8+

“Memorial" by Explosions In The Sky which clocks in at 8:50

One note. Two notes. Dissonance and then guitar. Small ripples. A proper instrumental 8+ should have movements. The song should ebb and flow while it evolves, slowly drawing you in one measure at a time and teasing you with a taste of goodness about halfway through. The second half of the song should open up and give you everything the first half promised and more. By the end of a proper instrumental 8+ you should feel rather musically (and/or emotionally) satisfied, or dissatisfied...depending on the song. All in all, a good proper instrumental should fit perfectly within the album it is from. Should, perhaps, even be a microcosm of the album that has movements and sentiments mirroring those that exist within the album as a whole. I know this because "Memorial" taught me so. This song moves likes a wave, slowly building momentum and strength before finally cresting at 8+ feet high and then crashing down upon the shore.

Shit, can I rewrite that? No, I don't have time. Look, since I'm in San Antonio for the week, I wanted to feature a song by a band from Texas. Explosions in the Sky is from Texas. I love to listen to "Memorial" with headphones on. The guitar work climbs inside of your mind offering multiple build-ups and payoffs within a single song. Wait, what am I talking about? The nuances and complexities of the song are best left to the ears, not the eyes. It's that simple.

Buy The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place HERE on Amazon.

**pictured is a sketch of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. groundbreaking is set for November 13, 2006. no, this song doesn't have anything to do with this particular memorial, I just wanted to take this chance to link to it**

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"
The Wedding Present - "Interstate 5"
Sleater-Kinney - "Let's Call It Love"
My Morning Jacket - "Dondante"
Wilco - "Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
Isis - "From Sinking"
Lemon Jelly - "A Tune For Jack"
Herbie Hancock - "Sly"
New Order - "Temptation"
Polvo - "El Rocio"
Pulp - "Countdown"
Morrissey - "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils"
Dungen - "Du är för fin för mig"
Loose Fur - "Wreckroom"
The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"
Destroyer - "Rubies"
Neu! - "Fuer Immer (forever)"
Iggy Pop - "Mass Production"
The Cure - "Fascination Street" (Extended Mix)
Yo La Tengo - "Let's Be Still"
George Michael - "I Want Your Sex, Pts. 1 &2"
Digital Underground - "Doowutchyalike"
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "1% Of One"
Big Brother & the Holding Company - "Ball And Chain"
The Stone Roses - "I Am The Resurrection"
DJ Shadow - "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - “Cowgirl in the Sand”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Sir Psycho Sexy”
Newcleus - “Jam On It”
Aarktica - “Song For A Free Williamsburg”
Bob Marley & The Wailers - “Exodus” (1984 12" Mix)
Charalambides - “Two Birds"

M. Ward

I first heard M. Ward a while ago but didn't take note until I saw him on Austin City Limits alongside Bright Eyes and Jim James (which was, also, a while ago). At that moment I thought "heck, this guy might be a better songwriter than the other two guys". In case you don't realize it, that's a pretty amazing notion. The other two are two of the best American indie folk/rock songwriters of the past twenty years. M. Ward belongs right there with them. Of course, his career thus far has been such that you probably have already heard of him, if not listened to his music, but his new album, Post-War, was just released and so far it's gotten mostly excellent reviews. Sounds like a perfect moment to spread the word.

If you've never properly given M. Ward a chance, do so now. His music is personal and beautiful; this song, "To Go Home", (a sentiment I can relate to...and a great cover of a Daniel Johnston song) - boisterous and full of life. While you listen to his music, for many of M. Ward's songs I've heard, I liken the feeling you'll have inside to that of feeling all warm and wonderful when you drink hot chocolate (or tea) sitting inside next to a fire on a cold winter night. That's not to say this isn't perfect warm weather music too. Any time is a good time for M. Ward and right now, the perfect time for this song.

Listen:
"To Go Home" (via Chromewaves)

Visit M. Ward on MySpace.

See M. Ward live.

OPP

Stereogum shows us where we can make our own concert tickets

Productshop tips us off to the lineup for this year's New Yorker Festival

Bradley's Almanac has Ted Leo live in Cambridge

Heart on a stick posted an email from Gregg from Girl Talk - a response to a review of the Girl Talk show at Mercury

Adina takes back "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan over at Ruined Music

Sean over at Said the Gramophone writes about "Temptation" by New Order and "Spirit on the Water" by Bob Dylan

Sugartown leads us to some YouTube of Morrissey & Marr on "Charlie's Bus" and on a show called "Datarunners"

Beg Yr Pardon #7

Beg Yr Pardon #7 - tonight @ The Delancey

Featuring:

• 8 - Gold Streets
• 9 - Western Civ
• 10 - The Secret Life of Sofia
• 11 - A Place To Bury Strangers

I Want my MTV

20 cameras, 20 fans. Multi-camera video shoot/music video for "The Number" by Pretty Girls Make Graves:



Thanks to Anne for the heads up on this. Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

Gold Streets

Gold Streets is playing tonight in NYC at Beg Yr Pardon #7. I wish I could be there, it's an excellent lineup and I'd love to check these guys out. They've got a sound that's like an amalgam of bands I love from the early '90s but I can't quite put my finger on any one or two bands that would give you a really good idea of what to expect from Gold Streets. I hear some influence from The Cure and Cocteau Twins but their sound is completely their own. Some bands I'm able to say "they sound like X and Y" but Gold Streets just sound familiar. Like, their sound is theirs and yet is seemingly something you've always been listening to. It's a fascinating niche of groovy bass, spaced out rock, and split male/female vocals which this band inhabits and I like everything I've heard from them so far. If you live in NYC, go see them tonight and report back.

Listen:
"Red"
"Right Now"

Visit Gold Streets on MySpace.

Read an interview with Gold Streets HERE.

Contrast Podcast #22

Another new Contrast Podcast! Theme for Contrast Podcast #22 is 'Poolside’. Shoot, wish I was...

You can download it HERE.

Today's NEW releases

Wouldn't it be nice:

• The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary
• Birdmonster - No Midnight
• Bob Dylan - Modern Times
• The Grates - Gravity Won't Get You High
• M. Ward - Post-War
• The Roots - Game Theory
• Stereolab - Serene Velocity: A Stereolab Anthology

What else?

