wailing wall
The Wailing Wall Talks to The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post recently interviewed Jesse Rifkin on the Wailing Wall and reviewed his new album, The Low Hanging Fruit.
Within the mellifluous chords of The Wailing Wall’s indie music, we hear the discord of a ukulele jamming with a guitar, a trumpet vying for airtime with a bass, and a harmonium and pipe organ on stage with a trash can. This beautiful, organic pandemonium again puts us in touch with the creative origins of Jewish prayer.
That’s Jewish rebellion at its best. That’s real ‘bad.’
Pitchfork Reviews the Wailing Wall
The Wailing Wall received a great review today on Pitchfork from writer Joshua Klein. In the review Klein writes of “The Low Hanging Fruit” the new album from The Wailing Wall as:
“No Old Country kitsch fest. Rather, Rifkin goes deeper and broader, invoking the Bible as an anchor but opening up beyond the standard Judeo-Christian axis. Influences here include Qawwali drones and Hindu chants to go with his folk-rock echoes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.”
Holy Shit, they compare him to Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan, that’s one hell of a compliment!
But the review gets better:
“There’s an undeniable poetry to Rifkin’s words as well, which certainly helps convey the personal nature of this particular musical journey. Admittedly, when it comes to pop culture, religion is the ultimate low-hanging fruit. A sprinkle of theology can easily, lazily convey a hint of import or profoundness even where none exists. But for all its time-tested signifiers, Rifkin’s struggle to find meaning in life rings honest and compelling.
What’s more impressive than Rifkin’s introspective voyage, however, is the confident way he flits from tabla and sitar vibes on “Bones Become Rainbows” to the austere guy-with-guitar of “For C.M.R.” (where he manages to out-nasal Dylan), or from the sunny folk-rock of “Dandelion” to the harmonium bliss of “Fear No Apple, Fear No Flood”. These songs flow together with convincing inspiration. If the results themselves are ultimately less inspiring than they are admirable, that likely has less to do with Rifkin’s craft and more to do with the album’s meditative nature. After all, he’s the one on the road to revelation. We’re just the spectators, curious to learn where he finally ends up.”
The Pitchfork approved Low Hanging Fruit is available from Amazon and iTunes and JDub
The Low Hanging Fruit Out TODAY!
The Wailing Wall’s new record, The Low Hanging Fruit, is officially out today!
Time Out New York called the record “open-eared, with sounds plucked from every patch of earth.”
Want to try it before you buy it? AOL Music is currently streaming the whole CD. Listen here.
Above, watch the band performing “Bones Become Rainbows” during the recent CD release show in NYC!
The Wailing Wall has a New Release and a Show in NYC
Multi-instrumentalist Jesse Rifkin aka The Wailing Wall have a new record called The Low Hanging Fruit which drops next Tuesday, June 8th and is available for Pre-Order right NOW from Amazon, iTunes and the JDub Webstore (for only $7.99 + a free pin).
Furthermore, The Wailing Wall and Tim Fite will be playing a show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge this Friday and this is one show of the summer not to miss.
Friday, June 4th
@ Mercury Lounge (217 E. Houston St.)
Doors 7:30 pm
The Wailing Wall 8:00 pm
Tim Fite 9:00 pm
Buy Tickets
and don’t forget to become a Fan on Facebook
Check out this little impromptu performance of the band rocking out to a song from their new record in someone’s kitchen and some people wearing their jammy’s.
The Jewish Week Loves The Wailing Wall!
Today, George Robinson at The Jewish Week published a lovely and very thoughtful column discussing The Wailing Wall’s new record, The Low Hanging Fruit. You are going to have to wait until 6/8 for that, but until then, read the article HERE!
“The Low Hanging Fruit,” like its predecessor, is a fascinating blend of deeply felt, intelligent wordplay, and an eclectic but convincing amalgam of Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young, updated to the lo-fi indie scene and flavored with echoes of Bjork, and Sufi Qawwali and Hindu Kirtan as well. The result never feels forced or contrived, and Rifkin says that he’s trying to achieve the same level of spontaneity as when he performs live.”
The Wailing Wall on MTVU!
Our friends over at MTVU are once again showing off their excellent judgment by interviewing Jesse Rifkin of The Wailing Wall. They are also offering a video of Jesse performing live in central park, which I have included above, and have premiered NEW single “Dandelion”, which you can get HERE.
The Wailing Wall’s Dude Summer
Impose Magazine is running the video (included above) of The Wailing Wall doing an impromptu performance of “Bones Become Rainbows” while they were out in LA. Check that full post here!
“I also remember dudes. I remember saying that “Dudes Doin’ What Dudes Do” would be like the Revolution Summer of 1985; Few believed me, but today I got my first glimpse of the influence the phrase had on popular culture via this video of Jesse Rifkin of The Wailing Wall and his buddies jamming in a kitchen, and uttering the holy phrase that is threatening to make a comeback in 2010: “Dudes being dudes.”
The Boston Globe Wants You To See The Wailing Wall
Our friends over at The Boston Globe are excited about the Wailing Wall/Tim Fite show on Tuesday, and you should be too!
THE WAILING WALL The pet project of New York singer-songwriter Jesse Rifkin, the Wailing Wall is about to release “The Low Hanging Fruit,’’ a spirited indie-folk record flush with everything from sitar to singing saw. But first the band is on the road opening for fellow oddball polyglot Tim Fite. 9 p.m. May 18. $10. Great Scott. www.ticketweb.com JAMES REED
More Love For The Wailing Wall
The Wailing Wall is on a roll!
- Check out Jesse’s Q&A for Dickies Sounds.
- Here’s another interview with Jesse, this time for the kind people over at Indie Rock Reviews.
- And another, this time from the LA Examiner!
- Our friends over at Jewschool also have some very nice things to say about The Wailing Wall.
- A very beautiful review of the LA show by The 704.
- Austin Town Hall really digs the new single!
- And now you can buy the single, “Bones Become Rainbows”, on iTunes! Get it HERE.
The Wailing Wall on BeatCrave!
The fine folks over at BeatCrave have a great review of the recent Avi Buffalo/Wailing Wall show in Los Angeles. Included are tons of great photos! Check it out HERE.
“The Wailing Wall started the night off with a song sung entirely a Capella by front man Jesse Rifkin. For those in the audience who didn’t know The Wailing Wall’s sound may have been caught off guard by Rikin’s Bob Dylan-like vocals ringing throughout the venue – so naked yet so fearless – but it definitely did get all our attention as a hush spread throughout The Troubadour.”