Happy Birthday Labels!

Tis the season for indie record label birthdays, or at least it sure seems that way, what with both Temporary Residence and Suicide Squeeze turn 10 years old this year and veteran Touch and Go turning the big 25. Now what's a birthday without a big over-the-top celebration? A crappy birthday, that's what. That's why these labels are hitting the milestone the only way they know how, massive birthday party shows! Featuring some of the best lineups you'll see all summer, you have no excuse to not make it out.

Now, I debated including Suicide Squeeze in this because, although they are turning 10, their three-day birthday festival began this past thursday and by this point it's not really worth mentioning. But that's okay because in addition to the incredible birthday fest, Suicide Squeeze is also releasing a 2xCD birthday compilation highlighting Suicide Squeeze bands from the last 10 years by way of rare and previously unreleased tracks.

For those still interested in the last day of the Birthday Festival and what you already missed so you can cry later asking yourself why you didnt go, here's the (awesome) lineup:

Thursday June 29, 2006 - ALL AGES
Hella
These Arms Are Snakes
Russian Circles
MC Eugene Mirman

Friday June 30, 2006 - 21 & up
The Black Heart Procession
Chin Up Chin Up
Crystal Skulls
The Magic Magicians
MC Eugene Mirman

Saturday July 1, 2006 - 21 & up
MINUS THE BEAR - Just announced!
Earlimart
Headphones
Metal Hearts
MC Eugene Mirman

You can now pre-order the Suicide Squeeze 10 Year Anniversary 2XCD! Slaying Since 1996, featuring a whopping 34 songs over two discs. This release is limited to only 6,000 copies and is out on July 25th!


Onto New York's Temporary Residence label, one of my favorite labels in existance, er, as opposed to my favorite imaginary labels... Anyway, Temporary residence has an incredible roster and at their massive three-day rock show celebrating their 10th birthday you'll be able to check just about every one of them. The celebrations will take place over Labor Day Weekend (September 1-3) and tickets will go on sale July 1st. Capacity is limited to 500 people per night so be ready to buy your tickets up fast. There will be sets by all of the following artists:

[MP3]: Caroline :: Where's My Love?
[MP3]: Eluvium :: New Animals From The Air
[MP3]: Envy :: Further Ahead Of Warp
[MP3]: Explosions In The Sky :: Look Into The Air
[MP3]: Fridge :: Cutup Piano And Xylophone
[MP3]: Lazarus :: Singing To The Theives
[MP3]: Miss Violetta Beauregarde :: Flanger When You Die
[MP3]: MONO :: Halcyon (Beautiful Days)
[MP3]: Sleeping People :: Blue Fly Green Fly
[MP3]: Tarental :: Hello! We Move Through Weather!

Best. Lineup. Of. The. Year. right there. I'm still not 100% I'll be able to make it, but I'd do anything to be there. Well, within reason.


Last, but definitely not least is Touch and Go's 25 Birthday Extravaganza and of course you know that they just wouldn't be satisfied with just another birthday show, no, Touch and Go are throwing a Block Party at the Hideout in Chicago.

The 10th Annual Hideout Block Party will celebrate Touch and Go Records' 25th Anniversary. Appropriately, They've asked 25 bands, both past and present, from the Touch and Go roster to assist with the celebrations. The Block Party will take place on September 8th through the 10th and tickets will be sold as three-day passes. For more information regarding tickets, locations, etcetera, go here.

The Lineup is as follows, with still one more band to be announced:

!!!
Arcwelder
The Black Heart Procession
Calexico
CocoRosie
Didjits (all original members)
Enon
The Ex
Girls Against Boys (all original members)
Killdozer (all original members)
Ted Leo + Pharmacists
Man... Or Astroman? (all original members)
Negative Approach (featuring John Brannon and OP Moore)
The New Year
Pegboy
Pinback
Quasi
Scratch Acid (all original members)
Seam
Shellac
The Shipping News
Supersystem
Three Mile Pilot
Uzeda
+ a couple of songs from Big Black

Happy Birthdays to all!

I apologize for shoddy appearance and organization of this post, but it's a lot of information.

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Antarctica Takes It!

Ever since I started this music blog I've noticed one thing that is consistently proven over and over again, and that's that you can't judge a book by it's cover, or in this case, an album. The Penguin League by Antarctica Takes It! (who are actually from Santa Cruz, quite the oppostite of Antarctica) is probably the most "homemade" looking cd I've ever recieved, but low and behold, it's fantastic from beginning to end.

Acompanied by acoustic guitar, glockespiel, horns, tambourine, accordian, violin, cello and more, songwriter Dylan McKeever comes across as a sort of Michael Nau in training, spinning wonderfully colorful stories about love, weather and frozen continents, among other things. I'm interested to see what's up the road for these guys, but they're definitely a pop band to keep your eye on. Highly recommended for fans of Page France, Lil' Hospital, et al.

[MP3]: Antarctica Takes It! :: Circuits
[MP3]: Antarctica Takes It! :: Antarctica
"Antarctica", the longest running track on the album, clocking in at 4:12, is clearly the albums the climax, and also it's biggest success. In it's mere four minutes it moves through about 4 or 5 seperate movements, all flowing perfectly into one another. The song opens lightly with acoustic guitar, introducing the chilly continent and how it stole their hearts: "We traced shapes across the starry skies, made our way through each tender night, we heard the weary whales too, and sang along with the silver moon, Antarctica you stole our hearts." Just after that the song throws it into gear taking you through detours and down back roads until you finally reach the end.

Antarctica Takes It! on MySpace


Turns out Jeff Mangum DID NOT post that message on the E6 boards. I bet that kid was so psyched when he saw it on Pitchfork this morning, I know I would've been. I'm not so bummed, it was kinda too good to be true, but regardless, it's makes Pitchfork look foolish and I'm interested in how they'll dig themselves out of this one. EDIT: It's just a joke guys, even I posted it too. Can we not laugh?

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The Young Playthings: "Life is Great" (w/ Rose from The Pipettes)

Innevitable customary buildup facts:

• The Pipettes are friends with The Young Playthings.
• The Young Playthings are pretty good.
• They're touring with The Pipettes in July.
• They recorded a song with Rose from The Pipettes.
• I love Rose.
• Rose is Awesome.
• Rose kinda works better in this setting, I think, maybe not.
• I like it, anyway
• I guess you could download it and see if you do too.

Your standard MySpace ripped MP3:

[MP3]: The Young Playthings :: Life is Great (w/ Rose from The Pipettes!)
I really enjoy this song, because while I love her in The Pipettes setting, Rose's voice seems to take a bit of a backseat a lot of times and it's a shame because she has a really great voice. Unfortunately, while the vocals might be fantastic, the music, isn't really anything to write home about. It's not bad, but it just feels like some typical power-pop melodies that are just there to support the vocals, they don't really do anything too exciting in their own right, that is, until the end. The ending rises almost out of nowhere taking a line from A.C. Newman with some bright shining guitar squeeling overtop Rose's wonderful delivery.

