Can You See the Sunset? » indie rock

A Legacy Almost Lost: The Moped Band

Eric — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:59:48 +0000

Aaron, Jacob, and Dan are/were friends of mine and played in a band called The Carraways but when that band called it quits in 2001, the three of them formed The Moped Band. They were from Chicago’s Western suburbs and played stripped down indie rock that was as good as anything and even less flashy. They self-released a few EP’s worth of material and played a handful of shows, but never recorded a proper full-length before they called in quits in 2004 and scattered across the country. Presented here (in big part due to the persistence of one Chris Crutcher) is almost everything that the band recorded including alternate versions where appropriate. Songs are posted in chronological order with the early stuff first; 1-7 are the band’s first EP, songs 8-11 were recorded with John Emerson but not officially released, songs 12-18 are from the Business/Casual EP, and song 19 was recorded live by me (I think at the Moped Band’s final show ever in the basement of a house in Naperville, IL). These guys were amazing musicians and amazing friends. I saw Jacob last fall but haven’t spoken to Aaron in a few years and it kinda makes me sad that we’ve lost touch. Still, I’ve got this amazing music and amazing memories.

Now I realize 99.9% of you aren’t familiar with The Moped Band, and that’s to be expected, but if you value my opinion you should check this out. Really… Start with the Business/Casual EP.

MP3:
The Moped Band - Scatter My Ashes (Extended Version)
The Moped Band - Someone In Chicago Loves You
The Moped Band - Rest Of Us
The Moped Band - Dark Water Days
The Moped Band - The Letter I've Been Meaning To Write
The Moped Band - Charm
The Moped Band - Scatter My Ashes
The Moped Band - Hometown (Emerson Version)
The Moped Band - On My Way Out
The Moped Band - Coming Home (Emerson Version)
The Moped Band - A Song That I Used To Love
The Moped Band - Beliefs Are Dangerous
The Moped Band - Crosses In Pretty Rows
The Moped Band - The Equation
The Moped Band - Coming Home
The Moped Band - Knowing I Could Leave
The Moped Band - Hometown
The Moped Band - If You're Looking For Inspiration
The Moped Band - Weightless (Live)

12 Days of Christmas MP3′s for 2010: Day 15

Eric — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:28:10 +0000

This is it folks. Not only did I give you 12 days of Christmas MP3′s this year, but I also managed an additional 3 days of holiday music. Hope you’ve enjoyed all these songs. As always, you can find all of it here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13 and Day 14 of this series.

MP3:
Spitalfield - It's Cold Out There
Hot Rod Circuit - Happy Xmas
Mariachi El Bronx - Lady Rosales
Band Of Horses - The First Song
Ataris - Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis
Hot Hot Heat - Christmas Day In The Sun
Chris Garneau - It's Almost Christmas
Jack Johnson - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Wormburger - Bells Of St. Ignatius
Lisa Loeb - Jingle Bells

You can easily check out our best quality testking OG0-093 dumps prepare you well for the real mcts exam. You can also get success in real exam of JN0-101 with the quality EX0-101 dumps and 000-152 exam answers.

Helen Earth Band – Our Own Ghost City

Eric — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:57:58 +0000

Helen Earth Band is from San Diego and (although they aren’t quite as abrasive as some of their peers and predecessors) they do have more than a little of that city’s angular and mathy post-hardcore sound. The 13 songs on Our Own Ghost City are full of complex rhythms, interlocking guitar lines, and pleasantly melodic vocals, but (really) it’s much more than that. The band features (most notably) a former member of the band Finch, but who cares, right? Right. To say I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard Our Own Ghost City would be a major understatement. Just imagine a sort of hybrid that combines the structures and algebraic grooves of older Minus The Bear (without adding any of the metallic overtones) with the smooth and easy melodies of Jimmy Eat World and the tight rhythmic backbeat of Pinback. I don’t think I’m stretching one bit making those comparisons. The band shows a ton of potential here and despite the record’s energy, everything is measured and controlled. I’d like to hear ‘em come unhinged just a little bit but (still) Helen Earth Band has got a pretty good thing going here. (Just a side note, I think this album was actually released in late 2009, but I don’t really fucking care. I’m counting it for 2010).

MP3:
Helen Earth Band - Shakencutt
Helen Earth Band - (We All) Talk With Knives

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

Eric — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:19:50 +0000

I’ve long considered myself a fan of Ted Leo and whatever band he happens to bring around, but it’s really only with his latest album The Brutalist Bricks that I’ve actually realized just how much I like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I loved Shake The Sheets from 2004 and liked 2007’s Living With The Living but found it a bit too sprawling and overlong. The Brutalist Bricks is anything but; it’s tighter, more focused, and noticeably shorter than Living…. It’s an album that (like every subsequent album in the ever-growing Ted Leo catalog) is a refinement rather than a redevelopment of Leo’s signature indie-reggae-punk sound. Leo has been doing his thing for years upon years and does it better than anyone else and while you’re not going to be surprised by this album, you certainly won’t be disappointed in it either. It’s essentially more of the same thing Leo consistently delivers; great lyrics, mammoth hooks, and searing guitar riffs.

