Okkervil River: The Stage Names

Eh, I was going to post Okkervil River's new album "The Stand-ins", but since I was relatively disappointed by it I won't waste your time. Plus, there are like 50 blogs that already posted it... and I want to be different. (Forgive me while indulge in a longwinded criticism of the band regarding their new album.) The main fault I have with Okkervil River is that they always try to make "concept" albums. And while most of the time this is a good thing, for them this can present a challenge with material. They almost always seem to be WAYYYY to literal with their relation to the concept on each album, making the feel of some songs more contrived than cohesive (I'm specifically referring to their newest album). For example OK Computer, while a concept album (arguably one of the best), had an ambiguity to its lyrics and a universality that transcended their exploration of their concept. Every song wasn't like "Robots bad, humans good." If it was it would've been ... well... like a Okkervil River album. Haha... wow... that sounded harsh. I'm hyper-critical today okay? That being said, this album is probably the best concept album a band like Okkervil River could make. Next would probably be "Black Sheep Boy" which I also enjoyed quite a bit. Don't be fooled by my criticism of the band in general, because they are definitely a good band, and this is definitely a good album. In fact it is DEFINITELY one of 2007's best. Definitely.... Someone get me a thesaurus. I guess the best way to describe the band is like a guilty pleasure. Sort of... like a Jason Statham movie. You know the movie has its flaws...the plot is weak, the dialogue can be corny... but for some reason you freakin enjoy the shit out of yourself. And like a Statham movie, they once and a while make a pretty awesome movie that is also intellectually viable... this is one of those instances.




The Stage Names

Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

If I were to make a list of essential albums you must hear before you die, this would be high on the list. Some of the lyrics on this just break my little boy heart. *tear* The title song has the ability, no matter where I am, to make me look around in amazement that I exist at all... that I'm having a conversation and someone is understanding me... that out of all the shit that could have happened in the universe, I'm here, alive, in this exact moment in time. Pretty heavy stuff huh? It's funny because on first listen this album was not that impressive to me....but with time, reflection, and repeat listens, it ended up being one of my favorites. I think most people (myself previously included) overlook this album because of the crazy "I LOOOOVE YOU JESUS CHRIST" opening on the second song. Once you get he's kind of half joking, really using Jesus Christ as an exclamation. Like "I love you, Damnit!" things get a lot more interesting from there. You start to realize it's not a religious album, but a spiritual journey. A journey that ventures through the dreams of Magnum's head, revealing this sad, beautiful and horrific world that he has painted for us. It's a shame that Magnum abandoned music after this album. Like a musical J.D. Salinger, he gives us a few gems and vanishes to a life of obscurity.




In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

The Pixies: Surfer Rosa

Pixies rule my life. Quite possibly one of the best bands... ever. This album is still probably my favorite one. Steve Albini (producer for this album) just has a way with making a band sound exactly how they should. The drums on this have a sort of killing punch to them that the other pixies albums don't have (an attribute that caused Kurt Cobain to seek out Albini as a producer for In Utero). The Pixies just do it all for me. Frank Black can make you chuckle with his wacky lyrics, while at the same time delivering a heavy handed truth while you weren't looking... the guitars crunch and swell into larger than life choruses.... Kim and Franks voices harmonize in what most bands nowadays only can TRY to recreate.... the drums gallop along exploding into rocked out bliss... I dunno... I could seriously gush on for three pages about how important The Pixies are for modern indie rock music... or how they've literally influenced every GOOD band that has come about in the last 20 years of music.... the truth is without The Pixies, music as we know it would not be the same. I'm just glad I was able to catch them on their reunion tour before they disbanded again. Ahhhhhh... remember when music was so good it was exciting? Push play and lets reminisce.

Surfer Rosa

Radiohead: Pyramid Song

This is probably one of the coolest singles Radiohead have released. It's funny that a band as good as them release B-sides that are sometimes just as good and sometimes better than the material they put on their albums. I personally was amazed by the b-sides on this and Knives Out... I couldn't understand why they didn't replace some of the so-so songs on Amnesiac (like "Hunting Bears", or the second version of "Morning Bell") with the AWESOME b-sides on this CD and the Knives Out Single. Oh well... Either way it's all good. Enjoy

Pyramid Song 

The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema

These guys do power pop indie rock better than everyone. It's smart, it's upbeat... catchy... and most of all.. creative as hell. Like Brian Wilson, they can take a pop song and turn it into something that transcends genres and styles. While I like all of their albums (maybe not their newest so much), I think that Twin Cinema is probably the best thing they've done. This is the album where they really matured from more than just a poppy indie rock band into masters of their craft. I can listen to EVERY SINGLE track on this album front to back without getting bored or losing interest once. Even some of my favorite albums of all time can't boast that quality. Besides... A.C. Newman and Neko Case in the same band... what more could you ask for? 

