juan Maclean and Justin Miller. The venue was crammed. The fog was dense. The dancing was abundant. The drinks were spilled. And the acts were fantastic. Special thanks to Ghostly and DFA for helping make this evening happen and to (Le) Poisson Rouge for totally understanding when we just needed to get one more (promise!) person in on our guestlist.

[DFA dude and generally awesome guy Justin Miller worked the decks between sets.]

[(Le) Poisson Rouge was packed at capacity for the set by upcoming self-titled cover stars School of Seven Bells.]

["Half Asleep" proved to be the crowd-pleaser. NYC really loves this band!]

[self-titled Art Director Garrett Morin fell in love with Free Blood singer (and upcoming S/T cover star) Madeline Davy.]

[John Pugh dedicated "Grumpy" to Barack Obama before starting a chant of "Four more days." Then everything got crazy.]

[Dunno what happened to that "live acid set," but Juan Maclean spun great tracks late into the evening, including cuts from his upcoming album, The Future Will Come.]

For more photos, check here and here. Thanks again to everyone who came out.

Also, despite popular demand, we still have a few limited-edition screen-printed posters for the event available. Each poster is numbered and signed by its designers, Damien Correll and self-titled Art Director Garrett Morin. E-mail Andrew if you’re interest in purchasing one, post paid, for $15.

S/T Readies Third Issue, Special OSCILLATIONS Party With School of Seven Bells, Juan Maclean, Free Blood and Justin Miller

admin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:40:20 +0000

We know—as lovely as J. Bennett’s story is, you’re tired of reading about Jay Reatard and eagerly awaiting the next digital, interactive issue of self-titled. Well, we’re happy to report that the cover image above (curated by our friends at Oak) is from ST003, our third irreverent but insightful collection of exclusive stories and eye-gouging photography. As you can see, we dropped Free Blood and School of Seven Bells in the same room for the first time to discuss the ballsy 180’s both bands did after ditching their more established gigs (!!!, The Secret Machines, On! Air! Library!). Their answers may surprise you.

Other stories to look forward to include:

A long awaited, and ridiculously epic, post-mortem discussion with cLOUDDEAD.
A stop by Conrad Keely’s (…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead) art studio.
These Are Powers on the finer works of Missy Elliott.
A track-by-track breakdown of Titus Andronicus‘ debut by the ever-frank Patrick Stickles.
Circlesquare reveals David Lynch’s most startling scenes.
Los Campesinos! give us a guided tour of Cardiff.
Zombi make a strong argument for why Genesis isn’t godawful.
A lengthy Q&A with the director of the Arthur Russell doc Wild Combination.
Plus pieces on Xela, Cut Off Your Hands, Oneida and more.

To celebrate ST003’s release a tad early we’re hosting our soon-to-be-monthly OSCILLATIONS party Friday, January 16, with live sets from our cover stars, a special acid set from Juan Maclean and a DJ set from one of DFA’s day-to-day dudes, Justin Miller. Things get started right at 11 and should run straight up through 4 as we all battle the bitter cold together. For more info, E-mail events@self-titledmag.com. We also have a slew of free songs (and a special DJ set) below this Friday’s flyer.

FREE BLOOD:

“Royal Family”

Download audio file (04%20Royal%20Family.mp3)

“Quick & Painful”

Download audio file (02%20Quick%20and%20Painful.mp3)

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS:

“Half Asleeep”

Download audio file (03%20Half%20Asleep.mp3)

“Face to Face on High Places”

Download audio file (02%20Face%20To%20Face%20On%20High%20Places.mp3)

JUAN MACLEAN:

JUSTIN MILLER:

“Modern Mix for Our Amusement” (with Jacques Renault)

Download audio file (Justin_Miller_(DFA)__Jacques_Renault-Modern_Mix_For_Our_Amusement.mp3)

BUY IT, BURN IT, SKIP IT: Desolation Wilderness, Free Blood, Danielson

admin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:05:08 +0000

[Photo by Sarah Cass]

By Aaron Richter

As we all know by now, new releases hit record-store shelves and digital-download services each Tuesday. That’s why self-titled presents the following every week: a new release you’d be stupid not to own (Buy It), one worth checking out if you’re the curious type (Burn It) and something you might have heard about but probably should avoid (Skip It). Simple, ain’t it?

