New Castanets - "Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks)" (Stereogum Premiere)
Like much of his work, Ray Raposa's eerie batch of songs on the Rafter Roberts-produced Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts comes with a lonesome, swampy feel: Like everything was recorded in the deep woods at night and very much alone. Which is why the upfront percussive glitches (and cinders) of "Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks)" offer such a curve ball, especially after a couple of especially spare, quiet, and cavernous tracks. Besides that element, though, Raposa remains echoed, his instrumentation moss-lined and dark. It's sort of like the longer the guy grows his beard, the more comfortable he gets allowing his songs to develop slowly and with as much space as an empty forest allows.
Castanets - "Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks)" (MP3)
Even though it can sound like Raposa's by himself (and he often sings about solitude), he's joined on the album by Rocket From The Crypt trumpet-player Jason Crane, Bauhaus' David J, Black Heart Procession's Pall Jenkins, Gogogo Airheart's Andy Robillard, DM Stith, etc. The guests really make themselves heard on the more symphonic "No Trouble" and via the female backup choir and horns of opener "Rose," for instance.
Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts is out 9/22 via Asthmatic Kitty. Before that, he's on the road:
09/07 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue #
09/08 - Portland, OR @ Berbati's #
09/10 - San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom #
09/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon #
09/12 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues #
09/14 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
# w/ Maximo Park
Posted at 11:30 AM by brandon in MP3, Tour Dates
Tags: Castanets
Really no Seattle date? LAME!
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I love Castanets' music. Prob my favorite band. But seriously, enough with the reviews that are all, "forest, beard, woods, beard, trees, beard, moss, beard." Is the fact that someone has facial hair really that important to the review? Like, dude, the guy has a beard. Get over it. It's really not important to the music. It's really reductive.
The song? Incredible. Best yet.
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i saw the castanets with adam gnade, ohioans, crosses (?), and some (killer) improv band last week and the singer didn't have a beard. he had kind of a mustacheish thing but it looked like he'd just not shaved in while. i'd never heard them before but it was pretty sweet. adam gnade though was the best, even though he was super nervous and drunk. crosses was sort joy division. ohioans, thumbs up. can't wait for texas rose!
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