Monday, 30 July 2007
LAURA VEIRS
OKKERVIL RIVER 'THE STAGE NAMES'
Unless It's Kicks
A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene
Savannah Smiles
Plus Ones
A Girl in Port
You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man
Title Track
John Allyn Smith Sails
"With their newest release, The Stage Names, Okkervil River dynamite the walls of Black Sheep Boy's gothic, moss-walled castle from the inside to let in the glaring sun. Where Black Sheep Boy presented a fairytale of dark babbling streams and high distant towers, The Stage Names ¨takes place in an unmistakably modern world, where snowy televisions blast into cheap hotels the spectral images of soap stars endlessly betraying each other, where losers in late-night bars languish to the beat of their favorite songs, where broken-down actresses place their final cell calls from lonely mansions high in the hills. Riddled with characters real and fake, with true-life biography and brazenly fabricated autobiography, with the relics of high culture and the crumpled-up trash of low culture, The Stage Names is a cinemascopic take on the meaning of entertainment."
"Their fourth full-length may also be Okkervil River's most conceptually gnarled work to date, as frontman Will Sheff's intricately detailed lyrics leap from the ornate to the blunt, encompass philosophical inquiries and goofily playful riffing, invite the listener into confidence only to con them. With a voice both poetic and toughly slangy, these songs are equal parts high-concept filigree and low, street-level kicks; they're both artistically ambitious and refreshingly unpretentious."
Release by Jagjaguwar
Sunday, 29 July 2007
VHS OR BETA 'BRING ON THE COMETS'
Love In My Pocket
She Says
Can't Believe A Single Word
Burn It All Down
Take It Or Leave It
Alpha Theta
Bring On The Comets
Fall Down Lightly
We Could Be One
Time Stands Still
The Stars Where We Came From
Download
Saturday, 28 July 2007
MARITIME 'HERESY AND THE HOTEL CHOIR'
Maritime is set to release their new album, HERESY AND THE HOTEL CHOIR. The follow-up to 2006’s WE, THE VEHICLES, which Pitchfork called “direly infectious…pitch-perfect” will be released on Flameshovel Records October 16.
HERESY AND THE HOTEL CHOIR is the first true collaboration for the band, comprised of singer/guitarist Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier, both formerly of The Promise Ring, bassist Justin Klug (formerly of Decibully) and guitarist Dan Hinz. They wrote the entire album together before enlisting producer Stuart Sikes (The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Cat Power) to help mold the final product. “I feel like this is the first Maritime record “ says Didier, “meaning it’s the first time it actually feels like we are a band.” He continues, “ Before, members came and went and it never seemed to be a cohesive unit, but, for this record the four of us all started at square one together so the songs reflect all four of us.”
WHITEY 'GREAT SHAKES'
SHEARWATER 'PALO SANTO (EXPANDED EDITION)'
- La Dame Et La Licorne
- Red Sea, Black Sea
- White Waves
- Palo Santo
- Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five
- Nobody
- Sing, Little Birdie
- Johnny Viola
- Failed Queen
- Hail, Mary
- Going is Song
- My Only Boy
- Every Hook, Every Eye
- Special Rider Blues (Skip James)
- Sing, Little Birdie
- Palo Santo
- Discontinuities
- Sing, Little Birdie
- Red Sea, Black Sea
- Failed Queen
Visit Shearwater.
Download Disc 1
Download Disc2
THE ROYAL ARMY RECORDING CO. 'MARY, YOUR GHOST IS SHOWING'
2. Little Sister
3. Empty Screen
4. Roulette
5. White Knuckled Grip
Visit
Download
Friday, 27 July 2007
KAISER CARTEL 'LIVE FROM BREAKTHRU RADIO EP'
Visit 75orless Records
Download
THE GO! TEAM 'PROOF OF YOUTH'
SUNSET RUBDOWN 'RANDOM SPIRIT LOVER'
2. "Magic vs. Midas"
3. "Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days"
4. "The Courtesan Has Sung"
5. "Winged/Wicked Things"
6. "Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns"
7. "Stallion"
8. "For the Pier (and Dead Shimmering)"
9. "The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life"
10. "Setting vs. Rising"
11. "Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot! Toot!"
