John Vanderslice is the latest artist to offer up a unique incentive for those looking to purchase his album (Not -quite- as involved as of Montreal's last album, but hey). If you're one of the first 100 to pre-order his upcoming release, Romanian Names, included with your order will be a portion of analog tape from the cutting room floor from the album's sessions. Once its yours, you then own it and can go all Girl Talk with it and turn it into a mashup with a Three 6 Mafia song or whatever. Details here, first Romanian Names single below.
I couldn't completely get into Black Lips until finally seeing them live a few weeks back. Their music is pretty much unabashed Garage Rock (with some elements of Punk), with continuous hooks throughout. Give it a listen below, that's really the best introduction. This'll probably be one of my favorite tracks of the year.
It's not too often that an actor or actress can successfully transition from working in films to making interesting music. If you're thinking Bruce Willis or Jennifer Love Hewitt bucked the trend, you should stop reading, because you're not going to like this. Ryan Gosling, however, who is probably best known for starring in "Lars and the Real Girl" and "The Notebook," is apparently a pretty good musician. His new project, Dead Man's Bones, is most noticeably reminiscent of Arcade Fire, if for nothing else than that press photo above. Seriously, though, check out the two live singles the band has released below. You'll probably like them both.
After the large undertaking of working on the Sasquatch! 2009 mixes, I had some trouble deciding what artist/track to feature next up here. Just as I had resigned myself to waiting for the next one to strike me, the weather went crazy in Tallahassee, with tornado/flood/hail warnings all over (including a jarring siren & "Seek Shelter!, Seek Shelter!" speaker announcement on campus yesterday evening). This led me to have a pretty vivid dream that I was at home in NY and looked out the window to see a giant Tornado spinning overhead. When combined with seeing the poster above (for sale here) in Austin, and reading a great article about Neko Case (who incorporates the weather/nature as a theme throughout her latest album) in this month's Paste (abbreviated version here), I decided to take the sum of events as a sign. Neko has probably my favorite voice of any female vocalist today, and she has made a number of great records already. Her latest, Middle Cyclone, takes yet another step forward, pairing her vocal range with songwriting that builds upon past efforts. Check out album standout "This Tornado Loves You" below.
Now that the Sasquatch! 2009 lineup is official and many weeks old, it's time to start getting excited. Enter this mix, which I'll do in 3 parts, sorted by day of performance. Check out some bands that you may not be that familiar with, and get pumped for some acts that you know you're looking forward to. And so, I give you part III, Sasquatch! 2009: Monday.
1) Girl Talk - Play Your Part (Pt. 1) (Wookie! Stage) 2) Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 3) Grizzly Bear - On A Neck, On A Spit (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 4) Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer (Wookie! Stage) 5) Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 6) Ben Harper - Burn One Down (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 7) Horse Feathers - Working Poor (Yeti Stage) 8) Bishop Allen - Middle Management (Wookie! Stage) 9) Beach House - Used To Be (Yeti Stage) 10) Black Moth Super Rainbow - Sun Lips (Wookie! Stage) 11) School Of Seven Bells - Connjur (Yeti Stage) 12) Tobacco - Truck Sweat (Dance Tent) 13) Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 14) Santigold - Lights Out (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 15) BLK JKS - Lakeside (Yeti Stage) 16) The Dutchess And The Duke - Reservoir Park (Yeti Stage) 17) Loch Lomond - Northern, Knees, Trees, and Lights (Yeti Stage) 18) Explosions In The Sky - Your Hand In Mine (Wookie! Stage) 19) Demetri Martin - The Wisdom Song (Feat. Demetri's Mom) (Comedy Tent)
Now that the Sasquatch! 2009 lineup is official and one whole day old, it's time to start getting excited. Enter this mix, which I'll do in 3 parts, sorted by day of performance. Check out some bands that you may not be that familiar with, and get pumped for some acts that you know you're looking forward to. And so, I give you, Sasquatch! 2009: Saturday.
