Download it from youtube, because I'm too lazy to make a new filesharing account right now.
This is what I've been listening to all week. Thanks to Thom.
Keeping it simple:
Broken Social Scene’s 7/4 (Shoreline) Single
This was a very cool EP I picked up a few years ago, and has some great tracks on it. The first track is of course the title track, and the single itself- 7/4 (Shoreline). This was actually the first song I heard from the to-be-released self titled album, and I instantly fell in love with the song- from simple guitar chord to driving drum beat and harmonious vocals.
This is an important single because it answers important questions. Ever what would happen if Stars and Sons and Lover’s Spit had a baby? Wonder no more! I can’t do any justice by trying to explain the combination of these two seemingly opposites- one, a strong, driving song, and another a lingering, enigmatic ghost called Stars and Spit.
Death Cock is also a very interesting track (stemming from the name I suppose). A simple snare and piano overlay, and Kevin Drew being as indecipherable as he was on Shampoo Suicide. The trouble lays in the fact that his most poetic and beautiful lyrics are often turned into esoteric mumblings (see what I did there?):
Trouble, my trouble, mourir
Left my lungs with the fear
Test patterns on the air
I killed you, I did it, my dear
Download these rarities and enjoy what happened in between You Forgot It In People and Broken Social Scene (s/t).
7/4 (Shoreline) Mirror
Stars and Spit Mirror
Death Cock Mirror
Phoenix's Wolfang Amadeus Phoenix was in my opinion one of the best releases of 2009, and I'm still coming back to some of its most unforgettable tracks (my favorites being the two opening tracks, the two "Sunset" tracks and "Armistice") almost on a weekly basis, almost a year after I first started listening to it.
Phoenix have now been generous enough to offer a free live EP for download on their website, with live performances of no less than eight Wolfang Amadeus Phoenix songs recorded in Sidney, Australia. The album is packed with great tracks, and it's great to get to hear some different takes of them. If you're looking for more alternate versions of WAP songs, here are my favorite remixes of tracks from the album:
- Phoenix - Rome (Neighbours with Devendra Banhart)
- Phoenix - Lisztomania (Classixx Version)
- Phoenix - Armistice (Yacht remix)
- Phoenix - Love Like A Sunset (Animal Collective Remix - Deakin's Jam)
The Rome remix is my favorite of the bunch – it's a truly unique remix that really adds something special to the song. If the original and its lyrics didn't touch and move you, the remix most definitely will. How many remixes can you say the same thing about? A close second favorite is Classixx' take on Lisztomania, though - the remix geniuses once again manage to take an extremely danceable song and make it even more danceable. The Yacht and Animal Collective remixes are great too - with so much personal touch that these Phoenix songs end up actually sounding like Yacht and Animal Collective tracks with Thomas Mars vocals.
Keeping it simple. This is Feist's Red Sessions.1. Intuition
2. Leisure Suit
3. Mushaboom
4. The Eastern Shore
After her 1999 debut album, Monarch, Canadian indie singer/songwriter Feist recorded the four-track The Red Demos (2003), which in my opinion are four of the very best songs of her whole career. Each of these four songs changed shape numerous times and evolved gradually through the years, finally becoming hit songs on her future LPs. "Leisure Suit" and "Mushaboom" became some of the best songs on her sophomore LP Let It Die (2004), while "The Eastern Shore" changed name to "The Water" and appeared alongside "Intuition" on her third album The Reminder (2007).
The Red Demos is definitely worth checking out for any Feist fan, even if just to see how these popular songs started out, or to hear some of her newer songs in what basically sounds like a Monach-style arrangement. Personally, I much prefer this early version of "Intuition" to the version she realesed on The Reminder four years later – the latter honestly just sounds like it has been worked on for too long, losing the straightforward beauty and simplicity of the tune. In fact, the original "Intuition" is possibly my favorite Feist track of all time – check it out for yourself and see what you think!
March 24, 2010
Some of my favorite new tracks at the moment (part 2/2)
Etiketter:
2010 albums,
icelandic,
indie pop,
UK,
vizitrone
mp3: Jónsi - Tornado
Jónsi, the modest, shy and low-talking frontman of Icelandic postrockers Sigur Rós, is releasing his first solo album Go on April 5th. In this track from the much-anticipated album, he once again showcases his charismatic, confident and very strong voice. The musical arrangement is now slightly different from Sigur Rós, but Jónsi's songwriting talent and amazing vocal performance are as strong and mesmerizing as ever – the only difference being that it's now all in English, and not his native language Icelandic or his self-invented language "hopelandic". Although I'm sad that Sigur Rós most likely has come to an end as a band, I can't wait to get my hands on Go – its release is for me just as big of an even as any Sigur Rós main release. The last time the eccentric, charismatic and hyper-creative vocalist of a truly world-famous Icelandic band went solo, Bjørk of The Sugarcubes, it was not the end of anything, but rather the start of an even more amazing career. I don't think anything can stop the very talented Jónsi from going down the same path from now!
mp3: Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
Northern Irish indie pop band Two Door Cinema Club plays happy, uplifting and catchy guitar pop that's perfect for the sunny spring weather I (and hopefully all you readers) am enjoying at the moment. Two Door Cinema Club's debut album Tourist History was released on one of my favorite labels, the French indie/electro label Kitsuné Records, on March 1st. It has often been compared to Foals and Bloc Party's debut albums, and I can see the similarity – like these fellow UK indie rock debut albums, Tourist History also incorporates elements of post-punk sound with dance-oriented melodies for a fresh and young sounding LP.
video: Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
Jónsi, the modest, shy and low-talking frontman of Icelandic postrockers Sigur Rós, is releasing his first solo album Go on April 5th. In this track from the much-anticipated album, he once again showcases his charismatic, confident and very strong voice. The musical arrangement is now slightly different from Sigur Rós, but Jónsi's songwriting talent and amazing vocal performance are as strong and mesmerizing as ever – the only difference being that it's now all in English, and not his native language Icelandic or his self-invented language "hopelandic". Although I'm sad that Sigur Rós most likely has come to an end as a band, I can't wait to get my hands on Go – its release is for me just as big of an even as any Sigur Rós main release. The last time the eccentric, charismatic and hyper-creative vocalist of a truly world-famous Icelandic band went solo, Bjørk of The Sugarcubes, it was not the end of anything, but rather the start of an even more amazing career. I don't think anything can stop the very talented Jónsi from going down the same path from now!
