You Should Know
Eureka! For those of you who cherish the reverb-driven mathy-ness of bands like Explosions In The Sky, This Will Destroy You, and Caspian, but have always been curious about what it would sound like if vocals were thrown into the mix, I've surely got a band for you. Hailing from Leicestershire, UK, Kyte embodies the same ambient tendencies of the aforementioned bands while incorporating swirling vocals and subtle touches of electronica... it sounds sort of like Explosions In The Sky met The Postal Service for a night of heavy drinking and ended up conceiving a lovechild. Kyte's debut self-titled mini album is 40 minutes of ethereal majesty. The opening and perhaps most noteworthy track is "Planet," a 7-minute epic that builds on a reverb-heavy guitar riff laid on top of gentle synthesizer until ghostly lead vocals echo hauntingly into the mix. While the band borrows from several familiar soundscapes for sure, they've managed to meld those different elements into something that sounds fresh. Impressive new band. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Kyte - Planet
MP3: Kyte - Boundaries
2.28.2008
Kyte
2.27.2008
My Left Foot (1989)
Films Revisited
After watching his amazing performance in There Will Be Blood, I felt I owed it to myself as a fan of cinema to view Daniel Day Lewis' other Oscar-winning performance in Jim Sheridan's film My Left Foot. The film is a biopic portrayal of Christy Brown, a Dublin-born Irishman who suffered from cerebral palsy and could only freely control his left foot. Born into a poor yet supportive Irish family, Brown would overcome initial labels as a vegetable and ultimately prove his keen intelligence by developing into a painter, poet, and best-selling author (he painted and typed using only his foot). The story is inspirational, but what makes this film so effective is Day Lewis' unwaivering devotion to his character. During the filming of My Left Foot, Day Lewis was so fully dedicated to his role that he broke two ribs.
Sometimes Day Lewis' portrayal of Brown isn't pretty: he's talented and witty yet extremely moody and volatile. It seems that at the core of Christy's frustration is an undying need to be accepted and loved despite his limitations. One particularly unnerving and brilliant scene in the film takes place at a dinner celebrating the unveiling of his artwork in an exhibit. Sitting next to Eileen, the doctor who has helped him develop his immeasurable talents, Christy confesses his love for her only to be rebuffed and told that she plans to marry the gallery owner. What follows is a memorable outburst in which he spits out a defiant "Con-grat-u-la-tions," proceeds to bang his head on the dinner table and ultimately yanks off the tablecloth with his teeth. It's truly one of the best acted scenes I've ever witnessed.
The strength of My Left Foot is that it never comes off as forced. Shots never linger a frame too long, and the line of sentimentality that is so often trampled in modern cinema is never crossed. The film's view of Christy never comes from an angle of pity, but rather it serves as a testament to an artist's unparalleled anguish. Day Lewis, a master of his craft and undoubtedly one of the finest actors of our time, is at the top of his game in My Left Foot. Highly recommended viewing. -- Capt. Obvious
Beach House: Devotion (2008)
New Wax
With an eponymous debut that was all the rage in the music-blog community and drew comparisons to everyone from Mazzy Star to Nico, Baltimore indie duo Beach House is back with their brand of serene lo-fi dream pop on their new release Devotion. Now, when I desribe their music as "dream pop," I mean an opiate-induced sunny-day picnic dream with like... the grim reaper peeling an orange next to you. There's a very ghostly feeling to their music, and it's most likely attributable to their affinity for the seldom-used organ, which intermingles hauntingly with lead singer Victoria Legrand's vocals. With its slow-driven waltzes, Devotion is a hypnotic trip to yesteryear with its 60's-era harmonies, but there's an off-putting touch of garage-fuzz that keeps things mysterious, and well, creepy. Listening to Devotion feels eerily nostalgic, but it's like conjuring up an ancient memory that has been distorted by time. That being said, the songs on Devotion all sound pretty similar and completing the album in one sitting might prove difficult. It may be a tad one-note, but it's a haunting and moody note indeed. As far as highlights, I'm particularly fond of the duo's take on Daniel Johnston's "Some Things Last A Long Time." -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Beach House - Gila
MP3: Beach House - D.A.R.L.I.N.G.