1) Doves - Words (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 2) Shearwater - Red Sea, Black Sea (Wookie! Stage) 3) Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele - Meet Me In The Garden (Yeti Stage) 4) Kings of Leon - The Bucket (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 5) Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 6) M. Ward - Never Had Nobody Like You (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 7) Passion Pit - I've Got Your Number (Wookie! Stage) 8) Arthur & Yu - There Are Too Many Birds (Yeti Stage) 9) Bon Iver - For Emma (Wookie! Stage) 10) DeVotchKa - The Clockwise Witness (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 11) The Decemberists - O Valencia (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 12) Blind Pilot - Go On, Say It (Wookie! Stage) 13) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Down Boy (Sasquatch! Main Stage) 14) King Khan & The Shrines - Torture (Wookie! Stage) 15) Owl City - The Saltwater Room (Wookie! Stage) 16) Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Anchors Dropped (Yeti Stage) 17) Ra Ra Riot - Each Year (Yeti Stage) 18) Death Vessel - Deep In The Horchada (Yeti Stage)
Direct from the Take Away show archives, Thao with the Get Down, Stay Down, performing "Beat," live in Montreal, QC. Unsure if this one will ever make it up to La Blogoteque's main site, but here it is in all it's hi-def glory.
Let me first state before writing this that for all the flack Pitchfork takes for being snobby, dismissive, or overlyfickle, it is more of a good music source than bad. They deserve a good deal of credit for leading the charge of support behind the rise of acts like Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, or even Andrew Bird. I know I read it every day, and I bet most people that mock the site do the same. But I digress...
In recent years, it has become apparent that while the credibility and traffic (estimate) of the website seem to be riding a high, acts with less indie cred seem to have effectively disappeared off the site. To put it more concisely, you won't be seeing any Blues Traveler album reviews on Pitchfork anytime soon. A look back, though, shows that Pitchfork had a bit different perspective on things just a few short years ago. This could be indicative of the changing musical landscape, the evolution of particular acts, or of the writers' shifting tastes. It could, though, be a result of the music site's more stringent attempts to be seen as cutting-edge, and ultimately, an insight into their self-consciousness. It's hard to say, especially because their constantly-changing "search" feature rarely yields a full set of results from their massive archive of content.
However, the good people (computer?) over at www.archive.org have a great feature in which you can look back at the history of a website. It lets you read news from historic days, view old site designs, and so forth. Enter Pitchfork, and a world of interesting finds emerges. Check it:
I'm not arguing that this feature is not meant to be funny, or even that it is inaccurate, but I would argue that Pitchfork just wouldn't put themselves out there by posting something like this today. Then again, maybe this is just foreshadowing of the site's current tendency to have reviews that are incongruent with their major lists. They did give this album a 4.2, after all. Item B: Acknowledgment of Ben Harper, Days of the New, and Dropkick MurphysVia Reviews
There are some acts that Pitchfork likes to feature by giving them a scathing review, which are usually comical (see: Jet). Most musicians, however, are given what is effectively the silent treatment. Too college-y? No review. Too Nickelback-y? No review. We can mainly be thankful for this, as it saves time scrolling. However, Pitchfork used to actually cover a wider spread of performers for better or for worse. The acts listed above could probably be compared to, say...Jack Johnson, 3 Doors Down, and, well, Dropkick Murphys. All of which haven't gotten the acknowledgment of a review in years, if ever. Would it destroy Pitchfork's credibility if they posted a Jack Johnson album review? Probably not. Does it help their credibility by not posting a Jack Johnson album review? Maybe.
It's hard to answer either way, but basically, I just find the changing climate interesting. Since I've never seen a real discussion of the site, which doesn't allow readers to comment (which I presume is because it views itself as a music site, and not as an interactive blog), I think it's worth a look.
