Travelin' Tunes

I returned from a few weeks of traveling yesterday, and ran into some gems along the way.

While listening to Sirius: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros



From my new friends in Charlottesville and Kim, who sent the videos below: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings





Heard that Ween and Yeasayer have new albums coming out in January.



Strange video.

Also, you can watch The Who's "Tommy" in its entirety on Hulu until January 31.

My Will Is Good

I've been meaning to post this video for a while because it is CUTE. I will always have a soft spot for little girl athletes. And look for that push-up move, tricky! The song itself is also a little bit addictive. It's from Port O'Brien's new album, Threadbare. I bought it a few weeks ago and I quite like it; probably one of my favorites from this year.



They also did a session on LaundroMatinee, which if you haven't checked out LaundroMatinee, there a lot of great live performances over there. This one is Sour Milk/Salt Water, also from Threadbare.

Port O'Brien~Sour Milk Salt Water from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

Okay, so how about one more? Again with a cute kid and lively fun-ness. This song (from previous album) is a little unusual in that the entire song is sung/shouted by all of the band members.

Spoiler alert: Someone gets attacked by a shark!

More Not-So-Lame Christmas Music

Listen to NPR's Funky Little Christmas......some good stuff

In other news.....

YouTube-Backed Music Video Site Vevo Goes Live

Apple Buys Lala

This is good news, right?....maybe not

http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/12/08/apple-buys-music-startup-lala/

Testing, testing......1, 2, 3

So, I've been able to upload 11,336 songs to lala. I have 57,533 on my hard drive, so the upload is still running. I think I'm breaking the limits of what the uploader can handle because I've had a few crashes. But, if anyone decides to join the site, you'll notice that trying to find a specific album in someone else's collection can be difficult. So, I'm going to see if I can create a Playlist of an album I want you all to hear, and just post it on the blog. Here it goes......

Girl Talk

I think that worked. Thanks to Brendon for this album and to Kim and Alex for letting me know I should listen to it. I've got a couple more Girl Talk albums that I'll try to add later, but they haven't been uploaded yet.

I just filled up the rest of your afternoon

Actually, this blog just filled up the rest of your afternoon, probably some of your evening, and perhaps repeat listens will fill up future time. I certainly hope future updates will fill up time for all of us.

Delicious Scopitone

Slight Figure of Speech

The new Avett Brothers video is pretty funny. Does anyone else think this song sounds like "Summer of 69"? Apparently TAB The Band has a similar video.

New Way to Share Music

Some of you may have noticed Green Monkey's (aka Dave Canter's) playlist added to the navigation bar on the blog. He has found a great new way for all of us to share our music. It's called lala, and you can check it out here. Here's info on how it works:

Play over 8 million songs for free

No ads, no subscriptions -- just an incredible catalog of music to explore. Listen to any song or album once for free. Music from major labels and indie labels, all legally licensed. New albums on the day of release, and hidden gems from an artist's early works.

Play your music, anywhere on the web

Lala's Music Mover quickly matches the songs on your computer to Lala's licensed catalog. Songs you already have and playlists you've created are instantly added to your Lala collection for free. The number of songs you can add is unlimited. Play and share your music, anywhere on the web.

Discover new music through friends and experts

Get picks from artists, DJs, and music reviewers delivered to you daily. Browse your friends collections, listen to their playlists, and get updates when they add or recommend new music. Connect with real people who can guide your music discovery.

Buy new music starting at 10 cents

Listen to songs in full before you buy. Get unlimited plays of a song on the web for 10 cents, or the MP3 download for 79 cents more. All the MP3s are DRM-free, compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player.

So, once you have registered with the site, you can choose people to "follow". Not as creative as Dave, you can find me listed as Alycia Crall. Dave, of course, is Green Monkey and has 20,233 songs uploaded already. I have not done so yet but will soon. You can also link your account to Facebook to link your profile picture and music. You can create playlists and embed them in the blog. Anyways, I think this is awesome and wanted to share. I'm actually EXTREMELY stoked about this. If you start an account, let everyone know so we can add you as a friend. And, for those who might be interested, NPR made a list of the decade's 50 most important recordings. Some good picks, some not so good.

Something that kicks ass

Well, is there anything that you learned about this week that kicks ass?

YES!

A Few Dedications

I recently returned from Colorado. I miss my friends there, so these are for them. Bummed I didn't get to see the rest of you while I was in town.

For Grant, the man who promises to get me skiing down double black diamonds by the end of the season. This song should help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvIw5ZqC1ms&feature=fvst

For Elisabeth, Hilary, and Jill with whom I will always enjoy sharing a glass of wine (dare I say bottle?) and a good conversation

Live lyrics

Roberta Flack _ Live Video - Live Music Videos

Music Videos by VideoCure

For Dave (H) and Maelly, who always want to check out my new music, no matter how strange it or its related videos may be. Can't beat French electronica.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9yvItZAjfY

And for Dave (C), always searching for the next best thing.....

Whatever, Beck is the best.

Sure it is a "Charlotte Gainsbourg" album, but it sure looks, sounds, smells, tastes, and feels like a Beck album. Balances like one too. Balance is a sense, we always leave that one out, but it counts.

Charlotte Gainsbourg "Heaven Can Wait" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Silk Ice

Wes Montgomery, smooth as Silk Ice. Amazing what he could do with his thumb. (He learned that way so he wouldn't wake up his wife while practicing.) Also, I included a Miles clip that I came across the other day.

