8+

"Open Up" by Artanker Convoy which clocks in at 12:04

I can't stop looking at this album cover. The album cover for the album that this song is from, posted directly to the left here. What? You can't either. Eyes over here. HERE. On the words, perv. Listen, I know that for every three words you read here your eyes drift over to the half naked rear end in pink panties. It's okay, me too. I mean, it's like perfect. And you can see things - body lines and whatnot. Like, her buttcrack and stuff - whoa. Crack! We're all like - buttcrack! We see it!

I know you ladies/sexually uninterested folks are looking too. Don't be ashamed, it's not entirely (y)our fault that (y)our entire world comes to a halt at the site of near-nudity. We're Americans (lots of us here are, at least) and that means we've got hundreds of years worth of Puritanical mumbo jumbo messing with our minds when it comes to sex and the naked human body. And the picture here isn't even naked, it's simply underwear. But it got your attention I betcha. "Oh my gosh," you're thinking, "there's some underwear! My eyes!" Puritan.

So sue me, or something, for not getting more involved with the actual song in this post; because, no matter what I write, it's going to be overshadowed by that girl's beautiful ass in those sheer pink underwears. Am I right? I started to write something creative and fun to match this Miles Davis meets Tortoise song, and then every time I went to proofread what I had written it was the same thing - pink undies, ass ass, buttcrack. Why did I choose to post that picture then? Why post that instead of something clever that tied into my interesting music-related essay that's since been deleted? Simple: I couldn't resist.

Is that how Artanker Convoy felt too?

"Golly yo, our songs for this new album are really heady and, honestly, fucking dope! What do you think for our next cover art man?"

"Tits."

"No way! Too blatantly piggish."

"How about some ass then?"

"Eh?"

"Ass! Hot ass... young ass. Mmm. Look, it's not like our last album cover, with pictures of ourselves and our shit-kicking facial hair, did much for sales. Who cares what people think of the music, as long as we grab attention with some body parts."

"Good point. I'm sold. Ass it is then. Bait and switch - 'oh you like the ass? grab it! buy it! sorry if the music is more complex than what your ass-hungry mind was looking for but, too late!' - hey, let's see if we can put the ass in some pink undies or something. See-thru maybe? Am I right?"

"Tooootally."

If you haven't already checked, you're probably wondering how much larger that picture would be if you click it. Go ahead and click the picture if you have to - make it really big and take a good look asshound. Just promise you'll be back after you do. Okay? Okay - click it.

Back? Good. Now that we've all finally gotten past the nice ass, can we please start paying attention to why you came here in the first place? Don't remember? The song assface. About which Pitchfork says it "builds with exquisite patience from an extended intro of glassy drones and fluttering percussion into a loose-limbed Krautrock stride". Stop looking, listen.

*image of Cozy Endings album cover from HERE.

Buy Cozy Endings 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+:
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"
Boris - "Flood"

To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.

OPP

LHB: 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival Downloads

The Punk Guy: Photos of the secret Beirut show

NYCTaper: The Hold Steady September 17, 2007 World Trade Center - Lossless Download

Fluxblog posted about the Yelle song "Tristesse/Joie" and a missed connection with "this really awesome girl"

Stereogum: Division Day Cover Depeche Mode

Idolator: The Led Zep Reunion Ticket Aftermath - It's Gonna Be Like, Well, You Know

T-Sides: A real life (internet dating) version of “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”

CrackersUnited presents FRICTION - tonight - 2 Year Anniversary Show No. 1

Little Name

The Smiths, Burt Bacharach, The Sundays, Belle and Sebastian... if these names spark up a bit of hunger in your musical taste buds then pause for a moment and check out Little Name from Liverpool (UK). All of the aforementioned artists are listed as influences on the Little Name MySpace page, and all of them come through as obviously influential upon listening to Little Name's music. Here you'll find delicate dream-pop, heavy on the '60s French/Bacharach sound, that's perhaps more closely aligned with St. Etienne and Camera Obscura than with the bands listed above. These are songs that come across as reflections of life on a blissfully brisk sunny autumn day - shot on Super 16 - heavy on the soft focus, halation, and ambiguous plot lines. It's as if this music has always been with me, yet I'm just now hearing it for the first time. Truly, there's something decidedly familiar and welcoming about the songs on Little Name's debut How to Swim and Live.

