Fanuelle

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Sorry, don't get confused, Fanuelle has nothing to do with Monty Python. But my boss just walked into my office as I was starting this post and he told me about seeing Spamalot and thus the Python was on me brain. Anyway, here's another musician suggested via entry to the 2nd CYHSY ticket contest...this one is thanks to Kris.

Fanuelle is an artist on Barcelona-based Houston Party Records but resides in New York. He is, according to the bio on his label's site "a very peculiar guy" who hasn't "put on any CD in three years". Well, I like peculiar and if I were guessing I'd say he last listened to a little Stephin Merritt, Syd Barrett, Burt Bacharach, Serge Gainsbourg, or Pulp...or something along those lines. At least I'm hearing bits of each of those artists when I listen to these songs.

Listen:
"Dirty Loverstuff"
"I've Been Killing, So"
"Chain"

You can purchase his self titled album on iTunes HERE

update - fyi, a quick search showed me that Marathonpacks posted about Fanuelle last August

British Sea Power / Brakes news

Given the success that Brakes are having it's not entirely surprising to learn that Eamon Hamilton is leaving British Sea Power. From their newsletter:

"Moving back to the present, we have some less happy news. Due to the ongoing success of his other band, Brakes, BSP keyboardist Eamon has now left BSP to pursue Brakes glory full-time. All remains fully amicable between the five men of BSP past and present. Further, it is not unlikely that Eamon will return for the BSP headlining slot at Glastonbury 2007. In the meantime we all wish him well."

Brakes are currently touring with Belle & Sebastian and then Editors after that.

According to the same newsletter, British Sea Power is currently working on their third album:

"That's right, only eight months after the release of the Open Season album, BSP are engaged in constructing its successor. And, judging by the sounds emanating from the secret BSP underground wine-cellar - deep in the chalk of the South Downs, close by Foredown Tower - this new album may well emerge as the band's benchmark work. Apprenticeship now served, the band seem suffused with the notion that This Is The One. But, for now, let us look once more at recent recorded history."

8+

"Banshee Beat" by Animal Collective which clocks in at 8:22

For most people Animal Collective is a little too aurally challenging, I understand that. Their music is probably a little too scatterbrain / crazy / interesting / original for mass appeal, I get it. Also, I know that the way many folks check out a new album is to go track to track and listen to each for 10 seconds to see if anything grabs their attention. Animal Collective's music does not lend itself to this kind of discovery. While that may not be how the people reading this site go about/feel about things, I'd still venture a guess that some of you haven't yet found yourself loving Animal Collective. Well, I have to suggest checking this song out to anyone who has been turned off by this band in the past. Sit down and listen. Give it time, let the song open up and wash over you like it wants to. It's like a mental massage. Who doesn't need one of those?

Buy the album this track is from HERE, it's one of the best released in 2005.

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"

John & Jehn

Last month I held a couple of contests where I gave away tickets to see CYHSY's New Year's show. For the second giveaway I asked people to "tell me ONE 'less well-known' band or artist on MySpace (or anywhere else) EAR FARM should check out". There was a ton of response to this contest and I'm just now getting to really listen to some of the stuff you guys suggested. This band is the first from the lot.

Jonathan sent an email and said:
"Hailing from Poitiers, France, this duo has the heart and grit of a calamitous colision between Mates of State, Arcade Fire, and Brigitte Fontaine. This is the kind of thing you want to be listening to when you're trying to dodge and burn, sew buttons, or make a delicious omelette..."

I happen to agree and I really like what I'm hearing in their songs. Why should I even bother trying to tell you any more about them other than take my word for it and check them out?

Have a listen:
"20L07"
"Lovin' Dead"
"Today"

There's another song and some more info about them on John & Jehn's MySpace page.

I want my MTV

Harder Fuller Films edition (you'll need RealPlayer):

• Low - "Monkey"
• Prince - "Cinnamon Girl"
• Liz Phair - "Why Can't I"
• Pulp - "Trees"

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

Get to know your blogger

Does my Goonies quote Blogger profile frustrate you? Do you find yourself wanting me to answer a bunch of questions? If so, you're in luck and you can head over to Muzzle of Bees where Ryan has posted an interview with me as part of his Get to know your blogger feature.

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #14

Blank-Wave Arcade by The Faint

Once upon a time, in 1999, I was making music in my apartment with two synths and a drum machine. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but if I did it would have come out sounding just like Blank-Wave Arcade because I was trying to make the music I really wanted to listen to. You know the deal, nobody was writing them like they used to so I figured it may as well be me...that is until I heard The Faint for the first time. I still remember hearing songs from this album on 3wk and ordering it from Saddle Creek the same day. A week or so later I got a package with the album and a handwritten note thanking me for the purchase and my love affair with The Faint had begun.

Why did I fall so hard for this band? Well because I love things like The Cure, Gary Numan, The Human League, Pulp, and early Blur; and clearly, so does The Faint. For people swooning over all of the 80's revivalism that has characterized a good part of the 00's indie music scene thus far, this album is essential. Why it doesn't get more attention/recognition I'll never know for sure. I think this little nine song, twenty six minute long, release is one of the best albums put out in the 90's. At least, if I were to make a list, I'd put it somewhere in the top twenty I'd think. Have I mentioned yet that these guys play a kick ass live show?

