So Light Is Her Footfall by Air
Download now or listen on posterous
03 So Light Is Her Footfall.mp3 (4604 KB) Download now or listen on posterous
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Air makes Love 2 your ears again.
Everything in France is about atmosphere, except for Daft Punk and a select few others who also want you to dance, in good atmosphere.Air has always been looking to set the atmosphere for different parts of life - mostly ones involving love. Until now when, despite the name of this album, it sounds like many, diverse settings for love - from surfing, to the old west, to, yes, your bedsheets still soaked from last night's lovemaking. Naturally, the 80's are also among them, a decade which I'm pretty sure never ended in France. All that said, they're moving a little harder and faster this time out. Oooh, is it good, too. This duo keeps the quality up with another essential album. Here's two pieces of proof.
Cool bands get Roofless in Miami.
So, Miami's Roofless Records saluted the Death to the Sun party last Saturday, which I was not invited to and probably wouldn't have gone to. Not because I don't want to see a bunch of little-known bands kick out the jams (ooh, did I just rhyme there - fuuuuck!), but more because I wasn't going to Miami on a Saturday night. C'mon, I'm a lame old man with children. I've got better things to do, like sleep Tebow's concussion away.
Anyway, I took a look at what happened on their site/blog. Aside from looking pretty swank - which taking over The American Legion hall will do - a couple of bands set my ears on fire. Correction: the music posted to their MySpace pages set my ears on fire.
TEEPEE
Samplers, a guitar and vocals doing the moody ethereal lo-fi thing. "I Told You So" and "Pin Up" sound like they would fit in among the Joy Division and Bauhaus set, minus the suicidal tendencies. Skipping through the rest of his mixpod selections, the potential is clear. I think I've had dreams about the noise Tee Pee bashes out in the Wiggly World live video too, which only made me dig this more. (The Wiggly World video is below, but the "studio" stuff will be infinitely more listenable for most. This should tell you where my head is though.)
Electric Bunnies
Doing a cute indie rock thing. I get a mid-90s, we like the underground feel. Great album art. The animation for the "Sailing All Along Tonight" the stop-motion animation video really makes it, and I bet this song kills it live. Roofless says they were really loud, so I know this kills it live.
Anyway, I took a look at what happened on their site/blog. Aside from looking pretty swank - which taking over The American Legion hall will do - a couple of bands set my ears on fire. Correction: the music posted to their MySpace pages set my ears on fire.
TEEPEE
Samplers, a guitar and vocals doing the moody ethereal lo-fi thing. "I Told You So" and "Pin Up" sound like they would fit in among the Joy Division and Bauhaus set, minus the suicidal tendencies. Skipping through the rest of his mixpod selections, the potential is clear. I think I've had dreams about the noise Tee Pee bashes out in the Wiggly World live video too, which only made me dig this more. (The Wiggly World video is below, but the "studio" stuff will be infinitely more listenable for most. This should tell you where my head is though.)
Electric Bunnies
Doing a cute indie rock thing. I get a mid-90s, we like the underground feel. Great album art. The animation for the "Sailing All Along Tonight" the stop-motion animation video really makes it, and I bet this song kills it live. Roofless says they were really loud, so I know this kills it live.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
As in life, Karen O leads the Mix-Zip-Tape way.
Six songs in 20 minutes. This is a tight six songs - even the Karen O track, which is a lot of fun. The movie it comes from is going to be a lot of fun too. From there, well, we're covering a lot of the rock and roll. Get to it...
Download: Feller Abides v5
Karen O - "Capsize"
At some point the world realized that Karen O has a lot more to offer than squirming around the stage moaning and screeching while her band members bash out the sounds of punk behind her. I'm willing to bet it's because she stopped doing it - it was gonna get as old for us as it already had for her. Since making that turn, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have proven to be a pretty good band and she's turning out to be a pretty good songwriter. "Capsize" comes from her soundtrack to the Where The Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's adaptation of the Maurice Sendak book that is destined for "Neverending Story" status.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - "Mundo De Ciegos"
Rodriguez-Lopez is one half of the central duo in The Mars Volta, though he ought to be known more for the continuous stream of solo albums he releases rather than the band. Each "solo" record is vastly different than the one before, but is still identifiable as "that guy from Mars Volta" every time out, regardless of the name he uses for it. The album this song comes from, Xenophanes, is the first to be recorded at his compound in Mexico. The man is a psychotic musical genius, and although I frequently have no idea what he's talking about whether the lyrics are in English or Spanish (Xenophanes, though named for a Greek philosopher, is entirely in Spanish) I will continue to listen to all of them. From the sick guitar work to rhythms only Rodriguez-Lopez understands how to write, this delivers what we've all come to expect.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - "Higher Than The Stars (Others In Conversation Remix)
I couldn't resist putting another track out there from this band. This remix, from the 7" for "Higher Than The Stars," adds a louder electric guitar sound - as if they're using the pedals now. It gives a different look at the band.
