8/1 Song of the Day

Today, I’m going to throw to you a rare, live song from Sigur Ros that you just might have never heard of.

It’s awesome.

Sigur Ros – Fönklagið (Live, 06-04-98, Reykjavík)

New demo from Backspacer trickles out into the wild (oh ha ha ha)

Well, I have to follow up on it after posting the crappy bootleg version last week.  A few days ago, a demo of Speed of Sound found its way on the internet.  Which, while this song is on the album, this is the acoustic version with just Eddie playing.  Studio recording.  Can’t wait to hear the full band version of this.

A whisper in the dark..
Is that you or just my thoughts?
I’m wide awake and reaching out..

Eddie Vedder – Speed Of Sound (Unreleased EV Demo)

7/31 Song of the Day

In light of the new single from Our Lady Peace and its crappiness, I would like to take us back in time to a time when OLP was awesome.  1995.

Our Lady Peace – Naveed

7/30 Song of the Day

Yep, I’m starting this up.  We’ll see how much I can keep up with it.  Todayyyyyy’s, to start the party, is a lesser known track by Radiohead from the second disk of In Rainbows, which one could argue is a disc of b-sides (a few damn good ones, too)….“Down is the New Up”.  If you’ve seen me wear my confusing t-shirt in the past before (I’ve seriously never had more people notice a shirt ever than that one), this is the song that inspired it.

Radiohead – Down is the New Up (From the Basement Version)

Radiohead – Down is the New Up (Studio Version)

It’s Wednesday, getyourbootymovin’

Every time I hear Boombox on Sirius XM at work, I feel less and less original with my picks for dance tracks.  But, hey, they are still bad ass…it’s Wednesday and there’s nothing good on TV, get your ass shakin’ to these.

Daft Punk vs. Does It Offend You Yeah – We Are Technologic (LightsoverLA Remix)

Empire of the Sun – Walking On A Dream (Kids At The Bar Remix)

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix)

Passion Pit - The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix)

Vega – No Reasons

Radiohead – Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)

Phoenix – 1901 (NightWaves Remix)

The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction (DiscoTech Remix)

Studio – West Side (Klumpfisk remix)

Sigur Ros – Saeglopur (Crash Overdrive rmx)

M83 – Teen Angst (Death To The Throne Remix)

TV on the Radio – Staring At The Sun (In Digital Time remix)

Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch (Bobby Evans Remix)

Album Spotlight: Turn on the Bright Lights

If there is one quintessential album in my personal library, it’s Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights.  From top to bottom, this is one of my favorite albums of all time.  They took a lot of criticism from being too much like Joy Division copy cats with this album (being their first album).  But, damnit, if this is what a Joy Division knock off album sounds like, give memorrrrrrrrrrreeee!  There is not a single weak track on this entire album.  And really, this album is one of the foundations that significantly built the taste in music I have now.  Tie me up in a room and lock me up with this album to listen to and I’ll be happy forever.  The album more heavily relies on the melodies and the instruments rather than lyrical content.  Their lyrical song writing is a bit odd, almost as if ever other two lines is a fragment from a different story.  Some of the stuff isn’t meant to be made sense of.  But, there is so many times when a certain bridge, end, climax, or part of a song just hits you.  Hits you like a ton of bricks and you feel it, that intangible, that thing you can’t describe, that thing that has no words to remotely define or describe, it’s when you dive in deep. it.  The goosebumps follow afterward.  This is music.  This is Turn on the Bright Lights.

Ignore any Interpol you’ve heard past this album (with the exception of half of Antics).

Just listen.

There’s something that’s invisible,

There’s some things you can’t hide.

Interpol – PDA

Interpol - Untitled

Interpol – Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down

Interpol – Obstacle 1

The countdown..is on.

The countdown is on, folks.  September 20th marks the date of the release of Backspacer, Pearl Jam’s ninth album.  We’ve seen an peculiar transition from the grunge rock days of Ten, the Pearl Jam that most people know of.  But, little do most people know, Pearl Jam went to transcend that limited genre and have become one of the world’s most renown rock & roll bands with an extremely deep and varied discography as they have matured with their sound through the years.  While one could say they tripped over a riot act as they further experimented with their sound and tried different things, their last album from 2005, their self entitled (or also known as Avocado to some), was actually a very strong album showing a different side of Pearl Jam.  From the looks of it, Backspacer looks to further concentrate on the idea of…growing up.

