Maybe it's just easier on everyone if we start keeping a key on the side of the site that lists band attributes I gravitate towards. So far, we would have >2G!, which of course refers to a band with more than two guitarists, and maybe :0 :0 :0, which I suppose could indicate vocal harmonies of at least three distinct parts.
Le Loup, a seven-piece hailing from Washington D.C., has both of these characteristics in spades and flaunted them for an uncharacteristically-packed-for-1:30pm-house at Pianos yesterday as part of a Brooklyn Vegan Day Party (I only found out afterwards that they were giving out free bloody marys, which could explain part of the bottlenecking you vultures). However, I suppose the strongest characteristic that pervaded their too-brief set was in their similarities to a certain Canadian band with a basketball-dunking front-man. Now, I'm not so sure if that particular characteristic would make it onto my super-special side panel legend but hey, that's just me. In fact, there seems to be a whole cadre of bands popping up - from the Annuals to NYC's own Ravens and Chimes - that all channel the dramatic, revival-tent vibe of the Arcade Fire and I honestly dig them all.
And that's certainly NOT to reduce Le Loup to a simple and lazy comparison, because there was much more to their sound than that label suggests. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by them and the sheer size and gravitas of their sound. My advice is to go see them before they start hitting the bigger clubs in this fair borough. Oops, too late, one of their next shows is at Bowery.
See Le Loup Live - CMJ Dates:
18 October - Knitting Factory Main Space
20 October - Bowery Ballroom
Listen:
"We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!"
Photo of Le Loup from HERE.
Visit Le Loup on MySpace.
18 October 2007
Le Loup @ Pianos - 17 October 2007
OPP
Soft Communication on a recent PJ Harvey show at Beacon Theater
NYC Taper: Meat Puppets October 17, 2007 - BrooklynVegan CMJ Party - Lossless Download
Idolator: The Best (And Worst) Of Day One of CMJ | The Best (And Worst) Of Day Two
Gerard vs. Bear's ongoing/sad/unfunny obsession with Good Hodgkins continues to prove that the 2007 PLUG award nomination committee must have been made up of one-celled eukaryotes
Marathonpacks: On Re-Shifting the Focus
ninebullets bows down to the power of EAR FARM's fantasy football team
T-Sides: Lost MP3 of the Week: “Sprit in the Night”
17 October 2007
Cut Off Your Hands! @ the Indaba Loft - 16 October 2007
Yesterday Cut Off Your Hands! played the first of many Indaba Loft shows happening during CMJ this week in New York. I hate to be the (likely) only person in New York willing to tell you this, but they stunk. And I can't imagine a different venue helping very much.
Generally EAR FARM has taken the "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" approach, and I'm not wavering from that. That's how I do. But I also "call 'em like I see 'em." And when these two adages collide, continents shift and sparks fly. Or so (I'm guessing) most people are going to claim is what happens when Cut Off Your Hands! plays a live show. If they do tell you this, run far away from these people. They're lying and bowing down to group-think inspired by band energy and familiar sounding music.
Basically, Cut Off Your Hands! jumped around, played simple angular tunes that were derivative and uninteresting, acted super pissed off and diva-esque, played a relatively short set, and dressed like dudes trying to revive '80s post-punk chic who didn't get the memo that '80s post-punk chic was revived and then killed off again 4 years ago.
I tell you this because I could see this band being one of the bands to come out of this year's CMJ Festival and I wanted to go on the record with my impression of their live show. None of this is to say I didn't have a great time and enjoy seeing them (hey, on pure energy alone they succeeded where most bands fail), I just ultimately didn't care for it. That happens. But do see them for yourself so you can make up your own mind. Sometimes the taste of music bloggers just can't be trusted.
See Cut Off Your Hands! live - CMJ dates:
17 October - Brooklyn Vegan Party @ Pianos (12pm)
17 October - Gothamist House @ White Rabbit (2pm)
17 October - New Zealand On Air @ Delancey (4pm)
18 October - Fader Party @ 146 Orchard (4:30pm)
18 October - French Kiss Showcase @ Pianos (8:30pm)
Listen:
"You And I"
Watch:
"Expectations" live (from this show) on YouTube | download QT
See more pictures of Cut Off Your Hands! (from this show) HERE.
Visit Cut Off Your Hands! on MySpace.
Arizona @ the Indaba Loft - 16 October 2007
This just in, the folks at Indaba Music have put together quite the enticing package to lure prowling CMJ daywalkers. They've turned what I believe to be their corporate office - a three floor walkup loft on Bowery - into a swarthy (referring to lack of AC and not preponderance of chest hair or gold chains) cauldron of kegs, plush couches, and intimate live performances.
Yesterday, Arizona redefined the very concept of "intimate live performance" as all five of the Asheville-by-way-of-NYC troupe were splayed out amidst rugs and pillows in the corner of the loft and churned out an entrancing set of gorgeous, heartfelt and innovative American rock that translated perfectly to the acoustic setting.
Sadly, prior to this performance my knowledge of the band was almost exclusively limited to guitarist Andrew's participation in our Hangar 18 Fantasy Football League. And while I had heard their most recent EP Fameseeker and the Mono in the background recently and really enjoyed it, part of the reason I went to check them out yesterday was to gloat to Andrew that I would never ever trade Tom Brady to him despite his myriad of proposals. What's my point?
