Bows + Arrows

2009-03-03T08:03:00.001-08:00

Soul Serenade

2008-06-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

There are few albums that actually make me want to use the term space rock. The new Spiritualized record, Songs in A&E, is one of few that actually sends me spiraling weightless through the heavens. From moving melodies that lift you skyward, to chaotic soundscapes bursting like a picture from the Hubble Telescope, it's music that just makes me think of starry skies and cloudy galaxies.

But I mean that's just me responding to what I'd heard about Spiritualized, before I'd actually heard Spiritualized. It's a pretentious way of saying, this is a beautiful album. Songs in A&E is graceful, gorgeous, and epic. These are melodies that will stick with you from the moment you hear them. These are very earnest, very human songs, not movements from a rock opera for the far future.

Spiritualized - Soul On Fire

Songs in A&E (Sanctuary Records ; 2008)

"Soul on Fire" is a soaring gospel anthem, a song about a love that's gonna last as long as the stars themselves. J. Spaceman (real name Jason Pierce) sings of holding on for dear life to a lover who "set my soul on fire" and stirs "a hurricane inside my veins."

Spiritualized - You Lie You Cheat
Songs in A&E (Sanctuary Records ; 2008)

"You Lie You Cheat" is one of the better rockers, all scorching guitar feedback and distorted drums with gospel harmonies on top, while J. Spaceman takes vows against someone who's burned all their bridges.

My only real problem with this album is, it's more a record of melodies than songs. Huge, huge, melodies, squeezed for every last drop of emotion, raised to the loftiest heights; it gets exhausting pretty quick! But it's this straight approach that makes the album so instantly loveable, makes it feel so familiar, brings it down to earth.

* * *

Aretha Franklin makes great "playing Evil Mummy with your 9-year old sister" music.
I'm back home in California and busy again and stoked about it and going to be writing a bit more. The people have spoken, long epic reviews are out, short lunch break entries are sweet. Two entries in three weeks is weak. I'm shooting for three entries in two weeks.
Cheers!

Working Out Technical Difficulties

2008-06-22T23:31:00.001-07:00

Be back soon.

Waxing Philosophical (I'm Sorry)

2008-06-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

I, and others, I suspect, have begun purchasing vinyl in lieu of CDs. The LP's praises have been sung by others before: large, beautiful, warm and deep-- we know, we know. And archaic, though that always seemed to me a tricky appeal. There's nothing inherently better about outdated technology-- that's obviously backwards-- but I'll be damned if that kind of thinking wasn't responsible for many a vinyl purchase. Now, though, I feel we've reached an interesting point with regard to vinyl's relevance: it's as unsophisticated as ever, but relatively speaking, it's as good as anything. I've got stacks upon stacks of CDs which haven't been played, or even opened, in years. In a room in an apartment in a city I don't live in anymore-- and I'm not eager to lug them anywhere soon. This is what I'm getting at: they might as well be LPs. Now, when any album is free and easy on the Internet, able to be enjoyed in the same immaterial capacity we've embraced for years (don't lie!). Now, when all the vinyl I want comes with a nice letter and a certificate for the album as mp3s anyway. Now, when the act of purchasing music in any physical medium seems like the most unnecessary and sincere token of appreciation. I hope this catches on; already Insound has declared this to be vinyl month, and more and more labels are repressing and sticking download certificates in 12" sleeves. If you've even considered buying vinyl, make the switch; at the very least it's a refreshing experience, if only for it's strangeness. And I think we're all in agreement that what music needs most right now is a refreshing experience.

Most recently I bought Fleet Foxes' self-titled album, which to my surprise and delight came with the Sun Giant EP on a second slab of wax. And, of course, a coupon for a free mp3 download.

Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why
Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop; 2008)

Like I mentioned earlier, Insound has really gone the whole nine yards with their vinyl promotion, including the announcement of their new LP+MP3 program. Figure it out.

***

Let me officially re-welcome Dan to the site. Did you know Canadians make music? Check with him if you want to know more.

Stick Around for Joy

2008-06-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Toronto's Ohbijou play gorgeous orchestral pop that's both expansive and understated, huge and intimate. I've been lucky enough to see them play twice, once in a cathedral and once in a small club. In the steeple of Toronto's Music Gallery their songs took on chilling emotional heights; downstairs at New York's Knitting Factory, they played a quiet but dynamic set that won everyone over.

Ohbijou - The Otherside (Remix)

Swift Feet for Troubling Times (2007)

Their remastered debut ends with this soaring version of "The Otherside," which races through what was first a darker, lilting ballad. I love how it just swells, this kind of unfolding sweetness that's one of the band's real strengths. They know how to pull back then race forward in such a way that the songs gradually reveal themselves, like a joy that bubbles up to the surface.

Ohbijou - Favourite Skin

Swift Feet for Troubling Times (2007)

"Favourite Skin" is achingly slow, and so so sparse. It has a real patient beauty to it, especially those strings going in to the chorus. Casey Mecija sings of the devotion you feel for someone through thick and thin, wherever you go.

Also if you drop by their website make sure you listen to "Steep"-- it' a stunner.

***

p.s. Hi, I'm Dan, and I'll be joining Brian here at Bows Plus Arrows. We both studied under a heroic High School Biology teacher, where Brian introduced me to the magic of Pavement and The Anniversary. Since then I've moved to Toronto to study audio production. Toronto's home to some amazing bands that I'll sure be writing a ton about.

Right now I'm back in California for the summer and stooooked to be writing here. I'll make a Muxtape for next time to say Hi; the website's not working too well for me right now.

The Best News You Never Thought You'd Hear This Year

2008-06-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

I just got a press release for the new album by Dri, or Adrianne Verhoeven (ex-Anniversary). While I don't have much to say about her music, I mention this because the press sheet revealed something altogether more exciting:

The Anniversary are putting out a new album!

In June!!

Okay, so when they say new they mean old and unreleased, but nobody's complaining. The Anniversary used to be my favorite band, back when "favorite band" was a very serious honor. I tried to get a copy of everything related to the band, but there's no way I've heard every one of the 26 (!) songs set to appear on the album. Excuse me-- double disc (!).

Devil On Our Side Track Listing:
Disc 1

1. Fletcher Durbin
2. Alright For Now
3. Alone In Debtford
4. Those Eyes
5. Hold Me Tonight
6. Lowtide And Hospital Bed
7. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
8. I Haven't Slept
9. Diamonds And Daisies
10. Kids In Carolina
11. 100 Ships
12. Till We Earned A Holiday

Disc 2

1. Vasil & Bluey
2. To Never Die Young
3. What's My Name? My Name is...What?! What?!
4. I Believe That The End Of The Reign Of Terror Is Soon Near
5. O' Lady Butterfly
6. Che
7. Ain't That Bad
8. Kali
9. I Know What's Best
10. Lover
11. Let It Slip
12. Lodi
13. Strings Break
14. High School Talent Show

For those who don't know, the band has been broken up for something like five years, or as long as they were together. I guess the timing seemed right? Anyways, I copped the title of this one for a poem I wrote in high school that went on to win an award from the city:

The Anniversary - I Believe That The End Of The Reign Of Terror Is Soon Near
Devil On Our Side (Vagrant; 6/24/08)

C'mon, you'd do the same.

Make Me One

2008-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'll be away for a week or so; if you miss me just check the Muxtape! Don't ever come back here again if you're not feeling it.

So Much Silence's Muxtape is 180 degrees from mine, but killing it just the same!

You haven't heard The Explorers Club but they will blow your mind. Or grin like an idiot.
Oh look-- they've made you a Muxtape.

The Explorers Club - Do You Love Me
Freedom Wind (Dead Oceans; 2008)

***

The Clientele - Share The Night (stream)
That Night, A Forest Grew EP (Acuarela; 2008)

The Clientele show us a new one from their upcoming Acuarela EP, That Night, A Forest Grew. It's called "Share The Night" and it pretty much makes sense given the band's direction to this point. It's good, but I can't help holding it up to their haunting Ariadne EP, which was great.

The Clientele - Ariadne Sleeping
Ariadne EP (Acuarela; 2004)

Four Tet in San Francisco

2008-05-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

All you within the Bay Area and its outlying villages:

Come to the CreativemindsSF art reception and stay for the Four Tet show on Saturday, May 31. It's being put on by an industrious friend and features many Bay Area artists, including the medical students involved with the Canvas of Hope Project at Tuoro University. The artists receive 100% of their sales, while all proceeds from Canvas of Hope are donated to the American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Program.

As if the deal needed sweetening, Four Tet will be performing following the reception.

I was lucky enough to catch Four Tet a few years ago in Edinburgh, and remember how amazed I was at seeing him work absolute magic on stage, building songs from their most basic elements and surely creating one of the most enthusiastic atmospheres that building had ever seen. This show, trailing the release of the excellent Ringer mini album, could be even better.

Four Tet - DJ Mix featuring "Ringer"

CreativemindsSF present:
Group art show
Sensitive Men (With Feelings) DJ Sets
Maus Haus
Four Tet

8pm May 31
Mezzanine
444 Jessie St. @ Mint, San Francisco
tickets at door & ticketweb.com (21+)

See you there!

Taking The Farm

2008-05-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

I realize that Music Go Music wasn't for everyone. You don't have to explain yourselves, but let me give you one more on the Secretly Canadian (/Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans/oh my!) tip:

The War On Drugs - Taking The Farm
Wagonwheel Blues (Secretly Canadian; 2008)

I realize there's an argument of pastiche vs. homage to be run through, but that would pretty obviously be a disservice to the musics. Instead I'd like to posit that while The War On Drugs quilt a more practical patchwork than MGM, that both absolutely own their designs is what gives them such immediate and lasting appeal.

Oh, and The War On Drugs' free EP gives them appeal, too:

The War On Drugs - Barrel Of Batteries EP
Secretly Canadian; 2008

***

The Rich Girls bring up a point of great concern-- where are the Summer Jamz?? You know?? And which is the worse sin: that there aren't any bona fide hits, or that I hadn't given the matter any thought until now?

You know what? Maybe my subconscious knew of the problem, and my buying a "Promiscuous" 12" last week was really more significant than I had thought. This is gonna send me headlong into something nasty.

Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura

2008-05-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Like anybody who has followed Pas/Cal since The Handbag Memoirs came out in 1976, endless delays on the LP saw hopes fade, along with the band, into obscurity.

Now it's coming out; the proof follows.

Pas/Cal - You Were Too Old For Me
I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura (Le Grand Magistery; 7/22/08)

Wow, that's good.

Going To...

2008-05-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Say what you will of John Darnielle's voice, but concede perfection when you're lifted by the ears and thoroughly shaken.

The Mountain Goats - Going to Bridlington
VPRO Session 1996

Ah! As young and possessed as I've ever heard him. "Going to Bridlington" was never released.

Archery

2008-05-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, you may remember, Page France caused considerable commotion in these pages through their stunning full-length, Hello, Dear Wind. The album showed true bravery in simple, memorable songs, examining an idiosyncratic view of Christian faith and love which contrasted nicely with another popular album which considered a nominally similar, yet very different faith. Page France's, or perhaps more accurately Michael Nau's, world was fantastic: dancing animals, windy days, kings, queens, and angels, all in a circus-- a wonderful amalgamation of a metaphor which served a very real purpose. In singing and dancing and stomping Nau embraced and overcame the inevitable mortal restrictions-- the ringleader's direction, if we're running with this-- through a beautiful and absolute faith in good. To say that this sophomore effort was accomplished would be an understatement.

Since then, and I can't really hold this against them, Page France has all but dissolved over the course of a few EPs and a full-length which never quite captured their successor's easy brilliance (Sean at Said the Gramophone voiced this well last year). And now we have Nau as the Cotton Jones Basket Ride, and I'm still not quite certain if the music is better, or I'm just more receptive after the name change. There's more soul and groove, though the sound is still small and comfortable-- give it a chance.

Cotton Jones Basket Ride - Midnight Monday and a Telescope
The Archery EP (Quite Scientific; 2008)

Cotton Jones Basket Ride - Had Not a Body
Paranoid Cocoon (Quite Scientific; 2007)

Brother Run Them Down

2008-05-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

At first, as the synth wash gives way to staccato electric piano, it seems we're in for a mindless Big Moments 70s re-run, but then Music Go Music keep nailing it, and it becomes clear that this is no joke. The production, the perfectly thrumming guitar, the phased drums, the phased everything; it's all there, but it's the abandon the LA goof troop brings which sends "Light of Love" soaring.

Music Go Music - Light of Love
Light of Love (Secretly Canadian; 2008)

***

Kensington Heights is a killer album by one of my absolute favorite bands, but why does it always feel like nobody's listening when it comes to the Constantines? Especially now, when everybody's so quick to draw Springsteen comparisons-- if honesty and fire and compassion are the basic tenets of a Boss sound, then why haven't we realized this truly worthy band as deserving of our highest praise? Damn.

Constantines - I Will Not Sing a Hateful Song
Kensington Heights (Arts & Crafts; 2008)

***

I'm listening to Anywhere I Lay My Head right now, and it's much more listenable than I had expected.

Teen Creeps

2008-05-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

I've made a Muxtape. Due to their restrictions it's a dumbed-down version of a longer mix, although maybe that's okay-- the real one's just too special.

***

I've begun purchasing vinyl instead of CDs, and Nouns came in the mail yesterday. There couldn't be anything more perfect than that.

No Age - Eraser
Nouns (Sub Pop; 2008)

This has got to be the most undeniable band in existence. In a way, everything I wanted punk to be when I was a teenager, to the point where I'm almost embarrassed at the optimism and empowerment I get from their perfect music/movement/aesthetic synergy.

Plus bands that skate are bulletproof.

