the horse you ride
from nyc and consists of couple of guys named iron chrysalis and butterfly emerging. for my typically lazy review by comparison with other bands i would say that they are a little like hood and a little like radiohead. at any rate if you like either of these bands you just might like the department of eagles. fine fine laptop rock. a few more songs over at department of eagles.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
gonzales
gogol
well, who would have thought! gonzales, yes the same potty-mouthed mc we love and hate, has a new album titled album solo piano, which is precisely what the album title describes. surprising in itself, what is even more surprising is that the album is pretty much excellent. the mood isn't dissimilar to max richter (whose blue notebooks is one of this years best albums). i'm totally flabbergasted.
well, who would have thought! gonzales, yes the same potty-mouthed mc we love and hate, has a new album titled album solo piano, which is precisely what the album title describes. surprising in itself, what is even more surprising is that the album is pretty much excellent. the mood isn't dissimilar to max richter (whose blue notebooks is one of this years best albums). i'm totally flabbergasted.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
john peel
BBC's John Peel died yesterday. few people have done more for indie music than this legend. he'll be missed.
the airwaves festival
so another airwaves festival has gone by. the highlights were not so high and the lows were low. the festival has become a bit too crowded. the frat boys have arrived. the scheduling was weird - the shins play in a glorified garage while the godawful gus gus get a prime spot at one of the bigger venues? so the music.
day 1. to rococo rot: good but after three songs I got a little tired. adem: boring. who on earth thought of giving these guys good reviews. they sound like the fucking barenaked ladies. hood: somewhat of a disappointment but some of the new stuff sounded interesting/promising. some "technical" difficulties going which probably didn't help. slowblow: very nice but please drop the 453 instruments and play some rock like back in the day. fourtet: the few minutes I saw were alright but not what I expected. úlpa: rocking it out at nasa. the two songs i witnessed were great. look out for these guys. ensími: very boring, formulaic alternative rock. avoid. sahara hotnights: it is nice to know that the swedes can fail at something.
day2. skakkamangage: my festival surprise. sound like arcade fire minus three band members. nice dynamics. i want to hear more. kid koala: koalas rock. hjálmar: 8 times better than i expected from an icelandic reggae band. which makes them alright. hot chip: nerd fun. great show, no desire to listen to their stuff ever again. kimono: can i say polvo? excellent stuff. can i ask for a more lo-fi approach to the next album, please?
day3. mugison: thinks he is cool. and he is a little bit. but not enough for the act he tried to pull off. could have done with out ragga gísla on the second song. actually, just scrap that song altogether. but when he was good, he was good. Unsound: pretty good. i'll see him again. singapore sling: despite most of the members leaving the band they rocked and were better than last time i saw them. the stills: i wasn't crazy about the sound but they did a good job nevertheless. the shins: i didn't like the last album so i had rather low expectations that they thankfully managed to exceed. quite entertaining despite the crowd. Croisztans: i only caught one song but what a song. some definately ungodly noise. the pogues vs. death
dayafter: nursing a hangover i went for a beer and happened to see hudson wayne at sirkus. i may have enjoyed this show more than the entire festival. they are just a nice band. not terribly original but they do their stuff well. somewhere close to idaho, mojave three, ....
day 1. to rococo rot: good but after three songs I got a little tired. adem: boring. who on earth thought of giving these guys good reviews. they sound like the fucking barenaked ladies. hood: somewhat of a disappointment but some of the new stuff sounded interesting/promising. some "technical" difficulties going which probably didn't help. slowblow: very nice but please drop the 453 instruments and play some rock like back in the day. fourtet: the few minutes I saw were alright but not what I expected. úlpa: rocking it out at nasa. the two songs i witnessed were great. look out for these guys. ensími: very boring, formulaic alternative rock. avoid. sahara hotnights: it is nice to know that the swedes can fail at something.
day2. skakkamangage: my festival surprise. sound like arcade fire minus three band members. nice dynamics. i want to hear more. kid koala: koalas rock. hjálmar: 8 times better than i expected from an icelandic reggae band. which makes them alright. hot chip: nerd fun. great show, no desire to listen to their stuff ever again. kimono: can i say polvo? excellent stuff. can i ask for a more lo-fi approach to the next album, please?
day3. mugison: thinks he is cool. and he is a little bit. but not enough for the act he tried to pull off. could have done with out ragga gísla on the second song. actually, just scrap that song altogether. but when he was good, he was good. Unsound: pretty good. i'll see him again. singapore sling: despite most of the members leaving the band they rocked and were better than last time i saw them. the stills: i wasn't crazy about the sound but they did a good job nevertheless. the shins: i didn't like the last album so i had rather low expectations that they thankfully managed to exceed. quite entertaining despite the crowd. Croisztans: i only caught one song but what a song. some definately ungodly noise. the pogues vs. death
dayafter: nursing a hangover i went for a beer and happened to see hudson wayne at sirkus. i may have enjoyed this show more than the entire festival. they are just a nice band. not terribly original but they do their stuff well. somewhere close to idaho, mojave three, ....
