whale in a cubicle

We've Moved!

2009-10-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well our long silence has finally come to an end! The time has come and we've moved to our very own URL:

It still has a few kinks to work out, but we'll tackle those as we go - in the meantime, you should go and bookmark the new site, because there's a lot of good stuff we want to share. See you there.

Love,

Chris and Logan

VIDEO: The Boss Turns 60!

2009-09-25T11:22:00.004-04:00

If you're a friend of mine, then you know I only wish belated birthday wishes. So in that vein, consider this my happy-belated to The Boss (who turned 60 on Wednesday).

And for a pretty amazing post with 60 facts for 60 years of rock & roll, go HERE. Enjoy.

VIDEO: Into The Clouds by The Sound of Arrows

2009-09-17T18:09:00.004-04:00

If you haven't checked out The Sound Of Arrows yet, do it now. Seriously. Everything these two Swedes have put out so far has been M.A.G.I.C.

ALBUM: Build Me This by Joshua James

2009-09-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

Sorry about the long silence. Sadly I don't have any good news to report, and school's actually been crazy enough to keep me from really trying to figure out how to get us back up and running. I can't say when we'll be back on a good schedule. Hopefully soon.

You might already know that Joshua James is one of our favorite artists around here, and his second album, Build Me This, is touching down in a matter of days. It's been a long time coming for us (who've been hearing these songs for more than 2 years), but it's close on the heels of his first record for any who've only heard it since it's national release last year. Either way, this record will probably impress any of Joshua's fans, and hopefully win him a few more.

I love James's first record, The Sun is Always Brighter, and if this blog had existed in 2007 it would have been high on our Best Albums list - but as beautiful as it is, I've always had an issue with it. You see, that record doesn't really sound like Joshua James. I mean, that's his voice and those are his songs, and that music is very very good, but live, there's an edginess and a soulfulness to James's music that somehow didn't make it onto that record. Essentially, Joshua James can rock, but the only evidence of it on Sun is the relative low-point "Our Brother's Blood" tucked back near the end of the record.

It isn't long into Build Me This that it becomes clear that this won't be an issue on this record. The first track, "Coal War", opens with foot stomps and hand claps as the only accompaniment to James singing "Ain't cuttin' my hair 'til the good Lord comes", building tension right up to the two minute mark, when the amps light up and a distorted guitar snarls through the gospel-rooted harmonies, pushing past all of the reservations James might have had on LP1. Needless to say, James shows a lot more muscle this time around.

The momentum stays high through the second track, "Magazine", then takes a breather on "Weeds" before barreling into more full-throttle rockers "Mother Mary" and "Black July". Throughout Joshua explores themes of hatred, faith, war and death; and even the record's lightest moments (i.e. "In The Middle" - a love song from a lover who's passed away) are anything but light-hearted. There isn't a bad song in the mix, though little matches the urgency of "Coal War" until a trifecta of near-perfect songs toward the end - "Daniel", a heart-wrenching tale of boys in wartime, "Pitchfork", a dreamlike ballad with a breathtakingly beautiful coda, and the live staple "Wilted Daisies", a frustrated plea from capitalism's defeated. These three songs alone would be reason enough to buy the album.

All in all, this is a fantastic sophomore achievement from an extremely talented songwriter. It's out digitally and on vinyl Tuesday, Sept. 8th, and on CD on Sept. 22nd (buy it all HERE). I don't have a song for you because, once again, we have no server - but here's a video of Joshua doing his thing, as well as a link to his myspace to take a listen. Enjoy!

Listen at Joshua James's myspace.

NEWS: Stream fun's new record on myspace

2009-08-11T08:05:00.012-04:00

I'm never sure if I'm supposed to keep the period in there or not (is it "fun" or "fun."?). Either way, it's Nate Ruess's new act, and their debut record, called Aim and Ignite, is streaming on their myspace page. You can take a listen HERE.

After my first time through it sounds like Aim and Ignite has picked up where Dog Problems left off - with plenty of brass, gospel choirs, 60's pop harmonies, Graceland-era chants, and Freddie Mercury flourishes. In short, they seem to be living up to their name. Some favorites so far are the fleshed-out version of "Benson Hedges", "Light A Roman Candle With Me" and "Barlights".

Go check it out. And in case you missed the link above... fun's myspace page.

CONCERT: The Decemberists at The Murat Theatre

2009-08-10T08:00:00.007-04:00

So our server is still down and out, and we're really sorry about that. It couldn't have happened at a worse time for Logan and I, with both of us moving/starting grad school/etc. - and we regret that we haven't been able to figure out a solution yet. There's so many great things I've wanted to post recently but haven't because of our server-limitations. Just know that we are going to figure it out. And we really will try to do it soon.

Saturday my wife took me to see The Decemberists at The Murat Theatre here in Indy (it was a late birthday present - one of the many reasons I'm in love with this woman), and I wish I had the time and/or words to describe it. I'd been excited to see them, but after the show I felt like my anticipation wasn't even near what it should have been. I knew they were performing their recent rock-opera-opus-magnum-whatever The Hazards of Love in its entirety, and I knew they had Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond on the tour to complete the albums amazing vocal trio. But I didn't really understand just what that meant until the night was over. I'll try to explain it - but if I fail, just know this: if you can, see them on this tour!

The actual Hazards of Love part of the show was fun, full of animal-morphing mischief, slashing guitar riffs, Colin Meloy sticking rigidly in character and Shara Worden conjuring up something unimaginable. This is why we'd come, and it certainly didn't disappoint. But the second half of the night is what completely won me over. After a brief intermission they re-took the stage, bantering and laughing and leading audience-sing-alongs as they tackled selections from every one of their previous albums, plus a new song called "Down By The Water" (which was, by the way, fantastic). Shara came back out to sing the female lead in "Yankee Bayonet" before the band played the worst song Colin's ever written (apparently), about Dracula's offspring. Honestly, who knew that Colin Meloy was so endearing? I sure didn't. And neither did my wife, who now has a crush on him and his quill-written word-playing.

But the best wasn't until the end of the night. Both of the Diamond girls came out to finish the set with a show-stealing cover of Heart's "Crazy On You". (I've included a video below, which is required listening.) Finally, to close out the night they wrapped up with "Sons and Daughters", complete with Chris Funk on hurdy gurdy and the entire theatre chanting "Hear all the bombs, they fade away" into the night. I think that may have been one of the best show-closing numbers I've ever seen. At least right now I can't think of any that can top it. It was that good.

So like I said. If you can, see them on this tour. And if you can't, just see them sometime. Deal? Deal.

Anyway, here's the setlist:

Set 1: The Hazards of Love (straight through)

Set 2: July July! / Billy Liar / The Sporting Life - This Charming Life (The Smiths cover) / Down By The Water (new) / The Crane Wife 3 / Yankee Bayonet (I'll Be Home Then) / Dracula's Daughter / O Valencia / Crazy On You (Heart cover)

Encore: Raincoat Song / Sons & Daughters

And the video:

VIDEO: The hope for our future

2009-07-29T13:01:00.005-04:00

No matter how bad things get, at least we all know that this kid is going to make the world a better place.

NEWS: Dodos new record for very little money!

2009-07-28T18:37:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone! Here's a post we can do without a server! Yeah!

So after the nowadays-unavoidable album leak a couple weeks ago, The Dodos streamed their new record, Time To Die in its entirety at timetodie.net so we could all enjoy the goods without the nagging guilt, and all leave the world a better place than we found it.

Well if you liked what you heard there, today you can grab the album for only $2.99 at Amazon. I know, the good news never ends. But hurry, the deal sounds like it's only good until next Tuesday. So you know, get on that.

As far as the record goes, it's a good one. I hadn't gotten around to spinning it until today, but on first listen it sounds like they've drawn a good line between what they've already mastered and what they aim to. They've largely traded in the cling and clatter of Visiter for a more mature and expansive sound, and it actually suits them. I think I might even like this one a bit more... we'll see how it fares on repeat listens.

In the meantime, you can:

Stream it here.

Buy it here. (for only $2.99!)

ARTIST: We Need Help + Monsters of Folk!

2009-07-24T10:04:00.008-04:00

So it's looking like our server problem might not get resolved. Subsequently, we're looking for an online server so we can keep sharing the music we love... which brings me to a question: do any of you out there in blog-land have any recommendations? Let us know in the comments or by email and we'll be getting this thing back up and in full-swing again soon!

In other news, here's something I'm pretty excited about - M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Yim Yames (Jim James of My Morning Jacket) are rearing to release their first record together as 'Monsters of Folk', and so far the first single is everything I'd hope it would be. You can get the track for FREE at monstersoffolk.com, and then go see them bring the folk when they roll through your town this fall.

ALBUM: The Satanic Satanist

2009-07-22T15:38:00.005-04:00

I love the anticipation of a new album.
Driving to the record store while listening to the single that floored you so many months before, refusing to download the leaked version (even though you really really want to), the excitement that you'll be listening to something new from a band you love, and then silently praying that they don't let you down.

They didn't.

Portugal. The Man's newest album The Satanic Satanist never let me down. From beginning to end it flows seamlessly, each song melding into its predecessor and successor. All this while each song still retains the power to stand under its own power. Portugal. The Man further cements their place as being the masters of crafting not just songs, but entire albums that ebb and flow with precision and without fault.

mp3: Portugal. The Man - People Say (NOTE: link goes to a free download.)
from the album The Satanic Satanist (Amazon/iTunes)

NEWS: Mason Jennings record has a name and a date

2009-07-20T08:00:00.009-04:00

Back in March we posted the good news that Mason Jennings was working on a new record that was, in his words, "on the rock side of things". Recently, in a post on the Brushfire Records website, we got some more details on the record: it's called Blood of Man and it's due out September 15th on Brushfire Records. Mason also elaborated on his move to a more plugged-in sound, which involves The Who, Christmas ornaments, and dancing children (read it here).

Mason also posted a tour announcement on his website last Tuesday (my birthday!) that went like this:

"I can't wait to get out on the road and play the new songs from Blood of Man. This batch of songs is so intensely personal, so dark, and so rocking that I am a little afraid of what will happen. That's why I am bringing out my good friends Brian McLeod on drums and Chris Morrissey on bass. I will be playing a lot of electric guitar and I can honestly say that I have no idea what will be conjured up. I only know that it will be really open, really loud and really real."

Wow. So dark? So rocking? Conjured up?! There's a bunch of good news in there - but mostly that Mason's hooking back up with his Use Your Voice-era lineup: Brian McLeod and Chris Morrissey. Honestly, I can't tell you how excited I am about that. These three probably make up my favorite live-incarnation of Mason's music - bringing the heart and soul of his music like no other backing band has been able to. Here's a clip of them bringin' it in Charlottesville, VA to demonstrate:

Also, through August 1st iTunes is offering an exclusive Mason track, benifitting the Surfrider Foundation. Go grab it.

(Thanks to Ty for the tip!)

CONCERT: The Antlers in Indy!

2009-07-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

Whoa whoa whoa. Remember when there used to be a blog here? Yeah, me too. Sorry about that. I know I said I was back at the end of June, and I was. But since being back, I packed up everything I own, drove it across the country, unpacked most of it, and started dental school in Indianapolis. We just now got our internet situation figured out. In the meantime, Logan's been back and forth to CA, figuring out his near future there, and our server has been (of course) down for the count.

So. We're trying to figure the server thing out ASAP. Until then, we'll try to post as regularly as we can - throwing up videos or something. We're not done here. Not even close.

On Wednesday night I got my first taste of Indy's music scene when my wife and I headed down to The Vollrath to see The Antlers (thanks, MOKB). Though the crowd was pretty light, the music was anything but - in fact, the amount of sheer sound this three-piece of a band made up there was pretty impressive. They covered just about all of Hospice, their recent record that's been making some waves (read our take on it HERE). Peter Silberman (who was the sole Antler until recently) was nothing but gracious all night, and had a pretty endearing stage-presence. Be sure to check them out if they're coming through your town.

Anyway, here's a video from their myspace page, because we don't have our server back yet. We'll get that figured out soon. Promise.

SONG: New A.A. Bondy

2009-06-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I'm back from my trek across Europe and all I can say is I'm tired, happy, and enjoying the ability to make bacon and eggs in the morning if I want to. Ah America.

On the music side of things, I am utterly and completely out of the loop. And that's a good thing. It's refreshing to step back every now and then, re-focus a bit, get outside the hype. I listened to almost no music over the past month, and when I did it was mostly old favorites - a lot of Bob Dylan and Mason Jennings. Well I guess that's a lie - I listened to tons of music on the trip, it just wasn't on my ipod. I heard everything from an Alleluia Band from Malawi to a Wagnerian opera in Vienna, to street performers playing Ave Maria in Munich. All of it was either free or cheap, and all of it was tremendous.

