Tegan and Sara

These Canadian sisters have a great song here. I can't get it out of my head... not that I want too. I first heard it on CBC (Canadian government funded TV) Newsworld's late night pop culture showcase - PLAY - and I loved it.

I still prefer the live performance to this, the studio version, but it is still sweet.

monday, monday, monday

'mystery and misery' inspired me

Mystery and Misery posted a 20 song 'strong' soundtrack today and I thought it was a good idea so here is my random list of ten unrelated tracks.

1.hoarding it for home - Mates of State
2.spiderbites - Decibully
3.dreams - TV on the Radio
4.daylight til dawn - All Night Radio
5.anthrax - Kimya Dawson
6.following waves - french kicks
7.the cavaliers - The Narrator
8.catherine says - The Aisler Set
9.eternal - Coastal
10.how we know - The Thermals

PRIMITIVE (the way I treat you)

I have been listening to this song for a while now and it hasn't turned stale... yet. It always catches my ear, from the first guitar strummed chord... then onto the tinkling of piano keys... and the way the vocal rises in pitch on the chorus.


It's a good song with a great hook.

primitive (the way I treat you)
courtesy mp3.insound.com
www.ambulancenyc.com

Stephen Malkmus

There has always been an acidic air to Pavement songs, whether it be the lyric or the music itself. The same is true of Stephen Malkmus' solo work, but there is also a humourous accent swimming in the acid. My favourites are either the rockers or the quiet ones displaying Malkmus' wit.


Stephen Malkmus - the hook
Pavement - greenlander
both courtesy matador records

danny cohen

Danny Cohen invented punk rock.

At least that's what is claimed in the promotional kit for his latest release 'Dannyland' - Anti Records. Well, it says he invented it with his band Charleston Grotto, described as a proto-punk outfit (it would have to be, wouldn't it?) back in 1961.

True or not, Cohen has at least invented his own unique vision presented in his twisted tunes. A mixture of psych-folk and arch night club numbers (often simultaneously) is Danny Cohen music - and it has earned him some heavy hitter friends - Tom Waits and Ray Davies among them.

The song Motel Sex was originally titled Motel Six, but the hospitality chain of upstart Holiday Inns didn't appreciate being immortalized in the 'land of Danny'.

Motel Sex
courtesy Anti Records

the weakerthans

John Samson - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Stephen Carroll - Guitar/Backing Vocals
John Sutton - Bass/Backing Vocals
Jason Tait - Drums, Saw, Etc.

From Winnipeg, Manitoba, they are seen by many (critics) as too high brow for the lowly masses - what with cultural, scholarly, and literary references colouring their lyrics - don't buy into it. Even if you don't know of some of the songs subjects, you can look them up and expand your mind.




from Reconstruction Site...
the reasons
psalms for the elks lodge
courtesy epitaph records


ALBUMS -
Reconstruction Site
Left & Leaving
Fallow

SINGLES / EP's -
Watermark

THE WEAKERTHANS
North American Tour, Summer 2004

KINGSTON
Thu. July 15
The Elixir
doors 9 pm
openers: Raising the Fawn and Jim Guthrie

OTTAWA
Fri. July 16
Ottawa Blues Festival

QUEBEC CITY
Sat. July 17
Le Kashmir
doors 8 pm
opener: The Lifeactors.

ST. CATHARINES
Wed. July 21
Level 3
doors 8 pm
opener: Dallas Green.

HAMILTON
Thu. July 22nd
The Underground
openers: Raising the Fawn and Jim Guthrie

TORONTO
Fri. July 13
Toronto Blues Festival

CALGARY
Sat/Sun July 24/25th
Calgary Folk Festival
Calgary, AB

IRON+WINE=Sam Beam

Sam Beam meets Jim Beam tonight at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern. After wending his way up the eastern seaboard with a stop last night in Montreal, Sam Beam (a.k.a. Iron and Wine), will soothe our big city frazzled nerves with his cradlesongs. His music is Nick Drake healed by the heat of the Florida sun and then channelled through the eye of a modern cinephile (Beam teaches cinematography in Florida).

He and his band will continue their tour in support of the Sub Pop release Our Endless Numbered Days following tonights Horseshoe gig...

2004-07-01 Magic Stick, Detroit, MI

2004-07-02 Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL

2004-07-03 Uncle Pleasants, Louisville, KY

2004-07-05 The Beta Bar, Tallahassee, FL

2004-07-06 The Social, Orlando, FL

2004-07-07 The Orpheum, Tampa, FL

lions mane
courtesy better propaganda

southern wine
coutesy artistdirect.com

TOM WAITS

Tom Waits is different. A combination of talent - a talent composed of a side-show barker, grimy beat poet, moon-struck romantic, campfire storyteller (no, make that bonfire storyteller), and circus midget. The circus midget is his voice - an oversized force with its own arms and legs - perfectly formed, yet somehow strange.
buzz flederjohn
hold on
courtesy amazon.com (there are a couple more songs in AMAZON's music download section)



another man's vine
courtesy anti records

this link will take you to a page of live Tom Waits bootlegs - the quality is fair to poor (sometimes terrible), but remember... these are bootlegs.

labrador records

Largehearted Boy posted this link today for Labrador Records, check out the sounds page for free downloads.

