Monday, September 29, 2008
The National x 4
This is one of my favorite bands. What's so good about them is that they seriously get better with each release. I'm already shitting my pants with anticipation of their next album. (seriously i just pooped my pants... and I don't even know when the release date is) Also, I saw them live and WOW... really impressive. One of the best shows I've seen in a long time. Every album gets better with each listen. The Cherry Tree EP is probably the earliest release from them that I can enjoy... everything before that I just couldn't get into for some reason. But since then they've matured into something revered by the artists they were once compared to. And i just have to say that, as a drummer, Boxer is probably the best example of controlled excellence behind the kit that I've seen in a long time. While most drummers these days focus on showmanship and technicality, he is more focused on the song as a whole and what adds the most to the track. A virtue that I hold in high regard when it comes to drumming. He is probably second only to Phil Selway from Radiohead in this category and that is saying a LOT. Really, everyone in the band does this, which is why the songs are so well put together. Anyway, I could gush for hours about how amazing and under appreciated The National are, but instead just listen to the damn music. You won't be sorry, trust me. Their last two LPs are by far their best work, but the EPs are good if you already listened the crap out of their other stuff, like me. Can you listen the crap out of something?... i dunno. Everything in 320 Kbps by the way.
TV on the Radio: Dear Science
Hey, how bout something new? I realize I haven't been on the ball as far as the "new releases" go, so I figured since this is album is both relatively new and really good... well... YOINK! Here ya go!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Mount Eerie/The Microphones
I just saw a show last night... and guess who it was? PHIL ELVERUM. Awesome. My friend Justin over at the Copperworks apparently knows Phil fairly well, which is awesome cause his venue is pretty small and relatively unknown (I actually think they aren't really legit yet, so don't tell the po-po). There were maybe 30 people there total. He chilled and talked... it was very very awesome. I still don't know how it happened, but I'm glad it did. I even got to request the last song he played. Talked to him afterwards and the people he was playing with, Julie Doiron from the band "Eric's Trip" (named after a sonic youth song). She is apparently Phil's favorite singer, so they did an album together and are now touring it in between his tour dates with the band WHY? (look down two posts for their stuff). In celebration of this awesome show, and the fact that the download numbers for the Glow part 2 were the highest I've had, I feel like posting a few more Microphones albums. I was gonna do EVERYTHING he's done but doing that makes things get lost in the clutter, plus i feel like I have to write a book describing each thing. This is especially true because he has about 50 freakin albums. So here are the ones i think are the best (besides the Glow pt 2 which i already posted). It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water is his second best and basically turned me onto the Microphones in the first place. It has the amazing song "Sand" (which is ironically a cover of a song by Julie's band) which was the first thing i heard from Phil. The next best is probably Mount Eerie, the album when he decided to change his name. It's trippy as fuck and has about 8 awesome musicians helping him, which kinda worked against the flow of the album, but it's still a classic in my book. Then finally Song Islands, which really isn't an album so much as it is a collection of singles and rarities. There is a lot of clutter, but if you skip around the huge CD you'll find some amazing songs. Then finally the newest thing from Phil that i could get my hands on is Lost Wisdom, which Julie Doiron sings on. It hasn't been release officially yet, but i got it at his show, which if you go to his shows, you can do quite often. I could've picked up a few newer things not yet released but they were only on vinyl and sadly i don't own a record player. But this one was recorded quickly and really really sounds exactly like they did live... which you can pretty much never say about Phil's albums. Enjoy. Hopefully if numbers go well, or if I get requests, I have a bunch more of his stuff I can post.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
wuzzah wuzzah wuzzap in the hizzie?
Shiiiiiiiiiiii.... hey folks. It's been a while since I last posted. I wanted to let you know I'm alive and kicking. Been working my arse off while simultaneously trying to find another job. But in my spare time I've been collecting a lot of good stuff to post. If you've been faithfully checking back everyday i want to say that I appreciate it and will reward you accordingly with awesome tunes... and possibly the sex. I just wanna let you know that you should all comment, not only does it make me feel like people are reading this thing, but you can also give me your opinion, ask me for other albums that you want, call me names, give me your phone # for the sex.... all that good stuff. Okay, I'm off to more work, but check back later tonight/tomorrow and hopefully I will have posted something by then. PEACE!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Why?
