Music Is Good, You Are Not

everything that happens is from now on

2012-02-20T02:25:00.001-05:00

So. Good.

2011-12-22T02:03:00.000-05:00

Mayer Bronson Roots

2011-12-04T16:00:00.005-05:00

Yep.

2011-06-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

Brilliant.

2011-06-14T16:17:00.002-04:00

Oh happy day.

2011-05-18T13:27:00.005-04:00

still kicking around somewhere.

2011-03-12T14:47:00.007-05:00

Tillman and Lamontagne.

2010-08-16T15:27:00.003-04:00

6 minutes into the morning

2010-07-22T11:11:00.005-04:00

if only you could keep the stupidity contained behind your teeth
never letting it slip with mix of tongue and cheek
but such isn't the luck of the perpetually stupid
can't seem to keep your mouth shut when it's not in your blueprint

just gotta hope for some understanding
but usually more than some and more like too much
but thats a heavy load to have to bear
and everyones on the verge of hoping you get fucked

2010-07-18T20:23:00.001-04:00

some months just wear on you

words.

2010-05-27T00:10:00.006-04:00

etchasketch

2010-05-21T23:25:00.003-04:00

there isnt a terrible amount of time that goes by that i dont spend my idle time trying to figure out your signs that it's time for me to go. these unconnected dots i draw lines between connecting unintention to afterthought making shapes in my head that likely would amount to scribbles in others. there are those days that no matter how much time you spend drawing lines between reassuring and truth that they probably wouldn't amount to much more than a picture of an empty promise in my head. there are those days that there doesn't seem any amount of head shaking to erase that picture. so i find other ways to try and scramble that image. anything to make it a little blurry. when these things dont work i pick up the pen and return to drawing lines. lines between garbage and uninspired. lines between shit i wouldn't read if you held a gun to my forehead and third grade prose. lines between push and pull. extend and retract. ask and cut off. and somehow or other in my miswired brain these lines end up a mosaic of reasons i love you most of all.

fridays.

2010-05-21T22:12:00.003-04:00

it's always seemed pretty fruitless to thank god for handing you a day that occurs 52 times a year standard and is just as likely as any other day ending in day to be susceptible to murphys law. hand me a day i don't spend the better part of busy sifting seeds of shit out of it before i can pretend the results are closer to lemonade and maybe i'll show you some gratitude.

Lotta Older Stuff Too...

2010-02-26T13:14:00.006-05:00

Same deal. Samples to come after work.

2010 Has Been Good To Me Thus Far...

2010-02-26T13:02:00.003-05:00

...lotta good stuff so far. Some better than others, but there's a lot of really good stuff on it's way out throughout the last 3/4 of the year too. Anyway, on we go. Been waitin for a few days to get all of this stuff up, but I'm on my way to work in less than an hour so I'll toss up some samples and such upon my return.

A Little More Of The Same...

2010-02-16T19:34:00.002-05:00

...but still kinda different.

Le Lendemain is the project of Library Tapes David Wengrenn and Danny Norbury (who previously worked together on Library Tapes Sketches EP). It's basically just piano and violin with other noises thrown in, and it's quite good.

Balmorhea

2010-02-12T15:15:00.004-05:00

wiki
sample

Langhorne

2010-02-12T15:10:00.006-05:00

wiki

sample 1
sample 2
sample 3

sample
sample 2

Joshua Townes Earle?

2010-02-12T15:00:00.005-05:00

Credit goes to the lady for this dude. Of course I did all the work though ;), but gotta give credit where credit is due.

wiki

sample

sample 1
sample 2
wiki

Jesca Dessa Veirs?

2010-02-12T14:52:00.006-05:00

sample time
wiki

2010-01-29T15:16:00.002-05:00

QOTD: "dis my first baby i aint had no abortions or nothin!" (said in line for registration for college to someone at least 8 people back)

Nneka.

2010-01-23T01:49:00.003-05:00

Legitimately one of the best finds I've had in a while (or ever if you ask my lady). Going to see her live in a couple weeks and I'm fuckin' pumped. Gonna be brilliant as shit. Anyway, her stateside debut comes out just a couple days prior to that on 2/2/10. This is a 3 CD set of her current material up until now. I upped an EP as well but can't manage to find a proper picture. I'll sort that and some more samples out in the morning as it's getting late.

Check check check it out.
Wiki it.

Marissa De Mi Mente?

2010-01-23T01:39:00.003-05:00

Here's an album by Marissa Nadler.
Best sample I can find for now here.

Oh and here's the new Bosques while I'm at it. Shame I gotta wait till next semester to properly utilize it.

Olafur.

2010-01-23T01:23:00.003-05:00

I've already put up two albums by this dude (wiki), but here's his latest two and they are just as good as the rest of his stuff. Real brilliant stuff as always.

Just in case you've forgotten.
Also here's a sample, or two.

Eluvium.

2010-01-23T01:00:00.002-05:00

wiki
sample 1
sample 2
sample 3
sample 4

Dert.

2010-01-23T00:07:00.003-05:00

Honestly probably some my favorite new stuff. Just real well put together and I've given it probably way way too many spins as of late. Available for free on the net last I checked but I rar'd it up for something somewhere so I'll put it up here as well. Check this track out if you want a sample.

