The Streets - aka Mike Skinner - unveiled some interesting news this morning via an entry on his MySpace blog. Attempting to shoot what he refers to as a "music video-type music video" for the new song "The Escapist", he wrote:
For this work of creative moving imagery I have decided to walk to the south of France. I will be relaying the highlights of it with you over the next few weeks of my journey. The fuller story will also be told on our new www.beatstevie.com website, but check that at your peril as it currently resembles a building site. Mayhem is trying to work out how to design websites.
From a grey Dover I bid my English and Albion farewell. Long live Michael Palin.
Okay, now for some context. Apparently, "The Escapist" was originally intended to be included in a film of the same name, but after the director rejected it Skinner decided to put it on his forthcoming album instead. And according to the Beat Stevie site (Beat Stevie being Skinner's "anything goes-based television show" that airs on Channel 4 in the UK), work on the new album - the Streets' fourth full length - is complete and a mastering date has been set for June 19th with the hopes of releasing it later in August. Just a warning though, any attempts at hearing the new tracks on Skinner's MySpace will only result in being subjected to a horrendous cover of Elton John's "Your Song". Honestly.
A casual Google mapping of the quest from Birmingham to Nice reveals it to be a shade under 1000 miles. Yikes. However, based on the ferry pics included on Skinner's blog post, it looks like he'll be starting his trek on French soil. It's almost like he's fit, and he knows it too...
Listen: "Fit But You Know It"
Visit the Streets on MySpace
*above photo found HERE
15 May 2008
The Streets will walk to the South of France for a video?
OPP
Jon Brion to score Charlie Kaufman's new movie
Black Tide to play free L.A. show as part of James Frey's book tour
Guitar Hero IV will allow users to create and upload their own songs, while first images of the game's drum set have also been revealed
Neil Diamond's newest album Home Before Dark is the first of his 46th charting albums to reach number one
Watch the new Man Man video for "Mister Jung Stuffed"
Santogold records song with Julian Casablancas and Pharrell Williams for Converse
And in other shoe collaboration news, Saul Williams pairs with Nike
Local H played every single song in its catalog during a recent seven-night Chicago stand
The Office's Creed Bratton is also a platinum-selling recording artist?
14 May 2008
Band of the Week: Plants and Animals
Band: Plants and Animals
From: Montreal, Quebec
Sound: Lush, 70s AM rock gets sprawling, epic treatment with incredible results
Similar Artists: Buffalo Springfield, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, Loose Fur
Listen Now: "Feedback In The Field"
The picture says it all. As if the cover of Sgt. Pepper's came to life and had a hallucinogenic picnic in the backwoods of Middle Earth, the happening depicted above is about the most fitting visual representation of Plants and Animals that I could imagine.
That this is also the cover art for the Montreal-based trio's debut full-length Parc Avenue (Secret City Records) then makes perfect sense, a fitting harbinger of the eclectic menagerie of electric folk, psychedelic boogies, sing-song flower child freakouts and all around damn good songwriting contained within.
The album cover is also as good a place as any to delve into discussing a band that has as much to offer as Plants and Animals. Without getting too preachy about the necessity of listening to certain albums start to finish - or too curmudgeonly by wishing for the bygone era of sitting down with a tangible piece of art in your hands (ie vinyl) - let's just say that Parc Avenue makes a strong argument for the simple joys found in fully losing oneself within the nooks, crannies, and broader landscapes of an entire album. Of all the records I've heard so far this year, this is the one that I'd most like to strap on a pair of vintage cans for, plop down on my beanbag chair, fire up the lava lamp, and listen to while obsessing over the liner notes (you know, assuming my bedroom looked like Greg Brady's).
Plants and Animals seem to not have forgotten the lost art of album listening as an event, and for that reason alone Parc Avenue is an utter standout. Of course, such grand visions haven't always defined the band either...
Formed while Warren Spicer (guitar, lead vocals - eventually) and Matthew "The Woodman" Woodley (drums, vocals) were still in high school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the complete lineup didn't come together until the two met Nicolas Basque (guitar, bass, vocals) while studying in the music department at Concordia University. The trio put their first batch of songs to tape shortly thereafter, a collection of instrumental jams that would form the precursor to their current pan-optic sound. From these more modest attempts at songwriting, they eventually evolved into a phase their bio refers to as "taming the sprawling wilderness of their sound and sculpting real songs," which naturally meant the introduction of vocals. Thus, Spicer stepped to the mic and "lead the way to a (hitherto unheard of) vocal domination of their material—as if he had been possessed by the ghost of some recently departed soul singer."
Truly, and it's this emotive and dynamic howl that binds much of the disparate sounds and genres on Parc Avenue into a cohesive whole. As such, it's incredible to think that this powerfully effective instrument was the last element introduced and incorporated within their songwriting process. Alongside the crackling rhythm section of Basque and Woodley, Spicer's lived-in voice adds even more warmth and organic familiarity to the material. One moment, he adds snarling Mark Knopfler-esque affectations to the verse of "Feedback in the Fields" while the next leading the sugary sweet chamber chorus of "Bye Bye Bye".