Well now I'm back and I'm not even going to worry about what I missed (my Google Reader was pretty overwhelming, so I just clicked "Mark all as read"). Two great bits of news though - I was so excited to learn that Grand Archives are set to release their follow-up to our favorite record of 2008 (Logan's got that covered HERE). I was also so excited to find that one of my most favorite artists of late, Mr. A.A. Bondy, also has a new record coming out at the end of summer, called When The Devil's Loose. I've got the title track below to get you all excited.

It's good to be back.

mp3: A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
from the album When The Devil's Loose (out Sept. 1st)

NEWS: Sub Pop Sampler

2009-06-17T12:51:00.005-04:00

This post is dedicated to anyone pursuing my internet search history who notice my recent visitation to a site titled "Sub-Pop/Cybersex."

Its not what you think (I ran into the same problem with 'Best of Bootie'), unless you're first thought was, "Wow. I bet that's an exceptional sampler of artists who appear on Seattle-based Sub Pop records."
If that's the case you're dead on my extremely perceptive friend, dead on.

I have a bit of a brand name allegiance. And I think its pretty well-founded.
An unknown album emblazoned with the Sub Pop logo will get my immediate undivided attention. They've very rarely led me astray.

Tracks:

Vetiver – Strictly Rule
Handsome Furs – I’m Confused
Mark Sultan – Hold On
Red Red Meat – Gauze
Obits – Pine On
The Vaselines – Son of a Gun
Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
Iron and Wine – Belated Promise Ring
Tiny Vipers - Dreamer
Fruit Bats – My Unusual Friend
Zak Sally – Why We Hide
Pissed Jeans – False Jesii Part 2
Grand Archives – Silver Among the Gold
Flight of the Conchords – Hurt Feeling

Download ZIP: Sub Pop Sampler (Provided so you don't have to awkwardly google 'cyber sex')

ARTIST: Fanfarlo

2009-06-10T14:52:00.005-04:00

I feel a duty to inform you of one of the greatest and most one-sided deals in music right now.
For $1, you can be the proud owner of the latest from the beautiful British band Fanfarlo.
Worth every penny. (Which is only 100! I can scrounge that out of the couch cushions right now.)
Seriously, no excuses.
Fanfarlo has recently been seeing some well-deserved buzz around the blogs. Although they are being touted as the "British Arcade Fire" (and yes, you can hear it) at times their swirling and swooning melodies and instrumentation feels more akin to Beirut (or the soundtrack of my most recent daydream).

mp3: Fanfarlo - I'm A Pilot
from the album Reservior (download for $1)

SONG: People Say

2009-06-08T09:22:00.000-04:00

Not even a full-year after Censored Colors (seriously incredible) our favorite Wasilla, AK progressive rockers, Portugal. The Man, are set to release a new album titled The Satanic Satanist on July 21st.

Having the littlest bit of a sample of this forthcoming album increases my excitement nearly ten-fold. (That little guitar riff at the beginning accounts for nearly four of the ten folds. Wow.)

And lets not overlook that besides making exciting and captivating music, Portugal. The Man really shines in the album name department. We've got The Satanic Satanist, Censored Colors, Church Mouth, and, my personal favorite, It's Complicated Being a Wizard.

mp3: Portugal. The Man - People Say
from the album The Satanic Satanist (Amazon)

NEWS: Free Coldplay

2009-06-05T02:03:00.000-04:00

If you all weren't aware already Coldplay is offering up a nifty little collection of their songs for free download as a thank you to their fans.
You're welcome Coldplay. We are pretty great.

mp3: Coldplay - Fix You
from the album LeftRightLeftRight (download)

ARTIST: Japandroids

2009-06-04T02:08:00.002-04:00

Speaking of Sasquatch.
With the Gorge really only a few hours away from our neighbors to the north there was quite the Canadian population (judging purely on how many times I heard 'out' pronounced 'oot')
And a common complaint from the Canadians next to us during the festival (besides having to drive home in the scary dark) was the disappearance of Vancouver rockers Japandroids from the festival lineup.
And having checked them out, they're something else. Something else entirely.

I've always thought I had a pretty wide taste in music, but I've come to realize that there is a lot of music out in this wide world of ours and there's a lot I don't like.
And when I first heard Japandroids' chaotic garage rock/punk style I said, "Ya, I like it, but its not really my stlye." So I immediately dismissed them. But I kept coming back and had to finally admit...I really like them. They're not my usual fare, but that doesn't stop them from being really really great.
And now having heard their whole album Post-Nothing, its pretty great. So even if "chaotic garage rock/punk" doesn't sound like you...give a go anyway. You never know.

mp3: Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
from the album Post-Nothing (Amazon/iTunes)

CONCERT: Sasquatch '09

2009-06-02T13:51:00.001-04:00

I don't even know where to begin. (And by the length of this post, I don't know when to stop either.)
Except maybe to say, "Never forget your camera."
Followed by, "Don't stand too close to the guy with no pants."

Two adages I learned the hard way this year at the Sasquatch Music Festival.

Right now I'm in some pretty dire financial straits and in the weeks leading up to Sasquatch the $60 some odd dollars I spent on my one-day Saturday ticket months before seemed ill-advised. ($60 can purchase a fair number of Hot and Ready pizzas. 12 before taxes.)

Then the prospect of driving from Provo to the Gorge was pretty daunting. We've had a lot of good memories Idaho, but driving through your southern portion...not one of them. I only stopped to go to the bathroom there. Seemed like a fitting tribute...

At the Gorge I started thinking of the full day I was about to endure in the hot sun, craning my neck for a better view, all the while avoiding having the drunk co-eds who sneaked alcohol in plastic baggies stuffed into their bikini tops (point for creativity) from vomiting on me. I became prematurely exhausted and muttered to myself, "Maybe I'm getting too old for this stuff." (For the record, I'm 25)

So that was my attitude going into this. Pretty crappy. (And $10 for a personal pizza didn't help my already cash-strapped self)

Then the music started and 800 miles suddenly seemed like nothing. A paltry distance to travel for what I was suddenly seeing and hearing.

I forgot about the sun, I forgot about the heat, and I forgot that I really didn't have the money to be there, but I was reminded why I love music.
I was entranced. I simply could not believe that there were people not fixed 100% on the stage. Were they not hearing what I was hearing or did they simply want pleasant background music to enjoy their $9 beer?

Why I love music and who reminded me of that love...playlist style.

How much crazy fun can music be? Whatever the answer is to that question Animal Collective is pushing that. They turned it up to '11'
mp3: Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

The Hazards of Love from beginning to end. Simply astounding. The Rake Song blew me away. Heck, the whole thing blew me away. (And as though you need any other reason to see them, they're touring with Blind Pilot. Another festival fave.)
mp3: The Decemberists - The Rake Song
mp3: Blind Pilot - Oviedo

The Kings of Leon were always meant to play the Gorge. Their huge arena rock sound deserves to be played at such venues. This song has been played in the back of my mind since. ("...given the chance I'm gonna be somebody. If for one dance I'm gonna be somebody.")
mp3: Kings of Leon - Be Somebody

And at the top of everything. The King of Whisper Rock and the Queen of the Taiga. Breathtakingly beautiful.
mp3: Bon Iver - Flume

Thanks for reading.

ALBUM: Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear

2009-05-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Basically, this record really is as good as everyone says it is. There you go. That's it.

I'm not a die-hard Grizzly Bear fan, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anticipating this album. Yellow House didn't floor me like it did others, though it did have some profoundly beautiful moments. No, Grizzly Bear didn't floor me until a year ago when they performed their then-new song, "While You Wait For The Others" on Morning Becomes Eclectic. That song grabbed me by the collar and refused to let go. I listened to it almost incessantly, and began waiting for a cleaner studio version. Then came "Two Weeks" earlier this year, and my interest was more than just piqued. Well, the rest of the album has arrived, and it's exactly what I'd hoped. Right from the first orchestral swells of "Southern Point" to end of the angelic "Foreground", it's just beautifully conceived and pristinely produced chamber pop. Like I said, it actually is as good as everyone says it is.

Here's the track that converted me, now in it's finalized glory.

mp3: Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
from the album Veckatimest (Amazon/iTunes)

ARTIST: Cymbals Eat Guitars

2009-05-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

Cymbals Eat Guitars are making some waves right now, and rightly so. This threesome is making some considerable wave-making music.

I used a song of theirs yesterday in our Indiana post, and it's just one of several great tracks off their independently released debut, Why There Are Mountains. In the album's first few minutes, their propensity for making noise might remind you of some early Modest Mouse, and their sheer intensity might call to mind At The Drive In (remember them?!). But this group is all about surprises, and they won't stay cornered for long. As the record's nine tracks unfold, elements of shoegaze, jazz, and even pop color the jagged sound-scape, with lots and lots of sonic surprises (think YHF and A Ghost is Born-era Wilco, but with more muscle). It would be easy for these guys to come off as a bit esoteric if it weren't for the un-adulterated hooks and melodies that weave in and out of all their songs. Every single one has what I call a "perk-up" moment, the kind that makes me stop what I'm doing and just listen. This is good stuff.

And by the way, their sound is just half of Cymbal Eats Guitars' talent. I was actually the most impressed with them after reading some of their lyrics. Basically, there's a lot to love here, above and below the surface. Enjoy.

mp3: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wind Phoenix (Proper Name)
from the album Why There Are Mountains (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: River by Akron/Family

2009-05-28T13:00:00.001-04:00

This song by Akron/Family is really really good. The record is called Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free and it's also really really good. I'm planning on writing more, but I may not be able to get to it before the move. So here's the basics: the record's good. You should check it out. More to follow.

mp3: Akron/Family - River
from the album Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: Patrick Wolf "Hard Times"

2009-05-28T01:28:00.006-04:00

I've delved a little bit into glam rock as of late.
My interest was spurned by Okkervil River's fantastic ode to Bruce Wayne Campbell (better known as Jobriath) and continued onto other acts like David Bowie, The New York Dolls, and even Twisted Sister.
I don't know what hooked me. The larger than life characters these musicians create or their often times larger than life music?
And its fun to see that the spirit of those artists are still alive, most notably embodied within Patrick Wolf.
Want a crash course in glam rock? This is glam rock. Enjoy.

mp3: Patrick Wolf - Accident & Emergency
from the album The Magic Position (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #19: Indiana

2009-05-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

This is a very special post in our SING THE STATES series. You see, on Friday I'll be moving away from Utah forever, and after spending a month in Europe with only my wife and a backpack, I'll be moving to our new home... in Indiana!

So you can see why this is a big deal.

Indiana was the 19th state to the Union, and of the lower 48, Indiana is the smallest state west of the Appalachians. Indiana is pretty well known for its sports traditions - the Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis Colts (NFL), the Indiana Pacers (NBA). According to wikipedia, "Residents of Indiana are known as Hoosiers. Although many stories are told, the origin of the term is unknown". The mystery! I can't wait!

Considered the "Cross Roads of America", Indiana has more miles of Interstate Highway per square mile than any other state. Its name means "Land of the Indians", even though there are less than 8,000 Native Americans living there today. And did you know that the Saturday Evening Post is published in Indianapolis? I sure didn't.

To be honest, I've only been to Indiana once, and that was only for a weekend. I really don't know what to expect, but a lot of my feelings can be summed up in this post by my wife (especially the part about the popsicles everywhere). It's going to be an adventure. And to celebrate, Indiana is the only state so far that gets two tracks awarded it. One is Tom Waits' "Gun Street Girl" because it was on my original list and I love it. The other is "Indiana" by the absolutely fantastic Cymbals Eat Guitars, because I couldn't not post such a great song. Look for more on them soon. Viva la Indiana!

Also considered: Tom Petty - Mary Jane's Last Dance; Sonny Marshall - South Bend, Indiana

mp3: Tom Waits - Gun Street Girl
from the album Rain Dogs (Amazon/iTunes)

mp3: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Indiana
from the album Why There Are Mountains (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

ARTIST: Booker T.

2009-05-26T11:49:00.002-04:00

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend, we definitely did. Logan spent the bulk of his on the road to go see some amazing acts at the Sasquatch Music Festival in Washington (I'm sure he'll be filling you in later), while I spent my last weekend in Utah camping in Arches National Park. Although it started off a bit rocky, it ended up a pretty amazing weekend. We didn't get in until around 1 on Saturday morning, so we spent a rainy night four-deep in the bed of my friend's pick-up and wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into. Fortunately, Saturday was perfect, and we spent the day hiking several of Utah's famed arches and off-roading in Moab's sand flats (we even did the "surprising" Fins & Things). To finish the day we camped on the edge of a beautiful cliff beyond the flats, just across from an impromptu waterfall (due to the sudden rains) - it couldn't have been more perfect.

