noise for toaster: this is how it works.

Rogue Wave, St. Vincent, Wilco, Tegan & Sara: shan whips out the mixtape.

2007-08-14T11:49:00.000-04:00

hello my devotees (because i like to pretend i have them),

i'm just twittering off this note to let you know i am not yet in season. it's august, and the tomatoes are doing their thing. i'm doing a lot of traveling in the next couple of weeks and i figure labor day weekend is a good time to come back in full swing.

so until then, here's a little mix tape of my Current Top Recommendations (she whips out the bold and everything) -- because if for some reason you aren't already really, really into them, it's high time that you are.

Rogue Wave - Asleep At Heaven's Gate (preview)
Rogue Wave is a very special thing to me. i mean, very special. in the world of independent music, they may very well be my Favorite Band... as in, they make the very small list of bands in my prefs before i just smash the whole thing with an ellipsis. also, i think i've cried at every live performance i've seen of them (did i really just admit that?).
this is why i have mixed feelings about their album leaking. you're always stoked for music ahead of its release date -- until it happens to you. and that's sort of what this feels like. i feel like going out on September 18th and buying six copies, just to aleviate my guilt.
here's my point: if you haven't been aquainted with the fellows of Rogue Wave, now is the time to do so. their music stitches itself into your little fibers and stays there, changing you. no, it really does. beyond beautiful harmonies, haunting progressions of pure pop euphoria. they are incredible masters of sound.
::::i will only do the right thing and give you their single.
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
Rogue Wave - Are You On My Side - from their last album, Descended Like Vultures. in giving you this song i feel like i am giving away a deep secret of mine. this song is beyond description.
myspace, hype machine

St. Vincent - Marry Me
if you haven't already been seduced by the spirited, spritely, spunky being that is St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark), shame on you. all summer this lady carried both my sense of humor about life and my wonder for good, unexplored musical talent. she is refreshing like only a fellow female can be (i do mean that!) and she's fucking brilliant. choral and electronic elements hold hands with grungy, sexy love notes in a marriage (har har) of swanky pop wonder, with bountifully quotable lyrics to boot. it's too late to do the review i'd like to, but suffice to say this gets my Absolutely Tip Top Music Of Summer 2007, Hands Down award. (Rogue Wave isn't out yet!!)
::::exclamation of how much i love this album and this girl goes here.
St. Vincent - Now Now - this song might be everywhere, but i wouldn't be true to Toaster if i didn't make this your sample mp3 today. this is the song i have played and played and played until poor Annie probably didn't want to sing "I'm not" ever again. you will hear this song and you will need more.
myspace, the hype

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
oh, you know. you know. it's Wilco, for crying out loud. Jeff Tweedy. the man knows his music like you and i know the corners of our refigerator -- we open the door, and everything is familiar, everything is ours, everything may not be stitched to our memory banks (when did i buy this jar of capers?) but we can feel it, we have it, it is nourishing and ready for our use or disposal at any time. and if you think the refrigerator analogy is way in left field, it's okay, because no one can stand up to Sky Blue Sky's intensely amazing lyrics (par for the course). i could sit here all day going song by song and telling you my favorite parts. it does that to you -- you want to get into it, dissect everything, then let it wash over you. sing along. the quintessential alt country, and good god, it never disappoints.
::::just keeps getting better.
Wilco - You Are My Face - i have always loved how a single Wilco song can take so many directions in just five+ minutes. this is one of the greatest examples.
myspace, the hype

Tegan and Sara - The Con
no one is more surprised than i am exactly how much i like this album. T & S are an anamoly in my "typical" likes and dislikes -- but i guess they always have been. my love affair with their 2004 release So Jealous was fierce and brief, leaving (like usual) their imprint on an era and a passed time. The Con may very well do the same, but i don't think so -- not this time. something about relating to their upfront angst, their raw emotions, the tell-all lyrics and their inescapably girlish attitudes. yet there's also something about them that renders their music sexless, above that bullshit, on a plane far and well above a hype or a story. it's good. it grabs you. and you can just play it on loop, all day long.
::::take it from the title track.
Tegan & Sara - The Con - this song will bang on your head until it gets stuck in there for a good long glorious time.
myspace, the hype

woo! all done. this is really a list of Most Listened To the last month or few months or however long it's really been. i feel like i've been true to you, dear Readers Of NfT, in getting all of that out (even if you've already heard these songs a hundred times). now i can go on in peace these next few weeks and i'll be back sooner than you'd like (considering i'll be coming in with Labor Day...)

love and work holidays for all,
shan

Maritime and infectious singles

2007-08-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

so this is me..... jumping on the bandwagon. yep. right now, grabbing ahold of the side, hoisting myself up, swinging my legs over. taking off. here we go.

band Maritime (together now: who the hell are these guys?) came out of nowhere to bring up and bang around two of the catchiest tunes i've heard in a while. but not that kind of catchy -- i'm talking sweaty, grumbly, yeah-whatever rock catchy. isn't nonchalance so exciting?

the birth of broken bands The Dismemberment Plan (i so remember them) and The Promise Ring (not so much), indie label darlings Flameshovel Records picked them up, dusted them off and let them create. their first record We, The Vehicles flew well under my radar, but with the stuff dripping out of their forthcoming Heresy And The Hotel Choir, i'm not going to be able to shut them off.

you can get the tunes just about anywhere right now, but why not just get it here? you can jump up right behind me. plenty of room on this here bandwagon. come on now.
::::my favorite is this one, so here you are: Maritime - For Science Fiction

- myspace
- wiki bit
- label page

new Sunset Rubdown mp3s. the real thing.

2007-08-03T08:58:00.000-04:00

fresh.

you have me at first listen, here, which is usually an uncomfortable feeling from this reviewer's perspective. but so far i'll say i'm not only frustratingly impressed with the directions Krug has taken this project, but i'm also really delighted in his influences -- some choral elements, some big-band sounds, some vocal progressions which are (dare i say it?) a little like Sufjan. but that never, ever hurts. in fact, for Krug, it balances something harsh which knocks down a whole bunch of gates and makes him (somehow) even more wonderful than before.

but no more for now. a letter, in true shan-style (i've got swagger), to keep you busy before i've got everything i want to say about Random Spirit Lover.

dear Spencer Krug,

your voice is all of my confusion and desperation rolled into a vitamin-tongue and i take you liberally in order to ensure i will live a good, long life. you have a way with words and music that both delights me and makes me sad, like a fabulous piece of candy that must begin but must also end, ephemeral and vanished. you see, undeniably, it is those moments of NEW SOUND ringing in my ears, clamoring up my neck and into the canals of my brain like so many ferocious children, which make me love you the most. and when those children lay down to rest and i have found every nook and cranny of their daunting newness, that is when i turn them away. and that is when i turned away Shut Up (they were dreaming).

this note, however, is a Thank You. because you are Spencer Krug, and because that vitamin-tongue of yours will not stay put, and you must -- and you have -- keep producing. hello! hello, Random Spirit Lover. i can feel the children climbing again, nipping at my earlobes, hanging on and hoisting themselves in...

you will run rampant for days. and during this time your Newness will supply me with perfect company for that confusion and ripe mayhem. the candy wrapper is only now coming off, and you will have your album review, and you will have my head spinning with your only just-accessible [hush] genius, and we won't worry, for now, about that time when the closing music for "Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns" will play over and over and over and the little sound-children will dizzy themselves into a cyclone of energy and build and build and run and --

stop. and like Shut Up i will give you away to a time period, set you as a soundtrack to a feeling and a place. oh Krug. you are like sea salt caramels. who else will ever say that to you.

again, a Thank You -
the rustling of plastic -
shan.

::::you'll have your "normal review" (all of you picky, logical people) but i need some time, and you must have your song!
~~Sunset Rubdown - The Courtesan Has Sung~~ - instantly loveable -- a newish quality, wouldn't you say?
~~Sunset Rubdown - Stallion~~ - deep, beautiful. twilight zone lives on. lovely build and finish.
(had to take 'em down)

heavy intake:
- sunset in a studio and (other) Free Songs: thank your lucky stars for Daytrotter
- sunset on their label page (yay, Jagjaguwar!)
- anything you can find (surprisingly sparse) on the hype

love me, dears. i'll be back with this one.

Fionn Regan - The End Of History

2007-08-02T14:14:00.000-04:00

i chose this pic because it's what his music sounds like. believe me.

there are artists and lead singers whose lyrics mean more to them than the music they overlap. recently i can think of Voxtrot as being so guilty -- i can also site the vast majority of popular emo bands, perhaps occasionally the almost-infallible matt pond, and Jason Mraz as fellow contenders in this "wordplay." i think an important balance has to be struck between the message and the artwork behind it -- both in terms of the language and, hello, the notes and chords it takes to get there. oh, balance! oh, picky ears! and then, the plight of the outgoing lyricist: will we forgive John Roderick his humor in order to get to his depth, or Conor Oberst his pain in order to get to his quiet serenities? will we let ourselves dig into the bottomless lines Jeff Tweedy laughs in our direction? and then do we, as patient listeners, have to decide between those words and their sound?

so i ruminate after my twentieth listen of Fionn Regan. his work appeared on the scene while i was still disappeared (grammar intentional) -- and so, new to my ears, i have taken a different approach to dissecting what i've heard. regarding the above i can tell you that, at first listen, i am (nearly) always a sound person. yes! i have made that personal distinction, i have decided between those words and their sound. notice you will never read my dissection of "what the lyrics say." notice i usually don't care. notice i usually speak figuratively about sound, the mood it puts me in, the times and places it reminds me of, the pictures it conjures and the inspiration i gather. it's only after many listens -- it's only when i find a record with intense staying power -- that i begin to grab onto the lyrics and say, i can hear what this song is telling me. funny, coming from someone whose whole business is words. or is that to save me from my own high expectations? hmmmm.

but Fionn saves himself, as far as i'm concerned, from walking the fine line between the lane and the gutter with a style that highlights both sound and lyrics. he manages to have his words be heard immediately (no chance for this Sound Girl to ignore Lyrics Boy) but nothing is compromised, nothing is lost. the poor Irishman has the name "Conor Oberst" graffitied all over him before you even get to listen to his record -- and sure, he sounds a little like Bright Eyes, but i have to tell you that i like him more. (gasp.) i think he has enough of Sondre Lerche ("Penny") in him, enough Teitur ("Abacus," "Noah"), enough stuff for me to say -- well! let me just hear that one more time. and i have. and i will.

what this brings up, of course, is still the quality of sound. he is instantly atmospheric in a way that Iron and Wine can be. it's not just that pensive plucking of the guitar, but also a confidence in his pace, an innate sense of himself and his style. he also lacks the desperation that i get when listening to his ever-present Oberst comparison (trust me, or i wouldn't have been able to listen to him the other nineteen times). the fluidity of his voice, the sweet darkness, the slight croon: all of these things say, Oh, I know myself enough to sing. and i say, Oh, sing it just a little more.

::::the net has been all over "the Irish Bright Eyes," so i don't pretend to be the first, but i like his shit a lot.
Fionn Regan - Be Good Or Be Gone - available everywhere, but i want to make it available here just in case you haven't been sold yet -- because this will undoubtedly do the job.
Fionn Regan - The Underwood Typewriter - listen to this with headphones.
Bonus (we're fresh back, might as well give you the most)
Fionn Regan - The End Of History - it is, after all, the title track. stick with this one, again with the headphones, and i promise you'll hear... more.

looking for more? i know you are. that's why you've still got the hype (oh, it feels good to be back!) and Fionn's brave myspace (listening post) where you can explore what it means to be Fionn. remember! i am the Album Girl! and that means you best buy the whole thing if you like the small taste of what you get. and though i'm not happy to do so, it's easiest (as usual) to point you in the direction of itunes for the quick fix.

what a long, strange dream i've had.

2007-07-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

oh, my.

well. imagine me, little me, tapping on a microphone in a loud room. you are all bustling and hustling and moving very fast, talking louder, yelling over the sounds and beats which clash in a cacophony called Headache. ah the noise, the noise(!), the noise the noise the noise

and suddenly, the Noise is now in capitals, and the crowds start to part, and it is the Noise for toaster (for who?) for Toaster, damn it, and it is me at the microphone tap tap tapping AHEM!

hello. welcome back. this is the blog, it is about my great fish (alive and well!) Sir Toaster, and it is my duty to bring him the music which he cannot find for himself. it's been a stormy few months (you wouldn't believe me if i told you the whole story) but the fact is, we're back, and as much as we're treading the ocean, we're still in it for the fish.

come on back. the water's fine.

Feist - The Reminder: Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

2007-03-05T17:50:00.001-05:00

the unmistakable Feist has managed a move i truly didn't think was possible. somehow, in the spirit of both her old fans and her new, she produced a record that wavers, ever and always, between accessible and Feist. her country twangs, jamborees, pop madness, and mastered spunk ties it all up with a ribbon, beckoning: "i didn't pay attention to any of you," she says. fame will come her way regardless - bare shoulders and microphone seduction or no. she will damn well do as she please. thankfully.

her wavering vocals, ever a wave of pressure and relief, stop and go, swing and release, come through as the sensual tie to her somewhat western-prairie sound. her range of capability is always astounding, as she goes from the driving and addictive single to the haunting and moving "The Water," in which a minimalist landscape of instruments drives her sorrowful declarations over wind and plain. album opener "So Sorry" is one of her classically Feist-sounding numbers, which still seem updated and playful, a little dramatic and perfectly sarcastic, especially next to the fireside tune "Sea Lion Woman," complete with claps and soulful echoes, which rises into a perfect guitar jamboree, tambourines and nearly scatting vocals. she certainly drew on wild influences for the feel of this album, which has taken her jazz influences and slid even deeper into a world of alternative country and cowgirl blues. in my constantly moving mind, this is the perfect soundtrack to a trip west, a bumping van, bare feet, passing hours with a guitar and singing true to all the hope and emotion of moving onwards. go, Feist, and your audiences will follow.

::::Even Cowgirls Get The Blues.
Feist - So Sorry
Feist - Past In Present
Feist - One Two Three Four (hidden catchy gem)
[more on the hype machine]

[removed by DMCA request, before anyone really noticed they were there.]

this album drops April 23rd in Europe, and May 1st for silly US and Canada. i know you will have preordered your copy already (i'll be so mad if you don't) and really, i mean it, you're going to swoon.
~~(RIAA/DMCA countdown, anyone?)~~

Field Music repost - bonus video

2007-02-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

with just five minutes to post today, i want to repost on a band that really stood out from almost everything i found last year and has made it to at least six spots on my crazy iTunes "Top 25 Most Played" playlist. whoopee, i know. they're really quite something, these guys, and i hope they make it very big (but not big enough to ruin it, like, oh, The Shins).
[original post]

lovely, jangly, poppy, happy and British, but not the Kooks (by any means). your ears perk, yes? and they should. they are Field Music, and they're back with a new full-length LP (UK readers: "you have it?" US readers: "who?"), called Tones Of Town. this thing is amazing. i'm going to go ahead and tell you it's the best pop i've heard from overseas all year, just to make a point. they take their cue from old giants (Beatles) and the mediocrity of today's Kooks and mix it with a new depth to take much more seriously. they're talented as hell, expertly employing a wide range of sounds (strings!) and producing a complete work of art, often stringing songs together, flowing one into the next almost undetectably (until you try to pick mp3s to share). Tones Of Town has been the perfect remedy to pick me up in the face of this ever-colder city, snapping my steps to a new beat that just won't leave my head. oh, i promise you a good time. you'll be so glad you believed me.

::::take 'em for a spin:
Field Music - Give It Lose It Take It
-- this is the first track of the album. i hadn't heard anything from the album, and i was walking out of my building as this started, and i paid particular attention to the opening. i was so surprised when the music started up after the bells, and was instantly hooked. watch out at 40 seconds in... and just let the beatles influence floor you. a minute:thirty in and you'll see just why they're so fucking good.
Field Music - Working To Work
-- seventh track presents a catchy-as-hell breakdown, a slightly more simplified arrangement, and quite simply a great song. the Brits in them shine through here, and a little Paul McCartney...
BONUS:Field Music - She Can Do What She Wants
-- it was so impossibly hard not to give you this entire album, i'm telling you. instead, i closed off this line-up with their intended closer, which is just such a great song. oh, man. fantastic lead-in, irresistable harmonies, tambourine, strings (keyboard-produced or no) - oh, luscious. and it will be stuck in your head for the next five years.
edit: this is now probably my very favorite song by them.

::::for all of you lovely Field Music fans! i have bonus material, here - a great video of the band playing this very song live, which is a great way to see the band without leaving your chair. i just love videos, don't you?
Field Music - She Can Do What She Wants.mpg

i mean, this whole album is so incredible it almost makes me angry. it's this frustration that i know not every reader will pick up these tracks, that not everyone will believe me, that i'll fail in conveying my honest passion for the music i've found. but that's the gig here, i guess.

the hype will only grow and grow, so check there often for more and more tracks (so you can believe me, really).
also, tell them hi on their myspace, and listen to good songs.

new Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob

2007-02-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

to be perfectly honest, i wasn't a very big fan of Kaiser Chiefs until very recently. their lyrics often made me laugh -- as, yes, they're supposed to -- but i was never quite into their songs. i found nothing more to latch onto than a nudging sense of "aw, aren't these Brits cute," and nothing grabbed me. i had no reason to play Employment over and over until i fell on the floor with it.

but now? i'm pretty sure they've taken lessons in catchiness, grabby tunes, and most of all -- voice. it might be me, but this seems to be the strongest change from their first album to now, what i'm happy to present to you: Yours Truly, Angry Mob.

::::they've really caught on to the addictive tune-making.
Kaiser Chiefs - Heat Dies Down
Kaiser Chiefs - Love Is Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)
Bonus: ~~Kaiser Chiefs - Boxing Champ~~
- a real treat. a little piano ditty that breaks up the speed of the rest of the album.

[removed by DMCA request.]

check out the rest, including the single "Ruby," at the hype

honestly, the more i heard of this album, the more impressed i was with who this band has become. they really know their stuff this time, and they've produced just a terrific record. it's definitely still the same post-punk, Brit-rock style with all of their little art-rock influences jammed in there. but, like all bands that have the spotlight, they've insisted on maturing slightly -- turning up the quality, revising old beats that worked so well for them. this is an extremely successful release, including their demandingly catchy single, "Ruby," which hopefully you snagged from us a couple months ago. all in all, really looking forward to this album and the super-status they'll continue to get, both across the pond and "in the states."

kaiser chiefs on myspace
now - this album comes out next week in the UK and the US and is available for pre-order at this very minute! go get your copy now.

new Kings Of Leon - mp3 tripleblast

2007-02-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

let me first just remind you that, pretty much as always, my Number One Goal is to stress the importance and the significance of the album. that means the whole thing, Track Uno to 10 or 12 or 15 or whatever. this is how, in my opinion, real bands get to prove themselves -- by showing an understanding of a range of styles, a coherent sense of composition and arrangement, and most of all, a commitment. an album is a commitment to a musician's artwork and should uphold whatever expectations they set out for themselves and for their listeners. granted, this is all very subjective, and i should really write up an essay or something sometime, just so i don't have to bore you mid-post.

that said! in relation to the upcoming Kings Of Leon, i can't do anything but rave about "the whole album" until my voice is hoarse (or moreso than it is already) and just continue to make myself out to be That Blogger Who Really, Really Likes Everything She Posts. so, instead of go over just how impressed i am by all of Because Of The Times, i'd rather just give you the first three songs, which i've been playing on repeat.

::::~~Kings Of Leon - Knocked Up~~
- - boy, just when i thought maybe my obsession with opening tracks was dying down a little. i'm so impressed with this song that i played it over three times before i even got to the rest of the album, first time around. first off, it's seven minutes long, and it stays good the entire time. i haven't seen anything like that since, i suppose, Destroyer's "Rubies." this song gently climbs in, rolls along like A Dusty Plain, and in sweeps The Songbird with a lonely, desperate, core-grabbing call (translation: low repetitive guitar, insert stanzas of - well, i think flute - for a real southern-rock thing). not to mention the lyrics - woo.

::::~~Kings Of Leon - Charmer~~
after 7:10 of the above preparation, we get old Kings flair (suggestive of their live performances) with this addictive tear into the rock scenery. man, the sex and swagger in Caleb's voice when he comes reeling in with "she's such a charmer - oh no." the old-time rock riffs mixed with that impending sense of urgency and Trouble Ahead make for one of the very best songs on the whole album.

::::~~Kings Of Leon - On Call~~
ah. the single. you know what i have to say about this song? it's the dog's bollocks. (is that correct? is this something people still say? Eddie, my man, have you made me corny?) i honestly have a tendency to dismiss singles as the band's way of selling themselves, and not necessarily appropriately reflecting their preferences, capabilities, etc. (Modest Mouse - Dashboard? i think yes!) but "On Call" is not just a properly catchy rock tune -- it's so, so well done, and it fits in so seemlessly with its surroundings that i didn't jump up and say "aha! i spotted the single!" the moment i heard it. if you haven't already, this is at least the track to get your hands on.

[removed by DMCA request.]

i will never apologize for being long-winded. at least, not too much. get ready for linkage...
- KOL on wiki, in case you haven't had the pleasure.
- their myspace, with fancy words and noises 'n stuff.
- this awesome fansite, called happy alone, which is awesome mainly because i haven't stumbled on anything like this for bands i deal with in a LONG time. check this out, yo.

lastly, PRE-ORDER. this album will rock your world. yes, just as cheesily as i make it sound.

p.s. those kinds of titles amuse me. i tried it on for size for today, just to see how it looked. i should have used italics somewhere.

limited time offer - NIN leak three

2007-02-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

some of you may think this is just getting out of hand now, and i can understand that. if you have any complaints, you may file them here and i'll take them into consideration before posting about it again, but for now i feel like i'm almost obligated to keep you updated.

for the most comprehensive summary of the web sites, stories, conspiracies, and whatever else is part of this supposed viral marketing campaign, i'd like to direct you to this link: echoing the sound.

if you want the just the basics, another flash drive was found in a bathroom at a Nine Inch Nails show. this time it was Barcelona. it contained two mp3s; one was another track off Year Zero, the other part of this increasingly weirder story. the non-album mp3, simply labeled 2432.mp3, contains only what sounds like a bunch of noise. when viewed in a program that can produce a spectral analysis, this is the result:

[click for full screen view]

it's a very clear phone number. strange? call it and be prepared to be at least a little freaked out: 216.333.1810

::::get it while it's hot
~~NIN - Me, I'm Not~~
~~[NIN] 2432~~

[album track removed upon RIAA request. ~~the static track will stay up in case you're curious.~~ 2432 has been removed upon DMCA request.]

i'm very serious when i say that these will not be up for very long; you probably have about two days to get here and grab them. we were requested to remove My Violent Heart and we don't want it to get to that point.

new The Sea And Cake for 2007

2007-02-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

so far, 2007 is an insane year for music, and especially already-established bands. albums are leaking every which way (Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, Frog Eyes....), "indie" acts are overturning "pop" acts to debut at 12 on the Billboard album charts (Bloc Party, anyone?), and even random bands that i found way back in the day are trying out their careers all over again. look at this! The Sea And Cake. no, no, i'm not even remotely kidding. i guarantee not one person knows this, but i blogged on this band as the fourthish post ever on NfT [...here, cough.] and now here they are, totally unexpected, with a new album for 2007.

even the artists themselves recognize how very instrumentally straight-forward they've become, and i think we're all pretty happy with the result. my favorite release of theirs, Oui (2000), was a very mellow, jazzy endeavor which brought up their Broken Social Scene comparison (especially vocally, think "Looks Just Like The Sun") and started the reputation they have for being an alternative and electronic-elemented shoegaze act. well now, with 2007's efforts, they've come back with all of that same flair, now tightened and peppy, poppy like the sunshine variety and yet still delectably jazzy. i'm so excited about this record, as it's really quite good, and it completely breaks up my wintery day with a brightening little jaunt of melody, but my Chicago-native friends here are just like I am: their pleaded case is for "the album," not for "the single," and therefore they are a band after my own heart/philosophy. i highly recommend you give the whole thing ago -- they've really got something good with Everybody.

