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2010 Year End List: John Darnielle & Franklin Bruno, The Extra Lens

December 20, 2010 – 2:06 pm

John’s Top 12 because 12 is divisible by 3 which as we know is super important:

the Ultima Thule podcast was my #1 most listened thing of 2010. Best thing best thing.
Cocorosie, Grey Oceans
Bottomless Pit, Blood Under the Bridge
Prince Rama, Shadow Temple
Ares Kingdom, Incendiary
Therion, Sitra Ahra
Owen Pallett, Heartland
Caitlin Rose, Learning to Ride
Strong Arm Steady, In Search of Stoney Jackson
Umberto, Prophecy of the Black Widow
Steve Roach, Sigh of Ages
108, 18.61

Franklin’s top albums, shows & movies of 2010:

Albums:
Boston Spaceships, Our Cubehouse Still Rocks
Bob Dylan, The Witmark Demos
Kevin Dunn, No Great Lost
Cee-Lo Green, The Ladykiller
The Intelligence, Males
LCD Sound System, This is Happening
v/a, Nippon Girls
Cass McCombs, Catacombs
Janelle Monae, The Archandroid
Robyn, Body Talk Pt. 1

Live shows:
Laurie Anderson
Bennink/Moore/Holshouser
Peter Blegvad
Gina Leishman
Carol Lipnik and Spook-a-Rama
Rattle
Robyn
The Roulette Sisters
Superchunk
Wave Pictures

Movies (new and old):
Carlos (2010, Oliver Assayas)
Get Out of the Car (2010, Thom Anderson)
Every Man for Himself (1980, Jean-Luc Godard)
Ne Change Rein (2010, Pedro Costa)
On the Bowery (1957, Lionel Rogosin)
Salamander (1971, Alain Tanner)
The Sorrows of Dolores (1986, Charles Ludlam)
Sunnyside Up (1929, David Butler)
When Strangers Marry (1944, William Castle)
Woman in Hiding (1950, Michael Gordon

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The Extra Lens talk to Under the Radar

December 1, 2010 – 4:26 pm

UndertheRadarMag.com spoke with John Darnielle & Franklin Bruno aka The Extra Lens via conference call a while back, and you can read the interview now.

NPR Music also declared “Only Existing Footage” their “Song of the Day” last week.

Undercard is available on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. Get 10% off your order of $50 or more and free shipping with our special holiday coupon, too!

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The Extra Lens perform live on KEXP and share album memories with Pitchfork

October 22, 2010 – 11:16 am

The Extra Lens will perform live on KEXP from the CMJ festival in New York City today at 4:30 PM EST. KEXP is broadcasting live from the Ace Hotel and invited John and Franklin to stop by and play songs from their newly released Merge debut, Undercard.

John and Franklin also shared some of their favorite albums through the years with Pitchfork for their 5-10-15-20 feature. Franklin chose all duos in honor of The Extra Lens, while John’s selections ran the gamut from Elton John to Amy Grant!

The Extra Lens finish up their short run of east coast tour dates on Saturday in Northampton at Iron Horse. Undercard is available on CD, LP and digital download now in the Merge store.

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Stream The Extra Lens’ “Undercard” at NPR’s First Listen now!

October 11, 2010 – 3:30 pm

The Extra Lens (John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and Franklin Bruno of the Human Hearts) will release their Merge debut, Undercard on October 19.

You can stream Undercard in its entirety as part of NPR’s First Listen feature. NPR’s Stephen Thompson describes Undercard, “As always, Darnielle’s strangely lovely phrasing and gift for language — “Oblivion’s been knocking since I gave it my address,” et al — keep Undercard from devolving into nihilistic ugliness. Instead, it’s merely human, with all the messiness and strange beauty the word implies.” Stream the album now at NPR.org.

To further commemorate this occasion, Franklin & John will head up the east coast for a few dates in October. All dates are with John Vanderslice, and tickets are on sale now!

Undercard is now available for pre-order on CD and LP in the Merge store, and you can download the free MP3 “Only Existing Footage” now!

Follow the Extra Lens on twitter, too!

The Extra Lens on tour:
*all dates with John Vanderslice
Oct 19 Philadelphia, PA Tin Angel
Oct 20 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
Oct 21 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Oct 23 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall

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Franklin Bruno of The Extra Lens when he’s not being an Extra Lens

October 6, 2010 – 4:40 pm

photo by Max S. Gerber

We asked one half of The Extra Lens – Franklin Bruno -  for an update on what was happening with him other than their upcoming Merge debut Undercard, and he was happy to oblige!

So, here is “what one of the Extra Lens does when he’s not being an Extra Lens:”

My main band, the Human Hearts, has a 7″ (“Art Books”) out soon, and a track on an upcoming benefit compilation for City Harvest.  Both are on Fayettenam Records, which released my compilation of 4-track/Shrimper-era solo recordings last year, and just put out Peter Hughes’s “Fangio” albums.

