Sunday, April 30, 2006
Spending the day at home with my daughter sounds like a great idea to me, and what could be better than that and putting a little jazz on the stereo? No rain and a little sunshine wouldn't hurt. Anyhow, here are a few classic tracks from the likes of jazz greats like
Thelonious Monk,
Bobby Hutcherson, and
Booker Ervin that were part of our playlist yesterday.
Its strange though. I don't remember when I actually started to like jazz music so much. Hell, I don't even know what it is about jazz that I like. Call me ignorant or unknowing, whatever. All I do know is that there is a lot of great jazz music out there that just sounds really good to my ears. I mean, I still love stuff like Converge, Black Dice, or Killswitch Engage as much as the next guy, but yesterday was just a jazz sorta day.
MP3 |
Thelonious Monk - Bye Ya Monk's DreamMP3 |
Bobby Hutcherson - Tin Tin Deo Ambos MundosMP3 |
Booker Ervin - Boo That's It
Friday, April 28, 2006
So the quickly forgotten guys in
Saves The Day are back with a new album on
Vagrant Records. In the wake of the major-label shuffle that pushed their last album (not that it needed any help) into the abyss, the band built their own studio, recharged their collective batteries, and came back stronger and leaner than ever.
On their new album
Sound The Alarm the band (mainly) shys away from the meandering indie-slop that plagued their last album and returns to the pop-punk-emo-core formula that served them well in their early days. Although the album is darker than previous efforts (perhaps due to the replacement of long-time bassist Eben D'Amico with former Glassjaw bassist Manny Carrero) they still maintain the melodic edge that made them all the rage way back when.
Now that Saves The Day has been a band for going on nine years and decided to re-record some older songs acoustically in their new studio with their new lineup and release them as the tour-only
Bug Sessions Vol. 1 EP.
MP3 |
Saves The Day - Bones Sound The AlarmMP3 |
Saves The Day - The End Sound The AlarmMP3 |
Saves The Day - Freakish (Acoustic) Bug Sessions Vol. 1MP3 |
Saves The Day - Sell My Old Clothes... (Acoustic) Bug Sessions Vol. 1
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Capitol Radio (not to be confused with the Boston hardcore band
Capital Radio) is a great new pop-punk-rock band from eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley that features former members of bands like PA's Digger (Chris Benner) and New Mexico's Scared of Chaka (Paris Orrison). This is exciting news for many people like
Amy,
Jolene, and myself. The band currently has no label to call home but does have a
Myspace page. And while I've only heard two songs from the group, this is good stuff that (like a lot of good stuff these days) makes me feel just a little bit younger than I really am.
MP3 |
Capitol Radio - Left Out DemoMP3 |
Capitol Radio - Down Swing Demo
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
So there is this band from Montreal called
Islands and they are ridiculously awesome as well as awesomely ridiculous. As most of you probably know, Islands is the band that multi-instrumentalist Nick Diamonds and drummer J'amie Tambeur formed after the demise of their previous band The Unicorns. And while Unicorns released one of my favorite records of 2004 with
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, we are lucky that the debut full-length from Islands
Return To The Sea is much more an extension of that rather than a departure. Need I say more?
Return To The Sea is essentially a pop album (albeit a pretty quirky one). The lyrics are borderline insane and when combined with hooks and melodies so huge you'll be humming them for days, this is a difficult record to turn off. It is also amazing how cohesive a record this is considering the amount of different stylistic elements it is filled with. Hell
Pitchfork gave it an 8.4, so what else do you need to know? This is a fun and adventurous album that is already a contender for best album of 2006.
MP3 |
Islands - Rough Gem Return To The SeaMP3 |
Islands - Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone Return To The Sea
Hello Nurse is (as they describe themselves) "indie rock from Brooklyn, NY" that immediately caught my attention. I mean, its not every day that you hear a band with the cajones to start an album by repeating "Woah" six times. They sent me their latest self-released seven-song EP
Chorusaurus and it is a pretty nifty slice of poppy indie rock with punky underpinnings.
Energetic and spirited, the music reminds me of the sugary sweetness of The Stereo and the spastic energy of Ted Leo And The Pharmacists. Good stuff if you are into this sort of stuff and a welcome infusion of catchy melodies into what will be a busy week for me. Pick up a copy of their CD from their website or befriend the band on
Myspace.