2010-01-17T04:02:00.000-05:00

there are some that would have you believe that you haven’t tasted life until your own blood has filled in the gaps between your teeth. and really there is some truth to that, that school of thought that you haven’t experienced life until you’ve experienced life being taken from you. the subtle emptiness that creeps up on you until you only vaguely recollect what it was like not being entrenched in it, consumed by it. the real fact is this world we’ve managed to cobble together for ourselves is nothing but a soul sucking never ending quest of oneupmanship and living is merely doing your best to take note of the small things. those boundless, epic moments of everyday beauty that we write off as trite, those tiny shaky steps towards the true definition of humanity. those inconsequential minor interactions with society at large that leave you changed though you don’t even notice. either that or sleep. sometimes sleep is nice.

Elsewhere As Well.

2009-12-21T13:30:00.003-05:00

Elsewhere.

2009-12-21T13:04:00.007-05:00

2009-12-11T19:10:00.001-05:00

QOTD: "The OB ward should not smell like fish."

2009-11-26T17:04:00.001-05:00

QOTD: "you know...i'm just not built to wipe myself...or clean myself...i have to get into yoga positions to do it. i'm going to go for a walk.'

Yeah why not.

2009-11-02T21:25:00.005-05:00

Been pretty much exactly a month. Here's two I upped recently for shits and giggles.

2009-10-03T01:17:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the best time to have your faith in humanity restored is when you're being insufferable. Thanks and I love you.

Old And Older...

2009-10-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

Alicia and Aretha.

2009-10-01T22:21:00.002-04:00

Clerks.

2009-10-01T22:12:00.002-04:00

A Little Old School And A Little Soul

2009-09-25T11:31:00.004-04:00

Leaders Of The New School.

2009-09-25T11:28:00.001-04:00

"The Leaders of the New School were an American hip hop crew composed of Uniondale, New York natives Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Busta Rhymes and Cut Monitor Milo, Busta Rhymes' cousin. The four got their start touring with hip hop group Public Enemy, and in fact it was member Chuck D who gave Busta Rhymes and Charlie Brown their names.

The group made their first appearance on an Elektra Records compilation titled Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary, with a song called "Mt. Airy Groove". LONS soon joined up with popular hip hop collective, the Native Tongues Posse, along with the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Black Sheep.

In 1991 Busta Rhymes made a guest appearance on A Tribe Called Quest's hit single "Scenario," and LONS joined ATCQ on the Arsenio Hall Show to perform the track with them. Their debut album also came in 1991, entitled A Future Without a Past, which included the hits "Case of the P.T.A.", "Sobb Story" and "The International Zone Coaster". The group was praised for their light-hearted content, and old-school call-and-response deliveries. Their second and last album was T.I.M.E., released in 1993, which stood for "The Inner Mind's Eye". The album was less acclaimed than their debut, but spawned rap hits "What's Next" and "Classic Material"."

Library Tapes.

2009-09-23T18:39:00.006-04:00

"Library Tapes consists of David Wenngren from Gävle, Sweden and is an experimental/ambient band. Per Jardsell was a member of Library Tapes but left after the release of the first album. Later releases saw the artist collaborate with Colleen, Erik Skodvin (Deaf Center & Svarte Greiner), Peter Broderick, Danny Norbury and Sylvain Chauveau."

I have only really given the two '08 releases healthy listens, but they hooked me and I had to grab up the rest of his stuff. From my limited listens today the earlier stuff is just as good but much more sparse without Broderick's help. Anyway, onto the albums.

Ali.

2009-09-22T14:53:00.001-04:00

New Brother Ali, should be good.

Tillman.

2009-09-15T17:45:00.001-04:00

Newest from J. Tillman.

Bondy.

2009-09-08T23:23:00.001-04:00

New effort from A.A. Bondy, get it while it's hot.

Brand New.

2009-09-08T22:58:00.004-04:00

Not a big fan upon first listen through. I really dug the progression between their first album which was typical TBS style nonsense (still listened though) to Deja Entendu which showed a lot of growth. Then out came The Devil... which furthered the nod to old school emo and was grand, now out comes this which I don't know how to feel about. Heard a solid song or two on the first listen, but wasn't too impressed. Honeymoon is over I spose.

Volcano Choir.

2009-09-08T22:29:00.004-04:00

"Volcano Choir is an assembly of Wisconsinites Jon Mueller, Chris Rosenau, Jim Schoenecker, Daniel Spack, Justin Vernon, and Thomas Wincek. You might find these old friends also frequenting records and stages under different monikers, Collections of Colonies of Bees and Bon Iver. The collaboration predates the meteoric rise of Justin Vernon's Bon Iver project, with original songwriting dating back to the summer of 2005, right around the time the Bees first toured with Vernon's previous band DeYarmond Edison.

While entirely a studio record, the collection doesn't suffer from the overburdens of a digital pile up or over-thinking. Rather it breathes and convulses in equal measure, radiating an inherent dynamism found only in the voluntary bondage of intimacy. With influences ranging from David Sylvian and Steve Reich to Mahalia Jackson and Tom Waits, it might be more accurate to say the group's influence is music itself. You can hear it in the care and real love generously applied to each moment of Unmap. With the vibe of some intimate backwoods gospel, plus a spirit of patience and thoughtful repetition, the music of Volcano Choir is as dynamic as it is lovely.

Unmap ultimately came together over a weekend in November 2008 in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, at Justin and Nate Vernon's recording studio. And while it is at its heart a record about the allure of being with people you need and making something with them, it is also a document created by musicians with rare gifts getting together to exorcise their ideas about beauty. This scaffolding of loops and off grid tempos for choral style vocals offers a state of continual surprise, call it unexpectation.

