This week features a new-ish track by indie sensation Animal Collective, as well as a fun little track by We Have Band.
Animal Collective have just released another EP, Fall Be Kind. Five more tracks appear here, and the track I’m talking about is easily the standout of the five. Another highlight is “I Think I Can”, but I’m here to bring everyone “What Would I Want? Sky”.
So considering the ruckus over Merriweather Post Pavilion, this little EP adds some fuel to the fire for the heralding that will no doubt come about when end of the year lists start trickling out this month. Man, that was a long sentence. So here’s What Would I Want? Sky”.
Next up is a fun one by London trio We Have Band. Really, the highlight of this track is more the video than the song. Think Michel Gondry done exponentially. Stop motion madness! Close to 5,000 photos were taken for this video, which had to be quite a pain to do at points. This track can best be described as some updated disco, and it’s simply a track that you just have to kick back and enjoy. The video? Best of the year. No doubt about it.
So I had a grand plan on what to post this week. After a long Sunday night in which I went to see “Little” Louie Vega play, I was dumbfounded by the number of songs I hadn’t heard in literally years. However, as the typical man with a problem involving his attention span, that has changed. Last night I heard a track that made me rack my brain to find out what it sounded like.
The band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros seems to have made quite the splash amongst the indie rock gods that be. Their strange overly melodic songs are reminiscent of a mish-mash of older artists ranging from David Bowie to Billy Joel to the artist I will make comparisons to here – Elton John.
The track “40 Day Dream” is the first off of their debut full length album Up From Below. It’s an epic beginning to an album that signifies what the band is about. Full sound melding different genres in music ranging from folk to blues to rock. It’s an unbelievable track, to say the least. It elicits quite the emotions from me, personally.
Well, when I first heard it, I heard the chorus as well as the tempo of the song, and I was absolutely kicking myself wondering why it sounded so familiar. It isn’t that it’s directly similar to the song I’m about to give you all, and I may also have been thinking of a different song.
Well, I kid you not that I woke up this morning out of a total slumber having realized what it sounded like to me. I can’t even say if it was my subconscious helping me while asleep, but that would be great if it was. The song I instantly woke up with in my head was Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues”, and I am going to leave everyone here with both to compare the two for themselves. All music is most certainly influenced by music of the past, so my comparison here is certainly not a slight against the band. In fact, it’s quite the opposite! Enjoy!
So I’m finally back up and running after not having internet access for about 2 weeks. I had it last Wednesday, but was finishing up moving into my new place. So that said, here’s the latest in inanity with my ramblings on!
Do you guys have a song that just is never out of your head when it comes to a song that just never fails to make you happy? See, I have one of those, and I will be sharing that one along with two songs that have lately made me feel that way each time I’ve heard it.
First off is a song I am sure most of you reading this already know. Indie darlings Belle and Sebastian made what could easily be thought of as one of the top 10 songs of the last 15 years in the indie world. The track “The Boy With The Arab Strap” just appeals to so many different people as well as to many different emotions. It’s very rare that I find a song that doesn’t simply fade with how it makes me feel, and this is one of those rarities!
Next up are two songs I’ve picked up on recently. The first is by a young woman from New Zealand named Annabel Alpers that goes by the stage name Bachelorette. This song reminds me so much of Stereolab back in the day, and I can’t help but feel very warm and happy with this song, entitled “Lifetime”. You can check her out here, also!
The last track is one I’ve heard fairly often as of late. The group White Denim comes out of music-rich Austin, Texas, and it’s hard to really find a place that they fit in the genre spectrum. Honestly? Who cares? I have two genres in music. Stuff I like, and stuff I don’t. It’s that simple. So take what you will from their track “Regina Holding Hands”. It’s part of the former of the two genres I described. I would like to think it’d be one you all would like, as well!
And again, buy some shit. If not, whichever deity you believe in will make your testicles small. That’s assuming they aren’t already small, like mine, of course.
So it’s hot as hell up here in Boston. When living in Las Vegas? At least every home had central air. Not up here in Boston. It seems every way of living, they need to drive home the point of, “Suck it up! We’re gonna build character in you!” Honestly, it does nothing but give Bostonians the attitude they’re so known for. Seriously. Sit in an apartment with no AC when it’s 95 outside and 80% humidity and try not to get angry.
So what the hell does that have to do with music? Well, I recently heard the cover of “Islands In The Stream” that the Constantines did with Feist. Mmmmm….streams…..cold water…..shriveled junk. So I figured today, I would post this lovely little cover. The Constantines are part of the great lineup that Toronto label Arts and Crafts has put together. They also include other indie darlings such as Apostle of Hustle, Stars, and Broken Social Scene. The Arts and Crafts website even has a page devoted to this cover. That’s how much they love it, also.
So, the song is a cover of a song written by the Bee Gees. Yes. The Bee Gees. Had the Bee Gees sung it? The world may have blown up. But instead, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton did the honors, and as odd as it sounds, I thank them for helping all of us escape a very close call. So here’s the original version from 1983. Believe it or not, I’m able to remember when this came out. Kind of sad, but true. It became a number one hit for the duo, and helped lead them to more collaborations, but none quite as successful as this classic song.
And just for the hell of it, I am posting a video from Mad TV. Why? Well, the show was awful. I mean, it just WASN’T funny. But they used to poke fun at Kenny Rogers after he became more of a showboating salesman than a singer. In this skit, it’s Kenny Rogers performing with the crew from Jackass.
Now, if you don’t buy this music, I swear to christ I will post more Mad TV clips. And trust me. Most of them are just a new kind of awful.
