Dreaming of Sound

Update: James Natchway Photos

2008-10-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

So if you were reading my blog a few days ago I mentioned the photos that Natchway was releasing as of today. Well they are out.
Expecting something along the lines of his previous work, I.E. war photography, I thought I'd be seeing photos of a new genocide going on that no one knows about or something lile that.

Instead it's this...

I don't know anything about tuberculosis except the usual, it can kill and you never seem to see it in the States. That being said, I don't know how seriously I should take the warning gong that Natchway is sounding about the XDRT apocolypse he is predicting.
Anyone out there who knows anything about this, your comments would be appreciated.

The Axe Dark Temptation Commercials are CREEPY

2008-10-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

There is something seriously wrong with these commercials.

1) That is a fucking weird chocolate face that that is on this character. I'm not sure if he's supposed to look open or something, but that maniacal grin makes me think of a serial rapist.

2) Women are attempting to EAT HIM!

3) The entire concept of you getting sexual gratification if you hose yourself down with something a apparently smells like an estrogen simulator is the equivalent of Spanish fly. Which goes back to my molester theory.

4) Did mention they are portraying sex in a cannibalistic fashion?

Incidently Allen Toussaint is the one who sings the awesome Sweet Touch of Love

James Natchway: Something "Big" Coming Up?

2008-09-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

So I got this in my RSS feed about James Natchway preparing to release a set of photos that will reveal some big secret soon.

Breifly Natchway is a photographer who has taken all kinds of photos in dangerous areas of the world. Just google him and you'll see some, or go directly to his website. He's been doing for years.

Anyway, I thought I's post up a countdown to whatever it is he is going to be revieling as it may be "shocking" as he is promising or merely inteesting, but either way you might want to see it.

It's official! I'm Registered to Vote!

2008-09-16T18:54:00.001-07:00

Too Many Choices: Why I Hate Having Multiple Opportunities

2008-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

One of my theories I use to justify certain behaviors of mine throughout my life to explain both mine, and my shiftless generation's (x) lack of any real sort of "Go Get 'Em" attitude goes something like this; We are presented with so many choice on a day to day level, that it becomes very difficult to make any choice at all. There are so many varieties of EVERYTHING that you can often spend more tim just looking at all the choice than actually making a choice. The larger and important the decision the more frightening it becomes. Colleges, Careers, Religions, Cars, Houses, Banking, Life Partners, Health Care Plans, Retirement Plans, etc etc etc.

Presented with all of these options for the "Big Stuff" we often feel like a proverbial deer in the headlights, paralyzed by the indecision on which way to jump.

A few months ago I stumbled upon a Talk by Barry Schwartz. Barry basically agrees with everything I've said for the last 10 years, and I suspect that he may be using some psychic ability to download my thoughts in order to write a book about it, much like Chuck Klosterman does about Pop Culture.

Dicks.

Anyway. Watch Barry's talk and tell me whether you agree or not. Thats not the point of this blog.

So in the last few days, after 5 months of Joblessness, Homelessness, No money due to complications in Unemployment Benefits, being put into the situation wheere I have had to sponge off friends, family, girlfriends and strangers to get by (Thank you all! I owe each and everyone of you a bag of bankable Plasma or something) I have had several opportunites present themselves all at once.

2 of the 3 Dispatch positions I've applied for, I'm pretty deep in the running now. Jobs not mine yet, but I'm feeling pretty confident. another I applied for several months ago when I was laid off, has called me out of the blue and informed me that the job is mine if I want it, and finally another that I just recently applied for has called me to schedule an interview. Awesome right? Right!

So why do I feel depressed and put upon? It's weird. At any point in the last 5 months I would have jumped on any of these jobs unhesitatingly, yet now I can't figure out whats the best choice? One of the postions wants me to start almost immediately, but what if one of the other 3 is better? Will fate cut off the other opportunities if I commit to one? Will I be happy? will I have enough money to support me and my girlfriend? Aggghhhh!!!

Lykke Li

2008-09-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

So picture a 16 year old Julianne Moore with blonde hair deciding to bring back a hybrid Madonna model blending the Like a virgin period with Erotic's implied Euro swinging lifestyle.

Weird.

Musically Lykke really doesn't sound like anything specific I can point to, but I also can't say that there is anything signature to reference either. this falls on deaf ear I think except as a background after party mix to chill people out. Atmospheric and just as noticeable as Nitrogen. You don't.

Lykke Li on Myspace
Music Sampling on Ilike

Jamie Lidell

2008-09-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

For those of us who wish the soul genre would spit out a few more palatable artists, but instead have had to listen to the likes of Maroon 5, Jamie Lidell can provide a welcome and diverse distraction from listening to Stevie Wonder albums repetitively.

Jamie Lidell has been floating around for quite some time. He just recently released his fifth album Jim. I'm told by the omnipresent Wikipedia that his shtick used to be electronica, but that this new album his quite the departure.

Check out his latest video for Things I like.

Why I Decided to Vote: One Man's decided lack of sustainable Cynacism in the wake of overwhelming Optimism. Blechk

2008-09-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

So.

I decided to Vote. After a full eleven years of practiced cynicism, I have finally decided to break down and make the bare minimum participatory gesture I can to actually validate my "freedom."

Why? I have been asking myself this question to myself for several days now, and believe I have reached my conclusion.

I was sitting in my parents living room watching the Democratic National Convention and was enjoying the Hilary Clinton speech and enjoying the fact that she oh so eloquently bitch slapped her bitter supporters who were threatening to fuck up the election by throwing a temper tantrum and not vote for Barrack Obama.

"I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?"

Awesome!

After the speech a woman who was a Democratic delegate was interviewed on the floor. She was gazing longingly at the stage in a state of both rapture and profound sadness. As if God had just handed the reigns over to a heretic.

"Did you just see that speech? That speech was Presidential! That could have been the future!"

She went on for some time very emotionally about how she was so disillusioned that H.C. has lost and that this was the dawning of the American Dark Ages, and how she was going to not vote for Obama rather than get in line for the party despite Hilary's clear order to do so.

When asked if she would cast her delegate for for Barack Obama she replied

"No! I am here as a delegate to represent my district and they voted Hilary Clinton. that is what I will do.My personal vote or opinion is irrelevant."

This is the moment I decided to Vote.

8 Years of Bitterness

When I turned 18, Bill Clinton was already into his 2nd term and despite certain dalliances, the economic and political health of the country was at an all time high. 2000 elections are rolling on, and I think "Hey, Gore may be boring but, little Bush is a spoiled Rich Kid! His father was kicked out after four years because everyone hated him. I don't need to vote. No chance Bush'll win...."

My Bad.

As everyone knows, 20 year olds are not the most likely to be politically active, and granted I was high a lot of the time, but the election was SO close that I couldn't help but feel that Evil had been allowed to enter the realm (I was high remember) because I had failed to act. I hazily recalled some quote by some guy saying something to this effect.

"I've got a bad feeling the next four years will suck,"I slurred to a friend, and promptly hit the gravity bong.

Four years later I'm off the cannabis, and living a semi-productive and travel heavy life. I was proved both equally prophetic and awesome by my predictions of suck-ded-tude by the Anti-Clinton's campaign of idiocy and constitutional contempt.

From the beginning, with circumstantial evidence of Voter Fraud and election rigging to the 2 year war in Afghanistan, and a systematic dismantling of environmental policy, things were bad. Surely this time the country would demand better this time, and treat Son like Father.

"It'll happen this time. No need to Vote. It's in the bag."

Many family members would ask me upon my extolling of my political leanings.
If you feel this way, why don't you vote?"

"Because my vote doesn't count!" I was fond of saying. "The electoral College decides who is, and they are not bound to vote the way of the people they are supposed to represent! It's a puppet system where both parties get to pick who the electorates will be, to stack the votes in their own favor, while simultaneously presenting the illusion of the vote to the public!"

To my credit this is a fairly good argument, and I still feel that this is still a serious flaw in our election process, but the beauty is that it can't be disproved as far as I can tell, and my conspiracy theory remains possible.

My parents would reply: "Well what about local elections, and propositions? Your vote is directly applicable there."

Because . . .
Hmmm. I'll get back to you on that one.

