Thursday, March 29, 2007

it's eleven now so make every second count

Unlike his last full length Life Is Full Of Possibilites, Dntel’s new record, Dumb Luck, features vocal on every track... a different vocalist for each track... oh wait, and not just any vocalists either... James Tamborello managed to gather some of his coolest friends to help him out with the record: Grizzly Bear, Jenny Lewis, Fog, and Conor Oberst, just to name a few. In fact, "Dumb Luck", the title track and first track on the record is the only "solo" track on the album... however, it is also one of the best songs as well. "Dumb Luck" is the most fitting song to open the record; it empties out your surrounding while it creates this lethargic dream-like mood. That is exactly how the rest of the record feels. There are only two settings to get your absolute maximum experience with Dumb Luck: one, listen to it while you walk through the city streets (preferably during early morning or late at night... when there are less people on the streets); two, listen to it in an enclosed environment like your bedroom... turn the volume up, drop everything you're doing, and just lie in your bed. Dumb Luck features a perfect mixture of minimal ambient/techno techniques with indie pop style, this is surely Dntel’s masterpiece!

Dumb Luck [super-wicked-cool song]
To A Fault (feat. Grizzly Bear)
Roll On (feat. Jenny Lewis) [wicked-cool song]
Natural Resources (feat. Fog) [wicked-cool song]
Breakfast In Bed (feat. Conor Oberst) [wicked-cool song]
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Dumb Luck comes out on April 24, you can pre-order it here

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

out this week

The best records of the year are out this week...

Good Shoes: Think Before You Speak
An excellent debut by this very young band from Morden, London. Think Before You Speak is full of power-pop-rock songs from start to finish! Oh... I really need to give this record its own post...

Nazanin [wicked-cool song]
All In My Head [super-wicked-cool song]
Never Meant To Hurt You [wicked-cool song]
Things To Make And Do [wicked-cool song]

buy Think Before You Speak here


Great Lake Swimmers: Ongiara
Yet another astonishing record by Great Lake Swimmers... really, is Tony Dekker capable of writing a bad song?

Backstage with the Modern Dancers [wicked-cool song]
There Is a Light [wicked-cool song]
Put There by the Land [wicked-cool song]

buy Ongiara here


Klaxons: Myths of the Near Future
One of the most important records of the year is finally out in North America... now you don't have to pay $30+ for an import!!! (or in my case, $50 for a vinyl import)

Golden Skans [super-wicked-cool song]
Magick [super-wicked-cool song]

buy Myths of the Near Future here

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

classic song of the moment

This is the song I listen to whenever I feel sick... and I feel sick right now.

Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again from Blonde On Blonde, 1966 [super-wicked-cool song]
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Monday, March 26, 2007

sea lion woman webisode

Feist's new webisode, "Sea Lion Woman" is up, check it out below.



Sea Lion Woman [wicked-cool song]

...and since both Liam and I like the Park West version more...
Sea Lion Woman live at Park West in Chicago, January 27, 2006 [wicked-cool song]
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The Reminder coms out on May 1 in the US and Canada (April 23rd, rest of the world).

you are ready for new silverchair??

You can listen to the new Silverchair album, Young Modern, in its entirety on their MySpace page.

i heart shiny things

I cannot stop listening to a song called "Atlas" by Battles. After playing the song about 8 billion times today, a friend of mine finally asked, “what genre would you categorize that song?” ...and I randomly and ridiculously relied, “sci-fi experimental rock...?” I don’t even know what that means! Nevertheless, I stand by my comment... "Atlas" really sounds like a sci-fi-techno-experimental-rock song to me. I think that “genre” popped in my head because of their video for the track. It is so totally a hi-tech sci-fi video… and it is very shinny!



Regretless of the genre, "Atlas" is my new favourite song and the video is absolutely amazing... plus, Mirrored, Battles’ new disc, is a damn fine record!!!