Nearly as interesting as the music itself is the story behind how these songs ultimately saw the light of day. The story goes something like this: "after 8 years of isolation through panic attacks, Lee Barker (the man behind Little Name) was searching for greater themes, songs that said something and said something about his life." So what does he do? He goes and writes and records the album How to Swim and Live, playing "99.9% of the instruments", and sends it off (completely unsolicited) to Ann Tabor at Sleepy Records. What a pleasantly surprising day that must have been for Ann and Sleepy Records - an entire album full of music just ready for the world to throw its arms around. You've got the same pleasant surprise waiting for you in the two songs posted below.

Listen:
"How To Swim And Live"
"Tracy & I"

Visit Little Name on MySpace.

Buy How to Swim and Live on Sleepy Records.

The Captains

File The Captains under the category of bands from another country whose music I'd surely not be listening to if it were being peddled by a comparable band from the US (My Chemical Romance mixed with Drake Bell perhaps). Some of their songs come across as ready for tweenie TV show fame, some as Bling Kong-esque cheer-a-longs, some as guitar based pop-rock burners, and some as prime candidates for silly drunken karaoke. It feels like one third of this record I've already heard from some French band obsessed with dramatic flair... or were they from Turkey? Russia? One third of the record is good, but not great, and the final third is SUPERPARTYFUNTIMEUSA! Have you ever noticed how similarly reverby and "recorded in a studio in 1983" so much of the music recorded outside of the US/UK sounds? Is that just me being a snobby American? Whatever. What's fantastic about The Captains, and so many of our brothers and sisters in music overseas, is how unabashed they appear to be about their music and image. They know how to have fun, with music. Shocking concept to some I know; but hey, check out the Dance Lesson section of their site as an example. In fact, take a look at their Love Under The Equator dance right now. Please.

"Haato Ni Pittoin" blasts out of the gates like a full company musicial dance number - a Japanese take on "Jaan Pehechaan Ho" (remember that one from Ghost World?); "Seisyun Yarou" comes across a bit like Ricky Martin mixed with Gwen Stwefani, but in the best way possible. Yep, I mean that. Here I am jamming along to The Captains' 2007 album Bara No Ori and thinking about yakitori and beer (and how badly I need to visit Japan) and how some of these songs are probably going to be stuck in my head for days now. Hey, the novelty of foreign music can go a long way sometimes. And who can resist ultra tight/intentionally cheesy Japanese pop hooks? "Not I," said Ear Farm.

Listen:
"Haato Ni Pittoin"
"Seisyun Yarou"

See The Captains live:

19 Sep @ Rhythm & Brews - Chattanooga, Tennessee
20 Sep @ Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia
21 Sep @ Tasty World - Athens, Georgia
22 Sep @ Renaissance Waverly Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia
24 Sep @ Red & Black - Washington DC
25 Sep @ International House - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
26 Sep @ Pianos - New York, New York

Visit The Captains on MySpace.

Three for Free - Bound Stems, The Race, Russian Circles

EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from artists on Flameshovel Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.

Listen:
Bound Stems - "Andover"

The Race - “Feathers"

Russian Circles - "Death Rides A Horse"

Today's NEW releases

Today's releases that caught my eye:

• Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
• Alina Simone - Placelessness
• Eddie Vedder - Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild
• Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
• Ministry - The Last Sucker
• Nyles Lannon - Pressure
• Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate
• Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy

What have I missed?

Hit-or-miss

What: a new time-saving EAR FARM feature wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images, and the results (including an MP3 of the song) are posted here.

