Dec 12 2008
The Shins did a great Magnetic Fields cover of the song “Strange Powers” (that I came across by way of Aquarium Drunkard). I have to agree that this cover is better than the original, but at the same time, could The Shins ever write love songs that are as rewarding as the ones written by Magnetic Fields? I don’t think so.
(MP3) The Shins – Strange Powers (Magnetic Fields Cover)
(MP3) The Magnetic Fields – Strange Powers
Dec 08 2008
I think I’m in love with Zooey Deschanel. Actually, I think I’ve been in love with her since I first saw Almost Famous. But this video drove it home. Apart from being a relatively-famous actress, she’s the voice behind She and Him, her being the She, the phenomenal M. Ward being the Him. IndieMuse readers are probably already familiar with the two, but they play brilliant 60s throwback pop-country complete with winding, jangly, reverb-soaked country riffs, haunting piano arrangements and Zooey Deschanel’s poignant, crisp voice. It fits coming out of a crackly AM receiver just as well as it does over the internet, streaming from MySpace. It’s natural and unaffected. “Why Do You let Me Stay Here?” is more of a straightforward pop song, and I love it.
Also, here’s an instrumental M. Ward gem, from End of Amnesia:
I don’t have any of She and Him’s music, so this video will have to do. Also, check out Pitchfork’s top 40 videos of the year. A great way to kill an hour…or four.
Dec 04 2008
Eagles of Death Metal are the product of Jessie Hughes and childhood friend Josh Homme (who also happens to helm Queens of the Stone age). The band formed after Hughes went through a divorce, and Homme came to his rescue. “I was married square going into an ugly divorce, when Josh says ‘Here’s a song I wrote,’ drives me across Hollywood in my mom’s car and now here I am talking to you,” he said in an interview with FHM. Pretty goddamn rock and roll. I wish I was friends with Josh Homme.
Regardless of their name, which speaks to something slightly more malevolent, they play throwback, 70s garage rock, amalgamating everything good the other side of ’83; bombastic, Stonesish riffs over fuzzy bass and a 70s sleaze fit for a velor suit and a vintage Camero. The riffs in “I used to couldn’t dance (tight pants)” pop between the speakers, channeling Keith Richards while Jessie Hughes croons soul over Motown harmonies: “It used to be a massacre/I never got a second glance/now I’m kinda lethal on the dance floor/check it, tight pants huh!” The lyrics jump from tongue-in-cheek fun of “I used to couldn’t dance…”to the straight, delicious sleaze of “High Voltage” (You want to hit it don’t lie/you want to come in from the west side/I want to be the showcase of her nasty boy collection.)
But midway through the album, they drop a truth bomb with “Now I’m a Fool.” It’s instantly infectious, a massive rock and roll ballad. Hughes uses falsetto in all the right places, the bassline is elegant and reserved, moving the song along, but not being too pushy, and the guitars shimmer over everything, a sparkling cloud nearly obscured by rain. Considering the content of the six previous songs, it’s hard to judge Hughe’s sincerity when he sings “Not to say you’re the one/but I put down my guns/and then you went Hollywood on me,” but it sounds like he just might have endured a devastating enough heartbreak to mean it.
From Heart On:
I Used to Couldn’t Dance So Good (Tight Pants)
And this video…Jack Black, Josh Homme, David Grohl! See if you can spot any more cameos:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xe6p-5tUh3M
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Dec 03 2008
For all those Radiohead fans out there, I recommend keeping a very close eye on Mike Fish, also known as Dakotafish. Though his music is a more instrumental based than Radiohead, a little folkier, I won’t be the first person, and definitely not the last, to acknowledge how similar his vocals are to Thom Yorke. It’s eerie.
I am extremely impressed with the four tracks on his self-titled EP, and if Fish’s debut is as memorizing as this EP, I could easily see him becoming a leading musician in the indie scene. His blend of beats and guitar rifts, mixed with various electronic and orchestral arrangements makes for a unique sound that fits perfectly with his vocals.
In the summer of 2007, Mike Fish formed the Dakotafish project in San Diego (they are based in Encinitas, California). He plays many of the instruments heard on the EP, but Jennifer Argenti and Manuel Rhueda help with the strings and drums, respectfully (Aaron Sterling played drums on the EP.) Fish seems like a really cool guy, which can easily be seen in the FAQ’s he coincidentally wrote and answered. He is also a talented photographer, and you can see some of his pictures here. The EP packaging was beautifully done, and the aesthetics on their own make this worth physically owning.