The Young Playthings on MySpace
The Pipettes on MySpace

P.S. If anyone wants to send me a better version of this song, that would be very appreciated.

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News From Jeff Mangum!!!

From E6Townhall.com:

hello again.

for the past few months ive been putting together the pieces of everything ive written in the past three years and its been a revelation. whenever i had the time ive been writing melodies and keeping them in my head for later, and songs just accumulate, im not waiting as some have said. i still dont know how we’re going to put it all together, the songs will have more noises and collages in them. because of that we dont know whether this will be korena pang or neutral milk hotel or michael bolton but that doesnt really matter. names are just a box we put things in to separate them, and we’re figuring out what box these songs go in.

we dont have a timetable for releasing the album yet, so dont get your hopes up for new songs now. if you want more “aeroplane” just ignore all of this, the songs are songs but they’re longer and more free. when jeremy came down after his tour we just spent days playing noise while screaming and it was incredibly liberating.

it has been so much fun that we will for sure be playing a show or two, probably more. freedom is a wonderful thing but at a certain point you need the routines of normal life. ive had that for a while but i realized last year at the show with the livys that the best sort of normal ive ever had was on the road with my friends. getting to gigs late with cars coughing and trombones smacking on doors, the giant egg leaks over the masses, the yolk sustains us, we eat whites for days. it can never be the same but i need to get as close as i can to that again.

so thats all. everything is happening soon, this is the year.
thanks for listening. jeff.

All I can say is AWESOME, today is a GOOD day!

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Architecture In Helsinki: Live On Woxy

A little over a year ago on June 8th 2005, all eight members of Architecture In Helsinki crammed themselves into the WOXY.com Lounge and recorded a set of songs from Fingers Crossed and In Case We Die and an interesting interview involving bad U.S. food, John Denver, and death, among other things. Obviously, this is not new, but I've been stuck inside all day watching it rain and I've been listening this on repeat so I thought I would share. Hope you enjoy!

Download the whole thing in .ZIP format:
[ZIP]: Architecture In Helsinki :: Live on WOXY (128kbs MP3)

or, download seperately, in .MP3 format:
[MP3]: 1. Intro
[MP3]: 2. It'5
[MP3]: 3. Living Without You
[MP3]: 4. Interview
[MP3]: 5. Owls Go
[MP3]: 6. Maybe You Can Owe Me
[MP3]: 7. Do The Whirlwind
[MP3]: 8. Outro

Architecture In Helsinki on MySpace

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Serenaide: "The Sweetest"

Serenaide would be another one of my random finds that comes from a lengthy path of links, clicks and boredom, although--and here comes the cheese--Serenaide cured my boredom pretty quickly. The most I could find out about these guys is that they're from Singapore and they are clearly influenced highly by The Cure and Belle and Sebastian, and if they're actually not, it sure as hell sounds like they are. I Highly suggest downloading this song and listening to it over and over again, cause that's all I've been doing.

[MP3]: Serenaide :: The Sweetest
From the sparkly guitar-work to the simple drums and even down to the vocals themselves this song has a very strong "Friday, I'm In Love" vibe. Not that's a bad thing though, a band is obviously going to sound like their main influence(look at me, still assuming that they're heavily influenced by The Cure, but I mean c'mon, they HAVE to be), and it's okay as long as it's built upon and it is definitely built upon here. This song roughly four and a half minutes are full of more melodc hooks than you could shake a stick at.

Buy their awesome album The Other End of the Reciever from Fruit Records

Serenaide on MySpace


Okay so today I was looking through my referring links and I came upon a link from a Texas Aggies message board thread about The Pipettes. So I click the link and I go to check it out and I just about died laughing at the comments and phrases these guys were using. And uh, apparently they have no taste because WE ALL KNOW ROSE IS THE CUTEST. Below you will find a nice transcription of the message board conversation (or you can just read it here).

posted 11:26p, 6/21/2006
There's this new British neo-60s "wall of sound" group called The Pipettes that is trying to be pushed through as the new ironic hipster cliche. Two of the three girls are roots, but the last one is named Gwenno Saunders and IMO she is pretty hot. Here's their picture off of myspace. You'll know her when you see her. I guess she kinda looks like that chick off of Grey's Anatomy, without the huge boobs.

posted 11:56p, 6/21/2006
There's a chick on Grey's Anatomy with big boobs?
note to self: watch Grey's Anatomy.

posted 11:59p, 6/21/2006
Well, I think she got kicked off, so catch it on reruns.

posted 2:10a, 6/22/2006
Their new video. Chick IS hot...
http://blownbythewind.blogspot.com/2006/06/pipettes-pull-shapes-video.html

posted 2:23a, 6/22/2006
'pull shapes' is super catchy

posted 7:15a, 6/22/2006
Dizzamn, that was a catchy arse song.
Oh, and I would throw it in her.

posted 9:07a, 06/22/06
Just watched "Pull Shapes"... or at least the first minute or so, then had to turn it off... HORRIBLE!... The chick is pretty hot though, just needs bigger knockers.

posted 12:32p, 06/22/06
I love it.
They've got a great gimick, and I hope they are successful.

posted 12:38p, 06/22/06
No matter how this gimmick turns out, I'm willing to bet the hot one does just fine.

posted 12:41p, 06/22/06
I hope Wayne Rooney gets back from the World Cup and nails that to the wall (if he hasn't already).

posted 12:42p, 06/22/06
Bananarama, part deux.
But, yes, the chick is hot. Thanks for sharing.

My personal favorite moments would have to be "throw it in her" or "nail that to the wall." Hopefully someone other than myself is somewhat ammused by this.

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Peter Bjorn And John: "Young Folks"

Until today I had never heard of Stockholm, Sweden's Peter Bjorn and John (PBJ HAH!) which seems to me to be quite the shame because if this song is any indication, then they are way too good for me to have just now heard about. Their new album Writer's Block was released on May 24th in Scandinavia and has already been praised by a number of publications, all Swedish, however. This has a good chance of quite possiblity becoming one of my favorite songs of the year, everything is just right on, not a bad spot in all four minutes and thirty seconds of it.

[MP3]: Peter Bjorn And John :: Young Folks (Highest Recommendation!!!)
This song starts off with surging, funky drums, addictive maraca shaking, crazy bongos and a pleasantly lo-fi bass-line; all this wrapped up in a whistling melody that you'll be humming or, um, whistling for the rest of the Summer. This song features Victoria Bergsman of The Concretes in a guest vocal duet with Peter singing about that first period in brand new relationship when you are nervous and dazed, and unsure about every move you make: "If I told you things I did before,told you how I used to be, would you go along with someone like me?" How cute!