Well, there is a lesson here to all those who may consider fantasy sports and the broader universe of professional sports as incompatible and irrelevant to the decidedly insular world of indie rock. If it were not for our shared fantasy jones, I may not have seen Arizona yesterday. And if I hadn't seen Arizona yesterday, I would have missed a band who is poised to join Okkervil River, My Morning Jacket and Wilco as the torchbearers of kickass American rock 'n roll music. In this relaxed setting, they exhibited such an impressive range of dynamics and soulful harmonies that I cannot imagine how much this band must rock when fully amplified. You can't either? No need to, you can see them at either of their other CMJ performances listed below. Amen to that bro.
And for the record, I'm kind of thinking of trading Tom Brady to Andrew now.
See Arizona live - CMJ dates:
17 October - ASCAP Showcase @ Canal Room
20 October - Scenic Showcase @ Galapagos
Listen:
"Thimble"
Watch:
"Some Kind of Chill" live (from this show) on YouTube | download QT
See more pictures of Arizona (from this show) HERE.
Visit Arizona on MySpace.
Takka Takka, The Section Quartet @ CMJ Day Stage - 16 October 2007
Let's welcome Mike to the mix with a first. An EAR FARM conversation about a show both Matt and Mike attended together.
Saluton EAR FARM nation! This is exciting.
To the fiercely loyal who may chafe at welcoming another voice to offset Matt's tyrannical reign, fear not. I'm not here to rock the boat. Instead, think of me as the Cousin Oliver to EAR FARM's Greg Brady (but when you do so please conjure this image instead of this one) - a mischievous, eager newcomer with his hand in the cookie jar of good music (Don't tell Alice). Actually, scratch that, I believe they canceled the show pretty shortly after Oliver's midseason debut. Okay, I guess think of me as the first wave of change that EAR FARM will be undergoing in the coming months. It all starts here, and I'm honestly thrilled to be a part of it.
Right then, onto the music.
Earlier yesterday afternoon, Matt and I headed over to the Puck Building with the express purpose of seeing Takka Takka. We were late. So here is my public apology to Takka Takka, a band that so many different people have been telling me to check out for at least the last two years believing that they are the EXACT kind of band I would dig, as well as a band that apparently started their set right on schedule. I'm sorry Takka Takka, I missed the bulk of it. However, I did manage to see their final three songs and was left with mixed emotions. By mixed emotions I mean a combination of elation at seeing a band for the first time that so clearly spoke to my love of cleverly turning melodies, direct and earnest lyrics and vocals, and an unfussy delivery and self-disgust for never making it out to any of their 467 previous shows I could have easily seen. Apparently, they've added a third guitarist fairly recently, which in my estimation is a very very very good thing. I just used a "very" for every guitar in Takka Takka, see how much better that sentence reads as a result? Exactly. But hey, isn't the whole idea of the "newish" EAR FARM to get multiple perspectives at times? And who am I to write on a band which I've only seen play three songs live? Matt, what was your opinion?
I've seen Takka Takka something like 200 times (lie), and I love them more than I love my cat (another lie). As songwriters, as musicians, and as people - love them. Great band. Readers of EAR FARM already know how I feel about Takka Takka. However, it would appear that the organizers of CMJ do not know anything about my feelings towards them, nor do they know anything about how I feel about waiting in lines. But they will know soon, this I'll make sure of. And if they did already know these things, then they are just mean.
So. What's the deal with waiting in lines? Am I right? What? It's not just me that hates waiting in lines is it? Didn't think so. Well then, friend line-hater, pull up a chair and let me spin a tale of line-waiting so harrowing it's bound to make your back hurt empathetically and might even prematurely gray some of your hair as you read. I'll do my best not to recount the details of the "great wait" in real time because, frankly, you don't have the time (not a lie).
The important details:
- - as part of an agreement for running the CMJ ad you see on the bottom right side over there (scroll down, it's white) I was told I'd be given a CMJ pass, something all of us involved with After The Jump were granted. VERY cool.
- I was never explicitly told how/when/where to pickup said pass other than to get the pass just like everyone else.
- when I arrived at the Puck building to retrieve my CMJ pass, I was asked if I was a "performer" or "press."
- my speedy skills of deduction led me to answer "press" - look, it was my first time downtown. Noo, I live downtown. It's an expression. It was my first CMJ with a badge. Or so I hoped.
- I got in this "press" line and there I stood. Quietly. For 50 minutes (true). Fifty. Five-zero.
- standing there doing long division in my head, I found myself tapping a foot along to some groovy sounds coming from the distance. Through many walls... it's a guitar, it's two, it's three... it's Takka Takka!
- as if I were turning to look at the stage, I turned to face the wall where the sounds were coming from; and then, over.
Oh right. Well, what did you think of The Section Quartet (see above photo)? They done set the stage on fire after Takka Takka, re-imagining such rock staples as the Strokes' "Juicebox", Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" and Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" (more on this in a moment) with feverish precision and a storm of violins, viola and cello. If King Arthur had ruled over Williamsburg, this band would be rocking his Court methinks. And how bananas was Eric Gorfain's violin solo on "Heartbreaker"? It somehow managed to tap into the whole tightrope Jimmy Page tiptoed between brutish force and technical fluidity in the original while adding even more grace and flair to the piece. Ridiculous. You caught that, right?
