ELLIOTT SMITH TRIBUTE ALBUM FEATURING THE DECEMBERISTS

ELLIOTT SMITH TRIBUTE ALBUM FEATURING THE DECEMBERISTS, THE THERMALS TO BE RELEASED FEBRUARY 7TH

'To: Elliott From: Portland', a tribute to the late Elliott Smith, will be released February 7, 2006 on Portland-based independent label Expunged Records. Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Elliott Smith Foundation's charity, "Free Arts for Abused Children".

The compilation features notable Portland bands The Decemberists ("Clementine"), Helio Sequence ("Satellite"), The Thermals ("Ballad of Big Nothing"), Swords ("I Didn¹t Understand"), Dolorean ("The Biggest Lie"), and Sean Croghan ("Hard Times"). "Hard Times", the song chosen by Croghan, a close friend and former roommate of Smith's, is previously unreleased.

"After Elliott died I spent a lot of time listening to these tapes he had given me of his various recordings he made at home," Croghan says in the liner notes for 'To: Elliott From: Portland'. "'High Times' hit me like a brick in the face. I recalled him playing the song live, years earlier, but I had never heard the recorded version. The song itself is a story, ultimately prophetic in regard to Elliott's relationship with drugs, of some soul here in Portland (oh yes it reeks of this city) trying to cop for the first time.

"Elliott was my roommate, my friend and partner in crime. I recall feeling totally lost when he left Portland for New York. Elliott was not good with phones and once he left I knew I shouldn't expect to hear from him until he came back. I had lost my confidant, my inspiration and, most painful to me, my friend. Someday though, I hoped he would return. Unfortunately this wasn¹t to be. Now, not only I but the world will miss his immense talent, his shy smile and all the promise that will never be realized."

Of his version, Croghan states: "I wanted to try to create the tension I felt in the lyrics, the sense of a fate that is unavoidable and catastrophic. Even as the protagonist is telling us 'I feel fine' it is obvious he has given in and the ride to hell has started, albeit on a fluffy pink cloud. Hopefully we recreated the anxiety, the feeling of Burnside with its pushers, homeless, and drunks, the sound of Portland in the 80s and 90s before developers tried to turn Portland into Disneyland."

Also appearing on "To: Elliott From: Portland" is Eric Matthews' version of "Needle in the Hay"; Matthews performed on a version of "Needle in the Hay" that was never released.

"The original version of ['Needle in the Hay'] was built up with drums, trumpets, a harmonica, and various percussion instruments," says Matthews in the liner notes. "In the end Elliott decided to tear back down the arrangement and go for the more starkly acoustic version that we know today. In a tribute to the original version, I added new instrumental sections that produce a mournful and heavy quality that depicts the sad nature of what must have been Elliott's life and inner mind. The music is pretty but underneath there is a grave solemnity. It is the best tribute to Elliott that I can pay."

It should also be noted that The Thermals' version of "Ballad of Big Nothing" was recorded and mixed by Smith's ex. girlfriend Joanna Bolme, at Jackpot Studios, a studio that Smith helped founder Larry Crane get up and running.

The bands and songs appearing on "To: Elliott From: Portland" (in no particular order) are:

1) The Decemberists - Clementine
2) Helio Sequence - Satellite
3) The Thermals - Ballad of Big Nothing
4) Crosstide - Angeles
5) Amelia - Between the Bars
6) Dolorean - The Biggest Lie
7) Sexton Blake - Rose Parade
8) Swords - I Didn¹t Understand
9) Sean Croghan - High Times (previously unreleased track)
10) Lifesavas - Happiness
11) Jeff Trott ­ Wouldn¹t Mama Be Proud
12) Society of People of Ambiance and Elegance - Speed Trials
13) To Live and Die in LA - Kings Crossing
14) We Are Telephone - Division Days
15) Eric Matthews - Needle in the Hay

Immaculate Machine

Kathryn Calder, Brooke Gallupe, and Luke Kozlowski

If you've heard of this Victoria, BC band, then you know Immaculate Machine member, Kathryn Calder, is Carl A.C. Newman's niece. Not that that means a helluva lot, except the reception at family weddings must have a great band.

Immaculate Machine are a trio that practice the beloved art of extremely catchy indie pop. In addition to Calder (vocals/ keyboards), the line-up includes Brooke Gallupe (vocals/guitar), and Luke Kozlowski (vocals/drums). Currently touring their latest release, Ones and Zeros, with Uncle Carl's New Pornographers (I haven't YET had the pleasure) but I'll bet the track, "Broken Ship" is a show stopper (at least an opening act show stopper).

From what I have heard, their new material is a definite step forward for the band with "Broken Ship" especially being favoured by Kathryn Calder's lead vocal. When she belts out the lines her vocals are very arresting and she puts a strong, piercing voice to good use in this song.

Ones And Zeros (2005)
Broken Ship (mp3)
No Such Thing As The Future
Fire In The Lobby
Phone No. (mp3)
On/Off
Invention 77
So Cynical
No Way Out (mp3)
Army
Two Places
Latest Breaking News
Don't Leave Without Us
Statue

Previous Releases...
Transporter 2004
Skyscrapers (mp3)
Death Of A Rockstar (mp3)
Almost Gone
No Way Out
Traffic
Intermission
Disappear (how to say goodbye)
Pretty Songs Don't Lie
Who Is We Are
Secret
Tell It To The Ones Who Care (mp3)

The View EP 2003
No Caution (mp3)
Midnight
The View
[interlude] (mp3)
Secret Affliction
Chasing the Horizon

Buy 'Ones and Zeros' from Maple Music
Buy 'Transporter' and 'The View' on-line from Bullfrog Music

Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" at eMusic

A little site I will call The 'Fork has recently reviewed the UK reissue of Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and gave it a perfect score of 10.0. When the album was first reviewed at The 'Fork, it received an 8.7... which is a mighty fine score.

If you want to listen for yourself (and discover why this album got better over the past seven years) why don't you avail yourself of eMusic's Free Trial Offer - 50 Free Downloads. Go here.

Metric "Live It Out" FREE MP3s

The new Metric saw the light of day yesterday in Canada and will be unveiled Oct. 4th in the US. Titled Live It Out, it offers 11 tracks and here are a couple...

+ Monster Hospital

+ Poster Of A Girl

Live It Out Track List
Empty
Glass Ceiling
Handshakes
Too Little Too Late
Poster of a Girl
Monster Hospital
Patriarch on a Vespa
Police and the Private
Ending Start
Live It Out

Amusement Parks on Fire MP3 + Metric in The Booth

The British band, Amusement Parks on Fire, is set to be hyped by everyone with ears and a keyboard...

amusement parks on fire + venus in cancer
mp3 courtesy of filter mag

Also courtesy of Filter is The Booth, a myspace page where an album you just may want, or need, to hear is streamed. This week it's Metric's Live It Out.

STATS

WOW! Hey, I want to thank visitors to *sixeyes. I just took a look at the stats and the numbers are up substantially since Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came by... even those who found their way here through Google searches for 'Chicago franks', 'porn', and 'Chinese unicycles'.

Ham1

Ham1 is the name that Athens, Georgia teacher, Jim Willingham, uses when he's handing out rock 'n roll homework. I wish I got homework like this, maybe I would have done it once in a while. Willingham's music is one of those unexpected surprises, like finding a twenty in the pocket of the jacket you hung away in the closet last June, kinda like that. The music played by Ham1, who are Willingham (guitars, vocals, miscellaneous), along with Olivia Tremor Control drummer, Eric Harris (drums, organ, backing vocals), and Chris Sugiuchi (trombone, percussion, backing vocals), was inspired by film soundtracks Willingham heard on radio for seniors while living in Florida. This inspiration first saw life in an earlier Willingham band called Prince Rondevals. After returning to Athens, the music's soundtrack inspiration began to take on vocals and the influences and impressions of today's indie music. Ham1's musical collective includes members of Olivia Tremor Control, Frosted Ambassador, the Glands, Japancakes, Hayride, and the Rock*A*Teens, among others.

Ham1 will release its self-titled debut full length on November 15. Entirely self-funded and self-released, the album offers tracks like "Alice's Call" and "Broken Crown". "Alice's Call" is all windswept western vistas with 60's keyboards blowing in now and again, like Peter Fonda roaring across the desert in Easy Rider; it builds atmosphere and then inhales it like a drag on a cigarette and then, guess what? It exhales. The song "Broken Crown" shuffles and croaks, a down and out All-American story, that wheezes in just the right way. Many of the instrumentals and instrumental interludes of Ham1 are like this. As well, the production of the songs is an important element, giving many songs the feel of a 60's Mariachi version of The Violent Femmes. Which is as good as it sounds.

