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Ok, so finals are over, and I only fucked up most of my grades (whew!). Now I'm back at home--talk about a 'climate change'... all that rain was depressing me, I almost forgot what the combination of snow and Christmas lights looked like.
Even though the shows were a while back, and I was seriously faded during one of them, I'm going to recap them anyway (due to my OCD), here goes nothing:
The Faint: To be honest, I was kind of skeptical about this show, for a couple of reasons: 1) I was bracing myself for a flood of scene kids from the nearby high schools, 2) The Faint haven't toured in forever, 3) Bellingham had been in a 'State of Emergency' (seriously) the whole week cause of a big snow storm, and 4) all of my friends bailed on me at the last minute (except Sam, who is awesome). Needless to say, any reservations I had about the show, were quickly killed as soon as The Faint took the stage. Their lighting and effects were a fucking trip, and despite their two year break from touring, they sounded really good. They played some new stuff too, which was definitely cool-- I kind of got a more European-electro vibe from their new stuff, not quite sure why--take from it what you will.
They played a lot of old favorites too, including: Glass Dance, Worked Up (So Sexual), I disappear, and, Agenda Suicide (as an encore). They also burned through 'Let the Poison Spill', a nostalgic song for me-- one we used to pre game to in my friend's car before high school dances (don't ask why, we were confused back then). They also played a rare B side that is one of my favorite songs of theirs, 'Take Me to the Hospital', which they introduced as 'a really deep cut'-- pretty awesome. Overall, they exceeded my expectations, and put together the best show the Viking Union has seen all year, it will be hard to top.
The Faint - 'Worked Up (So Sexual)'
The Faint - 'Take Me to the Hospital'
Ratatat: Let me preface this by saying that I was pretty wasted at this show. I had a friend from high school visiting, and we put away at least 10 (7.3%) 16 oz. beers before the show (apparently we drank one during the show too), so the details run together a bit. I do know I had a fucking awesome time, and I vaguely remember pissing a lot of people off around us cause we were dancing like crazy the whole time. But in my defense, what the fuck else are you supposed to do at a Ratatat concert? They definitely bring the party, so we busted the moves. Although I can't really speak for the Ratatat show, there were definitely a lot of people dancing during The Faint, so maybe we were just surrounded by the wrong people (that's what the back wall is for, right?). I do know that they played 'Seventeen Years' as an encore, which is by far my favorite song (and, yes, I did drunkenly sing along to the opening lines of the song-- I'm baller like that).
Ratatat - 'Seventeen Years'
Ratatat - 'Wildcat'
Overall, I had a blast at the back to back shows and it really seems like it'll be hard to top the shows AS POP put on fall quarter (note, due to finals week I missed out on Pretty Girls Make Graves). They are off to a good start though, so far they have lined up Neko Case and Matt Costa as the first two concerts winter quarter.
I suck, I know... but finals are kicking my ass, hopefully this can hold you over until next week (when I promise I'll write about the last two shows I've been to, plus some other random stuff)...
This is pretty much how I feel about finals...
The Unicorns - Ready to Die
And quite possibly my fav. instrumental study song of the moment (or maybe just my favorite instrumental song in general):
Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand In Mine
peace out.
-Doug
Again, the topic of journalistic integrity rolls around in the aftermath of the last concert I went to on campus. Hey, it was Minus the Bear, they sing about drinking all the time right? I figure it's more of a disservice to the band if one is not plastered at a Minus the Bear show. All in all, I had a great fucking time, and I can't say I regret being drunk during the show (aside from the fact that I can't blog about it after--big fucking deal though).
Highlights of the show included (but not limited to), attempting a two person dance party with a friend, and finishing a beer during the concert, all while listening an awesome band. That being said, I can't recall exactly what was played and what order, but I do remember a heavy rotation of older favorites (Note: this was easy to do cause although I own their new album, I didn't like it so I took it off my ipod, so in effect I know only their old material), and I am positive they played, 'Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse'-- definitely one of my all time favorites by them, so I'll post it. Enjoy.
