A Boy Waiting By The Phone: The Secret Machines

"I spent most of my time in basements. The suburbs offered nothing, and so I lived a predominantly subterranean life. At home, separated from my parents by door and stairs, I smoked hash, watched television, read, and masturbated. In other basements I smoked, watched television, and refined my style with girls." -David Bezmozgis, "Natasha"

It's funny we should find the Machines in idle this time around, after successfully blowing the kids away with each kick of Garza's drum on Now Here is Nowhere. They've reigned themselves in, all the way from Outer Space, TX to a basement in Garland, shades drawn in summertime. "Alone, Jealous and Stoned" is just that - 16 years old and shiftless: a boy with a smartness beyond usefulness and without trajectory, so that it curves back in on itself and leaves him in roughly the same place, on the same couch. It's the sound of inaction and overthinking, of waiting in the worst way. And it's remarkable, the way Benjamin Curtis is spaced (still) without being obtuse, staying on point and giving us something tangible. Sure, "First Wave Intact" perfectly soundtracks Star-Wars-iPod-Racing fantasies, but it's nice to have something more suited for the unthrilling loneliness of our everydaydreams.

The Secret Machines - Alone, Jealous and Stoned

Their latest, Ten Silver Drops was released today for download. If you're not down with the virus, wait until April 25th.

Visit the Secret Machines' homepage.

Enjoy.

Driver, Surprise Me: The National

The National's Alligator was one of my favorite albums of last year, a subtle and insidious masterpiece by the Ohio transplants. If you don't have the album, consider buying the new edition, which comes with a bonus disc. And if you already own it, head over to Beggar's Banquet to download the bonus EP for free.

Alligator Special Edition bonus tracks:

1. The Thrilling of Claire [mp3]
2. Driver, Surprise Me
3. Lit Up (Remix)
4. Secret Meeting (Remix)
5. The Geese of Beverly Road (live)

Now if only I could rip "Warm Singing Whores," which I haven't heard, from my Abel 7"...

***

Holy moly! Looks like Questionable Content's picked up again.

Enjoy.

It's Been A Long Time Coming: Otis Redding

Otis Redding - A Change Is Gonna Come [mp3]

This is a Sam Cooke tune, and I'm not really sure what to say about it, besides that it's one of the greatest songs ever. I like the way it starts, floating down the river slowly. I like the horns, sounding each note proud. And I like most how I hear more in his voice than the lyrics; it says everything.

Otis Redding - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction [mp3]

This is a Stones tune, also one of the greatest songs ever. It shows, perfectly, what I like about soul. Jagger sings it and it's got menace, it's got grease, it's rock. Redding sings it with a different frustration, something brighter, with a little humor. And again, the horns, they can't be denied.

Otis Redding official website / buy Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology

Enjoy!

My Girl

Os Mutantes - A Minha Menina [mp3]

Have you heard this one before? Maybe somewhere, it sounds familiar. I hear the ecstatic aftershock following something gone wonderfully, perfectly, unexpectedly right. The tune you hum walking away, a foot off the ground, eyes to the sky. In the song I hear them singing through a smile, too giddy to stand still in front of the microphone. And it's fun for us, imagining what these guys could be so excited about, remembering what we've felt this excited about.

A Band of Bees - A Minha Menina (cover) [mp3]

This was my first exposure to "A Menha Menina." I loved it, it made me think of jaunts down dirt roads on trips to the beach. It sounded like adventure!

Os Mutantes website / buy Os Mutantes

A Band of Bees website / buy Sunshine Hit Me

Check out Soul Jazz Records' Tropicália: A Brazilian Revolution in Sound

***

An Aquarium Drunkard has started a record label, Autumn Tone Records. Congratulations and all the best to Justin, how exciting! Autumn Tone's first release will be from Daniel Hutchins of Bloodkin.

The new Liars album is masterful, I'll write something about it once I've listened to it 50 more times.

Enjoy!

I Got A Girl Problem: The Constantines

Have you ever laughed while listening to a Constantines album? While it's safe to say humor doesn't factor into their smoldering Canuck rock, don't write them off just yet. Fair enough, this is actually an Elevator To Hell cover from last year's music issue of The Believer, but still - it shows they're capable.

"Why I Didn't Like August '93" starts out rolling steady. Bryan Webb says, "I got a girl problem," two times just like that, and you laugh. Because you, too, have a girl problem (I'm assuming) and this is what it sounds like. Ridiculously big laser guitars, and flimsy backing ahhhhs; reckless and ironic and apathetic. Somehow it's funny - you feel better, you don't care.

