Attention! Unbelievers! Fashion Victims! Opportunists!

2009 Has Been A Good Year For Music

2009-08-02T14:44:47Z

Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
[download] Nothing To Hide

By all accounts, all twelve songs on Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs can easily become popular one way or another (commercials, soundtracks, blog hype). Many songs by YLT remind me of wedding songs. You can just imagine the band on stage at one lucky couple’s special day and they break out in tunes like “All Your Secrets,” in which Georgia sings to his significant other, persuading her to tell him all her secrets slowly so she won’t have to repeat herself. Yo La Tengo have a romantic quirk to them and this makes them quite more interesting than they already are. YLT also make you want to stick your head out the car window to have your hair blow in the wind and cause that oh so carefree feeling. The catchiness of “Nothing To Hide” may induce that feeling. All in all, Popular Songs is a great experience and total fun. A

The Dodos - Time To Die
[download] Two Medicines

When I heard 2008’s Visiter, I thought how it would be perfect for those moments when you’re lying on the grass at the park or your front lawn, the trips to the beach, and the sunsets. Simply put, the songs that made Visiter were equivalent to summer. Now we have Time to Die to listen to this summer, and although Visiter is the stronger album, Time to Die isn’t all that different. That’s not a bad thing. The Dodos have managed to keep their folky, indie rock style, but they’re not a low-fi band on this album. Meric Long’s voice is always a pleasure listening to and Logan Kroeber’s drumming is top-notch. The addition of a new member makes The Dodos seem like a fuller band who have managed to be able to offer new gems like “Two Medicines,” “Fables,” and “Longform.” While some may call The Dodos’ new effort indie mediocrity, I think of it as a deeper look into what their musicianship is capable of bringing. A-

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
[download] Pretty Visitors

I was excited to hear Humbug since it’s been few years that the Arctic Monkeys have released a new album. However, I have to admit I’m not in love –or like –with the new album. More like baffled. I can see some experimentation and growth from the band members, especially Alex Turner, whose voice is deeper and more haunting. The songs seem to be constant throughout most of Humbug and I think that’s what’s most disappointing. With their debut, Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not, one wouldn’t expect a criticizing song like “Still Take You Home” followed by a somewhat low-fi song, “Riot Van.” With such consistency in Humbug, it can get a little boring. It’s a mature sound by all accounts, but there are many instances when it gets a little slow. I hoped for something edgy and frenetic when I heard, say, “Cornerstone,” but instead I heard “Dance Little Liar,” which isn’t a song one would really dance to at all. The production and execution of the album is something to admire. In fact, I would say that Humbug does demand respect and Arctic Monkeys will surely be able to gain new fans with songs like “Pretty Visitors” and “Crying Lightning.” I’m not saying Humbug is a bad album –it’s just quite different than what I imagined their new album would be like. It’s still worth a heavy rotation. B

Icons!

2009-07-08T23:57:48Z

Since I've had time on my hands, I've been making icons. They're not that great -none of them have any text and they were just the products of a few clicks here and there on Photoshop. I'm not that good... Hopefully, someone will like at least one of these. Please be courteous and leave a comment if taking because it would make me happy! Also, it'd be nice if I'm credited, so that's preferred; especially my Michael Jackson ones, even if they're a bit on the bland side.

These are what you'll find:

Alex Turner [1]
Julian Casablancas [2]
The Last Shadow Puppets [1]
Beck [2]
Cat Power [1]
Feist [4]
Jens Lekman [1]
New Buffalo [1]
The Most Serene Republic [1]
Tokyo Police Club [1]
Andrew Bird [3]
Emily Haines [3]
Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett [1]
Patrick Wolf [1]
Kevin Barnes [1]
Michael Jackson [8]

Since I Wanted To Use My New Michael Jackson Icon...

2009-07-08T03:07:03Z

It's sad that Michael Jackson passed away before he could make his comeback. However, his spirit and music remains to thrive and lives. On a brighter note, just to keep this blog running, here's a mix of songs that I've been liking a lot these past few days.

01 Regina Spektor - "Folding Chair"
A song from Spektor's latest effort, Far, "Folding Chair" is a gem. It's a sunny tune great for summertime pop. The song is very catchy and is deserving of a few plays every other day.

02 Michael Jackson - "Beat It"
Michael Jackson's death resulted with many saddened fans, celebration of his work, and remarks about his life. In a way, his death made everyone realize how special Jackson was and how brilliant his music is. In an age where downloading the torrent beats the option of buying the actual CD of an artist, one can't deny the effect the mesmerizing Michael Jackson had on everybody who gave him a chance and listened.