Anyway, time for something a little different. I'm aware that Bethanne from Clever Titles Are So Last Summer feels the same way I do about this record (actually, she kind of likes it a little more than I do) so I asked her if she wouldn't mind sharing some of her thoughts on Blank-Wave Arcade with EAR FARM. See, she knows a thing or two about great music and reading two opinions are always more fun than one. Without any further delay, here's what she had to say:

"There are albums that give you the best introduction to bands that you have heard so much about, but wanted to fully appreciate the music that they created. For me, it was Blank-Wave Arcade that properly introduced me to The Faint. Not only was it the first record I bought that was released from Saddle Creek Records, but it was also a CD I had bought on a whim. Listening to it, I found it to be a genius record. It's certainly a record that is overlooked because of the fact that the albums that followed this one - 2001's Danse Macabre and 2004's Wet From Birth - were more dramatic and harder than the dark-wave synth sounds of Blank-Wave Arcade.

I can listen to these nine songs - full of sex, transportation, perversion, and movement - and feel the originality of this record. The centerpiece of this record - and The Faint's signature song - is "Worked Up So Sexual", a song about a stripper's occupation and the questions about her job. The keyboard riff and the drum beat furiously create the jerking rhythms that back up the lyrics with swagger and sensuality.

While "Worked Up So Sexual" - and the other sex-related songs "Casual Sex" and album opener "Sex Is Personal" - bring a frantic social commentary about the sexual aspects of humanity, the album's other theme of "bodies in movement" (or transportation) "In Concert" and "Call Call" come to mind as the two bounciest songs on the album with their light pogo-inspiring beats that will get people dancing around in their living rooms or at the bar.

Personally for me, my favorite song on the album is the spoken word piece "Sealed Human". Not only does it feature a different vocalist on the track (instead of singer Todd Bachele, keyboardist Jacob Thiele is the one reading the lyrics in this particular song), but it is a sonic poem about a collision in city transportation. The lyrics start up as everyday observation as people take subways to get from place to place. However, all things go awry as catastrophe strikes en route to the destination. The simple beat that backs the vocal track is simple and the keyboard parts are at their heaviest. And it's clearly the most underrated song on the album and certainly a rare song where humanity and chaos reside hand in hand.

As a whole, Blank-Wave Arcade is an album that I can never get sick of. Every time I put it on my iPod or listen to it on CD, I get goosebumps and feel giddy inside. This is an example of a band that got me excited about music again. It's a breath of fresh air in the indie rock music scene that so many people should give it the recognition that it deserves. It's truly overlooked (and shamefully) because of the albums that preceeded it and it was truly the (experimental) start of a unique sound from a band from Omaha, Nebraska. A city - at the time - that wasn't famous for a band to take stereotypes and shatter them with a dual-themed record. Blank-Wave Arcade is a classic. And not many people realize it."

Now that's a heckuva write-up. Go visit her site each day for more goodness, but in the mean time...don't you want to hear some songs from this album?

Listen:

• "Call Call"
• "Worked Up So Sexual"
• "Sealed Human"

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

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

Also, it appears another blog is onto this "Overlooked of the 90's" idea:
Top 30 'Other' Albums of the '90s

Sufjan Stevens live show that I posted a while back

A few people have emailed me recently to let me know that the original files I linked to when I first posted the Sufjan live in Denver show back in Novemeber are no longer valid. Well, I've uploaded the show and am now hosting it myself. All I did was update the links in the original post...so if you missed out before, go get the show now!

Sufjan Stevens Live @ The Bluebird Theatre in Denver - 29 July 2005

snip·pets

Kaiser Chiefs lead Brit Award nominations

New Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD Due In Late March

PearLyrics' True Love Story

Death Cab hearts animals

Flaming Lips Release New Track Online

Richard Hawley

"Richard Hawley is a singer songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He has released three full length albums (Late Night Final, Lowedges and current album Coles Corner) and a Mini album entitled Richard Hawley. He is best known now as a singer of heartfelt and beautiful songs but has a long musical history as a guitarist.

If you would like to know what has happened and what is yet to come please enter the site here."

That was taken from his official site. I've only just bought his most recent album yesterday and so haven't really spent that much time with his music, but I like what I've heard so far.

Part of Allmusic's write-up on him:
"With melodic, baritoned anguished that falls somewhere in the neighborhood of Scott Walker, Pulp touring guitarist and former Longpigs member Richard Hawley began his solo career with his self-titled debut in 2001. Richard was raised in Sheffield, England, the son of a steelworker and grew up listening to folks such as Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley"

Well, I can definitely hear some of those two guys in his music. Check him out for yourself if you'd like to hear mellow tender throwback songs like the two below. Thanks to Caffeine-Headache for introducing him to me in the first place.

Listen:
"Darlin"
"It's Over Love"

Tapes 'n Tapes @ Mercury Lounge, 9 January 2006

The hype-machine is operating in full force already. Tons of influencing people were at the show last night, and the other shows this past weekend that I was not able to attend...record label types, big time magazine editors, ex pumpkin smashers, NYC up and coming band members, local 'in-the-know' music fans, and (of course) the bloggers. Thankfully, Tapes 'n Tapes did not disappoint. I loved finally seeing this band live so much that I've written a variation on some well known lyrics to get the point across. If you want better pictures/coverage of any of their recent NYC shows, visit some of the links at the bottom here.