Unmap marks the debut full-length from Volcano Choir, the collaboration between Collections of Colonies of Bees and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver."

New look.

2009-09-08T22:02:00.004-04:00

Shit's looking marginally professional, no?

english 101

2009-09-01T18:04:00.005-04:00

"it's in the earliest hours of the morning that you begin to feel most alive. Those sleepless hours before the dawn, the inevitable precursor to those wholly bad mornings. Those mornings where all you want is to crawl into bed with her but instead climb your tired bones out of bed stumbling in what resembles a drunken stupor into the bathroom to request the salvation of hot water and steam; a salvation that as is the case with all salvation always comes half cocked and with a price.

having realized your mounting debt and pretending to come to terms with it you then emerge from the bathroom, stumbling back into your room in what now resembles an only slightly drunken stupor to find something you find halfway suitable to put on in order to greet this wholly bad morning, perhaps something to appease it or at least something relatively appealing to the eye. Settling instead for the comfort of an old pair of worn jeans and the warmth of flannel, you then leave your house and stumble toward a cup of coffee, content that at least certain examples of salvation come at the bargain price of a mere dollar and fifty nine cents."

Gil Frusciante.

2009-08-17T23:55:00.005-04:00

Gil Scott-Heron. Soul, spoken word, proto-rap, call it what you will, it's good either way. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Another real good one and probably my favorite from the album.

One of a quarter billion(? sounds about right) solo efforts dude has put out now. Anyway, shit's good, probably better than you'd imagine. Here's the opening track. And here is one called Loss.

Old And Still Good Green Day.

2009-08-17T23:44:00.006-04:00

More or less their first album. Feel free to split hairs if you want. Check it. Check this too.

Second album. Here and here please.

2009-08-16T23:51:00.002-04:00

"you've got a deadline. you've got 22 minutes to compose something that anyone will care enough to even skim, 21 by the time you've finished scrawling the previous sentence. so what'll it be? staring at a blank slate isn't exactly the best muse, though it may be the brightest in an otherwise dark room. you frantically search your even darker mind, darkened by sleep and the efforts of the continued day and nothing will come to you, a feeling comparable to writers block but possibly even more frustrating. a total vaccum of ideas is worse than feeling a nebulous need to create only to not willfully eek a single thing out, or at least it sometimes seems that way. instead you impress upon the bright white slate darkened letters comprising what amounts to a giant heap of bullshit, so you scrap them and start over, slate seeming brighter than ever, burning your eyes but unfortunately not any ideas into the brain that you once thought to lie behind them. so now what? you've got 14 minutes left and it took your addled brain the better part of 45 seconds to figure the math out on that one. at this point you find yourself wondering weighing the pros and cons of submitting a giant pile of bullshit that is now steaming and beginning to gather flies, or simply aborting the process in it's entirety and retreating to sleep having realized how futile it is to attempt to construct something out of nothing. it's at this point you also realize you've failed to bother to use capital letters and punctuation has probably taken a backseat to timeliness. and don't even bother thinking about coherance or clarity, you should probably be lucky you have words on the page that you haven't the gall to scrap yet. i guess it's at this point you just press submit hoping the maggots that have now become present at least bloom into something more worthy than the heap they crawled out of."

2009-08-15T23:51:00.003-04:00

"Ever find yourself staring at a paper laid open to the obituaries and being sad that that is what the persons life amounted to, summed up in the requisite 100 words or less? Or even that whomever ended up being saddled with the arduous task of condensing what was hopefully a lifes worth of events into mere bullet points assumed (be it correctly or not) that these were the ultimate and seemingly unfortunate highlights to fill up this arbitrary summation of a subjects life? Subject being used because they always tend to read detached and cold as the body, no matter the effort, rather coming across as a mere chore, a required acknowledgment of loss. Here's hoping some warmth and care was taken with the eulogy."

2009-08-14T23:51:00.003-04:00

"As I walked around the old mill town in what remained of a long day, I slowly began to take notice of the ramshackle way it had been cobbled together. Patched piece by piece and tarred at the seams with seemingly shoddy respect for all to follow and all that preceded. Doors that were once bustling portals of activity now had been closed and painted up seemingly only remaining for the purpose of holding errant tags and the incessant vulgar scrawl of seemingly overgrown but not yet grown up school children. It was then I began to wonder with the imminent demise of print media if that was what my generation would be reduced to, mindless sloganeering masquerading as wit.

And yet seemingly in spite of this observation or perhaps out of pure compliance and acquiescence I sit inside one of these patchwork establishments touching pen to paper. For the most part directly inside the door of these buildings is what I can only assume is meant to pass for a bar. Jutting angular protrusions of wood or something like it pieced together into a ramshackle counter covered in the only obvious clue to it being a bar aside from the surly half tanked patrons scattered about, alcohol, and plenty of it. These surroundings do however seem to become increasingly more homey as soon as you've been caught in the realization that the man pouring your drinks (phrased that way because he's precisely that and nothing more) is rather heavy handed with the whiskey much to your eventual chagrin. That is until you end up as immediately outside the door as you were in, in what may or may not be a gutter."

Fifteen.

2009-08-13T15:51:00.003-04:00

Fifteen is a punk band out of California from a bit back that came out after Crimpshine was no more. Certainly not for everyone understandably but I dig it. Lotsa environmental, drug abuse, racism yadda yadda centered lyrics.

