Pages

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Q&A with Haiku Salut

Haikusalut.com
Last week I had the chance to do an email Q&A with Louise Croft from U.K. trio Haiku Salut. For those of you playing at home, you might remember the band from an earlier post this month about their song "Los Elefantes." Haiku Salut's debut album Tricolore, which came out on April 16 in the U.S., is such a fascinating mix of styles and sounds, that I had to shoot a couple questions their way. Here's what Croft had to say about writing instrumental songs, taking cues from foreign cinema, and being a sound guy's worst nightmare.


TMI: How did you three get together/how long have you been playing together?

LC: We’ve been playing together as Haiku Salut for three years now. We all met at Derby University and used to play in a band together previously, which had seven members. We had a stupid amount of fun in that band, but it was totally chaotic and raucous, and it could never have lasted. When that band split up, the three of us branched off to try something which couldn’t have been any more different! I think this surprised people, but it made a lot of sense to us, and we really ended up finding our feet!


I loved the mix of baroque/pop-folk/electronica on the record– how did you develop your sound to incorporate those styles?

Our music has definitely changed since we started out as Haiku Salut. Our earlier songs had a more classical/folk feel to them, and then when we started to develop musically we introduced the electronic elements. Sophie took influences from electronic artists such as Pawn and Serph and began to introduce beats and glitch interludes to the music, through the Launch Pad, which gave it a whole new sound and depth!


Going off the last question, I also thought I heard different places throughout the album, whether it was a Spanish guitar or a bit of an Eastern European melody, does place have an influence on Tricolore?

The style in Tricolore changes throughout the album. We are influenced by such a wide array of music from all over the world, from Múm and Detektivbyran, to Yann Tiersen, to Shugo Tokumaru. Gemma plays classical guitar and the style often has a European element, which blends well with the folk and electronic sides to our music.


You’ve mentioned being influenced by French and Japanese cinema, could you talk a bit more about that? (How does it translate on the album?)

As mentioned earlier, Yann Tiersen is a huge influence for us, as well as the French director Sylvain Chomet. The Japanese author Haruki Murakami is someone we all admire as well. We often get told that our music has cinematic qualities, which we love. We’ve written a soundtrack to a series of animations, and had our music played as part of short films, but we’d love to have much more involvement with film and cinema in the future.


What’s the group dynamic in terms of how you three write and arrange songs?

Songwriting tends to be a fun time for us because of the choice of instruments we have! We always keep ourselves busy, usually swapping instruments at least once during a song. If we think a melody would sound especially good on a certain instrument, even if that instrument is not in our collection (unlikely), we will seek it and learn it. Our writing styles can have a mind of their own, we find that our songs tend to have a beginning, a middle and an end, rather than the usual verses and choruses.


There are so many interesting sounds and textures in your music, could you talk about how it comes together at a live show?

We love playing live, but it can be challenging– we’ve been described as "a soundman’s worst nightmare!" Namely because of the array of instruments we use between the three of us: accordion, trumpet, guitar, drums, glockenspiel, loop pedal, laptop to name but a few. We enjoy surprising people with our music, and hopefully that shows when we play live, from the layers we produce from the loop pedal, and the multi-instrumentation that we incorporate.


What’s been the best experience attached to Tricolore so far?

We’ve played 2 album launches for Tricolore (I know, greedy)– one in London and one in Derbyshire, where we all live. They’ve both been sell-outs which is amazing and they’ve both been really fantastic nights. The one in Derby was extra-special though, as we prepared a light show to accompany our live performance, which was held in a theatre space. This involved 20+ charity shop lamps of all shapes and sizes that were triggered by the Launch Pad to flicker/flash/fade at alternating times. We couldn’t believe how amazing it all looked! On the contrary, it was also the most nerve-wrecking terrified we’re probably ever been in our entire lives! Totally worth it though…


 (Video courtesy of Ian Watson) 

What’s next for Haiku Salut?

At the moment we’re enjoying the release of Tricolore, but we’re eager to continue with more songwriting. We’re playing some festivals in the U.K. this summer, and hoping to sort some European dates and fingers crossed a tour in the U.S.!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

'At Least It Was Here' : 'Community' Theme Song



You could securely count me among the ranks of the Community faithful. I adore the NBC comedy. I especially adore the heaping pile of pop culture references the show serves up every week because it keeps me either snickering at or Googling what the heck they're talking about. In that spirit, I'm basically baffled that I never thought to investigate the theme song, even as I've enjoyed singing along with the oh, so morbid lyrics, "We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year! I can't count the reasons I should stay. One by one, they all just fade a way."