"On Fucking Fire" (to the tune of "Ring of Fire")

Buzz...is a burnin thing
and it makes...a scenester sing.
Bound...by blog desire
Tapes 'n Tapes is on fucking fire

Tapes 'n Tapes is on fucking fire
they went here, here, here
and the flames went higher.
And they rocked, rocked, rocked
they're so on fire
they're so on fire.

The sound...of Tapes is sweet
makes happy ears...and moves our feet.
We fell for them like a child
oh, and the town went wild.

Tapes 'n Tapes is on fucking fire
they went here, here, here
and the flames went higher.
And they rocked, rocked, rocked
they're so on fire
they're so on fire.

Some of the sites talking about Tapes 'n Tapes and their time here in NYC:

Brooklyn Vegan

I Rock I Roll

Heart on a stick

Yeti Don't Dance

Gothamist

The Underrated Blog

Music For Robots

There were so many of us blog dorks at these shows...I think next time we should all meet up pre-show and form some kind of Justice League or something. Who else was there? What'd you think??

Today's NEW releases

A couple of things coming out today, check it:

• Morningwood - Morningwood
• Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77[DUALDISC] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
• We Are Scientists - With Love and Squalor

Anything else?

Weekend Live Music

Talking Heads Live @ The Sun Palace in Tokyo, Japan, 27 February 1981
(photo, from another show, from here)

1. "Psycho Killer"
2. "Stay Hunrgy"
3. "Cities"
4. "Drugs"
5. "Once in a Lifetime"
6. "Houses in Motion"
7. "Born Under Punches"
8. "Crosseyed and Painless"
9. "Life During Wartime"
10. "The Great Curve"
11. "The Book I Read"
12. "Girls Want To Be With Girls"
13. "Mind"

(sorry guys, had to remove the show to make room on the server. expect more live Talking Heads shows in the future on EAR FARM)

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, and Morphine.

8+

"Pillowtalk" by Isolée which clocks in at 10:00

My friend Paul asked me why electronic music wasn't representin' on my site. It was kind of a joke because I don't really get so much into things like Oakenfold or Tiesto or whatever, and he knows that, but it's not like I won't listen to electronic stuff. In fact I used to make a bunch of synthy drum machine songs myself a few years ago.

This track is from the one electronic album that really made some noise amongst critics this year, We Are Monster by Isolée. I got it and checked it out and the album is indeed very good yet didn't end up making my top 15. Why is EAR FARM such a hater to electronic music?

"Pillowtalk" is the album's final song and it sounds like what I might expect to hear hanging out one night with Lando after he hooked me up with some high dollar cloud city drugs and took me to his favorite club at 2am. Either that or it's an inverted interpretation of the famous instrumental "Popcorn". Whatever - told you I don't know enough about "techno" to write about it. Enjoy the tune at least.

In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
British Sea Power - "Lately"
Islands - "Swans"

I want my MTV

Guilty pleasures/I'm posting from the airport edition:

• Bloodhound Gang - "Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo"
• Alien Ant Farm - "Smooth Criminal"
• Foo Fighters - "Times Like These"

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

!@#$R#@!

Once again, I am having trouble with the site that hosts files for me. This is causing me to delay the posting of today's "Overlooked Album from the 90s" and messing up my planned upload of the Sufjan Stevens live set I linked to before, among other things. I'll be going out of town Thursday through Monday so, assuming the issue is resolved sometime tonight, you can expect a bunch of posts that will tide you over while I'm away in a land with no internet and then things shall return to normalcy Monday.

If I am able to host these files you'll find these things posted sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning:
- Overlooked Album of the 90s #13
- this week's 8+
- weekend live music

Fingers crossed/flipping off technology,
Matt


UPDATE - okay, so I've not been able to sort things out with my file hosting ability and where I'm going this weekend I'm 90% sure there will be no internet access for me so I apologize and you can expect EF to return to normal next Tuesday.

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #13

Why Do Birds Sing? by Violent Femmes

My experience thus far in life has taught me at least two things that all teenagers in America go through: feeling awkward/insecure, and listening to the first Violent Femmes album a bunch. If you didn't own that album (or hang out with someone who did) sometime between middle school and college you might want to check with your parents because you could be from another planet. Okay, so maybe it just seems like that sometimes but it amazed me at first when I'd hear a track off of that first album of theirs and the whole room would start singing along. I thought I was the only one listening to it but then I realized that that album is like the great young adult equalizer. It's a total classic and not solely because everyone stole the tape from their older sister and listened over and over, but because the songs are truly excellent. We already knew that but did you know that Violent Femmes actually put out another album that's nearly as good in 1991?

The manner in which my personal musical evolution took form placed the Violent Femmes' debut album as one of the first "alternative" records I got into. Yes ma'am, it was way back in 1990 when that album and White Light/White Heat and Jane's Addiction's live debut album helped me kick my hair metal habit to the curb and move on to liking good music of all different sizes and shapes (and sounds). One year later Why Do Birds Sing? came out, and I got my driver's license and first car, and this album became the sound of freedom.