mp3: Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
Northern Irish indie pop band Two Door Cinema Club plays happy, uplifting and catchy guitar pop that's perfect for the sunny spring weather I (and hopefully all you readers) am enjoying at the moment. Two Door Cinema Club's debut album Tourist History was released on one of my favorite labels, the French indie/electro label Kitsuné Records, on March 1st. It has often been compared to Foals and Bloc Party's debut albums, and I can see the similarity – like these fellow UK indie rock debut albums, Tourist History also incorporates elements of post-punk sound with dance-oriented melodies for a fresh and young sounding LP.
video: Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
Some of my favorite new tracks at the moment (part 1/2)
Etiketter:
2010 albums,
broken social scene,
canadian,
indie pop,
post-punk,
psychedelic,
UK,
vizitrone
Time to introduce lots of new releases here on Esoteric Mumblings again! Here are some newly released songs that I'm currently enjoying a lot.
mp3: Broken Social Scene - All to All (mp3 download removed)
First off, another new track from Canadian indie collective Broken Social Scene's upcoming fourth studio album, Forgiveness Rock Record. All to All came out as a digital single yesterday, and I like it a lot. With its lush, atmospheric and ambient sound, combined with very sweet female vocals, it reminds me of the classic Broken Social Scene track "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" from their 2002 album You Forgot it in People. If the three tracks (from the album's thirteen) released so far are anything to go by, the new album will be another eclectic mix of genres and moods – BSS at their best, in other words!
mp3: MGMT - Flash Delirium (mp3 download removed)
In my opinion MGMT sounded a lot like the Flaming Lips on their debut album Oracular Spectacular (2007), with their euphoric psychedelic rock, and also thanks to the production work by long-time Flaming Lips producer David Fridman. While the Flaming Lips moved in a quite different direction with last year's Embryonic, MGMT's new track "Flash Delirium", from their upcoming sophomore album Congratulations, due out April 13th, in my opinion sounds more like the Yoshimi / Mystics era (former half of the 00s) Flaming Lips now than ever. I can also sense a stronger influence from trippy 60s psychedelic rock, and less disco beat and 90s britrock nudges, this time around. This track left me very excited for MGMT's return!
mp3: Foals - Spanish Sahara (mp3 download removed)
Post-punk/indie rock band Foals from Oxford, England, released their very funky and danceable debut album Antidotes in 2008, which was one of my favorite albums that year. The album was full of vigor and punch, and when I saw them live in the spring of 2008, their almost endless-seeming energy impressed me. Their sophomore album Total Life Forever is due out in May, and judging by the album title alone one would expect it to be even more energetic than before. But this time, Foals have slowed down a bit, and switched danceable indie anthems for slower and more modest, atmospheric and reflective tunes. According to the band, they had been planning another "funky" album, but then plans changed. The first track from the album, Spanish Sahara, indicates that this new style suits them just as well, and although the soundscape is rather different now, it still unmistakably sounds like Foals.
mp3: Broken Social Scene - All to All (mp3 download removed)
First off, another new track from Canadian indie collective Broken Social Scene's upcoming fourth studio album, Forgiveness Rock Record. All to All came out as a digital single yesterday, and I like it a lot. With its lush, atmospheric and ambient sound, combined with very sweet female vocals, it reminds me of the classic Broken Social Scene track "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" from their 2002 album You Forgot it in People. If the three tracks (from the album's thirteen) released so far are anything to go by, the new album will be another eclectic mix of genres and moods – BSS at their best, in other words!
mp3: MGMT - Flash Delirium (mp3 download removed)
In my opinion MGMT sounded a lot like the Flaming Lips on their debut album Oracular Spectacular (2007), with their euphoric psychedelic rock, and also thanks to the production work by long-time Flaming Lips producer David Fridman. While the Flaming Lips moved in a quite different direction with last year's Embryonic, MGMT's new track "Flash Delirium", from their upcoming sophomore album Congratulations, due out April 13th, in my opinion sounds more like the Yoshimi / Mystics era (former half of the 00s) Flaming Lips now than ever. I can also sense a stronger influence from trippy 60s psychedelic rock, and less disco beat and 90s britrock nudges, this time around. This track left me very excited for MGMT's return!
mp3: Foals - Spanish Sahara (mp3 download removed)
Post-punk/indie rock band Foals from Oxford, England, released their very funky and danceable debut album Antidotes in 2008, which was one of my favorite albums that year. The album was full of vigor and punch, and when I saw them live in the spring of 2008, their almost endless-seeming energy impressed me. Their sophomore album Total Life Forever is due out in May, and judging by the album title alone one would expect it to be even more energetic than before. But this time, Foals have slowed down a bit, and switched danceable indie anthems for slower and more modest, atmospheric and reflective tunes. According to the band, they had been planning another "funky" album, but then plans changed. The first track from the album, Spanish Sahara, indicates that this new style suits them just as well, and although the soundscape is rather different now, it still unmistakably sounds like Foals.
Heads Up! EP
One of my favorite bands: Death From Above 1979. This is their 2002 EP Heads Up!. This is a great little EP for a number of reasons. It shows the beginnings of the band, this being their first release- 2 years before any other major release, including their own full studio album You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (what great titles for everything).
1 Dead Womb
2 Too Much Love
3 Do It!
4 My Love is Shared
5 Losing Friends
6 If We Don’t Make It We’ll Fake It
You may recognize the first song, Dead Womb, being sampled heavily in Crystal Castles' Untrust Us- yes, it's sampled from this EP. You can definitely see some of the influences Crystal Castles has by listening to this album. The sampled quotation begins...
All in all, a great EP. Definitely download it.
One of my favorite bands: Death From Above 1979. This is their 2002 EP Heads Up!. This is a great little EP for a number of reasons. It shows the beginnings of the band, this being their first release- 2 years before any other major release, including their own full studio album You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (what great titles for everything).
1 Dead Womb
2 Too Much Love
3 Do It!
4 My Love is Shared
5 Losing Friends
6 If We Don’t Make It We’ll Fake It
You may recognize the first song, Dead Womb, being sampled heavily in Crystal Castles' Untrust Us- yes, it's sampled from this EP. You can definitely see some of the influences Crystal Castles has by listening to this album. The sampled quotation begins...
la cocaina no es buena para su salud
All in all, a great EP. Definitely download it.
A Chorus of Storytellers
I am usually a huge fan of Jimmy LaValle. However, his most recent release under The Album Leaf has been disappointing and under par for his talents. This album features a full live band, keyboard, drums, guitar, trumpet- a nice twist for LaValle, known for his heavy electronic instrumentation.
I'll start with the album cover- it looks like an Impressionistic baby from Renoir and Kroyer, but it is nothing new.