One thing I learned this weekend is that Booker T.'s new album with the Drive By Truckers makes the PERFECT off-roading soundtrack. If you're not familiar, Booker T. and the MG's were an instrumental outfit in the 60's and 70's that fused rock and soul into one big awesome sound. On this record, called Potato Hole, Booker T. brings his trademark organ to the mix, and the DBT's bring their trademark dirty Southern rock. And the result? Like I said, it's great off-roading music. Here's a little Outkast-inspired taste to see if it's up your alley.

mp3: Booker T. & the DBT's - Hey Ya
from the album Potato Hole (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: The Cold War Kids get interactive

2009-05-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

Ok this is fun. Those Cold War Kids have gone and made an interactive video for their song "I've Seen Enough", and it's kind of great. The film was directed by Sam Jones (he did Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart), and has four distinct versions of the song that the viewer can switch between or mute altogether. Mix and match! Like I said, it's actually pretty fun. Check it out at mtvmusic.com.

And here's the regular (un-interactive) version:

ARTIST: The Sound Of Arrows

2009-05-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

About a week ago I got an email from my friend James filling me in on a bunch of scandinavien artists he's been listening to lately. There were a bunch of names on the list I'd never heard of, so needless to say, I was pretty excited to dive in. Well, I've been thrilled with most all of them, so you can expect to see them popping up here soon.

Anyways, this is one of my favorites from my new "JAMES SUGGESTS" playlist. The Sound of Arrows hooked me right from the first few seconds of their song "M.A.G.I.C." and have had me smiling wide ever since. I mean, how could you not? This is just a "smile wide" kind of song. The kind that has me shamelessly car-dancing with the windows down, and not even caring! Seriously. Not even caring. This is fantastic.

mp3: The Sound of Arrows - M.A.G.I.C.
from the M.A.G.I.C. EP (iTunes)

SING THE STATES #18: Louisiana

2009-05-20T22:29:00.001-04:00

Did you know that Louisiana is also known as "New France"? Seriously. Wikipedia told me so. What else have I learned recently about the 18th state to join the Union? Well let me tell you: It's the only state that's divided into parishes instead of counties. It was named after King Louis XIV, and was originally called the "Land of Louis" in French. The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the state dog. It's home to "The Frog Capital of the Word", "The Crawdad Capital of the World", and "The Most Cajun Place on Earth". In addition to the Creole, jazz, and blues music we all know and love, Louisiana's also home to Zydeco, an accordian-driven brand of Southern folk music that's often still sung in Creole French. Also, Better Than Ezra is from Louisiana. (That's for you Kristin!)

Our song for the state that looks like a stocking is from The Walkmen, who need little introduction. These guys from New York make the kind of music that sounds like its been tutored by just about every major American musical movement from the 20's onward. This song in particular could be an old sepia-tone photograph from the South, with its sauntering bayou beat, lazy-summertime guitar, and mariachi brass. Enjoy!

Also considered: Muddy Waters - Louisiana Blues; Mason Jennings - Going Back to New Orleans; Portugal. The Man - New Orleans; R.E.M. - New Orleans Instrumental No. 1

mp3: The Walkmen - Louisiana
from the album A Hundred Miles Off (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

PLAYLIST: Twilight Concert Series in SLC

2009-05-20T10:51:00.012-04:00

I give you this year's Twilight Concert Series. Remember, all of these concerts are outdoors and FREE.

July 9:
Bon Iver - mp3: For Emma (from The Myspace Transmissions)
Jenny Lewis - mp3: Acid Tongue

July 16:
The Black Keys - mp3: Wicked Messenger (Bob Dylan cover)
Human Highway

July 23:
M. Ward - mp3: Chinese Translation
Land of Talk

July 30:
Sonic Youth - mp3: Sacred Trickster
Awesome Color

August 6:
Q-Tip
B.o.B.

August 13:
Toots & The Maytals - mp3: True Love is Hard to Find (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
N.A.S.A.'s Intergalactic Circus

August 20:
Iron & Wine - mp3: The Devil Never Sleeps (demo)
Okkervil River - mp3: Pop Lie

August 27:
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears - mp3: Sugarfoot

Too bad I have to be at school, in INDIANA, on July 7th, two days before all this amazing-ness starts. Talk about bad planning.

ALSO: The Iron & Wine song I included above is from an EP of acoustic demos he's giving away for free on his site. Go grab it.

NEWS: Stream The Rest's Everyone All At Once

2009-05-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

A couple months back we wrote a pretty glowing review of The Rest's new album Everyone All At Once. If you haven't read it yet, here's a summary: it's good. Like really good. Like so good you should go listen to it right now because it's streaming on their myspace page. That's all. You know what to do.

mp3: The Rest - Walk On Water (Auspicious Beginngins)
from the album Everyone All At Once (buy it at Auteur Recordings)

ARTIST: Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

2009-05-19T10:00:00.002-04:00

So I've put Dent May on a couple of playlists now and I feel like I might owe you all an explanation. I'm kind of loving this guy. His debut album was recently released on Paw Tracks, and it's essentially lounge music with a ukulele, sung with a Jens Lekman-like croon and a whole bunch of tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Some of the humor doesn't quite break out of the ironic hipster realm, but most of the music sure does, with arrangements that are both comical and legitimately entertaining. That's about it. You should check him out (especially if you're in the Salt Lake area tomorrow night - he's playing at Kilby Court).

mp3: Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele - Girls On The Square
from the album The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele (Amazon/iTunes)

mp3: Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele - You Can't Force A Dance Party
from the album The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele (Amazon/iTunes)

NEWS: The Antlers sign to Frenchkiss

2009-05-18T11:13:00.010-04:00

Remember that record we wrote about a few months ago by The Antlers? Well if you don't, go check it out. It's a pretty stunning work of both narrative and sonic proportions, enveloping a heart-wrenching tale of illness and alienation in between some of the most subtly beautiful melodies and starkest soundscapes I've heard in awhile.

Well the band, headed by Peter Silberman, has signed to Frenchkiss Records and Hospice is getting a formal release, digitally June 16th and physically August 18th. The whole thing's been remastered, and the band assures "there shall be vinyl."

About the record Silberman says, "Hospice came from the idea of caring for a terminal patient who's mentally abusive to you. You don't have the right to argue with them, either, beacause they're the one who's dying here; they're the one who's been dealt a wrong hand. So you take it, but you can only take so much. Eventually, you realize that this person is just destroying you."

It's not light listening for sure, but the subject matter makes for an engrossing experience that isn't soon forgotten. The song below isn't from the record, but from last year's self released New York Hospitals EP, that actually introduces one of Hospice's key characters (I suspect Sylvia's the terminally ill patient), as well as one of Hospice's key melodic themes. Enjoy.

mp3: The Antlers - Sylvia (An Introduction)
from the New York Hospitals EP

SING THE STATES #17: Ohio

2009-05-18T10:00:00.007-04:00

Ohio's the second state on our list I've lived in, and despite all of the non-love places like Cleveland are getting lately, I've got a lot of fond feelings for the Buckeye State. It became the 17th state admitted into the Union on March 1st, 1803, and has lived a long and rich history since then. It was the first state to use a traffic light (in Cleveland), to use police cars (in Akron), and to have a professional city fire department (in Cincinnati). It was also the birthplace of the hot-dog. Ohio's home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (which is absolutely worth a visit), and is the birthplace of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who are credited with making manned heavier-than-air flight possible. In addition to that, the Wright brothers have caused one of the most famous license-plate-slogan battles in U.S. history - as they were born in Ohio and did much of their development work there, but actually tested their famed glider in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Now the license plates of both states try to lay hold to their legacy (see below). You be the judge.

All license-plate feuds aside though, Ohio's great.

Our song for Ohio is a classic by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Neil Young wrote it in response to the Kent State shootings in 1970, and it subsequently became a rallying call for those who were appalled with the incident and the current administration. Young sings "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming" referring to the Ohio National Guard (who shot the unnarmed student protesters) and the then-current U.S. President, Richard Nixon. Crosby later said that Young keeping Nixon's name in the lyrics was "the bravest thing I ever heard." Even almost 40 years later, the song remains a powerful and haunting reminder of the tragic event.

Also considered: Modest Mouse - Ohio; Limbeck - In Ohio On Some Steps; The Band - Look Out Cleveland; Neal Casal - Cincinnati Motel; The Presidents of the United States of America - Cleveland Rocks! (Drew Carey Show theme)

mp3: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio
from the album So Far (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

ARTIST: Solid Gold

2009-05-16T12:34:00.009-04:00

Welcome to the first installment of our new Sing the Elements project!

Ok, not really. Chris just has so much fun with his States project that I'm a little jealous. Although there are a lot of artists and songs with elements in their names and titles - so who knows what the future holds? (Answer: The future does not hold a Sing the Elements project.) The most notable artist in my life right now that also appears on the periodic table is the smooth and synthy Solid Gold.

This trio from Minneapolis will get you moving. (If you can dance. I can't so it just makes me wish I could move it.) This album is like your own little self-contained dance party. But what I love and what makes it stand out above the rest is so beautifully summed up in the opening lines of their song Synchronize, "Give me something real." Ya, there's a lot of synth but its got some real meat to it. It feels like real music instead of a shallow reconstruction of blips and beeps.

mp3: Solid Gold - Get Over It
from the album Bodies of Water (Amazon/iTunes)

ALBUM: Manners by Passion Pit

2009-05-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

After a couple weeks of listening to Manners, the debut album from Passion Pit, I've got to admit I'm really enjoying it. It's not earth-shattering, but that's not too surprising to me. While last year's much-hyped-about "Sleepyhead" was worthy of all the praise it received, I was never very impressed with the rest of the Chunk of Change EP it appeared on - and I never quite understood everyone's anticipation for their full-length. If they couldn't put together an EP's worth of great songs, why should they be able to put together an album's worth?

Well the album's here (not officially - it's out May 19th), and I've been enjoying it a whole lot more than Chunk of Change made me think I would. The bad news is that the middle third of the record drags a bit and "Sleepyhead" is still the best song on here - but the good news is that there are a whole slew of close seconds to "Sleepyhead"s greatness, including "Little Secrets", "Moth's Wings" and "Let Your Love Grow Tall". Even when they're not at their best, these guys still have a like-ableness that seems to stem from their sheer wide-eyed dorkiness, and that alone makes this album a winner for me. All in all, there are definitely enough high points to buy the album, especially if you were salivating over last year's offering. And even if you weren't.

mp3: Passion Pit - Little Secrets
from the album Manners (Amazon)

mp3: Passion Pit - Moth's Wings
from the album Manners (Amazon)

PLAYLIST: We're on the radio!

2009-05-14T10:00:00.008-04:00

WiAC's on the radio! As part of Break Thru Radio's weekly Anatomy of a Blogger series, they're streaming a radio show featuring us and a few tracks we've picked out for you over at their website. You'll have to sit through a little of our awkward banter, but we think the music makes up for it. Enjoy!

To listen, go HERE. The player's on the left side of the screen and looks like the one below:

You can either scroll down and find the Anatomy of a Blogger program in the list, or click "Program Guide", and then click on the Anatomy of a Blogger program from Thursday's schedule.

So go have a listen and let us know if we have a future in online radio. Or if we should just stick to blogging, let us know too. We can take it.

Here's the playlist (with a few mp3's):
mp3: Phoenix - 1901
Dent May - Meet Me In The Garden (post)
mp3: Mates of State - Now
mp3: Grand Archives - Miniature Birds
mp3: Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Harlem Shakes - Sunlight (post)
mp3: Patrick Park - Here We Are
Charles Spearin - Anna (post)
Phoenix - Lisztomania
mp3: M. Ward - Jailbird
Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree (post)
mp3: Jason Collett - Out Of Time
Grand Archives - Index Moon
Robyn Hitchcock - Up To Our Nex (post)
The New Pornographers - Failsafe
mp3: Mason Jennings - Drinking As Religion

A few of these we've featured on some recent posts, so I put the links on instead of re-posting the mp3's. Also, they cut out of the show one of my favorite tracks by Mason Jennings so I included it on the end. Enjoy!

NEWS: Wilco (the album stream)

2009-05-13T15:55:00.005-04:00

Wilco (the band) is now streaming Wilco (the album) on Wilco (the website), nearly a month and a half before it's official release! We've been hearing Wilco (the song) for awhile, but now we can finally hear the rest of the hump-backed record in all it's eponymous glory. Despite the goofy cover art it seems to follow fairly closely in Sky Blue Sky's footsteps, keeping it pretty mellow overall, with lots of opportunities to show off Nels Cline's noodling, and at least one chance to show off some Feist (see "You and I"). First impressions? It's good.