EAR FARM checks in with the Elbo.ws top 10

I'm out of town in San Antonio for work all week. Therefore, things might be a bit different around EAR FARM this week. Who knows...remains to be seen. If things falls behind, keep checking back as I plan to continue with everything in a normal manner. If, for some reason, that's not possible, regular EF will resume Saturday September 2nd. Anyway, let's get on with today's (Elbo.ws) countdown conundrum.


Elbo.ws top 10 'hot' artists - 28 August 2006 @ 9am EST

Snowden - These guys are from Atlanta, right? I don't really know them (though I remember them coming to NYC), don't yet have their album that just came out, but I think "Anti-Anti" sounds pretty good. Nothing as impressive as music by the bands they've played with (such as The Unicorns, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Arcade Fire) but worth a listen no less.

Listen: "Anti-Anti" (via Bon Ton)

The Mountain Goats - More than a few people with excellent taste in music have said this new album from John Darnielle is more than worth buying. But come on, more than a few musicians with excellent songwriting skills have written broken heart albums. Do we need another? We do? Okay, well I'm not ready to listen to it just yet.

Listen: "New Monster Avenue" (via Harmonium)

The Lemonheads - Watch out! What's that pointless music I hear? It's aged shit coming at you with a new album this September! Let me tell you how I REALLY feel. I hate The Lemonheads. Always have, always will. At least, I'll continue to hate them as long as they write shit-awfully bland "alterna" rock for eunuchs. Fuck them. This time not even a barely above average Simon & Garfunkel cover will make me listen to them.

Listen: "No Backbone" (via Chromewaves)

Annuals - What can I say? They're from my hometown, I already posted about them a while back, and I'm looking forward to being DJ at the Friction show they're playing in NYC in September. Yes yes a thousand times YES!

Listen: "Dry Clothes" (via Ace Fu)

Mew - A math problem for you: JJ72 + Coldplay = x. What is "x"?

Listen: "Comforting Sounds" (via Culture Bully)

DJ NeverForget - I don't know this DJ (do I?) but this here mix isn't half bad...timely too considering it's Monday and all.

Listen: Going To Work Mix (via Nothing But Green Lights)

The Thermals - Good Pitchfork reviews launch careers. Can't say I believe in the potential/goodness of this band as much as they do... Hmm, maybe that's why they didn't react favorably to my review submission a few years ago. Yes, let's pretend that's what it was.

Listen: "A Pillar Of Salt" (via Muzzle of Bees)

Cursive - Because I fell in love with The Faint such a long time ago, for some silly reason, I never listened to other Saddle Creek bands like Bright Eyes or Cursive. I'm talking about back in...like...1999. It was as if I'd allow only one Saddle Creek band to blow my mind at a time. Years later I finally gave in and started listening to Bright Eyes and with this new Cursive record I think it's about time for me to be listening to them too. "Dorothy At Forty" is one heck of a song.

Listen:
"Dorothy At Forty" (via Can You See The Sunset From The Southside?)

Ratatat - Let's review (rerun alert): You won't find me saying they're the best thing going in terms of dancey tunes but I will tell you they scratch this very particular itch of mine. That is, I REALLY think the song posted below sounds like it should've been the end credit song for a late '80s Konami game called Wildcatslevania. Check it out right around the 1:55 mark, that's the exact moment when you say to yourself "okay, I beat the game, can I just hit start and skip the rest of these credits or should I wait in case there's some cheat, or code, at the end...? Oh snap! The music just got way groovy! I think I'll wait and rock out a bit..."

Listen: "Wildcat" (via The Camera As Pen)

Tv on the Radio - I loved, LOVED, Tv on the Radio's debut EP. Then Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes left me wondering how much longer the band was going to be able to hold my interest. Well they killed all that noise real quick. The new album kicks as much ass as you've heard and is an early candidate for album of the year in more than one list I'll betcha. "Wolf Like Me" is a good taste, so listen and then buy the album when it is finally released Stateside.

Listen:
"Wolf Like Me" (via Thepunkguy)

Folgers - Happy Morning!

Here's a genius commercial for Folgers. It was directed by Steve Ayson as a part of the Folgers Tolerate Mornings campaign. I just saw this spot for the first time last week but MAN do I ever love it. The concept, the song, the execution - all fall right in line with my sense of humor and everything else. Dig that pennywhistle and the art direction in the video and...well, everything. I think I'm going to set my alarm to have this play every morning. Insane? Funny at least. Below is a YouTube of it, a Quicktime, and an MP3.



Download the quicktime of it HERE.

Listen:
Happy Morning!

snip·pets

Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny to be released Nov. 17

Songwriter John Darnielle on the struggle to make his latest album

Hear the songs that haunt DMX

You can create Beck's new album cover

Wired on Nettwerk Music Group

Bob Dylan calls the quality of modern music recordings "atrocious"

Sir Elton plans hip-hop album

Weekend Live Music

The Fall live @ The Forum, London, 11 October 1996
(ticket photo from HERE)

1. "Intro"
2. "10 Houses Of Eve"
3. "Spinetrak"
4. "Powderkeg"
5. "Cheetham Hill"
6. "The Mixer"
7. "Oleano"
8. "M5"
9. "He Pep"
10. "The Chiselers"
11. "Hurricane Edward"
12. "Behind The Counter"
13. "Das Vultur Ans Ein Nutter-Wain"
14. "US 80s-90s"
15. "Don't Call Me Darling"
16. "The Joke"

lineup:
Mark E. Smith - vocals; Brix Smith - guitar, vocals; Steve Hanley - bass; Julia Nagle - keyboards, guitar; Simon Wolstencroft - drums; Karl Burns - drums. This was Brix's final Fall gig.

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, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Pulp, The Decemberists, Blur, Nine Inch Nails, Johnny Cash, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Led Zeppelin, Islands, Echo and the Bunnymen, Morrissey, The Durutti Column, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Giant Drag, Tool, Polvo, Mazzy Star, Meat Puppets, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Nouvelle Vague, Built To Spill, Thelonious Monk Quartet, Liars, Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Unicorns, Madonna, The Feelies, and Ryan Adams.

Each week one of these live shows will be removed to make room on the server. Get them while you can.

Brian Michael Roff and the Deer

Alright already, sheesh. Two posts that relate to my job and people are all up in arms. "Where's the new music?!" they demand. Here it is, and it's goood so you can cool your 'jetsons' out there you angry mob of EAR FARMers.

