« October 2005 | Main | December 2005 »
November 29, 2005
getting my master's in mutual funds
Hey peeps, if you haven't seen it yet, go stare and salivate at Said the Gramophone's Jolly Rancher Apple Green redesign. So pretty...makes me want to tear down this pink abomination and start all over again. But I won't, too lazy.
Things are going to be slow around here (slower) since work wants to promote me to a second-degree black belt in doing boring shit all day long. No, I kid. But I have to devote a sizable amount of time to preparing for this so I can earn more $$$ and, you know, feed myself and such (taking it one Maslow level at a time). This is just until Friday or so(???)- maybe Matt can tear himself away from blog-retirement long enough to write about a song or two on here in the meantime.
Coming up soon though: long post about Black Dice's "Beaches and Canyons", some Siouxsie and the Banshees, more Animal Collective (always), more Blood Brothers, and in December there'll hopefully be a double-disc mix of fun, harsh, catchy, annoying, ingratiating, polite and unscrupulous songs for your enjoyment.
P.S. Go back and listen to the Glissandro 70 song if you haven't done so already. It's gentle, but also full of surprises. Also, as Craig (from G70) was kind enough to point out in the comments, the album will be released on March 20th in North America (perfect music for early spring).
Posted by Kevin at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2005
crushed under the weight of those calories
Some good news gleaned from random Googling: it looks like Constellation is going to be releasing the Glissandro 70 album, some time in March 2006 (also check out that article for some cool tidbits about Sandro Perri and his many projects [Polmo Polpo, Continuous Dick]). If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out the excellent post over at Popsheep where Amy wrote about the band way back in July. Here's the preview track (too good to be believed, really):
Also fantastic is the fact that the Cadence Weapon album, "Breaking Kayfabe", has finally been given a release date- December 6th in Canada, and some time in April for the U.S. It'll be out on Upper Class Recordings, and you can download the album track 'Sharks' right here, and listen to some other tracks from Rollie's amazing mixtape ("Cadence Weapon is the Black Hand", which included 'Sharks') over at the aforeposted Cadence Weapon site. Of course, Rollie is always posting great tracks over at Razorblade Runner (a must-read), so keep an eye on that too. "Breaking Kayfabe" was originally supposed be out in like August, so I'm glad to see that it wasn't pushed back all the way into the new year.
Posted by Kevin at 12:18 AM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2005
holding
Fiery Furnaces - Whistle Rhapsody
Posted by Kevin at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2005
claps and jet planes speed by overhead
A mix for Thanksgiving- songs that I love, but which I'm either unable or unwilling (more the former) to write anything substantive about, for whatever reason.
Broken Social Scene - New Country (live on KVRX)
Didn't end up on the new album, as many had speculated, but this song still shows off the band at their best. Standard thick + pretty BSS arrangements work out as K. Drew and Feist (I think it's those two singing) trade some lines back and forth, with Feist singing (carefully, gently), "well I know I should be going/but I always end up miles away/just keep in mind/if you hold it tight/I'll stay", which prefaces a tight little knot of guitars and drums at the tail end of the track. With any luck, the band'll release this on the next "Bee Hives" collection.
Call me out for having soft ears, but Black Dice's squish-bubble lullaby/buzz-jam 'Wastered' outdoes Animal Collective's wind chime walk to grandmother's house 'Wastered' in every way. Not that I don't dig the AC half, it's just that it's not often that Black Dice jams on such a song-oriented structure as this. Physically unavailable now (Black Dice just recently sold out the last of their share of the vinyl on this tour), you might be able to find the "Wastered" single on Gemm or Ebay, maybe.
Bark Psychosis - From What Is Said to When It's Read
All this band does is make ruthlessly gorgeous music. This is the lead-off track from "Codename:Dustsucker", the band's 2004 return to album-making. Bark Psychosis generally write and release music that's difficult to describe (viz. Reynolds' invention of the term 'post-rock' to talk about their songs), and 'From What Is Said to When It's Read' is no different (it sounds like an unexpected snowstorm, that's all I'll say). This is an album you should definitely own.
