Washed Out, Real Estate, JJ, Mountain Man, and Memory Tapes all at one party? This is way too good to be true. Looks like Dipped in Dollars will be spending a lot of time at the Mexican Summer/Gorilla vs Bear showcase at SXSW.

Washed Out – Luck

Real Estate – Pool Swimmers

JJ – Ecstasy

Mountain Man – Animal Tracks

Memory Tapes – Bicycle

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Up-and-coming artists Max Darham and Tyler Weedon have collaborated on an animation for Real Estate’s Suburban Dogs. Things are uncertain if this is will be the official video for the song, but I had an opportunity to speak with Tyler about their process.

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Chief: What led you to pick Suburban Dogs for your animation?

Tyler: I personally trace back the origin of the inspiration for the project to the show that Real Estate played at Bennington in the beginning of the fall term. Max and I, along with our best pal Ian, were in the front row right in front of bassist and good friend Alex Bleeker swaying and jiving to the music, and distilled within that experience I clearly remember this moment when they were playing Suburban Dogs and the music really took me somewhere. From then on, the band’s music really became the soundtrack for our term, and to some degree, the animation was in part trying to recapture the transcendent moment that was experienced at the show. Max and I found that the feeling of riding a bike, and its movement would go well with the feeling and pace of the song.

C: What ideas were you working with in your process?

T: The bike ride featured in the animation, from the Bennington College campus to North Bennington, is one that Max and I almost rode twice a day to visit our best friend, Gabriel, who was living out there. Since the work is taken from the grounds of our everyday experience, as the artist I sought a way to de-contextualize the literal nature of the place and draw the images in a way that they would serve as more archetypal images, more apart of memory than reality, and in that way the work would take on a certain universality. the drawings were produced through a rotoscope method, meaning that photographs were taken first and then traced on a light box, and much of the impact of the drawings comes from the solid composition of my initial photographs, along with the myriad of choices I made within the process of redrawing. The sequence of shots in the animation were something that imagined in my mind each time Max, Ian, and I rode out to North Bennington to visit Gabriel. Within the context of my own disciplined exploration of representation, the use of archetypal images, the recycling of everyday experience, and the juxtaposition of real and dream worlds fall within the major motifs of my artistic project. A major idea for Max and I involved a synesthetic movement of the lines to capture the pulse and energy of the music, and how best to have the music correspond to the visuals.

C: What ideas do you have for your works in the future?

T: Max and I are currently trying to figure that out. We are looking forward to working on a new animation in ‘10, but for right now we are working on our own projects. I am in the midst of working on small-scale drawings of faces, balancing figuration and abstraction in considered compositions, and following the ideas that come about in the process day to day. max is currently working on a new maya animation of a contorting mountain bike, among other things.

C: Is there anything else you’d like to say about the piece?

T: We are glad to finally have the work on the internet for the public and fans of Real Estate to enjoy.

Real Estate – Suburban Dogs

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Dipped in Dollars has been enjoying a week long feature on BreakThru Radio, where you can now listen to/download our “Anatomy of a Blogger” radio show. We picked a lot of our favorite songs of the year and weaved them together with Danger Dome/Chief interviews over Comanche beats. We tried to make it something you could thoroughly enjoy from start to finish. Tracks listed below for anyone interested. Check it out by clicking the Anatomy of a Blogger link on BreakThru’s program guide.

00:00 Alex Bleeker – These Days (DJ Mimi intro)
00:41 MGMT – Electric Feel (Justice Remix)
06:05 Comanche – Ivory (Danger Dome interview)
07:19 Hudson Mohawke – Overnight
10:04 Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings
13:55 Comanche – On the Floor (Danger Dome interview)
14:22 The Cool Kids – Pennies
17:22 Washed Out – Feel It All Around
20:26 Comanche – Light on the Nile (Danger Dome interview)
20:52 Warpaint – Billie Holiday
27:25 School of Seven Bells – Iamundernodisguise (Alternate Version)
30:49 Comanche – Octubre (Chief interview)
31:15 Dirty Projectors – Stillness is the Move
36:30 Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky
43:15 Mountain Man – Animal Tracks
45:35 Comanche – These Birds (Danger Dome interview)
46:05 CFCF – Half Dreaming
51:30 Real Estate – Snow Days
55:48 Alex Bleeker – These Days (DJ Mimi outro)
56:46 Beach House – Used to Be