Buy It
Desolation Wilderness, White Light Strobing (K)
Every once in a while, self-titled discovers an album amid our record stacks that makes our ears perk up for a fleeting moment, long enough for us to set the album aside and subsequently forget about it week after week after week. But that’s why Allah invented release dates (and more importantly Insound’s release calendar), delightful reminders of the hidden gems that slip through the cracks—such as Desolation Wilderness’s White Light Strobing. The record’s dreamy visions float weightlessly through wistful aural poetry. It sounds as if it should be shoegazer, but it’s way too minimal and sparse. Sheepishly charming, the guitar melodies—mixed alongside reverb-ghost vocals, glockenspiel and vibraphone—twinkle like Daniel Johnston at his most heartbreakingly innocent. White Light Strobing projects an eeriness that might make you check the lock on your front door twice before heading to bed. Yet its comforting allure will have you holding a loved one even closer for the cold night ahead.

ADD TO CART

Download audio file (andalltheboyslooked.mp3)

“And All the Boys Looked”

————————————————————————————–

Burn It
Free Blood, The Singles (Rong/DFA)
Brooklyn dance duo Free Blood appeals to the PBR-burping Todd P warehouse set and Gossip Girl fans alike. Much of the songwriting, strangely enough, reminds us of pop producer The Dream, who was responsible for Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and is a staunch believer that every good pop song must have a “dumb” part (hence the “ella, ella, eh, eh…”). Free Blood also understands the appeal of hammering a silly stuck-in-your-head building block into every song, whether it’s a moody cello pull or “Obama” whisper on “Grumpy,” a soulful rundown of the days of the week on “Weekend Condition” or a yappy chorus on “Royal Family.” The originals are wildly raw enough, contagiously sexy enough and unapologetically New York enough to flick Hercules and Love Affair from its dance-floor pedestal for 2008, and the remix possibilities are endless with such vibrant source material. On this collection, you’re getting six terrific singles, each paired with a remix. Although we’re obviously nutso for Free Blood, the disc isn’t getting our “Buy It” simply because we recommend tracking down the actual vinyl from whence it came instead.

Download audio file (QuickHotChip.mp3)

“Quick and Painful (Hot Chip Remix)”

Download audio file (FreeBloodRoyalFamily.mp3)

“Royal Family”

————————————————————————————–

Skip It
Danielson, Trying Hartz(Secretly Canadian)
Why anyone would be curious enough about Daniel Smith’s Jesus-humping chirp-rock to peruse this two-disc ’94–’04 retrospective of rejected Teletubbies theme songs is beyond us. self-titled finds itself asking, “Is this a joke?” (More so with the unrefined, infantile Trying Hartz than with other more fully realized Danielson discs such as the fairly decent Ships.) And the fucked up thing is that it’s not a joke. At all. Don’t get us wrong. We fully sympathize with the plight of making Bible music palatable to the secular public—not an easy task. But it’s gotta be even more difficult with cultish wanking that sucks this hard.

STREAM SOME SONGS, IF YOU’RE CURIOUS

CONFESSIONS OF A CMJ VIRGIN: Day 2, Featuring Women, Takka Takka and Free Blood

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:41:10 +0000

CMJ does not care for The CMJ Virgin. Apparently.

And now, The CMJ Virgin presents a brief history of success and failure: Arriving at Bowery Ballroom for a showcase of bands no one cares about, our Virgin is informed that no more CMJ badges are allowed inside (fail). Hitting Mercury Lounge to catch another band no one cares about, the Virgin discovers it will be an hour before any more badges are allowed in the venue (fail). Strolling past a Stones Throw showcase, V-Money sours at the 200-plus line outside (fail). Discouraged, he hails a cab with self-titled Editor-in-Chief Andrew Parks and heads back to the CMJ Artists Lounge (where he caught shows the day prior). No line. Small crowd. (Success!) Sets by Women and Takka Takka there are worth the trip. The Women guys look bored (or maybe just tired), and Takka Takka transforms songs from Migration into dynamic, earnest and emotive catharsis. Out the door and off to Santos for Free Blood. No line. Small crowd. Best set yet of CMJ (success).