You can buy Writer's Block and the "Young Folks" single from a number of Swedish online stores or you can just buy it from iTunes and get some sweet tracks locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

Peter Bjorn And John on MySpace (Their default picture is three English Springer Spaniels, and incase you all were wondering, I happen to have two of those myself, cool huh?)

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Jens Lekman Announces Summer Tour

Since the beginning of this year, Jen Lekman has not been able to stand still, touring such exotic locales as New Zealand, Australia and Japan as well as a small European tour. And now Jens plans to embark on a "short and luxurious" U.S. tour accompanied by a six-piece all girl band complete with horn section. Jens will reportedly be playing a lot of new material he's been working on for his early 2007 release on Secretly Canadian, that he promises will defintiely be a pop record. If you're in the Philadelphia area on July 20th you better make it out because for one night only my pal Herbie's band Brrr will be opening for Jens(!) and it will be a night to remember.

[MP3]: Jens Lekman :: You Are the Light

Jens Lekman's Short and Luxurious U.S. Tour:

07/19/06 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (solo)
07/20/06 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church*^
07/21/06 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
07/22/06 Boston, MA - TT The Bear's Place*
07/23/06 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar*
07/24/06 Cleveland, OH - Beachland*
07/25/06 Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House*
07/26/06 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck*
07/27/06 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews*
07/28/06 Minneapolis, MN - The Triple Rock*
07/29/06 Bloomington, IN - Second Story*%
07/30/06 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival

* with Frida Hyvönen
% with Early Day Miners
^ with Brrr

Related:
Pants Yell! Cover Jens Lekman

For more details visit Jens' MySpace

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"Lost" Ugly Casanova Video

From Spin.com

"Thanks to the huge success of his main band, Modest Mouse, Isaac Brock's side-project Ugly Casanova is finally releasing their video for "Things I Don't Remember" off 2002's Sharpen Your Teeth. And what do you get for waiting four years to see the clip? An adorable tot digging through play-doh poop. The clip features a little boy who discovers bugs, bowel movements (and their byproducts), and business callings (he sports everything from scrubs to lab coats to Chef Boyardee garb). Backed by vibrant primary colors, the video for this song about failing to remember makes us recall our own formative moments, especially the ones we didn't realize we forgot in the first place. The video is featured on the recently released Sub Pop DVD compilation, Acquired Taste."

This is NOT the same video that has been hosted on the Sub Pop website since the album's release in 2002. This is the original video, that for one reason or another, was scrapped for the one on the Sub Pop website and has never been seen before now! If you like little kids and poop (and really who doesnt?), then you'll love this.

[MOV]: Ugly Casanova :: Things I Don't Remember

I believe you can order the Acquired Taste DVD featuring 25 videos from The Shins, Wolf Parade, Sleater-Kinney, Low and many more from Sub Pop right here. And now that I'm in an Isaac Brock kinda mood...

[MP3]: Ugly Casanova :: Hotcha Girls
[MP3]: Modest Mouse :: Ugly Casanova
[MP3]: Modest Mouse :: White Lies, Yellow Teeth


Pitchfork want's to be a blog sooooooo bad. Anyone who's stopped by or obsessively lurked their lovely MASSIVE WEBSITE lately, might noticed a bit of a change in things. In the last week or two they have not only started posting youtube videos and concert photos, but they've also got RSS feeds now and update their news section very blog-esquely. I could be whining, and I'm pretty sure I am, but I feel like they should keep their feet off our turf.

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My Brightest Diamond: "Disappear"

One of Asthmatic Kitty's newest signees, Shara Worden aka My Brightest Diamond (I LOVE that name by the way), is set to release her debut album Bring Me the Workhorse later this Summer. Bring Me the Workhorse is one of two albums that Shara began working on in 2005. The other album, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth, was a collection of songs written to be accompanied by a string quartet, whereas Bring Me the Workhorse is more of full-band rock album. I use the term "rock" loosely, because while it may truly be a rock album, your senses are going to disagree. Shara possess a naturally beautiful voice, able to flow from emotion to emotion from one line to the next, always sounding absolutely arresting. If i had to make some sort of comparison, I would say think of a less squirrel-y sounding Joanna Newsom singing over Morr Music's entire catalog.

[MP3]: My Brightest Diamond :: Disappear
So, my initial experience was a bit strange. The moment I first heard "Disappear" I could not for the life of me shake the image of The Lady and the Tramp. Yes, the Disney with the dogs and spaghetti and stuff, and not only could I not get it it out of my head, I had no idea how this song was causing it to be there in the first place. Anyway, that was enough for me to enjoy it. Nothing like a little flashback to being 7 years old to make you get into a song. But for those of you (read: all of you) who don't expect to get the Disney image, I'll just tell you it's a beautiful song.

Bring Me the Workhorse won't be out until August 22nd, but sign up for the Asthmatic Kitty mailing list and you'll be the first to know when you can preorder.

My Brightest Diamond on MySpace

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Michael Zapruder's Rain Of Frogs: "The Alchemist"

Yesterday I recieved quite possibly one of the best random promo albums that has ever graced the cold steel walls of my mailbox. I kind of held it for a little bit after I took the plastic off, taking in the beautiful packaging, I could tell I was gonna love it. The album is question is New Ways of Letting Go by Michael Zapruder's Rain of Frogs, a collective of over 15 musicians in and around the San Francisco area including such faces as Nate Query from The Decemberists, Jonathan Segal from Camper Van Beethoven, Scott Solter of Tiny Telephone and many others, all led by the singing and songwriting prowess of Michael Zapruder. Throughout the album Michael weaves imaginative and memorable lyrical melodies around complex flowing arrangments through the use of his very own handpicked orchestra of friends. The opening track, "The Alchemist," is still my favorite after many listens. Check it out below. New Ways of Letting Go will be available August 15th on San Francisco's Howell's Transmitter label.

[MP3]: Michael Zaprider's Rain of Frogs :: The Alchemist
This song is, as you might have gathered, a very brief look into the life of an alchemist. An Alchemist that seems to be known by everyone, but believed in by no one. The music fits the lyrics perfectly, beginning with somber piano that eventually picks up an acoustic guitar and some violins. After moving gently through two choruses the song breaks into a full-on orchestral tidal wave, rising higher and higher until breaking back into one final extended chorus. Now I know I tend to say this somewhat frequently, but in all seriousness, this is one of the finest songs I'll probably hear all year.

Michael Zapruder's Rain of Frogs on MySpace

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Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: "Middle America"

"We're an indie-vaudeville-conceptual-art-rock-slideshow band," says singer/songwriter Jason Trachtenburg. "Weve got the market cornered. Theres no band that can hold a candle to us. In that department."



