KINDOFLIKEFLOATING

The General: "launch The Strategics!"

2007-08-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-06-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-03-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-02-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

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]

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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

2007-02-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

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.

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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

2007-02-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-02-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-05T20:50:00.001-08:00

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?

2007-02-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

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]

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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

2007-01-26T11:49:00.001-08:00

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!

2007-01-15T22:18:00.001-08:00

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...

2007-01-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-01-13T23:59:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-01-08T00:02:00.001-08:00

(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

2007-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-06T20:58:00.001-08:00

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

2007-01-03T21:10:00.001-08:00

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

Crystal Skulls for Christmas

2006-12-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

They're a surfy, retro kickback. A far cry from the rough-around-the-edges distortions of Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, or Iceage Cobras. They are the local band Crystal Skulls.

The Crystal Skulls - Baby Boy

The Crystal Skulls - Cosmic Door

Though their MySpace has a pretty creepy avatar, it's got equally groovy tunes.

---

image: courtesy of Matteo Montanari at Ruby Mag

A Red Herring

2006-12-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

While Winter works itself out and I'm messing around with some new formats for the blog, here's an article I wrote for a school paper (The Prophet, for those to whom it may be relevant). Cheers, and happy holidays!

MP3 Blogs: Turning Tables in the Music Market
By: Sean Maden

Blogs are pretty well-known entities today. They enable internet users to periodically post their personal political, artistic, and academic thoughts online for public scrutiny, a concept that has been around since the early 90s, according to a Juicee News Daily article on the “History of Weblogs.” The concept of mp3 blogging is a more recent innovation. As oppossed to a general blog, mp3 blogs, otherwise known as audio or music blogs, add a unique dimension of musicality to the blogosphere, or online blogging community. Posts by mp3 bloggers contribute music and song descriptions, relevant news and tour information, and a few free tracks by the artist in question while referencing and linking to other blogs and band sites. The idea is simple enough.

The consequences of mp3 blogs are perhaps more far-reaching than a brief description implies. In seeking and selecting new music, mp3 bloggers are promoting sounds they enjoy and think others would enjoy, too. In presenting a name and a track or two, mp3 blogs connect artists to an international community that by-and-large may not have otherwise known of them. Sean Michaels is a writer for Said the Gramophone, one of the first few mp3 blogs that began posting early in 2003. In an interview entitled “Roundtable: Mp3 Bloggers” on The Morning News, Sean states, “The purpose of Said the Gramophone is to expose good songs to willing ears. If people like a song, I hope that they will buy the record or attend the show. Many, many do. I think musicians (and even labels) are beginning to understand that sampling precedes purchase, that it’s a way to learn about and fall in love with music.”

While many blogs present track links using the URLs of tracks an artist has already made available for free on a MySpace or band site, it is true that many bloggers upload songs they themselves have selected, not the band or label. When this is done without direct permission from a band or label, the result is a legal dilemma. The argument of bloggers is generally that providing a few free tracks by a band has a negligible negative impact on their overall monetary success, while promotion of their band’s name can lead to additional record sales and tour attendances. From the aforementioned interview, Sean explains, “Exposure is one of the biggest things we can offer the musicians we promote…name recognition is worth much more than five song sales at the iTunes Music Store.” The lack of explicitly-legal music distribution may cause one to wonder about potential lawsuits, but a USA Today article by Adam Parsick, entitled “Mp3 blogs serve rare songs, dusty grooves,” clarifies, “Even the most popular MP3 blogs have no more than a few thousand visitors per day. Perhaps because of their size, or because they don't tend to offer mainstream pop, they have mostly escaped the Recording Industry Association of America's crackdown on illicit downloading.” Additionally, many mp3 bloggers include pronouncements on their blogs indicating their promotinal intent to artists and labels, and assuring their compliance, should artists want their material to be taken down.

From their fairly recent inception a few years ago, audio blogs have incited a veritable community of independent music fans and artists. Their interactions in reading, patronizing, and responding to others’ posts, promoting new and independent music, and providing news and references about shows and artists, are what make mp3 blogs such a powerful tool for more casual or less-informed music fans. Though both mp3 blogs and commercial campaigns look to promote music, there seems to be a fundamental difference in how music is promoted between the two mediums. In a music market where success is determined by promotional media, a very few select artists end up being heard, by merit of financial backbone and not necessarily because of exceptional innovation, talent, or sound. Pure commercial endorsement tends to promote this sort of market. In contrast, mp3 blogs help to eliminate financial backing from the equation determining a band’s success. The music market one sees in mp3 blogs reflects a shift in focus from a given band’s monetary merit towards the merits of their music. And after all, it’s all about the music.

for reference:
http://www.juiceenewsdaily.com/0505/news/history_blogs.html
http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/opinions/roundtable_mp3_bloggers.php
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/music/2004-07-08-mp3blogs_x.htm

My Winter Playlist: What's been going on in my boom box

2006-12-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

Forward, Russia! -- Give Me A Wall

Page France -- Hello Dear Wind

Massive Attack -- 100th Window

The Jimi Hendrix Experience -- Electric Ladyland

do you KOLF? no i kill.

2006-11-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

dear readers,

i am not wise in the ways of html, but i am wise in music. so google these bands:

black bear- a jaunty indie rock band you cant help but snap your fingers to.

born ruffians- a jantier indie rock band.

devendra banhart- the king of freak folk, perfect for those winter days full of scarves and hot tea.

the snow keeps falling(in wenatchee, washinton), but the volume keeps going up.

Hiatus and yellowed hiatusks

2006-11-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

Hello brothers, lovers, friends, random web viewers. I hope you are well.

Because I've been alright. Obviously, this site hasn't seen much activity in...forever. But it remains a useful resource. Hopefully in months to come, as issues start to cool down for a lot of the members (many of us, myself included, are undergoing an intense period of college searching/appeasement, high school, extracurriculars, and socializing).

Maybe in the near future we'll see some action up on these pages. I know that in spite of other commitments, my friends and I have still been actively seeking new sounds.

But in any case, here's a warm hello from this side of Thanksgiving day.

<3 Sean

That X Flavor

2006-10-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

There are some bands and musicians that play music that has a kind of feel or 'flavor' too it. Sometimes it is delicious.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela are 2 guitarists that add that delicious latin flavor to exciting rhythm and melodic guitar excersizes that are as innovative as they are fun. Their dynamic playing personalities come through in the form of technical ability, a bit of that latin flavor, and beating the shit out of their guitars.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Tamacun
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Diablo Rojo
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Stairway To Heaven

There are other bands that have a more "party" flavor. The kind of band that makes one want to jump around and have a good time. A combination of happy 70s sunshine rock, funk, hip-hop, with an interesting use of a couple of samples, some great harmonica solos, it sounds like a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack having a crazy fun party time. The Go! Team is a barrel of fun.