Enjoy

If you knew how I missed you

Saw this first video on another blog today. I used to listen to a lot of Etta James, Ella Fiztgerald, and the like. Haven't in awhile but it was good to be reunited today. I think I have some downloading to do when I get home this evening. Warning: The first two songs are really sad. Beautiful but sad. I've had a great week and I'm heading out of town this evening with my boyfriend. But ol' Nina can make you forget all of that for a moment and bring back memories of being heartbroken. So if you're having a down day, I suggest you pour yourself a glass of red wine and wrap up in a thick fuzzy blanket before you press the play button.

Presenting Miss Nina Simone...


(discovered via )

Which led me to watch some of her other videos and where I found what is possibly the saddest broken heart song I've ever heard...



Lost in day to day,
Turned another way
With a laugh, a kind hello
And some small talk with friends I know
I forget that I'm not over you for a while.

A wave, an easy grin,
A smile to put them in,
Got other lives to listen to
And some music that I have to do
I forget that I'm not over you for a while.

Days go by with no empty feeling,
Until I touch my hair and touch my skin
And remember you're gone.

People say to me, "hey Nina do you need some company?
When you have some time to spend,
Drop around-you need your friends."
They forget that I'm not over you for a while,
They forget that I'm not over you for a while.


Ok, let's cheer it up a bit.

New Flaming Lips Album is Awesome

HA! All music makes you want to get naked!

Naked Casting call on Mt. Tabor

I Feel Fulfilled

Last night I saw The Mountain Goats here in Madison. They were one of the few hold outs on my list of bands I absolutely NEEDED to see. It was everything I wanted it to be. There were big joyful sing-a-longs about abusive relationships that left you feeling like pain and hardship held seeds of joy.



There was clipped stage banter about how you are doing something very special and holy when you go over to your ex's house to fuck her.



There was Final Fantasy on stage for a bunch of the songs.



Afterwards there was a moment when a car was a foot away from me and I was convinced that the last thing I would ever do in this life was sing-a-long to a Mountain Goats concert and while it scared me to no end part of me was thinking about how that was about right. The grand romantic, fatalistic part of me that washed up on the shores of my teenage years and still likes to come around for a visit now and them. The majority of me is happy to have not gotten hit by a car, and all of me is happy to have seen the Mountain Goats.

Because I couldn't say it anyway better

Lucero has been my favorite band the last few years. At times they rock like the Replacements but Ben Nichols, there songwriter/singer, has the ability to strip everything away and rip your heart out. It sounds so cliched, but I gave this album to the toughest guy I know and he sent me a text today about how this song made him cry. He has mom issues, but that's not the point.

Being away from 'home' has been a topic of conversation with me with various people recently, including the comments and the lyrics from an Avetts song in the comments of my last post. I know David has traveled everywhere and Nick and Alycia as well, but I'm sure most anyone could be affected by this one. I tried to tell my mom about it today on the phone as I was explaining that I wouldn't be able to make it home for Christmas this year. I'll play the song for her when I can, but I know I won't be able to be in the room with her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk3wvIOuktI

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I keep hearing good things about Noah and the Whale's new album. Apparently, the lead singer had a difficult breakup and the album is all about it. And, there's a film to accompany it. Go figure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o81gkXxNrBk

Sorry, Embedding disabled. Also, additional notes from NPR.

Addition to Useful Links

I was notified that Sufjan Stevens' most recent CD could be listened to here. It's no longer up, but this site has a number of new releases that you can listen to in their entirety. For this reason, I added "Spinner First Listen" to the useful links section.

A Bummer?

I'm dissapointed to hear that the Barrymore Avetts show was a bummer. The Barrymore is home to my favorite Panic two night run, Fall 98 I think. But I thought I would defend the album and the band a little bit, though I didn't think Alycia was attacking them or anything.

First I will say a little about me. I don't go to nearly as many shows as I used to. It takes alot for me to get out these days and I very rarely fall in love with a band by seeing them live. If my first exposure to a band is live then I do feel like I can be drawn to their sound, their groove, and their general dynamic, but until I hear them on record, hear the lyrics and whatnot, I can't truely decide what I think about them. This wasn't always the case, but these days I find myself rocking out in my own living room often and alone. It's great, you should try it.

On to the Avetts: I heard the Mignotte album first. The more I listened the more I dug it. Emotionalism was good but just not the same to me. Then I got Country Was and enjoyed that one as well. I heard the newest record a couple of times in the days leading up to me seeing them live. I say this only to point out that I was a fan of the band from the records before seeing them live. My live experience was great. I was with a bunch of people I knew and everyone around me was into the band and having a good time. I think we all know how the people you're around can affect a show. I was drinking a bit and I don't know song titles, so I can only tell you that I remember knowing some of the songs played, most I didn't. But I was engrossed in the feel and emotion of the music being performed and thus had a good time.

I don't know if the I Love You album is anymore produced than Minonette or Emotionalism. But I love some of the sounds on this album. The cello is great, it adds so much. Their almost playing rustic orchesteral americana rock music or something and the cello brings it. I also love the piano on this record. I love how you can hear the piano strings reverbeating and every note or chord is allowed to be heard. It reminds me of the piano on Johnny Cash's American IV album. Both are produced by Rick Rubin so that may have something to do with it. The melodies are infectious and most songs are strangly dancable. Musically I think it's a very good record, but artistically is where this record is significant and profound.