Wait, okay, so the 'nearly as good' (mentioned earlier) doesn't quite match the master strokes found on their self titled debut but Why Do Birds Sing? is worthy of much more attention than it has gotten in the nearly 15 years since it was first released. Some folks may know the album's opener, "American Music", or the standout cover of "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" but the great songs on this album don't end there. Let's see... You know Halloween right? Well then this is like the Halloween 4 for Violent Femmes. The movie after the first one was pretty good but when you saw it recently, not as good as you remembered it to be (Hallowed Ground and Blind Leading the Naked). Halloween 3 was just awful and didn't even have Michael Myers in it (bad just like the fourth Violent Femmes record, interestingly titled 3) but then Halloween 4 came out and reminded you why you liked cheap thrills like the Halloween series in the first place. Back to music.

TrouserPress says:
"After another lengthy hiatus, the Femmes returned with Why Do Birds Sing?, a stripped-down effort that harks back to Violent Femmes and contains three tunes ("Girl Trouble," "Life Is a Scream" and "Flamingo Baby") Gano wrote during the creative frenzy that produced most of the tunes on the first two albums. Despite a decade in the biz, Gano still captures teen angst and frustration better, and more convincingly, than almost anybody. Standouts include "American Music," the Femme-ization of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" (with new lyrics by Gano), "Out the Window" (a cheery paean to suicide) and "I'm Free," a goofy, quasi-religious hymn that celebrates the power of love."

UPDATE - hosting issues were somehow resolved while I was in the sticks...now you can listen to a few songs from this record!!

"American Music"

"Out the Window"

"Flamingo Baby"

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

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

Also, it appears another blog is onto this "Overlooked of the 90's" idea:
Top 30 'Other' Albums of the '90s

Machine Go Boom

Machine Go Boom found EAR FARM on MySpace a while back and I didn't get much of a chance to check them out until recently. They've got their 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.

What I like about the band is that their music is fun, catchy, and inventive pop. There's energy in this music that's something like that of a birthday party full of kids who just got their slices of cake and only ate the frosting...like they'd be a pretty kick ass band to see with a room full of drunk people. So, there you have it, a motto for them: drunk people or children, prepare to have fun!

Listen:
"Captain Obvious"
"The Kazoo Star"

See them live:
14 January 2006 @ Jigsaw Saloon, Cleveland, OH
11 February 2006 @ Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, Cleveland, OH

Visit Machine Go Boom on MySpace

snip·pets

Joaquin Phoenix at Folsom Prison

Pete Townshend has warned iPod users that they could end up with hearing problems

Tests To Determine If Skull Is Mozart's

Classic Wire albums to be reissued

Spin has a paragraph about Morrissey's upcoming UK tour/new album

Animal Collective announce spring tour

Stylus lists the Top 10 Remixes of 2005

Flaming Lips Set Release Date for Mystics

Tapes 'n Tapes & Mancino

For the few of you who've been reading EAR FARM since the long long ago (in EF terms that's since like early October) you probably know that I've covered Mancino since day one and you might remember the prediction I made about Tapes 'n Tapes on October 20th of last year - "Watch them blow up when they come to NYC next time". They've started to do so even before coming back to NYC by getting talked about on tons of blogs and landing at #21 on the CMJ chart (among other noteworthy things)...and well, the dates here in NYC are set and finally upon us. You can catch them playing at any of the fine shows below, though I'd recommend the date with one of EAR FARM's favorites Mancino. Sadly, I will be out of town Thursday to Monday and won't be at any shows in NYC this weekend. Do not fear, Tapes 'n Tapes and Mancino will still blow up without me around and I'll betcha there will be plenty of other blogs covering these shows anyway.

Tapes 'n Tapes NYC dates:
7 January @ The Delancey with Mancino
8 January @ Pianos
9 January @ Mercury Lounge
12 January @ Rothko

Songs to listen to:
Tapes 'n Tapes - "Cowbell"
Mancino - "Hiccup Lines"

"New" Radiohead demos surface

NME reports:
Several previously unreleased Radiohead demos have surfaced online.
The tracks have been circulated on a Radiohead fan site ateaseweb.com.

The first demo dates from 1988 when the band were still called On A Friday, and includes the songs 'Happy Song', 'To Be A Brilliant Light' and 'Sinking Ship'.
The second demo is believed to have been recorded in the summer of 1990, when the band had changed their name to Shindig.

So, I went to the site they mentioned and grabbed 14 of these demos. Cool to have, not sure if these have been around online for a few years or if it's really worth a whole lot of time unless you're Radiohead crazy. Here's three of them:

• "Keep Strong"
• "Everybody Lies Through Their Teeth"
• "The New Generation"

Today's NEW releases

There's only one out today that is worth a darn (that I know of):

• The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

Anything else?

I want my MTV

Vice Records edition:

• The Streets - "Fit But You Know It"
• The Stills - "Changes Are No Good"
• Death From Above 1979 - "Romantic Rights"
• Chromeo - "Rage"

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

***this is going to be the only post today as it's the last day of vacation. back to work tomorrow and back to normal EF postings***

EAR FARM's Top 15 albums of 2005 redux

This list was originally posted on December 1st. That's like wicked early and stuff but I did that so as to not be too influenced by the many other list makers out there. So, here is EAR FARM's list once again. No, it hasn't changed - just thought it'd be nice to revisit now that the year is actually over. This time around, EAR FARM will also be giving you a bit of editorial commentary and one song from each of these albums to check out for yourself - further proof that these are musics you should be spending money on. Click the title of the album to go buy it somewhere, click the artist's name to go to their site, click the (+) to read what some critics have to say, and click on the song name to listen. As always, please feel free to comment, complain, leave your own "tops of '05" list, or tag the comments to this post with graffiti.

