Saturday, February 14, 2009

Saturday Music Definitions: love


yeah, it's that time of year again

whether you're a fan of Valentine's Day or not (like me), you still have to deal with the stupidity of people who love to shove it down everyone's throats how much they "care" for each other by buying into the commercial crap of hallmark and co

you might as well have a good love song to listen to, may I suggest my favourite?

Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down [mp3]

BONUS:

Hands Down (String Quartet version) [mp3]

I really love String Quartets. buy the entire CD on AMAZON.

maybe I'll watch Bridget Jones again. no, seriously, I'm happy being single. hahahah

showdown: SCOTLAND VS AMERICA

haha well maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it got your attention didn't it?




The Dead Trees VS Belle and Sebastian



I download a lot of music from blogs and usually don't get a chance to listen to all of the songs until the weekend

I came across an mp3 of a song of Belle and Sebastian's called "Pocketbook Angel" and I immediately started humming along, but to a slightly different tune...and then I realized:

I've heard this before.

wait,

what was it?

DAMN IT!

about a minute later, it came to me:

"Shelter", by The Dead Trees

now, I have no idea if The Dead Trees have even heard that B&S tune, as it's pretty obscure (it's a rare unreleased song).

in my opinion, The Dead Trees' tune is superior.

what do you think?

Belle and Sebastian - Pocketbook Angel [mp3]

The Dead Trees - Shelter [mp3]

Mi Ami - New Guitar

let me just say that I am grateful that Michael Buble came on my itunes after this song ended

I actually was really getting into it, the guitars at the beginning were great. but the screeching vocals are the worst thing to happen to my ears since...I don't even want to think about the last time I heard something so awful

anyhow, I acquired the mp3 via RCRD Label, which is usually more spot on with these things, but I guess we all have our off days.

click HERE to download the song yourself. just don't play it in front of children, they might be traumatized.

Mi Ami are from SF, visit their MYSPACE at your own risk

Matt Pond PA


for fans of: The Morning Benders, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

I had my first taste of this Pennsylvania band from last.fm's Death Cab for Cutie station about a week ago

it was "Several Arrows Later":



(I don't have an mp3, but would greatly appreciate it if anyone has one to share)

anyhow, as I was browsing the internets for info about this band and stumbled upon the delightful fact that they released a free EP (cleverly deemed The Freeep) last year. click HERE to download each of the nine tracks or a zip file of the entire shebang.

Matt Pond PA - Champagne Supernova (Oasis cover) [mp3]
I think they did a really admirable job here (and I am pretty nitpicky when it comes to my second favourite Oasis song). I really like the violins.

video on repeat: Franz Ferdinand- Ulysses (live on Craig Ferguson)



many thanks to Jackie at Cartoon Music for Superheroes for exposing me to this video.

I love that Alex is wearing two different shoes, and his incredibly sexy dance moves

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand has gotten more play time than anything else this year

I absolutely adore it.

here is an interview from the same show:

Friday, February 13, 2009

Band of the Week: The Strokes


The Strokes met together on Wednesday to start writing new songs. I was going to post a mini-essay about why I love The Strokes that day as something to commemorate the day, but the incredibly odd and oftentimes frustrating phenomenon of time got the best of me. So I'm posting them as band of the week, just because I can.

Why I love The Strokes

It’s no secret that The Strokes are my favourite band. Not to people who read this blog, not to my friends, not even to strangers whom I meet on the bus (I bombarded this guy last week when I heard that he had “You Only Live Once” as his ringtone). I listen to them every day, without fail. Is This It is ingrained in my soul and I’m going to get a tattoo on my right forearm over my vein that says “in the sun sun having fun, it’s in my blood, I just can’t help it”, because that just sums it all up perfectly.

I own all of their albums, all of their singles. I have more pictures of them on my computer than I do of my family, or my friends. As a matter of fact, I'm actually wearing my Strokes shirt right now (I wore it yesterday and slept in it)



I've acquired every mp3 possible of their live stuff (thanks to amazing sites like She's Fixing Her Hair, check it out!) Here is what my wall looks like:





if you look closely, you can see that I have little Strokes photos everywhere:



creepy, I know.



The thing that most people don’t know, though, is how I got into The Strokes. I hate it when people give me that look when I say that The Strokes are my favourite band, usually followed by “oh, so you like mainstream stuff”.

The Strokes were never mainstream to me.