Months ago (yes months) I planned to feature Brian Michael Roff's music on EAR FARM. I had it all planned out with how things would fit together in the EF Monthly Mix and everything. What happened? One thing led to another and I never got around to it. Luckily he sent me a CD of his stuff to check out back then and I recently rediscovered it. Fans of American folk-rock will be happy I did. Happy I said.

Brian Michael Roff is a musician/artist from Massachusetts who's got one foot planted firmly in the world of lo-fi indie rock and the other in the realm of Americana, or folk-rock, as I just mentioned. Alongside banjos and harmonicas you'll hear a love of simple experimentation and honesty in this music. Jeff Tweedy? Lou Barlow? John Darnielle? Sounds to me like these guys have been influences...listen to the songs posted below and you'll hear what I mean. Not to sound too greeting card-y but Roff's songs are the sound of waking up and going for a walk in dewy grass, of sitting on your deck with friends and the perfect drink needing no conversation to make everything just right. If you live in the US, it's quite possibly the kind of life-soundtrack you hoped would someday find you. In fact, if I were you, I'd plan a roadtrip for Labor Day weekend and make sure you BUY plenty of Brian Michael Roff's music to guide you along your way.

Listen:
"I Would Work If I Could"
"New North"

Visit Brian Michael Roff on MySpace.

Read an interview with Brian Michael Roff HERE.

DAM TV - "Miss I Don't Know How to View a Rough Cut Lady" and more

The below songs were done by some guys over at Discovery Advertising and Marketing TV for an internal presentation meeting at Discovery. I first heard "Miss I Don't Know How to View a Rough Cut Lady" months ago via one of my coworkers and I'd forgotten about it until a friend reminded me two days ago. That's when I learned there were five more songs from the DAM TV guys. Some of these are fairly industry-specific so for those in film/video production "Miss I Don't Know How to View a Rough Cut Lady", "Mr. Cutting a Promo for a Lame Show Guy", and "Mr. Impossible Promo Approval Guy" are spot on. But hey, there's something here for everyone else too - I ran into "Miss Small Talk in the Elevator Girl" just this morning. Man, I love the backup singer in these. Anyway, enjoy.

Listen:

• "Miss I Don't Know How to View a Rough Cut Lady"
• "Mr. Waiting For the Conference Room Man"
• "Mr. Asking Us To Think Outside the Box Guy"
• "Mr. Cutting a Promo for a Lame Show Guy"
• "Mr. Impossible Promo Approval Guy"
• "Miss Small Talk in the Elevator Girl"

These tracks were all found HERE.

8+

“Two Birds” by Charalambides which clocks in at 12:40

For as much as I enjoy writing about music that I love and how it has impacted, or taken part in, my life, I don't generally like to use EAR FARM as a personal journal. That is, I don't mean to use this website as a forum by which I can vent and discuss my current life goings on, but rather I aim for EAR FARM to be 100% about music. Of course, a statement like that can only mean one thing - I'm about to go ahead and vent about life things. The ol' set 'em up and knock 'em down or something. No, that's not it. Whatever it is, I'm not really going to do that. No, not really. This is rather about me and a song, same as it always is.

August is the busiest time of the year for me at my job. There's this big client, big project, every year and it all hits the fan in August thus ruining the entire month. That's the fact Jack. Every year I know it's coming and each year there's this amnesia that has settled in and makes the realization of August hell (my term invented for the purpose of this entry) particularly rough. Every year. Same thing. I'm talking week after week of working 6-7 days a week, 15-20+ hours each day. Inhumane? Yes. But don't cry for me Internetina, the truth is I'm just trying to set the scene.

So there I was yesterday, working. Having worked from 9am-2am the day before I was a bit...exhausted. Beat up and drained. Still, there was much work to be done and I was to receive client feedback. Extra joy. When the feedback finally came in around 5pm I learned (shocker) that I was going to have a bunch of revisions to do, meaning more and more late nights. Again, this is rather normal during August hell. Not enjoyable, but normal. Still, for some reason the day...the month thus far...came close to breaking me yesterday. Simple fatigue and overload, for sure, but there I was leaving work in bad shape. I needed music (of course).

On the way home I went for a (one of my) standard frustration rock song(s): Metallica - "Battery". The song is like a shot of adrenaline, or instant steroids or something. In no time I was cruising through the streets rocking out with some bad ass heavy metal and ready to take on the world. It was just enough to get me home in one piece.

That's not to say I fell apart when I got home. No, I'm not here to tell you I came home and beat holes in my wall or cried myself to sleep because this isn't about me and my life (and those things aren't the truth, not really). It's about MUSIC and my life. It's about this song, “Two Birds” by Charalambides, that has really been there for me a ton ever since I first bought the EP A Vintage Burden back in May.

“Two Birds” is a God-send and the EP a quiet revelation. Revolution? No, songs like these have appeared elsewhere but still, thank heavens for Charalambides. This song is a Zen inducing lullaby meant just for you to listen to as you glide through the clouds at night. It reminds me of certain songs by The Durutti Column that feature Eley Rudge on vocals...reminds me of love and life...and death...and everything. And so much more. It is a quiet greatness that slowly evolves into a mellow existential jam like Neil Young would've envisioned in the early '70s if he had been a member of Neu!. You'll hear that same hopeful sadness, same gripping beauty that begs relaxation. That begs you to escape within yourself, within the song, if only for twelve minutes.
--
To relax and unwind when I got home last night, after dinner, I fixed myself a bourbon and prepared this song. Just me, my iPod, some nice headphones, and an amazing song...same as it always is.

Buy A Vintage Burden HERE on Amazon.