And that drug problem? It's because of the girl problem.

From the June/July 2005 issue of The Believer (info / buy):

The Constantines - Why I Didn't Like August '93

***

Slate wants to save Bob Marley from stoned suburban teenagers. Hear, hear!

Enjoy!

Everywhere You Look You Only See Red: Calexico

Something's building here, but I'm not sure it's as simple as tension/release. The swells are coming in faster than we thought - they'll crash right on top of us. No, this isn't tension, we know not to hold our breath. This is a violent submersion, slow-mo and hand-held like in the movies, this song swirling around us and rising above our heads. And we knew something was wrong all along, we knew it. The way everything wants to go faster, but it can't so it'll get louder. The way Burns is singing - is he standing closer to us than usual? Is he shaking? He's not blinking. He saw it coming too, he was our alarm. Now it's too loud, he's been swept away, and it's here. The pounding, everything breaking that can be broke, and now the eye of the storm sees only the pieces, the red.

From Garden Ruin, out April 11th (info):

Calexico - All Systems Red

Vist Calexico's official website

***

I'm seeing William Douglas tonight, the formerly nameless troubador from the Laura Veirs show.

Enjoy!

Maybe, Sparrow, It's Too Late: Neko Case

Today went right. Capped, perfectly, with Walk the Line and a couple pints. The film was wonderful, captivating. Pretty intense for a feel-good story, and with better music. I listened, contented, to the beautiful country songs; I let them resonate and I missed home.

And now I'm home, listening to Neko Case. Her voice rings clear and full and authentic - a descriptor I'm wary of using. It's a voice aware of its strength, an absolute pleasure to listen to. It's what I thought of when I heard (Reese Witherspoon as) June Carter in the film, a stage-light smile and a voice very much her own. It's not all rehearsed timing and inflection, it's honest and capable and gorgeous. And this is why, quickly and unexpectedly, Ms. Case's The Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is becoming one of my most anticipated releases of the year.

From Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, out March 7th (info):

Neko Case - Maybe Sparrow

Neko Case - Star Witness

***

Hey! Did you hear Test Icicles broke up??

Now this isn't fair - I hardly even listened to them - but this news holds no gravity for me. They weren't around long enough to warrant these broken hearts, were they?

Enjoy.

Follow Up: Simon Bookish

As promised, one of the better remixes from Grizzly Bear's Horn of Plenty (buy):

Grizzly Bear - Eavesdropping (Simon Bookish Remix)

It's goofy and sweet.

Oh, and why not post another from our man Bookish, from Franz Ferdinand's Michael 7":

Franz Ferdinand - Michael (Simon Bookish Remix)

It's also goofy, and sweet.

Enjoy.

Quickly, the Good News

You Ain't No Picasso deserves all our thanks. He's hosting the new Page France/Michael Nau songs that I can never seem to download from Nau's MySpace page. They're lovely tunes, cheery and listenable if a bit slight. Have you pre-ordered Pear and Sister Pinecone yet?

Help a brother out: An Aquarium Drunkard wants a new look, lend him a hand!

New faces in the blogroll. Everybody Cares, as you already know, has the covers we like. I'm Just Sayin' Is All... has an interview with Simon Bookish! Unfortunately, as I'm in the computer lab, I can't give you his brilliant remix of Grizzly Bear's "Eavesdropping." Later, I promise.

Enjoy.

Scotland and the Mountain Goats

I'm back from my sweet, sweet weekend in Dumfries & Galloway. How good did it feel to get out of the city for a few days? Good good. Among the sites we saw - castles, mountains, sea, sunshine and rain - one really stuck: when we pulled off a winding and wet road to see the mountain goats. They were all together at the base of a mountain in the rain, doing whatever goats do to bide their time. Eating, I suppose. They paid us no mind until we threw a bit of sandwich, and then they all came close, more numerous than they had seemed.


It was strange and wonderful, and I of course thought of a song, a link: The Mountain Goats' "Going to Scotland." It speaks to the feel of things here, the wonderful, primordial earthiness: "I took your hips in my hands and I threw you down/ To the newfound rich brown deep wet ground/ Had a vision of you burning on my mind." Sounds weird, but I can smell it - must and dirt and thick wind. And I love the force behind the words; strong without evoking violence, compellingly instinctual.

From Nothing For Juice (reissued! buy!):

The Mountain Goats - Going to Scotland

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Via Largehearted Boy: Stylus plays God with the Mountain Goats' Tallahassee:

"I love The Mountain Goats’ Tallahassee. Despite what critics and certainly other ‘Goats fans might say, it’s one of my favorite records. And I’ll be the first to admit that the album isn’t one of his best."