Special Levels

2008-04-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today's McSweeney's front page is "Acoustic Citizen": Live the embittered existence of a folk legend in the latest expansion pack for the successful Guitar Hero franchise... You'll sing on subjects as diverse as pickup trucks, sparrows, the cost of battle, and gypsies.

***

"...sounds like Conor Oberst screaming from the bowels of hell."

Hey, that's what I got too! I've given The Airing of Grievances a few listens and it's totally refreshing. For reference, the most Oberstian of the bunch:

Titus Andronicus - Fear And Loathing In Mahwah, NJ
The Airing of Grievances (Troubleman Unlimited; 2008)

***

I'm really feeling 2008, you know?

My Photo Album

2008-04-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Though I am, sadly, 0% excited for their new album, Death Cab's recent Daytrotter Session finds me giddy at the inclusion of three cuts from The Photo Album. I tend to claim We Have The Facts as their finest hour, but I now realize TPA is truly my favorite.

Death Cab for Cutie - Steadier Footing
The Photo Album (Barsuk; 2001)

Death Cab's Daytrotter Session

Dawn & Delta

2008-04-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

Do any of you live in Davis? My reason for asking is two-fold: first, I don't consider B+A to be as geographically-oriented as many other music blogs, so I've never really thought about the Davis contingent of my vast readership. I'm curious.

Secondly, if you do happen to live in Davis (or surrounding areas), I'd like to recommend you come to the Delta of Venus cafe tomorrow night. The Chapin Sisters, Two Sheds, and Dame Satan are performing, and it's the latter of the three that I'm excited to see.

Dame Satan sent their latest, possibly first, album, Beaches and Bridges, and it's spot-on. I've had it for two days and I'm pushing it-- that never happens. Immediately striking was the music's resemblance to two traits seemingly at odds with each other: Fleet Foxes' stateliness and Akron/Family's gloriously buoyant weirdness. Now, these are the characteristics that define my love for these bands, and to find them in something equally realized but essentially different from either is wonderfully impressive. If you're even remotely fond of this West-Coast-weirdo-collective love sound, come out to the show, or buy the album and listen to it outside, in the evening.

Dame Satan - Suffering Daughter
Dame Satan - The Golden Iranian
Beaches and Bridges (Ghost Mansion; 2008)

stream the entire album!

Two Minutes Forty Two Seconds

2008-04-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

I, like Kevin at So Much Silence, wanted to know which songs in my collection were "the perfect length" after reading this funny Morning News article. (Also like SMS, I had 42 songs, and many of them we had in common).

The list:

Arthur Advocate - Four Forty Eight
The Beach Boys - Forever
The Beatles - Michelle
Blood on the Wall - Junkeee... Julieee...
Bob Dylan - Song To Woody
The Books - All Bad Ends All
Caribou - Hello Hammerheads
Cat Power - Half of You
Chris Isaak - Forever Blue (Acoustic Version)
Chris Thomas King - Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
Conway Twitty - To See My Angel Cry
Crystal Castles - Alice Practice
Emitt Rhodes - You Should Be Ashamed
Eric Bachmann - Lonesome Warrior
The Fiery Furnaces - Ex-Guru
Franz Ferdinand - Swallow Smile
Guided by Voices - Echos Myron
Holopaw - 3-shy-cubs
Julie Doiron - I Left Town
The La's - There She Goes
Let's French - Start A New Life
Lily Allen - Alfie
The Lovin' Spoonful - Full Measure
The Magnetic Fields - Xavier Says
The Mendoza Line - Golden Boy (Live)
Microphones - Something
The Mountain Goats - Slow West Vultures
Nancy Wilson - Lucky Trumble
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Nina Simone - To Love Somebody
Okkervil River - The President's Dead
Rosie Thomas - All The Way To New York City
Sam Cooke - Twistin' The Night Away
The Saturday Knights - Ass Kicker's Haircut
The Shangri-Las - Past Present And Future
Sufjan Stevens - Super Sexy Woman
Tap Tap - Little Match (Big Fire)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Criminal Piece
The Terrordactyls - Decoration Daniel
Them ft. Van Morrison - I Can Only Give You Everything
Uncle Tupelo - Discarded
Yo La Tengo - Center of Gravity

Okay... okay. I'm surprised to not see more Mountain Goats songs. And no classics. Whatever-- being able to share Conway Twitty with you makes up for any disappointment.

One more re: Merge

2008-04-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

This American Life played a lovely Portastatic song in between the first two acts of last week's show ("Nobody's Family Is Going to Change"). "In the Lines" transcends its crisply-strummed anysong opening with above-average songwriting and that weary voice, perfect in this instance.

Portastatic - In the Lines
The Summer of the Shark (Merge; 2003)

***

Stereogum has new Wolf Parade! Stereogum has new Wolf Parade! I cannot wait to hear Dan's songs from the record.

I'm Working But I'm Not Working For You

2008-04-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

Continuing on the Radar Bros. tip, here's a gift from the band and Merge.

Radar Bros. - Slack Motherfucker

I'm guessing they were forced to do this (it's a Superchunk cover), and that's why it sounds so good.

And, speaking of Merge, did you know the new single for Spoon's "Don't You Evah" is out? A new song, along with 84 remixes and The Natural History's original version (which I don't think was ever released, right?).

nasty!

Skinny Love

2008-04-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Back On Stages #2 Bon Iver - Skinny Love
by lablogotheque

Doesn't this footage invest "Skinny Love" with some Powerful Force of the Classics? It totally does. For Emma, Forever Ago is really a good album, for those who have yet to hear.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love
For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar; 2008)

***

So Much Silence shows us Mt. Wilson Repeater, or Jim Putnam of our beloved Radar Bros. And we thank him.

Someone Loves You Very Much

2008-04-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am guessing we've all downloaded Enjoyed by now, Stereogum's star-studded tribute to Bjork's Post. Admittedly, I have never heard the original album, and my excitement stemmed from the inclusion of Liars, No Age, Grizzly Fantasy, and especially Evangelicals. I have become consumed by this band, championing them and their stunning new album, The Evening Descends.

At first, an Evangelicals song seems like a lot. A lot of noise and a lot of swirling, though it holds together surprisingly well as a legitimate, catchy pop tune. By the time you realize this, though, it's apparent that something beyond saturated noise lies within the song. This-- the best part-- is the band's calling card: a complex of lighthearted humor, paranoia, and truly heavy emotion. Take "Midnight Vignette", for example. The faux-b-flick soundtrack that runs throughout the entire album gives way to something more seriously frightening

Please don't tell my mother, she wouldn't wanna know/ I've been going crazy/ Right outside her door

a desperate plea, invested with heartbreaking love and unhappiness. And next, in "Skeleton Man", the album's finest moment, Guitar Hero crescendos assist another wrenching tale, this time of emptiness

Skeleton Man, he says, 'I don't care'/ A chest left empty of the heart's affairs/ Well it can carry other things that weigh much less/ And a head all hollowed out leaves me alone/ So I can get some rest

and it all comes together-- the emptiness, the stubbornness, the loneliness-- in the last line

When someone loves you very much/ YOU'RE FUCKED (emphasis theirs)

Altogether The Evening Descends is a singularly compelling listen, filled with moments like these investing real heart into the most ridiculous characters-- b-movie stars and skeletons-- but making their problems more terrifyingly real for it.

Evangelicals - Skeleton Man [mp3]
The Evening Descends (Dead Oceans; 2008)

Get their cover of Bjork's "You've Been Flirting Again" as part of Stereogum's Enjoyed: A Tribute To Bjork's Post.

And if you like "Skeleton Man", I would highly suggest its other half, "Skeleton Man's Bone Crushing Depression (If I Get Well)", available as part of the single available at Other Music's digital store.

The Click Wheel Five V

2008-04-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed Moistworks' version of the Click Wheel Five yesterday, and thought it time for another installment of my own.

The Cure - The Walk (Acoustic)
from Greatest Hits

I don't really like the inclusion of acoustic recordings of all the band's hits on this compilation. They're not the intimate re-readings or hushed affairs one would expect from the (Acoustic) tag; instead it's the same song with horrible acoustic-electric guitars and xylophone and the same drums as before-- a disaster. Though, I suppose, it's not so disappointing when it's an alternate version of a song I don't really know anyway.

Pavement - Angel Carver Blues/Mellow Jazz Docent (live)
from Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe

I don't listen to a lot of Pavement in the colder months. Something about their gum smacks and gold soundz makes much more sense in the loose clutches of heat and boredom, and with that said, I'd like to celebrate their return.

Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Nocturnal House
from Elan Vital

R.I.P. RIPPERS

Richard Hawley - Who's Going To Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet
from Coles Corner

"It was a performance entirely and wonderfully out of time, flawlessly and tastefully executed without an ounce of pretension. I can't imagine anyone not liking Hawley's music, which isn't to say it's innocuous or uninteresting. It's just that, despite its obvious strength, music this classically good can feel well-known, and in the neverending search for the new and different it's much too easy to dismiss Hawley as an (admittedly teriffic) oldies-fetishist. Ironically, it is his music which stands out from the majority, nearly flawless and particularly stirring."

Okkervil River - The Next Four Months
from the For Real single

Writing this morning, looking out the window, blue sky's efforts to overcome some weird and unwelcome coastal grey were distinct and commendable. Okkervil River in the Black Sheep Boy-era were a band of black and fire-red, and that does not bode well for my morning. Daybreak recedes.

Kinda boring, I know. We'll do better next time.

The NME Can Burn in Hell

2008-03-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing that can wake the mighty B+A from its slumber, it is a (great) new Mountain Goats record. Or in this case, defamation of not only a (great) new tMG record, but the group itself. In their review of Heretic Pride, the New Musical Express posited that the album is "... business as usual: string-laced Americana that ranks alongside other literate types such as The Shins or Midlake."

The Shins or Midlake.

The Shins are an obtuse band which has been relegated to an eternity of being simply likable, and if that's true then Midlake is merely pleasant. The Mountain Goats can muster more passion, wit, anxiety and humanity in a two-minute song than most bands will ever achieve. Shame on NME; this scandal deserves more apologies than the Black Crowes/Maxim yawner.

Triumphantly: Sax Rohmer #1!

The Mountain Goats - Sax Rohmer #1 [mp3]

and a demo (song for Vamsidasa Babaji):

The Mountain Goats - Michael Myers Resplendent (demo) [mp3]

Buy Heretic Pride, if only for the album title. Wait a week and get all the vinyl too (thx Catbird).

R.I.P. Sheldon Brown

2008-02-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

Sheldon Brown, bicycle/life enthusiast and, as one person put it, "the reason I own zero bike maintenance books," has passed away. The wealth of knowledge Brown leaves behind has been invaluable to myself and most anyone else who has attempted to fix or build a bike, but it's his encouragement and passion that will be most sorely missed.

Poetry Aloud

2008-01-11T01:04:00.000-08:00

Mr. Z. Pennington, whose work I find fascinating and (it follows) whose opinion I value, has lauded Family Fodder as one of the most important and overlooked bands in post-punk history. His description of the group (long defunct) and its leader, Alig Fodder, betray a fan's passion: brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! So when we learn that his Society plans to release Fodder as part of their conceptual Pregnancy series, it's impossible not to share his excitement.

Idol Fodder - Death and the Maiden [mp3]

Listen to the insistent staccato note that runs through the song-- a ticking clock; a clucking tongue.

She takes her clothes off in a bus
She doesn't want to make a fuss
She susses what there is to suss
She takes her clothes off in a bus

She takes her clothes off all alone
And strips her skin back to the bone
Eyes, lips, teeth, hair and mobile phone
Death and the maiden all alone

Listen to the progression: the beach, a tree, a bus, a car, a void, my dreams. A cloud, alone. In the tension I can't tell if we're zooming in or out.

Bäbytalk, the sixth installment in the Pregnancy series, is out in limited numbers on Tuesday.

My Favorite Albums of 2007

2007-12-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

8. St. Vincent's Marry Me

I love the recent crop of unique, fully-realized new bands (White Rabbits, Yeasayer), and I think Miss Clark tops them all.

listen to "Now, Now"

7. Magnolia Electric Co.'s Sojourner

Let's put it this way: Few artists can release 33 song sets that I can sit through, let alone enjoy, like this.

listen to "Trouble in Mind" [+ more]

6. Josh Ritter's The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

What Ritter's doing right now strikes me as significant. Perhaps because his brand of Americana is clearly well-informed but also timely and (best of all) delivered with charming, hopeful abandon.

listen to "Right Moves"

5. King Khan & the Shrines' What Is?!

The Black Lips are hot shit right now, but this is SO much better and you don't even know it.

listen to "(How Can I Keep You) Outta Harm's Way" [+ more]

4. Bright Eyes's Cassadaga

It's a strange album, and I still don't know how to write about it-- and everything I read seems to miss the point.

listen to "Coat Check Dream Song" [+ more]

3. Radiohead's In Rainbows

I'll be kicked out of the Bloggers' Guild if this isn't Top 3.

listen to "All I Need"

2. Okkervil River's The Stage Names

This is, for an Okkervil River album, astoundingly fun. And make no mistake, it's an Okkervil River album through and through, all ink and spit and flame.

listen to "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene" [+ more]

1. LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver

I like Hua Hsu's description of this album in his Slate article: posteverything. It touches on everything under the sun, but the part we identify with is purely James Murphy. Outstanding.

listen to "North American Scum" [+ more]

Up for Sunrise

2007-11-28T22:19:00.000-08:00

The Catbirdseat has compiled an interesting little list, naming five albums we didn't hear in 2007. Among these is Dolorean's You Can't Win, which reminded me of a Dolorean song I enjoyed from a sampler/comp called Outta Sight! and had since forgotten. "Morning Watch" recalls Damien Jurado (who, interestingly, soundtracks a wonderful short film featured on Dolorean's website) in its weightiness and worn melody.