I had never heard them on the radio before I heard Is This It in its entirety. Even now, I think I’ve only ever heard like "Juicebox" twice and "Hard to Explain" once on the radio. I don’t really listen to the radio very much either, unless you count last.fm. I had never differentiated between the singles and the rest of the songs except in the respect that the latter didn’t have music videos. All Strokes songs were, and still are, equal to me.

I’m going to repost part of a mini essay I wrote a while ago, to help you all understand how my love affair with The Strokes began

__

The summer after junior year, my friend Rania and I went to our first rock concert, BFD 2006. It was a life changing experience for me. I was surrounded by the reverberations of the deafening music, by great fashion, by marijuana smoke. It was heaven, I knew I was home. That summer, I discovered how much I could accomplish with Wikipedia, Limewire and blank cd-rs. I’d find one band I liked, search similar artists, listen to them, and if I liked them, the cycle would start again. I made lists of bands I’d heard of, of bands that intrigued me. I spent hours hunting for music. It came to the point where I downloaded a lot of cds and they started piling up without me truly listening to them. After my downloading frenzy, I started to listen to each record thoroughly. I discovered how much I adore The Strokes. In my eyes, they were perfection, I couldn’t describe how or why I felt the way I did when I listened to them. Now I know it was because they were my first exposure to true rock n roll, the stripped down sound that was simultaneously rough and refined. I listened to Is This It over and over, never tiring of it. "Someday" became my anthem. I soon thereafter acquired Room on Fire and First Impressions of Earth (this was during the Fall of 2006, when FIOE had been released nine months prior). Albert Hammond Jr’s solo album was a pleasure to listen to as well, and I soon discovered The Strokes’ b sides and unreleased stuff. I was hooked, and still am.

__

For me, The Strokes were perfect not only because their sound is pure and orgasmic in every sense of the word, but because I discovered them on my own. The radio didn’t help me, neither did MTv or the advice of my friends. I happened across them by chance, because I had downloaded Is This It, and my love for them was completely unadulterated, because I know it was never influenced by anything. I know I love them for their music, for their genius, and not because someone else told me that they were great. But now, you all need to heed my advice and start worshiping this band, if you don't already.

The Strokes - New York City Cops [mp3]
from Is This It

The Strokes - I Can't Win [mp3]
from Room On Fire

The Strokes - Electricityscape [mp3]

from First Impressions of Earth

here is the hilarious mockumentary that they made, called In Transit:


here is my all time favourite live performance:



and here is the runner up:


When he sings "morning" at 1:48, I get a little taste of heaven. Speaking of which, if they aren't going to be there, I sure as hell won't want to go either.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Grand Lake: video for "Nevermint"

according to their bassist Caleb Nichols, the video was inspired by a dream of his in which he was being buried alive

watch it below:


Nevermint from californiabobby on Vimeo.

visit the Oakland-based band on MYSPACE

even the French love Andrew Bird


I stumbled upon this French post about Noble Beast on hype machine today.

now, as language fascinates me, and as I love Andrew Bird's new record, I just had to post this. I went to dictionary.com to get a rough translation of the post. it's beautiful.

I hope you all enjoy it, and go out and buy the damn record if you haven't already!

(I'm just sad that I'm on my work computer and thus can't scan/post the album art from the new album which has very Mr.Darcy-esque pictures of Mr. Bird. ladies, you know what I mean)
___


I know, it is the first time that I write to you, or almost, since our first one evening meets when you opened for Lambchop in Bataclan. I was on the right-sided of the room, inserted in my armchair. I had come only but very quickly you had leaped of loop in loop, and you had whistled all that you had to whistle and I immediately had felt less lost, less solitary.

Good. But if I write to you today, it is at all to speak to you about the good old day. " Oh No". It is because of your small last there. Noble Beast (first time that the title of one of your discs did not plait me, moreover). It is that, you see, on this disc, you even make me things that you had never yet done me and that returns any thing to me, a little perplexed.

Songs to coil me in leather armchairs with half smashed, you have some make to me. Songs for siffloter outside while playing with my shade, too. Songs which are like the small transitory clouds that makes my breath in the cold, very beautiful, holding upright by mere chance and disappearing in a blow from wind, you me refilé a package of it. Songs to claim that I am a funambulist of the pavements, an equilibrist of the bitumen and that blow, nothing nor nobody will never be able to me foutre by ground, you me fourgué some of them.

But there, this “Fitz & The Dizzy Spells”, it is completely other thing.

