Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Russian Circles are an instrumental rock band from Chicago, and while that is not the most unique way to describe the band, it (at least) puts you in the ballpark. Not exactly hardcore and not quite metal, the music is at times heavy and technical, but it also swings. The band is capable of switching for ambient soundscapes to a raging thrash in the blink of an eye. Definately recommended if you like stuff like Don Caballero, Ghosts And Vodka, or even Isis.
They currently have a self-titled self-released EP out and have a full-length due out May 16th presumably on the excellent
Flameshovel Records. You can catch them touring throughout March and April with the likes of Appleseed Cast, Minus The Bear, The Velvet Teen, Chin Up Chin Up, Isis, and more, including a stop by
SXSW. Exact dates
here.
MP3 |
Russian Circles - Death Rides A Horse ST EPMP3 |
Russian Circles - New Macabre ST EP
Monday, February 27, 2006
In response to a number of comments (mostly mean and nasty ones) as well as my own desire for a better file host, I've broken down and (despite the problems people seem to be having) joined the masses that are using EZ Archive.
I'd imagine that if you like like Interpol or Joy Division you would probably like
The Editors. They are from the UK, blah, blah, blah...
Their album
The Back Room was released in the UK last summer but will hit Us shores via
The Fader Label on March 21, 2006.
MP3 |
The Editors - Munich The Back RoomMP3 |
The Editors - Blood The Back Room
Sunday, February 26, 2006
I'm always on the lookout for great kids music for my beautiful 4 month old daughter
Hailey (pictured above). Lucky for me
Kevin from
So Much Silence recently posted about a cool new blog called
(Sm)All Ages that features a boatload of kid-friendly music. Definately worth repeat visits.
A while back Eric from
Theme Park Experience (who just happens to have some of the best music-related writing on the web) emailed me about the
The Terrible Twos, which is a collection of songs for children from Matt Pryor (Get Up Kids/New Amsterdams). It is great stuff and fun for both kids and their parents.
And let's not forget that, kids (and
spouses) love
Wilco.
MP3 |
The Terrible Twos - When I Get To Eleven If You Ever See An OwlMP3 |
The Terrible Twos - Caroline If You Ever See An OwlMP3 |
Wilco - Heavy Metal Drummer Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
A few weeks ago I got some music from California's
Division Day in my mailbox, and I've been digesting the music since then trying to figure out exactly what I'm going to say.
The band plays great breezy piano-based pop. Is that enough info? No? Ok.
So I first popped their EP
The Mean Way In into my car's CD player and began tapping along to the opening track. The sound is polished and almost familiar. It is easy on the ears. Well played and interesting and incorporates a lot of different "feels" while still sounding like part of a singular whole (at times reminging me of the band Dada). Anyone remember "Dizz Knee Land?" I really liked the EP (which was recorded at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone) so I was pretty excited to hear their new full-length
Beartrap Island that was beautifully packaged in a brown paper bag.
Their new material is a little rawer and contains a little more guitar than the EP. The music is more driving without being aggressive (perhaps a little like Doves). I hear the influence of California pop like the Beach Boys as well as hints of sonic experimentation that might point towards Yo La Tengo and other shoegazer acts. Dreamy and perfect for driving along the coastline on a sunny Sunday afternoon, or anytime at all.
Do yourself a favor and listen to the songs below and then check out some of Division Day's merch
here.
MP3 |
Division Day - Bad Black Moon The Mean Way InMP3 |
Division Day - Colorguard Beartrap Island
Saturday, February 25, 2006
I've been listening to the latest album from Ames, Iowa's
Sounds Like Fall a lot lately.
The Wolf Is At The Door is full of the soft introspective Americana that is a little country and a little folk. The instrumentation is often sparse (containing just strummed acoustic guitar and voice) but is perfectly augmented with the subtle piano lines and the twang of a lap steel guitar.
Reminiscent of (perhaps) the newer breed of artists Iron & Wine, Lewis & Clarke, and Small Knives that seemlessly blend the stories and sincerity of acoustic folk music with the liquor-stained rough-edged twang of authentic country music. Joe Young (who essentially
is Sounds Like Fall) has made a great album that is tops in this genre.
