Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds :: Stream 'B-Sides & Rarities'

One month ago Nick Cave released what he describes as "...my favourite nick cave and the bad seeds album."

You can stream 6 tracks off of the three cd and 56 song set of b-sides and rarities, which, incidentally, is the title of the massive package... B-Sides & Rarities.

GO HERE.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

SMOOSH

When it comes to indie pop/rock played by pre-teen sisters, this is as good as it gets. Asya and Chloe are for real. Funky keyboards, rock steady drums, and a girlish voice with a strong vibrato.

+ massive cure

*Buy their cd, She Like Electric, here.
**Smoosh homepage

Brightblack

Brightblack's, "True Bright Blossom", opens with an organic hum that is quickly sweetened with the slowly measured vocals of members N.D. Shineywater and Rachael Hughes. The lazy countryside aura of the song, of the trio, Brightblack, pours upon and over you like warm, sparkling water.

Shineywater and Hughes (piano) handle the vocal work with third member Noah Wilson, on the drums. Brightblack's music is serene and rough hewn; these are backwoods hymnals for those who don't have a church to sit in.

Recently signed to major-league indie imprint, Matador Records, you will be hearing more from this band of rural-raised musicians.

+ true bright blossom from ala.cali.tucky

*stream their release Ala.cali.tucky here.

**brightblack website

*** Some early ND Shineywater songs...

+ alright song" from COLLECTION EP*
+ SEAD from COLLECTION EP*

DEVIN DAVIS :: *sixeyes interview

Devin Davis sprang out of thin air it seemed, to deliver a one-man rallying cry for the lonely and for the redemptive joy of power pop. Offering up the one-man band/production team wonder, Lonely People of the World, Unite! (Mousse). There are likely a fair number of people out there who could pull off the one-man or one-woman feat, but would you want to listen to it? Probably not. And there are quite a few out there with the special specific skills needed to pull this off and to come away with something worth listening to, as Mr. Davis has; but do they have the drive, the ambition, and the insanity to jump feet first into a project like that? No. Not many would or have... Devin Davis has, he's jumped in up to his neck and he's pulling us in with him. So strap on your Speedo because Devin Davis has something to say.

I spoke to Devin via email.



*SIXEYES: With this being your first solo album, I was wondering what the impetus was to bring the project to completion, hell, to even get it off the ground? I expect it would take a lot of confidence , but it must have been more than just that.

DEVIN: Well... I guess that I just wanted to make an album that you could listen to from start to finish... and I guess once I started... there was no stopping... meaning ... the more I worked on it... the more i had to finish it... you know?... it was like.. "I've spent a year and a half on this I HAVE to see it through or else I'll hate myself"... you know?... It was a lot of work... every day... but it was a lot of fun... creating the songs and linking them together... I don't know... working mostly by myself, I didn't really have any checks and balances... or feedback on stuff... I did play working versions for friends... and they seemed to dig it... so I guess that gave me some confidence... otherwise... it was just having to trust myself that I was "cutting out the bad parts" as much as I could... you know?

*S: Is Devin Davis your real name? And if not... what did you do with the real Devin Davis?

Devin: Yes... it is my real name... I had originally NOT wanted to use my real name... but my friends seemed unanimous in their support of the idea...

*S: How did the concept arise for your album, Lonely People of the World, Unite!? Was it preconceived or did it arise from the situation you were in?

Devin: I suppose that it was preconceived once I got the phrase "lonely people... etc." into my head early on... (the idea of making an album of songs about loneliness) but it was definitely a reflection of my living situation.. when I moved to Chicago.. I didn't know anyone... and as an insult to injury... lived by myself... (in a basement that flooded on many occasion.. once with knee-high sewer water... ) I spent most of my time working on the album a little bit every day...

*S: Tell me about your background, you know... birthplace, where you grew up?

Devin: I was born in Clinton, Iowa... lived there for 12 years ( I think) then moved to Jacksonville, Florida... I moved to Chicago five years ago..

*S: Where, when, and with who did you start your musical career? I'm talking early here, your first exposure playing in a band.

Devin: My first performance was in a saxophone trio in my elementary school talent show... we played the theme to the Pink Panther... I was in a band called Irving (no relation to the current band from California) in Jacksonville... we played a few shows... but could never find a steady drummer... so when that kind of fell apart.. I started recording by myself... I put out a noise/punk with synthesizer" album called "Perpetual Motion Sickness" under the name Irving Philharmonic... (Which sounds very little if at all like the new album...) It was an utter critical and commercial failure...

*S: Who would you say has the greatest influence on your songwriting?

Devin: Big influences for me during the recording of this album were early Dylan records, The Beatles, and Neutral Milk Hotel... as well as Beck and The Magnetic Fields... and the Kinks.. among others... the album is sort of an "ode to classic rock"... which I suppose is pretty obvious.. I also got really into some of the Folkways Ballads records... "On Top of Old Smokey"... etc.

*S: Just how many instruments did you play on the record?

Devin: I played everything except for a pedal steel track, some of the more complex trombone and trumpet parts... and a French horn part...

*S: What would you say you feel most comfortable at? Behind a guitar onstage or behind a board in a recording studio?

Devin: I guess I feel most comfortable at home in my little studio... I enjoy playing in front of people... but I get extremely nervous about it... it has been getting a little better with time...

*S: Are the songs inspired by experiences, imagination, or media input? You know... books, movies, photos, art, etc.?

Devin: I was reading a lot of poets at the time.. (Frank O' Hara, John Ashbery, Robert Lowell spring to mind)... as well as Vonnegut (probably my favorite author) who I felt kind of inspired the album's title... (Like... it could have been one of his little slogans... like hi ho!... or whatever).. I was also very moved by this book by Jon Krakauer called "Into the Wild" which is about this well-to-do kid from the East coast who gives everything away and hitchhikes up to Alaska to live like Grizzly Adams... with no maps... a purely natural existence... who ultimately dies of starvation alone in an abandoned school bus in the middle of nowhere... (true story).. It really affected me for some reason... I guess because I had always kind of wanted to do that myself... (not the starving to death part of course!) There's kind of a theme running through a few of the songs that deals with that idea... on an unrelated note, I was also very much into Monty Python episodes on VHS at the time... which I think was partly an inspiration to put in the sound effects ... I also really admire their timing and absurd juxtaposition by way of abrupt edits... Most of the songs were extrapolated from experience or dreams.... ("Cannons at the Courthouse" was from a dream I had) But I wanted the stories to be told completely out of context... like... the characters/narrators... may not necessarily be "me" telling the story ...(as in "Turtle & the Flightless Bird") nor would they necessarily be about me at all... if that makes any sense... It was a lot of fun to me at the time to write songs from the perspectives of other people... animals... etc... some of it is autobiographical though... of course...