2.26.2008
February Mixtape
SIDE A
1. Man Man - Top Drawer
2. Throw Me The Statue - About To Walk
3. Andy Hull - Badges & Badges (Daytrotter Session)
4. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Modern Mystery
5. The Interiors - Power Lines
6. Liam Finn - Wide Awake On The Voyage Home
7. The Sleeping Years - Untroubled
8. Eef Barzelay - It Could Be Worse
1. Destroyer - Dark Leaves Form A Thread
2. British Sea Power - Waving Flags
3. Aaron Thomas - Wasted Or Crazy
4. Bon Iver - For Emma
5. Devotchka - Undone
6. Timesbold - Be Leaving
7. Beach House - Gila
8. Scout Niblett feat. Will Oldham - Kiss
2.25.2008
Oscars Recap
You Should Know
It's been years since I've watched the Oscars, mostly because I find award shows painfully bland, but 2007 had its share of noteworthy films and I was quite curious about the outcomes in the major categories. When I saw No Country For Old Men, I was pretty certain that no other film would surpass it as my favorite film of the year, but when I caught Paul Thomas Anderson's viscerally epic There Will Be Blood, I had a clearcut new favorite. While the young auteur's latest film brought home hardware for Daniel Day Lewis's spellbinding performance and its picturesque cinematography, I would have liked to see it snag at least a Best Adapted Screenplay statue from No Country. Still, I can't complain too much considering my two favorite films of the year garnered six awards. Javier Bardem had the best supporting actor award on lockdown since award season started, and deservedly so. As for the other categories, Marion Cotillard seemed genuinely grateful for her nod for best actress in La Vie En Rose, a film I've yet to see and therefore cannot comment on. Tilda Swinton was a bit of a surprise to me considering how wonderful I thought Cate Blanchett was in I'm Not There, but I suppose the Academy had to throw in a few curveballs. Diablo Cody's script for Juno was intelligent and witty, and I have no qualms whatsoever with her winning for best original screenplay.
As for the musical categories, I was shocked to see that Jonny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood wasn't nominated, but apparently it was disqualified on a technicality (Greenwood used some pre-existing work for the film, which is apparently a no-no... BULLSHIT). Without a doubt, the highlight of the night was seeing Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova perform "Falling Slowly," which actually won for best song. I've been a Frames fan for years and have always thought that Hansard was supremely talented. It's nice to see him achieve success on such a great level (I mean, wow, he's in the same breath as Three Six Mafia now). Jon Stewart did a marvelous job hosting, and it was a classy move letting Marketa return to the stage after being abruptly cut off during their acceptance speech. I was fortunate enough to catch the Swell Season live in Atlanta and it was the most intimate and moving show I've ever had the pleasure of attending. There's insane chemistry between Hansard and Irglova, and it's really special to see them perform together. So in honor of their win, I've attached a few songs from the film Once. Enjoy. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly
MP3: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - When Your Mind's Made Up
Tags: Glen Hansard, Ocars Recap, Once, Falling Slowly
2.24.2008
Interview: Doug Burr
Conducted by Capt. Obvious
Obvious: Besides being a musician, you've got a day job AND you're a husband and a father. Is it difficult to balance your music with your home life?
Burr: YES! But we already had our first child when I started gigging on the scene alot back in 1999, so I've never really been doing this without them. But I've got three kids now so it's getting to be even more of a balancing act. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Once you have kids they revolutionize your perspective, and it's the most incredible opportunity ever to be dropped in your lap.
Obvious: Do your kids digs your songs?
Burr: Sometimes. My daughter's eight and she's described it before as "adult music." Y'know, I think that just means it's not fun enough sounding for her. But she did tell me the other day that "Whippoorwill" was her favorite of my songs. My wife listens to the cd in the car with the kids all the time. Our second - my two-year old boy - seems to like them more. He'll request me to sing a "daddy song" when I rock him before bedtime. It's pretty dang cute.
Obvious: You had help from a lot of musicians on the album. Who contributed during the recording process?
Burr: The two biggest contributers from the band perspective were Todd Pertll and Glen Squibb (goes under the artist name, Glen Farris). We set out initially to make a six song EP with just us three: acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, and Wurlitzer (keyboard). Then Britton - the producer/engineer - was liking what we came away with that weekend so much that he encouraged me that if I had the songs for a full length, that we shouldn't let money stop us. So he volunteered to work with me on that, and so he pulled in some of the players that he is in a band with - Milton Mapes (now called Monahans), and I pulled in a few other friends, and so we then went for more of a full band work-up on the songs. But the foundation is the acoustic, pedal steel, and Wurly.
Obvious: On Promenade is one of the most lyrically rich albums I've heard in quite some time, and you tend to write songs from character's perspectives. Do you find this easier or more difficult than writing a so-called "confessional" song?
Burr: Thank you! Yes, I tend to get bored with alot of confessional songs. Especially if they're mine. Seems to me that story songs usually more efficiently translate experiences and evoke emotion in others without being sentimental. I would never rule anything out as an artist, as the minute you try to put a formula around something, you fail. But I gravitate towards the story.