Fish said after taking his EP to the Amoeba CD store in Los Angeles, “As a friendly rocker behind the counter took it away, I felt a little like I was looking at the last scene from ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ You know, with the guy wheeling the ark into that huge government warehouse amongst thousands and thousands of other buried and lost artifacts?” Don’t allow that to be the fate of this EP. Check it out.
Self-Titled EP (2008):
(mp3) Dakotafish – Landlocked
(mp3) Dakotafish – Teenage Years
This is a neat 30 second Obama ad with Fish’s music in the background.
Site | Paypal (direct EP purchase, with limited edition print) | iTunes | Myspace
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Dec 03 2008
As of late, I’ve been really digging the music of Michigan based band Mason Proper. Their album Olly Oxen Free came out in September and is one of the best releases of the year. Their music has a chill, lo-fi experimental feel to it, and songs like “Safe For the Time Being” bring to mind a more mellow Born Ruffians.
This album as a whole is really solid. Pretty much every song has a catchy hook, and the band does a great job of keeping things simple, while keeping a unique sound that’s not quite like anything I’ve heard before. My favorite tracks include “Fog,””Lock and Key,””Out Dragging The River,””In The Mirror,” and “Safe For The Time Being.”
When Culture Bully asked the band in an interview if they were cautious writing new music in fear of sounding too much like stuff that’s already out there, Visger responded “Oh, absolutely. We’ve got a very developed personal palette of signature tricks at this point, so I don’t think we have to worry about it consciously very much, but if something sets off our pastiche alarm we don’t do it.”
Mason Proper formed in Alpena, Michigan in 2004, originally under the name Patterns in Paris, and is made up of singer Jonathan Visger, Zac Fineberg (bassist), Garrett Jones (drummer), Brian Konicek (guitarist), Matt Thomson (keyboards). In 2006, after releasing their debut album the The Early Years and Moth, they signed to New York based label Dovecote.
Olly Oxen Free (2008):
Mason Proper – Out Dragging The River
(video) Mason Proper performing “Fog” live on Lansing’s Impact89FM
Nov 18 2008
I know this album came out a little while ago, but I just heard it for the first time and “In The New Year” might be the quintessential Walkmen song. It takes everything great about their albums – the triumphant hooks, the jangly guitars, the Saturday night swagger – and mashes them all together in one enormous shout from the rooftops moment.
It starts off unassuming, the guitars drowned in reverb and sounding like a soft fall through a layer of buoyant cloud. Singer Hamilton Leithauser floats over the melody seconds into the song, crooning like Dylan but strutting like Sinatra. And the chorus hits: the lilting keyboards are confirmation and celebration of the lyrics – “I’m just like you, I never hear the bad news,” followed by the broken waltz of a sparkling crescendo. It’s a confession, it’s rejoicing.
This album sometimes sounds like observing gangsters disposing of a body on a foggy night, other times like falling in love across a crowded room. It takes several listens for the Walkmen’s progressions to make sense, but on that one listen when the planets align and the chords fit, it’s a revelation.
And from Bows + Arrows: I used to listen to “The Rat” at maximum volume before going out every weekend. Ideal preparation music for a massive night.
From You & Me:
From Bows + Arrows:
And the video for their song “Little House of Horrors,” also from Bows + Arrows:
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Nov 05 2008
Akhil mentioned Department of Eagles briefly in one of his brilliant song of the day collections (check them out here and here for oh-so-much music), but this song, and the album In Ear Park, totally deserve a post of their own.
Department of Eagles is the product of Daniel Rosen and Fred Nicolaus, who met at NYU in 2000. Rosen joined Grizzly Bear in 2004, just in time to contribute to it’s masterpiece, Yellow House and enlisted the help of his band mates for the recording of In Ear Park. The past few days have found me stuck in a compulsory cycle between the two albums; they call to each other, near perfect compliments. As a result, I’m so sappy and romantic right now I don’t know what to do with myself.