As you can most likely tell, I'm super busy with school, and as a result this is kind of being neglected. Look out for some stuff regarding the Bloc Party, and Clipse leaks, and the upcoming Faint/Ratatat concert that I'll be attending on campus in two weeks.On a completely different note, I've noticed this band has been getting a lot of blog hype lately, and it's well deserved-- this might be the best song I've heard in a long, long time.
Check it out: Beach House - Apple Orchard
Get their CD at insound.
As you've probably heard by now, the Democrats took the house and Senate, and now control congress for the first time in a long time... Good news for people who are worried about our dependence on un-renewable resources, and our military aspirations in the Middle East (and everywhere else for that matter), so celebrate with these politically charged tunes from my collection. Enjoy.
Death Cab For Cutie - Company Calls
Bright Eyes - When the President Talks to God
I'm not really sure if I can put my finger on it, but to say that the Islands show on Saturday night met my expectations would be an out and out lie. They set the bar extremely high after the show they put on last time I saw them (May 10th to be exact), at that time they were still a band intact with their original members, and on their very first headlining tour (as Islands)--the energy of that show was palpable. My excitment for this show only grew after hearing reports that Nick's girlfriend had joined the lineup following Jamie's departure which left me very curious to discover how backing female vocals integrated with the songs off the album.
Needless to say, my expectations didn't materialize on the stage. Nick was not joined by his girlfriend (breakup anyone?) and soprted a eeirly painted white face. His jovial between song banter was replaced by silence, and songtitles in almost every case, and to put it plainly he just seemed depressed. None of the usual insanity paired with Islands live shows occured at the SUB Ballroom (see dancing on stage, singing in the streets --video, and pickup basketball), but I did get to see 'Swans' played live for the first time. Last time I saw Islands they were supossed to close with it after their encoure of 'Rough Gem', but during 'Rough Gem' Nick insisted that, "everyone come up and dance on stage." Only to retract the statment after the song, saying that he was really just kidding, and that someone fucked up some wiring during the stage rush so they couldn't play 'Swans'--instead he offered to drink with everyone at the bar after the show. Instead, at the SUB Ballroom Nick and company came out and played 'Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby' as an encoure (yeah, I was the drunk kid near the front yelling for I Feel Evil Creepin' In... don't hate), inviting no one to dance on stage--instead he dangled a plastic head on a noose next to him as he sung... kind symbolized the entire night--creepy.
Musically, however, Islands were pretty tight and played a great set full of new songs, and even a Kinks cover. I was also glad to see my personal favorite, 'Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone' preformed live this time with the other MC on the track, Subtitle (whose set was unbearably boring at times). The new songs were great though, but I can't stop the thought that they might never be recorded in studio from entering my head. If this show is any indication, it seems like the Islands might be going the way of the Unicorns before them, and leave us with only 'what if's' and concert bootlegs. I sincerely hope this isn't the case, but it seems a very real possibility... only time will tell if (as their slogan suggests) Islands really are forever.
Islands - Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby
P.S.
My school is having a great year this year as far as shows go... I just got a ticket to Minus the Bear on Nov. 17th and The Faint and Ratatat are coming back to back on the 30th and December 1st should be an insane half-month of music here in Bellingham! This might be a stretch, but I'd be hardpressed to find a school in the west with better indie shows this year...
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time for this post (Canada is calling my name)--I'm heading up to the Islands concert shortly (you're jealous, I know), and it should be one hell of an awesome night. Last time I saw Islands was pretty crazy, and I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in a room filled with drunk college students (remember: drinking age = 19 in BC). Hell yeah, can't wait!
Here are a few rare/unreleased Islands tracks (cause I love you):
Abominable Snow
I Feel Evil Creeping In (live)
And my favorite Islands song (featuring opener Subtitle): 'Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone'
Live review and other retellings of the night to come...
Again, I was feeling bored by chemistry, and since its Halloween I figured I would post something. It seemed fitting that since I plan on doing a full writeup about Islands in the next couple of days, I post something about their former band: The Unicorns-- who are arguably one of the most hyped, yet shortest lived bands in independent music in recent memory. Before they broke up they recorded this song about a haunted house. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!
