Band To Watch: Megafaun
On their debut Bury The Square, Raleigh-via-Eau Clair trio Megafaun neatly splice together different strands of sounds, whether it's tape manipulated hoedowns ("Tired And Troubled") mournful, slow-blooming banjo-and-white-noise-laced epics ("Where We Belong"), or the rural barbershop doo wop of "Find Your Mark." Focusing on a wide palette of instrumentation, but always coming back to their soaring three-part harmonies, it's easy to see why Akron/Family contacted them out of the blue and asked them to support them on a six-week tour: Megafaun opens, then joins Akron plus excellent sound manipulator Greg Davis on-stage as a supergroup of sorts. When they're on their own as Megafaun, the group consists of brother Brad and Phil Cook, along with Joe Westerlund. All three played in DeYarmond Edison with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), and Brad co-owns Burlytime Records (with Pitchfork scribe Grayson Currin), the label that put out Bowerbirds and Horseback last year. Enough talking points? Take a listen to "Find Your Mark" and "Lazy Suicide," a countrified junk shop ramble, after the jump.
Megafaun - "Find Your Mark" (MP3)
Megafaun - "Lazy Suicide" (MP3)
The way "Lazy Suicide" builds into ragged psychedelia before returning to strong, sorta forceful harmonies is a good example of why we're digging these guys.
Bury The Square is out 2/19 on Radium/Table Of The Elements. You can also catch them live. In addition to these dates, expect a headlining tour in April and May.
03/02 - Allston, MA @ Harper's Ferry *
03/04 - Middletown, CT @ Wesleyan College *
03/05 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells *
03/06 - New York, NY @ NYU Kimmel Center
03/07 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Andy Warhol Museum *
03/08 - Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club, Princeton University *
03/09 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java *
03/13 - Austin, TX @ Hideout Theatre (SXSW) ^
03/14 - Austin, TX @ Flamingo Cantina (SXSW) >
03/15 - Austin, TX @ Emo's Inside Room (SXSW) >
* supporting/performing as Akron/Family
> performing as Akron/Family
^ Table of the Elements/Radium showcase w/ Outsiders faves Jon Mueller and Collections of Colonies of Bees plus Neptune and Northhampton Wools (Thurston Moore)
Posted at 4:02 PM in Band To Watch, MP3
Tags: Megafaun
I do love Wisconsin.
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Nice to see these guys up here, check out Collections of Colonies of Bees next:
http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2008/01/07/collections-of-colonies-of-bees-birds/
Same label as Megafaun and were praised by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) today in the guest list feature on P4K.
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yes yes yes! i was just listening to this album in the bath last night and it is just so good. i'm from raleigh---def. the best music coming from this area right now!
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Hey uwmryan@yahoo.com. Totally agree re: Collections Of Colonies Of Bees. Great stuff. Wrote about them a couple weeks back:
http://stereogum.com/archives/the-outsiders/the-outsiders-vol-4_007706.html
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They're all right, but Brad gives lousy head.
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A shame about the name. "Megafaun" sounds like a mock-metal act.
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Hell yeah boyz! I saw Megafaun at Local 506 in Chapel Hill last month and was blown away. Their live show is very hypnotic and they utilize crowd participation to the max. The album is just as good. Great stuff.
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I had the opportunity to check out the band Megafaun when I was in New York City to see Stomp. Their use of audience interaction was VERY COOL.
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This is great! The name's not fantastic, but the tunes are excellent...
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The Triangle is getting some serious loving from Stereogum.
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I love "Find Your Mark" and "Lazy Suicide" but I suggest not stopping there. Bury The Square is an album that should be listened to in its entirety. It is not just, as the writer suggests, a "neatly splice"d mix of genres. The transitions and variations in style sound very deliberate from the triumphant beginning to the storm in the middle and the stomping closer. Take some time, sit back, and enjoy the whole album. After that, go see them live.
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Megafaun? Mega-fun! I've never heard this band--I just wanted to say that.
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I am the father of Phil and Brad and I think they are really cool.Of course, I may be biased, but I am an accordion player.
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It's Eau Claire, not Eau Clair. Since it's become quite the hot bed of indie rock talent, you best learn how to spell it properly.
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