best of 09 coming soon

Now that xmas is over and santa gave me a coal enema once again, it's time for another best of the year list! Wooohooooo! Look for it in the next couple of days. PEACE!

Animal Collective- FBK EP

When a normal band releases an EP, it usually has a few songs, one of them okay and the rest throwaway B sides. In other words, the EP is an afterthought, something a band uses to generate hype and give fans fodder in between LPs. When AC release an EP it usually reinvents their sound (yet again) and gives you at least a few songs that are as good as (or better than) any LP they've released. The first two tracks are so good, you just might skip the rest though.




Fall Be Kind

Life is a Beach... House (teen dream leak)

Hey all. It's your favorite band, Beach House. Wait... it's NOT your favorite band? Well then you SUCK. Okay, you don't suck... but maybe you haven't heard the word yet. These guys are the SHIT. I really liked their last efforts but honestly I felt like they needed a little extra umph. Well, this is it man. One of the first leaks of 2010 and dear god (and black jesus)... it just might end up being the best. It's definitely Beach House's best effort to date and if this is the quality of album we get to see in 10, well, BRING IT ON (you couldn't see, but I just snapped my fingers and bobbed my head back and forth). The bar has been set. Other music... your move!


Teen Dream MP4 High Quality Version (Version I have. Sounds amazingly good)

Teen Dream MP3 Version (I know some people only like MP3s)

Sup people

Hey errrrrrbody. My grandmother was really sick a few weeks ago and ended up dying, and after that I ended up getting the flu (swine flu maybe?) so I haven't been posting lately. ugh. But now that I'm free from the hell that was this past month, I will be on here more often. Just a little update for any of my several hundred (million?) followers. Peace!

Best Coast

Okay.. so I listen to Pocahaunted a decent amount last year. After releasing something almost every month without fail, I thought that they just all-of-a sudden...disappeared. Apparently what happened to them was the singer, Bethany, formed Best Coast... I totally missed that. Not only that, but she started making 60's beachy pop music with the same lo-fi hiss sound that made Pocahaunted such a .. well.. haunting band. I actually like this stuff a lot better in the sense that it's immediately appealing. As she said on her myspace, "I hope everyone likes it and can make out to it on a beach blanket this summer." Well... I totally missed that too... but I can make out to it on my couch huddled under a blanket for warmth (won't happen). If you're familiar with other music blogs you probably think I'm poaching from, say, Stratosphering. You're right. But I didn't know this stuff existed until now because she only released 7" vinyls and I've never seen a MP3 version until now. So I'm unoriginal.. whatevs. Also they have like 8 people writing for them. It's just little ol me over here. So there.




Art Fag 7"





Make You Mine 7"

Sleigh Bells Demo Disc

I want you to listen to this band. Bad. So bad I'm just gonna say a lot of fucking naughty words to get you to pay attention. COCK MILKING ASS DOMINATING CUMSWAPING FUCKITY FUCK FUCKER POON TOON TOWN BONER BENDING ASAIN SHIT BATH... PENIS! ...I've lost my train of thought. The point is... this is cool, pay attention. That is all.




Sleigh Bells Demo

Salem: Water EP

Just in case anyone missed the extra link in the comments section of the last Salem post... here it is again! I've been listening to the track "Skullcrush" quite a bit lately. I wish Salem would just put out an LP already. These EPs are decent and all... but it just doesn't hold up to multiple listens. Instead, you end up doing what I do... listen to one or two tracks and move on to other music. I could bitch and moan about all these half-assed albums and EPs, with their limit edition vinyl or cassette only releases, but I won't (much). Now it's one thing if an ESTABLISHED band wants to do an exclusive 200 copies only 7" or something... but when these nobody bands come out of nowhere and only press 200 copies of their album... only to get it downloaded off the internet like 30,000 times... it really makes no sense to me. (Seriously... the last Salem post was downloaded over 2500 times. More than almost anything else I've posted... and I'm not the only one who has it on their blog either). Okay... I'm working on a "Pitchfork Best New Music" MEGAPOST... but I'm too lazy to put all that work in, so instead I'm getting all this other shiz outta the way first. Expect it soon though. PEACE!




Water EP

Sleigh Bells: Crown on the Ground

WOW... I was browsing the interwebs and I stumbled upon this crazy song. It's like someone took a poppy dance worthy track and blew it up with a fuckin A-BOMB! (Or is it Fuckin-A bomb?) Pretty cool.

Hermit Thrushes: Slight Fountain

Okay... I decided to do one more post tonight to make up for my recent inactivity. If you missed my post on Hermit Thrushes last album go back and check it out... it's definitely worth it. Go ahead... I'll wait.... Okay? Ready? If I were in a traditional band (guitars and drums and all that) I would want to be making music like these guys do. They gracefully drift between this purposeful dischord and pop melody style of songwriting that makes what they do so interesting. Every track, no matter how weird or composed sounding, never takes the easy way out. You think you know the rhythm or the melody and then they smash you in face with a crazy or unexpected change of direction. It's disorienting... sometimes to it's detriment... but they manage to cut out of the track just before it gets too old (most of the tracks average around 2 minutes). And that really says something about the bands commitment to their sound. They REALLY aren't self indulgent at all. They know when to call it quits. They write music complex music with the mentality of DIY punks... it makes what they do really and truly unique....which, in this day in age, is almost impossible.





