You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2009.
I will never get over how terrible this band name is. It’s like the punchline of a bad joke or something. Anyway- the gruesome threesome: Conor Oberst, M Ward and Jim James (with help from Mike Mogis) just put up a free download of a song, “Say Please.” It’s kind of boring and the vocals are very whiny. (Not to mention the ill-devised guitar solo, which is really screechy….) Please Please go back to Bright Eyes Conor? Anyone agree? At least that whinyness is serious and depressing and not masquerading as alt-country. Get it here.
Monsters of Folk: Say Please
Wilco and Jay Farrar are all over the news these days- for both good and bad reasons. Last night my friend said the Wilco show at Keyspan Park in Coney Island was fun, but that Wilco was more like a cheerleader for themselves than an actual awesome band. She said they were more showcasing the act of bringing it more than just bringing it. I can believe that…. You know who brought it?? Uncle Tupelo. And here’s my favorite track, Screen Door, which pretty much hits the nail on the head in explaining the best way to spend your days:
“Down here, where we’re at, all we do is sit out on the porch, and play our songs, and nothing’s wrong. Sometimes friends come around, they all sing along. Down here, where we’re at, everybody is equally poor. Down here, we don’t care. We don’t care what happens outside the screen door!”
Uncle Tupelo: Screen Door
Uncle Tupelo: Screen Door
Not sure if the fancy (Le) Poisson Rouge is the best place for this show, but no matter! Anyone who is interested in dancing, African rhythms, cultures different from your own or meeting someone cool, should go to see The Very Best, featuring Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit (hate that name!). Check the band’s MySpace for a taste and to download their now nearly infamous free mix from last year (just scroll down, you’ll see it).
One sour note- a new track, “Warm Heart of Africa” features Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and his voice doesn’t mix well. Nevertheless, the rampant inclusion of African beats and vibes in western music is a good thing, something VW certainly embraced, so this partnership makes sense.
The Very Best are on a big tour, and are playing the PFork music fest this weekend, too.
The Very Best featuring Ezra Koenig: Warm Heart of Africa
The Very Best featuring Ezra Koenig: Warm Heart of Africa
This album, and this song in particular, reminds me of a certain bittersweet time in my life. A time when I was so happy and care-free (the mid 90s) but was also growing up, leaving adolescence and thus trying to figure out what my life was for. I guess you can say modern rock radio and REM helped me with that process. Ha! That sounds mad corny. But anyway, this is a great song- in the moody REM vein, ala “Everybody Hurts.”
REM: Strange Currencies
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REM: Strange Currencies
Phil Fischer from Sweet Adeline (the best fansite) painstakingly made this lyrics page for Kill Rock Stars, Elliott’s original (almost his first) label. What a great resource for us all….my favorite track is called “Georgia, Georgia.”
“Georgia, Georgia, it’s many many miles since I’ve seen your fallen smile close up and personal”
Pic by Ryan Muir
I opted for my calmer, more mature self last night, choosing the Philharmonic over Wavves. Maybe a silly choice? Anyway, it doesn’t matter, seems like not much happened (that means it was a tight show with nothing crazy to report) and Amrit does a great job of putting me there.
The fact that Nathan (Wavves) is now acting sober (carrying a water bottle) is a little bit much, no? Maybe it was water, but why does he need to carry it around as proof? You do you, kid, that’s what i think. Also- is it just me or does he look a little fatter?
This is a trippy messy mess of a video. I can’t really place my finger on how it makes me feel. A little woozy, a little high-on-life maybe? Either way- watch it and float above your desk for a little while…
more about “New Lemonade Video: Big Weekend“, posted with vodpod
Pic by by jamesburger, 2007. (Yes there were fireworks!)
Last night in Prospect Park i finally felt like an adult. Classical music, wine and cheese and cherries and my boyfriend on a blanket. It was a truly New York experience and it made me wonder about the differences between rock and roll music and classical music. Why is it that most people stop enjoying popular music, dance music, rock music, when they get older? Is it as simple as the fact that classical music is calmer, and you’re usually sitting down for it? Is it that drugs and alcohol are so closely associated with rock, etc.? I can enjoy both, but it’s like my mind splits. One part of me is present when i’m at the Market Hotel hearing noise, and a completely different part of me is present when i’m hearing the glorious swirl of violins and violas. Here’s the question: can they be mixed? Can both my parts come together?
There are only two rock bands I can think of that have incorporated a classical (stringed) instrument: Out Hud (with Molly Schnick on cello) and That Dog (with Petra Haden on violin). Both bands were favorites of mine and both bands are now broken up. There’s also the Dave Matthews Band….I’m not going to go there.
Others? What bands have incorporated a stringed instrument and well? Is it possible?
July 31, 2003 Carrboro, NC
“I’m a thoughtless beast, afraid of everything.”
When I first put on the b-side to what was once just a European released 7-inch single for “The Execution of All Things,” I was fully stunned. I think my breath may have even stopped. This song is raw emotion. The way the guitar jingles along and gets aggressive. The held-out keyboard notes that seem to grow with sound. Jenny Lewis’ desperate and drawly voice….. I haven’t heard such beautiful desperation since.
Listen close for “You’re so alive!”
The middle of the song features just a guitar line, a light drum beat, and Jenny begging you. And then the epic build-up that was once to crucial to Rilo Kiley. And my life. Where is the build-up now??
Rilo Kiley: Emotional (Until Crickets Guide You Back)
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Rilo Kiley: Emotional (Until Crickets Guide You Back)
Photo by Alice Dellal - http://www.myspace.com/OLIV
Jack Penate has a soft-pulsing indie-electro sound with some tropicalia thrown in. He’s a Brit and his accent sounds a little New Order-esque on this track for download, “Tonight’s Today.”
Penate’s album, “Everything is New” is out on August 18. He’s playing a whole bunch of shows including two at the Mercury Lounge, on Sept. 15 and 16 and one at Maxwell’s on Sept. 19.
Jack Penate: Tonight’s Today
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Jack Penate: Tonight’s Today
