MIND INVERSION

As Sound Verite’ reminds us, Halloween, Alaska pretty much disappeared from the scene not too long after the release of their breakthrough album Too Tall Too Hide in 2005. Well, turns out they just took a break from playing shows so that they work on their new album, and it looks like the time away has paid off. Their third full-length album, Champgne Downtown, will be formally released at First Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis on Friday, April 10th at the band’s show with other local favorites Chris Koza and Aby Wolf.

Vocalist James Diers, drummer Dave King (Bad Plus, Happy Apple), and bassist Matt Friesen, and are now joined by guitarist Jacob Hanson, allowing Diers to make the move to keyboards. On the MP3 that SV posts, “The Hollywood Sign”, the band proves to have made the right decision; the lush ambient textures magnify slowly before a dreamy breakdown smacks you upside the head with the literary aid of Diers, and the following come down is just as soothing as it was ascending. Halloween, Aslaska has also posted several songs from the album streaming on their website, and a few things are clear; the band’s avant-poppy sensibilities can still be just as jarring and entrancing as ever, and the songs are even more meticulously constructed to convey some very intense and an intentional emotions and POVs. Just a preliminary guess, but I have some feelings that this one is going to grow on me quite a bit by the end of the year.

MP3: Halloween, Alaska, “The Hollywood Sign” (from Champagne Downtown, available now)
LISTEN: Halloween, Alaska, “Hot Pink” (from Champagne Downtown, available now)
LISTEN: Halloween, Alaska, “In Order” (from Champagne Downtown, available now)
LISTEN: Halloween, Alaska, “Gone With The Wind” (from Champagne Downtown, available now)

In addition to the Champgne Downtown Release Show at First Avenue on Friday, keep reading for all of the band’s upcoming tour dates that have been announced…

April 8, 2009 – Rock Island, IL – Daytrotter recording session
April 8, 2009 – Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
April 9, 2009 – Eau Claire, WI – House of Rock
April 10, 2009 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
April 14, 2009 – Duluth, MN – University of Minnesota
May 8, 2009 – Chicago, IL – SPACE (Evanston)
May 9, 2009 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox
May 10, 2009 – Philadelphia, PA – M Room
May 11, 2009 – Boston, MA – Harpers Ferry
May 12, 2009 – Arlington, VA – IOTA
May 15, 2009 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Audio with tags acoustic, campagne downtown, electric, electronic, First Avenue, halloween alaska, happy apple, meditiation, minneapolis, minnesota, Tapes 'N Tapes, the bad plus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.