Lines of Oration

Show Review: Animal Collective Live @ Prospect Park in Brooklyn 7/12/11

2011-07-13T22:59:00.009-04:00

Last night I was fortunate enough to see Animal Collective live at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. I wish I could properly express to you everything I endured to earn this experience: countless hours waiting in the sweltering heat, horrible and thick cigarette and weed smoke and other products of unidentifiable combustion; dehydration and nonstop standing; minor hardships prolonged by an inexplicable hour-long delay of the opening act; the arduous attendance to a general admission concert on a hot July evening made for one of the most unpleasant and uncomfortable experiences I have ever felt in my life. It was so beyond worth it.

The doors opened at 5:30, and when one stepped over to the stage, they were greeted by the retro/disco/electronic sounds of DJs Beta & Hatch. I enjoyed what they played and their awkward dancing, but I can't say I liked that they didn't stop spinning until 7:30. I overheard a security guard telling someone, in regards to Black Dice's tardiness, "They are too high in the back to come out." And that seemed about right. I will be honest, I've heard very weird music, I mean I went to an Animal Collective concert, but I wasn't prepared for Black Dice at all. Their half-hour set was ultimately one long stream-of-barely-conscious trance piece that, 20 minutes into, made me realize that I had completely zoned out and didn't know what was going on anymore. A biased fan, the mere appearance of Avey, Panda, Geologist, and Deakin setting up their instruments as the stage was being set - fueled partially by the realization that my day-long hot ordeal was about to reach culmination - was enough to trigger an emotional response. Instantly all the hours of pain experienced prior vanished. It was wholly expected that the concert would be for road testing new material, and while it would have been nice to hear all songs off of their albums, it was so beyond worth it to hear the new songs. The first two songs were a little slow with Deakin apparently missing a transition, but once they started "Did You See the Words", everything just exploded into pure rainbows and perfection. Songs like "Take This Weight" and "Knock You Down" are bound to be future crowd favorites, and I can only hope that they put them on the next album. "Brother Sport" came out of absolutely nowhere and held enough pure beauty to reduce me to tears. Most of the crowd must've had this same thrill for everyone seemed to come together to shout "Open up your!", "MATT!", and "Support your brother!", and even better, during the part on the record where it sounds like it’s skipping, everyone was chanting in complete unison “WOO...WOO...WOO...” All the sound effects, atmospheric noises, and the character of this live rendition made it my favorite performance of the night. My favorite new song "Mercury" came right after "Brother Sport". It's clearly an Avey Tare song, but it contains so much forcefulness and heartwrenching vocals that you can't help but be affected by it. It's a song that reminds me why I love this band so much. They closed the set with the trippiest ever possible version of "We Tigers" you can imagine, with understandably very few people singing along, and then transitioned gloriously into "Summertime Clothes", the biggest crowd pleaser of all. It was a strangely perfect song to close with, for the night was just as the song describes: "The restlessness calls us, that I cannot hide / So much on my mind that it spills outside / Do you want to go stroll down the financial street? / Our clothes might get soaked, but the buildings sleep." I don't know. Truer words have never been more perfectly spoken in such a perfect context. Screams of uproarious joy overtook the venue when they came out to finish off with a three song encore. One of the songs sounded like Tomboy outtake, for it featured Panda on vocals with the same filtered dreamy guitar so prominent on his album. They completed this lovely night with "Taste", which came as a nice surprise. It was a much more slowed-down mellow version, allowing the crowd to savor the experience for just a few more minutes. It was the loveliest way to end the night.

This was a spectacular concert. The visuals, the sound, the set list. Just a few things kept the night from achieving total perfection: the aforementioned wait and the conditions but also while the set design was out of control stunning and perfect for the music, the large crystals really hurt a lot of people's views. If you were right up front, you're view of half the group was blocked, telling me that the set designer didn't fully consider the sight lines with the stage from that perspective. Based on pictures, however, if you were a little farther away, the sight lines worked out. Still, I will be seeing Animal Collective again. I feel so fortunate to have taken part in the band's ongoing development of their next album. The fact that I loved the show not knowing the majority of the songs should say everything.

"Welcome back Deaks!"-Multiple fans in the crowd

-------
Setlist:

Change
Let Go
Did You See The Words
A Long Time Ago
Take This Weight
Knock You Down
Brothersport
Mercury
Your Choice
Frights
We Tigers
Summertime Clothes

Encore
I'd Rather
Little Kid
Taste
-------

New album cover for Beirut's "The Rip Tide"!

2011-06-29T16:09:00.005-04:00

I don't understand why so many bands are opting for simpler covers these days, but at least this one keeps with Beirut's constant vintage theme.

This album should be epic. It's apparently summery and nice, but honestly, even "Mount Wroclai" is nice. I'm very excited for this! The album is called The Rip Tide and it's going to be released in the U.S. on August 30th!

Tracklisting:

01 A Candle's Fire
02 Santa Fe
03 East Harlem
04 Goshen
05 Payne's Bay
06 The Rip Tide
07 Vagabond
08 The Peacock
09 Port of Call

New video for "Surfer's Hymn" by Panda Bear!

2011-06-14T22:38:00.002-04:00

Sonic Boom says it's legit so I'm going to believe him.

It's really great. It's so beautiful in it's own abstract way, but it's not inaccessible. The video pay homage to Surfer's who were taken by the sea, and I believe that that gives perfect emotion and meaning to this song. It's really a masterpiece.

SHOW REVIEW: THE DODOS LIVE @ The Bowery Ballroom in NYC 6/9/11

2011-06-10T23:58:00.007-04:00

Last night I was fortunate enough to see The Dodos at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. I’m still in awe of what I witnessed last night, so to start off easiest let’s talk about the opening band Gauntlet Hair. Straight out of Colorado, Gauntlet Hair performed about a half hour worth of material that was both funky and experimental with an extreme air of atmosphere. They appealed to me possibly because they were so uncontrollably hipster, and some of their sound was very similar to my beloved Animal Collective. Each member was his own version of hipster, but the drummer was particularly great—he was a man’s man given by his little snarky, but actually funny, comments and his Abraham Lincoln tattoo. My only complaint about them really is that they were way too loud for the venue and the echoey effect for the singer got a little trying after three straight songs using it. After my ear drums nearly exploded, and a half hour of preparation, Meric Long and Logan Kroeber took the stage and ripped right into “Good”. This was the absolute perfect opener for them—the song provides franticness and energetic drum beats that force you into a Dodos-listening mood. As if that song weren’t intense enough, they then plunged right into “Black Night” which pushed the crowd into a manic shouting of “you wanna walk right through IT!” Songs like “When Will You Go” and “Longform” didn’t get quite the same reaction as the aforementioned, but they were still performed with a delicate intricacy that created the exact same glorious power. “Don’t Try and Hide It” was a clear crowd favorite, and that provided for some amusing harmonies where Meric just sang low, but the crowd sang Neko Case’s part during “Don’t try and hide it fight it”. It was at that time of night when someone somewhere shouted “Horny Hippies!” to which Meric apologized for he didn’t have the ability to play it anymore. So, instead they played “Winter”, and I am in no need of an apology. It was absolutely lovely. The same emotion of heartbreak felt through his deep melancholy vocals on the album was transmitted with even more feeling live, if you think that is possible. That lead beautifully into “The Season” which was the most raw-emotion filled performance I have ever seen. It built up beautiful and haunting, leading up to the ever desperate sounding “I CROSS THE SAND WITHOUT YOUR HAND…” It was so poignant and powerful that it brought tears to my eyes. The anger and the sadness were conveyed so uproariously well. They probably knew no other song could ever live up to that, so it was a fairly well-thought out choice to place the overtly necessary “Fools” next. By the end of that set, I have not heard a crowd scream and freak out so loudly as this one did when The Dodos left the stage. It was a completely mutual feeling, shared by every single member of the crowd, that that could not have been it. The encore began with “Going Under” which was a nice, sweet calm down that brought every one down enough to be able to handle the final song, which was a fairly unique choice of “Jodi”. “Jodi” was never a song that really got me going, but after last night, it will be on repeat. It was very entertaining when he began the opening riff, and the whole crowd began clapping along, creating a hoedown kind of mood, inspiring Logan and Meric to each do a little jig. Perfect.

Logan is boss at drumming. The fact that he is able to play for that long and do that much is astonishing. He didn’t seem fazed at any point and rather got better as the night went on. Meric is just as much a virtuoso as Logan was. I could see his lengthy right-hand nails, and it is true that he plays every song without a pick. Whether he was playing a smashing reverb induced wall of noise, or 10 picks-per-second folk guitar, he can create more sound (and interesting ones at that) than most of his peers. They are both absurdly passionate and prodigious musicians that I truly do feel honored having seen. If you can appreciate this fact at all, you will be able to accept the fact that the overwhelming majority of their set was No Color songs. If the only album you like is Visiter, do not see them, though their live show will undoubtedly blow you so far away. It was so worth the current ringing in my ears.

Quote from the night:

Meric Long: "For some reason someone requests that song at every show. I forgot how to play it."
Logan Kroeber: "We still know how to play this!" (In regards to "Horny Hippies", before "Winter")

---------
Setlist

Good
Black Night
When Will You Go
Longform
Don’t Try and Hide It
All Night
Companions
Winter
The Season
Fools

Encore
Going Under
Jodi
---------

SHOW REVIEW: JOHNNY FLYNN AND THE SUSSEX WIT LIVE @ The Bowery Ballroom in NYC 5/28/11

2011-05-29T12:26:00.009-04:00

Last night, I was fortunate enough to see Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit at the Bowery Ballroom. The show started at 9, with the first opening act, James Mathé, making an appearance. He was one of the best openers I’ve ever seen. He was nothing like you would expect him to be, given that he’s a member of the Sussex Wit. It was a glorious combination of atmospheric/experimental funk and soul that instantly got my complete and undivided attention. He sadly only played five songs, but that was all I needed. Caitlin Rose was the next one up, and I can’t say I liked them. Caitlin Rose herself was funny and between every song spoke to the audience with distasteful charming sass, like after a few audience quips asking "Are you flirting with me?", but they were a country band. If you like country, you would have loved them, but for me they just played about five songs too many. Johnny and his crew came on to set up and tune, and then at a little past 11 they finally came on. They opened with “The Box”, and it was a perfect opener. It’s a song so filled with life and quirk that hearing the full band do it was marvelous. They plowed through “Cold Bread”, so much so that Johnny broke a string on his mandolin, leaving it up to James Mathé to make awkward, but endearing, small talk with the audience. Instead of a trumpet for “Kentucky Pill”, Lillie Flynn played flute, which made it wonderfully bouncy. It was nice and bright, moving the whole crowd sing along. They then played a gorgeous three-song arc of “The Wrote and the Writ”, “Lost and Found”, and “Brown Trout Blues”, all of which reduced the crowd to utter silence. “Hong Kong Cemetery” was done better than the album, with Johnny rotating between trumpet and guitar. They were so good at conveying the melancholy tone, especially with everyone shouting “I’m alright! I’m alright!” over the somber trumpet. The bright middle was made especially bouncy, contrasting nicely with the previous section. “Barnacled Warship” was my favorite performance. Johnny played his violin as he sang, and the whole venue was crooning “I’ll just eat fruit on your doorstep, I’ll just drink pail-fulls of rain” right along with him. You could tell the whole band enjoyed playing it, and that really resonated with me. He informed the audience early on that he was hoarse, and that created an interesting effect on “Churlish May” when he missed a whole verse due to coughing: “I don’t know what happened there!” On the second time around, they still played it brilliantly. “The Water” was one of my favorite performances. “I’m going to play a duet with my sister Lillie”, he said, as they moved next to each other. Don’t tell Laura Marling, but Lillie’s voice is absolutely stunning and, coupled with Johnny’s, was too beautiful for words. As you know, “Been Listening” contains many pauses during the chorus that are just asking to be taken advantage of by the audience. For every single pause, the crowd would scream “Awwww yeah!” or “I love you Johnny Flynn”, and other chuckle causing heckles, which you could see the awkwardness building up in his face while he too was stifling laughter. “Eyeless in Holloway” and “Tickle Me Pink” closed the set with everyone singing their hearts out, moving about, and thunderously clapping in unison. I couldn’t wait for the encore, and boy did they impress: Johnny and Lillie came out and told us that they hadn’t practiced this one or planned to play it, but felt inspired to do so. They played a beautiful rendition of “Amazon Love”, and because I was about three feet away from them, I could see how happy they were to be playing with each other and the look of complete sibling love on their faces. “Leftovers” ended the show flawlessly, with everyone once again stomping right along with the band and chanting “Leftovers is what I want, don’t need no fine cuisine!”

I was thoroughly impressed by this show. The Bowery Ballroom was so intimate, that I felt like a huge connection with the music and the band. I can’t imagine how I could ever feel that at a large venue: it was more of an experience than a show. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit deliver live. Almost every song was performed better than the album version, and songs like “The Water” and “Barnacled Warship” really made it, as he put it “special”. If you get the chance to, go see him. You will leave more than satisfied with your experience, and I can safely say, it was beyond worth the price of admission. I will never know why more people don’t know about him.

“I probably should prepare something for moments like this, like a funny anecdote about the tour, but I haven’t got any.”-James Mathé, before “Kentucky Pill"

----------------------
SET LIST

The Box
Cold Bread
Kentucky Pill
The Wrote and the Writ
Lost and Found
Brown Trout Blues
Hong Kong Cemetery
Barnacled Warship
Churlish May
Howl
The Water
Been Listening
Eyeless in Holloway
Tickle Me Pink

ENCORE
Amazon Love
Leftovers
----------------------

New Video for Alsatian Darn by Panda Bear

2011-05-21T16:31:00.003-04:00

Panda Bear released his video for Tomboy's Alsatian Darn yesterday!

It's like the part before the songs "Tantrum Barb/Working" on Oddsac. I approve.

Arctic Monkeys release the cover art for "Suck It and See"

2011-04-20T11:22:00.002-04:00

Well, this was unexpected. I don't even know what they are going to throw at us next. This moderately random and confusing album is due out on June 6th, so mark your calendars.

ANGLES-The Strokes

2011-04-18T19:34:00.009-04:00

Angles-
The Strokes
Label: RCA
4th Studio Album
Status: Out as of 2011
Rating: 3 Feathers

So, remember The Strokes? The ones who long ago came out with those albums with “Last Nite” and “Reptilia” on them and then released that moderately tedious album…what was it…First Impressions of Earth? Oh yeah, that band. After five years of empty-promises for new material, inter-band relationship problems, and several (some questionable) trials with solo work, The Strokes have finally released their arguably-more-anticipated-than-Is-This-It? 4^th album, Angles. The band is actually happy to be a band again, with the many different musical angles being brought in to give us a very easy flowing and different album. This is The Strokes of the modern age.

