I won't be back next week or the week after..going on vacation inside a vacation..see you again mid july!
Pre-show
Battles- SZ2 Alla- Una dia otra noche Black kids- I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you Death cab for cutie- Grapevine fires Little Beirut- The Lottery Mar- Underwater SHOW START-------------- 6pm Hammock- Three sisters Georgie James- Cake parade Husky Rescue- Caravan Emily Haines - Doctor Blind Sigur Ros - Godan Daggin Mum - Marmalade Fires Goddamn electric bill - March at dawn Khoiba- Taste it Electric president- Ten thousand lines Forget cassettes- Quiero, Quieres The notwist- gloomy planets My milky way arms- All awful possibilities My brightest diamond- To plutos moon Wolf parade- Soldiers grin David Ramos- Pulse Calico Horse- Awake in the clouds Dead heart bloom - Come back Giraffes? Giraffes! - When catholic girls go camping, the nicotine vampies rule supreme Fleet foxes- Sun it rises Broken Social Scene- Hotel Grizzly Bear- Central and remote The twilight sad- and she would darken the memory God is an astronaut- Sunrise in aries Steve Reich - Drumming (Part 4)
As of Thursday, mash-up specialist Girl Talk's newest album is available for download on his label's (Illegal Arts) website. Word has it that it picks up right where his previous album, the excellent Night Ripper, leaves off. I just started listening to the album like 30 seconds ago and already have encountered a 'holy shit, awesome' moment.
The download works much like how Radiohead's newest album worked. Choose to donate as much as you want and you obtain a download of the album (including nothing, if you're feeling stingy). The quality of the content depends on how much you donate; the benefits of donating more are listed in the download link.
If for some reason you aren't sure whether or not to download Feed the Animals for free, it's streaming in full on Girl Talk's myspace. Personal favorites so far include "Play Your Part (Pt. 1)," "Set it Off," and "Let Me See You."
You'll surely be hearing more and more about Girl Talk and this album in the next few months, including on this blog. Enjoy the album.
My Milky Way Arms- Unbearable Lightness of Being Mason proper- A Chance Encounter Bell Orchestre- Throw it on a fire Sigur Ros- Inni mer syngur vitleysingur Under Byen- Pilot Le Loup- To the stars! To the night! Menomena- The late great libido Beck-New Round Morning Recordings- Sugar Waltz The Notwist- Good Lies My Brightest Diamond- The Ice & The Storm Wolf Parade- Language City Fleet Foxes- White winter hymnal My Education- Aria Cineplexx- A mi lado Tilly and the wall- Chandelier lake Watson Twins- Fall Nethers- Great big grave Jason Webley- Little Sister Bright Eyes- Middleman Maria Taylor- Clean getaway Camera Obscura- Knee deep at the NPL Iron and Wine- Such great heights Clare and the reasons- Alphabet City The Album Leaf- Broken Arrow
bitter:sweet - the bomb the ting tings - that's not my name does it offend you, yeah? - dawn of the dead walter meego - wanna be a star the futureheads - decent days portishead - silence ladytron - ghosts my brightest diamond - inside a boy death cab for cutie - no sunlight daedelus - make it so mates of state - my only offer feist - 1234 the notwist - good lies the bridal shop - from seas M83 - kim & jessie aimee mann - freeway modest mouse - so much beauty in dirt weezer - pork and beans radiohead - jigsaw falling into place midnight juggernauts - into the galaxy neutral milk hotel - two headed boy lymbic system - love your abuser architechture in helsinki - it's 5 four tet - ribbons N.E.R.D. - anti matter the knife - is it medicine dosh - kit and pearle hammock - mono mo aware explosions in the sky - memorial
The news has been out there for a while that Conor Oberst has been writing and recording new material outside of the Bright Eyes arena since late last year. His solo album will be coming out on Merge (not saddle creek or team love? wtf..) on August 4th.
and personally its going to be very hard for me to seperate them from sounding like Bright Eyes, but they have been obsessively one of my favorite bands for years..I saw them in concert 3 times last year..looks like those of you in the capitol region will be able to catch this new Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band experiment because on their tour page they list:
Wow almost 10,000 hits on this blog...now almost 2 years old..not too shabby..should have 10,000 by friday
Pre show- Eef Barzelay - Could be worse Free Kittens- Help Me James pants- Dragonslayer Neva Dinova- Clouds Playlist start---- My Brightest Diamond- Golden Star Under Byen- Af samme stof som stof Brooke Waggoner- Fresh pair of eyes Sigur Ros- Gobbledigook The Velvet Teen- No one gets the best of me The Books- There is no there Red Lions- Bay of Naples Venice is sinking- Pulaski Heights Cars & Trains- Painting it over did no good/Solitary Bird Fleet Foxes- Blue Ridge Mountains Spiritualized- you lie you cheat Watson Twins- Just like heaven My Education- Britches Blanket Minus the Bear- Lets play clowns Nethers- Three hearts Bittersweet- Drama Death cab for cutie- Talking Bird Styrofoam- Lil white boy Mates of state- The re-arranger Slow Six- These rivers between us This will destroy you- Threads Bright eyes- I'll be your friend Charlie Everywhere- Mouthful of diamonds Khoiba- Loading of aching heads
You heard me right. Nine Inch Nails has jumped on the bandwagon and is giving away a free music sampler download of their new music along with some other great bands that you hear on my show like Crystal Castles, Does it Offend You, Yeah? and Deerhoof. Visit their website or click here to download!
In other news.. have you seen the Camp Bisco lineup for this year? It's great! Check it out at www.campbisco.net We'll be giving away tickets in the next few weeks so stay tuned!
Broken Social Scene - Cranley's gonna make it The Album Leaf - Twenty two fourteen Pure Horsehair- On looseleaf with sharpie Annuals- Complete or completing Wolf Parade- Dear songs and daughters of hungry ghosts Camera obscura- Let's get out of this country Death cab for cutie - Cath (meant to play talking bird..) Mates of state- My only offer Peter von poehl- Going to where the tea trees are Watson Twins- How am i to be? Spiritualized- i gotta fire My education- Arch Submarines- Brightest hour Mar- farewell Quitzow- Sponsor (it didn't mean a thing) Bittersweet- Get what i want Cursive- Bad sects 13 & God- Soft atlas The velvet teen- We were bound (to bend the rules) Sigur Ros- Gong Caspian- Some are white light Explosions in the sky- what do you go home to? Venetian Snares- Hajnal
Hiii, I'm back! I've got a chilled out show for you today to go along with the gloomy clouds overhead. My new favorite cds that have just dropped are: Death Cab for Cutie, Bitter:Sweet, Radiohead (best of), Four Tet, The Ting Tings, Yelle, Neva Dinova, and Dosh. Can you handle all that?
