Lodge Artists Debut Limited Edition Vinyl for Record Store Day!!

Today is officially Record Store Day and we are psyched!! Over the past several months, The Lodge has been gearing up for April 19, working with artists Garbage, Sky Ferreira, and Hamilton Leithauser in pursuit of releasing the most amazing limited edition vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2014.

Conceived in 2007 by a group of record storeowners and staff, they wanted to spread the word about their indie shops and vibey culture. Now every third Saturday in April, local record stores all over the world participate in special events that celebrate local and independent record stores!

Everyone can agree, the most exciting part of Record Store Day is the limited edition titles which are released exclusively to RSD participating indie stores around the world. Some vinyls are released region specific and some super limited edition.  Garbage will be releasing an ‘RSD First’ 10” vinyl debut of tracks “Girls Talk Shit” (featuring Brody Dalle) and “Time Will Tell.” Hamilton Leithauser, of The Walkmen, will also be releasing new music, an ‘RSD Exclusive’ 7” vinyl of his hit single “Alexandra.” Sky Ferreira will be immortalized on 12” as she re-releases a picture disc of her debut album Night Time My Time.

So get up early and catch an in-store performance, find a free beer and satisfy your vinyl craving all while supporting your favorite local record store!

Garbage

Girls Talk

Format: 10” Vinyl

Label: STUNvolume

Release Type: ‘RSD First’ Release

Hamilton Leithauser

Alexandra b/w in the Shallows

Format: 7” Vinyl

Label: Ribbon Music

Release Type: ‘RSD Exclusive’ Release

Sky Ferreira

Night Time My time

Format: 12’ Picture Disc

Label: Capitol

Release Type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Christina Perri’s `Head or Heart’ Debuts at #2 on iTunes!

 

Singer/songwriter, Christina Perri’s sophomore album, Head or Heart, is already a smash on iTunes! Released on Atlantic Records, Head or Heart was expertly made by a team of well seasoned producers: Martin Johnson (Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo), Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, One Direction), John Hill (P!NK, Sanitgold), and Butch Walker (Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy). The final touches for mastering were done by Emily Lazar, Chief Mastering Engineer at The Lodge in NYC (assisted by Rich Morales).

After 18 months of recording in a small town in the UK, Perri released her second album, Head or Heart, to rave reviews. The album’s debut single, “Human,” written by Perri and Johnson, rose to #14 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, and has become a favorite on the iTunes Top 20 list. The song is so popular that several artists began remixing the pop-power ballad, including a mind-blowing remix by Passion Pit, (also mastered by Lazar at The Lodge). Check out the beautifully robotic music video for “Human” directed by Elliott Sellers, below.

 “Burning Gold”, the instantly memorable second single, has been described by Perri as        representative of her emotional struggle regarding her decision to move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to further her music career. The track “I Don’t Wanna Break” was featured in a recent episode of HBO’s hit comedy-drama series and was showcased on their second soundtrack, “Girls Volume 2: All Adventurous Women Do…” which was also released via Atlantic Records. 

Perri collaborated with her close friend Ed Sheeran on the amazingly playful duet, “Be My Forever.” In a recent interview, Perri admits she had never intended to use this track for herself because it sounded too “happy,” however, she fell in love with the lyrics and knew immediately that the male portion had to be sung by Ed Sheeran. Be sure to check this one out - this gem is an absolutely infectious pop track that is sure to please!

A majority of the album was mixed by mix engineer, Manny Marroquin (Kanye West, John Legand, Alicia Keys) while Michael Brauer (John Mayer, Coldplay) also contributed two mixes. 

To celebrate the release of “Head or Heart” Perri will be kicking-off her highly anticipated North American, Head or Heart Tour!  The tour begins Friday, April 4^th in Denver, Colorado. Be sure to check out her upcoming live TV performances as Perri will be visiting ABC’s The View on April 16^th and CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman on April 21^st. 

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Kendall Schmidt and Band, Heffron Drive, Bring Debut Single “Parallel” to Emily Lazar at The Lodge!

Big Time Rush heartthrob, Kendall Schmidt, has just released his debut single titled “Parallel” from his band, Heffron Drive, which is available now on iTunes. The song was written by Schmidt and producer, Toby Gad, and was released through Schmidt’s new label, TOLbooth Records.

The single was mixed by Scott Jacoby and our very own, Emily Lazar, at Eusonia Studios. The pair has worked together as a mixing team most recently on select tracks from Vampire Weekend’s Grammy-winning Modern Vampires of the City and Hamilton Leithauser’s (of The Walkmen) debut album, BlackHours, among others. The track was also mastered by Emily Lazar, Chief Mastering Engineer at The Lodge, and assisted by Rich Morales.