The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players make fun, striped down indie pop, but are different than just about every other indie pop band you've heard, for a few reasons. The first reason is that they really are a family: dad Jason, mom Tina Piña, and 12-year-old daughter Rachel. The second reason being that all the songs carefully rhyming lyrics come from the vintage slide collections they've found at estate or garage sales that accompany their performances. I imagine if you've read all of that, then you are probably seeing big neon lights flashing "gimmick" for miles, but I wouldn't be taking the time to write this post if I thought they were just some gimmick, their songs are actually quite good.

[MP3]: Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players :: Middle America
This song starts out with kick and crash, churning guitar and organ that makes you feel like you just got dropped into some club in 1960's London blasting the hottest new psych pop on the block. Also, is it just me or is that call-and-response "sometimes, sometimes, sometimes, sometimes" much more catchy and fascinating than it should be?

BONUS [MP3]: Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players :: Eggs

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players on MySpace


In addition to his stellar Bonnaroo recap, Matt has also posted a new Viva Voce song with f**k in the title. All this fame and fortune is driving his mind right into the gutter, it's so very sad :(

Only a few more days left to enter The Fabulist's big mother of a contest with prizes ranging from limited edition vinyls to plush stuffed dolls. Enter here and check out the rest of the swell prizes.

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The Pipettes: "A Winter's Sky"

I've been sitting on this song for quite a while and I can sit upon it no more. The debut full length We Are The Pipettes from The Pipettes is already one of the very best records I've heard so far this year, but I left it off of my Top 10 list because I didn't want to include anything on it that wasn't already released. Aside from maybe "Pull Shapes" this is definitely my favorite track from an album that manages to not have one weak track. I just don't understand how anyone could not love this band, everything about them is so amazingly infectious, including this song:

[MP3]: The Pipettes :: A Winter's Sky
For those of you that have only heard the singles, this song may come off as a bit out of place at first because as songs like "Pull Shapes" and "Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me" are the epitome of a dance party, this one is more suited for the night ending slow dance. The organ is also a nice surprise and the poppy drum rolls lying under the chorus manage to get stuck on you more and more after every listen. My favorite part of this song, and the reason I think it's such a successful song, is the feeling of buildup in the chorus. It feels like the line "Underneath a winter's sky" gains strength with each syllable and it makes me melt everytime.

We Are The Pipettes will be released on July 17th
The "Pull Shapes" single will be released on July 3rd

Buy Pipettes stuff from Memphis Industries
The Pipettes on MySpace

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Panda And Angel: "Dangerous"

One of Jade Tree's most recent signings, Panda And Angel are finally ready to drop their self-titled EP, which will see a release on July 25th. Panda and Angel is a relatively new collaboration between Carrie Murphy of Touchdown Eagle, Josh Wackerly of S and several other members. In simple terms, their sound is very moving, their music can move from delicate melodies and vocals into a wall of graceful distortion in the blink of an eye. That's what makes this band very interesting to me though, songs with large expansive chreshendos always get me and Panda and Angels have got 'em down. I've absolutely in love with this song from their upcoming EP:

[MP3]: Panda And Angel :: Dangerous (Highly Rec'd)
The song starts out with a bubbley beeps and pops and then a low lying guitar line comes in and it's a only a matter of seconds until Panda and Angel turn on the distortion and set the song in motion. But the wave distortion leaves as quickly as it came and gives way to a tempo change and handclaps! I don't know about you guys, but I feel like some perfectly placed handclaps can take a song from good to amazing just like that. But no, they don't stop at handclaps, after a few more movements through the song, a definite buildup begins that eventually leads the explosive ending I was hoping for the whole time.

Preorder the self-titled EP from Jade Tree
Panda And Angel on MySpace

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Saturday Songs: June 17th

Happy Saturday, these songs are fun!

[MP3]: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead :: How Near How Far

[MP3]: Ariel Pink :: Gettin' High in the Morning

[MP3]: Beulah :: Score From Augusta

[MP3]: Emperor X :: Shut Shut Up

[MP3]: Islands :: Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby

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Cursive: "Dorothy Dreams Of Tornadoes"

After teasing us last year with The Difference Between Houses And Homes, it's about time Cursive delivered something new, and it doesn't get much more new than this. Not only will August 22nd see the release of Cursive's first studio album since 2003's much lauded The Ugly Organ, but the new album Happy Hollow is 100% cello-free!

To be honest, I was completely unaware of the new Cursive album until I saw this post over at I Guess I'm Floating. I can pretty much agree with Connor from iGiF, in that upon my first listen I was fairly disappointed. Not that it's a bad album, perhaps I guess I just set my expectations too high, but I feel like Happy Hollow is not only lacking the intensity of The Ugly Organ, but also the beauty. Now, one listen through isn't really enough to warrant a solid decision, however, it is enough to pick out an early favorite:

[MP3]: Cursive :: Dorothy Dreams Of Tornadoes
On my first listen to this album this was the first track where I found myself actually saying "hey, that's a really good song." The title of this song is actually in reference to a line in the album's first single "Dorothy At Forty." Now, as good of a song as that may be, it doesn't have yelling "this city's killing us!" over a distorted guitar and horn chreshendo. I thought at first that I would really miss the cello, but these horn sections are really filling the void quite well.

Cursive will hit the road in July in advance of Happy Hollow's release, playing eight dates including an akready sold out July 10th show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom.

Cursive Tour Dates:
July 5 Champaign, IL Canopy Club
July 6 Lansing, MI Temple Club
July 7 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
July 8 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls
July 10 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom - sold out
July 11 Norfolk, VA NorVA
July 13 Newport, KY Southgate House
July 14 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews

Cursive on MySpace


I'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with Valerie over at Rock Snob that this is infact the most annoying thing I've seen in a very long time. Think you've found something worse? Leave a link in the comments.

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Morning Songs: June 16th

From now on out these "Morning Songs" posts wont have any sort of introduction, but I just wanted to take a quick second in this first one to let you know what's going on. A "Morning Songs" post will be my first post everyday from now on. It's a nice simple post to make, and it's a way for me to not only showcase music that I would otherwisae not have the time to devote a whole post to, or to let you guys in on songs (old or new) that I've been totally digging lately. Sweet? I think so. These will all typically be highly recommended, by the way.

[MP3]: El Ten Eleven :: My Only Swerving

[MP3]: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names :: Rent A Wreck

[MP3]: Tobias Fröberg :: Love And Misery

[MP3]: Tullycraft :: Twee

[MP3]: Big Star :: Give Me Another Chance

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New Silver Mt. Zion: "Blind Blind Blind"

It is likely that there will be a new Silver Mt. Zion record this year, and though it hasn't been confirmed yet, they have been playing new songs during their recent European tour which is a very good sign! This song was recorded on June 2nd at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. There is quite a lot of crowd chatter during the first minute or two of the recording, but it eventually goes away completely and the recording turns out to be quite good and gives a nice glimpse into what kind of direction their heading in. "Blind Blind Blind" seems like it would have fit on Horses in the Sky pretty well, but who knows what the rest of their new stuff could sound like. Man, if they put out a new record this year I would be ecstatic!