10.0: Essential 9.5-9.9: Spectacular 9.0-9.4: Amazing 8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year 8.0-8.4: Very good 7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable 7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough 6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong 5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful 4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit 3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities 2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad 1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track 0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
For those readers who may have stumbled upon Pitchfork in more recent times, the reviews can seem oddly specific in their rating. What distinguishes a 7.3 from a 7.6, after all? With a number of different reviewers, how can they have a credible review process that precise? It seems that for a time, although brief, the site did have some sort of explanation as to the meaning of review ratings. Now, however, the process is more cryptic (although the system above is hardly scientific).
You can check out the archive of Pitchforks of yore below.
[photo by Sarah Cass, prob. the best band photo-taker around]
Predictable, perhaps. But at least I'm honest about it. Here you go...a half-song sample of one, a high-quality video of the next, and an Mp3 courtesy of Jagjaguar records for the 3rd. Enjoy.
Ok, so it's not a top 10. Not even a top 11. I aimed for 10, ended up with 12. But here they are, my favorite albums of 2009.
One of my favorite developments of 2008 was the continued progress of live performances on the internets. As such, with the top 12 below are some of the best performances from the albums listed.
12) Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
It's hard to deny that Wolf Parade have their own distinctive sound. It seems that on this album, though, some started wondering if that sound had grown tiresome. To me, At Mount Zoomer, while perhaps lacking the immediate impact of the group's debut album, is a great second album. The single "Language City" remains one of my favorites of the year. You can check the track out over at Sub Pop Records' site.
I thought I had essentially written off the marriage of hip-hop and rock to irreconcilable differences after the late 90s brought us some of the most awful music ever. This album makes the case that they may be able to co-exist peacefully after all, if done correctly. Why?'s sound is that of a couple of guys who benefited from growing up in a world where they were exposed to Public Enemy, Pavement, and The Beach Boys. And also probably went to the psychiatrist a lot. Anyway.
I think young music fans sometimes associate loudness with intensity of performance. I know that personally, I've learned to appreciate that sometimes softer performances can be just as impactful, if not more so, than ones that try and make your ears ring for days. Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago is an album that is very soft, and rather subtle, but is one of the more powerful records of the year. Check out the video below for a sample. Bon Iver - "For Emma" from MySpace Transmissions
9) The Walkmen - You & Me
One expectation I didn't have for this album before it came out was for it to sort of creep me out. But it does. Oddly, this is a good thing. After you get a track or two in, you get the feeling that you've wandered into an early 20th-century smoky lounge. This world of sound that The Walkmen created for this new album works to great effect, as it draws upon some of the best moments of their earlier work, but puts it into this unique context. If you give the concert below a listen, try "Canadian Girl," a song that exemplifies the album's sound.
Prior to 2008, I knew Chad VanGaalen primarily through YouTube, where his work had been featured several times (he has animated a number of music videos for past releases). He also stood out because of his unique vocal style. For Soft Airplane's release, VanGaalen animated several short promo videos, each with about a minute long preview of a song from the album. My favorite is the first one, which uses the song "Willow Tree," one of the best songs on the album. Rather than going overboard in terms of production on the track, it is largely focused on the singer's voice and a steady banjo line. You can check out the preview below.
Narrow Stairs starts off with what I think may be Death Cab's best written song to date, "Bixby Canyon Bridge." I'm not entirely sure if I would have thought that before reading this great article in Paste Magazine; it made me interested in the track before I had ever heard it. Essentially, Ben Gibbard took a Jack Keroac-inspired trip in hopes of having a life-changing experience, and to put it simply, ended up disapointed. That trip led to the aforementioned lead-off track, which chronicled Gibbard's emotional let-down. I suppose it's a simple concept for a song, but for such a specific experience, it manages to lend itself as relatable.
Folk-influenced music had a great year in '08, and front and center is this release by Blitzen Trapper. The band got a lot of critical buzz in 2007 after releasing Wild Mountain Nation (which incidentally only had a few songs that I really enjoyed), but have started to reach a wider audience after months of touring (including a stretch with Fleet Foxes opening for them in the Spring). Furr is an album that ranges between rock and acoustic folk, but remains consistantly enjoyable throughout. One of the album's standouts is below.
