[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (4-18-2012)

 Afternoon Dream Edition

I can't get enough of Kishi Bashi's newest LP 151a, and since you can't access that album on Spotify currently, I've put together a playlist that pulls from the same sounds of airy/folksy dream pop. As the weather warms and the days grow longer, this week's Hump Day Power Play is perfect for lounging next to the open breezy window. So go ahead and grab your favorite book, hit play on this HDPP, and as always, enjoy.

Hear it by simply clicking here. Playlist is below.

:: Hump Day Power Play (4-18-2012) ::
01 :: "Bright Whites" - Kishi Bashi
02 :: "Get Alive" - Au
03 :: "While We're Young" - Department of Eagles
04 :: "Tracy's Water" - Patrick Watson
05 :: "The Transfiguration" - Sufjan Stevens
06 :: "Immanent Domain" - Miracle Fortress
07 :: "Crystalfilm" - Little Dragon
08 :: "Fisherman's Son" - Port O'Brien
09 :: "Daydream" - Beach Fossils
10 :: "Landline" - Oberhofer
11 :: "Minnesota, WI" - Bon Iver
12 :: "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Songs" - Father John Misty

Get Spotify (if you don't already have it).

[video] Miracle Fortress - "Miscalculations" + Tour Dates

New video, tour dates from Miracle Fortress

My favorite, "feel-good" jam from Miracle Fortress's second LP Was I The Wave? now has a music video. During the band's 2011 summer tour for the sophomore album, Graham Van Pelt & Co. captured a lot of the road-tripping magic on 8mm, and the results are as touching as the song itself. I'm not sure what it is about this "Miscalculations" (which most resembles the dreamy-pop classics found on Five Roses), but when I hear it I'm dosed with a healthy shot of optimism.

Miracle Fortress continues to blaze across the world in support of WITW? Of note, they'll be supporting Québec's Coeur de Pirate in February. For a full list of dates, look below.

Miracle Fortress tour dates:
11/19/11 :: Montreal QC @ Metropolis (MIRACLE FORTRESS DJ set)
12/05/11 :: Berlin DE @ HBC
12/06/11 :: Hamburg DE @ Astra Stube
12/07/11 :: Utrecht NL @ Ekko
12/08/11 :: Paris FR @ L'Espace B
12/09/11 :: Brighton UK @ Sticky Mike's
12/11/11 :: London UK @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
12/13/11 :: Manchester UK @ Night & Day
12/14/11 :: Glasgow UK @ Captains Rest
12/16/11 :: Dublin IE @ Crawdaddy &
12/17/11 :: Galway IE @ Rosin Dubh
02/03/12 :: Sorel QC @ Café Les Beaux instants #
02/10/12 :: Quebec QC @ Impérial #
02/12/12 :: Brossard QC @ Étoile Banque Nationale #
02/17/12 :: Rimouski QC @ Salle Desjardins-Telus #
02/18/12 :: Rivière-du-Loup QC @ Centre culturel de RDL #
02/25/12 :: Shawinigan QC @ Salle Philippe-Filion #

& w/ Moths
# w/ Coeur de Pirate

[video] Miracle Fortress - "Possession"

New video & tour dates from Miracle Fortress

Miracle Fortress just premiered the music video of "Possession", one of their recent summer singles (still freely available here). The video was directed by Tim Kelly, who "paints a stirring portrait of a young and real Montreal family on the verge of a new life, lovingly framed in an austere panorama of the city itself." Check it out above.

Additionally, Miracle Fortress will be performing in New York City this week for the CMJ festival, followed by a visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia for the Pop Explosion. And European fans can look forward to a visit from the dream pop extrordinaire Graham Van Pelt in December with dates in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Holland, and France. Details below:

Miracle Fortress Tour Dates:
10/20 - Brooklyn NY @ Public Assembly (3PM) &
10/21 - New York NY @ Arlene's Grocery (11:30PM) & %
10/22 - Halifax NS @ Olympic Community Hall #
12/05 - Berlin DE @ HBC
12/06 - Hamburg DE @ Astra Stube
12/07 - Utrecht NL @ Ekko
12/08 - Paris FR @ L'Espace B
12/11 - London UK @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
12/14 - Glasgow UK @ Captains Rest
12/16 - Dublin IE @ Crawdaddy ^
12/17 - Galway IE @ Rosin Dubh

& w/ Pat Jordache, Tonstartssbandht
% w/ The Barr Brothers, Hollerado

# w/ Chad Van Gaalen, Sunns

[new music] Miracle Fortress - Was I the Wave?

New LP from Miracle Fortress Coming Soon

It's been nearly 4 years since Miracle Fortress released any new music. In 2007, Five Roses transported listeners into soloist Graham Van Pelt's fairytale dreams, and by the end of the record, it managed to make us all feel a little happier inside.

But in the process of writing a sophomore release (as well as supporting his other musical vehicle Think About Life), GVP seemed to quietly disappear. His tumblr account has been occasionally updated with cryptic posts and obscure YouTube clips, but the progress on new jams was never squarely addressed. However, after a much anticipated wait, it appears that new Miracle Fortress material is on the way! GVP has posted the following message to his fans over at the MF website:

I know I've been gone a while, but I feel like waking up from the long dream.

Currently, if you visit the site, you can hear some atmospheric guitar play, and the phrase "WITW?" makes you scratch your head. After a little research, it appears these letters refer to the title of his new album Was I The Wave?.

No official release date has been announced, but according to Amazon, the album should drop on May 3. Interestingly, though, other online record stores say April 26. Regardless of which date is correct, we should be hearing some new Miracle Fortress very soon!

New Fleet Foxes and Miracle Fortress on the same day, possibly? Sounds like an incredible day!

UPDATE :: According to Mr. Van Pelt, Was I The Wave? will be available via the here as of April 26. (Stores in Canada will have it on the same day; the USA will have it on May 17).

Fans expecting the same sound as Five Roses may also be in for a surprise:

In some ways it's drastically different than Five Roses, for those of you familiar with the first album. In other ways, it's rather similar. Like Five Roses, Graham served as composer, arranger, performer, producer, and engineer. He spent a lot of time holed up in various cramped spaces in Montreal (and the occasional hotel on the road) working out themes of alienation and anonymity, intimacy and domesticity.

Head over to the MF store (here) and pre-order a copy of Was I The Wave? today. There's a single from the album they're giving away now, "Raw Spectacle," in exchange for an email address. If you pre-order the album, they'll also send you the single and a remix of it by Pantha du Prince, tout-de-suite.

Miracle Fortress - Watery Grave EP

For anyone craving a new Miracle Fortress album,
whet your appetite with this oldie.

Released in the winter of 2005, this rare gem is worth the listen. Sadly, the debut EP is out of print and nearly impossible to find. Hopefully I've saved someone the trouble of an in-depth internet search. If you love Five Roses, this five-song release is a nice supplement for any Miracle Fortress craving.

Miracle Fortress - Watery Grave EP

1. "Watery Grave"
2. "Forgiven"
3. "Secret Passage"
4. "Eschatology"
5. "Sacred Flowers"

If you're just discovering the beautiful soundscapes of tortured genius Graham Van Pelt for the first time, then head over to Secret City Records and buy yourself a copy of Five Roses or their newest single "Have You Seen In Your Dreams" - you won't regret it.