My main draw to Mutemath is the fact that they are so percussion driven and 'Odd Soul' stays true to that. They open the album with a raw, edgy, rock and roll sound(kind of their on take of the Black Keys), take a breather and relax in to something of a more laid back sound mixing in some vibraphone during 'Sun Ray.' Next they move into a Maroon 5ish sound with 'Allies,' using some distorted keytar, that's right they have a keytar. Mutemath makes another turn with 'Cavalries' and take us back to the seventies with some classic organ, seventies drum beats, heavy cow bell and bongos mixed throughout the song. The album settles in the 70s groove giving us funky bass lines, old school guitar riffs/solos, staccato piano, and spacey organ for the next few songs, but then the whole thing kinda fizzles out with the last three songs. This album is all over the map but it's still an okay listen.
So if you're into dubstep and Radiohead this might be cool. The way I figure it is that these different remixers can't fuck the album up any worse than Radiohead did, but I don't want to speak too soon. It took me a couple of times to get the Play all to work, so you might have to refresh the page a couple of times. I might write a little more after I get farther than 30 seconds into listening. We shall see.
You might also have to scroll back and forth at the top of the page to find the Radiohead album
I noticed the new Mute Math album was on the site as well. It could possibly be another solid album to check out considering they are playing workplay soon....only drawback is that they are playing the same night as Blind Pilot in different rooms. Mutemath is a definite 'must see live' band, but since I've seen them once I will personally be catching Blind Pilot.
UPDATE:
Okay there definitely is a way for these people to fuck up King of Limbs worse than Radiohead did. I couldn't make it halfway through the album. I'm currently sampling Mute Math's 'Odd Soul' and should have a review up later today.
Black Joe Lewis has to be one of the more hilarious and entertaining musicians I have come across in quite some time, by way of a co-worker no less. The proof:
And my favorite song of theirs, my first introduction to the band, Bitch, I Love You!
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears just released their 2nd full length album, Scandalous, since forming back in 2007. They are streaming their entire discography in full over at their website www.blackjoelewis.com. Click on Launch Jukebox. I must warn you though, it has crashed on me a few times. I think it has something to do with pausing the music for too long??? I don't know, it works most of the time and my computer is fine. I'm just saying, if you wake up with a Trojan Horse in your ass, don't blame me.
Some of you may remember when Radiohead did the From the Basement concert with the release of In Rainbows. Well, they are doing it again with The King of Limbs. It's set to air today on BBC with future airings in NA on Palladia and presumably on the website fromthebasement.tv. Interestingly enough, the set is about 55 minutes long, while The King of Limbs is only a mere 37 minutes, so expect to here some new songs like this:
And probably this song not on the album:
Here's hoping that the show will convince me to pay to see them again during their next tour.
Usually when I hear that an artist is a singer/song writer I don’t get too excited, but there are some exceptions out there, Pete Yorn, Ray Lamontagne, Jacob Dylan, & Ingrid Michaelson all of which I have gone to see because their albums are usually pretty solid. However, none of these artists have ever put an album out that really just blew me away.
Bon Iver self titled his newest album and it will probably define him as an artist for the rest of his life.I’ve sampled him in the past, but I have been totally absorbed in his newest album for the past couple of days thanks to NPR’s First Listen (Everyone should really keep a close eye on this segment of NPR’s website, they are putting out a lot of good stuff).
This album is very delicate and is definitely one of those albums that is great for a rainy day.A lot of finesse going on, the percussion is the perfect amount of seasoning throughout the album and all kinds of extra sounds going on in the background that makes this album rich and constantly flowing and changing from start to finish.You must listen to this album from start to finish.
This is a concert from the Sasquatch music festival up in the northwest where the bigfoots roam the woods and was recorded by NPR on May 30, 2011. The band debuts a couple of new songs from their forthcoming album that is being produced by Big Boi.
You can listen to the stream, and even download the whole concert if you like right here.
With the release of two new Radiohead tracks for Record Store Day (Supercollier and The Butcher), I felt that I should do something to recognize them. And seeing as how so many folks were upset with the length (and over all quality) of recent album The King of Limbs (see Hitler below) I decided to beef the album up a bit with new songs, including two other singles released between In Rainbows and King of Limbs.
I spent the better part of 3 hours listening and rearranging the track list (though not messing with the original list, just squeezing in the 4 new songs), and what came out was a 12 track, 1 hour album that I really believe enhances the listening experience of the entire album. For example, listening to Feral when the album was only 37 minutes long was rather annoying in my opinion, and added nothing to the experience, but when played as part of longer album it becomes more bearable, somewhat like Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors, though ultimately it would be skipped my most casual listeners anyway.
Another thing that was hard to pick up on was the transition of the original album. The first half was more up beat and electronic where the last half seemed very toned down and calm. The new songs I think help make this more noticeable, as you have more time to get into the 'feel' of the album.
