Saturday Music Definitions: Think

I'm reading Malcolm Gladwell's blink (the power of thinking without thinking) right now, and it's blowing me away. highly recommended. I really liked The Tipping Point, too.

Elliott Smith - I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out [mp3]

Oasis - I Hope, I Think, I Know [mp3]

The Walkmen - Thinking of a Dream I Had [mp3]

The Beatles - Think For Yourself [mp3]

Radiohead - Thinking About You [mp3]

The White Stripes - I Think I Smell a Rat [mp3]

must watch videos: The Dead Weather on Jimmy Kimmel

the band covered Pentagram's "Forever My Queen", so look for the mp3 in tomorrow's post



Alison Mosshart is fucking insane. I love it.


this makes me want to see them in concert.

The Strokes Post #188

love this interview:

band of the week: Kaki King

I really don't know very much about Kaki King, other than that she's from Georgia, is incredibly talented and gorgeous, and was discovered by Dave Grohl.

He was quoted: “There are some guitar players that are good and there are some guitar players that are really fucking good. And then there's Kaki King.”

I really love that. It's pretty much the most succinct way to describe her music. Her music makes me feel like time is standing still, and completely envelops every ounce of attention I have.

I stumbled upon her music about a week and a half ago, and was really impressed. I watched a lot of videos of her music on youtube, and can say with enthusiasm that she is quite talented. She does phenomenal, fresh things with a guitar, mostly blending percussion with slide guitar and other cool stuff. She doesn't sing much, either, which is a huge bonus, even though her voice is surprisingly good. Music like this needs to stand alone.



I'm going to explore her music some more, and look for her tomorrow at Rasputin.



long live guitar! (I always loved that opening line from The Clash's "Know Your Rights", "this is a public service announcement, with GUITAR!")

visit Kaki King on MYSPACE

new Elliott Smith song: Grand Mal

thanks to Nate for the heads up

I'm really pissed, I've only seen like three blog posts about this news. the blogsphere floods if that weirdo from Deerhunter sneezes, but an absolute gem of a song from one of the greatest recording artists of all time surfaces and...almost nothing.

I am so sorry Elliott. I hope my readers can treat you with more respect than that while the rest of the blogosphere raves about mediocre crap like that new band, The XX.

"Grand Mal" is exactly what we Elliott fans can expect, sheer perfection, overflowing with emotion. I can't really explain it, you've got to listen to understand. all I can say is: it's a great song.

download and listen to "Grand Mal" below, people are saying that it came from XO sessions, and that "Grand Mal" was almost the album title instead of XO. I really like the title XO, so I'm glad that Elliott decided upon it.

Elliott Smith - Grand Mal (previously unreleased) [mp3]

more info can be found at PITCHFORK

The Strokes Post #187

if you scroll to 5:50, you can see Nick with his hand in his pants as Jules and Nikolai get interviewed by a wanker in Scotland.

Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis

the mastermind and chief songwriter behind the famed British band has had enough. my condolences to Oasis fans everywhere, but it seems as though Oasis is done as we know it. I include myself in the category of fans, even though my enthusiasm for the band waned as the years have progressed.

Noel only wrote a handful of songs off Dig Out Your Soul, right? the less he wrote, the worse they got. Noel was always the talented one, the level headed one. in an interview with SPIN, he even admitted that Ryan Adams' version of "Wonderwall" was better than either he or Liam could ever do, which is the absolute truth.

good going Noel, now you're free to spread your wings. for the record, I'd like to see a solo album. if Jarvis Cocker can do it...

here's the first track from their breathtaking debut, Definitely Maybe.

Oasis - Rock n Roll Star [mp3]

Free Energy to play Cafe Du Nord

the Philadelphia based band will be visiting the SF venue on Friday November 13th, a band called The Drums will open.

it's a 21+ show but I think I'm gonna try to get in anyways.

for more info + ticket purchasing, click HERE

Free Energy - Dream City [mp3]

visit them on MYSPACE

Classic Track Thursday

Ziggy Stardust, the person, is freaking awesome, as is Ziggy Stardust, the album. it's that rare album that you can listen to and love all the way through, absolutely no filler.

David Bowie - Suffragette City [mp3]
this is one of my favourite David Bowie songs. I always thought he was saying "mean army man can't afford the ticket back from Suffragette City", which made sense to my mind, because I've read Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland

David Bowie's catalogue is vast and his music changed as much as his persona (quite regularly). I'd suggest starting with this album. I love my copy, it has that great old vinyl smell and I got it for a dollarrrr.

BONUS:
this clip is what got me into Flight of the Conchords, after I heard THIS SONG. haha I love Brett and his bulemia. great fucking show, I've gotta buy the second season!

Liam Finn - Wide Awake on the Voyage Home

I love this song. it's my favourite by the fantastic New Zealand based singer/songwriter.

a very fond music memory was when he played it for me when I saw him at Bottom of the Hill (he hadn't originally included it in his set list but I spoke to him before the show and told him how much I loved it)

I had a few drinks with him afterwards too. he's a very nice man, and extremely talented.

Liam Finn - Wide Awake on the Voyage Home [mp3]

great album. I listen to it all of the time

The Strokes Post #186

The Strokes are one of the only bands I've seen actually wear their own band shirts. The other ones that come to mind are The Clash and The Smiths, two of my favourites. That fucking rocks.