Compare this to In A Safe Place:
even One Day I'll Be on Time or Into the Blue Again:
Impressionism? Already did it. White font style for the band name and album title? Did it. Simple doesn't have to be bad- as seen in that cute pink album cover above. It's monochromatic, shades of pink with simple lower-case black text and a line drawing. Ultimately, the album cover is really indicative of the product inside- something recast, already thought of and executed, and in the end- something that doesn't stand out or live up to its reputation.
There are a few good songs on the album. My favorite is Falling from the Sun. It begins with a simple electronic beat and keyboard, followed by the echoing voice of LaValle. It's simple and brings back memories of other amazing songs from the Album Leaf. In this song he successfully blends his electronic and organic instruments. The guitar and drums work beautifully with his hollowed voice and electronic noises underlying the song. This is where LaValle gets it right.
Until the Last is another song he does well. The song is in 5/4, and this is a great example of LaValle creating an interesting soundscape using the contrast between the organic and inorganic sounds. Great stringed instruments and cymbal work (I'm a cymbal fiend). All in all a good song on the album.
Where he gets it wrong is on songs such as Blank Pages and Stand Still. The songs show themselves to be bland and unable to stand out. We hear the same quick drum beat and cymbal washing, but it doesn't stand out like it can in Until the Last. There are too many Sub Par songs on this album to make it anything praiseworthy. I am happy that Album Leaf might be branching off into other instrumental uses and contrasts, but I am not pleased with how poor this album was on its own, and compared to the former body of work.
I am usually a huge fan of Jimmy LaValle. However, his most recent release under The Album Leaf has been disappointing and under par for his talents. This album features a full live band, keyboard, drums, guitar, trumpet- a nice twist for LaValle, known for his heavy electronic instrumentation.
I'll start with the album cover- it looks like an Impressionistic baby from Renoir and Kroyer, but it is nothing new.
Compare this to In A Safe Place:
even One Day I'll Be on Time or Into the Blue Again:
Impressionism? Already did it. White font style for the band name and album title? Did it. Simple doesn't have to be bad- as seen in that cute pink album cover above. It's monochromatic, shades of pink with simple lower-case black text and a line drawing. Ultimately, the album cover is really indicative of the product inside- something recast, already thought of and executed, and in the end- something that doesn't stand out or live up to its reputation.
There are a few good songs on the album. My favorite is Falling from the Sun. It begins with a simple electronic beat and keyboard, followed by the echoing voice of LaValle. It's simple and brings back memories of other amazing songs from the Album Leaf. In this song he successfully blends his electronic and organic instruments. The guitar and drums work beautifully with his hollowed voice and electronic noises underlying the song. This is where LaValle gets it right.
Until the Last is another song he does well. The song is in 5/4, and this is a great example of LaValle creating an interesting soundscape using the contrast between the organic and inorganic sounds. Great stringed instruments and cymbal work (I'm a cymbal fiend). All in all a good song on the album.
Where he gets it wrong is on songs such as Blank Pages and Stand Still. The songs show themselves to be bland and unable to stand out. We hear the same quick drum beat and cymbal washing, but it doesn't stand out like it can in Until the Last. There are too many Sub Par songs on this album to make it anything praiseworthy. I am happy that Album Leaf might be branching off into other instrumental uses and contrasts, but I am not pleased with how poor this album was on its own, and compared to the former body of work.
Blank Pages Mirror 1
Falling from the Sun Mirror 1
Stand Still Mirror 1
Until the Last Mirror 1
Keeping it simple. This is Sigur Rós' Ný Batterí EP.1. Rafmagnið Búið
2. Ný Batterí
3. Bíum Bíum Bambaló
4. Dánarfregnir Og Jarðarfarir
While I'm a big fan of everything Sigur Rós and their frontman Jónsi have ever released (including all Sigur Rós LPs and Jónsi's two recent side project albums), their sophomore album Ágætis Byrjun will always stand out as something special to me. This masterpiece is one of my definite favorite albums of all time – an intense 1-hour long deep dive into Sigur Rós unique and mesmerizing world. The track Ný batterí is in my opinion one of the most hypnotizing out-of-this-world experiences on the whole album, and I'd almost call it one of the album's highlights, if it wasn't for the fact that I think there are nothing but highlights on the entire album.
Ný Batterí's perfect progression, its beautiful build-up, is what really does it for me, and I used to think it was perfect – until I discovered this EP a couple of years back. On this EP, Sigur Rós extend Ný Batterí's initial horn section by almost five minutes, and dub this introductory part Rafmagnið Búið. Since this track continues directly into Ný Batterí, the result is essentially a twelve-and-a-half minute long extended version of one of my favorite songs. Track 3 and 4 on this EP are cover versions of two well-known Icelandic songs. Sigur Rós originally recorded these amazing cover tracks for the soundtrack to the Icelandic movie 'Angels of the Universe'.
For anyone out there who loves Ágætis Byrjun as much (or even half as much) as I do, these four tracks are bound to be happy revisit to this excellent period in Sigur Rós' career.
Keeping it simple. This is Her Space Holiday's Something Blue EP.
The theme to the extended is a traditional wedding custom- having something old, new, borrowed and blue.
1 Something Old (Floating)
2 Something New (Happy As A Ghost)
3 Something Borrowed (Fan Club)
4 Something Blue (Our First Date)
Something Old is an instrumental track, and Something New is a highly lyrical track with organic drums and ethereal vocals with a simple accompanying chord with highly memorable lyrics:
Something New is easily my favorite track on the EP, because of its density, emphasis on vocal tonality, and simple, organic instrumentation. The lyrics and mood are revealed slowly, and make it one of my favorite Her Space Holiday songs.
I don't know where I hide my emotions
Wanted to show you my undying devotion
Enjoy!
As a musician, you're bound to meet a lot of 'interesting' and 'alternative' people. While most 'interesting' people are great and fun to be with, we all know that some of them are just plain annoying. And incredibly pretentious. Imagine then, that you're not only a musician, but even a 'alternative' or 'indie' musician - you surely must be regularly dealing with masses of annoying 'alternative'/'interesting' people – both amongst your social network/scene and amongst your own fans. And it really seems like this is frustrating certain musicians a lot, at least judging by the lyrics of the six songs I'm presenting you today.
What kind of 'alternative' people really get on the nerves of the songwriters of Beck, CSS, Eels, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, of Montreal and Wilco? Let's find out, and let's indulge in some of the most sarcastic and satiric song lyrics out there, filled with genuine contempt and strong suppressed pent-up annoyance which must have been built up over a considerable period of time.