*S: Funny you mention the Krakauer book, I haven't read it, but I have heard of and about it. I also was very taken with the idea of disappearing into the wilderness and living off the land when I was in my early twenties. It seems this may be a much more common dream than I had assumed... well, anyway, you mention dreams as a source of inspiration for some of the songs on Lonely People of the World, Unite! -- namely, "Cannons at the Courthouse"... do you jot down your dreams on awakening or keep a dream journal? Do you put much stock in your dreams?

Devin: Well... I used to keep a hand held cassette recorder by my bed (i would take it with me everywhere)... and would record any details from dreams that i could, depending on how coherent I was at the time... I also had a book that I would write in.. but the tape recorder proved much more valuable... as it could be used in the dark... my favorite recording consisted of a short mumbled recollection... followed by heavy breathing which then turned into me sleeping... mouth right on the mic... which lasted for a few minutes before I woke up again and turned off the tape. I'm still a little unsure as to what dreams really "mean"... to get into that would probably exceed the limits of this email... I know this for sure however... they always seem to be far more interesting than what's happening when we wake up, ... right?

*S: Alright, uh... speaking of dreams... what is the closet thing to being a rock star that you've experienced since the release of your debut?

Devin: well... it was kind of weird/neat seeing my picture in Entertainment Weekly... (it made my parents happy)... and I've gotten some emails from people in Europe and The UK... which was really awesome...

*S: What is your favorite venue to play in Chicago and why?

Devin: I really like playing at Schubas... as well as the Hideout... Schubas sounds great... and has a good sized room... whereas the Hideout is really small and cozy (for lack of a better word)... The Hideout is a very "friendly" place... they have fish mounted all over the walls...

*S: What do you feel has taught you more about the music business -- working as an engineer or a few days in car-choked Austin during SXSW?

Devin: hmm... you speak of two totally different worlds.. the studio is a very intimate and magical experience... at least working at home is... South By Southwest, on the other hand, was just completely insane... being around that many piss drunk people at once... an "indie-rock Mardi Gras" if you will... I would definitely love to go back... BUT... we MUST get a hotel room that is within walking distance of the stuff going on... that turned into somewhat of a logistical nightmare...

*S: And finally... what is in the works for you in the coming year?

Devin: I would really like to tour this summer... and I really hope to start working on another album... (I have a bunch of songs started...) just to get back to the state that I was in when I made this one... to be really excited about it...

*Sixeyes: Thanks for this Devin... and for the music!

+ "Iron Woman" by Devin Davis off of Lonely People of the World, Unite!
More Devin Davis mp3s can be found here.

The New Pornographers | New MP3

The New Pornographers have their new disc slated for release on August 23rd (Also the date for John Vanderslice's new effort Pixel Revolt). Titled Twin Cinema it will raise the bar of cerebral power pop up another notch or two.

Here's the title track courtesy of Matador Records...
+ twin cinema

Here is what Carl Newman said about the record last January...

"We're hard at work on our new album, which should be in the hands of Matador by mid-March, and in the hands of real people sometime in late summer. Maybe September? I don't know. If it was up to me it would come out two weeks after we finished it, but that's just not how it's done.

"We've become fascinated by the ability of the ebow and baritone guitar to sound kind of like a cello. This fixes the problem of wanting cello, but not wanting a cello player in your band. They take up way too much room. We can also get that Creation bowed guitar sound without bowing the guitar, and looking like a guitar-bowing idiot..."

read the rest under the heading "01/26/05 — Carl Newman writes "

SPOON - 'GIMME FICTION' :: Review

::*SIXEYES REVIEW:: by Alan Williamson

If The Beatles had lopped off Paul MacCartney and his Tin Pan Alley-isms, and then been signed to Berry Gordy's Motown back in the early sixties, their sound would likely have very closely resembled Spoon's. It's funny because I never noticed much of a resemblance between the vocals of Spoon's lead singer Britt Daniel and The Beatle's John Lennon (Who I have always considered to have the perfect rock n' roll voice... ever). But if you take Lennon's voice and strip away the high yearning tension you would be left with, pretty much, the dusty American sound of Daniel... like ice cream with Texas sand in it (okay, let's make it sugar so you don't gag), sweet and gritty. A voice put once more to good use on Spoon's new disc, Gimme Fiction (Merge Records - May 10th). When he sings out the chorus of "The Beast and Dragon, Adored", the slow burner that opens Gimme Fiction, the young Lennon's soulful holler of "Twist and Shout", haunts the listener.



Eleven tracks are what you get and that ain't no fiction, it's pure muscle, there's no fat on this disc. The songs that jump out, straight off, are the first single, "I Turn My Camera On", "Sister Jack", and "I Summon You". The last two have been available as free mp3 downloads in their demo forms for quite some time and that is one of the problems I have with the song "Sister Jack". Perhaps it's from continued listening for months, but the piano demo version is still the preferred one for me, but I am slowly beginning to be converted to the full band album version. It is, in any form, simply a fantastic pop song that should be, and deserves to be, on the playlist of every radio station and in the CD player of every car this summer. As does "I Turn My Camera On", which has, as so many Spoon songs do--a strong bass and drum foundation laced with funk--along with their familiar digital percussion, i.e. snaps, slaps, and handclaps. Spoon's pop/rock songs make you want to dance or at least try--lead singer Daniel comes on with a soulful falsetto, surrounded by some in-your-face percussion right alongside the amped up rhythm guitar. The song doesn't take you far, although it surely moves you around nicely while it's paying a visit.