Twin Cinema

Another Note

This note is regarding sound quality. Every CD that I upload I try to do at 320kbps. I will do this with everything that I personally own (not that I've downloaded from somewhere)... UNLESS it makes the file larger that 100MB. I say this because Mediafire (even though they are the best upload site) won't let you upload files over 100MB, so I am forced to "split up" the album. And unfortunately I have been noticing a trend of people downloading the first part of an album and not the second. I don't know why people do this, and it confuses the shit outta me. I will only upload an album at 320kbps that is over 100MB ...IF AND ONLY IF I feel that everyone would benefit from listening to that particular album at a higher quality. If i do break it up into parts I will make sure to note this (as I have done on every post in the past). Alright? SWEEEEEEET. Back to the tunes. 

Brainiac: Hissing Prigs in Static Couture

This is the first in a series of many. I own the whole Brainiac catalogue... which doesn't sound that great until you realize that almost every CD they have is out of print. It took me a while but I finally got them all. This one is the first album of theirs that I was able to find, mostly because this is the only one still in print. If you ask a Brainiac fan which is their best CD they either come up with this or Bonsai Superstar. I don't know which one I prefer really. This one can be a little bit abrasive at times because the singer Tim Taylor (RIP) does some pretty high pitch squealing in a few songs. Those songs actually tend to me my least favorite, although they are sometimes pretty fun to listen to. If you put this CD on for someone who doesn't know Brainiac, they will most likely go "What the fuck are we listening to?" Well, don't let that scare you, because like most bands that are a little abrasive at first (sonic youth, pixies, pavement) they end up being one of your favorite bands. Speaking of The Pixies... shortly before this CD they got singed to touch and go records and had Kim Deal produce an EP. I personally love that not everyone will like Brainiac. It's a great club to belong to and not everyone is welcome. Won't you join the club? This is a good place to start. More to come. 

Hissing Prigs in Static Couture

Sufjan Stevens: Illinoise

This is Sufjan Steven's epic masterpiece. Despite being another one of those artists that is all "touched by the holy spirit" and whatnot, he is actually quite the talented song writer. He can be a little cheesy at times, but when he is on.. HE IS ON. I personally get annoyed with ridiculous and LONG song titles like the ones on this album... but hey the songs definitely make up for it. Also... don't be fooled by the large size of this album of 22 songs. A lot of them are very short interludes. I tend to listen to about 10 tracks on this album, which is really about how long an album should be before it gets boring anyway (if every song is good that is). I kind of hope he gives up writing about every state like he originally intended to do... because 1. He will die before he even gets one third of the states. 2. You can only write so many metaphores for geographical locations before I stab my brain through my ear holes. 3. The U.S.A. will probably assimilate Canada and Mexico and break them up into states before he finishes thus adding 30 more states to the mix. And seriously... 4. Who the fuck wants to hear an album about Alabama?!... I know I don't. I would almost prefer for him to go back to writing about Jesus again. At least biblical allusions are far more interesting.

P.S. this is an album that needs to be heard in 320kbps, hence the two parts. So for anyone who already owns this album... if you want a "high quality" version then peep this jam.




Come on feel the Illinoise
Part 1 Part 2

Ratatat

Here's another band worthy of an Old/New Album post. The first Ratatat album is the shit. It was one of my favorite electronic albums for a LONG freakin time. There is just a magic to it that they have yet to recreate. I don't really like 2nd album Classics very much. I felt like it was just a rehash of their first album, only weaker. Their newest album LP3 is interesting. It is the first time where they don't have their signature synth sounds in every song. LP3 is more of an experimental record for them, and a lot of people are giving them shit for it. I personally applaud them for at least trying to take a new direction. I think it works. It's a little bit more of a challenging listen, but rewarding nonetheless. 