Listen:
"Carry" by ISIS from Oceanic

View:
Image search results for Carry - my favorite from the first page of results is posted above (and was originally from HERE).
--
Previous EF Hit-or-miss posts:
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer

snip·pets

Fire Critically Injures Two At Austin City Limits

Kanye West has early sales lead in battle with 50 Cent

50 Cent Still Confident In Sales Battle With Kanye

50 Cent defends Britney Spears

Prince To Sue YouTube, eBay Over Unauthorized Content

New York Times: Ringtones - the last great digital rip off

eMarketer: Blame product or pirates, but spending is down

Time: Dylan and the Beatles - Together Again

Registration Extended For Red-Hot Zeppelin Tix

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).
--
We Are Him by Angels Of Light - I can't claim to be an expert on Michael Gira, Swans, or anything from Young God Records, but what I've heard I really really like. And out of those records I've heard, We Are Him is the best so far - it's been getting a lot of attention from me this past week. Worth checking out if you're into the intimate, open-road, darkness of artists such as Nick Cave.

Listen: "Black River Song"

(purchase We Are Him on Amazon/on iTunes)

Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective - Here are what two trusted friends of mine have said about this album: "it sounds like a major label dude was like 'okay guys, we're gonna hole you up in electric ladyland and i want some WEIRDNESS from you!'" - "listening to the new Animal Collective album is like talking to you (meaning me) when you've recently had a rather large iced coffee". Somehow, I think they've managed to pretty much nail what this record sounds like with those statements.

Listen: "Peacebone"

(purchase Strawberry Jam on Amazon/on iTunes)

Boxer by The National - I "discovered" this one in late July (but have owned it since the day it came out) one night while I was trying to fall asleep. It clicked with me something fierce that night and I've been listening a ton ever since. Again, "Mistaken For Strangers" is potentially my favorite song of 2007.

Listen: "Mistaken For Strangers"

(purchase Boxer on Amazon/on iTunes)

Liars by Liars - My love of this album is waning a bit since I fell head over heels for it upon first listen. I'm now skipping a few tracks each time, but those 5 or 6 songs that I love on here, I really love.

Listen: "Plaster Casts Of Everything"

(purchase Liars on Amazon/on iTunes)

Goes Cube Songs 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 by Goes Cube - Last week it was only 46, 47, 48, 49, now I'm listening to the eight most recently recorded tracks from Brooklyn's Goes Cube and there's no question that the album these songs finally end up on will flat out dominate. If this world were a cartoon, and I Popeye, then "Goes Cube Song 46" would be my spinach.

Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"

(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)

Hold On Too Tight by Schooner - I'm friends with members of this band, they're from my hometown, therefore I might be a bit biased; however, I have no doubt that this is one of better records put out in 2007 by anyone. Like The National's Boxer, this one gets better and better the more you listen.

Listen: "There's Enough To Do"

(purchase Hold On Too Tight on Amazon/on iTunes)

Always Now by Section 25 - Always Now is an album that I got back in the day via Napster, and then lost. Only recently I thought of Section 25 again, found this album on eMusic, and happily spent 19 of my monthly downloads getting back in touch with another of Factory's many great, largely unknown, bands. For those who are fans of PiL, or especially Joy Division, definitely check out Section 25. In fact, the song posted below was produced by none other than Ian Curtis.

Listen: "Girls Don't Count"

(purchase Always Now on Amazon/on iTunes)

Master Of Reality by Black Sabbath - I share a birthday with Ozzy, maybe that's why I've always been so enamored/in touch with his music. Or maybe it's just because he's always had outstanding guitarists as bandmates. I mean, let's face it, Tony Iommi's riffs (and Geezer Butler's bass work) are what made Black Sabbath - shit, it's what made heavy metal as we know it. All hail Sabbath!

Listen: "Children Of The Grave"

(purchase Master Of Reality on Amazon)

I'll Sleep When You're Dead by El-P - This one is for all ya'll fools out there who think that there's no such thing as great current hip-hop. Forget about Fiddy and Kanye, I'll Sleep When You're Dead by El-P (featuring Mars Volta, Trent Reznor, and Cat Power) is the best rap record I've heard so far in '07. An excellent soundtrack for your iPod while you cruise the streets and subways late at night.