::::get down, get groovy, lighten up.
The Sea And Cake - Crossing Line
The Sea And Cake - Middlenight

Bonus: The Sea And Cake - Lightning
catch up with the hype (as it will rise) on none other than the hype itself.

if you're a little unfamiliar with the band (they've been around since 1994), there's an extremely helpful wiki article. their label has a great bio as well. hang on to your hats, though, because the album drops a long ways away, on May 8th - i'm just giving you a taste now, to get you all riled up. remember, it's the album you're waiting for! and this is its tracklist, and you all take a gander, now, and take care.

"Up on Crutches"
"Too Strong"
"Crossing Line"
"Middlenight"
"Coconut"
"Exact to Me"
"Lightning"
"Introducing"
"Left On"
"Transparent"

WESH

2007-02-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

for those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, you can completely ignore this post.

for those of you involved with the WESH forums, we'd like to thank you for your time and ask that you move on. cleverness and obstinacy are clearly your strong points, and there's nothing wrong with that, but know when to stop.

i would actually be glad to join regular discussion on your forum if you'd like to let this whole thing go, but we can make that call later on.

thanks for your time and referral links, it's been fun.

p.s. this one was me:

p.p.s. noisefartboaster is probably the funniest thing that came out of this. you should all be ashamed of yourselves for letting a fart joke beat your own humor.

more NIN; not the radio rip

2007-02-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

i posted a few days ago [happy valentine's day] when the first song off of Year Zero leaked. it seems to have gotten a lot of people [including myself] excited, so i figured i'd continue the saga here and help you guys out.

if you search the web [and maybe the hype], you might be able to find another song floating around. Survivalism is supposedly the first single off the upcoming album [which drops april 17th, for your information], and somebody ripped it off of a KROQ broadcast. it sounds fine, it gets the point across, but to the discerning ear [and a program that can perform spectral analysis] it can sound flat and compressed because radio signals aren't of the highest quality.

well, we here at NfT only want to give you the best, so we have this to offer:

::::a high quality, 320kbps leak
~~Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism~~

[removed upon RIAA request.]

please do enjoy, and keep the comments coming. this whole thing is still fascinating to me, and i'd love to hear some more input or any updates you guys find out.

Low - Drums and Guns

2007-02-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

i'm way too capable of overdosing. i guess i have that addictive personality thing going, and i'm pretty predictable in that once i find an album i love, i play it non-stop for the next 72 hours and then i'm kind of done with it, unless it's completely epic (Field Music, Annuals, Sondre Lerche, The Bird & The Bee, SoftLightes - still going strong). so it's good to also switch up the genre i'm so prone to obsessing over... and Low, one of Sub Pop's most established, is able to do just that.

Low concentrates heavily on the minimalistic, percussive aspects of their instruments. their great highlight is the beautiful and often moving blend of vocals, sung by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. these two have created this very different sound (although often comparable to TV On The Radio, to tell you the truth) since 1993 - all throughout the era when bands were supposed to be going grunge. these guys held strong, and have mastered this eerily melodic style to the point when all of us mere "fans" must look up, shake our heads and say - oh, i defer to you, i have no idea what's going on. play, play more.

my favorite moments come out of songs like "Hatchet," when the vocals and music have a specific relationship that's naturally in accord -- or "Dragonfly," when the tension they build is so strong and promising and yet, it drops off to nothing. they're good at leaving you a little shaken, these guys. maybe my favorite is the easiest to compare to TVOTR, "Breaker," which is the most accessible, perhaps, and drags the electric with perfect consideration of the vocals. i mean, it's really interesting stuff. i'm a minimalist everywhere else in my life, and i really appreciate this kind of attention in music.

::::try it out! maybe you'll start moving all the furniture out of your house, too, and whitewash the walls. go minimalism.
Low - Breaker
Low - Hatchet
your best search bet on the hype

if you're not entirely familiar with the Duluth, Minnesota band, there's a great wiki article here. they also don't have a myspace! so don't bother looking for them there (how refreshing, god). lastly, this album here drops in March, and you can pre-order it now.
want more? there's a great review at Harmonium from a bit ago. worth the trip. go to it.

Feist - the latest.

2007-02-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

yeah, okay.

you haven't long to wait. and here's the first bit of it:

::::Feist - My Man, My Moon

it's glam and, admittedly, more accessible than anything she's ever done. irresistable. she plays up that charming swing, the lilt of her voice which is so can't-you-just-stand-it amazing. oh, you know i'm stoked. you know.

Let's Go Sailing - The Chaos In Order

2007-02-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

opening my mail today, i very nearly fell over when, as i ripped open the cushy manila envelope, out tumbled the adorably animated cover of Let's Go Sailing. man, had i completely forgotten about this band! way back in the beginning of NfT, i took a liking to the mp3s that were stumbling 'round the blogosphere, and i never let go of them in my music collection (meaning: they never got archived). that was all the way back in June. [original post here... we've come a long way, kids.]

now i'm very excited to present you their full, final album, The Chaos In Order. while last June i was addicted to the slow, sunshiney, girlish-twee, piano/violin/acoustic folk pop - - now i'm addicted... well, to the exact same thing. i'm such a sucker.

Chaos starts off with a gorgeous and (perhaps deceivingly) moody piano/cello/violin melody, which breaks off into the doubled vocals which sound so twee, but stop short with the serious and contemplative undertones that both the instruments and the lyrics supply. in this way, the whole album is layered with the ebb and flow of sunshine-without-a-care and a very real pensiveness, which gives it a balance between catchy and deep that immediately sparks your interest. they have succeeded in continuing my addictive listening past just "All I Want From You Is Love" (a slower, darker, deeper song made lighter by her wispy, airy vocals, which never quite leave a quiet falsetto, much like the Acid House Kings - listen here) to a full-range, mature, beautiful album which i will keep hooked in my arm for the weeks to come. i highly, highly recommend this album, for both it's wonderful range of pop but also its surprising attention to complex arrangements, instrumentals, and often ironically upbeat vocals. 60's bubblegum? oh yes, yes.

::::what a treat, i'm telling you:
Let's Go Sailing - Sideways - the first track, and as usual, probably my favorite of all.
Let's Go Sailing - Better Off - very happy, maybe the poppiest endeavor on the album. i figured it was a good pick-me-up for anyone in a bad February way. oh you know.
nothing on the hype yet, but maybe by the time you read this...

catch up with LGS at their myspace, and get their album! i love to hear it when you buy what i recommend you. it makes everyone involved very, very happy.
they'll also be playing SXSW, which is the best place ever for independent bands, so be psyched for them, and just wait for the results. the peeps will love them -- as will you! (awwww)

a real Valentine's Day gift - NIN [take 2]

2007-02-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

okay. okay. i told you earlier today that the new layout was going to be a sort of gift for today.

but i think i have better.

i don't know who of you out there are following this thing, but apparently Trent Reznor [you know, the guy that is Nine Inch Nails] has been laying out a huge viral marketing campaign for his upcoming concept album, Year Zero. basically it revolves around a strange future world where everything is ruled by paranoia and biological weaponry and so on and so forth... there's some good information on it all here: i won't even pretend i understand.

seriously, it's crazy. if you have time, you should definitely go through some of those sites and do some reading. the planning behind this thing is incredible. but what i'm trying to say is this:

the first track leaked.

the rumor [i believe] is that it was found on a flash drive in a bathroom in Lisbon during a recent show. brilliant? or crazy? i don't care. fans of Trent and NIN will appreciate this.

[let me note that when i say "leaked" most people believe at this point that Trent released it himself]

::::happy morbid v-day
~~Nine Inch Nails - My Violent Heart~~
[taken down by DMCA request]

give it a listen, put it on repeat, figure out the lyrics, whatever. there are some crazy fans out there who have gone through a lot to get this for you, and i can't claim to have done the work or to even know what the hell is going on.

this is really, really important.

2007-02-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

ahem-hem-hem!

now for an important message from our sponsors (Toaster, obviously):

hip-happy valentine's day, yo. Toaster hearts you, and we do too.

an unconventional Valentine's Day gift

2007-02-14T12:17:00.000-05:00

we here at NfT clearly love all of our adoring readers, and probably far more than you even know. i mean, you're definitely the reason we do this [or at least the reason shan does this, you'll notice i'm not visible on here unless there's some sort of technical issue]. and speaking of such things! take a look around, get settled in, and enjoy: the new layout has finally been tweaked and posted.

yes, that's right, the layout that shan and i spoke about almost a month and a half ago is finally here. sure, it was pretty much completed in under a week after we moved to this domain [remember we're noisefortoaster.com now, right?], but school and travel and blah blah blah it took me until yesterday to make the adjustments necessary and do the testing required to officially put it into use. there were sizing issues and some coloring disagreements here and there, and then firefox and internet explorer decided that they wouldn't interpret the code in the same manner so more adjustments were made and then finally, voila, here we are.

Toaster thinks it's pretty spiffy right now, so it might last us until the summer months. you know goldfish and their attention spans; by summer he'll want a full flash layout. demanding little bugger he is...

anyway, check it out, scroll up and down, get some coffee, change a diaper, do whatever you need to, and then come back here and tell us what you think. let us know if your browser is having problems [according to my testing, firefox and internet explorer both work pretty cleanly], let us know if it's too big for your screen [optimal resolution is 1024x768 or higher], or even if you just don't like it. maybe you miss the giant raspberry-shaped blob at the top of the page, or maybe you miss the orange borders. whatever your question, comment, or complaint, just post it right here. we're open to all forms of inquiry, so take advantage while you have the chance.

and regular posting should resume tomorrow, after the sky in boston stops raining glass shards.

a totally and completely unofficial and unorganized look at the 2007 Grammys.

2007-02-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

i never, ever, ever remember to tune into award shows. actually, i never really remember to tune into any shows, ever. good thing there are ways to illegally obtain ripped tv copies, or i'd never follow a series in my life. i probably would have missed the final episode of M*A*S*H, to be honest.

that said, i was nicely reminded this past sunday that the grammys were on. there are a few moments i witnessed that i'd just like to unofficially review and provide clips of, for anyone that - like me - always misses them the first time.
[full list of winners]

Dixie Chicks.

really? in case you didn't know, they won five. yeah, no kidding. again: really? well, okay. (poor James Blunt, huh?)

The Police

the group reunited for a performance [YouTube] to kick off the night. it was "Roxanne," chosen out of three possible tunes they declared they'd choose from. i hoped for "Message In A Bottle," personally, but i have to admit i got a little girlishly excited when i saw them performing together. if only their egos could contain themselves to actually record a little sumpin' together again, eh? sigh.

Justin Timberlake

possibly my favorite performance of the whole night was this one of Justin performing "What Goes Around (Comes Back Around)." in fact, i loved it so much that i decided to give you the clip, right here on the page. if you missed it, i suggest you see this, and get over your fear of pop (if you still have one by now.)
everyone knows pop is the new indie.:

The Flaming Lips

now to win back my indie cred (cough), we can all rejoice in the recognition of the Lips, who won a whole two grammys. Gnarls won best Alternative Artist, out of the Lips as well as Arctic Monkeys, Thom Yorke, and Yeah Yeah Yeah's. whatever.

my personal awards of the night:
Best hair (by FAR):
Shakira

Rudest awakening:
Imogen Heap

Sweetest thing since Welch's grape juice commercials:
Corinne Bailey Rae

Vocal performance that made me catch flies with my dropped jaw:
Christina Aguilera

Best effort that will surely eventually get them somewhere very big:
Ok Go

Saddest, yet possibly the most hilarious, thing i have ever seen:
Death Cab

(don't look so pissed, Ben, or you'll be the next Rivers Cuomo.)

there are a lot more goodies at the actual Grammy site, and the full list of winners is all right here, linked to again for your convenience. YouTube also has just about every breathing moment of the ceremony in bits and pieces, so go put 'em together if you're into that sort of thing. good luck.

The One AM Radio - This Too Will Pass

2007-02-13T07:43:00.000-05:00

it's one thing to write an album that cuts really deeply into your own psyche and come out with a reeling portrait of yourself. i think it's quite another, however, to come out with one that transcends your own private experiences -- and make that portrait shudderingly universal. this is the feat of the one AM radio, made up primarily of Hrishikesh Hirway from Peabody, Massachusetts (you have no idea how close to my hometown that is).

his accomplishment runs in the form of intricately mixed sounds, a washing and tinkering blend of electronic and organic elements which hold together delicately and yet naturally. i can't help but be impressed by this album on a purely compositional level. violin, cello, upright bass, trumpet -- all hold the hands of a soft voice and sensitive lyrics to bring in a true blend of old and new, of fresh and traditional "indie," of slow but infinitely intriguing. there are moments in almost every song when i look up and say, "wow." something i never thought of. something painstakingly creative. something that just saves me from losing my attention. you can get hopelessly lost in this stuff. it's like nothing i've ever quite heard before, or at least nothing as successful.

two years in the making, This Too Shall Pass bitterly, humorously, submissively holds out its open palms and displays its raw emotion, the scary stuff that makes people people. every note seems to eerily cling to that aspect of human characteristic we're not always willing to give away -- our most hidden attributes, the paths least traveled by our own brains. this is all the great submerged stuff you let flow when you plop on your bed with headphones after One Of Those Days. The One AM Radio is right there.

::::it never quite leaves you.
The One AM Radio - In The Time We've Got
The One AM Radio - Cast Away - the end of this song is absolutely chills-worthy, gorgeous. the whole thing.
look them up on the hype machine, as well.

Eleni Mandell - Miracle Of Five

2007-02-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

one of the most important things to remember about finding new music is that almost every single album i ever run across defies my expectations in some fashion. as humans, we make judgments upon first contact, no matter who we are or how hard we try not to -- and when we look at album art, hear a name, or hear just a few chords of one song, we automatically make assumptions and write a story for something we know nothing about. i did this with Eleni Mandell, along with probably every other artist ever, and want to give you as candid a picture of the singer/songwriter as she would give you -- which is photographically truthful.

eleni mandell has terrific press photos. it's really quite hard to choose just one of them. her official website, linked above, has incredible flash artwork and fun facts (read her bio, find out her first record, the first time she met her band guys, etc. etc.). and even though her "genre" is filled with intense competition, she's already well-established, just like the rest of them -- Feist, Emily Haines, Amy Millan, even Inara George -- and besides, she doesn't really care. her voice is gorgeous, filled with attitude, confidence, and all the know-how of someone much older and wiser than herself. a fifth record, however, calls up comparisons to older material. a fifth record?!, you say. yes, yes, a fifth. she is seductive as all hell, aware of her voice's power, molding the shapes of her musical understanding until a parade of fashioned fancies has danced smokily in and out of your ears, and you are high from the delicious haze. "Miss Me" saunters in, 12th of 12 tracks, soothing your pounding brain with bluesy swagger and brass, sax and horns. nothin' wrong here, my friends. eleni has you just right.

the best part about Miracle Of Five is its upfront marvel at making music. a salute to old, old influences, americana in Roger & Hammerstein, and still the low-lit walk through the bar, bouncy curls, more questions asked than answered -- eleni has no trouble divulging both the details of her second boyfriend ever and just exactly what makes her tick, what makes the beat ring out so quietly and confidently from the (possibly misrepresentative) paper cut-out of her album cover artwork. she's all set. don't you worry about this one.

::::let the jazzy songbird sing you into the stupor:
Eleni Mandell - My Twin - all of her best influences rolled into one catchy tune - jazz, folk, alt country, and sunsets. mmhmmm.
Eleni Mandell - Miss Me - the last track, and possibly the best. piano, blues, "just the birds singin'..."
more available through the hype machine.

more of the delightful press photos are stocked at her myspace, where you can also listen to the songs i had a hard time choosing between. i highly recommend you get your hands on this album, which you can do here, since it came out last week. oh, and she won't let you down. no no.

new music: Five Foot Nine

2007-02-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

not feeling so hot again this morning. so what am i going to give you guys? a nice, heavy dose of folky-power-pop-rock, brought to you by a lovely debut artist five foot nine. their representation and image are pretty different from how they end up sounding, so this isn't a case of being able to look at The Little Ones's Sing Song EP and know immediately that they have to sound at least a little like The Shins. as for their band name, i don't know if they know it, but there's an Urban Dictionary entry on it. apparently it's the ideal male height.

the best comparisons i can make to their music are The New Pornographers and, occasionally, this sort of Lennon-wrote-this-one Beatles feel. certainly their best moments are when they stick to this sound, making the first half of the album infinitely better than the second, where they become a little experimental with keyboards ("Jardin Du Luxembourg") and heavy country ("Sugar"). best of all, by far, is when they keep rock their central concern, playing with power-pop tempos (heavy Pornographers) or highlighting boy/girl vocals in a flawlessly-integrated folky feel, like on their single, "Back To The Tunnels." they manage to weave a feeling of importance and earnestness into a compostition which clearly demonstrates, above all, how much frickin' fun they're having. Five Foot Nine works so well because they work so well with each other, showing off a kind of family-ish aspect which comes clear in every track. always willing to try something new -- be it sitar, cowbell, heavy steel, trumpets, synths -- their debut has a little something for everyone.

::::today was such a good day for alt-country folky pop stuff.
five foot nine - Back To The Tunnels
five foot nine - Where Am I?

please, go say hello to them at their myspace, dance around your home singing, and be really, really cheery today. it's friday.

Matt Wertz - Everything In Between

2007-02-08T08:05:00.000-05:00

i'm always excited to find anything in the way of guilty pleasure music, and though that usually comes in the form of a pop single or Justin Timberlake, every once in a while i get something decently crafted and still independent enough to be considered guilt-free guilty pleasure. ahem! let me introduce you to, or perhaps re-aquaint you with, Matt Wertz.

Matt falls into a category from the very first second you put on his latest album, Everything In Between. he has a gorgeous voice, much in the way of those he's toured with -- we're talking Jamie Cullum, Matt Nathanson, Jason Mraz (guy has a voice, that you can say), Gavin Degraw, and even Ben Folds. Matt takes his cue from pop the way alt-country bands take from country; he has a delicious pop voice, and certainly steals the typical tempo, but his guitar work is something else. i cannot listen to this album without at least comparing it to John Mayer, whom Matt follows in such a way that every Guy And His Guitar does -- modest love lyrics, musings of heartbreak, and baring-soul honesty. the movement of the album reflects the time in which he wrote it, touring out on the road, where every song must go perfectly with the endless passing of dashed white lines... and must also be really fun to sing to in the car. when it comes down to it, this is why Matt Wertz is worth your time. he's fun, every single song is catchy as hell, and his gorgeous voice lends itself as an answer to the endless search for Good Music To Drive To. i highly recommend this as a pop getaway.

::::but see for yourself! my first reaction was a big smile and a tapping foot. let me know what you do.

Matt Wertz - The Way I Feel
- i think this is my favorite. first song on Everything In-Between, and a perfect little jamboree of guitar, organ, and hand claps. and the voice.
Matt Wertz - Heartbreaker
- by far the catchiest fucking song i've heard in months and months and months. good luck getting this one out of your head -- after you're stopped playing it on repeat, of course.
more on the hype machine.
listen to the whole album here.

his best moments are at the beginning of the album, certainly. get your hands on it! buy it!
also, visit him on myspace for access to his tour blog. not really a blog darling (yet) but certainly has a huge fanbase.

buy Sondre Lerche's new album.

2007-02-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

i don't know what kind of what and vinegar i'm full of today, but here's your third post, making you savvy on the thing that makes February so good this year:

as you all should know, Sondre Lerche's new album Phantom Punch hit stores YESTERDAY, and so you officially have no excuse not to go straight out there and buy a copy. not fully motivated? let Amp Camp help you out!

as it's their record of the week (apt choice, might i add), those who order Phantom Punch will get a free, signed CD booklet while supplies last. i imagine those will go very quickly, so if i were you, i would scram on over to the coolest place to buy albums on the web and get my mouse clicking on every button that says "purchase" on anything to do with Sondre Lerche's new album. and if you want to click "purchase" on things to do with other albums, that's totally your call, and it'll probably be a good experience too. a few words from the Camp:

"Mr. Lerche, ah, you press our Prefab Sprout button, and apparently more than that, according to some of our randier interns. And the guitar rock? We approve. The rockist cape fits him quite well, better than to be expected following his more intimate, folkist releases of late. ...And girls could not resist his stare, to quote Monsignor Richman."

don't you just want to be best friends with them?

cozy up to Sondre in the following ways:
- my previous post, which rocks more than anything on this list, obviously. plus the tracks are still up.
- myspace
- wiki, in case you aren't sufficiently Sondre savvy (woo-hoo!)
- the hype machine, because they give you cool stuff, like the dentist. sometimes.

MFA's March schedule looks hotter than the weather.

2007-02-07T17:17:00.000-05:00

hey kiddos. here's a little Boston-based news for you. i just got a nifty little email telling me about the acts coming up at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts, for those of you who are acronym-challenged). it's a great venue and they've had some great independent artists run through there, including blog darlings like Psapp and Jose Gonzalez and, if i remember correctly, Seu Jorge. so here's the schedule coming up, for those of you in and around my lovely lovely city:

Under Byen with Frida Hyvonen and El Perro del Mar
Fri, March 2 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $12 MFA members, students, and seniors; $15 general admission.