CONTEST WINNER: That Summertime Sound

I put names on slips of paper and pulled em out of a bag. doesn't get more random (or cliche) than that.

the winner is...

tamsterg!

congratulations!

the rest of you can buy the book on AMAZON or get it from your local library. it's a good read, I'd recommend it highly. you can read my full review HERE

I'm going to try to include more giveaways on this site in the future.

to tamsterg, could you please email me your mailing address so I can have the book sent to you? my email is h_erikat89@yahoo.com

The Strokes Post #185

I've seen this picture a hundred times, and have that issue on my wall, but somehow I only noticed Jules' shirt the day before Michael Jackson passed away. it was kinda surreal.

but yeah, I just wanted to point it out that he's wearing a "Thriller" shirt in case anyone else has really horrible noticing skills (visually anyway)

unreleased Cage the Elephant song

I just came across this:



it's really good. I hope Matt sings it on Saturday, I think it's supposed to be an acoustic set. the band will be playing Rasputin in Mountain View at 2PM.

this depresses me beyond reason

compare:

NOW

vs

THEN

the new album is decent on its own merit, but comparatively to their roots, it's just awful. now excuse me while I go cry and listen to Cage the Elephant instead. if they go stadium rock in a few years, I will kill myself.

The Strokes Post #184

The Strokes - 12:51 [video]

oh how I miss the Roman Coppola directed music videos...I really am obsessed with everything that family produces. hello, Jason Schwartzman and Robert Carmine...sexiest brothers ever. oh how I adore the G-dfather series...

Pheonix - North

Phoenix - North [mp3]

I love instrumental tracks--when they're done right. I'm spinning It's Never Been Like That right now and am completely mesmerized. I love this band.

BONUS:
I was equally impressed by this track a couple of days ago:

Yann Tierson - Au Dessous Du Volcan [mp3]
this is the guy who did the Amelie soundtrack. Like Phoenix, he's also French and extremely musically gifted =)

just listen.

then take lots of drugs and listen some more.

how could this have been on the internet for four days and I'm only hearing it now?!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE SUPERGROUPS. also, The Raconteurs is by far Jack White's best project.

record review: Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

I always ponder American vs. British music, and try to come to a conclusion about which I prefer. If course, we have The Strokes, but the UK has The Beatles. I mean I could make a list that would go on forever but I’ll spare you. Personally, I prefer indie bands from here more than the ones in the UK; the Americana likes of Delta Spirit get me every time.

Humbug is great because it proves what I’ve believed all along: that American music is more complex and intricate, and therefore superior. Produced by Josh Homme and channeling The Doors like nobody’s business, the new album from Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys shows that the logical conclusion of any evolving band is to draw from guitar heavy American music, and most importantly, revive grunge. Fuck keyboards. Everything is synthesized these days. Not that the album is keyboard-free, it just relies a lot more on Alex’s vocals and Nick’s bass.

In a nutshell, the album progresses with a meticulous perfection that is just hard to come by these days. It’s definitely the band’s most thought out album, which is both good and bad. The carefree attitude that defined Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not is simply irresistible, but Humbug is intriguing in its own way, relying more on wit than teenage restlessness. Sure, it’s got nothing on their first (especially in the lyrics and dance-ability departments), but when you have a debut that good, there’s nowhere to go but down.

The album is dark and sexy (like The Dead Weather), and they even have a couple of toned down numbers, like “Secret Door”. My favourite track is probably “Cornerstone”, which reminds me of really good r&b music from the 60’s. In my opinion, the urgent “Pretty Visitors” would have made an excellent closer, but the band chose to go with “The Jeweller’s Hands”, a creepy track that evokes the feeling of being lost in a room of mirrors in some sort of freaky circus.

The album is worth getting just to be able to hear Alex say “vitamins” in “Potion Approaching”. Oh how I love Queen’s English.

3.75/5

The album was released today in the UK, we Yanks can pick it up tomorrow.

Kings of Leon to play Conan tonight

hm, I wonder which album they'll play from. not. what bugs me about Only by the Night isn't the album itself but the fact that nobody even knows about their old work. tis a shame they never play their old stuff anymore. Youth and Young Manhood is sheer perfection. sigh.

Kings of Leon - Genius [mp3]

The Strokes Post #183

Nikolai is running a marathon for charity. You can read more on his blog post HERE (and donate to the cause). For those non-runners out there, a marathon is 26.2 miles, which is a super intensive physical and emotional feat. It's one of my goals, but right now I never run more than 10 miles at a time. 

I wish Nikolai the best of luck. 

must watch video: Andrew Bird - Anonanimal (acoustic)

this gave me shivers and I just had to share it. I love Andrew Bird so much.

"I will become this animal, perfectly adapted to a music hall"
he needs to get home to his farm house and take a break.

The Strokes Post #182

I know I've posted this already but, it's actually appropriate today



Happy 31st, Jules! I always only remember his birthday because it's in August like mine. Also, I slightly favour him above the rest because he writes the music and sings in the most perfectly imperfect voice in the history of man or wolf. Sorry, Albert, Nikolai, Nick and Fab.