"We Fun - Atlanta GA Inside/Out" DVD (director: Matthew Robison)

As a survey of ATL's present-day indie scene, "We Fun" covers a wide array of modern acts, including Deerhunter, Black Lips, the funky and memorable King Khan & The Shrines, Mastodon, the Coathangers, Mourdella (with the amazing fireplay of frontwoman Jessica Juggz), and others. Interviews with fans, promoters, club owners, and many a drunken reveler are sandwiched between live clips. We see the homespun indie rock scene complete with sweaty bars, yard parties, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and a nicely diverse selection of rough and rowdy rock. Atlanta seems to love to party. And drink. And play (or listen to) music. It's an endearing and gritty/candid documentary that sums it all up with the title. It's all about fun. I found this brief (65 minute) film to be an inspiring look at the individuality and character that, without a doubt, fuels the independent scenes not just in Atlanta, but around the world. (See Of Sound.com via MVD Visual)

Hammock - "Chasing After Shadows...Living With The Ghosts" CD

This Nashville ambient duo's 4th album is easily their most realized, and most structured, release to date. With Tim Powles (of Australian psychedelic rock act The Church) at the mixing helm, Andrew Thompson and Marc Byrd summon great swells of lovely organic ambient sound, with droning, shoegaze-soaked guitars and deftly-mixed strings. They weave spacious melodies into their instrumental songs, and the results wouldn't sound out of place on an Eno or Sigur Ros recording. The album's single, "Breathturn", utilizes reverb-soaked distant vocals ala Slowdive, and is certainly a sweet treat for the ears. Other cuts, like "In The Nothing Of A Night", wrap dark edges into the blissed-out atmospheres. But it's never a heavy-handed or ponderous approach. Hammock's music, like their name, stretches out in a most relaxing fashion. It's a breath of fresh air in a sea of pretension and attitude. "Chasing After Shadows..." is a journey worth repeating, functioning either as effective background listening, or as an enveloping headphone experience. Monumental, multi-layered sounds for anytime of day or night. (Hammock Music)

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Hammock - Breathturn from David Altobelli on Vimeo.