Tonight: Anni Rossi at the 7th St. Entry

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "Machine"

Anni Rossi will be performing at the 7th St. Entry with Noah and the Whale. Doors to this all ages show open at 6 p.m. and admission is $10. Recommended.

MySpace

(Ian Anderson)

Anni Rossi Gets An 8.0 On Pitchfork

Download: Anni Rossi - "Ecology"

If you haven't already picked up Anni Rossi's latest record, Rockwell, named for the street she lives on in Chicago, then you absolutely should. Personally speaking, I'm more partial to the Afton EP which came out last fall (which I retroactively put on my best-of list for 2008, b/c I'm a dumbass), but Rockwell has more than its fair share of viola-plucked charms and unique vocal stylings. After being released on March 10th, Pitchfork has finally gotten around to reviewing Ms. Rossi's disc, and they've bestowed upon it a very great score of 8.0.

Here's the a key paragraph:

Anni Rossi's 4AD debut full-length, Rockwell...is the conclusion of a series of recording experiments taken over the last few years. Her instrumentation is so sparse that it naturally calls for the highest standards of recording to fully translate the relationship between the vocals and strings, so it's not surprising that she chose to record Rockwell with Steve Albini, albeit in a day

Read the rest of Mia Clarke's review here.

Check out video of Rossi performing in the MPLS right here.

Anni Rossi MySpace Page

(actual words by Jon Graef, but written in spirit by Ian Anderson)

Cross-published on CIMI

Best New Releases for March 10, 2009

Anni Rossi - "Rockwell" (4AD)


*MP3: Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"
Buy on Amazon.

Bishop Allen - "Grrr..." (Dead Oceans)


*MP3: Bishop Allen - "The Ancient Commonsense of Things"
Buy it on Amazon.


Brother Ali - "Truth Is Here" EP (Rhymesayers)


*MP3: Brother Ali - "Freedom Ain't Free"
Buy it on Amazon.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - "Advance Base Batter Life" (Tomlab)


*MP3: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - "Old Panda Days"
Buy it on Amazon.

Cursive - "Mama, I'm Swollen" (Saddle Creek)


*MP3: Cursive - "From the Hips"
Buy it on Amazon.

Handsome Furs - "Face Control" (Sub Pop)


*MP3: Handsome Furs - "I'm Confused"
Buy it on Amazon.

Video: Anni Rossi - "Living In Danger" (Live in Mpls)

Anni Rossi - "Living In Danger" (3/5/09) from MFR on Vimeo.

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "Living In Danger"

Here is a live video of Anni Rossi's performance of "Living In Danger" at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on March 5, 2009.

Tonight: Anni Rossi at the Cedar Cultural Center

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"

Anni Rossi is playing at the Cedar Cultural Center tonight with I, Colossus and Best Friends Forever. This top notch show starts at 7pm and is $10. I highly recommend going.

(MySpace)

MFR Exclusive: Anni Rossi Tour Diary, Feb. 9

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"
*MP3: Acid King - "2 Wheel Nation"

I am very excited to have the always wonderful Anni Rossi here on MFR for the next few weeks. She will be sending in exclusive diary entries from her current tour and mix tapes of what she's been listening to in the van.

"Sunday Feb 9

Today kind of sucked, but it's ok now. Whitman (chris payne) picked me up at 9 because we had a show in Tucson tonight. It was about a 10 hour drive. We played in an old airplane hangar which was pretty cool.
Luckily I had a sweet cd that my friend Anglina burned for me before I left Chicago. She DJ's around chicago sometimes. One night I heard this one song she had played and

I was like:

"what is this?!"

and she's like:

"it's black sabbath you idiot"

We listened to the BS album Master of Reality all the way to Tuscon. It pretty much saved my mood and passed the time away. We were hosted by a nice guy named Eric who is in a metal band. Once we started talking about my new love for Black Sabbath

he was like:
"you HAVE to check out this band acid king. it's like black sabbath but with a female singer"

we listened to it the next day on our way back to phoenix and it was not like that at all. it didn't need to sound like black sabbath for me to like it, but it wasn't my thing. I didn't like it. it sucked"

MFR Exclusive: Anni Rossi Tour Diary, Feb. 7

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"

I am very excited to have the always wonderful Anni Rossi here on MFR for next few weeks. She will be sending in exclusive diary entries from her current tour and mix tapes of what she's been listening to in the van.

"Friday Feb 7

Played in Long Beach tonight. It was a a bookstore called "open books". Whitman and I were in traffic for a long time and made it just in time for our own sets.
After the show the promoter took us to the best taco place ever. I had their specialty crispy potato tacos. I always forget how good the mexican food is out here. I've already had about 17 burritos and i've been here about a week."

here is a recap and some honorable mentions of some stuff we listened to on our SW tour.