The Go! Team - Panther Dash
The Go! Team - Junior Kickstart
The Go! Team - Bottle Rocket

Additional Links:
Radrigo Y Gabriela Site
The Go! Team Site

Modest, mouse colored folk

2006-10-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

These tracks range from fairly recent, to mid-90s old, from a band most are by now well acquainted with. A good friend got me into them around the release of The Moon and Antarctica, and I've been off and on with them ever since. Theirs is a growth and development in sound that, I think, seems more sideways than forwards or backwards. They've certainly changed since these few tracks. And increased popularity has correlated to change, for them. But I find earlier Modest Mouse speaks to me more personally. Maybe you do, too?

Modest Mouse - 'Dramamine'

Modest Mouse - 'Never Ending Math Equation'

Modest Mouse - 'Here It Comes'

Modest Mouse - 'Other People's Lives'

Modest Mouse - 'So Much Beauty in Dirt'

Am the Upsetter

2006-10-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

What's in a sound? It's something like that boom booming of the rhythm and the beat beat of the pulse. The chop of the skank and the flow of the voice, oh so smoothe and indiscreet, a primal feeling that resonates with the limbs and the mind. One big drum, skin drawn taught by social pressures, ready to let loose in one big release.

The roots of the reggae sound find themselves beneath the political rollers and musical whirlpools of the 1960s. For the likes of Desmond Dekkar, Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, the Skatalites, and many others, including avid crowds of fans in Great Britain the new sound that emerged was different from the rest. Producers like Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, and King Tubby helped to cultivate and spread it. Its realm of association has come to include many names, with ska, dub, dancehall, and reggae being amongst them. Despite their notable differences, each name bears some similar connotations. That strong offbeat skank and those wailing singers. That soul and that beat to connect to.

Burning Spear - Sneakmove
Desmond Dekkar - 'Fu Manchu'
Lee 'Scratch' Perry and the White Belly Rats - Panic in Babylon
Toots and the Maytals - 'Funky Kingston'
Lee 'Scratch' Perry - 'Scratch the Dub Organ'
The Skatalites - 'Skaraven'
Lee 'Scratch' Perry - 'The Upsetter'
The Upsetters - 'Live Injection'
The Skatalites - 'Garden of Love'
Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley - Move!
Desmond Dekkar - 'Music Like Dirt'

Kexp.org, a la link from the side bar, airs a wonderful set of Jamaican beats every Saturday from 9am - 12pm. It's called Positive Vibrations, and you can access it either by using the live radio streaming feature, or accessing their streaming archive. Well worth your time when you're feeling the beat.

Song song song...

2006-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

...for song's sake.

Final Fantasy - 'Song song song'

Page France - 'Jesus'

Minus Story - 'Joyless, joyless'

Arcade Fire - 'Maps'

Kyle Andrews - 'Sushi'

Close your eyes and begin to relax. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. As I count back from 10 to 1 you will become completely relaxed.

2006-10-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

10. Sometimes there comes a song so beautiful, yet simple, that it cannot be just ignored. The subtle beauty draws you in and holds you there, in a warm little place, just feeling content. Or perhaps, it brings you to tears. 9. Sometimes a sweeping dramatic string melody atop a lovely piano counter melody brings life into focus.

8. The Album Leaf - The Outer Banks

Imagine the soft trickle of a stream in a beautiful woodland area. 7. The autumn wind rustles teh autumn leaves while the sunlight pans through the bare branches. Gentle cold breezes push your clothes against you.

6. The Album Leaf - Shine

The keys are stroked, a somber melody is played and the room goes dark. A gust of wind through the window brushes the curtains outwards. 5. The moon shines in, spilling white light all over the floor. Cool and calm, drift... drift...drift.

4. Agalloch - The Misshapen Steed

A lizard scampers across the sand in the waning moon as the earth turns from blue to orange. 3. A single voice draws one to a deep pool. Fall. Drift. Sleep.

2. Elfonia - Eldalinale

Before you is an endless sea of stars. Two shine brighter. Looking into the eyes of the universe.... find the peace you seek.

1. Motoi Sakuraba - Rena of Arlia Village

Shut up, I'm dreaming

2006-10-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

"'It was a great evening,' said Thomas.

'I'm glad to hear it,' said Jesus.

Then they were silent for a while. Downstairs, Louis Armstrong played his trumpet.

'Jesus?' asked Thomas.

'Yes, Thomas?'

'Can you help Papa?'

'I am afraid not.'

It was a pity, but Thomas understood that some people are hard to redeem. You couldn't ask the Lord Jesus for the impossible.

'Do you think Eliza will wait for me?'

'I would think so.' said Jesus.

'Is it scary when she takes her leather leg off?'

'Of course not,' said Jesus. 'You've faced worse things.'

That was true. In his young life, he had already seen quite a few scary things. A bottombiter, Granddad's artificial teeth, a wooden spoon, a swollen nose, a carving knife, and a woman with outboard teeth. And even so, he was going to be happy later.

'Because I am going to marry her, you see,' said Thomas.

The Lord Jesus put a hand on his head and said, 'You have my blessing.'

Then Thomas fell asleep and Jesus ascended to heaven.

The angels were waiting for him anxiously, heaving deep sighs.

'How are things with Thomas?' one of them asked.

'Yes, how is he?' at least a hundred others asked him in unison. They were all hopelessly in love with him, you know.

'He will be alright,' said Jesus.

'Are You going to call him to You soon?' asked a pitch-black angel. 'I would so much like to play trumpet for him.'

'No,' said the Lord Jesus. He smiled. 'Anyway, none of you would have the slightest chance with Thomas.'

'Why not?' the angels asked, appalled.

'None of you has a leather leg that creaks when you walk,' he said.

That was too much for them. Every single one of them was extraordinarily beautiful, but none had a leather leg. You can't have everything."

--from the end of The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer

Sunset Rubdown - 'Shut Up I am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings'

This track is from the wondrous Daytrotter archives. In travelling between shows, bands happen across Daytrotter's Rock Island, Illinois stuidios, and they leave behind gems like this in their wake. Rubdown is itself one of many side projects that includes the oft-mentioned Spencer Krug, who is better known for his singer/songwriter/keyboardist role in Wolf Parade. Their sound makes me stop and listen. Makes me want to cherish the leather legs of my lovers.

Birds to Fly, You & I

2006-10-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

When fall rolls around, all I want to do is cuddle up with a good book, a cup of java, and a cozy wool sweater. Music fades in and out of my perception, along with the sound of rain rolling off the skylight. After all of the brittle leaves have turned to mush, music is my shield against the grey and the rotten, the decrepit and the decaying, the dingy and the tarnished. This is my sound track. It's eclectic, drawing from the roots of Etta James, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong, and flowering to the young innocence found in La Cha-Cha, Devotchka, and Bears.

Spider Silk Dress- "Too Bright"
Bears- "Over It"
John Coltrane- "Naima"
La Cha-Cha- "Papercuts"
Louis Armstrong-"Black and Blue"
Devotchka- "Lunnaya Pogonka"
Etta James- "Trust In Me"

Rock Opera Revival Pt 2: Side Projects! What?