Beck seems to have (had) a major frustration with a vegetarian, wannabe poet 'alternative'/hippy lady in his life:
mp3: Beck - Nitemare Hippy Girl
CSS's Luísa Hanae Matsushita (aka Lovefoxxx) has a background as an illustrator and fashion designer, before she moved on to music and became world famous as the lead singer of indie rock / synthpop band CSS. Apparently she left the fashion world because she was completely sick of the people in that particular industry. In the following lyrics however, she leaves the fashion world's many annoying people alone, and instead kicks the same direction as Beck - towards people with no real talent who're full of themselves.
mp3: CSS - Art Bitch
For a biting, sarcastic and spiteful critique of the fashion industry's superficiality, though, you have to look no further than Eels' "Fashion Awards". One of frontman Mr. E's beautiful 3-minute acoustic guitar and string based beauties, the track sounds quite harmless and harmonious until you start paying attention to the hilarious lyrics:
mp3: Eels - Fashion Awards
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in my opinion does one of her greatest vocal performances of all time in the track "Art Star" off one of their early EPs. She switches naturally between loud and intense screaming, innocent and cutesy humming and ridiculing monologues mimicking young and hip artists:
mp3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Art Star
Kevin Barnes of of Montreal has apparently had it with elitist snobs who pride themselves so highly on knowing all 'high culture' authors/composers/directors 'worth knowing' and look with contempt at anyone who can't namedrop and/or enjoy them. While the highly cultivated Barnes himself makes countless references to painters, directors, authors and more in his band's song lyrics, he makes it very clear in the sarcastic "Art Snob Solutions" that he doesn't want to be perceived as one of those jerks who think they're superior because of their 'cultural capital'.
mp3: of Montreal - Art Snob Solutions
Similarly, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy also seems annoyed at people who feel superior for knowing/namedropping the right artists. In "The Late Greats", however, he targets his mockery specifically at indie music fans. Enjoying music that's not considered part of the 'mainstream' is all well and good, but making it a major point to avoid music that is in any way known to the general public, or even deliberately and consistently picking music that's "so indie that they'll never play it on the radio", is pretty pretentious.
While Wilco made music throughout the 90s, their real breakthrough didn't come before 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. "The Late Greats" is a track from the first album they made after having 'become famous', 2004s A Ghost Is Born and I'm sure it must have been meant as a tongue-in-cheek mockery of some of their 'former fans' who chose to distance themselves from the 90s 'unknown' alternative band once it started having some real success and publicity. Judging by Tweedy's mockery, he can't have been very sad to see these people go.
mp3: Wilco - The Late Greats
What kind of 'alternative' people really get on the nerves of the songwriters of Beck, CSS, Eels, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, of Montreal and Wilco? Let's find out, and let's indulge in some of the most sarcastic and satiric song lyrics out there, filled with genuine contempt and strong suppressed pent-up annoyance which must have been built up over a considerable period of time.
Beck seems to have (had) a major frustration with a vegetarian, wannabe poet 'alternative'/hippy lady in his life:
mp3: Beck - Nitemare Hippy Girl
yo, she's bustin' out onto the scene
with nightmare bogus poetry
(...)
she's cooking salad for breakfast
she's got tofu the size of Texas
she's a witness to her own glory
she's a never-ending story
CSS's Luísa Hanae Matsushita (aka Lovefoxxx) has a background as an illustrator and fashion designer, before she moved on to music and became world famous as the lead singer of indie rock / synthpop band CSS. Apparently she left the fashion world because she was completely sick of the people in that particular industry. In the following lyrics however, she leaves the fashion world's many annoying people alone, and instead kicks the same direction as Beck - towards people with no real talent who're full of themselves.
mp3: CSS - Art Bitch
I poo on a plate and get it published on visionaire
(...)
I have no port-fo-lee-o
Cuz i only show
Where there's free al-co-hol
For a biting, sarcastic and spiteful critique of the fashion industry's superficiality, though, you have to look no further than Eels' "Fashion Awards". One of frontman Mr. E's beautiful 3-minute acoustic guitar and string based beauties, the track sounds quite harmless and harmonious until you start paying attention to the hilarious lyrics:
mp3: Eels - Fashion Awards
let's go down to the fashion show
with all the pretty people that you don't know
we'll sit down in the velvet chairs
we'll hand awards out for best hair
and if we don't win one well then
we'll blow off our heads in despair
we'll blow off our heads in despair
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in my opinion does one of her greatest vocal performances of all time in the track "Art Star" off one of their early EPs. She switches naturally between loud and intense screaming, innocent and cutesy humming and ridiculing monologues mimicking young and hip artists:
mp3: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Art Star
I got a dealer in Tokyo
I got a rep in Paris
I got an agent in Cologne
Shit, I got a gallery in New York
It's a madhouse, this modern life
Kevin Barnes of of Montreal has apparently had it with elitist snobs who pride themselves so highly on knowing all 'high culture' authors/composers/directors 'worth knowing' and look with contempt at anyone who can't namedrop and/or enjoy them. While the highly cultivated Barnes himself makes countless references to painters, directors, authors and more in his band's song lyrics, he makes it very clear in the sarcastic "Art Snob Solutions" that he doesn't want to be perceived as one of those jerks who think they're superior because of their 'cultural capital'.
mp3: of Montreal - Art Snob Solutions
Come on artists, the day is here!
And your mission is very clear
Put an end to the bourgeoisie
And death to everyone who's never heard of me
Similarly, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy also seems annoyed at people who feel superior for knowing/namedropping the right artists. In "The Late Greats", however, he targets his mockery specifically at indie music fans. Enjoying music that's not considered part of the 'mainstream' is all well and good, but making it a major point to avoid music that is in any way known to the general public, or even deliberately and consistently picking music that's "so indie that they'll never play it on the radio", is pretty pretentious.
While Wilco made music throughout the 90s, their real breakthrough didn't come before 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. "The Late Greats" is a track from the first album they made after having 'become famous', 2004s A Ghost Is Born and I'm sure it must have been meant as a tongue-in-cheek mockery of some of their 'former fans' who chose to distance themselves from the 90s 'unknown' alternative band once it started having some real success and publicity. Judging by Tweedy's mockery, he can't have been very sad to see these people go.
mp3: Wilco - The Late Greats
The best band will never get signed
K-Settes starring Butcher's Blind
Are so good, you won't ever know
They never even played a show
You can't hear 'em on the radio
(...)
The best song will never get sung
The best laugh never leaves your lungs
So good, you won't ever know
I never hear it on the radio
Can't hear it on the radio
Let's keep it simple. I will upload any "rare" EPs that I have found/collected over the years.