artist - track title
minus the bear - the game needed me - oktopus remix the presets - my people M83 - kim & jessie odd nosdam - untitled three - jb og mix neva dinova - clouds diva sonic - girations my brightest diamond - inside a boy portishead - we carry on bitter:sweet - come along with me the ting tings - shut up and let me go lali puna - small things modest mouse - baby blue sedan <3 misha - delovedly mates of state - get better bitter:sweet - the bomb radiohead - 2+2=5 death cab for cutie - i will possess your heart dosh - wolves ladytron - seventeen ladytron - ghosts flight of the concords - the most beautiful girl (in the room) daedelus - make it so - XXXchange remix four tet - ribbons booka shade - charlotte Young MC - bust a move - don rimini ravekid extended remix midnight juggernauts - dystopia
Guest playlist from my girlfriend for the first hour
Junior Boys- Double Shadow The Anniversary - D in detroit Mewithoutyou - January 1979 Apples in stereo - Go St. Vincent- All my stars aligned Art in Manila- Time gets us all Neko Case- John saw that number Badly Drawn Boy- Something to talk about Pipettes- Your kisses are wasted on me Battles- Atlas Simian - LA Breeze Black keys-Do the rump Bobby birdman- gone beyond
Begin normal playlist at 5:55: Hammock- Elm Animal Collective- Did you see the words Menomena- Evil Bee Irepress - Pah No Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook Halou - Morse code Denali- Gunner Styrofoam- After sunset Shy child- Drop the phone Lucky Dragons- Morning rituals Mar- Icarus Mates of state- Get better Subtle - Exiting arm Bitter:Sweet - The bomb Submarines- You me and the bourgeouis Death cab for cutie - Grapevine fires Spiritualized- Soul on fire Dosh - Kit and Pearls Forget Cassettes- Like tiny swords Bright Eyes- Four Winds Rachel's - Water from the same source Enigmatic String Quartet- There There (Radiohead cover) Odd Nosdam- Don't come down here Faunts - Of nature Squarepusher- Tetra Sync
The Velvet Teen- Building a Whale The Arcade Fire- Wake Up The Pipettes- Pull Shapes Minty Fresh Beats- Nude (Remix of Radiohead) The Avalanches- Since I Left You This Will Destroy You- Threads Beck- Missing The Books-Lemon of Pink Psapp- Hill of our Home Hammock- Mono no aware Sigur Ros- Glosoli ( by request..one of the few i've ever been able to fill, haha) Port O' Brien- I woke up today Dosh- Wolves Death cab for Cutie- Cath Styrofoam- Microscope Mar - A Celebration Son Lux- Inside a boy (Remix of My Brightest Diamond) Subtle- Day Dangerous Battles- B+ T Q and Not U - Soft pyramids Osborne- There Panda bear- Comfy in nautica Album leaf- We need help Denali- Gunner
So theres supposed to be a baseball game coming on sometime during my show..so I didn't plan a playlist because I thought I wasn't going to have to come in so i'm playing random new stuff, and an old playlist from 10/11/05 on a cd I found in the station, haha.. enjoy!
Start of show: Hammock - Gold star mothers and City in the dust on my window Ester Drang- All this feeling Wesafari- Alaska Stars- What the snowman learned about love Portishead- Machine Gun Dosh- Wolves Death cab for cutie- Bixby canyon bridge Scarlett Johannson- Anywhere I lay my head Russian Circles- Harper Lewis
It's 4 AM on Tuesday morning. Do you know where your new Death Cab For Cutie album is?? I got my dirty little paws on a copy early (it's been floating around the interwebs since 5/2) and just finished listening to it. This is the Bellingham, WA group's 7th studio album and 2nd album with Atlantic Records (the first being Plans in 2005).
Let me get this out of the way first: take what you expect from this album and throw it out the window. OK now that's done, let's move on.
Narrow Stairs marks a dark turn in Death Cab's sound. Sure they still write about rejection, lost love, and regret, but in an especially melancholy way. The album finds the group using massive production, long build-ups, and careening echoes left hanging like so much dust in the air. Where Plans has a more pop sound, Narrow Stairs takes that sound and drags it through some dark twisting alleyways for a bit. What you end up with is a collection of songs that leave the lost lover narrative behind and take on a more menacing (and quite creepy) sound.
The intro to the first track, "Bixby Canyon Bridge," fools you into thinking this might be like Plans but no! The heavy guitar riff that kicks in tells you that you've left Kansas behind and entered a new dark world that Ben Gibbard will lead you through with his clear voice. The song ends with Gibbard singing the last verse over guitar feedback. I think Karouac would have approved of this song and Gibbard has said as much (see here and here).
The single "I Will Possess Your Heart" once again comes at you with a bass/piano riff intro then comes the stalking vocals. No, really. After hearing this track, I went to double check all my window shades were drawn and doors locked so Mr. Gibbard over there wouldn't break in or anything. Check it: "You reject my advances and desperate pleas / I won't let you let me down so easily" Wow. Luckily I happen to be on the male side of things. Ladies, good luck...and keep the narrator 100 yards away from you at all times.
Personally, I'm a fan of "Your New Twin Sized Bed." With some cheesy (but still decent) metaphors and a more upbeat sound, it is romantic and longing. Also check out "Grapevine Fires" where Gibbard's writing really shines through. As a comment on the southern California fires and the experience of watching them, I'd say this is one of the best tracks on the album.
So what have we learned today kids? By the end of this record, Gibbard has led us through a haunting world where people live with a lack of love and a deep understanding of loneliness. Though it may have some perky moments ("No Sunlight" and "Long Division"), Narrow Stairs is definitely an album bathed in the lack of light. I find it to be Death Cab's best album since Transatlanticism (though Plans wasn't bad).
4.5/5
Tracklist:
1] Bixby Canyon Bridge 2] I Will Possess Your Heart 3] No Sunlight 4] Cath... 5] Talking Bird 6] You Can Do Better Than Me 7] Grapevine Fires 8] Your New Twin Sized Bed 9] Long Division 10] Pity And Fear 11] The Ice Is Getting Thinner
This comes a week late, but I have a surprise for you in return! Check my next post...
[artist] - [track]
Estelle (feat. Kanye West) - American Boy (DJ Sujinho remix) Thunderkatz - 3 AM (DJ Klever's So So Death remix) Boys Noize - &Down (Optimus Grime remix) autoKratz - 1000 Things Dada Yakuza - Full Metal Yakuza Feadz - Back It Up (feat. Spank Rock) Asian Dub Foundation - Fortress Europe Flufftronix - Shark Attack (Ruff Cut) Justice - Stress (Auto Remix) <--check out Emelie's post w/ the music vid Immuzikation - Jeumie (Yelle vs. Weezer) Busy P (feat. Murs) - To Protect and Entertain Kanye West - Flashing Lights (Optimus Grime remix) Santogold - Say Aha Dead Prez - Bigger Than Hip Hop (Flufftronix Ghetto House refix) Uffie - Robot Oeuf Minitel Rose - Continue Justice vs. Transformer - DVNO MOULiNEX - Break Chops Cobra Krames (feat. Rye Rye) - Get Familiar (Start the Violence! remix) Louis La Roche - Love (Optimus Grime remix) So Me - Decalcomania D.I.M. - Is You (Optimus Grime remix) Feist - Sealion (Chromeo Remix) Oldschool Reunion - Disco Interface
I believe summer schedule starts next week..pretty sure I'll be at the same time though
Talkdemonic- Bering Talkdemonic- Human till born Battles- Rainbows Sunset Rubdown- Stadiums and Shrines II Menomena- Muscle n' Flo Bright Eyes- True Blue (Live) A Northern Chorus- This Open Heart Valley of the Giants- Westworld Dosh-Kit and pearls Arc lab- The secret lives of A.C. Wuornos Portishead- Plastic Leerone- Empty Houses Russian Circles-Campaign El Perro Del Mar- Somebody's Baby Feist- Honey honey (live) Langhorne Slim- Spinning compass Flight of the conchords- The most beautiful girl Pattern is movement- Peach trees Orenda Fink- Leave it all Mogwai- Teamhanded Bend like branches- Snowroom Ulrich Schnauss- Blumenweise neben autobahn Sigur Ros- Andvari Hammock- The house where we grew up
sally shapiro - anorak christmas - woodhands remix cut copy - out there on the ice b-52's - funplex - css remix act - ping pong shy child - drop the phone ghostland observatory - dancing on my grave bad dudes - suez architechture in helsinki - heart it races crystal castles - crimewave (crystal castles vs health) chromeo - fancy footwork does it offend you, yeah? - dawn of the dead the ting tings - great dj pink skull - get inside (my tiny pyramids) moby - alice burial - archangel metaform - urban velvet ghislain poirier - no more blood feat. face-t - hudson mohawke remix juno reactor - las vegas future past mashed buddha - ego maniac boys noize - my head - para one justice - genesis daft punk - around the world / harder better faster stronger M.I.A. - paper planes - scottie b. remix substantial - resurrection of the house party four tet - ribbons bjork - wanderlust - ratatat remix glen porter - prolong bitcrush - what would hope be without disapointment subtractive lad - decay as a lifestyle
This was my last show for the semester but I'll be in and out during the summer at random times once I have my schedule figured out. Thanks for listening and thanks for all of my callers who always show their appreciation, I love hearing from you so keep it up!
