Sorry for the lack of updates this week, I assure you it’s not because I’ve been slacking. In fact, its been quite the opposite, I’ve been searching and listening a lot, just nothing has really grabbed me lately. I guess you can’t expect the magic to roll in each week, day after day. I’m no good at hyping mediocrity. Anyways, I’ve had a few submissions this week for that Songs for a Wes Anderson Film feature that I am hoping to get together. So count on that, and e-mail me your suggestions or post them in the comments.

I can’t think of a Director who better exemplifies my consciousness and interest in timeless 60′s music more than Wes Anderson. His ability to capture the feeling of a song while setting it to his own visual interpretation never ceases to amaze me. In fact, as I was explaining to some friends earlier this week- sometimes my inclinations towards the 60′s gets in the way of updates here at Naturalismo. Sometimes it’s just a Donovan week, or a Kinks week, or Velvet Underground. This week it happens to be ‘Don’t think twice it’s alright’ on repeat (rough week). The following preview comes from Wes Anderson’s upcoming film The Darjeeling Limited, which I have been anticipating for quite some time. It is also rather unexpected that this film is even coming out as his other project, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, was started much before Darjeeling came to fruition. I must admit that I’ve always had the pipe dream of compiling a films score and soundtrack and have quite a few 60′s gems laying around marked as such and with ideas in mind. Anyone else out there have any? That may be a fun idea for a feature, Songs for a Wes Anderson film. Post your song contributions in the comments, let’s make this happen. I recommend uploading the files to mydatabus.com or mediafire.com.

(click for trailer) 

The song that plays in the preview is the Kinks “This Time Tomorrow” which you can grab over at Gorilla Vs. Bear today.

The Diamond Days music festival starts today in New York City. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the summer of love, Diamond Days brings together many upcoming and interesting contemporary psych and folk artists. Tickets are only $25 dollars for the 4 day event, that’s like 3 waters at Coachella, so don’t pass this up. No doubt that it will be quite an amazing experience. I’m sad that I have to miss this one. Anyone who goes, make sure to send in some photos or any stories from the weekend.

The line-up with artist links(this should keep you busy for the better part of the day):

The July 19th and 21st shows
are BYOB and all ages

Thursday July 19th at
Show moved to Rockstar Bar 351 Kent at South 5th street in Williamsburg
Titan
Teeth of The Hydra
Warmth
Monark
Tournament
Wet Nurse
Dead Unicorn
Satanized

Friday July 20th at Church of Messiah, 129 Russell St., Greenpoint
Coydogs
Marissa Nadler
TK Webb (Solo)
Pale Hoarse
The Joints
Heeb Storytelling (with Adira Amram, Gabe & Jenny, Josh Fadem and Max Silvestri)

Saturday July 21st at Church of the Messiah
Sunburned Hand of the Man
Plastic Crimewave Expanse
La Otracina
These Are Powers
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound
Mythical beast
Roxy Pain
Heavy Hands
Spires That In The Sunset Rise
Women and Children
D Charles Speer (members of
No Neck Blues Band)
Golden Ball
Alana and the Rough Gems
Empty Shapes
Brightside
Khoutek
Weird Owl
Woodwose
Necking
Captain Captain
Olives

Slides by Peru Ana Ana Peru

Guest DJ’s spinning psych,
soul, glitter, bubblegum and more all day

Sunday July 22 Outdoor BBQ
show at Union Pool, 484 Union Ave., Williamsburg
Show starts at 3pm.
Fresh Kills
Livefastdie
Psychedelic Horseshit
Golden Triangle
Clean Teens

La Blogotheque never ceases to amaze me. Their entire approach to capturing artists live is so innovative and raw-yet somehow has never seemed forced, despite pumping out video after video. They kind of bridge the gap between the sometimes overly still live performance and the grandiose (and the resulting disconnect) production that music videos often exhibit.

I can’t recommend these videos of Rio en Medio enough, quite enchanting:

Rio en Medio performs the following songs for La Blogotheque (click the photo to go to the website and watch the videos streaming there or download them below):

• Rio en medio – Girls on the run (47 Mo)
• Rio en medio – Everyones someone (58 Mo)
• Rio en medio – Le petit prince et le renard (57 Mo)
• Rio en medio – Though the little window (14 Mo)

Ray Raposa of Castanets has finished his third album and the details have now been made available. I’ve been anticipating this album for quite some time and it’s great to see that it is finally seeing a release. Ray Raposa seems to have gone through a lot both preceding and proceeding his past two albums, between being held up at gunpoint and having his gear stolen a few weeks ago with Jana Hunter, I’m sure he has had plenty of time to write and sing about it all. The press release captures the emotion of what he has endured and I can only imagine surfaces on his upcoming third album, In the Vines.