Stream it HERE.

ALBUM: The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin

2009-05-12T14:00:00.004-04:00

I've been sitting at my computer trying to figure out what I'm going to write about this record and I just can't think of anything that fits. Everything I've come up with so far has either been lame, or so lionizing that you'd probably dismiss it out-right. So I've just decided to describe, as simply as possible, what Charles Spearin has done here, and then let the music speak for itself.

So here's the facts: About a year ago Charles Spearin (Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think) started informally interviewing his Toronto neighbors about what made them happy. Then he took those recorded interviews, mined the sound of their voices for melodies and rhythm, and arranged them into songs that matched not just their audible cadences, but the spirit of what they'd shared. The Happiness Project is what resulted.

"All of the melodies on this album are the melodies of everyday life." - Charles Spearin

HERE is a video you should watch. It's a look at the record as a whole and an interview with Spearin on how it was made. This album is one of the most profoundly beautiful pieces of music I've heard in a really long time.

Tracklist (stream the whole thing HERE):
1. Mrs. Morris
2. Anna
3. Vittoria
4. Vanessa
5. Marisa
6. Ondine
7. Mr. Gowrie
8. Mrs. Morris (reprise)

mp3: Charles Spearin - Anna
from The Happiness Project (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #16: Tennessee

2009-05-12T11:00:00.008-04:00

Last week my good friend Ian was driving cross-country and sent me this text from the road: "At some point soon you NEED to go to Nashville. I seriously am in love with this state." Why? "The vibe. And the old businesses and buildings. And the fact that James Taylor [is here]." Well, I don't know what else to add to that really. We all just need to go to Nashville. Deal? Deal.

Here's some random things you probably didn't know about Tennessee: Nashville's Grand Ole Opry is the longest continually running live radio show in history, broadcasting every Friday and Saturday night since 1925. The biggest earthquake in US history was in Tennessee (not California), creating Reelfoot Lake in 1811-12. Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union, and was the first to be re-admitted. Tennessee is neighbor to 8 other states (tied with Missouri for the most neighborly). Also, James Taylor was in Tennessee last week.

Our song for Tennessee is by our local favorite Joshua James, and I think the song does a pretty good job of representing the state. It's got plenty of harmonica, pedal steel, and twang, along with Joshua's understated (but still affecting) voice. He's got a new record coming out in the next couple months called Build Me This, so be looking out for that. It's gunna be grand. And if you haven't yet, pick up his first record or his latest EP HERE.

Also considered: Mason Jennings - Memphis, Tennessee; Ryan Adams - Tennessee Sucks; Whiskeytown - Tennessee Square

mp3: Joshua James - Tennessee
unreleased

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

NEWS: WiAC on Break Thru Radio!

2009-05-11T10:00:00.003-04:00

Hey this is exciting! The good folks over at Break Thru Radio are going to be featuring our humble blog all this week as part of their Anatomy of a Blogger program. They're publishing a post of ours each day this week, starting today with our post on Pree, the charming little act out of DC (go to "Articles", then "Blogger of the Week" to see it, or go HERE).

Then on Thursday they'll be streaming a radio show featuring us and a bunch of bands we picked out for you. So check back each day and we'll keep you posted...

mp3: Wilco - Radio Cure
from the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (iTunes)

mp3: Shugo Tokumaru - La La Radio
from the album EXIT (iTunes)

NEWS: Josh Ritter re-releases Golden Age of Radio

2009-05-08T10:00:00.002-04:00

Wow. We dropped the ball on this one guys. It's no secret that we here at WiAC have a considerable man-crush on the Idahoan balladier, Josh Ritter - and we'd usually like to consider ourselves on top of any news Ritter-related. But alas, this news is about 3 weeks late. Sorry about that guys. Anyways. Here's the details:

Josh is re-releasing his fantastic 2002 album, Golden Age of Radio, which includes a second disc of recently recorded acoustic versions of the entire album, plus 2 b-sides, plus 2 remixes by The Submarines Jason Dragonetti (these are especially good), PLUS a full color booklet and 2 homevideos, including one of Glen Hansard performing "Me & Jiggs". So basically, this isn't your typical slapped together "not-so-deluxe deluxe edition" scam. This is something I'm going to buy. And you should too.

You can stream the entire thing for free HERE, as well as grab a free mp3 of the title track. And to make up for our slacking, here's some Josh Ritter tracks that I sort of adore. Enjoy!

mp3: Josh Ritter - Rumors (Off-Broadway Remix by Jason Dragonetti)

mp3: Josh Ritter - Vapour Trail
from the album The Cake Sale (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: The National on Jimmy Fallon

2009-05-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

I know, I know - two posts on The National in just two days. But this is pretty great.

And yes, there was a little Nico Muhly in there.

SING THE STATES #15: Kentucky

2009-05-07T10:00:00.003-04:00

Did you know that no-one knows for sure how Kentucky got its name? This is according to wikipedia: "The origin of Kentucky's name has never been definitively identified, though some theories have been debunked. For example, Kentucky's name is unlikely to mean "dark and bloody ground" as is commonly believed, because it does not occur with that meaning in any known Native American language. The most likely etymology is that it comes from an Iroquoian word for "meadow" or "prairie". Other possibilities also exist: the suggestion of early Kentucky pioneer George Rogers Clark that the name means "the river of blood", a Wyandot name meaning "land of tomorrow", a Shawnee term possibly referring to the head of a river, or an Algonquian word for a river bottom." It's funny that it could either be The River of Blood or Land of Tomorrow. I mean, they seem pretty fundamentally different in their outlook on the state. I don't know. I think my vote is for River Bottom.

Musically, Kentucky is best known for its bluegrass music - it's home to the annual Festival of Bluegrass, as well as the father of bluegrass himself, Bill Monroe. Though you'd never know it from reading this blog, Logan and I both have a real soft spot for bluegrass music, and therefor a soft spot for Kentucky. And did you know that "Happy Birthday To You" was also written by a pair of sisters from Lousiville, Kentucky? Crazy.

Our song on the list isn't bluegrass (I thought I'd spare you all), but it does have some good Southern bar-room twang to it. It's called "Postcard From Kentucky" and it's by Rocky Votolato, a Texas native by way of Seattle. He makes alt-country/folk/rock music and he's especially notable around these parts due to his regular stops in Provo, UT at our proud local venue, The Velour. Enjoy!

Also considered: Lovefingers - Kentucky; Elvis Presley - Blue Moon Of Kentucky; Manson Family Picnic - Kentucky Waltz

Rocky Votolato - Postcard from Kentucky
from the album The Brag & The Cuss (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

SONG(s): New Songs From The National

2009-05-06T11:31:00.014-04:00

A huge thanks to nyctaper for recording The National's set at the Dark Was The Night benefit concert in NYC last Sunday. The National played two brand new songs, along with "Slow Show" and "Up Around The Bend" (their submission to the Dark Was The Night comp). For the full set, or to get the flac audio files, go HERE. To buy the fantastic Dark Was The Night album, go HERE. The songs are pretty amazing, and show off a bit of a different side for Matt Berninger & co. (i.e. the guitar solo in Vanderlylle Cry Baby - love it. UPDATE: apparently that's Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on the guitar there. I love it more). Enjoy.

(Thanks to stereogum for the pic.)

The National - England (Live at Radio City, NYC 5/3/09)

The National - Vanderlylle Cry Baby (Live at Radio City, NYC 5/3/09)

And as a bonus, here's two more new tunes from The National recorded at Carnegie Hall back in February. The sound quality isn't as good as the two above, but the songs are solid, and you can still get a sense of all the orchestration involved. These four songs, along with their work on Dark Was The Night and the Score! comp all seem to point to one thing -- The National's next record is gonna be tight, yo.

The National - Karamazov (Live at Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/3/09)

The National - Wake Up Your Saints (Live at Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/3/09)

ALBUM: The Silver City by Jeremy Messersmith

2009-05-05T14:00:00.002-04:00

I included a track from Jeremy Messersmith's album The Silver City on our Sing The States post for Virginia, but I've been enjoying the record so much I need to give it its own post altogether.

It's a loose concept album inspired by the real Silver City of Minneapolis, where Messersmith calls home. He explores the city through the stories of those who travel to and from it each day, making their daily commutes seem a little more mystical in his re-telling. While it's not a strict concept album, the songs are surprisingly cohesive and the record plays with an almost story-like arc as we follow his characters in and out of the city. There's also a strong vehicular theme, with songs called "The Commuter", "The Skyway", and "Light Rail", and lyrics like "The funny thing about planes, cars, trucks and bullet-trains is they'll take you places, yeah". He seems to be fascinated by what brings his characters to the city literally as well as figuratively.

Stylistically, Messersmith often wears his influences on his sleeve, and you could almost match each song with who inspired it. "Dead End Job" is The Shins a la Oh, Inverted World, "Franklin Avenue" is spot-on Elliott Smith, "The Commuter" is fellow mid-western balladier Sufjan Stevens, and "Light Rail" is late-era Beatles. Despite this, his songwriting is solid and the songs are well crafted and thoughtfully executed. While he still has some growing to do stylistically, he's already accomplished that most elusive thing in music, and that is to write honest and affecting songs. I'd be willing to bet this is one of the best albums you missed last year.

Jeremy Messersmith - Franklin Avenue
from the album The Silver City (Amazon/iTunes)

Jeremy Messersmith - Miracles
from the album The Silver City (Amazon/iTunes)

ARTIST: Tinted Windows

2009-05-05T10:00:00.002-04:00

Ok, so you might have heard of the supposed-supergroup Tinted Windows, made up of Taylor Hanson (of MMMBop fame), guitarist James Iha (from The Smashing Pumpkins), bassist Adam Schlesinger (from Fountains of Wayne), and drummer Bun E. Carlos (from Cheap Trick). I'll be honest, after laughing at the absurd-sounding collaboration, I didn't even bother listening to them - I mean, there's really no chance I'd like anything they're making. C'mon.

Well, I just happened to stumble on these videos of them performing on some show I've never heard of (with a ridiculously awkward host), and I must have been bored or something, because I watched them. And you know what? I don't hate them.

Ok, so what do you think? I mean the songs are pretty much fluff, but I was expecting that. They're obviously not gunning for anything too weighty - but the songs are hooky and pretty rockin', and the music sounds pretty close to the 90's power-pop I loved in junior high. Basically, I thought they're pretty fun despite myself, and that was worth writing about. The funny thing to me is that with Taylor Hanson heading the group you'd think there might be some heart-throb potential there, but I just don't see that happening with Carlos (who's close to 60) jamming right behind him. But who knows.

Also, happy Cinco De Mayo you guys.

SONG: French Navy

2009-05-04T10:00:00.001-04:00

Camera Obscura's latest record, My Maudlin Career, has got me pretty well under its spell. Especially this song. The strings, the dramatic stops, Tracyanne Campbell's hopeless romantics - it's all here. And it's got a pretty adorable video too, especially for someone who's planning on backpacking Europe this summer...

If you like this one, check out the album. It's a pretty great one from these Scottish retro-poppers.

Camera Obscura - French Navy
from the album My Maudlin Career (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #14: Vermont

2009-05-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

On March 4th, 1791, Vermont became the 14th state to join the Union. After looking around for something to post about it, I decided I couldn't top this description from Wikipedia:

"The state is noted for its scenery and dairy products. It is the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States. The state capital is Montpelier, and the largest city and metropolitan area is Burlington. No other state has a largest city as small as Burlington, or a capital city as small as Montpelier."

So Vermont is known for its scenery, milk, and smallish biggest-places? Thanks Wikipedia. It's also the home of Ben & Jerry's, the hippie-beloved jam-band Phish, and was the very last state to get a Wal-Mart (they held out until 1996 - way to go Vermont). In another slap to Corporate America, Montpelier is also the only state capital to not have a McDonald's in it. I've never been, but I think I'd like Vermont.

Representing the Green Mountain State is The Magnetic Fields with "Long Vermont Roads", one of many odes to roads off 1994's The Charm of the Highway Strip. It's vintage Magnetic Fields, with Stephin Merritt's distinct bass singing voice floating in a sea of synthesizers, and plenty of silly-yet-still-affecting lyrics like "Your eyes are long Vermont roads with a tacky song on the radio, and your eyes are toothless young men in Tennessee in the rain again." Enjoy!