- you guys know Frida and El Perro, i'm sure, but Under Byen is probably the biggest band in Denmark and fast rising all over the world from great critical acclaim.
- - Frida's spiffy myspace as well as the dog of the sea's myspace. and i do mean El Perro del Mar (i'm so bilingual and cultured, i know).

Jorge Drexler
Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: $20 MFA members, students, and seniors; $25 general admission.

-"Jorge Drexler's 'Al Otro Lado del Rio' was the first song in Spanish to be nominated for an Academy Award. It won, making Drexler a hero in his native Uruguay. And the attention he got -- has prompted another first. After releasing six previous albums abroad, his next effort, Eco, makes its debut in the United States. – NPR.org"
- - wiki on Jorge

Dean & Britta
Fri, March 9, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $14 MFA members, students, and seniors; $18 general admission.

-"Last year Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, formerly of indie favorites Luna, garnered critical praise for their score to the indie film hit "The Squid and the Whale.'"
- - Dean & Britta's myspace

Amiina
Saturday, March 31, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $12 MFA members, students, and seniors; $15 general admission.

-"This Icelandic quartet, who are also Sigur Ros' string section, wrap ambient-electronic textures around their classical-based arrangements to create an intimate sound that is gauzy and gorgeously melodic. Their new single Seoul is now out on line, and a full-length album will be released spring 2007."
- - Amiina's myspace

now go out there and enjoy! i demand you have fun in the month of March.

track review: Andrew Bird's "Imitosis"

2007-02-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

i think this album art may have achieved perfection.
alright. now that i'm out of bed and trying to live like a normal human being, i'd say it's high time to share with you the song that has recently held my fascination. besides "Oh, MJ!" which i play just about every other minute, when not lying prostrate. half kidding.

it's a habit that every time i mention Andrew's name, the opening notes of "A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head" (from The Mysterious Production) come crowding into my head as i try to push them out, unwilling to have the track spinning in my brain for the next week and a half. but here comes "Imitosis," a song so good that it gets the rare "track spotlight" here on NfT (you know i like me my album reviews). this song is so catchy, so swanky, so bluesy violinsy poppy perfect, that it is absolutely irresistable after the first listen. i was already excited for Armchair Apocrypha, but when i heard track 2 come beating into my speakers -- lo-fi organic drum rap -- followed by the sexy smooth electric plucking, i knew i was in love. ah, but not yet! then comes himself, crooning, highlighted, backed by only his plucking and a rising acoustic, which then shifts out into the same lo-fi drums and oh, that violin. the treat here, besides the happy genius of the instrumentation, is his voice. Andrew fashions his usually lagging vocals, that stringing of syllables (an acquired listen), into a seductive, beautiful display of range and understanding of the movement in this song. it's gorgeous. it's addictive. and you will listen to it on repeat.

must i say a few words on the album? my dear readers, it is a treat that you cannot miss. my fair opinion is that it sweeps The Mysterious Production of Eggs in every aspect, but especially in the dynamic from song to song. nothing stays the same, and it never gets boring, ever -- an experience i didn't have so much with the former album. i am otherwise no Andrew Bird expert, so let me know if there is anything i overlooked in the albums' comparison.

::::oh, my god, welcome back to the magic of Andrew Bird!
~~Andrew Bird - Imitosis~~
taken down by request.

please head to the hype machine for the single, "Heretics," which borders on Jack Johnson-esque vocals at least twice (as the gunman shows up at my door). but, just because i love you..

Bonus: ~~Andrew Bird - Plasticities~~
also taken down by request.
-- rising, exploding, receding, tinkering, blasting back -- a wave of pure string understanding. this man knows his string instruments like we know our own hands.

enjoy, lovelies, and absolutely PRE-ORDER this here album. the cover-art, by the way, is the back of a Budgie, or Budgerigar, often confused with parakeets, and of which i have had about three in my lifetime. can't go wrong with budgies. great pets, those little rascals. mine was named Twink.

repost: The Little Ones

2007-02-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

hey there, dear readers. i'll just tell you you're lucky this blogger even made it out of bed long enough to type these words. i ain't feelin' so hot. and by that i mean, i'm half way to dying. yeah. so that's why, today, you're getting a re-post on a band i've been listening to on loop lately.

The Little Ones
[original post]
no matter how long ago i wrote on this band, i've never stopped loving them. in fact, my love has only grown. they've come a long way since my original post. the LA band is now signed to Astralwerks in the US, Heavenly in the UK, and touring with the likes of Boy Least Likely To, Magic Numbers, Kaiser Chiefs, The Walkmen... and all on one single EP.
::::one of the most frustrating things about 2006 was that i came away from it with only 7 songs by The Little Ones.
The Little Ones - Oh, MJ!
-- i'm completely serious when i attest to the genius i think was put into making this song. it just grabs me like very little else can. it has the power to turn this band into one of my very favorites, ever. if their record ends up being thirteen takes of just this track, i don't think they could do better.

The Little Ones on myspace, on the hype, and by highly recommended purchase.

new music: The Go Find

2007-02-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

recently i've been in a rather pensive state of mind. routine clocks me at a pace it's hard to get out of, and i don't often want to -- so my music follows, and i start to choose things that literally drive every step, timing the beat of my stride to the beat of the songs. it becomes very personal, and important. the music i listen to when i'm most robotic tends to be the ice breaker and the life saver i need.

Dieter Sermeus is a native of Antwerp, Belgium and the mastermind behind my most recent discovery in the above category. his band, The Go Find, is really just a project with his own electronic compositions mixed with a live band. on his upcoming 2007 release, Stars On The Wall, it doesn't sound like the home project that it could be. it's keyboard and synth-heavy, occasionally playing with acoustics that show great promise. i, like a lot of other reviewers, don't prefer their first album Miami, but on Stars Dieter washes off the stain and comes out with something really worthwhile. it integrates his live band with his signature keyboard elements quite beautifully, and produces an album with an undying beat, layered with vocals and lyrics that are a little "Do You Realize...?" but mostly, i must say, like Ben Gibbard, grabbing from his Death Cab efforts but leaning heavily on the vocal performance of All-Time Quarterback (minus the Playskool instruments). everything is slowed by the pace of the lyrics, creating a moody, but not serious, pervading mood. played in loop, this album will literally keep your step in time. and often that is the best thing.

::::electronic meets live and makes sweet, sweet pop.
The Go Find - Dictionary (highly recommended)
The Go Find - Ice Cold Ice (taking the mood down a notch, and how lovely.)
grab more from the hype machine.

"myspace is your space," he says.
Dieter's most recent undertaking is a blog, an obviously rough work in progress.
you'll have to wait until April for Stars On The Wall, but keep up-to-date with his label, Morr Music in Berlin.
and mellow to music.

Menomena. my turn.

2007-01-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

the first comment on this photo on myspace says, "This photo turned me straight, so it could turn me gay." and the kid's name was Eric Frog Llama Grapefruit.
see, the truth is, i actually really do like Menomena quite a bit. listening to their album, for me, is like the first time i get my hands on a Lips album -- i'm shy. i take time to nestle myself into the flow of it, the often brash and rejective qualities of the record as a whole. it's not dependable from song to song. there's a lot going on. it's clashy, weird, throw-around, fantastic stuff, and i take my sweet time.

so now that i've had sufficient enough time to hear it out, i want to give you a few tracks that i particularly held on to as i got into the groove that is Friend And Foe. i figure that, if you're like me, you had to wait (and are maybe still waiting) for the Menomena bug to wiggle its way into your ear and make the magic that Barsuk knew it had to pick up.

::::Menomena - The Pelican

i'm going to be perfectly honest here. i connected to this song like i connected to Tapes 'n Tapes. oo, wow, remember them? (little ironic twitch there.) the vocals are awfully loud, bordering on piercing, but stops just before frantic and melts into what you might call "excitement." nah, we'll go with emphatic. it's quite effective, for those of you that actually enjoyed TnT for their actual music, actually. it also plods like a TnT song, banging drums, building the characteristic Menomena clashing.

::::Menomena - Wet and Rusting

don't try and download that file, there, because it brings you to the hype machine. basically, every blog and their entire contacts list has this song up, so i'm not going to continue the trend. but here we are with the single, and it was instantly apparent to me (without doing research) that this was to represent the band. it really works for them. the fake-out beginning, the sing-song vocals and easy rhymes -- they all go so well with the almost twee-like instrumentation, then spills out into the clashing, psych-rock tidbits (alternatively performed - electronic elements and the like). yes, that. that's what i'm talking about. whatever you do! don't miss this track.

::::Menomena - My My

man, is this song pretty! it fits so well into its surroundings. i was tempted to write an entire post on this track alone. between hard, weird, delightful banging-about "indie rock" songs, comes this soaring little number with gentle vocals, tinkering piano, and an addictive sunshine-pop feel.

this is another album you don't want to miss. you have to trust me on this one.
if you haven't already, i demand you go check out their official site (linked to at the top of the page), where they display their apparent sense of humor (you can just really tell from the music) in random, extra pages which are fun and mostly confusing. also available is their myspace, which is a fun and unpredictable place. lastly, keep up with the Barsuk business and they will surely keep you up to date as to buying, downloading, seeing, and loving this band.

Mezzanine Owls - Slingshot Echoes

2007-01-30T08:02:00.000-05:00

well, you know, i'd say you and i have been together long enough now that i can share with you a few pieces of personal information. one, i use soy milk instead of regular. two, i often wander aimlessly around CVS in my free time. three, i have a major and sometimes embarrassing penchant for birds. yes, birds. i am not a birder, but a bird appreciator, and most of the time involves my finding their every move the funniest thing i've ever seen. pigeons in city parks? forget it. i'm all over that.

and so, owls! i am immediately attracted to this upandcoming band Mezzanine Owls. it's undeniably true that band names can attract or repel you (or it better be, because that's what i have going for me) and these guys drew me in -- to at least giving their music a chance. and let me tell you, i'm really into it.

Owls give you what you've been looking for. heavy on the instrumentation, vocals come in like echoey shoegaze, drawing from late eighties and early nineties alternative, channeling a little Bono in places (in the best way possible, i mean that), especially in their single "Lightbulb." repetitive, layered guitar work mesmorizes like an Interpol song, but keeps somehow lighter and more ethereal, more intricately composed. they sound breathtakingly similar to the Aussie art rock band, The Church. often i hear influences from alt country, little twangs and pings, but the vast majority of their sound-alikes aren't from this era. they're art rock, alternative, shoegaze, and essentially really frickin' cool. the last thing i should reveal to you? i have a major weakness for late eighties alternative.

::::judging a band by its name is often quite a good idea.
Mezzanine Owls - Moving Ground
- i highly recommend this tune. its the first track off of Slingshot Echoes and it's the perfect introduction to the band. vocals are uncharacteristically...excited...compared to other tracks, but the instrumentation is topshelf and really quite catchy. lovely, lovely stuff.
Mezzanine Owls - Coyote
- this track comes in like a Wilco song. it's slow, and positively smashing with its influences right out there (you can go back to the Beatles, appropriately this time, maybe say "George Harrison" if you want to) and yet complete as its own beautiful piece. i love this song.

trek to the hype for their single, "Lightbulb," which is pretty great, and certainly addictive. don't believe me? go to their myspace, which has everything you'd ever want, like tracks and pictures and most importantly, a listen to their single. tell them hello. then, top priority, if you like it all, buy the album and see them in shows. this step-by-step process will lead you to indpendent music harmony. hooray!

and remember, kids. pigeons have feelings too. don't kick them.

Sondre Lerche is February's man.

2007-01-29T08:26:00.000-05:00

i am very lucky that my daily routine generously affords me the opportunity to listen to astronomical amounts of music. my obsessive compulsive habit of putting one album on loop until i exhaust it is sped up considerably, making the average time for an album's survival much shorter (unless i control myself and rotate it with other music, as i'm often forced to do). but recently i started the long journey called "learning Sondre Lerche's new album," and i can tell this time that it is my new obsession. i anticipate Phantom Punch more than any other album in winter '07.

"Sondre Lerche" is a name i see everywhere right now, and it always follows the same two other names: Bloc Party and The Shins. check Flaunt, check Nylon, check z!nk, check... other alternative style magazines who land a pretty decent music review section. these people are priming the "mainstream alternative" culture for the "newest biggest," and Sondre looks like he's in line. but have you seen his mug in these pictures? the babyfaced skinny boy stands there, looking as timid as Beck, and yet similarly busts out with some of the most incredible and versatile music i've ever heard. Sondre, where's the voice in that head? and he steps half into shadow.

his latest effort, the third of those that i've known well, the fourth for the rest of the world -- puts this native Norwegian boy in a category somewhere close to pop genius, pushing his band (The Faces Down) to new levels. it's obvious how he understands the music, getting it to naturally work for him, integrating every part with planning and precision that makes the songs compositionally tight yet confidently natural and fluid. the pop itself has no immediate connections to flow, however. "punch" turns out to be the perfect word to describe it, as guitar sets itself in your face while skinnyboy (sorry Sondre) jumps in with his vocals, landing over instrumentation that blares and subsides like hormones, like twentysomething angst, like the rhythm of this city living. it's addictive in a personal way, a pop masterpiece that forces me to give it up for the "next alternative sensation."

::::ah, seems like only yesterday this was "Two Way Monologue," huh?
Sondre Lerche - Airport Taxi Reception - - this is the perfect way to start the album. i couldn't have been more excited after hearing this 2:28 track. it instantly confirmed how much i'd love the album.
Sondre Lerche - John, Let Me Go - - classic Sondre, but so mature. so worth it.

i wish i could give you them all, but here's the
BONUS:
Sondre Lerche - Happy Birthday Girl
- - frankly, this song shocked me. he slows down the pace to bring up the intensity, slowly climbing with a high-reverb, beautiful composition which soars as it breaks at about five minutes, extending out to 7:28 with your attention on every move. he's so impressive, kids.
collect more at the hype

here. go to his media page to hear the two singles (highly addictive), and be sure to read his punchlines. then pop over to myspace, where you'll get a fix of everything Sondre, as well as past singles of his (last two albums). fall madly in love, in case you haven't caught that bug yet, and then pre-order, because it all drops February 6th. and believe me, this is not an album to miss.

The Western States Motel, good guy Carl, and sunshine pop

2007-01-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

for this blogger to mention any band with some kind of positive relation to matt pond PA is to give it a very high ranking indeed. this is precisely what i'd like to do this morning for my newest listen-in-loop-six-hundred-times album (last was Softlightes, to this degree anyway):

ah. enter The Western States Motel. besides having just about the best moniker i've heard in a long time, Carl Jordan manages to finely weave a brand of sunshine pop that could literally define everything i love about the ability of music. it is acoustic, sometimes electric, always a little folk, little alternative country, and that mark of pop which makes it unbeatable. the hardworking California native spent his jobless days wandering and writing, and so made an album of movement and questions that is punctuated by moments of upbeat revelation. without noticing, the listener takes a ride, cruising through countryside, stopping in cities, staring into shop windows (wanting) and out over vast ocean (waiting). Carl strings along bits and pieces of his life, passing outdoor cafes, stealing sips of others' coffee, skipping, turning, picking up pennies and ticket stubs, holding out his hands to say, this music? this is all i have.

and so it is quietly, unassumingly emotional. it is like the very best of mmPA's delicate moments -- mellowed, expressive. i have always heard elements of fear and life in those songs, and that's what i find here; without commitments to label heads, deadlines, or even other band members, i get a raw portrait of a fine artist, full of the same fear and loneliness and yet self-made happiness, an individual highly responsible for their own pick-me-ups. and i am willing to step alongside the artist, read the same book, point to the same pictures and say, yes! this is your music, this is you. thank you.

::::please, have a listen, too:
The Western States Motel - Cheap Speakers
-- upbeat and encouraging. a personal hit.
TWSM - Row of Homes
-- no one can tell me this doesn't sound like mpPA. one of the best. and tell me, why do all songwriters talk about satellites?

Bonus because Toaster thinks you smell nice:
TWSM - If Your Life Is Just A Dream
-- the album opener. probably my very favorite (who's surprised?). it represents him and the entire album so perfectly, i had to share it with you.

his single, "Powerlines," is on the hype and on his myspace. please go tell him how much you love him, listen to other stuff, buy this album from the wonderful people at CDBaby or from the cold, hard, impersonal yet convenient iTunes. sigh.

Rosie Thomas, with friends Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer

2007-01-25T08:31:00.001-05:00

if you aren't already aquainted, and there's a good chance you are not -- please let me introduce you to Rosie Thomas, a songbird that can't be passed by. this woman pours out some of the most beautiful music i've heard in ages, quietly and soulfully composing song after song that tugs on my clothing, bidding me hear more, hear more.

the album was made in the way we dream most creative processes should be -- slowly, in the comfort of our own home, and with good friends eager to do the same. recorded with Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer over a period of two years, the album shines in that home=project kind of way, cradled and cherished and carefully made. i can't help comparing it to one of 2006's favorites, The Weepies, especially in the style of Rosie's addictively strong falsetto. the instrumental work is gentle and pillows that strength, rendering an acoustic backdrop which is often accompanied by strings, piano, and soft percussion. it's really quite enchanting, and worth the break in your day to understand just what i mean.

::::ladies and gentlemen.
Rosie Thomas - Much Farther To Go
Rosie Thomas - If This City Never Sleeps (highly recommended)
more on the hype.

go check out the lovely representation and artwork on Rosie's myspace. you can actually listen to the whole album there, and when you're done, go get it from iTunes. wonderful, wonderful purchase.

new music: Dearborn

2007-01-24T07:46:00.000-05:00

it's a rare case when i decide it's important enough to post just one mp3 from a band. but that's how much i believe in the representative single from Chicago's Dearborn, an actual rock group that's been kicking (smashing) some dust around on their local scene. this is rock like you missed it, rock like you've got a burning desire to stand up really fast and take a swinging wreck to your desk and all its contents, exploding your life as you know it. and that's just to kick it off, yo [rebellion]. when i tell you this song instills a passionate vibe, a ripping, shredding, guitar-soloing, smashing vibe -- my computer's on the floor. i'm typing this among the looseleaf papers and scattered electronics that used to line my desk.

truly, though, it's obvious this group has something going for them. their fans rave about their live performance, and as i'm always stressing, that's the most important part of this whole music gig. the people want to see you. the tables are turning on record sales and groups are getting big from their representation on the stage, their antics, their passion. Dearborn has it, just liked we raved over Cold War Kids and Birdmonster. and those groups are nationally touring, getting radio play, with the buzz buzzing like a storm. well, here comes the thunder, let me tell you. Dearborn will blow heads. (was that a good twist? i thought it was. did you like that?)

and, if you nevermind all that, i'll admit i never really thought i'd be calling a rock song catchy. but it is, dammit. the vocals are so good, and they staple themselves to your brain.

::::try it out, see for yourself: Dearborn - Already Down

visit their 'space to say hello (they take good care of their page).
also visit the hype machine as they garner spots on all of your favorite blogs. don't miss out on this song, either. do it.

Camera Obscura - new mp3s

2007-01-23T08:15:00.000-05:00

i have a friend whose main concern with music is its aspect of "removing" people from their actual surroundings. he feels like, and he says he hears it all the time, the ipod is just a continuation of this possibility -- that now, anytime and anywhere, people can disassociate, merely by sticking little white things in their ears. he quotes a woman as having said, "i love listening to my ipod while i'm with you guys. this music makes me feel like i'm in a movie." and this scares my friend.

my friend would positively hate Camera Obscura. every song they release does something to my senses -- they dissipate, soar off to higher places of intangibility, make pictures and slideshows of sixties photographs, quick reels, dusty and yellowing dresses, people i don't know at their fifteenth birthday parties. and when the song ends, it's so hard to come back down. i have been in a story, alive and elsewhere. why return? ah! this is what scares my friend.

from the "If Looks Could Kill" single:

::::Camera Obscura - Hands Up Baby

this track is the best example i could hope for. slow, surreal, almost ethereal. amazing. it lilts slowly, building, lifting, lighter and lighter until you have found yourself entwined in every note. incredible.

::::Camera Obscura - Alaska

thankfully poppier than the last, this finishes up at a hopeful stride, running along like a brook, bubbly but pensive. the depth that this band is capable of... i'll tell you. it always surprises me.

lift yourself out of the "movie stupor" and we'll bring you to the hype, where you're sure to find the single and other great songs for your listening pleasure. and if this is your first time at disassociation, welcome! we here at NfT like to totally tune everyone out in the name of music all the time. sorry, buddy. (this scares him.)

The Broken West, out tomorrow

2007-01-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

as a seemingly appropriate backlash to recently dominating sub-genres of indie pop (i love to get technical), i seem to be running into quite a bit of alt-folk and alt-country, or at least a lot of "indie rock" with those undertones. this is how it came to be that now it is my turn to write about The Broken West, who sold me with one song.

these happy-poppy-jangly go-getters are a product of 60's pop, tambourine lovers, sing-along vocals and the very best of Beatles-to-Wilco guitar work. it's lovely stuff, really -- song after song is classically arranged, delivered confidently and maturedly, leaving an aftertaste a little like the better side of Jacob Dylan. this old-time aspect runs them with a crowd that's refreshing, where they can stand up alone out of the sea of electronic beeps and blips. i highly recommend taking a bite out of their organic sound and newcomer originality. they've followed the greats and they've successfully got something to show for it.

since I Can't Go On, I'll Go On comes out tomorrow, i'll whet your appetite to persuade you that this is a worthy purchase.
::::the word spread fast.
The Broken West - So It Goes - this is the song that sold me.
The Broken West - Shiftee - a great example of their influences, and how they pull it off.

- head to the hype for a generous helping to their bigger tracks, especially "Down In The Valley," which is the song everyone's listening to.

- their myspace is their only working site at the moment (another band made them change their name - they were originally The Brokedown. i like their new one better) - - look them up to hear songs without downloading. good tactic. then BUY. their new indie label will help you (heart Merge records).

PBJ: an acronym for two wonderful things.