Album from 1994. Had the song that first got me into them when I heard a cover of it, Petroleum Distillation. Ok so apparently there's either a 30 second clip or a terrible live version, I went with the clip.

1999. Dedicated to friend and bass player Lucky who killed himself possibly in part to his speed addiction. Title track is clearly dedicated to him as well. My Congressman addresses the need for needle exchange programs and a handy way to remember how to clean your needles. Family Values covers working for a shitty boss/corporation.

Just get this shit...

2009-08-10T00:26:00.005-04:00

...already.

Honey's Dead.

2009-07-27T20:28:00.005-04:00

Here's one I haven't heard in a while. Remembered it when transferring music to the laptop for ipod purposes. Apparently it's hard to find the cuts from the album on the net and not shitty live videos. But here's Reverence which I really dig as well as Sugar Ray which I dig a lot too so it all works out.

While I'm on the Scottish music here's another. Check out this guy.

Oldie But Goodie.

2009-07-19T21:43:00.003-04:00

Of course we all know Mr. Jones and Round Here. But how about Raining In Baltimore, Rain King, Perfect Blue Buildings and Anna Begins?

Two Classics In Their Own Ways...

2009-07-19T21:35:00.004-04:00

I mean come on. Examples to be had here. Check this one out while you're at it too please.

Buddy fuckin' Holly. Come on now. Everyday? Peggy Sue? Those are the easy ones.

Two Good Mashups.

2009-07-19T21:24:00.005-04:00

Jaydiohead. Pretty self-explanatory. No Karma.
Change Order. Optimistic Moment. 99 Anthems.

Another self-explanatory one. I really dig this one a lot specifically a couple of tracks. This being one of them. But this one is my absolute favorite, easy.

Random Raps.

2009-07-19T20:54:00.004-04:00

Smif N Wessun's 1995 effort Dah Shinin' . They were later known as Cocoa Brovaz. Anyway, albums is good, check that shit. Wrektime is probably my favorite off the album. Timz N Hood Chek is good as well.

Solillaquists Of Sound are on Strange Famous Records and they are pretty good. Check 1. Check 2. Check 3.

I honestly don't remember where this came from or why I have it. Never really listened to it much, but I remember kinda liking it so here it is for your enjoyment. Anyway read about dude here. He's got beats from RJD2 and Prefuse 73 on here which is probably why I picked it up. Examples here and here.

Pelican.

2009-07-19T18:46:00.003-04:00

Post-metal is what this apparently is. Pretty good summation I suppose because it sounds like post-rock mixed with metal. If you've heard Isis it's kinda similar but sans vocals.
Anyway check out Last Day Of Winter and March To The Sea.

Phil Ochs.

2009-07-19T18:36:00.003-04:00

"Phil Ochs was a U.S. protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight albums in his lifetime.

Ochs performed at many political events, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind.

After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s and eventually he succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and he took his own life in 1976."

So with that, here's his 1965 album I Ain't Marching Anymore.

Notable songs include the title track (seems to be a trend as of late) and Draft Dodger Rag, which is a pretty hilarious one.

The Smiths.

2009-07-19T18:10:00.005-04:00

Morrisey eh? Not much to say about dude that hasn't already been said a billion times over, especially on the internet. Anyway, bastard wrote lotsa good shit and here's some of it.

Came out the year I was born. Shit's real good, but my first foray into them was The Queen Is Dead. Check out How Soon Is Now? which I'm sure you've heard unless you were dead before 1985, fucking sonically solid song from the guitar to the bass line and of course the singing. Since I can't seem to find any other album versions on youtube you can have this Radiohead cover of The Headmaster Ritual which is the opening track of this album.

The Queen Is Dead. Easily my favorite album by them and actually probably one of my favorite albums period. I Know It's Over being probably my favorite track off the album. That runs into Never Had No One Ever which is followed by Cemetery Gates either. Second to last song on the album has always been a favorite of mine and can be found here.

Nick Drake.

2009-07-19T17:13:00.006-04:00

Another one of those you should probably already be up on this posts. If not do a little light reading. Anyway, here goes his 3 albums and Time Of No Reply.

First up is the debut of course. Album opens with Time Has Told Me. River Man runs right behind it. Another good one is Day Is Done.

Next up is the second effort Bryter Layter. Check out Northern Sky and One Of These Things First.

Pink Moon. You'll probably recognize the title track from a VW commercial a while back. Which Will is another worth checking out. Aaaand randomly lets go with Parasite.

Time Of No Reply. 1986 compilation featuring outtakes, alternate versions and such. Title track is quite good as is Black Eyed Dog. His cover of Been Smoking Too Long is a favorite of mine as well.

Sage Francis.

2009-07-14T22:07:00.010-04:00

Just got done seeing Sage kill it at Rock The Bells where he referenced some funny events I was present for that had happened outside of the show the first time I was lucky enough to see him. They gave him a small spot on the second stage which was a poor choice since he was possibly the best performance of the day and certainly the first good performance of the day.

First up are his three solo efforts and the Non-Prophets (him and Joe Beats) album Hope.

Next are five/seven mixtapes (of which someone sweet was kind enough to quickly provide me with three). The missing two are the first which is all but unavailable and the latest which is available for free on his website.

And last but not least are an EP and two live albums (thanks for the second by the way).

Just-Ice & Nas.

2009-07-14T21:32:00.005-04:00

Andrew Bird.