Labrador Artists
Acid House Kings
Aerospace
Afraid of Stairs
Airliner
Chasing Dorotea
Club 8
Corduroy Utd.
Douglas Heart
Edson
[ingenting]
Lasse Lindh
Laurel Music
The Legends
Leslies
Mondial
The Radio Dept.
Ronderlin
Starlet
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
Tribeca
Waltz for Debbie
Wan Light

american music club return

AMC's Mark Eitzel

This fall will mark the first release for American Music Club in a decade. The album will be called 'Montovani's Breath' and will be on Merge(USA) and Cooking Vinyl(UK/Europe).

the announced track list is as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen - available below
Another Morning - available below
Patriot's Heart
Love Is
Job To Do
Only Love Can Set You Free
Mantovani The Mind Reader
Home
Bookstore
Minstrel Show
Your Horseshoe Wreath Will Bloom
Song Of The Rat Leaving The Sinking Ship
The Devil Needs You

listen to...
ladies and gentlemen
courtesy sxsw
and
another morning
courtesy americanmusicclub.com

Now Broadcasting: 'Year of the Rat'

Badly Drawn Boy's new album, One Plus One Is One, hit the streets on June 21. The lead off single is Year of the Rat.
courtesy badlydrawnboy.co.uk



Click to watch Badly Drawn Boy's new video 'Year of the Rat' in Real Video.
courtesy XL Recordings

ELECTRELEANE 'On Parade'

An all girl group from the UK, they concentrated primarily on instrumentals, but Verity Susman has stepped forward on their latest release - The Power Out (Too Pure, 2004) to handle vocals on many tracks.

Their music is very rhythmic - guitar, bass, and drum driven - the band brings a very pleasing 'Talking Heads' vibe to this track.

on parade - electrelane
courtesy too pure records

largehearted boy: Help Califone

The band Califone had a bit of trouble yesterday
and have used Largehearted Boy's site to post an open letter,
an open plea, to some asshole...
click here for the details

NEW SPOON DEMOS + LIVE TRACKS

Spoon's website posting of a couple of demos (sister jack + i summon you) about a week and a half ago, set the blog world abuzz. But just as quickly cut it in half by removing Sister Jack from their MP3 page (by the way I Summon You is still available along with six previously released tracks).

BUT if you would like these two new demos and three live tracks of spoon and brittt daniel go here.

Here are some older tracks...
something to look forward to
i didn't come here to die
courtesy (((12XU)))
waiting for the kid to come out
courtesy tiny telephone

Jonathan Fire Eater / the walkmen

Jonathan fire eater's members - keyboardist Walter Martin, drummer Matt Barrick, guitarist Paul Maroon, bassist Thomas Frank, and singer Scott Lupton - met in Washington, D.C. as youngsters. The band made a few stabs at success in the mid 90's, even releasing an album for Dreamworks in 1997.

jonathan fire eater

when the curtain calls for you
jonathan fire eater
courtesy self starter foundation

As in the case of most bands, Jonathan Fire Eater would dissolve, but three members (Martin, Barrick, and Maroon) teamed up with singer Hamilton Leithauser to form The Walkmen.

Rue The Day
the walkmen
courtesy Startime Records

OKKERVIL RIVER

Okkervil River is an actual body of water near St. Petersburg in Russia. Also the actual name of a four piece band based in Austin, Texas(they named the band after a short story by the Russian writer Tatyana Tolstaya).



This is a band who conjure up ominous moods, forboding impressions, and upbeat melodies all within the same song. Led by singer/songwriter Will Sheff, the band, with an overabundance of talent, also has the unique 'lyrical' talents of Sheff who has penned lines like '...the mind turns an itch into a bruise...' from...
The War Criminal Rises and Speaks.
courtesy of jagjaguwar.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kansas city
courtesy jound.com

TINDERSTICKS

Not a new song - from 'Can Our Love...'(May 2001), but a favourite of mine. The spooky murk of Stuart Staples' voice clings to each and every track Tindersticks record. If you haven't heard the voice or the song, I envy you the discovery.

stuart staples

"People Keep Comin` Around"
courtesy beggars.com

the faint are back...

... and Teaching The Indie Kids to Dance Again has them. The three tracks posted there showcase the variety found on the not yet released Wet from Birth.



here is my fave of the three - Desperate Guys
thanks to TTIKTDA

a note - The Faint's label, Saddle Creek, has asked TTIKTDA to remove the new songs he posted - therefore the above MP3 link is no longer good.

THE CUTS

The Cuts are a foursome from Oakland, California who make garage pop with whirling organs, sixties guitars, and seventies influences.

how can I get through
courtesy Midheaven.com

SLUTS of TRUST

This is dirty - dirty sounding, dirty feeling rock. Bluesed up one side and rocky on the other, the Sluts of Trust give a voice to sexual energy - it's been done before, but it's always good to hear done well.


piece of me
courtesy sxsw.com

'Rejoicing in the Hands' DEVENDRA BANHART

Only 23 years old, Devendra Banhart has caught the ear of many people. Among them Michael Gira, renowned producer and fellow stablemate at Young God Records, but more importantly the ears of the public - who know something genuine and honest - even when it isn't brought to them in bite-size bursts on television or radio.

devendra banhart

One of the songs on Banhart's second YGR release, 'Rejoicing in the Hands'(2004), is
THE BODY BREAKS - just a sweetly plucked acoustic guitar and honestly wrought vocal wrapped up in a blanket of somehow familiar melody.
mp3 courtesy of Young God Records

plus WILL IS MY FRIEND
mp3 courtesy of neumu.com

WHEAT

The band Wheat formed in 1996 in Taunton, Massachusetts. Their sound is one of melancholy suffused with off-the-wall, but intriguing textures.

From their best received CD to date - 1999's 'Hope and Adams'...

off the pedestal
courtesy cityslang.com

don't I hold you
courtesy wheatmusic.com

Off their debut CD 'Wheat'...

death car
courtesy insound.com

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO

Escovedo began making a name for himself as a member of San Francisco's The Nuns, moving on to co-found Rank and File - a band which blended elements of country and punk - in 1979.