15. Arular by M.I.A. (+) - listen: "Sunshowers"
What can I say? I got this album in the summer and it was so totally the perfect summer album. I should've been cruising in some Jeep with its top off, bumpin this joint and scammin bitches. THAT would've been the way to properly enjoy this mixture of sweet beats and kick ass female rap; but wait, M.I.A. is actually saying something with her words! Politically charged dance/rap from Sri Lanka via London? "Shit yes" I say. The only real question I've got is what kind of staying power this album has, and thus it got the #15 spot. But hey, Stylus placed it at number ONE in their list.


14. Picaresque by The Decemberists (+) - listen: "16 Military Wives"
I love this band, I do, it's just that I think their first two albums are better than this one. Or is it that I feel like this album didn't move far enough forward and instead it's more like they're treading water? The scope of this album is up two or three notches from The Decemberists' previous efforts with an army of new instruments backing them...perhaps I shouldn't compare this album to others by The Decemberists but to the others released this year. Yes, okay, that's why I placed this album at #14. Whatever, don't be confused just because I am - this is an excellent album by a band you must see live.


13. The Woods by Sleater-Kinney (+) - listen: "Jumpers"
This album rocks, that's as simple as I can put it. Do you like rockin shit? Go get it. This is Sleater-Kinney growing up and putting out (maybe) their best album yet some ten years into their career. They're looking back to the 70's and 90's for inspiration but still moving forward with the music - I think I may have screwed up by not putting this higher. Magnet thinks so, they've got The Woods at number one on their list.


12. The Mouse and the Mask by Danger Doom (+) - listen: "Sofa King"
I wonder where all of the supporters of this album went... Seems like right when The Mouse and the Mask was released everyone was all way into it but then when list season came around they left it for dead. Anyway, I wanted to give at least one proper hip-hop album a spot on this list. Kanye's album could've made it as, it IS very good (maybe not as good as he thinks) but this Danger Mouse/MF Doom/Adult Swim collaboration is so fucking creative and fun, I love it. Btw, what a year Danger Mouse had.


11. Birds Make Good Neighbors by The Rosebuds (+) - listen: "Boxcar"
Pros: The Rosebuds are from North Carolina, they're on the best indie label out there, and they made one killer record called Birds Make Good Neighbors

Cons: Not enough people know of them so you don't really believe me when I tell you how good this album is


10. Take Fountain by The Wedding Present (+) - listen: "Always the Quiet One"
For a while I kept telling myself that I didn't really like this album that much. It wasn't vintage sounds of The Wedding Present, but then it's not like it was totally Cinerama either - more something in between with a little western flair added in. I listened anyway though, it still being one of the better albums out there, convinced it'd not make my year end list. Then when it came time to make my list, I gave the album one more listen and it dawned on me that this album is better than most of the crap that was released this year that has bozos pissing themselves. True dat.


9. Feels by Animal Collective (+) - listen: "Turn Into Something"
In college I knew this girl who was really smart and very creative but only marginally cute. She could paint like crazy but was slightly socially inept and weird. Then she discovered acid and got even more weird, withdrawn, and creative. Somehow though, eventually, I ended up developing a crush on her. Comprend? Good because Animal Collective has been, for me, the musical equivalent of that girl and this album might just be the beginning of my crush on them.


8. The Runners Four by Deerhoof (+) - listen: "You Can See"
Another experimental indie band hitting another near perfect bullseye. The feeling I get about this album is that it could end up being Deerhoof's finest when all is said and done as I can't currently imagine them topping the excellence on The Runners Four. Original, creative, fun...with ease they walk a fine line between convention and invention with the songs on this album and they do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it RIGHT.


7. One State Two State by The Light Footwork (+) - listen: "Mensa, AZ"
Time will tell how, and if, the world (outside of music bloggers) reacts to this album but it made my list because it dominated my iPod during the last few months of this year. Equal parts Pavement, Beulah, and Pixies but never not sounding completely like themselves; The Light Footwork won me over with smart lyrics, catchy tunes, and fine production. I'd think that most people reading this right now would enjoy this album, or already own it. Oh yeah, the great artwork is just icing on the cake.


6. Illinois by Sufjan Stevens (+) - listen: "Jacksonville"
50,000,000 music critics can't be wrong, can they? Illinois tops so many lists it's darn near annoying. You know what though? There's a really good reason everyone is head over heels for this album. It's the sound of an artist painting a folk-pop masterpiece and if I didn't take my own personal taste into account when compiling this list Illinois might've been at number one here as well.


5. The Great Destroyer by Low (+) - listen: "Everybody's Song"
If it's possible for Low to sound anything remotely close to pop-rockish then this is it. Wait, don't let that put you off. Much like the Sleater-Kinney album mentioned earlier, this record finds a veteran band re-developing their sound thanks to work in the studio with Dave Fridmann. I've been listening to The Great Destroyer for eleven months now and still find my love for the album growing. Oh, and it's really great winter music.


4. Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers (+) - listen: "The Bleeding Heart Show"
This was the first album that I considered as a potential "best of the year". Thing is, that was back in August when it came out. If anything, the sun drenched indie pop music these guys make just can't be taken in large doses. That's not to say this album isn't one of the best of the year (the collective talent of this band is staggering at times), it's just that I'm not exactly still listening to it with any regularity. But, given some time away from it I'm sure that very soon I'll be going back to remember why I immediately fell in love with Twin Cinema.


3. Open Season by British Sea Power (+) - listen: "Oh Larsen B"
Without a doubt, this album sits so highly on this list because I am in love with British Sea Power. They can do no wrong in my eyes and, unlike most others, I really adore their sophomore effort. While it is less abrasive, less overtly daring, than their debut album, Open Season is equally worthy of attention. The sound is more calmingly melodic and icy and stark. Actually, I prefer this quote from the review in The Guardian: "It's a triumphant lesson in sweeping gracefully towards the mainstream with your imagination and mystery intact."


2. Give Blood by Brakes (+) - listen: "What's in it For Me?"
Two great cover songs. Snappy, fun, catchy and quotable originals. Give Blood kicks ass like Indiana Jones did when he shot that swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark.






1. Z by My Morning Jacket (+) - listen: "Off the Record"
A true masterpiece. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this album at this point in My Morning Jacket's career reminds me of The Bends by Radiohead and I'd almost not at all be surprised if My Morning Jacket's next album becomes the album of the 00's the way Ok Computer did in the 90's. What really sealed Z's top spot in my list was seeing these guys live for the first time this year. I was blown away.


18 artists whose 2006 album I'm really excited about:
Arcade Fire
Bauhaus
Belle & Sebastian
Built to Spill
Clearlake
Clinic
The Flaming Lips
The Futureheads
Grandaddy
Islands
Morrissey
The Pixies
Portishead
Pretty Girls Make Graves
The Walkmen
Wilco
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

EAR FARM's December '05 mixtape

Some of the songs and artists featured on EAR FARM in December, put together in a nice list so you can download them. Make them into a CD and dance around tonight as you say farewell to 2005.

1. "The Loving Sounds of Static" by Mobius Band
2. "In The Belly" by Other Passengers
3. "Here Comes a Special Boy" by Freezepop
4. "Brakelights" by Man in Gray
5. "Motorcycle Man" by Tralala
6. "You Were the Sound" by Cheyenne
7. "Heartbeats" by The Knife
8. "Complications" by Limbs
9. "Natalie" by Bells Bells Bells
10. "It's Just Like You Say" by The Diggs
11. "True South" by The Isles
12. "Rough Gem" by Islands

Previously:

EAR FARM's October '05 mixtape

EAR FARM's November '05 mixtape

Weekend Live Music

Morphine Live @ Peabody's in Cleveland, 8 March 1994
(photo, from another show, from here)

1. "Lucky Day"
2. "I'm Free Now"
3. "Do Not Go"
4. "The Goddess"
5. "Head With Wings"
6. "Sharks"
7. "Whisper"
8. "Honey White"
9. "Cure For Pain"
10. "All Wrong"
11. "Shame"
12. "Yes"
13. "Thursday"

(sorry guys, had to remove the show to make room on the server)

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, and The Smiths.

Note

Hi all,
Had a friend in town with me the past few days so I haven't been posting like I usually would. But I do have a long post 90% ready to go it's just that there's an issue with my ability to host files. Anyway, status is to be determined on when this will be resolved so it may have an impact on what gets posted and when. Sorry and check back in a bit.
Until then, the bball game is important and the bowl may be a crap meaningless one but, GO PACK tonight against GW in bball and tomorrow morning against South Florida in football!!!

- Matt

UPDATE - okay, if you didn't notice...the issue has been resolved. the long post was just posted. oh, and NC State won the meaningless bowl game and, more importantly, also beat up on #12 George Washington in basketball! sorry, but i'm from NC and college basketball kinda means a bunch to me.

OPP

No Frontin' has the Islands song "Humans"

BiBaBiDi has a good Islands post where you can listen to the song "Volcanoes"

8+

Remember, this is a new weekly feature here on EAR FARM. Plain and simply put, a new song each week for listening/download. The only rule here: that the posted song is longer than EIGHT minutes. They'll be from my music library and only available for a limited time.

Keeping in line with Islands Thursday, here is today's song:

Islands - "Swans (Life After Death)", which clocks in at 9:32.

You know, I was once told that this song was written about recycling and at first I doubted that. Now, having seen the parenthetical titling in addition to giving a little listen to the lyrics...I'm not so sure it's NOT about some form of recycling. Isn't everything? "Swans (Life After Death)" will most probably appear on their soon to be released album and was originally found at Fluxblog. If you don't read that site daily you're a jerk.

Wanna be friends with the band, or at least fool yourself into thinking that you are? Visit Islands on MySpace. Oh, and the image you see was found at LastFM here.

In the recent past this song was featured on EF's 8+:
British Sea Power - "Lately"

Islands

I'm not playing that 'band to watch for in 2006' game. No how, no way. If I was, I'd take this moment to reiterate the fact that Islands come close to topping my list of bands whose 2006 album I can't wait to hear. You know them already, right? They're two thirds of The Unicorns plus something like 5 other people. Having heard a bunch of their songs online and when I saw them live recently I can safely say that you WILL like this band. Or, you will like them if you enjoy something along the lines of Graceland era Paul Simon mixed with Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? as well as some general free thinking creative song-ing.

