Illness

Unfortunately, due to feeling overwhelmingly sick the entirety of today, I'm postponing The Monday Mixtape. I try to be as on time with updating as possible, but tonight I can barely function, let alone blog.

I'll do my best to get it up sometime tomorrow, so check back then.

Sorry all.

The Monday Mixtape

Welcome to this week's edition of The Monday Mixtape, a weekly update of songs, both old and new, that have been on my personal heavy rotation.

This week's mixtape is split between older and new track and the songs reflect the gorgeous Spring weather I've been experiencing the past few days.




The Plot – White Rabbits
Released in 2007, White Rabbits’ debut album, Fort Nightly, is made up of pop-sensible, rhythm driven (the band has two drummers) songs and “The Plot” exemplifies the six-piece’s up-tempo sound. Breaking open with firm percussion and pin-like distorted guitar, the music sets a broad stage for lead singer, Gregory Roberts' rough vocals, the tender twinkling of piano, and synthesizer strings. The song is a sonic assault throughout, not shifting tempo or sound until the 2:25 mark, where there’s a short piano centered breakdown, though the song loses no steam whatsoever, and ultimately culminates with the combination of every aural trick the band practiced throughout the three and a half minute song.

Ring Finger – RJD2
“1, 2, 1 – 2 – 3 – 4” opens the soulful RJD2 cut off of the hip-hop producer/musician’s 2004 record, Since We Last Spoke. After establishing a thick groove in the song’s opening seconds, “Ring Finger” quickly shifts gears into a soft female vocal track accompanied by a Spanish guitar and lofty bass hits. “Ring Finger” fits nicely into the indie hip-hop sampling style that defines RJD2. The aforementioned cinematic breakdown gives way to more dance-oriented beat and instrumentation at the 1:57 minute mark, as the song erupts back into the groove “Ring Finger” opens with, this time with various guitar solos and the re-introduction of the female vocal lead.

Bang! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Though I felt the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2006 LP, Show Your Bones, was severely disappointing, their earlier material still makes for a solid listen. “Bang!” is the first track on the band’s first EP, released back in 2001. The song contains most all of the stereotypical tropes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, such as a punching, dirty, lead guitar melody and lead singer, Karen O’s sexually-tinged moan of a singing style that has more passion than thought behind it.

Man’s Heart Complaint – {{{ SUNSET }}}
This year Bill Baird, of Sound Team fame, released his new band’s first album. The band is {{{ SUNSET }}} and the record is Bright Blue Dream. Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Man’s Heart Complaint” contains dream-like, delayed guitars, steady and heavy drumming, and a large amount of reverb, much like Baird's output seen with Sound Team. What “Man’s Heart Complaint” lacks however, is the pop undertones that seeped into the music of Sound Team. {{{ SUNSET }}} sounds more somber and serious, and while it certainly contains melodic ornamentation, “Man’s Heart Complaint” doesn’t fall into stereotypical shiny-pop limbo.


Kim & Jesse – M83
I’d like to believe that while recording his latest record, Anthony Gonzalez’s M83 watched a slew of John Hughes movies, because that’s what the recently released Saturdays = Youth LP sounds like. Having not lived though the 80’s, it would be bold for me to claim that M83’s new album captures the pop sound of the era. However, popular culture has made many familiar with the stereotypes of 80’s pop music and M83 does a wonderful job harkening back to the sounds of The Human League or The Cocteau Twins and it’s obvious from the opening seconds of “Kim & Jesse.” Again, the material on the record, “Kim & Jesse” being a perfect example, sounds like it would fit right into a coming-of-age John Hughes film, complete with tested friendships and first loves.

Dark Leaves Form a Thread – Destroyer
Throughout his musical career, not including his performance in side projects like The New Pornographers, Destroyer (aka Daniel Bejar) has released nine albums. “Dark Leaves Form a Thread,” off of 2008’s Trouble in Dreams, is filled with the Bowie-inspired ground Destroyer has covered before, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although the album itself isn’t too musically refreshing, as it sticks closely to the sound Destroyer furnished with 2006’s Destroyer’s Rubies. “Dark Leaves Form a Thread” demonstrates Destroyer’s ability to write a solid song with pop hook and witty lyrics that deserves repeated listens on a day infected by summer’s sun.