(picture from 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"
The Wedding Present - "Interstate 5"
Sleater-Kinney - "Let's Call It Love"
My Morning Jacket - "Dondante"
Wilco - "Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
Isis - "From Sinking"
Lemon Jelly - "A Tune For Jack"
Herbie Hancock - "Sly"
New Order - "Temptation"
Polvo - "El Rocio"
Pulp - "Countdown"
Morrissey - "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils"
Dungen - "Du är för fin för mig"
Loose Fur - "Wreckroom"
The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"
Destroyer - "Rubies"
Neu! - "Fuer Immer (forever)"
Iggy Pop - "Mass Production"
The Cure - "Fascination Street" (Extended Mix)
Yo La Tengo - "Let's Be Still"
George Michael - "I Want Your Sex, Pts. 1 &2"
Digital Underground - "Doowutchyalike"
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "1% Of One"
Big Brother & the Holding Company - "Ball And Chain"
The Stone Roses - "I Am The Resurrection"
DJ Shadow - "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - “Cowgirl in the Sand”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Sir Psycho Sexy”
Newcleus - “Jam On It”
Aarktica - “Song For A Free Williamsburg”
Bob Marley & The Wailers - “Exodus” (1984 12" Mix)

The Rosebuds - new song!

Thanks to Mark over at The Oak Room I was made aware that one of my favorite bands from last year has a new demo posted on their MySpace page. I like what I'm hearing from this demo (not sure if the drum machine is just a temporary touch on this song)...it's got more of what I loved in the songs from their album Birds Make Good Neighbors, namely some very fine melancholic subtly dramatic pop, and it's gotten me right excited for their next album. By the way, their next record is going to be produced by Brian Paulson...he of Slint, Wilco, Beck, and Archers of Loaf fame. Catch my drift? Awesome.

Listen:
"Hold On To This Coat"

Visit The Rosebuds on MySpace.

OPP

Brooklyn Vegan posted about Annuals (in case you weren't paying attention/didn't believe me when EF did)

Marathonpacks on Of Montreal's song "Disconnect the Dots (Mixel Pixel Remix)"

Sean from Said the Gramophone writes his first Pitchfork review

StereoactiveNYC has an interview with The Secret Life Of Sofia

Information Leafblower has an interview with Silversun Pickups

Music For Robots has the Go Team’s cover of Sonic Youth’s "Bull In Heather"

D over at Soft Communication has "an interminable piece about Thom Yorke's The Eraser"

Don't You (Forget About Me)

The following list covers all of the artists/bands featured on EAR FARM through the end of July 2006. This excludes the weekly features (such 8+, Weekend Live Music) and is more about bands that have gotten a band-specific write-up on EF. I'm still trying to decide how to make this list more reader-friendly as I know it has gotten rather extensive and will only continue to grow. As a start, I've added blurbs next to each artist. These quotes are from EAR FARM write-ups about the band and should help give you a mini-notion of what each artist is all about and should also clue you in as to why they've been featured on this site. Click the (+) to visit a previous EF posting about any of these bands and click the band name to go to their site. I realize this is a lengthy post. Take your time, there's a quality band here for each and every one of you to fall in love with.

New York based bands:
Apse (+) - ominous post-rock with a sense of wonder...(at times) The Beta Band, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and My Bloody Valentine.
The Art of Shooting (+) - musical cousins of Pretty Girls Make Graves...influences like Sonic Youth and Siouxsie
Bastion (+) - a little Joy Division during the verses, My Bloody Valentine during the chorus
Bishop Allen (+) - "Click Click Click Click" belongs at the top of the camera/picture-song list with other classics like "Kodachrome" and "Pictures of You"
A Brief Smile (+) - fresh and current in a way that won't make you go "hmm, Gang of Four"
Daylight's For The Birds (+) - remind me of that special wonderful spot where '80s and '90s 'alternative' music intersected and gave us bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain
Die Romantik (+) - their sound is being finely tuned...evolving...very similar to what it's been in the past but now with teeth
The Diggs (+) - some 90's college radio rock, emo, and some British music influences...a taste of The Verve and Sugar
Dracula Zombie USA (+) - combining live drums and drum machines with samples, synths, loops, guitars, vocals, and lord knows what else...music that's equally interesting, fun, and moving
Emma La Reina (+) - tasteful angular guitar blended with shoegaze notions and topped with dreamy female vocals
Fanuelle (+) - I like peculiar...a little Stephin Merritt, Syd Barrett, Burt Bacharach, Serge Gainsbourg, or Pulp
Goes Cube (+) - sets out to fearlessly go wherever they want to, perhaps beyond where other bands dare...one of the best live bands in NYC
Higgins (+) - Beatles, Beatles, Beatles...great balance within the band, great balance from rocking songs to more quiet ones
The Isles (+) - along the lines of The Smiths meet Pavement & Blur...pop driven romantic melancholy rock that groove as much as they jangle
Levy (+) - catchy and melodic...the kind of material that should easily grab them more attention as their reach expands beyond NYC
Limbs (+) - reminded of...early Folk Implosion and Slint...informed by angular post-punk yet aims to achieve a certain kind of quiet indie-rock/pop
Love As Laughter (+) - sweet ass home-groove indie-rock a la Malkmus, Neil Young
Katelyn Maier (+) - an amazing voice...reminded me of some kind of cross between Natalie Merchant and Kristin Hersh
Man in Gray (+) - I love a band with two guitars...love a great female lead vocalist...a roaring cover of "Twentieth Century Boy" by T. Rex...fucking hot shit
Mancino (+) - they blend '60s pop and jazz sensibilities with time changes and an indie-rock attack reminiscent of Pavement
Mobius Band (+) - their electro pop rock quickly turned me into a fan
The Muggabears (+) - fit very nicely into the indie-rock family tree someplace between Silver Jews and Sonic Youth and manage to pull off their sound without seeming derivative
Murder Mystery (+) - sounds that seem to stem from a late 50's/early 60's pop-rock sensibility...from the same influences that made George Harrison play guitar the way that he did
The Nailbiters (+) - reminiscent of Bishop Allen and Wilco...good solid American indie pop-rock
Nous Non Plus (+) - all dance dance hot sexy French indie-pop
Other Passengers (+) - will rule your world...a sound that will knock you on your ass and make your head spin
A Passing Feeling (+) - this music has a sense of urgency to it...sounds like Jeep Wranglers and bikinis
The Picture (+) - something you don't see a whole lot of these days...a singer who can definitely sing (the rest of the band rocks socks off too)
Pink Noise (+) - rocked and jammed like Sonic Youth of 15 years ago
Proton Proton (+) - these guys are really excellent and they make me want to dance and they make me want to wreck shit and they make me want to go 'la la la la'
The Rapture (+) - I like The Rapture...I feel like they get a bad rap (ha!) sometimes though
Royal Arms (+) - some Mike Campbell in the guitar work, a pinch of Greg Hawkes in the keys...an overall Spoon-ness
The Secret Life of Sofia (+) - I could see some of the songs by The Secret Life of Sofia being the soundtrack to the wintry landscape paintings by Caspar David Friedrich
Slowlands (+) - a very full, well thought-out, sound often characterized by building songs from gentle beginnings to explosive climaxes
The Song Corporation (+) - show was a blast, had a pretty sweet balance between mellow songs/female vocals and more rocking songs/male vocals, and they had all kinds of people dancing and grooving along
Split Over Drapes (+) - listless but with purpose...interesting arrangements and choices, lyrics/vocals I like, and a well defined sound of their own
Susu (+) - one of those bands that makes me want to start a record label just so I can be sure (they're) recording more music and getting it out there for more people to hear
Takka Takka (+) - reminded me of Velvet Underground/Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan a bit too, but their music veers much more towards the pop side of those artists
Tigercity (+) - poised to fit nicely next to LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk in the playlists of daring-enough-to-dance cool kids everywhere
The Unsacred Hearts (+) - their ideal fanbase...this imaginary gang that wears old black leather jackets and black jeans and walks around drinking Mickey's grenades...throwing the empties at people

