If you’re looking for some melody driven jangly indie pop from Sweden then look no further. Speedmarket Avenue’s new release “Way Better Now” provides us with plenty of upbeat catchy songs. The band doesn’t break any new ground, but instead they refine what has already been done in the genre. This does not mean that they don’t have their own style; with several vocalists, the occasional trumpet solo, and diverse percussion, their songs are distinctive enough to set them apart from their contemporaries. They efficiently and effectively create precise pop music. I recommend Speedmarket Avenue for fans of Jens Lekman, Belle and Sebastien, and Camera Obscura.
This is amazing. David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) takes an old building in New York and hooks up an organ to different pipes and beams in the building. The sound reverberates throughout the entire building creating a giant sound installation. There are no amplifiers; all the sounds are made by the little motors vibrating the parts of the building via the organ.
Check out Byrne’s website for more information.
MP3: Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Here’s a selection of videos from some of my favorite bands of the 90s. Some are music videos, some are live performances. I don’t think the Built to Spill performance is from the 90s, but the song is and that’s what’s important. I’ve also included an MP3 of each of the songs. Strange to think that in just 2 years we’ll be reminiscing about videos from the naughts (00s). Nearly all of these videos are 10 years old! Tell us your favorite videos from the 90s and we’ll make another post to re-share them with the world!
Pitchfork.tv put this music video by the Books up on their website Friday. Though this track is from their 2nd full release “The Lemon of Pink“, I had just seen this video from 2003 for the first time. I was interested in seeing how the Books would make a music video with their type of music. Would it be a bunch of video samples strung together to form some sort of coherent piece with a few shots of the band interdispersed? or something just as unconventional as the music itself. It turns out it was closer to the former. With juxtaposed shots of Suzuki method violin recital and the occasional clip aligning itself to the rhythm of the music the video has its moments where everything comes together. I think it’s a great music video.
When talking with friends, I always show a lot of Wilco love, to a point where anyone would reasonably assume that Wilco is my favorite band. I’ve even convinced myself. But in truth, as much as Wilco will always hold a special place in my heart, I can’t say they are my absolute favorite. Not over Cat Stevens. I am in love with his older music (sorry Yusuf). Even though I listen to Wilco more regularly, and overall probably like more of their songs than Stevens, the songs of Cat Stevens that I do like, are earth shattering. They are simply the best songs I have ever heard before.
I go through phases of listening to his music, but when I get hooked, I get hooked hard. This time around, The Shivers triggered it, by me listening to their song “SoHo Party.” You may not expect it from lyrics at the beginning of the song, I would say:), but it turns into an amazing cover of Cat Stevens “The Wind.”
You are probably familiar with Stevens’ hit songs. I would say, spend this weekend listening through them. See if it sparks anything. And hey, maybe he just isn’t THAT artist for you, in the same way he is for me. That’s cool. Let me know who that artist is for you, and I’ll check them out.
The philosophy behind change really fascinates me. Look at the difference.
This is even better then the above link. Couldn’t embed.
The Braids – The Wind (This is by far one of the worst covers I have ever heard. Enjoy!)
Fun Fact:
When the Flaming Lips first wrote “Fight Test,” there was a element that reminded them of Cat’s Stevens’ “Father and Son.” They changed it up, and like Wayne says, if he hadn’t mentioned it, nobody would have made the connection. Regardless, he told magazines about it, Cat Steven’s publishing company found out, and now the company owns 30% of the song. Sad, but funny. I wonder if they make 30% of the iTunes Original track where Wayne talks about it?
This is definitely one of the coolest covers I’ve seen in a while. I’m not sure if this was done some digital editing, but either way, it’s amazingly awesome. For more info about what equipment was used, check out Gizmodo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muP9eH2p2PIThis is probably one of the best videos I’ve seen all year. Basically, Weezer combines some of the most popular internet videos of the past couple of years. It’s like their “Buddy Holly” video, except instead of Happy Days, it’s all of teh internet. It seems like they even got some of the actual people to do some original work for the video. Instead of Weezer creating their own viral video, they create a spoof of the whole idea of viral video. How very meta of them.
See how many videos you can recognize!
We’ll post the links to all the original videos we’ve seen in this new Weezer video and if we’ve forgotten any, let us know…
Who sings the soul-melting song featured in Apple’s famous Macbook Air Commercial, you ask? The answer would be Yael Naim (יעל נעים), and the name of the song is “New Soul.”
For the most part, I trust Pitchfork. Bands and albums that they recommend are usually good. I don’t, however, like their pretension, negative reviews, and abstract ways of writing about music (see David Cross’s feature for a more hilarious and insightful example). Most of the time I don’t read the reviews unless it’s an album I’ve already listened to and developed my own opinion first, but I don’t go to the site for reviews as much as I go for news about the indie music world. Pitchfork is the main place where I get my indie music news and they are pretty reliable for keeping up with tours, albums releases, etc. Their newest addition to their site, Pitchfork TV, is something great; it’s the music channel that MTV used to be many, many years ago except it appeals even more to my taste.
What is Pitchfork TV, you ask?
As a visual extension of the music coverage Pitchfork has provided for more than a decade, and a means of updating and advancing the music television format, the online channel will bring you closer to the artists you love, through original mini-documentaries, secret rooftop and basement sessions, full concerts, exclusive interviews, and the most carefully curated selection of music videos online.
In addition, Pitchfork.tv will become the first online video channel to screen full-length feature films, vintage concerts, and music DVDs free of charge. From the Pixies’ 2004 reunion tour film LoudQuietLoud and Todd Phillips’ notorious GG Allin documentary Hated, to Jimmy Joe Roche & Dan Deacon’s acid-drenched visual art piece Ultimate Reality, Pitchfork.tv will highlight a different film each week in its entirety.
This sounds pretty awesome to me and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m pretty excited for what PTV will have to offer. Whether you like Pitchfork or not, this idea is (for my demographic) great. It’s everything a music channel should be, and so far it seems to have been executed well. Take a look at the schedule right here. pitchforkmedia.com | pitchfork.tv