Dolorean - Morning Watch [mp3]

I'll post the film here too, since it really is good. As Mr. Dolorean says: simple and emotional. Plus, you can hear Jurado's "I Had No Intentions".

buy You Can't Win from Yep Rock.

Bows + Arrows is Two

2007-11-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has shared music, insight, time and excitement with me over the last couple years. It's slow going around here, I know, and it's because I still haven't found the perfect way to do this. There has been interesting discussion, especially recently, about the purpose of music blogging, or something to that effect. It's kinda disheartening, the current state of music blogs, though clearly I haven't done much to change that. Still, about 2.34 times/month inspiration strikes and I'm reminded that this can be an enjoyable endeavor.

To celebrate I'd like to share a song which I've been (halfheartedly, of course) searching for over the past couple years. It was my introduction to the Weakerthans and, in many ways, indie rock, an alternate take on the beautiful "Everything Must Go". Long after, when I picked up Left and Leaving, I would hear the song in a slightly different form and realize that it's missing something. The drums! In the perfect version, they start and end the song, cast a grey drizzle over the affair, hush Samson's words and guitar.

The Weakerthans - Everything Must Go (Alternate Version) [mp3]

I hope this thrills at least one of you out there.

***

The brains and heart behind It's Hard To Find A Friend offers a wonderful holiday album, with some special tracks, for seven dollars. Though it's not the songs that should entice you when all-proceeds-go-to-charity! Check it out here.

I Sold Myself Out

2007-11-12T23:48:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork wasn't so far off in their review of Christopher Denny's Age Old Hunger: it's an out-of-time record from a man in Arkansas, a lovely album of songs, old and new, sung genuinely. I do think, however, that two things need be mentioned in conjunction with the album, points which I find most appealing about Mr. Denny's work. First, there is a very strong resemblance to the wonderful Tom Brosseau which extends beyond the obvious vocal comparisons (is it appropriate to call it "high lonesome," or is that something else altogether? It fits.). Knotty punctuation aside, a shared affinity for trains and a lost generation of middle-America and its mannerisms ties the gentlemen-- at least in my mind.

Christopher Denny - Age Old Hunger [mp3]

Secondly, the Pitchfork article makes no mention of the title track, the strongest point on the record, even if it's not the most accurate representation. "Age Old Hunger", unlike the album's other tracks, can't be reduced to C&W or old-timey-anything. Too direct and too stark, it's-- and I hate to use this word in this context-- hungry.

I sold myself out, and I didn't get nothing in return
I sold myself out, not one thing did I earn.

I damn near lost my mind, trying to think like somebody else
And I about lost my heart, trying to feel like somebody else.

proclaims Denny, with what can only be described as sheer conviction, over two smoldering chords. And later:

I wanna feel this hole in my soul, just how I don't know
I wanna feel good like I did when I was younger.

it's powerful and simple, recalling Dylan's "Most Of The Time" (musically too!). Please, take it with you and listen, this will all make more sense, really.

purchase Age Old Hunger, out now on 00:02:59.

No. 300

2007-10-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Lou Reed - Street Hassle [mp3]

As much as I love this song for its gorgeous refrain and its singular Reed lyrics, I think it's the structure that I find most fascinating. A three-part tone poem is unique on its own, but "Street Hassle" is flawlessly crafted to be a thoroughly moving meditation on an epic scale, where even the inclusion of Springsteen doing spoken word seem in-place. Amazing.

Buy Street Hassle. Also included on the Squid and the Whale OST.

***

Stereogum Presents... Drive XV is available for download! A tribute to R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People, featuring Wrens, hooray!

Happy October!

Night Windows

2007-09-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

A binding disclaimer from John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats regarding the unreleased "From TG&Y", recently made available on the band's forums:

DEAR JOHN D., I want a copy of the version of "From TG&Y" (which you have also called "For TG&Y" at various points, omg which one is correct) that you and Peter recorded at Electrical with John Congleton last fall. I understand that by accepting this file, I agree not to be El Gran Senor Intenet Douchebag, saying on various forums or lj comments threads how this song ought to have been on the next album instead of whatever other song I have blindfoldedly singled out, it being quite clear that this song's theme is rather more in line with the Sunset Tree. I understand that you would not be the guy to just shove a Sunset Tree style song onto another album, since that would be so lame. I agree that the terms of this agreement are reasonable and awesome, and that they apply to me whether I grabbed the song directly from these forums or from some other source, and hereby state that I agree to them whether I have read them or not. Yours most sincerely [Brian]

Try it:

The Mountain Goats - From TG&Y [m4a]

***

The Weakerthans' Reunion Tour comes out tomorrow, and I'm wracked with anticipation. Their catalog has only grown on me since I picked up Fallow all those years ago, and already the new single "Night Windows" has become my most played song recently.

The Weakerthans - Night Windows [mp3]

buy Reunion Tour.

***

So Much Silence has another National radio session to add to your collection! Featuring "You've Done it Again, Virginia".

Our Age

2007-09-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

There have been a few interesting pieces on LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends", surely one of the year's best songs, but Mark Richardson's Resonant Frequency plays a slightly different angle. It examines John Cale's version, found on the All My Friends single, as a mature and telling counterpoint to most of today's new music. Looks like I hadn't given Cale enough credit, as listening to the song now I am much more affected.

John Cale - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover) [mp3]

buy All My Friends-- also featuring Franz Ferdinand's rendition-- here.

***

Clear Tigers came yesterday from Catbird! Terrific!

Aaahdaadaadaadaadaa

2007-09-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

Kanye's Graduation is the first of his albums which I can listen to front-to-back, its 52-minute running time seeming more like a half-hour. Let's all be thankful for the absence of skits. All this considered, I've listened to it many times since Tuesday, and it's even better than I expected. Still, I think Kevin was right about West's ...unique style. Hit or miss I guess.

I don't know if everyone caught the A-Trak remix of "Stronger" at Pitchfork the other week, but it's got the perfect Daft Punk:Kanye ratio. I had my reservations about the album version of "Stronger", though I admit it's grown on me.

Kanye West - Stronger (A-Trak Remix) [mp3]

Also: Tom Breihan's 10 favorite Graduation scenes.

Rope/Tether

2007-09-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ha-- iTunes just went from one of the sweetest songs I'd never heard to one of the nastiest songs I'd never heard. The former, Camera Obscura's lovely radio take on Sonny & Cher's "Baby Don't Go", even comes with a giggle at the end. The latter is the Blakes' "Two Times", a distressed wreck of a song. That word-- distressed-- sounds like designer jeans, but this isn't designer jeans.

Camera Obscura - Baby Don't Go [mp3]

The Blakes - Two Times [mp3]

buy The Blakes from Light in the Attic. It's new.

Attacks

2007-09-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

I used to put the behemoth Clavinova in the trunk and drive to my friend's garage room, unload and play made-up, looping lines for them to rap over. You know, like Themselves or Sole-- old and weird Anticon stuff. I tell you this because Prarie Cat's "Better Friends than Lovers" has a keyboard line uncannily like one I would play, my favorite one, which was loungy and goofy but undeniably cool. Cary Pratt (get it?) plays piano better than I do, and doesn't go the bizarro-rap route with it, but when I listen I can't help but recall crab scratching, no lights, the faint smell of paint.

Prairie Cat - Better Friends than Lovers [mp3]

The lovingly hand-painted Attacks! is shipping now at Catbird. Mine is green.

***

This song found its way into Shuffle Songs last night, and I let it put me to bed.

God's house is a house of rest, after double shifts

I don't know where it came from, or who the Sheds are, but it's fantastic.

The Sheds - All You Need [mp3]

Looks like you can download Dad Communication, in full, at the Sheds' website.

You Don't Have to Pay Your Bills Anymore!

2007-08-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

Quickly, a sequence of events:

1. watch Black Lips gallivant across Israel at VBS

2. fall in love with Black Lips

3. find out what Black Lips have fallen in love with

4. rediscover King Khan & the Shrines' great song, "Welfare Bread"-- it's fun and dangerous, like the Black Lips

5. want more

King Khan & the Shrines - Welfare Bread [mp3]

buy What Is?! from Hazelwood

Girl With a Bird

2007-08-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

So I didn't get my hands on 30 Year Low, but I picked up The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter and Under the Blacklight. We all knew Ritter would deliver yet again, but there seemed to be a general air of disappointment surrounding Rilo Kiley's latest. So, braced for the worst, I listened. Honestly? I don't see what's wrong. It's fun, whatever, Rilo Kiley, cool. To be honest, I have never been enamored with any RK album, but I realized that has little to do with my unwavering love for them. I will concede, though, that J-Lew singing in Spanish on that one song is a bad idea.

I'm too scared to post a Blacklight song, so instead I'll talk about the new Iron and Wine track that's got us all excited.

Iron and Wine - Boy With a Coin [mp3]

Consider the progress this song signifies: Sam Beam made his debut in 1932 as the quietest man ever recorded, a near-novelty who had clearly been blessed with real talent. Now listen to "Boy With a Coin", a complex and dynamic track with layers of percussion, electronics (!), vocals and intricate fretwork. It sounds like a lot-- too much, actually-- but Beam's real talent is in his ability to simplify. The song never overwhelms, it never even sounds loud, but it's enough to seem alive and thrumming, absolutely beautiful.

buy the Boy With a Coin single from Sub Pop

I Am Ready For The Worst

2007-08-21T01:12:00.001-07:00

There are a few albums released today which I'm excited about-- Josh Ritter, Rilo Kiley, New Pornographers. I think, however, that the best of the bunch may be the sleeper: The Mendoza Line's 30 Year Low. A while back the Catbirdseat posted the alternate take of "Aspect of an Old Maid", a breathless back-and-forth between bitter ex-lovers, and the past couple months have seen it become-- seriously-- my favorite song of the year.

The Mendoza Line - Aspect of an Old Maid (alt. take) [mp3]

It sounds like Dylan, a lot, but the shambles can hardly hide the tension and absolute focus that make the song so fascinating, and such a refreshing listen. It's not quite uncomfortable listening to the two trade accusations and observations,

Hey baby, I know you had that baby before you were really ready to
Cause I've seen you hold it so timid and unsteady and I've seen the fear when it looks at you

/

So call out your tyrant director
And let his cruel will be dispersed
Tell all my deeds to the inspector
I am ready for the worst

because the two sing it with such conviction, owning every phrase they offer. And they should, having ended their marriage and their time as the Mendoza Line. Unfortunate circumstances indeed, but I'll be damned if such a situation has ever produced something this invigorating.

The Mendoza Line - Since I Came [mp3]

This one's newer to me, but didn't take long to ingratiate itself. Shannon McArdle's alone this time and the music's a little more somber, but it's a gorgeous tune that works up to

Could I find my way out?
Could my two girls grow up to be free?
If you ever touch a hair on their heads
If you ever look at them the way you do me

a heartbreaking, weighty finale.

get 30 Year Low, with bonus disc, for $13.50 pre-paid from Glurp

The Dark Don't Hide It

2007-08-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes, yes, I know: it's August. Sorry I took so long-- I've been feeling displaced and out-of-touch, not wanting to write about music I've hardly listened to. Really, what I've wanted is to hear Magnolia Electric Co.'s Sojourner box set, but I can't find it anywhere. Four discs, each recorded in a different studio (Electrical Audio, Sun Studios, alone, VA), each showcasing a distinct and distinctly Jason Molina sound. It's funny, I guess, that this collection of unsettled and anxious songs should be released now, as if to soundtrack my own mind's wanderings.

Magnolia Electric Co. - Nashville Moon [mp3]

learn about and purchase Sojourner from Secretly Canadian.

Out Of Office Auto Reply

2007-06-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's time for the ultimate test: six weeks at the White Mountain Research Station for summer field camp. The two (or one) posts I'd normally write in that time won't happen-- so in the interim I'd like you to listen to this song, which I know nothing about, except that it's 100% summer. See you in August!

Styrofoam & Sharon Shannon - I Found Love [mp3] [buy]

Jenny

2007-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the bicycle naming suggestions (to most of you, anyway)! The name that stuck, though, was Jenny. It had to be.

The Mountain Goats - Jenny [mp3] [buy]

A lovely person put this on a mix for me last year, one of those definitive song collections which seems invulnerable to the notions of musical sense and taste you pride yourself on, a humble mix that manages to brings you to your knees. Besides "Jenny" it had "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (two versions = twice the tears), some Cat Stevens, TVOTR (Young Liars!), and a song about sandwiches (= a song about love).

I had never given much thought to "Jenny" before that mix. But it became the centerpiece and that line, "we were the one thing in the galaxy God didn't have his eyes on," revealed its wild, tremendous glory. I feel lucky-- so, so lucky-- to feel like I know what it means.

Rilo Kiley - Jenny You're Barely Alive [mp3] [buy]

I guess I should've mentioned, the name actually came from my favorite redhead.

LOVE IT

2007-05-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lately, we've been listening to music in the living room, as a family.

What works best:

not-weird music
pop music
bounce
country
Beatles

This song is 3/5 (v. impressive) of the above:

Scissors For Lefty - Next To Argyle [mp3] [buy]

And this song, while better suited for an introspective break than partytime, sounds uncannily like B+A faves the Foundry Field Recordings!

Surrounded - Safe Tomorrow Sun [mp3] [The Nautilus Years is out June 5th]

***

Please help name my bike! I just restored/rebuilt her.

When I'm Coming Down

2007-05-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

Why, why, why hasn't there been more discussion of the new Bright Eyes album? Maybe it's our attention span. Or maybe nobody listened all the way through, because the last track is fi-i-ine. Best Bright Eyes yet.

Bright Eyes - Lime Tree [mp3] [buy]

I didn't realize how badly I wanted to hear new Okkervil River until the first single from The Stage Names was proffered. I'm giddy!

Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe [mp3]

I think, more than anything, I'm in love with the strain in Will Sheff's voice.