2009-07-14T21:19:00.005-04:00

Gonna finally get around to seeing this guy for real at the end of October. Saw him for a little bit at Bonnaroo, but it'll be good to see a total performance of his.

Update of Justin Vernon Cache.

2009-07-14T12:51:00.010-04:00

So Justin Vernon is the man behind Bon Iver, and I'm a pretty big fan of everything he's done. The Hazeltons record someone sweet was kind enough to direct me to after a bit of searching. Still haven't found his records released under JD Vernon or Mount Vernon, but I'm trying.

"The band began as friends from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, evolving from Justin Vernon's early band Mount Vernon and takes its name from Justin Vernon's two middle names. The members first met at the H.O.R.D.E. Festival in 1997, bonded at a Wisconsin jazz camp, and played together in various combinations before finally playing as DeYarmond Edison in 2002. The band's style is a blend of folk and Americana sounds with more modern atmospheric and electronic elements. DeYarmond Edison recorded two albums while in Eau Claire, a self-titled album and Silent Signs.

After a period of success in Eau Claire's music scene the band decided to move to Raleigh, North Carolina to begin a musical career in a new location. The band experienced some success in Raleigh, but eventually broke up because of tensions caused by different musical directions and philosophies and personal reasons. The breakup also occurred subsequent to Vernon falling severely ill with a form of mononucleosis that damages the liver.

Following the dissolution of DeYarmond Edison, Vernon eventually returned to Wisconsin to live in his father's cabin, and over the course of 3 months of isolation, he produced what became the Bon Iver album For Emma, Forever Ago. The remaining members DeYarmond Edison formed Megafaun, eventually releasing their own album Bury the Square."

Also since I can't seem to find a cover, here's a link to another Deyarmond Edison album "The Bickett Residency".

During the Deyarmond Edison days Vernon recorded a couple of solo albums which can be found below.

And if you don't know Bon Iver by now, shame on you, but here's their full length and EP so you can remedy it.

Batch Of Randomness.

2009-07-13T23:43:00.003-04:00

We'll start with Death From Above 1979's only studio album "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine". Dudes broke up in '06 and it's a shame because I dig the album, and it also makes for good running music. They make some pretty good noise for being two dudes and mainly utilizing drums and a bass guitar with some synth thrown in. Anyway, I dig Black History Month, Sexy Results, as well as Blood On Our Hands for taste tests.

Strange Geometry is a 2005 album by London's The Clientele. Dudes are known for reverb heavy sound and dudes breathy and distinctive vocals. Since K Got Over Me is good and we'll go with I Can't Seem To Make You Mine as well.

2006 EP by blues rock group The Black Keys. These are all covers of songs by Junior Kimbrough whom I keep intending to grab some albums by and never do. Anyway, some sexy songs on this EP. Work Me for example. Nobody But You is a good one as well. Aaand we'll finish with Meet Me In The City.

Blasts From My Past.

2009-07-13T21:35:00.003-04:00

First up are two albums from Eels. More or less the outlet for Mark Everett with an ever rotating cast helping dude out.

Released in 1998 and written as a response to his sisters suicide and mothers fatal battle with lung cancer, shit's a little bleak. Album starts off with Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor, a song composed using one of his sisters final diary entries. Followed with Going To Your Funeral and Cancer For The Cure. Also of note is Climbing To The Moon which is about visiting his sister in a psychiatric facility.

This guy came out in 2000. Third album they did. Good shit here and right here. Oh and of course there is always this one. Plus you can't forget It's A Motherfucker.

Concept album from Cursive. Shit's about a couple (as evidenced by the cover I'd assume). Roughly patterned around Kasher's divorce. The Casualty is a good one, as is The Martyr.

Another concept album by Cursive. This one essentially being a Pinocchio story, only with love and empty sex. Art Is Hard is a standout track as are The Recluse and Driftwood: A Fairy Tale.

What do you know, another concept album by Cursive. Well, loosely at least. This one revolves around a small town and deals with religion and hypocrisy. Album opens with Opening The Hymnal/Babies (the latter half of which manages to have stuck that "baby baby baby" line in my head since I first heard it). That's followed by Dorothy At Forty, which is then followed by Big Bang. Those should give a fair indication as to the subject matter and sound.

Little Old, Little New(ish)...

2009-07-13T20:51:00.006-04:00

Still haven't heard Farm, but I will soon and it'll probably end up on here. In the mean time, here goes...

Second effort from Dinosaur Jr. and one of my favorite albums really. Sadly I always forget how much I like it, but as soon as Little Fury Things kicks in I'm instantly reminded. Go ahead and check out Sludgefeast while you're at it.

Upon it's release in 2007 this was their first album in 10 years. It also came out 20 years after You're Living All Over Me. Best part being? It's a fucking solid effort, especially for a bunch of 40 year old dudes. Examples to be had here, here and here.

PS, if you haven't already be sure to check out Witch in which J Mascis switches from his guitar/vocals gig in Dino Jr and does drums. Shit's also great.

(Mostly) Instrumental Nonesense.

2009-07-07T13:32:00.006-04:00

Debut from Ólafur Arnalds. Eulogy For Evolution. Dude is from Iceland and drummed in some metal bands that I'm pretty sure are probably terrible. Anyway, he made this album and an EP released the following year and both are good. Sample time.

This of course is the aforementioned EP Variations Of Static. Same deal. Piano, loops and beats. Sample to be had here.

These next three I take no credit for (although I do appreciate them very much) and came to me by way of someone sweet.