Treat:
The Unicorns - Haunted House
Bonus: The Unicorns - Tuff Ghost
I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but have yet to get to it, and I figure there's no better time than when I should be doing homework to do finally do it.
It's pretty safe to say that The Decemberists are one of my all time favorite bands.
Once in high school I even snuck out of my house while I was grounded, drove 25 miles in a blizzard in my mom's car to see the concert alone (long story short I was supposed to go with my best friend, but due to some extenuating circumstances we were both grounded for the same thing), and it ended up being one of the best shows I've ever been to.
Since then the Decemberists have signed to a major label and released what I believe to be their best album to date. With two songs that stretch past the 10 minute mark, it seems that Colin Meloy is at his best ever, and his the rest of his band is getting sharper too. The CD is very well rounded in my opinion, with all the necessary elements: a perfect pop song ('O Valencia), a perfectly written retelling of an ancient Japanese folk story ('The Crane Wife 1-3'), and my personal favorite three part prog-rock murder epic ('The Island'). My only beef with the album is 'The Perfect Crime 2' which is the only song that I find myself continually skipping when I listen to this album, but I'll leave it to you to decide whether it suits your taste or not. Get the album here.
Rumor has it that 5 songs didn't make the final album cut, and I have two of them up for download here. Look for the rest to be released as B sides on future singles from The Crane Wife. Enjoy.
The Decemberists - 'After the Bombs'
The Decemberists - 'Culling of the Fold'
As I mentioned earlier, I'm heading to the great white north to see Islands on Saturday, which I can't wait for! Look for a post about that later in the week.
It's my birthday today, and I'm having a huge halloween party at my house to celebrate... and this song will definitely be in heavy rotation, as it should be at any halloween party this year. Check it out.
Car Stereo Wars - Hip Hop Halloween Monster Mashup
So I copped the recently leaked Shins album, 'Wincing the Night Away' and spent the entire day listening to it on my ipod between classes waiting for my life to change, but nothing happened... I wasn't approached by Natalie Portman, or even the Scrubs guy, I got a B+ on my cell bio test, and showed up late for a test in my Psychology class, all in all a pretty underwhelming Monday. I consider myself an optimist though, so I won't blame the Shins or the Scrubs guy, but Natilie Portman better show up at my doorstep (yes, wearing that) within the week or I'm never listening to 'Wincing the Night Away' again. Ever.
On a serious note though, the new album is pretty slick, and off the bat you can tell that Sub-Pop forked out the big bucks for the increased production quality (presumably due to the fact that every time the Shins change someone's life, Sub-Pop gets some extra coin... kind of like how God kills a kitten every time you... Nevermind, you get the picture)-- a far cry from the reverb-filled stylings of their first album. That being said, in my opinion I think it's a fairly safe record for them (they still sound like the same old Shins), but it's a solid effort from the best thing to come out of New Mexico since... uh, this?. Highlights include the Beck influenced 'Sea Legs', the upcoming single 'Phantom Limb', and my personal favorite; the mellowed-out, 'A Comet Appears'. Be sure and pick up the album when it drops on 1.23.07 (damn, is 2007 really that close?)
The Shins - Phantom Limb (link removed at artist's request)
The Shins - A Comet Appears (link removed at artist's request)
In other news, I just decided to go see Islands in Vancouver at UBC, with one of my good friends from home. The last time I saw Islands was crazy, let me tell you-- they bring the party, add that to the fact that I'm legal to drink in Canada, and you have the recipe for awesomeness. Can't wait.
I apologize for the length of time between posts about the Sufjan concert, its just taken me that long for the awesomeness of the night to finally sink in. But seriously, the performance at the Paramount was one of the best (if not the best) concerts I've ever been to.
It was the first time I had ever been to the Paramount Theatre, which I was a little bummed out about at first because I think that a general admission show is the best way to see music in a live setting. After everything was said and done Sunday night, however, I realized that the Paramount was a nice change of pace (dare I say classy?).