Of course, with track titles such as "Faerie Dance", "Feedback in the Fields" and "Guru" and several songs clocking in at over seven minutes to accompany adventurous instrumental breaks, jam-band conspiracists may cry foul at the band's presumed lack of focus (as though they've gone a bit "too organic" perhaps?); such charges would be short-sighted though. There's an enormous difference between writing a long song for the sake of writing a long song and doing so because the composition requires appropriate time and space to grow, shift, evolve and resolve.
Every song on Parc Avenue unfolds patiently and naturally, and as a result the entire album feels fully realized instead of half-baked, in service of the song as opposed to in spite of it, and always pushing forward instead of treading water. Besides, if you were having this much fun recording the seven-minute album closer "Guru" (see video below), you wouldn't want to stop the jams either:
Luckily, we'll have ample opportunity to experience such revelry firsthand as the band is in the midst of an East Coast tour that includes a pair of New York-based shows this weekend. Plants and Animals and hippie dances oh my!
Listen:
"Feedback In The Field"
"Faerie Dance"
See Plants and Animals Live:
14 May - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live Upstairs (with Rock Plaza Central)
15 May - Baltimore, MD @ 8 x 10 (w/ Rock Plaza Central)
16 May - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
17 May - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall (w/ Rock Plaza Central)
18 May - Boston, MA @ TT the Bear’s (w/ Rock Plaza Central)
01 Jun - Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat
02 Jun - Utrecht, Netherlands @ Ekko (with Sunset Rubdown)
03 Jun - Njmegen, Netherlands @ Dornrosje (with the Do)
04 Jun - Tilburg, Netherlands @ O13
05 Jun - Dublin, Ireland @ Crawdaddy
06 Jun - Glasgow, Scotland @ The Captain’s Rest
07 Jun - Edinburgh, Scotland @ Wee Red Bar
09 Jun - London, UK @ Big Chill House
13 Jun - Lausanne, Switzerland @ Le Romandie
14 Jun - Paris, France @ Mains D’Ouevre
23 Jun - Seattle, WA @ Nectar
24 Jun - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
25 Jun - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
27 Jun - Pomona, CA @ Glass House
28 Jun - Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland (with Panther)
10 Jul - Ottawa, Ontario @ Ottawa Blues Festival
16 Jul - Sherbrooke, Quebec @ La Telephone Rouge
18 Jul - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories @ Folk on the Rocks Festival
19 Jul - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories @ Folk on the Rocks Festival
25 Jul - Guelph, Ontario @ Hillside Music Festival
26 Jul - Guelph, Ontario @ Hillside Music Festival
03 Aug - Montreal, Quebec @ Osheaga Festival (Parc Jean Drapeau)
09 Aug - Marysville, Ontario @ Wolfe Island Musicfest
17 Aug - Salmon Arm, British Columbia @ Salmon Arm Festival
Visit Plants and Animals on MySpace.
--
In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
All the Saints
I'm From Barcelona
Bombadil
Tapes 'n Tapes
White Hinterland
Man Man
We Barbarians
The Dodos
See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.
Fugazi Covers Project for Charity - Bands Wanted
Christina Da Costa, Jeffry Opdyke, Michael Sowiski, and Phil Rosenbloom have put together a benefit project for charity - Fugazi has agreed to let them produce and sell the album - and they're looking for more bands to participate.
The foursome is participating in Braking the Cycle (a 275 mile benefit bike tour which supports HIV/AIDS services provided by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City) and decided that putting together, and selling, a Fugazi cover album would be a great way to raise money for the event. All proceeds from sale of this cover album will be going to the benefit via this fundraising team.
The one catch is that the time frame is rather condensed: they want to have a list of all participants and the songs they are going to cover within the next two or three weeks. You will then have until August 4th to arrange, rehearse, dust off your 4 track, whatever, and get them an MP3 file of your final track. Sound exciting? Then visit The Fugazi Covers Project for more information.
See the tracks already spoken for HERE.
Listen:
"Styrofoam" by Fugazi (from Repeater)
*above cover of End Hits from HERE.
Visit Fugazi on MySpace.
OPP
Community Board meeting to decide the fate of Union Hall tonight?
Explosions in the Sky give Drowned in Sound a guide to this weekend's ATP shows, which they've also curated
The Minneapolis City Pages interviews Bon Iver
Weezer pushes up release date of their new album by three weeks to June 3rd
Beck's new album has a name: Modern Guilt
MTV's The Real World is coming to Brooklyn this summer?
Rush's founding drummer - John Rutsey - found dead at age 55
Also, RIP American artist Robert Rauschenberg
Green Day side project Foxboro Hot Tubs map small spring tour
13 May 2008
I Want My MTV - new videos from Radiohead, Justice, Stereolab, and Portishead
It's as simple as that - below are recently released videos from Radiohead, Justice, Stereolab, and Portishead that have caught my eye. Meaning, I like them and you will too...