Frank Turner - "Poetry of the Deed"
I didn't know much of Turner until he started turning up all over TV and being exalted by several punk labels and a lot the bloggers and journalists who salivate over the genre. I've seen the "maybe he could be a new Joe Strummer" reference more than once but he sounds like a less balls-out version of Ted Leo to me. Is there a huge difference? Not really. Is Turner worth your listening time? You better believe it, as "Poetry of the Deed" - song and album - should prove.
Rehasher - "Turn Around"
In 2004, Roger from Less Than Jake struck out with the debut of this pretty straightforward, somewhat LTJ-sounding, skate-punk band. Fast, catchy, melodic - everything you could expect from such a side project. That year, it was one of the albums that I kept in the car because there was no time it wasn't the kick in the ass I needed. The new album, High Speed Access To My Brain, is more of the same. And hot damn is it still exactly the kick I need, and probably would be for you too.
Polvo - "Beggar's Bowl"
Underground heroes I know of from long-forgotten vinyl dug out of the nobody-wants-it stacks at WKPX, though the lack of Internet prevented me from knowing until now that they were underground heroes. "Beggar's Bowl" is the lead single from their comeback album, In Prism. This is some good, angular rock music - just like their old records. Go with loud, I say.
Download: Feller Abides v5
Karen O - "Capsize"
At some point the world realized that Karen O has a lot more to offer than squirming around the stage moaning and screeching while her band members bash out the sounds of punk behind her. I'm willing to bet it's because she stopped doing it - it was gonna get as old for us as it already had for her. Since making that turn, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have proven to be a pretty good band and she's turning out to be a pretty good songwriter. "Capsize" comes from her soundtrack to the Where The Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's adaptation of the Maurice Sendak book that is destined for "Neverending Story" status.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - "Mundo De Ciegos"
Rodriguez-Lopez is one half of the central duo in The Mars Volta, though he ought to be known more for the continuous stream of solo albums he releases rather than the band. Each "solo" record is vastly different than the one before, but is still identifiable as "that guy from Mars Volta" every time out, regardless of the name he uses for it. The album this song comes from, Xenophanes, is the first to be recorded at his compound in Mexico. The man is a psychotic musical genius, and although I frequently have no idea what he's talking about whether the lyrics are in English or Spanish (Xenophanes, though named for a Greek philosopher, is entirely in Spanish) I will continue to listen to all of them. From the sick guitar work to rhythms only Rodriguez-Lopez understands how to write, this delivers what we've all come to expect.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - "Higher Than The Stars (Others In Conversation Remix)
I couldn't resist putting another track out there from this band. This remix, from the 7" for "Higher Than The Stars," adds a louder electric guitar sound - as if they're using the pedals now. It gives a different look at the band.
Frank Turner - "Poetry of the Deed"
I didn't know much of Turner until he started turning up all over TV and being exalted by several punk labels and a lot the bloggers and journalists who salivate over the genre. I've seen the "maybe he could be a new Joe Strummer" reference more than once but he sounds like a less balls-out version of Ted Leo to me. Is there a huge difference? Not really. Is Turner worth your listening time? You better believe it, as "Poetry of the Deed" - song and album - should prove.
Rehasher - "Turn Around"
In 2004, Roger from Less Than Jake struck out with the debut of this pretty straightforward, somewhat LTJ-sounding, skate-punk band. Fast, catchy, melodic - everything you could expect from such a side project. That year, it was one of the albums that I kept in the car because there was no time it wasn't the kick in the ass I needed. The new album, High Speed Access To My Brain, is more of the same. And hot damn is it still exactly the kick I need, and probably would be for you too.
Polvo - "Beggar's Bowl"
Underground heroes I know of from long-forgotten vinyl dug out of the nobody-wants-it stacks at WKPX, though the lack of Internet prevented me from knowing until now that they were underground heroes. "Beggar's Bowl" is the lead single from their comeback album, In Prism. This is some good, angular rock music - just like their old records. Go with loud, I say.
Horse The Band wants to freak out on you.
On their MySpace, Horse The Band characterizes themselves as "melodramatic pop song." OK.
I would put them somewhere between hardcore, noise, and obnoxious noise-rock because they sound like they're playing all three all at once. At times, the vocals attempt to be melodic, which is confusing and probably the point.
The band members are ugly, the music is loud and abrasive, and I haven't seen a music video this good in, um, years. Everything here works...
Shapeshift
When I find the whole album, I'll get a full, more descriptive review up. Maybe I'll include something to download too. In the meantime, check them out here.
I would put them somewhere between hardcore, noise, and obnoxious noise-rock because they sound like they're playing all three all at once. At times, the vocals attempt to be melodic, which is confusing and probably the point.
The band members are ugly, the music is loud and abrasive, and I haven't seen a music video this good in, um, years. Everything here works...
