Stereogum Range Life 2012 Preview & Mix
Last week, we announced our Range Life showcase, taking place at midnight on March 15 at the PureVolume house at 340 E. 2nd St. & Trinity, right in the middle of the brouhaha that is next week in Austin, TX. We've got a nice, well-balanced lineup in store with a dash of international, featuring the likes of Mr. Dream, Shearwater, ...
REWARDS: Rewards is Aaron Pfenning, formerly of Charlift, now a solo artist with a 12" on DFA that features Solange Knowles on the sultry post-disco strut track "Equal Dreams." (He also has a cover of "Wicked Games" with Maeby Funke, confirming his diverse taste in duet partner.) Aaron opens Range Life with a midnight DJ set.
LAKUTIS: Lakutis probably never got the proper shine in his role as Das Racist's goofball sidekick, but his debut EP I'm In The Forest (it's free on Bandcamp) reveals a sharp, charmingly hilarious cipher and an absurdist, self-mocking flow.
MR. DREAM: This Brooklyn trio's unfashionable ruckus has suddenly become fashionable, as scores of bands are starting to follow them into exploring the misanthropic power of '90s pigfuck. But they also do it with a guttural zeal that draws its power from Adam Moerder's winky, decadent groan and from an absolutely furious rhythm section.
Shearwater Band Photo
SHEARWATER: Shearwater's new record, Animal Joy, earned our Album Of The Week distinction, and for good reason. It's replete in Shearwater's signature lushness, but Animal Joy kicks a little harder than the recent output of the Jonathan Meiburg-fronted outfit.
KORALLREVEN: Sweden's Korallreven are a Balearic minded production duo whose ability to offer a masterful DJ set has been evinced time and again via their various freely downloadable mixtapes with eponymous, endless names like A Dream By Korallreven For Korallreven In Collaboration With Korallreven For Korallreven. The last time we saw them do it, they put The-Dream next to Taken By Trees and it made all the sense in the world.
BEAR IN HEAVEN: This Brooklyn band broke out a few years ago with their album Beast Rest Forth Mouth, a gorgeously twinkly combination of wide-eyed Animal Collective harmonies and not-fucking-around dance-music thump. New album I Love You, It's Cool pushes that combination further and makes it more seamless, and their live show continues to move asses.
SCREAMING FEMALES: For years now, this Jersey punk-rock three-piece has been drawing rapturous praise for its live shows, as they weld basement-show immediacy to leader Maria Paternoster's feral wail and blazing guitar-hero solos. And with their excellent new Steve Albini-recorded LP Ugly, they're ready to make the leap into wider success. See them before that happens.
ZAMBRI: Shutting it down is sister act (and recent Band To Watch) Zambri, whose haunted, synth rock jams twitch and turn in compelling places.
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