The Wolf Is At The Door is out now on
Yer Bird Recrords and,
"While another sincere young man with an old guitar and a dusty voice may not sound like an intriguing artist in the post-music modern world, sometimes sincerity speaks louder than anything." - CokemachineglowMP3 |
Sounds Like Fall - Moon To Midnight The Wolf Is At The DoorMP3 |
Sounds Like Fall - Picture In My Wallet The Wolf Is At The Door
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Because
The Streets have a new album called
The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living coming out in April (and also found their new single via the blogs) I listened to
A Grand Don't Come For Free again today and loved every single second of it. Mike Skinner's disaffected everyman rapping fits perfectly with the sparse skittering beats of this record. And what Mike lacks in flow he makes up tenfold in pure storytelling ability.
MP3 |
The Streets - When You Wasn't Famous The Hardest Way To Make An Easy LivingMP3 |
Bloc Party - Banquet (The Streets Remix) Previously UnreleasedMP3 |
The Streets - Could Well Be In A Grand Don't Come For Free
Monday, February 20, 2006
"Chicago's The Lawrence Arms are a gritty but clever punk rock trio that trace their beginnings back to 1999. These three punks/hunks/drunks blend East Bay punk with an intelligent and introspective Midwest sound. Take those musical influences and add a heap of bad television, some leftist literature, and exactly three cases of the cheapest most watery piss-beer you can muster, and you're just beginning to get an idea of what this band is about. Imagine Aaron Cometbus and the guys from Jawbreaker sitting around happily drinking Hamm's from martini glasses in a dank Chicago basemant whilst watching Press Your Luck or The Rockford Files." - Fat Wreck ChordsThe band's members have been playing punk rock for quite some time and (when they weren't drinking) previously spent time in great bands like Slapstick, Tricky Dick, Baxter, Colossal, and The Broadways. The Lawrence Arms have five full-length albums and a few splits out on both
Asian Man Records and
Fat Wreck Chords and continue to keep Chicago's great punk rock tradition alive and well in today's era or watered down so called punk music.
Their new album
Oh! Calcutta! is due out on March 7th on Fat Wreck. I've heard it's their best yet.
MP3 |
The Lawrence Arms - Great Lakes/Great Escapes Oh! Calcutta!MP3 |
The Lawrence Arms - Lose Your Illusion 1 Oh! Calcutta!MP3 |
The Lawrence Arms - Quincentuple Your Money Cocktails & DreamsMP3 |
The Lawrence Arms - Drunk Mouth Kitchen Smile The Greatest Story Ever ToldMP3 |
The Lawrence Arms - Porno And Snuff Films Apathy And Exhaustion
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Wolfmother is from Sydney, Australia and I've been hearing their name a lot lately. Evidently there is an enormous amount of hype surrounding their self-titled debut full-length that is scheduled to be released in the US on May 2nd. Their
Dimensions EP was released last month and serves as a good introduction to their monstrous brand of rock music.
For the sake of classification, this Aussie trio is a stoner rock band in the vein of Black Sabbath, King Crimson, and even Zeppelin. Musically they dish out tight, focused, pummeling hard rock tunes that are dripping with 70's nostalgia and hippie overtones while vocally singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale channels Robert Plant and Jack White though his pipes.
Becuase their album art evokes Dungeons & Dragons imagery and has lyrical subject mattter such as unicorns, wizards, gnomes, and witchcraft, you may be tempted to lump Wolfmother into the same category as joke bands like The Darkness, but you shouldn't. Instead of becoming a total parody of classic rock (like The Darkness), Wofmother takes cues from more modern groups like The White Stripes, Kyuss, and QOTSA in their updated stoner rock sound. These guys don't hide their influences, but (rather) combine them in such a way that seems honest and totally believable.
MP3 |
Wolfmother - Woman STMP3 |
Wolfmother - Mind's Eye ST
Friday, February 17, 2006
You all probably jumped all over this when it first came out last fall, but I'm not sure if any other music blogs have posted this yet so here goes. My brother emailed me this afternoon and said, "Check this shit out. It's pretty funny, and sometimes good." Agreed. He was referring to the
Q-Unit mashup from
The Silence Xperiment.
As the name may (or may not imply) it is indeed a 50 Cent & Queen mashup that is everything my brother said it is. You can download the entire thing via torrent
here or check out the individual (and hilariously titled) tracks below. Enjoy!