The sounds, the wonderful sounds! What else can I say? I've been quite attached to ANYthing done by The Unicorns and things I've heard so far from Islands make me hopeful for what the future has in store. With that in mind, I declare today Islands Thursday*.

Visit Islands on MySpace

Listen:
1. "Rough Gem"
2. "Flesh"
3. "Abominable Snow"
(tracks 2 and 3 found at The Simple Mission right here)

*due to the massive lack of Islands related things online I think that Islands Thursday may actually only be made up of two posts, unless someone can point us in the direction of more...

(photo was found at the Secret Unicorns Forum Image Cave here)

I want my MTV

Best Videos of 2005 edition:

• Stephen Malkmus - "Baby C'mon"
• The Decemberists - "16 Military Wives"
• Animal Collective - "Leaf House"
• Wolf Parade - "Shine A Light"
• John Vanderslice - "Exodus Damage"

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

My favorite is the video for "Shine a Light".

***if you didn't figure it out, these videos were culled from posts on DoCopenhagen and Clever Titles Are So Last Summer about top videos of 2005***

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #12

Seven by James

James could've been the UK's answer to R.E.M. Maybe some muddled vocals, a couple of college radio hits and videos and a song or ten that over-referenced pop culture and they'd have done it for sure...but they did alright for themselves anyway. I'll bet you've heard of this band because of their song "Laid" which was quite the 'alternative' radio/MTV hit back in 1994 (if you haven't, fear not) and I remember many people I knew back then got their album of the same name but probably didn't listen to it very much. The thing is, James' better album was the one released BEFORE they kinda hit it big here in the US.

The first mention I ever heard of this band was in some interview that Morrissey did where he claimed that his favorite current band was James. Like a good little disciple I ran out and got the only album I could find, this very one I'm writing about. I liked the first track or two but didn't really give the record much of a chance and shelved it. A year later, the song and album Laid came out and the previously mentioned mass interest ensued. This I was a part of (thank goodness) and I started listening to Laid a bunch and then realized I had this other album by James. Finally my sense of music kicked in and I gave the album Seven the kind of attention it deserves.

What you'll find in listening to this album is a band well in control of their sound and songwriting skills. It's full of grand arrangements and subtly right-on producing. Every song on here just soars. In fact, I went hang gliding in Kitty Hawk a few times and if I was going to do it again (with an iPod and in someplace like the rocky mountains where one can actually fly for extended amounts of time) I'd totally bring this album to be my hang gliding soundtrack.

Allmusic says:
"...a record that married the ambitious scope of the lyrics with a grand, anthemic feel. Horns give songs like the lead-off "Born of Frustration" and the surging "Sound" a certain majestic grandeur, sweeping without being overblown. Lead singer Tim Booth is in fine form, lending passion to the proceedings, yet maintaining an intimacy. They don't totally abandon the more jangly, folk elements of past albums; it's still there noticeably on tracks like the lovely "Don't Wait That Long" and the shimmering, sardonic "Next Lover." Other highlights include the dramatic "Ring the Bells" and the resolute title track, which is propelled by Andy Diagram's trumpet, Booth's assured vocals, and a thumping rhythm."

TrouserPress says:
"Seven refashions the septet into an English Simple Minds, spreading its wings across a grand polyrhythmic tableau in which everyone plays at once and nobody gets hurt. Against a surging model of dynamic textures in tautly controlled arrangements that employ the members' skills to the fullest, Booth keeps his singing dramatic but eloquent — more Liam Neeson than Charlton Heston, which serves to sharpen the vibrant music's focus. Whether topical ("Bring a Gun") or romantic ("Don't Wait That Long"), the lyrics are more considered and set lower in the mix, but the music's invigorating force is what makes the buoyant Seven James' first fully satisfying album."

I'd suggest this album to any fan of 80's or 90's college radio rock or fans of The Verve or even fans of U2 who like their more well known anthemic songs. Time for you to make up your own mind.

Listen to three songs from the album:
"Ring the Bells"
"Sound" (full version)
"Next Lover"

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

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

Also, it appears another blog is onto this "Overlooked of the 90's" idea:
Top 30 'Other' Albums of the '90s

Band of the year poll - VoTe!!!

Clever Titles is having a poll to decide the band of the year. The ones running for election are ones that have been featured on the site this year as 'bands of the week'. Anyway, Bethanne asked that folks spread the word to get some more peoples voting in this thing so this post is the spreading, now you just need to go and VOTE.

The Isles

It's a damn good thing The Isles contacted me via MySpace because, like a jerk, I missed seeing them open for Islands and never thought twice about it. After checking out their songs I see that I missed out on a band I probably would've really dug.

Their sound is a blend of styles I love, 80's guitar driven British pop/rock and 90's indie rock. Something along the lines of The Smiths meet Pavement & Blur but those kinds of comparisons never end up telling the whole story. These songs are pop driven romantic melancholy rock that groove as much as they jangle. Music that makes you wish you had an afternoon to bimble about town visiting various used book/record stores. Though at times the guitars veer towards Interpol territory, the end product never seems as forced or 'put on' as that of the aforementioned band. Somehow, for a band hailing from New York, The Isles have found a perfectly natural English sound.