[MP3]: A Silver Mt. Zion :: Blind Blind Blind

Following their European tour, the band will be heading out on a big U.S. tour that is indeed coming through DC (!!!!!!). Check out the dates below. If you only go to one show this year, make it this one, even if you don't like them, they will wow you.

14 JUN 2006 Montreal, QC Suoni Per Il Popolo^
26 JUL 2006 Boston, MA Middle East *
27 JUL 2006 Portland, ME Space *
28 JUL 2006 Brooklyn, NY Northsix *
29 JUL 2006 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom *
30 JUL 2006 Port Monmouth, NJ Middletown VFW Hall *
31 JUL 2006 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church *
01 AUG 2006 Baltimore, MD Ottobar *
02 AUG 2006 Washington, DC Black Cat *
03 AUG 2006 Columbus, OH Wexner Center *
04 AUG 2006 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle *
05 AUG 2006 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
06 AUG 2006 Milwaukee, WI Onopa Brewing Co.
07 AUG 2006 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
09 AUG 2006 Winnipeg, MB Pyramid Cabaret +
10 AUG 2006 Saskatoon, SK Amigo's +
11 AUG 2006 Edmonton, AB Sidetrack +
12 AUG 2006 Calgary, AB Broken City +
16 AUG 2006 Vancouver, BC Richards +
17 AUG 2006 Victoria, BC Central Bar +
18 AUG 2006 Seattle, WA Neumo's +
19 AUG 2006 Portland, OR Doug Fir +
21 AUG 2006 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall +
22 AUG 2006 Los Angeles, CA Ex Plex +
24 AUG 2006 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
25 AUG 2006 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
26 AUG 2006 Louisville, KY Headliners
27 AUG 2006 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
28 AUG 2006 Harrisburg, PA Moviate
29 AUG 2006 Buffalo, NY Soundlab

^ with Jerusalem In My Heart
* with Black Ox Orkestar
+ with Carla Bozulich

Go buy stuff from Constellation Records, there's no better place to spend your money.

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Brown Recluse Sings: "Lazy Bones"

Philadelphia's Brown Recluse Sings are one of my new favorite bands. Since I saw them, 3/5's of them atleast, in Baltimore back in May I've been stuck on them. Headed by Timothy Meskers(The Harbor Lights) and Herbie Shellenberger(Brrr), they play mostly acoustic driven indie pop in the same vein as perhaps Pants Yell! or Voxtrot. Their songs are the type of songs you immediately fall in love with, the melodies of acoustic guitar and keyboard are very warming and always seem to put me in a good mood. They've recently finished an as-yet-untitled six song EP, that should see a release sometime in early July.

[MP3]: Brown Recluse Sings :: Lazy Bones (Highly Rec'd!)
I've been asking them for an MP3 of this song for a couple weeks and I finally got it to share with you guys! I heard the rough mix of it about a month back and then when I heard it acoustic I noticed how great the harmonies were because there was no percussion to distract me and they did a great job mixing this version, because the vocals sound perfect. Also near the halfway mark, you'll notice they threw in a quick bit of harp for that little extra loving touch.

They have a couple shows coming up in the Pennsylvania area, so if you're up there I highly recommend you go and see them play their instruments and sing their words.

Instrument playing and word singing:
7/12/06 Kensington South Forum Philadelphia, PA*
7/13/06 GoodVibes Kutztown, PA
*with Acid House Kings and The Legends

Brown Recluse Sings on MySpace

BONUS [MP3]: Brrr :: Mayfield
BONUS [MP3]: The Harbor Lights :: Summer

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Contest Winner And "Love will tear us apart" gets torn apart

First of all, the winner of The Futureheads contest has been chosen! Thank you all for entering, but the lucky winner of a pair of tickets to see The Futureheads at Webster Hall in New York City on June 30th is Elisa Lee! Congratulations Elisa! I will be contacting you via email today and you should recieve an official email regarding ticket details in the coming days. Hope you enjoy the show!

A bit of a disclaimer before you watch this: This is indeed the band Fall Out Boy butchering the life out of one of my favorite songs of all time. If you can't bear to watch it all, at least go to roughly 3:25 or so and watch him begin to almost yodel. The might just be the worst cover I have ever heard in my life.



And if you're like me, and I think you just might be, and you like your classic songs to be ruined in pairs, well then we've alos got this lovely cover for you.

[MP3]: James Blunt :: Where Is My Mind?

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Canasta: "Slow Down Chicago"

Earlier today when perusing Bound Stems' MySpace I decided to check out some of their "Top 8" friends and the first one I clicked was Canasta. Turns out, clicking on Canasta's picture was probably the best decision I've made all weekend. It seems to me that Chicago has been pumping out nothing but great pizza and great indie rock bands for the past couple years. Like their pals Bound Stems, Canasta embody a very thick lush sound, using many different instruments such as: violin, clarinet, piano and trombone to flesh out very catchy, yet surprisingly intricate melodies.

Their self released debut album We Were Set Up, released last year, garnered heaps of acclaim from publications like PopMatters, Splendid and The Onion, but never really made an impact on the blogosphere, which I found to be very strange because I am eating this stuff up. Lead vocalist Matt Priest has an incredible range and I can't seem to pin down whether I think he sounds like Colin Meloy, Sufjan Stevens, or Freddy Mercury because he adapts his voice so uniquely to each song that it seems to always be changing. This song, from last year's We Were Set Up, has been described as "pure chamber-pop bliss." I'm gonna have to go ahead and second that.

[MP3]: Canasta :: Slow Down Chicago (Highly Rec'd!)
I was hooked by this song after just a few seconds of that opening organ line. Like I've said before (and who could really disagree?), a solid infectious keyboard or organ line can take even a barely average song and turn it into something great. Lucky for us, this song would be great even without the humming background keyboard, so it's just like the cherry on the top. Funny thing, I didn't even notice the horns in the chorus until about my fourth listen to this song. The fact that there's just so much going on that you're still hearing something new on the fourth listen is really impressive to me.

BONUS [MP3]: Canasta :: The Model (Kraftwerk cover) (Highly Rec'd!)

Buy Canasta records here
Canasata on MySpace

These guys are unsigned by the way, so to any labels reading this: What are you waiting for?!

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The Merediths: "Marmalade Maggie"

The Merediths are a pop-psych band from Louisville, Kentucky that focus on writing catchy accessible pop songs and then shaping them into some bigger. Their A Closed Universe EP, released last year on Debauchery Records, plays much like Voxrot's Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP in that both records rely heavily upon their perfect pairing of vocal harmonies and graceful guitar melodies. Check out this song from last year's A Closed Universe EP.