I've been waiting quite a while to hear about the release date of Margot and the Nuclear So and So's sophomore effort: Animal! In 2006 they took me by surprise..I saw them play after another band I came to see and I was intrigued (which frankly rarely happens at a live show) but the rest of the people I was with thought they were lame so we had to leave...what a mistake. A month of so later I received their debut "The Dust of Retreat" in the first half of 2006 and it went on to become my #1 album that year. I've been keeping a casual eye on their myspace and homepage hearing tiny details about the recording process and tracklisting for about a year..they even threw us a bone with the release of a B-side track called "Hello Vagina" (its out there in the blagosphere for downloading..I've played it on my show before). A balmy release date has been set for July 29th, 2008. I'm very very interested to hear what this 8 piece folk/rock collective managed to put together this time..here is the tracklist from their myspace..some of the songs have been around as demos for quite a while:
Animal! tracklisting
1. At the carnival 2. German Motor Car 3. O’ What a nightmare! 4. I am a lightning rod 5. Love song for a schubas bartender 6. Mariel’s brazen overture 7. A children’s crusade on acid 8. There’s talk of mineshafts 9. The shivers (I’ve got ’em) 10. Cold, kind, and lemon eyes 11. My baby (shoots her mouth off) 12. Tall as cliffs.
Philadelphia's Pattern Is Movement, who recently became a duo, are back with their third album (and first on new label Hometapes) All Together.
The band is often compared to Pinback, a comparison that makes sense in that both bands make intricate, minimalist pop songs with very precise rhythms. Indeed, nothing about this album is sloppy. Not one note of the album is extraneous, and all ten songs are very concise. Though all this is evident to the listener, none of it takes away from the record's appeal. While it sounds complicated on paper, this assembly line-like efficiency somehow translates to a very pleasant listen; everything just sounds so right about this album. It's impossible to listen from start to finish without finding yourself bobbing your head to at least one song, and the album is filled with many surprising twists and turns, keeping the listener interested and wondering what will happen next.
Starting with the very beginning of the first song "Bird," Pattern Is Movement reel the listener in and show them they mean business. Quick drumming and sailing vocals anchor the beginning of "Bird," but then out of nowhere everything stops and a single, beautiful Rhodes piano figure is performed, followed by a similarly beautiful flute piece, courtesy of member Andrew Thiboldeaux's mellotron. The breakdown ends as abruptly as it starts, flawlessly transitioning back into the song's opening notes. The band does not miss a beat during this song, which can be said for the rest of the album as well.
Similarly shocking are the transitions between songs. The subdued "Sea Captain," which sounds sort of like a waltz on a cruise ship, ends very innocuously but leads into the opening horn blare (again, the wonders of the mellotron) of "Sound of Your Voice," with singer Andrew Thiboldeaux declaring "How I just like the sound of your voice!" triumphantly over the music. This turn of events is surprising enough, but the immediate, driving introduction shortly gives way to a drumming/Rhodes piano breakdown (one of the album's best moments), and right when this breakdown ends, these two parts of the song are immediately repeated. All the songs employ repetition to great effect, and their ideas are so unique that this repetition does not bore the listener. It's obvious that the band named themselves Pattern Is Movement for a reason.
There are just so many impressive songs on this album, it's difficult to discuss them all in one review. "Peach Trees" offers some of the album's best and most haunting melodies, while "Jenny Ono" possesses an amazing vocal performance by Thiboldeaux. His vocal delivery, at first listen, sounds better suited for opera than pop, but they compliment the band's music very nicely, though lyrics are very hard to make out the majority of the time. As previously mentioned, all instrumentation is carefully calculated, but the main force behind the music of Pattern Is Movement is Chris Ward's drumming. The man clearly has talent, and none of these songs would work as well without his consistently impressive percussion skills. With his drumming, he serves as the band's navigation system, keeping them on track throughout all their unique instrumental flourishes. Without it, the lofty instrumentation would be harder to stomach and consistently listen to, and the music would just sail off into the distance, never to be remembered again.
All aspects considered, Pattern Is Movement have made a very impressive third album. Every song has a moment that makes an impression in the mind of the listener and stays there all day. Some songs are a little more impressive than others (it's hard not to play favorites here), but there are absolutely no duds on the record. Check out the band on tour in smaller venues around the Northeast before the influx of good reviews occurs, which it will. All Together is one of the best, most unique albums released so far this year, and it will serve to put the band on the map in 2008.
Rating: 8.5/10
Key Tracks: Sound of Your Voice, Peach Trees, Jenny Ono
Sorrry kids! No pinkie swear today.. our transmitter is having issues and we've been off all day. We've got our team working on it so we hope to be back asap!
XLR8R Magazine - The best magazine to keep up with electronic music.
Their latest issue is online here. (That's right, they post it online for free, it's amazing.) In the new issue is an article on Portishead and a few blurbs about Cut Copy. I highly recommend checking it out. Not only that, it's some of the best graphic design work I've seen (every month). In addition to the magazine, new videos are posted each Tuesday about different artists and stuff going on, so tune in.
Portishead- Cowboys (live) Margot and the Nuclear So and So's- On a freezing chicago street Denali- Everybody Knows Red Lions- I'll never know Le Loup- Planes like vultures Animal collective- Fireworks Azure Ray- Fever Cat power- Metal heart Vashti Bunyan- Here before Neva Dinova- Squirrels Leerone- To fill the void Anna Ternheim- Girl laying down Dosh- Don't wait for the needle to drop Pattern is movement- sound of your voice M83- graveyard girl Four tet- Swimmers Flight of the conchords- Inner city pressure El perro del mar- How did we forget? Alias and Ehren- Lillian The Notwist- Moron Paww- Into the valley Amiina- Sexfaldur The Album leaf- Outer Banks Sigur Ros- Untitled 4
B-52's - Funplex - CSS Remix Ting Tings - Great DJ - Calvin Harris Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor Bad Dudes - Suez Bjork - Wanderlust - Ratatat Remix Neon Neon - Neon Theme Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire Jef Stott - Medina Stepper Pink Skull - Unicorn Harpoon Does it Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars Moby - Alice - General Midi Remix Boys Noize - My Head - Para One Remix Ghislain Poirier - No More Blood FEAT Face-T Justice - Phantom Lowfish - 999 Robert Hood - Intro - M-Plant Moby - Degenerates Marie Moor - Pretty Day Crystal Castles - Alice Practice Ruth - Polaroid/Roman/Photo M.I.A. - Paper Planes - DFA Remix Hot Chip - Made In The Dark Subtractive Lad - Decay As a Lifestyle
Four Tet- Ribbons O! the joy - this fault is not mine Plants and animals- feedback in the field Flight of the conchords- Business time
Show start Memphis- I dreamed we fell apart Fog- Song about a wedding Dosh- Steve the Cat The Notwist- Good lies Efterklang- Bright Brand New- Degausser Denali- Relief Feist- La meme histoire Cortney Tidwell- Lala Son Lux- Stand Annuals- Sore Cut copy- Feel the love Neva Dinova- A man and his dream Wye oaks- Warning South- Better things Cloud cult- Journey of the featherless El perro Del mar- Glory to the world Stars- The Big fight Bright Eyes- Neely O' Hara The Velvet teen- Forlorn Arovane-Tokyo ghost stories Hammock- Bird's flying in sequence Sigur Ros- Svefn G- Englar
Today is lots of Daft Punk Day. Clearly I made that up.