The Avetts were working toward their mission with an album called Emotionalism but with I and Love and You the reached it. How many records do you know that have longwinded mission statements in the liner notes? I like to think I a bit of a progressive male and I would bet most of the men reading this feel the same way about themselves but talking about love is still taboo in many situations for men. Boys have been writing songs about loving girls forever, but the Avetts write songs about loving the emotion of love. When they sing "I want to have friends who will be there for me and who'll love the man I've become not just the man I was" they are talking about loving other men. And they're also talking about progressing as a man. They are a couple of guys playing significantly emotional music for hipster guys in bars and clubs and the guys are eating up the ballads. Culturally it's important and interesting.

And the record sounds really good when I turn up the volume in my living room. If we're ever in the same living room again, Alycia, we'll crank it up and dance.

A Bummer, A Bummer Indeed

Nick and I went to see the Avett Brothers at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison this past week. I was super stoked because I fell in love with them after the House of Blues show in Chicago this summer, and I was in need of a good night out. A night filled with good energy-an energy captured at the last show we saw. When I got tickets through the Barrymore, they had this commentary in the "Info" section.

"If you put your ear to the street, you can hear the rumble of the world in motion; people going to and from work, to school, to the grocery store. You may even hear the whisper of their living rooms, their conversation, their complaints, and if you're lucky, their laughter. If you're almost anywhere in America, you'll hear something different, something special, something you recognize but haven't heard in a long time. It is the sound of a real celebration. It is not New Year's, and it is not a political convention. It is neither a prime time game-show, nor a music video countdown, bloated with fame and sponsorship. What you are hearing is the love for a music. It is the unbridled outcry of support for a song that sings to the heart, that dances with the soul. The jubilation is in the theaters, the bars, the music clubs, the festivals. The love is for a band. The songs are honest: just chords with real voices singing real melodies. But, the heart and the energy with which they are sung, is really why people are talking, and why so many sing along. They are a reality in a world of entertainment built with smoke and mirrors, and when they play, the common man can break the mirrors and blow the smoke away, so that all that's left behind is the unwavering beauty of the songs. That's the commotion, that's the celebration, and wherever The Avett Brothers are tonight, that's what you'll find".

Reading this got me even more stoked, realizing that most people have a connection to this band similar to my own. I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of their latest CD. I've even described "Kickdrum Heart" as one of those poppy tunes that can only be removed from your head by putting a drill through it. Harsh, I guess, but even with my dislike of some songs on this highly produced album, I knew they would not let me down. Sadly, for me and most likely many of you, they did. They only played for one hour. Yep, you heard me right. $30 for one hour. The crowd was not really into the show, so I'm not sure if the band was feeding off of that. Or was the crowd feeding off the band? Or, maybe it was the venue. The Barrymore in no way compares to the House of Blues, so maybe they weren't feeling it because of their surroundings. Does the energy come from the band, the crowd, the venue? Maybe a combination of the three. Either way, the band nor the crowd were feeling it that night and, as a consequence, the show sucked. Not sure when I'll be able to brush this one aside and give them another chance. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing a show soon that is a "real celebration" because I'm definitely in need of one.

Too little, too late

At some point in the middle of the day yesterday, I became aware that Blitzen Trapper was playing in Boulder that very night ($15 tickets still available!). I've never seen them live, but would guess it would be a great show, given the musical ADD of their albums. However, it was a weeknight, I already had some plans for the evening, and I don't have many indie-music loving friends that would be up for a last minute show an hour's drive away. If only the Denver/Boulder music scene would move just a few miles north, this kind of thing could be avoided. In any case, I decided I needed a better system for learning about bands that I like, that are playing nearby (perhaps with a few weeks notice). I went to the only concert aggregator I know of: Pollstar. I was able to create an account, specifying my locale and how far I'm willing to travel, and add bands to my profile. I haven't figured out yet if it will email me when new shows are added, but at the very least I can login and look at everything at once. Does anyone else have a system for keeping up with shows happening in their area? If so, let's hear it.

Blitzen Trapper does have a new album out, named after and featuring "Black River Killer" from their last album. I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but I'll report back when I have.

Get Ready to Be ROCKED!!

When we first started this blog, I invited a lot of people to join. Several folks told me that they would have nothing to contribute because they don't follow music that much. Okay, makes sense. So, a year ago, I was riding around Georgia somewhere with Greg, while he was blasting the song "Tom Sawyer". When I asked "Who is this?", he almost immediately threw me out of the vehicle. I was then lectured for an hour or so on the awesomeness of this band and the greatness of Neil Peart. "You know who Neil Peart is don't you"? "Nope" I responded. Total calamity ensued and throughout the rest of the day, Greg continued to bow and shake his head, repeating "I can't believe you don't know Rush". I see Greg about three or four times a year now and whenever we are with new company, he tells them this story. This is usually followed with all the men in the room playing air guitar, air drums, or hitting some nearby object to imitate a Neil Peart drum solo. The women tend to be like me, having no idea who the band is, or just being indifferent. This scene from I Love You, Man is extremely accurate from my experience.

