sightings “city of straw” compact disc

• tar and pine (5:29)
  
• jabber queens (3:10)
  
• city of straw (9:19)
  
• saccharine traps (2:28)
  
• we all amplify (6:34)
  
• weehawken (3:18)
  
• hush (4:24)
  
• sky above mud below (4:24)

jagjaguwar press release...

sightings “city of straw” catalog #: jagbr017 release date: april 13, 2010 format: cd crafting a lasting personal aesthetic in the midst of our ephemeral music culture is as rare as it is cause for celebration. with the release of city of straw, brooklyn’s sightings can be counted among the few contemporary bands who have forged a unique voice amongst the racket. recorded over a number of months in 2009 at the ocropolis (oneida’s brooklyn, ny studio), the band’s seventh studio album becomes the crucible from which their grandest and most coherent statement finally emerges. sightings has never presented a particularly welcoming façade and their sui generis music has perhaps been passed over by less discerning listeners over the eleven years of their existence, but throughout this they have created a singular body of work appreciated and touted by the likes of thurston moore and andrew wk. sightings will insist (and we agree wholeheartedly) that at their core they are a rock band working within the context of pop song-craft. as bassist richard hoffman told us recently, “i think everyone in the band tries to remember the value of minimalism. ultimately i think we try to write pop music, where there's no chaff and everything has a place.” with a deep reach beyond the spirit of their influence from greats like birthday party, dead c and jesus lizard, city of straw finds sightings working at the peak of their creative powers and is the perfect re- introduction to one of new york’s most accomplished bands.

robert creeley “robert creeley” compact disc

• for hannah's 14th birthday
  
• for will
  
• wild nights
  
• wild nights
  
• where late the sweet birds sang...
  
• en famille
  
• conversion to her
  
• clemente's images
  
• as if
  
• possibilities
  
• anya
  
• thinking
  
• when i heard the learn'd astronomer
  
• for the phi beta kappa ceremony
  
• cambridge
  
• mass 1944
  
• place to be

richard youngs “beyond the valley of ultrahits” long playing record

• the valley in flight
  
• like a sailor
  
• collapsing stars
  
• ove in the great outdoors
  
• still life in room
  
  
• oh reality
  
• radio innocents
  
• summer void
  
• a storm of light ignites my heart
  
• sun points at the world

richard youngs “under stellar stream” long playing record

• broke up by night
  
• all day monday and tuesday
  
• cluster to a star
  
  
• arise arise
  
• my mind is in garlands
  
• the bells of spring

richard youngs “under stellar stream” compact disc

• broke up by night
  
• all day monday and tuesday
  
• cluster to a star
  
• arise arise
  
• my mind is in garlands
  
• the bells of spring

jagjaguwar press release...

richard youngs under stellar stream jag157 release date: october 20, 2009 richard youngs’ latest solo work for jagjaguwar is a collection of neodruid hymns and chants for the minutiae of homelife and fatherhood—poetic transcendance through repetition and a focus on the (seemingly) micro. once again proving himself a master of minimalist composition, youngs also takes leaps forward as a lyricist on under stellar stream, reminiscent of the list incantations of allen ginsberg. with this comes a change in youngs’ voice, now less pleading, deeper and more assured. in these atonal, spatial arrangements, each phrase is granted the room to work into the cerebral cortex—and perhaps a deeper consciousness. “i am remembering now the waiting on time itself. i am remembering now the value of sleep,” recites youngs’ domesticated avatar on opening track “broke up by night,” a celtic prayer for the modern man. on “all day monday and tuesday,” over droning bass and slow, meandering organ, the grind of the day becomes empyreal: “all day monday and tuesday, the room of work, the room of work... all day monday and tuesday, the clarity, the clarity.” for more than 20 years, the uk’s richard youngs has been at the forefront of progressive minimalism, through solo home recording projects; through collaborations with the likes of simon wickham-smith and makoto kawabata (of acid mothers temple); and in special live performances playing bass with jandek. leaving a very human fingerprint on even the most far-reaching experimentations, youngs has built a extensive, intriguing catalogue that just begs one to go deep.

volcano choir “unmap” long playing record

• husks and shells
  
• seeplymouth
  
• island, is
  
• dote
  
• and gather
  
  
• mbira in the morass
  
• cool knowledge
  
• still
  
• youlogy

jagjaguwar press release...