Listen: "Tasmanian Pain Coaster"

(purchase I'll Sleep When You're Dead on Amazon/on iTunes)

The Stage Names by Okkervil River - Some records are perfect for listening to in an office setting, but then also just as great to take home and really get into in private. The Stage Names is definitely one such record. Here Will Sheff/Okkervil River have crafted very fine American pop-rock that isn't too odd/distracting for the general public to hear playing in the background; and yet, they've also scored big on the nuances/lyrics/small touches. I'm hoping this band will continue to grow into their art and songwriting - Black Sheep Boy might be the better record, but I think I like The Stage Names better.

Listen: "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe"

(purchase The Stage Names on Amazon/on iTunes)

8+

"Wham City" by Dan Deacon which clocks in at 11:45

My friend Ike* hates Dan Deacon. He thinks that Dan Deacon makes mindless hipster "liking this music makes me the shit" dance groove, "dunno why I'm listening to this" (because somebody cool told me to) "but it make my body move" - "oh and WOW is this club where this show is off the beaten path (extra cool points) or what?!" - music. Like, to Ike, Dan Deacon = The Happy Mondays, and all of Williamsburg is The Haçienda, and the pills being passed around aren't ecstasy, but rather coolperson culture pills. Ike doesn't need them pills ya'll, and he sure as heck'd rather not bother with some "shart" songs that're 75% about the communal experience of seeing them performed live; good or not. Ike don't need your stinkin' scenestertastic auralgasms, Sir. Dan. Deacon.

I'm paraphrasing there actually. Ike hasn't said nearly any of that to me, I'm simply summing up Ike's unstated opinions; which, I'm concluding are floating around in his head based upon a few passing "stupid Dan Deacon" comments Ike has made. However, I know how he thinks. And I'm fairly certain that's an accurate approximation. Good enough for our purposes here, at any rate.

What I'd like to look at, ever so briefly, is that which this very song title references. For you, for me, and for our sour friend Ike.

"Wham City".

What is "Wham City"? Land of a thousand careless whispers? The place where everything she wants is everything she sees? The land that time forgot, where you'll have a boom-boom put into your heart and a jitterbug into your brain? Where the grey skies are out of your way and the sun shines brighter than Doris Day? Everywhere else your beats per minute never been the same, in "Wham City" you'll go dancing, everything will be all right!? If you can Make It Big there, you can make it big anywhere??

Well sir, sign me, and my George Michael loving self, up for a one way ticket to this "Wham City". I love Wham.

The truth is, in addition to being the title of this particular 8+ song by Dan Deacon, that Wham City is also a collective of artists in Baltimore founded in 2003 when several graduates from SUNY Purchase relocated from New York.

"Ah, well okay, I still hate Dan Deacon", says Ike.

Be quiet Ike. Now, don't be a lazy Ike and take that wiki entry as the entire story of Wham City. Let's dig deeper.

Part time Pitchforker, eMusic list maker, previous Pazz & Jop balloteer, Seattle Weekly contributor, and current Senior Idolatoress Jess Harvell wrote a piece for Baltimore's City Paper that lays out all of the details you'd ever want to know in regards to Wham City. Do read the whole thing, but if you're pressed for time you can find some select bytes below.

The climax of the set comes with "Wham City," from Deacon's new album Spiderman of the Rings (Carpark). The song was written as a "national anthem" for Wham City, the crew of Baltimore-by-way-of-New York artists who are Deacon's closest friends and collaborators. Deacon's friends and fans pile onstage, chanting the lyrics.

Far from a castle with a gold-spewing fountain, the real Wham City was a rented industrial loft space squatting somewhere between Mount Vernon and Charles Village. (Its members have requested we don't divulge the exact location in print.) In its first incarnation, it was often filled with garbage. Smashing plates in a sink with a baseball bat was a popular activity when bored. But especially after it moved one floor upstairs in the same building, it was a crucial local space for "music shows, variety shows, TV talk shows, video productions, theatrical productions, lecture series, potluck dinners, photo shoots, fashion shows, [and] dance parties" in the words of Wham City member Adam Endres. Wham City united many young people in the Baltimore art and music scenes who maybe didn't even know they needed uniting
--
And perhaps even more important than providing a space to promote this mixed-media aesthetic, Wham City gave the members a safe haven to, well, dick around. Ideas could be quickly thought up and executed, eradicating the pressures of "professionalism" that come with putting on an event as a club, theater, or gallery. Or, as Wham member Ed Schrader says, "[Wham City] means I can wake up with a retarded new song in my head one morning, and be playing it two days later in front of 100 people."