Obvious: The material on the album is gloomy at times but there is an underlying theme of redemption. I understand that you're a man of faith, but do you consider your music "Christian music?"
Burr: That's a great question. No. Because "Christian music" is really a term created by the Christian Contemporary Music industry (CCM) that basically means the stuff they'll put out and play on Christian radio stations. And what that industry does is try to sell an anesthetized version of life. "Safe music" is really their only priority. And is therefore irrelevant. I just don't think that's what the good Lord had in mind for art. I think it serves a much greater purpose than that. I view writing like a photographer. And sometimes you have to write like a war photographer shoots the war - and it gets ugly. So I consider myself a Christian who makes music.
Obvious: Dude, I was surprised to see that you have an artist page on CMT.com. Which brings me to this.. why does popular country music suck so terribly?
Burr: That's another great question. First off, it's always funny to me to see myself there, because it's just an odd combination. But I still take it as a compliment. If anyone's willing to accept my music as it is, and introduce me to a new audience, then I'm game. Anyway, I'm not real sure how pop country came to be this way. I think the nineties and the Clinton de-regulation of the airwaves killed commercial pop as a whole because it just got so homogenized. I mean commercial airwaves is how major labels have to sell their product - that's their only shot because their overhead is so ridiculously high. It's really a broken model... but when de-regulation happened and now 90% of domestic commercial airwaves are owned by two corporations, you have this homogenization that's occurred with playlists being forced down from on high and accommodating less diversity of sound and artists...The people at the top care about maximizing the profit dollar only - I mean it *is* business - and the way to do that is to water down the sound so each song/record hits the widest market segment possible. Pedal steel now becomes "too ethnic." And banjo too, etc. You've got a bunch of people hailing Cash and Townes Van Zandt, but none of these artists sound anything like them. It's a weird thing. I don't fully understand it. But there's plenty of people in line that just want to make it. They just want to sing - doesn't really matter what.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dougburr
Listen:
MP3: Doug Burr - Slow Southern Home (Live)
MP3: Doug Burr - Last Promenade (Live)
MP3: Doug Burr - Thing About Trouble (Live)
2.23.2008
Kilgore Trout Gets Nostalgic
“Matinee” by Damien Jurado just came up on my iPod, and it helped me sort of contextualize a tendency that’s been bothering me about today’s pastoral alt. country music. “We all cried at the ending,” sings Jurado. “Admission’s cheap, and the soda’s free,” he croons. “Matinee / hey hey / Why go late / when the movies are cheaper during the day?” Ok. It all sounds nice, and I’d like to believe it. But something’s rotten in the state of Washington. First of all, I don’t want to pick on Damien Jurado specifically—he simply demonstrates what seems to be a greater cultural symptom which includes many of my personal favorites, such as Josh Rouse. More and more artists seem to be falling into the snare of an especially saccharine form of nostalgia. Americana (quaint mom and pop movie theaters, picturesque farming landscapes, apple pie, and pre-roid baseball) starts to somehow become the real. Try to buy a pair of blue jeans that have not been weathered, ripped and frayed, or just look at the resurgence of silk-screen t-shirts, aged to perfection and pre-faded. “I belong to the past!” they insist. What does it all add up to? I think it’s an unconscious desire to repress what we might call “CNN reality”—the modern world that hinges on advances in gene manipulation, Starbucks profits, hormone-injected livestock, wartime death tolls, and cell phone ring tones. Our tendency is to escape the horror of the present, wind the clock back, and make a grasp for some bygone era that seems so simple and pure in comparison. But when was that simpler time? Twenty years ago maybe, in the late eighties, around the time of the Gulf War? Not likely. The blue jeans seem to suggest that maybe this era exists further back, maybe thirty years ago (or more), which situates us roughly in the chaos of the Vietnam War. That doesn’t sound very simple or idyllic. My point is this: the simpler times never happened. Thirty years ago, people were still shooting, raping, cheating, and screwing each other (in-between matinees, of course). The Seventies experienced the worst economic dive since the Depression, and (surprise!) there was an oil crisis! This music feels as comforting as an old blanket, but should we embrace it just the same? The more I think about it, the more I’m reminded of the