Although Ryan Adams has been playing with The Cardinals for awhile now, Cardinology seems to mark a turning point; Adams now is just as much the lead singer for the band as he is a singer with a backing band. The music benefits from this shift, as the moving parts all work together well. Check out an acoustic performance from the band from "Coffee and Cardinals":
4) Islands - Arm's Way
Often times it seems like when a band has a great debut, the sophomore album ends up with better singles, but less overall continuity on the whole (Band of Horses, for instance). With Islands, it almost seems like the reverse. Arm's Way felt like more of a complete album to me than did Return to the Sea (though it did lack a truly great single like RttS's "Rough Gem," which is probably why it didn't quite get the same amount of critical acclaim). Either way, this album was on repeat all year long for me. Second single "Creeper" is below in video form.
3) Thao with the Get Down, Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings and All
I've gone on quite a bit this year already about these guys and gal, but I would say it's well deserved. Their album is great, their live show is great, and Fall '09 will (likely) be the release of their next full-length. Lots to look forward to with this group.
It's hard to imagine a band coming so far in just a year - Exactly 364 days before this upcoming SNL performance, the band was signed to Sub Pop Records to release their first full-length album. That's a scary-fast rise for a folksy band with no real radio-ready singles, but still, a well-deserved trip to the top. Listen below for evidence of pure musical excellence.
So in neurotically compiling my favorite albums of the year, I came to realize just how many songs/albums/artists I was going to be leaving off my list in order to make the list a bit manageable. Therefore...I present to you, many other far less manageable lists. Top 10 albums to follow in a few days.
Top 5 songs of 2008 that are not represented in my top 10 albums:
Wale - The Opening Title Sequence (youtube) Any hip-hop song that is built upon the premise of sampling the theme from Seinfeld is off to a good start in my book. When that's added to the ultra-skilled style of Wale, mentioned here earlier this year, you get an attention-grabbing song that hopefully is just the start for this dude.
BOAT - Topps (Mp3) Love documented for this song back in July. Hopefully at this time in 2009, I'll be posting the next BOAT full-length as one of the year's best.
M83 - Graveyard Girl (youtube) Although their last album, Before the Dawn Heals Us, was a favorite of mine several years back, I was somewhat skeptical that M83 would ever produce a song that I enjoyed as much as "Don't Save Us From the Flames;" not necessarily because I thought the act wasn't capable or talented enough, but rather because I liked the song so much. Roy over at Odd Lyric did a great write-up that looks a bit at M83's evolution that I highly recommend if you're interested in checking out more of their music.
Delta Spirit - Trashcan (youtube, live @ Club Downunder 10/18/08) Last year at Club Downunder, we had Delta Spirit here opening for Dr. Dog, and I only caught a portion of their set, as I was unfamiliar with the majority of their music. After being impressed seeing them again this summer, I was pretty excited when we booked them again, this time for a headlining show, in the fall. This tune in particular is a great, upbeat example of the band's soulful live rock show. The video above (from the aforementioned fall show) is not great quality, but the sound comes across pretty well.
Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines If you read my best of 2007 post way back last January, you saw that Okkervil River's last album, The Stage Names, was my favorite release of last year. Although I did enjoy this year's follow-up, The Stand-Ins, "Lost Coastlines" clearly stood out to me as a cut above the rest of the album. You can check it out, in video form, below.
Top 5 shows of 2008:
1) Beirut – Sasquatch! Festival, George, Washington (How come?) 2) M.I.A. – Sasquatch! Festival, George, Washington (How come?) 3) Alejandro Escovedo – Stubb’s, Austin, TX (How come?) 4) Of Montreal – The Moon, Tallahassee, FL (How come?) 5) Mittens on Strings – The Hideout, Austin, TX (How come?)
