World's Fair

It may only be mid-November, but if you’re one of those who does best-of lists, you’ve probably already started thinking about everything that’s come out. World’s Fair has had a big year in 2008, with releases from all our labels. Here they are, in chronological order.

British Sea Power: Do You Like Rock Music (Rough Trade)
“Listening is like riding a beast; BSP’s unvarnished, delightfully meandering anthems sound larger than life. Bring on foliage and military uniforms, lads, we’re prepared to salute…” - The Los Angeles Times, Buzz Bands

“The glorious sound of a unique band going for broke….” - The Guardian (4/5 stars)

DOWNLOAD “Waving Flags”

The Autumns: Fake Noise From A Box Of Toys (Bella Union)
“Los Angeles’ the Autumns have been a reliable source of brooding, dreamy pop since 1994, appealing to fans of shoegazers like Cocteau Twins and goth titans the Cure. For their fourth full-length, founders Matthew Kelly and Frankie Koroshec have sharpened their teeth and made some decidedly authentic noise. ‘Boys’ signals newfound aggression for these underground darlings.” - Chicago Sun Times

“Succulent dream pop collides with fast and racy indie rock.” – Exclaim

DOWNLOAD “Boys”

Daptone 7″ Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (Daptone Records)
“Few top Brooklyn’s R&B champs Daptone Records, which compiles the cream of its DJ-friendly 45s for a second volume of the label’s Singles Collection. The reverb is delicious and soulful (Lee Fields’ ‘Could Have Been’), the guitars snarl (The Mighty Imperials’ ‘The Matador’) and everything grooves.” - RELIX

“From start to finish, this compilation of rarities represents first-rate soul music.” - UR Chicago (4.5/5)

DOWNLOAD Charles Bradley & The Bullets’ “Now That I’m Gone”
(more…)

Menahan Street Band, headed by the Dap-Kings/Budos Band’s own Tommy Brenneck, already gave the world “Make the Road by Walking,” the 45 of which was picked up by some producers who happened to work for, um…Jay-Z. Now, as autumn begins to slowly uncurl itself across the continent, the band has unveiled the second single off the upcoming LP (Make the Road by Walking, out on Daptone/Dunham on October 14), “Tired of Fighting,” courtesy of an exclusive stream/premiere with the good folks over at The Fader.

The stream coincides with the release of the “Telephone Song” b/w “Tired of Fighting,” the 7-inch that the label is putting out today. You can check out “Telephone Song” (the vocal version of “Tired of Fighting,” with Charles Bradley doing the honors) on Dunham Records’ MySpace site. Or you know, buy the actual vinyl.

Listen to the “Tired of Fighting” stream.

If you happen to be in New York, Menahan Street Band will be throwing a record release party at Southpaw on October 17. Phenomenal Handclap Band will also be performing… it’s gonna be pretty sick…
 

But wait: there’s more happening on the Daptone front! The whole gang is also going to be pretty busy this weekend.

• Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings are at Austin City Limits on Saturday, September 27.
• The singers from COMO NOW will be performing a very special show in Memphis on Friday, September 26.
• The Budos Band and Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens will both be at the Sufjan Stevens-curated BAM Takeover this Saturday, September 27.

Naomi of course is still thick in the midst of her weekly Friday-night residency at Fat Cat. Change your life for $3, you know what they say…

COMO NOW: The Voices of Panola Co., MS, the latest release from Daptone Records (and first that moves away from the Brooklyn funk and soul) continues to get rave reviews from critics all over. Says Grant Alden from No Depression:

“It is a relief once again to fall in love with an album — an entire album — to become enraptured by the music of artists who are unknown to me. To discover something of such great and glorious sounds that it is worth moving from the truck to the house stereo and back, to find music so rewarding to listen to that I have not opened the mail for a week, because this is enough. This is plenty…this is — by far — the best album I’ve heard this year.”

You can check the mini-documentary Daptone made about the album here, or, if you’re lucky enough to be in the Memphis area, the entire group of singers will be performing a very special show at the Levitt Shell next Friday, September 26 at 7pm.

You can also watch a special performance by the Como Mamas, one of the groups included on the compilation, on YouTube’s music homepage, or below.

 

Download the mp3 for “Trouble In My Way” here

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website | YouTube

If you were in New York this past weekend, and thinking clearly, you were at Central Park SummerStage, enjoying Daptone Records‘ series-closing revue, where you might have noticed they have been amassing quite a nice number of fans. You also might have noticed that while the hard-driving funk and soul of Sharon Jones is certainly front-and-center, the Bushwick-based label knows how to do other genres, as well, like the soul-meets-Afrobeat-meets-Ethiojazz of Menahan Street Band or the electrified gospel of the always magnificent Naomi Shelton.