MP3 |
Hello Nurse - Last One To Know ChorusaurusMP3 |
Hello Nurse - We've Got Tonight Chorusaurus
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Yesterday (which was actually last Thursday) and every day since then was a beautiful day here in west-suburban Chicago. I spent a great weekend (the first in awhile) with my happy and (finally) healthy daughter. Blue and sunny skies and high temps hovering between 70 and 80 degrees didn't hinder my great mood either. I found myself listening to the Heavenly States' excellent 2005 release
Black Comet for the fist time in some number of months and realized I had forgotten just how great this album is. It was #13 On my best of 2005 list, but probably could (and should) have been a few spots higher.
Despite having a prominent violin/fiddle player, that is really the only similarity they share with groups like Yellowcard and the Arcade Fire.
The Heavenly States are an Oakland, CA trio that is anything but typical. Frontman Ted Nesseth plays his guitar upside down and backwards and knows every Dead Kennedys song by heart while siblings Genevieve and Jeremy Gagon are formally trained classical and jazz musicians. The band’s songs are gruff voiced alt-country punk-pop that has been infused with rambunctious zydeco flavor and bluegrass strings. They also have the unique distinction of being the first rock band to ever play in Libya.
Their latest album
Black Comet (which has gotten a lot of plays on my iPod lately) comes across as a crazy collision of rough-around-the-edges hot Water Music-esque workingman’s emo rock and the vibrant eclecticism of Little Feat. Combining elements from a wide range of styles, the band creates their own passionate style of American rock music. Buy it now from
Baria Records.
MP3 |
The Heavenly States - Look And Listen Black CometMP3 |
The Heavenly States - Elastic Days Black Comet
Monday, April 24, 2006
OK. My daughter Hailey (as shown in the picture above) absoutley loves sweet potatos and the mess they make of her face.
Unrelatedly, the following songs have been stuck in my head as of late for some reason unknown to me. Maybe I heard them on the radio? Maybe at work? Good songs with a truly 80's flair to them. I mean you can't go wrong with a little Big Audio Dynamite, New Order, and The The. The perfect cure for what appears to be another (of a certain many)
Cubs losses.
Did anyone else see Chris from
Gorilla vs. Bear or "the ultimate
Rock Insisder" JAX in the latest issue of Filter Magazine? Good thing we have the photogenic ones representing us music bloggers, eh.
Also, don't forget to listen to my first foray into the world of podcasting. There were a few minor technical details that will be fixed by next time, but Can You Hear The Podcast From The Southside? will be back with another heaping dose of music before you know it. If you have any additional suggestions, drop me a line.
MP3 |
Big Audio Dynamite - The Globe The GlobeMP3 |
New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle SubstanceMP3 |
The The - This Is The Day Soul Mining
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Inspired by the likes of the
Contrast Podcast and the
Aquarium Drunkard podcast, I too have jumped on the train. Yep, I have a podcast called Can You Hear The Podcast From The Southside? This first edition is titled "The Roots Of CYSTSFTS? (or) From Punk To Parenthood (or) Ten Years Ago Today." It features some commentary from yours truly as well as great tunes by artists like Uncle Tupelo, Fugazi, Braid, Scud Mountain Boys, Shellac, Lemonheads, Lifetime, and more...
You can listen via iTunes on your computer or take it with you in you portable device. Subscribe to the feed (
click here) and you'll get the latest podcast just as soon as its available.
Podcast |
Can You Hear The Podcast (Vol. 1)
Friday, April 21, 2006
Since 1991
Tim Barry has fronted Richmond, Virginia’s
Avail, serving as the American band’s singer, lyricist, and co-songwriter. Avail has developed a cult following by marrying the three-chord fury of punk and hardcore to Americana and classic rock hooks. Barry now (however) is going it alone.
