Featured Writer... VHS Or BETA with This One," Admits Craig
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3rd Quarter • 2011 The album juxtaposes more straightforward dance floor tracks like the jittery "Watch Out" with experimental fare such as "Jellybean," a trippy excursion pitched somewhere between Pink Floyd and the dark side of Italo-disco, and partially inspired by the records they heard spun in the backroom of Tandem, a favorite bar in their new neighborhood. Indeed, themes of duality permeate the record. While the grooves of Diamonds & Death are among the bands most optimistic and propulsive to date, it is no accident that they are often paired with dark lyrics, as on the crisp, percolating single "Breaking Bones." "That's something I always loved about the Smiths," explains Craig of this artistic choice. "You had this supremely uplifting pop music, with this somber message, being told in a very interesting way, by a beautiful voice." Even the making of the record was punctuated by contrasts; as excited as the guys were by their move to New York, Craig initially found himself bested by writer's block while working on lyrics. A few songs began life in Louisville—most notably "I Found A Reason," an uplifting, piano-driven number with echoes of Inner City's 1988 classic "Good Life" and big group vocals a la Chic—but the majority of the album was written and recorded after Craig and Mark had settled into Brooklyn. Yet even as the pair crafted tunes suitable for club play, they retained their trademark pop sensibili- ties. Selections like the title tune and "All Summer in a Day" are still anchored by concise melodic hooks—even if they aren't necessarily found in the most obvious places—and fleshed out with dynamic, unpredictable arrangements. "We pushed our boundaries further Featured Writer... VHS or BETA with this one," admits Craig. "Whereas the last record was all about three minute pop songs, this time we thought, 'Let's make them six They say location is everything, so it should come as no minutes.' Keep that pop feel, but pick something in the middle and surprise to learn that the aesthetic shift audible on Diamonds & stretch it out longer than we might have done in the past." Death, the fourth album by VHS or Beta, was accompanied by a change of zip code. Two years ago, founding band member The duo admits that before starting work on this album, they shied Mark Palgy relocated from Louisville, KY to Brooklyn, NY. Six away from the natural inclination to explore some of these months later, his creative foil, Craig Pfunder, followed. From the electronic timbres and different songwriting styles, for fear they'd backroom disco of their favorite Bushwick watering hole, to DFA be unable to replicate the music live. But no more. "With this Records' Plantain Studio in the West Village, new surroundings record, we said, 'Screw that! Let's go in there and write whatever exerted a powerful influence on the predominantly electronic puts a smile on our face, and feels right and good,'" concludes grooves of their first full-length since 2007's Bring on the Craig. "Diamonds and Death is the direct result of that." Comets. We look forward to the release of VHS or Beta’s ‘Diamonds and "The pace in New York is a lot faster, and I love that," says Death’ on our Krian Music Group label on September 27th. Mark. "You absorb the energy of the people around you here by osmosis." "Now we're in a place where we're learning a lot from other people," adds Craig. "It's a totally different dynamic, and NEW SIGNINGS it's been great for us to be in the thick of it." Demonte Posey has renewed his Administration deal for another Term. Producer and keyboardist DeMonte The other key influence on VHS or Beta's revitalized sound is Posey got his start in the church. Posey delved into the secular song territory in collaboration with their work as DJs and remix producers. Since 2008, the duo has then-unknown artist, Eric Benet. Benet, who also hails from Milwaukee, performed over Posey's production on "Let's Stay Together" from the "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" soundtrack released in 1995. Posey worked put its distinctive stamp on cuts for artists like My Morning with Benet again on the artist's solo debut, "True to Myself," and the title single also appeared on the "Batman Jacket, Tegan and Sara, and Hussle Club, garnering significant and Robin" album in 1996. This successful partnership led to a career milestone for both Posey and Benet when attention for their remix of The Juan MacLean's 2008 barn- they made magic with "Spend My Life," a single from Benet's sophomore album "True to Myself." Posey stormer "Happy House." The pair soon realized their musical produced the majority of that critically acclaimed album, but truly made waves when "Spend My Life" topped