What happens when the rhythm section of a band grows up together and meets with a couple of guys who also grew up together and comprise the melody section? You get a band like Spring Tigers.
Add in a pretty talented vocalist (and guitarist and soapbox preacher) and big things are bound to happen. While no one knows for sure why front man Kris Barratt can't go back home ("I can't tell you why, but I'll be kneecapped!") its good for all of us that he was forced to make friends in the Athens, GA music scene. There he met the aforementioned pairs: Stephen James (keys) and Shane Davis (guitars, hair and romance), as well as Chase Prince (drums and medicine) and Eli Bernard (bass). Stephen and Shane moved to Athens after playing in punk bands throughout college while Chase and Eli grew up around the Black Kids-type hardcore-ish scene in Jacksonville, FL.
Their story is pretty unique. After being a band for only a month and playing shows solely in Athens, they landed a few gigs at SXSW back in '08. From there they went on an east coast tour with the Wombats, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and The Duke Spirit. Not bad.
They caught the attention of new indie label Bright Antenna, not surprising as The Wombats call it home. They quickly threw together a 6-song mini-LP with producer Sep V (which was partially recorded in Sam Fogarino of Interpol fame's home studio) and had Mark Needham (The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Bloc Party) mix it.
The debut self-titled mini-LP has been out since October 20th and I highly recommend checking it out. Be it only 6 songs song, its still a wonderful little pop-rock album/EP/mini-LP/whatever. Thumbs up. Enjoy!
Spring Tigers - Hyboria
Spring Tigers - Just Suggesting
It is after all the year of the tiger...
New Cold War Kids
Just got some new music in from Cold War Kids. They're planning a January release of a 4 song EP titled Behave Yourself. Should be pretty good going off this track! There's also word of 4 shows for the new year where they will be making it extra special by giving each ticket holder the ability to download the show! Check the above poster for info. Let's hope the technology works out for them. I'll have to try to get up to Chicago for the show.
They've also put together this teaser video with the help of their friend Vern. Check it.
Cold War Kids - Audience
The Temper Trap's Conditions
Since being turned onto this band by a friend of mine I've been anxiously awaiting the release of their new album here in the states. I finally received a copy of Conditions by The Temper Trap, out October 13th on Glassnote Records, today and have been listening to it ever since. After taking a little break due to being labeled as a vocalist trying to make a band happen, The Temper Trap have finally figured it out and broken through in the world of indie music. And I do mean world.
Coming to us from Melbourne, Australia, the band is one you don't want to miss. They have a show coming up October 19th in Chicago and I really wish I could make it up there for it. Check out a couple of tracks from the album! (the album cover links to their myspace!)
The Temper Trap - Fader
The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
Say good morning to another set of creature
I try to avoid long, drawn-out ramblings about personal issues but sometimes its just too relevant to great music that its completely unavoidable. As I sit here watching the Bears, I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for the past 48+ hours: thinking. Why? I don't know. About what? Oh, anything and everything. All I know is I haven't been able to sleep much with so much on my mind.
I woke up after a brief 2 hour nap this morning at 4am. I threw on some music and tried to go back to sleep but to no avail. 5am rolled around. I decided I would just go for a ride. I brought my computer to plug in and just hit shuffle on my iTunes (yep, iTunes). I've never really explored much of the farmland surrounding Champaign, so I decided to venture south and a little bit east. I came across a couple little small towns that reminded me of some Northern Michigan towns. For the record, I've been wanting to head up north for a while and that's how the similarity fits into my thinking.
I kept driving. I kept turning off the main roads and into walls of corn. Occasionally I'd pass a lowland where fog would rise up and blanket the road in front of me. A full moon was out when I left but I soon found a park along side a river and just sat there and watched the sun come up. It was awesome. I kept driving. Eventually I turned around. I don't even remember most of the music I was listening to; I was zoning out. However, this one came on during the drive back down the highway. It was perfect. I put it on repeat and drove the rest of the way home. Happy Sunday. Enjoy. I should take a nap.
The Twilight Singers - Teenage Wristband
Headlights out in the wild
Champaign-Urbana's very own Headlights have a new disc out! The band had a release party Wildlife a few weeks back as part of the Pygmalion Music Festival allowing fans to get a hold of the album a few weeks before its official October 6th release date. I've been listening to it ever since then and its definitely worth sharing!
Drawing on the success of their previous releases, this one sounds even more refined. Us fans have heard many of the tunes at their shows this year but now we can all finally appreciate the recorded versions. Get ready to dance, just like the impromptu on-stage dance party that highlighted the Polyvinyl Records Showcase to kick off Pygmalion!
Headlights - Secrets
Headlights - Get Going
Dead Man's Bones: Perfect Autumn Soundtrack
So today the CMJ College Radio Award nominations came out... turns out our station is up for an amazing 10 different awards... and I'm personally up for music director of the year! Incredible news for this incredible day! Probably a good reason why I'm up after 4am writing instead of sleeping.
Anyway, happy October 1st to you all! Being that Autumn and October happen to be a favorite time of the year for me, I'd like to share some delicious new music that's pretty spooky and worth checking out. Many have started to write about Dead Man's Bones and I'm going to join them. This duo of Zach Shields and Ryan Gossling originally met back in 2005 and intended their now self-titled album to be the soundtrack for a monster-type movie. Even by itself its still some great tuneage.
Employing the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir, working with Tim Anderson of I'm A Robot, laying down some guidelines (no more than 3 takes, playing every instrument themselves, and not using a click track), and stemming from various music they have created the perfect fall/Halloween soundtrack. I do believe this is the first blog to post "Pa Pa Power"... so be sure to check it out. And of course for more info check out the Anti- website and the Dead Man's Bones website. Buy the album when it hits shelves this coming Tuesday, the artwork is just as good!
Dead Man's Bones - Pa Pa Power
Dead Man's Bones - My Body's A Zombie For You
Dead Man's Bones - In The Room Where You Sleep
Company of Thieves Stops by!
Hey, what do you know... my internet is being extremely shitty today... but surprisingly its going to be beneficial to anyone who enjoys music... and Company of Thieves.
I. like. periods. Seriously, though, this post is a fun one because its a sort of follow up to the little one I did a while back when I started writing this... and my upload speeds are awesome today. I finally was able to catch up with Marc Walloch and the rest of the Thieves when they stopped by the studio a little over a week ago while in town for the Pygmalion Music Festival. I didn't introduce myself but went up to Marc and was like "oh hey how's it going?" and he kinda just looked at me and was like, "Whoa what are you up to? I can't believe I recognized your face!" It was pretty funny, at least I thought so.