Andrew, my friend, I do not know what arrives to us but it is the first time that you give me desire for dancing. Not to shake nicely the head or dodeliner in rate. Not to tap panes while looking at outside. Not, really, to dance.

To dance with all my toes and all my fingers, to dance with the shoulders, the elbows and the knees. To dance like a capuchin, to dance as a balloon which deflates, to dance like goutes of rain evenings of high wind, to dance like an initial skater.

I could film that very well and put it on youtube, and one would type the million sights in two times three movements. Or to sell my services with HBO. But makes some, not. I' D rather not. I will like that remains intimate. I will not dance so that one sees me, not so that one look at me, not in Britney. I would only dance because I could not prevent me, in the living room. Just me and this violin. Hidden, withdrawn, intertwined.

Good, so with 1:45, when you start to whistle, brown with the incredible eyes unloads, dance with its hair and that I can type in his hands rather than in mine, that is negotiated. Since one does not leave and that one remains there, hidden, withdrawn, intertwined - a little as that but in less maniéré - that suits me.

After one will pass to the remainder of the disc. One will also stop on “Souverian”, undoubtedly. You and your taste for assonance, you sing sometimes " so very young" and sometimes “Souverian”. It is as for that as you are loved: with you, with this way which you have to launch of the words in the air to see what falls down, one finds with chantonner words like " sociopath" or " translucent alabaster".

From there, words in words, one will still set out again and when it is finished this disc, when it is exhausted, it is that one will be already quite old. And then, promised, one will remember merrily Andrew Bird, Noble Beast and time when we danced.

---

Danser comme un capucin, danser comme un ballon qui se dégonfle, danser comme des goutes de pluie les soirs de grand vent, danser comme un patineur débutant.

Je pourrais très bien filmer ça et le mettre sur youtube, et on taperait le million de vues en deux temps trois mouvements. Ou vendre mes services à HBO. Mais en fait, non. I’d rather not. J’aimerai que ça reste intime. Je ne danserai pas pour qu’on me voit, pas pour qu’on me regarde, pas à la Britney. Je danserais parce que je ne pourrais pas m’en empêcher, seul dans le salon. Juste moi et ce violon. Cachés, soustraits, enlacés.

Bon, si à 1:45, quand tu commences à siffler, une brune aux yeux invraisemblables débarque, danse avec ses cheveux et que je peux taper dans ses mains plutôt que dans les miennes, ça se négocie. Du moment qu’on ne sort pas et qu’on reste là, cachés, soustraits, enlacés - un peu comme ça mais en moins maniéré - ça me va.

Après on passera au reste du disque. On s’arrêtera aussi sur “Souverian”, sans doute. Toi et ton goût pour l’assonance, tu chantes tantôt "so very young" et tantôt “Souverian”. C’est aussi pour ça qu’on t’aime : avec toi, avec cette façon que tu as de lancer des mots en l’air pour voir ce qui retombe, on se retrouve à chantonner des mots comme "sociopath" ou "translucent alabaster".

De là, de mots en mots, on repartira encore et quand on l’aura fini ce disque, quand on l’aura épuisé, c’est qu’on sera déjà bien vieux. Et alors, promis, on se souviendra gaiement d’Andrew Bird, de Noble Beast et du temps où nous dansions.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

videos from the Delta Spirit show

I took these videos, but forgot to post them until now

enjoy!

"Streetwalker":



"Parade":



...and a couple of new songs...

"Bushwick Blues:



"The Best":

Nickel Eye on Daytrotter


to be completely honest, The Time of the Assassins is losing its charm for me. I mean I still think it's a decent record but I don't like it as much as Little Joy, or even Albert's stuff. maybe it's just too ominous sounding for my taste. regardless, Daytrotter has a great article and some exclusive mp3s, head on over!

Decemberists announce North American tour dates


Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium (May 19)
Oakland, CA Fox Theatre (20)
Eugene, OR McDonald Theater (21)
Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre (24)
Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium (26)
Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater (27)
Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater (29)
St. Louis, MO The Pageant (30)
Columbus, OH Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (June 1)
Atlanta, GA Tabernacle (3)
Raleigh, NC Memorial Auditorium (4)
Richmond, VA The National (5)
Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre (6)
Boston, MA Bank of America Pavillion (9)
New York, NY Radio City Music Hall (10)
Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (June 11-14)

I'm excited about all these shows at Fox Theatre. it was just recently renovated, and I've never been there but it looks like a great venue. and hellooooooooo, open dance floor. plus, it's closer to me than SF. as Michael Scott would say, win-win-win.