So, in a nut shell, Wham City is a community of artists and friends who've gotten together to create an environment within which they can all feel the freedom to create, and to play off of each other's ideas. "Wham City", the song posted above, is in fact something along the lines of their anthem. With lyrics describing a castle on a mountain of snow, where "everyone plays drums and sings of big sharks, sharp swords, beast knees, bees lords, sweet cakes, mace lakes..." the song comes across as some kind of artist's version of the "Big Rock Candy Mountain". A place where "little streams of alcohol come a-trickling down the rocks..." What artist, musician, or music lover, could possibly hate that?

"Artist schmartist. The music still sucks," says Ike.

STFU Ike.

*name altered to maintain the anonymity of he who has been referenced.
**image of Wham City flyer found HERE.

Buy Spiderman of the Rings HERE on Amazon or HERE 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+:
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"
Boris - "Flood"
Vieux Farka Touré - "Diabaté"

To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.

OPP

Aquarium Drunkard: Hallowed Ground :: Femmes Gothic Country

BrooklynVegan goes "official" for CMJ @ Bowery Ballroom

Earvolution: Covering Cash - Remembering Johnny

Fluxblog: 6th Annual MTV Video Music Awards Thing

Idolator: The Final Chapter Of Idolator's Top 100 R&B Songs Of All Time

Merry Swankster: More Videos About Dancing and Grooves

Motel de Moka: She would rise from her sleepless bed and wander

music is art: song/context/result pt. V

nyctaper: Sonic Youth Revisted - nyctaper’s mea culpa

Passion of the Weiss Special Rosh Hashanah Edition: The Top 10 Musicians To Invite to a Sedar

ProductshopNYC: CMJ MARATHON | An Early Look at the Line-Up

Thepunkguy: 3 Black Sabbath covers of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”

Triangle Music: Liveblogging the VMA's

Mobius Band - Fall Tour, new album release info, "Hallie" MP3

Hailing from Brooklyn by way of Western Massachusetts, Mobius Band took me by surprise back in November '05 when I saw them at Mercury Lounge. What I saw then was a band full of copious amounts of potential. Out of nowhere (for me at least), here was a band busting at the seams with emotive, energetic yet listless, pop hooks, electro touches, and a big enough sound and stage presence to fill up arenas. No joke, I might not have said it at the time, but that was my impression. That this band could well be "the next Coldplay", or something along those lines. James mixed with Kid A Radiohead? How can I really say? I don't care much for Coldplay... but Mobius Band I loved. Ever since, I've been on the lookout for news from the Mobius Band camp.

In addition to prepping for the release of their second album, Heaven due out on Misra on October 2nd, the band has lined up an extensive tour hitting both the US and Canada. Below you can find the dates for their tour and a song from the new album. Head on over to Stereogum to check out another song from Heaven, and be sure to check out Mobius Band when they're in your neck of the woods.

Mobius Band Fall Tour '07
09/14 Morrison, CO - Monolith Festival
10/01 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
10/02 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
10/03 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite *
10/04 Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel *
10/05 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 *
10/06 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *
10/08 Austin, TX - Emo's *
10/09 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater *
10/11 Albuquerque, NM - Burt’s Tiki Lounge
10/12 Denver, CO - Hi Dive *
10/14 San Diego, CA - Casbah
10/16 Los Angeles, CA - Echo *
10/17 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland ^
10/18 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine *
10/19 Portland, OR - Holocene *
10/20 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café *
10/21 Vancouver, BC - Media Club *
10/24 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
10/25 Madison, WI - Café Montemarte *
10/27 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
10/28 East Lansing, MI - MSU Union Ballroom #
10/30 Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle #
11/01 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop @ ISU #
11/02 Columbia, MO - Mojo's #
11/04 Columbus, OH - The Basement #
11/06 Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room #
11/07 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe #
11/08 Montreal, QC - Petit Campus #

* = co-bill with Matthew Dear
^ = Club NME with The Subways
# = Tigercity supports

Listen:
"Hallie"

Visit Mobius Band on MySpace.