Heffron Drive is comprised of Kendall Schmidt and guitarist Dustin Belt, and together they are currently working on a debut album, which is set for release this summer.  Earlier this month, the duo were well received as they performed some of their new music for their adoring fans during the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Plans are set to tour throughout North America this summer, as well as Europe and Asia in the fall.

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Damian Taylor Mixes & Two of March’s Hottest New Releases

Damian Taylor,  (Bjork, The Killers, The Prodigy, Austra, Diamond Rings) is in like a lion... and out like a lion this month! The music industry powerhouse recently worked on two innovative electronica albums, Trust’s Joyland and Roman Remains' Zeal, both of which were simultaneously released on March 4, 2014. 

Toronto artist, Robert Alfons, most commonly known as Trust, returns to The Lodge to master his hugely anticipated sophomore album Joyland. The album was produced and sonically crafted by Alfons, while Damian Taylor lent his hand to the mixing. Joyland, mastered by Chief Mastering Engineer, Emily Lazar at The Lodge in NYC and assisted by Rich Morales, was released via Arts & Crafts and the album is already a favorite among admiring fans.  

It has also received high praise from Pitchfork, Stereogum,  and Fader. Pretty Much Amazing boldly states, “Joyland takes the house – and trance – indebted elements of TRST at it’s most danceable and blows them up from basement to stadium size.” 

See Trust perform live on April 10, 2014 at Le Poisson Rouge.  Listen to Trust’s first single “Rescue, Mister” off of Joyland below. 

London/LA duo Roman Remains’ debut LP, Zeal, was released through HOT Records Ltd.  Roman Remains is comprised of Liela Moss and Toby Butler of the band, The Duke Spirit. Originally a side project, the pair wrote and recorded their entire debut album amid breaks in the band’s touring schedule. Produced by multi-instrumentalist Toby Butler and co-produced by Simon Byrt, the pair reached out to Damian Taylor to mix the highly anticipated debut album, and to help the band transition from their familiar rock sound into a much darker infectious electronic harmony. Prior to Zeal, the band released a stirring four-song EP titled, Energy You, which was also expertly mixed by Damian Taylor, mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge.

Watch Roman Remains’ “The Stone Is Starting To Bleed” video below. 

Roman Remains will be performing at South by Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW) in Austin, TX on March 13, 2014.

Taylor and Lazar take a short break in the studio to pose for a "selfie."

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The Lodge Masters Tracks For Girls Soundtrack Volume 2

Over the past two seasons, HBO’s critically acclaimed series Girls has exploded in popularity and is a weekly “must see.” Lena Dunham, the show’s writer, producer, and director, has truly created the voice of a generation. 

For it’s third season and accompanying soundtrack, Girls’ music supervisor, Manish Raval, stayed true to the show’s current relevance and vibe by featuring some amazingly talented artists. The soundtrack, Girls Volume 2: All Adventurous Women Do… was released on Atlantic Records on February 11, 2014, features new music from artists VampireWeekend, Beck, Postal Service siren turned solo artist Jenny Lewis, and pop chart singer/songwriter, Christina Perri. 

Tracks by Jenny Lewis, “Completely Not Me” and Christina Perri, “I Don’t Wanna Break,” were both mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge. Long time client of The Lodge, Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, produced and mixed Jenny Lewis’s “Completely Not Me” which was showcased in the season’s premier episode. Christina Perri’s love-sick “I Don’t Wanna Break” produced by John Hill and Jack Antonoff and mixed by Micheal Brauer, also made it’s debut on the Girls soundtrack and is included in Perri’s full length album titled, Head or Heart (also mastered by Emily Lazar) and will be released on April 1, 2014, on Atlantic Records.

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NPR's Weekend Edition Features Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar

Checkout this cool profile on Emily that was released last Sunday on NPR's Weekend Edition!!  Click HERE to see the full article or click to here to LISTEN to the interview.

The Woman Behind The Curtain, Making Good Songs Sound Great

by ALLYSON MCCABE

January 26, 2014 8:00 AM

Mastering engineer Emily Lazar poses with producer Scott Jacoby (top right) and members of the band School Is Cool at her Manhattan studio, The Lodge.

Mastering engineer Emily Lazar listens back to a section of the

song "Envelop Me" by the baroque pop band School is Cool.

She's trying to make the main vocals stand out more.