The Austin, Texas, 'band' (the main production team of Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno handle all the instruments on 5 of the 11 tracks, plus Daniel authored all eleven) delivers the goods on each and every track, with a couple of left turns here and there down interesting alleys. "The Infinite Pet" has the rolling piano of Beatles track, "Hey Bulldog", and the melody line of Peggy Lee's "Fever', a strange yet intoxicating formula and following this song is "Was It You?"-- with guests Eddie Roberts on 'creepy bass', and the dynamic analog duo of John Vanderslice and Scott Solter--who also lent their production expertise to the song (the most atmospheric on the album)--on 'rings and feedback' and 'delay drum' respectively.

But do not fear Spoon fans and those who jumped on the bandwagon with their 2002 release, Kill The Moonlight. New songs, "Merchants of Soul", "Two Side of Monsieur Valentine", and the aforementioned, "Sister Jack" and "I Summon You" would not be out of place on their former watermark album. But this is Spoon's new watermark and it's called Gimme Fiction.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>>Spoon can be downloaded from eMusic<<

PARASOL Downloads

Parasol.com began life, I believe, as a music mail-order business, which then grew into a record label. Today it is a-kind-of parent label to a handful of indie imprints: Hidden Agenda, Mud Records, Spur, and Reaction Recordings.

Here is a mix of artists found on the site, more mp3s can be had here and a ton of new music can be found and purchased here, special are here.

Sarge"Detroit Star-lite" from the album Distant
Braid "Harrison Ford" from the album The Age Of Octeen
Wolfie "Yeah Yeah You" from the album Awful Mess Mystery
Fonda "Until The End" from the album Catching Up To The Future
Angie Heaton "It's Easier When You're Here" from the album Let It Ride
Twin Princess "Althea" from the album Complete Recordings
The Gerbils "Fluid" from the album Are You Sleepy?
Shimmer Kids Underpop Association "Burning Bridges" from the album The Natural Riot
Orwell "Fear Of Mars" from the album Following Days
Action "Brain" from the album Rolled Gold

FIZZLE LIKE A FLOOD

I gotta thank music.download.com for exposing me to Doug Kabourek, who is Fizzle Like A Flood. I just found this post saved as a draft from November of last year, better late than never!


+ like wind like rain

Fizzle Like A Flood EP
+ Love the Fuck
+ Rides to Get High

Flash Paper Queen [the 4-track demos]"
+ Ashes to Lashes
+Let's Go Together

K RECORDS

The roots of K Records and the indie label Sub Pop are forever entwined - as KRECS' founder, Calvin Johnson, worked with Sub Pop honcho, Bruce Pavitt, in the early 80's, when Sub Pop was still just a fanzine. A job that surely planted the seed which would become the thriving Olympia, Washington based indie imprint K Records is today.

The Softies [indie/twee pop]
+ beginning of the end
+ Me and the Bees
+ Alaska
+ It's Love
+ The Best Days
+ Tracks and Tunnels

Old Time Relijun [experimental indie pop/rock]
+ Earthquake
+ Siren
+ Vampire Victim
+ vampire sushi

Tender Trap [indie pop]
+ oh katrina
+ Chemical Reaction

Love As Laughter [indie rock]
+ do you believe in alien boredom?

Marine Research [indie/twee pop]
+ hopefulness to hopelessness

Modest Mouse [noise/emo/lo-fi/indie rock]
+dukes up

Chicks on Speed [electronic indie]
+ glamour girl

Little Wings [lo-fi indie pop]
+ next time

LABEL LINK
k records
ARTIST LINKS
marine research
chicks on speed
modest mouse
tender trap
the softies
old time relijun
love as laughter

IndiePages - New Link

A fantastic resource for indie music fans, the ones who like to spend hours online searching out new bands and music, is IndiePages. With an stunning amount of indie band links (and an array of other valuable links concerning music), you could easily waste a large chunk of your life surfing the large green wave which is Indie Pages.

New to the blog roll is IndiePages and if you haven't been... you must go.... now.

MAREK INTERVIEW

Christoph Marek is another musician who could be labelled a bedroom troubadour, an artist who wields absolute control over his art – in this instance, music. Marek created this recording in an insulated and isolated fashion – manning all instruments and devices to produce his debut on the Austrian label, Niesom.

I came across his music months ago when he made contact with me, shortly after I did a post on his music and new album. I have re-posted that piece at the bottom of this interview I conducted with the Austrian via email.

*Sixeyes: This is your first release, your label debut, what was it that pushed you
towards this goal, that gave you the impetus to accomplish what you have? Was
it a friend, an accquaintance, a cash windfall, access to equipment?

Marek: I’ve been making music since I was 13, been involved in several bands and projects, but my ideas where always streamlined by the bands’ mainstream-intentions. I’ve been also recording music as a solo-artist for quite a while, but this is my first step towards artistic freedom which is made public. The actual impetus for this release was the urge to let other people hear my music. The whole thing was enabled by the deal with the Vienna-based label Niesom, which has a very democratic structure.

*S: Is there any one musician that inspired this album, or inspired you to
pursue a musical career?

Marek: There is a vast array of musicians and groups which have influenced my sound. My inspirations range from the obvious singer-songwriters, such as Nick Drake, Will Oldham, Bill Callahan, Morrissey, Ben Gibbard etc. to more experimental stuff like Can, Neu!, Suicide etc. During the last few years I’ve got so bored of the average indie-guitar strumming-shy boy-stuff and got very excited about electronic music, especially the early innocent electro, house-music and more technoid stuff from German labels like Kompakt. Still I’m also touched by the raw emotions of blues singers and various folk classics such as Robert Johnson, Dylan, Guthrie etc.

*S: Have you ever wondered why you create music? Do you need to create? Are
you involved in any other artistic endeavours? i.e. painting, photography,
prose, etc.

Marek: Music is the essence, the centre of my life, other things seem to circle around it. I’m obsessed by the interplay between sounds (and words) and the cultural landscape of pop. Songs keep coming without me asking for them. As far as other artistic endeavours are concerned, I’m doing also a lot of photography, mostly documenting the average. The photos on the sleeve and the art-work of my album were also made by me with some friends of mine helping me with the editing.