“Phantom Other” opens in defeat: “Alright, we’ll do this your way” Rosen croons over vaguely classical, utterly haunting arpegios before unleashing an inexplicably devastating chord change, unexpected and visceral. One key note, a down instead of an up, struck with force – his bitter conviction – and my gut is roiling (1:03).The song now sounds like a sunny day in the sixties gone wrong; something sinister in the harmonies, one note gone awry, one rain cloud beckoning the impending storm. And that’s the attraction. The song explodes, “My god in heaven/what were we thinking?” cast toward the clouds by a frantic pedal-steel, a twenty-second divergence into a kaleidoscopic bar-room cabaret, and it’s over.
The storm has passed. “Look out/Look Out/We gotta get out now.”
From In Ear Park:
Department of Eagles – Phantom Other
Department of Eagles – Teenagers
From Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House:
Oct 23 2008
Sky Larkin are new to the scene, signing to Witchita (which handles Conor Oberst, Broken Social Scene and Bloc Party, among others) earlier this year. I first met them in New York when our bands shared a bill at Pianos. It was their first time in New York and they had officially signed to Wichita a week prior. Almost immediately following the signing, they flew to New York for two shows and a video shoot.
Classifying them as brit-rock would be easy. It’s all there; jangly guitars, groovy, nearly danceable back beats and, um, their being a bunch Brits playing rock n’ roll. But then they dip into some Pavement-inspired dissonance, throw some delicate vocals over abrasive, ever-evolving guitar lines and use the bass and drums beat the hell out of the middle ground. And it all sounds so pretty. They’re the type of songs that make a walk to work an epic journey, or an ordinary dusk a romanticized cityscape. Listen to Sky Larkin and weave in and out of people on the sidewalk. It is a lot of fun.
They just returned from a three week European tour with Conor Oberst, and are embarking on another lengthy tour with friends Los Campesinos. In between all that craziness, lead singer/head-songwriter Katie Harkin found time to answer a few questions, via e-mail, about getting signed to Witchita, recording their album and getting fed by Conor Oberst’s crew. And below, way below, find some mp3s and the video for “Fossil, I,” shot in Brooklyn.
So, typical background questions: How long have you been a band/how did you meet?
We’ve been a fully fledged band for about 18 months. I started writing songs that would end up becoming Sky Larkin when I went to London to study but it was only when we all moved back to Leeds that things really got going.
You told me a little about recording your new album, somewhere in Seattle – how did you get hooked up with the studio? Was your label involved? Was there any pressure to record a certain type of album?
Wichita asked us what we wanted to do, and we wanted to work with John Goodmanson because we loved the sound of some of the music he had produced (Death Cab, Sleater Kinney, Blood Brothers, Bikini Kill). We had no pressure to record a certain type of anything! Wichita are a very artist-friendly label and they were interested to see what kind of noise we’d make together.
How did you become involved with Witchita? From what you told me, it sounded like a fairy tale story – is your experience at all typical for European bands? Is the label system there as fucked as it is here?
Well we only have our experience to reference, but out of the labels we spoke to, it seemed like no-one does it quite like Wichita! There are amazing labels out there so don’t lose heart!
Oct 23 2008
Here’s the new album art for Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion which should be coming at us January 12th, 2009.
If your eyes are moving around, so do the little green footballs, but if you focus on one they stop! Shit’s crazy.
MP3: Animal Collective – Fireworks
Oct 13 2008
I’ll start, as I always do, with an apology for not writing in some time. Being in school and at work and trying to scrape and find and explore new music is a job that is a lot tougher than I thought. So this past week I swore to devote my time to pick out my recent favorites and share them with you (sorry if I totally missed the boat on some, it’s the thought that counts, right?) I apologize for the layout too, WordPress is being a lameass. Dig deep, there’s quite a bit to be had here.
First off is an awesome track from one of my favorite bands today, Moscow Olympics. Honestly, the production alone on their new album, Cut the World, is worth mention. It is a lesson in tasteful, atmospheric rock the likes of which not only hail to MBV but wholeheartedly attempt to evoke the same amount of emotion… and that’s fuckin rad.
MP3: Moscow Olympics – “No Winter, No Autumn”
MP3: Moscow Olympics – “Still” from the Still 7″ on Fraction Discs.
This next band, Weird Tapes, is infectious (Thanks GvB!). Grab the Get Religion EP for free! And a bunch more tracks at the We’re Tapes blog. These seriously are the jams. I don’t really know too much about these guys, check out Gorilla vs. Bear for that scoop. For now, listen.