In my underinformed and honest opinion, Tallahassee is both Darnielle's best and my favorite. But what do I know?

O, flower of Scotland! I finally got around to watching Beerjacket's performance at Bar Brel, Glasgow. Color me impressed! Peter Kelly, the man behind the guitar and microphone, has a voice you like and a song to match. The first in the set ("Grand Plans"?) is my fav.


From the brand-new Accident History (buy):

Beerjacket - Last Orders

In my last bit of local news, I'd like to thank Graeme for informing me that the mystery opener at the Laura Veirs show last week was Edinburgh local William Douglas. Which means I haven't seen the last of him.

Enjoy!

What's In Store

I'll be weekending in the wonderful South of Scotland until Monday, but when I get back things will only get better. A new contributor's debut is what I'm looking forward to most (as should you). And, of course, the music.

In anticipation, from the great In Case We Die (buy):

Architecture In Helsinki - What's In Store?

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So Much Silence has got some sweet b-sides up. And you know how I love b-sides!

The Rich Girls are Weeping has those Jandek covers you wanted.

That new one from the Streets? Everyone's got it, and I'm diggin' it too. The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living is out April 10.

Enjoy!

More Walkmen News Paraphrased

Seriously, why don't they tell me this stuff before they go to Pitchfork?

In a bit of a follow-up to yesterday's tracklist announcement, Pitchfork has more details from the Walkmen about A Hundred Miles Off, their novel John's Journey and their Nilsson cover album.

Quickly: Bassist Pete Bauer and keyboardist Walter Martin switched instruments on the new album.

John's Journey isn't a joke.

Neither is Pussy Cats.

The Walkmen have a knack for covers, check out their performance of the Kinks' "Come Dancing" on Last Call with Carson Daly:



And to ease the anticipation, here's a Walkmen tune you might not have, from The Rat single (buy!):

The Walkmen - Clementine

Enjoy!

She Was Pre-Med, I Was Nervous As Hell: Devon Sproule

Devon Sproule - Julie

I came across the Found Magazine audio features a long time ago, a compendium of songs written from found source material - old notes, photographs, and the like. It seems Found has stopped running the audio feature, but luckily I was able to find the August 2004 Song of the Month by Devon Sproule. "Julie" is my favorite of the Found songs, a touching folk tune about a missed connection in the computer lab. Hell, any song that can make computer labs interesting is bound to be good. Sproule voices regret wonderfully, alternating between rambling rememberances and a longing howl, a process all too familiar.

Devon Sproule and Paul Curreri - Morning Bugle

Devon Sproule and Paul Curreri - All The Best

It took a while, but I finally got around to researching Sproule. Good thing, too, because I found these kitchen duets with Paul Curreri she's made available for free. Two albums of gorgeous, lively and playful recordings with all the twang and harmony one I could want. "Morning Bugle" is sweetly tipsy breath, a pretty rendition of the John Hartford original. Their version of John Prine's "All The Best" is worth more than a chuckle as they replace the yous with yo asses. I wish yo ass all the best, indeed.

Buy Devon Sproule's latest, Upstate Songs, here. This summer she'll release Keep Your Silver Shine, so heads up.

Make friends and listen close on MySpace.

***

Pitchfork reviews a Feist / Jason Collett show and gives details on Regina Spektor's upcoming full-length, Hope.

I can't wait for Hope, especially after hearing "Fidelity" at her show on the 1st.

Live at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh February 1, 2006:

Regina Spektor - Fidelity

"What the hell is Barry Manilow doing at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts?" asks Slate. I don't know.

I found a video for the Silver Jews' excellent "Punks In The Beerlight." Humor!

Enjoy!

Walkmen Tracklist Revealed

Pitchfork's just posted the tracklist for The Walkmen's upcoming masterpiece (there is no question of this), A Hundred Miles Off:

01 Louisiana
02 Danny's at the Wedding
03 Good for You's Good for Me
04 Emma, Get Me a Lemon
05 All Hands and the Cook
06 Lost in Boston
07 Don't Get Me Down (Come on Over Here)
08 This Job Is Killing Me
09 Tenley Town
10 Brandy Alexander
11 Always After You (‘Til You Started After Me)
12 Another One Goes By

Now those, folks, are some sweet titles. Frontman Hamilton Leithauser seems pretty confident in this one, calling it "Much more solid than the last record." I guess I'll have to rename the blog.

Also reported is that they've covered Harry Nilsson's Pussy Cats and will release it later this year. After John's Journey, I would presume. Is any of this serious? I don't even know Pussy Cats.