MP3 |
Q-Unit - This Is How We Bite The DustMP3 |
Q-Unit - If I Can't Be A ChampionMP3 |
Q-Unit - Crazy Little Pimp Called LoveMP3 |
Q-Unit - Under Pressure All The TimeMP3 |
Q-Unit - We Will Rock You In Da ClubMP3 |
Q-Unit - Just It AllMP3 |
Q-Unit - Old Fashioned Outta Control LoverboyMP3 |
Q-Unit - Disco LanguageMP3 |
Q-Unit - Candy Bottom GirlsMP3 |
Q-Unit - Flash QuestionsMP3 |
Q-Unit - Bohemian Wanksta
I can hear it now,
"Has Eric gone crazy? He never posts any hip-hop. What's going on here?"Well, I'm taking another cue from Kevin over at
So Much Silence and his remarkable ear for great hip-hop. A few weeks back he posted about Ohio native
Blueprint. While I'm not much of a hip-hop guy, reading that Blueprint has worked with the likes of RJD2 (they have worked together as Soul Position) and Aesop Rock made me take a notice and download the tracks Kevin posted.
"His lyrics and flow, which changes up with each song. There are times when he comes off with confidence, other times it feels like he's opening his heart and pleading in a vulnerable manner, at the same time knowing that the motivation to rap that way is merely for you to effectively decipher his messages, which are as clear as day.
[As a producer] he compliments the words with beats that perfectly go hand in hand. While it can be a challenge to produce for others and hope that they will compliment your production skills, it is a bigger challenge to do both and be able to execute it and make it work. Blueprint knows himself, so Blueprint makes beats for Blueprint's lyrics, and Blueprint rhymes in a manner that also puts Blueprint's music on a higher level." - Rap Reviews All I know is that this is some great "back-in-the-day" sounding positive hip-hop that is a fitting tribute to "the beats, breaks and themes of possibly the most revered year in Hip Hop, 1988, and the great hip-hop pioneers that set the stage for today.
This is good stuff and Blueprint's latest
1988 is out now on
Rhymesayers.
MP3 |
Blueprint - Trouble On My Mind 1988MP3 |
Blueprint - 1988 1988
Thursday, February 16, 2006
I'll be the first person to admit that I am not the hippest and most in-the-know blogger around. (For the most part) you won't find too much breaking news or posts about the next big thing months before they explode. I am decidedely uncool. I've never heard a single Cat Power tune. I don't own any Belle And Sebastian albums. I haven't written a word (until now) about We Are Scientists and The National just isn't my thing. I oftentimes get totally lost shuffling through the sea of new bands being posted about by people like
GVB,
YANP, and
MOKB. Its a lot to make sense of so I generally leave that to the professionals. There is so much great new music out there but the sheer volume of it all is almost overwhelming.
All that being said (sorry for the rant) I can almost guarantee that I will like anything released by
Jade Tree. Whether it is Pedro The Lion, Cub Country, Zero Zero, or Breather Resist, quality is part of everything Jade Tree does.
One of the label's recent releases is from Oklahoma's
Ester Drang. And while I wasn't familiar with anyhting but their name until now, their latest album
Rocinate has been captivating me all week. The band knocks out ethereal post-gazer rock that incorporates a vast array of instrumentation.
Rocinate is a diverse, hypnotic, and unpredictable album that touches on almost every musical genre I can think of but manages to have one singular vision. It is ambitious but somehow remains a cohesive whole.
MP3 |
Ester Drang - Valencia's Dying Dream RocinateMP3 |
Ester Drang - Great Expectations Rocinate
Kevin from
So Much Silence strangely posted about
Jonah Matranga today. He noted that Matranga's latest project
Gratitude (sadly) recently called it quits and that Jonah is releasing a CD/DVD entitled
There's A Lot In Here next week on
Equal Vision Records.
While Kevin stated that he thought that Gratitued was "an ill-fated project from the get-go," and a "hasty attempt to spin out a radio hit," I feel otherwise. Yes, the music of Gratitude is glossier than anything Jonah has done before, but the songs are all him. Even though I love Far and Onelinedrawing, Gratitude (to me at least) seems like the first project where Jonah's voice seems perfectly suited for the music behind it. His best fit. I look at Jonah's track record and have no doubt that he is always making the music he wants to and just looking for a quick "radio hit."