*MP3: Black Sabbath - "Planet Caravan"
*MP3: Justin Timberlake - "Damn Girl"
*MP3: Kanye West - "Heartless"
Nicole Kidman (new unreleased cdr of upcoming album)
*MP3: Coconut Records - "West Coast"
*MP3: Acid King - "2 Wheel Nation"
*MP3: Gowns - "White Like Heaven"
*MP3: The Zombies - "Sticks and Stones"
*MP3: The Beatles - "Two Of Us"
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (untitled cdr)
MetalMags (myspace songs)

MFR Exclusive: Anni Rossi Tour Diary, Feb. 5

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"

I am very excited to have the always wonderful Anni Rossi here on MFR for next few weeks. She will be sending in exclusive diary entries from her current tour and mix tapes of what she's been listening to in the van.

"Wed Feb 5th

I flew to LA last week. I have been hanging out with my friends at CalArts. I couldn't afford to bring my stomp box on the plane with me because they are charging obscene amounts of money for any checked baggage these days. So....... my friend Aimee "borrowed" a green box from the green screen studio at Cal Arts for me when i got into town. It sounded pretty ok tonight at the smell. I hope I didn't ruin anyone's video shoot by taking it. I am going to put it back after my tour.

My new friend Jessie Thurston and I listened to The Shags on her car stereo on the way to the show. We bonded the previous night because I sang "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister at Karaoke and she sang a gothy country song I had never heard, but it was awesome. Singing karaoke is a great way to make friends. I hope I can make it through a whole song without laughing some day soon.



*MP3: Mr. Mister - "Broken Wings"

This awesome kid opened for Whitman and I tonight. He plays under the name "Nicole Kidman". He rocks it with just a keyboard and sings in a somewhat high, nervous sounding register. I guess he is hosting our show in West Covina in a few days and will be playing with us again.
SWEET!"

(MySpace)

Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"

*MP3: Anni Rossi - "The West Coast"

It's been a lot of fun to watch Anni Rossi turn into the crazy awesome musician she is. She started in Minneapolis, moved to Los Angeles, and is now back in Chicago. She's been killing it with the 4AD crowd and is getting the critical acclaim she deserves.

Her new album, "Rockwell," was recorded with Steve Albini in Chicago and is fabulous and is one-hundred percent worth picking up. Actually, pick it up on March 10. Don't worry, I'll remind you.

Upcoming tour dates:
2.12.09 - The Echo - Los Angeles, Ca. - with Whitman
2.13.09 - Ports O' Call - West Covina, Ca. - with Whitman
2.20.09 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, Il. - with Deer Tick and Future Clouds & Radar
2.24.09 - Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago, Il
3.01.09 - Schuba's - Chicago, Il - with Loney Dear
3.05.09 - The Cedar - Minneapolis

Anni Rossi on MySpace

New Music: Anni Rossi - "Ecology"

Download: Anni Rossi - "Ecology"
Download: Anni Rossi - "Wheelpusher"

When last we heard from Chicago via Minneapolis via Los Angeles, she was being a "Wheelpusher" and issuing her debut EP, Afton. The 22-year-old's first recorded output was a minimalist affair, featuring Rossi's idiosyncratic vocals, a fair amount of woodwinds, amongst other orchestral touches (which makes sense, what with Rossi being into the classical sauce from a young age), and her instrument the viola as the primary focus of most of the songs.

There seems to be a nature theme going on in Anni Rossi's music, whether it's the opening line in "Wheelpuser" about wanting to be a beekeeper in the Himalayas (the benefits are great?), or the title of her new song, "Ecology."

This track is from her debut full-length, which is coming this March. It's titled Rockwell, and it features ten tracks, some of which are re-dos from Afton. In contrast to the original's keyboard and woodwinds minimalism, this new version takes the former and runs with it, almost creating a woodsy synth-pop track in the process. I smell a remix (Buffetlibre?). Check out "Ecology" at the top of the post.

Anni Rossi MySpace Page

And watch this video for "Wheelpusher" (the MP3 of which is also at the top of the post)



Cross-published on CIMI

New Anni Rossi - "Wheelpusher"

Download: Anni Rossi - "Wheelpusher"

Like fellow Chicagoan/part-time Minnesotan Andrew Bird, Anni Rossi creates a rich tapestry of sound by melding together eclectic orchestrations and lush instrumentation. Rossi's aesthetic is more straight-forward--there are no Dosh-assisted style sonic collages that Bird happens to be fond of--but, using her viola and the surprise appearance of saxophones, Rossi is able to create an imaginative, impressionistic world for listeners to get lost in. But lest you think that Rossi and her Joanna Newsom-like warble make a detour into the self-indulgent, the minimalist production makes sure that both listener and artist stay grounded in reality.

Rossi is currently at work on her debut album, set for release next spring, recording it with Steve Albini at Chicago. But those enticed by the sounds on "Wheelpusher", the track at the top of the post, don't have to wait long for new material. The "mini-album" (different from an EP...how?) Afton, which features "Wheelpusher", will be out on October 21st. Rossi's last US date before her European tour is in Chicago opening up for Why?, but has soon as she has more US dates, we will let you know.

To get a further glimpse into Rossi's creativity, check out her cover of Radiohead's "Creep" (and be sure to download "Wheelpusher", of course):



Afton is out October 21st.

Anni Rossi MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)
jon@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com

*The viola, Rossi's instruments, is often the butt of good-natured jokes in orchestras. Read some here.