This is Her Space Holiday's Keystroke EP. It's neither on wikipedia or for sale on their website, and it's definitely worth the attention.
1 Keystroke (awayTEAM mix)
2 Microfilmed
3 Hassle Free Harmony (Bench remix)
I'll let you all discover the buried treasure for yourself.
If anyone has any suggestions for free file uploading services whose download links end in ".mp3" or ".m4a", etc. please contact us or contact me directly.
http://www.battleofthebands.com/cwmrock
One of our beloved writers is actually in this band, the wonderful non serviam aka Mr. Guitar aka the voted one.
1. Make an account. It takes 30 seconds.
2. Vote once a day until it is over.
3. They will play Warped Tour, and you will all have helped a deserving, undiscovered act eventually reach success.
One of our beloved writers is actually in this band, the wonderful non serviam aka Mr. Guitar aka the voted one.
1. Make an account. It takes 30 seconds.
2. Vote once a day until it is over.
3. They will play Warped Tour, and you will all have helped a deserving, undiscovered act eventually reach success.
March 4, 2010
Kevin Barnes (of Montreal) congratulates Casiokids on becoming their new labelmate at Polyvinyl
- mp3:Casiokids - Postcards from Congo
- mp3:of Montreal - Gallery piece (Jon Brion Remix)
- video: Casiokids - Fot I Hose
About a week ago, Norwegian oddball electropop band Casiokids signed with American Polyvinyl. With their highly energetic shows and eccentric, euphoric and highly danceable music, they've been a live favorite in Norway for years, and it's great to hear that they'll reach US audiences too now. Another person besides me who seems happy about these news is Kevin Barnes off of Montreal, who wrote the following Tweet today on the band's official Twitter account:
so happy!1 of r fave bands just signed 2 PV! http://www.myspace.com/casiokids if u get the chance to see them live,do it!they're amazing!
Barnes shares Casiokid's passion for weird and wonderful untraditional "dance" songs with funky synths and obscure samples – and theatrical live shows with crazy animal costumes – so I can see why the of Montreal frontman is a fan. Casiokids have done warm-up shows for of Montreal in a past tour of theirs, but the quartet from Bergen is now crossing the atlantic to play three shows on their own in Texas. Having recently witnessed their intense show at By:Larm, I'll join Barnes and wholeheartedly recommend the Casiokids live experience. Catch them if you happen to live near Austin, their live performances are priceless!
February 23, 2010
Live at By:Larm - Serena-Maneesh
Etiketter:
2010 albums,
norwegian,
shoegaze,
show review,
vizitrone
Serena-Maneesh frontman/vocalist/songwriter Emil Nikolaisen has several times personally declared to be one of Norway's biggest My Bloody Valentine fans. He shares Kevin Shield's big love for beautiful, haunting melodies hidden in layer upon layer of intense noise, and the Norwegian band's acclaimed 2005 self-titled debut album was clearly influenced by MBV's 1991 masterpiece Loveless.
Far from being just another one of the endless amount of MBV clones out there, however, Serena-Maneesh stands on its own, with Nikolaisen's impressive songwriting and guitar play impressing everyone from Pitchfork to Oasis, the Dandy Warhols and Nine Inch Nails. Not a small feat for a band from Oslo, Norway! Serena-Maneesh acted as openers for the three aforementioned three bands in 2005-2007 tours of theirs, following their debut album's huge success. It's been somewhat quiet around the band since then, but they are now set to finally release their sophomore album next month.
The band's By:Larm show was an opportunity for the band to showcase to anticipating journalists, fans and music industry representatives exactly what they have been working on for the past five years. Despite this however, and the relatively short time allocated to their show (with an 1.15 AM start ...), Nikolaisen walked on stage exclaiming "I know this is a party for the music industry, but looks like we've got some music fans here too! Good." and proceeded to play several old fan favorites to please the crowd. And judging by this night's performance, Nikolaisen and his bandmates are shoegazers only by genre - the charismatic and energetic frontman never once stared down at his chucks, but instead played with intense passion and rocked the audience like a true rockstar.
The new material that eventually was played sounded promising. Less experimental, less introverted and less Loveless, and more accessible, straightforward pop songs. Coated with just the appropriate amount of noise and guitar solos, these new tracks worked well. You can listen to one of them, called Reprobate, right here – or watch a video of the band performing it live on a Norwegian TV show.
SM2 – Abyss in B Minor is out on March 23 in the U.S., and the day before in Europe. In less than two weeks, the band leaves the cold winter snow of Oslo, Norway for a one-month tour all across North America - check out the tour dates and catch Nikolaisen and friends just as they bless the world with their first record in five years!
(photos courtesy of Eskil V)
February 22, 2010
Live at By:Larm - Jóhann Jóhannsson
Etiketter:
ambient,
electronica,
icelandic,
instrumental,
show review,
vizitrone
Next up in my coverage of By:Larm is experimental artist Jóhann Jóhannsson from Iceland. Jóhannsson is classically trained and works as a composer of movie and play soundtracks, producer, and experimental electronic/ambient music artist.
His live show at By:Larm was one of the most unique concert experiences I've had in a long time. His hypnotizing electronic ambient music, played in near-darkness, was supported by a live string quartet, and the result was an overwhelming and moving experience, and a truly beautiful show.
Having the string quartet with him on stage allowed Jóhannsson to include some of the lush string-based tracks from his 2006 album IBM 1401, A User's Manual, which are rarely performed live. Check out the track Part 2/IBM1403 Printer to get an impression of how this album manages to combine long stretches of cold, low-volume machine bleeps and bloops and obscure snippets of an audio manual to an old IBM computer with sections of warm and intense strings, and turn it into something truly beautiful. It all fades into each other in a unique way that just works. It took me a while after this concert to realize that I was indeed back on planet earth, and no longer floating around space, or perhaps (as during the more intense sections) trapped in the spaceship of 2001: A Space Oddissey.
For something more easily accessible, try Efripídes Og Neðripídel from Jóhannssons more upbeat album Dís (2004). On this track, the electronic soundscape is supported by live drums and guitars for a more energetic and cheerful instrumental track.
(photo courtesy of Eskil V)
ClapClapClap Playlist Download me!
This playlist is comprised of 10 songs (and one remix) that feature clapping as a pivotal and showcased instrument. I chose these songs from a list of about 50 that featured clapping as an instrument, and chose these 10 as the best modern examples. If you don't want to download all the songs you can download each song individually by clicking the linked song titles.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Shuffle Your Feet
On Howl
This is the intro track from BRMC’s third album, Howl, and gives an immediate impression of the album. The gospel, blues, and country influences within the modern rockers is quite apparent as they use a chorus of hands as the percussion during the song. Start clapping.