bland Norman Rockwell prints that occupied the walls of my grandmother’s house. They constructed scenes from some bizarre universe where angelic country bumpkins fished unpolluted streams or rolled through the grass with bright-faced dogs. Every painting in the house contributed to this narrative, so that scanning the walls was not unlike catching still-frames of some Country Time Lemonade commercial. Rockwell’s pastoral landscapes are “real” only in the sense that Disney World’s “Main Street USA” is real. More than anything, nostalgia functions like a revisionist history lesson, erasing such unpleasantries as the cultural extermination of the Native Americans, human slavery/genocide, The Holocaust, nuclear apocalypse, etc. Perhaps the strangest part is that by denying our modernity, this kitschy, nostalgic art says a great deal more than it realizes about the present. In effect, the nostalgic artist plugs his ear canals with his fingers, closes his eyes, and sings in defiance to drown out the wreckage of the present. In the words of Colin Meloy: “Here all the bombs fade away.” Do they? -- Kilgore Trout
You Should Know
MGMT: Oracular Spectacular (2008)
New Wax
MGMT is young Brooklyn-based electro-psych duo Ben Goldwasser and Andrew Vanwyngarden. Oracular Spectacular is the group's driven and playful debut release, put together by Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann. The album's single "Time to Pretend" is an outright derision of modern pop-rock hedonistic lifestyles, although the track's lyrics seem to bleed confusingly into reality with lines like "This is our decision/to live fast and die young/we've got the vision/now lets have some fun." One look at the track's music video and you'll be just as confused. "Electric Feel" and "Kids" are the two dance tracks on the album. The former, more sensual (Ooh, girl/shock me like an electric eel), the latter more profound (Control yourself/take only what you need from him). Both will make you move when thumping through a good set of speakers. MGMT has been compared to Muse, Mew, Queen (honestly, pitchfork), Joy Division, and general psych-rock nostalgia. The truth is that each track on the album tries on such a different musical hat that any number of comparisons can be rightly made (except for Queen). If nothing else, Spectacular will give you at least a couple tracks for debuting your latest dance moves at the next disco. -- Bear
Listen:
MP3: MGMT - Time To Pretend
MP3: MGMT - Kids
2.22.2008
Blog Roundup 2.22.08
Props
Speed Of Dark has a nice write-up on the new Throw Me The Statue album Moonbeams. If you get your hands on the album, check out the track "Young Sensualists." It's my favorite.
JP's Blog has another nice edition of Acoustic Thursday with some acoustic tracks from Bloc Party here.
When You Awake is another fine edition to the blogroll (any blog with cowboy boots as their background is ok with me). They have a lot of great content, including mixtapes compiled by bands. The latest edition was put together by The Bees.
My Old Kentucky Blog has info on the band Margot & The Nuclear So And Sos (good band) and their unique idea for future material. Go read all about it. You might be the subject of their next album if you're interesting enough.
Minneapolis Fucking Rocks has another installment in their bi-monthly Elbo.WS Top Ten track review in which they grade the 10 most popular tracks on the music-blog aggregator.
Tags: Blog Roundup, Captain Obvious
2.21.2008
She & Him: Volume 1 (2008)
New Wax
She & Him (uber-creative name, huh?) is a collaboration that pairs sublime Portland songwriter M. Ward with actress Zooey Deschanel, who apparently can sing like a mofo. While the general public will probably recognize Deschanel from films like Elf and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, I recommend viewing her work in more independent fare such as All The Real Girls and Winter Passing. As far as her foray into music, Deschanel fares exceptionally on the new album Volume 1, which is scheduled for a March 18th release on Merge Records. She's got a wonderful voice that fits in well with the duo's unexpected 50's-tinged girl-group aesthetic. In fact, some of the songs on the album gave me the peculiar urge to purchase a leather jacket and a month's supply of pomade. For the most part, the album's instrumentation is pretty different than M. Ward's solo material, but my favorite moments are those that rely moreso on his acoustic guitar and backup vocals. The album's highlight is undoubtedly their sparse cover of the Miracles' "You Really Got A Hold Of Me," while the opening track "Sentimental Heart" is a nice piano-driven ditty. There are definitely moments that are a bit too Dusty Springfield for me on Volume 1, but as far as sunny throwback pop, this material is spot-on. Sidenote: Is there a little girl tweeking a giant nipple on the album cover or am I just gutter-minded? -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: She & Him - Sentimental Heart
