At the end of every month, EAR FARM highlights all of the new music covered on the site that month by putting together songs from each featured artist in a nice list so you can download them. I suggest you then burn them to a CD and imagine the disc came as an extra in some really cool new magazine that gives away a free CD with each issue. Clicking the song title will give you the song, the band name will take you to the band's site, and the (+) will take you to a previous EAR FARM post about that band.
1. "Captain Obvious" by Machine Go Boom (+)
2. "Darlin" by Richard Hawley (+)
3. "20L07" by John & Jehn (+)
4. "Dirty Loverstuff" by Fanuelle (+)
5. "Unreliable Narrator" by Strip Squad (+)
6. "Living on the Outside of Your Skin" by Cloud Cult (+)
7. "The Nocturnal House" by Pretty Girls Make Graves (+)
8. "Keep" (Redux) by Apse (+)
9. "Memory Collector" by Kelly Stoltz (+)
10. "Do You Know Where You Are" by Split Over Drapes (+)
11. "Succeed or Fold" by Ash Tree (+)
12. "Goes Cube Song 19" by Goes Cube (+)
13. "Van Helsing Boombox" by Man Man (+)
Previously:
31 January 2006
EAR FARM's January '06 mixtape
2006 Coachella lineup revealed
The 2006 Coachella lineup was announced this morning:
Saturday, April 29:
Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, Common, Damian Marley, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, My Morning Jacket, Ladytron, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tosca, Cat Power, Animal Collective, HARD-fi, Derrick Carter, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, The Walkmen, The Juan Maclean, Audio Bullys, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, The Duke Spirit, Editors, stellastarr, Lyrics Born, Matt Costa, The New Amsterdams, The Zutons, Platinum Piped Pipers, White Rose Movement, Chris Liberator, Colette, Imogen Heap, Joey Beltram, Hybrid, Wolfmother, The Like, Living Things, Nine Black Alps, The Section Quartet, Infadels, Youth Group, Shy FX & T Power, Infusion
Sunday, April 30:
Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, Matisyahu, TV on the Radio, Sleater-Kinney, Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley, Coldcut, Phoenix, Digable Planets, Amadou & Mariam, Little Louie Vega, Mylo (DJ Set), Seu Jorge, Wolf Parade, The Go! Team, Kaskade, Metric, Art Brut, Dungen, The Dears, Jamie Lidell, The Magic Numbers, Los Amigos Invisibles, Jazzanova, Michael Mayer, Mates of State, Gilles Peterson, Gabriel & Dresden, The Subways, Minus the Bear, Be Your Own Pet, Giant Drag, Kristina Sky, The Octopus Project
Kick ass. Now, why is it in the desert?!
Deerhoof @ Bowery Ballroom, 30 Jan 2006
Last night I finally realized a dream of sorts - to see Deerhoof play a live show. Yes, I find that sometimes it works out better to set easily achievable goals such as seeing certain bands live or re-learning how to write in cursive, but that's neither here nor there. I knew that they'd put on a killer live show and I knew that Greg Saunier (drummer/founder) was going to be some kinda special. With expectations raised to very high levels a let down of sorts wouldn't be too much of a surprise...
What can I say? They surpassed any and every expectation I had going in. Last night, Deerhoof flat out played probably the best show I'll see in 2006. That's a stretch perhaps (so don't kill me if I change my mind in the near future...the EAR FARMer can be a fickle beast) but it wouldn't be so strange if that's still how I feel in December of this year. All of the touches I was used to hearing in their music were present in the live show: the delicate low key music, the exploding creativity, the interesting time signatures, the tight performances. Those are the kinds of things you might think a band would lose track of when performing in front of an audience but that didn't happen last night. In fact, it seemed like Deerhoof was MORE on top of their game in front of an audience. Bassist/guitarist/vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki wasn't shy like I'd postulated, instead she was commanding. Both guitarists ripped and shredded with quiet confidence that made the whole show seem like a jam session despite the studied shifts in the music. And the drummer Greg Saunier...well he just fucking killed. He's the best drummer I've seen in a long long time.
People pay attention: I should have ranked their album higher in my year end list; all of my time signature counting music nerd friends who DON'T currently listen to this band need to get with it, everyone else should do the same actually; and if you live somewhere they're playing in the near future...go see them.
Deerhoof on MySpace
Buy their most recent album - The Runners Four.
I want my MTV
Placebo edition:
*if you have trouble with these links (maybe if you're on a PC?) try going HERE
Last call - Bloggies voting
As I mentioned previously, EAR FARM has been chosen as a finalist for one of the 2006 Bloggie Award categories. The category this site was nominated for: "Best-Kept-Secret Weblog".
If you haven't yet voted, and only if you haven't as they only count votes once and may even disqualify your vote if you try to vote over and over, please go HERE and vote. You have until 10:00 PM EST tonight and the winners of the 2006 Bloggies will be announced at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival on Monday, March 13 at 12:30 PM.
Who is EAR FARM up against?
These other great blogs, check them out:
Golfwidow's Ministry of Silly Walks
Come To Find Out...
The Man Who Couldn't Blog
Needcoffee.com
Vote for one of us at the very least! Thanks again to everyone who reads this site and to those who nominated it for this award.
30 January 2006
snip·pets
Tiny Mix Tapes interviews The Rosebuds
Pitchfork interviews Low's Alan Sparhawk
NME on the Manchester vs Cancer charity event which included a mini-Smiths reunion and a set of Joy Division songs by New Order
Arctic Monkeys earn fastest selling UK debut
CNN.com takes notice of NYC's Lez Zeppelin
Caffeine-Headache's Case of the Mondays
Each week, Caffeine-Headache lists some interesting stuff for people to check out and then asks some other bloggers to submit some suggestions of things in this world that might help make Mondays suck a little bit less. They asked me to participate which I gladly did and my list was just posted. So, if you'd like to know about a few things I enjoy that aren't totally musical (like this one NY artist, a TV show, a movie, a comic book series...) head on over there right now by clicking HERE.