03 Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - "Sis Around the Sandmill"
Avey Tare of Animal Collective and his wife, Kria Brekkan, make a great pair. The album they made together, Pullhair Rubeye, is definitely worth the listen. It's less glitchy than Tare's main project, but it's perfect for those lazy, summer days.

04 The Most Serene Republic - "The Old Forever Things"
I cannot stress any more how much I love The Most Serene Republic. They are way too underrated and very talented. My respect definitely comes from my experience in watching this band evolve from their first record to their newest -which happens to be one of my favorite albums of 2009 right now.

The Most Serene Republic: The Ever Expanding Band

2009-06-20T15:50:03Z

It’s been a few days since The Most Serene Republic’s latest effort, …And The Ever Expanding Universe, leaked online. Since I’m such a big fan of theirs, I was delighted to listen immediately. However, I would say that it takes a person a few listens to really enjoy this record. After each listen, you seem to like it a lot more than you did the first time you tried giving these guys a listen. Soon enough, you do end up loving this album, even if you’ve never listened to The Most Serene Republic before. Dave Newfield produced the album, which may have been a good choice on the band’s part. A whole new appreciation for TMSR is achieved when the album is given a listen. Although they’re already a respect-worthy band, you can’t help but hold The Most Serene Republic in an even higher regard.

The first track, “Bubble Reputation,” isn’t as good as most of their other intros to previous albums, but it’s still a Most Serene Republic-esque welcome. The next song, “Heavens to Purgatory,” is great! When it first surfaced the Internet, I listened to it on repeat. It’s a different side of the band, but there’s still a lively feel on it.

“Vessels of a Donor Look” gives me an I Can Hear This Heart Beating As One feel. It captures the pop that Yo La Tengo carried out in songs like “My Little Corner of the World.” One song I love from this album is “Phi.” It reassures that …And The Ever Expanding Universe sounds like one whole record to play during those summer road trips, where the windows are rolled down and the wind is blowing in your face and messing up your hair.

Other albums, Population and Phages, were denser, but this album lightens things up a bit. While previous works had more glitches and anger, …And the Ever Expanding Universe embodies a more laid-back feeling, like the carefree desire to lounge around and feel a cool breeze coming through the window. Needless to say, Population, Phages, and even Underwater Cinematographer are unique in their own ways, but …And The Ever Expanding Universe has something different about it that draws itself away from the band’s other work.

However, what doesn’t change on this record are Adrian Jewett’s and Emma Ditchburn’s voices’ abilities to blend so well together. “The Old Forever New Things” contains the often-filtered voice of Jewett. The Most Serene Republic often allude to BioShock, and “Patternicity” may be the spot on this album in which the video game gets its spotlight. My favorite song here is probably “Four Humours.” The drumming is top-notch, the vocals sound incredible, and the melody is perfect throughout the entire track. The closing track is “No One Likes A Nihilist,” a song that builds up and then calms back down –a satisfying closure to a great experience.

The Most Serene Republic never fail to impress me. They have superb musicianship. Nearly everything on this album is carefully detailed and perfectly aligned. Perhaps all this praise is due to bias, but honestly, I feel like this band has a lot to offer. One can hear the development and growth of this band when they listen to their debut, Underwater Cinematographer, and listen their way to …And The Ever Expanding Universe. This is one very smart, quirky band. A

[mp3] Four Humours

Music You Need To Start Listening To

2009-05-02T15:03:47Z

Like the title of this post suggests, I want to reach out to all of you about music you should start listening to. This is also a memo for me to start listening to these bands more, too. But in any case, I'm glad I've come across these artists, because I honestly do think they're worth the honorable mention.

Emilie Mover is just precious. Her album Good Shake Nice Gloves is really just whimsical and her voice, although not original, still deserves a lot of praise. Speaking of originality, my comparison of Mover to Regina Spektor definitely isn't, but it's still a justified observation. Both these singers have strong voices, I would say. A lot of Mover's album is low-fi, but I think that's what she should stick to for now. Emilie Mover's songs have such a modest charm. Songs like "No Hill To High" and "Ordinary Day" are gems. I always thought that music sounds best when it's summer. Good Shake Nice Gloves is for those lazy sunday mornings when you want to keep lying still, but are moved enough to smile. A-

Another group I think can raid the blogosphere if they had more listeners is Green Go. Although I still haven't listened to them as much as I would like to, they have some pretty good songs. They've been described as "a propulsive mash-up electro-rock, post-punk, and funky grooves." Needless to say, if you're interested in "electro-rock, post-punk, and funky grooves," then nothing should be stopping you from listening to the band's debut album, Borders. If I threw parties, Green Go would definitely be part of the night's playlist. Green Go have youth and exuberance on their side, which I hope will help them out during their musical career.