The italicized text below is a
repost of something I wrote last August.
You may or may not know Jonah Matranga from his previous work. he fronted the amazing band Far who released their masterpiece Water & Solutions in 1998. You may also know him as Onelinedrawing or the frontman for the short-lived New End Original. His latest group, however, is called Gratitude. They recently released their self-titled debut on Atlantic Records, but I am a bit confused about it.
Gratitude plays no-frills pop-rock with a hint of the punk attitude you'd expect from Jonah. I mean, these guys should be all over MTV and so-called "modern rock" radio but for some reason I can't figure out they aren't. Maybe they didn't participate in the big payola scandal, but they are on a major label and play catchy-as-fuck rock music that would be right at home blasting over the airwaves on a hot summer day.
I know that being on a major is not an automatic guarantee of success even with enormous talent (Jawbreaker, Smoking Popes, Texas Is The Reason, etc...), but this band should be huge. It's a perfect example of everything that is wrong with the music industry as a whole. The people that run major labels are after one thing and one thing only. Profit. They don't call it the music "business" for nothing. The clueless fuckers in suits who run major labels basically peddle mostly substandard, unoriginal, and derivative products to many people who don't have access to (or know about) anything else. The majority of them don't care about the artists or about the "art" that is being made.
For every Fall Out Boy that has a little success, there are dozens of bands like Gratitude that, despite their talent and skill, will continue to struggle in obscurity.MP3 |
Gratitude - Feel Alright STMP3 |
Gratitude - Sadie STMP3 |
Gratitude - Sadie (Acoustic) Drive Away CD Single
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
On his most recent album
The Wall To Wall Sessions Brooklynite/Chicagoan
Chris Mills makes the kind of epic timeless orchestral pop music that mixes the classics like George Gershwin and Cole Porter with the modern edge of bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, The Old '97's, and even The Flaming Lips.
According to Mills' website,
"He and his 17-piece ‘Chicago indie rock big band’ rehearsed and recorded an album in two-and-a-half days, performing live while simultaneously mixing to a two-track tape machine, putting to use the studio’s orchestra pit and 30-foot ceilings. There were no overdubs, including the vocal tracks.A truly remarkable feat in today's world of Pro Tools, auto-tuned vocals, and overdubbed "live" recordings. In fact, all the songs were recorded in five takes or less.
With an impressive list of guest musicians in his band including Dave Max Crawford (brass, Poi Dog Pondering, Sea and Cake), Susan Voelz (violin, Giant Sand), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello, Wilco), Patrick Newberry (horns, Head of Femur), and about a dozen others, Chris created what has to be one of the most enjoyable and downright great records I've heard recently.
Chris said,
"That’s what I really love about this record. It is as it was, just a band - a large band - all playing together in one room. Moving together and feeding off each other. We made a record in a way that most records haven’t been made for forty years."Highly recommended,
The Wall To Wall Sessions is out now on
Powerless Pop Recorders.
MP3 |
Chris Mills - A Farewell To Arms The Wall To Wall SessionsMP3 |
Chris Mills - Escape From New York The Wall To Wall Sessions
Naked Raygun existed from 1980-1991 and is perphaps the most revered of all Chicago punk bands to have come and gone in the 80's (maybe ever). I was only seven years old when they released
Throb, Throb so I never got to experience their brand of blazing midwest punk firsthand, but listening to their records, it is evident why so many other Chicago punk musicians cite them as a major influence.
Influenced by such bands as Buzzcocks, Wire, and Stiff Little Fingers, Naked Raygun's hardcore punk rock didn't sacrifice pop accessibility. Their sound was fast, tight, agressive, and melodic and melded anthemic sing-a-longs into their political protests. When John Haggerty left to form
Pegboy in 1990, the band lost their trademark buzzsaw guitar sound and called it quits a year later. Former singer Jeff Pezzati is now fronting
The Bomb.
While most of their albums went out of print in the mid 90's,
Quarterstick Records reissued the entire Naked Raygun catalog in 1999. This is classic Chicago punk rock.
MP3 |
Naked Raygun - I Lie Basement ScreamsMP3 |
Naked Raygun - Rat Patrol Throb ThrobMP3 |
Naked Raygun - Rat Patrol Throb Throb
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
I'm pressed for time today kids but rather than leaving you empty-handed on this lovely 55 degree Valentine's Day, I present to you the musical stylings of Brooklyn's
Foreign Islands. And while I've only got these two songs to go on, I'm chomping at the bit to hear more.