"All I Need" by Radiohead (above)
"Stress" by Justice (above)
"Three Women" by Stereolab (above)
"The Rip" by Portishead (above)
Three for Free - Hint Hint, Minus the Bear, Six Parts Seven
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three songs from artists on Suicide Squeeze Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Hint Hint - “Long Branch, New Jersey”
Minus the Bear - "Dr. L’Ling"
Six Parts Seven - "Falling Over Evening"
The Secret Life of Sofia - Seven Summits Out Today
When we last checked in with The Secret Life of Sofia, they assured us the release of their debut full-length Seven Summits was "semi-imminent". And after weeks of hand-assembling 500 limited edition copies, they've emerged from their impromptu sweatshop to announce that as of today the wait is officially over!
To get your mitts on one of the limited edition copies, you have several options. Firstly, you can head over to their site right HERE and have it shipped to you for $12 (includes shipping).
OR, if you're like us and have one of those semi-fetishist collection compulsions, lead singer/guitarist Kyle Wilson tipped us off that the lower-numbered copies (they are all hand-numbered after all) are currently stocked at Etherea and Sound Fix (and he assures us that #1 of 500 is on the shelves at Etherea) for $8.
And of course, the band will also be selling copies at all future live shows for $10, their most recent string of dates listed after the jump along with some interesting info about the inspiration behind Seven Summits....
Wilson posted a MySpace bulletin late last night/early this morning detailing the stories and characters behind the songs on the album. As he writes:
"All of the stories on Seven Summits are at least partly true. Some are completely true, and were told to me firsthand. Some are more like historical fiction. All of them, I hope, are respectful to the parties involved, most of whom I have great admiration for.
The idea of writing the album Seven Summits first came to me on a climb of Long's Peak in Colorado. The experience was life changing, and I soon became intoxicated with the drive to climb more peaks. I also became fascinated with the stories I was hearing from other climbers and reading in books.
So it's a limited edition, hand-numbered concept album? Shoot, we like where this is going.....
Listen:
"Outside"
"Fifty Fourteeners"
See also:
- The Secret Life of Sofia - new record, two brand new MP3s, live dates
- The Secret Life of Sofia @ The Delancey - 26 February 2008
- StereoactiveNYC/Hot Rocks Official CMJ Showcase - 20 October 2007 @ The Delancey
- The Muggabears, The Secret Life of Sofia, Mancino, Nous Non Plus @ Pianos - 12 May 2007
- EAR FARM Presents... at Sin-e - 29 June, 2006
See The Secret Life of Sofia Live:
16 May - New York, NY @ Rehab (Crashin' In)
30 May - New York, NY @ The Delancey
05 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery
20 Jun - Harrisonburg or Charlottesville, VA @ TBA
21 Jun - Washington, D.C. @ The Velvet Lounge
22 Jun - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
27 Jun - Lehigh Valley, PA @ TBA
04 Jul - Brooklyn, NY @ The Yard
Visit The Secret Life of Sofia on MySpace.
Today's NEW Releases
This weeks best and brightest:
- Acid Mother's Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Recurring Dream and Apocalypse
- The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
- Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
- Dosh - Wolves and Wishes
- Duffy - Rockferry
- Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time: The Best of 1980-1989
- Local H - 12 Angry Months
- Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity
- The Presets - Apocalypso
- The Secret Life of Sofia - Seven Summits
- The Submarines - Honeysuckle Weeks
- T Bone Burnett - Tooth of Crime
- Tobias Froberg - Turn Heads
- Vetiver - Thing of the Past
- We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
OPP
After The Jump tickets are on sale now
Arcade Fire to score writer/director Richard Kelly's (Donnie Darko) newest film
Mark Ronson to team up with The Zutons at Glastonbury
Watch My Morning Jacket perform on last weekend's Saturday Night Live
Shearwater's frontman leaves Okkervil River to focus on his other band full time
Did you know that Cher will be playing 200 shows at Caesar's Palace in Vegas over the next three years? Neither did we
Well, did you know that Madonna played Pantera at a recent UK concert? Again, same here
Prefix has photos from Sunday's Radiohead/Liars show in Washington D.C.
12 May 2008
Hit-or-miss: "Buzz Fledderjohn" by Tom Waits
Listen:
"Buzz Fledderjohn" by Tom Waits from Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
View:
Image search results for Buzz Fledderjohn - above image is from the first page of results (and was originally from HERE).
--
In the recent past these songs were featured in Hit-or-miss posts:
"Pump up the Bass" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"Jet City Woman" by Queensrÿche
"II. In Taberna: Estuans Interius" by Carl Orff
"Dangerous" by Frente!
"Keep Their Heads Ringing" by Dr. Dre
"At It Again" by Sublime
"The Day I Tried To Live" by Soundgarden
"I'm Comin' Down" by Primal Scream
--
EAR FARM's Hit-or-miss is a weekly feature (every Monday) wherein the EF 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. You can see all of EAR FARM's Hit-or-miss posts thus far right HERE.