+ alice's call
+ broken crown
+ the gift
+ swan dive

Released: Sept. 27

List of releases via insound.com

09/27 ASTON ALLEN - dewdrops (highwire)
09/27 BIG STAR - in space (rykodisc)
09/27 BIOLOGY - making moves (vagrent)
09/27 BLACKALICIOUS - the craft (anti)
09/27 BLACKOUT PACT - hello sailor (astro magnetics)
09/27 BOUNCING SOULS - live at the glasshouse (kung fu)
09/27 CALLA - collisions (beggars banquet)
09/27 CASANOVAS - the casanovas (irock)
09/27 CRITERIA - en garde (reissue) (saddle creek)
09/27 DETROIT COBRAS - baby (bloodshot)
09/27 DRESDEN DOLLS - live at paradise june 5, 2005 (roadrunner)
09/27 EX MODELS - chrome panthers (troubleman unlimited)
09/27 FRANZ FERDINAND - you could have it so much better (lp) (epic)
09/27 GO TEAM! - thunder, lightening, strike (domestic) (columbia)
09/27 GRANDADDY - excerpts from the diary of todd zilla (ep (v2)
09/27 GROWING - his return (troubleman unlimited)
09/27 HER SPACE HOLIDAY - the past presents the future (wichita)
09/27 HIGH STRUNG - s/t (future farmer)
09/27 JOGGERS - with a cape & a cane (startime)
09/27 KING OF FRANCE - the king of france (echo)
09/27 LOGH - a sunset panorama (hydra head)
09/27 METRIC - live it out (last gang)
09/27 MOMMY & DADDY - duel at dawn (kanine)
09/27 MORCHEEBA - the antidote (echo)
09/27 NEW BLACK - time attack (thick)
09/27 NEW BLACK - time attack (thick records)
09/27 ROGUE WAVE - descended like vultures (sub pop)
09/27 RYAN ADAMS - jacksonville city nights (lost highway)
09/27 SNOW FARIES - get married (total gaylord)
09/27 SONIC YOUTH - goo (4xlp ) (like records)
09/27 SUICIDE GIRLS BLACK HEART RETROSPECTIVE - (epitaph)
09/27 SUPERGRASS - road to rouen (parlophone)
09/27 VERSUS THE WORLD - s/t (kung fu)

Good News about "Good News ..."

Modest Mouse will release an enhanced version of Good News For People Who Love Bad News, on October 11th .
Here's the details:

The Grammy-nominated album Good News For People Who Love Bad News is now available in DualDisc format and features bonus content.

•The CD Audio side includes the entire original album featuring the hit singles Float On and Ocean Breathes Salty and an added bonus track I've Got It All (Most).

The DVD side contains
• Music video for Float On
• Music video for Ocean Breathes Salty
• new music video Stiff Animal Fantasy
• 5-minute interview piece directed by and featuring lead singer Isaac Brock
• 2 photo galleries: behind the scenes at Ocean Breathes Salty video shoot, and behind the scenes at the album cover photo shoot
• website "blips" (short animated sequences taken from the band's official website)
• Entire album in Enhanced LPCM stereo

+ worms vs birds from sad, sappy sucker

NEW Music Downloads at eMusic

New at eMusic, the only digital download service *sixeyes recommends, and the only one offering a trial offer of 50 Free Downloads:

Sung Tongs - Animal Collective
Prospect Hummer - Animal Collective
Alternative Experimental, Indie Rock

Convict Pool - Calexico
Hot Rail - Calexico
The Black Light - Calexico
Spoke - Calexico
Even My Sure Things Fall Through - Calexico
Alternative Experimental, Indie Rock

Wrong Way Up - Brian Eno And John Cale
Alternative Experimental

New Comes And Goes - Oranger
Indie Pop

Long Distance - Ivy
Indie Rock

The Singles Collect - Skinny Puppy
Industrial

Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective - Brian Jonestown Massacre
Indie Rock

Loose In The Air -The Double
Rock

Amber Headlights - Greg Dulli
Alternative

Aux Armes Et Cetera - Serge Gainsbourg
Western Europe

Fodder On My Wings - Nina Simone
Jazz/Blues

High Society - Enon
Indie Pop, Indie Rock

Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard - !!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Take Ecstasy With Me - !!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Louden Up Now - !!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Dance, Indie Rock, Post-Punk

Blue Horse - The Be Good Tanyas
Contemporary Folk

Edge Of The World - Mekons
Post-Punk

Goat - Jesus Lizard
Alternative, Rock

Home For Orphans - Reigning Sound
Garage Rock

Horse Stories - Dirty Three
Indie Rock

Spiritual Unity - Marc Ribot

Summer In Abaddon - Pinback
Emo, Indie Rock

American Don = Don Caballero
Indie Rock, Math Rock

Feel Good Lost - Broken Social Scene
Alternative, Indie Rock

Joel Plaskett Emergency

Joel Plaskett released his latest disc,La De Da (MapleMusic Recordings), on February 22nd. Recorded far from home (Halifax, Nova Scotia) in the dry heat of Phoenix, Arizona, the change of locale was instigated by Plaskett fan and sound engineer Bob Hoag, who owns Flying Blanket studios, when he invited Plaskett, a couple years back, to come and record there. It took the Canadian that long before contacting Hoag about rates at the studio. Quickly replying, Hoag said he would record Plaskett free of charge, plus, he could stay at his house. The result is the 29 year old Plaskett's most personal recording yet, inspired by the long, lonely drive in his Suburban truck. Plaskett's first two solo efforts were credited to The Joel Plaskett Emergency and whether it is being free from the constraints, or expectations of the band, or just that he's getting older, this record isn't teeming with the anthemic rockers that graced his previous output. It does, however contain some of the best work he has yet done.


La De Da

Plaskett is a Canadian treasure that, unfortunately, many have yet to discover. He first made his presence known in the band, Thrush Hermit, which was part of the early nineties Halifax music scene. A scene that had some excitable types christening Halifax 'The next Seattle'. While an honour not without merit, none of the bands involved made the impact that Soundgarden or some of their Seattle friends made.

Joel's music is steeped in classic pop influences and buoyed by his sharp guitar work and pure ringing vocals.

from Joel Plaskett ...
stream "La De Da" tracks... windows media
> Happen Now
> I Love This Town

Download Previously Released Mp3s from The Joel Plaskett Emergency...

+ Written All Over Me

+ Work Out Fine
+ True Patriot Love
+ You Came Along
+ Clueless Wonder
+ Maybe We Should Just Go Home
+ Weigh it Down

*SIXEYES :: MORE FREE MP3s

the tuesday suits
melancholy snipers
jewels & binoculars
miss wyoming
migala
your star, strangled
last fool around
magnapop
smile 4u
the violettes
1-2-3-Go!
Blue Hearted Fool
Jugumuga
delaney
a quoi bon
am fm
a best man (put my girlfirend on fire)
virgins! virgins!
gone in three
bishop allen
busted heart
Mates of State
hoarding it for home
proofs
ha ha
goods
matt pond PA
canadian song
fairlee

Grandaddy: New EP Sept. 27th

Grandaddy are set to release their latest, an EP titled, Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla, out this coming Tuesday, Sept. 27.



Here is the lead off track... + pull the curtains

Steam the entire EP on their my space page here.

*SIXEYES :: Sunday Free MP3s

death cab for cutie + a movie script ending
death cab for cutie + for what reason
death cab for cutie + song for kelly huckaby
death cab for cutie + the employment pages
death cab for cutie + the new year
all-time quarterback + plans get complex
all-time quarterback + sock hop
the postal service + the district sleeps alone tonight
saints & lovers + atmosphere
saints & lovers + like it was yesterday
saints & lovers + mona by the window
diane cluck + easy to be around
the mountain goats + linda blair was born innocent (live NYC 03-03-04)
the mountain goats + palmcorder yajna (live NYC 03-03-04)
mount eerie + my burning
mount eerie + wooly mammoth's absence
mount eerie + two blond braids
iron and wine + woman king
great lake swimmers + i will never see the sun
black mountain + heart of snow
smog + i feel like the mother of the world

Ohev Records

Coral Springs, Florida is where you can find OHEV Records and it's roster of punk, garage, and indie pop/rockers.

Blue Sky Mile [indie rock]
ten minutes
my fall
The Umbrella Sequence [indie rock]
pushing nevada
The Epidemic [post-grunge/metal]
armed to teeth
Hot Hot Heat [indie pop]
keep my name out of your mouth
paco pena
Kind of like Spitting [sadcore/indie rock]
yes you're busted

LABEL LINK
www.ohevrecords.com

ARTIST LINKS
hot hot heat
blue sky mile
the epidemic
the umbrella sequence

Run DMC Remixed

I got a friendly email a while back with a couple of mp3s from a Run DMC Remix project.