Daft Punk - Alive 2007
[artist - track] M.I.A. - Paper Planes - Scottie B Remix Moby - Alice Lowfish - Bitter Calvin Harris - The Girls Crystal Castles - Crimewave The Ting Tings - 7th Heaven Remix B-52's - Funplex - CSS Remix Neon Neon - Neon Theme Ghislain Poirier - No More Blood FEAT Face T Jimmy Edgar - 18th Street Reflections Bad Dudes - Suez
The third in a series of reviews of albums by bands whose prior releases have solely consisted of EPs and singles. Tokyo Police Club's song repertoire before this album consisted of, at most, 30 minutes of music: a 7 song EP, a 3 song EP, and the Your English Is Good single. Despite the meager portions Tokyo Police Club has served the world in the past, the band has been subjected to great praise since releasing the 7 song A Lesson In Crime EP in 2006. Each song packed insanely catchy guitar rock melodies (think "Is This It?") into songs no longer than three minutes. This brevity has served Tokyo Police Club well; perhaps the melodies would grow tired and repetitive to the listener if they were to extend past the three minute mark, but the band instead chooses to ride out the melody until it gets old, then they stop the song altogether.
Keeping this in mind, it's no surprise that Tokyo Police Club's first full length album follows the same formula for the most part. All 11 songs have catchy hooks and short lengths (the album runs for 28 minutes). Last year's single "Your English Is Good" (which makes an appearance on this album) is the exception, clocking in at a lengthy 3 minutes and 12 seconds! By now, you get the point: Tokyo Police Club make short songs with a sense of immediacy about them, and this album is no exception. However, while this new batch of songs is still decent and catchy, it's very hard not to think that the band is somewhat of a one-trick pony. Even more unfortunate is the fact that there aren't as many good songs here as there are on A Lesson in Crime, which is a real problem considering the music world has waited for this full length for over a year now.
That's not to say that the album doesn't have some attention grabbing songs. Seriously, some tracks are catchy as hell; the opening "Centennial" and "Nursery, Academy" have driving, get-off-your-ass drum beats, "Graves" starts off with a sweet keyboard hook (the catchiest of the album), and yeah, the album has 2007 standout "Your English Is Good", which would probably still sound amazing had I not played it to death last year.
Unfortunately, most of the other songs aren't as memorable as anything on A Lesson In Crime. The worst offender, "The Harrowing Adventures Of..." finds the band trying to incorporate glockenspiels and strings into their hand claps and guitars (here, acoustic) sound. However, the song fails to sound anything but schmaltzy. This failure is more alarming because it shows that the band fails when they do something different than what they normally do (and what they normally do is not as exciting on Elephant Shell as it has been in the past). What does a band do when they can't squeeze as much life out of their previously successful formula and can't be successful when they deviate from that formula? Speaking of schmaltz, I really enjoy the vocal melodies of "Listen to the Math," but lyrics about people gasping about babies being born are somewhat ridiculous and take away from the enjoyment.
Aside from the schmaltz issue, my main gripe with Elephant Shell is how homogeneous it sounds. In most cases, it's really hard to differentiate one song from another. Even though most songs on the album aren't bad, this is a little disappointing; each song on A Lesson In Crime had its own distinct feel to it, whereas these songs do not. The three songs after "Graves" are catchy, yes, but it's really really hard to tell the difference between the three because they sound so similar to each other. Homogeneity leads to filler, and an 11 song, 28 minute album really can't afford to suffer from such a thing. Unfortunately, Elephant Shell does suffer from the filler problem, ultimately resulting in less memorable songs than the much shorter A Lesson In Crime EP. I look forward to seeing if the band can remedy this in their future releases.
Rating: 5/11
Key Tracks: "Graves", "Centennial"
The album comes out in the U.S. on April 22nd via Saddle Creek Records
* Kanye West & T-Pain - Good Life * Bangers & Cash feat. Santogold & Betty Black - B.O.O.T.A.Y. (Leif Remix) * Ying Yang Twins - Salt Shaker (KillPhil Remix) * The Streets - Let's Push Things Forward (Hostage Remix) * Boys Noize - Wisconsin '95 * Turntablehoshies - Blond Skinny Biorobot (Shokkaboy Remix) * Count & Sinden - Beeper (A-Trak remix) * Erykah Badu - Honey (Letroset Erykazoo Blend by Luminfire) * Jay Z - Ignorant Shit (Son of Kick remix) * Lil Mama - Shawty Get Loose (KBACA Remix) * Twinpitch - debut (timo di roy mix) * Alphabeat, FrankMusik and Leon Jean-Marie - Digital Love * Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy (Stockholm Syndrome Club Mix) * Blaqstarr - Blaw! (Neo's Let the Attack Begin Edit) * Walter Meego - Girls * Petter - Goda dagars magi (Alvy Singer remix) * Supreeme - Who We Are (Royal Rumble remix) * The Ghost Frequency - Never Before Have I Seen A Man Alive That Looked So Exactly Like A Skeleton (Zombie Disco Squad remix) * Warboy feat. Mama Shamone - London's Gettin' Dirty (blend! Scuzzy redesign) * Rails to Russia - Turning Into You (Lismore remix) * Ghislain Poirier feat. Face-T - No More Blood
The first 4 bands I played are playing at Ground zero this saturday at April 12th..see below post for details!
Pre show - Slow Six
The Red Lions - Bay of naples Charlie Everywhere - Mouthful of diamonds On a scale of 1 to 10 - North (live) Battles- Tij The Velvet Teen- Tokyoto Menomena- Rotten Hell Neva Dinova- Apocalypse Head of Femur - Jetway Junior Wye Oak - If children were wishes Why? - Torpedo or Crohns (finally get to play this!) Son Lux - Wither Cloud Cult- Everybody here is a cloud South- Wasted Elbow- Starlings Foxhole- Spectacle Camphor - The sweetest tooth Animal collective - For Reverend Green Bear Colony- Hospital Rooms aren't for lovers The Arcade Fire- Intervention Amy Millan- Skinny Boy Helio Sequence- So Stop! Annuals- Just stay in Ulrich Schnauss- Shine Sunset Rubdown- Shut up I am dreaming of places where lovers have wings
this is my "windows down, cruisin on the highway, bobbing your head with a huge smile on your face" playlist
B-52's - funplex - CSS remix delta 5 - mind your own business act - ping pong chromeo - fancy footwork calvin harris - the girls - groove armada dub moby - alice cystal castles - alice practice M.I.A. - paper planes - DFA remix boys noize - my head - para one remix benny benassi - put your hands up daft punk - rollin' & scratchin' busy p - rainbow man hot chip - ready for the floor neon neon - i lust you cut copy - hearts on fire lowfish - 999 charlie everywhere - as far as I can see jimmy edgar - 18th street reflections ghislian porier - no more blood feat face-t - hudson mohawke remix metaform - urban velvet cloud cult - everybody here is a cloud 65daysofstatic - i swallowed hard, like i understood dance like robots - we were vampires slow six - evening without atonement (playing at GZ this Saturday!!! see below) silver mt. zion - movie (never made)
I really think this is going to be the best Ground Zero show since Battles came in 2004..Check it out!
(blurb copied from facebook posting)
If you only knew what we went through to lock in this show... It's worth it though, all of these bands are mind-blowing. Seriously, ask anyone who came to see Slow Six last semester - they're almost TOO good.
Please invite your friends!