[mp3] Emilie Mover - "Ordinary Day"
[mp3] Green Go - "Brains For Breakfast"

Dear Members of The Most Serene Republic,

2009-04-18T00:07:49Z

I love this band. I am a huge fan of the music, the lyrics, and you guys -the much talented members of this great outfit. In fact, The Most Serene Republic is one of my favorite bands and Phages might just be in my top ten favorite records ever.

So it probably won't come as a surprise to know that learning about ...And the Ever Expanding Universe, a new album, to be released on June 14, made my day happier than it already was. It's also good to know, just so that we don't have to wait so long for new songs, in the meantime, an EP titled Digital Population will be available on April 28. The songs "Humble Peasants," "Compliance," "The Men Who Live Upstairs," "Present of Future End," and "Sherry and Her Butterfly Net" have been turned into "16-bit dance tunes." That sounds very lovely to me.

However, the new songs excite me more, especially since the track "Heavens To Purgatory" has surfaced the internet. It seems as if you guys have started to explore a bit more. It's a very fresh song, I'll tell you that. But since I want to share the tracklist, I'll go right ahead:

01 Bubble Reputation

02 Heavens to Purgatory

03 Vessels of a Donor Look

04 Phi

05 The Old Forever New Things

06 All of One is the Other

07 Patternicity

08 Four Humours

09 Catharsis Boo

10 Don't Hold Back, Feel a Little Longer

11 No One Likes a Nihilist

Ah, eleven new songs just waiting to be heard by folks like me. What I like even more is knowing that The Most Serene Republic have a few tour dates soon, especially in Brooklyn.

6/24 - Boston at Great Scott

6/25 - NYC at Cake Shop

6/26 - Philadelphia at North Star

6/27 - Brooklyn at Union Hall

Thank you so much,
Your biggest fan,
whatyousaygoes

P.S. People who want to listen to something new, something delightful, should listen to this song.

[mp3] Heavens To Purgatory

For Music Lovers Wanting Something Different

2009-03-16T00:12:43Z

Now that I've finally attained the time to make a quick post, I decided to write about Emanuel and the Fear's recently released self-titled EP. This is a band whose niche is "intertwining the modern day pop song with extravagant and complex composition."

I have to point out that "Jimme's Song" is pretty fantastic. Sounding like desperation for more than half the song, the track later turns into a dance-worthy, head bobbing tune. It's evident that Emanuel and the Fear know more than just a thing or two when it comes to making music. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that this is an artist trying to take a shot at originality. The EP is pretty enjoyable to listen to, especially when you're hanging out with your friends in your room and playing music in the background.

Emanuel and the Fear seem like a smart band, and it looks like they might be heading somewhere. If I can recall correctly, they've landed a show with The New Pornographers, which is probably just swell for any upcoming artist. This EP is a great place to visit if you're looking for something new and unique to listen to. You will not be disappointed. It's ambitious, strong, and deserves attention. A

[mp3] Jimme's Song

Fantasies Can Be Your New Muse

2009-03-11T21:01:44Z

Metric's Fantasies was leaked a few days ago, and many fans have taken the opportunity to listen to the new songs as they wait for their pre-ordered editions. As they listen, they'll be satisfied with the price they paid for whatever package they went along with for the album.

The first thing I want to say is that Emily Haines is one of my favorite vocalists. There's something about her voice that is just so cool, smooth, and icy sweet. She seems to experiment well with it too, judging from the b-side, "Waves." Metric has now implemented a more rocky pop sound and they still have the electronic compliments. Haines' voice is graceful in an edgy way. The quality of the songs are impressive, too, and it's evident that the album needed some time to be completely accomplished.

I'm not sure if there's a song that I don't like. There are tracks on the album that I would choose over other songs, but I definitely wouldn't say that there's a single song I'm not a fan of. As of now, my favorite song off Fantasies is "Gimme Sympathy." The acoustic version, which is included in the pre-order download bundle, is great. "Twilight Galaxy" is a easy song to listen to and will surely please anyone in the mood for wist. Emily Haines sings "Everybody just won't fall in love" in "Sick Muse," whose intro is a reminiscent of Bloc Party. But Haines is a little wrong, Fantasies is pure entertainment for the music lover.

