EAR FARM's October '05 mixtape

As a reminder of all of the good music going on that not enough people are talking about, here's a collection of some of the songs EAR FARM has linked to this past month...download them all and make yourself a nice mixtapeCDthing:

1. Coastlines are Landmines by The Light Footwork
2. Concrete Jungles by Passerby
3. Hiccup Lines by Mancino
4. 44 Down by The High Violets
5. Bank by Other Passengers
6. Enter Sandman by Alexei Shulgin
7. Rodeohead by Hard 'n Phirm
8. Icedbergs by Tapes 'n Tapes
9. Dance by Bastion
10. This Graceless Planet by We Versus the Shark

We Versus the Shark

Okay, a new EAR FARM favorite - this band freaking ROCKS.

They are called We Versus the Shark.

YOU can get in on the fun by downloading their song This Graceless Planet.

Or, find writings about them and their album Ruin Everything on Pitchfork, Pop Matters, and Tiny Mix Tapes.

snip·pets

Wired article about Public Enemy

Jarvis Cocker's poetry on a wall

Nokia working with EMI to stream music to cell phones

Concerts I'm going to this week - 31 Oct. '05

Nine Inch Nails at Madison Square Garden on Thursday the 3rd of November and Spoon at Nokia Theater on Saturday the 5th of November (I think...80% on this one)

I want my MTV

Halloween Edition!

Scary music videos:

Thriller (Windows Media Player file - link was working Friday, may be dead now)
Somebody's Watching Me

Anybody know of any others out there? Tool perhaps?

Weekend Live Music

I may be out of town, but that shouldn't mean that you guys get deprived of your EAR FARM live music fix.

For your listening pleasure, a band who always puts on a rather good live show (and who have impeccable taste in album cover art, don't you think?):

Ween - Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ on the 23rd of March 2001


Past shows EAR FARM has linked to for weekend enjoyment are here and here.

I want my MTV

tinyvideosize 80's edition.

Eight different Talking Heads videos are here

Seventeen different Cocteau Twins videos are here

One 46 minute long Love and Rockets video/film is here (must have Real Player)

Belle and Sebastian news

NME says:

Belle & Sebastian have named their new album 'The Life Pursuit'. The follow-up to 2003's Mercury-nominated 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress' is out on February 6.
They spent the summer in Los Angeles' Sunset Sound studios with Beck producer Tony Hoffer working on the record.
Singer Stuart Murdoch told NME the seven-piece group threw out their regular instruments as part of the writing process for the new album.

Read the rest here

Also, from their official site:

Young, upcoming, hip and well travelled writer/film director Chris Jaymes' new feature film "In Memory Of My Father" is showing as part of the AFI Fest at the Arclight Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on November 7 and 8th. It's very funny, and features a lot of Belle and Sebastian tracks into the bargain. If you want to get a jump on the movie mafia, and see it first, you may want to check out the details here

(photo is the cover of their Dog on Wheels EP)

NIN, Billy Bragg, Low updates all mentioned in same Billboard article

All in this article:

After being out of print for the past several years, Nine Inch Nails' 1989 album "Pretty Hate Machine" will be reissued Nov. 22 via Rykodisc. The set was originally issued by TVT, which auctioned it off during an asset sale earlier this year.

Yep Roc Records' comprehensive Billy Bragg reissue series is back on the schedule for a Feb. 21 release. As previously reported, the label had expected to put out expanded versions of the singer/songwriter's "Life's a Riot With Spy vs. Spy," "Brewing Up With Billy Bragg," "Talking With the Taxman About Poetry" and "The Internationale" in September, as well as box them together with a bonus DVD.

Bassist Zak Sally has exited veteran indie rock band Low and will be replaced by Matt Livingston. "I sincerely hope that someday we can sit in the basement and make music together, but for now, there are more important things than music," Sally said in a statement.

The High Violets

EAR FARM's tireless browsing of bands on MySpace has led us to a few worth mentioning.

First up, The High Violets

Who will like them?
People who like good music such as Cocteau Twins, Lush, The Jesus and Mary Chain, etc.

Recently posted on their site:

The High Violets new album "TO WHERE YOU ARE" will be released nationwide in North America through Reverb Records in January 2006. Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith, Tahiti 80) and Jeff Saltzman (Sleater Kinney, Stephen Malkamus), the album is well worth the wait. The band's follow-up to the highly acclaimed "44 Down" is an absolute masterpiece. Stay tuned here for the full track listing and samples from the album.

You can catch them live next at The High Dive in Seattle or just go and listen to some of their songs online:

44 Down
Carry On

More stuff on The High Violets' MySpace site

Ouija Board, Ouija Board / How Soon is Now? / et al - mash up

Just in time for Halloween, Between Thought and Expression links to the Halloween mash-up mix Son of Monster Mash-Up which has 19 (free download) themed "Tricks Treats and Dead Beats" as they call it.

Highlight (low point?) for me:
Halloween with Morrissey


(above, cover of the "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" single)

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #3

This is Our Music by Galaxie 500:

Love this band. Love, love. They're dark and interesting and shoegazey and vastly undervalued in terms of their limited musical output. "This is Our Music" is their third album, perhaps not their "best" but it surely IS overlooked AND from the 90's.