I’m playing as the pianist/musical director (backed by viola and trombone) for my partner Bree Benton’s solo performance piece, “Poor Baby Bree in I Am Going to Run Away,” at the venerable experimental theater venue La MaMa E.T.C., Oct. 1-10.  The show is built around truly obscure vaudeville and parlor songs, dating from the 1890s on.  Plenty of press and performance clips at here.

The Human Hearts are playing at the L.I.C. Bar in Long Island City on Oct. 11. For more on The Human Hearts’ tour dates, visit my blog.

Plus, I’ve been writing short essays  for Thought Catalog, on topics from Robyn and Kelis to New York poet James Schuyler to ’40s actress/director Ida Lupino.

The Extra Lens’ Undercard will be released on CD, LP and digital download on October 19. Pre-order the album now in the Merge store & see them on tour!

The Extra Lens on tour:
*all dates with John Vanderslice
Oct 19 Philadelphia, PA Tin Angel
Oct 20 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
Oct 21 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Oct 23 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall

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The Extra Lens announce fall tour dates!

September 15, 2010 – 3:57 pm

The Extra Lens (John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and Franklin Bruno of the Human Hearts) will release their Merge debut, Undercard on October 19. To commemorate this occasion, Franklin & John will head up the east coast for a few dates in October. All dates are with John Vanderslice, and tickets will go on sale this weekend.

Undercard is now available for pre-order on CD and LP in the Merge store, and you can download the free MP3 “Only Existing Footage” now!

The Extra Lens on tour:
*all dates with John Vanderslice
Oct 19 Philadelphia, PA Tin Angel
Oct 20 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
Oct 21 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Oct 23 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall

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Stream & pre-order The Extra Lens’ “Undercard” now!

September 1, 2010 – 12:24 pm

The Extra Lens, the musical collaboration between John Darnielle (Mountain Goats) and Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue, the Human Hearts), will release their Merge debut, Undercard on October 19. You can now stream Undercard in its entirety and pre-order the album on CD and LP in the Merge store.

Undercard is the first new album from this distinguished partnership since 2002′s Martial Arts Weekend and is comprised of eleven original songs and a pretty ominous-sounding cover song, and will include copious song notes from John and Franklin. The artwork features an illustration by Ian Dingman and a vintage boxing poster feel inspired by the title, Undercard, which references the fights listed under the main event at a boxing match.

The Extra Lens have a few surprises in store for us this fall, so stay tuned! Download a free MP3 of  “Only Existing Footage,” and be sure to follow the Extra Lens on twitter!

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The Extra Lens announce Merge debut!

August 5, 2010 – 2:53 pm

On October 19, The Extra Lens will release Undercard on Merge Records. The Extra Lens (previously known as The Extra Glenns), having streamlined their operation by dropping a G and a superfluous N from their name — and why gnot — enter the new century not a minute too soon, following up on 2000′s Martial Arts Weekend with Undercard, a collection of eleven original songs and a pretty ominous-sounding cover version.

Comprised of John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats) and Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue, the Human Hearts) and formed in the Inland Empire during the region’s brief next-Seattle shortlist period, the project began as a potential home for any song John wrote that had a) more than three chords or b) a bridge. New songs for the group only happened when John figured he’d written something that Franklin might find clever or amusing, although at least one such song, remembered as “Anti-Witchcraft Song,” is lost. Reasoning that permanent-bridesmaid status means you never have to actually buy the dress, the duo have approached record-making at a pace that one would call “leisurely” if it wouldn’t make the leisure class look like busybodies: one 7″, several compilation appearances, a one full-length at the dawn of the aughts, and now, arriving with Paul Masson-like deliberation, Undercard.

Recorded with Brian Paulson (Slint, Beck, US Maple) at the Rubber Room in Carrboro, North Carolina, and with Mitch Rackin (Excepter, Heavy Hands) at Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn, Undercard is the first Extra Lens record to arrive as a full collaboration between songwriters. The recording method, however, persists: John plays guitar, sings, and then gets the hell out of Dodge City, leaving Franklin to provide arrangements as the songs required: here sparing, here ornate; sometimes gentle, sometimes not; once with vibraslap, mostly without.

We are also happy to announce that the Mountain Goats will join the Merge roster, as well!

Download “Only Existing Footage” from Undercard now and see The Extra Lens on tour this fall!

Track list:
1. Adultery
2. Crusierweights
3. Only Existing Footage
4. Communicating Doors
5. Programmed Cell Death
6. How I Left the Ministry
7. Some Other Way
8. Ambivalent Landscape Z
9. In Germany Before the War
10. Tug on the Line
11. Rockin’ Rockin’ Twilight of the Gods
12. Dogs of Clinic 17

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