So, here's the deal. The song is "At Least it Was Here" by The 88. The band is a quartet from L.A. They've been around since 2002 doing such things as backing Ray Davies and splitting from Island Records. They've had songs on T.V. shows like How I Met Your Mother and Grey's Anatomy. They even appeared on The O.C. "How Good It Can Be" was on The OC: Mix 1, so you know they're legit. (This is a far less sarcastic statement than you probably think.)

As for the song itself, I scoured Spotify and it doesn't appear on any of their five albums, so your guess is as good as mine as to when or why it was recorded. Nevertheless, take the full version for a spin above.


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Jimmy Kimmel Catches Coachella-Goers in a Lie


Jimmy Kimmel sent a team out to Coachella this weekend to talk to people about the bands they're exciting about seeing. Glitch: All the bands they named (with the exception of one) were fake. From The Chelsea Clintons to Get the F*ck Out of My Pool, these non-existent bands are apparently generating some serious enthusiasm from Coachella attendees who described their sounds, genres, and even lamented having missed them in the past... and with such conviction that you will question every music-related conversation you've ever had.

Friday, April 19, 2013

The Hood Internet Remixes R. Kelly and Phoenix


It's been a certifiably crappy week stateside. I think we can all agree on that. The best I can do for you this Friday is direct you to two and a half minutes of remix magic entitled "Ignition (1901 remix)" by the Hood Internet. As you might gather from the title, it is nothing other than R. Kelly's "Ignition" diced up with Phoenix's  "1901." Or if you're like me, it's a collision between the spring of 8th grade and sophomore year of college. Wowzer, you know what I mean? Those were different times.

Anyway. R. Kelly and Phoenix did some collaborating at Coachella last weekend. Couldn't get anyone to tell me why, but I guess that's irrelevant now. The Hood Internet took it upon themselves to recreate the remix and here we are. Take a listen. Oh, and you can download it too. (WHAT.)



Bonus round: I also found an interesting mashup of "1901" and "New Slang" by the Shins. I wish my brain worked that way.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

"Give A Little Love" : Sufjan Stevens



I ran into a song by Sufjan Stevens the other day called "Give A Little Love." Technically the song, or rather unfinished demo, hit the Internets back in March, but I'm going to go on a limb here and say maybe it got by you too. Apparently he found it on an old hard drive and stuck it on his Tumblr. May we all find such things on our hard drives.

Stevens suggested it might be an outtake from 2010's All Delighted People. That's funny to me because  I didn't dig that album very much (definitely not as much as I loved Age of Adz), but I love this track. There's something buried way down in the melody that's mildly Motown. Also, I like to pretend Stevens keeps a full choir of people stashed in a room in his apartment.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Stream the New Phoenix Album


Allow me to thank the Internet. The demand for content is so overpowering, that we now require things like albums to come out before they come out. It's a good age to be a bottomless pit of a pop culture consumer. And I say that with love, I really do.

This week we get the new Phoenix album Bankrupt! a whole week early courtesy of iTunes. My one-word review two tracks in is: YES.

Anyway, be off with you and go listen.

"Diamond" : Brendan Benson



In case it got by you, Detroit/Nashville singer songwriter Brendan Benson announced he's releasing a new song every month through 2013. (I'll give you a second to turn to the nearest person and high-five them.) Here's April's entry: "Diamond." The songs will be available as a 7" on Records Store Day and also available online in case you're planing on sitting out the festivities this year.

Monday, April 15, 2013

'Los Elefantes' : Haiku Salut


I don't write about a ton of instrumental music on here, probably because of my own overwhelming bias toward words, but I thought I'd break that pattern today. Check out "Los Elefantes" by U.K. trio Haiku Salut. "Los Elefantes" is a really lovely little tune that mixes a bit of electronica with gorgeous pop-y folk sounds. I love how delicate and layered it is– it's the kind of piece that demands your full attention. Haiku Salut's album drops in the U.S. tomorrow (April 16). It's called Tricolore and I'd be willing to bet it's a great headphones record. If spring has sprung in your part of the world, find a sunny spot and take "Los Elefantes" for a spin.