The single was released today, “The Fixer”.  I’m one of the most hardcore Pearl Jam fans you’ll find around, but this one is definitely a grower.  I’m still in the process of it.  Admittedly, it’s weird to hear such a happy version of the band through this song, almost a poppy version.  But, I wouldn’t write this album off for one second based on that song alone.  (note: this is a higher quality version than on the myspace)

Pearl Jam – The Fixer

“Got Some” was the other song from Backspacer they premiered on the Conan O’Brien show a few weeks back.  While oddly stripping away much individuality that is usually found in most Pearl Jam songs either emphasizing on Eddie’s singing or Mike’s guitar solos, they don’t get too crazy with this one.  But, instead create quite a catchy, rockin’ tune.  Already guilty of rockin’ out a little in the truck when this one randomly pops up.  Hopefully both of these songs aren’t an indication of the album being more of a lyrically more simple album as the band is known for their incredibly strong song writing.  But, we’ll find out.

September 20th.

Pearl Jam – Got Some (Live, Conan)

Also, I can’t link to it on here, but Speed of Sound (not to be confused with Coldplay) is another song off of Backspacer, one of the very few that Eddie Vedder has been playing on his solo shows.  Despite the extremely so-so sound quality and the fact that I’m sure it will have the full band behind the song on the album, the guitar in this song on this recording sounds like just one of the prettiest things I’ve heard in a long while.  I can confirm goosebumps. checkitout.

Eddie Vedder – Speed of Sound

Artist Spotlight: The Antlers

There is one band that has turned out to be a bit of a sleeper hit for me as of late.  And that is Brooklyn’s The Antlers.  They are touring around with another excellent band I’ve been getting into, Frightened Rabbit.  I’ve actually already posted these two songs on here in random mixes and shuffles, but I have to bring them up again.  I initially got into their sweet sound with “Two”.  What in which is the single of theirs that is going around.  If there is something that these guys do well, it’s build and build and build into an incredible climax of a song.  Two is about a relationship between two (two, hmm) people that is an abusive relationship for one of the two.  About somebody who constantly doesn’t appreciate, care, or acknowledge everything the other does for them, and in turn self destructs while the caring one takes the pain, the punishment, the abuse, but loves them so much that…

It killed me to see you getting always rejected,

but I didn’t mind the things you threw, the phones I deflected.

I didn’t mind you blaming me for your mistakes,

I just held you in the doorframe through all of the earthquakes.

But, like a bad movie, the ‘loving/caring’ one comes to the conclusion that “there was nothing I can do to save you.” Then, the song ends in a very haunting, sustaining quiet tone to finish the track.

The Antlers – Two

But, the next song is the one that really made me turn my head around so I could really appreciate the one above.  “Kettering”.  The two are so similar in subject material that I’m almost convinced they are one song split into two parts.  If Kettering was Part 1 or 2, I would definitely say Part 2.  The climax of Two is more subtle and lyrical, where Kettering is where it turns the heat up into an intense buildbuildbuildEXPLOSION.  Kettering is almost a look back on the story in Two in that Two was an emotional song almost written while the story was happening, but Kettering is looking back after all of that feeling was killed in the water and you are left with a depressing, emotionless (but with small glimpses and memories) retelling of the story.

They had you sleeping and eating and

and I didn’t believe them

when they called you a hurricane thunder cloud

And then, the song ends with:

But something kept me standing

by that hospital bed

I should have quit but instead

I took care of you

You made me sleep and uneven

and I didn’t believe them

when they told me that there

was no saving you

Which then leads into an intense ending where you could almost imagine every smidget and bit of love being completely removed from that person, from that situation, from that story.  And then it’s…

dead.

I encourage you to download both of these songs, listen to them in that order, and read all of the lyrics while listening.  The Antlers aren’t a very happy band, but you will be moved.

The Antlers – Kettering

Lyrics from Songmeanings.com

Myspace Link

Get the album.  it’s goodgoodgoodgood.  Hospice (2009)

the 7-10 shuffle.

Here’s some stuff, mixture of new and old, that has been getting me through the past few weeks:

The Love Language – Stars

“you shot me down just…as I was starting to feel alive”

Noah & the Whale – 5 Years Time

Run Toto Run – Sleepyhead (Passion Pit Cover)

Tom Petty - Learning To Fly (Live, Chicago)

White Rabbits – Percussion Gun

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps (acoustic)

The Antlers – Kettering

Beirut - The Concubine

Ben Lee - Kids (MGMT Cover)

Chairlift - Planet Health (Live on MOKB Radio)

Fool’s Gold - Surprise Hotel

Ha Ha Tonka - Close Every Valve To Your Bleedin

Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game

Metric - Stadium Love

Synthesizer Shaikh - The Rise

Tiny Vipers - Dreamer

Frightened Rabbit - The Twist

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Drain the Blood

Wolf Parade – California Dreamer

The Secret Machines - Alone, Jealous, & Stoned

Eddie Vedder - Goodbye

June already?!