With all the band names like YES and the WHO, it surprises me that it took so long for someone to come up with WHY? Well, finally these guys did. Congratu-fucking-lations. 30 years too late and not even cool anymore. Reenactment of talk to come up with band name:
Dude 1: Man, we need to come up with a band name.
Dude 2: Why?
Dude 1: ...... "Why?" indeed.
Dude 2: Fuck, i wish i said "Radiohead".
Honestly though, band names don't matter. Look at "The Beetles". Do you think of how lame the name is when someone says "The Beetles created modern music" (right before you punch them in the face). NO you don't. You think: "Wow, Paul McCartney used to play in THE BEETLES? WTF happened?!" Notice how you didn't care about the name. Well WHY? are one of those bands. They are so good, you keep asking yourself WHY? didn't i find out about these guys sooner? (I think I'm running out of WHY? jokes) Anyways. Here is another band that is capable of having a new album/old album post (see post below). Unfortunately their old album is the one RIGHT before the new one because it's my favorite. Hey... it still counts. These guys blend pretty much every musical genre. Rap? Yep. Folk? You bet! Electronic? Why not!? All that's left is Christian Rock and Screamo. Okay, so maybe not EVERY musical genre, but enough to make it very very interesting and even more unique. In a day in age where EVERYTHING sounds pretty much the same, WHY? are a breath of fresh air. I'm not a huge fan of his "rapping" tracks but luckily he doesn't do it too often. The rest is pretty much genius though, especially these two albums. I don't know which one I like better, although i tend to lean towards "Elephant Eyelash". Both are awesome. We'll see how the download numbers go and if you like it, I can post everything else they've done (EP's and ALL). Be good little sheep and follow your shepherd. NOT Jesus. Well... follow him too if you want... But his musical taste sucks. Have you heard "Here I am to Worship"? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
While working my arse off for the last weeks of summer, I was thinking up good ideas for music to post. I came up with this idea of posting an old album and new album from one artist. The only catch would be that they both have to be good though. The first artist that came to my mind was Will Oldham. Cool right? I know, I know... he's one of those artists where everyone has their personal favorite and if I pick something different someone's gonna be all like.. THIS ONE IS BETTER yadda yadda yadda... Well, pitchfork gave "I See a Darkness" a 10! Thats right. They NEVER give out 10s. And if a bunch of pretentious art/music school drop outs turned music critics are wrong then I don't want to be right. As much as I hate to agree with them, "I See a Darkness" is not only one of Will Oldham's best albums... it's pretty much one of the best albums in general. I must warn you though, it's dark... real dark... (hence the title i guess). Listen to the title track.. like.. a lot, cause it's one of the best songs ever written. Johnny Cash later covered this song with Will's help. If Johnny fucking Cash covers your song you can pretty much call it a day. Great production, great dynamics, great singing, great music... if you don't like this album either your taste in music is terrible or you simply just haven't given it enough time to grow on you. Possibly the only flaw in this album (which also is a positive thing, for me at least) is that you can't listen to it in passing. You can't put this on as background noise, or ignore the lyrics and just enjoy the music. You really have to pay attention, otherwise the payoff just isn't the same. His new album "Lie Down in the Light" doesn't require as much focus but I think it just might be the best thing he has done since "I See a Darkness". That doesn't sound like that much of a glowing review, but trust me, IT IS. It might not be quite as consistent, but the songs that are good ARE REALLY GOOD. Just off on a tangent for a second here. You know... I've never found a satisfactory answer as to why he chose the name "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy". I read somewhere that he liked the way it rolled off his tongue. Really? That's it?! Interesting... Just like "PJ's 'Blog' Rulezme". Say it. Rolls right off the tongue doesn't it? I would change the name of the blog but i enjoy explaining how to spell and define the word "zeitgeber" to everyone I talk to. *sigh*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