Honestly don't know too much about Bosques besides that it comes from Spain and that I like this album a lot. Check this out, and this too while you're at it.

Post rock outta the UK. Anyway this is a 60 some odd minute long EP titled Enjoy Eternal Bliss (I guess it still qualifies as an EP due to only having 4 tracks) and it's good. Do it up.

2006 effort from Roberto Di Gioia's Marsmobil. Examples to be found here aaaaaand here.

Quite The Mix.

2009-07-02T21:08:00.002-04:00

Classic shit, yo. Well maybe, either way blast from the past type shit. Megahit Runaway Train and a couple other gems, here's one.

Solid fuckin' Spoon record and easily my favorite of theirs. I'm big on Everything Hits At Once as well as The Fitted Shirt and 10:20 AM.

Shouldn't really require an introduction or blurb of any kind, but this is the album dude put out three days prior to his death (on his 32nd birthday) that everyone pooped their collective pants over, and rightfully so. Rather than link the album in it's entirety I'll stick to...three tracks and call it a day. First up is Time: Donut Of The Heart, second is One For Ghost (with what might be the dumbest video I've seen attached to one of my favorite beats of all time), and last (but of course not least, duh) is Walkinonit. Bonus nod goes to Ghost for what he did with his beat, turning it into Whip You With A Strap on Fishscale.

Jawbreaker.

2009-07-02T20:21:00.004-04:00

Good shit, but not my favorite. Up more for completions sake than anything. Example to be had right about here. This style of singing caught up to him and he had throat surgery prior to recording the next album.

Getting there. Highlights include their response to being called sell outs and a few others that there don't seem to be videos for.

Here we are. My favorite of their albums I do believe. This guy as well as this dude are two of my favorites as far as songs of theirs go. Yeah, I guess this one as well.

Two Records That Are Completely Unrelated.

2009-06-29T22:18:00.003-04:00

Pretty big disparity really.

Debut from The Boy Least Likely To. The genre on this is Twee. The best description I've heard of Twee is that you'd be embarrassed to have it blaring if you were in your car with your windows down and had to stop at a light. It's basically ultra happy sounding shit, however I dig it a lot and it usually cheers me up which doesn't usually happen from happy music. Check this and this (which is unfortunately unfinished).

Common's Be. I mean it's Common so it's not going to actually be bad unless it's Universal Mind Control. Also the production was done (by a half a million people) in an homage to Dilla which it isn't even close to but you can hear it. This is an awesome song despite being too short. Here's another.

Gang Of Fugazi?

2009-06-29T21:51:00.004-04:00

Fugazi's debut full length. Can't really go wrong. Taste. Test.

Debut from Gang Of Four. Post-punk style shit. Youtube apparently has nothing but shitty live stuff so here and here will have to suffice.

Two Best Of Deals

2009-06-29T21:33:00.002-04:00

The fuckin' Animals. Duh. Here and here if it's necessary.

The fuckin' Four Tops. Aduuuuh. Here and here if necessary.

Death Metal By The Eagles?

2009-06-29T18:46:00.004-04:00

Josh Homme's (Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss) other project. On this one instead of doing the front man gig he plays drums. Anyway, they do a cover of Stuck In The Middle With You that I enjoy. Sample time.

Second effort. Not gonna bother with the third because it's not very good. Try this one out.

Beginner Indie...

2009-06-29T17:56:00.003-04:00

...but it's good.

Fourth effort by Death Cab. Not my favorite but it contains this, and is an otherwise solid effort.

Next effort after that. Again Death Cab so it doesn't need much explaining. Contains Soul Meets Body and I Will Follow You Into The Dark in case you missed them the billion and a half times they got played, but also contains this.

Latest effort. Cath, yadda yadda, honestly haven't listened to it, but it's up here because I have it and may as well throw it in there if someone wants it.

Took Me Long Enough...

2009-06-29T12:35:00.013-04:00

...but here are some people that probably talk funny to us 'mercans.

Second effort from these Scottish bastards. Well technically only one Scottish bastard, but he does have a band of other Scottish bastards behind him. Anyhow, it's good chamber pop/indie pop or whatever similar genre you wanna slap on it. You've likely heard a song or two by them somewhere, High Fidelity being a possibility. Think Simon and Garfunkelish, only not. So
anyway, it sounds like this.

More from Scotland, only this time it's two bastard brothers and it's IDM. Anyway, this is their first major release and still my favorite that they've done. Also one of my favorites as far as IDM goes besides Boom Bip's Blue Eyed In The Red Room which if I haven't already upped I'll later throw in this post. Sample to be found here as well as here.

This guy is Irish so you know he talks funny. He also makes really good albums and follows them up with ones that are subpar in comparison (save for Rootless Tree). You've certainly already heard his shit on TV or in a coffee shop (or even Ikea) but here and here and here are places you can go for songs to hear.

2009-06-26T15:42:00.003-04:00

...and so with that I dig out the old dusty book full of words strung haphazardly together into what I call songs. Time capsules of days long since forgotten and days I've long since wished to forget. Indelibly etched into book upon book as permanent record. I'm not quite sure what it is that stirs inside of me that compels me to touch page to pen despite not often being happy with what you could call the results. It is however generally the product of a great deal of unease or a modicum of sadness. Kinda ironic when something you use to cope ends up stirring up the same feelings oftentimes upon your spontaneous and sporadic returns to it. And yet and still something hits me and I mire line upon line and page upon page with the garbage spilling from my mind. I think it's part of an unspoken necessity to create something tangible in a vain attempt to affect and change the world, or really just a plain desire to create, to make something out of nothing even if the something ends up being construed as nothing. That and there is just something oddly soothing in the written word, especially when coupled with returning to what's familiar even when sometimes it's painful. Thankfully things seem to be looking up, which generally begets far more sporadic returns but generally a better product. Here's hoping...

eh.