Doubt/Hope – Wildbirds & Peacedrums
The first striking thing about Sweden’s Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ “Doubt/Hope” is that it’s made up entirely of vocals and percussion, which makes the song an interesting, and successful, listen. Singer Mariam Wallentin’s broad voice, which accompanies itself once, and sometime twice, over is emotionally weighted. At one point, it becomes percussion itself and works wonderfully amongst the stark space of only handclaps. Because the song is so minimalist, it’s clear that both instruments, voice and drums, must be highly accomplished in order for the song to work. While Wallentin’s vocals are wonderfully done, Andreas Werliin’s drumming is also worth noting, if not only for his ability to gives his drums guitar-like qualities; they shape the song entirely. Volume, tempo, and beat constantly shift and Werliin’s drumming creates a listening experience that is anything but boring.


Jakov's Suite – Tapes ‘n Tapes
Listening to Tapes ‘n Tapes 2005 debut, The Loon, was great, if not only for the nostalgia that run rampant throughout the record; The Pixies and Pavement are clear influences of the band. “Jakov's Suite” bursts opens with a quick-fire drum beat, pulsing bass, and crunching, harmonious guitar riffs. After jamming for a little more than two minutes, the band transitions into slowed, Modest Mouse-tinged territory which builds into a mess of distortion before ending on sweets notes peeped from a piano.

White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
This take of “White Winter Hymnal” is from the group’s recent Daytrotter Session (the song itself will appear on the band’s forthcoming LP). It contains numerous folk and rustic allusions that I discussed about the band in a previous issue of the mixtape. Like the previously posted “Sun Giant,” “White Winter Hymnal” “sweetly defines the sound of this Seattle five-some’s ‘baroque harmonic pop jams’.”

Hearts on Fire – Cut Copy
Cut Copy’s latest album, In Ghost Colours, is as schizophrenic as anything I’ve listened to this year. There’s Flaming Lips-sounding pop (“Feel the Love”), there’s the VHS or Beta-sounding 80’s rock (“Light & Music”), and then there’s the dance-club sounds of “Hearts on Fire.” The band certainly has an 80’s pop retro sound. The vocal track and waves of synthesizer buried in the band’s dance oriented electronics show homage of sorts to the robotic pop of the era. “Hearts on Fire” is an exercise linear dance music; it’s constantly shifting, strays from over-indulgent repetition, and features a variety of instrumentation, both analog and digital.

More Like the Moon – Wilco
Though I’m not sure what can be said about bands like Wilco, who audiences are widely familiar with. The band evolves into something different with each record they release and there’s not much I could include within this paragraph that Wikipedia couldn’t inform in greater detail. Regardless, “More Like the Moon,” off of the 2003 EP of the same name, is a demonstrative, somber, acoustically driven number from Jeff Tweedy and company. The song’s gentle ambience is punctuated by a stellar acoustic guitar solo and sobering lyrics of untimely longing.

Enjoy.

Artist Spotlight: The Dodos

Welcome to the first feature for Artist Spotlight. I decided that with my mixtape feature, I've got individual songs covered, and with my album of the week feature, I've got albums covered, but what about artists? Realizing I didn't have a feature where I could talk about artist that are worth highlighting, I've decided to do a weekly "artist spotlight" where I discuss a musician or band that I enjoy, recently or otherwise.

In this feature, I'll post a quick written summary of the artist's work as well as a sampling of some of their best tunes, put into playlist form.

This week, we have The Dodos, the acoustic rock duo out of San Fransisco.





I've talked about the band on the blog before, so rather then throw more words onto the page, I'm just going to post some pictures from their amazing show I saw live this past Wednesday night.

Note: I took a lot more than seven pictures at the show. Instead of swamping this entry with photos, I implore everyone who'd like to see more to check out the Flickr folder I created for the rest of my concert photography...

More Dodos Photos



More Dodos Photos

The Monday Mixtape

"A day late, but still great!"

Welcome to this week's edition of The Monday Mixtape, a weekly update of songs, both old and new, that have been on my own personal heavy rotation.

This week is filled with a few things new, but its heavy on the older tracks.



Something to note: If there's anyone who can't get the IMEEM player to play, or certain songs only play for 30 seconds or less, try disabling your internet protection software (i.e. Norton) when attempting to listen to the mixtape. It's possible that IMEEM is being viewed as a pop-up by your protection software, so adjusting your security settings should clear that problem up.


Roadrunner – The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers, one of the godfathers of indie rock. In 1972, Jonathan Richman, along with session musicians such as Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads fame) recorded demos for what would be their first label release. However, the band never produced an LP for Warner Bros. and the label soon withdrew their support for the band, leading to the group’s division. In 1976, Beserkley Records released the band’s posthumous demos, on which “Roadrunner” is the opening track. Based around two chords, a pulsing rhythm, Richman’s croon, and a “1-2-3-4-5-6” count-off, “Roadrunner” is Richman’s ode to The Velvet Underground. “I'm in love with the radio on/It helps me from being alone late at night.”