To summarize: The CMJ Virgin is confused. What’s the point of buying a CMJ batch if it doesn’t give you access to all the shows? Why are showcases that are populated with awful bands full while sets by good bands are sparsely attended? Does the CMJ Virgin just have really bad taste? Does the rest of the CMJ-going public know something our precious Virgin does not? How angry would he be had he actually paid for his badge? And most importantly, what do you think of Andrew’s new glasses?

Read The CMJ Virgin’s notes from the evening and see a few photos he snapped after the jump.

[Click on The CMJ Virgin's notes to read his thoughts.]

[Women's songs are great. But the stage show was a snoozer. Pffft...Canadians. Shape up by Saturday, dudes.]

[self-titled Editor-in-Chief hates CMJ and repeatedly informed The CMJ Virgin that SxSW is way better. PS. His glasses are new. Do you like them? Y/N]

[Takka Takka singer Gabe Levine got real emo.]

[Click on The CMJ Virgin's notes to read his thoughts.]

[The CMJ Virgin likes to pretend he lives in the movie Downtown 81. He also likes to think that Free Blood helps him indulge this fantasy.]

[Best show of CMJ so far.]

[Getting back onstage after a audience excursion can prove to be a hazardous task for a band of any skill level.]

MUST SPIN OF THE WEEK: Free Blood, “Royal Family” 12-inch (Rong/DFA)

admin — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:19:34 +0000

[Photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg]

By Aaron Richter

Maybe it was the bass (which just about ruptured our ear drums and jostled our stomachs into fits of woozy delight). But when self-titled caught a performance by percussion-clattered Brooklyn dance duo Free Blood at Santos Party House a few weeks past, we found ourselves smitten. There’s no doubt that the deafeningly sick speaker setup at Santos was the bright red cherry on top of the duo’s playfully soulful and danceably grimey performance as a four-piece, but the fairly minimal songs—shambled in appearance, yet remarkably catchy—hold up just as well outside of the club.

Free Blood, which first grew its legs way back in 2003, is ex-!!! guy John Pugh (he’s the tall handsome dude, who sang lead on “Dear Can”) and fashion designer Madeline Davy (of NYC label Octopi). Both share lead vocal duties.

A-side: “Royal Family” w/ Brothers Mix
Chic yet dusty, this track’s loose groove digs in over heavy piano plunks and marching-band bass drum slams. It starts small and empty (the short song is barely there for its first 30 seconds) but develops a city-street swagger as the beat magnifies with horn-skronk accents, a skittery breakdown and Pugh & Davy’s goofy earnestness. On the remix, the yappy falsetto from the original is an easy focal point for a bit of nu-rave noise repetition. This mix is substantially fuller sounding from the start, with a few wandering breather sections that keep true to the original’s minimal core. Eventually the whole thing explodes into an overwhelming bass blanket that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Justice set (as awful as that sounds, it’s actually pretty rad in its abruptness). Then it pulls back and reroutes before another dose of madness.

B-side: “Grumpy” w/ Greg Wilson Version
Though it’s not as rich as “Royal Family,” “Grumpy” earns gold stars for enthusiasm and energy. Building its main themes on hectic percussion, double drum-machine bass and mellow cello pulls—by Molly Schnick, formerly of Out Hud; now of Jean on Jean—the track hits a surprising wall of guitar noise (at the Santos show, this section was so overwhelming, it had everyone in the audience covering their ears), and we’re left setting our fanboy meters to “worship.” The Greg Wilson Version is a bit aimless. He slows down the cellos and smoothing out most of the rough edges (which pretty much nixes the track’s character). It has its moments and sufficient buildup, but you’ll probably find yourself mixing out of this rework early.