======= Saturday, April 12th @ 8pm ========
:: Slow Six ---> Beautiful post-rock/neo-classical :::: Charlie Everywhere ---> Electronic indie duo :::::: The Red Lions ---> Classy indie/jazz/folk :::::::: On a Scale of 1 to 10 ---> Epic post-rock
[Ground Zero] Basement of Nugent Hall (On The RPI campus) more info/directions: http://www.gzbasement.net | 8pm | Nominal Fee
============= Band Descriptions ==============
[Slow Six] Website: http://www.myspace.com/slowsix // http://www.slowsix.com Slow Six are a Brooklyn outfit led by Christopher Tignor, who experiment with live sampling and digital signal processing to create brooding and beautiful ambient music somewhere between post rock and neo-classical. One really can't put into words how amazing this band is. For fans of Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Kronos Quartet, etc.
[Charlie Everywhere] Website: http://www.myspace.com/charlieeverywhere2 Self-described as "a culmination of unique urban influenced rhythms, and psychedelic melodies, with combined technology and organic textures," Charlie Everywhere present their unique take on electro-indie pop with female vocals. By blending hip hop influenced samples and beats with the synths and melodies of your favorite indie band, Charlie Everywhere's resulting sound offers something for everyone.
[The Red Lions] Website: http://www.myspace.com/theredlions Project mastermind Eric Margan calls the Red Lions "a fine mixture of popular song, classical virtue, jazz chops, folk storytelling and timeless lyrics. Music which draws upon countless influences, borrowing and blending elements resulting in an original sound to which most listeners reply with an affecting familiarity." I'd elaborate, but I don't think I could make it any more accurate. I hear a variety of bands in their sound, ranging from Nick Cave to the Beatles, but I'm sure you'll hear an even wider selection of influences. This is classy.
[On a Scale of 1 to 10] Website: http://www.myspace.com/onascaleof1to10 Epic post-rock in the vein of Explosions in the Sky. From soft, ambient melodies to driving crescendos, On a Scale of 1 to 10 play instrumental pieces fitting to be heard in the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Except less nerdy.
* Fort Knox Five (feat. Afrika Bambaataa & King Kamonzi) - Radio Free DC * Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Solly Remix) * Damaged Goods - Yo Righteous (A1 Bassline Remix) * Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir (feat. Young MC & Masta Ace) - Know How (Gutter Remix) * Mark Almaria - Freak Em Slow (Panty Dropper Freak A Leek Mix) * Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (DJ Friendly Ikon Refix) * Adam Tensta (feat. Dr. Alban) - My Cool (Al Azif Remix) * MC Gringo & MC Binho - 1 Real (Ebb Mix) * Larry Tee - I Love U (Bart B More Secured Dub) * Jahcoozi - bln * Purple Crush - Shopping on the Dancefloor (AC Slater Remix) * AC Slater - Party Like Us (Udachi Remix) * The Bloody Beetroots - Mac Mac * Yoav - Club Thing (Aaron LaCrate Remix) * Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Weird Science * Jahcoozi - flatline * New Europeans - Dr. Rhythm (Facteur Remix) * The Doors - People Are Strange (Chew Fu Manjamango Remix) * Queen - Flash Gordon (Jaimie Fanatic Bootleg) * The Bloody Beetroots - Ezekiel Eats Red Hoodie * Munk (feat. Chloe) - Ce Kul (Passarani Remix) * Bryan Cox - Let's Go to Work (The Bulgarian Remix) * Barrett Richards - Speakas Up (Knowlton Walsh rework)
Yeeeahhhh... this set featured some up and coming artists that I really am digging at the moment. The three that I'm excited about are the Fort Knox Five, Jahcoozi, and The Bloody Beetroots. I highly recommend you check these groups out cus you won't find much better!
Charlie Everywhere - As Far as i can see (playing at ground zero April 12th with slow six! ) Clare and the Reasons- Pluto St.Vincent- All my stars aligned Doves- Someday Soon Bright Eyes- The Center of the World Jeff Buckley - Halellujah Daylight's for the birds- To no one The Cinematic Underground- Work (Carparks and Cubicles) Son Lux - Raise Neva Dinova- Clouds (Brand new album out!) Why? - Simeon's Dilemma Colour Revolt- Elegant View Black Keys- All you ever wanted Camphor- Castaway Foxhole- Lamentation Cassettes Won't listen- The Finish line Strangers die everyday- Bicycle The Notwist- This Room DNTEL- Last Songs Cars and Trains- Further from home Mum - Marmalade Fires Saxon Shore- This shameless moment Bracken - Fight or flight Broken Social Scene- Cranley's gonna make it The Album leaf- Twenty two fourteen
these new puritans - numerology (aka numbers) neon neon - raquel autechre - the PLC lowfish - 999 ghislain poirier - no more blood feat. FACE-T (hudson mohawke remix) moby - alice - general midi remix boys noize - my head - para one remix daft punk - television rules the nation, cresdendolls, too long, steam machine, around the world, harder better faster stronger substantial - resurrection of the house party M.I.A. - paper planes - scottie b. remix b-52's - funplex - css remix ghostland observatory - dancing on my grave calvin harris - the girls - groove armada dub busy p - rainbow man delta 5 - mind your own business crysyal castles - untrust us mates of state - hoarding it for home los campesinos - death to los campesinos! the blow - pile of gold harry belefonte - matilda matilda mystery palace - stepchild 65daysofstatic - retreat! retreat! denali - everybody knows subtractive lad - decay as a lifestyle bitcrush - a false movement, true
sweet shows coming up: John Vanderslice @ MASS MOCA April 4th Jimmy Eat World @ the armory in albany April 28th Murder By Death @ Valentines April 2 (today) JR SR EMAC Exhibition @ The Arts Center (Downtown Troy) featuring some of my graphic design work as well as Blar's video work! Exhibition runs April 18 - May 6.
* M.I.A./Diplo - "Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1" (all tracks by M.I.A. unless otherwise noted) - Galangton (Diplo Mix) - Galang - Two Bit Rhythm (M.I.A. Mix) [LL Cool J / Cavemen] - Fire Bam (Diplo Mix) - Fire Fire - One For The Headskirt [M.I.A. / Missy] - Amazon (Diplo Mix) - Definition Of A Roller [The Clipse] - Untitled [MIA / Cutty Ranks] - M.I.A. - You're Good (Diplo Mix) - Pop - Sunshowers (Diplo Mix) - Baile Funk One - Bucky Done Gun - Baile Funk Two - China Girl (Diplo Mix) - Baile Funk Three - Lady Killer (Diplo Mix) - U.R.A.Q.T. (Diplo Mix) - Bingo (Diplo Mix)
* Santogold - Shove It (Switch Remix) * 45 King vs. Pase Rock - The 900 Number (2k8) * Ghostface Killah - Charlie Brown (DJ Mehdi Remix feat. Mapei) * Blaqstarr - Shake It To The Ground (Self Evident vs. Dan Solo Refix) * The Count & Sinden feat. Kid Sister - Beeper (Detboi Remix) * 45 King vs. Wale - 126 Strings (Inflagranti Remix) * Art Whiplash - Quand tu reviens au petit matin * The Dance, Inc. - Matador (Frittenbude Zerkau Deinen Knebel Remix) * Flux Punx - Sound Check * L.A.H.E. - Bump In The Night (Thrills Remix) * Theatre of Disco - YOA (The Twelves Remix) * Revolver - Can't Stand (ZZZ Remix)
* edIT - Battling Go-Go Yubari in Downtown L.A. * Bangers & Cash - Loose * Spank Rock - Get It On The Floor * Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Chew Fu Refix feat. J-Cast & Substantial) * Juvelen - Hanna * Justice - DNVO (LA Riots Remix) * The AKAs - This Is The Way (Bird Peterson Remix) * Cut Copy - Far Away * Donzelle - Zebra Kiss (feat. Spoek) * SebastiAN - Head/Off (Faex Rework) * These New Puritans - Swords of Truth * TTC - Quand Je Claque des Doigts * Kanye West - Stronger (A-Trak Remix) * Boys Noize - Oh! (A-Trak Remix) * Paul McCartney - Temporary Secretary (Radioslave Edit) * Round Table Knights - Freak From Desire * Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars * Mr. Miyagi - Pick Your Poison (Pfunkt Remix) * Mr. Flash - Champions * Wu Tang Clan - The Jump Off (Bird Peterson Remix) * Estelle - American Boy (Scuola Furano Fireworks and Tears Remix) * Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir (Disco D Remix)
I know I know.... this post and the next come a few weeks too late. But here they are all the same.
