Optical Atlas

Okay, it’s time for a much-needed holiday break. Here are my resolutions for the new year:

Start an Optical Atlas podcast interview series. (The first one is done, pending approval from the artist concerned.)

Complete the Optical Atlas Gallery.

Get that “spam comments” problem licked so non-spamming people can start leaving comments again!

I hope you have a great Christmas, and I hope you get all the music you asked for.

Happy holidays,
Optical Atlas

Supercluster, a group featuring members of Pylon, The New Sound of Numbers, Casper & the Cookies, and Circulatory System, has a self-released CD-R EP available for sale at Athensmusic.net. The band recently performed at the 40 Watt in Athens on a bill with Pylon, Gang of One (Hugo Burnham from Gang of Four), and NSON. The 5-song disc was engineered, recorded, and mixed by Jason NeSmith (C&TC) and features, according to Athensmusic, “Vanessa Briscoe Hay (vocals, keyboard, bells); Bob Hay (acoustic guitar); Randy Bewley (electric guitar); Kay Stanton (bass, backing vocals); Hannah Jones (drums, backing vocals); John Fernandes (violin, bass Clarinet, clarinet); Bill David (mandolin, backing vocals); Hana Hay and Sarah Cabaniss (cello on track 1); Will Cullen Hart (additional guitar and percussion); Will Cullen Hart, Bob Hay, Bill David & John Fernandes (Oohhs); Jason Nesmith (Sounds, additional keyboard on track 3).”  Thanks very much to Chris for the head’s-up.

The last two installments of the Elephant 6 Show have arrived at our door, and are now available for download in the E6 Radio page.  Note that the December 17th podcast is the long-awaited E6 Christmas episode!

Thanks to Chris Yetter for noticing and posting this new cover for the upcoming third Instruments album, as posted on the band’s MySpace.

Nomad at the Townhall has posted an update on the Miles Kurosky (Beulah) solo album project that’s been in gestation for a couple of years, delayed by some health problems (shoulder, then kidney surgery) Kurosky underwent.  From the Beulah email account:  “Well, his record’s pretty much finished. I’ve been listening to it the past two weeks. However, he just decided to go back into the studio to ‘fix’ some things. That said, I think he’ll be ‘officially’ finished in January, then he needs to get it mastered. All his surgeries went well and he’s feeling pretty good, going to physical therapy for some issues here and there, but overall he’s doing well.”  Great news – and it should be interesting to hear how the new sounds differ from the old.

Pitchfork has a brief article on the Major Organ and the Adding Machine movie, with a few added details, including the fact that it’s a short film, that the directors are Joey Foreman and Eric Harris (Olivia Tremor Control), and that Orange Twin will be releasing it as a DVD/expanded CD set this coming spring.  (Oh, and apparently it’s Jeff Mangum in the lobster suit.)

In the December issue of SPIN Magazine, Bruce Springsteen talks about his recent musical influences:

And I’ve gotten into bands that have a bigger pop sound, like The Apples in Stereo and Band of Horses – it’s very dark, romantic music.  As for how it informs what I do, everything that goes in, comes out.

It’s hard to imagine the next Springsteen album sounding like New Magnetic Wonder, but that would certainly be–odd.  Not surprisingly, the interview spends more time drawing connections with Arcade Fire.

In other Apples news, in the December 27th issue of Rolling Stone, New Magnetic Wonder is listed in the “Top 50 Albums of the Year” as  #28.

Jason NeSmith and Kay Stanton of Casper & the Cookies have both launched their own websites. Jason is now blogging about all things music at Noises for the Leg. Kay has a virtual gallery of arts & crafts at OK Toad! You will also be able to order the Optimist’s Club limited edition comic book there.

The band is currently at work on their new upcoming full-length, but they still have a few tour dates scheduled:

Upcoming Dates 

Dec 21 2007 9:00P Club TSI Jacksonville, Florida w/Black Kids
Jan 9 2008 10:00P The Caledonia Athens, Georgia w/Poison Control Center
Feb 8 2008 8:00P TBA **JAPAN Tokyo
Feb 9 2008 8:00P TBA **JAPAN Kyoto
Feb 10 2008 8:00P TBA **JAPAN Nagoya
Feb 11 2008 8:00P TBA **JAPAN Tokyo