Out Waltzin' With The Holy Ghost: Two Gallants

From Two Gallants' What The Toll Tells

"Steady Rollin'" [mp3]

The most resignated groove you're likely to hear, "Steady Rollin'" is just that: the sound of continuing unalleviated, on a journey left to the wind. Adam Stephens tells us he's seen it all, Bowery to Barbary Coast, and it's the same. He shot his wife because he had to, threw her in the bay because he had to. It's this unswerving, violent and quintessentially Western transience that draws me to Stephens' characters. The conflict between intention and result - admirably gallant (ha!) in a sense, often detestable in another. Literary stuff, this, compelling like Cormac McCarthy, enthralling as the unknowable cowboy in the black hat.

"16th St. Dozens" [mp3]

A backwards countdown - "3! 2! 1!" - leads into the racket of pre-performance jitter and spasm before the Two are ready. It's a slow one, holes in the drums and floating guitar, more resignation and more tiredness. And then a stir of life, an impassioned, blaming yowl: "Everyone mus share this onus/ Ancients have no more to loan us/ All our debts unpaid." But we're drunk, and the gaze turns back inwards, and we need another drink. There will be more fits later, but we're spared as the song ends in media res.

Pre-Order What The Toll Tells, it's fantastic. Out February 23 in North America and available now in UK/Europe stores.

You Ain't No Picasso has a recent radio session up, featuring a new song, "Reflection of the Marionette."

Check out my live write-up from last week.

***

Pitchfork's unveiled the tracklist from The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living, The Streets' upcoming album. Rife with anticipation, I am. Out in April.

An Aquarium Drunkard has some from Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band. If you're not familiar with the late, great Gram Parsons... get started. A personal favorite, from the GP/Grievous Angel album (buy):

Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris - Cash On The Barrelhead/Hickory Wind medley [mp3]

Have $1? Slate tells you the best way to spend it.

PopMatters explains Doom Metal as the Next Big Thing - maybe.

Enjoy.

White Spider Stars: An Evening With Laura Veirs

I wish I could tell you who opened tonight's show. Alas, I didn't catch his name. He fingerpicked his guitar fast and said his words clearly, clever words that left an impression beyond a snicker or a chuckle. In his best song: the shepherd and his wife are in the farmhouse, hammered and high, devil-may-care. There's a commotion outside - to the shepherd's amazement a wolf carcass lies in the pasture, torn apart by the sheep. A funny thought, until the man thinks about the last time he fed the flock, and that it was he who deserved to be lying open in the grass. A gruesome tale indeed, although told in true folk fashion over sweet "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" guitar.


We got a seat in the front before Veirs came on, and I couldn't help but think of the campfire analogies. Her music is informed by nature, trees and bears and boulders and ourselves on the volcano's edge. She mentioned that this city didn't seem real, and it was clear when she played she was somewhere else. Not at all in a disinterested, affected way, but in a sweet and rapt gaze, a place she was comfortable in.


On only her second tour without her band, or "my boys" as she refers to them, Veirs plucked and whistled, strummed and hummed with a natural grace which was a treat on its own. Sometimes she was accompanied by a pleasantly tasteful, even moving accordion. During this man's solos it was strangely touching to watch her watching him as they played, something beautifully honest in her sweet strum and stare.


On some songs she used, to great effect, her loop pedal to create a chorus of Veirs which built and built only to fade, the real Laura knelt on the ground whispering the song into thin air. Perhaps this is what's most refreshing about Laura Veirs: her lack of self-consciousness and posturing, an earthiness in direct contrast to easily-hyped, designed images. I thought about last week's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show, watching a band in a completely different state of detachment, a frustratingly smug air of indifference as opposed to a wondrous daydream.

It seemed appropriate when the show ended with Veirs again knelt over her pedal, fading the song as if out of a dream, hushing her ghosts back into their box.

Watch out for some real photos at smalld. At least I think that was her in the corner.

From Year of Meteors (buy):

Laura Veirs - Magnetized

Laura Veirs - Secret Someones

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Laura Veirs / Nonesuch Records

Enjoy!

Laura Veirs

Seattle songstress Laura Veirs will be playing here in Edinburgh tonight, and I'm gonna do my best to make it. Photos and a review should be up tomorrow.

From Year of Meteors (buy):

Laura Veirs - Galaxies

***

The Rich Girls has the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs b-side. It's quite nice. Quite nice.

What I've found out about real websites: There's a lot to learn about real websites.

Enjoy!

On Improvement

Hi everyone! I've made some changes here at Bows + Arrows. First, update your bookmarks to

http://www.bowsplusarrows.com/

I've got hosting and a domain now, woo-hoo.