Atlas [super-wicked-cool song]
Ddiamondd
Leyendecker
[wicked-cool song]
Rainbow
Snare Hanger

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Mirrored comes out on May 15

Sunday, March 25, 2007

can you tell me if this person's a girl or guy

This is the Dora skit from SNL I mentioned earlier, enjoy!

the wind was our violin

Great Lake Swimmers has a new home.

from Hands In Dirty Ground [EP]
Song for the Angels (Miracle Version) [super-wicked-cool song]
Hands In Dirty Ground [wicked-cool song]
I Saw You In the Wild (Live, recorded at Knust, Hamburg) [wicked-cool song]

from Ongiara
Your Rocky Spine [super-wicked-cool song]
Changing Colours [super-wicked-cool song]

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Ongiara hits stores in two days! ...and don't forget, the band will be touring in Canada, the U.S. and Europe this spring, see dates below.

Mar. 15 Montreal QC @ Casa Del Popolo
Mar. 16 Wakefield QC @ Blacksheep Inn
Mar. 17 Kingston ON @ The Grad Club
Mar. 23 Hamilton ON @ Pepper Jack's
Mar. 24 Brantford ON @ The Ford Plant
Mar. 25 Sault Ste Marie ON @ Loplops Gallery Lounge
Mar. 27 Winnipeg MB @ West End Cultural Centre
Mar. 28 Saskatoon SK @ Amigo's
Mar. 29 Edmonton AB @ Starlite Room
Mar. 30 Calgary AB @ Liberty Lounge
Mar. 31 Canmore AB @ Canmore Hotel
Apr. 5 Vancouver BC @ Richard's on Richards
Apr. 6 Victoria BC @ Lucky Bar
Apr. 12 London ON @ Aeolian Hall
Apr. 14 Toronto ON @ Church of the Redeemer (two shows, at 6:00 and 9:00 pm)
Apr. 19 Diksmuide, Belgium @ 4AD (with Krakow)
Apr. 20 Liège, Belgium @ Soundstation
Apr. 21 Evreux, France @ Labordage
Apr. 22 Brighton, UK @ The Hope
Apr. 23 Newcastle, UK @ Cumberland Arms
Apr. 24 Hull, UK @ The Adelphi Club
Apr. 25 Newport, UK @ Le Pub
Apr. 26 Bristol, UK @ St. Bonaventures
Apr. 27 Manchester, UK @ Kro Bar
Apr. 28 Exeter, UK @ Cavern Club
Apr. 29 London, UK @ The Luminaire
May 2 Münster, Germany @ Gleiss 22 (with Mark Gardener)
May 3 Leuven, Belgium @ STUK - (with Whip)
May 4 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Merleyn
May 5 Hasselt, Belgium @ Playfestival (with Krakow)
May 6 Utrecht, Netherlands @ Ekko (with Krakow)
May 7 Brussel, Belgium @ AB-Box (with Magnolia Electric Co.)
May 8 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
May 9 Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
May 10 Malmo, Sweden @ Inkonst
May 11 Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller (with Built to Spill)
May 12 Stockholm, Sweden @ The Last Waltz / Berns
May 13 Gothenburg, Sweden @ Woody West / Pusterviksbaren
May 14 Berlin, Germany @ West Germany
May 15 Koln, Germany @ Tsunami Club
May 17 Groningen, Netherlands @ Vera


it needs to be upload onto youtube right now!

I just saw one of the funniest skits on SNL ever about an hour ago... it was their TV Funhouse version of Dora the Explorer… my body was in pain from laughing. If anyone taped the show or knows a link to the video, put leave a note in the comment section... I will immediately fall in love with you!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

i can't believe i lent my hand to help destroy a helpless man

I have been longing for some good rock music for the last 48 hours or so. There are three albums that are kind of fulfilling this obsession at the moment: Manchester Orchestra’s I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child, Senses Fail’s Still Searching, and Menomena’s Friend and Foe. I have praised about the first two records last year; however, I have yet to write a review for Friend and Foe. Menomena is relatively a new band to me... actually, I have never heard of the band till the new album. Friend and Foe features a very mellow, rhythm driven style. The record has this mixture of experimental rock with jazz/blues... kind of like The Mars Volta… but not as abstract and pretentious!! I have listened to over 40 albums so far in 2007, and Menomena’s Friend and Foe definitely stands out among the already very impressive list of records.