[artist - track]
* Vince Guaraldi - Linus and Lucy (Pocketknife's Hark the Holler Remix) * Bjork - Declare Independence (Mark Stent Mix) * Justice - tonics jurkin edit * Santogold - You'll Find a Way (Switch and Sinden Remix) * The Shoes - Knock Out (80Kidz Remix) * Nid & Sancy - M.U.S.I.C. (SymbolOne Remix) * Karin Strom - Silent Night * WSGM - Kids Vacation (80Kidz Remix) * Saigon - C'mon Baby (DJ Beware Remix) * Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights (Girls Are Short Remix) * Krames - Fuck You Pay Me (Krames Remix) * New Rave Kids On The Block - Strange Phenomenon * The Teenagers - Love No (Tepr Remix) * Midfield General - Disco Sirens (Them Jeans edit) * Joanna Newsom - The Book of Right On (Pocketknife's Scowling Owl Remix) * CFCF - How Bizarre * PNAU - Baby (Breakbot Remix) * Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars * The Whip - muzzle no. 1 * Free Blood - Quick and Painful * Simian Mobile Disco - The Count * Ladytron - Seventeen * The Coconut Wireless - Get The Fuck Up * Santogold feat. Spank Rock - Shove It (Switch Remix) * Belleruche - Minor Swing
P.s. - You should def check out Belleruche, a London based trio comprised of a guitarist, vocalist, and DJ. Their debut album is titled "Turntable Soul Music" and is the dopest shit I've heard in a long long time...
Welsh septet (!) Los Campesinos! is one of many bands releasing their debut full-length in 2008 while attempting to deliver on a promising EP. Their brand of indie pop is full of shout-along verses and choruses as well as slightly out-of-the-ordinary instrumentation (glockenspiels and violins are prevalent in their songs). However, instead of distracting from the rest of the music, they serve as just two more pieces of the whole; each instrument (including vocals) assists in completing the songs and makes them more enjoyable.
One of the things I liked about last year's EP was how FUN it was. Every song made me want to jump around and dance like a maniac. Though the album is longer, most songs still have a similar effect. Single "My Year in Lists" exemplifies this quality; the drumming provides a solid beat and lyrics about the romantic implications of decorated stationary and the breaking of New Year's resolutions will make you laugh or at least crack a smile, guaranteed. The chorus also is one of the album's catchiest (employing the previously mentioned violin and glockenspiel to great effect; the chorus wouldn't be as memorable without them, though they hardly distract from the rest of the music). Another highlight is opener "Death to Los Campesinos!," whose lyrics I really love, speaking of being "better off with artificial intelligence" and "ctrl-alt-deleting your face with no reservation." This album isn't only new in sound, its lyrics are also contemporary, which I enjoy (if you read my last article, I'm somewhat tired of the obscene amount of new music that would have sounded just as comfortable in the 70s or another previous decade as they do today).
Indeed, one strong point of Los Campesinos! is their lyrics. Most bands often get lazy and sort of add lyrics as an after sight, but in LC!'s case, lyrics really add something to the song, usually a certain sort of giddiness and excitement (and they're clever to boot). It's obvious that the band pays more attention to writing lyrics than most bands (or else they're just naturally good at it). My personal favorite are in "We Are All Accelerated Readers," where they're about relationships, but in a cleverer (there's that word again) way. Instead of whining about breaking up, they ponder the point of entering relationships in the first place:
You should have built a statue And so I did of you But you were ungrateful and slightly offended at the dimensions of it You said you look less like the Venus de Milo And more like your mother in a straitjacket I think it's great that you're doing fine now, but enough is enough And I've had enough
It's a unique perspective for a pop song to take, which is pretty refreshing. Also in the song is favorite and probably soon-to-be frequently quoted lyric, "The opposite of true love is as follows - reality!"
There are a couple tracks I'm not too fond of, however: both "Knee Deep at ATP" and bonus track "2007, The Year Punk Broke (My Heart)" deviate from the Los Campesinos! norm by spending their duration building from quiet to loud, sparse instrumentation to a cacophony of sound (the former being the most obvious). I give them points for trying something different, but the music in both the songs is unremarkable, and I find the climaxes to be sort of, well, anti-climatic. However, "Knee Deep" has more excellent lyrics; "2007" is really the only song on the album that lacks in that department.
The 12 song album also has three songs from previous releases (including one of 2007's best songs, "You! Me! Dancing"). The three songs are all great, but I hope this doesn't mean the band is running out of ideas. I would hate to see their next release be a disappointment by being unoriginal because as the moment, Los Campesinos! is anything but; it's a hard task for a band to make music fun again in this day and age, but LC! are succeeding with frantic pop songs and lyrics to match. I'm sort of apprehensive about what will happen next, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy this album in the meantime.
Rating: 9/12
Key Tracks: Death to Los Campesinos!, My Year in Lists, We Are All Accelerated Readers
Addendum: I'm in sort of a unique position to review this album; I heard the EP last year and played it literally all the time on my radio show, and now I'm studying in a country they tour in all the time (living near Wales and all). The album already came out here last month, but isn't out in the States until April 1. Judging by their huge rise of popularity over here since the album came out (selling out shows in small and midsized venues in the UK and Ireland), their upcoming U.S. tour should be a rousing success. I had the pleasure of seeing them live in Ireland and they were definitely a lot of fun. See them in NYC or Boston this May!
I got an extra 30 minutes because Emelie couldn't do her show..so i played a bunch of random stuff from the new bins..
Pre show
Crystal castles - Courtship dating Be your own pet- super soaked Don Cavalli- Agression Destroyer- Foam hands De novo dahl- Shout Devotchka- Basso profundo Pharmacy- Little toys on a shelf
Real show start
Charlie everywhere- Lucy's underground Mugison- I want you The Notwist- One with the freaks Forget Cassettes- Instruments of action A Northern Chorus- Rememberence day Ester Drang- Come back alive Marketa Irglova- The Hill (from the Once soundtrack) Neko case- Star Witness Cortney Tidwell- Our Time Son Lux- Stay (raving about this album below) Why?- Song for the sad assassin Cassettes won't listen- Paper float Unwed Sailor- Aurora Foxhole- The end of dying Colour Revolt- See it Plants and Animals- Bye Bye Bye Excepter - Kill People Autumns- Clem Margot and the Nuclear So and So's- Hello Vagina (b-side off the upcoming ' Animal! ' album) Neva Dinova- She can't change Montag- Hands off, creature! Radical face- Wrapped in piano strings M83- Couleurs This Will Destroy You- A three-legged workhorse
This Son lux album (At war with Walls and Mazes) is completely amazing. I can't say enough about the composition, technical aspects and emotion that this album has. The originality is really stunning as well. The blending of hip hop and classical elements with minimalist lyrics somehow all fit just right under Ryan Lott's careful hands. Many times during my first listen I remember saying to myself "what?? you can't do that" (especially in a song like "Raise" where a crunchy bass and scratched opera singing come out of nowhere on an otherwise docile track. Everything feels very deliberate, but very organic. The effects he uses start to make the music sound like it is going to break down and stop at any moment, and you start hoping "no! no! don't stop yet!" There are a bunch of unreleased songs on his myspace..so i'm crossing my fingers for an EP later on. Yet another homerun for Anticon this year...I thought Why?'s Alopecia was my top contender for album of the year, but Son Lux may have beaten them out for now..