Mother fucker say what?! You're kidding right? Because I know you came to visit me while I waited. Not once, or twice, but three times you came to see how I was holding up. That's right people, my story didn't end with Takka Takka's set, nor did it end at the end of the "press" line. Let's get back to a bulleted list format to save us all a bit of time. Lord knows I'm due a refund of some kind here... might as well take it back in blog time. Too late? Screw you, keep reading.
More details:
- - the end of the "press" line saw a confused woman tell me that I'd just waited in the wrong line and that I would need to head over to the "pre-registration" line. Fair enough. A total waste of my time, but I felt like it was nearly 99% my fault.
- the "pre-registration" line was noticeably shorter, I had hope.
- after twenty minutes I reached the end of the line. Confident, I handed a different woman my ID. She searched. For a while. My heart sank.
- "I'm sorry, but your pass just isn't in here. You're going to have to wait in that (she pointed to another looooong line) line over there where they'll print you a new pass."
- this nearly made me cry, but just then I could've sworn I heard a string quartet version of "Paranoid Android" coming from the general area of the muffled sounding wall stage. "Muffled sounding wall stage" is what us "line people" had come to call the Day Stage, and we imagined it was located someplace near the center of the Earth, for that is how far away the music sounded. However, the faint refrain of classical Radiohead was enough to pick up my spirits.
- like a whiny child shopping for clothes with his mother I muttered "but I just waited in line for over an hour" to the poor CMJ worker. She looked upon me with pity, didn't say a word.
- I left the comforts of my second line for the frightening newness of yet another line. This one looked long. Even longer than the previous two. I took a deep breath.
- after another 25 minutes or so, just about the time I really got used to this new, third, line, I got to the front of the line. The people working this line clearly knew they were wearing an imaginary sign that read "The Buck Stops Here."
- within seconds of handing these last resorters my information I was given my very own CMJ badge. Finally! So efficient!
- (inner monologue: "Oh, but it's crooked (see above photo) - looks so sloppy!")
- (secondary inner monologue voice: "Shut up OCD head, you got it! Now get going before they create a fourth line for you to wait in!")
So um, is it to late too just say "Takka Takka, The Section Quartet @ CMJ Day Stage - no comment"?
British Sea Power @ Maxwell's - 15 October 2007
British Sea Power is one of my favorite bands - no question I was going to head to Maxwell's for the first time ever (yep, embarrassingly enough it's true) to see them rock Hoboken. After all, I haven't missed a BSP show in the New York area yet, why start now?
The band seemed to take about a song and a half to warm up to playing the show, or to shake off the jetlag. Whatever it was, the opener ("Apologies to Insect Life") was a bit flat. Though, that's about the only song that didn't have the audience completely enamored with the sights and sounds of British Sea Power. 
In the past, British Sea Power has delivered some of the best live shows I've ever seen. No joke. The first two times I saw them pretty much blew my mind and made me a fan forever. Was this show another such mindblowing show? Not exactly. But it did blow away the majority of other shows I've seen this year. Mostly because I love their music so much, but I digress.
The band split the set fairly evenly between their first two LPs and the songs from their upcoming third LP (with some EP tracks thrown in for good measure). I was happy to see so many others in the audience singing along to the old songs (including the new song "Atom", which seemed a particular crowd favorite) and I was fairly to totally impressed by every single one of the new songs. I simply can't wait to see them again on Thursday and I'm extremely excited for the new album. If you ever get a chance to see British Sea Power live, do it.
British Sea Power - 2007 US tour dates:
18 October - New York, NY (CMJ)
19 October - Washington, DC (Black Cat)
21 October - Cambridge, MA (Middle East Downstairs)
Listen:
"Atom"
Watch:
"Remember Me" live (from this show) on YouTube | download QT
Unknown new song live (from this show) on YouTube | download QT
See more pictures of British Sea Power (from this show) HERE.
Visit British Sea Power on MySpace.
Stardeath and White Dwarfs @ Maxwell's - 15 October 2007
Because I'm a bit fascinated with bands from the Oklahoma music scene, I was already slightly familiar with Stardeath and White Dwarfs. MySpace familiar at least. So I wanted to be sure to get to the show early enough to catch their set, and I'm glad I did.
Now, that's not to say I'm glad because I loved Stardeath and White Dwarfs. And that's not to say I hated them either. Here's what I saw and heard: a band that feels like they should be playing arenas but still has a ways to go before their craft matches these aspirations. They were loud - too loud. They had stacks upon stacks of amplifiers and a custom lighting setup that bothered more than entertained. This could've been due to the height of the stage at Maxwell's, but was annoying regardless. 
Their sound in a live setting was a mixture of shoegaze, prog, and elements of fellow Oklahomans Evangelicals. For the first two songs I thought "yesss" and then by the fourth song I was ready for them to leave the stage. Again, they just seemed to be a few notches away from putting everything together in a manner that would make me need to see them again and again. Still, there's enough goodness here that I'd suggest you seeing Stardeath and White Dwarfs for yourself to make up your own mind.
Stardeath and White Dwarfs - current tour dates w/ British Sea Power:
18 October - New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom - CMJ)
19 October - Washington, DC (Black Cat)
21 October - Cambridge, MA (Middle East Downstairs)
Listen:
"Chemical"
See more pictures of Stardeath and White Dwarfs (from this show) HERE.
Visit Stardeath and White Dwarfs on MySpace.
16 October 2007
Three for Free - Takka Takka, Saturday Looks Good To Me, Jennifer O'Connor
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from artists playing the CMJ Day Stage today. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song, check out their set times in parentheses below.