Album That Would Have Battled it Out for My #1 Had I Been Able to Justify it's 2008 Re-Release as an Actual Release Date:
Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse I've already gone on a bit about this album already, so I'll just present to you one of my favorite Take-Away Shows of 2008.
Best Random Live Video Featured on the Internets That Was Not on the Take-Away Shows: Yeasayer - 2080 (On Pitchfork.tv's Don't Look Down)
And finally, the albums that just missed my top 10 of 2008 (aka Honorable Mentions):
Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down Hand claps, intricate instrumental arrangements, whistling, and hooks everywhere. They even use a ukulele. I mean, how could you not like this band? More to come in 2009.
Dr. Dog - Fate With a darker feel than it's predecessor, 2007's We All Belong, Fate was Dr. Dog continuing along it's harmonic path but taking a sidestep in a slightly new direction. Their music has always sounded rich and full, but this newest effort is even moreso, and placing it outside the top 10 was difficult.
Lambchop - OH (Ohio) Few bands have a more pleasant sound than Lambchop. If I had to make them the middle point between two bands, they would fit halfway between Silver Jews and Iron & Wine. Sounds ridiculous, but check them out and it may make sense.
If asked to name the band best at writing pop hooks today, I'd probably have to say The Little Ones. I can't even attempt to surpass the eloquence of the following statement regarding their debut album, Morning Tide, by Funky Cold Sabrina, who says "Makes me want to eat skittles..."
Anyway, the song "Boracay" was first featured on the Terry Tales & Fallen Gates EP, which was released in April. The track is also included on Morning Tide, which was released later in the year. The song is a great example of the act's instant appeal. I'm going to pretty much leave it at that and encourage you to check out an interesting interview with the band over at STLMTM.
Between a busy schedule and wanting each post to stay up for at least a few days at the top, there's been a lot of songs this year that I've wanted to feature but haven't had the chance. Since we're nearing the end of 2008, I figured I'd try and highlight a few of my favorite tracks of the year that I previously missed. First up: R.E.M., whose lead single "Supernatural Superserious," off 2008's Accelerate took me a bit off guard (and emerged as my favorite since "Imitation of Life"). I've always considered myself a big fan of the band (who are now nearing the 30 year mark together), but I think I had instinctively lowered my expectations after 2004's disappointing Around the Sun. Accelerate is an overall return to form for the band, and this single was a great example of the fun, reinvigorated sound of their live show that I was lucky enough to catchtwice over the course of just a few months.
What happens when you mix a member of The Unicorns with a member of Arcade Fire with several Montrealites that I don't know? Well, based on the first song from the mysterious new band Clues, the answer is that it sounds like about 70% Unicorns, 10% Arcade Fire, and 20% non-identified. Which is to say, big thumbs up so far. The band has their debut album coming out at some point in 2009, and it is being released on Constellation. Please listen ASAP thx.
Mp3: Clues - Perfect Fit (link courtesy of spin.com)
Texas-based band The Octopus Project create the sort of music that intensifies and reveals more layers the more times you listen through. Their sound is heavy on the electronics but avoids the common pitfall of too much repetition. Currently known as one of Austin's best local bands, it seems to be a matter of time before they become a national fixture. They recently took the time to answer some questions from the road, which you can check out below.
What is the best description of your music that you’ve read (in a review/feature/etc)?
There’s a (now defunct) magazine called Resonance that wrote a pretty amazing article about us. It was literally the dream article that said all the things I’ve always wanted someone to say about us. They even put us on the cover. Unfortunately, the issue that featured us was the first issue to not be printed, and didn’t come out on newsstands. It was an amazing article though!
One of the things that The Octopus project is known for is as being a big part of the Austin music scene – How has the area affected your music, and would you say that there is an “Austin sound?”
I think living in Austin is amazing. It’s my favorite town in the world. The general vibe around town is pretty relaxed, and incredibly friendly, so it’s possible that sneaks into our music somehow. I think we’re happy folks, and living in Austin makes us happy, so I suppose that might have something to do with the way we approach making music.
