Stray Light (Eightmaps), the fourth album by Mike Sempert under the Birds & Batteries monicker, is the work of almost a decade. The San Francisco/Oakland band has made a name for itself walking the line between the electronic and the analog. “Lyrically, I wanted to be as simple and direct as possible with these songs,” says Sempert. “The opening and closing tracks are exceptions: They’re more abstract than the rest, but they’re important entries and exits to this Stray Light zone. The album is steeped in electronic music, but even within that ‘genre’ I allowed the music sounds to be stylistically uninhibited and free. Much of this album is about the push and pull between freedom and love/inspiration, with some wildly optimistic, magical futurism mixed in.” Check out the mix tape Bird & Batteries made for MAGNET below.
“The Golden Age Of Dreams” (download):
Dirty Projectors “Gun Has No Trigger”
Dirty Projectors are one of my favorite bands making music today. I really enjoy David Longstreth’s lyrics, compositions and singing, and Amber is equally astounding and virtuosic. “Gun Has No Trigger” is a beautiful piece of music and lyrics. I recently had the pleasure of seeing DP perform live at the Fox Theater in Oakland, and I was blown away. I recommend you catch them on tour. Video
Virtual Boy “Doom”
These guys make enjoyable cinematic, electronic music. Their song “Mass” is especially cool, but I chose “Doom” because the video itself is wonderful. The cinematography and editing are rock solid, and the choreography at the end is so right. This music video feels like an abstract teaser for your next favorite AMC series. Kudos to director Dillon Morris. Video
Weather Report “Badia'”
This “video” is just a photo-still of the album art, which is pretty great, actually. It’s a magical collage of exploding lava, vegetation, the lunar surface and the faces of the band, including Joe Zawinul (grumpy) and Wayne Shorter (mid-sentence). The music has that escapist element for me, like a folk melody from the future, heard in a jungle near a volcano. Video
Isley Brothers “Between The Sheets”
Most people know this as the sample for Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa.” The Isleys are not going for subtle here, which is why it’s good. Stick with this one through the end; the outro is dope in a timeless kind of way. Video
Van Hunt “Mysterious Hustle”
Van Hunt is worthy of even more acclaim then he’s received so far for his unique brand of mind-bending R&B. This song is about struggle, and while some of the imagery feels directly tied to ghetto life and “overcoming the place you come from,” these lyrics are universal. Van Hunt has had his share of music-business woes; he was dropped by a major label, which he overcame by releasing this album independently. I think the anguish of that experience comes through in this song. I can relate to the phrase “It’s a mysterious hustle.” It rings true on multiple levels. “You were born in the middle of a puzzle.” Video
Paul Simon “I Do It For Your Love”
This is the third song on Still Crazy After All These Years, which was a really important album for me. It was more proof that pop music could be art. It’s been lauded by music intellectuals as a smooth-ass song cycle, which is to say that each song’s key is part of a larger progression over the course of the album, and that the narrative of each song relates to a broader narrative of the album. It’s pretty wild. More importantly, each song on that LP is a truly beautiful work, performed by some of the best studio musicians of all time. Video
John Lurie “Soundtrack To Fishing With John”
This is the soundtrack to John Lurie’s 1991 Bravo series, Fishing With John, which he directed and starred in with various celebrities. Spoiler alert: My favorite episode is with Tom Waits in Jamaica, in which he places a red snapper down his pants. The show itself is fun and weird, but really just a vehicle for John’s excellent music. Video
Oh No Ono “Icicles”
Oh No Ono is a Danish pop band whose albums are released in the U.S. by the estimable Friendly Fire Records. This is a fan video edited with uncanny grace to the animated film The Snowman. Watch through the end; the flying sequence is really lovely. Video
Radiation City “Find It Of Use”
Radiation City are friends from Portland, Ore., and I’m really excited that they’ll be joining us for our record-release show in San Francisco. This song is from their Cool Nightmare EP. Their music is dreamy, epic and well-crafted, and this video is remarkably simple and sharply-done. Keep in mind that this piano had it coming because in addition to being beyond repair, it was also a notorious jerk. Was. Video
Bombino “Agadez”
This is a rock show by Bombino at a Mosque of Agadez, Niger. His album Agadez is incredible, though more mellow than this live footage. I hope to see him play live in the U.S. He was touring small clubs her for a while, and now seems to be on the festival circuit, so keep your eyes out. Meanwhile, this video of the live show offers a glimpse of some serious rock ‘n’ roll. Some people in the crowd are really feeling it, others are more reserved—but there’s no denying it, Bombino’s on fire. Video