Happy Jebus Birthday, folks! Better yet? Happy “So, we really don’t know that dude’s birthday, and we finally got rid of those blasted pagans, so why not steal their holy days and festivals, also?” Day. Sorry. I couldn’t resist it. Actually, right now? I’m high-fiving Emperor Aurelian. He’s a pretty fun dude.
And yes, nitpick away at the above. I know all the arguments about it. I’ll just be over there, sleeping and otherwise doling out my contribution to society.
Anyhow, enough of my contempt for…well…a lot. This post is to give you a few contributions I received in my e-mail these past few months. Now, I’m pretty honest, so I will simply give my opinions, and it’s then your job to go do a little research on these bands! If you like them? Hooray!
So after all these bands I list, I gave you a link to their myspace page. I’m pretty awesome like that.
First up? Ikoma. Click here for a link. Okay, sound-wise? Not bad. However, I get this nagging feeling I have heard some other bands that have this sound. It fits with the “pop-guy looking to show some indie cred” label. One thing, though, that bothers me. The statement that the band “represents the new rock regime.” Well, that’s for time to decide, really. Not a bad band, but needs to be a bit more unique. The one band that sticks out as a comparison is The Walkmen. That should give you guys a bit of a start!
Next up? The Volunteers. Linky-link be right here. I dig these guys. The music’s solid, and they sound like a more mature version of Ween (and checking the e-mail sent, yep! That’s one band they’re compared to!). And any band that makes a video for a song called “FckMyGhst” gets a thumbs up. Shit, why don’t I just post that video for you guys now? They have a new album called Spectrophilia out now, and I would personally suggest this one. Top notch submission!
And one last one for this week is Peasant. Yep, this is the trend – the link is after the performer name again! This dude’s pretty good. The voice takes a little getting used to, as it’s pretty high pitched. Listening to some of the Daytrotter Sessions, the first thing I thought of was either the recent Bon Iver album, or even a little Chad VanGaalen. I’m actually a bit bummed that I couldn’t at least catch his Boston area show. Nonetheless, to download this guy’s Daytrotter tracks, click here.
Next week, I’ll pass along a few more contributions, as well as post my favorite music from this year. Notice I didn’t say “Best of”. Know why? “Best of” is a load of crap statement that purports importance. And I and my opinions don’t really mean squat. So it’s a “Hey, this shit’s been on my iPod all year!” list. It’s a fucking awesome list. The other four voices in my head think so, so it has to be true!
And yes, buy this stuff! Especially these guys! They would love you long time if you give them your business!
So for this concert series piece, I will be discussing Stereolab. Don’t know them? Well, you should! These guys have been around for close to two decades, and they’ve even had their worst emotions tested when one of Stereolab’s members, Mary Hansen, was tragically killed a few years ago. They have a new album out now, and are touring in support of it, so being a decade-plus-long fan? I had to go. I’ll be showcasing a few songs of theirs, but also I will be talking a little about their opening band, Le Loup.
Stereolab is the sort of group your parents would probably dig. Think indie-rock meets bachelor-pad easy listening music. It sounds odd, but they’ve established themselves as the kings in such a small niche. Many times, a band suffers from such marginalization, but these guys have mastered it. The unfortunate death of Hansen took a bit away from the band, as they relied on two singers for many of their songs, but they’ve worked to solve that, by adding another singer (a male falsetto) to the repertoire. It works surprisingly well, and hopefully it continues.
The album that first got me interested was one that many people also say first turned them on to the ‘Lab. Emperor Tomato Ketchup is a funny title, but it’s one hell of an album. I’d go so far to say one of the top ten of the ’90’s. It’s certainly debatable but that’s the beauty of the subjectivity of music – there really is no such thing as a right answer. They worked more towards the moog synthesizer sound the later into the ’90’s they went, and it produced some of the best – and underrated – music of the later half of the decade. Here, I’ll be focusing on three tracks in particular.
First up is “French Disko”. This tune was originally just a single, but was later included on Stereolab’s second compilation of Switched On, titled Refried Ectoplasm. This sounded just as good Monday night as it did when I first heard it over a decade ago.
Follow the links below for treats off of ETK that I mentioned earlier. “Les-Yper Sound” is just one helluva cool rollin’ track. Mellow, yet it rocks. “Les Yper-Yper Sound” is essentially a live remix on BBC Radio that was included on the box set Oscillons From The Anti-Sun. Sick sick track. [Download Stereolab-Les-Yper Sound] [Download Stereolab-Les-Yper-Yper Sound]
I’ve just got to share another vital Stereloab track. “Diagonals” from Dots and Loops is chill… Loungey… Whatever you want to call it, it’s a great cut for playing at a house party that’s made up of people older than 25. This track essentially defines the sound they took on starting with this album. [Download Stereolab-Diagonals]
As I mentioned, the band Le Loup opened for Stereolab. They could easily be signed onto the DFA label with what I saw Monday, and they’re a good reason people should check out the opening bands. They had a very unique sound to them, which contrasted with Stereolab’s, but complemented it at the same time. Good choice by the ‘Lab having these guys open up for them!
Here is a sample of what you will hear from Le Loup. And below that? Links to buy all of these fine products! Because buying this stuff helps keep it alive!
Next up is a fun one by London trio We Have Band. Really, the highlight of this track is more the video than the song. Think Michel Gondry done exponentially. Stop motion madness! Close to 5,000 photos were taken for this video, which had to be quite a pain to do at points. This track can best be described as some updated disco, and it’s simply a track that you just have to kick back and enjoy. The video? Best of the year. No doubt about it.