Continuing in this vein, Daptone is proud to present their very first full-length record outside of the soul-and-funk realm it’s built its name on. Out today, August 19, COMO NOW: The Voices of Panola Co., MS, is an a cappella gospel album produced by music researcher Micheal Reilly, who went down to Como, MS, a town ripe with musical history, two summers ago to record the local singers he met had there live.

The 16 songs on COMO NOW feature performances by every one of the singers that came down to Mt. Mariah Church on July 22nd, 2006. Though their music is steeped in tradition, it should not be filed away as some sort of academic field recording. It was not made for the archives of the Library of Congress, nor for the benefit of musicologists and anthropologists. COMO NOW is a contemporary recording of contemporary people.

Daptone made an entire mini-documentary about the album, which can be seen here.

You can also watch a special performance by the Como Mamas, one of the groups included on the compilation, on YouTube’s music homepage, or below.

 

Download the video for the Como Mamas’ “Trouble In My Way” here
Download the mp3 for “Trouble In My Way” here

Check out the feature on National Geographic here.

Here’s what critics have been saying…

“The album itself exudes austerity, uplift and release” — The New York Times

“COMO is proof that, with its success, Daptone has foregone climbing the pop ladder and remembered its roots, understanding that there’s a higher musical power depending on them.” — Paste

“…The a cappella gospel recordings share those acts’ sonic purism, approaching a form of black American music at its roots. As on Daptone’s more danceable records, Como Now unearths a slew of powerful and previously underexposed voices, including the Como Mamas (a related trio whose grandfather recorded for Lomax) and Brother and Sister Walker (an elderly married pair whose voices overlap with a naturalness most weathered couples reserve for bickering). The album’s star is not one individual act, but rather the collective voice of the region, antiquated and proud.” — TimeOut New York

On September 26, the COMO NOW crew will give a special performance at the
Levitt Shell in Memphis, TN, but Daptone is also throwing a party tonight at Savalas, in Williamsburg. Daptone DJs Gabriel Roth, Neal Sugarman, and the Honeydripper, among others, will be spinning. The event starts at 10, and yes, there will be food and drink specials.

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website | YouTube

 
Daptone is releasing the a cappella gospel compilation COMO NOW: The Voices of Panola Co., MS — their first record outside the immediate grasps of funk and soul — this upcoming Tuesday, August 19, and to celebrate, they’re holding a party at Savalas in Williamsburg, featuring Daptone DJs Gabriel Roth, Neal Sugarman, and the Honeydripper, among others, and they’ll be screening the documentary. It starts at 10, and yes, there will be food and drink specials.

The album was just reviewed in Time Out New York, who gave it 4 stars and said:

“…The a cappella gospel recordings share those acts’ sonic purism, approaching a form of black American music at its roots. As on Daptone’s more danceable records, Como Now unearths a slew of powerful and previously underexposed voices, including the Como Mamas (a related trio whose grandfather recorded for Lomax) and Brother and Sister Walker (an elderly married pair whose voices overlap with a naturalness most weathered couples reserve for bickering). The album’s star is not one individual act, but rather the collective voice of the region, antiquated and proud.”

Hear it for yourself this Tuesday.

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

It’s getting close to release date of COMO NOW (August 19…), which means the good folks at Daptone have finished unveiling the 9 chapters that make up their COMO NOW Documentary.

Last week saw the release of the final chapter, aptly titled “Conclusion,” which makes a fitting end to the piece.

Earlier segments include Irene Stevenson (Chapter VII) and a moving performance by The Jones Sisters (Chapter VIII), the youngest group to perform on the album.

And if you think Daptone’s commitment to roots music ends there, well…it doesn’t. Also on the label, and a part of the official Revue as part of Central Park’s SummerStage series (August 17), is gospel-singer extraordinaire Naomi Shelton, who has a weekly Friday-night set at the West Village’s Fat Cat. To say the very least, it is worth checking out.

Naomi (with the surname Davis) has already lent her voice to soul and funk records cratediggers should be familiar with (”Forty First Street Breakdown,” the rare “Wind Your Clock” 10-inch), but it is with gospel that she’s truly in her element. With a tight-as-hell band and back-up vocals from the Gospel Queens, Naomi truly puts on a show that demands attention. Besides her remarkable voice, she’ll grab your hand, kiss your cheek, wish you happy birthday, and make you sing along; in short, it’s probably the perfect way to start any weekend, and if you’re anywhere near Manhattan and care anything about music, we here at World’s Fair implore you to check her out for yourself.

See you there!