Eraser – No Age
Whereas No Age’s previous output could be easily be defined as experimental noise-rock, with elements of shoegaze and punk. With “Eraser,” the band isn’t necessarily exploring new sounds, so much as they’re pushing new elements into the sonic forefront. “Eraser” begins with a breezy and sunny melody as the sounds of an acoustic guitar and swells of distortion compete for the attention of your ears. It’s certainly one of the band’s most accessible tracks with its pop-sensibility and is a demonstration of the band will put out on May 6th with their album Nouns is released.

Grease 2 – Thee Oh Sees
“Grease 2” off of The Oh Sees new record released last week, The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In, is a straightforward garage-punk anthem, though there are several elements that make it a worthwhile listen. There are traces of both The Cramps and The White Stripes, while the psychobilly guitar is complimented well with throbbing drums and dual female/male vocals.

Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E.) – MSTRKRFT
Sometime this September, MSTRKRFT will release a follow-up to their 2006 LP, The Looks, and “Bounce” is the upcoming record’s first single. MSTRKRFT, the electronic duo made up of Jesse Keeler (of Death from Above 1979) and Al-P, make pretty straightforward electro music and their debut LP was heavy on repetition and vocoders, but “Bounce” sees the duo aim for a more club-oriented dance tune. The song is certainly a grower, but it’s as good a dance track as anything else I’ve heard in 2008.

My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille – Beirut
Taken from a charity compilation disc, “My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille” fits in with the aural structure of Beirut’s 2007 LP, The Flying Club Cup. That is, the bourgeoisie, European, classical-pop sound that makes up the aforementioned album. Unlike the heavy brass and string arrangements of Flying Club Cup, “My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille” uses electronics as the basis for its sonic arrangement. Much in the way that “Scenic World” stood somewhat apart from Beirut’s 2006’s record, Gulag Orkestar, because of its use of electronic elements, “My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille” offers a refreshing adaptation of Beirut’s solidified dramatic sound.


Tongues That Possess the Earth Instead – Half-Handed Cloud
John Ringhofer is the one man band that makes up Half-Handed Cloud. Named after an occurrence in the Old Testament, Half-Handed Cloud’s music is full of religious overtones, however, Ringhofer is never overtly preachy; he masks his subject matter with lo-fi drum patterns, poppy hooks, and pleasant melody. This track clocks in right under a minute and is off of the band’s 2006 record, Halos & Lassos which was released by Asthmatic Kitty, Sufjan Stevens’ record label. The song also happens to be extremely catchy.

The Gospel According to Effice – 31Knots
Off of the band’s third record, It Was High Time to Escape, “The Gospel According to Effice” is track from Portland’s 31Knots. The song mixes a myriad genres, where indie, prog, and The Police meet. The song strongest hook comes in at the 47 second mark; a simple guitar chord set punctuated by minimalist drums. “The Gospel According to Effice” also changes itself constantly, as the drummer, bassist, and guitar player frequently shift both what they’re playing and how they’re playing it, never letting their listen get bored or indulging in their own hooks, all of which make the song a solid listen.

Raised by Wolves – Voxtrot
“Raised by Wolves” is off of the Texas quintet’s first EP of the same name. Though their 2007 full-length was a disappointment, Raised by Wolves, both the EP and the song, offers up some of the band’s strongest material. Filled with sounds reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian and early Smiths, the EPs title track exemplifies the band’s knack for toe-tapping melody that’s certainly twee throughout, though its twee perfected; a pleasant, well-put-together confection best enjoyed while one’s in a bright mood.

Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash) – Anathallo
Take the dramatics of Illinoise-era Sufjan Stevens, add in tremendous percussion, sprinkle in group vocal harmony, and top of with xylophone and there you’ll have Anathallo’s “Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash)” pretty well defined. The seven piece band, which originated out of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, all play a variety of instruments ranging from guitar to the flugelhorn, many of which are on display in “Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash).” The song breaks open with sonic brashness, but ends on a beautifully soft and mellow note. Having an ear for the epic, the song has a few radical musical shifts, but ultimately forms a somber piece of audio art.

Divine – Sébastien Tellier
Even though I placed the video for this Sébastien Tellier track on my latest post of YouTube Fridays, I felt the song needed to be present in a higher quality mp3 format. “Divine” is the fourth track of the French electro artist’s latest album, which was released earlier this year. It’s full lush synthesizers, sparkling vocal samples, and the twinkle of all things pop. The hilarious video adds a lot to the already catchy dance song, check it out if you haven’t already, but the track is still fun without the absurd visuals provided by Sébastien Tellier himself.

Enjoy.