'SNL' Sketch Features Thatcher-loving British Punk Rocker



Some of Saturday Night Live's best sketches this season have been the pre-taped pieces. This week was no exception. We got to meet punk rocker Ian Rubbish (a Johnny Rotten-type character) through a really well-done mockumentary in the vein of Spinal Tap. The thing about Rubbish is that he's weirdly sympathetic to and even defensive of Margaret Thatcher. He hates the Queen, he hates the police, he hates just about everything– except Maggie Thatcher who is by his analysis, "alright." It's funny stuff, especially in the details from the grainy 1970s club footage, to the look of aged punks, to the supers done in the style of fabled oral history of the genre, Please Kill Me. Take a look.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Review: 'Nashville' : 'My Heart Would Know'


If I had to peg a theme for this week's episode of Nashville, it would be Sympathy for the Devil (with apologies to the Rolling Stones). Here's what happened. 

The show basically opens with the audience walking in on Addiction Counselor (whose name I finally learned– Dante!) and Juliette in bed. He brings up her mom and she's like WAY TO KILL THE MOOD DANTE. But really, it is a concern. Juliette ultimately convinces him that they should keep their relationship quiet and like the solid professional he is, he agrees. But lo, a knock on the door sends the pair scrambling. It's Rayna and she wants to use the jet because Lamar is in the hospital and she's got to get the girls home. PS, Rayna's not going to do her half of the show. That leaves Juliette wondering the next day why folks are telling her to cancel the whole show just because Rayna won't be there. Juliette makes phone calls while the little people scurry around her. Druggie Mom walks in looking peaked, asking why neither Dante nor Juliette answered their phones last night. You don't want to know, Druggie Mom, you don't want to know. She tells them she took a bottle of Vodka. Didn't drink it, but she took it just to cuddle and stroke it for a while. Druggie Mom thinks it's time she and Dante go home. Oh, snap! Juliette and Dante plot to talk Druggie Mom out wrecking their creepy-ass little union. Later at rehearsal, Juliette flips out at the band because they've only got ten new songs to learn in a day for the extended show that night and they're not totally nailing it. (Does Juliette play an instrument? Methinks not.) Deacon, protector of the weak and downtrodden, gives her static. She references Dante and he's like WTF is Dante?? Somebody get that man a drink. Seriously. 


But yes, who is Dante? He's the only person who has Juliette's back, just so you know. Anyway, she pulls a Garbo and heads back to her bus. Later, Dante goes to talk to Druggie Mom who tells him again that he's slacking on his job as a sober companion and that she would like to go home. Also, she kisses him just as Juliette walks in, and you just know this is going to be a whole thing, in the hallway, in front of everyone. Weirdest love triangle ever. Druggie Mom thinks Dante has feelings for her too. Then she realizes he and Juliette are sleeping together. Gross, she says. Trust me, Druggie Mom, it's worse for us than it is for you. The next morning Dante tells Juliette "I never meant to drive a wedge between you and your mom." Good one. But apparently this has happened before. Juliette sends Druggie Mom home and instructs assistant Emily to get her a new sober companion... a female this time. And PS, Dante is Juliette's new manger. 


So, Rayna hopped a plane back to Nashville as Lamar is in the hospital draining all hope from those in the building. He gives Rayna some crap about coming off the road and she tells him "I can see you're all full of piss and vinegar so you must be feeling better." But despite the fact that his heart almost exploded, he's still going on about this whole land deal thing. He also makes the first of two escape attempts...

 
before Tandy tells him she WILL have him sedated. I like Tandy more and more these days. Back in the waiting room, Watty shows up to see Rayna. He's a welcome face to all except Lamar, apparently. During escape attempt number two where he actually makes it down the hall, he freaks about when he sees Watty there. The lights flicker, the floor shakes, Watty decides an exit might be in his best interest. But that's weird, right? That whole freak out about Watty? There must be something going on. At this point my mom leans over and says, "I bet Watty's her dad." 