2006-10-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hello again kiddies. I am back with more things about the great Arjen Anthony Lucassen and his many projects that encompass many genres. First, more of the same, and then, SO MUCH SIDEPROJECT. Okay, not really so much.. but a little bit. Also, some of these files are in .mpc format. If you use winamp, you can find various plug-ins to play these files from winamps plug-in website. Just google .mpc files and your media players name. It should work.

In 2000, Arjen released the Universal Migrator in 2 parts. Part 1, The Dream Sequencer, and Part 2, The Flight of the Migrator. While part 1 was more electronic and atmospheric, part 2 was extremely heavy. Originally Arjen intended only female vocalists on the first part, and only male on the second, but it didn't work out that way. Though there is still extreme variation in the 2 releases. Especially in the vocals and the way the music feels. The album is about the last man on mars. Humanity had migrated to Mars because it was impossible to live on earth. He is the last survivor. He uses the Dream Sequencer to go back in time and re-live his past lives in the Dream Sequencer, and in The Flight of the Migrator, he goes back to the dawn of time and the beginning of the Universe.

Part 1:
Ayreon - One Small Step
Ayreon - Carried by the Wind
Part 2:
Ayreon - Dawn of a Million Souls
Ayreon - Into the Black Hole

One year following the release, Arjen somehow came across a young singer named Astrid Van Der Veen. She was only 14 at the time, but he was so impressed with her voice, that he developed a side project just so he could work with her. Generally, the way Arjen selects vocalists for his projects, is if they give him a certain feeling. Like, they make the hair on the back of his neck stick up, or give him chills. So for this project, he re-worked previously made Ayreon songs, and mixed them so they would be more subdued and ambient. He let astrid write all the vocal lines and lyrics, so it was a collaborate effort, which is rather unusual for Arjen. It was a good follow up to the Universal Migrator part 2, in the sense it was it's opposite. As you will soon find out, Arjen likes to do opposites.

Ambeon - Cold Metal
Ambeon - Ashes
Ambeon - Dreamer

Just one year after Ambeon, Arjen released a straight-forward heavy metal project called Star One. If featured 4 singers: Russell Allen, Dan Swanö, Damian Wilson and Floor Jansen. If you don't know who they are, that's okay. If you do, good for you, you get a cookie. Russel Allen and Damian Wilson handled of the powerful rocky vocals, Dan Swanö handled the deeper more creepy vocal melodies, and Floor Jansen did a lot of higher register vocal stuff. Combined, It sounds very interesting. All 4 singers are amazing in their own rights. The various songs on this project are based on Arjen's favorite sci-fi series or movies. Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Dr. Who, Dune, and even Stargate are featured. It's a little cheesier (eh?) and completely different from Ambeon. In fact, it was mostly a reaction to Ambeon that he made Star One. SPACE METAL! YEAH! WOO!

Star One - Set Your Controls
Star One - Songs of the Ocean
Star One - Sandrider

2 years later, in 2004, Arjen put together one of his most, in a sense, star-studded release. He recruited such big names as James Labrie(dream theater), Mikeal Akerfeldt(Opeth), and Devin Townsend.(hey it's that guy again) The Human Equation spans 2 discs, ranging from folky to heavy to electronica, it is by far the most diverse and bombastic Ayreon releases. The story is a little different as well. A man is in a car accident, and goes into a coma. The events surrounding the accident seem kind of odd, as there were no other cars nearby, and nothing at all in view. He just smashed right into a tree. 11 singers play out a story where they take on the role of a specific emotion or idea. Agony, Reason, Pride, Love, Passion, and Fear are all present. The 5th Ayreon release takes you into a man's mind to face his troubled past, foolish pride, and ruthless nature. It's pretty neat.

Ayreon - Day 3: Pain
Ayreon - Day 8: Hope
Ayreon - Day 14: Pride

Arjen's latest project, entitled Stream of Passion, was brought about by a contest for the Human Equation. He held a contest for a young female singer to send an audition tape or recording of somekind, and he would let them sing on his project. A young Mexican singer named Marcela Bovio won the contest hands down. Arjen liked her singing so much, he started a side project just to focus on her voice. He allowed her to write the vocals and lyrics, and he recruited a band of young musicians from various places. Mostly out of nowhere. Another interesting choice is the lead guitar role was given to an American woman currently living in sweden named Lori Linstruth. Also, he finished with a young dutch drummers, and the piano/keyboard player is Marcela's boyfriend Allejandro. It's the last thing he's released, and now all we can do is wait for more.

Stream of Passion - Passion(Music Video)
Stream of Passion - Out in the Real World(Music Video)
Stream of Passion - Calliopiea

Other Links:
Ayreon's Website
Stream of Passion Website
Ayreon Wiki

Rock Opera Revival Pt 1: Arjen Anthony Lucassen

2006-10-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

I can't quite remember anything about 1995. Sure, I was alive at the time, but I was young and events around me didn't seem very important. If only I knew! If only I could have guessed that the revival of that ancient form of musical expression, the rock opera, was about to be revived/reinvented/made more metal. At least, eventually.

Let's start things off with some knowledge. Arjen started his musical career in a small rock band called Bodine. They released 2 albums together, and Arjen grew as a musician and started to play bass at this time. In 1984, he joined a hard rock band called Vengeance. He was in vengeance for awhile, and then, in 1995, he released his first CD under the name of Ayreon: The Final Experiment.

The Final Experiment is a concept album about a blind minstrel named Ayreon that lived during the middle ages. Scientists from the year 2085 or 86 or something, have developed a new technology that allows them to send telepathic messages through time. Mankind has virtually destroyed themselves. They are attempting to send the messages back in time to change the FUTURE! However, Ayreon goes and sings about these terrible events of the future, and is banished by the wizard Merlin. So the final experiment fails, and mankind is doomed. How uplifting. There's more to the story/characters, but I don't want to spoil too much.

The sound of The Final Experiment can best be described as a hard-rock romp through a medieval fair. There are multiple singers, and Arjen basically plays every instrument on the album. Keyboards, guitars, bass, flute. There is also some electronica elements in it. It's a very unique approach to a fantasy rock opera with sci-fi elements.

Ayreon - Sail Away to Avalon
Ayreon - Computer Reign (Game Over)
Ayreon - Charm of the Seer

Just one year after The Final Experiment, Aryeon's second album, Actual Fantasy, was released. It was more a collection of short sci-fi/fantasy stories than a single story. It is the only Ayreon release that is like this. Some of the story themes expanded in later releases, like the song "computer eyes" is about a device called "The Dream Sequencer," which Ayreon's 4th release deals with exclusively. This release had a lot more electronica elements then the last release, and the keyboards play a more prominent role in many songs.