Man Man @ Cake Shop - 27 Jan, 2006
I was unsure what to do this past Friday, as there were a bunch of good things going on. What was finally settled on was to go to the Underrated's party at Crash and then to Cake Shop to see Man Man. Wise decisions were made that night.
Got to Cake Shop right before Coyote started their set and I'm glad because they put on a nice show, I think. At least, they sounded great - I couldn't see the band at all given the manner in which things are set up at Cake Shop but, whatever. Beers were had and the music was very nice...even though, at first, I wanted to leave and go see another show out of fear that I'd not be able to actually see Man Man perform.
While Man Man was setting up I got into much better position - I'd already seen this band once before and I knew that actually being able to see them perform was half the fun. It was hot and cramped and there were the usual people complaining to me about biology ("I'm short, you're tall...wahhh") as if it really mattered in a venue like Cake Shop. Well, as soon as they started playing I was just so happy to have decided to stick with it because Man Man amazed. Their live show is just not to be missed. It's like seeing/hearing the thoughts of a musically-minded mad scientist played out by a group of wandering minstrels. Yeah, something like that except so much more fun and dance-able.
Since I've never posted about these guys before, let's check out some MP3s here:
"I, Manface"
"Van Helsing Boombox"
You can buy their music HERE or you can also go check out Man Man on MySpace.
UPDATE - by the way, Jerry was also at the show on Friday...go read what he had to say about it and listen to some Tunng while you're over there. I think I'll blame him and Angela and (of course) Mike and Jesse for my not being able to leave the apartment until 3pm on Saturday.
Morrissey to play SXSW
Thanks to the update on Donewaiting.com I see that the list of confirmed artists for the 2006 SXSW Music Festival now includes Morrissey. Okay, now I'd like to go please.
(photo from a post on Morrissey-Solo talking about Boz's MySpace page)
28 January 2006
Weekend Live Music
PJ Harvey Live @ The White Horse, Hampstead, England - 1 May 1992
(photo, from another show, from here)
1. "Rid of Me"
2. "Dress"
3. "Hair"
4. "Highway '61 Revisited"
5. "Sheela-Na-Gig"
6. "Missed"
7. "Man-Size"
8. "Dry"
9. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
This post was inspired by the recent PJ Harvey (live in London in 2004) posts on rbally which were in two parts. Since the show I posted is so short, you should get that one as well: Part 1, Part 2.
Let it be known - EAR FARM adores PJ Harvey. Look for more live PJ on here in the future.
Past EAR FARM Weekend Live Music has included live songs/sets by Sublime, Spoon, Ween, The Unicorns, My Bloody Valentine, New Order, Sufjan Stevens, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sonic Youth, Explosions in the Sky, The Smiths, Morphine, Talking Heads, The Stone Roses, and The Cure.
27 January 2006
Broken Social Calendar and other sites to check out
Today is a busy day, so there won't be any posts other than this one. Instead, might I suggest you catch up on past Overlooked Albums from the 90's or the 8+ series. Or you could also check out these sites I've really been digging lately: marathonpacks, Motel de Moka, One Louder, rbally, and all of the other ones in my links on the right there. They're all very good. Know what else I realized? The other sites who are finalists for the Bloggie that EAR FARM is nominated for are all really great sites so check them out too: Golfwidow's Ministry of Silly Walks, Come To Find Out..., The Man Who Couldn't Blog, and Needcoffee.com. Then GO VOTE for one of us if you haven't already.
Now, because I have so many damn things I'd like to do this weekend but can't decide which ones I'll actually do, I'm going to post them here so that maybe some of you might go enjoy those I'm unable to get to...that is, if you live in NYC.
Friday the 27th:
Underrated Magazine's birthday party at Crash Mansion
Sam Champion is playing Mercury Lounge
Man in Gray is playing Scenic
Man Man is playing Cake Shop
Baby Dayliner is playing Pianos
Rainer Maria is playing Northsix
Limbs are playing Syrup Room
Saturday the 28th:
The Diggs are playing Mercury Lounge
SuSu is playing Sin-é
Black Dice are playing Syrup Room
There are a bunch of other great bands playing each of the shows listed above and I couldn't really get into all of that, but trust me - all of those above are worth your time and money. Know of a show I missed that's worth checking out? Post it in the comments here, as long as it's not SOLD OUT. Also, happy birthday to Mozart and look forward to some good LIVE MUSIC here on EF tomorrow!
UPDATE - so I went to Rachael's thing at Crash and then left and went to see Coyote and Man Man at Cake Shop. who knows about tonight but you can expect posts on Monday detailing these adventures.
26 January 2006
8+
"Interstate 5 [Extended Version]" by The Wedding Present which clocks in at 8:19
The Wedding Present doesn't usually make songs like this. No, theirs is the realm of the 2-5 minute perfect indie (pop) rock song. But this song, the opening song off of their most recent album Take Fountain, has more in common with Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" or something. "Interstate 5" would make for some damn near perfect (big shocker given the title of the song, I know) road trip music. It's western-tinged drone rock that takes its time to open up, and when it does so around the six minute mark it seems a natural step if you consider the evolution of David Gedge from The Wedding Present to Cinerama and then back again. I like to imagine that the day they were recording this song Ennio Morricone was sitting in on the session. He sat there patiently for six minutes of Wedding Present rock before he finally was all "no no no no, now it's time to make the song sound like this". At that point he summoned his western orchestra out of thin air and finished the song for Gedge and company. Okay well, maybe you should just listen to it and I'll stop blabbering.
(the picture is from HERE and you can get some facts about the actual Interstate 5 HERE)
EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
British Sea Power - "Lately"
Islands - "Swans"
Isolée - "Pillowtalk"
Animal Collective - "Banshee Beat"
Wilderness - "Post Plethoric Rhetoric"
Wish you were there?
