Mike Krol's 'Turkey' is out now.

Weekly Music Roundup: Remixing Racist Film; Mike Krol Cleans the Streets

By
John Schaefer
Weekly Roundup | Sep 1, 2015
Rescue your Tuesdays with our weekly roundup of music news, videos, and songs that just might help you get through the rest of the week. This week, where in the world is John Schaefer? His music roundup gives us conflicting clues on where he's vacationing. 

Remixing a Famous Racist Film 100 Years Later

DJ Spooky is not one of those DJs who whips the crowds at Ibiza into a nightlong dancing frenzy. He occupies the experimental, avant-garde wing of the DJ spectrum. (Yes, there is such a thing.) He’s worked with everyone from Yoko Ono to Dave Lombardo of Slayer to Jamaican dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry. His brand new release features the intrepid Kronos Quartet, in a project Spooky first unveiled about ten years ago: a remix of the infamous 1915 film Birth Of A Nation. Just as a song remix can totally alter the mood and effect, so does his remix of D. W. Griffith’s unapologetically racist movie. Subverting Griffith’s intentions with urban, African-American musical gestures, with string quartet and his own production, DJ Spooky (aka Paul D Miller) has made a statement about the conflicted legacy of race relations in this country. With a rockin’ soundtrack. Check out this excerpt, called “Ride Of The Klansmen.”

The Big Sound Of A Little Band From England

Lanterns On The Lake is a poetically-named band from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne; Beings is their third album of atmospheric indie rock, coming November 13. But if their just-released single, “Faultlines,” is any indication, this new record will be a little more intense than their previous efforts. Hazel Wilde’s vocals ride a galloping rhythm that ends in a sudden turn to darkness, as the band’s almost orchestral sound (ah, the mellotron – glad to see this instrument back in favor) gives way to an ominous little soundscape – and then leaves us hanging. Guess we’ll just have to wait for the rest of the album to see what happens next. 

Guess Who Else Is In England?

Philip Glass: Taxi Driver - BBC Radio 4

Apparently, I am. Well, my voice at least. BBC Radio 4 presented a documentary about American composer Philip Glass – but the twist is, they’re focused on the years before he became famous. So it’s called Philip Glass, Taxi Driver, and looks at the early years of Minimalism, the New York music and arts scene in the early 1970's, the odd jobs Glass took to survive, and basically takes us up to the landmark premiere of his “opera,” Einstein On The Beach, in 1976. (After which, Glass went right back to driving a cab for a while, occasioning the oft-repeated story where he picked up a passenger, who glanced at the photo/ID on the back of the seat and said, “young man, do you know you have the same name as a very famous composer?”) Anyway, Philip Glass remembers those bad old days, and I’m in there too. But go ahead and listen anyway – it’s available for another couple of weeks before they take the audio down. 

Brooklyn Singer REALLY Hopes Her Horse Wins

Nicole Schneit records under the name Air Waves, and is about to release a new record called Parting Glances on September 18. I got word of the release just before leaving on my vacation, but that title caught my eye: it reminded me of a bar called The Parting Glass, not far from the historic racetrack in Saratoga Springs. So I figured, what the heck, I’ll open one more email before I leave. Lo and behold, there was a link to her single called “Horse Race.” Featuring Jana Hunter from the band Lower Dens, it begins with these lines: “I put my money down/on this horse race/better win it now/so I can afford this place.” Hey, I’ve been there. Hell – I’m there now. Greetings from Saratoga Race Course - where I may well have those lines running through my head all week. 

Watch Mike Krol’s Video ‘Cause He May Be Watching You

On Friday, lo-fi rocker Mike Krol released his latest album, called Turkey. He also released a video for the song “Neighborhood Watch.” I’m gonna guess that I lost more money on the last race here at Saratoga than he spent on this video, which basically stars…the album cover. The song also sounds like it was recorded and produced for about 20 bucks. And you know what? It totally works. Watch the video – I actually laughed out loud at one point. (A Miles Davis record is involved.) 

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John Schaefer

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