OPP
NYC Taper recorded Saturday's British Sea Power show at Bowery Ballroom
Pitchfork interviews Scarlett Johansson
Metallica's new "Mission" beta site launched, and then crashed
Led Zeppelin to announce 250 million pound world tour?
DMX arrested again, this time for drugs and animal cruelty
Hype Machine calls Viacom sale rumor not very accurate
Echo & The Bunnymen announce Oct 1st Radio City date, playing Ocean Rain in its entirety with a 10-piece orchestra
09 May 2008
EAR FARM's Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
A special mux for a special day; this one goes out to our Earfmoms for raising their sons into some tall drinks of water who never fail to irk those standing behind them at concerts. To all the mothers, grandmothers, mothers-to-be, and erstwhile maternal figures, enjoy the following collection of maternally-themed songs hand-picked to soundtrack your Mother's Day celebrations. You can listen to this mix/mux right HERE.
EAR FARM's Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
1. "Mama" - Stephen Malkmus
2. "Mama, Won't You Keep Those Castles In The Air & Burning?" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3. "Some Mother's Son" - The Kinks
4. "Your Mother Loves You Son" - Beulah
5. "Momma's Boy" - Chromeo
6. "Hey Mama" - Kanye West
7. "Shop Around" - The Miracles
8. "Mama Says" - The Beach Boys
9. "Rabbit Fur Coat" - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
10. "Your Mother Should Know" - The Beatles
11. "Mother and Child Reunion" - Paul Simon
12. "Mother Popcorn" - James Brown
*above picture found HERE.
See also:
EAR FARM's Muxtape #1: 12 Songs For A Cat Named Joe
EAR FARM's Muxtape #2: April Fools Edition!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #3: Fank Fod it's Friday and Finally Fpring!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #4: Rock Band Setlist
EAR FARM's Muxtape #5: 2:42
EAR FARM's Muxtape #6: Songs that used to live in my TV set
--
A Muxtape is a simple way to create and share mixtapes. That's all there is to it. Feel free to share your own mix in the comments.
Human Highway Unveil First Single: "The Sound"
Feeling a little down on this rainy Friday? STOP RIGHT THERE. Firstly, it's Friday, it's really not that bad, okay? Secondly, just listen to "The Sound" from Human Highway - the duo comprised of Islands' Nick Thorburn and former Royal City/Islands member Jim Guthrie - and marvel as the gloom just melts away.
It's a beautiful song. With little more than some doubled acoustic guitars, bass, spare electronic percussion, and a xylophone interlude (or is it glockenspiel?), a simple foundation is laid for Thorburn and Guthrie's wonderfully melodic harmonies to nestle firmly within your "obsessive hummability/sing-along cortex" (just made that up) and refuse to let go. It's catchy, uplifting, built for summer, and for some odd reason makes me picture them playing it together like Nuno and Gary in the "More Than Words" video, not sure why.
Human Highway's debut album Moody Motorcycle comes out on August 19th in the U.S. on Suicide Squeeze Records. Now, will you do us a favor and just listen to the sound?
Listen: "The Sound" (removed by request - listen to the song on Human Highway's MySpace page)
Visit Human Highway on MySpace
My Morning Jacket Announce Summer Tour Dates, SNL this Weekend
Last time we checked in with My Morning Jacket, they had just announced the release date for Evil Urges (June 10th) while also dropping news of a special show at Radio City Music Hall on June 20th.
Since then, it's been hard to keep track of all the developments, but we'll give it a try anyway: let's see, first there was a Spin cover story, then news of a Saturday Night Live appearance slated for this Saturday evening, and just yesterday the unveiling of an extensive summer tour that includes The Black Keys as openers from the Aug 16th through Oct 10th dates (with the exception of the Aug 21st Red Rocks show). Looks like the Radio City gig is still the only New York date so far, while they've instead gone ahead and doubled their pleasure in Chicago, not fair. Check out all the dates after the jump...
22 May - London, England @ St. James Church (Jim James solo acoustic)
12 Jun - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
16 Jun - Toronto, Ontario @ Kool Haus
17 Jun - Montreal, Quebec @ Le National
20 Jun - New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
25 Jun - Sheffield, England @ Leadmill
26 Jun - Bristol, England @ Academy
27 Jun - Manchester, England @ Academy
29 Jun - Glastonbury, England @ Glastonbury Festival
01 Jul - Hamburg, Germany @ Gruenspan
02 Jul - Cologne, Germany @ Gebäude 9
04 Jul - Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
06 Jul - Kent, England @ The Hop Farm
08 Jul - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
09 Jul - Paris, France @ Le Trabendo
11 Jul - Nottingham, England @ Rescue Rooms
13 Jul - Balado, Scotland @ T in the Park
15 Jul - London, England @ The Forum
19 Jul - Benicàssim, Spain @ Benicàssim Festival
26 Jul - Pemberton, British Columbia @ Pemberton Festival
01 Aug - Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival (Jim James solo acoustic)
16 Aug - Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park
18 Aug - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
19 Aug - Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove
21 Aug - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
23 Aug - Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
24 Aug - Austin, TX @ Stubbs
27 Aug - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre-Atlanta
29 Aug - Miami, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach - Jackie Gleason Theater
30 Aug - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
31 Aug - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
02 Sep - Charlottesville, VA @ Charlottesville Pavilion
03 Sep - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
05 Sep - Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing
06 Sep - Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
19 Sep - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
21 Sep - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
23 Sep - Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
24 Sep - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
25 Sep - San Diego, CA @ SDSU Open Air Theater
27 Sep - Portland, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield
28 Sep - Seattle WA @ McCaw Hall
02 Oct - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
03 Oct - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
04 Oct - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
09 Oct - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10 Oct - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
Visit My Morning Jacket on MySpace
OPP
New Weezer album leaks yesterday, sounds like Uncle Kracker?