We arrived midway through opener, My Brightest Diamond's set, having never heard her before (aside from some myspace streaming), I was pretty blown away by her vocal ability, and her performance really set the crowd up for what was about to happen. Sufjan came out after a lengthy intermission (that's what those civilized theatre-goers call it, right?), and played an awesome set that included selections from Illinois, Michigan, Seven Swans, some new material, and even a Christmas song. This was the last stop on the tour and it sounded like it, the backing band (or shall I say orchestra) was flawless, and Sufjan had a slightly hoarse voice (which was only evident when he was speaking in between songs). One thing that surprised me about Sufjan's live performance was his onstage banter, listening to his albums I had always figured him as more of a soft-spoken individual, but this was definitely not the case. He rambled on telling some pretty off the wall stories, some of which either went nowhere, or were used as song introductions. One example was a story about a plastic owl that was placed on a stool next to him that was stolen outside of a Perkins restaurant in Columbus Ohio... totally random. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not criticizing Sufjan's stage banter, it was actually really funny, and quite entertaining-- a good change of pace, after you've heard an entire song about a serial killer.
Highlights of the set included a solo acoustic performance of John Wayne Gacy Jr., a slightly more uptempo rendition of The Predatory Wasp (with a minute long piano/guitar freakout at the end), Jacksonville, Lord God Bird, Majesty Snowbird (also with an extended freakout session not heard on the previously posted mp3), and of course, the encoure, Chichago. My only beef with the setlist was that he didn't play 'That Dress Looks Nice on You', one of my favorites from Seven Swans (hey, there's always next time). In all, it was a great night of music, one that will be hard for me to top in the future, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I'm pretty excited to see what Soof comes up with next.
Here's the original Christmas song Sufjan performed: That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
be sure and check out the 5-disc Christmas album from Sufjan and friends when it comes out November 21st.
On another note, fuck the police. Seriously.
I'm leaving to go see Sufjan Stevens perform tonight at the Paramount in Seattle. Should be an awesome show... I'm really excited!
In an attempt to spread that excitement to you, I have posted 3 awesome new songs (unreleased) that he'll most likely be playing. A live show review will follow tomorrow (assuming I don't die on the rain-slicked roads on the way to Seattle-- shit. I just jinxed myself).
Here's the new hotness:
Lord God Bird
Sister Winter
Majesty Snowbird
This really goes without saying, but if you don't already have a few soof CDs get some, here or go see him live.
We arrived to a packed VU multipurpose room just after the opener had finished their set. The room smelled equally one part sweat, mixed with one part marijuana smoke, which quickly reminded me that I hadn't been to a hip hop show in quite a while. Shortly after we got there, RA Scion came out and spit some Common Market lyrics, with Sabzi laying down the beat on the turn tables.
Overall, I was pretty impressed with his abilities on the mic, and he turned out a solid performance.
Almost right after RA Scion had vacated the stage, Sabzi segwayed right into a Blue Scholars beat, and Geo ran onto the stage. The sneak attack caught the crowd by surprise, and it was a good tactic for keeping the momentum of the show moving forward. The Scholars turned out an awesome performance, keeping the sold out crowd into it for the entire set. Highlights of the show included a sample of 'Float On' tracked onto the the Inkwell, and 'The Long March' was also awesome (with everyone swinging their arms to the words, 'left, right, left, right'). As I had expected, the Scholars managed to outdo their performance at the main stage of Sasquatch! (the last time I saw them live), feeding off the sold out crowd in the confined VU multipurpose room. Awesome show.
As for some other news, it appears like HOV is back in the game (surprise, right?), and his first single has leaked. The beat by just blaze is sick, and uses a lot of horns (and a jazz intro). I've linked the mp3, cause I really don't want to get sued by the Roc for posting a leaked mp3 on a site that has maybe 5 readers tops. enjoy.