What turned out to be the final Galaxie 500 album was also arguably the band's most accomplished. Not that the earlier records lacked either charm or ability, but right from the charging, chugging start of "Fourth of July," the amazing single and leadoff song from This Is Our Music (even including a cheeky Velvet Underground reference from "Candy Says"), the trio here sounds like they could take on anyone. Kramer's production and the use of reverb from past releases all once again contribute to Galaxie 500's magic, while the individual members continue to sound fantastic. Somehow, though, everyone aims higher, Wareham's singing among his finest and his guitar going for the truly epic more than once, Krukowski and Yang even more perfectly in sync than before, often being very bold without losing their intrinsic warmth.

Read the rest of that here or read about the band here.

I can't find any free downloads but you can buy it at that previous Amazon link or on iTunes here where you can sample the songs a little bit. A quick search of recent blog posts about Galaxie 500 brought me to An Aquarium Drunkard where, funnily enough, there's a post (from today) about the upcoming release of Galaxie 500's Peel Seesions. Sweet.

UPDATE - found a song! Are You Familiar? has the wonderful "Fourth of July"


see the 1st "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
see the 2nd "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here


if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list

Bassist Zak Sally (far right) Leaves Low

from Pitchfork's"exclusive":

Zak Sally, longtime bassist for the Duluth, Minnesota slowcore institution Low, has quit the band, Pitchfork learned today. He has been replaced by Matt Livingston, who has performed with both Low and frontman Alan Sparhawk's side project Retribution Gospel Choir.

nothing official on Low's site yet but you can read more HERE

have I mentioned how much I like this band?

let's LISTEN

The Sad Song Co. (the fine art of responding to fan mail)

Just to show all of you out there that I do indeed read the emails you send my way, here's an excerpt from an email I received today, and my response in the form of a post.

To: The Genius behind Ear Farm
From: A Wanna-be Musik Nerd
Re: Snooping for band information

I realize at this point in your career in music journalism you are probably overwhelmed with a swell of requests and fan mail. However, I ask you to consider mine because well, the bands I'm asking about are really cool, you might find in your snooping (and probable listening to mp3s) that you like some of their stuff too, others might in fact enjoy links relating to them...
Without further fuss I want info on:

Unbelievable Truth

I know UT is broken up, but any links to downloads, band member updates (where is andy yorke??? is nigel powell's new project (the sad song co.) any good?), and any potential regroupings? (They did a show at the zodiac, london for katrina relief... any future plans?).

Ok ok you get the idea. I trust you to learn more in a day or two than I've known for years!

A Hopeful Fan

Okay, what do you think this site is?? The inside cover of Parade?!

Fine, you got me. So...honesty up front, I edited the above email to suit my purposes here and took out a few bits and a request for info on other bands, I think one is enough don't you?
(you might think this research took a long time but you'd be wrong)

So, here's what I know, from allmusic.com:

Named after the film by American indie favorite Hal Hartley, Brit-pop trio the Unbelievable Truth was formed in Oxford, England in 1994 by singer/guitarist Andy Yorke (the younger brother of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke), bassist Jason Moulster, and drummer Nigel Powell. Debuting in 1997 with the single "Building," the group built a growing fanbase on the strength of a series of EPs, including Stone and Higher Than Reason before issuing the full-length Almost Here in 1998.

Of course, as was mentioned in the email, they have since split up:

"As you probably already know, Unbelievable Truth has split up, Andy having decided to leave the band : "The last few years have been enjoyable and an amazing experience, but I feel that now is a good time to move on. I intend to pursue the other thing in my life which fascinates me, namely work involving Russia and Eastern Europe."
The gig at the Zodiac in Oxford on the 16th will be their farewell show. It will be recorded and released along with unreleased b-sides by the end of the year. There is also a new single (Advice to a lover) out on October 2nd featuring two b-sides : 'Some of these people' and the beautiful 'Whose side are you?'.
Nigel and Jason will continue with music. So hopefully we'll get to hear them again in the near future."

Then two years later there is this:

So, what's new on the UT front ?
- Nigel is now the drummer of the band Dustball, and also has his own solo project, the Sad Song Co.
- Jason and Jim : still making music but we don't know much about their current projects. they also sometimes play with the Sad Song Co.
- Andy has finished studying but doesn't have any plan to come back to music. (though he's made a short reappearance at a sad song co. gig, playing Roadside no.1 with Nigel, Jim and Jason, recently)

Brief history of the band from someone else HERE and you can see their "official"/dead site HERE

Okay, needless to say, the most interesting information I could come up with was about Nigel Powell and his side project The Sad Song Co. (you'll notice mention of an Andy Yorke solo show on this site) who happen to remind me a bit of They Might Be Giants.

here's a song totally worth a listen - Into the Hills

more songs by The Sad Song Co. are here and here

a few songs by Unbelievable Truth can be found here and strangely there's another blog that uses the same lame template as EAR FARM talking about the Sad Song Co. just last week...read it here

Other than that it seems that most links I find to Unbelievable Truth stuff are no longer valid.
Hope this helps a little bit and thanks for turning me on to The Sad Song Co., that "Into the Hills" song is nice.

The iBelieve

Wow. I don't believe it.

"Inspired by the world's obsession and devotion to the iPod, iBelieve is a replacement lanyard for your Shuffle. Constructed using the same materials and precision ball bearing closure as the standard Shuffle cap, you can relax knowing your divine soundtrack and data is safe."

WHERE can I get me one of those ASAP?!
Oh thank GOODNESS...right HERE.

An article worth reading

From Wired - My Bionic Quest for Boléro:

I had no idea back then of Boléro's reputation as one of the most famous orchestral recordings in the world. When it was first performed at the Paris Opera in 1928, the 15-minute composition stunned the audience. Of the French composer, Maurice Ravel, a woman in attendance reportedly cried out, "He's mad … he's mad!" One critic wrote that Boléro "departs from a thousand years of tradition."