*S: Inspiration - how does it come? Is there a more common inspiration,
perhaps novels, films, or day to day life?

Marek: To be frank, the main sources of inspiration are my life and my experiences, these offer enough, not too say too much, to work on. I don’t write about things I’ve not experienced yet; by “experiences” I mean anything your mind makes you believe, that means obsessive deceptions are a kind of basis for songs. Sometimes I am also stimulated by other works of art. For example I once did musical homage to the movie “Klute” by Alan J. Pakula. On the album there is also a cover of Dido’s “white flag”, which I think is a great song.

*S: There are 18 tracks on the CD, a generous amount, did you, as many first
time recording artists do, have a deep well to draw from as far as songs was
concerned? In other words, had you written many songs in the years leading
up to your debut?

Marek: The CD was a try to compile some of the work I’ve done in the past two years. Unfortunately 77 minutes could not cover everything I’ve done. There are many songs waiting in line to be released. Hope I can accomplish this in the near future.

*S: When was the CD recorded, do you feel it truly represents where you are
now musically?(that is if it was recorded a year or more ago)

Marek: The CD was recorded exactly about one year ago, though as I said some of the material is much older. There is no doubt that one grows musically with every fantastic release one puts on the decks, so my musical direction has drifted a bit. My live-performances are a good vehicle for demonstrating this shift.

*S: Now that you have done a completely solo recording (all the credits on the
liner notes are yours!) would you do it all on your own again, or are you
looking forward to working with other musicians or a producer?

Marek: Sure, I’d do it again the same way. However, since I’m torn between being a totalitarian control freak and a laissez faire dilettante I’ll never do your mainstream-hurt noone-album; marek always ends up being a messy and edgy affair. Nevertheless, I’d love to be produced by someone who knows his trade and who’s really into it. My choice of heart would be James Murphy from the DFA. But I’m sure Trevor Jackson, DJ Hell, Rick Rubin or Steve Albini would also do some good work. As far as other musicians are concerned I’m an open platform. For live gigs in Austria I have worked with some friends, but haven’t done that in the studio yet. I find the format of a traditional “rock band” very exhausting and flat, especially as far as touring is concerned. We’ll see what kind of arrangement I’ll find in the future.

*S: Now a little more personal, where were you born and raised, have you got
brothers and sisters? Is it a musical family?

Marek: I was born in Vienna, Austria and raised in a small-town called Graz, still living here for the comfort, but I’m desperate for a change in scenery. We’ll see what happens. I got one brother, whose aims are diametrical to mine. Wouldn’t say that my family is musical, I’m the only one who’s been overpowered by the magic of pop.

*S: Finally, I believe you have studied sociology, has this affected or
coloured the way you approach songwriting or the way you write songs?

Marek: Yes, I’m a sociologist, though I have to admit that I’ve lost my faith in science. Science has influenced my work as a songwriter only to a certain extent. Much more it has affected the way I think about pop-music and culture in general. You’ll find my theoretical view on pop in a book on the actual state of pop-culture and the theory on labels I’m planning to write with Jürgen Hofbauer, fellow musician and one of the founders of the Niesom-label.

*Here is the re-post on Marek...


Every so often I find an innocent looking email sitting in my inbox and I innocently open it hoping it's that dream email from a well-known and respected editor/writer for a well-known and respected music publication pleading with me to come join him in an orgy of indie music freebies and a high six figure income (i said it was a dream ). Or it could be an unknown musician letting me know of his music, of his debut on an obscure European indie label (obscure to me at least), offering to send me a copy of his disc. That's what I got a few days ago.


The young Austrian's name is Marek, Christoph Marek, and the music of his debut album, "It's These Magic Moments That I'm Living For"(label: Niesom), catches the ear, teasing and flickering with a quiet strength. Singing in English with an Americana lilt, one that reminds me of Leon Russell at times (in "Chasin' My Fears' especially ), but a touch softer around the edges than Russell's voice - Marek's music is rich in textures and flourishes - from the string laden "Last Night' to the lo-fi fuzz of "Chasin' My Fears", to the acoustic twang and up all night vocal of the I-need-a-girlfriend-really-badly ballad, 'My Blow-Up Doll'.

The song 'Chasin' My Fears' has the feel of a late night after a few strong drinks - and the singer now sits alone in a hollow bus shelter, clutching his banjo twangy guitar, singing truthfully of his dreams and mistakes to the summer night insects buzzing in the mix. This song also, somehow, brings to mind a mix of the very early Tom Waits and the very current everything-including-the-kitchen-sink Tom Waits.

Download it and his cover of Dido's, 'White Flag', below.

from "It's These Magic Moments That I'm Living For"...
+ Chasin' my fears
+ White flag

Go here to stream four tracks from "It These Magic Moments That I'm Living For"
- when you reach the site, scroll down to page bottom.

New to the Blog Roll :: You Ain't No Picasso

Visit Matt's eclectic mp3 blog, You Ain't No Picasso. Give him some love.

David Garza :: Free EP Download

34 year-old David Garza (pronounced DAH-veed) is a Texas boy... Irving, Texas, who has garnered comparisions to artists as varied as Robert Plant to the late Jeff Buckley. With nine albums released since his 1991 debut, Eyes Wide Open, he has now made available for a limited time a free download of his newest work -- a five song ep entitled, Oh Dread.

Developing a love for the Mexican music he listened to on the radio as a youth, he moved into everything from intimate singer/songwriter to dancable electronic influenced songs over the years... and you can hear these influences and more on the ep.

+ ill troubador

*GO here for the free downloads

Spoon: Gimme Fiction

What Spoon has done as the albums have tumbled by (five albums in the past nine years) is distill their sound, cutting out the unnecessary bits to open up spaces in the music, no doubt experience has produced the confidence to not throw everything they can at the listener. This confidence in their power as a band has in fact given us a Spoon record with strings draped over a number of tracks, but fear not... they in no way detract from the Spoon sound... which is? Britt Daniel's voice and the piano. I have some bad news though, Eggo Johanson does not appear on Gimme Fiction, although Britt Daniel does and he is or was Eggo Johanson, the keyboard player listed in Spoon's 2002 disc, Kill The Moonlight (Daniel didn't want it to appear he was doing everything and he thought the name was funny).