I was informed that they have added a few permanent members to the band, even if the sleeve for Ordinary Riches doesn't say so. They revealed plans to continue writing music and building on the success of their debut album and national touring schedule. I was told to be on the look out for new material sometime after the new year.
Everyone seemed to be in good spirits that day. I know I was. I had already chatted it up with some of my favorite musicians and was pretty antsy in anticipation of Thursday night's shows. For a little sneak peak Company of Thieves played us a couple of acoustic tunes! Check 'em out!
Company of Thieves - In Passing (Live on WPGU 9/17/09)
Company of Thieves - Oscar Wilde (Live on WPGU 9/17/09)
New Elsinore!!!
Really quick... new music from Elsinore! The blog has been sitting in the corner of my room crying for a while for some attention so I figured I'd make it happy with atleast one post during the month of September. Pygmalion Music Festival came and went. Unbelievably fun. Hung out with Joe Pug, Co. of Thieves, Japandroids, Headlights, BOB NANNA, Lucero, etc. I'll eventually write a little bit more about that.
Most of those bands came around the studio so the audio will soon be up on the station website to which I will link once they are up. Its been a lot of fun and one of the standout performances was from these guys. From what I was told, they are in the process of shooting a video for this song and it should be rather sweet. Give the song a listen and head on over to http://www.elsinoremusic.net for mas info!
Elsinore - Chemicals
Freaky Fresh: 8-27
It has been almost a month since my last post... wow. Its been a busy past few weeks, though, I have taken on some bigger responsibilities and all and just haven't had the time to post anything new. I miss summer.
Anyway, I've received a ton of great music lately but one track I felt like sharing today (since I have a bit of time) is from Jupiter One, a band out of Brooklyn who have their sophomore album due out September 15th and are currently on tour opening for Regina Spektor this fall.
Now normally I listen to the music we get in and most of it isn't all that great or just not of the particular style I would want to listen to but this one is an exception. Its a good little indie pop gem, mixing the old with the new and creating a warm, happy vibe.
The new album coming out is titled Sunshower and "Volcano" is the first track off of it, which is kind of funny because to be honest with you I checked my mail at about 2:30p (2 hours ago) saw this, popped it in, and haven't listened to any of the other tracks. I'll have to right now since I'm done writing!
Jupiter One - Volcano
Freaky Fresh: 7-30
I've been listening to the new Cribs' songs for a while now. I've really, really, really wanted to feature them on the Freaky Fresh at 4, but I had to wait for the first single to be released. Why? Well, "We Were Aborted" almost was featured, but I decided it was probably a better idea to play it safe and not mess with the topics of abortion and masturbation at 4pm on public airwaves (although Green Day says masturbation in "Longview"). Instead, I finally get to spin a copy of "Cheat On Me," the first single and one that's a tad more radio friendly. Adding Johnny Marr to the mix sounds awesome thus far. I can't even describe how excited I am for the new album Ignore The Ignorant to come out September 8th here in the states!
The Cribs - Cheat On Me
Coldplay at Alpine Valley 7-25-09
This past weekend I had the chance to see Coldplay up at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Normally I don’t consider myself to be a huge Coldplay fan, although yes, I do own every album from them and I can sing along to just about all of their songs. The only reason I shy away from calling myself a fan is to try to stay away from being associated with many of their other “fans.” This weekend highlighted my ideology almost perfectly.
Of course, its at Alpine Valley. Sure, 30-some thousand people are going to show up, many of whom will arrive hours before to tailgate in the massive expanse of grass known as the parking lot. Sure some people will get drunk before entering the actual bowl. To me that’s fine, especially with the exorbitant price of a beer. However, it is completely inappropriate to be yelling at people in front of you when someone stands up to see a band.
Here’s the problem with Alpine: most of the tickets are general admission lawn seats. Way too many people decide to camp on the lawn so for two people they need a gigantic blanket and possibly some lawn chairs. Well, when I can’t find a place to stand, guess what? I’m going to stand in front of your blanket. I know, you hate me for wanting to see the band.
Which leads to my other problem: opening bands aren’t just there to play music for people as everyone walks in to find the best seat to watch Coldplay. The main opener of the evening was Elbow. ELBOW! Most of the crowd didn’t even pay attention to the opening act. Sure Elbow doesn’t have the outward looking live performance as Chris Martin and Coldplay, but they still play some damn good music.
So when the folks behind me decided to jaw about the fact that a group of people was standing in front of their ground level position, a simple question of “who is playing right now?” ensued. Those complaining couldn’t even answer the question. That doesn’t make me want to sit when I’m singing along to Elbow’s set. Oh, and the people in front of us were standing, too.
However, when Coldplay made their way to the stage, everyone immediately stood up and the entire crowd could sing every word to every song that was performed.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast at the show. I know many will question a Coldplay show based on their musical ability, them “borrowing riffs” and what not, but Coldplay sure puts on a hell of a performance. Was it overdone at points? Sure Chris Martin didn’t have to roll on the stage at points, but most of the audience sure connected with it. And did they ever.
I believe a few years ago Coldplay decided to record live at Alpine Valley, and for good reason. I know this year they are recording live during a two-night stand in Vancouver, but the energy at this show would be hard to top in my mind. The nearly two hour set included the band moving to a side stage and playing a couple of techno remixes as well as playing about 10 feet away from me in the center of the lawn. With such a large crowd it really is nice to see a band truly realize the extent to which their fans allow them to do what they do everyday.
Overall it was an awesome show. I’ll probably write a bit more about it later, and possibly even post the angry rant I wrote sitting for 2 hours in the parking lot listening to nothing but Left Right Left Right Left, the live disc handed out after the show. Until then, happy listening and have a wonderful day!
Elbow - Grounds For Divorce
Elbow - One Day Like This
Coldplay - Glass Of Water (Live)
Freaky Fresh: 7-29
Since when do I get hangovers that last for 10 hours? Yeah, never is right. I'm not really sure what is up with that today but oh well.
Today's Freaky Fresh track comes to us from London... again. For whatever reason, White Lies' "To Lose My Life" has been getting a bunch of airplay, but the other 3 previous singles from the likewise-titled debut album haven't. I decided today was a good day to change that up a bit. "Death" was released as a single almost a year ago, all the way back in September of 2008. That's around the time when Kings of Leon's latest album was gaining popularity. Its currently fathering three singles in the top 15 of the Modern Rock charts? Oh, well shit!