Slight Fountain

Washed Out: High Times

I wrote a big rant about all this "blog-friendly" music hitting the scene, and how most of it is forgettable or relatively mundane... and that we will all barely remember it in about a year. But then Blogger decided to crash in the middle of it and it deleted the whole post. So then I had no motivation to rewrite anything. Also the devastating loss of my precious complaining (which was really long and whiny) made me not want to write for a while.... but I have SO much music... I need to share it even if I don't say anything of value. Anyway.... I said something like "Washed Out was actually a nice little surprise in the midst of all these mediocre acts floating around these days." Blah blah blah. It sounds like jazzy dreamy grooves put through filters played on an old record player at the beach. Oh and he actually sings a little bit, unlike most of these artists. Reminds me a little bit of Bibio only way more lo-fi. And now that I'm jobless once again, expect that I will be posting on more of a weekly/daily basis from now on...at least I hope.




High Times

Cold Cave: Love Comes Close (Video)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart x 2

Yeah yeah... I know everyone already has this. I've been sitting on this download for months. Think of this as cleaning out my mediafire closet. Well good news is that if you don't have this, then you've been missing out. Despite the fairly ridiculous name there are definitely some great tunes to be had here. Amazingly catchy pop tunes with some amazingly interesting production. Think Jesus and Mary Chain meets Belle and Sebastian... only these guys rarely go below mid tempo. Their self titled debut will go down as one of the best of the year for sure, and the EP is pretty decent too.... as far as EPs go.




ST





Higher Than The Stars EP

Um, WHY? do ESKIMOs have so many words for SNOW

I make myself lol sometimes. Holy shit, by the way... does Yoni Wolf read my blog? Or does he just read my mind? Back when their last album came out, I was complaining how I wish they would just make an album sans the rapping for once... and lo and behold we have Eskimo Snow. Way to do exactly what I want. For my next wish, can Pavement and The Pixies both reunite and make new albums, then tour together near where I live? MAKE IT HAPPEN, MUSIC GODS! Anyway... I was thoroughly pissed when I read the review for this album from Pitchfork. For me... this is the album I've been waiting for from these guys. Sure it's more tame and less challenging than previous efforts... but it feels the most SINCERE or all their efforts, even when Yoni's tongue is buried deep in his cheek. It's more focused as a whole to me. Yeah, I have most of my favorite songs on other albums... but those albums I have to skip at least half of in order to get to the worthwhile songs. Minus "On Rose Walk, Insomniac", I can listen to the whole album on repeat for hours. His lyrics are so freaking genius to me. They are equal parts heartbreaking and silly, sometimes all in the same sentence. Like on "Even the Good Wood Gone" where Yoni imagines himself as a Pharaoh buried in some ritualistic fashion, only to wake up alone, realizing his death is just as sad as the everyday man's death. And then he switches to poking fun at his own meaningless eventual death by bemoaning, "When I'm REALLY buried, I'll be buried in Cleveland". In the sense that there is "no flash photography" allowed at his grave in the museum, there is no flash photography at his real grave because really no one cares enough to want to take a picture. Either way both rituals are kind of a joke to him. The absurdity of death is prevalent throughout the album (like most WHY? albums), but it never gets too heavy because there is always a sly lyrical or sex joke to make you giggle. The jokes are so sublte though... and they themselves are sort of sad in a way.... or in some instances...weird. At one point he talks about wearing his ex-girlfriend's dead ex-boyfriend's boxers. The play on words is funny, but the idea is kind of disturbing. Thankfully there aren't many more instances like this.... haha. But if you like Why?... then I'm sure you're used to it by now. The music is more orchestral than previous efforts. Alopecia eluded to this new style shift... but this album is so much more jazzy and fluid. It's probably the most traditional sounding album they have to date. But in this case "traditional" actually works in this bands favor. According to Pitchfork this is the opposite of how they feel. To them this was their "safe" record. But to me "safe" translates to relatable or universal. Is that enough air quotes for you? Yeah, me too. The album ends on probably one of my favorite lyrical notes with "Eskimo Snow", where Yoni tells us, "I hum these prayers in secret/and sung them through speakers in rooms for people to hear it". This loaded lyric represents what it is to be a songwriter. You write these insanely personal things all alone... these little prayers or confessions, then you go out and release them to the world hoping that someone will hear it and get what you were trying to say. It seems like a brutal process... and in this case, it certainly wasn't in vain.