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So here at D.I.D., we’re huge supporters of Real Estate. Their tunes are so dreamy, and the release of their full-length album has hijacked my week. This album is so easy to listen to on repeat, and almost demands it, each time different subtle nuances rise to the surface. There is a familiarity within their sound for me, that makes it feel more like coming home than exploring a new album. Though they’re often described as surfy-beach-rock, there is a tinge of melancholy to a lot of their songs, which I think makes it all the more accessible. This brand of sincere rock makes it nearly impossible not to fall in love with these boys (and it doesn’t hurt that they put on a damn good live show). I see myself riding the wave for a long, long time. “Beach Comber” is the easily accessible first date, and “Atlantic City” is the addictive instrumental that will convince you to accept their proposal. They’re on tour right now, so catch ‘em while you can!

Real Estate – Beach Comber
Real Estate – Atlantic City

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Tuesday night, I found myself at The Black Cat once more, to check out the show where Jerseyians Real Estate were opening for Girls. What a perfect show for a weekday night!

Real Estate kicked it off, opening to a considerable crowd, who all seemed pleased to see them. As my friend Ali described it, it “was a smooth sweet ride”, and I couldn’t agree more. The music washed over us and flowed together so smoothly, I could hardly discern the track shifts. It was more like being invited on a serene jam, in the best of ways. Also doesn’t hurt that they’re the nicest bunch of guys. As for all the lo-fi comparisons (guilty), here’s what frontman Martin has to say, “If we could record in the studio, I would do it in a second,” Courtney says. The Real Estate album, out on Nov. 17, “has definitely got a demo vibe. I think it sounds good for sure, but it’s not a choice we made to sound that way. It’s just the way it is.” Check the rest of the interview with the City Paper, here. I’m tempted to say, well I’m just going to say it, these boys definitely outshined their headliners, and it’s not just my personal opinion (or my Bennington bias), you could feel a definite shift in vibe from the crowd. Check out their previously posted tracks, here.

I didn’t really know much about Girls going into this whole experience. Much much much more low key than Real Estate, the general energy of the show took a dive. That being said, it wasn’t entirely unenjoyable, just unremarkable. A little bit more mopey than I usually take my coffee. The more upbeat tracks I can get into, and these recommendations come straight from the mouth of Ali Walton, with whom I agree wholeheartedly.

Overall, I had an enjoyable low-key evening with the occasional dancing (head bopping, gentle swaying and the like). Boys will be Girls, but that is some damn fine Real Estate (sorry I just had to squeeze in a little cheese).

Girls – Lust For Life
Girls – Laura

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I’ll never forget the first time that Alex Bleeker approached me about engineering a show for his band Real Estate.  He told me it was their third gig, and they really just wanted to sound like they were underwater.  Since then, Real Estate have found themselves on some big sites and considered pioneers of the lo-fi scene.  I was lucky enough to engineer another show for them last week, and they played one solid ass set.  It was crazy to hear how well their sound has evolved over the last year.  Every song they played was magic.  Bonus closing with their version of Mountain Man’s Animal Tracks.

One of the best parts of the show was a set by Twigz, the neo-psychedelic/experimental brainchild of Tom Greenberg.  I’ve been able to hear snippets from his No Picnic EP, and I really think it’s gonna leave some deep impressions in a lot of people.  Lots of chaos combined with something beautiful.  Hopefully they’ll be able to hit some cities when the EP is complete.

Real Estate – Pool Swimmers

Real Estate – Black Lake

Twigz – Buggy Tide

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