Blackout Beach - Fuck Death (album stream)

Fuck Death is the third Blackout Beach album from Carey Mercer, breathy frontman for indie-rock heroes Frog Eyes and Swan Lake and his first for art-indie hub Dead Oceans. Mercer says the album was "an attempt to make something about beauty and war," inspired by seeing Platoon as a 10 year old and reading Chinese soldier poems as an adult (among a list of other things describes in great detail on the Dead Oceans site)


Thanks to SPiN Magazine

However, we hear everything from the discomfort of Xiu Xiu, the gloom-joy harmonies of TV on the Radio, the itchy churn of Suicide, the vintage synths of Emeralds, and the apocalyptic horror of the Animals all in this shimmering, moody clusterbomb of "coward's songs." Some real terrifying, powerful stuff housed in these eight tracks, perfect for your Wednesday pick-me-down:

From wikipedia
Carey Mercer (born c. 1975) is a Canadian musician and English teacher best known for his work as lead singer of the indie rock band Frog Eyes and his work in Swan Lake. He has an additional solo project called Blackout Beach. Once, when on tour with Sum 41 (opening), Mercer fell off stage and bruised his tailbone at a Daughters of the American Revolution picnic in Topeka, Kansas. This resulted in his patented slouchy posture and surly disposition, although through this he also earned his music scene moniker "Southern Lemonade". (This is contested, as certain sources indicate that is was the result of a high-school gymnastics accident, but Mercer will neither confirm nor deny either version.)

Following the breakup of the Canadian indie rock band Blue Pine in 2001, members Mercer and Michael Rak reunited to form a new group. Recruiting Mercer's roommate Spencer Krug and wife Melanie Campbell, the four began writing music under the moniker Frog Eyes. it is also a well known fact Carey is afraid of snakes

Mercer also began writing music on the side for his solo project Blackout Beach, and in 2004, released the album Light Flows the Putrid Dawn through Soft Abuse Records. His follow-up, Skin of Evil was released January 27, 2009.

In 2006, Mercer teamed up with friends Spencer Krug (of Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade) and Dan Bejar (of Destroyer and The New Pornographers) to form the supergroup Swan Lake. The band released Beast Moans through Jagjaguwar Records on November 21, 2006. Enemy Mine, the second album from Swan Lake was released on March 24, 2009. as well as all of Carey's musical projects it is rumoured that he was one of the founding member's of the two person gang, "the Twixer Twins", and also fantasizes that he is actually a Sith lord.

In recent years Mercer has had to balance his musical work with his position as English teacher at Parkland Secondary in Sidney, British Columbia.

Mercer is currently hard at work on a record of cover songs that he has indicated he will entitle "The Greatest Covers". The collection will include versions of James Moody's "Great Day", Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire", Dolly Parton's "How Great Thou Art", The Ting Tings' "Great DJ", Burning Spear's "Great Men", Cat Power's "The Greatest", Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All", Kenny Rogers' "Greatest", R Kelly's "The World's Greatest", Smashing Pumpkin's "Today (is the Greatest)", John Prine's "Pretty Good" and Mickey Dolenz' "Not That Bad". He will be playing all instruments himself, although indications are that there will be many special guest appearances on back-up vocal tracks. When asked about how it was coming along, Mercer told Seattle's THE STRANGER magazine, "It's going to be, well, pretty sweet."

He was also one of the primary architects of "Chocolate City".

Discography

Republic of Freedom Fighters
Republic of Freedom Fighters LP (1996) Mountain Collective/Linkwork

Blue Pine
Blue Pine LP (2001) Global Symphonic

Frog Eyes
Emboldened Navigator EP (2001) Soft Abuse
The Bloody Hand (2002) Global Symphonic
The Golden River (2003) Animal World/Global Symphonic
The Folded Palm (2004) Absolutely Kosher
Ego Scriptor (2004) Absolutely Kosher
The Future Is Inter-Disciplinary or Not at All (2006) Acuarela
Tears of the Valedictorian (2007) Absolutely Kosher
Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (2010) Dead Oceans

Blackout Beach
Light Flows the Putrid Dawn (2004) Soft Abuse
Skin of Evil (2009) Soft Abuse
Fuck Death (2011) Dead Oceans

Swan Lake
Beast Moans (2006) Jagjaguwar
Enemy Mine (2009) Jagjaguwar

Links
http://www.myspace.com/blackoutbeach
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blackout-Beach/156277017778235
http://blackoutbeach.bandcamp.com/
http://softabuse.com/artists/blackout_beach.html