Here's part of that note:
"The re-issues contain unreleased bonus tracks such as demos, live performances, single B-sides, and remixes. Also included are all new liner notes from key MCs, producers and celebrities like 50 Cent, Chuck D, DJ Red Alert, Chris Rock, and Eminem along with rare photos and memorabilia and an insert for official Run DMC ringtones."

Here are the free mp3s...

king of rock (charlie chan megamix)

Run DMC (pete rock megamix)

FREE MP3s

sugarplastic + sins can swim like this
sugarplastic + jesus is his name
robert skoro + all the angles
goldrush + let you down
deerhoof + wrong time capsule
the silent league + linus
the silent league + time
picastro + fifth wall
eugene edwards + at your place
the brokedown + sparks
the brokedown + down in the valley
sparrow + the early years (more mp3s here)
ed askew + fancy that

The Strokes: "Juicebox"

The Strokes recently leaked song and rumoured first single, "Juicebox", from the forthcoming disc, First Impressions of Earth, starts off sounding like what would play as the credits for an updated TV version of '60s tongue-in-cheek Bond ripoff film series, Matt Helm, rolled over the screen. Do The Strokes have their tongues in cheek, or their collective middle finger brandished? And to whom is this middle finger displayed? The public? Their record label? Are they trying to slip out of their record deal with a musical middle finger? "Juicebox" makes Weezer's lame track "Beverly Hills", shine in comparision. I elect we place this "Juicebox" on the sticky school cafeteria floor and POP it with a well aimed boot heel.

The Strokes, as of yet untitled third album, is believed to be set for a January release and is produced by David Kahne.

CocoRosie: Noah's Ark

CocoRosie, Devendra Banhart's buddies, have a new CD on the shelves titled, Noah's Ark. A strange, I should say, another strange offering from the Casady siblings.

Listen to the mp3 linked below.

Noah's Ark Track Listing
1 K-Hole
2 Beautiful Boyz
3 South 2nd
4 Bear Hides and Buffalo
5 Tekno Love Song
6 The Sea Is Calm
7 Noah's Ark
8 Milk
9 Armageddon
10 Brazilian Sun
11 Bisounours
12 Honey or Tar

Released on Touch and Go, the label has an ecard offered here.

CocoRosie's Touch and Go band page.

Stream Noah's Ark here.

*eMusic has last year's, La Maison De Mon Reve as well as the latest offering, Noah's Ark. Visit eMusic through the banner or sidebar graphic links.

Richard Swift: "As I Go"

Photo by Lance Alton Troxel

Richard Swift lives in the past. In the pages of a book you haven't yet read, between the pages of that book. One which is tucked away in one of those stuffed, cramped, overstocked 'mini-library like' bookstores of discarded and traded books. This song, Richard Swift's, "As I Go", is like one of those books, but without the musty smell. Without the green splatter abstract of mildew on the inside cover. This music has a gleam, glimmering beneath the brushed drums and Swift's worn in friendly voice. Much of Swift's output has this sound, this effect. Mr. Swift is obviously comfortable in the past.

+ As I Go

*Bonus + Lady Day

*Richard Swift has a new label home at Secretly Canadian.

*A collection of Swift's two releases, The Novelist and Walking Without Effort, are combined in one release entitled, The Collection Vol. 1, which can be downloaded at eMusic.

*Check out the eMusic trial offer.

STREAM The New Pornos "Twin Cinema"

You have seven more days, until the end of the month, to listen to Twin Cinema from The New Pornographers at Radio-Indie-Pop. Just press the "Album Of The Month' button...

The October selection will be Harmonies For The Haunted, the new release from Stellastarr*...

After streaming Twin Cinema you can get it through eMusic's trial Offer of 50 Free Downloads. Click the banner ad below the *sixeyes header!

Silent Alarm Remixed - Download at eMusic

One of the latest additions to eMusic's growing selection of music to download, is Bloc Party's Silent Alarm Remixed.

Thinking of buying? You can quickly sign up for eMusic's introductory trial offer of 50 Free Downloads right here. Then stream clips or download the tracks you want to hear.

The Wrens / Kathryn Yu Interview

Charles Bissell / photo credit: Kathryn Yu

The trials and tribulations of New Jersey indie rock machine, The Wrens, have taken on near mythic proportions in some circles. From being signed to one indie label and then 'leaving' to sign with another after the former became the type of outfit that followed a completely different 'Creed'; the men of The Wrens soon enough began recording. And recording, and then re-recording and again re-recording, the outstanding songs we would come to know as one of the top indie rock albums of 2003, The Meadowlands. Now, between countless tour jaunts, hour upon numbing hour in a claustrophobic van, and living before the glassy gaze of documentary cameras, The Wrens are beginning to record again. Charles Bissell, The Wrens lead singer, took some time while travelling home by train to type up some answers posed by *sixeyes blogger and betterPropaganda contributor, Alan Williamson, below are the results of Charles Wren's fingers tapping the keys.


*Sixeyes: I read that you are releasing an expanded version of the Abbott 1135 EP, so how is work going on the re-do/re-mix/re-hash, as you put it? And why take the time to re-work these old songs?

Charles Bissell: Hmmm... work has been somewhat stalled for a while, ironically (in the more mod meaning of ‘ironic’, I guess) because we’re ramping up to start the next album which as I type this (later at night, Monday, 9/12/05), should be starting in the next week or two. So progress is mixed – exciting to be finally starting something new (even The Meadowlands songs were a year or two old when that was started in January of ’99) but also, being ready to do that means we can get back on track with finishing the ep redux.

With that in mind, I guess ‘why’ is a pretty good question. If time is kind of crucial why waste it re-doing old stuff? I guess part of it is because we can (because it is there?). Camille Sciara, who originally signed us to our first recording contract thingie with Grass, and who we later did the EP for in ’97 after we had all left Grass as it morphed into the evil empire of Wind-Up, was kind of to allow us to have the rights and to re-release it.

The re-doing comes in because those songs were never quite finished the way they should’ve been - mostly ‘cause I just had WAY less idea what I was doing then.

Another wee irony being that originally re-releasing this was Cory Brown, our Absolutely Kosher label guru’s idea, as a way of having something done sooner than later to put out before stressing on a new album. Now here we’re starting that and the ep is still in limbo land. Ironique, non?

*Six: I also heard there would be additional tracks on the EP. Are these new tracks or are you saving the latest work for your next complete full length?

Charles: Yeah, they’ll be tracks written/recorded around the same time as the original ep that just never saw the light of day. Whether they’ll be worth it….? Debatable. Or I guess, we’ll see. That’s where some of the bogging down has come up – not just which songs but also, if we’re redoing the original six, should the bonus ones be redone also? Who knows/cares. We’ll see.

*Six: Has work begun on the new album? And is it true you had no new songs to take into the studio to begin recording the new record? Do you have any now?

Charles: I guess I already covered some of this above, but yes, it’s true that I didn’t – and still don’t – have any new songs to start with. Kev however, has a lot, I think. But songs or a lack of songs has never been a problem. That probably sounds not the way I intend and it’s not like I can sit down with a quill and an inkwell and scratch these out on parchment at will. But it’s more that, in my experience, thinking of the song as just the melody and chord progression is too something... too reductionist? Is that the right word?

It’s only a part of the picture. The arrangements, tempo, various guitar/keyboard/vocal parts, drum sounds, recording choices, reverbs, overall color etc. count for just as much. Maybe it’s that we’re not songwriters in some kind of Brill Building way, per se, where all the effectiveness comes from how the melody moves through the chords and at what rhythm & tempo. But then again, who is any more? Even the Brill Building writers were dependant on those amazing recorded versions, you know? Each one as identifiable and as important as the original ‘song’, you know? So I guess, I just think of us as making records – albums specifically – and the ‘song’ is just one part of that.

*Six: With a band like yours, which tours so often, I'd think that you would knock out an album in 2 or 3 weeks, but that doesn't happen. Are all you guys' perfectionists, or what? And if not all of you, who is the perfectionist in the band?

Charles: Ha... you’re emailing with him. It’s also that recordings and live are essentially very different or at least for most bands, and ours especially. Part of it’s dependent on how you work – as a band, I mean. But looking ahead, maybe talking about that’s already built into the next question….

*Six: Your recordings are so dense, so full to the brim with sound and ideas, was there a specific band's music which influenced the path you've taken to get The Wrens sound to where it is today? And come to think of it was the sound you've found a deliberate thing, or was it happenstance?

