We will be back in a few days to kick off `09 with several interviews, reviews, and opinion pieces. We’re excited about the new year and the new music it’ll bring. The late winter and spring releases we’ve heard so far show promise for a strong year in independent music!

The new year will be one of transition for me. I’m going back to finish my degree in New Media Informatics, and I’m sure the studies will bring inspiration for Puddlegum (and a website in the works).

Hope you have a great holiday season and enjoy your new year festivities. See you in 2009.

Arcade Fire have digitally released a film called Miroir Noir: Neon Bible Archives. The archive was directed by Vincent Morisset and shot by Vincent Moon.

The band, who took a year off to write songs, read books, “and keep our plants alive,” are offering the digital version in three sizes with respective prices. The DVD version “will ship no later than 3/31/2009.” A limited edition DVD also includes video footage of their memorable Saturday Night Live performance as well as their performance at BBC.

“The film follows Arcade Fire through the making and touring of their 2007 album Neon Bible, documenting the band at their Montreal studio, the making of promotional films and videos, along with live footage and a few short films made on the road.

Miroir Noir is directed by Arcade Fire friend and collaborator Vincent Morisset. Vincent was responsible for the interactive video for the song “Neon Bible” and for the Arcade Fire web design. The film was shot by Vincent Moon.”

Arcade Fire’s frontman, Win, has been actively helping Partners in Health clinics in Haiti, traveling to the hurricane ravished island for a week at a time. He asks, “please give anything you can at www.pih.org, as 4 hurricanes in one season is far too much for the country to take.” Over one million Haitians were left homeless due to the disastrous hurricane season.

Should we expect the DVD release to coincide the next Arcade Fire album? We’ll be waiting.

http://miroir-noir.com/

I know this is an unusual Puddlegum post, but I thought it needed to be shared, considering the humanitarian crisis in Congo.

Ben Affleck directed a short film for UNHCR, raising awareness of the Congolese struggle. The footage is moving, as their fight for survival is staggering. The short film is set to The Rolling Stones‘ song Gimme Shelter. You can watch a BBC interview with Ben Affleck where he describes his experience filming this video.

According to the short film:

“5 million people have died as a result of this war. In some areas 2 out of 3 people have been raped. Entire cities and towns uprooted, 1.2 million people forced to flee their homes.”

YouTube - Ben Affleck’s short film (4 minutes 33 seconds) for UNHCR’s Gimme Shelter campaign.

There is a new Brooklyn band called Xylos who are giving their Bedrooms EP away as a free download. Eric Zeiler wrote and recorded most of the five tracks, with Ira Wolf Tuton and Anand Wilder of Yeasayer offering guest vocals. Xylos is now a five-piece band poised to grab attention in `09.

Bedrooms opens with In The Bedroom, a song about a girl whose life was “left in shambles,” after a stay with a guy she had met earlier that day. Eric Zeiler seems to pull from late `60s early `70s folk-rock (such as Crosy, Stills & Nash), with strong harmonies reflective of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends, occasional hints of The Beach Boys (the gentle “oohs” in Testament)  mixed with a blend of The Shins. At times Xylos reminds us of Andrew Bird in his vocal delivery, song structures and acoustic guitar strumming.

Wrapped In A Page showcases Xylos’ eclectic instrumentation. Eric beautifully balances the use of banjo, wooden xylophone, cello and violin, acoustic, hand drums and slight use of analogue synth. The birds chirping in Yellow Flip-Flops add more than just an outdoor element, they help paint bright colors as the song eventually ends with a melody tinged in bluegrass. Testament adds Rhodes, piano, organ, and surprises you with a lead guitar.

Do yourself a favour and download Bedrooms by Xylos from their website or visit them on Myspace/Facebook. If you live in New York, don’t miss them this Saturday (Dec. 20, 2008) at Pianos.

Xylos - In The Bedroom
Xylos - Wrapped In A Page

Songwriter Luke Temple has formed a new band called Here We Go Magic. Their self-titled debut will be released via Western Vinyl on February 24, 2009.

According to Tell All Your Friends:

Developed over a two-month period of stream-of-consciousness recording in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Luke’s self-titled debut under his new moniker Here We Go Magic is a remarkable departure from his signature singer-songwriter material.  Luke recorded the album at home using analog synths, a cassette 4-track, and his trusty SM-57 mic, coloring the sound with warmth and creating textures you want to wrap yourself in.

Three live songs can be heard on Here We Go Magic’s Myspace, displaying a psychodelic folk sound mixed with analog synth and hypnotic beats. The live recordings are rough sketches of what to expect, but it does hint that their self-titled disc will be a very strong debut.

Here We Go Magic - Fagela (excerpt)

Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic tracklisting:
Only Pieces
Fangala
Ahab
Tunnelvision
Ghost List
I Just Want To See You Underwater
Babyohbabyijustcantstanditanymore
Nat’s Alien
Everything’s Big