The General: "launch The Strategics!"

In preparation for a trip to Vancouver this weekend, I was clearing some flash cards for the digital camera when I stumbled across some lovely pictures of my band and I, circa Summer 2005 or so:

Above is myself, lookin' like a junkie

Colin as himself, the stooge

...and sexy Nate

For those who don't know, I've been playing in a band for three years with these good friends of mine. Since we started in the winter of my Sophomore year, Nate, Colin, and myself have been jammin' on tunes, writing our own and improvising and retiring to Halo...and then Halo 2. Except for some spiffy recording equipment and software obtained by Nate last year, some solo projects, and the acquisition of another lead guitarist, Brett, jammin' has gone pretty consistently the same way through to now, the summer after my Senior year, and I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe the number of gigs we've scored; only once, out of Nate's garage, have we ever performed. I'm sure we'll all be playing for years to come, though. So here's to those good times. Below are some recent takes, as in last Spring (on Nate's spiffy recording equipment, no less) of songs that are mostly at least a year old, some more than.

the strategics - sans culottes
the strategics - ole' yeller
the strategics - baby jane
the strategics - space song

...and just for kicks:

the strategics - "squishy thing"

laughter for growing pains

Flight of the Conchords. A folk-rap-rock-badass duo from New Zealand. These are some links to YouTube shorts of their standup and music videos, since you have to see their expressions and their body language. It's hilarity. These guys are very professional.


Flight of the Conchords - Rymenoceros vs. Hiphopopotamus
Flight of the Conchords - The Humans Are Dead
Flight of the Conchords - Business Time
Flight of the Conchords - She's So Hot...Boom!
Flight of the Conchords - Brett, You've Got It Goin' On

I'm playing with the idea of closing shop here at KolF, in favor of launching a new-and-improved music blog. I've moved over to gmail, and I'd like to blog more frequently under my new address. If I were to launch a new blog, it'd probably be a lot more flexible in terms of what goes onto it. Articles, videos, anything even remotely related to the ever-evolving world of music would fly. I think I'd change a lot of formatting things with it, too. Wider margins, and a sidebar that is, quite frankly, more useful and relevant to the blog itself. Lemme know what you guys (current authors and/or readers) think. I'll definately post a link in here, should I get the new project up-and-running. I leave for college in several weeks, and I find myself perpetually trying to squeeze the most out of my remaining time with loving friends of mine. Hence this newer project is still somewhat on the horizon. For now, let's continue to play and avoid commitment.

Good to be home

While it hardly seems as though an entire month has passed since I've been home, I can hardly complain. It's nice to catch up with friends and make progress on impending college paperwork. Oh yeah, for those of you who don't know, I've been in Europe with 7 other friends for about a month and a half. We returned safely last week.

So though time seems barely to have progressed back at home (my niche back at home, and daily routine, are all too easily shrugged into again, like worn jeans), I have only to check my newsletters at Arts-and-Crafts, Strictly Kosher records, and Suicide Squeeze to see that others have been busy. The Most Serene Republic has a new album out in October, Population, while Minus the Bear prepares their Summer tour, in promotion of the new LP Planet of Ice, which is due out in record stores August 21st. Visit both bands' home sites for more info.

Minus the Bear - Dr L'Ling
Minus the Bear - Throwin' Shapes
The Most Serene Republic - Sherry and Her Butterfly Net

Blue Scholars and The Silversun Pickups both had phenomenal performances last Friday at this year's Capitol Hill Block Party. Anyone with pictures from either day? The people who turned up were eccentric and amusing as ever. I was asked to 'help' make love in public by a sweet girl, twenty something and be-dreaded. It was good times, and reminded me why I love this sweet, eccentric, twenty something town.

Daft Punk were in town yesterday. The experience sure looked like a lot of fun, but out of my current budget range. Check it out.