So, I said in my last post that this one would ROCK. To keep that promise and to make Greg happy, here is Rush and a Neil Peart drum solo.....enjoy

While I'm still on my Bowerbirds kick

and another from Bon Iver just because. For Emma....great album. Blood Bank....great EP.



I'll make sure my next post ROCKS.....just been in a mellow mood recently

Is blogging twice in one day allowed?

Sure it is, especially if you have some reason to procrastinate. I've heard these guys on Sirius before and saw them in Madison on one occasion. Not until recently was I able to get their album. But I have it now, and I love it. If you have nineteen minutes, like I do, check out this video. If not, you can watch the video posted below. Okay, back to work....

Things other than rain and snow are falling from the sky

This "landed" in my inbox today. A solo project from the drummer of the Fleet Foxes. If you don't already know the Fleet Foxes, get to know them. They're awesome.



And, for no particular reason, here's the Avett Brothers performing "Perfect Space" off their new album. Not the best sound quality, but I love the lyrics.....

Futureman's drumitar has some competition

Check out this new instrument.

A cold, snowy Thursday afternoon...

Yesterday was the first snow for Fort Collins and the snowy grayness had me drinking herbal tea in my chilly office and searching for the right music for such a day (must have been the same kind of day for Alycia ;-) ). While a cover album of classic country songs might not be everyone's "comfort" music, for a girl raised on nothing but 70's and 80's country, it struck the right chord. I'm talking about Rosanne Cash's new album, The List. When she told her father (you may have heard of him, Johnny Cash?) that she wanted to be a country singer, he wrote her a list of songs that she must know before pursuing such a career. On this album, she plays some of the songs from the list and brings in some excellent duets - Bruce, Rufus, Neko, Elvis and Jeff T. I don't know how much longer it will be up, but you can stream the whole album on NPR's First Listen. I'm not always a huge fan of cover albums, but I love the premise of this one and there's pretty much nothing that Rosanne Cash could do to offend me. Not even the 80's clothes in this sweet video of Rosanne and some other famous ladies performing one of my all-time favorites - Seven Year Ache.

A cold, rainy Thursday afternoon......

I always love to match music to my mood, and Andrew Bird hit the spot today.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Currently touring in the US (Milwaukee October 14 and Chicago October 16). Should have stuck with those guitar lessons....

Free at the Terrace Tomorrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_BuO2w06ZE

I actually got tickets for Monday

The Avett Brothers

(Image via here)

NPR is streaming an exclusive first listen to The Avett Brothers' new album, I and Love and You, to be released next Tuesday, September 29th. Every song. In full. Enjoy.

Political Commentary

So, Nick, Greg, Monica, and I saw THE BOSS this past weekend in Tampa. Once again, it was a great show. We had made a list of 28 songs (the average number he typically plays) that we wanted to hear. He played a large number of those and closed with Thunder Road, so we left happy. Monica and I also pulled out some Dancing in the Dark moves that would have even made Courteney Cox jealous. I then returned to Blackshear (my hometown) and was surprised to hear so many people up in arms about Obama's health care speech. I don't believe I've ever seen so many Christians filled with so much hate following a speech about compassion and unity. So, in light of the show and the current political atmosphere in this country, I thought I would post two of my favorite political commentators together on one stage.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bruce Springsteen - Interview
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

And a song that I love from Ben Sollee. He played this one at the Abigail Washburn and Sparrow Quartet show I went to.

Daredevil Christopher Wright Playlist

AA for those with Guilty Pleasures

Kimberly, you should never be ashamed of anything you like. Chuck Klosterman has helped others to learn that lesson and hopefully he can help you too:

In and of itself, the phrase "guilty pleasure" seems like a reasonable way to describe certain activities. For example, it is pleasurable to snort cocaine in public restrooms, and it always makes you feel guilty; as such, lavatory cocaine fits perfectly into this category. Drinking more than five glasses of gin before (or during) work generally qualifies as a guilty pleasure. So does having sex with people you barely know, having sex with people you actively hate, and/or having sex with people you barely know but whom your girlfriend used to live with during college (and will now consequently hate). These are all guilty pleasures in a technical sense. However, almost no one who uses the term "guilty pleasure" is referring to activities like these. People who use this term are usually talking about why they like Joan of Arcadia, or the music of Nelly, or Patrick Swayze's Road House. This troubles me for two reasons: Labeling things like Patrick Swayze movies a guilty pleasure implies that a) people should feel bad for liking things they sincerely enjoy, and b) if these same people were not somehow coerced into watching Road House every time it's on TBS, they'd probably be reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Read more.

I'm turning up some Air Supply in your honor and I'm turning it up all the way. I will then listen to Put It In Your Mouth by Akinyele seven times in a row, after that I will put on some Zwan and Nellie Furtado's Loose at the same time.

More Material for TDCW video....

Can't wait to see my nephew in a couple of days. He's also got some moves. I dance more like the girl in the background. Also, Kim must be mistaken in her blog post below. I've never listened to music not considered cool.

Chicago. No, not the city.

I just found this music blog. And I haven't had a chance to look through the archives yet. But this post makes me think I'm going to love it. Go ahead. Stream the song. (button is at the top of his post) You know you want to.