This is Dagan from Despistado's new band. 'F2' is a demo they put up a while ago, and it's a solid little indie rock song. Not quite as imaginative or energetic as Despistado's music, it's actually surprisingly poppy. Something about it makes me think of Pavement. Good, even if it is a little too standard.
Yancey posted this one a while back, and I have slowly become addicted to it. Notable for the ridiculously great lyric, "and gee that cocaine tree look fine". This song sounds like someone walking around a freshly mown backyard with irregular pianos strapped to their feet, bumping into a party of croquet players. Very good. From the album of the same name.
Panda Bear - Comfy In Nautica (link to listen to it on WFMU)
From the forthcoming single on UUAR, 'Comfy In Nautica' is Panda Bear's attempt to record the equivalent of Disco Inferno (circa "Technicolour") covering the Beach Boys' 'Our Prayer/Gee'; no but really Noah and his samplers lay down the confetti-ridden joy-march of the year on this one. "You try to remember always/always to have a good time", Noah's vocals are huge and airy, he is confident that this song will make you happy (and it will).
Posted by Kevin at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2005
someone's diamond eyes are tearing up
Belle & Sebastian - (My Girl's Got) Miraculous Technique
This pop jewel is from the same 2001 Peel session that spawned 'Shoot the Sexual Athlete' (a.k.a. Stuart raps about the Go-Betweens), 'The Magic of a Kind Word', and 'Nothing in the Silence', all of which remain unreleased (unfortunately). Also from the era when Isobel Campbell was still rocking the cello and harmonizing with Stuart and Sarah (I will say that I miss Isobel's voice, if not her songs).
Perhaps the most alluring element in this song is the percussion- one of the few times that B&S have utilized an electronic drum track (it sounds like it's a sample that the band recorded prior to the session) and augmented it with Richard's live drumming, this may be the only instance when the band has ever or will ever produce something that could be called a 'hot beat'. But there's no mistaking the sound, it definitely moves in a kind of lite hip-hop way, and it makes 'Miraculous Technique' something very special.
And in a lot of ways, I feel like this song is a classic B&S track (up there with 'The State I Am In', 'Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying', 'Your Cover's Blown', etc.): it's got all of Murdoch's usual lyrical tics (small town pleasures- check; seasonal references- check; sexual innuendoes of varying obliqueness- check), and the melody rivals any one of the effortlessly catchy Tigermilk/Sinister masterpieces. Weird thing about the lyrics- I was reminded of this song when listening to the new Liars single ('It Fit When I Was A Kid'), which features the words "used a diamond on the glass/slithered slowly through the dark/made my way up all your stairs", where 'Miraculous Technique' has "if I could be a song/I would be something that would snake into your room/and be with you the whole night long". Not sure which one sounds more sinister (extracontextually).
There was some talk, a little while ago, of B&S releasing a disc of all their Peel sessions (along with the famous Black Sessions that has the original, superior version of 'Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner' and Isobel's cover of 'Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son'), hopefully that's something that comes to fruition in the near future.
Posted by Kevin at 12:32 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2005
can't just pick him up in a black and white
Going to VA (Richmond, specifically) for a few days. However, at some point this weekend, I'm going to try to write about my favorite Belle & Sebastian song (which is from one of their Peel sessions) and put it up here.
Speaking of the Wire as I was the other day, there's been some news about the forthcoming season 4 (or at least a kind of preview). HBO has a nice little interview with one of the co-creators, Ed Burns, up on the site (check it out, it's a pretty engrossing read).
If you haven't done so yet, go back to yesterday's entry and download that PAS/CAL song. Maybe one of the best songs I've heard this year (the more I listen to it, the more I love it).