Listen:
Takka Takka (1pm) - "Draw A Map"
Saturday Looks Good To Me (3pm) - "Can't Ever Sleep"
Jennifer O'Connor (4pm) - "Today"
A new voice joins EAR FARM
EAR FARM's goal has always been to bring music lovers together with great music in an entertaining and personal manner. Since inception, the site's focus has been two-fold: one, to highlight the artists, songs, and albums that have shaped founder Matt Tyson's love of music; and two, to feature current up and coming indie and unsigned bands from New York City as well as the rest of the world.
The site was started in October 2005 (oops, looks like I missed posting about EF's 2 yr. anniversary - shucks) and has grown over time to become a well-respected and often cited source of music information and entertainment. A variety of established mainstream media outlets (such as RollingStone, VH1, the Village Voice, and the Boston Globe) have recognized EAR FARM as one of today’s influential music blogs and the site has been host to a number of successful live music events in both New York City and Raleigh, NC.
Up to this point EAR FARM has always been a one-man operation, tirelessly composed day after day by one man - me. That all changes today.
I'd like everyone here to give a nice big warm EAR FARM welcome to Mike Grimes. You might know him as the lead vocalist/guitarist for the Brooklyn band Mancino, or you may remember a contribution or two from him in the past on EAR FARM. Either way, you'll soon be seeing posts here from Mike on a regular basis, starting this week during the CMJ Music Marathon.
In other EF news, stay tuned in the weeks and months ahead for an all new EAR FARM. A change is on the horizon: good things for/from EAR FARM. And that means good things for you. Good things.
Today's NEW releases
EF suggestions from this week's releases:
15 October 2007
Hit-or-miss
What: the EAR FARM music library is put on shuffle - the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted here.
Listen:
"Half A Person" by The Smiths from Louder Than Bombs
View:
Image search results for Half A Person - above image is from the first page of results (and was originally from HERE, but downloaded from HERE).
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Previous EF Hit-or-miss posts:
"The Bones Of An Idol" by The New Pornographers
"Stay" by David Bowie
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" by Hank Williams
"Carry" by ISIS
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer
snip·pets
Zeppelin Catalog Going Digital In November
Arcade Fire Rocks With Springsteen In Ottawa
Metallica continue working on new album
'Buffy' sing-along killed off
Brokers snatch joy from Hannah Montana fans
The New Yorker: The Internet may be killing the pop CD, but it’s helping classical music
The New Yorker: How indie rock lost its soul
As record business changes, so do reviews
2007 has been a stinker for indie rock (via my friend Campbell)
Raleigh's N&O: In search of a city's spark and soul
The Met held open auditions for its lavish new production of "War and Peace"
Do superstars still need record labels?
12 October 2007
The Forms
The one time I attempted to see The Forms was ruined by rain and I swore I'd make a point of trying to see a full set by the band in the near future. That hasn't happened yet, and it's pretty terrible that I've not yet seen this band play a full/real set, but the future is still right in front of me. And with all of their upcoming October shows (man am I ticked I missed that recent show @ Cake Shop - but they are playing with The National again tonight) I think I just might get a chance to see The Forms live rather soon.
So, why The Forms?
Their debut record Icarus was 18 minutes of Steve Albini produced sonic goodness. Angular, tight, and yet soaring all at the same time, it was a highly promising debut album worth taking note of, and many did. Now The Forms have a second album due out on October 23rd, once again pairing with Albini, and appear set to expand their fanbase well outside the reaches of New York City clubs and opening slots that get cut short due to rain.
Listen:
"Knowledge In Hand"
"Bones"
See The Forms Live:
12 Oct @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - w/ The National, Marla Hansen
17 Oct @ White Rabbit - Gothamist CMJ House Party
18 Oct @ Soundfix in Brooklyn - CMJ
20 Oct @ Club Midway - CMJ
Visit The Forms on MySpace.
Visit Stereogum's Drive XV post to hear The Forms cover R.E.M's "Ignoreland".
11 October 2007
8+
“Yes, Anastasia” by Tori Amos which clocks in at 9:33
From time to time EAR FARM enjoys featuring guest posts in the long-running 8+ feature. To that end, I'd like to once again invite any and all of you to get in touch if you're interested in writing your own 8+ to be featured here (see previous 8+ guest posts HERE). The only guidelines: you must write about a song longer than eight minutes and the song you're writing about can not be a recording of a live performance. Other than that, it's a wide open format where anything goes.
Due to my being out of town for the past week-plus in Las Vegas (for work), EAR FARM featured a guest 8+ post last week and we've got another one lined up for today. Our guest author this week is a good friend of mine named Cathy. We first met back in middle school and became very close in high school, remaining friends to this day. In fact, many times I almost composed my own 8+ about her and this song, which would have been second-hand and incomplete. Thankfully she agreed to write something for us so that we'll get the proper version of her story. And hey, it just so happens to be a perfect time to feature a Tori Amos song here in EF's 8+ given that she's in town tonight to play the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Tori Amos originally released “Yes, Anastasia” in 1994 as part of the Under the Pink album. I was 16 at the time, and this song, more than any other, confirmed my adolescent belief that she was writing her music just for me. She seemed to have a clearer understanding of my plight than my family, or even my friends. I was at the height of teenage misery, consumed with feeling self-conscious and insecure, but hadn’t figured out yet that most everyone I knew was feeling the same way. Somehow, Tori understood all of this, and I had sought refuge in her lyrics and the otherworldly quality of her songwriting. And then, as if to eliminate any doubt of her intentions, Tori contacted me cryptically (her usual style) via “Yes, Anastasia.” Not only was this song long enough that I was pretty sure most of her other, pseudo fans would dismiss it, but it was written about the source of my long-forgotten alter ego, Anastasia.*image of Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova from HERE.