The Pelican [wicked-cool song]
Wet and Rusting [wicked-cool song]
Wierd [wicked-cool song]
My My [super-wicked-cool song]
Boyscount'n [super-wicked-cool song]
Ghostship [wicked-cool song]
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buy Friend and Foe here

Thursday, March 22, 2007

out this week

Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird is once again responsibled for another musically brilliant album.

Fiery Crash [wicked-cool song]
Imitosis [wicked-cool song]
Dark Matter [wicked-cool song]
Spare-Ohs

buy Armchair Apocrypha here


LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver

North American Scum [wicked-cool song]
Watch The Tapes
New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
[wicked-cool song]

buy Sound Of Silver here


Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

Dashboard [wicked-cool song]
Education
Little Motel


buy We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank here



The Stooges: The Weirdness
I am beyond disappointed with The Weirdness!!! The lyrics are so horrible that I couldn’t even listen to the entire album even once.


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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

what you wait for never shows, and what you least wanted, holds you down like a stone

Just for fun, here are all the songs (in mp3s) that Patrick performed on the vCast episodes, enjoy!

Blue Bells [super-wicked-cool song]
Adder [wicked-cool song]
Augustine [wicked-cool song]
Pigeon Song [super-wicked-cool song]
The Magic Position [super-wicked-cool song]
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***reposted on June 17, 2007

buy The Magic Position here

Saturday, March 17, 2007

happy saint patrick (wolf)'s day

I am reposting my last few posts with song links as they all unexpectedly expired in a rather annoyingly short time. So, if you wanted to check out Patrick Wolf’s excellent b-side "The Marriage", new Cocorosie, or The Nymphets, here is another chance... sorry for the inconvenience!

happy birthday tricia

Seriously... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRICIA!!!

Friday, March 16, 2007

i listened to my record collection...

I saw more than a dozen bands during CMW last week and at least a handful of them were pretty great. The one band that definitely stood out for me was a band from Montreal, Quebec called The Nymphets. I saw them twice during the festival and both of their sets were fast tempo and ultra energetic! There was little to none of that 'dreading-talking-in-between-songs crap' that most bands make the audience suffer through; instead, The Nymphets pretty much played straight through their set and incredibly, they managed to squeeze in over 10 tracks in about 30 mins. For most parts, the lead singer chanted out the vocals in super-speed while I am pretty sure the drummer can beat anyone in a drum-off. The Nymphets make songs in a punk style that shouts Ramones influence... well... I guess they are a lot faster and less punk anthems like. Nonetheless, be sure to check out The Nymphets live and go buy their self-titled release!

You Look So Good [wicked-cool song]
I Don't Care [wicked-cool song]
Wednesday Morning [super-wicked-cool song]
I Don't Wanna Live On Earth No More [wicked-cool song]
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go to The Nymphets official site here
go to The Nymphets MySpace page here

they say there was this big bang once, but the clergyman doesn't agree

Cursive’s video for "Big Bang" can be seen below.



Big Bang [wicked-cool song]
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buy Happy Hollow here

Thursday, March 15, 2007

everybody wants to go to japan... everybody just hold hands

Cocorosie will be touring... pretty much everywhere in the world for the next little while to support their third album entitled The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, due out on April 10. Along with the hip-hop influenced sound, the new record tends to lean toward a more 90s-Portishead-trip-hop-style. In addition, songs like "Japan" and "Houses" feature Sierra’s impressive operatic voice! I love how Cocorosie always experiment with different sounds and vocal styles without making their songs overly abstract and pretentious.

Rainbowarriors [wicked-cool song]
Japan [wicked-cool song]
Werewolf [wicked-cool song]
Animals [wicked-cool song]
Houses [wicked-cool song]
Miracle
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The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn comes out on April 10, you can pre-order it here