Charles: Thanks very much – truly. The recordings are dense for some of the same reasons that we don’t pop a newborn album out in even nine months. Hopefully, on this next one, some of that will change, but in the past and on The Meadowlands in particular, the album was arranged and recorded relatively quickly – between January and say, March or April of 1999. But even by June or July, as overdubs continued (getting a better guitar sound, an ‘official’ lead vocal take etc.) it became increasingly obvious (to me, at least, or maybe me at first) that we were dealing with an... um... album that was not coming out as planned.

So over the next 3 and a half years or so, as I figured out where I was going wrong and refound (refound?) my bearings or whatever, and as we all kind of did the same thing, the album progressed and changed over and over through overdubs. Some songs less than others but some almost completely. Where the original full-band song that was recorded was gradually scraped away over time and changed bit by bit until, by the final version, only the original drum take remained. Everything else from the melody and/or chord progression to what instruments we're playing was different than what had originally been written, rehearsed and recorded. A stupid way to work, I know and not recommended, young ones.

That’s The Meadowlands. In general though and to answer the second part, I think one of the ways that seeing live music vs. hearing an album differs, is maybe in the word ‘seeing’. Like we all say, ‘I’m going to see this band’ etc. And I think it’s because purely the music, is only part of the whole deal. We’re still animals and seem to me to be wired to respond to a huge number of signals in any kind of interaction with the other apes, if that makes a certain David-Lee-Roth sense.

So that when one hears just the music extracted from a live show, sometimes it doesn’t measure up to the experience of being there because you can’t see all the million subtle things we respond to in a human way – the performer’s facial expressions (maybe they’re sincere, maybe they make it seem forced or pretentious), the gestures and body language, the effect of the lighting hitting guitars, or whatever. All of that ‘counts’ insofar as all of it has an effect on us when we’re experiencing it in addition to (and additionally having an effect on) ‘just the music’.

So in a recording, the things I respond to and value, are those things that seem to help take the place of the fact that the performer isn’t standing there in front of me. I kind of think of it as having to get our personalities down on tape but in lieu of a grimacing singer, there might be a guitar part that – to me at least – gives me a similar sensation when I hear it. In lieu of some big Rodger Daltrey/Bob Pollard mic spin at the last chorus, there might be a back-up vocal part that gives me a similar feeling instead. It may not take much (just a certain guitar reverb) or it make take a lot of those. As long as when I hear the song for the thousandth time writing/recording/mixing it, I still get that feeling like, ‘damn, I wish I was in THAT band’. Sounds dumb, cause we are in ‘that band’, obviously, but we aren’t in that song that at best, happened once that way or more likely, never happened that way – the way it appears in the recording. And the virtual/fake me that’s on there playing the maraca isn’t doing it with that pretend full band in a room somewhere. That band is an illusion and never existed in real time. Kind of sad, really. We’re not even in our band. If that makes sense. Does that make sense at all?

I guess also, songs I’ve liked the longest, or for my whole life and that I’m happiest when I stumble on on the radio or internet, are the ones that I can’t quite recreate in my head. So I’ll tend to get tired of ‘just’ a catchy melody over a relatively simple chord progression if only ‘cause I can hum it and whistle it and wear it out. But songs that have more parts, or a different chord progression in them (or just a poop-load of lyrics - ha) are harder to kind of recreate to myself just by humming so I can’t wear ‘em out as quick. And I assume, if it works that way for me, it must work that way for some other folks kind of like me (poor, poor folks).

*Six: When working in your home studio, is it a very isolating experience? I mean, does it become it's own little universe where you lose perspective... perhaps even of your own music? When you've got something new down on tape who do you trust outside of the band to play it for to get a different perspective?

Charles: Man, even as guilty as I feel for taking so long to do this interview (and again, my apologies), I’ve REALLY prattled on here. So keeping it short and I guess I’ve already answered some of this but just to add that, yeah, the studio in a way, is very isolating and one definitely loses perspective. I’ve come to think though that one of the things it’s up to me to be good at is not losing perspective. And also adopting the principle of ‘if you have to ask if it’s good, it’s probably not’. I figure that if I still want to hear it on the thousandth time of writing and recording it, maybe someone not involved would get along with it for at least a few times.

*Six: Okay, now onto being film stars: What about the documentary being shot by Kathryn Yu, has she finished shooting? Or is it still being shot? It's just that I imagine her lugging a camera after you guys 24/7.

Charles: Haaaaaa…..they have not finished shooting, no. And yeah, they have a LOT of footage (yardage? mileage?) at this point. It’s definitely very much Kathryn and company’s project and I wouldn’t wanna speak for them, but I think they had a rough plan at one point of film for a year and edit for a year. Maybe The Meadowlands curse is infectious and they’ll be working on this thing for four or five years. Yikes, I hope not. For their sake…sorry, Kathryn.

(The Kathryn that Charles Bissell refers to is Kathryn Yu, budding filmmaker and media savvy woman about New York, who is the visible force behind Little Quill Productions. A group of friends with the education, talent, and skills to accomplish the overwhelming feat of documenting the lives, onstage and off, of a constantly touring indie band like The Wrens.)

Kathryn Yu graciously took some time to answer questions about the project.

*Six: Why did you choose The Wrens as a documentary subject?

Kathryn Yu: I personally, am a huge fan, and sort of subjected my friends to it by proxy in late 2003, when I was seeing the Wrens play lots of shows in New York City. It was right after The Meadowlands came out. It wasn't so much choosing the band as a subject, but rather, their story is just too good NOT to be documented. I'm fond of saying that it's a story about rock'n'roll, the American dream, and living in New Jersey. It's about those moments in your life where you stop and wonder how the hell you ended up where you are.

One of my Little Quill cohorts, Michaela, kind of blurted out the idea to all of us after seeing The Wrens play SXSW 2004, and it stuck. She's got a Radio/TV/Film degree from UT-Austin, Christine has a Film & TV degree from NYU, Dan's been working in audio for and is currently studying radio/audio at Emerson. ...And the rest is history.

*Six: When did you start shooting and how do you know, when shooting a doc, that you've got enough footage? Is this your first attempt at documentary film making?

Kathryn: We made a rough plan of the types of stuff we wanted: live shows, formal interviews, friends/family members/industry types, practice/in-studio time, candid footage, etc. in April and May of 2004, and went from there. Production began in June of 2004. It's very much based on what's happening with the band at any one moment -- for a while we were shooting almost every show they played -- as well as who we can track down for an interview.

I can't say much about knowing when you have "enough" because our situation is such that we can always go back and fill in the gaps. I'd say it will probably be a combination of "gut" feeling and knowing we've covered most of our original plan. Also, this is my first attempt in documentary-making, though everybody else has previous experience elsewhere. And it's our first time working as a team. We were friends first, then collaborators.

*Six: I would guess that money would be the biggest road block to getting the film completed, what are some of the other things that have gotten in the way that have surprised you?

Kathryn: Definitely money! The response we've gotten from our amazingly generous contributors has been astounding. It offsets costs but not 100%. A good chunk is coming out of pocket. And we work around the fact that we all have jobs. Vacation time, travel time and expenses. When the Wrens "tour," we end up on essentially the same schedule as them. And then it's back to work or school as soon as we get home! Christine and Dan have clocked in a good number of hours driving the van with Charles, though some pretty desolate parts of the country.

Another thing that surprised me was realizing just how shy many musicians are, particularly if they're talking a band that's not their own. Talking about your own work is a necessary evil, of course, and most music journalism is in the written form, so it requires a shift in gears. But some of folks we've talked to are actually very eloquent, enthusiastic, and relaxed, like John Vanderslice, or Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiburg of Okkervil River and Shearwater.

*Six: With regards to this earlier Charles Bissell's response:
"Haaaa…..they have not finished shooting, no. And yeah, they have a LOT of footage (yardage? mileage?) at this point. It's definitely very much Kathryn and company's project and I wouldn't wanna speak for them, but I think they had a rough plan at one point of film for a year and edit for a year. Maybe The Meadowlands curse is infectious and they'll be working on this thing for four or five years. Yikes, I hope not. For their sake... sorry, Kathryn."

Kathryn said: Little Quill has captured over 125 hours of footage from all over the country. We hope (fingers crossed) to be done (or nearly done) with production by the end of the calendar year. Our original plan was to have a final cut by 2006, but that's obviously not set in stone. DiG! took seven years to complete. Some Kind of Monster was filmed over the course of three, and they ended up with 1600 hours of footage! We realize that this could drag out much longer than anticipated, and have a pact amongst ourselves not to let that happen.

It's said that for any given project you can choose two of "Good, Fast, and Cheap." We've chosen "Cheap" and "Good." So there you have it!