Rayna goes to Watty to apologize and Watty confesses that he had an affair with Rayna' mom and when Rayna's mom died in that car wreck, her bags were packed. (!!!!) I'm kind of hoping Watty is Rayna's dad. It would be trippy because that would mean that Watty was basically Deacon, Lamar was Teddy, Rayna was Maddie, and the universe works in an infinite loop where we're all destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over and OH MAN I gotta lay down a second. Ok. Later, Lamar has another heart attack or something of the like and it gets real ER in there real fast. WHERE'S THE CRASH CART?? (Incidentally, Crash Cart would be a great name for a band.) He goes into surgery, there are complications. Tandy and Rayna talk briefly about the whole Watty thing, and Tandy tells Rayna that's why Lamar is so screwed up and how changed he was by the betrayal, to which I take issue because I don't think there was ever a time when Lamar wasn't evil. All that creepy jaw grinding doesn't just happen. And some of the crap he's pulled? Dude knows better. He's like the last character the show should be building sympathy for because he's so beyond it. Anyway, Rayna later gets teary with Lamar as he lays half conscious, wishing she'd been able to understand things better, sooner. 

Back in New York, Deacon and Stacey the vet part ways. He gives her a key to his house. What, you want me to water your plants? She asks. You know I can't keep anything alive, he tells her making the audience fear for the dog. After she leaves, Deacon finds out about Lamar and calls Rayna (who will call him back and leave a message herself) and it's just one of those moments where I can't understand how they're not going to be together in the end because they're too tangled in each other's lives. Give up and get it together, kids. Not long after, he runs into Avery and is somewhat perplexed at why he's a roadie. Maybe we should feel bad that Avery's on the bottom rung again, but we don't. Deacon runs into Avery again a little later after Dante fired Avery for catching Juliette and him playing Scrabble on the bus. (They weren't playing Scrabble.) Deacon is like I will take care of this. He goes and confronts Dante– with what authority are you firing people? And by the way, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AGAIN?? Well, Avery has a job for now, but Dante's thrown in Deacon's face that he accepted a $50k guitar from Juliette and slept with her when she was vulnerable. So much for confidentiality. That night at the show post-rehearsal flare up, Juliette taunts Deacon with her singing about blowing chances etc. and he stonewalls her. This pisses her off and they have another fight later. Deacon tells her you cancel shows when there's a family emergency and Juliette says, well, she's not my family and she's not yours either, to which Deacon responds, yes she is and we bawl uncontrollably for the next several minutes. Deacon flies to Nashville and turns up at the hospital because again, let me be clear, there is no universe in which they do not happen. They talk and he says there was something in her message that "sounded like you needed me." His voice cracks. We bawl again because life in unfair, baby. 

Meanwhile in East Nashville, Gunnar is all underwear and mimosas in honor of Scarlett's record deal. That night they go to a bar with Luke from the O.C. (why has no one said to him "Welcome to Nashville, bitch" yet, hmm?? Kind of a squandered opportunity.) and a couple things happen. Scarlett jokes about him being a bad influence on Gunnar because he says he can pick up a girl in three minutes flat. He gets on stage and sings a song with Scarlett. She later tells him she's worried about Gunnar because he hasn't written anything since Jason died. After they get Scarlett home (because she is crunk and has a meeting in the morning), Gunnar tells Luke he's dead inside, essentially. Luke gets him to go back out and they wind up playing chicken with a train, which is the dumbest thing ever. At first Gunnar is freaking out and then he's like, let's do it again! Here's the thing. I don't know what they're trying to set up here. Is this the beginning of some weird adrenaline addiction for Gunnar which will complete the Deacon-Gunnar arc? Is Luke really going to be a destructive influence? Or is this just something that a writer stuck in the show as a way to get Gunnar writing again? We shall see. For all we know, Luke could end up on the grill of a speeding train by the next episode. Long story short, Gunnar writes a very John Mayer-esque tune. 

One more thing, Tandy takes over Lamar's affairs and finds out about the whole Peggy/tabloid/Lamar/blackmail mess and personally delivers the phone records to Teddy. Like I said, liking Tandy more and more. 

Stray Observations:

+ We had two songs this episode as usual (Gunnar and Juliette) but I feel like the music is becoming less and less important to the show.
+ I feel no pity for Lamar or Avery. This is me not caring: 
+ Peggy is gross.

So Many New Songs by the National

Fans of the National can barely keep up these days. In the run up to the band's May 21 release, Trouble Will Find Me, tracks upon tracks are spilling out everywhere. We couldn't be happier. Here's a round up of what's out so far (8 of 13, if you're keeping score at home), conveniently arranged in the order they'll be on the album.