"Dancing in the Dark Records from Germany will release Barry’s first solo disc, the Laurel Street Demo, a collection of eight acoustic guitar-driven songs recorded DIY-style in a home studio a couple of blocks from his house. Once again, Barry is forging his own path, trading Avail’s distorted guitars and concussive drumming for a low-fi blend of folk, old school country, and roots rock. Devoid of amplified powerchords or high-dollar studio gloss, the tunes are pretty, raw, moody, and, at times, painfully intimate. As one reviewer for punknews.org site says, the disc 'sounds like it could come from a dude on his porch with a couple beers and his dog.'"From Woodie Guthrie to the Boss and from Steve Earle to Mellencamp, Barry simply calls it like he sees it. On the
Laurel Street Demo Barry played guitar, piano, harmonica, organ, bass and drums in addition to singing so the spirit in the songs in undeniably his. Barry has since signed to
Suburban Home Records and is planning record another album for them later this summer.
MP3 |
Tim Barry - Idle Idylist Laurel Street DemoMP3 |
Tim Barry - Church Of Level Track Laurel Street Demo
Thursday, April 20, 2006
I'll be willing to bet you didn't know that my favorite makeup-wearing vampire-inspired emo-metal-core band is Orange County's
Atreyu. (Really, there are more than just a few of these bands). Anyhow, their 2004 full-length
The Curse contains one of the fiercest (and somehow catchiest) songs ever to blare across my stereo speakers. "The Right Side Of The Bed" is such a great song and tops within this genre of music. A must listen if you will.
Now what got me thinking of this is the recent release of Atreyu's newest record
A Death-Grip On Yesterday on
Victory Records. I think they may have ditched the makeup and vampire schtick, but they still dish out a good dose of emo-metal. The record is a bit less melodic and at times, sounds even a little like Coalesce or others in that vein. Good stuff if you like your rock a little on the heavy side.
MP3 |
Atreyu - The Right Side Of The Bed The CurseMP3 |
Atreyu - Your Private War A Death-Grip On Yesterday
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Ray Lamontagne covering (acoustically) Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" which I aped from JAX over at
Rock Insider and Rose Polenzani's version of Death Cab For Cutie's "Soul Meets Body" that is taken from her
Myspace page. A little change of pace for your midweek blues.
MP3 |
Ray Lamontagne - CrazyMP3 |
Rose Polenzani - Soul Meets Body
I think that most will agree that the mid-ninties were the golden years of pop-punk. That was the case in Chicago. One of those bands was the south suburban A.Y.A. (Andy's Yellow Alligator).
Lead by frontman Chris Envy, A.Y.A. played lightning fast, snotty, catchy pop-punk in the much the same vein as the early Lookout Green Day stuff. In addition to putting out a few split 7" records and some tracks on a few Chicago punk compilations they released the vinyl only
A.Y.A. Gets Phat And Stoopid 7" on the now defunct Underdog Records in 1996. Well (like all these bands do) they broke up and Chris formed
Showoff while drummer Tony Tintari went on to play in
Shai Hulud (as well as on Rise Against's original demo).
The four songs below are from the long out-of-print
A.Y.A. Gets Phat And Stoopid 7" which (being a sucker for great pop-punk) is easily one of my favorite records of all time.
MP3 |
A.Y.A. - They Don't Like Us Anyway A.Y.A. Gets Phat And StoopidMP3 |
A.Y.A. - Only Girl A.Y.A Gets Phat And StoopidMP3 |
A.Y.A. - Dork A.Y.A. Gets Phat And StoopidMP3 |
A.Y.A. - Once More A.Y.A. Gets Phat And Stoopid
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Last October I
wrote about New York's
Beat Radio and while many things in my life are a bit different now, the greatness of their songs remains the same. My words from six months ago were:
A few days ago I got an email that began, "This is Brian from an NYC based band called Beat Radio." While I'm a little late with this one (I usually am) I think they deserve some praise. Beat Radio is using technology to their advantage. News of the "next big thing" spreads like wildfire on MP3 blogs and the internet and by promoting themselves to everyone that might be interested they are getting their name out. DIY + technology + talent = Good things to come. While they aren't breaking a lot of new gound, their upbeat indie rock definately caught my ears.
I listened to some of their stuff last night and they immediately reminded me of another band that (at the time) I couldn't place. A wonderful mix of jangly but slightly fuzzed-out guitars and wavering vocals that are backed by good heart-felt lyrics. After much listening (especially to "Treetops") I finally figured out who they reminded me of: The Weakerthans. There is a hint of Americana that bleeds through their songs and makes them feel warm and familiar. When their upcoming EP is released, I suggest you check it out.I'll stand behind those words and add that "Treetops" is/was easily one of the best songs of 2005/2006. I mean, I got the copy of the
Ecstatic EP that Brian from Beat Radio sent on Saturday and on my drive to work today I just listened to it over and over and over. There is also a quirky sincerity about the band that (according to my
wife) recalls the late Troubled Hubble. The songs are so good and have an almost timeless sound as warm as the late afternoon sun.