Oneida is playing their 2005 album The Wedding backed by a string quartet for two nights in NYC
Bumpershine has pics of Neil Diamond's show at The Bitter End
Crawdaddy! looks at the origin of the rolling stone
Coldplay begins open registration for free London and New York shows
Country music superstar Eddy Arnold dies at 89
Wired shows you how to stream your iTunes playlists on Facebook
Phish briefly reunites at the Jammys
08 May 2008
8+
"Change" by Oingo Boingo which clocks in at 15:59
"CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN" - Barack Obama 2008 Presidential campaign slogan
The North Carolina Presidential Primary has never mattered. This is why I'd never participated before, why I wasn't even sure if Independents could vote in the primary when asked (they can), and why I got super extra-excited when it started looking more and more as though nothing was going to be decided for the Democratic Presidential candidates until, at least, sometime after May 6th. Heck, at the rate this thing is going the Democrats may not have their official candidate until 2012, but the party took a large step forward this past Tuesday in North Carolina.
Generally Iowa and New Hampshire pick Presidential nominees, but here was a chance for my home state to shine in the national spotlight and have a very prominent say in who might be the next President of the United States. It was an exciting time in North Carolina politics and it brought out more voters to the polls than ever before. I knew I'd have to find a way to capture the feverishness that was in the air, but how? How best to take advantage of the fortuitousness of being in Raleigh, NC during the 2008 North Carolina Primary? I had no plan, other than to make use of my fairly new camera, and I missed being able to attend the most obvious music blogger-y event by a mere day. So I decided to drive around town a bit, hoping to happen upon something election-related and photo-worthy and go from there. I was thinking, perhaps, a massive cluster of election signs, or a fiery group of either Clinton or Obama supporters at a local polling spot...
I headed downtown (Raleigh is the home of NC politics after all). TV news trucks told me I was in the right place.
The sunroof was open as I drove. I heard a helicopter hovering in one spot and decided to follow it.
Wicked smart move kid. Look at all of those excited people in the street.
Wait, those aren't people - they're reporters and photographers. I was definitely onto something.
Something indeed! Secret Service types. Exxxcellent. I decided to park the car to get a closer look.
(Ah, wouldn't be home without a Mustang or 10,000. Nice rims 'bo.)
Walking up to the building that houses The Raleigh Times I noticed bunches of people on each corner of Hargett and Wilmington Streets. Judging by their signs and shirts - all Obama supporters.
I stood patiently, the Secret Service guy pictured above bothered the man next to me about the item clipped to his khakis. It was a large cellphone. The middle American male uniform, duh.
And then suddenly, excitement! The Obamas! The onlookers went nuts.
Barack paused to smilingly shake a few hands for the cameras as he made his exit from the building.
And then it happened. Barack Obama looked my way and waved to me. To me! Ahhhh! Okay, well wait. You're right, not to me so much as that he waved to the group of people I was standing with. But still. That Raleigh cop to the top-left of Barack sure didn't like it. Look at him. Heyyy jealousy.
I snapped away furiously as the Obamas got in their car. Meaning, I've got a ton of pictures just like the one above.
Another wave to delighted Obama supporters. The scent of victory was in the air.
Some of the people on my corner.
"These hands just touched the LORD!" an Obama supporter explains as he heads our way. (In truth, he pleadingly told us "there are still two hours left to vote and every vote counts, so get out and vote!")
Once Barack was inside of his vehicle, this dude stood guard until it was time to go.
And time to go it was - the Obama motorcade raced off to Reynolds Coliseum to prepare for the inevitable victory speech as he waved one last time to the crowd. I was torn between feeling as though I'd just experienced something very special and feeling like it was simply politics as usual. Change?? We shall see.
*see more pictures taken at the above event HERE.
Buy Boingo on Amazon.
EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
Count Basie - "Blues For The Barbecue"
The Besnard Lakes - "You've Got to Want to Be a Star"
M83 - "Couleurs"
David Byrne - "Happy Suicide"
Fleetwood Mac - "Oh Well"
Phish - "You Enjoy Myself"
Green Day - "Homecoming"
Billy Bragg - "Joe Hill"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
Insert Radiohead Headline Here
Trolling for news goodies to stockpile for our OPP roundup every morning, do you even realize how difficult it's become to turn away from the Medusa stare of endless headlines containing the magic word "Radiohead"?