04/06/07 - Circolo Degli Artisti, Rome, Italy
04/09/07 - Postbahnhof, Berlin, Germany
04/10/07 - Grand Rex, Paris, France
04/11/07 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
04/12/07 - Sala Apollo, Barcelona, Spain
04/13/07 - Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain
04/14/07 - Aula Magna, Lisboa, Portugal
04/15/07 - Shepards Bush Empire, London, United Kingdom
04/20/07 - Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
04/28/07 - Coachella Festival, Coachella, CA
04/29/07 - El Rey, Los Angeles, CA
04/30/07 - The Rio, Santa Cruz, CA
05/01/07 - Bimbo's, San Francisco, CA
05/03/07 - Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
05/04/07 - Neumos, Seattle, WA
05/05/07 - Richard's On Richards, Vancouver, Canada
05/07/07 - Theatre Of The Living Art, Philadelphia, PA
05/08/07 - Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC
05/09/07 - Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC
05/10/07 - Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
05/11/07 - Headliners, Louisville, KY
05/12/07 - Metro, Chicago, IL
05/14/07 - Lee's Palace, Toronto, Canada
05/15/07 - La Sala Rossa, Montreal, Canada
05/16/07 - Middle East, Cambridge, MA
05/19/07 - WTC/Wintergarden, New York, NY
05/27/07 - Art Rock Festival, St. Brieuc, France
05/28/07 - L'Olympic, Nantes, France
05/29/07 - Le4 Sans, Bordeaux, France
05/30/07 - Le Ramier, Toulouse, France
05/31/07 - L'Espace Julien, Marseille, France
06/01/07 - Transbordeur, Lyon, France
06/02/07 - La Cartonnerie, Reims, France
06/03/07 - Salles des Fetes Droixhe, Liege, Belgium
06/04/07 - Kultur Kirche, Cologne, Germany
06/05/07 - Mousontrum, Frankfurt, Germany
06/06/07 - Alte Feuerwache, Mannheim, Germany
06/07/07 - Manufaktur, Schorndorf, Germany
06/08/07 - Theater Moods, Zurich, Switzerland
06/09/07 - Kilbi Festival, Dudingen, Switzerland
06/10/07 - Muffathalle, Munich, Germany
06/12/07 - Concorde 2, Brighton, United Kingdom
06/28/07 - Zenith of Rouen Festival, Rouen, France
06/30/07 - Radar Live Festival, Istanbul, Turkey
07/12/07 - Archa Theater, Prague, Czech Republic
08/09/07 - Oya Festival, Oslo, Norway
08/17/07 - Flow Festival, Helsinki, Finland
08/19/07 - Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen, Netherlands

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

cmw march 10, 2007: photo diary

Bands seen:
Cancer Bats
Cauterize
Harmonica
The Nymphets
Second To Go
United Steel Workers of Montreal

Cancer Bats @ The Reverb



Cauterize @ The Kathedral



Second To Go @ The Kathedral



United Steel Workers of Montreal @ Rivoli



The Nymphets @ Rivoli
This was my second time seeing the band in three nights... The Nymphets is my new favourite band!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

cmw march 9, 2007: photo diary

Bands seen:
Against Me!
Fake Problems
Harmonica
Modernboys Moderngirls
Riverboat Gamblers
These Electric Lives

Fake Problems and Against Me! @ The Phoenix




Harmonica @ Sneaky Dee's




These Electric Lives @ Sneaky Dee's




Modernboys Moderngirls @ Sneaky Dee's

Friday, March 09, 2007

cmw march 8, 2007: photo diary

Bands seen:
Bit by Bats
Comic Book Fever
I Hate Sally
The Kissaway Trail
Les Breastfeeders
The Nymphets
Sproll
This Is Hell

This Is Hell @ The Kathedral
Very high energy! This performance reminded me sooooo much of GlassJaw live... oh, how I missed GlassJaw live!




The Nymphets @ Sneaky Dee's
Excellent band! Look for a review of their CD in coming weeks.



Les Breastfeeders @ Silver Dollar
Extremely entertaining!!! ...funny and disturbing (tambourine player). There was a shit load of media people at that show... could Les Breastfeeders be 'the next big thing'?

Thursday, March 08, 2007

what!?!

Pitchfork reviewed The Magic Position today... not only did it received a high score of 8.3, The Magic Position also made it onto the 'Best New Music' section! What is going on... Pitchfork is actually liking the music I listen to??!!

The Marriage [iTunes bonus track] [wicked-cool song]
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***reuposted on May 2, 2007

buy The Magic Position here