Jay Z - 'Show Me What You Got'
I'm heading out to the Common Market/Blue Scholars concert tonight at the Viking Union, the show sold out on Thursday, and it seems like everyone on campus is either; A) Bummed out that the show is sold out, or B) Really stoked that they are going. It seems like a whole different vibe than the Ben Kweller show last weekend, where it seemed like most people were luke warm about the whole thing and just ended up going because their friends were.
The show is billed as a CD release party for Common Market, who have founded a new record company with the Blue Scholars called Mass Line Records. Although I haven't heard much of Common Market at all, the duo consitst of DJ Sabzi from the Blue Scholars and MC RA Scion. RA Scion came out during Sasquatch! for a remix of the Blue Scholars track 'Every Last One', it went off pretty well and it seems like he's a pretty good lyricist. (Stream the 'Every Last One' remix and other Common Market at their myspace)
As for the Blue Scholars, I've been following them since well before I moved up to the northwest. I first discovered their blend of progressive beats coupled with meaningful lyrics back in high school (in the days when I used to stream KEXP over itunes). It seems like the entire musical community in Seattle is familiar with the DJ/MC combo, who are now being hyped as perhaps the next big thing to come out of Seattle since grunge. I'm not sure I'm willing to go that far quite yet, but their self-titled LP and EP (the Long March) are a good start (I'm sure everyone around here is holding their collective breath in anticipation of their next LP, which will most likely determine if they are the next Sir Mix a Lot or the next Nirvana).
I've included a few mp3s from their self titled LP as well as their most recent EP, the progressive (socialist) lyrics are what really seperate the Scholars from the rest of hip-hop right now.
Blue Scholars - 'No Rest for the Weary'*
Blue Scholars - 'Solstice (Reintroduction)'*
Blue Scholars - 'Evening Chai'
Blue Scholars - 'The Long March'*
[*Sorry most of these are mp4s, but everyone on the planet has itunes anyway, right?]
If you don't believe me, trust the Scholars who just posted this on their website: "...we're rolling with the entire ML fam this Saturday (10/7) to Bellingham - Western Washington University, to be exact. It's been all love every time we've been up there, but this time its with the whole fam - the first show featuring Blue Scholars, Common Market and Gabriel Teodros since the launch party. Should be a heater." Should be a heater, I'm stoked.
As you can already tell by the title of this post, we ended up going to the Cold War Kids show at Neumo's. As it turns out, the TV on the Radio/Grizzly Bear show sold out sometime in between the time we left Bellingham and got to Seattle. Our initial disappointment was short-lived, however, and we ended up having an awesome night. As you may or may not already know, the Cold War Kids were supposed to be touring the U.S. in support of The Futureheads. As fate would have it, they canceled at the last minute leaving the CWK as headliners of a national tour (their first one). This proved to work in our favor for 3 reasons: 1) I don't really like the Futureheads all that much, 2) the ticket price was lower ($10 instead of $15), and 3) the audience was actually there to see CWK play a headlining set.
We arrived at the venue about an hour early since we had nothing to do in Seattle after we discovered the TVOTR show was sold out, and we were literally the second group to walk into Neumo's. After about an hour of walking around the empty room watching the first band soundcheck, it was 9:00 and time for the show to start. At this point it looked like my hypothesis from the last post was holding up, everyone that may have been interested in seeing CWK was probably at TVOTR. When the opener 'S' came on there were literally 25 people in the building. After their lackluster performance, about 50-75 more people filed into Neumo's and were mostly just sitting in circles talking to one another or leaning up against the walls on the sides of the room. At about 10:00 the band Delta Spirit, ambushed the stage and came out firing on all cylinders. For about half the song it seemed like everyone was in shock (they had expected to wait through another shitty band), at which point I joked to my friend that the band sounded like 'Clap Your Hands Say Yeah' on speed. Needless to say, within about 2 songs the band had the crowd's full attention, and played a really nice set, whose pianos and overall sound would work to compliment that of Cold War Kids. The highlight of the set for me was the song, 'French Quarter' about a man who had lost everything, but was too stubborn to leave desperately calling out, "The south is in my blood!" (stream it on their myspace)
After the surprising performance by Delta Spirit the crowd was warmed up for the Cold War Kids to finally take the stage, by this time even more people had filed in and the crowd size was pretty decent. They came out with the song 'We Used to Vacation', and absolutely killed it. It seemed like the entire band was on the same page, they were all equally emotional, and the sound ended up coming out beautifully. One of the trademarks of CWK is their tendency to integrate a lot of different obtuse noise combinations into their music, this translated into their live performance, with the guitarist taking turns shaking a maraca, then pounding a cymbal set on top of a crate with it (near the end of the song he was so into it that he pounded the cymbal so many times in a row that it fell of the crate, at which point he threw the maraca down at it on the ground). In all, their set was perfectly executed, and very emotional, mixing up noise combinations from every direction. Highlights included an awesome mid-set rendition of 'St. John' (complete with hand motions from the lead singer Nathan Willett to illustrate the story), and the climatic closing song 'Hang me Out to Dry'. Awesome show, by the end of the night we were all asking ourselves TV on the who?