Eskimo Snow

Dimlite x 3

I know... it's been a LONG time. Well first my grandmother had a stroke (again) and I was busy with that... then all these blogs that I really love and follow started getting taken down... which had me worried, so I laid real low for a while. But there is so much good music out there, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm excited! Are you!? I AM!!! Okay. Dimitri Grimm aka Dimlite has been making some of the TIGHTEST beats in recent years. He somehow slipped under my radar but that's okay because I get to catch up all at once... and now you do too! These are his major releases, i.e. his first EP and his two following LPs. There are other singles and 7"s out there but I just wanted to focus on his best material. My favorite is probably his most recent LP "This is Embracing" from 2006. He has been promising a new LP for a few years but has yet to deliver. As far as I know he's planning on releasing a new EP instead. Can't wait! If you've never heard any of his music before, think instrumental hip-hop with a penchant for not sticking to one genre. Unlike fellow beat makers, Dimitri is focused on the song as a whole, not just the groove. Sure... this genre has got like 500 people all trying to be Flying Lotus or J Dilla... and falling severely short. So in order to do something noticeable, you have to be a face exploding genius and do something to make yourself stand out. Well, wear a damn mask, cause face explosions can get messy. Enjoy.





ADD





Runbox Weathers





This is Embracing

OH SHIIIIIIII

My computer (aka my girlfriend's computer... lol) IS FIXED! FINALLY. So yeah... I recomend not using geek squad, as they are probably the most freakin disorganized bunch of social cast-outs I have had the pleasure of dealing with. At least they don't falsely advertise themselves... they are, in fact, a squad of geeks. Good news: I have a TON of stuff I want to share and a decent amount of time to post it. Bad news: I have yet to upload it all to mediafire. Give me a day... check back and I should have at least a few things posted. Ahhhh... good to be back... tomorrow... good to be back tomorrow. PAYCE!

Singin' in Japanese

Here ya go Kim. This album, minus the first track, is all sung in japanese... and the thing about this, that is different than most other japanese music, is that THIS IS ACTUALLY GOOD. I did a big post of Deerhoof awhile back. So if you like it, go backwards and download more. Sweet.





Deerhoof-Greem Cosmos EP

Cold Cave x 2

Electro noise? Dark wave? Noise pop? Electro punk noise pop? Experimental synth pop? I don't really know what to call it... besides FREAKIN AWESOME. Baaazzziiiiinnng! (I can't believe people read this shit.) Hyperbole and stupidity aside, this is some pretty interesting stuff . Cremations is a collection of rarities, demos and live tracks that explores the more abrasive fuzzy, hissing, distorted side of Cold Cave. Their new debut LP, Love Comes Close, is quite different, in the sense that it explores the lighter, pop side of their sound more than their previous efforts. On a weird side note, I have heard that Fall Out Boy plagarized some lyrics from a previous Wesley Eisold (Cold Cave frontman) hardcore punk project. He won an out of court settlement and is now listed in the liner notes of two of their albums. How hilarious is that? Almost as funny as Fall Out Boy is bad. Also, one of the members of Cold Cave, Caralee McElroy, is part of the indie group Xiu Xiu. Now you know some stuff about the band... don't you feel cooler? Wait til you hear the music... it makes you like +10 cool.





Cremations





Love Comes Close

Jay Dizzle fo shizzle x 2

I recently got a request for some J Dilla from blogger bud, Shaun (see my blogroll for his blog "A Blog Ain't Too Much To Love")... I didn't know if wanted to do a post or not because his stuff notoriously gets pulled down fairly fast 1. Because his record label cares A LOT and 2. because his hardcore fans know that his mother (Ma Dukes) can barely pay her bills and she gets (a small amout of) money from every album sold, thus the fans report the posts to blogger.com or to the file sharing network out of respect to the memory of Dilla and his mother. I TOTALLY understand this sentiment, trust me... but hear me out. If people out there who don't know about Jay Dee come to listen to his stuff by downloading it for free... they will NO DOUBT be hooked and want to buy MORE J Dilla merchandise. It's happened with me hundreds of times. This is how it usually goes: I don't know who an artist is... I go download a few things... If I like it I go out and buy ALL of that artist's albums or my favorite albums in their catalogue. Now... the artist would have NEVER had my money if I hadn't sampled it for free at first, because I will not buy an album without knowing that I already am going to like it (unless I REALLY know the artist well). That's how most people work on these music blogs. Sure, some people are going to just download it and not pay for anything and that's that. But those people are in the minority in my experience, plus they would not have paid for it regardless of whether or not they can find it for free. Okay, end rant.