From time to time I bring my video camera to shows and record some of what I see. Still working out the kinks here* but I'll be sharing some of these recordings from time to time on this site.
First up - one live song from Goes Cube and one from The Art of Shooting. You can read what I posted about these bands HERE and HERE. On with the live videos:
- Goes Cube live at Sin-é, 24 Jan '06 - "Goes Cube Song 25"
- The Art of Shooting live at Sin-é, 24 Jan '06 - "Lost in Boredom"
*please be patient - for some reason these take a long time to load (best to just download them) and it won't look like they're loading but they are...also, excuse any crap sound as it's just video camera mics and I wasn't in a good spot for sound. know that the bands sounded awesome in person.
Morrissey's next album's cover art??
The tiny image to the left was found in a post HERE which said you could see the artwork for Morrissey's soon-to-be-released album Ringleader of the Tormentors on HMV''s site. Egads, I hope that's not really the cover of the album! But then Torr is pretty much right, Morrissey's artwork has been more or less terrible his entire solo career.
UPDATE - forgot to update this post, but supposedly THIS is the final artwork for Ringleader of the Tormentors. thanks to Torr for reminding me by updating his original post.
A forum for me and you and everyone we know
Elbows (that great and fantastic MP3 aggregator we all know and love) recently started a forum on their site. It's shaping up to be really great for those of us who do the music blog thing and many bloggers I read every day are already all up in there. So I suggest you go there and sign up for an account and start getting with it.
Oh right, a link to the actual forum - now GO.
25 January 2006
Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #16
Beatsongs by The Blue Aeroplanes
This week's overlooked album turns out to be fairly timely given that The Blue Aeroplanes are one of the bands playing South by Southwest this year. But then isn't it a little strange that they're playing as a twenty-something year old, virtually unknown band? I think so, but then I also think they should be a little more well listened to than they are. At least people should be remembering their album Beatsongs.
For a bit of background, the first paragraph from the TrouserPress write-up on them reads:
"The Blue Aeroplanes are so arty that their lineup includes a full-time dancer, but this ever-mutating Bristol combo has the talent and vision to justify its pretensions. Leader (and sole original member) Gerard Langley's lyrics, unlike those of most literate rock writers, are genuinely absorbing and poetic, while his band — which has maintained a consistently sterling standard of musicianship through numerous personnel shakeups — spins intricate yet accessible folk-rock epics that range from mildly gorgeous to full-on breathtaking."Now, I've got no grand personal story to go with this album...it was pretty simple really - I used to watch and/or tape 120 Minutes every week and then buy some of the music that really caught my attention. Well according to the info found here, one such time was the October 27, 1991 broadcast when they played the Blue Aeroplanes song "Yr Own World". I do remember being immediately struck by the Marr-esque jangle of the guitars and the overall catchy and fun pop rock groove the song had going on. Lucky for me I found the CD the next time I went to Schoolkids and ended up with an album I've been listening to on and off ever since.
AllMusic claims that Swagger is the better album, but that's just wrong. Beatsongs is an improvement on the previous album because it's The Blue Aeroplanes firmly grasping what their sound really should sound like. There's a brooding artistic folk-rock quality to this music; and, start to finish the album remains strong in terms of song writing, lyrics, and musicianship. I've always really loved the introspective meandering of "Cardboard Box" and the psychedelic melancholy of "Angelwords", but every song on here is so worth listening to. There's even a nice cover of a Paul Simon song on here as well. What more could you ask for?
No joke, Select had this to say about Beatsongs - "the best album to bear a UK postmark in a long, long time".
Listen:
"Yr Own World""Angelwords""Cardboard Box"
Previous Overlooked Albums from the 90's:
#1 - Saturnalia by The Wedding Present
#2 - The Inevitable by Squirrel Nut Zippers
#3 - This is Our Music by Galaxie 500
#4 - Dusk by The The
#5 - Fantasma by Cornelius
#6 - New Wave by The Auteurs
#7 - I, Jonathan by Jonathan Richman
#8 - Futureworld by Trans Am
#9 - Harmacy by Sebadoh
#10 - Cure For Pain by Morphine
#11 - God Fodder by Ned's Atomic Dustbin
#12 - Seven by James
#13 - Why Do Birds Sing? by Violent Femmes
#14 - Blank-Wave Arcade by The Faint
#15 - Dog Man Star by Suede
if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list
Another site does their own "Overlooked of the 90's":
Top 30 'Other' Albums of the '90s
The Art of Shooting @ Sin-é, 24 January 2006
The Art of Shooting (link is to MySpace since their site isn't working) came on after Goes Cube and their show was, once again, excellent. I've told you before about their shows (HERE and HERE) and that you should check them out; hey, no harm in telling you again...
In terms of sound, they're musical cousins of Pretty Girls Make Graves and you can hear some influences like Sonic Youth and Siouxsie come through in what they play. Kelly (guitar) and Amy (bass) wail and rock out - they're awesome. Their drummer Oliver does indeed remind me of Stephen Morris with his style and tight playing and they've added Karen on keys, which is nothing but a good thing. When their official site is back up you'll be able to read more about them and buy their EP (which is well worth buying, btw) but for now you'll have to enjoy their MySpace page and the song I'm posting below. Don't worry though, it's one of the best songs released last year. Oh and by the way, The Art of Shooting is part of Ace Fu's Family Business.
Listen:
The Art of Shooting - "Lost in Boredom"
(sorry about the picture but I was video taping the band last night so the pic here is a screen grab from video)
Goes Cube @ Sin-é, 24 January 2006
Last night after the Light Footwork listening party at Scenic I headed down to Sin-é to catch the premiere of the NY Press Indie Label Jones showcase. Sadly I missed the first band, The Gritty Midi Gang, but got there right before Goes Cube got started. This made me happy because I missed them the last time I had a chance when they played before The Art of Shooting at Cake Shop.