Since announcing fans could pay whatever they'd like for In Rainbows and turning the entire music industry upside down in the process, the R-word has been slapped onto headlines ranging from the psychological state of Britney Spears to Madonna topping the charts to Coldplay's upcoming marketing plans (and this was just within the last 24 hours). Has Radiohead become the new "sex" in internet headlines? Or at least the new "Miley Cyrus"?
Exhibit 1: The US Weekly Approach - Or, spicing up a tired gossip headline with the R-word. This morning's Gigwise story - "Radiohead Help Britney Spears Overcome Personal Trauma" - took the boring saga of Britney Spears' mental health and suddenly made it relevant again by debating whether In Rainbows was responsible for her improved demeanor. Bonus points for the visual (see photo above)!
Choice excerpt - Perhaps it’s Radiohead who are helping Britney overcome her personal problems, which last year saw her shave her own head in a local hairdresser. Is a collaboration on the cards? What do you think about Britney’s choice of music? Let us know by posting a comment below...
Exhibit 2: Radiohead As A Verb - Just as Xerox and Google have grown from product names to action verbs ("Can you xerox the TPS reports?" or "We should google those Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair pics"), a new shorthand for describing emerging marketing techniques may as well be some form of the R-word, such as "radioheadding, radioheaded, radioheads". Confused? Check out this recent article "Coldplay to outdo Radiohead?".
Choice excerpt - It appears that Coldplay plan to somehow out Radiohead, Radiohead with a new "marketing" plan.
Exhibit 3: Radiohead Pulls A Homer - Kindred spirit to Exhibit 2, the noun Radiohead has now taken a far broader definition than 5 dudes in a band from Oxfordshire. In a classic Simpsons episode, Homer's blundering towards success results in his name being included in the dictionary; thus the phrase "to pull a Homer" is born. Similarly, the act of allowing fans to pay what they want seems to have earned Radiohead similar ubiquity.
Choice headline - "Madonna Refuses To 'Do A Radiohead' With Future Albums"
...and this is all just the tip of the iceberg from two days of "news" stories. Factor in recent discussions of the latest releases from major artists including The Raconteurs, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, and Beck all being couched within the framework of the "Radiohead model", the ongoing "Nude" Remix contest, and the kickoff of Radiohead's summer tour and it looks like we'll be Radioheadding all summer. Which, of course, is totally Radiohead with us.
Listen: "Nude" (Holy Fuck Remix)
Visit Radiohead on MySpace
OPP
Impose Magazine discovered a special page on eMusic where musicians' mothers talk about their children's music
Gear nerd alert: Fender creates Elvis Costello signature Jazzmaster guitar
Siren Festival announces initial lineup with Stephen Malkmus headlining
Frauke makes an appearance on Pitchfork!
Violinist gives thank-you concert to cabbie who returned his Stradivarius...at the Newark cabstand
Man Man drummer's side project Icy Demons set to release debut album
Madonna bumps Mariah from the No. 1 spot on the charts
Drowned in Sound caught a reunited Wire play in Belgium
Emo music blamed in teen's suicide
07 May 2008
Band of the Week: All the Saints
Band: All the Saints
From: Atlanta, GA
Sound: Soaring, crashing - all the while buzzing - reverb-drenched rock
Similar Artists: The Stone Roses, Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath, Dead Confederate
Listen Now: "Sheffield"
What is it about Atlanta bands that make them so loud (Mastodon), frenetic (Black Lips, Mastodon again), bizarre (Deerhunter, Black Lips again) and pretty much impossible to pin down (all of the above)?
Best to confer with an expert on the subject...fellow Atlantans (by way of Alabama) All the Saints are well familiar with this phenomenon, displaying more than enough of the above traits to have carved out their own place in the city's impressive music scene.
"Suffice it to say any Atlanta band you find will have more grit than most," All the Saints' Titus told EF back in March. "Honesty too. And this eerie basement trend, where everyone practices and hibernates. Marinating in the dirty-dirty if you will."
So, blame it on the dirty-dirty? Well, if we're to take his band as a case study, the argument makes perfect sense. By fighting the notoriously stifling humidity of Atlanta through the cooler climes of marathon basement jams, All the Saints - Titus, Jim, and Matt (they go by first name only) - have crafted their own indelible sound in the process, the very approximation of what swampy humidity and blasting heat sounds like when channeled through a dark, cavernous cellar. In other words, pretty awesome.
And it's not very often that you cross paths with a band at the exact moment in which the once-distant promise for big things suddenly comes perfectly within reach (and right before your very eyes)...Since we first started corresponding with the band a few months back, they've managed to link up with Dead Confederate on their upcoming tour and also just signed a deal - as in the ink is still drying - with Killer Pimp Records (A Place To Bury Strangers, Blood Money), who will be releasing their debut album Fire on Corridor X on May 27th.