As Metric figure out whether they'd rather be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, fans will delight over the new set of tunes that they were waiting for so long, but not out of sympathy for the obvious effort put towards the record. A

[mp3] Collect Call

It's Voices Like These That Are Ecstasy

2009-03-02T14:50:47Z

It's a snow day here in New York, so I'm at home which means I don't have much to do. So, I created a playlist with a theme of happy voices in cheery songs. Then again, Adam Green doesn't always sound as upbeat as he does in "Morning After Midgnight," nor does Keven Barnes is a number of Of Montreal songs. But here are songs that are meant to be sung along to.

download .zip

01 Of Montreal - "A Sentence of Sorts In Kongsvinger"
02 The Apples In Stereo - "Signal In The Sky Let's Go"
03 The Bird and the Bee - "Love Letter To Japan"
04 Jens Lekman - "I Saw Her In The Anti War Demonstration"
05 ELO - "Mr. Blue Sky"
06 Adam Green - "Morning After Midnight"
07 Architecture In Helsinki - "Hold Music"
08 Au Revoir Simone - "Stars"
09 Sigur Ros - "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur"
10 The Harlem Shakes - "A Night"
11 Patrick Wolf - "Get Lost"
12 Tokyo Police Club - "Your English Is Good"

Band to Watch: Whiskey Go Gos

2009-02-17T00:00:19Z

Maybe you've heard their song "Two Cent Girl" on a recent Nokia commercial, or heard about some upcoming tour dates in New York and LA, but I have to post about how cool I think Whiskey Go Gos is. This band is a reminder of Kings of Leon for me but their songs are less serious and more laid back. Their debut, Proud Tales To Tell Them Of Us is out in Australia, where they are from. This is one band that I feel can make a name for themselves.

Keep It Real, Keep It Real, Shout Out!

2009-01-31T19:28:47Z

There's a lot of music at this time of year. While everyone has Merriweather Post Pavillion on heavy rotation, there's also some other good stuff like M. Ward's Hold Time. I hadn't realized I had it on my computer, but I just thought "Wow!" when I heard "For Beginners." He has such a gentle, soft voice. There are actually a lot of good songs on the album, but I haven't given it the thorough listen it definitely deserves just yet.

Speaking of Animal Collective, everyone just loves their new album. I'm not going to say that it's bad or that I didn't like it as much as everyone else did. In fact, I don't really want to say any of that sort because once again, this is another album I haven't listened to carefully. I've been doing a lot of other times, so time hasn't really permitted me to listen to all the new music out. But the one song that I enjoy a lot from MPP is "Summertime Clothes." This is one great song. It's even great to listen to during a cold, winter day. "My Girls" and "Brothersport" are the two other songs I like from the album, but the only problem I have with "Brothersport" is that it sounds a lot like El Guincho's "Kalise."

Another band that is worth the mention is Said The Whale. Their album, Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia was released last year, but they'll be recording in the studio this February with some new material. Said The Whale is pretty much a band to look out for.

Since we're on the subject of artists to watch, I've mentioned Emanuel and the Fear a few months ago. They've signed on with Paper Garden Records and also have an EP coming out on February 17. I think they're in luck, especially since Paper Garden Records have a partnership with Conor Oberst's label, Team Love. They actually have a show tonight at Webster Hall.

This is just a post for the sake of posting, to be honest. But of course, all the bands I spoke of are note-worthy!

Oh what a lovely sound

2009-01-28T19:52:44Z

Canadian Rock Is Always Good

2009-01-10T20:36:27Z

My favorite book is Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I absolutely adore that book, and when I came across the band The D'Urbervilles, I knew that I had to listen to them for making a great reference to Hardy. I listened to their album, We Are The Hunters, which I believe was their debut album. It's not repulsive like Alec d'Urberville, and even though it's not completely charming like Angel Clare, The D'Urbervilles have a pretty good album.

The songs have an interesting pattern. Tracks start off slow, but continue to build up, and engages you in hopes that you'll listen to something really good. I have to say, there are some Foals-esque songs on the record, like "We Are The Hunters." There are a lot of really good, heavy baselines. One example would be "This Is The Life," --it's a really good song! "Spin The Bottle" is definitely one of the best on the album.

"Hot Tips" is supposedly the highlight of the album according to the press reviews I read before listening to this Canadian band. To me, it seems like one of those songs that gets the party started, into the more hardcore, sweat-inducing, pulse-quickening songs that follow. I was reminded of The National when I heard "The Receiver." I personally think this one was a gem. "National Flowers" may or may not be a reminiscent of Interpol.

