FILTER Issue 27

On stands September 7 through November, 2007

Filter Issue 27 (latest issue)

Ben Bridwell is no stranger to persistent change. After dropping out of high school, he moved west to Seattle, where he lived jobless and homeless for a spell before forming and fronting Band of Horses. On the eve of the biggest performance of his life—a dream gig at the Hollywood Bowl—and a feverishly anticipated sophomore release, Bridwell allowed Filter to join the Band of Horses caravan for a trip down the Pacific coast. The resulting tales detail five not-so-normal days of life in constant motion: afternoon drives, musical nights, seedy bars and a Fourth of July celebration in the least likeliest of places, all leading up to one career-defining moment in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere, Filter joins the heartful, artful Animal Collective for a discussion on the roots of creativity and to explore the expectations and experimentalism of their new masterpiece, Strawberry Jam. We traverse into the monumental mind of filmmaker David Lynch to talk about the motivation behind his mystique and get a glimpse into the deepest levels of his abstract, transcendent imagination. And we join comic legend George Carlin in the front row at the freak show, where, for the last 50 years, he has offered his brilliant and viciously honest attack on the politics of modern culture.

Also, Filter pays tribute to the legacy of fringe-punk innovators XTC; we engage in deep, dark thought with director Anton Corbijn about his directorial debut film Control, an intimate portrait of the talented yet tormented Joy Division singer Ian Curtis; get happy about being sad with Shout Out Louds; discuss the peculiar condition the Fiery Furnaces’ condition is in; eat cheese and bust chops with comedians Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons); and belt out the flavor, karaoke-style, with Pinback. In addition, Rogue Wave, Tokyo Police Club, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, matt pond PA, Super Furry Animals, directors James Gray and We Own the Night and Craig Zobel and Great World of Sound, an original collage by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, tons of CD and DVD reviews, and some youthfully exuberant favorites care of the Go! Team. Join us, won’t you?

COVER
Triumph of the Transient: A Band of Horses Road Log

FEATURES
Expanding the Real Estate of Expression: Experimenting with Animal Collective

The Big Self in the Unified Field: Up from the Deepest Level with David Lynch

Closer, Still: Director Anton Corbijn's Intimate Portrait of Ian Curtis

Anarchy in the S.D.: Belting out the Flavor with Pinback

Humility Now! Eatin' Cheese and Bustin' Chops with Jeff Garlin and Dan Castellaneta

F-STOP
Shout Out Louds: Happy About Being Sad

The Fiery Furnaces: The Condition Their Condition Is In

TRIBUTES
Permanent Bliss: The Immutable Pleasures of XTC

Front Row at the Freak Show: 50 Years of Enjoying the View with George Carlin

GETTING TO KNOW
Rogue Wave

Tokyo Police Club

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Matt Pond PA

YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW
Super Furry Animals

FLICKER
We Own the Night: A conversation with director James Gray

Great World of Sound: A conversation with director Craig Zobel

DVD Debris

ENDNOTE
by Thurston Moore