Ayreon - Actual Fantasy
Ayreon - Abbey of Sinn
Ayreon - Computer Eyes

Arjen, at this point, waited until 1998 to release his next rock opera. This one... was a SPACE OPERA. It involved time travel, aliens, and an experiment for a highly advanced race of beings to rediscover their emotions. By taking stereotypical characters as portrayed by old movies, Arjen created over-the-top silly characters. A barbarian, a futureman, a hippy, a highlander, a crusader, an egyptian, and an indian. And some other characters I probably forgot. Into the Electric Castle is an attempt to analyse emotions through ridiculous characters. Successful? Well, I'm not sure. It's a fan favourite. The sound for this album is a lot more of a "psychadellic rock" feel than the other ones. It's not quite as heavy as some of his other projects.

Ayreon - The Hall of Isis and Osiris
Ayreon - The Decision Tree (We're Alive)
Ayreon - The Castle Hall

Now, for the sake of making this a little more edible, I am going to divide it into chunks. Probably 2. This is chunk 1. Chunk 2 will probably be done by tomorrow. I plan to go from the 4th Ayreon release to Arjen's latest side project, Stream of Passion.

It should be fun!

Eux Autres.They're French?

2006-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Boy and Girl bands have become something of a trend nowadays (what with Viva Voce, White Stripes, Mates of State and...well...i guess i don't really have any more examples, but whatever). The newest old band out of that group is Eux Autres. I say newest old because while they've only recently become popular on a more than local level (due to their finally getting it bumped up from self releasedom and now being on Grenadine Records) their cd is actually more than 2 years old. so. This should be a lesson to all you indie bands out there.

heh.

Anyway, the real reason that i called you all here today to hear about this wonderful wonderful band is due to the fact that they will be playing at the (newly relocated) Vera Project on Saturday Nov. 18. The headlining band is Math and Physics Club, which makes the show noteworthy already, and the fact that Eux Autres is opening is just the icing on the cake!

Now for what all you soulless bastards came for; the music (or does the fact that you came for music mean that you do have a soul? ...sigh...i don't even know anymore):

Eux Autres- Patrick Nil (my personal favorite)

Eux Autres-Ecoutez Bien

Eux Autres-Salut Les Copains

Eux Autres-Other Girls

Eux Autres-The Things They Carried

Math and Physics Club-Weekends Away

Math and Physics Club-Movie Ending Romance

Interconnected

2006-09-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

This is a selection of past items and references from across the mp3 blogosphere. I'll start off with this selection of old old Neutral Milk Hotel cassette recordings. They emerged shortly after I had begun to peruse the web for mp3 blogs, and promptly affirmed my conviction that they are a unique and unequaled source in spreading and networking music that people love.

Regarding this set, I believe Shannon was a neighbor and friend of Jeff Magnum, the lead singer and mind behind Neutral Milk Hotel. Living in a room near to his in the same apartment building, Shannon would hear the band rehearsing and composing material. As a parting gift, Magnum gave Shannon some unpolished tapes with songs on them, and half a year ago decided to release them on the web for all to hear. They're rustic, yes, but they're oh so sweet in that way that only NMH can achieve.

Neutral Milk Hotel - "Dead Dog (unconfirmed title)"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Now I'm Going Down (unconfirmed title)"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Gardenhead"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Circle of Friends"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Say Goodnight (unconfirmed title)"

Next up is a link from (yet another) local group: Harvey Danger. These guys, especially lead singer Sean Nelson, have been at it for years and years by now. Nelson in particular is an exceptionally active and important guy in Seattle city culture. He hosts a local music show on KEXP called Audioasis and regularly writes for local indie weekly "The Stranger," all in addition to making the odd show with his band at The Croc. The group's latest album, "Little By Little," was released free in its entirety online, in an interesting experiment with album marketing. It's still up (and has been since July), and as I've enjoyed it immensely, I hope to make it available to those who haven't yet experienced it.

Harvey Danger - Little By Little

Finally, a number by The Desks. A granular and rough outfit themselves, their album is also available entirely free online. Much to love in their intrumental distortions and blood-curdling vocals.

The Desks - Calendars

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Image is courtesy of Sylvia Ji. Today has been outstanding for finding artists of the visual kind...my new favorites include Ytje (who did the album art for "Little By Little," and MWM's works.

Reclusive fall psychedelia

2006-09-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

Since my recent discovery of King Crimson from the depths of my father's dusty record collection, I've been more and more intrigued with that genre-spanning psychedellic sound. It permeates 'post-rock' and electronica, seeps into nu jazz outfits and wraps up independent musicians in a blanket of distortion and experimentation. And the likes of Pink Floyd and King Crimson indicate that it's been around awhile, too. An attempt of sorts at weaving modern and early-modern psychedellic sounds. A crimson set for a crimson season.

Pink Floyd - 'One of These Days'
Silversun Pickups - 'Waste It On'
Pink Floyd - 'Welcome to the Machine'
Incubus - 'Pistola'
Silversun Pickups - '...All the Go Inbetweens'
Incubus - 'Under My Umbrella'
King Crimson - '21st Century Schitzoid Man'

Exploring an artist: Devin Townsend

2006-09-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

In 1993 Steve Vai released a CD called Sex & Religion. Albiet incredibly cheesy and terrible, it was a young Devin Townsends first foray into the realm of rockin' music. Even if it was with Steve Vai. From this experience, Townsend acquired a distaste for the music industry and for major record labels. However, his first musical "project," if you will, was done through Century Media. In 1995, the first taste we had of his work came in a little package called Strapping Young Lad. A combination of thrash, industrial, and progressive metal, it featured a very dense synth laden romp through extreme music, coupled with a keen sense of irony. Titled "Heavy as a Very Heavy Thing," it introduced the bitter, sarcastic, yelling side of, as he would be affectionately called by fans from this point on, "Hevy Devy."

2 Years Later, Devy would metaphorically drop his own personal atomic bomb on music. Entitled "City," the second SYL album was a multi-layered romp through a desolate urban landscape. It is quite possibly one of the heaviest albums made in the last 10 years. Even though on the surface the album is just loud, angry vocals and banging guitars, underneath it all is a very fine attention to detail. It is not just random noise. Devin created the closest thing to calculated madness that has ever been released.

SYL:
Strapping Young Lad - SYL
Strapping Young Lad - Happy Camper
City:
Strapping Young Lad - Oh My Fucking God
Strapping Young Lad - Detox

The best part about Townsend is his unique style that constantly evolves, but never seems unnatural. Not satisfied with the music industry and tired of being angry, he set out to create a new sound. While SYL's City was negative and angry, his next release, entitled Biomech, went in a completely different direction. So Devy constructed a new band. Ocean Machine: Biomech is the complete opposite of everything SYL represented. It was an atmospheric boat ride through happier lands with a brighter outlook on life.