A band this good can't go unnoticed forever, so seriously folks, pick up your own copy of the EP
here. You (and your ears) will be better off because of it.
MP3 |
Beat Radio - Treetops Ecstatic EPMP3 |
Beat Radio - Mexico Ecstatic EP
Monday, April 17, 2006
Panda & Angel has a website that is under construction and reveals nothing about the band. I have also been able to gather very little information on the band elsewhere to accompany the amazing 13-track demo I have. All I know is that the band is creating some of the most hauntingly dense and (well) eclectic pop music I have heard in some time.
Featuring Josh Wackerly (of S), Carrie Murphy (of Touchdown Eagle), and Sera Cahoone (of Carissa's Wierd), their sound combines the sedated dissonance of early Low and Chan Marshall with the melancholy-filled distortion of My Bloody Valentine, but also brings to mind (perhaps) the free-form abstractness of Akron/Family. Husky, provocative female vocals (Julie Doiron-ish at times), lo-fi guitars, heaps of other assorted instrumentation, and a spacious pared-down rhythm section come together in great angst-filled indie pop songs.
Their self-titled EP is is scheduled for release by
Jade Tree Records on July 25th, 2006.
MP3 |
Panda & Angel - Dangerous DemosMP3 |
Panda & Angel - Mexico DemosMP3 |
Panda & Angel - Track 2 Demos
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Hailey is now home and (keep your fingers crossed) is feeling much better. If the last three weeks hadn't been so rough for all of us, I'd be tempted to head down to the Empty Bottle tonight for the first night of Wilderness and Parts & Labor on tour together. Good, but I think we all just need a little rest and downtime.
One of the bands playing tonight (as mentioned before) is Baltimore's
Wilderness. Their latest album
Vessel States is out now on the
Jagjaguwar label and (just like their last album) is great. Wilderness has a simple sound that is somehow hard to pin down. With a pulsing rhythm section, atonal (almost shouted) vocals and maybe a bit Joy Division or PiL (maybe) thrown in for good measure, the music of Wilderness is nothing if not triumphant. The empasis on simple, sparse arrangements with plenty of room to let the songs breathe, lend a mysterious and dreamy quality to this great post-something sound.
Vessel States was released last week on Jagjaguwar. You can buy it
here.
MP3 |
Wilderness - Beautiful Alarms Vessel StatesMP3 |
Wilderness - Emergency Vessel States
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Hi everyone. My daughter is still in the hospital and getting IV fluids to ward off any potential dehydration problems. We do however know what has been causing all the problems she has been having lately. Its a damn vicious
rotavirus. We aren't sure why the rota test that was done last week came back negative, but all we can do now is wait and keep the little one entertained.
I have (however) during the last two weeks, had some time to listen to some great music. One of the albums I have really been enjoying a whole lot is
Paquet Surprise, a collaboration between
Greg Davis and
Sebastien Roux. Even
Pitchfork gave the record a nice review.
It is a collision of electronic and organic/acoustic sounds. Hushed field recordings, beautiful dronescapes, and otherworldly blips and beeps are woven into the sonic fabric of what has become (when the headphones go on) my escape from the clamor and noise of the hospital. It is almost as if listen to the music transports me to somewhere else entirely. Glitchy, melodic, relaxing, and boldly listenable. I've been a Greg Davis fan for years, so I know how great his stuff is. You should (though) definately give
Paquet Surprise a listen. It is out now on
Carpark Records.
MP3 |
Greg Davis & Sebastien Roux - Air Castle Paquet SurpriseMP3 |
Greg Davis & Sebastien Roux - Daybreak Paquet Surprise
I was reading
Simon's Blog the other day and (probably only a few hours after my
wife read me some excerpts) saw that he had posted some portions of a great article about a new breed of adult that I can totally relate to. You can read the entire article
here.
