Atomic Books Blog

The new issue of The Fader (#80) has a cover feature on Beach House by writer Sam Hockley-Smith called "Tidal Pull": "Conversation turns to John Waters, the Baltimore-based director that has fashioned himself into something of a guru for the city's scrappy artistic community, hosting yearly Christmas parties to which Scally and Legrand are regularly invited. ... 'John Waters is like the kind of artist that makes entertainment like...' she [Legrand] trails off, seemingly at a loss at how to describe Waters' ability to portray the deeply weird tendencies of artists in his films. 'Why are people so insecure? All performers are so insecure and need affirmation,' she stares at a corner of the bar's low ceiling. 'Is that what this is? That all humans - they just want to hear themselves to prove they exist?'" In the new Big Take-Over (#70) , there's a review of Free Electric State's new record, Monumental Life : "...a...

In the current issue of Under The Radar (#40) , the feature "In The Studio 2012" takes a look at a handful of hotly anticipated albums in 2012. One of the profiles is of Baltimore's own Dan Deacon, and his as-yet untitled next album due in June. Progressing out from Bromst , this record features not only a lot of acoustic instrumentation, but a lot of musicians as well (more than 30 players). Deacon explains this is going to be about protest music. "The music is very much influenced by the landscape of the United States, and the beauty of the country," he explains. "The lyrics are very much about the frustration of what it is to be American in this time. And how you feel this constant impending doom and fear, but also a weird, non-tangible freedom." ... As the Occupy movement and the Arab Spring unfolded around Deacon, the the aforementioned socioeconomic issues took on greater urgency. Ken Burns' The Civil War was also influential, ...

Keeping track of new magazines (etc.) that we get in which talk about Baltimore stuff. For more on, by, or about Baltimore-area artists, check out the following issues below. from Ghettoblaster #28   Wye Oak - Civilian Rating: Turned Up (basically 3 out of 5 stars) "Wye Oak's latest release of ethereal, folk inspired indie-pop improves on the group's signature sound of quiet, measured instrumentals overlaid with Jess [sic - that's Jenn, dude] Wasner's smoky alto vocals and it's a winning combination, to be sure. ..." - Andrew Coulon There's also a pretty entertaining review of Ponytail's Do What You Want All The Time which unfortunately says more about the reviewer's insecurities than it does about the music. "The shift of the hipster uniform is an ugly thing to see. ... You're being annoying on purpose. I can tell you know how to play. ..." -Jason Schueppert from Decibel #82 There is a nice series of reviews of ...

Keeping track of new magazines (etc.) that we get in which talk about Baltimore stuff. For more on, by, or about Baltimore-area artists, check out the following issues below. Mojo #195 Beach House - Teen Dream (3 out of 5 stars) "...Scally and Legrand have fashioned an album of rare beauty that would justly see them rise beyond those '90s reference points to hold their own alongside the thoroughly modern likes of Gri zzly Bear or Bon Iver, as indeed they did on the bill of the 2009 Green Man 'freaky folk' festival." -Andy Fyfe Decibel #64 One of 2010's 25 most anticipated records, according to Decibel , is the untitled Pig Destroyer album that is tentatively slated for this fall. "Pig Destroyer have improved exponentially with every full-length since their 1998 debut, EXPLOSIONS IN WARD 6. ... Hull, vocalist J.R. Hayes, drummer Brian Harvey and electronics whiz Blake Harrison can essentially do any goddamn thing they want with dash and derring-do....