Click to download MP3.

"I Turn My Camera On" has, as so many Spoon songs do, a strong bass and drum foundation laced with funk--Spoon's pop/rock songs make you want to dance or at least try--Daniel comes on with a soulful falsetto, surrounded by in your face percussion right alongside the amped up rhythmic guitar. The song doesn't take you far, although it surely moves you around nicely while it's paying a visit.

Gimme Fiction (Merge) produced by Britt Daniel, Jim Eno, and Nashville-based co-producer Mike McCarthy, will come out on May 10th.

MP3s Courtesy of Spoon...
GIMME FICTION DEMO: I SUMMON YOU
BACK TO THE LIFE (from Kill the Moonlight)
BELIEVING IS ART (from Girls Can Tell)
PAPER TIGER (from Kill the Moonlight)
LINES IN THE SUIT (from Girls Can Tell)
CAR RADIO (from A Series of Sneaks)
MOUNTAIN TO SOUND (from Soft Effects)

Via Australian label 12XU...
Spoon - The Way We Get By mp3 from the CD/LP 'Kill The Moonlight'
Spoon- Something To Look Forward To mp3 from the CD/LP 'Kill The Moonlight'
Spoon - In The Right Place At The Right Time mp3 from the "Jonathon Fisk" CD single,
Spoon_advance cassette.mp3 "Advance Cassette" from the 'A Series of Sneaks' CD.
Spoon-me and the bean.mp3 'Me And The Bean,' from the 'Girls Can Tell' LP.
Spoon-decora.mp3 Spoon's version of Yo La Tengo's 'Decora,' taken from the 'Anything You Want'.
Spoon-everything disco.mp3 "Everything Hits At Once (For Discos)"; the not so radical remix from the 4 track CDS "Everything Hits At Once", original version on the 'Girls Can Tell' CD/LP.
Spoon-anything you want.mp3 'Anything You Want' - rockin' single taken from the 'Girls Can Tell'CD/ LP.
Spoon-i didnt come here to die.mp3 'I Didn't Come Here To Die,' from the 'Loveways' EP.

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | Audiofile

I must give a big thank you to Salon.com's music critic/blogger type guy, Thomas Bartlett. He has put a link to this here MP3 blog on salon's great Audiofile page. It's truly an honour as Salon is a premiere site for many aspects of news, politics, business, and popular culture.

Mr. Bartlett is a great addition to the site and has opened my ears to some fantastic music (he is also a musician to take note of, as i have here).

Thank you, Thomas.

Kittridge Records

While tracking down a song I had just this evening listened to a couple of times on an old burned cd, the song was by The National Splits (mike downey of wolfie and mathlete), I came across the LA based indie label, Kittridge Records. With a roster bolstered by the likes of Wolfie, The Like Young, and of course The National Splits, this is another example of a small high quality record label operating under the radar. Now, when I come to a label site I always look for the link to audio/mp3/sounds/music, however they name their music page, if there is one -- and in Kittridge's case I was not disappointed. Under the heading, audio/video, I found their 2004 label sampler offered as free downloads.

Oh, yeah, the song I was looking for is this one, "The Audio Account", one helluva catchy, lo-fi, indie-pop song that wobbles in just the right places... you'll see, or hear what I mean...

the national splits + the audio account

DOWNLOAD THE '04 KITTRIDGE SAMPLER: (zip file)
1.New Estate "Don't Like The Way" (mp3) info
2.Spraydog "Peardrops"
3.Girlboy Girl "Radiator" (mp3) info
4.The Like Young "Freddy" (mp3) info
5.The National Splits "Remember Action"
6.Going Stagg "Loopy" (mp3) info
7.Paul and Lara "Recover"
8.Scrabbel "Peel Down the Road"
9.Tugboat Fantastic! "Orion's Belt"
10.New Bethel "The Ticket" (mp3) info
11.The Summer In Between "Times Like These"
12.Le PepEs "Perfect Pop Song" (mp3) info
13.The National Splits "Bonus Track"
**A note: you can download all the tracks separately on the Kittridge site, or, if you like, as one lumpy .zip file above.

BLOC PARTY :: Live MP3, Tour, Video

Here's a live mp3 of Bloc Party from this years SXSW...

+ She's Hearing From Voices

*thanks to Grant for the tip.

Here are some streams of Bloc Party's "Banquet" video...

Windows Media
http://wm.atlrec.com/bloc_party/banquet_100.wmv
http://wm.atlrec.com/bloc_party/banquet_300.wmv
http://wm.atlrec.com/bloc_party/banquet_450.wmv

BLOC PARTY TO CONTINUE THEIR TOUR OF THE UNITED STATES:
5/24/05 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
5/25/05 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
5/27/05 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
5/28/05 George, WA @ Sasquatch
6/1/05 San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
6/8/05 Austin, TX @ Stubbs
6/9/05 Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Ballroom
6/10/05 New Orleans, LA @ One-Eyed Jacks
6/11/05 Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown
6/14/05 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
6/15/05 New York, NY @ Webster Hall
6/16/05 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6/17/05 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero

:: Babyteeth ::

Babyteeth are a Chicago trio who give you their own brand of soulful, keyboard soaked, back-up-singers-bolstered, rock. Led by the 'restrained howl to soul sweetened voice' of Pearly Sweets, Babyteeth's frontman and keyboard player (the platonics, bobby conn and the glass gypsies), the band, the others being bassist Jim Cooper (detholz) and drummer Peter Andreadis, make great use of murky, garage-y, organ sounds and the 'spoon-on-cracked-milkbottle' ring of electric piano.