Also considered: Willie Nelson - Moonlight in Vermont; Ferraby Lionheart - Vermont Avenue; Ed's Redeeming Qualities - Christmas in Vermont

The Magnetic Fields - Long Vermont Roads
from the album The Charm of the Highway Strip (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

MONTHLY MIXTAPE: APRIL

2009-04-30T23:44:00.013-04:00

So I think we're gonna start putting together a mixtape at the end of each month. It'll be made up of some of the stuff that's been rocking our cubicle. Here's the first one.

mp3: Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele - Meet Me In The Garden
mp3: The Henry Clay People - You Can Be Timeless
mp3: The Boy Least Likely To - Every Goliath Has Its David
mp3: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
mp3: M. Ward - To Save Me (with Jason Lytle)
mp3: Andrew Bird - Heretics (early version)
mp3: Matt & Kim - Lessons Learned
mp3: The National & St. Vincent - Sleep All Summer (Crooked Fingers cover)
mp3: Neko Case - I'm An Animal
mp3: Noisettes - When You Were Young (Killers cover) Live

ARTIST: Winter Gloves

2009-04-30T02:38:00.007-04:00

A quick search through Wikipedia and you'll discover that gloves have a rich and varied history. (Who knew gloves even had a history? Gotta use that history degree somehow I guess, might as well study gloves.)
Baseball, boxing, work, driving, and falconry. What do these all have in common. Gloves...and gloves make the world great.

Why the glove talk? Just a way to lead into my favorite gloves as of late - Winter Gloves. Not the seasonal variety of hand-coverings, but rather the addictive Montreal-based band.
Just a great combination of synthy-pop beats, driving bass, and catchy lyrics that one minute have you dancing ("Let Me Drive") and the next minute have you relaxing to beautiful harmonies in what can be described as easy listening. ("Piano 4 Hands")
And the Winter Gloves pull it off. Their debut album, About a Girl isn't a bunch of strong dance songs with some mediocre slow material interspersed, but a solid album through and through. If you missed their fantastic video for the album's lead single, check it out HERE.

Oh and Chris failed to mention in his New York post that Gloversville, NY is a world center for glove manufacturing. (An unfortunate oversight that is being corrected here.)

Winter Gloves - Let Me Drive
from the album About a Girl (Amazon/iTunes)

ALBUM: Together Through Life by Bob Dylan

2009-04-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

So the verdict is in. I love the new Bob Dylan record. The cover tried to dissuade me, shake my confidence - but in the end, as always, the music won out.

It's short and swingin', clocking in at just over 45 minutes. It's songs are straight-forward, almost jovial, and sound like the soundtrack to a dusty southwestern highway. And I love it. Where Time Out Of Mind was fresh and brilliant, and Modern Times was brooding and introspective, Together Through Life is just plain old romantic. While lighthearted is definitely not the right word, there is a liveliness to these songs that hasn't been as apparent in Dylan's latest work - and I can't help thinking that this is the perfect addendum to the weighty trilogy of albums that opened this phase of his career.

The songs are smart, striking, often funny, and still as relevant as ever. His band is solid, and not unlike Scarlet Rivera's violin that peppered Dylan's 1976 album Desire, David Hidalgo's accordian winds in and out of every song, filling the nooks and crannies between Dylan's husky singing voice. Add to that some blues guitar, barroom piano, and a chugging rhythm section, and you've got yourself a great record. Favorites include: "Beyond Here Lies Nothin", "If You Ever Go To Houston", "I Feel A Change Comin' On", and "It's All Good".

Bob Dylan - I Feel A Change Comin' On
from the album Together Through Life (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: Up To Our Nex

2009-04-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

While I'm still warming up to the album as a whole, Track 7 from Robyn Hitchcock's Goodnight Oslo is kind of my favorite thing right now. It's called "Up To Our Nex". And I love it.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - Up To Our Nex
from the album Goodnight Oslo (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: Decemberists v. Colbert: Round 2

2009-04-28T17:53:00.004-04:00

WARNING: When Shara Worden started singing Chris kind of died and felt weak at the knees. So take precaution.

I know there are a lot of you that are still on the fence about the Decemberists' latest The Hazards of Love. I think its fantastic.
And I hope this little performance they did for Stephen Colbert will convince a few of you of the majesty that is this album and the power that is the Decemberists.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes in Waves

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Gay Marriage Commercial

ARTIST: Goodtimes Goodtimes

2009-04-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Last week I included a song by the talented Goodtimes Goodtimes in our "Snow Is Gone" playlist, and was excited to get an email afterwords announcing their plans to release an EP in the near future.

We originally wrote about Goodtimes Goodtimes (which is essentially Franc Cinelli) about a year ago after his debut album Glue was released (read that post HERE). While his music could be lumped in with the likes of several Bob Dylan aspirers, his knack for writing cheerful ditties like the ones below set him apart a bit. The music keeps a buoyancy worthy of Franc's moniker, and assuming the EP sees daylight soon, it'll make a perfect summer soundtrack.

Here are two tracks from the upcoming release, first the title track "Let It Begin", and second a finished version of one of my favorite Goodtimes Goodtimes tracks to date, "For All My Kingdom". You can also check out a video for "Let It Begin" below. Enjoy!

Goodtimes Goodtimes - Let It Begin
from the upcoming Let It Begin EP

Goodtimes Goodtimes - For All My Kingdom
from the upcoming Let It Begin EP

SING THE STATES #13.1: Washington D.C.

2009-04-27T10:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, so we all know that D.C. isn't a state. It's just a district. But since that district is the capital of the United States, it gets to be on the list. It was officially organized in 1801, and has served as the capital for 208 years. I love D.C., and although I've only been back rarely in the last few years, I still have a lot of affection for the District. So did Parliament, who named their 1975 album, Chocolate City, after it (a nickname earned due to the cities then-growing black population). Stephen Colbert evoked the nickname at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner when he called D.C. "the chocolate city with a marshmallow center and a graham cracker crust of corruption". Oh that Colbert.

I'm sure many of you could have seen this song choice coming miles away - but I'm gonna go ahead and do it anyway. I love The Postal Service's "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight", and I don't care who knows it. After a two-year hiatus from popular music in general, Give Up was one of the very first albums I heard as I moved back to college (along with this one). It still makes me wax all nostalgic. And so does D.C. So this was a pretty natural fit. Enjoy.

Also considered: The Magnetic Fields - Washington D.C.; Parliament - Chocolate City

The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
from the album Give Up (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

VIDEO: Captain Eo & The Power of Music

2009-04-23T13:47:00.010-04:00

Basically we learn here that music has the power to turn evil cyborgs into colorful dancing extras, and evil lairs into Roman gardens at twilight. But why not? Mostly this was just really nostalgic for me. I need to figure out a way to watch this in 3-D again.

Also: "We're gonna do it right this time cuz we're the best."

UPDATE: And here's the songs. Enjoy.

Michael Jackson - We Are Here To Change The World (from Captain EO)
from Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection (iTunes)

Michael Jackson - Another Part of Me
from the album Bad (iTunes)

PLAYLIST: Snow Is Gone!

2009-04-21T17:20:00.013-04:00

So it finally feels like Spring here in Utah - and after last Wednesday's ridiculous blizzard (which dumped more snow on my car than I think any winter storm has) the sun feels long overdue. Yesterday my wife and I met at J Dawg's for lunch and enjoyed our polish dogs on the grass in the sunshine. It was amazing. This playlist is to celebrate that moment.

mp3: Josh Ritter - Snow Is Gone
mp3: Goodtimes Goodtimes - Sunshine Sunshine
mp3: Jon & Roy - Another Noon
mp3: Architecture in Helsinki - Spring 2008
mp3: Matt Costa - Sunshine
mp3: Harlem Shakes - Sunlight
mp3: The Format - Snails (EP version)
mp3: Mojave 3 - Got My Sunshine

Now I'll continue celebrating by studying for my LAST FINAL as an undergrad. Woot.

SING THE STATES #13: Rhode Island

2009-04-21T10:00:00.005-04:00

Rhode Island is first and foremost, not an island. Technically "Rhode Island & Providence Plantations", it was the first of the original 13 colonies to declare independence from Britain, but the last to ratify the Constitution. Thus, it ended up as number 13 on our list. The capital of Rhode Island is Providence, and here's a few firsts that Providence can boast: the first Baptist church in America was established there in 1638, the first motion-picture machine was patented there in 1867, and the first lunch wagon was introduced there in 1872. Now we all know those things.

The song for Rhode Island is actually a live recording of "Holiday in Rhode Island" by The Softies, recorded in Boston in 2000. The Softies (which is actually the duo of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia) originally released this song on an album of the same name - but sadly haven't put out anything since. They still have 4 great twee-pop records to explore for anyone who's interested. I chose this live version of this song instead of the studio one mostly because of the somewhat-adorable interaction between the band and the crowd at the end. It's also almost a minute longer than the studio version (mostly because of said banter - but still). Enjoy!

Also considered: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Providence; Jennifer O'Connor - Exeter, Rhode Island

The Softies - Holiday in Rhode Island (live)
original appears on the album Holiday in Rhode Island (iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

NEWS: Thoughts on Record Store Day

2009-04-20T15:56:00.009-04:00

Thoughts on Record Store Day by Tom Moon, author of 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die:

"The scene: A well-stocked record store. You are one of maybe six people browsing. It’s a rainy day, and you’ve ducked inside armed with just a few things you intend to check out. After a few minutes you begin to pay attention to what’s playing, and after a few more minutes, you find you have to know more about the music.

"You ask. The clerk – ideally one who’s not as famously snobby as those immortalized in Nick Hornby’s novel (and subsequent film) High Fidelity, but instead a music lover with broad taste and a generous disposition – slides over. In the terse code that passes for conversation among music geeks, she conveys the basic information. It’s all you need. Your curiosity has been activated. Something about this music has slipped past your armor, and as you listen, you sense that these sounds could be vital to your future well-being. You snag this and return to hunt down what you came in for. And then you overhear two people talking about a guitarist whose work you know – turns out he’s a sideman on a record you didn’t know. Off you go, on another tangent, about to encounter another bit of amazingness. You walked in looking for one thing, and just through an offhand mention – “So, you’ve never experienced Fela before? Right this way….” – an entirely new world has opened up.

"Of course it’s possible to have similar encounters via the Internet. But the web, with its endlessly cross-referenced and utterly logical stepwise connections, misses that essential human element. There’s not much in the way of thoughtful curatorship happening at the Genius bar: Input some touchstone recordings, and it will spit out a string of utterly plausible recommendations. It’s coldly digital, a seek-and-find mission with limited potential for serendipity. Encountering music in a record store can be quite different – haphazard and at times random, a tour led by those who, by virtue of their employment in these temples of sound, have heard tons of stuff and can make some connections for you. No search engine or software application can replace what they know. Nothing, in fact, can replace the electric experience of discovery that happens in a place where people gather, in real time, to share music and seek out the next obsession."

I couldn't have said it better. So I didn't try. Here's the original.

Go HERE to check out a video from The Devil Whale's set at Slowtrain on Saturday to celebrate Record Store Day.

ALBUM: Hold Time by M. Ward

2009-04-20T10:00:00.003-04:00

So I've been waiting way too long to write something about this record. I fell in love with it way back in January when it was streaming on NPR, and it's been consistently playing on my computer ever since it was released. I don't know why I've waited so long to write about it - I don't even know if there's much I can say to do it justice. Let's just say this: if you haven't heard it yet, go listen to it right now. Deal? Deal.

M. Ward inhabits this strange world somewhere between the inception of rock & roll and the present day - weaving in and out of whole musical eras and styles from all over the last half-century. One minute he's taking us on a tour of 1950's doo-wop, the next, early Spanish classical guitar, and the next, a 60's art film score. All of this shows up on Hold Time, but not like it has before. While his earlier albums have covered similar territory, seldom has Ward tread so close to pop as he does on this record, and the whole experience is better for it. Where parts of Post War and Transistor Radio (his last two albums) seemed to get washed away in their retro-backwash, no song on Hold Time suffers for its production. The hooks and melodies shine clear through the radio fuzz, with memorable moments popping up about as frequently as guitar licks.

From the two-stepping first single "Never Had Nobody Like You", to the dreamy title track "Hold Time", from the doo-dooing chorus of "To Save Me" to the jaunty "Fisher of Men", Ward has never put together such a solid set of songs as he has here. A particular stand-out is his duet with Lucinda Williams on "Oh Lonesome Me", where their raspy voices linger together over swelling strings and aching slide guitar. But as good as it is, it's just one of many near-perfect moments.

So far 2009 has produced some pretty remarkable albums. Hold Time is one of the best.

M. Ward - To Save Me (featuring Jason Lytle)
from the album Hold Time (Amazon/iTunes)

And here's the latest video for the album, a cover of Buddy Holly's "Rave On". Enjoy.