Upcoming events? Eddy Izzard turns up in town on August 11th and 12th, Hemp Fest is August 18th and 19th, and I leave for college on the 21st or so. It's go-time!

All...Musicians Action?

It wasn't until I went to SF that I truly realized how much freedom a musician can truly have. At night every coffee shop was filled with people with acoustic guitars and a single mike. Some brought amps, but without fail when one walked past the door to a coffee shop one could hear live music playing. While Seattle still holds the title for best all ages action, I must say that I was blown away by the respect with which musicians were treated. Even the worst musicians were allowed to continue to play for their half-hour set, and customers all clapped at the end for the worst or cheered for the best. It was very inspiring to find the welcome people who walked off the street asking to play were greeted with.

San Francisco seems to be a very strong city for a budding musician to gain a foothold and begin to gain live experience. Even the hotel we were staying in had musicians who could come in and play at any time of the day they wished--though they usually came in between 7pm-1am. I believe that it's due largely to the climate in the city, where people can sit outside and play music for money all year long, and that soon progressed to them being welcome in coffee shops, but truly I'm only guessing. Either way, rock on San Francisco!

C. W. Stoneking, Australian blues extraordinaire.

Right out of a Mississippi swamp and into the damp and fetid corners of my heart.

Handyman Blues & Cabbage Greens.

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

So these of some "new american" folk bands that i think youll like. haha still no real links. but the content is well worth the copy and paste.

pufferfish- http://hypem.com/search/pufferfish/1/ ; www.pufferfish.eatmymusic.com ; http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=21353829

wild sweet orange- http://hypem.com/search/wild%20sweet%20orange/1/ ; http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=20662975

if you like these guys there is a great podcast from KEXP: MTM #37 hosted by greg vandy, who also has a fantastic american roots and blues radio show. im not entirely sure how i would get either one of those on this but they can be found at www.kexp.org.

Ode To An Astronaut

Some songs...Inspire.

They inspire thought, imagination, emotion, all of those things that we prize so strongly, and find so difficult to actually feel.

Here's a little sample of what makes me think, imagine, and, sometimes, cry.















Song courtesy of the Long Winters, off of the Ultimatum EP
Picture courtesy of D-Lib Magazine

Podcast?

Music these days has, without a doubt, made the leap onto the internet wholeheartedly. while there are still radio shows that spread the music love, it seems that more and more that new music is being spread around using music blogs and podcasts.

Obviously this is an example of a music blogs, but there are many more out there. The beauty of a music blog is that there are so many--anybody can create one, and all it takes is a little searching to find the one that suits your taste in music. For example, the music blog that i'm faithful to is one based in canada called I Heart Music. i find that the author consistently posts music that fits with my taste and i can pretty thoroughly depend on him to give both a good background of the band and a thorough description of the sound of the CD and song.

As for podcasts, i was recently on one called "My Favorite Podcast", and the podcast that i tend to pander to is called the CBC Radio 3 Podcast.

However, to each his own, and you should all find the music blogs and podcasts that fit your tastes. That, after all, is the beauty of the internet.

If you find any good music blogs or podcasts that you find to be consistently good, let me know as i'm always on the search for new music.

Cheers!

hot damn!

The Morning Benders - Heavy Hearts



These striking personages cross paths, strutting their infallible sex appeal with an unpretentious deftness and vigor. Breathing life into the melancholy and recreating all those things we've already experienced, but this time they're licked with fiery significance. It's something to cling to. Here's a bit of tongue-in-cheekiness concerning the first outfit, The Morning Benders:

"One year ago in the northern region of California among the rolling hills of Berkeley, our lord God in heaven made love to the sweet sounds of rock n roll and gave birth to The Morning Benders. Started in a moment of magical bliss, just listening to the music of these four men combined will cure any disease known to man. They blend guitars with love to create songs that sound very much like a gentle morning walk on a warm summers day, when the wind rides on your shoulders and tosses your hair about with its soft caresses. Their songs remind listeners what it feels like to be alive again, creating an emotional spiral of euphoric ejaculations that dig deep into the heart of Rock And Roll. Indeed, their music is the music of gods, and their heavy show load this past year has proven them to be quite the presence in the bay area. They are a glowing flower of rock in this little musical garden we like to call Earth." [learn]