Once again Bush wins amid allegations of Fraternal rigging of Florida's vote count. How terrible I should have felt. I once again had neglected my civic duty to scribble on a piece of paper what my opinions were. But instead I smirked and said "See? It's rigged! The electorate failed to confirm the popular vote again! It's rigged. You and I don't count."

I even had started to convince other friend to not bother to register with my viewpoints. That's right. I talked people out of voting.

A Returning of Hope

Much as I hate to admit it, with the democratic primary presenting not one but two candidate that I would equally have put my vote behind, I feel the pendulums swinging back the other way. I remained cynical until I began listening to Barak Obama's speeches and sensed hope, change, and every other ethereal and non specific verbs.

But still the corruption! My vote doesn't count yet! I remained firm to this belief, until an unknown and deeply bitter delegate refused to bow under pressure to vote along party lines because of what her job description really was: to represent the people's will in her designated district.

To that woman and all the other pissed off Hilary Clinton delegates who refused to vote for Barrack Obama becuase your district didn't pick him I say "Thank You."

To those who voted for Hilary not for the reasons described previously but becuase you are totally vindictive and Bitchy I say "Fuck You!" Do your job, and keep your personal opinions out of it you Primadonna cocksuckers.

My faith is restored .... for the moment.

Fleet Foxes

2008-06-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

There has been a recent development in my local area in regards to the "Indie" scene. The music has started leaning towards a more clubbish type of aural vibe, with heavy usage of electronic instruments and odd little beeps and bops coming back into vogue.

Fleet Foxes does not fit in here. They seem to be going far back into the sixties to early seventies period. Lots of Harmonies here, and lots of nods to just "organic" groups as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, the Kingston Trio.

Modern comparisons would be The Shins. No wonder since Sub Pop records does tends to cultivate these types of eccentric Navel Gazing acts that attracting earnest youg people, looking to wear their heart on their sleeve.

Coldplay: Viva La Vida

2008-06-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while (close to 2 years) since I posted on this thing. Yeesh! Way to go with the staying power.

To get back in the swing of things I thought I would go with something obvious.
Coldplay......

Coldplay, Coldplay, Coldplay. Everyone knows 'em, Loves them or Loathes them.

New Album out ... "viva La Vida"

I've had a chance to give it a listen. Gotta say it is definitely an improvement over X & Y.

About 75% of the Album can be considered "good" in my humble opinion with the other 25% falling between "eh" and "BAD"

In particular the track "Yes" I find completely annoying.

But enough about the album. Chances are you've already made up your mind whether you've heard the album or not.

Let's talk about the controversy over the Title Track.

If you haven't heard, here's a basic summation:

A music group called Creaky Boards
has claimed that Chris Martin was spotted at a Brooklyn shows the band was playing at in which they played a song of theirs called "The Songs I Didn't Right." The claims is that "Viva La Vida" is a direct melodic Ripoff of their original work. Coldplays official statement is this false since Chris Martin was in a London Studio on the night in question and that Viva La Vida was already in the can as well.

Here is the You tube video that makes the comparison between the songs.

Of more substance is this you tube video featuring a DJ discussing plagiarism in general as well as the details of this particular "scandal."

Fine. Bottom line. If Coldplay can prove that Chris Martin was, in fact, in-studio that night AND that the song was already finished then there it is. Controversy done.

However ... If you are a Coldplay hater, this is just one more thing for you to add to your ammunition. But here is a question. If the song is shit, then it doesn't matter whether Coldplay or Creaky Boards plays it. Shit is Shit.

If I had no previous experience with Coldplay and Creaky Boards I would say that there was definitely some suspicious similarities. But Creaky Boards also has a lot more Beach Boys influence than the Coldplay version, so it could be a fluke.

Creaky Boards should be happy though. Their reflected glory of the one of the World's Biggest bands has boosted their popularity through the roof for now. All kinds of hits due to this claim. Not only is their myspace page blowing up, the You tube video is getting mad hits, as well as the dozen or so other Creaky Boards videos out there on you tube.

For Christ's Sake guys. You've got a video of Creaky Boards covering Insane Clown Posse! What the Fuck? And it's got over 12,000 hits. Dynamite Hack has already explored the Ironic Cover. This is not the time to leave up your Fucking Around all over the internet.

Boy Kill Boy: Suzie

2006-07-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Filter Magazine for throwing this little ditty onto their summer sampler edition. I love Filter magazine!

So I know absolutely nothing about this band except that they are almost brand new to the scene, and are riding the wave created by the likes of Kaiser Cheifs, The Rakes, Maximo Park, and all the other brit pop bands springing up recently. If any one of those names holds any interest for you, then you'll like this. Nothing ground breaking, but catchy.

Suzie

Calexico: Garden Ruin

2006-05-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Apologies. I'm feeling lazy and thinking I'll make this short and sweet.

Calexcio is a band that I was recently introduced to by my roomate. To put it bluntly, their fucking awesome. Joey Burns and John Convertino have put together a group that has put 4 amazing albums, on of which is a collaboration with another new favorite of mine, Iron and Wine.

I've been invited to attend a concert soon (hopefully) and I am really looking forward to it. It's been about 3 years since Calexico released their previous album, Feast of Wire. After extensive touring and building a rep for one of the most musically entertaining live show you can attend these days, Theey are back with a brand new album entitled Garden ruin

Here's a few snippets from their catalogue:
Cruel
Sunken Waltz (my Favorite)
Minas De Cobre (For Better Metal)

Check them out as well for full tracks on their official MySpace Page

Voxtrot: The Start of Something

2006-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

For those of us who like the Smiths, but are tired of listening to the Smiths. That's what Voxtrot is. Which is pretty cool when you think about it. Almost everyone seems to go through that 1 -2 year period where you are constantly playing the Smiths singles collection or Meat is Murder or whatever, and then you kinda get over it and move on to other things. You hear a smiths song every once in a while on the radio, and of course enjoy it but, really, your over it. Well when you first listen to Voxtrot's single, The Start of Something, you get this feeling that someone has somehow unearthed a bootleg copy of some random Smiths song you've never heard. Other cut from the EP Voxtrot If the Smiths angle doesn't do it for you there is also a HEAVY Belle & Sebastian influence here. Personally a Loathe Belle & Sebastian but there it is. Saying I hate Belle & Sebastian in public is generally like saying I like to drown kittens to most people , but, whatever.
Anyway enough of the comparisons, I just wanted to nail down the audience. So I can't find too much info on Voxtrot at the moment, except that they are originally from Austin, TX. The group originally got together to record a few songs for lead singer, Ramesh Srivastava. I thinks he's originally from Scotland or something but I'm not sure. He was recording the songs as side practice. They debuted the songs on the indie circuit in Austin, and sure enough they took off. Since then, Voxtrot has been touring around and are generally getting pretty decent club buzz. I doubt they'll ever blow up or anything (They sound just a bit too derivative to be original and not derivative enough of the right type of music to get in under copycat pretenses) but in the meantime the 80's dance music flashback style is welcome on my Itunes folder.

They've got an official website but it sucks royally. Just tour dates and T-shirts order forms. If neither of these catch your attention try their MySpace Page
It's much more informative and has got several MP3's for you to listen to, otherwise I'd post them here.

Bedouin Soundclash: When The Night Feels My song

2006-03-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

When I was about 8 or 9 I remember someone in my house introducing me to Paul Simon. I don't remember who specifically, but I suspect it was my mother as she was a recovering hippy. This was about 1990 when Paul Simon had released Graceland. If you've listened to Graceland then you'll immediately know what Bedouin Soundclash sound like. In a word, beautiful. Now there is a lot more influence in here than just Paul and African tribal rhythms. In fact, Reggae and ska would be more appropriate as the Bob Marley, Clash, and early Police are also very evident throughout Sounding a Mosaic. Of note to is their excellent When the Night Feels My Song, which feel like an honest homage to the Specials Pressure Drop. After all if your doing second wave Ska Ripoffs, you gotta show respect to the masters.
To sum up, if you have any interest in Ska, dub, reggae, or African music, then check these boys out. You'll love them. I on the other hand you find any of the other three to be repetitive and dull, or obnoxious than stay away from them as well as blues as well because obviously you don't like dance/riff songs.

Here is the official site.

on it you will find a few MP3's to these songs which are presented here. Enjoy.

When the Night Feels My Song.