From late 1997 to 2001, Devin released 4 solo albums. Along with Biomech was Infinity, Physicist, and Terria. While each was very different, they all had the sound of "Hevy Devy" on them. Devin assigned "Colours" to each album. While SYL would be considered red, Biomech is blue, Infinity is white, and Terria is Green. Physicist is more of a failed attempt to work with a member of metallica, which may or may not be viewed as a good thing.

Devin Townsend - Life
Devin Townsend - Christeen
Devin Townsend - Bad Devil
Devin Townsend - Namaste
Devin Townsend - Canada

2003 was a year that changed how Devin worked. Almost simultanesouly, Devy released a new self-titled SYL album, and an album entitled Accelerated Evolution. Accelerated Evolution was the first time an album was released under the moniker "The Devin Townsend Band." The two bands toured independantly for each of their releases, and while most SYL fans were not so fond of the self-titled release, Accelerated Evolution recieved widespread acclaim. In 2005, SYL made another release that many fans considered "sub-par." (whatever fans. I like them.)

Strapping Young Lad - Force Fed
The Devin Townsend Band - Storm
Strapping Young Lad - Love?

In early 2006, The Devin Townsend Band released Synchestra. The album is meant to be listened to as a whole, and follows a "story." Later, in July, Strapping Young Lad released their latest, and perhaps final, album, entitled The New Black. They toured with ozzfest(ew) to support it. Devy, according to various quotes, is sick of SYL.

The Devin Townsend Band - Vampira (Video)
The Devin Townsend Band - Gaia
Strapping Young Lad - You Suck
Strapping Young Lad - Wrong Side (Video)

Additional Links:
HevyDevy Records
SYL Myspace
DTB Myspace

Stand Up Children, It's Time For GBV!

2006-09-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said?

Not nearly. Starting in 1984 and breaking up in 2004, Guided By Voices has been an influential and integral part of the independant music scene for generations now, shitting out many many records, generally with over 20 songs on them. The two main members of the band that always remained constant were Tobin Sprout and Robert Pollard. While they tend to be inconsistent, they have 5 CD's that are amazing the whole way through. These are; Bee Thousands, Alien Lanes, Hold on Hope EP, Propellor, and Under the Bushes Under the Stars. Ironically that's less than half of all of their music.
Guided By Voices-Alien Lanes-Blimps Go 90

Guided By Voices-Alien Lanes-My Valuable Hunting Knife

Guided By Voices-Hold On Hope EP-Fly Into Ashes

Guided By Voices-Hold On Hope EP-Tropical Robots

Guided By Voices-Hold On Hope EP-A Crick Uphill

Guided By Voices-Hold On Hope EP-Hold On Hope

Guided By Voices-Propellor-On The Tundra

Guided By Voices-Under The Bushes Under The Stars-The Official Ironmen Rally Song

The band had a small breakup in the late '90's, and Robert Pollard at that point started a Solo carreer. I've posted an example of his solo work below.
Robert Pollard-From A Compound Eye-Dancing Girls and Dancing Men

A Pressure Difference

2006-09-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

"I used to be 25 years old, living in Gothenburg. I used to wish I was living on a tropical island with my grandmother. I used to play in other bands. I used to care about who I really was. I used to have a girlfriend. I used to take long walks. I used to think I was special. I used to bake. I used to be an agnostic. I used to groom myself.

None of that really matters anymore.

Now I am Agent Simple and I dance to my own tunes."

Agent Simple - Brother

Below is Dan's (from Said the Gramophone) original description of the following tune. It's a tune that's been captivating me lately, and the warmth in the words is a good reflection of the song.

"You play the shaker on this one. And never, never stop. This is the kind of song that the mushrooms in the forest sway in unison to; singing harmony while the squirrels play flutes so small you can't hear them. It will make everything around you sing. And it will make you want to go home. Even if you're sitting at home right now, it will make you want to go to your favourite place in your home, one you always loved but have forgotten about. It'll make you realise why you have to leave every day, and why you might eventually have to leave for a long time, but the squirrels, the mushrooms, they'll still be there if you want to come/go back. I try not to swear on this thing, but holy fuck this song is good."

Agent Simple - Make a Right At Jordfallsmotet

Readymade are an odyssey of chimes and organ and piano. Their dark whimsy fits well with the Agent Simple selections.

Readymade FC - "Rehearsed Disaster"
Readymade FC - "The Fake But No Finish"
Readymade FC - "Simple Appareil"

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Agent Simple's homepage and MySpace

post-?

2006-09-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

When I see someone use the genre label 'post rock' in a sentence, I have to ask myself "post what?" Are we already beyond rock? Did I miss the memo and get stuck back in that era-ancien, Arctic Monkeys time period? The title itself makes me think of a great ideological leap in musicality. Though it's almost pretentious in nature, it causes me to stop for while. And consider. What's become of the ole' rock/pop unigenre? Not too long ago it was restricted to a few bands fortunate enough to make it onto labels, and through successive decades of marketing and fashion, it's beginning to shatter into fragments, empowering those smaller local labels.

Maybe it'll all come to a sudden stop one day. Musicians will put down their instruments and become lawyers and real estate salesmen. But what would fill the gaping artistic hole? Would we revert back to Elvis and Zepplin? Maybe it'd be more like the mass sobering of western society in the aftermath of World War II. Classical music and post rock will be all that is left in the wake of change...Like music's own existentialist revolution.

It'll be that throaty French woman's voice, trailing from the dusty radio in Saving Private Ryan, that saves the art. Maybe then we'd be post-something. Or maybe we'd just have outdated ourselves.

Mono - 16.12
The Evpatoria Report - Cosmic Call
Chopin - Nocturne in Eb major (Op 55 No 2 performed by Donald Betts)
Explosions in the Sky - Day Six
Chopin - Etude in Ab major (Op 25 No 1 performed by Donald Betts)
The Evpatoria Report - CCS Logbook
Foxhole - Forgiving Monarch
Joy Wants Eternity - From Embrace to Embrace
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto

Squeak Squeak Squeak

2006-09-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Bicycles have come! Straight out of Toronto, this band can rock! They also demonstrate an ability to write quite beautiful songs that make you want to dance all the same. With a sound that is reminiscent of I Was Born A Unicorn by The Unicorns, they are one of the...happiest...bands that i've ever heard.

The new album The Good The Bad and The Cuddly aspires to measure up to old bubblegum pop like The Kinks and Beach Boys and succeeds admirably- not to mention their CD has 17 songs, which is pretty cool if i may say so myself.

Take a gander:

The Bicycles-Longjohns and Toques

The Bicycles-B-B-Bicycles

The Bicycles-I Know We Have To Be Friends

The Bicycles- Gotta Get Out

I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

2006-09-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

New Yo La Tengo album out. For its title, see above.

From the new album:

Yo La Tengo - Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind
Yo La Tengo - Beanbag Chair

From elsewhere:

Yo La Tengo - Little Eyes
Yo La Tengo - Don't Have to Be So Sad
Yo La Tengo - The Love Life of the Octopus
Yo La Tengo - From Motel 6 [live]

edit:

Almost forgot about this gem...