+ dream
+ celebrity wedding

www.babyteethmusic.com

Detholz
+ a.i. agency

www.detholz.com/

Damian Haggar

If you liked the bouncy power pop of studio whiz, Devin Davis, (here) then you may find something to like in the music of Damian Haggar. Also swimming in the power pop pool, Haggar puts a little more sheen onto the music, the recording, he also has some nifty waterwings, namely chamber and baroque pop.These he slips on now and then to keep from sinking too far into the revved up bangle-and-jangle of straight ahead power pop --delivering it all with a voice that's one step removed from a sugary rasp, maybe closer to a honeyed burr, on his album, Half My Mind.

+ half my mind
+ butterfly
[mp3s courtesy of music.download.com]

haggar's website
* you can listen to the entire album on his site.

Sam Prekop: "Something"

Right off this song puts you on edge, makes you a tad uncomfortable with it's off-the-beat percussion -- until Sam Prekop's mellifluous vocal softens the anxiety, like a drink may take the edge off a 'fear of flying' air traveler sitting out on the runway. And the voice is mellifluous, harmonious, make no mistake about it -- Prekop is almost a crooner, he makes it sound too easy. But continue listening and the contrast of the two, the percussion and voice, create a tension found in the most interesting of music -- although most often the tension is released and the listener is rewarded with the chorus. Not here... in Prekop's, "Something", we get a juggling act, even when Prekop steps back and a muted trumpet enters the ragged shimmer of this song, the juggling act continues until it just fades out... like dying sunlight on water.

+ something [mp3] from the new CD, Who's Your New Professor?
courtesy of salon.com's audiofile

Prekop, a member of The Sea and Cake, graced Thomas Bartlett's Audiofile page with a list of what he is listening to and enjoying.

PIXEL REVOLT

John Vanderslice's, Pixel Revolt, it's track list and song sequence have been settled and here they are (don't forget, August 23rd, it will be in your corner stores -- courtesy of Barsuk Records).

1 letter to the east coast
2 plymouth rock
3 exodus damage
4 peacocks in the video rain
5 trance manual
6 new zealand pines
7 radiant with terror
8 continuation
9 dear sarah shu
10 farewell transmission
11 angela
12 dead slate pacific
13 the golden gate
14 crc7173, affectionately

55 minutes
CD/double gatefold 180 gram vinyl

The fourth track was previously titled "High and Low", "Sarah Shu" is now "Dear Sarah Shu", Also, interestingly, the title track "Pixel Revolt" has been re-titled (or switched for another track completely) to "Letter to the East Coast" and a track titled "The Kingdom" is also now absent, or it's a possibility it was re-titled to "Letter to the East Coast".

The behind the scenes machinations of an indie rock auteur and his posse. I can't help but wonder why and how these changes are determined and made.

Antony & the Johnsons :: Tour Dates

from Kathleen.egloos.com

Antony and the Johnsons have announced they intend to conquer the world... or at the least, Europe. Hot on the heels of a North American tour, Antony will take his I Am A Bird Now tour to the European people who will undoubtedly be much more accepting of Antony and his music. I wouldn't be surprised if he became a star while overseas.

04.15.05 - Rotterdam, Holland - Motel Mozaique Festival
04.16.05 - London, England - Queen Elizabeth Hall
04.22.05 - Seattle, WA - Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance *
04.23.05 - Seattle, WA - Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance *
05.02.05 - Milano, Italy - Teatro Ciak
05.03.05 - Roma, Italy - Parco della Musica
05.04.05 - Torino, Italy - Hiroshima Mon Amour
05.05.05 - Sarzana, Italy - Jux Tap
05.06.05 - Faenza, Italy - Teatro Masini
05.08.05 - Catania, Italy - Mercati Generali
05.09.05 - Napoli, Italy - Cortile Maschio Angioino
05.10.05 - Leuven, Belgium - Stuk
05.11.05 - Brussels, Belgium - Les Nuits Botanique
05.13.05 - Oslo, Norway - Bla
05.14.05 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Tragam
05.15.05 - Stockholm, Sweden - Teatern
05.16.05 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
05.17.05 - Malmo, Sweden - KB
05.18.05 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
05.20.05 - Evreux, France - L'Abordage
05.21.05 - Tourcing (Lille), France - Le Grand Mix
05.23.05 - Paris, France - Maroquinerie
05.25.05 - Madrid, Spain - Colegio San Juan Evangelista
05.26.05 - Sevilla, Spain - XV Century Monastery
05.27.05 - Barcelona, Spain - Festival Primavera Sound +
05.29.05 - Porto, Portugal - Casa da Musica
05.30.05 - Famalicao, Portgual - Casa das Artes
05.31.05 - Lisbon, Portugal - Aula Magna
06.11.05 - Nijmegen, Holland - Lux Theatre
06.12.05 - Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso
06.13.05 - Groningen, Holland - Oosterpoort
06.15.05 - Frankfurt, Germany - Main Volkesbuhne
06.16.05 - Stuttgart, Germany - Manufaktur
06.18.05 - Leipzig, Germany - Schaubuhne
06.19.05 - Berlin, Germany - Volkesbuhne
06.20.05 - Hamburg, Germany - Thalia Theater
06.21.05 - Wuppertal, Germany - Forux Maximum at Rex Theater
06.22.05 - Heidelberg, Germany - Karlstorbahnhof
06.26.05 - Birmingham, England - Glee Club
06.27.05 - Bristol, England - Trinity Arts Center
06.28.05 - Manchester, England - Academy
06.30.05 - Edinburgh, Scotland -Liquid Room
07.01.05 - Glasgow, Scotland - Oran Mor
07.02.05 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar
07.03.05 - Belfast, Ireland - The Empire Music Hall
07.06.05 - Madrid, Spain - Viajazz Festival
07.07.05 - Montreux, Switzerland - Miles Davis Hall
07.08.05 -Vienna, Austria - Arkadenhof Rathaus, Vienna Jazz Fest

* On the Boards Festival w/ Devendra Banhart, Cocorosie and William Basinski
+ Festival Primavera Sound

JASON COLLETT

jason collett - photo by Catherine Stockhausen

Jason Collett has a good label home alongside Broken Social Scene and it's arms and legs (apostle of hustle, stars, feist, valley of giants). His 2004 release, Motor Motel Love Songs [Arts and Crafts Productions ], was dramatically overshadowed by Broken Social Scene's 2002 late bloomer, You Forgot It In People, and it's resulting hype-fest (deserved I might add). But Collett's work should not be pushed aside, it demands (in it's own tasteful, muted 'colours-and-tones'way) to be listened to.

motor motel love songs

The song, "It Won't Be Long", gives me the impression of fellow Toronto musician, Hawksley Workman, but with Workman's flair for the dramatic, his explosive voice, held in tight check, the reins cutting furrows into the driver's hands. Another artist Collett brings to mind is a favourite of mine, LA singer/songwriter, Gus Black; who also possesses a warmth in his voice and an obvious talent at penning memorable melodies that slip unnoticed through the back door to make themselves at home on your lumpy couch.