Money Worries ft. Vernon Buckley

Unfortunately these are just little sample clips but it'll give the general idea.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:

2006-02-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out my Itunes today and discovered that I had all three BRMC albums on my computer. Now this isn't amazing in of itself except for two things:

1. I don't (didn't) like BRMC, and

2. I've never even held a copy any of BRMC's albums in my hands.

Now despite the apparent illegality of this statement I will continue on, with the hopes that anyone in a position to prosecute me will realize that this was entirely accidental, and maybe providence as well.

When BRMC first came out with their Self Titled debut in 2001, I remember there being a lot hype about them. I listened to the album myself and immediately felt like they were aping their obvious influences (Jesus and Mary Chain, Stone Roses) too heavily. To top it off there was an influx of art noise bands coming up at the time that all seemed to be drawing on the late 80's early nineties British scene for underground inspiration. How many times did you read that such and such a band were the next Joy Division or Catherine Wheel?

Consequently I wrote BRMC off and only gave them credit for a bad ass name for a band. 2003 comes along and Take Them On, On Your Own is released. I again give BRMC a listen based off several friends incessant yammering about it. I find that while not as obvious a homage to their predecessors, The boys from S.F. have decided to make the ultimate blunder in immediately Time Stamping your music with a freshness label, by infusing their lyrics with political slants and commentary on the American presidential Administration. Yeesh. Bad move guys.

Despite all this heard a lot of people who's opinions I respect tell me they loved BRMC. This is getting long so I'll cut the chase.

I found the album Howl this morning and actually sat down and gave it a good listen. Wow, is all I can say. What a quantum Leap in sound. This, my friends, is amazing. BRMC has found a sound that works well for them. They've kept the sonic screech and noise that fans love about them but cut it back so as to make a part of the whole instead of the majority. Mississippi Delta Blues can now be heard throughout the collection with dark imagery of bible belt catholic murder spree guilt. The lyric are excellent with just enough vagueness to allow the listener room for interpretation. All in All, I'm hooked. This is the BRMC that I've been personally waiting for.

that being said I think I'll be able to go back and listen to the first two albums as a nice comparison for BRMC's growth. Who knows, I might even enjoy them.

Here's the video for Ain't No Easy Way

Silversun Pickups: Kissing Families

2006-02-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, your informative music years were primarily during the grunge rock/alternative decade that we call the 90s. Sure there was other stuff going on. (gangster rap/britpop) but those two were the ones that everyone talks about. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, NIN, Bush, STP, etc. Are the big names that came out of the states at that time.
One of the other HUGE bands that will always be synonymous with that 90s are the Smashing Pumpkins. The first time I heard Siamese Dream and Gish will always be foremost in my mind as a moment of discovering something I LIKED. The Pixies is another one that sooo many people I know say hit that chord in them. With the over-saturation of the "alternative" music genre through 10 years, other styles developed and the musicial tide swung back towards pop. Many of weaned on anti-pop snobbishness were forced to shore up our disdain and declare music dead for the past 5 years. Growing up in LA, I was particularly disgusted to find that my own city, so well regarded by the rest of the world as being on the cutting edge of, well everything, was producing the most trite crap on its underground scene as to make Blink 182 seem like Elvis Costello. Just pure crap.
Now, I'm well aware that being in my mid twenties I've hit that "My shit is on the way out" moment where the music I grew up with is now becoming flashback music on radio stations. Wow. But I recently picked up on a Band Called the Silversun Pickups that are a nice throwback to my shit. Angsty, but making it a fashion point not to be fashionable. And surprise, surprise, they're from LA. Way to go home team! Silversun Pickups reminds me of that first time we heard Siamese Dream or listened to Surfer Rosa all the way through. Not necessarily that potent, but there is something there. The emotion seems to come through, with just the right amount of aggression and conviction to sell themselves to you without pushing it too far. I like that. Black Francis and Kim Deal are definitely influences here, as well as Billy Corigan.
Distorted Guitars, Background fuzz, a varied vocal style, mixed with a nice blend of aggro and melody make for a potent cocktail here. The six Song EP was released mid 2005 but I've heard precious little about them. Filter put them on their "Bands to Watch" CD sometime recently.

Anyway here's a video for the lead track off the their debut EP "Pickul"
Kissing Familes
They've also got a MySpace Page with a few MP3s.

Deerhoof: Please Pour Acid in my One Remaining Eardrum

2006-01-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

A little after new years a friend and I were sitting around and discussing musical stuff at a get together. The conversation was focusing around the more interesting albums of the year, and I mentioned how I'd just gotten Deerhoof's latest and hadn't really listened to much of it yet. I remember saying something about the vocals being extremely irritating.
My friend replied with something flippant like,
"Whatever, Bjork lover" and me saying something like
"you like Deerhoof, but not Stereolab. Hmm"
Or something. I was drunk, and It's only passingly important.

Anyway this friend, who is kind enough to read this crap and occasionally reply to it, wrote me about my last post on Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and how nerve grating the vocals are. I agree completely. Of course, frequent exposures to nails on chalkboards have dulled the senses a bit so perhaps that explains the lack of hatred on my part.

BUT, Deerhoof definitely takes the fucking cake here.

I know I commented on avant garde albums and how I find them scary and interesting. But really, this is too much. Having sat through Reveille and Runners Four I feel I can honestly say that Satan fucking a Chihuahua in the ass with a red hot jackhammer would probably sound better to me. I just sat through No one fed me so I stayed off reveille and I want to punch my roommate in the face. And I honestly like my roommate.
I've tried to understand what it is about this band that makes everyone keep telling me their good, but I find it utterly incomprehensible why anyone would subject themselves to this kind of torture. Maybe if I light me nipples on fire.
Even if the vocals aren't getting in the way, the music itself is so badly written that a retarded elephant could come up with more structure than almost any one of the songs on either album I have. And I only listened to two! Who is buying this shit?

Now that I've vented my spleen I'll take an objective step back. Experiments in song structure are good. Even necessary. Sonic Youth. A perfect example of a band breaking boundaries in music but only meeting with few and far between successes. I've never met anyone who has ever been able to produce a sonic youth album from their collection, but everyone SWEARS their awesome. Why? Because their fucking with the formula. Deerhoofs kind of the same. I think. Is it art? Yeah technically. Is it different? Yes and no. Usually this type of proto pop/blues has got some sort of angry snarling vocals over it instead of tweety bird noises smeared over the top. Is it good?

Only in the sense that a kick in the nuts is good to remind you why we try to avoid that sort of thing at all costs.

Aural landscapes are something that I love in music. Anything labeled "atmospheric" is probably something I'll like. I should like Deerhoof. I don't. Sorry fans. Your really deluding yourselves on this one. Only one man I know would dig this shit. And his name is Ben Adams. 25 minute Japanese Death Metal solos warped his mind to the point he MIGHT like Deerhoof. What's the rest of you people's excuse?

Final analysis: Deerhoof fools you into thinking there is something challenging here, until you get past the initial shock and realize that there is only hipster analog music with lots of useless connections, inane song structure lacking any complexity and some of the most irritating vocal frequencies ever recorded by man or woman. I huge amount of effort went into making this dogshit. It's a waste of your time and mine, and I'm not wasting anymore time on the subject.

Fuck Deerhoof.

If you want links to MP3's plug stick you head in the tub and throw a dryer in with you. It's the same thing.

Clap your Hands Say Yeah

2006-01-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

Is it me, or are weird concept albums coming back into fashion the last two years. Things like Arcade Fire, Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, Decemberists. There is all this very bizarre music starting to make headway that quite frankly kind of scares me. If the cycle follows its usual course, four years from now wee going to be listening to some modern version of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer cranking out a 17 minute extended jam session featuring repetitious keyboard solos.

Anyway, reading various magazine and websites, clap Your Hands Say Yeah has shown up on several "best of" lists despite only having been out for, Like three months. Having now listened to it I can honestly say that I have heard this coming from a few cars and radios in my area, I just didn't recognize it, or ask what it was. So the buzz is apparently pretty strong.

Lots and Lots and LOTS of David Byrne Comparisons in the press for lead singer, Alec Ounsworth. Is this fair?
Ehh. Only in so far as its a weird vocal style. I can't really say anybody else that he sounds like so a high pitched David Byrne will suffice. Or maybe Yoko Ono. Actually the last time someone's vocal style really made me comment on it as being "different" was back when I found the Violent Femmes.