Also, there have been some aesthetic changes. Feel free to tell me what you think.

cheers,
Brian

Ben Folds Five


Yesterday's Wilderness post, fittingly, inspired me to go on an outdoor adventure. What made it really fun, though, was the erratic weather. There was clear sky, sun, rain, and some crazy wind. And a rainbow to wrap it all up.

Today's been a little more tame, I spent most of it in the coffee shop doing a newspaper write-up. The significance? Ben Folds Five's "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" came on and I couldn't help but smile, sit back, and let the nostalgia carry me away.

Whatever and Ever Amen is a classic in my book. The piano was no schtick, these guys were pop savants in slacker disguise, as this collection of songs proves. As for the knocks against Folds' overlarge ego: I don't think this album would be nearly as fun without the smugness. I don't even think it ruins the decidedly non-fun songs like "Brick." I love "Brick." This has inadvertently turned into quite a defensive description, hasn't it? I just think they were underappreciated.

From Whatever and Ever Amen (buy):

Ben Folds Five - Battle of Who Could Care Less [mp3]

Ben Folds Five - Brick [mp3]

Even better than Whatever... is their debut, Ben Folds Five. One of the most fun albums I can think of, and widely loved by those who've heard it. It doesn't get any better than the one-two punch of "Jackson Cannery" into "Philosophy," does it?

From Ben Folds Five (buy):

Ben Folds Five - Jackson Cannery [mp3]

Ben Folds Five - Philosophy [mp3]

***

Dodge has some Hotel Lights up, former BFF drummer Darren Jessee's new band. Check it out.

Enjoy!

Wilderness


I was only given this track last night, but I've listened to it a sufficient number of times to write about it. It's been on all night, actually.

Like the title implies, "Emergency" is urgent: the alarm guitar sounds each note clearly and deliberately - there will be no confusion here. Drums push the song forward with determination and slow power, there may be an emergency but there's no rush. Now the vocals come in, a compelling voice somewhere between Andy Falkous and mid-90's alterna-rock, commanding us to suspend our disbelief. Sure enough, as per his request, the song becomes weightless for the crucial moment between the journey up and the fall down. It's thrilling, we've been pushed to the top and now all is left to momentum. Now we see the emergency, as the speed becomes too much and it's understood that the careening will begin and "there is no more time." And then my favorite part, a testament to Wilderness' mastery: the song leaves sight and ends before we see the crash, the results brilliantly withheld and left to our racing imagination.

I've tried, but I don't think I can tell you how refreshing this song is. It's the most complete, well crafted work I've heard in a long time, truly reaching the state of transcendence it pushes for.


From Wilderness' sophomore album Vessel States, out April 11 (info):

Wilderness - Emergency (highest recommendation) [mp3]

I think it would be a good idea to catch this band at the following shows. ESPECIALLY with Liars:

02/17/06 New York, NY - Cake Shop
02/18/06 New York, NY - Cake Shop
03/08/06 Amsterdam, Netherlands - TBA
03/09/06 Hamburg, Germany - Ubel & Gefahrlich w/ Liars
03/10/06 Berlin, Germany - White Trash w/ Liars
03/11/06 Essen, Germany - Unperfekthaus w/ Liars
03/12/06 Stuttgart, Germany - Schocken w/ Liars
03/14/06 Vienna, Austria - Chelsea
03/15/06 Zagreb, Croatia - Kset
03/16/06 Bologna, Italy - TBA
03/17/06 Rome, Italy - TBA
03/21/06 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
03/22/06 London, United Kingdom - TBA
03/23/06 Glasgow, United Kingdom - Nice 'N' Sleazy
03/24/06 Cardiff, United Kingdom - Clwb Ifor Bach
03/25/06 Nottingham, United Kingdom - Cabaret
03/26/06 Bristol, United Kingdom - Manhattan Bar
03/27/06 London, United Kingdom - Scala w/ Deerhoof

***

I've got nothin' for you this morning, except that Chris Paul should be an All-Star this year.

Enjoy.

breaking news: The Walkmen


The Walkmen have titled their forthcoming third album, due in stores May 23rd. A Hundred Miles Off was recorded in their own Marcata Studios, which sadly will be no more in a few months. The building's insensitive and utterly unhip new owners, Columbia University, have kicked Leithauser & co. out. The silver lining? Buy the Marcata equipment for "outrageous, gotta-have-it prices." Go here for a listing. And if you've been hiding a studio somewhere in Manhattan, let these poor guys play there. Heck, they can crash my apartment anytime.