Finally, the closing track on my edition is the only song that I think sounds forced, and honestly it is. It doesn't really fit the sound of the album. From the Kid A / Amnesiac albums I absolutely loved the closing tracks, and I felt Harry Patch would have been a great album closer, and it fits the overall calmness of the second half of the album, but there just wasn't a good transition into it.
In the end, I think have proved that had Radiohead put at least two or three more songs into the album, the overall listening experience would increase tenfold. Or they could have just said 'Hey guys, here's a new 8-track EP' and I think people would have liked it better. The expectations were just to high. Maybe next time.
Enjoy!
P.S. Doing this gave me a great idea for Radiohead's next album. If you remember there was a concert that they played were they had several cameras set up, and allowed online viewers to watch the concert and control which cameras to watch from and record their own personal concert. I think it would be pretty cool if they released a bunch tracks (and Stanley Donwood artwork?) and said go make your own album. Maybe make a contest of it. If only I were Thom Yorke.
I gotta be quick, but here are some tunes. This is Phoenix's 3rd album, It's Never Been Like That. If you are like me, you might be surprised to know that the album that made Phoenix popular (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) is actually their 4th outting, so I have been going back and listening to some older stuff. If you like the Wolfgang album, you will like this. I can't say the same for their sophomore album, and I haven't listened to their debut. More on that some other time maybe, or you can give it a listen while you are there.
Back again, sorry for not being around last week. Fucking work gets in the way some times. Anyway, back to the boring ol' work days of surfing the net for 8 hrs.
So, the band, In Praise of Folly was a Seattle indie rock band from the early 00's. They released 2 albums, The Present Age and Means/Ends in 2004 and 2005. Today I am highlighting the 2004 album The Present Age. The sound reminds me of several bands I listened to in college, most of which I can't now remember to name, but two-thirty-eight and Further Seems Forever mainly. I also hear a lot of SilverChair in the vocals, but you would have to know their new music to pick up on that.
Interestingly, a lot of the bands I have featured on FFEF have showed up for shows in the Ham, specifically Menomena, Unwed Sailor, Margot and the Nuclear So & So's, Starfucker next Tuesady (mark the calendar!), The Great Book of John, and Portugal the Man. Unfortunately, this band broke up in late 2010, so no chance of seeing them.
Next week I will try to bring something more upbeat and funky to the table, but until then listen to this and drown in the dreary, rainy, sad Seattle melancholy.
EitS are another indie, post-rock instrumental band that seems to be fitting my mood lately. This Will Destroy You, Mogwai, Unwed Sailor, Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Explosions in the Sky are all I have been listening to lately (plus the new Radiohead, of course). I guess when I'm busy at work, I like music that is easy to listen to, ignore, and enjoy all at the same time and this band fits the bill nicely. Their myspace music page has a good sample of songs, but I first saw them on Austin City Limits w/ The Decemberists, which you will now get to enjoy both of.
This is only a clip, PBS won't let me show the whole episode here, but you can watch it on their website.
I'm really busy this week, so I will make this short 'n sweet. The band is Starfucker, and they made the FFEF based on name alone. Fortunately, they have some good tunes too. If you like them, you will be pleased to know they are playing in Birmingham March 22 @Bottletree. Unfortunately for some of you, it is on a Tuesday, but for me, it is a good reason to skip dinner with the monster-in-law.
As always, follow the link, and right click 'Open in New Tab' to stay on this wonderful page as you feed your ears.
Ahhhhh, just one more day. It's funny, but the anticipation for a new Radiohead album is like nothing I have ever experienced before. So in honor of the greatest band of all time and their new album, I will do some speculating on what might be on the new album, based on unrecorded songs played live in concert.
Now, unlike most of the songs from In Rainbows that showed up on tour about a year before the album was released, Radiohead hasn't been touring, and therefore haven't been playing anything new. But in the past two years Thom Yorke has, and seeing as how a lot of Radiohead songs spawn from simple songs of Mr. Yorke, it is possible that some of these tunes were picked up and expanded upon by the band. It is my belief though that most of these songs are probably just Thom's solo work, but either way, I thought I would share and build the anticipation of what is to come.
First, we start off with These Are My Twisted Words, a song released August 17th, 2009 as a free download from the bands website, Dead Air Space. Though released 2 years after In Rainbows, the song holds a very In Rainbowsish sound to it, and I doubt they will re-release it. But it is the most recent song recorded/played with the entire band, and could be indicative of the sound to come.
What's fellow Citizenz, it's that wonderful time of the week again. It's time for some free tunes. This week I am going to do a little advertising. The band, as you can see above, is Unwed Sailor. They are a little instrumental indie rock band that Mr. Orange and I were head over heels for in the college days. When spring rolled around, there was nothing better than taking your shirt off and throwing some frisbee in the yard while listening to Unwed Sailor. It was totally heterosexual.