Formed in the spring of 2005, Brooklyn’s Foreign Islands generates a distinctive style of post-punk dance music that ohmyrockness.com affectionately termed spazz-pop.
Mark Ryan, lead singer and well-known NYC nightlife personality, originally formed the band with friend and producer Dean Baltulonis. After recruiting the rest of their line-up, the band recorded and self-released their eponymous debut EP in August.
The band is quickly earning a reputation as one of New York’s best live acts, serving up tight, energetic sets with added percussion, buzzes and beeps. Mark Ryan’s punk delivery and sassy lyrics compliment a call-and-response guitar exchange between Dean and James Gelini. Drummer Andy Action provides a sturdy backbone for the group to deliver the spazz, and Johnny McAuliffe’s bass lines will get stuck in your head until you hear them again…and again. - AM Only OnlineI'd liken their sound to something along the likes of Les Savy Fav, Thunderbirds Are Now!, or The Blood Brothers. If that suits you, you can buy their EP from
Insound for only $5. I'm going to tonight.
MP3 |
Foreign Islands - Fine Dining With The Future ST EPMP3 |
Foreign Islands - Ghost Story ST EP
Monday, February 13, 2006
Parisian troubadour
Syd Matters makes adventurous pop music that I've heard described (pretty accurately) as a cross between Radiohead and Iron & Wine. His latest album
Someday We Will Forsee Obstacles is culled from a sonically rich palette that colors his dreamy folk-pop in every shade from whimsical to haunting. At times the music even recalls Elliott Smith or The Divine Comedy. Matters' electronic acoustic sound is hypnotic and when combined with his low meloncholy vocals, makes for a great listen.
Someday We Will Forsee Obstacles is out now on
Third Side Records.
MP3 |
Syd Matters - Obstacles Someday We Will Forsee ObstaclesMP3 |
Syd Matters - Flow Backwards Someday We Will Forsee Obstacles
Saturday, February 11, 2006
I head a
Rocky Votolato song the other day on The O.C. and realized that Rocky's new album
Makers has been out for a few weeks and I have yet to post about it. On his third album, Rocky Votolato presents a similar but more stripped-down sound than on his previous two records.
Before going it alone, Rocky fronted the Seattle emo-rock outfit
Waxwing in which his brother Cody also played until he joined
The Blood Brothers so we knew he had the chops. But this hard-working father of two distinguishes himself from the myriad of other singer-songwriters out there through the sincerity and honesty of his music. His songs are little pieces of country-tinged acoustic Americana played with the attitude and heart of a punk-rocker. His great lyrics never sound contrived and it is hard to imagine that words this raw and that cut straight to the bone can be so poetic.
My
wife and I have been enjoying Rocky's music ever since we saw him live at the Fireside Bowl in 2003. I managed to track down a recording of that show for your listening (dis)pleasure. You can download it
here.
Rocky Votolato's album
Makers is out now. It was co-released by
Barsuk and
Second Nature, where you can also find some of his older releases. RIYL: Steve Earle, Waxwing, Iron & Wine
MP3 |
Rocky Votolato - Tennessee Train Tracks MakersMP3 |
Rocky Votolato - Someday You Won't Be Here Makers
Sorry for the lack of posting consistency lately. I've been busy with projects for school and the family has been feeling a little under the weather. Anyhow, I'm going to kick off this new feature with a favorite of mine that still remains relatively unknown outside of Chicago.
I never really know if
The Mushuganas are broken up or not. They sporadically play one-off shows but are basically a now-defunct group from the south suburbs of Chicago that formed in 1993 and released most of their best material in the mid 90's. Their
Dropout Girl 7" (on
Harmless Records) is considered by many to be a Chicago punk rock classic with it's "Crimpshrine meets Johnny Thunders" sound and rough yet sappy love songs.
They broke up and reformed and broke up again a few times before I finally stopped keeping track. They played fast straight ahead gruff-yet-poppy punk rock until they got back together in 1997 and went in more of a garage rock direction that alienated and turned off many of their fans (me included).