2007-01-19T13:17:00.000-05:00

i know what's in that bag. sandwich makings.
having produced one of the catchiest songs i have ever heard, Sweden's Peter Bjorn and John are now finding their way to the US for a few lucky shows and finally, finally, a US release of their album Writer's Block. i know, i can't wait either. that'll be showing up February 6th (scarily not too far off) on "Almost Gold Recordings." the release will also include an awesome bonus disk.

for anyone not up on the loveliness that is this Swede sensation, please! i invite you to take a listen, at any of the following locations:

- their cute myspace
- the hype, because they give you tracks.

now, peanut butter jelly time.
yes, i said that.

single craze: New Young Pony Club's "Ice Cream"

2007-01-18T07:53:00.000-05:00

i almost never use one-sheets to write reviews, except to educate myself briefly about the origin of the band. but listen to this line:

"...a sound reminiscent of a hybrid version of Kelis meeting Blondie mashed up with Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem."

no kidding! but, seriously? no kidding. it's one of the most accurate descriptions of influences and sound-alikes that i've ever come across. meet New Young Pony Club. meet the newest UK dance pop sensation.

two preliminary band members and one catchy tune lead this moniker to grow to a decent five-member band and release a non-stop dance party EP, teasing us with only three separate songs and two remixes of the track that made it all happen, "Ice Cream." apparently, the Brit kids just gobbled this one up, and they went soaring in popularity as copies of the song flew off the shelves. if you don't already know this song, i think you'll be surprised -- pay good attention to that description up there, however, and you literally already know what it sounds like. reciting monotone lyrics, a speaking voice like Shirley Manson's (how could i possibly mention her two days in a row?) projects out of the speakers, sits next to you and stares into your eyes while the rest of the night moves on around it, people writhing like angular snakes, fitting their body parts to the beat in the rainbow-flashing club. everyone has to move, and yet she's entrancing. it's easy to see why they chose a sexed-up Alice In Wonderland meets Charlie and the Chocolate Facory theme for their female-predominent band. they're young, hot, and obviously excited about the whirlwind of recognition. (just look at their faces.)

it's all over the internet, but considering the video made me want to run out to Sugar Heaven and gorge on treats (i'm a gummi lady myself), here's an extra little treat off their EP so you know what else they do with their musical profession.

::::lick your lips and get ready.
NYPC - Ice Cream
the treat (bonus):
NYPC - Get Dancey
- - we do! we have! and we will.

pleeeease do all of the below:
- visit the fun little myspace
- ask the hype for all of the very good remixes floating around.
- BUY this EP, especially if you DJ.

-watch the video! they're adorable, although a little robotic. cute outfits?

Review: The Last Kiss Soundtrack

2007-01-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

though i will not be persuaded to see the film, i was neverthless tipped off to what Zach Braff managed on his "second film" soundtrack. "how silly of me to have forgotten," i thought, while i prepared myself to check it out. "he knows some great artists. he'll have picked some great tunes. Garden State? hello? The Last Kiss Soundtrack? has a ring to it, right? how dumb was i, to have forgotten..."

and then came the opening notes of Snow Patrol's "Chocolate."

as i skipped to number two, i was confronted by Joshua Radin, a song in the exact same vein as Bright Eye's "Lua" topped with Iron & Wine sprinkles (complete with female accompaniment). it was cliche. it was expected. it was damn disappointing.

onwards i went and my hopes were shot. as i passed by each decent choice, rolling my eyes at Coldplay (no no, i'm actually a fan, but you do remember Garden State's opener, i assume? "Don't Panic," my favorite Coldplay song ever), nodding at Cary Brothers, raising an eyebrow at Imogen Heap, quietly (and ineffectually) singing along to Ray Lamontagne... and, you know, finding a few random good tracks that will last me two weeks, like Athlete's "El Salvador" (a little to the tune of that Sublime song), and Remy Zero's "Prophecy," which (although it opens with the same vocal notes as Guster's "Satellite") sounds SO MUCH like Garbage that i literally googled it to see if they covered Shirley Manson or something. i was actually impressed with the Fiona Apple pick..

Rachel Yamagata

Garden State

New Jersey

me? i know what he was going for. but i guess i can't take it this time. i'll plug the tracks i don't know into a playlist, loop them a few times, get used to their catchiness and potential (they're good songs, don't get me wrong) -- but i've been had. Garden State ruined ol' Braffy for me. give me the Snatch Soundtrack anyday. even the Hercules Soundtrack, give me that! but run-over acoustics, musicians that are friends, and "hip" and "trendy" sounding music is a thing of the past for the Scrubs dude. i'm disillusioned.

::::i never said i didn't like the songs themselves! it's the compilation. you know me. check these out, as a reward for sitting through my rant:
Joshua Radin - Star Mile - - explained above, this track is mellow and acoustic in the vein of Iron & Wine and some Bright Eyes.
Remy Zero - Prophecy - - again, starts off like Guster's "Satellite," throughout sounds exactly like Garbage. it's good.

Bonus. because i like you a lot.
Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk (Reprise) - - i was happy with this addition. you can either win well or fail miserably with Rufus. this was a win.

i don't want to dissuade you from buying the album. i am merciless, especially when something should succeed another thing i've loved for a long time. you'll probably love it. check out the full tracklist and buy it here. the film? i don't know. ask someone else i guess.

2007-01-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

seeing as we're officially a Boston blog (check the sidebar for the alliance, we're quite the blogging fam') i feel it is my official duty to tell you all to mark your calendars for some really exciting turn-outs.

Annuals

Paradise

The Dears

NfT's #1 Album Of The Year

The Long Winters

Great Scott

Headlights

Middle East

OTHER great picks can be found at our tourfilter user page, or in the little box we have going on in the left-hand column of your screen right this very minute. these are shows we like, recommend, or are going to. if you have any questions about a band you see on the list at any time, let me know and i'll help you out with some tracks and info and other goodies. we of course love hearing from you and all of that, but moreover we believe in seeing bands live, and i personally believe it's the future of money-making in the music industry. oh, you mean bands have to be able to perform? hell yes.

new music: Abernethy

2007-01-16T07:56:00.000-05:00

Abernethy - College Grove
this stretch before us -- January to April -- is one of the worst. nothing really to look forward to. a lot of introverted exploration, a lot of confusion, a lot of... depression. it seems appropriate, of course. we are mammals, and many hibernate in the wintertime. we put on weight, watch as the clouds of precipitation roll in, and we sit in our caves and boohoo.

i have no remedy for this period. instead, i have some good, solid, creepy music, full of the stuff that will help you sit these mopey feelings down and cathartically tune them into sound.

meet canadian Abernethy. what appears to be a family affair for one headlining musician takes on a rich level of closeness with music and a relationship with sound that runs with the best of Gregorian chants. his trademark is a low, penetrating harmony, a beautiful vocal symphony like you would hear in Moody Blues -- eery and wonderful. it is an other-worldly look into music now, a study of the underlying quiet that pervades when the dance party is done. even in his lightest moments (which i've given you), you can hear this suspicion, a feeling that something lies more importantly beneath. they often pay homage to past artists by borrowing one-liners: "she don't make time anymore," "something in the way she moves me," and others. you might have fun going through the album and picking them out. i recommend this album to you, but be of good constitution -- and be able to accept what this winter time is for. you're supposed to mope. wring it out with Abernethy.

::::it's very, very good.
Abernethy - Astronaut : piano-heavy opener -- bright, commanding.
Abernethy - Unforgettably Young : possibly my favorite. it sounds old, seasoned, and tells a story. lyrics, vocals and instruments come together so nicely here. highly recommended.

visit their myspace and tell them i said hello.
check the hype, chart their progress, READ this lovely write-up of their past album's "Everyone Who Knows You" here, right here, at Said The Gramophone. and tell them i said hello, too.

Of Montreal: "No Conclusion"

2007-01-15T17:29:00.000-05:00

believe it or not, Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer doesn't come out until the exact same day as yesterday's artist, The Bird And The Bee -- January 23rd. to be released separately to the LP is a lovely little EP called Icons, Abstract Thee, and it's a slightly stripped-down effort that both gets your foot tapping, but doesn't leave you sunburnt, like only they can sometimes manage. it appropriately smells like album rejects, but what wonderful throw-aways! from typical band efforts in "Du Og Meg" to simple, one-chord progressions in "Derailments In A Place Of Our Own," the release is well worth your time.

by far, however, the best damn song on this EP is the 9 minute, 42 second "No Conclusion." lately i've begun to appreciate these longer compositions, finally able to tolerate length (as long as the song is worth the extra time). this one progresses and morphs masterfully. each song tends to loop into eachother with crying, urgent violins, and this rises with the same ebb and flow of emotion, wringing out an extremely mature and thoughtful song while still maintaining their addictively poppy and electronic standpoint. they're probably one of the only bands that could ever launch into a song with "Tonight I feel like I should just destroy myself," and still sound like they're having the time of their lives. a lot like Hissing Fauna's "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal" (11:53), this takes their normal pop masterpiece onto a whole higher level.

::::i'll give up the goods: Of Montreal - No Conclusion
starts to get really, really good around 5 minutes. just you wait.

the release date on the EP isn't set in stone, so i can't give you a link for preorder, but i know you're loyal to your favorite bands and you'll all grab it when it comes out. the lyrics end like "i never ever wanted to write this song, i always thought things would change somehow, and we would all start getting along.." so maybe i can start a huge, awful rumor that they're considering breaking up, and if you don't buy the EP they'll blame their fans and split. gasp! now you have to buy.
check them out on the hype. it will serve you well.

Review: The Bird And The Bee. finally.

2007-01-14T13:08:00.000-05:00

one of my very favorite discoveries of '06 was the collaboration of Greg Kurstin and Inara George. now that the release date for their album draws near upon us, i'm excited to give you a little preview of the goods. because, my god, is it good.

The Bird And The Bee is no accidental moniker. this music is rich with seduction, playful teasing, and sexual energy. from pop-along to swaggering blues, every note is soaked and dripping with coquettish swoon. it all begins on an addictively catchy turn with "Again & Again," slowly playing out from a tease to an all-out pop song. "Birds & The Bees" reminds me fantastically of Psapp, as does much of the album. they often combine a folky pace with pop notes, keyboard tricks and appropriate electronic elements. it's all so well-done, and best of all, you can tell how much they had fun making it.

they're already garnering a lot of attention, so watch out for this duo -- they'll make your 2007 headlines, i'm here to tell you. it's all so delicious.

::::just like they do, here's a teaser of the whole pie.
The Bird And The Bee - Again & Again
The Bird And The Bee - La La La

Bonus:
The Bird And The Bee - I Hate Camera - really lovely pop.

their album comes out January 23rd, and i HIGHLY suggest you all go out and buy it. every single song on the album is worth it -- and will be completely stuck in your head. this will be playing in my headphones non-stop for the next month, i'm telling you right now.
also, tell them hi on their myspace, and listen up on the hype.

i want to be in your living room. (with these mp3s.)

2007-01-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

i don't know. all i can say, kids, is that when you burn out, you burn out. nothing does it for you until something does it for you, and that's just it. that's how it goes.

what did it for me happened just a few days ago. i was standing in my dad's living room, having just given him Annuals's Be He Me for the first time. he sat at his desk and decided right there that he liked what he heard -- "oh i like this shan, i definitely like this" -- and it was the feeling i got at that moment that made me remember. accomplishment, auditory goodwill. that's what did it for me. and it's always what continues to do it for me, even when mp3s don't work and i sleep three hours a night and it's more work just to scrimp out reviews than it is to sit there, like my dad, and declare my approval of a sound. the thing is, i feel great knowing i can give you guys that sound. i feel good that my work isn't wasted, that it's read, that someone somewhere is looking up and telling me, even just in their heads, "oh i like this shan, i definitely like this."

what's always the drawback for me is the pixelated coldness, the unfeeling and lonely environment of cyberspace. it's a void that we turn to desperately for contact, and somehow it makes us float farther away. my issue with the blog is that i'm the woman in the big black space reading her proud little ditties into the microphone, spotlight on, papers rustling on a cold hard podium -- but i want to be in your living room. i want to make you a mixtape, come to your house and plop on your floor while i change discs for you and put on that album from that new band that's going to make your day, month, year-end list (sigh). those of you who've seen me and you and everyone we know will remember the cringe-worthy yet touching "WARM: 3-D and TOUCH in the DIGITAL AGE." it's an odd story, and mostly irrelevant here, but the script did its best to say, Hey. We don't know each other anymore. What do we do.

and for now, there's nothing i can do except pull together and remember that there are those of you out there who are really reading, and that's as damn close to your living room as i can ever get.

::::imagine me on the floor in front of your cd player (if it's perched, work with me here). this is my 3-song mixtape -- new material from artists you know or don't.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Yankee Go Home
- i'm really excited about the new material trickling out from CYHSY, because they weren't my favorite band in the entire world, and i did feel like they had a lot of room to grow. it's nice to see evidence of that growth and more of a concentration on subtleties, and other such notes. important: this track is from the February issue of UNCUT, before anyone gets uppity about my posting it. just let me know if any toes are stepped on and we'll immediately take it down.

Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
this Brit rock sensation (about as big to them as Franz Ferdinand is to us, though FF are gods over there) is taking away that stripped-down, repetitive Strokes feel and replacing it with a little more maturity, a little more... oh, hell. they're going more pop. and i like it. i like it a lot.

Softlightes - Heart Made Of Sound
this is a repost, but it's very much on purpose, because this is a band that i'll be pushing at you from all angles. this single is amazing -- sometimes the piano is just literally breathtaking. original post here.

in the meantime, have you all heard any of Bloc Party's Weekend In The City? we can't post any of it here (yet) but hot damn! you're going to love it. look for some stuff through the hype, i'd say. remember, i'm Miss Advocator of The Whole Album, so just wait until you can hear all of it consecutively, as you were meant to. this is one of those bands that really deserves to get big big big.

hey, you know i love you all, don't you? it wasn't you. it was all me. i needed to catch up on a year and half's worth of movies, or something. but i'm back.

allllllllso. let us know if there are server issues, any problems with getting the mp3s, etc.

2007-01-02T11:42:00.000-05:00

hello, hello, jell-o hello. notice no banners, no cheeky christmas obligatory posts, no incomplete year-end business. it's 2007, we rock the new year with a clean slate and now WAY more time to do STUFF. and that includes finding, listening, and posting new music for your benefit. hoo-ray hoo-rah, yeah?

lately, the buzz is focused on a lot of bands i only care about halfway, and it's always funny to admit. for instance, The Arcade Fire and their latest, Intervention? this is an opinion that actually both halves of the NfT team share: boo on Arcade Fire. years ago i sat behind the computer of my old job, waiting for my boss to yell at me as i scanned websites and forums and happened upon this indie wonder, listened to the album, and decided pretty finally that they weren't for me. there are other bands like this and there will be more. so you probably shouldn't turn to me to find any huge review with multiple tracks in the next coming weeks - not that anyone actually has the full Neon Bible. do they?

other bands you won't get a ton of writing on: !!! (chk chk chk) (a little too four years ago, for me), Lily Allen (OH. MY. HEAD. we're so sick of her face. and "Smile" sucks after the 1200th time, you know?), The Knife (i like them enough, but can we wait until they follow-up Silent Shout, guys? this is how we kill music for ourselves), and a few others that you'd be able to figure out by a lack of posting. like Joanna Newsom. did i say that?

we've been seeing trends in the blogs to post anything those constant emails say, to throw up some mp3s and a blurb, to half-heartedly go about it all. well, not around here! wait until you see you the spiffy new layout. alex is the spiffster, and he's got a great new look coming that's sure to show you we're all in.

also big right now: proclamatory posts saying, hey we're back. it's a new year. we get to start all of this over again, and stop playing You Know, In Retrospect...

we like this trend! and this is that post!

i missed you,
shan with the plan

happy new year (from We Are Scientists)

2006-12-30T12:35:00.000-05:00

well it's almost that time folks. the calendar's about to flip again, and you're going to have to spend the next three months remembering to write 2007 instead of 2006. i know it'll take me until about may, but maybe you guys will have better luck.

i guess you could say this is NfT's first new year online, and it's even cooler for us because we're still pumped for our new domain. you know, noisefortoaster.com [i'm turning into jennings here, pimping the blog every time i write the name]. speaking of jennings, we'd like to thank him and rbally for the kind words and the link, which i'd like to thank for the influx of subscribers in the past week.

to celebrate, i'm going to give you a few tracks from one of my favorite bands of this year, We Are Scientists.

these guys will never get old to me. they're hilarious on stage and on their website [which i linked you to up there] and i'm personally pretty psyched for their new album. the fresh material we heard on the 7th at the middle east downstairs was awesome so it's got me looking forward to it even more.

anyway, in the spirit of the new year and parties and getting drunk [a topic that seems to grace their songs more frequently than you'd expect], here you are.

::::OMG IT'S ALMOST 2007!!1!
We Are Scientists - Can't Lose
We Are Scientists - The Great Escape

::::BONUS: hilariousness off Crap Attack [b-sides and rarities]
We Are Scientists - The Great Escape Under The Sea

enjoy yourselves, kids, as responsibly as you deem necessary.

Toaster's Year-End Top Five: Albums

2006-12-27T15:50:00.000-05:00

photo cred.
ah, the Top 5. seeing as i grew up with High Fidelity ringing in my ears, i've decided to cut through the norm and shed the extras of the "Top 10," or the "Top 25," for that matter, and in their places i'm paying homage to Nick Hornby (and in some respects, John Cusack) by turning up the pressure and reducing all choices to just one: The Top Five. only, if you know hornby, he's much more unassuming about it. it's just the top five.

the decision-making process was much different than you may expect. all works were chosen almost entirely based on the resounding impact they had on me, and not by play count or overall blog popularity or anything else. music tends to pick at my emotions and cozy into the corners of my everyday, and if they manage to define a period of time and act as an umbrella over everything else i was listening to -- i essentially consider it for my top five. i'll have a sprinkling of different categories for you, but most applicable to this process are the albums and tracks, and that's what i'm starting with. might as well get right down to business, eh?

so here we are, "desert-island, all-time, top five":
[quick reference guide]

5. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
4. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
3. Annuals - Be He Me
2. Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope

1. The Long Winters - Putting The Days To Bed

the release of this album marks a turning point in my ability to listen to music i didn't know. i knew all about Destroyer and from whence he came, but i hadn't given him a chance -- staying true to old favorites, being a general bore. but this album wrecked all of that hesitation. it's absolutely brilliant and complex, and it deserves the top five everywhere.

5. Destroyer
Destroyer's Rubies

this band instantly found itself on my list of all-time favorites during the opening notes of the first song that i ever heard. i'm not joking. and Ben Bridwell's voice? nothing short of hypnotizing. they single-handedly defined a time period of my life and irrevocably influenced my taste in music. all in 2006. incredible.

4. Band Of Horses
Everything All The Time

this new act came later in the year and still deserves -- yes -- the number three spot on my list. i am in love with their sound, with their unique arrangements and most of all the refreshing range they can pull off from track to track. there isn't a song i skip on this entire album. most impressive is their age and fresh-faced efforts, so that i cannot wait until their next release.

3. Annuals
Be He Me

this woman amazes me. besides being completely in love with her, she is so fucking talented. those lyrics, sung by that voice, make her an absolute powerhouse. and this album, though maybe not my favorite up against Soviet Kitsch (yes, really!) still makes it to the number two spot on my list, and certainly sent her through the indie roof on everyone else's. man, she deserves it all.

2. Regina Spektor
Begin To Hope

no one is more surprised than i am that this is my album of the year. kind of like The Decemberist's Picaresque (didn't like it at all) versus The Crane Wife (adore it), i was just never an enthusiast about Roderick's When I Pretend To Fall. i say Roderick because he was the variable between the albums which had that make-or-break effect, just as Meloy was -- his lyrics were always impressive, interesting, and mostly a riot, but his voice could be jarringly prominent, mixed too far forward for me to really get into. but Putting The Days To Bed floored me, and slowly. over time i was drawn to it, drawn back again, sucked in irreversibly and made to learn every word, and now it's important to me; legitimately important to me. it has managed not to define a few months or a single event, but the feeling of an entire year, and there was absolutely no question in my mind when i set out to do this top five which album would be number one.

1. The Long Winters
Putting The Days To Bed

stay tuned over the next week for several kinds of top fives, from the best to the worst to the silliest, and all very fun. let us know what you think and most importantly, share your top fives if you'd like.

welcome home

2006-12-25T16:23:00.000-05:00

while you're all home for the holidays, Toaster's little music getaway on the interwebs [hint: that's us] has found a brand new home! welcome to:

noisefortoaster.com.

that's right, folks. due to hosting service issues like exceeded bandwidth, limited storage space, and mangled filenames, we've made the move to our very own domain and hosting. from now on, the NfT you know and love will be coming to you straight from the new coolest address on the Timmy - noisefortoaster.com. we're thinking about making buttons to commemorate this momentous occasion, so if you ever run into two people at a show who you might think resemble what you think we look like, ask for one. if you're right, you'll obviously be rewarded with a button. if not, you'll probably get a very very confused look.

in terms of mp3s from old posts, we'll be spending a few days making sure that at least everything from december, and especially the Toaster Does Santa advent series, is in perfect working order. for now, you can have the day 2 EXTRAVAGANZA in full force, seeing as that's what tipped us over the edge to get our own domain.

so pass it around, kids, noisefortoaster.com is where it's at. the new layout will be up soon to accompany the move, as well as a little christmas gift from our home to yours. [not to spoil the surprise, but if you like Cold War Kids and live videos, this gift is for you.]

this year, while you're making small talk with your family and your significant other's family at some awkward party this holiday season, just casually bring up what you read while you're sitting alone in your room, compulsively checking all your "friends'" AIM away messages - noisefortoaster.com. we won't do you wrong, guys, and we hope you'll return the favor.

'tis the season for a redesign

2006-12-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

if you're stopping by today [as you very well should be], you will not only be getting a hefty dosage of christmas music, but a hefty dosage of seasonal spirit as well. as part of shan's seasonal rampage [christmas music, christmas cookies, christmas lattes, and a santa hat for Toaster], we're toning the blog down to fit the season. she's requested a sleeker, more minimalist, more wintery feeling to accompany the weather in these parts.

it's only in its first stages right now, but until i get a chance to make a new logo and some sidebar titles and the whole shebang, you wonderful folks will be seeing a cool blue background and muted orange borders. there will be much more noticeable changes in the coming days [weeks? ...we'll say days until i actually fail to come through] and as usual, your comments and suggestions are welcome. say your goodbyes and make amends with the bulbous mass that is Toaster at the top of the page [one reader thought it was a raspberry at first], because soon enough the logo you know and love will be gone [forever?!] and a new one that will hopefully live up to shan's expectations will have taken its place.

just stay tuned folks, keep commenting and listening, and enjoy your families this holiday season. when you play your new christmas mix and everyone compliments you on your taste, just tell them that Toaster sends his warmest regards.

and then he'll do it again in five seconds, because he will have forgotten about the first time entirely.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 2: EXTRAVAGANZA. Rilo Kiley, Grandaddy, The Walkmen, The Lips -- and too much more.

2006-12-23T10:52:00.000-05:00

dear lovely readers. this post comes to you wrapped in Please, Please Open This Before Christmas. Please Rejoice, Dance, Sing, Frolic even. Please Break It Down. because your insane blogger here at NfT let the insanity level rise a little too high over the last week and a half (almost two weeks, oh, my god!) and found it beyond impossible to sit down and shed a little self-importance and write for the good of other people. sigh, sigh. but now - here i am, just a few days before the holidays - and i'm getting into the spirit. i'm learning... like... ha! you know who i'm like?