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
hood
you show no emotion at all
hood is playing at the airwaves festival in Reykjavík this weekend. i saw them live about two years ago and they were absolutely great. live they were a little louder and twice as pretty. only fools will miss this show - probably the same people that missed Calla and Tv on the Radio last year. anyhow, their album Cold House was a little bit of a sleeper but once it kicked in there will be very little need for those other 39.4GB on your iPod for the next couple of weeks.
hood is playing at the airwaves festival in Reykjavík this weekend. i saw them live about two years ago and they were absolutely great. live they were a little louder and twice as pretty. only fools will miss this show - probably the same people that missed Calla and Tv on the Radio last year. anyhow, their album Cold House was a little bit of a sleeper but once it kicked in there will be very little need for those other 39.4GB on your iPod for the next couple of weeks.
Monday, October 18, 2004
modest mouse
broke (live)
stumbled upon this unofficial bootleg Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again that doesn't look terribly unofficial. at any rate, decent live album that any serious mm fan will want to get there hands on.
stumbled upon this unofficial bootleg Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again that doesn't look terribly unofficial. at any rate, decent live album that any serious mm fan will want to get there hands on.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
sonic youth
eyes and teeth
this song escaped my attention when it came out in 1999. some more sonic youth goods at saucerlike.
this song escaped my attention when it came out in 1999. some more sonic youth goods at saucerlike.
the legends
there and back
another band trading in retro sound from sweden. but this time going further back and digging up some soul. reminds me little of afghan wigs doing those fabulous soul covers - even though they don't quite reach those heights. but quite nice nevertheless
another band trading in retro sound from sweden. but this time going further back and digging up some soul. reminds me little of afghan wigs doing those fabulous soul covers - even though they don't quite reach those heights. but quite nice nevertheless
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
death from above
romantic rights
just in case you missed it when pitchfork mentioned it. the canadians score again. home.
just in case you missed it when pitchfork mentioned it. the canadians score again. home.
moron parade
grip
from seattle. indie stuff. visit them here. where you will find more songs. remind me a little of pavement back when the became incredibly bad and annoying. and it didn't get any better when the singer went on to do his own thing. sad really how great albums (ie slanted and enchanted) just seem to be accidents somehow. anyhow, i enjoy moron parade more than the combined output of pavement since s&e.
from seattle. indie stuff. visit them here. where you will find more songs. remind me a little of pavement back when the became incredibly bad and annoying. and it didn't get any better when the singer went on to do his own thing. sad really how great albums (ie slanted and enchanted) just seem to be accidents somehow. anyhow, i enjoy moron parade more than the combined output of pavement since s&e.
Friday, October 08, 2004
fingathing
walk in space
well, boredom sometimes pays. everything about fingathing appears kinda lame. the cover art, the line-up (bass, drums and a dj), and, well, the name of the band. but because I am bored i did decide to check them out and, what do you know, they are actually kinda fun. i couldn't have been more surprised. so they sound like, you know, a drummer, bassist and a dj, but a little like that band with that song around the world. i'm getting old can't remember anything anymore. sad really. anyhow, this song makes me want to groove like when i was young way back in the day. off to copenhagen. have a good weekend. both of you.
well, boredom sometimes pays. everything about fingathing appears kinda lame. the cover art, the line-up (bass, drums and a dj), and, well, the name of the band. but because I am bored i did decide to check them out and, what do you know, they are actually kinda fun. i couldn't have been more surprised. so they sound like, you know, a drummer, bassist and a dj, but a little like that band with that song around the world. i'm getting old can't remember anything anymore. sad really. anyhow, this song makes me want to groove like when i was young way back in the day. off to copenhagen. have a good weekend. both of you.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
sondre lerche
the norwegians seem a little bit odd. but how many norwegian bands can you name? well, st. thomas is was for the longest time the only one i could think of. until now, that sondre lerche has started making waves. loung-y, popp-y, sondre lerche. and very enjoyable. check his stuff out here: sfgate.com's Sondre Lerche piece
Monday, October 04, 2004
patrick wolf
a boy like me
in my humble opinon (which is why i put it on the web) patrick wolf's lycanthropy is a strong contender for the album of the year. powerful, poppy and twisted. according to the merriam-webster dictionary lycanthropy means a delusion that one has become or has assumed the characteristics of a wolf. which makes the album title very clever. although i'm not sure what it is intended to mean. patrick has taken on his own characteristics? he is delusional? maybe i'm just confused because it is monday.