MP3: She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
2.20.2008
Bon Iver's "For Emma" Gets Re-Released
You Should Know
If you never had a chance to check out the self-released Bon Iver album last year, I suggest you pick up the Jagjaguwar re-release, which just came out a few days ago, ASAP. Bon Iver is the moniker of Justin Vernon, a former member of indie band DeYarmond Edison (yeah, I've never heard of them either). Containing 9 tracks of sparse folk perfection, For Emma, Forever Ago captures, in essence, the desolate winter landscape in which it was recorded. Vernon recorded the album at his father's remote Wisconsin cabin in the span of three months. With a rustic aesthetic that will please fans of Iron & Wine and Will Oldham, Vernon's songs come into their own because of Justin's deeply soulful voice. I'd suggest certain tracks, but the fact of the matter is that the entire album is beautiful and deserves to be consumed as a collective whole. For Emma, Forever Ago was my favorite album of 2007, and to top off Vernon's mind-boggling talent, he's actually a humble and nice person. He was kind enough to do an interview last year for the blog which you can read here. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Bon Iver - Skinny Love
MP3: Bon Iver - Flume
2.19.2008
65daysofstatic Touring with The Cure
You Should Know
If you're looking for some really nice industrial post-rock that relies heavily on great guitar parts, live drums, and off-beat drum samples, look no further than England's 65daysofstatic. The band even added a healthy dose of piano to their magnificent 2007 album The Destruction Of Small Ideas. 65days' crackling mixture of real instrumentation and electronic nuance has gained the band a great deal of attention overseas. Playing increasingly large venues and festivals, the band's success culminated in being hand-picked by The Cure as their opening fall-tour act last year. Unfortunately the goth-pop legends postponed those tour dates and fans of both bands were left pretty disappointed (I should know, I had a ticket). Luckily for fans of both bands, a massive European and U.S. tour was rescheduled and kicked off last night in Warsaw, Poland. For the many stateside fans that 65daysofstatic will undoubtedly pick up during this tour, there is some good news. The band is planning to release a new EP entitled Dance Parties and will be releasing their 2004 debut The Fall Of Math along with their Hole EP for the first time in the United States. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: 65daysofstatic - A Failsafe
MP3: 65daysofstatic - Don't Go Down To Sorrow
2.18.2008
Songs Ohia: The Lioness (2000)
Albums Revisited
With such a bombardment of new music essentially overloading my senses, it's been far too long since I've written an Albums Revisited installment. I'm quite astonished by the fact that I've yet to profess my heterosexual man-crush for all things Jason Molina. One of three albums released in 2000 under his Songs: Ohia moniker, The Lioness, which was recorded with the help of members of Arab Strap and Appendix Out, might just be my outright favorite Molina album (and that's saying something considering the vast array of material this criminally overlooked songwriter has released). While Molina's material incorporates elements of folk and country, his ever-evolving music is pretty difficult to describe in any satisfactory way. Devastating in its simultaneous depth and simplicity and one of my favorite rainy-day albums, The Lioness is chalk-full of lyrical artistry centering around the unstable nature of love. On the slow and unwinding title track, Molina muses "I will swim to you/ whether you save me/ whether you savage me/ want my last look to be the moon in your eyes/ want my heart to break if it must in your jaws." And that's just scratching the surface of this hauntingly beautiful album. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Songs Ohia - Being In Love
MP3: Songs Ohia - The Lioness
The Envy Corps
You Should Know
The award for the most British-sounding band in Iowa goes to The Envy Corps. The Ames, Iowa foursome makes pop-infused indie-rock that could easily pass for Brit rock. The band has drawn comparisons to everyone from Radiohead (besides a slight vocal similarity to Thom Yorke, not so much) to Doves (moreso) to Modest Mouse (eh, barely). There are even times when lead singer Luke Pettipoole reminds me of Finn Andrews of the Veils, but for the most part The Envy Corps' sound is a witche's brew of influences rather than being blatantly reminiscent of anything in particular. Based on the positive reaction to their self-released EP I Will Write You Love Letters If You Tell Me To, the band was signed to Vertigo Records, an imprint of Mercury Records. They even secured an opening slot for The Killers on their 2006 fall tour. If you've an affinity for sweeping melodies and wall-of-sound arrangements, this band definitely does it well. I'm particularly fond of the more acoustic-based tracks such as "Before The Gold Rush" and "Rooftop" on their new album Dwell, which is officially scheduled to be released on April 7th. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: The Envy Corps - Wires & Wool