The Decemberists - Sons & Daughters [mp3]

The Soft Pack: Euro tour dates (opening for Franz Ferdinand)


according to NME,

the band will play:

London Carling Academy Islington (Shockwaves NME Awards Show supporting Black Lips) (February 15)
London Madame Jo Jo's (17)
London Rough Trade East (19)
London Old Blue Last (19)
London Hoxton Bar & Grill (26)
Minehead All Tomorrow's Parties (May 17)

The Soft Pack support Franz Ferdinand on the following dates:

Glasgow Barrowlands (March 4, 5)
Manchester Academy (6)
Birmingham Academy (8)
London Hammersmith Apollo (9)
Southampton Guildhall (10)

The Soft Pack - Walking with Jesus [mp3]

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Red Rhythm drops today + Interview with Winston Audio


the debut album by Winston Audio rocks my socks off.

read a review (and snag some mp3s) HERE

anyhow, to commemorate the occasion, I'm going to post an interview I did with their very own Dan Gleason (keys, vox, guitar)

enjoy!

When you guys just started out, did you guys play live shows with a couple of original songs and just covered some classics, or did you wait until you had a handful of your own songs before you started trying to get booked?

I don't think we've ever done a cover live. We learned "magazine" by Pedro the Lion at one point, but it just never sounded that good so we gave up on that idea pretty quickly. We've talked about doing "Tired of Sex" by Weezer cause its such a fun song, but it probably wont happen unfortunately. I would love to do a cover, but for right now we're still trying to establish our own songs

What was the first show you guys played (with the current lineup)? how did it go? how receptive was the audience?

Our current lineup played its first show together back in October in Atlanta. It was Shane's (drummer) first show and for being a first show we couldn't ask for much more, though. we've grown much more comfortable with each other since then. The rest of us had been together for over a year at that point, and he's a pro so it wasn't a tough transition to add him into the band at all. We're very lucky to have him around

Is there any direction that the band hopes to go in the future? a lot of bands now are rediscovering the 80's, some others are looking to European folk music. your sound is very raw, pure, and true to what can only be deemed American rock music. are you guys planning to stick to that formula?

Sounding "American" was a very conscious decision. We used to add more ambiance to our songs when we first started in 2006, and somewhere in the middle of writing for The Red Rhythm we decided to go in the other direction and include very few effects and not rely on those sorts of things too heavily. It really started out as Michael's vision, he was listening to a lot of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty at the time and he wanted to have some of the same textures as them, or American sounding artists/groups like them. When we all got on board with this idea, Daniel went to work and the album started to take shape. I think there were 35-40 songs written for the album and a lot of the material we didn't end up using is more atmospheric. There are a lot of really great songs that we didn't record because it wasn't what we were going for with this album. We're hoping to record them properly at some point.

At the last minute we almost decided to take off Martyr and re-record Come On, Hibernate from the EP, which I think would have drastically shifted the overall sound of the album. I think we're all glad we decided against that, as Martyr has turned out to be one of the favorites off the album. To directly answer your question, we're always looking to expand what we do in order to keep the process inspired

You guys are from Georgia. Athens puts out a bunch of great bands (REM, Widespread Panic, of Montreal) , really some of the staples of alternative rock. how has the music scene affected your music? what about older Southern bands? are the boys of Winston Audio a fan of Lynard Skynard? The Allman Brothers band?

REM is a huge influence on us as well as The Allman Brothers, I mean who doesn't love the live version of "Whipping Post"? I think the blues influence on our band is a product
of the other guys growing up here in the south. Its something I'm trying to play catch-up on, but I love it....I've always had great respect for people like Ledbelly and Muddy Waters so its nice to turn to them and their peers to learn and try to understand what makes their music so great


That being said, there are some great modern bands coming out of Georgia right now. Manchester Orchestra is an incredible band who challenge us to be on top of our game in many ways. The Whigs are great, so are Dead Confederate, The Glass Ocean, Death on Two Wheels, O'Brother, and a whole lot more.


What does your band name mean? what about the lyric that the LP title is derived from, "our blood is moving to the red rhythm of time", is there a story behind that?