Their discography (ie: good stuff from the early years) is scheduled to be released by
Beer Can Records this April. For now though, the
Dropout Girl 7" and the other track below (a cover of Winepress' 'Disappointed' from the
A Taste Of Chicago compilation) are out of print.
That being said, if anyone out there has a copy (MP3 or otherwise) of the Rocco Records compilation
The Check's In The Mail: The Rise And Fall Of The Rocco Empire that is way out of print and has a few great Mushuganas tunes on it, drop me a line. I haven't heard those tunes in years.
MP3 |
The Mushuganas - Dropout Girl Dropout Girl 7"MP3 |
The Mushuganas - 18 Dropout Girl 7"MP3 |
The Mushuganas - Maybe Dropout Girl 7"MP3 |
The Mushuganas - It's Raining Dropout Girl 7"MP3 |
The Mushuganas - Disappointed A Taste Of Chicago Compilation
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Every time I've been to Montana, I've not wanted to leave. The beauty of its pristine wilderness is breathtaking and leaves me speechless every time. Perhaps that is why the music of
This Is A Process Of A Still Life works so well without vocals. Words simply can't describe how the mountains just rise up from wide-open plains and touch the bluest skies imaginable. On their second full-length
Light it is obvious that place and their geographic location play a big part in their music.
"Montana's been my biggest influence in writing, especially Missoula," says bassist Jason Ward. "It's so majestic and just really inspiring—I would say more than any place I've ever been." - Missoula IndependentTIAPOASL is an instrumental rock band from Missoula, Montana and their music is full of heavily layered instrumentation with pianos and guitars weaving together subtle yet captivating melodies that seem to float effortlessly through the air like they are part of the natural land(sound)scape. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they don't drone and repeat or up the heaviness-factor to make the music hypnotic and powerful. They just have a knack for creating melodies and textures that infuse a little Americana into their soaring post-rock.
As dense and intricate as TIAPOASL's songs are, they still have a very open and uncluttered feeling which gives their richly colored sonic textures room to breathe. Right now I'd love to get away from the hustle and bustle of this (sub)urban sprawl and have a little room to breathe as well. Listening to this music makes me realize that I can't wait to get back to Montana and it's grand expansive vistas. Until then...
Light can be purchased
here. RIYL: Explosions In The Sky, Tristeza, Pelican
MP3 |
This Is A Process Of A Still Life - Maya LightMP3 |
This Is A Process Of A Still Life - The Possibility Of Flight Light
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Ok. So a bunch of you have signed up for the
free iPod offer over on my sidebar, but most of you haven't completed an offer. I just came across a litte
proof that it actually works today. What are you all waiting for?
How about about a little jazz? Some vibes, saxophone, and piano for your listening (dis)pleasure.
MP3 |
Bobby Hutcherson - Tin Tin Deo Ambos MundosMP3 |
Chris Potter - Megalopolis Traveling MerciesMP3 |
Alan Broadbent - Serenata Round Midnight
Monday, February 06, 2006
One of my new year's resolutions for
CYSTSFTS? was to get back to my punk rock roots a little more. Last year saw me listening to a lot of indie rock and it although it was all good, it almost felt like I moved too far off course. Besides, there seem to be very few music blogs (at the ones I read) that feature any punk music at all. So here is to 2006 and the reintroduction of punk to this part of blogosphere.
One of the bands that prompted this was Philadelphia's
The Loved Ones. The band features ex-members of Kid Dynamite, The Curse, and Trial By Fire and play fast and explosive punk sing-a-long anthems that will be stuck in your head for days. Their music hints at everything from the members' former bands to Hot Water Music, The Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, and The Bouncing Souls. They even took their name from a great Elvis Costello song.
Now when I first heard their self-titled EP that was released on
Jade Tree (the vinyl is on
Chunksaah) last year, I didn't know what hit me. I was bouncing off the walls like I was seventeen and had the stereo so loud my ears were ringing. And while there isn't a whole lot of bands (today) that I could compare this power-punk trio to, their sound is familiar and worn (like your trusty leather jacket with the pins on the collar) but also fresh and bursting with energy. Their debut full-length
Keep Your Heart is due out February 21st on
Fat Wreck.