Papercuts - John Brown
Papercuts - Pan American Blues

"Papercuts is Jason Quever's cathedral of sound, a place for the desperate worship of all things analog and devotion to the musicianship of the old world. He was raised in a commune in Humbolt County, and then Quever drifted up and down the West coast, eventually making a home for himself in San Francisco. The seeds of Papercuts were sown in 2002 when he broke into a vacationing friend's apartment, eight-track in tow, to record piano tracks for Cass Mccombs' Not The Way. Ever since, Quever has kept busy, playing with and recording other friends' bands. He's collaborated with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, The Skygreen Leopards, as well as Vetiver, and considers working intimately with such contemporary songwriters to be a significant influence." [source]

Six Organs of Admittance - Black Wall
Six Organs of Admittance - Attar

"Six Organs of Admittance is the primary musical project of guitarist Ben Chasny. Chasny's music is largely guitar-based, however it includes an obvious eastern and African influence, marked by the use of drones, chimes, and eclectic percussive elements. The band is associated with numerous current scenes, most notably the New Weird America movement. Acts ranging from folk artist Devendra Banhart to drone metal band Sunn0))) to the highly experimental Current 93 count Chasny among friends. Six Organs have always been a critical darling, and the past few years have seen their stature in the indie world substantially increase." [source]


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Goodbye to the Mother and the Cover
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder (live version)

The new album from Clap Your Hands, entitled Some Loud Thunder, is a leap in another direction. This New York group's wailing, picky guitars, moaning vocals, tight drums, have all adopted a new shade with this new release...moodier and maybe a little more self-conscious. It's exciting to see these boys grow. I've included a nice live version of the opening track, "Some Loud Thunder," which some blog browsing uncovered. Grab a few more samplings from their band site: [learn]

---

Things are always happening at Said the Gramophone. Sean just recently included a beautiful and stirring post concerning a collage of feelings in Iceland. Ever the principled writer, his mention of a near-death experience is nevertheless coupled with great Icelandic solo music from Skuli Sverrison.

image from: Slate feature

countryside like b-movie background reels

The Arcade Fire - Headlights Look Like Diamonds
The Arcade Fire - The Woodlands National Anthem



This post has been two weeks in coming. One thing lead to another, and I've tripped and stumbled a week before finding the time for it. It's nothing phenomenal. It's a personal account that happens to concern The Arcade Fire (as if the world could use another).

Alone and driving south towards home a few weekends back, I wasn't focusing on anything at all: a sprawling concrete snake of freeway and bleak, grayish countryside don't usually make a striking case for my attention. This Arcade Fire EP was on in my car stereo, at the time. They released it in 2005, in lieu of "Funeral"'s commercial success. I've loved it no less. And just as the song "Headlights Look Like Diamonds," came on about half way through the EP, I noticed a peculiar thing. Bleak surroundings still remained such, and cars surrounding me were no more interesting than they had been, but I noticed that I and about five other cars in my immediate vicinity had assumed almost exactly the same cadence. We five were in-pace, to the extent that in my eyes, we indeed seemed to have stopped moving. Our wheels and engines no longer turned. The countryside rolled by under and around us, instead of us through it. Like some hokey, faux background reel behind a dated movie dialog inside an automobile. The scene seemed perfect, for some reason, and it was made surreal by the uncannily well-timed background music.

---

The Arcade Fire have a new album coming out soon called "Neon Bible," in case you've been sleeping under a rock. [learn]

image: from National Geographic. I just read a cool article on stars and gamma rays, so bear with the impact it has on my image selection.