The song was inspired by what I had thought was a relatively obscure historical mystery, and one that I had had a strange obsession with as a child. My fixation began in a very unromantic way, via a television miniseries about Anna Anderson. In 1920 Anderson had washed up on the side of the Landwehr Canal in Berlin following a failed suicide attempt. Committed to a mental hospital, her identity unknown, she started claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas II. According to history, the Emperor and his family, including then 17-year old Anastasia, were executed by the Bolshevik secret police on July 17, 1918. According to Anna Anderson, she, Anastasia, had managed to survive the massacre and flee to safety. For nearly 70 years, until her death in 1984, Anderson continued to insist that she was Anastasia. Many believed her, including some who had known the Grand Duchess, while others thought she was a psychopath.
I was mesmerized by her story. The possibility that someone with such a common name as Anna Anderson might have really been a duchess captured my imagination. It wasn’t that I necessarily believed her, but I definitely related to the desire for a more romantic history. Let’s face it, things could be pretty unglamorous for a twelve-year old growing up in 1980s suburban America, jelly bracelets notwithstanding. I was desperate for proof that some other life was possible, and not yet knowing how to create it for myself, I was drawn to this woman who had assigned herself a royal past. What an elegant and envious solution! Thinking that if it worked for her, it could work for me, I decided that I, too, would adopt the name Anastasia. For a year or so, I was convinced that was my true and proper name. I practiced signing it with a royal flourish and daydreamed about my life at court … or as a movie star or a musician or an astronaut. Having adopted an exotic secret identity, I wasn’t about to be restricted to a single fantasy. My association with the name gave me license to imagine myself as anything I wanted to be.
I wasn’t delusional – I knew that I wasn’t really any of these things, not yet anyways. And I definitely didn’t let any adults in on my secret, having learned early on that outlandish flights of fancy were frowned upon in polite company. I, like many children, was consumed by my imagination, deeply affected by music and art, and transfixed by any book I could get my hands on. I lived in a space that was halfway between the “real” world and the realm of imagination, while the adults around me seemed firmly rooted in the mundane aspects of daily life. I remember being confused about why my own parents rarely listened to music. I asked my mother about this one day and she told me that when she was younger she had loved music, but as she became an adult and her responsibilities grew, she didn’t have time for it. It just didn’t seem work on her anymore. I was instinctively aware that creativity is marginalized in our culture – it felt like something that needed to be defended. I wanted permission to indulge myself in it, and Anastasia gave me that.
As it turned out, the historical mystery was not nearly as obscure as I had thought and Amos, captivated by the story, aimed to spread it further. Many of her songs (which she refers to as “the girls”) are inspired by specific characters, both historical and imagined (or sensed), with whom she feels a connection. “Yes, Anastasia” shifts between Anastasia’s memories (There’s something we left on the windowsill ...) and the pressure and scrutiny faced by Anderson to prove her claimed identity (Show me the ways to button up buttons/ That have forgotten they’re buttons/Well we can’t have that/Forgetting that). The music, too, alternates between sections that are whimsical and upbeat, like a children’s song, and others that feel violent and threatening. It isn’t clear whether Amos believes that Anna Anderson is Anastasia or not: the sadness for something lost and the dichotomy between memory/childhood and threats from outside are real for both of them.
Testing conducted after Anderson’s death indicated that she was probably not Anastasia, but it seems the two will always be linked in historical memory. If Anderson really was the Prussian factory worker that DNA evidence now suggests she was, what was it that drove her to immerse herself so completely in fantasy that Anastasia’s memories became her own? I’m reminded of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl.” Ginsberg mourns the tragic fate that creative people seemed to be meeting in the face of an increasingly homogenized culture: “I saw the best minds of my generation, destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.” Many people, it seems, lose their creativity altogether, some suffer mental health problems, and a very few manage to channel it into art. “Yes, Anastasia” reminds me that we must choose and defend creativity daily, or our creative lives, our real selves, will disappear. The songs ends with Tori wailing, to me, a call to action:
“We’ll see how brave you are ... Yes, Anastasia.”
***
Note: It occurs to me that the real histories (whatever they are) of Anna Anderson and Anastasia Romonova get lost somewhere in all of these highly personal associations that have sprung up around them. The following books chronicle their lives. Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson, by Peter Kurth, presents the evidence in favor of Anderson’s claim. Robert K. Massey’s Nicholas and Alexandra profiles the court and family of Emperor Nicholas II, including young Anastasia.
Buy Under the Pink on Amazon/on iTunes.
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+:
Boduf Songs - “Bell for Harness”
8 Bold Souls - "Odyssey"
Artanker Convoy - "Open Up"
Dan Deacon - "Wham City"
Clan of Xymox - "A Day (Remix)"
Built to Spill - "Broken Chairs"
Spacemen 3 - "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
10 October 2007
EAR FARM's Second Annual Halloween Show - 31 October @ Club Europa in Brooklyn
The Giraffes!!!! Goes Cube!!! Hopewell!! Mancino! From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, EAR FARM, deliver us!