*Six: Do you see the daylight at the end of the documentary movie tunnel? Do you have a target date for completion, or is it more a 'hand-to-mouth' thing?

Kathryn: Our current plan is to wrap up production in a handful of months, go into post, and then hit up the festival circuit from there. After that, who knows? But there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel. We've never doubted that -- people love the Wrens, people are hungry for more from them, and theirs is a story that resonates with nearly everyone.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

From The Meadowlands + Everyone Chooses Sides

Sample the album digitally though eMusic's Free Trial Offer of 50 mp3 downloads.

Released: Sept. 20

Some of the new CD releases for this week.

09/20 A.R.E. WEAPONS - free in the streets (defend music)
09/20 AMERICAN ANALOG SET - set free (arts & crafts)
09/20 ASKELETON - angry album or psychic songs (goodnight records)
09/20 BATS - the bats at the national grid (magic marker)
09/20 BROADCAST - tender buttons (warp)
09/20 CAGE - hell's winter (definitive jux)
09/20 CARRIBEAN - plastic explosives (hometapes)
09/20 CIRCLE - tulikoira (ektro)
09/20 CLUE TO KALO - one way, it's every way (mush)
09/20 COHEED AND CAMBRIA - good bye apollo, i'm burning star v - volume one: from fear through the eyes of madn (equal vision)
09/20 COHEED AND CAMBRIA - the second stage turbine blade (reissue) (equal vision)
09/20 DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN - tbd (hieroglyphics)
09/20 ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN - siberia (cooking vinyl)
09/20 FALL - the fall head's roll (narnack)
09/20 GUITAR WOLF - i love guitar wolf very much tribute cd (narnack)
09/20 JEDI MIND TRICKS - army of the pharoahs (babygrande)
09/20 LE TIGRE - this island remixes (chicksonspeed records)
09/20 MR. OIZO - moustache [half a scissor] (mute)
09/20 NADA SURF - the weight is a gift (barsuk)
09/20 NICO - marble index (lp) (sundazed)
09/20 OLD 97'S - alive & wired (new west)
09/20 ORANGER - new comes and goes (eenie meenie)
09/20 PAUL VAN DYK - the politics of dancing 2 (mute)
09/20 RAY BARBEE - in full view (galaxia)
09/20 ROSEBUDS/CLOSE - split 7" (goodnight records)
09/20 SAINT ETIENNE - finisterre (plexifilm)
09/20 SUPERSYSTEM - miracle 12" (touch and go)
09/20 TONI BRAXTON - please 12" (blackground)
09/20 VARIOUS ARTIST - a different sade of green: a tribute to greenday (skunk ape records)
09/20 VARIOUS ARTIST - no new york (lilith)
09/20 VASHTL BUNYAN - just another diamond day (dicristina stair)
09/20 VENETIAN SNARES - meathole (planet mu)
09/20 VHS OR BETA - le funk reissue with bonus tracks (astralwerks)

MONDAY MORNING RECOVERY Mix

Last night I was overwhelmed by the show put on by The National at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern. They seemed to be a modest unassuming bunch who just happened to turn every second song they played last night into a sonic storm of dual guitar lines, shrieking violin, and Matt Berninger's impassioned vocals (but don't forget the solid seamless rhythm section of brothers, Scott and Brian Devendorf). He was literally reaching for something, head back... his long, rail thin body constantly strained toward something up above, up on tiptoe most of the night. The most blistering highlights were "Abel", off of Alligator, and "Murder Me Rachael", from Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. When they finally reached shows end, three or four encores later, the Brooklyn band thanked the Toronto crowd and humbly departed the stage from their first performance in the city.

Download The National's album Alligator at eMusic, if you aren't a member you can still get the album by signing up for their 50 Free Downloads trial here.

*Photo Credit: Kathryn Yu
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Monday Morning Recovery Mix
the national + murder me rachael
mugison + what i would say in your funeral
sufjan stevens + the great god-bird (from NPR)
wolf parade + shine a light
white rainbow + guilded golden ladies
her space holiday + my girlfriends boyfriend
her space holiday + the weight of the world
her space holiday + japanese gum
moon maan + light of the moon
last of the blacksmiths+ grass blade
last of the blacksmiths + in my hands
grumpy bear + keepsake Pt 1
herman dune + good for no one

Minus Story Interview / Move The Music

Minus Story are a band of friends; they were a band of boys from Boonville, Missouri, a small city of around 8,500, but they have grown into men as tends to happen with boys. Now living in Lawrence, Kansas, these men create and play music, they write and perform indie rock with a peculiar, personal stamp. And as often happens with music that is so original and personal it can be tagged 'experimental'-- I think a much more fitting tag would be artistic.

Artist/musician and singer, Jordan Geiger of Minus Story, spoke to Alan Williamson of *sixeyes. He ruminated on the band's new recording, No Rest For Ghosts (Jagjaguwar - October 11th), homeless men peeing, and who he's been listening to lately (uhh... not the homeless men).


*Sixeyes: Why is your latest album for Jagjaguwar entitled, No Rest For Ghosts? And why the recent ghost theme with the new disc's title and also the Heaven and Hell EP containing the track, "Ghost Story"?

Jordan: Well, for awhile we were calling the album Here Comes Little Death, which was a reference to the pink skull on the cover. Although this album seems sort of dark sounding, much of the lyrics were written with a sort of cartoon/storybook in mind, as with The Captain Is Dead, Let The Drum Corpse Dance.

No Rest For Ghosts comes from the lyrics in one of the songs, and it seemed to tie the songs together nicely, in my mind at least. To complicate the matter, Andy (Byers)just wrote an awesome song called "Here Comes Little Death" which will show up in the future.

Nick's (Nick Christus) "Ghost Story" (a spoken word track) was put on the EP pretty much because it was an amazing story he told us with a completely straight face at breakfast one day. It's totally true, and there's a couple weird things omitted on the CD version. Since the EP already contained a mish-mash of songs, we figured it was the perfect time to put a ghost story on one of our CDs. As for the theme, a lot of the album is about a people that are out of control of their destiny, and ghosts seem to be evocative of certain things like that for me.

*Six: How much influence does your location, Lawrence, Kansas, have on your music?

Jordan: It's cheap here and there's a great music scene. It's a small college town with a good amount of culture, but there's farmland and farmers a couple miles out of town. There's a ton of great bands from around here: Ghosty (best album of the year!), Ad Astra Per Aspera, Black Christmas, Appleseed Cast, thesistermaria, namelessnumberheadman, etc...

That said, most of us in the band have known each other for 20 years or so. Our common experiences and musical tastes are probably the #1 influence.

Our hometown of Boonville, MO, probably influences us a lot.

*Six: When you and the band set out to make a new record, do you lay down certain lines or parameters you want to stay within, or break?

Jordan: The Captain... was consciously affected towards a lo-fi 60's pop influence in my mind. We sort of wanted to avoid that, because the new songs wanted a more subtle treatment. Other than that, we really didn't have any rules, except to do the songs in the way that's most interesting to us at the time. We also decided to track a couple of songs live, which was awesome. The next record will be recorded at least partly in a real studio, which will be different for us.

*Six: What's the worst band name you've ever heard?

Jordan: I'm not sure about the worst band name, but The Zombies is the best band name ever. Audioslave is pretty bad.

*Six: How did the west coast tour go?

Jordan: Awesome. Then, we had three days of sickness, car trouble, a cancelled show, and an entire state of booked hotel rooms. Other than that....

My non-show highlights were eating good food, seeing old friends, going to the Seattle Aquarium, and visiting the library.


(Minus Story (l to r) Andy Byers, Nick Christus, Brian Phillips, Mark Sanders, Jordan Geiger)

*Six: What's the strangest thing that has happened to you while on the road?

Jordan: At CMJ last year, this girl came up to Mark (Sanders) and swore that she had seen him in a play recently, performing the part of a homeless man who apparently could pee for like 5 minutes. Nick and Brian (Phillips) confirmed her suspicions as Mark laughed silently. It's a funny story when told by one of those three. Apparently, it's a well-known play. Shows how much we know!

Also, driving through some mountains in Pennsylvania at about 4 in the morning, while everyone else was asleep, Andy and I came around this corner and saw a deer sitting on the side of the road in the headlights of a state trooper's car. It had a huge bloody hole in it's stomach with innards coming out. It was licking at the wounds. It was really fucked up but beautiful in a weird way. We got really freaked out listening to Jeff Buckley and Bjork after that, so I think we ended up putting on JT to lighten the mood as we drove down into a town.

*Six: What's been playing lately in your iPod or CD player?