Listening to The D'Urbervilles was more of an experiment for me, a trial to see if they were good. I actually liked them enough for a few more listens, and I'm sure if I listen to them again after a few months, I'll appreciate what I missed. This is certainly an artist to look out for. B+

There will be snacks.

2009-01-01T23:32:06Z

My first post of 2009, I guess, will be dedicated to Andrew Bird (who happened to give me my favorite moment of the last year). I was able to listen to Useless Creatures, the instrumental bonus to Noble Beast. There are some really good tracks in there. Bird really ought to do a score for a film some day. I love the song "Nyatiti," which I feel like could be made into a song with lyrics. Useless Creatures stands as a good bonus disc, it reminds me a lot of Music of Hair. Andrew Bird clearly proves himself as a master musician. B+

whatyousaygoes' Best of 2008

2008-12-20T00:30:42Z

2008 has been a pretty good year. Music-wise, its had good moments as well, like honorably mentionable of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping and the over-hyped Oracular Spectacular brought forth by MGMT. I'd even add Cajun Dance Party's The Colourful Life. My picks for the year's best albums:

Bloc Party – Intimacy

When “Mercury” surfaced as Bloc Party’s newest single during the summer and received mixed reviews, I was excited to hear that they announced a new album. I’m not adding Intimacy because of my bias concerning my fangirlyness for this band. I’ll admit that this isn’t Bloc Party’s best, but it works really well. I still think that this album is exceptional, with some really great songs like “Halo” and “Trojan Horse.” For me, Intimacy shows me what Bloc Party is capable of, and how their willing to change their sound here and there. And I have to add that “Ion Square” is a perfectly captured moment in pop dipped in some electro-rock sound.

Cut Copy – In Ghost Colors

This is fun, and it’s poppy, and it’s dance-worthy, and it’s pretty good, too. Cut Copy’s In Ghost Colors is crafted well and a lot of its material is catchy. The band sounds a lot more confident than their debut, Bright Like Neon Love, but that’s understandable, this record is solid.

The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement

I think The Last Shadow Puppets were my favorite rising band in 2008. The Hollywood-esque, 60’s retro sounds that Miles Kane and Alex Turner bring forth is impressive. You don’t need to be a fan of either Arctic Monkeys or The Rascals to be obliged to listen to this. This is what you’d call ambitious.

Deerhunter – Microcastles

Microcastles sounds like summer. Deerhunter deserves all praise necessary to offer for this effort. The album is a pleasing winner. I absolutely love “Never Stops.”

Little Joy – Little Joy

Sounding like The Strokes some times and other times, not, Little Joy has ventured on something great. This debut is bold and it’s consistent. The vocals are swell, the melodies are perfect, and the album as a whole is awesome.

Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

I have no idea what’s being sung about when I listen to Sigur Ros, but I still thought this album was remarkable. In some parts, the record is fun and summery, and in others, the songs slow down a bit, but you’re still able to embrace what’s coming at you.

Beck – Modern Guilt

I really love Beck. I think he’s one of the greatest artists out there. If not already, Beck is becoming a staple in music. Despite how many times “Girl” might have been played on MTV a few years ago, he’s the guy indie snobs will love listening to, and the guy people who tune into the radio will be able to like because he’s not so hard to listen to. Modern Guilt might be Beck’s easiest album, but it’s just great.

The Dodos – Visiter

“Undeclared” is my favorite song of 2008 because it’s simple folk-pop at its best. This could be said for a lot of Visiter’s content. The Dodo’s have come up with a strong, highly exceptional release. It’s one of those albums that you don’t exactly seek, but comes to you instead. Visiter is easy to like instantly, but with each listen, your ‘like’ turns to ‘love.’ It’s your summertime record; it’s for all those times you’d like to just lie back on the cold, wet grass, and run around in circles under the sprinklers for those hot, lazy days.

Foals – Antidotes

I mentioned this when I first wrote about Foals, but this band is like a combination of Los Campesinos! and Bloc Party. The chanting and energy with seriousness and confidence. Antidotes is surely bold. Foals were over-hyped, but now under-appreciated. This debut is worth the heavy rotation, especially with gems like “Electric Bloom” and “Red Sock Pugie.”

Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell

When Elephant Shell first came out, I listened to it over and over again. On my review, I offered Tokyo Police Club a lot of praise, I realize, but I still think even now that they deserve it. I just liked Elephant Shell more and more each time I gave it a listen. Sometimes it was all I wanted to hear. I cannot stop raving about this band, simply put. Sure, their songs are pretty short, but they’re insanely catchy. Tokyo Police Club not only offers you words that might be randomly chosen from a dictionary, but a collection of quality, feel-good songs that you can play when you’re sitting on the bus all alone heading to school, or when you’re heading over to the library, and you can still listen to it and appreciate it when you’re on a train at night and during awkward moments you’d rather avoid. Elephant Shell, on the other hand, is one long moment you shouldn’t miss.