I don’t think there is one particular “Austin sound,” but I do think we have a pretty amazing scene going on. There are a million bands in town, and the community is incredibly supportive of musicians. That environment seems to foster creativity and a general excitement about doing your own thing.
How do your songs begin? Do they start out from an electronic place, or does the songwriting process begin with a more stripped-down instrument and then evolve?
Every song we write is different, but most of them come from a sound or idea from one person, then things get passed around a bit between the rest of us for a while before we consider something to be complete. We tend to like to work on things by ourselves – sitting in front of the computer, or at the practice space. Also, if one person has specific ideas for a song, sometimes they’ll just write the majority of the song, and the rest of us will figure out how to play the parts/change things around a little bit to make them our own. Almost every song touches all of our hands at one point or another.
However, it’s pretty rare that we’ll write a song while we’re all in the room together. We tend not to jam a whole lot. It’s really fun, but I feel like most things we make up at practice have a tendency to sound like Stereolab – long and droney. Which is great, but I think we're going for a different thing. It often takes us a while to write new songs by passing them back and forth, but I feel like we work really well together that way.
What is your current favorite new or lesser-known band at the moment?
We’re all pretty into diverse things, so it’s hard to pinpoint one band. But, to name some: Ananda Shankar, Satyajit Ray, Alice Coltrane, Dead Science, Diagonals.
Are there any albums that are indispensable in the tour van rotation?
We tend to listen to a lot of quiet, minimal stuff in the van. Things that are really repetitive are pretty awesome to drive to. Right now, we play a bunch of stuff by Steve Reich, Johann Johannsen, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Popol Vuh.
If you could play a show alongside any artist or band, ala the Beck tour that had The Flaming Lips as his backing band, who would it be?
If I had to pick any band in history, the Beatles would be a pretty easy choice. But, as far as current bands go, I think Deerhoof, Sonic Youth or Flaming Lips would be pretty high up there.
What has been your proudest achievement as a band to date?
Hmm…. I’m pretty proud of the fact that we’ve been a band for a while now, and are still really excited about the things we do. I don’t feel like we’ve gotten burned out, and still feel like there’s so much we have left to explore.
What artists that you listened to growing up most influence the music you’re now making?
I was pretty obsessed with bands like Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Velvet Underground when I was in high school, and I know their musical ideas definitely creep into our music every once in a while. One of the things I liked most about those bands is that they were always more than just rock bands. All of those bands was/are first and foremost, excited about experimenting with sounds, but at the same time they know how to write amazingly beautiful songs. That’s a balance that we strive for as well.
How would you define success as a band?
I think bands are successful when they are making music that they are happy about. We were talking with a friend the other day, and he told us about a band that he knew who had been together for 20 years. They barely ever tour, and don’t really put out too many records, but have practiced every Tuesday night for the last 20 years. They just love what they’re doing, and love being together, and that’s really what it all boils down to. Making money and being recognized by your peers are great, but at the end of the day you have to be happy with what you are doing and whom you are doing it with. Those are the measures of success to me.
So, a tour ends, and you all head back to Austin. What’s the first place you go? And, if it’s different, what is your favorite spot in Austin?
There are so many great things about Austin. We all love swimming at Barton Springs, watching movies at the Alamo Drafthouse, and eating at our favorite restaurant, Uchi. Just being home is pretty amazing though!
If budget wasn’t an issue, what kinds of things (if anything at all) would you like to incorporate into your live show?
I don’t know what we’d do. We’ve always had an enormously tiny budget, so we’ve had to work around that. I think there’s so much more you can do when you have no money versus a huge budget. It forces you to think more creatively. Mp3: The Octopus Project - I Saw the Bright Shinies Video: The Octopus Project - I Saw the Bright Shinies
Song files on this mp3 blog are meant merely for sampling purposes. If you are a band or a label and would like an mp3 removed, please let me know and I will immediately take it down.
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