If being a Grup means being 35, and having a job, and using a messenger bag instead of a briefcase, and staying out too late too often, and owning more pairs of sneakers (eleven) than suits (one), and downloading a Hot Hot Heat song from iTunes because it was on a playlist titled “Saturday Errands,” and generally being uneasy and slightly confused about just what it means to be an adult in these modern times—in short, if it means living your life in fundamentally the same way that you did when you were, say, 22—then, let’s face it, I’m a Grup.
Once upon a time, pop culture, and in particular pop music, followed a certain reliable pattern: People listened to bands, like the Doobie Brothers or Cream or Steely Dan, that their Frank Sinatra–loving parents absolutely despised. Then these people had kids, and their kids became teens, and they started listening to bands, like the Clash or Elvis Costello or Joy Division, that their Cream-loving parents absolutely despised.
And then these Clash-listening kids grew up and had kids of their own, and the next generation of kids started listening to music, like Franz Ferdinand and Interpol and Bloc Party, that you might assume their parents would absolutely despise. Except it doesn’t really work that way anymore. In part, because how can their parents hate Interpol when they sound exactly like Joy Division? And in part, because how can their parents hate Bloc Party when their parents just downloaded Bloc Party and think it’s awesome and totally better than the Bravery!
"All of the really good music right now has absolutely precise parallels to the best music of the eighties, from Franz Ferdinand to Interpol to Death Cab—anything you can name,” says Michael Hirschorn, the 42-year-old executive vice-president of original programming and production at VH1. “Plus, the 20-year-olds are all listening to the Cure and New Order anyway. It’s created a kind of mass confusion. I was at the Coachella festival last year, and the groups people were most stoked about were Gang of Four and New Order.” No wonder Grups like today’s indie music: It sounds exactly like the indie music of their youth. Which, as it happens, is what kids today like, too, which is why today’s new music all sounds like it’s twenty years old. And thus the culture grinds to a halt, in a screech of guitar feedback.
As a result, says Hirschorn, “some of the older parents I know who have teenagers claim that there’s no generation gap anymore. They say they get along perfectly with their kids. They listen to the same music. To me, that seems somewhat laughable. But I do remember when I was young, trying to explain the Beatles to my dad, and he didn’t even know who they were. I don’t think that’s possible today.”
Here’s the bad news about kids: They’re not cool. Especially little kids. Like, 2-year-olds? Forget it. Left to their own devices, they don’t dress well, they have no sense of style, and frankly, their musical taste sucks.
Here’s the good news about kids: They’re defenseless. So if you want to put a Ramones T-shirt on your 2-year-old, you don’t need his permission. All you need is for someone to have the great idea to make a 2-year-old-size Ramones T-shirt. (And trust me—someone’s had that idea.) And if you want to play the Strokes for your 4-year-old son, what’s he going to do? I’ll tell you what—he’s going to learn to love the Strokes.
See, Grups aren’t afraid of parenting. Grups don’t avoid having kids. Grups love kids. In part, though, this is because Grups find kids to be perfect little Mr. Potato Head versions of themselves. Of course, there’s more to Grup parenting than simply molding your kid’s tastes. You must be vigilant that you don’t grow up and become uncool yourself. “I recognize that changes and sacrifices are necessary. I do occasionally wake up before nine these days,” says Pollack of parenthood. “But I didn’t want to lose touch with the world’s cultural progress. I didn’t want to freeze myself in time.” So instead of playdates, Pollack invites other cool dads and their kids over for playing (kids), beers (dads), and sampling new CDs (everyone). Or he packs up his toddler for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Though that plan didn’t work so well. “It was really hot and crowded,” he says. “And the music sucked.” His son apparently concurred.
“It’s hard to say right now, because most of these kids are between the age of zero and 5,” says Pollack. “So they’re still . . . I don’t want to say accessories, but they’re still moldable. You can still sort of play with them.” Although, if you’re planning to take this parental approach, you’d better make damn sure you’ve got good taste. “I find myself arguing with dads about the music their kids like,” he says. “One guy was telling me his son was really into Wilco. And I was telling him that’s lame. Because Wilco is so over.”