Bands from elsewhere:
Lily Allen (+) - catchy/ irresistible blend of ska/reggae, old-school soul, and solid, fun, pop
The Alright Ma's (+) - stripped down Zeppelin-esque blues song...it's over-the-top and I love it
The Apparitions (+) - within no time I was singing along, imagining listening to the song on my iPod whilst commuting, and thinking of how many people I know would like this song
Arthur & Yu (+) - some of the best vocals I've heard anywhere in a while...in the realm of certain songs by The Velvet Underground (w/ Nico) or Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra
Ash Tree (+) - 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
At Dusk (+) - more better than good/sweet and tasty like candy canes
Beangrowers (+) - hearing things much more interesting than your average neo-new wave sound-a-like...think more PJ Harvey and Elastica
Bella (+) - male/female vocals and a...groovy synth/guitar indie pop-rock sound that begs you to just have fun
Birdmonster (+) - something that finds a happy place between classic 70's rock and post-punk
Black Nasty (+) - chances are, it'll either offend the heck out of you or really make you laugh. Me? I enjoy it bunches
Billy Bragg (+) - I picked up the Billy Bragg boxset Vol. 1 and it's well worth owning if you're a fan
Brakes (+) - Brakes sound a bit like Pixies...and maybe a bit like Camper Van Beethoven...
Captain of Industry (+) - I've been listening to their stuff on MySpace and have found the songs both pleasing to my ears and interesting
Cansei De Ser Sexy (+) - I went to the store, bought the album, came home and listened to it immediately, and loved it
Clementine Broadcast (+) - fun, melodic, upbeat music that's catchy and full of smart harmonies
Cloud Cult (+) - 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
Golden Smog (+) - a fantastic song for a nice summer day like today
Happycasio! (+) - for a slightly very recent comparison, they sound like an English Tapes 'n Tapes
Noah Harrison (+) - atmosphere, mood, longing, reflection...it's hard to not...to be reminded of Nick Drake
Richard Hawley (+) - mellow tender throwback songs
The Heights (+) - the kind of stuff you heard more of in the 90's, the kind of stuff that makes for some great beer drinking music
John & Jehn (+) - why should I even bother trying to tell you any more about them other than take my word for it and check them out?
Kim Novak (+) - make me think of songs by some really outstanding bands that I love, bands like The Cure, Interpol, and The Velvet Underground
Lesley Lane (+) - a hint of a connection to the sound that has made The Dears favorites of mine
The Lovely Feathers (+) - their music is concentrated and groovy: it'll get your ass moving and won't bore you
Low Lustre (+) - soaring vocals and guitars that remind me of the things The Walkmen obviously liked about early U2
Machine Go Boom (+) - roots planted in acoustic based experimental pop rock and would probably appeal to people who like bands such as Camper Van Beethoven and Dead Milkmen
Man Man (+) - like seeing/hearing the thoughts of a musically-minded mad scientist played out by a group of wandering minstrels
The Melody Function (+) - hints of The Kinks, The Beach Boys, and that song from True Romance
Mull Historical Society (+) - reminded of XTC and Tears for Fears and The Flaming Lips a bit, but that's probably only because of the grand scope of this music
OMR (+) - you'll hear their Black Box Recorder-ish electro-pop songs and fall in love with them
Peasant (+) - beautiful, delicate, catchy, folk-pop...think of songs by The Kinks or Paul Simon
People in Planes (+) - their sound (some bits Radiohead, some Supergrass, something their own too) is sure to soon be guided towards making tweens happy and filling arena seats
The Pine Club (+) - remind me a bit of The Housemartins or The Connells or The Judybats
Planes For Spaces (+) - they were about rocking some faces with the classic small venue raw set-up of one guy on drums, one on guitar
Pleasant (+) - I hear a little Pavement, Feelies, and even some Three Imaginary Boys era Cure in their songs
Pretty Girls Make Graves (+) - Pretty Girls Make Graves is one of my favorite US bands.
Sam Roberts Band (+) - reminds me a bit of The Beta Band mixed with Blind Melon
The Sames (+) - sounds like Blur meets Arcade Fire...mmmm
Schooner (+) - Schooner was really great live...it was pretty cool to hear their songs in more pure/raw form
Victor Scott (+) - as each song carves a worthy sonic path through the thick brush of your mind remember that it's all the work of one guy
Sebadoh (+) - one of my favorite bands ever and was one of the only American bands that held my interest for very long in the '90s
Shade (+) - some very nice British infused neo-shoegaze
The Sky Drops (+) - considerable skill with creating full, lush sounds...music you'd not think was being made by a two-piece band
Kelley Stoltz (+) - amazing that this music is all the work of one man, stop avoiding this guy
Strip Squad (+) - carefree and catchy electro pop that's part Belle and Sebastian and part Looper
Tapes 'n Tapes (+) - these guys make rock music that is interesting and comes out sounding FRESH in a world full of bland
The Televangelist and The Architect (+) - their sound does indeed fit somewhere right in between Cursive, Bright Eyes and The Faint
Tennis and the Mennonites (+) - their blend of acoustic singer-songwriter pop stuff mixed with plugged in indie-rock sounds really nice in the early summer sun
Track A Tiger (+) - a '97 Brunello of the indie music world...music that must've gestated for a while before finally being recorded and sent out for the public to enjoy
The Vorstand Circus (+) - strikes that most perfect balance of clever production and songwriting coupled with smart melodies and blissful harmonies that guide you through personal lyrics
We Versus the Shark (+) - this band freaking ROCKS
Katharine Whalen (+) - jazzy lounge with a bit of Moroccan club influence and her voice sounds heavenly, as usual
Wilderness (+) - Public Image Limited for the 21st century...and beyond
Tim Young (+) - I could actually see Tim's a cappella version appearing in a hipster Sesame Street with a bunch of colorful furry monsters singing all the backup (and intro) vocal parts