[MP3]: The Merediths :: Marmalade Maggie
The song opens with a soft strum and then changes pace right away, transitioning into a round of sharp jarring guitar cuts followed each time with a quick roll of the snare. The pattern pretty much dupicates itself over the remainder of the song, but it manages to never wear thin due to the minor changes thrown in each go around. Each time it comes back around the "Marmalade Maggie" line, I get excited all over again.

Buy A Closed Universe EP
The Merediths on MySpace


Go here and please please vote for Bound Stems! All you have to do is put in your email, it takes like a minute or two and you can vote once a day until June 30th and I KNOW you all want to send Bound Stems to Lollapalooza, so get voting!

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Dear Paris Is Burning After All

I attempted to post this track up about a month ago but, apparently Annie wasn't ready to have the song out for download yet, so I took it down about a half hour after posting it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with St. Vincent, it is the new project of Annie Clark, who is also essentially the lead guitarist of The Polyphonic Spree, who I also happen to love.

Starting tonight in Boston, St. Vincent will begin a small string of tour dates on the east cost with Pattern In Movement. I have yet to see her live, but I am expecting nothing but amazing things when I see her at Revolution Records in Washington, DC next week. If you still need convincing just listen to this incredible track from St. Vincent's upcoming full length.

[MP3]: St. Vincent :: Paris Is Burning
This song opens with dark horns that, given the current blog obsessions out there, might make you think of Beirut. The rest of the song though, all Annie. Her voice is so infectious and beautiful and the way she structures her singing, it might as well be an additional instrument. The bassline and guitar is the verse brings about images of an army of troops marching with tanks to the left and right. Then the handclaps come in, and the strings, and the vocal harmony, and it just keeps rising in strength until it all comes to an abrupt hush. Annie is a very good guitarist.

Here are the dates (with Pattern Is Movement):

June 09 The Paradise Lounge (Boston, MA)
June 11 Gloucester YMCA (Gloucester, MA)
June 12 Valentine's (Albany, NY)
June 13 The Bog (Scranton, PA)
June 14 Revolution Records (Washington, D.C.)
June 15 The Knitting Factory (NYC)
June 16 The Trocadero (Philly)
June 17 The Catacombs (Butler, PA)
June 18 Pete's Candy Store (Brooklyn, NY)*

*with Rachael Cantu.

St. Vincent on MySpace

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Futureheads Contest!

In support of their upcoming album, The Futureheads are heading out on tour this Summer with The French Kicks and later, Tapes N' Tapes and I have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky winner! The winner will have a choice of which show they would like to attend, so obviously, this contest is open to just about everyone. If you see a date on the list of tour dates below that you could attend, then enter away!

HOW TO ENTER:
Just leave a comment with the following:
1. What is the title of the new Futureheads album?
2. Your first and last name
3. Email address
4. What show you would like to attend

UPDATE: CONTEST CLOSED!
The winner will be chosen at random, but you must include all four things in your comment to qualify.

Futureheads Tour Dates:

w/ French Kicks
6/15/06 Vancouver Commodore
6/16/06 Seattle Neumo’s
6/18/06 San Francisco Fillmore
6/19/06 Los Angeles Henry Fonda Theatre
6/23/06 Dallas Gypsy Ballroom
6/24/06 Austin La Zona Rosa
6/26/06 Atlanta The Loft
6/27/06 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle
6/28/06 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
6/30/06 NYC Webster Hall
7/1/06 Boston Paradise

w/ Tapes N’ Tapes
7/25/06 Philadelphia Starlight
7/26/06 Toronto Phoenix
7/27/06 Detroit Magic Stick
7/28/06 Columbus, OH Newport
7/30/06 Minneapolis Varsity
8/2/06 Denver Bluebird
8/3/06 Salt Lake City Club Sound
8/4/06 Las Vegas Jillians

[MP3]: The Futureheads :: Skip to the End

Goodluck everyone!

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Peanut Butter Milk

I dont really ever post just a link, but this article on Tiny Mix Tapes is the best thing I've read all week. Informative and hilarious, get over there and read it right now!

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Acid House Kings' First Ever U.S. Tour!

Sweden's Acid House Kings have been around for over ten years now and finally (!) planning a U.S. tour. Most of you have probably heard at least a song or two from them by now, as last year's Sing Along With Acid House Kings was not only a big hit on the blogosphere, but it got great reviews from Pitchfork and other esteemed publications. Although, like many others, it took me a little while to ever get into them because the name always put me off from giving them a chance. When I finally did give them a listen though, I was kicking myself for waiting so long. The single "Do What You Wanna Do," to put it simply, is just about as perfect as a pop song can get, the harmonies are amazing and the handclaps are the perfect accents. This song is one of those rare cases where a band did everything exactly right.

[MP3]: Acid House Kings :: Do What You Wanna Do (Highly Rec'd!)

The EP single for "Do What You Wanna Do" was released back in February and includes four b-sides and an exclusive cover for the United States of the marvelous song "Keep Your Love." The b-sides on this EP are just as good, if not better than a lot of the tracks from the album, so if you haven't heard it, I highly recommend getting your hands on it.

Buy the "Do What You Wanna Do" EP from Twentyseven Records
Buy Sing Along With Acid House Kings from Twentyseven Records

I would also VERY highly recommend that you check them out on tour in July if they come anywhere remotely near you. They'll be touring with The Legends, another Swedish band that some of the members of Acid House Kings are also in. They've got a sound like New Order or Joy Division, but not quite as dark, and much poppier.

The huge list of dates:
July 08, 2006 @ The Cake Shop in New York
July 09, 2006 @ North 6 in Brooklyn
July 10, 2006 @ TT The Bear's in Cambridge
July 11, 2006 @ DC Nine in Washington DC
July 12, 2006 @ Kensington South Forum in Philadelphia

If you're planning on going to the DC show, you should come up and say hi or like, bring me a kitten or a puppy or something, you know, something nice.

Acid House Kings on MySpace
The Legends on MySpace


Incedentally, the other post I have planned for today is about a girl from Sweden. Today will forever be known as Matt's Swedish festival... or maybe not. If you're bored already, head over to YANP and watch Matt gloat about all the festivals he'll be attending this Summer. Haha.

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The Pipettes "Pull Shapes" Video!

The video for The Pipettes new single "Pull Shapes" is finally done! I wasn't able to get a screenshot of it, but trust me, it's definitely worth watching. Not quite as good as the BSS video posted earlier this week, but definitely one of my new favorite videos. The video has a very retro feel to it, and some of the random things thrown in here and there make it pretty funny and interesting to watch, as if it's not already interesting enough to watch three cute girls dance around and sing.

[WMV]: The Pipettes :: Pull Shapes

The Pipettes on MySpace

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Perhaps a more developed post later if I'm up for it, I've been pretty tired all day, but I couldn't sit idle by and let you NOT see this video.