Oh Ho! Andrew Bird's Noble Beast

2008-12-13T19:20:50Z

I sure do love Andrew Bird. And his new album, Noble Beast, justifies this even more. With his music, Bird manages to sweep you off your feet, delighting you with his melodies and trademark whistling. This album is cleverly pulled off and adds a strong piece to Andrew Bird’s discography.

“Oh No” is a good introduction. I guess I have a thing for songs that mention the atmosphere (So let’s get out of here / Pass the atmosphere), but this is a great song with Bird’s celebrated whistling and nice, subtle drumbeats in the background. I also have a thing for songs that are suitable for that lazy drive on a cool, sunny day, and Andrew Bird has a good number of those. Noble Beast presents “Masterswarm” for the occasion, which has a transition that deserves a smile because you can’t help but realize how great Bird is. His violin doesn’t play a large role in the song, but it definitely adds a nice touch to it. “Fitz and the Dizzyspells” is stellar! It reminds me of a more upbeat “Fiery Crash.” The flourishes in the song are grand, and this may easily be one of the best songs on Noble Beast. “Effigy” is the typical Andrew Bird song, his voice occasionally rising, following the swell tunes. Currently, “Tenuousness” is probably one of my favorite songs off this album.

“Not A Robot, But A Ghost” is clearly impressive. I’d call it Bird’s interpretation of a Dosh song. I love the highs and lows of this song, and I think it’s really great. Andrew Bird does a great job on building upon Martin Dosh tracks. They are a great duo.

I liked hearing “Anonanimal” at All Points West, and this studio recording is pretty fulfilling. “Natural Disaster” reminds me of “Tables and Chairs.” “The Privateers” is pretty uplifting and provides a good mood. “Souverian” has a few nice moments, some good hooks that owe credit to Bird’s trusty violin. “Oh Ho” closes Noble Beast quite perfectly.

I don’t think anyone else shows as much ambition that Andrew Bird does. Personally, for me, he raises the bar for singer-songwriters. He’s original and creative. The folk-pop ballads thrive even when you’re done listening to Noble Beast in its entirety. He’s a very talented musician and I think when you listen to his work, it’s a statement easy to understand. Bird modestly presents his newest effort and stuns you with its wit. A

Andrew Bird's Noble Beast

2008-11-01T13:27:44Z

Andrew Bird is always worth the quick post. Fat Possum's latest newsletter includes Noble Beast's (Bird's forthcoming album) release date, which is January 27, 2009. This album can be received as an ordinary CD, a limited deluxe edition, and a double LP package. I definitely have something to look forward to for 2009.

The tracklist:

01 Oh No
02 Masterswarm
03 Fitz and the Dizzyspells
04 Efigy
05 Tenuousness
06 Nomenclature
07 Ouo
08 Not A Robot, But A Ghost
09 Unfolding Fans
10 Anonanimal
11 Natural Disaster
12 The Privateers
13 Souverian
14 On Ho!

"A Unique Brand of Experimental Pop"

2008-10-31T21:54:19Z

Since most people seem to enjoy Swedish pop, a band one might want to watch out for is Fredrik. Their debut, Na Na Ni was released just this month. These are not my own words, but this album evokes "a very primal feeling of being ten years old again, lost in a dark, threatening forest with only a faint, humming voice leading you to safety." It's a nice description, good enough to tempt you into listening to them. One song to listen to first would definitely be "11 Years." Here's the music video for it as well.

You Would Wish This Was Released In The Summer

2008-10-26T20:15:00Z

Members of pretty well known bands who take part in side projects seem to be able to come up with some pretty solid stuff. Take Alex Turner, for example. The Last Shadow Puppets are perhaps one of my favorite new bands of 2008. But what’s even newer, and depending on your taste in music, a little better, is Little Joy.

Fabrizio Moretti will most likely get name dropped most when Little Joy is spoken of. After all, he’s the drummer of The Strokes, and his main band hasn’t exactly been on the radar, lately. Albert Hammond, Jr. has been around for a while now as a solo artist, and we will have to see what Nikolai Fraiture brings us with his project, Nickel Eye.

I will have to admit, that Moretti was never impressive as a drummer. Needless to say, he’s definitely not bad, but with a band like the Strokes, I suppose you never had to show off your drumming skills when you have good looks and have a refined taste in fashion.