“Machu Picchu” is instantly catchy with its grooving disco beat, but it sounds absolutely nothing like what you’d expect. The incorporation of harmonies and reggae rhythms shows that they are, at this point, courageous enough to innovate their sound on the very first song. “Under Cover of Darkness” completely takes a step backward, comparatively, but it’s still so different. It’s like power-Strokes. Casablancas almost ironically notes that “everybody's been singing the same song ten years” because it combines all the standard elements of their sound into four minutes, but I must admit, it delivers with every successive listen. “Two Kinds of Happiness” is pleasantly mellow, with light new-wave overtones, but it’s not overtly remarkable. If it wasn’t underpinned by twangy guitar, I can easily say I would never guess this was The Strokes, assuming it was a typical 80s “indie” band. “You’re So Right” is actually utterly horrific. For some disgusting reason they decided to bypass drummer Fab Moretti’s talent and go right for sickening drum machines, along with static guitar that makes it sound like a carbon copy of Julian Casablancas’ “River of Brakelights”. Even “Metabolism” three gigantic steps back by taking the worse half of First Impressions of Earth and reconfiguring it to make a distraught and confused mess. After developing a tremendous migraine, the natural drums and immense bouncing catchiness comes back for “Taken For a Fool”. It’s so outrageously likable and mind-ingraining that you will listen to it multiple times before moving onto the next song. “Call Me Back” is kind of creepy. It’s easily the most experimental Strokes song ever made, with no outright melody or sing-along qualities. If you only like lively guitar solos and passionate singing, this song will destroy your listening experience, but I like it’s eeriness and out-of-placeness. A song like “Gratisfaction” is so overwhelmingly easily comparable to Billy Joel, with an arena epic chorus and instrumentation that work to get a certain type of emotional power from you that only a coliseum-rock song can. “Life is Simple in the Moonlight” is a beautiful closer. The verses have delicate intertwining guitar with light vocals that create a nice bed for the slightly heavier, more desperate chorus to fall upon. It sums up all the changes, trials, triumphs, desperation, catchiness, and twangyness of Angles into a well orchestrated closer.

It might be the out of control high expectations that come with a band like this, but I can’t say I was that impressed. At so many different points, I got feelings of “I heard this before” or “this sounds just like…”, and it was fairly apparent that some songs just lacked any direction. With that said, this album is not bad. It was significantly more welcomed on the first listen than First Impressions was and certain songs (“Under Cover”, “Taken For a Fool”) really pack the typical Strokes punch. I give them boatloads of credit for trying new things, incorporating new genres, and attempting to expand their sound, but I’m going to view this album as a transition. I fear it lacks the lasting quality their first two releases had, and I really do hope that in a year we don't ask ourselves is this it?

"Everyone was here except Julian. I can describe one day where you'd wonder how the record got made and a day where you would think it's the greatest thing that ever happened."-Albert Hammond Jr.

Video for Under Cover of Darkness

Recommendations: Machu Picchu, Under Cover of Darkness, Taken for a Fool, Life is Simple in the Moonlight
NOTE: I will have my review of Panda Bear's Tomboy out very shortly. Thanks a ton for reading this :)

Animal Collective team up Keep Company!

2011-03-27T16:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, after a long time of hearing about it, KEEP Company released the special addition Animal Collective shoes, available at their store in Los Angeles, on their website, and at a few selected locations around the globe! All the proceeds go the Socorro Island Conservation Fund, which you can learn about through their website. The shoes are designed by all four members of Animal Collective, and they are really cool, especially the one Deakin made.

Here's a picture of the boys wearing their own Keeps:
Keep also made some shirts to go along with the shoes which were designed by Avey Tare's sister Abby Portner. They are extremely cool.

They also decided to release a very limited addition cassette that features new original songs, one done by each member.

The track listing is:
Geologist’s Jailhouse
Avey Tare’s Call Home (Buy Grapes)
Deakin’s Country Report
Panda Bear's The Preekness

Why'd they design what they designed?

“I’ve always liked camouflage patterns and I’d be lying if I said the idea of blending into the environment and becoming invisible didn’t excite me a little bit.” — Noah Lennox

“My design was inspired by three things - a doodle I often draw based on an image of a shark I saw on a beach closed sign, a birthday card Abby Portner made me a while back that had sort of a wall paper feel to it, and having to get clothes for my kid. I just thought about how psyched I would be when I was a kid to have had sharks on my shoes and how psyched my kid will be to wear a pair if he ends up liking sharks. So basically I wanted to make a shoe for him and I decided to combine the above three things.” — Brian Weitz

“I realized that many of my friends are unaware of what is down there. Telling friends how psyched I was to have seen Yellow Fin Tuna, I also realized that though they have eaten Yellow Fin, [most people] have no idea what tuna look like. I thought it would be cool to represent tuna in some way that I thought looked sweet and would want to wear.” — Josh Dibb

Arctic Monkeys announce the name of their 4th album.

2011-03-10T19:23:00.003-05:00

Suck It and See

What is happening. I give them credit only for the fact that a song like "Brick By Brick" can only go on an album with such an atrocious title. The tracklisting for the album is a boatload of fun too:

01 She's Thunderstorms
02 Black Treacle
03 Brick by Brick
04 The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
05 Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
06 Library Pictures
07 All My Own Stunts
08 Reckless Serenade
09 Piledriver Waltz
10 Love Is a Laserquest
11 Suck It and See
12 That's Where You're Wrong

I'm looking forward to hearing "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala", the seemingly inspirational "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair", and "Piledriver Waltz". This is going to be terrifyingly interesting.

Show Review: Bright Eyes live at Radio City Music Hall 3/9/11

2011-03-10T16:51:00.009-05:00

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Bright Eyes at Radio City Music Hall. Wild Flag, an all girl group from Portland, Oregon, were the first to play, and they were pretty good. I’m usually not a fan of all girl groups, but they had an edge and really packed a punch. Superchunk went on second, and for their age, I was very happy with the fact that they were still punk, and that the singer’s voice was unique. I’m going to be honest, I don’t know either of their music except for what I saw, but I recommend both of them. After about 2 hours, Bright Eyes finally showed signs of coming out. They opened by playing Denny Brewer’s slightly haunting speech that began The People’s Key. Hearing that alone, I lost it. I don’t have much memory of it, the tears and the shaking overcame me: Conor Oberst was real, not just this voice I've pouring over for so many years. After a perfectly done "Firewall", they moved into the ever danceable “Jejune Stars”. He then greets us kindly, informing us that the next song contained some graphic sexual content and that necessary ears should be covered and people should leave if they feel uncomfortable, then breezed right into a beautifully done “Take It Easy (Love Nothing)”. He introduced “Hot Knives” the same as “Take it Easy”, and said, “I wonder who made this setlist cuz it’s really gross.” That’s one thing about this event, he spoke between almost every song, and every single one of his speeches contained something quotable, clever, or downright inspiring. The night kicked up for me when they surprised us with an epic two song run of “An Attempt to Tip the Scales” and “Padraic My Prince”, both of which reduced me to pure tears. I can safely say, even songs I wasn’t too fond of like “Arc of Time” were performed so magnificently that I now will have them on constant repeat. The final leg of the set consisted of “Bowl of Oranges”, “Old Soul Song”, “Poison Oak”, “The Calendar Hung Itself”, and “Ladder Song”. I don't know how my heart kept beating. I cannot ever hope to express in words how ecstatic and uncontrollably blown-out-of-my-mind I was. They all expressed such great emotion that I know translated to every person in that audience, especially the exposed and pure “Ladder Song”, where Conor sang and played piano up there alone. I couldn’t help but get teary eyed when he sang “Doesn’t it just make you wanna cry?” No surprise, they ran out of time to do their normal 24 song set, so the encore was only three songs, but I’m not complaining. “Lover I Don’t Have to Love” was the final "graphic sexual content" containing song, and it was done very nicely, but it probably could have been more dramatic. “Road to Joy” destroyed every other song performed. Right before they were to perform it, Conor, some how, broke his amp and his back-up amp, but that did not take away from it all. It’s a gloriously grand song to begin with, but hearing him scream “I’M WIDE AWAKE IT’S MOOOORRRRNNIN’” live just solidified my concert memory as perfect. Hearing the first chords to “One For You, One For Me” provoked tears of joyous sadness, for it marked the end of not only seeing one of my favorite bands live, but possibly the last time seeing Bright Eyes as a band live in New York.

I would recommend in a heart beat seeing Bright Eyes live, but I would only suggest it to those who recognize his older stuff and his lesser known material for I felt like I was the only one around me who knew songs like “Padraic My Prince” and even “An Attempt”. I really had hoped to see “Four Winds”, “Something Vague”, and the ever gorgeous “Lua” live, but I can’t say I have any real complaints. They are a great band, and I feel very privileged that I was able to see remarkable musicians like Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Andy Lemaster perform in such a respected and grand setting.

Quotes from the Night:

“I’m giving up apologizing for lent.”-Conor Oberst

"If you had told thirteen year old me that Superchunk would be opening for my band at Radio City Music Hall, I would have laughed in your face, kicked you in your shins, and told you to go to hell."-Conor Oberst

.......................................
Setlist:

Firewall
Jejune Stars
Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
Hot Knives
An Attempt to Tip the Scales
Padraic My Prince
We Are Nowhere And It’s Now
Shell Games
Approximated Sunlight
Arc of Time
Triple Spiral
Cleanse Song
Trees Get Wheeled Away
No One Would Riot For Less
Beginner’s Mind
Bowl of Oranges
Old Soul Song [For The New World Order]
Poison Oak
The Calendar Hung Itself
Ladder Song

ENCORE
Lover I Don’t Have to Love
Road to Joy
One For You, One For Me

.......................................

Video for "Trees Get Wheeled Away" from the night.

Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes Release New Songs...

2011-03-04T18:05:00.004-05:00

This week should have been excited: Two of my absolute favorite bands released new songs. I am less than thrilled, however.

Arctic Monkeys' new song is called "Brick by Brick". It sounds nothing like anything they've ever done, and it's darker and more "rock" oriented than past stuff, but it's almost like they took all the bad elements of Humbug and went to town. And I loved Humbug.

And The Strokes released also released a new song. A few weeks ago, they released the song "Under Cover of Darkness" and it was great. It was what we expected from The Strokes, but fresh and bouncy. However, the song they just released called "You're So Right", and to quote Hipster Runoff, it sounds "like someone dropped an ipod in a toilet". For some ungodly reason they used a drum machine instead of Fab's magnificent talent. It's the awful parts of Phrazes for the Young all digustingly processed into a horrific 2 minutes. If you enjoy this, your music taste needs medical attention.

Do you agree that it is "River of Brakelights"?

Show Review: Interpol live @ Radio City Music Hall 2/17/2011

2011-02-18T21:27:00.003-05:00

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Interpol live at Radio City Music Hall. Before the show, they were playing random music that compliments their sound, and one of the songs was Caribou’s “Odessa”, which left me and my group dancing. Alone. School of Seven Bells were the opener, and they were fantastic. Their atmospheric, experimental sound was a perfect compliment to Interpol’s style. Their single “Windstorm” was done brilliantly. I’ve been a fan of Interpol since Antics came out, and my favorite song of all time happens to be “Obstacle 1”, so, needless to say I was very excited and anxious to see them. After 45 minutes of waiting following School of Seven Bells, the lights finally dimmed and my friend and I jumped up screaming. Paul Banks greeted the audience with a “Howdy!”, then proceeded dive into “Success”, as predicted. It was very nicely done, and only got me more pumped for the rest of the concert. It really didn’t take much to put me into frantic mode, for after “Success” they launched into a wonderfully brilliant sequence of “PDA”, “Evil”, “Hands Away”, and “Barricade”. It slowed a bit for “Rest My Chemistry”, but even that was executed grandly and emotively. After that, it’s kind of a blur of overjoyed happiness (and crying) and blood-curdling screaming because from “Narc” to “The Heinrich Maneuver”, it was nonstop mind-numbingly excellent song after breathtakingly gorgeous melody. I felt like I was having heart failure during “Stella Was a Diver”. Just soaking in that moment of everyone simultaneously yelling “STELLA! OH STELLA! STELLA I LOVE YOU!” was beyond powerful. They closed their set with “Obstacle 1”, my favorite song to ever exist. I was reduced to tears. The whole beginning set was one of the most beautiful things my ears have ever heard and the encore provided the most perfectly gorgeous end possible. A song like the “The New” is so painfully beautiful live, but the only thing it was lacking was Carlos D., for their new bassist doesn’t provide the same presence or showmanship. Quite possibly the most inspiring performance of the night was the closer, “Not Even Jail”. Note: My group were the only ones standing in our section, let alone dancing. “Slow Hands” and “Evil” didn’t motivate people to move from their seats, but it was “Not Even Jail” that had everyone standing and ferociously clapping. I’ve never, in all the concerts I’ve been to, seen such a large group so in sync and into a song.

If you are a huge Interpol fan, not a casual fan, I would suggest you go see them. This concert has changed my life. Interpol are a magnificent band that makes agonizingly beautiful music, and if you are in deep appreciation of this, their live show will move you to tears of utter awe and joy. I know for a fact I will be seeing them the next time I can.

Setlist:

Success
PDA
Evil
Hands Away
Barricade
Rest My Chemistry
Narc
Say Hello to the Angels
Lights
Summer Well
Stella was a Diver and She’s Always Down
NYC
Heinrich Maneuver
Memory Serves
Obstacle 1

ENCORE
The Lighthouse
The New
Slow Hands
Not Even Jail

"I wish we could play here every night."-Paul Banks

LCD Soundsystem and their last show

2011-02-12T11:55:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, LCD Soundsystem announced that they were going to have their last show ever on April 2nd at Madison Square Garden. Any and all fans of the band were falling over themselves at this prospect, and for a venue that can accomodate most of the bands fans, choosing Madison Square Garden was only a logical choice. But yesterday, when the tickets went on sale to the general public through Ticketmaster, seemingly every fan who just wanted a ticket or two did not arrive at their goal. Apparently, scalpers, in droves, somehow got a hold of the large majority of tickets, and the show sold out absurdly quickly. This left to the only other option of Stubhub where you could find tickets for the low price of $40,000.