Posted by Kevin at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2005
scordatura
PAS/CAL, taking a left turn from the viciously delightful 'The Summer Is Almost Here', have grafted some gorgeous pop vocals from Casimer Pascal onto a framework of leaden drums and dusty bass (the band has created a backing track here that's very early Liars-esque, esp. in the reverb-craquelure guitar tone), and wow it works better than anyone could have guessed. For whatever reason, one of the first things that popped into my head when I heard this song was Duchamp's "The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even", maybe it's the disconnect between Casimer's calm, airy vocals, and the almost utilitarian seriousness of the music (listen to it: it's all-business)- but it reminds me of the disarmingly pretty way "Bride Stripped..." expresses the dynamic between the bride (gas cloud) and her interested parties (mobiles, lampshades, hangers, inscrutable pipes) via basic media that amount to construction materials, dirt, and automotive supplies.
What I mean to say is that this is a great song.
The story with PAS/CAL is that they are still recording their debut album, "Salvation Army Wardrobe" "Citizen's Army Uniform" (apologies for the wrong info). This version of 'Dear Sir' may or may not be taken from a session that the band did a little ways back, which Casimer talks about on the band's we're-in-the-studio blog. Essentially he says that the band worked on some arrangements that were "based on improvised structures". Although these songs (or versions of songs) may not end up on the final album, Pascal says that the experience of that prior recording session has definitely given them some new insight into what direction they want to take in the current session. Which is a good thing (and hopefully means they can get this LP finished soon).
If you haven't already, go by the band's website (which is where I got this song) and listen to the other songs they have at the bottom of the page- all of them are gems (but I will extra-recommend 'What Happened to the Sands?', cause I love it).
Posted by Kevin at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2005
put on your sailin' shoes, the waves are coming
Venice Is Sinking - Pulaski Heights
There's a comparison here, but it only struck me after a dozen or so listens: 'Pulaski Heights' has the same type of restless, world-weary beauty as Knife in the Water's 'Watch Your Back', but where the latter turns into a neapolitan swirl of jealousy, heat, and disgust, Venice Is Sinking take inspiration (on this track) from cool breezes and small caresses. They take a tiny shape and let it billow out into something extremely bright and colorful.
Two of the best moments in 'Pulaski Heights' are contained in the interval from 2:00 to about 2:45. This middle section of the song is when Karolyn's violin fully hijacks the track, with assistance from some thin and precise guitar lines- this mini-explosion gives way to an amazing little harmony-denouement from Daniel (lead singer) and Karolyn, which stays constant as the other instruments peel away slowly from the song. This vocal conjunction at the end sounds like walking away, like resignation (but a kind of optimistic resignation, if that makes sense).
Venice Is Sinking have a split EP (with fellow Georgians What We Do Is Secret) out now (available from their site), and will be releasing a full length on One Percent of One (Malkmus reference?) sometime in March of '06. Definitely something to look forward to.
P.S. Kelley Polar's exquisite "Loves Songs of the Hanging Gardens" is out today- go pick it up.
Posted by Kevin at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2005
she slid a sneeze into her pocket
Big news in the family: my little brother's band is playing a show down at the Trocadero in Philly, on Sunday Nov. 20th. The Do-Nots will share stage time with about, um, 20 other acts. Fortunately, the band has decided to postpone their name change until their new album is recorded (some German band has rights to the name already). My little bro tells me that first choice for the new moniker is 'The Urkels'. Even if we lived in a parallel world, where Jaleel White is still recognized on the street and asked to 'do the voice', taking that name for the band would reek of lameness (a too-overt dependence on pop culture reference). As is though, I think the only way they could choose a worse name (or something that's equally effective at making people predisposed to hating them) is if they picked something that either incorporated blunt ethnic slurs, made reference to religious figures, or was something rivetingly offesnive like "The Pussy Steak-Rapers". These are all thoughts that I've shared with my little brother. Anyway- go see the band, cause they're actually quite good (look out for all new songs, including the soon-to-be hits, 'Hades', '4th of July', 'April 20, 1999', and 'Never Bathe Again'). Let me know if you want a ticket.