I highly recommend seeing this tour, for $10 it's a steal (check out dates on their myspace). Oh yeah, and get the debut full length from CWK, 'Robbers and Cowards' when it releases on 10-10 everywhere (you might notice a lot of the songs are the same on the LP as the EP, but they've all been re-recorded, so check it out.). As I mentioned earlier, I'm seeing Blue Scholars at the Viking Union on Saturday, look out for a post prepping you for that show tomorrow.
Sometime late last night after yesterday's post while I was aimlessly surfing the internet in between attempts to study, I realized that something had gone wrong, terribly wrong. Although it was always in the back of my mind, I had failed to notice the exact date of the T.V. on the Radio/Grizzly Bear show at the Showbox in Seattle. Turns out that it's the same night as the Cold War Kids show at Neumo's. After some initial disappointment and sulking I came up with the following fool proof plan: my friend and I both decided that we'd rather see TVOTR and Grizzly Bear (arguably one of the best bills to pass through Seattle this year) BUT we didn't want to subject ourselves to the ridiculous fees of Tickets West (although it's not quite the same abominable creature Ticketmaster is, it's still bad). So this is what we came up with: Drive down to Seattle, wait in line for TVOTR, if it's sold out head over to Capitol Hill and have a blast seeing Cold War Kids. Once again, my local hipster knowledge comes into play (see, 8/25 post), with deductive problem solving skills (I knew I was in college for a reason) I determined that if the TVOTR show is sold out, most of the Seattle area hipsters will be absorbed by the Showbox leaving Neumo's and the Cold War Kids show wide open -- damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.
In order to get my self psyched for both shows, I'm posting a sampling of mp3s from both bands, enjoy the fruits of my genius [all the stuff about me being smart is a joke by the way... please, never take me too seriously]
Option 1: TV on the Radio - 'Wolf Like Me'
TV on the Radio - 'I Was a Lover'
Bonus: Grizzly Bear - 'Lullabye'
Option 2: Cold War Kids - 'Saint John'
Cold War Kids - 'Hospital Beds'
Cold War Kids - 'We Used to Vacation'
I'll Let you know how the night pans out... P.S. I got my ticket for the Blue Scholars show at my school on Saturday, can't wait for that one either!
I really don't know what's up with me at concerts since I've started this blog, but I've gone 2 for 2 with the pre concert intoxication, which probobally vastly compromises any journalistic integrety that I might have... Needless to say, I got to the concert about 5 minutes after the opener had finished their set (I heard it sucked anyway... drinking > shitty local emo band). Then the Sam Roberts Band came out, they're apparently pretty big up in the great white north, and all in all, their set was pretty tight. Then BK came out (SIDENOTE-- it freaked me out at first, he looks like the pro snowboarder golden boy Shaun White) and played a solid 5 songs, including good renditions of 'Penny On The Train Track' and 'Run', at which point I drunkenly decided that the keg at my house > BK, and I peaced out. Hey, at least I got there before the keg was tapped and had a pretty solid night. Hopefully I can regain some journalistic integrety later this week though, it looks like I'm going to two shows; Cold War Kids, and Blue Scholars... expect pre-concert posts for both as well as a non-hungover review (I hope).