It'll be a good time..im doing video and there is plenty of quality musics for them dancins
Blurb from their site: www.goodship.net
The Official Unofficial Troy Night Out Afterparty (presented by Goodship)
Friday, March 28, 2008 9 pm to 3 am Revolution Hall 425 River street, Troy, New York, 12180 Nominal fee
What, oh what, Would Goodship Do? First off, we would ask for fifteen cents every time you use that zinger - plus we would charge double if you turn such hotness into a tattoo (you get double the high fives, though). And then, just as a lark, we would probably do up one of those new fangled Official Unofficial Troy Night Out afterparties that the kids cannot stop talking about around the water bubbler (bubble, water - BUBBLE). Disengage that parking brake, junior - we are rolling backwards down the hill, careening towards fun. And, ironically, you just happen to be riding with fun (I know, right?). Well, and Joro-Boro and Pandemic Pete are riding shotgun, as it was in their awesome, awesome rider (mineral water? really?). And, as always, strapped to the top, is the usual collection of hoboes, malcontents, fire-spinners, jaywalkers, freemasons, and blithering idiots we call "regulars" - bless their bonnets and so forth. So I ask again: What Would Goodship Do? Well, we would of course hope you can make it, you old so-and-so.
beats:
Joro-Boro (The man, the myth, the mayhem - welcome back) Pandemic Pete (As if the aforementioned mayhem was not enough, now we have a freaking pandemic! Perfect.) face removal services (Touching the sky on a bimonthly basis, it seems) Dostoevsky's Pistols (Bulgarian themed RPI band with more members than the Brady Bunch) back from japan (The pastor of plastic beats and blastic... pleats?) jenkins (Got a blue medal at the fair - he still has not told us what it is about, though...)
pixels:
Blar (VJ for the last czar - yeah, you could call him "Rasputin") skfl (Couldn't get the sword from the stone, but he apparently got a pixel or two as consolation)
You can upload up to 12 songs and share it with friends. I'm sure there are other fancy places that do this..but this is a really stripped down interface with no annoying ads or anything...maybe I'll make use of this with future playlist reporting or something..here is my friend's playlist..it has one of my old bands songs on it, haha..how embarassing:
Hello, listeners of WRPI's fine indie programming! What follows is the first of hopefully more posts about new, exciting and original current music. The first volume of this series explains the appeal of one of contemporary music's most thrilling bands, We Versus the Shark.
So as a college student, I spend a lot of time on my computer listening to music. A copious amount of new music gets released every single week, so much in fact that it can become overwhelming to keep up with it all. Often times it becomes pretty easy to just play some old favorites (in my case, usually Pavement or Archers of Loaf) instead of sifting through the large amount of strikingly similar bands. Popular music among the indie crowd today includes a countless number of overhyped slow folk/70s revival dream pop artists such as Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Grand Archives (who started out promising but ended up kinda bland) and dance rock bands such as 90% of all up-and-coming artists in England (seriously, it's kind of ridiculous) trying to be the next Hot Chip or LCD Soundsystem. This can become frustrating to the average music listener, trying to differentiate seemingly hundreds of bands from the same genre. Why bother with music when it lacks originality, right?
Please do not fret, fellow music aficionados! I am here to tell you that not all hope is lost. There are still some bands creating unique styles of music, playing unique stuff that you've most likely never heard before. One band that exemplifies these qualities is Athens, GA four piece We Versus the Shark, and 2008 is shaping up to be their breakthrough year.
I first heard of this band through their 2005 debut album "Ruin Everything!," which is incredibly consistent throughout and is one of my personal favorite albums. It's hard to describe the music played on the album, but I'll do my best: chaotic yet controlled and tight. The musical chops of all four members are obvious throughout the release, from the technical and aggressive guitar work of Luke Fields and Samantha Paulsen to the tight rhythm section of bassist Jeff Tobias and drummer Scott Smith. Each song on the album goes through, at the least, several hooks which tend to vary in time signature. It's music to dance to (anyone who has seen me listen to it could attest to this) but mainly it's music to drop your jaw to. The precision and beauty in the madness is a wonder to behold, and the fact that all ten songs on the album are so engrossing makes it all the better. The band ended a two year silence in recorded material last year with the release of the EP of Bees EP (which listeners of my show may have heard from time to time), featuring four more songs in a similar vein to and just as excellent as the ten tracks that make up Ruin Everything!
Furthermore, the band kills it live. I had the pleasure of seeing We Versus the Shark in Boston and Albany last year, and was blown away both times. Both times, they failed to play any songs from Ruin Everything! and I was still left unable to competently describe the experience. From seeing them live, one can easily tell that this band just loves playing music and are thrilled to do so for an audience. All four members play off each other, which makes the band seem like a fluid, well-oiled machine. Basically, everything just seems so natural. Perhaps this is why Ruin Everything! and their soon-to-be-released full length, Dirty Versions, were both recorded live; a band this comfortable, this fluid and this good should just record an album by doing what they do best, that being playing music together as a unit and not separately.
Since I just mentioned their new album, let's talk about that now. I've been looking forward to We Versus the Shark's next full length since hearing Ruin Everything! a couple years ago, and the moment has finally arrived! Dirty Versions, the official follow up, will be released this April, and two new songs ("Hello Blood" and "I Am a Caffienated Corpse") are currently streaming on their myspace. There are several reasons for my excitement about the new album, one being that the music has a very sludgey, dirty (hence the name) feel that differs greatly from Ruin Everything! and another being that yes, these new songs sound so different from Ruin Everything! and are still amazing. One thing that always impresses me in a band is their ability to change their formula from album to album and still end up sounding great (which is why I love bands like Pavement and Modest Mouse). Clearly, We Versus the Shark possesses this quality, yet another reason why this is one exciting band to watch.
One new album not enough for you? We Versus the Shark has seen fit to release another album's worth of material throughout the course of 2008. The album, titled Murmurmur, will eventually consist of 12 songs, with one song released at the beginning of each month of the year. Bands covered so far have been very diverse, from January's choice of "Right Away" by Pattern Is Movement, February's choice of "Greatest Gift" by 80s noise rock band Scratch Acid, and March's choice of "Dirt in the Ground" by the one and only Tom Waits. Clearly, the band's influences run a pretty expansive gamut, which is indicative of their already established musical diversity. It will be exciting to see what else the band will come up with in the future, which is more than I can say for a good amount of bands playing music today. The songs from Murmurmur are free to download from donation-based Quote Unquote Records.
Next, here is a video of the song "Party Animal" (track 11 of the upcoming Dirty Versions) at CMJ 2007. This video showcases the previously mentioned qualities of their live show, as seen from the impromptu dancing at the 2:50 mark and the guitar/drums interplay starting at the 5:40 mark:
Finally, I'd be remiss not to mention other bands related to We Versus the Shark and their label, Hello Sir Records. So Many Dynamos, coming off of 2006's excellent album Flashlights (released by Hello Sir on vinyl), have finished recording their next full length, which should be released later this year. Judging by live performances of the new stuff, it will be just as good as, if not better than, Flashlights (anyone seeing the band at RPI's Ground Zero last fall can attest to this). I could write another story about these guys (maybe I will someday!). Another band to watch out for is Cinemechanica, fellow city and labelmates to We Versus the Shark. The follow-up to their guitar-heavy debut The Martial Arts should be out either later this year (the band states on their website that they were writing in January) or next year.
In conclusion, yes, music is still exciting.