The Click Wheel Five IV

2007-05-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today's Click Wheel Five comes as a response to an unstoppable run of, like, twenty songs that a friend pulled off yesterday with her iPod on shuffle. I'm scared.

1. Johnny Cash - Hurt [mp3] [buy]

I don't have to defend any Cash song that comes up, and certainly not this one. Off to a good start.

2. Spoon - Stay Don't Go [mp3] [buy]

I swear this one's come up before. Kill The Moonlight is my Spoon of choice, and I think "Stay Don't Go" kinda sums it up: a spare, swaggering pulse of a song.

3. A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran [mp3] [buy]

It's hard to think of this (good) song in the context of purely a song, and not goofy hair or Grand Theft or stupid dance parties. Was anybody who references this song even alive when it was released?

4. Furacao 2000 - Mengao 2000 Pt. 1 [mp3] [buy]

Back on top with Favela Booty Beats, baby!

5. Drakes Hotel - Here's To The Days [mp3] [buy]

I love to hear an unknown band that plays songs like they should be classics. And, if life was fair, this would be a classic.

Dare I go for more?

6. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (Hot Chip Remix) [mp3]

I really don't like this. I guess that's why I only do five.

VBS

2007-05-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've been watching a lot of Vice TV lately. They've got a show about weird America, one about skateboarding, and one about hitchhiking (my favorite). They've also got Practice Space, and this week the Walkmen are featured.

Vice TV: Practice Space - The Walkmen [watch]

Outside

2007-05-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

I loved Apologies to the Queen Mary because it went for the throat. It was upset and animalistic, at its best when it was most concise. I had a hunch then, but after getting a taste of Sunset Rubdown and now Handsome Furs I can say it was Dan Boeckner who was responsible for the most affecting (to me) parts of Wolf Parade.

Handsome Furs - Snakes on the Ladder [mp3]

There's a line in Wolf Parade's "Same Ghost Every Night":

I go out walking
Just to find my own breath, my own breath
Through the pines

echoed here in the wonderful "Snakes on the Ladder":

I go out walking
My own feet
And I might sing,
'Don't bury me'

That right there is exactly it, the beating heart and the unsettled mind. Enjoy.

Handsome Furs' Plague Park is out May 22 on Sub Pop.

Nowhere to Run

2007-03-30T00:19:00.000-07:00

Finding a used two-dollar album by a band you think you've heard of, but aren't really sure, and loving it immediately is a totally reaffirming experience.

Port O'Brien - The Whiskey Song [mp3]

It's even better when you learn that the band is from a funny place like Cambria, and that they're M. Ward's favorite, and that they're playing the nice Thai place in your town next month.

Visit Port O'Brien! Buy their new album (and the Nowhere to Run EP too)!

Arms Down

2007-03-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's fun to have a band to get all fanboy over, a small band that keeps it coming and gets better with every release. Some favorites require exhausting patience, and diminishing returns only make it harder to get excited when new stuff finally drops. And some bands are so widely loved that they can't be just yours (but that's okay).

Get Him Eat Him - 2x2 [mp3]

Get Him Eat Him are the perfect band for this type of giddy, innocent affection. Listen to "2x2" from their upcoming Arms Down. It's got guitars, horns, pop and charm in the perfect proportions, not to mention an appropriately short attention span. It's a great song, but GHEH don't stop there: go to ArmsDown.com to download their three EPs, free-- one per week over the next three weeks. These include 2005's Rude Reach EP, featuring "Leaders in Doubt", as well as their seminal Catbird Records debut Do As I Tell You. On this you'll find "Exposure", a personal favorite. Finally, you'll be able to download the ...Challenges You To A Game Of Basketball EP in two weeks' time, though you would probably have been better off buying the contraption.

As a parting note, it should be mentioned that the band has wrangled Charles Bissell of the Wrens as well as the Beirut guy to guest on Arms Down. EVERYBODY loves these kids, see? And, finally, Get Sammiches Eat Sammiches is back! I couldn't be happier.

Oh, My!

2007-03-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Here are two tigers. Which one is your favorite?

Thailand - Come On, Tiger [mp3]

Cheeseburger - Tiger [mp3]

The first one I like; it's pretty good-looking. The second one, though-- that's how I felt today.

Thailand.

Cheeseburger.

March

2007-03-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've heard a lot of good music lately, and have been meaning to mention a few things for a while now: new Bright Eyes, Frightened Rabbit, the "Make It Rain" remix... but it hasn't been until now that a single song has moved me to sit down and share.

Gui Boratto - Beautiful Life [mp3]

It's a long song; long enough to touch on warm air and daydreams and lightening in only the simplest terms. As we verge upon my favorite season, nothing else sounds so right.

Gui Boratto

Dierks??

2007-02-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

Dierks Bentley - Come A Little Closer

Valentines Day must be coming up, because I swear this is the best song ever recorded and not a sentimental, over-produced eye-roller. I'm sorry I can't even find a stream of this song-- if you trust me at all you should just go buy it.

The Garden of Anguish

2007-02-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

Rickie Lee Jones - Gethsemane [mp3]

"Gethsemane" is the second song on Rickie Lee Jones' new album, and it's absolutely lovely. The production's loose and percussive, which makes the tune's transition from its lumbering beginning to the effortless, breathing ending feel perfectly natural. I love these songs, with the space between sounds an instrument in itself; the awareness and the interaction in each dissipating sound.

Visit Rickie Lee Jones and buy The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard (New West).

Deathbot

2007-02-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Tim Biskup's "Deathbot Axe"

Deathbot - Patiently [mp3]

I've only just realized that, for how many times I've listened to this song, I don't remember the lyrics. Probably because there's a (rather impatient) guitar that whines over the singing, and probably tells me more than the words would anyway.

I don't know anything about Deathbot. A little help?

***

Pitchfork has an exclusive video of the virtuosic M. Ward backstage, playing a medley of "Rag / Duet for Guitars #3". Ward has become for me what Fahey was to him-- except I'll never get that good.

New Kings of Leon? I think I could get into this. (thx FUEL/FRIENDS)

Arpeggio

2007-02-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

"Sleeping Lessons" has quickly become my favorite Shins song, slyly but confidently surpassing its logical predecessor, "Kissing the Lipless". In the way that song's tensely strummed acoustic opening anticipated the noise to come, Mercer's impressive vocals in "Sleeping" preempt its lively second half. This is how I like my Shins: loud and fast and, dare I say, thrilling. Too bad these songs only come at the beginning of their records.

The Shins - Sleeping Lessons [mp3]

visit the Shins and buy Wincing The Night Away, if you haven't already

As for the new Clap Your Hands, I just don't know.

Rhymes With Gigabytes

2007-01-29T23:40:00.000-08:00

You know how Death Cab is an all-right band? Like, how when people say they like them you agree and when your friends make fun of them you also agree? How too many of their songs start dipping and eventually fall into some weird, liquid boredom? Oh-- and how the Postal Service sounds hopelessly dated, even just three years after the fact?

You know all that, right?

Listen to Softlightes, and tell me you don't hear the just the best part of those bands. Smiling.

Softlightes - Heart Made of Sound [mp3]

Softlightes - The Ballad of Theodore and June [mp3]

Visit Softlightes! Buy Say No To Being Cool, Say Yes To Being Happy Feb. 13 on Modular.

***

I forgot to mention that I saw Girl Talk. The show was loud and the dancing was fun but the best part was when he told the crowd, as if he couldn't be more proud of us, that "college is hard!"

The Weight

2007-01-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

Somme - Massless [mp3]

In the few weeks we've been acquainted, I've come to know "Massless" well. It's a feat, becoming this familiar with every corner of a song's sound, especially given how scattered my listening habits have become. "Massless", though, commands the attention by way of being big-- a massive, magnificent affair. Equally impressive are the drums and guitar, the former keeping the song upright with stately, weighted kitwork while the latter pushes, intense and unsteady. Things culminate in an alarm of handclaps before overheating and eventually smoldering, back into air. It was a while before this-- the "massless" part-- made sense in the context of such a heavy song, and the song's polytropic nature became apparent. I'd say this is the best, most complete instrumental song I've come across in some time.

Visit Somme and (maybe?) order their Weight EP.

2007-01-08T12:50:00.001-08:00

Amen.

New Brand New

2007-01-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

The nice young (presumably) man from Badical Beats prompted me to check out his blog today, and I was reminded of my passion for Brand New. A couple of things about Brand New:

They are better than you think. Deja Entendu was an impressive album.

They just released The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me, and from a single track I've heard, I'd say it's promising.

That track, "Jesus Christ", is a step up in every way for the band. The lyrics, which toed a line between thoughtful and too-thoughtful on the last album, display a new forcefulness, complemented well by the icy, metronomic Modest Mouse music beneath them.

Brand New - Jesus Christ [mp3]

Visit Brand New and buy The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.

Re: L.A.

2007-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

Our friend, the Drunkard, has posted a pretty essential mix over at his site, called the L.A. Burnout mix (actually, it's only the first installment). As the name implies, the songs all refer to the City of Angels, a subject I find endlessly fascinating. The well-chronicled love-hate relationship many people have with Los Angeles is like no other, and is responsible for some undeniably classic songs, from "L.A. Woman" to "Free Fallin'" to (as much as I hate to admit it) at least 30 Chili Peppers tunes.

Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In L.A. [mp3]

I've got a few L.A. songs that probably won't make the Burnout mix, though they're entirely worthy. The first is a bit of a throwback for me-- Bran Van 3000's "Drinking In L.A." It's a burnout song if ever one existed, it kinda just sounds like failure.

Buy Glee.

The Rosewood Thieves - Los Angeles [mp3]

These Lennon impersonators have hooked me, bad, along with anyone else who's heard them. I'd call their From The Decker House the best EP of '06, and quite honestly can't wait to hear a full-length.

Visit the Rosewood Thieves and buy From The Decker House.

Counting Crows - A Long December [mp3]

I'd put that Shawn Mullins song, "Lullaby", here, but I don't own it. This will do for an equally appropriate guilty pleasure tune, though.

Buy Recovering the Satellites.

***

Get that new Catbird!

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

Dramarama - Anything, Anything (I'll Give You) [mp3]

I finally got hold of the song I've been meaning to share. You know the one that goes

I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills
I'll give you anything you want, hundred-dollar bills
I'll even let you hear the songs I wanna sing
I'll give you anything, anything, anything

?

I remember listening to the radio in, like, seventh grade and hearing this song. And never thinking anything of it. Well, it's by Dramarama, and it's called "Anything, Anything", rather unsurprisingly. Listening again, the desperation in this guy's voice is remarkable-- almost scary.

Buy Dramarama here.

Breakbot - Chelsea Inn [mp3]

I made a mix for the new year, which included this song. I like the metallic, nasty bursts, how they dare you to dance (and you know you want to). It's like a shot of something.

Visit Breakbot here.

The Best Albums of 2006

2006-12-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

How can you say this was a bad year for music?

10. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
mp3: "That Teenage Feeling"

It's pretty special to display a soaring, physical voice in songs as tender as Ms. Case's.

9. M. Ward - Post-War
mp3: "Post-War"

Post-War is the most thoroughly enjoyable M. Ward album yet, perhaps because he's never seemed so urgent.

8. Liars - Drum's Not Dead
mp3: "Drum Gets A Glimpse"

What happened to all the Liars love? This is a thick, often difficult album, but it's never too much. Respites are placed perfectly throughout the pummel: "Drum Gets A Glimpse" and "The Other Side Of Mt. Heart Attack" may be the most forward-looking, unconventionally beautiful moments on record this year.

7. Joanna Newsom - Ys

Ys is a sprawling, involved masterpiece. Masterpiece. It demands more time.

6. The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
mp3: "New Monster Avenue"

Without a doubt the saddest record I listened to this year, Get Lonely never relents. The music is sedate, almost disconnected, the voice is broken and the story never brightens-- it's as if the album is set to the nether-hours of slight light and perfect dark. It's terrifying if it hits you right.

5. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
mp3: "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)"

I'm amazed that they can keep going bigger while continuing to get better. "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" is my favorite Decemberists song yet-- no small feat.

4. Parenthetical Girls - Safe As Houses
mp3: "The Weight She Fell Under"

This is a brave album, a scary album. It's full of boys and girls and jealous mothers, and blurred lines. It's one of the most moving things I heard all year.

3. The Knife - Silent Shout
mp3: "Silent Shout"

Silent Shout was a mind-expander. This year found me tearing headfirst into electronic and dance music, inspired in no small part by this exhilarating, cavernous record.

2. Josh Ritter - The Animal Years
mp3: "Girl In The War"

This was my favorite album of the year at the halfway point, and I'm delighted and a little surprised that it's held up this well through another six months of repeated (and repeated) listens. Ritter's crafted a compassionate, breathing record full of weight ("Thin Blue Flame") and grace ("Girl In The War"). Also, I think Brian Deck has become my favorite producer.

1. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
mp3: "Like A Child"

It was pretty clear from the outset that this was a special album. I still lose my breath in all the right places.

***

So that's the list. Some albums, like Sufjan's Avalanche, didn't make the cut because I listened heavily to one side of the record and neglected the other. Others, like Boys And Girls In America, I just didn't know what to do with. That record fits on here somewhere, I just can't tell where.

It looks like switching to the new Blogger left you unable to leave comments on the previous posts (and I know you had comments). Hopefully this one works.

Happy Holidays kiddos!

Josh Ritter's Best of 2006

2006-12-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

The most interesting year-end lists, I believe, come from the artists themselves. It's always seemed like a revelation to learn what the musicians I admire listen to, and brings up the strange connection between making music and knowing music. Josh Ritter, as you probably know, is a favorite of mine-- I'm happy to share with you his 2006 Artist Discoveries:

The National, "Alligator"

This may have come out in 2005, but we spent all of 2006 in the van listening to it. Great album and great words.