Looking for music? Check what I wrote about Despistado (below). I manage to sort of hamfistedly, inarticulately express what I loved about that band and their songs. I'm thinking about starting something new soon (here on the site), something that may end in tears and bloodshed and a conditioned avoidance of anything musical. We'll see. I need to figure out if what I have in mind is at all feasible.
Posted by Kevin at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2005
winding up along the plates of bark
Despistado - This Neighbourhood
As you might know if you've been reading Molars for a while, I've got kind of a thing for Despistado. Maybe it just takes me a long time to work through the stages of grief (viz. what I've written about the Impossibles and, most of all, Black Eyes) after a band has broken up. Regardless of that, Despistado's "The People Of and Their Verses" will absolutely end up as one of my top albums of this year. It's kind of a shame that the band's debut was released only as a set of files, and not as an actual physical product, because I think that has definitely made "The People Of..." seem more like just a concession to the band, or an experiment/novelty, instead of a legitimately wonderful first (and final) set of songs from an enormously inventive and talented band.
I think a lot of what makes this band so appealing (to me at least) is the way their songs move. There's a lot of back-and-forth between delicate, filigreed guitar lines and solid, thick sections of chords strummed wildly and relentlessly, and the rhythm section is especially adroit at being able to turn on a dime, from holding pattern to noisy climax, etc. Besides that, Dagan Harding, the lead singer, not only has a wonderful voice, but also packs his lyrics full of inscrutable, sort of phonologically pretty turns of phrase- take this slection from 'Magnetic Streetlights': "She said aesthetically reflects on your body/haven't you seen the world/we do we do/nuclear/nuclear/the service industry congregation meet again/after hours/on the towers/crisis/crisis". His voice is strong and bold, but doesn't take on the kind of screamy edge (not that screaming is a bad thing) that you sometimes get with this kind of super-energetic band.
If I can offer up one ridiculous simile for Despistado, it's that their music is like riding one of those open-topped water slides at an amusement park: there's the mildly comforting sensation of floating in a stream of water, but there's also the inescapable fear of possibly banking up too high on one of the turns, and plummeting 300 feet to die an embarrassing, swimsuited death. So. What I mean is that this is both comfort music and high-adrenaline music. It's less fight and more flight, you know? Just go buy the album- it's only $10.
Posted by Kevin at 12:54 AM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2005
fucking wretched news (relatively)
Arrested Development cut back to 13 episodes, also possibly canceled.
Now, as far as TV goes, all I have to look forward to is the Wire's 4th season.
Posted by Kevin at 09:08 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2005
Listen to the new Liars single over at Mute
Hey. You actually have to watch the video to listen to the song, but that's a good thing. Check it out here. Song's pretty tight. Lives up to the album's name (very percussion-heavy), has lots of Angus' chanting style vocals as heard on most of "They Were Wrong...", features organ at the end. Pretty exciting, actually.
Posted by Kevin at 08:55 PM | Comments (0)
pink potpourri
The Office (American version) has been getting better and better with each episode. When I saw the first episode last season, which almost perfectly mirrored the first episode of the British version, I thought the series was just going to be a watered-down, lame, slang-translated copy. But after that first episode (and especially in this second season) the show has established its own particular storylines, dynamics, and strengths, quite separate from the pitch-perfect British version. Last night's episode was very good indeed, and actually featured two fantastic songs in the background: New Pornographers' 'Use It' (playing at Chili's, no less!), and Travis' 'Sing' (which is, by far, the best thing that band has done). Did anyone else catch that feature in Entertainment Weekly last week, or two weeks ago, when they interviewed John Krasinski (who plays Jim on the show), and he said he was trying to make a movie out of David Foster Wallace's "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men"? It'd be extremely difficult to translate Wallace's prose to the screen, but if he's successful in actually getting it made, it'll no doubt be a very interesting (and bizarre) film.