Coming up later this week: Album of the Week, an Artists Spotlight, and photos of the upcoming Dodos show.

YouTube Fridays

This YouTube Friday feature needs no introduction whatsoever, though I will say it's the new Sébastien Tellier video for the single "Divine" off of his new record Sexuality.

Just press play and enjoy smooth dance-pop synthesizer magic...

The Monday Mixtape

Welcome to this week's edition of The Monday Wednesday Mixtape, a weekly update of songs, both old and new, that have been on my own personal heavy rotation.

This week’s is a mega mixtape of sorts, as I added an extra six songs or so to the usual amount of tunes.



As far as the delays are concerned, I’m sorry for my lack of blog attendance and maintenance as of late. Spring Break, combined with new classes starting and a new roommate moving in have made things a little hectic, but this issue signals a return to the norm and the blog will now be updated regularly and more frequently.

I should say that this mixtape was made upon my return from Florida, which probably affected a slew of my selections. This week, there’s a pretty big divide in the types of music present: Bright indie rock and all sorts of electro, with some avant-noise thrown in for good measure. Onto the list...


Cold Hands – Black Lips
The first mixtape track on this week’s issue is off of the Black Lips’ 2007 LP, Good Bad Not Evil. On their fourth album, the Black Lips continued to perform what they know best and retained their dingy garage rock sound. “Cold Hands” has obvious surf-rock overtones, of which Dick Dale would surely approve.

The Hounds of War – The Subjects
The Subjects are a band that completely flew under my radar last year when their first album, titled With the Ease Grace Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings, was released. Made up of two graduated high school students and two of their teachers, The Subjects owe a lot of their sound to the pseudo-recent rave of New York indie rockers (such as, yes, The Strokes). However, something about their songs, whether it be the melodies they weave into their harsh, minimalist songs or the stark rawness of the album’s production, have had me listening to this record quite a bit.

Altibzz– Autechre
Autechre is a band that’s been around for awhile now. Having made nine albums, the first being released in 1993, and a variety of EPs, the electronic duo set the standard for the IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) genre. “Altibzz” is off of the recently releases Quaristice album. Though not as dance-oriented or up-tempo as other tracks off the record, “Altibzz” is filled with lush waves of sullen synthesizers and electronic ambience that presents itself as strikingly beautiful.

Ladies of Cambridge – Vampire Weekend
After months of hype and the following backlash, Vampire Weekend is still one of the best new acts of 2008. “Ladies of Cambridge,” a b-side off of the “Mansard Roof” single, sounds like it could fit anywhere on the band’s self-titled debut from earlier this year, boat shoes and warm, indie-pop included.


Crimewave - HEALTH
Part Killing Joke, part Liars, HEALTH is a noise-rock band out of Los Angeles. Their self-titled debut album was released last year and “Crimewave” is a highlight track. Two minutes of tribal drums and feedbacked guitars make up the powerful song and even if you don’t have a taste for the avant-garde, anyone can appreciate the drumming from the 1:31 mark and on.

Torn Blue Foam Couch – Grand Archives
“Torn Blue Foam Couch” can be most simply described as indie-pop. The track, off of the Grand Archives' 2008 LP, reminds me of Summerteeth-era Wilco. There’s a great emphasis on hook and sugar-coated production, but it’s clear that’s Mat Brooke’s (formerly of Band of Horses) intention; the entire album is sunny and upbeat, with the record’s songs rarely lingering longer than they should.

A New Chance – The Tough Alliance
“A New Chance” is the definition of The Tough Alliance’s patented Swedish-dance-pop. With dance music, it’s really hard to explain exactly why it’s so catchy or fun, so just press play and enjoy the electronic duo weave summery confections of sampled beats, synthesizers, and harmonious vocals.

African Rhythms – Mi Ami
Mi Ami is a band made up of a post-punk dub-dance band made up of ex-members of the Black Eyes. They just recently released an EP and the title track is “African Rhythms.” The song can best be described as tribal electronics heavy on the beat and dub influences, a sonic experiment that runs all over the music of M.I.A. However, Mi Ami doesn’t rap or rhyme, but rather rhythm is at the song’s forefront and it’s backed by schizophrenic guitar work and high pitched, yet nondescript, vocals. An interesting listen, even if the track wears a little thin due to its nearly seven minute length.


Horny Hippies – The Dodos
I placed The Dodos’ track “Jody” on my first issue of the mixtape. Since then, their second record, Visiter, has been released and that album is pretty amazing. “Horny Hippies” is not a track off of Visiter, but the band’s debut LP, Beware of the Maniacs, (released not even a year ago) which is a solid record itself. The previously mentioned (and posted) “Jody” does a great job capturing the duo’s acoustic guitar/drum sound, but “Horny Hippies” is an example of the band doing something a little different; it’s simpler and less dynamic or thematic than “Jody,” yet its quaint and honest. And of course, like most Dodos tunes, it’s catchy.