Ratatat

LP3

Weezer x 3

Alright. Seeing how people downloaded the other Weezer albums like crazy, I decided to post the rest of the stuff i have from them. (Besides "Make Believe"... god what a piece of crap) If you don't already have The Blue Album deluxe and Pinkerton, go download those from my earlier posts. This if for you people that already have those good albums and need a Weezer fix. Sure The Green Album was a little bit dissapointing after the long wait and the great single "Hash Pipe".... and sure Maladroit, while initially appealing, was a little bit inconsistent and crapped off towards the end... and sure (even though I refuse to post it) Make Believe was the worst record I've heard in a while... and SURE the Red Album isn't even close to good enough to make up for Make Believe... but hey, I still will always love Weezer... for some reason. At least with their new album "The Red Album", they show moments of intensity amongst their usual mediocrity. The Second song might be worth the time of downloading alone. It's definitely their "Bohemian Rhapsody". Anyways... here they be

The Green Album

Maladroit

The Red Album (Deluxe Edition) 320kbps

Part 1 Part 2

Just a note

I just wanted to let people know that the Deerhoof link is dead. This is why I don't post a ton of new releases. Right now my Mac is totally out of wack (hehe) and unfortunately the file for Deerhoof's album is on that. So for a little while i can only post things I've already uploaded to mediafire. So If you don't have Deerhoof, I will re-post it soon...maybe... I might get bored of the idea. I have a lot more things to post that will be much better than that album anyway. Now.... on to some new tunes.

Deerhoof: Offend Maggie

One more new release for the night. Oh wait, it's daytime now. Fuckin A..... ahhhh... oh well. Anyways, this album is the newest from crazy Japanese sounding Deerhoof. (Maybe because they are Japanese?) I was a fan of their last album Friend Opportunity, and even more of a fan of their earlier works like Milk Man. This one is good. It's just not AS good as other things they've done. I'm personally more a fan of their crazy abrasive heavy duty stuff with elements of power pop sprinkled in. This is just a little too mellow, and a little too Japanese. (Not that I can usually understand what she's saying) But to the average listener I'm sure this album is still pretty freakin sweet. 

Offend Maggie

Stars: Sad Robots EP

Hey, here is some more BRAND spankin new shit. Well... almost. I've listen to it a few times through, and let me just say that I only hope their next album is as good as this EP. Stars have a problem, like a lot of indie bands nowadays, of making albums of half really great material mixed in with half mediocre/bad material. Stars, if they trimmed the fat a bit, could make one of the best albums in recent years. Torquil Campbell (the male vocalist who shares the spotlight with the more talented Amy Milan) has a propensity for cheesy vocals/lyrics. It's pretty much a guarantee that there will be a few songs on every Stars release that aren't really that good, and even though this is no exception, the majority of the songs are great and they seem to be headed in a good direction for their next LP. And on the plus side, IT IS NEW, which is apparently all people care about nowadays. *sigh*

 

Sad Robots EP

Built to Spill: There's Nothing Wrong with Love

This is PROBABLY my favorite Built to Spill album. It comes from a time where Doug Martsch didn't overdub his voice on every song, which is especially refreshing. It gives it more of a live and unhinged/spontaneous feel. This album has a little bit more of a Pavement style production value to it, which is probably why I like this album the best. They have a great poppy/clean sound, but honestly, this rough edged recording served this style of music best. His lyrics go from quirky, witty and tongue-and-cheek silly to brilliant and melancholy. Keep It Like a Secret probably has the majority of my favorite songs from BTS, but production adds a lot to the feel of an album and this album has, by far, the most interesting production. If anyone is keeping count I only have a few more BTS albums to go. I'll probably post the rest all at once, but THIS ONE definitely deserves its own post. So, just to review MUST OWN BTS ALBUMS are- There's Nothing Wrong With Love, Keep It Like a Secret, and Perfect From Now On. Probably in that order....probably. I dunno, just go download them all... For anyone new they are all on this site, just go back to older posts. 

This is in 320 kbps, which is why it's in two parts.

 

There's Nothing Wrong with Love

Part One Part Two

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. 

The Cherry Tree EP

Alligator  Part 1 Part 2

 

Boxer

The Virginia EP

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! 

Dear Science 

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. 

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water

Song Islands Part one Part two

Mount Eerie

Lost Wisdom

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!

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. 

Elephant Eyelash

Alopecia 

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*

I See a Darkness

Lie Down in the Light