12. "Child-Heart Losers"
Read what Jagjaguwar have to say about it.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
VAMPIRE WEEKEND 'BLUE CD-R (DEMOS)'
2. oxford comma
3. a-punk
4. cape cod kwassa kwassa
5. boston
6. campus
7. one
8. bryn
9. walcott
10. the kids don't stand a chance
"To a grump like me, these guys sure had a lot of strikes against them. But damned if they didn't hook me. And I've tried to put my finger on exactly why, and I can only come to one conclusion: it's because they really are good. Really." Catbirdseat
Find out for yourselves: Download
THE ACORN 'BLANKETS! E.P.'
2. Sent (Awake The Kracken)
3. Blankets
4. Books
"Blankets! may only be four songs, but there's easily enough music here for an album's worth of ideas and, fundamentally, each song is pop gold. Whether viewed as a stop-gap or a first step, this EP may help to explain why The Acorn is gradually being recognized as Ottawa's leading musical export (sorry, Furnaceface) and are regularly featured and reviewed in Canada's nationwide Exclaim! magazine. Unlike the Midwestern singer who heads for New York with guitar slung over shoulder (or whatever), so long as The Acorn keep hating them suburbs and backhandedly congratulating their fans for showing up to their shows on a Wednesday night, it seems that there will be a large and growing number of people - especially in Ottawa - who will continue to buy into the idea that there's always something bigger, and keep listening. "
(from Cokemachineglow review)
LONEY, DEAR 'WHITE SESSION (FRENCH RADIO SHOW)'
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
EMILY HAINES & THE SOFT SKELETON - 'WHAT IS FREE TO A GOOD HOME?'
2. The Bank
3. Telethon
4. Bottom Of The world
5. Sprig
6. Mostly Waving (Todor K Remix)
Download
JOSH ROUSE AND PAZ SUAY 'SHE'S SPANISH, I'M AMERICAN'
Daniel Tashian, everybody's favorite secret weapon, inevitably shines where he shows up, here on keyboards, drums, and guitar on three cuts. He also sings like a bird, but here those talents are not, perhaps, required, since it's the hip and romantic blend of Josh and Paz that is the essence, and it's so good.
Half of it is GarageBand loops and bedroom vocals, mixed impeccably by Jason Lehning and embellished by DT, for Josh's imprint Bedroom Classics.
Download
Monday, 23 July 2007
SPOON 'GET NICE E.P.'
2. Be Still My Servant (1:25)
3. Leave Your Effects Where They’re Easily Seen (0:57)
4. I Summon You (Cool) (1:29)
5. Mean Mad Margaret (1:38)
6. Love Makes You Feel (2:38)
7. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb (3:14)
8. Tasty Fish (1:19)
9. Dracula’s Cigarette (1:24)
10. 1975 (1:40)
11. I Can Feel It Fade Like An AM Single (3:12)
12. Curfew Tolls (1:34)
The new Spoon album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga., came bundled with the Get Nice! EP.
PINBACK 'AUTUMN OF THE SERAPHS'
Sunday, 22 July 2007
THE ACORN 'TIN FIST E.P.'
2. Dents
3. Brokered Heart
4. Feral Chile
5. Spring Thaw
6. Maplebees
From there, Tin Fist EP continues to grow, twisting and turning, giving and taking. Dents takes us on a softer ride, but the intensity returns in Spring Thaw.