Everyone has at least one of these songs - one song that they are a little, or a lot, embarassed to admit they love ... that they may even play on repeat a few times ... on occasion ... when no one else is around. A secret song crush if you will. "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago is definitely one of mine too. Sometimes it's more about memories associated with the song than the song itself. Sometimes it's just something about the lyrics or the melody that hook you in. You just can't help it, you love it. In thinking about other secret favorite songs, one that came to mind - I don't know if I can say it ... ugh, here it goes ... I have a soft spot for "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" by Air Supply. Wow. I can't believe I am putting this out there on the internet. My high school best friend introduced me to this song and I can't tell you how many times we sang along with it. (yes, Alycia Waters Crall, I am looking at you)

So - confessions anyone? What's your song?

Some Good Energy

I had one of those days yesterday. Today was worse. My typical cure for a bad day is to curl up with a bottle of red wine and some Van Morrison. But, because the weather outside matches my mood, I decided to go with Bob Marley instead. When I listen to him, the weather is always 76 degrees and sunny. So, here are Three Little Birds and No Woman, No Cry. Close your eyes, listen, and feel the warm sun on your face.

The Best Ideas Anyone Has Ever Had, Ever

So many of you may already know this, but Brendon (who sometimes contributes to this blog) knows some guys that are in a band. And not only that, it's a good band. Some of you may think this makes Brendon cool, but it doesn't. There are other things about Brendon that make him cool, though. I've put some stuff up about The Daredevil Christopher Wright on several occasions, but I've always been bummed that they didn't have a music video I could post. Well, when Amy posted the Savoir Adore video, there was an advertisement for $99 music videos. I thought this might be the perfect opportunity for these guys to pull together a music video that would hyperdrive them into super stardom--sort of like the OK GO video. So, while procrastinating instead of writing my dissertation, I came up with some great ideas for a music video for them. Many of these ideas were inspired by the movie "Hot Rod". Here's a few clips I pulled together from the movie.



So here they are:
1) There are three band members, right? So, they can each wear stuntman costumes with a cape on the back. One saying "Daredevil", the other "Christopher", and the other "Wright". We can find some fake moustaches and jump suits too. I would choose gold jumpsuits as a tribute to "Dignan" in Bottle Rocket (one of my favorite movies).
2.) I can contribute some dance moves similar to those featured in the "Two of Hearts" clip. And anyone that has seen Nick dance, knows that he can too. He's often been called out as the person to "get the party started".
3.) I don't know Jon, Jason, and Jesse very well, but I'm assuming they can manage the two feet of air needed to jump over trash cans. Brendon will be available for any dangerous stunt work.
4.) We'll need to find some scooters that you pedal to crank.

Additional inspiration comes from a video that Brent posted from Coconut Records. Rachel, Jeremy, and I spent some time planning out a fictional art exhibit that involved my old Mark Gonzales skateboard and "Aloha Mr. Hand" Beastie Boys t-shirt. There was also mention of flaming hula hoops and robot costumes similar to those fashioned by Murray Huwitt. I guess it would be important to ask the band the same question I asked them: Do any of you have a fear of heights, enclosed spaces, fire, and/or a combination of these?



I'll get busy working on a storyboard......

The Avett Brothers - New Videos!

I'm still on an Avett Brothers high after seeing them Friday in Boulder. Fortunately I can keep the high going with these new videos I just stumbled on, courtesy of My Old Kentucky Blog and Laundro Matinee.

Telling Time:


Late in Life:


Laundry Room:

The Walkmen - "On the Water"

Alycia posted a video from the Walkmen a short while ago. I just saw this video over on stereogum for "On the Water." I really love the colors of the animation and it matches perfectly with the mood of the song.

I couldn't find the video for embedding, so check it out at stereogum: The Walkmen - "On The Water"

Update: Found it!

Savoir Adore

I very recently downloaded the new album by Savoir Adore "In the Wooded Forest" and am really enjoying it. In fact, I've been doing tiny desk dance moves (you know, the shoulder/head groove ones?) to "Bodies" for a few weeks now.

This is the video for "MERP." There is a lot of joyful dancing and drum-beating in a sunny, grassy park. Reminds me of the summer that we DIDN'T have here in Colorado.



One of my favorite songs from the album, "Early Bird," can be heard on NPR's Song of the Day: "Savoir Adore: Dreams of Warmer Days"

If you're into "sprightly and uplifting" indie pop - download this now!

Otis Taylor

NPR's song of the day featured Otis Taylor. Paul introduced me to him a couple of years ago, and I think he's great. You should too.

Population: 3,498

I spent some time in Blackshear last week. Being there reminded me of a mix a friend made for me a few years ago. She grew up in Kansas and we had a late night discussion on growing up in a small town. So, here are a couple of songs from that mix that I thought some of you might enjoy.

This was the only video I could find for this one.

A picture is worth a thousand words ...

... Or one perfect line from a song.



This is a new blog I stumbled upon this morning. The blog's author posts daily entries of song lyrics imposed over her own photos. The song and band are listed underneath the photograph. The above is from "Innocence" by Airborne Toxic Event. The prints are for sale and fit a standard record frame. She also does commissioned work - could be a cool gift for a friend or significant other.

An underused word: hodgepodge

Here's a happy musical hodgepodge to start off your weekend. All pretty upbeat light stuff that puts a smile on my face ... and I hope yours as well. Have a great weekend!

The first is "5 Years Time" by Noah & the Whale. Found this earlier in the week on a friends blog - she's in the wedding planning business and sometimes posts wedding stuff on her largely fashion related blog. This is some couples wedding video... I immediately loved the song. And since their video is actually a pretty cool style I decided to use it instead of one of the band.