I like the fact that this band has no US label right now, but has still managed to sell 20,000 copies of their self-titled album in three months time. Take that music reps. Your ass is sunk. People are still buying music, just not from you! Eat a dick.

My own personal impression of the album are good. But I do admit that this is not exactly a relaxing album to listen to. It would be if the instrumentation was the only thing your were hearing. It's tasteful yet ear catching indie stuff. Nothing ground breaking but still good. Ounsworth's voice isn't totally annoying but still I gotta admit he's no crooner. I've heard cats fucking that sounds prettier. The one exception is on the track Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood, where the vocals fit well with eh music to ALMOST give you a spacey feeling until Alec starts chanting "They are child stars" ad naseum like a retarded Parrot. Funny though.

Anyway they were recently on Conan O'Brien so here you go. It's a tiny video though.

and here's some more mp3's for your listening enjoyment.

Lost and Found
Details of the War
Home On Ice

Song:Ohia Farewell Transmission

2006-01-08T20:49:00.001-08:00

It is always a distinct pleasure that rarely occurs in my life, when a friend brings to attention a new song or artist that you enjoy. But the best is when someone brings to your attention music that affects you in a profound way, making you re-examine what it is that you consider to be music in the first place.

Last night qualifies.

songs:Ohia is really one man. Jason Molina. Growing up in Lorain, Ohio, this kid was playing for half a decade in Heavy Metal bands in the area as a bass player. Somewhere along the line he shifted his focus and began writing his own material that can very comfortably be described as Alt-Country. He's put out five albums and several EPs since 1996.
Now anyone who takes a look at the release date of Magnolia Electric Co. will notice that I'm behind on this album release by a whopping three years. So oops there. My only defense is that the alt country genre has always been one that I take with a grain of salt and don't have any real understanding of past the obvious choices like early wilco or Whiskeytown. In fact anybody who could make educated recommendations to me for this please do.
My recently moved-in roommate was kind enough to hook me up with this album, and I haven't had a chance to fully process it yet, but It's not really necessary. The first track on the album alone is worth the price of admission. Farewell Transmission has got one of the most haunting guitar hooks backed by Molina's distinctly unproduced vocals that just let the emotion speak for itself. Neil Young comes to mind, as well as Bob Dylan with a hint of Leonard Cohen. For whatever reason, this makes me think of the desert at dusk. As I have no other information on Molina aside from the brief piece I found I'll just let the song, and a few choice fan quotes pulled from the net speak for itself.

I should point out that I'm a big fan of nocturnal, atmospheric music with a distinctly rural-American tinge, and that pretty well describes this album.

Let's Get Drunk and Brood,

This is some of the most well crafted, fluently beautiful music I've ever heard.

I cannot stop listening to it. Over and over again. I never tire from it.

It's a classic--like OK COMPUTER or AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA. Not that it sounds remotely like either of those albums;
it's just a similarly unified, similarly dense musical statement.

It's far from an overstatement to say that Molina is one of the most talented, emotionally resonant songwriters of his
generation, as the collection of songs assembled here clearly demonstrates.

For those who likey, check out the Songs: Ohia website

Farewell Transmission

Pandora and internet radio

2006-01-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

I used to daydream sometimes of having a massive underground bunker that had every single recording ever on a massive changer that would be able to scan my brain and know exactly what kind of music I wanted to hear at any given moment and play an appropriate song based of either style or lyrics. Later I modded my dream boombox to be more personal soundtracky and adjust for irony and juxtaposition.

Sadly my dream machine is not yet reality. But oddly enough, tech for music listeners is moving in the general direction.

Internet radio has been the better way to listen to music for quite some time now. As standard FM stations are increasingly hampered by the effort of Clear Channel to force them to crush the human soul, more and more people are saying "fuck the Radio" and going pure Ipod or satellite radio. Both offer the better part of the musical experience, by provide a wide variety of channels garnered to more specific tastes, say 80 electronic or 60 dance hall or some other non mainstream genre.

XM gives 100 + channels for a small subscription fee plus the initial cost of the equipment, but is also good anywhere in the USA. Sirius is the less large of the satellite radio providers.

Internet radio is by no means perfect, but by allowing a ton of would be DJs to put together several hours of their own mix and post it on the radio a very organic mix can be achieved that, in my own opinion, creates a much more visceral experience in listening that becomes more about the music itself and not foisting top 40 merchandise and endless commercials on us.
Do a google search and you'll find tons of internet broadcasters out there. Some of the bigger ones are Rhapsody and Yahoo My own preferences are for Live365's blend. Tends to be a little more eclectic.

But the most interesting one to date is the new style by the The Music Genome Project.

A friend of mine told me about an online radio service that would basically allow me to plug a musician or band as a reference point to what kind of music I would enjoy listening to and create my own personalized radio station. The Theory behind this rather odd Idea called Pandora is that musical tastes have certain recognizable patterns that when cross referenced will allow someone to be led to new music that they otherwise might never have come across. The radio stream service is called Pandora

On January 6, 2000 a group of musicians and music-loving technologists came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever.

Together we set out to capture the essence of music at the most fundamental level. We ended up assembling literally hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's not about what a band looks like, or what genre they supposedly belong to, or about who buys their records - it's about what each individual song sounds like.

Over the past 5 years, we've carefully listened to the songs of over 10,000 different artists - ranging from popular to obscure - and analyzed the musical qualities of each song one attribute at a time. This work continues each and every day as we endeavor to include all the great new stuff coming out of studios, clubs and garages around the world.

It has been quite an adventure, you could say a little crazy - but now that we've created this extraordinary collection of music analysis, we think we can help be your guide as you explore your favorite parts of the music universe.

We hope you enjoy the journey.

Fair enough.

As each song plays you are allowed the option to "vote" on the song. A thumbs up for this is kind of shit I want to hear more of" or a thumbs down for "This is the worst music ever. Never play this song again." Even cooler is the "why am I hearing this song" button which gives you a brief description as to why Pandora's box thinks you might like it. All in all pretty cool.

So the real question is "how good is Pandora at getting what I like?" the answer is not too shabby. When you first start it up, whatever band you plug in will be the template for what other bands are selected. While this is fine, you'll find that like anything it will get a little boring. Thankfully you can keep adding more bands which increases the scope of what it will play for you. When I plugged in only two bands I noticed that mix what slightly repetitive. So variation in you themes helps quite a bit in keeping it fresh.

As an experiment I also plugged in a band that in my opinion defies easy definitions. The Doves. Because the Doves are so all across the board as far as styles go, I thought it would be a good test. Frankly Pandora did fail here. What came back simply sounded nothing like them. When I queued Pandora to tell me why it was playing certain bands and musicians which were so not like the doves as to be laughable, the answers came back that Pandora had selected Mars Volta for my listening enjoyment for "electric rock instrumentation, mild rhythmic syncopation, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, a vocal centric aesthetic and major key tonality."

Ok. But I don't think there is anyone on the planet that would agree that the logical jump from the Doves to Mars Volta makes sense. SO it's not a perfect system. But hey, what a mix!

try it yourself and see what you think. I'd love to hear what you think and whether it turned you on to anything new that you now love.

The Decemberists

2005-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

"I'm a poor, drunken orphan with nowhere to go but the grave," wailed a waifish and non-plussed Mr. Chris Funk as he lay supine by the railroad tracks. The crate of records he had been cradling in his nubile appendages now lay in pieces on the ashen ground, his complete collected recordings of sixties psychedelic luminary Rick "Paisley Dave" Rigmore scattered hit her and yon like so many dead leaves beneath a diseased elm. Noting his neglect to accredit this phrase to its rightful owner, chief engineer Jenny Conlee, her accordion neatly strapped to her back, stepped lightly from the caboose and corrected his negligence with the aplomb only an immigrant Hungarian could muster: "Dylan Thomas, sir! Please move along!" But it was too late: an indelible bond had been soldered in that moment of recognition. A few hours later, in a Turkish bath, they revealed their stories to one another between sips of a strange, tangerine liqueur. Not far from that spot, however, two young military dignitaries (Rachel Blumberg, Nate Query), appropriately lathered, overheard our two heroes' stories. Was it chance, then, that lead the four unsuspecting bathers to seek to return their soiled undergarments at the same kiosk where worked the poor, bespectacled Colin Meloy? One can surmise all one wants, but the truth should be known that, after adopting the moniker The Decemberists, these five wan vagabonds began playing their peculiarly styled pop music in various concert-halls and brothels all across the globe."