Texas born and California bred, the Mexican immigrant's son has explored the Tex-Mex and country influences of his childhood on his solo works since the early 90's.


Wave from 'A MAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE'

' The Shining' shines on regardless

Many of you have heard Badly Drawn Boy's The Shining, although likely the re-mix done by The Avalanches - this is the original with cello, french horn ( I think ), and acoustic guitar.

This has a sadness about it, whereas the remix makes it happy and poppy.
A song to search out would be the Minotaur Shock re-mix of this song - it retains some of the intended sadness and imbues it with a lullaby quality.

the new pornographers/A.C. Newman

I want to post more A.C. Newman, but there are two right down this very page, so here is his band:

when i was a baby

your daddy don't know (fubar soundtrack)

mass romantic

the laws have changed

The birth of Womenfolk

This song is to salute the new blog Womenfolk.


with arms outstretched - by RILO KILEY
courtesy of epitonic

Daryll Ann + The BLOG CRAWL

This is simply put - great pop. Maybe you've heard it, but if you haven't and you like Matthew Sweet or Badfinger - listen to this...

Surely Justice - DARYLL ANN

<<<<<<<<<<<< BLOG CRAWL >>>>>>>>>>>>

Said the gramophone - has joanna newsom + Vetiver

Largehearted Boy - has Beach Boys Smile + Tobin Sprout + Jenny Lewis

The Suburbs are... - Bobby Karate

Honey... (for blues and soul) - Joe Tex + Lonnie Johnson

Mystical Beast - has Lida Husik

The Fiery Furnaces - The Mod Club 04/06/19

When Eleanor Friedberger hit the stage, Saturday night at Toronto's Mod Club, even with the lights dimmed she was instantly recognizable - what with her retro hair and non-dimmed stage presence - the white pants didn't hurt either. Without a pause she, brother Matthew, Toshi Yano (bass, keyboards) and Dan D'Oca (drums)lit into 'I Lost my Dog' (off of soon to be released 'Blueberry Boat' - July 13) giving the song and Eleanor's vocal more urgency by shifting into a higher gear then the recorded version. With the songs final chord still buzzing off the Mod Club's high ceilinged walls, Ms. Friedberger gave the crowd a quick look, explaining they would just keep playing without stopping between songs (she was not kidding). They charged over and through Two Fat Feet, Don't Dance Her Down, Rub Alcohol Blues, Bright Blue Tie, Blueberry Boat, I'm Gonna Run, and what is now still a blur of other songs.

With a set list lasting around 40 minutes, The Friedbergers and their band brought five weeks of constant touring to a bright, burning laser point. At the odd time the music did stop, the crowd's cheering rose as if demanding an encore - until the band crashed into another gallop through a world of globe trotting, lost dogs and fat feet.


Eleanor + Matthew Friedberger

The brother and sister encored as a duo, closing with a song I didn't recognize - Eleanor, stating they hadn't done it in quite a while, promptly forgot verses here and there (but in an endearing way). When she looked to her big brother Matt for help, he stared at her, stonefaced, shaking his shaggy head. But moments later he bailed her out to the delight of everyone - adding his workman-like vocals to her voice, which has the same sharp focus as the intense glare she would adopt from time to time. When Eleanor hurried off after thanking the crowd, brother Matt moved from his keyboards to also leave, but then turned and poked at some equipment, rising to blurt into a mic - 'Come see us again sometime'.

Yes. Yes, I will.

- the furnaces will resume touring in europe, beginning early july

listen up

mclusky formed in 1998 in Cardiff, Wales.
Andy Falkous (vocals) and Mat Harding (drums).

without msg i am nothing

Edinburgh's Nectarine no. 9 came about in 1993. Led by Davy Henderson (vocals/guitar), he is joined by guitarists Simon Smeeton and Todd Thompson, drummer Ian Holford and bassist John Thompson.

susan identifier - I love this track.

mp3s courtesy of Beggars Group,usa

largehearted boy has what you need

Largehearted boy has some interesting mp3s this weekend - live Radiohead and Zeppelin, Rivers Cuomo, J.J. Cale, Lake Holiday - (Frank from Chromewaves own band), and more.

wrapped detective

These guys have done a ton of mash-ups, this one being the latest - The Police, Bob Marley, Lionel Ritchie, Elvis Costello and Peggy Lee -
Wrapped Detective (courtesy go home productions)

Mark Mulcahy

Mark Mulcahy is revered by many of his peers (Thom Yorke among them) as a singer to emulate. After stints in the bands Polaris and Miracle Legion, Mulcahy - the solo artist - is now able to indulge his creativity without the constraints of fellow band members eager to bring their own ideas to the fore.

On his 1997 solo debut,Fathering, was this track, a simple unadorned beauty. His guitar and voice ringing with empathy for the song's character.
Hey Self Defeater

(thanks to loose music)

in the heat of the furnaces

I am awake and excited. Tonight is the night. Doors at 8 pm: The Mod Club on Toronto's College Street.
THE . . . FIERY . . . FURNACES!

The Fiery Furnaces "I Broke My Mind / Spaniolated / Single Again" (live) - courtesy of fluxblog

opening for the 'combustible siblings' are Canadian artists spitfires + mayflowers and Raising the Fawn.

...the Fawn - into ashes white(mp3 zip file)

Mark Eitzel/American Music Club

Mark Eitzel led American Music Club through seven albums (1985-1994). Inevitably finding himself barely able to keep his head above the infinite mass of praise poured upon him by critics and fans.