I sat in my living room alone, listening. Boléro starts simply enough, a single flute accompanied by a snare drum: da-da-da-dum, da-da-da-dum, dum-dum, da-da-da-dum. The same musical clause repeats 17 more times, each cycle adding instruments, growing louder and more insistent, until the entire orchestra roars in an overpowering finale of rhythm and sound. Musically, it was perfect for my ear. It had a structure that I could easily grasp and enough variation to hold my interest.

It took a lot to hold my interest; I was nearly deaf at the time. In 1964, my mother contracted rubella while pregnant with me. Hearing aids allowed me to understand speech well enough, but most music was lost on me. Boléro was one of the few pieces I actually enjoyed. A few years later, I bought the CD and played it so much it eventually grew pitted and scratched. It became my touchstone. Every time I tried out a new hearing aid, I'd check to see if Boléro sounded OK. If it didn't, the hearing aid went back.

And then, on July 7, 2001, at 10:30 am, I lost my ability to hear Boléro - and everything else. While I was waiting to pick up a rental car in Reno, I suddenly thought the battery in my hearing aid had died. I replaced it. No luck. I switched hearing aids. Nothing.

continue reading here

Depeche Mode "Violator" Remix album

There's a mashup/remixed version of the classic Depeche Mode album "Violator" posted at this site.

If you love this album like all the rest of us, it's worth checking out.

Wolf Parade @ Bowery Ballroom - 10.24.05

Wolf Parade played Bowery Ballroom to a sold out audience last night. The hype for this band has been pretty amazing and I was already kind of down on them as a result before the show. They played here for CMJ but I missed it and really wanted to see if these guys could make me like them a bit more by going to see them live.

Turns out, it maybe wasn't meant to be...this Wolf Parade and me thing. I enjoyed a few songs, mostly the ones I already liked from their LP but all in all I felt non-wowed, unimpressed. I suppose, maybe, that sloppy is their thing but I can't help but think of other bands that hail from Montreal who I have enjoyed seeing live more. Would it then help me if Wolf Parade were from, say, Calgary? Probably. Is that stupid? Yep. But when the whole world is out searching for the next Arcade Fire and I'm seeing number one on that list my expectations are going to be set pretty high.

Hey look, most people there did seem to be really digging it so maybe it was just me.

Central Village was there and got some great pictures

Today's NEW releases

not much this week...

The Earlies - "These Were the Earlies" - I've had this one for a while but now you can get it without the extra charge for import...I liked it at first but over time - not so much

Tom Vek - "We Have Sound" - got this one a while ago too and the newness has faded but it's pretty good

The Fiery Furnaces - "Rehearsing My Choir" - strangely I've never cared much for this band (except some songs here and there and that EP) so maybe I'll like their new one here that everyone else seems to hate

Rogue Wave - "Descended Like Vultures "



anyone know of anything else out today?

DO THEY KNOW IT’S HALLOWE’EN? (music video)

Vice Records has put out a parody of Do They Know It's Christmas? to benefit UNICEF:

BOO! This fall’s sweetest – and scariest – benefit song is DO THEY KNOW IT’S HALLOWE’EN. This single features a star-studded ensemble (Beck, Sum 41, The Arcade Fire) known as the NORTH AMERICAN HALLOWEEN PREVENTION INITIATIVE. Both a trick and a treat, this song is a satire - as well as a charity-benefit song with all proceeds being donated to UNICEF.

see the video HERE or the page for the song HERE

Rodeohead

Again, just searching through backlogs here as I've not found much news worth mentioning but, BUT, if you somehow missed out on hearing Hard 'n Phirm's bluegrass Radiohead medley Rodeohead then THAT is indeed worth a mention.

Check it out. Oh, and for those of you who remember MTV's Singled Out - one of the members of Hard 'n Phirm is Chris Hardwick, that show's old host.

Mancino @ Arlene's Grocery - 22 October 2005

"Just your afferage Sadduhday!"

All inside jokes aside, this was a fairly "so-so" show for the brothers Mancino at Arlene's on Saturday. They had the misfortune to have a string break, with no backups in sight, and things got off to a late start and the sound guy Stalin'd out and started saying something about the band being too loud during their set. Seriously it was like Huey Lewis in Back to the Future. Even though the stars weren't aligned to make for one of their best performances (though I thought that the closer - "Caramel Cowboy" sounded really great) the guys put together some rock, and some roll, and a splendid time was had by all...or ALMOST all. Please do the world a favor and read about the interaction between Mancino's drummer Jonathan and a fan HERE.

Looking forward to their next show - don't you worry, I'll let you know when and where.

Concerts I'm going to this week - 24 Oct. '05

Wolf Parade tonight at Bowery Ballroom

Other Passengers on Tuesday October 25th at Piano's

and hopefully something when I go back home this weekend for a wedding - remains to be determined

Weekend Live Music

Spoon live in Englewood, CO on the 14th of June, 2005.

download the entire show as a 64K MP3 ZIP HERE (46.1 MB)

download the entire show as a VBR MP3 ZIP HERE (147 MB)

see the Archive page for this show HERE where you can download songs individually or get FLACs rather than MP3s

New Strokes songs

are being posted EVERYwhere and I've not wanted to mention the tracks but, ah what the heck.

Just to be clear where EAR FARM stands on this matter:

"The Strokes are bland and boring and I HAVE given their first two records a chance. Liked the first one and disliked the second - thought their live show was a 5 out of 10."