volcano choir unmap jag156 release date: september 22, 2009 volcano choir is an assembly of wisconsinites jon mueller, chris rosenau, jim schoenecker, daniel spack, justin vernon, and thomas wincek. you might find these old friends also frequenting records and stages under different monikers, collections of colonies of bees and bon iver. the collaboration predates the meteoric rise of justin vernon’s bon iver project, with original songwriting dating back to the summer of 2005, right around the time the bees first toured with vernon’s previous band deyarmond edison. while entirely a studio record, the collection doesn’t suffer from the overburdens of a digital pile up or over-thinking. rather it breathes and convulses in equal measure, radiating an inherent dynamism found only in the voluntary bondage of intimacy. with influences ranging from david sylvian and steve reich to mahalia jackson and tom waits, it might be more accurate to say the group’s influence is music itself. you can hear it in the care and real love generously applied to each moment of unmap. with the vibe of some intimate backwoods gospel, plus a spirit of patience and thoughtful repetition, the music of volcano choir is as dynamic as it is lovely. unmap ultimately came together over a weekend in november 2008 in fall creek, wisconsin, at justin and nate vernon’s recording studio. and while it is at its heart a record about the allure of being with people you need and making something with them, it is also a document created by musicians with rare gifts getting together to exorcise their ideas about beauty. this scaffolding of loops and off grid tempos for choral style vocals offers a state of continual surprise, call it unexpectation.

volcano choir “unmap” compact disc

• husks and shells
  
• seeplymouth
  
• island, is
  
• dote
  
• and gather
  
• mbira in the morass
  
• cool knowledge
  
• still
  
• youlogy

jagjaguwar press release...

volcano choir unmap jag156 release date: september 22, 2009 volcano choir is an assembly of wisconsinites jon mueller, chris rosenau, jim schoenecker, daniel spack, justin vernon, and thomas wincek. you might find these old friends also frequenting records and stages under different monikers, collections of colonies of bees and bon iver. the collaboration predates the meteoric rise of justin vernon’s bon iver project, with original songwriting dating back to the summer of 2005, right around the time the bees first toured with vernon’s previous band deyarmond edison. while entirely a studio record, the collection doesn’t suffer from the overburdens of a digital pile up or over-thinking. rather it breathes and convulses in equal measure, radiating an inherent dynamism found only in the voluntary bondage of intimacy. with influences ranging from david sylvian and steve reich to mahalia jackson and tom waits, it might be more accurate to say the group’s influence is music itself. you can hear it in the care and real love generously applied to each moment of unmap. with the vibe of some intimate backwoods gospel, plus a spirit of patience and thoughtful repetition, the music of volcano choir is as dynamic as it is lovely. unmap ultimately came together over a weekend in november 2008 in fall creek, wisconsin, at justin and nate vernon’s recording studio. and while it is at its heart a record about the allure of being with people you need and making something with them, it is also a document created by musicians with rare gifts getting together to exorcise their ideas about beauty. this scaffolding of loops and off grid tempos for choral style vocals offers a state of continual surprise, call it unexpectation.

the skygreen leopards “gorgeous johnny” long playing record

• johnny’s theme
  
• margery
  
• dixie cups in the dead grass
  
• sgl’s, et al
  
• can go back
  
• goodnight anna
  
• jehova will never come
  
  
• gorgeous johnny
  
• inland towns
  
• nine car train for
  
• fremont
  
• robber’s lace
  
• if our love fails
  
• paid by the hour

jagjaguwar press release...

the skygreen leopards gorgeous johnny jag147 release date: july 21, 2009 “gorgeous” johnny was a fringe member of the skygreen leopards in the group’s early days; he didn’t really play anything but neither could anyone else. described by most as a phony and a self-confessed dandy, the band kept him around for his undeniable fashion sense. he would often quote coco chanel’s views on modernism and affected a british accent though he was from orange county. this was a huge influence on the donaldson/quinn songwriting team. eventually he moved to the south of france and no one has heard from him since except for a postcard that read: i’m still in the van! much love, johnny. anyway, his name’s not really johnny—that’s just a dick joke. it’s been 8 years since the 1st sgl’s record was released. since then the boys have maintained their singular aesthetic while managing to dabble with faux-folk, avant garde pop, reverb- drenched lofi psychedelia, plastic country and blurry ballads. this latest effort finds them collaborating with jason quever (papercuts) to create a melancholy world overflowing with itinerant dandies, urban streets, suburban teens, and more girls’ names than i care to count, all set to melodic shuffles featuring harmonies, frail piano, and romantic guitars. as always with the leopards, the rhythms refuse to be bridled, the boys resist the urge to jam, and they won’t ever learn to sing properly. this will frustrate the expectations of some. others will find a sweet shadowy hiding place in these songs—3 minutes to hang out with girls who race horses, boys who never learned to dance, and a dirty uncle who steals your cigarettes.