Okay, so what I mean to say is that I was very impressed with Goes Cube. I really dug their songs and show and, from what I gathered, this was their first show with their new (human) drummer. They used to play with a drum machine so it's a shame I didn't really get their new drummer in the picture I posted...but the drummer (Kenny) was very good and the whole band just rocked. They really annihilated some faces last night.
Since I've never posted about these guys before, let's check out some MP3s here:
Goes Cube - "Song 17"
Goes Cube - "Song 19"
You can hear more of their music HERE or you can also go check out Goes Cube on MySpace. Also, Goes Cube is part of Ace Fu's Family Business.
The Light Footwork listening party last night
Sorry I didn't take any pictures but I wanted to just report briefly that it was a bunch of fun meeting and hanging out with Jay and Adam from The Light Footwork camp last night at their listening party for the recently released album One State Two State at Scenic. The two people I went with were able to buy cds and got Jay to sign them all personal like and stuff. It was also really cool to meet Jerry from Yeti Don't Dance and Rachel from The Underrated Blog.
One more time...
Go and buy The Light Footwork's One State Two State.
Go and visit Yeti Don't Dance and The Underrated Blog.
24 January 2006
Backmasking, or: hidden messages in music that are revealed when played backwards
Wikipedia says:
"A backward message (also known as backward masking or backmasking) is a supposed subliminal message hidden in an audio recording that is only fully apparent when played backwards. Backmasking first became famous with The Beatles. Just before the band's break-up in 1970, DJ Russell Gibb initiated the infamous 'Paul Is Dead' urban legend (a rumor that Beatle Paul McCartney had died) by playing certain Beatles records backwards to reveal hidden messages. One album in particular, The Beatles (aka The White Album) was said to contain backwards messages. Intentional gibberish at the end of "I'm So Tired" supposedly is "Paul is dead, man, miss him, miss him..." Likewise, the repeated words "Number nine, number nine, number nine..." in "Revolution 9" are supposedly "turn me on, dead man, turn me on, dead man..." backwards."
Now, this really isn't some kind of big news to any of us living in 2006 but it so happens that I just yesterday found a neat little backmasking site that then led me to find a few of other similar sites. Isn't that just the beauty of the internets in a nutshell?
First, there's Jeff's Backmasking Site. Here you can find a nicely put together flash interface that let's you play the sound clip forward, then in reverse. You can also then click to see what the reversed clip supposedly says. He's got the famous ones on here like "I'm So Tired", "Revolution 9", "Stairway to Heaven", and "Another One Bites The Dust". Also on there are tunes by a few others including Britney Spears and Eminem. I found this site (and piqued my curiosity on the subject) by reading a post on SlapJack.
Next I found Backmask Online - go figure. This site is a wonderful resource for the angry parent who wishes to find hidden messages in rock music...or, for a dork like me who finds this stuff amusing...as there is a bit of backmasking history and a bunch (97 it seems) of MP3s posted. Hidden messages from artists like Justin Timberlake, Metallica, Nirvana, They Might Be Giants, and many more are chronicled here.
Lastly there is this resource from Religious Tolerance.org that details the myths and realities of backmasking. Of particular interest is the section that pulls a few quotes on the subject from religious web sites, like this one:
At DemonBuster.com they write: "If we are weak in our convictions our moral values can be changed subliminally by suggestion in rock music, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, posters, billboards, etc. One form of subliminal message is the sub-audio suggestions on rock records saying: 'Communism is the perfect form of government', 'hate your parents', 'you are no good', 'commit suicide', 'kill others', 'take drugs they taste good', 'your parents hate you', 'police are pigs and the whole world is crooked'."Oh man. I just can't help laughing at some of those. Thanks Demon Buster.
Further reading on Snopes HERE.
(pictured is, of course, the cover of the album which two of the previously mentioned songs can be found on: The Beatles - The Beatles [the White Album])
Tonight - The Light Footwork @ Scenic and then The Art of Shooting @ Sin-é
First, remember...tonight is the Light Footwork listening party at Scenic. Bring your money, you'll want to own their debut album.
Also tonight is a great lineup at Sin-é:
OPP
Here, OPP stands for Other People's Posts. This is a regular thing highlighting posts from other bloggers which I find to be worth checking out. As with anything on EAR FARM, just search OPP up top there to see previous round-ups of OPP. Okay, ready?
Aquarium Drunkard posted some nice Laura Cantrell
Between Thought and Expression links to SNL's Young Chuck Norris Video
Bows + Arrows posted a new Liars track
The Camera As Pen has some tracks from the new Jenny Lewis disc
Clever Titles posted Colin Meloy doing a Shirley Collins song and also posted the original
Motel de Moka posted a Squirrel Nut Zippers song (and a bunch others) as part of her Kinky Collection series
My Old Kentucky Blog posted about Ohmega Watts - go listen
Part 2 in a series you should read: One Louder's 'Where have all the Baggy's gone?'
Not the usual kinda stuff he posts but still the high quality we expect...The Perm & The Skullet posted about The London Apartments
Yeti Don't Dance posted about National Eye
Soulseek Records remix contest
Soulseek Records asked for entrants in their remix contest...
"In the end, we had 760 entries, a truly amazing response. As you may remember, we were supposed to have 5 finalists for you to vote from. However, it was SO hard to choose that final 5th remix, that you now have 7 finalists to choose from."
This is good news if you like dance/electronica and want to check out 7 songs for free and then decide which one you like best and vote for it. The finalists are (click their name to be taken to their remix):
23 January 2006
Ash Tree
Ash Tree is the musical project of novelist Henry Baum. From the Ash Tree MySpace page: "I play everything myself. The songs were recorded on a digital 8-track in my living room".
Indeed. It's not a surprise then to find out that that is precisely what this music sounds like. It's in line with stuff by Lou Barlow or Daniel Johnston...and some of it even reminds me of demo tracks from that Nirvana box set (probably just the singing).