Listening to the album, it's no wonder why great things "suddenly" seem to be coming All the Saints' way. Fire on Corridor X is a remarkably consistent and cohesive album, ten tracks cradled within a dense fog of reverb to create a hypnotic ebb and flow in all the right places. One minute you're floating in the delicate patches of "Hornett" only to be pummeled moments later by its Alice In Chains Facelift-era refrain. Staggered and woozy, it's best to just allow each successive track to wash over and gradually disarm you with the incredible rawness that runs throughout the record.
And if you feel the dark shadows of Sabbath or Zeppelin in the chugging riffs or the exposed-nerve fury of Nirvana's Bleach in the howled vocals, you may be right; or you may be dead wrong. Titus will never tell. "Some people strive for something more, but most are content to rehash the same ideas they or someone else already tried," he said. "Not to say we don't steal either. It's embarrassing sometimes, but no one seems to notice. It's all reinvention, just make it a reinvention of yourself."
Case in point: the origin of the band's name, which - according to Titus - sprang from both "a phrase in an old Dylan hymn and the title of a Verbena song. It stuck nicely too." Indeed, and it was also further reinvented by the band's incorporation of Biblical imagery onstage, as they often perform from behind a large fleur-de-lis statue.
Luckily for us Northerners, All the Saints will be bringing this riotous rock reinvention to our backyards later this month. And never ones to abandon the basements from whence they came, plans for the next album may rely heavily on such temperate locales.
"Anyone can record shit in their room and post it on MySpace, but the ones who care will take the time to do it right. I'd love to do a whole album in our basement and believe it can be done, but for us at this time, the studio was the best way to go."
Judging by the results, we're not one to argue.
Listen:
"Sheffield"
"Fire On Corridor X"
See All the Saints Live:
09 May - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
10 May - Cabbage Town, GA @ Soundlab 84
28 May - Washington, DC @ DC9
29 May - New York, NY @ Pianos
30 May - Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint
31 May - Philadelphia, PA @ The Khyber
1 June - Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bears
2 June - Brooklyn, NY @ TBD
3 June - Baltimore, MD @ The Talking Head Club
4 June - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
5 June - Asheville, NC @ The Rocket
6 June - Nashville, TN @ Barley's
7 June - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Visit All the Saints on MySpace.
--
In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
I'm From Barcelona
Bombadil
Tapes 'n Tapes
White Hinterland
Man Man
We Barbarians
The Dodos
Hey Hey My My
See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.
British Sea Power, The Rosebuds @ Cat's Cradle - 6 May 2008 (pics, live video/MP3s)
Last night I headed back to the Cat's Cradle for a second time in three days to see two of my most favorite current bands - British Sea Power and EAR FARM BBQ pals The Rosebuds. The two are currently on tour together, so it was a bit of a homecoming for The Rosebuds and their fans were out in full force showing love and appreciation by way of dancing and high fives. The set was loose and friendly and fun, made up of old favorites and cover songs; however, they didn't play "My Punishment For Fighting" so I left the show throwing a tantrum*. What? It's only one of the very best songs released in 2007.
British Sea Power were received with a bit more hesitation and curious wonder, clearly still in the midst of building up a North Carolina fanbase. The audience reacted favorably to a few of the more popular songs from the band's recent record Do You Like Rock Music?, but didn't really wake up until the monstrous seventeen minute version of "Carrion" that closed the set. Words can not express my love for the music of British Sea Power - on record, live, in music videos, whatever; therefore, pictures, video, MP3s, and coverage of their two shows this weekend in NYC will have to suffice.
Click through for pictures and live videos/MP3s from each band after the jump...
Listen:
"Hold Hands And Fight" by The Rosebuds (live, from this show)
"Blue Bird" by The Rosebuds (live, from this show)
Watch:
"Hold Hands And Fight" by The Rosebuds (live, from this show) on YouTube
"Blue Bird" by The Rosebuds (live, from this show) on YouTube
See more Rosebuds pictures (from this show and others) HERE.
See also: EAR FARM's BBQ Tour '08 featuring The Rosebuds.
Visit The Rosebuds on MySpace.
Listen:
"Lights Out For Darker Skies" by British Sea Power (live, from this show)
"Blackout" by British Sea Power (live, from this show)
Watch:
"Lights Out For Darker Skies" by British Sea Power (live, from this show) on YouTube
"Blackout" by British Sea Power (live, from this show) on YouTube
See more British Sea Power pictures (from this show and others) HERE.
Visit British Sea Power on MySpace.
--
*alright, I didn't really throw a tantrum... but I have listened to "My Punishment For Fighting" more times than you can even imagine. Must hear that song again live. Must!
The Walkmen, Franz Ferdinand: The Musician as Food Critic
Despite superficial differences, the worlds of music and food are not all that removed from one another; look no further than this week’s Time Out and you’ll find a trend piece on the phenomenon of the “Rock Star Chef”.