Shaun asked for his best stuff, but honestly his best depends on what you like most about specific albums. I'm not a huge fan of hip-hop so I don't like his albums where there is a lot of rapping. I appreciate Dilla more as a producer and beat maker/DJ.... so my favorite albums are of his stuff with the LEAST amount of rapping over it. I mean, Donuts is such a good record in general, I think all fans of his work will recognize it as the most cohesive and focused product he ever released... even if you are a fan of his rapping. This is probably the most essential album in any Dilla collection (and the last album he release himself before his death) with all others being preferences of what style of J Dilla you like most. Also, if you watch adult swim every night like I do, you will also hear like 5 of his songs off of Donuts on their "bumps" in between shows. It's kind of annoying because I now associate a lot of his best stuff with strange transitions from shows to commercials. Damn them and their good musical taste! I also included the new Jay Stay Paid with this post because I was happily surprised by the amount of really amazing material in this disc. Yeah, there is rapping on it. Most of it is totally chill... so I was okay with it... but where the album truly shines (as usual) is with the instrumental tracks. So start with these two and see where this takes you... and especially with Dilla... if you like it, PLEASE PLEASE go buy it and support his mother, whom he wrote Donuts for on his deathbed (literally) so that she wouldn't be stranded financially after he was gone. God damn. This post is way too serious... haha

Donuts

Jay Stay Paid

Modest Mouse: No One's First and You're Next

Sup brohammers? It's been a while since my last post, partially because I have been busy with work and partially because I am insanely lazy. But I recently came across some new leaks that I've been really anticipating and I wanted to share my joygasm with the rest of you. This little ditty is Modest Mouse's new EP that has B-sides from their last two albums. If you still like Modest Mouse (I've gone through some fallout with this band after their Good News album)... then this is definitely worth a listen. There are some really amazing gems on here. "King Rat" is such a fucking awesome song... I am incredibly surprised that it didn't find it's way onto any album. Like previous B-side efforts like Building Something Out of Nothing, this ends up being just as good or in some cases better than their LPs. Sure, it's not perfect... but for the most part an incredibly successful tease to grease up my desire for another LP, which, I'm sure, is exactly what they were aiming for.

P.S. The file doesn't have artist name or album title, so you will have to add them yourself after you download.




No One's First and You're Next

Swans: Love of Life

Since the last Swans album did so well, I figured I would put up another one of my favorites. I think this one has actually surpassed WLFTMOI as my new favorite Swans album. So if you liked the other one, please pretty please try this one. It's in the same vien as the other really... it's all "hey we used to be super metal but now we are all organic folkish other-worldy new wave rock pop... but don't worry we kept the dark lyrics" and whatnot. Like the last album, this one is also out of print. So, feel no guilt... download and check out another brilliant gem.




Love of Life

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue

HEEEEYYYYY... I can't sleep so here is one more for tonight. I randomly heard this when it leaked a little while ago. Kind of put it off and then my friend reminded me about it (he was gushing about how good it was) so I came back and ACTUALLY listened to it, and gee gosh golly I am glad I did. Like the title, the music for the album is also ambivalent in the sense that it is content where ever it ends up. Some songs are folkish, some songs are totally glitched out electro, some sound like they could be pulled off a madlib/j-dilla album. It's totally all over the place, yet for some reason it all fits together so wonderfully. This one is definitely a grower... it's getting better and better the more I listen to it. I've never heard an album that's so indecisive with it's direction but holds together as whole more than this one. This album is like a family, with the tracks as the relatives... some are your crazy as hell uncle, some are your loving mother, some are your edgy cousins... but for some reason they all share a common bond and generally belong together (provided you weren't molested by one... and even if you were, don't worry because music can't rape you...yet. Well maybe financially and emotionally. Unless your music of choice is Michael Jackson, then it can do all of the above... RIP by the way) Wheeeew... I've never thrown that many non-sequitur jokes in to one parentheses before. I need a nap.




Ambivalence Avenue

Lightning Bolt: Wonderful Rainbow

I figured it was time for some melt your face, brain hemorrhaging, ear drum exploding "music". Lightning Bolt... hmmmm... I don't know exactly what to say because there is SO much to say. Well first they are a duo... one dude plays crazy as fuck drums and occasionally screams into a self constructed megaphone face mask (so his crazy as fuck drums are unhindered, like they would be with an actual microphone in the way, I imagine... and it sounds cooler too) and the other dude plays distorted insanely loud bass guitar (you would never guess just by hearing it). What makes these guys so great is while they are making crazy, fast, loud, distorted music... they are doing it in such an artful and jazz oriented way that it's almost like structured chaos. It's like these guys sat down and said, "how can we write jazz/classical music in the most abrasive hardcore way possible with only two instruments?". Don't get discouraged if it sounds too intense (even though it is)... there are moments of beauty and actual melody more often than not (skip to the second track if you don't believe me). These two are literally virtuoso musicians.. and that's what makes it so interesting... because you know they could make any music they wanted, but they chose to do something in your face and compelling. This is by far their most accessible album... and trust me... it's a good thing. I've heard that they will play a show anywhere if you call them and promise them 200 bucks... they play basements, garages, lawns... pretty much anywhere. The only price you pay (minus the 200 bucks) is losing your hearing, pissing off your neighbors or shaking your mom's china off the shelf. Seriously... they are that loud. Look up any youtube video of them live and the people next to the front are all rocking out... with their fingers in their ears. Check it and DIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!




Wonderful Rainbow

HOLY SHIT

Fucking Amazing. I might just buy an Xbox for this.