Valentines Day/Back to Basics

More often than I'd like to admit, I find myself getting into the mindset of "well this is mainstream, so it can't possibly be good." But this was not the case with Christina Aguilera's "Back to Basics". After listening to it all all the way through, I could no longer ignore how good it was.



Aguilera's concept album looks back to jazz, horns, classic blues voices, while keeping the audience at hand enthralled with catchy and modern lyrics, fused with the not so hidden- coy naughtiness of "Still Dirrty" and "Candyman".

One song in particular, "Save Me from Myself" seems particularly pertinent to the day at hand, Valentines Day. Aguilera's vulnerable ballad is about how love is not just black and white- it requires patience and listening. Sometimes you need someone to lean on to make yourself a better person. I'm not going to pretend like I know what that feeling is, at least romantically, but it seems like it might be nice. Or perhaps not. Nevertheless, "Save Me From Myself" is really beautiful and you should give it a listen.

Save Me From Myself- Christina Aguilera

Two Days!

And i'm going to New York. Now, since i'm going on a plane for 6 hours, i've decided to make a playlist to encompass all that i will likely be feeling and experiencing. As this takes a lot of anticipation on my part this playlist has taken 4 days to create. Heh.

Now, i'm not going to bore you with the details of the playlist, but i'm going to list a few highlights to express my mood of anticipation (these are from the section i like to call the overture, not intended for the flight but for the night before).

First of all, i must start off with Roll Over Beethoven by Chuck Berry to enjoy my pent up energy and general urge to dance like a motherfucker. Then the time has come for The Town Halo by A.C. Newman to really get things cookin with some of the most badass celo playing i've ever heard.

At this point i set up something to completely alter the mood and i put in Postcards From Italy by Beirut (which Sean still has to burn me) where i think about my destination--not that PFI even comes close to epitomising New York, but that it just seems to be representitive of taking a vacation. This euphoric moment as i truly realize where i'm going and what i'm going to be doing can only be justified by Gore Veil by The Deadly Snakes.

By now i'm going to most likely be thinking about the sleep i'll be needing, plus the serene beauty of New York in winter, plus the fact that i'm going to be missing all of my friends on the one 4-day weekend between now and spring break, and there is only one song that can really fit this mood-The Commander Thinks Aloud by The Long Winters.

That's my New York Overture, hope you enjoyed it.
-Colin

So, how naked are we gonna get?

On Friday night I saw Of Montreal at the Showbox here in Seattle. I'm not going to write about Of Montreal for two reasons. One, I could gush on for ages and no one wants to read that. And two, because you can read praises of their new album "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" and see Kevin Barnes' various states of nudity on stage almost everywhere on the internet.



Instead, I write praise for one of the opening bands,The Blow. Khaela Maricich has great stage presence, and her quirky pop with not-so-subtle sexual undertones reminds me a lot of Anna Oxygen. Her entire set was a seamless woven tapestry of spoken word anecdotes and synthetic pop. She opened with a capella "How Naked Are We Gonna Get" which set the stage for the rest of the set. It strikes me as funny that on iTunes her work is labeled explicit; to me it simply tells the truth. I guess I'll let you be the judge of it. That being said, no mp3 can relay the stage presence that Khaela has. She danced her heart out in a way that I do not often see on stage. But I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.

The Blow- How Naked are We Gonna Get? (A capella live in Houston)
The Blow- Parentheses
The Blow- Hey Boy

Image by FuriousGeorge81

You Learn Something New Every Day

And today i learned that at times a person must step away from their assumed point of view (in my case that simply because i am more into music than another person i must therefore also be more insightful about that music) and understand that you can be wrong. In my case i was playing The Dead Milkmen for a friend and while i listened to them and assumed they were simply a precursor to LA Punk etc. my friend heard it and immediately spouted out "James Brown" and (after laughing a little bit) I stepped back and simply listened to the music without any previous knowledge about the band i realized, yes, it without a doubt sounded one hell of a lot like Funk.