He has released several solo works including 2001's The Invisible Man which featured this song - proclaim your joy - (courtesy Matador Records)

A great song - uplifting, optimistic and funny - just like your best friend should be.

Also as American Music Club - If I had a Hammer (courtesy American Music Club)

The MAPLE LEAF

Canada Day is coming up (July 1st) so here are some Canadian artists...
hope you like them.


the constantines - (courtesy sub pop)
on to you
nighttime anytime its alright

hot hot heat - (courtesy of sub pop)
bandages

broken social scene - (courtesy of self starter foundation)
lover's spit

the arcade fire - (courtesy of arcadefire.com)
headlights look like diamonds
and...
i'm sleepin in a submarine

a.c. newman - (courtesy Better Propaganda)
drink to me babe then
and...
miracle drug (courtesy Matador Records)

controller controller - (courtesy controller controller)
silent seven +
watch

frog eyes - (courtesy Absolutely Kosher)
the mayor laments the failures of his townsfolk and...
one in six children will flee in boats

andre ethier - (courtesy Sonic Unyon)
honey drips, butter runs (an mp3 zip file)

The Mooney Suzuki

From The Mooney Suzuki's newest album - People Get Ready ...
Make My Way


the mooney suzuki

with thanks to The Self Starter Foundation

joan of arc + walkmen

The Walkmen were on a mix CD I burned a couple of years ago, but it eventually got laid aside for more recent discoveries. .. until that car commercial with We've Been Had caught my ear - 'Wha? I know that song.' I said. Then I set about searching for it.


the walkmen

I found it, listened to it for about a week and then bought 'Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone', (March 2002, Startime Records).

A great record, now I have their latest 'Bows and Arrows' , (Feb 2004, Record Collection) to keep me happy.

Also on that mix CD was Joan of Arc, great indie stuff with Tim Kinsella's voice 'breaking and cracking' in all the right places.


the walkmen - the rat

joan of arc - post coitus rock

(downloads from Jade Tree + Record Collection)

KITTYTEXT

The great blog Kitty Text has a few gems sprinkled down its page over the past week - to name a few - The Shins "When I Goosestep" and "My Seventh Rib", Big Star's "Thank you Friends", and of course we must Think Lizzy with a couple Thin Lizzy tracks.


The Shins

click on over.

Marmoset

Marmoset is a four piece band from Indianapolis on the Secretly Canadian label.
This is indie pop with Beatles and Velvet Underground influences. At times even the paisley psychedelia of the 60's rears it's unwashed, long-haired, chemically nourished head.

chinese checkers

torn cup fly up above

forever we ignite

(downloads courtesy of insound + epitonic)

Look and Listen

mates of state - proofs

sunday's best - the salt mines of santa monica

coutesy of Polyvinyl Record Co.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

summer at shatter creek -structure

the herms (unsigned as far as i know) - The Organization

courtesy of Playing in Fog

Another 'SLICE

Two days ago I posted an mp3 of John Vanderslice
live in an L.A. radio station - now this is JV in a Seattle
radio station performance.



underneath the leaves
with thanks to (chris zabriskie@struggleburger.com )

The Players
Christopher mcguire on drums
Bill rousseau on bass guitar
Jeff byrd running samples and sound
John vanderslice singing and playing guitar

'kicking television'

The Big Ticket has a track that didn't make it to Wilco's
A Ghost is Born - called Kicking Television.

It rocks like I'm a Wheel.

INDIE SENT

Let us be heaven sent, let us be indie sent...

1.Archers of Loaf "dead red eyes"

2.The Arcade Fire "no cars go"

3.Modest Mouse "float on" - great song.


(downloads courtesy of selfstarterfoundation)


4.Elk City "smile" - live radio performance

5.Kings of Convenience"i don't know what I can save you from"
6.Howard Hello "giving up"

(downloads courtesy of Planet Claire + Indiepoprock)

into the unknown... and familiar

I am about to head out in a couple of hours to see an all girl band from Vancouer called The Organ. I have no idea what they sound like or will sound like, but they're playing at a great club in Waterloo, Ontario called The Starlight. Been there a couple of times before and it was fun.

Just a nice place to watch a band.

Session Cat Power

Cat Power has a way with another writer's song. Here she is doing
Wild is the Wind - a live radio performance.

(download courtesy of Planet Claire)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAINER MARIA X 7

If you are not familiar with Rainer Maria a Madison,Wisconsin band
formed in '95, they have 3 EPs and 4 studio albums-with 2003's
Long Knives Drawn being the latest.

this link will take you to 7 songs you can download - free and legal.

Two SPOONfuls were great.. while it lasted!

What happened? Spoon had two new mp3s on their site - demos, but now the great track 'Sister Jack' has vanished. What? Did they think it was too good (it is good) for us mere mortals to handle?

The Mountain Goats climbed up the hills

I am not a fan of John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats, but I am of this song. On first listening, the line 'and the headstones climbed up the hills', grabbed me with it's slight hesitation, well, more of a pause, of the word headstones. This song just chugs along - lo-fi acoustic guitar and drum.



Palmcorder Yajna

(download courtesy of Indiepoprock)

califone

Califone's music is rooted in Americana - blues and folk, banjos and weirdness - often sounding like they just emerged from the same barn (Prairie Sun Recording) where Tom Waits recorded Bone Machine - sounding like the early '70's flick Deliverance transposed into music - a rustic, rootsy sound, at times laced with a hot wire of bluesy violence.



