Archive for April, 2008
Friday Mix 37
Off to
From the yet to be released Nouns cover album on Sub Pop. I am a fan of Weirdo Ripper but have seen a different side of the duo on these tracks. The brute force energy is still very apparent but they do put in remarkable diversity with the song selection and vocals especially. I’m not sure this is a band we will still be discussing as relevant in even 5 years but you never know, stranger things have happened. Support the local LA bands.
My Brightest Diamond – Inside A Boy
Single from A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. Very true to the first album, FYI that is a very good thing. I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing one song of hers live as we got to the Sufjan Steven’s show late two years ago. I can only imagine how much better it has gotten over that time. The song writing has matured though I think the playfulness in some of the tracks comes through even more so than her last release.
I caught the last half of Fuck Button’s opening set for Caribou last night at the El Rey. They were good and had enough energy for the room but I still find it hard to see this kind of music in a live setting without wanting to laugh at the DJ bobbing away on stage. In typical hipster fashion no one was moving (me included) and I think a lot of people were shocked and didn’t really know what to think. Then came Caribou. I was initially a little put off as the drummer is put at the front of the stage and he took over the sound. For the first three songs, Melody Day included, drums were the dominant force on stage and the vocals were a distant 4th. This as disappointing but by the middle of the set I was much more engaged. There is no banter between songs, usually a negative for me when they don’t, but the music seemed to warrant no explanations. The drum offs were a welcome surprise as I’d never seen the band live and thus had no idea what to expect. I’m not sure I need to see them live again but I did see a band that truly enjoys playing live.
Garth Brooks – American Honky-Tonk Bar Association
I’ve been on a Garth Brooks kick as of late. I know, it isn’t something I like to discuss in public forums so please keep this between you and me Mr. Interweb. I posted this song just to give another modern country radio cliche a little room to breath. This being the “I’m a hard working American who doesn’t want to support no free loaders! Let’s get drunk and yell about it!” A fun song none the less and one that definitely brings back fond memories of 30 min car rides to town in the summer.
Friday Mix 36
Sorry for the shoddy posting as of late for the Friday Mix. I have valid excuses for the weeks missed, trust me. I’m getting this one in under the wire if the upload goes well. For reference I’m sitting in my Grandmother’s front room drinking a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and eating a Handi Snack, which I haven’t had since elementary school. All the while watching ESPNews and typing this out on my *hacked Verizon EVDO equip smartphone. And sadly, no, I have not been paid any money by any of the above referenced companies to drop the names of their wonderful products here. If only that were true.
*I find it funny that I have to “hack” something that I am already paying $40/month to have access to. Seriously though, that is about the only problem I have ever had with Verizon.
My favorite Mission of Burma song to date. (Yes, they are still together.) Hard to believe this came out just a couple years after I was born. While not affecting my upbringing as much as other musical styles, the post-punk sound shaped high school and late college for me. Great anthem here.
I got this track in an email this week and was intrigued so I checked it out. Was it the lack of capitalization except for that “o”? Why an o? Why not the “u”? This is one of the most addictive songs I’ve heard this year outside of pure sugar pop records such as Robyn. I had already racked up 9 listenes within the first 2 hours of receiving the song. I can’t wait to hear the rest of this album from these British lads. (Yes, you are required to call them “lads” if they are from
Unexpected album that a friend introduced me to. I guess Pandora can be good for something after all.
Chaulk this one up to the PFork effect. A relationship told from both perspectives. Not a new premise but an interesting approach to the topic at hand. The music is nowhere near as avant garde as other tracks on the album but I felt the song was much more relatable than others. Emails from certain people remind me of such things more than others do.
The Flying Burrito Brothers – Christine’s Tune (aka Devil in Disguise)
Found this through You Set the Scene. I’d heard the Gram Parson’s Byrd’s album many, many times but had never delved very deep into The Flying Burrito Brothers. This song is great and you can definitely hear the
Friday Mix 35
Sorry for the lack of a Friday Mix last week. I was busy planning Ranch-A-Thon 2008 which went off splendidly. The hills were green, the fireworks were grand and we even found a new explosive to throw in the fire.
Yes, it’s taken me this long to really sit down and digest “In Rainbows.” I like Radiohead but I can’t say I’m a hopelessly devoted fanboy as seems to be required. I’ve listened to the album a number of times this week while toiling away on wiring plans and other things not normally required at the office and seem to pick up subtleties I never noticed previously. I don’t know if this is because of my fascination with the Jonhy Greenwood scored soundtrack to “There Will Be Blood” but I notice so much more depth on this Radiohead album musically. Well, there I go again discussing the overall album and missing this single entirely. It’s grand.
From a tour only promo cd called “The Enchanted Hill” comes this
I had heard nothing of this French band until I listened to the initial single “Starlett Johanson”. The synth pop was very apparent and I had a slight indication that they could be a “joke band” based on that song title alone. It wasn’t until I listened to this track, the first off of “Reality Check” that the initial curiosity was confirmed. The accents still make me think of one of those late 80’s to mid – 90’s sitcoms where a French national tries to steal the affection of an American girl and plays up the “I’m so foreign” angle. (Ok, I now realize I’m thinking of a recurring plot point on Cheers.) Still this is a pretty fun track and fun album.
Continuing the dirty song nature that seems to be the theme for this week. Modern country radio hits really are some of the dirtiest songs around. This song revolves around a cougar attacking a helpless young man. The imagery only gets dirtier from there and you probably won’t think about thunderstorms the same after listening to this track.