The Muggabears - "Guitar Feelings"

EAR FARM favorites The Muggabears are hibernating at the moment, right? WRONG. Just because you don't see shows lined up at the moment on their calendar doesn't mean they've run off to sleep for the Winter. I mean, it's still techinically Summer anyway, yeah?

Just yesterday, the band sent EAR FARM a previously unreleased song called "Guitar Feelings". It made me happy to hear something new from The Muggabears, yet (thankfully) something entirely familiar. Stumbly-fun drum beats, dischorded guitars, an innocent enough rock beginning that devolves into a banshee jam before resolving itself... call this Muggabears by numbers if you want, but only because "Guitar Feelings" contains all of what made you fall for the band in the first place.

Listen:
"Guitar Feelings"

Visit The Muggabears on MySpace, see live show pictures of The Muggabears HERE.

Bridges and Powerlines: Fall Tour, "Floods and Fields" MP3

Bridges and Powerlines have announced an upcoming Fall tour to coincide with the recent completion of their first full-length record (slated for an early '08 release). Dates and an MP3 are below.

Bridges and Powerlines: Fall Tour
15 Sept: New York, NY - The Delancey (Hot Rocks w/ Man in Gray, Aldenbarton)
26 Sept: Harrisburg, PA - ABC tavern (Indie at the Abbey w/ Creeping Weeds)
27 Sept: Wilmington, NC - Soapbox Laundrolounge (w/ Can Joann)
28 Sept: Chapel Hill, NC - The Cave (w/ Can Joann, Citified)
29 Sept: New York, NY - Lit Lounge (w/ Square Wave Punch)
13 Oct: Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery

Listen:
"Floods"

Visit Bridges and Powerlines on MySpace.

Three for Free - Angels of Light, Lisa Germano, Mi And L'au

EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - Young God Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.

Listen:
Angels of Light - "Black River Song"

Lisa Germano - “Paper Doll"

Mi And L'au - "Older"

Remembering September 11th, 2001

I struggle to know how best to share my thoughts and feelings about this day. My aim is not to dwell on the past; however, it's most certainly not to ever forget what life was like here in New York City before/on/during/and directly after the attacks of September 11th, 2001. If you'd like to know a bit more about my own personal experience as a resident of NYC on 9/11/01, please visit EF's post about 9/11 from last year. For today, I offer the pensive melancholy of the following song that somehow seems to fit, for me, with taking a moment to remember September 11th, 2001.

Listen:
"Theme From Ghost World" - David Kitay

Buy Ghost World [soundtrack] HERE.

Today's NEW releases

Today's releases that caught my eye:

• Ani DiFranco - Canon
• Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
• Black Francis - Bluefinger
• Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
• Eulogies - Eulogies
• The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
• Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
• Various Artists - Monster Ballads Christmas
• Vic Chesnutt - North Star Deserter

I know there's a ton more that were released today, what did I miss here that's worthwhile?

Hit-or-miss

What: a new time-saving EAR FARM feature wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images, and the results (including an MP3 of the song) are posted here.

Listen:
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer from The Running Man (Original Soundtrack)

View:
Image search results for Mick's Broadcast / Attack - my favorite from the first page of results is posted above (and was originally from HERE).

snip·pets

Led Zeppelin (reunion?) Announcement Expected Next Week

Village Voice: The Back Tattoos of McCarren Pool Park

Fired original Van Halen bassist: “I Found Out on the Internet”

New site caters to covers of popular songs

New York Magazine declares NY Post winner of Britney at VMAs bashing contest

Speaking of - here's Britney's VMA performance, bash it and then scroll down to watch MASTODON

Fiery Furnaces Prep 'Widow,' Go To The Ballet

EAR FARM: Heavy Rotation

If you ever check out EAR FARM's Last.fm to get a read on what I've been listening to most recently, you're only getting a partial view of what has been spinning nonstop in my world. Often I turn off that Last.fm scrobbler thing, and I've never let it record what I listen to on my iPod. So, because I don't feel like checking in with the Elbo.ws top 10, I figured I'd instead check in with the 10 albums getting the most attention from me at the moment. There's a song from each below, and link to purchase each on Amazon/iTunes (if available).
--
Boxer by The National - If you're among the many of my friends who had been telling me for years now to listen to this band, for months to check out this album, go ahead and say "I told you so", because you did. And, as seemingly every review of this record suggests, Boxer keeps getting better and better the more I listen. "Mistaken For Strangers" is potentially my favorite song of 2007.