You're not going to be lining up to catch Ash Tree at some crazy over-hyped show at Mercury Lounge in the immediate future but then that's not what this is about. This is just good, honest music.
Listen:
"Down the Rabbit Hole"
"Succeed or Fold"
Buy the CD Living Room
visit the Ash Tree blog HERE
British Sea Power videos of in studio b-side performances
"San Diego has its own music show! Fox Rox - three times a week. Thursdays at midnight and 10:30 p.m. Saturdays on Fox 6, Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. on UPN 13. Trust us to give you the honest lowdown on new releases and highlight the shows you dont want to miss."
Why does that matter to me, when I don't live in San Diego? Well it seems they've got a couple of in studio British Sea Power performances on their site, and we all know how crazy I am about that band.
Look:
"Don't You Want To Be A Bird?" (the b-side from the "It Ended on an Oily Stage" seven inch)
"When I Go Out" (a b-side from the "It Ended on an Oily Stage" Pt. 2 CD single)
Also, there's a bunch more stuff that's worthwhile on that Fox Rox site. Things like:
"The Recluse" by Cursive
"Monkey Begun" by Lou Barlow
"Ladyflash" by The Go! Team
"Little House of Savages" by The Walkmen
And that's not all, go check out the other goodness on there...if only the video quality wasn't such crap.
snip·pets
Wired talks about the new Beastie Boys concert film shot by the audience
Stylus revisits the “Filthy Fifteen” songs that the PMRC deemed immoral and dangerous in 1985
Doherty Pleads Guilty To New Drug Charge
Editors inspire chaos in New York (NME article)
Famed Rhino Records shop in L.A. has last gasp
Finalist for a Bloggie Award
Peoples,
I am pleased to announce that EAR FARM has been chosen as a finalist for one of the 2006 Bloggie Award categories. The category this site was nominated for: "Best-Kept-Secret Weblog".
How did this happen? Well, some of you guys must have been nominating this site for that category. Awesome, a big thanks goes out for that.
Then:
"That Friday, January 13, three panels of 50 voters received an e-mail. It listed the weblogs that received the most nominations in ten categories. They had until 10:00 PM EST on Wednesday, January 18 to privately submit their five favorites (six for Weblog of the Year) for each category. The five (or six for Weblog of the Year) receiving the most votes became finalists. I (Nikolai Nolan) only voted for the panel in the case of a tie for fifth place. This panel was on an opt-in policy.
On Sunday, January 22, the finalists were announced and voting is open again to choose the winners."
So, what that means is that now you loyal keepers of secrets can go and vote for EAR FARM as the "Best-Kept-Secret Weblog" by clicking HERE. You have until 10:00 PM EST on Tuesday, January 31 and the winners of the 2006 Bloggies will be announced at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival on Monday, March 13 at 12:30 PM.
Who is EAR FARM up against?
These four other great best-kept-secrets:
Golfwidow's Ministry of Silly Walks
Come To Find Out...
The Man Who Couldn't Blog
Needcoffee.com
Thanks again to everyone who reads this site and to those who nominated it for this award.
21 January 2006
Weekend Live Music
The Cure Live @ "Rock Werchter", Belgium, 5 July 1981
(photo, from another show in 1981, from here)
1. "The Holy Hour"
2. "In Your House"
3. "The Drowning Man"
4. "10:15 Saturday Night"
5. "Accuracy"
6. "The Funeral Party"
7. "M"
8. "Primary"
9. "Other Voices"
10. "All Cats Are Grey"
11. "Fire in Cairo"
12. "Play For Today"
13. "A Forest"
Past EAR FARM Weekend Live Music has included live songs/sets by Sublime, Spoon, Ween, The Unicorns, My Bloody Valentine, New Order, Sufjan Stevens, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sonic Youth, Explosions in the Sky, The Smiths, Morphine, Talking Heads, and The Stone Roses.
20 January 2006
Split Over Drapes
In the endless quest for good new music sometimes you just get lucky. Sometimes you stumble upon the right band at the right time, sometimes they find you. When this happens, and the band is a less well-known local one that fits snugly into your personal taste in music, well, that's like magic.
I present for your listening pleasure:
Split Over Drapes
They're from Brooklyn and found EAR FARM on MySpace. I was going to write about them soon after they first messaged me but their singer/piano/guitarist Derrick said he was going to send me a disc of newly recorded material so I decided to wait.
I've been listening to the four song EP he sent a bunch today and I really like it so far. The production is top notch (produced by Chris Zane who also has done stuff for Calla and The Cloud Room) and the songwriting is right up my alley. It's listless but with purpose. The things that generally grab my attention right away are all here: interesting arrangements and choices, lyrics/vocals I like, and a well defined sound of their own. These songs are full of wandering melancholy and play out as a soundtrack to being content with cold gray skies. Yes, that's my kind of music. Remember, my favorite band ever is The Smiths and my favorite current one is British Sea Power...not to say these guys sound like either of those bands, but they do fit nicely somewhere in between. Split Over Drapes just might help bring balance to an indie world overflowing with Scientists and Morningwoods.
Listen:
"Do You Know Where You Are"
"Forever Stay"
See them live:
23 February 2006 - 8:00pm @ Fat Baby in NYC
Visit Split Over Drapes on MySpace to listen to more of their songs.
Die Romantik w/ Odawas, Alex Delivery, and My Best Fiend @ The Syrup Room
Die Romantik* is playing tomorrow night! Hooray!
It's just a bonus that they're also playing with Odawas, Alex Delivery, and My Best Fiend (who just got a shout on Oh My Rockness as a 'Band We Like').
This all sounds way excellent doesn't it?
When?
9:00pm Saturday the 21st of January 2006
Where?
The Syrup Room
100 Ingraham Street
Brooklyn, NY
Train: L to Morgan
*Die Romantik was previously featured on EAR FARM HERE and HERE.
Do it.
The Light Footwork listening party...buy a CD, get a drink!