Anyway, "Death" was one of those tracks I had on repeat a little bit ago. I'm all about the retro-vibe that's been really prevalent in much of the new music that's been coming out the past few years. I'm also all about aviation, and White Lies' not-so-secret fascination with flying is pretty awesome as well. In fact, they used to be called Fear of Flying back in the day! So here it is the second song ever written and now fifth (kinda) single from White Lies:
White Lies - Death
Freaky Fresh: 7-28
A really relaxing pick for today's Freaky Fresh, "Northern Lights" from Bowerbirds. With their nu-folk stylings, mostly based around the vocals and guitar of Phil Moore, Bowerbirds evoke a simple evening just like tonight. I mentioned in the P4K day II round-up how similar Moore sounded live to Andrew Bird, which I have to say is no horrible comparison. I'm currently enjoying this track as well as the second full-length from Bowerbirds titled Upper Air. I know you'll want to buy it to check it out for yourself.
On a slightly unrelated note, Beth Tacular is awesome, especially with that accordion.
Bowerbirds - Northern Lights
Freaky Fresh: 7-27
I never thought running this Freaky Fresh bit on my radio show as well as posting it here would come in handy as much as it did today. I'm sure many of you know the complexities of trying to have anything run smoothly with computers, but try having computer trouble when running a fully commercial radio station! When our touch screen interface decided to quit, we just transferred it over to using a different screen with a mouse. When the phone line lost the ability to run through our sound board and through my mic, we just went to picking up the phone as any household would. But when the program we run the entire station off of decided to not respond, we got into a big problem. And that's just what happened today.
With some quick thinking I remembered that not only can I stream some of the songs I've posted here, but I also had a couple of them on another computer that I can run through the board and play over the airwaves. So while talking about as much as possible, I cued up last Friday's FF@4 track from The Very Best and let it play while rebooting the computer that runs all of our music.
With all of that said here is today's track: Atlas from Eugene McGuinness. I have been raving over the British lad's self-titled, debut studio album since I first heard it. This is my second favorite track off of it and the one I had on repeat while driving 7 hours up to Michigan for the 4th of July. Of course, go out and buy this album, I promise you it is worth it!
Eugene McGuinness - Atlas
Freaky Fresh: 7-24
This one took a bit to grow on me. I know many people, myself included, raved about how awesome Vampire Weekend was the first half of last year, then grew tired of it by the end of summer. Well, this one is kind of similar with the influence of African beats except it is from an ex-pat who was born in Africa. The Very Best played last Sunday at Pitchfork, but I was too busy waiting for the Flaming Lips to see them. As I let their music grow on me I'm really regretting missing it. Oh and I mentioned Vampire Weekend before for good reason. The title track off the upcoming TVB album, Warm Heart of Africa, sees a guest appearance from Ezra Koenig, not to be outdone by Rostam and the Discovery side project.
The Very Best (feat. Ezra Koenig) - Warm Heart of Africa
Freaky Fresh: 7-22
New details are emerging today from a London-based duo known as The Big Pink about their upcoming debut full-length, A Brief History of Love, which will be released September 22nd on 4AD. One of my most anticipated albums of the year will include this new single, "Dominos," due out on vinyl September 9th, and contain a b-side, "She's No Sense," which features Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine on vocals.
A Brief History of Love track list:
- Crystal Visions
- Too Young To Love
- Dominos
- Love In Vain
- At War With The Sun
- Velvet
- Golden Pendulum
- Frisk
- A Brief History of Love
- Tonight
- Countbackwards From Ten
Freaky Fresh: 7-21
Today Modest Mouse released the 3rd and final 7" leading up to their August 4th release of No One's First and You're Next. The upcoming EP on Epic will feature a collection of 8 songs that did not make it onto their last two full lengths. I have featured both "Satellite Skin" and "Autumn Beds" as part of the Freaky Fresh at Four, so today I give you the new single "Perpetual Motion Machine."
Track list:
- "Satellite Skin" 3:58
- "Guilty Cocker Spaniels" 3:59
- "Autumn Beds" 3:42
- "Whale Song" 6:07
- "Perpetual Motion Machine" 3:11
- "History Sticks to Your Feet" 3:55
- "King Rat" 5:30
- "I've Got It All (Most)" 3:10
Pitchfork Music Festival: Day II
The last six or so months have been fun leading up to the annual Pitchfork Music Festival. Living in Champaign is an almost perfect staging ground for someone who wants to experience different music whether it be nightly, weekly, or seasonally, thanks to the central location between major cities and venues. This year Pitchfork says the number of tickets sold has not been raised, yet at the fest it felt that way. I attended both Saturday and Sunday and it was a completely different experience between the two days.
I arrived early on Saturday to pick my ticket up from will call, run down the street to the Billy Goat Tavern for a ‘borger, and make my way to the back corner of the festival to enter (it’s a trick to not enter Union Park from Ashland). Upon entering I was relatively surprised to find a pretty empty park. The first band I saw was Cymbals Eat Guitars. I know the band from a steady stream of bloggers enthusiastic about their music, yet was not familiar enough with them to fight my way toward the front. Instead, I took it easy and watched their set from a few hundred feet back. The music sounded good, well put together, and there is no doubt as to their level of talent to be featured on the main stage, even if it was just after the gates opened. It was very apparent, however, the band is somewhat overwhelmed with the fact they are playing at a summer music festival in such a large city. With a little work on their stage presence over time they will soon be an act to catch.
After the Cymbals Eat Guitars set, I headed westward in the park. Plants and Animals started up their set on the Connector stage, which is the other large stage right next to the main stage. Their show was crisp sounding from the decent distance away I was. At the same time, The Dutchess & The Duke went on at the Balance stage, a stage set up on the South side of the park. In order to get a good view of Bowerbirds, who my friend I went with was completely excited to see, we headed over to catch the end of The Dutchess & The Duke’s set.
Early on the Balance stage was relatively calm. Next up was The Antlers making their first ever appearance in the city of Chicago. Interested more in crafting melodies than controlling their crowd, the band weaved in and out of trance inducing lush guitar ballads. It is this sense of musicianship and an audience being truly interested in the music that sets Pitchfork apart from some of the other major festivals, which I love.
The Bowerbirds then took over, adding to the calm, fun atmosphere as if it was the calm before the storm. Their set was one of my favorites, turning me almost instantly into a fan. For those unaware, Bowerbirds is (especially live) mostly Phil Moore on vocals and guitar. Sounding incredibly similar to Andrew Bird, Moore mesmerized the crowd, mostly loyal fans, wth some incredibly beautiful nu-folk bliss. A side note: Beth Tacular is even better looking in real life, a trend we will see reappear a bit later.
