Beggars

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THE NATIONAL – I AM EASY TO FIND OUT NOW VIA 4AD
On September 3rd 2017, director Mike Mills emailed singer Matt Berninger to introduce himself and in very short order, the most ambitious project of the National’s nearly 20-year career was born and plans for a hard-earned vacation died. The Los Angeles-based filmmaker was coming off his third feature, 20th Century Women, and was interested in working with the band on… something. A video maybe. Berninger, already a fan of Mills’ films, not only agreed to collaborate, he essentially handed over the keys to the band’s creative process.

The result is I Am Easy to Find, a 24-minute film by Mills starring Alicia Vikander, and I Am Easy to Find, a 68-minute album by the National (their...

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HOLLY HERNDON – PROTO – OUT NOW VIA 4AD
Holly Herndon’s third full-length album PROTO is out today. Previously released tracks include the vocal tour de force of “Frontier,” the skittering beatbox of “Godmother” [featuring Jlin and Spawn], and the euphoric ghostly transmission of “Eternal,” which earned Best New Track from Pitchfork.

PROTO isn’t about A.I., but much of it was created in collaboration with her own A.I. ‘baby’, Spawn. In addition to Spawn, Holly assembled a contemporary ensemble of vocalists, developers, and guest contributors (Jenna Sutela, Jlin, Lily Anna Haynes, Martine Syms) to create a record that encompasses live vocal processing and timeless folk singing, and places an emphasis on alien song craft and new forms of communion.

PROTO makes reference to what Holly refers to as the protocol era, where rapidly surfacing ideological battles over the future of A.I....

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BIG THIEF – U.F.O.F. OUT NOW
Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums) have spent the last 4 years on an incessant world tour, winning the devotion of an enthusiastic and rapidly expanding audience. Their first two back-to-back releases, Masterpiece (2016) and Capacity (2017), have been analyzed, wept to, danced to, critically applauded, imitated, hummed idly, and shouted out loud. They have sound-tracked crowded restaurants, difficult conversations, cowboy bars, yoga classes, night drives, and lonely bedrooms.

Their first record for 4AD, U.F.O.F. was recorded in rural western Washington at Bear Creek Studios. In a large cabin-like room, the band set up their gear to track live with engineer Dom Monks and producer Andrew Sarlo, who was also behind their previous albums. Having already lived these songs on tour, they were relaxed and ready to...

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