(originally posted at 10:04am EST, this post was expanded and updated at 2:42pm EST)

Shiny Toy Guns

You guys know I like to disclose how music comes my way...just in case I'm posting about some big label band that's being pushed by fancy schmancy PR folk, I like you to know. This is one of those instances and you should know that I nearly didn't post about this song. I listened and thought "this is nice, gets me moving but feels cheap...like another Goldfrapp or maybe CSS without the punch...I'm not going to post this". Then I paused the song at about the 1:55 mark and researched to see if anyone else had written about Shiny Toy Guns recently because, well, I was liking the song more than I wanted to admit.

I noticed a write-up on Big Stereo about them that said:

"You might blow off “Le Disko” as your typical Goldfrapp-lite, synth-slicing, electro-pop track. No surprises until at the two minute mark when it breaks down into sweet as candy pop music and then evolves into a sultry, whispery track. Perhaps this could be three songs, but it’s all fused and pushed into one. It works. Totally."

Eerie, uh, yeah maybe I should listen to the rest of the song. I did. I like it a lot. Now, your turn. Be sure to give it a chance because it does turn into some sweet '80s style bubble synth-pop around the two minute mark before getting all Madonna meets Garbage around 2:37. Three songs in one indeed. "Le Disko" is the first single off of their album We Are Pilots that comes out on October 17th.

Listen:
"Le Disko"

Visit Shiny Toy Guns on MySpace.

See them live:
8/23/06 The Underground Hamilton, Canada
8/24/06 Dirty's Lounge Windsor, Canada
8/25/06 Drake Hotel Toronto, Canada
8/26/06 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion Columbus, OH
8/27/06 The Trocadero Theatre Philadelphia, PA
8/29/06 Stage Nine Bar and Grill Halifax, Canada
8/30/06 The Pavilion Halifax, Canada
8/31/06 River Fire Hall Sydney, Canada
9/1/06 George's Roadhouse Sackville, Canada
9/5/06 Big Bop Concert Hall - The Kathedral Toronto, Canada
9/19/06 Showbox Showroom and Lounge Seattle, WA
9/20/06 Aladdin Theatre Portland, OR
9/21/06 Slim's San Francisco, CA
9/22/06 Underground Cafe Roseville, CA
9/24/06 SOMA San Diego, CA
9/25/06 Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles, CA
9/27/06 Launchpad Albuquerque, NM
9/29/06 Club Sound Salt Lake City, UT

Weird Al - "Don't Download This Song"

"'Cause you start out stealing songs, then you're robbing liquor stores and selling crack and running over school kids with your car...so don't download this song" sings Weird Al in his new song titled "Don't Download This Song". Of course, he's being silly. He DOES want you to download it and so does his label who sent it to me in an email. Go for it, it's fun in a 'lame group song written for the American Idol contestants/typical Weird Al kinda way'.

UPDATE
I should've taken a moment to tell you what I think of this song...this isn't one of Al's more clever songs, not by a long shot. It's got no catchy pop foundation and I can't imagine the video really enhancing things very much. Used to be that Al's videos were a big part of his success so let's hope this big premiere tonight works out well. Also, for a topic such as downloading music I'm not sure Weird Al really hit the funnybone as hard as he could've. Anyway, this song is crap. Don't download this song.

Listen:
"Don't Download This Song"

Watch:
The premiere of the music video for "Don't Download This Song" tonight at 10pm PST HERE

Visit Weird Al on MySpace.

I Want my MTV

New video for the song "Neptune City" by Nicole Atkins:



Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

Contrast Podcast #21

Podcast, get yer brand new Contrast Podcast here. The theme for Contrast Podcast #21 tells us "there’s more to life than books" and I'd be remiss if I didn't add on "...but not much more, not much more". Here's the thing, Mr. Morrissey, perhaps it's time to update those lyrics the way "Bigmouth Strikes Again" got updated in concert with the Joan of Arc/iPod bit. I'm thinking, "there's more to life than Google's Library Project...but not much more, not much more". No? Whatever, you guys go listen to CP #21 while I work this out.

You can download it HERE.

Today's NEW releases

See me. Feel me. Touch me. Buy Me:

• Broadcast - Future Crayon
• Cursive - Happy Hollow
• Eric Bachmann - To The Races
• Electrelane - Singles B-Sides & Live
• Paris Hilton - Paris (don't buy this, please)
• The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
• Nouvelle Vague - Bande a Part
• OutKast - Idlewild
• Primal Scream - Riot City Blues
• Ratatat - Classics
• Tortoise - A Lazarus Taxon
• What Made Milwaukee Famous - Trying to Never Catch Up

Go to the mirror boy!

EAR FARM checks in with the Elbo.ws top 10

Who's hot? Why?! You might notice the list from Elbo.ws that's constantly posted on the lower right hand side of this site...it looks just like the one attached to this post here. Anyway, Elbo.ws is a music blog aggregator and not a bad source for finding out what you music blog readers are enjoying week to week. Let's take a look shall we?



Elbo.ws top 10 'hot' artists - 21 August 2006 @ 4pm EST

Of Montreal - I'm super pissed I miss seeing these guys live EVERY time they come around. Word is their shows kick ace. Now, if I could just figure out why they're topping the list this week...oh right, the remix album. Awesome.

Listen: "The Party's Crashing Us" (I Am The World Trade Center mix) (via Fluxblog)

Viva Voce - They're still here eh? Perhaps when I called them "beginner rock" I missed the mark by a ways. Thankfully their label got in touch and I've been able to give their music a second listen. Pitchfork was right, to listen to the song posted below on repeat might not be such a bad idea.