MP3: The Envy Corps - Rhinemaidens
2.17.2008
The Felice Brothers: The Felice Brothers (2008)
New Wax
I'm so freaking stoked on the Felice Brothers. I've had them in heavy rotation ever since I stumbled on their album Tonight At The Arizona, and I'm sure I've come off as gushing fanboy ever since.. but hey, if the music moves you, shout it from the rooftops. Apparently the band impressed Conor Oberst when they toured with him because they've signed to his label Team Love, which is home to fine acts such as David Dondero, Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins, and Tilly & The Wall. With their rootsy brand of Dylanesque front-porch Americana, the members of this group of seemingly unwashed miscreants have gone from subway musicians scrapping for a bite to eat to folk darlings. Touring tirelessly in a special-needs bus, the band has built quite a following with their high energy live act, and with 15 rustic tracks on their new self-titled album, that fan base will certainly grow. Those of you who were fortunate enough to obtain a copy of their tour-only release Adventures of The Felice Brothers, Vol. 1, you'll recognize a few of these songs. The album may not be as initially impressive as Tonight At The Arizona, but it's still full of top-notch jangle that varies from rootsy sing-a-long fare to intimate folk mastery. Buy it when it comes out March 4th. -- Capt. Obvious
2.15.2008
The Whigs: Mission Control (2008)
New Wax
Athens, Georgia is a hotbed for tasty music, and it wouldn't surprise me if garage rock trio The Whigs were the next band from the city to break it big. If I had to sum up their sound, I'd call it straight up rock and roll that appeals to the masses. After their much ballyhooed self-recorded and self-released debut album Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip, The Whigs earned a reputation as being one of the best unsigned bands in the country. With a newfound home on ATO records, The Whigs are back with Mission Control, a hook-ridden collection of songs that relies on formulaic rock rather than complexity. Formulaic isn't necessarily a knock, and while The Whigs aren't breaking any new ground with their sound, let's admit that they've mastered the art of catchiness. As far as musical influences, it seems the Replacements and Pavement got a lot of rotation in the vacant fraternity house where The Whigs cut their first album. Produced by Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Beck), Mission Control shows The Whigs exhibiting the crowd-pleasing fundamental rock chops of a band like Foo Fighters while adding a little fuzz. -- Capt. Obvious
2.14.2008
Breaking Bad
You Should Know
Besides an occasional Golden State Warriors game or those murder forensic shows that come on at 2 in the morning on A&E, I don't watch a whole lot of television. Out of sheer boredom last night I was perusing my cable company's free on-demand section and I stumbled upon AMC's new series Breaking Bad. I was captivated enough to watch 3 straight episodes and now I'm thoroughly annoyed that I have to wait until Sunday to watch the next installment. The series, which was turned down by Showtime and HBO, tells the story of Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston, a.k.a. the dad from Malcolm In The Middle), a 50-year old high school chemistry teacher who, after learning he is terminally ill, experiences an awakening of sorts. Previously sleepwalking through a financially insecure life which includes a wife and a special-needs son, White decides to utilize his chemistry skills in order to finance his family's future. He does this by running a meth-amphetamine lab on wheels with one of his former students... duh. The tone of the show is definitely dark but there's enough twisted humor to provide respite from all the heaviness. Cranston's performance is particularly spellbinding as someone who is obviously making deplorable decisions but whom we can relate to and sympathize with nonetheless. I'm hooked. -- Capt. Obvious
2.12.2008
The F*ck Valentine's Day Mixtape
SIDE A
1. Bright Eyes - A Perfect Sonnet
2. The Good Life - Lovers Need Lawyers
3. Yo La Tengo - You Tore Me Down
4. Bob Dylan - It Ain't Me Babe
5. Glen Hansard - Leave
6. The Wrens - Happy
7. Elliott Smith - Somebody That I Used To Know
8. American Football - Never Meant
1. Beck - Guess I'm Doing Fine
2. David Dondero - You Don't Love Anyone
3. Pedro The Lion - Start Without Me
4. Owen - The Ghost Of What Should've Been
5. Ryan Adams - Harder Now That It's Over
6. Rocky Votolato - Suicide Medicine
7. Octoberman - Shit Just Falls Apart
8. The Appleseed Cast - Fight Song
Die! Die! Die!