"I Should Live in Salt"


"Demons"


"Don't Swallow the Cap" (first single)


"Fireproof"


"Heavenfaced"


"Graceless"


"I Need My Girl"


"Humiliation"



A Passing Thought About Jay-Z Comparing Himself to Bob Dylan



The cool thing about Bob Dylan is that I don't think even he would claim to be the Bob Dylan of anything.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

5 Reasons to See Dawes Live + 'From a Window Seat' Music Video



Just a couple items this morning, and they're both Dawes-related as the band's third album Stories Don't End drops today.

First up, after catching the band at Grimey's in March, I put together a piece for Consequence of Sound where I humbly submit my argument for why you should go to a Dawes show if you've got the chance. Grimey's co-owner Doyle Davis was kind enough to talk to me about the in-store, as well. Check out the link below and maybe stop by your local record store for a copy of Stories Don't End if you haven't already made that decision.

Read more...

Secondly, CMT premiered the music video for the new album's first single, "From a Window Seat." The director successfully transformed the flight attendant's safety demonstration into what looks like the remnants of a pagan ritual, so I'm happy. Also, frontman Taylor Goldsmith meets a future version of himself on the plane and I couldn't help but think of that hilarious New Girl episode where Nick Miller runs into a guy at his bar who might just be him in decades to come. Watch the video above.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Video: 'Lonesome Dreams' by Lord Huron



If you've had even the slightest romantic notion about the West, you'll want to jump inside Lord Huron's new video for "Lonesome Dreams" and walk around its colorized dream haze. Take it for a spin this fine Sunday afternoon and stop by Bob Boilen's write up on NPR Music about the world Lord Huron frontman Ben Schneider's created in tandem with his music.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Review: 'Nashville' : 'I Saw the Light'


This week on 'Nashville,' we spent most of the show in New York City. That's where we caught up with Rayna, her daughters, and sister Tandy cruising the Big Apple in a limo. As they drive by a billboard with Rayna's giant face on it, the girls are in awe. Maddie eventually drops on her mom and aunt that she wants to sing professionally, to which Rayna responds:


It's all good and fun to be in the music business until your kids want to be in it too. As my grandfather was fond of saying, "Do as I say, not as I do." LOL. Grandpa. In a later conversation, Rayna talks to Maddie and the younger sister about finishing growing up etc and Maddie asks her the very valid question we were all thinking, So why did you give me a guitar? Guitars are feelings receptacles, Rayna says shortly before hopping onstage with her awesome hair and pants, in front of thousands of screaming fans. Maddie is like... Yeah. Sure don't want any of this. She continues to watch from the side of the stage with bio-dad Deacon and his new girlfriend Stacey the vet. The audience cringes as he puts his arm around Maddie and we think They've kind of got the same head shape. How have they not figured this out? Rayna exits stage right. Later at some after party type thing at the hotel, the Jaymes girls freak as they have a short conversation with Juliette where she encourages to follow their dreams or something and jokes with them about partying. When Rayna wants to send the pair to bed, 13-year-old Maddie responds that they're scheduled to "party like a rock star with Juliette." Bless her pea-pickin' little heart. Rayna has a heart to heart with Tandy about the girls. She just wants to protect them. Tandy tells her that they don't see it that way. They probably think Rayna's just trying to stand in the way of their dreams. After Tandy sprinkles in a little Lamar-as-unsupportive-parent in the conversation, Rayna arranges to have the girls do the sound check. They sing "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers and I wonder why they don't get to perform more on the show. Marshall watches with dollar  signs in his eyes, so you know where this is going.

On the other half of the tour is Juliette, of course. Rayna's billboard is right outside her window and it's super annoying, even if she's in a Zen circle thing with Addiction Counselor and Druggie Mom. "Can we please focus inward??" Druggie Mom snaps. You tell 'er, Druggie Mom. Later, Juliette tries to pull some of that crazy business man out of Addiction Counselor because last episode we established he'd been addicted to power and sex. He advises her on getting Marshall to set up a meeting with a cellphone company and then advises her on pitching them a sponsorship deal. So while she's planning with AD how she can get a gig hawking cellphones, she dismisses Druggie Mom to go to the crew's AA meeting instead of meeting with AD. Anyway, Juliette lands the deal but Druggie Mom tells her she wishes her daughter would care as much for her as she does for the cellphones.