Doesn't mean everyone else feels that way though so if you want to hear some new stuff of theirs go check out Stereogum - just type in "new Strokes" on their search thing...or heck, just type that into Google's Blog Search.

Fleeing New York

Browsing Xfm's playlist I came across a few bands I didn't yet know and one of the songs kinda caught my ear.

Hollywood Bowl by Fleeing New York

Southampton trio Russell, Matt and Emma met six years ago at sixth form college and take their name from Hunter S Thomson's Songs Of The Doomed.

Haven't yet fully examined their site or other songs so let's go do that together.

I did though find another blog (a good UK based one) talking about them called take your medicine.

a pinch of Pulp, two parts Radiohead + some other guys = MAGIC!

Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway will feature in the upcoming Harry Potter movie and also contributed on three tracks on the Harry Potter 'Goblet of Fire' soundtrack.

The two Radioheads play in a band along with Jarvis Cocker, Steve Claydon and Jason Buckle - with all these musicians also appearing on three tracks of the Harry Potter soundtrack

Want to hear? Read more and download the track 'This is the Night' HERE. SCRATCH THAT - FILE IS ALREADY GONE (@2:30pm) but found it on fluxblog right HERE. Go!


NME's got the story too


(yes I know Steve Claydon is from Add N to (X) and Jason Buckle played in Relaxed Muscle with Jarvis, among other bands he seems to have been in and this solo release from 1999, but those fools don't deserve mention in the headline...sheesh, come on)

snip·pets

Clor stripped down radio session/interview (you'll need Real Player to listen)

Bloc Party reveal new album details

Interview with Mark Mothersbaugh

I want my MTV

WMV file alert - you'll need Windows Media Player to watch these videos which you've got if you have a PC - if you have a Mac and need it, go here.

Now, the music videos:

Spoon - I Turn My Camera On

New Pornographers - Use It

M.I.A. - Bucky Done Gun

You can browse a bunch more here.


Wait, there's more! How about some dancing??
(these are QT's)

OK Go - A Million Ways

Panther - You Don't Want Your Nails Done

Enjoy.

tapes 'n tapes

Here's a band more people should (will soon) know about:

tapes 'n tapes

Yep.
Don't believe me? Check these songs of theirs:

50s Parking
Icebergs
The Lion

They've got an album they just finished recording called "The Loon" with a record release show scheduled for the 28th of October at Turf Club in St. Paul, MN. Watch them blow up when they come to NYC next time.

At least go and see the tapesmixer...

the tapesmixer is a cutting edge digital hi-fi interactive tonal interface. This technology allows you create your own mix of tapes 'n tapes songs.

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #2

again, as a point of reference:
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list

now, this week's overlooked album:
The Inevitable by Squirrel Nut Zippers:

So this pick is a bit personal.
Many people will remember Squirrel Nut Zippers from their association with the swing craze of the 90's and their 'hit' song "Hell" (Windows Media format alert) off of their 1997 album Hot and thus; many people would write them off as just another flash in the pan worthlessness like, say, The Cherry Poppin' Daddies. You'd be WRONG if you were thinking that way. See, they're not really "swing" per se, more "hot jazz"; but that's not even the point.

My story goes something like this:
I worked on an indie film in 1994 and Tom Maxwell was acting in it (as were lots of local bands/music people) and he told me about the band he was in, turned out the band was Squirrel Nut Zippers and their debut album was released soon after, in 1995. Me and my friends got the album and right away it became a full-time favorite at our house and we went and caught them live as many times as we could. The mixture of fun, feet-moving songs with the sultry singing of Katharine Whalen is just perfect balance. It's timeless, classic...reminds me of good times and the South and I'll venture a guess that it'd inspire similar feelings in YOU even if you had nothing to do with good times or the South or Squirrel Nut Zippers in 1995.
Needless to say, it was and STILL IS an amazing record.

You can buy it at that previous Amazon link or on iTunes here

see the 1st "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here

DJ Food updates the "Raiding the 20th Century" mashup

My friend Andy tipped me off to DJ Food's mashupsterpiece:

"on january 18th 2004, strictly kev premiered the original ‘raiding the 20th century’ on xfm’s ‘the remix’ show in london. it was a 40 minute attempt to catalogue the history of cut up music — be it avant garde tape manipulation, turntable megamixes or bastard pop mash ups. it rapidly spread throughout the web and managed to cause a full scale server crash on boomselection.info when they hosted it due to the volume of net traffic.

shortly afterwards he read paul morley’s recently published book ‘words & music’ and was amazed that certain chapters mirrored parts of his mix. apart from the fact that the title, ‘raiding the 20th century’ was coined by morley 20 years before for a future art of noise project, he also featured alvin lucier, who — purely by chance — was sampled on the opening track of the mix.

kev decided to expand his idea to make the definitive document on cut up music including many other parts, omitted by the constraints of the original radio session. after months of further research he tracked morley down and they recorded passages from ‘words & music’ specially for this mix in an attempt to marry the two and finish something that neither of them actually started. a year to the day of the original airing, the newly expanded version is ready."

continue reading HERE

go listen HERE

Blur EP/pub tour sometime this year

Blur's Damon Albarn told XFm that his band will be recording and releasing a follow up album to Think Tank sometime next year and that this year you can expect the following:

...he's said that an "aggressively laid back" EP could be released in 2005.