Needless to say, James Murphy, the main guy of LCD Soundsystem, was not pleased. Last night he published a wonderfully expressive and very worth your time message on his website. He has graciously decided to play 4 shows, from March 28th-31st, at Terminal 5, which he says "will include most if not all of the songs we play at msg."

Tickets for these dates go on sale on February 18th and I hope all the fans who try get their tickets.

Panda Bear and The Strokes released the artwork for their albums!

2011-02-11T18:56:00.005-05:00

This is the cover art for Panda Bear's Tomboy and it's absolutely glorious and beautiful. It comes out on April 12th.

And this is the cover for The Strokes album Angles. I think it's, um, homely. It should be a very fun album. You can also listen to the song "Under the Cover of Darkness" on their website and on iTunes. Angles is due out on March 21st.

The world should know this song.

2011-02-11T18:53:00.001-05:00

This is Two Door Cinema Club's new single and video called "What You Know" and it's magical.

You can now listen to The People's Key in full while watching Conor Oberst and friends listen to it too!

2011-01-31T18:19:00.004-05:00

This video is like a live listening party among Conor Oberst and his saddle creek friends. I watched all 49 minutes of it, and I seriously cannot wait to have the actual CD and/or vinyl in my hands on February 15th. Enjoy.

Lines of Oration Presents: My Top 30 Songs of 2010

2011-01-22T16:02:00.004-05:00

IT'S BETTER LATE THAN REALLY LATE

30. "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys
29. "Kentucky Pill" by Johnny Flynn
28. "Written in Reverse" by Spoon
27. "Boy" by Ra Ra Riot
26. "Lucky 1" by Avey Tare
25. "Vesuvius" by Sufjan Stevens
24. "Boyfriend" by Best Coast
23. "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons
22. "Beautiful Mother" by The Dirty Projectors
21. "I Want to Be Well" by Sufjan Stevens
20. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" by Arcade Fire
19. "Barricade" by Interpol
18. "All For Myself" by Sufjan Stevens
17. "Terrible Love" by The National
16. "Lights" by Interpol
15. "Windstorm" by School of Seven Bells
14. "Zebra" by Beach House
13. "Mr. Fingers" by Animal Collective
12. "Excuses" by The Morning Benders
11. "Walk in the Park" by Beach House
10. "Stick to My Side" by Pantha du Prince (with Noah Lennox)
9. "You and I Know" by Ra Ra Riot
8. "Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend
7. "Oliver Twist" by Avey Tare
6. "White Sky" by Vampire Weekend
5. "Flash Delirium" by MGMT
4. "Airplanes" by Local Natives
3. "Siberian Breaks" by MGMT
2. "Impossible Soul" by Sufjan Stevens
1. "Odessa" by Caribou

Note: I did not count any song that was realeased for Panda Bear's Tomboy as a song for this year because I consider it a 2011 album, but yes, I am counting ODDSAC for songs.

Lines of Oration Presents...My Top 10 Albums of 2010

2011-01-11T20:44:00.004-05:00

10. Transference by Spoon: Spoon has never released something unlistenable or just average, and Transference was no exception. It took the best parts of their previous album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and expanded and formed them into 11 tracks of simple and enjoyable classic Spoon sounds.

9. Gorilla Manor by Local Natives: For a debut, this album strikes you like a brick. It’s an hour of hard-hitting, emotionally intense indie folk. And with a song like “Airplanes”, one of the most beautifully moving songs I’ve ever heard, only on their first album, they can only continue on a path of sheer greatness.

8. The Orchard by Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line was, seemingly, a difficult album to follow up, but Ra Ra Riot did a pretty great job. With newly dramatic and more serious sounding songs, they are definitely showing strong maturation as a band without compromising their fun and charming sound.

7. Interpol by Interpol: After the release of the let down that was Our Love to Admire, Interpol could only go up. They came back with an improved and innovative version of their old sound, with catchier-than-ever songs containing pulsing basslines and their signature dramatic guitar drones; Interpol gave the music world renewed hope.

6. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire: After the long hiatus following Neon Bible, it was a huge joy to receive this album. It’s an hour of empowering grandiosity, with a strong dose of nostalgia. The Suburbs has a lasting quality, with each successive listen drawing you closer to the emotion Arcade Fire succeed in transmitting.

5. Down There by Avey Tare: With everyone expecting Panda Bear to release an album this year, it was a huge surprise that the world got to hear solo work by Avey Tare instead. Down There is like a blast from the Animal Collective past, but this time with swampy filters and strong dance influences. It gives a stunning insight into Avey Tare’s artistic capability as well as his musical potential.

4. Teen Dream by Beach House: Beach House has succeeded very strongly in creating a totally original and innovative album. They have a sound of their own, created by glorious soundscapes of lovely synthesizer drones, Alex Scally’s intricate bright guitar, and Victoria Legrand’s poignant croon.

3. The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens: After an illness and a long hiatus, Sufjan Stevens released his very long awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed Illinois. It was as far away as possible from his normal folkiness, with heavy electronica and layers upon layers of interweaving melodies. It is a brilliant ride through bold orchestration and raw human emotion, all ending with a glorious 25 minutes of the beautiful “Impossible Soul”.

2. Congratulations by MGMT: Well before its release, Congratulations was already being deemed a disgrace by every possible critic. Needless to say, it beyond destroyed those expectations. With nine songs of endless innovation and glorious whirlwinds of psychedelia, MGMT has created the most underrated album of 2010, with every listen causing it to grow more and more on you.

1. Contra by Vampire Weekend: For a hugely hyped up band, Vampire Weekend could have easily repeated their debut or fell flat on their faces. But they didn’t. They added new elements and evolved their style to make a wonderfully energetic and vibrant album that I have not been able to stop playing since the day it came out.

Thank you so much for reading this! In the next few days I will have my top 25 (maybe 50) songs posted, so, stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Crooked River by Kaleo La Belle

2011-01-10T17:32:00.003-05:00

So, apparently filmmaker Kaleo La Belle has made a film about Sufjan Stevens's and his Brother, Marzuki Stevens, reunion with their estranged father. The filmmakers hope to have it released some time this year!

Here's the facebook page for it: Crooked River

And you can watch the very awesome trailer for it here:

SUDDENLY YOURS-Allstar Weekend

2010-12-24T14:45:00.009-05:00

Suddenly Yours-
Allstar Weekend
Label-Hollywood Records
1st Studio Album
Status-Out as of 2010
Rating-.5 feathers

Based in California, and gaining popularity by way of the Disney Channel, Allstar Weekend has released their debut called “Suddenly Yours”. But don’t let the boy-band looks, the fact that they don’t write their own songs, and the Abercrombie wannabe photo spread fool you: They are a lot worse than they appear!

If you love the idea of Boys Like Girls and Owl City fed into a grinder and extruded through the Disney Channel boy-band machine, then you’ll love Allstar Weekend. I, however, largely despise everything to do with that concept. The songs on “Suddenly Yours” progress from worse to ear-bleedingly horrible. The first few seconds of the album are ok, with passable synthesizers. But all turns to loathsome awful once you hear the singer’s voice and the other instruments. Everything sounds over-processed and synthesized; nothing sounds organic or like they sat down with the instruments and actually made up an arrangement on their own. Coupled with generic melodies, the lyrics are quite possibly the most vapid I have ever read. I cannot help but be inspired by lines like “get on your way/that kinda sucks,/wish you could stay” or the oh-so-motivating “Save my friends so they don’t/get hurt/get the mustard stain off my favorite shirt”. They are all simply vile pop songs with virtually no musicality requiring no apparent musical talent to make. Disney Channel fans will be in their glory.

I hope I never have to listen to “Suddenly Yours” again. They are an appalling excuse for “music”, and in regards to their own words “I’ll rock out/like Nirvana now/Be timeless like Madonna”, Kurt Cobain is rolling in his grave.

Video for Dance Forever

Recommendations: None
http://www.allstarweekendrocks.com/
Well, that was a horrific experience. Just don't listen to them. Really. Don't. The next review I will have out is The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens. Now that's what I call music.

The People's Key Cover Art and new song!

2010-12-22T21:58:00.007-05:00

Bright Eyes has released the cover art for their February 15th album The People's Key!

I think it's pretty ugly, to be honest. Cassadaga was clever, Noise Floor/Letting Off the Happiness were pretty, and I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning was just nice, but this is kinda pretty hideous.

What's not ugly is the fact that Bright Eyes was so kind as to release a song for free download from the album! It's called "Shell Games".

The song is great and I am thoroughly excited to hear it!

Hey, so it's been awhile...

2010-12-14T15:34:00.001-05:00

I feel like I am at that point where I can start posting regularly again. I very happy to be back, and I would like to welcome my 8 followers to my blog again!

Any way, I'll have two reviews up in the next two weeks AND by late December or within in the first week of January, I will be posting my choice of best albums and best songs of the year.

Stay tuned and thank you for reading!

Bright Eyes are going on tour AND have a new album coming out!

2010-12-14T15:29:00.003-05:00

Bright Eyes, fronted by Conor Oberst, have announced that they are coming out with an album entitled "The People's Key", which is due out on February 15th, which is also Conor's 31st birthday!

The People's Key tracklist:
1. Firewall
2. Shell Games
3. Jejune Stars
4. Approximated Sunlight
5. Haile Selassie
6. A Machine Spiritual (In the People’s Key)
7. Triple Spiral
8. Beginner’s Mind
9. Ladder Song
10. One for You, One for Me

After announcing one New York and one London show, they have just announced a series of more U.S. dates as follows:

3/2 The Fillmore Miami Beach @ The Jackie Gleason Miami, FL
3/3 House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL
3/4 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
3/5 Thomas Wolf Auditorium Asheville, NC
3/6 The National Richmond, VA
3/8 Radio City Music Hall *** New York, NY
3/9 Radio City Music Hall *** (SOLD OUT!) New York, NY
3/10 House Of Blues Boston, MA
3/11 State Theatre Portland, ME
3/13 Sound Academy Toronto, ON
3/14 Royal Oak Royal Oak, MI
3/15 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
3/17 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

I hope those of you who are as thrilled about this as I am are able to get tickets!

INTERPOL-Interpol

2010-10-08T18:00:00.006-04:00

Interpol-
Interpol
Label-Matador
Status-Out as of 2010
4th Studio Album
Rating-3.5 feathers

Interpol was one of the many bands that fell victim to what I like to call 3^rd album syndrome: the first two albums are fantastic, but the third album is just a monotonous wreck. That description fits their 2007 album, Our Love to Admire, like a glove. After three years off, Interpol have returned to redeem themselves with their fourth effort entitled Interpol, announcing that they were going back to basics and returning to a sound more like their mega-hit debut Turn on the Bright Lights. With a statement like that, the expectations are very high.

“Success” starts off the album in the same dramatic way Interpol start off most of their albums: prominent, striking guitar that soon gets underpinned by thick drumming. One thing is for certain: this song is wonderfully epic and they “have succeeded” in leaving you desperately wanting to hear more. These desires die pretty quickly into “Memory Serves”. It starts out a little slow, and it builds nicely for the chorus with perfectly drone-y guitar, but then it occurs to you that the song isn’t really going anywhere and becomes very tedious. The only thing that makes it interesting is Paul Bank’s terrible “Ooooh la la la” backing vocals. “Summer Well” restores the lost desire, starting off with a thumping bass line and piano very reminiscent of Muse’s “New Born”. It quickly kicks up, the vocals intensify, and the guitar comes crashing. It’s not particularly catchy, but that doesn’t take away the fact that it is a great song. “Lights” represents all the pretentiousness and grandeur Interpol have become stereotyped as having, but in the most glorious way possible. It’s the most wonderfully dramatic, affected, raw composition that they have ever conceived. It will move you to cry out, “that is why I hold you here” right along with them. “Barricade” is equally glorious. It possesses the joys of “Slow Hands” and “The Heinrich Maneuver”, but sounds like it could have easily been from their debut. If “Lights” didn’t get you wound up, then you will definitely be shouting “It starts to feel like a barricade to keep us away, it kinda does”. “Always Malaise (The Man I Am)” is a little awkward. It starts out fairly dramatically, and it builds to the point where you think, “Yes! YES!”. But then, it just anticlimaxes and gets weird. The instrumentation is okay, but the extremely creepy double-tracked vocals really destroy the song and obliterate any hope of you liking it. “Safe Without” is just as bad, but in an unoriginal way. The vocals sound very typical to the album, and the guitar riff sounds very generic, but more importantly, very not-Interpol. The added orchestration really just sounds stupid and makes it clear that they were trying a little too hard. “Try It On” sounds nothing like Interpol, which ends up working brilliantly. The main instrument is a piano and there is whistling, both of which are a complete first for them. The drumming is very syncopated, which fits the aura perfectly. The Julian Plenti influence is very prevalent, but I applaud them for finally innovating and expanding their sound. “The Undoing” closes the album with a dark, yet bittersweet sound. The guitar is similar to their usual closers, but the gloomy atmospheric sound along with the use of Spanish during the verses closes this dramatically grandiose album the best way they possibly could.

From start to finish, Interpol was non-stop overt drama. Every song was interesting to listen to, but most were almost too hard to grasp. Unlike their last album, they managed to make every song interesting, but they still failed to diversify their sound. The songs that stood out, like “Lights”, “Barricade”, and “ Try It On”, offered something new to the listener, whereas the others all followed the same tedious formula. As a whole, Interpol was a good attempt at redemption, but it generally failed to meet expectations. Interpol have come a long way, and I know that they will only continue to renew themselves, but that time isn’t now.

"We don't write for that purpose. But there's such a thing as a perfect song, and one day I would like to write one perfect song."-Paul Banks

Video for Barricade

Recommendations: Lights, Summer Well, Barricade
Interpol's Official Website
N ote: YAAAAAAAAAAY! I WROTE A REVIEW I WROTE A REVIEW! How immature. Okay, I hope any and all of you read this and I would love to hear your feedback. I allow anonymous comments, so everyone can respond. I also publish all comments, except for clear spam. So, thank you everyone. I really appreciate it!

So, I haven't really been around lately...

2010-08-27T10:50:00.002-04:00

And I felt I needed to explain why:

Blogger has kinda died on me. Many music blogs that I loved and commented on frequently have stopped posting, one by one. Some have been gone 2 years, others only 2 months. Anyway, this has made me very unmotivated to post. I haven't felt the urge to review CD's like I used to or post my opinions of news and such. It saddens me greatly that I let my blog become this barren wasteland.