Let me preface this short post by apologizing for my 20 day (or so) hiatus... My life was in flux moving to school and everything, it won't happen again. Promise. DISCLAIMER: this shit was just randomly off the top of my fried brain... Kind of like the sculpture of the guy fucking the bear at our school. Enjoy!
1. Buying textbooks sucks
2. Moving into a house is a pain in the ass
3. Beer is good
4 This song pretty much explains the last couple of weeks for me - Arcade Fire - Headlights Look Like Diamonds.
5. Watching people fall on campus just might be the funniest thing ever.
6. 'The Office' is a brilliant show.
7. I think the cut on my right index finger is infected.
8. TGIF
9. Where is my mind?
10*. Ben Kweller tonight (Amazingly average artist, I know... hopefully the live show is better)
*Concert review to come, hey, at least if the show sucks I'm coming home to this...
After a short break, I'm back with a short post about two awesome bands that I've recently discovered. First, Snowden from the drrrity ATL, they sound somewhat like interpol with heavy reverb and drums... awesome. And a band I'm really stoked on from Raliegh NC, Annuals, who have a collective noise about them similar to Broken Social Scene.
Check out the mp3s for yourself though:
Snowden - Anti-Anti
Highlight: the (semi-sarcastic?) lyric: "we are anti-movements, we are anti-anti,one time we believed but now we don't even try, and I can't cut a rug, without my fashion drugs,inebriation leads revelation" seems to encapsulate and poke fun at the current the independent music scene, which I think is awesome.
Bonus: check out the speech impediment remix: Anti-Anti - (Jordan's stutter remix)
Annuals - Brother
Highlight: comes at 1:52 when the tension finally collapses into a full rock out, brilliant. Keep an eye out for more songs from them on this site in the days/weeks to come.
Some housekeeping news... I've taken a couple of mp3s down due to space issues, so remember to get them while you can!
Although I've never heard of Stina Nordenstam before, when I saw this song posted on Gorilla vs. Bear (a great site by the way), it piqued my intrest because it was remixed by The Knife. After listening to it quite a few times in the past week or so, I've decided that it definately takes the title of creepiest song in my library. The icy beat coupled with the whispered chours, "it may be silent, but I hear bombs falling" definately does the trick.
Stina Nordenstam - Parliament Square (The Knife Remix)
Bonus: And as for the second creepiest song in my library, I'd have to go with 'Commander Thinks Aloud' by The Long Winters. A song about the final thoughts passing through commander's head moments before the doomed Columbia shuttle flight descentigrated in the earth's upper atmosphere. Apparently there was a brief period (5 minutes or so) where the crew knew they were going to crash, and could do nothing about it-- definately creepy. This is by far one of my favorite Long Winters songs, and its not on their new album so check it out.
Although they're not a band anymore, I still really like this song and for some reason its been stuck on repeat in my ipod as of late... About the lack of posts lately, I've been pretty busy working on the Great Salt Lake the past few days--I know it's not really such a great excuse, but it is what it is. In other news, hope to get a mix up on the site later this week (maybe a best of August or something). As for some housekeeping issues, I'm running low on space on my ftp server which means that I'll have to start taking down old songs, so download them while you still can!
Anyway, here it is: Death From Above 1979 'Black History Month'
Bonus: Since DFA 1979 is dead, I figured I would post a song by MSTRKRFT (a solo project of one of DFA 1979's members)... One of my all time favorites: '2 More Years (Bloc Party Mix)'
As you can probably already tell, I didn't get any pictures from the Wolf Parade show the other night, but I did get this fake ticket from concert ticket generator, which I thought was pretty cool. The show was awesome though (the 30 pack we downed in the parking lot only added to the awesomeness), highlights included a couple of new songs, 'Shine a Light' (still my favorite WP song), ' I'll Believe in Anything', and 'Disco Sheets', and when Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes) came out mid-set with a fifth of gin pouring it into any mouth he could find. Overall, their set was pretty tight, and there wasn't very much banter between songs. Although I can't say it's the best show I've ever been to, it's definitely up there.