SONG: Be Somebody

2009-04-19T23:14:00.005-04:00

When did I get old? I feel like it happened sometime in between the realization that cartoons are no longer funny and that I'm about to graduate from college.

Well, like everyone that enters the doors and walks the halls of academia I have high hopes of making something of myself. Changing the world and all that...

I guess only time will tell. I'll keep you informed.
In the meantime I have my self-contained support network in my iPod cheering me on. (And my parents who don't want to see their son living in their basement)(Again).

Kings of Leon - Be Somebody
from the album Only By the Night (Amazon/iTunes)

ARTIST: A.A. Bondy

2009-04-17T11:00:00.001-04:00

So I've kind of mentioned it before, but I'll be moving to Indianapolis at the end of June to start dental school in July - so these are my last few months here in Utah. Any of our readers from Indiana? I hear the music scene is pretty great, so assuming I have any time in between my dental classes, I'm excited to be a part of it.

I'm sad to be leaving Utah, not least because of all the amazing concerts coming here this summer. The other day I noticed that A.A. Bondy will be coming to the Urban Lounge on June 23rd, which just smarts (we'll be missing him by days). If you have the chance, please see this guy play. He released one of the best albums I missed in 2007 - but I've been making up for it in spades over the last several months. It's called American Hearts and it's one of the best gritty folk records I've heard in awhile - with plenty of harmonica and electric guitar over some exceptionally pretty acoustic ballads. Listen and love below.

Also, his Daytrotter session is one of the very best I've ever heard. Listen to it HERE.

A.A. Bondy - Black Rain, Black Rain
from the album American Hearts (Amazon/iTunes)

A.A. Bondy - Killed Myself When I Was Young
from the album American Hearts (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: Zooey Deschanel can do no wrong

2009-04-15T14:33:00.006-04:00

So apparently in an effort to prove to us all that she's adorable no matter what she's doing, the gentler half of She & Him has gone and written a jingle for Cotton. That's right. Like the fabric, cotton. And it's the first jingle to ever get a 5-star rating on my itunes. So there. You win, Zooey. You win.

Here's the full mp3, which you can also download here.

Zooey Deschanel - Fabric Of My Life
from Cotton

And as a bonus, here's a little pre-She & Him track from Zooey and M. Ward. It's off The Go-Getter soundtrack. Enjoy!

M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel - When I Get To The Border
from The Go-Getter Soundtrack

SING THE STATES #12: North Carolina

2009-04-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

North Carolina's the 12th state on our list, as it joined the Union on November 21st, 1789 (that'll be 210 years this November if you don't subtract the couple years they, you know, seceded). North Carolina's capital is Raleigh, and in addition to being this year's NCAA champions, the University of North Carolina on Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the country. Here's some fun facts: did you know that NC is the nation's largest producer of sweet potatoes? Well it is. Also, Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville, NC on March 7th, 1914. Finally, according to 50states.com's trivia page, "Winston-Salem was created when the two towns Winston and Salem combined." Wow. I know. Fascinating.

There's a pretty wide array of musicians from North Carolina, with notable scenes ranging from folk and bluegrass to punk and metal. John Coltrane lived in High Point, NC until he was 16, and James Taylor grew up in Carrboro, NC. Ben Folds also grew up in the state, going to high school in Winston-Salem (formerly Winston and Salem, don't forget), and formed his band Ben Folds Five at Chapel Hill.

Providing our song for North Carolina is another musician with strong ties to the state. Ryan Adams grew up in Jacksonville, NC, where he started his seminal alt-country band Whiskeytown. After Whiskeytown's demise, Adams produced his first (and arguably his best) solo album, Heartbreaker, which still drew heavily on his country influences. This song is one of my all-time favorites off that record, and features Emmylou Harris on back-up vocals. Nine albums later, the ridiculously prolific songwriter has recently sworn off music, married Mandy Moore, and started a death metal project called Werewolph. Featuring song titles like 'Evil Weekend', 'Dead People Unite', and 'Mega Wizards', you can check out how much he's actually sworn off music HERE.

Also considered: James Taylor - Carolina On My Mind; Mike Seeger - Way Down In North Carolina; Ryan Adams - Carolina Rain

Ryan Adams - Oh My Sweet Carolina
from the album Heartbreaker (Amazon)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

SING THE STATES #11: New York

2009-04-13T10:00:00.002-04:00

Do you know how many songs there are about New York? Do you? Because there are so many. So so many. True, most of them are about New York City instead of New York State, but still.

New York was the eleventh state to join the Union on July 26th, 1788, and in an effort to throw off any future elementary school kids learning state capitals, New York's capital is not New York City, but is Albany. New York City is, of course, the state's largest city, but many of you might not know that the state's smallest city is Sherrill, NY with a population of just over 3,000. Not far from Sherrill is the city of Oneida, the site of the world's smallest church (it's only 3.5' by 6'!). One more fun fact: the term The Big Apple actually originated with jazz musicians in the 20's, who referred to gigs as 'apples' - and NYC was 'the BIG apple'. Kinda cool.

Man was the running close for this song. Though the competition was fierce, LCD Soundsystem came out on top - mostly because I just love this song. It's pretty obviously referring to the city of New York, but we're going to let it slide. Because when a song's this good, it deserves to break the rules.

Also considered: Ryan Adams - New York, New York; The Strokes - New York City Cops; Mason Jennings - New York City; Jim Croce - New York's Not My Home; Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy In New York; Frank Sinatra - Theme from New York, New York; The Pogues - The Fairytale of New York

LCD Soundsystem - New York I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down
from the album Sound of Silver (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

ARTIST: Animal Collective

2009-04-11T22:44:00.004-04:00

If you already know about Animal Collective: Don't bother, nothing new here.

If you haven't heard of Animal Collective: Please listen and try to make sense of their self-proclaimed genre - "freeform, electronic, horror, gospel, hip-hop, soul, pop madness."

Either way, its a lot of fun and quite the experience.

Oh and yes, the picture is moving. Weird huh?

Animal Collective - My Girls
from the album Merriweather Post Pavillion (Amazon/iTunes)

NEWS: The Hold Steady tonight in SLC

2009-04-11T16:05:00.008-04:00

If you get a chance tonight, you should definitely go see The Hold Steady perform at The Urban Lounge in Salt Lake. I've never seen these guys, but from the concert footage I've seen and the reviews I've read, they put on a powerful, maybe even life-changing, rock and roll show. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it tonight (read: I'm poor), but if you can, please go! You'll be happy you did.

If you can't make it, and you happen to be in Provo, here's an option that might be more in your price range (it's in mine). Adding Machines is having their CD release show tonight at Muse Music, and admission's just $5, with a CD included. It'll be a great local show.

The song below is off last year's amazing Stay Positive, an album I didn't get turned onto until a couple months ago. This is music for people who still believe rock & roll can save the world. Enjoy.

The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
from the album Stay Positive (Amazon/iTunes)

NEWS: Mates of State Remixes out next week

2009-04-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

Barsuk is releasing the first in a series of Mates of State remix albums next week, called Re-arranged: Remixes Volume 1. It'll be released on vinyl, but a digital version is scheduled to follow soon. Here's the tracklist:

1. You Are Free (The Mae Shi remix)
2. Re-arranger (Flosstradamus remix)
3. Now (RAC remix)
4. Help Help (DJ Sega Philly Club remix)

The song below is not from that release. Instead, it's a mash-up of the Mates and Black Kids in honor of their current tour. You know - the one that's coming nowhere near Salt Lake City. Enjoy!

Mates of State vs Black Kids - DJA of Mad Decent Mash-up

SING THE STATES #10: Virginia

2009-04-10T11:48:00.001-04:00

I love Virginia. As a kid living near D.C. I had an inexplicable affinity for the state - so much so that for my whole second-grade year after we moved to California, I told people I'd lived in Virginia, not Maryland. For some reason that I can't remember, my little 8-year-old brain thought it was cooler to be from Virginia, even though half the kids I knew probably didn't know where that was anyway.

Years later, after high school, I spent about a year living in the western part of Virginia - in Lexington, Roanoke and Vinton. And I can honestly say, VA is one of the most stunningly beautiful parts of the country that I've been to. Anyone who's ever seen the Shenandoah Valley in the fall, or driven the Blue Ridge Parkway in the spring would probably agree. I think everyone should spend some time in Virginia. Especially lovers, according to the t-shirts and postcards.

And that includes "broken-hearted lovers", according to Jeremy Messersmith in the song below. Jeremy's a writer of sweet, wispy pop ballads from Minneapolis who stole my heart with this song last year, off his record The Silver City. He strikes a great balance between the insightful singer-songwriter and the indie pop type, never falling perfectly into either camp - but instead finding a blissfully perfect nitch in between. Enjoy!

Also considered: Foo Fighters - Virginia Moon; The Greyboy All-stars - Quantico, VA; The Rolling Stones - Sweet Virginia; The National - You've Done It Again, Virginia

Jeremy Messersmith - Virginia
from the album The Silver City (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

ALBUM: Technicolor Health by Harlem Shakes

2009-04-08T14:28:00.002-04:00

As bad as it sounds, sometimes I'll judge an album by its cover. When I've got a pile of new music to listen to, sometimes it's just the best way to narrow down what to tackle first. True, this is becoming less and less relevant in our digital age, and true it's not always a good way to judge music, but sometimes it's served me well. Like this time.

This time it's Harlem Shakes' debut album, Technicolor Health, that caught my eye first - and then my ear. This record's so good you should put down whatever you're doing and listen to it. Like now. Even with a ton of new music to listen to, I played this album 4 or 5 times on Monday while I was knee-deep in some thick calculus (gross, I know). Then I put it on again yesterday, and this morning it's still the sweetest thing to my ears. Yup. It's that good.

Drawing on the best from rock and indie pop, Harlem Shakes have put together 10 ridiculously catchy, intricately layered pop songs that have kept me tapping my toes and rocking my maths for 3 straight days now. Upbeat and refreshingly earnest, these tracks are full of smart humor, rousing choruses, a surprising array of musical influences, and beats that just won't quit. Most simply, I think this is the funnest record I've heard this year so far.

Every song's a stand-out, but here's a couple to cut your teeth on.

Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
from the album Technicolor Health (Amazon/iTunes)

Harlem Shakes - Sunlight
from the album Technicolor Health (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #09: New Hampshire

2009-04-07T11:46:00.005-04:00

New Hampshire, known as the Granite State, is the 9th state in our countdown, having joined the Union on June 21st, 1788. Notable for being the site of the first primary election for each U.S. presidential election, here are some other fun facts about New Hampshire: their flower is the purple lilac, their highest point is Mt. Washington at 6,288 ft, their state motto is "Live Free or Die", and Robert Frost lived and wrote many of his most famous poems there.

Our song for NH is from the Sonic Youth, who really need no introduction. I've never been incredibly into their music, but it's hard to listen to them and not think of how influential they've been on rock & roll over the last 20 years (they've been playing since 1981!). This song is from 2004's Sonic Nurse, and is just what you'd expect from these guys. And apparently, Sonic Youth will be hitting this year's Twilight Concert Series (according to this guy), along with Bon Iver, Jenny Lewis, The Black Keys, and M. Ward! If that's all true, then I've never been so sad about leaving Utah as I am right now.

Also considered: Matt Pond PA - New Hampshire

Sonic Youth - New Hampshire
from the album Sonic Nurse (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

SONG: Finally some fun!

2009-04-06T18:45:00.012-04:00

You may remember way back in August that the now-disbanded Format's Nate Ruess started a new act with some friends, called it 'fun.', and recorded a pretty amazing little number in their garage. Since then we haven't heard too much from Nate & company. Until today.

Nate says, in an email:

"Yeah, I know... "it's about time"... but really... it took forever to make this record... and I honestly couldn't be more proud of the job that Andrew, Jack, and I did... this is most certainly the best record I've ever been a part of... and i hope when it's released this summer that you guys will still be around to listen and enjoy."

Considering how much I still adore Dog Problems, this is great news indeed. Nate goes on to say that the record, apparently called Aim & Ignite, is completely done - artwork and all - and they're hitting the road at the end of the month. Yup. I'm giddy. Giddy is definitely the word for what I am.

They're coming to SLC on May 13th with Manchester Orchestra - so be sure not to miss that date. And go HERE to sign up for fun.'s mailing list - there should be some more good news coming soon!

fun. - At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)
from the album Aim & Ignite (due this summer)

And here's that fantastic demo from last August:

fun. - Benson Hedges (demo)

VIDEO: Joe Cocker translated

2009-04-06T11:23:00.001-04:00

Most of my generation recognize this song as the opening theme to The Wonder Years, a retrospective series about life in the 60's (and one of my favorite tv shows of all time). I think this four minute clip might give a better impression of what that decade was actually like.