They’re counting down the days over at Daptone until the release of the much-anticipated COMO NOW, a collection of a cappella gospel songs recorded in Como, MS (the same town where Alan Lomax recorded Mississippi Fred McDowell a while back…). They’ve even made a documentary about the album, and “Chapters V” and “VI” are up on the site now, both of which feature the very talented Walker Family. First up are Brother and Sister Walker, who are actually husband and wife and have been singing together for the past 40+ years. “Chapter VI,” which was unveiled just last Thursday, instead reveals a nearly impromptu performance by the Walker’s son, Reverend Robert Walker, who had been sitting in the back of the church where the album was recorded, listening, until some of his parishioners convinced him to share his own song. The results, well, they’re worth checking out for yourself.

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

As part of a schedule leading up until release date, Daptone Records has just released the fourth installment of the documentary for its upcoming album, the a cappella gospel record COMO NOW.

This week it’s The John Edwards Singers, a group of 4 siblings who contribute two songs to the compilation, including a stunning interpretation of the Sensational Nightingales’ “Burying Ground” (called “New Burial Ground”), while next week promises Brother and Sister Walker (who are actually a husband-and-wife team. Take that White Stripes).

The entire album comes out August 19 (and pre-order is available soon).

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

So at this point in time Daptone Records has pretty well established itself as the go-to place for funk and soul in the 21st century. Sharon Jones is practically a household name, and acts like the Budos Band and the Sugarman 3 are getting more and more exposure daily. Being the kind of label they are, though, and not content to rest on their laurels, Daptone is releasing an a cappella gospel album on August 19, called COMO NOW. It was recorded live in a church in Como, Mississippi on July 22, 2006, and it’s as soulful and rootsy and real as any Dap-Kings hook or Sharon Jones chorus.

In order to celebrate, the label is releasing one chapter of their COMO NOW Documentary a week, each featuring a Como artist. They’re on “Chapter II - Como Mamas,” right now, and this Thursday “Chapter III - Mary Moore” will roll out. There are nine in all, so stay tuned for the rest to come.

In other Daptone news, Sugarman 3 are playing tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18 alongside than Rich Medina as part of Stuyvesant Town’s Music on the Oval series (show starts at 6pm).

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

More news on the Daptone front! Their first venture away from the straight-up funk and soul they’ve built their name on is coming out August 19th. It’s an a cappella gospel album, it’s called COMO NOW: The Voices of Panola County, MS, and well, it’s pretty cool. The full press release follows…

Deep in the heart of Panola County, Mississippi lies Como, a small rural town where children and grown folks alike have been living and breathing gospel for as long as they can remember. In the summer of 2006, Daptone Records placed a small ad in local papers and on the radio inviting singers to come down to Mt. Mariah Church to record their songs. The result is COMO NOW, a stirring collection of traditional and original a cappella gospel from the voices of Panola County’s own families.

It may seem like a leap for Daptone Records to be releasing an album of a cappella gospel music. Daptone has earned a reputation for creating and proliferating the purest of today’s soul and funk music. Why gospel? And why without any instrumentation? If you put aside the analytical categories of the music critic for a moment, and just listen to the record, the answer becomes simple and clear: this is soulful music.

“When Michael Reilly came to me with his first recordings of the Como Mama’s, I remember hearing it and being blown away. Though I’ve been into soul Music for a very long time, it has only been in the past few years that I really got deeper into gospel music. I owe this in no small part to Cliff Driver who invited to play bass behind Naomi Shelton and the gospel Queens. Through, Naomi, Sharon Jones, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Wilson Picket, Aretha Franklin, and several other heroes of mine, the line distinguishing Soul Music from Gospel became much less significant. For me it was less of an academic lineage than a visceral feeling that I started to get from listening to old records by the Soul Stirrers, The Highway QC’s, Dorothy Love Coates, The Mighty Pilgrim Travelers, The Blind Boys, and The Violinaires. They were the same sounds, the same feeling, as listening to James Brown, Tina Turner and Lee Fields when they were really wailing. Otis Redding when he was really pleading. Al Green when he was really moaning. Sounds that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The recordings Michael played me gave me the same feeling.” - Gabriel Roth

The 16 songs on this record feature performances by every one of the singers that came down to Mt. Mariah Church on July 22nd, 2006. Though their music is steeped in tradition, it should not be filed away as some sort of academic field recording. It was not made for the archives of the Library of Congress, nor for the benefit of musicologists and anthropologists. COMO NOW is a contemporary recording of contemporary people. From the slow stirring duets of Brother Raymond and Sister Joella Walker to the bouncing harmonies of the Jones Sisters, every song on this record is meant for you, they’re contemporary, to hear how the people of Como, Mississippi sing – right now.

Album: COMO NOW
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 19, 2008

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