Architecture In Helsinki’s Do The Whirlwind
On In Case We Die
This song is similarly marked by atypical instrumentation. You probably remember the wooden agogo from elementary school, and you will hear a myriad of other instruments in the song, all driven by the steady, soft clap.
Feist’s Mushaboom / Mushaboom (Mocky Mix)
On Let It Die and Open Season
Included is the original Mushaboom, released on Let It Die, and the remix by Mocky on the album Open Season. What do we hear on these tracks? Something cute, soft, subtle- the clapping. And Leslie, of course. There is a reason there are at least 5 different album released mixes of this song, and it is because it is so soft and soothing, with a definite groove.
Le Tigre's Deceptacon
On Le Tigre
The clapping in this song is a little different, which serves as a nice break. Punctuating the simple lo-fi guitar and simple synth percussion are rapid four part claps. They’ve been called dance punk, and that description seems to work well for this song. It will be hard to not clap in unison with the three punk ladies.
The Mountain Goats' This Year
On The Sunset Tree
A metronome, followed by piano and bass. In comes clapping and guitar and the memorable voice of John Darnielle. It's a very rhythmic song full of determined and optimistic lyrics with lively instruments. There will be feasting, and dancing, in Jerusalem next year!
Arcade Fire's Woodlands National Anthem
On Arcade Fire EP
Although not entirely making sense, the lyrics in this song are delivered in wailing, haunting voices. The occasional clap, which receives more attention as the song develops, is accompanied by a tambourine. This is one of the few songs that have been able to maintain an upbeat and yet dark mood, largely due to the use of clapping and tambourine to interrupt the somber tone of the vocalists and stringed instruments.
Shout Out Louds' Hurry Up Let’s Go
On Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
You can’t miss the claps in this song. They’re the first things you hear, and are the dominant instrument of the song. Finally, right? Hailing from Stockholm, the Shout Out Louds deliver a fast-paced dash of lyrics and guitar driven by the constant, loud hand clapping.
Pinback's Penelope
On Blue Screen Life
You can’t listen to this song and miss the consistent percussion hand clapping. The rhythm is constant, and works well with the bass tones to give a firm base for the airy voice and lyrics.
The Most Serene Republic's Proposition 61
On Underwater Cinematographer
This is probably the most artful use of clapping on the playlist. MSR alternates beats and pitch of the claps and through other quirky instruments like the accordion and the voice of Adrian Jewett.
Broken Social Scene's Stars And Sons
On You Forgot It In People
It’s hard to visit this blog and not feel the influences and love of this band, and this playlist will pay its dues. This might actually be the best song from the list. The vocalist for this song is actually Brendan Canning, not the typical Kevin Drew, and structurally, this song bears quite a bit of resemblance to “Hurry Up Let’s Go”. You hear a driving, fast and loud clap through much of the song, usually during times without vocals, and midway through the song is the same slowing down and re-introduction of clapping. The song is filled with rich instrumentation, brilliant and simple guitar and drum work, with heavy machine and synth overlays and subtle, memorable lyrics.
Enjoy!
This playlist is comprised of 10 songs (and one remix) that feature clapping as a pivotal and showcased instrument. I chose these songs from a list of about 50 that featured clapping as an instrument, and chose these 10 as the best modern examples. If you don't want to download all the songs you can download each song individually by clicking the linked song titles.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Shuffle Your Feet
On Howl
This is the intro track from BRMC’s third album, Howl, and gives an immediate impression of the album. The gospel, blues, and country influences within the modern rockers is quite apparent as they use a chorus of hands as the percussion during the song. Start clapping.
Architecture In Helsinki’s Do The Whirlwind
On In Case We Die
This song is similarly marked by atypical instrumentation. You probably remember the wooden agogo from elementary school, and you will hear a myriad of other instruments in the song, all driven by the steady, soft clap.
Feist’s Mushaboom / Mushaboom (Mocky Mix)
On Let It Die and Open Season
Included is the original Mushaboom, released on Let It Die, and the remix by Mocky on the album Open Season. What do we hear on these tracks? Something cute, soft, subtle- the clapping. And Leslie, of course. There is a reason there are at least 5 different album released mixes of this song, and it is because it is so soft and soothing, with a definite groove.
Le Tigre's Deceptacon
On Le Tigre
The clapping in this song is a little different, which serves as a nice break. Punctuating the simple lo-fi guitar and simple synth percussion are rapid four part claps. They’ve been called dance punk, and that description seems to work well for this song. It will be hard to not clap in unison with the three punk ladies.
The Mountain Goats' This Year
On The Sunset Tree
A metronome, followed by piano and bass. In comes clapping and guitar and the memorable voice of John Darnielle. It's a very rhythmic song full of determined and optimistic lyrics with lively instruments. There will be feasting, and dancing, in Jerusalem next year!
Arcade Fire's Woodlands National Anthem
On Arcade Fire EP
Although not entirely making sense, the lyrics in this song are delivered in wailing, haunting voices. The occasional clap, which receives more attention as the song develops, is accompanied by a tambourine. This is one of the few songs that have been able to maintain an upbeat and yet dark mood, largely due to the use of clapping and tambourine to interrupt the somber tone of the vocalists and stringed instruments.
Shout Out Louds' Hurry Up Let’s Go
On Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
You can’t miss the claps in this song. They’re the first things you hear, and are the dominant instrument of the song. Finally, right? Hailing from Stockholm, the Shout Out Louds deliver a fast-paced dash of lyrics and guitar driven by the constant, loud hand clapping.
Pinback's Penelope
On Blue Screen Life
You can’t listen to this song and miss the consistent percussion hand clapping. The rhythm is constant, and works well with the bass tones to give a firm base for the airy voice and lyrics.
The Most Serene Republic's Proposition 61
On Underwater Cinematographer
This is probably the most artful use of clapping on the playlist. MSR alternates beats and pitch of the claps and through other quirky instruments like the accordion and the voice of Adrian Jewett.
Broken Social Scene's Stars And Sons
On You Forgot It In People
It’s hard to visit this blog and not feel the influences and love of this band, and this playlist will pay its dues. This might actually be the best song from the list. The vocalist for this song is actually Brendan Canning, not the typical Kevin Drew, and structurally, this song bears quite a bit of resemblance to “Hurry Up Let’s Go”. You hear a driving, fast and loud clap through much of the song, usually during times without vocals, and midway through the song is the same slowing down and re-introduction of clapping. The song is filled with rich instrumentation, brilliant and simple guitar and drum work, with heavy machine and synth overlays and subtle, memorable lyrics.