I've been in other situations like this, most notably with Sparklehorse and the Fruit Bats compared to the Beatles, and it always fascinates me and deflates my overly large head a little bit. which i undoubtably can use.

Dead Milkmen- RC's Mom
Dead Milkmen- Smokin' Bananna Peels
James Brown- Living in America

And, on a completely Unrelated Subject, This Song is my new happy song.

Cheers,
Colin

sway with me

The Ponys - She's Broken

By the end of this song, album, article, The Ponys will still remain their own, undefinable selves. Through "Celebration Castle," the album on LA punk label In The Red, from which "She's Broken" beckons, this band redefines itself in each. successive. track. To the lowly, consoling "We Shot The World," to the conclusive, surfy high note of "Ferocious" on which the album ends, we are successively presented with new shades of this band's ability. "She's Broken" is an upbeat, haughty stomp in yet another direction. This time, the significant female vocal talent is in the spotlight. It's a quip about packing up and walking out and away from people, ideas, obsessions, broken love. Like pulling out a barb, and some flesh along with it. The Ponys recently signed to the larger Matador label, and should have their next release, "Turn The Lights Out," out later this year.[learn]

Boris with Michio Kurihara - Você Sorriu Como Uma Marca D'água



A step back and a gear down, we're at some strum-and-hum state of mind. In this coupling of talents, Boris presents another type of sound, one that's a break from killer album "Pink," and they're helped out by the talented Kurihara, who wails and pedals and slips in and out of hues right with them. Kurihara also "played with PSF legends White Heaven, helped Damon & Naomi reach an apex, and continues shredding in Ghost" [source]. Enjoy!

images by: fuco ueda (top left) Hugo (bottom)

motifs? or reoccuring dreamz?

THE KILLS, an excellent indie post punk duo. you may love them but theyll hate it

(i still dont know how to insert proper links... so heres links to websites)

the kills official website

myspace

enjoy

2 for lethargy and cold symptoms

uhm, yeah...

Kinski - Schedule for Using Pillows and Beanbags [learn]
Pink Floyd - Free Four



It's early, but: enjoy the weekend and the sunshine (as it applies)

image by: ryan graber

it's raining in the city

Headlights - Put Us Back Together Right



Here's a number from the Illinois group, Headlights. It's from their debut, "Kill Them With Kindness," yet it's impressed me leaps and bounds more than other tracks from that LP. More than ingenuity and innovation and novelty, Put Us Back Together Right has me pondering puddles on city streets at night. It might be a non sequitur, but there's the image. A puddle and a chattering of voices, as invariably the city is a social place for a suburb-stricken soul like myself. "So we can leave them on their feet for the night, take us apart and put us back together right" bespeaks the emotional games we play with each others' heartstrings, on such occasions. [learn]

image by: ytje

you and I look so keen together

The Mountain Goats - Mole
The Mountain Goats - Home Again Garden Grove
[from We Shall All Be Healed]


Here's two songs that complement each other dearly. They occur consecutively on The Mountain Goats' 2004, mainly acoustic and lyrics-based LP We Shall All Be Healed. Mole has a submissive, resigned tone that largely sets it apart from songs preceding it on the album. Its trickle of vocals and swelling piano with choppy acoustic accompaniment alternate, swelling and relenting, to end at a low point. Home Again Garden Grove then cuts through, its violent and upbeat pace a warm knife. [news]

image by: Hugo

an answer to morning inquiries

TV on the Radio - Ambulance



Beauty is not always a surface quality. It's not always right there, in front of you, for the scrutiny of unforgiving and unappreciative eyes as plainly as for the grateful ones. Sometimes it's in a crease or fold. Around a corner it waits for you to discover it, and when you have, it's utterly personal. Ambulance's beauty is of the latter sort. It's a quiet a cappella about disaster and love and happiness. I've selected it for the beauty it conveys of its own, but the rest of TV on the Radio's "Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes" conveys equally stunning, understated beauty, tucked in-between clarinets, throaty distortion, and the wailing, wailing sorrows. It's a remarkable achievement. [learn]