Dawn Landes, "Fireproof"

Dawn's great - saw her at a UK festival this summer and she blew my mind. This is an album she made herself.

Guillemots, "From the Cliffs"

This was the soundtrack to my drive to and from my brother's wedding in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State. The melodies are almost supernatural.

The Raconteurs, "Broken Boy Soldiers"

I love this record because it feels so tip of the tongue. Less a finished polished thing than the act of creation being recorded in real-time. "Blue Veins" is classic, and "Store Bought Bones" is hilarious. At least to me...

The Kooks: Inside In/Inside Out

Thomas Fraser.

This guy died in 1977, but I've just discovered him. He lived in the Shetland Islands in the North Sea, fourteen hours by boat north of mainland Scotland. At his home he recorded thousands of songs on reel to reel tapes: cowboy songs, reels, Jimmie Rodgers songs, things generally not heard north of Northern Virginia some how implanted in the middle of nowhere. It's pretty riveting.

John Prine
Live show - Los Angeles, Oct 27, 2006

John Prine is the great technicolor battleship of modern American rock. He has never been in or out of style, he has just floated through decades of good and bad times, writing songs with lyrics that seem to me like looking through the curve of a half-full coke bottle. John Prine gives me faith that if I do what I do and keep doing it, I can do it for as long as I want keep doing it. That's hard to do!

Bob Dylan, "Modern Times"

"Love and Theft" is my favorite Dylan record ever. "Modern Times" follows in the same vein, but while "Love and Theft" was the fighting rooster, "Modern Times" is the old pasture stud. It's full of experience and seems content.

Hilary Hahn, "Paganini and Spohr Concertos"

Hilary put these two rivals on the same album which I don't think has ever been done and which displays her brilliance as a violinist as well as her sense of humor. I think Hilary is way more rock than most rockers.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

I'm a runner and I've found audio books to be my favorite running companions. I fly through those suckas. "Team of Rivals" has two great things going for it: it's a really novel and engaging approach to studying a such well known figure, and its REEEALY long. Some books are too short to run to.

Movie: "The Departed"

It reminds me of my years in the Boston mafia. The characters I met, the parties, the good times and the bad. All those memories...

Love and Theft his favorite Dylan album? Now that's interesting. And a good call on Alligator, regardless of the release date. What I'm most curious about, though, is this Thomas Fraser character. Some cursory googling led me to these sound clips, and I'm already hooked:

Thomas Fraser - Away Out On The Mountain [mp3 clip]

Thomas Fraser - Lonesome Town [mp3 clip]

Thomas Fraser - Carolina Moon [mp3 clip]

Thomas Fraser - Abilene [mp3 clip]

Learn more about the man here.

Here's a special Ritter song, one of my favorites, a b-side from the Girl In The War single:

Josh Ritter - Harbortown [mp3]

Visit Josh Ritter here, and buy the terrific Animal Years here. Don't forget to check out the B+A Top Songs of 2006, where you'll find another J. Ritter gem.

Songs of the Year

2006-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Eleven of my favorite songs from the past year, in alphabetical order.

Beaten Awake - Browns Town [mp3]

I listened to "Browns Town" more than any other song this year, according to iTunes. It's by far the smallest song on a list that leans more toward the flamboyant and the epic, so its comfort is really no wonder.

Colour Revolt - Mattresses Underwater [mp3]

Forget the Arcade Fire taking their sweet time. "Mattresses Underwater" tells me that Colour Revolt has their shit together. Best upset-youth song of the year.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 1 & 2

When a band pulls off "epic," two things happen in the time-space continuum. First, eleven-minutes-twenty-seconds becomes infinite. Second, eleven-minutes-twenty-seconds is gone before you know it.

El Perro Del Mar - I Can't Talk About It [mp3]

The Pipettes' girl-group blitz got me moving, but when that ended it was this creepy Spector sound I came back to.

Josh Ritter - Thin Blue Flame [mp3]

It's undeniable that this sweeping, ten-minute song works well, touching on be-wary ground with grace and compassion. But that it also worked in the context of The Animal Years-- that's another matter.

Junior Boys - In The Morning [mp3]

I'd go with "In The Morning" as my favorite song of the year-- It's that sexy.

Kelis - Bossy (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)

Muscles - Chocolate, Raspberry, Lemon & Lime [mp3]

This is a late entry, a song that snuck up on me in the last couple weeks. I think the draw here is the interesting mix: flamboyant synths, manly vocals, and stupidly sweet lyrics.

Patrick Wolf - Accident & Emergency [mp3]

This song is a tease.

Pink Nasty - Don't Ever Change (ft. Bonnie "Prince" Billy) [mp3]

I don't know what's more satisfying: Ms. Nasty's fresh voice singing even fresher lyrics, or the sound of Will Oldham having a blast.

Regina Spektor - Fidelity [mp3]

It felt so, so good to hear this on the radio and see this on tv-- that's how much I'm rooting for Spektor. "Fidelity" is a special song, with appeal beyond anything else I've heard this year. It's also my ringtone (I've only ever bought one ringtone), so maybe that tells you something too.

Note That:

2006-11-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

Page France has a new EP, specifically: The Tomato Morning Tour EP. Check the song titles, they couldn't be more Page France:

1. Without a Diamond Ring
2. Give Him a Blanket
3. Who Cracked Your Egg?
4. Tomato Morning

Here's main man Michael Nau's "Tomato Morning" and "Without a Diamond Ring," which he posted on his MySpace.

Michael Nau - Tomato Morning [mp3]

Michael Nau - Without a Diamond Ring [mp3]

Pick up the EP here.

***

Another love of mine, Mr. J. Ritter, is also releasing a holiday treat. In The Dark is a live album and concert dvd, but it's kind of an Ireland-only affair. For those of us not fortunate enough to live in, uh, Ireland, Road Records will ship it abroad.

From In The Dark:

Josh Ritter - Good Man (Live) [mp3]

Also, did you know Josh Ritter runs marathons? And then plays shows later that night? Now how do you feel?

Bows + Arrows Turned One

2006-11-20T22:07:00.000-08:00

How very appropriate for me to have forgotten this blog's birthday, November 5th. I know it hasn't been very exciting or essential lately (not that it ever was)--but it ain't dying. I appreciate the support you've all given in the last year, it's honestly much more than I had ever hoped for.

Cheers!

Junior Boys - Birthday [mp3]

"I guess it passed me on my birthday..."

WZ&Y

2006-11-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

I don't remember how or when I started listening to Pavement, though it seems I've always known of their importance (as, like the gigantic poster that shipped with the Wowee Zowee reissue says, a "radically seminal band"). I accepted Slanted & Enchanted as a masterwork and loved Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain twice as much; I found their last two albums had their moments, too. But Wowee Zowee, I gathered, was their weird record, and I didn't think I could handle an already weird band's self-indulgent experiments. So, many years later and mostly due to a terrific reissue campaign, I finally listen to Wowee Zowee.

And it's as wildly, impossibly revelatory as those first two albums were. Just listen, if you haven't already, to "We Dance," the majestic acoustic number (with faux-Brit vocals, in good taste) that opens the album.

Pavement - We Dance [mp3]

What follows illustrates the variation the album is known for--the stomp of "Rattled By The Rush" leads to slides on "Father To A Sister Of Thought" leads to "Kennel District"'s insistent fuzz--and, in their sweet slacker way, they pull it off.

The Sordid Sentinels Edition comes, like the two Pavement reissues before it, chock-full of goodies. "Easily Fooled" is, like, the most Pavement song I've ever heard.

Pavement - Easily Fooled [mp3]

EDIT: Perhaps this is because I have heard it before, only under the guise of "The Sutcliffe Catering Song" on the Crooked Rain reissue.

buy Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition here

***

YOU GUYS NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT PALMS OUT SOUNDS' REMIX SUNDAYS (get on that).

***

I just got through listening to Joanna Newsom's Ys, and I am in disbelief. This is beyond good, this is another level. More on that later. Have you heard M. Ward doing her "Sadie"? While I don't agree with the assertion that Ward does other people better than Ward does Ward, I will say that his covers are uniformly exceptional. Here, he begins in medias res, and once you recognize where he is, he's already bringing it home.

M. Ward - Sadie (Joanna Newsom cover) [mp3]

***

Finally, I've never heard Will Oldham like this. Actually, I've never heard a song like this. It's goofy and rousing and really, really damn good.

Pink Nasty - Don't Ever Change (ft. Bonnie "Prince" Billy) [mp3]

visit Pink Nasty online

Not Like We're Cheating

2006-11-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

My goodness, how have I avoided Damien Jurado for so long? Really, it has been avoidance, though I can't remember what prompted it. I've got a not-so-secret thing for the abject misery Jurado seemingly dwells in, for the slow and sober tales from rock-bottom.

"Would you change your last name to mine?"

"I think my kids would mind."

That is, I think, as bad as it gets.

Damien Jurado - What Were The Chances [mp3]

Damien Jurado - Denton, TX [mp3]

buy Damien Jurado's And Now That I'm In Your Shadow here

***

This song, from the forthcoming Catbird Records 008, The Ghosts' Blue Birds Blood, has got me more excited than anything I've heard recently. It's called "Penny Falls," and it's got the sweetest lilt imaginable.

The Ghosts - Penny Falls [mp3]

visit the Ghosts

***

This song reminds me of that Midlake song I just can't get into. Only, I really like it.

Memphis - I'll Do Whatever You Want [mp3]

Memphis' A Little Place In The Wilderness comes out early next year

***

Finally, I'm still making reparations for not putting the Clientele's Strange Geometry at the top of last year's list. The a-side has always seemed flawless, but only recently have I recognized the latter half as near-perfect. The way everything lightens, I mean actually lightens, when he says "Once a spell of grace came over me" could be my favorite moment on an album full of moments.

The Clientele - Geometry of Lawns [mp3]

pick up the Clientele's Strange Geometry here.

Broken Deer

2006-11-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

It's November, obviously and finally, it's the First and it's cold. Nothing fits quite right lately, but this fits quite right.

Broken Deer - It Creeps [mp3]

The sound of continuous resolution, I can see my breath in this song. It washes everything away.

Broken Deer - Coming of Age Funeral III [mp3]

Listening to this reminds me, sharply, of how I need to be away every so often, outdoors and breathing. It's something that has become more and more necessary, which is in its way delightful and frightening, and too often disappointingly impossible.

Broken Deer is a Lindsay Dobbin, who enjoys Geology. I am a geologist-in-training, and would like to think that I can hear it, the slow shift and the momentousness of an outdoor scene, in these songs.

buy Broken Deer's Displaced Field Recordings here

The Contest Winner

2006-10-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who submitted a response for the contest! It was silly-hard to pick the "best" band or album I'd like to hear the Walkmen cover, but it's done.

The winner is: The Faces' A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... To A Blind Horse

congratulations to Patrick Hayden, proud new owner of the Walkmen's Pussy Cats... starring the Walkmen cd/dvd and a limited edition silkscreened poster, signed by the artist

Here are the responses I liked best:

Clem Snide - No One's More Happy Than You [mp3]

This song has the drunken shamble that the Walkmen do so well, and the "Louisiana" horns I love so much.

Them ft. Van Morrison - If You And I Could Be As Two [mp3]
from Here Comes The Night

This was my second-favorite response, a superb album that displays an energy the Walkmen could match. As the commenter noted, Hamilton's howl would suit a young Van Morrison's wonderfully.

Fleetwood Mac's Tusk

To hear the Walkmen play "What Makes You Think You're The One" would be special, and I'm surprised they haven't already adopted "The Ledge"'s goofy bounce.

Sheryl Crow - If It Makes You Happy

When you're done snickering, consider how well it would work.

Broken Social Scene - Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)

This the most Walkmen-esque song in the B.S.S. catalog, and one of their best anyway. I'd really like to hear the band cover something as momentous as this.

Dwight Yoakam - Sorry You Asked

Proclamations like "You'll be sorry you didn't ask why" could easily have come from a Walkmen song, only they'd have more sting and conviction.

The Faces' A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... To A Blind Horse

I'm sorry I don't have an mp3 of this, but I'll say it's got all the right ingredients: the swagger, the energy, the awesome vocals (Rod Stewart sang in the Faces). It's the best fit, and it's not one that came to my mind quickly.

Animal Collective - Grass [mp3]

Jamison was right, Matt Barrick's drumming is an absolutely perfect match for this propulsive number. Have you ever seen Matt Barrick drum? He bounces (gleefully). Of course, if they played this song they it would intensify, and the bounce would be in full effect.

The Ronettes - Be My Baby [mp3]

Yes, they've already done "There Goes My Baby," which is close enough in my mind, but they do it damn well.

Thanks again to all who entered! I didn't dare dream of such a success.

The Walkmen's Pussy Cats... is out now (stream it!) (buy it!), here's another track:

The Walkmen - All My Life [mp3]

Pet Politics and some Fun

2006-10-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

After some great loss, the issues with my mail have been sorted (ha!) and I can again e-purchase with abandon. I was able to recover, with help, some of the things I was sent but never received, like Pet Politics Spring EP.

Magnus Larsson's singing voice, honeyed and sweetly accented, sounds close-by, but the music is seemingly from a different time. It's all familiar, the bright instrumentation and the benign melody, which gives it a refreshingly complete feel. "Life Goes On" closes the EP with a slow push, perfect for an afternoon's languor.

Pet Politics - Life Goes On [mp3]

buy Pet Politics' Spring EP from Catbird Records for a measly $3.50

***

Make Your Own (Halloween) Mash-Up!

Yesterday while sat at the piano, a friend noted that the Pipettes' "Pull Shapes"' melody is so ubiquitous, especially in songs of the era they're mining, that it could be mashed up with any number of absurd songs. His suggestion? "Monster Mash." It's more fun to mash up "live," by singing the Graveyard Smash over the Pipettes. Also, because I have no idea how to mash up a song.