I didn't know how to answer this one, so I asked Daniel and here's what he said:


"the whole first verse of that song is saying that we are constantly reassessing our lives, and changing them accordingly, based on our surroundings, what others tell us, etc. To the point that it becomes rhythmic; that for every heartbeat we are recreating ourselves. As far as naming the record after that particular line, it doubles as an image that I equate with internalizing music. Plus it just has a nice ring to it."


I know most bands have members who listen to a wide variety of stuff, but almost always can agree on one artist, album, or even song. what would that be for you guys?


We actually agree on most music, though some of us like certain bands/artists more than others. We all love Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Nirvana, The Beatles, Pearl Jam, etc......We constantly reference other bands when writing, so it helps when you are all aware of the same songs and records.

Do you think that bands have an expiration date? a lot of people look to the Rolling Stones or even Oasis (those guys are well into their 40's) for evidence otherwise. do you guys think you have it in you to make music after you're all old and wrinkled?

No I don't think so at all, I would hope that I never lose my passion for playing music. The Rolling Stones are a great band and people obviously still pay attention to them and pay to see them, if they still love it then why stop?

Plus, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen have been doing some of their greatest work in the past few years. If Johnny Cash didn't keep playing, we never would have had his "American" records.

Do you have a cover song that you like more than the original?

Hmmm...I think Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower" is the definitive one. I prefer Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt". Also I think Jeff Buckley does the best "Hallelujah" by far

hear Julian Casablancas' new song!


oh his voice is glorious

do you guys remember when I told you that he'd appear on a comedy album?

anyhow, listen to the song in full at Stereogum. it's called "Boombox"

I like the song, but am super excited as THEY'RE GOING TO BE BACK TOGETHER TOMORROW!

Franz Ferdinand on tour!


yeah, ok so it's official.
my vinyl addiction is out of control
I spent 260+ dollars on records yesterday

I also accidentally bought something I already owned, so I'm going back down today to exchange it for something else (perhaps the LSP on vinyl...mmm)

but! I did get my two favourite records of the year so far on vinyl (Noble Beast and Tonight: Franz Ferdinand) which segues us into...

TOUR DATES, BITCHES!

I bought my tickets to the Oakland show yesterday (in the library as I never have time to go online anymore...I'm only online right now because Melville drove me here)
get yours while they're hot! these guys are my favourite Scottish rockers, ever.

Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre (April 13)
Oakland, CA Fox Theater (15)
Indio, CA Coachella (17)
Phoenix, AZ Marquis Theatre (18)
Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre (19)
Magna, UT Saltair (21)
Denver, CO Ogden Theatre (22)
Dallas, TX House of Blues (24)
Austin, TX La Zona Rosa (25)
Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club (27)
Minneapolis, MN First Avenue (28)
Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom (29)
Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre (30)
Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall (May 2)
Pontiac, MI Clutch Cargo's (3)
Toronto, ON Kool Haus (4)
Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory (6)
New York, NY Roseland Ballroom (7)
Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (8)

Franz Ferdinand - What She Came For (live) [mp3]

Monday, February 9, 2009

Sunday Morning Covers (belated 24 hours)

sorry guys! I had a crazy day yesterday and no time to post. well, I have a crazy day today too, but I'm being a slacker at work and blogging instead.

here you go!

Albert Hammond Jr - Well...All Right (Buddy Holly cover) [mp3]
this song is a lot of fun. it's a bonus song from yours to Keep

Green Day - Working Class Hero (John Lennon cover) [mp3]
classic song, solid cover.

Iron & Wine and Calexico - Wild Horses (Rolling Stones cover) [mp3]
totally unexpected and totally surprising. this has given me a whole new appreciation for Iron & Wine.

We Are Scientists - Hoppipolla (Sigur Ros cover) [mp3, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
this is amazing. I would never have imagined that anyone would attempt or could pull off a cover of Sigur Ros, let alone a band like We Are Scientists. nicely done, boys.

The Kooks - Kids (MGMT cover) [mp3]
I la la love this one. a great cover of my absolute favourite song of 2008.

of Montreal - Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand cover) [mp3]
g-d bless you, Kevon Barnes.

Petra Hayden - Thriller (Michael Jackson cover) [mp3]
this is a woman singing, and of course, it works perfectly for a MJ song.

Ruby Isle - My Girls (Animal Collective cover) [mp3 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
awesome. I do love it when month old songs by indie bands are so popular that they get covered by (lesser known) indie bands.

BONUS:
The Beatles- Everybody's Trying to be My Baby (Carl Perkins cover) [mp3]