Listen: "We Do Not Fuck Around" (via Barsuk Records)

Ratatat - I love this band. You won't find me saying they're the best thing going in terms of dancey tunes but I will tell you they scratch this very particular itch of mine. That is, I REALLY think the song posted below sounds like it should've been the end credit song for a late '80s Konami game called Wildcatslevania. Check it out right around the 1:55 mark, that's the exact moment when you say to yourself "okay, I beat the game, can I just hit start and skip the rest of these credits or should I wait in case there's some cheat, or code, at the end...? Oh snap! The music just got way groovy! I think I'll wait and rock out a bit..."

Listen: "Wildcat" (via The Camera As Pen)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Never one to be afraid of cutting a few corners am I...stick with Yoda-speak and cut and paste what I wrote about them last week I will: "surprised I am that so many of my friends with good taste in music don't really like this band. They kick ass both live AND on record...AND on TV. Check out "Cheated Hearts" from their recent appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien."

Listen: "Cheated Hearts" (via Culture Bully)

Silversun Pickups - I'm thinking you're not going to remember this band in four years. Perhaps not even in four months when everyone is considering their favorite albums of 2006. That's part of the danger in going with a sound firmly inspired by music over a decade old. If you're not able to make that sound your own you might end up a flash in the pan band. I hope they're able to prove me wrong.

Listen: "Lazy Eye" (via So Much Silence)

Junior Boys - Color me an idiot or something but when I picked up their album Last Exit I completely disagreed with, well basically, the entire world. I found Junior Boys to be bland dance-pop along the lines of what you might expect the 'progressive'/creepy music manager at your local Barnes & Noble to bump right after lunch as a conversation starter. I'm finding this track to be along the same lines as the songs on Last Exit, yet here I am enjoying it. Perhaps it's time for a career change.

Listen: "In The Morning" (via blog at srar dot net)

Jed and Lucia - When watching the TV show "Felicity", ever notice how often all of the actors spoke in loud whispers? That shit was ANNOYING. Kind of the way it's equally annoying that so many artists have been singing in the same whispery manner ever since Tigermilk showed the world that indie fans still like '60s sounding folk-pop. Nevermind all of that though because this song is pretty good. Crap, did I admit to watching "Felicity"?

Listen: "World On Fire" (via Shoes Are For Work)

Bishop Allen - What more can I say? Bishop Allen is pulling off quite the feat this year by releasing an EP each month. You may know that The Wedding Present did something similar in 1992 (later released as two albums called Hit Parade 1 and Hit Parade 2) but they were simply releasing a single and a b-side each month, not four (quality) song EPs. All hail Bishop Allen.

Listen: "Click Click Click Click" (via The Bubble Death)

The Diggs - I'm sticking with my theory from last week that these guys (as well as Cassettes Won't Listen) are being propelled right now by the sweet remix of "Everyone's Starting Over". Listen to it now and hear Tim (from The Diggs) perform it with Cassettes Won't Listen later this week at Crackers United's Friction.

Listen:
"Everyone's Starting Over" (Cassettes Won't Listen Remix) (via Thepunkguy)

The Decemberists - Ohhhh, I wonder why they've suddenly appeared on this list. Could it be because people are trying to break the law and seek out/download tracks from The Decemberists' major label debut album? Yes, I know that's the reason but EAR FARM isn't really all about trying to feed you guys leaked pre-release tracks. Instead I'll go along with Thepunkguy and just post a bit of a rarity. Love Echo & the Bunnymen, love that The Decemberists are so cover-friendly.

Listen:
"Bring on the Dancing Horses" (Echo & the Bunnymen cover) (via Dreams Of Horses)

Listen to Outkast's new album

Good old AOL...I'm never unhappy with my decision to cancel my AOL membership some five years ago but there is one thing those bastards are good for: streaming new music! You can listen to Idlewild, the new album from Outkast that's being released tomorrow, by going HERE.

snip·pets

Duran Duran moving along on new album

German authorities watching Madonna

Suzanne Vega gives an online-only concert to 100 fans on Second Life

The N&O on Reverbnation.com, a site designed as an online fan club and virtual manager for working musicians

RollingStone - Best Last Songs in Movies

Spin offers a preview of an upcoming magazine feature - 25 Greatest Live Bands Now

Stylus - The Perfect Listener, Pt. 1

Weekend Live Music

Ryan Adams live @ Lollapalooza, Chicago, IL 4 August 2006
(this photo, and a write-up of the show, located HERE)

1. "What Sin" > "Please Do Not Let Me Go" > "Dear Chicago"
2. "Peaceful Valley" > "Expressway To Yr Skull" (Sonic Youth cover)
3. "He's Gone" (Grateful Dead cover)
4. "Hickory Wind" (The Byrds cover)
5. "Cold Roses"
6. "Wharf Rat" (Grateful Dead cover)
7. "Shakedown On 9th St"
8. "Franklin's Tower" (Grateful Dead cover)
9. "I See Monsters"

(thanks go out to iamgod1 for this recording)

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, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Pulp, The Decemberists, Blur, Nine Inch Nails, Johnny Cash, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Led Zeppelin, Islands, Echo and the Bunnymen, Morrissey, The Durutti Column, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Giant Drag, Tool, Polvo, Mazzy Star, Meat Puppets, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Nouvelle Vague, Built To Spill, Thelonious Monk Quartet, Liars, Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Unicorns, Madonna, and The Feelies.

Each week one of these live shows will be removed to make room on the server. Get them while you can.

The Light Footwork new music video/unreleased song

News from the other end of the pop spectrum: The Light Footwork have just released a music video for their excellent song "The Art Of Everyday Communication Part 1". This song was on their debut album released last year, which you may remember seeing at #7 on EAR FARM's Top Albums of 2005. As well, they've just made available a previously unreleased track called "Melville". Watching this video I just realized I still love this band as much as ever. Enjoy.

Watch:
The video for "The Art Of Everyday Communication Part 1" by going to You Ain't No Picasso

Listen:
"Melville" (previously unreleased)

Click HERE to find out where you can purchase One State Two State.

Justin Timberlake HQ

EAR FARM is fast becoming to Justin Timberlake what Stereogum was/has been to Britney Spears.