the skygreen leopards “gorgeous johnny” compact disc

• johnny’s theme
  
• margery
  
• dixie cups in the dead grass
  
• sgl’s, et al
  
• can go back
  
• goodnight anna
  
• jehova will never come
  
• gorgeous johnny
  
• inland towns
  
• nine car train for
  
• fremont
  
• robber’s lace
  
• if our love fails
  
• paid by the hour

jagjaguwar press release...

the skygreen leopards gorgeous johnny jag147 release date: july 21, 2009 “gorgeous” johnny was a fringe member of the skygreen leopards in the group’s early days; he didn’t really play anything but neither could anyone else. described by most as a phony and a self-confessed dandy, the band kept him around for his undeniable fashion sense. he would often quote coco chanel’s views on modernism and affected a british accent though he was from orange county. this was a huge influence on the donaldson/quinn songwriting team. eventually he moved to the south of france and no one has heard from him since except for a postcard that read: i’m still in the van! much love, johnny. anyway, his name’s not really johnny—that’s just a dick joke. it’s been 8 years since the 1st sgl’s record was released. since then the boys have maintained their singular aesthetic while managing to dabble with faux-folk, avant garde pop, reverb- drenched lofi psychedelia, plastic country and blurry ballads. this latest effort finds them collaborating with jason quever (papercuts) to create a melancholy world overflowing with itinerant dandies, urban streets, suburban teens, and more girls’ names than i care to count, all set to melodic shuffles featuring harmonies, frail piano, and romantic guitars. as always with the leopards, the rhythms refuse to be bridled, the boys resist the urge to jam, and they won’t ever learn to sing properly. this will frustrate the expectations of some. others will find a sweet shadowy hiding place in these songs—3 minutes to hang out with girls who race horses, boys who never learned to dance, and a dirty uncle who steals your cigarettes.

simon wickham-smith / richard youngs “veil (for greg)” compact disc

• indiana spike dance
  
• obese americans
  
• apologetic
  
• bars
  
• land of lincoln
  
• cleveland
  
• angels from ct
  
• ferris booth hall

nagisa ni te “yosuga” long playing record

• premonition
  
• seven seas
  
• seeing the sea
  
• reaction in g
  
• secrets
  
• midsummer overhead
  
• ishi river
  
• the next day
  
• close by night
  
• kumao
  
• gathering of stars
  
• yosuga (my refuge and strength)
  
• dewdrops from heaven

alex delivery “star destroyer” long playing record

• komad
  
• rainbows
  
• milan
  
• scotty
  
• sheath-wet
  
• vesna

the skygreen leopards “life and love in sparrow’s meadow” long playing record

• mother the sun makes me cry
  
• belle of the woodsman's autumn ball
  
• egyptian rosemarie
  
• clouds through sparrows eyes
  
• tents along the water
  
• careless gardeners (of eden) / sparrows of eden (eden fading) / drunken gardeners dance (paradise lost sweetly)
  
• come down off your mountain moses
  
• minotaur (burn a candle for love)
  
• labyrinth windows
  
• the supplication of fireflies
  
• a child adrift

the skygreen leopards “life and love in sparrow’s meadow” compact disc

• mother the sun makes me cry
  
• belle of the woodsman's autumn ball
  
• egyptian rosemarie
  
• clouds through sparrows eyes
  
• tents along the water
  
• careless gardeners (of eden) / sparrows of eden (eden fading) / drunken gardeners dance (paradise lost sweetly)
  
• come down off your mountain moses
  
• minotaur (burn a candle for love)
  
• labyrinth windows
  
• the supplication of fireflies
  
• a child adrift

richard youngs “the naive shaman” long playing record

• life on a beam
  
• illumined land
  
• sonar in my soul
  
• once it was autumn
  
• summer’s edge ii

richard youngs “river through howling sky” compact disc

• fountain of light
  
• blossom
  
• sky is upon you
  
• red cloud singular