::::Alfie! The Elf! John Denver & The Muppets - Medley: Alfie & The Christmas Tree

it makes sense that i would slip that in, because it's essentially everything to do with my childhood wrapped into one sentimental mush-ball of a classic. it's pretty wonderful.

so are you getting the apology thing, yet?

let's not pretend this whole thing didn't happen, but learn from a mushy little tale and pretend i'm just learning about the joys of christmas. and then reap the freakin' benefits, yo, because i'm about to go Christmas-Day-Scrooge on all of you.

read on for an explosion of worthy Christmas tracks, and a rushed finishing of all that is the Noise For Toaster advent series.

[continuuued..]

Day 11
i just love the name - and you love this guy, and things are happy.
::::Badly Drawn Boy - Donna & Blitzen

Day 10
OH YES I DID.
::::Nsync - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Day 9
you know, a little sad, a little sweet, a little sappy, a lot of David Bazan and the old moniker.
::::Pedro The Lion - I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

Day 8
i found this track on the B-Sides a few years ago and i never forgot it - in that beautifully, mystically haunting kind of way.
::::Damien Rice (with Lisa Hannigan) - Silent Night

Day 7
Jenny Lewis at her sad, sappy best. follow this up with a sugar spike, and you'll get the best of both worlds.
::::Rilo Kiley - Xmas Cake

Day 6
here, Weezer was worthwhile. and that's all i need to say.
::::Weezer - The Christmas Song

Day 5
i was waiting to post this until sometime toward the end, and technically Day 5 would've been a good day. this track is so damn good.
::::Guster - Donde Esta Santa Claus?

Day 4
clever, rockin', Grandaddy. they're so awesome.
::::Grandaddy - Alan Parsons in Wonderland

Day 3
i had to pay tribute to this "original indie man" with this almost-depressing tune which is absolutely beautiful.
::::Neil Finn - Sweet Secret Peace

DAY 2, AKA TODAY.
you didn't know they had two Christmas tunes, did you? that's what i'm here for.
::::The Flaming Lips - A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn't So)

BONUS! (oh, obviously.)
::::The Walkmen - No Christmas While I'm Talking
you wouldn't expect this, right? no kidding. it's really the same band. they have another track called Christmas Party up on their myspace.
Save Ferris - Christmas Wrapping
one of my favorite songs of all time is their cover of ~~Cyndi Lauper's~~ Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen. and this is one of the best renditions of this song, ever. so. there you go.
Destroyer - Every Christmas
instrumental, and very short, but a nice finisher to this long, explosive post. take a deep breath! it's Destroyer.

Jackie Period: rare Sunset Rubdown

2006-12-13T08:11:00.000-05:00

okay, let's face it. we're all pretty much going to have Shut Up I Am Dreaming on our best-of's (mm, have to get on that soon). so why not prep ourselves ahead of time and get tuned with a few ~~rare~~ EP tracks? it's the kind of thing Jackie does. shan lets the unknowns have their day in the sun, but not Jackie. Jackie is frigging cheap like that.

::::they're good tracks, though, i mean, come on.
Sunset Rubdown - Jason Believes Me, You Can't Trust Your Dreams

Sunset Rubdown - Three Colours II

the first is my favorite.

i remember when this came out, and NfT was just starting up. i'm a little too embarrassed to go back and look at the post about it. oh, Spencer Krug, weirdest looking ladies' man i know.

Edit: heyo! you anonymous commenters are ruthless. the pic was indeed Frog Eyes - sorry for the confusion - but lay off on the rarity of the tracks, maybe? if you're a veritable SR connoisseur then i suppose they aren't rare to you, but they're not from Shut Up I Am Dreaming. don't want 'em, don't take 'em, yo.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 12: Ryan Adams, Boy Least Likely To!!

2006-12-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

don't worry guys, i know this is really turning into the countdown for the last time that you have to see that picture. but i know you won't get sick of the jackie period! why? because it's amazing. those ducks get me every time.

today is day TWELVE. day TWELVE is a special day, because it's the day that my true love (and yours) will send me (us) a whole TWELVE drummers drumming. [if you're just tuning in, let these lyrics get you up to speed.] now, we're not going to do some uber-corny advent-meets-the-twelve-days-of-christmas campaign - don't worry. it's not like i have chocolate peppermint soy milk in my coffee this morning. (wow, that sounds gross. but it's actually true.)

anyway, what does the TWELVE mean? twelve, 12, 1-2, 1 defers to 2, so you get TWO tracks this morning, and you'll be really happy.

::::because Ryan Adams at your house means a fucking good party:
Ryan Adams - Hey Parker, It's Christmas
this is just a great song. it has a special quality to it that makes me wish it weren't about Christmas so I could play it over and over, all the time, all year long. you know, maybe i might anyway! who cares! he wouldn't. this is off of the Christmas 7" and it even has some awesome cracke-pop in it.

::::and because i don't know what we would do with Boy Least Likely To.
Boy Least Likely To - Little Donkey
exclamation point exclamation point!! oh, how i do love this band, and this little tune proves it even more. you know, i always feel like they are my good friends. (we hang out.)

twelve drummers drumming. oddly appropriate, huh? pipers piping, ladies dancing... lords a-leaping... swans a-swimming... swan lake? god, i could make the cheesiest series ever and have every song i post be relevant to those lyrics. i wouldn't be able to live with myself, don't worry. what would i do for five gold rings? record myself singing it. oh yes. yes i would.

Edit: okay kids, i'm not on top of things today. it's Jackie period for a reason, you know. apparently the twelve days of christmas don't start until the eve of the twenty-fifth -- thank you nice anonymous commenter -- and i was totally unawares, although the preposition "of" begins to ring in my ear [twelve days of christmas, therefore starting on christmas...] but in any case, if you love/pity me, just let it be the representative twelve, and enjoy the two tracks.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 13: Of Montreal

2006-12-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

and it occurs to me, wait - it's Christmas - shouldn't we be spreading the love everywhere? shouldn't we be caring about all life, all vegetation, birds and bees and road signs -

but Of Montreal knows.
::::Of Montreal - Christmas Isn't Safe For Animals

we all need to watch our Red-Nosed Reindeer clay people special a bit more often, wouldn't you say? and then we'd all understand.

oh, my god, is it really under two weeks already?

Jackie Period: Rock Kills Kid, Rogue Wave... discrimination is bad.

2006-12-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

look. i'm the first person to see the words "The O.C." and run groaning with frustration into the other room. in fact, it happens frequently. so when i saw that the mainstream-indie goldminers at "The O.C. Soundtrack" offices made an album of all covers by "independent" artists... i more than groaned. i was pissed off, and i discriminated. i judged.

but, what do you know! there are a few gems. here are two of them, one from Rogue Wave -- one of my Top 5 Favorite Bands Ever And Ever Probably, in which they completely transform the Pixies' song "Debaser." i mean, completely. the other is from Rock Kills Kid, who is more of Alex's favorite than mine, but continues to impress both on the stage and in every recording they pull off. by the way, this one is the better out of the two (i heart Spoon), so what do i know?

::::oh, O.C.... why'd you kill off Mischa... (so the girlie mags/People tell me. sigh.)
Rock Kills Kid - I Turn My Camera On (Spoon cover)
Rogue Wave - Debaser (Pixies cover)

just to let you know, the album isn't half bad. there are a few almost unbearably emo-poppy-punky things on it (Goldspot covering "Float On" was a bad, bad idea) - but there's one track on there, Tally Hall covering "Smile Like You Mean It," which is better than the original song. move over, Flowers. far, far over.

p.s. anyone who came here for the first time from the Best Week Ever post yesterday must have been scratching their heads - "who the fuck is Jackie?"

Toaster Does Santa, Day 14: The Killers, John Denver & The Muppets

2006-12-11T08:14:00.000-05:00

Day 15
seeing as it's deeply engrained into the very quick of my childhood holiday memories, there's no way i can go without posting a few of these classics along the way. this is a cover of another classic, so it's doubly cool.
::::John Denver & The Muppets - Little Saint Nick (Beach Boys cover) [1979]

Day 14
but -- mondays are for experiments. mondays are for rebellions. not tuesdays (you know better), not sundays (too tired) -- monday. nothing else will do but to rebel against monday. so today must be the perfect day for me to post this track.
::::The Killers - A Great Big Sled (feat. Toni Halliday) [right now]

merry christmas, kids! nothing like a wailing Brandon Flowers to get you in that holiday spirit.
but go on, listen... he wants to wish you a merry christmas.

er, for when the track gets pulled, here's the video (we're realistic here at NfT)

Jackie Period: Postal Service - rare tracks

2006-12-11T07:54:00.000-05:00

i wasn't kidding.

here we are with the first installment of the jackie period. that is a picture of an oxford university experiment, and it's made me laugh harder than anything else recently. look at those ducks! they're all saying, what the hell is going on? in case you haven't been keeping score at home, i have the weirdest sense of humor. but anyway, on with what jackie has to say.

ah, tea. ah, burning hot tea bag. ah, morning duties, responsibility, 8 am doldrums -- the mail, i have to check the mail -- damn postal service and their sketchy unreliability... yes... that postal service, indeed... [humming]

aha! the postal service! that reminds me. [how'd you like that, kids, hmmm?]

::::i wanted to make sure you had these.
Postal Service - Suddenly Everything Has Changed (Flaming Lips cover)
Postal Service - Be Still My Heart (single release track -- not found on Give Up)
Postal Service - Against All Odds (Phil Collins cover. god, it's good.)

nice to have one version of the postal service to rely on, you know?
[yeah, yeah. merry whatever.]

Toaster Does Santa, Day 16: Smashing Pumpkins, The Knife, Yo La Tengo

2006-12-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

a lil' catchin' up. and on and on.

Day 18
::::Smashing Pumpkins - Christmastime
by the end of this advent series, this just might be your favorite track that i give you. it's probably one of my Top 5, which i'll pick out at the end of all of this. Corgan makes this a melodic, easygoing ride but makes it unmistakably Pumpkins - and what with their recording right now, you might just remember how good it all used to be...

Day 17
::::The Knife - Christmas Reindeer
the holidays just got a little brighter, didn't they? tell me this isn't amazing. do it. i dare you.

Day 16
::::Yo La Tengo - It's Christmas Time
there is officially no reason why i shouldn't give you two Christmas songs with the same title in the same post. this is a wonderful little tune. it's soft, mellow, and something i could listen to all year if they didn't repeat "It's Christmas Time" over and over.

more! more! more!
and more will come.

you greedy kids.

the most important post ever in the next week, ever, always, forever, in the next week.

2006-12-09T11:38:00.000-05:00

alright kids. i'm going to be totally honest with you. the shan you know and love -- the one that says goofy stuff, tries to be at least a little creative, and always comes sprinting in from really (really) far left-field -- mhmm, that one -- is basically going to disappear for the next seven days. in her place will be robot shan, the one that says goofy stuff, tries to be a little creative, but quickly ducks in with about two sentences and a single track that you'll obviously like and will need very little introduction. in other words, i can't read up on my artists this week, guys. you'll still get the advent series Toaster Does Santa, but it'll have to come in bulk. we'll call this period

[img cred]
because i've decided that robot shan's real name is Jackie.

[just believe.]

all in all, i want you to drink lots of pumpkin spice lattes (or steamers, if you're like me and think the espresso ruins it), get sleep, eat warm dinners, and other things you're taking for granted. and if you live where it's still hot (remember, i'm in New England saying all of this), turn on the AC until frost accumulates in your windows and make some hot chocolate. do itttt.

i'll miss you,
shan
(the one you know and love)

Toaster Does Santa, Day 19: No Doubt, The Flaming Lips

2006-12-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

bet yer really likin' this pic about now. mm, only 19 more of it to go. best save it to your picture folder now.
go on. i'll wait.

hey there, lovers. ahem - holiday lovers. i have some music fresh out of the oven, no fire extinguisher this time, and i put some water in the kettle. you wanted coffee? hm. the instant's in the freezer, you can make that yourself.

::::from yesterday, Day 20:
No Doubt - Oi To The World
- - - hey, remember when Gwen had a band to back her up? no doubt you do (huh-ho!). this is an awesome track from way back when - well, from way back when they were really, really good, and everyone owned Tragic Kingdom, and they were this reggae ska Bostonesy party. yes, a party.

::::and from today, Day 19:
The Flaming Lips - White Christmas
- - - you know, Wayne Coyne sounds a little cracked out, and all of the instruments are warped a little (a lot), and the whole traditional Christmas tune is taken a little over to left field, dropped there and left to skitter through the blades of grass on its own... but you don't listen to the Lips to hear traditional, and you don't read this blog for everything to make sense. go paint something beautiful. something... white.

merry merry in nineteen more days. but you know you only have about fifteen more to buy presents. here's my recommendation: take all of my tracks, buy one big thing of blank cds, and burn all of your favorites into a mix. then pass them out with holly drawn on the jewel cases (it's okay if they look like gummi bears, i can't draw them either) and say you spent hours and hours collecting all the most cutting-edge and vintage-savvy Christmas tunes you could find. and smile a lot, that helps.

stay tuned for more "shan makes your life easier by 12%, guaranteed."

technical report - i am stupid

2006-12-05T23:54:00.000-05:00

guys, wow, i am sorry.

this is really embarrassing. if you use firefox as your primary browser, you have my sincerist apologies. this page looked like the work of a distractable kindergarten student until about five minutes ago, when i noticed the eleven-character flaw in my page layout, resulting in a sprawling sea of white nothingness below the most recent post for anybody who tried to load this blog in firefox.

but let me try to defend myself. where i defined the height of a certain part of this layout to be 100% of the page, and then later changed my mind on how it would work, firefox was the only browser to take me so literally and extend the content box all the way down to the bowels of this very page.

well, no more. in a moment of clarity or clairvoyance or something or other, i scrolled to the far right of the template in firefox, deleted those fateful eleven characters, clicked preview, and voila! everything was fixed.

and now here i am, kicking myself for both not having checked earlier, and not having realized it until about five months later.

so for all of you who are seeing this page as it was intended for the first time, i encourage your input and/or grievances. reprimand me for my laziness or what have you, and please, do come back again. our mp3s work now, and we promise you'll be seeing more of them. Toaster really did miss you, and he's only the happiest fish now that you're back to see what he has to offer.

Jenny Owen Youngs: "Fuck Was I" and Batten The Hatches

2006-12-05T06:46:00.000-05:00

like a good friend or a close cousin, i have to come to terms with the fact that i can't really write about Jenny. reading her is a little (way) too much like reading myself. looking at her is a little (yeah) too much like going back through old highschool pictures. but her music? her music is different, probably because i don't make any. but if i couldn't listen to her voice, i wouldn't be fumbling over this prose in the first place.

Jenny Owen Youngs. she will not launch into anything brilliant, we apologize for the inconvenience, but she will say this: Jenny has succeeded in rapidly getting herself the fuck out there. citing a tender 1981 (let's be honest, she looks and sounds younger), she's honed the whole guitar thing since about the time i was getting my braces off and stumbling over driving lessons, and she's done really well for herself. she's no Backstreet Boys, as in she's not five males and she actually took to an instrument before a music career. she's got it all going for her. right?

mmm -- not yet. Batten The Hatches, her debut LP, is temporarily unavailable due to the fact that it'll be released on Nettwerk soon, catapulting her from whereverNewJersey to holy shit, this is a real career. the highly addictive and repetitiously explicit "Fuck Was I" (as in, what the) is getting itself on TV (just ask Jenny), running amok on the internets and tapping on your desktop right this very second, as it's below these words in bold orange with four annoying colons next to it (why does she do that?) --

::::as promised (quip to go along):
Jenny Owen Youngs - Fuck Was I
BONUS. Jenny Owen Youngs - From Here

with a barrage of witticisms and shark weirdness (i don't know kids, i don't know), by far the most surprising thing about her is the depth and seriousness of her voice. it's her sense of humor wrapped up with an earnest message (love, life, growing up, wild animals) and good intention. comparisons to KT Tunstall (guitar work, folky feel) and Erin Mckeown (vocals) aren't far off, but it's still unfair to say. she's distinctly Jenny -- and yet, somehow reminds me of myself, officially crossing boundaries of time and space and defying our earthly understanding of physics to be inherently individual and yet also me at the same time. um, yes.

so ends a smackingly self-indulgent review of someone decidedly not myself -
and you should go to her myspace, where she will take care of you from here.
also, you can bet anything there'll be a crazy growing hype, during which time we'll make a repost or something (just to say, just to say). she's already been covered by Matt, clearly a myspace peruser, quite some time ago. kudos, yo.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 21: Phantom Planet

2006-12-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

i never, ever thought that at the top of my own post i would read the words "Phantom Planet" - let alone that i would ever give you one of their songs. nevermind the O.C. stigma and mostly cringe-worthy vocals, but they're Phantom Planet - they need no independent music source telling their story. they've pretty much got it covered.

but this morning around 7 o'clock, i started to look through this Christmas playlist i've been compiling over the years, sifting through tracks and bands and compilations, a little restless and a little unsatisfied. nothing would do for my readers this morning, nothing at all, nothing good enough. suddenly i glance over my shoulder out the window as the next song comes on, and what? what was that? a shock of white, great fluffy cotton balls hurling down from space, stark against the dingy buildings across the street. and what was playing? it was Phantom Planet's "Winter Wonderland," a song that just this weekend i was recommended (with more than a skeptical eyebrow-raise from me). ah, the irony. ah, my susperstition. ah, another decent poppy addition to the advent - and surely, mixed in with the rest, you'll be all about it.

::::Phantom Planet - Winter Wonderland

another excuse is that this is the antitype to the California song that makes you want to scratch your ears off, because it's about snow. go for it, i know you want it, even if it is the sketchy white chocolate of the advent sampler.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 22: McCartney, McRae and Orbison

2006-12-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

i'm pretty sure i've been counting the days wrong. but it's okay! and on we go a' adventing...
ah, sundays. the perfect day for catching up with the advent calendar. i always forget on the weekends, anyway - the anticipation of what's beneath the flap on Fridays and Saturdays just isn't as cool as on weekdays, when you're procrastinating by every means possible. so, to make up for it, i'm going to give you three whole mp3s today.

the first is one you'll hear twenty-five hundred times this season on oldies radio and college stations alike. here you are with Paul McCartney's bright-'n-cheery-to-the-point-of-maybe-cringing 1979 hit, "Wonderful Christmastime." there's a very convenient little write-up of it here (yes, i linked you to bbc, who called him Macca. oh, my god).

::::Paul "Macca" McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime

just in case that song makes you want to kick something (i know a few people who have that knee-jerk reaction), here's an alternative version that i think you'll quite enjoy. it's a cover by Tom McRae, and my god, he takes the song and makes it this eery, melancholy, and simply gorgeous song, dark and with strings. this is the literal antithesis of McCartney's original song.

::::Tom McRae - Wonderful Christmastime

a little like sunday drivers, we're going to take it down a notch and throw you this holiday curveball. can you believe me? it's Roy Orbison's "Pretty Paper," written and also sung by Willie Nelson. very slow, but pretty great, and the lyrics make it for me.

::::Roy Orbison - Pretty Paper

edit: this link no longer leads to McCartney's song, but rather to the intended treat from Roy Orbison. thanks to the anonymous commenter for pointing it out.

ah, the advent overwhelm! don't worry, more tomorrow, back to one-a-day. sheesh, now the advent is like a vitamin... how many themes can we come up with, here...

Field Music: Tones Of Town

2006-12-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

there is an album that has gotten so much play in my headphones over the last week that i wake up, go to sleep, walk the sidewalks, brush my teeth to the beat of the songs. i mean it, i mean it. i'm completely and utterly obsessed with it right now, and it's about to get a rave review here on NfT. if you're sick of my raving lately, i don't know what to tell you. it's called good luck.

lovely, jangly, poppy, happy and British, but not the Kooks (by any means). your ears perk, yes? and they should. they are Field Music, and they're back with a new full-length LP (UK readers: "you have it?" US readers: "who?"), called Tones Of Town. this thing is amazing. i'm going to go ahead and tell you it's the best pop i've heard from overseas all year, just to make a point. they take their cue from old giants (Beatles) and the mediocrity of today's Kooks and mix it with a new depth to take much more seriously. they're talented as hell, expertly employing a wide range of sounds (strings!) and producing a complete work of art, often stringing songs together, flowing one into the next almost undetectably (until you try to pick mp3s to share). Tones Of Town has been the perfect remedy to pick me up in the face of this ever-colder city, snapping my steps to a new beat that just won't leave my head. oh, i promise you a good time. you'll be so glad you believed me.

::::and would you believe it, these mp3s will actually work now:
Field Music - Give It Lose It Take It
-- this is the first track of the album. i hadn't heard anything from the album, and i was walking out of my building as this started, and i paid particular attention to the opening. i was so surprised when the music started up after the bells, and was instantly hooked. watch out at 40 seconds in... and just let the beatles influence floor you. a minute:thirty in and you'll see just why they're so fucking good.
Field Music - Working To Work
-- seventh track presents a catchy-as-hell breakdown, a slightly more simplified arrangement, and quite simply a great song. the Brits in them shine through here, and a little Paul McCartney...
BONUS:Field Music - She Can Do What She Wants
-- it was so impossibly hard not to give you this entire album, i'm telling you. instead, i closed off this line-up with their intended closer, which is just such a great song. oh, man. fantastic lead-in, irresistable harmonies, tambourine, strings (keyboard-produced or no) - oh, luscious. and it will be stuck in your head for the next five years.

i mean, this whole album is so incredible it almost makes me angry. it's this frustration that i know not every reader will pick up these tracks, that not everyone will believe me, that i'll fail in conveying my honest passion for the music i've found. but that's the gig here, i guess.

the hype will only grow and grow, so check there often for more and more tracks (so you can believe me, really).
also, tell them hi on their myspace, and listen to good songs.

technical report - we've made progress

2006-12-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

okay guys, so i know that things on the technical spectrum of NfT haven't quite been in top shape as of late. apparently the page doesn't load properly in FireFox, which i have only recently installed on my own laptop in an attempt to fix the problem over this upcoming vacation. and sometimes the Hype Machine doesn't like the mp3s we post for some reason or another. but we'd like to blame all of this (only half of it is really plausible) on the culprit behind your music sharing and enjoying woes -

EZArchive.

those bastards went and changed their system over, claiming it was for the benefit of their users, that the interface was more friendly and efficient and that everything else would be better to use. well you know what? they basically just instituted measures to make the sharing of music with you guys nearly impossible. their uploader strips the artist and track names (ID3 tags) from the files, and reencodes them so that they're crappy quality. nobody wants that, right?

well, we here at NfT won't stand for nonsense of this sort, and so upon kind recommendation, we've obtained an account over at FileDen. so now all of you amazingly faithful readers can obtain your mp3s in proper form and documentation, at 192kbps or higher, the way it was intended.

we'll be considering going back to update the recent posts with updated mp3s, but for now, everything since november 20th has been fixed and uploaded to FileDen, so for those of you who had been posting that certain tracks weren't working, i would recommend that you go back and obtain them all now while they're hot. also, if there is anything older that we haven't gotten to yet that you're dying for, now is the perfect time to put in your requests. think of it as our holiday gift to you. and speaking of holiday gifts, let me just remind you of our ongoing feature, Toaster Does Santa. since all the tracks are up and functioning, here's a reminder of what you've gotten so far:

::::Day 30 - The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

::::Day 29 - matt pond PA
matt pond PA - Holiday Road
matt pond PA - Snow Day

and there it is. the layout of the page will be in testing and redesign shortly, but for now, happy first day of december. take some time to relax with a mug of tea or hot cocoa and enjoy the music.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 29: matt pond PA

2006-11-30T09:09:00.000-05:00

and now for the next day in our mp3 advent calendar series...

only when i'm quiet, when i've lost the capacity for words or explanation or grand detail, great sweeping descriptions which always distract but maybe not inform - that's when you know it's big. it's very rare, and it's sure to spark possessive and perhaps unhealthy obsession, but it does happen periodically, and it happened with matt pond PA. i have been married to this band. it's hard to say more.

so it's only appropriate that i share with you one of their Winter-themed songs. while the whole Winter Songs EP is quite beautiful and works its magic as a complete piece, i'll give you this song as a sign of good will and with hopes that you'll be inspired to love and be loved by this music (and that you'll buy the album).

just before they cover Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" (oh now you're interested) is the second-to-last track "Holiday Road." i'm told it's from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and even though i know that's a movie with Chevy Chase, i have to admit i don't know much else. if this makes me a failure at pop culture, i apologize. all i know is the mesmerizing quality of his voice, the lulling and the sweet darkness he always exudes in his song writing and style. it's a great alternative addition to your christmas collection.