A treat:

The Walkmen - Auld Triangle (live)

See the band at Coachella (of course), as well as on St. Patrick's Day in Times Square.

Enjoy!

Page France

More good news from the Page France camp has arrived! A track from each of the twin EPs, Pear and Sister Pinecone, has been posted to the band's MySpace page. "Talking Out-Louds," from Pear, is all whistling, sunny Belle & Sebastian fun while Sister Pinecone's "Weatherman, Section Three" is a smiling and rolling song about the weatherman (what else?). Pre-order these albums, pronto!

Listen to "Talking Out-Louds" and "Weatherman, Section Three" here.

For reference, from the rare tracks leader Michael Nau posted on his MySpace:

Page France - Weatherman, Section One

***


Help a brother out! A grad student is doing a thesis on music blogging, and has a survey you can take to help him out. Interesting idea, this is, so give him a minute. Win $50 on iTunes if you're lucky!

The Danielson Amalgamation have a movie coming out, check out the trailer (via LHB)! Yeah, Sufjan's in there too. Looking sneaky, I might add!
Listen to new song "Did I Step On Your Trumpet?" on the MySpace.

MySpace MySpace Myspace, enough already!

Ever wondered what it would be like to work at the local strip joint? With your mother? No? Fair enough, but McSweeney's has an interview with someone who has.

I got Belle & Sebastian's The Life Pursuit today. Cursory listen verdict: wonderful.

Enjoy!

Clogs

A while back I wrote about Clogs, and Pitchfork's glowing review of their new album Lantern prompted me to give their new matierial a listen. While Clogs features two members of The National, guitarist Bryce Dessner and violinist Padma Newsome, their sound is entirely dissimilar. With strong classical and avant post-rock leanings, Clogs' compositions are all trees and adventure. "Lantern" is a solemn and dignified affair, but retains an air of exploration and wonder. Using this descriptor is cliched, but it's quite cinematic, gorgeous music.


From Lantern (buy):

Clogs - Lantern

Check out the Vincent Moon video for "Lantern" here.

***

An Aquarium Drunkard has M. Ward's KCRW session up, I can't recommend it enough. Go, go, go get it.

Does anyone do as thorough a job bloggering as Veritas Lux Mea? I'm all admiration. He's got Scarlett Johansson nude, too (it's tasteful, don't worry).

Added The Torture Garden and Come Pick Me Up (excellent title referrence) to the blogroll.

Enjoy.

Okkervil River


Okkervil River enthralled us all with last year's Black Sheep Boy, an raucous and dark story album. The aptly-titled Black Sheep Boy Appendix EP was released afterwards, expanding on the tale over a handful of tracks from the same session. It's on this mini album that you can find the wonderful and terrifying "Another Radio Song," which I would count as one of the finest Okkervil songs I've heard. It starts out slow and brooding with dirty bursts of bass, as Will Sheff tells us we can't escape the "thing that is making its home in your radio." This is a bit creepy, and soon we'll learn it's just the beginning. Things begin to build and Sheff comes to life, horrible and fearless, strings enter and spit flies and he just won't stop. Sweet gardens, jagged mountains, Black Sheep Boy and his list of missing children. It's all so violent, and when it comes to a terrible, shouting head you can feel everything burning. I'm wary of comparisons, but this is when the Neutral Milk Hotel discussion is fitting - there are few artists with this kind of terrifying and involving storytelling power.

From the Black Sheep Boy Appendix EP (buy):

Okkervil River - Another Radio Song

Catch Will Sheff solo, playing Okkervil songs as well as Shearwater tunes:

02/01/06 Tucson, AZ - Plush
02/08/06 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
02/14/06 Portland, OR - Towne Lounge
02/24/06 Chicago, IL - Schuba's
03/02/06 Brooklyn, NY – Southpaw

***

Can You See The Sunset From The Southside has made a very admirable decision to feature more non-indie music on his site, specifically punk (and I hope some hardcore screamy stuff!). That sounds like a great idea to me, hopefully I can get more involved in some decidedy different music and share it with everyone. And look! He's already talking jazz.

Popmatters reviews a recent Walkmen gig. Most anticipated release of 2006 for sure.

Check out the video for Liars single "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack." It's sweet in every sense. I'm looking forward to Drum's Not Dead, and I'm really not sure what to expect. Check out my post on this song here.