Swans: White Light From the Mouth of Infinity

If you know anything about Swans, you know how crazy their career has been. They started as this slowed down hardcore metal band with brutally violent lyrics that inspired none other than the likes of Kurt Cobain (see his journal of 50 favorite albums and you'll find "Young God" at #50...On a side note, I think he got the idea for "Rape Me" from that album).... But more than that... they have changed more as a band over the course of their career than almost any band I've ever heard. This album is a great example. They ditched the deep growling chanting, screaming, and heavy metal for acoustic guitars, melody, world music elements and ACTUAL SINGING. It's almost an entirely different band... but still really really great. This is probably the album that best blends both worlds of their style. Heavy handed lyrics, guitar noise, pop, folk, and acoustic elements mix together better than I could have ever imagined. It's always fun to see what a band does when they get bored with their style and HAVE THE BALLS to actually change it to what they want. It makes you wonder what some other bands would sound like if they weren't so afraid of losing all their fans. This is a personal favorite of mine although most of their discography is incredible. This album is actually out of print... so don't feel bad about downloading, because it's the only way you can have it! Check it.




White Light From the Mouth of Infinity

The Sleeping Sea - Sun Drips EP

I don't get a lot of requests for uploading unsigned bands stuff, but I will gladly do so if someone wants me to. It's not guaranteed that I will enjoy it or say glowing things about it... but it will at least get out there. This has the happy coincidence of actually being pretty damn good. It kind of sounds like Vampire Weekend and Islands meets Panda Bear. Think tropical with a bit of indie folk. I wish I had bands like this playing around here. If you are in Cincinnati you should at the very least purchase this at one of their shows. Or if you own a venue, you should let these guys play. But for now... be the cool kid who knows about a good band that no one else really knows about. Download this sucka. Oh...and drop by their myspace and say hi HERE.




The Sun Drips EP

OMG YES! NICE MUSCLE!

I want them to release this in the U.S. SOOOOOOOOO bad. What the hell is this game!!!!????

Sin Fang Bous: Clangour

Here is one that totally slipped under my radar a few months ago. But wow... I'm glad I found it. This may be my newest favorite album. ( I know I have a lot of those) SOOOOOO tight though. The dude is from Iceland (why do they get all the good eclectic musicians?) and is a part of another band called Seabear. Some tracks are so crazy... glitched out 8 bit sounds, galloping drum machine parts and melodic vocals... kind of reminds me a bit of Apostle of Hustle, or Andrew Bird with a little bit more flair for blissed out production. It feels a bit repetitive on first listen... but I thought the same thing about a lot of my favorite albums before they became my favorite albums. It's hard NOT to like it though... try it. Try not to like it. You will fail.

Clangour

Cymbals Eat Guitars: Why There Are Mountains

Here is another great new band making a splash lately. I was kind of angry that these kids are younger than me yet are making such cool music. WTF man. I mean... they aren't breaking any new ground creatively. They are just writing really great songs. Think Black Mountain jams (only interesting) mixed with a bit of Pavement shenanigans and a touch of Built to Spill enthusiasm. It's pretty great, especially coming from a band so young and new. Now if only I could keep my jealousy from hating them so much. Grrrrrrr no no no.. it's okay. I enjoy my life as a waiter. THANKS COLLEGE. *sigh* I should have kept rocking.





Why There Are Mountains

Shhhhh... don't tell anyone.

Hey... it's Wilco's new album, "Wilco" (genius!). These guys are MAJOR major label so I didn't want to draw too much attention to this post. All I have to say about this one is... THANK GOD they didn't make another "Sky Blue Sky" because I almost swore them off as shit after that "dad rock" album. So Wilco will never make another "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" ... I've come to terms with that. I am fairly sure, even though he is probably a dick, Jay Bennett was the driving creative force in Wilco when that album was made. And now that he is gone they won't be able to make anything like that album ever again. Honestly I'm just glad that this album definitely takes a step in the right direction. They dropped the pretentous "we're not pretentious, so we are gonna make uncomplicated straightforward soul folk rock songs" attitude and actually TRIED to make a layered, complex album. The result: IT WORKS!



Wilco

Ducktails- ST

Ducktails 2009 selt titled. Psyched out surf drone rock. DUCKTAILS, WOO-OOO! (remember that show?) I don't really get why they only sing on one song... because it kind of detracts from the feel of the album. These guys are the new cool style of music to like along with Wavves and other drone fuzz bands... not exactly my thing, but interesting enough. Good music to chill to.



Ducktails

EDIT***
This version is the Vinyl version of the release. The CD version has an extra track. I can't seem to find the CD version floating around so if someone has it let me know where it's at... otherwise I think this is a complete album as they intended it to be heard.