Visit The Isles on MySpace

Listen:
"Flying Under Cheap Kites"
"True South"

See them live:
6 January 2006 @ The Mercury Lounge
14 January 2006 @ Northsix

New York Times article on Indie Music

Juno sent a link to an article, here's a brief excerpt:

"Even as the recording industry staggers through another year of declining sales over all, there are new signs that a democratization of music made possible by the Internet is shifting the industry's balance of power.

Exploiting online message boards, music blogs and social networks, independent music companies are making big advances at the expense of the four global music conglomerates, whose established business model of blockbuster hits promoted through radio airplay now looks increasingly outdated.

CD and digital album sales so far this year are down 8 percent compared with the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. And while sales of digital tracks through services like iTunes have risen 150 percent, to well over 320 million songs this year, that rise is not enough to offset the plunge in album sales. Overall sales are down less than 5 percent if the digital singles are bundled into units of 10 and counted as albums, according to estimates by Billboard magazine.

Still, despite the slide, dozens of independent labels are faring well with steady-selling releases by, among others, the Miami rapper Pitbull and the indie bands Hawthorne Heights, Bright Eyes, Interpol and the Arcade Fire. Independent labels account for more than 18 percent of album sales this year - their biggest share of the market in at least five years, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. (If several big independent companies whose music is marketed by the major music labels distribution units are included, the figure exceeds 27 percent.)"

Go read the rest HERE.

Die Romantik's Christmas video

Yesterday, Die Romantik sent me a message telling me that they had just put together a little special holiday song/video:

Second of all, merry christmas and happy new year (soon)! We decided to do something special for our friends & fans, and so wrote a new christmas carol to which we put together a music video.

It is a treat from us to all the people whom we want to thank - what better way to thank people than by doing it with what we do best - and so I wanted to invite you to see it.

We hope you enjoy it!

Best wishes,
Dominic & Die Romantik

Sometimes I really just love this band. I've been listening to them quite a bit lately so this sure was a nice holiday gift. Don't you want to see?

"A Die Romantik Christmas" by Die Romantik

This video, like the one for "Nachtmusik Für Linnea" that I previously linked to, was directed by Henry Joost.

Want to go see them? Live in NYC??
Die Romantik @ Sin-é this Friday the 30th of December

Weekend Live Music

Now that EAR FARM is hosting files I don't have to depend upon only posting things I find somewhere online. So, here is what I'd intended to post as a birthday gift to myself, instead it'll be a Christmas gift...from my favorite band:

The Smiths Live @ Irvine Meadows, Laguna Hills, CA, 28 August 1986
(photo, from another show, from here)

1. "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"
2. "Still Ill"
3. "I Want The One I Can't Have"
4. "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
5. "How Soon Is Now?"
6. "Frankly, Mr. Shankly"
7. "Panic"
8. "Stretch Out And Wait"
9. "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side"
10. "Is It Really So Strange?"
11. "Cemetry Gates"
12. "Never Had No One Ever"
13. "What She Said (with Rubber Ring intro and outro)"
14. "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"
15. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
16. "The Queen Is Dead"
17. "Money Changes Everything"
18. "I Know It's Over"

All were "released" on a popular bootleg called Thank Your Lucky Stars. There's more information about this show HERE if you're interested and I've got a bunch more live shows by The Smiths that I just might post in the future.

(sorry guys, had to remove the show to make room on the server. expect more live shows from The Smiths in the future on EAR FARM)

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, and Explosions in the Sky.

The Raleigh Ringers

Sorry about the lack of posts but it's that busy time of the year...
Anyway, one more for today and then you can expect a "Weekend Live Music" post tomorrow from one of my favorite bands as a gift to myself (and people like me). On with the fun!

Watching TV the other night I ran across something that kept me entertained for what seemed like minutes. I happened upon The Raleigh Ringers playing a Christmas concert. Who is THAT? That's what I wondered...and I grew up in Raleigh.

The Raleigh Ringers is an internationally acclaimed, advanced community handbell choir based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since its founding in 1990, The Raleigh Ringers has been dazzling concert audiences with unique interpretations of sacred, secular and popular music, including famous rock ‘n’ roll tunes arranged just for handbells.

All I can say is wow. These guys really know how to work their bells. Nothing else I can say will tell you any better than seeing and listening for yourself. Sure, it may not be something you really want to LISTEN to very much (it scares my cat, kinda hurts my ears at times)...but that's okay these are just soundclips. Watching these people groovin' and jammin', man, I think Christopher Guest could do a prittay prittay funny movie about them.

Video:
“Christmas Eve ( Sarajevo 12/24)”

Audio:
“Sing We All Noel”
“Stairway to Heaven”
“Free Bird”

snip·pets

Guitar Fest To Salute Springsteen's 'Nebraska'

Johnny Cash film to be screened in infamous prison

Flaming Lips Release The Soft Bulletin Reissue

Lil Kim, The Game: Last-Minute Music Nerd Gift Ideas

Stylus finally finished their top 50 of '05 list...and Sufjan's not #1!

Review: Handel's 'Messiah' in radiant redux