In college, I remember a friend of mine playing Public Enemy at high volume at his mother’s house, at which point she sputtered into paroxysms of clichéd parental dismay, saying, quite unironically, “Turn that off! It’s nothing but noise!” Later, we tried to imagine what kind of high-decibel air-raid-siren music our teens might one day listen to, causing us to react the same way. It’s a concept that Pollack, for one, seems literally incapable of processing. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen with this generation,” he says. Besides, he explains, the alternadad’s worst nightmare isn’t that his kid will grow up to be something he doesn’t want him to be. “The worst nightmare for a quote-unquote alternadad,’ ” he says, “is that he’ll grow up to be something he doesn’t want to be.”
And this, improbably, is the happy ending to our story. (And, I admit, I’d hoped for a happy ending; for all the bedhead haircuts and Hives-peddling parents, I wanted this to end well.) Being a Grup isn’t, as it turns out, all about holding on to some misguided, well-marketed idea of youth—or, at least, isn’t just about that. It’s also about rejecting a hand-me-down model of adulthood that asks, or even necessitates, that you let go of everything you ever felt passionate about. It’s about reimagining adulthood as a period defined by promise, rather than compromise. And who can’t relate to that?
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Today is Tuesday, so do you know what that means bloggers? Well, it means that we had to bring little Hailey (my daughter) to the hospital (again) because whatever she has isn't going away. She seemed to be getting better after being discharged last Friday, but...
This past Sunday afternoon she started running a fever and the messy diarreha started back up with a vengenance. The wife and I are running out of steam at this point, and don't care what needs to be done to get out little girl better. I'm exhausted and will update as the situation progresses (again).
Monday, April 10, 2006
I recently stumbled across a band that I was surprised to find had not been championed by all the music blogs. That band is Athens, Ohio's
Southeast Engine. They aren't really breaking any new ground musically, but after only a cursory listen of their latest album
Coming To Terms With Gravity I was thoroughly impressed by their alt-country or (rather) indie folk and roll stylings.
Blending the likes of Uncle Tupelo, Bright Eyes, and (yes) Wilco into their own Americana sound, the guys in Southeast Engine (like the aforementioned bands) eschew pretension and just play good and simple rock music. The acoustic guitars, piano, and unsteady Tweedy-esqe vocals all have their place in creating an honestly refreshing listen reminiscent (to me at least) of the last Lewis & Clarke album
Bare Bones & Branches.
Do yourself a favor and give a listen to a few tunes that have been playing frequently on my iPod lately. Southeast Engine's latest album
Coming To Terms With Gravity is out now on
Bettawreckonize Media and you can pick up a copy for yourself
here.
MP3 |
Southeast Engine - Photos Of Nothing Coming To Terms With GravityMP3 |
Southeast Engine - Coming To Terms With Gravity Coming To Terms With Gravity
Sunday, April 09, 2006
As I type this I'm watching Dusty's squad attempt to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time in awhile. Maybe its because I consider myself a true
Cubs fan and that I've seen them blow it too many times, but this certainly isn't their year. Speaking of the skip (and although it hasn't been updated in a little while) who knew Dusty was a
blogger?
Putting all my pessimism aside, I'd like to think they have a chance, and below I have included a bunch of Cubs (and baseball) related music to get you in the baseball spirit. I know that there are scores of Cubs fans blogging out there
JT and
Kevin are prime examples) so if any of you could assist me in getting my hands on the song "Go Cubs Go" by Steve Goodman or the old-time song "Hey Hey Holy Mackerel," I'd much appreciate it.
MP3 |
A Beautiful Day For A Ballgame (Montage)MP3 |
The Mountain Goats - Cubs In FiveMP3 |
The Brothers DeFino - WGN Radio Cubs ThemeMP3 |
John Fogerty - CenterfieldMP3 |
Steve Goodman - A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Wish
Saturday, April 08, 2006
I read that Alan Sparhawk from Low said (about
God's Money), "I keep playing that [Gang Gang Dance] record. It flies in the face of everything I know to be true in the world." The music that NYC's
Gang Gang Dance creates is definitely something that you don't hear everyday. It is experimental electronic music that somehow remains very organic in nature. They combine masses disparate sounds that come together effortlessly. Rhythmic and interesting and something my daughter would like as much as I do.