MP3: Weird Tapes – “The Heavens”
MP3: Weird Tapes – “TV Romance” from Nightstalking
Arsenal have been popping up around a lot lately. Mostly for their rollicking electronic, pop-rock tune, “Estupendo.” And rightfully so, that song is amazing. Not less than perfect for going on a run, going out or jumping on all the furniture in your house. Their new album, Lotuk, is an eclectic mix of Electropop, downtempo jams, garage rock and blah blah blah… It’s hard to get you a few tracks and fully describe these Belgian dudes, so here are some of my favorites. “Selvagem” it badass, at least. That crunchy lead line is perfect when coupled with their European, indie genius. Also, check out the chillout, spoken word bombs on “The Letter,” if you can. What do you think?
MP3: Arsenal – “Selvagem”
If not simply for his part on The Flaming Lips, Hit To Death In The Future Head, Johnathan Donahue has constantly brought something new and interesting to my table. Mercury Rev have been consistently enigmatic from 1991’s Yerself is Steam all the way to their newest, Snowflake Midnight (You should definitely get this). The title could not be more indicative of the chilled, ethereal concepts behind this album. Take a listen to the first track, “Snowflake in a Hot World,” then jump on the awesome Fujiya & Miyagi remix of “Sense on Fire.” Finally, there’s my all-time favorite ‘Rev song, “Car Wash Hair,” from their first album, written about the Lips and possibly one of my favorite songs of all time.
MP3: Mercury Rev – “Snowflake in a Hot World”
MP3: Mercury Rev – “Sense on Fire (Fujiya & Miyagi Remix)”
MP3: Mercury Rev – “Car Wash Hair” from Lego My Ego EP (1991)?
My favorite underground hip-hop artist today is none other than Cadence Weapon (a Canadian!!!). With truly raw beats and panned out production, this guy is a real person. The character he embodies is actually a reflection of something real and he’s not afraid to be smart, something that I look for in the art of poetics. That said, CW kicks you hard in your teeth and ankles… a blow of truth. Check out these bomb tracks and dig more at Hype.
MP3: Cadence Weapon – “Limited Edition OJ Slammer”
Mp3: Cadence Weapon – “Real Estate” (which has an awesome video)
Department of Eagles are doing pretty well these days, from what I see. That’s definitely a good thing. I haven’t heard too much, but their album, In Ear Park is full of great, reverb-ey swamp rock and I like it a whole lot. Especially that song that everyone loves, “No One Does It Like You.” Here are three versions, each awesome in it’s own way. These guys are good.
MP3: Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You” from In Ear Park
MP3: Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You” live 10/6/08
MP3 Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You” alternate take at Don’t Look Down.
I’ve said it before, but we should all be even more interested in Rogue Wave. These guys are always at the top of my list of musical recommendation. They’re brilliant. Recently they did a MySpace session and the intimate nature of the performace not only gave me new insight into some of their more orchestrated songs, but also displayed a desire to never set a song in stone and always strive to perfect them. So, it’s okay to cancel a few shows. Great job guys, you are the shit! Few are better.
MP3: Rogue Wave – “Eyes” live on MySpace
MP3: Rogue Wave – “What Difference Does It Make (The Smiths Cover)” live on MySpace
MP3: Rogue Wave – “I’m Only Sleeping (Beatles Cover)” live on… somewhere.
In terms of classics, I’ve been listening to the Rolling Stones a bit lately and thought I would remind myself of the total awesomeness of this band.
MP3: The Rolling Stones – “She’s Like A Rainbow”
MP3: The Rolling Stones – “Street Fighting Man”
Finally, it’s election time, and for seriously counscious artists this means there is a great duty to fill. Wilco and Fleet Foxes recorded a cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” as an incentive download if you pledge to vote in November. Just a simple, honest gesture of incentive in activism from one of my new favorite bands and one of my favorite bands ever. I’ll post a super LO-fi version here, but you gotta get the real deal for the full effect.
MP3: Wilco & Fleet Foxes – “I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan Cover)”
MP3: Jeff Tweedy – “Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan Cover)” from the I’m Not There OST
MP3: Jeff Tweedy – “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits Cover)
MP3: Wilco – “Nothing Up My Sleeve” YHF b-side
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