Yo La Tengo - Speeding Motorcycle

Image by "Mr. Asami of San-X"

Winter is a state of mind

2006-09-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years, Winter has become my favorite season. I look forward to those dark weekend evenings, when you can hear distant sounds trailing from the performance hall at the local church. Its pews cleared and its doors open, the place turns into a gathering spot for teens of all ages, and its echoey acoustics bear the noises of bands and audience members through all corners of the intersection in front of my house. Sadly, I've never heard the sounds of this band echoing off the telephone poles, resounding between houses, and consolidating in the pools of light under those street lamps that turn on a bit earlier than the others. But they've played that venue (and yes, they're local). And I can relish only in the prospect of coupling Boat's quirky, meaningful songs with the busy lives of their audience; teens who still fight with their parents, still love their lovers, and still appreciate the finer points of killing their eardrums. God I'm going to miss this place.

These are from Boat's live performance at KEXP, a local nonprofit station that supports great alternative music:

Boat - Clogged Castle Quickly
Boat - Greased Hairclip
Boat - Holding All the Globes
Boat - Laterus Last Cans

The photo is a work of The Knitters, I believe. Apparently they're sort of a gang that, as opposed to tagging, leaves street art in the form of knitted works that cover telephone poles, mailboxes, anything. Also the signs in the background make me suspect that this photo is of a tag in Fremont (very funky Seattle district, in case people visit).

Funk, Folk, and Polka.

2006-09-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

We all need to get funky sometimes. And sometimes, we all need to get funky. However, settling for formulaic white boy faux-funk is no way to go. Funk without soul is barely funk at all. This is why Tower of Power is so necessary. They've been funking around since the late 60's, and are still active today. But I regret to say I only have a few samples from the 90's. I'd recommend checking out their earlier work, since it is said to be their best.

Tower of Power - Soul With a Capital "S"
Tower of Power - Souled Out
Tower of Power - Mama Lied

When the folk music comes to mind, it usually isn't paired with post-rock and metal. However, Portland based quartet Agalloch has combined all three. Besides the bizarre genre fusion, Agalloch deserves recognition for the power their music commands; it can be beautiful, it can be unsettling and harsh, and it can be heavy. By sweeping through explosive riffs, acoustic medleys, heavy drums, dark rasping vocals, and piano passages with a soft synth string acommpaniment, the band creates a sense of atmosphere that few could hope to achieve. Agalloch stands out as a unique musical experience.

Agalloch - Limbs
Agalloch's Myspace
Agalloch's Home Page

While T.O.P. is funky, and Agalloch is unique, Finntroll is a completely different beast. Another example if bizarre genre fusion, finntroll have combined the harsh vocals and grinding guitars common to black metal with a form of finnish polka. That being said, they also like to dress up like trolls in music videos and play fake acoustic looking instruments. There is a linked example below, but first a bit more foreplay. It may be difficult to justify taking something like this seriously, until you hear it. They polish it, coat it in a harsh, catchy, brilliantly technical performance, and make you want to jig-mosh. Yes. Jig-mosh. At times you will want to dance a jig, and at other times you may have this bizarre urge to smash someones face into pavement. The musical beast that is finntroll amuses, entertains, and makes one want to raise a glass.

Finntroll - Trollhammaren(music video)
Finntroll - Ursvamp
Finntroll's Myspace

P.S. Fight the system.

beat drooz

2006-09-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to immerse yourself in the effervescent cloudburst that is Yesterday’s New Quintet. Madlib’s jazz hip-hop fusion side-project deploys the electric piano and clavichord fused with a small synthesizer to create a genre-muddling sound exclusive to YNQ.
Yesterday's New Quintet - Prelude
Yesterday's New Quintet - Julani
Yesterday's New Quintet - Uno Esta
Yesterday's New Quintet - Sun Godess

Coughs play out like some deranged carnival calliope or like heavily corrugated metal; Anya Davidson howls her spinto like a scorned prom queen backed by racking guitar riffs, ungainly percussion and a whining saxophone. Be that as it may, they’re not without appeal. Their brand of skronk has a massive head trauma charm that makes you feel warm on the inside. To be played at high volumes.
Coughs - Elephant
Coughs – Fright Makes Right
Coughs – Garter Snake
Coughs - Narwahl

Bumbershoot 2006

2006-09-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

This year at the Seattle Arts festival affectionately known as Bumbershoot, I noticed a lot of changes. It seems that this year the festival organizers have finally come to terms with the overwhelming crowds and evened out scheduling times. I found that I had more than enough time to make it between shows I really wanted to see, where last year I had to sacrifice several show opportunities for the sake of a place in line at one. Very cool. And the lineup seemed to be spread very nicely throughout the entire three days. At about $25 for my presale tickets, I might have paid twice that for the amazing time I had.

Flatstock was back again this year, too. For those not in the know, Flatstock is Bumbershoot's independent poster artist convention, where artists sell, display, and give away their art, posters, and random goodies. Most do promotional art for local shows. The styles span far and wide in terms of how artists deal in form and color, with many many amazing collages (via silkscreening) and multimedia juxtapositions. Danial Danger and Tara McPherson (on the side bar) are two such artists I met at the show last year, and hopefully I'll be integrating the works of some other amazing persons I met this time around.

Now, to the music. Wow. I wasn't expecting such a drastic improvement in acoustics, but jesus. Even at the outdoor stages, all the equipment was working, most (if not all) the instruments could be heard, and the crowds were actually MOVING. This made all the difference after spending five plus hours each day standing in lines, standing at shows, and standing around talking to friends. Saturday I saw, in this order: The Purrs; Rogue Wave; Deerhoof; and Cloud Cult. Sunday: The Village Green; Speaker Speaker; and Izabelle. I'll embellish on my faves.

The Purrs are a great local group with a mellow and surfy rock tone about them. Something you'd want playing in the background as you sip a pina colada and flirt with Money Penny at the coastal tiki bar.

The Purrs band site

I was very taken aback at the crowd who came to see Deerhoof. While the group isn't exactly low-profile at this point, I certainly didn't expect the overwhelming positive reactions to all the abrupt breaks and tempo changes, winded drum solos, heavy bass and timid sub-English vocalizations amidst the otherwise tight and upbeat melodies. And they pulled it off at the crappy dancehall venue, too. It was bloody insane, and I loved every second of it.

Deerhoof homepage

Cloud Cult had interpretive painters at their show. If you ever get the opportunity to see them live, go. It isn't really possible to articulate the joy I felt by witnessing an absolute masterpiece emerge from lines and forms on white canvas, each element and color a materialistic realization of the emotions in the music as they emerged and passed. The group is from Minnesota, and their heavy folk and acoustic inflections show it. But they are also human organisms, standing on a floating chunk of rock, on a spinning sphere in the middle of a gaping vaccum. And somehow the tenderness and emotion of the vocals and synth and Cello make me see that, too.