He told XFM: "I think we're gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year. But you probably won't know about it. It'll just 'come out'. It'll be so, sort of, underplayed. It'll come out but you won't know it's us as it'll be so, well, not us. We've got the songs but we're gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it. But not musically laid back. It'll be aggressive. Aggressively laid back. It's the total opposite of Gorillaz."

He continued: "I can't really make another Blur record that's a big landscape sort of thing, due to my very basic guitar ability. I want to sing and play so it has to be three chords. I can only do three chords and not look at the guitar."

Blur are also planning to play "a couple of pubs" around Christmas, according to the singer.

from here

My Morning Jacket @ Webster Hall, 18 October 2005

Man, what a fantastic show those guys put on, one of the better concerts I've been to in quite some time. Such really great music - GOD what a voice too. Sheesh, I'm at a loss for words.
It was my first time seeing 'em - not sure why I stupidly missed out the last few times they came around but WOW. Who knows why they aren't playing stadiums yet but they will be. With a sound and show like that I'd imagine it won't be so long before every fan of The Allman Brothers, Dead, Led Zeppelin, etc etc is paying to see them at places like Walnut Creek, but I can hope for my sake that they don't wake up middle America just yet.

I did love their whole set, and as soon as I find the setlist and more pictures I'll post that stuff here in an update so check back. Also, if anyone recorded that show I vow to locate it and post it here.

But for now, enjoy this recording of Run Thru from the show in D.C. on the 10th.

(sorry I didn't get a definitively good, non-blurry, picture but my attention was focused on the music last night...go figure. you can thank my friend who took that pic for ensuring that there's a picture posted here at all)


UPDATE: link to the video for Off the Record

from here, a link to some sweet pictures and the setlist:

Worldless
It Beats
Gideon
One Big
Way He
Golden
Sooner
Wonderful
Off The Record
Lay Low
Dondante
Run Thru
--------
At DAwn
Hell
Mahgeeta
Anytime

The Light Footwork

Try as I might to NOT jump in the boat with the rest of the blog world (Jed at Stereogum details some of the goings on in terms of praise everyone is dishing out) over this band, Light Footwork, I think I'd be derelict in my duty to NOT say SOMEthing about them.

Besides, they do sound pretty good.

As far as I can tell, here is where things started and you can also hear some songs of theirs at that link AND on Light Footwork's MySpace site.

Anyway, I've yet to actually spend quality time listening to this band so we'll see - CORRECTION (19 Oct)-> I have indeed now listened to their album and it's really really good. Well worth the attention it's gotten so far and then some. More about the new album and the band once we're closer to the release date but do yourself a favor and check out Light Footwork.

Giant Drag

just read through this L.A. Times article yesterday and decided to check out the band they spoke of in it...

"That's what I like — shocking, Bill Hicks-type humor," says Hardy, whose fans adore the band as much for her unpredictable, off-the-cuff personality as for Giant Drag's artfully sludgy guitar rock.

On "Hearts and Unicorns," its debut album on Interscope, the group is definitely on to something — something that smells a lot like the early '90s. Many of the tracks seem to subconsciously channel the best elements of the best early alt-rock acts without overtly ripping them off. On various cuts at various times, Giant Drag recalls the smothering guitar fuzz of My Bloody Valentine, the spaced-out vocals of Mazzy Star and the menacing bass of "To Bring You My Love"-era PJ Harvey. And they do it as a two-piece, a trick they achieve with a double guitar-amp setup for Hardy, and Micah Calabrese's ambidextrous playing of the drums and synthesizer.

Live, the two are impressive to watch, but for very different reasons. In the case of Calabrese, it's his technique: He plays drums with his right hand and synthesizer with his left. For Hardy's part, it's not only her singing and guitar playing, but also her oddly childlike, anything-goes personality.

(there are song samples within that Calendarlive article and on their site but I was having trouble getting them to play on my Mac...so you can also hear the 30 second iTunes samples HERE or check out the music videos on their site)

I'm not sure which combo of 90's singers/bands they remind me of but the 90's sound is there for sure, and that's not SUCH a bad thing now is it? Speaking of which, #2 in our "Overlooked from the 90's" feature will be posted tomorrow. Go back and check out #1 HERE.

Today's NEW releases

these records released today I have an interest in and will pick up soon, if not already:

Animal Collective - "Feels"

Depeche Mode - "Playing the Angel"

Silver Jews - "Tanglewood Numbers"



how 'bout you, thoughts or recommendations?

Reworking The Verve's "Urban Hymns"

Nick at STYLUS talks about The Verve's Urban Hymns and how it could've been done mo better:

Improvements? The ridiculous, lavish grandiosity of that opener (the most defining song of 90s Britain, perhaps?) isn’t followed by the momentum-and-mood-killing sixth-form songwriter tripe of “Sonnet” but rather by the joyous guitar groove of “Three Steps,” from the b-side of “The Drugs Don’t Work,” with McCabe, Salisbury, Tong, and Jones amping the energy up while Ashcroft claims it “feels so good to be alive” and that there are “three steps to heaven, man / I took two and sat back down again.”

The Verve were always about creating new worlds using sound and you need to enter them completely and unconditionally to get the most out of it. The debut was a strange universe of floating trees and passageways into the afterlife, and A Northern Soul was a decayed cityscape of lust, death, and musical fate, ravaged by elemental forces. So what’s Urban Hymns? A surreal noir where God talks to you only to confirm his non-existence, where redemption is sought and found? I don’t want redemption to be found; films are always more satisfying without a happy denouement. Let’s lose the redemptive ballads.