Jordan: The new John Vanderslice album (Pixel Revolt), Ghosty's new album, Grow Up or Sleep In, This American Life, an old "Self-Pollution Radio" Pearl Jam bootleg, and Erik Satie.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MINUS STORY MP3s...
from No Rest For Ghosts
+ Little Wet Head
+ Knocking On Your Head

from Heaven and Hell EP
+ Time Wastes Itself

from The Captain is Dead, Let The Drum Corpse Dance
+ You Were On My Side
+ Joyless, Joyless

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MINUS STORY TOUR DATES / Move The Music

Minus Story will hit the road October 18th and follow it around the US (with one stop in Canada / they will play Toronto on Nov. 7th) until November 11. This tour will mark the first time the organization, Move The Music, will assist an indie band on the road.

This is from Move The Music's webpage:

"Move The Music has been created with the awareness that touring can prove very costly for most independent artists who are generally unable to acquire performance guarantees and most often play for little or no money. As a result of the high costs, especially in light of current fuel prices across the country, many artists rely on credit cards to cover expenses, while others are simply unable to tour due to lack of funds. Without touring, the music of many deserving artists remains unknown outside of their local area.

Move The Music is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) charitable organization dedicated to supporting these artists by providing financial assistance to allow forward thinking musicians the opportunity to take their music on the road."

Learn all you need to know by visiting movethemusic.org.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The last three releases from Minus Story can be downloaded from eMusic. Check into the sites trial offer of 25 Free Downloads.

The Floor

Sometimes you hear a song, or a group of songs, that you like, but you have no definite point of reference... Canadian band The Floor is an example. They sound very polished and their music sounds like a lot of the music I pretty much ignored in the eighties, some of which was, in hindsight, spectacular. The Floor sound like a great unknown eighties band that you missed either due to your youth, or (in my case) having very defined tastes. Not to worry, you've been forewarned and this isn't the eighties. I have to say that the more I listen, the more I like.

+ freeze/frame from personnel 2005
+ seconds later from doll EP 2003
+ isolene from autonomy off/on 2003

Check their homepage for more mp3s.

Self-described as 'Post-Punk/New-Wave', Edmonton, Alberta's The Floor are...

Matt Pahl - guitar, vocals
Dan Carlyle - drums
Paul Arnusch - bass
Graham Lessard - synthesizer, guitar
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

*a big thanks to James H. for the tip.

Wichita Recordings

The label, Wichita Recordings has some primo stuff on their sounds page - the likes of Bloc Party, Brave Captain, Bright Eyes, The Bronx, The BumbleBeez, Canyon, The Cribs, The Desaparecidos, Giant Drag, Her Space Holiday, My Morning Jacket, Northern State, The Pattern, Ruby, Wauvenfold, Weevil, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs....

GO visit.

New Music at eMusic

These are some of the new additions that caught my eye, there are many more in every genre of music.

Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
CocoRosie - Noah's Ark
The Double - Loose in the Air
Iron & Wine/Calexico - In The Reins
Old Time Relijun - 2012
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
Tim Fite - Gone Ain't Gone

A lot of Touch & Go's back catalog is turning up on the site as well.

eMusic still offers their great trial offer of 50 Free Downloads with no strings attached. Go Here.

Released: Sept. 13 DRAFT

These are only some of the new releases today, Tuesday, Sept. 13th. The first list is from various sources, the second one is obviously from insound.com.


David Gray Life In Slow Motion
Sigur Rós Takk...
Sigur Ros Takk [IMPORT] [LIMITED EDITION]
Iron & Wine, Calexico In the Reins
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Devendra Banhart Cripple Crow
Brakes Give Blood
US; already out in UK
Cave In Perfect Pitch Black
Tracy Chapman Where You Live
CocoRosie Noah's Ark
The Cranes Particles & Waves
The Crimea Tragedy Rocks
Dandy Warhols Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars
Rob Dickinson Fresh Wine For The Horses
The Double Loose In The Air
Freakwater Thinking Of You
David Gray Life In Slow Motion
Annie Hayden The Enemy Of Love
Iron & Wine + Calexico In The Reins EP
The Juliana Theory Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat
The Like Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
Lil' Kim Naked Truth
Patty Loveless Dreaming My Dreams
Paul McCartney Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard
OOIOO Gold And Green
John Parish Once Upon A Little Time
Bonnie Raitt Souls Alike
The Rosebuds Birds Make Good Neighbors
Sigur Ros Takk
Simple Minds Black & White 050505
Sonic Youth Goo [2xCD Reissue]
Stellastarr* Harmonies For The Haunted
Super Furry Animals Love Kraft
US; UK release 22 Aug
Rosie Thomas If Songs Could Be Held
Trapt Someone In Control
Dar Williams My Better Self
Trisha Yearwood Jasper County

INSOUND
09/13 ANATOMY OF A GHOST - tba (fearless)
09/13 ANNIE HAYDEN - the enemy of love (merge)
09/13 APOLLO SUNSHINE - s/t (spinart)
09/13 ARIZONA AMP & ALTERNATOR - s/t (thrill jockey)
09/13 BATTLETORN - evil chains (troubleman unlimited)
09/13 BLOC PARTY - silent alarm remixed (vice records)
09/13 BRAKES - give blood (rough trade)
09/13 CAVE IN - perfect pitch black (hydrahead)
09/13 COCOROSIE - noah's ark (touch and go)
09/13 COHEED AND CAMBRIA - welcome home (columbia)
09/13 DEAD KENNEDYS - fresh fruit for rotting vegetables (mfo)
09/13 DEAD SCIENCE - frost giant (absolutely kosher)
09/13 DEATH IN VEGAS - fabric live 23 (fabric)
09/13 DESERT CITY SOUNDTRACK - perfect addiction (deep elm)
09/13 DEVENDRA BANHART - cripple crow (xl recordings)
09/13 DOUBLE - loose in the air (matador)
09/13 ELLIOTT - photorecording (revelation)
09/13 EX - singles. period (touch and go)
09/13 FREAKWATER - thinking of you (thrill jockey)
09/13 FROM MONUMENT TO MASSES - schools of thought (dim mak)
09/13 GIANT DRAG - hearts and unicorns (geffen)
09/13 GIANT DRAG - hearts and unicorns (geffen)
09/13 GO BETTY GO - nothing is more (side one dummy records)
09/13 GOBLIN COCK - bagged and boarded (absolutely kosher)
09/13 GREY AREA - and then the clouds (wavform)
09/13 GUSTAFSSON, MATS & STACKENAS, - blues (atavistic )
09/13 IRON AND WINE & CALEXICO - in the reins (overcoat)
09/13 JOHN PARISH - once a little time (thrill jockey)
09/13 LAKE TROUT - not them, you (palm)
09/13 LIKE - are you thinking what i'm thinking (geffen records)
09/13 LORETTA LYNN - christmas collection - 20th century masters (mca nashville)
09/13 MARA'AKATE - congratulations on your impending geography (happy couples never last)
09/13 NATIONAL EYE - roomful of lions (national parking)
09/13 NEON BLONDE - chandeliers in the savanna (dim mak)
09/13 NIGHTMARE OF YOU - nightmare of you (east west records)
09/13 NUMBERS - we're animals (polyvinyl)
09/13 OOIOO - gold & green (thrill jockey)
09/13 PRINCESS SUPERSTAR - my machine (k7)
09/13 ROSEBUDS - birds make good neighbors (merge)
09/13 ROSIE THOMAS - if songs could be held (sub pop)
09/13 SAFETY SCISSORS - tainted lunch (scape)
09/13 SAM CHAMPION - slow rewind (razor & tie)
09/13 SIGUR ROS - takk (geffen records)
09/13 SONIC YOUTH - goo (2xcd reissue) (geffen records)
09/13 SONIC YOUTH - goo (4xlp ) (like records)
09/13 STELLASTARR - harmonies for the haunted (rca)
09/13 STEREOLAB - interlock/visionary road maps 7" (duphonic/too pure)
09/13 STEREOLAB - kyberneticka babick parts 1& 2 7" (duphonic/too pure)
09/13 STEREOLAB - plastic mile/i was a sunny rainphase (duphonic/too pure)
09/13 STIFFED - burned again (outlook music)
09/13 SUN - blame it on the youth (dvd/album) (warner brothers records)
09/13 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - love kraft (xl recordings)
09/13 TIM FITE - gone ain't gone (anti)
09/13 VARIOUS ARTIST - the enlightened family: a collection of lost songs (voodoo-eros)
09/13 WOODEN WAND & VANISHING - voice - buck dharma (5rc)

Niels Nielsen

Niels Nielsen, who I believe is Swedish, plays straight up indie pop/rock with enough flair and hooks to turn heads. Rhythmic acoustic guitars at times mesh with electronic gurgles and squiggles and when Niels utilizes double tracked vocals ("Shooting Dogs") he can't help but evoke Elliott Smith, intentionally or not. I like it.