Anyway, so I'm not making empty promises this time: I will try to come back slowly: posting little snippets of news here and there, maybe a review soon. The much needed break I took from this blog has gone on for a while and I think I'm going to try to give it another go.

For those of you who are actually reading this: Thank you so much! I appreciate it fully and greatly! Thanks for the support.

The Orchard Cover Art and other news!

2010-06-26T12:13:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Ra Ra Riot released the cover art for their 2nd album, The Orchard which is due out August 24th!
I think it's a great cover.

They also released a preview of "The Making of" The Orchard!

New Video for It's Working by MGMT

2010-06-26T12:09:00.002-04:00

MGMT have recently released the video for their 2nd single It's Working from their new album Congratulations. The video is probably the least weird video they've done as of yet, with Andrew and Ben working to make some sort of machine out of a box and after they finish, silliness ensues. It's not bad, and I'm glad they got of the "Let's be as obscure as possible!" bandwagon for this video.

It's Working

New Video for Guys Eyes by Animal Collective

2010-06-26T11:56:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, Animal Collective released the video for Guys Eyes, the 4th video from their 2009 album Merriweather Post Pavilion. It's not a bizarre video at all: it does not feature weird colors, people in bubble/tents dancing, or the band melting. Rather, it features Geologist running a surf shop and people surfing. It's a nice video, and worth a watch.

Guys Eyes

New Video for Holiday by Vampire Weekend

2010-05-27T20:42:00.002-04:00

Vampire Weekend have released a video for their song "Holiday" from their new album. They really surpassed themself this time, getting all colonial on everyone. Even they make powdered wigs gangsta.

Holiday

Ra Ra Riot are...The Orchard!

2010-05-25T20:42:00.003-04:00

Ra Ra Riot have announced the release of their second album "The Orchard", and it's due out August 24th. Oh, I really cannot wait!

Tracklisting for The Orchard
01 The Orchard
02 Boy
03 Too Dramatic
04 Foolish
05 Massachusetts
06 You and I Know
07 Shadowcasting
08 Do You Remember
09 Kansai
10 Keep It Quiet

New Video for Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever) by Muse

2010-05-20T20:21:00.004-04:00

Okay, Muse are awesome and insane. I love them, but this whole twilight thing has got to stop. In an interview awhile ago, Dominic Howard himself said that they would not be partaking in anymore "Twilight" soundtracks. Well, he lied. Now, we have a complete original for the soundtrack called "Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)". Regarding the song, it's really disgusting--it sounds like they threw together a few things and topped it off with sloppy vocals. The only redeeming part of it is the drumming and the classic-Muse arpeggio. I give them credit, though, for not taking a song from a previous album and destroying it by letting it be associated with such a poor movie (cough cough Supermassive Blackhole cough cough).

Regarding the video-it's an average video of the band performing dramatically, which would've been ok with the mediocrity of the song, except they decided to punctuate it video from the movie that no one who actual watches the video wants to see at all.

Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)

Panda Bear to Release New Single!

2010-05-17T19:04:00.004-04:00

According to Amazon apparently, founding member of Animal Collective, Noah Lennox (AKA Panda Bear) is set to release the first title-track single for his album Tomboy on July 13th. You can head over to amazon now and pre-order the single. The product description left us with this enticing message:

"Paw Tracks is excited to present the first in a series of limited edition seven inch singles by Animal Collective's Panda Bear. There will be several limited singles total (on different labels), and each one will bring us closer and closer to the much anticipated release of the Tomboy full length."

The album is due out in September, and I'm really very excited!

The Coral are...Butterfly House!

2010-05-11T17:01:00.004-04:00

I don't know how long this news has been around, but I haven't read until now. The Coral are finally coming out with their 5th album entitled Butterfly House after their 2007 album (the amazing) Root & Echoes and the departure of guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones. They have released several song names: 'Coney Island', 'Rovin Jewel', 'Green is the Colour', 'Sandhills', and '1000 Years', which will be the albums first single. The Coral are also offering a free download of the title track 'Butterfly House' through their website. While your their you'll also notice some English tour dates. The album is set to be released July 12th. I hope it's as fantastic as their last!

Butterfly House

You can also follow the boys on their twitter account!

Carlos D Has Left Interpol

2010-05-10T15:37:00.005-04:00

Interpol were the first indie band that I ever got into. Arguably, without them, I would have never expanded my research into the indie genre. Carlos D has always been known as the gothic looking "weird" bass player of Interpol. He was always a stand out member, whether it was for his style or his insane bass playing (which he always chose to play at his knees), so the news that Carlos has left them has struck me with immense sadness.
From their website:

"After the completion of the album, Carlos informed the rest of us that he would be leaving the band. He has decided to follow another path, and to pursue new goals. This separation is amicable, and we whole-heartedly wish him great happiness and success. We will remain, as always, deeply respectful fans of this blazingly talented individual."

I am happy that he stayed to finish the album, and I hope his future endeavors go well, but for now, i'll still be left deeply sadden.

The video that started my Interpol love so many years ago

New Video for The Royal We by Silversun Pickups

2010-05-04T16:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Silversun Pickups released a video for their 3rd single "The Royal We" from there latest album "Swoon". Songwise, it's really a great song, with nice progressive guitars and vocals that sound like they're coming from the soul. The video is not as good as the song, but it's worth a watch. It's really psychedelic, with weird surrealistic images and awkward close-ups of singer Brian Aubert. I have absolutely loved Silversun Pickups since I saw Muse in March, and if you don't think you like them, I suggest giving them a try.

The Royal We

CONGRATULATIONS-MGMT

2010-04-24T11:58:00.005-04:00

Congratulations-
MGMT
Label-Columbia
Status-Out as of 2010
2nd Studio Album
Rating-3 feathers

Two years ago, MGMT were a little known band supporting of Montreal, and having just released their 1st EP “Time To Pretend”. Little did they know that their 2008 album “Oracular Spectacular” would instantly launch them into the mainstream. Apparently, they really didn’t like this. Now with their 2nd album, “Congratulations”, they have made it very clear that they want to lapse into an obscure world where they won’t have any well known ‘singles’. In other words, this is not the MGMT you used to know.

Congratulations starts with “It’s Working”, rushing in bombastically with surf-pop inspired guitars/bass under pinned by fantastical synthesizers. I don’t know if they noticed, but it is an undeniably catchy song—when the entire band is chanting “it’s working in your blood”, there’s no way you can avoid the urge to sing along. The same can be said for their not-single “Flash Delirium”. Granted, it’s not the best version of a radio-friendly danceable pop song, but the thick synthesizers and endless hooks will leave this song as engrained in your mind as “Kids” ever did. Yet, amongst these innovative songs, MGMT still manage to fall over themselves trying to lose their dance-aesthetic. “Someone’s Missing” does everything to make it as psychedelic as possible, even going as far as adding a really poorly placed sitar. It picks up toward the end, but goes absolutely nowhere. Unlike similar works by of Montreal, Animal Collective, and even The Who, their twelve-minute multi-movement piece “Siberian Breaks” sounds overdrawn and forced. The movements lack any sort of cohesion, each one being completely different from the previous with awkward transitions between. The individual components could each be turned into their own great song, but as one, it flounders severely. “I Found A Whistle” provides some sort of serious musicianship with a gorgeous soulful tone and space-y organs, even if the subject matter is slightly ridiculous. “Brian Eno” also plays up the inane subject matter (it’s a strange glorification of Brian Eno), but as with “Whistle”, it is masked by wonderfully poppy and mashed-together synthesizers. Much to their dismay, this song would be an undeniably radio-friendly single. “Congratulations” closes the album in a calm, very reorienting manner. If you get past the almost laughable Flight of the Conchords-esque delivery, it offers a good amount of ordinary closure to a very odd album.

The album really wasn’t that bad. As a whole, MGMT achieved their goal and then some in departing as far away as possible from Oracular Spectacular; it’s more psychedelic, contains more intelligent lyrics, and all in all sounds significantly more complex and thought out. However, they seem to be suffering a musical identity-crisis where they combine ten plus genres in one song, and they’re becoming absurdly pretentious: just look at “Brian Eno” and “Lady Dada’s Romance”. MGMT had built massive bridges with their debut, but “Congratulations” let them burn them all down to the point where their career will start over and progress slower, or as they put it “more naturally”. I’ll at least commend them for that.

"The title ties into this cynical philosophy I have. It's like, Congratulations, you're Bono, you've made it. But what do you really have? You still don't have any answers."-Andrew VanWyngarden

Video for Flash Delirium

Recommendations: It's Working, Flash Delirium, I Found a Whistle
MGMT's Official Website
Note: YAY! Review out! Hasn't happened for a few months, and now I'm back and ready to post more of them. Hooray! Anyway, I'll post a picture of my actual copy soon, but if it matters, I got the picture from google images. I hope you enjoy and I appreciate your comments!

Record Store Day Tomorrow!

2010-04-16T16:27:00.004-04:00

For all of you yanks and some brits, tomorrow is Record Store Day! Record Store Day is a celebration of indie bands and the Record Stores that make there careers possible. To celebrate this fabulous day, many bands, such as Monsters of Folk, Muse, Phoenix, Passion Pit, have released special edition (mostly vinyl) singles of new-for-Record-Store-Day-recordings and old stuff too. So go out, get some vinyl, listen to tunes!

"It’s important to have something that is being done just out of true love for new music that is being welcomed into the world. People should go to their indie record store and find out what is happening.”-Regina Spektor

Record Store Day's Official Website
List of bands participating and the stuff they're releasing
List of participating Record Stores

Congratulations Out Today

2010-04-13T19:23:00.004-04:00

If you haven't already gotten it, and haven't gotten sick of listening to it on their website, go out and get it! Support your favorite bands!

The Final Friday Thing: The Wrote and the Writ by Johnny Flynn

2010-04-02T21:21:00.003-04:00

So everyone, this is my last Friday Thing. I guess it wore out it's welcome, and I let it take over my blog. I sorta figured that this is the 75th Friday Thing, and it will be the last. I am stopping it for I feel that I've lost focus with my blog, it starting out as a strictly review blog. Now I will only do reviews and little news things. Expect an Animal Collective, Monsters of Folk, or Spoon review out in the very very near future.

Johnny Flynn is a fantastic performer and writer. All his songs are simple, and immensely poignant. He never fails to evoke some sort of emotion, whether it's hope or sadness, and this song conveys the perfect sense of lonliness with some acceptance; it's just beautiful.

The Wrote and the Writ

New Video for Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.) by Monsters of Folk

2010-03-31T20:09:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Monsters of Folk released a video for "Dear God", their second single from their 2009 debut. The song is so wonderfully dreamy with soulful singing and a harp, and was a very good opening for the album. The video, however, is not quite as great. The amount of "crafted" looking layers and the zooming in concept is not bad, but it's not a whole lot interesting and little a slow moving. Too bad it didn't include the band.

Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)

New Video for Flash Delirium by MGMT

2010-03-30T15:09:00.002-04:00

So, this morning, MGMT released the video for their new not-single "Flash Delirium". It's immensely weird and bizarre, but you'd expect that after seeing videos like "Kids" and "Time to Pretend". It's moderately enjoyable, the song goes well with the video, but then when Ben Goldwasser's neck starts talking and someone pulls an eel/snake out, you can't help but get a tad nauseous. I'm looking forward to what else they have planned.

The Friday Thing: Skinny Love by Bon Iver

2010-03-26T18:51:00.003-04:00

A while ago, I was waiting to see Blur perform on a Glastonbury 2009 special, and one of the other bands they showed was Bon Iver. I was told prior to this to give him a listen, and I never got to it. I really wish I had because this song is, for lack of a better word, beautiful. The amount of passion he throws into the chorus is astounding. I love the minimalistness of it; it makes his message that much more effective. It's a heartwrenchingly passionate performance, and I hope you enjoy!

Skinny Love

Congratulations Album Leak

2010-03-22T17:50:00.003-04:00

Apparently MGMT's April 13th album Congratulations has leaked, and like The Dodos, they decided that instead of letting you hear the album in crappy quality out of order, they are now streaming it on their website for free. I, like I did with The Dodos, am not going to listen to the album yet; I get joy out of buying the album and looking at the packaging while I listen.

MGMT leave us with this message:

"Hey everybody, the album leaked, and we wanted you to be able to hear it from us. We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn't make sense to anyone but us."

If you don't want to wait, here you go: MGMT's Website with the album streaming

New Video for My Propeller by Arctic Monkeys

2010-03-18T17:31:00.004-04:00

Arctic Monkeys 3rd video for their 3rd single My Propeller was just released. Now, I get they are changing their style-I mean, just look at the difference between Favourite Worst Nightmare and Humbug-but, why do they have to go in such a weird (bad) direction? Videowise, "Crying Lightning" was different and "Cornerstone" was a little awkward, but "My Propeller" takes it to new heights of awful. It's not just them performing, it's them with a black-white effect and strange/awkward close-ups. All in all, it's just bad. To be honest, the only redeeming aspect of the video is the song.

My Propeller

Julian Casablancas in SNL Digital Short

2010-03-15T18:49:00.003-04:00

If there's two things that everyone can agree on are the only redeeming factors of Saturday Night Live it's the musical acts (which are hit or miss) and the Andy Samberg Digital Shorts. So, this weekend's SNL nailed it when the Digital Short guested Julian Casablancas to do the immensely funny Boombox. You will enjoy it, like you did Lazy Sunday, so please, watch it.

The Friday Thing: Out of the Blue by Julian Casablancas

2010-03-12T16:32:00.001-05:00

I saw this a long time ago-this was when Julian Casablancas came to Letterman in January. It was only until this week that I actually went out and got the album, and now I can't get enough of this song, and the album. It's really not bad, and I'd suggest giving it a listen. "Out of the Blue" is a fantastically sing-a-long-inevitable song, so if you don't give the album a listen, watch this performance.