Woods x 2

If you can describe something as "freak folk"... it's almost a guarantee I will like it. Woods most recent album is garnering attention from critics.. because well... it's freakin great. These guys share a label with Wavves, Crystal Stilts and Vivian Girls... and those are some tough acts to stand up to. But they do more than that.. they stand apart.. because instead of drowning in fuzzed out distortion you can clearly hear every little sincere moan, twinged guitar chord and haunting melody. It's the music I would want to make if was in a folk band. I wanted to include their last album in this post too because it's near impossible to find (at least not in MP3 format). For that album they became a trio and called themselves "Woods Family Creeps". Apparently they change their name a lot with some variation of "Woods" in the title. It IS folk in a way... but it's folk with a drop of haunting, droning, crooning, clackity clanging amazing-ness. Great lyrics too. It's beautiful. I think I'm in love.

Woods Family Creeps

Songs of Shame

Starts with DEER ends with HOOF x 4

I've been in a pissy mood over getting a few of my posts pulled. Record companies are bitches sometimes... if someone actually requested removal of an album I would gladly oblige... but no, it's automatic deletion for me apparently. So now that I've figured out how to avoid most detection (by disguising the title, so no general search turns up my blog) I'm going to post some stuff I was fairly sure I would never post. Once when "Offend Maggie" came out someone asked for more Deerhoof... and I said no because I was sure it would be taken down within minutes of me posting. Well dude... if you're still there then it's your lucky day.. cause here is a bunch of shit. My personal favorite is "Friend Opportunity" followed by "Milk Man" .. but honestly every album has some amazingly good songs. Unfortunately all of em are in 128kbps... that's all I have. If someone has better quality let me know... I think they still sound pretty good. Besides... they are free samples really. If you like any particular one a lot... go buy it. Unless you want to join me in saying bollocks to the MAN! (I know you do).... Take THIS status quo!




Apple O'






Milk Man





Runners Four





Friend Opportunity

Prefuse 73- Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian

Here is the new Prefuse album. It's an interesting trip to say the least. If you know his earlier stuff you realize that his style for glitch-like hip hop beats is minimal on his latest releases. Now his focus is more on composition and harmony. This album in particular strings together tracks that rarely break the 2 minute mark in a fashion that requires the listener to not skip around at all. The point is to experience the album as a whole. The end of one track bleeds into the beginning of the next track and so on (in this case sometimes ad nauseum). I personally prefer when he was jazzing it up with static vinyl beats... but at the very least I commend him for trying to make a concept album where it's virtually impossible to like just one track... it's either all or nothing for this one. That being said... I feel like you can accomplish that in a different fashion. Look at the new Fields album... he does the same thing but has tracks that break the 8 minute mark and longer. Instead of throwing a bunch of mediocre tracks together in an inconsistent vision in order to further the concept of the album, he opted for a very few tracks that were complex and expansive yet when strung together make one clear vision. The journey is clearly more enjoyable and less scattered than on ESTTA while at the same time the album retains the same ideology... I dunno. To each his own. I still enjoy this... just not nearly as much. Cheers.





Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian

DNOTS

DNOTS stands for Dark Night of the Soul... which as far as I knew was a famous treatise written by a Spanish poet now used as a metaphor to describe the phase of person's spiritual life that is filled with desolation and loneliness (okay so maybe I didn't really know all that).... But more recently it has been used to describe this crazy unknown side project of really great artists. It also sounds a lot like Dark Was the Night, and it actually IS a lot like that in sense it's a compilation of kick ass artists (plus the artwork is done by the uncanny David Lynch... how cool is that shit?). It's production was shrouded in mystery... all people knew about this thing was that it was some weird side project between Dangermouse and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. Some of the artists on board are: Flaming Lips, Black Francis (The Pixies), Jason Lyte (former singer of Grandaddy), Iggy Pop, Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals, and Julian Casablancas from The Strokes.... just to name a few. Okay okay okay.. get ready.... THIS IS FREAKIN AMAZING... this shit seriously blew my mind... it's so damn good. Jason Lyte totally redeems himself of his mediocre solo album with his songs on this. I mean, you can only expect so much from compilation albums as far as consistency and innovation, but this is seriously the BEST compilation of artists I've ever heard. I can't even talk about it anymore because I'm just gonna keep on repeating how good it is. Just download it and listen already. What are you waiting for? DO IT NOW!

Dark Night of the Soul

Deerhunter: Rainwater Cassette Exhange EP

HEYYYY.. look at what leaked! And man it's pretty damn delicious to my ear organs. I have only listened to it once through so I can't really give a review or anything... but as far as EPs go, I dig it big time.





Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP

The National: So Far Around the Bend (Live)

Dutch Rudder

Bands that start with Japan

This post is for Japandroids and Japanther... both cunningly creative names... if you're ten. The real reason I lumped these two together is I wanted to disguise this post a little because both bands probably don't want their stuff posted... but neener neener bitches I'm doing it anyway, STEALTH style. It's kind of funny these bands have such similar names because they have the same kind of mentality to their music. They are both a little punk/post pop-punk. Japanther are a little more of a whatever/fun loving kind of band... whereas Japandroids have more moments of sincerity and complexity to their music and lyrics.