Music:
Radiohead - Nobody Does It Better (cover)
A cover of Carly Simon's James Bond theme that the band played back in the Bends/Ok Computer days. Thom Yorke has introduced this as 'the sexiest song that was ever written', and Radiohead do a pretty great job with it (especially Jonny Greenwood, whose guitar playing on this is as volcanic as ever). Phil Selway has said though that their version of the song doesn't quite pack the same punch as the original, and he compared it to the Lemonheads' version of 'Mrs. Robinson'. I don't know about that. In the hierarchy of their covers, I think this rates somewhere between 'the Thief' and 'Union City Blue'.
One thing about this mp3- for some reason it loops the ending twice, so it's about 1:05 longer than it should be. I would edit it if I could. But I can't (sorry).
Posted by Kevin at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2005
Liars new single
Here's the censored cover for the new single, 'It Fit When I Was A Kid', as shown on the Liars' site:
For the adventurous, here's the link to the UN-censored version of the single's cover art, which will be available in a limited edible paper edition on the Liars' website, soon.
Posted by Kevin at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)
what you did you did for the sake of high heels
Can I say that I immensely enjoyed seeing the Peyton Manning and the Colts exact their revenge against the loathsome Patriots last night? Yes. I did. The only way it could have been better is if Manning had run out onto the field after each time Brady got sacked, stood on his (Tom's) chest as hard as he could, and whistled until the referees made him go back to the Colts bench. Brady surely retired to his mansion late last night, brushed aside the comforting embraces of the gorgeous Bridget Moynihan, and sat in his opulent den, watching a 'Clockwork Orange'-ish loop of his VISA commercials and drinking gallons of milk to staunch the heartburn of failure. While there, he made plans to quit football and become a soybean farmer in Iowa. Maybe he sang some karaoke (sadly) before going to bed. That's Brady for you. Also good was the fact that last night's game won me $5 from a co-worker. Thank you, Colts.
No music from me, but check out this sweet write-up Scenestars did of the new Scott Stapp single (copied and pasted here for convenience):
Scott Stapp - "Great Divide" - Hip-Breaker (tm)
I'm sure you're all thinking, "Wait. Hold the goddamn phone one minute. Scott Stapp? Of Creed? On Scenestars (tm)?", but let us explain. You've come to expect cutting-edge music from Scenestars: the indiest indie rock, the biggest major label albums, the most bone-crushin' hip-breakers. Because that is what we do- we work hard to provide you with the most important, high-profile music available- even if it means downloading a leaked album and posting all of it right here (on Scenestars(tm)) for your enjoyment. We brave the wilds of the p2ps so you don't have to. Like the Marines on the wall at Guantanamo Bay, we put our asses on the line. All for the sake of music. Speaking of which...
'the Great Divide' is the lead single from Scott Stapp's new same-named album, and it rocks like a giant man throwing boulders onto a house made of black marble. Like that hard. Forget the old Scott Stapp; this one's leaner, meaner, and full of wisdom and meaning. Searing guitar lines collide with Stapp's powerful, soaring vocals to create a sort of vortex of ecstatic expression. Today's hipsters don't realize that you can enjoy music like this in an unironic way- they're too busy handwashing their Neighborhoodies and perusing Pitchfork's archives to understand that great pop music like this can touch your heart and let you rock out at the same time. Like Hall & Oates, but with more guitars and Jesus in the mix. This album reminds me of when I went to see the Arctic Monkeys play, two years ago, in a small pub in Leeds. So much potential.
So listen to this song: you'll thank me later. This time next year when all your friends are clamoring, scrambling, and trampling people under their Converesed feet for Scott Stapp concert tickets, you'll look back and say, "I remember when Scenestars posted the single! Way before anyone else! What good taste they have!". And indeed we do. Fight the power, y'all. The RIAA can't keep us down. Xoxo, the Scenestars.
