BRIGHTS BLOG

“Airplanes” – by Local Natives

Not only do I love this song, but I love the video. Mostly I appreciate how it relies on imagery and the art of “filmmaking” (for lack of a better term) and its relationship with the song to make an impact and has very little to do with the people/faces in the band. It puts the song in the forefront instead. A refreshing, oil-painting-like deviation from many rock videos that bat us over the head with guys with guitars and amps on 11, not that some of those videos aren’t fun. They definitely have a place. In short, the Local Natives’ “Airplanes” video is the opposite of the “Rope” video by the Foo Fighters. Watch both and you will see what I mean in seconds.

Local Natives video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob6kXOGfHPE&ob=av2n

Foo Fighters video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbpqZT_56Ns

Cynic

Even through Cynic disbanded shortly after the release of their debut album, Focus, the band came back after quite the hiatus.  15 years to be exact. Released in 2008, “Traced In Air” was heralded as a triumphant return.  In their review of this album. The New York Times cites: “Cynic should be understood not so much alongside any metal bands but along with the radical harmonic progressives in the last 45 years of pop and jazz: composers like Milton Nascimento, the Beach Boys or Pat Metheny.”   (you can read  the rest of their review here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE6D6173CF932A35751C1A96E9C8B63)

And so, Cynic showed evolution with Traced in Air:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSmAacEpt-Y&feature=related

My fears of another break-up were put to rest when Cynic forged on with an EP released in 2010 titled “Re-Traced” where they took 4 songs from Traced In Air and did reinterpretations of them (as well as include a brand spanking new song)…BRILLIANT.

Their evolution continued:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMfXt-bkMDc&feature=related

Last but not least, Cynic just released another EP, titled “Carbon-Based Anatomy” while informing their fans that a full length is being worked for a 2012 release.  (squeeee! hooray!)  So for now, I will leave you all with a track from this latest release, yet again showing how this band continues to march to the beat of its own drums,  continuing to express themselves with zero regards to trends, fads or the desire to seek fame. Artistic integrity intact, Cynic forges forward:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUnOHXfoErU

Bonus tracks!  (‘cuz I love them too much to not share!)

Wheels Within Wheels (the new song from Re-Traced):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvaFpKt8X_o&feature=related

And one last Traced/Re-traced combo:

Original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNGCJzPzAp0

Re-Traced Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gw1LOnmgBE&feature=related

Man I love this band. So much.

Lightspeed Champion – “Marlene”

I first heard this song on my drive to work, thanks to the brilliant folks over at The Alternate Side.  Dev Hynes is the man that is Lightspeed Champion.  He’s worked with tons of people including writing/arranging/producing credits for the likes of the Chemical Brothers and Florence and the Machine.  I haven’t figured out what he’s written for FATM, but after listening to his song “Marlene” it makes me wonder if he had anything to do with “The Dog Days Are Over”…Or not.  Who knows?  Hah.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCo-U6war6c

The Alternate Side 91.5FM WFUV

After the demise of 101.9RXP (may she RIP) I found myself silent on my morning drives to work.  I don’t particularly care for radio, only because it typically has zero reflection of what good music is out there.  If I want to hear something I love I have to dig for it, pay for magazines, read them, read blogs, listen to samples, then drive over to Hoboken and hopefully get a copy of the album from Tunes.  I finally came across the Alternate Side which airs weekday mornings 6am-noon (or 24/7 online.)  They play a ton of great indie music, and no, I don’t mean the new Foo Fighters song 400 times in a day and then One Headlight for whatever reason.  I’m talking about St. Vincent, Feist, M83, Real Estate, Mister Heavenly, The Veils, Sleeper Agent, Ratatat…I could go on and on.  Just go listen to them.  You’ll be wasting your time not listening…

Website Link: http://www.thealternateside.org/

All month long we’ll each spend a week sharing some of the things we love most with all of you.  We each spent time thinking about music, movies, radio, etc. that hold warm places in our hearts.  These things are personal, and mean a lot to each of us in different ways.  We hope you enjoy bits of them as well…

Hello out there.