You Should Know
My knowledge of New Zealand is pretty limited. I know that they shot the Lord of the Rings trilogy there, and I know that the guys in Flight of the Conchords hail from the country. Add New Zealand band Die! Die! Die! to that limited knowledge base. The post-punk trio from the remote area of Dunedin has spent the majority of the last three years touring and building a reputation as being an impressive live act. After cutting their self-titled debut with legendary producer Steve Albini a few years ago, the band is back in a big way with Promises Promises, an unadulterated slab of garage noise that sounds like Sonic Youth, The Pixies, and Black Flag's bastard love child. Engineered in upstate New York at Marcata, the studio of The Walkmen, Promises Promises doesn't rely on glitzy production techniques. Instead, the album resides in a realm of bare-bones angular energy that sounds more like a live show than a studio album. At the foundation of this cerebral collection of songs is a rhythm section that operates with brutal intensity. Rather than adding mere nuance, raw and powerful drums mixed with effective bass tones give the songs a more muscular presence, and lead singer/guitarist Andrew Wilson's primal vocals add another significant element. Play this music very loud. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Die! Die! Die! - Blinding
MP3: Die! Die! Die! - Sideways Here We Come
2.11.2008
Say Hi: The Wishes And The Glitch (2008)
New Wax
Eric Elbogen is the principle songwriter behind Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom), and The Wishes And The Glitch marks his fifth album in six years. His band has undergone its share of recent change by adding a band member, relocating from Brooklyn to Portland, and dropping the "To Your Mom" from their name. As far as sound goes, Say Hi still creates synth-laden indie pop (think a flowery, more polished version of Casiotone for The Painfully Alone), but they've exhibited a noticeable amount of growth on their new album. While Elbogen's got a mumbly voice, clever production choices and a strong knack for melody make his vocals anything but a hindrance. In fact, The Wishes finds Elbogen's vocals playing a more dynamic role. As far as songwriting goes, gone is the robot and vampire schtick and present is a newfound maturity on The Wishes And The Glitch. The opening track, "Northwestern Girls" is a blissfully single-worthy gem of electronic indie pop that flourishes in its simplicity and sing-a-long refrain, "It must be in the air here." Now available for purchase, The Wishes And The Glitch is a meticulously crafted collection of electro pop that marks progress for Say Hi while still being rooted in the band's signature sound. -- Capt. Obvious
The Battle Of Land And Sea: The Battle Of Land And Sea (2008)
New Wax
I've quite inadvertently established a blog with an affinity for alt.country/folk music (although if you pay close enough attention, there's a pretty varied soundscape represented here), and admittedly, I've a weak spot for sparsely arranged folk songs, no matter how vilified the burgeoning genre has become as of late. Granted, not everyone who can play a few rustic acoustic guitar chords or clumsily pluck a mandolin deserves to be praised, but running this blog has opened my eyes to a wealth of impressive folk music out there. And here's another nice folk album, so deal with it. With a nautical theme running throughout their self-titled debut, Portland's The Battle Of Land And Sea is a folk duo comprised of Sarah O'Shura (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Joshua Canny (electric guitar, banjo). For comparison's sake, O'Shura's vocals are reminiscent of earlier Cat Power, and with simplistic acoustic guitar and nuanced electric guitar, the band sounds quite a bit like Mazzy Star. The Battle Of Land And Sea exhibits the same "vinyl on cd" aesthetic of artists like Elliott Smith and Iron & Wine. Produced by Jacob Golden, who is a fine solo artist in his own right (check out Revenge Songs, you'll love it), the debut album sounds purposely worn and and the roughness really adds character to the songs. Melancholy female vocals + sparse folk arrangements = awesome. -- Capt. Obvious
Get Well Soon
You Should Know
Get Well Soon should be the next buzzworthy indie band... and if that prediction doesn't pan out, it's simply because not enough people heard 25 year-old Konstantin Gropper's eclectic music. The new album from the German songwriter, Rest Now, Weary Head! You Will Get Well Soon, is stylistically varied enough to remind me of anyone from Interpol to Radiohead to Patrick Wolf to Nick Cave. With folksy guitars intermingling with electronica (on "Plingplong! Goes My Automatic Heart" there's a robot singing the chorus) and classically-influenced orchestral flourishes, Gropper's sound is multi-faceted and exciting. If there's any complaint to be made about his impressive debut, it has to do with sheer density. Between an interlude and a coda, there are 14 tracks that range from 3 to almost 7 minutes long, and delving into Rest Now, Weary Head can be a daunting experience to say the least. But oh how the journey is worth your while. The most impressive and involved track is the epic "I Sold My Hand For Food So Please Feed Me," which provides a spacious backdrop for Gropper's deep and timeless voice until it explodes musically into its soaring and haunting crescendo. This is lovely and moving material that will probably be firmly rooted on my year-end list. Get Well Soon is unsigned in the U.S., but you can purchase this wonderful album on iTunes. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Get Well Soon - People Magazine Front Cover
MP3: Get Well Soon - I Sold My Hands For Food So Please Feed Me
2.07.2008
Ida: Lover's Prayer (2008)
New Wax