::::and such beautiful strings:
mpPA - Holiday Road

ah, love it. wait, what's that? you're a fan? you want more mpPA, in the spirit of everything important (and their show here in Boston on Saturday)?

wish granted: mpPA - Snow Day

loveliness overwhelms.
head to the hype to find out who else wants to sell you one of my very favorite bands of all time (the claims! oh, the claims! but true).

Loney, Dear: now on Sub Pop and my headphones.

2006-11-29T13:21:00.000-05:00

i was loyally and passionately sold by Loney, Dear the very first time i heard them ("The City The Airport"). this happens so rarely in my life that i can sit here and list the bands for you (The Flaming Lips, Band of Horses, Annuals - just to name three that span very different time periods). so you can imagine that the post to follow will be over-the-top and full of exaggerative praise. while that might be the truth, my ultimate goal is to get you to trust me -- unlike the rest of the blogworld, i don't jump on any big name, and i don't rush to give you the ticking bombs first. i am in earnest.

they have impossibly perfect representation. one look at their website (linked above) and you will realize an aesthetic philosophy of mine exemplified to a T. they are artistic not only by means of layout and photography (and font choice, even), but by their music as well. creatively, carefully, craftily they compose their works with a wide range of instruments and influences, sending my eardrums into euphoria. they are emotional without being "emo" (not in any sense, at all) and clever without being corny. i'm not surprised to know they're (or "he's," as it's mainly one guy, Emil Svanängen) from Sweden, because the music shows the same understanding for pop -- and yet it goes infinitely deeper than that, bringing the listener out of him- or herself and changing something, irrevocably. it's quietly moving. say what you will, this new Sub Pop signing has me (trulymadlydeeply).

::::care to fall as well?
Loney, Dear - I Am John
Loney, Dear - Hard Days

both tracks are from their upcoming Loney, Noir, available on Sub Pop.
head to the hype to find more tracks, especially from the amazing Sologne.

also! the beautiful, beautiful website has a bunch of thirty-second song clips you can download, right here. highly recommended.

Toaster Does Santa, Day 30: The Polyphonic Spree

2006-11-29T07:11:00.000-05:00

as the holidays draw near i've decided to create a sort of advent calendar of mp3s. so each weekday you can pop over here while we count 'em down and grab a holiday tune that we've found or heard forever, from a bunch of different styles and ages. i'll tell you straight off that holiday music is terribly lacking in the nondenominational department, so the vast majority of songs are geared for the Christmas audience. it's also as a result of my upbringing, i suppose. i'm not religious in any sense, but every year we had a tree and santa showed up and all. so now, over the years, i've twisted the meaning of the holidays into my own bright celebration of new england's cold weather, shameless commercialism, family parties, and hot 'n frothy beverages.

so here it is, NfT's newest feature, Toaster does Santa.

so! with all of that said, i'm going to start you off with a lovely little jaunt from The Polyphonic Spree covering Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." i don't quite do word shortenings - for instance, you'll never read "dunno" or the classic "lol" or "omg." but it's truly "Xmas," as Lennon and Yoko intended, so it's Xmas here damn it.

The Spree makes one of the most depressing Christmas songs ever made into still one of the most depressing Christmas songs ever made. it's a switch for them, however, highlighting vocals like they never quite do, sounding just the slightest bit like Wayne Coyne (Lips) on, say, "Do You Realize??." it works perfectly, with the chorus of children in the background singing exactly the part you would have them sing - "waaaarrrr iiiiiiss ooooooo-ver.."

::::so this is Christmas, and what have you done? (sob.) :
The Polyphonic Spree - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

this track appears on the compilation Maybe This Christmas Tree, released in 2004, featuring a few other great artists that we might be throwing in for the rest of this mp3 advent calendar.

Robbers On High Street - cut them some slack.

2006-11-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

i've been reading around the block lately about these disgruntled bloggers and music fans looking to condemn Robbers On High Street for their "indie rock by numbers" feel. at this point, you probably know that their latest EP The Fatalist And Friends has gotten quite a bit of attention for its single, "The Fatalist" (go to the hype to locate a copy). it's still the second most popular track on elbo.ws, and for a long long time, it was the first.

so what does this say about the argument of its mediocrity? if it follows a supposed formula of "indie rock" (a particularly hazy term in the first place), is it possible that music listeners just like that formula? i ask you: what's wrong with producing the perfect single? it's true, i consider myself an album person. the majority of the time here on NfT, i'm trying to sell you an entire project of a new band, never mind a single you could possibly dig. but every once in a while, something comes along and just knocks on the sides of your brain until you can't help but listen to it over and over and over - and for me, that's what ROHS accomplished.

meanwhile, as you might suspect, the rest of their material is just as worthy as the single. take, for instance -

::::Robbers on High Street - Major Minor

this track is also on the new EP. it very much follows the same "formula," but it works impossibly well. the song is catchy, the vocals rock, and the whole thing makes you stop and wonder what all the fuss is about. relax, kids! it's a song! find your grand and heartstopping innovation somewhere else. this is just damn good music, and that's damn good enough.

ROHS' myspace. hype linked above. to read a gajillion posts on them, i direct you to elbo.ws, where they aren't entirely mp3-driven.

Imogen Heap - House Remixes

2006-11-27T13:39:00.000-05:00

remember the first time you heard Imogen Heap? it was Frou Frou, i'm going to suppose, and you were surprised by the depth and emotive quality, and you were hooked. well - i was. distortion or bare, Imogen Heap does something amazing to music, making everything in the background pause, shifting light and time and undoubtedly throwing you into a moviescript.

these remixes do that in a mesmorizing, dizzying way, seductive and perfect. it's House, and it's good. if you've never been dancing, i warn you that her beautiful voice beckons you from the Hide and Seek track line you know so well, and a come hither pulse drags your legs into motion.

::::try it out:
Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek (Frequent Flyers Mix)
Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek (Spencer Collective Mix)

head on over to the hype for plenty more from Imogen Heap.

we love this time of year.

2006-11-26T22:44:00.000-05:00

sigh. we all disappeared this weekend, huh? i love thanksgiving, because it's essentially useless, but it gives us a break. plus there's Black Friday, in case you haven't gotten your fill of Lemming activities. there's family (i am a rare bird, and i actually enjoy mine), more food than an entire month combined, it's really quite a wonderful thing.

again guys, i'm sorry, the mp3s aren't quite how they should be, but they should be fixed... really soon. i don't know. i just don't know. i can't even begin to express my discontent with EZArchive. also on the agenda is fixing the blog to suit every browser - but give us time, give us time. for now i'm perfecting my pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies. Toaster's a big fan.

otherwise, the rush of emails and posts and mp3s and hits and great discoveries will begin again tomorrow morning, starting around 5 am, picking up around 6 and 7, and riding steadily until midnight. tonight, no one wants to go back to work. school makes us reel. in the morning we'll have to fight the alarm and put on the coffee, boil water for tea, trek to the barista, lick rainpuddles - whatever - and then go on our "merry" ways, braving the immediate onslaught of everything Christmahanakwanza. best of all is the mood music in every retail location with a sound system, making a pass through your local shops a compare/contrast session of every Here Comes Santa Claus rendition ever made.

for now, though, we're all escalating along with the commercialist cheer, buying into the XM Satellite Holiday playlists and sipping peppermint mochas instead of monday's Bold. but it's okay. it's getting to be that time of year, you know? forgiveness (our mp3 isues), peace (EZArchive), plans (browsers), love (cookies) - and breaks. giving into ourselves and sifting through the routine. why not let ourselves get carried away with man-made cheer? why not trick our senses into festivity, beat the bores with gingerbread lattes instead of dragging our faces along the sidewalk? it's a good time to let go. it's just a good time.

my forseeable christmas playlist (yes, already) only includes Sufjan Stevens, Songs For Christmas and Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas. what's on your playlist? let me know, kids. recommend me to something (a role reversal for once).

i hope you all had a very happy thanksgiving.

CSS remixed - Alala

2006-11-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

mmmm, thanksgiving. i have so much for which i can say thank you - and i will, in a later post - but for now i'd like to thank all of you readers in a non-sentimental fashion (for the time being, anyway, i'll start your tear ducts later) with a remix of a song i love. chances are, you love it too.

::::eat turkey, fall asleep, and wake yourself up with this:
CSS - Alala (Bonde Do Role Remix) lush, complicated, and ripped apart.
BONUS:CSS - Alala (A Cappella) just to totally contradict the above, here's a stripped version of only vocals - interesting, especially if you have your own mixing powers and you wanted to take a shot.

hey, will you guys let me know how the mp3s are working? are they tagged correctly? i know we keep demanding your input, but everyone loves a little say. speeeeak.

new music: SoftLightes

2006-11-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

SoftLightes - Heart Made Of Sound

this post was originally intended for yesterday morning but blogger was having none of it, so we tore out our hair and waited for this morning to give you this lovely bit. expect more later concerning turkey day.
gobble gobble.
i once met someone from San Diego. we sat on a porch by ourselves during a large party, five o'clock summer heat, expensive wicker rustling with cheap outdoor cushions. he loved The Doors, but in a way that a kid loves seventies punk bands, "they're the only thing that matters, their word is god." and he told me in the most personal of ways that all he did at home was to get in his car and start driving, any direction, drive to Nowhere, and end up Somewhere. he said getting lost was the only way to find anything. shift, rustle, paper plate pizza, loud guffaw from inside. he said, i just go alone.

i thought about driving. i thought about driving away. i thought about the same sun slanting in through the porch screen, a hazy yellow, a world of perfect weather and a city to which i'd never been. i thought about twisting, winding roads, cliffs overhanging the sea, a view to take breath. i thought about reflections on water and the same sun wrapping everything in white. i thought, there is beauty in all of that.

today, years later, all at once i'm rushed back to that time when i sat, unmoving, and was thrown through boundaries of space and time to find Somewhere and still keep going, drive on drive on. it's this song. it's this song, and i can't tear myself away. and i am rushed back...

::::SoftLightes - Heart Made Of Sound

Modular's latest signing has undergone some major changes (they're essentially a new band) and their introductory EP, title track Heart Made Of Sound, is positively enchanting. it's some of the best music i've heard in months - and i've had the EP on repeat since i got it. it's not quite like the americana of Band Of Horses or My Morning Jacket, but something similar with a twist of those "indie rock" sensibilities that are so hard to explain - barely audible background voice-overs, punches of noise, synths, useful electronic elements, etc. they've looped together one of those indescribable and constantly shifting masterpieces like Annuals pulled off with their Be He Me, succeeding with everything they try. if you know your NfT blogger well enough, you know that's a very high compliment.

::::Bonus: SoftLightes - Noah And The Electric Cholos

so kids. get ready for the full release in 2007. you know i'll let you know.
in the meantime, check their myspace to hear two songs i didn't give you (the microwave song! they love kitchen appliances, too). they also have a video, a picture of george harrison, and a LINK (which is now right there) to their digital-only EP on iTunes, from which i am giving you these songs, and i highly recommend it. so much so, it's in bold.

The Slip - Eisenhower

2006-11-20T22:49:00.000-05:00

though i'd like to be able to tell you i legitimately don't like this band, there are a number of things holding me back. the first is the instrumental part. some of what they have going is very good. it's tragically good, really, because by itself, the music is really quite something. the opening moments of "Even Rats" feature the same guitar that makes me like bands like Minus The Bear and becomes half of the appeal of The Whitest Boy Alive, while "Paper Birds" (though long) has a wonderful patchwork of elements, from the strumming guitar to touches of piano, a few keyboard/electronic instances (i assume), and a few really good bass lines. and every song has something redeeming. my favorite is "The Soft Machine Intro," clocking in at 2:20 in the dead middle of the album, a veritable jungle soundtrack that launches into a beautifully composed instrumental ditty. then "The Soft Machine" itself comes on, and i'm disappointed.

all of a sudden the real problem becomes clear. it's everything to do with human voices. the lyrics are halfway to hilarious but stop just short and wind up sounding a little like they used a team of fifth graders and a lot of weed. and i'm not just talking about "Children of December," either, which is just about the lamest idea for a song i've come across all year, making it at least laughable. i'm talking about all the tracks, where i can understand the lyrics too well for them to be so pointless. even if you're not one of those music listeners that needs to be halfway interested in what's being said, there's always how it's being sung, which for The Slip is just as much of a problem. all of the vocals smack of hardcore mediocrity, reminiscent of the other Goo Goo Dolls vocalist (you: "who?" me: "exactly") and last about as long as the third track before the eyes start to roll and you think, alright, were they serious about this gig or what? not to mention: it's a bad band name, the album title doesn't make sense, and it looks like they took a profile shot of a clay extra from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and decided it would make good cover art.

this review will never wind up quoted on anyone's website and there will probably be a lot of dissenters, but good. because if you like The Slip, you like The Slip! and you keep on likin 'em, because if you go to see them live, chances are you'll see My Morning Jacket too (check their myspace for tour dates).

::::but the point is to let you hear the strong points, and those are here:
The Slip - The Soft Machine (Intro)
The Slip - Paper Birds

don't forget that the hype can get you the two single tracks ("Children of December" - which, of course, is very good musically, just awful lyrically - and "Even Rats").

the on-going fixin' uppin'

2006-11-19T12:47:00.000-05:00

people, people, people. you've let me down!

why didn't anyone tell me NfT works like crap on Firefox? looks good on Safari and IE, yeah, but looks like the self-absorbed little writers here couldn't look past their own noses and think to look at any other browsers. speak up, my people! what browser do you have? how's it looking? and i apologize to those of you that have been grinning and bearing the Firefox experience. we'll have this fixed (along with mp3 tagging) before you can say turkey-and-stuffing-and-jellied-cranberry-sauce-and-mashed-potatoes-and-

and if you live outside the US, before you can say that-silly-dinner-holiday-with-american-football-and-tryptophan. actually, let's all just say that.

...and this should be cool within the next week. and then the entire internet world can hold hands and sing around the campfire that is noise for toaster goodness. you know i'll bring the marshmallows (i always do).

quick sunday post... see you all tomorrow.

Sean Lennon's "Friendly Fire"

2006-11-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

to anyone obsessed with getting the timing right on these posts, i know you'll immediately think, "wow, she's a little late on this guy." but i'm not. and that's because this is still rising in the amount of attention it's getting - you can decide how much it deserves.

the musical artistry behind Friendly Fire does not come on slowly. it's a slow album, yes. it creeps into your ear canals on all fours, laughing quietly. it takes its time to permeate all the little gray noodles of your brain. but it is instantly apparent how talented and serious of a musician Sean has turned out to be. he's dropped the strictly 60's pop act to branch out into his own style, a soothing, Clapton-y, sometimes ballad/sometimes sunshine pop record. i have spent the morning listening to it again, and it's put me under a spell, a city sidewalk hazy daze. it has calmed me. more importantly than anything, Fire stands on its own, glows without fade and does not wear thin. what more can any music listener ask for?

ah. sigh.

i wish we could drop Sean's last name, but we can't. he has a last name. i have a last name, you have one, my neighbors have one, each, respectively. my mom has one, my dad, your mom and dad, maybe the same as yours and maybe not - yep. it's a last name world. but your last name isn't Lennon - and Sean's is. (not to mention that Sean rhymes with "John" - maybe you see where this is going.) and with a last name like that, anyone gets expectations. a hundred things flood into the brain. i ask you, how couldn't they? where would they hide? you'd be denying the basic reflexes of the gray stuff in-between your ears.

but it's important to remember that, presumably, just as you intend not to become your parents, so we can't expect Sean to genuinely channel his father. it annoys me that reviewers expect a prodigy and an undying legacy. can we ever have another John Lennon? i'm diehard, so i'll say absolutely not. but let's especially not apply that pressure to his son who happened to take his career in the same direction as both of his parents. this is a beautiful album, and that should not be denied the artist just because he's the spawn of (maybe) the most famous name in rock 'n roll history. just listen to the end of "Would I Be The One." fall into the title track. let "Headlights" wash over you, and cry over "Falling Out Of Love." all of these songs deserve their due - and not out of criticism, and not out of the other end of all this, which would be unnecessary reverence. Sean has a different, separate heartbeat than his father did. he has different hands to play guitar. and he'll work with whomever he pleases, thank you.

::::after all that defense, here's the proof:
Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire
Sean Lennon - Would I Be The One
Note: we're having some trouble with tagging our mp3s at the moment, so they don't show up correctly on any blog aggregators, but you can still grab them just fine. the problem should be fixed after this weekend. let me know if there are any other problems.

i highly recommend you purchase this record and make up your own mind.
looking for his myspace? don't worry, it's here.
and, as always, the hype will help render useless the "purchase" link i have up there, unless you're a respectable citizen and you actually support artists. although, i mean, this kid is so fucking wealthy. my god.

....he does look like him though, doesn't he? the beatles tend to reincarnate themselves in their children before they even die. well, at least George did with Dhani, didn't he? have you seen that kid?

not your typical swede: Kristoffer Ragnstam

2006-11-16T08:22:00.000-05:00

there is a genre of independent music that i will predictably love. it's everything rolled up into a jangly rock-pop burrito: folk, alt-country, sunshine pop, a little piano here, a few strings there, a little electronic play, unusual vocalists (Isaac Brock, i love you. Colin Hay, we'll talk)... eggs? if i ate them, i'd have them scrambled, thank you.

but sometimes an artist comes catapulting through this predictable pattern, knocking everything all over the place and straightening up, settling down, only to make my jaw drop and say - hang on, kids, i like this album. the force can vary from a rubber chicken to a cannon-ball, but neverthless, lying snugly somewhere in this category comes Kristoffer Ragnstam.

Do You Want A Piece Of Me poses a question that can be answered only after a few listens. do we want a piece of him WELL yes we do - but it takes a minute. the EP comes in trailing influences too varied to mention all of them, but some of my favorite are older. on "Breakfast By The Mattress," deservedly the most popular track, they have an updated seventies disco flair, a little like Under The Influence of Giants - those giants being the bee-gees. more importantly, though, is the extremely successful range of songs produced on this simple 5-track. anything he tries, he gets right. 60's garage, delicate harmonies, piano, POP. the guy knows his pop.

speaking of the guy, the name is Swedish. he's got a great history, hailing from Sweden but veering off the Swede-pop bandwagon to do his own, slightly more involved (sometimes i think i could write a Swede-pop song, and yet i love it still) genre of rock and pop and disco and 60's dance and psychedelia and... i'm telling you, this cat does everything. he loves his craft, and he's honed it well - not to mention getting in the studio with producer Chris Brown (think: Radiohead, Beatles, and big Brit stars like Blur). it's all very impressive... and hopefully i can impress upon you to keep him in mind for his debut LP Sweet Bills, out in March sometime.

::::you'll need the whole EP, though:
Kristoffer Ragnstam - Breakfast By The Mattress
Bonus.... Kristoffer Ragnstam - Woke Up Left Handed - also quite good. give it time.

you know the drill! i suggest his myspace, which apparently every music artist on the planet has, except Jay-Z of course.

allllllso, go for the hype machine to collect the tracks you may have missed here. he'll just get bigger and bigger until PF calls him a blogger artist and gives him a 3.6. sigh.

Tiny Dancers - "20 to 9" mp3

2006-11-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

Tiny Dancers
hey, whaddyaknow, Wednesday afternoon pickmeups.

::::as catchy but 20 times more brilliant than mmbop, i'm telling you:
Tiny Dancers - 20 To 9

this is quite a lovely medley of 60's pop combined with today's answer to "indie rock," whatever that catch phrase truly means these days. this is the single best track i've heard all week (i'll let you know if that's true Sunday). its staying power is questionable, but it's a lot of fun and perfect to swing your mood. it's for the moment. let it be ephemeral, you know? everything's okay.

the brit band is pretty lovely, too, coming straight-outta West Yorkshire (watch out) with awesome accents and an impressive line-up of inspiration - namely worldly music, from every corner of the globe and back again (refreshing that they weren't catering to any acronymed western country). i suggest you check their playful myspace.

buy Lions, Tigers, and Lions
catch the hype, or what will be.

a must read [your blogger speaks]

2006-11-14T09:04:00.001-05:00

alright. this morning marks my official return and, though this morning's AIH post was really meant for yesterday, we won't talk about that and pretend like i never quite went away... (i left my heart, SF, yeah yeah)

first order of business: LAYOUT INQUIRIES! YAY! NfT is all about pleasing its readers (ooobviously) and so we're super interested in whether your viewing experience is as good as your reading experience (oh, we know). how's the layout, guys? more importantly, does it work for you? how's it doing with your browser? RSS feed? mac/pc? spinach pie? let us know if there are any kinks, anywhere at all, and short of sending you frozen baked goods, we'll do what we can.

next up. have you heard the new Robbers On High St mp3? there are a number of good reviews on it (and, moreover, they have it for you to download) so i will award them the free hits by sending you directly to the hype machine, where they will hook you up by your discretion (i'm not really into playing favorites). absolutely addictive, mate. this tune sits in your head and rattles the little noodles of your brain until you.are.the.fatalist.and.robbers.on.high.street.are.all.that.matter -
more on this when the EP rolls out.

soooo, Jay-Z's new album comes out today... (yes, i'm actually talking about this). it leaked over the weekend and so all o' you little buggers already know what it sounds like. i suggest Idolator, who has two pretty good tracks (not playing favorites - you try and sift through the hype if you want, but it's terrifying). i don't really listen to Jay-Z, but i did once upon a time (who didn't in 1999?) and he still interests me in that overseer-of-a-really-big-and-influential-label kind of way.

that's actually it. that's all i have for notes. silly, huh? must be done, must be done.