Boris - Pink

In line with a recent tangent into a "Japanoise" genre of sorts has been my recent discovery of artists like those of Boris and Merzbow. I'd expect more of this sort on posts in the near future, mixed in with the rest. Boris in particular has rivetted me with their ballsy dynamics. Yes, ballsy. I can't think of another way to describe a group incorporating a sawed-off double-bassist who would play several minutes of staticy single chords at live shows and on albums. Yet when they get into it, the Japanese (sometimes-)trio are kind of fast-paced raw energy incarnate. Really. I got to experience a local band who apply similar dynamics, called Kinski, a year or two ago with some friends. When Sam called them a "wall of sound," I found that it was a dead-on description of the experience. This is how I feel about Boris, whose dynamics variously drone and crackle and muddle and then break through in bright, clear licks. [learn]

---

Look to Said the Gramophone. Sean has posted another work by Agent Simple, a man and a band that have been captivating me since they were first mentioned on the same blog. They have a new album out. Go learn yourself.

image by: IrenaS

on floating

Menomena - Wet and Rusting



This past week was a single, drawn-out day. Finals and major projects were due. My sleep patten ranged from two to three hours every night since Sunday, and the result, after weariness, was predominantly a feeling of continuity between each day, as if every full night of sleep were actually a brief nap snatched between more courses. This side of it, I’m (again) coming to accept the axiom “you reap what you sow.” Menomena's track conveys a similar feeling of relaxation in the face irreversibility, of accepting the course of events as they have played out. I discovered them in a Sonic Boom Records newsletter; the Portland "experimental rock" outfit just released Friend and Foe on Barsuk. This track from it makes me float. Something like the way The Most Serene Republic's piano melodies and melding of genres achieves saturation and busyness, a holding of breath underwater in the middle of a distance event (yes, I swim competitively), Menomena applies smoothness with a nautical piano to buoy one to the surface of a swift river. Its current is tugging and insistent, and multicolored layers of sound are fanning out on the surface like oil, but we've already made peace with the order of things by :31. Our heads are leaning back to enjoy that precarious, precious feeling of being without responsibility, without ability to change the course of events flowing by, swiftly and irrevocably, like water.

image by: irana

New Favorite Song!

I can't get this damned song out of my head. Straight up this song is so unbelievably addictive and full of hooks that i can't even explain it. it's very raw and quirky, but the song is like some drug i can't get enough of. have a tiddle:

• Daniel Johnston- To Go Home

What In The World...

Speaking of Modest Mouse (see comment on Wincing) What is the deal with Modest Mouse getting a guy from the Smiths in their band. I completely agree that Johnny Marr is a fabulous guitar player, but he doesn't really seem to...fit.

I've heard songs from MM's new cd and it lacks the intensity and queerball sound that they had achieved on their previous records. I'll have to wait 'til it comes out to see how it sounds but I must say i'm worried.

I guess what bothers me the most about this is that i love MM with all of my heart but i feel that suddenly it's become Marr and Mouse or something like that. it just seems that the simple unity of MM has been lost and now it's got a new leader who's leading in a new direction.

If you have any tracks from the new MM CD you should put a link to them because i'm honestly interested to see what it's like.

Wincing About Wincing the Night Away

The new Shins CD was recently leaked on the internet and my friend got a copy of it and played it for me, and as a huge fan of the Shins i was very suprised to find that i really despised most of the songs.

Now, i totally understand that despised is a very strong word, but i truly feel that it applies completely to my feelings as i was listening. There are a couple songs (like the single Phantom Limb) that warm my heart and give me the same feeling that i get when i listen to the CD Chutes Too Narrow but the majority of them were reaching for something sonic and experimental that they were completely unable to achieve. it ends up sounding contrived and over-produced.