"While GGD certainly aren't the only purveyors of new sounds operating nowadays, it occurs to me that with God's Money, they are proving themselves to be among the most able. And listenable. Granted, as good outré musicians they integrate the tools of the popular music synthesizers, guitars, drum kits as well as folk instrumentation and singing (which might more appropriately be described as cooing) while simultaneously subverting any expectation of pop song structure. But rather than just subversion for the sake of disorientation, they are respectful of their audience and seek to create music that will be able to speak to them, albeit in a new language." - Tiny Mix TapesThey are certainly breaking new ground and making new sounds. Those new sounds can be heard on
God's Money which is out now on
The Social Registry.
MP3 |
Gang Gang Dance - Glory In Itself / Egyptian God's MoneyMP3 |
Gang Gang Dance - Egowar God's Money
Friday, April 07, 2006
You have most certainly heard of free-jazz, but have you ever heard of free-country?
Neither had I, but that is exactly the kind of mangled earthy noise that
Davenport is making. This prolific Madison, Wisconsin outfit (headed by one Clay Ruby) make difficult music. One interpretation of this is that its just a bunch of talentless hacks pounding and plinking aimlessly on their instruments. I'd like to think of it as more "improvisational" or "experimental" in nature.
A cacophony of acoustic guitars, violins, odd percussion, hand claps, keys, field recordings, organs, and occasionally vocals create some of the most richly textured sounds I've heard in awhile. The "songs" are loosely structured and meandering affairs that marry together the realms of psych folk and improvised noise into an all-out rural-psychedelic-commune-freak out. RIYL: Red Red Meat, Phosphorescent
The
Free Country CD is available now from
Last Visible Dog.
MP3 |
Davenport - Free Country Free CountryMP3 |
Davenport - Play It Once Sam Free Country
Here is another big thank you to everyone that left encouraging comments here over the last few days. Amy and I really appreciate it. The little one is home now and napping peacefully (for the moment). All we can do is move forward and past this little episode.
On a sadder note (but not too sad) because of our total and complete exhaustion we aren't going to make it out to the sold-out
Lucero show tonight at the
Beat Kitchen in Chicago. Oh well, like I've mentioned before, there are more important things in life than music. Maybe on their next go 'round.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
I want to thank
everyone for all your support during this trying time. I wasn't going to post today, but... It seems that at least in this realm there truly is a sense of like-mindedness and community facilitated through all our silly little blogs. It is comforting to know that people are thinking and about us and sending positive vibes our direction. Even
Brooklyn Vegan showed me some
love today when we really needed it.
Tim Young also posted the awesome second installment of the
Contrast Podcast featuring a selection from yours truly.
Now for the update since I've managed to make it to a computer. As previously mentioned, my daughter was admitted to the hospital this past Tuesday and had (in total) four seizures. Many tests were done and extremely serious things like bacterial meningitis (the spinal tap was clear) or neurological disorders (the MRI and EEG were normal) were basically ruled out, but no root cause has yet been discovered. Frustrating but not totally unexpected. While seizures in children are not all that commonplace, when they do occur they are very frequently ideopathic (having no known cause).
At this point in time, we (as well as the neurologist we spoke with and the primary care doctors) believe that my daughter's seizures were most likely caused by the same bacterial or viral infection that is responsible for her ongoing illness. We are just waiting for a few more test results to see if we can determine what is making her sick. Regardless, though, at this point we are optimistic that this has just been a once-in-a-lifetime episode and will not happen again. Things are looking up and she should (most likely) be on her way home tomorrow.
Again, thank you all so much for all the kind words. If any of you get the chance, send some of those words in the direction of my
wife (leave a comment there) who is still at the hospital right now and has been through so much the past few days.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
I apologize for not posting more music for y'all lately, but some things are more important than music. My
wife rushed my young daughter to the emergency room yesterday morning because she had a short seizure. She had four (in total) before she got a high dose of anti-seizure medication. This is in addition to (and possibly correlated with) the nasty diarrhea she has been having for the past 10 days. The doctors have performed a bunch of tests but we are still waiting for results from most of them.
I'm physically and mentally drained from this (as is my wife). I feel so helpless in this situation that I just want to cry. Maybe that's just me being overly emo (bad joke, I know). The seizures could be possibly caused by infection of some sort, a neurological problem, or they may simply be ideopathic. At this point its too early to tell. I just want my baby to be ok and back to her normal, happy, sunshiney, smiling self.
I'll be back to posting music as soon as all this works itself out.