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Grizzly Bear: "Knife"

I haven't had Grizzly Bear's new album Yellow House long enough for it to have made it onto my "Top 10 Records of 2006 (...So Far)" list, but it's really been growing on me a lot lately and at this rate it's got a very good chance of making it onto my end of the year list. I can't tell if that was a run-on sentence or not, but I'm gonna go with yes. I' finding a lot more to love on Yellow House than I did on their previous album, Horn of Plenty. They haven't lost their experimental roots, but on the new album it's evident they've gained a lot of pop sensibilities. Take this song for example, my current favorite from Yellow House.

[MP3]: Grizzly Bear :: Knife
The opening of this song makes me feel like I'm some kind of limbo between life and death where hundreds of spirits are flying around me talking and whispering to each other. As strange an image as that it is, I find it to be immensely comforting and beautiful. Yellow House is without a doubt a night time album, and this song, like many others on the album is the perfect song to wind down to after a long exausting day.

Yellow House is due out in early September and will be released by their new label home, Warp Records.

Grizzly Bear on MySpace

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Skatterbrain's Top 10 Of 2006 (...So Far)

Okay this is simple enough, these are my top ten favorite records of 2006 thus far. They are in order from ten to one, one obviously being my favorite and most loved, ten obviously also being a favorite, but not the most loved. There's a sample song from each record in case you've been slacking and haven't checked it out yet. Hopefully this is interesting. Please leave your agreements, disagreements, and your own top 10 lists in the comments, I'd love to know what you guys pick!

10. Love is All Nine Times That Same Song
Some people may be in disagreement with my choosing this because technically it's a 2005 release, but it's being re-released and re-distributed now and got most all of it's press in 2006, so I say it's okay. Sad to say, I first heard of this album when Pitchfork drooled all over it at the very end of last year calling then the first great band of 2006 or something like that (don't hold me to that). I love the energy this band has, and all that energy paired with the incredible rhythm section and the pissed off elementary school girl vocals hooked me fast and kept me coming back. Plus, ya know, Sweden is so hot right now.
[MP3]: Love is All :: Make Out Fall Out Make Up

09. The Lovely Feathers Hind Hind Legs
Most of the press Hind Hind Legs has recieved has been positive overall, but mostly stating that it is just a "good" record. I couldn't disagree more. There are so many different styles within this album that it just never gets old. The second you start to get tired of one song, there's a completely different one to get excited about. I will agree with the widespread mention of the lyrics being pretty poor, although I do think they suit equally ridiculous and sometimes chaotic music pretty well. The one-two punch of "Photo Corners" and "The Only Appalacian Cornfield" is clearly the album's shinign moment and also really great for driving down the highway on a bright sunny day.
[MP3]: The Lovely Feathers :: Photo Corners

08. Sunset Rubdown Shut Up I Am Dreaming
To be quite honest, I put this album for a really long time. It wasn't because I didn't want to hear it, or that I thought I would be disappointed, I just never got around to it at first. I was sort of unimpressed with about 75% of the EP, but the parts I did enjoy, I really enjoyed, so I had a lot of hopes for an album that I would really enjoy. My wishes came true once I finally got around to hearing it, and I must say, Spencer Krug really shafted the Wolf Parade dudes, because it looks like he saved up all of his talent for Sunset Rubdown. These songs reach deeper and higher than any of his previous work, with also a much darker edge than seen in his previous projects. The closing track will no doubt be one of my favorite songs of the year.
[MP3]: Sunset Rubdown :: Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings

07. The Fiery Furnaces Bitter Tea
Okay so, I didn't really fall in love with Rehearsing My Choir like I thought I would, but I loved Blueberry Boat and the EP, so my expectations for Bitter Tea were still set fairly high. Now Bitter Tea may not be as bizarre as Rehearsing My Choir, but it's also not nearly as accessible as, say, the EP. So, basically, I liken it to Blueberry Boat but much more synth heavy, where I felt Blueberry Boat was more guitar heavy. Lots of distorted and effects laden vocals make an appearance on Bitter Tea as well, as Elenore spits out proper nouns like it's a contest (see: "Borneo" or "The Vietnamese Telephone Ministry").
[MP3]: The Fiery Furnaces :: Borneo

06. Nethers In Fields We Will Lie
I had been listening to this album on and off for several weeks and had been enjoying it, but it wasn't until I saw them live that I really fell in love with these Washington, DC natives and their new album In Fields We Will Lie. Jumping from song to song, the album displays a wide range of sounds ranging from folk, indie pop, and a sort of alt-country. Bassist/Vocalist Nikki West is now one of my new favorite vocalists, and to think she wasn't the lead vocalist in her old band, what a shame. At least now we get to hear her sing songs like "Migratory Birds," which gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it.
[MP3]: Nethers :: Migratory Birds

05. Destroyer Destroyer's Rubies
I must make a confession: Thief was the first Destroyer album I heard and I only heard it about one week before I heard Rubies. I loved Thief, and "The Temple" is still my favorite Destroyer song, but when I heard Rubies, it was like I was listening to a new band. The songs felt much denser and the instrumentation much more lush and exciting and obviously, the production was far superior to that of the earlier Thief. The first single "European Oils" with it's hammering piano and maniacal climax was a perfect example of this "new" Destroyer. Rubies grew on me song by song. One week I would be in love with one or two songs, and the next week it would be two new songs, until I had eventually succummed to the album in it's entirety.
[MP3]: Destroyer :: European Oils

04. Voxtrot Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives
"The Start of Something" was my favorite song for weeks upon weeks after the first time I heard it, and yet, I never got around to hearing all of the Raised by Wolves EP, at first. When I heard of the new EP being released, I decided I had better remedy the mistake I made with Rasied by Wolves. I got Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives as soon as I could and was blown away by how catchy it was as I was midway through my first listen. I had been through only three songs and I already wanted to skip back and listen to them again so I could sing along, because the words were already commited to my memory. The backbone of the album, "Rise Up in the Dirt," managed to not only surpass "The Start of Something" in catchiness, but it also showcases Voxtrot's growth in songwriting. I eventually heard the Raised by Wolves EP and it was great, but just didn't seem to cohese in the way that Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives did.
[MP3]: Voxtrot :: Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives

03. The Grates Gravity Won't Get You High
You know how every year there's always that one album that ends up being the soundtrack to your Summer, whether you planned it to be or not? For me, Gravity Won't Get You High is that album. There's so much energy packed into this album that you just can't help wanting to run outside or jump around and dance when you listen to it. It's no wonder Patience jumps all over the stage at their shows, there's no way anyone could sing these songs just standing there. I made all my friends listen to it saying it was going to be one of my favorite albums of the year and they all guaranteed that I would lose interest in a few weeks. Looks like they were wrong, because songs like "Lies Are Much More Fun" and the single "19-20-20" will be stuck in my head until the first snowflake falls next winter.
[MP3]: The Grates :: Lies Are Much More Fun