On his minimalist homepage you can download two 4 track EPs... visit through the link above.

+ paycheck (song for thillda) from Cornerstones of Hell EP
+ shooting dogs from Invest My Soul You Devil EP

*thanks to Mikael B. for the tip.

Arcade Fire: 2003 Radio Performance + Interview

Well, by now you have heard, seen, or even purchased, something by the Arcade Fire. On the University of Guelph's Undertones radio show audio page you can download two very early live Arcade Fire tracks that were live on-air performances. You can also grab an interview along with the two songs.

*if you don't have the band's full length, Funeral... digital downloads are at eMusic.

Aggregators: The Great, the good, and the ugly.

When it came to checking up on what the other mp3 blogs out there were doing, I'd always turn to mp3blogs.org, but it has been offline for a while now. Does anyone know what happened to it? Did whoever ran it not like the competition of a couple of new kids on the block?

Now I rely heavily on webnymph and pretty much ignore the other two I know of, elbows and the hype machine. Elbows seem alright, but the hype machine should be on every bloggers black list for it allows visitors to it's own page to download songs (that bloggers spent time researching and writing about) without even visiting the very blogs themselves! They might think they are providing a service to those who visit mp3 blogs, but they are poking a big fat finger in the eyes of all who run those mp3 blogs.

So I highly recommend webnymph and will also give elbows it's due, although I do discourage all from using the hype machine. An aggregator that takes visitors away from the bloggers who do it out of a love for music and the willingness to share what they love with others.

John Vanderslice: Shows

photo: Piper Ferguson

Mr Vanderslice is on the east coast and will be until the 17th of September giving fans a taste of his latest album on Barsuk, Pixel Revolt.

Here are the solo tour details as found on his home page (mind you, JV will be touring with full band in tow starting Sept. 30th)...

September 12 New York, NY
WNYC, live performance and interview, 2pm
joined by Erik Friedlander

September 14 New York, NY Barsuk CMJ Show
Mercury Lounge w/ Aqueduct, Viva Voce, 12:30am set time
joined by Erik Friedlander

September 15 New York, NY
CMJ Day Stage Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, 3pm
Soundfix, 7pm, solo in-store
joined by Erik Friedlander

September 16 Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College Red Rocket Club w/ Charlene
8:30pm doors, JV set at 10pm all ages free

September 17 New York, NY
"2005 Brooklyn Grilled Corn, Mushroom and Jicama Exposition"
(No affiliation with the CMJ festival)
721 metropolitan ave (@ graham ave behind blast tanning salon), starts at 2pm
w/ Say Hi To Your Mom (3pm) and JV (4pm)
Bring veggies to grill and beverages. Open to everyone. Free!

MIRAH: Cold Cold Water

I strongly recommend you listen to the track "Cold Cold Water" by Mirah. She's a young Philadelphia native with a girlish colour to her voice, but this song alternately marches and glows, from the martial beat of the snare to the shimmer of a string section, galloping and then sauntering, at times draped in the grey fog of a melancholy organ.

"Mirah will be playing a lunchtime acoustic set at the Oak Street building in Portland Oregon on September 16th. This is the day before her birthday and the eve of a hiatus of Mirah live shows."

+ Cold Cold Water from Advisory Committee

+ Light The Match from C'mon Miracle
+ Oh! September from Songs from the Black Mountain Music
+ Sweepstakes Prize from You Think It's Like This But It's R

Download all of Mirah's albums at eMusic.
*photo by Danielle St Laurent

Sunday Downloads

your new best friend + small world
morning theft + Living With Your Ghost
morning theft + Thirty Helens Agree
morning theft + Weakness
stellastar* + sweet troubled soul
low water + Reputation
split over drapes + Do You Know Where You Are
songs ohia + captain badass
matisyahu + King Without a Crown
erika simonian + Don't Fight It
erika simonian + Here Comes Love Again
erika simonian + Self-Made Drama Machine
the red thread + new watch
giant drag + blunt picket fence
richard swift + Lady Day
richard swift + As I Go
jens lekman + you are the light [video]

Antony and the Johnsons: Mercury Prize Album

Antony Hegarty of New York based band, Antony & the Johnsons, accepted the Mercury Prize for best album of the year this past Tuesday. This decision started a small controversy as 34 year-old Chichester born Hegarty has lived most of his life in the US. Although in comparision to the other nominees, Bloc Party - Silent Alarm, Coldplay - X&Y, The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike, Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment, KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope, The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers, Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger, MIA - Arular, Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers, and Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay Did, Antony's music and voice stand head and shoulders above this group.

Antony's music is arresting, his voice flutters against the air like a bird searching for dry land. And like a bird constantly fighting to stay aloft, Antony is constantly fighting against the body he finds himself in and it is this inner battle combined with his striking emotional vocals which gives his better songs the sobriquet, 'unforgettable'.

Below is my review of I Am A Bird Now.

The album and more can be downloaded by eMusic members, or through their Free Trial offer available here.

PHOTO by Svenson Linnert.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

*Sixeyes Review: I Am A Bird Now
[secretly canadian - 2005]

The definition of androgynous is -- "...not clearly male or female", and this description can also be applied to music, although it may sound feminine or masculine, it's the listener who gives it it's gender. Perhaps I should say music is sexless, but sexy. That can be said about most music, especially the strangely compelling new work, I Am A Bird Now (secretly canadian), by Antony and the Johnsons. Antony does possess an androgynous look which is played up by make-up and clothing, he also possesses a startling voice; one which sweeps and swoops with his at-times-theatrical music. The vocals waver and tremble, as if on the edge of tears -- his prononced vibrato may claim comparisions to Bryan Ferry, although Antony's voice is much more open and raw; and yes there is an androgynous aspect, without knowing the artist you may wonder if it is a man or a woman. Although he does not own an instrument as transcendentally crystalline as Jeff Buckley's, he can at times produce in the listener the same response. Both artist's voices being blessed with the power to translate the emotion of the lyric into an emotion in the listener.


I Am A Bird Now
(cover shot of Candy Darling, 1974)

Ten tracks strong, I Am A Bird Now, is justly titled as Antony warbles like a wounded songbird on the opener, "Hope There's Someone". In fact he comes across like a rare beautiful bird on all ten -- that brightly coloured, sleekly feathered, just out of reach creature, sending it's sadly burnished song into the open sky. Songs that standout include "My Lady Story", (one of several that touch on gender identification) coloured blue by flute and simple, but elegant, backing vocal work; "Fistfull of Love", boasting a Lou Reed spoken-word intro, blossoms into a gospel meltdown with horn punches and stand up and testify emotion. Closing the disc is "Bird Guhl", the most beautiful number on the album. A powerful melody that matches the passion of Antony's lyric, "Cause I'm a Bird Guhl (pronounced Bird Girl)/ and the Bird Guhls go to heaven/ cause I'm a Bird Guhl /and the Bird Guhls can fly". It would be easy for many of these songs to be overdone, to be dressed up in sickly sweet strings and over wrought emotion; luckily Antony's taste matches his talent.

There is a spiritual element to the sound of Antony's music -- music which worships piano cabaret ballads, string laden chamber pop, and gospel-fired soul -- gospel heard in a church that will soon find new parishioners, I am sure.

He is a bird now... it's hard to imagine him as anything else.

+ fistfull of love download courtesy www.betterpropaganda.com

+ hope there's someone

fembots

The Fembots (Dave MacKinnon [left] and Brian Poirier) just released a new record called, The City, on Paper Bag Records. As a preview of this disc here is a song that, if it doesn't get you clapping your hands along, then you must have lost them somewhere. You better put up a poster, offer a reward, you're gonna need them.

Bio:
The FemBots began as a home recording project of Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier. Their debut, Mucho Cuidado (2000), featured songs written and performed on power tools, toys and broken down thrift store instruments. The duo quickly carved a unique space in the Toronto music scene bringing their post-industrial folk songs to the stage using tape loops and reel-to-reel machines mixed with often frantic live performances.

+ countdown our days from The City

earlier mp3s...
+ deadend jobs
+ small town murder scene
+ ice cream

The New Pornographers: Fall Tour Update

The New Pornographers on tour in North America Fall 2005, including 2 television
appearances. New album 'Twin Cinema' in stores now.

