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