Windy & Carl ...

Reviving to note that Windy's solo album I Hate People is pretty damn great, and that she's appearing tomorrow on Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

Wow, cool, never would have guessed she (and/or Carl) would have that level of exposure. Look forward to hearing this record.

I used to live with their 5 Way Mirror collaborator. Haven't spoken to him in about 18 years, tho. Small world.

It's a very, very dark record, as you might guess from the title -- the cover shot is pretty incredible, it's Windy's passport photo from 1987 when she was a Total Fucking Goth. It's got the W&C sonic stamp (Carl engineered it, unless I'm wrong) but it's no blissout.

jesus that cover

v keen to hear this

ya, it really jumps right out at you...

I completely forgot, she has a separate Myspace page for the album:

http://www.myspace.com/windyweber

With bits from it up in the player.

Awesome.

anyone familiar with the different mixes, ie vinyl vs. cd?

Windy was on WDET yesterday...
http://www.wdet.org/article/stormy-records

W&C starring in "Motor City Cribs"
http://www.metrotimes.com/culture/story.asp?id=13148

So just how great is 'Songs For The Broken Hearted'? I couldn't have even imagined they'd return to such good form, let alone return this dedicated at all. This new album is pure, classic Windy & Carl bliss.

How a band can have such strong, lovable stage presence by just standing there like "oh hey, guys" blows me away.

I was just listening to I Hate People the other night. Love.

Is the new one out?

Shortly, I think. And it is indeed excellent.

Real soon now. I just placed my order with Stormy

Heard the mp3s, can't wait to pick up the vinyl when it comes out next week. It reminds me of Depths which is my fave W&C record. I hope they are playing some shows.

I have been waking up to the strains of "Antarctica" every morning this week. Yes.

Playing tomorrow and Saturday in LA, playing tonight in Big Sur.

Jealous.

I'm actually jealous of everyone who was at Big Sur last night, that was a huge get-together -- there's a smaller one Saturday in LA that they're playing so I'm actually doing the only stand-alone show in that stretch! With White Rainbow, that will be pretty astonishing.

take pictures.

Part of the plan.

Concert dilemma, June 2 in Austin:

Black Moth Super Rainbow (meh) + School of Seven Bells @ Mohawk

-or-

Windy and Carl @ Central Presbyterian Church

???

Windy and Carl

Go for School of Seven Bells and then leave early for W&C. Easy! (The Black Moth/SoSB bill plays down here tomorrow night, another reason why I'm skipping tomorrow's big thing up in LA.)

Hmm... that may work!

And they are soundchecking as I type.

You brought your laptop to a show?

Oh wait. You write about music. Right then.

iPhone or some such gubbins, surely?

iPhone indeed. Show over, they killed it as always. And the music immediately following was Wu-Tang Clan.

Everybody wins!

Amazing. Anyway, brief thoughts and links to photos here:

http://nedraggett.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/windy-and-carlwhite-rainbow-are-as-ever-wonderful-live/

How a band can have such strong, lovable stage presence by just standing there like "oh hey, guys" blows me away.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3579717571_7841e88284.jpg

(at the Echo Curio show on Saturday)

I think their amp setup is entire solid state. That is awesome.

I think Windy might be #1 in the arena of lovable stage presence. Only seen 'em the one time, but that cover of I Hate People became doubly hilarious after the performance. Carl only ever chimed in to make a Kawabata Makoto crack. Recommended show.

You wind up makin it, ilxor?

It's tonight and sadly, I probably will not be making it. Dealing with a big family issue.

Aww, missed this. As Michigan ex-pats, my girlfriend and I try to see 'em. Used to be such a lovely Sunday trip, falafel and Stormy (too bad we can't even get decent falafel within an hour's drive here).

seeing them at big sur was awesome. everyone was laying down watching the fog roll by, and they sounded perfect.

i guess i don't know if everyone was watching the fog, but i was. most people were lying down, though.

Really wanted to get to that one. Another time.

never seen 'em live, but they got a hell of an in-store presence at Stormy...(you ain't heard a full-throated laugh until you heard Windy!)

Very true! The two of them are cut-ups.

everyone was laying down watching the fog roll by, and they sounded perfect.

has there ever been a more enticing description of a live show?

New music forthcoming:

http://dearborn.patch.com/articles/musicians-windy-and-carl-to-release-new-tunes

The husband and wife owners of Stormy Records in east Dearborn are busy putting the finishing touches on a currently untitled full-length album and a two-song EP, both expected to release early next year.

"It's one new piece that's a new composition and one song that is a cover song," Weber said of the vinyl-only EP to be issued under the Geographic North label. "It's a country song."

While they won't mention the specific song they are covering, they did say it is a Dwight Yoakam tune from the '90s.

"In our own style, of course," Hultgren added.

Their new full-length album, 'We Will Always Be', is out next month on Kranky. I like it a lot. Over an hour of Carl's shimmering, dreamy, layered guitar drones and feedback, with Windy singing...

What she says about it is really touching... http://www.brainwashed.com/wc/?p=9

god that's so great

Yeah thanks for that Krakow. Stoked for this album

I've listened to the new album a couple of times now and needless to say it's brilliant. They're such a wonderfully consistent and engaging band.

I love how this one starts out differently with the acoustic track and the second song kind of momentarily, at the very very beginning, has brief thoughts about becoming a pop song then just goes nah, lets drone.

Ultimate bed time/sleepy music for me. This'll be on every night for weeks.

easily my album of the year so far. i mean it's February but hey. fantastic stuff.

And...they made Billboard! With Yanni! ?!?

