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.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Lines of Oration Presents: My Top 30 Songs of 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Lines of Oration Presents...My Top 10 Albums of 2010
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.
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 t
o 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 t
o 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, Su
fjan 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!
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.
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 t
o 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 t
o 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, Su
fjan 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!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Crooked River by Kaleo La Belle
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:
Here's the facebook page for it: Crooked River
And you can watch the very awesome trailer for it here:
Friday, December 24, 2010
SUDDENLY YOURS-Allstar Weekend
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.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The People's Key Cover Art and new song!
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Hey, so it's been awhile...
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