I happen to agree.

Radiohead plugging away on new album

Radiohead is hard at work on their 7th album, which will come out next year, recording up to a song a day at times recently...

From here:

Among the songs that appear on the studio blackboard as having been attempted are "Pay Day," "Burn the Witch," "Videotape," "Solutions," "House of Cards," "Down Is the New Up," "Last Flowers," "Skirting on the Surface" and "Morning Mi Lord."

"The blackboard [is] filling up with ideas," frontman Thom Yorke wrote recently. "Lots of things happening all over the studio at once, which I always like, although I keep having to remind myself to sit down occasionally."

Same news is also here

NYC 8-bit Music Performances

checkit:

INTERNATIONAL CHIPTUNE RESISTANCE:

October 22 @ 7pm

Low-bit secret agents from around the world convene at The Tank for an unprecedented micromusic mega-event. Sounds and setups built around the focal point of timeless video game hardware provide the show's theme, with Game Boys, Nintendo Entertainment Systems and other consoles being pushed to unforseen limits by an international all-star array of micromusicians. DAVID SUGAR (UK), RECEPTORS (US), HEY KID NICE ROBOT (US), M-.-n (BE), GLOMAG (US), BUBBLYFISH (US), OMAC (US), NULLSLEEP (US) and BIT SHIFTER (US) conduct high-volume, low-res audio field tests, deploying a lethal combination of danceable rhythms and astonishing beeps, melodies, and tones.

Location:
The Tank @ chashama is located at 208 West 37th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.



Previously mentioned - 8-bit version of "Enter Sandman"

My Morning Jacket opening for The Black Crowes on New Year's Eve

Just read this article and noticed that, indeed, My Morning Jacket will be opening for The Black Crowes at Madison Square Garden on December 31st. That should be pretty sweet! Find out how and when to get tickets HERE.


ACTUALLY, looks like the pre-sale for this starts on Wednesday, October 19th at NOON EST.

Want the pre-sale PASSWORD and info?

Concerts I'm going to this week - 17 Oct. '05

this week (as of now) it's My Morning Jacket on Tuesday October 18th at Webster Hall and Mancino on Saturday October 22nd at Arlene's Grocery

Weekend Live Music

this weekend, it's Sublime in San Diego from 1995

(this link expired...look for more live Sublime on EAR FARM in the future)

FUN with DUB

Infinite Wheel presents Dub City Rockers = FUN


my favorite, I think, is Dub Selector 8 because playing those stars is FUN

MP3 Experiment 2.0

being held tomorrow in the Sheep Meadow in Central Park

Date: Saturday, October 15
Location: Sheep Meadow, Central Park (West side, mid-Park from 66th to 69th Streets: Map)
Time: The event will begin promptly at 3:00 PM. Arrive early. If you are late you will miss it all. It will be over by 4:00 PM.

Instructions:
1. Download the mp3 using the link below.
2. Load it onto your mp3 player (iPod, etc) or burn to a CD for use with a "Discman".
3. Do not listen to the track.
4. Bring it with you to the event.
5. When you arrive at the event, SIT on the grass, anywhere in the meadow. (Bring a towel or newspaper to sit on.)
6. A man in the center of the meadow will make a siren noise with his megaphone. When this happens turn your player on and prepare to press play.
7. Around a minute later, the man will count down from 5 and then make a second siren noise. When you hear the siren, press play.
8. If available, turn on the "hold" feature on your player to prevent yourself from accidentally pressing an incorrect button during the event.
9. Remain seated until otherwise instructed.
10. Have fun.

Official Site with more info and what to do in case this thing gets rained out


UPDATE:

MOVED TO SUNDAY: The park did not open today due to the ground being too wet. We're told that it will open tomorrow. The Mp3 Experiment 2.0 will take place tomorrow, October 16 at 3:00 PM. Check this space tomorrow by 1 PM to confirm before leaving for the event.

New Pornographers @ Webster Hall - 13 October 2005

The show was great, anyone know where a definitive setlist for night two is?

Chris went both nights and talks about the shows on his site.

Personally I enjoyed Immaculate Machine, thought Destroyer wasn't so great (maybe that's why I only own one album), and of course The New Pornographers thrilled and entertained. Even if Neko was all hungover (as she mentioned) her voice was lovely and amazing.

More pictures from both nights are here as well as some very nice shots from other recent shows.
Check it OOT.

8-bit version of "Enter Sandman"

You HAVE to check this out - "Enter Sandman"

Okay, so maybe that's a bit more Fruit Stripey than this but entertaining at least.

It's by a guy named Alexei Shulgin and you can read about him, and his kind, on Wired right here.

Flaming Lips complete filming "Christmas on Mars"

The Flaming Lips have completed shooting on their feature film "Christmas on Mars," which has been in the works for several years.

From here:

frontman Wayne Coyne tells Billboard.com. "Now I just have to remember what it is that we were trying to say [laughs]."

"I think it's going to be a great, unique side road to what we've been all along," he continues. "The Flaming Lips' audience has pushed us that way. With a lot of rock bands, maybe the audience would say, 'What are you guys doing?' But with us, it almost feels like, 'Go! Do it! See what happens!' People don't realize how powerful that is, to have people that believe in you and encourage you. The Flaming Lips are living proof that if you believe in people enough, they can do something. This movie is that, in a way."

New version of "Dance" by Bastion

This isn't really NEW but it's news to me.

Bastion have a new version of their song "Dance" posted on their website and their myspace site.

You may remember the original from that Kanine Records NY: The Next Wave thing.