The band's current lineup is Tim Rutili (vocals, electric piano, guitar) – along with Ben Masserella (drums), Joe Adamik (drums, electronics) and Jim Becker (banjo, fiddle, guitar). Currently in the midst of a North American tour, here's where they will be playing soon:

Wed 6/16/04 Tucson, AZ Plush
Thu 6/17/04 San Diego, CA Casbah
Fri 6/18/04 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
Sat 6/19/04 Sacremento, CA Harlow's
Thu 6/24/04 Eugene, OR Sam Bond's
Fri 6/25/04 Portland, OR Berbati's Pan
Sat 6/26/04 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
Thu 7/15/04 Eau Claire, WI Stone's Throw
Sat 7/17/04 Duluth, MN Green Man Festival

electric fence

your golden ass

(downloads courtesy of Pastry Sharp and Thrill Jockey)

It's CRYSTAL CLEAR

The Fiery Furnaces are siblings Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger - she sings of uncles and dogs and exotic locales about the globe as her brother spazzes out on guitar or whatever he happens to be holding in his talented hands.



Open your ears and your mind and jump into The Fiery Furnace(s).
I will, this Saturday, June 19th, at Toronto's The Mod Club to bathe in their heat.

from Gallowsbird Bark - crystal clear

The Excitement of being SPOON fed

In keeping with the excitement of new Spoon demos available,
here are some oldies but goodies from Austin, Texas favourites:

Britt and the boys -

Girls Can Tell (2001)

fitted shirt from Girls Can Tell

waiting for the kid to come out from 97's Soft Effects

the minor tough from 98's A Series of Sneaks

and here is John Vanderslice w/ Spoon - do you remember? (live at KXLU radio in L.A.)

buy here

three mile pilot + thanks you's = german dental work fetishists?

Three Mile Pilot, a San Diego band which formed in the early nineties, have released a half-dozen or so albums on the Headhunter label - with one exception , The Chief Assassin to the Sinister - on Geffen. But I want to point you in the direction of one song off of their 1998 EP, 'Three Mile Pilot', simply because I love it.

On a Ship to Bangladesh

...Oh yeah, a big thank you to the guys at Word in the Alleys it's a great blog - those guys don't take any shit from anyone. Check them out!

...and also to Chromewaves, Frank is a very nice guy with a very nice site - out of Toronto.

... and thanks to Fluxblog for yesterdays mention.

finally...

No. This isn't music. Just Strange. German... and strange.

Remember how Mike Myers seemed to overplay Dieter's oddness during those old Sprockets
skits on SNL? Maybe he wasn't.

Here is a site with a mouthful of mp3s - but, nothing but... dentistry sounds. You know the ones, the drill, the saliva vacuum.

enjoy...

Ger�usche in der Zahnmedizin

I LOVE SPOON

Here they are! Demos of Spoon's new stuff...



I Summon you

...and

Sister Jack - no longer available.

...thanks to music for robots for the heads up.

The Very Hush Hush Indie Pop

This is laidback, tranquil indie... indie ... indie what? It's not rock or pop, it's... it's ... well, do we really need labels? Granted they do make it easier for critics (I am not calling myself a critic here) to quickly and easily pigeonhole a band - and I could use some cliches I read about this band, but.... but I want to come up with my own - my own unique word. One which will go down in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the only cliche that any critic would ever need... uh... um... I'm thinking here.....

Music! That's it. It's music.

Recently signed to Sao Bento Music - the Golden, Colorado trio, The Very Hush Hush
are working on a new batch of songs.

the very hush hush - 'Washing Songs' EP - 'THAT LOOK'

a note: now that I think about it, this is Hush Pop.
And it will go down in history.

Jolie Holland

If you happen to hear Jolie Holland for the first time seeping into your sleepy ears from the other room, you might mistake her for some amazing field recording done by Alan Lomax in the 20's. She has a voice that sounds like it grew in the mountains, in Kentucky pastures, in Arkansas woods, in Tennessee hills, in.... o.k... o.k... I'm overdoing it, a little bit. She isn't country, but she does sound like the country.

Jolie, Texas born and raised, was a founding member of Vancouver's Be Good Tanyas and appears on their debut release, but she soon departed to work on her own project in San Francisco. The result was Catalpa - a recording that she gave to friends and sold at shows. But Catalpa found friendly ears wherever it played, earning her fans around the world.


'CATALPA'

Jolie's new CD for ANTI is titled Escondida and the talent roughly presented on Catalpa is further evidenced on this studio produced CD.

note: a couple of mp3s are on the ANTI site link above.

Listen Closer to Sondre Lerche

I have posted about Sondre Lerche before, but since Listen Closer has a song from Sondre's first CD, Faces Down, the very catchy Sleep on Needles, I thought I could bring him up again. The thing about him is how easy his singing sounds...



almost like he's talking, I bet he sounds like he's singing when he does talk... well, I know he doesn't, since I enjoyed his show at the Horseshoe Tavern last month.

Go to Listen Closer and listen... closer?

Iron and Wine 'our endless numbered days'

Hushed and feathered, his mouth close, right up against the speaker. You can very nearly feel his breath warm with melody singing just for you. Singing songs to listen to when comfortable and alone or when you need to feel comforted and alone.

Iron and Wine is Sam Beam, a resident of Miami - a one-man project begun when he got his hands on a four-track recorder. Now working digitally, since he wore out the four-track, Sam released his latest, early this spring. Titled 'Our Endless Numbered Days' , it is the second release for the man who works solo when recording, but who is joined by a full band on his current tour which brings him to Toronto on June 29th at The Horseshoe Tavern.



Quiet and whispery, his songs will come back like recurring dreams of sun and wine. There is no iron in Iron and Wine ... and that's a good thing.

'Naked As We Came' from 'Our Endless Numbered Days'

THE WRENS are your friends... listen to them.