Architecture in Helsinki: 'this is the remix'

2006-11-14T06:35:00.000-05:00

fall is my very favorite season. i live in new england, you see - if i lived in san francisco (still here, sort of) i might be singing a different tune. but the fall in that precious little lump of states on the upper right-hand corner of your US map... it's better than just "fall." it earns the word autumn. the foliage, the squash, pumpkins, apple-picking, thanksgiving tradition (massachusetts, plymouth - we started it yo!), schizophrenic weather, that whole indian summer thing... pumpkin spice ice cream... the proper climate for hot cider... yeah. everything feels very hallmark, and yet we're so damn proud of it, and we very well should be. the pilgrims broke their bread here, after all. and pilgrims are pretty sweet.

HENCE why i so appreciated Architecture In Helsinki's website the first time i visited in the last few weeks. i don't pretend to know when they updated their site; i haven't had too much reason to check it, since we haven't seen much of AIH lately -- even if we've heard quite a bit about them, what with their ever-increasing popularity and gradual climb to pop status. nevertheless, the layout is quite wonderful; it's not new england, but it's sure as hell like it, what with the falling leaves and the blustering wind (thanks flash) and the snow, the gray, the clouds and swinging old-fashioned logo. it's happy, damn it. and it's so appropriate.

thanks to their interludish remix album We Died, They Remixed, we get to relive all of that innate happiness of AIH in a slightly different way. they have some wonderful talent handling their songs - among which Hot Chip, Safety Scissors, Squeak E Clean, and others to whom i'm just now being introduced. some go off in directions i could do without, but others work really well, and still capture that effervescent affect of the Australian team. the whole thing is pretty damn good. the best part about it, of course, is that it's a lovely little teaser until they get together their follow-up to 2005's In Case We Die (which is soon).

::::bask in its teasing glory:
AIH - It'5! (Poutine Dream Mix - 33hz & Ming) - this playful tune gets a non-stop electronic heartbeat and a lovely twang that will have you bouncing in your computer chair (which i highly recommend. both the song AND the bouncing).

Bonus: AIH - Tiny Paintings (Squeak E Clean and Koool G) - the original song is completely different from this update - a little eerie, definitely different. the remix, however, is tantalizingly poppy, boppy, beep and blippy in the coolest damn way. my favorite.

enjoy! check the hype for a littering of other tracks, but mostly the highly-hyped (obviously) Hot Chip remix, which is terrific.
aaaand go to their myspace which is, though bare, the best way to keep up with their tour schedule (also kind of empty, at the moment).

vicarious posting - Brett Dennen

2006-11-09T18:46:00.000-05:00

there's this thing about college and life and people and involvement that i'm not a huge fan of - the commitments. time commitments, specifically. apparently i'm not up to par with managing mine yet. and so while i continue to not post myself for over a month, shan continues to work away, quite possibly doing more than i am and still posting. take this for example, today's email-prepared excerpt sent off on the way to the airport. that almost makes me feel bad about myself, like i'm inadequate or something.

alex: "you're getting ready to board a plane and you still prepared a post?"
shan: "yeah, what's your excuse?"
alex: "i, uh... i have vertigo. really."

enjoy.

-----

Brett Dennen - So Much More

yes yes, hello.

i didn't mean to break my promise already, yesterday. if you don't know what i'm talking about, forget i said anything, but for all of you that are deeply offended, toaster kisses for everyone. and stuff. - - - i have good news, though. i'm putting aside a hundred other things i should be doing to bring you words, pixels and media, this addictive bloggish stuff that some scorn and most just devour, lick their lips, check for crumbs. ohhh you know who you arrre.

have you seen this guy? i'd like his age. he's baby-faced, red-headed, freckled, mop-haired. he sounds jaw-droppingly like...someone... i can't think of who, too little sleep probably, but something about the way he treats his inflections, syllables, drawing out words, dropping them off, etc etc - something about tonality, range - i don't know. poor brett dennen is getting less time of actual listening and more vocal scrutiny. am i speaking english today?

- he's adorable, but in that dangerous way, like he knows about it - and he should, considering he's opened up for John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band. it's that confidence, however, which is half of his appeal. a dozen reviewers (including John Mayer himself?) have described it very similarly - that the instant you put in the album, you're blown away. pop, rock, folk rock, alt country, really good things. he has a voice so entirely comfortable with its natural surroundings (i.e. guitar and drum accompaniments) that it becomes fluid. it's nearly like a conversation -- one-way, enrapturing, and worthy of foot-tapping, but a comfortable discourse nonetheless.

::::i know you'd like a listen. because he's going to explode.
Brett Dennen - Ain't No Reason - assuming this is the single. very impressive.
Brett Dennen - Darlin' Do Not Fear - highly recommended, but a hard choice. there are too many good picks, really.

i have a pet hobby of scoping out individual male voices and putting them through the "does this come even remotely close to making me feel like i did the first time i heard john mayer" test. ah, i'm giving myself away! lack of sleep, lack of sleep. but it's true, and you may as well know. and Brett Dennen? Brett's doing pretty well. he's doing pretty damn well.

his myspace, loved and caressed by fourteen year olds and twentysomethings that know music. i mean it, go look. the hype, although i'm pretty shocked at the lack of posts on this dude. don't worry, Brett dear, you'll get there. you just tell 'em it was NfT.

so, i know you're all jealous, tonight i'm heading off to San Francisco (and thereabouts) for the weekend, where i should still be posting, so don't fret. frets totally unnecessary. anyone know the weather out there....? (which i almost spelled like "whether." i'm telling you, guys, it's the sleep.)

-----

yep. she's good, she is. really, do listen to her. and i really do have vertigo right now. weirdest thing ever. not that it's an excuse for why i haven't posted in a month, but who's keeping track? shan can just keep posting vicariously through me and it'll look like i did the work, right?

right?

notepad

2006-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

a few quick things:

- apparently Rainer Maria is finished. they'll play two shows, December 15th and 16th in Philly and at the Bowery (good place to leave it, i'd say). as usual, that's Pitchfork. i'm surprised and i'm not -- they've been around for quite a long time, and they've done some great stuff. i see future projects though, from separate band members. you know, you'll one day check PF and find an article on a new release with "guitarist from Rainer Maria..."

- is CMJ over yet, guys? sigh. it was bad enough that we couldn't go, but it was plastered all over our emails and everywhere we checked for the last month. in any case, for some of the best coverage, check these usual suspects: stereogum, definitely Brooklyn Vegan, and a no-comparison composition by fluxblog.

- rbally, one of our favorite Boston bloggers, has decided to call it quits. this is such a crime, but to tell you the truth, we get it. life+blog=something messy. he'll be missed around here.

- in a spectacularly short snippet with a little jolt to bloggers everywhere, i'm willing to take the hit for NY Times's review of my beloved Annuals. i won't get all sappy on you here, but this is sort of my pet band. by FAR their debut Be He Me is in my "top-three-most-listened" since September. constantly stuck in my head. anyway, check out the article and catch another little snippet of Frida Hyvonen. her stuff is so good. [Largehearted Boy]

alright. most of that was news of quitting or endings, but i stuck in a little positive at the end there (rock on Annuals, Ace Fu). now get on with your lives.

(you should know about..) +/- (plus/minus)

2006-11-07T06:55:00.000-05:00

+/- (plus/minus) - Let's Start A Fire
i am fried. i am gone to the world, sick of words, sick of composing and typing and thinking and breathing. lucky for you all, i am not yet sick of whining - no no, not yet. but just as lucky, i am passionate in my promises, and i promised you postage, so posts, push on. pfft. comma comma.

in the spirit of whatever, i bring you plus/minus, known to everyone but google and amazon as +/-. over the last few weeks, their latest album Let's Start A Fire has been getting some of the most play-time on my ipiddd and by far the most repeat-cycles in the last few days. the story with this "new" album is that it's actually not new at all. like a lot of really good albums this year (SSLY Boris Yeltsin, What Made Milwaukee Famous), this release was just recently picked up by a slightly bigger label, Absolutely Kosher, and was re-released October 24th. admittedly, i hadn't heard it before now, though i had heard some of their much earlier stuff (explain that one). well, actually, i can explain. the old +/- reminded me a little too much of Air - that floaty, dreamy, trippy electronica that waivers in and out of ambience and pop and makes my eyelids droopy. they were good, i gave them that, but they didn't stand on their own, even with the band name (which has always fit snugly at the very top of my itunes, right under a bit of !!! and more recently ¡Forward Russia!). so i missed out on this release. and let me reiterate: i missed out.

ah, the wonders of electronic noise pop! they're at their best when they channel Psapp, ever so slightly, and make it their own. they pick the electric like Minus The Bear and sometimes drag the vocals like Thom Yorke, but both work so well, and even together. tracks like "Steal The Blueprints," possibly their single, make me roll my eyes and say - hey guys, if i had wanted to listen to Death Cab, i would have put on We Have The Facts. but even those times they win me over in no time, my head bopping and foot tapping (such a happy combination). tracks like "Profession" show a certain depth (even if he's going for Radiohead) that is both impressive and addicting. this is probably my favorite song on the whole album. there are moments that stick in my head, make my spine tingle and leave me raw for more. powerful? yes. exaggerated? always. but only slightly. the entire album gets my approval, certainly; if i've had it on replay, it means every song is redeeming, if not effing awesome.

::::check out my super-approved picks for yourself:
+/- (plus/minus) - Profession (hiiiighly recommended)
+/- (plus/minus) - Summer Dress 2 (Iodine) (lovely little pop number)

let me remind you that this whole album is highly recommended. picking tracks was difficult because every song is so different. this same versatility is one of the most attractive things about the band, though; if they try something you don't like, surely they're onto something else in just a few minutes.

go hype!
"Steal The Blueprints" is available for download on their myspace. don't be a user-loser, say hello while you're there.
buyyyyy and be so happy that you did.

Damien Rice - 9 LP

2006-11-06T09:54:00.000-05:00

if you ask me how i know you'd like to hear a little more from D to the A to the Mien and all of the Rice - i'll tell you, i know because i know. because i wanted to hear it too.

i was more interested to hear what happened after the gorgeous blow up that is "Me, My Yoke And I" (if you're not up to date, check our sampler post). and i have good news. it's okay, everyone. it's all going to be okay. we have a Blower's Daughter Part II (it's actually called "Grey Room," and it has nothing to do with the B-side). we have all the melancholy drippiness of O with sampler song "9 Crimes", but we have Volcano (Radio Edit) Part II (again, actually called "Accidental Babies" ...yeah, it really is) - and voila! we have Woman Like A Man Part II as well! and, you guessed it, it's really called "Rootless Tree," and it's deliciously profane.

i have to admit that i'm increasingly more impressed with the album as time goes on. i've explained before that i had quite a bit of trouble with O - it dragged me down. it drugged me. but 9? 9 is better. 9 i can handle. there are upbeats in almost every song, whether it's the acoustic strumming, or the actual drumset they decided to start employing - and upbeats i can handle. it's still raw, it's still emotional, it's still folk. it's just firming up a bit, getting a little disillusioned with the moody sappy blah (ah, my bias is shining through).

::::"the fav," as highschool cheerleaders and boppy twentysomethings say:
Damien Rice - Dogs

this song is different. it waivers somewhere in-between the heaviness of some songs - unbearable to me in their painfully emotional tone - and the ripping anger of others, which i actually tend to like a lot (let's not psychoanalyze that). it's very classically Damien Rice, and yet something about the addition of the snare - it's... it's really good.

PRE-ORDER THIS ALBUM. it is so absolutely gorgeous that all of you Damien Rice freaks will be ecstatic with it, and so happy with the outcome. i promise. i feel like he's really expanding on his repertoire, and the flow - the artwork - his voice - the LYRICS, always my favorite part - oh you'll love it. if you want to tell me, like some of those amazon reviewers, that you aren't ecstatic, and that you wish he'd stick to "his endearing debut," let me know. that's what the comments section is for.

new Animal Collective - People (EP)

2006-11-06T05:37:00.000-05:00

Animal Collective appear to be actively dabbling right now. they're re-releasing extremely old albums (Holinndagain, yay - courtesy of Harmonium), they're going about very specialized live sets, they released a CD/DVD sweetie in July (Grass, yay) and they're all-around doing very well to live up to their weirdness.

even more weird, though, is the slated release date for this People EP, November 16th, which has virtually no press involved with it. to tell you the truth, i can't even figure out if it'll be on Fat-Cat or Paw Tracks. i do, however, have my hands on it, and i'd like to share it with you by virtue of the Animal Collective Good Of Mankind.

::::i think the track name makes it: Animal Collective - Tikwid

it's good. this track is my favorite - being the most... accessible, you could say. it's a refreshing turn from the rare live release (Hollllinnnndagainnnnn) which has everyone (except, as promised, Pitchfork) reeling a bit from confusion and headache. but it's still them, and it's still insane, and it's still the best music i could think of to have on while you're doing drugs. just ask your favorite stoner. try this at home, kids. try this at home.

-do the myspace bit.
-also, check the hype, if you're smart.
-pre-order, yo, especially if you're one of our UK readers. let me know what the return address is, will you? or if animal collective themselves show up at your door? i'd say it would be worth that $16.

family photos, my whereabouts, free drinks. alright, maybe not the free drinks.

2006-11-05T16:06:00.000-05:00

i usually try very hard not to let my personal life meander into my posts. i mean, when it's appropriate, i'll give you little anecdotes - my history with a band, my opinions (Shins?), my experiences listening to an album or something or other. but it's always music related. i can't remember a time that it hasn't been.

WELL. i've been slacking lately, guys, and i think it's high time you find out why your favorite blog NfT (cough) isn't as religious with its posts as it has been in the past. i'd like to keep it to a minimum, though, so i'm going to pack it in like i'm giving you a healthy dose of one-a-day advice:

- forget EZArchive, yo. after a while, i completely stopped reading the emails coming our way and let the other half of NfT do the dirty work, but there was something about revamping their site, switching all of our files over, having all new file addresses or something... hell if i really know what i'm talking about. technical questions? ask alex. he really does have the advice and the know-how to help you, and i think he's in the know about some alternative sites. moral inquiries? look no further than yours truly. i say: it sucks. my sympathies go out to you and yours.

- don't go to art school, and forget majoring in english. you will find you have three times the amount of free time than you did before, and you may be a happier soul for it. if you've already got this covered and have a real paycheck coming in the mail, congratulations! let me know how it's going. make me jealous.

- back up your entire hard drive in sixty-five different ways. burn cds, print documents, fill up twelve little flash drive dealies, invest in one of those external hard drives (New Egg is where i got mine) - do everything possible to make sure what you hold near and dear will stay near and dear to you - right snugly within your access. everyone has a horror story about losing everything they've ever done, tearing their hair out, throwing their bits of technology off of the roofs of skyscrapers. but i lost all of my music, guys. can i have a chorus of "oos" and "ouches" and "aws"? it might soften the blow. nah, nope. i'm still TOTALLY DEVASTATED, GASP.

- beware the curse of comfort. a great song by The Thrills expresses this phenomenon both accurately and hilariously (lyrics). basically, you get used to a good life, and your creativity goes to shit. it isn't so much my creativity that i mourn in my case, but i do miss the energy it can sometimes take to stay a whole leap ahead of the game, as is the expectation of bloggers now. but i never stop searching - my passion never wanes - so it's just that step from finding to writing that needs a little pepping. don't worry, i'm still here.

in any case. you'll find that, starting tomorrow, i should have exactly one post a day, excepting most weekends. no longer should updates be sporadic! i miss you all too much. i love your comments and your emails. keep 'em coming. keep 'em alllllways coming.

by the way, you catch that beautiful boy up there? toaster says hello to all the ladies. but he's a little pissed i've been so irresponsible... always on my back, i'm telling you...

The Shins have a new album. well - in three months.

2006-10-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

a little like i did over the last weekend,

The Shins disappeared.

there are bands that are destined to get big (Death Cab), play in arenas, major festivals, and tour relentlessly to increasingly bigger and bigger audiences. there are bands that skip this part (Panic? at the Disco) - they fly right to fame, made by chance, filling an image for which the people are already hungry. and then there are bands that are never meant to reach fame at all. and this is The Shins.

for instance: why is it that you can't talk about them without mentioning Natalie Portman - or, perhaps more relevantly - Zach Braff? why is it that most kids go to shows mouthing the words to New Slang, but then glancing awkwardly at their friends, garbling syllables to pretend they know anything else? why is it James Mercer stands so frightfully off to side-stage, leaving the rest to gawk at the audience and make off-hand comments?

this little Sub Pop signing never knew what was coming to them.

now, with only two full albums and almost six years of a Sub-Poppian contract (here's the disappearance part), they're soon to release their third LP, Wincing The Night Away, after almost four years of relative silence (yet their name has become so deafening, hasn't it?). and i do have it. i refuse to post anything, however; first of all, a million RIAA freaks would be after me and they'd shut down the search for Toaster's noise, and i know you would all be devastated. but mostly it has to do with loyalty. the Albuquerque (stare at that word for a minute, will you?) band means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and i don't pretend to be the only independent music geek with a fierce love for the back-to-basics, definitively "indie rock" Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow. i also don't pretend to be alone in that testimonial that their first release ('02 ish, for me) helped start my quest for unknown, unheard bands (you might say that it was actually the Lips, but that's a whole other story) - thus leading to the creation of this blog.

but this new album is... oh, guys! it's so totally less-than. it is painfully, heart-wrenchingly mediocre. so much so that i had to write an entire rambling and aimless post about it. my hopes were dashed, my perception of reality and my love for music ripped away from me - no no, that's not true at all, theatrics my friends, theatrics. but it's just not what i wanted to hear. IT IS SO PRODUCED. oh my GOD. i don't know if Mercer's voice can really handle the big-band rock sound of some of these tracks. like "Turn On Me." wow. and it is so, SO one track long. the variation is gone. the tymph is there, the occassional outbreaking Mercer wail, the poppy jangle and about four times as many New Slangs - yeah, it's there. but the other thing that looms large is the (increasingly more obvious) sultan of "alternative" - you guessed it, kids. you flippin' guessed it. who else but Thom Yorke, standing silhouetted and off to the side, the Big Brother figure of all today's music. the subtle but evident electronic elements, especially in (gasp!) voice distortion - the tone, the cloudiness, everything. and what's this, strings on "Red Rabbits?" mind you: this report is brought to you following the first tracks, Chutes-outtakeish "Australia." but listen to "Pam Berry" and "Black Wave" and you tell me you don't hear Radiohead. i dare you.

even when Weezer put out Make Believe, i walked around saying - bands change, genius does strange things to people (to Rivers), we have to be able to accept the capacity for a band to grow blah blah blah. and then i heard the album (ha). this isn't another case of Rivers holing up in a black room and then doing weed with Rick Rubin, only to dry-heave a bunch of airy bullshit into a microphone and call it music (cough, sputter). but this is a case of a band changing. this is a case of: can they handle this success? were they really meant to get this big. The Shins are certainly departing. to put a label on it this early in the game is ludicrous - sure, i've called it mediocre, but that's sort of a cop-out, isn't it? - and i refuse to give up so easily on a band that was so much to me. these questions just need to be asked. so, rest assured, you'll hear from me again, and i'll just continue to fruitlessly pique your interest until you get the chance to acquire it for yourself.

for now, lovelies, check out their newly refurbished website (little floating boat!) here. they're much much much more interactive with their News string, so keep up to date! and don't spam their myspace, apparently. that's bad, friends. spam is bad.

alright. actual mp3age later, i promise. just wait until you see the goodies i have lined up for you.

and HAPPY HALLOWEEN. if you have kids, you should get dressed up too, otherwise the walking dead will recognize you and invade your souls. what, you don't know your All Hallow's Eve history? pfft. go ask Wiki.

Review: Jeremy Enigk

2006-10-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

Jeremy Enigk - World Waits
(incredibly beautiful website - a highly recommended visit)
there is nothing in the whole world like a revelation in the middle of the muddle, the muffled meddling mess of many things to do, a mind plagued with muck. quietly it stews. there is sits, waiting to be done, the piles like a laughing taunting game of Jenga, disorganized and incomplete and swiss cheese in nature. oh, it's impossible to ever be entirely happy, to do anything at all without thinking: i need to do so many other things. it's impossible to just live. like bags of sand it all drapes bulkily over the shoulders and to try and get out from under is futile - the weight will be there in the morning. sleeping in a sandbox, for pete's sake.

and there is this music which, unsettlingly, refuses to be left alone - there is a soft, sweet calling, a taunt like the sirens of the world have blown to pieces and scattered like mediocre translations of the Odyssey, ducking into innocent people's homes and ravaging their stereos and ipods. the temptation of the song will not be ignored, regardless of sandbags or the neverending Jenga tower that is the week month year's planner. the song says -

well. it doesn't need to say anything at all.

this is the power of Jeremy Enigk's World Waits. it is no exaggeration to say that i haven't heard anything quite like his intro song A New Beginning in so long that when i first heard it, i was shocked into a sort of quiet reverence. it breaks through the crusted layer of dullness, the blurred edges of the day-to-day - it eases you away from the wobbly tower (you can come back to it later...) and then opens a window. Been Here Before, taking the cue, is then the light. streaming in from the outside, i blink feverishly, surprised at my own susceptibility to mere music, embarrassed even. the album continues in this vein, exploring corners of his vocal capability, various eighties and nineties influences, flickering from dark to light back to dark, bending in the sunlight. nevermind the seeping, creeping, curving and flying instruments and synths - his voice is haunting. it breaks the drone of my own thoughts like little else i've found since this summer.

::::and how refreshing.
Jeremy Enigk - A New Beginning
Jeremy Enigk - City Tonight

buy this album.
i invite you to go to the hype where they are overloaded with terrific tracks, including the wonderful single. go visit his myspace, say hello to the Sub Pop artist page (because i love them)

and be happy. let him take it off your shoulders for a few minutes.

Review: Tiga - Sexor

2006-10-24T06:24:00.000-04:00

i think every blogger has an album-reviewing ritual. well, probably a lot of bloggers. alright! this one does. i am a blogger, a creature of habit, an OCD mofo. ohhh i said it.