in my humble opinon (which is why i put it on the web) patrick wolf's lycanthropy is a strong contender for the album of the year. powerful, poppy and twisted. according to the merriam-webster dictionary lycanthropy means a delusion that one has become or has assumed the characteristics of a wolf. which makes the album title very clever. although i'm not sure what it is intended to mean. patrick has taken on his own characteristics? he is delusional? maybe i'm just confused because it is monday.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
the detachment kit
ricochet
from chicago. most of the time they rock. but somtimes they don't. and it is difficult to tell which suits them better. they may suffer from a multiple personality disorder as a band. their rock is urgent, their quiet stuff sincere but onstage they are clowns. caught them at the lit lounge this summer where they were wearing costumes. it is a perfectly good reason to hate a band for wearing costumes. but in this case it had the opposite effect. their 2001 album They Raging, Quiet Army was just plain superb. their new one Of This Blood probably reaches higher in places but is not as consistent but contains the pretty song of the year, ricochet.
over at epitonic, a couple of songs from They Raging, Quiet Army
over at self-starter foundation, a couple more. if you are in the states they are offering a great deal.
from chicago. most of the time they rock. but somtimes they don't. and it is difficult to tell which suits them better. they may suffer from a multiple personality disorder as a band. their rock is urgent, their quiet stuff sincere but onstage they are clowns. caught them at the lit lounge this summer where they were wearing costumes. it is a perfectly good reason to hate a band for wearing costumes. but in this case it had the opposite effect. their 2001 album They Raging, Quiet Army was just plain superb. their new one Of This Blood probably reaches higher in places but is not as consistent but contains the pretty song of the year, ricochet.
over at epitonic, a couple of songs from They Raging, Quiet Army
over at self-starter foundation, a couple more. if you are in the states they are offering a great deal.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
british sea power
fear of drowning
this band got pretty smashing reviews when the decline of british sea power came out. then the hype sort of died out but what remains is one of the very best albums of last year. but it is one of these tricky ones. there isn't really a stand-out track that stands out - the album works as whole. it works ok in pieces too. but it is better as a whole. and you will actually not realize you like it until one day that you realize that you can't really live without it. ok, maybe a slight exaggeration but it is pretty brilliant. so, in short, a single song has no chance of doing the album justice but here it is anyways.
and, if you don't want to take my word for it, take Lou Reed's word it: it is a good album. [and if you don't like Lou Reed, like me, the album is still good.]
this band got pretty smashing reviews when the decline of british sea power came out. then the hype sort of died out but what remains is one of the very best albums of last year. but it is one of these tricky ones. there isn't really a stand-out track that stands out - the album works as whole. it works ok in pieces too. but it is better as a whole. and you will actually not realize you like it until one day that you realize that you can't really live without it. ok, maybe a slight exaggeration but it is pretty brilliant. so, in short, a single song has no chance of doing the album justice but here it is anyways.
and, if you don't want to take my word for it, take Lou Reed's word it: it is a good album. [and if you don't like Lou Reed, like me, the album is still good.]
the lights
i'm a dangerous snake
the lights are from the northwest (usa) and are not all that bad. they released beautiful bird last year (i believe) & it is not a bad album. not at all. its just not great either. but the next one might be. there is certainly some excellent parts here - like the above song.
the lights are from the northwest (usa) and are not all that bad. they released beautiful bird last year (i believe) & it is not a bad album. not at all. its just not great either. but the next one might be. there is certainly some excellent parts here - like the above song.
gus gus
how absolutely crap have gus gus become? not that they ever where that terrific to begin with. i had the unfortunate experience of seeing them last weekend and they were just incredibly ridiculously bad.
ted leo and the pharmacists
me and mia
i always had rather mixed feelings about ted leo but he finally won me over with the hearts of oak album, which is just hell of a pop album. for some reasons i think of billy bragg when i listen ted leo. but the kind of billy bragg if billy bragg was more fun. i managed to catch ted leo and the pharmacists play an outdoor show at east river park this summer and it was all good fun. not at least thanks to some old man that kept trying to get people to dance. ted leo put on a fine show but sea ray sort stole the show (album doesn't live up to their live show but try quiver). But back on topic, ted leo and the rx have a new album titled shake the sheet which is a little disappointing but does contain some excellent popsongs... like the above song.
i always had rather mixed feelings about ted leo but he finally won me over with the hearts of oak album, which is just hell of a pop album. for some reasons i think of billy bragg when i listen ted leo. but the kind of billy bragg if billy bragg was more fun. i managed to catch ted leo and the pharmacists play an outdoor show at east river park this summer and it was all good fun. not at least thanks to some old man that kept trying to get people to dance. ted leo put on a fine show but sea ray sort stole the show (album doesn't live up to their live show but try quiver). But back on topic, ted leo and the rx have a new album titled shake the sheet which is a little disappointing but does contain some excellent popsongs... like the above song.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)