02. The Most Serene Republic Phages
Since I heard it for the first time a few months ago, The Most Serene Republic's new tour EP Phages has been creeping further and further into my head. It still holds a very firm spot as my second favorite album of the year so far, which is highly impressive, I think, for just a tour EP. Although it should be mentioned that Phages is not just another tour EP by any means. It blows away last year's Underwater Cinematographer and shows the band moving into not a completely different sound, but definitely changing their focus a bit towards even more complicated melodies and time signatures and really exemplifying that "dreamy noise pop" sound. If you haven't heard this EP yet, you need go right now and find a way to get it. Be it online or from a show, you must hear it.
[MP3]: The Most Serene Republic :: You're Not An Astronaut

01. Pants Yell! Recent Drama
This year has been a very Pants Yell! year for me. When I first listened to Recent Drama, I was impressed but not enamored, but that would very soon change. About a week or so, after hearing the album for the first time, I won Matt's Pants Yell! contest on YANP and got a second copy of the album and an awesome custom screen printed newsprint poster of congratulations! About three or four days after that I got to see them live at The Black Cat in DC and was very impressed by their performance and they were really nice guys and gal, too. So you see, all these things kept me fully immersed in Pants Yell! and specifically Recent Drama. By the time I saw them live, I already couldn't put the record down and after that I was sure it would stick very close by my side for the remainder of the year. I still listen to the album all the way through about two to three times everyday and the glistening pop perfection of every single song still still sounds fresh, time after time after time and that's the mark of an unbeatable album.
[MP3]: Pants Yell! :: New #4

There you have it. Again, please leave your criticisms and/or agreements, I'd really really love to here your input on the list and of course, like I said above, if you've got a list I would love to see it!

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New Broken Social Scene Video: "Fire Eyed Boy"

This is hands down the best video I've seen all year. Talk amongst some message boards, namely Broken Telephone, have been pretty mixed. Some people say that all the talking and acting over the music takes away from the song and others say that that it's hilarious and awesome. I'm definitely going to have to side with the latter, because well, isn't a music video supposed to be entertaining? Yes! The plot of the video is thusly: the BSS boys are away at camp to learn how to tackle fear and overcome it and the absolutely hilarious video goes from shots of them doing push-ups, to jogging, to standing in the showers, to writing letters home, to arguing with the camp instructor and even to an American Idol Tryouts-esque scene where they're all singing the chorus of the song.

[MOV]: Broken Social Scene :: Fire Eyed Boy
[MP3]: Broken Social Scene :: Fire Eyed Boy

Buy Broken Social Scene's Records as well as other Arts & Crafts releases, Clothing, and Art from GalleryAC.com!

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The finishing touches are now being applied to my "Top 10 Records of 2006 (...so far)" list and if everything goes smoothly it should be up for scrutiny by tomorrow morning! Hooray!

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New Paper Airplanes: "Belovedaire"

Paper Airplanes are finally finishing up their follow up to last year's Boyhood, which I actually didnt hear all of until several months ago. But Since I heard it I've been craving some new stuff. The new album, titled Scandal, Scandal, Scandal, Down in the Cornfield is sure to be amazing if this new song is any indication of the album as a whole. When release dates and other suchness materialize, I'll be the first to let you know, because I'm obsessed like that.

[MP3]: Paper Airplanes :: Belovedaire (Highly Recommended!)
This song opens with the same epic-ness of the song "The Fences" that appeared on last year's Boyhood. A whining organ and acoustic guitar build up together and then comes a big crash hit opening of the flood gates letting a mass chorus of vocals rise up to the clouds. The song soon changes pace, slowing down slightly for the verse full of high-hat and vocal harmonies. The thing I love about Paper Airplanes is that everyone of their songs always goes exactly where you hoped it would go. There's always something bigger and brighter lurking around every corner of their songs.

Paper Airplanes on MySpace

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What Is Wrong With This Picture?

This is just insane. Chill out on Thom already, I mean look, the same song is on there three times! And I'm sure it's been posted many more times than that. Anyway, give it a rest. As good as the record is, there's a lot more share right now than all the same Thom Yorke songs.

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Archers Of Loaf: "White Trash Heroes"

I originally debated posting this song for a few reasons: One being that I haven't really ever posted anything more just a few years old before and I know the new stuff is what you want; the second reason being that I wasn't sure how many of you have heard this song before and maybe it would just be waste to post it. But then I remembered that this is my blog and I can post whatever I want. The reason for posting it now? Well, this was one of my favorite songs for a long time and, save for a few random listens here and there, it had basically left my mind. The weatherman was calling for a big thunderstorm today I was driving home and I was looking at the sky and as my eyes panned across the sky it just seemed to get darker and darker until the horizon was close to a solid black. As I entered my neighborhood the first few drops of rain hit my windshield and out of nowhere I started humming this song. I went inside, put it on, and I haven't listened to another song yet.

[MP3]: Archers of Loaf :: White Trash Heroes
When I first heard this song I was postive that that incredibly grim looped arpeggio would never leave my head, and it didn't for a long time. This song still shocks me to this day, because as fairly simplistic and repetitive it truly is, it is one of the most moving and powerful songs I've ever heard. The lyrics, like the music, are terribly grim and haunted: "Frozen out of focus, the sunday crowd / Started dreaming of television turned up too loud / Coded conversation, half baked and tired / Left us sleeping on blacktops burning the motor mile."

It's still thundering and lightening is still making it daytime for a few seconds every now and then and I'm still listening to "White Trash Heroes." Please enjoy.

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Pants Yell! Cover Jens Lekman

Pants Yell! are currently one of my favorite bands out of all of the bands in the world and much to my dismay, there were several tracks from Asaurus' now defunct EP Club that I had not heard. I have finally gotten my hands on said tracks via my good pal Andy and they were sooooo worth the trouble. One of my favorites of the EP Club tracks was this Jens Lekman cover.

[MP3]: Pants Yell! :: Tram #7 (Jens Lekman Cover)
You could've fooled me that this was a cover on first listen. Jens' lyrics fit Pants Yell!'s style so well that I would've just assumed they wrote it themselves had I not known otherwise. This is a great song for just cruising down the road watching the scenery go by, I kinda wish they would do more slow pretty songs like this and "Our Turf" from Recent Drama.

[BONUS MP3]: Pants Yell! :: The City Life

If you still dont own Recent Drama, well then shame on you because it's probably my favorite album of the year so far. If you are interested in hearing the best pop album to grace your ears thus far in 2006 then head over to Asaurus and give them your money immediately.

Happy first of June everybody! I'm gonna go play some frisbee after work and enjoy the lovely weather we've been having in Maryland lately!

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