MP3 |
The Loved Ones - Suture Self Keep Your HeartMP3 |
The Loved Ones - Over 50 Club Keep Your HeartMP3 |
The Loved Ones - Jane DemoMP3 |
The Loved Ones - 100k Self Titled EP
Saturday, February 04, 2006
You may (or not) know that I am a pretty big fan of all things
Wilco and Jeff Tweedy, so you will probably not be surprised to see me posting about
Loose Fur. They are a band comprised of Tweedy and Glenn Kotche (both of Wilco) and multi-instrumentalist
Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth, etc.) that is essentially a rootsy experimental folk/rock jam session put to tape. Their first self-titled album is a favorite of mine, but the new album (according to Tweedy will be a little different.
"It's maybe a little bit heavier. There's definitely a lot of harmonized guitar parts. I think it's a similar mix of folk-ish elements, but the rock elements are a little less stridently abrasive, and maybe a little bit more prog-rock or something."The few tracks I've heard so far from their new album
Born Again In The USA have me eagerly counting the days until its release. It is due out March 21st on
Drag City.
MP3 |
Loose Fur - The Ruling Class Born Again In The USAMP3 |
Loose Fur - Apostolic Born Again In The USA
Friday, February 03, 2006
A few months ago I posted about Seattle's awesome
Lake of Falcons, and was pleasantly surprised when I got their CD in the mail last week. I came home from work yesterday and I was (again) happy to find another great CD from the Pacific Northwest in my mailbox. I (like a lot of other bloggers) am always excited to get new stuff to listen to in the mail, especially when the music is this good.
So yesterday I received the latest album from Portland-based
Point Juncture, WA (yes, they are a band and not a place). Anyhow, being the cynical and jaded music fan that I am, I popped this on stereo and started listening and waited for the music to falter. Song one and two passed with nary a misstep so I kept listening and waiting. The rest of the album passed and the only thing wrong (I'm stretching here) I could find is the ridiculous title
Mama Auto Boss. I was floored by how good this band is.
Musically the album is better than I could have ever hoped for. Imagine tossing Low, The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Veruca Salt, pre-
Rising Tide Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Blake Babies into a blender with a vibraphone and you might get something close to Point Juncture's sound. Interesting song structures and production elements, fantastic male/female vocal harmonies, and a propulsive rhythm section are just a few things that make this album such a treat. The songs meander and often end up miles away from their beginnings. Swirling rainbows of guitar feeback swallow dreamy pop songs up and spit them back out whole again while vibes and dub-inspired beats stand as the sonic framework holding it all together. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Point Juncture, WA's
Mama Auto Boss today.
MP3 |
Point Juncture WA - Happy Ending Mama Auto BossMP3 |
Point Juncture, WA - Cello Mama Auto Boss
Thursday, February 02, 2006
I'm about 2 days late on this one thanks to
YANP, but just in case you haven't heard,
The Raconteurs is comprised of the following individuals:
Jack White (
The White Stripes)
Brendan Benson (
Brendon Benson & The Wellfed Boys)
Jack Lawrence (
The Greenhornes)
Patrick Keeler (
The Greenhornes)
Below are the two tracks from their already sold-out limited edition 7".
MP3 |
The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes Limited Edition 7"MP3 |
The Raconteurs - Store Bought Bones Limited Edition 7"
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
It's midweek and I present you with the pop-rock sounds of
Firescape. The band is the side project of Josh Partington, the guitarist and 2nd songwriter from So-Cal's
Something Corporate. He is the one that doesn't sing or play piano and who (if you read the liner notes) writes their more rockin' (read: better) songs. Firescape's tunes are catchy and enjoyable, but are pretty much fluff in my book. After a long day like today (however) a little fluff is exactly what I need. Nothing complicated, just get to the point. While most of the music I prefer to listen to has a litte more going on than this and could be considered more "complex" or "experimental," there is absoutlely nothing wrong with a good pop-rock song that you can sing along to. They aren't guilty pleasures if you don't feel bad admitting them are they?
I could compare Firescape musically and vocally to slowed down versions of No Motiv and/or Alkaline Trio. They have that punk-ish influence but the songs are played at modern-rock-radio tempos. If you are into this sort of thing give these songs a listen and definately check out their 5-song EP
Rearden's Conscience.
MP3 |
Firescape - Parker Peterson Rearden's ConscienceMP3 |
Firescape - Postcards With Hidden Meanings Rearden's Conscience