It is, frankly, dissappointing.

When you're feeling blue?

What do you do when you're feeling down?

Apparently if you're Kevin Barnes you smash you're head through a clear glass window.
Or you know, not. Nevertheless, an entertaining track from Of Montreal's early release "The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower".

Of Montreal- I Felt Like Smashing My Head Through A Clear Glass Window



Do you leave? "Lines on pavement screaming by?" Where do your answers lie? "The solution's eluding me." The Consequences, a Seattle local band has some seriously talented vocals and intricate guitar work. "Somewhere" is about leaving and taking chances. "Somewhere" is about everywhere.

The Consequences- Somewhere

Or perhaps you choose a less costly option. Singing the blues. "Little wet tears on your baby's shoulder." Regina Spektor's track "Lady" from her 2006 release "Begin To Hope" is classic Spektor in that it has seamless vocals- but it's got more hints of blues than any other track I've heard from her. Regina Spektor really can "sing the blues so well as if she means it".

Regina Spektor- Lady

No matter what you are sad about, wallowing in your own misery seems to be a popular choice. Sometimes you just can't shake it off. That's when you listen to Louis Armstrong. His classic, gravely voice can make anyone feel a little bit better.

Louis Armstrong- Black and Blue

Are you going to bottle all that up inside you?

(written Sat, July 6)

It's been a rainy and winded two days. Two hours of sleep doesn't complement four hours of salsa dancing the next day, from which a 2am return can't complement a college interview later that morning, which shouldn't complement later travel research at a local bureau, which certainly doesn't complement another few hours of practice with the frisbee team after. But that's how it worked out. And it worked. I'm exhausted. This set is a shot of caffeine to my weary nerves.

While driving a full car home from salsa dancing, with a belly full of fast food and blistered feet pushing gas pedals, I couldn't help but notice how the moon glared like a headlight to illuminate the night. It's a second daytime, that period between late evening and early morning, when you can see the navy shadows of leaves stain silvery porches. Anyway, we drove north, and suddenly these illuminations broke the sky in the distance. The first was a greenish flash near the horizon. It was like a firework, but its flash lit the low-flying clouds in a way unlike any firecracker I had seen. Something of a pyromaniac's daydream. Many other illuminations followed, all of differing colors and at vastly different points around our vehicle, to create the impression that some alien bombardment had stricken the earth. We drove on, playing with the idea of chasing the lights on the horizon.

Enter: The Fall of Troy. For all their hyperactivity and reckless precision, The Fall of Troy is a moon-washed night sky broken by blistery, multicolored illuminations. They hail from Mukilteo, WA. The selections are from their second debut, "Doppelgänger."

The Fall of Troy - I Just Got This Symphony Goin'
The Fall of Troy - Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles
The Fall of Troy - Macaulay McCulkin
[Buy Doppelgänger]
[The Fall of Troy band site]

The Fall of Troy's energy recalled some other groups that had emerged from my diggings, lately. Crossing over from Japan, OOIOO and Boredoms are two bands sharing a leading member named Yoshimi. They've had some influence in American music, as I've read that Yoshimi's name was borrowed by the Flaming Lips for that one album of theirs, and Boredoms benefited from the support of Nirvana and Sonic Youth in gaining temporary backing from a major US label, Warner for the album "Pop-Tari," which "has been called the least commercially viable album released on a major label since Metal Machine Music, Lou Reed’s infamous feedback drenched double album which many are convinced was made to break his contract with RCA." [source]

Boredoms - Arrow Up
Boredoms - Bore Now Bore
Boredoms - Seadrum
[visit Boredoms on MySpace]


OOIOO - On Mani
OOIOO - ATS
OOIOO - Grow Sound Tree
[band site]

Super Numeri round off from Liverpool, in good way. The way an awkwardly-shaped piece fits perfectly into the puzzle where you had least expected it to.