Considering all the bad shit Druggie Mom has done, we feel sad for her because at least she's trying to be better. This is also a testament to what the show can do when it doesn't quickly dispose of a character. To make amends, Juliette dedicates a song to her mom at her next show. BUT if you think that Juliette has made a breakthrough and is ready to put her mom's wellbeing or whatever closer to the top of her list of priorities, think again because she beds Addiction Counselor at the end of the episode.

Speaking of quick trips to the bedroom, Deacon and Stacey the vet are cobbling together something that actually looks like a relationship. (She bought him grapefruit as to prevent scurvy! Love means staving off scurvy.) He invites her on tour. Flash forward to NYC, Deacon gives Stacey the backstage tour. After running into both Rayna and Juliette, Stacey gets way weirded out... like so, how many women on this tour have you slept with so far? On the upside, Stacey gets to tell Rayna "We met though his dog." Anyway, Stacey and Deacon talk. He tries to calm her apprehension. Toward the end of the episode, he tells her he's thinking of coming off the road.

Back in Nashville, a month has passed since Scarlett got the record deal offer and she still hasn't told Gunnar, which pisses him off when he does find out. Just so happens, though, that they've got a new neighbor. It's Luke from the O.C.! Presumably he's moved to Nashville from Oregon looking for a change of scenery. He even bought himself a hat. Scarlett asks him, "Cowboy, musician, or both?" They invite him over for dinner. Gunnar makes awkward comments about the deal, but mainly he hits it off with Luke and they sing in the backyard. Gunnar actually sends Scarlett inside to fetch them dinner. Luke asks Gunnar what the deal is with the um, deal, and Gunnar tells him what happened. The next morning, Scarlett wakes up Gunnar and tells him she's not going to sign the contract because she basically owes everything to him (?). That night he explains that he wasn't upset about her success. He was upset she didn't tell him because he's not a rotten jealous dog like Avery. Gunnar is in fact, the supportive type. So yes. Please sign the damn contract.

Since Avery's stink is wafting through the air, we might as well talk about him. Between Dominic and Marilyn, plus being in breach of contract, all bridges in Nashville are burned. No 5 Spot, no music publishing deal. No nothing... well, there's always 2nd Ave. JT visits him as he busks and tells him he's giving up on Nashville and going home. Avery should do the same (PLEASE LISTEN TO JT). Avery  resists. JT gives him the name of a guy he can call about some roadie work with a tour NYC (guess which one).

Even though Avery's left town, that doesn't mean Nashville is free of its biggest scumbag. Teddy and Peggy are playing house. She shows up wearing nothing but a trench coat.


Lamar starts plotting how he can get Teddy to build on his land like was planned. Long story short, he'll use Peggy against Teddy because she's the one who leaked the divorce to the tabloids. Oh, and Lamar has a heart attack at the end of the show.



Stray Observations:
+ Did we know that Scarlett's house has a rentable upstairs? That just happened, right?
+ Scarlett O'Connor has set women back 40 years.
+ When Avery loaded his gear in that taxi to the bus station, I really thought and hoped the cabbie was going to take off with his stuff.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Stream the New Dawes Album


Here's the best use of your time this Tuesday: Dawes has partnered with Amazon to stream their new album Stories Don't End a whole week early. In case you're thinking you've got to get your album from Amazon to hear it or some nonsense like that, no worries. The stream is free to all (allowing you to snag a copy from your local independent record).

I'm a few tracks in. I've already felt like sobbing a few times (dammit, Taylor Goldsmith), but mostly it's great and it's very exciting to hear new material.

Take it for a spin! The stream is available until April 9.

Chris Walla to Release Record Store Day Single


Death Cab for Cutie producer and all around solid musician Chris Walla is releasing a single called "Never Give Up" on 7" vinyl for Record Store Day. While that smells vaguely like Rick Roll, Stereogum premiered the tracks on Soundcloud– we're safe, folks. Walla's last solo outing was 2008's Field Manual. If you missed that, essential listening is track "Sing Again."

The 7" will be out via Walla's imprint Trans Records and feature label signee Sombear's track "Incredibly Still" on the B-side.

Check out the tracks below.