Japanther's new album is the kind of music you want to put on when you don't have to focus... background music for a party or while you are chilling with some friends.. or while you are playing some games or something.. i dunno. They share the same attitude as their partners in crime Ninjasonik.. and if you know how crazy they are.. you can figure out why these guys would be friends with and make music with them. The music is like some new age electropunk with quirky lyrics and fuzzed out vocals. It's fun that's for sure.

Japandroid's new album "Post-Nothing" has been garnering a lot buzz from reviewers like pitchfork... and rightfully so. At first glance I thought these guys were just some plain old pop punk / alternative band. The opener sounds almost like a golden b-side from one of the old Dropkick Mrphey's records. It was kind of jarring in a oi oi punk rock sort of way... I just wasn't expecting it... but when I really listened to the rest of the record I kind of got what they were doing. It's sooooo catchy man... I can't even describe it. I would have overlooked it at first glance... but give it a few spins because now I can't stop playing this thing. By far the best lyric on the whole cd is on the second song "Young Hearts Spark Fire" .. it goes, "Oh we used to dream, but now we only worry about dying!" It signifies perfectly the departure from the innocence of adolescense and the arrival at the cold hard reality of adult life. It's a line I can very much relate to as of late. "Heart Sweats" is probably my favorite track though... I just like the progression and the beat. SOOOO freakin catchy. Damn. Oh and both of these bands could make the dynamic duo's list for sure. Check em.




Japanther- Tut Tut Now Shake Ya Butt





Japandroids- Post-Nothing


P.S. I just realized this was my 100th post. Oh snap... happy birthday to me.

Clues- ST

I kind of happened upon this band by accident...and boy am I glad I did. This band was formed by the OTHER front man behind The Unicorns and a former drummer for Arcade Fire. Sound like it's going to be good? It is! Interesting kooky lyrics, melodic progressions... crescendos and falls... soft whispers and glowing explosions...fuzzed out production... sincere clean sounding vocals... it all ends up being pretty impressive, especially on headphones. The best part is... it's not even OUT yet... so get it while it's hot motha effas! Real release date for this self titled album is may 19th I think. Let me know what you guys think of this one. I'm curious to see how this gets reviewed.




Clues- Clues

Rap Chop

Ohhhh snap. This shit is genius. hahaha.

The Magnetic Fields: Get Lost

I was having this conversation a while ago with my friend about how Stephen Merritt could be the best songwriter of our generation. He has an ability to take some of the most insanely smart and character driven lyrics that border on the absurdly poetic and drape it in some of the most catchy, melodic and interesting musical arrangements... yet for some reason, he seems to sabotage his albums more than any artist out there. He is just SOOOOO inconsistent in his ability... which I really don't get because it's almost as if he does it on purpose. If you could take all of his brilliant songs over the course of his career and put them on one CD it would probably be the best album of the last 20 years... but his actual albums lack that coherence. Sometimes I feel like he is a little bit to clever for his own good. (Or maybe I'm just not clever enough to get it). I gotta say although I'm a fan of 69 love songs (and the genius concept behind it)... I just can't get into it as a whole as much as this album. He has so many great songs... and not so many great albums... but if you ask me, THIS is definitely one (if not the best) of them.




Get Lost

Okay... alright... I'm back I think.

Alright alright... it's freakin been forever. I KNOW. I was getting sick of posting and getting like 5 downloads. I don't get paid for this shit. In fact 99% of the people who come here don't give a flying rats ass what I have to say. It's a weird thing this blogging shit. It's a totally selfless act really.. yet it's totally self centered. It's been odd for the past couple months. A lot of my favorite blogs are dead now... or have been taken down. I was trying to lay low for a while... but a few weeks turned into a few months... and here we are. I realized that I needed to either kill this thing or actually start posting again. The good news is that I have a huge amount of stuff to post... the bad news is I have to upload it to mediafire which takes forever. So give me a few days and I should start mass posting a bunch of music I have been sitting on. Good to be back... Do you still love me?

Tim and Eric: The Universe Explained with Flashlights

schmAbe Vigoda: Skeleton.,. in my closet

If you aren't retarded... you can tell that this is really Abe Vigoda - Skeleton. I'm just being sneaky because Abe kills links FAST. I think that they (record company) don't get to links as easily if you don't have a "TITLE" with the actual name (like my Animal Collective post, which is still up actually... because I spelled it wrong) Hence this mildly stupid title. I somehow got away with sending this link to my other blogger buddy... and magically it's still up so I figured why not share the wealth while the getting is good. And believe me... it's good. Abe Vigoda are one of those bands that release things in very limited numbers, and kill links to their downloads... even though that's about the only way to find these guys. Make sense? Not to me really. If the thrill of the chase isn't enough for you alone... the sound is just as satisfying. Imagine if the best parts of Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective had a punk rock baby that had a brief fling with a little bit of Jesus and Mary Chain production. You would have an amazing band called schmAbe Vigoda... i mean... Abe Vigoda.