Running Down the Hills – Glass Candy
Glass Candy is a throwback to Blondie and the popular image of synth-oriented pop music of the 80’s. “Running Down the Hills” is heavy on the beat and wears its influences on its sleeve, though there’s nothing wrong with that, or a band that wants to you d.a.n.c.e. The track is chalk full of diminished sampled waves of synthesizers, guitar, and rhythms.

Fucked for Life – Dirty Projectors
Since picking up Dirty Projectors’ 2007 Rise Above, I’ve really been into the band’s distinct sound. There are numerous sonic elements the band frequently takes advantage of, such as the innumerable guitar arpeggios, the vocal orchestration of the band’s three vocalists, and their ability to produce such tight, charged, and up-tempo music. This cut of “Fucked for Life,” originally off of their New Attitude EP, is actually from the Dirty Projectors’ semi-recent Daytrotter Session.

Archangel – Burial
Burial is an tremendously talented and anonymous dubstep producer out of the UK. In 2007, he released his second record, Untrue. “Archangel” is the second track off of that album and it’s filled with grimy beats, low-fi sampling, and a pitch-fluctuating, cryptic vocal track. Burial creates all of his music from a low-tech setup in his home, but despite the ability for overproduction, the music his creates benefits greatly from the crackle and pop of such amateur equipment, and speaks volumes about his ability to create successful material. Something about each song on the record, most notably “Archangel,” has a mysterious infectious quality which draws its listener in.


You Made Me Realize - My Bloody Valentine
In 1988, My Bloody Valentine released their You Made Me Realize EP and it was the first output of theirs that consistently demonstrated the “shoegaze” sound the band championed with later material (and perfected with 1991’s Loveless). “You Made Me Realize,” starts out tough, with a hard, almost grunge, opening riff, then transcends into shoegaze bliss, as the dual vocals of Kevin Sheilds and Bilinda Butcher create an ethereal atmosphere amongst the swell of feedback and distortion – a classic example of earlier My Bloody Valentine.

Machine Gun – Portishead
On April 28th, Portishead will release their greatly anticipated third record (the band’s been on an eleven year hiatus), titled Third. “Machine Gun” is a raw, industrial sounding track, yet trip-hop elements are obviously present throughout the track. Vocalist Beth Gibbons provides eerie, wailing vocals and, combined with the sludge-like electronics, “Machine Gun” sounds like a ghost haunting a machine.

Stay Don’t Go – Spoon
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was one of my favourite records of 2007. It had all the right touches of mid-fi production and Beatlesesque-pop perfection. However, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is far from the only good Spoon record. “Stay Don’t Go” is a cut from 2002’s Kill the Moonlight, and might even be the better record. The song opens with a loop of lead singer Britt Daniel beat-boxing and the minimalism remains for the duration of the track. There’s the addition of like tambourine, power chords strummed on a guitar, and light touches of bass, but Daniel’s vocals are what sell the song. Despite being incredibly simple, the song still grabs your attention and gets a toe or two tapping.

You! Me! Dancing! – Los Campesinos!
With the band’s first LP release on April 1st in the States, I’m adding a Los Campesinos! track to the mixtape. The song contains everything the seven piece band out of Wales is all about; there’s twee-pop, multiple instruments, multiple singers, and, perhaps of course, dancing. However, I was always partial to the band’s early demos that first surfaced on their Myspace. Sure, the take of You! Me! Dancing! is the exact same song that appears on their album appears on their album, but it’s the little flourishes and small touches which make this take better: there’s the difference in guitar tone, the more playful (and amateurish) singing, and a just more energy involved, which makes all the difference, surely.

Sweet Love for Planet Earth – Fuck Buttons
Alas, this week’s Mega Monday Mixtape closes out with a track off of the new Fuck Buttons album, Street Horrrsing. It’s a prime example of the English duo’s experimental, noise-based music. Opting to loop different electronics, guitars, and rhythm pieces, “Sweet Love for Planet Earth” begins as a morning would, with the sun slowly rising. However, as time progresses and loops are built upon other loops (and the addition of crudely-mechanized vocals), the morning sun explodes in your ears. Fuck Buttons are loud and “Sweet Love for Planet Earth” certainly constitutes noise, but there’s beauty in the breakdown. Much like the gentle chimes that twinkle throughout the track, Fuck Buttons never lose sight of that beauty.

Enjoy.