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HOT OFF THE PRESS (#19) – DJ/rupture & Peter and the Wolf
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
DJ/Rupture – Uproot 
released October 7 on Agriculture
Report Card: B+
Pasting together swatches of 23 diverse, seemingly random, and very-much-someone-else’s songs could make it seem like DJ/rupture, known to his mother as Jace Clayton, is a plain thief or merely yet another mashupologist who captures the familiar and repackages it in smile-worthy fashion. But despite the fact that he’s utilizing the source material of others, a technique prone to aping and obnoxiousness, there’s a simple kindness to Uproot, as if Clayton’s working to amplify the gorgeousness of the originals in a tributary tapestry, rather than simply trying to make a buck off of stolen beats and the electronic excitement that is the fade-out and fade-in.
Underlying the complication of having all these tracks represented—with genesis-providing tunes from under-the-radar stars Jenny Jones, Maga Bo, Filastine, and Shadetek, among others—is a distinct and fluid care to craft, as most of the songs seamlessly bleed into each other in a fashion far more flow-friendly than the sometimes-jarring juxtapositions of mashers like Girl Talk, to mention only the most renowned of the swarm of do-it-yourself top-40 pillagers. There’s a somber element here, too, even when the sources are pleasant, and that can be owed to the dubstep foundation of the album, as it’s not too much of a stretch to see the able (and copiously award-nominated) influence of Burial sneaking through these tracks. In the end, Uproot stands out in the bunch of new song-crunches populating the music scene, and even when it’s at its grimmest, it’s a fine how-to guide for the next wave of wannabes.
Listen to music by DJ/Rupture here
Peter and the Wolf – Mellow Owl
to be released November 14 on Whiskey and Apples Records
Report Card: C+
It’d be nice to say Mellow Owl is a marvelous piece of work signaling a return to big picture viability for today’s somewhat uninspiring folk genre. But, regrettably, a cutesy clever band name does not a savior make, so Peter and the Wolf will have to do as a somewhat-paler parallel to Bowerbirds or Bonnie “Prince” Billy, because where those acts are either, A. musically large and engaging, or B. sensible and wise, Mellow Owl too often suffers from neither, resulting in a thin take on folk that even lovely bouts of classical guitar and earnestness cannot cure. But beyond the album’s general lack of virtuosity, perhaps the number one problem here is too much juvenilia, as mentions of booze and dope happen more often than is appealing, and in contexts far too romantic for this truly to seem like the work of a fully-wrought artist. And while that romance occasionally results in a genuine and captivating vigor, too often the result is a sort of melancholic staggering.
There are some nice numbers to be found, though, such as smoothly disconcerting second track “Moondance of Nightowl,” and “Bottle Rockettes,” which, like some other tracks, is nicely backed with female vocals. And, as mentioned, the guitar can be pleasant. But even these subtle attractions feel undercooked, and demonstrate that it is, in fact, still early in the album-making career of Red Hunter, the young Texan behind the band. So while songwriting potential is definitely present, with the folk genre suffering of late from an uncommon irrelevance (Americana rock acts such as Fleet Foxes aside), Peter and the Wolf have a little way to go before they become something strikingly more impactful than just another in a long line of blasé folk acts.
Listen to music by Peter and the Wolf here
Read more of Nick Courtright’s writing here