Umm, ... Sure. You may have noticed in the above text taken from The Decemberists web site on the Origins of the band that This is yet another album that Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie has had a production hand in. If you got that far. The relatively recent success of the Decemberists definitely coincides with the w upswing of indie music on the mainstream with the before mention DCFC and The Arcade Fire and the Shins, and Modest Mouse to name a few. Which I am all for. Indie music is great. It provides a fresh perspective on modern music by stripping away a lot of the flashy production values that sometimes can become sickening when listening to many mainstream acts and gets us back to the core of why we like music in the first place. I love Indie Music!

In small doses.
These same qualities in Indie can also cause it to quickly become repetitive and irritating.

Because it has been generally regulated to back alley coffee shops and bars in various metropolitan areas over the past decade, Indie music hasn't really had a chance to expand under the mainstream money machine which can really add depth to group that would otherwise spoil under the limited scope of home recordings and practice halls in dives and parent's garages. The last time indie was making an impression on modern media was the early and mid nineties with bands like pavement, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, The Pixies, and hard as it is to believe now, Radiohead. Stop and think about that for a moment. Think on how much impact those bands had on the industry and the culture of the time as we know it. That is the power of the indie scene to generate underground swells that shape and design our culture. Indie has been renewing itself and is now starting to reveal what's been bubbling for the last 10 years.

And the Decemberists is one such band.

Colin Meloy leads the Decemberists, a five-piece outfit whose pop sound has listeners comparing the band with the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel and Belle & Sebastian. Frontman Meloy previously devoted some time to an alternative country group before breaking off to pursue his craft as a singer/songwriter in the city of Portland, a period that eventually led to the Decemberists' formation. He also holds a degree in creative writing. In addition to her duties on the accordion, Conlee also plays piano. Funk is the band's newest member. Before Hush Records released the Decemberists' first album in 2002, the group put out an EP of five tracks. Their full-length debut, Castaways and Cutouts was re-released that same year on the Kill Rock Stars label, and the band began to accumulate a serious fan base. 2003 saw the release of Her Majesty, another fine collection of theatrical indie pop with british folk sensibilities that further cemented their growing reputation as a band to watch. The following year they released the five-part epic EP the Tain, based on the 8th century Irish poem of the same name, followed by their third full-length Picaresque in march of 2005.

there is enough free music floating around the internet to get a good sampling of their style:

The Soldiering Life mp3
Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect mp3
The Engine Driver mp3

And Lastly a Wes Anderson Inspired video for
Sixteen Military Wives

Nada Surf: Always Love

2005-12-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Nada Surf has been chugging along since 1992. Most people will be familiar with the name, but have no idea what song they've heard by them. They kind of get that glassy look in their eyes as they rack their brains for some clue as to where they have heard Nada Surf. If you phrase it properly you can even make them feel guilty about it too.

Until a few days ago I was the same way. Knew the name, couldn't name a song by them if my life depended on it.

If you've heard them most likely you've heard Popular which was their breakout hit in 1996 off the "High/Low" album. Check out the blatant Weezer ripoff. Sounds like the Sweater Song kinda huh? With a dash of Suicidal Tendencies talk over effect from "Institutionalized"

Therein lies the problem. They were too derivative. Lost in the flood of "alternative" music that was the mainstream at the time, why would anyone give a shit?

The song reached #11 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and propelled the album to #63 on the Billboard 200.

Nada Surf didn't release an album again till 1998 with "The Proximity Effect." Elektra records hated it and said there wasn't a single in the mix. The album was released in Europe and was generally approved of by critics. Sales were pretty solid, but Elektra, being pissed about the single thing refused to release the album in the US. So Nada Surf scraped the scratch together, bought the album back and released it themselves under the new label DeMarv Records. Another album followed two years later, and again, critical love from the press and fans but nothing from the US.

Their latest album was released in September and it is worth noting that "the weight is a Gift" was produced by Chris Walla of the band Death Cab for Cutie, if only because DCFC is regarded as indie darling at the moment.

The biggest thing I've noticed is that the edgy Alt thing has mellowed significantly. Nada Surf has found their groove. And while it's nothing mind blowing it is at least enjoyable. The Lyrics are inoffensive and bland to the point that you completely tune them out and listen the Wall of Sound instead, which is rich and soothing. Matthew Caws voice completely blends in and takes on that feeling of another backing instrument instead of the focal point. Plus no more Weezer ripoffs. Which at this point might be a bad thing since Weezer has screwed the pooch the last three albums. A ripoff band would make bank on all the disillusioned fans who burned the Green Album.

So here's the first single off the new album,Always Love. Catchy in a Pete Yorn kind of way.

Here is the official website which is pretty boring. If you are at all interested check out this fan site which seems to have just about everything ever in print of T.V. about them.

Supergrass: St. Petersburg

2005-11-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

Supergrass is an indie rock and Britpop band from Oxford, UK. Currently the band consists of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes, Danny Goffey, and Mick Quinn. Like many other British bands of the '90s, Supergrass' musical roots lie in the infectiously catchy punk-pop of the Buzzcocks and the Jam, as well as the post-punk pop of Madness, the traditional Mod Rock of the Kinks and Small Faces and the glam-rock of T. Rex.

Supergrass has never gotten much love stateside. For whatever reason their crazy mash up combination of hard guitar riffs mixed with melodies, three part harmonies, great lyrics, and a decided lack of "cool" mentality just didn't take. My theory is because Weezer was doing an American equivalent over here mixing Kiss and Beach Boys, versus Supergrass doing Rolling Stones, Buzzcocks, and Elton John on the other side of the Atlantic.

I saw them in concert during the Life on Other Planets tour in L.A. Great show, I was thoroughly drunk by the end, my ears were splitting and one of my friends was scheming on how to get backstage and steal the backdrop at the time. We never succeeded. But we did buy nifty little posters. In any case I'm a big fan. They never seem to disappoint.

A little while ago they released a "Best Of" collection featuring, well the best of their work from the debut album I Should Coco up to Life on Other Planets. A good place to start if you've never heard them. their styles can vary heavily from album to album, so This will give you a nice sampler platter.

More recently Supergrass released Road to Rouen and its definitely a change of pace for Supergrass. If you start at the beginning of their career and listen to them, the music sounds like exactly what they were at the time, Dorky Hyperactive teenagers. Now ten years and four albums later their music has matured accordingly. This is primarily a lot more down-tempo than anything I've heard from them as a who;e before, though hints of it have been showing up on the last two albums. Right now you can here the who;e album on Supergrass' Official Site So if you've never bothered or just are curious now is a good time to check them out as it wont cost you a dime.

Off the new album here's the video for St. Petersburg

And also Low C

P.S.

A little known fact: The term supergrass is used in Northern Ireland to refer to arrested paramilitaries who divulged the identities of their compatriots to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in exchange for immunity from prosecution, essentially, an informer. In many cases, the supergrasses were granted immunity from prosecution, as well as substantial sums of money. Many convictions based on supergrass testimony were later overturned, and the supergrass system was discontinued in 1985.

The Redwalls: Thank You

2005-11-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! Every rock band that comes along owes at least a little sumthin sumthin to the Beatles. That's a given. But the Redwalls, man ... They owe EVERYTHING! It's been a while since such a direct correlation could be drawn between the beatles and another band since, since, I don't know .... a Beatles cover band I guess.

Logan Baren does a great Lennon impression. The music is very Rubber soul. I really dig the 60's throwback vibe. Particularly of note are the numerous harmonies in the music. That in of itself is quite rare in music as most bands are lucky to have ONE member that can sing a lick, and the their doubly lucky to have figured out to put that one in front of the mic. But to have three of them who can harmonize together.... Me Likey.

The Redwalls are currently touring with Hot Hot Heat around North America right now.

Here is the official site for the Redwalls.

Please enjoy the video for ">Thank You

The Pixies Sell Out

2005-11-18T23:08:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of them?

Here's a cut from the New Live DVD released recently.

Where is my mind?

P.S. Kim is the shit.

Babyshambles: Killamangiro

2005-11-17T23:48:00.000-08:00

So Kate Moss, former girlfriend of Peter Doherty, former lead singer for the Libertines, and current front man for Babyshambles, recently blamed Pete for selling the phone video of her snorting yay for cash to buy drugs.

Considering Peters past brushes with the law, including breaking into a former bandmates house to jack shit to sell for Heroine, this sounds credible. But Kate's indignant tone amuses me. After all she's a supermodel partying with Rockstars. I don't think anyone found this too much of a surprise. It's not like her profession isn't riddled with this type of shit anyway.

Now Babyshambles. I completely stayed away from the Libertines when they were still together for fear of too much media exposure. Nothing can kill an OK or even great band for me like too much of it. British and American magazine were cranking out reviews of these guys like freaking candy. Not to mention all the shenanigans at the live shows, robberies, fights and model fucking.

So I stumbled upon this video having no preconceived notions about this band and whether to get my music snob nose up before listening. Surprise! I like it. It's arty, simple, catchy, slightly rough, low on production tricks. Seems to meet the criteria. So I do a little web surfing and ...

What?! Peter Doherty is the front man for this band?! What the Fuck?! I've been tricked.

So grudgingly I listened to Babyshambles. I have no complaints. So mustering my righteous rock anger I went back and dug up libertine CD copies someone gave me in the hopes of turning me to the Cult of Personality that was (is) the Libertines. People still talk about these guys like they're Gods.

....Fine. I'll admit it. They're good. Happy?

Here is the official site for Babyshambles. Not much here.

And for comparison official site for The Libertines.

Update: Ok Ok Ok Ok Ok Ok. Hold on. somone wrote me and told me some more shit that makes Peter Doherty the most entertaining Vocalist out right now for dipshit stuff. On "Down in Albion" The guy performing the track called Pentonville is some mutherfucker he met in JAIL! WTF?! You meet someone in the slammer and then ask him to guest on your next album? Maybe he sold the spot for H. HEE Hee HEE HEE!!! To Top it off Kate Moss does backing vocals on "Belle Et La Bête" BwAAAAAAAAAHAAAAhAhAHhaahhA!! *sniff*

Just thought I'd share that.

Plan B: No Good

2005-11-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

Stop motion. Old Technique in videos. But when Coldplay put out the video for Trouble, the formula for music videos was written for ... well until the next "cool" cheap way to make a video comes along. We've all seen the carbon copies that have been floating around. All edited together using flash and lots of paper dolls.

Stop motion used to be what flash motion is today. Nobody uses it anymore, mainly because its time consuming to set up each frame. The most memorable one is Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, which consistently shows up in top"x" videos of all time on every station except BET, and I think it gets honorable mention for having black women singing in the final verse.

Anyway the point is this. Plan B, is nobody I've heard of. Further more he's no one I care about. He's a rapper who is white, and therefore is destined to be endlessly compared to eminem. Sorry but its true. And yes he does sound kinda like him. His styles not bad, but his word choice is forgettable. The production is solid, and the beat is enjoyable. Overall I'll give it a 7.

The video is stop motion. It's pretty good stop motion as well. Just watch it and think about how long it must take to arrange all those items moving around for every frame here. What is it, 8 per second? Then think of how you plan that out so your mouth is forming the correct sound for each word to correspond with the song and the video. Complicated? Definitely. Worth it? I think so.

Gold Star!

Click on the top to see it.

Diamond Nights: Arena Rock Revivalism Taken Seriously?

2005-11-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

So what do you need to know?

1) Diamond nights is a 70's revivalist arena rock type band. Think Darkness only without the spandex jump suits and falsettos.

2) It doesn't come off as campy.

3) Influences: Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, T-Rex, The Cars. You'll hear them all in here. If you like that, you love this. If not you'll hate it.

4) Retro bands usually fall flat on their faces after one album. It's a short career, mainly becuase you've got no where to go to. Write something original, your fans will hate it, and non fans wont listen since they hate you for not writing something original in the first place. Do more of the same, and your fans won't buy it anyway because more than likely the next big nostalgia band knock off has debuted and stolen the spotlight away. (Cough Cough. Darkness!!. Cough!)

Diamond Nights: Popsicle will probably be that. A fun listen but by no means anything lasting. but in the mean time enjoy it for what it is. Cue extended mastabatory guitar solo.

The Girls Attractive

The Rakes: 22 Grand Job

2005-11-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

Now, when you listen to this, I want you to think of the opening theme to Kids in the Hall. Is it just me, or does the guitar riff remind you of that.
So, what about The Rakes? I can find no reliable accounting of when these guys came into being as a group. But they've been doing the euro tour thing pretty heavily for the last year. 22 grand job has been getting a lot of praise. It's obnoxiously catchy, super short, and singing about poor people in the city. A sure fire trifecta guaranteed to have this thing bouncing around inside your head like 22 slug, and doing just as much damage in the process. I just spent the last 12 hours humming this freaking thing to myself. The goddamn guitar riff is a BAR SCALE! IT'S BASIC SHIT!!!

And yet there it is. Stuck in my head, and in my ever tapping toe.

The rest of The Rakes is fairly standard Blur ripoff. And by Blur ripoff, I mean Blur before they decided to go all "world Music is Cool' on us with that last album. What the hell was that? No, The Rakes are more Parklife-y than anything else. Which is ok. What made Blur great was the avant-garde exclusivity that seemed to be associated with them. We'll see if The Rakes can pull off the same. What they do have going for them, is that as a whole, the album tells a quite famiiar story, of struggling to reconcile your social life with your working life. Realizing somewhere along the line that trying to get ahead in life, and trying to get down to the pub to have a pint with mates ona wednesday night at 11 am.m when you know you have to get up at 6 am the next day, doesn't seem to work. We've been there each and every one of us. The agnst.

Pint. Sleep. Pint. Sleep. Tough one.

The irony of course, is that 22 Grand Job is aimed at the working class, which is traditionally Oasis' bit. They must be going for that nitch market in the great unwashed horde.
without further adieu, I present The Rake's, 22 Grand Job

Oh, and I must admit, the Rake's official site is fairly detailed, and worth a look.

Dakah. A good idea gone bad?

2005-11-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

So the general idea behind Dakah is that Hip Hop, at it's core is very similar to Ochestral arrangements and symphonies. So, the OrchestraÂs founder and conductor, Geoff ÂDouble GÂ Gallegos, is a classically trained saxophonist who studied at tBerkeleylee College of Music. Gallegos began composing hip hop music for orchestra while working with the Colorado Symphony. In addition to his work with DaKah, he is an active studio composer, arranger, and conductor in Los Angeles. In 2002, the orchestra and Gallegos received a Durfee Foundation Artist Award that led to the release of DaKahÂs first studio album, Unfinished Symphony. The orchestra recently released the live album, San Francisco Debut, and performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.
Dakah gets to be 62 members deep when at full strength. They've recently reached the point where they can sell out venues that can handle that many musicians, AKA the Hollywood Bowl, but it amuses me to think about that many people trying to pack into small clubs around L.A. The patrons must have had to stand on the bars, and in bathroomromm stalls just to make room for all the instruments.

In order to create depth and meaning out of so many diverse and seemingly incongruent elements, one must have an overarching vision, which entails working on all quadrants and all levels. One must understand where each of these elements fits in to the big picture, both technically and aesthetically. Plus one must be able to navigate the daunting logistics of organizing so many people on little or no budget, finding the right venue in which to play, and forming a web of harmonious interpersonal relationships, not only within the orchestra, but also within the community at large. And I'm not sure that this gets accomplished.

Love the concept for the Dakah. Can't say I love the music though. Not being a very avid hip hop fan myself, I could be missing scriticaltcal point here, that makes the handful of people recommendednded Dakah to me, love them. But I feel like aside from the sheer massiveness of the group, there's nothing particularly fresh here. Yes hip hop does sound like classical music. All you have to do is listen to the strings sampled in 50% of all hip hop tracks. Well no shTheythey DO seem to have something in common when mixed over a 4/4 beat. How about that!

But I can imagine the live show would be impressiThe the dynamic of any music can be radically altered by the setting you witness it in. Songs that would normally suck coming through a stereo, sound inspired when seen live, and backed by the artists enthusiasm for their work. And I think that might be the case here. After all, why would a ton of classically trained symphomusiciansinas volunteer this much time and effort for relatively little or no pay, unless they were having a blast?
Pa lotalot of big names in Hip Hop have guest starred with them. The Roots, Breakestra, Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray, Nikka Costa, etc. publiclyaapplaudluad Dakah as something new and exciting.

I just can't hear it.

Decide for yourself.
A Live show in the House of Blues

Broken Social Scene

2005-11-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

As winter sets in to Southern California, and rains starts becoming more of an everyday phenomena, I find myself looking for mellower music that compliments the changing season. Summer and Spring are about loud brash tunes that make you want to go out there and smash your antlers into the neck of that other fucking dear who is sniffing around your girlfriends ass.
Or maybe that's just me.
Broken Social Scene has been referred to as "Supergroup" because of the fact that the roster can go fluxuate anywhere from 5 to 17 members at a time. The reason for this is that BSS likes to create a symphonic melody to back the indie pop style that lays at the core of their music. BSS comes out of Canada, as was formed in 1999 by various members of other failed little indie bands that shall not be mentioned here. Canada spits this type of music out on a fairly regular basis (Dears, Divine Comedy, tragically hip, Halifax's Sloan, etc) but that's OK, since the U.S. could use a slight bit more of it. Death Cab For Cutie will soon be done to death I'm sure, and calling yourself Postal Service will only squeeze one more album out at most.
This is Tea time music. Kick back and enjoy the string section. There are layers here to be appreciated. The overall production is quality, but when you have a band that can combine this many elements together and not turn it into audio mush, than you've got something worth checking out

Here is the Website

cause = Time is making some sort of statement about religious fanaticism here but its fairly ambiguous beyond "BAD." No shit.

Dandy Warhols

2005-11-01T22:03:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure what happened here.

Recall, If you will the release of the Dandy Warhols most awesome of albums, Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia, In the summer of 2000. I can clearly remember being at a party in the hills, looking out over the spread of traffic and hearing a very ear catching and distrinct song that I later came to know as "Godless." I remember thinking:

"Wow, I haven't heard a horn section this cool since ........."

And then I promptly vomited.

Throughout the next half hour of marathon chucking I was constantly hearing the rest of this album playing on random. One might think I would hate it, as you would probably associate it with bad times. Not so. I fucking LOVED it. This album still stands in my mind as one of the most well crafted bits of rock n roll I have ever had the pleasue to come across.

For the next three years I took that freaking CD on the he road with me from California to Florida blasting it to anyone who would bother to give me a second to listen to how I was from "LA" and that this was the next big thing. Some bought it, some didn't . But when I was done, everyone knew that I was a Dandy Warhols fan to the end.

Or so I thought.

Fuck! Which is why it makes me so sad to listen to the last two follow ups.
Somewhere, somehow, the Dandy Warhols fell off.

Maybe, it was the hype. Maybe with a swarm of media from the US Europe buying up their singles for commercials, the became jaded. Maybe when they stopped sniffing coke off each others assholes (or so rumor says), they lost touch with the hedonistic fire that inspired "get Off," maybe they just got older and wiser. Maybe I did.

All I know is that Welcome to the Monkey House was a MAJOR disappointment, aside from "Last High." A thoroughly bland album. Leaning more towards some sort of Euro 80's synth thingie, versus the raw snooty guitar riffs that sold me in yesteryear.

The Dandy's new album was just recently released, and I'm trying REAL hard to like it. I'm not having any luck so far. I want to like them still. I really do. But I'm just not feeling it. Odditorium or Warlords of Mars is not what I'd hoped, to say the least. But time will tell. I guess it's hard to compare that first adrenaline rush of discovering something new and exciting that seems to promise the world, with something that by now is familiar and perhaps getting redundant. We've both gotten older the Dandys and I.
Perhaps it's time to find a new love....

But before I do, I'd like to pawn this Rock Ho off on some new John. The Dandy's wouldn't want it any other way I'm sure.
If you haven't listened to them before, may I recommend the single that made me a fan? Godless still stands as one of the best singles I've ever heard and the video is no less precious. If you've ever spent any time slumming around L.A,'s various "hipster" spots you'll immediately recognize this as a perfect example of the type of heroine chic bullshit that tends to get pandered around as "Cool" spots. Don't forget kids, It's awesome to be bored. Might I point out the ULTRA-Hip Gay Hula Hooper doing the sexy dance.

Here is the official Dandy Warhols Website. Now in 3-D!

Maximo Park: Graffiti

2005-10-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

Maxïmo Park are an indie rock band, signed to Warp Records, who formed in Newcastle, North East England in April 2003. They consist of Paul 'Scooby' Smith (vocals), Duncan Lloyd (guitar), Archis Tiku (bass guitar), Lukas Wooller (keyboards) and Tom English (drums). Drawing comparisons to Pulp and Franz Ferdinand, Maxïmo Park were, along with cohorts The Futureheads, North-East England's response to the post-punk revival of the 2000s. Drummer Tom English is also in the band Field Music. In July 2005 their debut album, A Certain Trigger, was nominated for the Mercury Prize. They also contributed a song to the War Child compilation Help: A Day in the Life.
Listening to Maximo Park seems to give that sense of trying to bust out of the confines of familiar surroundings. There is a lot of energy under these tracks. It reminds me of that point iin your life where you absolutely must get away from school, parents, girlfriend/boyfriend for fear of being smothered. There are a lot of influences in here, most of them brittish. Jam, Wire, Stone roses, Stranglers, kinks, etc. But it feels playful and for the most part is not redundant.
Maximo Park hails from Newcastle Upon Tyne, where ever the hell that is. Usually when you get brittish frontmen, their otherwise unintelligable accent seems to all but disappear once they start crooning away. Not so here. Singer Paul Smith's UK pronunciation of words, feels somehow authentic. He is who is, and fuck trying to pronounce words grammatically correct.
On the down side, Maximo park feels obligated like so many other bands in the same style, to wear those fucking suit combinations. The look is old.

Here is the video for tMaximo Park's first single, Graffiti.

The Maximo Park Website

Massive Attack: Butterfly Caught

2005-10-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

Massive Attack is one THE most influential groups to emerge out of England in the 90's. A part of the Trifecta of Trip Hop music, accompanied by Tricky, and Massive Attack (all of which were kind of inter breeding anyway, so where does the division n start? I don't know) they have morphed from Electronica act into more of a digital composer group. Which is good, since just about any act that comes out of Electronic music, no matter what the genre, tends to get very old, very quick.

First off, ask your self: Do you isten to house music? How about Dub? No? Me either. Absolutely hate both. BUT! Technically these are the flavors in Massive Attack. But way more low key. None of that head throbbing rave style beat mixture that can drive anyone not tripping on E to an instant migraine. Most of us are more than likely been exposed to Massive Attack through the single Teardrop which seems to end up in commercials for everything and most recently as a opening theme for "House" on Fox. Yeesh.

Recently Massive Attack did the soundtrack to "Unleashed." which sounded great. RZA, of the late Wu-Tang Clan also contributed but who gives a shit?

Their Catalogue is big, to say the least.Only four original albums, but what seems like dozens of remixes for various artists. If you've got a P2P search engine, typre in Massive attack and look at how many of them there are. Funnily enough most of them suck. It's really their own work that resonates well. But they gotta pay the bills somehow. So if you've never listened to any of it, start with Mezzanine or 100th Window as these are the best of their more current work. If you like go back to Blue Lines if you like what you hear. Blue Lines is the reason they are popular, but if you haven't heard it your going to think it sounds dated.

Here is a haunting piece called Butterfly Caught .

Check out the official Website

Ok Go: A Million Ways To Be Cruel

2005-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

I heard doubt these guys a while ago on NPR radio out here. I only caught a small bit of the segment but I was intrigued by the fact that Ok Go's video for A Million Ways had been downloaded over a million time on the net in a sixth month period, or something ridiculous like that.
The other thing that caught my attention was the fact that one of the band members sisters had choreographed the whole thing. When you watch this it's quite obvious really. But whats cool is that these guys from the band pull off a fairly complex three minute dance and make it look good. On top of which, it's a great song. Got a sort of disco dance floor groove thing going for it.

On the bad side it's also not representative of the rest of the catalogue. Other songs by Ok Go sound derivative of a Weezer/Emo thing, which is not my cup of tea. But if it's YOUR cup of tea then go to the official website.

And surprise, surprise, Ok Go also maintains their very own Blog right amongst us.

Arctic Monkeys:Fake Tales of San Francisco

2005-10-29T12:52:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately I'm going to have to resort to making comparisons here. The Strokes. Yes, they sound like the Strokes. Only Louder, faster, and more with more chops. So if you are like me and hate the Strokes because for three years it's all anybody wanted to yap about, but knew that you'd probably like them if your friends weren't force fucking your ear with "Is This It" then give these guys a listen.
I am further impressed by the fact that not a one of these kids are over 20. (as of this posting) Mo Fo's are great. Particularly Fake Tales of San Francisco, a scathing stab at scenesters talking shit. While San Francisco is a bit far for these boys. I only live 8 hours away and still here people ranting about that town and how "Fucking a-MAZE-ing" it is. As lead singer Alex so eloquently puts it

"It doesn't matter where you are from or if your are in a band or not; there's always knob-heads."

Word.

Here is a live performance for I'll Bet You Look Good On Dance Floorloor

Stereolab: Ping Pong

2005-10-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Stereolab has been around since WAAAAY back in 1991. They have got a LP, EP, DP CIA, FBI, DEA, CDC, etc. etc. release collection that is a whopping 32 discs deep! Good God that is a lot of stereolab.

I become aware of them through Dots And Loops, which is generally considered one of their less than stellar albums. But since I'd never heard Stereolab before, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Having listened to a larger portion of the catalogue at this point I can say that there are plenty stronger discs to warm up to Stereolab with. If you've never heard them all you really need to know is that they are a sixtie's electronic fusion jazz pop act that almost many discerning artists tend to list in their favorites
(e.g. Pavement, Sonic Youth, Common, The Roots, Beck, Yo La Tengo, Elliot Smith, Belle and Sebastian, Bright Eyes, Bjork, Prince, Wilco, Radiohead blah blah blah. There's a lot.)

Stereolab has recently released a box set entitled Oscillons from the Anti-Sun that collects a bunch of rarities that never showed up on their regulars. Anybody who is a fan or an obsessive collector will probably enjoy this. I'm looking forward to it myself.

Here is a video and excellent song by stereolab called Ping Pong

The official site.

Nouvelle Vague: Too Drunk To Fuck

2005-10-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

I generally don't support any group that rises to fame based off a cover song that tugs at nostalgic strings we all feel for certain ditties from our past. It's a shameless grab for attention riding on someone else' coattails. But when a band decides to do an all cover album, it is extraordinarily ballsey to say the least. And not in a good way. (Anybody else cringe the first time that punk band put out that all covers album a few years ago? What the fuck was their name? Exactly.)
Nouvelle Vague is not big. You won't hear them on the radio unless you listen to college radio or maybe a few public stations out there. The market for Bossa Nova just isn't what it used to be. They're technically breaking a ton of No-No's by 1)trying to cover timeless classics from the post punk era, and 2) Completely fucking with the feeling of them.

Pure Balls.

Picking The Dead Kennedys: Too drunk to Fuck is an inspired choice.

While recording a cover of Joy Division: Love Will Tear Us Apart is really pushing it. Incidentally I don't really even care that much About Joy Division. But I've see enough psychotically rabid Euro Trash fans out there to wonder whether Nouvelle Vague has got a death wish. Fuck em.

Lastly, there are some absolutely horrid covers on here as evidenced by the cover of I just can't get enough. The original sucks, and this does nothing to improve it. In fact it's like reminding someone they had a historectamy by kicking them in the crotch.

Still the majority of it is rather enjoyable. bossa nova has a way of making you want Mai Tais and a sunny beach and this is no exception. It's just kinda weird hearing all these young driven angsty choice from yesteryear in this format.

Here is The official Website

Devendra Banhart: Feel Like A Child

2005-10-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'll admit it. I've avoided investing in Banhart up to this point based purely on his looks alone. Damn dirty hippy is all I saw. From what I've read I'm not wrong, but his rise to fame and glory of the past five years is impressive. Homeless kid on the Streets of SF to traveling to NYC and somehow landing a major record label deal all based off of a grass roots movement of fan support on a musical style that sounds like it comes out of Mississippi circa 1924? I have to admit; pretty cool. There's a lot of press out on the shelf about Devendra right now. Paste, Rolling Stone, Filter, etc. But really when three friend recommend it so far as to email you about it, throw it on several mix tapes and generally throw about Banhart in music conversations in a snotty manner, it means I'd better edumacate myself. Thanks guys, you know who you are.

Initial impressions: I enjoy it, but I can already tell it won't be something that sticks with me. It's great atmosphere, and by all accounts Banhart puts on one hell of a live jam band concert. But I think I'll need to be high after a couple listenings to get anything else out of it. His lyrics will probably sound profound then.

Devendra exploded on the international music scene three years ago, quickly accumulating devoted fans as well as an unusually hefty amount of critical kudos with his debut and subsequent releases. "There's something about Banhart's muse that defies words and logic, something to these songs that hints at a deeper connection to the cosmos than most of us share. Jeff Buckley might have had that gift; John Lennon and Van Morrison certainly did. Add to that list Devendra Banhart, an astonishing talent whose future work promises to bring us to exciting new places" - Harp Magazine. "...it's Banhart's gift for melody that ultimately carries the day, littering the album with slyly entrancing tunes that recall the pleasure of old campfire songs. It's enough to cure even a hardened cynic" - Blender.

This is the kind of shit that makes me immediately want to turn away from an artist and prejudge them like I did in this case. Although Blender is right. I does seem to break up my practiced cynisism. But Fuck Blender still.

I haven't found any official website for Devendra but here's The closest thing I could find

Check out the video for I Feel Just Like A Child

The Eels: Get Yer Freak On

2005-10-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

There is NEVER a time when I wouldn't recommend checking this amazing group out. Ever since they first came to my attention back in the 90's with novacaine for the soul, I've loved every single album. The new one has been getting a hell of a lot of critical praise and you would do well to listen. There's three different videos to check out here on for Hey Man Now Your Really Living off the new album, novacaine for the soul, and my personal favorite: a live performance back in 2002 on the Carson Daily Show with the Eels doing a cover of Missy Elliot's Get Yer Freak On

The official Site is pretty thorough too.

Air: Cherry Blossom Girl

2005-10-27T13:43:00.001-07:00

After 10,000 Hz Legend, I didn't think I'd be bothering to listen to these two anymore. But wisely, French elctronic pop producers Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel have gotten back to what they do best. Writing cool synth pop with sixties porn music mixed n for flavor.Thankfully they've gotten over discovering that they can make their Macintosh talk and are no longer inflicting such crap on us.

If you really want to see what makes Air so cool, pick up Premiers Symptomes or Better yet, Moon Safari Both are great, and are well worth owning. Oh, and Air also did the soundtrack for "The Virgin Suicides," but whether thats a recomendation or a condemnation depends entirely on how you feel about that movie. The Book is 1000000 times better. Best writing I've read in years.

This video has beeen making the rounds on the net lately, but whether it's becuase people are actually enjoying the music or becuase there's (gasp) NUDITY in it, I'm not sure. You be the Judge.
Air: Cherry Blossom Girl

The Official site is pretty cool too.
Air

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005IABM/ref=m_art_li_6/104-7534399-5811934?v=glance&s=music

The Doves: Black and White Town

2005-10-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

I've never understood why these guys aren't bigger than they are. Out of all the crap that gets tossed out as "The next Big Thing" out of the UK, these guys have been slogging along and getting shit press in the states. Take this song, It's great, but unless you've already heard of them and bothered to stay informed, I'd bet you a million dollars you've never heard anything by the doves on the radio.

Check out the video

Here's the offical site

The Doves

The Dears: The Death Of All The Romance

2005-10-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

This Montreal band has been around for five years but is only recently starting to get large notice in the states. The Death Of All The Romance evokes a melancholy feeling that just screams some rain soaked sixties Burt Bacharach soundtrack which never made it to the record shelves. One listen and you'll be hooked. I've never wanted to help a stuffed bear more than right now.

Watch the Video Here

A link to the official website for the Dears

2005-10-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Anybody who is reading this thanks for the support. I thought I'd like to point out anything I felt was rather good in music out there that I came across and inflict on the rest of the population.
The plan as of the moment is to do this daily and see what emerges, but I'll need help. If you've got something you feel is awesome drop me a line and let me know. You can reach me at griffin554@hotmail.com
On to Day 1!