Listen: We Versus the Shark "Slide" from Ruin Everything! mp3
Charlie Everywhere - Mouthful of diamonds The Cardigans - Erase- Rewind Vio/Mire- Wood Splitting Sufjan Stevens- John Wayne Gacy Jr. Annuals- Bleary Eyed Midlake- Young Bride Death Cab for Cutie- Tiny Vessels Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton- Detective Daughter Son Lux - Weapons *favorite artist of the week!* Colour Revolt- Naked and Red Why?- Fatalist Palmistry Unwed Sailor- Little Wars Cassettes Won't Listen- Large Radio Autumns- Boys Fuck Buttons- Ribs Out Function- The Red Hook Overview A Whisper in the noise- In the dark Bright Eyes- Middleman Stars- Heart The Album Leaf- Always for you Styrofoam- Your eyes only Arovane- Tides Telefon Tel Aviv- Wha is was will never again Stars of the lid- The evil that never arrived
Peter Paggi- Murder ballad Ryan Jenkins- All my friends are dying Drewkelele- Serial Tickler Drewkelele- Heaven (cover) Byron hulcher- HIV song Andrew Eckel- Stream of consciousness Mamoona- All we are Dostoesvsky's pistols- Keep on Fight the pope- What if god was one of us Hot Gurl party- Erase U Pototsolatttj- Where are the mountains of yesteryear T-don- Jeff Goldblum On a scale of 1 to 10- Polka
Normal set (6pm):
Album Leaf- Belladonna Never- Searching and chasing Ghost Orchid- Ana Mir Neva Dinova- Did you disappoint your god? Beck- Everybody's gotta learn sometimes The Decemberists- The Engine Driver This will destroy you- The world is our __ Wesafari- Credit WHY?- These few presidents WHY?- The Hollows Colour Revolt- Moses of the south Brooke Waggoner- I am mine Sera Cahoone- You might as well She & him- why do you let me stay here A Weather- Spiders and snakes Beach house- Gila Murder by death- Fuego Mason proper- Friendship Strangers die everyday- Safer in the ground Art in Manila- Set the woods on fire Khoiba- Pure hands A Whisper in the noise- Silence Grizzly bear- Knife Le Loup- We are gods! We are wolves! Battles- SZ2
I just wanted to remind you that I won't be on the radio this week but I'll be back on Wednesday March 19th from 4-6pm. In the meantime check out some new music to our station.
On this, their first full length, Colour Revolt delivers on the promise of their 2006 self-titled EP, but only to a certain degree. They get some things right, but there is certainly room for improvement. For the most part, Colour Revolt do one of two things: create slowly building songs with a payoff of epic proportions, or they create songs full of tension that end before any sort of tipping point.
The first few songs follow the 'slowly building' model, starting with first single "Naked and Red" which, while not bad, seems to be missing a little something. The next track, "A Siren" starts similarly to "Naked and Red", but progresses in a different direction. Towards the end, guitar, bass and drums fire on all cylinders, creating a beautiful cacophony of sound that keeps building until all instrumentation stops. It seems a lot less calculated than "Naked and Red," and it's this that makes me believe it should have been chosen as the album's first single. Next, the haunting mood and slow stomp of "Elegant View" eventually veer into loud, unruly territory, full of abrasive guitar feedback and the occasional guitar riff reminiscent of 80s metal (to me, anyway). By the end of the track, the guitars sound absolutely exhausted (one of my personal favorite moments of the album). Indeed, the build up to aural assault is well-done on these two songs.
Most of the other tracks are filled with tension, and the best example of this is the track "Moses of the South." Repeated guitar strumming and a fluid rhythm section start off the song, and persist while various guitar feedback becomes introduced during its progression. It creates an eerie yet somehow endearing atmosphere, and it's the track I like the most. Other tracks towards the end of the album, such as "Innocent and All," do the same thing, but just aren't as memorable.
Final track "What Will Come of Us?" exercises an admirable amount of restraint, but doesn't work well as the closing track. After listening for the whole six-plus minutes, you sort of hope that something big is going to happen, but it never really does. Even though it's a disappointment in that way, I give them a lot of credit for this unorthodox method of closing the album. The band may have thought that it would be interesting to go against expectations and end with a slowly building but quieter song rather than with a slowly building but epic song.
Unfortunately, a lot of the tracks here are pretty mediocre and forgettable. "See It," which follows "A Siren" and "Elegant View," seems like an afterthought after those two powerful tracks. Unfortunately, several of the tracks on the album come off the same way; after listening to the album several times, I still can't recall what some of the songs even sound like (they sort of suffer from 'every song sounds the same' syndrome). Tracks like "See It" and "Swamp" aren't necessarily bad, but they're just sort of unremarkable compared to the obviously stronger tracks. Honestly, there just isn't much to love after the halfway point of the album.
Also, the album's not instrumental, but I don't feel compelled to mention lyrics or vocals at all. The lyrics are too trapped in traditional rhyming schemes (one main complaint I had with their EP as well) to be compelling and the vocals just sort of accentuate the tone of the song.
Rating? 4/10: There are some really strong songs here (as there were on the EP), but unfortunately there are also a lot of unforgettable songs as well, and nearly the whole second half of the album is completely forgettable. I still think the band shows potential to have a strong release someday, but this isn't it.
Incase anyone is interested in the news of RPI arts. Here is my blog post on the recent art department visiting artist Wafaa Bilal. His gallery showing was shut down because the campus replulicans think the arts department is "a terrorist safe haven".
Sunset Rubdown- The taming of the hands that came back to life Emily haines and the soft skeleton- Doctor Blind This will destroy you- There are some remedies worse than the disease Fleet Foxes- Drops in the river Gregor Samsa - Untitled #1 Joy Wants Eternity- Death is a door the opens WHY?- These Few Presidents Los Campesinos- Death to los campesinos Beach House- You come to me Brooke Waggoner- Fresh pair of eyes City and Colour- The death of me Jim White- Crash into the sun Plants and Animals- Lola Who? A Weather- Spiders and snakes Strangers die every day- Aperture for departure Ruby Suns- Tane Mahuta Colour Revolt- Mattresses Underwater Ester Drang- All the feeling Georgie James- More Lights Efterklang- Mirador The Velvet Teen- The Raining curtains Panda Bear- Comfy in Nautica Damiak- Extended Slide Japancakes- When you sleep
Explosions in the sky - The Birth and death of the day This will destroy you- Quiet Joy wants eternity- From embrace to embrace Slow Six- Echolalic transitions (live at GZ) Hammock- The air between us The Album Leaf- Story Board The Mercury program- The Secret to quiet Pacific UV- Need No Kids-Dancing in the stacks 65daysofstatic- Another code against the gone Mason proper- Bone Men Jim White- Jailbird The Felice Brothers- Frankie's Gun Dirtbombs- Sherlock holmes God is an astronaut- Radau Scraps of tape- Hands in the air pg.lost- Kardusen Giants- The palace stands in its proper space Sigur Ros- Gong A Northern Chorus- Subjects and matter
voyager one - ocean grey delta 5 - mind your own business (special request for average white band - pick up the pieces) bonde de role - marina gasolina - peaches remix torpedo boyz - i can't make it on time feat. returner ghostland observatory - dancing on my grave busy p - rainbow man ssion - clown hot chip - like a child - carl craig remix crystal castles - untrust us hot chip - shake a fist goldfrapp - A&E - gui boratto remix ursula 1000 - boop - skeewiff remix benny benassi - get loose DAFT PUNK the knife - silent shout goldfrapp - caravan girl mahjongg - track 2 aphex twin - digeridoo (by request) pu22l3 - wedding march - bloodysnowman remix chairs in the arno - i never loved you anyway 65daysofstatic - i swallowed hard, like i understood neutral milk hotel - oh comely
If you like electronic music and dancing (or watching others dance?) check out the Troy Night Out afterparty! It's this Friday at Daisy Bakers in downtown Troy. Visit http://www.troynightout.org/ for more information! I'll see you there!- Emelie [ 7823 ]