Cloud Cult - Living on the Outside of Your Skin
Cloud Cult - Car Crash
Cloud Cult - Breakfast With my Shadow
Cloud Cult - Fairy Tale
highly recommended: Cloud Cult - 6 Days to Madness

Izabelle is a spacy rock outfit. My friends asked me what they sounded like, and I sarcastically said 'Radiohead,' since "everybody sounds like Radiohead." But suprisingly, these guys resemble the rh fellows more than a little bit. Maybe if they had made an album after the Bends, but before the OK Computer paradigm shift, they'd have changed their name to Izabelle and masqueraded about in that alterego.

Izabelle site

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Other members who feel inclined to comment about their Bumbershoot experience need only e-mail me their bit. I'll be sure to edit it in with mine to keep them all in one spot. Also the tracks in this and subsequent posts should all be references to urls that the band has provided on official sites. To complain or discuss the issue with track uploads, please see the post below this one and respond there.

Relevance

2006-09-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

In, rather briefly, debating the concept today, I find that upon critically assessing it, I am very disgruntled in regards to the nature of an mp3 blog. It has always seemed to me an effective promotional tool, at least in theory. A new audience of potential patrons becomes interested in a band's name where before there was no such knowledge of the band. While to my understanding the upload of a copywrited file without explicit permission by its owner is by nature illegal, I cannot help feeling justified when the act of uploading promotes the band by spreading by way of spreading their name. And for some reason, the proposed alternative of track 'sampling,' ie. via iTunes, seems inadequate and repulsive. I wouldn't be able to assess a band adequately via a clip of the first thirty seconds in their songs. Streaming might be a feasible alternative, as it is both inconveniencing enough and thorough enough to promote a band and their sound while encouraging listeners to purchase an album. But in that regard, downloading three tracks from a given artist seems practically as effective.

But is it worth the risk of injury to the band, by way of distributing their material for free? Is there serious risk of prosecution by band affiliates or record labels who feel they have been victimized by illegal distribution of their material? Is it enough merely to say one will be prompt in taking down a file that a label or group doesn't want up?

Should this project continue, I feel like these questions must be addressed. The direct reference to already-existing url's on official, legit band pages and MySpaces seems in direct compliance with the band's goals in providing those links in the first place. In the future, I believe it may be neccessary to use purely indirect url linking from official band sites and MySpaces.

All questions, comments, and concerns are very much encouraged. And may the God of pop culture have mercy on our souls.

Caring is sexy

2006-09-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is a set of abrupt textures and anti-pop statements. And an experiment with Yousendit, as savefile.com has been extremely inconsistent.

Forward, Russia! - Thirteen
Deerhoof - Scream Team
Icy Demons - Icy Demons
Think About Life - Paul Cries
Paul Hogan - It (lowfi)

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For those interested, Sam should be offline until about mid-September or so while he's paying Seattle a visit. Incoming there will hopefully be some feedback on the Seattle arts festival: Bumbershoot, which is happening this weekend. Deerhoof, Cloud Cult, and The Purrs were among the great performances I got to see Saturday.

my house on fire

2006-09-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

I snagged these gems from the Ethiopiques Vol. 8 compilation CD. The Ethiopiques series features Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians from the 1960's-1970's; a solid collection of shimmy-inducing instrumentals and ethereal creole vocals.
Ethiopiques Vol.8 - Girma Bèyènè - Ené Nègn Bay Manèsh
Ethiopiques Vol.8 - Bahta Gèbrè-Heywèt - Tèssassètgn Eko
Ethiopiques Vol.8 - Samuel Bèlay - Qèrèsh Endèwaza

"One of LA's most daring new artists wears a buzzing halo. This young musical romantic weaves together a true 'love-sound' that falls between honeyed melody and avant-electronics. Daedelus chops and splices disparate acoustic sources into incredible works of staggering resonance. His production style is very unique; it has a precise impact that will make you wonder if you’re dreaming or dancing."
If were to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to only keep ten CDs with me, you could be damn sure a Daedelus album would make the cut. The weave and weft of his music make love to your ears and trigger sensations of floating.
Daedelus - At My Heels
Daedelus - Lights Out
Daedelus - Like Clockwork Springs

relax. The swelling is only temporary.

2006-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

...As The Poets Affirm - A Lie Told Before Breakfast

The Most Serene Republic - (Oh) God

Final Fantasy - This Lamb Sells Condos

The Paper Chase - You Will Never Take Me Alive

The Most Serene Republic - The Protagonist Suddenly Realizes What He Must Do in the Middle of Downtown

Guillemots - Cats Eyes

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The Paper Chase band site
The Most Serene Republic official site
As the Poets Affirm

Image courtesy of Daniel Danger

technical messy

2006-08-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've recently been enamored with (now)five-piece Dutch band We vs. Death. Comprised completely of instrumentals, their sound is startlingly immediate, both meditative and cathartic. It's difficult not to be drawn in by the majestic sprawl in their driving rhythm, swelling brass, and pulsing post-rock anthems. Their melodies lilt, sway, and escalate into beautiful aural climaxes; build swaying edifices reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky.
We vs. Death - Wave Goodbye
We vs. Death - Pictures From Stellenbosch
We vs. Death - And How to Translate It

Next up is the eccentric 7 Year Rabbit Cycle, an Oakland-based band featuring Rob Fisk and Kelly Goode(ex-Deerhoof). Their sound is characterised by starkly organic compositions, desultory percussion, and jaunty vocals.
7 Year Rabbit Cycle - Pirate
7 Year Rabbit Cycle - Wren
7 Year Rabbit Cycle - Puppies

I saw these fellas in Los Angeles, it was quite the spectacle. Captain Ahab ejaculate the vulgar inner dialogue of women in various stages of life over sleazy house beats. They're a pink samurai sword up the ass,
but you know you like it.
Captain Ahab - Ride
Captain Ahab - Party Baby
Captain Ahab - Girls Gone Wild

mic check, one two

2006-08-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's common sense that first impressions are important - our initial experiences shape our future handlings. This is something I've been thinking quite a bit about lately, particularly in relation to music - nearly everyone's taste is constantly evolving and growing, but where did that base, that foundation come from? It's a question that's difficult to answer. I do know that what I live for - musically, at least - is that sort of epiphany you have every once in a while when you're digging and discovering. It might be something as simple as finding a great riff or hook. It might be something as momentous as realizing there's a whole new genre of music out there that you've never listened to before. One of the biggest ones for me, however, was the first show I ever saw live. The band was Luna.

Luna is a love-child of the Velvet Underground; it's obvious that frontman Dean Wareham and company are enamored of the slowly propulsive guitar drones, looping bass riffs, and straightforward drums that the VU made so perfectly. I meant that "love-child" part literally, though; where Lou Reed was the paragon of NY hipster cool, Wareham instead chooses whimsy and an affected sleepy innocence.