Tiga totally defied my plan to review him. i pop in his album - always the first step - and i check my email and do other things while i listen to the tracks. if something jumps out at me, i expand on it with some weird connection in annoying elboration and give you guys your free music and head on my way (don't think i don't know, kids). but Tiga totally shocked me. he picked me up, spun me around, said "it's probably a little early in the morning for you to be listening to this?" but took me on his sexy dance-craze joyride nonetheless, and now i will be late for my day. or will i be early for tonight? i can't tell.

one thing that i could tell without any reading was the influence of Scissor Sisters on his music. this came out especially on You Gonna Want Me. the addition of Jake Shears's (what is the grammatical possessive protocol there?) vocals on this track adds this extremely dynamic element and - though at the first listen, i thought i just wanted to laugh - made me take him seriously as a music artist and a man with a mission. Tiga is dirty. Sexor is a rubbing, grating, groping album when listened to all at once, a dance party with slippery foreign folk that just won't stop. and you can't help but like it. you can't help but get into it, at least for a little while. lights down, beat on, anything can happen - flying colors, sexy atmosphere, everyone does things differently when they're far away from home (like buying Italian leather jackets that cost way too much? mm, go a step further, follow that beat). like any crazy dance party, after a while it's time to duck out of the fray and -

uh, get dressed for your day? what time is it again? i thought for sure it was later than this. or do i mean earlier? what time does the dancy delusion set in? for Tiga - ah. it never stops.

highlights are at the beginning of the album. the songs give you a little more breathing room than just straight-up disco techno, and have quite the catchy melodies. take, for instance, the single -

::::Tiga - (Far From) Home

his androgyny is never tacky - always just lingering within the border of delightfully scandalous. i love the pink tracksuit, i'm sorry. i could have chosen the mussed-up tie, the "come hither" look - but i wanted to choose Tiga-plays-dress-up-in-girl's-skater-clothing. that shit is priceless.

alright, kids. off to work/school/discotheque. ready set go.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams

2006-10-23T08:14:00.000-04:00

a few months back i was drawn in by a band name that sparked an internal struggle to realize whether it was the best or absolute worst i'd ever heard. today i still haven't quite figured it out, but i have grown to like them quite a bit - to the point that it's finally time for me to recommend them to you.

The Whitest Boy Alive is one of the many projects of Kings of Convenience's frontman Erlend Øye (html, yay). his voice is unmistakable but suits the very different instrumentals so well that at first, i couldn't be sure it was him - i spent some time merely relating the vocals to KoC and leaving it at that, saying, "ah yes, this vocalist has quite the similar talent, whaddayaknow." well, it's him, so i can't do that anymore.

The Whitest Boy Alive concentrates their efforts in Europe. this sounds like a funny thing to mention but it makes up some of their appeal to me; with audiences and fans concentrated mostly overseas, myspace messages in a plethora of languages and broken-up english, suddenly Øye and his three compadres Marcin Oz, Sebastian Maschat and Daniel Nentwig are even more comfortably foreign than their names suggested (which is astonishing). and there's a certain amount of glamour behind foreign things, European products and imports, those people that don't originate in the fifty states. there's a broader perspective, a world outside of our own boring and self-important one. there is the feeling of cozy secrecy, somewhat of an assurance that this isn't the next Lily Allen - i won't walk into a clothing store one day and groan at hearing music i've already known about and had the chance to overplay.

it's also rainy day, cloudy music. i swim in chemical particles of guitar - happy, poppy, unassuming, deliriously flip-flopping between twee and dance and a deep, emotional guitar. as the only thing they tend to mention about themselves, it used to be an electronic band, and slowly they replaced everything with real instruments, but they maintain a very electronic beat and simplicity that is compelling with the organic drums, bass, etc.

this is essentially a repost. but i love this - and it's so good for walking around in the fall - and i highly recommend the entire album.

::::these are my favorite tracks.
The Whitest Boy Alive - Inflation
WBA - Borders - man. i love his voice.

visit the hype for the sort of continuous buzz about all of this loveliness. also visit their myspace and say hullooo.

something new and exciting to come, no doubt.

new Sufjan Stevens - Songs For Christmas - mp3s

2006-10-19T17:37:00.000-04:00

yes. that's right. it is far too gorgeous outside for me to be posting this.

but obviously, i have no choice.

you've read it before...

Forget the 50 States. Christmas is a bigger concept. As some of you may or may not know, for the past few years, as a holiday tradition, Sufjan has embarked on an extraordinary experiment to record an annual Christmas EP. It started in 2001, the year of Epiphanies, and continued onward (skipping only 2004), culminating into an odd and idiosyncratic catalog of music that has only existed in the Asthmatic Kitty archives (and on a number of file sharing sites). The recording process took place every December, for one week, usually at home, provoking collaborations with friends, roommates, and musical peers. Armed with a Reader’s Digest Christmas Songbook (and a mug of hot cider) Sufjan & friends concocted a musical fruit cake year after year, implementing every musical instrument they could find lying around the house: banjo, oboe, Casiotone, wood flute, a buzzy guitar, hand claps, sleigh bells, Hammond organ, and some tree tinsel. Did we mention sleigh bells?

...Recording traditional favorites alongside unique originals, Sufjan has, over the course of five years, constructed an odd, impressive, and compelling collection of Christmas hits (and some misses) that will either warm your heart or make you throw up eggnog all over the bath mat (depending on your constitution). Asthmatic Kitty Records is preparing to release ALL of the material (newly mixed and mastered) in one generous box set, due in stores November 21, just in time for the holiday shopping craze.

[read the rest here, in case you don't remember or didn't know.]

***PREORDER NOW, yo! you would be SO LAME not to buy this.***
i never star things. this is urgent.

::::here's a lovely little mid-October sampling of the season of Sufjan:
~~Sufjan Stevens - Get Behind Me, Santa!~~ - single material. enough said. also: Get Behind Me Satan? weird coincidence? nope. definitely not. kudos, Jack.
~~Sufjan Stevens - Christmas In July~~ - this track is poppy, hoppy, barely a christmas song at all. i've listened to it about 6 times, and it's neither Christmas OR July. so there. (2:30 in... mm mm... love that)
~~Sufjan Stevens - Jupiter Winter~~ - light. strings and bells. like a snowflake. (yes, i said it)

Bonus - because we love you, and you love him. we know.
~~Sufjan Stevens - That Was The Worst Christmas Ever~~ - i've had a few of these. this is wonderfully written and i love everything he ever does with a euk.
~~Sufjan Stevens - Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming~~ - beautiful. sad. like only he can.

Edit: Please head on over to Asthmatic Kitty, where they're streaming the whole thing for you. that is far more worthy of your time, because the whole damn point is for you to buy this for yourself and everyone you love this christmas, and have a happier holiday for it. trrrrrrrust me.

buying this will so be worth the money. get it for everyone you know. it will make your holiday ten times better, i absolutely promise. this and Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas - you know, this one. sigh.

and it's not even halloween yet, my god.

Damien Rice - 9 (sampler)

2006-10-19T06:48:00.000-04:00

the manner by which these songs have been slowly permeating the blogosphere seems so typical for the artist. it has been slow. not slow-slow, not jumpy, not neglected or forgotten or rejected. but they're taking their time. they're moving at their own pace. and... on... it... goes...

what i have come in the last few days to affectionately call The Nine Sampler (just called "9") is a step ladder: it goes up from the music Damien Rice produces that I find very difficult (unless i have or want a razor to my wrists) - to the kind of music that makes me bother writing about DR in the first place. 9 Crimes the track, which you can get just by sifting through the hype there, is an example of the former songs. it's why O is such a problematic album for me, and it's also why i've been told i have no appreciation for emotional music. this may be true, but hear me out. though the track builds very well (classic DR), it only fizzles back out to disappointment, so a lovely progression of intensely gorgeous music ends up trying to get you somewhere - trying - rising - leaning - struggling - ah - - - no. slide back down the slope. and the violin (the violin!) plays on. it rips me apart, man. it's god damn too emotional (note: not, NOT emo).

but! you want to talk about fantastic, amazing, incredible Damien Rice music? keep listening to the sampler:

::::Damien Rice - Elephant
in the beginning i was positive that i was only going to throw this sampler in among the land of O, beautiful (gorgeous, brilliant) liner notes wasted on music that can't reach me (for fear of actually causing depression). but as the track progressed, i recognized an element from the B-Sides - which i loved (most of). i heard the potential. i heard the build. i waited - you bet i waited - it's worth it, when it's DR. and he floats with that guitar. the voice hands you along, every word passing your attention onto the next, riveting you to the energy, aware of a climax coming, you're just sure it'll come this time, on - and on - and on -
...the end. the end is worth the wait. if anything, the slow movement, the passing along - it does the end more justice. it fucking explodes.

::::Damien Rice - Me, My Yoke, And I
AH. and then, you climb to the next wrung of this poorly-used metaphorical step ladder, and you get to my absolute favorite brand of Damien Rice. it is so fucking insane that i have to swear about it. when it's worth it for a ripping, balls-out performance, he's the best. there are few people better, really. this man can translate emotion (see? i get it) into music like no one out there right now. he is on a playing field sparse with artists that either i don't know (blues/jazz) or that have been there for so long (screw it, you know them) that they're unmentionable. they are now underwear - unmentionables. oh, man, this music gets SO good that it renders me inarticulate, nonsensical. sweet.

ah, enjoy. let them seep through the internet, let them seep under your skin, let me know how you feel. i recommend taking one dose of 9 crimes, two of Elephant, and please - over and over, My Yoke.

again, hit up the hype, because those fuckers know what they're talking about.
....see? Damien Rice makes me so profane. you know what i'm talking about if you know the B-Sides.

pre-order 9, the actual ten-track album, due out November 14th.

new Voxtrot: Your Biggest Fan

2006-10-18T19:54:00.000-04:00

mmmm... fresh baked singles.

a classic beginning serves a jingly-jangly (my favorite word lately) beat - love the tambourine - and the sweet, sweet tune of indie rock, rock piano and never overdone steel come together for a really great track. i highly recommend checking it out.

::::~~Voxtrot - Your Biggest Fan~~

BONUS: ~~Voxtrot - Sway~~ - strings, beautiful strings, quiet piano and a perfect uprising, a lovely harmony. i'm telling you, these are real gems.

Edit: mp3s have been removed, per request of the management.

if the hype can help you further, then by all means.
go tell voxtrot's space how much you love them, and preorder this EP.

Tom Waits - Orphans

2006-10-18T09:28:00.000-04:00

i can't take the words away from this guy.

Orphans contains songs for all occasions. Some of the songs were written in turmoil and recorded at night in a moving car, others were written in hotel rooms and recorded in Hollywood during big conflamas. That’s when conflict weds drama. At any rate these are the ones that survived the flood and were rescued from the branches of trees after the water’s retreat.

Gathering all this material together was like rounding up chickens at the beach. It’s not like you go into vault and check out what you need. Most of it was lost or buried under the house. Some of the tapes I had to pay ransom for to a plumber in Russia. You fall into the vat. We started to write just to climb out of the vat. Then you start listening and sorting and start writing in response to what you hear. And more recording. And then you get bit by a spider, go down the gopher hole, and make a whole different record. That was the process pretty much the last three years.

please read the rest here - it's his work, he deserves to be read.

ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Tom Waits with Orphans.

::::mp3s are only up for a few days:
BRAWLERS
Tom Waits - 2:19
Tom Waits - Ain't Goin Down To The Well
Tom Waits - Bottom Of The World
BAWLERS
Tom Waits - Little Drop Of Poison
Tom Waits - Goodnight Irene
BASTARDS
Tom Waits - First Kiss
Tom Waits - Army Ants

Edit: mp3s have been removed, per request of the management.

visit the hype if for some reason you're still unsatisfied. more to come (i can't get enough).

Polyvinyl Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin [clever post title. i know. it's a gift.]

2006-10-18T08:32:00.000-04:00

i've always had this frustrated relationship with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - and not because i have to acronym (verb) their name everytime i refer to them. it's because they sound so much like someone else. i've spent unreasonably long periods of time driving or walking or painting or standing on my head literally figuring out every little nook and cranny of these songs in terms of everyone else's music. i know! i know. totally unfair. but i know you want to know what i've come up with.

basically, SSLYBY is a lumpy, jangly lovechild. it starts with Ben Kweller. he and the members of The Shins - i guess more Flake Music, if we're going to be precise - decide to jump in a time machine and go back to the days of Weezer's blue album. there they meet up with Rivers and decide to have a naked party - some kind of Bacchanal thing, i don't know what those crazy musicians do - and they get visits throughout the night from Rogue Wave, Neil Finn (yep), Sufjan Stevens drops by with only enough time for a piano number, and others, little things everywhere. in the morning, they have Boris Yeltsin. and they stand there, confused. today, we assure Boris that at least someone still wants him, needs him, loves him. Someone Still Loves You. we promise, ol' Yelts.

the adopted parents - Polyvinyl - are now releasing their debut LP Broom with remastered tracks, WAY better sound (baby's got some brand new toys), and i'll bet the cover art is prettier too. just shine that thing up...

the thing is, once you listen to this enough times, it's just plain amazing music. it's so comfortably familiar to begin with that your attachment creeps up on you, but with each passing listen it's evident that they're just a great band with the same inspirations that drive us to this independent music scene, too. and they morph from that lumpy lovechild to a mold of their own. they begin, flowering, to sound just like themselves.

::::some of my favorites, now remastered:
SSLYBY - What'll We Do
SSLYBY - Oregon Girl
SSLYBY - Yr Broom
all highly recommended. this band has been one of my absolute favorites this year.

check out the hype on these guys, and visit their space. get their Polyvinyl release next Tuesday, or right now. love them. need them. so someone still does.

Silversun Pickups & Viva Voce @ BU Central, 10.14

2006-10-17T06:30:00.000-04:00

this past weekend i scooted (scoot?) my butt down to BU Central to catch Viva Voce and Silversun Pickups in their natural habitat: on a stage and surrounded by barely college-aged kids.

both bands had a number of things going against them. first of all, BU Central sucks. most of the Boston University educated peoples are not versed in their good independent music, and also usually have different priorities (for instance! Friday was the thirteenth. there are thematic excuses for such an occurrence, especially in the month of october). so despite the gorgeous fliers that were glazing all the bulletin boards, VV & SSPU still did not get their fair audience (they did, however, the next night at the Middle East... hooray for the good ol' Mid East, yo, that's all i can say. the giant panther gets to say more, though). secondly, the sound is freaking awful. it might look all cool, with those windows and the couches that they turn upside down for such events and the ping pong tables and pool - but i'm here to tell you that the place wasn't built to hold sound. all of it flattens, condenses into this grizzly mess and the vocals sail over all the heads like a bird chirping in a hurricane. also, the Silversun Pickups leadman was pretty wasted.

despite the fact that i'm setting up this review to sound like they sucked, they didn't. they brought their dramatic poppy jumble of reverb and highschool-social-scene sugar coatedness and dumped it all on the floor in front of us, and left everyone that had never heard them to guess what it all was, the mystery that was their slightly recognizable melodies and their powerful presence. you have to give bands credit for totally ripping it in front of about twenty people (i exaggerate). i give them all the more credit for it, as bands and as people.

basically, i love everything.

this post was brought to you by Filter Tour Zine and the letter cue. because that is what "Q" is spelled like.

The Positions - "Bliss"

2006-10-13T17:34:00.000-04:00

the music strikes up and the song brings out its dancing shoes. its laughing and talking with its friends, the din of chatting groups and couples coy with each other in corners - it's settling its skirt around its legs while it ties the last lace. then it jumps up, bouncing, knees slightly slack for the moment as it tests out the tap, the jig, the spin, twist twist twist -

lights down, a hush -

it has the center of the floor. everyone stares with envy and admiration while it dips, hooks, curves, jumps in and out and back again, positively grooving. gradually - now picking up speed - everyone joins in, every group, the couples even take a break from each other's eyes, no one can stand not to be out on the dancefloor with the song of the night, the center of the party, the sunshiney new love feeling of Bliss.

::::a party in itself:The Positions - Bliss

can't miss this track, kids. luscious indie pop duo The Positions have gone and done it right - Camera Obscura meets Saturday Looks Good To Me, rainbow-sprinkled.

don't resist baby, just admit to bliss.

(don't worry. they say that in the song.)

The Panda Band's The Vital Chapter

2006-10-12T05:42:00.000-04:00

i couldn't have been older than ten years old when my cousin, a mere twenty months older than i, signed up for a travel program (People to People?) to go visit Australia. astonishing, i had thought. Australia is at least on the other side of the universe. it's at least 47 hours away by plane. it's at least near the center of the earth. and Aussies! their accent! why, they're all from take-a-left-at MARS!

sometimes, when i listen to The Panda Band, i am ten years old again. (ah, to be always freshly-turned two digits.) while they should sound no different than your garden variety indie rock, Beatles influences galore, wonderfully clever integration of electronic sounds and keyboard/synth play - this group of Aussies is bringing something so pure, so refreshing, so clean and admirably pleasurable that i must be so young again. i hear hooky opening notes, my foot starts tapping, layers of incredibly thoughtful and complex pop elements, and then the vocals chime in and i am flopping about like a Peanuts character, oh play more Linus! uh, i mean George Harri -- er, Beatles cover band? wait no. Neil Finn? Badly Drawn Boy? Lips? jello? they must be from another galaxy. i do not understand. no comprendo. it matters not at all, because i love everything i hear. they have the potential to be the biggest indie rock group that we've seen from Australia in quite a long time. because we haven't had anything from Australia in quite a long time. space rays and satellites, i'm telling you.

get a load of these guys! (they're blue, after all. Australians are blue.)

::::please don't let their indie pop rock potential pass you by:
The Panda Band - Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town - rec'mended. delightful unnecessary apostrophes.
The Panda Band - Spanish Band - take the forty seconds or so to get to the guitar work. quite good, i think.
The Panda Band - Musical Chairs - get. this. one. pop masterpiece! yes, i mean it.

go run to the hype machine and they will get you the single, Eyelashes, which everyone else has. we're just not everyone else. sniff.

by the way, Panda Band can be shortened to PB, and i really love peanut butter.
(i am so ten years old again.)

Cold War Kids' new LP and old EPs: compare, contrast, love

2006-10-11T14:07:00.000-04:00

as a proficient, relevant blogger it is my duty to not only tell you about what's going on everywhere else - what everyone else might be raving about - but also with what i happen to currently be obsessed. why is this important? because it's delightfully cathartic for me and allows me to really embrace my self-absorbed tendencies. i mean, to be honest. also, however, it reveals to you the kind of human i am, where i'm coming from, the kind of thing that - with this positively breakneck speed of acquiring independent music - really grabs me, and stays. those things that are not ephemeral. (ah, fragment!)

COLD WAR KIDS. this band has been circling through my ipod and ears and brain and body and my paintings, for pete's sake (poor pete). i eat and breathe their songs, sit for good chunks of time delaying real work and pondering over each individual click and noise. thankfully the band has recently (technically yesterday) given me an excuse to do this - to go over those songs i already know so well - by releasing their debut LP. after three EPs, they were ready. ready with the same exact songs. rerecorded and polished. "respectably" produced.

here, now, as the fruits of my relentless listening and paying attention and obsessing and loving - here are three "single-worthy" songs (alright, a few bonus too) that i compare, EP to LP, Up In Rags to Robbers and Cowards. (ah! longest intro to the purpose of a post ever)

::::EP:CWK - Hospital Beds: "Hospital Beds" was my introduction to the band. it was, like most truly great songs, not an instantly impressive experience; i was wary of the style: "there's nothing to do here, so i'll just whine and complain, in bed at the hospital." i could go on for hours about their narrative lyrics (which, if you know literature, is technically oxymoronic - hence why it's so different and refreshing), but the special thing about the story in this song is that it reminds me so well of those really incredible war novels like Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and of course Heller's Catch 22. there is an ironic and insane quality to the words, a trapped desperation that those novels and consequently these lyrics convey in a darkly humorous manner. i realize there isn't much to be said for direct humor in CWK's words, but there is if you follow that same vein of bizzare... almost Vonnegut humor. remember that i fell in love with this track on the EP. i feel like the rawness compliments what i'm talking about. there is not, however, much of a difference on the LP - it's just a little cleaner, with tighter and louder drums. the voice is remarkably similar. sometimes a little more melodic than on the EP ("put out the fire on us"). piano is still highlighted just as much as it should be. considering this is a favorite, i have little to complain about - in fact, the new track sounds better on headphones, to tell you the truth.
::::LP:CWK - Hospital Beds
::::EP:CWK - We Used To Vacation: i don't have quite as much to drone on about with this track, because i have a confession to make: i like the LP version better. everything i had to complain about in the original is fixed. what did i have to complain about? the voice, mostly - it felt at times as if he weren't sure of himself, questioning the listener: do you understand what i'm singing? i know it's not the truth, they're so completely passionate about their music, but it frustrated me nonetheless to hear such a great song be somewhat ruined by the sloping upwards of each line, the turning-up of the words to create a tense, insecure tone. the LP works more with the emotion that they give live (opinion!) and brings it to light here, finishing the end of each line, asserting their lyrics, drawing out the potential to a song that i've listened to about forty-five times in the last week. or something. they speed it up as well, throughout the entire song but especially come the "chorus" (whatever).
::::LP:CWK - We Used To Vacation
::::EP:CWK - Saint John: i will spare you my raving about the literal poetic quality of these lyrics - sort of. it's an honest poem! listen! half of the amazing thing about this song is the singing and the execution of the words going with the storyline. the tone, the accent, the slip and slide of the lips, the constantly changing speed, the "messy," skippy drums, the calling voices, the clanking, the bass line (love that), rattling (tambourine), the stop and the go, the blues... it's all to compliment the narrative. have you listened? did you hear the story? do you know why he's on death row? listen to this shit, yo. it gave me chills the first time it dawned on me. this is actually where the two different versions separate. on the EP, they keep so much more of the flair that i described above - using the music and the speed and the vocals to express the idea in the lyrics. it's an audible piece of art. the LP version, however, is infinitely cleaner and it's easier (in some places, now it's possible) to hear what he's actually saying and get the story. in this way, they're almost like two different altogether, not to be considered under the same title, one a newer version than the other. no. they are bot necessary to really get the brilliance of "Saint John."
::::LP:CWK - Saint John

now, because i made you go through all of that, you can have the two bonus tracks. they're new songs, not found on any of the EPs, and they're both amazing. i hope it's a sign of their next record (because, come on, they need actual new stuff soon).
::::BONUS:CWK - Passing The Hat
BONUS x2: CWK - God, Make Up Your Mind

go to the hype machine and you will find an everlasting supply of Cold War Kids love.