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EAR FARM's Second Annual Halloween Show @ Club Europa in Brooklyn
31 October @ Club Europa
Mancino
Hopewell
Goes Cube
JUST ANNOUNCED - The Giraffes
with DJ sets from DJ Colleen Crumbcake + a costume contest with prizes for best costume!
Buy tickets HERE - doors at 8
Club Europa
98 Meserole Ave., (corner of Manhattan Ave.)
G Train to Nassau Ave. - walk 1 block North to Meserole & Manhattan
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Last year EAR FARM held its first annual Halloween Show at Union Hall and it was a sold-out smash success. This year, the venue is bigger, the lineup has more bands, the costume contest prizes are even BETTER, and the fun level is going to be - like - ENORMOUS.
Stay tuned for costume contest prize info and I'll see you on Halloween!
09 October 2007
Three for Free - Aesop Rock, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Tiny Masters Of Today
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from artists associated with World's Fair. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "100 days, 100 nights"
Tiny Masters of Today - “K.I.D.S."
Today's NEW releases
EF suggestions from this week's releases:
08 October 2007
Hit-or-miss
What: the EAR FARM music library is put on shuffle - the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted here.
Listen:
"The Bones Of An Idol" by The New Pornographers from Twin Cinema
View:
Image search results for The Bones Of An Idol - above image is from the first page of results (and was originally from HERE).
--
Previous EF Hit-or-miss posts:
"Stay" by David Bowie
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" by Hank Williams
"Carry" by ISIS
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer
snip·pets
Jury Finds Minnesota Woman Liable for Piracy, Awards RIAA $222,000
RIAA: Expect more music download suits
Lil Wayne Arrested After Idaho Concert
Another New Springsteen Album Already Done?
Mysterious Arcade Fire site reveals its meaning
Led Zeppelin reunion: promoter vows to take on scalpers
Wu-Tang: first act to legally sample the Beatles?
Wu Tang Clan deny Beatles sample
LA Times: Joy Division is multiplying
Joy Division asked to reform
Times Online: The day the music industry died
Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" to be released on DVD for the first time
05 October 2007
EAR FARM: Heavy Rotation
EAR FARM's Last.fm tells only part of the story, so let's check in with the 10 albums getting the most attention at EF HQ at the moment. There's a song from each album posted below, and a link to purchase each on Amazon/iTunes (if available).
--
Yes by Morphine - It's been a Morphine kind of week. I truly love this band and I feel lucky that I was able to see them live as many times as I did.
- Listen: "White Chalk"
(purchase White Chalk on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Tonight The Streets Are Ours"
(purchase Lady's Bridge on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "My Weakness"
(purchase A Place to Bury Strangers on eMusic/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Kid On My Shoulders"
(purchase Fort Nightly on eMusic/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Sun Lips"
(purchase Dandelion Gum on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "L'amour (or Less)"
(purchase Manners Matter on Mancino's website/on iTunes)
- Listen: "All Angels Road"
(purchase Beautiful Targets on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"
(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)
- Listen: "Black River Song"
(purchase We Are Him on Amazon/on iTunes)
NC State @ Florida State - tomorrow, 3:30pm EST
Who am I to talk shit (nsfw MP3) right back at ninebullets.net, when my team has very little hope of winning tomorrow's matchup? Sure, he declared yesterday ‘Fuck EAR FARM‘ day simply because he's afraid of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Afraid of EAR FARM because I attended, and adore, the school once formerly known as the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. That's right. Scary innit?
In reality he's afraid that the Pack will come down to Tallahassee and beat the Seminoles at home. Again. At their own favorite sport: football*. It's understandable though. It is a fear born out of experience; for, NC State is, in fact, "the only ACC team to defeat the Seminoles at their house twice." Don't go anywhere yet 9bull, it gets better. In the last decade, we're even: 5-5. Last six? Those belong to NC State: 4-2. Funny thing about the past ten years though... the Wolfpack has been 68-53 over that time (0.562 winning percentage) while the Seminoles have been 96-31 (0.756). There's truly no question who the "better" team has been, still we win. That has to burn a bit, eh Seminoles?
And there's no question who the better team is this year (hint: not NC State, not even close - about the team, our own coach said "The first thing (players) have to recognize is they're not as good as they think they are," he said. "A lot of these guys have got an over-inflated image of who and what they are.") and yet still Florida State fears the Pack. It's natural to be afraid. Fear is an emotional response to impending danger. And while the impending danger you sense, Monsieur ninebullets.net, is not actual, it is based in a very real history of heartbreak/defeat at the hands of Torry Holt, Koren Robinson, Philip Rivers, Jerricho Cotchery, Adrian Wilson, Andre Maddox, Dovonte Edwards, Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, Chuck Amato (much love Chuck, but it was time for a change) and the other tens of thousands of Wolfpackers out there who believe**.
Now is time on EAR FARM when we dance!
Listen:
"Wolfpack" by The Pack
"Forgot About State" by A-One & Talon
--
NCSU Fight Song*** - lyrics and info
The Red And White Song*** - lyrics and info
*not to sound like whine-o-lina fans, but just wait until basketball season all you tomahawk choppin' Seminoles.
**and, not that I don't believe, but let's just say it won't shock me if FSU wins 38-14... perhaps it all boils down to "the team with Amato on the sideline wins" in this matchup.
***these MP3s were found HERE where you can also find MP3s for a bunch of other schools... even Florida State if you must.