Well Citz, you can share in the glory as we relieve those days next weekend, Feb. 18th@Bottletree, where Unwed Sailor will be performing. You can go here to buy your tickets ($10). They should let me in for free just for doing this.
Haven't had much time to dig up any music this week. Luckily, every once in a while I write down some band names I stumble across but never really listen to, a back up of sorts. This is one of those back ups. The band is Menomena. There music is...odd, interesting, probably a change of pace for most.
Wasn't going to do one today since I did one earlier in the week but damn it, it's Friday! So here's a small one. The Great Book of John is a local band here in the Ham, founded by the guitarist of Wild Sweet Orange. Their first album, Yves' Blues, was an acoustic/harmonica heavy modern day take on Dylan, which is showcased masterfully on the opening track Political Song, which is also the first song on this playlist.
The band has been on a bit of hiatus since their first album released, playing various shows around the southeast but remaining mostly quiet, until now. Two new songs have been recorded that will be on their up coming album, and the band is playing at the Bottletree here in town next Friday (I guess that would have been the best day to do their FFEF, oh well). The songs mark a new direction the band is going in, getting away from the modern Dylan, toward a more original sound. Those two songs can be found here as part of a local project that has local bands writing new songs for vinyl called the 7" Series. You can also check out the two songs of the other two bands featured in the first series. I have yet to listen to them, so no comment on that.
Iron and Wine teamed up with none other than TeamCoco to promote their new album Kiss Each Other Clean. The album came out today, the band played on Conan last night (a good performance, IMO), and they are streaming the new album on teamcoco.com, and even better, they let us stream the album right here.
The album starts off with a rather modern interpretation of Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, with lyrics about seeing white dogs and oceans and moutains, children in rivers, birds in the sky, etc. This song along with the single Tree by the River are very similar to Sam Beam's previous work, but other than that the album takes a new turn. Beam said “It’s more of a focused pop record. It sounds like the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music."
The album features a jazz horn section very heavily, and also a lot more keyboard than previous albums. He finishes it off with the 7:00 minute long, Your Fake Name is Good Enough, which I believe to be the highlight of the album.
I was going to save this for Free Friday, but I'm not sure how long the stream will be up since the album came out today, so get your ears on.
It's that wonderful day again.Today I bring you the music of The Magic Numbers. They consist of two brothers and two sisters who went to high school together in the UK. The band formed in 2002 and have 3 albums to date: the self entitled The Magic Numbers, Those the Brokes, and their latest 2010 release The Runaway which premiered the bands "new" sound. Their myspace collection has a good mix of their sound, and I think most of our listeners will enjoy it.
Today's free music is brought to you by Radiohead. This is their Haiti Benefit concert at The Fonda on Jan 24, 2010. Radiohead have given their blessing to an “official bootleg” of the show.
A group of fans have spent the last year creating a DVD of the gig by piecing together footage shot by 14 audience members. The band allowed it to be released on the condition that proceeds went to Oxfam’s Haiti emergency fund. For more go to the BBC website.
Oh and a cool thing about this youtube video, I started playing it a couple days ago, and yesterday went back to finish watching and it had saved where I stopped. Not sure if that will carry over to here or not, but cool nonetheless.
What's up bitches, FFEF is back in full force in the new year, bringing you some new music from The Decemberist. Our good friends over at NPR are kind enough to stream the new album up till its Jan. 18th release date.
The new album is a step back (in a good way) from there previous go w/ The Hazards of Love, with what seems to be a simpler, lighter sound, which I find welcoming after the heavy, album long story of Hazards. Also, the band seems to have focused in on a folky, blue grass sound which I really enjoy. It even landed them a gig playing along with the likes of Sam Bush and Robert Plant at this year's Telluride Bluegrass Festival, which I would love to go to.
So head on over to NPR and read the review while you listen to the new album.
My main draw to Mutemath is the fact that they are so percussion driven and 'Odd Soul' stays true to that. They open the album with a raw, edgy, rock and roll sound(kind of their on take of the Black Keys), take a breather and relax in to something of a more laid back sound mixing in some vibraphone during 'Sun Ray.' Next they move into a Maroon 5ish sound with 'Allies,' using some distorted keytar, that's right they have a keytar. Mutemath makes another turn with 'Cavalries' and take us back to the seventies with some classic organ, seventies drum beats, heavy cow bell and bongos mixed throughout the song. The album settles in the 70s groove giving us funky bass lines, old school guitar riffs/solos, staccato piano, and spacey organ for the next few songs, but then the whole thing kinda fizzles out with the last three songs. This album is all over the map but it's still an okay listen.