MP3 |
Kevin Devine - You Are My Sunshine Travelling The EU...
Monday, April 03, 2006
So all the hippest bloggers have been raving about the new
Band Of Horses album
Everything All The Time for some time now. I was (like always) skeptical to believe the hype, but after much consideration (even though it didn't take long) I must agree that it is a great record.
"Guitarist/vocalist Ben Bridwell and bassist Mat Brooke formed Band Of Horses in 2004 after the dissolution of their nearly ten-year run in northwest melancholic darlings Carissa's Wierd. Carissa's Wierd trafficked in sadly beautiful orchestral pop, whose songs told unflinching stories of heartbreak and loss, leavened with defeatist humor. Band Of Horses rises from those ashes. - Amazon.com"
Casting all the My Morning Jacket comparisons aside, the record easily stands up as one of 2006's best releases yet. The songs are just great guitar-driven tunes that have hooks without being in-your-face catchy. There are hints of southern rock without being overtly so. The vocals (just like MMJ's and hinting at both Wayne Coyne and Neil Young) are drenched in reverb/echo and seem to give the songs a spacey and ethereal quality.
If you haven't heard this band before, stop and play the tracks below. Recommended if you like Built To Spill, My Morning Jacket, Fruit Bats, or even The Shins (basically if you like any music at all).
Everything All The Time is out now on
Sub Pop.
MP3 |
Band Of Horses - The Funeral Everything All The TimeMP3 |
Band Of Horses - Wicked Gil Everything All The Time
Sunday, April 02, 2006
This is the stuff of legend.
Back in 1989, in between the first and second incarnations of Screeching Weasel, bassist Dan Schafer (A.K.A Danny Vapid) and then-drummer Brian Vermin formed
Sludgeworth, which then proceeded for a couple of years to virtually rule the Chicago scene. They eventually called it quits in 1992 and were supplanted by a reborn Screeching Weasel and a host of other Chicago bands.
Vapid continued on in Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, and The Methadones, but none of these projects (to me at least) captured the "lightning in a bottle" that Sludgeworth did. Their sound is often said to be Face To Face meets Screeching Weasel meets Samiam, but even that isn't really fair. Sludgeworth was a special band and
Losers Of The Year is a one-of-a-kind record.
Back in the early ninties it would not be uncommon to see flyers for shows at MacGregors featuring the likes of Sludgeworth, Jawbreaker, NOFX, and Smoking Popes for $5 (with Sludgeworth headlining of course). Sadly though, Sludgeworth released only one album on
Lookout! Records during their short lifespan. Lucky for you Lookout! is selling copies of
Losers Of The Year for only seven bucks. Buy it
here.
MP3 |
Sludgeworth - Waste It Away Losers Of The YearMP3 |
Sludgeworth - Someday Losers Of The YearMP3 |
Sludgeworth - Another Day Losers Of The Year
Saturday, April 01, 2006
There is something about the new album
Palo Santo from the band
Shearwater that I just can't put my finger on. Quite a departure from the band's earlier material, this no longer feels like an Okkervil River side-project. Jonathan Meiburg now sings all the songs and Will Sheff doesn't seem to appear anyhere near this record.
"The band's fourth album is a thrilling, paradoxical record--icily warm, welcoming and threatening, sloppy and immaculate."This is a stark record and full of space, but a bit different than the band's gothic folk sound as heard on previous records. I can't help but give comparisons to bands like The Decemberists, The Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, or even Wolf Parade but stripped down to almost nothing. I mean bare. Good stuff that needs a listen.
Palo Santo should be out on
Misra Records on May 9th.
MP3 |
Shearwater - Seventy Four, Seventy Five Palo SantoMP3 |
Shearwater - Nobody Palo Santo
Bloggers it has been one hell of a week over here at CYSTSFTS? My daughter is sick with a
rotavirus and has gotten both my wife and I sick this week. Ugggh...
To top it all off I heard last night on the news (being from Chicago sometimes has its advantages) that the
Lollapalooza festival has been cancelled becuase of concerns with security at the venue (Grant Park in Chicago) as well as ongoing construction issues on the Dan Ryan expressway. Read the article
here. What a way to top off the week.
Oh yeah folks, its April 1st.
***Lollapalooza hasn't really been cancelled.***
