by DAVID KERN

Hailed by many critics as one of 2009’s best early releases, Southeast Engine’s From the Forest To the Sea is a profound, creative and challenging conglomeration of roots, folk poetry and Americana rock sounds. Recorded during the summer of ‘08 in an 1800’s era, now abandoned, middle school in the hills of coal country Ohio, the album could be read as, essentially, a concept album, the telling and exploration of one man’s life - his fears, dreams, temptations, desires, triumphs, failures and questions. However, where many a concept album has a relatively distant, disparate feel, From the Forest to the Sea manages to delve into experiences that all people have and thus is the most personal kind of album. It’s not the story of an extraordinary man in any mythical sort of sense, but rather one that goes about it’s business with the idea in mind that we are all extraordinary people who live extraordinary lives and do extraordinary things, even - or perhaps especially - when they seem least worthwhile. The album explores the crests and troughs of living without condescending, while avoiding the often useless platitudes and over used cliches that so riddle even the more creative indie music popular today. In fact, quite the opposite.
Read the rest of this entry »

It has taken far too long to get this session edited. It is our hope, dear Hill-sider, that you will accept this offering a suitable reparation. Today we present to you River and the Tributaries.

by DAVID KERN

Long known for his emotionally driven, powerful, interactive and forward thinking live performances (which have included such things as singing tabletop and video montages), Andy Zipf is one of the best indie musicians you’ve probably never heard of. Often compared to artists like Jeff Buckley and Bono, and seemingly influenced by artists like The Beach Boys, Sigur Ros and Radiohead, Zipf is able to meld heart on sleeve delivery with abundantly poetic lyrics to create a lovely, sometimes epic product, complete with vast soundscapes as well as intimate lullabies. Read the rest of this entry »

by RILEY MILLER

Black President and all, the US looks to boycott a UN conference on racism.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7916191.stm

Hugo Chavez “couldn’t care less if he meets this Obama of there’s.” And as to human rights, countries should mind their own business. But his cartels will be pretty angry about all five tons of their Venezalian coke, worth nearly $500 million, getting seized this week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7916115.stm

China’s richest man’s monolith was scaled by a Frenchman who says the world will end in 100 months.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/17/arts/peepwed.php

The “Slumdog” kids actually were plucked up slum dogs.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/17/arts/AS-MOV-India-Slumdog-Kids.php

In an interesting and Indian-angry contrast, Ghandi’s possessions were sold for $1.8 million to the guy who makes Kingfisher beer.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/06/america/gandhi.php

Obama even used a teleprompter to speak to a Caterpillar plant in Peoria, Illinois.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/05/america/prompt.php

Need some oomph to your Yoko-harpeeing, get a Masters in “The Beatles” from the University of Liverpool.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/04/arts/peepthu.php

A one-eyed Canadian documentary film maker about to receive a prosthetic eye camera wants to make sure everyone knows he plans to shut it off when he goes into the locker room.
http://www.eyeborgblog.com/

A four year old boy won a Taiwanese island in a lottery.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5244OE20090305

Des Moines, Iowa isn’t allowed to use the acronym DOA for their Department of Elder Affairs.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5244MY20090305

Cha Sassoon, for the 774th time in the last 4 years, and at $8 a try, flunked the driving test.
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=99845&videoChannel=4

The president of the Bolivia’s Bowling Federation wants to bring up an entire generation of two-handed tossers.
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=99817&videoChannel=72

Who’s the ill-est god around? North Korea’s Kim Jong-il is smoking again on state television, six months after a stroke.

This has been a month or so in review with Ethos R. Newsworthy

by JOSH HURST

Where else could one possibly begin a discussion of Neko Case’s sixth album, Middle Cyclone, but with the cover? Picturing the singer perched atop a vintage muscle car, hurtling forward with outstretched sword, it’s an eye-popping image if ever there was one, and, when it was unveiled some three months before the record released, it immediately made Case the pin-up girl of preference for alt-country and indie pop fans alike (if she wasn’t already). The meaning of the image was somewhat contestable– was Case mounting an attack on Mordor, re-enacting her favorite White Snake video, or simply giving hippie auto mechanics something to be happy about?– but its connotations were clear: This was an image that suggested boldness, abandon, aggression– three words that have never been very strongly associated with Case, an artist who seems to grow less confident and more cautious with every album she makes. Read the rest of this entry »

by GREGORY TENACEA

Dare I say love at first play?

Canadian band (Montreal to be specific) Winter Gloves’ debut LP, about a girl, was not exactly love at first sight for this reviewer. Here at the Into the Hill studio, we all had our turn as we picked up the album, gave it a less-than-enthusiastic stare and, without further ado, promptly put it back down. In fact, it sat around for a week before any of us finally popped it in the computer for a listen. Fortunately, though covers count, they aren’t the measure by which we judge music. about a girl reminds us - and it’s good to be reminded - that there is more to a work of art than a first impression.

But that’s not to say the artwork was bad.
Read the rest of this entry »