The Pipettes - Pull Shapes [mp3]

buy the Pipettes' self-titled album here

***

Did you enter the Walkmen contest? It's still going on, FYI.

Don't any of you music bloggers want to join me, Goose and others in the fantasy basketball league?

Walkmen Contest

2006-10-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING.

Friends and readers, today is special: it's my birthday and it marks the first Bows + Arrows contest. Naturally, it is a Walkmen giveaway!

As many of you know, the Walkmen are releasing an album this Tuesday, a song-for-song remake of the Harry Nilsson classic Pussy Cats. To celebrate, and it's a terrific album, I am giving away:

a copy of the album and a special, limited edition silkscreened poster.

Frame it. Also, this is a cd & dvd version, the latter featuring a 20-minute making-of documentary.

So, to win? I'll make it easy:

Leave a comment naming a band or album you'd like to hear the Walkmen cover, along with your email address. Alternately, send your suggestion in an email to brian@bowsplusarrows.com

Be creative! I'll pick my favorite suggestion a week from today.

Here's a few covers they've done to this point, with my favorite being the opener from Pussy Cats, the classic "Many Rivers to Cross."

The Walkmen - Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff via Harry Nilsson) [mp3] [buy]

The Walkmen - Another One Goes By (Mazarin) [mp3] [buy]

The Walkmen - There Goes My Baby (Drifters) [mp3] [buy]

The Walkmen - Fly Into the Mystery (Modern Lovers) [mp3] [buy]

The Walkmen's Pussy Cats starring The Walkmen comes out October 24, pre-order it here and view their ecard here

Watch for an interview with the band in the next couple weeks, and good luck!

Go Big

2006-10-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

Langhorne Slim - Restless [mp3]

You can't hide Langhorne Slim's voice, but then, why would you want to? It's sharp and bright, as if designed to commandeer the listener's attention. You don't mind, though, because these songs' shamble and shake are compellingly mellifluous, from "Sweet Olive Tree"'s sparsity to the barnburning "Honey Pie." The Engine EP, though it comprises only four songs, is a remarkable little release, certainly one that's managed to capture my regard. Looking back at my favorite releases, I realize this is the case with most of Brian Deck's productions. Hmm.

Langhorne stopped by Daytrotter last week and recorded a wonderful set - do yourself a favor and check it out, especially the wonderful "By the Time the Sun's Gone Down" and the unreleased "She's Gone."

buy Langhorne Slim's Engine EP here

***

You know, Albert Hammond, Jr.'s song "In Transit" isn't that bad. I don't know why, but I had it in my head that his new solo album Yours To Keep would, by default, follow the trajectory mapped by the Strokes' discography (not good). It's sweeter, unabashedly poppy, but those laser guitars keep it interesting.

Albert Hammond, Jr. - In Transit [mp3]

buy Albert Hammond, Jr.'s Yours To Keep here

***

How did I miss this Oxford Collapse song? Probably the asinine title. But no, it's good! It's great! It's got vocals that remind me of Wilderness, which remind me of something else altogether. Let's continue this trend (go big!), yeah?

Oxford Collapse - Please Visit Your National Parks [mp3]

buy Oxford Collapse's Remember the Night Parties here

***

The new Patrick Wolf song is glorious, the way it keeps slipping away from itself, the way it can't keep together. It's something altogether different than "The Libertine," my favorite from Wind in the Wires, but it somehow strikes me as the song he was itching to make. Maybe it's the hair, maybe it's the video. Don't watch it.

Patrick Wolf - Accident & Emergency [mp3]

Patrick Wolf's The Magic Position comes out early next year

***

Next week sees the first Bows + Arrows contest take place! Stay tuned. Also, if you haven't yet, listen to that Colour Revolt song. Please.

Ash In Our Pockets

2006-10-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

I try not to say X sounds like Y too often, especially when Y is a band like the Arcade Fire. But, man, when I listen to Colour Revolt's "Mattresses Underwater," I'm taken somewhere eerily close to the Funeral site. Somewhere out in the snow, where youth circle garbage fires, wracked by worry and passion. They sing in "we"s of the terrible truths they've discovered - "We should probably get used to it, but we don't." Gripping.

Colour Revolt - Mattresses Underwater [mp3]

buy Colour Revolt's Colour Revolt EP here

***

Last night's Sufjan Stevens and My Brightest Diamond concert was perhaps the best show I've ever seen. The songs, embellished with strings and horns and the Pacific Mozart Ensemble choir, were improbably huge and impossibly flawless. I have no doubt that Sufjan Stevens is the finest musician today.

!

2006-10-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

From the Wrens newsletter:

- charles is doing a split single with Will Sheff from Okkervil River. Charles covers ‘it ends with a fall’ done live w/ loops and Will’s doing ‘ex-girl collection’. A funny little story how it all came about, but one probably best told another time. Probably winter maybe.

I can't begin to tell you how exciting this is! Favorites and favorites. I say "Ex-Girl Collection" is, lyrically, one of the finest songs ever. That's right, we're speaking in evers.

Okkervil River - It Ends with a Fall [mp3]

buy Okkervil River's Down the River of Golden Dreams here

Will Sheff mp3 blogs!

I Don't Know any Pretty Redheads

2006-10-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

Teen Idols - 20 Below [mp3]

This came up randomly the other day and, happily, sounded good as ever. See, sometimes when I open time capsules I can no longer relate, and it's saddening. But this song, it's irreducible and flawless pop, and it's rock. A dialogue between cheater and cheated doesn't deserve to be this fun, or end so quickly. As a bonus, when singing along, choose either harmony, or make up your own. See? Still sounds good!

buy the Teen Idols' Pucker Up! here

Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms) [mp3]

I'll spin this into a confession: A few years ago, my then-girlfriend was excited about a band called Hellogoodbye, who she somehow knew or kind-of-knew. She played me a song, I couldn't process the pop of it, and I took my defense and mocked it. The Velvets-aping album cover, the inane lyrics, the name - like that. Now when I happen across a song by the same band and fall hard, I can't help but feel ashamed. I'm sorry, I'm sorry everybody, I am.

Oh yeah - I like it because it reminds me of "Do You Believe in Live After Love?" (bad idea?).

buy Hellogoodbye's Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! here

***

Help Stereogum find those Decemberists b-sides!

I'm seeing Sufjan and My Brightest Diamond tomorrow. I heard talk of a 24-piece choir. I can only think about it so much before passing out.

Let's Address the Issues of the Day

2006-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

First, the new Hold Steady record. My love for Separation Sunday has been documented here before, and I couldn't imagine how the (mostly Pitchfork-generated) rumors and hints of Boys and Girls in America could possibly hold true.

Now that I've listened, I can say these are good songs. At least, that's what I think - I can hardly make out what Finn's saying-singing in these songs because they're mixed so poorly. I can hardly bring myself to listen to the album, even though I know there are some killer tracks on there, really, it's tragic. I had been waiting to hear a studio version of "Stuck Between Stations" for a long time, I guess I'll stick with the version they played on The Current last year (I'd rather hear him too loud).

The Hold Steady - Chips Ahoy! [mp3]

The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations (live on The Current) [mp3]

buy Boys and Girls in America

***

Second, the new Decemberists album. It's exciting to listen to them, how, with each new album, they hone their idiosyncratic vision to something more forceful and fantastic. The Crane Wife isn't precious or grating, no more sea-chanteys, but it's still quirky and entirely accessible. The "Crane Wife" suite (that's 1-3) is, simply, amazing. The first two combine to recall "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade," and the third opens the disc rolling downhill, gathering momentum and gusto. Also, Moistworks pointed out that the Shankill Butchers are a very real thing. Terrifying.

On iTunes, download the bonus track "After the Bombs."

The Decemberists - Summersong [mp3]

buy The Crane Wife

***

Third, the new Blood Brothers album. Check the video for "Lazer Life" here. How, how can you not like the Blood Brothers?

pre-order Young Machetes (October 10)

***

Here's one I haven't seen around, but was prompted to consider. It's by a band called Princeton, and it's lo-fi mop-pop whatever, charming. I'm moved to mention it not only because, well, it's quite nice, but also because when I listen I hear the singer's tongue hanging out, I see it, and I want to laugh and tuck it back in. Funny.

Princeton - Tokyo, Japan [mp3]

buy A Case of the Emperor's Clothes

***

Does anyone else get a thoroughly lukewarm feeling from the Swan Lake songs and their accompanying reviews? I guess I'll come out and say I'm disappointed.

***

The new addition to Pitchfork's Infinite Mixtape is pretty damn sweet - Christopher Willits' "Colors Shifting." It makes me want to go back to my Fennesz albums I haven't heard in too long.

Christopher Willits - Colors Shifting [mp3]

***

I apologize for my feed's misbehavior. I was unaware, and I have no clue how to fix it.

Four Girls

2006-10-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Bob Dylan - Girl From The North Country [mp3]

I've got a couple versions of Dylan (and Dylan & friends) doing this one, but it's this beautifully measured and simply picked original, from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, that remains the most affecting.

M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Jim James - Girl From The North Country [mp3]

This, a typically ramshackle live number, feels good (and probably felt even better if you were there). But the collaboration, of course, recalls the Dylan/Cash version from Nashville Skyline, which I don't like nearly as much. It's not as stately or clean and clear as the solo Dylan take, so while it works well as a buddy-buddy-buddy set closer, something's inherently lost in translation.

Mojave 3 - Girl From The North Country [mp3]

Secret Machines - Girl From The North Country [mp3]

These two sound, unsurprisingly, like a Mojave 3 song and a Secret Machines song, respectively. But while Halstead & co. bore it up some, turning the original to air and smoke rising (slowly) and dissipating, the Machines fare better by taking the epic (nine minute!) route. Like their best, the song evolves from a swirling, panned nascence to a momentous, heavy and gorgeous statement. I wonder if Dylan would like this (probably not). Freakin' cosmic.

Buy the original here, the Mojave 3 version here and the Secret Machines version here.

***

Also, hooray for Page France's Daytrotter session!

Reviews

2006-09-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Everything the Walkmen write is hilarious - whether that was the intention, I can't be sure. Luckily for me they've begun to review restaurants (anyone remember their old site, with the movie reviews and recipes and stuff? that was funny), and it looks like they've put considerable time and effort into the endeavor. A great holdover until their novel, John's Journey, hits the shelves.

An excerpt from the Yukon Steak House, Newport News, VA review:

They brought Pete the same surf and turf that Paul had suffered through and Walt had rejected but, oddly, Pete liked it. It made everyone wonder if Pete was a slob who would eat anything slung onto his plate or if Paul and (especially) Walt were a little bit precious and spoiled—or were both true? The questions remain unanswered, but what is known for sure is that the Yukon Steakhouse in Newport News, Virginia is an overpriced shit hole.

Food - disgusting
Service - good, except when the waiter referenced his own body in his description of prime rib. And the host seemed like a real prick.
Atmosphere - cheesy (sleds and antlers on walls)
Prices - expensive (about 16 bucks for the disgusting surf and turf)
Location - good, visible from road.

Overall Rating-D

Brilliant. As if that's not enough, the Walkies' Pussy Cats... starring the Walkmen is less than a month away. And if you get the compact disc version:

...the cd version will include a movie/art piece called In Loving Recollection, which includes an introduction to the original record, a documentary of the making of our version, and a brief history of the 20th century.

I'm speechless. Enjoy.

The Walkmen - Many Rivers to Cross [mp3]

The Walkmen - Pussy Cats... starring the Walkmen [ecard]

In the Bedroom

2006-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

For a while, music described as bedroom was, to me, as perfect as it came. It was blurred lines between the artist/myself/anyone, it was frayed edges that I found endearing and remarkably true-to-life. Eventually I would outgrow this, sincere and warm would become precious and samey, and Fevers and Mirrors never held the same weight again. Anyone can pour themselves into a four-track means anyone can pour themselves into a four-track, while far fewer people than anyone have the tale and the talent to make it work.

I've semi-consciously stayed clear of the bedroom since, treating the word as a euphemism more than a proper descriptor. But this scares me: what if someone had described the Junior Boys' So This Is Goodbye to me as a bedroom album? Because it is, it absolutely and unquestionably is, and it also happens to be one of my favorite releases this year. No, you'll never confuse this for an Oberst original, but consider the sense of space (or confinement), the confessional lyrics, and the lighting. So This Is Goodbye is the room in the coming morning, beginning at midnight and racing, fumbling, into the "First Time," admitting that "I don't really know what to do." It's sexy, and it gets sexier, but I've never heard it so candid. There's a climax, two o'clock, "In the Morning," breath sharp and shallow - an instant classic. But it gets late, and "the nights are endless things," as Jeremy Greenspan covers Sinatra in the penultimate track, "When No One Cares." Finally, coming up with the sun, "FM" washes away the night's false clarity with a persistent and perfectly revealing infusion of light. "And then one more year/ Becomes one more year/ And you'll forget me soon, I swear." I appreciate complete albums, especially when they've got closing statements as well thought-out and appropriate as this, which is less often than you'd think.

With So This Is Goodbye Junior Boys have showed me, with amazing proficiency, that the bedroom comprises far more than an acoustic guitar and tape hiss. It's the concept I originally fell in love with, the confidences not necessarily whispered and necessarily unpublished.

Junior Boys - In The Morning [mp3]

Junior Boys - FM [mp3]

Visit Junior Boys online, and pick up the fantastic So This Is Goodbye here.

***

Carl Wilson on Mountain Goats!

Sean Gramophone on the heat!

Oh, the writing!

Toast

2006-09-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

I eat toast with hemp seeds on top every single night before bed.