04 October 2007
8+
“Bell for Harness” by Boduf Songs which clocks in at 9:37
From time to time EAR FARM enjoys featuring guest posts in the long-running 8+ feature. To that end, I'd like to once again invite any and all of you to get in touch if you're interested in writing your own 8+ to be featured here (see previous 8+ guest posts HERE). The only guidelines: you must write about a song longer than eight minutes and the song you're writing about can not be a recording of a live performance. Other than that, it's a wide open format where anything goes.
This week I'm happy to welcome a guest post from another Matthew, whose blog The Man Who Couldn't Blog was far and away my favorite of those nominated (along with EAR FARM) for the 2006 Bloggie Awards' "Best-Kept-Secret Weblog". I'm a very big fan of his writing and am pleased to have him be a part of the 8+ canon with a post about the song “Bell for Harness” by Boduf Songs.
Alchemy, a philosophical inquiry into the natural and spiritual worlds, has in the crucible of modern cultural associations been boiled down to a single reference: alchemists try to turn lead into gold.*image of "The Alchemist" from HERE.
When I ask you to consider the alchemy working beneath the music of Mat Sweet, a Southampton songwriter who records under the name Boduf Songs, I would ask that you remove that association from said consideration. The alchemy of Boduf Songs is in the exploration of how base elements (his low, whispered voice; his simple guitar figures; the ambient room noises that seep into his recordings; the rushes of quiet feedback) can create a whole that magically transcends its constituent parts.
Sweet transcends the limitations of his minimalist arrangements throughout his last record, Lion Devours the Sun. I have been asked to review a small number of releases for a music magazine over the last year or so. Many have been good. Many have been merely okay. A few have been unlistenably dull. Almost none have found a permanent place in my listening rotation. Lion Devours the Sun has, and is the best of the pack.
I go running at dusk—when I manage to convince myself to get up and go running. I live in Seattle, on a ridge that forms a spine through the northern part of the city. When I hit the ends of residential blocks, the spine is high enough to allow me a view of the Olympic Mountains to the west, and the Cascades to the east. The mountains at dusk are well suited to the droning, menacing beauty of Boduf Songs.
Put simply (and without all this possibly needless intellectualizing I’ve been doing up to this point) Lion Devours the Sun is the soundtrack to running in a residential neighborhood, being chased and run down and overtaken and consumed by a pack of wolves, and enjoying every last moment of it.
“Bell for Harness” is not the best song on the album—that would be “Two Across the Mouth,” which I would encourage the curious to find...search for on youtube...there’s a positively creepy video for it there—but it is the one that fits this 8+ format. And with its lovely, incantatory end, it’s a pretty fair exemplar of what to expect.
Buy Lion Devours the Sun on Amazon/on eMusic/on iTunes.
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+:
8 Bold Souls - "Odyssey"
Artanker Convoy - "Open Up"
Dan Deacon - "Wham City"
Clan of Xymox - "A Day (Remix)"
Built to Spill - "Broken Chairs"
Spacemen 3 - "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
Pelican - "March to the Sea"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
The Guitar Solo Quiz
As soon as the page for the Mental Floss Guitar Solo Quiz loaded, I had a feeling this was one test I'd pass with flying colors. Allow me to let you in on a little secret - for a good twenty some years now I've been whistling (or singing) a wide variety of guitar solos. Not constantly, but here and there. When the mood strikes. Therefore; my kinda test.
My score: 100% (16 out of 16)
The only two I didn't recognize within the first few notes were the solos from Neil Young and The Police.
Take The Guitar Solo Quiz and let me know what you score, which ones give you trouble, or if you think the whole thing is just too darn easy (I do, and I'm considering making an EF Guitar Solo Quiz as a response - if only I knew how to create that whole scoring system thing - stay tuned).
OPP
Aquarium Drunkard: My Morning Jacket covering "White Rabbit"
Bradley's Almanac: Kristin Hersh And Her Charms
CYStSFtS: If it ain't punk it's junk (vol. 10)
Chromewaves: Bat For Lashes at the El Mocambo
Idolator: Wu-Tang Clan's Beatles Sample Claim A Bit More Complicated Than Previously Thought
LHB: Try It Before You Buy It (October 2nd CD Releases)
NYC Taper: Animal Collective - October 1, 2007 Webster Hall - Lossless Download
Stereogum: a tribute to REM's Automatic for the People
T-Sides: Genesis @ Madison Square Garden, September 23rd
03 October 2007
The Vandelles
About a year ago I wrote about seeing The Vandelles at Beg Yr Pardon #9 and said that they: "take things upward and outward along the lines of Man or Astroman? mixed with Happy Mondays". At the time I was sold on the band's live performance, but truthfully a bit skeptical because it's "not cool" to enjoy it when a band projects images behind them as they play. Right? Oh please. Each time I talk about a band doing just that (inevitably) the person I'm talking to communicates some representation of a roll of their eyes. Be it through a sigh, some monkey-like movement of their hands, plain old body language, or an actual rolling of their eyes. Inevitable I tell you.
Well, here I am to set the record straight once and for all (having now had ample time to decide where I stand on the projected imagery behind a band thing): I love it. Always have. It adds a welcome visual element to a live performance. For certain bands, especially those of a darker ilk, it truly enhances the concert experience. Anyway, given that I haven't seen The Vandelles in such a long time (and thus am not sure if this is even an ongoing "thing" for them), let's move on. But I liked it when they did it. A lot.