Enjoy!

show: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah + Two Gallants

I wasn't feeling too excited about this show until I showed up and remembered that Two Gallants were opening. I've been hooked on the few songs I've heard from their upcoming album What the Toll Tells (which I now have!), which are thrillingly unrefined and compelling. Guitarist and vocalist Adam Stephens has a terrifying, ragged yelp made all the more urgent by drummer Tyson Vogel's insane pounding (just look at the pictures). Together they were uncompromisingly, awesomely loud, enough to overwhelm any and all doubt about two white kids playing the blues.





From What the Toll Tells (pre-order!!):

Two Gallants - Las Cruces Jail

From everything I'd heard, I didn't expect Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to be that great - certainly they couldn't touch Two Gallants' feverish racket. While the latter is true, I was very happily surprised by how good they were. The sound was fine, they had some energy, and frontman Alec Ounworth's maniacal and strange vocals were indeed maniacal and strange. They played some new songs which ranged from damn good to decent, definitely an indication of an evolving sound. For a band like CYHSY, whose repetitiveness can become sameness, this was another pleasant discovery. Only gripe: he didn't repeat "chastized" 30 times in "Upon this Tidal Wave of Young Blood." But hey, it's awright.



From Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (buy):

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Details of the War

This show was recorded by BBC6, and I presume it will be broadcast today or tomorrow or forevermore, on the internet, somewhere...

***

I Am Fuel, You Are Friends is a new favorite. Heather posts absolute gems, if you're really looking to open your mind to new music of all kinds, check it out. Remember, Wednesdays are for World Music.

While you were enjoying your Superbowl, I was enjoying Scotland defeating France, live and in person. I never really thought about how sports in America are so largely intra-country (and sometimes Canada), and watching two nations compete seemed much more important and awesome comparatively. Like the Olympics, ALL THE TIME.

Enjoy!

Catfish Haven

This post was lost during the Blogger outage, and it's important so I've recovered it.


Each time I hear a new Catfish Haven track, I'm floored. Luckily for me, I just got hold of "You Can Have Me," a cut from their newly-released Please Come Back EP. It's consistent with their compellingly dirty sound - the strangely springy guitar, crashing drums pacing the song perfectly, and those vocals. George Hunter yowls and yawls without a trace of affectation, mixing soul and whiskey and coming up with his blues. And these blues ring just as true, with resignation and self-pity tarnishing a burning heart until everything's a warm yellow glow. Suddenly the Missouri trailer park connections don't seem like a schtick and even the band name become forgivable as Hunter & co. set us down and lay it on us.

From the new Please Come Back EP (buy!!!):

Catfish Haven - You Can Have Me

Catfish Haven - Please Come Back

Catfish Haven will be touring with the ridiculously named Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, check it out:

02/03/06 Champaign, IL - Canopy Club (18+) Andrew Bird Afterparty

02/04/06 Chicago, IL - Subterranean

(Catfish Haven CD Release Show. FREE copy of CDEP with your ticket) w/ Matthew Kerstein

02/08/06 Lansing, MI - Mac's Bar (18+)

02/09/06 Detroit, MI - Lager House

02/10/06 New York, NY - Knitting Factory Tap Bar w/ A Northern Chorus

02/11/06 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw w/ The Drones

02/12/06 New Haven, CT - Bar Nightclub

02/13/06 Allston, MA - Great Scott (18+)

02/14/06 Philadelphia, PA - Space 1026 w/ Be Your Own Pet

02/16/06 Washington, DC - Wonderland Ballroom 1101 Kenyon St. w/These United States

02/17/06 Louisville, KY - Headliners w/ Your Black Star + Cabin

02/18/06 Mufreesboro, TN - Grand Palace Records (18+)

02/21/06 St. Louis, MO - High Pointe

02/22/06 Springfield, MO - The Outland

02/23/06 Columbia, MO - Mojo's

02/24/06 Iowa City, IA - Gabe's Oasis

(EARLY SHOW ALL AGES)

02/25/06 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot

SSLYBY, if you're not familiar, put out a split EP with Michael Holt on the upstart Catbird Records, and a well-received full length Broom (buy).

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Accident

MySpaces: Catfish Haven + SSLYBY

***

From the vastly confusing Danielson Conflagration: Danielson has posted a new song called "Did I Step On Your Trumpet?" from the upcoming Ships on his/their/its MySpace page. Looks like Secretly Canadian's got it going on!

Via Stereogum: Grillz by Paul Wall. Seriously, you can have the rapper's crack dental team deck out your mouth, anywhere from $75-$800 per tooth. Me, I went for the "Party Don't Stop Disco Ball" style, only set me back two grand.

"Holler."

show: Jose Gonzalez

I saw Jose Gonzalez tonight at the Liquid Room, along with opening act and fellow Swedes El Perro Del Mar. El Perro... was decent, strange and at times slight, but capable of playing some gorgeous, harmony laden tunes.