+ it won't be long
*courtesy music.download.com

**sometracks can be streamed here at maplemusic.com

Links...
jason collett
arts and crafts

Gus Black + tomorrow man (acoustic)
from gusblack.com

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS

tony dekker by adrian fish

Toronto based quintet, Great Lake Swimmers, make their American label home at Misra Records, which will thankfully release, stateside, the band's 2003 self-titled debut. A for-the-most-part unknown Canadian outfit, they have drawn some lofty praise from the press:

"Beautiful bittersweet, drifting, late summer melancholia" **** Mojo

"Dekker squares the circle between Nick Drake, early Neil Young and Will Oldham" **** Uncut

Led by singer/songwriter, Tony Dekker, whose melancholy vocals seemingly float above the music, Great Lake Swimmers are a rustic, pioneer orchestra drifting across a wilderness lake, with Dekker's vocal the devoted missionary sent forth to gather in those that have lost touch or faith in the Holy Trinity mentioned above by Uncut magazine.

Sounding like a rural choirboy who has grown up and out of boyhood and into a neighbourhood of ethereal folk, inhabiting a country of alternative flavours -- Dekker describes the band this way:
"We are basically a quiet, alt–country flavored, independent band who play thoughtful, shaky folk music,” says Dekker. “Come and see us if you’d like to have a quiet night out.” -- From this article by Michelle Lobkowicz.

Their most recent work, 2005's Bodies and Minds, is out now in Canada and will swim onto US shelves in August.

I can't believe this, but... I put this post up about 5 and a half hours ago without any mp3s!! Here they are (thanks to caley for reminding me in the comments)...

+ Moving Pictures Silent Films
+ I Will Never See the Sun
*both from misra records

Great Lake Swimmers
Misra Records
weework records
fargo records (EU)

David Fridlund: Amaterasu

The *sixeyes review of Amaterasu can now be found here.

Aimee Mann :: New MP3

May 3rd will mark the day Aimee Mann's latest release, a concept album, hits the street. Titled The Forgotten Arm, her website describes it as, ... "the musical equivalent of a novella" ... ... "a dozen songs that tell, rather loosely, the story of John and Caroline as they meet, fall in love and road trip across America."



+ dear john
from The Forgotten Arm

FINAL FANTASY (MP3)

owen pallett - photo from kathrynyu.com

*this is a re-post - done because of the free + legal mp3 now available.

A university trained pianist/composer and self taught violinist, Owen Pallett is now an indie Canuck punk getting a lot of indie-centric online pixel space. Going by the 'way too computer/video game related' nom de plume, Final Fantasy, he is also a prime member of Canadian indie band, Les Mouches, and sometime collaborator to mp3 blog darlings, The Arcade Fire (being responsible for Arcade Fire's string arrangements on their disc, Funeral). Pallet has also been working with Toronto's Hidden Cameras and Three Gut Records artist, Jim Guthrie; and recently released his own work, titled 'final fantasy has a good home!!!!!!!!!! 'on Toronto's own Blocks Recording Club.

Having been privy to only a few songs off the disc, of which, "The Dream of Win and Regine", "Furniture", "The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead", "Please Please Please", and "Adventure.Exe", are sitting on my own hard drive; I am for the most part disappointed by what I am hearing. So much so that I didn't think twice at passing up the opportunity to catch Pallett live just this past week. But I have to say "Please Please Please", with it's stuttering martial beat and it's ecstatically shouted, Please! Please! Please!, builds nicely and isn't half bad.

From what I have read, when performing live his music is built on playing violin over pedal loops he records(gimmick) and his singing. On the new recording he adds full band arrangements to his trusted and reliable fiddlin' and his, oooh... not so reliable singing. While many indie bands flaunt strange, eccentric, and self-aware vocals-- Pallett's vocals are none of the above. His voice is thin, weak, and presents the slightest resemblance of character on the song, "Furniture", and yet, oddly, it is somewhat more pleasing on "The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead" and "Please Please Please". On the positive side I will say this, the music I have heard is interesting, but is not ground breaking-- it seems the method of delivering the songs is more impressive than the songs themselves. These songs don't bring any word to mind as much as jaunty. Jaunty indie chamber pop, without the chamber-- a curious mix of Broadway song and dance, classical, indie artistry, and at times a megaphoned 1920s crooner.

As for the name, Final Fantasy... the word 'fantasy' is defined as, imagination unrestricted by reality . Well, Pallett's music is most definitely restricted by the reality of his vocal talent-- as for his imagination, that doesn't seem to have been held back by this limitation-- although my overall view could change if or when I finally get a chance to hear the entire disc... but I doubt it.

The Final Fantasy? Let's hope not.

+ the CN tower belongs to the dead
courtesy of www.tomlab.de - final fantasy's new EU label.

Clogs / Brassland

I was remiss in not mentioning that The National, now on Beggars Banquet (where you can stream Alligator in it's entirety, btw), previously called the indie label Brassland, their American home. Brassland is an interesting indie label, owned in part by The National's Dessner brothers, Aaron and Bryce, along with writer Alec Hanley Bemis, it features a small, but eclectic mix of highly talented artists on its roster. Artists from cellist Erik Friedlander to the Aussie/Yank foursome Clogs, of which The National's guitarist, Bryce Dessner, is a member.