Shapeshift
When I find the whole album, I'll get a full, more descriptive review up. Maybe I'll include something to download too. In the meantime, check them out here.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Ash starts A-Z project, drops the rock?
As far I as knew, Ash was a British rock band - sometimes stomping, sometimes trying to be epic - but definitely a British rock band. A pretty good one too. Their new single, "True Love 1980," makes me think of 1984. Or a TV theme song. Either way, I was less than thrilled.
That said, let's get to the reason I really decided to write about the song: I think the A to Z thing is a clever adaptation of the "let's release a bunch of singles instead of an album" concept. I don't get the A to Z thing, since the letters clearly have no meaning for the songs, but I like the rest of the concept.
I've never actually paid for an Ash album. At 99 cents a pop, though, I might buy about an album's worth because. Which is true for a lot of bands that can't manage to put out an entire record I want to listen to.
That said, let's get to the reason I really decided to write about the song: I think the A to Z thing is a clever adaptation of the "let's release a bunch of singles instead of an album" concept. I don't get the A to Z thing, since the letters clearly have no meaning for the songs, but I like the rest of the concept.
I've never actually paid for an Ash album. At 99 cents a pop, though, I might buy about an album's worth because. Which is true for a lot of bands that can't manage to put out an entire record I want to listen to.
Pains get "Higher Than The Stars."
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart clicked in my head at the beginning of last week, and I've listened to their self-titled debut full length nearly every day since.
The band would probably be at home among the Cure-ish twee-pop groups that indie fans have embraced online in the last decade. Thankfully, POBPAH aren't that lame because I am convinced that, deep down, there's some angst buried among the emotion. Which is why there's no slow-motion boredom - all the songs are upbeat movers.
There's an MP3 linked below, which I listened to six times this morning, and not just because I decided to post it. It's just that bouncy and up-sounding, and totally (not) appropriate for the Day of Atonement.
1. Higher Than the Stars (mp3)
2. 103
3. Falling Over
4. Twins
5. Higher Than the Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Mix) - CDEP version only
Buy the EP, check tour dates and more at their Web site.
The band would probably be at home among the Cure-ish twee-pop groups that indie fans have embraced online in the last decade. Thankfully, POBPAH aren't that lame because I am convinced that, deep down, there's some angst buried among the emotion. Which is why there's no slow-motion boredom - all the songs are upbeat movers.
There's an MP3 linked below, which I listened to six times this morning, and not just because I decided to post it. It's just that bouncy and up-sounding, and totally (not) appropriate for the Day of Atonement.
1. Higher Than the Stars (mp3)
2. 103
3. Falling Over
4. Twins
5. Higher Than the Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Mix) - CDEP version only
Buy the EP, check tour dates and more at their Web site.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Should I be At War With the Mystics?
Did I misunderstand something? I know it was dismissed as less than revolutionary, but I don't get why the world hates At War With The Mystics. I listened to it a lot. And I still like it a lot.
The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots were rightfully embraced for being perfect turned-on-its-head pop that challenged listeners into loving the Flaming Lips. The blogs love the new record, but will the average rock-and-pop set embrace it too considering they apparently didn't care much for Mystics?
What is clear is that Embryonic is a psychedelic freak-out of an album with a simmering WHOA-factor that grows with every listen. As a longtime Lips fan, I'll put that time into the album. How many pop-loving, "Do You Realize?" lip-syncing friends do you know who listened to Clouds Taste Metallic, know about the expansionist experiment of Zaireeka or have a clue that the band existed before "She Don't Use Jelly" or the 90210 appearance?
The Flaming Lips have always done whatever the artistic urge drives them to. They'll keep drawing the biggest festival crowds and getting lots of attention because they do things vastly different and far better than most bands. It's why they're nearing 50 and releasing albums that sounds like a great acid trip.
Here's the Lips on Colbert last week. Sounds like they're still at the top of their game...
The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots were rightfully embraced for being perfect turned-on-its-head pop that challenged listeners into loving the Flaming Lips. The blogs love the new record, but will the average rock-and-pop set embrace it too considering they apparently didn't care much for Mystics?
What is clear is that Embryonic is a psychedelic freak-out of an album with a simmering WHOA-factor that grows with every listen. As a longtime Lips fan, I'll put that time into the album. How many pop-loving, "Do You Realize?" lip-syncing friends do you know who listened to Clouds Taste Metallic, know about the expansionist experiment of Zaireeka or have a clue that the band existed before "She Don't Use Jelly" or the 90210 appearance?
The Flaming Lips have always done whatever the artistic urge drives them to. They'll keep drawing the biggest festival crowds and getting lots of attention because they do things vastly different and far better than most bands. It's why they're nearing 50 and releasing albums that sounds like a great acid trip.
Here's the Lips on Colbert last week. Sounds like they're still at the top of their game...
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Flaming Lips - Convinced of the Hex | ||||
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