This is a band that has had it hard.

This is possibly the underdog band... that made it critically, but not commercially (another one?)... so far.

But do we need another commercial success?

No.

Do we need The Wrens?

Yes.

But if you formed a band in the late 80's and got a chance to open for New Wave comeback band The Fixx, wouldn't you jump at it? The catch... you must sell 1000 tickets, the final tally... six.

If you got a gig as the house band on a ferry wouldn't you play 'Debaser' to the mostly senior crowd?

Yes.

Would you get the boot?

Yes.

And if you signed to tiny label Grass Records and reaped critical riches, would an insane, future grudge bearing millionaire and (and this is the important bit) Chinese food afficionado, buy your label to acquire you?

Yes.

And after releasing, under this new owner, your second full length to rave critical press, you are asked during your tour, to re-sign to a big bucks contract. You hesitate and are warned that all promo for the CD and tour support will be yanked if you don't sign. Do you say no and call his bluff?

Yes.

Do you suffer the yank?

Yes.

You then release an EP and again reap the praise of critics, hence suffering the attention of several labels. A bidding war ensues. Interscope A&R, on hearing you, pursues you relentlessly. Does A&R get laid off in an ugly corporate merger before signing you?

Yes.

Does A&R then get hired by the competition and straight off sign The Strokes?

Yes.

Do you then hole up in the house you've shared with your bandmates for years, only to emerge years later with a CD which quickly seems to be a rock critics wet dream realized?

Yes.

This is what The Wrens have done, so to speak, and what I (and you should) hope they will do again - if it produces the unique and layered textures that several years of recording and re-recording produced. Adding these hard won textures to the memorable melodies found in 'The Meadowlands' songs produced one of my favourite CDs of 2003.

From 'The Meadowlands'...

'Everyone Choose Sides'

'This Boy is Exhausted'

Moonbabies

This is a Swedish duo who produce great, airy tunes. Here is a tune off their CD The Orange Billboard.

They had slipped my concious mind (but had surely been improving my unconciousness mind) until they were again brought to my attention on the website Mystery and Misery.

Sun A.M.

'Guitar Wolf'

When I heard this I could almost see the fury of The Hives crossed with the messiness of Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion - and then fronted by a Japanese version of a young John Lennon... hey, wait a second... did Sean Lennon find his roots - in Sweden?

here is Guitar Wolf off of Narnack Records

listen to...

'After School Thunder'

TINY TELEPHONE is ringing my tune

Here are some more tracks from an innovative musician, and owner of Tiny Telephone - an analog recording studio located in the Mission District of San Francisco - John Vanderslice.

From MK Ultra's (John's band before going solo) 1999 release, 'The Dream Is Over' -

What I Live For

... and off of solo work Life and Death of An American Fourtracker -

Me and My 424 ... easily the best song ever written about a Tascam tapedeck.

bright eyes

Conor Oberst was one of a handful of people who attended The Wrens Omaha, Nebraska concert during the first stop on their first cross-country tour. Now, ten years later, Conor Oberst is the prolific force behind Bright Eyes.

This is, in my opinion, the best track off of his CD 'Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil...'

Lover I don't Have to Love

Bright Eyes will begin European Tour

06.17
Thu. Sweden
Hultsfred Festival

06.19
Sat. Norway
Norwegian Wood

06.21
Mon. Amsterdam
Melkweg

06.22
Tue. London, UK
Shepherd's Bush Empire

06.24
Thu. Manchester, UK
Academy

06.26
Sat. Germany
Hurricane Festival

06.27
Sun. Germany
Southside Festival

06.29
Tue. Paris, France
La Boule Noire




A NOTE: I bring up The Wrens because i am currently writing a piece on them to be posted shortly.

Portland, Oregon never sounded so good

From the first listen I felt that 'Portland, Oregon' was a classic - a stone classic. If I hadn't know it was a new Loretta Lynn song off her 'Van Lear Rose' CD w/ Jack White, I would've thought it was an amazing piece of music from the 70's that I had somehow missed.




The rise and fall melody-line of the verses is fantastic and try not to sing along with the uh huh's. Hard to believe that Loretta Lynn is close to 70 years of age.

Watch this mpeg of Loretta, Jack and her band 'The Do Whaters' on the Letterman Show.

'Alice' - tom waits

This isn't a new song - released two years ago - but it deserves a much wider audience than Tom Waits usually gets. The brilliance of his lyrics are on shining display in this song, written as part of a musical he wrote with his wife Kathleen Brennan and Robert Wilson - based upon Lewis Carroll's muse, Alice Liddell.

The aura, the mood created by this song, is what we listen to music for - it touches that place deep within us that only music (great music) can touch. Tom's gruff voice feathers over us as we feel the chill of the icy lake he skates upon and the chill of his lost heart. I can see him all in black like the crows he sings of - swooping over the barren black ice.

"The only strings that hold me here/Are tangled up around the pier/And so a secret kiss/Brings madness with the bliss/And I will think of this/When I'm dead and in my grave/Set me adrift/I'm lost over there/But I must be insane/To go on skating on your name/And by tracing it twice I fell through the ice/Of Alice/There's only Alice..."


Beautiful.

Thank you Sean and Z*

A special thanks to Said the Gramaphone (Sean)and Never Came Home (Z*) for the plug on their sites - much appreciated.

I caught up, finally, with the new A.C (Carl) Newman disc, 'The Slow Wonder' (website) and was immediately captivated by the airiness and space in the songs -with The New Pornographers, at times, coming on like an aural steamroller (don't get me wrong, I am not complaining) his solo disc is in strong contrast.