Clogs music is for the most part instrumental, you could call it indie-classical; although many indie music fans would find their sound so foreign, some would term it experimental. Putting forth music of this type almost seems an experiment, surely an experiment in love and faith, as playing the rich music that Clogs do they can't be in it for the fame and fortune. Clogs' songs brings to mind music scored for film, but pieces such as the song "Pencil Stick", would simply overpower most film scenes. And in a reversal of roles, the light and shadow on screen would be the nearly subliminal undercurrent embellishing the striking music being heard.

Clogs other members are Padma Newsome, Rachael Elliot, and Thomas Kozumplik, with all bringing a solid grounding in classical music to the band, as well as some members contributing knowledge of jazz and rock. Their most recent release is Stick Music (2004), with two previous offerings being Thom's Night Out (2001) and Lullaby for Sue (2003), therefore you have much music to discover and enjoy.

+ pencil stick
from STICK MUSIC
+ i'm very sad
from THOM'S NIGHT OUT

Visit Brassland through the link below for music and video of their artists.

clogs website
brassland website
the national website

The National - 'Alligator'

Matt Berninger (seated left) and his band mates are mining dark territory. There are things going on beneath the surface of everyday lives and The National drags them into their musical light; like a kid dragging his feet in the beach sand, stirring up tiny, sharp twigs... just waiting for a pale, soft unsuspecting foot.

Formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, the band consists of two pairs of brothers playing in and around Berninger's vocals -- Aaron Dessner (guitars, bass) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (guitar; bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). With two full-length albums (2001's s/t The National / 2003's Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers) and 2004's critically acclaimed Cherry Tree ep, Alligator (beggars banquet), will mark a welcome return to the long player format for fans. Set to be released April 12th, Alligator will be a great opportunity for the uninitiated to discover their music and Berninger's talented lyrical twist. He also possesses a baritone of dark timbre, not unlike Tindersticks Stuart Staples, but wholly American -- Staples oozes British gloom, he drips with a hollow, morose charm that has been left to age in a cold, dark, stonewalled cellar; whereas Berninger, who may also sing to you from shadows, from the dark, is equal parts foreboding and charm -- Staples floats in on a creepy sadness and Berninger strides in, with some sadness, yes, but also horny and ready and willing to kick some ass.

alligator

On Alligator you will find the song, "All The Wine", led by guitars chiming and softly twanging, then the drums step in, knocking the singer out of his chair to tell us "... i'm put together beautifully... i'm a perfect piece of ass, like every Californian... so tall i take over the street, with high beams shining at my back... a wing span unbelievable, i'm a festival, i'm a parade.... and all the wine is all for me...". One of the best lines in the song is "... i'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls...".

+ all the wine
courtesy salon.com's audiofile

"Wasp Nest" is the lead off track from The National's 7 song EP entitled Cherry Tree (Brassland US - Talitres EU). The song opens with a ringing buzz of bells, the way wasps would buzz above your sleepy head, hidden in thick green leaves wrapped about dark branches - as you awaken on a summer afternoon. When The National's Matt Berninger begins to sing, he sounds the way you do once or twice a year when you're nursing a cold and the Benylin begins to wear off - the way you wish your voice would stay, but without the sore throat, the runny nose, you know... you've been there. It's a sonorous voice, quietly strong and confident, a voice that walks softly, but carries a big stick. Let me give you a bit of advice, let him hit you with that stick - let him beat you about the skull with it. It won't hurt... trust me.

+ wasp nest
mp3 courtesy of the national

from earlier recordings...
+ cold girl fever
+ murder me rachael
mp3s courtesy of the national

The National: Alligator: Review

The National: Alligator
[Beggars Banquet - 2005]
*Sixeyes Score: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Alan Williamson

Alligator's opening number, "Secret Meeting", has the oft-repeated line, "I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain." You may not know it, but you've been invited or dragged along to this meeting; and this is the group support meeting of all group support meetings. Forget Edward Norton's character in Fight Club, addicted to support meetings for everything under the sun, forget what he saw and heard; this is a meeting between a man and his reflection... with a stark, bare bulb swinging back and forth above his troubled head. Although if you are familiar with just a part of this bands catalogue, then you know this is their territory.

The National's Alligator did show dark promise with early previews of the tracks, "All The Wine" and "Abel". But repeated listening to the album has exposed cracks; in Matt Berninger's singing, in the songs themselves, and even in the "...perfect piece of ass..." belonging to the singing narrator of "All The Wine". In fact, this is the first album of The National's I have had a chance to listen to in whole (no pun intended). Previous exposure was random mp3s found online, and these were for the most part very memorable songs, "Wasp Nest", "Murder Me Rachael", and "Son".

Yes, Berninger has a fascinating voice, but it clearly has its limits and they become evident over the playing of an entire album. He can also turn a nice phrase from time to time, but he underscores them with lines as bland as the good ones shine. Vocally, he is, in Hollywood parlance, a 'personality', as opposed to a gifted thespian. Jeff Buckley was a gifted thespian, a musical Brando, Clift, or Dean. Berninger is more a-kin to a movie 'star', his 'personality' shines on record, he's a John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart, even closer still to a B-movie star like Ronald Reagan (I'm trying to avoid current movie stars here).

This album is a slow grower and if the atmospheric music generated by the dual brother pairings of the Dessners and the Devendorfs, or the misleadingly laid-back rumble of Berninger's vocal doesn't grab you right off, you may not give this disc the chance it needs to take root. It's a good record, one that some will label great... just not me.

*Alligator can be downloaded from emusic*

the clientele: 'reflections after jane'

This song comes at you through water. The sound waves slowed and liquefied as you float down through a pools sparkling chlorine. As the donut shop napkins in your cargo pants pockets become bloated and heavy you find your back on pool's bottom--flickering sunshine fading into the grey of English summer skies. You slipped into the water a smiling beach boy and hit bottom an innocence-lost adult; wrestling free of your clothes and worries, you climb from the pool a little of both. You are now a mix of sun and cloud... and so is The Clientele's "Reflections After Jane".

A lovely song.

Thanks to salon.com's audiofile for exposing me to it.

+ reflections after jane [free+legal MP3]