I've always loved this song...it's a little Joy Division during the verses, My Bloody Valentine during the chorus. I like this version a little better and hey, it seems to go well with this rain that's not going anywhere for a few more days.

Today is JOHN PEEL day!

BBC Radio 1 is honoring late legendary Broadcaster/DJ John Peel by devoting a ton of programming to him and his work. Check it out:

From 7pm on October 13th, Radio 1's output will become entirely dedicated to John Peel, with a 6 hour show featuring contributions from Radio 1 DJs, special guests and loads of live music!
So here's what's on 1!

Live at Radio 1 HQ
7-9pm - Colin & Edith
9-11pm - Jo Whiley & Steve Lamacq
11-1am - Rob da Bank & Annie Mac

Featured on the show...
Live music from The Fall, New Order, Super Furry Animals, Venetian Snares, Misty In Roots, Jawbone and Laura Cantrell recorded at the special tribute gig on Weds 12th October from the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Vic Galloway will be in Glasgow, Donna Legge in Belfast and Zane Lowe in London, they will all be reporting from John Peel Day gigs!

This will all be mixed up with new music, classic session tracks and some of John's favourite records!

There's a bunch more Peel stuff on the BBC 1 site so look around for things like a list of all of the Peel Session arists and their sessions.



UPDATE - New Order kicked off the celebrations for John Peel Day with an extra-special set filled entirely with Joy Division songs.

Wicked.

New Video iPod

No crap, they're releasing ANOTHER version of the iPod. I mean, but I mean, when is a good time to replace my 20 GB iPod when new ones are coming out every few months?!

Depressing Songs from PM Media Review

Mark at PM Media Review posted a list called Songs in the Key of Blue. Check it out to remind yourself which tunes you should be listening to during this week of rain.

Arctic Monkeys - see the hype, BE the hype

Currently you can stream the hot shit Arctic Monkeys over at Scenesters and if you're REALLY buying what the NME is selling you can see them at Mercury Lounge if you HURRY.

Is it me or does all this Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys nonsense seem eerily similar to that Fruit Stripe gum? You know the stuff, great for like 25 seconds before it loses all appeal and then within a minute you've spit it out.


Btw, of course Brooklyn Vegan beat me to this information - thought I'd post it up anyway still in case any of you farmers don't read that site. And, let's be honest, I really just wanted to jump at this chance to compare bands like them to crappy chewing gum for children.

British Sea Power Radio 2 session and videos

I was going through old bookmarks which led me back to Bradley's Almanac (a site I first discovered back a few months ago because he was hosting a live Wedding Present show and then I thought of sharing a link to it here) and I also came across this British Sea Power fan site which is nice for all things BSP. In fact, if you're interested, there's a Radio 2 session and some of BSP's videos available on there to download.

Also, seems I'm not the only one talking about Bradley's Almanac in the past few days.

Weekly Live MP3s

Bradley appears to have quite a collection of live MP3s and he posts a new show for download each week. Currently there's a nice Sigur Rós show (live at the Boston Opera House Thursday, September 15th, 2005) on there but he says these things are removed after a few weeks so go QUICKLY before it gets gone!

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #1

Before you know it the 90's nostalgia will be in full form and bands like The Faint and Interpol won't seem so cool anymore.

So, let's take a look at some albums that don't seem to get much attention...YET. These albums will show up here from time to time so check back for #2 and beyond.

(look, it's cool to make fun of them/their snooty reviews and all but as a point of reference let's just have Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's available. here's the 1st version of their list - btw, don't bother looking for this, or ANY of the albums in Ear Farm's Overlooked of the 90's feature, on those Pitchfork lists)

okay, the first album for thought, listening and discussion is:

Saturnalia by The Wedding Present

Who knows why this band has been consistently overlooked but they're really fantastic. They've got great songwriting from the guitarist/singer David Gedge and the band puts together smart two to four minute pop-rock songs better than most of their late 80's/90's peers. I think that general consensus is that Seamonsters is the better Wedding Present album from the 90's but I like Saturnalia from the first song to the last and there's some great variety within the songs, besides...this is about overlooked albums not acclaimed ones. It may take a little doing to find a copy of it, but if you can I think you'll like it.


You can hear some Wedding Present songs here but they're not from that album.

Other Passengers

I saw Other Passengers at Pianos (shh, quiet...I think I just heard an anonymous commenter vomit when I said Pianos) last week when they played after Brakes and let me tell you WHAT...I loved them. Who knows if it was that "not expecting much after such a good Brakes set" thing or what but I think I'm gonna find out by going to see them again sometime soon, you see they are playing a kind of residency at Pianos in October. Every Tuesday night at 9:30 these dawgs go on to rock yo ears witha big wad of loud/good SOUND.

Top 10 NYC live music venues according to...me

10. Webster Hall- well I just have to face it, too many acts I want to see are playing here and there are definitely worse places they could be playing. Bonus points for being so close to my apartment.

9. The Delancey- I feel like this could cease to be a favorite if I happened to go here on the wrong night but each time I've been it's been like hanging out in a friend's basement seeing some good bands. The downstairs is rock & roll...the middle is like the necessary evil you must endure to get upstairs to the sweet roof deck - sweet only if it isn't packed with trendy hipsters but still a good spot to come up out of the dungeon for air.

8. The Continental- screw CBGBs, this place has a better sound system and they don't have to have "save our club" benefit shows to get talented rockers to play here. Oh and if you're going to have someone film your band's performance do it here - the lights, stage, sound...it just all comes together nicely here.