Enjoy!
February 20, 2010
Live at By:Larm - The New Wine
Etiketter:
bergen,
norwegian,
show review,
synthpop,
vizitrone
(click mp3 links to listen. Right-click to save)
- mp3: The New Wine - Bridge
video: The New Wine feat. Erlend Øye - Golden Cage ("Fred Falke remix" version) - mp3: The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke remix)
- mp3: Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better
This week, I attended the By:Larm festival in Oslo, Norway, which ran from Thursday through Saturday. By:Larm is mainly an event for music industry insiders, being a conference at daytime and a festival with mini-concerts by night. The latter is however open to the general public, and gives music fans like me a unique chance to experience a ton of shows by interesting artists that are on the verge of success, either in their homelands or internationally (to quote By:Larm's website). In the next few days, I'll try to write about some of the great Nordic bands (Norwegian and Icelandic) that I saw!
In my opinion, one of the definite highlights of the festival was Thursday night's performance by the Bergen synthpop quartet The New Wine. I wrote about these guys (more or less) exactly a year ago, and was excited to finally see this promising new band live. In the course of 30 minutes (that's all the time they were allocated), they managed to make the whole crowd dance in unison to their addictive and funky synth- and guitar based dance music. Bridge, from their EP with the same name, was especially memorable.
The band is said to be inspired by Nintendo composer Koji Kondo and fellow Bergen musician Erlend Øye's band The Whitest Boy Alive, and the result is a very catchy and playful blend of lush guitars and geeky retro/chipcore-esque bleeps and bloops. Their music also reminds me a lot of the early days of French indie stars Phoenix, more specifically their very funk and dance influenced debut United. Listen to Phoenix' classic If I Ever Feel Better and see if you agree.
Similarly to The Whitest Boy Alive, the main quest of The New Wine at any concert is to make the crowd have fun and dance, and covering very digital house tunes with analogue instruments is one way of reaching that goal. At their 08-09 tour, The New Wine did an awesome cover version of one my favorite house tracks from recent years, Fred Falke's amazing remix of The Whitest Boy Alive's Golden Cage. Check out this very cool Youtube video, where Mr. Øye (vocalist of the Whitest Boy Alive) himself joined the boys on stage and did the vocals for the cover version of the remix of his own song (I know, confusing).
I expect these young and talented musicians to very soon fill dancefloors around the world in the same way their (ten year older) idols in Phoenix and Whitest Boy Alive are doing now, and I for one will continue to follow The New Wine closely - gentlemen, please release a debut album NOW!
February 19, 2010
New Broken Social Scene song – "World Sick"
Etiketter:
2010 albums,
alternative,
brendan canning,
broken social scene,
canadian,
feist,
indie rock,
metric,
stars,
vizitrone
Download: Broken Social Scene - World Sick
Broken Social Scene's first new record in five years (not counting the "BSS Presents" spinoff series) is set to be released on May 4. The band is finally reuniting properly, as all regular members are making contributions again, even the ones who have been immensely busy with their side (main?) projects for the past few years
I'm especially excited about all the three girls being back aboard the Broken Social Scene ship again - the three of them are all incredibly talented, and although they've had great success outside BSS recently – Emily with Metric, Amy with Stars and Feist with her solo career – they've now been kind enough to come back to enhance the BSS core guys' new album Forgiveness Rock Record with their creative talents.
The album name, cover artwork (see above) and the album's first new song (download above) were all presented to the world just a few minutes ago. It's all very promising (what an epic and very BSS-esque cover illustration!) and I'm quite excited for May now. Let the hype begin – and I hope the indie legends' new effort will live up to it.
That’s right. Her.
The name probably calls to mind images of Kanye West or Beyonce, and rightly so. We all know how Kanye West dicked over our young starlet at the 2009 VMAs. Why did Kanye do this, exactly?
Well, Taylor had just won the award for best female video of the year for her song “You Belong With Me”, a popular single from her 2008 album titled “Fearless”.
The video is actually quite cute and funny.
Taylor plays a high school loner girl (autobiographical, actually!) pursuing a close friend who is enamored by a more popular, but distant cheerleader. The lyrics are highly clichéd, but extremely approachable and memorable. The true power of Taylor Swift is both in the simplicity and cadence of the lyrics she chooses, and her twangy, youthful voice influenced by artists like Dolly Parton and Shania Twain.
Her lyrics are often very simply composed. Simple rhyme schemes (aba, cdcd, etc), with very obvious metaphors. Taylor sings “she wears short skirts. I wear t-shirts.
She's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers” in the song “You Belong With me” calling to mind experiences almost all listeners have had or have. A simple dichotomy is created between a popular, materialistic, fashionable and a more authentic, approachable individual. One can see the lyrics as an expression of possible internal conflict in maintaining a down-to-earth appeal while being so overwhelmingly successful. Her grace and social tact, however, make it seem quite easy.
She began her career by rejecting RCA Records when they offered her a development deal. Part of the appeal in this young lady is in her authenticity and self-made attitude. The lyrics are extremely specific, personal, and through this openness and transparency the audience and listener is drawn in and is able to empathize and appreciate the lovely voice.
I hope the future of Taylor Swift is as bright as her beginnings. Her style reminds me of other female singers I happen to really enjoy. The country and folk influence definitely harkens thought of an acoustic Tegan & Sara or Jenny Lewis with a vocal talent able to garner Grammys and mass appeal.
Check out "Forever and Always" if you want to hear what I mean by resemblances to other, more independent and less popular female artists.
The name probably calls to mind images of Kanye West or Beyonce, and rightly so. We all know how Kanye West dicked over our young starlet at the 2009 VMAs. Why did Kanye do this, exactly?
Well, Taylor had just won the award for best female video of the year for her song “You Belong With Me”, a popular single from her 2008 album titled “Fearless”.
The video is actually quite cute and funny.
Taylor plays a high school loner girl (autobiographical, actually!) pursuing a close friend who is enamored by a more popular, but distant cheerleader. The lyrics are highly clichéd, but extremely approachable and memorable. The true power of Taylor Swift is both in the simplicity and cadence of the lyrics she chooses, and her twangy, youthful voice influenced by artists like Dolly Parton and Shania Twain.
Her lyrics are often very simply composed. Simple rhyme schemes (aba, cdcd, etc), with very obvious metaphors. Taylor sings “she wears short skirts. I wear t-shirts.