El Perro Del Mar (buy):

El Perro Del Mar - Party

El Perro Del Mar - God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)

Jose Gonzalez came on next, classical guitar in hand. I figured he was a skilled guitarist, but to watch him cull such intense and hypnotic sounds was something else. And then there's his voice, hollow and striking, hovering above the songs. Gonzalez plowed through his typically short songs, including fan favorite "Heartbeats." He jokingly referenced the Sony commercial it's featured in, with the bouncing balls, but then stumbled and saved himself. I got a video, it might not work without the proper codecs (don't worry if you can't see it, it's nothing spectacular) and an mp3 for those who care.

Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats (live video)

Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats (live mp3)

Two percussionists joined him onstage at this point, and contributed to the trance-like performance with bongos and vocals. It was over too quickly, but not before we were treated to an amazing cover of Kylie Minogue's "Hand on Your Heart." And of course, he didn't leave before playing the sublime "Crosses" in the encore.

Jose Gonzalez:




From Veneer (buy):

Jose Gonzalez - Crosses

Jose Gonzalez - Stay in the Shade

***

Enjoy your Super Bowls, I'll be watching Scotland vs. France in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament.

And then seeing Clap Your Hands Say Yeah tomorrow night.

I think there's something wrong with Blogger.

And now I'm experimenting with logos. Whaddaya think? (They say college is the time for experimenting.)

Enjoy!

Plug Awards winners:

The Plug Awards have come and gone, and the winners have been announced. Album of the Year? Sufjan's Illinois of course. Snub of the year? The National walking away empty handed, even after six nominations!

Other notables:

Artist of the Year: Bright Eyes

New Artist of the Year: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Song of the Year: Bright Eyes - When The President Talks to God (mp3)

How is this the song of the year? I would have taken Antony or the Clientele or Sufjan or Wolf Parade (pretty much anything) over this.

Enjoy!

show: Regina Spektor + Only Son


First: sorry this is my only picture, they just weren't happening. Perhaps Sharon will post some, assuming she made it to the show.

The opener was Only Son, which consisted of Jack Dishel and his iPod band. Jack was guitarist for NYC's Moldy Peaches, which (unsurprisingly) has informed his own music. The songs were very nice, especially after I got over the weirdness of the iPod backing tracks. They sounded a lot like Adam Green and Grandaddy, often as touching as they were humorous (aww). Check out Only Son's MySpace page here.

Regina Spektor came on next, wearing her special "car racing shirt for y'all." She grabbed the mic bravely for her first song, and belted out a fantastic a cappella number. Her vocals remained top-notch throughout the night, which seems like a feat given the way she sings. Unafraid to go for the fragile highs and lowest lows, Spektor has an air of confidence and gentleness that suits the intimacy of the show. Her performance also highlighted another of her unique strengths - her way with words. Perhaps it's a result of learning English as a second language, being able to hear words as sounds before they have meanings, but the way she plays with sounds and expectations is incredible. She'll roll words around and it's clever, and then hit you hard with a heartrending and simple phrase: "I need your money, it'll help me/ I need your car/ and I need your love." Add this to her spectacular piano playing, and the results are just as spellbinding as I had hoped for.

From Soviet Kitsch (buy):

Regina Spektor - Poor Little Rich Boy It was cool to watch her hit a chair with a drumstick to make the percussion in this song as she played piano and sang, like one of those one-man-bands.

***

You Ain't No Picasso is my hero. He's posted a Page France WDET radio session, grab it quick!

An Aquarium Drunkard has some Colin Meloy singing Shirley Collins.

And the Thing You've All Been Waiting For:

JENNY LEWIS RAPPING (mp3)

Check out that interview here.

Word!

Regina Spektor


In an hour I'll be seeing the wonderful Regina Spektor live at Cabaret Voltaire. I'm excited about this, the first of three shows I'm going to in the next five days (Jose Gonzales on the 4th, CYHSY on the 5th). I'm looking forward to Spektor's show the most, I anticipate being spellbound by her presense and her voice and her stories in the intimate venue. Pictures and a review afterwards.

An absolute heartbreaker, from Soviet Kitsch (buy). Seriously, try not to cry:

Regina Spektor - Chemo Limo

***

Now you can download the title track from Voxtrot's upcoming Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP.

Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives

And finally, an area of constant concern: what is the deal with Kyle Korver sucking so hard lately? It's killing me, I made All-Star predictions for this guy. I don't even have a fantasy team and I'm all upset.

Enjoy.