7. Detour- Free/$5 cover jazz in a nicely tiny spot in the East Village. Go sometime when Alex Skolnick is playing there and tip your bartender well for some generous buybacks.

6. The Apollo Theater- I'm not sure how often they have concerts here but the intimacy and small theater setting along with the history of the place...can't be beat.

5. Radio City Music Hall- like you couldn't have guessed it but this place actually is a great spot for shows and if you can't get a seat in the first 30 rows or so the balconies are really darn good.

4. Madison Square Garden- the most famous arena also happens to be the best large venue/arena to see a concert that I've ever been to. Helps that there's not a bad seat in the house and that it seems like every performer really wants to put on their best show when playing the Garden. Duh.

3. Pianos- for up and coming indie rock this place rules. Great sound, great bar, great location...I've never been upstairs but I'll betcha it's grrrreat.

2. Mercury Lounge- fantastic smaller venue that still gets nationally known acts with a great sound system. Seems like a lot of bands that come to play Irving, Bowery and Roseland (or even Summerstage) end up playing at Mercury a few months beforehand so watch their calendar for the next Arcade Fire.

1. Bowery Ballroom- simply the best. They get the most consistently good bands, sound is perfect, there's a nice bar in the basement and then one on the main floor AND the balcony - I wish every concert was at Bowery.


Honorable mention: Brooklyn Lyceum, Irving Plaza, Knitting Factory, Sin-e, Arlene's Grocery, CBGB, Central Park Summerstage

The worst of them all: Hammerstein Ballroom

Concerts I'm going to this week - 10 Oct. '05

this week it's only The New Pornographers on Thursday October 13th at Webster Hall


if you don't have their most recent album you should pick it up.

Paul McCartney in D.C.

On Saturday I got to see Paul McCartney at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. He was pretty outright amazing - played for over TWO hours before he even took a break and, all in all, the show lasted about THREE hours.

My favorite song to hear was "Helter Skelter", as it kind of surprised me to hear him play it, and he and his band really rocked it out for like 6 minutes.

Here's a setlist


UPDATE - 12 OCT

Looks like Kyle from Information Leafblower was also at this show and talks about it on that site. GO!

Mancino @ Pianos 5 October 2005

Disclaimer:
I am a friend of the band

Fact:
Doesn't matter, they're great anyway. I really do dig their music and I suggest you go buy their EP or catch them here in NYC or at least check out their site because I'm not going to get into the whole "they sound like a cross between ___ and ___" just check 'em out.

Go.

Sightings of ALMOST famous people and the persistence of vomit inducing sports apparel

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? ON OCTOBER 4TH, 2005


My favorite current band is British Sea Power and it's been that way since I first heard their debut album in 2003 and saw them live, here in New York, three separate times.
That being the case it makes sense that I'd jump at the chance to go see them again - this time as part of some two day festival here in Staten Island and Brooklyn. It was a bonus that Interpol was scheduled to play after British Sea Power.

So, this past Saturday I ventured to Staten Island (the one borough I'd not yet visited) via the Staten Island Ferry to check out 2 really great bands. The plan was to show up right before BSP went on and leave immediately after Interpol.
(No interest in seeing the Killers, or any of those other CRAP bands)

Very first thing I see when I walk out of my building is a supermodel sitting in a black Escalade and talking on the phone. BIG DEAL, I had better places to go.
The ferry turned out to be super easy to get to and free. As a bonus they have a bar on the thing and it goes very close to the Statue of Liberty. Once I got to Staten Island I spotted the stadium as soon as I left the ferry - very close and easy to get to.

Funny thing though, there was nobody in the stadium. Just a week earlier I went to Brooklyn to see The White Stripes in a different minor league ballpark and it was sold-out and packed, guess I expected the same here.
No dice, and thank goodness for that! I was able to get up very close and managed to really really enjoy seeing them for the fourth time even if there was a DISGUSTING hat in front of me for most of the show. What IS it about UNC gear? I see it EVERYWHERE and I know it's not a function of them having won the national championship because it's been all over the place for quite some time now, usually being worn by idiots with no idea about the university they are thus supporting - and yes, I know this for a fact because I've spoken to a few of these peckerheads and one even had such a barely functioning brain that he told me "no, I'm not a UNC fan but I DO like their coach...Coach K". Yep. Come to think of it, that kind of clueless support for the Tarheels is JUST what I'd expect from one of their fans.

BSP only played for about 45 minutes and the real bonus was after their show when Interpol came on and British Sea Power came and stood NEXT to me for the entire Interpol set. Afterwards I got to meet three of the guys in BSP and then hightailed it out of there as soon as Interpol was done.
Believe it or not, Carlos D rode the ferry back to Manhattan with us and I had just enough time to get home and change before needing to rush to the next social obligation - nobody "famous" this time. Just a friend's band playing some private party for a local magazine. It was at a small bar where you couldn't see much of the stage but their sound system is really top notch and they were giving away FREE BEER. I can't believe Wilderness played there during CMJ.

Anyway, that's the day-in-the-life from this past Saturday. Tonight is the Brakes at Pianos.

EAR FARM!

Due to popular request I am going to move any MUSIC related content from my OTHER blog to this site. I'm not looking to become Brooklyn Vegan, or Stereogum, or god forbid Pitchfork or anything but since I am listening to and seeing lots of bands/music etc I figured I might as well share. I don't really LIKE sharing but it's actually long overdue.

Forgive the reruns here to start with but more content will be coming shortly.