Okay, maybe not. I just like Justin's music. I know that's bound to alienate some people and make others laugh so I'll state it plainly: I'm not being ironic here - the world NEEDS JT now more than ever. Ask yourself this, where have all of the great pop stars gone? When you come to the realization that Justin Timberlake is where it's at, feel free to check out the info below. If you're an indie-rock snob don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're reading this.

From a recent AP article, Justin offers some quotes on American Idol and his brining back of the sexy.

On American Idol:

"I have a strange relationship with that show," Timberlake tells the magazine in an interview. "I despise it, and yet I'm completely fascinated...The guy who won -- people think he looks so normal, and he's so sweet, and he's so earnest, but he can't carry a tune in a bucket. Do you realize how much pressure it is to put on somebody all of a sudden?"

On bringing sexy back:

"I wanted (the album) to look to a time when everything was really sexy," he says. "Maybe everybody was coked up, but who cares? It was hot. It was all about sex."

Timberlake's second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, is set for release September 12. It features production by Timbaland, JAWBreakers, Rick Rubin, and Justin himself. He's currently getting ready to play some club shows in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston before heading to NYC to play the Roseland Balllroom (anybody got two tickets for sale?) after performing "SexyBack" on the MTV Video Music Awards.

In other JT/NYC news:

Monday August 28th at East Meadow in New York's Central Park, Justin joins Ellen DeGeneres in an exclusive talk show appearance where he performs "SexyBack" among other tracks. Admission to this event is permitted to ticket holders ONLY. Visit www.ellentv.com or call (866)-ELLEN-TIX for ticket info. The episode airs Monday, September 4th, and you won't want to miss it!

Go HERE to check out a bunch of Justin Timberlake music videos. Visit Justin Timberlake on MySpace HERE.

And...might I suggest going HERE or HERE if you're looking for some JT MP3s.

8+

“Exodus” (1984 12" Mix) by Bob Marley & The Wailers which clocks in at 8:49

Don't take for granted the regular things in life. The same old dog you see being walked every day at 6:30pm, the garbage truck that clangs and bangs each Tuesday and Thursday morning until you wake up, the songs you know you're bound to hear when you tune your car stereo to that old reliable classic-rock radio station...the blind man you see each day on your walk to work. Don't forget to always notice these things every time they make their way through your day... The world is built upon a clockwork frame of shared, but unmentioned, schedules and you might never know how much they all mean to you until suddenly one of them is no longer there.

There is a blind man I used to pass everyday on the way to work. He's the most punctual person I've ever almost known. I could seriously tell the time just based on where I passed him each day. If I saw him on 15th Street I knew I was right on time but if I passed him on 3rd Ave I knew I was about ten to fifteen minutes late. If he was already at 14th Street that meant I was a good half-hour behind schedule. You may not understand what kind of distance I'm talking about here but I'm saying he was covering about a block and a half in thirty minutes. He always walked alone, with a cane, while staying extremely close to the buildings and far away from the curb. He inched along the way I'd imagine I would if suddenly I found myself unable to see, and yet there he was every single day. Ticking along in tiny steps that guaranteed he was always in the same place at the same time each day. I almost started to take his punctuality for granted. Or, perhaps I did. One day, a few months ago, I suddenly realized I hadn't passed the blind man on the way to work. How many days had it been? Where was he?

Because he's an old man I feared for the worst yet liked to imagine that he was off in some better place. No, not like that... I mean I envisioned him on vacation visiting family. Surely they needed him around more than I did. Or perhaps he decided to escape the rigors of the city and bought a house on a beach somewhere. There he was (in my mind) peacefully sipping tequila, enjoying the sun, listening to some Bob Marley, and smoking grass to help alleviate glaucoma pain. Or not. Turns out I finally saw my friend again today. My friend? Yes maybe, now that I know what my mornings would be like without him around. He looked well rested and was sporting a nice new haircut as I passed him on 3rd Ave. I smiled as I hurried my walk just a bit.

Growing up, Bob Marley was a musician whose songs I took for granted. I owned Legend and don't even know how I got it. It's as if the album one day rode the wind to land right at my feet like Frosty's hat. Or perhaps it's just one of those albums that manage to appear around the same time pimples do. Regardless, I didn't really listen to the album that much. It somehow found its way into my rotation each summer but none of the songs really stuck. Back then "No Woman No Cry" used to bore me and "Exodus" was the one song I had any interest in at all. To me, during middle and high school, Bob Marley's music was simply warm weather wallpaper. So much so that I didn't really notice when I lost my copy of Legend. Then, after a few years of not listening to Bob Marley, I discovered marijuana and Babylon By Bus and asked myself "where have you BEEN all of this time?!"

Recently I bought the reissue of Legend. Partly to regain that old reliable greatest hits disc and mostly because it promised a rather long version of a song I used to love which I'd not listened to in years. Back then I left "Exodus" for dead, considering it well overplayed, and had forgotten how much powerful greatness this one song contains. Listen and tell me if you've taken Bob Marley and the Wailers for granted. No? Well then just sit back and enjoy a thinking person's summer song.

Buy Legend - The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (Deluxe Edition) HERE on Amazon.

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"
The Wedding Present - "Interstate 5"
Sleater-Kinney - "Let's Call It Love"
My Morning Jacket - "Dondante"
Wilco - "Spiders (Kidsmoke)"
Isis - "From Sinking"
Lemon Jelly - "A Tune For Jack"
Herbie Hancock - "Sly"
New Order - "Temptation"
Polvo - "El Rocio"
Pulp - "Countdown"
Morrissey - "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils"
Dungen - "Du är för fin för mig"
Loose Fur - "Wreckroom"
The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"
Destroyer - "Rubies"
Neu! - "Fuer Immer (forever)"
Iggy Pop - "Mass Production"
The Cure - "Fascination Street" (Extended Mix)
Yo La Tengo - "Let's Be Still"
George Michael - "I Want Your Sex, Pts. 1 &2"
Digital Underground - "Doowutchyalike"
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "1% Of One"
Big Brother & the Holding Company - "Ball And Chain"
The Stone Roses - "I Am The Resurrection"
DJ Shadow - "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - “Cowgirl in the Sand”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Sir Psycho Sexy”
Newcleus - “Jam On It”
Aarktica - “Song For A Free Williamsburg”