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/new-age-albums

Wow, wonder how many units sold gets you on the New Age charts?

um, seems like billboard need better ad targeting:

Truth Of Touch
Yanni
News Hot Tours: Avenged Sevenfold, Kenny Chesney, Lil Wayne

and windy & carl placing on the new age charts is obv pretty hilarious

haha it is but the only reason there is still a new age Billboard chart is because no-one in charge has the heart to say 'ok this music doesn't actually have an industry any more, we can knock this on the head now'

right?

I have listened to three releases (<i>Dream House/Dedications To Flea</i>, <i>Antarctica</i>, and <i>Depths</i>), and I have to say I adore the quieter dronestuff (e.g. <i>Antarctica</i> and the first track on <i>Dream House</i>) as opposed to the noisy Fenneszish <i>Depths</i> (soz Ned). So, what else should I check out in the quiet vein?

A Dream in Blue? Drawing in Sound?

Drawing OF Sound, rather.

Thanks!

From their new one called We Will Always Be:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS-Y5oZwhTY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS-Y5oZwhTY

Just check out everything.

I've heard three albums, and Drawing of Sound is def my favorite

(lol)

After their very well received Decibel Festival show in Seattle last month, W&C are withdrawing from live performances. Windy's put up a very moving and direct blog note about that, along with the struggles of recent touring, the music business as such and much more.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/windy-weber/the-last-waltz/10151109769138732

(Was set to private but Windy has gone ahead and made it public.)

i don't know these guys super well but reading what she wrote, this & the piece when the last record came out, is such a pleasure - i hope she carries on writing, & that i don't only happen to read things when they're elicited by some difficult career interval.

props to you for getting a shout out too!, ned, that's nice.

It was very kind of her.

I thought it was sad but awesome. I agree with ilxor, that "Fainting in the Presence of the Lord" is one of the best songs of the year

Very sad, though I can certainly understand the sentiments completely. Hope they keep making records, and maybe accept the occasional festival invite (i.e., if a Terrastock were to happen) where they will be amongst friends and fans aplenty.

the valuation of their irl friends seems like it's been a recurring theme with these guys almost since they started (a bunch of their early stuff was just given to pals I think; the latest album started life as a Carl solo CD he made for Windy as a Valentine present) so it totally makes sense that they'd prefer kicking back and not playing the lottery of DIY touring at the hands of a bunch of unproven strangers

(this is not to pick on DIY touring at the hands of a bunch of unproven strangers as a concept: without it happening for the last 30+ years my tastes and ideals and lifestyle would be p different in a number of ways)

A new interview!

http://www.furious.com/perfect/windyandcarl.html

That was a great interview, thanks Ned!

i just discovered them - fell asleep to we will always be last night. i can often find drone to be difficult and oppressive but this is really warm and joyful stuff! been listening to "fainting in the presence of the lord" all day and it's just been really peaceful and great.

Windy & Carl are definitely uplifting, both musically and just as an idea, i.e., a couple whom play music together in a very organic/unforced way. I don't like the way that sounds to a degree, but it makes sense with them and is fully wonderful.

And Carl has kinda debuted some of his solo work today! Via dog video:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=588174197863248

As he's noted, "the dog growling is not on the final mix"

I loved that PSF piece, thanks Ned!

I’ve been listening to a shit tonne of W&C recently although to be fair that’s the norm as they are my go-to relaxing/sleep music. Lately I’ve been playing ‘Drawing of Sound’ a lot, it’s the one LP of theirs I don’t own a physical copy of and I’ve probably overlooked it as a consequence. Crazy thing is, it might be their best. I say that but I’d probably find W&C albums impossible to rank. One day I’ll swear by Antartica, the next Depths, and so on. Magnificently consistent band.

I really loved reading the answers in that PSF interview. I’m always really impressed by W&C when they talk, that pre-release statement thing from Windy before the release of the last album was beautiful (as is the album). I did however think some of the questions in that PSF interview were trite.

A new single:

http://windyandcarl.bandcamp.com/album/i-walked-alone-at-night-single

there's also this one too

http://www.discogs.com/Windy-Carl-Calliope/release/5212157

Really enjoying Carl's solo album.

It's a beaut.

Cool:

https://windyandcarl.bandcamp.com/album/water-song-dragonfly-1993-instrumental-demos

25 YEARS AGO ON SEPTEMBER 22nd 1993, for the very 1st time we went into a "professional" recording studio to record the songs for our debut 7" single "WATER SONG" b/w "DRAGONFLY"

So here we are now (finally) digging into our early home recording cassette tape archives to present Instrumental demo versions of these two songs which were recorded at home in the summer of 1993.

Over the next 12 months, we will be releasing 3 different cassette tapes / downloads of the better of the unreleased music of our home recordings from the 1990's. The 1st of these cassettes will be in November 2018.

"Recon" off the new one seems like a cover of New Order's "Procession" with different lyrics?

So! My interview with them on the new album and an overview to their work live on Bandcamp today!

https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/windy-and-carl-guide

It’s Kranky w/ special shoegaze guest Windy & Carl for an hour of exclusives from the forthcoming 3xCD of exclusive archival material they are doing on their label, Blue Flea. Listen here: https://t.co/UW6sFZU51G pic.twitter.com/LrwbIIKAon

— NTS Radio (@NTSlive) June 3, 2020

(should be available from https://www.mixcloud.com/NTSRadio/ later for those who don't see this in time, or European folks like myself who probably need to go to bed)

A new release consisting of two very lengthy pieces? Why yes.

https://windyandcarl.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-early-the-creation-of-venus

Ooooh nice!