When it comes to music blogs, I’m making slacking an artform.  So, time for some new material.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT’S NEXT WEEK!!

This year will be my fifth year in a row and it’s going to be ammazing.  The overall lineup is probably the best it has ever been in terms of being well rounded.  I’m going to be a poor man for a few weeks afterwards.  My tentative schedule is at the very bottom to save the eye sore.

Here’s some Bonnaroo stuff that’s just making me twist & turn in preparation (I know, last time I posted some Passion Pit, too, BUT, this CD is just too incredible and it’s just about the happiest thing in the world.  Some perfect summer music)

Passion Pit – Seaweed Song

Passion Pit – Little Secrets

Phoenix – Love Like a Sunset

Kaki King – Montreal

Band of Horses – Islands on the Coast

That video sold TV on the Radio to me.

Oh, but the summer doesn’t stop there for me.

FRIDAY Built to Spill • The Jesus Lizard • Yo La Tengo • Tortoise SATURDAY The National • Beirut • Doom • Yeasayer • Final Fantasy • The Pains of Being Pure at Heart • Fucked Up • Plants and Animals • Cymbals Eat Guitars • The Black Lips • Matt & Kim • Lindstrøm • Wavves • Ponytail • Bowerbirds • The Dutchess and The Duke • Disappears SUNDAY The Flaming Lips • Grizzly Bear • M83 • The Walkmen • The Thermals • Pharoahe Monch • Blitzen Trapper • Frightened Rabbit • The Mae Shi • The Very Best • Mew • Vivian Girls • Japandroids • DJ/Rupture • Women • Killer Whales • Dianogah • Michael Columbia

THE FLAMING FUCKING LIPS, NATIONAL, BEIRUT, M83, Frightened Rabbit, The Walkmen, Black Lips, Pains of Being Pure at Heart…yeah, I’m there (IT’S ONLY $60!).

Then, for a few random songs I’ve really been getting into, I give you Mission of Burma and The Antlers.  The Antlers are a relatively unknown act out of Brooklyn, but their single, “Two” is really good.  But on the other side of things, Mission of Burma are a very influential act from the early 80’s (their only album with their original lineup with members, Vs., inspired Pearl Jam to name one of their albums just that in tribute).  This song, “All World Cowboy Romance”, is the finale of their first EP.  It’s instrumental and it is definitely epic.

http://www.myspace.com/theantlers

The Antlers – Two

Mission of Burma – All World Cowboy Romance

This particularly isn’t new at all, it’s been out since January and I’ve already mentioned it way back but I didn’t realize that I didn’t post the two most incredible songs on it (DAMNIT).  Not posting these is damn near criminal.

Kevin Drew – Love vs. Porn

The New Pornographers - Hey, Snow White

And to throw in a little electro feel, I recently stumbled on this track and it’s pretty freakin’ bad.  “British Mode” by Goose, but remixed by Jester.  Enjoy this one, I had to look extra deep to find a good version of it (much less ANY version of it to download).  Check out the myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/goosemusic

Goose -  British Mode (Jester Remix)

MY BONNAROO SCHEDULE

Thursday:

5:30 – Alberta Cross

6:45 – White Rabbits

8:30 – Portugal. The Man

9:45 – Chairlift

11:15 – Passion Pit (!)

hell raising till dawn afterwards

Friday

12:30 – Gomez

1:45 – Kaki King

2:45 – Animal Collective

5:00 – Toss up between Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Grizzly Bear…DAMNIT

6:45 – TV on the Radio

8:30 – Wander from Beastie Boys to David Byrne

11:30 – Phoenix (!)

12:30 – Phish

2:15 – Girl Talk

Saturday

12:30 – Elvis Perkins in Dreamland

1:30 – Heartless Bastards

3:30 – Bon Iver

5:00 – Wander between Jenny Lewis & Of Montreal

7:00 – The Decemberists

1:00 – Yeasayer

2:15 – MGMT

Sunday

12:00 – Cage the Elephant

1:30 – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

4:15 – Andrew Bird

6:30 – Band of Horses

8:30 – Phish