MP3:
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Even Heroes Have To Die

Superchunk – Majesty Shredding

Eric — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:06:11 +0000

As embarrassing and unbelievable as this may sound, the first Superchunk songs I ever listened to intentionally were from last year’s Leaves In The Gutter EP. WTF? I know, right? Somehow my similarly musically inclined wife also missed the boat. What’s wrong with us? From what I’ve heard, it wasn’t any sort of surprise to longtime fans of the band, but I was completely wowed and surprised at just how amazing Superchunk’s new album Majesty Shredding is. Has the band always been good? I somehow always guessed and assumed that I knew what Superchunk sounded like because I was a huge fan of bands like The Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, and many of the other “alternative” and “buzz” bands of the 90’s. After all, I began and ended my high school career in the 90’s and even had friends back then (I think it was you Darren, right?) that were huge Superchunk fans. It’s still a mystery how I completely missed out on Superchunk. I almost feel like I owe the band an apology or something; that’s how good Majesty Shredding is. Kinda like saying “I love you” for 16 years and then only having your first kiss after all those years and actually realizing how much you do love the person. That’s awkward but it’s the best I’ve got right now.

So what is Majesty Shredding all about? Well, it’s kinda poppy and punky but not in the way I traditionally think about pop-punk; there’s a much more of an indie rock thing going on here. Still, there are songs on here that are more punkish than I would have expected from and indie rock band. The songs are catchy-as-hell, full of energy, and really just totally great. Honestly, there aren’t many albums better than this one that have been released this year. With Majesty Shredding Superchunk has made me a believer.

MP3:
Superchunk - Learned To Surf

12 Days of Christmas MP3′s for 2010: Day 8

Eric — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:04:35 +0000

There’s snow on the ground, a chill in the air, a tree in my living room, and good tidings all around. What better than some for more Christmas songs for your listening pleasure? Well, how about all the other Christmas songs I’ve posted over the last few weeks? Here are the links to Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, and Day 7 of this series.

MP3:
Brand New - O Holy Night
Sufjan Stevens - Come On Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance
Aberdeen City - Just Like Christmas
Jimmy Eat World - 12/23/95
The Firebird Band - Gift
Sarge - This Christmas
The Promise Ring - Holiday Adam
Denison Witmer - Christmas Song
The City On Film - O Holy Blanket
Caithlin De Marrais - Seasonal Persuasion

Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

Eric — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 03:27:41 +0000

So I’ve been listening to the newest Titus Andronicus album, The Monitor, for the past few weeks and even after multiple listens, I can’t tell if it is great and pure genius or completely terrible. OK, that opening line was a little untrue, but you get the point, right? I’m leaning more towards great, but there are so many times listening to the album that I just want to scream at these guys for seemingly half-assing it. Supposedly, The Monitor is a concept album loosely based on themes relating to the American Civil War. Seriously? Really? I honestly can’t think of anything I’ve heard in 2010 that comes off as more pretentious than this and it kinda pisses me off. The genius of it all is that I think the guys in Titus Andronicus know it and they’re fucking laughing at you. They know it’s ridiculous. They know their songs are too long. They know the vocals are generally terrible. And, still, they throw all caution to the wind and just say “fuck it” as they haphazardly and sloppily combine whatever opulent musical ideas they have on hand. It’s a calculated concoction of one part punk rock puke, one part Springsteen stomp, and three sheets to the wind. What matters most is that even if The Monitor is (at times) arduous , it’s also a lot of fun. Simultaneously one of the best and worst albums of the year.

MP3:
Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union

Matt Pond PA – The Dark Leaves

Eric — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:44:26 +0000

I’m a huge fan of Matt Pond PA’s 2004 album Emblems but was a little less impressed by two full-length albums and most of the numerous EP’s that followed… that is, until the band released this year’s brilliant The Dark Leaves. It’s the band’s eighth full-length and certainly one of the high points in their discography. Matt Pond’s hushed and vulnerable vocals are again front and center leading his band’s charge of lush indie pop. Amid the orchestration there’s tones of Americana-esqe pedal steel peppered in and some almost out of place guitar leads that sound as if they were borrowed from a mid-80’s Boston album. It’s a bit odd but somehow it works. Sure, Matt Pond PA might be a little vanilla and (at times) could be called nothing more than glorified background music, but there are more than enough moments on The Dark Leaves that will grab your attention and make this album worthwhile. Besides, my favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla so I’m not complaining. Although my 4 year old daughter loves The Ramones and LCD Soundsystem, we’re more likely to be playing this on any given autumn afternoon at our house. Viva Matt Pond!

MP3:
Matt Pond PA - Specks

12 Days of Christmas MP3′s for 2010: Day 4

Eric — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 03:13:08 +0000

More Christmas songs, yippee! Local meteorologists are predicting at least a few inches of snow to fall overnight so I’ve (tentatively) made plans to take my girls sledding if the weather cooperates. Until then, we’ll just listen to some Christmas music. There’s more, so here are the links to Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 of the series.

MP3:
Slaraffenland - Little Drummer Boy
The Swimmers - The Christmas Sound
The Dismemberment Plan - This Christmas
Stars - Fairytale Of New York
The Boy Least Likely To - Christmas Isn't Christmas
Matt Pond PA - Snow Day
Snow Patrol - Just Like Christmas
Starflyer 59 - Christmas Time Is Here
Eels - Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas
Coldplay - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas