Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Monday, December 17th, 2007
Fun
One of my favorite blogs is I Rock Cleveland. Dude just seems to get it. His list of “Top 40 Tracks of 2007″ brought the awesome and just plain rocking video of Kevin Drew’s (Broken Social Scene) “Backed Out On The…” to my attention. great song, amazingly fun video.
Finally something cool without trying to hard.
Friday, October 26th, 2007
Babyshambles pulls it together
All I can say is that I am now a Babyshambles fan. I never really understood the hype surrounding the Libertines outside of the tabloid gossip. Well, with their new album “Shotter’s Nation” (whatever that means), Pete and crew have really made something special. I tend to shy away from over analytical reviews, so just check it out and judge for yourself.
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost
Just heard a new song from their upcoming album “Cease to Begin” hitting stores on October 9, 2007 (Sub Pop). Sounds like something I’ll be into.
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
After hearing a buzz about this band for some time, I finally checked out their 2005 masterpiece, Black Sheep Boy and have since been obsessed with this album. I literally have been listening to it non-stop for almost a month. Needless to say, I was excited to hear that after a two-year hiatus, they were releasing a new album this fall.
Stage Names, due out on August 7th is a change in direction for the band. While “Black Sheep Boy” is a powerful and sweeping album of raw, unrestrained emotion. While pleasing, the new album lacks some of the pain and grit that made the last so compelling. Songs like “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe” is probably the most gratifying song, incorporating singer Will Sheff’s familiar cracked-voice howl and unsettling urgency. Much of the albums remaining tracks suffer from a lack of passion, often feeling like over-polished and unimaginative contemporary pop. Oddly enough, that’s precisely the sound they seem to have aimed to cultivate. In an interview with Pitchfork, Sheff states he wanted to “make a record that’s unemotional, that pushes people away and is sort of flippant.” Sadly, I suppose he succeeded. He also mentions that they recorded 15 songs for Stage Names, but pared it down a mere 9 tracks to keep the album “precise.” Let’s hope that these lost tracks contain more of the bitting poignency that made me a fan. I myself will continue to listen to their last record (and the Appendix album). You should too.
Okkervil River - Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe
Okkervil River - A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene
Our Live is Not a Movie or Maybe (Live from Austin City Limits)
Thursday, June 7th, 2007
When a Papercut Feels Good
I first heard of SF indie-folksters The Papercuts while browsing through the Pitchfork Media reviews. Somewhere between the time I downloaded their album and a few days later when I played the album through multiple times, I feel in love with their dreamy, slightly sad summer-pop sound. Songwriter Jason Quever’s frail, ghostly vocals perfectly compliment the album’s sepia-drenched, vintage vibe. Enough talk. Check out why Devendra Banhart released this album through his label.
The Papercuts - Dear Employee
The Papercuts - Summer Long
Friday, June 1st, 2007
The Cummies
I was poking around on The Deli, a blog dedicated to showcasing the NY indie-rock scene. They featured a rock and roll trio called The Cummies that caught my ear. This band sound a bit like The Vines, with shrieking a vocal styling reminiscent of the Hives. While they’re not playing anything revolutionary, they sound like an energetic, and fun band to keep an eye out for. No mp3s to post, but you can check out the bands tracks on their myspace page.
Friday, June 1st, 2007
Sufjan Stevens + Innocence Mission = Good
I somehow stumbled on this brillant video of Sufjan Stevens performing an impromptu cover of The Innocence Mission’s beautiful song, Lakes of Canada atop Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall. His sparse banjo version sounds like it easily could’ve been an outtake from the Seven Swans album.
#50.2 - Sufjan Stevens (MusicNow) - The lakes of Canada
Video sent by lablogotheque
Friday, June 1st, 2007
Eagle*Seagull Soars
Nebraska’s Eagle*Seagull has the honor of being one of my absolute favorite albums of 2006. Beginning to end, their self-titled debut album is truly one of the buzz-worthy efforts in the sometimes over-saturated indie landscape. Drawing on elements from Bowie, The Cure, and more recent arrivals Wolf Parade (and Sunset Rubdown), E*S delivers a powerful and dare I say, epic album chalked full of disjointed, melancholy anthems for a disillusioned audience. Seriously, every time this album is on the speakers I melt into a comfortable state of lonely bliss. Pour yourself a drink, light up a joint and enjoy.
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