Well, what can we say?  We’ve had “Starchild” locked up, waiting for the day it would be available for you all to keep in your pockets, and it’s finally coming soon.  We wanted to make sure it was right.  We needed it to be right for you and for us.  So, we’re releasing it on April 16th, 2011, National Record Store Day, on 7″ vinyl.  [RSVP here.] We’ve decided to pair it up with a new song that hasn’t been debuted full band, yet.  It’s called “Lost in the Sea.”  Sonically and lyrically they make perfect sense together…

We spent time making our own artwork for this.  We designed the art for our EP, Swing Shift Maisies, and there’s something special in our hearts and minds knowing that we made something, from start to finish.  Bernadette and Shawn made the actual drawings/paintings that make up the jacket artwork, and I, Catherine, helped do the digital aspects to send it off to the printer.  We’re really excited about the way it came out, and we hope you dig it, too.

Along the way, through hours of drawing, painting, eating, drinking, and listening to 80s New Wave hits and misses we filmed our progress.  Check out the video.  In it you will see some nice “making-of” moments, the final artwork, and you’ll even hear a good portion of the final version of “Starchild” that is out at a pressing plant right now, just waiting to be grooved into some vinyl discs.

And don’t forget, save this date:

Saturday, April 16th
4 – 6PM Acoustic In-Store performance @ Tunes | Hoboken, NJ
8:30PM Starchild Release Show @ Maxwell’s | Hoboken, NJ | w/The Defending Champions, Old Wives, and My Pet Dragon

Today we’re sharing with you a holiday cover song!  Bernadette and I, Catherine, recorded this together on a laptop, sitting on a couch, clapping their hands, and making up new parts on the fly.  We had a lot of fun with this and we’re excited about some of the happy accidents we created.

Click the play button below to stream it here for free!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

But that’s not good enough.  We want you to have a free copy to play at your holiday parties this week.  So, if you sign our mailing list on our website you will get a free copy of the song emailed to you instantly, to download.  Enter your email here: http://www.bernandthebrights.com

Happy Holidays!
<3b&tb

Happy Holidays,  Everyone!

Special thanks to all our fans for making this a great year for B&TB.  As a thank you, we have put together some very special  little somethin-somethins for the 12 days leading up to Christmas.  So, without further ado, let us begin the 12 Days of Bern & the Brightsmas.

On the first day of Bern & the Brightsmas, B&TB gave to me…

Free digital download of our new EP, Swing Shift Maisies.

Download it for free by submitting your email address to our mailing list.  A download link will instantly be sent to your email address.  Don’t worry; you won’t be added twice to our list.  And we won’t spam you.:)

Visit our website here: http://www.bernandthebrights.com

And then, at 6pm tonight, tune in to 88.7 FM, Brave New Radio, or stream the broadcast live online at http://www.wpradio887.org

Check back tomorrow for the second day of Bern & the Brightsmas.

<3b&tb

Hello out there!

It’s the weekend of independence and while surfers are surfing, tanners are tanning and rockets are a-glare, we’re posting youtube videos…so you can stay inside, just a little bit longer…

We haven’t officially announced the full track listing, yet, and we’re going to hold out for the last video to post and reveal the final song!  So, for now, you’ll just have to speculate what that last track will be–go ahead, start rumors, pass notes, whisper to one another, start long facebook threads…

This next video is part 2 and in it Catherine talks a bit about the recording process for Sleepless Aristotle.  We hope you dig the insight, and the sneak-peak listening of the track!  Let us know what you think!

Much love to JoeKelly for putting this video together!

<3b&tb

The time has finally arrived when we reveal the cover artwork and the title of our EP, which  we will  release at Maxwell’s on Saturday, July 17th, 9PM. We’re so excited for this release, and we hope you are, too! This is our first, official, full-band studio recording. The art concept and design was dreamed up by Shawn, Bernadette, and Catherine. We hope you like. So, without further ado…

Swing Shift Maisies, EP

Swing Shift Maisies EP Cover

In addition to the reveal of the cover art we’ve compiled some footage from our recording sessions at Home Front Studios with Matt Ryan, our engineer and studio owner. These are some behind-the-scene-looks at the making of Swing Shift Maisies! Here’s the first in the series. Big thanks to JoeKelly for helping us put it together.