The next is a song that was covered at the concert I went to last Sunday night (The Big Surprise Tour). I've embedded the video for "End of the Line" performed by the original band, The Traveling Wilburys (made up of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan).

And the last song is "She's Got You High" by Mumm-ra. It played during the credits at a movie I saw last night (500 days of Summer. I give it two thumbs up).

Megan & Mihir Sunday Wedding 8mm from A Bryan Photo on Vimeo.

The Be Good Tanyas

We've been having a couple scorcher days here in Charlottesville. I wish I could just sit in a shady spot with a pretty view, drinking ice cold sweet tea and limiting my movement to the blinking of eyelids while watching the condensation trickle down the glass. And The Be Good Tanyas - that's the music I'd be listening to...

Human Thing (video is pretty cool)



Ootishenia (yup, that's the name of the song. it's kind of fun to say)



The Littlest Birds



In Spite of All the Damage

The Big Surprise Tour

The press release described it thus "In a free form ramshackle flow, the bands and artists will share the stage, taking part in each other's songs, resurrecting old standards, and playing newly written collaborative material as they go..."

Went last night. Great show!!! A little bit country, a little bit bluegrass, a little bit rock'n'roll. If you have a chance to go to one of the few remaining performances left - go! Remaining stops are Cary, NC, Louisville, KY, and Nashville & Knoxville, TN.

Unheard Music

So sometimes Alycia listens to bands that don't even exist yet. I haven't gotten that far yet, but occasionally I can listen to albums and tracks that weren't even released yet, or ever.

So can this guy:

http://unheard78.blogspot.com/

The blog is great. It has a good variety of music on it and he updates it frequently. There are plenty of unreleased albums and tracks on there and he will also do monthly mixes with a good variety of music.

I came there for the Soul Coughing and stayed for the Neil Young.

In a valley in view of the Blue Ridge Mtns

I went to the Albemarle County Fair this weekend with friends. We, of course, wanted to see the animals ... sad eyed jersey cows to floppy eared goats to baby ducks that made you want to dig a pond in your backyard so you could take one home. And there were the blue ribbon fruits and vegetables... the biggest sunflowers, the longest beans, the champion cantalope. And the corn dogs, funnel cakes, ice cream, bbq, homemade donuts. And the flashing lights and the blur of spinning rides. And after partaking in all of this, we were ready to head back into town and kick off our cowboy boots.

But there was the last band of the day starting at 9:30. And we'd heard they were good. There were only about 50 people in the tent. I had my doubts. So glad we stayed to listen.

Introducing The Alternate Routes.

The Walkmen

The walkmen - In the new year
Uploaded by le-pere-de-colombe. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Take Away Shows

I've really been enjoying the Take Away Shows put up on YouTube by La Blogotheque.

From their website:
The Take away shows are la Blogotheque’s first video podcasts. Every week, we invite an artist or a band to play in the streets, in a bar, a park, or even in a flat or in an elevator, and we film the whole session. Of course, what makes the beauty of it is all the little incidents, hesitations, and crazy stuff happening unexpectingly. Besides, we do not edit the videos so they look perfectly flawless, instead we keep the raw sound of the surroundings. Our goal is to try and capture instants, film the music just like it happens, without preparation, without tricks. Spontaneity is the keyword. The Take away shows exist since April 2006. There was Chryde, who wanted to shake things up and find another way to share music, and there was Vincent Moon, who wanted to film music differently. Chryde offered Moon to go and film musicians in the city, Moon seized the idea and glorified it. Since then, other directors across the world joined this project, and we plan to extend it worldwide.

Here's a sample of a new one from the Fleet Foxes, and I put one up from Yeasayer in a previous blog:


And the now famous Arcade Fire in an elevator video:

I listen to bands that don't even exist yet (Part 2)

On to Sunday......(For folks wondering what happened to Friday: I was watching the Broadway play Jersey Boys with my parents while Nick, Erika, and Adam were seeing Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill.)

The first full show we saw was M83, a French electronic band. These guys were great, but I don't think their YouTube videos do them justice. Here's one anyway.



Next, Grizzly Bear. I really like these guys but wasn't all that impressed with their live performance. Again, I think the venue sucked and maybe I was fed up by that point with bad audio.



Mew. Only caught a brief portion of this show, but here's a song that Erika loves and we missed.

The festival ended with The Flaming Lips. The show started a little strangely but was highly entertaining. There was a screen at the back of the stage. A naked woman walked across the screen, then layed on her back. Not sure the best way to describe it, but she then gave "birth" to the band following the simulation of an orgasm. Wayne Coyne emerged from a bubble that I believe was to represent the placenta? Once the placenta/bubble was completed infalated, he walked through the crowd--standard, I believe.

Hmmmmmm, look what I found. I actually was going to delete all of the above but was fairly proud of my description and decided to leave it.