I laughed pretty hard at this.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends
from the album With A Little Help From My Friends (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #08: South Carolina

2009-04-03T10:00:00.004-04:00

South Carolina joined the Union is 1788, and I think they may have my favorite flag of all the 50 states. Designed by Col. William Moultrie for the South Carolina troops in 1775, he chose a blue that matched their uniforms and a crescent like the silver emblem they wore on the front of their caps. The palmetto tree came later, in honor of Col. Moutlrie's defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan's Island against the attack of the British fleet in 1776. And that's the history behind my favorite state flag.

South Carolina's a beautiful state, but musically they haven't produced much that I've listened to. Most notably, South Carolina's home to Iron & Wine and Dizzy Gillespie (arguably one of the best jazz trumpeters that ever lived). Unfortunately, Wikipedia cites Hootie & The Blowfish as SC's most successful rock group to date - so all I can say there is, please step it up musicians of South Carolina.

There's a myriad of songs about plain old Carolina, without specifying whether they mean "North" or "South", and for our track today I've actually gone with one of those, since South Carolina was, at least at one point, a part of the Province of plain-old Carolina. The song is Ben Gibbard's off of the HOME Vol. 5 EP he split with Andrew Kenny in 2003. If you haven't heard that EP, put it on a list and scratch it off soon. Because it's that good.

Also considered: Archers of Loaf - South Carolina; M. Ward - Carolina

Ben Gibbard - Carolina
from the EP HOME Vol. 5 (Amazon)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

NEWS: The Moonbabies

2009-04-03T02:18:00.002-04:00

I'm a worrier.
This little quirk isn't always fun, but what makes this condition more severe is that even when I have nothing to worry about, I end up worrying for other people.
That brings me to you all, the readers.

I'm worried that, unless you've delved into the very earliest posts of our little blog, you may have missed some truly outstanding artists.
Well over a year ago, when WIAC was still in its infancy, Chris posted about the oh so very talented Moonbabies.
Their 2007 release At the Ballroom was a favorite that year here at WIAC and, having just listened to it, still as fantastic in 2009 as it was in 2007.

And I'm pleased to see that the poppy little Swedish duo are busy at work putting together their forth-coming album. (no release date as of yet) But they've given us a sneak peak into what to expect. (For instance: "a semi-instrumental western inspired theme song." Ya, I can't wait.)

Moonbabies - Dead End Street (Kinks cover)

Moonbabies - Take Me to the Ballroom
from the album At the Ballroom (Amazon/iTunes)

NEWS: President makes a mixtape

2009-04-02T17:29:00.008-04:00

On his recent visit to Buckingham Palace, President Obama gave Queen Elizabeth II an iPod. Not only that, the iPod was also loaded with some footage of the Queen's 2007 visit to the US, as well as a mix of some popular broadway and showtunes. You can check out the playlist HERE. Apparently the Queen already has an iPod, but it's only a 6-gig mini - so she's obviously due for an upgrade.

Whether or not you agree with the President's politics, you've got to admit that he has the cool factor down. I mean, what world leader has ever given another world leader a mixtape? If you know of any, let me know.

ALSO: Remember that tomorrow's our last day to enter the Cold War Kids giveaway. If you haven't yet, you can do that HERE.

The Helio Sequence - Give, Give, Give
from the album Young Effectuals (iTunes)

PLAYLIST: A Beach Boys Tribute

2009-04-02T10:00:00.006-04:00

I made this playlist a while back, and I've enjoyed it way too much not to share it. It's made up completely of modern tunes that are, to my ear anyway, in some way inspired by the Beach Boys. In some of them, it's just the percussion that does it for me, in others its the harmonies or the production techniques - some are more overt than others (The Explorer's Club and Panda Bear), but a few of the subtler ones are real stand-outs as well (the breakdown in "Quiet Houses"). This started out as a sort of novelty playlist but it's turned into one of my favorite mixes from last year - I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

mp3: The Explorer's Club - Do You Love Me?
from the album Freedom Wind (iTunes)
mp3: Death Cab for Cutie - You Can Do Better Than Me
from the album Narrow Stairs (iTunes)
mp3: Department of Eagles - No One Does It Like You
from the album In Ear Park (iTunes)
mp3: Magnet - Wish Me Well
from the album On Your Side (iTunes)
mp3: Panda Bear - Bros (edit)
from the album Person Pitch (iTunes)
mp3: Animal Collective - Derek
from the album Strawberry Jam (iTunes)
mp3: Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
from the album Fleet Foxes (iTunes)
mp3: Okkervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails
from the album The Stage Names (iTunes)
mp3: The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
from the album Pet Sounds (iTunes)

ARTIST: MT 2MB

2009-04-01T02:30:00.007-04:00

MT 2MB (pronounced 'empty tomb') was originally conceived only as a side project for renowned Glockenspiel-ist Logan Holtman (of ‘Guitarmageddon’ fame) however, it quickly evolved into something much much more when Logan was joined by pianist Niels “Kneels” Yensen (most recently associated with O.W.G.). The world has been praising their purely average and predictable style of Christian-Rock since.

After the release of their first album a little less than six months ago, Christian-Rock pioneers MT 2MB have announced the release of their second studio album, By Faith Alone.

Logan Holtman, lead singer and accomplished jazz flutist, said in a recent interview concerning their new release, "Our first album was really for the fans, this album is a departure from the usual. Kneels and I took some time off of the touring circuit, cleared our heads, got on our knees, and recorded our most experimental album to date. That was actually all done within an afternoon, mixing and all, and I think the results speak for themselves."

The 2-disc deluxe version includes a bonus DVD that chronicles Holtman and Yensen's spiritual journey on the road to By Faith Alone. As Yensen described it, "It was an epic journey, a hard row to hoe, filled with more than one "arrow from the Adversary", and sometimes, when you were ready to give up and go back to making generic radio alt-rock and you felt like you couldn't possibly lay down another track, you felt someone else's hand strumming that guitar or hitting those keys. The mixing was all us though."

The country has never needed MT 2MB's spiritual stylings as much as it needs them now. Tackling such issues as evolution ('That's Not My Daddy') and the failing economy ('Filthy Lucre') it speaks to this generation of Americans and offers direction that can only be found through Christian rock.

MT 2MB - The Wise Man Built His House Upon this ROCK!
from the album By Faith Alone (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: New Bob Dylan

2009-03-30T13:49:00.004-04:00

I've been on a pretty massive Bob Dylan kick for the last month or so. It started with a curiosity about his three Christian-themed albums from 1979-81, but has blown into an all-out re-discovery of his entire catalog. I love it when that happens. Bob Dylan was a pretty foundational artist for me - he was the first singer-songwriter I really listened to/admired, and he was the inspiration for a lot of my early songwriting and performing. I remember thinking as a kid, "if he can sing like that and make it, I've at least got a shot." As the years have passed, I've come to realize that a little bit of brilliance helps make up for a lackluster voice - and Bob's more than just a little brilliant.

Recently, I've been pretty excited to learn that his 33rd(!) studio album is on it's way, and will be out in April. Never mind that the album cover looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch ad (see right). A really really bad Abercrombie & Fitch ad. I'm sure it'll be great anyways. Because this is Bob Dylan. And his worst album cover is still better than any other guy's best album cover. Or something like that.

He's released the first taste from the new album on his website, called 'Beyond Here Lies Nothing'. Not a far cry from 2007's Modern Times, it's got a real southern swing to it, with plenty of horns, organ, and bluesy guitar riffs. Get it at the link below. The record's called Together Through Life, and it's out April 28th.

Bob Dylan - Beyond Here Lies Nothing
from the album Together Through Life (out April 28th)

SING THE STATES #07: Maryland

2009-03-30T11:00:00.002-04:00

With State #7 in our series we've come to the first state in our list that I've actually lived in! I'm sure you're all excited to know that my family lived in Gaithersburg, MD until I was 8, and that I have all kinds of fond memories of the Old Line State. We lived in a small townhouse there that backed up to a narrow stretch of woods and a creek that became my brother and I's playground for years. If you've ever read Calvin & Hobbes, you have a pretty good idea of how great a little bit of woodland can be for little boys, and we had a lot of adventures back there.

After we moved to the somewhat clausterphobic suburbia of Southern California I began looking back with even more fondness on that little stretch of woods. It was a little shocking to go back about a year ago and see that it really wasn't much at all - just a little patch of trees between our row of townhouses and a little highway. But the world seems a lot bigger when you're eight, you know?

Anyways, here's some random facts about Maryland: its capitol is Annapolis, and its largest city is Baltimore. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland's households are the richest in the country, with a mean income of $68,080. MD's state flower is the Black Eyed Susan. Frank Zappa, O.A.R., and Mama Cass Elliot (of the Mamas and the Papas) are from Maryland. And Tupac Shakur started his career in Baltimore.

Our song for Maryland is from Deer Tick, a little indie/folk/blues/rock outfit from Providence, RI. Their 2007 debut, War Elephant, is excellent. This song is from that record. It is also excellent. Enjoy.

Also considered: Stephen Malkmus - Baltimore

Deer Tick - Baltimore Blues No. 1
from the album War Elephant (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

VIDEO: The Whispertown 2000's 'Old Times'

2009-03-27T13:50:00.006-04:00

To quote my very good friend Niels: "I dare you not to smile while watching this video."

I pass along that dare, and I might even upgrade it to a triple-dog. Fans of Jenny Lewis and Neko Case will enjoy this. Check out their website HERE.

SING THE STATES #06: Massachusetts

2009-03-27T11:00:00.002-04:00

Massachusetts is so wrapped up in American history (Plymouth Rock, the Boston Tea Party, the Battles of Lexington and Concord), that I'm not even going to try and dive into it all here. Instead I'll give them the award for the most hardcore state motto yet in our countdown:

"By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

So when I was looking for something interesting to write about Massachusetts, I went looking at their professional sports history. MA is home to a wide array of successful sport franchises and I thought I'd find something interesting in their history of baseball, football or basketball for sure. Well, to my surprise, I instead found that the The Volleyball Hall of Fame resides in Holyoke, Massachusetts, because that's where volleyball was invented! Crazy, right? Did anyone actually know that? Maybe you all did, but that's kind of blowing my mind. Maybe it's just because I grew up in Southern California, but the idea that the sport of volleyball originated on the opposite coast is just kind of bizarre. That might just be a pride thing. Anyways. I guess we all owe MA a big 'thank you' for that one, because seriously, who doesn't love a good game of beach volleyball on a sunny day?

And who doesn't like a little bit of nostalgia, either? Anyone who graduated from high school about when I did probably rocked out to a little bit of Get Up Kids every now and then. I was in 9th grade when Something To Write Home About came out, and although I was never the biggest fan, this stuff still reminds me of those first few years of high school. For those of you who really loved these guys, you're probably already stoked about the reunion shows that are currently under way - they'll be coming near my hometown on April 4th when they hit Irvine, CA (check dates here). Out of their two songs mentioning our state of the day, this is by far my favorite. Enjoy!

Also considered: The Pixies - U-Mass; The Get Up Kids - A Newfound Interest In Massachusetts; Brian Wilson - Roll Plymouth Rock

The Get Up Kids - Mass Pike
from the album The EP's: Red Letter Day & Woodson (Amazon)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

VIDEO: Where The Wild Things Are

2009-03-25T17:01:00.004-04:00

Ok. I just pee'd my pants.

Arcade Fire - Wake Up
from the album Funeral (iTunes)

SING THE STATES #04: Georgia

2009-03-25T11:00:00.003-04:00

Georgia, or The Peach State, was the 4th state to join the Union back in 1788. Atlanta is it's capital and biggest city, but a lot of the state is still green southern landscapes. Unfortunately, I've never been to Georgia, but I have a few good friends from there that definitely live up to the Southern Hospitality hype. Good people come from Georgia, that's what I always say. (Not really, but I could.) In random trivia, the movie Deliverance not only took place in Georgia, but was filmed there as well. I guess that might be a reason not to go to Georgia. Or if you do, just don't take any sketchy canoe trips down any backwoods rivers.

Musically, Georgia's produced some of the most influential R&B and Soul in the country; most notably Ray Charles, James Brown, Little Richard, and Gladys Knight (wow). It's also home to Outkast, one of the first hip-hop groups to make it commercially who weren't from LA or NY. R.E.M. hails from Athens, GA, and Cat Power was also born in the state.