Out of the Blue

SHOW REVIEW: MUSE LIVE @ Madison Square Garden in NYC 3/5/10

2010-03-06T13:41:00.009-05:00

Last night, I was fortunate enough to see Muse at Madison Square Garden in NYC. You probably heard many different blogs/music magazines deem Muse as the best live band in the world, and you cannot possibly comprehend this until you go to see them. To make the night that much better, Silversun Pickups were the opening band. The crowd was pretty not interested during their set, but I thought they held their own. Chris Guanlao, the drummer, and Nikki Monniger, the bassist, are absolutely amazing at what they do. Chris is a monster, and offered endless entertainment through his flailing. Nikki seemed more inhibited, but she’s one of the best bassists I’ve ever seen. All and all, they were great. They played quite a few songs, and it’s a shame I only recognized “Substitution”, “Panic Switch”, and their closer “Lazy Eye”. They made it very clear to us how happy they were to be there, and you felt their joy when singer Brian Aubert did a little happy dance. Now given that this was a WRXP sponsored event, Matt Pinfield, one of the DJs, came on to introduce Muse−that made everything suddenly real. The lights dimmed, the towers lit up showing an image of a person walking up to the top (and then falling off ala Absolution), and suddenly the shades dropped and there Matt, Dom, and Chris were. They immediately plowed through “Uprising”. I really don’t like “Uprising”, but it was performed so grandiosely that everyone was screaming their heads off, and it made me like it, if not just for those 5 minutes. After “Resistance”, they did an extremely epic two song run of “New Born” and “Map of the Problematique”. What more could you ask for? Matt Bellamy is a guitar god, and the “New Born” solo proved it. Dom Howard is a complete virtuoso on the drums, and his insane skills were the utter highlight of “Map of the Problematique”. “Guiding Light” was one of the best performances. The overall sound is that of what you’d imagine hearing in a huge football stadium, and hearing it at MSG was one of the most emotionally epic moments of my life. Afterwards, it sounded like they were just messing with the guitar, and when I realized it was infact “Interlude” I flipped. Chris Wolstenholme is sheer genius when it comes to “Hysteria”, and the audience seemed to agree. Even though the rest of the concert was beyond-words unbelievable, in my mind, “Plug in Baby” had to be the best part of the night. When the air-raid sounding static-y guitar began and he launched into the opening riff, I freaked. The massive energy that poured from the stage and Matt’s endless hops and twirls were just perfect. If they ended it there, I still would’ve been out-of-control happy and satisfied. For the encore, they did “Exogenesis (Overture)”, which was severely entertaining because I’ve never seen or imagined so many people jumping around/head banging to bombastic strings. They finished with “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Knights of Cydonia”-both intensely and perfectly performed, and the best possible ending to such a brilliant night.

I was deeply moved by their performance and very sad that it had to end. For the first time, I have no complaints about a concert. They did everything spot on; they had a very full setlist, doing both “MK Ultra” and “Unnatural Selection”, and they performed with everything they had. It’s been awhile since I had this much fun at a concert, and if you want your mind completely blown, I would suggest doing everything in your capacity to go see them. They are the best live band in the world today.
----------------------
SET LIST

Uprising
Resistance
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Blackhole
Guiding Light
Interlude
Hysteria
Nishe
United States of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Helsinki Jam
Undisclosed Desires
MK Ultra
Starlight
Plug in Baby
Time is Running Out
Unnatural Selection

ENCORE
Exogenesis: Symphony, Pt. 1: Overture
Stockholm Syndrome
Man With Harmonica+Knights of Cydonia
----------------------

NOTE: Okay, so I got the pictures from here from these people. I didn't have a camera with me, but if these pictures belong to you and/or you a have a problem with me having them here, just drop a comment, and I'll get rid of them. I hope you enjoy reading my review as much as I enjoyed being there. My ears are still ringing, but that just makes me remember how amazing it was.

New Videos for Lewis Takes Off His Shirt by Owen Pallett and This Too Shall Pass by OK GO

2010-03-04T16:12:00.004-05:00

The wonderful Owen Pallett (used to be known as Final Fantasy) released a video for his song "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" from his new album Heartland this week. The music is very good, as is with most of his, but the video is a little weird. It's strange, just a little convoluted, and very pretentious.

OK GO also released a video this week for "This Too Shall Pass" from their new-ish album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. As usual the music is ok, but this video is pretty good. It features them singing amongst a nicely complex Rube Goldberg Machine. It goes perfectly with the music and is definitely up there with the dancing and treadmills.

The Friday Thing: A-Punk by Vampire Weekend (+poll results)

2010-02-26T20:20:00.005-05:00

I remember back in early 2008, I saw previews for a Jools Holland episode with Vampire Weekend and The Kills as guests. I ended up tuning in a little late so the only thing I saw in that episode was the last performance which was "A-Punk". I had never heard anything at all by them before that moment, so when I did I was completely enthralled and couldn't believe how good they really were. I loved them so much that I went out the next day and bought their album strictly on this performance-now, 2 years later, I finally will be going to see them.

A-Punk

POLL RESULTS:
In January I put up a poll to see what you guys liked most about what I offer on this blog, and an overwhelming amount of you (3 of you) have voted. Based on the results, I will start trying to post more news items and music reviews. Also, I'm thinking about stopping these Friday things, or making them more infrequent. Next week, I'm going to a show, so I won't have a Friday Thing, but I will have a concert review! Opinions?

The Friday Thing: Planet Telex by Radiohead

2010-02-19T20:54:00.002-05:00

I like Radiohead. I really do. On that note, I've listened to a lot of them this week, and I felt that it'd be nice to bring their performance from that Coachella movie to you. This is one of their older songs and their performance is very good. With Jonny Greenwood bouncing around and Thom Yorke's awkward goofy smiles: it's hard not to enjoy. Give it a chance.

Planet Telex

New Video for Giving Up The Gun by Vampire Weekend

2010-02-19T20:46:00.004-05:00

Well, the title says it. Vampire Weekend have released a video for their Contra song "Giving up the Gun" today. I feel confused yet happy: It stars a Jonas brother and Jake Gyllenhaal, respectively, who play a girl in a tennis match. Other than that, the band look cool, and the over all feel of the video fits that of the amazing song.

Giving up the Gun

(I feel so violated posting a video by someone named "FanaticForJonasB")

MGMT and Congratulations cover and other information

2010-02-17T15:34:00.005-05:00

This is the cover art to MGMT's supposedly very different Congratulations which is due out on April 13th in the states. This is gonna be a weird album-the fact that there are flutes, a 12 minute song, the song titles, and the album art means that it's not going to be normal. The only way it could be more bizarre is if they make the actual songs conventional.

Track Listing
01 It's Working
02 Song for Dan Treacy
03 Someone's Missing
04 Flash Delirium
05 I Found a Whistle
06 Siberian Breaks
07 Brian Eno
08 Lady Dada's Nightmare
09 Congratulations

The Friday Thing: Tenuousness by Andrew Bird

2010-02-12T15:39:00.003-05:00

From the Basement is a fantasic show shot by Nigel Godrich where they take a band and have them perform with no audience. Recently, I've been getting into Andrew Bird, so I decided to watch his set from the episode he was in. He is a one man show-he loops his violin, he whistles, plucks a guitar, and sings-and words cannot properly describe how beautiful the violin looping is. There are so many layers that are perfectly placed together. Andrew Bird is a genius, and if you didn't know that, watch this performance of "Tenuousness"-you'll understand!

Tenuousness

Jamie Lidell is...Compass!

2010-02-08T15:47:00.004-05:00

Soul-singer/electronic(ish) Jamie Lidell is releasing his 4th album "Compass" which is due to be released May 17th in the UK and May 18th in the States. For those who don't know, Jamie Lidell is a very talented soul and electronic artist. His previous album "Jim" was a very soulfilled, bright effort, but now it seems with "Compass" he's moving into the more experimental zone; apparently even the likes of Beck and Feist helped with the record. Be sure to pick it up when it comes out!
.

Go here to hear the title track "Compass"

Possible MGMT Release Date?

2010-02-07T11:42:00.004-05:00

It's been known for awhile now that MGMT are due to release an album entitled "Congratulations" this year, but nobody has any idea when it'll be released...until now. On MGMT's website they have a countdown going which will end on Tuesday, April 13th. It's pure speculation, but Vampire Weekend's countdown led to Horchata, so this may just lead to a song or an album. You never know.

Go here to see for yourself: MGMT's Official Website

The Friday Thing: Cousins, Have I The Right?, California English, Walcott, Horchata, and A-Punk by Vampire Weekend

2010-02-05T15:59:00.003-05:00

This week, Vampire Weekend did a set of songs for a small audience for La Blogotheque. It's a very intimate setting, with the four of them playing amongst a small group of people sitting around them, which makes it such a great performance. Their nerdyness and quirks come out to an extreme, and the acoustic-versions are very nice to hear; they make California English bearable! The energy is great, and if you have 23 minutes to spare, you won't be disappointed.

Cousins, Have I The Right?, California English, Walcott, Horchata, and A-Punk

The Friday Thing: On Call by Kings of Leon

2010-01-29T15:27:00.002-05:00

On this music/concert channel I thoroughly suggest/watch a lot, they've been playing a lot of Kings of Leon performances. I had assumed that after hearing Only By The Night, which I really rejected, that I wouldn't like any of their stuff at all. However, I was exposed to "The Bucket" and knew I had to give 'em another listen. So now, I have become a huge fan of their album "Because of the Times". I chose this performance because "On Call" is such a good song and that bassline will get jammed in your head to a point of no return. You'll love it.

On Call

ODDSAC: Animal Collective Movie Trailer

2010-01-26T18:18:00.003-05:00

Animal Collective have been working on a movie (or visual album) called ODDSAC and the the trailer was released today. If your in the New York or Chicago area, go here to buy tickets for screenings.

It's gonna be great!

Follow ODDSAC's twitter if you want constant updates

CONTRA-Vampire Weekend

2010-01-24T11:53:00.006-05:00

Contra-
Vampire Weekend
Label-XL Recordings
Status-Out as of 2010
2nd Studio Album
Rating-4 feathers

From the start of their career, Vampire Weekend were one of the few bands that were nearly unconditionally critically acclaimed. Hoisted so high on the indie pedestal, when it came time for them to make a second album, many thought that there was no way they could pull it off again. Well, they have. With a significantly mellower sound, and slightly more synthesizer in place of guitars, Vampire Weekend are back with their sophomore album “Contra”.

The carefree “Horchata” starts off the album with their signature bubbly synthesizer and vocals. It’s an inspiring and powerful beginning that will leave you singing “Here comes the feeling you’d forgotten” long after it’s over. “Holiday” offers you the same immensely catchy and bouncy synthesizers that you’ve come to love about Vampire Weekend, except with much more force and massive sing-along ability. There are very few things to really despise about this album, especially after hearing the last few songs. However, there’s usually something, and that something is “California English”. It’s like the “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” of Contra, except the violently annoying part is the irritating use of auto-tune. It makes it almost unlistenable. The only redeeming part of it is the clever lyrics, except you’d never know that unless you were reading the booklet; the auto-tune obscures them that badly. “Taxi Cab” conveys the exact opposite of what the last song did. It’s like a sadder, and significantly more somber “I Stand Corrected”. Both the slight but effective cello and the non-falsetto singing makes it that much more moving. “Run” is nicely upbeat, and provides you with endless hooks. The fuzzy drums and fanfare punctuated by the new synth creates a bittersweet yet very bright symphony of sound. “Cousins” is all over the place, but in a good way. It’s completely manic and never ceases in force, and it’s amazing that they kept the frantic sound so tight. Then you have “Giving Up the Gun” which is the perfect example of their maturity as a band. They combine a reflective attitude with a grandiose mix of synthesizers and glittery sound effects that swell to build their most epic and encouraging song so far. With songs like that on this album, “I Think UR a Contra” is a pretty disappointing ending. I don’t like what Ezra does with his vocals and the dreamlike echoe-y instrumentation in the background makes it just way too fantastical for me. Also, the grand piano really doesn’t sound right. At the end, when it sounds like the instruments are breaking down, that’s when it finally gets interesting.

As a whole, Vampire Weekend have created a pretty good answer to their debut. It’s a very mellow collection of songs all of which embrace rawer synthesizers and a fuller sound. However, they did completely rid of their minimalist and baroque pop sound in exchange for a sometimes annoying electronica sounding one. Yet, I applaud them for building on their sound and for still sounding as fresh as they did two years ago. I have no doubt that future albums will continue on the same bubbly and brightly paved path.

"It's easy to write a song that just takes down easy targets--there were songs like that on the first album, though some people misinterpreted them. It's more of a challenge to write a song that's about compassion toward people that you disagree with or people that represent something you think is rephrehensible."-Ezra Koenig

Video for Cousins

Recommendations: Horchata, Holiday, Run, Giving Up the Gun
Vampire Weekend's Official Website
NOTE: YAY! I wrote a review. Start thinking of this as a more regular thing again. Next up is Spoon. In regards to the album, I really didn't like White Sky. I know it was a song they've played for a really long time, but I'm just not convinced on it's greatness. I hope you enjoy!

The Friday Thing: Written in Reverse by Spoon

2010-01-22T15:25:00.003-05:00

As with my Dodos post, you know I don't typically watch late shows. However, on Tuesday, Spoon released their 7th album Transference, so I was very pleased to be able to hear the album and then watch them perform one the songs that same day (or night). For this, they performed the slightly crazed "Written in Reverse", and they did it quite well if I must say. I'd suggest watching it, and I hope you enjoy!

Written in Reverse

New releases set for 2010!

2010-01-19T17:03:00.005-05:00

NME.com have put out a list of what they think are the most important albums to be released this year.

Here are a few very important ones:

Miles Kane, Rascal/Last Shadow Puppet/Little Flame, is releasing yet another album, and this time it's a solo album produced by Gruff Rhys! Link...
The Coral, after the leave of Bill Ryder-Jones, are going to put out a 5 album! Link...
Radiohead are going back into the studio and are working on an apparently "very different" album. Link...
Arcade Fire are finally saying that their 3rd long overdue release will be out later this year! Link...
Interpol say that their 4th album will be released later this year also, and apparently it'll sound like Turn on the Bright Lights! Link...
MGMT are releasing "Congratulations" in the spring sometime and have stated they will not release singles. Link...

For the full list go here: NME's 50 albums you need to hear in 2010

Transference Out Today!

2010-01-19T16:45:00.003-05:00

Transference by Spoon was released today if you weren't already in the know. Spoon are great so go out and buy it!
`

The Friday Thing: Fables by The Dodos

2010-01-15T15:24:00.004-05:00

Last Friday (or Saturday, technically) The Dodos made their first American television appearance on David Letterman performing "Fables" from their not-so-new-now Time To Die. I thought it was a pretty good performance, the vocals were a little funny, but the drums were way awesome as usual (just look at the tambourine foot). It's a good song, and I'm very happy I got to see their debut. Enjoy!