DANCE OFF: Santos Party House vs. Webster Hall, Featuring Free Blood, Crookers and More

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:47:10 +0000

FREE BLOOD: VHS or beta style

With so many parties vying for your precious time (and dwindling budget) this summer, self-titled is determined to find out who’s ruling the night these days. That way you can make a more educated decision the next time an evening calls for dancing with someone other than yourself.

And this past weekend’s contenders were …

THE OCCASION: A one-off Webster Hall party co-opted by an endless list of promoters and sponsors, including GBH, Cut, and Mishka, a Brooklyn-based clothing line that seriously upped the ante on American Apparel with their summer mens collection.

THE MAIN EVENT: The entertaining but oh-so-over (we hope) electro and hard house (not that anyone realized it) of Crookers on the main floor; A-Trak’s brother (a.k.a. one-half of Chromeo) and Vincent Vendetta of Midnight Juggernauts in the much more intimate upstairs lounge area. Both rooms kicked out the jams with completely different approaches. While Dave 1 lived up to his brother’s party-rocking rep and stunned anyone expecting a clumsy, predictable set, Crookers hit the floor running with nothing but serrated synths and speaker-imploding bass lines.

Unfortunately, V is for Vendetta was left with a smaller-by-the-minute crowd after Dave 1 split; all despite spinning some rather glitzy, glammy sides that had us smiling at least.

CAUGHT IN THE CROWD: The hipper-than-thou—at least in their minds—party train of Danny Masterson (That ’70s Show) and Steve Aoki, which managed to rush Webster’s stage alongside a good 50 people. You’d think MSTRKFRT was spinning or something.

THE BAR SCENE: Inexcusable. The word on the street is that Webster Hall is trying to regain some footing with the cool kid market by booking parties like this. Saturday’s rather stacked bill showed promise, but it also served as a blatant reminder of why self-titled stopped going to Webster in the first place: bartenders that are slow on the draw and quick to run up your tab. Considering this venue charges upwards of $10 for a cocktail, we’d rather go straight-edge and sing nothing but Earth Crisis songs than fill the pockets of whoever thinks Webster Hall’s history—a storied one, admittedly—is worth its weight in inflated drink prices.

VS.

THE OCCASION: The second Rong Music presentation of the weekend; the other being a more intimate soirée at APT. Twisted disco heads, take note: this one might become a weekly if a return engagement on Saturday, June 28, is to be believed.

THE MAIN EVENT: A showcase for loose & lively DJ sets (Rong’s resident beat conductor, DJ Spun; Eric Duncan of Rub-N-Tug) and the buzz-worthy duo Free Blood (a Rong/DFA artist with severed connections to !!!). While Spun was quite the crowd pleaser, Duncan dipped into quite a few dark, arhythmic records that were intriguing but not immediately danceable. In other words, he’s isn’t up for clobbering a crowd with obvious tunes like Crookers. That said, both DJs kept the place moving with the help of Santos’ AWE-INSPIRING (believe us, the all-caps is justifiable) sound system and dedicated club-goers that’d never cross their arms at this sort of thing.

As for Free Blood, they got off to a slow start with some stunted, falsetto-flexing soul (think a lifeless Jamie Lidell), but quickly shifted into high gear, suggesting that John Pugh didn’t make a mistake by leaving !!! after all. Consider us intrigued about where the ensuing LP might go.

CAUGHT IN THE CROWD: At least one current member of !!! (traitor!) and a lot of happy faces that’d clearly wandered into Santos’ newly-minted environs, not knowing what to expect.

THE BAR SCENE: Unlike Webster, Santos is cultivating an air of ‘coolness’ without charging you a poor sucker tax for the privilege of being there. Top-notch $6 drafts and stiff $8 cocktails are a welcome surprise and yet another reason why we’re leaning towards spending at least a day a week at this venue all summer

THE VERDICT?

With the right guidance, Webster Hall has the potential to become a possible weekend destination in the coming months, but they have to stop treating it like a velvet-lined Chelsea club. As for Santos, they already took the time to perfect a “Party Hard” aesthetic that’s hard to beat. And for that, we thank them.