A straight off favourite, outside the tracks I heard previously, is 'Better Than Most'.

I read awhile back that this solo work was "New Pornos 'Lite'" - I wish I could recall where i caught that description, as I couldn't disagree more. WHO SAID IT?

Yes, yes, I know that this is hyperbole, being from Matador Records - Newman's US label - but I agree with it...

'A.C. Newman is Carl Newman. Carl writes at least 80% of the material for The New Pornographers, a band you should be very familiar with right about now. If Carl was 20 in 1978 in England he would have been in a band called the Soft Boys. If Carl was 20 in 1984 in Ohio he would have been a founding member of Guided By Voices. If Carl was 20 in 1965 in LA Brian Wilson would not have needed Van Dyke Parks, and a few years later in the same town Richard Harris would not have needed Jimmy Webb. Nancy & Carl? Probably. Music would have taken a turn for the better, it would have been more interesting, more intricate, more exciting ad nauseum. Though we can't change the past, we'll settle for changing the future. This is 34 minutes of the best power pop you have ever heard, an incredible breath of fresh air in a hostile era for genuine hand-crafted music.'


....and finally, this link will take you to a translated from German review of 'The Slow Wonder' - I love the last line - "The Slow Wonder" became simply and moving a masterpiece.

The Reindeer Section - 'Y'all Get Scared Now, Ya'hear'

This is one of those supergroups, but don't let that push you away from listening to them. Made up of members of Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Arab Strap and a member of Snow Patrol, Gary Lightbody, who masterminded this gathering of musicians - they may not be more than the sum of their parts, but still well worth a listen.

Lightbody does the vocals on these tracks 'Raindrop' off of 'Y'all Get Scared Now, Ya'hear' and off 'Son of Evil Reindeer' the sweetly uplifting 'You Are My Joy' found here on Said The Gramaphone.

There Are No Small Actors - only SMALL parts

In the June issue of British mag Uncut there is an interview with actor Michael Madsen - you know him from Reservoir Dogs, he was Mr. Blonde - the guy whispering sweet nothings into a severed ear.

In response to a question about his '...most unhinged movie shoot?', he replied:

...in terms of madness, Mulholland Falls would take some beating. You got myself, Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chris Penn, John Malkovich holed up in a trailer for a lot of time. That's gonna be a pretty wild party.

That's a lot of mad bastards. Who was the maddest?

The prize just has to go to Nolte. We were all in the trailer one day waiting to shoot. Nick turns to me - "Hey Madsen, what's the strangest piece of ass you've had in your whole life?" I said "Christ, that's an awfully strange question. I did screw a really fat chick one time."

Nick was so unimpressed. Then he asks everyone else. Nothing they could come up with was remotely weird enough. We're all just sitting there in the trailer. Nobody says anything.

I mean, nobody wants to ask Nolte about the strangest piece of ass he ever had. But I really have to ask him. So I say, "Okay Nick, what about you? What's the strangest piece of ass you ever had?"

And Nick, cool as you like, he says, "Well, i guess i got you'se all beat. I fucked a fucking midget. Them midgets, they got their own town with little houses, little doorways, little chairs. That's why you never see them. Only I've been to that town. I fucked a midget. She was the hottest little thing." We couldn't even shoot that day we were laughing so hard.

A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder

Today is the day you New Pornographers fans can rejoice for Carl (A.C.) Newman has finally let loose his baby - his solo debut - 'The Slow Wonder'.
I am about to trek down to this cities best indie cd store and pick it up. It should be an enjoyable walk as it is already 18 degrees celsius out there.

This piece below is Newman himself telling us all how easy it is to make the wry, pristine pop he makes... go ahead, try it yourself.

"Okay, now here's how A.C. Newman records are made: I practice with Shane and Fisher for a few weeks to get skeletal arrangements down. We go record the bed tracks at a studio. I sit with John and Dave at their studio for a few months and I brainstorm and experiment, throw shit down, etc...

"Some songs I start with a click track and build the song around it, adding Pete's drums later. Dan and Fisher come in to play ping pong. Shane, Megan, Sarah, and Shaun come in periodically to record, and Fisher and Dan come in for a few days at the end to play more ping pong. John, Dave, and I then spend a couple of weeks mixing it, with our pal Howard Redekopp at the helm.

"These are all of my secrets. Guard them well.

30 second mp3 clips off 'The Slow Wonder' can be found here. Click on music/video.

If you are not familiar with The New Pornographers - here are a couple of tracks.

TILLY AND THE WALL - hey ya

Okay, so this is covers day. A while back I came across a cover of Outkast's 'Hey Ya' done by Omaha, Nebraska's
'Tilly and The Wall'. On further investigation I learned that they were the first signing on Conor Oberst's (that's Bright Eyes)new label, Team Love.

A warning: this band has no drummer - they have a tap dancer. Yes! Yes, thats right! See for yourself by watching this video of them at NYC's The Knitting Factory.

cover me, I'm going in!

Arab Strap, (the Scottish band named for a contraption which harnesses a cock, keeping it hard) are known for their dark songs about relationships and sex, thickened with a Scottish brogue. The type of brogue which flings burrs soft as a lover's tongue into your ear where they nestle in for a good, long ride.
With sex being such a frequent subject of their own songwriting it should come as no surprise they would be attracted to the blues based sex-drive of AC/DC's 'You Shook Me All Night Long' and cover it on their ep The Shy Retirer. On first listen you may laugh if you aren't an Arab Strap fan, but this is no joke - these Scotsmen are as serious as a man in a kilt carrying a sword - and by songs end you should be enjoying this as much as I do. Aidan Moffat's delivery of the lyric is what makes this song work. Alongside acoustic guitar strumming and the most basic percussion - his vocal is perfect.

