Posts tagged: Music
As much as I love indie music, after awhile it can get on my nerves. Like anything there comes a time when you need to break free from the monotony. I’ve found myself lately scrolling through my entire music library, unable to find anything to listen to and it’s been troubling me. I’ve decided the best course of action is to break free from indie rock and head back to basics: classic rock and blues.
No more indie music for awhile, instead my speakers will be blasting the sounds of Springsteen, The Stones, Zepplin, The Doors, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac and many other acts we know and love. Hopefully, this will cure my current distaste for music that I love. Think of it has a temporary hiatus or a retrospection to those who came before us.
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Article from NPR.com:
If you read the liner notes of this past decade’s most beloved indie records, it shouldn’t be hard to spot the MVP. Owen Pallett’s string arrangements helped make hits out of Arcade Fire’s Funeral, Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House andBeirut’s The Flying Club Cup, just to name a few.
But these days, his resume as a sideman is incidental. Through three weird and delicate solo albums, Pallett has found his greatest potential at center stage, as a singer-songwriter. His latest, Heartland (Pallett’s first release under his own name, after two as Final Fantasy), is sonically bigger than its predecessors, thanks in part to some swirly atmospherics from the Czech Symphony Strings. But at the album’s core lie the same three elements that have always been Pallett’s trademark: his sad-angel voice, skillfully bowed violin and a loop pedal, by whose graces he builds his dense, haunting chamber-pop layer by layer.
Once proudly solitary in performances, Pallett shared the stage of New York City’s Webster Hall Thursday night with guitarist/percussionist Thomas Gill, whose modest comping gave the songs a welcome dynamic boost. The two stood like sentries at their respective stations — Pallett at stage right, flanked by a keyboard (which, true to form, had been outfitted to play samples of his own voice), Gill at stage left with his guitar and a stripped-down drum kit. Behind them, a vast, twinkling starry-night backdrop stretched up into the rafters.
Pallett focused mostly on what he playfully called his “new jams,” but he bookended the set with some golden oldies, including fan favorites “This Is the Dream of Win and Regine” and “The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead.” And, though he doesn’t exactly make dance music, the moments when the rhythms locked in and the crowd bobbed their heads en masse provided the show’s unmistakable highlights. Heartland’s “Lewis Takes Action” accounted for one of these, as Pallett and Gill locked eyes and stepped back and forth in sync with the song’s girl-group beat. When they busted out a cover of Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” to close the encore, the shouting and shimmying reached a level usually reserved for middle-school dance parties.
You stream the live performance here.
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Of all PJ Harvey’s full-length studio albums, 1993’s Rid of Me finds the British born rocker at her most unhinged. It’s an explosive and raw album jammed packed with gritty lyrics, abrasive vocals and grunge riffs. Normally this sort of music turns me off, but for some reason I am drawn to this album. Maybe it’s the captivating cover art or tracks like “Rid of Me,” “Man-size” and “Yuri-G” that demand a high volume to hear the vocals only to have the loud burst of guitar come crashing through your speakers, but the album demands attention. And if you’ve never heard it before, prepare to be blown away.
I’ve been searching for a vinyl version everywhere, but they don’t have it at places like Insound.com. I’ve fond three copies on MusicStak, but they are not affordable. It would be nice if PJ Harvey reissued her earlier albums for people to have. Maybe one day. Until then I’m left to peruse the Internet looking for used copies. Any advice?
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It was 1996 and was I 5 years old, living in Milwaukee, WI on the top story of a three story victorian home, which my parents rented from an elderly widow named Grace. My dad drove, of all things, a borrowed and beaten-up brown Buick with hideous brown seat cushions to match. He was just starting out as a traveling-salesman and drove all over the Midwest from Minnesota to Ohio selling athletic equipment for days even weeks on end. I didn’t get to see my father a lot of the times, so when he was home it was a big deal. We would spend lots of time together doing this and that, but what I remember most vividly looking back is being in that brown Buick.
This is where I would begin to develop my strong interest and love of music, as well as my taste in music. Not by listening to the radio, but by listening to my dad’s collection of cassette tapes. Compact discs were soon to wipe out the existence of cassettes but many people like my father continued to buy them. He had quite the collection, more than I can recall, but kept his favorites in his car. When I was in the car I would hear all of his favorites blaring over the stereo. I was fascinated with the cassettes, spending hours rifling through his collection and listening to them. He had cassettes from artists like: Talking Heads, R.E.M, Elton John, Paul Simon, The Cure. My favorite tape of his was definitely Paul Simon’s Graceland; I knew all the words to “You Can Call Me Al.” Now every time I listen to that album, I am constantly reminded of growing up and my relationship with my father.
Now that I am older and can appreciate music more, I am honestly grateful that my father didn’t keep a collection of country or heavy metal cassettes as this would have greatly altered my taste in music. Now fourteen years later, I am astonished that I have continued to carry with me these memories of my first musical experiences. It’s amazing to think how much music has changed over the years and where we are now. The days of unraveling tangled cassette tapes are gone, replaced with plastic iPods and digital music files. Gone are the days of mix tapes, replaced with a buzzing internet blogosphere and file sharing networks. I’m so glad that I was born in 1991, so I could experience the tail-end of a world with grunge music, an MTv that played music videos and no internet.
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If you’re one of the many people turned off by the Lollapalooza lineup this year (i.e. Lady Gaga), may I suggest heading over to the Pitchfork Music Festival. With acts like Pavement, Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem, Beach House, Panda Bear, St. Vincent, Liars and Neon Indian scheduled to play, the festival is a serious contender for your money. Tickets are still on sale for the July 16-18 festival, so act now before they’re gone. You can purchase them over at Ticketweb.
Friday July 16: Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, Robyn, Liars, El - P, The Tallest Man on Earth, Sharon Van Etten
Saturday July 17: LCD Soundsystem, Panda Bear, Wolf Parade, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Raekwon, Titus Andronicus, WHY?, Delorean, Real Estate, Bear in Heaven, Free Energy, The Smith Westerns, Dam-Funk, Kurt Vile, Freddie Gibbs, jj, Netherfriends
Sunday July 18: Pavement, Big Boi, Major Lazer, St. Vincent, Beach House, Girls, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Cass McCombs, Here We Go Magic, Surfer Blood, Local Natives, Washed Out, Best Coast, Cave, Alla
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If I am being completely honest with myself, I couldn’t help but feel disappointment with the 2010 Lollapalooza lineup. But after looking it over again this morning my disappointment wore off. With acts like Grizzly Bear, Arcade Fire, The National, Yeasayer and Dirty Projectors, you have all the makings for one of the most memorable festival in years. There are so many great acts to choose from it’s astonishing - how in the world the booking committee was able to get some of these acts is beyond me.
I’m sure my disappointment was directed at three particular headliner acts - Lady Gaga, Green Day, Soundgarden. First off, Lady Gaga doesn’t exactly scream indie music, does she? She performed at Lollapalooza in 2007 as a virtual unknown, but now Lady Gaga is superstar across the international stage. This festival always struck me as a celebration of the most current indie music not pop music. Ah well, good thing is there are two main stages so there is are other options. As for the other two bands I’m speechless. Green Day? Really. They couldn’t book a band like Pavement? I’m just glad that there is a more fitting trio of bands to counteract the mediocrity - Phoenix, Arcade Fire, The Strokes.
But I can live with a couple of bad headliners because Lollapalooza is one of the most enjoyable three days of my summer. With 120 bands to choose from and 8 different stages, you’d be pretty stupid not to go because of a couple bad acts. What I’m most excited about this year is seeing the countless number of bands that are gaining popularity such as Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Dodos, The Big Pink and The Antlers. Sometimes the best performances at Lolla are the bands you’ve never given the chance to hear. Erykah Badu, Fuck Buttons and Matt & Kim are such acts, I can’t say I’m a fan of their music but I would be willing to watch them perform live.
So to all those neysayers out there who are calling the 2010 lineup the “worst” or “awful,” you can keep your mouth shut cause I’ll still be going. There are plenty other musical festival to go to this summer (Coachella, Bonaroo, Pitchfork) if you’re not happy with Lollapalooza this year.
Who I’ll Be Seeing:
- Arcade Fire
- Phoenix
- Grizzly Bear
- Yeasayer
- Dirty Projectors
- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
- The Doods
- the xx
- The National
- The New Pornographers
- Spoon
- MGMT
- Wild Beasts
- The Morning Benders
- Hot Chip
- Cut Copy
- Erykah Badu
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The visionary avant-garde harpist Joanna Newsom is expected to release another album in the coming months, but no official word has been put out by her record label. In the meantime, she has just announced a couple of American tour dates:
03-12 Grand Rapids, MI - Calvin College Chapel
03-17 Cambridge, MA - Sanders Theatre
03-19 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
03-20 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
03-22 Washington, DC - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
03-26 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
03-27 Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
04-02 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
If you are in any of those cities, consider yourself lucky (Hooray Milwaukee!), Joanna Newsom is the most unique artists around what with her whimsical lyricism, dense song structures and evocative harp melodies. She is definitely an artist worth seeing.
I’m super excited right now, giddy with anticipation for the arrival of my first record player. Was a bit dissapointed this Christmas that I did not get one, but I got plenty of money to purchase my own anyway. YAY!
What I’ve purchased it super affordable and practical. It’s from Ion who offers quite an array of models to choose from. Most of the Ion turntables allow for you to convert your old and dusty LPs into Mp3 format in addition to the standard use as a record player. The best part is that most of the models only run around $79 or more.
Here’s what I went with: http://www.ionaudio.com/profilelp
I would of paid extra to get it sooner, but I figured I could wait about 3-5 business days. That way I could save some of money to go towards purchasing some new LPs at the local record store. It’s a genius plan if you ask me. Now, however, I am forced to sit here impatiently and wait for it to arrive. Anyways, I’ll let you know when I get it and whether or not it was worth the money.
Today I was reading one of my favorite technology blogs [Gizmodo] when I stumbled upon this wonderful video montage by urban photographer James Worrell. Within the first couple of seconds of watching the video I immediately recognized the track being used, it was none other than “Intro” by The xx. Needless to say the track fits perfectly with the images on screen creating a real sense of unity throughout. It was an excellent choice of music for an amazingly inspiring photo-montage.
Yeasayer is soon to put out their follow-up to the critically acclaimed album, All Hour Cymbals. They’ve even released the album’s first single, “Ambling Ap,” an addicting track featuring colorful synths, deep tribal drums and a visually compelling video to follow suit. The band sounds more confident than before and have also come into their own amongst several other similar bands. On their previous album, there were many great moments but none of them seemed to remain permanently transfixed in your head as much as this new track. Already a promising release for the upcoming year.
2009 was jammed pack with so many addicting tracks that it’s quite difficult to keep track (mind the pun) of the best of the best. This is my attempt to recap such tracks.
(tracks appear in no particular order)
“My Girls” by Animal Collective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE
“Daniel” by Bat for Lashes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ZHah-c0hQ
“Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjecYugTbIQ
“French Navy” by Camera Obscura
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CkfvYMCWM
“Kiss With A Fist” by Florence + The Machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR-Q52njXiI
“Dear God” by Monsters of Folk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wpGHGFV8Xk
“Treat Me Like Your Mother” by The Dead Weather
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7QSkI6My1g&feature=fvw
“Lisztomania” by Phoenix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BJDNw7o6so
“Island, IS” by Volcano Choir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Zs2vXxSUE
“Zero” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGxBTsmuRIk
“Oh No” by Andrew Bird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKkffzm6L7o
“Black Hearted Love” by PJ Harvey and John Parish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWrfLhX964I
“Nothing To Worry About” by Peter Bjorn and John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVniEYCdaoM
“People Got A Lotta Nerve” by Neko Case
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXl870NoF4E&feature=related
“Young Adult Friction” by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4itzHRpltQ
“Actor Out of Work” by St. Vincent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZW9NYX6JZA
“When I Grow Up” by Fever Ray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-CpE73o2M
“Lust for Life” by Girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuoTjYYqe4c
“First Train Home” by Imogen Heap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MYa0_3Py6U
“Walkabout” by Atlas Sound [feat. Panda Bear]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcMGACqsg5A
“Convonced of the Hex” by The Flaming Lips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ3S-c-96ik
“Crying Lighting” by Arctic Monkeys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_G9RRY7SS0
The Crystal Castles’ Alice Glass has a reputation for being a bit wild on stage, even more so than Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs moaning and drunken stage antics. Alice is possibly one of the most fascinating and engaging performers around, she is the warrior child of heroin chic fashionistas. Many of the band’s shows have been heavily monitored by security and some shows such as the notorious performance at Glastonbury back in 2008 have even been cut-short. It’s the raw and unhinged atmosphere that draws in many Crystal Castles listeners, while some enjoy the 8-bit sounds of their hardcore electronica. In short, Crystal Castles is surely a band thats worth paying attention to. They certainly make a lot of noise.