After the birthing of the band, they then shot off confetti and dropped balloons on the crowd. Woo Hoo! In my opinion, things went downhill from there. Wayne Coyne talked for two minutes after EVERY song. He spent most of the time talking about "Write the Night" that was set up so that fans could request songs for them to play. He was obviously a little bitter about this and let the crowd know it. After four or five songs, he started sounding upset that the crowd wasn't "getting into it". Well, I'm not in a band, but if I were, I think I would understand that getting a crowd pumped up at the very beginning of a show and then following it with a lot of rambling and complaining about playing songs they want to hear, would do that to a crowd. Again, I don't know if speeches between songs is standard for The Flaming Lips, but if Coyne would just shut up and sing and worry more about the music than all the gimmicks, the band would probably have a descent live show. Sadly, they do not. Here's the band performing "Fight Test" at Pitchfork and provides proof of why I think this show sucked. You can apparently watch the entire concert on YouTube, but I wouldn't waste my time.



I always thought this song sounded like Cat Stevens "Father and Son", so I checked it out on Wikipedia-my source for somewhat factual information. And I quote....."The song "Fight Test" is musically very similar to Cat Stevens' 1970 song "Father and Son." Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, is receiving royalties following a relatively noncontentious settlement."

I listen to bands that don't even exist yet (Part 1)

I read these words on a t-shirt at the Pitchfork Music Festival last weekend in Chicago. The festival is a popular one for indie rockers, and I thought the words did a nice job of summing up a music scene that I began exploring after our move from Colorado (where bluegrass reigns supreme among my company of friends) . This exploration, of course, was part of another failed attempt on my part to be cool and hip in a city that is way cooler and hipper than a girl raised in south Georgia could ever be. The festival left me somewhat disappointed....not the musicians necessarily, but the venue itself. There were three stages: two were in a baseball field next to each other so one band could set up while another played; the third was about 200 yards from the other two with its speakers facing the direction of the other stages. With this layout, its easy to conclude that there was sound interference between the bands. This made it difficult to determine whether the sounds I was hearing was a result of the mixing of music from the different stages or if the band just sucked live. Adjustments by the sound crew fixed the problem in some cases but sometimes not before the band was almost done with their set. Bummer. As Part 1 of this two part series, I'll post bands that we saw on Saturday.

First, is Final Fantasy. This band consists of one Owen Pallett. He apparently played some with Arcade Fire and helped orchestrate some of the songs on Funeral and Neon Bible. Here's a playlist sampling. Andrew Bird fans will probably enjoy.



Next, there is Matt and Kim. This was one of the more upbeat shows we saw.



Yeasayer. "Tightrope" is from the compilation album "Dark Was the Night", which I wrote about in a previous blog. These guys were great. Songs start at 1:30....love the 'stache.



Although we didn't see them, Beirut played. I've heard a few of their albums and really like them.



Finally, there was the National. I love their new album, Boxer, but the show was absolutely horrible. They played good songs, but the sound was very, very bad. You couldn't even hear them when they first got started. Seemed to get better near the end, but we had to leave to catch our train. The National were highly involved in the production of "Dark Was the Night". Here's their song off of that album. Song starts at 2:45

The Best Seat at Red Rocks

I've been away for awhile, so I have a backlog of stuff to post. I'll begin with this and put something up every couple of days until I run out of stuff again. I was back in Colorado for a couple of weeks and was able to see a Wilco show at Red Rocks while I was there. The friends I went to the show with are die-hard Wilco fans, so they had us go into the venue early to get good seats. As an avid Red Rocks goer, I've sat in just about every location you can sit in the venue. So for those of you that haven't been there before, I decided it was my duty to let you know where to sit in order to have the best experience. If you are a music fan, you should definitely see a show there at some point in your life and this information will be invaluable. So, here are some of the views. Excuse my sloppy camera work.

Close to the stage:


View from up top:


As you can see, although most people would think being as close to the band as possible is the way to go, that is not the case here. The sound is amazing no matter where you sit but sitting at a spot in the center where you can see over the stage and catch the sunset, see a fireworks display over the Denver skyline, and experience a natural light show from a thunderstorm developing over the plains turns a wonderful music experience into a surreal one. Take my word for it....you don't want to miss this because you think the lead guitarist might wink at you at some point during the first set. Even if he or she does, it's more likely that a bug flew in their eye because of all the lights coming from the stage. And, of course, there is always binoculars. So, relax in the parking lot, have many cheap beers, throw your Frisbee, kick your hacky sack around--no need to rush. I did take advantage of my close seats, though, and got this footage of Wilco and Okkervil River (the opening band) performing "California Stars". Again, excuse the sloppy camera work.

Free Sampler List from NPR

I love getting free music and NPR comes up with some good freebies. The last list I downloaded was a sampler from SXSW which was excellent. This one is a sampler from the Newport folk festival. In case you are wondering, these are all album versions, not live (except for Mavis Staples). Enjoy!

Link: Free 'NPR Music At Newport' Samplers

Summerfest

I went to Summerfest in Milwaukee for the first time in about 7 years. When I was in high school they used to bring in a lot of good bands and have certain types of music concentrated on a single day. So one day was the indie day, the hip-hop day, the blues day, and every day was a classic rock day. Now they spread everything out, which I'm sure is better for business, but means that there are a lot of piss poor bands during most of the day.

I saw Spoon, which was the best show of the day. Here is there setlist. They played some a new song:



but the highlight of the night was The Ghost of You Lingers. There are these huge waves of noise on the track and when that was re-created with the giant banks of speakers at Summerfest the experience became physical.

