<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>ATO Records – Pop Press International</title> <atom:link href="https://www.poppressinternational.com/tag/ato-records/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com</link> <description>Music Blog, Music News, Tracks, Reviews, Live Music, Photos & More</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:02:40 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <item> <title>Okkervil River Preps The Silver Gymnasium, Shares “It’s My Season”</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/06/27/okkervil-river-preps-the-silver-gymnasium-shares-its-my-season/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:02:40 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[BLOG]]></category> <category><![CDATA[TRACKS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ATO Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[folk rock]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Okkervil River]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Silver Gymnasium]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=9562</guid> <description><![CDATA[When I moved to Austin in 2001, folk rock was exploding in the independent undercurrent. Okkervil River was one of the first bands I fell deeply in love with. I still remember the...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I moved to Austin in 2001, folk rock was exploding in the independent undercurrent. Okkervil River was one of the first bands I fell deeply in love with. I still remember the first time I heard them. The release show for <em>Down the River of Golden Dreams</em> is forever cemented in my memory. So, it’s always a bit nostalgic when I hear a new Okkervil River song. Their new album <em>The Silver Gymnasium </em>drops on September 3rd. You can stream piano-centered song “It’s My Season” below.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PjLP1n3h7Vc?rel=0" height="280" width="460" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Album Review: Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound of God</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/02/18/album-review-jim-james-regions-of-light-and-sound-of-god/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:11:47 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[REVIEWS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[#folk]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Album Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ATO Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Electronic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[funk]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jim James]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Regions of Light and Sound of God]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Soul]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=6186</guid> <description><![CDATA[After a couple of prolific decades and involvement in collaborative projects like Monsters of Folk and the New Multitudes Woody Guthrie album last year, it seemed almost impossible that My Morning Jacket frontman...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4788" alt="jim_james_regions" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-300x298.jpg 300w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-1024x1017.jpg 1024w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-50x50.jpg 50w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions.jpg 1510w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>After a couple of prolific decades and involvement in collaborative projects like Monsters of Folk and the <i>New Multitudes</i> Woody Guthrie album last year, it seemed almost impossible that My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James had not released a solo record until now. <i>Regions of Light and Sound of God</i> balances psychedelia, soul music, and synthetic textures to create a brief collection of excellent and innovative songs.</p> <p>James has always been something of a showman, and I couldn’t help by chuckle at the single drum and descending piano that opens the album over what sounds like vinyl crackle—the effect is something like the onset of a class black and white film. Opener “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” is driven by bare piano chords as James fires rapid rhymes in choppy bursts until straightforward drums kick in a couple minutes in. The song is a meditation on the role of technology in contemporary society, unveiling metaphors such as “We got our wires all crossed/ The tubes are all tied.” However, James seems content to succumb to state of the art production throughout the album, and does so to great effect.</p> <p>“Now Til Now” follows with an electronic take on 60s soul that could feature a verse by Kanye West. The song is one of the album’s best cuts, embodying everything that the record aims to achieve as James croons over crisp bass lines, hi-hat and snare, and skittering electronic hooks. The album’s second single, “A New Life,” might be called the album’s centerpiece, beginning as a simple, straightforward song, swelling to epic proportions with a dance-inducing beat and brass elements that recall 50s pop.</p> <p>“Of the Mother Again” exemplifies the blending of soul and psychedelia, and I find it almost impossible to aurally pin down all the layers of the song—soft strings, twinkling guitars and dreamy xylophone. From here the Album moves into “Actress” with swelling orchestral elements that contrast with darkly distorted guitar lines recall 70s Bowie. The track is the least cohesive so far, but we never expected that James would color inside the lines. In fact, he then moves in a completely different direction, closing the album with the two incredibly hypnotic tracks “All is Forgiven” and “God’s Love to Deliver.”</p> <p>With titles like these, it’s simply impossible to ignore the religious influence on the album, and James certainly seems devout. However, there’s a vibe of mysticism that permeates the songs (and the man), and leads one to believe that James might be stretching the notion of God. But that’s just a guess. What we don’t have to guess about is James’ prowess at song craft as he delivers a solid and ambitious first solo album.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Jim James Announces Tour Dates, Album Stream</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/01/29/jim-james-announces-tour-dates-album-stream/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:42:35 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[BLOG]]></category> <category><![CDATA[#tour]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ATO Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jim James]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Regions of Light and Sound of God]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=5753</guid> <description><![CDATA[We wrote previously about the two singles (“Know Til Now” and “A New Life“) previously released in advance of Jim James’ newest album Regions of Light and Sound of God out February 5th on...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4788" title="jim_james_regions" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-300x298.jpg 300w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-1024x1017.jpg 1024w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions-50x50.jpg 50w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jim_james_regions.jpg 1510w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>We wrote previously about the two singles (“<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="New Track: “Know Til Now” – Jim James" href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/2012/11/14/new-track-know-til-now-jim-james/" target="_blank">Know Til Now</a></span>” and “<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="New Track: “A New Life” – Jim James" href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/01/15/new-track-a-new-life-jim-james/" target="_blank">A New Life</a></span>“) previously released in advance of Jim James’ newest album <em>Regions of Light and Sound of God</em> out February 5th on ATO records. Now, you can stream the whole album over at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/01/27/170199655/first-listen-jim-james-regions-of-light-and-sound-of-god" target="_blank">NPR</a></span>. Additionally, James has announced an extended string of tour dates for the Spring. He will play Stubb’s on May 6th, and we hope to see you all there. Full list of dates below.</p> <p><strong>Jim James Tour Dates</strong><br /> 2/18: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s <strong>SOLD OUT</strong><br /> 2/19: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg <strong>SOLD OUT</strong><br /> 2/20: New York, NY @ McKittrick Hotel <strong>SOLD OUT</strong></p> <p><strong>JUST ANNOUNCED</strong><br /> 4/17: Louisville, KY @ Brown Theatre<br /> 4/19: Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater<br /> 4/20: Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre<br /> 4/21: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue<br /> 4/23: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall<br /> 4/24: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre<br /> 4/26: Boston, MA @ Royale<br /> 4/27: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer<br /> 4/29: New York, NY @ Webster Hall<br /> 4/30: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club<br /> 5/2: Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom<br /> 5/3: Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel<br /> 5/6: Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre<br /> 5/7: Dallas, TX @ House of Blues<br /> 5/9: Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre<br /> 5/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre<br /> 5/12: San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore<br /> 5/14: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom<br /> 5/15: Seattle, WA @ Neptune</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>New Track: “A New Life” – Jim James</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/01/15/new-track-a-new-life-jim-james/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:46:19 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[TRACKS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ATO Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jim James]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Regions of Light and Sound of God]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=5524</guid> <description><![CDATA[Jim James has one of those distinctive voices that immediately defines a song. His opening “hey” is no exception on his new song “A New Life,” from his forthcoming LP Regions of Light...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Jim James has one of those distinctive voices that immediately defines a song. His opening “hey” is no exception on his new song “A New Life,” from his forthcoming LP <em>Regions of Light and Sound of God</em> out February 5th on ATO Records as <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="New Track: “Know Til Now” – Jim James" href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/2012/11/14/new-track-know-til-now-jim-james/">previously reported</a></span>. “A New Life” begins with spares vocals and instrumentation and builds to a climactic, 50s-pop-influenced, saxophone-filled conclusion. We’re digging it. Stream “A New Life” via Soundcloud below.</p> <p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F74297964" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166"></iframe></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>