Super Numeri - The Babies
Super Numeri - The Chart
Super Numeri - The Sea Wolves
[ninjatune site]

Further:
Nippop - a great Japanese music resource

image: OOIOO album cover

Daniel Johnston

I don't feel that i know enough about Daniel Johnston to truly do him justice but i'm hoping to be able to go to Scarecrow Video sometime soon and rent the documentary about him called The Devil and Daniel Johnston. while his music is definately off kilter and sometimes inconsistent, it is beautiful and moving.

Johnston suffers from Bipolar Disorder and has been hospitalized many times because of this and is unable to live on his own. much like that late Elliot Smith, Johnston is unable to write his music or create his art while on his medicine. Unlike Elliot Smith, however, Johnston's music is much more raw and somehow seems to be able to convey even more emotion than Smith did. Particularly in the song Cold Hard World his emotion becomes obvious, though in other songs like I Killed The Monster, he shows a lighter side. either way, Daniel Johnston is a musician that, whether or not you like the music, you have to respect simply because of the beauty of his songs.

Just To Clear Something Up

I've talked to a few people lately who have said they thought Page France was Christian Rock, and so i decided to inquire into the matter. The answer is, while Page France does kick some serious ass, it is completely secular ass. his music, while it may make some religious references, does so unintentionally.

As he says; "The 'Christian band' inquiry wears me out, to be honest. As for the Christian symbols in my writing - sometimes I don’t even realise that they exist until someone points them out to me. There’s really no reason; it just rolled out that way." [1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_France)

Still, the song Jesus rocks my socks.

In a completely secular way.

God Bless,
Colin

God Hates 21+ Shows

So. Sparklehorse is coming to town. It's gonna be fucking amazing, but (Surprise, Surprise!) it's 21+. i'm so pissed i could spit.

All the same, Sparklehorse is a fantastic band that hasn't gotten nearly the attention it deserves, and so, here goes nothing:

Picture a Beatles song. Add about 10 more layers of depth, and some amazingly sweet and lovely vocals, and you can begin to get some idea of what Sparklehorse sounds like, but this leaves out the sheer raw intensity and beautiful power pop songs that are thrown into the mix. Truly, the only way to give any hint as to the sheer magic of this sound is to let you listen to it for yourself:

• Sparklehorse- Good Morning Spider- Ghost of His Smile

• Sparklehorse- Good Morning Spider- Sunshine

• Sparklehorse- Good Morning Spider- Pig

• Sparklehorse- It's A Wonderful Life- Piano Fire

• Sparklehorse- Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot- Most Beautiful Widow In Town

I would stongly suggest going to see him if you are able to, and if you liked any of this music, email me at mumuthegreat@hotmail.com and i'd be glad to send you more.

In my opinion the best CD is Good Morning Spider, but they're all great and very diverse and it just depends on your taste in music. Sample them all and it will be worth your while.

-Colin

We'll walk on all fours

Black Bear - Black Bear
Black Bear - Your Princess is Priceless
Black Bear - Eve of the Fall
Black Bear - Like Venice

Black Bear on MySpace
[order "The Cinnamon Phase" by Black Bear]

Black bear is a one-man band from Seattle, and his beautiful drawling is convincing...You are that black bear, the one in the creased suit standing in the middle of the big big city. The traffic and noises and streetlights are a buzzing whirlwind of electrified noises around your head. It's nauseating. You hate it. You're standing on a wet sidewalk and rain is pelting your coarse fur. Slowly reaching into a breast pocket, you pull out some bruised berries. Munching them reminds you of home, of a den and a forest. It's been centuries since you've been there, and a longing grows inside you. Again, you start to imagine hibernation and the feeling of that sincere warmth, its memory more real than any of the surrounding concrete and asphalt, those itineraries and these people.



image: Mathew Feyld