Saturday, April 30, 2011

video: Grand Lake - Christmas, California

Grand Lake - Christmas, California from Ryan Terzian on Vimeo.



frontman Caleb Nichols said about the video: "We shot the video in our new hometown of San Luis Obispo, CA. We made costumes for the dancers (the same wonderful duo from the ';Louise' video) out of bed sheets found at thrift stores. Then we wandered around town with a boombox and invaded public spaces and stores (we hit our local record store, Boo Boo records, as well as Urban Outfitters to name a couple) and let the dancers do their thing."

Ennui - Coconino



this is absolutely beautiful and European-esque in the same way that Zach Condon's music is, minus the horn sections. it also reminds me of Amelie.

stream Ennui's entire second album, Formation of Tides, at their BANDCAMP, where you can buy the digital album for $5 or the cd for $7, plus download a couple more tracks for free.

Noisepop presents: Brian Eno Documentary at The Roxie Theatre


Brian Eno 1971–77:
The Man Who Fell To Earth
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
ROXIE THEATER
3117 16th Street, San Francisco
7PM
tickets are $10 and can be purchased HERE

Saturday Music Definitions: Destino

I just came across the most spectacular short film, created by Salvador Dali and Walt Disney in 1946


and here is a beautiful jazz track with the same name:

new Britpop band on the rise: Brother

can you say OASIS?


two new songs from The Morning Benders- "Oh Annie" and "Grain of Salt"


Oh Annie by The Morning Benders

“My only regret with Big Echo is that this wasn’t on it. I wrote it after watching Annie Hall for the 100th time.”
-Chris Chu

Man/Miracle - Don't Waste It

from: Oakland, CA

Friday, April 29, 2011

next Wednesday: The Rumble SF presents Mister Loveless and more

as always, RSVP for free admission, or chalk up 5 bucks at the door.

The Strokes - You're So Right on Fallon

I know we've all seen this but Francisco requested that I reupload it, I think it's disappeared off of youtube.

enjoy!

BONUS: Julian recorded a track to an upcoming tribute album to one of the greats...

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Classic Track Thursday

concert review: Superhumanoids at Rickshaw Stop (27 April 2011)


What's it like having ET as your best friend? Floating along in the clouds without a care in the world, concerned with nothing else but the sweet reverb of dreamy synths and mesmerizing boy/girl harmonies? It's exactly what it sounds like. Superhumanoids. Hailing from LA, this band-on-the-rise hit up Rickshaw Stop last night and gave San Francisco the perfect lightshow and accompanying soundtrack. Cameron Perkin's voice climbed high and hit all the right buttons as it echoed down spines, like Matt Bellamy in reverse.


However, it was Sarah Chernoff who really stole the show, dazzling the crowd with her effortlessly angelic croons. The electronic dubs would fit in perfectly to some cheesy sci-fi flick from the 80s, sentimental as hell and thoroughly enjoyable, although for no discernible reason. At times, the band comes off as pseudo-Français, as their ethereal music is very reminiscent of Air. Other times, good old American indie rock kicks in and the band channels Nada Surf. Regardless of what facade they don, Superhumanoids are super interesting. Catch them when they swing by your town.

Superhumanoids on MYSPACE

4/28 - Sophie's Thai Bar, Davis, CA
4/29 - Echo Bar, Los Angeles, CA
4/30 - Soda Bar, San Diego, CA
5/1 - Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ
5/2 - Club Congress, Tuscon, AZ

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Superhmanoids play Rickshaw tomorrow night

record review: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

When Nirvana’s career reached its untimely end in 1994, nobody could have imagined what would spur forth from their shaggy haired drummer, Dave Grohl. But not only did Grohl end up being the Nirvana member with the most longevity, he has been and remains to be one of the most consistent musicians of the last two decades. Dave Grohl started Foo Fighters as a way to play the music he wrote six months after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain took his own life; Foo Fighters have since evolved from their grungy roots on their eponymous album to the mostly rollicking, (albeit oftentimes sentimental) and ever so recognizable brand of rock they’ve been producing since 2002's One By One. Since releasing 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, Grohl had collaborated with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and QOTSA’s Josh Homme as the melt-your-face bona fide wetdream of a supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. However, on Wasting Light, Grohl abandons the hard rock vibes of the side project (with the sore thumb exception of “White Limo”) and returns to the alternative roots which he found and became comfortable with in the early middle stages of his band’s career. “I never wanna die”, he screams on “Walk”, a song whose chorus is reminiscent of “Learn to Fly” and other early Foo songs. The album’s first song, “Bridge Burning”, opens with “These are my famous last words!” the first of many clichéd lyrical themes found on the album. The song, however, is just as energizing as its predecessor, “The Pretender”, filled with all of the right kinds of rock’n’roll anger; overall, “Bridges Burning” and the songs which follow it are musically superb, especially when judged by the applicability of their on(festival)stage badassery. Wasting Light was recorded using analog equipment in Grohl’s garage, which serves as an obvious statement to how Grohl feels about the industry itself and his eternal loyalties to his roots. Regardless, the album just begs to be amplified to thousands of eager fans in a huge setting. Lead single “Rope” sounds exactly like what you would expect a Foo Fighters single would sound like. Throughout the album, the drumming is tight, the guitar riffs go BANG-BANG-BANG like lightning bolts of alt-rock glory, and most importantly, Grohl’s songwriting and delivery are nothing short of excellent. Foo Fighters’ essence and appeal lie in their consistency of sound throughout the years, and Wasting Light only falters when Grohl defiantly departs from their tried and true sound, like in the metal-esque “White Limo”. Some people write Foo Fighters off as a band who writes the same album over and over, however this assertion is misguided and reductive. Foo Fighters have perfected a certain post-grunge sound and continue to reinvent it in every album they release, providing rock-lovers with triathalon-training music that always manages to sound comfortably familiar yet electrifyingly ground-breaking.

4/5

Foo Fighters - Bridge Burning [mp3]