Luna - Lovedust

This song, more than any other, sums up Luna for me. It's perfect for those times when the air seems to be filled with a sort of drugged elation. The flourishes are what make the song - the lazy, soaring guitars; the bells and castanets at 3:12.
This is a song for watching the sunset go down with someone you love. It is also, depending on how you look at it, a song for a 13-year old boy who is discovering music all over again.

Hi. Welcome to Kind of Like Floating. My name is Sam; I love pop music.

Who says we don't patronize local bands?

2006-08-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Portland's low-fi post-pop-punk-thing The Thermals released their new album, The Body, The Blood, The Machine on Sub Pop last Tuesday. Due to the loss of drummer Jordan Hudson, remaining band mates Kathy Foster and Hutch Harris split up their multiple duties for this record. Hopefully this news won't impact the group's live performace. And if you've seen them live, you understand what I mean.

Their new material is more political and activist in nature (something the album's name reflects). The Thermals have always been straight-edge social commentators through their lyrics. But from 2003's More Parts Per Million to this latest effort, there's been a noted shift in focus from cynical, introverted speculation about their profession and industry, to cynical, extroverted speculation about society, politics, and now the ideological and religious automatons domineering the state. In terms of how this shift in focus impacts the aesthetics of their music....what impact? Aside from the noticable jump in sound quality between 'Million and their second LP Fuckin A, there seems to be very little else going on with production and sound. Whether there should be is certainly moot. That characteristic abruptness, fuzziness, and energy is all still here. And it's a characteristic that always has made the group's shows favorable occassions to exchange sweat and hair with your shirtless neighbor. I'll be the first to assert that impulsive headbanging and jumping has therapeutic merits.

From The Body, The Blood, The Machine (2006):
The Thermals -- "A Pillar of Salt"
The Thermals -- "Power Doesn't Run on Nothing"

From Fuckin A (2004):
The Thermals -- "How We Know"
The Thermals -- "Stare Like Yours"

From More Parts Per Million (2003):
The Thermals -- "No Culture Icons"

While we're on the note of PacNW groups, two others sprung to mind in writing this. Whalebones is a local getup who opened for last Monday's Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes show at the Showbox. They delivered a solid performance that blended perfectly with the sounds of the other groups that night (and my god, Wolf Parade absolutely springs into pure, colorful life onstage), not to mention the animal theme in their names. The Fleet Foxes are the other local group who, like the former, have slipped well below the popular radar (and also have an animal-themed name), though they certainly deserve a look and a cappuccino for their efforts.

Whalebones -- "Ladyfingers"
Whalebones -- "Another Jungle"
Whalebones -- "Blood Bank"

The Fleet Foxes -- "Anyone Who's Anyone"
The Fleet Foxes -- "Icicle Tusk"
The Fleet Foxes -- "In the Hot Hot Rays"

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Further:
The Thermals' Site and Resources
Whalebones on MySpace
The Fleet Foxes on MySpace

Image is an original by the poster

Vells' Bells

2006-08-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Music is art. And, as art, is comprised largely in the copying, modification, juxtaposition, reiteration, and recombination of other peoples' works and ideas. So what's worse than stealing? I've heard tell that failing to let oneself be influenced by a good idea qualifies. Fine and well. But one quickly tires of hearing uninspired Radiohead and 'Young ripoffs all the same. I suppose as much as hearing endless Beatles ripoffs a generation ago while the then-contemporary namesakes continued to set their own standards.

But where's the room for a younger generation in this equation? If, as myself, one didn't grow up with The Beatles, The Who, and The Grateful Dead, is it justifiable to revel in imitations (whether by chance or deliberation) decades after the original* flame ignited? Such a thought crossed my mind sifting through the odd review and description of The Vells.

The Vells are a Pacific Northwest band currently signed to Seattle-based Imputor records, their latest album being "Return to Echo Falls." Apparently they sound a bit like The Beatles and The Beach Boys, hence the "low marks for originality, then, but a fair grade for general pleasantness" from one reviewer. While I can see the worth in drawing associations, it's hard for me to see it in an accusatory pointing of fingers. Especially since I didn't grow up with The Beatles. I'll burn in my own way. Hopefully that doesn't prevent me from examining the group in a meaningful way. Let's start with: Having members involved in the likes of Red Stars Theory, Modest Mouse, and Stagger Lee, the Vells are embodied in a quartet of active PacNW musicians.

Experienced indeed. The Vells seem extremely refined in their first LP effort, not completely unlike the resolve found on The Arcade Fire's debut "Funeral." Immediatly from the get-go of "In the Hours of Flowers," the grooves are set in a rustic trend. One that is developed and explored, the fuzzy bass and lead melding naturally with the crisper drums and vocals by means of a smoothe keyboard primer and occassional horn section. It's synergy with virbrancy that screams the bright green-with-gold etchwork of the CD's packaging (an eco-friendly, yet attractive cardboard holder. Yes, it's criteria for praise).

In contrast, it's suprising to hear the greater clarity and lift of moodiness from that of 'Falls on their 2002 self-titled EP on Lucky Horse Industries, as exemplified in the last Vells track provided (Beatles associations be damned!). The group has a new album out in September this year, and hopefully with its release there will follow more press coverage and tour dates.

The Vells -- "Larger Than Life"
The Vells -- "Mansour III"
The Vells -- "Light on the Right"

On a vaguely-related note, here are a few tracks by the aforementioned project with Vells' drummer Jeremiah Green (also of Modest Mouse). The group formed in late 1994, and is worth your ear, if only by merit of association and innovation of sound (as I percieve it...hah!):

Red Stars Theory -- "Combinations and Complications"
Red Stars Theory -- "Our Nearest Neighbors"

*Whether 'original' is the correct term is certainly debatable. The Beatles didn't manifest spontaneously in a vaccuum, to the best of my knowledge.

Image of The Vells' self-titled EP album art, by Kevin Willis

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Further:
The Vells' Official Site
Red Stars Theory band site

Banners and flags

2006-08-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Can it be? Personal webspace? Yes. And after the caching and template edit issues, it's gotten its shakey self off the ground for the time being. This is where we present the reader with information, news, and...well...music. It being a ramshakle venture and all, let's give it a shot.

A shakey selection, quavering strings and horns and tones, the running theme seeming "homemade." Sean from Said the Gramophone afforded reference to two: Antarctica Takes It! and The Red River. The final group, The Briney Depths, rounds off in rustic whistling and strumming. Yes, their brushes quaver and shake. But the color of their dreams and affairs stands out on the canvas with striking resolve.

The Briney Depths -- "Calling Out"
Antarctica Takes It! -- "Circuits"
Antarctica Takes It! -- "I'm No Lover"
The Red River -- "The Real Danger"
The Briney Depths -- "No Culture No Past"
The Red River -- "The Mighty Tide"

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Further:

Antarctica Takes It on MySpace and around the blogosphere.
Image courtesy of The Briney Depths on MySpace.

edit 8-23: The Red River tracks will now be online for a limited time. Highly recommended!