Thu, Sep 15 - New York NY - Bowery Ballroom with Tim Fite
Fri, Sep 16 - NBC-TV - Late Night with Conan O'Brien - 12:30 AM
Thu, Sep 22 - Victoria BC - Canada - Sugar with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Fri, Sep 23 - Vancouver BC - Canada - Commodore Ballroom
Sat, Sep 24 - Seattle WA - Showbox with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Sun, Sep 25 - Portland OR - Wonder Ballroom
Tue, Sep 27 - San Francisco CA - Bimbo's 365 Club with Immaculate Machine -
Destroyer
Wed, Sep 28 - San Francisco CA - Bimbo's 365 Club with Immaculate Machine -
Destroyer
Thu, Sep 29 - Los Angeles CA - Henry Fonda Theater with Immaculate Machine -
Destroyer
Thu, Sep 29 - NBC-TV - Last Call with Carson Daly - 1:30 AM
Fri, Sep 30 - Solano Beach CA - Belly Up Tavern with Immaculate Machine -
Destroyer
Sat, Oct 1 - Tucson AZ - Rialto Theater with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Mon, Oct 3 - Denver CO - Gothic Theatre with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Wed, Oct 5 - Lawrence KS - Granada
Thu, Oct 6 - St. Louis MO - Mississippi Nights
Fri, Oct 7 - Newport KY - Southgate House with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Sat, Oct 8 - Kalamazoo MI - Club Soda with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Sun, Oct 9 - Toronto ON - Canada - The Docks with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Mon, Oct 10 - Montreal QC - Canada - Cabaret La Tulipe with Immaculate Machine -
Destroyer
Tue, Oct 11 - Boston MA - The Roxy with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Wed, Oct 12 - New York NY - Webster Hall with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Thu, Oct 13 - New York NY - Webster Hall with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Fri, Oct 14 - Philadelphia PA - Trocadero with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Sat, Oct 15 - Washington DC - 9:30 club with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Sun, Oct 16 - Carrboro NC - Cat‚s Cradle with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Mon, Oct 17 - Atlanta GA - Variety Playhouse with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Tue, Oct 18 - Nashville TN - Mercy Lounge with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Thu, Oct 20 - Chicago IL - Metro with Immaculate Machine - Destroyer
Fri, Oct 21 - Madison WI - The Barrymore Theater
Sat, Oct 22 - Minneapolis MN - First Avenue

MP3s
+ “Use It”
+ “Twin Cinema”

Video of Twin Cinema track "Use It".

Thanks to Matador Records for the press release.

Downloads at eMusic: Mickey and the Soul Generation

DJ Shadow, Josh Davis, calls Mickey and the Soul Generation his 'favorite funk band' and Davis has sampled some choice grooves from their catalog. Now you can preview, or download, Iron Leg: The Complete Mickey and the Soul Generation at eMusic.com. Get the entire 19 tracks with eMusic's Free Trial offer.

the cloud room

You can hear Bowie in so much of The Cloud Room's "Hey Now Now", the young Bowie, who still made good use of the acoustic guitar, who was still sexually ambiguous -- not to say that The Cloud Room is sexually ambiguous, nor are they musically ambiguous. They clearly stand in that cool, gigantic, 35 odd year-old shadow of multiple personalities and musical experimentation that marked and even marred, at times, the career of Mr. Bowie. The lead singer, J, comes across like a very early Lou Reed, with Reed's weary velvet rasp, channeling Bowie on the track, "Hey Now Now". A great song with what the kids call, a killer hook, greatly enhanced by the superb production by Chris Zane (Calla, Inouk, Human Television, Les Savy Fav). I may be dating myself, but this pops out of the speakers just like The Cars debut album did back around 1977.

+ hey now now

+ blackout

*both tracks from their self-titled debut on Gigantic Music

DLTM: Doveman

For this the second installment of *sixeyes, 'Don't Listen To Me' (the first, by John Vanderslice, can be seen here), we have two members of New York City's Doveman, Thomas Bartlett and Sam Amidon. These two are currently touring the Northeast US in support of The Acrobat, and dates can be seen on the band site linked above.

-----------------------
The Robot Ate Me
We're in Ottawa at the moment, on a tour opening for Ryland Bouchard's one man orchestra The Robot Ate Me. Listening to his sweet and disturbing songs every night is wonderful; watching him oversee a plethora of loop pedals, samplers, drum machines, tambourines, accordions, and guitars, all while crooning away in that beautiful, high voice (the most amazing high chest voice since Sting), engaging the audience with a slightly unsettling combination of insecurity, wit, sweetness, and a streak of passive-agressive anger, is mind-blowing. Andy Kaufman meets Dr. Dre meets "Wee Sing."

the robot ate me + bad feelings [mp3] from Carousel Waltz [2005]
--
R. Kelly's Stepping Songs
If you listen to R. Kelly's stepping songs, you will decide that stepping is the only activity worth actually doing. If there's more utopian music in the world than this, we haven't heard it.
--
Tom Petty's "Free Falling"
Thomas and I only heard this song for the first time a couple weeks ago, a fact that is seriously disturbing to our friends. Alas, this was apparently one of the casualties of growing up in Vermont in the '80s with no TV and only NPR playing on any radio...Anyway, it's an amazing song, isn't it! And I just noticed that, as well as only having two chords, it also only uses the bottom three notes of the major scale - in the lower octave during the verses, then up to the higher octave for the chorus. GENIUS.

Tom Petty
--
Perry Robinson's "Funk Dumpling"
A totally mysterious and chill jazz album from 1962. Most of the jazz we listen to from this time period is either musicians playing in established styles left over from the '50s and '60s, or forward-charging free jazzers. Here is an album that is totally tonal but doesn't really fit into any '50s genre (hard bop, cool jazz, etc) - it's just a beautiful collection of melodies. It is also about as happy as music gets. Perry Robinson, the clarinetist and leader, is still playing around New York and he's the man! He sometimes even plays with rediscovered bassist Henry Grimes who also played on this session. Go see them if you can.

*Sixeyes: Invisible Cities by Steve Swell / Perry Robinson can be found at eMusic.
--
The King of France
Our friends in The King of France (a fellow bass-less band, which we always support) are about to put out one of our favorite rock records of the year. Jittery and joyous, full of deliciously failed suavity, insanely catchy and also just plain insane. Just don't call it "quirky" or "off-kilter," because those words suck. Official summer jams '05: Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together," Amerie's "1 Thing," King of France's "Mexico."
--
Common, "Be"
Everybody's raving about the new Kanye West album, which does have some nice beats, but is basically annoying, and those skits in between most of the tracks are just deadly. Instead we've been listening to common "Be." It has some problems of its own (Common's kind of a cheesy motherfucker), and a sound that is a bit too soft and mushy. But it has a better and more tightly focused batch of beautiful Kanye beats, and Common has a wonderfully relaxed tone that fits the music perfectly.
--
Reger's Bach Variations
Sprawling, clumsy, labyrinthine, and completely absorbing, a real voyage into the heart of darkness that gets progressively denser and more disturbingly unbalanced. There's an astonishing live recording of the piece by Andras Schiff, paired with the wonderful Brahms variations on a theme by Handel. But the greatest living performer of the piece is Peter Serkin, who will hopefully get around to making a recording of it soon.
--
The Word of Mouth Chorus, "River of Delight"
This is an album of a choir of hippies in the late '70s (including Sam's then not-yet-married parents) singing songs from the shape-note tradition. Shape-note music was composed by farmers and tavern keepers and other non-musician types in early 19th century New England who wrote 4-part choral music, breaking every possible rule of classical composition in the process. The resulting sound is a stark blast of noise that to our ears has more in common with drone minimalism and the way Kurt Cobain sings than with any choral music.
--
Eyvind Kang, "Live Low to the Earth"
Atmospheric, glacially paced and slightly eerie violin and guitar drones. Eyvind lets things take shape real slow like, and does some absolutely bitchin fiddle playing but it's way under the surface.

*Sixeyes: Eyvind Kang can be found at eMusic.
--
La Bottine Souriante, "La Mistrine"
Imagine Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" as played by a bunch of middle aged French Canadian folk musicians -- that is exactly what this is. Quebec's traditional music supergroup (not so traditional anymore) has gone pretty far downhill of late, but this record catches them at their most brilliant and bizarre.
--
Tim McGraw's "Drugs or Jesus"
If you listen to this song, you will decide that country music is the only music worth actually listening to. Is Tim McGraw a genius? He must be, if he can come up with a couplet like "I've got a barbecue stain on my white t-shirt/and she's killin' me in that miniskirt" (from the song "Something Like That"). "Drugs or Jesus" will shock you with its conceptual clarity and beautiful piano riff.
--
Dave Deporis
A voice from long ago and far away, and an expert rocking of the Jesus look.

+ violent dancing
+ swan king in the snow