Instructions

2006-09-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

I'VE STARTED AND SCRAPPED multiple entries over the past few weeks, each more fumbling and graceless than the last. Their points, in summation: Buy Junior Boys' So This Is Goodbye, it's even better than everyone says. Listen to Sufjan's "Sister Winter" [mp3] and shake your head and shake your fist over and over and over as you realize this man's talent somehow keeps up with his ambition. If you have Facebook, sign up for that thing that gives you 25 free songs each week (and petition against opening it to the public while you're at it). Go read Gerard vs. Bear, this is important. If that's not for you, read this thing over at Marathonpacks.

And please, please believe Beaten Awake's new album will rock you right down to the core. I don't care if I've said that before. Here's a song that may or may not be on it, whatever:

Beaten Awake - Ghost Bought a Bicycle [mp3]

A kind soul sent me their demo, and I think this song got rained on.

Beaten Awake - A and E [mp3]

Listen to that voice. And buy me a tshirt.

Rosewood Hearts

2006-09-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

SOMETIMES THE BEST songs sneak up on you, clandestine and confident, from bands you've never heard of, or the end of albums seldom played through. In this case it's both, the song being "Lonesome Road," from The Rosewood Thieves' From The Decker House EP. I won't say I ever wrote the band off, because I do enjoy their jaunty classic rock - it's just that I didn't know what to say besides this sounds like John Lennon.

"Lonesome Road" only really got to me in the car, with my iPod on shuffle. Even then it was over too quickly, leaving its indelible closing hook in my mind. From a slow and shiftless beginning comes a hesitant bounce, and then sweet payoff: "She di-id not come ba-ack" sings Erick Jordan (I think) in the entire album's finest moment.

The Rosewood Thieves - Lonesome Road [mp3]

Visit The Rosewood Thieves and buy the From The Decker House EP here.

This record by the Kamikaze Hearts, Oneida Road, is really something. Something gorgeous and familiar, something you feel comfortable close to. Not to say that it's anodyne - there are nuances here which only make it more ingratiating: a sincere, slightly silly voice, and a wonderful feeling of projection.

The Kamikaze Hearts - Half of Me [mp3]

The Kamikaze Hearts - You Can't Just Get Up And Leave [mp3]

I love how "Half of Me" starts out sounding so much like an Andrew Bird song, but only gets easier. Romance, baby!

Visit Kamikaze Hearts online, and preorder Oneida Road here.

Join the Black Parade

2006-09-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Back from best man duties, congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Craig!

So that new My Chemical Romance song, more like 5 stars!! I give in to this kind of overblown-anthem stuff rather easily, in this case it's a welcome lift from the Avalanches and Lonelies I've been stuck on. You too? Grab your lipstick, join the parade.

My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade [stream]

***

Funny, funny Catbirdseat.

Click Wheel Five III + Mix

2006-09-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'D LIKE TO DO THIS every month, but it looks like I just missed August.

1. Spoon - Paper Tiger (demo) [mp3]

"Paper Tiger" is the most haunting of Spoon's skeletons on Kill the Moonlight. The demo doesn't help illustrate the song's growth from idea to album, because it sounds very much the same, but it does clarify a line I've always had trouble with: "Stay out 'til morning/ Sharp as knives." [info] [buy]

2. Foundry Field Recordings - Battle Brigades pt. II [mp3]

I've already written about this one, but I don't know what I was talking about. Prompts/Miscues has, surprisingly, become a favorite and a mainstay on my iPod over the last few months. The songs are unassuming, but well-crafted and often, like "Battle Brigades pt. II," quite pretty. "Okay, okay, okay, okay" with such timing - I love it. [info] [buy]

3. Sunny Day Real Estate - 100 Million [mp3]

One day, on the tennis courts, a kid told me about Sunny Day Real Estate. He often wore a Sunny Day Real Estate Shirt, so I knew he was serious, and I went and bought How it Feels to be Something On. I wouldn't end up wearing their shirt, but I came to enjoy the band more than I would have expected. Listening now, for the first time in a while, it's interesting how much alternative-rock I hear in this, when at the time it sounded entirely different. Also, I just got some new Jeremy Enigk songs to check out, could be good. [info] [buy]

4. The Kills - Love Is A Deserter [mp3]

I've said it before, but this album is sex. It's not in the lyrics as much as the inimitable tension between boy-Kill and girl-Kill: the whispers and the looks, you can hear them. [info] [buy]

5. Rjd2 - True Confessions [mp3]

My favorite part of this song is the priest's exaggerated exhalation in the beginning, kicking off the track with drama. And the whistling at the end - like some kind of urban spaghetti western - I like that too. [info] [buy]

***

My sis' and my back-2-skool mix is in full effect!

"Sometimes in the Fall"

1. Band of Horses - The Funeral [mp3]

2. Junior Boys - In the Morning [mp3]

3. Kelis - Bossy (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)

4. The Rapture - Get Myself Into It [mp3]

5. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack

6. Catfish Haven - Crazy for Leaving [mp3]

7. Justin Timberlake - My Love (ft. T.I.)

8. The Submarines - Peace & Hate

9. Assembly Now - It's Magnetic (Luke Smith Remix) [mp3]

10. Scissor Sisters - Don't Feel Like Dancing

11. The Pipettes - Pull Shapes

12. The Foundry Field Recordings - Holding the Pilots/Holding the Facts

13. The Kills - No Wow (MSTRKRFT Remix)

14. The Walkmen - Many Rivers to Cross [mp3]

***

I've got some serious plans 'til next-next week. See you then!

Make It Work

2006-08-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY MORNINGS, we should all be listening to Tim Gunn's Project Runway podcast. The only podcast I subscribe to (read: the only podcast I find consistently interesting week to week (and consistently interesting minute-to-minute, as these suckers can be long)). Get Tim's Take here!

Subscribe here [xml], here [iTunes], or listen to the latest episode [mp3]

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars (The Hey Team Remix) [mp3]

Okay, and a real song because I'm moved to mention this. It kicked off my Infinite Mixtape-inspired sleep shuffle, which I'm hoping proves therapeutic. It's soft and strong, and it's asleep, dreaming. Listen to its form changing, a tide's gentle tug-of-war between consciousness and nothing, and see if you can stop it from coming up, over your head.

Visit the Hey Team's MySpace.

All the Numbers (Swim Together)

2006-08-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

CALIFONE SONGS, TO ME, are the most comfortable places to be. Califone songs are alive and gentle and ugly and real, in the sense that ugly and real are very, very pretty. "The Orchids" - I only wish it didn't end.

Califone - The Orchids (Psychic TV cover) [mp3]

Visit Califone online. Roots & Crowns comes out October 10th.

Every night for the past week or so I've lay in bed listening to Get Lonely. This may or may not be a good idea - sometimes I make it to sleep before the end, sometimes I don't. Or can't. Luckily, my favorite part of the record comes early, in the second song, called "New Monster Avenue." It's best to listen on cd through headphones, to hear the percussion as clearly as it was meant to be heard. The way it swells, organic and unassuming, to a heartbreaking crescendo after he looks down at his hands, "like they were mirrors," and then especially when the monsters (neighbors) come out, brandishing torches. In its way, these small waves are much more affecting than any squall could be, which could be said for the entire record.

Buy Get Lonely here.

Heteronyms, vol. IV

2006-08-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

The And/Ors - Rockets [mp3]

IN HIGH SCHOOL I would pick up obscure music magazines, the ones with the little black and white ads for little acts on little labels. I would remember the names if they sounded right - that is, if they sounded like a cute indie-pop band - just in case I ever happened across an album. This worked maybe five times, one of them being The And/Ors' Will Self-Destruct. I don't know what I liked more: the band or the fact that nobody else knew the band (probably the latter, as I haven't listened to the album in years). But coming back now, this isn't what I remember; "Rockets" is slower and low(er)-fi, the band reduced. "You wear me out," is repeated at the end, and it shows.

Cat Power - Rockets [mp3]

THIS MIGHT BE everbody's favorite pre-What Would the Community Think? Cat Power song. I love thinking about what makes this so much stronger than a standard 4/4 driving rock song (which it resembles in most every way); there's the subtly perfect pre-chorus phrasing of "Pick, pick up/ Dig, dig out those/ Weeds," and then there's the chorus itself. "Where do the rockets find planets?" she asks with a strange fervency and sincerity for such an unknowable question. And really, that's why it works.

Visit the And/Ors online here, and Cat Power here. Buy Will Self-Destruct here ($0.13!), and Dear Sir here.

And for reference, here's the And/Ors song I so enjoyed from that record:

The And/Ors - Candy Takes The Cake [mp3]

Past Heteronyms.

***

Swoon has two great songs by Clark, check them out.

Thanks to everybody who insisted I look into American Music Club! It's been a rewarding endeavor so far.

When This Is Over

2006-08-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

M. Ward - To Go Home [mp3]

I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING M. Ward for what feels like a very long time, having discovered him (beneath dust and creaky floorboards, it would seem) during my first foray into folk and country in high school. M. was the most endearing of my discoveries: as many others had noted he sounded entirely anachronistic, but he also had a worn warmth I couldn't feel in the early 20th century folk I listened to. So it was, basically, everything I was searching for.

When Ward's Transfiguration of Vincent came out a while later I realized I might have to share my find with a few more people, so confident and accessible was that album. That was fine; the songs, especially his cover of Bowie's "Let's Dance," became personal and special, more than before. Also, I began to recognize Ward's unique and immense talent as a songwriter, which would only be further cemented with the release of Transistor Radio.

Now, and even before I heard the new Post-War, I regard M. Ward as one of the best musicians around (what I would give to see the "Monsters of Folk" tour: Ward, Oberst and Jim James - as good as it gets). But this release is more than I could have hoped for, far more. Sounding newly free and passionate, saying M. is firing on all cylinders couldn't be more appropriate. There's an increased vitality and urgency running through this record, a wonderfully enhancing contrast and fidelity - nothing intrusive, but very appreciable. On the most immediately charming track, a cover of Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home," Ward's élan is most apparent. The song's lift is thrilling, an ascending piano riff and a splay of drums like pure joy, making it the best love song since he did "Let's Dance."

M. Ward - Fearless [mp3]

Here's a rare M. Ward track with his recognizably jaunty, sweetly humming sound. The growth displayed between the above song and this one is significant, but this is closer to the old M. Ward song I would keep secret in my pocket.

UPDATE: So the all knowing Frank has informed me that "Fearless" is an American Music Club cover. Whoever they are. For the record, I think it's a well-written song; the growth I referred to above had to do with M. Ward's overall sound (he is less assertive on "Fearless" than on "To Go Home," for example). Please don't make fun of me.

Visit M. Ward online, and buy Post-War here (released tomorrow).

***

Go get the rare "Hot Fries" and "Milkcrate Mosh" at the Hold Steady's MySpace! And a new track, too (thanks CW).

Emissaries from Neighboring Lands

2006-08-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

WHEN I SAW THE MOUNTAIN GOATS in LA earlier this summer, they played a song I fully assumed was new. It fit in with the other new songs he played, perhaps because he sang with Get Lonely's heartbreaking hush, but also because it shared lyrical similarities to songs like "Woke Up New." Now that I've been afforded another (and another) listen, it can be said that this sounds like The Sunset Tree as well, and We Shall All Be Healed. Really, it's from neither of the three - "Soft Targets" is the Mountain Goat's contribution to a split 7" with John Darnielle from 2003 - but the connections are clear. The story of a failing relationship, a breaking down (one point Get Lonely), "It's you and it's me and the baby makes three/ Yeah but we've got our love to carry us through" sings Darnielle between verses about crying. This shared despairing is what reminds me of We Shall All Be Healed, the helpless "us" he refers to; and it's the last three lines, where resolution is just-hinted-at, that recall the Sunset Tree: "When I hunt down the vampire who did this to us/ I will rip out his heart with my hands/ I will rip out his heart with my hands."

Combined the effect is overpoweringly sad, in a more Get Lonely fashion, with even the title packing a punch (soft target is a military term referring to an unarmored or otherwise unprotected object to be destroyed. - ouch). Don't listen to it thirteen consecutive times as I did while writing this - you'll be numb. But give it a listen, see that I'm not crazy.

The Mountain Goats - Soft Targets [mp3]

You can't buy this release anymore, but you can visit the Mountain Goats online.

***

I'm enjoying the Yeah Yeah Yeah's iTunes Session EP [here], it's very Sunday morning & a cup of coffee. Their Sonic Youth cover sounds like that Pavement songs that goes "relationships, hey hey hey," yeah?

Also, get the Mountain Goats' Amoeba in-store session at *sixeyes.

Impossible

2006-08-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

VERY RARELY does a piece of music inspire me this greatly while leaving me so small and with with so little to say. Please, listen and wonder.

The Clientele - The Sea Inside a Shell [mp3]

From the Clientele's Ariadne EP, available here.

On The Morning When

2006-08-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

IF FALL HAS COME EARLY THIS YEAR, if the air has begun to crisp and the evenings have been reeled in from infinity, it is because the Mountain Goats' Get Lonely has willed this to happen. This is an album full of the season's quiet and ghosts and still water, devastating in a different way than those before it, more restrained and far scarier. Here chill air is an instrument, the weight of hush and dark are heard in the strings and strain, and when I listen I imagine a sky full of black anchors, nothing else.

Appreciating Get Lonely has required the mental fortitude usually reserved for more urgent endeavors than listening to a pop album, but hearing it any other way was like peeking through my fingers. I think the incredible, unrelenting sadness here comes from the songs sounding newly forceless and resigned; gone are the manic moments, the triumphs and the intensity and the wild decrees - all replaced by a light shuffle of instruments and a strange half-falsetto.

Darnielle once sang "It's a bad place I'm in" while recounting darker days in his life, now we have only his wandering observations to tip us off. And perhaps the most difficult thing about this album is the too-real feeling of concern I get when I listen, a feeling usually far removed from this context. But whatever - to empathize with something is to love it, and that's why Get Lonely is a truly remarkable album.