2009-06-25T22:29:00.009-04:00

Bye bye Bonnaroo.

Hello Virginia you lengthy bastard you.

Back to work for me.

So Bonnaroo...

2009-06-21T23:35:00.006-04:00

Uh, no updates after I got there, that should be pretty evident of the time that was had. Sights seen are as follows:

Gomez
Bela Fleck
Grizzly Bear
Ani DiFranco
Beastie Boys
Phish

Bon Iver (easily my favorite)
Elvis Costello
Heard Springsteen's set from the tent with no apparent option of not hearing it
Little bit of NIN doing Terrible Lie much to my surprise
Ben Harper

AA Bondy
Ted Leo
Brett Dennen
Erykah Badu
Andrew Bird
Band of Horses (close second)
Phish (both performances were certainly the best performances put on which I was pretty surprised by but will continue to admit to my own dismay)

Anyway, the fucking mutant mud on that farm was unlike any other mud I've ever encountered and enjoyed flipping between either stealing my shoes or making me slide around like more of a jackass than I normally am so eventually going barefoot was the only recourse. Sleeping in a tent in the heat isn't quite as miserable a picture as it's painted out to be, but company may have played a role in that much as it does in most situations. EZ Up style canopies are definitely lifesaving devices in the godawful TN sun.

While the best parts of the week consisted of laying in the grass listening to amazing music by amazing artists the top two said moments were definitely Bon Iver (whom despite the best efforts of the blazing sun and complete lack of unoccupied shade not found underneath a funny hat or bandanna was probably as close to a perfect moment as I've had in quite a while) and Band Of Horses for whom the weather was nearly as beautiful as the company kept for the past two weeks.

Really though I'm beat and thus I don't feel like rambling on and on about Bon now and probably won't ever return and do so as I've already told most of the important and/or funny shit, but should you ever go please do everyone who is naive enough to sign up to clean after the festival a favor and pick up your goddamn cigarette butts. It's miserable enough with a lazy bitch yelling at you without having to pick up half a million of those goddamn things. Also, bring lots of sun screen.

2009-06-11T07:11:00.002-04:00

Despite the best efforts of long ass lines and lackadaisical safety volunteers we are here.

2009-06-11T02:12:00.002-04:00

Virginia is apparently the longest state in the union and filled to the brim with homicidal truckers and apathetic police dispatchers. Four hours away.

2009-06-09T16:53:00.001-04:00

Biblical plauge style flash floods, worst detours ever that lead to the scariest places ever, and some real wierdos, and I haven't even gotten to Bonnaroo yet.

Bonnaroo?

2009-06-07T11:21:00.001-04:00

Yes please.

Tea For The Tillman?

2009-06-05T13:28:00.003-04:00

If you don't know or I haven't said it before Tillman is the drummer in the hypebeast that is Fleet Foxes, but this is rather different from them. Think more early Elliott Smith.

J. Tillman's 2006 deal "Long May You Run, J. Tillman"

Same idea as the Cancer and Delirium album I posted a little bit ago, only a bit more lo-fi and intimate. Good shit, I promise. Just grabbed it last night but House Arms Built seems to be my favorite thus far.

Latest effort (2009) by Tillman. Vacilando Territory Blues. Definitely a bit more produced, but not in a bad way, just a lot more clear sounding. Also worth checking out.

The Odd Couple.

2009-06-03T15:15:00.017-04:00

Another stellar effort from Will Oldham as per usual. Dude has pumped out a goddamn ton of albums and all that I've managed to hear are on point.

Here is a song called Cursed Sleep, only one I could seem to find that wasn't a terribly recorded live version.

Cage's second effort Hell's Winter. Also in the RAR is a second disc that's got all the instrumentals on the album. I'm pretty certain the new album is gonna be terrible if what I've heard so far is any indication, so enjoy while it lasts.

Anyway, check some samples here and here.

Brand New.

2009-06-03T13:32:00.006-04:00

Good effort at bringing back legitimate emo which (ironically?) makes me quite happy.

Deja Entendu. The jump between this and their album before it (think Taking Back Sunday style) is pretty amazing really. Good to know that even a band that makes a mediocre debut can wind up surprising you. Check this shit out and maybe this one while you are at it.

Furthers the homage to legit emo, and quite well. Much darker, and drawn out. Examples to be found here as well as here.

Here's a little post-hardcore while I'm naming genres. Think ATDI style but with probably more nonsensical lyrics and just as much fun. Anyway here it is, Bear Vs. Shark's second effort, Terrorhawk.

Go here.

Kitty Cats.

2009-06-03T12:47:00.008-04:00

Two random albums I picked that happen to both be artists named Cat.

The Cat Stevens album everyone knows and most love. Wild World, Where Do The Children Play? and such stuff.

Includes a her version of the traditional Moonshiner as well as Metal Heart and Cross Bones Style.

Essential for properly enjoying your summer.

2009-06-03T11:54:00.018-04:00

A little Blind Melon goes a long way. A lot of Blind Melon is the best thing you can do for your day. That rhymed and I'd express it's utter homosexuality in a three letter word, but that'd rhyme too and then I'd just have to end my life.