"We pick certain frequencies that we want to hear either more

or less of, and those kind of translate into colors for the listener,"

she explains. "Right now in the raw mix, the lower frequencies,

or the low mids of the drums, are kind of clouding up some of the

other areas we'd like to hear a little more of — specifically these

acoustic instruments that are playing, and the lead vocal.


"We'd like to have a little bit more presence and intimacy," she

says, "so that when you're listening on your headphones or in

your own space, you feel like Johannes, the lead singer, is right

there singing to you."


In the early years of audio recording, musicians performed live in

the studio and their songs were captured directly onto a master disc.

Today, the process tends to include a few more steps — the last of

which involves mastering engineers like Lazar. School is Cool

singer Johannes Genard says these final adjustments help

emphasize thethings he really wants the music to express.


"When trying to convey a story," Genard says, "mastering can

bring to the foreground frequencies that we associate with certain

emotions or certain atmospheres. Certain frequencies convey more

aggression or energy, and certain frequencies evoke depth. It's


more, like, psychological than technical."

Genard and his bandmate Toon Van Baelen flew in from Belgium

to work with Lazar because they admired her work on

Vampire Weekend's album Modern Vampires of the City, which

is up for a Grammy this year.


"When the time came to look at people we wanted to work with,

I just put down the list of everybody who worked on that record!",

Genard says. "I saw that Emily Lazar worked on mastering and

mixing as well. We love the fact that we can just be here while

she's actually doing it and thinking of the tweaks."


Mastering engineers often work alone, polishing several albums

at once without the artists' involvement. But at The Lodge, Lazar's

studio in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, that's not the case.

"For me," Lazar says, "the best approach has to be a dialogue.

It's the essential part of what I do."


Lazar points to a collaboration with Lou Reed on the mastering

of a best-of collection. "We really had a wonderful time listening

back to a lot of the music," Lazar says. "Lou hadn't initially planned

to include the track 'NYC Man,' and when we were going through

the original analog masters, I heard the track come off the tape

machine and it was just amazing. I looked at Lou and I said, 'Lou!

How come this isn't on this? You are the NYC Man!' We both

laughed, and it actually became the title track."

Her collaboration with Vampire Weekend went a step further.

The band sent the first single from its 2008 debut to several

mastering engineers as a way of determining the best match.

As guitarist and keyboard player Rostam Batmanglij explains,

"Emily was the only one who sent back multiple versions of the

song. She sent back six different versions, and there was one

that I thought sounded better than all the rest, including the ones

that were mastered by other people, and from there we made

a decision."


Vampire Weekend's next two albums were also mastered by Lazar.

Batmanglij says that while full-length records are often mastered

within a day, Contra and Modern Vampires of the City both took

several months, with him and Lazar sometimes working directly

on his laptop. He says their process feels a little like filmmaking.


"If someone is in a shot and they're further away from you or they're

closer to you, or they're more to the right or to the left, all of those

things are going to affect how you perceive their performance,"

Batmanglij says. "I think, with the way we've worked on records with

Emily, we've gotten to that point where we have that control."


In the end, its Lazar's job to make sure listeners hear what the

musicians are after — not only sonically, but conceptually.


"Mastering engineers have a unique opportunity to help an artist

tell their story, or even findtheir story," Lazar says. "I have these

three huge windows in my mastering studio that look out over

Astor Place, and sometimes when I'm working I look out the

window. I see people walking around downtown with their head-

phones on and I like to imagine that maybe they'll be listening to

the stuff that I'm working on. I get so excited and tickled to be a

part of it."


So, the next time you listen to a song, think about the woman

who might be behind the curtain.

The Lodge Masters James Vincent McMorrow's Post Tropical

Dublin-born folk singer/songwriter, James Vincent McMorrow, has just released his sophomore album Post Tropical out on Vagrant Records. The album was mastered at The Lodge by Chief Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar and was assisted by Rich Morales.

McMorrow’s debut LP Early in the Morning was recorded in small cottage by the sea in Ireland in 2010. There he practiced blending combinations of tight hooks with high-pitch falsettos. Now, three years later, McMorrow has channeled his R&B influences for the creation of Post Tropical. And, like his first album, he produced, mixed and composed the material himself. 

Post Tropical was recorded during a three-week stay in Texas, near the Mexican boarder, and depicts a radical transformation from McMorrow’s original folk pop to his own class of soul. The album’s singles, “Cavalier” boasts McMorrow’s signature falsetto layered over soft harmonies, and “Red Dust” employs an 808 drum machine for soft electronic percussion.

McMorrow’s Post Tropical is haunting and beautiful, a truly compelling album. 

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