Fables

New Video for Resistance by Muse

2010-01-14T15:26:00.004-05:00

Muse have just released the video for "Resistance", their third single from their new-ish The Resistance. In actuality, it's just a live video with the actual recording over it, similar to their "In Your World" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes" videos. They really out do themselves with the grandiosity of their live show, and I'm happy they made a "simple" video after the wreck that that was "Undisclosed Desires"'s video. I hope you enjoy!

If you're not from the states, click this link and click "Rest of the World": Muse premiere Resistance

BTW: Please vote on my poll if you haven't already!

Contra and Heartland Out Today!

2010-01-12T16:54:00.003-05:00

If you didn't know, Contra by Vampire Weekend and Heartland by Owen Pallett (formally referred to as Final Fantasy) were released today. Go out and support your bands!

New Video for Brother Sport by Animal Collective

2010-01-08T15:44:00.005-05:00

So, I'm very happy about this. Animal Collective have released a video for their 3rd single, Brother Sport, from their latest "Merriweather Post Pavilion". For those who read, I personally thought that Brother Sport was the best song of 2009: it's really excellent. However, I don't really like the video. The video for My Girls and Summertime Clothes were really well done, but this takes on a style more like In the Flowers. Enjoy!

Btw: I'm putting up a poll to ask those who read what they'd like to see more of in 2010, and also, Friday Things resume next Friday.

LINES OF ORATION PRESENTS: The Top 21 Music Videos of the 2000's

2010-01-01T14:05:00.022-05:00

To kick off the New Year, I bring to you what I think are the 20 best music videos of the aughts. Look out for part three of the countdown. Enjoy!

21. Girl by Beck-This is pretty poor of me to put this in after the fact, but it deserves a mention. Beck is just cool, he really is. This video demonstrates that. It's clever, and I think you should watch it.

20. You Only Live Once by The Strokes-I love how they are all in white when the disgusting "sewage" comes pouring in, but I thoroughly enjoy how Julian Casablancas's hopping around never ceases.

19. I'll Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab For Cutie-It's a nice, and slightly sad song, but I like how the hole symbolizes the songs meaning.

18. Summer Song by Yacht-You don't have to see it to know your already crazy about it.

17. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service-I'm not entirely sure what is happening in the video, but I think it fits with the electronic-ness so well.

16. The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes-The general smoothness of the stop motion is really good, but it has to be the sheer amount of equipment they used.

15. Here it Goes Again by OK GO

14. My Girls by Animal Collective-Them only having lips and the fact that they soon begin to melt shows that Animal Collective are very weird without being stupidly outrageous. Also, the fact that they seem so into it makes the song that much more enjoyable.

13. Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games) by of Montreal-of Montreal would take an already cutesy song and make such a seemingly more adorable yet so morbid video out it.

12. Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim-Who knew Christopher Walken could dance so well?

11. Australia by The Shins-The concept of freeing helpless balloons by releasing them back to the atmosphere is adorable. This video is both comical and creative, and isn't the image of all the balloons at the end beautiful?

10. Evil by Interpol-Norman the puppet is the creepiest and coolest puppet, and the dancing is just too creepy for words. I think what did it for me was the fact that Norman fits Paul Bank's vocals eerily well.

9. D.A.N.C.E. by Justice-I'm not a fan of Justice. At all. However, this video is really great. The constant redesigning t-shirts are way cool, and the concept is purely unique. Do you not want some of those shirts?

8. 1901 by Phoenix-Not only was this one of the best songs of the year, it was definitely one of the best videos of the decade. Most of the videos here aren't too fancy, and this one really isn't. The projector idea fit the song insanely well and it's so wonderfully original.

7. A Million Ways by OK GO-You have to love OK GO. Before they were jumping around on treadmills, they were dancing in back yards. To the video that started it all.

6. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend-The endless thought of "How'd they get the lip-synch like that?" will never leave my mind.

5. Window in the Skies by U2-A lot of bands do music videos that compile footage of the band with a live performance or take random videos that "go" with the song. U2, however, took clips of performances by everyone from The Smiths to The Clash to Arcade Fire, and synched it up perfectly to the music. It's a walk through music history, and that, with the perfect lip-synch, is enough reason to love it.

4. Another John Doe by Thenewno2-You may not like Beatles's children's bands, but if you ever had any reason not to love Thenewno2, this video will far overshadow those thoughts. Directed by the bands own Oli Hecks, it's not just any stop motion. I mean, have you ever seen one that's this smooth?

3. Easy/Lucky/Free by Bright Eyes-This is the prime example of the simpler, the better. All he does throughout the video is write down some of the lyrics on a pane of glass. What's so genius is that he thought to do it, and it the product came out so well. It's simple, effective, and gets the songs message across without getting too serious.

2. Obstacle 1 by Interpol-No matter how many actors you hire or how facny the effects you use are, it will always be difficult to beat a band simply just performing the song. This is one of those videos. Interpol all look so cool and a song like "Obstacle 1" just shouldn't be messed up with an overdone video. The slight effects really add to the classic feel and I feel it just adds to the subtle brilliance that is "Obstacle 1".

1. Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys-Simply the best music video of the decade. When you first heard "Fluorescent Adolescent", you surely didn't think of homicidal clowns or a torn friendship, but once you saw the video, you cannot think of anything else. Jamie Cook himself has said "[it's] probably one of the best videos in the last, like, 10 years", and in my mind, it is the best.

The Friday Thing: Last Christmas by Arctic Monkeys

2009-12-25T20:38:00.005-05:00

You all, those who read, know that I saw Arctic Monkeys earlier this month and thought this performance was great. I know I posted this same video in that review, but hey, today is Christmas. Last year, my Christmas Friday Thing was Arctic Monkeys Christmas message, and quite frankly I can't think of a better way to show holiday spirit than through Arctic Monkeys. Merry Christmas everyone, and if you don't celebrate, happy holidays!

Last Christmas

As a special treat-here's Julian Casablancas performing "I Wish it was Christmas Today" on Jimmy Fallon

I Wish it Was Christmas Today

LINES OF ORATION PRESENTS: The Top 20 Songs of 2009

2009-12-20T20:56:00.027-05:00

I've been attempting to pay very close attention to new music this year, and here's my top 20 of '09:
.
#20. Actor out of Work by St. Vincent-I heard this song a while back, and I really think she's got something going. I don't know much about Annie Clark (except that she's a former member of the Polyphonic Spree), but "Actor Out of Work", with its upbeat and very electronic sounding guitars with her really sounding like she's gone 'mad', convinced me to keep an eye out for future releases.
.
#19. Nothing to Worry About by Peter, Bjorn, and John-"Nothing to Worry A b o ut" is the epitome of weird. It's nothing like their crowning achievement "Young Folks", in fact it's like it's a different band. The chorus is so violently annoying and it almost sounds like they are trying too hard to make it strange, but I love it. The clapping/drums along with the verse have been grilled so far into my head that I cannot deny its wonderful oddness.

#18. Games for Days by Julian Plenti-Interpol have been on a break for a while, and Paul Banks naturally decided to pursue a side project he entitled Julian Plenti. I only bought the album recently, but I've been living with "Games for Days" for awhile. I love how Paul adds just enough creepiness to his vocals, but what really makes the song for me is that it sounds as though he's trying to create a sound different from Interpol, but not so different that he abandons what he's come to be known for.
.
#17. Animal by Miike Snow-My local radio station played this song to death thus beating it into my head. I've come to adore it, and it's mix of Genesis-sounding vocals along with a simple synthesizer is just catchy enough to keep it in your head for a few weeks. I mean, to this day I still can't get "I'm still I'm still an animal" out of my brain.
.

#16. All is Love by Karen O and the Kids-When you saw commercials for Where the Wild Things Are, do you remember hearing the absolutely adorable and cutesy songs that delighted your ears? Well, I do. I don't think it was the song that made me go see the movie, but I will forever associate this song with that lovable movie. It's the cutest song of the year, and if it doesn't make you gush with joy, nothing will.
.
#15. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit-Passion Pit were deemed the next big thing for 2009 in 2008, and it's this song that made me understand why. I heard it first from the Palm Pixi commercial, and it's the only song I've ever heard in a commercial that I haven't gotten sick of after hearing 40+ times and that hasn't destroyed the song in the process: I actually look forward to seeing the commercial.
.
#14. Daniel by Bat For Lashes-For some reason, I don't really listen to a lot of female musicians: I don't know why. I really like Natasha Khan's voice in this song. I can't stand it how a lot of the female singers today sound the same, but she seems different. "Daniel" has enough weirdness to it, with the strings and the fantastical aura, that sticks with you and her soft voice fits in really well.

#13. Say Please by Monsters of Folk-I was going through a little Bright Eyes phase when I heard "Say Please" on the radio. It's that song alone that convinced me to buy the album. I love the way the three of them swap vocals and furthur how their distinct voices meld perfectly. The wholesomeness is undeniable (and so are the Traveling Wilburys comparisons) which makes for an all around feel good mood.
.
#12. In the Flowers by Animal Collective-I pop in Merriweather Post Pavilion for the first time. I'm completely new to them, I've never heard one song by them before this song. It starts off a little slow to me, but I'm quickly intrigued when the vocals come in. Then, the most beautiful magical thing to ever grace my ears comes half way. Happiness and pure joy fills me. The line "then we could be dancing and you'd smile and say I like this song" tells all. To this day, whenever I hear it, shivers rush through me.
.

#11. Lisztomania by Phoenix-Other than 1901, this, to me, was the second best song from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"; many argue that it's the best. I love the general bright, summery feel it gives, and because I decided to review the album during the summer months, I will forever associate this song with care-free summer days. Also, how could you not love how seemingly composer crazy they are?
.
#10. Secret Door by Arctic Monkeys-This song was one of the few steps forward, to me, on "Humbug". After the strangely not creative "Dangerous Animals", "Secret Door" comes through like sunlight peaking through window cracks. It is a beautifully arranged piece with a very intriguing structure that builds to a magnificent ending. It's very different from what they've done before (and on the album), but it was definitely a genius work.
.
#9. Two Medicines by The Dodos-As a whole, "Time to Die" was not a terrible album. Most of the songs were very (sometimes painfully) similiar, but they were well performed. The song that stuck out the most was " Two Medicines". I never listened to a song that embodied the feeling of autumn as well as this one. It's pounding drums and trance-y guitar will make you beyond stoked for the oncoming cold months, not dreadful.

#8. Pretty Visitors by Arctic Monkeys-On "Humbug", there were really only two really brilliant songs: "Secret Door" and "Pretty Visitors". This song came at you like a ton of bricks-from start to finish, it doesn't stop. It's the most upbeat on the album and possibly the heaviest they've ever done. In keeping with the sound of the "Fluorescent Adolescent" single, it's everything I had hoped the album would've sounded like and more.
.
#7. My Girls by Animal Collective-On my first listen of "Merriweather Post Pavilion", this song was the one song where hours afterward I found myself singing it. Now, after listening to more than half their catalogue, I still think it's a genius song. The layered vocals singing about not caring for material things is way cool of them, but my favorite part remains the absolutely perfect drums and little water-y sound effects. Also, for those who haven't seen-it has by far the best video.
.
#6. Daylight by Matt and Kim-Sure, like many indie-ish songs this year it was ruined by being in a commercial, but if it weren't for that commercial, I, like many others, probably would have never been introduced to the sunshine-y "Daylight". When Matt and Kim perform, they smile incessantly, and it's almost creepy, but the happiness translates to you even if you can't see them. The bright piano and joyful singing by the end become very reflective, almost melancholy, but it will still never cease to brighten your day.
.
#5. 1901 by Phoenix-This song is the catchiest song ever made. It will infect your brain, and the only way to cure it is to give in. The slight electronic feel, the guitar lines, and the amazingly catchy lyrics have brought me back to the idea that a basic pop song can be this good. I am very happy for Phoenix that they've made a break through this year, and I guarentee it's thanks to this outstanding song.
.
#4. My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille by Beirut-For a long time, I was resistant to Beirut. Then, when I saw him do "Nantes" on Later with Jools Holland, my feelings quickly changed. So, earlier this year, when I sat down to review his "March of the Zapotec" EP, my newfound love grew deeper. The 2nd half of the EP was all electronic-y stuff, and it started off with the brilliant "My Night...". It's very different from the usual stuff he does, but his fantastic voice backed by joyful synthesizers only made me want to listen to that EP more and more.
.

#3. Exogenesis: Symphony, Pt. 1-3 by Muse-Almost a year ago, Muse told us that their new album would be very string oriented. Well, it wasn't, except for the glorious 3 part symphony at the end. Words cannot ever hope to describe how insanely dramatic and intense the Exo genes ises are. Even if the album sucked, this stretch would've kept it from terrible ratings. Matt Bellamy is really starting to show his stuff as an orchestrater, for this almost puts his string arrangements found on "Absolution" to shame.
.
#2. Walkabout by Atlas Sound-As "Two Medicines" did for fall, "Walkabout" is just about the perfect summer song, rivaling "Summertime Clothes" and The Beach Boys. It's so overtly positive and happy, and the sample they use is just out of control delightful. Plus, the vocals are perfect-Bradford Cox and Noah Lennox-could you really get better than that? It puts you in a massively good mood, and for that it's my number two.

#1. Brother Sport by Animal Collective-There's no arguing the fact that this year was Animal Collective's year. The album came out in January, and it was then, before 11 months worth of music was heard, that people deemed it album of the year. I wholeheartedly agree. After the seemingly hundreds of listens I gave the album, I think that "Brother Sport" was the best song. It takes the tone of previous Panda Bear songs like "Chores" and "Derek" with an infectious uplifting mood created by passionate poppy vocals and nonstop synths. The song basically sums up the near perfect album with grace and leaves you with no choice but to listen again, or atleast it leaves me that way.
.
I hope you liked my list, I worked long and hard on it and put in an uncomfortably large amount of thought. It's very bias, but hey, these are the songs that made up the soundtrack to my 2009.

The Friday Thing: Cornerstone by Arctic Monkeys and Mutha'uckas by Flight of the Conchords

2009-12-18T19:55:00.003-05:00

This past week was a very sad week for television shows I watch. It's On with Alexa Chung (I can't even believe myself that I watched it) announced that she was cancelled and will not be returning for another season. Last week however, Alexa had on Arctic Monkeys as a musical guest who performed 'Cornerstone', and I've not enjoyed a performance on her show more than when I saw Phoenix perform. I probably loved it because it was aired the day before I went to see them.