Saturday, 21 July 2007
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART 'GROW FINS:RARITIES, 5 CD BOX'
Visit The Captain Beefheart Radar Station
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART 'LIVE AT MY FATHER'S PLACE'
2 - NOWADAYS A WOMAN'S GOTTA HIT A MAN
3 - OWED T' ALEX
4 - DROPOUT BOOGIE
5 - HARRY IRENE
6 - ABBA ZABA
7 - HER EYES ARE A BLUE MILLION MILES
8 - OLD FART AT PLAY
9 - WELL
10 - ICE ROSE
11 - MOONLIGHT ON VERMONT
12 - THE FLOPPY BOOT STOMP
13 - YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MAN
14 - BAT CHAIN PULLER
15 - APES-MA
16 - WHEN I SEE MOMMY I FEEL LIKE A MUMMY
17 - VETERAN'S DAY POPPY
18 - SAFE AS MILK
19 - SUCTION PRINTS
Part 1
Part 2
Thursday, 19 July 2007
'THE HISTORICAL CONQUESTS OF JOSH RITTER'
02 Mind's Eye
03 Right Moves
04 The Temptation of Adam
05 Open Doors
06 Rumors
07 Edge of the World
08 Wait for Love
09 Real Long Distance
10 Next to the Last Romantic
11 Moons
12 Still Beating
13 Empty Heats
14 Wait for Love (You Know You Will)
SEBADOH 'THE FREED MAN - EXPANDED REISSUE'
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS: 'KEVIN DREW......SPIRIT IF'
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
FELT 'BUBBLEGUM PERFUME'
02. Stained-glass Windows in the Sky
03. I Didn't Mean to Hurt You
04. Space Blues
05. Autumn
06. Be Still
07. There's No Such Thing as Victory
08. Magellan
09. The Final Resting of the Ark
10. Sandman's on the Rise Again
11. Don't Die on My Doorstep
12. A Wave Crashed on Rocks
13. Book of Swords
14. Declaration
15. Gather Up Your Wings and Fly
16. The Darkest Ending
17. Bitter End
18. Rain of Crystal Spires
19. Voyage to Illumination
20. Ballad of the Band
This posthumous compilation was released by Creation Records in 1990 and is now out of print.
Felt are often cited as a major influence by Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch - if that's not a good pointer I don't know what is. The band released ten albums and ten singles in ten years and then disbanded - such perfect symmetry.
Download Bubblegum Perfume
As a little bonus, I have also uploaded a four-track radio session they recorded for Andy Kershaw (UK BBC Radio 1) in 1986:
1. When The Dawn Starts Creeping In
2. Sapphire Mansions
3. Rain Of Crystal Spires
4. All The People I Like Are Those That Are Dead
Download Radio Session
WHITE CIRCLE CRIME CLUB 'A PRESENT PERFECT'
Hope you enjoy this, their latest album.
Their label, Conspiracy Records says:
"A Present Perfect, the band's second full-length, marks a major shift for White Circle Crime Club. Even more so than on previous recordings, this album is probably as focused as the band could possibly be. Focused on sound, but most definitely also with a new sense of melody and great songs. Not only does White Circle Crime Club surprise with an album that is significantly more soulful than previous efforts, they've also kept their refreshingly diverse view on music. There's distance travelled here, with a lyrical love for all things twisted by time and a musical freedom rare for bands with a background in fast punk music."
Download
Visit
Monday, 16 July 2007
STEVEN JESSE BERNSTEIN 'PRISON'
Sub Pop released Prison in February of 1992, and only one track, "No No Man (Part One)," was completed before Bernstein took his life. Bernstein's readings were recorded from 1990-1991, and three of these poems were recorded in his home studio. The readings were set to "soundscapes" made by producer/composer/musician Steve Fisk. The backing tracks often sounds like bad metal or cheesy synth-jazz, but somehow this music compliments Bernstein's sardonic poetry perfectly. On tracks like the brutal "Face," there is a touch of ambient noise gurgling at just the right parts in the background. Prison is a challenging tour de force.
Download
THE STAGGERING STATISTICS 'PIXELATED ONES & ZEROES'
It came in a limited edition of 750 hand-assembled, hand-numbered CD's in matchbook style jacket in raised pressed sleeve. (It is fabulous!)
Frontman and guitarist Austin Brown is easy to credit as lyricist and vocalist. His voice is unique, with the ability to switch from the sing-along pop chorus ("Wet Book of Matches") to melancholy syncopated verses ("Disastrous Leanings"). Drummer Joe Klug is steady, providing mostly spare accompaniment with a tasteful flash here and there. Klug is confident enough to know when to settle back into the mix and when to push and create tension and pulse. His partnership and ability to mesh with bassist Curley is integral to the band's success. Curley's playing on Pixelated Ones and Zeros is in an entirely different style and presentation than his work with the Afghan Whigs. The ascending runs in "Lookout Cartographer Autobiographer" create a counter-melody that propels and perfectly complicates the song. Throughout, Curley's interplay with Klug creates a special dynamic that accentuates the abilities of all three players.