Posted by Kevin at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2005
washed and scrubbed to a keen shine
Paul Duncan - Oil in the Fields
There are notes in this song that sound like long, aimless drives (specifically in late spring). In fact, "Oil in the Fields" is the late-night car ride back home, with a backseat full of high school friends, at the end of a long evening spent at an elaborate social gathering (banquet, wedding, or ball). Paul Duncan in this case is probably Paul Duncan the young, well-known local golf legend, son of a very well-respected older couple who own several small businesses in town. If there's a car crash (almost a certainty) on the way home, Paul will survive, and notice, with detached amusement, the way the oil from the car has spread over the road, over his hands and clothing. The cops ask him over and over again if he had anything to drink at the party, while an ambulance comes to cart away the backseat passengers- and with halfheartedly feigned casualness, Duncan admits, finally, to having had a few cocktails.
'Oil in the Fields' is from "Be Careful What You Call Home", Duncan's wonderfully layered album that mixes up playful instrumentals (most of them prefixed with the word 'toy') and amazing songs (like this one). "Be Careful What You Call Home" is available over at Home Tapes for a mere $11.
Posted by Kevin at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2005
alcazarized
Saw Grizzly Bear and Soft Circle play last night in Philly. Show was limited to 50 people, and was in the mini-chapel of the First Unitarian Church downtown- needless to say, it was fantastic.
A quick word about this venue: Sean and the rest of the R5ers have always done an awesome job putting on shows (working bands into places all over town- the church, Vox Populi, Starlight Ballroom, Academy of Music, etc.), but I have to say that the mini-chapel was definitely an ideal place to see both Grizzly Bear and Soft Circle (although the dudes in GB were like knee-deep in their own patch cords); it was about as small as the average high school classroom and just ridiculously intimate (plus the acoustics were outstanding). Lit by candles and a few small spotlights, it was basically like watching the bands just work out some songs in their own living rooms. And even though the show was limited to 50 tickets or whatever, there were probably only about 30 or so people there. Amazing. I never actually realized how much of the usual concert-going experience is made up of excruciating back/hip pain until last night, when I got to sit in a nice wooden pew and stretch my legs out as far as I wanted.
Some small mix-ups and a poor transition from business casual to casual clothes made me and my little brothers way late for the show. Plus the local trainmen are on strike, which makes traffic on Philly's main in-route kind of like the storms in 'Perfect Storm'. That is why I only got to hear the last 4-5 songs of Grizzly Bear's set (how are they not headlining?? They should be). Disappointing, no doubt, but it was still thrilling to hear them stretch out the songs from "Horn of Plenty", which in a live setting all sound more like they live up to the album's title; Droste and co. pack the songs full of noise and harmony (which resonated so well in the tiny, wood-paneled chapel) and drama. Autoharps, clarinets, recorders, looped vocals, delayed drums, etc. all employed for maximum effect in shaping the songs. And it wasn't only the old tunes that stunned- the two new songs that I heard in their entirety were jaw-droppingly pretty, all up-spun harmonies and head-hugging percussion (the drummer is a great singer). This is clearly a band with pretty much limitless potential. Judging by what they've been up to, the new album (which is due in early '06, I think) is bound to be a stone masterpiece. **If you live in VA, they're playing Relative Theory Records in Norfolk tonight, which speaking of venues is probably one of the better ones in the whole state. It's worth the trip, if you have time (hint: W&M kids)**
Soft Circle. Hisham Bharoocha. I'd heard tell of the ex-Black Dice drummer's new one-man band, and all I could envision were those old cartoons with Vaudeville dudes walking around with cymbals strapped to their patellas. So but Soft Circle is as far from that as you can get. Hisham does a lot of wordless singing through a headset and a lot of pounding the living fucking shit out of his drums. I mean, I was sitting there, maybe 10 feet away from the stage, and I'm almost positive that some plaster from the ceiling fell on my head. Let me say this: there are some slow parts, sure, but most of what Hisham plays is systolically disruptive, awe-inspiring beat construction. Guy's got a great voice too.