the Billboard charts for several weeks and then went on to earn both a 2000 NAACP Image Award for "Song of roles had evolved far beyond the traditional tags like "bassist" the Year" and a Grammy nod. Posey also worked on the soundtrack for smash urban movie, "Deliver Us From and "singer/guitarist" they accepted when VHS or Beta first Eva," contributing a single called "Show and Prove" performed by female artist, element. He also co-wrote and formed as a five-piece in 1997; in particular, Mark discovered a produced a song "Love Don't Love Me" performed by Eric Benet. Posey's production is also in full effect on the natural talent for arranging and drum programming. "We Benet album "Hurricane" with his singles "I Wanna Be Loved" and "Pretty Baby." started really enjoying those jobs, so it felt like a natural step Trevor Powers (pka YOUTH LAGOON), signed a Worldwide Administration deal for his Trevor Powers Music that we would begin writing in that vein, too," says Craig. (Sesac) catalog. Trevor Powers is a 22-year-old kid at Boise State University who's experiencing that "There wasn't a conscious decision to depart from guitar for this now-familiar meteoric rise: going straight from bedroom to buzz-band, not bothering with the slow build. record, but sonically, the sounds that were really exciting us Powers kicked off his Youth Lagoon career early this year, merely throwing out a couple of songs via his Bandcamp page. What makes this curious is that Power's introspective songs are not the usual blog fodder, even were a lot of synthesizers." Although they recorded primarily in if they're reminiscent of Perfume Genius, whose own piano-centric fragility made for a breakout debut in 2010. their home studio, using whatever sounds were at hand ("we're The rise of Youth Lagoon may have no traces of the slow build, but the music itself does. Take "July," the not vintage purists," insists Mark), they availed themselves of five-minute epic that announced Powers' existence to the world, and earned a 'Best New Music' stamp of the DFA posse's cadre of analog synthesizers and peculiar approval from internet overlords Pitchfork. The song commences in a barely-audible haze of synths and reverb and whispers, before gradually gearing up towards a cresting crescendo, with Powers' Jonathan Donohue-by- plug-ins while recording the drums and mixing at Plantain way-of-Wayne Coyne voice swimming through memories (the lines "five years ago/in my backyard" glimmering Studios. through the fuzz) deep in emotion. Youth Lagoon's imminent debut album, The Year of Hibernation, is filled with that same sense of tender recollection: "Seventeen" about summers by lakes and maternal advice and teetering on the cusp of adulthood; "Posters" beginning with "when I was only nine years old..."; titles like "Afternoon" and "Daydream" tipping their nostalgic hats. Look for much much more soon. NEW YORK: 224 West 30th Street, Suite 1007, New York, NY 10001 • Tel: 212-967-4300 • Fax: 212-967-3477 LOS ANGELES: 12650 Riverside Drive, Suite 203, Valley Village, CA 91607 • Tel: 818-762-0775 • Fax 818-762-1652 Ricky Crespo has signed an Administration Agreement with us to handle his R I K Music (Ascap) catalog. With an impressive history that starts with C&C Music Factory, Mariah Carey, KD Lang, Madonna, Ruben Studdard, Whitney Houston, and many many more, Ricky has been ahead of the curve with his hitmaking ability. Deeply entrenched in the dance world. Ricky's ability to create hits has continued for more than 20 years. New Signings Shai Maestro signed a Worldwide Collection deal with The Royalty Network, Inc. He began playing classical piano at the age of 5. Since 2006 Maestro has been touring with world known bass player Avishai Cohen. Raymond Bailey (pka Chuck T) has signed an Administration Agreement with us to handle his Chuckt Playing in such venues as the Blue Note in NY, Ronnie Scott's in England, The Olympia Hall, Vienne Jazz Heavenly Music (Ascap) catalog. Chuck is proving to be an expert crossover Reggae producer. His latest work festival, Marciac Jazz festival, Cork Jazz Festival, Yoshi's (San Francisco), Zaragoza JF, Vienna Concert house featuring Mr. Vegas and Teairra Marie is building quickly, garnering huge success on the popular website World and many others. He has appeared on the last three Avishai Cohen releases. Star Hip Hop. More to come soon from Chuck T. Stanley "Rellee" Hayden has renewed his Administration deal for another Term. Rellee has spent the last Hip Hop duo, M.O.P. have renewed their Administration Agrement for their Blind Man's Bluff Music (Ascap). several years building his craft as a producer, plus signing new Writer, producers and Artist to his production With several classic hits such as the anthem "Ante Up", and "How About Some Hardcore" leading the way, company, A Team Music.