Cornerstone

Another bummer was that Flight of the Conchords, the absolutely amazing/quirky New Zealanders, will not be coming back for a 3rd season. I just got finished watching the second season when I heard the news, and that made me very sad. In regards to there discontinuing, this the video for "Mutha'uckas" where Bret and Jemaine show off their rapping skills. It was one of the best songs from season one, and I hope you enjoy!

Mutha'uckas

The Best Of...

2009-12-17T16:29:00.003-05:00

The end of the year is nearing, and so is this wonderful (music-wise atleast) decade. Over the next two weeks, I, like every other music blogger, will be posting my Top 20 songs of '09, my Top 50 music videos of the Decade, and my Top songs of the Decade. I only waited this long because you never know what could happen in the last month-I mean, the greatest album of the decade more than likely wouldn't have come out in December of the last year of the decade, but everyone deserves a chance to be listened to and (possibly) added into someone's list. Hope to see you there.

Also, my lofty plans of having three reviews out by the end of the month was not a lie. I'm working on it!

SHOW REVIEW: ARCTIC MONKEYS LIVE @ Terminal 5 in NYC 12/10/09

2009-12-12T10:53:00.006-05:00

On Thursday night, I was fortunate enough to see Arctic Monkeys at Terminal 5 in NYC. The actual concert experience was fairly unsatisfying, but that didn’t detract from the fact that they were absolutely brilliant. The opening act was Screaming Females. As openers go, they were ok, but that’s the last time I’m listening to them. The three of them really know the way around their instruments, and the vocalist/guitarist made the most noise I’ve ever heard (both vocally and instrumentally), but, they were a tad too loud (which got obnoxious) and after three songs, they all started sounding the same. That facct would’ve been fine, except their set was 40 minutes. After they were done and the roadies came on to fix up everything, I noticed the music they were playing: Black Sabbath and George Harrison. The fact that I heard ‘Art of Dying’ by George Harrison really got me so psyched. Then, not a moment too soon, Arctic Monkeys ambled onto the stage and dove right into “Jeweller’s Hands”. Before the show, I hated “Jeweller’s Hands”, but that performance won me over. After the mind-numbingly awesome “Brianstorm” and about half-way through “This House is a Circus”, the crowd really started to get irritating and the whole floor turned into a mosh-pit. It was intense, but not for me. As expected with there earlier stuff, the audience beyond freaked out when they launched through “Still Take You Home”, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”, and “A View From the Afternoon”. The energy pulsed through you like nothing else. The ladder was very well performed, except for the fact that Alex messed up the verse pretty badly. I really don’t understand why, I mean I like the song a lot, but the audience had the heaviest reaction to “Cornerstone”. It was performed even better than the album, but I mean, the audience were less into it than they were for “Pretty Visitors”. All this brings us to the best, and utter highlight of the show: “Fluorescent Adolescent”. The bass for some reason sounded a little weird, like it had an odd poppy sound, but it added to the nice mellow take on it. To the audiences shock and glee, during the “Where did you go?” part, Matt left his drums and began to sing “Last Christmas”. That alone was seriously worth the price of admission and the pain in my back. I mean, everyone was cheering and singing very loudly: it was just fantastic moment! They ended the concert with a short two song encore, which they really could have made longer. As a whole, the concert was worth it. The music was great and very well performed. What I found was that Alex Turner is no longer the ‘star’-Matt Helders out shone them all. On the drums, it says “agile beast”: In describing Matt Helders, that is a serious understatement. He is a complete animal and is sickest drummer I’ve seen live so far! My only problem with the concert is that Terminal 5 was not built for this kind of show. When I went there to see The Shins, it too was sold out, but it was not nearly as crowded. They completely overbooked the place, and the over-extended/massive amount of space dedicated for VIP’s was completely stupid (if you didn’t want to mosh, you had no good place to go). I still loved the concert and I’d firmly suggest seeing Arctic Monkeys when you get the chance for you’ll see one of the best live acts around-just steer clear of the floor.
----------------------
SET LIST

Jeweller’s Hands
Brianstorm
This House is a Circus
Still Take You Home
Potion Approaching
Red Right Hand (Nick Cave Cover)
My Propeller
Crying Lightning
Sketchead
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
The View From the Afternoon
Cornerstone
If You Were There Beware
Pretty Visitors
Do Me a Favour
Fluorescent Adolescent w/ Matt singing Last Christmas

ENCORE
Secret Door
505
----------------------

Fluorescent Adolescent with Matt Helders singing 'Last Christmas'

NOTE: I hope you enjoy. I attended this concert with Ian France from Danish Poet!, so you'll be seeing this review over there soon, possibly with better pictures...maybe a different video. I put up that video because mine didn't come out so well, but I got all that on video plus Secret Door, so maybe I'll put that up later. If your reading this, and you attended either show, what did you think of it?

The Friday Thing: Lisztomania and One Time Too Many by Phoenix

2009-12-04T17:22:00.005-05:00

I am a very big advocate/fan of La Blogotheque's 'Take Away Shows'. I really love them and think they create the perfect insight to how a performer does his/her thing. I was very happy to find out yesterday that Phoenix finally did one (which is surprising it took this long being they are from France too). Anyway, they did three: one for '1901', 'Long Distance Call', and this one. I really love how they did it on the top of a bus because not only do you get to see this great performance, but you get to see the streets of Paris too. They seem to have had a good time doing their thing, and I hope you enjoy!

1901 and One Time Too Many

LOGOS-Atlas Sound

2009-11-28T22:21:00.008-05:00

Logos-
Atlas Sound
Label-Kranky
Status-Out as of 2009
2nd Studio Album
Rating-4 feathers

In 2008, an unfinished version of “Logos” leaked on to the Internet. So disheartened by the ordeal, Bradford Cox (of Deerhunter) almost canned the idea. Thankfully, he did not. Now, back under the name Atlas Sound, Bradford returns with his well-anticipated (and finished) 3rd album “Logos”.

The album starts with the very Sung Tongs/Feels-y ‘The Light That Failed’. It sounds like it is going to get nice and weird, but then after the first few seconds, it saunters into an incoherent drone. It does, however, set you up for a nice mellow trip through the brilliant and the tedious. Songs like ‘Criminals’ and ‘An Orchid’ take you to a bright, but calming place. ‘An Orchid’ especially gives you visual of walking through the woods with ‘Criminals’ providing the sunlight shining through. On the opposite end, ‘Attic Lights’ and ‘My Halo’ just go on and on and on.... They don’t really enlighten you because the intense calm just lulls you into a doze. There are some absolutely fantastic points like ‘Shelia’ and ‘Walkabout’. ‘Shelia’ sounds like an early 60’s pop song made in the late 60’s due to it’s simple guitar melodies and surreal lyrics with little experimental break downs. When I first heard ‘Walkabout’, I got filled with such an overt feeling of pure joy. It’s by far the perfect summer song. Bradford bringing Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) in for vocals was such a brilliant decision. With him, they were able to craft absolute magic. Unlike that collaboration, ‘Quick Canal’, with guest vocals by Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier, doesn’t do it for me. First off, it’s too long. It is 8 minutes of ultimately the same thing that would have benefited by cutting off a few minutes. Second off, I’m not a big fan of how she used her voice: it sounds very pretentious and over done with too much creepy. ‘Washington School’ and ‘Logos’ finish off the album on a very trippy fantastical note. ‘Washington School’ puts you in a little trance with it’s oh-so-catchy bassline and dreamy vocals, but kicks you out of it with ‘Logos’’s Julian Casablancas vocal impersonation.

Bradford Cox shows some serious potential with ‘Logos’. It creates a wonderfully calming atmosphere, while, for the most part, constantly keeping your attention with it’s weird pop melodies. Every song gives you something different while still sounding flawlessly cohesive. He will probably never escape the Animal Collective comparisons (for all I care he toured with them and now he has Noah Lennox as a guest), but I feel they’ll help him to branch out even further and create even weirder records.

"Almost everything you hear on the album is a first take. This makes it almost like a 'live album' where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape. There are songs on here I don't even remember recording."-Bradford Cox

Video for Quick Canal

Recommendations: An Orchid, Walkabout, Shelia
Atlas Sound's Official Website
Note: Sorry for the severe lateness of this. I hoped to get it out soon, but I just didn't have the time. I realized just now that the last review I wrote was Muse's 'The Resistance' and I can't believe it. For the next month, I will have atleast a Julian Plenti, Monsters of Folk, Bat For Lashes, and a Concert review out. Stay tuned, and thank you so very much for reading!

The Friday Thing: Spare-ohs by Andrew Bird

2009-11-27T23:42:00.003-05:00

It's less than 20 minutes of this Friday but here we go: One day, I decided to look up Andrew Bird. Like many bands and singers I read about on various music blogs, I knew nothing about him. So, I went to La Blogotheque, and what do you know, he had a take-away show. Entitled 'Spare-ohs', this song is amazing. The whistling is done with such finesse, and his monotone-ish singing fits the tone perfectly. I am a sucker for folky type things, but I have a feeling he has more great stuff yet for me to find. Enjoy!

Spare-Ohs

The Friday Thing: Lua by Bright Eyes

2009-11-20T20:42:00.004-05:00

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of stuff by Bright Eyes. I don't know, I just like it. I love Conor Oberst's sorta quirky pretentious folk, and I find it very calming. Just watching him on the Coachella movie after watching Arcade Fire go made this performance stick, and now I'm bringing it to you. I hope you enjoy!

Lua

Btw: Atlas Sound review out this week

New videos for In the Flowers by Animal Collective and Cousins by Vampire Weekend

2009-11-20T16:18:00.005-05:00

About a week ago, I found out Animal Collective released a video for "In the Flowers", their mind-numbingly amazing 1st track off of this years Merriweather Post Pavilion. I didn't see too much talk about it, so I'm bringing it to you now. I don't like it. It's too trippy for me, and it's not a good fit for the song as "My Girls" or "Summertime Clothes" was. I think it'd be way hard to encase the song's glory in a video.

In the Flowers

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlike the last song, the new video for "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend is being talked about on numerous music blogs. The song gives hope that the album will be just as great as their debut. The video looks like they had a lot of fun making it and it fits the energetic-ness of the song perfectly! I hope you enjoy!

Cousins

The Friday Thing: Popcorn by Muse

2009-11-13T19:48:00.002-05:00

I really hate not posting anything between Friday Things, I mean, I don't even know if anyone likes these, but I still post them hoping someone will. Anyway, Muse did a four song set for a French TV show called Taratata. They did a cover of Hot Butter's "Popcorn". It's so catchy, especially for an instrumental. It's one of the few covers where if I ever go to see Muse, I actually would enjoy it if they played it. They seem to like playing as much as you'll enjoy listening to it.

Popcorn

The Friday thing: Boy with the Arab Strap by Belle and Sebastian

2009-11-06T15:55:00.005-05:00

A short time ago, I was watching the Coachella Festival movie. I had heard of Belle and Sebastian, but I really didn't know anything about them. I was pleased when they came up in the movie, and I quite enjoyed them. Their wholesomeness and how endearing they are is just too much. If this doesn't make you smile, even a little, nothing can.

Boy with the Arab Strap

New Video for Undisclosed Desires by Muse

2009-11-04T16:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Muse released the video for their second single 'Undisclosed Desires'. It's a good video, but it really does not fit with the song. I mean, when you listen to this song, you want to get up and move right? Well, apparently they thought that: the video features a dancer who looks like she was taken straight out of the Brianstorm video. Weird. Anyway, the video is decent, it just doesn't go with the song.

Undisclosed Desires

The Friday Thing: The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets

2009-10-30T15:53:00.003-04:00

It's been exactly a year since I was fortunate enough to see The Last Shadow Puppets live. As I look back on the night, I cannot get over how immensely awesome it was, and how good of a band they really were. During this song especially, the audience was so whipped up jumping around and practically everyone was screaming the song. I chose this performance for two reasons. One is that it's one of the best live performances I've ever seen. The second is that it embodies the epicness of the performance I saw, even though this one was on TV. I hope you enjoy!

The Age of the Understatement

Spoon is...Transference!

2009-10-30T15:44:00.004-04:00

Spoon's 7th album "Transference" is due out January 26th, 2010. Since I reviewed Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga over the summer, I haven't been able to stop listening to it, so now I'm very excited! Spoon have yet to disappoint, so I doubt this next addition will be any different. I'd advise any one to give a listen to them if you haven't already.

Tracklisting:
01. Before Destruction
02. Is Love Forever?
03. The Mystery Zone
04. Who Makes Your Money
05. Written in Reverse
06. I Saw the Light
07. Trouble Comes Running
08. Goodnight Laura
09. Out Go the Lights
10. Got Nuffin
11. Nobody Gets Me But You

The Friday Thing: Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

2009-10-23T16:08:00.004-04:00

I heard this on the radio earlier this week, and that made me think of the video. If you don't know, "Flagpole Sitta" came out in the late 90s and sounds like one of the quintessential 90s songs. About 3 years ago, an office for the company Connected Ventures filmed themselves 'performing' the song. If you haven't already seen this video, you must. It's the best lip sync ever. Period. How could you not want to work there? I hope you enjoy!

Flagpole Sitta

THE RESISTANCE-Muse

2009-10-16T17:51:00.007-04:00

The Resistance-
Muse
Label-Warner Brothers
Status-Out as of 2009
5th Studio Album
Rating-4 feathers

Several months ago, Muse announced that they were making an album that was going to be so orchestrated that “[they’ll] be knocking on classic FM’s door” and “it could actually be kind of classical act basically, and move away from rock all together.” Now known as “The Resistance,” Muse’s 5th effort, is backed by a desire to take America with an unfortunately more attainable sound.

