Some great new music out this summer that I can’t wait to listen to:
Shapes and Sizes
M. Ward (coming soon, although Fred somehow got to listen to the record)
Sufjan Stevens
White Whale (new on Merge Records, which is M. Ward’s label)
I haven’t been through the above records yet but I’m loving Munchy the Bear by Compass. The songs on the record sound different, and I’m not crazy about some of them, but somehow it all works and, above all, it’s interesting. I tried to think of how to describe Compass and their sound but it’s a tough one. From their bio site:
Compass was founded in 1997 at the historic Camp 2 Studios. Amongst 40
crazed artists, drug dealers, and other fools, Dave Doom developed the
compositional method he still employs today: play (repeat). Surrounded
by electronics, organs, drums, pianos, guitars and musicians, Doom
began to collect and release sound collages. His first release, a
homespun EP, caught the attention of SharkAttack!, who liked it so much
they released a gorgeous red vinyl Compass 7" and encouraged Compass to
work on a full length. 6 years and 100 songs later, SharkAttack! is
bringing Compass to the masses with the debut full-length you hold in
your hands.
Closest comparison I can make given their instrumentation, penchant for sampling and texture is Beck’s Odelay. It’s clear that Dave Doom, the driving force behind Compass, is a genius. Munchy the Bear is a concept album around the theme of mankind’s ability to destroy itself via nuclear weapons.
Compass are donating all profits from the sale of the record to Oxfam. They’ve also created the Catacombs, which is a place that they’ll post some stuff from past and future. Brilliant. I’m already digging Casablanca.