But the storm was just beginning to brew. We knew we wanted a good position to watch Matt & Kim, so by this point we decided to forgo attempting to move back and forth between stages and camp out at the Balance stage and just keep moving up. By the end of Bowerbirds we managed to weasel our way up to the rail, front and center. Little did we know, Pitchfork decided to schedule the loud, rambunctious indie crowd favorites for the Balance stage. Ponytail was about to hit the stage.
No sound check needed, other than a few random noises from lead singer and to confirm that the guitars were in fact plugged in. I can’t even begin to try to describe the show Ponytail performed. It was a weird concoction of random, high-pitched noises over screaming guitars (a Tele and Thinline Tele so they were extra bright) and a drummer who was full of fills. Unfortunately, I was caught without hearing protection in the front of a loud rock band. Some of the noises were just over the top. The press was laughing, as were some members of security, at some of our faces that turned sour every so often. A bunch of the girls to my left ended up covering their ears in between the desire to jump and dance. To my right was the crazy crowd: crowd surfing, pushing, jumping, and dancing. Eventually the singer jumped off stage and into the crowd. This helped only to make sure the barricade wouldn’t hold and about 20 security guards had to hold the barricade up.
After about 45 minutes the set was over, but the storm kept coming. In a rapid attempt to fix the barricade, random straps, a tower of some kind, and finally the MISSING BOLTS were put into place to assure the shear mass of people behind me would not crush me.
Next up was a set by none other than Wavves. “I bet all of you want to hear about Barcelona?” “PSYCH!” I thought it was funny that singer Nathan Williams wore a Bulls hat Saturday. Something about the running of the bulls and that hat connected and I just thought it was pretty ironic. Anyway, the set went without flaw, although due to delays before the band didn’t play very long. I, however, was not disappointed, as Wavves didn’t really live up to their live performance standards I’ve read so much about. Maybe it was the fact Nathan was scared of mixing too many drugs for fear drummer Ryan Ulsch would once again grow pissed off, dump beer on Nathan’s head and leave the stage.
Lindstrøm casually started setting up his MacBook Pro while relaxing on stage with a nice cigarette. All the way from Norway, Lindstrøm played a nice relaxing set, although I felt it was sort of dragging as he began to get nagged by one of the volunteers who was trying to get his off the stage. He played nearly an hour after taking the stage at 6:42.
Still up front! A simple enough change of table for half-sized drum set and 2 keyboards gives rise to a flood of fans. Of the approximately 18,000 tickets sold, I would venture to guess at least half of the guests were standing behind the Balance stage for Matt & Kim. One guy even climbed a tree, giving him a pretty good view I guess. After reportedly downing a 6 pack of Coke and a couple of energy drinks, Matt & Kim took the stage to “Brooklyn Go Hard.” I have never seen a person so enthusiastic and happy as Kim. It didn’t seem to bother anyone in the crowd that most of the beats she plays are exactly the same, or that both of them repeatedly messed up, no the fact that you could jump around repeatedly singing Yea Yeah was more than enough to make the $35/day ticket worth it. I really didn’t get much of a chance to take pictures or video as we let the couple of girls behind us get to the front because we felt we could keep people off of us better than they could. Attempting to get away from the Balance stage after Matt & Kim proved to be near impossible.
The idea to run over and watch The National didn’t work. However, we ended up in almost the exact same spot we started the day at watching the main Aluminum stage. The crowd went from being an average of about 19 to 35 going from Matt & Kim to The National. Their show was a nice relaxing end to the day, a day filled with some amazing music. All of my favorites were performed including “Fake Empire,” “Apartment Story,” “Secret Meeting,” and as an encore, “About Today.”
It was weird driving down Damen west of the United Center leaving the festival. My friend really didn’t know where he was going, other than “away” from the festival grounds and toward 290. With the number of bicycles and “L” travelers it wouldn’t have been much to just take Ashland but apparently he wanted to venture. I guess I just never realized how gentrified the near west side has become, especially around the United Center.
Other random notes from Pitchfork Day II:
- Around 4 during Bowerbirds I heard sirens repeatedly. An ambulance had to pull into the baseball diamond (it is a park after all) to attend to and cart away a festivalgoer.
- Doom refused to take the stage until he was paid up front in cash. This after he arrived to the stage 9 minutes late. Oh and he was dressed completely in camo, looking almost like a tree.
- Many people complained of both a lack of porta-potties and weak soundsystems overall. I didn’t experience a problem with either, but Pitchfork brought in 35 extra green boxes for Sunday.
The National - Secret Meeting
Freaky Fresh: 7-20
Fresh off the at Pitchfork's Balance stage Sunday afternoon comes today's Freaky Fresh at Four track of the day. I did not get to see them perform (the choice to stay and watch m83 on the Aluminum stage killed that dream) but from what I've heard their set was pretty awesome. I figure this band will be coming around the state of Illinois sometime in the near future, for they are signed to Champaign's own Polyvinyl Record Co. The band is Japandroids (JPNDRDS) with "Young Hearts Spark Fire" off their debut LP Post-Nothing being re-released after signing to Polyvinyl last month. It is recieving its fair share of spins in the limited time I have been listening to music lately and the track definetely deserves its fair share of plays to an audience.
Post-Nothing track list:
- "The Boys Are Leaving Town" – 4:01
- "Young Hearts Spark Fire" – 5:05
- "Wet Hair" – 3:12
- "Rockers East Vancouver" – 4:32
- "Heart Sweats" – 4:25
- "Crazy/Forever" – 6:04
- "Sovereignty" – 3:34
- "I Quit Girls" – 4:55
Freaky Fresh: 7-13
Today's track is one from the Choir of Young Believers. Led by Jannis Makrigiannis, this Danish choir-pop group is emerging from the ashes of other relatively successful bands in the Copenhagen indie scene. Complete with plenty of dark, picturesque, reverb-laden tracks, the debut album This is for the Whites in Your Eyes, is remarkably enjoyable. Check out the lead single off of it!
Choir of Young Believers - Action/Reaction
Its been a breezy, overcast day here in Champaign with a temperature hovering right around 70. As much as I have loved being here over the summer, there's been a feeling of almost disbelief surrounding it. It's definitely not what I had expected from the summer, yet college hasn't really been what I thought it would be either.