Attention residents of New York City:
The Light Footwork is having a listening party for their recently released album One State Two State, which you may remember was ranked as the #7 album released in 2005 by this site.
Details will follow.
When?
Tuesday, 24th of January 2006
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Where?
Scenic
25 Ave B, New York, NY 10009
(btwn 2nd & 3rd)
Why?
Because this is seriously one of the best records you'll hear. Last year OR this year. Also, the band told me "We'll have a box of CDs. Special deal: Come buy a CD and we'll buy you a beer."
EAR FARM will tell you about this again as the day nears and yes, I'll be there because this band makes amazing music.
19 January 2006
8+
"Post Plethoric Rhetoric" by Wilderness which clocks in at 8:11
Wilderness has been a very polarizing band so far. Mike and Jesse reviewed their show @ Bowery and hated them (as did Bradley and a bunch of other people) yet their album has been getting pretty good reviews. Personally, I really like their album but fear that the band may be taking a few too many pages from the book of PiL. Regardless, this track is a heavy dose of whatever it is people love/hate about Wilderness. It is booming drums, cutting guitars, and screaming rants that whirl around like eddy currents; ebbing and flowing as the track progresses. It's the heart of the album it comes from (buy it HERE) and a fine example of a band whose sound you'll either love or hate.
EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
British Sea Power - "Lately"
Islands - "Swans"
Isolée - "Pillowtalk"
Animal Collective - "Banshee Beat"
Kelley Stoltz
Kelley Stoltz has a new album coming out on Sub Pop on the 7th of February, 2006. It's called Below the Branches and you can pre-order it HERE.
His bio from AllMusic:
"Kelley Stoltz grew up in the Detroit area, but soon found his way to San Francisco. Armed with a four-track recorder and tons of great ideas, Stoltz began recording his songs, performing all the parts himself. These songs caught the ear of Monte Vallier, who helped Stoltz clean up and sweeten the recordings for release as The Past Was Faster on The Telegraph Company. After that, Stoltz upgraded to an eight-track and self-released Antique Glow in a limited edition of 200 on vinyl, each copy housed in a different, originally designed sleeve by Stoltz. Antique Glow was then picked up by Jackpine Social Club for wider release in 2003, which both raised his profile and allowed him to quit his teaching job. He then moved to Sub Pop, releasing the Sun Comes Through EP in late 2005 in anticipation of another full-length in early 2006."
Listen to two songs from the new album:
"Memory Collector"
"The Sun Comes Through"
It's amasing that this music is all the work of one man, stop avoiding this guy! Also...you do know about Kelley's album Crockodials don't you? Well you should. About it he says, "My version of an all-time personal favorite, 'Crocodiles' by Echo & the Bunnymen. I recorded it the last week of 2001 - playing all the instruments myself and mostly from memory... I had air-drummed and air-guitar/lip-synced long enough."
Listen to two tracks from that record:
"Villiers Terrace"
"Rescue"
I want my MTV
Much respect to m3 online* edition:
- Okkervil River - "For Real"
- Animal Collective - "Leaf House"
- Living Things - "Bom Bom Bom"
- The Boy Least Likely To - "Be Gentle With Me"
* all of these were pulled from m3 online's massive Top 65 Music Videos of 2005 post. serious, go there and enjoy.
Placebo - new songs and chance to be in a music video
A few different sites have one or the other of these tracks available but I didn't see any with both, so...since EAR FARM likes Placebo here we go.
Both of these tracks are off of Placebo's new album due out in March (which may or may not be called Meds).
The first, "Because I Want You" is to be the first single released in the UK off of the new album. It's what you might expect to hear from this band, which isn't a bad thing if you're a fan. Want to be in a video for this song?
Here’s what to do (From the news section on their site):
"Turn up at KOKO (1a Camden Road, London NW1 OJH) on Tuesday 24th January at 6.30pm PROMPT. Doors will close at 7.30pm! Placebo will be shooting the video for the new single ‘Because I Want You’.
Please note the following important points:
- By turning up at the venue (inside or outside) you are consenting to be filmed and agreeing to the use of your image in the video. You must be over 16 years old and ID may be required to enter the venue.
- There are limited numbers so turning up does not guarantee entry (if we are over-subscribed). Admittance will be on a first come first served basis. (PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT IF TRAVELLING FROM AFAR)
- We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone.
- No video cameras, cameras etc...
- Please be prompt! Doors will close at 7.30pm. Filming
will continue until approximately 10pm.
- You never know, Placebo may perform a couple of extra tracks for you….."
The second song is called "Broken Promise" and features Michael Stipe. As best I can tell this song is also to be on the new album. Enjoy."Because I Want You" (found HERE)"Broken Promise" (found HERE)
18 January 2006
Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #15
Dog Man Star by Suede
I've mentioned before on this site how I happened to find out about Suede for the very first time. I was a major Smiths fan in search of the next Smiths. Suede was labeled as such and their glam rock androgeny only helped fuel my interest in the band. Much like The Smiths, Suede released a handful of successful (in the UK) singles off of a classic debut album and thus established their lead guitar/vocalist song writing duo as the next best since Morrissey/Marr. Dog Man Star was Suede's ambitious follow up album that simultaneously proved that they should be taken very seriously and ended up breaking apart the outstanding song writing duo which formed the core of the band.
My personal experience with this album is rather extensive. Aside from listening to it over and over (and over) I got to see the band live twice in support of Dog Man Star (which is quite a feat given that I lived in Raleigh, NC at the time). The first time I got to see them was at the Masquerade in Atlanta on the 24th of February, 1995. They were my favorite active band at the time so you can imagine I was a bit excited for the show. Turns out it wasn't even sold out and I got to stand pretty close to the stage in that small venue. Then, after the show was over, it was announced that you could go backstage and MEET THE BAND if you purchased a copy of Dog Man Star at the merchandise table. I bought a(nother) copy of this album and got to hang out backstage with Suede for ten minutes or so. They were eating pizza and drinking Red Stripes, very friendly and talkative, and I got autographs from everyone in the band. But that wasn't the only chance I was to have to see them live in 1995. It also happened that I was visiting London at the same time as their scheduled concert at The Royal Albert Hall on the 21st of May. I got tickets to this concert as well and was amazed to see the difference in atmosphere and crowd response. This show was a large venue concert extraordinaire: the tickets were sold out, the crowd was singing along, and there was even a laser light show. Throughout both of these vastly different/equally outstanding shows, Dog Man Star provided the framework for everything.