The first half of the album is not as orchestral as they made it out to be. ‘Uprising’ is a solid start to the album, but it is not great. It sounds just like Goldfrapp; they even said so themselves, which is not a good thing. It is the least complex song I have heard them do. It is a very bad representation of what they have come to be known for, and it should have been three minutes shorter. When the last “hey!” in ‘Uprising’ is uttered, and the atmospheric sound comes in, you know ‘Resistance’ is going to be epic. When the bassline and drums come pounding in, you’ve already forgotten about the desecration of their talent, ‘Uprising’. With simply amazing vocals and powerful instrumentation, the song comes together beautifully to reach a powerful, epic end. However, the lyrics are atrocious. When one hears the album name, little do they know it would be because of the line “Love is our resistance.” Really Muse? Is that all you can come up with? ‘Undisclosed Desires’ is a wimpy song and I would have never guessed that they would resort to this. The only good part is the orchestra’s impressive pizzicato arrangement. As a string player, I know how hard it is to arrange and make pizzicato sound good, and this arrangement is brilliant. ‘United States of Eurasia’ starts out dramatic, with moody strings, a piano, and solo vocals. But then out of absolutely nowhere, it turns into a bombastic Queen song, which just as suddenly turns into a stylized ‘Kashmir.’ It is pretty shocking, to say the least, but I guess we now know who their inspiration is. ‘Unnatural Selection’ is the heaviest, most Absolution-esque song on the album. The guitar is nice and thick with the angry vocals crying for ‘revolution’ and ‘protest’. If that wasn’t enough to remind you of the old Muse, the breakdown is so overwhelmingly reminiscent of ‘Origin of Symmetry’ and ‘Showbiz’ that any die-hard fan will hit repeat several times. Those who appreciate that fact will adore ‘MK Ultra’, which is essentially a cleaner ‘Unnatural Selection’, but about conspiracy theories. ‘I Belong to You (+Mon Cœur S’ouvre à ta Voix)’ is more abominable than ‘Undisclosed Desires’. It is a fun song, but it is really a murder of their talents. The only good part comes when he sings in incoherent French, but that is quickly negated when they come back for round two of the appalling part. If anything redeemed the album, it is the glorious three part symphony entitled Exogensis, starting with ‘Part 1: Overture’. This movement is wonderfully dramatic, and would not be out of place on ‘Origin of Symmetry’. The instrumentation and vocals fit in brilliantly with the heavy verbose string line. ‘Part 2: Cross-Pollination’ is just as heavy on the instrumentation, but it is the song that gets you riled up chanting ‘You must rescue us all!’ It’s a shame ‘Cross-Pollination’ is so short, but ‘Part 3: Redemption’ makes up for it. Words cannot hope to describe ‘Redemption’ properly. It is second to ‘Blackout’ in the line of the most beautiful thing Muse has ever done. It builds so gracefully, with sweeping strings and perfect, melodic vocals. It ends the album leaving you completely uplifted.

As a whole, this album wasn’t so terrible. It had some really horrific songs (ie. Uprising, I Belong to You), but it also contained some of the best songs Muse have ever created (ie. Redemption). Muse are fading ever so slightly, but still have not let their fans down, and The Resistance shows both aspects. Any fan will embrace this album as a continuation of ‘Black Holes and Revelations’, but I still highly doubt this will be the one to break them in America.

"We're the biggest band America doesn't know anything about."-Dominic Howard

Video for Uprising

Recommendations: Resistance, Unnatural Selection, MK Ultra, Exogensis: Pt. 1-3
Muse's Official Website
NOTE: Sorry, this review is like a month overdue, but hey, atleast it's completely honest because I let it soak in for a good long time. I bought it the day it came out in the US, honest. I hope you enjoy! Logos by Atlas sound is due out on Tuesday, so if I can get, that'll be my next review. Thank you for your support and understanding.

The Friday Thing: Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire

2009-10-16T17:43:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week, my favorite music/concert channel was playing the Coachella movie, a movie of a bunch of interviews and performances from the Coachella festival. After some ungodly acts, the started playing Arcade Fire. I have to say they are one of the best live bands I've ever heard, and this performance proves that further. Sure Will and Win Butler seem a little out of it, but that just adds to the weirdness that I love about Arcade Fire. Enjoy!

Rebellion (Lies)

New Video for Cornerstone by Arctic Monkeys

2009-10-15T22:38:00.003-04:00

The video for 'Cornerstone' by Arctic Monkeys, the second single off of Humbug was released today. There's only two good parts: When the song says the walls are wet, and Alex rubs his hand against the wall then shakes it out as though it actually got wet. The second good part being when he bends down and pops up closer to the camera. It's a dumb video, but I prefer it to 'Crying Lighting''s video anyday.

Cornerstone

The Friday Thing: The Modern Age by The Strokes

2009-10-09T15:58:00.003-04:00

I used to get this music channel, and one of the shows they'd play was 'Montreux Jazz Festival'. They had one with The Strokes, and in that hour they only played three songs, one of them being 'The Modern Age'. Admittedly it's a good performance, not a great one, but I'll tell you, the 1st time I saw it, it officially made a Strokes fan. From that moment, it became my favorite song of there's, and maybe if you watch this it'll have the same effect! Enjoy!

The Modern Age

Btw: I'm in the process of writing the Resistance review. Expect it in the next 3 days, and I really mean it.

NEW: Horchata by Vampire Weekend

2009-10-05T17:20:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, I noticed on Vampire Weekend's website they had what appeared to be countdown. Well, the countdown ended today to unveil the 1st song of the band's 2nd Album 'Contra' entitled 'Horchata'. I'm really liking their sound. It'll take a few listens to completely embrace it, but otherwise it shows great promise for a hopefully great album. Listen to make your own opinions and if you really like it, it's up for free download on their site. Enjoy!

The Friday Thing: All is Love by Karen O & The Kids

2009-10-02T15:26:00.006-04:00

I'm not the kind of person who goes crazy over new movies (ever), but upon seeing the trailers for Where The Wild Things Are, it looks really really sweet. I must see it. In one of the commercials, they played this song which I later learned was created by Karen O (the Yeah Yeah Yeah's front woman the woman in charge of the WTWTA soundtrack) and The Kids (the Kids are her backing band including the likes of Bradford Cox of Atlas Sound and the other Yeahs)entitled "All is Love". It's such a wonderfully cutesy song and I think Karen O did a great job. I can't get enough of it. Enjoy!

All is Love

Where the Wild Things Are trailer (featuring 'Wake Up' by Arcade Fire)

(Yeah, I know, not a live video, but I wanted to post about this. Oh yeah, about that Resistance review...)

Final Fantasy is...Heartland!

2009-09-30T16:49:00.003-04:00

Known for his string arrangements and work in many bands like Beirut, Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, and even The Last Shadow Puppets, Owen Pallett, the man behind Final Fantasy, has made quite a name for himself in the indie genre. He is now back with his third album, Heartland, which is apparently a full fledged concept album. Knowing his previous works, this has to be good. It's being released on Domino, so hopefully that'll mean it'll be actually possible to track down at a store. It's due out January 12th, 2010 (same day as Contra by Vampire Weekend), so get ready for alot of good listening!

01. Midnight Directives
02. Keep the Dog Quiet
03. Mount Alpentine
04. Red Sun No. 5
05. Lewis Takes Action
06. The Great Elsewhere
07. Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
08. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
09. Flare Gun
10. E Is for Estranged
11. Tryst With Mephistopheles
12. What Do You Think Will Happen Now?

The Friday Thing: Daddy's Gone by Glasvegas

2009-09-25T16:08:00.003-04:00

I know nothing about Glasvegas. I'm not going to even pretend. The only thing I do know is that I'm in love with this song. I heard it on palladia (a music (mainly concert) tv channel) on a Glastonbury 2009 special. I thought it was perfectly performed and it was very effective at captivating the audience. I couldn't find the performance I saw, so I went with a Jools performance. It demonstrates the wonder that the song is, but it doesn't do it justice because you can't see how the audience is interacting with it, but it's good enough. I hope You enjoy (btw: I lied, Muse review out tomorrow)

Daddy's Gone

Muse's Weird Forms of Protest

2009-09-22T16:50:00.003-04:00

Muse were recently on a television show in Italy, and they must've been told to lipsync because Dom was the singer/bassist, Chris was the keyboard/guitar, and Matt was on drums. The host of the show even referred to Dom as Matt. This video reminded me of previous 'protests' that were equally hilarious.

Change for 'Uprising'.

Slight line up change for 'New Born' on Live and Kicking, they really make no effort to disguise that it's not live.

Rumor has it, Muse were told not to curse in any of their performances here. If anyone knows Muse at all, they never use profanity in songs (only in one b-side). For the normally clean 'Feeling Good' they decide to change a verse...

Muse were asked to lip sync this performance, but apparently Matt convinced the sound person to let him sing live. Big mistake and the picture says it all.

Aren't they awesome?

TIME TO DIE-The Dodos

2009-09-20T21:16:00.009-04:00

Time to Die-
The Dodos
Label-Frenchkiss Records
Status-Out as of 2009
3rd Studio Album
Rating-4 feathers

The Dodos have always been under the radar. Their first album went virtually unnoticed by the general public and the media, their sophomore album ‘Visiter’ gained them much deserved attention. Now The Dodos, a little over a year later and with new member Keaton Snyder on vibraphone, are back with their third album ‘Time To Die’. Perhaps this will give more sustenance to a band who is unfortunately known for a miller chill commercial.

The flow of ‘Time to Die’ corresponds with the transition from summer to autumn. The first half is embodied by bright guitar riffs and happy vocals. ‘Small Deaths’ starts off the album with heavy acoustic guitar and lightly intense vocals. The drumming might be a little to overpowering for the song, but it still helps to encase a summery feel. ‘Fables’ even furthers this tone. The acoustic guitar with a touch of vibraphone help lift Meric’s already optimistic vocals to an even higher lever. The whole song just puts you in a fantastic mood, and will leave you singing “I don’t wanna go in the fire” well after it’s over. They falter a little bit with ‘This is a Business’ which is a little too urgent. I mean, the craze in his voice adds a great effect, but the guitar seems way all over the place and the drumming is too frantic. They quickly restore themselves with ‘Two Medicines’, a song that gloriously encases all that is autumn. You can easily imagine yourself listening to the song’s galloping acoustic guitar and pounding drumbeat while walking down a leaf ridden sidewalk. It’ll make you instantly forget about summer and get you psyched for fall. ‘Troll Nacht’ and ‘Acorn Factory’ further this notion with uplifting vibraphones, twangy guitar lines, and somber vocals. The primitive drumming (like what was heard in Visiter) also makes a nice appearance, adding to each songs warmth. The titletrack ‘Time to Die’ ends the album a little weirdly. It starts out calmly, with just a light guitar and drums, but then it builds suddenly. When I say build I mean they just all of sudden pile on the guitar. It goes on like that for about four minutes, calms down just a bit, and then out of nowhere they end it.

As a whole, this album was very well done. It showed that The Dodos can build upon their old sound without succumbing to the third album syndrome, but still have it feel completely new, not like you’ve heard it before. Sure, the album doesn’t affect you mentally or emotionally like Visiter did, but it successfully helps get your mind around the fact that summer is over and autumn is coming. The Dodos have a lot to show, especially with a new member they will definitely create an even better version of their sound by album number four. It’s not their time to die quite yet.

“I’m glad that we were able to keep things simple on this record because when your band gets a little popular, there’s this tendency to say things like, ‘Let’s add an orchestra on this one!’ That works for some people, but it would detract from this band.”-Meric Long

Two Medicines

Recommendations: Fables, The Strums, Two Medicines
The Dodo's Official Website
NOTE: Yeah, I was supposed to have this out yesterday, but I have it out today so. I will have the review for The Resistance out within the next few days, but before Friday (I hope). On that note, who else is jazzed for fall?

The Friday Thing: Suzanne by Beck's Record Club

2009-09-18T09:52:00.001-04:00

I was looking at random blogs, and many of them are writing alot about Beck's Record club. Beck's Record Club is this idea that he and group of fellow musicians are going to get together and record a covers of a 'classic album' in one day. For this installment, they are doing "Songs of Leonard Cohen", picked by Andrew VanWyngarden. So far they've only released two covers from the album, and this one is absolutely brilliantly performed by Beck, his crew, MGMT, Devendra Banhart, and few others. Though very different from the original, they give a really nice flair that even Leonard Cohen himself would approve of. Enjoy!

Suzanne

NOTE: I will have a review of Time to Die or The Resistance out on Saturday, stay tuned to find out which one.

Vampire Weekend is...CONTRA!

2009-09-15T16:12:00.006-04:00

Vampire Weekend have (finally) announced their 2 album entitled Contra! It's due out January 12th, 2010. So far, I'm liking the fact that their 'style' doesn't look like it's changed too much from their first album, but I think the cover is a reeking too much like Ivy League preppy. I'm stilldefinitely itching to see how this one sounds.

CONTRA
1. Horchata
2. White Sky
3. Holiday
4. California English
5. Taxi Cab
6. Run
7. Cousins
8. Giving Up the Gun
9. Diplomat's Son
10. I Think UR a Contra

Also, The Dodos's 'Time To Die' and Muse's 'The Resistance' are out today. Go get them!

The Friday Thing: Across the Universe by Rufus Wainwright, Sean Lennon, and Moby

2009-09-11T15:22:00.003-04:00

I used to see this performance all the time on this channel called 'The Tube', and the first time I saw it, I thought it was beautiful. Rufus's voice gives something different to the song, and I personally love this performance because of that. They could've just had Sean sing it solo, but they didn't. The 3-part harmony by the end is just a perfect touch. It's a really great tribute to John Lennon and I hope you enjoy!

Across the Universe

(Next week 'The Resistance' by Muse and 'Time to Die' by The Dodos comes out so I'll be reviewing both of those next!)

New Video for Yomp by Thenewno2

2009-09-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

I decided to check up on Thenewno2, and it turn's out a little more than a month ago they came out with a new video for their song 'Yomp' featured on their album You Are Here. I would've never guessed this video for the song, but I have to say, the creepiness works quite well. Enjoy!

Yomp

Samuel Stewart

2009-09-08T15:30:00.002-04:00

So, while looking at a few music blogs, I've noticed someone called Samuel Stewart being mentioned. Just by his name, it occured to me there was someone named Sam Stewart in the now defunct Blondelle. So, I looked Samuel Stewart up, and what do you know: Sam Stewart is Samuel Stewart! I don't know how I feel about his music, and I prefer his work in Blondelle, but how weird is that? You can see a huge similarity in the vocals, but the style's are way different. I hope that Sam, or Samuel, Stewart has a successful solo career and that it work out better for him than Blondelle ever did.

A taste of Sam's solo stuff.

Video for Wonder by Blondelle. Sam 1st comes in about 22 seconds in.

The Friday Thing: Wires by Athlete

2009-09-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

The other day, something amazing happened. The music television channel 'Palladia' had a 9 hour marathon of Glastonbury 2005, 2008, and 2009. As one would guess, I watched some of it. Halfway through the first hour, they showed Athlete performing their hit 'Wires', and they did a great performance. This brough me back to the first time I heard this song, which was when watching Later With Jools Holland some time ago. When I looked it up, I legitimately cried when I read the lyrics, which are about Joel Pott's daughter being born prematurely and the heartbreak that comes with it. Joel Pott is a brilliant man for conveying his emotions in such a sincere way. I hope you enjoy!

Wires