Download
Visit
GRAVENHURST 'THE WESTERN LANDS'
02 She Dances
03 Hollow Man
04 Song Among The Pine
05 Trust
06 The Western Lands
07 Farewell, Farewell
08 Hourglass
09 Grand Union Canal
10 The Collector
This is the new album form Gravenhurst, due out via Warp records September 19, 2007.
Their last album, 'Fires In Distant Buildings' remains a big favourite of mine - so this new one has a lot to live up to. It's less immediate I would say - have only listened a couple of times but it is definitely growing on me. Gravenhurst demand attention - let's give it to them.
Download
Visit
PROTON PROTON EPs
Proton Proton are definitely dancey, but they're more punk rock than anything. They name-check Shellac, MC5, Deerhoof and XTC and while you can hear the influences, you won't be rolling your eyes, because Proton Proton refuse to be obvious.
These two excellent self-released EPs are now sold-out, so I don't feel bad about publishing the links and spreading the word about this amazing band.
75orless says about EP #2:
"The 'gass' drives the rhythm, a homemade instrument that combines the sounds of a guitar and a bass, in this case resulting in the throbbing bass lines and guitar licks of the Jesus Lizard into one driving rhythm source. This Brooklyn-based trio also tosses in some Mission of Burma-like arpeggio guitar tones to mix up the heaviness and the quirkiness of more recent bands such as Bloc Party over pounding stop and go, more loud than fast drums, slight hand claps, with vocals reminiscent of John Lydon."
Download EP #1
Download EP #2
Visit
MUM 'GO GO SMEAR THE POISON IVY'
1. Blessed Brambles
2. A Little Bit Sometimes
3. They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded
4. These Eyes Are Berries
5. Moon Pulls
6. Marmalade Fires
7. Rhuubarbidoo
8. Dancing Behind My Eyelids
9. School Song Misfortune
10. I Was Her Horse
11. Guilty Rocks
12. Winter (What We Never Were After All)
Scheduled release date is Wednesday 19 September 2007.
Download
Visit Mum
Visit FatCat Records
Sunday, 15 July 2007
FOREST FIRE 'PSYCHIC LOVE STAR E.P.'
- Bad Time Premonition
- Psychic Love Star
- Stand
- How High
- Scorpion
- Someone's Anchor
Mr. Catbirdseat says:
"One day, I randomly downloaded a 5-song bundle, from a band I'd never heard of, from a torrent-trading website. After a few listens, I decided to look the band up, and after a few more listens, I decided to contact the band to see if they'd like to put out a disc for Catbird. The band was Forest Fire, and that 5-song bundle was what eventually became the Psychic Love Star EP."
Download E.P.
Visit Forest Fire
PET POLITICS 'SPRING E.P.'
Pet Politics is a one man band from Gothenburg, Sweden
Bows Plus Arrows says:
"Magnus Larsson's singing voice, honeyed and sweetly accented, sounds close-by, but the music is seemingly from a different time. It's all familiar, the bright instrumentation and the benign melody, which gives it a refreshingly complete feel. "Life Goes On" closes the EP with a slow push, perfect for an afternoon's languor."
Download EP
Visit Catbird Records
Visit Magnus
PETE AND THE PIRATES 'WAIT STOP BEGIN'
He says "There are folk bits, Byrdsy harmony bits, kraut-rock frug-outs, punk blasts of power, and superb pop moments all segued and strewn together carelessly but precisely." And I agree.
(the packaging is gorgeous an anally retentive music geek kinda way).
Download
Visit Pete and his Pirates
Buy more cool CDs from Stolen Recordings
MINUS STORY 'MAKE THE DEAD COME'
Download
Visit
Buy lots of Minus Story CDs!
DIVISION DAY 'BEARTRAP ISLAND'
Download
Visit
Read review at Cokemachineglow
ELEPHANT MICAH 'ALSATIAN SUNLIGHT'
SONIC YOUTH 'DAYDREAM NATION (DELUXE EDITION)'
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Read all about it.