She's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers” in the song “You Belong With me” calling to mind experiences almost all listeners have had or have. A simple dichotomy is created between a popular, materialistic, fashionable and a more authentic, approachable individual. One can see the lyrics as an expression of possible internal conflict in maintaining a down-to-earth appeal while being so overwhelmingly successful. Her grace and social tact, however, make it seem quite easy.
She began her career by rejecting RCA Records when they offered her a development deal. Part of the appeal in this young lady is in her authenticity and self-made attitude. The lyrics are extremely specific, personal, and through this openness and transparency the audience and listener is drawn in and is able to empathize and appreciate the lovely voice.
I hope the future of Taylor Swift is as bright as her beginnings. Her style reminds me of other female singers I happen to really enjoy. The country and folk influence definitely harkens thought of an acoustic Tegan & Sara or Jenny Lewis with a vocal talent able to garner Grammys and mass appeal.
Check out "Forever and Always" if you want to hear what I mean by resemblances to other, more independent and less popular female artists.
Broken Bells is the new project of Danger Mouse (of The Grey Album and Gnarls Barkley fame) and James Mercer (the vocalist of The Shins). The two 00s pop heavyweights became friends when they met at the 2004 Roskilde festival in Denmark, and have since been working on plans to record some music together. These plans resulted in the project Broken Bells, who after a long waiting time are finally blessing the world with their debut album next month.
Danger Mouse and Mercer both have a rare talent for creating incredibly catchy pop songs – who has never been addicted to Crazy or New Slang? – and the first two Broken Bells track I've heard so far indicate that they have managed to very successfully put their creative talents together. Danger Mouse has already proven himself as a fantastic producer for alternative rock with the job he did on Beck's Modern Guilt (2008), so I'm very glad he and Mercer found each other. I've marked March 9 in my calender, and am looking forward to the album's release with great anticipation!
Listen to the full length versions of the first two tracks from the album, "The High Road" and "Vaporize", over at Broken Bell's official homepage.
December 24, 2009
Christmas playlist
Etiketter:
canadian,
covers,
danish,
indie pop,
indie rock,
norwegian,
scandinavian,
US,
vizitrone
I hope everyone's enjoying the holidays. Here are some tracks I listen to a lot these days, to get into the christmas mood - my alternative/indie rock Christmas playlist!
Eels - Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas
Eels - Christmas Is Going to the Dogs
"Baby Jesus, born to rock." - "Get off your sled and go to bed - don't you ever tire?". Mr. E, of the US alternative rockers Eels, knows how to rock my Christmas!
Drawing Constellations - All I Want For Christmas Is You (Ooh Baby)
Drawing Constellations - Chestnuts Roasting
Canadian indie rockers Drawing Constellations do a couple of awesome and very fresh-feeling takes on two christmas classics.
Erlend Øye - Last Christmas
A track from one of Norwegian Erlend Øye's (of Kings of Convenience and Whitest Boy Alive) acoustic solo shows. He too does a cover of a Christmas song I'm quite tired of, but does a very sweet interpretation of the song. I'm honestly not very fond of WHAM at all, but Øye manages to turn this cheesy 80s hit into something completely different - something beautiful!
Mew - She Came Home For Christmas
Danish indie/prog rockers Mew wrote this gem in the mid-nineties, and it has been released as a Christmas single over and over again between 1997 and 2003 in Denmark and the rest of the world. Here's the 2003 version from their breakthrough album Frengers. A sweet ballad that will ensure Christmas mood!
of Montreal - Christmas isn't safe for animals
Psychedelic indie poppers of Montreal, from Athens, Georgia, just being their usual weird selves. This quirky Christmas song is really charming!
Iggy Pop is an artist that I just keep going back to, again and again. Apart from his work with his band The Stooges, Pop has also led an amazing solo career. His first two solo efforts, Lust for Life and The Idiot are possibly my favorite albums of the 70s.
Iggy Pop is arguably one of the biggest living musical legends on the planet today. Iggy is the grandfather, king and pretty much inventor of punk music. His live shows are legendary: The raw, bare-chested, sweaty, drunken bravado at his shows in the 60s/70s have been an inspiration for punk and rock performers ever since, and an endless hoard of people have since attempted to be as kick-ass as him - which is an impossible task, of course.
After inventing his raw stage persona as the vocalist for his band The Stooges, he left the band to go solo, and then something unusual happened: he actually made even better music. In 1977 he releaed his first two solo albums, Lust for Life and The Idiot, with only a half year interval. Lust for Life is the most famous of the two, with its iconic album cover featuring Iggy's creepy and manic smile brimming at you. From the very first track (which is also the title track), you know you're in for something special: In what I honestly think is one of the best opening tracks ever made, the song comes right at you with its intense drums, and the heavy bass and Iggy's nonchalant vocals carry you through five powerful and legendary minutes.
Pop is still as active as ever today. In what has to be one of my favorite singles of 2009, he teamed up with the BPA, also known as Fatboy Slim, to record a cover of The Monochrome Set's "He's Frank". This song is an awesome meeting of two talents, and almost as good as Pop's former US-UK collaboration - which was in the 70s and with David Bowie. (Bowie wrote songs for Lust for Life and The Idiot). The song's video is awesome too, and conveniently also has a puppet theme that fits well into this blog!
mp3: Broken Social Scene - Kennel District (Pavement Cover)
And speaking of Pavement and their upcoming comeback tour (see my previous entry) here's one of my favorite bands covering one of my favorite Pavement songs! Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew is a big fan of 90s alternative bands like Dinosaur Jr and Pavement, and performed covers of them during the when he went on tour with BSS 2007-08 promoting his solo album, Spirit If.
It must be really amazing for the fanboy, then, that Broken Social Scene are set to perform at Pavement's UK shows in May! For a music fan growing up to be a musician, sharing stage with your idols must be incredible. The cover version is really good, give it a listen!
I've been excited about the reunion of Pavement for some time. They're one of the best alternative rock bands of the 90s, but dissolved in 1999 - when I was thirteen years old, which means I was born a bit too late to ever have a chance to see them perform live.
Last week, I decided that I want to go to the Roskilde Festival next year, which I haven't been to since 2007. And today, Pavement were announced as the festival's first headliners! Very nice pre-Christmas gift.
And speaking of Christmas arriving soon, and Pavement being back soon, here's an amazing classic Pavement song with an OK music video starring all band members dressed as Santa Claus:
Last week, I decided that I want to go to the Roskilde Festival next year, which I haven't been to since 2007. And today, Pavement were announced as the festival's first headliners! Very nice pre-Christmas gift.
And speaking of Christmas arriving soon, and Pavement being back soon, here's an amazing classic Pavement song with an OK music video starring all band members dressed as Santa Claus:
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