Check out the rest of Grizzly Bear's tour dates here (Soft Circle plays all the shows up until Cleveland, then joins the band for one last show when they play in NYC).
Posted by Kevin at 12:55 AM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2005
leaf confetti
Skygreen Leopards - Julie-Anne, Patron of Thieves
This is some more toasted-by-the-edge-of-the-fire psych-rock from Skygreen Leopards, most melodic of the Jewelled Antler gang. Sounding like it was recorded inside a dried-up well (a good thing), one of the most remarkable things about this song is a lyric that pops up in the first 30 or so seconds, "just like to be the Pope for a day, and see a couple of things". Not something you hear very often, especially in reference to the current pope. 'Being Pope Benedict' would entail (I'm guessing) a lot of presiding, a lot of blessing of multitudes, and a nightlife full of bare walls and long hours of prayer. But hey, I guess at the very least you'd get to tour through all the closed-off sections of the Vatican Museum, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Anyway, 'Julie-Anne' is from the recently released "Jehovah Surrender" EP on Jagjaguwar, which is available right here (please read the story behind this recording, over on the website- it's pretty great).
Check this out:
In case the print's too small to read, Rusty Santos is playing a show at Tonic this Friday (along with Melanie Moser of Tomorrow's Friend), going on around midnight or so. He'll be playing stuff from his new album, so it's definitely not to be missed.
Posted by Kevin at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2005
a wall of words and weather
Kristian, Shalabi, St. Onge - Radiatorheart
So I lied about there being no music today. 'Radiatorheart', from the crack improv team of Kristian (Cricklewood, Room Tone), Shalabi (Shalabi Effect), and St. Onge (Shalabi Effect), is what you would get if the house from the Shining had less of a homicidal bent and was more of an avuncular presence. Like if it just gave good advice instead of trying to kill its occupants. Furniture would come to life to prevent nasty falls (or, you know, grape juice spills), topiary animals would play fetch, the house would mow its own lawn, etc. 'Radiatorheart' is the sound of a place like that humming itself to sleep.
From the self-titled album, which is available over on Alien 8.
Posted by Kevin at 06:14 AM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2005
soccer is my source of grief
Working 11 hour days + losing a close game to a horrible team = it's time to grow the beard of unhappiness once again. That's all.
Music again on Thursday. Good stuff too, I promise.
P.S. It's taken me about 2 months to decide, but I think Avenged Sevenfold's 'Bat Country' may just be my #1 most annoying song of the year.
Posted by Kevin at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)
pockets full of rainclouds
Shalabi Effect - Blue Sunshine (4 track demo)
So even though it might seem like this is a repeat, it's not. Sam Shalabi (or someone else from the band) was kind enough to put up the demo version of this fantastic song from 2004's "Pink Abyss". The dewy noises are gone, the squish and splurge of the studio track's intro- the demo is a little dirtier (obviously), but the horns still glint, and the guitars are merely lacking in gloss, not in texture. The most remarkable difference is in the way the end of the song just disappears down a hole.
Some good news though: Shalabi Effect are releasing a new album, entitled "Unfortunately", on Alien 8, Nov. 15th. And check this out- The LP is comprised of the best portions of the band's 6 night residency at Montreal Arts Interculturelles (given Shalabi Effect's usual m.o., much of this must have been improvised), and you can listen to some clips from the album over at Soul Seduction (the record sounds like it's a hodge-podge of "Pink Abyss"-like pop, hard, pretty drones, and some of the band's more unmufflered experimentation, which means it'll be great).
Posted by Kevin at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)