Little Joy’s debut, which is self-titled, is absolutely spiffy. This is a great debut for a band, filled with some great tunes. There are definitely some Strokes-like numbers, like “Keep Me In Mind” and “How To Hang A Warhol.” Calling the album diverse might be pushing it, but Little Joy varies from more mellow tunes to foot-tapping friendly songs.

The opener, “The Next Time Around” is one of the highlights of the album. I think others may agree with me here, but Rodrigo Amarante’s vocals are like a cross of previously mentioned Alex Turner and –who else –Julian Casablancas. You’ll be highly reminded of Casablancas when you hear “No One’s Better Sake.”

Little Joy have come up with eleven strong and catchy in their own sense songs, and if this was released earlier, Little Joy would be someone’s summer time album, giving songs like “Unattainable” and “Evaporar” a spin while laying in the beach, the cool breeze passing by.

I am very impressed with Little Joy. This is one album I’ve been listening to, keeping it on heavy rotation, and I think if you’re looking for something like The Strokes, but still different than them, to listen to, then Little Joy is the band you’ve been looking for.

The members of The Strokes are apparently very excited to bring in all their newfound influences into the studio in early 2009, and I think that if Fabrizio Moretti can attach some of his Little Joy experience to The Strokes, we’ll get something that sticks to the sound of The Strokes, but a little more unique. I think this was just great. As if the whole band was speaking out to you when Amarante's vocals soar out "Keep me in mind," you can't help but do so because of how easily pulled off this seems. A

[mp3] Evaporar

New Band to Look Out For: The Royalties

2008-10-23T21:06:00Z

The Muse Box sent me an email informing me about a featured artist that I am actually interested in after listening to their song "Music For Cooking With Gas." It's really quirky in a way and fun to listen to, especially with the jingles. The band I'm talking about are The Royalties, who had actually won a Norweigan Grammy back in 2007 for Best Pop Album. I think I will actually find a way to listen to the whole album, because I am pretty impressed with this one song.

Some tour dates, if anyone's interested:

10/19 Great Scott - Allston, MA
10/25 (CMJ) Spike Hill - Brooklyn, NY
10/26 DC9 - Washington, D.C.
10/30 Public Assembly - Brooklyn, NY
11/04 Viper Room - West Hollywood, CA

11/05 Tangiers - Los Angeles, CA
11/06 On The Rox - Los Angeles, CA

[mp3] Music For Cooking With Gas

Oh, Yes, a New Andrew Bird Song!

2008-10-03T21:28:59Z

Andrew Bird's New York Times blog had a stream of his demo for a song called "Oh No." Now, Pitchfork has a stream of the official track, and it sounds great. Andrew never ever disappoints and I doubt he ever will. The new album, Noble Beast is being released in January, which I think is a pretty swell way to start off the new year.

[listen] Oh No

Little Thoughts

2008-09-20T02:04:09Z

Getting hours of homework makes me realize how much I dislike school. I don't even have the time to read any books that I've like to get through, and right now, I'm actually tired to the point where I kind of don't want to continue with this post.

Anyway, there's some really great new stuff available to listen at this time, like Stars' Sad Robots EP (this band is brilliant) and Of Montreal's Skeleton Lamping. I absolutely cannot get enough of "Gallery Piece." That is one amazing song. Also, Kings of Leon's Only By The Night has been leaked, and it sounds pretty nice.

[mp3] Of Montreal - Gallery Piece

Bloc Party Charms & Dazzles You

2008-08-21T15:46:09Z

This morning, I was woke up looking forward to two things: which team won the Olympic’s beach volleyball final (May-Treanor and Walsh!!), and Bloc Party’s new album, Intimacy. This post is obviously more relevant to the latter, so I’ll just keep on with my verbose review.

Intimacy makes me realize why I love Bloc Party so much. It might not be as good as Silent Alarm, and I’ll probably choose A Weekend In The City over this album, but I think this is still a good, and important, release for the band. Silent Alarm was a solid record of brilliance. With their debut, Bloc Party proved themselves a promising group in the dancey, post-punk crowd. Now it’d be hard to try to match up with something as good as their debut, but nonetheless, A Weekend In The City showed that the band was still able to obtain their seriousness and showed off their confidence. AWITC was a bold record.

Now we have Intimacy. I’m not sure what to say about this –not ‘cause it’s bad, because I can assure you that I didn’t think it was bad at all. And it wasn’t weak, either. Intimacy combines Silent Alarm and A Weekend In The City, due to the producers of the album (Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee). Bloc Party’s latest work has more synth and is slightly experimental, which can be a good thing for some bands. They might not be as post-punk on Intimacy, but Bloc Party is still a band who has complete control over what they’re doing, and they do it quite gracefully. It almost seems natural.

The first song on the album, “Ares,” displays Matt Tong’s top-notch drumming skills. It also sounds a bit like fellow mates Foals because of the background chants. The track is a good transition to “Mercury.” Let’s talk about this song for a bit. It seems to me that Mercury is a song that people either love or hate at first listen, or that it takes a few times to hear the song to actually like it. The release of Mercury could have caused some worry about the direction that Bloc Party seemed to have been heading towards. But you know, this is the band who created instant classics like “She’s Hearing Voices,” and great B-sides like “Always New Depths.”

I visited Bloc Party’s Last.Fm shoutbox to see what others were saying about the album, and many seem to really enjoy “Halo.” This is totally understandable; it’s a great song. It sounds like typical Silent Alarm material, perhaps with a more punk edge. I also think it has a great catchy guitar riff in the middle of the song.

Quieting down from the previous tracks is “Biko,” which makes the said tracks seem slightly dense compared to this. It’s just more down-tempo, unlike “Trojan Horse,” which didn’t strike me so special at first. However, it did relieve some people to know that Bloc Party wasn’t heading towards the “Mercury” sound. Again, we have another song that would fit in with Silent Alarm tracks.

I’m not sure if you can really complain about anything on the album. The songs aren’t atrocious in the least bit. However, some might want ‘the old Bloc Party.’ Anyone would see this coming, though. Musicians need to change a bit in order to grow as artists. They can’t just stick to the same routine forever. Bands will want to experiment and play around with different sounds and influences, so I don’t see any reason to blame them. An artist obviously wants to affect their listener in some way, but it doesn’t always have to be in the same way.

We’ve been offered with so much reminiscence of Silent Alarm, but with “Signs,” I think we get our little bit of A Weekend In The City. However, I think there is more Silent Alarm on this album that AWITC, especially how “One Month Off” reminds me of “She’s Hearing Voices” at the beginning because of the drumming. I think we can hear Radiohead’s influence on the band with “Zepherus,” because of how you can relate the song to “15 Step.” My favorite song of the album would have to “Ion Square,” but this could be an ‘of-the-moment’ statement. I think it closes the album perfectly.

The thing with Bloc Party is that you know what’s going on. You know when they’re trying to say something, to reach out to listeners. You know when the band is letting our their anger, or when Kele Okereke’s emotions are running loose due to desperation and frustration. One can almost feel the loneliness or contentment that goes on in the mind of the protagonist of the songs. Bloc Party isn’t always heart-on-sleeve, though.

Intimacy doesn’t make you wanna shake those hips of yours like Silent Alarm, and it’s not the product of anger and confusion of the world like A Weekend In The City was. In fact, I would say that Intimacy is the conclusion of all that Bloc Party is capable of.

Before I began to pen my review, I told myself not to be lenient with Bloc Party; that I can give whatever grade I want to this record based on what I honestly think of it. So I’m putting all bias aside, because this is still the bold, confident, and strong Bloc Party that we got when they first generated hype, and they remain to be that way with more electronic influences, traces of synth, and heavy guitars. B+/A

[mp3] Ion Square

Bloc Party's New Album, Intimacy

2008-08-18T20:28:17Z

I will try my best to cover up any traces of fangirlyness in this post, but boy am I happy to learn that Bloc Party is releasing their third album, Intimacy, this year! If you pre-order it now, you will receive a digital download on August 21, and then a physical copy with bonus tracks on October 27.

"Mercury" is indeed on the album, but one track won't ruin the potential of an entire album. Here's the track list (with some interesting titles ...):

01 Ares
02 Mercury
03 Halo
04 Biko
05 Trojan Horse
06 Signs
07 One Mouth Off
08 Zephyrus
09 Better Than Heaven
10 Ion Square

Let's see if Tokyo Police Club's Elephant Shell is still my favorite album of 2008.

You Don't Need To Learn How To Like Los Campesinos!

2008-08-15T19:29:32Z

After announcing a new album, Los Campesinos! have offered everyone on their mailing list a little present: a free download of a song that was recorded during the time of Hold On Now, Youngster ..., but just wasn't included. The track is called "How I Taught Myself to Scream." And if you're familiar with Los Campesinos!'s formula, then you'll surely expect group chants and jingles. What a band.

[download] How I Taught Myself To Scream