The parallel makes perfect sense. Good musicians and chefs both make their living assaulting the senses with a particular vision and confidence that inspires and rewards their audiences. Meanwhile, the lesser ones quite often can leave a bad taste in our mouths, both figuratively and literally.
We’ve spoken of a few instances when musicians turn their talents to the visual arts, but what about when they dip their big toe in the choppy waters of culinary criticism?
Considering touring musicians’ nomadic lifestyles, the crossover is fairly natural. By virtue of always having to dine at restaurants while being on the road, they can’t help but compile a daunting framework of establishments and cuisines from which to draw comparisons (it's a practice we've tried recently as well). So let's look at a few examples...
We’ve heard about Franz Ferdinand’s singer/guitarist Alex Kapranos moonlighting as a food critic for The Guardian while on tour a few years back. What struck me when reading his blog Sound Bites was how attuned he was to not only the cuisine he sampled (Kapranos was a chef before becoming a rock star, not a rock star chef, sorry Time Out) but also to the atmosphere surrounding him. This includes other patrons – “They have an unquestionable sense of privately educated self-assurance. Girl One fixes the stallholder with an upturned nose and schoolteacher gaze. She barks like a vicar's wife.” - as well as his broader surroundings – “Kelly Clarkson is on the radio. Our pints of mud-brown Colorado Fat Tyre taste of Cadbury's chocolate and smell of Kraft cheese.”
Traditional food criticism? Perhaps not, but it certainly gives a more comprehensive account of the overall experience.
Enter EF faves The Walkmen. On the “Reviews” portion of their website where you’d expect to find album accolades and press, they've instead posted their own reviews of various unsuspecting restaurants visited while on tour (go HERE and click through to the "Reviews" tab). The results are hilarious. Delivered mostly in the third person (apparently Hamilton writes most of them), these scattered accounts focus more on the overall experience of dining out, in the process offering a fleeting glimpse of the simple joys and frustrations of life on the road.
Of the restaurant Guttenberg’s in Richmond, VA, he writes: “Walt and Chris got quiche and salad, Ham got crab cakes, and Pete got the grilled dolphin. Just kidding, I can’t remember what Pete got. The food took forever to come but was so good that they left the restaurant full and delighted. After soundcheck, they dragged the rest of the boys (Matt and Paul) back for dinner and sat outside on the deck on the sidewalk. The staff seemed a little annoyed that they had to accommodate a group of 6 outside. If it was a problem, and moving a table was really that hard, they should have told them before they sat them out there – that was how the boys felt about the waiters’ possible annoyance.”
And of course, the point to all of this? Well, when you see five dudes in dinner jackets roll up to your restaurant in a beat up van, treat them as you would Frank Bruni. Rock stars, chefs, food critics, artists, the lines have been blurred...
*above image found HERE
Listen:
Franz Ferdinand - "All My Friends" (LCD Soundsystem cover)
The Walkmen - "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone"
Watch:
"Little House Of Savages" by The Walkmen (live @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA 9 Mar 2008) on YouTube | download QT
"If Only It Were True" by The Walkmen (live @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA 9 Mar 2008) on YouTube | download QT
See also:
- 8+
- The Walkmen and Vampire Weekend @ The Earl (Atlanta) - 9 Mar 2008 (pics, video)
- The Walkmen @ Avalon - 17 October 2007
Visit Franz Ferdinand and The Walkmen on MySpace
OPP
Neil Diamond to play a MySpace secret show at the Bitter End tonight
Meanwhile, the Futureheads are playing Bowery Ballroom on June 17th
The New York Times was at Radiohead's tour kickoff show in West Palm Beach
The Police to play their last show ever in NYC in order to raise money to plant trees throughout the city
David Byrne launches Playing the Building project at the Battery Maritime Building starting May 31st
New Interpol video tries to map the human experience with code
eMusic already forced to remove the Rolling Stones catalog from their site
Peter Gabriel's web server was stolen
06 May 2008
I Want My MTV - Fantastic Plastic Records
Fantastic Plastic artist Bearsuit has a new record that was just recently released. In researching the release, and looking for some official free MP3s from it, I decided to check out the record label's site. This, in turn, led me to their music/video page. Where, coincidentally, they don't offer any free MP3s of their artists - do any British labels offer free music?? Idiots. Anyway, it was at this point that I realized that Fantastic Plastic does actually offer a fine collection of music videos from their artists. Check out a few favorites (including two Bearsuit videos) from the Fantastic Plastic family below...
"Oh Solitude" by The Strange Death of Liberal England (above)
"Steven F***ing Spielberg" by Bearsuit (above)
"More Soul Than Wigan Casino" by Bearsuit (above)
"Look Up" by Oppenheimer (above)
"Stupid As Wood" by The Victorian English Gentlemens Club (above)
Three for Free - CSS, Fleet Foxes, No Age
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three songs from artists on Sub Pop Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
CSS - "Rat Is Dead (Rage)"
Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"
No Age - "Eraser"