From the release:
In The Vines

Release Date: October 23, 2007

THE STORY
Ray Raposa of Castanets had almost finished his follow-up to First Light’s Freeze (2005) when three men in strange masks mugged him at gunpoint in front of his home in Bedstuy, Brooklyn. Stealing Raposa’s rent money, iPod and security, the three thieves climaxed a year of depression and nomadic, nocturnal dislocation. Not long after the mugging, Raposa completed In The Vines.

If the Castanets’ debut, Cathedral (2004) was a road narrative and First Light’s Freeze a malaise of longing, In The Vines is an attempt to reconcile the fear of the spaces between the journeys. Says Raposa, “There is a definite rootlessness. Not so much pursuit as just waking up somewhere else, then somewhere else again. I have had to halt production and/or writing and/or thinking about this album repeatedly due to actual, incapacitating depressions. Totally crippling. The bad kind. Off of the road, it’s been a pretty bad year.”

Appropriately, the album he was struggling to complete is based on a Hindu fable about being trapped in an inescapable fate, with death and the limitations of our physical lives closing in from all corners. The story is half of the inspiration for In The Vines. The other half is the wandering that’s typified most of Raposa’s life. From years on the road faking Greyhound passes, to moving to the Virgin Islands as a parentless teenaged professional surfer, to keeping tabs on expatriate journalist parents (father residing in Saudi Arabia and mother in Mexico), Raposa’s life has been one of back seats and rest stops. In the fable story, “The Well of Life”, a giant net stretched out by a giant woman surrounds a Brahman lost in the forest. The frantic Brahman runs in circles attempting to escape until he falls halfway down a pit and is entangled in vines. He discovers some bee hives halfway between the flesh-hungry six-faced elephant at the top of the pit and the waiting serpent at the bottom. As bees buzz around the Brahman and rats gnaw at the vines holding him up, all he can do is gorge on the sweet honey.

Read the rest of this entry »

The enigmatic songstress Marissa Nadler has contributed a cover of Radiohead’s “No Surprises” to the stereogum compilation OKX, which celebrates the 10th anniversary release of OK computer. You can download Marissa’s cover by clicking the track below. Also appearing on the compilation is My Brightest Diamond, who covers “Lucky.” In the coming weeks wait for a Naturalismo exclusive cover track sung by Marissa Nadler. I’m really excited for it, so stay tuned.

Marissa Nadler ft. Black Hole Infinity – No Surprises

My Brightest Diamond – Lucky

Also another new Marissa Nadler track from a few weeks ago:

Marissa Nadler – Mistress

Download the full album here.

Full track listing for Stereogum’s OKX:

1. Doveman – “Airbag” (MP3) [Doveman's notes]
2. Slaraffenland – “Paranoid Android” (MP3) [Slaraffenland notes]
3. Mobius Band – “Subterranean Homesick Alien” (MP3) [Mobius Band's notes]
4. Vampire Weekend – “Exit Music (For a Film)” (MP3) [Vampire Weekend's notes]
5. David Bazan’s Black Cloud – “Let Down” (MP3) [David Bazan's notes]
6. John Vanderslice – “Karma Police” (MP3) [John Vanderslice's notes]
7. Samson Dalonoga feat. The Found Sound Orchestra – “Fitter Happier” (MP3) [Samson Dalonoga's notes]
8. Cold War Kids – “Electioneering” (MP3) [Cold War Kids' notes]
9. The Twilight Sad – “Climbing Up the Walls” (MP3) [The Twilight Sad's notes]
10. Marissa Nadler feat. Black Hole Infinity – “No Surprises” (MP3) [Marissa Nadler's notes]
11. My Brightest Diamond – “Lucky” (MP3) [My Brightest Diamond's notes]
12. Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble – “The Tourist” (MP3) [Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble's notes]

My promise to myself to update Naturalismo while I had my one week off for holiday obviously didn’t come to fruition! Sorry sorry dear readers. Regular updates will resume on Monday! I have some very exciting features in the works including an interview with Alissa Anderson, a Naturalismo blog exclusive cover track sung by the enchanting Marissa Nadler, of course more Devendra news, a new Pepi Ginsberg album and more.

For now I will leave you with a song that captures the feeling of my half a fortnight of splendor. Jeff Alexander wrote the song “Come Wander” for use in an episode of the Twlight Zone in 1964. The song is stunningly beautiful and somewhat haunting, I’ve had it floating in and out of my head all week. I think it’s about as close to perfection as a song can get. Bonnie Beecher, the real girl from North County, ran with Dylan for a time but is primarily remembered as an actress. What many don’t realize is that she recorded with Bob Dylan early in 1961 and a bootleg exists of their recordings. I’d love to provide the bootleg for you here but when I went to plug in my external hard drive I discovered it was dead. If someone has this out there please send it over to share with everyone.

Download the song here: Bonnie Beecher -- Come Wander