AllMusic says:
"Instead of following though on the Bowie-esque glam stomps of their debut, Suede concentrated on their darker, more melodramatic tendencies on their ambitious second album, Dog Man Star. By all accounts, the recording of Dog Man Star was plagued with difficulties -- Brett Anderson wrote the lyrics in a druggy haze while sequestered in a secluded Victorian mansion, while Bernard Butler left before the album was completed -- which makes its singular vision all the more remarkable. Lacking any rocker on the level of "The Drowners" or "Metal Mickey" -- only the crunching "This Hollywood Life" comes close -- Dog Man Star is a self-indulgent and pretentious album of dark, string-drenched epics. But Suede are one of the few bands who wear pretensions well, and after a few listens, the album becomes thoroughly compelling. Nearly every song on the record is hazy, feverish, and heartbroken, and even the rockers have an insular, paranoid tenor that heightens the album's melancholy. The whole record would have collapsed underneath its own intentions if Butler's compositional skills weren't so subtly nuanced and if Anderson's grandiose poetry wasn't so strangely affecting. As it stands, Dog Man Star is a strangely seductive record, filled with remarkable musical peaks, from the Bowie-esque stomp of "New Generation" to the stately ballads "The Wild Ones" and "Still Life," which are both reminiscent of Scott Walker. And while Suede may choose to wear their influences on their sleeve, they synthesize them in a totally original way, making Dog Man Star a singularly tragic and romantic album."Update: I just found a good article on Stylus from 2003. For further Dog Man Star related reading click HERE.
Listen:
"We Are The Pigs""The Wild Ones""New Generation"
#1 - Saturnalia by The Wedding Present
#2 - The Inevitable by Squirrel Nut Zippers
#3 - This is Our Music by Galaxie 500
#4 - Dusk by The The
#5 - Fantasma by Cornelius
#6 - New Wave by The Auteurs
#7 - I, Jonathan by Jonathan Richman
#8 - Futureworld by Trans Am
#9 - Harmacy by Sebadoh
#10 - Cure For Pain by Morphine
#11 - God Fodder by Ned's Atomic Dustbin
#12 - Seven by James
#13 - Why Do Birds Sing? by Violent Femmes
#14 - Blank-Wave Arcade by The Faint
if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list
Another site does their own "Overlooked of the 90's":
Top 30 'Other' Albums of the '90s
Apse
Wow. Big thanks go out to Jason for suggesting EAR FARM check out Apse when he entered EF's 2nd CYHSY ticket contest. I'm amazed at what I've heard so far.
Apse makes music equally gorgeous and haunting. Ominous post-rock with a sense of wonder that reminds me of (at times) The Beta Band, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and My Bloody Valentine. But that's only what MY ears hear. This band is making songs that evolve within themselves - yes, post-rock and yes, there are vocals. Yet their vocal tracks are not pushed to the front but rather allowed to exist in the mix just like every other instrument. You want me to create a genre for them? Fine. Post-rock industrial shoegaze-pop. Does that make sense? Just go listen.
Listen:
"Keep"
"Marrer"
Visit Apse on MySpace HERE
Upcoming shows:
4 Feb - Pussycat Lounge, NYC
5 Feb - BAR, New Haven, CT
10 Mar - Art@Sophi/The Compound, Philadelphia, PA
11 Mar - Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA
Q magazine readers vote for their top 100 albums of all time
The top 20:
1 Radiohead OK Computer
2 Radiohead The Bends
3 Nirvana Nevermind
4 Beatles, The Revolver
5 Oasis Definitely Maybe
6 Stone Roses, The The Stone Roses
7 R.E.M. Automatic For The People
8 Oasis (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
9 U2 Achtung Baby
10 Radiohead Kid A
11 U2 The Joshua Tree
12 Smiths, The The Queen Is Dead
13 Buckley, Jeff Grace
14 Beatles, The Abbey Road
15 Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon
16 Verve, The Urban Hymns
17 Beatles, The The Beatles (White Album)
18 Beach Boys, The Pet Sounds
19 Beatles, The Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
20 Clash, The London Calling 1979
see the rest of the list HERE
17 January 2006
Pretty Girls Make Graves news / new track
Pretty Girls Make Graves is one of my favorite US bands. A few days ago I noticed a couple of sites posted a new track of theirs. "Yesyesyes," I muttered and then promptly forgot to post about this news on my own site.
Pretty Girls Make Graves recently redesigned their site and have a new album coming out on April 11th, 2006 called Élan Vital. You can hear a song from it below. Enjoy.
Listen:
Pretty Girls Make Graves - "The Nocturnal House"
Currently, you can see them live if you reside 'down under':
Feb. 25th Melbourne @ Spanish Club
Feb. 27th Perth @ The Rosemount
Mar. 1st Adelaide @ Jive
Mar 2nd Brisbane @ The Zoo
Mar 3rd Sydney @ Gaelic Club
Mar 5th Sydney @ Laneway Festival
OPP
Aquarium Drunkard has a post about the Brokeback Mtn. Score
Copy, Right? has some great live cover songs posted like Yeah Yeah Yeahs doing Bjork's "Hyperballad" and The Jesus and Mary Chain doing "My Girl"
Stereogum posted two new Gnarls Barkley tracks
Coolfer talks about tonight's Love Monkey premiere
Live Music Blog posts about the Sundance debut of Stewart Copeland's film about his old band as well as Les Claypool's film
Muzzle of Bees interviews Addie who does Relapse
My Old Kentucky Blog posts about new Man Man
The Perm & The Skullet posted about The Twin Atlas
Heartonastick blogs the Golden Globes
Cloud Cult
Sometimes you just miss out on a good band, that manymuch people already know about, when they come to town. Or well, sometimes I do at least. Brooklyn Vegan posted a write up about Cloud Cult in September last year and I just must've ignored it. Just like I must have ignored any other writings I saw about them (such as this My Old Kentucky Blog post about them from May of last year). But then it's never to late to get into good music, right?