Skeleton

Hermit Thrushes: Benaki

Poppy with experimental cacophonous undertones... just how I like my indie rock. The quality is only 128kbps... but still sounds surprisingly good. These guys are totally right up my alley, and really if you like the album... please go to their Myspace and buy it because it's only like 5 or 6 bucks... real cheap... plus they probably need it more than most bands. Or if the stimulus package benefits haven't hit you yet (yeah, me neither) just download it for now.




Benaki

Apse: Eras

Here is a cool band I recently discovered. It's ambient experimental rock music with sporadic vocals. At first I thought this was some post rock band and almost overlooked it... but if you listen to the whole things all the way through you can see that this band uses all sorts of styles and genres to their benefit. While that may be construed as a lack of focus for most bands, these fellas use it as a strength.




Eras

Fever Ray

Sup homies? Alright... I've been sitting on some stuff for a while and I really wanna get it out there before I cease to be relevant anymore. This one is from girl who is 1/2 of The Knife. And like The Knife it's fairly chilling and disorienting. However, it has an endearing quality that grows with repeat listens, like most good music. The beats are a little less dark than on Silent Shout... but really, if you like the Knife you will most likely enjoy Fever Ray. Plus who knows when The Knife will come back from hiatus, so enjoy this for now. Oh and this one is in TWO MOTHA EFFIN PARTS people... I don't get why people don't understand that if you don't download both parts, you don't get the whole album.




Fever Ray - Part 1 Part 2

It has been a while hasn't it?

My Grandmother is in the hospital again, so I've been spending most of my time there lately. On the plus side it has given me a ton of time to listen to music. I have a BUNCH of stuff to post... I've just gotta upload it.... sooo... forgive me followers of blog. I'll be back with you shortly, with a ton of good stuff hopefully. Take care people.

Salem - Yes I Smoke Crack EP

This one is for tricky Nick Dixon (if you don't already have it). For some reason we are usually listening to the same music at the same time. This EP was only pressed for 500 copies and is extremely hard to find... unless of course you have a computer. Take THAT exclusivity! It sounds like if My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and The Knife, all had a three way and the end result was a Goth, crack addicted baby. I know "haunting" is an overused term to describe music.. but I feel justified using it here... trust me. Even more haunting are Salem's mysterious beginnings, with two separate myspaces, three different places of origin, and apparently no bio or record label. Who the hell knows what this band is up to? (Probably trying to build intrigue as to attract attention to themselves in some J.J. Abrams style marketing ploy). Well... it's working Salem... it's working.




Yes I Smoke Crack EP

Dynamic Duos

I feel bad about not posting a lot lately, so I decided to do a bigger one today. These are some of my recent favorites bands to melt my face with just 2 members. It wasn't too long ago that I though how impossible it was to make good, full sounding, creative music with any less than 3 members. Like sex.. I thought more was better... but really sometimes a little one on one can be just as kinky and freaky as long as you use your imagination. The proof is in the pudding, as they say... and this is some delicious pudding. I'm now talking about music by the way. Check em.



The Dodos- Visiter

Yes, that album title is spelled wrong... you are not hallucinating... although you might want to consider it when listening to this album. (Don't do drugs M'kay?) I listened to this about 5 times through before I even found out it was just a drum/guitar duo. THAT'S how good this is. It kind of sounds like a more melodic and tame Animal Collective (courtesy of the drummers African style). This album just proves the point that sometimes less is more. Now if only they would make more of less. Does that make sense? They should make more albums... that's what I'm getting at. *sigh*

Matt and Kim - Grand



Hurray, a leak! I know I'm usually not on top of most album leaks (mostly because I don't have enough time to judge weather they are good enough to post, or because they are usually just plain bad) but this one caught my attention immediately. WOW, is it good. Think electronic synth pop with punk elements. I thought that this deserved a higher rating than Pitchfork gave it, but then again I'm not quite as pretentious. (Why won't you answer any of my job applications!?)



No Age - Nouns



Alright... this one took some time, but it definitely grew on me. It is surprisingly simply yet it sounds so big. I gotta give props to anyone who can play drums and sing at the same time, because as a drummer I can testify as to how incredibly hard that is. This album definitely satisfies my edgy noise punk side. That's the side of me I don't shower and cover with DIY stickers.



Madvillain - Madvillainy



Okay... so every hip hop album usually consists of two people (producer and MC)... but really this one blows most of those douches outta the water. Madvillain is Madlib and MF Doom. Such a tight record man. So jazzy and laid back. This shit flows so well... probably one of my favorite hip hop albums. Madlib is a such a sick producer... but he doesn't always collaborate well. For some reason it just clicked perfectly here. If you don't own this one, get off your ass and download now.

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Thus ends my post of some of my favorite dynamic duos of recent past. These records are just proof that being a duo doesn't have to be a gimmick (I'm talking to you White Stripes) and having endless amounts of members isn't a neccesity (I'm talking to you Broken Social Scene). Plus band practice must be so much easier to schedule. Oh and drummers get half the profits....saaaweet. Peace.