The Guelph, Ontario band Royal City haven't covered a classic, but a song by one of the most media-saturated bands in recent memory - The Strokes.

Beginning with a slowly picked banjo soon joined by a weary, bleary vocal, the song, for me, takes on a sweet lullaby quality as the other instruments join in. Give it a listen, you can find it on the above link to Three Gut Records.

Sorry - the link to the Arab Strap song is no longer good.

SUB POP RECORDS

Sub Pop has been around since 1980, created by Bruce Pavitt as a fanzine titled Subterranean Pop, it changed it's name to Sub Pop with issue number two. It wasn't until several years later when Kim Thayil of Soundgarden introduced Pavitt to Jonathan Poneman, that the idea of forming a record label was entertained.
Based in Seattle, Washington the label's claim to fame is being home to several bands that came to be labelled grunge - Nirvana and Soundgarden being the most prominent.

The label is still home to many, many fine artists and their website offers a variety of mp3's found here.

nicklebacknickleback

I heard this a while back but just came across it again and had to share it. Someone has taken two Nickleback songs and mixed them together - they are simply playing together and the way they match up is scary - Chad Kroeger is a robot!

'The Slow Wonder' - on the shelves June 8th

A.C. Newman, a.k.a. Carl Newman, the pop music magician (I rarely use the accolade - genius)and main man behind The New Pornographers, will release his first solo disc in the coming days. This will be a better summer then we could even hope for - Newman's music was and is perfect for summer nights or those drives to the beach with sunscreen plastering your vintage 'I'm With Stupid' t-shirt to your fish belly-white back.
Tour dates have been announced beginning in July on the American west coast and wending it's way into my neck of the woods in August with dates in Hamtramck, MI, and Toronto, ON, on the 7th and 8th respectively. All the tour info and more can be found on his website including streaming audio of 'Miracle Drug' and 'Drink To Me Babe Then'. Free mp3's can be had here.

coffee and cigarettes

I saw Jim Jarmusch's new film 'Coffee and Cigarettes'about a week ago at the Cumberland in Toronto's tony Yorkville district. The movie only works in fits and starts - and this is to be expected as it is made up of a series of shorts - each featuring different actors. Of all the pairings - the one I most looked forward to seeing was Tom Waits and Iggy Pop. Sadly... they didn't click and the scene is mediocre at best. The best by far was the closing vignette between Taylor Mead and Bill Rice - maybe it was their anonymity in a cast of household names and faces - or maybe it was their years of inexperience (both are over 70), or possibly, could it be, that they were just a helluva lot funnier?

Overall - an entertaining film, which at the time I wished would go on - now in retrospect, I believe I was just wanting and hoping for that one great sequence... which never came.

Andre Ethier Loses his Fangs But Not His Venom

Canadian blues rock band The Deadly Snakes have mined the southern soul of Memphis since their inception in 1996. Now, with the release of Andre Ethier With Christopher Sandes Featuring Pickles and Price (Sonic Unyon), Snakes leader Andre Ethier has stepped waist deep into the rollicking, bluesy, folk-rock of The Band and even Dylan - most notably in Dear John - the most Dylanesque track. At times several tracks even bring to mind very early Elton John circa Tumbleweed Connection.
This first and hopefully not last solo effort of Ethier's is full of extremely loose, live-off-the-floor, nuggets. Standouts for me being Little Saddy and Requiem for Man and Family.

Tiny Telephone

Tiny Telephone is a recording studio located in San Francisco. Founded in 1997 by indie music standout John Vanderslice it has provided services for among others -

Actionslacks
Beulah
Richard Buckner
Death Cab for Cutie
Deerhoof
John Doe
For Stars
Jim Yoshi Pile-Up
Mates Of State
Travis Morrison (D-Plan)
Mountain Goats
On the Speakers
Oranger
Preston School of Industry
Chuck Prophet
Spoon
Sun Kil Moon

... but this is really a sideline to what Vanderslice does best - write and perform substantial and innovative music - much of which can be heard here.
Cellar Door- a 2004 release is teeming with songs that catch the ear on first listen, but... and this is the special bit... they continue to grow on you like that vegetable your mom made you eat but that now you can't get enough of.

You know what i mean... doncha?

LIVE MUSIC and LIVE BEAVER

Living in Kitchener has it's advantages - I am now much closer to the metropolis of Toronto and the endless stream of great bands and films which descend upon it.
In the past couple of months I have seen:

Sondre Lerche
The Walkmen
Joel Plaskett
Hawksley Workman

...and as I have mentioned earlier plans are in the works to see The Fiery Furnaces!

Kitchener has advantages I couldn't have imagined - surrounded by farmland and the wildlife that can survive in our shadow - I have seen animals I have never seen before outside a book, film, or TV. For example... beaver.
Alongside a trail in the touristy village of St. Jacobs runs a placid stream - it's milky green-tea water strewn with lost branches. This is where we saw the beaver... er, what we soon learned was a beaver. When we first spied it, we clutched at each other - watching it like some watch a stock car race waiting for that one spectacular crash - our mouths agape. Don't quote me on this but we likely murmured things like, 'Jesus Christ' or 'Holy s**t' and this was before it revealed itself to us - before it pulled it's shiny wet body onto the opposite bank. It was big. As it swam all it had revealed was a tiny head and the soft wake of it's thick black tail.

'What is that? A bear?'
Trying to convince myself it wasn't - it couldn't be - I replied, 'A dog I think... yeah, yeah, a dog' - I hoped.

Well, at least I can take comfort in the fact that I didn't think it was a bear.