Thankfully, Farrah entered EF's 2nd CYHSY ticket contest and told me to check out Cloud Cult because I like what I'm hearing. "Duh," you're saying to yourself, "they're like huge." Well...
Marc at Pitchfork said:
"I'm often captivated by bands that find quirky beauty in modest everyday moments. Cloud Cult do this, too, particularly on last year's Aurora Borealis, but here they more often aim for lofty apotheosis: for The Moon and Antarctica, Odelay, or the Radiohead masterpiece of your choice. Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus is utterly over the top, starting with its title and ridiculous cover art (see also: the name "Cloud Cult"), and those hard souls who don't like it will find it easy to mock. The rest of us will find our crusty, professionally cynical veneers crumbling. Over an intimidatingly vast 25 tracks melding folk, electronics, Arcade Fire emo, and quasi-hippie hoobajoo, Cloud Cult gird their ambition with solid tunes."
That's right, Pitchfork gave Cloud Cult's album Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus an 8.3 - perhaps proof that Pitchfork is not as narcissistically irrelevant as I previously had thought. Maybe I should start paying more attention to their reviews again? Whatever, on with the songs I say.
Listen:
"Living on the Outside of Your Skin"
"Car Crash"
You can purchase Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus HERE
Check out their upcoming tour dates HERE
Today's NEW releases
This week is WEAK. I can't find a damn thing worth buying. Anyone else feel differently?
16 January 2006
Austin City Limits spring schedule
Austin City Limits recently turned 31 and the Spring season just got under way. Here's the lineup - definitely some great stuff coming up:
Blues Traveler followed by Café Tacuba January 14, 2006
New! Season 31
Ryan Adams followed by Tift Merritt January 21, 2006
New! Season 31
Widespread Panic January 28, 2006
New! Season 31
Gretchen Wilson followed by Miranda Lambert February 4, 2006
New! Season 31
Death Cab for Cutie followed by My Morning Jacket February 11, 2006
New! Season 31
John Fogerty February 18, 2006
Encore from Season 30
Sheryl Crow February 25, 2006
Encore from Season 30
The Polyphonic Spree & Ozomatli March 4, 2006
Encore from Season 30
UPDATE
Wilco followed by Bright Eyes March 11, 2006
Encore from Season 30
Modest Mouse & Guided By Voices March 18, 2006
Encore from Season 30
Damien Rice March 25, 2006
Encore from Season 30
The Flaming Lips & The Shins April 1, 2006
Encore from Season 30
Trey Anastasio April 8, 2006
Encore from Season 30
Jack Johnson followed by Rilo Kiley April 15, 2006
Encore from Season 31
Alison Krauss and Union Station followed by Kathleen Edwards April 22, 2006
Encore from Season 31
Etta James April 29, 2006
Encore from Season 31
Ben Folds followed by Ray LaMontagne May 6, 2006
Encore from Season 31
The Killers followed by Spoon May 13, 2006
Encore from Season 31
John Prine followed by Amos Lee May 20, 2006
Encore from Season 31
Franz Ferdinand followed by What Made Milwaukee Famous May 27, 2006
Encore from Season 31
These dates and the times they're shown may vary so check your local listings.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day and the "I have a dream" speech
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'"
I'm not at work today, are you? Whether you are or are not, whether you live in the US or someplace else, I suggest taking seventeen minutes out of your day and listening to one of the most important moments in recent American history. As a society (both here in the US and abroad) the struggle for equality and freedom carries on. Today is a great time to reflect on how far our nation/planet has come and how far we still have to go.
Listen to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech HERE (you'll need RealPlayer). Read the entire speech HERE.
Belle and Sebastian releases new single "Funny Little Frog"
"The new Belle and Sebastian single, "Funny Little Frog", is kind of released on January 16th. As previously announced, it's available on CD, DVD and 7", as well as to download from most reputable download stores. In case you need reminding, you can buy all three formats for £5 from HERE, or from your normal high street shops."
I want my MTV
Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new website edition (for real, go check out their new site):
15 January 2006
Strip Squad
EAR FARM usually takes Sundays off, usually. But I couldn't resist posting about these guys.
From the info page on their site:
"Strip Squad consists of five young people from Sweden. The band was founded in the end of 2003 when we found out that we had a common interest – we all love adventures in the djungle. We belive that popular culture needs a seriousness towards frivolousness and vice versa. This is something that we try to incorperate into our music, even though we usually fail miserably."
They don't fail at making carefree and catchy electro pop that's part Belle and Sebastian and part Looper (sorry I think I have B&S on the brain because they have a new single coming out tomorrow). With fun lyrics, smart melodies, and some really cute female band members this band is sure to find some more fans pretty quickly. I like, you like, so let's listen to them.
Listen:
"Unreliable Narrator"
"Down and Out and Away"
"If You Don't Take Me Right Away You Might as Well Fuck Off!"
Now you should go and buy their debut album. Need another reason to do so? Look at this:
"For every sold album we will give 0,5€ to the Inti Wara Yassi Wildlife Refugee, a volounteer based organisation in Bolivia which helps illegaly captured animals back to a life in the free."
I'd like to thank Strip Squad for making music that has made me smile and tap my foot. I'd also like to thank Addie for introducing me to them via her hott site Relapse. That's right, hott. One "t" hotter than regular old hot, so go check out her site.