Don't get me wrong, I've met some awesome people, had some pretty good experiences, some bad, yet it isn't what I was expecting and I don't feel like I've gotten what I'd wanted so far. Nothing really is what you expect though. It all just kinda hit me all of the sudden, just as Alfonso Soriano can attest (he just got drilled by a pitch in the top of the 6th out in Pittsburgh). Sometimes I guess it is good to have a little bit of a change of pace.
Instead of spending my summer back with my family or up at a summer house in Michigan, I'm sitting in a dark apartment by myself looking out at an empty, rundown parking lot, complete with a dumpster and beat up wooden box others would call a shed. I can't help but feeling there's something I'm missing. I almost feel like I've been living for a while with someone watching me and I am sufficiently succeeding in failing to impress.
Well whatever it is, hopefully it starts to change. Along with the amount I have been studying, working, or sleeping, it is really nice to finally be able to sit here and think and write. Sometimes that's all I can do, but maybe it will help out a little bit. Below is a song that I have been playing on repeat for a few days that resonates just how down I've been.
The Long Winters - The Sound of Coming Down
I Love Birthdays
Happy 20th to my very, very good friend/wife Elle. I might be 700ish (or 2000 along the scenic route) miles away but I can still wish you a Happy Birthday the best way I know... through some awesome songs!
The Bird and the Bee - Birthday
The Sugarcubes - Birthday
The Smiths - Unhappy Birthday
Sasha Does Dance
I came across this The Dance Party tune yesterday... ridiculously catchy. It sounds like a bunch of other poppy bands but I still can't stop listening to it. Its a bit warm to be jumping around my apartment but oh well. A new EP entitled Tigers (which "Sasha Don't Sleep" is off of) is out July 14th. She doesn't sleep, but you can bet she dances to this one. Oh and the lead singer, Mickey Weekend, is apparently a high school AP English teacher in the D.C. area... I thought that was interesting.
The Dance Party - Sasha Don't Sleep
Track of the Week 6/21
This week's track is one I simply cannot stop listening to. Its the latest from Dinosaur Jr. off their second album since reuniting the orginal 1980's lineup entitled Farm. Coincidentally, the new album hits stores today (although I have had it for a while; I love advance copies).
"Over It" immediately caught my attention. The prototypical reverb- and distortion-laden track is perhaps one of the more mainstream and upbeat on the album, but none-the-less is it good.
Check it out.
Dinosaur Jr. - Over It
The Love Shots EP
I have a new computer! Which means I can now post a couple of bands I've been wanting to write about
First up is a band from about 10 minutes away from my hometown: The Love Shots. A clever little pop-rock band currently comprised of just Rob Nelson and Daniel Craig, they have recently finished up recording an EP which was dumbfoundedly titled "2009 Demo" when I added it into iTunes (better programs out there? maybe but I don't really care). It is a nice refreshing little composition of 6 tunes, perfect to listen to right now as I'm sitting here in Champaign with a temperature of 91 and some very inefficient a/c.
The Love Shots recorded the demo with Brian Zieske at Gallery of Carpet. They say the process went pretty smooth, other than a minor problem with the solo on "Punctured Romance." If you have been following the Chicago music scene since the emergence of "those Fueled By Ramen" bands and other "emo" acts, The Love Shots were no doubt a welcome change of pace in the recording studio.
A multitude of influences from The Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Smiths to others cited as broadly "random doo-wop artists" is very apparent. "Sunday's Vision" is playing as I type this and I can't help but note a strong Kooks sound. However, others tend to highlight a rougher, edgier rock sound, while the smooth vocals of "Banshee" coupled with jangly guitars makes for an evenly distributed set of songs. The Demo is hard to truly pinpoint as to what genre it should be in, perhaps why my copy doesn't show up as any specific one. Someone once called the band a "Death Wop" band, which is jokingly true with the amount the band admittedly talks about "dead stuff."
The band is currently working out a slight trend of bad luck with drummers. The band started with a friend named Johnny but due to conflicts with school can only play on a limited schedule. Another friend Steve, who lends his talents on the recordings for the Demo, is attending an out-of-state school this coming year, so the band is in need of a drummer. Pass the word on.
I would definetely give The Love Shots a listen, especially if you seek to enjoy joy, excitement, depression, axiety, ie all the great feelings in life.
The Love Shots on MySpace
The Love Shots - Cradle Robber
The Love Shots - Banshee
R.I.P. Computer
I no longer have a computer... it died at approximately 7 pm last night. I am writing from my friend's iMac and I might just have to make the switch to Apple products as PCs have never been very kind to me. I want to blog but it just isn't possible right now. I will be back up and ready to write this weekend though! Perhaps we shall even hear some Tiga up here...
Track of the Week!
I have finally picked a track for this week: Tunturia's "Cast Shadows On Clouds." This post-rock ballad is awesome for a hot summer's eve, providing musical air conditioning through its stark, bitter cold guitars and ever-so-clean production. The children playing in the background make it a perfectly relaxing summertime song. It might not be new (it was released in 2007) but its the Track of the Week. I need a beer and a lawn chair... and the eastern shore of Lake Michigan...
Tunturia's Maps is available for free legally here! Mmmmm...
Tunturia on MySpace
Tunturia - Cast Shadows On Clouds
Bachelorette's My Electric Family
What is worse: a power outage or an internet connection disruption? Both equate to the same thing in the modern world: the inability to communicate with others. This is becoming an increasingly larger problem with our world based around computers and the Internet.
Bachelorette knows the feeling all too well. Her self-described sound is like "Bachelorette took too many mushrooms and fell in love with a computer," especially true for My Electric Family set to be released Tuesday on Drag City. It is one of my favorites of the year thus far. One listen evokes the feeling of being completely surrounded and involved in everything around you, yet still alienated and alone. This estrangement does not linger, though, for after a few listens a settling understanding of how intimate the world as a whole is accompanies you on your musical journey.
"Its a wilderness, and its dangerous!" belts the third track "Mindwarp" before mellowing into dream-pop synths laced with sugary vocals. "Its transformative, metaphysical..." it continues, almostly perfectly describing the album as a whole.
Bachelorette is the work of Annabel Alpers, a New Zealander who once spent a long winter far from civilization in a little cottage on South Island. From that winter came some incredibly gorgeous music and even richer lyricism. Alpers plays all of the instruments on My Electric Family which range from guitars to banjos to random percussives. The rythms will send you into a daze, but subconciously the lyrics dig in.
One of the many highlights is "Where to Begin," a less whimsical song begging that very question. "Let's spin a record and get this started... ignoring those around you... it might make things seem easier for now, but where will it end? How can it end?" Perhaps the opening track has already answered the question: instead of worrying about this technological obsession, why not put it aside and appreciate the current moment? "Daydream, make sure its good stuff. Think now are you meant to do stuff? Cause you must put it off. Lie back, take in what's outside the window."
Bachelorette has instructed you to do so herself, so I see no need to try to convince you any further. Grab a copy and set aside 45 minutes to drift into an alternate reality containing the everchanging highs and lows of My Electric Family; you'll appreciate knowing why so many will have it on future "Best of 2009" lists.
The Vitals:
| Artist | Bachelorette |
| Album | My Electric Family |
| Label | Drag City |
| Released | 5/26/2009 |
R.I.P. Jay Bennett
Jay Bennett
(November 15, 1963 - May 24, 2009)
(November 15, 1963 - May 24, 2009)
“We put an ad in the paper for a guitar player, and he’s the only person that answered.” - Jeff Tweedy on Jay Bennett
It is sad to sit and read and type this. Jay Bennett produced and was a key part of some of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands. I'm sure glad he answered that ad.
Jay Bennett passed away in his sleep earlier today in downtown Urbana at the age of 45. Condolences to his friends and family. He will be missed, but always in our hearts.
Jay Bennett - I Don't Have The Time
Jeff Tweedy & Jay Bennett - I'm Always In Love (Live 1999)
Certain People I Know Update
I mentioned Certain People I Know in yesterday's post and just dug up this song so check it out!
Certain People I Know on MySpace
Certain People I Know - Neverlasting
Sunday Playlist!
It's Sunday again and the Sunday Playlist is finally making its triumphant return!
1. The Answering Machine - Obviously Cold
2. Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
3. War Tapes - Dreaming of You
4. Go Green - Brains for Breakfast
5. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
6. Metric - Sick Muse
7. Panama Kings - Golden Recruit
8. M. Ward (ft. Zooey Deschanel) - Never Had Nobody Like You
9. Passion Pit - Little Secrets
10. Kennedy - John and Yoko
11. Glasvegas - Geraldine
Big Science @ Schuba's (5/22/09)
I happened to be home this weekend and Big Science just happened to be playing a show last night at Schuba's in Chicago with Inspector Owl and Bob Nanna's new band Certain People I Know. If you don't have any prior experience with Schuba's then you're missing out, because the place is a great little bar with a small hall and stage in the back. It's a great place to see a small show, especially if it's acoustic. This one was all about loudness and fun, though.
The show was scheduled for 10 pm and the cost was only $5, even with it being Betta Promotions' 2 year anniversary show! Inspector Owl opened after taking time off and recently starting to play again. Their set was solid as they performed a few new songs highlighted toward the end with some of their older music.
Certain People I Know played last, taking the stage at 12:02AM local time. I know that seems like a very unimportant stat, but I think it is. The band took their name from the Morrissey song of the same name and yesterday was his 50th birthday. However, the band played 2 minutes too late to play on his birthday. 2 too to.
Their set was pretty good, sounding a lot like Hey Mercedes with some female vocals and some synths thrown in. Unfortunately, Lauren's mic was drowned out most of the show. The last song with just Lauren on keys and vocals and a few guitar notes from Nanna did allow the crowd to finally hear her voice, though. Some of her friends were standing next to me and kept yelling for her mic to be turned up. I expect CPIK to keep getting better the more shows they play. Their recordings sound wonderful so far as well.
I skipped (while writing, not at show) Big Science for good reason. I have been playing their free/donation The Coast of Nowhere EP for a while now and this being the first time seeing them live I just have say "wow." I placed pretty high expectations on my trip down the Kennedy and Belmont and they exceed them. It is apparent that the band is pretty experienced as far as playing live. Their sound was crisp and clean and I was hearing throughout the show members of the audience turn to their friends and say "wow they are really, really good." The funny part about the show was the second band drew the most people. During CPIK's set, the crowd started to thin. Maybe it was just a result of the time, but either way, those who stayed didn't really seem to be completely into the show. The lively, dancing crowd for Big Science turned still during most of CPIK's set.
Big Science played seven songs, highlighted by my personal favorites "DNC" and "My Career As A Ghost." Lead singer Jason, not to be confused with the other two Jason's, was awesome after the show, talking with my friends and I for a bit about different bands and all. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this show. Even with Big Science not being the headliner it was awesome. This band seriously deserves a lot more attention than they currently get.
More songs in a previous post and on Big Science's website.
Big Science - My Career As A Ghost
Big Science - The Coast Of Nowhere
Bonus!
Morrissey - Certain People I Know (Live on Later with Jools Holland 1992)
Maxwell Atkins
I've been meaning to put this up for a few days now and am finally getting around to it. Check out Max Atkins, a singer-songwriter out of the Western Suburbs of Chicago. Max has been writing and recording his own music for a few years now and he keeps getting better. His fresh recorded cover of "Wreck of the Old '97" re-sparked my interest. Take a listen to "Festival of Maps," too.
Max's MySpace
Maxwell Atkins - Wreck of the Old '97
Maxwell Atkins - Festival of Maps
Wilco - Wilco (The Album) Review
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
It's really no big secret how much I love Wilco, so when Wilco (The Album) leaked and the band made it available by streaming it on the band's website it was probably the second best day of the year so far. The best day you ask? January 31st when Jeff Tweedy played Foellinger Auditorium and I was dead center, second row and Jeff even pointed right to my camera during his encore!I have had (The Album) on repeat for about a week now. For those who criticized the band's 2007 effort Sky Blue Sky for straying too far from the patented Wilco style and claimed their sound was more reminiscent of '70s jam bands and too experiemental for their own good, it will be good to know (The Album) brings back more of the old Wilco sound. The first track, "Wilco (The Song)," is a bit misleading in that it conveys an almost satirical atmosphere, especially after seeing the album artwork, but Tweedy has said the song is meant as a thank you to all of the loyal supporters of the band. The second track, "Deeper Down," delivers some serious sonic craftsmanship. In sticking with a recurring aviation-related theme to much of their work (another reason I absolutely love Wilco) track three delves into the theoretical "one wing will never fly" discussion, even though that is not always entirely true. "Deeper Down" has already been one of the highlights of past Wilco shows like Lollapalooza 2008.
Onto "Bull Black Nova." Many have likened this track to "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" off A Ghost Is Born, but I think it sounds very Spoon-ish. The guitars layered over Glenn Kotche's magnificent drum work and a key-heavy verse is a refreshingly nice change of pace sandwiched between two mellower tracks. The lyrics revolve around an apparent murder of which the viewpoint of the murderer is told while feeling trapped in his "bull black Chevy Nova... silhouetted by the setting sun."
Next is the duet of Tweedy and Leslie Feist on "You and I," a fight between two lovers. The vocals sound like they were recorded in one try, with neither knowing exactly what the other is going to stress or improvise upon. And it works well and serves to reinforce the feeling that the lyrics promote. "You Never Know," another rocker follows "You and I," bringing another heavily key-based track onto (The Album). "You Never Know" sounds as if it could be a Lennon or Harrison song, equally at home in a Beatles collection as well as being performed by Wilco. "Come on children / you're acting like children. / Every generation thinks / its the end of the world" start the song. "I don't care anymore" is repeated throughout the chorus, again being just a fun sing-along, upbeat Wilco song that I can see being a goto for a lousy day. Could the song perhaps be a reply to the band's critics and a statement of how the band feels about their work? Maybe.
For the sake of not boring all you readers to death, I will save from writing about Country "Disappeared," "Solitaire," and "I'll Fight," but check out "Sonny Feeling." (The Album) concludes with "Everlasting," a song that the band has been performing at shows for a while now. Its a beautifully arranged song and a great way to end the record. Of course, the actual release date on Nonesuch is June 30th. If you happened to have downloaded the leaked album, the band asks you to make a donation to one of their favorite charities in Chicago. Speaking volumes of the Wilco fan base, the charity says they have seen a dramatic spike in donations and increased volume on their website. That is awesome. Go out and get (The Album) when it hits stores as it is receiving 4 and a half stars.
Wilco (The Album) track list:
- "Wilco (The Song)"
- "Deeper Down"
- "One Wing"
- "Bull Black Nova"
- "You and I" (with Feist)
- "You Never Know"
- "Country Disappeared"
- "Solitaire"
- "I'll Fight"
- "Sonny Feeling"
- "Everlasting Everything"
Wilco - You and I (with Feist)
Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness
Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness (Arts & Crafts)
Today, Apostle of Hustle's Eats Darkness hit stores in the states after slipping under the radar for so long. Its a bit different from the previous two AoH albums in that it doesn't seem to flow quite as well. The content struggles against itself, fighting through songs and into multiple interludes laced with comical gunfire, dramatic monologues, machine gunfire, and surreal sound effects and melodies. Then repetitive and highly poppy reverb-heavy guitar riffs rise through the chaos from front man and founder Andrew Whiteman's guitar.
Anyone familiar with Whiteman's previous Apostle of Hustle efforts, or the super-conglomerate that is Broken Social Scene, will understand the utter beauty of the musical stew created. When speaking about the release, Whiteman said,
"Eats Darkness is a serial poem about some struggles people go through. Battles, from the macro to the micro. Songs about tactics and attitudes needed in 'life during wartime'. Each track is like tapas at the banquet of conflict. A small contribution to the articulation of a f***ed and beautiful world.”
The album as a whole has yet to really stand out as did 2004's Folkloric Feel. The concept is there, but the breaks between tracks make the album feel as if its a compilation. Again, this is Apostle of Hustle and much like the older brother group Broken Social Scene, will most likely sound amazing during a live set.
I had the opportunity last October to see Whiteman with BSS at Foellinger Auditorium, a small lecture hall in the middle of the University of Illinois quad, and the show sold only 834 tickets. C-U has a pretty decent scene and it still upsets me that this community and this school didn't sell that show out. Nonetheless, it was an awesome, intimate show. While the album only receives 3 hearts, check out AoH and BSS on their tours this summer. They put on some incredible live performances.
Apostle of Hustle is: Andrew Whiteman, Julian Brown, and Dean Stone.
Website and MySpace
Eats Darkness:
| 1 | Snakes | |
| 2 | Eazy Speaks | |
| 3 | Soul Unwind | |
| 4 | Sign | |
| 5 | Perfect Fit | |
| 6 | Xerxes | |
| 7 | What Are You Talking About? | |
| 8 | Whitsle in the Fog | |
| 9 | Eats Darkness | |
| 10 | Return to Sender | |
| 11 | How to Defeat a More Powerful Enemy | |
| 12 | Nobody Bought It | |
| 13 | Blackberry |
Apostle of Hustle - How to Defeat a More Powerful Enemy
We Are Your Friends
My final exams are over and I think they went pretty well. With that, I am done with my year at college and am already halfway done. That's kind of crazy to think about; I'm not really sure where these last two years went.
But anyways, I had a lot of fun this semester and last week I went out to the newly improved Clybourne with some friends and heard a song I hadn't heard in a while. I'm just going to make this post short and dedicate this to my friends, especially a few of them that I'm not going to see for a while (you know who you are.) The Blackhawks' game is about to start. Let's. Go. Hawks.
Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
Lou Reed - A Walk On The Wild Side
Two Door Cinema Club
I'm far too busy studying for finals to be able to post a Sunday playlist today. Mi dispiace. However, I still want to post something to listen to, though, so here is Two Door Cinema Club, an Irish pop band that reminds me a lot of Tokyo Police Club. Check out their MySpace. Hope your weekend was better than the Chicago White Sox (not hard) and I promise a decent post tomorrow after my biology final.
Side note: StumbleUpon is a great tool for procrastination.
Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
Two Door Cinema Club - Do You Want It All?
Two Door Cinema Club - Hands Off My Cash, Monty
A Beautiful Saturday
A human face makes a better punching bag than I had previously thought. I happened to learn that the hard way last night with my face getting the worst of it. Oh well.
It's a beautiful Saturday here in Champaign. Clear blue skies, temperature in the mid-70s, a gentle breeze and relatively no humidity. I feel like I need to go out and buy a grill and some steaks just to take full advantage of today. Illinois and the Midwest's weather in general is unbelievably weird. Yesterday, a storm hit southern Illinois in what the National Weather Service is calling an "inland hurricane." A comma-shaped low-pressure system is completely standard, but what made this storm different was its ability to produce winds from 75-100 mph across a wide area. It was similar to a tornado, except to a wider scale. It has been an absolutely crazy 24 hours weather-wise in this state.
The past week I've been listening to a majority of upbeat, summer-influenced music, but today just felt a little bit different when I woke up. I'm not sure if it was my forehead being swollen, the gorgeous weather, remembering how the Cubs managed to spoil a terrific first MLB start by Wells, or what. All I know is that I didn't really feel like listening to music that made me want to move.
Instead, I've decided to opt for some relaxing remixes and covers while watching the Red Sox - Rays game. The game is proving to be pretty uneventful, the score is 13-4 through 6, but I am enjoying the music while looking over the afore-blogged biology study guide. Here are some tracks to enjoy along with what I hope is a wonderful Saturday.
Love this song. Love Styrofoam's previous remixes of The Postal Service, Jimmy Eat World, The Submarines, etc.
of Montreal - An Eluardian Instance (Styrofoam Remix)
New two-disc album coming out for Iron & Wine. It features b-sides, some previously unreleased. More on it coming in the near future.
Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights (The Postal Service Cover)
Better than The Kooks cover, in my opinion.
Ben Lee - Kids (MGMT Cover)
I know this was previously posted, but I like it and check out that new Wilco cover art!
Wilco - The Jolly Banker (Woody Guthrie Cover)
Okay, not a cover... but check out that new Wilco cover art! Who says Wilco takes themselves too seriously? (Yes, I do like Wilco a lot.)
Wilco - Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Biology and Lightning
It's storming outside and I'm sitting on my couch in the dark with the screen door open working on a 148 question study guide for my integrative biology final on Monday morning. The class was pretty interesting and not too much more in depth than a class I took in high school, but I'm still studying pretty hard for it. I decided to take a little bit of a break and watch the Blackhawks and Cubs and during the intermissions when I didn't flip back to the Cubs game, I looked through my music library to share few tracks for the night.
Phoenix - Consolation Prizes
matt pond PA - Summer Is Coming
Matt and Kim - Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare
Finals Week
Yep. It's here again. The libraries are packed, students are actually attending lectures because term papers are due, and a deluge is flooding e-mail inboxes campus-wide with messages of "study candy" reserves and requests for any possible help (extra credit from TA's, cumulative study guides, etc.) Students love to freak out during this time of the year, which I guess I understand. It probably would have been easier to not go on a random, spur of the moment sweatpants and jersey bar crawl last Tuesday and go to class last Wednesday/throughout the semester, but this is college. Ask Asher Roth, he knows all about it (Lollapalooza... seriously?)
So to honor this time of the semester, I give you three steps to make it through that 8-page, double-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman font paper you are currently writing for your Anthropology 102 class on the origins of evolution and how misunderstanding learned concepts relates to racism in the past and present.
Step 1. Panic. YOU ONLY HAVE 3 HOURS UNTIL THAT PAPER IS DUE! Was that Cinco de Mayo celebration completely necessary last night? How about MNG? And Sunday Funday? Okay, yes they were, but still, you're running out of time. Frantically skim through three different books, pick a random page and find place your finger on any line. Now take that and quote it completely out of context and add it to your paper. Repeat multiple times using at least those three different books. That will solve the three non-web generated citations needed.
Step 2. Start to lose focus, but keep writing. Think back to a time before college, before high school, all the way back to let's say between 1996 and 1999. Sugar Ray just wanted to fly, Michael Jordan said it was time to "slam now... get up and do the jam now" (careful, don't start thinking of that Space Jam bar crawl from a month ago, great idea by the way) and how bizarre was OMC? Those were good times. You didn't have a care in the world. You actually had a summer to look forward to that didn't involve working or studying or, well, anything. Let's go play with our POGs after we make sure to feed our Tamagatchi.
Step 3. You didn't realize that that daydream just allowed you to write a whole page (two when you double-space it!) of complete nothing, did you? Nope, but you are now over a quarter of the way there. Keep it up. I bet you also didn't bother to realize tomorrow is "Reading Day" during which the University expects you to be studying (reading?) did you? Well it is. And if you aren't one of the very unfortunate students who have a Friday final... once you finish this paper... it's the weekend. YOUR WEEKEND STARTS ON WEDNESDAY! This should bring sheer joy and maybe even a tear to your eye. You will now be able to enjoy a minimum 4 night weekend.
And so completes the three steps to getting at least a passing grade on that paper. Through procrastination and lack of caring, you have just felt the three main emotions in life: fear, apathy, and joy. Here are some songs to listen to while following that 3 step plan:
This ones pretty self-explanatory. Panic! but with a fun, sing along attitude.
Phantom Planet - Do The Panic
Here's an oldie... see if you remember it. It oozes summer (and the late 90's.)
Sundays - Summertime
Hey Mercedes isn't technically a local Champaign band, but close enough. Bob Nanna attended the University of Illinois back in the 90's and started other widely known campus bands (Braid anyone?) He used to be in my position... only slightly more skilled in the music department.
Hey Mercedes - Our Weekend Starts On Wednesday
Situationists and Life In Film
Today I'm listening to two bands from the United Kingdom: Situationists and Life In Film. Give them a listen. (Pictures link to respective MySpaces!)
Situationists
Situationists - Onwards and Upwards
Situationists - Fabric and Thread
Life In Film
Life In Film - Sorry
Life In Film - Suitcase
Illinois
Illinois: 21st state, Chicago, corn, Rod Blagojevich, Cubs, Bears, Bulls, Hawks, White Sox*, and multiple music scenes.
The band Illinois didn't take root in Illinois like the corn, though. They come by way of Bucks County, PA in the south-eastern part of the state. Until today, the band had only released a series of EPs, which collectively became their first LP The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe.
Illinois is Chris Archibald, Martin Hoeger, JohnPaul Kuyper, Dan Pawlovich, and Chris Shepherd.
Website and MySpace
*the White Sox are the other baseball team from Chicago... but I'd gladly let any other state take them.
Illinois - Kid Catastrophe
Illinois - Screendoor
Illinois - Nosebleed
Mexirish Simplifires (for Cinco de Mayo)
What happens when three students from Mexico City and an Irishman form a band? This isn't a joke (although it sounds like it could be.) The answer is Simplifires. Studying abroad in London brought three of these four together; working in a studio helped those three understand how to record. It wasn't until after their time in London that the band started, though. Two headed back to Mexico City and started playing music with a cousin, but needed some vocals. So, they wrote to their buddy back home in Ireland. After submitting some rough vocal tracks, it sounded decent enough and Simplifires formed.In celebration of Cinco de Mayo its only appropriate to feature a band from Mexico (mostly.) Think tequila meets U2. If you aren't fluent in Spanish, good luck with their MySpace. You'll be happy to know their website is in English and has free downloads for the tracks listed below.
Simplifires is Shine (guitarra), Rodrigo (bajo), Alex (bateria), and daveO (voz).
Simplifires - Yourself Only
Simplifires - Last Night's Party
Simplifires - unSUPERVISED
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