Listen: "Mistaken For Strangers"

(purchase Boxer on Amazon/on iTunes)

Liars by Liars - I adore this band and every twist and turn they've taken so far on each of their four albums. If you ask me, this most recent record is a perfect follow up to Drum's Not Dead and it's looking pretty certain that Liars will show up on my year end list of top albums.

Listen: "Plaster Casts Of Everything"

(purchase Liars on Amazon/on iTunes)

Goes Cube Songs 46, 47, 48, 49 by Goes Cube - The four most recently recorded tracks from Brooklyn's Goes Cube find the band striking on all cylinders. It's by far their best material to date, and the notion that these tracks will soon find their way onto a proper album is a frightening proposition... for their competition.

Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"

(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)

Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin - I wasn't a super huge Zeppelin fan growing up - I owned IV and II and The Song Remains The Same and the box set - so I missed out on a few of their incredibly classic albums, and now I'm finally catching up. Led Zeppelin III is, in my estimation, better than II. That's saying a lot.

Listen: "Celebration Day"

(purchase Led Zeppelin III on Amazon)

III by Sebadoh - I've been on a huge Sebadoh kick (again, happened last year too) ever since I picked up the reissue of The Freed Man and saw them in concert earlier this week. Harmacy might be my personal favorite of their albums, but III is their best.

Listen: "Scars, Four Eyes"

(purchase III on Amazon/on iTunes)

Hold On Too Tight by Schooner - I loved Schooner before I'd heard their 2007 release Hold On Too Tight, but now I think I'm officially in love with Schooner. Their most recent record is really (really) excellent and I've been listening to it over and over for months now. Every single person I've played it for has loved it too. In it I hear touches of '50s rock, country, The Beach Boys, and long lost blissful summer nights. Among other things. You won't be able to stop listening once Hold On Too Tight has wrapped itself around you - just buy it and see for yourself.

Listen: "There's Enough To Do"

(purchase Hold On Too Tight on Amazon/on iTunes)

In Camera by Arthur & Yu - It's this simple: Arthur & Yu's debut is a "must buy" if you love beautiful vocals, elegant song writing, and simple production. Plus, it'll serve you well in a wide variety of listening situations - from pensive headphone moments to background music for a get together with friends. In Camera got you covered yo.

Listen: "Come to View (Song for Neil Young)"

(purchase In Camera on Amazon/on iTunes)

Remission by Mastodon - Once I realized that my lifelong love of metal wasn't going anywhere, no matter how much fey British music I fed my ears, things got a lot easier. And louder. Basically, I went after the Mastodon albums I didn't own yet, one of which was Remission, and let the aural destruction begin. Oh yeah, and I've named my fantasy football team after the song posted here... just a little extra bit of EF trivia for you there. MOTHER PUNCHER!

Listen: "Mother Puncher"

(purchase Remission on Amazon/on iTunes)

A Farewell to Kings by Rush - This record is like crack for music nerds. In the not too distant past of a month ago I found myself listening to my vinyl copy of A Farewell to Kings over and over and over and over again. For real, it was like 4 times in a row that I listened to it, and here I am STILL listening.

Listen: "Farewell to Kings"

(purchase A Farewell to Kings on Amazon/on iTunes)

Planet of Ice by Minus The Bear - Speaking of prog-rock for music nerds... I picked up Planet of Ice on a whim, thinking I didn't like Minus the Bear very much. By the time I finished the record, I was ready to listen to it again. Apparently I do that a lot. Anyway,it's a very Genesis-like love/hate thing I've got going on with Minus the Bear. Fine by me.

Listen: "Knights"

(purchase Planet of Ice on Amazon/on iTunes)