Here's another untitled bootleged new song for your listening pleasure. -DISCLAIMER- I'm 95% sure they played this new song last night (the remaining 5% is possibly influenced by the 8 or 9 beers I downed before the show).
Bonus: Check out Spencer Krug's (Keyboards/Vocals for Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes) new side project, Swan Lake with Destroyer's Dan Bejar, and fellow Frog Eye (wow, that sounds weird) Carey Mercer: All Fires
Lately I've been listening to 'So This is Goodbye', the new album from Canadian duo Junior Boys. Their dark, synthed-out space pop has been on repeat on my ipod since I got the album earlier this week. I would definitely recommend buying this record when it comes out in the US on September 11th. If I could compare their sound to anyone else I would have to say it's a darker Postal Service, trapped in an M83-esque atmosphere.
I really don't know if that made any sense, but the point is to download it and see for yourself, I've added my two favorite tracks for your listening pleasure: The Equalizer and In the Morning.
P.S.
Wolf Parade tonight, hopefully I'll follow up with a live show review and some pictures... stay tuned. Also, I've changed the banner on the blog, I made it myself... tell me what you think.
Looks like I got the shaft on Sufjan tickets for his show in Seattle on Oct. 15th... I wasn't on top of my game ordering tickets and now it looks like my friend Nick and I will be exiled to the last section of the balcony on the right side (look for me rocking out in the aisles).
On a more positive note, I just found out that Wolf Parade is playing in Salt Lake City on Sunday night at the Venue. I'm almost sure I won't get the shaft on these tickets for at least two reasons: 1) The music scene sucks in Salt Lake so I'm almost positive I can circumvent ticketmaster and their ungodly fees and get tickets at the door, and 2) The show is on a Sunday, which effectively eliminates any potentially mormon indie nerds from showing up. That being said, I really hope there is a good crowd (i.e. no moshing emo bitches), which could be a problem cause it is Utah and there are a lot of confused people here.
On that note, here are hands down my two favorite Wolf Parade mp3s, both performed live for CBC radio 3: Lousy Pictures and Shine a Light
Bonus: Here's another untitled and unreleased new Wolf Parade song for your listening enjoyment.
Pictures and a live show review to come...
This is the initial post of my Climate Change Blog, which is basically (hopefully) going to become a vehicle for music distribution among my friends and I. This blog will be devoted to occasional posts about new independent music, and anything else I decide to write about. Obviously I'm just starting out so things might be a little rocky at first as I mess around with a couple of things on this site so bear with me (since I automatically have millions of readers ;) )...
I'll start things off with a song that I think describes this blog perfectly The Great Salt Lake by Band of Horses, a band from the Northwest. This song is significant to me and the title of this blog for a couple of reasons: 1) Living in Utah, I've spent a lot of time on the Great Salt Lake and 2) I live in the Northwest now, which was (and still is) a complete 'climate change' for me on many levels. So there you have it, hopefully that makes sense and this blog becomes what I envision. Enjoy.
-Doug
I'm heading out to the Common Market/Blue Scholars concert tonight at the Viking Union, the show sold out on Thursday, and it seems like everyone on campus is either; A) Bummed out that the show is sold out, or B) Really stoked that they are going. It seems like a whole different vibe than the Ben Kweller show last weekend, where it seemed like most people were luke warm about the whole thing and just ended up going because their friends were.
Although they're not a band anymore, I still really like this song and for some reason its been stuck on repeat in my ipod as of late... About the lack of posts lately, I've been pretty busy working on the Great Salt Lake the past few days--I know it's not really such a great excuse, but it is what it is. In other news, hope to get a mix up on the site later this week (maybe a best of August or something). As for some housekeeping issues, I'm running low on space on my ftp server which means that I'll have to start taking down old songs, so download them while you still can!