Providing our song for Georgia is Iron & Wine (AKA Samuel Beam), who grew up in South Carolina and Florida not too far from The Peach State. If you love this guy like I do, you'll probably be excited to know that he'll be releasing a 2-disc B-sides and rarities album this May called Around The Well. In support, he'll also be playing two intimate shows each in New York, Seattle, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco. If you're able to make it to one of those, you can vote for what songs you want to hear HERE. Now there's some southern hospitality for ya.

Also considered: The 1900s - Georgia; Pierce Pettis - Georgia Moon; The Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches

Iron & Wine - Sodom, South Georgia
from the album Our Endless Numbered Days (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

ALBUM: Get Guilty

2009-03-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

So while the whole world it seems was partying at SXSW last week, I was sitting here at work trying to make the best of things by listening to a bunch of new music. Luckily, a good chunk of it was pretty amazing. Who needs Austin, right? I've got my itunes and some homemade PB&J. Sigh.

But seriously, I had some great listening experiences last week. For example, I finally got a chance to sit down and listen to A.C. Newman's new record, Get Guilty, all the way through. Better known for fronting the Canadian pop powerhouse The New Pornographers, Newman shows on his second solo album that he's still a powerhouse on his own. More guitar-driven than 2007's Challengers, there's still the perfectionist's touch behind the muscle - and many of these songs shine more after their initial sheen wears off. They're stuffed front to back with great hooks, toe-tapping beats, and layered pop arrangements - all with the little nuances that we've come to expect from Newman's work. Lyrically, I think it's some of the best stuff he's produced to date - take the opening lines from the opening track 'There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve':

"There are maybe ten or twelve things I could teach you; After that, well, I think you're on your own; And that wasn't the opening line, it was the tenth or twelfth; Make of that what you will."

With that, the record starts off with a solid one-two punch, as the next track, 'The Heartbreak Rides' is just as strong - in fact, with that kind of a kick-off I was worried that the rest of album may be a downward slope. Happily, my worries were quickly assuaged. Awash in strings, horns and assorted other goodies, including the vocal talents of Nicole Atkins and Mates of State's Kori Gardner (bonus points), superb tracks like 'Prophets', 'The Palace at 4AM' and 'The Changeling (Get Guilty)' are just a few examples of the solid set Newman's put together here. Then the album closes out with two more of my favorite tracks, 'The Collected Works' and 'All Of My Days And All Of My Days Off'. Put simply, Get Guilty is 42 minutes of evidence that A.C. Newman is one of the best pop songwriters out there, and that he is indeed at the top of his game.

A.C. Newman- There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve
from the album Get Guilty (Amazon/iTunes)

A.C. Newman - The Heartbreak Rides
from the album Get Guilty (Amazon/iTunes)

CONTEST: Cold War Kids Giveaway

2009-03-23T14:03:00.002-04:00

The Cold War Kids are touring the States through April in support of last year's Loyalty to Loyalty, and to celebrate we've got a handful of things to hang on your walls and spin on your record players.

Here's all you gotta do: Write us a comment with your name and email address (please!), and tell us the best live band you've seen in the last year. If you haven't seen anyone in the last year (shame on you), just tell us your all-time favorite live act. And be sure to write in before Friday, April 3rd, cuz that's the deadline.

Then check out ~~some songs below and~~ a video of these guys performing my favorite track off of their first record, Robbers & Cowards, at the Reading & Leeds Festival in 2007. After that, check out their latest Daytrotter session here. And if these guys are stopping in your town, well then, you know what to do.

UPDATE: In the continuing saga of how much Blogger sucks, they've once again erased our post due to illegal mp3s. ~~That means we've lost all the comments made so far! So if you already made a comment and still want a chance to win, PLEASE re-enter your comment.~~ LAME, we know. Sorry guys.

UPDATE on the UPDATE: I didn't realize that we've got all our comments saved in our email. So we've still got everyone who's entered so far! Thanks guys!

SING THE STATES #03: New Jersey

2009-03-23T11:00:00.004-04:00

When I was looking for a postcard image for New Jersey, my favorite was probably one that said "It hurts our feelings when you make fun of us." Isn't that true? No matter where your from, I think we can all relate. So I propose that we all resolve to stop making fun of people for their state of origin. Because really, every state has a lot to offer. Like New Jersey, for example:

Has the highest population density of any state in the United States.

It's the site of the first officially recorded baseball game in history (at Elysian Field, Hoboken, NJ).

It's actually the only state without an official state song (although 'I'm From New Jersey' is often incorrectly cited as one).

Music from the Garden State is eclectic and influential. Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Lauryn Hill, Parliament-Funkadelic, and The Bouncing Souls all hail from NJ (just to name a few).

So there you go, lots of reasons to not bag on Jersey. And since we represented Pennsylvania with New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen, we thought we'd return the favor by representing NJ with the white-boy blues rapper from Philly, G. Love. This song's off his 2006 album for Brushfire Records, Lemonade - and although it's about not going back to Jersey, there's no direct sucker-punches to the state - so this still keeps our goal of not making fun of any states. I've always had a thing for G. Love, probably because I think he's one of the best blues-harmonica players around. This is a fun song, but if I had to recommend a G. Love album I'd probably lean more toward his earlier records with his backing band, Special Sauce - probably Philadelphonic or their self-titled. But there's some great tracks on his 2004 solo debut, The Hustle, as well. So there you go.

Also considered: Red House Painters - New Jersey; Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City; Less Than Jake - Never Going Back To Jersey

G. Love - Can't Go Back To Jersey
from the album Lemonade (Amazon/iTunes)

Check out the rest of our SING THE STATES posts!

ALBUM: The Hazards of Love

2009-03-23T01:31:00.000-04:00

A little over a year and a half ago Chris and I realized we had attended one too many monster truck rallys/rodeos/demolition derbys and were perilously close to devolving into the detritus of society. So in order to retain a shred of culture in our lives, we got ourselves dates and attended a local presentation of the opera, Marriage of Figaro. (Usually we just take in a foreign film. Subtitles are a great resource for culture.)
Although when we found out the thing was three hours long and totally in Italian we almost didn't make it. (It was subtitled thank heavens.)
And if I'm being totally honest, I kind of enjoyed it.

And if I'm being totally honest about The Decemberist's The Hazards of Love, I'm more than enjoying it. I'm loving it.

Why the story about the opera? Just a fun little segue into this fun fact: The Hazards of Love is actually a rock-opera!
Congrats Decemberists at joining the illustrious ranks of The Who's Tommy and Pink Floyd's The Wall.

But with previous albums having multiple songs surpassing the ten-minute mark, who didn't see this coming?

The Decemberists have abandoned their past formula of albums composed of short-vignettes for one epic story played out through the entirety of the album. There is a cast of characters (voiced by a group of all-stars), recurring musical themes ranging anywhere from folky to heavy metal, and quite a bit of drama. (I won't spoil the ending for you.)

This album is nothing less than spectacular.

And as a special treat, The Decemberists debuted The Hazards of Love in its entireity at SXSW and you can stream it at NPRs website here.

UPDATE: Once again, a post has been taken down...this is getting out of hand. Go to Hype Machine or Elbo.ws and search for an mp3.

~~The Decemberists - The Rake's Song~~
from the album The Hazards of Love (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #02: Pennsylvania

2009-03-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

The second state to join the Union, and the first state on our list that I've actually been to, is Pennsylvania! When I was about 7 years old we went to an Amish village somewhere in rural PA, and all I can really remember is petting some baby goats and thinking that horse-drawn carriages were cool. Since then, I've only driven through the state - but I can at least attest to it's green hills and pretty landscapes. Nick-named the Keystone State, it's capital is Harrisburg, and it's State bird is the Ruffed Grouse. Not Goose, but Grouse. Now you know that. Also, Pennsylvania leads the nation in manufacturing pretzels and potato chips. Now you know that too.

Our song for Pennsylvania is 'Streets of Philadelphia' by Bruce Springsteen. Drenched in synthesizer and drum-machines - as all The Boss's songs were for a while - it's a little down-beat for sure, but one I really love. Originally written for the film Philadelphia, it's kind of the blue-collar-rocker's tribute to a blue-collar city. Enjoy.

Also considered: Commander Venus - Pennsylvania Made You Sick; James Taylor & Mark Knopfler - Sailing to Philadelphia; Josh Ritter - Harrisburg

Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia
from the album Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits (Amazon/iTunes)

SING THE STATES #01: Delaware

2009-03-18T10:00:00.011-04:00

I know almost nothing about Delaware. I've never been there, and I know only a few people that have. I do know, however, that it was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, and therefore became the first state in the Union. Nick-named the Diamond State allegedly because Thomas Jefferson called it the "jewel" of the states due to it's strategic position on the Eastern Seaboard. Also, here is a list of the 10 richest places in Delaware, just because wikipedia had it. Now we all know that about Delaware.

And here's a song to celebrate Delaware's great statehood! It's a track from the rather obscure Drop Nineteens, a little outfit outta Boston back in the early nineties. Admittedly, I had to dig for this one since I didn't already have many songs about Delaware in my music library, but it's pretty fun anyway. You might hear some similarities to My Bloody Valentine or some other UK shoegaze groups from the era, and while I'm not entirely sure if it's about the state itself or not, it's a pretty good bit of early 90's rock. Enjoy.

Also considered: Neal Casal - Delaware Station; Perry Como - Delaware; Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside

Drop Nineteens - Delaware
from the album Delaware (used on Amazon)

SING THE STATES: Are you ready...?

2009-03-17T10:00:00.001-04:00

So we're starting a new project here at Whale In A Cubicle. An educational one. The project? We're going to post a song for every state in the United States, in order of their inductance into the Union.

Yup. For our readers in the US, this might be a good refresher of what you learned back in 4th grade American History; for all of our international readers, maybe this'll be a good primer on US geography (though probably not). As always, we hope it'll be a chance for everyone to find some new music to love. Cuz that's real education.

Check back tomorrow for our first post in the series: Delaware!

*NOTE: thanks to g. lock for the link to the fantastic image (above) by Greg Beauchamp. Check it out on Greg's Flickr page HERE.

Sufjan Stevens - 50 States Song (Live)
Live at Lee's Palace, Toronto, 11.16.2004

ARTIST: Gregor Samsa

2009-03-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

Gregor Samsa is a group you might have a hard time pinning a label on. People have used terms like post-rock or slowcore to describe them, but neither of those really do it for me. While fans of Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky will find a lot to enjoy here, I'm hesitant to draw too close a comparison. Their music is too symphonic to be slapped with a post-rock label - I think there's more Nico Muhly or Philip Glass here than Mogwai, if you know what I mean. Fronted vocally by both Champ Bennett and Nikki King, their male/female interplay heightens the composed nature of these songs, lifting them out of the typical rock&roll outgrowth. All that aside though, this is just really pretty music.

Their new record, Over Air, just came out last Tuesday. It includes a recording of their live radio performance on Amsterdam's VPRO radio station in May 2008. It's pretty amazing - and if the music itself doesn't initially wow you, hopefully the fact that it was recorded live will. The sound of the micro-orchestra they've assembled behind Bennett and King's vocals is breath-taking, and the sound is pristine. There are a few remixes on here as well, but the real gold is in the live tracks - if you like what you hear, check out these songs in their original forms on their previous records, Rest, 55:12, and 27:36.

Gregor Samsa - Three / VPRO
from the album Over Air (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: Winter Gloves 'Let Me Drive'

2009-03-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't listened to Winter Gloves at all. But this. This is pretty great.

This was pretty much my dream as a 10-year-old, as I may or may not have made countless flip-book animations throughout most of grade school.

ALBUM: Grrr...

2009-03-12T10:26:00.001-04:00

An open letter to Bishop Allen:

Dear Bishop Allen,

I didn't think you could do it.
After listening to 2007's Broken String over and over (and over) again and reveling in the pop-perfection you had created, it seemed like a pretty tall (if not impossible) order to top it with any subsequent album.
That being said Grrr... is pretty stinkin' great. You have crafted something equal to, if not greater at times, than Broken String.
Just as fun as you've always been with songs that are about the catchiest little numbers I've ever heard.
There are some pretty fun standout moments for me: The Andrew Bird-esque violin in 'Dimmer', the plunky xylophone in 'The Lion and the Teacup', and just the overall cheery feeling of the record.

I'm glad to see you're celebrating, because you've created something worth a party.

Bishop Allen - Dimmer
from the album Grrr... (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: The National & Dark Was The Night

2009-03-11T13:00:00.001-04:00

The National contributed one of the stand-out tracks (of many stand-out tracks) to Red Hot's Dark Was The Night compilation released a few weeks ago. Pitchfork.tv posted this pretty great little behind-the-scenes look at the production of that song and the comp as a whole.

Enjoy!

The National - Tall Saint (demo)
from The Virginia EP (Amazon)