The Mountain Goats - Woke Up New [mp3]

The Mountain Goats - Wild Sage [mp3]

The Mountain Goats - Woke Up New [video]

Visit the Mountain Goats online, and buy Get Lonely here.

***

Not much to say after my week away (I was backpacking) - what did I miss?

Nilsson, Schmilsson

2006-08-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

THIS SONG DEFIES my every attempt to describe it gracefully, it's too big, it's too shameless, it's too dirty. And it sounds like this is what the Walkmen were born to do. As an improvement on the obstreperous A Hundred Miles Off, there's now a tenderness in Leithauser's always-severe croon, and a sway that only complements the band's formidable swagger. It may be Nilsson's song (or Jimmy Cliff's, really), but I can't get past the avidity and the confidence, and that's unmistakably the Walkmen.

The Walkmen - Many Rivers To Cross [mp3]

Visit the Walkmen online, and purchase their music here. This song will appear on the forthcoming "Pussy Cats" starring The Walkmen.

***

Is this cheesy? I like the bluegrass covers of Modest Mouse over at the DIY Rockstar.

Sunniest Day Ever

2006-08-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

WHILE I WAS WRITING the sentimental bit at the bottom of this post, I probably ran through A Sunny Day In Glasgow's The Sunniest Day Ever EP about six times. It stood tall against thoughts of futility and selfishness, playing like a well-timed reaffirmation of music blogging's importance to me. I discovered them through Fluxblog, and couldn't help but drop three dollars on their 4 (5!) song EP. Happily, the album ingratiated itself with me immediately via blown out sounds, warm and crystalline, that seem to originate from the tiniest thrumming. The album's beauty is consummate on "Laughter (Victims)," a too-short two-minute wash of middle-consciousness (I can't describe it without the generous hyphenation). This is perfect, enjoy.

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Laughter (Victims) [mp3]

Visit A Sunny Day In Glasgow online, and do purchase the Sunniest Day Ever EP here for only three dollars post-paid.

***

At any moment, I've got ideas in my head about this blog and music blogs in general. Not all are positive, and most will remain in my head, but I'd like to mention something Ian wrote at Popsheep recently:

Sorry for the long gaps between posts lately, but I'm feeling less and less motivated to write these things. Perhaps its the unbearable, oppressive heat or just the futility of being one among a billion other MP3 blogs. Regardless, these are two great songs. Enjoy.

I sympathize completely with this statement, and with Ryan's comment at the bottom, though it saddens me to say it:

There may be a billion music blogs out there now, but they're mostly all completely worthless, in my opinion at least. Popsheep is one of the 3 or 4 mp3 blogs that I still actually read.

And it's good that you don't post every day, or, god forbid, multiple times a day. That's the worst. I'd rather get one gem per week than 50 of those quota-filling posts that bloggers these days seem to do.

There are a billion (and counting), and it's certainly disheartening to see how many are little more than hasty and depthless "mp3 mixes." My point is not to berate these blogs, but to say that it would be a shame if a site like Popsheep called it quits (which I don't suspect will happen, btw). There are blogs, big and small, with absolutely unquestionable heart, which I've drawn inspiration from since the beginning. And while I'm trying to find my own voice amidst the growing clamor, I can say with confidence that the most important ones won't ever be drowned out, even if they aren't the loudest.

There To Stay

2006-08-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

OKAY, I'M GONNA TRY to explain this, and it might not work. Ryan's posted an amazing, amazing song by Beaten Awake (not a hXc band) at the Catbirdseat. You know how the strongest memories are tied to scents - the smell at the lake, the car's sun-baked upholstery, her old perfume - you know? Well, this may be harder to pick up on, but it's the same with sounds, I swear. Like with this song, "Browns Town," which recalls exactly what I felt when I'd listen to Algebra One's "Fireball." I don't know anything about Algebra One besides this song which appeared on an old Sub City comp. This mystery, I suppose, was crucial to the construction of this strange mental space I occupied whenever I heard "Fireball." I felt an essence too romantic to share with anybody, like I was the one hollering for my shining sun. I liked the way the instruments veered out of time with what can only be described as punk passion, because it never sounded bad, just excited. And when things did come together, when the song started walking high-wire halfway through, and he sang "Been waiting all night/ Three hours of sleep..." with perfect pitch and measure, I nearly died. Two minutes later and it was gone, and to understand where I'd been I had to listen again.

"Browns Town" plays like an updated "Fireball," retrofitted to match the evolution of my taste over the years. It wraps me in the same air, I feel the same lift when I hear him sing "So I'll rock you right down to the floor" like a promise that's more determination than anything else. A promise made under low lights on slow nights, or something similarly astral. It's a place I'm only too happy to revisit, whatever it is.

Algebra One - Fireball [mp3]

Beaten Awake - Browns Town [mp3]

Buy Sub City's Take Action, featuring "Fireball," here. It's also got a special version of the Weakerthans' "Everything Must Go!," which I prefer, and my favorite Scared of Chaka song. For, like, four dollars.

Visit Beaten Awake online, and buy Let's Get Simplified when it comes out on Audio Eagle in September.

***

Please go listen to Thao Nguyen's Daytrotter session while reading what Mr. Moeller's so graciously written. "Feet Asleep" is one of my favorite songs of the year, if that means anything to you.

I'm A Lion

2006-08-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

WHAT HAPPENED TO PAGE FRANCE'S Hello Dear Wind? All records of it seem to have been erased, and I'm panicking because a huge mistake has lost my emusic mp3s of the album (iPods and hard resets: damn it all). And I need that album now, when I feel like I'm searching and silly and small, because it's all those things too, and when I listen to it I feel like I've got something behind me.

As a substitute of sorts, I've acquired the band's previous album, Come, I'm a Lion, in hopes that it will have a similarly warming effect. I haven't gotten to know it like HDW yet, but it's obvious that the best parts are all present here. Page France channel wonder, an absolute and honest wide-eyed love for everything, through a soft and generously diffusive lens, the results comprise a grace which fascinates me endlessly. Most special to me is the theme of affinity running throughout the album, "You were made out of my ribs/ We share a heart we share a heart we share a heart..." sings Michael Nau on "Ribs," while elsewhere on the fantastic "Air Pollution" there is celebration as "everyone can share what's left/ We can share a breath/ We can share the air pollution." I reveled in HDW's jubilation and self-assuredness, the roots of which are clearly discerned on Come...

Page France - Ribs [mp3]

Page France - Air Pollution [mp3]

Visit Page France online, and buy the fantastic Come, I'm a Lion on Fall Records here.

UPDATE: Hello, Dear Wind will be re-released on Suicide Squeeze on September 12. Thank goodness.

Meet My Knuckleduster

2006-08-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

PERHAPS BECAUSE SHE SINGS the bulk of the band's songs, or because I've always had a crush on her, I think of Eleanor Friedberger as the main Fiery Furnace. I know this isn't true, that Matthew's easily half the racket, but he's always seemed the less knowable and more darkly exciting sibling, which understandably makes him the other Friedberger. Thinking about it, though, he's the one responsible for my very favorite moment in the band's entire oeuvre (which is saying quite a lot), the lines I find myself singing aloud most often. From Blueberry Boat's "Chief Inspector Blancheflower," a conversation between two brothers rife with tension and executed perfectly by Friedberger:

Fiery Furnaces - Chief Inspector Blancheflower [mp3]

Well I rode up to Springfield on my motorcycle
And I’s gonna stay with my younger brother Michael
Mom’s oxycontins and the Amstel Light
But I noticed I was doing most of the talking that night
So I got both remotes and turned off the DVD
And said Michael is there something that you need to say to me?
Well I don’t know how to tell you
You can tell me anything that you want ’cept I started seeing Jenny
I started seeing Jenny
My Jenny?
And he looked down at the floor
You know damn well she ain’t your Jenny no more

Clearly, there's a dramatic element in the Furnaces' music unlike many other bands'. For some it's written in the lyrics and some have the voice for it, but few can combine these like the Friedbergers. And that's why I'm excited to hear Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School, Matthew's upcoming solo effort. The two songs I've heard thus far suggest he can pull it off just fine without his sis, thank you.

Matthew Friedberger - The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co. Resignation Letter [mp3]

First of all, the title should eliminate ninety-nine percent of doubt among the skeptics. As for the song itself, it's nearly everything I want to hear: Matthew's always-quiet voice singing in specifics, a too-loud guitar not embarrassed to play over everything else.

Matthew Friedberger - Do You Like Blondes? [mp3]

There's an insistent thump which somehow makes me think of the Furnaces covering Spoon. There's the wired cool at the song's core that gives it away as an all-too-possible secret collaboration, not unlike when Eleanor showed up on the back of Spoon's 30 Gallon Tank 7". Think about it.

Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School comes out Tuesday on 859 Recordings.

Jay-Tee

2006-08-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the massive anticipation which accompanies something like the release of Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds. An event that doesn't exactly transcend pop culture's inherent vacuousness, but at least makes us forget about it as we wait, along with millions of our neighbors, with baited breath. Now, I'm not saying ignorance is bliss, and the absolute last thing I want is a(nother) diatribe on the evils of mainstream media. I'm just excited that we're all excited, if you know what I mean. That's special.

Justin Timberlake - SexyBack [asx stream]

Buy this album anywhere on Earth September 12.

The Click Wheel Five II

2006-07-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Now that everything's sorted on the new computer, meaning my entire music collection Available For The Very First Time from a single source, it's time for a new click-wheel five. I haven't done one for a while, because exercises like this can be overdone and become gratuitous mp3 dumps, but I'm in the mood. And for some strange reason I'd like to be embarrassed this time (this is so possible). Without further ado:

1. Modest Mouse - Wood Grain [mp3]
from Sad Sappy Sucker [buy]

From Sad Sappy Sucker, a collection we could've done without, here's an early Modest Mouse song. Thirty seconds made listenable by lines about "sharing our issues," being "totally dead," and little else. But is that not classic Brock?

2. The Hold Steady - Cattle and the Creeping Things (live on The Current) [mp3]
originally from Separation Sunday [buy]

Here's one I've mentioned before. Done acoustic here, I wonder if anyone can help me: is that a theremin singing in the background? Or a saw? Kind of a welcome addition anyway, this being one of the few tracks on Separation Sunday's that didn't stand out.

3. The Mountain Goats - Historiography [mp3]
from Bitter Melon Farm [buy]

Statistically, there should be a Mountain Goats song on almost every five-song shuffle I do. It's just Darnielle and a guitar, but it sounds real thick and sweet. A list of all he remembers: your warmth, your eyes, soft hands and soft rain. The quiet car, the dark and the coming sun, and I wish I could write like this. I remember an old girlfriend putting a Mountain Goats song on a cassette mix for my cassette-enabled car, called "Love Cuts The Strings." And how it frustrated me not knowing if it was a love song or a bitter send-off, with lines like "And then love pulled out the heavy artillery." It would take a long time and many more of Darnielle's love songs before I understood.

4. Wilderness - Arkless [mp3]
from Wilderness [buy]

At one point, Pitchfork was beta testing streaming radio (remember that?). I recall requesting from the man himself to hear Wilderness, whose first album they had recently praised. This, I believe, was the song played, and I absolutely hated it.

5. Spiritualized - Anything More [mp3]
from Let It Come Down [buy]

I learned about Spiritualized from a skate video featuring "Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space" in a crash montage. It was like nothing I'd heard before; it was as grand and infinite and heartbreakingly lonely as the abyss the title implied. "Anything More" is done well, too, swelling and sad. "Though my body gets tired/ My mind does it no favors at all/ And there's so little time/ To do something, something, anything more." I'll go ahead and say this reminds me of "Narcolepsy," from Ben Folds Five's oft-maligned swansong The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, I think that's fair.

Well, that wasn't nearly as scandalous as I had hoped for. I'd call it solid though.

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Lurking through my links, I found this interesting post on the sociology of music blog titles.

I'm addicted to Project Runway, but the last two weeks' decisions have really upset me. Katherine's dress was cute, it was sporty and simple and just fine, whereas Angela's looked like space-trash. Anyway, it seems I agree with what seems to be the popular consensus around the blogodrome: cut Angela, show Michael.

I Can't Even Talk About It

2006-07-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Clientele's Strange Geometry would have been one of my favorite albums of 2005, had I actually listened to it that year. Really, it's Top 5 material.

I remember seeing them open for Spoon last summer, and the distinct feeling of boredom I got from watching three mopey English men play similarly mopey English songs. I also remember Alasdair Maclean's guitar playing - no pick, beautiful and no doubt difficult. This should have been a clue to listen a little closer, to stop assuming their material was as drab as their presence, because now I sorely regret not paying attention. It would be months until I would hear those songs again, at the behest of a friend, and recognize the singular brilliance in them. "My Own Face Inside The Trees" would serve as the soundtrack to my Scottish winter, the lines "Like the sea inside a shell/ Everything speaks to itself/ Darkness comes at half-past three/ My own face is in the trees" running through my head the length of the dark walks home.

I bring this up for two reasons. First, because I found the Clientele's blog, home to some seriously wonderful prose. Specifically the most recent entry, and its familiar backdrop. This song, as a comment on that entry noted, recalls "Losing Haringey" from Geometry.

The Clientele - Losing Haringey [mp3]

Second, my experience with the Clientele has been replayed, albeit to a much lesser extent, with El Perro Del Mar. I saw her play this winter, and didn't like it one bit. I've seen the name pop up since then, with surprisingly nice words attached. I've given her another chance, and this song won't leave my head. Very well done.

El Perro Del Mar - I Can't Talk About It [mp3]

Visit the Clientele online, and buy Strange Geometry here.

Visit El Perro Del Mar online, and buy the self-titled album here.

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I got my special-edition Tap Tap album today, and it's fantastic. It recalls so many of the little books I've loved.