Also saw a little bit of Lupe Fiasco, but he seemed to mostly be dicking around, which is my impression of what most rap concerts are, just dicking around. They played a medly of some Michale Jackson songs. The only band that didn't play any Michael Jackson songs that night was Spoon. Thanks guys, I needed the break. They were playing Purple Rain before Spoon came out on stage and I realized that I would be much more affected by Prince dying than I am Michael Jackson. The news of his death caused no emotional response in my. The most difficult part of the processing the information was getting my head around the fact that Jackson had been a living human being who could die.

Also saw a little bit of Robert Randolph & the Family Band. They were all right, but mostly played Michael Jackson songs. The friend I was with has the claim to fame of packing Robert Randolph's first bong hit ever at his college in Vermont. Sure the guy had smoked plenty of weed, but when it came to bongs Robert was clueless. My friend took the opportunity to teach a man to fish.

Right before Robert Randolph was a blue grass band called the Lovell Sisters who were great. They said that one of their songs had won some John Lennon song contest and another one was a finalist in an international song writing competition. The music was good, but the girls seriously need to work on their stage banter, or I suppose they could just shut up and play.

Taking me back to my Middle School days, The Gufs were playing. They were on the radio for a minute with this song:



Maybe only in the Milwaukee area, since that is where they are from. I think they might just exist to play Summerfest every year. Every time I walked by them they sounded terrible.

Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers

These guys opened up for The Avett Brothers last night at the House of Blues. Enjoy

Blueprint 3

Has a release date!

And its September 11th!

And its my birthday!

Please Jay-Z, don't make this like every other rap record that gets pushed back for 6 months to 6 years.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8b517_grammys-swagga-like-us_music

Look! All the MCs who mater!

Release DATE!

Also, the Jay-Z's album American Gangster is way better than the movie American Gangster. I'll compare apples to oranges whenever I want. Oranges are better, but probably required more violations to human rights to be grown.

The Georgia Theatre

As many of you already know, the Georgia Theatre burned to the ground on Friday. Many of us have many wonderful memories from there. Some of our best. SO....a tribute to the Georgia Theatre. You will be missed.

Widespread Panic with Vic Chesnutt (aka Brute).
Widespread Panic with John Keane and members of Bloodkin (aka Bartab)-this may have been mislabeled though. The Bartab show was in '94 I believe. Alex will know.

I should also add that there is a group "Rebuild the Georgia Theatre" on Facebook that is providing info on charity events, etc.

No Age/Deerhunter/Dan Deacon Round Robin & Moby

This should be good for folks that can go. I believe they will be adding additional dates soon. Thanks to Brendon for the heads up.

"When we talked with No Age's Randy Randall recently, he explained that his band's forthcoming tour with Dan Deacon and Deerhunter wouldn't simply be a round robin, with each band taking turns. Instead, all three bands will collaborate on a seamless piece of music, with everyone helping out with everyone else's songs: "We're looking to really kind of meld together the ideas that currently exist in one band's song, and then augment them, either by having other members play together or adding something new to the song that'll transition to another song. So you'll still hear Deerhunter and Dan Deacon and No Age songs, but they'll be boosted in a way by having other members play in them as well."

No Age/Deerhunter/Dan Deacon - 2009 Tour Dates
08-01 Medford, NJ - Flying W Airport & Pool
08-02 Brooklyn, NY - Jelly Space 2009
08-03 Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
08-04 Newport, KY - Southgate House
08-05 Bloomington, IN - Rhinos
08-06 Madison, WI - UW Madison Memorial Terrace
08-07 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
08-08 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza







Also, check this NPR Exclusive First Listen out from Moby. I really liked the album on my first listen....perfect for a dark, chilly, rainy morning in Chicago.

John

Some music in honor of John's new exhibit being featured at the Rock n' Roll hall of fame.
Also, enjoy these two clips of another favorite John of mine, who died earlier this year. Sad but good.

Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps

These guys opened up for The Daredevil Christopher Wright last night in Madison. They're out of Minneapolis. Good stuff.

The Best Thing About a Road Trip

Nick and I took a much needed vacation this past week. Although we had initially planned to go sailing with his dad, we opted to take an unplanned road trip through some unexplored areas of the Midwest. We only have a year left in Chicago before our next adventure begins in some other part of the country, so we thought it was time to see what all the region has to offer. Along the way, we hit it up several wineries, breweries, beaches, disc golf courses, and roadside diners, and similar to many road trips, we enjoyed conversations with random locals about random local stuff. And, also similar to many road trips, we listened to a lot of music to pass the time. So, some "new" bands that we were exposed to along the way:

Suckers


Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys)

"Trouble Weighs a Ton"


We heard "Indiana" by "Cymbals Eat Guitars". I couldn't find the song on YouTube, but here it is on MySpace. I recommend checking out some of their other songs as well. "Indiana" initially caught our attention because we were driving through Indiana at the time.

Our last stop took us to Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI. As a side note, I was introduced to Bell's Two-Hearted Pale Ale by a local Madison resident while enjoying a beer on UW's terrace. For those of you that have never enjoyed a beer on the Terrace, you should put it on your "to do" list. Note to self: go in the summer. While tasting all the excellent beers that Bell's has to offer, we overheard a bluegrass version of "Float On". I was able to find the song on YouTube along with a version of "Ocean Breathes Salty". Apparently, this band, Iron Horse, has made bluegrass versions of many popular songs so you might find other covers you'll enjoy as well.