S/T effort containing what sadly became their one and only big hit. Fuzzy classic rock influenced deal.

Goodness is contained here. Tough to pick a favorite but that's pretty close.

Soup. Darker lyrically and musically. Diverse instrumentation. Recorded blocks from where Hoon later overdosed. Sad times.

The two best songs on the album maybe be found here and here.

Posthumous effort Nico, named for Hoon's daughter. Good covers of Steppenwolf and Lennon, and speaking of covers this album cover has for some reason been a favorite of mine for years now. It also contains two of my favorite songs they ever put out.

This and this guy here are those two songs.

Now go sit in the goddamn sun and play these albums as loud as you possibly can.

Change is pointless.

2009-06-03T00:06:00.003-04:00

If you are seemingly incompetent.

So it's been a little bit.

2009-05-29T15:50:00.006-04:00

I'm a filthy liar and these never showed up when I promised, but they are up now, so no bitching.

If you don't have either of these, I'm not entirely sure if we can still be friends. I don't need to say anything about either of these albums.

Two essential efforts from Brock and co before I get some of their other junk up.

My Morning Jacket's At Dawn for good measure.

Good Things Come In Pairs.

2009-05-18T03:00:00.005-04:00

Indie folk rock nonsense out of Indiana. First record is about a married couple and the dissolution of their marriage due to alcohol. Second is about and dedicated to dudes stepfather that abused him.

Indie folk rock nonsense out of Canadia.

This one comes in threes however. Good straight forward rock out of Jersey. Bruce Springsteen feel to it without being cloying.

Justin Vernon Cache.

2009-05-18T02:51:00.004-04:00

Catch All.

2009-05-18T00:22:00.008-04:00

Back when Mobb Deep were good.

You can't beat Pete Rock, especially when paired with CL Smooth. Check and make sure I was right.

Dismemberment Plan's Emergency & I. Good shit. Get a taste here.

At The Drive-In, come on. Also known as Mars Volta before they sucked.

Japanese stoner rock that also encompasses a ton of other genres. Dudes are pretty crazy. Check.

K Records and Lo-fi Nonsense.

2009-05-18T00:18:00.014-04:00

My name is Calvin Johnson and I can't really sing but I sorta pretend anyway. There is also a girl in the band that does the same with slightly better results. However I did make this landmark album that a lot of people enjoy regardless. Plus I created K Records.

I like. Find out why here.

The Complete Guide to Insufficiency is the debut album by David Thomas Broughton, released in 2005. The entire album was recorded in a single continuous take at a church in Leeds - the church bells can be heard during the record. It was originally released by small indie label Birdwar in the UK before being licensed by Plug Research for US release. The title is a play on the name of John Seymour's book The Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency.

Elf Power's 1999 effort A Dream In Sound. Dreamy pop from a band related to the Elephant Six collective (Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.). Perfect for a stoned summer day.

Will My Feet Still Carry Me Home - Elf Power

"Daniel Dale Johnston (born January 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas.

Johnston has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. One critic writes that Johnston's recordings range from "spotty to brilliant."

Pretty much what I'd have to say on him. Some of the songs are pretty bad, some of them are pretty perfect pieces of pop. Either way it's a pretty interesting look into his head, which is pretty messed up.

Will Oldham is a prolific motherfucker. Dude has put out more albums than I care to count. He's also done a couple movies, appeared on a Sage Francis song, and been covered by Johnny Cash. Anyway, take a gander here.

Older shit.

2009-05-18T00:14:00.004-04:00

W.C. Fields.

2009-05-14T23:05:00.007-04:00

One I wish I listened to long before I did for personal reasons. I'm sure their new stuff is terrible however. Also the last song on the album is completely terrible, just disregard it.

Hopkins had suffered from chronic depression since childhood and had been battling alcoholism for several years. However, in 1990, the Gin Blossoms were one of the hottest local bands in Tempe and the surrounding areas, and they signed a contract with A&M Records. He was also resistant to signing to a major label, feeling like its property, and reacted with stubbornness and more drinking. When the band recorded its debut album New Miserable Experience in February 1992, it was reported that Hopkins was unable to stand during his recording sessions. Faced with the prospect of firing Hopkins or being dropped by A&M, the band terminated Hopkins. Doused in aftershave and mouthwash to cover the effects of his days-long drinking binge, he was flown back to Arizona. He was replaced by Scott Johnson. As result, the band withheld $15,000 owed to Hopkins until he agreed to sign over half of his publishing royalties to his replacement, which he reluctantly agreed to do because of his dire financial situation. While New Miserable Experience did not make a strong debut, it went on to become a multi-platinum album.

As the Gin Blossoms experienced mounting success, performing songs he had written, Hopkins became increasingly despondent. Though he had always dreamed of having a gold record, when he received one for the song "Hey Jealousy", he hung it up for two weeks before taking it down and then destroying it. Nine days later, during an intake consultation in the detox unit of Phoenix's St. Luke's Hospital, Hopkins snuck out and bought a .38 caliber pistol. The next day December 4, 1993 Hopkins committed suicide. At his memorial service, Wilson recalls, a woman approached his former band members with a message from Hopkins upon his death: he was the one that had poured sugar in the gas tank of their tour van in 1992.

The only albino Brother around.

2009-05-13T23:48:00.001-04:00

This Will Destroy Your Red House?

2009-05-13T23:40:00.001-04:00

Split with Lymbyc Systym: