Nick Zinner – TwentyFourBit

Jesse Harris Feat. Conor Oberst, Nick Zinner: “I Won’t Wait”

July 2, 2012June 29, 2012

Introductions to NYC songwriter Jesse Harris’ solo work will often digress into a list of his better known contributions to other artists’ records (Harris famously penned Norah Jones breakthrough “Don’t Know Why”, etc.), but on his latest set, Sub Rosa, both worlds collide. Not only did past collaborators/tour partners like Conor Oberst and Jones request a guest spot on the LP, but a handful of some of the best instrumentalists in the game were recruited for session work as well. A few favorites: Guitar God Bill Frisell, Thom Yorke’s bandmate in Atoms for Peace Mauro Refosco, and singer-songwriter Richard Julian.

For this track, “I Won’t Wait,” Harris brought in Oberst for shout-along backing vocals on the choruses and — given that they were recording the cut at the Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist’s studio — Nick Zinner for tremolo 6-string work. The tune’s iPhone-shot video is below.

Video: Karen O – Duet (Live)

July 15, 2012June 3, 2012

Karen O Duet It turns out Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and frontwoman Karen O have flown to Australia of late to promote respective solo projects — Zinner with his symphonic debut, “41 Strings,” and O with her first psycho-opera, Stop the Virgens. The latter is of particular interest around here, as it stems from a shelved 2005 solo album from O left gathering dust while YYYs followed their debut with two more excellent LPs and the personal favorite Is Is EP. Last fall we heard “Duet” premiered live on WNYC, and now we have a video take on the somber cut with Jason Grisell returning on harmony vocals/guitar. Zinner and O originally conceived their band as an acoustic duo back in 2000, so I like to imagine this material as a kind of alternate reality to the heavier direction they ended up pursuing for a decade. Check it out above. Meanwhile, explore Stop the Virgens further with a behind-the-scenes featurette after the jump.

Watch: Nick Zinner – 41 Strings

July 15, 2012May 27, 2012

Nick Zinner 41 Strings Last year, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner premiered his first proper foray into symphonic composition with “41 Strings,” a seasonally-themed piece celebrating the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. The 4-part instrumental — which features a “Wall of Sound”-esque ensemble of stacked guitars, bass, and drums, among more commonly used symphony instruments (violins, cellos, et al.) — was later performed at the famed Sydney Opera House, backed by the Australian Youth Orchestra. Now we can watch that performance without flying down under, as the whole show was professionally filmed and uploaded last week (h/t Drowned in Sound). The entire 28-minute gig is impressive, but its opening, “Fall,” and distortion-spiked “Spring” section brought the biggest thrills around here. Without further ado, glimpse what one of the best guitarists in the game whipped up (armed with no prior ability to read music and negligible expertise in the classical genre) by watching those selected parts below: