It's Friday Morning...the last Friday before it becomes winter

And while I am helping volunteer for KEXP John happened to pick Hyperballad by Bjork, my absolute favorite of all of her songs. Loveeeee it. Now bring on the snow Northeastern storm system, us New Yorkers are ready! :)

Poor Emma, we feel bad for you, 'YES WE DID' and other happenings of '08: TOP ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (for me and eric)

First and foremost every good music listener has someone that they share everything with because loving something as much as i love music is never truly complete unless you share it with those who are always there for you. Most of my past music education over the few years has stemmed from Eric's knowledge of The Grateful Dead, The Band, Antony and the Johnsons, Bonnie Prince Billy and many more and this year I was finally able to give a little bit back. Along with his top picks he listed his top 11 shows of the year as well. Since we spent most of the year collectively ohhhh'ing and ahhhhh'ing over Bon Iver we once mentioned in passing conversation how we felt bad for poor Emma. As the rest of the world was delighting over sickening love songs by Mr. Emma, she was out there knowing all of this was written about her. And so, Emma this is for you. Here's to a happy and healthy 2009!!!

*****************Top Ten Albums of 2008 for Mr. Eric*****************

1.Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago
2. The Felice Brothers-The Felice Brothers
3.Lykke Li-Youth Novels
4.Cat Power-Jukebox
5. The Black Keys-Attack and Release
6. The Tallest Man on Earth-Shallow Graves
7. Small Sur-We Live In Houses Made of Wood
8. The Rosewood Thieves-Rise and Shine
9. Horse Feathers-House With No Home
10. Bob Dylan-Tell Tale Signs

+1 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy–Lie Down in the Light

******Top Ten Concerts********

1.Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble, Levon Helm Studios, September 6, 2008
2.Bon Iver, Bowery Ballroom, July 29, 2008
3.Radiohead, All Points West Festival, August 8, 2008
4.The Felice Brothers / AA Bondy, The Bearsville Theatre, April 26, 2008
5.The Black Crowes (Acoustic), Town Hall, November 3
6.Horse Feathers / The Rosewood Thieves / Small Sur, Union Hall, November 21, 2008
7.Adele, Joe's Pub, March 17, 2008
8. Bob Dylan, The Prospect Park Bandshell, August 12, 2008
9.The Cave Singers, The Mercury Lounge, May 6, 2008
10.Rodriguez, Joe's Pub, September 3, 2008

+1 The Raconteurs, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, May 4, 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


******2008, thank you, from shelves of vinyl*******

1. The Black Keys-Attack and Release
2. Dr. Dog-Fate
3. Bon Iver-For Emma, Forever Ago
4. Lykke Li-Youth Novel
5. Hercules and Love Affair-Hercules and Love Affair
6. Helio Sequence-Keep Your Eyes Ahead
7. Ra Ra Riot-Rhumb Line
8. Tobacco-Fucked Up Friends
9. Elliott Brood-Mountain Meadow
10.Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes

11. Friendly Fires-Friendly Fires
12. Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles
13. Tallest Man on Earth-Shallow Grave
14. El Guincho-Alegranza!
15. Starfucker-Starfucker
16. Moondoggies-Don't Be A Stranger
17. Noah and the Whale-Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
18.School of Seven Bells-Alpinisms

School of Seven Bells-Half Asleep.mp3
Moondoggies-Long Time Coming.mp3
Dr. Dog-From.mp3
Fleet Foxes-Meadowlarks.mp3
El Guincho-Costa Paraiso.mp3
Friendly Fires- Jump In The Pool.mp3

Can You Tell...

Led Zepplin-Whole Lotta Love.mp3
Black Mountain-Stormy High.mp3
Fleetwood Mac-Doctor Brown.mp3
Waylon Jennings-Gold Dust Woman.mp3
Wanda Jackson-I Gotta Know.mp3
Those Darlins-Wild One.mp3
David Vandervelde-Someone Like You.mp3
Sera Cahoone-You Might As Well.mp3
Call Me-Jessica Lea Mayfield.mp3
Horsefeathers-Curs In The Weeds.mp3
Huck Notari-Long Road.mp3
Shearwater-Century Eyes.mp3
The Moondoggies-Black Shoe.mp3
Sam Cooke-A Change Is Gonna Come.mp3
Ra Ra Riot-Can You Tell.mp3

Davila 666

Davila 666 is a garage punk, psychedelic rock band from Puerto Rico and they are awesome. Their videos are beautiful as well. I know I have been very into posting the videos lately, but theirs are completely worthy.

The band is made up of: Sir Charles Davila (lead vocals), Panderetas
AJ Davila (vocals, banjo, guitar), Organo Miss Davila (rhythm guitar, backup vocals, Johnny Otis Davila (lead guitar, backup vocals), San Pablo Davila (bateria, guitar), Panda Davila( Pandereta, backup vocals) and Gigi Davila (guitar, backup vocals and bateria). Davila 666's song Basura is my favorite and you can find their album out on In The Red Records.

Davila 666-Dimelo Ya.mp3

Starting to save up my pennies

I just sent out a mass email to some of my nearest and dearest concert friends expressing how much I dearly want to go to this years' ATP Festival taking place up in the Catskills' Mountains Friday September 11th through Sunday, September 13th. The event is being currated by none other than the fabulous Flaming Lips, who will perform closing out the three day festival on Sunday. Friday is a day of comedy but it is Saturday's lineup that I am most excited for. Currently locked in: Animal Collective, Antipop Consortium, Atlas Sound, Autolux, Black Dice and Panda Bear. Tickets are already on sale. Earlier today Animal Collective announced parties and early release plans for their upcoming (9th) album release, Merriweather Post Pavilion. A Delux 2XLP 180-gram gratefold vinyl comes with a full album download card on Tuesday, January 6th via Domino Records. The record will see digital and CD Release on Tuesday, January 20th in the states, 12th throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. A rash of listening parties at various cities is listed below, check to see if your town is one of the lucky hosts.

The current list of cities and hosts is below...

The Cities (details to follow)
Anchorage, AK - KRUA Presents*
Atlanta, GA - Criminal Records - Jan. 1st @ 4PM
Austin, TX - End Of And Ear Records & KVRX - Jan. 3 @ 6PM
Boston, MA - WZBC presents*
Chicago, IL - WHPK presents*
Dallas, TX - Gorilla Vs. Bear Presents*
Eugene, OR - KWVA Presents*
Lawrence, KS - Love Garden Sounds & KJHK - Jan. 6th
Los Angeles, CA - Fingerprints Records & KXLU - Jan. 6th
Miami, FL - WRGP Presents*
Minneapolis, MN - KUOM Presents*
New York, NY - Other Music Presents - Jan. 5th
Philadelphia, PA - WXPN Presents*
Portland, OR - Music Millennium - Jan. 3 @ 6PM
Raleigh, NC - WKNC Presents*
San Francisco, CA - Terrorbird Presents @ The Knockout - Jan. 6th, 7-10pm**
Santa Cruz, CA - KZSC Presents*
Seattle, WA - KUPS Presents*
St. Louis, MO - Vintage Vinyl & KDHX - Jan. 6th
Vancouver, BC - CFUV presents*

*Location & Date TBA
** w/ Maus Haus, French Miami"

c/o: Brooklynvegan
Animal Collective-Winter's Love.mp3
Animal Collective-Water Curses.mp3
Animal Collective Tags/Panda Bear Tags/Flaming Lips Tags

in 2009 we get new YEASAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Yeasayer this past Saturday at Williamsburg Music Hall
I could not be awaiting an album with more anticipation than the new Yeasayer album. This past weekend I saw them at Williamsburg Music Hall in front of a sold out hometown audience almost exactly a year to the date from their sold out show at the Mercury Lounge. I was so in love with them back then that it is hard for me to break it down into exactly what has changed in the band or how it makes me feel but i know it is all a very good thing. They have taken their already beautiful songs and strong sets and taken to another level of being so smooth and seamless you would have thought they have about four or five albums and tours of experience behind them. Their show on Saturday found them as tight as I have ever seen them after fourteen months of various cities and venues. The intros into their songs were the longest they have ever lavished upon my ears and they seemed so happy to be home that their overwhelming joy was immediately contagious and spread across the crowd graciously gathered awaiting their every strum of their guitars and beat of their drums, bongos, cymbals, keyboard strokes...etc. It is going to be highly enjoyable to see where their next album takes them and I cannot wait for more tour dates to be announced once they have given themselves a bit of a rest. They are one of my favorite bands on the scene and for all of those people who say there is nothing like old music and records and there are no good bands I just cannot even listen to them whine anymore. With bands like Panda Bear, Yeasayer, Cat Power, The National, Magnetic Fields, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Dodos, Arctic Monkeys, LCD Soundsystem, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Hot Chip there is more talent than you can spend time listening to and I could not be happier for feeling this way every day.

Yeasayer Tags

Dear 2009, I would like to see Hey Champ and Louis La Roche please. Thank you. Love, Shelves of Vinyl

Louis La Roche is 18 years wise.

Louis La Roche is way ahead of you. He has been sitting in his bedroom mixing beats, searching for hidden those hidden gems and choosing samples all in preparation to sting your ears in 2009 when hopefully he will make his way across the pond towards us. Although he hails from the UK he is all the rave on the French underground pop music scene and has his parents contrasting music tastes to thank. There is something to be said about ruining your children's ears from the very beginning!
Louis La Roche-Love.mp3
Louis La Roche-Peach.mp3
Louis La Roche-On The Floor.mp3
Hey Champ have been touring throughout the states opening in support for Lupe Fiasco who recently signed them to his record label, 1st and 15th. During CMJ their drummer Johnathan Marks gained affection amongst all the zillions of drummers to check out during the hectic week of music. Understandably so from this clip of their performance at Pianos. You can keep up with all of their happenings and even check out their top tracks from 2008 on their blog. Most impressive of all on their touring roster is their upcoming direct support to Justice on New Years Eve. Hopefully we will be hearing much more about these merrimakers and seeing some local tour dates sometime soon since if there was ONE thing 2008 lacked it was enough music to dance to!
Hey Champ-Cold Dust Girl.mp3
Hey Champ-Early Sensation.mp3
Yeasayer-Sunrise(Hey Champ Re~mix).mp3

Oh, well I know you soak your feathers baby upon the ghosts along my trail

One of my favorite things about a guitar is in the right hands it can be used to make sounds so trickling sweet and innocent that they can transport you to a completely different state of mind, even when you are stuck in the middle of a city where fresh air and wind are stifled and stolen by a moving mass of strangers daily. Sometimes you can tune all of that out and remember wide open spaces and the most native and natural of all human experiences such as a the first time you were trapped in a rainstorm or that first walk you took away from your first love. Such innocent snapshots of memories might be so sacred that you never share them and instead tuck them under the layers of your skin and clothing for safe keeping. Tallest Man On Earth is set to make New York audiences' blood flow thicker and faster this week with three upcoming shows opening for the mellifluous Bon Iver. Admitting to being exhausted and jet-lagged from his voyage from Sweden Kristian Matsson aka Tallest Man On Earth stalked about the Mercury Lounge stage ambling and side stepping but never once taking his eyes off of the prize...which could be you, my dear reader. He is steady in his delivery and calm in his study and has the ability to completely captivate everyone who is willing to listen. Unlike Bon Iver when Kirstian strums a sad song you still feel light at heart due to his fragile presence and joyful energy. He seemed as though he was without a care in world as his audience sweat in the closely packed and dimly lit venue, hoping to hear more stories from this man of Nordic land. The comparisons to Dylan are of course kept in the back of one's mind but it is because of the similarity of grace and adept ability that flows so naturally from his fingertips and lips. Ending the set with a two song encore that included a bleeding and broody version of a White Stripes song, Death Letter I was left as happy as can be and eager for Thursday nights' show. For those of you heading out to see Bon Iver and Tallest Man at the Town Hall and Williamsburg Music Hall shows later on this week, don't get there a second late. You will kick yourself later.
*Tallest Man On Earth in Australia singing my favorite of all his songs, Where Do My Bluebird Fly

The Tallest Man on Earth: Where Do My Bluebird Fly from shoottheplayer on Vimeo.
Tallest Man on Earth-Pistol Dreams.mp3
Tallest Man On Earth-I Won't Be Found.mp3
The Tallest Man On Earth-Over The Hills.mp3
*Bon Iver Tags/Tallest Man On Earth Tags/White Stripes Tags

East Village Stroll

Yesterday I discovered a New York band that is so blisteringly unique and solid I was blown away and couldn't stop talking about them last night. I Led 3 Lives is comprised of three fiercely talented and greedily crafty musicians who have already comfortably established themselves in the trenches of the New York music scene. Ilhan Ersahin on keys and saxophone, Jochen Rueckert on drums and Juini Booth on bass together combine their individual creative backgrounds and leave their audience stunned with sounds ranging from psychedelic breakdowns to house beats and chirps and clicks that would make even the stingiest of Battles fans proud to be at one of their live sets. For more information on the band and a download of their song, House of Ahmet head over to the KEXP blog, for they are the being featured as the song of the day! I also highly recommend taking time to listen to all of the songs they have offered up on their myspace page, East Village Stroll is my own personal favorite. Their album, Peace Now was released via Nublu Records so go check it out now!

Be aware my darling, these things i say i mean...

Whereas last year it was quite easy for me to ramble off my list of top albums of the year 2008 has found me saying which songs I enjoy rather than whole records. This is not the case when it comes to School of Seven Bells who turned out one of the most intricately composed and enchantingly woven compilations. I believe that there are certain movements one must make in life, steps you are absolutely destined to tread in order to create something new or find yourself some place completely different. Such is the scenario for Benjamin Curtis, formerly of Secret Machines. In 2004 the Deheza sisters: Alejandra and Claudia (both formerly of On!Air!Liberty!) and Curtis were opening acts for Interpol and met backstage in between the performances. Their band name was taken from a mythical South American Pickpocket Academy that might have existed during the 80's that sparked Alejandra's imagination while she was watching a PBS special. It took three years but by early 2007, School of Seven Bells was born and signed with Ghostly International for their debut release, Alphinisms which came out this October. The threesome just recently finished touring with M83 and are performing at the Mercury Lounge next Monday. Yeaaahh! If you are curious about what they might sound like live you can check out their in studio session at KEXP here.

And because I do have a favorite song when it comes to them I fondly invite you to download Half Asleep first,

Sometimes I go whole days
listening bored, half sleep
I won't say anything
that's worth a thing to me
One day, suddenly, time
took a turn that once felt so brief
I blinked to see polite ghosts fading quickly

What begins as an unguarded
train of thoughts slowly can become
an addiction to the slumber
of disconnection and the resonance
of memory that no longer has a shape
but keeps you numb through
the hours tills gone is another day

Be aware, my darling
these things I say I mean
are just traces of something
I long to feel again
I see our time expand
in the air almost forcibly,
spreading thinner till it dissolves completely


School of Seven Bells-Half Asleep.jpg
School of Seven Bells-Wired for Light.mp3
School of Seven Bells-Song for the Magpie.mp3

Excited about upcoming Animal Collective tour dates and album?!

Need something to listen to and hold you over until Merriweather Post Pavillion comes out and you can hop about at their upcoming shows in January? I have two bands that you might want to check out and have probably already heard of. Lemonade and El Guincho have been touring consistantly throughout these late weeks of 2008 and even performing together in select cities. Lemonade hail from San Francisco and El Guincho are from Barcelona. Both bands have the ability to transport you mentally to warmer locations and days and have me longing for a mini-break from New York for a bit...just a little bit.
El Guincho-Kalise Video

*This is SOOooooo one of those videos you would expect to see on a large wall in some dive bar in Williamsburg, you know the types---which doesn't keep me from loving it as much as i do.
Lemonade-Blissout.mp3
Lemonade-Sunchips.mp3
**************El Guincho On TOur************
January:
30~Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney, Australia
31-Laneway Festival~Brisbane, Australia
February:
1-Laneway Festival~Melbourne, Australia
5-The Corner~Melbourne, Australia
6-Laneway Festival~Perth, Australia
7 Laneway Festival~Adelaide, Australia
8-Laneway Festival~Sydney, Australia
El Guincho-Antillas.mp3
El Guincho-Palmitos Park.mp3
El Guincho-Kalise.mp3

I cursed these legs I walked on

In Ear Park is the perfect record for that transition that happens to light during the colder months where in late October it goes from being strands of thick, golden warmth into strained weak translucent lemon light by the early December. Maybe it was my time that I spent in Southern France or my love of the Impressionists but I have always had a fond affection for the evaporating element of light and adore late afternoon winter light the best above all else. Sitting tucked into my bed and reading by my window Department of Eagles was the perfect companion. The band formed back in 2001 thanks to New York University where Daniel Rossen (who went onto join Grizzly Bear) met Fred Nicolaus. The two roomed together, discussing and sharing music theory and preferences leading to them making a sample CD that they originally planned to only distribute amongst friends. These early tracks ended up being released via California-based independent record label, Isota Records under the name, Whitney on The Moon UK. To avoid a possible encounter with a San Francisco band the two changed their band name to Department of Eagels. The album In Ear Park was named after a park in Los Angeles where Rossen used to go with his father, who recently passed away. In January the band commences a mini-tour including an upcoming date at Bowery Ballroom on Monday, January 19th. Ticket are already on sale.
**************DEPARTMENT OF EAGELS TOUR DATES****************
Jan 15-Schuba’s Tavern-Chicago, Illinois
Jan 16-Wexner Center for the Arts-Columbus, Ohio
Jan 17-Johnny Brenda’s-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 18-The Brattle Theatre-Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jan 19-The Bowery Ballroom-New York, New York
Department of Eagels-In Ear Park.mp3
Department of Eagels-Teenagers.mp3
Grizzly Bear Tags

Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele

Happy moment of the day so far was stumbling across Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele whose quote on his page is, "My dog has fleas, just like Lou Reed" which made me laugh out loud which is always a good/healthy exercise during the work day. Hailing from Taylor, Mississippi he has sweet, innocent and catchy tunes that were immediately enjoyable. Kind of like Beirut but without all the added instrumental filler. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVEEE Beirut, but this is much more broken down). An added layer of fun was his cover of Tegan and Sara's When You Were Mine. It is so good you might have to play it twice...or four times. He has a new album coming out on February 3rd via Paw Tracks (ahem, Animal Collective). Hopefully this means we will be hearing more out of Mississippi soon!
Dent May and His Magnificent Ukelele-When You Were Mine.mp3
Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele-Meet Me In The Garden.mp3

A study in bars and scales

I came across this while perusing the New York Times today. I LOVE their ridiculously over the top pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs and interpretations and breakdowns of pretentious Indie Music sets. These diagrams of recent
Hot Chip and Passion Pit shows are deliciously fun.

*New York Times dissecting the Hot Chip performance at Terminal 5 Song by Song

*Passion Pit at Pianos...check it out.
Passion Pit-Better Things.mp3
*Hot Chip Tags/Passion Pit Tags

James Murphy---you make me happy.

*This is the cutest thing i have seen in a LONG TIME

*And everyone needs a little bit of Weezer every once in a while. Especially when it comes with flipping penguins in the background and Animal on the drums.

You cast your spell and I went under, I found it so difficult to leave

A few weeks ago the story of my very first kiss was made public on the air and my mum heard it and immediately called me to ask who the Smashing Pumpkins were and then commented on how it was 'such a violent song!' to make out to. This led to conversations with some of my girl friends about what types of songs they choose as background noise for those choice situations. I almost never ever have kissed a boy to something considered romantic. Again today while I listening to some love songs a friend of mine sent over for my opinion I found myself mentally charting all of the love songs that i could not possibly live without and came to realize that i am not a very cheerful love song type of gal. At all. I was a bit surprised because for the most part I think of myself as optimistic and supportive when it comes to the subject. Then again, these were my top five...so you can judge for yourself. This much I must admit- i am not a cheap sell lyrics wise. Heck no!

1.Sinead O'Connor-Nothing Compares To You


2.Leonard Cohen-Hey,That's No Way To Say Goodbye


3. Sam Cooke-Bring It On Home
(There can be as many re-makes of this song as there are fish in the sea, but no one-no one could ever ever ever do what Sam Cooke does to me)
Sam Cooke-Bring It On Home.mp3

4. Bob Dylan-Lay Lady Lay/I Want You (too hard...definitely a split here-but it is Bob-so that is understandable)
Bob Dylan-Lay Lady Lay.mp3
Bob Dylan-I Want You.mp3


5. Magnetic Fields-Book Of Love
Magnetic Fields-The Book Of Love.mp3

Awesome things about today

New York Times Special Edition Video News Release - Nov. 12, 2008 from H Schweppes on Vimeo.
*For more coverage check out the Gothamist.


And this movie...


ENJOY!

Bang Bang Eche

Bang Bang Eche are THE most adorable rock/punk/New Zealand band I have ever laid my eyes upon. They have more energy than I could ever hope for and have the sound to back it up. They are playing their last show in the city tonight at Pianos' at 7 PM. If you do not have anything else planned-that is where you should be. In case you need more convincing:

10 fun facts about BANG BANG ECHE!!!!!

01. We started out in March 07, after some bands that we were previously in (a hip hop crew, an indie-house duo and an angry punk band) had disbanded!
02. Since then we’ve been touring NZ non stop, playing with superduper bands like Chk Chk Chk (NY), So So Modern, Cut Off Your Hands, Die Die Die, the Mint Chicks, and the Shocking Pinks etc etc!
03. Our synth player Perry used to be a prodigal drum & bass DJ named ‘Vitamin P’ when he was 6.
04. We released our debut self-titled EP in May 2008! You can download the whole thing for free, from our myspace at myspace.com/bangbangeche
05. Our first two ever singles ‘4 To The Floor’ and ‘Nikee’ went straight to #1 on the bNet (NZ college network). The third single ‘Time Mismanagement’ followed shortly after at #4, and even got to #2 on the mainstream Radioscope charts!!
06. Our bassist T’Nealle is fucking brutal. Her reputation in underground fighting circles is unparalleled. Usually she disappears for a few hours when we have just played a show and comes back with a blinging gold belt like wrestlers have, but waaay more ghetto. She has eight pairs of grills that all say “CRUNQ”. (T’Nealle is also said to have written two albums of new material in one week. crazy? yes.)
07. In late October, we are moving to New York to live with our hot managers Moose and M-Liz for a few weeks!!! We are playing at the CMJ Music Festival - you can see us at the CMJ NZMusicCommision Showcase with Cut Off Your Hands, the Ruby Suns, and Die Die Die.
08. After NYC we play some dates in Europe, and stay in London for 2 weeks! Check myspaz for dates!
09. At the same time in London, the ‘4 To The Floor//Fingers In The Till’ 7” vinyl is being released by Zarcorp Records!
10. After Europe, we then return to NZ to play the Rhythm & Vines festival in Gisbourne on new years eve!!

All I need is a song to save my soul

It is November and I have finally caught back up with my work for my real job after all of the CMJ/presidental madness. Once again during CMJ i lended a hand to the ever so wonderful people over at KEXP during their in studio sessions that they hold all week long at Gibson Studios(formerly known as the Hit Factory). Being amongst some of the most knowledgeable music lovers this country has to offer is always the best week of my year. Hands down. Nothing else can even come close to comparing being in a room with people you respect who are all banning together to broadcast non-profit programming that they so dearly believe in. It is as close to the music as you can get. You also get to find out about new music coming out of Portland and Seattle, two cities that seem to just be bursting with creative talent these days, especially when it comes to Americana/Folk/Alt-Country/Bluegrass/Wonderfulness. The Moondoggies hail from Seattle, Washington and are supported by Sub Pop's sister label (and home to our beloved Le Loup): Hardly Art.

"There is a popular chapter of American mythology that pertains to The Highway. It tells of a two-way ribbon of blacktop running endlessly through our past to our future, linking city to country, offering escape and motion and freedom to travel anywhere the imagination might wander. In this chapter, The Highway is both means and end, metaphor and reality.

And down that mythical Highway there is a Bar. Inside that Bar is a Stage. On that Stage is a Band. That Band is the Moondoggies."

Kevin Murphy (vocalist), Robert Terreberry (bass), Carl Dahlen (drums), and Caleb Quick (keys) have been playing together since they were teenagers and after the band took up residence at a local dive bar, Blue Moon Tavern (a 70 year old haunt in the University District) the equation for moody blues and raucous live shows was complete. Don't Be A Stranger is their debut album and has led them to tour dates in and around their hometown with the equally talented The Maldives. Layers of blues, rock, folk, country and gospel radiate with sunshine and love-soaked days making the record hard to put down and impossible to forget. With all of the albums floating around this year that draw upon music of the 60's and 70's what makes The Moondoggies separate themselves from bands like Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes is that vein of pure indulgence and outright joy. You get a sense that the boys are swaying back and forth clutching their beloved instruments and enjoying their music as much as you are as you stroll down the street, falling in love with their album with every step you take. I have my eye out for tour dates like a hawk circling for that stray rabbit...so be aware kids.
The Moondoggies-Black Shoe.mp3
The Moondoggies-Ol' Blackbird.mp3
The Moondoggies-Changing.mp3
The Moondoggies-Undertaker.mp3

My Old Kentucky Blog kills the video star

Bon Iver~Flume (Live in-studio at MOKB/WEEM) from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.
I have been incredibly behind and am playing catch up but things I have loved will hopefully be making their way onto this site however slowly and late they may be. One of them is My Old Kentucky Blog launching their new video site which features incredibly intimate and one of a kind in studio sessions with some my most beloved people to tour this year. Visit LaundroMatinnee to check out Dr. Dog, Bon Iver, The Rosebuds and many more as they stop by and play a few tunes and share some insight into their tours, music and daily lives.
Dr. Dog-The Breeze.mp3
*My Old Kentucky Blog Tags/Dr. Dog Tags/Bon Iver Tags

LAST DAY OF THE FALL KEXP PLEDGE DRIVE!

Because I have been walking around lately like the living dead due to my job I am utterly exhausted to the point of not being able to even post a blog about my number one love, KEXP until today. YEs, the upcoming election is important and today is the last day to register to VOTE...so get off your ass and do it already. BUT- today is also the last day to pledge for the annual KEXP FALL PLEDGE DRIVE. They have been working tirelessly all week, counting down the top 903 albums voted on by their listeners and they just played two of my favorite songs of all time off of two of my favorite albums back to back.
8:48~~~Depeche Mode ~~~~~ Enjoy The Silence~~~~Violator Sire

DJ Comments: #79
*************************************************************************************
8:42~~~~LCD Soundsystem~~~~~~Someone Great~~~~Sound Of Silver EMI

DJ Comments: #80 For all those great who are gone...


Sarah and Hawk, these are for you kids. The rest of you...go vote, register people to vote and donate money to a non-profit that you are going to need to carry you through the next 4 years if things do not go right in a few weeks. Thank you.
Depeche Mode Tags/LCD Soundsystem Tags

If these two got together

I think everyone in the indie/rock/music community would be a happy little Bon Iver/Lykke Li-lover. At least I would be.

As if you need anymore convincing of why you should show up to see the KEXP live in studio sessions during the week of CMJ (Monday, October 20th through Friday, October 24th) look no further. Lykke Li is scheduled for a spot on Tuesday, October 21st and she will be stellar. You can check out the rest of the lineup which includes some of my favorites like the Voom Blooms, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Friendly Fires, Hercules and the Love Affair, Deerhoof...seriously, they are FREE kids. FREE. Sign up
HERE.
Lykke Li Tags/Bon Iver Tags/KEXP Tags

I'm gonna miss this place

For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the new Antony and the Johnsons album due out next Tuesday, October 7th via Secretly Canadian, this is a good preview. He has a few scattered tour dates but hopefully will be announcing a larger run sometime soon.
*******TOUR DATES**********
Oct 14-WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL LOS ANGELES, California
Oct 16-THE APOLLO NEW YORK CITY, New York
Oct 30 & 31-Barbican-London, England
Antony and the Johnsons-Another World.mp3
Antony and the Johnsons-Shake That Devil.mp3
Antony and the Johnsons Tags

It's been a while since we had reason to smile

Because I am just discovering this album for the first time and savouring every second of it, you should as well. That's what Sunday afternoons are for.
*~`Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power`~*
Super Furry Animals-Hello Sunshine.mp3
Super Furry Animals-Bleed Forever.mp3
Super Furry Animals-Sex, War And Robots.mp3

sTArFuCker*...You even have health insurance? What a bore...

The magically talented Sarah Cass
And they say it is all in the name...During a recent trip to Seattle I was turned onto Portland-based band Starfucker and decided that heck, if they were good enough for one of my favorite people over at KEXP then they were good enough for me. One of the things to do whenever you travel to a new city is find out what the locals are listening to. Portland may be a mere three hours a way but their neighboring villagers of Seattle definitely support and adore their home grown artists as much as their own. Kinda like the Manhattan-Brooklyn connection going on here. Their debut (self titled ?) album came out last Tuesday via Badman Recording Co. and they will be hitting the CMJ market heavily during the days of October 22nd and 24th so if you are in the city and enjoying the mass chaos you should check them out. Sure to be compared to Passion Pit, The Flaming Lips, MGMT and anything else that gets the hipster kiddies movin' these days. Enjoy their music before it is splashed all over MTV and playing in Urban Outfitters. It is super catchy and I for one am excited to have this as my soundtrack for those indian summer days as we look ahead to colder days and early nights. Just means more time for dance parties indoors! HEck yeah!
***************TOUR DATES****************
Oct 7-Neurolux-Boise,Idaho
9-Kilby Court-Salt Lake City, Utah
11-High Dive-Denver, CO
13-Replay Lounge, Lawrence, KA
14-Skull Alley, Louisville, KY
15-Skully’s Music Diner, Columbus, OH
16-Talking Head CLub, Baltimore, MD
17-The Red and Black-DC, Washington DC
18-M Room-Philadelphia, PA
22-Cake Shop-nYc-CMJ
22-OS art house-nYc-CMJ
24-Knitting Factory-nYc-CMJ
26-Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH
27-The Hide Out-Chicago, IL
28-7th Street Entry-Minneapolis, MN
29-Nutty's North-Sioux Falls, SD
31-Badlander-Missoula, Montana
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NOVEMBER~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nov 1-Vera Project-Seattle, WA
7 -The Hemlock-San Francisco, CA
8 -Spaceland, LA, CA
4-Wonder ballroom w/ blitzen trapper-Portland, OR
Starfucker-Pop Song.mp3
Starfucker-German Love.mp3

New Port O'Brien Videos over at SPIN

Waking up on a sunday morning in a lake house in Conneticut is a pretty charmed life, especially when that includes things like Stew Leonards' chocolate milk and new Port O'Brien videos. Both of the offered selections over off of their may album release, All We Could Do Was Sing are available for you to preview at SPIN.com. This time around the band wanted to bank on their rustic, folk sound and energy that they have so adeptly made their signature drawing inspiration from the 20's style of film making. Laden with grainy, color saturated film techiniques my favorite video out of the two is "Stuck on a Boat" which closes with all of the band gathered in a tiny room singing and playing their hearts out. Shot on Super 8 reels both "In Vino Verita"and "Stuck on a Boat" (below) were filmed by director Joey Izzo in the band's hometown of Cambria, CA.

Warning, this is potentially incredibly offensive

There are moments in your life where in the midst of encompassing sadness and confusion you reach the pinnacle of being calm and it is within this space you mature and evolve. Humans as a species encompass a tribal existence. It has been widely studied throughout the centuries that we have progressed socially and biologically from being around one another. Humans who are cut off from their fellow kind often fall victim to the fate of disease and infection due to lack of social interaction. It is within me to always thing foremost as a romantic and second as a science geek and within this week have had a wrenching experience that has pent both of my better sides against one another. I was brought up believing that America was my second mother. A homeland for the poor, downtrodden and willing masses. In our land of freedom and opportunity we are reared to believe that anything is possible. Work will indeed set you free within our forward thinking territory and even the smallest peanut farmer can one day become president. It is with the most painful emotion I have been witness to the downfall of our country, our liberty and our community of countrymen. Yes we were attacked and it was beyond anything we could have expected or understood but in response to this instead of reaching for positive goals and ways of understanding our governmental leaders reached for paranoia, propaganda, guns and invasions. Under the guise of homeland security ( a term that single handily makes me ill) our political leaders have argued everything from phone tapping, internet monitoring to being categorized as UN-American for not agreeing with every step they take towards teaching the rest of the world to think like us. Or even worse, consume like us. America is turning away from our forefathers' ideals of a land of democracy and unadulterated thought into a land of ignorance and xenophobia. As a female I regard the nomination of Sarah Palin as an assault against my sex with more fear than and a larger threat than any white-male politician could ever carry. She could be the first representative of what my chromosomes encompass naturally and yet she is hell-bent on leading us even further from education, health care and environment, all things that are imperative for one to nurture and develop our community and our families. Beyond these simplistic fears that I am harboring for what I hold near and dear the woman cannot even formulate an argument. The video below was so shocking and that even before the reporter voices his disgust and disbelief I was right there with him. When I started this website I vowed never to write negative reviews about artists because what right do I have to sway anyone from discovering a new talent. But somethings need to be expressed. We are on the forefront of watching our country unravel. Our banks are foreclosing, one of our greatest cities STILL lays in ruins abandoned and ignored, our soldiers blood is bleeding from younger and younger veins and our presidential candidates are giving answers such as this:

Before you decide never to read my website again or leave a rank comment just put it where it really matters and vote this November. It is what we supposedly fight all of our wars for, what our government taxes us for and why people come to our country. So we can be loud-mouthed music lovers, writers and dreamers. I am not saying that Obama is a perfect candidate or human being, for no one is-so I welcome you to disagree and carry out your American-born right. Thank you. We now return to the previously scheduled dribble...

Dear Science

Definitely one of my favorite albums of the year so far. TV on the Radio have definitely set the bar higher with this one. Each track showcases artistry and production that will safely soothe happy followers of TV on the Radio joyous and conquer new listeners all in one foul swoop. Don't believe me, give it two complete auditions and I dare you to not fall under the wind of these talented Brooklyn musicians. Currently touring, check out their myspace for dates.
TV On The Radio-Love Dog.mp3
TV On The Radio-Dancing Choose.mp3
TV on the Radio TAgs

I love it when you read to me, you can read me anything

You are a splendid butterfly
It is your wings that make you beautiful
And I could make you fly away
But I could never make you stay
You said you were in love with me
Both of us know that that's impossible
And I could make you rue the day
But I could never make you stay

Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do
Not for all my little words

Now that you've made me want to die
You tell me that you're unboyfriendable
And I could make you pay and pay
But I could never make you stay

Magnetic Fields- All My Little Words.mp3
Magnetic Fields-The Book Of Love.mp3

Hacienda

Yesterday an album came out that I cannot wait to get my hands on from a band bursting forth from San Antonio, Texas. Loud Is The Night is the debut release from Hacienda a band of three brothers: Abraham Villanueva (piano), Jaime Villanueva (drums) and Rene Villanueva (bass) and their cousin, Dante Scwebel (guitar). All four family members take a turn with vocals melding together with such grace and adroitness that they are already earning praise and comparisons to The Beach Boys and the Beatles. The fact that they are touring with Dr. Dog as we speak does not hurt them either. Alive Naturalsound Records is the label behind the band but before the boys made it that far their six song demo found its way into the hands of none other than Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys which led to them recording in Dan's studio in Akron, Ohio. Not bad at all for a band fresh on the scene. I am expecting good things from them and from what I have heard off of their myspace page I am already incredibly excited to pick up the album. Check all of their currently announced tour dates below.
****************Dates with Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit************
~~~~~~~~~~SEPTEMBER~~~~~~~~~
TONIGHT-17 @ The Casbah-San Diego,CA
19 @ Detroit Bar-Costa Mesa,CA
20 @ Cellar Door-Visalia,CA
22 @ W.O.W. Hall-Eugene,OR
23 - Doug Fir Lounge-Portland,OR
24 @ Tractor Tavern-Seattle,WA
26 @ Urban Lounge-Salt Lake City,UT
27 @ Hi-Dive-Denver,CO
29 @ The Waiting Room-Omaha,NE
30 @ The Record Bar-Kansas City,MO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~OCTOBER~~~~~~~~
Oct 1 @ High Noon Saloon-Madison,Wisconsin
Oct 2 @ Blind Pig-Ann Arbor,MI
Oct 6 @ Higher Ground-South Burlington,Vermont
Oct 7 @ Club Hell-Providence,Rhode Island
Oct 8 @ Revolution Hall-Troy,New York
Oct 9 @ Iron Horse-Northampton,MA
Oct 10 @ Middle East (Downstairs)-Cambridge,MA
Hacienda-Hear Me Crying.mp3
Hacienda-Sun.mp3

Pop Montreal '08

Montreal happens to be one of my favorite cities and it is also host to a completely overlooked and underrated music festival happening October 1st-5th. Each year Pop Montreal has been loaded with bands we know and love and the folks behind the scenes cleverly advertise with the most adorable animated videos out there. While the latest version is cute in it's own way, 2oo5 still owns my heart. To check out set times, read band bio's or register to volunteer you can do all of these handy-dandy research tasks here.

For those of you interested this year includes Hot Chip, WIRE, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the worst name for a band yet...Psychedelic Horseshit. Yep, not kidding.
Psychedelic Horseshit-New Wave Hippies.mp3

I gave my heart and soul to you, I let you lay beside me

Jessica Lea Mayfield has been in my sights for the last month or so and I have found daily stalking her myspace page for local tour date announcements. Yesterday I was surprised when the announcement came from my Facebook page. Tricky Facebook...how you waste my time so. The lovely songbird will be performing at Maxwell's on October 21st and again on October 22nd at 205 in the city. SHE IS NOT TO BE MISSED. If you need convincing beyond listening to her music check out the comments on her myspace page filled with glowing admiration. Currently opening up for the Avett Brothers and Black Keys I am hoping she announces more shows for the week of CMJ. I would put a pretty penny on it that she will be one of the most talked about acts by the end of the occasion. Or at least she should be!
***************Jessica Lea Mayfield Tour Dates*******************
Sep 16-**CD RELEASE** Beachland Ballroom - Tavern Cleveland,OH
Sep 17-Ear X-tacy in-store-Louisville, KY
Sep 24-The Valarium w/ THE BLACK KEYS-Knoxville,TN
Sep 25-New Daisy Theatre w/ THE BLACK KEYS Memphis,TN
Sep 26-The Granada Theatre w/ THE BLACK KEYS-Dallas,TX
Sep 28-**ACL Fest Aftershow** Stubb’s w/ THE BLACK KEYS and THE BLACK ANGELS-Austin,TX
Sep 30-The Meridian w/ THE BLACK KEYS-Houston, Texas
Oct 1-House of Blues w/ THE BLACK KEYS-New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct 2-The Tabernacle w/ THE BLACK KEYS-Atlanta, GA
Oct 3-Georgia Theatre w/THE AVETT BROTHERS-Athens,GA
Oct 4-Criminal Records in-store-Atlanta,GA
Oct 15-New Brookland Tavern W.-Columbia,SC
Oct 16-The Handlebar-Greenville,SC
Oct 20-IOTA-Club Arlington,VA
Oct 21-Maxwell’s-Hoboken,NJ
Oct 22-**CMJ** @ 205 Club-nYc
Oct 23-The Khyber-Philadelphia,PA
Oct 30-The MadHatter-Covington,KY
Nov 1-The Basement-Nashville,TN
The One That I Love The Best.mp3
Jessica Lea Mayfield-Bible Days.mp3
Jessica Lea Mayfield Tags/The Avett Brothers Tags/The Black Keys Tags

And that haunted me, all the way home

My love/hate relationship with Kanye West continues. I love his music and what he has accomplished and how outspoken he is...most of the time. I was an unhappy little camper Sunday night when i was watching the VMA's (in between my new love-True Blood and Entourage of course) and saw his live performance of his most recent song, Love Lockdown. I understand that imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery, or so they say-but he completely (or whoever is the brains behind his stage set up) ripped off the Swedish band The Knife. The brother sister duo known for being creepy and cleverly aloof with their live performances graced NYC with their presence during CMJ two years ago at Webster Hall for back to back shows. Decked out in head to toe black spandex and glowing eyes they beat on their drums which lit up with each tap and touch...almost exactly like what Kanye had going on behind him grooving in his tailored grey suit. It is incredibly smart marketing to take these elements of electronic/pop shows and place them behind hip/hop and rap artists since their live shows tend to fall flat. I just was a bit shocked to see the Knife influences...Dear Daft Punk, Kanye has moved on to pillage someone else's art.


I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
What I had to do, had to run from you
I'm in love with you, but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So ya never know, never never know
Never know enough, 'til it's over love
'Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin' no no no, no no
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else don't have to know

So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
You keep ya love locked down, you lose
Kayne West- Love Lockdown.mp3
Kanye West Tags/Daft Punk Tags/The Knife Tags

Words can never make up for what you do

A few weeks ago I went to see Lykke Li at Le Poisson Rouge and covered the show for KEXP. You can read my review here if you would like. She was excellent and I highly recommend going to see her upcoming shows, the most recently announced date is Tuesday, October 21st at Bowery Ballroom with Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson as part of the CMJ Music Madness.
**************Lykke Li Tour Dates*********************
Oct 19-Black Cat-Washington,Washington DC
Oct 20-Music Hall of Williamsburg-SOLD OUT-Brooklyn,NY
Oct 21-Bowery Ballroom-nYc, nY
Oct 23-Paradise-Boston,Massachusetts
Oct 24-Mod Club-Toronto,Ontario
Oct 25-Empty Bottle-Chicago,Illinois
Oct 28-Richards on Richards-Vancouver,British Columbia
Oct 29-Neumo’s-Seattle,Washington
Oct 30-Doug Fir-Portland,Oregon
Nov 1-Independent-San Francisco,California
Nov 3-El Rey-Los Angeles,California
Dec 10-John Dee-Oslo, Norway
Dec 11-Vega, Copenhagen
Dec 12-Kägelbanan,Stockholm
Lykke Li-Breaking It Up.mp3
Lykke Li-Little Bit (CSS Remix).mp3
Lykke Li Tags

If you're always on the go----make an angel in the snow and freeze

If you missed Dr. Dog last week when he played the Bowery Ballroom and Williamsburg Music Hall then December 2nd at Webster Hall is where you should be to hear one of the best albums of the year. The Philadelphia bands' latest production, Fate has been on heavy rotation within my heart and head for the last two months. Currently touring throughout the States they have a mini-European package scheduled and then head back to NYC for what is sure to become a sold out show. Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 5th at Noon via ticketmaster.
Dr.Dog-From.mp3
Dr. Dog-The Breeze.mp3
Dr. Dog Tags

Your lying when you sing along

So far today has been the day of posting videos but I couldn't help but post the previous one and this is the latest from Okkervil River's stand-in session. This time around the band Bird of Youth stop by and cover the tune, Pop Lie off of their latest album, The Stand Ins.
Okkervil River-Pop Lie.mp3
Okkervil River Tags

And my friends wonder why i want to live in Seattle for a little bit...

All I have to do is see videos like this...care of les Pitchfork care of You Ain't No Picasso...
*Wilco and Fleet Foxes: "I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan cover; live in Spokane, Wash.)
The Band-I Shall Be Released.mp3
Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco) with The Fleet Foxes covering The Band-I Shall Be Released.mp3
Wilco Tags/Fleet Foxes Tags

Rodriguez

Deciding to venture into the world of discovering music I had to take a deep breath and realize that I will always be overwhelmed by how much there is out there to appreciate, learn about and enjoy. It took me a long time before I could even start writing about music because I figured people would always know about what had just come across for the first time ages before I did. Rodriguez is one of those treasured artists that I should know about but unfortunately did not until today. He has an incredibly interesting story which might explain for why I have never heard about him before. Born Sixto Diaz Rodriguez in 1942 to Mexican immigrant parents who had relocated to Detroit. His debut and hit album, Cold Fact was recorded in 1969 and released in the March of 1970. Recording the sad times of life within one of America's most stifled economic cities ravaged with riots, lay-offs and crime Rodriguez fed off of this cultural devastation and painted a portrait of the struggling working class and the emotional downfall left in poverty's wake. His is a different path of Dylan theology and often receives comparisons to our beloved poet and patriot. The most stunning bit of his story has yet to come,

But the album sank without a trace, thanks, in part, to some of Rodriguez's more idiosyncratic behavior, like performing at an industry showcase with his back to the audience throughout. Cold Fact producer Mike Theodore remembers how he would only play at "hooker bars, inner city dives, and biker bars." When the follow-up, 1972's Coming From Reality, also tanked, Rodriguez called an end to his recording career. He'd never even played a proper gig. And he got on with life. Over the years, he turned his hand to local politics, philosophy, a job in a petrol station and, eventually, hard labor.

Read the rest of it here. For those of you interested he is playing a show at Joe's Pub on Wednesday, September 3rd at 930 PM and it is not sold out. I am beyond excited to continue my exploration.
Rodriguez-Sugar Man.mp3
Rodriguez-Inner city Blues.mp3