Hailing from NYC, Ida originally formed as a duo consisting of members Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell. Now a full-band folk-rock outfit with a violinist and drummer, the band's melodic sound is still firmly rooted in soothing male-female (by male-female I mean male & female, not a hermaphrodite) vocals and stripped-down arrangements. The band's sound is pretty straight forward, but as far as folk music goes, you'd be hard pressed to find anything this expertly crafted and downright pleasant. With Littleton as the primary vocalist and Mitchell providing smooth backing vocals on the title track "Lover's Prayer," the harmonies on the song work beautifully over a simplistic piano line and sparse percussion. Vocally, Lover's Prayer benefits from having two distinct singers that take turns being the focal point. It really keeps the content on the album interesting and adds stylistic depth and unpredictability. Musically, Ida's members perform admirably and provide serene instrumental backdrops that allow both vocalists to shine. This is perfect chill-out music. -- Capt. Obvious
2.05.2008
Travis Bland: The Golden Years (2008)
New Wax
I get my share of music submissions, but at the age of 18 (man that makes me feel like 27 is ancient), Travis Bland definitely takes the cake as the most memorable. It's common practice for bands to include some sort of press material with glowing reviews and a bio, but I can't say I've received many handwritten letters, or self portraits for that matter (see the above drawing). Now living in San Luis Obispo, CA, Travis dropped out of High School at the age of 16 and ran off to Utah where he learned to play traditional folk music. After a doomed relationship (you're not an artist unless you have one or two of those), Travis recorded his album The Golden Years at his aunt's house with a desktop microphone in one weekend. The album is understandably raw, but Bland's brand of stripped-down folk music actually benefits from the bare-bones recording methods. Besides, Iron & Wine's The Creek Drank The Cradle sounds like it was recorded in a bat cave, but it's one of the best albums I've heard. When Travis strikes the wrong chord at the beginning of "Make Me Whole" and let's out a "FUCK!," you can't help but be charmed. Bland's songs are slightly Dylanesque, both in their reliance on acoustic guitar and harmonica and in Travis' vocals. It's hard to listen to a song like "Ellen Page" (an endearing track about the Juno star) without cracking a smile. The Golden Years is a nice collection of folk songs and with more life experience and some recording equipment, Bland should progress into a considerable talent. You can purchase the CD for a mere $2.99, or on iTunes for $9.99 (the iTunes version comes with a t-shirt) on March 24th. -- Capt. Obvious
2.04.2008
Grand Archives: The Grand Archives (2008)
Album Previews
Once a member of Band Of Horses (and Carissa's Weird), Mat Brooke has put together a new band called Grand Archives. They will be dropping their debut album on February 19th entitled The Grand Archives on Sup Pop, which is also the label of Band Of Horses. The album will contain 3 tracks from their self-released CD-R, which has recently been made available with jewel case and cover through Sub Pop. Judging by the handful of tracks I've heard, Grand Archives is somewhat reminiscent of Band Of Horses, but it's got a more upbeat timeless pop charm that sounds like indie on a healthy dose of the Beach Boys or a toned-down version of Polyphonic Spree. With its airy appeal, The Grand Archives seems destined to find its way onto some "Best Of" lists this year. The band, which has already opened for Modest Mouse, will be kicking off a tour in support of their new album almost immediately after its release. You can check their website for upcoming tour dates. -- Capt. Obvious
2.03.2008
Jayhawks: Live Acoustic Trio (2002)
Rarities
I'm kind of a late convert as a Jayhawks fan. I saw them a few years ago on Austin City Limits and they absolutely owned it, but like any uneducated fool would do, I purchased their latest album, Rainy Day Music, and I was slightly disappointed. It really wasn't bad, and I've grown to love the album, but it was a lot poppier than I was expecting considering the country-tinge of their live show. Now that I've got most of their albums, including the more country-oriented earlier releases, I've really gained a lot of respect for the band's growth over the years. Formed in the mid-80's by Mark Olson, who has since left the band, the Jayhawks underwent a lot of lineup changes since their inception and have now settled into a trio (Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Tim O'Reagan), but they are all but broken up considering that the members are pouring themselves into various side projects and there's no new material due in the foreseeable future. Louris and Perlman also play in alt. country supergroup Golden Smog with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy from time to time, so definitely check some of that out. Here are some nice live acoustic tracks from the Jayhawks. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Jayhawks - One Man's Problem (Live Acoustic)
MP3: Jayhawks - Save It For A Rainy Day (Live Acoustic)
2.01.2008
Blog Roundup 2.1.08
Props
Check out Kevin's top 25 albums of 2007 over at Pelican's Perch. Some nice wildcards on this list.
Parasites & Sycophants has some mp3s from Omaha's Tilly And The Wall along with information on their scheduled tour and upcoming full length album to be released on Bright Eyes' label.
Can You See The Sunset From The Southside has a nice review on the new Ida album Lover's Prayer, which I've been loving but haven't gotten around to reviewing myself. Kickass album.
Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands has a nice little preview of the upcoming She & Him project (which consists of M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel). Be sure to check out their stripped-down cover of Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me."
Sixeyes has a great January mix up with some Lonely Dear, Sufjan, Menomena, Thao Nguyen, Bjork, Ben Kweller on it. Also check out his list of all the new January album releases.
Tags: Blog Roundup, Captain Obvious