So, I was incorrect in half of my comparison before. The Vandelles certainly do have a touch of whatever inspired Man or Astroman?, but their sound hits closer to The Jesus and Mary Chain than it does Happy Mondays. Certainly they have a roaring surf vibe that they then combine with a JAMC/MBV tidal wave of sound approach. As well, they wear their performance on their sleeve, taking cues from The Velvet Underground and Suicide in this regard. This combination of creative directions results in a rather unique sound bursting with palpable darkness - just what you're looking for around the time of Halloween. I'd reckon The Vandelles to be perfect music for a motorcycle gang of wandering vampires (like those from Near Dark); if this is you, look no further. You have found your theme song(s).
Listen:
"Lovely Weather"
"Swell to Heaven"
See The Vandelles Live:
17 Oct @ Club Europa - Official CMJ Showcase
19 Oct @ Galapagos - Crashin’ In/Kanine Records What’s CMJ? Party
20 Oct @ The Delancey - Hot Rocks/Stereoactive Official CMJ Showcase
Visit The Vandelles on MySpace.
Preorder The Vandelles EP HERE.
02 October 2007
Three for Free - Division Day
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from Division Day, whose album Beartrap Island comes out today on Eenie Meenie Records.
Listen:
"Tigers"
“Lights Out"
"Enjoy The Silence" (Depeche Mode cover)
01 October 2007
Hit-or-miss
What: the EAR FARM music library is put on shuffle - the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted here.
Listen:
"Stay" by David Bowie from Station To Station
View:
Image search results (NSFW, if you have SafeSearch off) for Stay - above image is from the second page of results (and was originally from HERE).
--
Previous EF Hit-or-miss posts:
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" by Hank Williams
"Carry" by ISIS
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer
snip·pets
Radiohead's new album In Rainbows is out in 10 days and YOU decide how much to pay | The Wall Street Journal weighs in on In Rainbows
Radiohead new album: chart eligibility in doubt
Duran Duran Celebrating New Album On Broadway
Electronic artists find inspiration in vintage gear
Van Halen Kick Off Reunion Tour In North Carolina
Top Ten Ways to Make Better Records
Seattle Times: Has free music become a listener's birthright?
SpiralFrog puts ad-supported music to the test
Madonna, Beasties lead rock hall nominees
Marin Alsop: the first woman to hold a music director’s post at a major American orchestra
MTV And CGI's 'Giving' Event: Bill Clinton, Bono, Shakira Call Young People To Action
No Led Zeppelin Tour After London Show, Robert Plant Says
28 September 2007
EAR FARM: Heavy Rotation
EAR FARM's Last.fm tells only part of the story, so let's check in with the 10 albums getting the most attention at EF HQ at the moment. There's a song from each album posted below, and a link to purchase each on Amazon/iTunes (if available).
--
Rust In Peace by Megadeth - If you haven't already, I bet you're finally starting to realize that my love of metal is pure, real, and entirely devoid of irony. Unless you count hair metal, but let's not go there right now. My point is, I unabashedly enjoy really good heavy metal. And Rust In Peace is much, much, more than really good. It's a metal landmark. Leading up to, and after, seeing Megadeth live this week it has been playing nonstop in my world. It's a record that has aged surprisingly well considering the era it was recorded in; in fact, I'd say that Rust In Peace sounds much better today than Metallica's two albums (Metallica and ...And Justice For All) that were recorded around the same time. All hail Megadeth.
- Listen: "Hangar 18"
(purchase Rust In Peace on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "While You Were Out"
(purchase 1992 The Love Album on Amazon)
- Listen: "Sun Lips"
(purchase Dandelion Gum on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Black River Song"
(purchase We Are Him on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "L'amour (or Less)"
(purchase Manners Matter on Mancino's website/on iTunes)
- Listen: "All Angels Road"
(purchase Beautiful Targets on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"
(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)
- Listen: "Farewell to Kings"
(purchase A Farewell to Kings on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Crawl"
(purchase I Can't Sleep Unless I Hear You Breathing on Serious Business Records/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Days Without Rain"
(purchase Baby Comes Home on Amazon/on iTunes)
27 September 2007
8+
"Odyssey" by 8 Bold Souls which clocks in at 12:18
8 Bold Souls coolin' on patrol,
8 Bold Souls on a cinnamon roll.
8 Bold Souls pa rum pa pum pum,
8 Bold Souls on a cinnamon bun.
8 Bold Souls step out for a stroll,
8 Bold Souls eating fried Dover sole.
8 Bold Souls b-i-n-g-o,
8 Bold Souls Cumberland Plateau.
8 Bold Souls don't play rock and roll,
8 Bold Souls sleep in cereal bowls.
8 Bold Souls diddi-diddi bop,
8 Bold Souls in a novelty shop.
8 Bold Souls jazz/swing as a whole,
8 Bold Souls eat marsupial moles.
8 Bold Souls sing goo goo ga joob,
8 Bold Souls in your internet tubes.
*image from HERE.
Buy Last Option on Amazon/on eMusic/on iTunes/on Other Music.
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+:
Artanker Convoy - "Open Up"
Dan Deacon - "Wham City"
Clan of Xymox - "A Day (Remix)"
Built to Spill - "Broken Chairs"
Spacemen 3 - "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
Pelican - "March to the Sea"
Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Tony Rice - "Guitar Space/Summertime"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
